Nth Birthday Party

Costume parties are great if you have time to prepare. But if you're like me who's always putting off things like these up to the last minute, it can be pretty stressful. Thank God the theme is something simple unlike the last party that we weren't able to attend. The last one said that kids MAY come in equestrian clothing or as polo players. The celebrant loves to ride horses so the theme of the party was ... all about horses of course. I wasn't really psyched about attending and even if I was, we still wouldn't be able to make it because The Husband was in the hospital that time.

Anyway, Sandy is excited about this coming party. All I can think of is that this is the 11th time this year that we'll have to purchase a birthday gift.

Something New - Painting

I know how Sandy loved painting so I've decided to buy her a watercolor set. Then I bought two pieces of cartolina so she can get busy filling it with paint for at least 30 minutes. My estimate was dead on. After 30 minutes of painting, she just said, "okay done. I want to play play-doh".

Expensive Gifts

Guess what my godson is asking for Christmas? He wants either a Wii or a PS2. Of course, he and his parents could just be joking but still, his parents are very close to me so I want to give him something nice. I have no idea what because I don't think anything can hold a candle to Wii. My original plan was to give him a big boy's bike complete with helmet and body protectors. This was the gift that he wanted from me a couple of months ago so I was a bit surprised to know that he changed his mind. Kids nowadays are so much different.

3X Thursday

3X Thursday

1. What are your favorite colors?
Any shades of green, chocolate brown and reds.

2. What is your favorite kind of clothing to wear? Why? What's your least favorite?
I love mini-dresses, especially those kinds that Twiggy used to wear. Now that Katie Holmes wear them all the time, I asked my mom to make several dresses for me. I wear them whenever we go out regardless if we're just buying groceries or meeting friends. She also made some baby clothes for Sandy so that our outfits will match.

On the other hand, I'm not crazy about anything that's too revealing. And outfits that show your bra straps, no matter how cute they are. There's a reason why strapless bras are created.

3. Do you like to take showers or baths? Why/why not?
I love long baths but seriously, I doubt there's any mom out there who can afford to take two hour baths anymore. I can't even stay inside the bathroom for more than 30 minutes because my little girl will wonder where I am.

Old CD

One of our audio racks crashed down while our helper was cleaning it. I was about to tear my hair from frustration until I saw an old audio CD of BUSH. To distract myself from the mess, I decided to turn the DVD player on and listen to my most favorite band of all time. It has been so long since I listened to Gavin's voice, the one that's pre-Gwen era. I admit he's not the very best of vocalist but I just love BUSH's music especially their album Sixteen Stones. I remembered College days and how I spent reading tablatures so I can learn to play their songs in my guitar. I downloaded the songs and placed them in my ipod so I can listen to BUSH wherever I am.

QOTW Week 29

Yen's QOTW

1. When you see a man and woman walking together, do you automatically see them as ‘a couple’?
Yes. I even have this habit of noticing their age, fashion style, etc.

2. Is it always okay to walk along minding your own business, not bothering anyone?
Yeah, I mean why would you go out of your way to bother someone.

3. Which foods that you believe are bad for you that you stubbornly refuse to stop eating?
Bacon, bacon and bacon.

4. How would you handle these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights?
In bed cuddling my husband and daughter, tearing my hair out, not caring at all.

5. Do you easily adopt habits or phrases from the people around you?
Oh yeah. Although I'm proud of being my own person, I can't help but pick up my friends habits. I even used to think that I'm some sort of a chameleon, blending whoever I'm with. I've kicked that habit though.

6. What do you think of this situation?
~ In a checkout line at a store, someone is angrily yelling at the cashier because she’s waiting for minutes already. A long line of people are behind them with no other checkout line available. Does the angry person have a right to be yelling?
Depends what the cashier was doing. If she was busy chatting with her co-workers, I'd get all worked up too.

7. How often are you greeted by strangers in a friendly manner while walking around in public?
A couple of times especially when it's December and Christmas is just around the corner.

8. What do you think of Crocs?
Love it for my little girl. I hated the adult version until they released Alice for ladies. Now that one I would buy.

