Halloween Through the Years.....

It's Coming Off....

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I think I'm coming down with a cold. I feel a bit sluggish today and my throat is hurting a little. It may just be from lack of sleep or my allergies but I took some tylenol just in case. I have a feeling it's just from me not getting enough sleep the past couple of nights but who knows. Better be safe than sorry, right? I think I'm just paranoid because of the infamous swine flu that's scaring everyone. My next doctor's appointment is not until late this year and I want to keep it that way.

Speaking of my doctor's appointment, the last time I was there they of course weighed me. I gained roughly 6 pounds according to the scale. My doctor said it's probably because of my thyroid brouhaha. That's a month ago. I've been weighing myself regularly since then and it 'seems' I lost a couple pounds already. Yippeee!! I guess I won't need any of that fat burner anymore because it's coming off even if I just sit on my arse the whole day....tee hee. Hopefully the last few pounds [and then some] will also come off without much work on my end. Ha!

Always be My Baby....Korean Karaoke Singer Version?

from the person who posted [wrote the subtitles?]

Kim Dong Won (tuts meh barreh guy) singing Always Be My Baby. This is what i heard. Karaoke fail. (Made for entertainment purposes only)

Unexpected 'harvest'....

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I've been blogging...errr...'bragging' about my sweet potato plants [in pot] here in the past. In case you have no idea what I'm talking about, here's a picture of my 'vegetable [pot] garden'.

Let me just say, these sweet potatoes made my lunches [and sometimes dinners] so satisfying I will forever be grateful to them....tee hee. BUT...they served their purpose already so some drastic measures had to be done. You see, I wasn't able to plant them on the ground simply because I can't find a good place to plant them. I know how easily they grow and spread and I'm afraid they may take over the yard that the husband has been so passionately taking care of. So sad as it may seem....I had to uproot them from the pots straight to the trash.

That's what I did this weekend. Imagine my surprise when I pulled out the plants and these came up....


I totally forgot that kamote also bear fruits! Toink! I was so focused on the LEAVES that's why. It was a pleasant surprise needless to say....anybody want some kamote-cue????

Flashing Back....

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A few weeks ago, we got a letter from the State Attorney's office. It was informing us that the builder who took advantage of us & some 100 other families was appealing his conviction. Our presence was not needed but if we wanted to attend the hearing, then we could. The hearing was also online so we could just watch it anywhere we wanted to. We weren't able to watch the live webcast but we watched it on replay the night of the hearing.

Needless to say, the judges that heard the appeal didn't give the builder's lawyer a chance to manipulate the case. It was obvious the 3 judges were very much aware of what the builder did to us. A few days after, the verdict was given: DENIED. It's another win for us in a way but not really. We lost not only money during the ordeal but also peace of mind and precious time we can never recover.

The builder has been in jail since February 2008 and he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for Grand Theft in April 2008. But our saga with him started about 4 years before that. We signed our contract with him in late 2004 and he started getting money from us shortly after. It was a pleasant experience for the first few months as we went to choose everything for the new house like paints, counter tops, et. We even got to choose the granite tile we wanted for the counter tops as well as some upgrades as he offered them at affordable prices. Looking back now, we would have seen it coming because he was agreeing with everything we wanted even if we didn't want to shell out more money. I guess the saying that if it's too good to be true, it probably may be correct in that situation.

Oh well...he's in jail now and he won't be out for years to come. At least he won't be able to take advantage of other people anymore.

Brand New vs. Refurbished

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My laptop is almost a year old already. It's my husband Christmas gift for me last year but we exchanged gifts before Christmas. It's a great computer but we had to send it back to the shop a few months after we got it because of a dead back light. Mind you, it's a brand new computer so we were caught by surprise when it went dark one day. It's also been making some funny noises as of lately. We tried the HP customer service to resolve the issue but it's not helping at all.

My laptop before this one was bought in 2001. I think we opted for refurbished laptops at that time because of financial constraint. Laptops were still quite pricey back then so even a refurbished laptop cost about 2 thousand dollars. But even if that old laptop of mine was not bought brand new, I don't think we had to send it in after only a few months like this brand new one we got last year. I used the old laptop for about 6 years before we replaced it. It had a couple of crashes as it got older but it was usable after sending it in. I am just hoping this one I have right now lasts as long if not longer.

Waiting....

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Anxiously, I might add. For what? The much-delayed Halloween costume for the little one. According to the tracking it's out for delivery today. The little one is of course on pins and needles waiting for it since the time she woke up. I can understand her excitement because it's been close to a month since we placed the order...October 1 to be exact. We ordered it online and that's the reason why we did it a month in advance. So what gives? What took them this long to finally ship it?

