Hear ye ... hear ye!

Dear readers,
This blog will be out of circulation.
It's sister bonding time!
Cheerios :D

Say 'no' to bad hair days!

This post brought to you by TRESemmé. All opinions are 100% mine.

They say that your mane is your crowning glory.  But in these hectic times when we find ourselves running out of time to do a million things on our list, we sometimes hardly have precious seconds to spare to look presentable.

Lucky for us, there are now products available in the market to ease our 'hair' worries away. The TRESemmé Fresh Start Dry Shampoo is the latest innovative shampoo that will surely revolutionize the way we feel about our mane.  It is part of a complete line of dry shampoos guaranteed to revive your hair style on days when you don't have time to go for a quick shower. It is also the Top Hair Products for School and widely used by hair experts.

It is formulated to absorb excess oil and remove odor and truly rejuvenates your hair without a drop of water.  Be sure to shake the product vigorously before use. Section away your hair and spray in short bursts by holding it 8-12 inches away from your head. Lightly spray at the roots, leave it for 1-2 minutes and massage your scalp using your fingertips to evenly distribute the liquid on your head.

Check out this instructional video which features a tutorial on how to use the products properly.

 

So now we can truly say "NO" to bad hair days!

 

The morning after

In the three years of our wedded life, I'd say that "Pedring" the tropical typhoon which hit the Philippines on Tuesday is by far the strongest storm I've experienced. Actually, it started raining in the wee hours of Tuesday with the winds intensifying at alarming speed. By 8am, it was still very dark and the electricity went off. Thankfully classes in all levels were suspended so D was home.

We had to cook rice without the rice cooker. Or rather he did since I didn't want to eat porridge for lunch. :D The winds were still pretty intense throughout the afternoon. With no TV, no Internet connection, no dial tone on our land line and no signal on our cellphones, we just stayed in bed reading and we would occasionally doze off.

Fortunately, power came back at 6pm. But we were still without any cable TV and dial tone. Cellphone signal would fluctuate. The storm was still raging outside with all its might that I thought our roof would fly away any instant. I wanted to go out and buy a cake for D's birthday but it wasn't a good idea unless I didn't mind getting soaked to the bones.

On Wednesday, the weather had slightly improved vis a vis the strong winds but it was raining incessantly. But it was D's 47th birthday so I decided to just order from Max's Restaurant. We had chicken, pancit canton and lumpiang shanghai for his birthday lunch. And ice cream for dessert. By the time the food was delivered, I was already very hungry I forgot to take a picture of his little birthday "feast".

Needless to say, it doesn't take much to satisfy my hubby. In his words 'as long as we are together, happy na ako'. So I'm happy that he is happy even though I didn't buy him any gift! :D

Fun deals

The latest crave nowadays are websites which offer good deals through coupons. With so many of these websites cropping up, it pays to go through each of them to learn more about the reputation of the various featured companies.

You simply go to a search engine, type something like dealfun.com reviews and you can spend an entire afternoon, perusing all the reviews. Now that's a good way to spend one's time, right? You learn more about the products plus you get your money's worth!

2+17+8+11+9=47

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday Honey Bunchy!

Lifestyle of the rich and famous

A few months ago, we took a side trip/ocular visit to an exclusive enclave known as Anvaya Cove. This Ayala owned community is located within the isolated yet pristine solitude of Morong Bataan. It has its own golf course, beach resort as well as condominiums and town houses. Strict security is enforced to guarantee your privacy. The whole community is well maintained and has a well manicured landscape. A perfect venue for some R&R during a long weekend.

The only disadvantage is that you need to avail of its 3 million pesos exclusive golf membership to be able to use its facilities! And the townhouse itself costs a whooping 18 million pesos. LOL Oh well, at least we caught a glimpse of its premises.

Visual relaxation

After a particularly stressful week, these images of a koi pond make my worries fly out of the window. Out and away on this very windy day, here's hoping they don't make their way back in! These pictures were taken on May 5, 2011 at Mount Faber in Singapore.

