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Showing posts from June, 2012

Fascination with Celebrity Homes

I wrote a post back in May 2008 ~ a good 4 years ago ~ about some of the most expensive celebrity homes in the world. Right to this day, it's the most read post on this blog. I can't say I'm surprised but it amazes me how much fascinated we are [yes, ME included] about celebrities and of course, their homes. Maybe because we 'somehow' wish we live in one of those mansions? I know I sometimes wonder about that myself. When I wrote that post I was actually trying to somehow put some things into perspective. At that time we were about to move in to  this house. It's a most awaited time for me and my family because we waited for more than 4 years for our dream to be realized. Simple and small as it is, especially compared to those celebrity mansions I featured in that post, we were over the moon to finally move in here. I couldn't help but compare those humongous houses to our humble abode....for fun. Anyway, I'm perfectly happy with our current abode. S

Miserable.

Dark. Dreary. Wet. That basically sums up our weekend. Thanks to Mother Nature of course. Tropical storm Debby decided to pay us a visit this weekend. So far it has dumped more than 10 inches of rain already. It's expected to dump some more in the next couple of days. Our street is literally submerged in water today. The man of the house and the little one went for a drive around the neighborhood to see how much water there is other areas. Apprently, some streets have more. Our weekend is of course spent cooped up in the house because of this very wet weather we're having. That's alright because I'm in no mood to go anywhere anyway. I spent most of my time bumming around the house. I only got up to prepare food and go to the bathroom. Anyway, weekend is almost over. Another week is about to start. Appointments here and there. Work is still slow. Hopefully there will be some work in n the days to come to keep my mind off things I shouldn't be thinking about. Fi

Life Happens

I was browsing our local TV stations earlier and came across a music video for a song with the same title ~ Life Happens. I've never heard of the song before and singer/s are not not familiar to me. But for some reason I decided to stop and watch [and listen to] the video. I didn't even catch the rest of the lyrics...just the title. The video shows 2 people just enjoying life. Easy, right? Not quite. Unfortunately life is not that simple. You can't just leave everything behind and take off to have fun. How I wish it's that simple. These 2 words speak volumes though. No matter what we do and how much we plan, some things in life are just beyond our control. I can plan but I know that HIS plan will always prevail. That much I know. Does this mean I don't plan anymore? Not by a long shot. I still plan. I just don't rely much on my plans anymore. I used to have a list...when I was still single. Things I wanted accomplished at certain age. That list was my PLAN i

Father's Day 2012

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It does feel like it is Monday because I don't feel like doing anything. Ha! It was a special day yesterday being it Father's Day! We stayed home for most of the day. We went out to get some stuff from the store then came back home. Huh? Yep, we're boring people....haha. Seriously, I wasn't feeling very well for the last few days so going out wasn't really what I wanted to do. Just like the past several Father's Day, the little one prepared something for the man of her life. Unlike the last 2 years, singing is not involved this time around. I also didn't have to slave in the computer to put her present together. This time it's something she did all on her own [with very little prodding]. The idea actually came from Dad himself, she just 'produced' it. Her biggest hobby[?] is doodling. We as her parents are of course her biggest fans in whatever she does...her doodles included. Dad is the one that gets the most enjoyment out of her silly

Weekend it is...

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Happy Weekend Almost. It's been a little stressful this week for me. It's all in my mind for now and I probably shouldn't be stressed but what can I do, it's the way I am. I get easily stressed. How I wish I can just be as carefree as some other people are but I can't so I just have to deal with it the best way I can. Weather has been okay this week. I don't think it rained at all...but the chances are always there. Right now it's about 40% chance so it might just happen later on. The weekend is looking good though. I think it's only 20% chance. That means Father's Day can be celebrated outdoors ~ for those who like to do it that way anyway. We have no plans this weekend. The car needs oil change this weekend. That's probably the highlight...haha. I have some chores to do in the house while hubs will probably continue cleaning the outside of the house with his new pressure washer. The little one will probaby try to read the books she ca

Words of Wisdom from an Experienced Sweeper

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Image via Flickr Some people are always going to scoff at playing sweepstakes as a waste of time. I’ve actually gained a lot more from playing sweepstakes than I’ve lost, even when I factor in the time I’ve spent on the task. You might be surprised at how much you can learn, and how much enjoyment you can gain, from regularly playing sweepstakes. The Joy of Sweepstakes I know it sounds silly at first, the idea that somehow playing sweepstakes can actually improve your life. But I’ve found it really is true. Here’s some things I’ve learned from playing sweepstakes: Patience is a virtue . If there’s anything sweepstakes have taught me, it’s patience. There’s a lot of waiting involved with playing the sweepstakes game, so it’s pretty much impossible not to learn how to be patient as part of the process. I patiently enter many daily sweepstakes without fail, like the contests at sweepstakes.rewardit.com, and it’s paid off more than once. Try everything! I like playing the game, so

Road Trip - Day 4 Continuation...Again!

