Saturday, November 29

#FeelingHappy

Pardon for the hashtag title but I am really feeling that right now! :)

I have been on a short break from my laptop (had to sort out something about our car and at the same time, had to carry out daughter / wife duties -- gorcery!!) so imagine my excitement / surpise/ joy when I saw that I already got a +amount in my Nuffnang account. 

To be quite honest, it is not a big amount (I don't think I can even buy anything from the amount that I have received but seeing that just means, there is something to look forward to in my blogging career! Hahaha!! 

I am not sure if I understand it right... if I divert readers to their websites or they do to me but in case, it just means that someone / somebody (thanks to you) visit/ visits my blog!! 

How cool is that?? 
Can you imagine people reading about me... about my thoughts... about what I think about the current events or just about anything! :)

Teehee!!

I am over the moon right now :)

Thanks viewer(s)! Hopefully, I can see you comment or post something in my blog. I already know I have one reader... still wishing and hoping that more people will be interested to read about what I have to say.

image grabbed from http://www.allgraphics123.com

Wednesday, November 26

Mas #MerrySMChristmas dito sa Pilipinas!

A few months back, my husband and I have decided to pack our bags and return to the motherland - the Philippines.

After a decade of working abroad, we thought why not try out and live our dream? All we have in hand were our savings and lots and lots of baggage :) Kidding aside, during those years of working abroad, I have always avoided going home for the holidays. I always tell myself, I cannot bear being happy for a few days and be miserable for the next 11 months. So I never went home.

I would always see my colleagues at work be excited as they do their own countdown of going home to be with their relatives and enjoy the festivities. I end up covering for them for a month or more so that they can be with their family.

When my husband has announced that he had enough and would want to start anew in the Philippines, I said yes but made him a deal - we would do it during the -ber months! I reasoned that at least by that time, the weather would be a bit colder and he will have less asthma attacks by then. He gave it a thought and shook my hand to seal the deal! However in reality, I really want to experience Christmas in the Philippines.

Once we reached home, I would always be in awe of department stores like SM Supermalls that will have Christmas trees decorated in various themes - white, blue, gold and red (I think this color is really for Chinese celebrating the season, but that's me). I would observe sales consultants and decorators cheerfully commanding their team on how the store or tree should be decorated. Christmas carols being played over and over. The holiday cheer (even though it's only October / November) is infectious!

The #MerrySMChristmas spirit found me!

You see in the country that we have been, Christmas is also being celebrated but you don't feel the spirit of Christmas. A country that is affluent in almost everything yet the vibe is not there. I think the expats in that country make do of what they can get.

Sabi nga nila, iba talaga ang Pasko sa Pilipinas and it is true.

Now that we are back home, I intend to spend this holiday and make it a memorable one for us and our families!

Like how the people behind the SM Supermalls tries to give a smile to every young children this Christmas. As part of their SM Cares program, they have introduced the 'Give a Bear of Joy Today'. For just PHP 200, you get to keep a bear for you or your kid and you or they get to share it with other children in orphanages or institutions who are in need of someone to cuddle :)

In the spirit of the holiday season, I know we all tend to more giving so if you want to find out more about SM's other MerrySMChristmas events, visit their website (click this  >>> http://bit.ly/MerrySMChristmas) 

To give more of the Christmas cheer because it's a #MerrySMChristmas, view this short video of how the SM elves continue to work so that you and your kids can be part of Santa's NICE list!


Now, let me go back to my own Naughty or Nice list! ;-)



 




Monday, November 24

I appreciate you and other thoughts about our journey

Often times, when things don't go your way (*gulp* guilty), you tend to concentrate your irritation or frustration with the people around you.

You would look at them as if they have disappointed you when in reality, they didn't but since we have a lot of pride in our heart and mind, we tend to always point the finger at them and shriek that it's their fault, not ours.

I think this has been me for the past few days. I guess, not having anything to bury your head into (like work or stuff) kind of ticked me off. Yes, there are household duties that I need to fulfill but since I have the time in my hands... I kind of do it s-l-o-w-l----y.

Last night while we were in the Victory church service, it was like God nudged me and send the word "appreciation". To be honest, this was not the series we were tackling but it hit a spot (you know like cupid hit me straight to my heart!).

I look at my right side and there he was, looking very mysterious (but I guess he is troubled of what's happening with me for the past few days). Lost with his own thoughts, I uttered the word "thank you".

He looked at me and gave me a tight side-hug.

It felt good but I know it was not enough so after the service, I told him that we would have a light snack. He has mentioned a few days back that he has been craving for palabok (Filipino dish that is consists of rice noodles with a special thick orange sauce that has crushed pork skins as toppings, you can get it from Jollibee). Good thing, even at my stubborness, I know how to listen and remember.

He ate his palabok whilst I had my burger sandwich. I can feel that the mood had already lightened and his mysterious look was slightly being altered of his usual "smirk-smile" trademark.

I again uttered the word "thank you" and it felt good because he smiled back.

