Freebies!

Most people can't resist freebies. I can't, especially free books and free magazines! Admit it, sometimes we buy things for the sake of getting the free stuff!

During medical conventions, we also get free samples of new medications so that we can try them out to see if they do work. When I was still a medical intern, I went gaga over things like free notepads and folders and free generic prescription pads, all with the drug or company's name prominently displayed, of course. I have lots of pens, which I find really useful as I use (and sometimes lose) a lot of them. Now, I've learned to go to the more useful stuff that won't clutter up my home. Any excess I give away to equally excited, freebie-loving people.

There's now a site for freebie-lovers like us. Check out http://www.thefreebiesource.com. They even have a newsletter (for free, of course!) that lets you know the latest freebies available.

What Metal Are You?

You Are Copper

You are provocative and challenging. You help people realize who they really are. You live a very balanced life. You always take time for love and art. You are both a powerful and generous person. You always have time to give back. People find you to be incredibly ethical and loyal.

What Metal Are You?

Hmmm, I was hoping for something more "precious" like GOLD. But this does seem to suit me better. It is also what I want to be (although I'm not quite sure if I've really achieved to be the type of person I aim to be).

Come to think of it, I'm not a very flashy person too, and never aim to be, so it's probably never gold for me.

In My Dreams?

I was looking at some condo brochures and I really thought that they do not have the things I want in a place I would eventually call my own home.

I would like to have adequate space for my family, with a separate den, and enough rooms so that my kids would eventually get to have rooms of their own. (The newer condos available just do not have enough space!)

I would like a kitchen which has adequate ventilation and which is physically separated from the rest of the condo unit/house (so that cooking smells won't emanate throughout the entire house, with beautiful, easy-to-clean stainless steel sinks. (I do not see this with the brochures I'm looking at -- mostly the kitchen is contiguous with the rest of the unit.)

I would like a place which is easy to maintain even if I do not have hired help.

Oh, and of course it should preferable be close enough to our places of work and study, and located near a grocery.

And it should fit our budget! (Which is not very big at the moment :( )

I know it's probably wishful thinking, but then it doesn't hurt to dream, does it? :D

Cute or Sexy?

I just had to see for myself....Am I cute or sexy? :P

Beauty pageants like Miss Universe showcase different types of beauty all over the world. While beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder, sometimes the way we look at beauty depends on our culture and upbringing. For example, in 1994 when the Miss Universe pageant was held in Manila, Pinoys went gaga over Miss Belgium, was looked very "cute" and innocent looking. However, she was not deemed "sexy" or "gorgeous" enough to land on the top stops, or even in the semifinals for that matter. But I have to agree, all the contestants were beautiful...just in their own way. It's just that "cute" does not fit the criteria of most pageant judges.

You Are Cute!

Believe it or not, you are much more attractive than you realize. You don't try too hard, and that's one of the cutest things about you. You have a vibrant glow about you, and people are drawn to your energy. You're not perfect, thank goodness. Your flaws are part of what's lovable about you.

Are You Cute or Sexy?

Looking for Opportunities Online

Times are hard, and my current economic situation probably mirrors that of the world right now. The Chinese say that in danger there is opportunity. I have an idea that just might prove to be the opportunity for me...or maybe it's not. I won't really know until I actually try it out.

I think more and more people will be turning to the internet for additional income. That's where I think I will try my luck. First, though, I have to check on what would be the best web hosting for my needs, and I've found just the right site to do the checking! Next is to make my idea even more concrete (it's all a few random ideas here and there, as of now)before starting on my (hopefully) new venture.

Do wish me luck!

Comments Are Now Moderated

I've found that I've been receiving some spam comments lately, so I've decided that it would be best if I just moderate all the comments.

The good thing about this is that I'll be able to check -- and reply to -- each message. And that only serious commenters will do so. (The bad thing is that if I find myself unable to go online, such comments may take awhile to appear.)

I'm contemplating on whether or not to remove my cbox as well. I find myself so busy sometimes that I just don't remember to go back to the messages, and when I do, it's scrolled way down. Maybe just stick with comments?

Any comments? :D

1000 Copies of CD's?

While I occasionally burn my own CDs for personal consumption or for informal, small distributions (e.g. digital pictures of an event), I admit that my work will never be considered professional enough to serve as a sideline. For my son's first birthday party, my husband and I copied a CD of nursery rhymes (we didn't like the songs played at McDonald's -- where the party will be held. The music was too "adult" for a one year old kid). We made a lot of mistakes and wasted a lot of blank CDs in the process. We had to listen to the CD to make sure that it was done right. Imagine if I had to do 1000 of that!

If I would be distributing a large number of CDs or DVDs, I would engage the services of professional CD printing services. I'd rather pay their services rather than stress on whether or not each CD is burned correctly (especially if I have to distribute 1000 copies of the same CD), or if the sleeves are nice looking enough.

