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After Christmas -- another survey

Yaya's on vacation....

That is the main reason why I hardly have time to myself. My little 27 month old son, it seems, has turned "terrible" and without a yaya, we have to look after him almost full time. I really need to have another yaya (or hopefully yaya comes back, she isn't sure at this point) before my brief vacation is over. Today, I already have to go to clinic, and my husband is dreading taking care of him alone while I'm away (for half a day). You see, my son has always been difficult to feed and the easy way out has always been to let the yaya do it. He's also very active, and being an older parent means that my 37 year old body just can't keep up with his 2 year old "Energizer bunny" one.

I really admire full time moms. I do know that this is just a stage, but really, I can't get anything else done. In fact, this is the first time I've blogged since yaya left, and that's just because the kid is sleeping and I find myself awake! :)

Choooo Choooo Train

Nice invited me to come ride the train. I was going to have a break from blogging (since I'll be away for a few days and I just peaked in) but I couldn't resist this one --I am thankful because i would love to get some links up and going for my other blogs as well as this one.

Like Nice, I’m also tagging everbody in my blogroll. Cmon guys and join the fun, it’s a great way to earn some linky love.

The rule: When you get tagged, you have to add your name below the person who tagged you and by doing so you are letting the list grow.

choochoo.jpg

Limadang.com
RamblingMoo.com
blogginginmypyjamas

Chinneeq
Dora-zooropazoo
Babyshern
HiPnCooLMoMMa
Rachel’s Soulful Thoughts
When Silence Speaks
Dancing in Midlife Tune
Underneath it All
I am Dzoi
Hobbies and Such
moms…..check nyo
Choc Mint Girl
Amel’s Realm
My Thoughts
Rusin Roundup
Juliana’s Site
Max
Rooms of My Heart
Mariuca
A Great Pleasure
MondayMorningPower
LadyJava’s Lounge
Colin aka Cotojo
NafaSG
Hanna
My Life My World
Mommy’s Gibble Gabbles
Author’s Sweet Life
A Window To Our World
Jenny’s Wandering Thoughts
We are Family
Momma Stuff

The Working Mom

Online Raket

Christmas / Holiday from dNeero respondents - another survey!

My son the party animal!

In an earlier post, I mentioned that we are making the rounds of Christmas parties. In a few of those, my son was also invited. After an initial getting-to-know-you-and-warming-up stage, he pulled quite a few antics!

During the videoke session during my aunt's party, he sang louder than the person wielding the microphone! It's a pity we didn't have our camera with us at that time. I'm hoping my uncle took some pics so that I can ask for them.

Last night, at another party, he suddenly danced to the strains of a popular dance song! Everybody was surprised, us included! He was the one who started the dancing! Pity we didn't bring the videocam, but my husband did take some stills. I'll try to post them later. :)

Oh, for those who don't know yet, my son is 2 years old!

Jamie Lynn Spears ... OK now...! (A survey on teen pregnancy)

Here's a new survey. As a mom, I'm afraid that my son will get a girl pregnant before they're ready for a baby, or a daughter (which I don't have yet) will get pregnant before she's ready. What are your thoughts on this? (N.B. To have an idea on how to join surveys AND getting paid for it, please click this.)

Jamie-Lynn Marie Spears (born April 4, 1991) is an American actress and singer. She was best known for starring in the Nickelodeon television series Zoey 101 and as the sister of Britney Spears. Spears also has a older brother Bryan Spears and is the youngest of the Spears family. Now she's acquired some fame for getting pregnant -- that's right, she's 16!


The Christmas Party Rounds....

The past few days have been a whirl of Christmas parties. I am a visiting consultant in 2 hospitals and an active consultants in 2 clinics, so that's already 4 parties that I have to make an appearance in. That doesn't include the parties by family members and friends. :) Oh, and of course, there's the n@w Christmas party, which is actually the first Christmas party I've attended this year.

Together with my (still) regular clinic schedule, that does not really leave with too much time to do blogging lately. :)

Next week, my son's yaya is going for a vacation -- and I'm not sure if she's coming back. Good luck to me if I can squeeze in the time for blogging...I'm sure I can, but that will probably be in the wee small hours of the morning, when the boys (little boy and his daddy) are already asleep :).

Just in case, I don't get to greet you all on the day itself, I'd like to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year!

"Run, run as fast as you can" - US Presidential Politics 2008

The US elections are coming!

Whether or not you are in the United States, it is no secret that anything that happens in the US would affect the rest of the world. What are your opinions on the following US issues?



To my blogfriends -- I'm a bit busy this weekend. Will try to catch with my bloghops and tags in a while! See you soon!



Gift from the hubby -- New Shoes!



My husband bought me this pair of shoes. He bought it himself, guessing at the size and just brought it home. :)

It's just the right size for me, it's comfortable and i think it really looks good on me! What do you think?

Easy Pesto Pasta

This is a slightly modified version of a recipe I found on the label of my Nestle Cream :). Enjoy.

Ingredients:

PESTO
38 g fresh basil leaves (approx 5 cups)
2 tbsp chopped and lightly fried garlic
1/2 cup walnuts
1 1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup grated parmesan chese
1 tsp salt
160 g cream

400 g cooked pasta

Procedure:
1. In a blender, mix all ingredients for pesto until smooth.
2. Saute pesto in a pan then stir in cream. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
3. Continue to simmer until slightly thickened. Serve with pasta, crusty bread, and/or grilled meat or seafood.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 4-6

Wedding thoughts

I love weddings. They are so full of promise, of love and of hope. Attending a wedding is witnessing the beginning of a new family.

I will always hold dear the memory of my wedding 3 years ago. I know that whatever happens, I always remember the moments of that day when I finally marry the man I love.

Best wedding gift? All gifts were appreciated, but the cash gifts truly helped. The rest are still in storage even after 3 years. That's what I give nowadays, coz I know that's what the couple really wants and needs but are to shy to say so.

Why the sudden sentimentality? My brother is getting married soon!

My advise? Create a memory that would make you smile when you remember the happiness and love you felt that day. :)

What would YOU advise? Check out how mylotters answered that question.

I got accepted at Payperpost!

Blogging is a good medium of expression for aspiring writers like me. You get to share your thoughts with other people since blogs are available online, unlike the traditional journals or diaries. And I’ve found a virtual community of mothers like me who also blog regularly. It is from these other mommies wherein I’ve first heard about paid blogging, specifically Payperpost.

Even without any monetary reward, blogging is fun! Now that there to make money through blogging, well, it’s double the fun! With the rising cost of living, any additional means of income is VERY welcome! It will certainly increase our present income!

Payperpost is supposed to be the biggest paid blogging site with the most number of advertisers. I am so glad they accepted my blog! It is an affirmation of my blog., and that’s quite a gift! It’s quite simple to just join payperpost, but in order to be a full fledged postie, your blog does have to fulfill certain requirements. In fact, I’ve already tried submitting this blog before and was rejected because I didn’t fulfill some of the requirements. But now, I got accepted! I feel so great about this!

Another good thing about this is that you can actually choose which of the opportunities you want to write about! You do not have to talk about the things you don’t want to, or don’t know anything about. So, that also fulfills MY ethical requirements. Coz, honestly, it’s hard to talk about something you know little to nothing about, or feel strongly against.

