Happy New Year!

I'm just squeezing this in before the year 2007 closes in a few hours.

I'm so grateful to God for all the blessings He has wonderfully sent us this year. May He continue to bless us with good health, safety, security, prosperity, and most of all, the gift of life and family.

THIS IS YOUR SHOW dear GOD, not mine. My life is yours and not mine to own or control. Without you, I AM NOTHING but with you, I CAN DO EVERYTHING. So for the coming new year, 2008, I am again praying and trying and hoping that I can please you and love you back (even if you really don't need my efforts because you're already perfect). But I still want to do it and be better because I love you.

Happy New Year!

How Was Your Christmas People?

Hi! I'm back to the office today. Gosh, it feels good to have that much-needed vacation. Our Christmas holiday went great! I have so many things that I want to blog about but I have to work muna. Meanwhile, here's my list of "bloggable" kwentos:

1. Lunch with officemates at Dong Wan Korean resto
2. Migraine attacks during the peak of the Christmas rush (it's a struggle to be bothered by migraine on ordinary days what more kung Pasko)
3. My date with my Ate (trip to the Ayala museum and food adventure)
4. Malling at MOA with my family (Zoe's first time)

5. Zoe's First Haircut
6. Christmas Eve Mass and opening of Christmas gifts
7. Christmas Day Reunion with cousins and in-laws (busy, busy, busy)
8. Gian's 2nd Barney-themed Birthday Party

Important Foodie Lesson Learned this Christmas: Always store the buko salad in the freezer and not just in the ref. Otherwise, you'll be throwing away your money on spoiled food. Haha! I always knew that because my mom always reminded me of it but somehow it slipped my mind last Christmas so I let a kilo and a half of buko salad go to waste. :-( Tsk. Tsk.

Anyway, there's more! I still have a number of activities to look forward to in the coming days/weeks, like:

1. Christmas Party with my UP friends
2. New Year's Eve Celebration - to buy or not to buy paputok, that is the question
3. Family Reunion (again)
4. Crista's baptism and birthday party at Cravings (I'm gonna be Ninang)
5. Trip to Iloilo with Hubby, Tatay, Zoe and Yaya 3rd week of January 2008

Looks like it's still a busy month for me!

Will post more kwentos and pics in awhile. I'm posting this picture as a preview on how we spent our Christmas :

Belated Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

I can't promise that I can go online this coming holiday vacation coz I'll be very busy with family gatherings.

I'll just leave you all guys with this:

May all of you have a Blessed Christmas!

Award from Nice

Sorry Nice for the late 'thank you' for this award. Happy Holidays to you and your family!

I'm passing this award to my new online friends: Maybelle, Pat, Agnes and Tet. Merry Christmas girls!

My Music Type

Thanks Nice for this tag. :-)

Powered By - Top Calling Cards Company

Girlfriends, what's your music type? Norms, Pretty and Juliana?

Are You A Nerd?

I was intrigued by this test found in my newest online friend Vannie's site (thanks girl), so I decided to take the test and see the result for myself.

Meanwhile, here are quick fun facts from the site:

20,7820 unique people have taken this test.

Based on these unique user's answers...

44.8% of test takers are gals,
53.1% are guys,
...the rest (2.1%) are confused.

17.1% of test takers get aroused by "iPhone," while
40.6% get utterly ill.

34.6% of all test takers would choose the Internet over sex, and
28.3% of married test takers prefer the Internet over sex.

Only 3.6% of test takers own a Jar Jar Binks t-shirt, though
56.0% of them don't own a lightsaber (priorities == messed up).

Here's my result: ACCCKKK!





Looks like I'm a high nerd. (O-ha, yung nerdy pic pa ang nilagay ko dyan). Hehehe.

Hmm..I admit that I do like reading / literature when I was growing up to the point that I'll be reading Shakespeare or Homer during my past time even if it's sooo dark because it's brown-out or even when there's flood water inside our house and I can't get off my elevated bed. LOL.

Do you want to try it too? Just click on my result. Enjoy!

My Sis Arrived from Iloilo

My one and only sister arrived in Manila from Iloilo last Sunday to attend a retreat. So before bringing her to Batangas, we dropped by Power Plant Mall first for some snacks.

My Ate and Tatay:

Zoe with her Daddy-yayo:

Sorry but I just want to post this pic of Zoe looking as if marunong syang umorder sa Shakey's:

Anak, ikaw din ba ang magbabayad? LOL

Braving the Traffic to Get to a Party

Yup. We left the house around 4:30 pm and arrived in my ODP Party in Sta. Mesa at 8:00 pm. Sobrang traffic last Saturday. Worse, Zoe had to poop in the car. Grabe.

