I woke up early today because I wanted to drop by here just before we leave again for another trip later. Thanks everybody for dropping by and for the Christmas greetings. I won't have time to go online anymore after this so I will be visiting your homes when I get back. ;) I would also like to take this opportunity to greet everyone a Happy New Year!

How time flies so fast, it seems like yesterday that Hubby and I got married, Alex was born and then 2008 is coming in a few days. So many things to look forward to this year. There's our Anniversary trip on February, Alex's 2nd birthday celebration at my hometown (yes, it is now official! But will have to start the preps after the holidays), this year, Hubby and I will be 30! Such an exciting year and I can't wait for the year to start.

But for the mean time, I will leave you with a glimpse of how our 2007 went. Some highlights of our year 2007 and check out how fun we had this year!



















Thanks for dropping by and hope that everyone will have a fun and great new year! (*wink*)

Hubby, Alex and I just arrived yesterday from a long travel which is the main reason why I'm having backaches. It makes me want to buy a seat with recliner to help me relax a bit and use while watching TV. Although I still don't have time to watch TV because we are leaving again later for another trip this time with my family. It's a bit tiring and we were just unpacking our things to pack again. But we are happy. Happy because we get to spend a lot of time with our families. I love holidays!

So far so good. I've packed all our things and sent the things and gifts to the in-laws, gifts for my family were sent as well. I also had my haircut and pedicure yesterday.

Since Alex is still sleeping I grabbed this opportunity to go online and greet everyone a Merry Christmas! It's going to be a fun and exciting week for us! Aside from the Christmas day we will be meeting Hubby's relatives for their reunion and I'm sure it's going to be fun. I will be back with my stories and photos.

For the mean time, I will leave you with this...


Credits here

Merry Christmas everyone and God Bless! (*wink*)

I was tagged by PrettyLifeOnline. Thanks girl! ;)

Your Love is Represented by a White Rose

While you may or may not be totally naive, you do approach love with an eternal innocence. You love like you've never been hurt. And you put all your faith in your partner. Your philosophy on love is: be honest and be yourself.

What Rose Represents Your Love?

Four more days to go and it's Christmas already. I've finished my Christmas shopping and I've wrapped all the gifts. Wuhooo! Now, I'm starting to pack for our trip on Saturday. I still have a loooong way to go. Later Alex will go to a Jollibee party with Lola at the Fort. Tomorrow we will all have lunch at my Mom's and then go straight to Hubby's Office Christmas Party. So, I don't know if I could still go online but I will do my best.

Anyway, just want to share some photos taken last Sunday during my Mom's Christmas Caroling at the in laws. Ha! They prepared 5 songs with matching dance pa. They wore red shirts, red Santa hat and they had so much fun! :)













-.:.-

Last Monday, I had dinner with my long time friend, MM at Gateway. The mall was so convenient, I just had to take the MRT then walk a couple of minutes then I was there! I had to buy a shirt for our trip so since I was early, I was able to buy at Kamiseta. But, boy, I had to warn you, riding in MRT during rush hour is a RIOT. LOL! I was squeezed inside the train and could you believe that I can already smell the other guy beside me. Yes! It was hilarious! Of course at that time, I didn't think it was funny... LOL! Anyways, it was quite an experience once again.

I remember my last ride in the MRT was a couple of months ago so I missed those kinds of experiences. Those were the things that you would miss if you work from home.

Anyway, we had dinner at Cafe Bola because for some reason I wanted to eat rice. After dinner we just strolled a couple of minutes then decided to have coffee at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, since ALL starbucks were full. MM and I were even laughing because we were thinking that Starbucks is full probably because of the planner!?

Well, it was a short but sweet reunion. MM's birthday will be tomorrow and I just wish her more happiness, peace of mind, and love in the coming years. Mwah and hope to see you again kapatid.

-.:.-

Another get together we really looked forward to was last night with my highschool friends. You see, we were only five in the group and Terry, my friend went to the US so there were only four left. And we hardly see each other because everyone is so busy and probably lazy to set up a get together. LOL! So finally after setting the party date for 100 times, we were able to come up with Wednesday, December 19.

It was a simple party. Gian prepared Lasagna and chicken and I brought brownies. Joy and family were late because of a bad traffic. In short we were able to start dinner at 9pm and then had our exchange gifts, took some pictures and then everyone call it a night.











I guess it is really different nowadays compared when we were in Highschool and College since everyone is married and both Joy and I have kids already. Before we used to stay until 3am just talking, laughing and reminisce about the old days. But now, we couldn't stay up late and we need to go home before midnight. LOL!

But, it was nice seeing you guys, finally! Merry Christmas to you and hopefully we get to meet again by January for more stories and reminiscing... (*wink*)

-.:.-

Just a couple of minutes ago, Alex had her first haircut in the parlor. First because when she was a baby I would cut her hair. LOL! Anyways, I was so proud of her she was not malikot. She just sat there smiling, observing, listening to the music and not moving a bit! Except for the last cuts which made her a little bit uncomfortable. Anyway, I'll just let the photos speak...




