Blue Ginger

Manila Church List

2010-10-18T15:29:00.001-07:00

I know we are already decided which church we want for our wedding but I also know a lot of overseas brides like me who wanted to have choices for their wedding church. Here is a list of the churches and contact information in Manila. Hope this helps!

CHURCHES IN MANILA:
• Basilica De San Sebastian -734-8908, 734-8931, Plaza del Carmen Quiapo Manila
• Holy Spirit Parish -711-1332, 1912 Rizal Ave.Sta. Cruz Manila
• Malate Catholic Church -523-2593, 1016 M.H. del Pilar Malate Manila
• Manila Cathedral -527-3889, 1016 M.H. del Pilar Malate Manila
• Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene -733-4945, Plaza Miranda Mall Quiapo Manila
• National Shrine of St. Michael and the Archangels -735-1611, J.P. Laurel St.San Miguel Manila
• Nuestra Senior de Guia -523-2754, M.H. del Pilar cor. A. Flores St.Ermita Manila
• Nuestra Señora De Salvacion Parish -714-7210, Anonas cor. Hipodromo Sts., NDC Compound Sta. Mesa Manila
• Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish --532-1770, Punta, Sta. Ana Manila
• Our Lady of Peñafrancia Parish -564-0638, 1343 Gomez St. Paco Manila
• Paco Park -525-7853, San Marcelino St.Paco Manila
• Pope Pius XII Catholic Center -536-1820, 1175 United Nations Ave. Manila
• San Agustin Church, Gen. Luna St.Intramuros Manila
• Santo Niño Parish -563-3211, Jesus St.Pandacan Manila
• St. Anthony of Padua Parish -536-7120, 2126 Singalong & San Andres Sts.Malate Manila
• St. Peter The Apostle Parish -563-2480, 1260 Pres. Quirino Ave.Paco Manila
• St. Pius X Parish -563-6487, Neptuno cor. 7th Sts., Onyx Ave.Paco Manila
• St. Vincent De Paul Parish -525-7853, 959 San Marcelino St.Ermita Manila

Manila Reception Venues List

2010-10-14T15:06:00.001-07:00

For the purpose of helping other brides to be like me in their wedding planning, here's a list I got from one of the wedding forums in manila. Hope this helps!

MANILA/PASAY AREA:
•HERITAGE HOTEL
•COCONUT PALACE
•FATHER BLANCO'S GARDEN
•BALUARTE DE SAN DIEGO
- PUERTA REAL GARDENS
- Clamshell Tent
- Casa Manila
- Teatrillo
- Casa Marinero
- Plaza Moriones
- Manila Metropolitan Museum
•PAN PACIFIC HOTEL
•MANILA PAVILLON HOTEL
•ILLUSTRADOS RESTAURANT
•MANILA HOTEL
•WESTIN PHIL. PLAZA
•TRADERS HOTEL
•CENTURY PARK HOTEL
•DIAMOND HOTEL
•LE PAVILLION TENT
•BAYVIEW HOTEL
•SWISS INN RESTAURANT
•HYATT REGENCY
•Le Pavillon
•1Esplanade
•Palacio de Maynila
•Ramon Magsaysay Center
•La Castellana

Looks like La Castellana was opened about 2 years ago so it's fairly new. =)

Reception Venue #3

2010-10-09T14:53:00.000-07:00

My third choice of reception venue is really just a back-up if both my first two choices fail. The Pergola is a new events venue in Manila. If I am not mistaken, they just opened sometime last year. Since it is pretty new, I cannot find a lot of wedding event photos here. What I like about this place is that it is indoor so it is airconditioned plus it is fairly new so the facilities are still new. The venue has accredited caterers but as far as the information we got last month, they don't charge corkage fees. I guess it's because they are new in the business and would love to attract new customers. This venue is located by Roxas boulevard close to Mall of Asia which is fairly close to our preferred church.

If everything else fails, this is my backup plan.

Reception Venue #2

2010-10-04T14:40:00.000-07:00

My second choice for reception venue is in Quezon City. It is a bit farther from the church but at least it is an airconditioned venue. The chandelier and skylight at Light of Love Events Place Atrium made me drool. Look at the photos here. I think the only catch in that place is that my preferred caterer is not accredited in the place so I have to pay a corkage fee which is not good since I'd rather spend that corkage money for more food for the guests or maybe put more budget on my wedding gown. Anyway, we'll see how it goes when we actually look at the place. Who knows... the chandelier might convince me.

Reception Venue #1

2010-09-29T14:35:00.000-07:00

I am currently in a hunt for a wedding venue. I never thought that reception venues costs so much nowadays! My choice of reception venue is a place that looks like a hotel ballroom but at a cheaper price. We prefer an airconditioned venue since some of our guests will be coming from here and I know they wouldn't be able to stand Manila heat.

My first choice for the venue is La Castellana. More photos can be seen here.I totally died when I saw the photos. And then when I found out that it's a whopping 70K pesos for a 4-hour reception, I died again. =( I am not sure if we can afford it but I surely love, love it!

I am honestly scared to see it in person because I might fall in love with it and then later realize we can't afford it. =( Keeping my fingers crossed!

Shoergasm

2010-09-24T13:30:00.001-07:00

I died when I saw these shoes while googling blue and green shoes...

Sea & Fog Flats by Anthropologie

So perfect for my wedding motif! Blue and green! I found out that these babies are not available anymore anywhere. Yes, not even ebay. I died again.

To Blue or Not to Blue

2010-09-21T09:01:00.000-07:00

Did you know how difficult it is to find the perfect wedding shoes? Did you also know that it's double difficult to find blue wedding shoes?!? Argh!!!

I have been on a hunt for the perfect wedding shoes. I know the wedding is still more than a year from now. But at the rate I'm going in my search for the perfect blue shoes, I think a year is probably not enough. I want my perfect blue shoes!!!

If I could just afford these Louboutins...

Or perhaps the Carrie shoes (Manolos)...

But then again, high heels for my wedding? I don't think that's going to happen. LOL.

Free Fabric Swatches

2010-09-20T20:09:00.002-07:00

Just wanted to share this forum where you can get free fabric swatches of wedding gowns and bridesmaid gowns: http://www.bestbridalprices.com/forum/index.php

I have been trying to get sample fabric swatches for my bridesmaid gowns and it's been difficult, if not impossible to get them for free. Thank God I stumbled upon this website while I was looking for gown designs. Once you get to the forum site, look for "webguy", one of the admins there and request for free swatches. You may need to sign-up to be able to send him a message.

I love, Dessy, After Six and Mori Lee bridesmaids' gowns! Check out their site and get your free swatches. =)

Bargain Hunt

2010-09-16T20:25:00.003-07:00

Yesterday was coupon compiling day. This means I have to go through all our mails and newspapers for 2 weeks to get coupons. LOL. Yes, this is what recession did to me. In our attempt to save a couple of bucks, we would use coupons. And there is such thing as coupon shopping day for me and my husband. This means we can only buy items that we have a coupon for. Hahaha. We'll that's just one day in a month and is also outside of our regular grocery shopping day. Come to think of it, I should have started doing this even when I was single. I was just lazy to do it back then... I am still lazy to do it now *that's why I only do it every 2 weeks* but having my husband reminding me every now and then to clean up the mail and newspaper that started to pile up on our dining table, I guess that's enough motivation to do it.

Talk about sale, there's an ongoing grand opening sale at Party City in Glendale, AZ. It's the store by 80th ave and Bell rd. I got buy 1 get 1 7x7 solid colored table napkins for our wedding. I know it's still more than a year before our wedding but this sale won't last long! I just thought I can start my wedding D-I-Ys soon.

Recessionista Bride

2010-09-13T13:06:00.002-07:00

Yes, I am one of them. At this time of recession, I think $15,000 wedding in the Philippines is too much. So instead of gloating over not having a lot of fancy stuff for our Manila church wedding, I am trying to get myself busy doing D-I-Y projects for the wedding. Well, goodluck to my arts and crafts skills! LOL.

Oh, don't get me wrong... I am very much excited to start my DIY projects for the wedding since: 1) it takes my mind away from work, 2) my free time waiting for the husband to come home will be spent productively, 3) i can polish my artsy side.

To emboss or not to emboss??? I am currently obsessing about customizing our wedding napkin. I checked online if I can have it printed somewhere costs around $25 for 100 pieces which is unjustifiable! I cannot throw away that much money for something that I know will just be thrown away quickly at the wedding. So in my attempt to be a recessionista bride, I will attempt to make my own personalized wedding napkins. I'll try to make some sample napkins when my materials arrive. Wish me luck!

Boost Your Savings

2010-09-13T12:04:00.002-07:00

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Boost Mobile. All opinions are 100% mine.

My husband and I are among the thousands of people greatly affected by this bad economy. Although both of us are still employed, the comforts that we used to enjoy are not the same as before like for instance, regular vacations and travels. During this difficult times, we try our best to save and be frugal about so many things. I think Boost mobile is a great internet find for a frugalista like me. At $50/month, you can enjoy unlimited nationwide talk, texting, multi-media messaging, e-mail and web browsing, instant messaging and 411 directory assistance. This $50 unlimited everything plan also includes call waiting, call forwarding and voicemail. This is a pretty awesome deal compared to our current family plan with another mobile provider which costs almost thrice as much as Boost Mobile plan.

Re-Boost is a program of Boost mobile that allows their subscribers to pay online, pay in person or pay by phone. When you pay online, you can set-up automatic monthly payments or make a one time payment using a credit or a debit card. This auto-payment assures you of on time and worry-free transactions. Another great product of Boost Mobile is their Re-Boost card or receipt. This Re-Boost card or receipt allows you to gift a family member or a friend with Boost credits that they can use to pay for their Boost Mobile account. I think this is a very good Christmas/Birthday gift idea because for sure this is a very useful gift for them. Boost mobile gives you all these flexibilities in your payment options. You should also check out the activation of a new Boost Mobile phone. I think this is by far the easiest and fuss-free activation I've ever seen because you can do your activation online just by entering your phone information such as the SIM ID and IMEI of the phone.