Anyway, it was so fun seeing my ODP friends again.

We were almost 30 in our batch but only a few stayed in touch. Pero even if hindi nagkikita as often, friends pa rin syempre. We spent 3-6 long training (bonding) months in 2003 kasi before we all became officers in the company. Ang tagal na pala.

(L-R Chris, Tif with Charlize, Howie (parang FPJ ang pose ah), Lucy (nasa honeymoon stage pa rin), meeh with Zoe, Arleen with Camille and Jay)

Of course, na-miss naming kayong lahat na hindi nagpakita at nagtago. Merry Christmas!

Exec Offices Christmas Party

For the first time, our Executive Offices Christmas Party was held in a venue outside the bank. We celebrated it last Friday, December 14, 2007, in one of the function rooms of Kensington Condos in The Fort, Taguig.

Our theme was "Sound of the 70's Night". Unlike the past two Christmas parties, our 4th floor group didn't prepare any surprise dance number. Last last year, we danced to the tune of "Pinoy Ako" and bagged the 1st place. Last year naman, we danced to a mix of Jingle Bell Rock and Boom-Tarat-Tarat. Again, 1st place kami. This year, super wala. Hall of fame (err shame) na daw. Hehehe. To make up for the lack of presentation, we just helped decorate the place.

Here are some of the memorable moments in our party:

Early birds (wala pang prize?):

Taken by no less than Mr. Chairman - pro sa pagkuha (ng table cloth) LOLZ:

Smiling but non-victorious sa one and only game (pambato pa naman ng Team 4th floor):


In fairness, dumating si Elvis:


By the poolside of Kensington:

Ang ganda di ba (notice na pare-pareho kami ng shoes):

I went home with a raffle prize of P500 cash and a PF Ham. Not so bad... but I would have loved to take home that 21 inch TV. Better luck next year!

I'm Late

..and I hate it.

Before you start thinking about something else, I would just like to rant that I'm late (again) - for work, that is. It's been the 6th time this month already. Beyond it, I'm already a candidate for a reprimand (very very bad!).

The traffic has been so awful for the past weeks and it's draining all the energy left in me. Sometimes, I just want to go home, stay in the bedroom with Zoe and cuddle together. Good thing Hubby shares with me the "misery" of having to be late for work and late in going home because he often drives for me. I don't want naman to bring the car to the office because it will stress me out all the more. You see, I don't like driving for more than an hour because for sure migraine ang abot ko.

On some days, it only takes 30-45 minutes tops to get to the office. On not-so-good days, it can take up to more than 2 hours! Imagine leaving the house at 6:45 am and arriving at 9 am. Really crazy! C-R-A-Z-Y! Grrr..

How I wish my office is just 15 minutes away from home, or better yet, how I wish that I'm working from home and looking after my precious baby all the time.

But I guess that's not in the cards right now...financially and emotionally.

Who knows? Maybe next year it will happen...(keeping fingers crossed!)

Office Mini-Christmas Party

My officemates and I had a mini-celebration last Thursday. For the very first time, we had an exclusive Christmas Party and Kris Kringle. It was worry-free since we just ordered food from Red Ribbon: Palabok, Cake, Chicken, Kaldereta, Empanada and Rice. Yum-yum!

Here's moi looking happy to receive my revelation gift:

What's inside? A 250 ml bottle of Cetaphil Skin Cleanser (as per my wish list!).

Click here for more picturezzz. :-)

Five in a Row...

Thanks Abie for sending me this tag (better late than never):

1. Name one thing you do everyday.
- Pray

2. Name two things you wish you could learn.
- Learn a foreign language
- Swim properly

3. Name three things that remind you of your childhood.
- Santacruzan
- Agawan-base, patintero, chato
- Barbie dolls

4. Name four things you love to eat but rarely do.
- Kare-kare
- Callos
- Crispy pata
- Strawberry shake

5. Name five things that make you feel good.
- A good night’s sleep
- Vacationing
- Losing weight hehe
- Finishing a good book
- Payday / Bonus time

5 people to tag for this meme
- Rafela
- Prettylifeonline
- Tet
- Ai
- Pat

Guess Where We Had Dinner Last Night

Hi fellow-bloggers!!! Can anybody guess where we had our dinner-date last night? If you can guess where, then that means that you really like dining out like US. :-) All I can say it that the food there is yummy!

