I've been tagged

Mai tagged me to do this over the weekend so here goes...

Yourself: I had a long weekend but it wasn't enough to catch on the zzzz's that I lack very much.
Your Partner: no comment
Your Hair: color is light brown, shoulder length, and it badly needs pampering
Your Mother: no comment
Your Father: workaholic at 74!
Your Favorite Item: my computer
Your Dream Last Night: I might have had one last night but I guess I was too tired to remember.
Your Favorite Drink: very cold water or very cold Coke
Your Dream Car: I have 2 dream cars - a Ferrari to drive when I feel like flaunting it but what I would really like to have is a Jeep Cherokee (and I wouldn't trade that dream car for anything else!)
Dream Home: A home where I'm at peace, no more fighting, no more stressful living
The Room You Are In: my bedroom
Your Fear: unexpectedly dying
Where You Want to be in Ten Years: abroad, living my life to the fullest
Who You Hung Out With Last Night: my siblings, DS, MH and Papa
You’re Not: and will never be a traitor
One of Your Wish List Items: a house that I can call my own
The Last Thing You Did: uploaded photos from the Father's Day celebration we had yesterday
You Are Wearing: oversized night shirt
Your Favorite Weather: the chilly and crisp winds of autumn, and the whiteness of snow in winter
Your Favorite Book: Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
Last Thing You Ate: 3 pieces of hopia mongo and 2 glasses of Coke
Your Life: challenging
Your Mood: cranky
Your Best Friend: lives far away from me and I miss her
What Are You Thinking About Right Now: I'm going back to work tonight.
Your Car: Victoria - my 1997 Honda Civic VTi and Tish - our 2005 Silver Toyota Altis
What Are You Doing At The Moment: just blogging
Relationship Status: I live each day as it comes! (Connection please?!?!?! LOL!)

In return, I'm tagging dangkin, jho and deden. Let me know everything about you at the present time :)

Being Innovative

I have to start thinking of ways and means to be interesting so that DS will get to like learning his lessons and he will not have a hard time following my instructions when he goes to school. Tutoring kids can be tough, especially if the tutor is not committed and he or she lacks the skills to be one. Nowadays, one has to be an Innovative Tutor in order to keep a student's interest from faltering. Once a student gets bored, everything falls out of place and getting back the attention would oftentimes be hard. If a tutor is innovative and creative, the student's interest to learn will be kept at optimum levels and in return would create a positive and encouraging atmosphere of learning for both tutor and student.

Dads are the best...

I may not be the best daughter in the world for I have done a lot of crazy and stupid things in my life that hurt him. But I'm just so blessed to have a father as patient, as understanding, as loving and as forgiving as Papa. Given the choice to live my life over again, I'd still choose him to be my father.

It's just very obvious that I'm a Papa's girl. I've always been and I will always be. If there's one song that I'd like to share on his special day, it's gonna be this one. I know it talks about getting married and stuff, but it's the marriage thing that he wasn't able to totally celebrate with me. Maybe some other time, he will.

Sing Me Your Song Again, Daddy
Sung by Cherie Gil
Composed by Jose Mari Chan

Free file hosting from File Den

Sing me a song again, Daddy
Sing me a happy verse.
Teach me those clever lines you sang
As you carried me on your shoulders.
Sing me that hymn that you so loudly
Sang in church with mom.
Sing it again to me and fill me
With all your words of wisdom.

Comforting words of love when I
Would get home from school in tears.
Somehow your songs have stayed within me
Down through all the years.
Once when my younger heart was broken
Your shoulder was there to cry on.
Sing me those songs I know will linger
Long after you have gone.

I am standing at the threshold
Of a chapter in my life
I am asking for your blessing
As I'm about to be the wife
Of a man I know who loves me
And I'm proud to be his bride.
Dad the time has come for me to leave your side.

So, sing me a song again, Daddy.
Sing me a lullaby.
Wrap me inside your arms, Daddy,
'Though this is not goodbye.
Your songs will live forever
In my heart. When times get rough
The ones I'll most remember
Are your songs of love.

JOSE:
Your songs will live forever
In my heart. When times get rough

CHERIE:
The ones I'll most remember
Are your songs of love.



Credits:
Epaper Honor from ComputerScrapbook
Element from We Escape by Correen Silke @ ComputerScrapbook
Fonts: FB Sprinkles, EK Cupcakes

PayPerPost has done it again

PayPerPost was able to raise another US$7M for the company's capital. That's really great news for all posties since we are assured that PPP is stable and growing - that means more opportunities for us in the coming days and eventually more chances for us to express honest opinions and getting paid for it.

PayPerPost has revolutionized the paid blogging industry without sacrificing blog ethics. As posties, we are free to write as we please without compromising honesty and I stand by that. Although I know that there are people who seem cynical about sponsored posts, I still believe that it all boils down to the fact that we are given the choice to write about opportunities and we are not forced in any way to write positively about anything at all times. As posties, we are given a wide variety of topics to choose from and the most important thing is that, we do not hide the fact that these are sponsored posts and we are getting paid to write about things that matter to us.

For as long as PayPerPost is transparent in all of its dealings with me and my fellow posties, I am really proud that I am part of the group that has set a benchmark in the world of blogging. With this new development in PayPerPost's existence, all I can say is that I'm a happy postie with PayPerPost.