According to the seller, the product had to be ordered from somewhere else so it takes time. The thing is, their website says that it takes 'up to 2 weeks' for their products to ship. Their customer service told me that their website says it takes 'at least 2 weeks to ship'. Hello?? That's the opposite. I was so close in canceling the order and I would if only it wasn't too late to look for another one.

They better deliver a 'perfect product' or they haven't heard the last of me.

Lesson learned: I will try to not order from these people again.

Family Vacation

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Deciding not to return home to the Philippines to take part in my high school batch's silver jubilee was not an easy thing to do. But sometimes we have to make some not so easy choices for practical reasons. Admittedly, financial reason played a big part in that decision. I just feel [& think?] that given the circumstances [and yes, I mean the present state of the economy], it will be for the best if we postpone a trip back to the Philippines for another time. It would have a great vacation but there's always a next time...I hope.

We still want to go on a family vacation though. We just have to find a place where we won't have to spend as much. It would be nice to relax in one of those hotels in acapulco with the husband and the little one. I've never been to Mexico. Hubby went last year but only for a business meeting. He actually went to Texas then went to Mexico then crossed the border. Not a vacation definitely so yes, we can definitely plan in visiting the place for a long-delayed vacation.

Last Quarter Occassions...

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The last quarter of the year is a quite 'busy' for the stores around here. That's because there are 3 big occasions during this last quarter. One will be next weekend already...Halloween. Next month, it's going to be Thanksgiving and of course Christmas in December. You can just imagine how packed the stores are with decorations nowadays. We went to the store yesterday and I kept getting sidetracked with all the decors around. We were in a hurry because we were expecting a technician to drop by later in the afternoon but that didn't stop me from checking out holiday gifts around the store. Well, I only checked those in the aisles where we needed to go. I didn't buy any holiday gift but I took note of some stuff that would be perfect for my loved ones.

Anyway, I know I have a long way to go as far as holiday shopping goes but there's still time, right? I hope we won't be running around at the last minute trying to finish the list...hope being the operative word.

Age 'Eraser'

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At the end of this year, my high school batch will be hosting the alumni homecoming in our high school because we're the silver Jubilarians. Yep, it's been 25 years since I graduated from high school. Wow! My high school classmates back in the Philippines have been so busy organizing everything the last few months. Things were going smoothly until Ondoy & Pepeng devastated the country. Planning was put on hold because some of the organizers' homes were flooded and some are still flooded. We are all hoping things can get back to normal as soon as possible.

I really want to attend this event but I can't. I'm in contact with some of my classmates but I haven't seen or talk to most of them in years...about 25 years actually. It would be great to see them after all these years. I'm sure there's a lot of changes in all of us especially physically. From the pictures I've seen already, some have turned gray already but some look like they haven't changed at all since high school. I'm sure a lot of us are hoping to get our hands on the best eye cream for wrinkles out there to somehow slow down the aging process. I wouldn't mind using some 'age erasers' myself although I am more concerned with the gray hair popping up on my head every second. My hair has never been treated...never permed...never dyed so I can't decide if I should start thinking about dyeing it soon??

Halloween Yet?

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Halloween is something I never paid attention to when I was growing up. Actually, I didn't quite pay attention to it until I started teaching already. My first teaching job was in Manila and I have no recollection if we actually had Halloween celebrations in that school. We probably did and I just don't remember. Halloween was a big thing in the school I taught in Taiwan though. It's odd because that school is ran by nuns. But since it's supposed to be using an American curriculum, anything that Americans observed, we observed including Thanksgiving Day that coincides with the TD here.

Anyway, the little one is very excited about Halloween. She said it's the best holiday ever...until the next one comes, of course. Needless to say, costume is a big thing for her. She likes dressing up so that's a given. Last year, she was Cinderella. This year, it's the opposite. I'm not telling now so it would be a surprise but we need to buy different pieces for her costume to be complete. She still needs shoes so I checked Clarks shoes hoping I'll find what we need for her there but no such luck. There's a bunch of cute shoes for Mommy though....ahemm!~ Daddy would have to check out the stores near his work tomorrow. Hopefully, he'll find what we're looking for....fingers & toes crossed.

Some Updates...sort of

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Beautiful day outside today. The sun is out but it's a bit windy so it's not too hot although our thermometer is showing a temperature in the 80s. If I didn't have to work today, we'd probably be in the backyard already. Maybe later on when I'm no longer tied down here on the computer.

Work has been quite steady lately and I just don't want to miss out on it because we just never know when it's all going to stop coming again. Aside from work, I also have to attend to some stuff online like following up on the little one's costume which should have been here 2 weeks ago. Time is running out and they still haven't shipped it. It's very frustrating. Another thing that's stressing us out is the curio that we ordered a long time ago. The guy keeps on coming up with excuses so we're now talking with our lawyer to see what can be done about it.

