The Aquarium

We used to have a big aquarium at home. The husband took care of it until he found another hobby. I don't exactly remember why he gave up on it. I used to sit in front of that aquarium just watching the fish swim. There was a time that I got so attached with this fish because I saw it grow from just a small one to a really massive one. I couldn't accept that it died on New Year's Eve. Up until today I don't understand why it died. Our aquarium was well maintained complete with an Aquarium Water Pump and all the accessories that was needed. I think this is also one of the reason why the husband gave up, he too was devastated over that fish.

Now my brother maintains the aquarium. He has some nice collection of fish in different colors. One of my favorites is the flowerhorn. I just love looking at it whenever I am at my Mom's house. I am amused with the shape of its head and those chinese looking characters in its body. I will never get tired looking at it, I even see my nieces and nephew stare at it. Mom said that it relaxes her too when she stays in front of the aquarium.

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Go Only to a Reputable Dealer

I wish I had lots of money right now. Don't we all wish that? Hopefully this is just a phase as I do not want to be materialistic at all. But do you want to know why I want to have the money? I have a valid reason. This is the best time to invest in gold bar. Many people have been doing so already and many of them have gained from their investment already. A lot of people are saying that at this time, gold is really the best and the safest investment. I totally agree with them. I have a first hand experience with someone who invested in gold and up to this day he is still earning from his investment. I want to be like him, very wise in his decision. But according to him, one should be careful with their dealings. There are a lot of legitimate scammers our there and they are just waiting to people to victimize. Let us be wise to decipher those trusted ones. Money is hard to come by so we need to be careful.

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Missing Aerobics Much

Been sick for a week, not that I was down really but I chose to rest because of my severe coughing. Over fatigue perhaps, my body needs to rest. I am not used being at home from 6-8 pm M-F and I was going crazy. There was a time I was tempted to go, but my helpers persuaded me not to. They too know that I really need all the rest I can get. Anyway I can't wait to go back on Monday. Good thing Mondays are light days since the instructor will be doing retro dance, light and easy movements. I don't think I'd get a relapse with retro/latin.

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Dry Clean is Too Expensive

I showed that F21 dress to the daughter and she immediately liked it. Since she already knows that size S would fit her, we immediately proceeded to the cashier to pay. When we got home, she told me that the dress was made of silk. I know it was so silly of me not to have noticed. Had I known, I wouldn't have suggested that she buys it since we will be having problem with the washing. We all know that you do not hand wash silk fabric. Of course I won't be spending much money to have it dry cleaned every time she uses it. It would turn out the dry cleaning service would be more than the worth of the dress which is not really practical. There should be a way, dry cleaning wasn't available during the olden time and I'm sure there was silk available already. Ok, google, google! Tada I found a remedy. I have not tried it yet as I am still recuperating from an illness. Gosh I make it sound like it's terminal. No people, it's just a simple cough coupled with colds. Oh, I'll let you know about the remedy once I'm done with it. Hopefully it works!

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Good News for my Friend

I came across this article about accutane and I found it a little bit disturbing. You see I have a friend who is suffering from Crohn's Disease and I immediately thought of her when I read the article. I'm not really sure if she took this so called Vitamin A to treat her acne because according to the article I read, when you take accutane it can either result to Crohn's Disease, inflammatory bowel disease and ulcerative colitis. I don't know if many people are aware of this. Anyway I am going to talk to my friend sometime this week or probably next week and I am going to ask her about this. If indeed she took it, then I can probably tell her about other people who suffered the same and are now filing legal action for product liability claim. She can always file Accutane Lawsuit. I believe she's going to have a strong case, and many of those who filed were able to get their claims already and it helped them cover medical bills due to the illness.

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90th Birthday Celebration

Thank God I was well enough to attend my Aunt's 90th birthday celebration at the Manila Hotel. Nanay Loleng as I fondly call her, is the only surviving sister of my Mom. They are 5 years apart in age which makes Mom 85. Both of them are very healthy and not taking any medication for maintenance. I wish I can be as healthy as them when I'm old and gray.

There was more than enough yummy food for everyone. It was like a mini reunion on the side of my Mom although not everyone came. Happy 90th Birthday Nanay! May you stay strong and healthy and may our Lord God bless you even more!