And on this note, I would like to share with you the recent press release about PayPerPost's newest announcement:

The PayPerPost Revolution Accelerates, Sponsored
Blogging Marketplace Secures $7 Million Series B

Draper Fisher Jurvetson leads round and joins Board of Directors

ORLANDO, FL – (June 12, 2007) – PayPerPost, the leading marketplace for advertisers to reach bloggers and other consumer content creators, today announced it has completed a $7 million second round investment led by Draper Fisher Jurvetson, an investor in the company's Series A and one of the world’s leading high-technology venture capital firms. The financing brings the total amount of capital raised by PayPerPost to over $10 million, giving the company considerable resources for further development as the industry’s leading Consumer Generated Advertising marketplace. Additional participants in the round include existing investors Inflexion Partners and Village Ventures as well as new investor DFJ Gotham. With this investment, DFJ Managing Director Josh Stein also joins PayPerPost’s Board of Directors.

“PayPerPost created this exciting new advertising space and has established itself as the industry leader,” said Ted Murphy, chief executive officer of PayPerPost. “Although we’ve only used a portion of our first round capital, this added support from investors unlocks significant growth potential. Our content creator and advertiser ROI metrics clearly demonstrate the upside for PayPerPost’s model. We intend to use this capital to build the infrastructure, visibility and professional expertise necessary to reach and retain a greater network of advertisers and content creators than ever before.”

Since its founding in June of 2006, PayPerPost has signed more than 6,500 advertisers to its groundbreaking service, which has enabled Consumer Content Creators to be compensated for their efforts discussing specific companies, products or services via blogs, videos or other media. The content creators are required to disclose relationships with advertisers on their blog, providing transparency for the end reader. Over 125,000 Internet postings, most in the form of blogs, have already earned money for their creators through PayPerPost’s innovative marketplace. PayPerPost recently released PayPerPost Direct, a disruptive new service that allows advertisers to contract and negotiate directly with individual bloggers they identify through a safe, managed system.

“PayPerPost has laid a strong foundation for the future,” noted Tim Draper, founder and managing director of Draper Fisher Jurvetson. “It continues to attract a critical mass of participants from both the advertising and blogging communities. Analogous to Overture’s sponsored search model, we believe PayPerPost’s business model holds disruptive potential and will enable the company to thrive in the evolving paid-content arena.”

To mark the $7 million dollar funding, PayPerPost has launched a new website detailing the company’s service offering at http://www.payperpost.com. Bloggers and advertisers can easily sign up at the site and begin leveraging the self service marketplace.

Photo Hunters #5

This week's topic is all about hair.

I had a hard time trying to find a photo for this week's theme. But with the limited photos that I have, I have decided to just discuss my hair.

This may come across as a narcissistic post but please bear with me. I love going to the beauty salon to pamper myself, especially when I have the money to do so. I avail of all the services I could get - manicure, pedicure, foot spa, hair spa or hot oil. I have been coloring my hair since college. But I had to go through bleaching my hair because it was color and perm resistant. The past months, I have tried experimenting with my hair color and I have tried the lightest shade of brown I could do on my hair without me going blonde (I really think it's weird for an Asian to be blonde. LOL!).

I would like to try coloring my hair red but I still have to gather guts to do it. Do you think it will look good on me? Let me know!

Coupons...Coupons...

Since I moved out, I often find myself on the lookout for discounts and coupons for my purchases. I often find the coupons in magazines or newspapers especially for a well-known drugstore. Flyers are also a good source of coupons. The grocery I frequent has a weekly leaflet or booklet of coupons and discounts so when there's a need for me to go grocery shopping, that comes in real handy.

But how I wish there's a local online service just like CouponChief.com so that I can make use of coupons for the HP Home Store, since I'm an HP user since time immemorial. I could sure use the coupons to stock up on ink cartridges and papers that I use. That would be great, wouldn't it?

Top 5 on Friday #5

Top 5 Albums on my Wish List


Elliott Yamin - I discussed this in an earlier post. The record stores here in the Philippines are still not selling the album here. I can barely wait to get my copy!!!


With You - Limited Collector's Edition by Josh Groban - I am a huge Josh Groban fan!!


Music and Lyrics - Original Soundtrack - I fell in love with this movie!


Reaching Out by Menudo - I'm a child of the 80's. And I was once a Menudo fan. I still am because of their songs. Who would forget Like A Cannonball and If You're Not Here (By My Side). I remember that I had their albums on cassette. But when we moved, I lost it together with the one below. It's a hard-to-find CD and it's just too expensive in Amazon. I guess I'll try eBay.


Menudo (English) - Their second English album that I'd like to have a CD copy of.

Happy weekend!

Poker tables

I wrote about playing poker on an earlier post. It's a fun activity and a good bonding opportunity for friends and family members.

For some people, they would like to make their poker nights more interesting and more enticing by having a special place in the house just for it, complete with Poker Tables to make it more appealing to their co-players. If I'll have a big house, I would like to have maybe two of those in my game room so that my Dad could have his poker nights with his friends. At least they wouldn't have to use the dining area or the living room center table for that.

Cardroom Supply can provide Poker Tables that are of great quality and there are a lot of designs to choose from depending on your budget. Each of the designs is unique, and with their wide array of choices, you are assured that there's one that will suit your budget, taste and style. They offer free shipping for orders above $100.00 and their well-stocked so you don't need to wait for a long time to have your orders shipped.

Since Father's Day is just around the corner, this would be a perfect gift to give to poker-loving Dads. I'm sure it's going to make the best Dad in the world feel great to see that he has his own little space for his poker nights.

**This is a sponsored post**

Thursday Thirteen Week 30

Wow! I've gone a long way since I started doing this meme. I've grown so fond of it and although there were weeks that I was not able to participate, I still visit (or lurk for that matter) members of the blogroll.