Here are some of the clues:

Mr. & Mrs. on a date (me looking tired after a day's work):



Preliminiaries:


Her order:


His order:

ANY GOOD GUESSES? Just comment. :-)

Zoe's New Playroom

After seeing on the background of Alpha's blog pictures some nice extra large colorful rubbertiles, I finally got an inspiration to convert our family room in the attic into Zoe's playroom. (Thanks Alpha for telling me where to buy those tiles. I got them at 20% off in Handyman.)

At 15 months, Zoe has been gathering lots and lots of books, toys and other playthings. So in order for all of it not to be forgotten and wasted, I've fixed up our family room and converted it into a play-ground cum library of sorts for Zoe.

Here is the outcome:

Looks like we have one happy baby.
:-)

Who Loves Hotdogs, Raise Your Hand!

Zoe!!!!

The evidence:

Can't blame her. Mommy and Daddy love hotdogs too! Bring 'em on! :-)

A Date with a True-Blue SAHM

I went to meet my neighbor cum high school friend-turned-kumare Tinay last Saturday. She's a balikbayan from Singapore. She has a baby girl too who is turning 1 year old this January. Her baby's baptismal and advance birthday celebration will be done here so we decided to meet before everything becomes toxic because of the party preps.

Apart from the usual "remember-way-back-when" stories of our high school days and past love lives (hahaha!), we talked endlessly about our new commonality - our husbands and babies! Tinay used to be in the corporate life too prior to giving birth. We both love shopping and dining. Now, she's a full-time SAHM. They don't have a yaya since they live in a foreign country and it's kinda hard to entrust your baby to some one else more so if you don't have any family member who will oversee how the baby is taken care of.

Hubby and I actually visited her in Singapore last June. There we saw that Tinay has transformed into a superwoman!! I know how hard it can be to be alone most of the time to take care of the baby. Lucky me, I have a reliable yaya to help me with Zoe. I feel minsan na susuko ako kung walang katulong. Hehehe. Pero Tinay showed me the beauty of being a SAHM when she told me that sometimes, she also wants to go out and have some "me" time but when she's out naman, she misses her baby naman. Naks Tinay, ibang-iba ka na. Motherhood has changed you a lot (and that's a compliment!).

Well I guess it's somewhat bittersweet to be a SAHM. It's something I've wanted to be but, somehow, it's still not in works right now. Maybe next year, who knows?

Anyway, here are some pics of our date. We had a great lunch at ever reliable Conti's in Serendra.

See how much we've grown -- to think we were the thinner ones in high school! LOL

Wacky pose - japan-japan!

Our order - Mango Royale Salad, Baked Salmon, Lengua Estofado and Mango Bravo (oops, sorry kalahati na lang). Panalo lahat 'to promise!

Until our next meeting, Tinay! Call me anytime if you want to shop around Metro Manila. :-)

One Month!

I just realized today that my site has already been more than a month old! My golly. Time flies so fast! I don't think I've spent as much time online as I did before. But I'm happy. For the past 30 days or so (I started this blog on November 7, 2007), I've learned so much and I have gained so many new online friends.

On this anniversary-of-sorts, I want to thank all of you in my blogroll for giving me a nice welcome in this blogging world. Hope that I'll get to meet all of you in person someday. :-)

To my blogger friends:

Abie, Aggie, Agnes, Ai, Alpha, Apols, Chelle, Darlene, Dauphine, Diane, Dorxie, Eds, Erra, Jacqui, Jane, Jean, Jesse. Jody, Joey, Joy, Joyce, Juliana, Kathy, Kelly, Kitts, Mari, Maybelle, Melisse. Mhay. Mich, Nice, Nikki, Nol, Norm, Pam, Pat, Peachy, Petra, Pheng, Prettylifeonline, Raf, Retche, Sheila, Tet, Tin, Toni, and Yvetchie

...here's something for all of you:

Thank you, take care and happy holidays!

7th World Bazaar Festival

Yup, I still went there last night. Yesterday was actually the 1st day. Bought a lot of stuff again. Grrr. So today, I declare myself officially done with my Christmas shopping and officially broke. Harhar.

It will run from December 06 - 16, 2007. On weekdays, they open at 12 noon up to 10 pm. On weekends, they start earlier at 10 am. I heard that some ABS-CBN personalities will be there to perform. Pero kagabi, ala kaming nakita. Anyway, okay din to bring your kiddos with you coz they have a play area for kids and foodie stalls like Mcdo, plus the place is well ventilated.

Among the things I bought - clothes for Zoe (again!), gift items for inaanaks, friends and officemates, khaki RL shorts for hubby, 50-peso blouses for moi, and many more. For those mommies who are looking for clothes for their baby boys, this is the place to be. I saw a lot of boy's clothes there.

