Gloomy & Rainy...

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That's our weather in a nutshell. I was planning in pulling out weeds again this weekend but because of the rain, it didn't happen. Instead I just stayed indoors and watched, edited and uploaded part of our Silver Jubilee's video. It's great to finally see the whole event almost a month after.

I also got to talk with a high school friend on the phone for almost 2 hours today. We would have talked a lot longer if he wasn't in a hurry to attend a friend's bachelor party. He still had to swing by somewhere to find something to give the groom to be during the party. I suggested custom shot glasses since it's for a guy. He was very appreciative that I suggested something because he really didn't have a clue what to get his friend. He would have played it safe and got his friend a bottle of wine. So that's my big accomplishment for the day....LOL....

Guess WHAT???

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I'm doing a tag! Yes, after what seems to be a lifetime, I got tagged! Well, more like I decided to do a tag...from Nova. Thanks, Novs...

"8 Things You Should Know About Me": UPDATE - Part 1

8 TV Shows I watch

1) NCIS
2) NCIS rerans [tee hee]
3) Burn Notice
4) Psyche
5) White Collar
6)The Office -rerans
7) NCIS Los Angeles
8) CSI


8 Favorite Place to Dine-Out [This is tough since we don't really like to dine out so I'll just list the places we have gone to in the last...hmmm...8 years?]

1) Olive Garden
2) KFC
3) McD
4) Wendy's
5) Burger King
6) AppleBees
7) Pinoy/Asian Restos
8) Texas Grill

8 Things I look Forward to

1) Vacation times 8

8 Things That Happened [I Did] Yesterday

1) Some work released so I worked a bit.
2) Some deliveries came.
3) Did Laundry
4) Surfed online for low cost car insurance because I'm tired of paying more than we should on insurance...all of them!
5) Ordered a photo calendar.
6) Usual chores

8 Things I Like about Winter - There is not much about winter I like. It makes hubby happy because he loves the cool weather which is COLD in my vocabulary.

Part 2 will follow....

Monotonous....

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When I first came over here in the US, my husband and I planned in visiting different places around the country. But that's all it is up until now: a plan. Anyway, one of the places that he really wants to bring me to was Outer Banks of North Carolina. Months before we met, he fell in love with the place when he visited friends there. He so loved the place that he actually thought of relocating if he could find a job in the area.

The job hunting wasn't successful so he decided not to relocate...just yet. Yep, he still wants to relocate in the Outer Banks someday. We don't know when that day would be but if relocation will not be possible at all, I'm sure we will be visiting that place one of these days. Maybe we can take a quick getaway there when he's no longer very busy. We really can use a break from the monotony of our everyday lives.

Cebu Dancing Inmates ..."This is It"

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Yep, the same inmates who became famous not because of their crimes but because of their dancing prowess. They now have several videos posted in You Tube that I can't even figure out anymore which one is the very first dance video they made. I have an entry here though with one of their first videos.

Anyway, Cebu Dancing Inmates or CDI as they're now famously known, has become very popular that Michael Jackson's choreographer & dancers flew all the way to Cebu to dance with them. According to the news, the dance video will be included in Michael Jackson's "This is It" video.

Here's that video...

Last Week...

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... of the first month of 2010.

Days are flying by. I hardly feel accomplished nowadays because work has been slow but I'm still very thankful because the husband has been busy at work. Busy is good even if we don't get to spend much time with him. He's been planning to take a break after their last job but they have a deadline to meet again so the break won't happen just yet.

Some not so good news have been coming my way as well the past couple of weeks. It's nothing that affects me directly but something that makes me think how fragile life is.

Since we just had our high school batch's silver jubilee [Dec 31, 2009], my classmates and I have been in constant communication. It's great to be in touch with them again especially to those whom we haven't heard from or seen in the last several years. As expected, the reunion was both a happy and a sad occasion. Why can't it just be a happy one? It's the reality of life, I guess.

One of our classmates passed away a few weeks after the reunion. As I've written here, he 'seemed' to be healthy during the General Assemble in June 2009 but such was not the case. In Nov. 2009, he was admitted to the hospital and was told both his kidneys were only 16% functional. He had renal failure and was confined right after the holidays until his demise. He was only 42 years old.

