Smile Worthy

Jules and I went to the dentist today for an overdue dental prophylaxis.

I don't like going to the dentist so I try to avoid it as much as possible. We were supposed to go to the dentist last November but I kept making excuses. I'm just like a little girl when it comes to these things. I always try to delay my appointment with the dentist maybe because I had a bad experience with my old one. She accidentally poked a very sensitive tooth. The pain was terrible. I have a new dentist and she has tender hands. But despite this, I'm still not fond of going to the dentist.

Today's dental prophylaxis went well. No pain, no discomfort. Thanks Dr. Quiatchon.

Now, I feel refreshed and I'm thankful that I'm done with my dental cleaning for the first half of the year.

Double Tag :: 6 Strange Things About Me

Thank you Kia and Nancze for tagging me to Share 6 weird/strange things about myself.

Actually, I've done this meme already a few weeks ago but let me re-post my answers for both of you. I was originally tagged by Anne.

6 Weird Things About ME:

THE RULES: Write ‘6 weird things about you.’ Tag six net friends & leave a message in their blogs. These rules are supposed to be written in the blogs of those who have been tagged.

1. When I was in grade school school, I never threw away my pencils even though they became too short to hold properly. I kept all short pencils in one pencil case. I didn't want to throw them because I felt 'sorry' for them.

2. As a child, I loved watching Raggedy Anne and Andy. They are dolls that come alive when nobody is looking. I had plenty of dolls when I was a girl. I often arranged them in a circle and pretended to go down. I always waited behind the door for a few minutes then I would open the door hoping to catch my dolls having fun and talking to each other. As expected, I never caught them vulnerable. Ha! Ha!

3. I'm paranoid. I worry about the smallest thing. I cannot function well when I have an unsolved problem.

4. I find it hard to sleep alone. I sometimes wake up in the wee hours of the morning and feel someone is after me. Must be due to all those horror flicks I enjoy watching.

5. I never point at rainbows because as a child I was told that my finger would fall off if I did. When I grew up and realized it wasn't true, I still coudn't point at a rainbow.

6. [On my original post, I was only able to come up with five things but I will complete it for this post.] I went to driving school twice and finished both programs but I don't drive. In the Philippines, there are many stray dogs in the street. There were instances when I tried driving but I always ended up braking several times because of stray dogs. I have this weird notion that I might hit a dog. Thus, I don't drive. I depend on my husband to drive me around. I wish I could somehow overcome this weird fear.

Just like on my original post, I will bend the rules a little and not tag anyone. But I would like to invite those interested to try this meme. I think it's challenging to reflect on the 'weird' things about yourself and have the courage to admit them in public.

Tagged: What Blogging Has Done For Me

Dine (a.k.a. Sexy Mom) of The D Spot has tagged me to share on what blogging has done for me. Sorry Dine for being late on this.

1. Blogging has become a daily activity that I look forward to each day. It's like a nice treat that awaits me after a long day.

2. I realized that it's a good venue to meet new friends and lots of interesting people.

3. Blogging helps me improve my writing skills.

4. I'm learning how to tinker with HTML and other interesting Codes/Scripts.

5. Blogging is a good way to relieve stress. It's like a form of refuge especially when I feel a little down.

6. I'm always excited to check my blog for new comments. I'm happy everytime I receive a new comment because it means that someone took time to read my post.

7. Blogging is the same as keeping a journal of my thoughts and feelings. I love going through my old posts and I know that in the future, I can fondly read my blog and remember the memorable moments in my life.

How has blogging affected you?

Perfect Cup

We've been experiencing chilly mornings and nights these past few weeks. It has its advantages because we don't need to open the electric fan and aircon anymore. I'm sure our electricity bill will go down this month.

What's the best thing during chilly mornings and evenings? A perfect cup of homemade hot chocolate. Jules made some this morning using the chocolate tableas given to him by his friend. One tablea makes one cup. I love the smell of hot chocolate in the air. It's a very inviting aroma and somehow brings a feeling of warmth deep inside.

updated 2/1/07:

Tableas -- a mix of crushed native cacao beans and peanuts sold in solidified tablet or ball form.

Happy Birthday Connie!

Happy Birthday to Connie of Serious Mumbo Jumbo.

