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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I'm Proud of my Job

There was one time I went to attend a batch reunion. I was excited to see everyone. Of course High School is the most fun of all, I know you will agree with me. There was a lot of catching up to do with friends whom I have not seen for ages already. You know how it is when you have not seen each other. First thing you ask is about the job. Someone I know approached me and asked, "Where are you connected now?" I told him that I was a homemaker. His reaction offended me in one way or another. He told me, "What you came from the star section and you don't have a job?" I answered him as candidly as possible because I didn't wanna ruin my day. Being a homemaker is the best job of all. Even if you don't get paid monetarily, its equivalent is way beyond what money can buy. It's a tough job. You need to take care of the kids and the husband, not to mention the house. You have to see to it that all their needs are met as much as possible.

One thing I love being a homemaker is that I get to run my household. I may not be the one cleaning the mess but I am updated which Cleaning Supplies are effective. I am even familiar with the prices. I know which products work or not. I know of different products that will give you value for your money. Who would think that even the Janitorial Supplies I am familiar with? Well I have a quick answer to that. The supplies are quite similar to what I use at home. The difference is just with the quantity, probably it's being sold in bulk if you know what I mean.

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Early Ideas for Green Holiday Shopping

It’s not even the official end of summer yet, and already the Christmas decorations are beginning to appear in some of the big box retail locations throughout the United States and worldwide. With much of the global economy still mired in a prolonged recession, retailers are nevertheless optimistic that the 2010 Holiday shopping season will show growth compared with last year. The following is a quick look at some of the early trends emerging amongst retailers who appear to be trying new, eco-friendly tactics to increase market share.

A growing industry in the last decade has been the “green” movement. With an increasing number of home owners and businesses turning to solar energy, and more and more drivers opting for hybrid vehicles, there has also been growth in smaller eco-friendly items like LED light bulbs. Until this point, a major obstacle to more robust growth in sale of these products has been high price points. However improving manufacturing techniques and advances in technology are changing all of these. Home Depot locations are reportedly now selling 40-Watt replacement LED light bulbs for less $20. This is less than half of what consumers were paying just a few months ago.

While Ikea locations and other large big box stores are traditionally notorious energy hogs, a new store planned for Centennial, Colorado (near Denver) will reportedly be powered by geothermal energy. 500 feet underneath the store’s parking garage, over 130 pipes will pump liquid that help assist with the heating and cooling of the store during various times of the year. Depending on the success of this program, similar systems may be installed at other Ikea locations throughout North America. Surely these tactics will appeal to green-conscious consumers across the country.

Not to be left out of the discussion, as drought conditions are forecast for much of the globe over the next 6-12 months, Lowes locations continue to expand their selection of green-friendly water conservation products such as rain barrels. Available in multiple styles and sizes, rain barrels are designed to collect rain runoff collected by the gutter systems of the roofs of homes. The collected water can then be securely stored in the barrel or underground tank for use during the dry summer months. Nothing like says green like keeping your garden lush during a drought without using a single drop of public water.

The green movement appears to be here to stay, and in addition the aforementioned stores, there will likely be a plethora of retailers offering green products that would make great gifts for the environmentalist in every family.

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How to Whiten Dark Elbows

I know many of us have this problem. Honestly I really didn't know where I got it. It's probably the constant contact of the elbow in any surface. My kids have this kind of problem too and it gets really disgusting especially if we don't do anything about it. I did a little reading and I want to share it with all of you.

I'll let you in in a little secret ok? Use lemon! They say that lemon has whitening properties. Cut the lemon in half and rub it gently against your elbow. Let it stay for a little while and rinse it off with water. You have to do this religiously though to see results. Remember, you didn't get that dark elbows of yours overnight, so don't expect the cure to be overnight too, get it?

This is just one of the remedies. If ever I find another one that is effective, I'll share it with you. Meanwhile I hope lemon works for you and me.

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I Want to Experience Winter

It's been a dream of mine to experience snow. I think majority of us living in tropical places would want to experience it. I promised myself that the next time I go to America, I'll see to it that it's going to be winter time. I wouldn't pass up the opportunity of staying outdoor wearing my snow boots. This would be something new for me so I guess I'd really get excited and will look forward to it. I have a lot of friends who have wonderful winter experiences and I want to go through it too. Hopefully anytime soon, yes I'd really like that to happen.

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Time Out With Friends

My gym buddies and I go out once a month. I'm always looking forward to this time because I love spending time with them. We talk about anything under the sun but mostly we talk about aging. We are all in our 40s and I guess women that age talk about what's the best eye cream among other things. Makeup and surgery are discussed too and we always end up laughing our hearts out. I have funny friends and that's why I love hanging out with them. I feel relaxed.

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A Fabulous Find

It was my daughter who first discovered this jeans at Forever21. She found it real cheap at less than five hundred bucks. It instantly became her fave jeans having to wear it week after week. I had a chance to go to the shop yesterday, and I ended up buying a pair too. I found 2 more pairs that were reasonably priced and bought them. I bought 3 pairs for a little over two thousand bucks and I'm happy with my purchase. Oh, there's one more thing I am happy about, I no longer wear a size 28 jeans, I'm down to 26, well at least with the Forever21 brand.

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I'm Proud of my SUV

My car turns a lot of heads when it's out on the streets. I think it's the graffiti that was placed that makes it look cute and attractive. I'm proud to say that you will never see anything like it on the streets. You can find a lot of the same model roaming the streets of the metro but nothing like my car. I do not claim the credits since I was not the one who dress it up. It was actually the husband because he entered it in a car show. There were a lot of nice cars there too, and mine never failed to attract attention. There was also one thing that attracted my attention while I was at the car show. I love the chrome rims that I saw there. I don't really know why the husband did not choose that kind of rim for my car. Maybe he thinks that it does not really go with the look. But if I were to choose, I'd probably pick one of those I've seen online. It's really looks cool and the style is one of a kind. But yes I admit, it does not fit my small SUV. If I had a sedan, then probably the husband would suggest it.

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I Wish I Had More Gold Coins

I guess some of you would want to invest on something but is too scared because of the ongoing crisis we have. I would feel the same too. It's very hard to part with the money you have earned and saved through the years only to invest it in the wrong product.

Did you know that gold coins has been recognized to be a very good investment product throughout history? It has attracted millions of people from all over the world and has never failed to attract more people even to this time. If you are familiar with the price of gold, there was never a time that it went down just like other investment products. It's price has either remained the same or has increased. This is the reason why people invest in gold. I'd do the same if I had money to put in. I know what power gold can give, it can save us from difficult financial situations in one way or another.

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Validity of the Green Passport

All four of us are holders of the green Philippine Passports (non-machine readable passport). The kids' passports are already expired and I am renewing it. Now I heard from someone that the validity of the green passport is an issue. Some say that there are countries that will not honor it. I went to the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) website to check on it's validity. And this is what I got. "All green passports (non-machine readable passports) will be valid until the stated date of expiry." If this is the case, no country should turn away green passport holders when trying to enter their country. This was made clear by DFA by issuing that statement I quoted.

