Holiday Frames from Zenni

Today is the last day of the year. But the holiday celebration doesn’t end today. And so for those who are still looking for gifts to give their friends and loved ones before the year ends, here is good news: Zenni is offering a wide selection of Holiday frames that come in different styles, designs, and colors.

Zenni Optical, the leading online prescription eyeglasses provider, knows exactly your needs for the holidays. So, why go through so much trouble looking for that perfect gift for your loved one? With Zenni's holiday eyeglasses, you get stylish gifts at very affordable prices. And take note, since they offer their frames online, you get to avoid the holiday rush and receive your items via postal service. Talking about convenience, right?

Indeed, there are lots of advantages on shopping online for holiday frames. Convenience and savings in one! So, what are you waiting for? Why don't you check out these eyeglasses from Zenni? You see, even with an $8 budget, you can already buy the eyeglasses of your choice. Actually, I have my own favorite Zenni holiday frame. It's a half-rim frame with translucent to dark red color. Once I decide to replace my old frame, it's the one I want to have.

Back to Babysitting 101

It's been months since I last stayed at home with the baby in between alone. I guess, she was only around 3 months old then. Now, that Baby Gaby is already a year and a month old, I don't know if babysitting her will be as easy as it was.

Why back to babysitting? Well, I let her nanny go for a 6-day vacation since I don't have work for 6 straight days. Actually, it's my Christmas and New Year's gift to her. I let her choose between going home with me paying the fare for her trip or keeping the money to herself as her Christmas bonus, and well she chose the former so what can I do but to grant it. After all, she deserves also a long vacation this holiday season.

So, okay I'm back to babysitting 101 beginning today. OMG, I can just imagine how tiring it is to look after a toddler now! How I wish she's still my little baby who just sleeps the whole day...

My Family Movie Night: Then and Now

When I was still a kid, I remembered having great family movie nights - Mama and Papa sit beside each other, while I, my two older brothers, and my younger sister sit on the floor as we munch on some junk foods and enjoy the movie. Those movie nights were really great, but lasted only for a while because December of 1994, my mom passed away because of ovarian cancer, followed by my sister on December of 1995 due to leukemia. From then on, my family was never the same.

I terribly missed having Mama and my sister around. Losing them was one of the most painful experiences that our family went through. But all of us have already moved on – Papa already have a new family, my eldest brother recently got married, my second brother is living his own life in a city away from ours, and me, of course I also have my own family now. Although the process was not easy, still we all managed to survive.

Now that I have a family of my own, I want to give them only the best. And whenever there’s a chance, I’ll make sure that I spend quality time with them, since hubby is not always home to be with us. Actually I already made plans for us when he comes home on January. And one of those is to spend a great movie night watching All Roads Lead Home The Movie, a perfect family night movie which will be available on DVD beginning 13th of January. I’ve already seen the trailer and since I can very much relate to it, I’m more than excited to see the whole film. But of course, I would love to see it with hubby and my kids around.

If you are also curious as to what movie I’m talking about here, better watch this trailer. I’m sure you’ll be touched by it too.

Boring Friday

Although it's still Christmas season, I could hardly feel any excitement here in our place. And just like yesterday, today is yet another boring day. Me, the nanny, and Baby Gaby is just here inside the house, watch TV, and sleep whenever we want to. Really boring! And though I'm online most of the time, I could not focus blogging because the baby in between comes near me and taps the laptop from time to time. Oh well, this is what I hate when babies become toddlers. Whew!

But anyway, boring as this day may seem, I'd better make the most out of this day because tomorrow, the baby in between will be nannyless, and that means I'll be babysitting for the rest of the holidays. Oh boy! For the first time in months, I'll be staying alone with Baby Gaby and so, I'm expecting the worst. So much for the Christmas and New Year's vacation, huh!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

From the baby in between, Daddy, and me, we'd like to greet everyone a Merry Christmas!!!

Christmas Eve: What's Cookin'?

Tonight, me, the baby in between, Ate Rose, and Daddy will be celebrating Christmas eve, even if not together at least thru the Internet. So, I decided to prepare a little food tonight, though I must admit I'm not really good at cooking.