She was smiling!

Remember I had my "Me" time last November while Hubby and Alex swam at the in-laws? Well these are the photos which I was supposed to post waaay back but just didn't have time. Enjoy!













Alex really had a great time swimming at Lola's. Maybe after the holidays we might swim again just before I go back to work.

Miami Heat Tickets that is. There's a company called Premium Seats USA that solves the nuisance of lining up and buying the tickets yourself for NFL, MLB, NBA or NHL. This is by providing a huge selection of first-class tickets to all concerts, sports and theater events nationwide. And you can even buy it online! When I discover things such as this I can't just help but appreciate the internet more and how it has make things easier nowadays. I'm checking out their website as I write this and guess what, they are selling tickets all over US and all you have to do is click on the city or state and you are guaranteed to get good seats!

Tagged by Mitch.

Here are the rules:

1. Make a paragraph next to the last paragraph in the tag is passed to you of “What is Christmas to you” and put your name at the end of it linking back to your site, or the page that answered this tag.
2. U can use a title that will suit your Christmas idea.
3. Then tag as many as you can.

Christmas to me is a special time to ponder the great love God has done to us by giving us His Son to be born in Bethlehem long time ago. So, this season is a time for sharing and giving love to everyone. I feel that everyone is happy on Christmas time. Yeah, pressures on holiday expenses may bother us but if you have to remember the true essence of Christmas - you just can’t help but feel happy to know that you have made your loved one, your next door neighbor, the inmates, the homeless, the orphans, or anyone happy because you give love on Christmas day. — Sunshineforlife.

o O o

Christmas is an annual holiday that makes my little wishes come true. A pair of new shoes, new dress and gifts from my Godparents. That’s how I defined Christmas years and years ago until… I came to Bahrain. That’s when I realized what it really means. A special day to commemorate the birth of Jesus. Here in Bahrain, Christmas is nothing. It’s just an ordinary working day for almost everyone, unless your boss is considerate, he’ll give you at least a half day to celebrate, if there are celebrations happening. But in my case, there’s nothing to celebrate literally. Everyone is at work, that includes my husband and myself. We attend the midnight (Christmas Eve) mass and that’s it, go to sleep and get back to work the next day, on Christmas day. My first Christmas away from home happened in 1999. I came here in October and had the most loneliest Christmas ever in my life - without my family. That made me realized their importance. On how meaningless celebrations would be without them. To cut the story short, for me Christmas is all about Jesus and family. If you have friends to celebrate this special day with you, that’s a bonus! -When Silence Speaks

o O o

Christmas for me means giving and sharing. It's more of expressing what you feel and making the people you love feel that they are loved. Of course you can do this everyday but having a special day to do this is one thing. Christmas is not only for kids but also for those who have faith like a child. It's more of creating traditions and keeping it for many, many, many years. -Random Thoughts

I'm tagging, Kelly, Thea, Apols, Joy, and Jane.

Again, I'm thanking the following for these wonderful awards. I really appreciate it and it gives me inspiration to blog more.

Thanks to Juliana, Dorxie, Vina, Jacqui, and Kelly for blog buddies award!



I'm passing this on to all the bloggers in my blogroll. You deserve it guys! :)

And I got another BTB award from Thea! Thanks girl! ;)

Since my friend Ercs is getting married next week we can't help but talk about flowers when we had our dinner last Friday. Flowers are one of the things that you splurge, yes, I'm actually saying this now because during my wedding we didn't really take time to explore more options. I just learned that bulk flowers are now available over the internet by FiftyFlowers.com. FiftyFlowers provides wedding events with premium roses, calla lilies, rose petals, gerbera daisies, hydrangeas, peonies and many other flowers and greens. They deliver at a below wholesale cost and a minimum of fuss. That's the key word for the bride there - they deliver so meaning flowers will be at your doorstep at your wedding day! :)

For including this blog as one of the blogs that you like! I'm flattered and I really appreciate it. Here's what Eds said about my blog...

My blogging day won't be complete if I haven't paid her blog a visit. I love reading her posts about her family, especially about baby Alex and her LO's. She is btw, one of the most friendliest blogger I've known here in our blogging world. :)

Thank you, thank you!! (*double grin*)

We woke up early to have brunch at home then headed to the church to hear mass. I planned this day very well. Hubby and I would leave Alex to her Lola and Lolo's after mass while Hubby and I will shop for his Christmas gift to me. (*grin*)

I was so excited although kind of sleepy after hearing mass. But I still insisted of going to Karl Edward's Bazaar. This is our second time this month. I know, sayang entrance fee but for me, this is the bazaar that has a lot of blouses and stuff that I really liked. But actually I ended up buying 1 blouse which was on 50% sale, a nice scarf, some chips and salsa, and guess what, another nice red dress for the little girl! Hubby was insisting that I buy the budget for myself, but well, I couldn't help it. The dress was too cute to ignore. Alex loved it by the way so I'm happy that I bought it.

