Tagged!

Rule #1Copy all the links below and replace a single link under the appropriate alphabet. If your domain name, or even the title of your blog, starts with an ” A,” you’d replace the link under that alphabet and put the replaced link at the bottom. Also, don’t forget to credit the tagger, or where you got the list from, at the end of the list with a full URL of the post so that a pingback gets generated.

alwaysbcmom.com

because life is fun

coffeenchoclate.blogspot.com

denjing.blogspot.com

enjoyingtheride-jenn.blogspot.com

forumfinder.net

gotic-peach.net

happykeg.com

ipentimento.com

juliesjournal.com

kabalyero.com

leahjoseph.com

michmagbag.com

notjustmama.net

originalmx5.net

patrickdevivo.com

qweddings.com

rantingsofawoman.blogspot.com

shopaholictiestheknot.blogspot.com

the-working-mom.blogspot.com

utada-online.net

valmg.com

wickedbabylon.com

xaviermedia.com

yimto.com

zbudapest.com

Replaced Link: dzunejenn.blogspot.com

Previous Tagger: shopaholictiestheknot.blogspot.com

Rule #2You now have to “tag” at least five people and encourage them to participate so that this thing spreads like a virus. Remember, though, that not everyone’s into these kinds of things, so don’t be upset if they don’t participate. Just simply replace your tag. Remember to tag blogs only and no pornographic ones as we do want to keep the integrity as a blogging community. TIP: Tag your frequent EntreCard droppers via its messaging system.

Now I'm tagging Tiggerlily, Don, Joy and Sheng.

Let's play domino

Tagged by Joanne.

Rule: Copy the entire list and add your name at the bottom. And tag at least 5 friends. (But you can tag as many as you like)

Thea is {bloggerhappy.com}
Childstar
Mike
My Scrappy Side
Abie
Aggie
Alpha
Apple
Apols
Jacqui
Jane
Joanne
Jody
Jown --> This is me!!!
Joy
Kelly
Mich
Peachy

You may want to allow pings on your entry to enjoy the full domino effect. Have fun!

Tagging Leah, Eds, Kathy, Sujee and Mhay

When writing pays off

I have been into writing way back 1992 and I must say that it has definitely become one of my passions. From poems to short stories to creative writing, I have learned that writing will always be a part of who I am.

So in this age of technolgy where writing can be more than just a hobby, I figured that I can use my skills to write for other people as well. Thus, I am now finding my way to the world of paid blogging.

Searching for different paid blogging sites, I came across Blogsvertise. I immediately signed up to be one of their registered members. Once my account registration is approved, Blogsvertise will e-mail assigned tasks to me. After the task have been successfully done, Blogsvertise will pay me for the blog entry I've written. Now, isn't that such an easy way to have extra income?

I do hope to get my approval soon. I can't wait to receive my first paid blogging task.

6 Quirky Things about me

This tag made me think..hehehe..thanks Issa and Anna

The rules: Link to the person that tagged you. Post the rules on your blog. Share six unimportant things/habits/quirks about your self. Tag 6 random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs. Let these random people know that they are tagged by leaving comments in their blog.Let your tagger know when your entry is up.

Six Unimportant things/habits/quirks about my self:

1. I can easily remember melodies and memorize song lyrics. And once I learned a song, I never seem to forget the lyrics of it. (Yes, I've got hundreds of songs in my head!!!!)
2. I am a few years older than my husband.
3. I got into writing because of the movie Dead Poets Society.
4. I am proud to be a Born Again Christian.
5. I can finish a half-gallon ice cream in a day...alone!
6. I love Side A band. (Yup since 1992!!!

Now let me find out your 6 quirky things:
1. peachy
2. sexymom
3. jesse
4. jigi
5. emoboy
6. jade ni omar

Sweet dreams are made of these

More than cakes

It may seem that cakes are its specialties, but don't be deceived by its name. Icings as the name may imply actually has more to offer.

After a good 45 minute massage at Big Express Apple Spa at SM Hypermart (I wll blog about this experience separately), my husband and I scouted for a place where we can enjoy a light dinner. Along the entrance strip of SM Ortigas' Hypermart, we found Icings cafe menu to be enticing. A few minutes after browsing the menu, we have decided to have their mushroom soup and Kani clubouse sandwich. To further enjoy our dinner Dong decided to have caffe latte while I ordered their Spanish hot chocolate.

The mushroom soup was good. We have tasted hundreds of mushroom soup and to our humble opinion, this found its way on the top of our list. The chunks of mushroom very well complemented the creamy base and the slice of panini bread. The serving was enough for one person who craves for soup but can be good for sharing as well if you just want a taste of soup before starting with your main course.

After finishing the soup, we got to experience the Kani clubhouse. Yes, I'd say it was an experience because it was like a California Maki on bread. The crabsticks and mango strips I might say did the trick pretty well. It was a perfect light dinner to top the relaxing massage we just had.

I'd say Icings just has to be included in our list of favorites. We definitely will try their other menu next time.

Perfect with coffee

Finally....

After having to pass by this cafe for a thousand times, we finally got the chance to stop by. Mom and Tina's cafe is always full of people that sometimes even if we wanted to try out their menu, we always end up going home. This time, we got there just in time before it got full.

Dessert was the main agenda. Coffee is already a given. Hubby got a mocha while I wanted the good ol' brewed coffee. The dessert was the hard part. Sugar free or the reglar one? Dark or white? We got the Dark Toblerone Walnut which I did not regret at all. Love it. Love it. Love it. The taste still lingers on my tongue and I sometimes even dream about it and wake up craving for more. Yes. That was it's effect on me. It was like ice cream, mousse, cake, toblerone chocolate all rolled into one. Soft and crunchy and it's not even too sweet. So perfect.