I went ahead and applied online for the kids' passport renewal. They are scheduled to go to DFA on October 13 yet and it's only August 23rd now. Whoa is that how much Filipinos want to travel outside the country? It will take 10 days if you opt for the rush renewal and 20 days if you go for the regular one. Of course if you choose rush, there is an additional fee on top of the regular processing fee which is not really that big.

If Malaysia can issue passports within the day, why can't our government do the same? Can someone please tell me?

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Home Lighting - Decorate With Indoor Pendant Lighting

What do you notice first when you enter a room? Is it the color of the wall, the painting, the rug, the furniture? Someone told me that you don't really get to appreciate all those I've mentioned if the room is poorly lit. Home Lighting plays a major role in making the room beautiful. Ever since I heard that, it's the first thing I take notice whenever I enter the room. It makes or breaks the ambiance if I may say. No wonder the husband became very particular with the lighting when we were constructing the house where we are staying in right now. He did the layout and picked the Light Fixtures too. I can't complain because he knows what he was doing. I can't call him an expert when it comes to lighting yet, but yeah he did good. We've been complimented a lot of times especially with his choice of Indoor Lighting. He'd always remind me of his work, it was like telling me see I did well. I know is all I could answer. He thinks that I have no faith in him when it comes to lighting because I was insisting to have it done by someone else. Good thing he insisted to take care of it, at least we were able to save by not paying on someone else's service.

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Online Shopping for the Busy Bee

Who among you love online shopping? Ever since the internet came up with online shopping it has been popular amongst everyone, me included. I think it's the convenience that made it possible. Think of the traffic just to get you to the mall. Think about the gas spent, what about the parking, what about the line in the cashier? These are some of the reasons why consumers/shoppers want to go online shopping instead of going to the mall. Now I am going to talk about why I love online shopping. I've turned into a wise shopper. How did that happen? I learned to be one when I got married. There's a budget to speak of so I do price comparison shopping before purchasing. Every centavo counts when you are working on a budget. This is one advantage I like about online shopping and it does not take me all day to compare the prices so to speak. Time is very important to me and with online shopping I can always narrow down my selections because I normally go to the specific product name that I am looking for. I think by now you see the picture why people love to shop online. If you are a busy Mom like me, a Mom with her hands always full, a Mom that can't find time to go to the mall, then this is for us, everything at our convenience. Kudos to the one who thought of online shopping.

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Longer Hair...I Wish!

The last time I had my hair past the bra line was I think 4 years ago. I can't seem to grow it to that length anymore. Before it even reaches the bra line, I go for a pixie cut. Crazy right? I know I can be silly at times but it makes me happy. And since I can't get to grow it in the length that I want, I decided to purchase hair extensions, 100% human hair. Freaky says my daughter coz she imagines it being someone else's hair. Add to that I told her that the owner of the hair is dead. Now she won't even touch it, much less wear it.

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How Much Do You Spend?

How many times do you do grocery shopping in a month? I do mine twice a month. I used to do it on a monthly basis but it seems like nothing lasts for a month nowadays. I remember my first years of raising a family, spending a certain amount in groceries would give me 8 bags full, but that certain amount now can only allow me to shop for a bag full. Prices have gone up. I refuse to look at the prices sometimes because if I do I will end up buying nothing. Do you guys memorize the prices of the usual stuff you are buying? Good thing the receipt printer gives a very clear printout of the stuff that I buy so more or less I have an idea of the prices and how much budget to set aside for grocery shopping. I wonder if your groceries eat a big chunk in your budget too?

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What Gold Can Do

Do you believe that gold is one of the best investment product? Why do I say this? Well gold is used to preserve one's wealth and this has been going on for centuries already. This is probably the reason why a lot of people now invest in gold coins. I remember a few years back, a friend of mine came to me bringing with her gold. She wanted to pawn it since she was low on cash and she needed money. For what reason she never mentioned really. I was able to help her, handed her more than what she expected. She said that she even got more money than when she paid for the actual price of gold at the time she purchased it. I can say that it's somewhat a lifesaver too, you can always sell it or pawn it.

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Sharon Live

I got the chance to watch Sharon Cuneta sing live in her concert last Saturday. I was invited by Ate Marie to go with her coz she was given 3 choice seat tickets. Sharon lost weight I think but she is still on the heavy side. She promise to shed more pounds and I think she is committed to do so. The show was entertaining and guests included Ogie Alcaside, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Kuh Ledesma, Ai-Ai delas Alas, Pokwang, Piolo Pascual and Sarah Geronimo. Speaking of Sarah...oh wait I think I will just write about her in another entry, not that she is a favorite, I just notice something when she sings =)

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Need Help on Mortgage?

Here is a scenario. You are looking into buying a house. You finally find the house of your dream. You don't have all the money to purchase it. You love the house so much that you don't want to let go of the opportunity of buying it. Now what comes to your mind first? I need to find a mortgage lender who can help me out with my problem. Where do you go? Go to someone who has expertise in dealing with this situation. Good thing this is now available via the internet. What do you need to do? You need to find a website that offers home loans. Just make sure that the one you find is an expert in this field. You don't want to end up messing with your transaction. Remember, this is your dream house. You want to own it. If there's no other way to purchase it, there is always a solution for that. For those living in Austin, you can ask assistance from Austin mortgage lender. They can be the solution to your dream. They have a pool of agents who can help you out with this matter. They even have a mortgage advice for people who will be homeowners for the first time. The information you will need won't take long as they really act fast since they are experts on this already. Good luck to all homeowners. May you find the house of your dreams.

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Protect Your Income

It took a lot of convincing before I made an appointment with the insurance broker. Well that scenario happened some five years ago. I really didn't believe in any form of insurance and that explains why it took time before I finally said yes to the broker. That's not the case right now since I am now reaping the fruits of that meeting. Nope nobody died in the family. As you are aware of, there are now many forms for insurance. It used to be only life many many years ago, but now, name it there is some sort of insurance for everything including income protection. You guys should seriously think about this. This would really be of big help in case something happens to you that will not allow you to work. They cover like 75 percent of your income so life goes on. Can you imagine yourself penniless after something happens? What is it going to be like when you can no longer work because of some disability? Have you ever though about this? If only this is being offered here in our country, then I know a lot of people will be getting this type of insurance.

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Volume Rebonding

Ish and I decided to have our hair rebonded. Mine really depends on what the hairstylist will say. If he gives the go signal that I can have my hair rebonded, then I'd gladly do it, if not I won't insist. We went to Tony and Jackey at NS Amoranto and they suggested it's better if we go for volume rebonding. Their reason, the length of our hair would be better off if they do volume rebond so that it doesn't fly away. We opted for L'oreal instead of the korean medicine since we feel that we own the most abused hair. We'd like to be careful so that no further damage will happen. So far so good. I still don't know the outcome since I haven't shampooed my hair. You see when you have your hair rebonded, you are not allowed to wet your hair for two days so that the effect would be nice. I really don't know what will happen if you do.

