My Weekend Journal

While our house was still under construction, hubby always visits the place. He constantly checks the house taking notes of the finishing needed from the ceilings down to the floor. We were considering then some tiles for the floor, for the kitchen and for the comfort room. We do not need Basement waterproofing because our house is quite small and obviously, we do not have a basement (lol!). When I was still young, I always dream living in a mansion with a wide basement for my car collection. Now that I'm not so quite young, I realized that my dream was too big for me so I will just settle for a cute house like this. After hubby and I agreed on things and materials needed for the house finishing, we made a list so we could check what we already have and what we still need to buy. In these tough times, it is very essential to spend less. So, with the list of materials on hand, we went to different establishments and canvassed the prices. We looked for materials on sale and comp

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!

Hubby and I have so many home improvement plans for our house. The house facade is so simple and bare. The gutter downspout in front of the house was built-in. If it were outside the walls like the ones at the back, I would love to have a rain chain on its place. Rain chains add a touch of fashion and beauty to a simple angle while perfectly serving its purpose. A plain gutter downspout would not be so eye-catching compared to the chains rain follow before going to the ground. It is always hubby's dream to have a small fishpond just below the window and mine is to have a little garden that divides our space from the area next door. I already had my little garden since it does not hurt our pockets while hubby's fishpond is still waiting for the greens.

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.

The clock is ticking and your deadline is fast approaching. How would you feel if you are rushing your workload to be completed on time and suddenly a network error occurred and you cannot access your files from the nas storage ?

Our body needs oxygen to function properly. When our body uses oxygen, it produces toxic by-products called "free-radicals". These "free radicals" cause damaging effects on our healthy cells and cause inflammation and infections, aging, alterations in immunity, degenerative arthritis, diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease. Antioxidants prevent and repair the cell damage caused by free radicals and may also enhance immune defense and therefore lower the risk of cancer and infection. Normally, our bodies can supply its own antioxidants. However, when there is rapid production of free radicals, our bodies will need an additional supply of antioxidants from external sources. A recent study conducted by researchers from London found that 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily can reduce the risk of stroke by 25 percent. Boost your body’s antioxidant level by consuming these foods: Antioxidants Antioxidant Sources Carotenoids broccoli, spinach, squash, m

I made biko on Good Friday. I did not follow any recipe and made my own measurements. I was short of latik so I made two kakanin - biko and puto maya , lol! The cooked malagkit rice without the latik eventually turned puto maya , hahaha. Here are the ingredients I used on my biko : 1 kilo malagkit rice 1 medium size coconut (grated) 3 cups water 1/4 kilo moscovado sugar (you may use brown sugar if you want a lighter color for your biko) 1 cup white (or brown) sugar 1 small box raisins I was short of latik with this number so, the next time I'll do biko I'll have twice the number of coconut, sugar and water. I also forgot to buy kalamansi and butong (young coconut). These are great additions to the contemporary biko . The kalamansi rind adds a certain kick to the flavor and the grated butong adds texture. This is how I normally prepare my biko - with raisins, kalamansi rind and butong . Here's how to prepare the biko. 1. Put the grated coconut in

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

Congratulations to all the graduates! You are now a step closer to your dreams! My most memorable graduation day was my high school graduation. It was both the happiest and the most painful celebration I ever had. It was the happiest because finally, after four years in high school, I will soon be in college and I would be closer to my dreams! It was the most painful because I know I won't see some of my precious friends after graduation. Most of my friends will go to other universities for college and I will be left on my dear alma matter. However, some would stay in the same university but it is still sad because we would not be complete anymore. Everyone who had been in high school would surely know how high school friends bond together and understand the feelings of leaving each other behind. My friends took engineering, accountancy, education, occupational therapy and, most of them, nursing courses. My passion for nursing is not as high as them. It is not because I don&