I was not able to create a banner for this week so I just grabbed one of my old-time favorites as my TT banner for this week. Forgive me but I totally forgot where I got it. For those who might know, please give me a nudge. Old age is setting in! LOL!

I have been writing a lot the past couple of days - blogging about my not-so personal life and for profit. And in the process, everything might have gotten all mixed up. For this week, I'm writing about...



Thirteen Personal Updates I've made in my blog for the past week

My siblings have moved in with me.

I talked about my son's eating habits.

I asked about homeschooling and would still love to hear more about how it's being done.

I almost made a big boo-boo about Father's Day.

False fire alarms

Basti Tales 1

Basti Tales 2

Feeling sad

Dieting

My favorite shoes

My list of psychedelic songs

I joined Smorty

I shared a funny e-mail

I hope you could read 'em all back. Happy Thursday!!!!

Student Loans

The cost of education is getting more and more expensive every year. In fact, a lot of students have been dropping out of school to work to make ends meet. Although you can get loans for anything over here, it's relatively hard to get one right away without going through all the hassles.

In the US, a lot of people get student loans to finance their studies. However, there are a lot of incidents when after graduation, they fail to pay off their loans and before they even start earning their first salaries, they are already deep in debt. Student Loan Consolidation is one viable option in this scenario because instead of paying different loans with different APRs, the loans are combined into one and is charged with an acceptable interest rate depending on your paying capability. It takes the burden off the student so he or she is able to work and life comfortably without stressing too much on the student loans one needs to pay off.

It would be great if services like this will be offered in the Philippines. This will give opportunities for a lot of people to pursue their dream of completing a college or university education without putting too much dent into the family budget. It is still a long way before we can get to that point but who knows, in the not-so-distant future, it may become a reality.

**This is a sponsored post**

On fire alarms

I was on a rampage yesterday because for the second time in 2 weeks, some retards decided to play with the fire alarm again causing a minor commotion on our floor. I called reception but got a lame statement from the guard who answered, and I quote: "Ma'am baka pinaglaruan lang yung fire alarm!" (Ma'am maybe someone just played around with the fire alarm).

I went to the administration office to report about the incident and you know what they told me? That they were not aware that the fire alarm went off and that the incident that happened 2 weeks ago was not reported to them so they didn't know that this has happened before. I couldn't believe it. The security guard reasoned out with me but just told me lame excuses like they can't monitor who blows smoke into the smoke detectors on every floor and all that stuff. I told them that they shouldn't be complacent about things like this because setting off false fire alarms is JUST NOT RIGHT and is even a violation of the Fire Code of the Philippines (under Section 9). Apparently, they didn't know that. I was just so pissed because it seemed to me that they don't give a damn about false fire alarms setting off!

I didn't care that I was just in my pajamas and my hair was all uncombed and stuff but I hope I was able to send my message across.

Summer Camps

I have always wanted to join Summer Camps when I was younger. However, I never had that opportunity because of financial difficulties.

Since I know how helpful these programs can be in terms of a child's development, I would surely want for DS to enjoy these activities to help him become a well-rounded individual. I like him to enjoy what I didn't enjoy when I was a growing kid. It would surely be a great feeling to see him come home from camp with lots of good and not-so-good stories to tell about his experiences.

Humid Wednesday

I should be preparing for work but I've only had 4 hours of sleep. I don't really know how I'm going to get by work tonight but I hope a little help from Coke or coffee will do the trick.

I feel so tired and the air is so humid! Then it began to rain a bit. How I wish it rained more but it didn't. I find comfort seeing the rain pour. It's like I can pour my heart out with its every drop.

Sad? Yeah, I am! But I'm doing my best not to be. It's hard. But I know in the end, I'll still be happy.

Rural living

The South Cyprus area in the Mediterranean region has been overdeveloped because of the enchanting view and the monetary returns of a long-term investment. However, someone who wants a holiday home for his or her family still has other options, like getting their very own North Cyprus Property for rates as low as GBP30,000. The place still boasts of a slow-paced lifestyle and the beauty of rural living. If I was a millionaire, I would definitely consider getting a place here where I can hie off anytime to a relaxing place.

Tuesday Musings

I woke up from a 3-hour sleep about 2 hours ago. I was trying to catch some snooze before going to work tonight. But lo and behold, the phone rings and there goes my snooze session.

My place has been cramped since Sunday morning. My erstwhile mother phoned me Saturday night to pick-up my siblings because "she doesn't want anything to do with them anymore." I'm not being dramatic, that's the way she told me about it and even sent a text message to my Dad. She said that one of my siblings will be going to the UK with my half-sister and the rest of the brood will stay with me. And she just doesn't care anymore as to what happens after that.

I am at a loss for words, not because I've ran out of them but because I can't explain my feelings about all this. I'm confused, I'm bothered, I'm frustrated, I'm stressed out and I'm angry about my mother's decisions. Papa has been trying to settle things between them but they just always go back to square one - primarily because my mother keeps on changing her mind about things. Papa's gone to the point of giving up and all I can tell him is not to stress too much about everything. I told him that God doesn't give us problems without solutions and we can work this thing together. Here I am again, being strong for other people, but I have to admit that I'm going weak, I'm frail and I'm scared about new responsibilities.

I've been very moody the past few days because of this. My mind has been wandering but I do my best not to let my personal problems interfere with work. It's not easy but I'm getting there.

I have to take it one step at a time, re-arrange priorities and get things done. If only I have a supportive and understanding partner, then maybe things will be easier. But then again, I was not blessed with such. So, other plans need to be made to suit what's currently needed.

