Backyard Camping

One of the things I truly enjoyed when I was in high school were the backyard campings we had in our school. We started having them in first year until our junior year. It was 3 nights of both fun and hard work. The hard work was actually months before the camping itself because we had to start planning it as soon as school started. We were in team patrols and each team had to gather enough bamboos to create make shift pieces of furniture. Our weekends were spent going around town asking for bamboos from relatives and friends then making tables, chairs, etc to use for the 3-day camping.

The tents we used then were not the fancy pop-up tents we now have. They were more like tarps that we had to pitch ourselves. We didn't have sleeping bags to sleep on as well instead we had some more tarps and sacks to lay on the ground that served as our beds and mattresses for the duration of the camping. We also brought our own blankets to keep us warm during the night. We also had to cook our own meals from breakfast to dinner. We didn't go far but the life lessons we learned were enough for us as young kids being away from the comfort of home for 3 days and 3 nights.

The good ole' days. I have no idea how backyard campings are done nowadays in our school back home but I'm pretty sure they now use fancy stuff like sleeping bags and pop-up tents. I just hope they don't have cellphones and laptops during the camping or it wouldn't be much of a camping would it?

Long Weekend???

...and my favorite expression nowadays....really??? It surely doesn't feel like it's long at all. Again, that's another difference I have with those who hold regular 8-5 jobs. My weekend was spent working....for the most part anyway. Obviously, it was spent at home then, eh? Today, which is a holiday is back to normal to us. Hubby is at work probably for half the day while I'm here typing away. The little one is doing an activity in one of her books. Holiday? Not for us. Am I complaining? Not really. Like what one friend said [hi Ate Beng!], being busy means we're blessed...and I think so, too.

I'm taking it easy today though. I'm working but no pressure. I can stop anytime...it's really up to me. Maybe I'll stop when the hubs gets home from work which is anytime now. In the meantime, I'm going to spend my time productively. Hmm....watch some TV maybe?

Have a good week everyone! Make every minute count!

Drowning!

That's how it feels like anyway because we are swamped with deadlines. I do good during 'cram' times but that's all we've been doing for the past few weeks so it feels like I'm drowning already. On Wednesday I woke up with a stiff neck so I could hardly move my head for a couple of days. I wonder if my staying in front of the computer has something to do with it? Maybe, eh? But it's not just me who's drowning in work...hubby has it worse. They have deadlines after deadlines as well and they have to deal with customers themselves while in my case, I have a boss who deals with customers. He doesn't complain about it but his body 'has been'... complaining I mean. I wish I know how to do massage to somehow help relieve all the stress his body is going through. Maybe I should look into massage therapy program online to see if I can actually learn how to do massage the right way. But with my super tight schedule I cannot imagine where I'm going to squeeze the time to enroll in anything right now.

Rapture

Honestly, I didn't even know what this was until a day before it was supposed to happen. It's another end of the world 'prophecy'. That's all I know about it and some bits and pieces that I read online. The person who predicted this 'rapture' is now saying that he miscalculated and that the REAL end of the world is in October of this year. Oh c'mon!

One thing I don't understand is how people can buy something like this. When I say 'buy'...I mean the whole nine yards. I read that a believer actually spent his life savings to spread the word since he would no longer need it after May 21. I hope he has some kind of a job to keep him alive until the next end of the world on October 21, 2011. Another person maxed out his credit cards and took a trip thinking he won't have to pay it off since the world is [was] ending last Saturday. TOINK!!!!

There are a lot more other stories on how some people were taken by this 'rapture'. I have no idea how this man came up with his computation resulting to the 'rapture' but I wish he just stopped when his prediction didn't happen. But he's still going on trying to convince his followers it's going to happen...on Oct. 21. I wonder how many of these followers still believe in his latest 'prophecy'. I hope NONE.

Tickets

Tonight is a night of finales on some of the popular shows on TV. One of the shows I don’t really watch, the other 2 I watch in bits and pieces…Dancing with the Stars is the former while Glee and American Idol are the latter. Even if these 3 shows are ending for this season, fans don’t have to wait for next season to see them. I believe all 2 of these 3 shows will have concerts/shows coming up in some major cities across the country. American Idol Tickets as well as Dancing with the Stars Tickets are now available for purchase [along with other concert tickets like Britney Spears Tickets] for those who still haven’t had enough of the contestants in these 2 competition shows on TV. If our little one will get her way, I’m pretty sure she’d choose a Glee concert over those 2 hands down.

I wouldn’t mind watching any of these 2 shows while they’re on the road but if given the chance I would rather buy me some Cirque Du Soleil Tickets instead. I heard from someone who was able to catch their show in Las Vegas that it was spectacular so now I’m more interested to see it. I’m sure the little one will be fascinated with it as well but I can’t speak for the husband. I think he’d rather get his hands on the Zac Brown Tickets since he likes country music…that’s why he likes Scotty McCreery of this season’s idol.

Birds vs Me???