[photo: express.howstuffworks.com] Got this from The Wall Street Journal and thought of sharing this to you. I agree that teaching kids about money will help them become responsible when they grow up. Understanding the stock market at an early stage is not really a kids' stuff so I would better wait for them to grow much older. However, we could always teach our kids some ways on how to earn money. There are many ways for kids to earn money and a good example is selling food item kids would love. When I was in grade school, I sell chocolates, chocolate-coated biscuits and yemas . My classmates were sweet lovers and they always buy from me. At the end of the day, all my stocks were sold and I'm left with an empty chocolate container and a box full of money. Pretty cool! Ryan Snook Adapted from "Piggybanking: Preparing Your Financial Life for Your Kids, and Your Kids for a Financial Life." Copyright 2010 by Jeff D. Opdyke. Published by Harper Business, an imprint

As May 2010 approaches, more and more politicians are taking advantage of the campaign period (and some even before the campaign period) to gain more popularity and get an edge over their rivals. An increasing number of political campaign advertisements are scattered anywhere. Photos of politicians are seen on street lamp posts, walls, ad spaces, bridges, trees, house gates, garbage cans, electric posts, electrical wires - name it; they are just everywhere! Their campaign banners come in different sizes. You could easily identify politicians with high financial resources just by looking at their banners. There are guidelines for ad or banner posting but they seem disregarded. How could these people better serve the community when even on their campaign for service, they are already spreading their garbage? There are proper places for these banners or posters, and politicians (and their men) ought to follow the guidelines. For sure they have lots of greens to finance their campaign.

March ushers the start of the hot summer months! It's summer and it’s about time to take that long-awaited vacation. Make sure to enjoy your few days of pleasure and do not forget to bring the following: Sunglasses Cool shirts and vacation wear Sunblock, cosmetics and skin care products Digital cameras Swimwear Footwear Headgear and hats Diving Watches Luggage and travel bags Travel guides Spend more time to rest, relax and enjoy your summer vacation. Go on and take that well-deserved summer break!

[photo: ruudvisser.com] Watermelon is a good source of vitamins A and C. It also contains potassium and fiber. Watermelon contains high levels of antioxidant called lycopene. Lycopene is very effective at trapping cancer-promoting agents called free-oxygen radicals. Now that summer is here, we have more reasons to enjoy the taste of this sweet fruit and its health benefits. An easy way to savor its flavor is the Watermelon shake! We only need to combine the following ingredients in a blender: [photo: nestle] 3 cups watermelon, cubed 2 cups ice, crushed 1/2 cup milk 2 tbsp honey or sugar This tastes great if chilled for about 15 minutes! Enjoy the summer!

Hubby and Warren are taking their much needed break  after doing all the heavy work. It's been a year since we moved into our new house. I could still remember that very tiring day when we pushed all our energy cleaning all the mess and putting all things on their places. I was still carrying my youngest on my tummy then. When we purchased our house, it was so bare. The floors and walls were rough and need refining. The comfort room looked creepy without the tiles and paint. We hired a contractor to do all the home improvement and made special instructions on the tiles to be used. We were not able to supervise the construction since we are at work during weekdays. When we had the first glance of the tiled comfort room, it was pretty neat. The worker used a diamond saw blade to cut the tiles for a neat finish. What a big difference tiles could do! With its new look, the comfort room now feels so ... "comforting". I love the cool green color and the flower decor on

Does Paypal have problems with their records? Yesterday, I was not able to login to my paypal account. I have sent tickets to their help desk and received basic answers that I have already done – like click "forgot password" and "follow the instructions in your mail". Don't they realize I won't be asking for their help if I have not done the obvious? Indeed, I clicked the "forgot password" and checked my email. I clicked the link they gave me and I have to confirm my account. The problem is the security questions I've set were changed, so obviously I cannot proceed with the process! I didn't know who did that but for sure, I did not change it, in fact, I have used and answered the security question on Saturday, when I changed my password. I asked them to return them back to the original set but they declined. Hours later, I tried to login again using the same password and alas, I was able to login! I took the chance and transferred my