I'll post a picture soon, I couldn't do it now since I look like a mess without washing my hair.

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Dress Up in Style

Do you ever think of dressing up your vehicles? Are you contented with just a stock one, meaning you don't do or add anything to make it more beautiful? Before the husband buys a vehicle, he would normally look for accessories he can put to make it more attractive. I don't know if you are like him. But there are just some who are not content with just the stock one. I don't have anything against making the vehicle attractive as long as there is use to it. Take for example this tonneau cover for truck. When the husband purchased a truck years back, I was so against putting a cover. I thought of the money that will be spent buying it. I didn't see the use at first. But my mind was opened when I saw with my two eyes how those robbers took the stuff that were placed in the truck bed. Then it came to mind, oh it's gonna be for security. I wouldn't want all my stuff disappearing from the bed. It wouldn't be of use too if we don't put anything on it. The initial reason why we bought the truck was to put some stuff to carry around in case there will be repairs to be done. It would also be a big help when there are things that won't fit in the car. In other words the truck would carry around heavy and big stuff, well that's what it's made for, right?

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Everything Sold

I'm so happy! I was able to sell all 20 bracelets that I made and more people are ordering. Looks like I'm going to be busy this coming days. I should limit my FB time and FB games as well. I should probably plant seeds that will not rot in just a few hours. But lemme see, probably I can do FB games in between so I won't get bored. But can I afford that? My cousin is ordering another 12 sets to bring to the States, my sister is ordering too. Maybe I should increase my output to at least 5 sets of bracelets a day or even more, we'll see if I can do that. I should be serious about this if I want to succeed. Everyone starts small I always remind myself.

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Looking Forward to the Next Road Trip

I don't know if I already mentioned here that we started loving road trips last summer. The kids had the time of their life when we did it and this is enough reason that we will do it again. I myself enjoyed it a lot, appreciating the countryside. I think the kids did too since they have not seen much of it actually. Good thing the trip went smoothly. Honestly I was a bit worried since we are not a member of any roadside assistance club. Now that I can definitely say that road trips will be part of our activities as a family, I have to make sure about getting assistance. It will make our trips more enjoyable with nothing to worry about.

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iPhone My Love

I think you know by now how I love my iPhone. I'm not really a big fan of Mac products, but this iPhone I can't live without. It's very useful, I don't really need to bring a laptop anywhere which is quite big and heavy. I know you'll agree with me that the iPhone is a wonderful substitute. Now let me ask you, do you have iphone warranty? Mine is already past the warranty so I am really very careful in handling it, not that I wasn't before. I heard that there are companies who offer warranty. I hope I find it here int he country where I am currently staying.

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Boohoo But :=)

Initially I wanted this sandals but I didn't find it when I went to Forever21 sometime last week. I was able to pick 1 sandals though, it was also cute. I was trying to find it in the website so I can compare the price but it wasn't there. Anyway I paid P475 for it and I was really happy with it. When I went to the counter to pay for it, my heart leaped when I saw the original sandals that I liked held by another woman. I left the line to look for it. I spent a good 10 minutes looking for it and even asked help from the salesperson only to find out that there was only 1 left but a size 9. Boohoo, I'm a 6. But anyway I was still a happy woman going home with another style, and that's what matters most.

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How Would You Invest?

What do you think are the reasons why people buy gold coins? For one, the value of gold never depreciates, in fact it appreciates. Another reason is you can easily dispose of it whenever the need arises. My FIL once told me that buying gold is really a wise investment. He went into this a couple of years back and look where it has gotten him now. He is a living example that is why I really recommend investing in gold. If you have extra money that you do not need at the moment, instead of putting it in the bank where the interest rates are very low, why not invest in gold? Don't be scared, like I said it can easily be disposed of, and it can double your investment in no time.

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Security with Style

The husband is really very good when it comes to vehicles. He has a lot of ideas on how to dress up all vehicles. Give him a bus and he can make it beautiful, that's how good he is. We always get praises for our rides. Whenever we are on the streets of the metro, we turn a lot of heads. This is so because he took time to dress up our vehicles, and he does that not only to make it beautiful but he sees to it that whatever he adds will be useful.

Let's take for example truck bed covers, I really didn't see the need to have it. He insisted on putting it to keep robbers away. True enough, I've seen robbers do it while the trucks stop on a red light. They get everything they can and they are fast. All we can do is just look, I'm glad that the husband insisted on putting fold a cover. Now that's what you call style and security in one. This is very helpful really. There's another thing I like about truck covers that you can fold. You need not worry about the height of the things you put in the truck bed. All the stuff that fits, you can actually put and just pull down the cover. For other stuff that doesn't fit, you can actually fold the cover to accommodate it. Just secure it a bit and no worries. I really suggest for all truck owners to have folding truck bed covers, you don't see the need now, but I tell you, you really need it.

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Internet Connection Sucks

My internet connection is on and off since Sunday. Pages are loading so slow and sometimes it does not at all. I wonder if there's something wrong with the internet as a whole because I am not the only one complaining. Is there something being repaired just like in the past? I haven't read anything about it though so I am not sure. This morning internet is kinda ok, hopefully it stays this way all the time. And oh this reminds me to buy prepaid internet so that on days that PLDT is acting up, we'll have something to use. Internet connection is always badly needed in this household, not to do Facebook of course, heh.

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What's There When You're Gone?

Insurance, Insurance, Insurance! How important is this? At first I didn't believe in this, but as I grew older it dawned on me that yeah after all I need to get myself insured. It's not actually for me but for the people I love. At least I'm going to leave something behind when I'm gone. This life insurance will be a big help to keep them started. I don't want to be like those people who instead of leaving a sum of money for the family to use, they leave debt instead. This is just sad.

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How Fast Can You Lose Weight?

What do you think is the common reason why people go to the gym? Initially it's because they want to lose weight. I enrolled in aerobics class because I got tired of people's comments that I am fat, yeah bluntly said. Keeping and staying fit is just my secondary reason. Now what about my first reason? Was I successful? Just a bit since I haven't really gotten to my desired/target weight. Sometimes out of frustration that nothing is working, I want to try quicktrim. I know this will help me obtain my target weight. But I am giving myself about six more months to lose it via hi lo, if not I have to go to the doctor and ask if I can use one of those popular pills.

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Car Update

After 7 years I had the A/C cleaned. I know I am irresponsible, I promise it won't happen again. I don't know but I took this thing for granted. Good thing I realized that I had to put attention to it before something bad happens which would incur a hole in the pocket. At least I got to spend only P2,000 for the cleaning, lucky me!

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Pregnancy and Stretch Marks

When I was pregnant with my first born, I didn't know much. In the course of the pregnancy though, I discovered a lot of things but for some it was already too late. I didn't know much about cocoa butter and stretch marks, and it was actually my older sister who introduced me to it. I was complaining to her how my skin would get dark after I scratch. You see when you are pregnant, you feel an itch especially in the tummy area, probably because the skin has expanded. You can't help but scratch it and it leaves an ugly mark. Thanks to the cocoa butter even though it was too late it still helped. At least there were no additional ugly marks when I had my second child.

