Photo Hunt :: Furry

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I love cuddly teddy bears! This photo was taken two years ago at the mall. I love the sight of cute teddy bears on display. Each one looks like a furry friend eager to go home with you.

Sorry I missed a couple of PH. I'm glad to be back.

An Inspiration For Young Girls and Parents

Remember Amy Poehler? Some of you might find her face very familiar. She was in the film Mean Girls. She can also be best remembered in Saturday Night Live. She has this amazing show called Smart Girls at the Party. It's actually a fun and inspiring web series aimed towards young girls and their parents. The web series features Amy Poehler interviewing talented young girls. The show showcases great talent and creativity.

It's a great show that can help young girls become the best they can be. Watch the video below and be personally inspired by the program. If you have Myspace or Facebook, you can embed and share this widget to others. You can simply get your own widget here and you might just inspire a young lady out there to build her confidence and start reaching her goals in life.

It is remarkable how the web has become a source of all kinds of videos. It is a fantastic source of online videos shared by people across the globe. It's a venue where you can share your videos to reach millions of people in different parts of the world. Just imagine the reach and impact a video can garner through this online medium.

Aloha Friday #55

Rules: Post any question on your blog on a Friday, share your answer and sign Kailani's Mr. Linky. Then have fun answering the questions of fellow participants by visiting their blogs.

What's the recent movie that made you cry?

I recently watched the movie, Seven Pounds starring Will Smith. It's a really moving story about a man's journey towards redemption. He brings life-changing "gifts" to seven deserving strangers in an attempt to make up for the seven lives he has destroyed. The movie touched my heart and made me cry.

Wordless Wednesday #49

For the Chinese, there are many things that symbolize prosperity. Many Filipinos including my family have embraced the idea of bringing good luck to one's home through good luck charms and ornaments like the money tree. Please visit my other blog to see the lovely Money trees given to us by our cousin.

Looking For Extra Income?

I was just watching the news last night and I was alarmed about the mass lay offs happening in many companies, not only in the Philippines but around the world. In fact, I was shocked when I found out that a big and well-known manufacturing company is closing down. It seems that many people have lost their jobs because of the global financial crisis. Thousands of people are jobless and many more are scared of losing their jobs this year. The rising financial instability has become a major concern for a lot of people.

Tough times call for a cutback on spending. Everyone should learn to be practical and wise with their purchases. With the unstable economy, it is best to save money whenever possible. Set aside luxury and consider what is practical and necessary.

Find ways to earn extra income. If you enjoy spending time on the computer, then make your online time fun and beneficial. Did you know that you can make money blogging? Nowadays, people of different ages have online journals, often referred to as blogs. There a lot of personal blogs and there are some that have specific topics like fashion, food, parenting, home and living. Find out more about how to submit and verify a blog and start earning some extra money.

Weekend Snapshot #58

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Kung Hei Fat Choi

Wishing everyone a prosperous Year of the Ox. May you have the best of health and good fortune. God bless.

Lunar New Year's Eve

I got this cute post card from my Chinese friend, Tina. This midnight, the world welcomes the Year of the Ox (my zodiac year), which "symbolizes strength gathers through unity, harmony, obedience, courage and hard slog."

We have round fruits to symbolize prosperity and tikoy (a chinese sticky rice delicacy, often served during Chinese new year) to strengthen family ties. Tikoy is served by slicing it to thin rectangles, dipping it in egg then frying it). This year we bought ube flavored tikoy. We also have some new good luck charms for the house.

Have a wonderful Year of the Ox!

Tips For Selling Your House

Here are some basic tips to help you Sell House Quickly.

1. Make a good impression. Give buyers a positive image of your home. Keep the surroundings clean and clutter-free. Make sure that there are no "eye-sores" like trash, discarded wood, withered or dead plants in front of your home. It's also a good idea to trim the grass on your lawn.

2. Fix what is necessary. Make sure the important house fixtures are working properly such as lights, faucets, showers, bathroom flushes, etc. Faulty plumbing can be a big turn off to buyers.