Wishing you a beautiful day that you can add to your treasure box of happy memories. I know that you miss your mom on this special day but I hope that cherished memories of past birthdays spent together will bring warmth to your heart. God bless.

Monday Madness

Click here to join the madness.
This week's questions come from a faithful participant, sherle.

1. Do you make New Year's resolutions? If so, what is your most important one?
Not anymore.

2. Easter is coming. Many Christians give up something for Lent. Do you give something up for any reason (or season)? What is it this year?
I feel guilty of neglecting the real essence of Lent these past few years. I realized I haven't made real sacrifices except for abstinence from eating meat during Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

3. Do you watch the Super Bowl? If so, do you watch it with a group? If not, what do you do while the game is on? Anything special?
No, I don't watch it.

4. Would you miss Monday Madness if it stopped permanently?
Yes, I would definitely miss it. I hope it will continue to run for several more years.

5. Name at least one theme for MM questions. Share at least one question for that theme.

Valentine's Day
How do you celebrate Valentine's Day?
Name a special gift you received during Valentine's Day.
Define Love using each letter: L.O.V.E.

I'm 512 on 2000 Bloggers

Not yet? Hurry and be part of Tino Buntic's great project. Click here to find out the details.

I was thrilled the first time I saw my photo on 2000 Bloggers and I recently found out that I earned the 512 slot on this fascinating page.



Credits:
1. 2000 Bloggers is a project of Tino Buntic of The Blogger Links Benefactor.
2. Lovely button courtesy of Ilker Yoldas of The Thinking Blog.
3. Photo presentation inspired by Bug of An Indian Summer
4. I originally found out about 2000 Bloggers from Teena of It's All About Me.
5. Finding out my number on 2000 Bloggers inspired by Princess of The CooknTcher Mom.

Remembering Tito Aini

It's sad to say good bye so unexpectedly.
It was so sudden, no one thought it would be this early.
Perhaps, God has better plans for you.
Thank you for the kindness and inspiration you
shared with everyone.

Good bye Tito Aini.
May you be happy thereafter.

Happiness Without a Catch

Live your life in a manner that never infringes on the happiness of anyone.

Eknath Easwaran
I believe that we can truly be happy when we know deep in our hearts that we have not hurt anyone in the process.

Happiness is short lived when someone has been negatively affected by our actions.

We should try our best to find our source of joy and contentment without stepping on anyone along the way.

Life is so much beautiful when our hearts are free from guilt and worry.

Live a more meaningful life by caring for others as much as we care for ourselves.

To everyone, have a great and stress-free week ahead!

Happy Birthday Nancze!

Happy Birthday Nancze. May this special day bring many joys in your heart. Wishing you good health and many great job opportunities. Take care and wishing you more happy moments to cherish.

Photo Hunt :: Silver

Note: Hi everyone. Sorry wasn't able to participate on this week's Friday's Feast. I promise to join the buffet next week. Thank you for all your lovely comments. I'll reply to them soon.

Today is a sad today because it's the funeral of Jules' Uncle Aini. He was a good man with a big heart and we will miss him.

Anyway, I'm just posting my entry for this week's Photo Hunt before we head to The Heritage Park for the mass and the funeral.

Grab the Scavenger Hunt code.
Photo Theme. Join the blogroll.
Visit participants.

I love Silver trinkets. Here are some of them.

Happy Birthday Iris!

Happy Birthday Iris of NutmegNine! May this special day bring into your heart a joy so warm and deep. May you always be blessed with good health and love in your heart.

Making Money from Scrap Materials

My husband and I saw this interesting shop at Laguna, Philippines. It was eye-catching because of the colorful displays of pinwheels, lamps, bird houses and many more so we just had to stop. It was a very simple shop but we were amazed by the beautiful, handmade products made of recycled items. They sell cute bird houses in different colors and sizes. Some were real bird houses while others were made into lamps. The store also sells hand painted mail boxes and lanterns.


I adore the lovely pinwheels and we bought several of them for our garden. We met the man who makes these beautiful creations. My husband and I admire him for his ingenuity and creativity. I think it's great that he was able to make money using recycled items such as corrogated plastic and PC boards. His gift for transforming scrap materials into a beautiful work of art is astounding.

Scattegories

I saw this at Pamela of Just The Two of Us and she said everyone's welcome to play along.