9. How long does it take you to get ready to go out?
About 30 minutes to one hour.

10. What kind of accent do you find attractive?
British. They just sound sexy!

No Exercise

Ever since our treadmill broke, I've been gaining weight almost weekly. I know I shouldn't blame it on the treadmill but there's just something about running everyday that makes me alert and active the whole day. I was aiming for a weight loss of 5lbs before December but instead, I gained 3 from the last three weeks. I'll have to bug my husband to have it checked and see if it's repairable. If not, I need to find another way to exercise and lose all these flab that's starting to depress me. Luckily, my skinny jeans still fit me so there's no need to panic just yet.

Mini Garage Sale

I'm in the process of de-cluttering our cabinets again. First step was to unearth our old moving boxes and check which items are still good enough to be sold. I just finished selling Sandy's old crocs and some brand new shoes online. Next week, I'll put out boxes for her unbranded old shoes and sell it in our garage. I'm sure plenty of helpers would buy them for their kids. The last time I sold Sandy's clothes, I earned at least a thousand pesos. All of them were in top condition, it's just that they don't fit anymore and I doubt anyone will buy used clothes online. The ones that were too old, I give away for free.

Manic Monday #131

Manic Monday

If you could take more control of one aspect of your life, what would it be?
My health. I never really find time to take care of myself. What with so many things that I juggle daily (parenting, work, household chores), it's just not possible to think of myself. I don't even have enough time for my husband as it is.

If you were to name the difference between the male soul and the female soul, what would it be?
The women soul doesn't care about solving things as long as she can talk about it.

If you had to admit the most selfish thing you do on a regular basis, what would you say it is?
Read ebooks for hours. It's the only hobby that I can afford to do especially when I'm putting Sandy to sleep.

MBAP Meet Up

Yes, it's our 5th meet up ever since we all found each other online.





I was so happy to see everyone most especially the pregnant mommies! I can't believe how sexy they looked even with the big bump and all. I'm not talking about the usual glow of a pregnant mom; I'm talking real hot mommas! LOL. I believe my thighs and arms are bigger than theirs and I'm not even pregnant.

Just look at the above photo.

We made plans of having another eyeball before the first mommy (peachy) give birth. This will serve as our Christmas party / Shower party too so I'm pretty excited about that.

To Keep Me Going

I love lists. I have them in our refrigerator, on my monitor, my notebook and my desktop is filled with text files containing to-dos.

For the next two weeks, here's what I'm planning to accomplish.

Projects
Design two corporate logos
Send estimate for a website redesign selling horse supplies
Talk to my client about the possibility of using 3rd party software for his social networking project
Brush up on my Flash kills

Home
Sign up for online banking
Be more patient when teaching Sandy her assignment
Organize our important papers
Hold a small garage sale for Sandy's almost new shoes and clothes.

Moody Mondays

Moody Mondays

This week's Moody Mondays is all about "Back To School".


Do you have any special school memories or stories you would like to tell us?
Yes. I remember when I was in grade school. I used to be very active when it comes to joining events and talent shows. I was practicing my dance routine (in my leotards) in our small gymnasium when I saw that the three girls in the front seat are sniggering at something. I have the feeling that they were laughing at me but know that it's not possible since I always check myself in front of the mirror. When I was done, I looked in the dressing room mirror and realized that I have a rip on my armpit. It wasn't noticeable at first but the home theater lighting that was used on the stage was so bright that the hole was visible to anyone. It was humiliating.


If you have children, when do they head back to school?
Sandy just started school last June. We weren't planning on enrolling her but after seeing how she got excited whenever she goes to summer school, we just changed our minds. Our decision was right; she loves school and always come home with a star on her hand.

Junk-a-Holic

My mom is into discount furniture that you'll see various of types of furniture in my parents house. This can be a pretty expensive habit too even if they our discounted which is why I'm happy that she discovered flea markets. However, most often than not, she goes home with stuff that have seen better days. I tell her to stop purchasing little knick knacks because they are just dust gatherers. It was only when we watched this episode form Oprah about a woman who can't live in her house anymore because it's filled with junk and old purchases that she decided to stop visiting her favorite stops.