*first pic: Nanay with my Mom
*second pic: with my cousin Marie, and me in magenta dress

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Home Projects

We moved to our second home in 2006. Would you believe until now my walls are still bare? The husband won't allow me to hang "paintings" other than works of famous artists, well at least locally. Thing is we can't afford to buy one right now even if these are local artists we a talking about. It's beyond our budget.

Anyway, I'd like to show him this Wall Fountains and hoping he'd say yes. As you all know, I love the sea and it gives me comfort hearing the splashing waves. It would be really nice if I can bring it indoor, and right at my house. Water Fountains will do too since it gives the same calming effect. Whenever I am at a mall, I normally stop and admire the beauty of a water fountain. And I secretly wish that I will be able to bring home one someday. I don't know but I keep on forgetting about it. I think I need to pay attention to the house and start doing small projects so that in time all my dreams for the house will come true.

I will have to start somewhere like probably check on these Slate Wall Fountains since like I said my walls are empty. This will be a good start of a project. I need to prioritize our spending and set aside some money for house projects.

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A Gel Fireplace

I bet it starts to get colder in the US. Now I worry about my sister because she mentioned that her fireplace is busted. I haven't talked with her for about a week, and the last time we talked I forgot to ask about it. She needs it I know, more so the kids. I don't know if she knows about these Gel Fireplaces. I gotta mention this to her when we talk. Hopefully I don't forget. I think she'd like it. I know her, she's very practical. She'd like the fact that it's portable too. She can transfer it from one place to another.

I will also mention that they have Outdoor Gel Fireplaces. Honestly this is the first time I heard about such thing. Pardon me but I live in a tropical place so there's no way we use such stuff. I couldn't be bothered for all you know. Anyway I think she would be interested in it too since they are fond of staying outdoors. I haven't really seen her place yet but based on the photos I saw, she really has a beautiful backyard. She can always entertain her guests there too.

I know she's going to ask me about Gel Fuel. Since this is basically new to me, I did a little reading on what this is. It's actually pure alcohol, its non-toxic and it's environmentally friendly. It's doesn't give off unpleasant odor too. I think my other sister would like this too, I am not just sure if she needs a fireplace.

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A Little Sick

Finally I'm sick. It has decided to take a toll on me. I felt it for a week, but I went on with my activities. Now I have colds and cough, water therapy didn't do the trick so I will be taking my meds. I will continue with the water though since it is still required to have at least 8 glasses a day.

Though sick, I still managed to bring the son to school at 6:30 in the morning and fetched him at 12 noon. I'm going to bring him later to his violin class too. You asking about the driver? Mr. N asked he could drive him to Vigan, so yeah long drive to Vigan it is.

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My Dream House

Some of you may know this already because I have been mentioning it here in my blog. I wrote about it too, a couple of times I guess. Anyway I am talking about the kind of bathroom I want. It actually started when we got fond of checking in at hotels. The first thing I'd notice when we get to see our room is the bathroom. Since then it has been at the back of my mind that if we build a house again I'd make sure that I have a bathroom that would look like this bathroom suite. I keep telling that to myself until we built the house we are staying in right now. I really made sure that the bathrooms are nice, something like what you see in the pages of a home magazine. It doesn't really need to be expensive. It's a matter of knowing how to put things together so it would look good. Prior to building the house, I was already scanning a number of home magazines so that I'll have an idea how I want the house to look. I was particular with my kitchen too as I will be spending a lot of time there. Good thing my specifications were followed and I can say that I am really happy with this house.

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I'm Disappointed with our Samsung TV

Initially he wanted a Sony, but we insisted that he gets the Samsung. It turned out that we made the wrong decision. We should have followed what he liked in the first place. Now he is blaming us to what happened to his television. We bought it in February of this year and we have called the service center twice already. I think it's a glitch on the part of Samsung. I wish we had tv insurance so that it will still be covered after the warranty. It's no joke to have the television set repaired. Oh this reminds me to call their office and follow up on the request for replacement. I hope our request will be granted.

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When is My Turn?

