Picture Clusters: March 2011

Angel

I so love taking shots of my SIL's angel collection. Of course, I couldn't help editing them, this one included. They just look so cute... :)

I would love to get a new set of modern furniture for our house! The ones that we have here are the 'remnants' (what a term, I know. lol) from our previous houses (two houses, to be exact). So everything is so not coordinated. One semi-modern chair here and another old chair there. One wooden table here and another modern (plastic with metal) table there. Weird, huh? Everything is in shambles.

I wonder when will we ever get the chance to change our furnitures...maybe if we move to another house again. LOL

Dumpster...

Yup, still from the dumps. Just a shot of how one portion of the area looked like...with a flower here and a box there. Typical. But it's a good thing the flowers are still surviving!

The Other Door

I so admire our new neighbor's living room. We all share the same roof, but different doors. So that means we more or less share the same floor space and design. Her house looks so airy and big while ours is littered with this and that. lol. What's more, her flat screen television has a floor stand that looks as sleek as the television! Really cool. She lives all alone, though. Well, except for an occasional friend that visits and stays for a day, or two. No wonder her house is so neat. No children. lol.

But in all honesty, I wouldn't want to trade my life with hers. I just enjoy watching her clean and immaculate living room from the outside (she almost always leaves her main door open, you see). :P

Sick...again

Nope, not me...but my two-year old. It started out as a cough last Friday, then on Saturday night he was fidgeting most of the time while asleep. He had difficulty breathing, I guess, since he was also starting to get the snifles. Then on Sunday we went on a short trip to celebrate the 11-year old's birthday (he turned 12)...and that night the two-year old kept coughing. He was tired, sleepy, and irritable. That's when I called my sister (his doctor) and she prescribed some medicines. Now he's still irritable, but appetite's back.

Hoping that he's on the road to recovery...

Dreaming that dream...

My family and I have transferred from one house to another; can't say it was a bad thing since we learned a lot from it. What I just didn't like was the packing and unpacking. lol. So far this is the longest we've stayed (about five years now) and we like it. This isn't our house, though (but we're not really renting. lol), so hubby and I are always on the lookout for a better place. Maybe something similar to Outer Banks rentals...though it could be costly. Still, no harm in dreaming that dream, right? ;P

Still from the dumps

This is what you'll see inside from the 'flowers' posted two posts before this one. They are seeds. Lots of them were already opened, and that means they were/are proliferating. Good to know; we can always use the oxygen. :)

Too bad...

Am sure most (if not all) of us owned a mobile phone one time or another. I think I've owned around four mobile phones since my first one, around twelve years ago. Phones back then were kind of large, but you can be contacted even if you were mobile, so it was convenient having one with you all the time. Of course, there was the time of the beeper, too...but it wasn't as 'fun' as the phone (which also had games). There are now different phone models, including Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, and Motorola, just to name a few. What's great about the mobile phones available right now is that they also have their own cases, like this motorola case which we saw last weekend. I've been looking for a case [for my phone], and that particular case caught my eye. However, when I placed my phone inside, it wouldn't fit! Ugh. Too bad.

Maybe next time? Sigh...

From the dumps..

Yup, those weird-looking 'flowers' were growing near a dumping site. I think it looked so different from the ones I'm so used to seeing, even here in the internet. There were other interesting 'weeds' there, and some people were looking at me like I was crazy while I was taking pictures. I guess I looked pretty weird, crouching and taking shots in a dumpster where the air smelled funny! LOL

Would I go there again? Yes, I will. :)

Too High...

When my family and I went to visit a subdivision somewhere in Sta. Rosa (Laguna, Philippines), we were awed at the way the houses were decorated inside. It totally used all the spaces, and so the interior looked a bit big even if it actually wasn't. I mean, our house in the province is way bigger, but lots of spaces were not used. In that subdivision, everything looked ultra modern and they even had those cool pendant lighting. We loved everything about it, including the security, house planning, and their clubhouse with the swimming pool. Of course, it came with a price...just a couple or so of million pesos. LOL

We didn't take the lot/house offered to us. Just because it was definitely way off our budget. Maybe if I was working...but I'm not. Unless you consider staying here at home and taking care of the kids working. LOL.