Crawling The Net

I stumble upon crawlingthenet.com while searching for an ecommerce software. I think it's a great site for companies who want to increase their visibility online. CrawlingTheNet is an online advertising website that lists advertisers in their very own search engine. For as low as $0.01 per click, these advertisers will get targeted clicks from CrawlingTheNet visitors. It's free to sign up but a deposit of $10 minimum is needed so you can bid on keywords.

To maximize your account, you should try to bid wisely for keywords. The higher your bid is, the higher your chances that your website will be displayed on top of the search results for the said keyword. Just like what my client used to say, you need to spend money on advertising if you want to do well. I believe he spends almost $2000 monthly on advertising alone for his affiliate programs. A bit high yes, but he earns more than $8000 a month from the same programs so if you do the math, $2000 doesn't really sound bad at all.

Friday 5

Friday 5

1. What’s something really, really stupid you’ve done that could easily have resulted in your own death? Snorkeling on a 15-feet deep ocean without a life vest. I didn't know it was that deep because there are so many corals around me that I can step on. Only when we're back in the room did I find out that we're swimming on deep waters. It would've been okay if I know how to swim. If I knew that my feet could't touch the bottom anymore, I would've panicked and drowned.

2. What makes you feel stupid? Whenever people talk about something that I know nothing about. Or when my boss mentions a new software or technology and all I can do is nod and pretend that I've heard about it.

3. What’s something that’s stupid in a very smart way? I'm stupid with softwares that create HTML automatically. I don't use them because I prefer writing my own codes without any help from an HTML editor.

4. What’s an example of a stupid idea working out in a way that solved a problem? When my friends and I decided to go on an overnight trip on a beach without accomodation or even tents to keep us warm at night. Good thing there were a couple of fire pits around the resort so it wasn't really that cold. Since we have nowhere to sleep, we spent the night lying down on the beach, gazing at the stars. Two of my friends were not talking to each other before that but because of the peacefulness and contentment around us, it made them forget about their issues.


5. There is apparently a brand of packaged popcorn called Smartfood. What might be found in the package labeled Stupidfood?
All I can think of are junkfood and fatty foods.

Coffee/Pigging Out Meeting

I will be meeting with the mommy bloggers this coming Sunday. It's been so long since I've seen them so I'm sure we will gossip like crazy. The kidlets and hubbies will join us too. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate.

Aside from the never-ending chika, I'm also dying to eat buttered shrimp and baked mussels. I'll have to tell my husband to wake up early so we won't be late. All the preggy mommies will be there and given their appetites, I'm afraid not to come on time just in case they eat all the food BWAHAHAHAHA.

Black Friday is Almost Here

OMG, this is what every woman are waiting for - Black Friday Sale! I have friends who really do stand in line as early as 5AM so they can shop like crazy. Their purchases are so amazing that I really wish I was there too. Nothing can give a woman a natural high better than discount shopping, don't you think?

Anyway, if you're not up to standing in line at a ridiculous hour, then the Black Friday Online website is perfect for you. Even before Black Friday, they start posting items that you can buy online, including links directly to the products. They also have email alerts to let you know that a new Black Friday ad have been posted to their web site. The ads are full ad scans that you can't find anywhere else. They are free and will definitely give you an advantage come shopping day. And if you miss Black Friday, don't fret. There are still great offers for cyber Monday sales, which refers to the Monday immediately following Black Friday.

I would love to get my hands on a great Apple deal. I've been dying to have an iMac for so long and with Black Friday fast approaching; I might be able to convince my boss to finally get me one.

Booking Through Thursday

Booking Through Thursday

Whether you usually read off of your own book pile or from the library shelves NOW, chances are you started off with trips to the library.

So … What is your earliest memory of a library?
My earliest memory was when I was 7 years old and I had to get a book on Rapunsel. There was a play and I got the role of the witch even if I haven't read about the book yet.

Who took you?
My teacher. She left me inside to read the story and while reading, I wondered why I had to play witch when Rapunsel is much nicer. Only when I got older did I realize that it's because I have this high pitch voice so I was perfect for the part.


Do you have you any funny/odd memories of the library?
I was 2nd year high school and waiting for my crush to appear in the doorway. I was also sitting in a folding chair and rocking it back and forth due because I was bored. The exact moment that my crush appeared, my chair folded and I fell on the floor. Luckily, when my crush looked at my direction, I was already under the table so he didn't see me make an ass of myself. It's funny because I saw my old crush again last week and learned that he's a futures broker now.