Another sad news is about one of our high school teachers. She's battling colon cancer at the moment and is given only a couple of months to live. She was my homeroom teacher in first year so she's always been special to me. Just like our late classmate, everything was all so sudden in her case. She started going to the doctor only in October 2009 and everything went downhill from there.

I have not seen these 2 people in years, at least 10 years. But for some reason, their predicament is kinda' hitting me hard. Maybe because it came during the time when we should be celebrating instead of mourning. But what can we do? We know that when it's our time, we need to go. I just hope and pray that when mine comes, I'll be ready.

Her New 'Thing'...

... is taking pictures of herself doing some 'cover girl' poses! That's what she calls them anyway.

If her 'thing' a few months ago was recording herself singing and/or making home movies, posing for the 'camera' is now her new 'thing'. For the record, she takes these pictures of her striking a pose by herself. I taught her to use the self-timer and since then the self-timer has become the most used button in her camera. She's just growing way too fast...sigh!

She's got a bunch of pictures striking a pose and some of them are really hilarious because she's trying really hard to make it look like she's a 'cover girl'. She had some where her hair had the 'wind blown/swept' effect. That's because she had the ceiling fan turned on [to get the 'wind swept hair' look] while she's taking the pictures....LOL!

Another Day...

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Another allergy attack. Sigh! We've been having really great weather here all through this week...until last night. The local meteorologist reported that we 'might' get some rain late last night but it's not a sure thing. Well, it did rain last night until early this morning. It was still raining when hubby left for work. It already stopped though when I got up this morning but it was still rather gloomy. As soon as I saw the clouds, I knew there's a big chance that I will be sniffling today...and I was right. It's almost 4 PM and here I am still sniffling. I don't have the appetite because my sense of taste is non-existent at the moment. Not having an appetite is actually great because I really don't need to be eating anyway since I want to lose some weight without using phentermine but I hate sneezing non-stop. Right now, all I want to do is curl up and sleep for a couple of hours but I can't. Not in another 6 or 7 hours anyway. Maybe I should just ask the husband to pick up something for dinner on his way home. Oh darn, it's Friday so it's grocery day for him. Ugh!

Mobility

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One of my work-at-home jobs is a phone job. It's not a round-the-clock thing but when I'm logged in, I have to answer the phone within the first couple of rings. I can't sit by the phone ALL THE TIME since I am doing other things like chores or my other 'gigs. Half the time when the phone rings, I'd by flying across the house just to pick it up ASAP. We don't have a big house so it doesn't really take long for me to do that. But there are times when I wish I am a bit closer to the phone so I don't have to run when it rings.

I've been looking at different mounts online hoping to find a mount for my work phone. The husband already put a phone jock by the kitchen so I can hook up my work phone to it if I want to. I am always at or by the kitchen anyway so it is a perfect place for me to have my work phone especially during those times that I'm cooking or prepping for dinner. I am hoping I'll be able to get a mount for the phone sooner than later.

7 Reasons Not To Mess With Children

A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales.
The teacher said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because even though it was a very large mammal its throat was very small.

The little girl stated that Jonah was swallowed by a whale.

Irritated, the teacher reiterated that a whale could not swallow a human; it was physically impossible.

The little girl said, 'When I get to heaven I will ask Jonah'.

The teacher asked, 'What if Jonah went to hell?'

The little girl replied, 'Then you ask him'.

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A Kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they were drawing. She would occasionally walk around to see each child's work.

As she got to one little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was.

The girl replied, 'I'm drawing God.'

The teacher paused and said, 'But no one knows what God looks like.'

Without missing a beat, or looking up from her drawing, the girl replied, 'They will in a minute.'

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A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds.

After explaining the commandment to honor's thy Father and thy Mother, she asked, 'Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?'

Without missing a beat one little boy (the oldest of a family) answered, 'Thou shall not kill.'

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One day a little girl was sitting and watching her mother do the dishes at the kitchen sink. She suddenly noticed that her mother had several strands of white hair sticking out in contrast on her brunette head.

She looked at her mother and inquisitively asked, 'Why are some of your hairs white, Mum?'

Her mother replied, 'Well, every time that you do something wrong and make me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turns white.'

The little girl thought about this revelation for a while and then said, 'Mummy, how come ALL of grandma's hairs are white?'

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The children had all been photographed, and the teacher was trying to persuade them each to buy a copy of the group picture.