Okay, what's on the menu? It will be Dex's carbonara, pear-shaped ham, refrigerated cake, and bread. Why Dex's carbonara? It's because it's the specialty of my dear friend and the baby in between's godfather, Dex. I've tasted Dex's carbonara since last year, and from then on I never seem to get enough of it. So, whenever there's a gathering at home, I ask him to be my chef and feed all our hungry stomachs.

However, today, I must do the cooking since Dex went home for the holidays. I have no choice but to rely on this simple recipe that he gave me.

Ingredients:

Garlic chopped
Onions chopped
Red and green bell peppers diced
Mushrooms sliced (champignon)
ham diced
ground pork
(optional: bacon, tuna, corned beef, etc)
1 brick all-purpose cream
1 regular pack cream of mushroom mix
water
salt and pepper
1 pack spaghetti (1 kilo)

Procedure:

Sautee garlic and onions. Add in diced ham or ground pork, sautee until cooked. Add diced red and green bell peppers and mushrooms, sautee for 4-5 minutes or until cooked. Meanwhile, dissolve cream of mushroom mix in hot water, pour into the pan and stir. Bring to a boil and add all-purpose cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. You can adjust the thickness of the sauce by adding water. Cook spaghetti per package directions. Pour sauce over spaghetti and sprinkle with grated cheese. Serve and enjoy.

I already asked Ate Rose to do the slicing of the ingredients for me and to cook the noodles before I go home today. I'll just cook the sauce after, and yeah I'm hoping that my carbonara will be at least close to Dex's.

Anyway, it will just be Ate Rose and I who will be eating so there's nothing for me to worry about, whether I cook good or not. *wink* At least, I'll do some cookin', right? And not the usual fastfood for the Christmas eve.

*Update: Here's the finished product.*

Blog, Blogging, and Blog Advertising

When I started blogging a couple of years back, I never really knew that this activity can open a lot of opportunities for me. I thought blogging will simply serve as a means of expressing my experiences, stories, and daily rants and ramblings. But after years of blogging, I realized that having a blog goes far beyond that. I do not only get to meet new friends in the blogosphere but I also get paid to post.

I know, some bloggers are not open to the idea of monetizing their blogs. But for me, considering the fact that I already have kids to raise, the extra money that I earn from blogging does help a lot. And so, whenever I see an avenue for me to blog about the things I love and get paid to do that, I grab it. Thus, PayingPost.com is no exception to that.

PayingPost.com is a blog advertising network where advertisers can connect to bloggers and hire them to blog about their website, products, and even services. I learned about this from one blog that I read a month ago. I became curious about it and so I signed up. Now, I’ll just have to wait for opportunities from advertisers.

If you are an advertiser, perhaps you’ll ask how you’ll benefit from signing up for PayingPost.com? Well, blog advertising is one of the most effective internet marketing tools these days. Since blogs are updated frequently, search engines also visit them more often, thus your advertisements will get noticed sooner as compared to putting them on static web pages. Plus, this tool is way more inexpensive than any other forms of advertising; so even with a small budget, you get to spread the word about your website, product, or service through the blogs connected at PayingPost.

So, want to be a part of this new blog advertising network? Visit PayingPost.com now and check what’s in store for you!

A Not So Looong Day After All...

That's right! Today is a not so looong day after all. See, I hardly noticed that it's already 4:30pm. In just a few minutes, I'm outta here and off to see my little girl again. The weather is not so good as well, that's why I can't wait to go home. Oh, I just can imagine how relaxed my friends are who are already home for the holidays! I wonder what they're doing now? Maybe they're doing their last minute shopping and are busy gift wrapping.

Anyway, got to go for now! Until tomorrow guys!

I Still Have a Wish

This time it's a Sony Playstation 3 for Daddy. He's been asking me for this since last year. But because of the soaring expenses that we have lately, I have to put this one off for now.

How about you, got a wish this Christmas? Come on, tell Santa about it! Simply upload your photo to the CEIVA digital photo frame that Santa and his elf are talking about. It’s actually the newest technology in digital photography. Even if you are away from your loved ones and friends, you can share your photos to them without the fuss.