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Dress Up You Vehicles in Style

Is you car dressed up? What do you think of those black nerf bars that you see on most trucks? Is it just for aesthetic purposes? I agree it adds up to the beauty of the vehicle, but more than anything else it helps you climb in and out of your truck. It can also serve as protection in case of accidents. If you don't want to go for a black one, maybe you can take a look at these chrome nerf bars. I think the husband would like this better. I should introduce him to Realtruck.com since he is really fond of dressing up his vehicles. He can also take a look at the running boards while on the website.

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I Can't Do Hip Hop

I love Wednesdays! First hour of our fitness regimen is hi-lo, and on the second hour we do hip hop. I love to dance but I don't know why I can't do hip hop. I find myself funny when I do the moves. Is is because it does not fit my age anymore? Or is it that I am used to latin or belly dancing. I don't know but one of my friends commented that when I do the hip hop it's like I'm doing latin moves. I'm about to give up but what about my exercise? One hour is just not enough. Oh never mind, as long as I am enjoying what the heck!

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Migraine...Not!

About 4 years ago, I always had headaches. It happens everyday and I take meds almost everyday too. I got to a point where I was really concerned with my liver with all the meds I take for migraine relief. Not that the meds are causing it, but it's a known fact that when you take lots of meds, you know what will eventually happen with the liver.

I thought it was migraine, symptoms pointed to it. Boy I was wrong. It turned out I had TMJ disorder. Good thing our orthodontist discovered it. I was immediately treated, first by wearing a splint, then braces which took forever. I wore braces for about 4 years. Now I'm done with the treatment and I seldom get headaches, thank God.

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Me? Fat?

Everyone who has not seen me in a long time says I'm fat! I know and I don't really mind at all or do I? Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. Well I can distinguish a nasty comment from a sincere comment if you know what I mean. I do grow tired of hearing it to the point that I want to try ephedra diet pills. You see if you hear it again and again it makes you think that you really are. Nothing wrong with being fat and all, but sometimes those comments make you feel that you look ugly, duh!

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Small Biz

In case you still don't know, I'm back to making accessories particularly bracelets. I did this a couple of years back but took a rest. Now I'm back to doing it, with a different design this time. You can see the entire collection over at my Multiply site. Hope you like it.

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My California Adventure

I have some friends who live in California. I was fortunate enough to visit some of them during our trip to the US in 2005. We stayed for about two weeks only and I know I missed a lot of good and fun places to visit. 2 weeks isn't just enough. I thank my friends for driving us around, boy they got pretty cars. I mean really pretty, one was driving a beamer (latest model) at that time. I wonder if she's got California car insurance. I bet she does, car insurance is a must in America. I think it's only here in this country that insurance is optional. But I think most people here see the need for car insurance, what with the crazy drivers we have.

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The What Ifs in Life

In the country where I live, auto insurance is not really required. It is up to the car owners whether they want their cars insured or not. This actually leaves me thinking. Don't they see the need for it? Or is it just that they don't know that cheap auto insurance is available. I myself had that in mind actually. You can't blame me because there are quotations I receive that are beyond my budget. Let's face it, times are getting harder and harder and if we can stretch the little amount that we have in our pockets, we will do so.

Finding the right auto insurance can really save us a big headache in the future. We do not know when accidents can happen. Even if we are careful with our driving, once we are out in the streets we do not know what's going to happen. I'm sure you already know that there are a lot of crazy drivers out there and what if one day we encounter one of them? Do we have the budget to get our car fixed? Do we worry about where to get the money? We can avoid all these when we have insurance. It's no joke having cars repaired nowadays. At least that's gonna be one load off our back since the insurance company can take care of that. Hope by now you have really seen the importance of having it.

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Quiet Time

I went back to doing quiet time. I have not been regularly doing it but for 5 straight days I have been faithful. I went back to reading God's Word and started praying fervently. I have been lax in my spiritual life and thought that going to sunday service would be sufficient enough. I praise God that He has once again touched my heart. I don't like to wait for something big (negative) to happen before I get back to Him. I pray that the Lord will sustain me in my daily walk with Him.

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How Important is PD?

Have you experienced ordering your glasses online? Or do you still go to the optician who used to do your glasses. What if you want to order your glasses from Zenni: the #1 online eyeglasses store, but the thing is you get No PD for you from Opticians. How important is this is PD? What is PD? in other words? PD is pupillary distance, the distance between the center of the pupils in each eye. This measurement is used when preparing prescription glasses. Now what do you do if your optician does not give you your PD. In my opinion you can always ask for it. It's your right since you already have paid him in the past. Now if it's your first time to ask for your PD from an optician, it's just right to pay him a certain amount but not too much. Sometimes optician overcharge simply because they want the patients to buy the glasses from them. What if some patients want to order it online simply because it's what they can afford?

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Her Love for Books

The daughter goes to the bookstore at least once a week. Her life wouldn't be complete without that trip and a book in her bag. Sometimes I blame myself for introducing her to books early on in life. I encouraged her to read when she was only 7 and from there there was no stopping anymore. The library is filled with her books, all sorts of titles and she's always proud to show her friends the collection that she already has. On her 11th birthday, I remembered her buying like close to 15 books. Other kids would opt for dolls but this darling doll of mine is kinda different. Well she loves bags and shoes now that she's turning 17 and in college, I wonder though if she'd still pick books over her newest passion. Shall I give it a try and make her pick?

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MRT for the First Time

I took the MRT going to Trinoma from Makati. It was my first. I normally take the LRT once a month and riding the MRT will be once a month too starting today. Yeah that's from north to south. Honestly I don't like to driving in heavy traffic that's why I opt to take the public transport. Not only that I save time too which is important to me since I have a lot to take care at home especially now that the kids are back to school.

So how was the ride? It was faster than the LRT, quite smooth except when the train starts to go. If you are standing and not holding on to anything, tendency is for you to fall off your feet if you are not fast enough to grab on to something. I don't know, but probably it's just the driver. Wow, then this is something to look forward to next month, and yes I enjoyed the ride. I discovered too that SM Department Store (Makati) is way more beautiful now and I was surprised too that you can now pass through going to Glorietta. Haha I love to commute coz I discover new things, and it's funny observing other passengers too, well that will be reserved for another entry.

