Gifts

I thought that the husband will buy gold bullion for me for my birthday and our anniversary, but he didn’t! hehe! I told him that I want something sparkling for my birthday but since he’s far he can send a gift for me. I just told him to save all his gifts to me in the two years that he will not be here so I guess I would receive the things that I wished for. I asked for a pair of gold earrings or bracelet and a digital SLR camera (until now, this is still on my wish list). I’m not putting pressure on him though, but I’m always reminding him that I really really want these things, lol!

Today...is my Birthday!

I am another year older, wiser, and more grateful. Thank you for a wonderful birthday!

Allow me to make a humble “thank you” note
For all the people who remembered me and wrote.
For those who left messages everywhere and bothered
And those wonderful friends who chatted and lingered.
You who took time out from your otherwise busy day
You who stopped awhile, left me a message and did say,
My dear friend, Mhay I wish you a very “Happy Birthday”!

You who would have otherwise said,
“Nah, I don’t need to write it, such a greeting is overrated.
After all, a birthday to one is but a usual day to some.
And look at her, she’s probably having enough fun!”

You, who would have otherwise decided that it’s better not to greet
Than be branded either “eagerly excited” or “terribly late”,
You who would have logged in and out without a trouble or a care.
Still, you did what you did, left a greeting, au contraire.

It’s friends like you who make birthdays happier
People like you who make parties thrown here and there,
Look no more fabulous and appear none the grander.

It is you who makes me pause in this hurried, confounded world
To appreciate life, count my blessings and remember what I’ve always been told –
That friends come and go, in myriad colors, shapes and sizes.
They add meaning to your existence, oh the pleasure of one who socializes!

They may promise to stay forever, swear on their lives and say: “Leave you? Oh never!”
The next day they’d be packing like crazy, running after lost dreams, gripping a dagger!
But the footprint they leave on that old hostile path you once traversed together
Stay with you long after the journey’s over, most times enduring even the harshest of weather.

These friends I speak of may be actual or virtual. They maybe new or old.
I might not see them now in the flesh, never did so, and probably never would.
But the thought of their very existence is enough to put a smile in a face like mine,
That though most times appear smug and happy, let it not beguile
That I’m not without my own challenges or share of this world’s troubles, every once in a while.

Thank you for your greetings, dear friends who I value greatly.
Be it known to you — now and for all eternity –
That every message you send me, moving swiftly and securely,

Aided by the wonders of technology, from 3.5G mobile to Web 2.0 that’s ever so lively,
From the farthest continents, across the seas of whatever country or territory –
Is treasured, never forgotten, forever appreciated and cherished as priceless
By someone whose natal day has been made special by your warmest greetings and wonderful wishes!

Lifted here though tweaked a bit...

Saturday 9: Love Hurts

1. Tell us about the last time that you got hurt in the arena of love.
~It's a long time ago.....it was so painful but thank God, another person came to help me and kept me sane, lol!

2. Have you ever been part of the wedding party, other than your own?
~ Yes. I became a bride's maid and a maid of honor.

3. Let's say you find yourself in Hell after you die. Think about everyone you've known in your life. Who would be the one person that would least likely to surprise you by being in Hell with you?
~ This is a ridiculous question, lol! I'm praying I'll get to heaven instead. :)

4. What brings you good luck?
~ Hmmm...actually, I don't believe in luck.

5. Do you have a photo blog? If so, feel free to share the link with us!
~ Don't have one.

6. What is your biggest source of news? (Internet? Newspaper? Television? Radio? The Daily Show? Other?)
~ Internet. Twitter rocks!

7. What's the hottest you've ever been in your life?
~Literary hottest? Of course when I got fever with 40° temperature.

8. If you had to choose a theme song for your blog, which would would you choose and why?
~Hmmm...For my main blog it would be our theme song (Totall Committed To You) since the blog is about my journey on being in love and being married.

9. Who was the last person you had an online conversation with that you've never met or talked to on your phone?
~My online friends

Friday Fill-ins #185

1. This is what life does. It lets you experience the good and bad, the blessings and hardships and learn from both to make you a stronger person.

2. We had a sumptuous lunch today in celebration for our birthdays and a promotion of one of our colleague, I wonder if they really appreciated the moment?

3. Upon reflection I realized that I have been blessed so much.

4. I haven't been to any vacation destination for quite a long time.

5. Later, you wake up with a smile and you will give mommy a hug and the sweetest "good morning, mommy!"

6. I never wanted to travel and sail to the far and boundless sea.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to our rehearsal though I had an achy sore throat, tomorrow my plans include going to the prayer mountain to have my quiet time and commune with God, and Sunday, I want to just relax and see if my throat gets well!

Happy Friday!

