My Weekend Journal

The rainy season is here once again. It is time to bring out our raingears such as umbrellas, raincoats and boots. During this season, it is nice to sleep and just let the time pass by. Rainy days can make one feel lazy. Nevertheless, I suggest not letting the rain get you down. You do not have to be gloomy also just because the weather is gloomy. You can still do many things to brighten up those rainy days. You may cuddle up with a nice book you have always wanted to read and be swayed to another world when it is too wet to step outside your door. You may sit in front of your computer and watch TV Online, do some social networking or see your friends online. You may also take out your cards and board games and have fun playing with the whole family or friends. Go out, relive your childhood and play in the rain. (My kids love this idea! They always long for a rainy day so they could go out, run and play in the rain.) Just be sure to take a warm bath immediately after. Gather ...

Planning the wedding, arranging for that big event and laying out plans for the future is so exciting for soon-to-be couples. However, after the magical honeymoon, true married life begins. Spending all day with the same person and doing daily routine activities could make married life less than exciting. Even if you have the most wonderful marriage, this monotony may drag your relationship and make you both feel unsatisfied with what is supposed to be a very loving relationship. It is very important that couples not just sit back believing that a marriage will remain exciting merely on its own momentum. Couples should take some simple yet effective ways to infuse their marriage with a bit of fun and excitement. One great way to infuse that bit of fun and excitement into your marriage is to take a vacation with just the two of you. If you already have kids, it would be great to bring them along and sneak out to find some moments for only the two of you. Isn't that so exciting? ...

Holy Week is known to be the last week of Lent and the week immediately before Easter. Some people consider this as the pinnacle time for the religious; as a means of escape to the beaches or mountains; or as a time in which they could get a head start at the office. The traditional values of the people engrossed in religion inspires for spiritual contemplation and renewal of faith. However, there are still those that manage to slip away for family vacations. The non-practicing faithful and those who are not associated with any particular faith are even more likely to take their leave for the comforts of their own homes or for the bliss of summer destinations. How will you spend Holy Week? Would it be a week of prayer, recreation, or preparation for incoming workload?

Pay per click (PPC) is an internet advertising system wherein advertisers bid on keyword phrases that are relevant to their target market and pay their advertising host only when their ad is clicked. One of the key objectives of ppc search marketing , is to drive some traffic to a website and increase the number of potential customers and purchase opportunities through internet keyword searches. PPC search marketing also offers business partnerships through their affiliate program. With their affiliate program, affiliated partner sites were given financial incentives or commissions and the value depends on the equivalent percentage of the revenue. The affiliates provide purchase-point click-through to the merchant. It is basically a pay-for-performance scheme wherein an affiliate is only paid when a sale is generated. PPC search marketing varies from engaging in banner exchange, pay-per-click, and revenue sharing programs. Affiliate websites that participate in PPC advertising disp...

The value of email direct marketing can be great for any business for the reason that it is an effective way of reaching potential and current customers. Email campaigns are sent with the intention of embellishing the relationship between the salesperson and customers, to boost customer loyalty and repeat business. These are also used to acquire new customers or convince existing customers to buy. Email marketing is a type of direct marketing that utilizes electronic mail as a way of communicating commercial to a market. People consider unsolicited emails as spam and the likelihood of getting your message read is minimal. Responsible marketers should create email campaigns that are effective to bring positive result. Email is a significant element of e-commerce and it could deeply affect the success of any business - it could make or break your business. To increase the success rate of email direct marketing>, always see to it that, when sending emails to potential customers, y...

Birthdays are special days for us and our loved ones because it is a celebration of life. This is an important day and an essential time to count all our blessings and happiness and forget our pains. Birthday wishes absolutely adds good spirits on our loved ones' birthday. We can make their birthday more special by sending our wishes through cards. If you are the creative type, you may choose to make the cards yourself or, if you don't have enough time, you can surprise your loved ones with birthday ecards . Sending birthday ecards is an excellent way to express our birthday wishes for our loved ones and they reach out faster to them. One very interesting thing about ecards is that we can personalize them and we can say our wishes that come straight from our heart. An ecard with a personalized message shows that we truly care and could make our loved ones realize how we love them and how special they are to us. We don't have to spend a lot of money to show our loved one...