If you are an avid blogger, I do suggest you try looking up Payperpost. Make your blog earn a little something for you by talking about the things you love!




Work vs Stay at Home

There's an ongoing discussion in my mailing list with questions directed to the Stay at home moms. Questions like what made you decide to be a SAHM?

The discussion elicited quite a lot of passionate responses from the SAHMs about why they chose to be SAHMs and what adjustments they had to make.

Although being a stay at home mom with dad being the only breadwinner is the traditional way to go, the reality is that some women are not comfortable with the traditional role. Like me.

My husband and I have a different arrangement which allows us a little bit of both worlds -- working and staying at home. It helps that we are both doctors, with the same specialty (ophthalmology) and in private practice. This means that our schedule is pretty flexible compared to the average Joe and Jane.

The long and short of it is that one of us always stays with our son. We only work part of the day, and on certain days, our work hours are different. Meaning if I go to work in the morning he stays at home. Then I come home for lunch and stay...he then goes to work in the afternoon. We also have days wherein we bring our son with us to the clinic, when we both have to be there.

In our modern society, there is really a lot of variation on the family, work wise. There are also families who mom goes to work and dad stays at home. Or families who only have a single parent who needs to work. There is also the phenomenon of the absentee parent, wherein one of the parents is always not there, because of either work in a foreign land or some other reason.

I think that the decision on who's working and who's taking care of the kids should be a decision reached by both the husband and the wife. It should not be just because that is what one party wants, or just because it's tradition, or because of what others say. We all have our unique situations and we are the best persons to judge on what works well for us.

What rose represents your love?

Tagged by wersp....Thanks so much!

Your Love Is Represented By a Red Rose

You love passionately and fully, without any reservations.
And while romantic love comes easily for you, you also love many people platonically.
You are a true romantic, and you always can see the best in people.
What Rose Represents Your Love?

I'm tagging my new friends Julia, Juliana, Maybelle, Chelle and Scotty's Princess.

Blog Buddies Award


I got this award from Norms! Thank you so much! I am very happy to find friends like you on the blogosphere! I'm passing this award to the fellow bloggers I met at the n@w Christmas party: Mec, Meng and Pheng! Hope I didn't miss anybody.

ronito/ronita

Got this tag from Pheng. :D

(excerpt from 'all you need to know about ronito, ronita!' of ironnie)
"ronito, ronita!" is adapted from monito/monita. the goal of this activity is to foster camaraderie and to be acquainted with other bloggers we have still not met. this will be done as participants will be assigned a blogger whom he has to send a wish or a prayer on christmas via e-cards.

*** copy starts here ***

how to join?

[1] fill up and submit the details of this form.
[2]copy and post the rules to your blog. include the “backward list” (a record of how the tag reached you) and add your name.
[3] recruit for participants. be sure to get their consent.

should they agree to join, add them to your “forward list” (bloggers you’ve convinced to join).

remind them to do item #1.

** participants will be accepted until december 16 (phil. time) only. on december 17, the organizer will email to you the details of your ronito/ronita. send him/her a christmas greeting via e-cards preferably on december 25.

should time be a constraint, you can send it earlier.

my backward link list:ironnie, jeff, bluepanjeet, thess, gbex, liza, liza 2, rems, eds, abie, pheng, joey

- add your name here: Joey

please join us in the internet way of feeling the spirit of Christmas: Norm, Jerlalou, Texas Sweetie, Scotty's Princess, Prettylifeonline, Eds, Garf, Denz, Wersp. :)

Common Mistakes in Writing...

Tagged from Norms and Prettylifeonline....

Start copy paste the instructions: To play this game, all you must do is explain what your most common writing mistake is. Then, simply tag 5 people for the meme. Those 5 will, in return, tag 5 more people. Ultimately, readers should see a tapestry of common grammar and spelling mistakes. Therefore, anyone who feel ashamed of their errors will feel a bit more confident and secure.Copy the person and persons' names that sent it to you and add your own at the bottom of the list. It really helps build community.

The answers:
Shine with Grace : Mixing the word 'from' with 'form' all the time.
Trinity : I sometimes feel confused to use past tense or present tense when I share my stories.
LadyJava : Typing too fast that sometimes I miss words in between.
Genie King : I type too fast too... always end up with 'tot he'... when it should be 'to the'.
Spiff : I type too fast that I end up with sentences that have no spaceinbetween... LOL!
Nessa : Mostly grammatical mistakes... but it doesn't really bother me as long as my readers understand :)
Choc Mint Girl: Obviously grammatical error due to lack of vocabulary…but getting better and better and better…he he he…
Liza : I type too fast too that's why sometimes my spellings are wrongf... see. Lol ;) And same with Grace, mixing the word from and form at times. (I'll be posting this tag to my other
blogCecil: errors on grammar and sometimes I don’t know where to place my comma or when to use colon or semi-colon :( too.)Nancy: I'm always trying to use every function of my fingers but can't really help but slip which resulted to pressing the wrong key most of the time.Darlene: I always made a mistake by typing HELATH instead of HEALTH. Sometime the FOR is FOT because the R and the T are very close to each other lol! Anyway i always do mistakes when i type, everybody does i guess no matter how good you are in typing you always make some mistakes.Bisdak Footprints I usually have wrong typo when I am in a hurry typing entries during PPP time because need to be fast so I can grab as many opps as I can.For that,wrong typo making my english look worse to others.They read it before I can do some editing..they might think my english is so bad..ahhermmm...but i edit it anyways...
Twerlermz : I'm using basic or simple english most of the time so i think my most common mistakes are : redundancy, spelling and grammar (toink!)
Thira: I type too fast too, sometimes my mind is way ahead with my typing so I miss out and misspell words and I have to go back and read again and correct it. Sometimes using the past and present tense in writing, and using the hyphen properly,wehehe:)
Juliana: I always mis-spell "you". More often that not I type it as "oyu" because I'm typing fast and because it's a three letter word, it's prone to get typed incorrectly. It's good there's a spelling checker hehe, I always catch the mistake before it is published.
Teebob : If I write an article about a male person I often use her or she instead of him or he.
Norm : Sometimes I'm confused of the grammar and right spelling. Then I'm typing so fast that usually miss-spell taht instead of that and many more.
Pretty Life Online : Overusing dashes for separation, this interrupt the flow of my words. Typing too fast so sometimes I miss out and my fingers end up misspelling the words.....LOL!
Joey: I usually type while I'm thinking. But sometimes I haven't organized my thoughts yet before typing, hence I end up with a lot of grammatical errors and/or spelling mistakes.

I'm passing this to Joy, Jane, Jody, Peachy, Toni -- girls who have a second blog with their own domain :).

You can earn by posting surveys on your blog!

If you are looking for more ways to monetize your blog, this is one site that could also increase your chances for earning. The earnings may not be much, but hey, it's not difficult to do at all! Click here to join: http://www.dneero.com/invite.jsp?referredby=2175

What you basically do is you answer surveys and embed the code of your answers (a widget) into your blog. The more hits and the more respondents the survey has, the more you earn!