Sorta...I don't want to fight them but they're eating my blackberries! They're not playing fair either because they get them before they're ripe enough to eat [by me anyway]. One more thing...they're cute birds - cardinals so I tend to watch them instead of shooing them away whenever they get close to the bushes. Yesterday, I picked a few berries before they can get to them. A few minutes later one bird came and landed under one of the bushes where the berries I picked were. The bird looked confused while looking around. It seemed to be wondering where the berries went. Teee heee....I pulled one on them.

Hubby put some kind of a net over the bushes. The birds don't get to the ones on top now but they can still get to the ones at the lower part...and the almost ripe ones are there. Just this morning while I was having breakfast I caught one jumping and getting one berry. It stayed there for a few with a berry in its beak...as if mocking ME! So I just tapped on the window to shoo it away. Hmmp...I wonder if this will be a full blown war between me and the birds. What do you think??? Should I wage a war against them already??? Just kidding...

It's Paying Off

I think, anyway.

I almost lost the motivation last week because I thought my hard work a.k.a. exercising regularly is not paying off. I almost stopped because I felt like instead of losing the weight, I'm actually gaining. Not so according to some of my clothes. Yep, like I mentioned in my previous post I actually fit in some of my old clothes that I haven't worn in years. I thought I would have to resort to lipozene or some other type of quick weight loss pills to fit into those clothes but I may be wrong. I just have to work hard to get to my goal of not really losing but trimming down my weight. I am hoping to stay within the range of my current weight. I want the fat gone as much as possible and be replaced with muscles in its place. That's always been my aim. I just didn't have the motivation to stick to exercising before. I would start then stop without really seeing anything come out of it. This time around, I've been on it for the last 4 months, almost 5 months. I am trying to stay motivated and just keep going until I won't even have to try. It'll just come naturally. Fingers crossed, of course.

It Fits!

Exciting??? A little bit.

While going through my old clothes over the weekend, I came across a dress that a good friend gave me a few years ago as a Christmas present. I tried it on when I first got it but I didn't think it fit me...it felt tight. So I put it away, tag and all. On a whim, I tried to put it on and what do you know...it FITS! It's a bit tight in some places but I was able to put it on without the usual fuss when I put on my skinny jeans. Ha! I asked the little one to take a picture of me with wearing it so I can send it to my friend who gave it to me some 6 years ago. My friend was very shocked. Not only because I seem to have lost some weight but that she gained the weight I lost...and then some...and she's not a happy camper right now since she seems to be gaining some more. She said she's been reading some oxyelite pro reviews online to see if it will be a good idea for her to try it. She works a full time job and her husband has a business which she manages along with him. Time is just not on her side so exercising is something she doesn't see feasible. I of course disagree with her and I told her so. Hopefully, she'll find the time to try exercising first before resorting to other things.

Car Shopping

Eversince we decided to buy a used vehicle instead of a new, we’ve been combing http://www.parkautomall.com for used cars. It's the website of the largest used car dealer in the Tamba Bay area so I'm hoping we'll find the one we're looking for here. As of now, we still haven’t really found the one that would make us say: that’s the one we want. I guess this is also because we’re in no hurry to acquire a spare car so we’re taking our time for as long as we can to find the one we really like. We haven’t visited Park Automall in person yet but we may just do that one of these days to see the cars they have available. It’s a good thing the place is not that far from where we’re at so it won’t be a long drive.

Now, since this second car will probably the husband’s ride, I’m guessing we will be looking at cars like the Ford F-150 or any other trucks for that matter when we visit the place. I really have no preference if we’re buying a car me though. But if I have to choose, Id’ probably choose a PT Cruiser. I just like the way it looks and that’s all that matters to me…now, anyway. But like I said, this second car won’t be for me. I guess I should probably bookmark their used car videos link so I can show it to the husband so he can watch some of them when he gets the chance.

Really?

That's always my reaction when Mondays come around. Very different when it's..

But the show must go on so I better hold it together and start dancing like it's Friday again...

Someday...

It’s now been a few months since I started regularly exercising. I’m proud to say that the elliptical that Santa gave me on Christmas has been put to good use. It hasn’t been easy but I’ve been trying been really hard to get on it almost daily. Yes, I try to do it daily, especially on the weekdays because I’m afraid that if I skip a day I’d get lazy and won’t get on it again. But like I said it’s not easy and there are certainly days when I wish I can just try one of the best weight loss pills out there and ‘maybe’ lose all the weight I want to lose without working as hard. Thankfully, it’s all just ‘thoughts’ for now and I haven’t done that. For one, I’m not aiming to lose a lot of weight and I personally think that weight loss pills are better for those who aim to lose quite a bit of the extra poundage.

Anyway, I actually like my current weight so losing weight is not really my main goal for exercising. It’s part of the plan but it’s fine with me if I don’t lose a pound. I just don’t like how the ‘added’ weight that I gained after having a baby is ‘distributed’ in my body. It seems like it’s all on my belly & thighs with a little bit on my chin and to me it’s not a very pretty sight when I look at myself in the mirror especially the one on my middle. So aside from using the elliptical I am also trying to do some simple pilates to help tone my belly. I just started on that so I’m not seeing any result as of yet. Again, just like the elliptical, I need a lot of motivation to get started on it. Hopefully I can keep up with what I’m doing…and I’m crossing my fingers I’ll see some results someday.

