We Are Family

My friend recently complains about headaches and blurred vision. We advised her to visit her eye doctor and get new prescription glasses. Her eye grade may have changed. She visited her optometrist yesterday and confirmed that she needs to replace her eyeglasses. The problem is the cost. Her employment benefits do not include eye care or her health care do.

Good thing I chanced upon a nationally syndicated consumer advocate program called The Clark Howard Show. They recommended ZenniOptical for good quality but very affordable prescription eyewear. One can buy online and it only costs $8. That’s good news right? There also positive reviews about them on Fox news, TV and in the radio,

Now I just wonder how come that they sell their glasses cheaper than anybody else? I found out that they are a direct seller. They don’t have middlemen nor advertise on TV and broadsheet. This cuts down unnecessary cost but not the quality of their stuff.

I would let my friend know about this so that she can have her much needed replacement soon. It’s so hard to work if you don’t have the correct eyeglasses. I’m pretty sure she will thank me for this.

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1. If someone expects you to do something you aren’t obligated to do, does that make you want to do it less? *** Yes. Ayoko talaga ng pinipilit. ***

2. Are there any activities, commitments, obligations in your life that instantly put you in a bad mood? *** Right now? None. There are just times that I feel that I’m not happy with my job. I want to quit but I can’t because we need money. ***

3. What do other people do that irritate you that you recognize as a weakness in yourself? ***Oh! I hate it when people spread gossips about others. I know I shouldn’t be affected as long as it isn’t true but it does get into my nerves sometimes. ***

4. Do you surround yourself with the friends who like you best? *** Of course! ***

5. When you are angry or nervous, how do you calm yourself down? *** I cry. ***

6. Do you take compliments well? *** I try to. ***

7. Do you think you would have been a different person if you had different parents? *** I guess so. I believe that values are directly influenced by ones upbringing. ***

8. Do you change your mind frequently or do you make up your mind about something and stay firm with that position? *** When I make up my mind, i stick to that no matter what. But it really takes time for me to decide on something. ***

9. Describe the person that would be the exact opposite of you. ***Care free, optimistic, easy going, spontaneous. ( this is my husband….hahahaha!) ***

10. Are you generally capable of seeing both sides of an argument at the same time? ***I’d like to think that I am able to. I always try to see both side of the coin before jumping into conclusions. ***

Join Questions of the Week #34 and have fun!

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I have a lot of preggy friends here in the office and mostly the topic centers around baby products. They asked me for a recommendation for a good brand of stroller. I can’t think of a good one because honestly, my little boy never used his stroller very much. When he’s still not walking yet, he prefers to be carried than be buckled on the pram. But maybe this is because the one the we bought for him is not that nice? Hahaha!

Could be, right? Anyway, I heard that the good brands are Maclaren and Bugaboo strollers. These are compact and very light weight. Now I’m thinking if I bought these kind of stroller before, would our little boy be more inclined in riding it?

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How was your weekend? Mine was so-so. It could’ve been great if I’m not sick. I wasn’t able to wake up early as my head and body hurts. I’m having those nasty colds again. I got up at around 9 am and took some medicines. I was sneezing here and there. Since were too late to join the group witnessing, we just arranged the house. We brought the computer table in our bedroom and set up the small TV. It was good as we can watch TV inside our bedroom. We can’t wait to watch survivor there tonight. Hehehe. It was a bummer that it rained hard in the afternoon. We were able to conduct one Bible study though.

Sunday morning, was not good as well. My head is really aching and I’m having a post nasal drip. I have to sniff here and there during our Sunday meeting at the Kingdom Hall. I went home early as we haven’t prepared lunch before we left so I have to cook. M0rn1ng along with the other brothers volunteered to watch over the Assembly Hall and they have to leave at 12pm. I was able to prepare lunch in 30 mins. M0rn1ng left after that. The little boy and I slept the entire afternoon. It was raining so hard again. I wasn’t feeling that well so I just tried to rest and relax.

Too bad that the little boy got my viruses. He couldn’t sleep well last night because he couldn’t breathe properly. He’s sniffing and coughing too. I was slugging this morning, don’t know if I should call in sick or report for work. I did come to work but was late a few minutes. Now all I want to do is rest my aching head. I wonder how the little boy is faring.

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What are the most useful buys that you had for your baby? Here’s my top 5.

1. Towels. The ones we bought before are still being used.
2. Seat Booster. We can bring it anywhere we go and i think he will be able to use it until he turns 4.
3. Breast Pump. This is my real investment. Thanks to this bestfriend I was able to breastfeed even if I work fulltime.
4. Avent Bottles. They are very durable. I also used it to store my breastmilk.
5. crib beddings. I bought a lot so that I can change it often.

How about you? What are the useful baby stuffs that you bought?