Happy last-minute shopping everyone! 18 days to go!

Seriously Thinking About...

...going to the 7th World Bazaar Festival at World Trade Center tonight.

I called them up and they said they're open up to 10pm.

Whoa!!!! Stop me pleaazzzzz!

Deal or No Deal

Zoe seems to be growing to be a TV-addict...

Her daddy usually sets the wake up alarm of the TV in the morning. It's more effective than using the alarm clock or the cellphone. Anyway, as the TV "went off" today, set initially at Channel 2 (station number 8 in our cable), a commercial of Kris Aquino's "Deal or No Deal" was showing. Zoe woke up from the sound and hurriedly tried to stand up. Lo and behold! She was crossing her two hands making the "NO DEAL" sign! At first I thought I was just imagining things but then she repeated that motion over and over again until the commercial finished. Oh my!!!!

Banker, taasan mo na ang offer kasi ayaw ni Zoe mag-deal. :-)

Anne S. Menu Express

I was with my friend Anne last night and I found out that she has discovered blogging too. Anne is a consultant on menu planning and budgeting (yes, there is such a thing). I've availed a few months back of her complete menu planning kit which consists of a monthly family menu plus a nutritional guide. It's been very helpful in planning our daily meals and in putting variety in the food we eat.

For example, my dad is 61 years old and we need to set some diet rules for him. For his benefit and that of the rest of the family, I told him to stop buying pork and beef (or at least minimize it) since we want to keep his cholesterol level low. We have been sticking to a healthier diet of fruits, vegetables, fish and chicken (sans the skin). Compared to having nilaga and sinigang at least once a week, we only have it once every two weeks na lang. Besides, with the menu planning kit, I'm able to try out new meals which are yummy but without the fat. We've also stopped buying tocino and longganisa from the market. Instead, we have subsituted it with galunggong, daing or danggit with rice (my husband just 'needs' to eat rice in the morning).

And it isn't that bad at all! Having a menu plan really helps us keep to our diet and at the same time save on added costs in overstocking food in the ref and pantry.

If you need help on this area, you may ask my friend Anne Soriano for assistance.

Her blog (still new though) is:

http://annes.menuexpress.googlepages.com/

Now, I just gotta tweak the number of times I eat out and give in to Razon's bulalo steak! Hehehe.

Question tag from Abie

Here's Abie's question: What would you want to receive this Christmas?

Since it’s seldom that someone asks me what I want to receive this Christmas, I’m taking this hint and writing down my “material” Christmas wish list 2007:

1. Books! – HP Book 7, Series of Unfortunate Events (the whole set), more Agatha Christie books and the remaining titles of the The Cat Who series which I don’t have yet.

2. Electric Oven – We gave away our gas range with the oven when we had a house renovation and installed a new one but without an oven. Totally want to rejuvenate some old baking recipes soon.

3. More gym clothes para ganahan ulit akong mag-gym. I haven’t been back there since September. Super lazy to go.

4. A new planner – can be the Starbucks 2008 planner or just something like my old leather agenda.

5. Does money count? LOL.

Super thanks Abie!

Mano Po (Tagged by Jenny)

I'm amused by Jenny's story about Belle learning how to do the "Bless You" or "Mano Po". It's because Zoe has been practicing this "trick" too. We would joke that Zoe will now start to earn this Christmas since doing the "mano po" is also like asking for aguinaldo from her godparents and other relatives.

Jenny's question is: What's your Christmas Day schedule?

We usually attend the Misa de Gallo (that's on Christmas eve) in our village chapel. After the mass, we play Christmas songs in our stereo as well wait for the clock to strike 12 midnight. At 12, we have the traditional Noche Buena. In that family dinner, the head of the family (my dad) leads the prayer and the blessing before meals. We usually thank God for the blessings for the year and ask Him to take care of our other family members who are away (my sister who is in Iloilo and my relatives abroad). We also mention the names of our departed loved ones so that they may see Jesus in Heaven. Then we sing Happy Birthday!

For the past 2 years, our Noche Buena prayer has turned emotional since it's been 2 years since my dear mom passed away. We end up crying at the start of the meal pa lang. It has been my mom who is fore-runner of the Noche Buena dinner. She cooks and prepares almost everything. I just assist occasionally or help out in doing the dishes after. She's the "ilaw ng tahanan" so when she passed away, it seemed that our home had lost that light, that cheer. Parang ayaw na naming mag-Pasko. Good thing, God blessed us with Zoe, whose real name is taken after my mom. Though my mom can never be replaced by anybody, at least having Zoe around brings added happiness to all the members of the family. Just seeing her smile and laugh each day brings joy to us, most especially to my dad.