After the shopping since I promised Hubby that I treat him for snacks so off we went to Serendra. He chose Mary Grace since their Apple Cinnamon Iced Tea is his fave! We got the Pasta Scampi with Keso de Bola, Ensaymada, and Mint Hot Chocolate which was heavenly!

I wasn't able to watch my diet anymore. (Who would watch diet this Christmas season, anyway?) I guess I just have to check on that again next year. LOL!

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! (*wink*)

7 days to go before Christmas!!! I can't wait!!!

Have you ever heard of kratom? I haven't until now. This is the coveted "Red Vein" Korth strain of Kratom leaves. There are actually different kinds of Kratom that is offered by IamShaman.com. These are organic herbal leaves that is grown on their own land in the United States and India. They have very limited quantities. And since they discovered that many people struggle to find alternative ways to sustain both their culture, communities and forests, IamShaman.com is here to help. They also want people not to resort to things such as cutting down their trees to make room for cattle farming for the beef industry or whatever is undesirable just for the sake of surviving. Check out their website now to know more about their unique and interested products.

Thanks to Juliana for this tag! I hope it's not too late though...

1. Two names I go by: Mich, Michelle
2. Two things I am wearing right now: shorts and spaghetti strapped shirt
3. Two things I want (or have) in a relationship: Constant Communication and Love
4. Two things I like to do: travel and eat
5. Two things I want very badly in this moment: sleep and rest
6. Two things I did last night: had dinner with my friend MM and rode the MRT
7. Two things I ate today: mechado and ampalaya
8. Two persons I last spoke to: LBC guy and Alex
9. Two things I am doing tomorrow: blog and pack our things
10. Two favourite days of the week: Friday and Saturday
11. Two favourite holidays: Christmas and Easter
12. Two favourite beverages: Coffee and Cranberry Juice
13. Two things about me that you may not have known: I grew up in the province and I have 2 brothers and a sister
14. Two jobs that I have had in my life: Project Manager and Developer
15. Two movies I would watch over and over: 13 going on 30 and The Sound of Music
16. Two places I have lived: Philippines & USA
17. Two of my favourite food: Mexican and Italian
18. Two places I would rather be right now: none

Snag this if you like! ;)

I would like to thank Era, Jona, Vina, Abie, Dzoi, Jesse, and Kitty for tagging me! So sorry ladies this took sooo long!

Thanks to the originator, too.

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

Dancing in Midlife Tune

Permanence In Change

My Life

On A Wonderful Day like Today

Howell & Abie

I am Dzoi

The Simple Life of a Baghag

Perfect Bliss

Anyone wants to snag this!?

I had to tell our helpers this morning that we need to do all our laundry before the week ends so that we won't have a hard time when it's time to pack our clothes for our trip. It's a good thing that we are using a good washing machine that has a built in dryer, because with that our clothes would be dry probably within the day. Just like Kenmore Dryers. These type of applicances are distributed by Krillion. Krillion delivers local search results that combine very specific product information with very specific locality information. As their CEO would say, "These results truly are ‘actionable’ meaning that when consumers have completed their Internet research, they can grab their keys, hop into the car, drive to the store and buy the product."

Our weekend was dedicated for my last shopping (of the week as Hubby would describe it!). This time, I planned to shop for myself.

Saturday we brought Alex to her Pedia for monthly checkup and monitoring of weight. Thank God she gained 0.5 kilos after 2 months and her Pedia was happy. Alex was so at home this time at her clinic probably because of all the toys there and the huge Christmas tree. Although we waited for 2 hours, Alex was so cooperative (take note: Yaya was not with us). She was just walking along the hallways and just looking at the toys sold at the mini store there. She keeps on pointing at SpongeBob and then she would shout, "Babaaab!". She then would point to Cinderella and shout, "Barbie!". I guess she was still confused since she thought that since Cinderella was a princess and we watched Barbie and the 12 Dancing Princesses a couple of weeks ago, she thought that Cinderella was Barbie.

Anyways, after the checkup we went to the mall to buy the DVD that we wanted to give for my FIL. Sale was on-going at the mall so there were a lot of people but not much to make me irritated. LOL! I don't know, I just don't like shopping with lots of people anymore. I get dizzy and then would dampen my mood that I would end up not
buying anything.

Hubby and I got hungry and decided to try Roma Mia. We tried their Four Seasons Pizza, Chicken Wings, and Pasta with Pesto. The food was just ok for me (except for the Pasta which I really loved), but Hubby loved everything. While we were eating Alex was sleeping in the sofa. She must have been so tired of waiting and walking along the hallway. But the moment she woke up, she was refreshed and started walking and running again. Ayayay!