New additions

I believe I've blogged about my addiction to dangling earrings in some previous posts. Here are the newest additions to my collection. Some of them were handed down to me by my sister. The others I personally bought them at those tiangge stalls at the malls. =)

Under my umbrella ... ella ... ella

One of the must have accessories in this tropical nation of ours is the ubiquitous umbrella. I used to bring a tiny one that could easily fit in my bags but now I no longer do so.
For (1) I still get wet because the umbrella is too tiny. And (2) Tiny umbrellas tend to get broken easily once they get overturned from strong winds.

So nowadays I bring a large one. But sometimes I tend to forget them in taxis, at the church or at the supermarket. One time, I deposited it at the baggage counter at a mall and totally forgot to claim it back. I only remembered 3 days after and I had a difficult time explaining to the counter staff that it was indeed mine. Blah! :D

I also notice that the day I intentionally forget to bring an umbrella because it is/was sunny outside, it starts to rain when it is time to go home. Now this is a silly observation but I notice that whenever I am too lazy to put on my contact lens and go out wearing my glasses, it would also start to rain. It is like some higher being knows that I was a lazy poke so HE punishes me with raindrops. :D

So yes from this day forward I intend to always wear contact lenses and bring an umbrella. I just need to remember not to misplace it. =)

"Patience - a minor form of dispair, disguised as a virtue"

The above quote by American writer/editor Ambrose Bierce is very appropriate. The idea for this post came about by a status update I saw on a friend's facebook account. She was lamenting out loud that she has been waiting 3 hours at her OB-GYN clinic for her turn to be examined. I know and truly understand how she feels. Except in her case, she is already with child while me well you all know by now my struggles.

The thing with these type of doctors is they are always late! Even though their clinic hours are clearly pasted on the wall with big bold signs. Normal excuse would be that they would be doing their rounds first before they show up at their clinics. But I notice that the main culprit is proper time management. Some doctors have too many clinics in different places which they attend to in one single day. So imagine with the terrible traffic situation in this country, how can they bridge the distance between let's say Quezon City and San Juan in a span of 30 minutes? That is quite and utterly impossible unless they literally fly.

I also hate it when they tell you to show up at a certain time then you STILL have to wait since there were patients ahead of you. I had a very unpleasant experience last month with my new doctor. She told me to go to her clinic around 4:30pm so that she could be the one to perform the ultrasound. Her reason - by that time she would have less patients since she doesn't accept anyone after 4pm. So I get there by 4:20pm and what do you know? She had like 4 patients ahead of me who were still waiting for their consultation. By the time, it was my turn it was already 6:15pm and the ultrasound room was already closed (by 5pm). My stress factor was at an ultimate high. I was already very tired. I was very hungry. I was very worried because my aged parents accompanied me. My dad had a very difficult time driving us home because it was already night time.

That was truly a stressful experience for me. So much so that this month I've lost any enthusiasm to pursue another rounds of injections, blood tests and ultrasounds. I figure it has a lot to do with my doctor's attitude and professional behavior. Add to that my anguished disappointment that despite all of those procedures last month I am still unsuccessful. I am sort of in a limbo now. I know the best solution is to find a new doctor. But the real question is do I still want to go through all of these procedures again? At the back of my head, the 'NO' votes seem to be slowly winning this impromptu survey. Blah!

Lightning strikes yet again!

There I was minding my own business and doing my online activities when a loud piercing lightning struck! Strangely the power didn't go out. The next thing I know .. all the electronic appliances which were plugged went out! That includes the TV upstairs, the DSL modem and the ACER laptop. Boy oh boy am I in deep trouble with my sister. She will get really angry when she finds out her laptop has been grounded.

Argh.

I never learn. I should have immediately shut down everything once it started to rain. I reckon I was too engrossed with my Scrabble game on FB to mind the freaky lightning storm which came out of nowhere.

Financial advice

Every now and then I would receive a call from my personal banker. I've been a loyal patron of a bank so she would give me a complete sales talk on how to better invest my money. Her startup advice involves long term investments in venture capital firms. Terms which I am quite unfamiliar, truth be told. It is also in my opinion a bit risky therefore so far I haven't made a decision yet. I tend to stick to the familiar savings accounts and time deposits variety. But with the low interest rates nowadays, I just might take heed of her financial advice soon!

A decade of extreme lows and ultimate highs

Today marks my 10th year of being back home here in jolly old Pinas. Funny how one whole decade can fly by so fast!