For someone who checks her email more than 30 times a day, I think having an unlimited data plan will make my life easy because I can just use my mobile phone to check emails anytime and anywhere. I have always told my husband that I cannot live without internet on the go especially nowadays when a lot of my friends are more reachable via facebook and twitter. Now that we are planning a wedding in Manila and I am working with my sister who is in Manila, it is just easier and faster to send and get facebook updates from her when there are decisions that we have to make for our wedding, hence the need for an unlimited data plan on my mobile. Boost mobile only makes 24/7 internet connectivity cheaper and more accessible since I can use facebook and twitter using one of their sleek smart phones. I think I would like to have that Blackberry Curve 8330 smartphone because it has all the bells and whistles that I would need for my work and social life. It has email access, enhanced web browser, digital camera, MP3 music player and a full QWERTY keypad.

I know I can easily convince my husband to change our mobile provider knowing how much money we can save from Boost Mobile plans.

Hello GC

2010-08-26T11:34:00.004-07:00

Hello shiny green plastic card from USCIS! I have waited for your arrival for so long that I literally could have camped right next to our mailbox. Hehe.

So what now? I actually have a list of things to do after receiving my permanent resident card aka. Green Card.

1. Report to Social Security Administration that I no longer have restrictions in my employment. Yeah boy!!! Which basically leads to #2.

2. Find a new job... less stressful, pays more and more free time to do other stuff. I wonder where I can find this kind of job in this economy.

3. Plan our church wedding in Manila. With the GC, I can travel to the Philippines all I want. Yehey!

4. Plan our honeymoon... well, all depends with #2 if we can afford a Paris trip.

Exactly 4 mos since we filed our AOS papers to receiving the GC! Happy days ahead!

AOS Update

2010-07-02T13:38:00.002-07:00

I did my walk-in biometrics Tuesday last week. My original schedule for biometrics is on July 12 which I thought was too far wait so I gambled to go to the ASC here in Phoenix. Luckily there were barely any people in the ASC when my husband and I went last Tuesday at 9AM. The biometrics was quick. I was done in about 10mins from the time we arrived to the time we walked out of the building. There was actually no line. LOL.

Tip: Bring all of the 797 Notice of Action documents that USCIS sent you. You may need to refer to the A# on the notice of action for your I-485.

Both my I-485 and I-765 filing was touched on the same afternoon I went for biometrics. I got an email of "Card production ordered" for my I-765, 3 days after biometrics. This morning, I got another email notification of "card production ordered" for I-765. Weird huh? Just 7 days apart I got two notifications with the same content. So I guess I can continue working! Yehey!!!

Now, I need to wait for my EAD card and an update to my I-485 and I-130.

The Men Pen

2010-07-02T13:19:00.005-07:00

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of The Men Pen. All opinions are 100% mine.

How many vain men do you know? I think they're more popularly called metrosexuals. No, they're not homosexuals! Although a lot of these metrosexuals are easily mistaken to be gays by those jock-type men but they're definitely heterosexuals and maybe they have some gay friends. Let's just say they dress in a more sophisticated look, well-groomed, stylish, fashionable and good-looking. I have a lot of these metrosexual friends back home in Manila. Unfortunately, my husband is not one of them. My husband still thinks that men who wear pink shirts are gay. Funny!

Going back to my metrosexual friends, they do indulge in beautifying and maintaining their physical bodies. These friends would tell me that they do frequently go to the gym, spa and dermatologist's clinic because vanity is very important to them. I know they use a lot of facial products like eyecream, moisturizer, sunblock and sometimes make-up to hide zits and blemishes on their skin. They would be glad to know about this Men Pen which is basically a concealer stick. This mens makeup concealer is specifically developed for men's skin type to hide acne, moles, scars, dark circles and blemishes. The Men Pen is available in 17 different shades which I'm sure will suit any skin color. You don't have to be an actor or a moviestar to be self-conscious especially about how you look like. Common people like my metrosexual friends would attest to the confidence boost they get when they know they look good inside and out. Using mens cosmetics does not make you gay after all.

P-p-p-oker Face

2010-07-01T18:28:00.002-07:00

I've always been a Glee fan so I guess I'm quite partial on their song renditions. LOL. Anyway, last night I watched the rerun of episode 20: Theatricality on Hulu. I've never understood why my husband likes Lady Gaga a lot. And I mean A LOT until I watched Glee's Lea Michele and Idina Menzel perform their own rendition of Poker Face. Now I have a different appreciation for Lady Gaga. I want you guys to listen to this Glee cast version because it is really good. I wouldn't have imagined a Lady Gaga song can be this beautiful. I am not exaggerating! Listen to it and tell me what you think.

Download the full version on iTunes under Glee Cast. =) These Broadway stars really are the awesomest performers!

Skype Video Conference in HD

2010-07-01T17:01:00.002-07:00

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of faceVsion Technology USA. All opinions are 100% mine.

Living here in the U.S. while my whole family is in the Philippines has been tough especially during those times when I miss them so much. The most cost-effective and reliable solution for me to communicate with them is through Skype. We usually chat, call, do phone conference or even video conference whenever we have time to spare. My family and I would talk for hours through Skype. What's great about Skype is that skype to skype calls are free! Several years back I did some comparative study on the monthly fees for VOIP calls and skype's monthly rates for unlimited US and Canada calls are by far the lowest.

Skype has been part of my professional and personal life for many years now. Since I got transferred here in the U.S. from our Makati office in Manila, Skype has been my most reliable tool to communicate with my Manila team. Currently, I am still doing support and interviews for new hires at our Manila office and Skype has never failed me to have great quality voice and video conferences. There was this one time when I had to wake up around 5AM to do a job interview for a prospective new hire. The challenging part in doing a technical interview over low quality video conference is the poor to intermittent quality of image and audio. Sometimes we have to repeat what we say over and over until the person we're talking to understands what we are talking about. I also noticed the choppy and pixelated images that sometimes slows down the internet connection in our remote office. I think poor quality video conferencing do not send a good impression to our prospective hires.

faceVsion's touchcam N1 is the first Internet streaming true HD webcam for Skype video calls. This N1 webcam is Skype certified. It produces high resolution 720p video and uses an H.263 codec chip for very good audio video experience. Real-time video conferencing can now be realized using FV touchcam N1. I know that this touchcam will definitely make my video conferences with our Manila office so much better. FV touchcam is available in faceVision on line store through shop.facevsion.com and other value added partners. Make sure that you buy this Skype certified touchCam and not just any other products out there who claim that they can produce real hi-def audio and video outputs. Make sure that you check that Skype certified logo! Do check out the FV ExpressCombo for on-the-go people like me who cannot live without her laptop.

Home Office Empire

2010-07-01T09:29:00.001-07:00

I am such an OC when it comes to cables crossing the room. I simply hate seeing them and tripping on them. Whenever my husband connects his laptop directly to the router *because internet is faster that way* which is about 7 feet away, I would go ballistic. Our home office layout seems weird because we couldnt put the office desk right in front of the window since it's higher than the window. The wall jack for the router is on the opposite side of the room where the computer table and printer are so I had to get a very long (about a 50ft long) network cable and make it go around the room to connect the printer to the router. I'm looking for a solution to either hide the ugly cable or avoid this totally and here are my choices:

1. I thought of finding a white network cable to match the color of the wall and then use big staples to hook the long wire in place. Cheap, easy and ugly but it'll work.

2. Get a cable cover or a wiremold to cover the running wires. I checked ebay, home depot, lowes, ace hardware but the cheapest I found is about $7 for 6feet. I probably would need 40ft of cover. If I get the cheapest one, I might have to paint it to match the color of the wall. Expensive solution so I'm trying to stay away from this.

And for the final solution...

3. Rearrange the electronics are closer to the socket while the big furnitures cover the wires.

Ultimately, I chose #3. Not a really ergonomic floorplan in our home office but what the h*ck... it works! No more tripping on wires. No more ugly, visible crisscrossing wires. Happy wife and husband. =)

WTH

2010-06-21T11:01:00.003-07:00

Sorry for ranting about USCIS but their processing time really SUCKSSS!!! Big time! There I said it. Whew!

It's like waiting for eternity to get any update for my case. =(

Arizona Good Eats

2010-05-11T20:15:00.001-07:00

I am a sucker for good Chinese food. When I say Chinese food, I'm talking about the real, authentic Chinese cuisine and not the Americanized orange chicken, lemon chicken, or anything chicken. I used to tease my husband because he'll always order either orange chicken, lemon chicken or sweet and sour chicken whenever we go to Chinese restaurants. I told him that it is not exactly Chinese cuisine. LOL. What can I do? He grew up in a place where Chinese food is just greasy, commercialized food in a take out box.

About a month after I moved here in Arizona, an officemate friend of mine took me to the Chinese Cultural Center near downtown. We went to Golden Buddha, located inside the COFCO complex in downtown where real chinese food can be found! To my delight, they were serving dimsum in carts. Several carts would pass by our table with different set of menus. My favorite cart was the steamed dimsum cart. I love pork and shrimp siomai with chili sauce and soy sauce over hot white rice. OMG! I'm drooling now just thinking about it. Give me siomai and rice any day and it'll surely make the pinoy happy in me. Other dimsum items i like are the shrimp ball over tofu, shark's fin dumpling, fried taro ball and sesame ball with red bean. Me and my husband attended a lunch party there last weekend and he loved the steamed barbecue pork bun. Finally he appreciated something real chinese! I like the baked barbecue pork bun over the steamed one. Dimsum is served only during lunch time everyday. If only I live close to this place you would definitely see me there everyday. Hahaha.

Earn a Teaching Degree

2010-05-11T20:11:00.003-07:00

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of USC. All opinions are 100% mine.

When I was a kid, I have always thought I will become a teacher. I remember how I tutored my younger sisters in their homework everyday. Though I did not pursue a career in teaching when I was in college, that old dream of belonging in the academe has never disappeared until now. I noticed that in my current job, I enjoyed doing presentations, talking to clients, providing lectures and trainings for my software projects.