It was Queenie's photoshoot last Friday. Today we had a photoshoot again, this time with a professional model. It was done for the 2 designer friends of the husband and at the same time for his portfolio. I didn't get to watch today's photoshooot coz I was a bit tired and fell asleep. I saw the photos though, and boy I was jealous. We have a studio downstairs and yet I don't have that much photos. I know I am lazy when it comes to those stuff, but I want it too. Hhhhmmm, when will I have the time? Shall I call a makeup artist and a stylist too? Haha I'm just kidding, I think I can do it on my own. Lets see!

*That was taken 6 months ago...I need a new one =)

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No Acne Scars for Me

I had acne when I was in my early 20s. My face looked sore, and I am not kidding. My acne were huge and it was very noticeable. It was kind of embarrassing because I was a front liner in one of the banks here in the Philippines. My clients would suggest names of dermatologists where I can go to, some even prescribe me meds, topical and oral. Of course I had to consult with a derma first before taking anything. He prescribed me with oral and topical medicines which I religiously took. He also gave me an acne scar cream to which I'm very thankful, because right to this very day, you will not think that once upon a time my face was invaded by acne.

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Smooth and Without Blemish

I'm sick and tired of these breakouts. When will it ever stop popping out? I thought I was over it already since I had lots of them when I was younger. I even had myself treated by a dermatologist. My oh my, what a love affair I have with hormones and acne. I just hope that it will leave me for good, as I've said I am sick and tired of it already. I want to have clear skin for once. I want to look flawless like those actresses I see on television. I really envy their skin, so nice and smooth and without blemish.

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Friends Came Over

Honestly I am not confident with my cooking yet. This is the reason why I don't like to invite friends over for lunch or dinner. I only cook for the family and thank God they appreciate my cooking. Anyway N requested if I can cook for his friends who came over for a photo shoot. He asked me to make salad, pumpkin soup, pasta with shrimp and asparagus in parsley and garlic and baby back ribs. So I did, I woke up early to go to the wet market so that I can get all the ingredients fresh. I started cooking at around 8 am and I was done by 12. I'm glad they liked what I prepared for them.

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Can We Delay It?

I know I'm vain, I'm like my Mom. Let's just say that I know how to take care of myself, who else would anyway, right? Now that I'm in my 40s, I'm finding ways to delay aging. I'm in constant search for products like the best eye wrinkle cream. I think it's the fine lines around the eye that gives away the age. Don't get me wrong, I am not obsessed or anything in fact it's ok with me if I can't afford those. There's what you call aging gracefully, you know.

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Stop Stuffing Food in your Mouth!

Oh my goodness! I keep on complaining that I don't lose the extra weight, and sometimes I still add a pound or two. Yes I do some aerobic exercises but it doesn't solve the problem. I keep on forgetting how to suppress appetite, which I think should go hand in hand with my daily cardio exercise. See I don't have any reason to complain as I don't really have the discipline. I really should find ways and means to suppress this big appetite of mine. Any suggestions people? I'd really appreciate it.

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Skipping Aerobics

I don't feel well. This is the reason why I don't like to miss my fitness routine. I really feel bad. I guess it's because I don't drink water the way I drink when I do aerobics. I don't perspire that much too. Imagine the toxins trapped inside my body for about 5 days because I missed aerobics for 3 days plus the weekend. I guess I am not used skipping it anymore. It has become part of my system and if ever I don't get to attend, I feel like there is something wrong, there is a heaviness I can't explain, and there's laziness too. I gotta move this b*tt and start doing it everyday.

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Hard to Get Rid of Stomach Fat

Are you preggers? Oh I thought you were pregnant. These are two sentences being told when they glance at my mid section. I know I have a big tummy, and indeed I looked like I was about 4 months pregnant. It's so hard to get rid of stomach fat and you really have to work at it. A simple diet won't do. Exercise alone won't do too. It should be combined I guess, but to some they want something else. It can probably do the job like what most women claim. Sometimes I am thinking of going into it myself since I am really frustrated that I still have the stomach of a pregnant woman, this time not at 4 months but probably 3. I think my aerobics helped!