Rules: Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following…They must be REAL places, names, things…NOTHING made up! If you can’t think of anything, skip it. Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial. You CAN’T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

Your Name:


1. Famous Athlete: Ronaldo Luis Nazário de Lima a.k.a. Ronaldo
2. 4 letter word: Reveal,Respond, Rest, Relish, Rock, Roll, Rave, Rant
updated: sorry i thought it was asking for four words then i read it again and realized i answered it wrong so i'm crossing out the others and added new words.
3. Street name: Rodeo Drive
4. Color: Red
5. Gifts/presents: Ring
6. Vehicles: Renault,Rolls Royce
7. Tropical Locations: Romblon (Philippines)
8. College Majors: Radio and Television (Communication and Journalism)
9. Dairy Products: Romano Cheese

Romano cheese is a type of cheese that is known for being very hard, salty and sharp. This very hard cheese is usually used for grating. It is different from normal cheeses because it requires more milk per pound, most water being lost in the process. source

10. Things in a Souvenir Shop: Resin figurines
11. Boy Name: Rico
12. Girl Name: Raine
13. Movie Titles: Reign of Fire, Rain Man, Raiders of the Lost Ark
14. Alcohol: Rum
15. Occupations: Research Analyst
16. Flowers: Roses
17. Celebrities: Reese Witherspoon, Renee Zellweger
18. Magazines: Rolling Stone
19. U.S. Cities: Rhode Island
20. Pro Sports Teams: Real Madrid (soccer)
21. Something Found in a kitchen: Refrigerator
22. Reason for Being Late: Rain causing highway traffic.
23. Something You Throw Away: Rubber Bands
24 Things You Shout: Ridiculous!
25. Cartoon Character: Rainbow Brite

Anyone else wants to try it? Let me know if you do.

Happy Birthday Tita Prency!

Happy Birthday Tita Prency! Wishing you best of health, more inspirations and happy moments with people close to your heart. May you have more blessings in life. God bless.

Apple Pie Ala Mode

Jules' friend, Doctora Lulu gave us homemade apple pie crumble. Jules bought vanilla ice-cream and ta-da ... it's apple pie ala mode. He even put a cherry on top to make it more appealing. We usually have some bottled cherries in our refrigerator for desserts like this.

I had this apple pie ala mode for dessert this evening. It was a yummy treat.

Monday Madness (late)

Click here to join the madness.

Sorry I'm a day late on my Monday Madness.

1. Did you make any resolutions this year?
No, not this time.

2. If so, which one do you think you'll really stick to? If not, is there something you're going to try harder to accomplish?
I didn't make any resolutions but I told myself that I would do my best in all my endeavors this year.

3. Do you have a fear of any small rodents/insects/etc? If so, please share.
I'm afraid of cockroaches. I usually run for cover when I see a flying cockroach and I couldn't rest until I know that someone else in the house has killed it.

4. Share something exciting that's going on in your life.
I'm hoping to revive my career in marketing. It's been a while since I last worked. I'm excited to continue my career and meet lots of interesting people.

5. Did you wonder what happened to Monday Madness these past few weeks?
Oh yes, I did. I kept checking it now and then and hoping it will have new set of questions. I'm so glad it's back.

...and this question comes from one of our good friends, tricia:

6. Do you have a favorite gameshow announcer?
Locally, it's Kris Aquino. Her bubbly nature and sometimes frank manner of speaking makes her very interesting to watch.

Be Happy

No man is happy who does not think himself so.

Publilius Syrus

It is important to learn how to appreciate blessings, small and big ones. We choose and determine how happy we want to be. If we determine to live a happy life, no one can take that away from us.

Game of Luck and Joy

Yohan loves this game at Festival Mall. For only P25.00, he is given a box of wooden balls. One at a time, Yohan puts a ball on the mini slide. The object of the game is to let the ball pass through the moving targets. The targets are different wooden animals with holes on their tummies. Every ball that successfully passes through the stomach of any animal is marked as one point on the automated counter. Respective prizes are given depending on the number of points. Yohan got a toy cellphone for this game. He was very proud of the prize that he earned.

Look at all these kids having a wonderful time. It's nice to see every child's expression of joy upon getting his or her prize after the game.

Happy Birthday Kirby!