To my delight, I found out that the USC Rossier School of Education is offering an online Master of Arts in Teaching degree. In the comforts of your home, you can receive interactive online learning and field-based experiences. They also offer a tuition reimbursement program and possibly a scholarship that will ease the burden of paying for education. In as short as 12 months, you can complete the accelerated program and become part of the elite USC Trojan Family. This prestigious school of education has been ranked #22 in the United States and has been ranked #9 among all private universities by the US News and World Report. What is great about this program is that it leverages the internet technology and fully supports the distance learning. This is a very exciting opportunity for busy people like me who would like to pursue a career in the academe. You can get their program information and learn how to earn your Masters degree in teaching or how you can advance and elevate your current career in teaching by visiting their website below.

Rant About Overpriced Passport Photos

2010-05-10T21:04:00.005-07:00

Do you know how much two (2) pieces of passport photos cost? Me and my husband had our passport photos taken at Walgreens about 3 weeks ago for my USCIS documents. I was surprised to find out that two pieces of photos cost $8.99!!! Did you also know that a 5"x6" photo print only costs 8cents to 15cents? So how can 2 pieces of 2"x2" photos which can absolutely fit in a 5"x6" photo print cost 60 times a regular photo??? Argh!!!

Fyi, I needed about 5 passport photos so I spent over $20 for passport photos at Walgreens. Few days ago I needed passport photos again for my Philippine embassy document. I was already fed up with the overpriced photos at Walgreens so I decided to take action. I googled diy passport photos and I found a site that allows you to create your own passport photos. Armed with my own point and shoot camera, we set-up our own passport photo studio... white table cloth, heavy duty tapes and a tripod. We just had to make sure that we have enough lighting to avoid shadows. Upload your photo at epassportphoto.com after selecting the desired country for your passport photo (NOTE: each country have specific sizes for passport photos). Move the box to the desired cropping area of your photo then download cropped photo and save it on a mobile drive (eg. thumbdrive, memory card, etc). We took this softcopy photos and printed them at Target/Walmart which costs around 15cents to 22cents each 5"x6" photo print which contained 5 US passport sized photos or 7 Philippine passport sized photos. Yehey! The print looked professional!!!

I don't think I'll ever pay more than a dollar of passport photos ever again. I personally recommend this epassportphoto.com for all techie but frugal people out there just like me.

Nexx Web Hosting Promo

2010-05-10T20:48:00.009-07:00

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Nexx Online. All opinions are 100% mine.

Few hours ago, I got an email from my domain provider that my domain name is about to expire in July. Although I never had problems with them for the past 2 years, they recently informed me about the 7% price increase in my current subscription. I immediately asked why I would have to be burdened by a higher price when the services that I will be receiving won't get upgraded. And then I saw this ad on nexx.com. At a cheaper price, I can keep my domain name and get better service.

Nexx web hosting is currently offering a new irresistible promotion. For only $10 for the first year, you can get one full year of unlimited web hosting and one free .com domain name. This is a very good deal especially if you are starting your website. You can get unlimited disk space, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited email accounts, free .com domain name, 24/7 customer support, $50 credits from Google Adwords, $50 credits from Facebook Ads and one-click Wordpress and blog installations. If you wish to create a very professional-looking website, the SiteBuilder tool can give you hundreds of templates you can use in your website. If you are trying to build an e-commerce website, Nexx web hosting will provide you with an easy to install Zen cart. This tool will let you manage your inventory, track your sales and list your items without the hassle of having to code your own e-commerce site. If you are a resident blogger like me, Nexx easily integrates with Wordpress with a press of a button. Get Unlimited Web Hosting starting at $10 for the first year. Avail of this promo by entering the promotional code SPARK10.

Filipino Food Craving

2010-05-10T19:38:00.000-07:00

I was craving Filipino food last week and decided to make Goto (Beef tripe congee) and Tokwa't Baboy (marinated pork and tofu) last weekend. I think I got too excited about eating it that i cooked too much, enough to feed 15 people. LOL. My not-so-Filipino husband had a hard time swallowing the food. I just found out he didn't like beef tripe, much more the pig's ear. =( Failure for me for trying to introduce Filipino food to my American husband. ARGH!!! I was trying to convince him that he should practice eating Filipino delicacies because it'll be the same food he'll be eating when we go home to the Philippines next year. He said he was like in Fear Factor trying to not breathe and swallow without chewing the food I served him. =(

Note to self, never attempt to serve the husband unfamiliar meat especially innards. Lol. At least I was able to feed my cravings and have 3-weeks worth of Goto to finish!

Home Theater System

2010-05-10T10:38:00.000-07:00

Moving to a bigger home and furnishing it has been a great and wonderful experience for me and my husband. It is my first time to furnish a home because I have been living in either hotels or fully furnished homes for the last how many years. I guess every family dreams of owning a home theater system someday with all the bells and whistles. Me and my husband are techie geeks so we love to plan our home theater system very carefully. One of the major components of a home theater system is the av receiver. Through an AV receiver, you are able to control the input and output of both audio and video of your system. It is the device where you can amplify the sound of your system through various audio sources such as AM/FM radio, iPod, HD radio and many others. Through this device you can also route video signals to your television from various sources like DVD, Blu-ray, VCRs and many others. If you want to start planning your home theater system, AV Receiver is a good site to get the best of breed AV receivers at super low prices. What’s great about this site is that you can read the reviews from Amazon and do your comparison in both functionality and price. Based on my experience, I get more discounts and more competitive prices online so better check out this site.

3 days to forever

2010-01-13T09:16:00.001-07:00

...to never sleeping alone in bed again.
...to never eating dinner alone again.
...to never doing long drives alone again.

Four days to go...

2010-01-12T16:30:00.002-07:00

Wedding jitters??? Tic, toc, tic, toc.

Woooozzzaaaahhh Lisa. You can do this!

My Alternate Career

2009-11-16T13:54:00.000-07:00

Couple of years I go, I told myself that if I won’t be a successful IT Consultant, I will consider opening a restaurant and just live the rest of my life making a living out of my second passion which is cooking. When I was still a kid, maybe around 10, my grandfather enrolled me to a weekend Japanese cooking school in Manila. I have already been passionate about cooking food since I was small. It always got me into thinking of doing an alternate career in restaurateur or being a chef. Now that I reached more than a quarter of my life, I am sort of considering moving to a different career.

In any battle, you have to be well-armed before you go. Northwest Culinary Institute is a division of the International Air and Hospital Academy. They offer a 9 month culinary diploma program in a fully equipped culinary kitchen. Their corporate headquarters is located in Vancouver, Washington. What’s great about this culinary school is that they offer financial aid, culinary scholarships and housing to those students who cannot afford to send themselves to a culinary school. I know that culinary education does not come cheap so this is a great help for those who are aspiring to become future chefs but never got the opportunity to study. Check out their site to know more about culinary institutes that can truly help in starting a career or moving to a new career.

AZ Cardinals vs Seattle Seahawks

2009-11-16T13:21:00.004-07:00

The GG and I went to the Cardinals game yesterday afternoon at the University of Phoenix stadium. Thank God for the free BLUE parking pass, we were able to park not so far from the stadium. The little big boy (my boyfriend) sure did enjoy the game. It was both our first time to watch a live football game. He better enjoy the game because the tickets did not come cheap! Haha. Anyways, here a photo before the game started when the national anthem was sung.

I enjoyed the game too... finally after couple of hours trying to figure out the rules of the game. Hahaha. Lots of drunk people after the game. Took an hour to get out of the parking area because of the mob traffic. Seriously bad traffic! But then again, maybe we would watch another game next time. Or better yet, watch the Suns game! Yehey! Oh btw, Cardinals won!

National Air & Space Musuem, VA

2009-09-25T10:10:00.004-07:00

My boyfriend is a big Transformers fan. When we planned our trip to Maryland, he insisted that we visit the Air and Space Museum in Virginia where the Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird was being housed. This aircraft is more popularly known to be Jet Fire in the Transformers movie that was shown early this year. Take note that there is another Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in downtown Washington, DC but the one in Virginia is the one that houses this aircraft. Do not make a mistake! Haha. Here are some amazing photos that we took.

Scottsdale Living

2009-09-25T10:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my first time this year to drive in the morning to work without turning my AC on. Yehey!!! Welcome autumn! Living in Arizona for almost two years now has been a daily battle with the weather. Don't get me wrong, I so love winter time here. But the summers... the summers!!! The summers are like 115's and up that it's like an oven. Well obviously, getting a tan here is never a problem. Sunny, sunny days almost 80% of the year. Now that autumn is starting, I am starting to love Arizona again. Finally I will be able to take my jackets out of my closet.

One of the best places to live in Arizona is the Scottsdale area. It's close to where the "night life" is in Arizona and definitely one of the better places to live in. Do check out real estate in Scottsdale Fine Properties website where reputable Scottsdale Arizona realtors can be found. If you're eyeing to get a brand new home, do check out their listing for New Home Developments by clicking on the link.

Officially Out of Hiatus

2009-09-25T10:01:00.002-07:00

Yes, I'm back! Just wanted to be go back to blogging to keep my sanity. It's been months since I've updated this blog and from today, I am officially out of my hiatus. Yehey!

Quick update, I am still in Phoenix working for the same project. They've extended my contract until end of the year so that means another non-snowy winter for me. Yehey!!! Ummm... nothing exactly is new. Just busy, busy, busy days ahead because of SFC and my going home to the Philippines for a short vacation month. Will be posting photos of my last trip to Maryland, Washington DC and Virginia in a couple of days. For now, let me settle back to my old blogging self and try to catch up.

Weebee to me!!!

Anaheim Auto Body Shops

2009-07-09T15:37:00.000-07:00

A good friend of mine rear-ended another car yesterday in California. Good thing that they were both ok after the accident and that the damage to both cars weren't that big. Well, not as big as totally replacing the whole car. Hehe. Anyways, my friend drives an old bimmer and I know that his baby bimmer would definitely cost him a lot of money for repairs. And I am also pretty sure that he would need a good and reputable auto body shop in his area. Collision Repair experts is a good website that contains a huge network of "best in class" collision repair experts. Their huge network is made up of reputable and committed to excellence shop owners therefore you will assured of the good service they do. I am definitely sending the link to this auto body shop anaheim to my friend so he can get his baby bimmer fixed to it's pre-accident condition and bring it back to its tip top shape.