The cafe serves lunch and dinner as well so I guess this will be the next thing to try on our next visit. For now, I'm just lingering on the thought of my heavenly dessert....and I'm so not sharing this right now. Harhar!

Growling stomach, hidden treasures

Hello world! I'm back! Finally, the sink in our dirty kitchen has ben fixed, our pipelines are clean and new, and my husband is back from his out-of-town trip. Everything is back to normal.

Not beeing able to blog for the past few days was a bit frustrating because I had tons of things to write about. So for my sort of "welcome back" blog, I will be talking about food!

As a post valentines date, Dong and I went out and did what we normally do during special occassions: EAT. Yes, one of the things we enjoy most is trying out different food establishments and determine whether they make it in our list of favorites or never try them again for the rest of our lives (Exaggerating too much here...hehehe). We went to Greenbelt 3 and decided to go to Thousand Cranes Restaurant.

Thousand Cranes is actually a shabu - shabu (Japanese variant of hot pot) restaurant. Their tables allow a group of four people individually cooking their own hot pot. We had Kani salad as our appetizer which is good for two people (unless you really have a big appetite). We liked it because unlike the other Kani salads we've had before, this one had a lot of crabsticks which we totally love. They should have more of the dressing though. I think it was a bit on the dry side considering the amount of proportions.

Kani Salad. P247

For our main dish we ordered Seafood and Australian Lamb shabu - shabu. We loved the Aussie lamb. We were given separate soup base and the shrimps and squids had big proportions that's why one shabu - shabu menu was enough for the two of us.

Seafood and Australian Lamb Menu. P504

It was good food with a reasonable price. Satisfied stomachs went ahead to look for their dessert. Yup...this is not the end of this food trip.

Blogging 101

I am no expert blogger. Although I have been writing for so many years, blogging is something else. Some may think that it's all about writing stuff you like, how you feel, documenting what happened or plainly giving out your opinion about anything and everything under the sun.

NOT!

Here are some of the things I learned so far about blogging:

1. Be yourself.

Of course I would be a hypocrite if I tell you that you don't need to write about interesting stuff. But the thing is, you have to show who you are so that people will be drawn not only to the things you write about but to you as well. If people who read your blog knows your story, they will be catching up with you every now and then. They will no longer be strangers, they will be your friends.

2. Blog hopping is essential.

Don't expect visitors when you don't even have friends. It's the same thing with blogging. Pay a visit so that people will visit your site too. Spend time to get to know fellow bloggers through their sites. That way, you get to post different comments and leave interesting messages on their chat boards.

3. Be sincere.

This is in line with the blog hopping activity. When you leave a message, give it some warmth and be sure that it's sincere too. There is a certain sense of satisfaction when the blogger sees a good comment/ message. It makes you feel you wrote something good. And you would know that people do actually read your writings, not just leave messages.

4. Be an inspiration.

Every once in awhile, write about something that comes from the heart, something that can truly inspire people who visit your site. For all you know, some visit your site because they want to learn or feel good about themselves. Wouldn't that make blogging even more than what it truly is?

These are my guidelines to blogging, well at least for the time being. I know that I will learn a lot more. For now, I will perfect my own advice first....Fingers crossed.

Blog on!!!

Be right back

This will be my last blogging activity for this week. I've got some household stuff that needs to get fixed and I need to supervise it closely. I will be back by Sunday evening and will be yawping about a whole lot of things.

In the meantime, this blogger's mode will be away from the computer. Please feel free to leave me a message and update me with what's happening in your blogs.

Until Sunday. Ciao.

Something to live by

I saw this when I was deleting personal files in my office PC. I want to put it here so that I may be able to remember it, and hopefully live by it too.

" Live your life in such a way that a man who doesn't know God will know Him because of you "
- Anonymous

So true.

Me and my big heart

It's one thing when people tell you you're nice. It's another thing when people recognizes if you have a big heart.

Not physically of course, because my heart really ain't that big.
But I do have lots of love to give.

Thankyou Issa, for passing this award.

Now, I pass this one to Leah, Farrah and Tiggerlily.

A Worm that's bugging me

Hello to the blogging world once again!!!! I missed having to post for the past few days and I've got A LOT of stories to tell like our post valentines date, Zye's recent check-up and his first encounter with food. But the weekend got a little busy and yesterday when I was about to start with all of my blogging activities -- our laptop hung up on me. Oh yeah...I mean bigtime! What's worst is that Dong will be going out-of-town for work stuff and he was suppose to bring the laptop with him. *Sigh* I really want him to be able to bring the laptop so that he won't get wrapped up in manually writing down reports. I was determined to fix the problem. Thing is, I don't even know where to begin. I did a full scan to look for worms or viruses but nothing came out. I tried installing the drivers but nothing happened. By midnight, I was able to figure out that it was the keyboard's driver that wasn't working. Problem was, the keyboard's driver was embedded with Microsoft. I had to restore the system at an earlier time when the registry's configuration was still good. I tried the system restore several times but it didn't work. I'm not sure why. Finally I got the idea of checking the internet for possible answers. It was hard since I had the find ways to use the only the tpuch pad was working. I had to copy paste words to be able to search for topics. Finally, I came across this forum that advices one to start on safe mode then look for the last good configuration. It was 4:30 AM, it had to work. Dong will be leaving by 6:30 AM. AT LAST!!! After starting in safe mode, I was able to do system restore and everything went back to normal!!! Thank God!!! The effort was worth it. Dong was so happy (even if he was a bit mad since I did not sleep anymore...hehehehe) but all is well. The experience of technical support in a call center paid off!!!! Hahahaha.