3. Set a good price for your house. Don't set your price too high because it might turn away prospective buyers. Make sure your price is not too low either. You can seek the help of Realtors to provide you with a good market analysis.

4. Avoid major remodeling. This can be very costly. Try opting for simple and least expensive alternatives.

If you happen to be residing in London and looking for a Quick Sale for your home, you can offer your house to a specialist home buyer that will be purchase your properly directly and not by a third party investor. You can confidently leave it to them to Sell My House.

3 Word Thursdays #12

meme rules:
*photo must have 3 words in it
*post your photo on your site with a link
back to Ma Vie Folle (or grab button)

I gave this cute teddy bear to my cousin T w she was recovering from her kidney transplant. I had my cousin's name embroidered at the back of this pink top.

side note: Stop by for a coffee break at Christy's site.

A Godfather At Five

A few weeks ago, Yohan's former Nursery teacher approached me in school. Teacher R asked me if it was alright if she gets Yohan to be one of the godparents of her son. I was quite surprised because I've never heard of young children becoming godparents. Teacher R said that Yohan has always been very special to her because of his sweet nature. Teacher R recounts how touched she was when she (while she was pregnant) received a card from Yohan wishing her a safe delivery. She said that she and her husband chose a few special people to become their son's godparents.

I said yes to her request, knowing that Yohan would be thrilled to be a ninong (Filipino term for godfather). I think it's an honor that my son has touched the heart of his teacher.

Below is a photo of the Christian dedication of Teacher R's son. The people standing up are the chosen godparents. As you can see, Yohan is the youngest in the group. :) Yohan is now a godfather at the age of five.

Marco's Dedication (January 20, 2009)

This is Yohan's gift for his godchild. Another photo below shows how it would look like if opened.

Yohan's gift for Marco.

It's a 2-in Tomy Walker Bike. It starts out as a walker with easy grip handlebars featuring cute play objects. It's perfect for those steady first steps. As the child grows older, the walker can easily be transformed into a Push Bike with a tow-along trailer. We hope Marco will enjoy it.

photo source

Trade Show Benefits

Product promotion is very important in the growth and success of a product. There are various ways of promoting a product. Placing ads through the media (TV, radio, print) is a popular venue of product promotion. The Internet has also become a big marketing arena for product owners. Another great way of ensuring good exposure for products is through Marketing exhibits featuring trade show booths.

Trade show exhibits bring products closer to its target market. Companies invest on making their trade areas look impressive. Small details like custom printed table skirts can help catch the attention of exhibit guests and potential clients.

A lot of companies also make use of banner stands to highlight their best products. Companies can upgrade their exhibit presentation through the Pipe and Drape system. Product owners use this to put elegant cloth drapes which adds style to the exhibit area.

Thank You For The Concern

Thank you very much for all your kind words. I appreciate everyone's concern. I feel a little better today but I'm still bothered by cough and shortness of breath. I've been taking things slowly these past few days and the rest has helped me a lot.

Preschooler Fishing Game

Here's a fun and easy to do game that you can enjoy with preschoolers. It's fun and educational at the same time. You can use this game to help preschoolers with subjects like Math and Reading.

Materials for the fish:

• construction paper, pencil, scissors, glue, googley eyes (optional), metal paper clips

Materials for the fishing rod:

• stick (wooden or plastic), string or yarn, small magnet (you can use magnets from old ref magnets)
  

Step-By-Step Procedure:

1. Tie the string or yarn to the stick. The length should be appropriate to your child's height. Make sure it's not too short or too strong. Tie or glue the small magnet at the other end of the string. This will serve as the fishing rod.

2. Make an outline of a fish using a pencil on each construction paper.


3. Cut the outline using scissors. Make as many fish as you want.


4. Glue the googley eyes on the fish (you can also use a marker to draw the eyes). You may add colorful details such as scales, gills, and fins.