After being filled with the usual hamon, sotanghon, buko salad and other good stuff, all sleep until late in the morning. When I was young, we would hang stockings in our window and wake up finding gifts from Santa in our stockings. Since Zoe is still too young to know about Santa, wala munang ganon. We just open gifts on Christmas morning. We also prepare packed goodies, fruits and some coins for the kids from the nearby creek area who knock on our doors every year. Sometimes, we make them come in and eat spaghetti or something. At lunch time, our cousins arrive for our annual family reunion, potluck style. We spend the whole day eating, drinking and chatting with our relatives . Last year, we spent the whole afternoon singing using the MagicSing. :-) All my cousins love to sing!

At night time, it's bye-bye time until we see each other again on New Year's Day. :-)

Thanks Jenny for this tag!

Where Did Our Bonus Go?

Financial security has always been a priority in our family. Thus, when we received our annual bonus this year, the priority was to pay the annual premiums for our life insurance.

While I’ve been insured for several years now, my husband decided only last year to try getting online quotes from various insurance providers. Being a smoker, he’s quite averse to the idea since getting a life insurance might cost more. After getting some background from online quotes, my agent personally discussed with him the options available. He finally availed of a term insurance designed for the head of the family. Around that same time too, I also decided to get a life insurance with discounted premium options for our baby girl.

So where did our Christmas bonus go? Most of it is safely tucked away for the benefit of our family.

Our Humble Christmas Tree

As inspired by the blogs of other mommy bloggers, here's my post regarding our tree.

Our helpers just finished decorating our simple 7 foot Christmas tree. Our theme is still pink and silver (our wedding colors). We've had these decors for three years already. Since I don't have the budget to buy a new set, I decided to just use it again one last time (or whatever). I'll just buy a new set of decors next year.

In addition to our tree, I just bought some outdoor decors from the DBP Tiangge. This one costs only 450 pesos. Zoe loves it!





Next project -- our Advent wreath and Belen. I already bought a plain green garland in Tabora St. but I'm still looking for candles (3 violet and 1 pink). Do you know where I could find these?

How Do I Love Blogging, Let Me Count the Ways...

How do I love blogging, let me count the ways...first: I've gained new friends, second: I've gained a new sense of direction (blogging helped me reflect on things), third: there's paid blogging. Hahaha.

I've been contemplating for a few days now whether I should venture into the paid blogging business or not. Being a mother with a full-time job in a bank, I feel quite unsure whether I can juggle my time with the many things at hand. First and foremost, there's my family. Then I have my job. But then I also realized that if I can have more order and discipline within myself, I can manage our home, do my job well and still have time for more things. Besides, I guess it won't hurt to be doing paid blogging coz I really love blogging. It's my new-found hobby. So why not then?

I've actually tried registering at Blogvertise.com. This site has given me a good feeling about writing online. It made a good impression on me with its personal touch and warm welcome to new bloggers like me.

I hope they'll soon review my blog and send me an approval. That would really make my day a wonderful day.

What You Say Online Can be Used Against You

Do you have a blog or are into Facebook / Friendster?

Here's an interesting read from Mercatornet --

http://www.mercatornet.com/articles/what_you_say_online_can_be_used_against_you/

Lesson Learned: Be on guard. Always be careful with what you say whether online or in person. :-)

Got An Award

Thanks to my online friend Prettylifeonline for giving my this award.



It's great to receive something like this ON A WONDERFUL DAY LIKE TODAY! :-)

I'm now passing this on to my other blog buddies: Abie, Mich, Joy, Alpha, Peachy, Kelly and Jacqui :-)

Thank you for welcoming me into your bloglife. :-)

'Tis the Season of Advent Once More

The Church celebrates today the start of the season of Advent. This is a time when Christians wait and prepare for the coming of Christ who came as a baby in a manager on Christmas Day. He also comes into our lives every single day and will come again at the end of the time.

It is often a challenge and a struggle for many people to unite their faith and culture at this time of Advent. As much as we try to focus on being ready to meet and make room for the baby Jesus silently in our hearts through reflection and firm resolution to be better each day, our culture undeniably affects us too. Sometimes, we become too wrapped up with the endless parties and festivity, often becoming distracted in our preparation for the real feast of Christmas.

God precisely gives us Advent to provide us the time to focus. He understands that we need time to prepare for His coming. Advent helps us collect our thoughts and desires so that when the day of Christmas finally comes, we, with our pure and clean hearts, are ready to face the manager and offer the baby Jesus the gift of ourselves.