The service made me realise that we do not always get the things we want in a snap. It has been said many times by various inspirational speakers and entrepreneurs that going for your own business takes time.

Not because nothing is available for you but because this is hard-earned money that you want to make sure it will click. Yes, taking risk is required but you need to have the right head element to go with it and gut-feel too.

I guess, we are not there yet... We are still on the market research phase (this is what I tell myself, hopefully I am right). However, I hope and pray that our perfect timing will come because I truly believe that our 'jump' will not be wasted. The Might Provider has something in store for us... greater than what we imagine.

To you, thank you and please know that I appreciate you. Always.

“Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” ~ Voltaire
“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” ~ Cicero

1 Thessalonians 5:11 
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” (NIV)

The verse and quotes were taken from http://www.jollynotes.com/inspirational-verses/appreciating-others/

Saturday, November 22

Are you a Pocket user?

Since I am still waiting for our stove (thanks again for my sponsors - my friends), I have been browsing the internet for various recipes that can be done when the stove arrives (yes, that is how excited I am!).

Initially what I have been doing is saving/ adding bookmarks into my webpage which is now looking a bit heavy and to be honest, I don't browse a lot anymore.

A friend (or was it Itunes) introduced me to Pocket.

This app lets you save or bookmark a webpage that you want to read for later. I think I have used a previous app before (aside from bookmarking) but it did not satisfy me.

With Pocket, it allows me to also tag my recent finds so that it will be easy to search :) or if you cannot really remember how you tagged the article, you can also search it via the keywords on the title (which is what I do most of the time).

all of the Chicken recipes that I have saved appeared! :) 

Apart from recipes, I also save news or feature articles in this app which I want to read when I have the leisure to do so (which is supposedly now but I still do not do it boo!).

I *heart* this app :) 

#justsayin' 

Wednesday, November 19

Am I creative enough?

Back when we were kids during my playtime, my cousin and I will have different activities. She will be busy with her crafts or she is downstairs helping out cooking. As for me, I will either be in our room, reading books and when the internet was available - chat and email my friends.

Today she still does her crafts and incorporates it with her baking or when she does her once-in-a-blue-moon creations (invitations). Sad I do not have any of her creations with me. I guess moving around a lot and not having a permanent place to put keepsakes does this to you. 

As for me, I try my hand in crafts from time to time - like my cross stitch obsession and then now to baking.

I have seen a lot of people and some my friends who can make something beautiful from scratch.

Am I creative enough
This is the question I ask myself and so since I have a lot of free time, I thought I will start with sewing things just basic stuff. You know things you have learned in your Home Economics class. Most probably, throw pillow covers... or table runners... or I don't know but something.

Let us see if I can make this happen ;)

Thankfully, I still have our old sewing machine with me (a shopping splurge that we did not intend to do but bought it anyway since we were influenced by a good friend....)

I think my sewing machine looks like this 

Now, where to set it up... hmmm... 


Monday, November 17

Moving Forward

Do you recall when your boyfriend or girlfriend have parted ways? The only way for you to move forward is to either return the things he / she gave you (though I am told this is not the norm because you do not return stuff given to you willingly) or you delete them (slowly) from your life. 

I have just braved my emails and started unsubscribing (slowly) to newsletters and deals that I have been receiving regarding the UAE. 

A few weeks back when I was browsing through my email, I told myself that I will just keep them for now because maybe (just maybe) there might still be some items that I will want to buy in Dubai then I can have it delivered to my friend's house or office. 

I keep opening deals and newsletters which eventually made me feel miss the country more. To be honest, it made me feel sad. 

It felt like I was missing out on a lot of things because there were still some activities that I want us to try. 

Can't move on
So tonight, I have decided that I will unsubscribe to these newsletters and deals (okay, maybe about 3-4 of them) so that I can look forward :)

thanks for the memories!! 


Saturday, November 15

Air Drop and its Hulaboos

I hate to admit that I have been bitten by Apple and is actually beginning a fan of their devices. Though I have to say the battery life of its devices is still considered to be one of the down sides, I still am all for it (hey, that's why powerbanks were invented right?).

It got me a bit excited when they started mentioning about Air Drop. You see when you have different devices on hand, having a way to share your files between devices is really a plus. You would usually take photos using your phone and want it to be shared on your computer so you can blog about it (ahem) or just save it in your photo library.

So when Air Drop was available, my colleagues at work (or should I say ex-colleagues) decided to transfer files via this application.

The verdict?
Well, it worked on some of our phones but not on all. This bummed us (most specifically the person who cannot receive the files! That wasn't me!!!). After that, I lost interest with it. Fast forward to now, my sister and I have the same phone and decided to use Air Drop again. It worked and so this has been the best way for us to share files (especially when she takes better photos than I do... hmm, did I just admit that?! :p)

I decided to give it a try with my laptop but after XXX number of attempts, I decided to call for Google's help and see if other users experienced the same issues.

