I Need More Zzzzs

Last year, I barely slept. I meant that every night, I only sleep a total of maybe 4-5 hours a night. The past two years had been sad for me and my family, so I attribute my lack of sleep from that. It is a good thing that I didn't start taking sleep pills. Nowadays, I feel that I need more sleep even though I've had 6 hrs of sleep the night before. I try to stay in bed longer during the weekends but my bodyclock wouldn't let me stay in bed past 8 am. Just a habit, I guess.

Celebrating 13 Years

Quite an achievement, isn't it? All anniversaries should be celebrated no matter if it's the first year or it's the 50th year. Just being together another year is important in these times where a lot of people get divorce. This year, dh and I will celebrate our 13th anniversary. I want something that will last a long time. I also want it to be of good quality, something like an everlon diamnond knot pave pendant. I want my kids to acquire something of mine that is of value, something that can be passed on through the generations. I know, I'm being sentimental here but I guess at this age, you begin to think about those things. Life after all isn't forever.

No to New Year Resolutions

I don't like to call it 'resolutions', instead I prefer to call it GOALS. It seems more reacheable isn't it? When you say resolution, it gives you the feeling that you might not be able to go through with it. When you use the word 'goal', it is something you want to attain, reach.

So what are my New Year Goals? Well, one of them is to manage my time efficiently. I will try to do more in my 'To Do List'; like cleaning the bath tub and bathroom sink more efficiently. It takes me a while to finish each bathroom and I want to find ways to make this job easier and faster without sacrificing cleanliness.

The next goal is to spend less time in Facebook even if that meant not leveling up faster in my Farmville or Frontierville. Hmm, this goal will take up a lot of self-control. I will try my best to do this, so help me. ha ha

New Year New Look...Maybe?

This is my first post for the New Year and I am a week late! So what happened? The kids were sick for the first week of this New Year. I know, bummer... My son came down with a fever on the second day of school and was out for three days and then my daughter was out for two.

Well, I'm still thankful that they are feeling much better. Now, I have time to spend working on my blogs. I still have to hook up my 19-inch monitor to this notebook. It is just a regular monitor, nothing too fancy like a rackmount lcd. It is big enough for Farmville and Frontierville. ha ha

I also want to change the layout for this blog and maybe all of my blogs. Now, that is a tall order for sure! I'll start with this one, and then we'll see if I'll be inspired to do the rest.

A Sign of Growing (Gracefully)

I've heard about it, they said that after you turn 40, you start to feel more aches and pains. You also will have a hard time losing weight since your body's metabolism slows down quite a bit. Then of course, there is that dreaded menopause. I know of a few women who gained weight when they hit that stage. That is why more people are looking for ways to keep that weight off or lose that extra baggage. Many are looking online for Diet pills that work without exercise, is there such a thing? For me personally, I just want to live a healthy life, free from diseases and stuff like that. I'm dedicated to my family and all my energies are focused on my kids and running my household. We each have our own choices and I don't want to be judged by others who have not walked in my shoes.

Life Happened...

It had been a couple of months since I've written a post. Life happened. I lost my only brother last April. He was brutally murdered along with his girlfriend in the southern part of the Philippines. I went back with my mom and sis to pay my respects. It was a big blow to our family for sure. It was seven months to the day that my dad passed away in California. Anyway, that's the black spot in my white board for the past year. The rest have been pretty interesting and mundane.
I've been organizing my digital photo album and even managed to upload a couple to Snapfish for poster printing. I also made some picture books which is way better than a regular photo album in my opinion. It is not cheap but it's well worth it.
So this month, it's the last month of school vacation. YAY! I know all mom's feel the same way. It'll be a somewhat busy month what with the day trips and shopping for school supplies.
But one thing is for sure, I'm back to my old blogging self.

I'm Back...For Now

Ahhh, LIFE...it does get in the way of active blogging. Well, the other distraction is FaceBook - something I need to have less of daily for sure! It would be better if I have been reading textbooks to broaden my knowledge, but FB is much more fun! My tween has been commenting that her classmates are on FB but I am still leery on letting her open an account. I know there are privacy controls in FB and I know of a lot of parents who opened account for their kids, some as young as 3! Can you imagine that? Why would a 3 year old need his/her own FB page? Oh well, to each his own. So, from this day forward, I plan to spend a couple of hours to my blogs. I'll keep my fingers crossed!