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Cream for my Adult Acne

Adult acne! That's what I have for obvious reasons that I am no longer a teenager. I had 2 on my chin and it's ugly! Good thing my son had his supply of acne cream so I placed some. It dried up after two days and it's almost invisible now. I think I need to go see my dermatologist for some facial. I haven't done it in about 4 months. How I wish I can have facials once a month which is ideal, if you want to have good skin. Since I can't do that, I have to religiously put her prescribed toner and cream in order for my skin to look supple one way or another.

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Snack on Walnuts...It's Healthy

My sisters sent us food stuff from the US c/o their friend Ching. When I saw the pack of walnuts, I was really very happy. Did you know that walnuts are very good source of protein? Not only that, it is also an anti-oxidant. It also lowers LDL cholesterol. Hhhmm, this is good for the husband who is taking meds for high cholesterol. Hope that by snacking on this, it will lower. People eating walnuts reduce the risk of having heart disease. There are a lot of health benefits that's why I snack on them too. Never mind that it doesn't taste like all the yummy nuts.

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Protect Your Wealth

My father-in-law is making sense. He's been telling us time and again that if ever we decide to invest our money, it's wise to put it in gold. He's been telling us too that its price continues to climb. True enough, in my existence I have yet to witness the price of gold go down, it either remains the same or goes up. If ever we decide, I will tell the husband to look for rare gold coins since this helps in preserving the value of the investment. Another reason why one should invest in gold is the value. Its value has never been zero. Now you can start collecting, even just for the fun of it. You can start with just one coin, and before you know it, it's not just your collection but your investment already.

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My Kind of Sink

I first saw it in one of the restaurants we frequent. I told myself that when we build a new house I will make sure that one of these glass sinks will have a space in my household. True enough my wish was granted. Everyone who visits the house would always praise my bathroom specifically the sink. I'm happy that for once the husband listened to me when I brought up the topic of the sink. I think he likes it too because I need not tell him twice. He said yes immediately. I am really proud to say that my bathroom looks like the bathrooms of a 5-star hotel, yeah seriously!

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Holiday Equals More Sleep

I was so looking forward to this day. Today is a special holiday and that means uninterrupted sleep. Nope I am not sleep deprived, it's just that I miss sleeping in. I always have to wake up at 5:15 in the morning in order to wake up my son who should be preparing for school around that time. Then I have a hard time going back to sleep. I normally get headaches when I do because I need to wake up again this time to wake up my daughter. So today is pretty precious. I got to sleep in but not at the time that I planned to wake up. I woke up 2 hours ahead of the planned time. Not bad, even if I slept at 3 in the morning. I guess I'm not really made to sleep in anymore, does this go with age?

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Busted Water Heater

I woke up today with a water heater problem. It was working well yesterday and I don't know what went wrong. It's frustrating and at the same time scary. It can cause fire you know. It's time to call a skilled plumber so he can tell me what the problem is and at the same time offer the best solution for it. I hope he doesn't recommend replacement though because I am not ready for it. But then again if it needs to be replaced then I can't do anything but follow.

Anyway while I was searching the net for some remedies to my problem, I came across Orlando water heater. This gave me the idea that I can go tankless. If the plumber recommends that I replace the busted heater, then I think I'd like to go tankless. I heard too that it requires lesser energy and of course the space too. I need all the space I can get. I want to have something like this Ft Lauderdale Water Heater which has an energy star rating. Both you and I know what it brings. It determines what heater is the most efficient for my house.

Oh for those who are living in Florida, did you know that you can be eligible for rebates or tax credits provided you select a water heater like probably this Water Heater Miami that is highly rated. I just read this too and thought I'd share it. And here's another one. Delivery of water heater can be done 24/7 and can be installed at your most convenient time 24/7 too. Emergency service is also available. Oh how I wish we have that kind of service here.

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I Love Mondays!

Before I really didn't like Mondays but ever since we had a new instructor at the gym I started loving Mondays. Mondays is retro, pure dance. A combination of hip hop, latin and jazz. And I am very familiar with the music too because he got it from the 80s. It makes exercise fun. I don't know but I think I'm really made for dancing. I can't stand running in the treadmill, I don't like using those equipments either but with dancing I can do it 2 hours non-stop. Yeah!

