On Vacation

The owner of this blog is currently on vacation... woohooo!

I have a few "scheduled post" to be published while I am on vacation. It's a good thing blogger came up with this feature. I will still be able to update my blog even when I'm on vacation. ",)

Our flight leaves in 5 hours... and we are scheduled to arrive in Manila at approximately 10am on May 31.

Ciao!

Litratong Pinoy: Ihip ng hangin

Ang bandila ng Canada sumasayaw sa ihip ng hangin.

Where Are You Going Wednesday!

It's Where Are You Going Wednesday! This is a social game and you play it like this:

Please tell us where are you going today (in your real non-blog-about-it life, yes that one!)

Then you visit the blog of the person who commented above you. Make sure to leave the a comment for that person so they know you're playing along!

Today, I will pick up my friend and we are going to Market Mall to do my last minute pasalubong shopping. I just need a couple more items. But most importantly I need to buy a shawl for my gown [which is sleeveless and backless]. Hopefully I'd be able to find one with the same color. Wish me luck!

This is from "that's my answer!"

Bloggers around the globe

Bloggers around the globe tagged by Ghee.

::Start Copy Here::

Rule:

1. Copy from ::Start Copy Here:: through ::End Copy Here::.

2. Add your blog to the list. Feel free to add all your other blogs. Just make sure to post this to each of the blog you added in the list.

3. Tag other online friends you know.You don’t need to be tag in order to join. If you want to join just post this one in your blog.

4. Let me know your blog’s name and url by leaving me a comment HERE. I will add you to the master list.That way, everyone is happy and can meet new friends too!

5. Come back once in a while to get the master list! Let’s see how this makes our Technorati and PR goes up!

6. DO NOT REMOVE THIS: scrap page made by Yen. Using alphas and tapes from Kate H., flowers from Ida,paper by Catrine.

1. Me and Mine 2.Creative In Me 3.Little Peanut 4. Pea in a Pod 5. Sugar Magnolias 6.Because Life Is Fun 7. Piece o’Kaje 8. Mon a Bric 9. Celebrate Life 10.My Journey11. Deeply In Love 12. Pink and Brown Diaries 13. Happyheart 14. Wilstop 15. Fun|Fierce|Fab 16. Nita’s Random Thoughts 17. Nita's Corner 18. Thomas Web Links 19. Thomas Travel Tales 20. Make Money Online 21. Great Finds and Deals 22. PRC Board Exam Results 24. My Wandering Thoughts 25. Nita's Ramblings 26. Just Me.. Eds 27. Etc Atbp 28. When Silence Speaks 29. Juliana's Lair 30. Juliana's World 31. Juliana's Library 32. Blessed Chic 33. Can of Thoughts 34. Hailey's Domain 35. Hailey's Beats and Bits 36. ISL family 37. Arbitrary Thoughts 38. D' Cooking Mudra 39. My Big Picture 40. Dancing in Midlife Tune 41. Blessings In Life 42. My Colorful World 43. Dare to Blog 44. Life Realities 45. WebGeek Journal DotNet 46. WebGeek Journal 47. Let's Travel Philippines 49. MY DAILY THOUGHTS AND MOODS 50. A Sweet Taste Of Life 51. My Life in this Wonderful World! 52. Denz Techtronics 53. Denz Recreational 54. Surviving Deplyoment 55. Ester's Raptured Dreams 56. Nipa Hut 57.Picture Clusters 58. My Wanderings 59.Maiylah's Snippets 60. EuLehKulit 61. Life Quest 61.Being a wife. Being a Mom. 62. MoMie SPace 63.Woman Xplore 64. PinayWAHM 65. Agring’s Simply Digital 66. Agring's Home & Garden 67. Agring's Homecooking & Baking 68. Agring's Electronics & Entertainments 69. Scrap Addict Sundays 70. Mommy Talks 71. Aggie Scraps 72.Teacher's Corner 73. My Drift 74. lancernews 75. My so called Life 76. See Me for what You Will 77. kathycot.com 78. buhaymisis.com 79. All about Mye life 80. Everything has a Reason 81. Life's Impression 82. Some Thoughts I have 83. Life's Lessons 84. Just Let Go 85. Pieces Of Me 86. Winding Creek Circle 87. BOTH SIDES NOW 88. Happy Life 89. Blessed Sanctuary 90.Confessions of an Army Life 91. moms….. check nyo 92. Mommy's Little Corner 93. Wanna Be SuperModel 94. Gandacious 95. Jo-Jo’s Place 96.My Quiet Zone 97. Proud PINAY 98. Simply Jen 99. Jenny Said So 100. A Slice of Life 101. My Blog 102. TIP OF AN ICEBERG 103. Coffee Cup Princess 104. Deranged Insanity 105. Just Another Day 106. Stev & Emz Journey 107.Runaway THoughts of Emz 108. Heart of Rachel 109. Nora's Notes 110. In the Life Of Mine 111. In my Kitchen 112. Nyumix's Blog 113. Everything's Here 114.Out of Nowhere 115. My Simple World 116. Seek Health. Feel Great 117. Smile Puppies 118. Almanacqueen 119. The Life of an Outback Pinay 120. Dancing With Butterflies 121. Gentle And Compassionate 122. Jo's Precious Thoughts 123. Jo's One Friend 124. YOUR NAME HERE

::End Copy Here::

Now, I was told that I have to pass this to keep the ball rolling... for those who are interested, please feel free to add your name at the bottom of the list.

