Beef with Brocolli and Baby Corn Lunch

My dear husband cooked something special for the family last Sunday. I really feel so lucky to have a husband that cooks. (I, too, love to cook but feel so lazy harhar).

For his last cooking session, he made Beef with Brocolli and Baby Corn. It was so yummy, I swear! Burp!

Hun...maybe we can earn money out of this talent of yours. :0)

Gift Ideas

It's almost Christmas and I'm not yet done with my gift shopping and wrapping. I always hate it when I procrastinate. But it seems this year that work has been busier and I just have to make time to be able to do everything before December 25. So far, I am done with most of the gifts for my lady relatives, friends and colleagues. What I find problematic now is what I should give to my male friends, my dad and husband.

For women, I always go to the safe side. It's just a choice from several basic gifts such as bags, soap, lotion, cologne, body wash, t-shirts, etc. That's already done with because I already got myself around 35+ gifts for friends, cousins, and officemates. I also am done buying for couple friends whom we usually meet during the Christmas season. But for the men, that is the question. I only tend to stick to the usual gifts such as t-shirts, towels and pens. And for lack of ideas, there was a year I even gave away a diverse selection from shaving gel to mini-oranges. Obviously, I can get (regrettably) crazy with doing last minute choices.

Anyway, to be more positive about it, I guess it's easier to find gifts for male friends. What is much harder is finding a gift from my husband. For the many years we have been together, I have already given him a lot of nice gifts. Only last October, I gave him a sports shirt for our 3rd anniversary. So I guess giving another shirt is not one of my main options. Good thing, I saw these Tactical Pants online today and thought that this might be a great gift idea. I know that my husband is into dressing up with style and buying him this kind of pants would be perfect for his personality. What do you think?

Happiness is...

...getting a box of Banoffee Cream Pie when you least expect it.

Thank you...that was so thoughtful of you Hunny. :-)

31 Days Before Christmas

We just celebrated the Solemnity of Christ the King last Sunday. This means that we will be ending another liturgical year soon and starting a new one with the celebration of the Advent Season. Then after lighting all those candles for four Sundays, it's going to be Christmas Day again! I'm so excited!

What makes Advent and Christmas so special? As tradition suggests, it's the time to bring out the Belen or the Nativity Scene. It is also the time to pull from the stockroom the Advent wreath, Christmas trees, decors and whatnots. And if you are eager to make your decorations more fanciful, all you need is to buy those beautiful LED Christmas Lights. Lights can create a whole difference in making your decorations and homes look more festive.

On the spiritual side, let us not forget that we also need to have that spirit of penance and coming back to Our Lord. He has indeed been good to all of us not only during the past year but in every minute and every second of our lives. We all have to be grateful for all the graces and gifts that God has been sending us. He is the reason for all of these celebrations and without Him, there will be no Christmas. Do you agree?

Why I Love Having a Daughter

...we can do kikay things together!

Home Organization

While I was on leave from work, I had the chance to be able to attend classes on marriage and emotions. I feel so lucky because it isn't everyday that you can listen to great topics and actually learn from it.

Apart from those important topics, we also had the great opportunity to have a talk on tips on cleaning and making space in your home and office. That's great right? Our speaker here talked about her experiences and offered some tricks on home space and effective housewares. It is actually so complementary to the things that I have learned from reading Shopwiki regarding cleaning and home organization. It made me realize that I'm actually so far behind in my efforts to organize our home. So I guess I need to shape up and start anew. It's a good thing that you can always rely on Shopwiki and good friends for great advice about cleaning and great cleaning tools anytime.

I'll make sure to share some of the tips I learned soon.

I'm So Back

Hello world! I really missed blogging. I was kind of away for 7 straight days and now so BACTERIA --- that is, BACkTEReality!

Well, I wasn't really gone long. I just set aside a whole week for my personal formation (attended my annual classes on theo, philo and other things). It was really worthwhile to be having all of that, more especially now that I have so many roles in my life which I need to juggle.

Anyway, as I said, I'm so back. I've got so many things to blog about here. I've made great discoveries while I was away (thanks to Libai and easy scrub) and I'll make sure to find the time to blog about all of these very soon!

Meanwhile, let's get on with business (time to make some extra money!!!>>> hey, I missed some good opportunities here too but I'm back with a vengeance!).