We still need a curio so I am again busy surfing online for one that is close to the one we ordered from that guy. I haven't seen one that I like but I came across this barcelona chair in one of the sites I visited. Nope, we don't need a chair so I can't buy that now. Besides, before I get another chair, I would get me first a chaise that I've been wanting for the longest time.

The HEAT is ON!

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Literally. The temp dipped to the lower 40s so we had to turn it on. Wimps! That's us...err me, alright. But I will have to turn it off again this afternoon because it's going to be in the 70s. The rest of the week will be a lot better as it's mostly in the 60s to the 80s. Nice, eh? Actually, looking out the window now, the weather looks perfect. The sun is out but it's not hot. If only I can, I'd be staying out there.

But. It's Monday. Again. The weekend that a lot of us live for just flies us by, doesn't it? It's like we wait all week for it, then it's gone. The good thing is there's always one right around the corner so no need to sulk. Ha!

Nothing much going on this week. Just waiting for work and a delivery that HAS to be here before Halloween. Yep. Costume for the little one. Hopefully it will come in time for the big day.

In the meantime, let me post this tag that Ate Beng handed me. Salamat Ate Beng! Appreciate it.

Be the kind of women that when your feet hit the floor each morning,
The devil says "Oh Crap, She's Up."
Sister, life is too short to wake up with regrets.
So love the people who treat you right.
Love the ones who don't just because you can.
Believe in everything happens for a reason.
If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands.
If it changes your life, let it.
Kiss slowly. Forgive quickly.
God never said life would be easy.
He just promise it would be worth it.
Today is sister's day.

To the cool women that have touched my life.

this is for you.....LOVE U!!!

T-I-G-H-T...

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It's cold here today...brrr! As expected, it's in the 50s when we woke up. The highest temperature will just be in the higher 50s to lower 60s so my usual summer get-up of shirt and shorts won't do it today. I could have stayed in my comfy pjs the whole day since we have no plans of going anywhere but I'd rather not.

After breakfast, I went through my clothes to choose something warmer to put on. I decided to pull out one of my jeans and put it on. I haven't worn the jeans since I got them in May of this year because it's way too hot here to wear jeans in the summer. What do you know? I could barely get in them. Not a surprise because I gained weight since then. I've been mulling the idea of looking for the best diet pill out there for months now but this may just make me look for it ASAP. Or maybe I can just start slowing down in my eating, eh?

Anyway, I better try on some of my pants now. I'm afraid I won't have anything that fits me when the winter weather really kicks in. And for the record, I'm still wearing the pants I tried on this morning....I can't take it off anymore...LOL.

Cool Weather...

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After a week of hot weather, we are now getting a break. As I type this, it's in the 60s outside. We have our windows open to let the cool air in and we can hear the wind outside. Hubby said that it smells great outside because it smells like barbecue...LOL. I guess our neighbors are taking advantage of this great weather by doing some backyard barbecue. I wonder if we'll be invited for dinner tonight. Hmmm....

While we're having a great weather here, I am hoping and praying my family is having the same back in the Philippines. I read in the news there's another typhoon there with an international name of 'Lupit' which in the Philippines means 'cruel'. As if the last 2 typhoons were not enough, this one may also make a landfall where those 2 wreaked havoc the last few weeks. My brother said that because of the last typhoon, there's flooding everywhere in our little town that even the few business metal buildings were submerged with water during our town fiesta.. That's odd because those buildings were rarely reached by flood when I was still back there.

Anyway, I am crossing everything I can and praying that this latest typhoon won't do the same damage as the last two. Better still, I hope it just goes away.

Pretty Cool

(Don't ask me! I don't know how it's done!!)

Back to School?

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Working at home is such a blessing to me. I was a bit [okay, a lot] skeptical when I started to look for an online job some 7 years ago. But I got lucky and landed my very first online job which was online tutoring. I was a teacher for more than 10 years when I relocated so it was automatic for me to look for something related to teaching. I’m no longer doing that but lately I’ve been thinking of taking an online degree - online degree. My other work at home jobs have been affected by the economy so I’m looking into attending an online school in the future.

Going back to school will not be easy especially on the financial side. But with a little a sacrifice here and there I’m sure I’ll be able to pull it off. Aside from little sacrifices, it also helps that I found a reputable non-profit online school that is perfect with what I need. The tuition fee is much lower than other online schools because it’s a non-profit university. How much lower? It’s about half of what other online schools charge. Western Governors Online University has programs on online teaching degree like Online Teacher Licensure Programs which is on the top of my list. Maybe going back to school may not be as hard as I first thought it would be.

It Figures...

...why I 'look' fat! Hmmm.....now, if only I can explain that to my clothes...