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Say I Do with these RINGS

I've been married for 18 years now. Each time I attend a wedding, something seems to be different. I couldn't help but feel that yeah I've been married for 18 years now. Looking back, it seemed that mine was really simple, but back then it was not. I had 5 months to prepare and at the back of my mind I was like, man it's still 5 months to go, so early to prepare. But the weddings now, it takes a year to prepare plus they hire coordinators to do the job. It's so much different now even with wedding rings. If you are familiar with 25karats.com, you'll know what I mean. They still have the classic bands though, but if you browse the website you'll be amazed of how far the rings have gone in terms of design and all. Just an example, please check their Wedding Bands and click on the fancy wedding bands. My oh my how beautiful and yeah fancy is the right word. How I wish I was getting married again, oooopppsie, just for the purpose of choosing a fancy wedding band, alright? Take for example that rolex style fancy wedding band you see in the photo, there was nothing like that 18 years ago. Honestly there are many choices now, and it will make your head spin. I thought it took me long to choose simply because I can't make up my mind, and I can just imagine the brides now, having to choose from hundreds of designs. Even the groom can pick from these Engagement Rings which can probably match the wedding bands they'll have later. I've browsed through their engagement rings and I can't help but choose, not for me though but for my son's future wife.

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Loving Boracay

It's my 5th time in the islands, but the first for my daughter Ish. This wasn't really a scheduled vacation, more like a spur of the moment thing by my SIL. The three of us packed our bikinis and headed to the islands and got there around 8:30 in the morning. Our flight (Air Philippines) was scheduled at 7 in the morning so we left the house around 5:30. This is the first time I'm taking another airline. I was so used to getting to the islands a little before lunch since landing in Aklan requires an hour and a half bus ride going to Caticlan. Now why was I not brave enough to take Air Philippines before. Oh probably a few years back they had a really small plane (read: 20-seater or something). This time it was bigger that's why I'm taking them again whenever I go to the islands.

Getting to the islands is very different now. A few years back the boat brings you right in front of the hotel's shore. You have the option to be carried or getting your feet wet. This time everyone is brought to the wharf, then you take the trike that will bring you to the hotel. I got a little impatient because to me it took long for us to reach the hotel. It was more or less a kilometer ride from the wharf. Good thing they have very good roads.

We stayed at Boracay Regency. It's a very nice place and had a beach front almost exclusively for them. The area is guarded, so you don't really worry about your belongings, but of course you can never tell. We spent most of the time lounging around the beachfront and alternately taking a dip in the water. Ish felt icky because of the green stuff. That's the usual sight whenever you go to Boracay in the months of May and June. I call it the algae months. As expected the water was warm, still very clear that you can see the fishes. And the sand, so soft that I did a major spa thing by scrubbing my whole body trying to exfoliate. It felt good coz the sand was really fine, compared to the bath and body works scrub I was using, what was missing though was the scent, oh well you can't have it all as they say.

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College Bound

My daughter is going into college this school year. She is already very excited in fact she wants classes to start already. For the first week, they are allowed to wear civilian clothes (street clothes) but after that week they should be in uniform. I still want her to check out urban clothing though because I know she'll be going out a lot. I know too that this is the type of clothes she'll wear. I've seen her go into a lot of fashion websites, watching what's in and out. Oh my baby has indeed grown into a lady. Seems like only yesterday that she was in my arms having a peaceful and contented nap. How time flies soooo fast.

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Ideal Investment

Do you believe that buying gold is a wise investment? I do! This is not the first time I've heard of it, a couple of my friends say this too. You see I have a lot of Chinese friends, my father-in law is pure Chinese and they all say one thing, invest in gold. I have an idea too why it's really wise to invest in gold. I am familiar with the price of gold ever since I can remember. I used to accompany my sister to this jewelry place because that was her business. More or less the price of gold is about the same even when it's in bullion form. I've closely monitored it and based on experience, the price has never gone down. This is what my FIL says too. A friend of mine used to buy gold bullion and when the time came she needed the money she didn't hesitate to use it. To her surprise the value tripled and she was really happy about it. There was more than enough to cover her needs. I also remember helping a friend dispose her gold. If you think it's hard to dispose it in the future, you are so wrong.

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Maalox for the Face

Milk of Magnesia is not available here. What's milk of magnesia for you ask? Oh I have very oily facial skin, it's not even combination skin. I've been in constant search for something that will at least lessen if not eliminate the oiliness. It's really embarrassing going out with all those shine as if you can do sunny side up in my face. Yeah I am not kidding. So in my constant search for remedy, I read that Milk of Magnesia can do wonders. Since we do not have it here, someone suggested that Maalox is fine. It can be a very good substitute. I'm not sure about the Aluminum Hydroxide though, what harm it can do to my face but then again Maalox is taken orally and it didn't do anything to the system. Well that's just me. I already tried applying it to my face and indeed it worked. I haven't tried it with foundation though coz they say it makes a very good face primer. I'll try it sometime and I'll let you guys know.

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Movie Marathon

I'm going on a movie marathon in a bit with my fave movie buddy Ish (please wake up now). We are going to watch Prince of Persia and Sex and the City 2. We've been waiting for this 2 films to show and we're excited to see it. I hope I don't fall asleep inside the cinema since I slept very late last night and woke up a bit early this morning. Ok, gotta go, need to prepare now to catch the 11:45 showing.

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Invest Wisely

I had a friend who invested in gold, it was in the form of jewelry(necklaces, rings, bracelets). She was able to make use of it when she needed money for a very important need. She sold almost all her gold and she couldn't believe the amount of money she got. She remembered buying them at a very low price and she made more than a hundred percent when she sold it. I remember someone telling me that investing in gold will give you a higher return compared to any other investment. This is true because the value of gold has never gone down, in fact it appreciates. So if you are looking for a sure investment that will give you a higher yield, buy gold coins now. You can start small and just watch it grow.

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A Make Believe

One more week and we're off to the beach. We have our plane tickets already, our room booked and I still can't fit in my bikini. Seriously I need to buy a new one. It's so impossible to go back to a zero unless I do this quick weight loss thing. But I doubt if it can be done in a week's time. I should have thought about it a month ago, at least I wouldn't look this big and I wouldn't look preggers at all. Oh I can pretend to be preggers you know, it's the quickest way to avoid any more nasty questions.

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Aero Boxing

I was out the whole day and I was even late for my aerobics class. I was greeted by the receptionist on the door and told me that the aerobics instructor was absent. They found a substitute, a boxing instructor actually. He mixed aerobics with boxing and I like it. Although it was a bit tiring, I will still do it if he teaches again. I am new to boxing and I don't have the correct form yet. One of the girls even commented that I turned the exercise into dancing, I think I did it gracefully *grin. And yeah when I checked myself in the mirror, indeed it was a graceful move compared to the instructor. But I want to learn the true form. Well give me a session or two, by then I will be able to get it right, hopefully.

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Disgusting Acne

I think I already shared a hundred times about my love affair with acne. I always want to talk about it because I think I am a success story. Nope I don't have acne scars/marks simply because I took care of my face. Now my son starts having acne too and good thing I didn't have a hard time dragging him to the dermatologist. It's now controlled and he has to apply some topical meds. For those ones who are still suffering from acne, you can probably check the best acne face wash. This should be part of your regimen. I'm telling you now, you need to be religious about the regimen prescribed by your doctors if not you will never get rid of that acne and it's disgusting.