I just received the "Versatile Blogger Award". After a very tedious week, an award such as this one is a great and refreshing treat. Thank you so much meretrisha for giving me this award. Upon accepting this award, I am also accepting the following rules. The Rules: * Be sure to thank and link back to the person who gave you the award. * Share 7 things about yourself. * Pass the award to other bloggers who you think deserves it. * Be sure to let the bloggers know you chose them to receive the award. Hence, here are seven things about me: 1. I love chocolates. 2. I love pastries. 3. I love pizza. 4. I love to cook and experiment. 5. I collect recipes. 6. I love to watch movies. 7. I hate/love writing. And now I am passing this award to Carlota , Priscilla , Mariel , Dee , Fun Daddy , Juliet , Fetus , Jodi , Elai , and Megan who also deserve to receive this award.

Christmas season is here again. When the "ber" month starts, we could already smell the spirit of Christmas in the air. During this season, the one thing that automatically gets in our mind is gift giving. Thinking of what gifts to buy for our loved ones can be stressful. We have to plan on what gifts are most appropriate and suitable for them that they would surely love. Because of unplanned shopping or impulsive buying, we sometimes end up buying some things that are not worth its price. We should take our time to look around to get as much idea as possible so we could make the right choice of gift within our budget. When you visit the malls, there are various gift items to choose. If you are still unsure on what gift to give, think of making up your very own. A personalized gift for your family and friends could make them feel more special. In whatever gift you choose, it would be more meaningful if you sweeten it up with Christmas Cards . Your loved ones would not only...

Wish I could have more than enough time for my kids. With my work schedule [I'm on a graveyard shift], household chores and a toddler that took most of my time (and energy), I could barely have time to help them out with their studies. I could not remember the last time I have helped them with their homework and school projects. It must have been a long time! Sigh* One of the many responsibilities of a good parent is to help and assist their kids with their education. With this, I failed – I'm guilty. But that does not make me a bad parent, does it? I'm trying to stretch my time and energy. My kids are busy preparing for their exams. It's their first grading exam and they are trying their best to have good marks. It has always been their dream [and our dream for them] to be on the honors list. Will they make it? I'm crossing my fingers. I just remembered when I took the entrance exam at Xavier University, my mother was with me. We brought snacks and drinks, an...

Our first visit at D' Family Park It has been more than a year since we last visited D' Family Park in Talamban. It is the first park of its kind in Cebu. It offers an alternative and wholesome recreation site within the city while promoting the protection and regeneration of plants and animals. One can find swimming pools - for kids and for adults, a picnic camp site that is great for holiday camps and the likes, a vast children's playground with play things like swings, see-saws, slides, tykes play stations and more, a wildlife sanctuary, a mini-zoo and botanical research garden with a nursery, a multi-function club house and pavilion designed to suit one's needs for any social activities. The 20-hectare area is nature-friendly. Trees surround the whole complex. Lying nearby is a one-hectare lagoon with colorful school of fish. Park goers are provided with ample parking spaces for a minimal fee. The park has a large stage, equipped with an up-to-date sound syste...

We do have a company summer outing annually. Most of the summer outings were held on beach resorts with lovely wide swimming pools and enticing blue seas. Most beach resorts require proper swimming attires so you could enjoy the pools. Conservatives wear shorts and spaghettis, others wear one-piece swimsuit and the more confident ones wear beautiful two-piece bikinis. Oh, well, I do sometimes imagine myself wearing two-piece bikinis and always end up with a big laugh. With those stretch marks and "baby" fats caused by three pregnancies, I would make a hilarious picture. I know science could make some miracles on those sites but since I could not afford yet professional services like Dr. Dulin 's, I'll just wear suits that could hide those unsightly marks. Last year's summer outing was great, they say. Sadly, I was not able to attend because I was confined in the hospital celebrating another "motherhood" stage - giving birth to my third child. This...

The whole family had a great time yesterday. After giving our thanks and saying our prayers, we went to SM. Oopsie, I don't mean the mall but the Lapu-Lapu Public Market. People from Lapu-Lapu ("Opon") and Cordova already knew this but for those who don't have any idea, you may be wondering why we call it SM. Well then, I feel obliged to do some explaining here. We're from Cordova and whenever we go to Lapu-Lapu public market (commonly known as "Mercado") we ride a Multicab headed for "Sulod Mercado" thus "SM". Nothing really fancy about the term's history, eh. Okay, it's corny, so I'll stop this nonsense, lol! Anyway, we did a little shopping at Unitop, took our lunch at Mang Inasal, and made our grocery at La Nueva Supermart. It was our first time to visit this branch of Mang Inasal. What I like most with Mang Inasal, aside from the chicken barbecue, is the unlimited rice. I finished three cups of rice. What an app...