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It’s my usual Friday in the office….so many issues to deal with. Sometimes I’m questioning myself if I’m doing the right thing sticking to my guns. I had the same feeling back when I was still in college. I don’t like my chosen course…statistics. I thought I’m going to do well because I was good in numbers ever since but things changed…UP changed all that. I have three other close friends and all of them shifted to other courses at the start of our sophomore year. But me, I’m stuck. I don’t know why I stayed but I did. Thank God I was able to finish it in 4 years but it was without blood and tears. Perhaps, I got a more pleasant time had a transferred to a different department but I always say that I’ll feel no regrets.

It’s happening again…but now in my job. After 8 loooong years, I’m in the verge of quitting. I don’t know why. But deep in my heart this is not what I enjoy doing. That I would be better off doing something else. But what is that something else? It is still a BIG question mark in my head. I know I’ve said it before but what’s keeping me here is the comfort in knowing that I have a steady paycheck each month. Besides, I still don’t know what to do beside this job.

SIGH!!!!

I’m glad it’s Friday and I’ll get my mind off from work during the weekends. I’m excited to watch survivor too. Who will be the first one to be voted out from the Jarakay tribe? Happy weekend!

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Times are hard so it is always best to learn how to save and be prudent. Of course we can not avoid to purchase but we have to make sure that this is really necessary and not just out of impulse and whim. To save on money, it is always best to plan those necessary purchases and scout for stores that offer them on a discount. I found out an exciting fact: Once can always find a best buy at www.buy.com.
We are always on the look out for their weekly deals and it offers a lot of savings. Try it!

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She says…  “for this week, I want to SEE you. Post your most recent pictures. It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t look great. I want to see more than what is a normal avatar. Take note that it needs to be RECENT. Can you believe I can use an avatar dated 2 years ago? Time for things to change

Secondly, I want to KNOW you. Just YOU. Sans kids, the husband, just YOU. I have a lot of ME tags in my blog – you can use that. What do I want to read: You – Now. It can be as simple as “I love Coke.” or as complex as “I am the crossroads of my life.”

Here’s ME Aggie.  :)  Picture taken 2 Saturdays ago.

Eldest in the family of three girls. Yes, you read it right I do not have a brother. I am left handed even though my mom taught me otherwise. You see, I can be very stubborn at times. We’ve transferred to a lot of different places when we were growing up. I was born in Manila and we lived in Espana for a while. Then we transferred to Cavite when Papa bought a house there. Then we have to move to another nearby village when I was around grade three because papa went abroad and we were safer in that new house. After elementary, we all went to Riyadh. I spent my 2 and half years of my high school life there. When we went back, we stayed in Marikina for a while. Then I finished my HS days in Ilocos Norte. I left the family at the tender age of 16 to attend college in Manila. I stayed with my grandparents and subsequently on one of our family friend’s house during college and early part of my working years.

I found a job a month after the college graduation and I’m still with that company until now. I moved closer to the workplace by boarding in Makati then after a while, my sisters and I rented an apartment. Although I’ve been in the organization for so long, I’ve handled 5 different roles already and happy to say that I’ve been promoted several times.

I got heartbroken for the first time when I was 21. I thought it was for real even though we don’t have a formal relationship. I laugh at how naïve I was at that time. I fell in love for real when I was 22 and we got married three years after. Got pregnant after two months and I now have a two and half old boy. M0rn1ng and I love traveling and learning new things. This is something that we would like to do yearly and we set aside money so that we can go to places that we haven’t been to and eat things we haven’t tried.

We try to put God in the center of our lives by reading his word daily, praying together, worshipping him during our weekly congregation meetings, and sharing our faith through our preaching work. We have schedule to make way for these important activities. It gives purpose to life…making it more meaningful.

Join us and you just might win 10USD.

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Everybody is concerned in making money and ensuring their businesses can withstand any economic or financial difficulties. As such, they need the right tools to monitor their progress and operations. Most of the big companies and organizations have business performance management software. This helps them to organize, automate and analyze business methodologies, metrics and process that affect business performance. This also provides key performance indicators that help in monitoring employee efficiencies against the set operational targets.

I’m sure our organization utilizes this kind of tool to be the market leader of financial information.

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How did you guys spent the holiday the other day? It was a bummer that it was raining the whole day. We’re supposed to share in the house to house preaching work but it rained so hard in the morning that we have to stay home.

We went out at around 10am to buy food for the week. We also stocked on some of the grocery items as we will not do any grocery shopping in the next two weeks. That will save us transportation costs and time too. We went home around lunch time and we have some left-overs so just reheat them and had lunch.

Took a nap after and I had some free computer time while the little boy sleeps. M0rn1ng cleaned our fridge and our house. When the little boy woke up we had merienda and we went to Cash and Carry to buy the other stuff not available at Makro. The little boy had a grand time riding the train at Timezone. He loves that place so we make sure that we drop by whenever we are in that area.

We also bought him a new bottle of vitamins. We went home after. My sister cooked monggo and fried fish. It was the perfect meal for rainy evenings. We watched Survivor Philippines and we’re all glad that for the first time the Naak tribe wins. The question now is who would the Jarakays vote out? I’m itching to find out this evening. Hehehehe.