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Hire a Professional

We've moved three times already since I got married. All these times I didn't hire a professional mover. We did it ourselves and I tell you, it's a wonderful experience NOT! I remember having sleepless nights all because I wanted to finish the work. There was tension everywhere in the house. I was always mad and even the littlest thing would make me mad. That's probably because I was too tired from all the packing. I didn't have a system these professional movers have. Do you know the reason why I didn't hire a mover? I thought it was expensive. Initially it would appear like it is based on the figures that you will see. But just like me after every move, after the computations and all, it appeared that hiring a mover is just a little bit expensive. But I tell you, the amount that you save is not worth the hassle, the tension that you'll encounter once you do the moving yourself. Not only that, there's a chance that some things get broken. Of course when you hire movers, they pack it in moving boxes specifically designed to secure things. When we do the moving ourselves, we just get some boxes and stuff everything until it's filled. We all know that that is not the way things should be done. This is the reason why accidents happen along the way. It's really different when a professional is doing it. They have all the experience needed plus they get your stuff packed and delivered safely to your new home.

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Lost Chance

I was this close to visiting Banaue Rice Terraces, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I actually invited myself to join my aunt who has a board meeting at Solano, Nueva Viscaya, an hour and a half away from the Banaue Rice Terraces. I was all set to leave, but then I had to finish some online tasks which were already due. I beg off because I don't think there is internet connection in my Aunt's house. I'm actually sad having to pass up the opportunity, I will just wait for another one anyway my aunt attends the board meeting once in three months.

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How Tall Are You?

"I need the height Momma!" I normally hear that from my daughter. I didn't expect my daughter to be that short, well she's not really short but I wanted her to be taller than me. Right now I am taller by 3 inches and I know that she really wants to grow taller. I wonder if these hgh releasers can help us solve her problem. She'd be the happiest really if this could add to her height. She's turning 17 and actually I've lost hope already that she'd still grow taller. In the articles that I've read, once the girls start to menstruate they grow 1 or 2 more inches after which they achieve their adult height at probably age 14. But you know, I'm still hoping that she'd grow a little taller.

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Get a Degree Online

Are you frustrated just because you were not able to finish college? There are a lot of reasons why a person has not added a degree on his name. For one, school causes conflict with their work schedule. Some people have to work just to be able to send themselves to school. I am one lucky person because my parents sent me to school. I really admire those people who study and work at the same time. You need not struggle when it comes to schedules anymore since you can try this best online degree. You can work on it anytime and any place. This online university is the answer to your low paying job. Let's face it we cannot really have the kind of job that we like if we aren't degree holders.

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Baklava for Dessert

She ordered Apricot Baklava for dessert. I've read about Baklava in a friend's blog and I promised myself that I have to taste it one day. I'm not sure about it's origin but I read that this dessert is very popular in Turkey. Anyway Baklava is a sweet pastry made of layer and layers of paper thin dough filled with chopped nuts and in our case it was mixed with a bit of apricot. I'd say it's really yummy and I would love to have it again and again. I hope to find a restaurant near my place that serves Baklava so I can get my fix anytime. Why don't you try it yourself, it's yummy!

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Bora...Here We Come

"Mom, I think you gained weight again. Look at your b**bs and that booty of yours," says my daughter one time. I gained weight yet again. I gained back what I lost. It's time to think about weight loss again. I still have about a little more than a week before our Boracay trip. Yeah I can still do it, well I'm not actually aiming for a really flat tummy or a six pack abs, a few inch off the waist will do. Time for my salad, only salad, and I will never say what about the carbs or the protein my body needs. Let's see if this will work, again I am crossing my fingers.

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Future Family Room

We have an extra room in the house big enough to be made into a family room. Right now I can't really set it up just yet because of budget constraints. But I already have an idea what to do with it. I am planing to put in modern furniture, only modern furniture and nothing else. It's going to be a modern room, not something dated. Can you imagine what the room will look like? I do, I'll transform it to something you see on the pages of a modern architecture mags. We need to work harder though, or a win in a lotto will do just that *cross fingers.

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Gold Vs. Silver

SIL invited me to go with her to Gold's Gym one time. Honestly I love the place, a far cry from the gym I go to. For one, the ambiance is really nice, the a/c is working fine, in fact you don't feel like it's 37 outside, the gym does not have a foul smelling odor, no foul smelling odor, oh did I just say foul smelling odor? Yeah, ours does not have a pleasing smell, smells like body odor when you go inside and it makes me barf. Seriously I don't breathe when I enter, as much as possible I run going to the dance studio. Nope the nose is still not immune at this time, I don't think it will. But once inside the dance hall, you feel like you're in another planet, you don't smell those men (pardon me but majority are men in different nationalities).

I was this close to accepting SIL's invitation. But when I think about the distance, this makes me think twice. You see my gym now is just a 5-minute drive from our house, while Gold's Gym is about 20-30 minutes depending on the traffic. Gold's Gym is situated in an area where there are lots of restaurants, and a few minutes away from the mall. This means that I might be spending more not only on gas but on food and what not. This is what made me decide to stick to my old gym. I will just bring a laundry clip to put on my nose to avoid the bad smell.

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He's Busy Playing

Haha, the computer is all mine! I need not beg, I can use it anytime. Know why? It's summer time here and the owner of the computer has a new playstation 3 game. He plays online too and he's got friends. He forgot about the computer temporarily,until when? I don't know. Hopefully he still gives me my computer time, if not I will be forced to buy my own. But knowing my son, he'll surely share but on a limited time.

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Miss Those Days

I remember the days when I used to man our store/studio a few years back. I had all sorts of experiences. There were polite customers, there were also rowdy ones. I can never forget those scary ones. Scary in the sense that you'd get the feeling that they will harm you. You can't blame me for feeling that way, we were situated in a place where there were a lot of happenings. Anyway, I remember too that people kept coming back to buy Batteries. At the back of my mind, I was wondering what they were doing with the batteries. It turned out we were selling it cheap and they in turn sell it too. I wonder what would be the sales of Procell Batteries if ever we sold one. I heard that it is an excellent battery and it sells at a cheaper price. I'd probably get dozens of orders if that's the case. Too bad our store/studio closed. It broke my heart, but what can we do? It can't be self supporting at that time. I'd rather close it than get funds somewhere else, not a wise decision. Oh I miss those days. It kept me occupied and took away my boredom. Given the chance I would want to have a store again, but this time I'd be selling things that I love, yeah clothes.

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Looklet - Look: Boyish Frills

Looklet - Look: Boyish Frills That's what I call the look. It was actually my daughter Ish who introduced me to this website. It's like polyvore but this one has models. I just wish that they had a plus size petite model so I would know how the clothes would look on me. Hhhm, maybe I can suggest that to them anyway it's still in it's beta version. What do you think? IMO models should come in different shapes and sizes.

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Prenatal Vitamin List

How important is it to take vitamins when your pregnant? It's very important I tell you. That's the first thing the OB GYN will ask you to do after she sees you. I do not remember anymore if I took one of these prenatal vitamins when I was pregnant. Man that was 14-16 years ago, too long to remember. But what I know is I was given the best prenatal vitamins. The husband saw to it that I had the best. We both wanted to have healthy babies and in order to have healthy babies, mothers should take extra care of themselves especially when they are pregnant.