I tried the digital frame myself and told Santa about my Sony PS3 wish. Here’s the photo that I uploaded:


This picture was taken last November 18th. We’re off to the airport that time. Daddy liked the view on our way, so we stopped and have that picture taken. Well, it’s just one of those memorable family pictures of ours. For sure, there’ll be more to come once he’s home on January.

So, why don’t you try the CEIVA digital photo frame yourself? Let me tell you, it’s really cool! And what’s even more exciting is that CEIVA is running this “Got a Wish Sweepstakes” where you could be one of the lucky winners of $500. So, what are you waiting for? Join now!

This Will Gonna Be A Looong Day!!!

Everybody filed their vacation leaves beginning today until December 27th to have a long Christmas vacation. So for sure, this will gonna be a looong day since I'm stuck here in the office, all by myself here in our cubicle.

It's so sad that I won't be home for the holidays just like the others. But it's okay, since we will be going home anyway in January, when hubby comes back again from South Korea. So, the baby in between and I will just be celebrating Christmas and New Year here, with Daddy on webcam. At least, we're still together even through the Internet.

So, what am I gonna do for the rest of the day? First, I need to check on some projects which have to be completed. From what I can remember, I have here one project that needs to be uploaded in excel. Next, it's time to reorganize my files. And third, update my niche blog.

Oh boy, this will gonna be a looong day indeed! Without Lyn here beside me, and the others to chat in YM every once and a while, I have to keep myself busy just to kill time. Whew!

Anyway, for those who are already on vacation now, enjoy guys! See you all back on January!

All I want for Christmas is...

for Daddy to be home. :( But I know, that's next to impossible. He just went home for a 20-day vacation last November, so there's no way he can get his 2-month vacation/exit in advance. Of course, I was thankful that he came home for the baby in between's 1st birthday last November, but sometimes I could not help but wish that he could also be with us on Christmas and New Year.

You see, whenever I see OFWs coming home for the holidays to be with their families, I feel happy for them but sad for us. Sad because I don't know if there will ever come a time that we will be able to spend these important occasions with Daddy. He's off to another 3-year contract in South Korea, which will start once he gets back after his 2-month exit. According to him, there's nothing for me to be sad about because he will be allowed to go home yearly. He's just not sure if that yearly vacation will fall on the holidays. So I'd better not expect too much to avoid getting disappointed.


Oh I really want Daddy to be home this Christmas. And I'm sure Baby Gab wants him to be here as well. Can anyone play Santa today and grant my "not-so-simple" wish?

I Got an Online Writing Course for Free!

I really love writing, and so whenever I see an opportunity to improve my writing skills, I grab it. The Writing, Chicago Style Course with Katie Aquino was no exception. After seeing it being offered for free over there at Brightstorm, a great educational site for teens, I immediately signed up, copied the promo code, and purchased the said writing course without spending a dime. Isn't it great?

Now, after watching each episode, my knowledge about writing is enhanced, especially about Chicago style citations. And hey, Teacher Katie was really great when she discussed about grammar. I had so much fun going back through those rules on subject-verb agreement, it's as if I was back on my high school days. So, I decided to share it to my cousins who are in high school now. I bet, they'll learn a lot from it as much as I did.

Do you also want to take advantage of this online writing course for free? Why not sign up for a free Brighstorm account now? You'll be amazed at how it will help you improve your writing skills. And if you want other subjects for your teens, you can look at their Math, SAT, AP, and History online courses. Check this great educational site now!

I'M NO SUPERWOMAN

Today, I come to realize that I'M NO SUPERWOMAN. No matter how hard I try to be strong in spite of the problems that me and my husband are going through now, I just can't deny it that I'm beginning to get so weak. I thought I can play superhero forever, like resolving every problem that my husband can't fix. I thought I won't run out of solutions, but I was wrong. Now, it's just me and me against all these problems.

But I'm not going to give up this soon. My husband just have to realize that I can't always play defense whenever problem arises. I'M NO SUPERWOMAN.

