Yohanism #37

My parents recently sent me several gifts. I was so overwhelmed with happiness which made me utter ...

Me: "My dad and mom are the best parents in the world!"

Yohan heard it and seemed baffled. He asked me ...

Yohan: "What about you?"

Me: "My parents are kinder and more thoughtful than I am."
 
He touched my shoulder and said ...

Yohan: "Mom, don't underestimate yourself."

One Remote That Does It All

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

Many people, like me, enjoy watching TV series. You will feel the excitement building inside of you as the plot thickens. Sometimes you might feel anxious to know what will happen next. There's always something worth looking forward to especially when the story continues to unfold. You can find the best and latest TV series on TiVo Premiere.  I became a fan. You can do the same by clicking here to access its Facebook Fan Page.

I'm looking forward to the many upcoming TV Fall Premieres especially Glee. I checked out Fall TV and I'm also excited to watch the action packed series Hawaii Five-0. Now you can watch your favorite programs with ease. TiVo Premiere is such an amazing gadget for the biggest TV fans. I'm sure a lot of TV lovers will appreciate it.  Now, it's easy to keep track of your favorite programs and actors. You can simply click and find your favorite programs whether its web video, TV, and movies.

I'm fascinated by the features of the the TiVo Premiere and Slide Remote. It's a remote and at the same time, it gives you full access to TiVo.  I like its fully retractable QWERTY keyboard. It is perfect in making easy and quick text entries. I don't have to worry about using it in the dark because it is equipped with a cool light sensor. It's convenient to use in the dark because of its automatic glow in the dark feature. The backlit keys and keyboard will surely come in handy at night.

You can enjoy your favorite programs and get the chance to win a a new TiVo Slide in the "30 Slides in 30 Days" Sweepstakes (http://www.tivo.com/30slides).  Sweepstakes ends 9/22/10 so don't waste time and click Enter to Win. Happy viewing and good luck!

Undeniable Force

Life is always filled with thoughts and inspiration. Blogging has allowed me to share fragments of my thoughts, feelings and mixtures of inspiration. I sometimes take a break but later on I always find myself pulled to this same direction.  It's like an undeniable pull of force.

I'm back.

Thanks for still being there. :)

Photo Hunt :: Colorful

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My son had a fun 7th birthday celebration in school a few weeks ago. My husband and I brought some food for the kids and gave each one a personalized birthday token. In lieu of the usual loot bags filled with candies and chocolates, we gave them these colorful miniature pots with wooden animal clips. We had the kids' names printed to give the giveaways a nice touch.

How To Make a Cupcake Tower

For our son's recent birthday celebration, hubby made a simple 3-tier cupcake tower from scratch. It was fun and relatively easy to do. Even the birthday boy helped out.

Interested to make your DIY cupcake tower? Here are the materials and simple steps.

You will need: 
2 large Styrofoam boards
2 even sized Styrofoam squares
ruler or measuring tape
marker
decorative paper (or fabric)
scissors
cutter
tape
glue
long and thin wooden stick (BBQ stick can be used)

Procedure:

1. Cut 3 Styrofoam squares measuring: *8x8, 10x10 and 12x12. Use a ruler or measuring tape to get precise measurements. Use a marker when making measurements so you can easily cut the proportions using a cutter.

2. Cover the Styrofoam boards and squares with decorative paper or fabric. For paper, you can use craft glue. For fabric, it is better to use glue gun.

3. Connect the pieces using wooden sticks. You also have the option to glue them permanently.

4. Clean the surface of the tiers. You can gently wipe the decorative paper or fabric with paper towel. Arrange the cupcakes starting from the last level going up.

Enjoy!

* You can also use round Styrofoam boards or ready made cake boards measuring: 1×8″, 1×10″, 1×12″. Replace Styrofoam squares with cylinders.

Wind on my sail

Smooth sailing on calm waters.

The wind suddenly blew hard and rocked my boat.

What should I do?

I hold tight and pray for balance.

Photo Hunt :: Public

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You'll find a lot of great bargains in the tiangge. It is sort of a flea market which is open to the public. There are different stalls selling all kinds of merchandise. There are stalls that sell clothes, fabrics, cooking wares, toys, accessories and more.

This stall sell stickers, hair accessories, cellphone accessories and different kinds of small trinkets for a fraction of a price. 

I would also like to share an article I wrote before entitled The gypsy life of a magtia-tiangge. It's about a nomad merchant who sells variety of household things in the tiangge. He works hard for the money to give his family a comfortable life.

Sustainable Progress in Small Communities

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

I grew up in the city. I was used to the noisy and busy streets. When I got married, I moved to a nice and relatively small town in the south. It took a while for me to adjust but through the years, I have learned to appreciate the wonderful things around me. I love the spectacular view of the mountain, the fresh air, the peaceful surroundings and the kind people.

Every town can benefit from sustainable progress and development.  Big investors who build large establishments bring in new jobs and opportunities for many people.  However, there are times when these big establishments threaten small scale businesses. It's quite sad to hear of businesses which have been passed on from generation to generation, closing down because of giant competitors.

I don't mind progress but at the same time, I also care for historical preservation. Take for example, the inspiring story of Ramblers Way Farm. This American company is known for sourcing, growing and producing their fine woolen apparel.  The company revitalize small towns by utilizing 100% domestic resources. The company works hand in hand with the people to achieve sustainable growth.One of the company's great achievements is earning the Gold Lead Certification level.

I have great confidence in products Made in America. I expect such products to have excellent quality. Ramblers Way is known for their beautiful and eco-friendly wool garments. They are admired for their highest quality superfine wool. Even their building adheres to environmental standards. The company that is dedicated to help the people around them makes it worth looking up to.