Thus, our Advent song: O Come O Come Emmanuel

O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear

Rejoice! Rejoice! O Israel
To Thee shall come Emmanuel

Jollibee's Charisma Never Fails

Yesterday, Zoe officially joined the Jollibee-lovers club. As young as she is, Zoe has fallen in love --- with Jollibee! She was star-struck as we passed by the Jollibee statue that we had to stop for some photo ops!

The picture says it all.

This picture was taken in Jollibee Glorietta 4. After taking the picture-taking, we decided to head to McDo for merienda, as planned. Hahaha. :-)

Gingersnaps Warehouse Sale

I have been a fan of Gingersnaps since I got preggy. I bought most of my prego clothes from them. My hubby fondly remembers falling asleep in one of the sofas in their Powerplant branch while I was so busy fitting their clothes. Super unforgettable talaga since it took me around 2 hours just "inspecting" their items. Talagang antok (at gastos!) ang inabot ni hubby ko.

Compared to that particular incident, our Gingersnap Sale experience is just the opposite. We visited their warehouse last Friday, November 30. Although we got a little lost while looking for the place, it was all worth it. We only spent around 15-20 minutes there (arrived around 4:45 pm na) but it was so productive! Hehe. Plus, hubby did not fall asleep! Hahaha! He even helped me get the best items and paid for all of it too! Woohoo!

Here are some of the clothes which we got for Zoe.

Complete na wardrobe ni Zoe up to next year LOL!

Hoping to go back there and be able to buy more for my inaanaks and friends' kids. :-)

Here are the details in case you're interested:

Gingersnaps Warehouse Sale : Nov. 29 - Dec. 22, 2007 (9:00 - 5:00), Armal Compound (next to Pasig General Hosp.), M. Eusebio Avenue, San Miguel, Pasig City, 916-1542

p.s. Thanks nga pala to Agnes for blogging about this!!! Would have not known about this sale if not for her. Thanks again sis.

Sucker for Sales

Truly I am a sucker for sales and discounts. Basta sale nandun ako. Lately, I've been fortunate enough to be stumbling on very good buys.

It all started with the annual bazaar at DBP. I was able to buy shorts, pajamas, a pair of jeans and a nice flowery dress for Zoe and some Christmas decors for a very cheap price.

Next was the Richwell Sale in Libis. I was able to get a Carebears Ride On and Winx shoes for Zoe plus some other toys for inaanaks.

Tapos last Friday, I chanced upon this info about the sale of Gingersnaps in Pasig. We rushed over there around 4:45 pm even when it's about to close at 5pm. And super steal talaga! For 20 minutes only, I was able to buy dozens of shirts and dresses for Zoe at a super low price! Low as in low! I will blog about my purchases later on.

And then today, I went to 168 and Tabora St. and was able to bring home one "sako-full" of goodies! We'll you see, I've got lots of people to give gifts to this Christmas and I thought the perfect place to find nice and affordable gifts is no less than Divi. Believe me, I bought a whole lot that my shoulder still aches up to now. LOL.

And this just in---though I know it may be too late--- got I an email that Havaianas in Rustans Makati is on sale up to tomorrow! Gosh!!!! Ubos na Christmas money ko!!!


Oh...and I almost forgot, was able to get tickets nga pala from Cebu Pacific Piso Sale for a family vacation to Iloilo this January to visit my sister...Oh no! The gastos never stops! (cringe!)

Anyway, no more, no more...this is oh so familiar! Last year, the same thing happened to me ---i got into trouble exploring amazon.com --- naubos talaga pera ko from buying online...but nevertheless lahat ng nabili ko super steal talaga so ok lang din. Pero this year, I promised myself I won't buy na again in amazon. Ubos na kasi dollars ko.

After this season, naku, back to reality? Ayoko nang gumastos! I just wish I'll have more money coming soon (crossing my fingers and making parinig na din!). Calling on my secret sources and my love na love na hubby. Hahaha!

Linky Love

Last tag na, promise. Thanks Peachy for this love chain...

The rule:When you get tagged, you have to add your name next to the person who tagged you and by doing so you are letting the list grow.

Limadang.com
RamblingMoo.com
blogginginmypyjamas
StylewithPassion
Chinneeq
Dora-zooropazoo
Babyshern
HiPnCooLMoMMa
Rachel’s Soulful Thoughts
When Silence Speaks
My Love. My life. My everything.
On A Wonderful Day Like Today

Don't break the chain! I'm tagging Jacqui and Mich!

Tagged by Mich

Sorry Mich for the super delayed tag. I enjoyed this one. Thanks sis.