I'll miss you Dhe. See you Saturday.

The perfect ending

Today was my last day as an employee. Not that I actually planned it, but this was the highlight of my resignation day:

************

In an internal messaging application, my team mates thought of going down (our office is located on the 36th floor) to buy some snacks. I told them I wasn’t going to buy but I will be coming with them to break the monotony of sitting in front of the computer. Six of us went down and was the only people in the elevator until we reached the 34th floor (or 33rd, I’m not so sure). There was about 8 or so people who got in the elevator so naturally we were a bit packed during the ride. I was in the corner of the elevator, almost leaning towards the control buttons. Upon reaching the ground floor, the elevator opened. First to get off were the 34th floor people. While people were unloading, my pinky finger was pushing the button nearest to it.

ME: Thank you for coming, mam, sir. (Wearing a smile from ear to ear. Of course I was saying this line to my team mates, joking around)

[Elevator door was closing. The last person from the 34th floor people was in the middle of the door]

ME: (Still smiling looking at my team mates, then looked at the closing door, wondering. Pinky finger still on the button)
TEAM MATES: [Pushing another button]

ME: [Sudden realization…]
TEAM MATES: (Almost in chorus) “Ate Jown! Close button yung napindot mo!!!!

:: Yup. It happened. As witnessed by Petitt, Mark G., Goldie, Val and Erl. ::

************

EDI Map Dev 2005 (Office Blessing)

EDI Map Dev 2006(Caylabne Team Building)
So this is my farewell piece to my loving EDI mapping family (the mappers, qa, and analysts, Sir Bong, Miss Anne, Miss Jing, Miss Pen, Sir Tolits, Miss Thina and Miss Malou…I hope I’m not missing anybody ). Being with you guys was just like the story above – hilarious, crazy, fun, packed, most of all, unforgettable.

And as the famous OPM goes…

“You will always be a special memory.”

RAINBOW

Between
the rain
and the sun
colors are formed

before the rain drops
shades of blue,
yellow, pink
gather around around before the gray clouds

see beauty inspite of thunderstorms
a masterpiece above imperfections
the best thing has come
at the end of the mystical bridge

you were my pot of gold.

Technology is cool

I found one picture of Zye from my brother-in-law's cellphone. He said it matches the one from Zye's ultrasound. So I made a comparison of the two pictures.

Amazing huh? Yeah...I think it's kinda cool. I think Zye will be happy to see this when he grows up.

Friendship Tag

Anger is only one letter short of danger
If someone betrays you once, it is his fault;
If he betrays you twice, it is your fault.
Great minds discuss ideas;
Average minds discuss events;
Small minds discuss people.
He, who loses money, loses much;
He, who loses a friend, loses much more;
He, who loses faith, loses all.
Beautiful young people are accidents of nature,
But beautiful old people are works of art.
Learn from the mistakes of others
You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.
Friends, you and me…
You brought another friend…
And then there were 3…
We started our group…
Our circle of friends…
And like that circle…
There is no beginning or end…
Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is mystery.
Today is a gift.
So now, let’s see how many circle’s of friends we can make by simply adding your link on this Friendship Meme!1-Catsy Carpe Diem, 2- Catsy Downloads, 3-Out of the Blue, 4- A Day to Savor and Relish 5- A Piece of Idea 6- Write Shy 7- Stupid Wise 8- onlinememorylane 9- See Me For What You Will 10- Michelle’s Small World 11. Chez Francine 12. La Place de Cherie 13. Le bric à brac de Cherie 14- Our Journey to this so called Life 15- Life 16- The Creativity In Me 17- Moi et mon Univers 18- Dogs Circle 19 - Planting Diary 20 - Doinge 21 - Clicking Mouse 22 - Fifty States Travel 23 - Make Life Unexpected 24 - Honestly Fresh 25 - Sorrounded Everything 26 - Moments I Treasure 27 - Trails In Life 28 - Has Alot 2 Offer 29 - Chant's corner dot com 30- Travel, Adventure and Lifestyle 31- Ramblings Dumplings 32- The Adventures of Dong and Jing –>End here<–