Happy Ground Hog Day?

Why? I heard a DJ on the radio wish her listeners a Happy Ground Hog Day. Isn't this crazy? It's crazy enough as it is that some people actually believe that this rodent can predict if winter is ending soon or not. Take note that Punxatawney Phil (the ground hog's name) only has a 39% record of being right. I will continue on watching the morning news for my daily weather while looking at insurance quotes online and drinking my coffee, thank you very much

Seeking for the Fountain of Youth...NOT

I'm one of those people who's not afraid to say their age when asked. Why hide it? I don't see the need to lie about one's age and couldn't understand why some people go to great lengths to do it. There is one thing that I do when it comes to this ageing thing, I try to take care so as to slow-down my physical ageing. I know it's hard but taking back 1-5 yrs off is a big deal when you're in your 40's. So aside from staying out of the sun, which we all know can give you wrinkles, I am thinking of using anti-ageing products. So now, I am on the hunt for the best anti wrinkle eye cream out there. Right now, I'm leaning towards the Olay products, aside from being inexpensive, they beat out more expensive brands in those trials.

Meeting Old Flames

Have you ever had this happen to you? I met an old flame last month when I went back to the Philippines. We connected in Facebook and he learned that I will be in Manila. He wanted to pay his last respects to my dad. We didn't date for a long time before, I know it was less than a year. We were in our early twenties and I felt that he still doesn't have any idea on what to do with his life. We parted as friends and that helped make it easy to reconnect after all these years. Aside from some white hairs and a few pounds (that can be easily gotten rid of by using fat burners) he still looks the same. He still has this quirky sense of humour and of course, beautiful eyes. It was nice to see him again and get updated with our lives now. He's the only ex-boyfriend I've seen. I don't know if it will be like this with the others (yes, there is more than two LOL) but I know it's not going to be as easy as this one.

Spring has Finally Sprung!

Well, I can finally say that it finally feels like spring, no more freezing weather! Actually, these past two days, it feels like the middle of summer! Yes, you read that right. Last weekend, the temps reached 90 degrees, here in the coast of New England, in the middle of April. Whowouldathunk? So, have I done any yardwork? Well, I haven't but my wonderful man did. He cleaned all the flower beds and raked the dead leaves. He did it all without being asked, isn't he great? I haven't planted any annuals yet but I plan to do it this weekend. As usual, I am planting tomatoes. I love eating fresh tomatoes with a little salt. I am also planting basil beside the tomato plant. I read from Lola's gardening blog that this helps out with insect control. Now I have to figure out how to keep Bambi and her family from eating my hostas!

Poke Me on Facebook

My sister and cousins have been badgering me for a long time to join Facebook. I resisted for a while since I'm already signed up with a handful of social networking sites. I don't even have the time to check most of it with the exception of Friendster since my friends from the Philippines are active on it. So finally at the start of this year, I signed up with FB. I was surprised to learn that it's not just college students in there. I found this site more user friendly than Friendster and there are fun things to do. I got poked a lot of times (reminds me of the Pillsbury Dough Boy LOL), given a lot of gifts (I prefer cash thank you. LOL joke!) people wrote a lot of stuff on my wall (can I say wanna be graffiti artists? LOL) and I became a fan of something (Haagen Dazs - I may need to find the best diet pill after eating one LOL). I have my profile set on private so only my friends can view it. So if you want to connect, just let me know so I can poke you! :o)

