Cheap eyeglasses

For someone who has been wearing eyeglasses since I was a kid (8 years old) I am always on the look out for reasonably priced eye wear.

At Zenni Optical, The #1 online Rx glasses store they offer cheap yet good quality eye wear for all ages. They use the latest modern technology in manufacturing their trendy products. Since they don't incur huge expenses in overhead and advertising costs, they sell them at affordable prices. Eric's Review of Zenni Optical proves he is one happy and satisfied customer. They also offer the Lowest Price Progressive Glasses in the market. My mother uses that type of glasses and boy I know how expensive they cost!

Quick dinner recipes

Since I became a wifey almost 2 years ago (this May), I try to develop an enthusiastic attitude about cooking. Even if I didn't know how to cook (well) I've always been fond of eating! So that should count for something, right?

There are days when I wake up and more or less know what to prepare for our meals. Until I realize that I don't have all the necessary ingredients to cook the dish. That can be a bit frustrating. The next step would be to improvise or in my case experiment in the kitchen. After I check the food stock in the pantry and the refrigerator, I would go online and search for recipes.

The thing with the Internet is that there are a wide variety of websites that offer all sorts of recipes for every food category. They can be quite daunting and more often than not, I would be spending hours clicking on every recipe at my disposal. So much so that I would end up having a very late lunch of opened canned goods and instant soup just to fill my tummy. Heh! Then just cook some Quick dinner recipes for our supper.

Well I'm glad that so far so good in the experimenting department. Most of my cooked meals were edible and tasted quite delicious, if I may say so myself! Naturally there were quite a number of 'disasters' but we weren't poisoned or anything like that so we survived.

I guess I have the internet to thank for bombarding us first time kitchen denizens with a multitude of recipes. Naturally also thank the one person who has to bare my experiments - my hubby for being patient and kind enough to praise me for my cooking skills as well as the different recipes I concoct in the kitchen.

Rude awakening

I'm pretty much a very light sleeper. I awaken easily at the slightest sound. So I surely didn't appreciate it this morning when some woman was yelling at the top of her voice at our gate.

As you can ascertain from the picture (taken 2 years ago when it was being renovated), we share a common gate with 3 other (pesky) neighbors. So at any given time, that filmsy steel gate gets banged open and closed. That door is our place. It is the one closest to the gate. All of our neighbors tend to keep their doors wide open for easy access. But we prefer to keep the door shut at all times definitely for security reasons but mostly to maintain our privacy.

Oh and that noisy disturbance was from some woman who was shouting at (mind you!) 5 in the morning. She was calling out to the residents of the 4th and last door. She kept saying repeatedly ha "Rachel, Rachel gising na, graduation mo na, dala ko toga mo!" I put my extra pillow around my ears to block out the noise. But I couldn't help myself from laughing out loud when D whispered in my ear. "Susunugin ko na toga na yan pag di siya tumahimik!" He he he

BP

It is important for one to maintain a normal blood pressure reading. Yet when people reach a certain age range, high blood pressure tends to be the norm. There are a lot of mitigating factors involved like age, stressful lifestyle and unhealthy diet habits. It can also be hereditary. Unfortunately, both my parents have hypertension. But so far I haven't been prescribed any maintenance dose to regulate my BP.

When we were still dating, D who has a full day schedule at work experienced headaches and dizziness. A check up with the physician revealed that he had high blood pressure. He was advised to maintain a blood pressure chart to monitor his BP, daily. Now like my parents he has to take maintenance dose as well. Plus he carefully monitors what he eats. More fruits and vegetables in his diet. Regular exercise and a clean living ( he doesn't smoke nor drink) lifestyle.

Of course, NOW he has me to keep reminding him to drink his 'vitamins'! Although I must admit he is pretty disciplined in sticking to a healthy lifestyle. I'm the one who tends to deviate from it. Hehehe :D

Picture perfect Friday

Happiness is Mocha Roll cake!

I definitely have a sweet tooth. I like to have my cake and eat it too. Well not all in just one sitting.

I'm lucky that D likes to surprise me with cake, once in a while. My eyes would lit up each time I see those rectangular box packages with my fave mocha roll inside! =)

Alternative energy

Drastic climate changes have been affecting a majority of countries. Due to our negligence, we have unfortunately damaged not only our planet but also lost many human lives. Thankfully, there are companies which have the foresight to use renewable energy to lessen climate change.

N-Viro International Corporation develops and licenses its technology to municipalities and private companies. They use lime and/or mineral-rich, combustion byproducts to treat, pasteurize, immobilize and convert waste water sludge and other bio-organic wastes into biomineral agricultural and soil-enrichment products with real market value.

You can learn more about their waste to energy technology at their website, http://www.nviro.com

Their clean coal fuel technology has generated sales in excess of $40 million dollars since it started in October 1993.




Let us all do our part towards ensuring a better, healthier planet for the future of mankind.

Finances

OK so I will admit that I'm a miser. As much as possible I like to set aside money to save. I guess it helps that I'm not a shopaholic. I just like to indulge once in a while but not on luxury items.