American idol Thoughts...

So...has American Idol gone country??? That's what it seems anyway since it's now down to the final two and both are country singers ~ it's now Lauren Alaina vs. Scotty McCreery...ya'll

After months of waiting for the finale, American Idol fans are probably ready for it. If I'm not mistaken, this season probably had more upsets than any other season as far as contestant elimination is concerned. Let's see...

First, one of the early favorites of the judges [and the fans as well], Casey Abrams was eliminated very early in the season. His 'shocking' elimination prompted the judges to use the one and only 'Save Vote'...even if there are a lot more other contestants who probably deserve the 'save vote' later in the season...but it was used to save Casey. Was it worth it? Depends on who you ask of course because a little bit later on, the number one favorite Pia Toscano was eliminated. Thejudges couldn't do anything anymore even if she's probably their most favorite so she was sent packing amidst tears & drama.

After the hype of Pia's elimination, the show went on without much drama...until James Durbin got eliminated last week. You see, one of the judges already 'crowned' him as this year's Idol...with his comments of course so many thought he'd at least make it to the final 2 [or 3 maybe]. In fairness, he is really good. He can sing rock, ballad, and other genres without appearing like he's trying hard ~ TH 'ya know ~. But the fans had voted and he was voted off...prematurely according to others anyway.

So then there were 3...a country gal, a rocker gal, and a country lad. They belted out their best last Wednesday. I didn't watch...I listened for a bit. Why? Because it airs at the same time as my ultimate favorite...NCIS...and nothing gets between me and Gibbs! Ha! But I caught some of it since the show was half an hour longer than my NCIS. According to 2 judges...Lauren Alaina took the cake for the night while one judge gave it to Haley Reinhart. I guess Scotty McCreery would be going home then, eh? Wrong! There are millions of young girls voting so I personally didn't think he would be going home anyway. Instead...the rocker gal ~ Haley Reinhart ~ was given the pink slip. She took it well I guess since she sang with gusto during her farewell performance...but it also leaves a lot of people thinking...should she have stayed instead of Scotty? I guess we shouldn't ask the young fans of this good looking country crooner, eh?

So...will you be watching the Finale? I'm not sure. My NCIS already had its season finale last Tuesday so I have the time to watch it. So I probably will...depending on my mood, of course.

Warranty

Last weekend we went to pick up my new prescription glasses at the store. Hubby was able to get off work late in the afternoon so we were in a hurry to get to the store before it closed for the day. Needless to say, we were in a rush. Then we got in the parking lot of the store…and I couldn’t get out of the car. Why? Because the door wouldn’t open! Hubby was visibly irked when it took me forever to get out because he was afraid we’d miss the appointment. He didn’t believe something was wrong with the door…typical, eh? As soon as we got out of the store, he checked the door on my side and what do you know…he couldn’t open it himself. Hmp! Since our car is old already, the Auto Warranty we got for it when we bought it is no longer in effect. That means that if we bring it to the shop, we will be paying for everything. Things like this always happen. As soon as the warranty is up, something will go wrong. I guess that’s the reason for Extended Warranty, eh?

Anyway, since we don’t have the Car Warranty anymore hubby decided to just tinker with the door himself when we got home. After tinkering with it for a few minutes, he found the culprit…the child safety lock of the door was activated. How it happened is something we don’t know because I certainly didn’t do it. I didn’t know how to. It’s not just a button to click…it’s something way down the inside of the door that only aliens with little thin fingers can reach. Hubby was able to get in the spot and realized something has to be replaced so it won’t happen again. Instead of taking the car to the shop he just bought the part and would replace it himself. It’s cheaper and less hassle…I guess. I’m sure though that if our Car Warranty is still active, our car would be in the shop in no time.

It's Friday!

Yay!

Even if I'm home all the time and even if I no longer have to go through the madness of getting ready for work during the weekdays, I still get excited when Friday comes. That's because I still work and weekends are usually the time I try not to think much about it. Although the past few weekends didn't feel like weekends at all because the husband had to work through them. And when he's at work, it just doesn't feel like it's the weekend so I tend to...work as well. But like I said before, we can't complain. He has a job and I have a 'job' so we're blessed. Also, with all the work that's coming their way lately maybe their dream metal building will be a reality sooner than later. It's been one of their goal actually...to have their own building where they can set up shop and do whatever they please with the place. They are currently renting a space in an industrial building and they can only do what's allowed by the owner of the building. Hubby is not happy with how the owner runs the place and he cannot wait to get out of the place. I'm hoping and praying that with all the blessings coming their way, that may happen soon.