When the Economy is Down, Crime Goes Up

I was talking with a friend the other day and she mentioned that they installed a security alarm. With the economy tanking, she said that they are worried that burglaries will go up. Now I know that the area where she lives is very safe, pretty much like mine. The crime rates are way below average but we all know that thieves have cars so they can pretty much go anywhere. It is also in the news, crime rates are up.
Did you hear about the church deacon that robbed a bank? His real estate business is about to close and he didn't have the money to pay his family's mortgage. I've also been directly affected by crime lately. I've been here in the US for almost 20 years and this is the first time that I've been pick-pocketed. I have a wad of dollar bills in one of the inside pockets of my bag and it was nowhere to be found when I got home. Thinking back, I remembered there was a man standing too close to me while I was waiting for my turn at the customer service desk at the grocery. I had my pocketbook open that time because I took out the receipt. I was so upset that it happened. It is just a small amount but still, it is just wrong. I'm just glad that I didn't get hurt in the process, he could've had a box cutter with him and I could've been traumatized. Just looking for the silver lining here. LOL
So what do you think? Is my friend over-acting by having an alarm system installed or are you planning to do the same thing?

Ladies, Help Me Choose

Please help me choose among these three pocketbooks (or purses in other parts of the country :o) ). It's time for me to get a new one and I cannot decide which one. The first two are not available in black and I'm considering these color which is dark brown. The last one meanwhile is available in black. Which one do you like, A, B or C?

Munich Then and Now

This is my entry to Lola's Diner's Cabin Fever Margaritaville Carnival. It's been a long winter and we all crave for warm weather. What better way than to blog about our favorite summer vacation, and pretend it's warm outside.

I will be talking about a part of my family's Europe summer vacation which I blogged about before and my summer vacation to Munich when I was 15 years old for my entry to Lola's Cabin Fever Margaritaville Carnival. (You can find the links to some of my Europe vacation posts on the left sidebar)

It was a great summer vacation. We visited 7 countries: Italy, Switzerland, France, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium and Germany. Each country has it's own charm and we enjoyed the food and the sights. In Germany, we visited the cities of Trier, Kaiserslautern, Kohl, Berlin and Munich. Germany and Munich has always been a special place for me. It was the first European country and city that I visited.

I first went to Munich during my summer vacation when I was 15 years old. The first photo above was taken somewhere near Marienplatz. That's me on the left getting some coins from my purse. I remember having a photo in front of the city building in Marienplatz but I couldn't find it, so this will do. I fell in love with Germany especially the Bavarian countryside with its' green rolling hills and picturesque villages and houses. I even had my first taste of french fries in Munich. That's why until now, I eat my french fries with mayonaisse, just like the Europeans. :o)

It was a short trip, just a week but I made a lot of good memories and I promised myself that I will be back someday.

Fast forward 23 years later. When our vacation was still in the planning stage, I told my husband about my wish to go back to Munich. He agreed and I added it to the list of cities we will visit. On the last week of June, I finally fullfilled my dream of going back to Munich. This time, I was with my own family. We were on our last leg of the month-long tour, after visiting 6 other countries. It felt awesome going back and seeing it from a different perspective.

I had fun touring the city with dh and my kids, going to the most famous beer hall in the world, HofBrauhaus and the restaurant Ratzkeller. Walking around the city brought back memories. It was great seeing my kids enjoy the Deutsches Museum (Science and Tecnology museum) just as I did when I was younger. I also took home the ultimate Bavarian souvenir, a limited edition authentic Black Forest cuckoo clock which you can see here.

A lot of people were amazed that we brought the kids with us. It's a no brainer really. We are lucky to have such well-behaved kids and had no problems whatsoever. We wouldn't have enjoyed our vacation if it was just dh and I. I know some people think otherwise but to each his own. So would we do it again? Yes, we will. I want them to have the love of travel just as I did.

19 Years - Part 3

You can read part 1 here and part 2 here. I have to apologize for not posting this last year. It's been sitting in my draft folder for quite some time. The reason why I have not posted this part is because I don't know if I should end my story here or continue and write about this other guy I dated many years later. I still have not decided if ever I'm going to write the rest since that would be like reliving a not so happy part of my life but I promised that I will at least write part 3, so here it is.

