My Weekend Journal

Grade School Graduation Finally, after years of scavenging, I found this treasure from a friend's treasure chest! It's not really that grand and it may be priceless to some but for me, this means more than anybody's gold (hehehe ... Just kidding ... I could still make use of that gold you know ... *wink*). Wonder where am I? I'll leave it up to you dear friends. I asked my daughter to point who she thinks I am and she guessed right! I'm not wearing my medal here because I already gave them to my mother as a sort of token for their undying support. :)

It is common knowledge that many were affected by this tough economy. Even " Dubai World sent shockwaves across financial markets last year when it said it would not be able to repay its debts on time and asked for a six-month freeze on debt payments. " Like most people, I do admit I have my own share of list of payables. Most of us do, from bills to debts. When someone asks for some assistance from you, what would be the right thing for you to do? You could either extend your help or politely say "no". What if you were the one requesting for it but the other person said "no" to you and, behind your back, talks about some personal issues about you? How would you react? I could never ever forget the day when I had my first official "demerit" because I was being "unprofessional". I was talking with a friend then and shared my sentiments over hubby's evaluation. If what I did that time were "unprofessional", how would we

Farewell to you Ice. I was holding back my tears yesterday when I said my goodbyes to you. I hope this won't be the last time I will be seeing you. I feel that our friendship just started and now you are leaving. However, I am happy for you because I know you will be heading towards a bright future. I am glad you found an opportunity or, should I say, the opportunity found you that I believe would provide you new challenges, new friends and a more promising future. Good luck, Ice!

I was looking for my poem notebook when a yellow book caught my attention. It was my college yearbook. I eagerly scanned the pages searching for familiar faces. There they are on nice prints - our mentors and instructors, our beloved Dean, Engr. Virginia dela Cerna and the sweet faces of my classmates, schoolmates and FRIENDS! After college, we said our farewells to everyone. We were so grateful because finally, all the years of hard work, not only on my part, but for my parents, siblings and relatives as well, have certainly paid off. Like most fresh graduates, we were so eager to explore the world outside the university on our own. We feel more than ready to face the new challenges and frightening uncertainties ahead of us. I have not seen my friends for years. Thanks to the great technology this modern world offers, we're still able to connect with each other through computers. That's why I love my computer. Most, if not all, of my friends are there.

Thank you so much for dropping by my site. Hope you would continue to visit my site and I'll do my very best to visit yours as well. I'll keep on posting that might, in some way, catch your interest. Here are My Top Entrecard Droppers For March 2010: My Sweet Haven A collection of my thoughts, rantings and ravings, dreams, reveries, hobbies, interests and so much more. Lakbay Philippines Lakbay Philippines! A blog about the best places the Philippines has to boast, from the famous to the not-so-famous-yet-equally-great spots. Also contains satire and humour about the current showbiz, er, politics of the Philippines. Beyond Feron BeyondFeron.com talks about anything under the sun, everything that is relevant and things that can promote better friendship and better life. Soft And Easy Does It Music to relax to for the most part. Occasionally something with a little zip as well. Beyond Left Field Humorous and lighthearted events in and out of the news with an em

Hubby and his friends had their night out party last week and I also went along out of a sense of duty and respect (as if I don't want to go and unwind, lol!). We went to an " eat all you can " food establishment because that's all we can afford considering their large bulks. The foods were great and we left the place with heavy stomachs! After a long and entertaining conversations or should I say humorous nonsense talks, they agreed to go to a videoke bar to sing their hearts out and burn the calories they just earned. We went to a restobar in Cebu City. The place was simply cool and it's not crowded. You could enjoy the night without worrying much of your safety because there were guards visibly posted on their places. Their singing machine karaoke system was great! You could sing like Jason Mraz or Jojo without burning your throat. Your voice comes out neatly even if you are not musically inclined. You'll get a feeling of singing like a pro (at least)! H

Being generous does not come easily for kids. They have the tendency to be self-centered and even hostile. However, all kids are born with an amazing sense of caring for others. Parents need to encourage the positive side of their children and nurture the instinctive feelings of concern that kids have for people around them. Here are some things parents can do to develop the value of generosity and charity in their children. Teach the importance of sharing . Make your kids understand that sharing is important in maintaining relationships. Be a role model . If parents behave in charitable ways, the kids will also become charitable. They model themselves from the living examples they observe rather than the words they hear. Expose your child to other role models . Your child would benefit from the great personalities outside your home.   Let your kids practice sharing . Find opportunities that bring out your child’s generous instincts. Involve your child in activities that pra

