We Almost Got a Car

One morning my mother sends me a text message. She said my uncle is selling his old car. I replied to her and said I don't have the money now, probably by December. The other day she called me and said my brother Darwin will get the car. What happen was my uncle went to my aunts and told her to lend money either to me or to my brother to buy his car. He said if she will not do that he would lend the money himself. wew! Since my brother is a godchild of my aunt she decided to lend the money to him to get the car. Anyway I know we will be able to get our own car too, in God's time. I wanted to have a Toyota model since what they say accessories and repair is more available and cheaper compare to other model. If we get our own car I will try to save extra money to add chrome accessories to it to make it more elegant. My husband already knows how to drive so I will just ask him to teach me. I hope by next year before we move to our new house we already have our own car.

Ang Po at Opo

Below is the poem that David needs to memorize. At 5 it is quite difficult for him. So far he already knew the first four lines.

Ang Po at Opo

Ang bilin sa akin ng ama't ina ko

Maging magalang na bata ako;

Palaging gamitin ang po at opo

Saan mang Lugar ako magtungo.

Pag nakikipag-usap sa nakatatanda,

Huwag kalimutan magagalang na salita;

Laging tandaan, lahat ay natutuwa

Sa batang magalang sa kanyang kapwa.

How to Untag Photo in Facebook

I didn't know how to do this before and got this help from www.e-how.com. I try it and it works. So simple hahaha. To make it short, click on the tag picture and look for your name on the list of tag people. Beside your name click on remove tag. Taran!

Here is how to untag yourself in a photo on Facebook. You can do this if someone has posted a photo of you that is unflattering or one that you don't like. When you untag yourself, it will still be on their profile, but it will not show up on your photos or profile.

First, go to www.facebook.com and login using your email address and password. Now you will be sent to your Facebook home page.

On your home page, locate the blue bar at the top of the screen. It says Facebook, Home, Profile, Friends, and Inbox. Click on "Profile". Now you will be sent to your profile page.

On your profile page, look underneath your profile picture that is located at the top left. Under it, you will see "View Photos of Me". Click that. Now go through your photos and find the one that you didn't like.

When you find it, click it. Under the photo you will see your name and in parenthesis you will see (phots/ remove tag). Click remove tag. The photo will not show up on your profile anymore, but it will still be on your friend's profile.

Read more: How to Untag Yourself In a Photo on Facebook | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5784817_untag-yourself-photo-facebook.html#ixzz0s94LFQ9z

AVON - Justice League Bag

I used to order my accessories from Avon. But last May I bought a trolley bag for my little David. It is a Justice Leage Bag. Since they now have 8 books having a trolley bag is much better than a knapsack bag. When school started every time David would go home the zipper is broken. Me or Robin will fix it but then the next day it will be the same. Its not been a month since school started and I am hoping that this bag will last long. His bag last year lasted for the whole school year.

Lucky Me Lomi Instant Noodles

I am fond of Lucky Me Instant Pancit Canton, Calamansi Flavor. Even my little boy loves it, he can actually finish two packs of it. While buying some food in the grocery I saw this Lucky Me Lomi. Since I also love noodles I decided to try it. Good thing I did. My family love it! It taste like real lomi. I enjoy its thick sauce and noodles. It takes like it already has calamansi on it. It taste even better if you add egg. I prefer this than the lucky me instant noodles. Try it and enjoy!

Dota 6.67c Linken Sphere Bug

Yesterday I was searching if there is already a 6.67d map for DOTA. While searching this in Google I saw this article about the linken sphere bug. 

I saw that (the picture above) before while playing but I was not able to click on it. I don't know if it is one of my team who did it or one of our enemy. If you have linken sphere you can actually create a  linken sphere rune (like the picture above). Other hero can pick it and use it once. Below is an instruction on how to do it using sandking.

Steps:
1. Pick Sand King and Level up Burrowstrike.
2. Buy Linken's Sphere and drop it on the ground.
3. Now, Pick it up using Right Click.
4. While moving Hold Shift, Left click Burrowstrike on cast it on Sand King itself.
5. Linken's sphere rune will appear on the ground

They said this can be done by other heroes. Just follow the steps and use other skill on step four. I haven't tried it though maybe next time, hehehe.