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I guess I can safely say that Day 4 of this road trip was probably the day we went to more places than any of the other days during our 5 - day road trip...that's why I have to write 3 separate posts to cover it all. Speaking of which...here are part 1 & part 2 . Promise this will be the last of Day 4. The Burgos tower happened to be at the tip of North Luzon already [almost anyway]. That means that if we go some more north, we would have ended up in the water already so we had no choice but to turn around and go back where we came from...home! But that doesn't mean we were done with the road trip yet. As a matter of fact we still had one place to go to before we retired for the day... Vigan's Heritage City [Heritage Village].  So after some 'much needed' picture taking [yeah right] at the foot of the tower, we started the drive back. Destination: Vigan, Ilocos Sur Unfortunately the drive took a lot longer than anticipated....as usual. By now, being on

Gorgeous

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Day that is today. Sky is blue. Sun is not burning the athmosphere...or maybe it is...I just don't know. But it sure is good to see some blue skies after seeing only clouds and rain in the last several days. Although I don't think it rained yesterday. Did it? Hmmm....short term memory loss as my husband likes to claim. Anyway, it's been a so-so morning as far as work is concerned. I've had some work put in already but would love to have some more so keep 'em coming. Finally we're seeing some light at the end of that long drought. Hopefully it's not just a temporary light and that it continues to shine at least until our house is paid up...LOL. Wouldn't that be lovely? Aside from that, nothing much happening right now. The weekend came and went but nothing special happened. We stayed in most of the time. Hubs finally got a pressure washer so he was able to wash the build up of dirt and green stuff around the house. It almost looks brand new again...ev

Baby Carrier Hunt...

Our little one is not so little anymore. As a matter of fact it's kinda' awkward calling her little because she's a bit taller than me now. So what am I doing looking at different baby carrier brands in the last several days? Well, definitely not for her. Oh and before you get the wrong idea, it's not for another addition to our little family here but for another addition to our family. Huh! Confusing? Let me explain. My nephew is having a baby. Well, technically his wife is. The baby is due anytime now. When we were there in April she was about 8 months along. Although her belly didn't look like she's that far along I have to take their words that she's due early June...which is right now. I have not heard any baby news yet but I'm sure I will anytime now. I sent a box a few weeks ago with some baby stuff in it but I wasn't able to put in a baby carrier I promised them so I'm frantically looking for one that I'm hoping I can send ASAP. I

Dark at 4:00 PM

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...and this is why.... Yep, it's been raining non-stop since this morning. All I hear at the moment is the rain and some occasional thunders. Our plants were happy at first but they're starting to feel a bit too wet so some of the flowers are drooping already. Hopefully the rain will stop before our beloved plants start drowning.

Rainy Days and...Tuesday?

That's what we have at the moment. It didn't start until late in the afternoon but now it's really wet outside. Our plants are having a blast. It's been raining on and off here since last week which is good because it's a nice break from the heat. Technically it's still spring but we normally skip that season arouund here and jump right into summer after winter. But it's all good. I'm glad we have 3 seasons at least. Anyway, I'm still not that busy with work at the moment so I'm trying to organize all of our pictures. I have a project that I've been meaning to do since last year using the pictures but haven't had the chance to do so. Hopefully I'll be able to organize everything before work starts to pick up so this project won't be put in the back burner again. Goodluck to me!

Wall Fountain

In one of the hotels that we stayed in during our 2-week vacation, one of things that caught my attention is a wall fountain in the lobby of the hotel. It's a big wall fountain since it's in a big hotel but I couldn't help wondering how one will look like in a house like ours. The water from the fountain definitely offers some refreshing ambience to the place so a lot of the visitors at the hotel [like us] gravitate towards it while waiting to be checked in. As soon as I got back here, I looked up home wall fountains online and I found a few that I like. They're not the cheapest but they're probably worth it. I have yet to see one in a residential house like ours but I was told there are a lot of houses around here with one. I just have to meet someone whose house has it. Anyone?