'Just think how nice it will be to look at it when you are all grown up and say, 'There's Jennifer, she's a lawyer,' or 'That's Michael, He's a doctor.'

A small voice at the back of the room rang out, 'And there's the teacher, she's dead.'

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A teacher was giving a lesson on the circulation of the blood. Trying to make the matter clearer, she said, 'Now, class, if I stood on my head, the blood, as you know, would run into it, and I would turn red in the face.'

'Yes,' the class said.

'Then why is it that while I am standing upright in the ordinary position the blood doesn't run into my feet?'

A little fellow shouted,
'Cause your feet ain't empty.'

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The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun made a note, and posted on the apple tray:

'Take only ONE . God is watching.'

Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies.

A child had written a note, 'Take all you want. God is watching the apples.'

Emergency Kits

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Do you have one stored at your house? With all these natural calamities happening both globally and locally, I can't help but wonder if we should have one lying around. I know we need to have the basic emergency stuff like a kitchen fire extinguisher or a first-aid kit and we have those but that's about it. I'm not even sure which emergency kits we should have at home. Do we need to have AED kit or should only those with medical condition have this kind of kit? Here in our state where hurricane is something we should prepare for, emergency kits for such calamity is abundant. I mean all the hardware stores have boxes stocked on shelves for anyone to grab. It's not hurricane season now but some people are grabbing these emergency kits because of the sinkholes that have been opening up lately. Maybe we should grab one of those as well just in case. To be honest, I'm scaring myself just thinking about these unexpected calamities that may or may not happen to us. But it's better to be safe than sorry, right?

The 'Go To' Guy

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That's the husband in a nutshell. I guess that's a good thing since these people that call him for help trust him and his judgment. I mean, he gets calls from friends and family alike asking him questions ranging from how to patent something to which motorhome towing company is the best to call. We even joke around here that he should start a new company which we would aptly call: 'Ask M'. I can be the founder, eh?

Now if only some of these people who bother him so much listen to him, then they wouldn't be bugging him as much. Why? Because there are those who would call him only to do the opposite of what the husband told them to do...then have the nerve to call him again complaining about it. When that happens, I can't help but tell him to ignore them already. Why ask when you don't listen anyway, right? I just hate it when that happens.

SoMe FuNnY LeSsOnS...

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Since I am not in the mood to write, I thought of posting these funny lessons I got from Joke of the Day...

Have a good day, everyone....

* Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.

* Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

* Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.

* Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their Maker.

* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.

* Never buy a car you can't push.

* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

So Young...

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I was about to buy office supplies online this morning when I received an email from a high school classmate. I really need some black printer ink as well as some printing paper but I had to pause after reading the email. It's an email bearing a sad news. One of our high school classmates died yesterday. I knew he's been battling with a kidney disease but I didn't expect him to pass away just a few months after diagnosis. The last time I 'saw' him was June 2009 during our batch's General Assembly in preparation for our Silver Jubilee last December. I had the chance to see him as well as those in attendance through Skype.

We spoke briefly and that was it. He had no inkling then that he would be diagnosed with a kidney problem shortly after that meeting. He was still full of life at that time telling me his plans of moving abroad to join his siblings. Then a few months after that 'meeting', another classmate who lives near him emailed me and mentioned about his condition. I thought he'd be ok although he lost a considerable amount of weight according to the email. He even told our classmates that he would do his best to attend the Silver Jubilee if he's healthy enough. He didn't. I guess that would have told us how sick he really was.

New Owner...

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The Philippines store I go to has a new owner. The original owner actually told me the last time I was there that they're moving to the Philippines this year so she wanted to sell the store. The store still looks the same selling the same products. But the new owner wants to buy some new equipments for the store. The cash register she 'inherited' from the old owner needs replaced so I thought of her when I came across www.posmicro.com while I was looking for an inventory software that my 'boss' is asking me to look for.

The original owner of the store is very friendly but this new owner seems to know more about the business. She has a lot of plans to improve the store which is good news to us. Hopefully she'll be able to add more Asian products in the shelves. I have yet to find my favorite canned corned beef. The Asian stores I've visited so far don't carry the brand...and I have no idea why.

TYLENOL Massive Recall

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Not too long ago, I posted about a recall on Tylenol for Children/Infants. This time, the recall is for the ones that the adult population take.