I Guess I'm Back... To Blogging

2009-07-09T15:12:00.002-07:00

Oh-em-gee... I haven't updated this blog for almost a month now. Oh well... work has been crazily busy again because my teamlead went on a 2-week vacation during a production go live. It's good that I survived this go live without her and been struggling to catch up on blogging.

I know, I know. I should blog more. I haven't even been doing paid blogs in a while. Yay! Anyways, I hope everything's well with all of you. Keep visiting my blog for random updates.

Btw, it's so !@*(#$% HOT here in Phoenix. Weather report says it's going to be a high 116 degrees here over the weekend. WAAAAA!!! Winter please take me!

Rustic Furniture

2009-06-14T23:10:00.000-07:00

I am currently in a hunt for a new apartment and I am planning to furnish it on my own. I found a great site where to get my new furnitures! Check out ScenicFurniture.com for unique, artistically made and rustic furniture.

Plurk Question

2009-06-14T23:00:00.001-07:00

A friend in plurk posted a question: What are you going to do if your partner cheats on you?

I know my initial instinct is to get mad. *who doesn't?!?* I guess if I know that I have been neglecting my partner and his needs, then I guess it's also my fault that he cheated. But then again, fidelity and being trustworthy is one of my non-negotiables so yeah, it might be a difficult to just let this thing pass.

Real Property Management

2009-06-12T12:17:00.002-07:00

I am again in search for a new apartment or condo. I just got another contract extension for my client here in Phoenix until the end of the year. This means I will have another six months of certainty in my life and it also means that I will most probably spend Thanksgiving and Christmas here in Phoenix. After a lot of thinking and weighing of options, I have finally decided that I will be moving to an unfurnished place and will start acquiring my own furnitures and appliances.

I am so thankful for professional real estate property managers because they make the life of renters like me very convenient. Real Property Management is one of those real estate professionals who manages single family homes, multi-unit apartment buildings and homeowner's associations. If you have your own property and you want to put it on rental, Real Property Management can take care of tenant placement, credit and multi-state criminal background screening of potential renters, regular property inspections, accounting, project management, monthly financial reporting to owners, maintenance services, collections and a lot more. Real Property Management prides itself for winning the "Franchise of the Year Honorable Mention" award. They are a reputable organization that can definitely professionally manage your real estate property with no hassle. Check out their site to request for more information.

Oldschool Senti Mush

2009-06-12T09:12:00.002-07:00

Everybody needs a someone
Waitin to be there when things are a-lookin down

- 'Never Let Her Go' by Bread

Never let her go-David Gates

I'm in super senti mode once again and been listening to super dooper old senti songs. I know some of you probably wouldn't even recognize the song because of oldness. Yeah... I am aging. LOL.

This post is out of nothingness... just wanted to share the love today to everybody who's still reading my blog. C'mon sing with me... "never let her gooooo... never let her goooo... never let her goooo...."

Affordable Toys for Cats

2009-05-22T10:33:00.003-07:00

The boyfriend is a super cat lover. I am a big dog fan. Sometimes we would talk about getting a pet when I finally move in Las Vegas but then we sometimes don't agree which pet to get. I guess the only reason why I don't like cats is because of their annoyingly smelly cat litter. Besides that, I like cats. There was this one time that I went to a retreat with friends in Arizona which was held in a small private ranch. When I was doing my prayer near one of their grotto's this stray cat which is a grayish black cat kept going near me. While I was praying the cat would climb up my leg and would sort of ask me to pet him. And then when I start petting him, the cat would lie down on my leg somewhat signalling that I continue to pet him. It was so cute that I wanted to take it home with me. Good thing I brought my phone and took pictures of the cat and sent it to the boyfriend. Boyfriend asked if I could take it home with me but too bad I couldn't keep a pet in my apartment because it's not allowed by my landlord. Awwww...

I guess when I move here in Vegas, I would need to find an apartment that allows pets so we can get our baby cat. I found this site that sells really, really cute mouse cat toys. These zanies cat toys are so adorable. They're made of fancy fur that I am sure my future pet cat would really love. These zanies cat toys are made of top quality and durable materials that would be give hours of fun for my future pet cat.

CLP's Over

2009-05-21T09:56:00.000-07:00

I have mentioned in this blog about how busy our weekends have been due to the Christian Life Programs that we have been doing every weekend. Each weekend there are a new set of mission teams coming from California and Las Vegas who have been helping us for our CLP. I would just like to personally thank them for answering to this call for mission and sharing their time and resources with us here in SFC. It's been a great honor to serve with them.

To our newly dedicated brothers and sisters, may welcome to the family! Check out some photos of our CLP here.

USB Extenders

2009-05-15T09:04:00.003-07:00

Even with the most powerful laptops, sometimes USB slots are still not enough. I am one of those people who always have something plugged in her laptop's USB. One USB slot is for my mouse. Another USB slot is for charging my IPOD while I am listening to iTunes. Another USB slot is for my mobile harddrive which contains a lot of my backup files. My Dell laptop only has 3 USB slots and I have always wished it had more. It was such a hassle to juggle which gadgets can be plugged to my laptop at a time. When I need to move photos from my camera, print something on my printer, and do a lot more other stuff with the USB gadgets that I own, I had to decide which ones I can remove from my limited 3 USB slots.

Good news is, there's such as thing as a USB extender. With the USB Extender, you are able to extend 1 USB slot into 4 USB slots. This device does not require any device driver which is so awesome. Plus, the device can extend until 150 feet using Cat5 or Cat5e or Cat6 UTP cable. Some devices are even USB 2.0 compatible. With up to 480Mb/s speed even at at distance of 50m, this USB extender is really something! I am so getting a Cat5 USB extender for myself.

Performance Social Media

2009-05-04T08:21:00.002-07:00

Are you looking for the best outsourced social media marketing campaign providers? Jelly Barn is a company that provides performance applications, widgets, games, and contests that can help you in marketing your products. Nowadays, it's not enough that you put marketing banners on websites to market your products. Nowadays, it is essential to have interactive marketing strategies such as building social applications that could market your product like games, mini applications and widgets which users can play with. The impact of having interactive marketing applications is that users can remember your product more and sometimes it does create a following. The advantage of having a hosted performance applications provider is that you don't have to worry about development costs and maintenance plus you only pay for the results. Jelly Barn does all these and builds a keen relationship with your customers to drive more revenue for your brand. Jelly Barn uses powerful analytics tools to monitor and track campaign performances. Whether you measure the effectivity of a campaign based on the number of clicks or hits, or the number of registrations, or application installations, Jelly Barn is able to do all those. Their ability to catch the attention of you product niche is impeccable through their deep understanding of what can capture the attention of their online audience, plus creative execution of campain plans and strategies. Check out Jelly Barn's website now and find out more about performance social media.

I am Too Busy

2009-05-04T07:55:00.000-07:00

Sometimes no matter how busy you are with work, you have to find time to stop, divert your attention at something else to relax for a bit then go back to the monotony of your mundane and busy life. That's what just happened to me couple of days ago. Work's been killing me... literally! Work's been physically, emotionally and intellectually draining for me lately that I can't even get 8 hours sleep per day. This intense lifestyle has taken its toll on my personal and social life but then again when a lot of people depend on you, you just afford to slack and stop. Hayyy...

Besides work, I've been busy with serving in our CLP. I just hope our participants come back next week for the next session. Praying intensely about it!

Affordable But Realible Healthcare

2009-04-30T14:12:00.000-07:00

One thing that I have learned to value is my health. Couple of years back, I was diagnosed with a polycystic ovary. Little did I know that I will get an operation to remove the cyst just a few months after I was diagnosed. Take note, the surgery wasn't done in the Manila, my home but when I was on a project deployment in Helsinki. Health problems occur at the least expected time and sometimes it requires immediate medical attention. Healthcare definitely does not come cheap. I guess that is true for any country. Healthcare here in the US is definitely a must and this is usually offered by employers. So in this tough economy, how can the unemployed and recently layed-off persons acquire healthcare? The solution... Solo Benefits healthcare programs! Solo Benefits offer different packages for individuals at almost the same low prices as with large groups or large employment organizations. Packages include TelaDoc, prescription drug discount, financial helpline, telephonic counseling, Aetna dental access, Coast to Coast vision and a lot more. Basic package start at a rock bottom price of $14.95 per month! Check out http://transitionalbenefits.com/ to select the best healthcare program package that suits your needs. This is an awesome deal especially for those unemployed people who still want to be assured of getting proper healthcare and being able to afford a realible healthcare provider.

After hearing the news regarding the possible swine flu pandemic, I guess we can never really be extremely cautious about our health. Diseases and epidemics like this can just break out even with the best caution that we can do. Our health is our treasure. We must take care of it and what better way to make sure we can get the health services that we need than getting a sure and reliable health plan through Solo Benefits. Do check out http://transitionalbenefits.com/ for more information.

Rolex Watches

2009-04-28T08:59:00.003-07:00

I've always believed that hardwork should always be rewarded. One of my motivations whenever I have a big project or any big deliverable for a client is planning a vacation after the project goes live. It somehow motivates me to work harder and push myself to my limit so that I can enjoy my vacation more knowing that my hard work will always be appreciated.

I guess the time has really changed and I guess that I have redefined what I want as my rewards after my hard work. Saw these gorgeous looking ladies roles white MOP diamond lugs oyster watch. It has a mother of pearl diamond dial with 1 carat diamond bezel. The band comes in stainless steel oyster. I so love it! I want this dress watch for my reward! Find more authentic and certified rolex watches on www.bestoftime.com at discounted prices. This online store provides 3 year warranty on their rolex watches and free FedEx shipping!

I must...

2009-04-28T08:08:00.000-07:00

...stop buying scented candles, air fresheners, scented oil plugins, oil diffusers, and everything else that keeps my apartment smelling good. For the past months, my apartment is soooo overly scented because of these. Haha. I know that the bf loves a great smelling apartment but I think I overdid it this time. $50 to $70 a month worth of these deodorizing paraphernalia is probably too much.

