Digital Notes and Rambles

Happy New Year

2012-01-10T20:51:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year! Despite being sick when I greeted 2012, it was fun. I stayed up late enough to watch the ball drop from our tv in my pajamas with my in-laws. Matty was knocked out and I didn’t have the heart to wake him up just so I can greet him a happy new year... so I gave him a thousand kisses while he was asleep. Then, I finished book 2 of the Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire. The trilogy was so good, I didn’t want to sleep because I wanted to finish the third book, Mockingjay. I obviously couldn’t pull an all-nighter, so I got through the first few pages and gave in to sleep.
2011 was an awesome year. I can’t complain. I shouldn’t complain. I am blessed. I have shelter, food to eat, family, clothes to wear, and so many other things that I am thankful for, while others are going thru hardships. I may not be where I want to be yet, but that’s not something that happens overnight. It involves a lot of sacrifice and hard work. Nevertheless, it’s been great. And i know 2012 is going to be even greater....

Looking forward to another year full of hope, happiness, faith, love, and life. We have one life to live, so might as well, live it well.

Halloween

2011-11-02T19:11:00.001-04:00

I just love firsts. Matty’s first tooth, his first smile, first step, first word, and basically all of his first times. This is also the year when he first gone out to trick or treat around the neighborhood. Last year, we had him dressed up as baby spiderman and a beetle, but didn’t really get a chance to go around for trick or treats. The hubs thought he was way too young for it. So this is quite an exciting time. For me, anyway.

When we got his monkey costume a few weeks ago, Matty did not want to put it on. No matter how hard I tried to convince him, he didn’t want to. Not wanting him to get overly upset over it, we stopped bothering him and never showed him the costume again until halloween night.

To my surprise, he didn’t really protest when the hubs and i were putting it on him. He objected a bit when it took me a while to get the pants on. He kicked and moved a little because he was probably getting anxious and just wanted to play. We told him that he couldn’t go outside to play if he didn’t put his “jacket” on, which really meant the monkey costume. I felt that he understood completely. At that moment, he let his objections go, gave in, and allowed us to put it on him. Meanwhile, the hubs and i have these huge grins on our faces — proud that our little baby understood.

The little one that I carried in my womb for 9 months, the little one that cried his heart out when he was hungry or hurt, the little one that we swaddled when he was a newborn is no longer so little.

Blogger App

2011-10-29T18:13:00.003-04:00

The previous post was written on the blogger app from my iphone. I was so anxious to blog and try the new app that I couldnt for tomorrow. I actually did not know there was a Blogger app available until I searched for it last night. That’s how antsy I was about posting an entry about Real Steel.

The Blogger app is easy to use and quite easy on the eyes. The minimalist style makes it easier to navigate through the pages. Attaching an image is as easy as a tap or two. Publishing is rather quick, especially on wi-fi connection. I have yet to try it on Sprint 3G. I don’t think it would take forever since the layout is so minimalistic that there aren’t that many images to load.

Adding a post title and labels is also a tap away. One tap of your finger and you can enter the words. There’s a list of post entries on the main page along with the menu bar. This makes it easier to go back and edit previous entries or finish a post on draft.

I like how effortless this app feel. It does the basic things I need. It is missing a lot of blogger components such as viewing the comments, stats, font styles, blog rolls, and a lot more other things that you usually see in your blogger dashboard. But then again, this is not meant to replace the Blogger website. It serves as an alternative, an accessible option when on the go.

Real Steel

2011-10-28T23:40:00.001-04:00

Came back from watching Real Steel an hour ago and wanted to blog about it while my thoughts are still clear in my mind. Overall, it was a fun film to watch. Hugh Jackman and Dakota Goyo were so cute together. There was that father and son chemistry between them that made you believe in their story. Special effects were great. Those robots moved graciously. The story line was somewhat typical where irresponsible dad gets scolded by more mature son, and realizes in the end he was wrong... but it worked for this film. I love how the robots were incorporated into the human story line without getting off track nor corny. I caught myself grinning in a lot of the scenes. And in tears in a couple. Its a nice feel good movie.

Go see it!

Tech Overload

2011-10-26T20:54:00.000-04:00

Today’s society is so heavily dependent on technology that we cannot function without our smart phones, ipads, nooks, kindles, laptops, and whatever gadget there is available. Guilty. I know I can’t. And this is a bad habit. One that I want to lessen because I use it excessively. I don’t want to kick this habit, just reduce my daily usage to have some alone time.

I’m getting so attached to my iphone that even when I’m in class, I find myself constantly glancing at it. If there’s no text message, i open up facebook app and read newsfeeds. Then I close it. A few seconds later, i’m on “words with friends” app figuring out a word where I can fit in the 3W tile. When that is done, i’m looking at my email. And then looking at photos. It’s like that throughout the day. Even at night.

I’ve notice that I sleep later than usual because I’m either on the iphone or ipad looking for something to do: browsing the web, searching for new apps, trying out new downloaded apps, shopping for more apps, looking at e-books, reading entertainment news, or making my phone look pretty.

An hour would pass without me noticing. It’s gotten to a point where I use the iphone to lull me to sleep. Crazy, right? My 15 month old son is also hooked on the “pai pa”, as he calls it because he can’t seem to pronounce ipad properly. He and i would fight for the darn thing. He wants to play it with and i want to use it. I literally have tug-of-war moments with him. Lots of pulling. And he’s got quite an arm for his age. He uses his cute little cries and tears to get me to let go of the ipad, then runs off with a huge grin on his face, while those tears fall on his cheeks. I get tricked a lot.

Soooooo, I’ve decided to have all the gadgets off from 830pm on. I’ll start at 9pm today since I got home a bit late and wanted to blog first. No iphone. No computer. No ipad. Just some me time. This will give me time to relax, reflect, and rest without any disturbance. As much as a convenience these gadgets are, they are also nuisances. I remember trying to write a paper last night and both iphone and ipad were constantly beeping. Either new mail comes in or a notification from one of the apps. It was annoying.

Oh, it’s 8:53 now and must end this post. i’m signing off.

Stumped ?!

2011-10-24T20:55:00.001-04:00

Blah! That’s exactly how I feel right now. For some reason, I’m off my grid today. Just not feeling it at all. I had a midterm exam this morning at 9 am. Maybe that threw me off. I felt that it was too early to take a test on a Monday. Eh. It gets hard getting back to the swing of things after having a nice relaxing weekend with the family.

image from http://rationalise.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/stumped.png

So yeah, I had a test this morning. I thought it was okay. I wish there were more questions though. 20 questions means each question is worth 5 points. If I get 3 wrongs, then I get an 85. I’m really hoping for an A in all my classes so I can apply for a scholarship next semester because tuition is steep and its burning a hole in my pocket. I left school early to finish this paper that’s due on Wednesday. I wanted to get started writing it and then use the rest of my time catching up on my reading.

But noooo. Instead, I spent some time shopping around at Target, then met with grandma for lunch, chitchatted on the phone, and cleaned the room. I just couldn’t get myself to write this paper.

When I finally got around to it, I wrote 6 sentences. And I can’t seem to get to the next item. Not that the paper is hard, I just don’t know what to write. I mean everything that I need to write this paper is in front of me. No research needs to be done. All I have to do is write a couple of sentences about each item listed. But my brain is not working. Not today.

The hubs suggested that I take a break and catch up on Dexter and The Walking Dead. It wasn’t a bad idea so we spent 2 hours watching those shows (awesome episodes by the way!). Then I tried getting back to writing ..... and it obviously didn’t work because I’m here blogging. Oh well, I think I’m just going to bed.

Hopefully when I wake up tomorrow, my brain’s working again.

2011-10-23T18:33:00.000-04:00

October seems to be an awfully busy month for me whenever I’m in school. I feel like I get tests after tests after tests that just doesn’t seem to end. It’s one exam after the other. Two weeks ago, I had 5 exams in 3 days. It was a lot for me because I’ve never been to school full time since high school. So you can basically imagine how mortified I was.

But the overall outcome wasn’t too painful. I got a 100% on one of the exams and the lowest grade was below 80. I wasn’t too happy about that. However, I know I was responsible for that grade. I didn’t really study much for it and took the class for granted since the test was only on 1 chapter. Yep, just 1 chapter. So I didn’t think it would be that hard. And the professor reminds me of Jack Black. He’s a smart professor, don’t get me wrong... he’s just comical and very easy going. Whatever. I’ll just do better in that class on the next test.

So why am I exactly blabbing about this academic nonsense? I have another test! Yikes!! And a paper due this week. And then 3 exams next week. Umm, can my life be any more dull? LOL. Life stuck at home while studying being dull is what I would have said 5 years ago when I didn’t have anything to look forward to. I don’t know what changed. Maybe it was married life and being a mommy. Or maybe I’m just getting wiser. hehehe. Whatever the case may be, i find school interestingly fun these days.

Anyway, I should really get back to studying while my little man is still asleep.

2011-09-14T21:27:00.000-04:00

I was going to blog about korean shows I’ve been watching when I saw the notification for the new, cleaner blogger dashboard interface. My first thought was to click on “try it now” button to see what it looks like. And that’s exactly what I did... as you can see from the image on the left, I took a screenshot of the new interface.

It’s definitely cleaner. It’s minimalist, which I like. I don’t really like a lot of things going on the page because it can get confusing and harder to navigate. The older dashboard was around for so long that I got used to it, even though I wasn’t a fan.

old interface

new post interface

It’s going to take time for me to get used to this layout. But I do like it. I guess I’ll blog about the korean shows another day. This new interface threw me off my train of thought. That’s it for now. I’m going to play around with this, so I can send blogger feedback.

Scent of a Woman K-Drama

2011-08-22T09:54:00.001-04:00

I'm all about Korean Drama for the past two weeks now. I swear I'm addicted. I haven't even seen any of the regular American shows lately because I've been stuck on these korean shows. Argh. It's really bad. I can't help it though.

Anyway, the show I'm currently watching is Scent of A Woman.

You can go to www.epdrama.com to watch it for free (and in HD). It's presently airing so I only got to watch 10 episodes. I really hate having to wait for next week to see the upcoming episodes. But what can I do. I must wait.

The story is about a woman, Lee Yeon Jae, a low level employee of Line Tours Travel who is terminally ill and has 6 months to live. She begins to have the courage to stand up to her wicked bosses, quits her job, and decides to live her life to the fullest. She gives herself a makeover and goes on a luxurious vacation where she meets the Department Head of the Line Tours

The people on epdrama chat suggested to watch it, so I gave it a try. I didn't think I'd be hooked because I don't want to watch a full blown drama show. I don't like tear jerkers. I like happy endings. But this show really caught my attention, and my heart. Sigh. And the male lead is a hottie! ahihihi.

need i say more? ahihihi

Korean Drama Fever

2011-08-15T13:01:00.000-04:00

I didn’t understand why many Filipinos go gaga over Koreanovelas until I saw Boys Before Flowers and got hooked. It’s quite addictive. Really. I finished the entire season of Boys Before Flowers in two days. Then I started another show, My Princess, and then Playful Kiss, and I’m on City Hunter now -- in a span of one week... All Thanks to Netflix.

image from southkoreaaddict.blogspot.com

I guess I have the drama fever. I enjoyed Boys Before Flowers a lot, even though the story line was your typical Rich boy falls in love with poor sweet girl. The F4 boys were fun to watch and very easy on the eyes. I enjoyed My Princess the most because it had me laughing and the chemistry between the two lead actors drew me into the show.

My husband laughs at me for watching these shows so much. LOL. It’s really quite bad. I sleep at 4am trying to finish an episode. LOL. But as soon as classes start, I know I won’t have time. Anyway, gotta go. I have to finish my date with City Hunter’s Lee Min Ho. LOL.

Tamang Phan

2011-08-08T15:34:00.004-04:00

I somehow stumbled upon Tamang Phan on Youtube last night. She transforms herself into different characters or celebrities in her video tutorials. She’s amazingly talented. She has done Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johansen, Duchess Kate Middleton, and a Justin Bieber transformation.

I really admire her talent. I can’t even do my own eye shadow, let alone an entire facial transformation with make up --- no surgery.

This is one of her videos as Angelina Jolie. She’s worth watching.

Here’s the link to her youtube videos, just in case the one above is not working. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsqahGYl21w

Go check out her other videos. You’ll enjoy seeing the transformations.

Play ground

2011-08-08T12:44:00.001-04:00

Matty loves the playground. And I love taking him there. I can see how happy he gets whenever I tell him we’re going to the park. He gets really excited and the facial expressions he makes are priceless.

We usually go the park every morning. That way I get a little exercise in from brisk walking while he gets play time and Vitamin D from the morning sun. It’s killing two birds with one stone.

Of all the things to do in this playground he loves the swing best. You can see his big smiles even with this crappy phone camera. We basically spend 80% of the time on the swings. He can’t go on the slides alone yet. I still have to help him. He likes that too, just not as much as the swing. There’s also something about the other swings that need to move along him when he’s on. I don’t exactly know what it is, but he seems to find a lot of excitement from other swings moving.

Why am I writing an entry about this? Because we missed going to the park today. I don’t even remember why we didn’t go this morning. I think I got lazy. LOL. Maybe this entry will remind me of the rewarding smiles Matty gives when he’s at the park. We must keep going before summer ends.

Weight Loss

2011-08-06T22:19:00.004-04:00

Had my mom take a picture of me today because I lost 6 lbs. Yay. I’m proud of the weight loss because I’ve been working hard at it. I started a weight loss challenge recently and knowing that it’s actually paying off makes the hard work all worth it.

I wasn’t serious about it until 2 weeks ago when the hubs and I joined a 3.5 mile walk / run in Jones Beach. I knew that after the race, I would get motivated to lose weight. And I was right. I’ve been pushing myself to get on the threadmill since then, even when I don’t feel like it.

It’s only been a month since I started eating lightly. I don’t go crazy with dieting. I believe in making a lifestyle change and not on crash dieting. I don’t count calories because I’m too lazy for that. It’s too much hassle, too much work, too much effort. I just don’t have the time nor patience. I do portion control. I take the smallest bowl we have in the house and use it as my measuring instrument. I put whatever food I can into it, finish it, and never go for a second round. I eat again when I feel hungry an hour or two later. Repeat.

I started working out two weeks ago and have been committed to it. I get on the threadmill and jog 1.5 miles a day.

It’s a total of 6 lbs lost and you can already see the difference between the before and after. I’m so happy and so proud of myself.

Clearance

2011-08-04T14:20:00.016-04:00

I'm so excited about the purchases I've made today. First, it saved me a lot of money. Secondly, they're going to be really useful for my weight loss adventure.

I bought these from Sports Authority. They're having a huge clearance sale right at the parking lot. They have sneakers, golf clubs, fishing stuff, clothes, bikes, swimwear, and lots of other cool stuff.

The outdoor set-up in the middle of New York Summer, which can get really hot ... like today made shopping a bit unpleasant than usual. I was basically sweating my pants off browsing through racks of clothing. I only bought 2 items since I didn't bring enough cash with me. It wasn't my intention to buy anything for myself. I was actually on my way to Staples to get ink cartridges for my dad's printer when the big white tent and humongous CLEARANCE sign intrigued me, so I went to take a look. I'm glad I did.

United Armor and its original price is $29.99.

Clearance tag price: $14.97

Final price: $11.22 at the cash register.

Original price: $20.00.

The clearance tag is $11.97.

The final price at the register is $5.22!!!

So so happy. Both were under $20. $16.44 to be exact. Sports apparel can be quite pricey, so I'm really happy and excited with the total price. I think I'll go back again later.

By the way, HP ink cartridges are so freaking expensive. 50 something dollars for both 56 black and 57 tri-color inks. It's a good thing I found an alternative set (27 black and 28 tri-color) for $41. What a happy ending to my shopping spree. Got everything at a cheaper cost. Yay!

Matty 1st Bday

2011-08-02T09:06:00.028-04:00

Click here to view this video

My little man turned a year old last month. We had a little party for him. Invited a few friends and family over. Lots to eat. Lots to drink. and yummy red velvet cupcakes and bilayer cake made by my sister in law. It was an amazing time, but throwing a party at home can really tire you out as well. Nevertheless, we had a fun time. So did Matty.

You can actually tell from the video that Matty had a great time. He was surrounded with great people. And the weather cooperated with us... it didn’t rain at all.

Loving the iPad 2

2011-05-09T21:43:00.005-04:00

image from apple.com

So, i sold my first generation iPad to my cousin and got an iPad 2. I’ve had it for a few weeks now, and had plenty of time to play around with it. Not that it’s significantly different from the iPad, but it comes with new features like the camera, facetime, photobooth, and the super cool smart cover.

The front and back camera come standard with iPad 2, which were nonexistent in the iPad. I feel that it’s not a necessary part of the tablet because it seems rather odd to be holding a big device to take pictures or videos. I can use my canon point-and-shoot or Sony HD camcorder for that with better quality. However, the cameras are useful for facetime and video chatting, and random video recording. I found it convenient to tap a button to switch camera views (from back to front, or vice versa) when on facetime or video chat.