Homemakers and working moms often find themselves on a state of needing some more time to do the things they need (and want) to do in a day. As the old saying goes, “ Time is gold ”. It is a precious commodity no one could afford to lose. With good time management, we would be able to do the things we need and love to do. I do hope these basic and simple tips would help you maximize your day. Make a To-Do List and prioritize the tasks . List everything that needs to be accomplished and mark each completed task. Indicating the time you need to do the task would help you set your priorities. Give yourself a break each day . Schedule at least an hour for yourself to take short breaks and do the things you love to clear your mind and refresh your body. Get enough rest and sleep . Enough rest and sleep provides you the energy and alertness you need to go through the day. You can accomplish task pretty well if you are fully rested. Get rid of interruptions . Eliminate anything that c

Corn is the second staple food of Filipinos and has always been an important food for centuries. Eating corn has a lot of health benefits. Depending on the variety, corn is loaded with vitamins and minerals. Yellow corn has pro-vitamin A and has almost twice as much iron than white corn. White corn does not have any pro-vitamin A but it has more thiamin and niacin than the yellow variety. The protein content of white corn is slightly more than that found in the yellow corn. Both varieties contain the same amount of calcium. White corn is considered as a low glycemic index (GI) food. Glycemic index is the glucose response of an individual to a food as compared to a reference food, like white bread. It is the ranking of food that tells whether a food will raise blood sugar levels dramatically, moderately or just a little. Low GI food, like white corn, helps in the proper control and management of diabetes mellitus. It delays hunger pangs and promotes weight loss in overweight people.

I got goose bumps and was teary-eyed while watching her perform. She has wasted so much time but I believe it is not yet too late for her to show she has talent. Josephine Aton is a single mom from Cebu City. Her only dream is to sing, perform on stage and show her talent. Now, what can you say? Isn't she amazing?

Pictures allow us to capture precious moments. Learning how to take photographs is easy (and easy is taking photographs in the above photo, lol!). Here are some basic and quick guides on how to take a shot on your memorable moments. Decide on the main object . Focus on one subject. A picture is successful if it tells a single story. Avoid shooting against the light . Shoot with the light behind you making it as a backlight illuminating the photo. You may also use the light from the side of the object as it flatters the faces. Sometimes, shooting against the light could give good results. It could give a dusk or dawn effect. Experiment with the camera angles . Test all angles with the subject – sides, behind, above and below. Include space . Capture the space in front of the subject to give the look that the subject is going somewhere as well as subjects looking in a certain direction to give balance to the photo. Choose bright colors . Make the most important and main eleme

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

Summer is here! I already feel the summer heat pricking my skin. My skin is now extra dry I could even spell my name on it! Is this really caused by the summer heat only? In this extra hot summer, I crave for the comfort of a cool place. How I wish my home has an air conditioner. Since we don’t have one, a dip at Obong Spring in Dalaguete, Cebu would surely cool my skin. In this overly hot summer, traveling to Obong Spring through public transportation could be so uncomfortable, unless you will be riding in an air-conditioned bus. It is best to leave early morning beating the sunshine. However, if you have the luxury of owning a car, you could always enjoy a comfortable travel. Since I do not own a car, I will just stay at home and maybe have a sip of an ice cold orange juice or ice tea. I can not bring my family to such a long travel especially when my baby just recovered from fever and is still suffering from cough and colds. Wish we have an air conditioner at home with the pow

The weekend was so tiring. We just stayed at home but the household chores and the baby consumed all my energy. I wish I have even just a day to lay my back flat on bed and take the complete rest I need. Since baby got sick, I rarely had enough sleep. With the dark circles around my eyes and the dizzy feeling caused by stress, I would be compared to a walking zombie. A new household help came tonight. I wish she would be different from the previous nannies. My baby had changed his habits since he got sick. Before, he laughs a lot and would cry only when he is hungry or sleepy and when something is bothering his diapers. But now, he seldom laughs and often cries. I still have to adjust to his new ways and I wonder if his new nanny could do the same. With my baby’s new habit, I would not be surprised if the new nanny would only last for a month or so.