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Pepper, Our Black Labrador

That's Pepper our new dog. I wanted so much to have a black Labrador and when the husband found someone selling it he asked me to check the dog out. At first I didn't like him coz he had spots, turned out he was shedding. Honestly I love a grown up Labrador, not a puppy. I can't wait for Pepper to grow up. Another thing, I know it's so hard to house train a dog, but I'll do my very best. Wish me luck please. I will update you from time to time on my progress with my beloved Peh-pah.

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I'm Overweight, So What?

I don't really get offended if someone makes a comment that I am fat. But when it's done obviously to piss me off, sometimes I get offended already. There are just people who don't have anything nice to say. There are people who are genuinely concerned and there are those out there to annoy. Sometimes I am tempted to check on these discount diet pills especially on times that I feel bad, like it's a sin to be fat or anything.

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Body Acne?

I wasn't sure if what I saw at my son's back is body acne. I brought him to the dermatologist and indeed it is. I'm now looking for a perfect acne body wash for him to use. I don't know if the body acne has something to do with the diet because the husband has it too. It's probably the heat that's causing it, or I don't know. I need the body wash pronto, it's not a sight to behold, plus they scratch all the time.

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Sensing the Youth through Shirts

Analog Soul designs for Yo!Noy campaign

‘Yo!’ by definition is a slang word used as a greeting or to call somebody’s attention. Yo!Noy! is doing just that: calling out to people. What a way to make themselves more heard than with wearing their expressions! The group partnered with retail clothing brand Analog Soul to do just that.

Analog Soul is a Filipino retail clothing and accessories company that embraces the creativity and eclectic side of the generation today. It prides itself in having a brand that provides customers as well as the artists an avenue to express themselves. This time, through their partnership with Yo!Noy, it has allowed its brand to be a vehicle of expression of the group.

Yo!Noy or Youth for Noy is a group set up by the younger generation of the Aquino family, headed by Bam Aquino, Jonty Cruz, and other youth leaders. It is an umbrella organization for youth groups across the nation to support and campaign for Senator NoyNoy Aquino. The founders consider the name as the best way to not only distinctly associate themselves with the youth, but to show that they are standing up, speaking up, and showing their support.

How does Analog Soul fit in all this?

“Analog Soul is one of the finest youth brands out today. We tapped their help as part of our goal to spread awareness. We asked the retail clothing brand to design and sell shirts centering on Yo!Noy and Senator Aquino,” starts Jonty Cruz, one of the Yo!Noy’s founders.

Migs Naguiat, Analog Soul owner, narrates, “Our partnership came about when we did a collaboration between the Benigno Aquino Foundation with IAmNinoy and IAmCory movement. Yo!Noy asked us to create a design for the youth campaign for their ‘Tito Noy’ that is in Analog Soul style.”

“Analog Soul prides itself in being an advocate of expression especially for the youth. We support the young generation to be vocal and exercise their voices, making them heard. With the election coming up, and with the initiatives of Yo!Noy, it is only evident that youth now have their “say” in what’s happening. Whether we go for a certain candidate or the other, as long as we have an opinion and we will exercise our right as members of society – that is what we hope to achieve,” Naguiat emphasized.

When you hit the stores, you will see that there are two designs that resulted from this partnership. Both were developed by Naguiat’s colleague and co-owner Paolo Lim. Who would not recognize the laban sign and the yellow ribbon? Both have become to be symbols of passion and action that are now etched into the psyche of the Filipinos. Analog Soul only gave it a youthful twist to fit Yo!Noy’s personality and the campaign. From the modern laban sign which clearly evokes the spirit of EDSA and the passion we, Filipinos, all have, and the excellent typography design of Senator Aquino’s image that just inspires action, the designs of Analog Soul really hit the mark.

Collaboration – this is how Cruz sees it. “Everyone at Analog Soul gave it their all. They listened and took in our inputs and comments, but the final output was more than we could have expected! They were nothing short of amazing,” he shared.

All Yo!Noy Analog Soul shirts are available in Analog Stores at Archeology, Rockwell Center, at the Ramp (Glorietta 4), and Trinoma. For more information on Analog Soul and visit Analog Soul at www.analog-soul.com.



About Analog Soul:

ANALOG SOUL is an apparel company that believes that sensing one’s reality – seeing, touching, tasting, hearing, smelling- is truly the way to live. Their shirts try to capture one’s expressions and emotions, striving to come up with creative, evocative, and eclectic designs that match their customer’s unique and meaningful lifestyles. Visit www.analog-soul.com.

About Yo!Noy

Youth for Noy or Yo! Noy is a group that believes in promoting youth engagement in the political process. Yo!Noy is made up of students, community youth, youth leaders, entrepreneurs and young professionals who believe that the coming elections is an opportunity to effect real change in the government. The group strives to increase public awareness on the value of the elections in determining our future and the future of the nation.

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I Smell Good

Next to bags and shoes, I love fragrances. I think I got it from Mom. She'd always smell good whenever she leaves home. Oh even at home she puts on perfume. She does not put perfume on her bath though, but I have a sister who does that. She picks one of these christian dior fragrances to put in her bath. How vain right? But it works! I copied her one time but with one of my favorite calvin klein fragrances, what a heavenly smell. Once in a while I still do that whenever I remember. I want to make it a regular thing but then again it can get expensive. Hhmm probably I should check on this site that sells colognes and perfumes at a reasonable price, maybe by then I can make it a regular thing already. What do you think?

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It Needs to be Changed

I can't believe it, it's been 4 years only and now it's busted. I didn't expect that to happen since I thought we picked a durable and well known brand. I don't know but I am thinking of changing to Saniflo toilet. I just have to have it changed. Hopefully this brand will not let me down. Hopefully this can be the brand that I can trust and use whenever there is a need. I actually like their products, I love how it looks and it suits my style perfectly.

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Dear Sisters

I miss my other sister (Rachel, the one in black) already. She stayed here for only 8 days and we can't seem to get enough of her. She has 2 babies to take care of so she can't stay long. Hopefully she'll be able to bring her two kids when she plans to visit again. It's about time her kids meet their cousins from my brother, and of course a little updating from my kids whom they met in 2005. I already talked with her on the phone and praise God she had a safe and smooth flight. She didn't have a hard time at the airport too. Everything was smooth sailing by God's grace.

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Gold: A Wise Investment

Let me ask you a question, just a hypothetical one. If you receive a sum of money unexpectedly, how would you invest it? Hhmm, I know most of us haven't thought about that question. Did it ever come to mind that it's a wise decision to buy gold bullion? If you ask me, yes I would tell you that it's a wise decision. If you follow the gold price, never in it's history it went down. The price is always going up. What does this mean? For me it's a good investment. It preserves the wealth and the purchasing power. Gold has been an investment since the ancient times and up until now there's still a lot of people who prefer to invest in gold.