Benefits

Who doesn't want benefits, right? Especially job benefits like insurance & vacation leave. Unfortunately for me I don't get most of these benefits that a regular employee gets because I work at home. I can still get benefits like the social security disability benefits...if ever I get injured and won't be able to work for a period of time since I'm still contributing to the social security even if I work at home. But it would be wonderful to have health insurance that a company pays for so I don't have to deal with insurance companies that only know how to increase & never decrease monthly premiums. Also, it would be great to get some 'paid leave' every once in a while like I used to when I was still teaching. When I was teaching in Taiwan, I get 2 months off during the summer and I got paid for those 2 months. Sigh. But that was the past. It was great alright...but I will never exchange what I have right now with what 'used to be'. I'm just not very happy right now because our health insurance decided to spike up our premium once again.

Deadlines!

That about sums up what's going on around here. My boss is panicking because we have to beat 2 deadlines this week...one of which I think is today...oopps. The other one is towards the end of the week. That's only for THIS week. It seems that's the only thing we've been doing the past couple of months....beating deadlines. Of course we're only told of OUR deadline so we don't really know the REAL deadline. Confusing, eh? I'm trying to do my part but like they say...you can only do so much. I also have other things to do so I cannot really devote all of my time with just this job.

The same thing is going on with the hubs. He worked through through weekend just to make sure they had everything ready ~ the place & the job ~ when their customer dropped by for a visit yesterday. He said it went well...for the most part. Now they're waiting for the verdict of the visit....while WORKING on beating another...yes, DEADLINE! Ha!

Isn't it crazy? So what happens when you don't meet that specified time....would you really be umm...dead? Toink!

Skin Changes

It used to be that when I went to a store, skin care products are probably at the bottom of my list. I’ve never really had that many issues with my skin so I would only go to that part of the store if I needed some things like facial wash and that’s about it. But those days are gone, unfortunately. Reality [of getting old?] has set in and I am now one of the many people who need some help to help slow down the ‘aging’ process. Yes, I said the ‘A’ word…aging. When I look at the mirror, I now see some sagging skin on my face as well as some age spots that weren’t there before. Like what I said, the process has begun. Well, it began a while ago I just didn’t acknowledge it I guess.

Anyway, everytime I go to the skin care products section in the store now, I am not only looking for products for myself. Like I’ve shared here a few times before, the little one’s skin is going through a lot of changes as well right now. This early, she already needs some acne products to help rid of the breakouts in her young skin. I’m not sure why but she’s been getting a lot of small pimples around her forehead and her nose lately. I’m guessing it has something to do with her hormones which have started to create some havoc in her body. I’m hoping she’ll get over this break out problem ASAP.

New Glasses

After more than 10 years, I finally decided to get me a new pair of eyeglasses...prescription eyeglasses that is. My old ones are about 13 years old....teenagers in other words. I don't really wear glasses on a daily basis, only when I travel or when I have a headache due to my astigmatism. But I noticed about a year ago that I can no longer read fine prints as well as I used to even when I was wearing the old pair so I asked my eye doctor to prescribe me a new pair last year. He said my eyes are not that bad yet so he recommended to use the over the counter reading glasses. I did just that and they helped but I got tired switching glasses so I asked him to prescribe me a new pair again last time I was there. I told him I'm tired of switching glasses and the old ones need to 'retire' already...so he did.

What can I say? Prescription eye glasses are e-x-p-e-n-s-i-v-e! I almost backed out the last minute because they're running by the hundreds of $$$ a pair. CRAZY!! The over the counter reading glasses are $10 a pair but I knew I needed new prescription glasses so I went ahead ordered a new pair...against my will I must say. And yesterday...we picked them up from the store. I'm still trying to get used to them since they are progressive glasses. They made me dizzy yesterday but I'm slowly getting the hang of it. I probably won't be wearing them daily...just when I need to. Hopefully I won't need a new pair in another, 13 years, maybe?

Stainless is IN!

Stainless appliances are probably the most popular nowadays. Everytime I see a new house with new appliances, it’s almost always certain they are stainless. They are just the ‘in’ thing today I guess. But even during those times when stainless appliances weren’t in existence yet, I’ve always liked anything stainless. To me, they look neat. So whenever we are looking for something and it’s available in stainless, I’d usually go with stainless. When I was still looking for mailboxes to replace the one in the other house, I thought of getting a stainless steel mailbox so I when I saw the blomus stainless steel mailboxes I thought I’d order one online. But after careful considerations, I decided not to. Why? Because I was afraid it will just get stolen since we have some out of control kids in that neighborhood.

Since we have a lot of stainless steel in the house right now, whenever we want to get something new for the house, we always consider whatever it is in blomust stainless first. Just like a few weeks ago when we decided to get a ceiling fan for the living room. With all the choices available at the store, we didn’t know which one to pick…until we saw one that had some stainless trimmings on it. I think it was almost automatic when we both pointed at that same ceiling fan. It’s now hanging on our living room ceiling. Ha! Anyway, one of the things we still have to add to the house is probably the husband’s ultimate want…a fireplace. Considering how hot it can get here, I asked him one time why he wants a fireplace. He said he just likes the ambiance of a lit fireplace in a home. So there. It’s just a matter of time before the day comes when that fireplace becomes a reality in this household. I guess we will be looking into blomus stainless steel fireplace when that time comes, eh?