In My Dreams

Don’t you just wish you had a Ferrari? I don’t lol! And so are the people hubby met in Riyadh. He said that cars are just common to them, even if it’s a Benz, BMW or Ferrari. Ferrari parts are even cheaper. He once said that if transferring a car from Riyadh to Manila is just easy he could one for us, hehe. But since it’s not, we need to be content with what we have and pray that someday, we’ll have our very own luxury car. For now, I’ll keep on dreaming.

I Kept My Cool

I shopped for some stuff today when I noticed that the queue at the cashier station where I lined eventually stopped moving. It so happened that the Symbol LS2208 barcode scanner started malfunctioning so the transactions were hampered. I had no choice but transferred to other working cashier stations. I often experienced this when I shop. Good thing I had a great deal of forbearance, lol! Also, I was so happy with my purchases so I didn’t get irritated. This was the little girl’s chapel day dress for school. Isn’t it nice?

Silver Lining

The sun was up again today. Thank God typhoon Basyang didn’t do major damages, except of course to those who were severely affected. We experienced a full day without electricity though, but all in all, casualties are lesser compare to last year’s typhoon. The husband learned about this and he was also praying for our safety. But since we are situated in a much more elevated place I didn’t worry so much. We were also able to get cheap insurance for the car so I feel more secured now. Well, I just pray that no more super typhoons that will come until the year ends.

Rainy Days Are Here

Typhoon Basyang hit Luzon yesterday so I had a hard time getting a ride home but I'm thankful I was able to go home safe.

The rest of the night has heavy rains. I just finished all my online to do's and went to bed. But the wind was howling so loud I can't sleep. At 12 midnight, the power was cut off. Maybe because of the strong wind, power lines were affected. SO we ended sleeping without electric fans. I was worried about the kids, but still thank God the weather is cold so it's still OK to sleep through the night even without electric fans.

My daughter's classes was canceled so she's just playing at home. As for me, I still went to work. We are only using gen-set at work...I hope the power lines will be restored soon.

Here comes the rainy days...I hope we won't experience the same typhoon like last year.

Saturday 9: Go Your Own Way

1. When was the last time you were told to go your own way?
~ Just recently when we are told to go find ways to search for the things we need on a project that we are working on.

2. What one experience has strengthened your character the most so far?
~Last year's typhoon Ondoy experience.

3. What's your favorite thing to do on a rainy day?
~Sleep or watch a good movie at home with my family while eating hot noodles.

4. How long can you go without your cell phone?
~A day or two :D

5. Do you wish you were somewhere else right now?
~ Nope.

6. Of all the people you've ever known, who have you most feared?
~My parents.

7. Do people tell you that you look your age?
~ A lot of people are telling me that I look younger than my age. I take that as a compliment, lol!

8. Your ex shows up randomly at your house, what do you say?
~Hmm..."Why?", LOL, I just couldn't think of any thing to say.

9. Do you believe everyone deserves a second chance?
~I do..just think that it could be you on a particular situation. we are not perfect we're just humans so when someone fail, it's just fair that we give second chances..

Journey To A Healthy Lifestyle

I had a short conversation with an old friend last week who’s practicing a healthy lifestyle now. He told me that almost all that we’re eating nowadays are garbage and are not good for our body. Even some food that were being tagged as healthy and nutritious still have some defects one way or another. So now, he’s very very cautious about the food he intakes. Studies shows that some of the food that we eat had cancer causing ingredients. And since my health buff friend doesn’t want to get malignant Mesothelioma, let alone any kind of disease, he started his healthy lifestyle journey. He said it is quite difficult but as the adage goes, health is wealth! You don’t have to worry when you have a healthy lifestyle.

How Bout A Home That You Can Take Anywhere You Want?

I first saw a motor home in one of the movies I watch when I was young. I didn’t know that we can also have these kinds of homes here. As I passed by Libis every day, I always see that particular bill board that features a Pinoy motor home. Well, this is great for those who don’t have permanent residence yet and needs some place to stay immediately. Also good for some actors and actresses who are so busy that they seldom go home, this could be their home extension. With this great inventions, getting a house now is easy as 123 and manufacturers or sellers of these motor homes gives motor home repairs so your home repairs and maintenance will never be problem. Hubby told me one time that this could be an alternative since we don’t have our own place yet. But I said that this kind of home will not be good for us, so no. We’re not going to buy one, lol!

No Smoking Please...!

I really hate the smoke coming from any type of cigarettes! Whether it’s a normal or those e-cigarettes, I just couldn’t stand the smell. This morning I got irritated with the man who was in front of me at the shuttle station. So early in the morning and he is smoking! And what’s worse is that every time he puffs the smoke goes right through my face. Grrr! Some people are just so egocentric and insensitive with other’s personal space. Haaay, life!

Mommy Moments - Kids and Bags

Today's Mommy Moments theme is about our kids bags...My daughter has her own collection, some were bought while some are gifts.

Noticed that they're all pink? Well, she loves that color so much. These are the bags that she often use. The biggest bag is her school bag, while The little mermaid's sling bag is her favorite whenever we go out.