One song even goes: I'm not the kind of girl that you can let down. And think that everything's okay. Boy, I am only human! Yes, I'm only human, I don't have superpowers. If only I have, then there will be no more rants like this.


Image from: ifonlyihadsuperpowers.blogspot.com

Shop Online for Personalized Holiday Gifts

It’s just 12 days before Christmas. And so if you haven’t shopped for gifts yet, be ready to make your way through the jam-packed malls and wait in a long line when you pay at the cashier. But hey, you can save yourself from going through this trouble. The answer: shop online for personalized holiday gifts. That’s right! You can always do your shopping online to find those special gifts for your friends and family.

Now, if you don’t have any idea yet as to what gifts you’ll give, why don’t you check these personalized holiday gifts from Pexagon? They have personalized pens, wooden USB flash drives, custom business card drives, and personalized thumb drives. For sure, your friends and family will love these because they come in really exciting designs, styles, and colors with free custom laser engraving. Yup, free custom laser engraving! You can have their names engraved on it or perhaps a simple message to inspire them.

So, who says shopping for gifts is such a hassle? At Pexagon, you can buy these 4 awesome personalized holiday gifts without leaving the comfort of your house or office. But wait the advantage doesn’t end there? Pexagon is offering 20% off for all those great items until the year ends, which means additional savings for you. How’s that? You get to experience convenience from buying online, give your loves really personalized gifts, and enjoy savings for yourself. So what are you waiting for? Visit Pexagon now!

Snorkeling I Love!

When we went to Davao last weekend, one of the activities included in our itinerary is the island hopping. It was my first time to engage in such activity, so I never really knew what to expect. I thought it was just all about sightseeing and enjoying the view of the various islands that we will visit. But it was beyond that. We got to experience the so-called snorkeling.

I've heard about snorkeling a lot of times already, but I didn't really know much about it until I've tried it myself last weekend. First-off, the gears: diving mask, a shaped-tube called snorkel, and swimfins.


Image from: www.jacksons-camping.co.uk

Best Web Hosting I Need

After our blog monetization seminar with Mr. Abe Olandres, one of the famous bloggers here in the Philippines, I decided to take blogging into a whole new level – something which is more serious, but at the same time informative and entertaining. I already have two personal blogs and one family blog, so this time I'll create one which is more informative in nature, a niche blog at that - with the OFWs, families of OFWs, and those would-be OFWs as my target readers. My husband is an OFW for almost three years now, so I guess it's time I use my skill in reaching out to other OFWs and OFW families out there.

But before I start with my plan, there are some important things that I have to consider. One is the domain name and two is the web hosting. Finding the right domain name is not hard for me to do. What I'm more concerned about is the latter. I need the best web hosting which provides not only a load of goodies but can fully deploy. And since there are lots of options available, I must make a thorough research first.

Good thing, WebHostingGeeks.com is here to help me solve my problem. They provide bloggers like me detailed reviews of the best web hosting sites available. There I've seen various web hosting ratings, plans, and awards. Plus, they also include pertinent web hosting information on their site such as this article entitled: How to Choose the Best Web Hosting Service. After I read it, I become more knowledgeable about this stuff.

So if you are also looking for the best web hosting provider, why not visit WebHostingGeeks.com now? I'm sure you'll learn more from them as much as I did.

A Hard Day Made Even Harder!

Harsh words! Heated arguments! External task in the office! And a while ago, retrenchment AGAIN. What could be worse? Yeah, one more, another skype logoff, cp-turn-off, and ym-offline scene! And all because I failed to smile when typing. AAaaarrrgghhhh...SO RIGHT TIMING, and SO MUCH FOR VERY LITTLE CONSIDERATION. Pissed off in the office, and now here at home...Where else would I go to find peace?

Oh, what a hard day this is! The problems in the office, I can still take. But the provoking and the logging off part once I'm so angered already, that I couldn't take anymore. This is too much, way too much...