5. Slide the paper clip on each fish to appear as the mouth.


6. Now it's time to go fishing.


7. When the magnet touches the paper clip, the fish gets caught.


8. (optional) You can make other sea creatures like octopus, crabs, sea snakes, turtles, jelly fish, etc.


HOW TO RELATE THIS FISHING GAME TO PRESCHOOL LESSONS:

MATH

• Let your child count each fish he/she catches. This simple game is a fun way to teach your child about counting.
  
• Teach your child about ordinal numbers (write 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th ... on the fish). Instruct your child to catch the fish based on the ordinal number you say.
  
• If there are two children playing this game, you can let them catch as much fish as they could. After that, let them count the total number of fish they caught respectively. You can use this game to teach the kids about the concept of greater than, less than or equal.
  

READING

• Write words on the fish that you would like your child to learn. Say each word aloud one at a time and let your child catch every word accordingly.
• If your child already knows how to read, you can write words or phrases on the fish. Let your child form sentences out of the given words through a fishing game.

Not Feeling Well

I'm sorry I haven't updated my blog and made my regular visits these past few days. I also missed a couple of regular memes. My son and I both have cough and colds. Yohan is doing much better now but I'm afraid it's taking me longer to get better. The medicine that I'm taking makes me feel drowsy. I was in bed the whole day yesterday and to make matters worse, my migraine started acting up.

I miss you all. I'll come and visit you soon.

Wordless Wednesday #48

I love the effect of floating petals on water. It's sweet and romantic. That's what my Wordless Wednesday #28 is all about. Please click the link to go to my other blog. Thanks!

Dangers of Lead

It was only during the height of recalled toys from China that I realized how dangerous lead based products are especially for children. That was a real eye opener for people around the world. Many big toy manufacturers had no choice but to recall some of their products that had traces of lead paint on them.

Lead can get into a person's body by touching things painted with lead. Walls, floors, doors, cabinets, toys and other objects coated with lead paint can be toxic. The older the lead coated object is, the greater the chance of the lead breaking down into smaller particles. These tiny dust-like particles can be very dangerous when inhaled. The dust can go to the lungs causing high lead contamination.

If your home has dangerous lead paint, there are proper ways of dealing with it. Lead-Based paint removal can prevent possible health problems. By eliminating this kind of big health threat in your home, you are ensuring your family's safety and protection. Lead can sometimes be considered as an invisible threat. If you are not sure about the presence of lead in your home, especially for older houses, then it is best that you seek the help of a specialist.

Weekend Snapshot #57

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Residence Inn Zoo

This is a continuation of my Tagaytay post last week. After my family's wonderful brunch at Breakfast at Antonio's in Tagaytay, we went to Residence Inn Zoo (a special request of Yohan). My little boy is an animal lover and he had a terrific time with some critter close encounters. Here are some highlights of our zoo visit...

Yohan's pony ride.

Sssssssss ...

Scary!

It was our first time to feed a live tiger cub with milk.

I will also use the last photo as Camera Critters #31 entry this week.

Photo Hunt :: Aftermath

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This photo was taken last year. My hubby went around the village to survey the aftermath of a heavy storm. Many trees fell but this one was not completely uprooted, however, it was later cut down to prevent accidents.

Aloha Friday #54

Rules: Post any question on your blog on a Friday, share your answer and sign Kailani's Mr. Linky. Then have fun answering the questions of fellow participants by visiting their blogs.

Is there a fear that you would like to overcome?

I would like to overcome my fear of heights. I get a weird feeling in my stomach when I look down from a high place. I also experience the same uneasy feeling when I see someone go near the edge of a high place (even though there's a glass or fence preventing any kind of fall).

3 Word Thursdays #11

meme rules:
*photo must have 3 words in it
*post your photo on your site with a link
back to Ma Vie Folle (or grab button)

I love going to beautiful places. It's rewarding to go to different places and discover new things. It's fun to go on vacations but nothing can be better than Home Sweet Home.