Another good thing about this is that you can also earn a percentage of the earnings of your referrals, up to 5 levels deep! Try it out! It's free to join! And, please do use the link above so that I could get credited for it.

Here's a sample survey, very timely for the holidays!

The N@W Christmas Party :)

Yesterday, the four of us (hubby, little boy, yaya and me) all went to the N@W Christmas party. This is my first time to attend a N@W party and we really really really had fun!

The food was plentiful! Since it was potlock, many brought in different foods, from rice to ulam to desserts to drinks. May balut pa nga! Galing! There was even a dessert bar by Sweet Tooth and and 2 Alex Franco cakes! Yum, yum!

Oh, and there was the squid ball/kikiam cart by Apple and Adrian! They had to leave early though, so the ones who came later probably didn't get to taste their treats.

There were prizes galore! In fact, I think everyone gets a prize, whether or not they joined the games. Sobrang dami talaga!

Oh, and 2 photo stations! 1 is by the wishing well with John Aguas. Gosh! I've heard of the man but I've never actually met him so I didn't know that the one taking our pictures was actually a well known photographer! The other station was the Fotoloco booth by Meme of Konsepto. Our family had a blast having our picture taken with Santa hats from Bumblebee! Well, actually, only my husband and I wore the hats, Ethan didn't. The pictures were instantly printed out and made into a nice bookmark! What a nice memento! The photographer who went around taking pictures of everyone was Nald, Neri's hubby. Neri has the link to the pics. We enjoyed ourselves too much to take our own pics! :D

The place was just right for the number of people who came. It was at the Pavilion at the McKinley Park of North Greenhills. The Pavilion was just beside the basketball court and the garden with a koi pond. The kids kept going back to the pond to look at the fishes and the turtle. With the cool December breeze, it was not hot at all, even if there was no aircon. It was decorated with balloons like a Kiddie Party :). I think it was Pepel who made the decors. She was also the organizer AND the host for the party.

And there was the amazing unicyclist, a Mr. Velasco (his first name escapes me at the moment) brought in by Jhoanne. Grabe! We were holding our breath and couldn't help shouting when it seems that he would lose his balance and fall...which he didn't :)

There are several rounds of exchange gifts. One for the yayas, 3 for the kids (classified by age group) and 1 for the n@wies. The last one was the most interesting, since you could actually GRAB the gift that somebody else already got. I got a bath care set from Raquel. Thank you, thank you! My son got a Tazmanian Devil towel set, which he really needs....too bad I don't know who to thank for that, but still, thanks! My yaya also got a mirror to go with her other prize (a comb), but we also don't know who to thank for that. I hope the recipients of our gifts also like what they got :)

There are 3 sets of lootbags - 1 for the kids, 1 for the yayas and 1 for the n@wies. We're very proud that we sponsored the natural insect repellant and liniment samples included in the lootbags. We hope that everybody finds good use for them. The other items in the lootbags (Unilab products like phcare and Celeteque) were sponsored by Lissa.

Of course, the most enjoyable aspect about everything is knowing the people behind the names. You see each other's names almost on a daily basis and now, here's finally a chance to really MEET them! Of course, special mention to Benz and John, without whom there would be no w@w and no n@w, the thriving online community to which we all belong to!

Here's wishing everybody a Merry Christmas! I hope we have another party like that next year and that more people join!

Link Love Chain

Mhay and Jean tagged me with this. Since I got this from 2 different sources, I sorta combined them into one coz some of the links are the same :)

The rule: When you get tagged, you have to add your name next to the person who tagged you and by doing so you are letting the list grow.

Limadang.com
RamblingMoo.com
blogginginmypyjamas
StylewithPassion
Chinneeq
Dora-zooropazoo
Babyshern
HiPnCooLMoMMa
Rachel’s Soulful Thoughts
When Silence Speaks
My Love. My life. My everything.
Our Journey as a Family
Married and Happy About It
Dancing in Midlife Tune
Underneath it All
My Charmed Life
Blueberry Cheesecake
Thinking Out Loud
My So-called life
The Working Mom

I'm passing this on to Denz, Jerlalou, Linsayhi, Melisse, Poray, Prettylifeonline, Texas Sweetie, Norms, wersp so you can pass them on and increase your links in the process :)

Catching up is a little hard to do.....

I haven't been around for only a few days, and I get a lot of tags already! I am very flattered, because I have friends who come and visit and remember me, even though I haven't been blogging for a long time. Thank you so much!

I would like to ask your forgiveness, though, if I'm a little slow on catching up. I'm trying :).

Blogging tips

Tagged by Kelly!

Here’s how it goes: When this is passed on to you, copy the whole thing, skim the list and put a * star beside those that you like. Write your own blogging tip for other bloggers. Try to make your tip general.

Tag as many people as you want.

1. Don’t let money change ya! http://www.therandomforest.info/

2. Look, read, and learn.http://www.neonscent.com/

3. Be, EXCELLENT to each other. http://www.bushmackel.com

4. Always reply to your comments. http://chattiekat.com/

5. Blog about what you know & love. http://sugar-queens-dream.blogspot.com/

6. Don’t use filthy language-buy a dictionary. http://shinade.blogspot.com/

7. Blog about something educational. http://climateofourfuture.org/

*8. Be yourself; others will follow. http://sfgirl-thealiennextdoor.blogspot.com/

9. Don’t have too many blogs that will become a chore to maintain.
http://cubicledenizen.blogspot.com/

*10. Keep it simple, user-friendly, interesting and organized! http://erishaling.blogspot.com/

11. Keep the blog simple and sweet!! http://www.leslieho.com/

12. Share with others your thoughts and don’t be shy! http://groovy-olives.com/blog

13. Never ask for link exchange. Blog hop to increase traffic. http://www.jessieling.com/

14. Don’t clutter your blog with ads all over the place. IT’S IRRITATING. http://oliviasy.blogspot.com/

15. Don’t comment for the sake of commenting. Some looked too fake and its a big turn off! http://sashablablabla.blogspot.com/

*16. Share something interesting and you will gain more readers. http://judychow.blogspot.com/

*17. Show that we care to all bloggers, treat each other as friends. http://mummyinvain.com/

18. Pictures say a million words. Keep them coming! http://familyfriendsnfood.blogspot.com/

*19. Blogging should be fun or you’ll get tired of it pretty soon. http://justmyrambling.com/

*20. Don’t think people will come to your blog if you’re not willing to pay a visit to them. http://joshualai.blogspot.com/

*21. Everyone loves read short posting and best, illustrated with a picture. http://www.demoments.net/blog

22. Try not to publish more than 5 posts in one blog a day. Even if it’s from feed reader, it’s quite hard to digest and catch up reading everything. http://montessorimum.com/

23. Blog, the other window to peek into people’s life, minus the trouble. keep a certain level of privacy to yourself. http://www.babyshern.blogspot.com/

*24. Use simple words, not like the ones that require your readers to consult the dictionary. Girlie of http://www.hipncoolmomma.com/

25. Take time to visit your friendly links WITH OR WITHOUT SPONSORED POSTS, probloggers are required to update their blogs so expect they always have something new. Marie the Vanidosa http://mariegvergara.com/