Happy Birthday Kirby! We miss you! We wish you a thriving career, best of health and most of all a mended heart. We know you've been through a lot and we hope that you'll find the right person for you. Take care and God bless.

Oink! 6x

I saw these really cute pigs at the mall. They come in different colors and sizes. You could even put them on top of one another to form a pig pyramid. The child in me just wanted to take them home, so I did.

I decided to give the pigs to Yohan and I'm glad that he liked them. Yohan named each pig based on its color. He named them Blue Pig, Orange Pig, Green Pig, Yellow Pig, White Pig and Baby Pink Pig. :)

Oink! Oink!

2000 Bloggers

I saw this post at Teena's blog and decided to check it out. I think it's a nice project.

2000 Bloggers is a page created by Tino Buntic which aims to showcast 2000 bloggers from all walks of life.

If you want to be included in 2000 Bloggers, leave a comment here with a link to your blog and your name.

Tino Buntic has two requirements, though:

1. You must have a photo of yourself somewhere on your blog, and 2. Your blog must have been created prior to January 1st of this year.

I checked it out a few minutes ago and left a comment.

Updated:
I posted my comment this morning then when I checked my site just now, my photo is already there. Cool! Thanks Tino Buntic.

Photo Hunt :: Wild

Grab the Scavenger Hunt code.
Photo Theme. Join the blogroll.
Visit participants.

Wild, raging flood water in our street due to Super Typhoon Milenyo which we experienced latter part of last year. The perimeter wall of our village collapsed due to the force of the water. It was a blessing in disguise because the flow of water was diverted to a nearby stream. If the wall did not collapse, our house would have been swamped by flood.

We were very lucky. Many nearby residents didn't fare well. Many houses were destroyed by the storm and a lot of people were forced to go to evacuation shelters to seek help.

Friday's Feast #7

Join the feast here.
Feast One Hundred & Twenty Seven

Appetizer
Which television shows do you just refuse to miss?
Lost - It always leaves me hanging so I'm always anxious to watch the next episode. I wonder how it will end. I'm clueless.

Grey's Anatomy - I watched Season 1&2 on DVD but when Season 3 finally airs in the Philippines, I'll make sure that I won't miss a single episode on TV. Unless I get lucky and find a Season 3 DVD.

Soup
Who did you last speak to on the telephone?
My husband. He dropped me off at the mall to go shopping while he took my son to school. I bought a few things that I will send to my partner (GrayMama) in relation to Kooky Kay's Monthly Mini Swap. Jules called me before he picked me up at the mall.

Salad
How many pillows do you keep on your bed?
4 regular pillows, 1 oversized pillow, 2 "hotdog" pillows

Main Course
Name one addition to your computer (software, hardware, etc.) that you'd love to have.
I would love a DVD burner or an LCD monitor.

Dessert
What is your favorite foreign food?
I love Japanese food. I love California Maki, Kani Salad, Miso Soup, Tonkatsu, Ebi Tempura and Sukiyaki. Oops, I think I was supposed to mention only one. Sorry, I got carried away. :)

Decode My Message For You

I saw this cool puzzle at Gabrielle's. It's called a Rebus. If you have some time to spare, try to decode this short message I made for you. Have fun trying to figure it out. Click on the picture if you find it hard to see the letters and symbols. Happy weekend everyone!

A rebus (Latin: "by things") is a kind of word puzzle which uses pictures to represent words or parts of words; for example: H + = Hear, or Here. source: Wikipedia

Updated: I forgot to put the link. I didn't make the rebus from scratch. You can easily make one using this generator. Just type your message on the text box then click Shape. After that choose the option Rebus Generator and font of choice then click Print Preview to get your own Rebus. Press Print Screen on your keyboard then paste it using Paint and save it as jpeg file. Instant Rebus! Try it and have fun.

Tagged: Dare to Bare 5 Secrets

I was tagged by Dine of The D Spot to bare 5 of my secrets.

1. I used to have a big crush on our neighbor when I was in college. He lived right across us. Luckily my room faced their house. I would wait until he got home then I would peek behind the curtains just to get a glimpse of him. I had a knack for telling if it was his car that arrived. Yeah, I admit I was a bit pathetic! He eventually became my brother's friend but I was too shy to even have a decent conversation with him.