Tagging Joy and Rocks

Big Bang World Record

Tagged by Pat

*Start Copy Here*

You do not have to be tagged to play along. This game is simple and so are the rules.
1. Copy from *Start Copy Here* through *End Copy Here*
2. Add your site(s) to the list. Just be sure to post at each site you add.
3. Tag or don’t tag, your choice, however, the more tags you create the bigger the list will grow.
4. Let me know your blog’s name and URL by leaving me a comment. I will add you to the master list.
5. Come back and copy the master list back to your site, often. This process will allow late-comers to get as much link benefit as the first ones in.
1-Attitude, the Ultimate Power 2-Juliana’s Site 3-Rusin Roundup 4-Grow Rich Along With Me 5-Comedy Plus 6-lynda’s loft 7-Amel’s Realm 8-MAX 9-Speedcat Hollydale 10-Mariuca 11-Complain Complain Complain 12-Mariuca’s Perfume Gallery 13-Life Is A Roller Coaster 14-Sugar Queen’s Dream 15-First Time Dad 16-Life 17-My Life 18-The Painted Veil 19-My Thoughts 20-DatCurious.com 21-Little Aussie Cynic 22- A Nice Place in the Sun 23-DatMoney.com 24-The Down Side OF Up 25- Ladyjava’s Lounge 26- Cat Tales 27-moms…check nyo 28-Colorado Baby 29-It’s a Woman’s World 30-ENLIGHTENED BITS 31-My View of “It” 32-My Reviews and Finds Along the Way 33-Our Hep Chat 34 - Rantings of a Woman 35- The Callalily Space 36- Mom Knows Everything 37- Hazel 38- Chronicles and Tales Unlimited (RED) 39- From the Mouth of Jabber Jaws 40- Sunny Side Up Foodie & Lifestyle 41-Carmel Corn 42-Daily Stock Picks 43-The Whole New World 44- Wifespeak 45-Slavery Bliss 46- Rooms of My Heart 47- Unpredictable Life 48- My Life, My World 49- At Your Service 50- All About Ebay 51- Everything Amazon 52- Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out 53- My So-Called Site 54- New Wife Blog 55- It’s not the way 56- Nick’s Bytes 57- My Scratch Pad 58- Choc Mint Girl 59- Life Is Just Around the Corner”¦ 60- Amori, poseia, art”¦ virtuali by Hanna 61- Maryannaville 62- monaco - monaco’s 63- Nyumix’s Blog 64- read my mind - my keyboard monologues 65- Shower You Children With Love - The Right Way 66- Secret Agent Mama 67- Pinaymama’s Diary 68- Answers to the Questions 69- Work of the Poet 70- A Total Blog 71- My life, my hope, my future 72- NORTE 73- A Window to Our World 74- Life as a Mom 75- FIELD OF DREAMS 76- lisgold 77- See Me for What You 78- Caught in The Stream 79-Pinay Mommy Online - My Home 80-I’m Running To Win Two 81-CRUEL VIRGIN 82-Garden of Moments in Blog 83-So Cute 84-Love Everlasting 85-WeLcOmE To My CriB 86-WELCOME TO PINAYSMILE’S JOURNEY 87-Ice’s Icelog 88-Jenny’s Wandering Thoughts 89-Hobbies and Such 90-Sweet Paradise 91-Mommy’s Gibble Gabbles 92-Rusin Review’s 93-My Small World 94-Little Peanut 95-Online Ramblings 96-My Mood My Feeling 97-BLOG it with ALLEN 98-Entertainment World 99-Let’s Go Singapore 100-Firelynx 101-Catsy Carpe Diem 102-Every Beat Of My Heart 103-Always Da Fresh Princess 104-Listening.. Learning..Living 105-All About Mars 106- Syii From Afar 107-Some Thoughts I Have 108-From Here and Beyond 109-My Paid To Blog 110-Scholarship Corner 111-Cell Phone Review 112-“Apples of the Eyes” 113-It’s All About Play 114-The Luttrull Journey 115-RennyBA’s Terella 116-Unchained Melody 117-Out of the Blue 118-The Lure Of the Unknown 119-Maricel’s 120-my blog 121-Spiff, the Spaceman 122-Living Well 123-The Dog Log 124-Catnip Corner 125-A Piece of Idea 126-Observations From the Back 40 127-Poetry by The Redneck Gypsy 128-Odd Facts 129-Juliana’s Lair 130-My life is murphy’s law 131- lisgoldsmemoirs 132-My memories, as time goes by 133-Somewhere over the rainbow 134-Blogging by Sandee 135-Our Journey to this so called life 136-Idaho Daily Photo 137-Memories that Never Fades.. 138-Anything goes 139-Your Caring Angels 140-Little Paces 141-Laketrees 142-PoeARTica 143-fracas 144-Just FraCas 145-Archies Archive 146- Chez Francine 147- La Place de Cherie 148- Le bric à brac de Cherie 149- Cherie 150- Gagiers Striking Zone 151- Gagiers Amazing World 152- Caroland’s Breathtaking Adventure 153- Kusina ni Gagiers 154- Chic Shopaholic 155- Gracie de Guzman 156- Jaqqq in the Blogs 157-I am Dzoi 158- My Happy Place 159-Raising Sandy 160-100% Kelly 161 Maybelle Doodles 162 Shopaholic Ties The Knot 163. Frappucino Jown

*End Copy Here*


I'm now tagging Joanne and Donto

Mother, Mother

I saw this in a friendster comment and I liked it.

I'll be looking up each of it, though...hehehehe..just wanna be sure.

Unwell

Yesterday, I felt shivers during the middle of day. Come night time, I had the colds. *Sigh* Up until this afternoon, I'm still not in feeling well. I miss kissing and hugging Zye. I don't think I'd be able to sleep beside him tonight. I hope I'm in good shape by tomorrow.

And the winner is....

I'd like to thank my fans for all their support....harhar...just kidding. I received my very first award today...two awards actually:

This was given to me by Trinity . Thanks sis!!! This made me smile. Now I know that such awards being passed on actually makes blogging even more exciting. It's my turn to make someone smile.

Give it up for Maybelle and Mec ! Hooray!!!!

Busy, busy

Just dropping by here..got a lot to do for today. I need to finsh the game for tonight's activity in church, need to do the header for my two sites (yeah...finally learned to use photoshop! yipee!), need to type the songs for Sunday service, prepare our son's things...

Whew. I'll take a break first.

Scrapbook 101

I wasn't suppose to blog today because I have tons of things to do for tonight's activity in church. However, I couldn't help but post the very first fruit of my digital scrapping experiment. YES! Finally I was able to create one...and at long last I am finally learning Photoshop (and I'm suppose to be a software engineer, ha!)

