Things I want to do

1. Have a short vacation with friends in a beautiful island.

2. Learn how to design a website - the savvy way

3. Read my grammar book again.

4. Leave comments in my friends' blogs

5. Improve diction, accent and pronunciation.

6. Cook for my mother's birthday

7. Be with my boyfriend

8. Clean the whole house

9. Read the books I bought

10. Watch a movie

11. Tell someone about God

12. Edit this blog's layout

13. Bring my father to the doctor for a check-up

14. Buy a microwave oven

15. Learn how to bake

16. Apply for foreign scholarships

17. Meet my relatives in Manila

18. Have a conference call with my sisters over Skype

19. Get a full body massage

20. Sleep

Good night everyone!

Making the most of our footwares

Imelda Marcos never had enough of shoes and so do most of women.

I am not the kind of girl who would lavishly splurge on shoes but I do buy myself some good pairs sometimes. Most of the time however, I have regrets because it always turns out that I don't use them as often as I should.

These are some of the reasons:

1. There's no occasion which would require me to wear those pair of shoes

I bought a pair of high-heeled off-white wedding shoes once to match with my off-white gown as a maid-of-honor during my brother's wedding ceremony. Too bad that I wasn't able to wear those again except once, on my graduation ceremony.

2. I don't like the style anymore

I bought a pair of trail running shoes December of last year because I attended a church youth camp which included hiking in some rocky mountains as part of the activities. It worked perfectly well. I almost fell in the river because the rocks were slippery when wet but the good thing about the shoes, the rubber spikes increased the friction. A few months later though, I don't like wearing them again, they looked so big and so rugged.

3. They're too uncomfortable

I have these favorite pairs of shoes/sandals because they look so good on me. On the down side, they hurt my toenails too badly so even if I like wearing them, I have no choice but to put them away inside their boxes.

What a waste of money, right?

Yes, that's why now, I am so careful in choosing the next couple of pairs I'll be buying. I read some shoes buying guide first. It's just like I'm stacking shoes and not using them anyway.

Why do we have troubles?

There will always be trouble while we are alive...

because we live in a fallen world

in a fallen world,

everything is anything but perfect

Problems provide good opportunities for us to grow

to mature as individuals

to discover those which we are capable of doing

those which we've never realized before

to better appreciate each day

Thank you, Lord

Because of the troubles, you're making me more like you everyday

Photo: Germane (my niece)

Dreaming of a luxurious vacation

All I ever do is work and stay at home.

I am not complaining. I am usually laid-back and I prefer staying at home than partying or drinking with friends. I love drawing, writing and blogging but I love to be outdoors as well. I go hiking in the mountains and love strolling in the seashore. I don't like swimming but just looking and listening to the waves make me feel so relaxed.

When I saw Myrtle Beach Resort's online catalog, the more I wanted to take a long and luxurious vacation. I want a resort just like it, functional amenities, ocean front' s view, free WIFI connection and excellent customer feedbacks.

It's recession so it's not good to just waste away money. The Resort in Myrtle Beach also has affordable rates to fit into the budget even if the time is hard.

Honestly, I wish to travel to Europe for my honeymoon but I guess that will have to wait. I hope one day I can visit Oceanfront Hotel Myrtle Beach.

I want a lightweight laptop!

The desktop PC that I have at home worked fine for many years although I frequented at the technician's shop in the past two years. I reformatted countless times, replaced my monitor more than four times, upgraded my hardware specifications and I'm still glad to use it.

But, many times it fails... It reboots by itself, or it does not boot at all. I am considering on buying a laptop and have the money to pay for it (or half of it if it's quite expensive).



I can't decide by now, which one I will buy. I have been researching online and looking at shops in my city and I still couldn't finalize which one.

I want a lightweight laptop. A laptop which is less that 2 kg.

I've been thinking of netbooks.

But I want a netbook with DVD drive, DVD writer if possible. Most netbooks don't have DVD rom.