How to Encourage a Kid to Write

One thing that I noticed about David is he doesn't enjoy writing. Last year, while he is in nursery, most of the time he doesn't finish their writing activity in school. We used to finish it at home. Last night when I checked his notebook, another unfinished writing activity. I asked him to finish it and he is really not interested. He was asked to write the word "Toys" in two columns. He did not even finish the first column. I ask him why he did not finish at school and he said he is already tired(hahaha). He always write the letter 's' in reverse position and every time I erased and asked him to rewrite it the more he gets frustrated. We are able to finished the work after a few minutes and he said he wanted to eat dinner. I really don't know what to do to encourage him into writing. What I am currently doing is almost everyday I would ask him to fill out a page of a grade 1 pad paper with his full name. If you have any idea how to encourage a kid into writing please make a post. Thanks!

Non Immigrant Visa Application

Yesterday I assisted a friend on how to apply for Non Immigrant Visa Application online. You can visit this link for more instructions. What we did first is we filled out DS-160 form online. You must be ready with a 2x2 photo with full frontal position and a white background. This is part of the requirement You can either upload on the start of the form or on the last part. It has different pages and be careful not to be idle on a any page because your session will time out and you need to start over. There is an option to save data on the bottom of each page so just in case if your session timed out you can upload the file and no need to start from the beginning. Once you are done it has a review page where you can scan through your inputs and be able to do some changes if there is a mistake. Make sure that you check everything because once it is signed and submitted you can no longer edit it. You will get a confirmation page once you submitted the form. You need to print it out and you can also email it to yourself so that you have a copy.

Next step is scheduling an appointment and payment. You have an option of calling the Embassy Call Center for Appointment or do it online through VisaPoint. Callers from the Philippines can call 1-909-101-7878. It cost P53/min plus applicable provincial charges. The number is only for PLDT touch tone land line subscriber with national/international distance dialing features. 

For the payment you can either use a credit card and do it online or go to a BDO or Citi branches in Makati, Greenhills, Libis, Binondo, Alabang and Cebu. 

Effective June 4, 2010, the fees are as follows:

$140	B1/B2, C1/D, F, J, and all other NIV categories not listed below (Visitor/Transit/Student)
$150	H, L, O, P, Q, and R (Temporary Worker)
$350	K (Fiancée)
$390	E (Investor/Trader)

David's 5th Birthday

Last year we celebrated David's birthday at pizza hut. We had dinner with my husband's family. This time we just celebrated it at home. Robin cooked spaghetti, mamu & mamay brought ice cream and his Tita Weng brought chocolate cake. Just a simple celebration nothing "grande." I don't have the luxury to throw him a birthday party. My mom's birthday gift to him is his black shoes for school. It was given 2 weeks ago I think. My birthday gift to him is a gameboy advanced card for his Nintendo DS. 

I still recall his first birthday. It is really unforgettable for me and my husband. I don't even have a money to cook spaghetti or any food. I give P1000 to my husband to pay the electric bill. He lost the money and forgot where he put it. He was teary eyed then and says "Kung alam ko lang mawawala yung pera sana binili na lng konting handa ni David." Eventually he was able to find it and pay the electric bill. Thanks to her Tita Weng who brought cake that night. She actually buys cake every year for all of us during our birthdays. And then on a weekend Mamu cooked spaghetti in celebration of his 1st birthday.

Haays... sad to remember but I am always thankful to God for all our blessings. We eat 3 times a day, we are all in good health, we have good shelter, a loving family. We may not have all that we WANT but then God is providing all that we NEED.

Inihaw Express Review

Last Father's Day I was planning to bring cake to my dad's house. When I texted my mom she said they are in Batangas and will be back the next day. We still went to SM because we needed to buy milk for my baby Rhaine. It was already 1pm and we haven't eat our lunch. Since it was Father's Day all restaurants and food chain are full. We decided instead to eat at the food court and try Inihaw Express. The food looks very appealing. The price are affordable too. I ordered I think they call it Festival Meal worth P300. What I remember it includes 3pcs of chicken barbecue , sisig, inihaw na liempo, stuffed squid, mango with bagoong, pansit, gulay, 3 rice and 1.5 coke. I was not able to bring my camera so I don't have a picture. Well just like other ads the picture looks big and very yummy.