Simply Amazing

Wanna see more of these pictures?
Visit Worth1000.com.

Shopping can be stressful

I didn't realized that attending a family wedding can be stressful.

When my brothers and sister got married, I was part of the entourage, hence, I didn't have to worry about what to wear!

But the wedding that we're going to attend is the wedding of hubby's youngest brother. So I am expected to wear formal dress. And as I mentioned before, I don't have a single dress or skirt in my closet.

My future SIL have a lot of requirements for her upcoming wedding. For example: she has a color motif that she wants all the guests to follow [Beige, Bronze, Gold and Cream]. And I didn't even know about this motif until last week.

These colors - Beige, Bronze, Gold, Cream -- doesn't really fit me well since I am a little overweight and these colors will make be even look bigger. Dark colors would fit me well.

At the same time, I know I still have time to shop once we got home, but I didn't want to waste the little time we have shopping for a dress. So I decided to get one here.

So here I am shopping for clothes and even went to the point of borrowing some clothes from friends because a formal gown just costs too much. But because of their motif, they said "no" to a couple of clothes that I tried on. And I am on the verge of not attending the wedding!

My question: If the invitation said to wear formal attire in the following colors, do you, as a guest, follow it? Would wearing a gown be too dressy for a wedding?

5 days to go before our trip to Manila...

Weekend Getaway

If you were to plan a last minute weekend getaway, where would you go, what would you do, and what book would you take with you?

I would like to go on a Cruise with hubby and my kids. Cruise to Bahamas would be enough for now... and later on a cruise to the Carribean. ",) And I will not bring any book with me as I plan to enjoy all the luxury of the cruise.

And that's my answer!

Litratong Pinoy: Tubig

Jasper National Park, October 2007

Ito ang aking unang lahok sa Litratong Pinoy.

Seven Parenting Mistakes

Seven common parenting mistakes by Vincent Iannelli, M.D.

1. Not Trying To Fix Problems
   
2. Overestimating or Underestimating Problems
   
3. Having Unrealistic Expectations
   
4. Being Inconsistent
   
5. Not Having Rules or Setting Limits
   
6. Fighting Back
   
7. Not Changing What Doesn't Work
   

Are you guilty in any of the above mistakes? I believe I am consistent with my house rules, I have limits, I have realistic expectations and I do try to change things that doesn't work. The problem is hubby [and the grandparents] often times contradict my rules and limits which makes it harder for me to implement my rules if they are around.

Weird Surnames

These are actual surnames of clients I encountered during the last tax season.

1. Death [no kidding!]
   
2. Bastard
   
3. Dick
   
4. Fuck
   
5. Condoms
   
6. Glasscock [Native American name]
   
7. Littlecock [Native American name]
   
8. Many Grey Horses [Native American name]

And if these were my surname, I would immediately seek to have a change in name!

"The number you dialed is not yet in service"

We have a family business back home, and during my college years, I used to sit in the office on Saturdays doing my homework. And at the same time, I am sort of like a spy to make sure the secretaries are not chit chatting and are doing their job properly.

We had a new secretary, she's from the province and it's her first time in the city. She had to call a supplier so she picks up the phone and dialed the number. She started to say "hello" and stopped. She listen for almost one minute and finally said "salamat po" [Thank you]. I was puzzled.

A few seconds later, she turns to the other secretary and told her "ano ba yan? sabi nung kausap ko 'the number you dialed is not yet in service'. paulit ulit niyang sinabi yon, bakit ayaw niya akong kausapin. Obvious naman na may tao sa kabiliang linya." [what is that? the person on the other side keeps on repeating 'the number you dialed is not yet in service'. How come she didn't want to talk to me. It's obvious that there's someone on the other line.]

And before I could burst out laughing, I had to run to the washroom.

"I Know Green From Red"

I am very poor with direction. I don't know my North from my South and East and West. I can get myself from point A to point B, but with advance planning on the route that I have to take.

I've been asking hubby to buy me a GPS for years now. But since the one that we wanted are out of our budget, we have to use google/MSN maps to give us direction.