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My Precious Gold Coin

One day my FIL came to the house showing us some gold coins. I think he had four on his palm. Then he started telling us how he got hold of those gold coins. I'm sorry but I don't exactly remember his story. I think it used to be a US coin and he was able to save it. He said that it was 24k solid gold and you know what? He handed me and the hubby a gold coin each. At first I couldn't believe that he was giving it to me. I know he values those coins too much for it to be disposed just like that. Then he told me to give it to the kids when they are a bit older. I'm keeping it right now and plan to show it to the kids. I hope they value it as much as how their grandfather has valued it. My FIL mentioned too that if we have extra money and want to invest on something, gold will be a very wise decision. If you look at it's history, I mean in terms of prices, you will notice that there wasn't a time that the price have dropped. It either remains the same or goes up.

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Things to Buy from A-Z

When we visited the US in 2005, we planned to go to a lot of places. Thank God friends and relatives were willing to take us around. We were able to cover all the places on the list. Yeah we made a list of all the places we wanted to visit including circuit city because a friend of mine asked me to buy something for her. She found the item there and when she found out that we had a scheduled trip, she requested if I can get it for her. Of course I have to say yes, she is a very close friend of mine. Anyway I was able to get it and I was lucky that day because they were on sale. I found myself getting something for the family as well. I love the word SALE, don't you?

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Fitness Update

I was alarmed with my weight gain. I used to be just 96 lbs. and standing about 5'3". Suddenly I became 121 lbs. without noticing it. I was too preoccupied with my problems at that time and I found solace in food. I know I can be stupid at times but really what's a comfort food for anyway?

I'm happy though that at least I have not allowed myself to become obese by going to the gym. I do it M-F for about 2 hours each visit. First hour would be aerobics and the second hour would be dancing. I've been doing this for about 9 months now and there's not much weight loss. I don't know if I want to be disappointed or not, but on the brighter side, I got myself to do a fitness routine which is very important to one's health, yeah weight loss or no weight loss.

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Who's the Fairest?

I love the look of my bathroom. I actually made sure that it would look like something out of the pages of a home magazine. I also admired the bathrooms in the hotels that we go to. In a hotel room, the first thing that I check is the bathroom. I know I have an obsession for bathrooms, I don't know but I just want mine beautiful. When we were constructing our house, I made sure that I picked from these bathroom mirrors. Of course I didn't want to go for mirrors that would give me "distorted" images. Believe it or not but there are mirrors that are like that, I mean poor quality. Good thing the vanity mirrors I picked for each room were all nice and of good quality. My daughter particularly liked hers. It is a very simple beveled one. Again I got the idea from one hotel we went to. See, I'm really very observant. I do take note of all the details that I see. How about you, do you do the same thing that I do? If you don't have time to go around and check the latest, you can check on these bathroom vanity wall mirrors I found online. Seriously I find a lot of nice stuff online, I'm an internet junkie, you know!

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Let's Have Tea

I've mentioned time and again that I am fond of having tea especially before going to bed. I don't know but my system is looking for it. It probably gives me a good night's sleep whenever I sip my favorite tea. I had a wonderful tea experience when we traveled to China about two years ago. I was introduced to different kinds of flavors and what good we get out of it. I all the more had passion for tea. If only we had afternoon tea like how other countries have it, I would really be glad. It's wonderful spending time with friends over a cup of tea and some mince pies. I've tried this combination and I love it. I like it with biscuits too. How I wish I can invite friends over for tea or something. But we are not just used to it like the English. This is one thing I promised myself, when me and my daughter have the chance to visit England, for sure we would love to experience "afternoon tea". Oh before I forget, ever since I got fond of having tea, I am starting to collect teapots. I still don't have Christmas teapots and I'd like to have one. Hint! Hint! Now you know what to give me for Christmas, do you?

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My Baby is Now a Lady

In about a year she'll be celebrating her 18th birthday. I can't believe that she's now 17 and in college. It seemed like only yesterday that I gave birth to her. I still vividly remember her growing up years, she used to wear my high heels when she was still a toddler probably about 2 years old. She was also fond of singing, holding an invisible mic. Oh time flies too fast. I'm happy that I got to spend time with her during these formative years.

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