My favorite scented candles are from Gold Canyon in Cool Silk and Clean Sheets scent. I so love the "bagong-laba" *newly laundried" scent. The car freshener from gold canyon also smells awesomely great. Love it smell it whenever I get inside my car. And then at home I use Renuzit Tri Scents in Morning Meadow scent. I also use that Glade oil plugin in clean linen scent for the bathroom. It relaxes me whenever I stay long in the tub. Just sharing!

This Summer's Hottest Trend

2009-04-23T13:01:00.005-07:00

Batik is a dyeing technique used for textiles. Back home in the Philippines, I would commonly associate Batik with summer wear because a lot of beach clothing use this fabric design. Nowadays, batik design and patterns can not only be seen in clothing but this familiar pattern can be seen in bags, stationaries, accessories such as scarves and ties, household items such as picture frames, table set and bed covers. There's no limit in the usage of batik textile these days and I have found a great store online that sells handmade batik products that are extraordinarily unique, fashionable and very affordable. Kraf Online is a Batik store that sells these awesomely nice Batik men's shirts that I am sure the bf will love. I would love to get this ZANA Batik Men's Shirt for the bf in his favorite shade of blue. I also want to get this Batik slip-ons paired with a ZANA Exclusive Silk Chiffon Scarf for a nightout at the beach.

Summer weather and batik clothing is great combination! It's an absolute must to look fashionable at the beach. Do checkout Kraf Online for other handmade batik pieces. I am sure that you will also love the designs as much as I did. Oh did I mention that they offer free upgrades for priority shipping for purchases above 100USD? Take advantage of this special offer. And they do accept paypal as a payment method for a more secure online transaction. Also, do check out batik blog for more product updates and KrafOnline announcements.

On Ranting and Moving

2009-04-23T12:06:00.000-07:00

My schedule's been too toxic lately. Juggling between two projects in two different timezone is killing the remaining sleeping time I can spend. Working full-time on a US project and supposedly working part-time on a European project is a very, very bad combination. With the extreme timezone difference, it is very, very difficult to do overlaps with the client. Now, I am regretting ever accepting this project. Yay!

Anyways, I heard that my office in manila is planning to move to another building. A building with a cheaper rent. OMG!!! I can't believe that everything is affected by the recession going on globally. For my friends who are reading this blog, I would prefer that you guys don't share this info to current employees of the company. I am not sure if the management has announced this move. But one thing's for sure... I will SOOOO miss that office building right in front of the Ayala triangle and having the awesomest view of Makati.

Great Buys

2009-04-16T09:17:00.003-07:00

I never thought that Halloween was such a big thing here in the US. Last year was my first time to attend a Halloween party and we were required to dress-up for the occasion. All of had to research on which costume we would wear and where to buy them. I certainly prefer not wearing a very common costume because I was afraid someone from the party wears the same costume I got. At Fancy-dress.com, you can find a lot affordable costumes from dresses to accessories. They do have an easy to use website where you can choose from sexy fancy dress, 60's fancy dress, kids fancy dress, doctors and nurses costumes, among many others. Check out their site now and start thinking about the next costume party you will attend.

Check Traffic Receiver Error

2009-04-16T09:03:00.002-07:00

I have a Garmin Nuvi 660 and recently, my traffic update subscription expired. Couple of months ago I also updated my nuvi's firmware... can't remember what the exact version of the firmware was but it was the most recent firmware available that time.

Photo credit: gpsreview.com

Few weeks ago, I started getting an error message in my nuvi that says "Check traffic receiver". This message shows up every time I turn my garmin on while it is attached to the dock. I later noticed that my 12V power/traffic receiver cable is slightly damaged maybe because of the pulling tension everytime my dock's suction cup gets detached from my windshield. Anyways, I also noticed that everytime I attempt to turn my nuvi off while it is still on the dock, it wouldn't turn off. Although the nuvi still gets charged while it is on the dock, it takes a longer time to recharge the battery. And so I have decided to get a replacement 12V power cable from Amazon. I bought a GARMIN 010-10747-03 12-Volt Adapter Cable which was the compatible cable for my Nuvi 660.

Photo credit: amazon.com

And yes, this one solved all the earlier problems I have encountered. Seems like I had a busted power cable!!! I will miss the traffic updates from my old cable but I think I only used it less than 10 times while I am here in Arizona. There's not much traffic going on here so it should be ok not to have the traffic update subscription. I'm just glad my Nuvi is back to its old functioning self. =)

Feng Shui

2009-04-13T17:45:00.001-07:00

Feng Shui is an old Chinese tradition that is believed to utilize the laws of Heaven and Earth to improve a person's life by receiving positive energy or the Qi. Although we are not Chinese, my mom sort of believes this old Chinese tradition. Feng Shui teaching says that you should create your individual feng shui map. This means you need to know your lucky numbers, your lucky colors, etc. Next is to create a feng shui harmonizing interior by arranging your home in such a way that it attracts positive energy and bounces off negative energies. There are self-help book about this that can serve as your guide to fix your home. Next step is to enhance energy through a healthy nutrition and meditation. More information on the Feng Shui doctrines can be found at feng shui ebooks. Just click the link and start attracting the positive Qi for a better life.

I Miss Europe

2009-04-13T15:53:00.000-07:00

Someone is missing her old lifestyle. =(

Yeah, it is me! I miss going out of the country for work and doing sidetrips to other countries for a quick vacation. I miss earning mileage from all those travels and getting special treatment because of my mileage status. I'm back to being Silver btw from Platinum. Huhuhu. I want to go back to Europe! I want to go to Barcelona and Paris to see the Louvre. =(

Glow In The Dark

2009-04-13T13:26:00.002-07:00

I found a site that will get Kimi *my '03 Lexus IS300* pimped once again. This time it's glow in the dark rims!!! Haha. I know that's so pathetic to put into Kimi but I guess that would help me find Kimi when he's parked in a dark corner. Anyways, luminophore is a material that makes things glow in the dark after being exposed to light. It is fine-grained powder that does not contain any radioactive isotopes. I remember having those glow in the dark starts and planets in our bedroom ceiling back in Manila. Imagine having that glow in the dark effect on the rims of your car in the evening. I'm sure it will be a head turner on the roads. Luminophore has a variety of uses and you can basically make everything glow in the dark using this safe substance. Check out the info@luminophore.org for more information on how to order this product.

Go for Broke at Sushi Brokers

2009-04-13T13:13:00.001-07:00

For the past month, my friends and I have been trying different sushi restaurants here in Arizona specifically those in Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Chandler areas. Last Friday we went to Sushi Brokers along Scottsdale Road. Service is really good especially our food attendant, Boobie. Sushi was so-so for me. Probably not the best but it did satisfied my sushi craving. Since it was Good Friday when we went there, I wasn't able to try the non-seafood on their menu but I heard they also serve great entrees. FYI, my standard for a good sushi is based on the Caterpillar roll. Haha. The price was not as expensive as SOS. So if you're looking for not so expensive sushi eats with a good service, check out Sushi Brokers! It's between the crossroads Scottsdale Road and Frank Lloyd Wright.

Nope... they did not pay me to advertise here. I will be posting some more sushi place reviews here in Phoenix in the next few blog posts.

Home Decors

2009-04-13T13:03:00.001-07:00

Do you have an oriental inspired home? Are you looking for great looking, affordable and high quality buddha statues? Check out Buddha Groove website and get the best deals from their statues, wall art, home decors, fashion accessories, jewelries, stationaries, media and books and even gifts for all occasions. This website sells buddha statues made of metal, resin, ceramic, stone and even wood. Beliefs say that putting a Buddha Statue in your home can bring good luck, wealth and good fortune. Many believe that if you receive a buddha as a gift, it brings more good luck than buying it. This makes it a great gift to your friends and family. I guess even if you believe this saying or not, buddha statues still look good as home decors.

Happy Easter Monday

2009-04-13T11:16:00.000-07:00

As Jesus resurrected from the dead and saved us from all our sins, I am resurrecting too from my Starbucks and 2++ cups coffee per day. Woohoo!!! For the last 40++ days, I've given up my Starbucks and only had 1 cup of non-Starbucks coffee per day. It was a difficult challenge for me since I am a certified and self-confessed coffee addict. I'm just glad this is over and I survived it with flying colors.

Happy Easter everyone!

Connectors

2009-04-10T10:05:00.003-07:00

Few weeks ago, my cable tv and internet provider were upgrading their existing infrastructure by changing the lines into fiber optics. Couple days ago while they were doing their transition, I had problems with my internet and the service guys needed to check the cables and connectors coming from my apartment going to the outside fiber optic lines. CompressionConnector.com sells a wide range of connectors, cables, wires and cabling tools. I'm sure you will find what you need from their wide selection of cabling products. FS6U is a nickel compression connector that allows you to put a male "F" plug on the end of your RG6 wire. This is the wire used to connect my tv to the cable tv provider's distribution box. The FS6U compression connector will fit any RG6 or RG6 quad shielded cable. Learn more about these type of cable connectors from Compression Connector website and order it from them.

Food 4 Thought Friday - Week 15

2009-04-10T10:00:00.000-07:00

Breakfast
How are you going to celebrate Easter this year?
- Go to church in the morning then go to Gilbert for the Couples for Christ Easter Sunday Picnic

Lunch
What is your favorite Easter tradition either currently or as a child?
- egghunt at my grandparents' house. I miss my cousins in manila.

Dinner
What is your favorite Easter treat?
- hmmm.. i don't think we have one. I just miss the easter parties back in manila. Filipino food!

Midnight Snack
What does Easter mean to you?
- as a Catholic it means Jesus Christ saved us from our sins and we should be thankful for that

Recipe of the Week (instead of your recipe for life what is it just for the week?)
- General house cleaning!