In the meantime, we'll continue dreaming. :)

Saturday Breakfast

This was what I had last Saturday for breakfast: apple, my tea, and leftover vegetarian pizza (Brooklyn Pizza). Wait, wait...that pizza isn't totally vegetarian. My son wanted to have extra toppings of bacon and cheese...so. It was originally Brooklyn Pizza's vegetarian pizza, but we had it 'modified'. :D

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Trip...for next year

Hubby has mentioned more than once that he'd love it if we get the chance to go on a road trip. I would love that, too. We've got more than one consideration to think about before we pack our bags and go, though...for starters, our youngest is still small (just two years old) to go on extended long rides (our opinion...actually, mostly mine. lol). Next we need to consider insurance. I wonder if a 5th wheel insurance is enough? Then of course another important consideration: hubby's job. Not too sure if the company will allow him to go on an extended leave. Lots of other things to consider, and that's why we decided that this year isn't the right time.

Maybe next year... :)

Sunflower-like

This is the wild sunflower-like plant that we usually see near SIL's place during summer...and the've got lots of this right now! :)

On Gardening

My SIL and I share a lot of things in common, and the desire to plant is one of them. When I had a garden (from two houses ago, lol) I planted some vegetables, trees, and ornamental plants. I just loved decorating the garden by hand (and all alone, mostly, since hubby wasn't that interested; he did help sometimes) even if it was kind of tiring. But it was good exercise. One thing that I didn't try was hydroponics. My SIL tried that, though. She even attended some seminars relating to hydroponics and she showed me her produce: lettuce. I was thrilled! I wanted to try the technique, but just don't have space here at home.

Maybe next time... In the meantime, I'll continue with my love for plants, by taking their pictures. :)

Weed...like.

That's a wilted sunflower-like plant; it grows wild along the road from my SIL's house...as usual, edited it using FC. Sooo loving her photoshop actions! :)

Anniversary!

It's going to be another wedding anniversary for us this May; our church wedding, that is. The other one was the legal wedding (which is going to be next month). Yup, we got married twice! lol. We normally don't go out to spend it. Not since the kids were born. Usually we just spend it here at home (wherever home happens to be that time) and order some take-outs. I know, it sounds boring. Nothing glamorous like one of those everlon diamonds (yayyy!!) or a trip to one of those beach resorts. lol. Still, we really don't mind. What's more important for us is that our family is together and we're both there for the kids. :)

Food Friday

A Beautiful Bowl of Soup: The Best Vegetarian Recipes

That's what we had recently: Vegetables in Coconut Milk together with Smoked (and deboned) Milkfish (Bangus).

Nothing so complicated about the dishes (for me, the easier the better! lol); the smoked milkfish was fried, and while that was frying I heated the thinned coconut milk with ginger, bellpepper, tomatoes, and onion. I then added the vegetables that was available (eggplants, string beans, and some lima beans {patani} ). Normally we'd also add in sweet potato tops or kangkong leaves, but I didn't have them, so...left those out. I then seasoned it using salt and a bit of fish sauce/patis (not necessary, but I love patis mixed with coconut milk dishes). The thick coconut milk was added when the vegetables were halfway cooked, together with green chili...left it simmering for around three minutes, then turned off the fire.