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of IZEA . All opinions are 100% mine. I joined SocialSpark last February 5th. I was enticed to sign-up after learning that there are great writing opportunities here and the pay is better than any other pay to blog sites. Signing up was quick and easy. I only spent less than 15 minutes filling the required information about me and my blog. The most basic and important step is to claim your blog and update your profile. Just follow the simple instructions and you are good to go! As excited as I am, I then browsed the opportunities. The first opportunity on my list is writing about my experience here. This opportunity is open to all new members like me. It is like a welcome gift to anyone who just joined. However, at that time, there were no available slots for me. This did not cause me to worry because I could still request for a slot. I just clicked an icon on the sidebar and I was on queue. All I have to do is to wait. While

This is the first fire to hit Mandaue City this March. Over a thousand families lost their homes during the fire. [photo from philstar.com ] March marks the start of hot summer months and the Bureau of Fire Protection declared it as Fire Prevention Month. This is a nationwide campaign and various activities and information dissemination were conducted for the safety of all concern. However, despite all efforts to prevent fire from destroying properties and lives, the hard-headed glowing gas always finds its way. The dancing flame gutted 221 houses across Pilipinas Makro Cebu in Sitio Aroma, Barangay Subangdaku, Mandaue City Monday afternoon including the house of our officemate, Eric. In our desire to help Eric, friends and officemates shared some old clothing for Eric and his relatives. Hope these would, in some way, ease out some of their basic concerns. If you wish to reach out, any help you could extend or share to the homeless victims would be much appreciated. You may shar

I am out of words so I have collected these Thank You Quotes to express how thankful I am for your visits on my blog and sharing your thoughts. " Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. " So I am giving this award to my most avid commenters, Bchai of Sprite 24.7 and Meretrisha of A Walk Through Life . They are also a mother like me and a great and interesting blogger (wish I could also say “like me” lol!). " Of all the attitudes we can acquire, surely the attitude of gratitude is the most important and by far the most life-changing. " " Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. " I would also like to thank those who

In the Philippines, the month of March is a time for saying goodbye to the schoolyear. One of the highlights is the graduation ceremony and recognition day. Today, for the very first time, I am giving recognition to my Top Ten Entrecard Droppers for the last 30 days. Thank you so much for the visits and the drops. Dropper # of drops My Sweet Haven 22 Lakbay Philippines 20 Videos 4 U 19 A Flightsim Blog 17 Soft And Easy Does It 17 Beyond Left Field 14 NancyAfink 14 Fledgling Blogger 14 Life With Roxxymetal 13 Home Improvement Tips 13 Don't worry if you were not among this list. March is recognition day and I will be posting my other visitors here soon. You may also be interested with Mary's Top Ten Things To Do While on Maternity Leave .

Are you thinking of having a family vacation with this car? A family vacation should be relaxing. It should be something that rejuvenates and exhilarates a person. With a little preparation and some creativity, you can plan an affordable family trip everyone will enjoy. Family vacation is easy with a Ford Explorer . Before hitting the road, make sure that your car is in proper working condition. It can help you avoid an unnecessary detour to an auto repair shop. If, for any reason, you meet car problems like a blown head gasket , bring your car to a reliable auto repair shop. If you happen to be in California, this list of Los Angeles auto repair shops may help you solve your problem. Regardless of where your final destination is, remember that the most important thing on a family vacation is to have fun and get there safely.

Weekends are fun! It should be! This is the only chance that we spend the time together with my kids. We always see to it that we spend quality time with them however little it could be. My kids love to sing. Maybe they got it from their father. I love music but I do not love to sing. (I will just keep the reasons for myself.) However, I really love to listen to good music. Music lifts my spirit when I am down and beats with me when I am happy. We only have a few music selections at home. My kids would always ask to have this song or that song. I do not even know the songs exist until they would request for one! Well, that is basic generation gap. Luckily, there is the internet. The net has always been my partner at work and at home especially when they have assignments and school projects. Now, whenever they would ask for a song, I could readily download them from the Internet! MP3 Search Engine has a great number of music ready for download. Getting a copy is as easy as countin