After we went to the mall, we bought some groceries for our dinner and then headed home to rest and recharge for another big day the next day.

This is what you typically hear nowadays from your friends, "I'm busy.", "I don't have time to meet up.", "Can we move the party next weekend because I'm waaay too busy?", "Sorry, I'm late because the traffic was soo bad!". Well, I guess this is so typical when we are already in the Christmas season. But why do we really celebrate Christmas and meet up? I guess we keep on forgetting that we love our friends that's why we take time to organize meet ups, we brave the worst traffic in the world just to be with them, we really do make time to catch up and reminisce about the good old days. Anyway, why did I end up writing this post when I was supposed to blog about the North Carolina land for sale? Oh well!

Friday night was a big night for us. It was the night that we get to meet Ercs' fiance for the first time and they are getting married on the 26th. It was also a night that we celebrate our friend Mage's birthday (which was on the 12th), and our Christmas party.

As you all know, traffic was so bad last Friday that we started a little bit late. We were supposed to meet and start around 630pm. But everyone started arriving around 8 - 9pm. Everyone bought food and it was all yummy. Tuna c/o Cesar and Ercs, Pansit and Bbq c/o Me and Hubby, Fried Chicken c/o Rica, Lechon Manok c/o Mage and yummy banana cheesecake c/o Farrah and Eric. Boy, it was all great and we were so full after dinner.





We gave gifts to each other and I guess this has been our tradition for years already. Thanks to Mage, Fars & Eric, and Rica & Jon for the wonderful gifts! Alex also looove the toys. :) Thank you, thank you! To Ercs and Cesar, can't wait for your wedding guys! See you on the 26th! ;)

I recently checked my files especially the digital kits for my digital scrapbooking and realized that my hard drive is almost full! I know I can't just let go of everything on this computer, thus I need an external hard drive to keep all my important and precious files. Not to mention the Grey's Anatomy and Heroes series which were in my hard drive. I just hope I'd be able to convince Hubby to squeeze his into our budget. After all, these files are important too right!?

Well, this not our Christmas tree since I've already posted our tree yesterday, but this is definitely my IDEAL Christmas tree. It's HUGE! It's more or less 8 ft tall. It reaches over my in-laws' ceiling and the ornaments are just wonderful! You see, they've been using it for I think four years already (or maybe more) and the interior designer would just re-use but re-design every ornament in the tree and the rest of the decors in the house. Check it out.







For some reason, Alex doesn't want to touch it. Maybe because its so huge. And she gets overwhelm when she sees it. LOL!

This is my IDEAL Christmas tree. Maybe in a few (or more) years, Hubby and I would also be able to put up a tree like this. (*smile*)

When I was in my first year in college, I worked for a transport show for one company. I wasn't into cars then but when I saw all those nicely dressed up cars, I didn't exactly fell in love with them but I instantly understand why guys just spend so much time dressing up their cars. I saw almost all the accessories there from push bar, step bars, mags, to spoilers and any other major accessory. Everything is just there. Buyautotruckaccessories.com always has a great deal on a push bar also called grille guards or bull bars. This company offers the best quality push bar manufactures like Steelcraft and T & H. Steelcraft offers a European style in a high quality one-piece construction. They also offer big discounts depending on which part you are living in the US. I guess this is a nice gift that you give to your Uncles or brothers who likes trucks and cars.

Well, we didn't really plan of putting up one this year because of budget constraints and unexpected expenses. But my Mom offered to lend us her Christmas tree since she doesn't have plans of putting it up in her house. I was ecstatic. It was a little bit small though for the house that's why we call it - Alex's Christmas Tree. She loved the tree! The moment we placed the tree (without ornaments) in our living room, she was smiling like crazy! And then when we were putting the ornaments, she got ecstatic!











Oh, it was worth the effort. She was shouting and jumping and dancing at the same time. She just loved it.







Even when I was still pregnant with Alex I really wanted a tree with stuffed toys in it. I bought these stuff last October. They were pretty nice. Thanks also to my Tita who added more stuffed toys. It was perfect for us! I guess we love the tree so much that we will have it until January or February next year. LOL!

I've been busy packing some clothes for our trip in a few weeks time. We will be in a cold country. Not too far though. I'm not telling yet. I will just reveal where we are going when we get back. I couldn't feel the excitement yet since I've been busy either shopping or wrapping the gifts. I've been browsing the internet as well for the clothes that I can wear in a cold country. There are a lot of options but mostly expensive and the down side is I don't get to wear it here in our country. sheepskin boots is one option that I would really love to buy for this trip but I guess not practical enough.