Last week, I had the chance to use Evernote app in class. I was able to record the lecture (which was over an hour long) and type the notes on the same page. Play-back was decent quality, better than I thought since I was sitting a few rows back in a small-sized auditorium lecture hall. It sounds better on headphones though.

GoodReader app is my ultimate pdf (and doc) reader. It rocks! It can open large files without any hitch.

For some reason, youtube videos on the iPad 2 are better. Even the quality of audio playback is crispier and louder. I noticed that it’s also lighter and thinner, making it easier to carry around in my tote bag. I can walk 3 miles and not be bothered by its weight.

I’ve read 5 books on ibooks, so far. Enjoying every page of each book... Sometimes, the glare on the screen can get annoying, but tolerable. I’m thinking about getting a screen protector, which I heard can reduce the glare. I still have to do more research on that.

Anyway, I’m loving the iPad 2. I don’t regret getting it. There are so many ways to make use of it.. I use it for school, for reading, for watching videos, for games, even for educating my 10 month old son. There is an app for just about anything you can think of. No reason to limit yourself. Think outside the box.

Bilingual Child

2011-04-04T14:41:00.005-04:00

We took Matt to the doctor for his 9 month check up and immunization the other day. We were advised not to baby talk and to speak to Matt in Tagalog so he will become bilingual. Since Myk and i both speak Tagalog fluently, i figured this would be easy.

image from 4.bp.blogspot.com

This should be easy, right? But why do we often find ourselves speaking to him in English? A lot of people are telling me to speak to him in Tagalog but when they interact with Matt, they talk to him in english as well.

"Aww, you're such a cute baby". "You look like your daddy". "Where's the light?"

Maybe because english words are easier to say.

"No" is easier to say, also shorter, than the tagalog word "Hinde".

When i tell him its time to eat, I say "It's time to eat" as opposed to saying "Oras na para kumain".

I praise him in english too, "Good Job!". How do you translate that to Tagalog? "Magaling na trabaho?"

It's too long to say.

I'm trying to make it a habit to speak tagalog and english. Something like this "San yung light?" It still translates to where's the light. Then when he looks up, i then say "Light. ilaw". I don't know if it's going to work. We'll see.

Amniocentesis and me

2011-03-22T11:15:00.004-04:00

12 weeks

During my early pregnancy with Matty, I was told by the doctor that due to my age and other fetal markings I was at high risk of having a child with down syndrome. I wasn't sure how I felt when those words were thrown at me. I felt my skin flushed with warmth as the blood rushed in every part of me. I kept praying in my head, "Oh God, please not my baby." An amniocentesis test was suggested and scheduled.

I'm no stranger to amniocentesis as I've heard it before. My sister-in-law had it with her first pregnancy and everything turned out fine. But I couldn't help being afraid. The moment I was told to have an amniocentesis, my heart pounded so strongly I thought it was going to rip my chest open. I'm not going to lie. I was scared to the bones. Scared of the long thick needle going into my pregnant belly. Scared that the needle might poke the baby and possibly cause a miscarriage. Scared of receiving a positive result. But most of all, I was scared of the unknown.

I did my research on amniocentesis test before deciding to get it done. I wanted to know what I was getting into. I've read that some women opted to terminate the pregnancy following a positive result. There's also a slight risk of miscarriage with the test, just like any other medical procedure. There is no 100% guarantee. Some people were saying its painful. Some reported they didn't feel a thing. I looked over every pregnancy book I had, checked every website, every forum, and basically, armed myself with knowledge about this procedure. I also googled down syndrome, its causes, symptoms, etc.

Meanwhile, some people around me suggested that I terminate the pregnancy if the baby had down syndrome. Already faced with difficult decisions and engrossed in plethora of emotions, I didn't take the suggestion very well. How dare they say such a thing! This is my baby, not theirs. However, beneath the anger laid pain and hurt. It ached knowing they don't support my decision of keeping the baby if he had down syndrome.

After a couple of weeks of emotional debacle, amnio day came. We prayed and put our faith in God. I came mentally prepared. I wanted to get it overwith. I asked the doctor if he ever had any miscarriages from performing amnio. He nodded his head and said yes. I became uneasy again with thoughts of getting a miscarraige. I didn't want to lose the baby. Yet, I was determined to know. He checked the fetal markings and everything was normal. I was somewhat confused because I came in for an amnio because of some abnormal fetal markings and blood work, which magically became normal. The chances of the baby having down went down considerably. I knew then my prayers were answered. The heavy emotional weight was lifted. I was happy and relieved.

I wasn't entirely clueless about pregnancy because I had plenty of books, websites, and family advice to help me out. Going through it, however, is so much different than just reading other people's experiences and teachings. Yes, the books and the websites told me what to expect and such, but nothing really prepared me until I experienced it first-hand. I have to say, it was a scary and emotionally exhausting first time.

Exams, Bring it on!

2011-03-21T09:36:00.008-04:00

image from www.savvydaddy.com

Have you ever taken a test and thought "That wasn't so bad. I think I did okay"? or maybe even feel good because you thought that the exam was relatively easy and you're almost positive that you didn't flunk. That's how I felt when I took a test. I was so high from thinking I had a shot at this. I thought to myself: I may have not nailed the Science section but was pretty certain that I did fine on the others. Well, I was in for the surprise of my life.

I should really be an expert at taking tests because that's what I've been doing lately. In one week, I took 4 tests: 3 class exams and 1 standardized test. Plus I had 2 papers due and an 8-month baby to care for (who needs a lot of attention otherwise he will chew off the door if I weren't looking). It was quite a hectic couple of weeks.

Anyway, I thought the class exams were a little difficult and found the standardized test fairly easy with no trick questions. The standardized test I took is for nursing school. This is not the first time I've taken an entrance exam because I applied to many nursing schools this year. Most of these schools require applicants to take an entrance exam to get in the program. Each school has a different entrance test that they used. There's the NLN-RN Pre-Entrance Exam, TEAS IV, TEAS V, HESI, etc. The last entrance exam I took was TEAS V which I found easier than the NLN-RN Pre-Entrance Exam. Ironically, I got a higher score on the NLN-RN PAX than the TEAS V.

Why is it that whenever I feel a test is somewhat hard, I end up getting a high grade and whenever I find it easy, I get a really low grade? Is it nature's way of playing a joke on me? I'm not laughing. I got the result for one of the class exams that I thought was difficult... and guess what, I got a high grade. This always happens. I remember last semester I took an easy exam and received a 77 on it, and got a 100 on a hard test. What the heck? Can't I tell the difference between what's easy and what's difficult? Is there a supernatural explanation to this? Are my stars not aligned correctly during exams?

I'm a little bummed out because the school that I took the TEAS V for was my first choice. I really wanted to go there, however expensive the tuition may be. With that low grade, I don't think I have a chance of getting in at all.

But I'm not giving up just yet. It isn't the end of the road for me. I get another shot at that test in a month and a half and I'll do my best. I also have other schools lined up (and more tests! errr), so I won't back down... at least not without a fight.

Whatever happens, I know there's always a rainbow after the rain.

Rainbow image from http://www.entheosweb.com/images/photoshop/rainbow_1.jpg

Screaming toddler

2011-03-15T09:28:00.005-04:00

image from http://www.babytipsonline.com

I'm sure you've come across a toddler who yells, kicks, screams and seems out of control. I'm also sure you've thought to yourself "Oh em gee! My baby is never going to be like that". Well, that's how I feel.

It's different when a baby cries. It's their innate response and the only way they know how to communicate when they're hungry, or wet, or unwell, or whatever the case maybe. A toddler is about 2+ years old with more ways of conveying what they want.

I remember during our Mexico babymoon trip, there was this little girl in our tour group to Chichen Itza. She came with her parents and an older sibling. I don't remember if the other sibling is a boy or a girl. But that's really besides the point I'm trying to make. So this little girl, who we shall name "Chuckie's Bride", sat on her daddy's lap across from our seats in the bus. During the two hour ride to the destination, she screamed endlessly. and very loudly. We were on a bus full of tourists from different countries. I'm sure if I were annoyed, then most of them were too. The part that really upset me the most was the parents just let her be. They didn't tell her to be quiet. When we arrived at Chichen Itza, Chuckie's Bride quiet down a bit until we stopped at the bottom of a pyramid to listen to our tour guide tell the story about the pyramids & the Mayan civilization. She kicked. She screamed. And I wanted to put her on time-out for being so rude. She was annoying throughout the entire tour that at some point we had to escape from the group.

Kids will be kids, right? They want what they want and they want it now.

I was pregnant and hormonal on that trip which explains why Chuckie's Bride got on my very last nerve. Or maybe she was just out of control.

I believe that the parents should have done something to kept Chuckie's Bride from being so disruptive. Even on our ride back to the hotels, she was screaming half way through, until she finally got tired and fell asleep. The child is not the boss. However, it seemed that way with their family. The child controlled the parents. There has to be balance between the child and parents.

Who am I to say? Matt's only 8 months old and I haven't reached the screaming toddler phase. I might have to deal with that same issue in a year or so. Although I'm hoping not. I'm seeing his mini tantrums here and there during playtime when his cousin takes away his toys or at feeding time when he wants his food given one after the other. I try to maintain a firm voice to let him know its not okay and he usually stops. I pray that I wouldn't have to encounter the same problem.

Baby Rearing?

2011-03-10T09:16:00.002-05:00

showing off his teeth

I always knew in the back of my mind that Matt will not stay the little angel that he is. He’s a happy baby full of smiles, giggles, and wet kisses. He’s a real sweetheart and you would fall in love with him when he throws his huge, heart melting, smile with visible deep dimples.

As I was feeding him yesterday, Matt thew a tantrum. His first. I have this notion that eating must be separated from playing and/or watching television. I don’t want him to get used to the idea of watching TV and eating at the same time. I want him to get accustomed to eating when its time without any distractions.

My dad put on youtube and showed him the mickey mouse thumbnails that came up on his youtube search. It wasn’t even a mickey mouse video, just the thumbnails from his search. As soon as Matt heard my dad’s inviting voice, he got excited and distracted. I told Matty to finish eating before he can watch Mickey Mouse. May I remind you that he’s only 8 months old and i didn’t expect him to fully comprehend what I said. I was mistaken. He did understand because he got upset and was not afraid to let it out. He gave me the “stare”, grunted & mumbled words that cannot be deciphered, lifted his arms up & threw them down repeatedly.

I was slightly hurt by his reaction because I never thought that this day would come so soon. I was expecting his first protest at maybe 25-30 years old. LOL. I wanted to get mad at him for being “bad” but he’s so little and innocent. My dad and husband were surprised at Matt’s reaction as well since this is really the first time we’ve seen him that way. It was cute, funny, and we all had a laugh. Then it dawned on me ... what if he thinks its okay to throw tantrums?

My question is when do you begin child rearing? Is baby rearing too early? He’s obviously still too young for time outs ... so veteran moms, help out a first time mommy!

The Tourist

2011-03-09T09:45:00.002-05:00

image from http://www.obsessedwithfilm.com/

With Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp's big names in Hollywood and blockbuster success, I expected The Tourist to capture my heart and be at the edge of my seat. It failed to do so, but I still enjoyed the film because of my admiration for both actors.

Angelina Jolie usually portrays a strong woman who kicks plenty of butts in her films, just like in her recent role as Russian sleeper agent Evelyn Salt. So I assumed the same with the Tourist where she played Elise, an elegant and mysterious woman consistently dressed in chic attire and walked like a goddess in 6-inch heels.

Johnny Depp stepped out of his usual wacky role and became your average Joe. He played Frank, a math teacher who lost his wife, on vacation in Italy to mend his grief. He's always successful in making me believe in the character he's in.

The movie had a few action scenes, deceit, and a boat chase. It even had a twist ending which, sadly, left me confused as opposed to being wowed. I think the concept of The Tourist is great but it wasn't enough.. something was missing. I'm not an expert movie critic so I can't exactly pinpoint where the movie went wrong. However, in my opinion, the love story between Frank and Elise wasn't emphasized enough to melt my heart. And their sexual attraction was a little lame. Come on, no sex scene with the two yummiest and sexiest people in hollywood? Not even a hint of sex was implied.

I love Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. I was a bit disappointed with the film. I expected more considering their A list actors. They both played their roles right. It's how the movie was told that went astray. I felt that more could've been done with the story line (and action scenes!) instead of just showcasing the beauty of Venice. But hey, I enjoyed it anyway.

Newspaper

2011-03-08T09:33:00.005-05:00

image from http://www.abcteach.com/

Are people still reading newspapers? Don't look at me like I'm crazy for asking that question. I don't mean reading the news digitally like online, on your iphone, on your itouch, or on your ipad. I mean the print newspaper. New York Times online and Daily News produce print newspapers, the one that's actually printed on paper, where you have to manually turn the pages or fold in the smallest piece possible when you're in a crowded train to read an article. Its the one that requires muscular movement and energy expenditure to browse through it.

The reasony why I was prompted to write an entry is because in our school, there is a newspaper stand strategically located infront of the libraby where students can freely take a newspaper, either The New York Times or the school paper, or both. I observed that towards the end of the day a big chunk of both newspapers are still untouched.

Because there was a big pile of New York Times in front of me chanting my name "chetz!" "chetz!" "chetz!", I felt the need to grab a copy. It sounded like a call for grandiosity, for greater knowledge. Or maybe I was still high from Spartacus: Gods of the Arena's last episode (SPOILER ALERT) when the people of Capua were chanting "Gannicus!" "Gannicus!" "Gannicus!" right after he won the very first tournament in the newly built arena and was granted freedom. *teary eyes* It was a moment of grandeur and nobility.

Back to the topic, I took a copy of the New York Times every day that I was in school last week. That's a total of 4. None of which I've read. Out of 4 newspapers, I've read 0. zilch. nada. So I guess that's the reason why no one was taking a newspaper... because it won't be read.

I remember a few years ago they were handing out free Metro newspaper all over the city. The people who were handing out the newspaper were up in your face, almost forcing you to grab one. I usually did especially if he were a senior. What can I say, I'm a sucker for the elderly. Then I threw it in the garbage full of the same newspaper at the corner street.

Maybe people are moving to digital news reading. I'm all for it. It's greener: less paper, less trees suffering.

Go green!

Golden Rule

2011-03-06T16:45:00.003-05:00

I’m the kind of person who values privacy. I don’t like my mails opened nor my emails read. That’s why I cancelled our contract with AT&T when our privacy was breached. I just don’t take it lightly when violated.

Image from Patti @ www.essentialscafe.com http://essentialscafe.com/forums/p/3542/12290.aspx

Some things should just be embedded into our common sense but I realized that what I feel isn’t right may not be the case with others. An incident occurred this weekend that made me write this entry. Where do you draw the line of privacy? My father-in-law asked my husband how much refund we received from our taxes. Is that appropriate to ask? He wasn’t comfortable being put in the spotlight and felt somewhat forced to disclosed the information. But if it were my parents who asked, I’d tell them without hesitation. Or maybe if it were his mother, his reaction would have been different because she is blood. The father-in-law (which will be referred to as f.i.l) is his stepdad. Sometimes the f.i.l doesn’t convey his message in a calmer asking-kindly tone, more of a command TELL-ME tone. That could be reasons to why my husband reacted negatively to the f.i.l’s inquiry. Nevertheless, isn’t money a sensitive topic to talk about? I know for a fact that f.i.l would not disclose his refund amount, if there were any, nor would he confess his yearly income to us. Actually, my husband’s mother wouldn’t even tell him how much she’s earning a year! Obviously, it’s a sensitive topic to them.

It’s hypocritical and inappropriate to have an “i can ask you but you cannot ask me” attitude. Yet, it’s all around us.

Keep the Golden Rule in mind ... "Do not do unto others what you do not want others to do unto you”. What a simple, old phrase, one that i’ve heard growing up. It didn’t mean much then until I grew up.

iPad 2

2011-03-04T23:44:00.003-05:00

Apple’s product marketing is so darn effective that I want an iPad 2, even though I already own an iPad. I don’t need another iPad. I just want it. badly. (Left image from http://the-gadgeteer.com)

iPad 2 is not that much different than the iPad. It has a few upgrades like its dual-core processor making it two times faster than the first iPad, about 33% thinner, and two cameras (front and back just like in the iPhone 4 for facetime). It’ll include Photo Booth app which is loads of fun. That’s an added bonus in my book. The smart cover is innovative, nothing I’ve seen before. You want to see it action (www.apple.com/ipad). It’s really cool.

Smart cover image from www.apple.com

Did I mention that I want one? I really really do.

I hope my husband reads this entry. hihihihi

I don't want to miss a thing

2011-03-03T09:16:00.001-05:00

Where does time go? March is here. Spring is near. I’m almost half way through the semester. My birthday passed. The hubby’s birthday just passed. Matty turned 8 months old. Argh, don't even get me started on how fast he's growing. He doesn’t look like a baby anymore with those big wide teeth. He looks like a toddler! Nooo, I'm not ready for that yet. It literally feels just like yesterday when we were celebrating Christmas and New Year’s... and we’re now 3 months into 2011.