Wood Furniture

2009-04-09T19:07:00.002-07:00

I've been planning to move to Las Vegas for the longest time. I am just waiting for my project here in Phoenix to end and I will definitely move out of this state. I know it's still premature to make plans on this move because it's not until July but I have been searching for a nice apartment in Las Vegas online and I've also been searching for nice furnitures. I've been renting furnished apartments for more than a year now and have not really acquired any furniture because I wasn't sure yet where I really want to settle. Since my job requires me to travel a lot, I thought buying furnitures would be such a hassle when the project requires me to move out-of-state. Now with the new bf in my life, I have finally decided to move to where he lives *I meant the state not his house!* so I will be renting an unfurnished apartment and get my own furnitures. Yehey! I found this nice site selling wood furniture that I really fell in love with. I want to get this Queen size wooden serpentine bed. I love the design of the headboard and it's just the right height. I so want this bed for my new apartment! It would be great if I can get all the matching bedroom set with this wooden serpentine bed. Now, I just have to work my ass to earn money to pay for it. Hehe.

SFC Arizona - Christian Life Program

2009-04-09T19:00:00.000-07:00

I would like to invite you to Singles for Christ Arizona's Christian Life Program. This program is intended for single men and women ages 21 and above. The Christian Life Program (CLP) is an integrated course leading into a renewed understanding of God’s call to Christian singles. Most sessions consist of a talk, group discussion, and time for fellowship. It helps them understand basic catechism and grow in their faith as led by the power of the Holy Spirit. This CLP will run for 3 consecutive Saturdays (May 2,9 and 16)

Freelance Jobs

2009-04-02T00:48:00.002-07:00

In this tough economy, you need to be creative in finding where you can earn money from. One of the ways of earning money from the comforts of your home is getting a freelance job online. At MakeMoneyOnline.com, a huge list of freelance job openings are within your reach. Depending on your expertise, skill or interest, you can find a job that would suit you. There are jobs for writing or reading, creating and maintaining databases, data entry, marketing, programming, graphic design, multimedia jobs, and a lot more. The Freelance Job Board gives you a list of the latest freelance job openings with the expected income, job description and the job start date. This is a great site if you are looking for a second job or even a full-time job that would allow you to stay home and earn money. Check out MakeMoneyOnline.com and start making money!

Internet Again

2009-04-02T00:37:00.003-07:00

I just wanted to share that... I HAVE MY INTERNET BACK! Wooohoo!!! Hookay... I'm obviously too happy about this. The QWEST guys came here around 4PM and I had to sneak out of work early to meet them up here in my apartment.

So what was the problem? They said that the fiber optic where my apartment is connected to is probably busted that's the modem is not getting any response. Also, they found out that I have a defective modem. Geeezzz! Yeah, I am that unlucky to get that much problem in one case. So yeah, case is solved finally! And they also figured out what was wrong with my wifi... well, I sort of gave them a tip. The modem that they have provided has the same IP address as my dLink router which prevents each other from getting connected. Yay! Another lesson learned!

Interesting Read

2009-04-01T15:38:00.002-07:00

I've always enjoyed reading self-help books even the DIY (do-it-yourself) and so-and-so for dummies books. It's my first time to hear of a book about how to survive Federal Prisons. Yes, it did interest me not because I am planning on doing a crime and getting myself in jail but because it is a story about a former prison inmate who survived living in the federal prison. In this book he shared his story as an inmate and wrote about tips on what to expects, the do's and dont's, the things that you will need while inside the prison. This is an interesting read that can probably enlighten people like us who have never been inside the prison cell on what kind of life there is inside the federal prison.

Day 3: Still Internet-less

2009-04-01T14:38:00.003-07:00

Oh Lord please let me get through another difficult day of not having internet at home. Yes, QWEST service sucks big time! I am so ready to terminate their service but guess what... there's only one provider for cable and internet in my condo complex therefore leaving me with not much choice.

Option 1: Get an aircard subscription
- Problem with the aircard is that I have several mini-office machines *my empire* that needs to be in the network. I have 2 laptops, a multi-function network ready printer, an expensive gigabit wifi router and a portable harddrive connected to the router that serves as a backup drive. So how do I get my 2 laptops online and put everything else in the network using an aircard? Hayyy...

Option 2: Get a satellite internet subscription
- I checked with the local satellite internet providers here in Phoenix and they are pretty pricey. Hughes.Net provides this service and the monthly fee starts at $70/mo exclusive of the equipment and installation. Yay!

So yeah, I am still weighing my options. Which one is more cost-effective and more feasible for my home-office empire.

Don't Skimp On Home Inspections

2009-03-30T17:16:00.001-07:00

With the present economy, house foreclosures are normal news for everybody. A lot of people are losing their jobs and of course, not able to pay their mortgages. At the same time, because of this bad economy, prices of real estate have plummeted downwards. Yes, it is very tempting to buy a house these days because of the bargain prices and the low interests. But then, are we sure that we are getting the value for our money?

Before purchasing a house, it is necessary that the real estate be inspected. This means making sure that all utilities are operational, radon testing, existence of termites and molds, operational septic system, soil testing for oil tanks and lead, well water testing, among many others. Look Smart Home Inspections LLC can perform a thorough inspection of the home you are eyeing to buy. John Martino, the founder of this company, is a licensed home inspector and formally trained in New Jersey. He has a good track record of customer satisfaction. This company makes sure that they are able to perform unbiased home inspections and provide you with a comprehensive and detailed home inspection report that you will surely appreciate before finally making that decision of buying real estate.

In this difficult economy, who would want to waste money on home repairs? By getting a home inspection prior to purchase, you are at least aware of the possible problems that your real estate may have in the future. Home inspection should not be something that you would skimp on. Yes, it is a bad economy but in the long run, you should also realize that getting a reliable home inspection report costs less than spending thousands of dollars on having your house repaired. Also, it spares you from the frustration and inconvenience when a breakdown happens. Check out New Jersey Home Inspectors - New Jersey Home Inspections before making that purchase!

Indian Bistro for Friday

2009-03-30T11:32:00.000-07:00

I was invited to a team lunch on Friday in an Indian Restaurant. I know I've been too biased about them... partly because of the stories of my boss based on his personal experience and I myself working with them for the last 5++ years. I've been to an Indian restaurant before... ONCE! And I never went back because of the bad service in that restaurant that we went to and the food that didn't really appeal to me. Now I am worried to join my team to this team lunch. Oh no! What should I order that may appeal to my tastebuds? I like curries but not the super dooper extremely spicy ones that can kill your tastebuds. Any suggestions on what to order in an Indian resto for a non-adventurous eater like me???

Pneumatic Tools

2009-03-27T17:50:00.001-07:00

You'll never know when you'll need these construction tools. Stanley Bostitch is the leading manufacturer and designer of innovative fastening solutions. They produced large amounts of collated nails, brads, Staplers, rings and clips. Nowadays, Stanley Bostitch produces a wide range of high qualityy manual and pneumatic tools and fasteners for different major industries such as construction, furniture production, packaging, automotive among many others. Using their state of the art facilities, they continuously pride themselves for high quality, reliability and great service. So if you are in search for construction tools, furniture tools or even DIY tools, check out Stanley Bostitch website.

Tire Buying Guide

2009-03-26T17:03:00.001-07:00

I admit I sometimes obssess on things that involve gadgets, Kimi (car parts and accessories) and food. When Kimi needed tire replacement, I was researching over the internet the right brand, size, speed rating, performance, etc. that would perfectly fit him. It was tedious research mind you! Good thing Buy4wdtyres.com.au is here to help clueless individuals (feminist aside, yes we're mostly females!) on buying 4x4 and SUV tires. Based on experience, original tires that came with the car are not necessarily the best tires for the type of usage of your car. Sometimes the weather where you drive your car also affects the type of tires that you have to buy. I guess more factors can affect your tire buying when it comes to SUV's and 4x4 because you also need to consider road and off-road conditions. At Buy4wdTyres.com, you will have a lot of help from the buying guide tips when choosing the right tire for your car.

Flu Season

2009-03-25T18:06:00.001-07:00

It's flu season once again here in Arizona. I am a victim of this flu and stuck here at home. =( I was never sickly and if I remember right, I even got a flu shot last year... Hmmm... or maybe that was two years ago?! Anyway, I was never sickly really. So now I am stuck at home without cable tv! Good thing there is internet! I now know how it feels to be so bored and sick.... maybe the worst feeling ever!

Download and Burn DVD Movies

2009-03-22T15:39:00.000-07:00

Did you ran out of dvd movies to watch? Visit Burn2DVD.com and find nice movies to watch. Website allows you to download the movies and burn them into DVD's. They use very fast servers so you don't have to worry about network bandwidth for as long as you have a good connection yourself. All you need to do is register in their website and start with searching for the movie that you want to watch.

Some Thoughts

2009-03-22T13:45:00.000-07:00

Got this from a friend's blog and I can so relate. I agree in most of the things the author said.

Please Read all the way to the bottom:
If you will take the time to read these. I promise you'll come away with an enlightened perspective. The subjects covered affect us all on a daily basis:

They're written by Andy Rooney, a man who has the gift of saying so much with so few words. Enjoy.......

I've learned .... That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.

I've learned .... That when you're in love, it shows.

I've learned .... That just one person saying to me, 'You've made my day!' makes my day.

I've learned .... That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.

I've learned .... That being kind is more important than being right.

I've learned .... That you should never say no to a gift from a child.

I've learned .... That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.

I've learned .... That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.

I've learned .... That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.

I've learned .... That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult. (I've never tried this since the old man wasn't around half of my life)

I've learned .... That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

I've learned .... That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.

I've learned .... That money doesn't buy class.

I've learned .... That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.

I've learned ... That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.

I've learned .... That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

I 've learned .... That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.

I've learned .... That love, not time, heals all wounds.

I've learned .... That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.

I've learned .... That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.

I've learned .... That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.

I've learned .... That life is tough, but I'm tougher.

I've learned .... That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.

I've learned .... That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.

I've learned .... That I wish I could have told my Mom that I love her one more time before she passed away.

I've learned ..... That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.

I've learned .... That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

I've learned .... That when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, that you're hooked for life.

I've learned .... That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.

I've learned .... That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.

Men's Bling

2009-03-21T01:58:00.001-07:00

Although B is not really a big fan of bling and anything shiny, I think he'll appreciate this 18K white gold bezel-set diamond ring. The small rocks are not really that noticeable so I guess he won't find it too intimidating to wear. I love small rocks over one big rock. I like those eternity ring like designs. Clevereve.com sells these unique mens diamond rings. They are fully insured so you don't have to worry when they are being mailed to you. They also offer free overnight shipping. All shipping requires adult signature at delivery. All purchases have a limited lifetime warranty and they can even customize your order.