*26. Be kind and appreciate your readers by taking time to really know them. Take time to read their blogs and comment with your heart. Even if you’re into problogging, don’t forget to blog with your heart not just for the sake of the money.
Emmyrose http://www.emmyrose.com

*27. Share your blog awards to blogger friends whose blog inspires you and open your mind to another perspective in life and even to less-visited blog which you think their blog and thoughts are unique. Arlene of http://sunshineforlife.wordpress.com

28. Be factual and do not rely 100% on gossips/hearsays especially if you are writing about sensitive topics. Back up your facts with links from reliable sources, if needed. Julie of http://www.teacherjulie.com/

*29. When you blog hop, leave sincere or witty remarks, the author would check you out for sure. Try to post useful tips for mommies, career women and students as well so you’ll have varied readers. And make lots of friends thru your blog. Rowena of http://www.thesweetlife-rowena.blogspot.com

*30. When you write posts, write something that is interesting, funny or educational, and share stories that will let your readers know who you are. Share some pictures. Blogging is a way to gain friends, when they leave comment be sure to reply to those comments. Get in touch with your readers. Visit those who visit you. When you leave comments in their blogs, be sincere and true. Leave comment as a friend, not just for the sake of commenting. Show them that you’re really interested with what they write and that you want them to be your friends too. Ann of http://annksantos.blogspot.com

*31. Interesting or not, just let your blog reflect the real you. It is always best for people to like you and befriend you for who you really are. But of course it is also better to leave the more personal things, personal. You don’t need to blog about them if you don’t want to. Remember, anyone and everyone can access your blog. ~ http://alphadf.11penguin.net/ ~

32. Update often — people are a lot more nosy and interested in your life than you might think! http://celluliticbliss.com/

33. Don’t forget the reason why you started blogging. Mine is to show Summer how she was when she was small when she grows up. I see to it that my posts are Summer-friendly. http://jadeomar.blogspot.com

34. Don’t forget to mention your sources or references. In using other people’s photos or infos, always ask PERMISSION first & give DUE CREDIT. Respect intellectual property of others. http://jesselai.blogspot.com

35. Always keep in mind that blogging is all about keeping memories in file. And do not do something because you want to have something to blog about. http://mich-magbag.blogspot.com

*36. Check grammar, punctuations, etc., before publishing your post. It’s always nice to read a well-written entry. http://100percentkelly.com

37. Make your blogs easy to read by having good contrast between your background and your font color. Of course, your blog contents should also be interesting for people to want to read :). http://the-working-mom.blogspot.com


Let's hear some tips from Joy, Jody, Jane, Norm, Peachy, Jesse. You're all more experienced bloggers than I am, so I'm sure you've got good tips.

Lakbayan tag

Norm gave me this interesting tag about how much of the Philippines that I have visited. Well, I am graded C- because there are lots of places in the Philippines I haven't gone to. Now, I'm passing this tag to Garf, Jackie, Jody, Mari, Nice, Peachy, Toni, Vina, and Pheng.


My Lakbayan grade is C-!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.

5 things

This is from Eds and Kelly. Thanks, sisses!

5 things found in my bag
wallet
cell phone
lipstick
ballpen
coin purse

5 things found in my wallet
bills
credit card
ID cards
business cards
receipts

5 things found in my room
bed
tv
cabinets
my books
Ethan's toys

5 things I've always wanted to do
run a business of my own
be a good doctor
travel around the world
have 2 children
earn a decent income

5 things I'm currently into
career
being a mother
blogging

books
thinking how to earn more

5 people to tag for this:
I'm behind, so I really don't know who to tag. Just grab nalang :)

Two Things

Got this Two Things Meme from Norm. :)

1. Two names I go by: Joey and Joanna
2.
Two things I am wearing right now: t-shirt with shorts
3.
Two things I want (or have) in a relationship: Love and trust
4.
Two things I like to do: Travel, internet surfing
5.
Two things I want very badly in this moment: laptop and friends
6.
Two things I did last night: surfed the net, watched TV
7.
Two things I ate today: birthday misua, fruit salad
8.
Two persons I last spoke to: my husband and my mother
9.
Two things I am doing tomorrow: go shopping and I dono yet
10.
Two favorite days of the week: Saturday and Sunday
11.
Two favorite holidays: Christmas and New year
12.
Two favorite beverages: coffee and iced tea
13.
Two things about me that you may not have known: I'm not sure....
14.
Two jobs that I have had in my life: doctor, entrepreneur
15.
Two movies I would watch over and over: Lord of the Rings, Star Wars :)
16.
Two places I have lived: Philippines! Haven't LIVED anywhere else, although I've visited...
17.
Two of my favorite food: beef steak, chocolates (yeah, unhealthy....)
18. Two places I would rather be right now: I'm home now, so I'm where I want to be.

And here is another
question: What are the 5 gifts you would buy for Yourself this Christmas, if you had unlimited income?
And here are my answers.
1. A house and lot!
2. An educational plan for my son, that covers his education up to college
3. A Jollibee franchise!
4. A new car or van
5. I'm having a hard time with the fifth one....jewelry, maybe?

But most of what I want are non material, like happiness, health, peace, harmony and love :)

I would like to extend this meme to Cha, Jane, Sheila. :)

Mom’s Greatest Fear

What is your Greatest Fear as a Mom? This is a question posted to me by Nice.

My answer is pretty simple, I guess...

My greatest fear is that I do not fulfill what I should do as a mom, and that is to raise upstanding members of the society. I fear that my child (and any future children) will not grow to be a moral, upright, self sufficient person that he/they should be, which means that I did not fulfill the greatest responsibility that I have as a mother.

Birth Month

Thanks for this tag Lori.

1. Mention the person who tagged you and create a link back to them.
2. Copy-paste the traits for all the twelve months (see below).
3. Pick your month of birth.
4. Highlight the traits that apply to you.
5. Tag 12 people and let them know by visiting their blogs and leaving a comment for them.
6. Let the person who tagged you know when you've done it!

My birth month:

JUNE: Thinks far with vision. Easily influenced by kindness. Polite and soft-spoken. Having ideas. Sensitive. Active mind. Hesitating, tends to delay. Choosy and always wants the best. Temperamental. Funny and humorous. Loves to joke. Good debating skills. Talkative. Daydreamer. Friendly. Knows how to make friends. Able to show character. Easily hurt. Prone to getting colds. Loves to dress up. Easily bored. Fussy. Seldom shows emotions. Takes time to recover when hurt. Brand conscious. Executive. Stubborn.

The Twelve Month

JANUARY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Ambitious and serious. Loves to teach and be taught. Always looking at people’s flaws and weaknesses. Likes to criticize. Hardworking and productive. Smart, neat and organized. Sensitive and has deep thoughts. Knows how to make others happy. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Rather reserved. Highly attentive. Resistant to illnesses but prone to colds. Romantic but has difficulties expressing love. Loves children. Loyal. Has great social abilities yet easily jealous. Very stubborn and money cautious.