I guess time really flies when you’re busy... and having fun. I feel like stopping time so I can spend more time with my family. Aerosmith got it right, “i don’t want to close my eyes, i don’t want to fall asleep, ‘cuz i miss you baby and i don’t want to miss a thing.” This should be my theme song right now. The lyrics don't lie. This is exactly how i feel.. i don't want to miss a thing.

Then again, every day that passes by is another blessing and a new memory to create.

To unlock or not?

2011-03-01T11:05:00.005-05:00

I’m selling my white iphone 3GS 32gb. Now, I'm faced with a dilemma. I initially intended to sell the phone in its factory settings mode so I erased all the data and reset all the settings. My brother, who's patiently looking for a buyer, suggested that I unlock and jailbreak so that the new owner can just insert his (or her) sim card and start using it right away. It sounds like a great idea. The buyer will be happy walking away with a working phone in hand and I with ca$h in mine.

Jailbreak was easy. I used greenpois0n (www.greenpois0n.com) for the untethered jailbreak. Installed cydia and then installous. The tricky part is unlocking the damn baseband! My current baseband is 05.15.04 which supposedly is unlockable right now. There is another way to unlock iOS 4.2.1 (what i'm running now) using ultrasn0w but it needs to update to 06.15.00 baseband. With the update comes a pretty scary disclaimer that warns you not to proceed with the unlock unless needed because once the update goes through, there is no turning back. It says that if there is a critical update on the 05.xx.xx baseband series, I will not be able to do so. Also, I will not be able to restore the iphone to stock firmware with the 06.15.00 baseband. There are known issues with GPS and battery as well.

Soooo, I didn't go through with the unlocking part. I'm hesitant since iOS 4.3 is coming out soon and the iPhone dev-team are already working on the unlock / jailbreak. I'm quite torn and unsure of what to do. Should i go ahead with unlocking it knowing the risks it involves?

Decisions. decisions.

*** Update 03.02.2011 ***
My brother ended up unlocking the phone when I chickened out. The buyer wanted it unlocked to be able to use it with Tmobile ... and since I didn't have the heart to do so, he did it for me. Thanks bro! Just in case you were interested in purchasing the iPhone ... it's sold out.

Never again with AT&T

2011-02-28T09:53:00.004-05:00

I dropped AT&T and gave up my iphone in December when we encountered a security issue which I felt could've been handled better by AT&T, instead of giving us the run around, wasting time, and not letting us off the hook with the early termination fees.

Back in November, my husband lost his service for a day. He didn't realize he didn't have service until mid day when he was trying to reach me and couldn't do anything with his iphone. He had me call AT&T to see what's going on but didn't get through because I didn't have the last 4 digits of his social security number, even though I was a registered authorized user. When he got home, he spoke to AT&T and was told that he was given a "faulty sim". They advised him to go to an AT&T store to pick up a new one. So he did, and they reactivated his new sim. image from http://gadgetsteria.com/

When we received our bill in December, the normal charges were off by at least $25 so we phoned them and asked about the fees incurred, including an upgrade fee. The rep told me that the upgrade fee was for the iphone 4 we bought. Neither of us have an iphone 4. After telling the rep a few times that we didn't buy an iphone 4, a new thought came to mind that maybe Myk was trying to surprise me for Christmas. Maybe I wasn't supposed to know but I stuck my nose too deep and blew the surprise. Unforunately, he didn't buy the phone. Apparently, some dude who was added as an authorized user, 5 minutes before he bought the phone, under our account did. This dude has been an authorized user for a month and we had no idea!!

Anyway, the rep told us that they couldn't disclose where & when this guy bought the phone from without a file report and a case number. So we went and got one. After an hour and a half in the precint with a baby in tow, we finally got our claim number. Called AT&T, spoke to a new rep and was told that I didn't need to get one to get the information I needed. We basically wasted time for the file report that we didn't need. According to the AT&T rep, someone pretended to be my husband and added Gerard Smith (whose name was changed because I forgot his real name) to be an authorized user so he can pick up the iphone 4 at the 5th avenue Apple Store. They didn't use my husband's credit cards to pay for the phone. They just used our account to buy the iphone 4 at a cheaper price. AT&T credited the fees charged on our account and offered us a security password that will override the current online password. Supposedly no one else can access the account without this security password. If they had this kind of added security all along, why wasn't it offered in the first place? Should our privacy needed to be breached before the customers are notified of a more secure passcode protection? Really, AT&T?

When we opted to cancel the service & asked for early termination fee waiver .. they wouldn't do it... even when the unfortunate circumstance isn't our fault nor was it in our control. Believe me, i tried fighting it off. Spoke to different people. None of them would do it. They said that they fixed the problems by crediting the fees incurred, putting our contract back to its regular term, and giving us a more secure security passcode, thus preventing similar incident from happening. But it could've have been prevented if they had offered the security passcode in the first place. Had I known that my account is more protected with a few clicks, I would be the first to sign up. Instead, they waited until for an ugly incident to occur to let us know that such added security exists. Maybe the $170 early termination fee was too much to pay for a billion dollar company.

Anyway, it's in the past. It happened. I learned from it. I'm just happy to be rid fo AT&T and the ridiculous amount of money we were spending for its services.

Matt

2011-02-26T12:42:00.003-05:00

Matt’s now 7 months old, turning 8 in a few days. It seems like it was just yesterday when he was born. I miss the days when he “needed” me. He’s only 7 months and it already feels like he’s growing up too fast. He’s doing things on his own: standing, crawling, sleeping, holding his bottle, sitting, and eating finger foods. I feel like when I wake up, he’ll be in kindergarten, or junior high, or college. LOL. I’m exaggerating. But he really is growing way too fast. I’m enjoying every minute of it though. I love that i am able to witness every development milestone.

We had Matt’s 6th month portrait taken. Here they are:

Smile of Relief

2010-08-05T13:28:00.003-04:00

Just sharing a video of Matty smiling at 1 month old. These precious moments make my heart melt.

Delivery Experience

2010-08-04T08:59:00.007-04:00

Finally posting an entry after itching to blog for so long now. I’m happy and proud to announce that I am a new mommy. *Sound the blow horn, the trumpet, cue the feel good background music, and release the confetti* I gave birth to a healthy and almost 8lb baby boy in July. I have to say, giving birth wasn’t what I expected it to be. Movies always portrayed delivery as this painful experience where the mother screams her heart out in pain, or her water breaks while in the middle of a huge crowd during a life changing event and she rushes to the hospital then cut scenes to the agonizing facial expressions of pushing, then the beautiful perfect baby pops out and into the mother’s arms. I’ve been told that when you meet your baby, you automatically have amnesia and forget about the pain. My experience wasn’t quite like that. I didn’t really have a difficult pregnancy nor delivery. I didn’t develop amnesia either like I was lead to believe. I remember everything. Maybe because it’s all still so fresh. It’s only been 4 weeks.

I had so many expectations. Maybe not expectations, more on hopes. I hoped to give birth in June. Every single day that passed by in the month of June .. I hoped would be D-day (delivery day). That didn’t happen. I gave birth exactly on my due date. I read on wikipedia that the statistics on women giving birth on their due date is low (less than 5%) and I belong to that percentage now. Pretty cool, huh?

I also hoped to go on labor naturally. I was induced instead. Not that induction was an issue. I was actually quite relieved to know that I was getting induced. At 40 weeks, I was ready to get that baby out even though he wasn’t. I didn’t realize that I would get tired of being pregnant. But I did. I was tired of the doctor appointments... tired of two 24 hour urine collection and blood work... tired of waiting, of the discomforts, and of carrying so much weight around.

My water didn’t break in the middle of a life changing event. Heck, I don’t even remember when my water broke. The only life changing event I was expecting at that point was the birth of my little man. It all happened quite fast though. One moment I was waiting for a confirmation call from my doctor for the induction schedule, and then the next day I gave birth. It was quite an experience, I have to say. One that I’m blessed to have gone through. It gave me a new found respect for my mom and for all mothers out there. The most difficult part about my delivery was pushing. It took me almost 2 hours to push him out. It was exhausting. I dozed off at the end of every pushing cycle. I’ve reached a point where I wanted to give up and just get a c-section. But because we prayed for a normal delivery, God answered us. When Matty finally came out and I heard his first cry, it was then when I felt solace. He was worth it. For a split second, I forgot about the discomforts that came along with 9 months of pregnancy, the contraction pain, and the exhaustion... I was in euphoria. I think my husband was in the same euphoric state I was in because he almost forgot to take pictures of the baby. I snapped back to reality when all the nursery nurses came to check on the baby. He’s beautiful. He’s perfect. He’s our baby.

Anyway, there was no amnesia. Just euphoria. Oh, don’t mind the hideous hospital gown. Looking pretty and nice wasn’t on top of my list at the time.

Dancing Tot

2010-06-18T20:47:00.000-04:00

I came across this video of a dancing baby in Brazil on Youtube today. I can’t help but laugh so hard while watching this tot dance... he’s so freaking good. It makes me wonder if its real or fake... I just don’t want to believe everything I see on the internet these days... But its definitely worth taking a look at.. and maybe you can tell me if its fake or not. It seems real to me though.

Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda

2010-06-15T16:11:00.001-04:00

I know it's been a while since I last posted a blog. I received this email and wanted to share it with you.

READ THIS VERY SLOWLY... IT'S PRETTY PROFOUND.

Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.

I got to thinking one day about all those people on theTitanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.

How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word 'refrigeration' mean nothing to you?

How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched 'Jeopardy' on television?

I cannot count the times I called my sister and said , 'How about going to lunch in a half hour?' She would gas up and stammer, 'I can't. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast, It looks like rain' And my personal favorite: 'It's Monday.' She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.

Because Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches.. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect!

We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Steve toilet-trained. We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet. We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college

Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of 'I'm going to,' 'I plan on,' and 'Someday, when things are settled down a bit.'

When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of Rollerblades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.

My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process. The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.

Now...go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to...not something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?

Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night? Do you run through each day on the fly? When you ask 'How are you?' Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head? Ever told your child, 'We'll do it tomorrow.' And in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die? Just call to say 'Hi'?

When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift....Thrown away.... Life is not a race. Take it slower. Hear the music before the song is over.

'Life may not be the party we hoped for... but while we are here we might as well dance!'

23 weeks

2010-03-09T11:54:00.004-05:00

My wedding ring is getting tight. It still fits but I may no longer be able to put it on or take it off one of these days. I am just packing on more weight. At least that's how I feel. I still have a long way to go before I deliver this baby. I'm not fond of the weight gain. I cant stop eating either. I try to eat as healthy as possible since i've already put on 20 lbs. We'll see. I get naughty cravings like fried food, cheeseburgers and ice cream. The good stuff that's bad for me pregnant or not.

I noticed that I'm getting full faster. This little pea inside of me is growing and probably pushing on my tummy ... Making it smaller. So i try to eat frequently.

I love feeling him move. I talk to him a lot when he's moving and try to play with him. Now, you're probably thinking im crazy for doing so. I cant help it. I get excited when he moves and i just tap around my belly hoping he would move where i tapped. Sometimes he does. The hubs still hasn't felt him. It seems like the baby knows when daddy is looking and he tucks himself inside and wont move at all. I secretly enjoy it when he just moves for me. Lol. Evil, i know. I do feel bad when he doesnt move for daddy. In due time, he will.

Time is flying by pretty fast. I cant believe in a few weeks ... Im going to be a mommy.

:-)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Pregnancy Insecurities

2010-03-05T12:39:00.001-05:00

We spent my hubs birthday dining out and basically pigging out. We stuffed our faces with so much food, we could hardly breathe after. LOL. Anyway, to help bring the food down, we decided to walk around Babies R' Us... you know, just to check out baby stuff. Actually, it was my idea to go to Babies R' Us. I don't think the hubs would even think about going there if I hadn't mentioned it.

So we went and I ended up registering for my baby shower stuff. It was so cool. We got to walk around the entire store with a scanner gun and just scanned away. I felt so comfortable in the store with all the pregnant women around. That was one of the things the hubs asked me.. "Do you feel at home here?" and without hesitation, i excitedly said "Yes!" LOL. It was a different feeling being around these women. I felt like I belonged.

In my new school, I haven't yet seen a pregnant woman walk around the campus. I didn't have that insecurity at my old school. There was always a pregnant woman in sight... taking classes, or walking around the school campus. In this new school, I'm surrounded with young people. There are older people there as well but none of them are pregnant. It gets me a little bit insecure.. and out of place. I don't know why. I mean I'm old enough... I'm married. I shouldn't feel this way. Urgh, maybe it's the pregnancy hormones that's getting me all emotional and worried.

Another issue I have with the new school is the chair-slash-desk-in-one (like the one below) because it's starting to get tight around my belly. It's definitely not made for a pregnant woman. I barely have room to move around in these things. And my belly's getting bigger and bigger and bigger by the week.

I still fit in them. For now.

Weary Wednesday

2010-02-24T12:43:00.000-05:00

I don't know what it is... maybe its the gloomy weather out. It rained all day yesterday and surprisingly, I didn't mind that at all. I guess I was happy I had my rain boots on and walking in the rain was effortless. I even enjoyed walking on big puddles.

Today should be a better day because the rain let up. It's just cloudy and moist ... no rain.

Argh. Maybe it's because I'm pregnant and the raging hormones are catching up to me.

Maybe it's the amount of studying I need to do that just got me all lazy.

Maybe because I fumbled on the last two exams I had taken and it's gotten me down.

Maybe because I'm allowed to feel down once in a while. I am only human.

Maybe because I'm scared about my pregnancy. I've reached the halfway point and I'm eager, anxious, and scared at the same. It's quite a roller coaster of emotions, really. Sometimes I'm up. Then the next I'm down.

Maybe because I want to eat something and I don't exactly know what it is. I feel like I'm craving for something but can't pinpoint the taste I want.

Maybe I'm just thinking too much.

Whatever it is, I'll get over it. I'll just take a power nap and all will be forgotten when I wake up.

Happy Hump Day.

An animal!

2010-02-19T07:55:00.002-05:00

Shaun White won his second Olympic Gold Medal. Woohoo! You're an inspiration to many aspiring snowboarders.

I've always been a Shaun White fan. The kid is so full of talent... one to be admired. I'm so happy he won again... He really is an amazing snowboarder.

And he's humble. He is currently bunking with his team mates in the Olympic Village instead of staying in a luxurious hotel. What a trooper! http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/vancouver/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/Millionaire-snowboarder-bunking-it-with-the-rest;_ylt=AhnxNoVv734VOEFhOyAqJ2NotLV_?urn=oly,219111

Keep it up Shaun, the Animal, White!

I'm going to make my baby a snowboarder like you.

Money cant buy happiness?

2010-02-10T22:57:00.001-05:00

I read this article about Karl Rabeder, once a poor man who worked hard to achieve millions and decided to give away every single penny of his fortune in exchange for a simple life. (http://www.neatorama.com/2010/02/10/money-cant-buy-happiness-so-man-gives-away-every-penny-of-his-3-million-fortune/)

He believes that money cannot buy happiness. He feels that we work as a slave in order to buy things that we really don't need. True. I think we would all want a luxurious life. I mean who wouldn't? But for a man whose been on both sides of life, I guess he makes a valid argument.
image from www.neatorama.com

For someone like me trying to make ends meet ... it sounds crazy. I wanted to live like a rock star with unlimited access to my bank account and shopping spree. I worked like a maniac and buried myself in a job that paid my credit card bills. Working means money means spending spending spending... until you realize you've accumulated so much debt. I was always stressed out. I was angry. I was going nowhere. I let school take a backseat to work because it paid for everything I wanted. and what I wanted, I got.

Here I am at almost 2 years out of the corporate world ... enjoying life like I've never had. I feel more alive, happier, and content. I may not be able to splurge on "wants" like I used to, but its okay. I don't feel the need to buy things I want. I don't know what it is. Maybe I'm just getting older and seeing things in a different light. Life is too short. I didn't want to spend most of my time working and missing out on other things.

Don't get me wrong, I still want to succeed and have a comfortable life. I don't think I would be able to give up every penny I've worked hard for but I know I want to make a simple living.. nothing too flashy, nothing too fancy.. just simple... plus an ipad, 46" LED TV, a house, and 2 cars. lol

When boredom strikes at work

2010-02-08T21:28:00.002-05:00

I got this email from my dad and I thought it was pretty funny. Hence, I'm sharing it with you. I would give credit to the rightful owner of the pictures and content below but I do not know who you are. If the content below, belongs to you, please let me know.

What to do when you are bored at work ...

1. Kill a few Flies

2. Put them in the sun to dry for one hour.

3. Once they are dry, pick a pencil and paper... Let your imagination flow.

Here are a few examples...

If you can not find this many flies where you work, simply hide an open tuna fish sandwich some-where under a co-workers desk. The flies will come.