I'm a Tylenol user so seeing this massive recall in the news is a bit alarming to me. I only use it when my headache or some pain just wouldn't go away resulting to me not being able to function and do some needed tasks online and/or off line. The bottle of Tylenol that we have was bought several months ago so I'm not even sure if I should worry about the recall. Benadrly allergy medicine is also in the list of recalled products but not the one I use daily.

What triggered the recall? Moldy smell that made some people sick. According to the FDA about 70 people have been reported to have gotten sick ranging from nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pains. I and my family have not experienced any of that so maybe the one we have is not included in the recall.

In case you have a bottle of Tylenol, Motrin or St. Joseph's aspirin in you medicine cabinet you should probably check if it has a moldy smell. If it smells, maybe you can dispose the bottle altogether. A full list of the medicines that are recalled can be found HERE. Take some time to check the list just to be on the safe side. It's better to be safe than sorry.

from: Yahoo News & McNeil Product Recall Site

Maybe Tomorrow?

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The temperature is in the upper 70s already but it's really windy outside. The little one said it's a good day to fly a kite and she's right. But we only have a small problem...we have no kite. She made one using her construction paper and some string but I don't think it will fly. I'm planning to do some weeding but I got caught up with household chores so I'm not sure if weeding will be in the agenda today. Maybe tomorrow.

Right now I'm staring at my dust collector a.k.a. treadmill that's sitting by my bed. I'm contemplating if I should jump on it while waiting for my laundry or just lay here and rest while waiting for the buzzer of the dryer. What do you think? Should I or shouldn't I? I just finished vacuuming and cleaning the bathroom so I'm a wee bit tired to do anything. Again, maybe tomorrow? Ha!

Hyperthyroidism Update

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I haven't posted much about my ongoing battle with hyperthyroidism. Battle??? LOL!! Nah...it's not really a battle.

I haven't been to the doctor in a few months. I had to cancel my last appointment due to some scheduling conflict. I have yet to reschedule but I spoke with him on the phone a few times. My doctor is kind enough to actually call me to explain the result of my latest blood test. On my last visit with him, aside from the usual test for T3/T4 he also wanted me tested for either lupus and/or eczema, I think. I noticed some roughness on my fingers that tends to itch every now and then that's why he wanted to make sure. He gave me some cream for the rash but I didn't use it. He said that one thing that a thyroid problem can screw up is the immune system which can lead to something as serious as lupus. Scary huh?

I guess he saw me worried when he mentioned that that's why he called me when he got the results back which we were supposed to talk about if I didn't cancel my last appointment. Anyway, he called with some good news. First news: I don't have lupus or eczema which I kinda' know already. Second news: my T3/T4 is still low so I need to lower the dosage of my meds once more. Originally, my medication was to lower T3/T4 but now it's too low so the doctor is trying to normalize it by adjusting the dose of my meds. He's hopeful that I will be off the medication in due time. My next lab work will be in a couple of months and I am also hoping that the results will be positive. Fingers crossed!

Tried...Tired!

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I tried to go to sleep a wee bit earlier last night. Unfortunately, I had a hard time falling [and staying] asleep. I was in that zone where you're half asleep & half awake. It's annoying to say the least. But that's not the worse part, my allergy is still bothering me. I should have turned in when I felt sleepy but I didn't. I'll try again tonight...

It's TGIF again. Yay! We have a great forecast for the weekend weather so we may just stay outdoors tomorrow. I really need to weed the flower beds as in BADLY! The last few weekends, it was either freezing cold or it's raining so I wasn't able to do it. Hopefully, tomorrow's weather will be as good as today. I also want to do it because I really need to get off this chair and start sweating. I think I'm packing on some serious pounds by being idle. I don't want to get to the point where the homepage of my laptop would be www.fatburners.org. You know what I mean? I tend to set my homepage on a site that I visit most often. So if I don't do something soon, I may just end up having that site as my homepage.

Anyway, I better start doing some chores. I'm sure it will help get rid of my sleepiness...and maybe an ounce or two off my growing 'spare tire'....boo hoooo.....