Writing and Drawing

I never thought Sandy would be interested in writing. She hates coloring so much that I sometimes end up finishing her first assignment in school. Now, however, you'll always see her either tracing dotted lines, writing on her magnetic board or drawing happy and sad faces.



I really hope she will inherit my love for the arts. There's also this one time when she was so busy that I feared she was doing something dangerous like eating something that was not supposed to be eaten. When I saw what she was doing, I can't help but smile and be proud of her. She drew 10 faces with stick arms and legs, some of them have eyeglasses, mustache, beard and curly hair. When I asked her about who they are, she told me the names of all our friends one by one. Too bad I didn't take a photo.

NFL Shows

The Husband is crazy about any TV programs that has to do with the NFL. I guess all guys are like that when it comes to sports. Even my boss, who swore that he never watches TV just signed up for NFL Sunday Ticket from DirectTV. This NFL TV Package lets you watch up to 200 NFL games per season and since they offer it in HIgh Definition too, he just could't resist the offer.

I'm sure my husband would love to have access to NFL TV too. It's just too bad that they don't offer it here. On second thought, I'd probably not let him sign up for one unless he can promise that he will still join us for dinner on Sundays. Since the package offers up to 200 games per season, that means you have a choice of up to 14 games every Sunday. Imagine what damage it can do to our family bonding time LOL.

Post-Stress Make-Under

I need a pimple cream really bad. Due to stress and sleepless nights, my face is indistinguishable because of raccoon eyes, breakouts, black heads and two pimples on my chin. This is serious because I never get pimples, even during my awkward, pimple-prone, teenage days. My hair is also a mess - too long bangs, not-so-fab haircut bordering on boring, fly aways. I wish I can have time to visit a salon and pamper myself but the way my work has piling up every hour, I just can't afford to go to the mall anymore.

A Very Busy Week

It has been four days since The Husband got back from the hospital. I should've been back in the groove of working and blogging but unfortunately, I'm now down with colds and cough. Sandy has cough due to her colds too but I'm really thankful that it wasn't her who got the dengue fever. My bosses and clients are very sympathetic too that they are giving me enough free days to take care of The Husband. My boss even sent me a long email on how he researched about dengue fever. For sure he got the worst case scenario so he's giving me all the time I need. Anyway, I hope I'll feel better enough to start designing and coding again. Although my clients are very understanding, there's something about unfinished tasks that stresses me out even if I was given time not to work on it. Right now, blogging is the only thing that I can do because I'd never get tired talking about myself LOL. I haven't been taking pictures lately but hopefully, I can start again this week.

Working Offline

The Husband is down with dengue fever so I'm spending all my days at the hospital. Even if Makati Medical City is expensive, it sucks to know that they don't have wi-fi or dial up at least in the hospital rooms. I figured I'd just bring my portable hard drive and work in a cafe but turned out that there are not too many internet cafes around the hospital as well. My only option is to download work to my laptop when I'm at home then bring my laptop to the hospital so I can work offline. This setup is working so far, except I really miss browsing the Internet. There are also moments when I needed to check information online but since I don't have connection, I put off another unfinished task so I can continue at home. I badly want to get things back to order again. SOON.

Just For Girls

One of the great things of having a daughter is that you have your doll to dress up with. Some mothers even wish for a baby girl because of all the cute and fabulous clothing for girls available everywhere. I'm glad Sandy likes to dress up too. Would you believe she chooses her own outfits as early as two years old? I love shopping with her too because she always recommends items for my to try on. Yes, you've read that right. Her choices usually range from flirty skirts to satin dresses.

As for online shopping, you wouldn't believe how huge the industry is for dress clothing for girls alone. I like the dresses from Zara but my real favorite are the ones from Ralph Lauren girls dress collection. Sandy just looks so preppy in the cap-sleeved polo and flared, pleated skirt. Even I would love to have one so our outfits will match. The rugby blue fleece dress will look so cute on her too. Now, if only I can convince my friend to give it to Sandy for her birthday, I'd be a happy mom. :)

On Dream Homes

Looking for inspiration for your dream home? Are you ready to get started building? Before you make any final decisions, I suggest you visit HousePlansandMore.com. This site provides custom Home Plans to help you, the home owner achieve the house of your dreams. Each plan incorporates every architectural design feature that you have in mind without going over budget. Feel free to browse through several blue prints to give you an idea on the styles and cost.