One Time

2010-02-07T21:57:00.000-05:00

This was taken on my iphone video on Friday night. Ernest imitating Justin Bieber on his One Time video. I couldn't help but admire him. Too cute!

Porkey

2010-02-03T11:49:00.000-05:00

Meet Porkey.

He's almost a month old. He's a real cutie. I feed him dimes, nickels, and quarters.

Why we shout when angry

2010-02-02T23:03:00.000-05:00

I was cleaning my inbox and found this interesting email that I want to share. I'm sure a lot of us (if not all) raise our voices when we get in a heated argument with our boyfriends, husbands, friends, or a complete stranger. It's human nature to get angry when aggravated. It happens to the best of us. But consistently shouting at our loved ones eventually becomes destructive. We tend to say things we don't mean. And it usually never end up in meaningful conversation. The problem is never solved when anger controls the situation. I urge you to read on if you know you shout at your loved one more than normal. At the end of this post, a link will take you to a forum explaining how to control your anger.

Why do we Shout when we are angry?

A saint asked his disciples, 'Why do we shout in anger? Why do people shout at each other when they are upset?'

Disciples thought for a while, one of them said, 'Because we lose our calm, we shout for that.'

'But, why shout when the other person is just next to you?' asked the saint.

'Isn't it possible to speak to him or her with a soft voice? Why do you shout at a person when you're angry?'

Disciples gave some other answers but none satisfied the saint.

Finally he explained, 'When two people are angry at each other, their hearts distance a lot. To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other through that great distance.'

Then the saint asked, 'What happens when two people fall in love? They don't shout at each other but talk softly, why? Because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is very small...'

The saint continued, 'When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, only whisper and they get even closer to each other in their love. Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each other and that's all. That is how close two people are when they love each other.'

MORAL: When you argue do not let your hearts get distant, do not say words that distance each other.

Controlling Anger -- Before It Controls You
Anger is a completely normal, usually healthy, human emotion. But when it gets out of control and turns destructive, it can lead to problems ... Know More

if clicking the KNOW MORE link didn't take you to a pop-up page, please copy and paste this to your browser: http://www.nidokidos.org/controlling-anger-before-it-controls-you-t35574.html

Coffee Crave

2010-02-02T11:34:00.002-05:00

I miss drinking coffee. I had a sip of the hubs coffee this morning and it taste so freaking good. It made me miss it more. :-(

I miss the freedom of brewing coffee at home whenever i had the urge. I miss stopping by Starbucks and getting mocha latte or Dunkin Donuts french vanilla coffee. I really miss being at a cafe shop sipping hot coffee or drinking McDonalds vanilla iced coffee. Eventhough coffee mafe me jumpy and nervous... I loved every sip. What can i say, i was a coffee junkie.

Sigh, coffee, by far the hardest thing for me to live without.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Baby movement

2010-02-01T13:23:00.002-05:00

I've been feeling the baby move. I wish the hubs could feel him as well. Everytime I tell him the baby moved, he puts his ear on my tummy to listen for movement and all he hears is my tummy growling. Lol.

image by www.wwwearables.com

I can tell the difference between stomach gas and baby movements now. Pregnancy sites describe it as flutters or bubbles. It's quite weird getting random "flutters". Sometimes, im lying down and i feel it. I dont mind it so much but when im in a public place i get startled... even when its just a mild movement. Like this morning, i was at the library minding my own business when all of a sudden, baby wanted to let me know he's awake. i felt random flutters and it made me shift my sitting position right away. I was in a really comfortable position and the flutters somewhat guided me to move my ass a bit. I rubbed my belly and the flutters stopped. Baby already needs attention! So soon. Lol.

I can't wait to really feel his kicks and jabs. I cant wait for the moment when the hubs feels it as well. I feel kind of bad that he doesnt feel the baby movements when i do.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

God's Message

2010-01-31T13:49:00.001-05:00

On this day of your life, Chetz, we believe God wants you to know ... that God has an important purpose for you, and made everything possible for you to succeed.

That's not to say it's an easy purpose, or a convenient one. It might very well seem hard or even impossible, but it only looks that way. The truth is that one day you will look back and see how all the pieces fit together. And how your life has been a complete and utter success.

I believe this message from God. It fits into my current situation. and everyday I don't forget to thank Him for all the blessings that has come my way and for every prayer answered. Sometimes, life seem a bit difficult. Sometimes, dreams are shattered. Sometimes, it just doesn't go the way I planned it. But I know He's watching over me and my family. I don't need to be in the future just to look back in the past to know that things were falling into place.

They already are. Right now. It just takes a little patience, prayers, and faith.

Birth Videos

2010-01-31T10:51:00.003-05:00

Last night, I was indulging myself with Youtube videos of vaginal birth and c-section delivery. I'm not quite sure which one hurt more because they both look painful. The video below is much more subtle than the ones I've watched. It was quite traumatizing to see our private part expand so wide to fit a baby's head and body.

You can search for the videos yourself and type in Vaginal Birth if you want to see detailed videos. It was scary to look at and nerve-wrecking to know that in a few months time, I would have to go through one of those procedures.

Eckkk.

And because I may have been traumatized, I dreamt about giving vaginal birth last night. I remember it was over in a few minutes and i didn't have to push so hard for the baby to come out. The joy of hearing the baby's cry was amazingly priceless. The moment he was handed over to me, I was overwhelmed with ecstasy. The nurses took the baby away and the next time I saw him, probably a few hours later, they sent me a baby who was almost a year old. The baby was practically walking on his own. I was in shock and furious of the mistake. The staff promised me that he was my baby.. and they're just as surprised as I am. Apparently, he was growing fast. Kind of similar to the Benjamin Button story.

Then I woke up. These dreams are getting so graphic and weirder by the day.

Maybe I should lay low on watching birth videos until my third semester. I really shouldn't be worrying about that now. I should just enjoy my second semester.. without the morning sickness, tiredness, back pains, and hunger pangs.

Clumsy Chetz

2010-01-29T10:28:00.002-05:00

I read that clumsiness during pregnancy is normal (http://www.babycenter.com/0_clumsiness-during-pregnancy_224.bc). I used to be clumsy even when I wasn't pregnant but I've become clumsier. During my non-pregnant days, I would have clumsy moments every now then. These days, it's happening quite often. I either trip on a rug, lose my balance walking up the stairs, or drop things I'm holding (which is happening more often lately).

Anyway, I remember eating a banana and accidentally dropped it. Right after church on Sunday, we stopped by BJ's to pick up bottled water and other things we needed. I was starving so I got myself a hotdog sandwich at Nathan's right behind the cashiers. Halfway through eating the sandwich, I dropped the hotdog. Then a couple of seconds later, I dropped the bun. I was so upset I almost cried. I was really hungry and needed something to feed my tummy. Dropping my food wasn't a good idea. The sad part is I can't point the blame to someone else because I did it. The hubs just laughed at me for being so clumsy. I wanted to cry even more. I just wanted to eat something.

The latest drop-off I had was yesterday when I was putting on powder to put color on my face. For some reason, I lost control and just drop the freaking thing! I was really annoyed. Half of the powder was all over my mirror and carpet. Grrr.

At least, I can say it's not really my fault. It's normal during pregnancy. I'll just try to be careful with the things I'm holding. Keyword: try. :-)

In God's Hands

2010-01-29T10:06:00.001-05:00

I am loving this song. I've found the lyrics and posted it below. I wished they made an official video of their duet. The video above (via youtube.com) is the official video for Nelly Furtado's version.

It's part of a plan. It's back in God's hands.

Nelly Furtado feat Keith Urban - In God’s Hands Lyrics
(via musicloversgroup.com)

[Nelly Furtado]:
I looked at your face I saw that all the love had died
I saw that we had forgotten to take the time
I, I saw that you couldn’t care less about what you do
You couldn’t care less about the lies
You couldn’t find the time to cry

[Nelly Furtado]:
We forgot about love
We forgot about faith
We forgot about trust
We forgot about us

[Nelly Furtado]:
Now our love’s floating out the window
Our love’s floating out the back door
Our love’s floating up in the sky in heaven
Where it began back in God’s hands

[Keith Urban]:
You said that you had said all that you had to say
You said baby it’s the end of the day
And we gave a lot but it wasn’t enough
We got so tired that we just gave up

[Nelly & Keith]:
Now our love’s floating out the window
Our love’s floating out the back door
Our love’s floating up in the sky in heaven
Where it began back in God’s hands

[Nelly & Keith]:
We didn’t respect it
We went and neglected it
We didn’t deserve it
But I never expected this

[Nelly & Keith]:
Our love floated out the window
Our love floated out the back door
Our love floated up in the sky to heaven
It’s part of a plan
It’s back in God’s hands
Back in God’s hands

[Nelly & Keith]:
Oh it didn’t last
It’s a thing of the past
No we didn’t understand
Oh just what we had
Oh I want it back
Just what we had
Oh I want it back
Oh just what we had

The Ant and the Grasshopper

2010-01-25T10:26:00.002-05:00

THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER

This one is a little different.....
Two Different Versions....
Two Different Morals

OLD VERSION

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed.

The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for yourself!

MODERN VERSION

The ant works hard in the withering heat and the rain all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm
and well fed while he is cold and starving.

CBS, NBC , PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable
home with a table filled with food.

America is stunned by the sharp contrast.

How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper and everybody cries when they sing, 'It's Not Easy Being Green.'

ACORN stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house where the news stations film the group singing, "We shall overcome."
Then Rev. Jeremiah Wright has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's sake.

President Obama condemns the ant and blames President Bush, President Reagan, Christopher Columbus, and the Pope for the
grasshopper's plight.

Nancy Pelosi & Harry Reid exclaim in an interview with Larry King that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and
both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share.

Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity & Anti-Grasshopper Act retroactive to the beginning of the summer.

The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home
is confiscated by the Government Green Czar and given to the grasshopper.

The story ends as we see the grasshopper and his free-loading friends finishing up the last bits of the ant's food while the government
house he is in, which, as you recall, just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around them because the grasshopper doesn't maintain it.

The ant has disappeared in the snow, never to be seen again.

The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the
ramshackle, once prosperous and once peaceful, neighborhood.

The entire Nation collapses, bringing the rest of the free world with it.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be careful how you vote in 2010.

I've sent this to you because I believe that you are an ant - not a grasshopper!

Make sure that you pass this on to other ants.

Don't bother sending it on to any grasshoppers because they wouldn't understand it anyway.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

White sneakers

2010-01-25T09:04:00.001-05:00

I put on my white sneakers today and I swore they feel tighter than usual. My feet are probably swollen or they got bigger. The joy of pregnancy weight gain. I am putting on weight everywhere. Sometimes it's frustrating to know i'm getting so big. I just keep reminding myself its all for the baby. Hehehe

It's raining on my first day in school. It always rain when a main event is going on in my life. It rained on my wedding shower, bachelorette party, and it drizzled the morning of my wedding day! It rained whenever we go away to a sunny place. And now this.

At least its over 50 degrees outside so its bearable.

A Student Again

2010-01-24T21:31:00.002-05:00

Starting a new school once again. I'm forever a transfer student. LOL. I take that back. I don't want to be a transfer student forever. I want to stay at this new school until I become a RN. So yeah, I'm studying to become a nurse. Not too long ago, I've always been against going to nursing school. Just felt it was overrated. I swore to myself that I would never become a nurse. Little did I know that I would be putting my foot in mouth.

image used is from http://www.abovethelaw.com

Funny thing is ... I've thought about Nursing before. But there were many factors that got in the way. One of them was work. I was so devoted to work that I wanted school to accommodate my busy work schedule. Most nursing classes then were only available during the day.. which meant I had to quit my day job. I loved my job and didn't want to risk losing it.

Things changed after a few years. I quit my old job of 8 something years.I got married. and now expecting a baby. With this new life ahead of me and a growing family to help provide for, Nursing school became a priority. Hopefully this school would be the last. Transferring is a real pain in the behind! I hate coming in as a Freshman every single time I transfer. So many requirements needed, a hundred transcript to be sent out, and credit evaluation is never the same in these colleges. It gets confusing after a while.

Nevertheless, I'm quite excited to start school tomorrow. A new beginning. A new opportunity.

Wish me luck

Friendly Advice

2010-01-24T08:38:00.002-05:00

I was out with my friends on Friday night chitchatting over tea, coffee, and hot chocolate. They suggested that I document my pregnancy. You know, take pictures, post blogs, make videos, etc. Some of the stories I shared with them were pretty funny. Most I haven't read on any pregnancy forums nor heard from any friends who were once pregnant. Maybe, some of the stories are just too gross to share with anyone but truth of the matter is, it happens. Pregnancy is really not a pretty thing. The body goes through so many changes both physically and emotionally.

I can't guarantee that I'll be able to blog everyday but I will try to document some details of my pregnancy, especially when I have pictures to post.

I still don't understand how my appetite works. Sometimes, I'm not too hungry. But Friday was a different story. I basically ate like I've never had food for days. Maybe I was so hungry because the first meal I had at breakfast ... came out before I could even gulp the last half of the cheese sandwich. During my first trimester, I was all for cheese. I had cheese with basically everything I ate. This time around, the baby doesn't like it. So throughout the day, I was always in the kitchen searching for food. I even had a fulfilling dinner plus a small piece of baklava for dessert. When I was out with the girlfriends, I had a donut. And around 1:30 AM, i was back in the kitchen looking for something to chow down. I found a banana that kept my tummy quiet for the rest of the night and I was able to sleep 30 minutes later.

If I keep going like this, I'll look like a whale.

Water dream

2010-01-23T01:47:00.002-05:00

An interesting dream occured during my first trimester. I've been dreaming a lot about water. It's supposedly normal to dream of water at this stage since my placenta and amniotic sac are developing. My dream was so vivid and it felt real that i started talking in my sleep. The hub had to wake me up because i was mumbling so loud. I even remember exactly what i was saying: "it's not my fault, you f*#%^n son of a b!+[#" but it didn't come out like that as per the hubs. All he heard was "brousv jwkusbnxj dbhsiuzhbs haffabd thagFaeyc". Yep, it wad basically jibberish.

But my dream felt real. I really thought i was living in that moment. There was a typhoon coming and big tidal wave was about to hit town. People were evacuating. Some even started walking uphill to the mountains. Others stayed behind. I was one of the people trying to take shelter in the mountains.

Then the skies cleared so everyone started to come home. All of a sudden, the clouds gone dark, the sun disappeared, and the wind howled loudly. The air started to smell like ocean salt. The rain poured down heavily. People were screaming, trying to run for their lives.. finding the nearest shelter. One old man began cursing me out, blaming me for the wrath that's about to come. Everyone around the area is now pointing fingers at me. I, then screamed at the top of my lungs, "it's not my fault, you f*#%^n son of a b!+[#". I remember the big tidal wave coming down on me. I felt helpless, all i could do was hold on to a gated fence and hold my breath for as long as i could. Luckily i survived. Probably because the hubs woke me up on time.

It's really interesting how i still remember that dream. I usually never remember any dream. But pregnancy sites assured me it was normal and nothing to worry about.

Baby bump first trimester :-)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Bejeweled Blitz

2010-01-22T14:59:00.002-05:00

I first started playing Bejeweled on my Palm Treo a few years ago. I'm not sure what happened to the device but I do remember being highly hooked to the game. I almost always missed my stop on my train ride to work in the morning because of the game. I think I traded in my Palm for a Windows PDA which didn't last very long. I don't even remember using it.

Anyway, I've been seeing a lot of Bejeweled Blitz updates on facebook and decided to try it out last month after final exams. Oh, how i was hooked again. The game is a minute long but I get so into it that I don't realize I'm playing it for 2 hours! My carpal tunnel acted up and my right hand hurt from mouse clicking too much. So, I purchased this application on my iphone. Switching the jewels with tapping my fingers is easier on my hand..... and now that I have this app wherever I go, I have to say that I'm addicted. When I wake up in the morning, I reach for my iphone and tap on Bejeweled 2 app and start playing. I even do this before I go to bed.

2010 -Handbook to a Better Year / Life

2010-01-18T22:08:00.005-05:00

Just sharing another interesting email I received today. I encourage everyone to read further. It'll definitely inspire you. Happy 2010.

Health
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
5. Make time to pray.
6. Play more games.
7. Read more books than you did in 2009.
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality
11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake.
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree...

Society
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come.
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

New Book

2010-01-16T13:41:00.003-05:00

I finally got myself a new book to read: Sundays at Tiffanys by James Patterson. I got it on sale at Borders when I was unconsciously "book shopping". I happened to walk into Borders when I was walking around the mall and the bargain price shelves caught my eyes. It was either this one or The Choice by Nicholas Sparks. I opted for this one instead, just because it seemed more interesting... having an imaginary friend at 8 years old become your soulmate. Or something like that. Can't beat the price at $5.99. Meanwhile, Amazon.com is selling it for $16.49. I feel better knowing I saved some cash.