Which brings me to the second point. I'm just not artistic enough. And even if I tried, I could not make 1000 CD labels and sleeves in my spare time without sacrificing something (my sleep, mainly!). No, thank you, I'll let the pros handle it.

My Ideal Vacation Spot

I think a close local alternative would have been Palawan -- never been there YET! Or maybe Bohol (was planning to go there on our honeymoon but it was fully booked!) When, oh, when can I get the time and the budget for a vacation?

Your Ideal Island Vacation is Maui

On an island vacation, you want it all. You don't want to miss any experience or opportunity. As far as you're concerned, Maui has it all. Upscale resorts, tons of outdoor activities, and of course, beaches. Maui is romantic enough for a honeymoon, diverse enough for a group, and interesting enough for solo travel. The hardest decision you'll have to make is how to spend each afternoon. Spa treatment? Windsurfing? Or whale watching?

What's Your Ideal Island Vacation?

Are You Up To The Challenge?

If you are techie enough to know what XML and database technology is, you may be qualified to join the ongoing XML Challenge!

This is a good learning experience for people, students and professionals alike, who may have an interest or is actively involved in XML programming.

A Quick Quiz contest is required prior to participation in any of the categories. This Quick Quiz does not require any prior experience with XML and DB2. Early birds who complete this quiz with no mistakes get to win T-shirts!

There are currently 3 contest categories: the Video Mania, the Query Challenge and the Programming Contest. Prizes include iPod Nanos, Nintendo Wii's. There are also early bird prizes for those who join early! So join now!

Change!

I do believe that when things look bad, there really is no way to go but up. Despite the belt-tightening measures we all have to make because of the worldwide economic crisis. Yesterday, we just celebrated Chinese New Year, the start of the Lunar Year. This year is the year of the Earth Ox, which is supposed to be a year of new beginnings, building to last, and slow but sure accomplishments.

This is certainly what the U.S.A. wants for it to pull out of its current economic situation. The inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th US president (last January 20) symbolizes change...a change in policies that would hopefully spell positive change for the US. And being the world power and the influential country it is, positive change in the USA means positive change for the rest of the world.

Here's to change, and may it auger well for all of us!

Wanting A Better Signal.....

My mother is still confined mostly to her room after her accident (see previous post). Good thing there's the TV or she would have been even more bored than she already is. Unfortunately for her though, the TV she has been using for more than 9 years went bonkers -- just lost its sound. Since she had been coveting a flat screen TV for quite some time already (either plasma or LCD, I never really knew the difference) and she knows somebody in the appliance business, she decided to buy one.

She was excited when her new TV came because she was expecting a much clearer picture of her favorite Taiwanese soap opera (via cable). She was a bit disappointed to find that the signal was not as clear as she anticipated -- not like what is shown in appliance stores. She was told it was because of the quality of the signal from the cable TV provider. DVD movies would have looked nicer though, but she hasn't tried it yet.

This makes me wonder if getting DirectSatTV would be a better option for her? I've often heard that signals from DirectSatTV are much better when compared to the usual cable TV that we are using. Prices are supposed to be more reasonable too. I just wonder if they are available in our area and if they air Mom's favorite soap opera series.

I guess we have nothing to lose by checking out the specs and prices of DirectSatTV. With such a high tech TV that Mom has, it's a shame if the signal she's getting is good enough to maximize its potential clarity.

Accident!

We couldn't believe it when we got the call. You've heard of things happening to others but sometimes you can't imagine it happening to yourself or someone close to you.

We were all still in holiday mode since work does not start 'til January 5, preparing to go to a housewarming party in Makati. My mother decided to buy flowers first. She met up with her good friend at Dangwa, where the best deals for flowers are oftentimes found. She was almost done with her business there and was going back to her car when she remembered something and took a step back. A speeding motorcycle hit her right leg, causing her to fall.

Initially, she thought it was just a simple accident. She tried to stand up and found it difficult, especially as there was initially pain, then numbness on her right thigh. They (her friend and her driver) brought her to the nearest hospital, which happened to be UST hospital for initial assessment. X-rays revealed a fracture of her right femoral neck. She had to undergo partial hip replacement as soon as it can be arranged.

We transferred her via ambulance to a hospital nearer our place where she had the surgery done the very next day. Now, she's recovering nicely, about 2 weeks after her accident. She still can't walk without assistance, but she's pretty mobile with her walker already.

The culprit? To be fair, he stayed throughout mom's stay in the ER and the radiology department. It was my mom who wanted him to leave because she thought that (1) he won't be able to pay anyway, from the looks of him (2) she was not careful herself and (3) it was probably her (bad) luck to be hit at that particular time. I did tell her that we should have at least asked him to use his TPL coverage to partially pay for the expenses that we incurred. Oh well, mom is a kind soul, and maybe that has something to do with her speedy recovery...good things do happen to good people.

Last Christmas...

...was unbelievably busy. And money-draining too! That's the problem with self-employed individuals like doctors, we only get paid if and when we see patients, and since our clinic is closed, we can't see patients at all!