I remember when I was a kid one of the greatest treasure is gold. It may be in the form of jewelries, plates, or just a gold bar. It was a big deal then and people would even dig up their backyards just to have it (I lived in the province that's why people hoped that they find gold in their backyards). And now, you can purchase gold anywhere! You can purchase gold or other precious metals from Monex Deposit Company (MDC) for immediate personal delivery or arrange for convenient and safe storage at an independent bank or depository. Imagine that, in the early days, people would risk their backyards just to find gold, when now, all you have to do is contact MDC, purchase then will be delivered right at your doorstep.

I was really anticipating last night's episode since last week. Last night was the final round for the Top Chef's season 2. Only Ilan and Marcel were left. They had to compete still in Hawaii.

I think the last challenge was the best challenge ever! Both chefs had to prepare the best meal they had ever prepared in their whole career. They had to prepare 5 courses and they get to choose 2 chefs to help them out for this challenge. Isn't that amazing? They get to choose and work with their competitors. But this time they were the boss. Both guys did very well and judges had a hard time choosing which would be the TOP CHEF.

But of course only one guy will get the title and some prizes like $100,000.00 and guess who they chose!? It was ILAN. Well, I was sort of disappointed cause I've been betting for Marcel ever since he got into the finals. He was young and very creative and would always use his mind when it comes to cooking. Although a lot of people hate him for his personality.

Ilan, on the other hand is very traditional but loves what he's doing. He would always go for the dishes that he's familiar with like Spanish cuisine. The dishes were good too and he doesn't want to take risks. I guess he did the right thing because the last challenge was not about risks but all about cooking the best food you've ever done in your entire career.

They have posted some recipes at their website (Thanks Vina for reminding me!). You may want to check it out here.

Looking forward to SEASON THREE! :D

While Hubby and I plan for our vacation this month I can't help but reminisce on my Disney World adventure with my parents. You would think that it was such a bore but nope, it was the opposite. I had a grand time with them! Of course I couldn't get them to ride the most exciting rides of my life, not until they tried the Sky Mountain (I'm not sure if this is the name of the ride though). My Mom was literally shocked after that. She couldn't eat and talk. My Dad on the other hand was elated! Our trip was a breeze. I met my parents in Florida, they came from New Jersey, I, on the other hand came from Minnesota. We bought Disney World Tickets there at the gates. There were no lines inspite of a lot of people. Everything was just organized and I loved it!

I was tagged by Diane, Kelly, Jen, and Arlene. Thank you ladies!

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!

Here’s mine birth month:

My Birth Month

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.


The Twelve Months


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 don't know who to tag because everyone seem to have done this already. If you want to snag it though, feel free and let me know! ;)

My Sunday was spent at The Spa with my Mom and sister. Thanks to my Mom for the treat! I had a grand, grand time!


The Entrance...oh, the Spa is already calling me!


My Mom is trying that no smile look in the pictures. I don't really like it though...


My Mom and I before the spa (me - looking harass as ever!)


Signing Up...

I missed it actually since I haven't been to that place for months. Unlike before, when I used to work in the office, I vowed to go there every month just to rejuvenate and feel the fruits of my labor. :) Well, I suddenly realized that hey, I deserve it every month too even if I don't work in the office anymore right!?

We got there around 2PM, there were not much people. I guess because it was a Sunday. We availed the Shiatsu Massage. With that package, we get to use the facilities including the jacuzzi, steam and dry sauna and the lounge room. My sister got a facial but wasn't happy with the result. She felt like her face wasn't cleaned enough. Hehe!

My massage was wonderful! First time I was able to sleep during a massage. I don't usually sleep but this time, it was so soothing that next thing I knew it was almost done.

After the massage, my Mom and I waited for my sister at lounge room and read some magazines. That lounge room is heaven for me, the smell of aromatherapy, the free ginger ale and iced tea, and the quietness of the place, oh, I can stay there for a day!

After my sister's facial, we had to leave because we were trying to make it to the mass at 730pm. We met Hubby and Alex there and then we had dinner at Mangan.

Our second time in Mangan and this time I was able to appreciate the food since Alex is with Yaya checking out the toys near the resto. I love, love, the Inihaw na liempo, Binagoongan, Ginisang Mustasa, and Fresh Lumpia. Hubby and I had to order extra rice. LOL! I just loooove Kapampangan cuisine, take note, I'm not even a Kapampangan!

Anyway, that's how our weekend ended. A refreshing spa and a wonderful dinner. Makes me look forward to the next weekend! (*wink*)

A few more weeks and it would be my Christmas vacation. There are a lot of ways on how to spend it and travel is one of my option. Unfortunately, budget doesn't permit to travel in the US or any other far country. Sigh. Maybe some other time. There are plenty of time to explore anyway and if we go there I want it to be relaxed and I want us to spend a lot. LOL. I would love to spend in the hotels Las Vegas because I heard they are pretty worth it. I would also bring Alex to Disneyland. I just hope that she's old enough to appreciate it when that time comes.