Hopefully I'd get around to finishing it before school starts. I started reading the first 4 chapters. I have four pregnancy books on my lap, plus school's about to start which means a lot more reading required. Maybe if I stopped blogging, I can get back to reading the book.

Pregnancy Journey

2010-01-14T14:07:00.006-05:00

I wasn't sure what to expect with my pregnancy when I received confirmation that I was pregnant. I was scared for the most part and couldn't stop thinking of the pain I'm going to have to endure in the next few months. I didn't throw up like other women but I was always nauseous, it sucked. I wanted to stay home and sleep all day. I was tired, uncomfortable, and annoyed that I felt sick most of the time. Most of the pregnancy sites I've visited promised that morning sickness will wane away in the second trimester, which felt like it was never going to come.

I remember the first time the hubs and i heard the baby's heart beat. It was so surreal. The look on his face was priceless. He was one happy Daddy-to-be, and I could see how excited he is to meet his baby. At 11 weeks, the little pea that we once saw 3 weeks before has now formed into a shape of a baby. The sonogram showed the baby's head, hands, and feet. I couldn't believe my eyes that there's another living thing inside me. I was dwelling in that image and heartbeat for a couple of days that I forgot I was feeling sick. I was in heaven.

Then reality kicked in: tests after tests, long commute, cold weather, nausea, hunger, stomach growling in public, gas, getting fatter, and peeing more frequently. It's not always heavenly. It's not always pretty. It's definitely not easy. I was unhappy with how much weight I've gained when pregnancy sites state I should only be gaining 4-5 lbs. I didn't feel normal. I felt fat. My face was breaking out. My hair was dry and I hated how it touches my neck.

Now that I've gone past the first trimester and the nausea, I'm beginning to enjoy my pregnancy. I'm learning to embrace my bulging my belly, even though people tell me I'm big for 4 months. I still sometimes feel fat but I also know I'm pregnant.

Mango's Fun Entertainment

2010-01-04T22:48:00.005-05:00

I've been trying to blog about something since yesterday but had no idea what to write. I was going through my iphoto and came across some videos from our Miami trip last July. Mango's Tropical Cafe was highly recommended when I did research on restaurants or bars to go to. So we went to see for ourselves. We were not disappointed. We had lots of fun. They had entertainment all night long.

Here's a clip of the guys dancing, entertaining the ladies... and some gents as well.

I really enjoyed watching these guys perform. They even had a Michael Jackson dance tribute which was beautifully done and probably one of their popular performances of the night.

I wasn't the only entertained. They had a bunch of girls dancing on the bar as well. A lot of pretty and sexy girls. They weren't doing any kind of provocative or nasty dances... just pure entertainment in their cheetah outfits. Of course, my husband was drooling over it.

Here's a clip of one of the girls:

Avatar in 3D

2010-01-04T18:53:00.000-05:00

I wasn't sure at first what Avatar was about. I thought it was a cartoon film made for kids. I was proven wrong when I saw the movie trailer. Its about a paralyzed marine war veteran who was sent out to this new world, Pandora, to learn about the Na'vi race's way of living and establish a democratic settlement with the natives.

The movie is full of action, adventure, and eye candy. Stunning visual effects, great story line, and a fun film to watch in 3D. A must see in theaters!

Typhoon Ondoy

2009-10-01T08:09:00.002-04:00

Friends, pls donate to Typhoon Ondoy Victims. They are in need of water, used clothing, canned goods, med supplies, etc to these drop off points. We can all help! There is no excuse to not extend a helping hand.

OFFICIAL DROP OFF SITES and CONTACT INFORMATION:

NAFCON (Nat’l Alliance for Filipino Concerns)/SANDIWA Nat’l Alliance of Fil-Am Youth are now receiving relief donations (clothes, blankets, medical supplies, monetary). For general questions please call Anne Beryl (516)9011832.

Official Webpage: www.bayanihan4ondoy.wordpress.com

New York

NY drop-off @ BAYANIHAN Filipino Community Center, 40-21 69th St. Woodside, NY 11377. Open Hours: Monday –Friday 11 AM – 8 PM and Saturday & Sunday 12-6 PM. Please Contact; Yancy Mark (347)8670330 or Jonna (646)5787390 or email filipinocenter@gmail.com if you would like to help.

Stony Brook University, please contact Jun Rose (646)7503489.

FIND District III college organizations: Please Contact Patricia Dayleg (patricia.dayleg@gmail.com) and Isabel Marie Gomez (isabelmariegomez@gmail.com).

BKPNewYork are also specifically collecting children’s books to the Philippines: Please contact Frederick (646)6417183 or email Frederick@bkpny.org

New Jersey

For donations in New Jersey please contact: (201)621-3156-Yves Nibungco or (917)476-7855- Nick Cordero

Sinugba Cafe: 561 Westside Ave. Jersey City, NJ 07304
Casa Victoria: 691 Newark Ave. Jersey City, NJ 07306-2803.
Kalusugan Coalition: Call 2016534600 for office hours. 591 Summit Avenue Suite 412 Jersey City, 07306. Corner Summit & Newark Ave.

NAFCON Midwest

Fellowship for Filipino Migrants-FFM
PO Box 901 Glenview, IL 60025-9998
ffm4outreach@gmail.com Nerissa (224)3816888

Los Angeles

Los Angeles BALSA Relief Coordinators:

E-mail: sc@bayanusa.org

Phone: Fernando Fernando 323-854-4478 (Central LA)
Kuusela Hilo 818-395-9207 (LA)
Daya Mortel 206-355-0256 (West LA)
Victor Romero 424-225-0322 (South Bay)

Checks can be made out to Tulong Sa Bayan. (Tax-deductible) Online donations via paypal can be made at http://www.bayanusa.org.

Money, clothes, blankets, non-perishable food, medicines, toiletries and other basic necessities can be dropped off at designated BALSA locations in Southern California.

Drop-Off Location: 519 S. Spring (between 5th and 6th) LA, CA 90013. (323-854-4478, Fernando Fernando)

More drop-off locations will be volunteered in the coming days.

San Diego

BALSA efforts in SD – Eugene Gambol – egambol@gmail.com

General information on typhoon relief efforts in SD: Patricia Guevarra: 858 692 0785, patricia.guevarra@gmail.com

San Francisco/Bay Area

For donations in San Francisco/Bay Area, Please contact Ryan Leano (626)534-4971. Monetary donations can also be dropped off at these sites. Checks can be made out to “Lakasdiwa,” a non-profit organization that will send the funds directly to MIGRANTE International in the Philippines, a workers’ organization directly helping the victims in the disaster relief efforts. Please put “Typhoon Ondoy Relief” on the check’s note.

Filipino Community Center
4681 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94112

Liwanag Kultural Center
Hillside Park Clubhouse
222 Lausanne Ave. Daly City‎, CA‎ 94014
Mondays, Tuesdays & Thursdays 3:30-6:00 and Wednesdays 3:30-8:00

Asian Pacific Islander Youth Promoting Advocacy & Leadership
Attn: Armael Malinis, AnakBayan-East Bay
310 8th Street, Suite 215
Oakland, CA 94710
Monday-Friday, 10am-6pm

Stanford’s Pilipino American Student Union (PASU) is also collecting donations to be sent to the Philippines to help victims of Typhoon Ondoy (international name Ketsana). If you would like to make a donation, please contact AV David at avhdavid@stanford.edu or (650) 491-4561.

San Jose/South Bay

For donations in San Jose/South Bay, please contact Melissa Nievera of Filipino Community Support (FOCUS) at focus.balita@gmail.com.

Filipino Youth Coalition (FYC) & Filipino Community Support (FOCUS) drop-off sites:

Welch Park Community Building
Located at corner of Kenesta Way and Clarice Dr
San Jose, CA 95122
(open everyday from 2pm to 5pm to receive donations)

Valley Faith United Methodist Church
1251 Sandia Avenue
Sunnyvale, California 94089

Portland, Oregon

Contact Portland Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines through Claire Oliveros portlandchrp@gmail.com. You can send CASH through Metro Bank acct. 3 189 14540 1 For BAYAN’s “BALSA” (Bayanihan Alay sa Sambayanan).

Please contact Consuelo Rivera at welorivera@yahoo.com or call at (503)7299449.

inFAMOUS

2009-09-03T15:40:00.004-04:00

2 Fridays ago, I accidentally pulled my back and was in bed for a few days recovering. The day after I got hurt, I felt extreme boredom. I had parties scheduled that weekend and wasn't able to attend any gatherings at all due to my situation. I was in so much pain that all I could do was lay still on my living room couch. I had to settle for the couch because the bedroom was too much of an effort to walk to. I just didn't have the strength.

So my hubs was nice enough to keep me preoccupied with old movies and PS3 games. And when I got tired of those, he bought me a new game: inFAMOUS.

I was pretty impressed and caught up with the game. Too caught up that I was dreaming of climbing buildings and fighting off bad men with my newly found super powers. I enjoyed every aspect of the game.. the story, the effects, the graphics, the powers, the missions, and the characters. Although there were times that I wished Cole was female.

I enjoyed the game so much I'm playing it again. But this time around I am the evil Cole.

US Open

2009-09-01T15:11:00.008-04:00

I had the privileged of attending the US Open Opening Night for the first time. I've been to the Open before but have never really seen anyone "worth" the money. I mean, the free tickets I got from the in-laws.

I saw famous athletes that I only got to watch on tv: Mia Hamm, Doug Flutie, David Robinson, and Andre Agassi who were being honored for their generous efforts to give back to the community thru their Charitable organizations. Rob Thomas performed. Robin Roberts hosted the program. Mayor Bloomberg was also present and gave a speech. It was a star studded night. Christie Brinkley was even spotted there. I was so excited... like a little kid who was just given ice cream. I've never seen so many famous people before in one night. Actually, I've never really seen anyone famous. and I live in New York. It's quite sad. The only famous person I saw was Denzel Washington when he was filming Training Day in California. I can't even put it in the same category as "seen" because we were just driving by and had a quick glimpse of him. Heck, maybe it wasn't even Denzel. Maybe it was his double.

But the highlight of my night was seeing Venus Williams and Andy Roddick take on the court. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera so I settled for iphone shots. I won't post those because they're not worth sharing... you couldn't even see any of their faces, it's like trying to spot a person on the street from the top of the Empire State Building. You don't believe me? Here's the proof:

Told you so. Can you spot Venus Williams in that pic? She's the one on the right in hot pink.

Anyway, what a fun filled experience! Now, I wish the in-laws would invite us to the finals. :-)

And I will make sure to bring my SLR camera.

A Useless Upset

2009-08-14T11:58:00.008-04:00

I had an outburst of fury yesterday. Something upset me that made me let out a steam of anger towards an innocent bystander. It made me understand of what I'm capable of doing. Let me share exactly what happened.

I was at school for registration and advisement. That never really goes too well. Nothing is ever perfect especially in school matters. They make you run around like an idiot, pointing you to different places. I should already know how these things work. I've transferred schools a billion times and I still can't get used to the process.

The staff pointed me to go to Room 1 to clear my transcript. I don't understand why I have to clear it when the previous college I went to sent it over already. Twice, as a matter of fact. Yet, they still wanted me to get it cleared. So I did what I was told. I went to Room 1 and told the person there the same thing I've told everyone: It was sent twice in the past two weeks. She didn't clear me. She just told me she doesn't know what to do with me & asked me to sit down. WTF, right?

I did what I was told anyways. I sat down and waited for further instructions. 20 minutes later, I was told to go to Room 2 for advisement. This is where it gets quite redundant. I really hate having to repeat myself over & over again. In room 2, the advisor said to me that they don't have my grades from the other college. I told her again the situation: My transcript has been sent twice in the past two weeks. She referred me to Room 3 to get my grades uploaded into the system. Before I could get into Room 3 I had to sign in. They have this system where you sign in the lobby & a counselor comes out to call you. Its a pretty decent system. It works but when you're in the middle of advisement and don't have all the time in the world to wait in line, it becomes an issue. The line really wasn't that long. There may have been 10 or 11 people in front of me but the service is way slow. It reminded me of waiting at Jollibee NYC. I spoke to the receptionist in Room 3 and told her my situation. I explained to her (again) that my transcript was sent twice and the advisor sent me there to get my grades uploaded. She insisted that I wait in line to speak to a counselor. I told her I didn't have time to wait in that long line. She still insisted that I should wait in line just like everyone else, even if it means missing my advisement. She wasn't nice to me. I felt a bit of warm blood rush into my face, my heart pounded faster & faster, and my mind irritated. I let out a steam and raised my voice at the poor receptionist. I stormed out of the room, mumbling to myself, completely annoyed at how she treated me, and afraid that I might miss advisement. I was really frustrated I couldn't think straight. The thoughts in my head were full of nasty curses. It wasn't pleasant.

All that energy I put into being upset didn't do me any good. I still waited in line just like everyone else. I still had to explain to the counselor in Room 3 my situation, that the college sent over my transcript twice.

I calmed down when I was in that line waiting to sign in. I fought those nasty thoughts in my head. I really had better things to worry about than the unrefined treatment I received from the receptionist or the repetitious explanations or the running around. It was useless getting so worked up over something I had no control over because in the end, I still did what they asked me to do. The moment I calm myself down, things started falling into its place and the next thing I know, I was registered for school.

PS3 Bundle FOR SALE

2009-08-12T15:04:00.002-04:00

What do you know... here we are again, on the road of FOR SALE items. I'm helping my brother once again sell his toys. Please ask around. Someone may be interested, somewhere.

Brand New Sony Playstation 3 (160 GB) with Uncharted: Drake's Fortune Limited Edition (Unopened)

Price: $450 (Cash only. No Traveler's Checks or Personal Checks)

Bestbuy sells this for $499 (plus tax).

Follow the link for details:

http://xrl.us/be9rzq

I have no control

2009-08-12T11:55:00.002-04:00

Sigh. Finding a job in this market is difficult. I know that. I’m in the business of helping people find jobs. I’m the staffing agency. Most people don’t know what exactly it is we do. They just assume that since we are an agency, we must have a job for them. How I wish I could help every single person that walks into the office. How I wish I can give them the salary that they’re asking for. If it were up to me, I would grant all their wishes, and make their pain go away. In reality, I have no control over that.

The job market no longer belongs to the job seekers. It is now an employer’s market. There are many applicants and the employer can and will wait for the right person to come along. Hence, a dozen of interviews for one job and a dozen of trials that never amount to a full time job. And that’s working with one agency alone. Usually the employers are working with other agencies as well. It becomes a game of tug of war and I'm the rope. I have no control over that.

It feels like people who are in desperate need of a job blame me for not helping them. Sometimes I get nasty phone calls from my applicants because they’re not working and they’re getting kicked out of their apartment. Sometimes they cry because they can no longer pay their rent. Sometimes they get frustrated at me for not giving them a part time job to help them out in the meantime. But you see, I have no control over that.

The decision doesn’t belong to me. The employers have the last word. They decide who to take on board. They tell me who fits in with their family. All I can do is connect the applicants with the clients. I hold no guarantees to the applicants that I can give them a job. I wish I could but I have no control over that.

'Lock in WoW

2009-08-06T12:33:00.006-04:00

What else is new with me, aside from facebooking and tweeting? I haven't played any of the facebook games recently. I just somewhat lost the urge. I guess I got tired of it. I've been playing WoW once again. Ever since my account got hacked and the hacker reactivated my subscription with his credit card, he gave me an entire month of free game time. I got most of my stuff back (and probably some extras). I don't really remember what I had across all my toons in 3 servers. I stopped playing in April so I don't know what I have in my inventories.

The hacker played my Death Knight, Poohkey, and maxed out her mining skills to 450/450. When I got all my items back, I received a lot of mining stuff and then some. Hubs took all of the items and sold them. He was jealous that I maxed out that skill. He wants to level that toon for me. But I don't think I'll be playing her. I still love my warlock and have been leveling her since I got everything back. She's now almost 74... 6 more levels to go until 80. I intend to get her there before the subscription ends..

My sexy back!

Tweeting with Twitter

2009-08-05T16:26:00.004-04:00

I just sent @thepitss a tweet, asking if he's really Brad Pitt.

I hope I won't offend him if he's real. I'll just go gaga knowing that he is real.

Twitter's got me hooked. I find myself constantly checking twitterrific for new updates. I told myself that I wouldn't sign up because I have nothing to share to people, at least nothing that would fit in 140 characters.

Apparently, I do because I've been tweeting a lot.

I enjoy following celebrities' tweets. It's cool to know that its really them tweeting and not a designated fan or personal assistant. I feel so connected. LoL.

WoW Movie!

2009-08-03T13:25:00.006-04:00

To all of you World of Warcraft gamers.......... a movie is in the mix. Sam Raimi, the director behind Spiderman Trilogy, will be directing it.

"The World of Warcraft movie is officially on the move, after many months of stagnation we thought the project may have died a quiet death. However, behind the scenes it seems there were some exciting discussions and today, two years since the initial announcement, Blizzard and Legendary pictures have named their director, one Sam Raimi." (http://warcraft.moviechronicles.com/2009-07/sam-raimi-will-direct-world-of-warcraft-movie/)

Now the waiting begins... Follow this website for more information.