But.

Ever since I got married, my savings have been neglected. I still try to set aside a certain amount but I worry that it isn't sufficient enough. With prices of everything rising, I find it difficult to budget. Plus I got more expenses to add to my list now like fertility meds. They definitely don't come cheap. I lament the fact that it isn't included in the cheaper medicines law. Ugh!

This makes me think perhaps it is time we search for a valid HVG insurance for our medical needs. But unfortunately at the end of the day or month, there isn't much left from my budget so I can add insurance on the list of expenses to save for.

Sigh!

Quotable quote

While having lunch today, I was glued to CNN. They were featuring a tribute to one of their cameramen who succumbed to cancer. In fact, she was a woman. A feisty and brave person named Margaret Moth. She went through several death defying moments in her line of duty, but she never gave up and faced each challenge with a joie de vivre that is quite exemplary. The homage was entitled: "Fearless to the End" and you can read parts of the interview in this article. In the course of the homage, she uttered this statement:

"Life is like a game of tennis. You can't control how the ball comes to you ... but it's the way you hit it back that counts."

This quote resonated strongly with me. She is absolutely right. I know what she meant since I used to play tennis, ages ago. I admit I wasn't a good player and sometimes I would thoroughly miss hitting the ball. Maybe perhaps that's why I have a difficult time accepting hurdles and challenges that seem to come my way? Who knows? Well I've resolved to be firmer. This time I vow to hit that ball way harder than I've ever hit it. So watch out and good luck to me! =)

Balanced Diet

Now that I am more health conscious (Naks!) I try to maintain a balanced diet. Most of our viands are either fish (those low in mercury content), chicken (without the skin and which we boil twice to get rid of the fat) or lean cuts of beef (preferably those without fat).

We also incorporate veggies in our weekly regimen. Our favorites are green leafy ones like kangkong, pechay and cabbage. Normally we would just stir fry them with onions and garlic or mix them with ground beef (which are boiled twice as well).

I also never forget to celebrate vitamins and make it a point to take them after breakfast. They aid in supplementing our food intake and I certainly feel more 'upbeat' after I've taken them! Oh and breakfast for me is a cup of coffee along with pandesal with various palaman like cheese, liver spread, tuna or scrambled eggs - not all at the same time, though!

Picture perfect Friday

Happiness is a heavenly bed in a 5 star hotel!

In order to snap out of my cloudy state of mind, I've decided to post a picture of some thing/person/event that makes me happy, every Friday! =)

To grace this series is this picture taken last September 2007 at the luxurious Shangri-la hotel Mactan in Cebu.

STRESS

I've been under a tremendous amount of stress, lately. I also haven't been sleeping well. Probably due to the heat, the pesky neighbors and their incessant din, the fact that there is now a TV in our bedroom or the nightmares where I am either abandoned, neglected or flat out isolated.

Then there is the gut wrenching feeling that I am simply running out of time in the motherhood aspect of my life. Sure I'm under medication and the treatments seem to be positive but still I feel like somehow I'm being punished for not wanting it hard enough for it to be fulfilled. *Gasps* Adding to my woes are more computer problems and I am this close to throwing it out of the window buti na lang there are grills on our window so that is not a possibility even if I feel the urge to do so.

I try desperately to find solace in meditation and silent prayers. Or just numb the feeling by watching mindless reality TV shows like "The Real Housewives of OC" and "Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami". They are my guilty pleasures and I get a kick watching them play out their ostentatious yet vulgar lives on TV. They are bratty, catty and quite bi*chy to each other. Such fun! Hehe

I keep telling myself that "this too shall pass" or reassure myself that I'm strong enough to hurdle these constant challenges which keep cropping up. Otherwise life would be pretty boring if everything came up roses most if not all of the time, right?

Please agree!

Comfortable in my own Skin

I've never been a vain person. When I get up in the morning, I just bunch up my unruly hair (without even combing it, mind you!) then clip it with a large hair accessory (not sure what it is called). I just wash my face with some facial cleanser then I'm set for the day.

I was never a pimply adolescent even though back then I had really oily skin. Then amazingly, when I reached my late 30s, the pimples just started popping up! Talk about much delayed reaction from my hormones! It was unbearable. I was miserable. So I had to force myself to consult a dermatologist. Thankfully, she was a doctor with gentle hands I hardly felt it when she poked a syringe into my pimples to drain them.

Now that I am in my ahem 40s, I notice some laugh lines crowing around my eyes and my lips. I feel that my skin is less oily and there are some days when it gets really dry. I still maintain a simple skin regimen but at the same time, I'm fully aware that there are a wide range of skin care products at my disposal.



They all have active ingredients that are guaranteed to rejuvenate your neglected skin to its previous glowing glory. There are items to avoid puffy eye bags, creams to get rid of scars, exfoliating products that lessen wrinkles, ointments to avoid acne ... etc and etc - you get the picture.

For me feeling beautiful comes from the inside out. A sense of contentment that emanates from the very core of our soul that spreads beyond your skin. Therefore being blessed with glowing skin is merely an added bonus. But if you are not as fortunate, don't worry there are abundant products to guide you in your quest.