1. How long have you been blogging?
I started around mid-2005 prior to my wedding. I eventually deleted that then created another one which was my pregnancy blog Feb 2006.

2. What inspired you to start a blog and who are your mentors?
I've always loved to write. But if I'm good at writing, well, that's the question, LOL. No mentors really, just started to be inspired by the blogs of other people here and abroad.

3. Are you trying to make money online, or just doing it for fun?
Still purely for fun but I'm contemplating on venturing into paid blogging too, but not sure yet.

4. Tell me 3 things you LOVE about being online.
Family and friends are just a click away.
Information is also just one click away.
Shopping is also (fortunately and unfortunately) a click away.

5. Tell me 3 things you STRUGGLE within the online world?
It's hard to stop when you pop.
Sagabal minsan sa work.
Some people can give you a judgement agad...uy, sensitive me...

This is super late na so I won't be tagging anybody. Just snag this if you like.

Lakbayan Tag

Sorry if I'm doing a marathon of the tags. This one is from Norms and Joey.

Your Lakbayan grade is C!

I guess I need to expand my Philippine travels pa. :-) The farthest I've been coming from Metro Manila is just Iloilo (by plane) and Ilocos Sur and Cagayan Valley (by land).

Here's the link for this those who are interested to do this tag:
http://forge.codedgraphic.com/lakbayan/

I Was Born on the Merry Month of May

Got tagged by Kelly and Norm:

1. Mention the person who tagged you and create a link back to them.
2. Copy-paste the traits for all the twelve months (see below).
3. Pick your month of birth.
4. Highlight the traits that apply to you.
5. Tag 12 people and let them know by visiting their blogs and leaving a comment for them.
6. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve done it!

Here’s mine birth month :

MAY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Strong-willed and highly motivated. Sharp thoughts. Easily angered. Attracts others and loves attention. Deep feelings. Beautiful physically and mentally. Firm Standpoint. Needs no motivation. Easily consoled. Systematic (left brain). Loves to dream. Strong clairvoyance. Understanding. Sickness usually in the ear and neck. Good imagination. Good physical. Weak breathing. Loves literature and the arts. Loves traveling. Dislike being at home. Restless. Not having many children. Hardworking. High spirited. Spendthrift.

My Birth Month

The Twelve Months

JANUARY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Ambitious and serious. Loves to teach and be taught. Always looking at people’s flaws and weaknesses. Likes to criticize. Hardworking and productive. Smart, neat and organized. Sensitive and has deep thoughts. Knows how to make others happy. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Rather reserved. Highly attentive. Resistant to illnesses but prone to colds. Romantic but has difficulties expressing love. Loves children. Loyal. Has great social abilities yet easily jealous. Very stubborn and money cautious.

FEBRUARY: Abstract thoughts. Loves reality and abstract. Intelligent and clever. Changing personality. Attractive. Sexy. Temperamental. Quiet, shy and humble. Honest and loyal. Determined to reach goals. Loves freedom. Rebellious when restricted. Loves aggressiveness. Too sensitive and easily hurt. Gets angry really easily but does not show it. Dislikes unnecessary things. Loves making friends but rarely shows it. Daring and stubborn. Ambitious. Realizes dreams and hopes. Sharp. Loves entertainment and leisure. Romantic on the inside not outside. Superstitious and ludicrous. Spendthrift. Tries to learn to show emotions.

MARCH: Attractive personality. Sexy. Affectionate. Shy and reserved. Secretive. Naturally honest, generous and sympathetic. Loves peace and serenity. Sensitive to others. Loves to serve others. Easily angered. Trustworthy. Appreciative and returns kindness. Observant and assesses others. Revengeful. Loves to dream and fantasize. Loves traveling. Loves attention. Hasty decisions in choosing partners. Loves home decors. Musically talented. Loves special things. Moody.

APRIL: Active and dynamic. Decisive and hasty but tends to regret. Attractive and affectionate to oneself. Strong mentality. Loves attention. Diplomatic. Consoling, friendly and solves people’s problems. Brave and fearless. Adventurous. Loving and caring. Suave and generous. Emotional. Aggressive. Hasty. Good memory. Moving. Motivates oneself and others. Sickness usually of the head and chest. Sexy in a way that only their lover can see.

MAY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Strong-willed and highly motivated. Sharp thoughts. Easily angered. Attracts others and loves attention. Deep feelings. Beautiful physically and mentally. Firm Standpoint. Needs no motivation. Easily consoled. Systematic (left brain). Loves to dream. Strong clairvoyance. Understanding. Sickness usually in the ear and neck. Good imagination. Good physical. Weak breathing. Loves literature and the arts. Loves traveling. Dislike being at home. Restless. Not having many children. Hardworking. High spirited. Spendthrift.