Most Favorite Pastime

2009-07-31T13:30:00.002-04:00

I received yet another interesting email from my Dad that I wanted to share. There's no author credited to this article... but in case you come across this and you wrote it, please don't hesitate to message me and I will credit it to your name. As of now, the author shall be known Anonymous Author.

MOST FAVORITE PASTIME
Anonymous Author

Of the Ten Commandments God gave us, the one we break the most is the ninth – “Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor.”

Obvious reason for this is that we talk about people. Those of great minds discuss ideas, people of mediocre minds talk about events, and those of small minds chat about people. It takes some of the sting out of our own failures if we can rub off the glitter of someone else’s crown.

Gossip is one of the favorite pastimes of Filipinos. In the olden times, gossip were resorted to normalize and re-inforce moral boundaries in a speech-community; foster and build a sense of community with shared interests and information; entertain and divert participants in gossip-sessions; retail and develop stories and even legends; build structures and social accountability; and reflect unvarnished and spontaneous public opinion.

In modern times, however, “gossip” has taken a new level. It simply means “spreading of rumor and misinformation, often through excited conversation over scandals.” Mostly, people don’t admit they are involved in gossip. Someone may say, “I don’t mean to talk about her, but…” and what comes next is a litany of untruth facts. The more interesting the gossip, the more likely it is to be untrue.

Sometimes, a gossip takes the form of a false sympathy. “I really took pity of my neighbor who is being beaten by her husband once he goes home drunk.” Others start the conversation with a question: “Is it true that the 17-year-old daughter of our school principal pregnant?”

Gossips have been catalogued in three different types: vest-button type (always popping off), vacuum-cleaner type (always picking up dirt), and liniment type (always rubbing it in). Which of these are very familiar to you?

“Gossip is one of the so-called ‘little’ sins that even Christians are often unable or unwilling to avoid,” “It is, to be sure, a common sin, but can it truly be called ‘little’? Gossip can destroy reputations, disrupt families, divide neighbors, and cause widespread heartbreak, and all to no purpose except the satisfaction that some find in passing on idle or malicious tales.”

The person who brings those malicious talks is not the only one who does the gossiping. Even the person who listens commits the same mistake. “There cannot be a noise unless there is an ear to hear it,” “A noise is caused by the vibrations of the ear drums. And neither can there be a bit of gossip without an ear to hear. The law holds the receiver of the stolen goods as guilty as the thief.”

Oftentimes, people who gossip about other people don’t mean to hurt those people. They think of talebearing as a bit of harmless pastime. But by talking of what those people have done, the gossiper is already judging them. And what Matthew 7: 1-2 said: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

The person who talks about one who sins is worse than the one who actually commits the sin. To prove this, he cited the situation that happened to Noah and his three sons in Genesis 9:20-27.

Noah was chosen by God to save man from total destruction. While it is a disgrace to be drunk in the public, it is a double shame for someone who wears the royal purple of the prophet. Noah lay in his tent drunk and disgracefully naked.

The Bible states: “Ham saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father’s nakedness.”

Many generations later, when the author of Hebrews writes of the great men of faith, he tells of Noah’s might work and does not remember his fall against him (Hebrew 11:7). Undoubtedly, God forgot it also.

But what happened to the three sons? “Shem and Japheth were blessed of God and they prospered,. But Ham, the son who told of his father’s nakedness, was cursed and was condemned to the life of a servant.

When it comes to gossip, the Holy Bible uses tongue to symbolize it. James 3:5-6: “The tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue is also a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and it itself set on fire by hell.”

All this happens when a person uses his tongue to say something bad or embarrassing about another person. Apostle James warned that so far, no man has ever tamed the tongue. “It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison,” he said.

Stop spreading the bad news. Proverbs 26:20 reminds, “Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down.”

The End.

I shamefully admit that I am guilty of this. I don't spread rumors nor do I intend to. But the little conversations with friends about other people, harmful or not, do occur. I shall do my best and not say anything about another person.

Pnoy born in the 50s - early 80s

2009-07-29T10:44:00.003-04:00

This email is from my MOM. She's learned to check her emails and now she knows how to forward. I found this funny and true... so if you're Filipino and was born in the Philippines, you might want to take a few minutes to read this... and you will probably end up sending it to your friends and family.

TO ALL PINOY KIDS WHO WERE BORN IN THE 50's, 60's, 70's and early 80's!

First, some of us survived being born to mothers who did not have an OB-Gyne, smoked and/or drank San Miguel Beer or Syoktong, while they carried us. The manghihilot (faith healer) was the cheapest way to deliver babies. Dinala ka ba ng nanay mo sa pediatrician for DPT? While pregnant, they took cold or cough medicine, cortal or medicol, ate isaw, and didn't worry about diabetes or cervical cancer.

Then after all that trauma, our baby cribs were made of hard wood covered with lead-based paints, pati na yung walker (andador) natin, matigas na kahoy or rattan at wala pang gulong .

We had no soft cushy cribs that play music, no disposable diapers (lampin lang), (noon cloth or rattan duyan lang tied to the posts or ceiling, babies fell asleep sa sobrang hilo and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, no kneepads, sometimes wala pang preno yung bisikleta.

Take-out food was limited to Ongpin's pansit or Aling Toyangs pre-cooked ulam in kalderos. No pizza shops, McDonalds, KFC, Subway, Jollibee; and, coffee was just kape hinde ga-mahal as in Starbucks.

As children, we would ride in jeepneys libre pag kandong,hot un-airconditioned buses with wooden seats (yung JD bus na pula), or cars with no airconditioning & no seat belts(ngayon lahat may aircon na)

Riding on the back of a carabao on a breezy summer day was considered a treat. (ngayon hindi na nakakakita ng kalabaw ang mga bata) Did you make your own saranggola and pasted bubog on the strings?

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle purchased from 711(minsan straight from the faucet or poso) walang 711 noon, sari-sari store ni Mang Akong to buy sarsi, suntan, RC cola or choco-vim.

We shared one soft drink bottle with four of our friends, and NO ONE actually died from this or contracted hepatitis.

We ate rice with star margarine, pampatangkad daw, took raw eggs straight from the shell, and dranksoftdrinks with real sugar in it (hindi diet coke), but we weren't sick or overweight kasi nga.......

WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, and get back when the streetlights came on.Sarap mag patintero, tumbang preso, habulan at taguan.Tandaan mo ba PIKO, step-no-step-yes, trumpo, garter & mala-ahas sa haba na goma? Kung naulan, jackstones, pick-up sticks or sungka, bahay-bahayan, tinda-tindahan, titser-teacher-an or swimming sa baha or kangkungan.

No one was able to reach us all day (di uso ang cellphone, walang beepers). And yes, we were O.K. Sipol lang ni tatay ang meron noon!

We would spend hours building our wooden trolleys (yung bearing ang gulong) or plywood slidesout of scraps and then ride down the street, only to find out we forgot the brakes! After hitting the sidewalk or falling into a canal (sewage channel) a few times, we learned to solve the problem ourselves with our bare & dirty hands ..

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 100 channels on cable, no DVD movies, no surround stereo, no IPOD's, no cellphones, no computers, no Internet, no chat rooms, and no Friendsters, Facebook. MSN etc. ....... ...WE HAD REAL FRIENDS and we went outside to actually talk and play with them! TV viewing was a treat, kilala mo ba si Popeye, Gumby, Betty Boop & followed the bouncing ball in Melody Tunes? That was karaoke then, LOL!

We climbed walls and trees (to get aratiles and catch salagubang & tutubi - tied them on the neck with a string), fell out of trees, got cut or "bukol", broke bones and teeth and there were no stupid lawsuits from these accidents.The only rubbing we get is from our friends with the words..masakit ba ? pero pag galit yung kalaro mo,,,,ang sasabihin sa iyo..beh buti nga !

We played marbles (jolens) in the dirt , washed our hands just a little and ate dirty ice cream, fish balls & inihaw na baga. We were not afraid of getting sick or germs in our stomachs.

We had to live with homemade guns, gawa sa kahoy, tinali ng rubberband , sumpit , tirador at kung ano ano pa na puedeng makasakitan, pero masaya pa rin ang lahat. We made up games with sticks (syatong), and cans (tumbang preso) and although we were told they were dangerous, wala naman tayong binulag o napatay... paminsan minsan may nabubukulan lang.

We walked a lot, rode bikes, or took tricycles to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just yelled for them to jump out the window!

Mini basketball teams had tryouts and not everyone made to the team. Those who didn't pass had to learn to deal with the disappointment. Wala iyang mga childhood depression at damaged self esteem ek-ek na yan. Ang pikon, talo.

Ang magulang ay nandoon lang para tingnan kung ayos lang ang mga bata, hindi para makialam at makipag-away sa ibang parents.

That generation of ours has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers, creative thinkers and successful professionals ever! They are the CEO's, Engineers, Doctors and Military Generals of today.

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had failure, success, and responsibility. We learned from our mistakes the hard way.

You might want to share this with others who've had the luck to grow up as real kids. We were lucky indeed.

And if you like, forward it to your kids too, so they will know how brave their parents were.

WoW Hacked!

2009-07-27T20:02:00.007-04:00

My WoW account was hacked. I received an email from Blizzard letting me know of a password change on my account. I didn't change the password. I couldn't have. I was on vacation, away from the computer. A few hours later, the person has merged my account with his account.. making it possible for him to do whatever he pleases.

I called billing support as soon as I got the chance to. Sadly, the office was closed on the weekend. I really didn't feel like waiting until the next day to fix this. This person could get a hold of my credit card information, my address, etc. I was in panic mode.

To make the long agonizing story short, I spoke with Blizzard this morning and they were able to give me my account back. He said that maybe I have spyware or trojan on my computer. I explained to him that's not possible. I use a MAC, not a PC. I wasn't convinced that my MAC could be infected. I researched on the possibilities of account hacking.. Gas Bandit advices not to browse Alkazham, Curse Gaming, or Thotbot while you're playing and to double check that the mods you download are real. Better yet, don't browse these sites on the same comp you play on. (http://gasbandit.blogspot.com/2008/02/my-world-of-warcraft-account-got-hacked.html)

As soon as I got home, I checked to see what the hacker stole from me. Unfortunately, he stripped my toons dry. Took most of my items, weapons, gems, bags, and money. This person left most of my toons naked. *sad* I really feel so violated. The hacker even deleted some of my toons. I don't know why he / she would do that. It wasn't enough that he stole from me (and from the guild.. he took money & items from the guild bank as well)... he had to delete my toons for no apparent reason. No heart. Hmph!

The good news (I hope) is I can get most, if not all, of the stuff back. I just need to let the GM know. It supposedly takes at least 5 days. Maybe longer.

I'm now waiting to hear back from the GM.... hopefully sometime tonight! I hate waiting.

Three Words

2009-07-22T13:20:00.002-04:00

This is an email I received from my dad. It's quite true and worth reading.. so please do read on and pass it along.

In this day and age some of us have grown so accustomed to take things for granted that we overlook the little things that endear us to people we love and care about. Let these small 3-word phrases ground us to what relationships are all about.

From a Son first, a Father, a Brother and a Friend...

There are many things that we can do to perk up and strengthen our interpersonal relationships. Yet the most effective involves the saying of just three words. When spoken or conveyed, these statements have the power to forge new friendships, deepen old ones and restore relationships that have cooled. The following three-word phrases can enrich every relationship. Yes, just three small words.

I'll Be There:

If you have ever had to call a friend in the middle of the night, to take a sick child to hospital, or when your car has broken down some miles from home, you will know how good it feels to hear the phrase "I'll be there." Being there for another person is the greatest gift we can give. When we are truly present for other people, important things happen to them and us. We are renewed in love and friendship. We are restored emotionally and spiritually. Being there is at the very core of civility.

I Miss You:

Perhaps more marriages could be saved and strengthened if couples simply and sincerely said to each other "I miss you." This powerful affirmation tells partners they are wanted, needed, desired and loved. Consider how ecstatic you would feel, if you received an unexpected phone call from your spouse in the middle of your workday, just to say "I miss you."

I Respect You:

Respect is another way of showing love. Respect conveys the feeling that another person is a true equal. If you talk to your children as if they were adults you will strengthen the bonds and become close friends. This applies to all inter-personal relationships.

Maybe You're Right:

This phrase is highly effective in diffusing an argument and restoring frayed emotions. The flip side to "maybe your right" is the humility of admitting, "Maybe I'm wrong". Let's face it. When you have a heated argument with someone, all you do is cement the other person's point of view. They, or you, will not change their stance and you run the risk of seriously damaging the relationship between you. Saying "maybe you're right" can open the door to further explore the subject, in which you may then have the opportunity to get your view across in a more rational manner.

Please Forgive Me:

Many broken relationships could be restored and healed if people would admit their mistakes and ask for forgiveness. All of us are vulnerable to faults, foibles and failures. A man should never be ashamed to own up that he has been in the wrong, which is saying, in other words, that he is wiser today than he was yesterday.

I Thank You:

Gratitude is an exquisite form of courtesy. People who enjoy the companionship of good, close friends are those who don't take daily courtesies for granted. They are quick to thank their friends for their many expressions of kindness. On the other hand, people whose circle of friends is severely constricted often do not have the attitude of gratitude.

Count On Me:

A friend is one who walks in when others walk out.. Loyalty is an essential ingredient for true friendship; it is the emotional glue that bonds people. Those that are rich in their relationships tend to be steady and true friends. When troubles come, a good friend is there indicating you can "count on me."

Let Me Help:

The best of friends see a need and try to fill it. When they spot a hurt they do what they can to heal it. Without being asked, they pitch in and help.

I Understand You:

People become closer and enjoy each other more if they feel the other person accepts and understands them. Letting your spouse know in so many little ways that you understand them, is one of the most powerful tools for healing your relationship. This applies to any relationship.

"I LOVE YOU"

Perhaps the most important three words that you can say. Telling someone that you truly love them satisfies a person's deepest emotional needs; the need to belong, to feel appreciated and to be wanted. Your family, your friends and you, all need to hear those three little words..

Time is like a river. You cannot touch the same water twice, because the flow that has passed will never pass again.

Enjoy every moment of life. . .

Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince

2009-07-21T13:45:00.002-04:00

I'm a big fan of Harry Potter. I've seen all movies in the theater. Read all the books. I was very excited to see the 6th installment, after all this has been postponed for so long and now that the time has come.. I had to watch it. The theatrical teaser was very enticing. The movie posters on buses, subway, and billboards were eye catching. All of the marketing tools for the movie.. the waiting, the in-your-face ads everywhere, made me hungry for the movie.

Unfortunately, as much of a huge fan that I am, I was quite disappointed. I don't know what it was but I didn't leave the theater feeling that it was worth the regular $11.25 movie price. I'm glad that we went to see it during matinee hours, $8 and some change hehehe). The effects were great, and there were a bunch of funny scenes, but the overall aspect didn't have an impact on me.

Nevertheless, I'd still watch HP 7 and HP 8... just because I've become so accustomed to the three wizards. They grew up right before our eyes, you know.

Give up a Seat

2009-07-20T21:11:00.006-04:00

The trains have been quite crowded lately. Especially, today, on my way home from work. I actually waited for 2 trains to pass before I got on and there were still no seats available. I didn't really have a choice but to stand. I tried to position myself next to the door and made sure that I won't be bothered by angry New Yorkers rushing to get home. I really hate rush hour. I don't like being squished in the train, that's why I wait till it gets less crowded before I hop on.

Anyway, a blind man walked in the train's car. He was old. I'm guessing he was probably in his late 50s or early 60s. He had grey hair, glasses, and a blind stick to guide him. People moved out of his way when he was walking, trying to clear the path for him. Right before the door closed, he found his way in the middle of the car. He held on to a pole and started asking "Is there an available seat?". Even though I had my headphones on, I heard him. I guess I was paying attention if someone would give up a seat for him. Mostly working women occupied the seats, no one bothered to give it up for the blind man. I looked over and saw 2 men sitting comfortably in their seats without a care in the world. People just looked at the blind man. After a minute or so, a woman stood up and guided the blind man to her seat.

Why did it have to take so long for someone to give up a seat? It's not just polite and nice to offer a seat, it's the law. (http://www.nypost.com/seven/06182009/news/regionalnews/mta_fines_if_you_dont_give_a_sit_174822.htm)

Where have our manners gone?

Restaurant City Too Much

2009-07-18T00:32:00.005-04:00

I'm addicted to Restaurant City. Err. I was only level 15 on my last post and I'm now 3 levels higher. Woohoo! It took a lot of work and time to get to 18. I kept RC window open while at work... even though it slowed down my pc. The price I have to pay to level up my restaurant. It's seriously disturbing how I hooked I am. I play when I'm at work and when I get home. I haven't even watched TV or done anything productive because of this game. I've basically ignored playing my other favorite game, Yoville. I also neglected to log on to other games. I'm on a mission to have a bigger restaurant, hire more employees, and renovate the place.