I just got home from school that day (I was taking extra courses in San Francisco) when the phone rang. It was my brother calling from the Philippines. He said that J has been in a terrible car accident. I thought "OMG!" I asked him what happened and my brother proceeded to tell me the details. After learning what happened, my first thought was 'How can he be so stupid?!' Apparently, J was out drinking with his friends and on the way home, he was drag racing with his friend along EDSA, somewhere around Crossing. The car hit the wall of the underpass and was totaled. I don't know how long he was in the hospital and what the extent of his injuries were. You would think that this brought us back together, but it didn't. I didn't call him or sent him a card. I knew that when I broke up with him, it needs to be final with no communication at all, so I stood my ground. It was hard but it had to be done. If I reached out to him during that time, I would probably be pulled back in. I went on with my new life here in the US and did not even went back to the Philippines for a vacation.

I learned years later that J married someone who looks a lot like me. A neighbor saw them walking and she thought that it was me and J. (Altogether now "awwww". LOL) I think of him sometimes and wonder how he's doing. I hear about him from my mom since she's friends with Tita R (his mom). My aunt even stayed in J's house when she and her friends went to Orlando. Yes, he lives in the same country now. (here's the part where you say "Ooohhhh" LOL) From what I've heard, his wife is the nagger type and I feel bad for him. As for me, I am blessed with a wonderful husband so I did choose the right path.

What would I say if ever I see him? I don't know, maybe "I'm sorry. I hope you're as happy as I am."? What do you say in times like this? Have you ever been in a situation where you come across an ex many years later? What happened?

To Judge or Not to Judge?

Has this ever happened to you? There's a new person in town that you have not met. You heard from a third party some things about this person that one couldn't be proud of. Will you consider a meeting with them or will you decide that you don't want anything to do with him or her? I am in this dilema right now. There's a Filipina who recently moved to my city. She married an American and migrated here late last year. I heard about her from a close friend and judging from what she told me, this person wouldn't be in my radar if I was living in the Philippines. Let's just say that she worked in a bar. Enuff said.

Anyway, I've been thinking about this for a long time. Should I judge her even though I have not met her in person? That goes contrary to what I was taught growing up. Didn't we always hear "Don't judge a book by its' cover"? Or "Don't judge a person unless you've walked in their shoes."

So, I finally decided that I will meet her tomorrow after I shop for plus size lingerie that my friend asked me to buy. I figured that if I was in her shoes, I would want people to judge me for who I am and not what I did. (Although, if I nitpick, this argument wouldn't hold water.) So enough with the nitpicking. I will meet up with her and will hold off any judgement until then. Everyone needs a second chance, right?

Surveys Used to Be ____

And that was years ago. I remember getting cash payouts and stuff for participating in surveys. Nowadays, even the survey company is in recession. Imagine spending 20 minutes answering a survey and what do you get? An entry in their sweepstakes. I can think of a dozen things that are more important use of my time. Of all the survey companies I've tried, I liked Lightspeed the most. It's easy and you get a fair compensation for your time. I haven't done any surveys lately, actually it's been months. What about you? Do you participate in surveys and do you find their compensation fair?

Family First

It's true what they say about getting married and starting a family, your whole life changes drastically. I remember when I was still single and had to designate a beneficiary for my term life insurance
and of course I put in my parents name and my siblings. The moment I got married, I changed it to my husband. Now, my first priority is my family. That doesn't mean that I don't care for my parents and siblings anymore. I'm the eldest in the family therefore I have responsibilities. I think this is typical in many Asian countries, children caring for their parents when they're older. Now that I have my own kids, I am trying to instill these values that I grew up with. I know that I am not going to show them the door once they turn 18. No offense to those who think otherwise but 18 year olds are not ready to be on their own. Plus, they will be going to college, no ifs or buts about it.

Cute or Not, I'm Using It

I wrote about what I received from dh for Christmas here. One of my gifts is a pair of flannel PJs since I love wearing it during winter. There is a big BUT because this PJs is decorated with white polar bears with different color scarfs. LOL Dh told me that I can exchange it with something I like since he kept the receipt. Apparently, the other PJs he saw at Kohl's are either too bright or he doesn't like the design. So, this PJs sat in it's box for almost a month. Should I return it or not? Well, the other day, I decided that I'm going to use it. It's just a pair of PJs and no one except for my family will see me wearing it. It's just like getting a gift from my kids, even though it's only a couple of dollars or better yet, one of their art projects, I still hang it prominently in the house. It's the thought that counts right? Just don't ask me to go out of the house wearing it. LOL