Like to have a feel of the rural French countryside? Then you will love the arched openings and ceilings, brick and stone exterior of these amazing French Country House Plans. There's this home plan that starts at $695 that includes a cozy hearth room, formal dining room with decorative columns, luxury baths and walk-in closets.

For those who are into contemporary styles, the
Contemporary house plans will just give you a totally modernist style house on a realistic budget. Other plans that you can choose from are narrows, prairie styles, southern houses, colonial homes, new england plans, beach house and many more.

As for me, my plans for my dream house are pretty simple. Something similar below will keep me happy ;) (rooms, trees included)

To Fiji!

My friend and I love to talk about the places we will visit when we get money. One of the destinations that we have in mind is Fiji. We're both beach lovers and we made a pact that we will check out all the best beaches in the whole world before we get too old to travel. Of course, this includes staying on 5 Star Hotels in Fiji, which is why we can only do this when we have a lot of money saved.

We'd probably head straight to Denarau Island as I've been reading a lot of great reviews about it. According to this travel guide online, there are plenty of resorts on Denarau Island but the best so far is Sheraton Fiji. It is one of the first resorts hotels to open in that island and it received a 2008 multi-million dollar upgrade. I'm the type of guest who values amenities and this hotel is filled with that - sports, spa, golf, sand, business, 17 restaurants and bars. But even without those things, the rooms that have private balconies offering views of the blue ocean is enough reason for me to book there.

The current rate for an ocean front room at cheaperthanhotels.com.au is at $268 a night. Just in case you're curious. ;)

Happy Monday

So how was your weekend? Ours was lovely and that's so rare for the last two years :D. We had a quiet but fun Saturday morning. Then in the afternoon, we went to my friend's baby shower party. It was a blast, most especially because the little girl managed to play on her own, while The Husband and I mingle. It's a small room so we can see her all the time. It's good that there were two toddlers there as well so the three of them had so much fun destroying Sandy's "air pet".


Here's a photo of her taking my picture. :)

Yesterday, we shopped for new shoes for Sandy. All her shoes were too small for her that whenever we go out, we just wear her Havaianas flip flops. It's so hard to shop for her because nothing seems to fit right. I went ahead and bought her this cute, rubber, slip ons even if it was a bit big. For sure, she'll manage to grow her feet again in two weeks time.

That's about it for now and hope all of you had a great weekend!

Skin Talk

I promised myself I'd take lots of self-portraits. Whenever I browse through my photo library, I feel bad that I don't have a lot of photos with Sandy. I also want face shots because I'm planning to do some scrap about myself. I can't possibly create All About Me layouts without at least my photo right? Ever since I became a mom, I lost interest on picture taking LOL. I blame it on skin breakouts and eye bags, really. I know I should try some acne treatments or at least some eye creams so I can prevent aging. Oh my, did I just typed the word aging?

Furniture Shopping

While we were shopping for baby furniture yesterday, I saw that convertible furniture are very popular these days. Maybe it's because not everyone can afford to have big space especially in the nursery room. The convertible sofa beds looked great that I contemplated having one for our bedroom. I've already mentioned plenty of times how we need to upgrade our bedroom furniture but unfortunately, we haven't found the time, and the budget to do it just yet.

My friend recently bought tons of discount furniture from a furniture warehouse and I can't help but feel envious. The furniture looked amazing and I didn't believe that she got it for a lower price until she showed me her online receipts. I saw the same pieces being sold at $2000-$5000 more from another shop actually. Well, I'd still be better off buying our stuff from SM Home. :) At $2000, you can buy an entire bedroom furniture already LOL.

Mom and Pop Shop

My cousin from the US is planning on expanding her small grocery store next year. It started as a small knick knack store two years ago because she wants to earn extra cash while she stay at home with my niece. When she noticed how good her sales were, she decided to introduce new products each month. Now, she's earning already 4x her old salary (minus the costs) so she and her husband decided to aim big. As early as now, I'm helping her research for POS products like bar code scanner, point of sale terminals and other equipments. These things can cost an arm and leg so I asked if she will consider getting refurbished items.