Sneezing "Cinderella"

You can call me that. Because if you pass by my house right now, all you'll be hearing would be: ACHOO!!! Yep, my lovely nose is so tender from all the sneezing & blowing I've been doing since I woke up this morning. My allergy is of course the culprit. What else is new, right? But I only have myself [and the weather maybe] to blame. I haven't been following my "Cinderella" sleeping schedule ~ in bed before the clock hits 12:00 MN ~ for the last few days. I get so caught up with either work or just the online surfing every night that I lose track of time. I know that if I 'cross over' the midnight hour awake, there is a 99% chance that I will suffer the next day. Ugh!

But guess what?? There's a small upside in all of these:removal of blackheads on nose! It's not my intention but it happens. I don't get all of them of course but if I can get some off my sniffer, then it's good. I hate seeing those little black thing on my nose anyway. Now, if only my allergy is that easy to get rid of.

~ Simply Amazing ~

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It started with just a few cups of java...with milk, of course...

The result?

The ever beautiful Monalisa

Here's the note that came with the email I got the pics from:

Artist assistants stand next to 3,604 cups of coffee which have been made into a giant Mona Lisa in Sydney , Australia . The 3,604 cups of coffee were each filled with different amounts of milk to create the different shades!!

Now, doesn't that give a whole new meaning to a 'cup of coffee' with or without milk?

Beautiful Day!

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Finally! After days of waking up in freezing temperatures we finally have a beautiful day today. Right at this moment, it's 54F. It's still below normal but much better than a temperature in the 30s. My weather bug on the computer has the highest temp today at 69F. Yeah!

I am still in my sweater and fleece pants though. My allergies act up when it's cold that's why. Yep, cold weather does make me sneeze non-stop as well as rain and lack of sleep. I only get allergy relief when the weather is not too cold. Right now I'm a wee bit stuffy but the weather has nothing to do with it. I went to bed a bit late so I'm paying the consequence for that. Hopefully my sinus will clear up later in the day.

Anyway, aside from having a gorgeous day outside, nothing much happening here. It's same-o same-o. Hubby's working, little one's doing her school work and yours truly is...well, blogging while waiting for the laundry to finish and for work to come. How's that?

Online & Shopping...

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My niece has been asking me relentlessly to buy her a digital camera here. I didn't want to do it at first for several reasons. First is the shipping cost. Since it's international shipping, the cost to send her the camera is almost the same as the cost of the camera itself if not more. And what if the camera breaks or malfunctions? Even if it's still on warranty, it will be expensive to send it back because she lives out of the US. BUT...like I said she's relentless so I finally gave in. To 'somehow' compensate for the expensive shipping, I came up with a plan...send it in a 'balikbayan' box. The catch? Now I have to buy more stuff to fill that box. Thus....the 'shopping' spree online...sort of.

I was able to buy the things for my female loved ones. It's so much easier to find stuff for women compared to men. I spent several hours searching but I just can't find something for the men especially my 3 brothers. Right now I am considering getting them some vitamins for men. Aside from the obvious fact that it's good for them, it's easier to find, inexpensive and easier to pack. So yes, I may just get them vitamins. Not very exciting but I'm sure they'll thank me later....I think.

Cold Weather = Cold Sores???

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That's probably one of the biggest misconception some people have. Probably because the word 'cold' is in both words? It appears though that a lot of people actually get the cold sores [which is caused by a virus called herpes simplex virus 1 or HSV-1] during the cold weather. That may be another reason why some think it's because of the cold weather that cold sores appear. But it's not.

I don't remember ever having cold sores. It doesn't mean though that I don't have the virus. From what I have read, the HSV-1 can be present in ones body and may not ever 'wake up' or reactivate...something like the virus that causes shingles. The virus is very contagious and can be transferred easily from one person to another so you better be careful when you see someone with cold sores.

Cool GUYS Walking Down the Street ~

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That's what the little one just blurted out when she saw 3 young men [BOYS!]. Huh??? I had to run to the window to see what she meant...and there walking down the street are 3 boys.

I don't know how you would 'define' or describe 'cool guys' but according to the little one, the 3 'guys' ~ that's how she referred to them, not boys or men, mind you, guys! ~ are cool because:

~ they're wearing dark jackets

~ they have their hands in their pocket while they're walking

~ they have 'spiky' hair

~ and the way they walk [didn't bother asking her what 'way' of walking that is]

I know she's getting bigger by the minute but can I at least slow down the part where she talks about 'guys'?? PLEASE???