Perfect Christmas Gifts

Hello everyone! How are you doing with your Christmas shopping? Well as for me, I started kind of late already. Normally, I would be scouring for great buys as early as October when the malls start to have their weekend sales. However, this year, due to budget and time concerns, I delayed exploring the stores and buying gifts to fill up my Christmas list. in fact, I only printed out my Christmas list from the computer only last week.

As a start, I asked Hubby to accompany me last Sunday. We went around the mall to buy some generic Christmas gifts. We already bought many of the gifts in Rustan's and we had it all wrapped there. That takes care of our gifts (plus wrapping) for about 30 people. Whew! It was such a tiring day. I didn't realize how hard it can be to be going around the whole of the Shangri-La Mall trying to search for Christmas gifts. But it doesn't end there just yet! I still have a couple of dozens of people in my list. I've already crossed out the idea of going to Divisoria and Tutuban because by now, there will be swarms of people there during the weekends. What I'm thinking of just doing some online shopping to save me time and energy. This may even be a cheaper way to tackle my list!

Anyway, for the rest of the people I still have no gifts planned for, it was a good thing I came across this UK-based store which offers beautiful Sterling Silver Jewellery. And since most of the people I need to give gifts to this Christmas are women, I am thinking of making a bulk order of Sterling Silver Bracelets. I'm sure they will all appreciate receiving this kind of gift since many of them love wearing silver accessories. For the girls (teenagers) to whom I also would be giving gifts, a great gift idea would be giving them Silver Bangles. I just love the colors that they offer that I might as well buy some pieces for myself! Don't you think this is a great idea?

Happy Christmas shopping to everyone!

The Race is On!

The race is on for the 2009 Starbucks Planner!

>>>sorry for my lousy pic...

Here are the choices:

photo credit for above pic here!

May I have the red one pleazzzzzz!?

Advance Happy Birthday Lala!

My maid of honor and good friend since Grade 5 is celebrating her birthday tomorrow!

Hi Lala! Here's wishing you the best in your career and lovelife (uy!).

Example of Paying It Forward

If you are interested in taking a career in real estate investment, you may very well have encountered the name of Jim Piccolo. Well, he is currently the CEO of Nouveau Riche University. I learned that he started this learning institution in the year 2002, offering students and potential real estate brokers a great career in real estate.

I have a friend you got interested in the vision of Jim Piccolo and she told me that Jim Piccolo has been trying to make good innovations in various industries. On top of that, he has started a foundation named after his father that is there to cater to the needs of children and teens, among others. I guess this is his way of giving back to society because he has received a lot of blessings and monetary success through his different innovative businesses.

In relation to paying back, I am pleased that nouveau riche people who have earned their status through hard word and creativity are now learning to give back to the people in a sort of "pay it forward" view of life. Wouldn't it be wonderful if all rich CEOs and head of big companies follow this great trend of living charity?

Coffee Ver. 1.43

Jan wants to know: What is your most celebrated milestone in life?

Well, as for me, there are lots but I guess what's really the thing to beat is our wedding day. It really changed our lives. Getting married was like the turning point in our lives. On our wedding, we vowed before God that we will completely "donate" (not just share) our lives to each other and become as one. Heavy stuff right? Yes it is! So for those who are contemplating marriage, better think twice, thrice, and a million times because marriage makes a lasting mark on your person and your soul. And make sure you marry the person that you are willing to be your better-half for the rest of your life.

Thanks Jan!

Nouveau Riche

My husband and I watch the show Jeopardy almost every night. More often than not, we sort of compete on who knows more answers than the other. My husband often gets it right when it comes to history, old movies and sports. I, on the other hand, like answering to literature and music-related categories.

Incidentally in one episode, one of the responses' clue tells of a French term that literally means new money or new rich but now also depicts a person who has acquired a considerable amount of wealth in his lifetime (meaning getting rich not through any sort of inheritance or something like that). The correct response, of course, is "nouveau riche" or as they say in Jeopardy - "what is nouveau riche?" I was pretty happy that I blurted out the correct response, that is, to the amazement of my husband.