FEBRUARY: Abstract thoughts. Loves reality and abstract. Intelligent and clever. Changing personality. Attractive. Sexy. Temperamental. Quiet, shy and humble. Honest and loyal. Determined to reach goals. Loves freedom. Rebellious when restricted. Loves aggressiveness. Too sensitive and easily hurt. Gets angry really easily but does not show it. Dislikes unnecessary things. Loves making friends but rarely shows it. Daring and stubborn. Ambitious. Realizes dreams and hopes. Sharp. Loves entertainment and leisure. Romantic on the inside not outside. Superstitious and ludicrous. Spendthrift. Tries to learn to show emotions.

MARCH: Attractive personality. Sexy. Affectionate. Shy and reserved. Secretive. Naturally honest, generous and sympathetic. Loves peace and serenity. Sensitive to others. Loves to serve others. Easily angered. Trustworthy. Appreciative and returns kindness. Observant and assesses others. Revengeful. Loves to dream and fantasize. Loves traveling. Loves attention. Hasty decisions in choosing partners. Loves home decors. Musically talented. Loves special things. Moody.

APRIL: Active and dynamic. Decisive and hasty but tends to regret. Attractive and affectionate to oneself. Strong mentality. Loves attention. Diplomatic. Consoling, friendly and solves people’s problems. Brave and fearless. Adventurous. Loving and caring. Suave and generous. Emotional. Aggressive. Hasty. Good memory. Moving. Motivates oneself and others. Sickness usually of the head and chest. Sexy in a way that only their lover can see.

MAY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Strong-willed and highly motivated. Sharp thoughts. Easily angered. Attracts others and loves attention. Deep feelings. Beautiful physically and mentally. Firm Standpoint. Needs no motivation. Easily consoled. Systematic (left brain). Loves to dream. Strong clairvoyance. Understanding. Sickness usually in the ear and neck. Good imagination. Good physical. Weak breathing. Loves literature and the arts. Loves traveling. Dislike being at home. Restless. Not having many children. Hardworking. High spirited. Spendthrift.

JUNE: Thinks far with vision. Easily influenced by kindness. Polite and soft-spoken. Having ideas. Sensitive. Active mind. Hesitating, tends to delay. Choosy and always wants the best. Temperamental. Funny and humorous. Loves to joke. Good debating skills. Talkative. Daydreamer. Friendly. Knows how to make friends. Able to show character. Easily hurt. Prone to getting colds. Loves to dress up. Easily bored. Fussy. Seldom shows emotions. Takes time to recover when hurt. Brand conscious. Executive. Stubborn.

JULY: Fun to be with. Secretive. Difficult to fathom and to be understood. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Takes pride in oneself. Has reputation. Easily consoled. Honest. Concerned about people’s feelings. Tactful. Friendly. Approachable. Emotional temperamental and unpredictable. Moody and easily hurt. Witty and sparkly. Not revengeful. Forgiving but never forgets. Dislikes nonsensical and unnecessary things. Guides others physically and mentally. Sensitive and forms impressions carefully. Caring and loving. Treats others equally. Strong sense of sympathy. Wary and sharp. Judges people through observations. Hardworking. No difficulties in studying. Loves to be alone. Always broods about the past and the old friends. Likes to be quiet. Homely person. Waits for friends. Never looks for friends. Not aggressive unless provoked. Prone to having stomach and dieting problems. Loves to be loved. Easily hurt but takes long to recover.

AUGUST: Loves to joke. Attractive. Suave and caring. Brave and fearless. Firm and has leadership qualities. Knows how to console others. Too generous and egoistic. Takes high pride in oneself. Thirsty for praises. Extraordinary spirit. Easily angered. Angry when provoked. Easily jealous. Observant. Careful and cautious. Thinks quickly. Independent thoughts. Loves to lead and to be led. Loves to dream. Talented in the arts, music and defense. Sensitive but not petty. Poor resistance against illnesses. Learns to relax. Hasty and trusty. Romantic. Loving and caring. Loves to make friends.

SEPTEMBER: Suave and compromising. Careful, cautious and organized. Likes to point out people’s mistakes. Likes to criticize. Stubborn. Quiet but able to talk well. Calm and cool. Kind and sympathetic. Concerned and detailed. Loyal but not always honest. Does work well. Very confident. Sensitive. Good memory. Clever and knowledgeable. Loves to look for information. Must control oneself when criticizing. Able to motivate oneself. Understanding. Fun to be around. Secretive. Loves leisure and traveling. Hardly shows emotions. Tends to bottle up feelings. Very choosy, especially in relationships. Systematic.

OCTOBER: Loves to chat. Loves those who loves them. Loves to take things at the center. Inner and physical beauty. Lies but doesn’t pretend. Gets angry often. Treats friends importantly. Always making friends. Easily hurt but recovers easily. Daydreamer. Opinionated. Does not care of what others think. Emotional. Decisive. Strong clairvoyance. Loves to travel, the arts and literature. Touchy and easily jealous. Concerned. Loves outdoors. Just and fair. Spendthrift. Easily influenced. Easily loses confidence. Loves children.

NOVEMBER: Has a lot of ideas. Difficult to fathom. Thinks forward. Unique and brilliant. Extraordinary ideas. Sharp thinking. Fine and strong clairvoyance. Can become good doctors. Dynamic in personality. Secretive. Inquisitive. Knows how to dig secrets. Always thinking. Less talkative but amiable. Brave and generous. Patient. Stubborn and hard-hearted. If there is a will, there is a way. Determined. Never give up. Hardly becomes angry unless provoked. Loves to be alone. Thinks differently from others. Sharp-minded. Motivates oneself. Does not appreciate praises. High-spirited. Well-built and tough. Deep love and emotions. Romantic. Uncertain in relationships. Homely. Hardworking. High abilities. Trustworthy. Honest and keeps secrets. Not able to control emotions. Unpredictable.

DECEMBER: Loyal and generous. Sexy. Patriotic. Active in games and interactions. Impatient and hasty. Ambitious. Influential in organizations. Fun to be with. Loves to socialize. Loves praises. Loves attention. Loves to be loved. Honest and trustworthy. Not pretending. Short tempered. Changing personality. Not egotistic. Take high pride in oneself. Hates restrictions. Loves to joke. Good sense of humor. Logical.

I know I'm behind, and most of my blogmates have been tagged already. Anybody can just grab this tag! C'mon, it's fun!

5 things to look back

i just want to say thank you JERLALOU for sharing this tag. and i will pass this to my new friends so they will get to know me better.

INSTRUCTION:***
1. Posts 5 links to 5 of your previously written posts. The posts have to relate to the 5 key words given below.
2. Tag 5 other friends to do this meme. Try to tag at least 2 new acquaintances (if not, your current blog buddies will do) so that you get to know them each a little bit better.
3. Don’t forget to read the archived post and leave comments.
Link 1 must be about FAMILY "Ethan is 2!
Link 2 must be about FRIEND "A spooky birthday celebration!"
Link 3 must be about YOURSELF "Things I do to earn"
Link 4 must be about YOUR LOVE "Happy birthday, sweetheart"
link 5 can be ANYTHING YOU LIKE... "Work life balance"

i'm passing this TAG to the ff; Eds, Joy, Jean, Jody, Melisse, Toni.

I am Charlie Brown!


I got this tag from a pretty friend of mine Norm. Thank you friend for this interesting tag. Naku, I don't know anyone who hasn't gotten this tag, so go ahead and grab it if you like it :)

Everyone has a personality of a cartoon character. Have you ever asked yourself what cartoon character do you most resemble?