I distinctly remember how heartbroken I was when we left Dubai, UAE. The last assignment post of my dad who had to retire at the mandatory age of 65. I was so overwhelmed with grief that I started crying buckets of tears during the entire flight. It was very embarrassing yet I couldn't control my sadness.

For the few first weeks back home, I was so depressed. I wasn't used to the tropical climate. I didn't have the energy to make myself presentable. I felt like everything was at a standstill. In short, I was miserable.

Three years down the road, I wasn't able to sustain my long distance relationship so I gave up on it. Long distance phone calls took a heavy toll on my expenses. Not to mention the airfare(s) that burned a deep hole in my much abused credit card! I figure the only good thing about that whole LDR was the increase in my frequent flyer miles. Due to those points, the whole family was able to travel to Bangkok, Thailand with a side trip to Singapore sometime in 2004.

I believe that 2005 was a turning point for me. I stopped feeling sorry for myself. I decided to take better care of my psyche and my body. I also developed a positive attitude. I turned 37 that year with nary a hint of a love life but I was quite content in my spinsterhood. :D

The saying 'the best things in life happen when you least expect them' (or something to that effect) is quite applicable to yours truly. In 2007, I 'reconnected' with D. We first corresponded through text messages and emails before he finally decided to meet for real. Yeah, I admit it took him such a long time to decide I was this close to giving up on him. :P

The next chapter of my life commenced on May 15, 2008 when we were united in the sacrament of matrimony. 3 years of marital bliss and we still act like newlyweds. Naturally, there are an equal share of highs and lows but we strive on together. After all, life would be pretty boring without any challenges that strengthen our determination to face the numerous battles ahead.

So yes, it has been quite a journey. But I am thankful that my parents are in good health. My sister is doing well in her career. My marriage is striving on the right path. Here's to more blessed years! =)

Childhood memories

The above picture circa 1979 was taken at Meli Park in Belgium. This huge theme park is located near the town of De Panne on the Belgian coast. Meli Park was opened in 1936 and operated until 1999. I read that it was restored into a new park that opened on 20 April 2000. It has been renamed Plopsaland.

I remember that Meli-Park was an amazing place to visit. It was bought by a honey company and they decided to adopt a honey bee theme. Most of the different types of rides were all based on bees. Our parents would take us there during weekends and we would ride all of the attractions. I guess I was still pretty brave back then. It was and always will remain a very pleasant childhood experience for me and my sister. It would forever hold a special place in our memory warehouse.

Ah yes the good old times. Don't you sometimes wish that we could all travel back in time? If you could, where would you go? Please share your fondest childhood memories! :D

Funny queasy feeling

It has been almost two weeks since my sister left and I've fallen into a slump. A general sense of malaise has encumbered me. I have lost my appetite. I feel sleepy, most of the time. Sometimes, I'm overwhelmed with hot flashes that make me sweat buckets of perspiration. Other times there is this funny queasy feeling that resembles the sensation of having butterflies in my stomach. The same sentiment one feels when one is in the early stages of a new relationship.

I consulted my doctor about it and she said it's the effects of the injectables coupled with the meds I need to drink on a daily basis. But somehow I feel there is more to it. Or perhaps it is just my paranoia creeping in along with fatigue. Drinking peppermint tea soothes my nerves. Taking a nap in the afternoons also allows me to regain my balance.

Hopefully I snap out of it sooner than soon. It isn't a pleasant feeling that I wish to sustain in the long run. I am slowly losing the battle in my quest to maintain a positive attitude in life.

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."

I need to believe in this quote by Winston Churchill and turn it into my mantra!

Who you are (a Flickr meme)

A Flickr meme c/o of Toni from Wifely Steps.

The concept:
a. Type your answer to the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste the html into your blog or Flickr stream. Or use the Mosaic Maker at fd’s Flickr Toys.

The Questions:

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Looked up your flickr name and see what pops up.



1. Daphne, 2. Clam Chowder, 3. St. John's Altar, 4. Blue Morpho, 5. JOHNNY DEPP, 6. Water pattern, 7. Bali / Summer / Landscape, 8. Ice Cream, 9. A mothers love, 10. peace of mind, 11. Optimistic, 12. Daphne