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 our homes, we rely on electricity to power our lights, appliances, and electronics and to provide our homes with hot water, heat, and air conditioning. As we use more electricity in our homes, our electric bills rise. In these tough times, any energy saving tips would be of great help in cutting down expenses and energy bills. In my search on ways to save energy , I found Microsoft Hohm. It is a beta application that uses the advanced analytics licensed from Lawrence Berkeley Labs as well as the home energy simulation calculator devised by the Department of Energy, and incorporates over 200 variables in its estimations. I signed up for a FREE account and with just a few clicks, I started to learn many ways on how to reduce my home energy and save on my energy bills. It provided me suggestions and energy-saving habits to improve my home’s energy efficiency based on my current home profile. There are several ways to reduce electricity use in your home and save on energy bills. Y

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 .

Would you like to take me as your pet? Everyone has a real need to nurture something or someone. For people who have few companions, animals provide family and friendship, something to care for and to be recognized by. Pets provide love and affection, as well as supply a sense of security and protection. Aside from the emotional benefits, pets also bring physical health benefits to pet owners. Taking care of a pet encourages action. Pets need to be walked, fed, groomed and given fresh water. They also need lots of playing and petting. Walking the dog out a few times a day can benefit the cardiovascular system and keep joints flexible. Consistently doing these kind of simple exercise enable pet owners to carry out the normal activities of daily living. Experts say, if a person suffers from heart disease or stress, a cuddle a day may keep the doctor away. However, if hugs are hard to come by, the next best thing may be a dog or a cat in the lap.

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.

I am now facing the greatest challenge as a mother (I think). I have to make a choice between leaving my work to personally take care of my baby or keeping my work and let other people I do not even know do my job as a mother. How I wish I could have both. If only I could have my present job at home, taking care of my baby would not be a great concern anymore. Our last two nannies, Rose and Julita, were a nightmare. My baby got sick two weeks after Rose started to (mis)handle him. Whenever we come home from work, there were plenty of mosquito bites on my baby's skin. Luckily, he did not get the most dreaded Dengue Fever. A month later, when she collected her first salary, she did not come back after she asked to go out with her mother. She sent her boyfriend to get her clothes and personal belongings. What a face! Far worse is Julita. In just as short as five days, my baby had a fever. A neighbor told us, Julita leaves the house an hour or so, after we leave for work, comes back

Our minds often are cluttered with lists of things to do, challenges in the home or workplace, relationship issues, and many more. To keep memory loss at bay, remember to make healthy food choices, do regular exercise and stay active. Eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables . These contain antioxidants called flavonoids that protect and nourish brain cells. Flavonoids can reduce damage to the brain and improve cognitive impairment. Although recent research supports that an intake of flavonoid-rich foods plays a vital role in reducing the risk of developing dementia, researchers feel more studies are required to make any sort of nutritional recommendation. Exercise your mind . Keep the mind healthy by learning new things. If you continue to challenge yourself, your brain continues to grow. Challenging the brain with mental exercises can maintain and stimulate increased cognitive ability. Reduce stress . Stress contributes to memory lapses. Regular moderate exercise, like walk

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

At last, the long wait is over. Last February 21, 2010 at about 11:00 am our little angel, Walter Jared was finally baptized in San Roque Parish (Poblacion, Cordova Cebu) and now he is a full-bloodied Christian. My husband and I were actually planning this event last September 2009 but due to financial constraints, we had postponed it many times. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all who attended and who became part of this important chapter of our child's life. To all our family and friends who were always there to support us, morally, spiritually and financially, a million thanks to you all!

One of the great advantages in buying a used car is getting the best deals and, in many cases, the cars may even be relatively new. Successful used car buyers often are just as happy with their used car as new car buyers are with a new one. It is good to have an idea of what kind of car best fits your needs and budget to begin your search. BuyYourCar have simplified the process of searching for good offers on used cars to make it an enjoyable experience for the buyer. There are plenty of great deals to choose from and these cars are among them. used ford cars used volkswagen cars used bmw car used vauxhall used mini