A group of investigators got together and analyzed the personalities of well known and modern cartoon characters. The information that was gathered was made into this test.

Answer all the questions (only 10) with what describes you best, add up all your Points (which are next to the answer that you choose) at the end and look for your results.

Do not cheat by looking at the end of the e-mail before you are done.
Then ask your Friends to answer it. (Make sure to Highlight your answers)

1. Which one of the following describes the perfect date?
.a) Candlelight dinner (4 pts.)
.b) Fun/Theme Park (2 pts.)
.c) Painting in the park (5 pts)
.d) Rock concert (1 pt.)
.e) Going to the movies (3 pts.)

2. What is your favorite type of music?
.a) Rock and Roll (2 pts.)
.b) Alternative (1 pt.)
.c) Soft Rock (4 pts.)
.d) Country (5 pts.)
.e) Pop (3 pts.)

3. What type of movies= do you prefer?
.a) Comedy (2 pts.)
.b) Horror (1 pt.)
.c) Musical (3 pts.)
.d) Romance (4 pts.)
.e) Documentary (5 pts.)

4.. Which one of these occupations would you choose if you only could choose one of these?
.a) Waiter (4 pts.)
.b) Professional Sports Player (5 pts.)
.c) Teacher (3 pts.)
d) Police (2 pts.)
.e) Cashier (1 pt)

5 . What do you do with your spare time?
.a) Exercise (5 pts.)
.b) Read (4 pts.)
.c) Watch television (2 pts.)
.d) Listen to music (1 pt.)
.e) Sleep (3 pts.)

6. Which one of the following colors do you like best?
.a) Yellow (1 pt.)
.b) White (5 pts.)
.c) Sky Blue (3 pts.)
.d) Dark Blue (2 pts.)
.e) Red (4 pts.)

7. What do you prefer to eat?
.a) Snow (3 pts.)
.b) Pizza (2 pts.)
.c) Sushi (1 pt.)
.d) Pasta (4 pts.)
.e) Salad (5 pts.)

8 What is your favorite holiday?
.a) Halloween (1 pt.)
.b) Christmas (3 pts.)
c) New Year (2 pts.)
.d) Valentine's Day (4 pts.)
.e) Thanksgiving (5 pts.)

9. If you could go to one of these places which one would it be?
.a) Paris (4 pts)
.b) Spain (5 pts)
.c) Las Vegas (1 pt)
.d) Hawaii (4 pts)
.e) Hollywood (3 pts)

10. With which of the following would you prefer to spend time with?
.a) Someone Smart (5 pts.)
.b) Someone attractive (2 pts.)
.c) Someone who likes to Party (1 pt.)
.d) Someone who always has fun (3 pts.)
.e) Someone very sentimental (4 pts.)

Now add up your points and find out the answer you have been waiting for!

Put your character in the subject line and forward to your friends and back to the person that sent this to you.

Very interesting to see 'who' your friends are!

(10-16 points) You are Garfield :
You are very comfortable, easy going, and you definitely know how to
have fun but sometimes you take it to an extreme. You always know what
you are doing and you are always in control of your life. Others may
not see things as you do, but that doesn't mean that you always have to do what is right. Try to remember, your happy spirit may hurt you or others.

(17-23 points) You are Snoopy:
You are fun, you are very cool and popular. You always know what's i n
and you are never are out of style You are good at knowing how to
satisfy everyone else. You have probably disappeared for a few days
more than once but you always come home with the family values that you learned Being married and having children are important to you, but
only after you have had your share of fun times

(24-28 points) You are Elmo:
You have lots of friends and you are also popular, always willing to
give advice and help out a person in need. You are very optimistic and
you always see the bright side of things. Some good advice: try not to
be too much of a dreamer. Dreaming too big could cause many conflicts in
your life.

(29-35 points) You are Sponge Bob Square Pants:

You are the classic person that everyone loves. You are the best friend
that anyone could ever have and never wants to lose. You never cause
harm to anyone and they would never not understand your feelings. Life
is a journey, it's funny and calm for the most part. Stay away from
traitors and jealous people, and you will be stress free.

(36-43 points) You are Charlie Brown: THIS IS ME!
You are tender, you fall in love quickly but you are also very serious
about all relationships. You are a family person. You call your Mom
every Sunday. You have many friends and may occasionally forget a few
Birthdays. Don't let your passion confuse you with reality.

(44-50 points) You are Dexter:
You are smart and definitely a thinker... Every situation is fronted
with a plan. You have a brilliant mind. You demonstrate very strong
family principles. You maintain a stable routine but never ignore a bad
situation when it comes. Try to do less over thinking every once in a while to spice things up a bit with spontaneity!

Now don't spoil it! Have some Fun!!

Comfort Food

Got this from Mhay....My comfort food is....

Soup!

I would have to say that my comfort food would have to be soupy dishes. Be it Filipino Nilaga, Chinese Si Bhut, steaming Hot Pot (shabu shabu), Japanese Miso Soup, or even a bowl of mami at Masuki....Even Campbell's cream of mushroom soup!

Of course, that's if the weather is not that hot!

If it's sweltering....hmmm, an ice cold glass of Coke, maybe? :D

Let's see, what are your comfort foods, Garf, Jackie, Jerlalou?

Blogging on the go Part II

I've finally found a way to blog using my Nokia N90 cell phone. I accessed office on my menu,then chose notes. Once i've finished with my composition,i then chose to send this through bluetooth to my laptop.

Then I open the bluetooth exchange folder on My Documents, look for the notepad with this entry, make a few revisions, then "select all", "copy" and "paste on my blog.

Neat,huh? Now,another way for me to blog on the go.

P.S. For those who are wondering where part I is, please refer to this entry on my other blog :)

Beautiful and Sexy Blogger Award


Got these awards from Norms! I am so flattered! I never really think of myself as beautiful or sexy, but I think everybody is beautiful and sexy in her own way. :)

There are a lot of people I want to pass this to. Let's see.... Passing this to Jean, Jane, Melisse, Peachy, Pheng, Kelly, Mhay :D

Friendship Award

Got this from Norms, Jane and Eds. I am so happy to have found friends like you. Thank you so much!

I'm passing this on to everybody in my friends list. :) You all deserve it. Grab niyo nalang!

The Rule of 8

I've been tagged by Toni!

THE RULES
* write 8 facts about yourself
* in the 8 facts, you share 8 things that your readers don't know about you. at the end, you tag as much other bloggers to keep the fun going. each blogger must post these rules first
* each blogger starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves
* at the end of the post, a blogger needs to choose as much people to get tagged and list their names.
* don't forget to leave them a comment telling them that they're tagged and to read your blog

8 random facts about Joey:

- I've always wanted to be a doctor. So, I am actually living my childhood dream. There was no hesitation of what course to take for college (it has to be a pre med course and I ended up with BS Med Tech) and no stopping to think when I went on to enroll in Medicine.

- I could express myself quite well in English, Tagalog, Chinese (Fukien) and Mandarin (also Chinese). I grew up learning those four both in school and at home. My first language was Fukien rather than English or Tagalog because my mom was new to the Philippines when she got married and had me, and I didn't have a full time yaya when I was a baby.