My Comments:

3pc of chicken bbq - is actually 1 pc of chicken leg cut into three

sisig - mostly fats and don't taste good

inihaw na liempo - very thin and doesn't taste like inihaw

stuffed squid - stuffed with tanglad?? wew

mango with bagoog - i though it is just kamatis with onions because the mango is I think just 5 or 6 very small pieces

pansit - literally pansit as in "nasaan ang sahog?" hehehe

laing - this is "medyo ok" because it is spicy

Better eat at Jollibee or jollijeep. The carinderia near our house cooks very much better. Thumbs down and not recommended.

How to know if it is a 2 Way Mirror

Another e-mail from a friend. Thanks guys! This is helpful to all girls out there.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Can you tell when you are in a hotel room, restroom, motel etc. with a
 mirror whether it is in fact a mirror or 2-way glass?

                                      Here's how:

 I thought it was quite interesting! And I know in about 30 seconds you're
 going to do what I did and find the nearest mirror.... Do you know how to
                  determine if a mirror is 2-way or not?


    This is not to scare you, but to make you aware. A policewoman who
     travels all over the U.S. and gives seminars and techniques for
  businesswomen passed this on. When we visit toilets, bathrooms, hotel
   rooms, changing rooms, etc.., how many of you know for sure that the
    seemingly ordinary mirror hanging on the wall is a real mirror, or
 actually a 2-way mirror (i.e., they can see you, but you can't see them)?
 There have been many cases of people installing 2-way mirrors in female
 changing rooms. It is very difficult to positively identify the surface by
                           just looking at it.

 So, how do we determine with any amount of certainty what type of mirror
            we are looking at? Just conduct this simple test:


  Place the tip of your fingernail against the reflective surface and if
 there is a GAP between your fingernail and the image of the nail, then it
  is a GENUINE mirror.  However, if your fingernail DIRECTLY TOUCHES the
        image of your nail, then BEWARE, FOR IT IS A 2-WAY MIRROR!

                       "No Space, Leave the Place"


  So remember, every time you see a Mirror, do the "fingernail test." It
                        doesn't cost you anything.

                  Remember:  "No Space, Leave the Place"

Interview with Rick Warren

Got this e-mail from a friend and just want to share it with you...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An  Interview with Rick Warren (REMEMBER, HE WROTE  'PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE') 
  In  the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren,  Rick said:  People  ask me, What is the purpose of life?   And  I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation  for eternity. We were not made to last forever,  and God wants us to be with Him in  Heaven.  One  day my heart is going to stop, and that will be  the end of my body-- but not the end of  me.  I  may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am  going to spend trillions of years in eternity.  This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal.  God wants us to practice on earth what we will  do forever in eternity.  We  were made by God and for God, and until you  figure that out, life isn't going to make  sense.  Life  is a series of problems: Either you are in one  now, you're just coming out of one, or you're  getting ready to go into another  one.  The  reason for this is that God is more interested  in your character than your comfort; God is more  interested in making your life holy than He is  in making your life happy.  We  can be reasonably happy here on earth, but  that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow  in character, in Christ  likeness.  This  past year has been the greatest year of my life  but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay,  getting cancer. I  used to think that life was hills and valleys -  you go through a dark time, then you go to the  mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe  that anymore.  Rather  than life being hills and valleys, I believe  that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad  track, and at all times you have something good  and something bad in your life.  No  matter how good things are in your life, there  is always something bad that needs to be worked  on.  And  no matter how bad things are in your life, there  is always something good you can thank God  for..  You  can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on  your problems:  If  you focus on your problems, you're going into  self-centeredness, which is my problem, my  issues, my pain.' But one of the easiest ways to  get rid of pain is to get your focus off  yourself and onto God and others.   We  discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers  of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not  going to heal Kay or make it easy for her- It  has been very difficult for her, and yet God has  strengthened her character, given her  a  ministry  of helping other people, given her a testimony,  drawn her closer to Him and to  people.  You  have to learn to deal with both the good and the  bad of life.  Actually,  sometimes learning to deal with the good is  harder. For instance, this past year, all of a  sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it  made me instantly very wealthy.  It  also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never  had to deal with before. I don't think God gives  you money or notoriety for your own ego or for  you to live a life of ease.  So  I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with  this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me  two different passages that helped me decide  what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm  72.  First,  in spite of all the money coming in, we would  not change our lifestyle one bit.. We made no  major purchases.  Second,  about midway through last year, I stopped taking  a salary from the church.  Third,  we set up foundations to fund an initiative we  call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip  leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and  educate the next generation.   Fourth,  I added up all that the church had paid me in  the 24 years since I started the church, and I  gave it all back. It was liberating to be able  to serve God for free.  We  need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for  possessions? Popularity?  Am  I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt?  Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be  driven by God's purposes (for my  life)?  When  I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my  bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else  done today, I want to know You more and love You  better. God didn't put me on earth just to  fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in  what I am than what I do.  That's  why we're called human beings, not human  doings.  Happy  moments,    PRAISE  GOD. Difficult  moments, SEEK GOD. Quiet  moments,     WORSHIP  GOD. Painful  moments, TRUST  GOD. Every  moment,      THANK  GOD..