Looking for me on the photo? I'm in front. Can't still see me? Well, you will never because I'm in front taking this photo, lol! (hhmmph, corny!!!) I joined the first ever Cebu Blog Camp 2010 last May 22nd. I managed to stay awake for more than twenty four (24) hours just to be part of a blogging history in Cebu. I work on a graveyard shift, so from work, I went straight to the camp venue. I found myself out-of-place there. Everybody seemed to be " Englishers ". During registration, I was assisted by a funny gentleman whose name I found later was "Drake" as seen on his name tag. A number of Cebu bloggers joined the event. Most of the participants were young (as young as fifteen years old) and only a few young at hearts like me joined the event. There were visitors and speakers from Manila and Davao who shared their knowledge and experiences and taught us some tips on how to survive in the blogosphere. There were many freebies and raffle pri...

This is hubby's new sea travel adventure to Camotes Island. I was not able to go because I have to take care of baby. It was full of fun, fear and adventure! Oh, how I envy them. Hubby and his teammates went early so they could catch the 6:30am roro vessel for Camotes Island in Danao port. Unfortunately, when it's their turn to get the tickets, the teller cut them because they already reached the maximum number of passengers. They further advised them to wait for the 11:00am schedule because the 8:00am schedule was fully booked. Because all were so excited to reach Camotes Island and could not wait for the next trip, they rented two small bangka (native sailboat) without even thinking of the great risk they put themselves into because of the big waves considering the distance from Danao port to Camotes Island. In the middle of the trip, the big waves came that almost capsized the boat they were riding. Hubby and his friends feared for their lives. They were all thinking of...

Mommy, Mama, Nanay – however we call her, she's still the very same person who carried us for nine months in her womb, and will be carrying us forever in her heart – our beloved mother. She is the most important woman in our life. She had made great sacrifices, pain, grief and sorrow for us, to make sure we are happy and secure. Her presence and nurturing affects our entire life and the way we see life. No one can ever replace her in our hearts. Every year, more and more white strands are visible on her crowning glory; a sign that she is not getting any younger. Have you seen her eyes lately? Those two bright loving eyes that watch us when we were still young have changed their colors too! They are now somewhat dull but the loving spark is still there. Those eyes that could clearly read my temperature reading when I have fever now need an eye wear to see clearly. This Mother's Day, nothing is much more significant than our mother. This is an occasion specially dedicated to...

Now I'm not alone! Hubby came home yesterday from his Camotes adventure (and misadventures)! He brought home wonderful stories, beautiful pictures of their escapade and my favorite - chocolate. Oh, I have not yet tried this one! I just can't wait to have a bite. He went home ahead from the group because the others still want to see another place and would travel back home at night. He told us he missed us (really? lol!) and that it would be great if we're there. We would surely appreciate the place, and the kids will definitely enjoy the waters especially the fresh waters inside Timubo Cave. I really missed travels like this, and the beaches too! Maybe when baby will be old and healthy enough to do a little adventure, I will indulge myself in such luxuries.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Bliss Living . All opinions are 100% mine. We rarely celebrate Mother's Day when I was still a kid. Perhaps it was because my parents were not really conscious about occasions like that. We do have school projects like cards, beaded jewelry, and other crafts that we were supposed to give to our mothers on their special day but mine were mostly hidden on a box together with my other collections and were never personally given to my mother. However, I know Mama had seen them because she used to check my things and always had her way of finding things no matter how I tried to hide them. Guess what, she even reads my diary! Now that I am a mother, I understand and feel the significance of Mother's Day and I share it with my children and hubby. Last year, my kids made a personalized greetings card for me. Tears fell from my eyes when I read their simple note inside a heart, "Mama, thank you for taking care of us. We lo...

I just received a Sisterhood Award from  A Walk Through Life . Thank you, Meretrisha, for this sweet award. I'm placing the badge here for this award. Here are the rules for this meme Put the logo on your blog or post. Nominate up to 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude! Be sure to link to your nominees within your post. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award. I'm sharing this award to the following female friends and co-bloggers: Bchai from Tales of a camera-totin' momma Jenn from  My Sweet Haven YenYen from Skimchix - island life Super Mommy from Super Mommy to the Rescue Tanyia from Surviving Motherhood faMommy from A Walk in the Clouds Juliet from My Angels World Mariel from Unabashed Honesty Windie from Things that make you go   Zutara from Nature, Travel and me Share some love, guys!