By this time the fish was done, the rice steamed, and ... we were all ready to eat. But not before I took some shots. ;P

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Food Friday Players:

Gizelle (Baking Adventure Continues)
Anna (Aburage to Komatsuna..)
Arlene (Sherwin's Loaf Delight)
Lani (Munching All Day @ Taipei Expo)
Luna Miranda (Parmesan-crusted Fish)
Luna Miranda (Caviale Salmone Bianca at Cibo)
Peachkins (El Pollo Loco: lunch or afternoon snack?)
Tummy Fillers (French Baker Danish Pastries)
Jenn (Gising-gising)
Race (Tokwa't Baboy in Tausi {Pork and Tofu in Black Beans})
Benji's Stuff (French Baker - SM Megamall)
Halie (Dr. Pearl Cooler)
Mymy (Tikoy)
Lynn (Chili's)
Girlichef (Sour Cream Noodle Bake)
Kriska Marie (Sweet Cravings)
Cheerful (Toad in the Hole)
blankPixels (Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt, SM City San Lazaro)
DEZ (Pizza)
Tina (Yummy Strawberry Cake)

ps. should have done this EONS ago: adding a DEEP backlink to those who played as my way of saying thanks for playing and for linking back (through your posts). :)

Walk

Couldn't resist editing one of my shots again, using FC... :)

Sigh...

Lately I have noticed that my weight seems to be going up instead of staying as it is, or going down (preferred, lol). I just love eating/munching on whatever snacks we have here at home...and I guess that's why my weight isn't going the way I want it to go: down! I don't think I'll be needing fenphedrine now; I just hope that I'll be able to control it my way. I know, it takes lots of discipline (and the right lifestyle and diet) to get one's desired weight...and it can be difficult for someone who loves food like I do. I even host a weekly meme, the Food Friday. LOL

Still, I hope I'll come out the winner in the long run. :)

Canon 600D Price

Canon EOS Rebel T3i 18 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera and DIGIC 4 Imaging (Body Only)

Yup...Php37T for the body only.

It is relatively cheap.
I wonder why.

Will go and check out the reviews....

Souvenir

Two weekends ago my son's anklung group at school was invited to perform before some guests at a wedding exhibit in MOA...and they got this as one of their souvenirs: a small (around three inches in diameter) souvenir cake which is just basically a moist chocolate cake in fondant icing. :)

I think it's cute. Tasted good, too. lol

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Food Friday

Finally, I finished making another button for Food Friday. I know, it's long overdue...lol. Now you can choose between the two buttons below (and on the sidebar, where it will be staying). Am thinking of making another button, but...it's still on the works. ;P

Now on to the the food post... :)

Baguio beans with fried fish and rice...another soul food for me! It's a simple meal and quite easy to prepare. The beans were simply sauteed (sometimes we add ground pork, but in this case I didn't) together with tomatoes, garlic, and onions. Soy sauce, salt, and sesame oil was added, too. The fish was fried (I think I over-fried that one, lol) and the rice steamed. Ta-daaa! Low-fat meal... I think. ;P

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Food Friday Players:

Luna Miranda (Grissini di Pizza)
Luna Miranda (Pla Rad Prik)
Julie (Yoshinoya Bangus Kabayaki)
Tummy Fillers (Yoshinoya Shrimp Katsu)
blankPixels (Dinner at Bubble Tea Restaurant in SM The Block)
Kriska Marie (No-bake Blueberry Cheesecake)
Imriz (Cordon Bleu a la Riz)
Imriz (Sizzling Bangus)
Gizelle (Yoyogurt)
Halie (A Taste of Kapampangan Cooking)
Halie (English Breakfast)
Cheerful (Cheesy Tuna and Tomato Pasta)
Peachkins (Dinner at Army Navy Burger+Burrito)
Girlichef (Beef and Guinness Stew ...Happy St. Patty's Day!)
Oggi (Cod in Sherry Wine Vinegar Caper Sauce)
Mymy (Snacks/Merienda)
Ladynred (Birthday Cake)
Race (Ginataang Langka {Unripe Jackfruit in Coco Milk})
Tina (Padang Style)

ps. should have done this EONS ago: adding a DEEP backlink to those who played as my way of saying thanks for linking back. :)

Angels

Shot taken at my SIL's house; her angel collection. Love taking their shots!