I should have done this before but I guess it is not yet too late now (or is it?). Many thanks to Meretrisha for this wonderful award. I will keep up next time (if there will ever be, lol!). Because of this award, I am now obliged to divulge seven (7) things about myself. I am an acutely sensitive individual and secretive. I am very private and hidden with my own likes and dislikes. I can hide my emotions with utmost secret (well, almost). I am too emotional and nostalgic with old memories haunting the conscience all the time. I am too fragile and mentally sensitive to any situation that demands mental stability. I can be very loving, caring and dedicated to people I admire (and the opposite to people I have negative vibes). The seventh ... I will leave it up to you! Now, what is left to do is to pass this award on to beautiful bloggers like Wendz , Almyr , Noldsman , Aisa , Ben , Val , Lord and Dogtik . The rules are simple. Just simply follow this format - acknowledge th

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Charter . All opinions are 100% mine. As a mom, I find it important to spend some time with my kids. Since my kids are fond of movies, we spend our weekends watching movies together. I would like to share something to you, in case you may not know it, but if you have Charter digital, you have On Demand. Moreover, it is free to access. Charter on Demand have over 6,000 movies and shows to watch anytime you want. There is definitely no waiting and no schedules. If you missed one of your favorite shows like Heroes, 30 Rock and The Office, there are many of your favorites the day after they air on TV, and you could watch them free! They bring you all the best new release movies right to your TV without going to the video store or waiting for the DVD in the mail. They have dozens of free movies for you to choose from anytime. If you are a busy mom, having this service at your fingertips is much easier. You may want to learn more at ch

This is an old photo taken during our Christmas Party when I was still in Grade 4 but the date on the picture does not show the exact date of the event. I found this photo from a friend's Facebook account. Unfortunately, we do not have digital cameras yet when this was taken. The photo could have been clearer and the images would be much more defined. I have only but a vague memory about the things that happened on the party but I do remember the faces and names of my classmates.

Strengthening family relationships provides a better quality of life by enhancing health, safety, support, and a nurturing environment in which families can grow. It is therefore important for people to nurture family relationships to keep them happy and healthy. Here are things you can do today to bond with your loved ones: Brighten your loved one’s day with a smile and simple messages like "Take care!" and "I Love You!" Show support on something they are interested in. Send flowers! Do not wait for an occasion! Compliment them even for the little things they do. Listen when they talk and give your undivided attention. Play a game with them. Share a meal and enjoy the conversation. Help your kids with their homework. The challenge of strengthening our family life depends on our knowledge about strong and healthy families. Make family life your number one priority.

A child's world is filled with expressions of creativity and imagination. With a bit of encouragement from parents, most children happily paint, sing, dance, make up stories and play make-believe. They learn best when actively participating in tasks, rather than passively receiving information. Children take the complex world around them, reduce it to manageable portions by creating little stories, and pretend games. Children are natural imitators. They can make meowing and purring sounds just like their pet cat. They can imitate their mother's expression or their father's gait. Imitations help them get the "feel" of the person or thing they are imitating. These creative activities were once considered "mere play," but are now known to have meaning and purpose. Studies show that children who engage in creative play are likely to have larger vocabulary and greater empathy for others. They tend to be more resourceful when left on their own. Playing

Doing things together is one of the foundations of a happy family life. Some of the things we love to do are watching movies on DVDs, going to the mall and entertainment centers, and swimming. Here are simple guidelines on planning successful family weekend activities. Keep the activity simple. Choose a simple activity and relax. It does not need to be elaborate or expensive. Children need only time and attention and it does not really matter to them what you do, as long as you do it together as a family. Be flexible when some things go wrong. Do not fret when things do not go according to plans. Always remember that you are doing this to have fun so just go with the flow and try to be spontaneous. Schedule ahead of time taking notes of the individual schedules and set a date far ahead so everyone can block it off. Prioritize your family (however hard it would be) and keep your promises. Take time off for scheduled family affairs and find ways to reschedule other appointments that

Summer is almost here and there is no better time to bond with the whole family than summer! The kids are on vacation from school and they have all the long weekends throughout the summer months. Make this summer a memorable one by planning a family outing where everyone, especially the children, can look forward to fun activities and interesting places to visit. It is important to have a plan however simple it may be. Raise your family’s anticipation for the outing by getting their help in deciding where to go and what to do. Involving the children in the event planning is a good training for their decision-making skills, while compromising and arriving at a common decision brings about democracy. Choose your destination considering the expenses involved and set your budget ahead. Get as much information on the place, the accessibility and available facilities especially those that will interest the kids. The children can be a great event planner and even help make an itinerary they