I remember seeing this online company, Vision a couple of months ago that sells certified pre-owned point of sale equipments. There are point of sale terminals, various types of handheld barcode scanner, inventory collection devices, and POS products from top brands like NCR, IBM, Fujitsu, and Siemens. My cousin liked the setup of their pre-owned ncr point of sale and immediately asked for a quote. They are really happy about the fact that they can save huge amount of money by buying certified refurbished POS equipments. This way, they can allot the money to other things like construction and supplies.

Bouncing Baby

Just got back from the mall. We went on a quick shopping spree trying to find unique baby gifts for our friend who's throwing a baby shower tonight. The husband kept on teasing me why I was taking too long to shop. I told him it's because I care a lot whether the recipient of our gifts will like their present and if they can really use it. That's why it took us one and a half hour finding the right gift. In the end, we settled with a baby bouncer from Fisher Price. I was looking for something similar to Sandy's old bouncer but it seems the stores doesn't carry it anymore. The bouncer that we got is colorful and has a massager so I was happy about it.

TGIF

Have an amazing weekend! We have so many plans this week so expect a lot of posts on Monday. :)

Rent To Own - The Latest in Consumer Services

I've always thought that rent to own only applies to real estate properties until a friend told me about APRO. Their website, which can be accessed at RTOHQ.com, is filled with useful information about the lease to own industry. This is a fairly new industry targeting consumers who can't afford long term financial obligations but still want to acquire durable goods.

So what is rent to own exactly, you ask? Rent to own is the process of renting furniture, electronics, appliances, computers, jewelry and other products to consumers with an option to buy. According to statistics, the target market for this industry are usually students, families earning a weekly paycheck and people with temporary jobs. As a costumer, you have a choice to stop the payment and return the product anytime you like. As for owning the product, it depends on the rental agreement. Some lets you take total ownership if you renewed the rent for a period of 12 to 24 months. While reading this, I already have something in mind that I'd like to rent - designer bags! ;)

Do You?

Snagged from Aggie

1. Do people ever mistake you for being a different race? Never.

2. Do you have any friends with "benefits"? None

3. Do you like beer? If so, which one? Heineken

4. Do you carry any form of contraceptive with you? Always natural ;)

5. Do you believe "Once a cheater, always a cheater"? Not really.

6. Do you take your daily vitamins? No

7. Do you have over 200 friends in your Friendster account? Yes

8. Do you have a favorite number? 16

9. Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed? Closed

10. Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotel? Oh yeah, you need make the most of what you paid for

11. Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out? Out. I want to be able to move freely even when I'm asleep.

12. Do you have freckles? None

13. Do you ever count your steps when you walk? Sometimes.

14. Do you chew your pens and pencils? Nope

15. Do you still watch cartoons? It's what I always watch lately, thanks to Sandy.

A Little Bit Country

Carrie Underwood has gone a long way ever since she won the American Idol title. My friend loves her so much and she was so proud that Carrie's face is included in the header of this country music website with other top country music artists. This just proves how big she is. I don't really care about her, honestly. I'm more of a Jewel fan and even used to play her songs in my old guitar. I haven't heard/read much about her lately (or any other artists) though so while my friend is talking nonstop about Carrie, I checked Jewel's profile from the site that she gave me. I'm really so outdated that I didn't know about Jewel releasing her latest album. I immediately checked the site’s country music lyrics section to see "I Do" but it's not available. The lyrics database is pretty huge by the way; too bad they don't have anything on Jewel.

Describe my Day

1. I woke up early because I dreamt of another local celebrity again. I won't tell who because I'm too embarassed. I had a crush on him in my dreams bwahaha

2. The little girl and I had a small argument because she wanted to nurse. I'm already weaning her so I said no. She's only allowed one nurse a day and that's during her naptime. Thank God she agreed to just drink from her bottle while I carry her like a baby

3. I have this huge headache from troubleshooting my blogger the whole day

4. I received two design requests. I had to turn it down because I don't have the strength and time right now

5. No exercise, too much carb.