Nothing fancy here. Make a mental note that this is my first time to do this (hehehe...) I've got tons of pictures that I need to compile. Actually, I have paper scrapbooks already but now I'm thinking if I'm just going to compile all those captured moments in a digital photobook. Saves time having to cut and paste pictures and papers right?

Technology is so cool.

Tagged by Tiggerlily

Here’s how it goes: When this is passed on to you, copy the whole thing, skim the list and put a * star beside those that you like. Write your own blogging tip for other bloggers. Try to make your tip general.Tag as many people as you want.

1. Don’t let money change ya! http://www.therandomforest.info/
2. Look, read, and learn. http://www.neonscent.com/
3. Be, EXCELLENT to each other. http://www.bushmackel.com/
4. Always reply to your comments. http://chattiekat.com/
5. Blog about what you know & love. http://sugar-queens-dream.blogspot.com/
*6. Don’t use filthy language-buy a dictionary. http://shinade.blogspot.com/
7. Blog about something educational. http://climateofourfuture.org/
8. Be yourself; others will follow. http://sfgirl-thealiennextdoor.blogspot.com/
9. Don’t have too many blogs that will become a chore to maintain. http://cubicledenizen.blogspot.com/
*10. Keep it simple, user-friendly, interesting and organized! http://erishaling.blogspot.com/
*11. Keep the blog simple and sweet!! http://www.leslieho.com/
12. Share with others your thoughts and don’t be shy! http://groovy-olives.com/blog
13. Never ask for link exchange. Blog hop to increase traffic. http://www.jessieling.com/
14. Don’t clutter your blog with ads all over the place. IT’S IRRITATING. http://oliviasy.blogspot.com/
*15. Don’t comment for the sake of commenting. Some looked too fake and its a big turn off! http://sashablablabla.blogspot.com/
*16. Share something interesting and you will gain more readers. http://judychow.blogspot.com/
*17. Show that we care to all bloggers, treat each other as friends. http://mummyinvain.com/
*18. Pictures say a million words. Keep them coming! http://familyfriendsnfood.blogspot.com/
*19. Blogging should be fun or you’ll get tired of it pretty soon. http://justmyrambling.com/
20. Don’t think people will come to your blog if you’re not willing to pay a visit to them. http://joshualai.blogspot.com/
*21. Everyone loves read short posting and best, illustrated with a picture. http://www.demoments.net/blog
*22. Try not to publish more than 5 posts in one blog a day. Even if it’s from feed reader, it’s quite hard to digest and catch up reading everything. http://montessorimum.com/
*23. Blog, the other window to peek into people’s life, minus the trouble. keep a certain level of privacy to yourself. http://www.babyshern.blogspot.com/
*24. Use simple words, not like the ones that require your readers to consult the dictionary. Girlie of http://www.hipncoolmomma.com/
*25. Take time to visit your friendly links WITH OR WITHOUT SPONSORED POSTS, probloggers are required to update their blogs so expect they always have something new. Marie the Vanidosa http://mariegvergara.com/
26. Be kind and appreciate your readers by taking time to really know them. Take time to read their blogs and comment with your heart. Even if you’re into problogging, don’t forget to blog with your heart not just for the sake of the money.Emmyrose http://www.emmyrose.com/
*27. Share your blog awards to blogger friends whose blog inspires you and open your mind to another perspective in life and even to less-visited blog which you think their blog and thoughts are unique. Arlene of http://sunshineforlife.wordpress.com
*28. Be factual and do not rely 100% on gossips/hearsays especially if you are writing about sensitive topics. Back up your facts with links from reliable sources, if needed. Julie of http://www.teacherjulie.com/
*29. When you blog hop, leave sincere or witty remarks, the author would check you out for sure. Try to post useful tips for mommies, career women and students as well so you’ll have varied readers. And make lots of friends thru your blog. Rowena of http://www.thesweetlife-rowena.blogspot.com/
30. When you write posts, write something that is interesting, funny or educational, and share stories that will let your readers know who you are. Share some pictures. Blogging is a way to gain friends, when they leave comment be sure to reply to those comments. Get in touch with your readers. Visit those who visit you. When you leave comments in their blogs, be sincere and true. Leave comment as a friend, not just for the sake of commenting. Show them that you’re really interested with what they write and that you want them to be your friends too. Ann of http://annksantos.blogspot.com/
*31. Interesting or not, just let your blog reflect the real you. It is always best for people to like you and befriend you for who you really are. But of course it is also better to leave the more personal things, personal. You don’t need to blog about them if you don’t want to. Remember, anyone and everyone can access your blog. ~ http://alphadf.11penguin.net/ ~
32. Update often — people are a lot more nosy and interested in your life than you might think! http://celluliticbliss.com/
*33. Don’t forget the reason why you started blogging. Mine is to show Summer how she was when she was small when she grows up. I see to it that my posts are Summer-friendly. http://jadeomar.blogspot.com/
34. Don’t forget to mention your sources or references. In using other people’s photos or infos, always ask PERMISSION first & give DUE CREDIT. Respect intellectual property of others. http://jesselai.blogspot.com/!
*35. Always keep in mind that blogging is all about keeping memories in file. And do not do something because you want to have something to blog about. http://mich-magbag.blogspot.com/
36. Blog like everybody is reading. Like your boss, in-laws or worst enemy. http://blueberrycheesecake.wordpress.com/
37. Review your blog before you post it- make sure that the links are correct, and that there are no grammar or typo errors. gwacie - http://mylilspotofsunshine.blogspot.com/
*38. Blog about everything that makes you happy. You will surely remember those happy moments and you can read about it anytime you want to. Tiggerlily of http://livinginsweetdreams.blogspot.com/
*39. Once in awhile, blog about something that can inspire people. Sometimes, what we write can be therapeutic to those who pass by. That alone is already very rewarding. Jown of http://frappucinojown.blogspot.com


Now I'm tagging: Pat, Joey and Issa.