God's Gift

While traveling going to work last night I read this quotation inside the cab. Just want to share it with you.

"I asked God for all things so that I can enjoy life, He give me life so that I could enjoy all things."

Gagabux Review

At first I was overwhelmed with the ads available and how fast I am earning with Gagabux. When I reach the minimum limit of $5 I submitted a request for cash out. When I read the forum there are lots of people posting their proof of payments. What I know their policy is 5 to 7 working days before you receive the payment. I submitted my request in May 24, 2010 and today is already June 19, 2010. Hmmm... it make me think why? I browse again through the forum and saw this post. 

It was clearly stated that Gagabux give priority to their silver members and for those regular members audit can take longer than 30 business days. This might be the reason why I saw someone who mention that he got paid after 40 days. I would say they are not scam but then if you are not silver you will not get good service. Neobux and Linkgrand is still much better.

Linkgrand Review 1st Payment

I paid $20 to have a lifetime membership with Linkgrand. If you are a regular member per click cost $0.003 and it will be doubled if you become a premium member. Unlike Neobux they do not offer rented referrals, all referrals are direct. Minimum cash withdrawal is $5 which will be send 24 hours upon request. I requested $5 yesterday and just got it today, yipeee!!! This is a proof that this is not a scam. If you are looking for a PTC / Pay to Click site that truly pays come and join me here at Linkgrand.

How to Memorize

David's first assignment at school is to memorize a poem, "Ang Po at Opo." I haven't trained him memorizing a poem. If only I let him join children school  at church before at least he knows how to memorize short bible verses. The poem has 8 lines. It is in "tagalog: and some of the word David is not familiar with. The first two lines goes like this:

Ang Po at Opo

Ang bilin sa akin ng ama't ina ko

Maging magalang na bata ako.

He doesn't know what is "bilin." I explain to him that "ama" means father and "ina" means mother. I also explain what "magalang" is. Its funny because sometime he would say "Ang bilin sa akin ng tatay ko." I had a hard time teaching him because he was getting frustrated easily. He would actually cry out of frustation. Sometime he would mixed the two lines. He would say "Ang bilin sa akin ng bata ako." Waaaaa... I'm starting to lose my patience too. Anyway the next morning he can recite the two lines straight but sometimes would make a mistake. The remaining lines are much harder and I hope he will be able to memorize it. If you know any techniques on how a pre-school can memorize a poem please post it here. Thanks.

PGT Pinoy Got Talent Winner: Jovit Baldovino

Last Saturday night my husband watched "Maalala Mo Kaya", starring Kim Chui and Carlo Aquino. Actually I cannot remember when was the last time I open our television. My officemate even laugh at me when I said that Kristine Hermosa is the gf of Oyo Boy, hehehe. Well that night I was able to watched the grand finals of PGT (Pinoy Got Talent). I only watched that show twice. On its first day and the grand finals. I was able to watched Jovit sing "Faithfully." That night I was while watching all the finalist I was first stunned by the Velasco Brothers. It looks like a combination of both circus and dancing. It was really amazing. But when I hear again Jovit sing, this time he sings "Too Much Love will Kill You." My bet was him again. I did not send a text message but I am really enthralled by his voice. I am very proud of his talent and of course very proud to be his kababayan (batangueño). To Jovit, congrats. Through this you will be able to move up from poverty and help your family. I hope just like what other said, "wag ka magbago," always keep  humble.