2. updated 1/19/07: I'll think of a new one to replace this. *wink*

updated 1/22/07: Sorry it took a while but I had a hard time thinking of a replacement. Here it is: When I was 4-yrs old I put some soil inside an empty candy wrapper and gave it to my younger cousin. I told him it was chocolate and he believed me. He ate a little of the soil and cried when he realized it wasn't chocolate. I told him that I will give him my last chocolate as long as he stopped crying and promised not to tell. A naughty little girl's practical joke.

3. I dated someone I knew already had a girlfriend. Tsk! Tsk! Shame on me. Don't worry, they didn't break up because of me. On the contrary, the three of us became good friends later on. The guy and I stopped dating then we just became good friends. He introduced me to his girlfriend and the friendship just developed. It was a weird set up if you think about it but at least it was a happy ending.

4. I flunked a very easy subject in college because of excess absences. My friends and I were always cutting classes to go to the mall. They flunked too.

5. My colleague at work flirted with me. He was a married man so I never encouraged him. I kept my distance to the point of being rude, until he eventually got the message.

I won't be tagging anybody. But feel free to bare 5 of your secrets if you're up to it. Let me know if you do. :)

Making the Jump

Hooray! HaloScan is functioning normally again.

As you may have noticed, I made another change. I loved the purple and butterfly template but like some of you have said, some links didn't show up well because of the color scheme so I decided to make a few more changes. I truly appreciate all your comments.

Anyway, I chanced upon a tutorial on how to make a 3-column Minima template. It seemed simple enough so I tried it. It worked! I finally have a 3-column template. I've always wanted to have the Labels widget on the sidebar but I don't know how to add it on the classic template. So I decided to make the jump ... I changed to the new style template.

I've been up all night, tinkering on my new template. Tammy, left a comment saying, "If you are like me when you are "tweeking" the blog, come up for air every now and then...lol!" It certainly made me smile because it was the perfect description of what I was going through last night. I was so focused on it that I barely had the chance to reply to the comments. Funny, I skipped breakfast to continue what I started last night. I can't deny it, I'm hooked on the whole blogging thing. :)

I like my new, simple 3-column template. I removed a few details to make my page load faster. I'll change my banner later because it seems redundant. I cannot remove the title below the banner so I might as well remove it from the banner itself. I'll find a way to put the Labels in a drop-down menu because it's so long. Oh well, more tinkering later.

Friends, what do you think?

HaloScan is Acting Up

Hi everyone. Some of you may have noticed that after typing your comments and hitting enter, an error note comes out on HaloScan. Rest assured that I received all your comments despite the error message because I tested it myself. I left comments on other HaloScan users and I seem to get the same error message.

Hope it's a temporary thing and HaloScan can fix it soon.

Thanks for all the advices on my new template. I really appreciate them. I'll work on it as soon as possible. To tell you the truth, I'm contemplating on using the new templates of Blogger. I would love to have the Labels feature that lists all labels that you have used in all existing posts. It's not possible in the old template. I'll experiment on it on my "test page" blogger and see what happens.

Best Friends

Chary, one of my dear best friends is celebrating her birthday this Jan. 21. She'll be busy with her board review for Nursing so she invited me to celebrate her birthday in advance. We had lunch at Tempura at ATC where we ordered California Maki, Ebi Bacon Wraps, Ebi Tempura and Squid Rings. The food was good but I enjoyed our exchange of stories more.


We continued our nice chat at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. I tried their flavored Macchiato for the first time. I didn't go wrong with Caramel Macchiato. Their blueberry cheesecake was delectably rich. I think I'll come back there more often.


It's fascinating how we seem to know what each other is going to say after barely starting the sentence. We know each other very well. We hide nothing from each other. Our friendship has gone a long way since College. We've learned more about one another, both good things and bad. We have learned to accept each other's strengths and weaknesses.

Life's ups and downs are easier to go through when you have a best friend who you can share everything with. No fear of rejection nor judgement. It's the unconditional love that makes it truly beautiful.

Do you have a best friend too?

New Template

I changed my template. See left image for the previous look.

I wanted to change it at the start of the year but didn't have time to work on a new template. Finally, I was able to come up with a new one today (edited from Caz). I like the new design because of the butterflies and the nice color. I removed a few details but retained most of it.