Super Moon on March 19, 2011

My sister called earlier today, asking me if I was online. Since I usually am (lol), she asked if I can check out the Super Moon, which was supposed to occur on the 19th of this month. It was the first time that I've heard of it and so I was intrigued. Found out that there was a Super Moon before the Indonesia 2005 incident, and then here it is again after the Japan earthquake-tsunami (last week). So scary. I hope nothing more terrible is going to happen....

All we can do is pray and hope for the best.

Go Organic

It is always a good idea to choose organic. That's why when we buy our food I almost always choose organically grown food stuffs. But that option isn't always available to us, which is quite sad, really. Some farmers still prefer using chemicals over natural pesticides and fertilizers. I guess it will indeed yield a higher produce, but what they don't realize immediately is that the soil will take longer to return to it's fertile state, and the produce might still be harboring some of the chemicals after being sold (or worse, eaten). That's why it is always a relief when see 'organic produce' in the label, like this Organic Fruit Order which you can get online. Even if it might be a bit expensive than non-organic produce, we should support the industry. It will be for our own good in the long run.

Be wise. Go organic. :)

Luis...and Me

Shot taken by hubby when we were at SIL's place...our two-year old is sporting his usual 'smile'. LOL

My Decision...

I guess if I wasn't stubborn when I was younger I could have landed a healthcare job by now. Yup, my father wanted me to take a pre-medicine course (like maybe biology, or something similar), but I was stubborn: I wanted to be a veterinarian. Well, I did finish the course, and passed the national board examination. And I worked for about two years as a veterinarian after graduation...but, I stopped working after I got married. lol. Nobody forced me; it was my decision. I guess I just can't imagine somebody else raising my kids for me. So, instead of dealing with sick animals I am now dealing with two hyperactive kids. lol. ;)

Treasures....

My two treasures... ;)
...well, aside from my camera, lens, laptop, phone, etc, of course. lol. just kidding. :D

Work...not mine. :P

Hubby's job requires him to sell their company's products. Yup, I guess you can say he's a sales person. They sell hog feeds, so normally sometimes he needs to visit a farm if ever there are problems (he's also a veterinarian). Of course, they also give gifts to their clients, so sometimes he's on the look-out for some low cost promotional gifts. It doesn't really have to be expensive, but the farm owners prefer gifts that can be used in the farm, like a television or a microwave oven. Some farm owners could be a bit choosy, though...like getting a pleasure trip abroad. I was shocked when I found out...lol.

Now I wish my family and I can get to travel outside the country...but not now. I don't think having to tote around a two-year old is much fun, specially during long travels. :)

Leaves and a Tendril

Some shots taken one early morning at my sister's garden....I just love mornings. And sunsets. Who doesn't, huh? I know..some probably don't. LOL

Another Anniversary...whoa!

Would you believe that our 12th wedding anniversary is going to be less than two months from now? Yup. Less than two months from now. Hubby and I haven't talked about what we'll be doing, but I hope it's fun. Maybe I could get one of those Personal Creations anniversary gifts for him, or maybe we'll get a new camera (again, I know. lol). He sold the Canon 450D to his sister and now we only have one camera left (Canon 550D). It would be nice getting two cameras again. You want to know why? Well, that's because we prefer different lenses (he uses his 18-200mm while normally I use my 100mm macro lens). Yeah, we differ a lot in our shooting 'methods'. lol

Whatever happens during our anniversary, I just hope that it's just a prelude to more years of blissful togetherness... ;)

Oreo....

Hubby accidentally got this instead of Chips Ahoy!, while we were on a weekend trip. My eleven year old was surprised when he got this pack. lol. Know what happened? The two-year old ate all of the oreos instead. We had to buy another pack of biscuits for them to eat while we were on the go...

I know, I should have bought along fruits. ;P

My Father...