No Weekend...

...for the man of the house.

He's working through the weekend again because of some pressing jobs. It's been a busy season for them and they barely have the time to take lunch breaks but they can't complain. They have a job and because of that, they're grateful. One person who is not thrilled about it...who else but his little princess. She doesn't like it at all when Dad is not home on the weekends. It's the only time she gets to bug him for hours so she's bummed Dad's working.

While Dad's busy with work, we're also trying to be busy by doing some weeding in the yard. We finished weeding the flower bed this morning. We were supposed to water the plants but nature did us a favor and did it for us. Tomorrow will be cleaning day for us. If I still have time after doing the chores in the house, I may just do some more weeding in the back yard...but that remains to be seen...

That's our weekend. Not very relaxing but not stressful either. Hopefully next weekend will be better...more relaxing at least...for all of us.

Getting Back What We Pay for...

Our health insurance once again increased our premium. It's very frustrating because it feels like we've been paying for a service we're not really using. Many people probably feel the same and it's very frustrating...especially when the premium goes up for no apparent reason. As expected hubby isn't happy with this latest increase. He has had enough so he thought of the best way to get back at them...use their service even if we don't really need it. Since we've been married, I think he's only been to the doctor once so I was surprised when he asked me to schedule him for a doctor appointment. I did. I called the doctor to set up the appointment and the first question I was asked was the reason for the visit. I couldn't think of anything so the receptionist just wrote routine check up. After hanging up with the doctor's office, I called the husband. I told him I almost told the receptionist he needs some low testosterone treatments when I couldn't think of any reason as to why he needs to see the doctor. He just laughed.

Anyway, hubby is really serious about using our health insurance service now. He even asked me to schedule the little one for a routine check up with her pediatrician. He also said we should go in for a total physical before the year ends. I cannot really blame him. It also makes me mad that these insurance companies just increase their premiums with no consideration. I really wish there is one company there that does otherwise but I'm not sure such company exists...so, we'll do it the husband's way. Maximize their service to get back what we pay for....

Blogger Glitch?

So it seems.

I already posted about it earlier ~ Where Did They Go?? ~ the missing posts...but I thought I'd write more about it before I get off here.

One blogger friend told me about the blogger glitch when she read my entry. In a way I was kinda' relieved because I thought somebody hacked into my account or something and deleted the entries. I was starting to freak out trying to find a way to save my posts just in case. This thought came to me because I visited a site yesterday and as soon as I clicked on it, pop ups appeared. I thought it was some kind of a virus from that site.

Anyway, I went to check on some other bloggers with a blogger platform and I noticed that some don't have entries from yesterday at least. So in case you're wondering what happened to your posts...this may be the answer....blogger had a HICCUP and some posts got scared and ran away...err...disappeared.

Will they 're-appear'??? That my friends remains to be seen.....

As for me...I can only say one thing...

Finding the 'Right One'...

It seems that finding a good insurance company has become a yearly feat for me and the husband. I’m sure we’re not the only people in this country going through this year in, year out. You’d think that with all the commercials on TV it will be an easy thing to do but it’s not. It’s kinda’ taxing I must say. When our Auto Insurance agent for 10 years kept on increasing our premium a few years ago, hubby has had enough and looked for another agent. You would think it would be easy-peasy to find one but it took a while to find one he’s satisfied with. But we eventually found one. Last year, our current agent decided to spike up the premium. We didn’t have enough time to look for another one to replace it so we stuck with it with the intention of finding another one. Prime Insurance Agency is one of the companies I came across with. It serves our state Florida as well as New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.

Aside from car insurance, PrimeIns also offers other insurance such as vacant property insurance which is a type of insurance we may be needing in the near future. Our other house is currently unoccupied but we’re still paying insurance for it. If the information we got is right, the insurance company we have for it right now may be closing its doors so we will need a new insurance company to insure that house. Hopefully PrimeIns has some great plans waiting for us if and when we need to find a new insurance company for our other house.

TGI...Friday the 13th?

I didn't realize it's actually the 13th until I turned on the TV this morning. Not a big deal ~ to me anyway ~ since it's just another Friday to me. It can be a Friday the 13th or Friday the 6th or Friday the....okay...I think you get the point....Friday will always be my most awaited day of the week for me . So...

A Welcome Treat....

When I was growing up, we had a small store that my mother managed. We call that kind of store a ‘variety - retail store’ because it sells almost everything that a household will need on a daily basis like vinegar, salt, canned as well as junk foods and soft drinks. It’s a retail store because everything is sold either in parts or by pieces. For years, we were getting a lot of free product samples from our distributors that would come by to deliver our orders. It’s the companies’ way of promoting their new products. My siblings and I were usually the first kids around the neighborhood who tasted new products. We were like guinea pigs being experimented on…but it was fun especially if the products were candies.