What do you think?

Sticky and Sweet

For today's snack, I had Sumang Magkayakap, a popular Filipino delicacy made of sweet sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves. Magkayakap, when translated means embrace. The suman are wrapped in separate banana leaves and tied together, resembling a tight embrace. The secret to a delicious suman is its special brown sauce made of sugar and coconut milk.

Kisses with a Special Treat

In the absence of my favorite Reese's PBCs, I discovered Hershey's Kisses filled with Peanut Butter Milk Chocolate. Simply delicious.

A great companion during blogging. A few of these mouthwatering chocolates give me enough blogging inspiration. See it's already a worthwhile topic by itself. :)

Tagged: 6 Weird Things About Me

I was tagged by Anne. I'm quite late answering this meme but better late than never. Here it goes ...

6 Weird Things About ME:

THE RULES: Write ‘6 weird things about you.’ People who get tagged need to choose 6 people to be tagged in turn.

1. When I was in grade school school, I never threw away my pencils even though they became too short to hold properly. I kept all short pencils in one pencil case. I didn't want to throw them because I felt 'sorry' for them.

2. As a child, I loved watching Raggedy Anne and Andy. They are dolls that come alive when nobody is looking. I had plenty of dolls when I was a girl. I often arranged them in a circle and pretended to go down. I always waited behind the door for a few minutes then I would open the door hoping to catch my dolls having fun and talking to each other. As expected, I never caught them vulnerable. Ha! Ha!

3. I'm paranoid. I worry about the smallest thing. I cannot function well when I have an unsolved problem.

4. I find it hard to sleep alone. I sometimes wake up in the wee hours of the morning and feel someone is after me. Must be due to all those horror flicks I enjoy watching.

5. I never point at rainbows because as a child I was told that my finger would fall off when I do. When I grew up and realized it wasn't true, I still coudn't point at a rainbow.

6. I skipped this part and went ahead with the question below then I went back and still I couldn't think of another weird thing about myself to write here. So I guess I will just leave it at 5.

I guess by now, you're thinking that I was a very weird child. He! He! Don't worry, I won't take it against you. :)

5 THINGS ABOUT ME THAT RELATIVELY FEW PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT:

1. When I was a little girl, my parents and friends said I was the fairy Godmother of animals because I loved animals and even insects. When I saw a stray kitten, I always gave it some food. That was okay but people found it weird when I saved ants from drowning. LoL.

2. I always want to have clean hands so I always wash with soap and water. I also carry a small hand sanitizer wherever I go. I even have a mini disinfectant alcohol in my bag. Yes, I'm a little O.C. when it comes to cleanliness.

3. When I see a flying cockroach, I try my best not to shout but I find a hiding place. If I'm inside the room, I will go under the covers to hide from it.

4. I'm terrified of heights but I like riding the ferris wheel and the roller coaster.

5. I'm not sure if this is weird but I'm running out of ideas so I'll include this anyway. I have never tasted Mangosteen in my whole life. My hubby bought some last December but I forgot to eat them. By the time I remembered, it was not edible anymore.

Finally, I finished this meme. Sorry Anne for my late answers. Anyway, I will bend the rules a little and not tag anyone. But I would like to invite those interested to try this meme. I think it's challenging to reflect on the 'weird' things about yourself and have the courage to admit them in public.

Any takers? :)

Photo Hunt :: Technology

Grab the Scavenger Hunt code.
Photo Theme. Join the blogroll.
Visit participants.

When we got these mobile phones, it seemed so cool back then. Friends were saying they wish they had it too.

But it's not cool anymore. There are many nicer and more hi-tech mobile phones in the market today.

Technology is rapidly advancing. Sometimes it's hard to keep up.

Friday's Feast #6

Join the feast here.
Feast One Hundred & Twenty Six

Appetizer
What comes to mind when you see the color orange?
Bright. Young. Funky.

Soup
Did you ever get in trouble while you were in school? If so, what was it for?
Yes, when I was in 2nd year High School. A friend from the upper batch asked me to hand over a sealed letter to a teacher at the faculty. I didn't know that the letter revealed names of cheaters in class during an exam. If I knew, I would never let myself get involved. It wasn't even my class nor my batch. Those girls whose names were mentioned in the letter cornered me during my PE class and interrogated me about the letter. It was a terrible mess. Good thing, they realized that I was 'used' without my knowledge. I learned a valuable lesson. Never to be so trusting and gullible again.