I think giving a diamond for a gift is the way to go if you really want to please someone special to you. Clevereve also has a wide selection of diamonds in their engagement rings, wedding bands, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, watches and many others. I also admire how intricate their designs are and how much women would fall in love with those engagement rings. No, I am not yet planning or even dreaming of receiving one soon! Haha. I also love their diamond necklaces! Hint! Hint! I wish B can read this post. haha. Check out their website and browse through their wide selection of jewelries.

Food for Thought Friday

2009-03-20T11:08:00.002-07:00

Breakfast
If your job made you move, but you could choose which country you would be living in, which country would you choose and why?
- Definitely a European country. Possibly France, Spain, Finland.

Lunch
Do you have any phobias?
- Nope. Well, I probably haven't found out yet.

Dinner
What is something you can't help but spend money on?
- Great food at a restaurant, gadgets and SHOES!

Midnight Snack
What profession/job did your parent(s) have while you were growing up?
- Pops was an employee in some company. Ma was a businesswoman.

Recipe of the Week (instead of your recipe for life what is it just for the week?)
- I need to get my Directv cable working and make sure that my internet is still up and running! Qwest is cutting their cable tv service starting Monday next week.

Thanks Jodi for this meme!

Organic Skin Care

2009-03-19T15:53:00.000-07:00

For the past years, people are more concerned about how they look and how can they cheat the natural mechanism of the body to age. A lot of people have gone to the extremes just to keep their bodies looking young. Some have undergone extreme surgery to get rid of those sagging bulges, remove their wrinkles and get botox shots. Emerge Organic Labs have recently discovered another way to keep the skin looking young using HTN or High Tech Nature technology to harvest plant cells and transform them into cosmetic and dermatological agents to keep the human skin looking young. The skin products that they have formulated have been tested around the world by leading physicians. All of their products are from natural sources and are free from synthetic chemicals, fragrances and preservatives. Stem cell technology has been an emerging medical technology the past years and has promised a lot of benefits. Emerge Labs Organic Skin Care line offers an alternative solution to keeping your skin looking young.

One Less Shopping Store

2009-03-19T14:45:00.000-07:00

Last year, I was raving about Steve and Barry's which is a new favorite clothes store of mine where you can buy everything for as low as $7+tax. I even posted a blog about it here. Where else can you find brand new $7 jeans, shoes, dress? It's just so sad that they were also victims of the bad economy and had to declare bankruptcy. Hayyy... One less shop to visit. They closed their one and only store here in Arizona late last year. This is depressing.

Paintball Gears on Sale

2009-03-19T12:02:00.001-07:00

They say that any shooting sport is a good outlet to release stress. I am sure my friends who are addicted to paintball will surely agree! My friends in Manila have invited me to join them play paintball but I never joined them because of my busy schedule. When I saw some of their photos in full-gear, I was so envious and wished I joined them while I was still in Manila. Hmmm... maybe next time I am home, I will invite them to a paintball match.

Utimate Paintball sells gears for paint ball which includes top selling paintball guns such as the Tippmann A-5, Tippmann 98 Custom, Smart Parts Ion and Spyder Pilot. I am pretty sure my friends who are addicted to paintball will appreciate these gears. Check out these awesomely discounted prices such as this US Army Tippmann Alpha Black Tactical sniper gun set now on sale for only $209.

University of Phoenix Stadium - Part 2

2009-03-19T11:17:00.001-07:00

Here are more photos from last weekend's University of Phoenix Stadium tour. Tour costs less than $10, I think! I don't know exactly how much it costs because B paid for it. LOL. Anyways, check out the photos below...

Photos were taken from the different viewing levels of the stadium. The last ones were taken from the loft. There are 88 of these lofts inside the stadium and each one costs thousands of dollars to rent. Currently, all of these lofts are fully rented!

Kansas City Plastic Surgeons

2009-03-17T23:48:00.000-07:00

Everybody desires to look good and be pleasing to other people's eyes. Some may even go to the extent of medically changing their body just to look and feel better about themselves thus plastic surgery or cosmetic surgery is a common procedure here in the US. LookingYourBest.com has an extensive list of reputable Kansas City Plastic Surgeons. Whether it is deciding to get a breast augmentation, liposuction, rhinoplasty or any other cosmetic surgery, you can search for a resource from their website.

University of Phoenix Stadium - Part 1

2009-03-17T11:30:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, we went for a tour at the University of Phoenix Stadium. Let me show you how the new and huge stadium looks like from the outside...

It is really, really huge and beautiful. The exterior skin of the stadium represents a barrel cactus. The University of Phoenix Stadium is the home of the Arizona Cardinals. It was opened on August 1, 2006 and the estimated construction cost was $455 million. It has a fully retractable roof and has the first fully retractable natural grass playing surface built in the US. This structure is located in Glendale, Arizona close to the 101 loop, just 15 minutes away from downtown.

Shopping for Formal Dresses

2009-03-16T16:24:00.000-07:00

Let me share to you a shopping site that sells party dresses at a fraction of the normal cost of dresses in the malls. ElegantMart.com sells prom dresses, formal dresses, coctail dresses or even bridesmaid gowns. For shopping addicts like me, you will be pleased to see elegant and fashionable dresses at an eye-whopping discount prices. Check out their site and save more on their clearance dresses. They even offer UPS ground shipping for purchases of $100 or more.

Cubs vs Mariners

2009-03-16T14:47:00.000-07:00

Of course, the Cubs won at last Friday's spring training game. Below are some photos of the event.

My OC boyfriend chose a seat that is not under the sun because he was worried he'll get a tan. Hahaha. I do appreciate his efforts to make me feel as comfortable as ever because it was his choice to watch the game knowing that I am not a baseball fan. Awww... BTW, number 27 from the Cubs was the best player at last Friday's game. He did a couple of homeruns. Hookay... I am learning the game. Maybe next time we'll watch an NBA game here in Phoenix. =)

For Bike Fanatics

2009-03-16T11:21:00.003-07:00

Are you a bike fan? I meant the BIKE with a motor not a bicycle! LOL. I found a good bike resource site for fanatics such as my old boss. He was such a big Harley fan that he even had his Harleys (yes, plural!) shipped to the Philippines from his home in Guam. Cruise Customizing website is a good resource for your bike needs such as bike parts and accessories. So if you are looking for tires, bars & grips, lightings, seats, saddlebags, and a lot more parts for your Harley, Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and a lot more bike brands, you could easily find them on this website. Whatever style you may need for your ride, you can always find something great at CruiserCustomizing.com. Also check out their motorcycle community and read sharings of stories from other bike fanatics like you.

Hohokam Stadium, Mesa, AZ

2009-03-16T11:06:00.002-07:00

I've never understood how baseball works until last weekend. B was in town to visit me and he insisted that we watch "his" team play for the 2009 Spring training held here in Arizona. He is a big Chicago Cubs fan. And I mean BIG! Last Friday he was all geared-up to watch his team play against Seattle Navigators at the Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Arizona. Well, baseball isn't so bad. I enjoyed watching the game although I think I need to do more research on understanding the game rules. Haha. Photo above of the Hohokam stadium was taken last weekend after the match.

Free Spoofing

2009-03-12T15:53:00.001-07:00

Imagine this scenario... you want to call someone but you don't want your number to register on the person's phone you are trying to call. So how can you do that using your normal landline or cellphone? 123Spoof.com can do the stuff I just said and much more! 123Spoof allows you call other people but concealing your actual number. They can even record the calls that you make and enable you to play it back. 123Spoof also has the functionality to go straight to the voicemail of the person you're trying to call. This I think is an awesome feature especially when you are not in the mood for long talks but you want to leave someone a message that you know they will surely receive. Another cool feature of this service is you are able to discuise your voice! Hahaha. I can imagine playing a prank on my friends. You can try it now for free by just signing-up on the 123spoof.com website. Enjoy Free Spoofing your friends!

Bringing T-Shirt Back

2009-03-11T14:16:00.000-07:00

I am definitely a t-shirt, jeans and flip-flops kind of person. My shirts are mostly solid colored shirt with a tiny logo or striped one. If I can get away with wearing a t-shirt when going to parties or any social functions, I would definitely wear my favorite t-shirt! I found a t-shirt company who customizes printing for shirts using different printing techniques such as screen printing or direct to garment digital printing. Just click on the link to take you to the site.

I'm on Starbucks Hiatus

2009-03-11T13:21:00.000-07:00

Yes, you read it right. And you can read it over and over again so it will sink in. Haha. I'm giving up Starbucks for Lent this year and I will only have 1 small cup of non-Starbucks coffee per day. Haaa! This is it! The coffee addict is seriously staying away from caffeine for 40days! Some people may say why not give up coffee totally for 40 days? Well... if only I get 8hours of sleep per day then I could probably totally give it up. But since I'm usually running on 4hours of sleep on the average, it is very difficult to jumpstart my brain in the morning without caffeine. So yeah, this is a difficult sacrifice for me. I'm on my 14th day of 1 cup of coffee per day and so far so good. =)

Fine English Cutlery

2009-03-11T08:47:00.000-07:00

Along with my love for cooking is my fascination for any kitchen and dining tools. May it be silverware, fancy stemware, expensive plates, among many others. I guess these all boils down to my love for eating great food. Well, having a chef for an ex-boyfriend, I guess his well-developed palate has been rubbed on to me.

Sometime ago when living in Helsinki, I was amazed at how great of an artists they are. I fell in love with this fine brand of expensive cutlery and kitchenware. If I had enough baggage space, I would have brought home tons of them in the Philippines but too bad we can only bring home some otherwise we'll be taxed for bringing home commercial amount. Anyway, my penchant for fine sterling silver flatware and cutlery never faded so when I saw Arthur Price of England Cutlery, I got so excited. Their cutlery are made of highest standard and finest materials so you can be sure that it is a very fine piece. The craftsmanship of these cutlery tools shows how great English design is. All are handmade by master silversmiths of Sheffield, England. I like simple designs but exudes class. Going through their catalog in their website, I really want to have the Baguette line of cutlery with matching cutlery cabinet so I can stow them away still in style. The Mango design line is also nice and very similar to the cutlery that we used to own back in our Helsinki apartment. Oh and by the way, Arthur Price Cutlery is currently on sale! Enjoy the half-price discounts if you buy them online from their website. Cutlery is also a great gift for your family and friends especially those who are getting married. These are fine pieces that I'm sure they would also love to own. Check out their website for more interesting and fashionable contemporary and premium cutlery.