JUNE: Thinks far with vision. Easily influenced by kindness. Polite and soft-spoken. Having ideas. Sensitive. Active mind. Hesitating, tends to delay. Choosy and always wants the best. Temperamental. Funny and humorous. Loves to joke. Good debating skills. Talkative. Daydreamer. Friendly. Knows how to make friends. Able to show character. Easily hurt. Prone to getting colds. Loves to dress up. Easily bored. Fussy. Seldom shows emotions. Takes time to recover when hurt. Brand conscious. Executive. Stubborn.

JULY: Fun to be with. Secretive. Difficult to fathom and to be understood. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Takes pride in oneself. Has reputation. Easily consoled. Honest. Concerned about people’s feelings. Tactful. Friendly. Approachable. Emotional temperamental and unpredictable. Moody and easily hurt. Witty and sparkly. Not revengeful. Forgiving but never forgets. Dislikes nonsensical and unnecessary things. Guides others physically and mentally. Sensitive and forms impressions carefully. Caring and loving. Treats others equally. Strong sense of sympathy. Wary and sharp. Judges people through observations. Hardworking. No difficulties in studying. Loves to be alone. Always broods about the past and the old friends. Likes to be quiet. Homely person. Waits for friends. Never looks for friends. Not aggressive unless provoked. Prone to having stomach and dieting problems. Loves to be loved. Easily hurt but takes long to recover.

AUGUST: Loves to joke. Attractive. Suave and caring. Brave and fearless. Firm and has leadership qualities. Knows how to console others. Too generous and egoistic. Takes high pride in oneself. Thirsty for praises. Extraordinary spirit. Easily angered. Angry when provoked. Easily jealous. Observant. Careful and cautious. Thinks quickly. Independent thoughts. Loves to lead and to be led. Loves to dream. Talented in the arts, music and defense. Sensitive but not petty. Poor resistance against illnesses. Learns to relax. Hasty and trusty. Romantic. Loving and caring. Loves to make friends.

SEPTEMBER: Suave and compromising. Careful, cautious and organized. Likes to point out people’s mistakes. Likes to criticize. Stubborn. Quiet but able to talk well. Calm and cool. Kind and sympathetic. Concerned and detailed. Loyal but not always honest. Does work well. Very confident. Sensitive. Good memory. Clever and knowledgeable. Loves to look for information. Must control oneself when criticizing. Able to motivate oneself. Understanding. Fun to be around. Secretive. Loves leisure and traveling. Hardly shows emotions. Tends to bottle up feelings. Very choosy, especially in relationships. Systematic.

OCTOBER: Loves to chat. Loves those who loves them. Loves to take things at the center. Inner and physical beauty. Lies but doesn’t pretend. Gets angry often. Treats friends importantly. Always making friends. Easily hurt but recovers easily. Daydreamer. Opinionated. Does not care of what others think. Emotional. Decisive. Strong clairvoyance. Loves to travel, the arts and literature. Touchy and easily jealous. Concerned. Loves outdoors. Just and fair. Spendthrift. Easily influenced. Easily loses confidence. Loves children.

NOVEMBER: Has a lot of ideas. Difficult to fathom. Thinks forward. Unique and brilliant. Extraordinary ideas. Sharp thinking. Fine and strong clairvoyance. Can become good doctors. Dynamic in personality. Secretive. Inquisitive. Knows how to dig secrets. Always thinking. Less talkative but amiable. Brave and generous. Patient. Stubborn and hard-hearted. If there is a will, there is a way. Determined. Never give up. Hardly becomes angry unless provoked. Loves to be alone. Thinks differently from others. Sharp-minded. Motivates oneself. Does not appreciate praises. High-spirited. Well-built and tough. Deep love and emotions. Romantic. Uncertain in relationships. Homely. Hardworking. High abilities. Trustworthy. Honest and keeps secrets. Not able to control emotions. Unpredictable.

DECEMBER: Loyal and generous. Sexy. Patriotic. Active in games and interactions. Impatient and hasty. Ambitious. Influential in organizations. Fun to be with. Loves to socialize. Loves praises. Loves attention. Loves to be loved. Honest and trustworthy. Not pretending. Short tempered. Changing personality. Not egotistic. Take high pride in oneself. Hates restrictions. Loves to joke. Good sense of humor. Logical.

Let 12 beautiful people snag this! :-)
Thanks for this tag!