Sweet 16???

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More like 'bitter cold' 16 degrees Fahrenheit~ because that's the lowest temperature we have today.

.....AND.....

The temperature has gone up already but it's still below freezing. At the moment it's 29 degrees outside. Oh just to be clear, we didn't move to another state. We're still in the 'sunshine' state.

Yesterday was a little bitter...I mean better. At least the lowest wasn't in the teens. It was still very cold. We even had some sleet in the morning. Very little but still it's sleet. We went out in the front yard so the little one & the big one [me?] could see it. Actually the husband had to call us to let us know that it's sleeting...we thought it's just raining. We took some photos of the very little 'almost invisible' sleet for fun. Of course what we had was nothing compared to the feet of snow that the other states are getting. There's still a slight chance that we MAY see a couple of flurries around here according to the local weather people. We'll see....

Speeding Fine: $290K...

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Nope, that's not a mistake. A speeding fine of $290,000!!! What a costly fine. Who could be fined that much? How about a Swiss millionaire who is a also repeat offender? And I thought $100 fine is outrageous....I guess I was wrong, eh?

Apparently, this is not something new in that part of the world. The previous Swiss record as far as speeding fine is concerned was $107,000. Whoooppps!

How did the authorities come up with this over the top figures? It's based on the person's wealth. It just so happens that the speeder in this latest case is worth about $20 million. Oh well, I guess he could afford it then, right? I wonder if he will appeal this?

If you're wondering how fast he's [over] speeding...it's 35 miles faster than the legal speed of 50 miles an hour. That's roughly $3700 per mile of [over] speeding....or a LOT of MOOLAH!

from: Yahoo News

Upgrading Our Ride...

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Unlike last year, the hubby and the wife in this household didn't exchange anything the past holiday season. We asked each other what we wanted but we just came up with crazy stuff like 'my two front teeth', etc. Last year we needed some things ~ a laptop for me because my old one is already, yes, OLD ~ and a new video camera for him because the one we had died ~ so it was easier to decided.

This year, there is no urgent needs for both of us. We 'want' some things of course but we're waiting until we know we can buy them without the 'guilt'. Hubby wants some chrome accessories to pimp us his [our] ride. Our car is at its simplest right now for a reason. It does not have the latest gadgets that other cars have but we're thinking of upgrading it little by little. His first upgrade would have to be a GPS system he's been wanting for a while now. But like I said, we will do that when the time comes we can actually do it without the guilt.

Frost???

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In our front yard??? That's what it looks like anyway when I took a peek this morning. We almost hit the teens [maybe we did?] early this morning so it's possible. They're even hinting that some places not far from where we are may see some snowflakes this weekend.

The local news here has been showing old footages of the snow that happened in Miami some years ago. Now, if it snowed in Miami then it's definitely possible we can get snow where were at. I wonder if that will happen in my lifetime??? Hmmm....

The grass in the yard has finally turned brown. Our polonia tree looks like a big twig in the front yard and so as the great myrtle by the garage. The red maple tree is almost bald. The only tree surviving is the one by the office/computer room and I can't remember its name. It's starting to look pretty 'wintery' around here. The little one has been asking when winter will be over. She knows, she just can't wait for it....

Get Me 'Outta' Here!!!!

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That's what I've been shouting [in my head anyway] since this cold spell started! I've never really cared for cold weather. I remember skipping on some trips to Baguio [a place in the Philippines where it's always 'cool'] simply because I didn't want to spend a night in such a "cold" place. Yep that's how much I dislike the cold weather. But that's nothing compared to what we're having here right now. Thank goodness for heaters or I would have been frozen by now.

Right now, I can honestly say that I wish I'm back where it's warm...my native land. I would even welcome the idea of going to [and staying in] Baguio right now. But no can do...for now. One thing is certain though. Down the road [in the not so near future] my family and I will be needing the services of long distance movers because part of our big plan for the future is to move across the continent. It's only a matter of time. For now, a thick sweater and some super comfy socks would have to do the tricks to keep me warm and happy. Maybe I should make me and the little one some hot cocoa to help warm us up....

Unusually Cold...

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...here in the so called 'Sunshine' state!!! To be fair, it's still 'sunshiny' here so....