I know that having a business of your own is much better compared to being employed. That way, you're your own boss. Of course, it takes lots to having and running your own business, too. My father is a perfect example...while he was employed, he also had his own businesses: trucking, farms (sugarcane, rice, coconut), and he even ventured into managing a bakeshop after he retired. I don't know why he didn't try to franchise one of those well-known businesses. I guess partly because franchising those days were unheard of.

Now that he's already in his 80's (God bless him for always...) he still wants to manage the rice farm. Of course, he's no longer as mobile as he wants to be (he suffered another stroke that left his legs weak), so my brother takes care of that now. I know, my father's a workaholic. He's been that way since I can remember. I just wish he'd take it easy now...it's time we take care of him, instead of him taking care of us. ♥

2011_03_11

Shots taken 2011_03_11. :)

Cautious

Have you ever experienced being in a vehicular accident? I did, once (and I hope it stays that way!) with my mother. I was actually all right since my mother cushioned my bump. My mother was the one who had her arm bone fractured, though. We wanted to ask the owner of the jeepney for compensation, but I don't think they had the money. I'm not really sure what was settled upon, but I wish we had something similar to those lawyer tucson which you can see online. Having them on our side could have persuaded the jeepney owner to pay up.

In the long run, I think my parents didn't do much more about it. The jeepney owner wasn't that well off (and it was his driver that was actually at fault), and he was sorry. I don't know what happened after that, but since then we have been more cautious when we decide to use public transportation.

Florabella Collection...Yes!

Yup, I got myself some Florabella Photoshop Actions and Textures. Sooooo loving them! I am again in seventh heaven...lol. I just love dabbling with my shots (i know, i mentioned that like a gazillion times already! LOL) and somehow after seeing all those shots using Florabella's actions and textures had somehow changed my perception of how I want my shots to look after post processing. Sure, the original shot must still look good, but somehow having the ability to dramatically change your photos from the original is ....i dunno. Interesting? lol.

Anyway, am glad i got them. Might get the other actions, too. Just maybe. :)

Puff...

When our second son was born, hubby wanted to distribute cigars to his friends. I told him it wasn't necessary (it isn't actually even a tradition here in our country, lol); but if he insisted, he must also get one of those humidors. What's that, you say? Well, it's a box (or for some, a room) with constant humidity. That's where you ideally store the cigars so that they'll stay 'fresh' longer. I know that you can buy them at the malls here, but there are only a few establishments that specializes in those.

I guess if you want a nicotine fix, buying a cigarette is more convenient in my part of the world. lol. ;)

Cake

Cake brought by my eleven year old when his group performed at a wedding convention... :)
Couldn't resist taking a couple (or so) of shots...lol.

Btw, that's chocolate cake in fondant icing. :)

Hope

Am sure most (if not all) of us have heard about what happened in Japan last week. It was really devastating and sad. What was equally terrible was that their economy went down, too. Of course, I think it was inevitable; but got me wondering if those silver bullion bars went down, too. Or are they even related? Hehehe.

I guess the people were expecting a tsunami to follow, but it arrived too soon and too fast. Nobody actually had the chance to prepare themselves for the outcome. Actually, nobody in the world expected the destruction to amount that much. And on top of that, they have to deal with the ongoing nuclear problem...sigh.

I pray and hope that like all the problems we all encounter, everything will be all right soon. Real soon.

Morning...

I can hear the birds chirping outside...though not so much since our air conditioner is still on. I know, I should get up, turn it off, and start my day! Lately I noticed that my face is almost always in front of the computer; either to dabble with my blog, my pictures, or play in facebook. LOL. I think I should back off a bit...and sleep some more. Yeah, I will do that.

Later. :P

Getting connected...