I'm holding on to God, hope and prayers. I know I can't go wrong with them.

Shopping Online

I am an online shopper and because of that, I come across a variety of shopping carts along the way. Shopping online is a fun activity to do, especially if you're looking for those hard-to-find stuff. That's why I only transact with reliable sites, like the digital scrapbooking sites I frequent. I highly appreciate stores that use a good and secure shopping cart software because one thing I'm dreading are giving opportunities for my credit card to be compromised by fraudsters.

Suffice it to say, merchants should be very wary about the ecommerce software that they use in order for them to service their customers better and in a safe environment. Ashop Commerce provides that by offering a complete solution for merchants who sell online. Merchants are assured that their software is safe, secure and reliable, thus, eliminating possibilities of fraud in their transactions.

Enjoy hassle-free online shopping with safe and secure shopping carts with Ashop Commerce.

Before and after the marriage

I got this funny e-mail from my high school e-group. I really got a good laugh out of this :)

Before the marriage:

He: Yes. At last. It was so hard to wait.
She: Do you want me to leave?
He: NO! Don't even think about it.
She: Do you love me?
He: Of course!
She: Have you ever cheated on me?
He: NO! Why you even asking?
She: Will you kiss me?
He: Yes!
She: Will you hit me?
He: No way! I'm not such kind of person!
She: Can I trust you?

Now after the marriage you can read it from bottom to the top!!!!

Framing Photos

I love taking photos and most of my photos are just stashed away in my hard drive or on DVDs since they are mostly in digital form. It pays to have online albums that you can share with your friends, but what if you have visitors at home and they want to see photos of your or your family during their visits? Wouldn't it be nice if you have some photos displayed around your house for them to look at?

With a digital photo frame you can frame your photos for display at home or at the ofice and even set the time when those photos were taken. The frames are a simple plug and play system that will let you bring the frames anywhere there's power. Here are some of the other features of the frames:

* Play's directly from USB flash drives
* 7" TGT True Color LCD
* USB2.0 interface for transferring images from computer
* Card Reader Supporting SD, MS and MMC
* Play's JPEG
* Resolution: 480*234 pixel
* JPEG playback
* Playable Audio&Video: MP3/WMA/MPEG1/MPEG2/MOTION
* Brightness: 250cd/m2
* Contrast: 200:1
* Viewing angle: Left/right 40°, up/down 30°
* Speakers: Built-in 8x2W stereo speakers
* AV out
* Display System: NTSC/PAL
* Picture Rotation Function
* Zoom In/Zoom out Function
* Slide Show Display Mode
* AC-3 Digital
* Standard easy full-function remote control
* Power supply: 12V
* Power consumption: 9W
Accessories:
Remote control, Power supply Adapter, AV cable, Stand

There are a lot of frames to choose from so you have access to a wide array of options that will suit your needs. I really think it's a great investment because you get to display your favorite photos without the need for bulky albums. Cool isn't it?

Tina's Tuesdays #5

Tina has quite a controversial edition for this week.

TOPIC: Dieting
01. Have you ever been on a diet? If so, when?
Yes. I took a chance at the South Beach Diet 2 or 3 years ago. But prior to that, I underwent a slimming program with Dr. Joel Mendez back in 2002 when I came back from Canada

02. What was the most pounds you have ever lost?
50 pounds back in 2002. And now I just gained it all back! LOL!

03. Are you currently on one now? If so, mention your stats (start, lbs lost, etc).
No I'm not. And I don't think I'll subject myself to that, at least for the moment.

A new way to blog

It is always great to know that you have more opportunities to earn during these trying times. But of course you also have to be discerning in order for you to maximize profit and be able to keep up with all the responsibilities that goes with it.

I have stumbled upon a new website that allows you to get paid for blogging. With Smorty, you get paid to blog by writing your own opinions on several topics, products and services. Its website interface is very easy to navigate, thus, making it very user-friendly. Smorty's FAQs are very easy to understand and provide you with enough information to get you started with blog advertising. Getting approved to have an account is easy and there's not much hassle you have to go through. And what's good is that you get to register for free.

Get that blog rockin' and rollin' with Smorty!

Eating Habits

I am quite frustrated because Basti is not gaining weight and is not eating as he should. There's always a battle during mealtime because he doesn't want to eat. He always says "No!" or "Ayaw!!! Either way, this gets me frustrated especially now that he's not as healthy as he looked before.

I've tried all sorts of vitamins and appetite boosters, even that vitamin brand recommended by his godmother from a local Chinese store. However, nothing seems to work. He hasn't gone back to his pediatrician for the longest time, all because MH was negligent enough to have an appointment made. I know I should have taken over that task, but with all the things over my shoulders the past couple of months, it's one thing that frustrates me dealing with MH all the more. He can't make a simple phone call to the doctor to set an appointment. He wants me to do it.

Anyway, I have been trying really hard to feed him properly. But he prefers gulping down his milk (he drinks PediaSure) rather than eating solids. He occasionally eats at McDonald's at his whim just so he would eat. MIL prepares fried fish and rice and he eats that whenever it's available. But as soon as there's a different type of food on the table, the battle begins once more.

I don't know what to do. I'm frustrated and I'm tired. MH is not helping at all because he always shouts whenever it's meal time for the kid. It creates another source of conflict for us so I take over and just patiently try to feed my son with what's on the table.

I was able to get a referral for a new pediatrician who can get to see us at any given time without setting an appointment first. We're going there on Friday since I'm taking that day off from work. I'm not ditching my current one, it's just that I need a fresh opinion or outlook for my son's condition. I feel guilty because I'm so big that people might think I'm eating my son's food that's why he's not eating. I'm just thankful that he's not sickly despite his eating habits.

