House Project: Stairway Cabinet and Book Collection

I had the chance last weekend to do some spring cleaning at home. It was nice and exciting (and surprising!) to finally have some time to do this. 

For this time, I tackled our ever-neglected shelf which is found at end of our stairway going up to the attic. I had already accumulated inches of dust and I could no longer see what really in there. And so, I had to organize it, clean it up and in the process, throw away many things. It was so liberating to see it back in order after so many months!

                               

The next thing I did was to gather some of my pocket books. I have more than 50 of them and it's so disorganized. I actually want to sell them already since I already have an e-book for most of my Agatha Christie titles. Anyone interested?

Habagat (Aug 2012)

Yes, we were flood victims once again. And mind you, this was not caused by a typhoon but only by monsoon rains.

Is this really an effect of climate change? Hope the Philippines will be spared from more dangers like this. Let's all go green and start saving Mother Earth!

Treasury Picture Book Classics

 Last week, I found the time to go through my book shelf. I re-discovered this book which was a gift from the past birthdays of my kids. It's a great book -- perfect for our bedtime story-telling ritual!

"Twelve marvelous picture books, including such classics as Caps for Sale, Goodnight Moon, and Harold and the Purple Crayon, plus modern classics such as If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and From Head to Toe."

Some snippets from the book:

 Brings back college memories when I was enrolled in Children's Literature in College of Educ (elective). :-)

Diet Now!

I'm starting on a diet to slim down and look good for my childhood bff's wedding. I'm going to be her maid of honor. If I don't lose weight then I might just end up becoming the maid of horror!! Hahaha.

So goodbye french fries! Goodbye soda! Sob. LOL!

Using the Blogger App

With this app, I don't need to open my laptop to blog nor go thru so many sites first. I can blog now on way home! Big smile!!!

Get it in your iTunes store for free now!

My Enderun Experience

Part of my job is to promote employee wellness and one of the perks of that is that I get first-hand information on the available activities that are best-suited to my needs. This is one of them: a free culinary class c/o Chef Thomas Wenger last May at the famous Enderun Colleges. 

Let me share with you the menu during the class. For the recipes, just drop me a note if you are interested to get a copy. :-)

Menu:

·         Pan-fried red mullet , Tomato Confit, Black Olives

·         Turmeric Spiced Chicken Thighs, Ginger-glazed Pekchai and Buckwheat Noodles

·         Red Berry Soup with Mango Granita

Enderun is located at 1100 Campus Avenue McKinley Hill, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.

House Renovation?

Our house is almost 7 years old now and lately, hubby and I have been contemplating on having a renovation to construct a new room for Luigi. He has been growing up so fast and in no time, he might already need to have his own room in the house for he is turning 3 soon and would be big enough then to sleep in his own bed. And of course, another bed, couldn't fit anymore in our bedroom!

There is actually a space intended for another room upstairs but the problem is, all the hollow space has been temporarily closed off until that big renovation (and money) comes along. Anyway, hopefully, if the good Lord will provide, we can start to construct before the year ends. 

And so, to prepare for it, I've actually already started to look for good eco-friendly contractors that are able to do the renovation using green technology. We would want to utilize materials that won't hurt the environment and would last a long time. For example, there is a construction firm in Calgary whose house designs and materials are nature-friendly and at the same time practical. I'll go for that kind of construction company anytime, if you ask me. They also can help you look for the right financing to kick off your house renovation. What can you say about that? Wish they do construction jobs in my area!

Flores de Mayo 2012

It was Luigi's first time to join the Santacruzan...and he sure had a blast!

 

 

Easter Eggs

Easter is always a time for celebration. For this year, we commemorate the resurrection of Christ by coming up with some colorful Easter eggs. I was able to find the time to dye up some eggs for my kids to enjoy. Look at the finished product!

 

 

The kids loved it!

Kinder PM Class at KILA SY 2011-2012

My Daughter and Son

Just sharing a few pictures off my overloaded camera.

I love, love, love you so much!

And Then There Were None

October 8, 2011 - Luigi's 2nd official trip to the barber... this time, to have it all shaved up.

The "before" shot:

The "during" shots:

The "after" shot:


With a small black spot in the middle of his forehead - due to a bump he had because of his kalikutan - but, nevertheless, still cute!

Focus on Fitness

Have you ever experienced feeling bloated and lazy? Or are you often in an eating craze and too many drinking parties?

Do you want to get fit and lengthen your life? Do you want to live your life happy and full of energy?

Well, if your anwers if no, no and yes, yes to above questions, then why don't you start over, leave all of those bad habits behind, get into those athletic apparel and focus on your health and fitness today? At first, it may not be easy but if you think of the benefits of living healthy, then you will be encouraged to really fight for fitness.

Below are some of the unique benefits of regular exercise and getting fit:

1. Regular exercise reduces your risk of premature death. You avoid developing heart disease and different kinds of cancer, which are the main causes of premature death.
2. Your immune system is also strengthen with regular exercise.
3. You sleep better and it's what you need to feel relaxed and energetic the next day.
4. Even without a rigid diet, you tend to cut off those extra pounds.
5. You will even look younger than how you would normally would for your age!
6. Overall, you feel great and happy!

Now what could be better that all that?

I highly encourage you to take up regular exercise not as a daily chore but something that you are doing and will be doing not only for yourself but for your whole family. You may actually start off with just light exercise routines like walking or stretching. When you feel more comfortable with your body, you can do more aerobic exercise such as jumping, running, swimming. After you have managed to take control of your body and energy, you can move forward by adding some strength and muscle conditioning for your routine. With these, you can be fit in no time. Make sure you take nutritious meals and enough rest as well.

Now if you are like me who needs a little bit more boost than the rest, you can allow yourself to be enthused by buying some new clothes for your exercise activities. What I did for myself was to browse and buy through an online clothing store. I was able pick several polo shirts and other women's clothing that fit my body and boost my morale. Now, I am ready to start my exercise routines because I feel good about the way I look and I know in my heart that this is the best thing I can actually do for myself.

Going back to Scrapbooking

If there's anything that I missed while I was super busy with work - it's blogging and doing digital scrapbooking.

I challenged myself recently to try it out again -- I knew that my photoshop skills are going a bit rusty --- by creating Zoe's school party invitation DIY.

Hmm...although this looks okay - I think I need to practice some more. :-)

Hope I find more time to sit down to create more cute stuff.

Revisiting Ongpin Street

My new officemates and I went on a mini-field trip to Chinatown last July. It was more of a food trip actually, but nevertheless very culturally enriching.

Let the pictures speak for themselves.

Posing with the group:


Poong Nazareno found inside Binondo Church:

Kalesa ride, anyone?

What is a Binondo trip without stopping by at Tasty?

Siomai to perfection:

Siopao which I couldn't resist:

Colorful version of the siopao infront of Eng Bee Tin:

Saying a little prayer thru incense:

Fruits at a very low price:

Luvet! I'm definitely coming back!