I got invited to numerous Christmas parties, but I only attended a few (maybe only 3) during the whole season because my evening sickness was at its peak.

Oh well, Christmas is still a happy season, and with a very energetic 3 year old dynamo (who gave his parents no rest at all), it was a riot! He could already appreciate things related to the Christmas season, including Christmas songs, Christmas lights, Baby Jesus, Santa Claus, gift opening, Christmas tree! It's just so much more fun to experience Christmas through a child's eye.

The start of January 2009, though, was not very good for us. My mom had an accident and had to undergo hip replacement surgery. Will blog about this in a separate post.

Right now, what the family is looking forward to is the Chinese New Year. I'm teaching my son to say "Kiong Hee Huat Tsay..." It's a pity my mom would not be able to attend the Chinese New Year's dinner at my grandmother's house since she still has difficulty moving around.

Be Careful!

Most of us know by now that it is dangerous to download attachments from the internet or from email attachments. That's because sometimes there are malicious content embedded in those attachments which may affect the function of our computers, to say the least.

Despite this knowledge, however, people still persist on downloading files from the internet. This may be due to the desire to get freebies, like movies in File Extension TORRENT. That way, the "freebie" actually cost more than free!

There are also instances when we inadvertently click on some e-mail attachments sent by family, friends or known aquaintances (like File Extension PPS in forwarded mail). Due to the high degree of trust we have for these people, we sometimes fail to check if it was a legitimate e-mail. The safest thing to do before downloading and opening such a file is to ask the sender if he did, in fact, send you a file like that.

It pays to be a little careful, maybe a little paranoid, at times. You never know when that innocuous looking document (but with a File Extension DLL) would wreak havoc on your computer and how much damage it would do in the long run. Fortunately, there are now remedies for such, but then, as with everything, prevention is better than cure.

A Survey From Spitz Tunes...

Hail the New Year ... it's going to be better ... just has to be. Music is going to play a part ... new, old, country, metal, classic, rap ... you name it ... the economy is not going to get us down!

How Did You Shop?

The Christmas season is over. You are left wondering if you've chosen the right gifts for the right persons. In the face of today's economy, the reality is that our budget for gifts (in fact our budget for EVERYTHING), is slashed way down. In my case, I did not have to contend only with a much smaller budget, but also with much less desire to join the other shoppers in the mad Christmas shopping rush in the malls.

I'm glad there's now the option of shopping online. Not only do I get to avoid the crowds, I get to check the products (and their prices) online before actually buying them, all from the comfort of my home. I got to compare different stainless steel decors which look good in any home and would make good all-occasion gifts (could also be great wedding, birthday or housewarming gifts).

I know my husband would love to have a gaming console, so I've checked out the popular ones like xbox, playstation 3 (he has a very old playstation 1) and Nintendo Wii (I think Wii sports toppled Mario Brothers as the best selling game of all time). Unfortunately, my budget didn't stretch that far yet. Maybe I'll have enough budget on his birthday (wishing!)

I'm just glad it's so easy to shop online nowadays, what with shopwiki online. Not only do you get to compare prices from different stores, you actually get more information a

T-shirts For Everybody

The latter part of last year showed a resurgence in the demand of T-shirts. T-shirts were the cool things to wear when I was a teenager in the eighties and even in the early nineties, when it was fashionable to wear oversized white shirts with various prints untucked into jeans then rolling up the sleeves to show off more of your arms.

Now, it's fashionable again, although the T-shirts nowadays are sexier looking, hug close to the body, and are not limited to white colors. The designs are also more edgy.

A friend bought one of those Beatles t-shirts for my small son, and I loved the design so much! My son couldn't care less, of course! What do you expect, as a toddler, all he cares about is comfort and not design, which is another advantage of a T-shirt with a soft fabric.

Since I adore Spiderman and his very "human" superhero, I also got my kid some Spiderman t-shirts which are not only look great, but also feel very comfortable!

As for the men in the family who were all fans of the long-running but now defunct comedy, I am planning to get them Seinfeld t-shirts so they can relive the good old days when the show was still playing.

One Magnificent Thought

Do you know somebody who's been depressed because of some personal tragedy? While people may do all that they can to try to cheer up that person, it's oftentimes futile. Only if the affected person has totally accepted the situation can he/she finally move on from his/her depression.

The One Magnificent Thought Package attempts to make the moving on part easier. I'm not sure how it works, but then it sounds pretty good to me, as The One Magnificent Thought Package is also used for people to attain positive thinking and to obtain what they want out of life. I'm not sure if it's supposed to be like "The Secret" wherein, they say, if you think hard enough about what you really want, you will eventually get it. Hmmm, I guess this is something everybody would want.

The One Magnificent Thought Package is currently available at a low, low price for a limited time only, so check it out before the offer ends.

It's 2009!

With all its ups and downs, the year 2008 has finally come to an end. Let's all welcome the New Year with a bang!

Hope the New Year brings joy and abundance to your family! Cheers!

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