Looking for Old Friends, Lost Relatives

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of MyLife. All opinions are 100% mine.

Christmas is usually a time when you think about your loved ones and family. For me, it makes me remember our relatives abroad who have not been in touch with our family for the longest time. Particularly on my Dad's side, there are some uncles and cousins who have sort of "stayed away" and had not been in touch for almost a decade now. But regardless of the reason why they had not wanted to get in touch, I would still love to hear about them, or even better, directly from them, so that I'll know how they have been ~ we are relatives by blood, after all.

Speaking of finding lost loved ones, MyLife is an internet site where you can use to find old friends, relatives and acquaintances in the USA. I've actually tried to find the name of one of my uncles and found out that the address / state where they are found is still the same state (probably the same house address) where we last communicated with them. This bit of surprising fact makes me feel happy that they are still there and are, God willing, most likely doing well.

If you are in the same situation as mine, maybe you ought to try clicking on MyLife. You'll never know who you will happily reconnect with through this site.

New Year's Eve Dinner Ideas

Does anybody here want to share their foodie ideas for the New Year's Eve and New Year's Day celebration? You see, I still haven't come up with any menu yet.

On the top of my head, I'm thinking of baked ham and good ol' noodles, sotanghon, in particular. But I realize that my husband is not so fond of sotanghon since he finds it hard to swallow. Anyhow, other noodle-inspired dishes would be good. Hope you can share your recipes here.

Thanks!

Thinking of getting a mailbox

We had just watched the animated movie "Up" on DVD the other day and it made me cry. The movie was lovely and very touching. One of the moving parts of the movie was when the main character and his wife were depicted as building their home together, even putting a mailbox out their front yard which they personalized by putting on their names and handprints on it.

This got me thinking that it would be nice if our family also had a personalized mailbox for our home just like in the movie. Yeah, I think I ought to be really getting mail boxes for our frontyard soon also to make sure our mails are safe and secure. For sure I'll be able to find all kinds and varieties of mailboxes online, whether it be a single wall mount mailbox, column-style, etc. etc. Not only will it serve as a great frontyard decor, it will also serve as a family thingy.

She Loves to Dance

Zoe at 3 years and 3 months simply loves to dance!

She loves to dance either infront of a crowd (her dad and mom, hehe) or alongside other kids.

See her expression with her eyes closed? (I don't know where she gets this, really, but it's cute).

At any rate, she is always a joy to watch. It never fails to bring a smile to our faces.

Design Ideas

Having some days of rest over the holiday season is such a joy! It helps clear your mind from the pressures in the office and aids you to focus on family and home matters more.

Personally, I've taken advantage of the short vacation to watch a bit of HGTV and do some internet surfing in order to pick up some good design ideas for our home, particularly our living room. One idea that got my attention is putting area rugs in the room to add a splash of color. Area rugs are great for putting a better perspective in a room as well as in giving it a design touch. I am actually planning on buying some area rugs next month in time for the arrival of our house guests (my uncle and aunt) who will come Chicago and I'm willing to buy it online, if I can.

Back from a short break

Guess what? I'm again back in the office. It's supposed to be a regular working day but my mind is still having a hang-over from the Christmas celebrations...and so I'm blogging to get myself back on track. LOL (what an excuse!).

Anyway, our Christmas was great! We had our usual family get-together on Christmas day with my relatives on my mother's side and my in-laws (SILs, pamangkins and MIL) spending the whole day at our home. Of course, my Tatay and Ninang and Francis were there too. The only person we're missing is my sister who is in Iloilo.

For Christmas lunch, we served chicken mushroom spaghetti, potato-apple salad, lumpiang shanghai, kaldereta. All yummy!!!

Wish it was Christmas day again....(sigh).

Happy Birthday Bro! :-)

This Christmas

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Bidazzled. All opinions are 100% mine.