Today, there are still a lot of free products being given away. The goal is the same…promotion. Since this is a different age and time, getting some freebies is way different now compared to when I was growing up. Stores still get the bulk of free stuff to give to their customers but there are also other places where we can find them…like online. I’ve received bunches of free stuff samples myself by simply visiting a website. Sometimes the products are not just small kinds. There are places that give out big ticket items for free although those places are hard to find. The thing is there are a lot of freebies out there if one is patient to look for them. And during these hard times, I think anything we can get for free is always a welcome treat, don’t you think?

Where Did THEY GO???

I was just about to post something this morning when I noticed that a couple of my posts are MISSING? I know I posted them because one has been verified so I have the link and I know that somebody else checked it. So where did they go? I HAVE NO IDEA. The other post missing was my post about the SPAM Email I got. Is somebody out there playing tricks on me?

Ugh! Now I have to do it all over again. Has anybody ever experienced something like this before? I'm positive I didn't do anything to my settings.

Really Now...

How dumb is this person who sent out this email? Did he actually think I will just go ahead and provide him the information he's asking for? For my own SAFETY???? Duh!!!! Geezzz...it just gets in my nerves. Don't these people have anything better to do? Ugh!

'Nuff said. Sorry about the rant! Now back to our regular programming....

Responsible Parenting

When we went to the Philippine store last Saturday, we went to check on our other house. It’s along the way so it’s not really a big deal. Besides we have to check it occasionally. Last time we were there, we found out that the address plaque we have on the side of the house was hanging by a thread so I had to start looking for address plaques to replace it. Hubby told me not to bother because some kids who with nothing better to do would just ruin it so I stopped looking. Hubby was right because those kids came by again and decided to do some more damage. This time they decided to ruin our water softener which is located in front of the house. It’s very frustrating to say the least because there’s really nothing we can do about it since we’re not there. I just wish these kids grow up and start acting like mature people with consideration.

While we were there, our next door neighbor stopped by. He didn’t hear or see anything but he’s aware that those kids are doing a lot of damage around the neighborhood. They’ve been caught vandalising and hitting mailbox posts with bats and were reported to the authorities. The thing is there’s only so much the police can do. They were probably reprimanded and warned but that’s about it. They couldn’t be held in jail for something like that unfortunately. As much as I want to blame these kids for their actions, I also cannot help but hold their parents responsible as well. I personally believe it’s the parents’ responsibility to keep these kids from doing these things since they are minors. Why would these parents let their teenager kids stay out of the house in the middle of the night destroying mailboxes in the neighborhood? Shouldn't they be imposing some kind of a curfew or something? Talk about responsible parenting...

Any Comment?

Disclaimer: These photos [nor the babies..^v^] are not mine. They are part of an email forwarded to me by a good friend.

Learning a Lesson

When a good friend of mine married her now husband, his daughter was almost of legal age. As most parents expect here, once you become of legal age, you also become independent…somehow. That means looking for a job and a place of your own. Not quite with my friend’s step-daughter. Yes, she moved out as soon as she turned an adult but she wasn’t able to stay on a job long enough to even make rent. She’s only been on her own for a couple of years but she already needs help with Credit Repair because of some bad decisions she made. My friend and her husband have to pay for her car payments so she can go to work. Talk about being independent, eh? I personally think they shouldn’t be paying for her car payments. If she loses the car, then she can take the bus to go to work. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. She needs to learn her lessons.

Anyway, my friend knows that at this point, only The Best Credit Repair Service will be able to help her step daughter. She hasn’t suggested for her to go seek help with her credit card problems though because she has parents who should be telling her to get help. My friend knows that she’s only there as a support system to her husband and she doesn't want to step over her boundaryies as a step-mom but she’s really close into just telling her step daughter to get a grip and be more responsible. She said that Credit Repair will probably help her fix her credit problems now but if she keeps being irresponsible with her choices, then she’ll be back to where she’s at right now…over and over again. I can only agree...

A Bouquet...

of......

M-A-N-G-O-E-S

for Mother's Day! That's more like it....woo hoo....

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms Out There....have a good one....

Neverending Baby Proofing

While cleaning the garage a few weeks ago, I came across a lot of the little one’s baby stuff like her booster seat and the baby gate we used to keep her from going in the kitchen especially when I was cooking. I didn’t even know I kept those things. I thought we gave them away just like everything else except for some little things that I kept for sentimental values. I’m kinda’ glad though I still have the booster and the gate because now that I’m planning in sending a box to family back home, I can include them for my niece who has a little boy that’s getting ready to be mobile. She’s actually looking for stairway gates since their house has stairs on it but the gate I have will probably work even if we didn’t use it on a stairway. If not, they can always use it for some other rooms which I'm sure the little boy will try to explore anyway.

I still remember buying that little gate. We got it while I was still pregnant with the little one. We tried to baby proof the house while I was still pregnant thinking we won’t be able to do it once she’s born. Of course that’s not true because we would always find something that needed baby proofing as she was growing. Come to think of it, it never ends. It seems we’re always doing something to protect our child. We’re no longer looking at Child Safety Gates now instead we’re looking at other things to keep her safe at all times. I’m a bit of nervous freak when it comes to her safety so I tend to overdo the ‘ be careful’ reminders even until now that she’s older. I just can’t help it. I can only imagine how I’m going to cope up once she starts driving. Oh Lord help me...