Hi Blog Friends

I'm sorry I haven't been able to update my blog recently. I've been a little busy. I have a lot of new things to share and I'm excited to blog again. I'll come by and visit soon. Enjoy the coming weekend!

Viva España

 Yohan wearing Spain football uniform.

Congratulations to Spain for winning the 2010 FIFA World Cup! Cheers to Andres Iniesta for bringing home the goal for Spain. It was worth waking up very early in the morning to watch the live telecast on TV. It's amazing that Paul the Octopus was right once again.  :)

Photo Hunt :: Free

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This free birthday cupcake was too good to resist. It didn't last long. :)

10 Years Together

I remember waking up on this day exactly 10 years ago. It was raining hard and the wind was blowing hard. Two typhoons decided to hit the country that day. That couldn't dampen my spirit. Instead I looked upon it as a symbol of twin blessings.

Happy Anniversary my love.

Photo Hunt :: Open

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When my son opened page A54 of his Harcourt Science book, he saw this Model of an Insect project.  I helped him create an ant model.  We didn't have all the original materials so we substituted some of the things. Good thing I still had some googly eyes left in my craft box. Yohan was happy about the final outcome -- a fiery red ant.

Kimono Doll Pens

I love my Kimono Doll pens. I got them for only P19.75 each at Clipper. I was smitten by their cute little faces and chinky eyes. Now they even inspired me to make a haiku ...

Wind touches her hair

As refreshing as sunlight

Love that breezy smile

Yohan is Featured in K-Zone Magazine

Yohan loves reading K-Zone. He has a bag filled of old K-Zone magazines at home that he likes reading every now and then. I always make it a point to buy him a new one every month and I even cover each one with plastic.

Several months ago, he asked me if it was possible for him to be featured in the section Birthday Bits. I said it was possible but I told him not to have high hopes. I made it clear that the magazine can only choose one celebrant for that section each month. I didn't want him to be disappointed in case they choose another July celebrant instead of him.

I helped Yohan send an email to K-Zone with his picture and short details around 3 months ago.  We didn't get any reply or feed back.

The K-Zone July issue is now out. I grabbed a copy and I was so happy to see my little boy in the magazine. Yohan was thrilled when he saw his picture.

I'm grateful to K-Zone for featuring my son. It's a nice advance birthday gift for him. Yohan's picture appeared again in the magazine's July calendar sheet. :)

Photo Hunt :: Purple

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This photo was taken at Manila Ocean Park. I noticed the ceiling in the lobby and took a picture of it. The lighting inside gave this shot a purple touch.

Happy Hamburger Day 2010

Took advantage of Hamburger Day at Brothers Burger. Thanks to hubby's cousin for the treat. Yohan didn't care much about the burger but he enjoyed the fries and onion rings. :)

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to my Dad, hubby and all the wonderful dads around the world! I would like to share this Father's Day card that Yohan made for his Dad. As you can see, he was inspired by the FIFA World Cup.  Hubby is a big fan of FIFA. He stays up until the wee hours of the morning watching the games on TV.

Photo Hunt :: Six

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My son loves the story of Noah's Ark. Last Christmas, he received this wooden Noah's Ark toy. It's composed of one ark and six pairs of wooden characters (Noah and wife, a pair of elephants, monkeys, tigers, lions and crocodiles).

Photo Hunt :: Bubbles

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These are my betta fish (a.k.a. Siamese fighting fish). I actually have four of but I'm just featuring two for this theme. Betta fish are small and colorful freshwater fish. They come in different colors. I have two red, one blue and one multi-colored betta fish. I guess they are called fighting fish because they are very territorial. They have a tendency to fight until the death if placed together in one fish tank. Sadly some people use these lovely fish for fish fight betting games.

I have a rectangular shaped fish tank with glass dividers so every betta fish has its own individual space to avoid fighting. When they come face to face with one another, they flare their gills and their flowing fins appear larger. They always try to attack one another. Good thing the glass dividers protect them from causing injury on one another

Betta fish are very easy to take care of. They don't need special apparatus like an air pump (for oxygen) unlike other types of fish.

My betta fish tank is always covered with these little bubbles.

Photo Hunt :: Sparkles

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When you enter the Jellies room in Manila Ocean Park, you'll be tantalized by these dancing fairies in the water. These free swimming jellies illuminate the dark room.

Yohan and his cousins were awed by the jelly fish and the changing hues. Their dazzling natural performance bring sparkles in the eyes of the kids.

Yohanism #36

I volunteered to make pancakes today for snack. I asked Yohan if he wanted to be my kitchen assistant and he eagerly said yes.  I laid out all the ingredients and kitchen utensils on the counter top.

Yohan: "Mom, are you sure you know what you are doing?"

Thoughts inside my head: Ouch! My little boy must be thinking I have no business in the kitchen.

Me: "Of course, don't underestimate your mom."

Yohan: "Ok mom."

Yohan set aside his doubts about my kitchen qualifications as he helped me mix all the pancake ingredients. I heated the pan and made pancakes. I asked Yohan to serve the first pancake to his dad who was upstairs. I placed the pancake on the plate and added some butter and syrup. Yohan took the plate and brought it up. I distinctively heard him say to his dad ...

Yohan: "Special delivery! Pancake from mom. It smells good but it's burned."

Yohan went down ready to serve the other pancakes and I told him ...

Me: "Burned?! It's not burned. It's a little brown but not burned."

Yohan smiled and delivered the other pancakes to our helpers. I reserved the last two pancakes for Yohan and myself. We ate it at the dining room.

Yohan took his first bite and said, "This is good mom. May be you can join a kitchen battle because your pancakes are good."

Thoughts inside my head: Awww, my little boy loves my cooking after all.

But my thoughts were premature because Yohan added ...

Yohan: "But the judges might not like the burned part and remove you from the battle."