Any thoughts about the matter? Let me know, I'm listening.

Playing Poker

I would love to own a Mac - it's a dream machine for me. And I've heard a lot of great reviews about it. However, there are still a lot of applications that need to be Mac-compatible, including online games like Poker. Poker is a favorite card game among males, my Dad included. He's no expert when it comes to Poker but playing it with his peers is one form of relaxation for him.

Wouldn't it be great if you have a powerful Mac and you could play a relaxing game of poker all at the same time right in the comfort of your own home? Mac Poker would surely be a great way to relieve stress and meet new players who share the same love for the game of Poker. Who knows, maybe you'll land in the site's A-list of Poker Stars. That would really be thrilling considering that players are from all over the world.

I am not endorsing gambling but I know that playing Mac Poker can be a relaxing thing to do and even make new friends to share Poker tips with. It shouldn't be a habit. Just play the game all in the spirit of fun and relaxation.

Basti Tales 2

A couple of weeks ago, before I got sick, Basti asked me if we could go to McDonald's to eat. Of course, being the spoiler that I am, I obliged. I love going to McDonald's with him because it means bonding time for us.

On our way to McDonald's, my CD player in the car was playing Funkytown by Lipps, Inc., one of the songs in Shrek 2. Basti started humming to the tune and then he started a conversation:

Basti: Mommy, yan yung kanta sa Shrek 2 diba? (Mommy that's the song from Shrek, right?)

Me: Yes, Sweetheart, that's the song.

Basti: Eh nandyan si Freddie and mother sa Shrek 2 diba dead na yun? (Isn't it Freddie and mother is in Shrek 2 and he's dead?)

Me: Freddie and mother? Sino yun? (Who's that?)

Then MH asked Basti who Freddie and mother was. We were trying to figure out who Freddie and mother was in Shrek. Then finally I blurted out...

Me: Oh now I know, that's Fairy Godmother!!! MH started laughing.

Basti: Opo, Freddie and mother!

MH: Basti, that's not Freddie and mother, it's Fair Godmother.

Basti: Opo. (Yes)

MH: Basti sabihin mo, fairy..

Basti: fairy...

MH: god...

Basti: god...

MH: mother...

Basti: mother...

MH: fairy godmother

Basti: opo... (Yes.)

They repeated this conversation for about 3 times while I was just laughing so hard. Basti couldn't say "fairy godmother." Then for the finale:

MH: Basti, say fairy godmother.

Basti: Hirap eh! (It's hard!)

It gave me the chuckles but I guess Basti needs time to absorb long words like that.

Color my world

I am not very artistic when it comes to drawing or coloring stuff. So it has really helped me a lot that I have decided to take on digital scrapbooking and photography as hobbies so as to develop that creative side of me.

But since my scrapping mojo is missing nowadays, and I still have to figure out the problem with my imaging software, I have decided to start printing out Coloring Pages that I can use to kill time and to at least give me a fresh new take on colors. I have been doing this before with Basti so he could make good use of his time at home instead of just playing with his DS Lite the whole day. Basti has a good grasp and understanding of colors and he has acquired this through our coloring activities here at home. I don't restrain him from doing just purely boy-inspired themes because I don't want to limit his creativity. Since I work most days of the week and my time is limited, I make it a point to make this activity fun to give us the opportunity to bond as a family, which is very healthy for a growing kid like DS.

On Homeschooling

I have read an article on homeschooling in the May 2007 issue of Smart Parenting. I know that homeschooling is widely-practiced in the US and other countries but is a fairly new concept of education here in the Philippines.

Homeschooling is slowly being accepted as an alternative form of education here in the Philippines, considering that it's already getting too expensive for the average Filipino families to send their children to good private schools. I don't want to be biased but I am not too keen about our public school system here so I'm not considering that option for Basti when he goes to school. There is an accredited local homeschool program available here where the cost of one school year ranges from PhP26,500 to 33,500 for tuition fee, textbooks, modules and miscellaneous fees. The article also says that there are foreign-based homeschool programs and modules but it did not list as to where that can be found. I initially thought that homeschooling kids are free, but apparently they're not.

I have a couple of questions that maybe homeschooling parents can shed light on:

1. How do I get started in homeschooling considering that I'm a working Mom? Does it have to start in June when classes here in the Philippines starts or I can start anytime once I've set a schedule?

2. If and when I decide to homeschool for a year or 2 and then later on decide that I'd like to enroll DS in a regular school, will his studies as a homeschooled kid be credited in our regular schools here in the Philippines?

I would really love to hear opinions about homeschooling and schooling children in regular schools. You may post your replies here or e-mail me personally.

Night Vision

When I watch modern war movies, I see a lot of those military men wearing night vision glasses especially during their combats at night. I don't see very well at night so when I see scenes where soldiers are able to see very well at night with the aid of these special devices, I get excited and I envision myself in the scene.

I know it's quite weird but having good night vision devices can also be translated into fun. Fun night games can be played if you go on out-of-town trips with family and friends. If you're into night swimming, you can play these hide-and-seek games along the shorelines. Or if you're into camping, then mini war games can be played on your camp area where everyone can hide among the trees and use paint ball stuff to hit your opponent.

Having night vision gear can be fun and is safe. They can make playtime so much fun and exciting.

Another weekend...