Inner and Outer Beauty

I gained a lot of weight during the long Christmas break. I was invited to many parties and failed to keep a close check on my food intake. A lot of people often put their diet temporarily on hold during the holiday season. I admit I was one of those people. It's so easy to forget one's diet during the season of merry making and lavish feasts.

I received a couple of comments from people I know telling me that I have gained some weight during the Christmas vacation. I already know this but I frankly, I do not like hearing it from other people. Perhaps I'm quite sensitive but getting those kind of remarks has its way of affecting my self esteem. This year I would like to embrace a healthier lifestyle by exercising more and cutting down on unhealthy foods.

Beauty they say is in the eye of the beholder. Many claim that inner beauty is more important than physical beauty. I agree but I also know that good physical appearance has its personal advantages. When you feel good about the way you look, you feel confident. Being sure of yourself can help you become more open to opportunities as well as challenges in life. Confidence can make a person more assertive. It also be a source of inspiration and hope.

People have different ways of achieving a good physical appearance. Keeping fit through daily exercise and healthy eating habits are very important factors. Some people consider cosmetic surgery as another solution. One sought after cosmetic surgery is the Tummy Tuck. This procedure flattens the muscles giving you a tighter and flatter stomach. Check here for cosmetic surgery prices.

Wordless Wednesday #47

Last Christmas, I made little gift bags for Yohan's classmates. For the boys, I gave them wallets and puzzles. For the girls, I gave them stamp pad sets and pencils. I love the cute pencils. You can see them on my Wordless Wednesday #47 at my other blog. Please come and visit if you have some time. Thanks!

Weekend Snapshot #56 (Breakfast at Antonio's)

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Breakfast at Antonio's

(Jan. 4, 2009, Sunday) My family and I were supposed to wake up at 6 a.m. and head to Tagaytay early in the morning but the bed weather overpowered us and we ended up waking at 10 a.m. instead. We didn't let that minor delay ruin our plans so we decided to go to Tagaytay anyway.

Still in breakfast mode, we thought of going to All Day Breakfast at Antonio's. To our surprise, the old place where it used to be was already closed. We found out that it has been moved to Antonio's Garden (Barangay Neogan, Purok 7, Tagaytay). It was a perfect opportunity because my plurk pals and I were just discussing about Antonio's Garden the night before.

Now that both restaurants are located in one place, you get to choose between the expensive menu of Antonio's Garden or the All Day Breakfast. If you choose the latter, you can enjoy the beautiful and elegant ambiance of Antonio's Garden without spending that much. (According to one of the waiters, the consolidation of the restaurants happened in October 2008).

Impressive, huge wooden doors of Antonio's.

A nice and quiet Sunday at Antonio's.

When hubby and I last visited Antonio's, this area was open air. There were wooden tables and parasols. Now this place has been enclosed but there are still lots of wide and open spaces so guests can feel the refreshing air and admire the beauty of the garden below.

Stairs leading to the our table below.

Elegant and cozy ambiance.

Bonding moment with Yohan.

Jules ordered Homemade Chorizo, I had Hungarian Sausage and Yohan had Pork Sausages. Hubby and I had our favorite house juice Dalandan while Yohan chose chocolate milkshake.

Chef Antonio Escalante's beautiful garden. It's a perfect place for garden weddings.

Antonio's beautiful foyer.

I love the beautiful art piece behind us.

(Memory Lane: This particular photo was taken at Antonio's last March 29, 2003 . I was around 6 months pregnant with Yohan at that time.)

I remember when I was pregnant with Yohan in 2003, my hubby and I had our first special dinner at Antonio's. I was on strict bed rest before that and when my doctor said it was safe for me to go out, hubby surprised me with a dinner at Antonio's on my birthday. We had dinner there again a few years later (on our anniversary) but we weren't able to bring Yohan with us.

We're happy that this time, we were able to go back as a family.

I'm glad the koi pond is still there. Yohan was thrilled to see the lovely fish.

After our brunch at Breakfast at Antonio's, Yohan requested to go to the zoo. More on that on another post.