For those who want to live the true spirit of giving especially with the holiday season, there are new ways available for you to share your love to others or share in a good cause, for that matter. One way is by joining Bidazzled, an online auction market that allows you to buy new brand merchandise through bids and at the same time help a lung cancer foundation. Whether you win or lose the bid, you are still helping out in a very important way.

With the season of Christmas, we can sometimes be too into ourselves that we forget how it is to give. On the side, my reflections for Christmas has gravitated on forgetting myself and learning to focus on the baby Jesus which comes in the face of those many people around you: the street kids, the sick people in hospitals, the elderly, the dying, the "scrooge" in the office, your child in tantrums, etc., etc., depending on your state in life. Christmas comes to remind us that we are faced to live the virtues in a heroic degree albeit, maybe more emphasized now with what the season brings.

Have a very merry and worthwhile Christmas everyone! Stay warm!

Looking for a New Place?

House-hunting can be such a tiresome job for people nowadays. Many times, you do not know where to start looking and how to manage to close a good deal. This is because there are so many things to consider in buying a house or a condo. It would depend on your current budget, the size of your family, proximity, and many other things. Furthermore, buying a house would also greatly depend on whether or not you get a good real estate agent to facilitate the tripping and actual sale. From experiences I have heard, sometimes, it really boils down to the contract prize PLUS if you get along with your agent.

Anyway, for those of you who may be in Canada and need to know where to find reliable real estate agents, you can find a directory listing of good Ontario Real Estate Agents online. And for example, if you are interested in Richmond Hill, there are Richmond Hill Real Estate Agents whom you can contact to regarding your house hunting queries. There is also a list of Mississauga Real Estate Agents which you can find online for easier access to the best people who can assist you in your important real estate needs.

UP Friends - Christmas Party 2009

Our home was the venue for this year's annual Christmas Party get-together amongst my UP barkada and their families (or significant other).

We had it potluck style tapos I prepared some simple fun games and a raffle to keep us all in the mood for Christmas.

This year's hosts - V & T (uy... mukhang payat!)

Tanay couple - Baba and Gra

Crazy folks :-) Borj and Che
May 1 lovebirds - Emer and Ruby

Secretive Lala (na may date afterwards but won't divulge the details)

Zoe with Tito Eumir

Xmas foodies!

Raffle prizes c/o everyone

Christmas Charades - Che (trying to decribe Santa Claus)

Christmas Charades - Gra (trying to act out poinsettia) - cute!

Christmas Carol Relay (the boys won!)

Bring me...an office ID! :-)

Chillin'

Group pic

Hope to see you guys again soon! Merry Christmas!

*pics from Gracia's multiply site

It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...at home!

Here's a glimpse:

Spread the spirit of Christmas and let's start in our very own homes!

Going Strong...

Luigi is officially 3 months old this December 08. This means too that I've been breastfeeding for three months and going strong... Yes! I can't believe it myself! :-) I'm so happy for this mommy "accomplishment".

Here's hoping that Mother Nature continues to send me more milk for baby. :-)

Feeling Toxic? Detoxify!

We all know that popular saying that goes, “Health is Wealth”. And the good news is, I think that many people now are beginning to think of health and wellness as part of their lifestyle, whereas before, nobody really cared much about it.

However, when you live a very busy life, you then to forget to check on your health and nutrition. Many people who have full-time jobs and a family to take care of then to live a life that is full of toxicity, like there’s never enough time to eat well, pray, to read, to exercise, to relax and do some recreation (I raise my hand to that!). As a solution to this, there are various Thailand retreats that are available that can give you that samui detox that will help rejuvenate your body and spirit. They offer a package for colon cleanse and koh samui detox that is perfect for somebody who is feeling bloated, tired and unhealthy.

I wonder if my husband and I can ever make a trip to Thailand to undergo that detox that we both need. Maybe we can schedule that next year. :-) Apart from being a healthy thing to do, it would be a fantastic way to spend time together, don't you think?