Road Trip - Day 4 Continuation

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Part 1 of Day 4 is here . After having lunch in Pagudpud, we continued on with our road trip. It's early afternoon so the mighty sun was raging and it was smoldering hot. But nothing can stop these irregular tourists. We first went to the famous Bangui Wind Farm. Hubby is intrigued by these windmills so he really took some time to check them out while the rest of us just walked around the beach. We were all walking around with the sun hats. Come to think of it, that's the only time I can remember that I wore a sun hat. Hmmm.... There wasn't much to see but the windmills so we only stayed there for a few minutes. After some picture taking and after buying a couple of souvenirs ~ shirts & windmills replicas ~ we went to our next destination which is the  Cape Bojeador Lighthouse or more commonly known as Burgos Lighthouse. I can no longer remember the history behind this lighthouse but I'm pretty sure this is taught in Phillipine history when I was in elem

Changes

Something we cannot avoid no matter how much we try to keep things the same. Sometimes change is good though especially if you can save some greens, right? That's what we're trying to do right now, cutting corners to save some. But even if we're trying to cut corners, there is something I've been thinking of getting for the longest time. Life insurance. I think I've mentioned that here several times already before but it's still something that I need to do. What I'm looking for now is a term life insurance with no medical exam if possible. I just don't want to go through a battery of medical exams for insurance purposes. I know it won't be easy to find one but they do exist. I just have to look hard for them.

Commercial Insurance

I just got off the phone with the husband. We've been calling each other back and forth since early this morning because we have to make a few phone calls for some changes we plan in making in our services both here and his work. So far so good because we've made one of big change already and it's only 9 AM our local time...on a Monday, no less. Woot! Anyway, he's now researching about commercial insurance. I'm only aware of personal insurance [and health] so I had to ask him what is commercial insurance since I only hear about it from him and sometimes the news. Apparently, businesses need to have one. They used to have one I think but the agent swindled them and got away with the money. As it turned out they're not the only ones being taken by that agent because an investigator visited their shop and asked for their statement. This is the reason why hubby's busy looking for another provider for this insurance. I am hoping he'll be able to find one soo

Backpacking

It looks like one of my nephews has acquired a new hobby...backpacking! I called over the weekend and he's in some remote place with some of his friends doing just that. This is not a spur of the moment kind of hobby though. I think it all started when they were doing outreach programs in medical school. I guess he liked the idea of going to remote places far from the hustle and bustle of the city. He asked me to search for a good backpack he can use for these trips before but I haven't had the chance. But when I heard he was again somewhere backpacking I decided to search for a backpack especially made for such trips. I've seen a few including the Gregory Backpacks which I think are reasonably priced. Knowing my nephew's taste, he will also like the way the bags look like. I have no idea what kind of a backpack he's using on his trips right now but I'm sure he'll ditch whatever he has right now and get one of these backpacks. I know I would if am into back

Another Week

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Hopefully it will be one productive week!

Weekend Is Almost Over...

Not quite yet but almost and I spent most of it home. The little one went somewhere with Dad yesterday. I took the advantage during that time to do some much needed spring cleaning in her bedroom. I could do that when she's home but it's easier to do it when she's not hovering over me saying: "Oh, I've been looking for that." or "Can I keep that? I really like it." It drives me nuts whenever she does that. The time they were doing their thing, I was also doing my thing. She noticed the change as soon as she got in her bedroom and started asking where this and that is...LOL. Today was spent at home as well. Hubs is busy putting the finishing touches on our antennae. Yep, our very own MacGyver is hard at work again. In between that he also planted a couple of daisies on our flower bed and moved the lone lily there beside the others by the side of the house. Me? I've been busy doing some chores both online and offline. The little one is busy doing

Road Trip - Day 4

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After a 1-day/2-night stay at Fort Ilocandia , we went our merry way to continue the last couple of days of our 5-day road trip. We were planning in leaving Fort very early but we decided to take advantage of the free breakfast at the hotel so we won't travel with empty tanks. So instead of leaving very early, we left around 8 in the morning. Destination...Pagudpud! But since it's a road trip we had some stops to make along the way, right? And our first stop was "Bantay Abot Cave". For a regular tourist, this probably won't be on the list to visit. But we're IRREGULAR tourists so...need I say more? Anyway, it's not even a real cave. It's just rock formation that looks like a mouth of a cave. Here are some pictures so you can see for yourself what I'm talking about... You have to go down to see the cave then climb back up to get to the cave itself. Hmmm...I wonder why they wouldn't just make a passage that takes you straight to

Starting Anew

Social network is the trend nowadays. It used to be that when we want to know the latest about friends, family, and acquaintances, we have to pick up the phone and call them. Today, we just have log on to a site and voila...it's all there. That's technology for us alright. Anyway, I just read in one of a relative's page that he's 'starting anew'...those are the exact words. The only problem is he needs some money to do that...just like a lot of people, eh? Anyway, he's looking for a way to make some quick cash but doesn't have any way to do it according to him. We have car title loans Florida available around heres and I'm sure that he has that kind of loan where he's at. All he needs is his car and he'll be good to go. Yes it's a loan but it may just be what he needs to 'start anew'. I don't know why he needs some cash to move on with his life but I'm hopeful it's something for the better. Fingers crossed, of course.