My restaurant at Lvl 15

Now at level 18:

Isn't it pretty?! I love it.... but honestly, at this point, I'm almost sick of the game. I think I overplayed. I mean, I know I overplayed. Just like Yoville, GuildWars, and Resident Evil 5 (we finished the game in a week!). When I reached the moment of maximum satisfaction... u know, when I did what I wanted to do with the game, I either gradually or cold-turkey stop playing. There's no desire for me to log on anymore. And I feel that I'm about to get tired of Restaurant City soon enough. Yesterday, I only logged on for a bit at work and I didn't play at all last night. It's a sign.

I guess the saying, "Too much of anything is never good", holds true. The fire eventually dies down. The desire fades. The satisfaction will soon go away. The excitement wears off.

Home Cooked

2009-07-15T16:00:00.006-04:00

Ever since I moved out of the house, I was forced to cook. Something I never had to do when I was living with my parents. I never had to prepare any meals. There's always home cooked food on the table. My mom made breakfast. Dad made dinner.

What a life... one that I miss.

Now, I prepare the meals, if we want to eat dinner. Otherwise, my hubby and I will sit infront of the computer all night long munching on potato chips, cherries, chocolate, or other junk food. Someone has to take charge. Me. LOL.

I've learned to cook some basic meals, adobo would be the first. I've also tried making my dad's super delicious torta .... but can't seem to get the right taste. I guess I don't cook enough to get it right. Sometimes, when I'm too lazy to try making other dish, I just revert to eggs and corned beef. Quick and easy. Sometimes, when I'm the laziest, we just order chinese food.

10 Honest Things

2009-07-13T21:06:00.012-04:00

I've just been tagged by Jannie. Yay! Thanks a lot for giving me something to write about tonight. My blog needs content!!

Here are the simple rules about this tag. Tell your readers 10 things about you that they may or may not know, but are true. Tag 10 people with the award, and be sure to let them know they've been tagged (a quick comment on their blog will do). Don't forget to link back to the blogger who tagged you.

1) I'm a gamer. I devoted a lot of my time in the beginning of our boyfriend / girlfriend relationship playing games. He & I spent 2 years playing Guild Wars, a MMORPG (massive multiplayer Online Role Playing Game). Then I switched over to World of Warcraft when I got my iMac because Guild Wars isn't supported on Mac Operating System. I convinced the husband to start playing with me when I couldn't finish certain quests on my own. So, he switched over to the darker side. I recently took time off playing WoW and started playing other facebook games like Yoville, Restaurant City, Farm Town, and Barn Buddy. When I'm not infront of the computer playing, you will find me playing other games on my iphone like Tetris, Bubble Breaker, Scramble, etc. The list goes on.

2) I am the only daughter. I have three older brothers. I'm the only girl and the youngest which makes me a spoiled brat. =)

3) I hate doing laundry. I would rather clean the bathroom than do laundry. I don't like folding clothes, pairing socks (which usually loses a pair), separating whites and darks, and drying. I don't know why I don't like it. I just know that I try to put off that chore for as long as I can. or get the husband to do it. lol.

4) My husband and I got married on our 4th year anniversary. Isn't that sweet?

5) My first world of warcraft toon was a female gnome with red pigtails named Laydeemonic. Since then, whenever I have to create a profile / character on any game, I name them Laydee and they usually have red pigtails to mimic Laydeemonic. But no one can ever compare.

6) I've been active on the online blogging scene long before xanga, blogger, friendster, myspace, and livejournal were born. I remember writing journals manually with html codes and designing my website on notepad. Things weren't so easy back then.

7) I'm a Twilight fan. I didn't think I would be. When I first saw the Twilight posters, I thought it would be another cheesy vampire chick flick not worth watching. But when I read the books, I became a fan. I already watched the movie 4 or 5 times. So far.

8) I'm scared of roller coasters. The last time I rode on one was at Universal studio's Mummy ride. The ride was dark and there was no way of knowing when you'll drop, reverse, or turn. It terrified me and I swore I would never go on another coaster ride again.

9) I'm fond of dogs. Who doesn't? I want to own a hypoallergenic kind like a maltese, shih tzu, or toy poodle.

10) I'm not a good swimmer. I'd rather fly than go on a cruise.

The End. It took me a little more than an hour to come up with 10 facts about myself. Now, its my turn to tag...... I'm only tagging 6 because I don't know many bloggers.

Annings, Barny, debra, toothfairy, kaydee, and jeck, You've been tagged.

Restaurant City

2009-07-13T08:00:00.006-04:00

I started playing Restaurant City recently, for over a week now I believe. Whenever I log on to facebook I see that have 102 other requests that I totally ignore. I get requests to be someone's neighbor on farmville, farmtown, barn buddy, and pet society. I accepted their requests and gifts. Also tried all of those games but nothing got me hooked like Restaurant City.

Shortly after signing up, I spent most of my coins decorating the place. I spiced up the tiles, bought new walls, and changed the windows. I didn't realize that I needed to feed my employees so they work faster. I neglected to buy additional chairs and tables. I wasted money on unnecessary renovation. It's so hard scraping for coins in the beginning of the game.

But I learned pretty fast. I bought cheap chairs and tables to accommodate the small restaurant and as I leveled up and earned more money, then I started the renovation process.

Look at what I've come up with so far:

It's a fun game. Really addictive. I don't know why. It may seem boring if you're looking at it from an outside point of view but I can't say the same when you're playing it. I think the idea of making money, buying new furniture, decorating the restaurant the way you want it, keeping your customers & employees happy... are the key ingredients to getting hooked to this game.

I'm an addict

2009-07-10T11:25:00.003-04:00

The first step to fixing a problem is admitting you have one.

"Hello. My name is chetzmosa and I'm an addict."

I'm addicted to the internet. When I'm at work, I'm on the net. When I get home, I'm on the net. When I'm on the road, I'm on the net. Before I sleep, I'm browsing the net on my iphone.

It's bad. I'm not even doing productive searches. I just log on to facebook, check out the updated status on my news feed, then go on yoville or restaurant city. I check my emails a hundred times a day. I go on yahoo to read featured stories or anything that interests me. I wikipedia a lot of things I don't know or don't understand. I google people. I read random blogs. I visit the apple site more than I should.... and it goes on and on.

So my problem is at night ... when I can't seem to sleep when I want to. I try. But I get the urge to grab my iphone and start playing around with it.

Err, you see, there's an app for everything. Instead of sleeping, I tap on the facebook icon and start checking updates, again. Then I tap on E! News applications to see what's going on with Hollywood people... maybe there's something else worth reading besides MJ's death. I mean honestly, I'm tired of seeing it all over the news. Jacko was a great artist but his death / funeral is overrated. Obviously, there's nothing else on except Michael Jackson news. So i turn to another application, TMZ, which has the same old news as E!. So I youtube for a few minutes, and then I play games. I don't stop until my iphone tells me that i have 20% battery left.

And when I look at the time, it's past 1AM. Sigh.

10 Principles for Peace of Mind

2009-06-30T22:27:00.004-04:00

I got this email from my dad. Somehow, he just knows when to send the right message. I guess that's what being a dad is about... just unconsciously knowing it all. Thanks Dad!

Life is not always spic and span. It's not always glorious. It's not always happily ever after. There will be moments when dirty thoughts linger or sometimes, we just feel utterly lost. And then one e-mail can lighten your load and brighten your day.

Please read on.

Ten Principles for Peace of Mind

1. Do Not Interfere In Others' Business Unless Asked.
Most of us create our own problems by interfering too often in others' affairs. We do so because somehow we have convinced ourselves that our way is the best way, our logic is the perfect logic and those who do not conform to our thinking must be criticized and steered to the right direction, our direction. This thinking denies the existence of individuality and consequently the existence of God. God has created each one of us in a unique way. No two human beings can think or act in exactly the same way. All men or women act the way they do because God within them prompts them that way. There is God to look after everything. Why are you bothered? Mind your own business and you will keep your peace.

2. Forgive And Forget.
This is the most powerful aid to peace of mind. We often develop ill feelings inside our heart for the person who insults us or harms us. We nurture grievances. This in turn results in loss of sleep, development of stomach ulcers, and high blood pressure. This insult or injury was done once, but nourishing of grievance goes on forever by constantly remembering it. Get over this bad habit. Believe in the justice of God and the doctrine of destiny. Let Him judge the act of the one who insulted you. Life is too short to waste in such trifles. Forgive, Forget, and march on. Love flourishes in giving and forgiving.

3. Do Not Crave For Recognition.
This world is full of selfish people. They seldom praise anybody without selfish motives. They may praise you today because you are in power, but no sooner than you are powerless, they will forget your achievement and will start finding faults in you. Why do you wish to kill yourself in striving for their recognition? Their recognition is not worth the aggravation. Do your duties ethically and sincerely and leave the rest to God.

4. Do Not Be Jealous.
We all have experienced how jealousy can disturb our peace of mind. You know that you work harder than your colleagues in the office, but sometimes they get promotions; you do not. You started a business several years ago, but you are not as successful as your neighbor whose business is only one year old. There are several examples like these in everyday life. Should you be jealous? No. Remember everybody's life is shaped by his/her destiny, which has now become his/her reality. If you are destined to be rich, nothing in the world can stop you. If you are not so destined, no one can help you either. Nothing will be gained by blaming others for your misfortune. Jealousy will not get you anywhere; it will only take away your peace of mind.

5. Change Yourself According To The Environment.
If you try to change the environment single-handedly, the chances are you will fail. Instead, change yourself to suit your environment. As you do this, even the environment, which has been unfriendly to you, will mysteriously change and seem congenial and harmonious.

6. Endure What Cannot Be Cured.
This is the best way to turn a disadvantage into an advantage. Every day we face numerous inconveniences, ailments, irritations, and accidents that are beyond our control. If we cannot control them or change them, we must learn to put up with these things. We must learn to endure them cheerfully thinking, "God wills it so, so be it." God's plan is beyond our comprehension. Believe in it and you will gain in terms of patience, inner strength and will power.

7. Do Not Bite Off More Than You Can Chew.
This maxim needs to be remembered constantly. We often tend to take more responsibilities than we are capable of carrying out. This is done to satisfy our ego. Know your limitations. Why take on additional loads that may create more worries? You cannot gain peace of mind by expanding your external activities. Reduce your material engagements and spend time in prayer, introspection and meditation. This will reduce those thoughts in your mind that make you restless. Uncluttered mind will produce greater peace of mind.

8. Meditate Regularly.
Meditation calms the mind and gets rid of disturbing thoughts. This is the highest state of peace of mind. Try and experience it yourself. If you meditate earnestly for half an hour everyday, your mind will tend to become peaceful during the remaining twenty-three and half-hours. Your mind will not be easily disturbed as it was before. You would benefit by gradually increasing the period of daily meditation. You may think that this will interfere with your daily work. On the contrary, this will increase your efficiency and you will be able to produce better results in less time.

9. Never Leave The Mind Vacant.
An empty mind is the devil's workshop. All evil actions start in the vacant mind. Keep your mind occupied in something positive, something worthwhile. Actively follow a hobby. Do something that holds your interest. You must decide what you value more: money or peace of mind. Your hobby, like social work or religious work, may not always earn you more money, but you will have a sense of fulfillment and achievement. Even when you are resting physically, occupy yourself in healthy reading or mental chanting of God's name.

10. Do Not Procrastinate And Never Regret.
Do not waste time in protracted wondering " Should I or shouldn't I?" Days, weeks, months, and years may be wasted in that futile mental debating. You can never plan enough because you can never anticipate all future happenings. Always remember, God has His own plan, too for you. Value your time and do the things that need to be done. It does not matter if you fail the first time. You can learn from your mistakes and succeed the next time. Sitting back and worrying will lead to nothing. Learn from your mistakes, but do not brood over the past. DO NOT REGRET. Whatever happened was destined to happen only that way. Take it as the Will of God. You do not have the power to alter the course of God's Will. Why cry over spilt milk?

Losing weight

2009-06-11T14:45:00.004-04:00

On Tuesday, I decided to get serious about losing weight. Not for superficial reasons. But for healthy reasons.

Not too long ago, my doctor found polyps in my gallbladder. She said a lot of people have gallstones in their gallbladder and not have any problems with it. They live normal lives, pain free. In my case, I feel slight pain on my upper right abdomen at night or after eating. Sometimes the pain catches me off guard that I feel it hurts even more.

She said I could have my gallbladder taken out if I want to. I have never been under the knife. I'm scared of needles. Blood makes me nauseous. Hospital beds gives me the creeps. I don't even like hospitals. It's depressing and smells icky.

To prevent surgical operation and hospital beds, I need to watch what I put into my mouth and shed some pounds. I need to add more vegetables and fruits into my diet, and lessen fatty food. I read that I should be on a high fiber and low fat diet. I also have to avoid food that I like to eat like eggs, oranges, calamari, and nuts. So this losing weight mission is gonna be extra tough... but I must do. Sigh. It's not easy growing up.

Iphone 3G(s)

2009-06-09T21:46:00.004-04:00

I just solved my phone dilemma.

Not too long ago, I was torn between Iphone 3G and a Blackberry. I once carried both the blackberry curve (for work) and the 1st generation iphone (for personal use) when I was working at the old job. The blackberry was nice.... for work stuff, especially retrieving emails, but the iphone was just aesthetically cooler with its built in ipod. Since the 1st gen iphone came out, I haven't changed phones and I am now due for a phone upgrade which is one of the reasons why I was looking at the Blackberry Curve / Bold. I felt that maybe I needed a change.

My sister told me about the new iphone coming out soon with video recording.. one of the major features lacking on previous iphones. It really didn't take me a second to think twice about it. I now know for sure that I want the new iphone 3G(s).

Its got really new cool features.

- Video Recording
- MMS
- Landscape and Portrait Keyboard
- Faster and better Safari
- Voice Recording
- Cut, Copy, and Paste
- Compass
- Voice Control
- Tethering

Need I say more? Go visit the apple site to see for yourself. (http://www.apple.com/iphone/)

New Moon Trailer

2009-06-01T10:33:00.006-04:00

I saw somewhere that they were going to show an official trailer for New Moon during the MTV Movie Awards. So I did what a fanatic would do: dvr'd the show, just in case I wont be around to see it. I didn't want to miss it.

I was screaming and quite excited to see it. The teaser looks hot and its a must see!! I'm going gaga again over Bella and Edward!

Just in case the video doesn't show, click the link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s29xmnNJvb4

New Crush

2009-05-26T15:23:00.004-04:00

I have a new crush. I used to be obsessing over Chace Crawford who plays Nate Archibald in Gossip Girl. His handsome, preppy look is something I really like about him.

Yesterday, I stayed home and watched some chick flicks that I've recorded on DVR. First up was Penelope, then Becoming Jane. Both movies starred James McAvoy. Ahh, the dreamy Mr. James McAvoy. I first saw him in the Last King of Scottland and admired his talent there. Then, in Atonement, I started to build this little puppy crush on him. After seeing him in two consecutive movies in a day, I can officially say that he's my new crush.

*Sighhhhhhhhh* He's so hot!! (and extremely talented!)

Hungrily waiting

2009-05-13T14:06:00.004-04:00

I came back from the doctor's office not too long ago. I waited more than 3 hours in an empty stomach to get a sonogram. 3 Long hours!!! It was torture!!!

I didn't realize the wait would be that long. The worst part about it was not being able to eat nor drink. I hadn't anything to eat since the night before. Going through the day without breakfast is like jumping in front of a fast moving train. It's suicidal.

I love to eat and breakfast is my favorite meal. It gives me the energy I need to survive the day. I'll skip lunch. I'll even skip dinner. But I choose not to skip breakfast. Never.

However, in this case, I had to make an exception. I was told to fast. The lady at the reception desk felt bad for me. She knew I've been waiting a while yet there's not much she could do. It was out of her hands. Everything was delayed. There's nothing else to do but wait. I wanted to walk out of there and reschedule my appointment. I thought about it many times over and over. In the end, I decided against it. If I rescheduled, I might have to relive this nightmare of waiting endlessly... so I sucked it up, sat there with my stomach constantly growling, and my patience running dry.

This was torture. When they finally called my name, the technician saw me for maybe 5 or 10 minutes. A 3 hour wait for a 5 minute service.

I officially hate medical offices.

SOLD!!! Pre-Owned Canon EOS IX Lite SLR

2009-05-12T14:22:00.010-04:00

This product is no longer available.

I'm helping my brother sell his ancient camera so he can buy himself an electric guitar. It is slightly used and in great condition. This SLR camera is ideal for an amateur photographer: cheap, light, and takes good quality pictures.

Canon EOS IX Lite SLR - Slightly Used. Great Condition!