If he wants to be offline, then okay fine. It's his call, I won't ever bother him again. Anyway, I never did anything right for him, as what he always claims. And perhaps no matter what I do, my best will never be good enough for him. Yeah, I'll never be good enough, so I'd better stop trying.

If you happen to read this, well thanks for making this hard day even harder. I hope you're happy now!

Let CEIVA Grant your One Wish!

Ever heard of CEIVA? If not, well let me tell you a little info about it. CEIVA is an exciting way to share your photos with your friends and family. You can choose from the Digital Photo Frame or the Picture Plan to let your loved ones see those beautiful pictures you took while on vacation in France or perhaps your pictures when you celebrated Thanksgiving days ago. No more worries about losing those digital photos or accidentally deleting them without sharing them. With this new technology in digital photography, photo sharing has never been easier and more fun.

But perhaps, you're wondering how it will grant your one wish? Before I answer your question, let me share to you first my Sit on Santa's Lap Experience. Actually, I'm not saying I sit on Santa's Lap literally. I just spent a little time with Santa online and submitted a photo to be uploaded on the CEIVA Digital Photo Frame. Here let me show you the photo I submitted:

The reason why I chose this picture is because it's our very first family picture. You see, before we only have this picture header in this blog as our family pic. But when my husband came home last November, we got the chance to be together, thus this pic. It's very significant to me, so I'm sharing it to everyone here now. And guess what, when I uploaded it on CEIVA, it looked so cute, especially when I saw Santa and his elf holding it.

So, why not try CEIVA for yourself? And oh by the way, before I forget about how that one wish be granted, here is how: CEIVA is running the Got A Wish Sweepstakes, wherein one lucky winner per day will be awarded $500. If you're 18 years old or older and you're a US resident, you're eligible to join. Simply access the Sweepstakes site for the contest rules. Good luck and enjoy! Happy Holidays!

Davao, Here We Come!

Yes, in three days we're off to Davao! Me and my friends, Owen, Dex, Lyn, and Glady are off to see this beautiful place. This is actually my first time to be in Mindanao, so I'm really excited.

But you know what, last week, I almost canceled my booking for this travel. The reason: I failed to save for the trip, or maybe I did, but it was spent on other important things when hubby arrived last month. So after seeing our expenses last month, I came up with the decision not to go.

It was a hard decision for me because I was really looking forward to this Davao trip. And when my husband learned that I wasn't going anymore, he said why not, considering that I already have a ticket booked. After hearing him said that, I thought yeah why not. So, I looked at our budget and see if there's any way I can go. I found a small solution, and with Owen's convincing words, how could I possibly say no.

So there. DAVAO, HERE WE COME!


Image from: www.filipino.com

No Police Gears for Me, But For You, Perhaps!

Did I ever mention to you before that I once dreamt to be a military or police officer? Hmmm, I guess so. I think, I’ve mentioned it in my other personal blog.

Anyway, why am I reminded about this? It’s simply because I’ve seen one TV show last Thursday about a police officer having an encounter with criminals. I was so amazed with how he responded on the situation, and though he was not able to catch those criminals that day. I was glad to know that they were arrested recently.

I really admired the police officer’s toughness, not to mention his looks as he wears those police gears. Way back, I imagined myself wearing that tough uniform and other gears for protection. But well, that’s just all part of a dream now.

Anyway, for those who were lucky enough to pursue their dream of becoming police officers, here’s a great news for you! Police gears can now be purchased online for more convenience. Where? Here at LAPoliceGear.com, your one-stop online shop that offers a wide selection of police gears like the 5.11 Tactical Watch.

Now, you might ask, “what brands do they offer?” Let me name a few: Surefire, 5.11 Tactical Series, Maxpedition, Galco, and Blackhawk. LA Police Gear is not only a recognized and factory-authorized dealer of these brands, but they are also known to provide low prices, fast shipping, and excellent customer service. So, why buy from your local dealer if you can shop at your convenience here at LA Police Gear?

But hey, there are other reasons why you should check out this online police gear provider. One, they offer discounts. Two, they give freebies. And three, they offer free shipping. Still don’t believe me? Why not head on to LA Police Gear site to see for yourself? Enjoy!