I've just finished a full week on the night shift. I still haven't adjusted to the schedule, getting only a minimum of 5 hours of sleep every single day after the shift. I usually come home exhausted and just too sleepy. My normal sleeping hours this week was from 7am-12noon. And I have to work at 9pm ''til 6am of the next day. I have tried all the tactics I can imagine to keep myself awake during those trying times. And it's sad that I have to come back to being a Coke addict just to make sure that I don't gobble up on too much espresso that can make my heart palpitate to the max. I can't drink coffee until after my treatment plan is done. My medications are due to end this week. Bummer isn't it?

Anyway, I made a big boo-boo about Father's Day being today! Blame it on my Starbucks planner that had it dated on the 10th instead of the 17th. Good thing that I was able to move my reservation at a restaurant for the Father's Day celebration from today to next Sunday. I guess I don't have to fully rely on my planner all the time after this major mix-up. So to Starbucks Philippines, you'll have to be careful the next time! :)

I'm having a long weekend from work this week, the 11th being a holiday since the President moved the holiday from the 12th to the 11th. That's one thing I love about my work, holidays are taken into consideration, not like in the usual call centers where agents have to work during holidays. Our salaries were credited this weekend so it's another REALLY good thing!

It's the start of another school year for Papa as the executive law students trooped back to school yesterday. As for me going back to school, I have put on hold my enrollment to the Professional Teaching Certification at UPOU. I actually missed the enrollment deadline due to lack of money to finance my studies (I didn't want to bother Papa about my tuition fee) so I guess I would have to pursue it some other time. I don't know what's going on but everything that I'm planning for myself keeps screwing up. What I only know is that God allows these things to happen for a reason. I'm not going to question that anymore. I'll just hope and pray that the right time will come for me to be able to pursue my dreams and that everything will fall into place.

It's another lazy Sunday. All I want to do is just sleep, blog and sleep. I'm still trying to find my scrapping mojo and I have to find out what's going on with my computer not being able to recognize some commands in Photoshop. I was lucky I was able to complete a banner for my TT post. But after that, I can't even open Photoshop on my computer anymore. Is it the operating system? Or is it my hardware resources. I still have to figure it out. Maybe the only way I can do this is to reformat my computer, but I don't have the time. I'll see what I can do about the problem.

I have so many things running in my mind right now and I've been caught several times by colleagues during lunch time just staring into empty space. I hate it when that happens - it's a dead giveaway that I'm problematic.

'Til my next post.

Handling Complaints

Consumer fraud and scams are rampant nowadays so we all have to be careful when purchasing stuff, especially from relatively unknown places and stores. Although there are a number of laws that protect consumers to prevent these scams from happening, there are still a lot of cases wherein we all fall into the trap and fall victim to these schemes.

In complaining these merchants, most of the time we have to follow a lot of procedures and go through a lot of red tape in order to have our complaints handled and formalized. But thanks to Complaint.TV, this task has become easier and we are assured that our complaints will not fall on deaf ears.

A lot of news stations are pro-consumers and even have groups that protect consumers. We also have a lot of these TV programs that are always looking for stories to help expose a lot of these bad business practices and scams to make people aware and abe more vigilant in exercising their consumer rights. Complaint.TV provides a free service to help consumers expose these scams through their free online service and in general, helps to streamline the process so that your story is sent to a number of TV stations that is available in your area.

As consumers, let's all be vigilant and let us help in exposing these scams. Our little gesture can do a lot for everyone.

**This is a sponsored post**

Photo Hunters #4

This is one of the pairs I wear to work and one of my favorites too. I love wearing it together with my red floral skirt or with any skirt for that matter. This is the only pair of platform wedges that I have that doesn't trip me and get me off my balance. So I'd like to think that the shoes were made for me :)

Your Favorite Business

Business websites abound the internet and sometimes, it can be hard to find the ones just within the vicinity from where you live where you can have full access to their services.

Your Favorite Business need not be away from you all the time. In fact, Merchant Circle gathers all of them and organizes them in one online database for easier access. Your Favorite Business is listed on its database and from there, you can be informed of their latest promotions, products and updates about their services through their very own business blogs. Not only that, Your Favorite Business can even publish online coupons for their customers' use. That's great isn't it?

There are 2 stores that became my instant favorite while going around the site. In Rhode Island, Wedding Supplies Unlimited provides for all your wedding needs all in one store. The The Computer Source of Western New York provides a full range of computer services in the NY area for all your computer software and hardware needs. They also offer online coupons so for sure, you'll get great deals for their services.

Merchant Circle is truly a great help in searching for your Your Favorite Business online, anytime.

**This is a sponsored post**

Basti Tales

In my recent entry, I talked about some goodies I received from Pam, my best friend based in Canada. One other thing she sent me was a Care Bears DVD for Basti. MH called Basti over at my in-laws' place and told him about the gift. I eavesdropped on the conversation through my speakerphone:

MH: Basti, Ninang Pam has a gift for you.

Basti: San galing yung gift? (Where did the gift come from?)

MH: From Ninang Pam in Canada..

Basti: Canada? Pa'no pumunta dun? (Canada? How can I go there?)

MH: Kelangan mo sumakay ng airplane para pumunta dun. (You need to ride an airplane to go to Canada.)

Basti: Buy mo na lang ako ng wings para fly ako makapunta ng Canada then kiss ko Ninang Pam (Just buy me a pair of wings so I could go to Canada and kiss Ninang Pam.)

MH: Wings? San naman ako bibili ng wings? (Where am I going to buy a pair of wings?)

Basti: Eh di sa grocery! (In the grocery!)

You bet that I chuckled 'til I cried. LOL!