Oh yes they did!
And I thought my lone device has that issue. I decided to search and search. A lot of users were actually frustrated about it and one user even mentioned just iMessaging files to his other devices since Air Drop didn't work!

Viola!
iMessage? Decided to give it a try and it worked! Sorry but I feel giddy and excited because that is the work around I have been looking for! And here is the evidence of it! :P

Our first Christmas Tree... 

The photo above was sent through to iMessage! This might be a late discovery and people might be doing the face palm right now but hey, that's fine because this is something new to me :P 

So... expect more original photos from me now since I can just iMessage them to my friend, the laptop. 

Wednesday, November 12

The Infamous Weather

Last September, people have started tweeting, posting in Facebook their greetings about the coming Christmas holidays.

By that time, the cold breeze is already felt and you get giddy because you know that the festive season is coming! People are cheerful and are slowly getting into the spirit.

Being here in the Philippines now for more than a month now, I cannot feel the breeze during the day. The cold gust of the wind is only felt in the morning (not sure if this is because when pollution sets in, this kind of blocked the cold wind - am I right?).

The sweaty feeling is still there or is this just me adjusting to the weather? No, I beg to disagree!! A few years back when I went home during the latter part of the year, the weather was nice.

Could this be the effect of global warming??


I wonder what the weather will be when summer comes? *gulp* 

Yours truly, 


Sweaty Me

Wednesday, November 5

Banking Woes

R and I went to do a long overdue errand - have our details updated with the bank.

Being an OFW before, you will always end up having a lot of half-used prepaid SIM numbers because your main purpose was to contact your friends in a few weeks before you leave again and come back the following year or maybe a few months.

photo courtesy of http://siliconangle.com/blog/2013/07/21/sim-card-vulnerability-puts-one-quarter-of-all-phones-at-risk/

Others who knew they will be going home more often, invest on getting a roaming SIM which they ask their loved ones to top up when the credit is about to expire (yep, it only allows 75 days for Globe subscribers... not so sure about share-a-load credits... have to find that out).

Anyways, with any bank transactions, a contact number is required.

Now that we are back here (gulp!) for good we thought it is best to update the bank of our new contact details and at the same time, update any other necessary information that needs to be changed.

Upon coming in, we were greeted by a warm smile in our BDO branch. Immediately, we were offered to sign up a credit card. My mom informed us that there is a promo running right now regarding this and we thought

why not?! (BIG SMILEY for me)
After the initial purpose of going to the bank, I inquired about it and rightly so, we were provided with forms to fill in.

We obliged and fill in what we can. The customer representative was very patient and read through all the answers. She smiled and asked

Ma'am, we need to have your landline number so that the request can be processed.

Oh no (BIG FROWN-Y). I told her that we do not have a landline number as we did not think it is really necessary at this day and age. She offered to provide suggestions (like maybe we have relatives who have a landline or the neighbors!). We said there is really none.

She smiled again and said,

Okay Ma'am, let us see na lang po if they process.

So in the end, we do not have our hopes up about the credit card thing-y because they might not even give us a call because it's not a landline number.

Let us see how it goes... I will hold on to our bank's slogan (teehee) :)

photo courtesy of BDO



 
 

Tuesday, November 4

Memberships

Are they really worth it? 
A few days after coming back home, my mom and sister have been telling me to avail of the card membership from S&R.

I think I have only been to this store once or twice when I was still in my tweens (ahem! yeah, a long time ago). I have to say I like the idea that you can buy stuff in bulk. Another interesting fact is that I (and the entire family) like love their humongous pizza slices!

photo courtesy of http://www.istorya.net/forums/food-and-dining-18/335954-s-and-r-pizza-you-better-try.html

I also know that they have reasonable sale items for their members.

R and I had a talk. He thinks the idea of being member sounds like a good idea but then also asks me if the PHP 700 membership is worth it.

Please do not take this as if we snub these kind of privileges because we are also members of the Robinsons Rewards and BDO Rewards. These two only have a minimal fee. Apart from that, we frequent the places they offer rewards to (Hello! Robinsons and SM - wherelse!). So I mean you know, you will definitely reap rewards on these cards.

I am still contemplating on this because there are a few household items that can be bought in S&R that you cannot find elsewhere. I think this is the Philippine version of Target or Costco.

Though I have also read online in one of the women sites that buying in bulk has its disadvantages too. You do not maximise the use of your supplies because you know that you have enough to cover you till you need them. A wrong notion to be quite honest because that also means you are not getting your money's worth.

I think there is an advantage in bulk buying because you and your family can share (though this can be a bit tricky especially if your siblings or family do not use the same brand!!).

The 'bugging' has stopped for now but I think I can be persuaded... most especially if my mom brings me inside the establishment. I swear I am such a fanatic now of supermarkets and homeware items. I have been transformed into being a gadget freak to a home freak (yes! cleaning items? COME TO MAMA!)

I will need to go through our budget and see if there is an excess... nuninuninu... excess? what excess???? :p