Dinner at Tiendesitas

After our trip at Avilon Zoo we went to Tiendesitas in Pasig to have our dinner. I remember seeing that place when I was still working in Libis, Eastwood. It was my first time there and I find it cool. I am actually hoping for another visit and be able to see the whole place. We had our dinner at Sisigland. After our dinner, we are entertained by a filipino dance. I was not able to check the name of the performer. I was amazed by a young lady who carried I think it was 6 or 7 "palayok" balancing on her head while dancing. My husband also mention about group of dancers who made a tinkikling dance with a very fast beat. I was not able to see that since I was strolling looking for some bargains, hehehe. Near the place where we eat are some tiangge. I am an avid fan of sales and discounts. I was able to buy t-shirt for me and my husband (P130 and P150). Then a miniature of Naruto and 12pcs of Cars gel pen for my little David (P50 each). I was able to buy 2 dress for my baby Rhaine for only P50 too. If you look at the quality of the items they are not cheap. I actually texted my mom inviting her to visit that place again. I hope before Christmas we will be able to go back there and experience more of what Tiendesitas can offer.

Baby dress for P50 each

Got this Naruto also for P50.

Family Day at Avilon Zoo

It was our team building last Sunday, June 13, 2010. Our plan is to visit the Avilon Zoo in Montalban, Rizal. Good thing it did not rain on that day or else we would visit Nido Science Center in MOA. Our meeting time is up to 8:00am at SM Bacoor. But since Jingle was caught in traffic we left around 8:30am. It so exciting to be with my team mates along with their partner and kids.

Since I have no sleep due to playing DOTA, hehehe. I slept from Bacoor going to Avilon. We had to stop in Marikina because BJ's daughter vomit and we need to clean the van. BJ also bought a new shorts. One thing we noticed in Marikina is there are lots of grocery store. I sleep again and woke up at Avilon. The entrance cost P300 for adults and P200 for kids below 3.5 feet. We had our lunch first before having a tour. Just like what I read on the net the price of the food is too expensive. It cost P120 for 1pc chicken with rice, soup and some veggies, drinks not included. I was not able to verify if you can bring food inside but if you have cars then maybe you can just bring some and eat in the parking lot or eat first before going there.

When we enter the zoo there are some birds and a big fish called Arapaima which caught our attention. It looks like a 5 or 6 feet fish and they said could weight more then 30kilos, wew. After eating we started strolling. Bad for me, I guess after 10-15 shots my camera turned off due to low battery. I don't know what happen but I guess it was overcharge. I charge it the whole night while I was playing computer. I was waiting for the red light to turn off which is on the manual. It says there if the red light goes off the battery is fully charge. Usually after 1-2 hours it would go off but that night I think it was already 4 or 5 hours and it still on. Haaysss...

The place is really big that my feet is already aching and I wanted to rest. My son, David, is also tired and asking to go home. There are lots of birds and animals. David enjoyed giving chicken head to the Arapaima. It costs P20 to feed them with 5 chicken heads. The crowd of arapaima will fight for the food and you will hear like a very loud pop that is surprising and some splash of water. I remember we stayed in the sumatra tiger taking pictures. They also have a white tiger and a black panda. There was no elephant in the zoo. Different kinds of birds, snakes, some spiders. and turtles There was a baby kangaroo and a hyena. Different eagles from the Philippines. You can have 2 shots using your camera and have a pose with the eagle or the monkey for P50. I remember the poor urangutan who looks very sad. He was lying down flat with his face on the floor while playing with a bottle of mineral water. I guess he is sad because he is alone. There different monkeys some are small, I also saw one with a red behind, lol. There was also a gibbon who doesn't have a tail. There are different rest rooms inside but some cage have foul odor I guess due to urine and poopoo of the animals. There was a place which is not open to public where you can hear lots of dogs barking. We are able to see some of them when we take a peek on wall. By the way you can also rent a bicycle, bicycle with sidecar, wheelchair and small bike for your kids. I would recommend going there later noon to avoid the hot weather or maybe in December or January where the weather is not too hot. We arrived there at noon time and aside from the long walk, the high temperature makes our stroll tiring and quite irritating. We had some ice cream and ice drop when we saw a store inside to lessen the perspiration and feel cool. We take a rest and walked again. I would say it is really better than the Manila zoo which I visited in February. Well too much difference in price P40 vs P300, it should be much better. I am looking forward for another family day with Team Mercedez.