Health Insurance

We are always after the good health of ourselves and families so health insurance nowadays have become a necessity, primarily due to the increasing cost of medical services not only here but also in other countries.

Quotes Auction provides Health Insurance Leads for insurance agents to give us, the consumers, the best insurance we can get due to the variety of options we can be offered. It's very important for insurance agents to be able to give a variety of choices for us so that we won't be tied to just one offer. Since Quotes Auction gathers a variety of Health Insurance Leads, this will give more time and opportunities to provide the best health insurance there can be given only to the best people.

Quotes Auction offers not only Health Insurance Leads but also leads for other industries like automobile, life, home, disability and burial. With the site's vast array of services, an insurance agent is assured that there will be more deals that can be closed during the first call and more opportunities to provide great insurance deals for the best leads. The site also provides unique and a patented follow-up system to reinforce an agent's own contact follow-up system to help close that deal. That would really be a great help, don't you think?

You'll never go wrong with a service such as this.

**This is a sponsored post**

Top 5 on Friday #4

Psychedelic (from Merriam-Webster)
1 a : of, relating to, or being drugs (as LSD) capable of producing abnormal psychic effects (as hallucinations) and sometimes psychotic states b : produced by or associated with the use of psychedelic drugs (a psychedelic experience)
2 : imitating, suggestive of, or reproducing effects (as distorted or bizarre images or sounds) resembling those produced by psychedelic drugs (psychedelic color schemes)

Top 5 Psychedelic Songs
These can drive me psychedelic in their own little way...LOL!



Imagine by John Lennon




Let It Be by The Beatles




Hey Jude by The Beatles




Blue by Eiffel 65




Shattered Dreams by Johnny Hates Jazz


As a bonus, here's my Top 5 Summer of Love Sayings

When in Rome, do as the Romans do

- cliche but it's the truth .. at least most of the time

Love is blind

- yeah right! So better wear eyeglasses :p

When life hands you lemons, ask for tequila and salt!

- yeah baby!!

Make love, not war

- I guess US President Bush should take this as his mantra. LOL!

Life is what you make it

- so work hard and party hard! Live life!

Happy weekend!

Wonderful World of Sandals

I have always been a sandals lover. Whenever I'm not working and I have to go out malling or do my grocery shopping, you will see me in my regular "uniform" - in shorts, a comfy shirt and a pair of sandals that can withstand the rigors of walking most probably throughout the day. If only I can have it my way, I would wear Reef Sandals to work ALL the time. Wearing sandals is comfy and I can freely do what I want with my feet. I don't like restraining my feet with a regular pair of shoes. It's always a great feeling to let your feet breathe and just let it be.

What better way to enjoy your sandals is when you can shop for them right at your fingertips without leaving home. Active Sandals carries a wide array of sandals including the best brands of sandals available, like my personal favorite, Crocs. They also carry Birkenstock which is a favorite of my Dad. Since Father's Day is approaching, Reef Sandals would be a great choice as a gift for the Dads this coming Father's Day.

Now that it's summer in most parts of the globe, it would be a great addition to your wardrobe of capri pants and stylish shorts. You'll never go wrong wearing Reef Sandals during those holidays away from home with family. As for me, wearing Reef Sandals is a way of life. I'll never trade the comfort of wearing them for anything else.

** This is a sponsored post **

Thursday Thirteen Week 29

It's been a while since I last had a Thursday Thirteen entry. It was just one of those moments that I couldn't squeeze in a little time for it. I guess I was just too tired to think.



Thirteen Things That I Missed When I Was on Total Voice Rest

Cold drinks - I missed my Coke!

Talking - who wouldn't miss talking?

Coffee - I did try once but I just got itchy throat afterwards

Singing - I can't do this for another week. Bummer! I miss karaoke nights!

Smoking - went cold turkey when I started being sick and I guess that's great news!

Sweets - was a no-no for me during that time

Teasing my son about his Nintendo skills

Talking my mind out - See? It's still related to talking.

Scrapping - my scrapping mojo went on vacation too

Cold treats - halo-halo (Filipino sweet treat with milk, ice and all sorts of sweets like beans, ice cream, custard, coconut gel, etc), corn with ice and milk, banana with ice and milk, frappuccino...and so much more)

Lashing out on my service providers for the poor service I've been getting for some utilities - and I just did that a couple of minutes ago! Poor them!

Laughing hard 'til I cry - I truly missed that!

Shouting when I need to - it's my form of stress relief..LOL!

Happy Thursday everyone!

TT Banner credits:
Kit: March 2006 Free Pea Kit by Anne Langpap @ 2Peas
Font: Eight Fifteen

On Supplements

I have always admired bodybuilders because they keep this disciplined regimen to maintain their bodies. Bodybuilding Supplements are essential to their diet and I'm sure that's one of the reasons why they survive and keep their selves in shape.

Stronger Nutrition offers a lot of these Bodybuilding Supplements and other nutritional supplies at a discounted price. You will be able to shop according to your nutritional needs and goals. You will be able to keep a list of your favorite supplements or products. With your shopping history, you will be able to keep track of your previously viewed and ordered products for easier access. When you search through the site, it will allow you to save your searches as well. It's fun and easy to organize your orders with just a click of the mouse.

Another important thing when buying Bodybuilding Supplements is for you to understand and get a good grasp of the ingredients used in the products. Stronger Nutrition will allow you to do ingredient searching so it would be easy for your to look for the supplement that is specific for your lifestyle and diet.

To top it all, Stronger Nutrition has a rewards program for its frequent buyers that will enable you to get cash back discounts on future purchases through reward points, regular purchases and new member referrals. Wouldn't it be great to stay fit and earn more at the same time? I really think that's a cool idea.