Includes:
- Photocopy manual
- Camera

Bonus:
- 2 lenses (35-80mm & 80-200mm)
- 6 rolls of film with 24 exp each (5 rolls at 400 and 1 roll at 200 quality)
- Camera bag

Product Features
* Fully automatic SLR camera using Advanced Photo System format
* Easy drop-in film loading, midroll change
* 3 print formats
* Includes camera body
* Accepts all Canon EF lenses

Technical Details
* Brand Name: Canon
* Model: IX Lite
* device_type: SLR camera
* Shooting Modes: Full auto, Close-up, Landscape, Portrait, Night, Sports
* Metering Description: Evaluative, Partial (6.5%), Center-weighted
* autofocus_technology: TTL phase detection
* film_speed_range: ISO 25 - 8000
* Lens Type: Zoom lens
* Minimum focal length: 22 millimeters
* Maximum focal length: 55 millimeters
* Optical zoom: 2.5 x
* Real Angle Of View: 90
* Included Flash Type: Pop-up flash
* Flash Modes Description: Backlight mode, Forced mode, Auto mode, Red-eye reduction
* Red-eye reduction: Y
* Width: 4.8 inches
* Depth: 4.7 inches
* Height: 3.1 inches
* Weight: 19 Ounces

Product Images (Click to enlarge):

Stellar Filipina Nanny

2009-05-07T16:02:00.002-04:00

I've been looking for a Filipina Nanny for a few days now and haven't found one that fits the requirements. Today, I'm posting an ad, because maybe the right person will stumble upon it.. so here goes:

Manhattan High-End Family seeks a stellar Filipina Nanny with excellent NYC references. Take care of one toddler. Must be flexible to travel both domestic and international when needed. Caring and loving personality. 7+ years of total experience working for formal homes. Ideal candidate must have at least 2 years of experience working for a family. Driving is a plus. Competitive Salary. Position will start ASAP. Visit www.destinyhousehold.com to apply.

Please spread the word.

Craigslist Experience

2009-05-04T07:59:00.007-04:00

I'm selling 2 canon cameras to fund my brother's electric guitar charity. I've posted this on facebook, myspace, friendster, and multiply and have gotten responses, but no buyers.

So I did what a normal person would do who wants to sell it fast: post it on Craigslist. Despite the horror stories I've heard about Craigslist, I still posted it for sale. When I was working for my previous employer, we used Craigslist to advertise our available job openings. Posting was free and unlimited back in the days. When the site became popular, fees started to incur. Yet, Craiglist is much cheaper than using Monster or Hotjobs.

These days, Craigslist is a home for scammers. I've heard so many horror stories from my applicants and on the media. It is quite scary. One of my applicants who was desperate to find a position as a Nanny / Housekeeper found a listing on Craigslist. The family was out of town but will be moving to New York in a week. She spoke to them, chatted with them, and saw pictures of them. She thought of them as a loving family. And a generous one as well. They promised to pay her in advance and sent her a check as soon as she accepted the position. The amount she received was a lot more than she needed and they told her that she needs to take her share (plus some extras) and give the rest to an Agency the family is working with. I mean, I don't understand why they need to pay an agency fee when they found this woman on the internet themselves. This applicant is naive and in dire need of money. She went to Washington Mutual to deposit the check and was caught red handed by police for getting involved in a scam. She was taken in a room and interrogated for her involvement. She was proven not guilty and was sent home after a few hours. Her story at least had a happy ending. Katherine Olson's life ended when she went on a job interview for a Nanny position she found on Craigslist.

Craigslist is used by thousands, if not millions, of people who are selling their furnitures, paintings, used bikes, etc. There are successful stories in it too. Some of my friends have bought stuff from Craigslist without an issue. We just really need to be extra cautious.

When I posted my listing, I received two responses. Both buyers were asking me to "take down the advert from the web" and will purchase immediately. Both said they will pay me with a travelers check because they are out of town and will have someone pick up the package. My gut wasn't believing them so I refused to take a check. I told them I only accept cash or paypal. I never heard from them since.

A quick word of advice to job seekers, buyers, or sellers on Craigslist: be extra cautious. Read Craigslist's warning about scams to protect yourselves. If it seems too good to be true, then it is most likely too good to be true. Never underestimate your gut instinct, it just might save your life.

Pacman knocks out Hitman

2009-05-03T11:03:00.010-04:00

OMG! Flawless victory by Manny Pacquiao against Ricky Hatton. Pacman knocked out Hitman on round 2 with a vicious and powerful left hook!!!

I didn't expect the fight to be over that fast. I was thinking it would last until the 8th round or so. Everyone's making a big fuzz about how this would be a rather difficult and long fight because Hatton is a champion. He's fast, good, strong, and has 45-1 record. Hatton fell a couple of times on the first round and finally hit the deck towards the end of second round. PacMan is still the "pound by pound" champ. He is the first Filipino and second boxer to win 6 different weight divisions. Oscar De La Hoya was the first.

Pacquiao made a lot of Filipinos proud (and some a lot of money!).

Congratulations to Pacquiao and Freddie Roach on a job well done!!

You are an inspiration!

Stand Up 2 Cancer

2009-05-01T22:15:00.004-04:00

SU2C's mission statement taken directly from their website:

Stand Up To Cancer is a new initiative created to accelerate groundbreaking cancer research that will get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives. SU2C's goal is to bring together the best and the brightest in the cancer community, encouraging collaboration instead of competition. By galvanizing the entertainment industry, SU2C creates awareness and builds broad public support for this effort. (http://www.standup2cancer.org/su2c/mission)

There are so many ways to get involved. Donate, blog, join a team, add the application on your Myspace or Facebook accounts, twitter, make a video response, or simply put the logo on your site.

Stand up!

Blogger Templates

2009-04-30T21:09:00.003-04:00

I'm always on the look out for beautiful site templates. Whenever there are new themes or templates available on any sites (facebook, myspace, multiply, blogger, livejournal, etc) you will notice my site will change themes as well. I've always done that with my (now defunct) website (www.chetzmis.com). Constantly changing. When my mood changes, the site changes. I'm not sure if its just me or if its a female hormonal thing.

I changed my multiply templates a few times already since I actively started blogging, which I only started again this month. I've gone on myspace and tried different themes last night. Tonight, its my blogger site night.

Blogger is a little bit harder to find themes for. Themes that I like. Sometimes, the ones that I want to use are inaccessible, either page not found or bandwidth exceeded. Oh, how I miss those days when I designed my own site and coded html. I don't feel the need to do that anymore with all these free templates around. In short, I got lazy.

Anyway, I found a really useful free templates for blogger. It is worth the time I spent browsing and downloading new templates. I've downloaded quite a few off this site and tried on 4 different templates. Only one stands out. At the moment. Who knows, maybe tomorrow or the next, any one of my sites will get a new look. Only my mood can tell.

If you have a blogger account and looking for artsy, fresh, modern, chiq templates .. visit http://www.bloggerstyles.com/. It's worth taking a look at. Have fun!!

Wedding MTV on Vimeo

2009-04-30T19:59:00.001-04:00

I just logged on youtube to watch our wedding MTV. I was all excited to watch it again since its been a month since I viewed it last. Lo and Behold, there's no audio!!! Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTkrel1-Dws. YouTube disabled it due to copyright issues. Blah Blah Blah!

How annoying is that?? There's no point in watching the video without the music!!! Grrr. Copyright bull crap! Arghhh!!!

I'm glad that MPW uploaded this on Vimeo! I want to be able to share it in its entirety, without any of its parts missing. Its a really cool video and I don't get tired watching it over and over. Besides, I held the starring role. I obviously have to be my #1 biggest fan. LoL.

Here it is:
Dionne and Michael SDE from MyPinoyWedding on Vimeo.

MySpace All Decked Out

2009-04-29T17:39:00.001-04:00

I don't really log into myspace as much as I did when it first popularized itself during the friendster era. I usually go on maybe once a month these days or when I want to look up upcoming artists. It's become a musically inclined social networking site.

I didn't realize that they've done so much to it. They've done a site overhaul. It looks good, easy to use, and there's a lot you can do there, kindda like facebook.

I logged on today to post a bulletin on the CANON CAMERAS I'm selling. I was surprised to see the new changes. New to me, at least. Maybe these changes happened a while back, I never knew because I haven't logged on.

Anyway, I'm happy with what they did to it. I like the new playlists, the new profile themes, friends categories, etc. It's so easy to navigate. I enjoyed it so much I spent more than an hour on the site.

Good job, Tom!

Weekend Wake Up Call

2009-04-27T16:59:00.001-04:00

Had a tiring, busy, but fun weekend. We drove to New Jersey on Saturday to spend the day at my brother's place for his birthday. It was the perfect plan on a perfect HOT (80 degrees and Sunny!!) Saturday... Brought the entire family along, picked them up, and drove into the city to take the Holland Tunnel. Little did we know that we would be spending most of our day stuck in traffic. It was just awful to get stuck in traffic in Chinatown in the midst of the burning sun. There was traffic everywhere! The city was jam packed with cars, cabs, tourists, and people. A one hour and forty five minute drive took us almost 5 hours! It was that bad!! We were starving when we got to my brother's house. He started the grill so there was already plenty of burgers and hotdog ready to be eaten! hehehe. We spent Sunday with Myk's family and took then out to lunch for his Uncle's birthday. It was another pleasant day (Sunny and HOT) and we found ourselves stuck in traffic once again as we drove to Brooklyn. Despite the annoying traffic frustrations, It's always a good time with the family. You realize how much they're worth every minute and how important it is to always stay in touch. I'm blessed that we get along and we don't have any drama among us.

My brother took lots of pictures and I'm only going to post the one below with me in it because I looked so fat in most of them. LoL. It's true. It was a rude awakening for me to see my neck has disappeared in the pictures. My face became round and there''s no way to hide my double chin. And I looked pregnant! I wish I were so I can use it as an excuse to why I'm round. I've actually been asked if I'm pregnant many times... other people's nice way of saying "You're fat".

I'm not happy with my current weight. I've let this weight gain creep up on me without really doing anything about it except complain to Myk. I hate exercise. I hate diets. But I want to be healthy and slim when I go back to the Philippines. I mean I don't want to be too thin, just trim down. So, I promised myself that I will do my bestest to lose some pounds.

I've started counting my calorie intake today and did 20 minutes of yoga. If this failed, I might have to get liposuction. Doctor Beloooooooooooooooo! LoL.

Getting Old Enough

2009-04-23T06:59:00.000-04:00

This weather is totally unpredictable. One day its cold. The next its warm. Over the weekend, the forecast was 76 degrees. But it didn't feel that way. Maybe when we were driving to NJ, somewhere on a stop over, it felt warm but when the wind blows ... you forget that it was supposed to be 76 degrees.

Anyway, I got sick probably from this weather. Its freezing in the office or sometimes its hot. We just can't seem to get the perfect temperature in here. Or maybe I got sick from staying out late on Saturday and not getting enough sleep.

It's like I'm getting too old to hang out late nights and drinking the night away. I had half a bottle and fell asleep. LOL. Times are changing.. I'm getting too old. LOL.

You've Changed My Life

2009-04-20T12:46:00.003-04:00

I watched You've Changed my Life with the hubby the other night. It's one of those feel good movies. No matter how corny the lines get, you can't help but feel those butterflies in your stomach. Sarah Geronimo is way too cute in the movie. She's funny, naive, and just a cute little actress. She really captures the viewer's attention. John Lloyd Cruz is handsome. He captures every woman's heart in the movie, no matter how cranky he gets. It's his dashing good looks and warm smile that makes a woman want to be in Sarah's shoes.

SOLD!!! CANON S5 FOR SALE

2009-04-17T07:13:00.003-04:00

This product is no longer available.

Canon S5 - Slightly Used. It includes the original box, manual (unopened), cd - software (unopened), usb & a/v cable

It requires SD card and 4 AA batteries

Product Features

Full-featured, compact 8.0 Megapixel digital camera with a 12x Optical Zoom
Canon Optical Image Stabilizer Technology and ISO 1600 for steady shooting
DIGIC III Image Processor with improved Face Detection Technology and Red-eye Correction for even better image quality and functionality
High-resolution 2.5-inch vari-angle LCD for easy shooting at any angle
Hot shoe adapter for the Speedlite EX Series external flashes

Technical Details

Brand Name: Canon
Optical Sensor Resolution: 8 MP
optical_sensor_technology: CCD
Optical zoom: 12
maximum_aperture_range: f/2.7 (W) - f/3.5 (T)
Minimum focal length: 6 millimeters
Maximum focal length: 72 millimeters
Lens Type: Zoom lens
Display Size: 2.5 inches
light_sensitivity: ISO 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
Image types: JPEG
Shooting Modes: Auto mode
Exposure Control Type: Auto, Program AE, Shutter priority AE, Aperture priority AE, Manual, Auto depth-of-field
Width: 4.6 inches
Depth: 3.06 inches
Height: 3.15 inches
Weight: 19.2 Ounces

Jollibee in NY - 4 Stars

2009-04-16T15:19:00.000-04:00

I give this place a 4 star because of the fact that it's JOLLIBEE, the ultimate fast food restaurant for Filipinos, and this branch is the first for the East Coast and maybe the staff is unaware of how things work around here.

Fast Food means Fast Service.

I think for an entire month people waited in line outside for hours just to get inside and then wait some more when your in to order your food. And more waiting to receive your order. I know. We experienced this on its third opening day.

It was pretty wild having to wait out in the cold, keeping ourselves warm with dunkin donuts coffee, not realizing that time has passed by and the line wasn't moving fast enough. When you're with good company, everything else is a blur. But when hunger strikes, it becomes a different scenario. Everything else is in the way of food for the tummy. We waited 4 hours to taste chicken joy and rice.

Was it worth the wait? Maybe. The wait got us really hungry and we could just eat anything at that point.

Last Sunday, we went back to get a bucket of chicken joy for Myk's family. A 12 piece bucket cost $27.00. Too expensive, if you ask me. We also ordered 5 yumburgers at $1.89 each (that's without the veggies). If you want to add lettuce and tomato, you need to cough up another $2.00 for it. It's really pricey and the service is really slow!!

Facebook, what have you done to me?

2009-04-16T08:42:00.000-04:00

Every minute, every hour, and pretty much every second of the day, I am on facebook. Sometimes I log on to play Yoville or check my friends pages, look at their new pictures, write photo comments, write wall comments.

Sometimes, I find myself logging on just to see what the new status updates are or chat with whoever is available online.

or play Yoville again. Every 6 hours or so, I can go to work at the widget factory and earn some yoville coins. After working at the factory, I usually message my yoville friends to earn more coins. I use the coins to buy furniture, accessories, wallpaper, floor, and windows for my Yoville Apartment.

Looking at my apartment, you can tell that I've done a lot of shopping and put a lot of time into decorating my place. I still have two other rooms left to decorate.

But I've lost the urge to decorate. At least for now. No creativity juices flowing. Yet, I still log on to view my apartment every hour or so. Hoping that maybe, a new idea will pop up. And when there's none, I log out of yoville, and start staring at my facebook home page.

I log on facebook too when I get home. Even check it on my iphone. I don't know why this is happening to me. It's like I'm addicted to it... kinda like my own brand of heroine (stole the line from twilight lol). Is this happening to others or just me?

On my train ride home yesterday, I overheard two people behind me talking about all these social networking sites like xanga, myspace, friendster, twitter, and facebook. The older guy mentioned that people who are always on these sites have lower iq than the average person. boooooooooo!

Finding the Gown

2009-04-15T10:39:00.000-04:00

Now that the wedding is over, I can finally post pictures of the gown search. I was afraid to post it pre-wedding because the hubby might stumble upon my blog sites and ruin the thrill of seeing me in my gown for the first time. He always likes to be surprised.

The first time I tried on a gown was sometime in the end of May 2008. The girls and I went to David's Bridal to find their bridesmaid / maid of honor gowns. I already have THE gown (see the gown below) in mind. I was trying to find a similar style there but didn't find one that's close.

I think I tried on one gown, just for fun, because the girls made me.. Nothing extraordinary. I walked out empty handed. With my heart set on the gown above and no luck finding a similar style anywhere, I knew what I need to get done: have the gown custom made in the Philippines. This is my gown. But when I received the price quote to copy the gown ... I was shocked. There's no way I would spend $2,000 on my gown. It's just way out of the budget. My heart sunk in disappointment. I need to find another gown. Now.

The girls and I went back to David's Bridal to find my gown. It didn't take long for me to set my eyes on the One. I tried on two styles. The first one I tried on was a halter piece. I really didn't feel like wearing a strapless gown. I felt that its become the standard wedding gown and I wanted to go against the "what is".

I fell inlove with it instantly. I like the halter piece and the Aline cut. It's almost similar to my original choice, minus the cloudy bottom. The girls wanted me to try on a second gown to give me an option.

The girls loved this one more than the first. It has more details and a longer train. I loved the way it hugged my body and made me look skinny! LoL. I wasn't so sure about the strapless. I guess I just have my eyes set on a halter piece from the beginning. I kept going back and forth between halter and strapless. I tried on the halter once again and slipped this one back on too, just to see the difference. Even put on the veil for each. But on the second try, I became attached to the strapless gown. I just knew that it is the one!

And ladies, that's how I picked my gown!