The yellow bag is what she uses during church day.

While these two bags are baby MJ's diaper bags. They're both Baby Couture bags.

Handyman

The home depot near our office is having another sale again. If hubby’s here, that big tarp announcement will surely be an eye candy. When he’s here, he got himself something to get busy of…repairing anything that needs to be repaired at home. I did have an instant handyman! In fact we even bought some tools and industrial products for his new found hobby. But now that he’s away from us again, we have no choice but to ask for the help of paid repair men whenever we need some assistance at home. And the last time was when the water pipe broke.

Well, I’ll admit, a man in the house is really..really..really important.

Vi.sualize.us

I enjoy vi.sualize.us site because there I find pictures that are one of a kind, funny and inspirational. Like this two:

This is cute....

while this one is funny, lol!

Source {pic 1}, {pic 2}

Too Much Pressure, Broken Pipes

We woke in the wee hour of the morning today because of a familiar sound in the kitchen. We heard dripping and splashing sound like rain…I was right…one of the kitchen’s water pipe broke again. Since hubby was not here now to repair it, we just immediately turn off the main valve. The water pressure in our area is so strong that it can broke pipelines. We are not the only household who experience the same problem.

Anyway, I just told the owner of the house to check on it today and maybe we will replace all the faucets with Moen kitchen faucets.

Luncheon Meat: Purefood's v. Argentina

Whenever I visit the grocery store, I always check if Purefood's Luncheon Meat is already in stock. But unfortunately, it's out of stock until now. I don't know why. Among the local brands Purefood's Luncheon Meat (not the Chinese style) has been the favorite at home. I've been trying to find out he story behind it's being MIA (hehe), but alas, I can't find one. So for the mean time, I'm buying Argentina ham as an alternative. Argentina Ham has the taste and texture I want. Lesser difference from Purefood's. But I still hope that Purefood's luncheon meat will come back soon :D

Summer

Summer is over in the Philippines but in some parts of the world, it’s just starting. And I bet, resorts and beaches are jam-packed. In the Philippines, public pools are always jam-pack during summer so resorts and pool owners see to it that their pool filters are properly working for health and safety reasons of course. No one would love to dive in a pool with dark and cloudy water. Public pools are prone to this so much so that it needs good filtration systems. Anyway, talking about summer, I missed going to the beach last summer because I just gave birth. I had no beach or pool experience this year. I hope next year, my kids and I will be able to enjoy summer.

Going Natural

My sister has stopped searching for diet pills that work because she said she’ll just go natural. Meaning, she’ll start working out and discipline herself on her eating habits. Since she got married she continues to gain weight. She tried taking ballerina before but only to cause her suffer from side effects so she stopped. I told her that losing weight takes time and needs discipline. She told me that she’ll start doing morning walks and crunches, and she’ll cut down on calories and carbs. I hope to see result in a few months, lol!

Unsettled Differences

I did my grocery shopping last Friday at SM supermarket. I was not able to buy the little girl's shampoo and our toothpaste since I forgot that Colgate-Palmolive products are no longer carried by all SM supermarkets. So I had to go to another grocery store to buy them. Do you wonder why SM does not carry these products anymore? Read this:

BIZ BUZZ : We’ve got it all ... almost

By the Staff
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Posted date: June 09, 2009

DON’T go looking for Colgate toothpaste in SM Supermarkets. Don’t go shopping there for Palmolive soap or shampoo either, because chances are, you won’t find any. That’s because the SM group and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) manufacturer Colgate-Palmolive recently got into a tussle over billing issues, according to our sources.

According to the Colgate-Palmolive camp, the disagreement came about after SM insisted on a payment period beyond what is normal for FMCG items (a longer period would have positive and negative implications for either party, since “time is money”).

The SM camp, meanwhile, says the terms are static, and that a new Colgate-Palmolive manager who is “unaccustomed to the way business has always been done” has been pushing for better terms (that are clearly not better for SM).

Thus, Colgate-Palmolive’s products and merchandisers are no longer a fixture in SM Supermarket premises, prompting a high-stakes stand off between the two corporate giants.

Both firms rely on each other for a significant amount of their revenues. SM—the country’s biggest supermarket chain—is easily Colgate-Palmolive’s largest vendor. Colgate-Palmolive products, meanwhile, are some of the best-selling products of the chain, with daily sales estimated in the millions of pesos.

Yesterday, several SM Supermarkets showed thinning stocks of Colgate toothpaste, while Palmolive bath products were “out of stock,” according to the staff.

Neither side seems keen on prolonging the agony, however, and a source from the SM group said that they are “looking forward to resolving any differences.”

It's been a year already and it seems that until now, they haven't settled their differences yet. So if you want to buy Colgate and Palmolive products, you might want to check out Robinson's supermarkets or other grocery stores.