Last Christmas, hubby found one that was on sale. For only $99 I got a GPS. It talks and gives you turn by turn direction. But I never had to use it since I just drive myself from home to work everyday.

MIL's last weekend here, we took her to Banff Gondola. Hubby asks me to turn on the GPS to guide us. I was sitting at the back seat while my MIL was sitting on the passenger seat so that she will be more comfortable with the long drive.

HUBBY: [Giving instruction while driving] "Just turn it on and put it on maps. Wait for the signal to turn green."
ME: "OK"
GPS: "GPS signal too low..... GPS signal too low...."

After more than 5 minutes --

ME: "It's not turning green."
HUBBY: "Did you leave it on maps? It should turn green after a minute or 2.... [getting frustrated] Are you looking at the right one?"
ME: "Yes, its on map screen." [Stubbornly] "I think I know the color green from red! It doesn't work!"

At the same time, I was showing it to the other family sitting beside me. After a few more minutes, I decided to go to the screen where it gives you the direction...

ME: "Tita, did you see it green?"
TITA: "It's still red."

So the GPS is now giving us direction, but hubby didn't want to follow it since I told him it is still "red." He said that the direction will not be accurate if its red.

Finally, I decided to ask AJ [Tita's 14 year old son] for the icon of the GPS signal...

And here I was waiting for this red light to turn green [which is the power light, and will only turn green when the GPS is fully charged.] --

When the GPS signal is this little icon here --


Waaaaahhh!!! Anyway, we were able to reach our destination the long way...

Blinds vs Curtains

Which would you prefer - curtains or blinds?

This is my opnion. Curtains can be difficult to match if you later on decided to remodel your room or change your theme. It can also be very expensive.

Blinds, on the other hand, can match any style room regardless of the changes in wall colors or decor.

So for my new home, I plan to use window blinds. I am still undecided on the style. It is quite difficult to choose blinds as it comes in horizontal or vertical, mini or regular. My best choice right now is faux wood blinds, that is if I can fit it into my budget.

Lastly, I believe that blinds have a better resale value later on as they can go with new tenants decor.

From my kids on Mother's Day

We just bought pizza for dinner and just ate at home... My daughter bought me roses from the church and made me a small booklet of wishes which is kind of hard to scan. So instead I just scan her journal.

From my son


From my daughter


How was your mother's day celebration?

Photographic Images of Me

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL MOTHER'S OUT THERE!!!

Picture from the internet

.....oOo.....

This was originally posted in December 12, 2005... but since I decided to change my template, I need to re-post this entry... How do you like the new look?

Hover over the picture for captions











Caption: from left to right, top to bottom:

1. Who am I? This is my chinese name. I'm a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, an aunt and a friend.
   
2. Who knows me best? My hubby, who gave me this card where it all started.
3. How old am I? [Age is just a number and mine is unlisted]
   
4. The most important thing in my life is the ring that binds us together
   
5. Things I always carry: my wallet, glasses and cellphone
   
6. Something I always do: surfing the internet and blogging
   
7. I'm at my happiest when I travel with my family! [Animal Kingdom, Orlando]
   
8. On monday morning, you can find me in the laundry room
   
9. My favorite mode of transportation: our car
   
10. My eyes are black
    
11. My favorite material possession: my photo albums/scrapbooks
    
12. To relax, I like to sleep late.
    
13. The place where we live have four seasons
    
14. Worst habit: a coach potato
    
15. My guilty pleasure: coke addict
    
16. When I look at someone, the first thing I see is their eyes [the window to one's soul]
    
17. I think nature is beautiful! [Elora Conservatory]
    
18. One thing I can live without: chocolates
    
19. One thing people don't know about me: I used to dance at my papa's school reunion. Can you guess the color of my costume?
    
20. My life is like a roller coaster: it has its ups and downs, twists and turns, but I came out still in one piece. A survivor! [Six Flags Adventure, New Jersey]

I would really love to see my blog pals do this one... so tag, you're it!

Now, its your turn to take this photographic inteview by Tracey.

Please leave your permalink here if you decide to do it. Thanks!

Pro Blogging Opportunities

Bloggerwave is one of those sites that will give you opportunities to make money with your blog. Its aim is to be Europe's biggest advertising media.

So if you are still one of those people who have a blog but is hesitating to do some pro-blogging, you should think twice about it. The $$$ opportunity here is really, really good! That is, if you have patient to look for opportunities.

Blog Links

Hi everyone!

I notice that a lot of people are already maintaining more than 1 blog or have moved to a different domain. Please check your link/s here and let me know if I need to update your links or not.

Lurkers are welcome and if you want to exchange links you will need to leave comment/s on my blog. This is the only way I will know that you are reading my blog and not just to exchange links.

Thank you!

Clean

Do you prefer showers or taking a bath?

I prefer taking a shower coz its faster.