- I'm a Filipino-Chinese married to a Filipino guy.

- I'm a homebody. Whenever I have free time, I just want to stay home and rest, but...

- I hate household chores. I can do them, but I do not like to. I'd rather go to work and pay someone to do the chores. That's why I'm so in awe of full time housewives -- I cannot do that full time, I'd be depressed.

- I'm a frustrated singer. I used to be in the Glee Club in High School, College and in Med School. But I'm quite shy, so ask me to sing a solo and I'd buckle. Sobrang papangit boses ko when I'm alone kasi kinakabahan ako. I sing better in a group. Or with a magic sing at home with a few people only.

- I'm not a shopaholic. I only go to buy something if there's a need for it. I don't go to sales unless there's really something I need/want to buy and there's a sale at around that time.

- I did learn to play the piano when I was small, but up to grade I level only. I can still read notes though, or at least I can try.

I'm passing this tag to my new blog friends Denz, Mhay and Eds. :)

Weather is bad...

..but I have to go to work. I woke up to dark skies and heavy rains, thinking that it was still early!

It would have been nicer to just sleep on snuggled next to my two boys, but duty calls....

Star Blogger Award


Got this award from Norm! Thank you, my friend! You really flattered me! Now I'm passing this on to Toni, Pheng, and Mec.

Brand Tag

I grabbed this tag from Norm and I'm tagging Pheng, Vina, and Jane. :)

1) What's the brand of your wristwatch?
Tag Heuer. It's more than 10 years old na and a gift from my mom.

2) What's the brand of your bracelet?
I don't know the brand. It's another gift from my mom. :)

3) What's the brand of your cell phone?
Nokia

4) What's the brand of your computer?
Acer

5) What's the brand of your bags?
I have different bags. Mostly hand me downs from my mom.

6) What's the brand of your undies?
No name brands bought from Greenhills.

7) What's the brand of your flip-flops?
Another no name flip flop bought from a tiangge.

8) What's the brand of your shoes?
Russ

9) What's the brand of your wallet?
Marithe Francois Girbaud

10) What's the brand of your shirts?
various....I have Giordano, Esprit, Fruit of the Loom, etc etc.

11) What's the brand of your TV?
Philips

12) What's the brand of your cars?
My husband has a Nissan Sentra. Hinihiram ko lang.

13) What's the brand of your mp3 player?
Wala akong mp3 player.

14) What's the brand of your make up?
Various...I have Maybelline, Loreal, Body Shop, Max Factor, Ever Bilena....

15) What's the brand of your shampoo and conditioner?
I'm currently using Finesse.

16) What's the brand of your jeans?
Street Jeans. Bought on sale at SM

17) What's the brand of your laundry soap?
We change brands every so often. I think the lastest is Speed.

Tagged!

I was tagged by Pheng. Thanks, sis! Whaddya know, it's my first time to be tagged :)

1. are you good at hiding your feelings?
No. But sometimes I have to.

2. how can we tell that you're already irritated?
My voice rises an octave :)

3. how do you treat the person that obviously doesn't like you?
i just ignore the person.

4. what usually ruins your mood?
"Pasaway" people...Drivers who don't follow traffic signs, people who don't follow instructions...you get the picture.

5. who do you see everyday that you wish you just wouldn't at all?
Thankfully, I can't think of any.

6. when was the last time that you had a good cry?
Hmmm, I can't remember how long ago it was, actually.

7. how often do you shop for clothes?
I'm not that much of a shopper. The last serious clothes-shopping trip was just before my wedding -- and that was almost 3 years ago! I do pick up an item or two whenever something catches my eye and is affordable enough for me.

8. who's your long-time crush?
Strange...I can't think of any. Maybe because I don't really have a "long time" crush :)

9. someone you just had a crush on?
Can't really think of anybody.

10 . do you have something that you wish you just don't?
My bulging puson! :D

11. do you sometimes crave for something that isn't there?
More me time, I guess. :)

12 . do you wish to live in a faraway land where nobody knows you?
No, although I'd like to visit such places.

13. have you kissed a total stranger?
No.

14. what do you want to do at this moment?
Watch an episode of CSI. :)

15 . the worst feeling?

When Ethan had his neonatal seizures. So glad it's all over!

16. how about the best?
My wedding day :). And the day I gave birth. Graduation day would just have to be second next to the top two (they're tied)

17. ever given your number to someone you dislike?
I've given my number to my patients, despite my personal feelings about them. :) Walang personalan kasi pagdating sa trabaho

18. what will you say to the one reading this right now?
I hope I'm not boring you :)

19. what/who do you need right now?
More income. That's why I had sidelines :)

20 . happy with your life?
Yes, generally. I have a loving husband and a healthy son. I have a loving family. That's what's important :)

Now I'm tagging Norms, Sheila and Emz.

Diner Dash: Hometown Hero

A few months ago, one of the hot topics in my mailing list was about Diner Dash, a game that my friends found so fun and addictive. I was able to find a FREE download of the game by Playfirst, a leading publisher of casual games and the creator of the hit series! This series of games is about Flo, who ditches her desk job to start her own restaurant.

PlayFirst recently launched the latest chapter in the Diner Dash series, Diner Dash: Hometown Hero. In this chapter of her story, Flo returns to her hometown to help her grandma revitalize some of her favorite – but sadly rundown – hangouts like the zoo, ballpark, museum and amusement park. Gameplay consists of helping Flo earn enough tips every shift to upgrade each venue. With challenges such as noisy teenagers, impatient celebrities and a tough food critic, players will be kept on the top of their tip-seeking toes!

The basic version is free up to seven levels with no time limit. In the gourmet edition, there are more enjoyable special features such as dressing up your waiter and inviting friends to play in a diner you created! You can also buy items for your diner or purchase new downloadable restaurants.

All Saint's Day and a Dead Car Battery

November 1 is the day when we traditionally converge in the cemeteries to visit the graves of our dearly departed.

Since my relatives were buried in Dasmariñas, Cavite, it was decided that I'll go with my mom and brothers since it was quite a long trip. We'll meet with our other relatives there. We didn't want to bring my son because we were expecting a crush of people. My husband stayed with him.

Even before we took off, we already encountered problems with the vehicle. A new battery was just installed a few days ago. The engine seemed to be running fine when tested, in fact my brother just started it about 30 minutes before we were due to leave and moved it out of the garage. All our stuff were already in it.

When everybody was already prepared to leave, the SUV suddenly couldn't start! The battery indicator showed a black color, which means that is dead. What happened? We couldn't figure it out at all.

We had to transfer to a smaller car.

Later, after the trip, when we had the car checked by the drivers of our neighbors, they told us that the connections were loose. Huh? My husband checked them before the trip and he didn't think so. But when the necessary adjustments were done, the SUV could start again!

What happened? Probably one of those mysteries we couldn't really explain. But it's better that it occurred while we haven't left. It would have been worse for us if the car trouble happened when we were already on the road.

100 dollar rebate on hotel bookings done online!