On Finding A Perfect Home

2009-03-11T08:03:00.000-07:00

As you know, I have always been hesitant to choose a state, place, or even country where I really want to settle. What I meant about settling is that I would eventually buy a home there and live with my family. Yes, after more than a year here in the US, I have not decided yet where I really want to stay. haha. I guess I was still searching for a reason other than my job to finally stay in one place. Now that I've found someone... a partner who makes me happy, I guess it's about time to move on with my life and make the big decision. No, we're not living in together! I just wanted to be near him and make the relationship work so I guess that's enough reason for me to move to Las Vegas. It may not be the most perfect place to raise a family but I think it's a good start for accepting that I indeed need someone in my life and let him be a part of it. Hayyyy... this is what love can do. Lol.

Surf Securely

2009-03-10T15:06:00.000-07:00

Ever heard of anonymous proxy? It is an computer application that acts as a a go-between for requests from clients seeking resources from other servers as defined by wikipedia.org. The main purpose of using an anonymous proxy is for security by keeping an anonymous identity between requests and responses and to speed up access to a resource via caching. World-secure-channel.com offers this anonymous proxy through vpn plus much more! Check out their site and find out how you can surf securely and bypass all local internet restrictions.

Sunny-Snowy California

2009-03-10T15:01:00.000-07:00

I think I've mentioned some blogs ago that I hated snow. When I lived in Helsinki, I hated the -25 degrees weather. Snow was good for a week but if it lasts for more than a week, I start to hate it. The same reason why I live in Arizona now. Haha. Couple of weeks ago, I went to a retreat in Yucaipa, California. Yes, up in the mountains of California! It's been a long time since I've seen this much snow. I must admit that I sort of missed it. That sunny-snowy weekend was really fun!

Top 10 Web Hosting Providers

2009-03-10T14:59:00.001-07:00

Choosing the right webhosting provider affects the website's hits and ranking. If your webhosting provider is very reliable, chances are, your website ranking is high because the search engines are able to crawl to your website more often. Choosing a webhosting provider can sometimes become a tricky decision-making delimma. WebHostingRating.com provides the top 10 web hosts for 2009. They rate these providers based on customer satisfaction, affordability, reliability, uptime and how good technical support that they provide. This comparative list is definitely what bloggers like me would greatly appreciate because I don't have to google and do my own comparative study of these providers. Check out web hosting rating website for your guide to choosing the right webhosting provider for your needs.

Random Thoughts on Cleaning-up Part 2

2009-03-08T23:06:00.003-07:00

I'm on my 2nd week of cleaning *or should I say overhauling* my apartment. It's just been crazy that I've never done this much cleaning since I moved here in the US. I know I can be OC when it comes to cleaning and I literally wouldn't stop scrubbing until it's squeaky clean. It's just been crazy! You should see my closet, the cabinets under my kitchen and bathroom sink, and my pantry to realize how much of an OC I can be. This is the most extreme cleaning-up I have done by far!

Make Instant Messaging More Fun

2009-03-05T17:31:00.002-07:00

For people like me who are fond of chatting, blogging, and plurking, there's a new way to enhance this experience. SweetIM provides a wide list of free emoticons & winks, nudges and images for your messenger. I am a big fan of using emoticons in my chat sessions and plurk especially when I want to stress a point or let the person I am conversing with know how I feel. SweetIM can be used in several different instant messengers such as MSN, AIM, Yahoo and ICQ. You can also attach these images in Yahoo Mail, Gmail, Hotmail, blogs, forums and other forms of social network. SweetIM tool also provides free search for your browser and spelling checker or url formatting for your browser. Downloads are free and safe. When I say safe, it is adware-free, spyware-free and no registration required for use.

Random Thoughts on Cleaning-up

2009-03-04T22:15:00.004-07:00

The past days have been crazy... for me and my apartment. I've been doing lots of cleaning up because the gg is coming over next weekend. The funny thing is last Sunday, I was cleaning up for literally more than 12hours and I was not even halfway done! So today I started cleaning up my closet. Some random realizations...

- 10 months worth of accumulated litter and trash is difficult to clean-up in 12 hours
- I thought I needed a bigger apartment because I was already running out of space to store my belongings. I don't need a bigger apartment, all I needed was to do a clean-up after all.
- Identity theft here in the US sucks! I had to sort out all mails and not just throw them away without shredding.
- ...that I badly need a shredder! A heavy-duty shredder for that matter!

I'm tired! I still have a bathroom to clean. =(

Professionally Managed Real Estate

2009-03-04T14:22:00.000-07:00

Looking for professionals to manage your real estate property? Real Property Management professionally manages thousands of rental properties which includes single family homes, multi-unit apartment buildings and homeowner's associations. They have 20 years of professional experience in the business. Some of the services they offer are tenant placement, affordable management fees, accounting, project management, maitenance services, among many others. Having a professional manage your rental property will definitely take the burden off of your shoulders. Let Real Property Management manage your real estate properties so you can save more time, money and resources when doing it on your own. Also, do check out their website for available properties for sale and lease.

The BFs XX3

2009-03-01T19:17:00.005-07:00

Just sharing my surprise gift for the bf. He's a shoe collector... or should I say, just as addicted as I am to buying shoes. lol. I bought these Jordan XX3's from ebay and they both arrived sometime last, last week. Since I cannot afford to get him a titanium edition of the jordans, I just got him 2 pairs. I hope he likes it though. I spoil my man. =)

Bridgeport Plumbing

2009-03-01T19:04:00.000-07:00

Couple of months ago, I broke my shower knob. The month before that my water heater broke down. It was such a hassle for me because I didn't have much time to look for plumbers and I did not know where to find them. At times like those, I would have appreciated if I have found a online resource for plumbing problems such as Bridgeport Plumbing Contractor.

Bridgeport Plumbing Contractor pride themselves for excellent customer satisfaction. They offer the following residential services:
* Basements Pumped & Dry Basement Systems
* Frozen Pipes
* General Plumbing (Drains, Showers, Sinks, etc.)
* Hot Water Heaters, Storm Drains, Sump Pumps
* Istallations

They offer 1 year warranty on theur drain line services. Try a Bridgeport Plumber now and find out the difference of their service.

I love IKEA

2009-03-01T18:44:00.003-07:00

I just need to rave about these storage boxes that I bought from Ikea about a month ago. I love Ikea... as much as the bf loves it! I was like a little girl in her playground when I went to one of their stores in LA. I sort of have this little dream of owning an IKEA furnished house. LOL. Yeah... I was that obsessed with it! Anyways, these storage boxes doubles as my paper stuff container and magazine holder. What's more awesome is that they come in different colors! I love the green and the white but too bad my apartment's color scheme is more of the browns and blacks. Check them out at Ikea.com.

It's Really About How You See You

2009-02-26T16:19:00.000-07:00

Every woman wants to look pleasing not just to the eyes of other people but also for themselves. In the age of rapid scientific advancement, plastic surgery has gone a long way in enhancing a person's body. One of the most common plastic surgeries that has been performed around world is breast augmentation. May it be an actress, a political figure, a public figure or even a common person, anybody can just get plastic surgery for as long as your body can take the surgery and your doctor approves it.

Charlotte breast augmentation prouds itself for a less invasive surgical procedure therefore healing recory is faster. Their experienced plastic surgeons will provide you with all the information that you need and they will discuss with you all the leading-edge options that you have for your chosen surgical method. Charlotter Plastic Surgery performs different types of breast surgeries such as breast enhancement, breast lift, breast reduction and male breast reduction. Breast enhancements usually lasts for 1 to 2 hours. A local anesthesia can be used or sometimes a general anesthesia is needed. Recovery time after the procedure takes a few days but it takes 3 to 4 weeks before physical contact with the breast can be done. Scars lasts for a several months up to a year or more.

Amazing Music From a Pinoy Talent

2009-02-26T15:53:00.002-07:00

I am so in love with men who are great in playing the guitar. Yes, I found one of them! Listen to the music below and tell me if you're not blown away by how great of a guitarist he is.

Every Little Thing He Does Is Magic

I swear... I was in awe when I heard Jerome Rico play his guitar. After that, I immediately researched who he was. He is another proof of Pinoy talent that we should be proud of. Sharing more music from him down here... Make sure that you're logged on to your IMEEM account to play the full music. Enjoy!

Jerome Rico

Machine Washable Coats and Clothing

2009-02-24T17:27:00.000-07:00

I am a self-confessed shopaholic. Whether you take me to a high-class mall, or to a fleamarket, or even online boutiques, I will surely find some great hidden buys. As opposed to being a lavishly shopping addict, I have always found a way to be reasonable whenever I do my purchases. First, if it's on sale and I want it then the purchase can be justified. Second, if I really, really need it, I try to do a comparative study of prices so I can buy it where it's cheaper. Third, if it's a gift for someone special and I know he really, really wants that gift and it will please him then it is definitely justifiable.

Living here in the US has taught me that I should never buy retail because it's either the store will put that item on sale just a couple of weeks after it has been first released or I can find an outlet store where everything is on sale. The thing with buying expensive clothing is that you will have second thoughts of putting it on the washer and dryer to laundry because it definitely deteriorates the quality of the clothing afterwards. Good thing Ogie Kanogie clothing line has created fashionable clothing that are machine washable. Their awesomely fashionable jackets and dresses are all machine washable making it very convenient to laundry and it will cost a lot of money since the quality does not deteriorate after every wash. Their perfect coats for different types of weather are all comfy, affordable and very stylish. Just choose from their wide selection of varying weight coats made of different materials. Moms will surely appreciate this kind of clothing and will definitely say bye-bye to dry cleaning. Ogiekanogie.com offers free domestic shipping.