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E-Cigarettes for Him

I haven't been smoking cigs for year now. It was a struggle, a hard one. You know how it is when you've been smoking for 17 years, it's so hard to quit. I thank God that I was able to do it. Now it's the husband who's talking about quitting smoking too. Well he has not been successful since he has been talking about it for months already. Now I am looking into letting him use e-cigarettes instead. He's going to get the same satisfaction, the same taste so why not. I think I'm going to push it since I really hate the smell of cigarettes now, as in totally. It gives me a headache.

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He Gets My Vote

I am going to vote for him. I am definite about it. Honestly it's my first time to vote in our District so I am really clueless on who to vote locally. I registered with the Comelec in September of last year, and when I checked online I was not in the database. I was suppose to go and check with the office just to find out where my polling place is. Thanks to Mr. Alex Herrera, I don't need to do it already. Yeah, he gets my vote!

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The Wait is Over, well Almost!

The sisters are arriving tomorrow from the USA. I am very excited. When my sisters decided to come home more than a month ago, my other sister jokingly made a bet. I took her seriously though in the first two weeks. Would you care to know what she wants to bet on? It's our weight. Apparently both of us have weight problems. We are overweight beyond our height and age. She came up with a solution, thus the bet. Who ever wins will be treated to Red Crab, the number 1 restaurant that serves crabs here in the Philippines. Ok so on with the bet. We were both good on the first two weeks, but gave up on the third week. I wonder if she ever thought of resorting to
supplements. I gave it some thought, but then again I have to do more readings on it. I need to talk to someone who's used it and probably consult my doctor first. Yeah this is the best thing to do before going into something, especially if it's health related.

*I don't think I'll win, I gained back the pounds I lost and there's no way I can lose, they are arriving tomorrow remember?

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Roadtrip: Anvaya Cove

MIL celebrates her 68th birthday with a series of roadtrip. Anvaya Cove was the first leg. We left Manila a bit late already because the kids had to do finish some requirements in school. It took us a little over 2 hours to get to Subic. We had lunch at Teriyaki Boy first before proceeding to Anvaya Cove. It's a second for me and the hubs at Anvaya, and the first for the kids. Like us, they enjoyed so much. It was fun swimming in the beach, and it was nice lounging around the pool too. Nope, no tan lines for us since we got to the place pretty late, the sun was not harsh enough to produce tan lines in our bodies. Good if I may say since it's not really good to stay under the sun. Yeah I know, going to the beach is not complete without those tan lines/sunburn. Probably next time then, but no, we are scared to get skin CA.

*more stories to come - we did 3 legs.

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Am I Old or What?

I didn't expect it to happen. I stopped my fitness thingy for a year and now that I am back I am no longer used to it. I now have this joint pain. I wonder where I got it from. For now I am pointing to aerobics as the culprit, but I don't know really. Probably I am just getting old(er) but I don't know. I don't like to stop with my fitness thing now, I feel good doing it and I look forward to it everytime. I do it five times a week, but if I had a choice I'd be glad to do it everyday.

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The Lines Gave It Away

I was in the mood to put on makeup today. I was excited to try on the Urban Decay Primer Potion that Krisa sent me. Oh I love it! It held the eye color pretty well, and the blending was amazing. After I was done with the hair and makeup, I had my photo taken. It was something like a photoshoot for a magazine, haha who am I kidding. It was the hubs who took the shots. He downloaded what he took in between shots to check on the lighting. Lo and behold, I need to use the best anti aging supplement. I saw lines, very visible at that. I can't hide my age anymore, those lines are giving me away, golly! Really, I have to look into this anti aging thingy, it's best to start early you know.

The photoshoot is for my twitter account. Yeah I'm vain...not all the time though.

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Not So Typical Sunday

Typical is that we attended the church service. I was glad we did. We were challenged to give, not just give because we are obliged to do so. It's not in the amount really but did you know that God is more concerned with how you feel about giving?

Typical is that we had lunch over at Mom's. As usual food was superb, nothing fancy but very filling. I had my veggie fix which I look forward to every Sunday we have lunch at Mom's. I missed Mom, we didn't visit her for two weeks since we were out on vacation. I miss the laughs and I am looking forward to never ending laughs when my sisters from the US get here. I wish I can stay with them during the duration of their stay, but, but I have a family to take care of. I'll just go and visit whenever I can.

Not so typical because instead of having dinner at the in-laws we ate at Thousand Cranes at Trinoma. Kuya A arrived from the US and the family treated him out for dinner. Another not so typical is the fact that we watched a movie (LFS) after dinner. Kick-Ass was fun, someone let out a scared shout (epic fail) in one of the scenes which I really didn't understand because nothing was scary about the movie. Probably too excited and got the house down.

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Decorating your child’s room in an airplane theme

My son is crazy about airplanes, he has been since he was two. I am always looking for activities that he can experience different types of planes.
Last year I took him to the local air show where he saw planes from world war II, he saw a bomber plane that was used to bomb Berlin and a bunch of transport planes, and he even saw some modern planes. But I think his favorite was the fighter planes that looked like they had shark teeth painted on the front near the propeller. He had such a great time that I vowed to make the air show a yearly event at minimum.
When it came time to redo his bedroom, I got the idea to make over the room in an airplane theme while he was at his grandma’s house for a week. I found these great airplane ceiling fans that I knew he would love. I finally settled on a fan that is called a warbird ceiling fan. It looked almost exactly like the front of the same fighter plane that my son had really liked at the air show.
The next item I chose was an awesome bed that looked like the red baron fighter plane, which is actually a biplane. I topped the bed off with an airplane spread and sheet set and called it good.
For the walls I decided to get creative. I started with a base of sky blue which I painted white clouds. Then I used this really cool stencil of a little airplane and strategically placed them around the room.
For the capper I found some airplane mobiles to hang from the ceiling to match the Airplane Ceiling Fan , oh and I also found a floor rug (we have hardwood floors) that is blue with clouds and about 6 planes flying around on it.
When he got back home he was on a cloud and I had an ear to ear grin. He hugged me for a really long time and told me that I was the coolest dad in the world. I only hope that when he reaches the teen years that he remembers this day.

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Job Opportunity

I've been a stay-at-home Mom for 6 years now. I don't regret it at all although there were times that I wished I was working. Well those were the days when I felt low and wanted to take this job. I nearly took on the opportunity but then I wanted to spend more time with the kids, in their growing up years. No regrets as I have said, because I have seen them grow and I was there for them during their highs and lows. No amount of money can pay the love and support I have given them.

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Knitting Project: Leaf Pattern

Like I mentioned, the sisters from the US are arriving. In order to save on shipping cost, I'm working on this scarf (and many more hopefully) to give to one of them. I've done two already for my niece and again hoping to do another one. Lace patterns are kinda hard to make in the sense that I need to look at the pattern all the time. I'm not that young to be able to memorize it :P Probably if knitting was my life, then I'd be able to do that. I'm still thankful that I am able to get through some of the patterns to think I only learned how to knit watching youtube vids, tutorials of sorts.

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