My husband and I dream about traveling the world someday, but we don't have the time and the money to plan the trip yet. But I am pleasantly surprised because the internet has made traveling easier and more affordable. Hotelreservations.com is a great online find. It is easy to use. You just choose the place where you're going, your arrival and departure date, the number of people in your party, and voila! You will be presented a page with all the available rooms on that place and date! Complete with prices, ratings and reviews so that you will know what to expect. Not only that, you also get huge discounts on hotel rates. There's more! Hotelreservations.com will also give you a 100 dollar rebate! How cool is that!

There's more! This site is not only for reserving hotel rooms. You can also book vacation packages, flights on airlines and car rentals from there!

All these will definitely make travelling so much more affordable and convenient. Imagine, you can plan your whole travel itinerary from your home, via the internet. Then, of course the savings AND rebates!

Are we closer to our dream around-the-world vacation? Let me put it this way...it's now closer to reality.

Choosing the right medical coverage

Healthcare has become more and more technologically advanced. However, these advances come with a price, literally. Better diagnostic and treatment modalities are also more expensive. As a doctor, I am sometimes discouraged because some of my patients do not have enough financial resources to get the best that current healthcare has to offer.

Medical insurance helps in these times. Personally, I like the traditional plans better because I get to choose my own doctor. However, this entails a larger cash out at the beginning, which will be reimbursed later. For people who don't mind not choosing the doctors they go to and would rather not pay a large amount during treatment, the HMO or managed care option may be the better choice for them.

There are several options for medical insurance and it helps that companies like Advantage Medical Quotes make it easy for us to choose the best type of medical coverage for our individual needs.

A spooky birthday celebration :)

My friend Clarice invited me to her birthday party last October 31. We, together with Kitte, Rhodora, Denise, Teenee, Monet, Abie and Diosa became close since the days of our wedding preps, having met through weddings @work 3 years ago.. We have kept in touch and have remained close, even though we don't get to see each other that much lately. The internet really brings people together. I wouldn't have known these great gals if it were,'t fot this modern wonder!

Anyway, I digress. Clarice, the birthday celebrant, is now a sought after wedding coordinator. She was a top ten w@w supplier last year! In fact, she's again in this year's list of the top ten suppliers! I'm so happy for her :)

The party was kinda last minute, so from the way she worded her email invitation to us, we thought that it was going to be a small, simple affair -- you know, one of the things I would throw on a last minute notice.

I thought wrong :)

We thought we went to the wrong place. The place was decorated with skulls, spider webs, a skeleton, and the lighting was muted. I have never gone to a BIRTHDAY party decorated in that way and we thought that somebody else was having a halloween party!

Well, Clarice was there, so it was definitely HER party. Well, it WAS October 31 so halloween decors WERE appropriate :)

Good food, nice though spooky ambiance, good conversation with good friends...I really enjoyed myself that evening. Didn't get to the Mongolian barbecue and the bar because we'd rather stay put and talk. We were seated with Fred and Teenee and we mostly talked about our kids :). Abie and Rey were not seated with us, but they came over to chat too.

Thanks, Clarice, for inviting us! Pahingi pictures ha?

Life Insurance Quotes online

The past November 1 and November 2 saw most of us Filipinos trooping to the cemetery to visit the graves of their dearly departed. Sometimes I wonder about the names on the headstones and what happened to their families when they died. The truth is that all of us will die, sooner or later. Have you ever wondered how your family will cope if you’re gone?

That’s what life insurance is all about. A lot of people think that buying life insurance is just an unnecessary expense, but it’s actually very practical because the loved ones we leave behind need to cope with your passing. At the very least, life insurance would somehow ease the financial burden left by your passing, especially if you have underage children or other people depending on your income.

However, with the different types of life insurance available, it is no easy task to choose the one that is right for you. You have to take a lot of things to consider. Advantage term life makes it easier for you to choose the policy that is right for you, all done online!

Blogsvertise

A working mom's tasks are never done. In my quest to earn additional income while online, I came across paid blogging. It's a very interesting way to earn money. Advertisers look for bloggers to talk about them. One very promising site that I've seen is blogsvertise.

The nice thing about blogsvertise is that entry rules are not as stringent as that of the other sites I've seen...as long as you have good content, you can be sure that they will give you a chance to strut your stuff, so to speak. :) So promising, don't you think?

Trick or Treat!

Last October 27 was the Saturday before November 1. Our village decided to hold our annual Halloween program on this day, since there was a long break after that.

They no longer allowed outsiders unlike the previous years. This was really good for us. What happened before was the outsiders ended up getting all the candy and eating all the food prepared since they all roamed the village trick o' treating while the village children were participating in the program for halloween. Last year, by the time the program finished, we hardly had any snacks left and when we roamed, most houses had already run out of treats! When I looked around, the unfamiliar faces also included adults in costume! Oh well.... We were only able to get 2 pcs of treats from a village of 300+ houses. Imagine that!

We didn't buy any special costume this year. We just decided to work with what we already have. Since Ethan had overalls in his wardrobe, we just decided to dress him in it. His toys included plastic tools (hammer, wrench, saw, drill) so we decided to let him bring it around. Tadahhh!!!! Meet "Bob the Builder"! Well, other people actually didn't think he was in costume, coz he looked like he was just wearing his regular clothes, which he was :). It was pretty "trying hard", if you get what I mean. It would probably be better if we put a hard hat on him, but knowing my son, that hat wouldn't last more than 5 seconds. :)

Oh, yaya was carrying Ethan while I registered at the front desk. When I turned around, I couldn't find them! I was frantic, even if I knew that the place was safe!

It turned out that Marvin Agustin (a local entertainer), made an appearance and people crowded around to have a picture taken with him. That included my star struck yaya who was easily convinced to have their picture taken. But of course since it was not our camera, we don't have a copy of the picture! Oh well, we'll just have to wait for our community paper. The photographers assured us that they will print the pics there.

We went around the village. Ethan had more candy this year! Much much more! His pumpkin basket was full, as well as an extra cloth bag that we brought along. He also got an orange balloon (this was actually his favorite treat). He seemed to enjoy this second Halloween more than the previous one. I guess it's both because of his age (he's now two) and because of the fact that we got more treats this year!

So, are we going to participate again next year? You betcha!

A long long break....

The past week was a long break for us who reside in the Philippines. As such, I was away and can't blog, but oh, there were so much that happened. When I get the time (and the inclination), I'll blog about the things that happened during the past week.... :)

Social networking that actually pays you!

If you like social networking sites like friendster, myspace, multiply, etc, here's a way to earn a little something from doing something similar.

Everytime your profile, your blog and your photos get viewed, you get a share of the site's profits. Morever, if you refer people to join under you, you also get a percentage of the site's earnings whenever their pages get viewed!

And, it's FREE TO JOIN!

So, turn up your volume and watch this: http://r.yuwie.com/ethanmama so that you can understand it more!

Bloggerwave -- get paid for blogging!

With a full schedule of being a doctor part time and a mommy full time, there is not really enough opportunities for to earn extra money. I’ve finally found the perfect way. Bloggerwave is currently looking for bloggers who want to earn a little extra money. Since I’ve found blogging to be a fun way to spend my time and share my experiences, I am delighted that I would be able to make some money out of it! It’s easy, doesn’t take too much of my time, and I can do it wherever I can get an internet connection! Pretty neat!


Bloggerwave