Cute & Funny

I got this from a friend's email. There were a bunch of pictures in the email but this just made me laugh...real loud. Does that make me a terrible 'fwend'? Haha...

I just thought of posting it here today. No reason...just because. Oh I know...it's Thursday...which means it's ALMOST Friday. And that's enough reason to be spreading those happy fairy dust.....doncha think?

Still Searching...

After months of looking, I still haven't found yet what to buy for my brothers and nephews. I'm putting stuff together that I can put in the box I'm sending back home and it's driving me nuts. I'm done buying for the girls/women but not for the boys. I'm this close to just getting them the usual shirts and shorts....seriously. Is it really this hard to find things to give to men? And my husband says I'm the hardest to shop for. I think I'm going to challenge him on that. Anyway, my brothers don't have hobbies...except for the oldest who is a corporate slave. He's into golf now...with is fellow 'slaves' of course. In my quest to find something for him I googled golf items. Voila...things from golf clubs to the top 10 golf gps to golf bags and everything else in between that has the word golf in it came up. Lovely, eh? I think I have to go through about a thousand and one items just to check them all out....and I didn't.

After that not so successful online search, I came up with a decision. I'll call home and just ask his kids what it is he 'may' want. Maybe then I'll be able to at least trim down the choices to less than 10. As for the other men/boys...same thing...I'll call their families and ask. My only problem is...will I still have enough money to buy them anything after paying all those long distance bills???

Visiting the Mall...

It’s been months since the last time we went to the mall. I think it was weeks before Christmas when we went there last. At that time, there was a trade show going on probably because it was around the holidays. It was a perfect time to lure customers with colorful logo mats and some really nice give-aways. We didn’t get any of the give-away but hubby checked on the cars on display. I think that was the time he was still thinking of getting a new car which has changed already because of the crazy gas prices lately. He’s now thinking about buying a motorcycle instead. Hmm….

Anyway, during that trade show in the mall I notice that some companies are getting more and more creative now in promoting their business. Aside from the usual logo canopy they have, one company even had a band performing under the canopy. Creative, eh? It wasn’t a known band but still a band that had a singer, a guitarist and a keyboardist. We actually got lured into staying near their booth for a while just to listen to the band. I think it’s a nice touch actually. I can’t really tell if they earned any customers because of it but it’s a good way to get attention. But that’s just one of the many companies showcased in there. A lot of them still went with the traditional trade show carpet and trade show flooring to promote their products which of course still work.

Hopefully, we’ll be able to go to the mall again soon. I really want to find me a nice fitting sundress before the spring is over. I’m kinda’ getting tired wearing shorts whenever we go somewhere so a dress or a skirt will be a much welcomed change.

Forgot How to...

... add a blog in my friends' list! How sad is that? LOL....but I was able to figure it out after so many tries. I didn't want to mess up my list so I tried adding in my 'test' blog because if I mess it up then I'll be in whole lotta trouble!

Anyway, our weather today is a wee bit odd. It was really humid and warm this morning but it's a bit cooler now because there's an overcast. I like it better but I know it won't last. The last couple of weeks have been great in terms of good weather but it won't be long before and we will be feeling that scorching summer heat. Actually, there are days already when it feels like summer is here. That's probably the reason why our hydrangea plant has been drying up in the front flower bed. We were told it needs partial sun and that's what the front gets everyday but because of too much heat, I think the poor plant just couldn't take it. It's now planted under our big tree in the back. Actually, even our gardenia [Rosal] is also starting to wilt...probably because of that same reason. Not sure yet if we have to move it or not. I hope not because I really like it in front.

You've Got Mail....

This may come as a shock to some people, but when I was growing up residential mailboxes were virtually non-existent in our area. It’s true. If I am not mistaken, this is still the case in most of the houses out there…especially the older ones. Why is that? My guess…we didn’t really need a mailbox. Unlike here, we don’t really get a lot mails out there unless they’re important mails or mails from loved ones. No junk mails either which I hope is still the case today. I remember getting all excited whenever I would see the post man walking towards our house because that meant we’re receiving a mail from abroad [from an Aunt who lives here in the US].

I’ve been away for almost 10 years now so I’m not really sure how many of the newly built houses in our area have mailboxes now. I know my brothers’ houses don’t have mail boxes even until now and in a way I like it that way. For one, the junk mail distributors don’t have the place to put in their advertisements. This can only mean that they would have to either skip a house with no mailbox or knock on the door to hand their advertisements. If you ask me, I prefer the former. Beside, I still like the idea of just waiting for the mailman to come knocking on our door telling me 'you've got mail'...real mail.

Transplanted

This is a picture of hydrangea plant. We bought one for our flower bed about a month ago. According to the guy at the store, the plant needs partial sun so we thought it would be perfect there. It doesn't seem to be the case because we noticed the plant's leaves starting to dry up. Also, the fertilizer we were told to use was the wrong one so that may have contributed to that as well. Still, hubby decided to transplant it in the backyard where it can only get about an hour of morning sunlight.