For the last several days, the temperature is just hitting the 50s as the highest. The lowest? It's in the 20s!! What's up with that? The meteorologist in one of the local newscasts here showed the temperature of last year on the same week as last week's and this week's temps and there's a difference of more than 10 degrees between them. The same week last year, the highest was in the 60s, almost in the 70s.

To me, a temperature in the lower 70s is already cold. To the husband, that's not even close to even be called 'cold'. I guess the temps lately are 'cold' to him because he's been going to work in long jeans and a jacket. I have to dig out his other jackets because he needs one everyday now. I also got him some new ones online today. I'm also thinking of getting me and the little one some more winter clothes online as well which makes me think, I probably need to look into some kind of an identity theft protection I can enroll in since I seem to be doing a lot online transactions lately.

I better get back to my online search for some winter gears for me and the little one. I don't want to the clothes to get here when it's no longer cold. Now that will be a waste, wouldn't it?

Cleaning 'House'....

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My 'house' online anyway...this blog. After gazillion years, I've finally had the guts to go through the BLOG List I have in this blog. I actually started yesterday morning but I had to stop because work came in.

One observation: I can't believe the number of blogs that don't link back. These are the ones that CAME here asking for a link exchange and not the other way around. Now, I am also guilty of not linking back...BUT...I don't go around asking for 'link exchange' and then leaving it at that without linking back. Actually, I rarely ask for a 'link exchange' anymore simply because I am way too busy to even visit the ones I have in my list.

Anyway, I'm just ranting here. I'm not done cleaning 'house' yet. I still have a long way to go actually.

I am also in a dilemma on what to do with 'inactive blogs' in my list. You know, those blogs that have not been updated since 2008 [even earlier like 2007]? Do I delete them from my list or do I keep them? I have no idea how they affect my blogs stats so I'm really at a loss what to do with them. So what do you do with those 'inactive' blogs?

Winter Cleaning?

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I've heard of 'spring cleaning' but I'm not sure if there is such a thing as 'winter cleaning' but that's what I've been doing lately. I'm not really cleaning. It's more like going through some paperworks and shredding the ones we don't really need anymore and filing those that are important. I'm also going through drawers where I've been stashing cards we received for different occasions. I didn't realize I've accumulated so many Christmas cards, birthday cards, even baptism invitations as well as wedding invites over the years. I tend to keep every card and letter I receive so there's really no surprise there. Hubby is actually puzzled why I need to keep every single one of them. That's just me. I can't bear to throw them away.

Anyway, I've put all the cards and letters in a big box ready to be put in the attic. Hopefully I got them all already. Now I have drawers free of clutter...ready to be filled again with cards and/or letters that we may receive in the future.

Christmas 2009

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As I've posted here earlier, the 'elf' had a late night on Christmas eve to prepare the surprises that Santa got the little one. It was kind of 'rough' because the little one was overly excited to see what Santa got her that she kept waking up in the wee hours of Christmas. The sleep deprived elf had no choice but to get up when the overly excited little one came 'poking' err..knocking.

As expected, the elf was not very happy at first but it didn't take her long to get over her 'not so pleasant' mood as the little one jumped, cheered and posed with her 'loots'.

For her final loot, Santa took her on a 'treasure hunt'...at 7 in the frolickin' mornin'. It's a good thing it's just in the house because if it was outside, the elf would probably throw a fit. LOL...not really.

Anyway, she got an 'old map' to follow and look for the so-called 'treasure'...

Here she is trying to follow 'the map'...with a little help from Dad.


After looking for a few minutes, she finally found the 'treasure chest'...yay!

Look at that face!!!!

What could be in the treasure chest??? How about...

some [not so] gold coins

a flag

an eye-patch

And something you don't normally find in a treasure chest....

a Visa [prepaid] card....toink!

Ringin' in 2010....

NOT with....

But with

and lots of it, too!

It's been pouring like this since around 10:30 last night. Instead of hearing the usual fireworks, I listened to the raindrops. It stopped a bit for a few just in time to welcome 2010 so there were a few pops here and there but that's about it. I'm sure those who prepared some elaborate fireworks were bummed but....

As many believe, rain means blessings so I welcome it with open arms and open heart. May 2010 be full of love, happiness, blessings and all that's good for one and all!

Happy New Year Everyone!