Thanks for the tag Tiggerlily.

"You're my twisted sunshine..."

Hearing this particular song on the radio, I remembered how it actually found its way to the hearts of the hopeless romantic Filipinos. Truth is, I have known this song only through Chico and Delamar. I am not sure if it's the romantic side of Pinoys that made them love this song (or the PBB show that turned it to a hit) but it's sending a signal to me one way or another.

Now, the lyrics of the song are altogether "mushy". It talks about the real deal of finding that person whom you choose to battle life's ups and downs with. What makes it more likeable is that the deep feelings about the idea of ever after are wrapped with a funky tune that you can dance to. The hopeless romantic words + the catchy sound makes you love the song simply because you don't have to feel too sentimental (or too lonely if you haven't found that significant other) whenever you sing along.

So what song am I talking about? It's Bonnie Bailey's "Ever After".
**********************************************

Pop Quiz: What does "Ever After" really mean?**********************************************
Certainly, this is not about your average Once-upon-a-time tale. But the truth is, we all hope for that almost perfect love story: one that will send us blissfully to ever after. Well then what does ever after mean?

A hundred folds of explanation. One person equates to his/her own version of that so-called fairy tale ending. This is what I call Ever After Dictionary, by category:

Grandpa, on his 50th wedding anniversary with Grandma:

"Ever after is having to hold on to the hand of the same person…
even if I can barely walk."

Divorced wife:"Loving life and my kids even without you...".

Young Man, on his 1st wedding anniversary:

"I knew I made the best decision when I chose her"

Widow: "My life has no meaning without him..."

Man with a sick wife: "The doctor says she may never walk again..it's okay..
I am strong enough to carry her around"

Little boy: "My dad plays ball with me every weekend and then we race to the house afterwards because my mom cooks the best meatballs in the world!"

Bride: "I can't wait to be his wife!”

Teenager: "I want someone who will love me the way I love him"

Broken hearted girl: "I still love him..."

Broken hearted guy: "I don't know what went wrong.."

Single person: "I just want someone to spend the rest of my life with"

Oh yeah. Ever after is a little too complicated to deal with. But each line above helps us figure out how ever after is defined by different beings. The bottom line is, there is no guarantee of ever after. One does not get into a relationship because there is ever after.
Sad to say there is no ever after.

There is only TRUE LOVE.

Ever after is only the idea that we set in our minds. It helps us to hold on to the idea that someone out there will find us and will save us form the misery of being alone. What we are actually hoping for is to experience Love in its truest form.

But what the heck.....I DO BELIEVE IN EVER AFTER anyway.... :)

EVER AFTER lyrics by BONNIE BAILEY

Three years ago, my journey began

Chasing down this cure, no plan in hand

Just your pulse, my racing guide in the dark

Just knowing with conviction from the start
The moment your eyes made an introduction

I felt my second violent breath of life

Flawless to the point of being godly

Yet I fell hard for your imperfections

And now we're slightly weathered,

we're slightly worn

Our hands grip together,

eye to eye through the storm, yet

I still believe in ever after with you, yeahhhhh

Cuz life is a pleasure with you by my side,

And there ain't no current in this river we can't ride

I still believe in ever after with you

Nothing compares to the good times

Feels like we're floating, when the rest have to climb

You made me believe in love, and not the perfect kind

A real messy beautiful twisted sunshine
Emotions, volcanic eruptions

We both still care, so we're still alive

Tunnel vision, determination

I want you, I want to make it right

And now we're slightly weathered,

we're slightly worn

Our hands grip together,

eye to eye through the storm, yet

I still believe in ever after with you, yeahhhhh

Cuz life is a pleasure with you by my side,

And there ain't no current in this river we can't ride

I still believe in ever after with you

You are my twisted sunshine

You are my twisted sunshine

No generation gap here

One time after putting Zye to sleep and placing him besides his daddy, something crazy happened.....

Yes. This was spontaneous and unrehearsed. Zye was only two months old when this picture was taken and yet he seemed to have inherited his dad's sleeping habit. A real father and son moment.

Like father, like son. Bow.

Pillow Talk

The pillow tells it all.

Tiny bubbles

Zye has certain mood swings when it comes to taking a bath. There are days when it irritates him when you scrub his body but there are bathing days when he just sits and watches the world happening around him. Today, he had a good mood about his bath time. He cried a little while we were shampooing him, but later on got talked into not crying.

"Mommy, what are you doing?????"

"Oh...okay I get it...it's bath time..."

"Alright...alright...I'll just enjoy this for now."

So finally, I was able to capture his bath moment…for the record. Winner si mommy jing !!!!!!!

All about a heart-warming message

Sometime ago, I received this message from a highschool friend. In an edited form, it goes:

"..the other day I was cleaning up my mess when i found a letter you gave me..actually it was just a poem you gave me...
Love is never giving up

no matter how painful it has been

it is living to the fullest with a smile,

learning how to accept the feeling of losing someone

who doesn't even know you exist.
hmmm..I just realized after seeing that letter I actually learned how to live and love because of that poem..Salamat. I miss you and i miss highschool...but i am enjoying life right now!!!!"