Tex-Mex

Mattitos mexican restaurant dallas, Texas is a great Mexican restaurant food.They have 3 locations in Dallas, Texas. One in Dallas - Uptown, two in Dallas on Forest lane - across Medical City and last one in Frisco Square - East of Dallas N. Tollway. Visit them now and try their extraordinary Mexican dishes.

Moving In

I called the developer (Prosperity Builders Resources Inc.) of our house to check on the status of my application. After 6 months of advanced MA for Pag-ibig I no longer received a bill for it. I was able to talk to Ann who told me that it is in process and building of our house is already given to the engineer. She said probably by end of July or August it will be finished and will be approved by Pag-ibig. Crossing my fingers, it's more than a year now when I applied for it.

Anyway in preparation of moving in, I am searching online about Contemporary Bathroom Vanities. Our unit is small but I would say enough for my family. My idea is to make it look like a condo. I was able to find on magazines and internet about small condo unit but very elegant. Since bathroom is one part of the house that a visitor goes in I would like to make it a memorable visit (Lol). I am planning to put a small Bathroom Cabinets where I can store shampoo, soap, tissue and the like. Having a Linen Cabinet is a good idea too.Haayss... Next week is start school, I really need to do a lot of budgeting.

Lack of Sleep Causes Gain Weight

I cannot believe what I just read. I though before too much sleeping causes gain weight but then I find out that it is lack of sleep that causes it. Aw....  bad for me. I work at a graveyard shift and I only get 3-4 hours of sleep everyday. Most of the time I spent my hours playing computer games or browsing the net. After giving birth to my second child I gain more weight. My OB told me that the injection that I am getting for family planning can cause gain weight. And now lack of sleep too! waaaah!!!

I've read that lack of sleep causes change in our hormones. We have these two hormones called leptin and ghrelin who check and balances our feeling of hunger and fullness. Lack of sleep causes our leptin level to go down which in effect make us don't feel satisfied after eating. Ghrelin hormone increases if you lack sleep and this stimulates your appetite. Some what true to me, I don't feel full right away unless I stop and rest for a while. It takes time before my brain tells me that I am full. I hope I can control myself more and have a better sleep.

SSS Retirement Benefit

A lot of people are paying SSS (Social Security System) not knowing all the benefits. As a member we are entitled to sickness, maternity, retirement, disability and death and funeral benefits.

My mom resigned a few years ago and she is actually waiting to be able to get her retirement benefit. I remember she asked me before, Can I Cash In My Pension Early ? I then check SSS website and find this info. You are eligible for the retirement benefit if you are 60 years old and unemployed and have paid at least 120 monthly contributions prior to the semester of the retirement. Or if your are 65 years old, whether employed or not. You should have paid at least 120 monthly contributions prior to the semester of the retirement, whether employed or not.

SSS give two types of retirement benefits, monthly pension and Lump Sum Pensions. Monthly pension is a lifetime cash benefit paid to the retiree who has paid at least 120 monthly contributions to the SSS prior to the semester of retirement. While lump sum amount is granted to a retiree who has not paid the required 120 monthly contributions.

My mom is 55 years old and she is planning to continue paying monthly contribution and be able to take advantage of the monthly pension benefit. For the computation you can visit SSS website. By the way just an info, if you needed to make a loan right away you can look for a bank or company who offers Pension Loan.