I want a long battery life but most laptops/netbooks only have 6-cell ion battery which means they can be used for up to 3-4 hours.

Macbooks have very long battery life but are too expensive for me. I have other things for which I am saving for.

I don't want a very small screen but I also don't want a very big one. It wouldn't fit in my lady bag if ever. I'm considering on having one with roughly 12-13 inches diagonal screen.

The list goes on but all the others are negotiable, like the memory, hard disk, video card, wifi/bluetooth, among others.

I've compared many laptops, printed out catalogs from online stores and checked the models available locally (I don't like Ebay, it's hard to ensure the warranty) but I am still undecided.

Do you have any idea which laptop/netbook I should get?

Photo Credit: here

Time to cool off

The world is heating up and it's getting more humid.

I am the kind of person who cannot stand an air-conditioned atmosphere for a long time (too dry) and I get headaches when using stand fans as well. I don't know why.

So here I am, enduring the hot weather without any device to help make the room temperature cooler. I remember however, that my niece's pediatrician mentioned about using ceiling fans to make the room comfortable enough for the baby. The room should neither be too hot or too cold. If ceiling fans are good for babies, then it must be good for me too!

As a rule, I make it a point to research, read user reviews, check the ratings and compare prices of different models, designs, or brand before buying anything. I checked different styles and I like the idea of unique designs with the concept of futuristic animation such as the fanimation ceiling fans.

It's also nice if fans can also be decorative like the craftmade ceiling fans at Farrey's. There are just too many designs to choose from. Would you mind giving me a hand by sharing your suggestions?

Planning the wedding

We don't know exactly when it will happen; we just know that it's going to happen sometime in the future - that's if it will happen and if by God's will, we'll both say "I do" to each other.

Leo and Pchi are now starting to plan for the wedding.

Minding our belongings while at work

I have been warned but I was caught surprised when my mug was stolen at the office. I also don't like it when people use or borrow my stuffs without my permission. I keep all my personal belongings private and I guess everyone would want to have security box where we can put our precious belongings safely.

I want to suggest to my boss to have wood lockers installed even on the hallway. It's really important especially when we are out for lunch, or get too busy to mind our things that we can have a safe deposit cabinet to put stuffs since we don't have table drawers. But I know that it would costly so before voicing out my suggestions, I already researched the possible cost and the best deals in lockers for sale.

There are even many possible choices to choose from. I hope I'll never have to lose any of my stuffs in the office again. I hope he'll listen. The locker will probably ease my worries away.

Trading money for a time with God

Money-driven. I am. Yes. Aren't we all?

We joke around and talk like it's so easy to make money. My colleagues have set a new salary quota for the month of July. I won't tell you how much we are earning - but it's probably much more than most average wage earners in the Philippines. And yet, they still want more. I still want more. So, here we are, working day in and day out just to earn a little more.

Aside from that, I also try to squeeze in some time to learn how to make more money as freelance writer, blogger, translator, programmer.

It's crazy and funny. I am not really that ambitious at all. I never dreamed of becoming rich, I don't want to be. But there are various opportunities to grab, so why not take them all?

I am so glad that God is continuously showering me with these blessings (opportunities). But sometimes, making money can take so much of our time. If it's work and getting more wealth are what we think of all the time, we rarely have time to talk and thank God for everything. I believe that God has continued to prosper me because I've always been faithful in giving what is due to Him financially. I give my tithes (ten percent of the salary) to my local church. I still do. But there are times, I don't have time to pray, get late in going to church, or skip on my other obligations in our church's ministry. I recently felt guilty.

I guess, there's more to life than just making money. I'm trading what I can earn to a time I can spend to my God who I believe is the source of all these blessings.

Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

Colossians 3:2

Abu Sayyaf captive Vagni, a free man now after almost six months

Finally!