Salad
Which topping(s) make up your perfect pizza?
I love pepperoni and different kinds of cheese toppings.

Main Course
Do you believe in UFOs/aliens/etc.? Why or why not?
I think it's possible that we're not the only inhabitants in the galaxy. It's too big and we haven't even explored it yet. Maybe there are other intelligent lifeforms out there. I just hope they won't bother or harm us.

Dessert
What color is your bedspread/comforter/quilt?
Right now, it's blue with yellow stars and white moon design.

Who Spotted Me First? It's.........

Thank you to everyone who took time to join my little guessing game. I enjoyed this one and hope you did too. Daphne of My Little Moments spotted me first.

Daphne's winning statement: "Let me venture a guess. Are you the one on the top most row, 2nd from the right?"

She's right! I'm the girl encircled in pink. :)


Here are your little rewards Daphne. Nothing too fancy but I made them just for you. I used your blog design to make your personalized avatar.



Here's another one. Hope you like them. I'll email the codes to you. Take care!

When My Questions Were Answered

I've always had mixed emotions about the future. It's a fusion of excitement, anticipation, nervousness and occasionally fear of the unkown. I wonder about how things will go, what will take place in certain events, what emotions will I go through, so on and so forth. I encountered many questions about life in general. Then the answers came to me, sometimes with gentle impact and a few times with a forcefulness that stung.

Let me share with you some random questions that came up while I was still in school. Here are a few I could still recall and the answers that came with them.

• Grade 3. There was going to be a major change when I reached 4th Grade. I will have to spend the whole day in school instead of the usual half day I was used to. Will I find it hard to adjust when I reach Grade 4? I was quite worried that time.
Verdict:Not at all. I found out that it was fun to spend the whole day in school. There were a lot of exciting and interesting activities lined up when I reached 4th Grade that I really enjoyed.


• Grade 7. I kept thinking how high school will be like? Will my friends still be my classmates? Are the subjects going to be tougher? Teachers stricter?
Verdict: High School was fun. Most of my friends were still my classmates and I met new friends as well. I realized that Math subjects became tougher (LoL) but I was glad teachers were generally nice.


• 3RD Year High School. I was attending our High School Dance. I saw a girl from the higher batch kissing a guy on the lips. No teacher was nearby so they must have ceased the moment. I wondered how my first kiss would feel like.
Verdict:It wasn't exactly what I expected. Couldn't go through the details but it was a stolen kiss and not a pleasant one I must say.


• 4TH Year High School. How will I fare in the NCEE? Will I be able to go to a good University? I wanted to go to Ateneo or UP. I totally wanted a change in 'scenery'. I took 3 college entrance exams: Ateneo, UP and DLSU. St. Scho was not an option. I just couldn't stay in the same walls that have confined me from Prep to Grade 7.
Verdict:I got a good NCEE result and got into a great university. I didn't get into my dream school, Ateneo. Sad to say, I didn't make the cut. I was on a waiting list in UP so my obvious choice was DLSU. It's a good University but I've always dreamed of a school in a different location. You see, DLSU was just across my old school, St. Scho. So the environment was too familiar for comfort.


• 1ST Year College.Who will be my friends? Will I fit in class? Will I like my blockmates? I was excited about the whole college thing plus the fact that it was co-ed. I went to an exclusive school for girls for 12 years so I was thrilled with the idea of having male classmates. What a refreshing change.
Verdict:I met my friends Chary, Len2, Mare, Michelle and Sheryl. They were my blockmates and College barkada (a term for a group of friends). We fitted very well in class. We are still good friends until now. Sadly, Michelle has passed away last December because of cervical cancer.


• 2ND Year College.Should I shift or not? I was contemplating of retaining my Liberal Arts major (Psychology)but changing my Commerce major from Marketing to Business Management. I was drawn into Business Management because of the thought of putting up a business of my own someday. I also thought that BM had cool and fun activities like BM Week were 'companies' made-up of graduating BM students had the chance to sell their products in the campus. It was a great activity.
Verdict:I didn't shift. I stuck with my original majors and realized that it was very interesting afterall. Marketing Management had its own highlights.