And that's my answer to today's question!

Banff Gondola

We took MIL on her last weekend in Canada to Banff Gondola. The view was simply spectacular! The hike was breath taking, but we made it! And the weather was cooperative that day.

Since we were travelling with another family, we decided to have all girls in one cable car. My daughter was initially afraid, and according to hubby, so is my son on our way up. On our way down, my kids wanted to be together [as you can see form the last few pictures of the slideshow]... and they had a blast!

Enjoy this slideshow [contains 17 pictures]!

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Question: On Balikbayan and Electronics

This is a question for everyone.

Are balikbayans [like us] allowed to bring in electronics [more specifically an LCD TV] without being tax by the Philippine customs?

Hubby is planning on giving our existing 6-month old LCD TV as a wedding gift to his brother. I was just wondering if we are allowed to bring in a used-TV without having to pay taxes. What if its a brand new TV?

Please advice. Thank you in advance!

Dial 7

If you've been to New York City, you will know that it very hard to get a taxicab especially during rush hours. And you wouldn't want to drive in the busy streets of Manhattan either because parking can be very, very expensive or traffic can be terrible.

Now, there is this New Jersey car service that provides service to and from Manhattan, Brooklyn, New Jersey and New York City, 24/7. Simply dial 7 and have one of their service cars available to you.

Their fleet includes regular sedan, luxury sedan, limo, SUVs, Vans and even party bus and hummer limo. Online reservations are also available.

PMN Family Photo: Inside the fridge

I didn't attempt to organize or clean this fridge before taking this picture.
But this is not a normal picture of my fridge, I don't usually have so much left overs. But with me working 7 days a week, MIL just love to keep even the smallest portion of left overs and then neglecting to serve them. MIL left for NYC last Wednesday. And yesterday, I clean up the fridge and it is back to normal, that is, no more left overs!

Previous PMN Photo entry:

September 2007: Potted
October 2007: Green
November 2007: Plated
December 2007: Messy
January 2008: At play
February 2008: Straight
March 2008: Learning

Join PMN Family Photo

Only In Silence

I can't emphasized enough how I am enjoying my alone time since tax season is finally over. And now, I am back in full time blogging and bloghopping. You will also see some sponsored posts once in awhile and I hope that will not scare you off. A girl has to have a sideline you know.

I am also surfing to find new site/blog to read. And I came across another blog own by a Pinay mom. Only in Silence is own my Abelle and talks about anything under the sun.

It was so easy for me to relate to her blog as we have so many things in common. One major thing is that we both like to talk about our family and addiction to blogging. And if you want to have a few laugh, you can check out her visuals where she have pictures and cartoon strips that speaks for themselves.

Google My Way

Personalized your own google homepage with Google my way...

A search for "precious thoughts" yielded 1,990,000 pages! Of course, they are not all related to this site.

Warranty and Assistance

I am clueless when it comes to cars. All I know is how to drive and get myself from point A to point B. So it is very important for me to get auto extended warranty and roadside assistance when I purchased my first car last September. I wouldn't want to get stuck in the middle of the night, in the snowstorm and not get any help.

Bloggers Around the Globe

This is a tag from Rach and Meeya: Bloggers Around the Globe

RULES: Let all the bloggers around the globe come together in unity by blog linking. All you have to do is add your name to the list. Don't forget to specify the country where you are from and of course, link your name to your respective blog. If you have two or more blogs, add and link them all. Then invite 8 or more bloggers to do the same. Here we go!

Julia from Philippines, Catherine from Malaysia, Shi from USA, Mitch from Philippines, Hailey from Philippines, Sexymom from USA, Liza from Philippines, Sasha from Philippines, Thess from Netherlands, Marie from Philippines, Evi from Canada, Christine from Australia, RoseLLe from Australia, Rachel from Philippines, Meeya (Marikit, Memes, and Finds) from USA, Jo from Canada... next --

Sorry gals, but I need to increase my page rank... so am tagging Raquel, Ghee, Liz, and Kai.

Time to slow down

Tax season has come to an end... my contract ended yesterday. And I am glad that it is over! It is not easy to be working 7 days a week for an average of 10-12 hours a day while juggling it with my chores at home.

Now, I can relax and enjoy my quiet time at home, alone, while the kids and hubby are at school/work.

I am still on part time status at the airport until after our trip to the Philippines. Yes, we will be home in less than a month and we are all excited.

I will be back to full time blogging by tomorrow... and I promise to make my rounds by tomorrow and catch up with my readings.

An Online Beauty Contest

Aspiring to be a model? Here is your chance. Look of the Year is looking for qualified candidates. Everybody is welcome to join this online beauty contest. Like American Idol, you will be judged by the people who surf and votes for you at http://www.lookoftheyear.com. This contest will also open doors for you to be discovered by model agencies.