After 179 days of despair, struggles to keep up with his captors' frequent move from one hiding place to the next while minding the pain brought by health complications of his hernia, the Philippine's International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) announced yesterday that Italian volunteer Eugenio Vagni has at last redeemed his freedom from the bandit group Abu Sayyaf.

Check the press statement issued by ICRC.

Although I am not personally related to him and though my brother told me they used to share an office building at Central Plaza Bldg., JP Laurel, Davao City, where he used to see him smoke in the lobby, I feel very glad that finally he's free. For a foreigner who chose to leave his home country to help the poorest communities in the Philippines since 1982 (way before I was born) , I appreciate all his efforts and I guess he didn't deserve the ill-fate he'd been through.

I don't know if there was a ransom because the statement simply thanked local politicians and the armed forces of the Philippines. What do you think? Is it possible that either the government or the ICRC paid for the release of Vagni?

Looking at his face, it's so obvious his condition is bad, and I am quite certain he's malnourished, and under trauma. But these things do not matter now. What matters is he's free and I'm so glad he'd in no time recover with the loving support of his family.

Photo Credit: here

Notes to self

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.

-Matthew 6:33

I'm lazy so I won't eat so often anymore

I visit my dentist every four weeks because I'm currently undergoing orthodontic treatment to correct my bite. Every time, the dentist would assess my overall teeth, gum, mouth's health condition and change the elastics that are placed to help my teeth move in their desired positions.

Brushing one's teeth with braces is really a hassle and it takes so much time. First, I have to brush with the special orthodontic brush, then with another ortho-brush with special tip, floss and rinse with anti-bacterial mouth wash.

I'd get so lazy that I would just brush my teeth and rinse. On my last visit however, he advised me to have one of my pre-molars filled because of cavity. I can't count how much money I've spent on restorations already and I think it's probably better to prevent than cure.

I like to snack very frequently as in I eat almost every two hours when I'm not working. I'm not worried on my weight yet 'cause I'm one kilo less than the ideal weight for my height. But I guess, I have to quit snacking so often because plague build up when I don't brush immediately and it's quite troublesome to brush every now and then.

But right now I am so hungry. I could not help it. Let's see what's in my fridge.
:D

Photo credit: here

US hit by cyber attacks, many federal sites intruded

I was startled to know of the recent cyber attacks that paralyzed many of the federal sites and other sites of other government agencies of US and South Korea, while I was browsing on top news sites earlier today.

This event reminds me of the Sept. 11, 2001 attack. The US, with all it's might and glory, is also susceptible and vulnerable to attacks. There's really no such thing as "safe" place, for both virtual and real worlds.

I'd better be careful on my online transactions. I've got to observe some security measures to avoid intrusion into my computer.

Meaningless existence

What you are seeing is the surface
But you don't have any idea what is it deep down
It's just a shallow, meaningless existence

People come and go
We make friendships superficially
I don't know what's wrong with me
I've been thinking lately
Am I living a shallow, meaningless existence?

No, you don't know me that well
It would take you forever to unveil
My masks and defenses
I would never let them show
But, do I even know myself?
Or am I just faking it?
Is it a shallow, meaningless existence?

On the contrary
Who I am does not really matter, does it?
I must understand my purpose, mustn't I?
God created me
I am sure he must have something in mind
I should do that which he willed of me
Or I'll just be living a shallow, meaningless existence.

Careless whispers

I don't know if you still call it mental block but every time I try my luck at writing some stuff, I get lost and could not think of anything good to say.

I am that kind of person who does not write or say things randomly per se. Whatever I say or do, I always carefully plan that out in my mind, although sometimes I guess it's also good be as spontaneous as much as possible.

As you can see, I haven't updated this blog for a long time. It's not because I was too busy - although partly I was. It was more of "what do I say" dilemma.

Top Ten EC droppers of June 2009

Life's sweet and spices
A Simple life
Mommy's little corner
Moms... check n'yo
The modern mom
Beyond Feron
Take a coffee break
Yummy-as-can-be
Augustinians
Online Marketing

Thank you.