• 3RD Year College. I had my first boyfriend. I was in love for the first time in my life. Will he be my first and last?
Verdict: No. He broke my heart even before we reached our first year anniversary. We somehow remained friends all these years. We still keep in touch during special occasions.


• 4TH Year College
What career path will I take? Will I be a successful career woman?
Verdict: I had a good career in Marketing and Sales for several years but I was forced to leave work because of a difficult pregnancy. I haven't been back to work for a while but I plan to revive my career this year.

I continue to encounter questions along the way. Many relating to my family. I just hope that when the answers come to me, everything will be favorable.

Now,let me share my class picture in 3RD Year High School. Can you spot me in the photo? I'll make a personalized, animated Avatar for the first one who answers the question correctly. Click on the photo for a bigger view. Idea inspired by Toni and Jo.

Chocolate Overload

Yipee! Dad and Mom just sent us some Godiva chocolates.

Helping myself to one chocolate. Then Jules gets a piece.Yohan also gets one.
Cycle repeats.

... and then there was none.

Yohan is not the least bit concerned.

Because he knows there's more. :)

I love Ferrero Rocher and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.
Jules loves plain Kisses and dark chocolates.
Yohan loves plain M&Ms.
Mind sharing what's your favorite chocolate?

The Pursuit of Happyness

I just watched The Pursuit of Happyness. It is a heartwarming story about a single father named Chris Gardner (Will Smith), who carried with him high hopes and determination on pursuing a dream of a better life. I found his determination and strong will very inspiring. He went through tremendous hardships but he never quit. He still followed his dream head on.

I will not spoil the movie for the others who haven't seen it yet, so I won't go into details.

I think it's a nice true-to-life drama worth seeing.










How do I define happiness?

For me happiness is

... best of health for my family
... spending quality time with my loved ones
... a thriving business
... being able to buy basic necessities and pay bills on time
... some money for small 'luxuries' like shopping, going to the
salon, eating in nice restaurants, going on vacations
... ample savings in the bank
... a lovely home you can call your own
... best education for my son
... freedom to do as you please
... peaceful relationship with my family, relatives, friends,
colleagues, neighbors, etc.
... having fun with people close to my heart
... quiet and peaceful neighborhood
... maintaining my ideal weight
... some quiet time alone
... peace of mind
... contented heart
... and let me add blogging *chuckles*

How do you define happiness?

Sweet Dreams My Lil' One

We're both in our PJs
Let's slide under the blanket
I'll tell you a story or two
Now it's time to listen

I start with 'Once upon a time..."
You're wide awake
Listening to every word I say
I finish with 'The End'

You say, 'Please one more'
Alright, but just one more story
You listen with eyes half closed
You're getting sleepy

Snuggle Close
Keep warm in my embrace
I'll hug you tight tonight
Until you fall asleep

Close your eyes
Sweet Dreams
A kiss good night
I love you Yohan

Rachel
Jan. 8, 2007

Sundays Are Made Of ...

I love Sunday mornings because they are often tranquil, laid-back and stress-free.

I love Sunday mornings because it's okay to stay in bed longer. There's no hurry, no impositions, no worries (well, more often than not).

I love Sunday mornings because when I wake up, Jules is still in bed with us. Not out working.

I love Sunday mornings because Jules makes my favorite breakfast, sunny-side up eggs, ham, sausages, toast and juice. Other days, pancakes, bacon, hotdogs and hash browns.

I love Sunday mornings because of our leisure walks with Bruno around the village and quality playtime with Yohan.

I love today.

Photo Hunt :: Memories

Grab the Scavenger Hunt code.
Photo Theme. Join the blogroll.
Visit participants.

I love photos because they are a wonderful reminder of happy and memorable moments. I have several photo frames at home which are displayed on top of a table. I love looking at them because they bring back happy memories. It's also a popular area of interest for family and friends who visit our house.

I'm particulary fond of the Watch Me Grow frame because it shows Yohan's developments from birth until he reached one year old. This photo frame holds beautiful memories of Yohan as he was growing up. It's amazing how his face changed during the first few months of his life. I will always be grateful to my friend, Phen for giving me this frame as a gift. It inspired me to take Yohan's photo each month during the first twelve months and look at the final product ... a time capsule of priceless moments.