SLOW [me] Monday....

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Monday is half way done already...and what have I accomplished so far? Not much I'm afraid. I was able to do a batch of laundry but I still need to fold and put it away. I did a little work here and there and that's about it. The little one is a little sluggish today. She's complaining about a slight headache so I let her take a short nap...which is unusual because she doesn't like taking naps.

In a few minutes I have to start doing my usual tricks in the kitchen...dinner preps that is. I still have a lot of things in my 'imaginary to do list' like looking for the stainless steel drums that hubby asked me to search online. They've been busy at work that he doesn't have the time to look it up himself. I guess I have to do that after preparing dinner. Hopefully he won't call before then to ask if I already found what he asked me to look for. Toink...


So that's how our Monday is going. How about yours?

24 Hours

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More or Less. That's how long I didn't have internet connection. It started yesterday morning and it only came back up this morning. It's annoying since I had to do some work online but there's nothing I could do but wait.

Now that it's back...I don't feel like working. Ugh! I just want to sleep and do nothing at all but I have to play catch up with work to make up for what I wasn't able to do yesterday. So lazy or not, I have to get off here and start doing real work.

Maybe Next Year...

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This year has been challenging to a lot of people…us included, of course. Our plan of going to the Philippines to visit loved ones at the end of this year will not happen. We have to prioritize in order to survive in this dwindling economy and travel is at the bottom of that priority list. I already told some of my high school classmates that I won’t be able to make to make it to our silver jubilee. Maybe next year we'll be able to attend...

Now, if money is not an issue, aside from visiting the Philippines, I would also like to visit some other places like New Zealand and some parts of Europe some day. I was supposed to visit friends in Europe in 2001 but I ended up getting married and moved here in the US instead. If visiting friends is my reason for going to Europe, New Zealand on the other hand just fascinates me because I had co-teachers before who were from NZ and they just couldn’t stop talking about their country. One even offered me to stay in her place while some suggested Auckland hotels in the CBD for under $100. I probably would have visited it already if I didn’t get married when I did. But I have no regrets at all...

Since I have a family now, everytime we plan to travel it has to be a family trip. I’ve read that serviced apartments in Christchurch are good for families like us. I can understand why if we want to maximize the trip and do nothing but enjoy the time together. Having a serviced apartment on vacation is like being home away from home without doing all the chores. Now, that’s what I would call a vacation. Planning a trip is definitely a challenge for me since I don’t travel much. It’s a great help to me whenever I come across sites that have stuff like recommended Wellington hotels with reviews and suggestions which places to go to when visiting a certain country. It definitely lessens the stress in planning a vacation.

My only problem now is when we can have that oh so relaxing get-away to see places like these...

Another Appointment

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This time with my ophthalmologist. And it's another early one. I think I'm starting to like going to these appointments early in the morning. Yes, I feel a bit sleepy for most of the morning but it goes away after a while. We got back home a couple of hours ago but I couldn't blog or surf online because I COULDN'T READ!! The doctor dilated my EYES that's why. So I had to wait before I could do anything that involves reading.

Doctor's report is good. He said that my eyes are looking great, I mean as far as the TED or Thyroid Eye Disease is concerned. He mentioned that my TED may or may not be related to my hyperthyroidism so it's possible that even if my thyroid problem is gone, I may still have TED or vice versa. Hopefully, both will go away in the future.

My next appointment with him is in about 6 months for a check-up and that's going to be sometime in 2010 already! Wow! I can't believe we're almost done with 2009.

Anyway, another week has started. No more appointments set for any of us in the next few months. Our weekend went smoothly as always. The weather was perfect. I was able to do some weeding yesterday. I was also able to clean a little bit in the garage. I have been planning in doing that for the longest time and I'm glad I was able to do that yesterday because it wasn't too hot to stay out. There's still a bunch I need to do there but that can wait...maybe next weekend.

Fall Weather

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Yesterday, we woke up with the temperature outside in the 60s. The highest temperature during the day was still in the upper 80s to the lower 90s. If I didn't have to stay inside to do some work, it would have been a great day for weeding...but work comes first.

Today it was in the 50s when the husband left for work. It was still in the 60s outside when I and the little one had our breakfast. It was in the 70s though inside the house. That didn't stop the little one to dress up as if winter is in full blast. When she came out of her bedroom, she was wearing her hooded cheetah sweater, and a winter hat under the hood. Looking at her made me feel really cold...LOL.

It's now in the lower 80s outside and it's actually quite comfortable. The sun is out in full force but it's not hot. The weekend weather is also looking promising because another cold front seems to be coming our way. Maybe I can do some much needed weeding then.

Unlike in other states, we don't see the beautiful colors that come with autumn but that's alright. I can always look at pictures, right?