We're hoping it will thrive where it's at. If not, we may just return the plant to the store. We only have a small one right now unlike the one in the picture but it didn't come cheap. Since we have a year's warranty for it, we'd rather return it before it dies on us. I'm hoping though that we won't have to do it because I really like its pink 'bouquet' life flowers.

Kickball…who knew?

Content by Kyle Lowe

When I first moved to my new city of Albuquerque, I didn’t know a soul. A new job brought me here and though I was really excited about my new position, I was nervous that I’d end up spending a lot of time alone in my new apartment. When I first got here, that’s exactly what I did. I spent a lot of time decorating and getting take out food and unfortunately, my office mates were not really in my age group, so no friends there. Eventually I got around to signing up for Clear Wireless Internet at home which was great because I could email and Skype with friends. I noticed an ad for a WAKA kickball league here in town and thought it so! unded fun, so I signed up. Turns out, most of my best friends came from that first game! It was such a great idea to get involved with something in the city and my life hasn’t been the same since I joined the kickball team!

Giving Up Everything to Work Abroad...

Is it worth it?

Been there...done that.

To me it was worth it because I really didn't have to give up anything to do it. I gained more [a lot more actually] than I lost. I was one of the fortunate ones who didn't have to go through a needle hole to make it happen...and I was single back then so my life was just 'mine' so to speak. To say I was blessed would be an understatement. Having said that, I know a lot of people [from my native country - Philippines] who are willing to sacrifice everything just make that ~ working [& living] abroad ~ into a reality. Sadly, a lot of them are also taking the plunge with their eyes closed...I think.

I just spoke with a friend yesterday on the phone. She's been here in the US for about 4 years now. She landed a teaching job here when there was a massive hiring of teachers back then. It looked promising so she petitioned her child and husband right away. Needless to say they gave up everything they had back home...the house, the car, the lifestyle to chase that 'dream' of living the American life. Four years later, my friend is the only one working. Her husband cannot work yet even if he wants to because their papers are still being 'processed'. They are living in a 'shared apartment' because they cannot afford to rent their own place...much less buy their own.

But that's not the sad part. Right now their lives hang in a balance. They are on pins and needles because it was recently found out that the county she's working for 'overhired' people...from the Philippines. As a result, they are terminating people left and right. Fortunately my friend's job is secure...for now. She said that until they get their papers, she will always have that 'fear hanging over her head'. For how long...only God knows.

While talking to my friend and listening to her narrate her story, I was really close in asking her: Is it worth it? But I bit my tongue and didn't ask. She has a lot going on right now and she doesn't need me being a smarty pants....

Another Milestone Missed

One of the things I truly regret being away from my family is missing milestones and special occasions. I missed several weddings, graduations and even births of nephews, nieces & grandchildren [courtesy of my nieces]. But my family back home always keeps me in the loop by letting me know of all the happy [and sometimes sad] events that take place while I'm away. The last big family milestone that took place was my nephew's oath taking after passing the medical board exam. It's a major thing for us because he is the first doctor in the family. Next year, we may also have another first...a lawyer this time. My parents must be grinning from ear to ear from wherever they are seeing how their kids & grandkids are turning out to be what they want us to be.

Another big event that's going to take place is the first communion of our oldest grandchild[my brother's first grandchild]. Coming from a country where Christianity is a major thing, the first communion is always regarded as a very important milestone in a child's life. Since I cannot be there [again] in person I will just wait for updates & pictures from my niece about her daughter's first communion. In the meantime, I am looking at communion gifts Personal Creations so I can send her something to mark this very special event in her young life. I'm thinking of something personalized so she'll know I got it JUST for her. I may not be there personally but it doesn't mean I cannot make this milestone memorable for her, right? Hopefully, I'll be able to make it in the next milestone in her life. Her wedding, maybe?

Another Level....

Lately, I’ve been really mulling over the idea of taking an online health care administration course. If you asked me 5 years ago, health care will probably be last in my list as far as taking an additional course is concerned. It’s not the first time I’ve thought about going back to school though. I’ve been thinking about it for years now but it’s only been in the last several months that I thought about taking something related to health care. Before, I was always looking at either taking another education degree or something related to it or even something in business…but not health care. So what gives? One of my jobs right now is somehow health care related. I think that if I take a degree related to it, I may be able to further my career in the field. It’s all a plan right now but who knows, right?

One of my former co-teachers who now works in logistics just recently finished a business course in one of the Online Universities. And she did it in less than 2 years…while she’s working full time. She was very excited about it because it’s something that she can use with her new career. That’s exactly what I’m thinking of doing. I’ll keep on doing what I’m doing while furthering my education in a field totally different from my original degree. I only have one concern. Financial. So aside from looking for that perfect online school for me, I am also busy looking for Free Application for Federal Student Aid at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/. I’m hoping and praying there is something there that can help a WAHM like me who wants to take her ‘game’ in another level.