Cooking

I'd admit that before I got married, I hardly did any cooking. But I was the official food taster of the family. Meaning, my mother would holler for me to taste whatever she was cooking and ask my advice if it needed more seasoning. Back then, my taste buds would veer towards the salty variety. So it took a bit of adjustment on my part when I got married. My hubby has a rather bland style of cooking. He doesn't use any patis, just a dash of salt and pepper to season food. But the sooner I realized that a low sodium diet was beneficial to my health, the more I appreciated his cuisine.

The first time we went to the grocery story as husband and wife, I had a difficult time picking items from my list. I wanted to stick to my budget without compromising on quality. For example, cooking oils, there are a wide variety of them in the market, I didn't know which one to purchase.

Then when we consulted my OB-GYN, she nicely but firmly advised me to lose some weight to better my chances of conception. I've been exercising for 15 minutes every other day. I don't want to make bigla! And along with a couple of fertility medications, I've been sticking to a strict diet of low.sodium.no.soda.less.rice.more.veggies regimen.

Good news is lately I've noticed that I need to firm up my belt to an extra notch, ergo I've INDEED lost some weight. Hurray! =)

A must have item

I never leave home without my shades/sunglasses. My blurry vision make my eyes quite sensitive to the rays of the sun. Especially now with summer in full blast. I also wear contacts so as much as possible I protect my eyes from the wind which carry specks of dust and germs which would affect my vision.

Despite this condition, I've been wearing the same pair of sunglasses for quite some time now. I didn't have the lens altered to my prescription. It is a branded pair of classic eye wear which is suitable for any seasons, any styles and any trends.

Besides, I believe it frames my round shaped face quite well.



Don't you think so? =)

Glittery Gold

Back in the days when we still lived in Dubai, one of my favorite places to visit was the Gold Souk. That tiny enclave housed rows and rows of shops selling gold jewelry, trinkets and everything 'golden'. It was also one of the places we would take first time visitors for a pleasant stroll to have a glittery experience.

There were a few times when we would be bold enough to enter one of the shops to admire their wares. Of course, I did buy an earring, a ring or two but hardly wear them nowadays here in the not so safe streets of our beloved nation. I don't have a black belt in karate to fend off snatchers, mind you! So it is better to just keep them in my jewelry box to eventually serve as heirlooms in the distant future.

But it never occurred to me to buy gold bars. Gold prices are currently benefiting from the weak dollar. They have even reached an all time high since January of this year. They are the perfect investment during these harsh economic times.

Bedroom Antics

This past weekend, we started scheming the new set up to our bedroom. D (bless him) can truly be relied to do something once he sets his heart on it. He started by dusting the furniture. He also painstakingly wiped the dust from every single book on the book shelf. Then he mopped the entire floor. After that, he made sure it was dry before he positioned the bed and the other furniture in their proper places. It took him the entire afternoon until early evening but he effectively accomplished the task. Bravo!

And where was I during this entire tedious process, you ask??? :D

Well I was in the other room doing my tasks, online. Once in a while I would peek inside to give him a glass of water so he won't be dehydrated. Then I cooked Sinigang with Tanigue and loads of veggies for dinner.

So it's not like I was totally useless, ha!

Besides even if I wanted to help him, he kept forcing me out of the bedroom since he knows (1) I tend to have sneezing attacks from the dust. (2) I can easily sweat up a storm just by standing in an airless room for a few seconds. Yes I know he spoils me rotten that's why I <3 him, dearly. =)

Everything turned out just as we envisioned it to be in our minds. We simply need to set up the TV and the cable wires so it can reach upstairs. Then perhaps I can find a suitable bed side lamp at any lighting sale to complete the homey, cozy vibe of our love nest. =)

Updated on March 4, 2010:
Pictures of our bedroom home entertainment system.

A new Month

Well it is only March and it seems summer is already upon us in full force. Tsk tsk, this El Nino phenomenon is really really letting us have it full blast ha! Not nice especially for me who hates hot, humid blazing sun climate.

But what to do?

I live on a tropical archipelago. I've also unfortunately been blessed or rather cursed with active sweat glands which is very unpleasant.

Well anyhoo, March is also the month that classes for this year will formally end. So hubby will be mostly home and will be busy with recording grades and issuing late class cards to his irregular students. So more lovey dovey bonding time.

I'm also looking forward to rearranging our bedroom set up. I mean reposition the furniture to make space for the second Tv, upstairs. Yes we decided to get the old Tv fixed and much to our contentment, the cost was rather minimal. So voila TV in the bedroom it is!

Next we are exploring a way to squeeze into our budget, a DSL connection. Yeah yeah yes we still rely on dial up for our Internet needs. Pathetic! I know but way way easier on the pocket. So hopefully with a faster connection, I can make use of free torrents to catch the latest episodes of my fave Tv shows. But this is all still under consideration, we are still weighing the pros and cons of this extra expense.


What are you looking forward to this month? =)