We went to the WTC's Bazaar last Saturday. We were supposed to go there in the morning but we woke up late. Well, we had a good reason since we slept at 4AM right? LOL!

When we got there, traffic was bad and luckily we were able to find a perfect parking. We were just in time! There were soooo many people. I wasn't expecting a lot of people though because I thought it was too early to shop for Christmas presents. But I guess I was wrong. I was happy with the stuff that we bought, we were able to find some stuff already while we were at the first lane of the bazaar. I know we were fast! I was thinking, it would be hard to go back to one stall to another because the place is HUGE and people were everywhere! So canvassing at this stage won't be a good idea!

Anyways, our Christmas list is almost done. Two or three more items then we're off to wrapping of the gifts. Actually, I started wrapping some of it last night while Hubby and Alex watched Barney. Wrapping is one of my faves in the Christmas holidays. It makes me feel relaxed and when I wrap one gift for a specific person, I would think of this person and then hope that this person would like the gift that I'm wrapping. LOL! Weird huh!?

Well, I would recommend the Hungarian Sandwich there at one of the food stalls. It was big and yummy too! You'll know because a lot of people lining up in their stall. I think it was in one of the food stalls in the first lane.

I also bought some gift wrappers worth p5 each and gift tags P20 for 20 pcs. Of course, Divisoria would be a lot cheaper (I can hear my MOM talking...) but well, at least the place is air conditioned and your Hubby will not complain. LOL!

Oh, I had to warn you, parking is expensive! We got ours at p50! Yes! But this is for the whole day na. :)

After the very tiring shopping we decided to have a decent dinner so we opt to have it at Gerry's Grill. We haven't had dinner here for a long time and it's good to have sisig and inihaw na pusit again. After the dinner, as if we weren't happy with what we ate, we transferred to Razon's which is just a few restos away from Gerry's and then ordered Halo-halo! Yum!

So, our Saturday ended with a smile. :)

Another online service that I came across today is the company that handles Bad Credit Loans and Pay Day Loans. I know several companies out there are competing in this line of business, but the BestLeadingLenders.com claim that they are recognized as one of the online leading providers of loan services which specializes in sub prime financing also referred to as bad credit loans. When we had our house we had Personal Loans to sustain us in our expenses. And it was a good thing since if not for these loans, we wouldn't have our house, not until several years from now.

We had another Christmas party last Friday, this time with our CFC Chapter. It was pretty simple. Since we were a little bit late, we arrived during eating time and we missed the worship. (*sigh*) But anyway, at least we were able to meet new people from the other household. I don't know, I just feel happy when I get to know new people. :)

So, the Christmas party was short, it ended around 10 pm so we (with our household head) decided not to call it a night yet. We were thinking of having coffee, but the boys insisted that they wanted to drink and sing too! Well...so we ended up spending the rest of the night singing, dancing, and drinking (well, we, the girls only had 1 bottle of beer)!








The BackStreet Boyssss...LOL!

It was fun, fun, fun and I'm so glad I agreed to go with the guys' plan... :D We got home at 2 AM. Hubby and I were soo sleepy and hungry too so we decided to eat! Hubby went out again to buy burgers. LOL! What a night! We ended up sleeping around 4 AM.

That's only for our Friday night, watch our for more stories of how our Saturday and Sunday went. (*wink*)

I realized while I was reading this one issue of Kerygma magazine that there are different types of addiction. It may be addiction to work, material things, to oneself (like people who are vain) and even addiction to the past (meaning you cling on to the past too much). I guess we didn't know these because usually when we think of addiction the only thing that comes into our minds is drug addiction. There are also ways for healing on these kinds of addiction, something like a drug rehab. Going to retreats are one option. Prayers and even "soul searching" is another. But the first step of course is to admit that you are having an addiction.

Hubby and I will be busy this weekend. We will do a lot of Christmas shopping! My favorite pastime... (*double grin*) So definitely I won't be able to post both Saturday and Sunday so I will leave you with some photos (taken by our friends Jo and Reg) during our last Tagaytay trip last October.







Here are some more...







Looking at these photos just makes me want to have a SLR camera. :D Calling Santa Clause... I think I was one of the nice kids this year right!? LOL!

Have a great weekend everyone! (*wink*)

For my Friday LO Share, please visit my other blog here.

See you there! (*wink*)

Sloterix that is. It is one of the oldest slots site over the internet and they offer to play slots anytime you want. Isn't that cool? If slot machines are one of the reason why you go to casinos then you don't have to anymore because you get to play it in their website. The slot machine is one of the highlights of Sloterix but they also offer a wide range of games. And not only that, I like their website because it's clean and easy to use and they even offer technical support too!