June 14, 2010 Holiday

For those who are wondering if June 14, 2010 is a holiday, yes it is. According to Malacañang PROCLAMATION NO. 1841, June 14 (Monday nearest June 12) is a regular holiday. This is good news for me because our company always release our salary one day before the 15th or the 30th. Since June 14 is a holiday they will release it on Friday, June 11. I hope so, I need it so that I will be able to attend our team building at Avilon Zoo this coming Sunday, June 13. Crossing my fingers...

Credit Card Fraud

"Valid ID po, ma'am." The lady irately says she doesn't have a valid ID.She makes a really loud voice and says this is the first time she was asked for an ID. wow! I guess because of too much pride she felt insulted. The poor cashier girl went to customer service and went back stating that without a valid ID they will not honor her credit card. The lady get all her IDs and spread it in front of the cashier and shouted "Process it, now!." She had a valid ID but then she did not present it just because she was already irate on the start. There really people who are hard to understand. 

If she only know that it is for her own security. There are a lot of victims of cc fraud today. If you lost it someone can swipe it and make a purchase. If the store requires a valid ID then it will avoid people using cc of not their own.

Fukuda Electric Fan

Last Sunday our electric fan finally give up after 5yrs of service. In the past couple of months the temperature was really really hot that I am having a hard time sleeping at noon. I worked at night so sleeping at noon is common to me. Our stand fan (Hanabishi) is a wedding gift to us. This summer we over abused it. We only turn it off when we are not at home. I don't have a back up fan so I guess that is why it got broken. We are living in a small room so there is no space for another stand fan. It is already giving me sign that it is about to give up and wanted to rest. At first it stop rotating, then the performance of the fan is not as cool as before. A few weeks ago when we came home it would not start unless we manually rotate the fan. Working 24/7 I guess is really tiring and exhausting. Although these are machine they still have life and needs to rest.

I am trying to save money  so we bought a Fukuda stand fan where I was able to save about 300-400 bucks. It cost me P999 to get it. While on the line there was this lady who got mad when the cashier asked for a valid ID when she presented a credit card. I will make another post about that. Anyway I never heard of this brand, Fukuda. When we tested it the performance is good and it looks good as well. One more thing the service center is very near our place and it comes with 1yr warranty.

I searched online to find a review on their electric fan and I found something about their industrial fan. It only worked for about two years and some are making noise or the fan is getting rusty. Not a good experience from the said review. But then I also find out that Fukuda is included in the list of companies that are certified by DTI. Well I guess it is time who will tell me if this brand is good or not. If it will surpass the 5yrs service of my Hanabishi fan. I hope it will.

Kalderetang Buto-buto

My mom send me a text message to cook spaghetti last Sunday. It was because it is fiesta. In our religion we don't celebrate fiesta but I guess having food during the said event already become a custom. Well at first my mom wanted to cook just spaghetti but then my dad requested to have more, hehehe. He is the current Home Owner President so I guess he do have some visitors. Well I cooked red spaghetti and a white one. My dad bought 10kls of buto-buto and wanted to make caldereta out of it.

This is the first time I will cook this menu and I am excited, hehehe. My mom has a how to instruction text message from tita melet. She said the secret is onion, lots of onions. (no longer a secret). I would not post the ingredients and how to cook because it might be proprietary (lol). Well it was fun. Since we cook it in a small pot we divided into four. Four different recipes, yeah! The first one is using my tita's recipe, the 2nd one is my dad style, the third batch is mine and the last batch is my mom. Four different caldereta with one thing in common, all of them with lots of onions and chopped "sili." My brother borrowed my camera so I was not able to take pics. I feel so full that I was not able to eat a lot, if I am the cook I always feel that way.

Additional: I've noticed a lot of people get this link in search of kaldereta buto-buto so I decided to make a post on how to cook it. Click here.

US Memorial Day 2010

Last Monday, May 31, 2010, the US celebrated Memorial Day. It is an event when they remember the soldiers who died during the American Civil War. After World War 2, they extended it to everyone who died in the military service. Before, most people would visit cemeteries to give honor to those who die in the military service. Now lesser people are doing that but instead they would spend the long weekend for a vacation or time with family and friends. 

Its a long weekend for me too since we are supporting US and we are closed during this holiday. I just spend those 3 days at home and visited my mom to cook food for the fiesta.

One custom during memorial day is putting US flags on each grave in national cemeteries.