Stay fit and healthy, get those muscles toned and be rewarded.

** This is a sponsored post**

Tina's Tuesdays #4 - Readers' Corner

1. What book are you currently reading?
None at the moment. No time to read :(

2. Who is your favourite author and why?
I have a lot of favorite authors but right now, I'm particularly fond of Sophie Kinsella because of the light topics she writes about.

3. Do you read books from recommendations or do you browse yourself?
I read from both. It's always great to hear recommendations and at the same time, I particularly enjoy browsing through books in the bookstore.

Happy Tuesday!

It's June!

I can't believe it! We're already into the 6th month of the year! A lot of things have happened and time went by just like that. Wow! Sooner or later, Christmas is here again!

I'm back to the night shift starting tonight. My TM said that it's just for one month. But there's no guarantee whether this would go on 'til July or we'll be back on the morning shift by that time. Our company's ramping up so we have been briefed about being more flexible. A couple of weeks ago, we were asked what we would like our schedule to be. I was neutral about it because there are so many pros and cons to think about. I was leaning more towards being on the morning shift because I have more time for family matters but the night shift brings in more money for me. So when the news was announced during our team meeting, I was neither disappointed nor happy. I have to adjust some of the things I have planned on doing this month but nevertheless, I know I'll be earning more because of the night differential pay that I get.

Team NDR celebrated our 6th month in the office last May 30th. The event coincided with the closing ceremonies of the company sportsfest held last May. I brought cake and ice cream and Liza brought a yummy breakfast of cheesy potatoes and tuna salad. The company provided us with snacks courtesy of Brothers Burgers. It's just one of the perks for being in that company.

My brother celebrated his 27th birthday yesterday. I spoke to him on the phone and how I wish we were all there to celebrate with him. Here's the card we sent him:

Kit: January 2006 Freebie Pea Kit @ 2Peas by Anne Langpap
Font: Pea XOXO from Karen

I owe a lot of people a visit to their sites and I'm doing that today before I go back to sleep to prepare myself for my work tonight. Have a great week everyone!

Explore the skies

When I was younger, I wanted to explore the skies and be an astronaut or an astronomer. I like looking at the stars at night and actually dreamed of going to space for a little exploration of the things that we can see from here - like the stars, the moon and other nearby planets.

I'm sure my son would enjoy stargazing through the clear nights and be a skyscout. It would be a wonderful opportunity for us to bond and a great learning ground for him to learn more about what's beyond the heavens that we see from here.

Now, all this needs is a little cooperation from the skies and hopefully the unpredictable rains won't prevent us from enjoying this activity.

Lazy Sunday Updates

Friday

Great news! I am now allowed to talk - but still on a minimal level for 2 more weeks. I can talk without my white board now. I still shouldn't shout and I'm still not allowed to sing. Bummer but what's 2 weeks, right? And I still have some medicines to take for that next 2 weeks. It's just great to be heard and to be talking again.

Anyway, I was accompanied by Kim (a friend of mine) since MH is still recuperating. Driving in Manila traffic was horrendous (considering that it was a Friday) but it was made easy with Kim's company. We went to Makati from the hospital to help him look for a venue for their program's event.

Kim and I joined the bandwagon of mushy people who watched the Piolo and Regine movie at the Mall of Asia. Being the crybaby that I am when it comes to mushy movies, of course, I cried during some parts of the movie. Marami lang akong naalala, words that have been said before and words that are still running through my mind at some times. There was this scene where Martee (Regine) just kept asking Lance (Piolo) whether he loved her. And Lance said..."I never got there." Awwww, ang sakit nun, diba? Especially if you know for yourself that you loved the person dearly and truly. Ang baduy ko talaga - sobrang hopeless romantic!

Kim and I capped the night at Starbucks where we talked about work and our personal lives. Though I was dead tired, I really appreciated the fact that Kim went out of his way to go with me and stayed awake for more than 24 hours just to bond with me.

Saturday
Papa insisted that I just buy a new fax machine because we're having too much of a hard time finding the ink film for my old one. So off I went and looked for one that will suit all my needs. I was able to find one and I'm happy about the purchase. But of course, my savings have been scarred again. LOL!

That's Spidey up there, and that white spot on my
table was Basti's precious "work of art" from my correction fluid

After having lunch, I went home and spent the whole afternoon cleaning and sorting out the junk in my room, especially on my workstation. I couldn't believe that I actually took out a box of junk from my small little room. I know there's still a lot more in here that I can sort and give away or throw but I would have to set another schedule for that.

And then I sorted my Dad's clothes that's overflowing by the dining area in big black bags. He didn't want me to give it away so I have to find a place for it to be stored in this little house. I just want to have them auctioned because they're all new but don't fit my Papa anymore because he's grown bigger again. *sighs* Such a pack rat - and unfortunately, I'm just like him!

I took a much-needed bath then watched the telly. Without noticing it, I fell asleep. I woke up this morning feeling more refreshed and without any recollection of what I was watching last night. Man, I was that tired!

Today
Papa went home from Paranaque this morning and brought me Pam's goodies from Canada that Ate Viola and company left with my sister, Ate May. I'm so happy because I received a pink shirt from her and the ones below:

I actually miss Tim Horton's. It's been 5 years since I was last in Canada and had a taste of this good coffee. Canadians prefer Tim over Starbucks. I love their donuts too. But I actually miss my BFF more. How I wish she came over here to see me or maybe vice-versa.

Off to do some "spring" cleaning again. Catch y'all later.