I was tagged by Jade a couple of weeks ago! Sorry this took so long, but better late than never right? Thanks Jade! ;)

5 things found in my bag
* organizer
* mobile phone
* digital camera
* alcohol
* wallet

5 things found in my wallet
* Cash
* IDs, ATMs
* Hubby's Pic
* Receipts
* Other listahan

5 things found in my/our room
* Bed
* Side Table
* My Office
* Alex's Play Pen
* Books

5 things I've always wanted to do
* travel
* shop, shop, and shop
* sleep for 12 straight hours
* watch DVD marathons
* blog

5 things I'm currently into
* blogging
* reading
* shopping for christmas gifts
* playing with Alex
* working

5 people to tag for this meme
* Eds
* Anette
* Jesse
* Jhona
* Pam

is because of this...



I just looooove this show. Last night was the elimination round for the final round. There were only four of them who competed in Hawaii. Boy, it was a hard challenge! And I was suprised by the judges' decision to let go of Elia and Sam. It was a long story actually but the four of them were the best.

So, I will be looking forward to next Wednesday where Marcel and Ilan will be competing. Wooohooo! It would be exciting since these two are really trashing each other's dishes. LOL! Will update here who'll win the challenge next week.

Finally after 2 or more weeks of learning WP and choosing the perfect theme for my other home, here it is...

My Colorful World

Please check it out if you have time. Blogroll is still under construction. LOL! Thanks! :)

When we were kids, the best part of Christmas is on the Christmas morning when we open our gifts. You see, my Mom and Dad would really make it special, by making us wait! Sometimes we would try to sneak into their bedroom and try to see what would be our gifts but of course, they would hide it from the most hidden place of our house (usually the basement). But come Christmas morning, it would be the most exciting morning of our lives! I guess that's the point of making it a surprise.

Unfortunately, Hubby and I failed to do this. LOL! We wrapped Alex's gift (which was the kitchen set) last Friday but decided to let her open it on Saturday. I guess both of us were too excited for her! And besides, she doesn't even understand a surprise yet right? I know, excuses, excuses...

But it was worth it. She is playing with it from morning until night time. LOL! Hubby even said that while I was already sleeping (lights were turned off already) Alex tried to play again with her kitchen set! LOL! Anyway, here are the pictures while we open her gift.






I had a feeling that she already knew what was inside the gift. We immediately assembled it and it was so much fun watching her. I didn't even expect that she would know and appreciate these kind of toys already. I remember I had a Barbie swimming pool when I was in Grade 5 already. LOL!












Toys these days are just amazing! And mostly these toys are now affordable unlike before that we just couldn't afford it. Probably because there are more options to choose from. Haaaay, seeing Alex makes me want to be a kid again. (*grin*)

Have you ever heard of it? At this tough times, would you ever consider car donation? Well, for me, I don't know. Our car is one of our only way to go to places and right now we consider it a necessity. But there's a non-profit company that uses car donations to make videos for kids and teens. They are called Car Angel or Carangel.com. And as of this writing, they have given away 2.4 million videos already. I can just imagine how many cars were donated just to put up these 2.4 million videos! I'm just glad that people are generous in their own special way.

Ok fine...I'm exaggerating. But last Friday, after Alex and Hubby went to the in-laws, we decided to visit the mall...well, supposedly for window shopping, but we ended up buying the gift for Alex and MY gift for Hubby! Talk about early Christmas shopping!

I went to the mall right after work while Hubby and Alex were still that the Lola's. I was surprised how crowded the mall was! I was having second thoughts if I let Hubby and Alex follow because I didn't want to go shopping anymore. But Hubby insisted. LOL! I bought some stuff before they got to the mall so that when they get there, we will just "window-shop" for Alex's gift and Hubby's.

I got hungry so I bought snacks and finally got to try the BubbleTea's Almond Milk Tea. Thanks to Kaje, if not for her, I wouldn't know that it existed. And she was right, it was waaaay better than my fave's Chowking's Nai Cha. Hmmmm...now I have a new favorite drink already! I loved it so much that I ordered again after dinner with Hubby for their Coffee Milk Tea. It was yum too! (*grin*)

When Hubby and Alex got there, I was so full and contented that I was ready to shop again! First stop is Toy Kingdom.

The first toy that we saw is the Kitchen Set. It was pink and purple, perfect for Alex's room. The first time Alex laid her eyes on it, oh, she can't let go of it! She was so into the kitchen set that she didn't even notice Hubby and I trying to look for some alternatives. But what can I say, Hubby instantly fell in love with the kitchen set too. So there's no point in looking for an alternative right? So we bought it, and I guess the inflatable pool will have to wait until March for her birthday. LOL!



Second Stop...Cyberzone for supposedly window shopping of Hubby's gift - PSP. Since Alex was really hyper that day, we just agreed that we go to the toys section while Hubby looked for his PSP. Hubby checked out some stores and mostly accept credit card with 0% interest. So that was a good sign. It was a bit higher than my budget so I told Hubby to think about it first and then if he really likes it, then we will purchase it right after dinner. He was ALL SMILES when I said that. I guess he really like it then.