I was teary-eyed by the end of the message. It wasn't just a feel-good message. It was a testimony. It's a kind of message that I never expected because all along I thought my poems were just chronicles of what has happened during the past. It was only then that I realized my poems meant a new found hope for others.

My heart jumped for joy knowing my words taught someone to live and love. It was an accomplishment learning that someone is enjoying life because I shared my view on love and how to deal with the ghost of having to love someone without waiting for anything in return.

*Sigh*

Call me sentimental, call it whatever you want. But it was soul-satisfying having thanked for because you have "saved" someone from the misery of life. Here's my message to her:

*************************************

Bunsay,

I thank God because my simple act of giving you a poem turned out to be a long-time advise to help you live your life to the fullest. I thank you because your appreciation has made me even more thankful for my gift of words.

You were always a strong person. I knew that even without the poem, you could have gone through life smoothly. I weaved those words into a poem to push you to the edge of your limits and make you realize that you can even be stronger than you think. I succeeded. Now, you are enjoying life without the heavy burden in your heart and with the knowledge that any encounter with love -- painful or not -- is designed to make us love more, live more.

It would be great to see you and everyone from highschool again. But at the moment, I am satisfied with the thought that you are HAPPY. And I hope the same goes to the whole Bunch family as well. :)
Godbless.

Love you always,

Mommy Bunch

What's in a word?

One time I received a text message wherein letters of common words are rearranged and formed phrases that describes the word itself.

What am I saying??? Here are examples:


DORMITORY rearranged is DIRTY ROOM
THE EYES becomes THEY SEE
THE MORSE CODE is simply HERE COME DOTS
A DECIMAL POINT in an arranged way is IM A DOT IN PLACE
ASTRONOMER scramble the letters is a MOON STARER
ELEVEN PLUS TWO is truly TWELVE PLUS ONE

Catch the drift?


Well, I thought of one of the same essence.

WORDS...arranged differently forms the word SWORD. And yes, words are swords in so many different perspectives. It can cut, cause pain, is sharp, strikingly shiny at times, useful when used properly, and can save lives. Amazing huh?

So how do you use your WORDS????

Vroom! Vroom!

During the Shell-Ferrari Promo last year, my husband wanted to complete all six models for Zye. Unfortunately, the models were always out of stock since everybody wanted to complete the collection. (Anyone out there who has two sets of collection? We’re willing to adopt the other cars you have…harhar!)
Oh well, better luck next time. At least Zye has four Ferrari cars and a bat mobile to begin with.

I Pray

Whenever things are going well and good

and it seems that each prayer is answered

Lord, give me a heart

that knows how to praise Your goodness

Whenever things are not going my way

and each task becomes a failure

Lord, grant me the courage

to move on and work harder

Whenever my day is completed

full of laughter and accomplishments

Lord, allow my spirit

to enjoy each moment that You bring

Whenever I get hurt and frustrated

and when nobody seems to understand me

Lord, let me find comfort in Your arms

And whenever tears would fall from my eyes

Lord,wipe them awayand remind me always

that Your Love will always be

greater than all my disappointments.

AMEN.

Going home

February 15, 2008 will be my last day in the office. It will culminate my career as a software engineer and will mark the beginning of my becoming a full-pledge plain housewife and stay-at-home mom. I honestly wonder why they call one a "plain housewife" when there is nothing plain about being such. I think there's more to being a housewife than meets the eyes.

Anyway, it's sad that after two and a half years, I'm saying goodbye to the place that became a second home. Next week, I will be ending my Monday to Friday office routine to face the challenges of learning what song to sing so that my baby boy will no longer cry during his bath time (yes, he cries only when we bathe his body. He loves being shampooed though)

Feeling a bit sentimental, I took pictures of my workspace this afternoon:

My cube nameplate:

My two cube buddies, (they've seen me in best and worst "mapping moments"), my two and a half year old thermomug and my ever reliable water bottle.The last two pictures posted on my cube wall. Bear magnet from Marj. "J" magnet from Val. Smileys provided by my sister. She gave them as a gift when I was starting out with this job.

I will surely miss everything about this job: the office, the work (well, okay maybe not much of this one), most of all the people I've worked with. But as Chris Daughtry's song goes: "...I don't regret this life I chose for me. But these faces and these places are getting old. So I'm going home."

This post will most probable have a part two.

Energizer

After his burping session, Zye was placed in the crib. I peeked inside and saw him smiling:

ME: "Hello baby! How are you?"

ZYE: "Goo..."(eyes wide open)

ME: "How was your day?Were you good?"

ZYE "Eee..gooo..waahh" (Smiling, kicking)

ME: "Did you miss us? We missed you. Mommy and Daddy missed you today"

ZYE: "Hihi..oooh..." (Giggling, wiggling)

Then we suddenly remember this is the reason why we get up every morning to go to work...because there is something good to go home to everyday.

Lovely.

Priority One

Our life changed a lot when Zye was born. Our priorities certainly changed since he came out. Below is a list of the things that changed the most in our life before and after Zye's birth:


BEFORE: Check out sureseats.com for the latest movies
AFTER: Check out babycenter.com for updates on baby's growth

BEFORE: What am I going to buy this pay day?
AFTER: When is the next time that I should buy milk and diaper?

BEFORE: Starbucks coffee whenever I want.
AFTER: Buy NAN1 milk 900g every 10 days.

BEFORE: Sleep late. Wake up late. Especially during Saturdays.
AFTER: Sleep when Zye is sleeping. Wake up when Zye starts crying.