Speaking of this, I learned through the internet that there is such thing as a Nouveau Riche University wherein people can actually learn the ins and outs of investing on real estate and possibly making big business resulting to big money. For many people who are looking for a good career choice, getting into a Nouveau Riche University may be the answer to their anxious search for a better pay or better life. The Nouveau Riche University offers various real estate investment trainings that can possibly lead you to a 'nouveau riche' life in the future. Interesting, huh?

Just Some Thoughts...

Just want to jot down some notes of random reflection that I find as good for me and maybe good for you too...

>>>Sometimes, many people do not behave well and do not make the right decisions because they do not pray. Many people don't give enough time for God (that includes myself too) and as a result, sometimes can't think straight nor discern and make moral judgement. This only shows that prayer is very, very important.

>>>Why is it that barrenness used to be understood as a curse in the olden times while now people see fertility as the curse and the not the blessing?

>>>We all know that taking care of babies is not at all romantic. Mothers (and fathers) don't know night from day on the first few years of the child. But this doesn't mean that we shouldn't have any more children because of this so-called "burden" right?

...just some personal thoughts. Maybe you would like to ponder on it too.

Is the Real Estate Business For You?

Way back in college (I was studying Economics), I got to meet these group of people in a school-sponsored university job fair, who were encouraging us to apply in their company and work as a real estate marketing professional and be Nouveau Riche. Because I know myself as someone who is generally shy around people, I shrugged off the idea then and concentrated on finding and applying for less-interactive type of jobs that maybe would only require analytical skills but not talent in sales. This was my personal case. However, for some of my schoolmates, the challenge of taking up a career in real estate selling and learning through the Nouveau Riche way was very attractive to them. Anyway, I'm glad for them because I think you need guts and a killer-instinct to be successful in selling real estate, or anything for that matter.

Now, after several years of working already, I sometimes get to see some of my college friends and witness that some have indeed been successful in being involved in Nouveau Riche. Well, as for me, I stay content with what I have because I know that God has put me here in my current state and place of work for a good purpose.

Flowers For Me

Thank you to my sweet friend Vannie from Cebu for these beautiful flowers! I find this very related to my old post here.

::: Start copying here:::

Here are the rules for this tag:
1.) Copy the badge and put it on your blog.

2.) Link back who pass you this tag.

3.) Spread this tag to at least 7 or more bloggers who you think you are friend with.

"And lovely are the blossoms
That are tended with great care,
By those who work unselfishly
To make the place more fair.
And, like the garden blossoms,
Friendship’s flower grows more sweet
When watched and tended carefully
By those we know and meet.
And, if the seed of friendship
Is planted deep and true
And watched with understanding,
Friendship’s flower will bloom for you."

I'm pasing this to everyone in my blogroll located at On A Wonderful Day Like Today. :-)

America's Got a New President

I was busy looking up www.reportphonenumbers.com this morning before lunch because there is this particular number I wanted to check. You see, my friend has asked me to help her check out this number because it has been hounding their telephone since early last week. This was immediately before I browsed through news about Obama already winning the elections. This may be good news for some, bad news for some. Nevertheless, the fact is, with a new president, things don't change overnight. It would still take a whole nation to bring it out from the ruins.

How Do You...

...clean a dark-colored bathroom surface?

I've been dealing with my Dad's ruby red lavatory and sink, trying to remove the watermarks but to no avail. Last night, I even tried putting toothpaste and left it there overnight. I cleaned it up this morning and it didn't really work...

Answers, answers...that's what I need right now. I can't stand a scummy-looking sink!

Eyeglasses From Zenni

My husband has been prodding me to get myself this new pair of eyeglasses from Zenni Optical. He knew about this because Zenni Optical was on FOX news! You see, our daughter has this habit of grabbing my eyeglasses that it has been prone to scratches and mishandling ever since. Good thing there are Great Eyeglasses For Less available online at Zenni Optical. They also have Variable Dimension Frames From Zenni that are stylish and expensive-looking. You'll never realize that prices could go as low as $8!

Sticker Crazy

How do we usually entertain Zoe on crazy Sunday afternoons when she just wants to run around the house (and errrr....tire us)?

Well, we stick on some cutie Barney and Baby Bop stickers all over her (hands, clothes, arms, etc.) and wish she behaves.

>>>yup, the Barney and Baby Bop on her t-shirt are just stickers

...sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Nevertheless, there's no doubt that she loves having those stickers on her all the time. :-)