I’m glad it’s already October…looking forward to a lot of things this month: our Davao trip and our 6th year anniversary.

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Would you like to make espresso drinks at home? Attention to every detail is essential, to ensure a rich, sweet drink.

What sort of espresso machines should you purchase? No drip method will make true espresso, regardless of the roast or the grind used. You will need specially designed equipment.

Stove-top brewers are often the least expensive. Many people are satisfied with stove-top espresso at home, even though the coffee is thin and likely to lack crema. You can get a good espresso by carefully limiting the amount of water put in the reservoir or by leaving the top open and taking the pot off the flame about midway through the process.

Electric steam machines utilize steam to force the water through the coffee. How can you get the best results? By cutting off the flow of coffee after the first one to two ounces, in order to avoid overextraction and save enough steam for foaming milk. Therefore, look for a machine that includes a switch or another means of cutting off the coffee flow. Steam machines make good cappuccinos and lattes but, like stove-top brewers, are incapable of producing the best straight espresso.

Piston machines are usually the most expensive and are capable of making excellent espresso. To operate a piston machine, you apply pressure by depressing a handle, which compresses a spring-loaded piston, forcing hot water through the coffee. Some people prefer piston machines because they offer manual control and are attractive in appearance. Others find them difficult to operate and too slow in the warming-up process.

Pump machines also generate enough pressure to make excellent espresso. They are easier and faster to operate than piston machines. Therefore, those who want the best of espresso usually opt for a pump machine. Features vary, and some pump machines are considerably more durable than others. So shop around before you buy. Stores that demonstrate their machines put you in the best position to make a solid choice.

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My friend Yen is having a contest in her blog to celebrate her three glorious years in the blogosphere. The prizes are really generous so I’m joining.

First Prize
$ 40 from Yennygirl
$ 10 and 500 EC From Swept Away
2000 EC from Indo Contest
1000 EC from Affiliatizer
1000 EC from ThemeLib
125×125 ad for one month from Wonderful Things in Life
125×125 ad for one month from Creative in Me
Symphony of Love Pictorial Ebook of Love Quotations
~{values at $6.95} from Symphony of Love

Second Prize
$10 from Yennygirl
$10 from My Happy Place
$10 from Suburban Sass
2000 EC Credits from WordPress for Beginners
1000 EC from When Silence Speaks
1000 EC from Wiehanne Lounge
125×125 ad for one month from Music of My Heart
Symphony of Love Pictorial Ebook of Love Quotations
~{values at $6.95} from Symphony of Love

Third Prize
$10 from Fab Finds, Etc.
$10 from I AM DZOI
$10 from Mommy Talks. Wife Stories
1000 EC points from Wonderful Things in Life
1000EC points from Heart Random
125×125 ad for one month from LittlePeanut
Symphony of Love Pictorial Ebook of Love Quotations
~{values at $6.95} from Symphony of Love

Fourth Prize
$5 and 500 EC From Official Chosen Fate
$ 8 and 200 EC from Walk on Red
$5 from Living the Healthy Life
1000 EC from Etc-Atbp.
125×125 ad for one month from Around the World
Symphony of Love Pictorial Ebook of Love Quotations
~{values at $6.95} from Symphony of Love

Fifth Prize
$ 5 from Stripe and Yellow
$ 5 from Doll Me Up
300 EC From The Scrapaholic Me
200 EC From It’s Where My Heart Is
125×125 ad for one month from Blogging for Bloggers
125×125 ad for one month from Pea in a Pod
RSS Text Link for one month from Blog for Beginners
Symphony of Love Pictorial Ebook of Love Quotations
~{values at $6.95} from Symphony of Love

That’s enough to make me wish that I win. hehehe. Click this if you are interested to join. 

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In many countries, moisture, mildew and moths are enemies of successful storage. What can be done? Airconditioners or dehumidifiers can help. Airing out the house—opening drawers, emptying closets—on breezy, sunny days is also helpful.

Why be concerned? Consider just one of moisture’s “children”—mildew. Mildew is fungi that appear as a gray or white fuzzy mold. It can be found on anything, but is particularly destructive to books. A small-wattage light left burning in closets will deter it. Airing out possessions and letting air circulate in the closet will also help.

Moths also can do much damage. They prefer the dark. Here they will lay their eggs on any available wool, fur or feathers. Within a week the wormlike larvae hatch and begin to “lunch” on these costly materials. Sunlight, air and the vacuum cleaner can help to keep the problem in check. Clean regularly in dark areas under furniture and in coat closets. You may find certain chemical crystals and sprays useful. It is also recommended that you dry-clean all woolens at least once a year. If you keep things, it certainly pays to care for them.

Of course, if your family must always have what is “new” while keeping all that is “old,” the problem of home storage will persist. On the other hand, if you combine education (learning what you really need) with invention (finding good ways to store it), you can solve the problem. And with proper storage you will have a much better chance of finding things and so attain the real benefit of ownership—having something when you need it.

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