To my hubby whenever he fetches me from work:
BEFORE: "Malling tayo!" ("Let's go malling")
AFTER: "Uwi na tayo, miss ko na si baby" ("Let's go home. I miss our baby.")

BEFORE: Wedding Monthsary.
AFTER: Zye's monthly birthday

BEFORE: Listening to Chico and Del's Morning rush
AFTER: Listening to different kid's songs and nursery rhymes
(I love you, you love me, we're a happy family...)

BEFORE: Shopping of bags, shoes and clothes during mall wide sale
AFTER: Buying something for Zye whenever I pass by the mall

My usual answer to the question "How are you?"
BEFORE: "Okay naman. Enjoying married life"
AFTER: "Okay naman. Eto naku ang bilis lumaki na ni Zye!" (Okay. Zye's growing up so fast!)

And these are just some of my Before and After stuff. There are still a lot that I probable just don’t remember right now. I bet this same list will change once Zye is already a year old. Oh well, until then….

Waiting for 6:00 PM

I was able to go to work today...and struggling to stay focused. I'm missing my son.. I'm wondering what he is doing right now. Is he having his play time? Is he sleeping. Was he able to finish his 2 oz calamansi juice? *Sigh* Can't wait for February 15. Why? I'll tell you about it soon. Right now, I just need to get a hold of myself for 1 and a half hours then I can go home and see our baby boy.

Can you handle this?

This, I think, is a good visualization of the word "challenge":

Will you be up to this kind of challenge?

I'll pass.

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This policy is valid from 04 February 2008

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Sigh

Murmuring...
Abandoned wings.
Feathers independent of the mother.
Sliding, it fell.
Drops of emotion on a bed of cotton.
Its frailty not known;
Only the heart knows.

jd.060706

Zye’s First Quarter

Today, Zye is 4 months old. Amazing how time flies. A few months ago he was so tiny (he was a premature baby) and now I can’t carry him too long because my arms hurt. To celebrate his 4th month, I compiled his first quarter milestones:

1. Big boy now.
From a mere 1.8 kg (3.96 lbs), his check up last January 16 registered him to 5.2 kg (11.44 lbs). I’m excited to see how he will weigh on his next check-up.


2. More than milk.
Zye is no longer limited to the taste of milk and water. His menu now includes calamansi juice! This would mean that soon enough he will start eating solids and that would be another milestone to blog about.

Starting our with 1 ounce of milk....

He now finishes 4 oz every 2 hours!

3. Sights and Sound
Our baby now responds well to different sounds and smiles whenever somebody talks to him. It brings us a great deal of joy hearing him say his goo-goos especially when he imitates the sounds that he hears. It makes everyone crazy whenever he smiles or giggles. It excites us even more to think that soon he will be crawling around.

From just sleeping.....

He now interacts with people...

Stares wildly at the T.V....And makes funny faces...

4. Small no more.
His diaper size chronology: newborn – small – medium. Yes, he is now wearing a medium size diaper. I never thought that being able to buy a medium size diaper would make me feel so proud…I wonder how proud I would feel once my baby can wear briefs!

3 days old Zye in his newborn size nappies

Zye now 4 months old

5. Church is his second home
Maybe it was because I was active in our church’s music ministry when I was conceiving him that made him love hearing praise and worship songs. Why? It’s because whenever praises start, he dozes off! Yup! The banging of the drums and the beat of the music actually puts him to sleep. That’s why we don’t have any problem whenever we have visitors…he loves noises!

Parenthood, no matter how tiring it can get, is so rewarding. You see your fruit growing, learning new things, enjoying life. Seeing our son smile and kick and reach for his toys are worth all the sleepless nights and the hard work.

I so love being a mom.

Measuring Life

I was browsing through the internet looking for some lyrics when I suddenly remembered this amazing song that I have always loved. It's one of my favorites, but since it is often played (or often sung), I only remember it every once in awhile.

Today, was one of those once in awhile.

How do you measure a life of a person? Is it with what he owns? Is it by determining the position that he holds in his company? Do you measure your worth by comparing yourself to your friends?

I'm not quite sure. But just as this song reminds us, maybe we should measure our lives by measuring the amount of love that we have.

Love for God, ourselves, our families, our friends.

Maybe it's really about remembering what love is that our life becomes more meaningful.
That our yardstick isn't just our riches, not our fame, not our ego...That in everything we do, we consider love in the equation...That in each decision we make, love would be the seal...That in every person we meet, we touch their lives by showing them that love makes a big difference.
I guess love does have seasons.

Winter... Spring...Summer... Fall.

Love gone cold...Blossoming Love...Unconditional Love...Falling Out of Love.

SEASONS of LOVE.

*************************************

Seasons Of Love by RENT
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Moments so dear
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes
How Do You Measure - Measure A Year?
In Daylights - In Sunsets
In Midnights - In Cups Of Coffee
In Inches - In Miles
In Laughter - In Strife
In - Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes
How Do You Measure A Year In The Life?

How About Love? How About Love?
How About Love? Measure In Love
Seasons of Love. Seasons of Love.

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Journeys To Plan
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes
How Do You Measure The Life Of A Woman Or A Man?
In Truths That She Learned
Or In Times That He Cried
In Bridges He Burned
Or The Way That She Died
It's Time Now - To Sing Out
Though The Story Never Ends
Let's Celebrate
Remember A Year In The Life Of Friends
Remember the Love
Remember the Love
Remember the Love
Measure In Love

Oh you got to remember the love,
You know that love is a gift from up above
Share love, give love,
spread love
Measure, measure your life in love.
Seasons Of Love
Measure Your Life In Love