So, yes, you guess it right, we bought it after dinner. We purchased the light blue color and it was nice. Even Alex loved it. We are planning to put a lot of videos for our next travels so that Alex will have something to watch while we were in the plane.

Hmmmm...it was a very early Christmas treat for Hubby and Alex. I was so happy seeing them so giddy with excitement. Will have to post more photos of Alex while she opened the gift. Yes, we opened it already last Saturday because Mama and Daddy can't wait! LOL!

Another online game that I discovered recently is backgammon. The nice thing about is that they offer backgammon tournaments in their website everyday! Just checkout their website and it is user friendly. Colors are nice and very soothing to the eyes. It makes you want to play backgammon everyday. But I still have a lot to learn. You know, techniques and stuff. So will do more research on this and maybe one of these days I get to try it.

I've been tagged by Juliana Lucel and Eds. Thanks ladies! :)

INSTRUCTIONS:***
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 comment

Link 1 must be about FAMILY "Sunday is Family Day"
Link 2 must be about FRIEND "Rica and Jon's Big Day"
Link 3 must be about YOURSELF "ME Time"
Link 4 must be about YOUR LOVE "Let's Talk About Love"
link 5 can be ANYTHING YOU LIKE "The Choice"

Thanks again Ladies for the tag! I had fun reminiscing about my old posts. :)

A few more days to go and it's Christmas day already! I been shopping over the weekend and I realized that prices went up this year. Unlike last year that I was able to buy a lot of good stuff for p200 worth. This year, I've relied mainly on plastic or in other words credit card. They got a lot of promos these days, free jeans, free stuff, and earning reward points that sometimes, there's no other reason not to use it. In the US, they have what they call Cash Back Cards that is really popular especially during the holidays. CreditCardSearchEngine.com is one of the companies that support it. Since it's hard to compare which credit card to avail, CreditCardSearchEngine.com is there to help consumers, business and students alike to search, compare, and apply for all types of credit card offers. I wish we have something like this here in the Philippines.

My Mom that is. She actually got back two weeks ago to visit my brother, who is now working in Macau! She stayed for two weeks and she had a grand time with my Aunt and a family friend.

At first it didn't sink in that my brother is there and that he's having a great time working there. Not until I saw their pictures...

My brother as Fabio...the Gondolier...

with the Proud Mommy! :)

When I heard her stories, I just can't help but feel excited for our next visit in Macau! We will definitely visit him one of these days. It will be another adventure for us! Watch out for it! (*wink*)

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?
- How to be really, really, really happy by Bo Sanchez
- What to Expect in the Toddler Years

What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?
- Top Chef
- Survivor China
- GA Season 3
- Heroes Season 2

What special days did I celebrate and how?
- A. Maryanne's Graduation

What gifts did I give and/or receive?
- Sexy lotion for Ercs' bridal shower
- PSP for Hubby
- Bag for MIL
- Christmas gift for Alex
- Christmas gifts for the inaanaks

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?
- none (thank God!)

What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?
- Bridal shower for Ercs
- Hubby and I went to Kerygma Conference
- Lunch with Tito and Titas from Texas
- CFC Early Christmas Party, Despedida, and Baby Shower
- Hubby and Alex went swimming during the Nov 30 holiday

What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?
- Cafe Provencal
- Taco Salad, Roast Beef and Fish from Conti's

What special or unusual purchases did I make?
- Christmas shopping for inaanaks at Karl Edward Bazaar

What were this month's disappointments?
- none, thank God.

What were my accomplishments this month?
- Hubby and I were able to attend the conference
- we're almost halfway done with our Christmas shopping!
- I'm almost a year doing digiscrapping :) so with this I'll have a little surprise but will post about it sometime this week.

Time really flies so fast, one more month and we are now entering another year. I can't believe it! Alex has grown this month, she now can say a lot of things. We are beginning to get busy since the holidays are fast approaching. Oh I can't wait. So many plans for December and I can't wait to share it here with you. (*wink*)

All my life I couldn't go out without a watch. I don't know why I was just completely dependent on wearing a watch and I had to be conscious of the current time. But ever since I gave birth, I stopped wearing one because it might hurt Alex when I carry her. I even stop wearing jewelries too except for our wedding ring. But when I checked out the nice watches now, oh my, I can't wait to wear a watch again! A Hublot watch is one of my choices. You see, Alex is now big already and there are days that I don't have to carry her anymore. Maybe one of these days, I will treat myself for a nice and elegant watch.

I posted here a couple of days ago about how my brother would love to buy a condo unit as an investment. But thinking about it twice, I realized that why don't he invest in a real estate instead. Like buying a lot of his own and then build a nice house or apartment and then have it rented. It's a bigger investment but the returns are definitely bigger too!