Have you ever tried buying online? How about buying flowers? Like ProFlowers? Linkedin is where you can also find them, and I did check them out a while back. I loved the flowers that they were offering on their site and I wish someone could give them to me (I don't think HE's reading this, lol). It's great that they are also in Linkedin. I believe it's a great way to get connected with other companies and similarly-minded individuals.

Now I think I'd visit their site again and take a look at those gorgeous gorgeous flowers....

Birthday Bash Giveaway at Mommy Moment

Want to give your blog a custom designed template? I know I do! I haven't ever had one before (yeah, in my four years of blogging! lol) so getting to experience having one would be awesome! What's really great about this contest is that this blog's template is a freebie from Lena, who also designed Mommy Moment's template! So cool!

So do check out their giveaways and enter! Now. :)

Special..

We all know that Fathers are special. So of course they deserve those unique father's day gifts which you can search for not only online but also wherever you shop. I remember, when I was young I wanted to give my father something different, so I saved up on my allowance. Know what I got for him? A turtle wind chime! LOL. It was definitely unique, all right. I don't know what my father thought of it, but I do know that it was displayed in our living room for years...until it broke. I was only around nine years old, then.

Such a long time ago. I wish we can go home this summer. I miss them...

Weekend Spending

I know, I shouldn't have...but I did, anyway. I got myself a pair of Fitflops. Actually, hubby got them for me. LOL. I have been seeing them all over the place and I searched for them online. When I saw the price I was discouraged. You know how stingy I can be sometimes. But last weekend everywhere I looked I saw them being worn both by men and women...I couldn't get away from them!

So, I gave in. I loved wearing them...really comfortable. Wore them the whole day and it felt super comvy! Now am thinking of getting another pair. Not now, of course. I've got to pay hubby first. LOL

Trendy Boots...yay!

When my classmates and I had our clinics classes inside actual farms before, we always had to carry our own boots. The ones we had were the common types then: black and very much unappealing. But one classmate did try to go against that: she got herself a red pair of boots! Unfortunately, it got stolen the first day of classes. It was her fault, actually. She left it outside! LOL.

Still, I wish kamik rain boots were available then! It would be an awesome fashion statement in the farm! Though of course I would have second thought of stepping on cow poop with those trendy boots. It's a good thing they are now available online...though I have to check first if they are now available here in the Metro. Getting one for each of the family would be awesome! :)

New...

Yup, I just changed this blog's background. I think it looks...i don't know. Not exactly what I wanted, but i wanted to change the background that I had for like...forever (actually, not forever. lol. exaggerating here). I just wanted something new.

I want to add something to the background, but a "clean" though slightly grungy and folded one seems to be the safest. Having difficulty how to put a background...doing loads of trials and mostly errors. LOL

Anyway...at least it's something new. I can always change it. :)

She's enjoying her job...!!

My younger sister works at a government-run agency and even if she isn't actually enjoying what she does (or so she says), she sticks to it because of the good pay and opportunities offered. Well, I think she might be liking her job (a bit, lol) since she has been working there for more than five years now. Part of her job deals with disability insurance and sometimes she complains that people 'fake' their disabilities just so they'd get their compensation. Of course, nobody wants to be disabled in any way, but some people do abuse the benefits. That's why they must always be alert and not send wrong information to those who makes the final decisions.

Honestly, I don't envy her job. But she seems to be enjoying it...most of the time. ;)

Cake

...finally gave in. bought some textures and actions from Florabella Collection. So loving the results! ♥

Food Friday

After a very heavy lunch (with snacks after that) we decided to have a light dinner ... sandwiched some baby rockets (arugula), cheese, cucumber, tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil between two warm tortillas. Went out for some yoghurts after that...lol.

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Food Friday Players:

Lani (Chayote Tops and Salted Eggs Salad)
blankPixels (Golden Fortune in Victory Mall, Caloocan {Monumento})
Julie (Yakiniku Beef and Mushrooms)
Lynn (I Am Not On A Diet Anymore)
Dez (Cassava Cake)
Kriska Marie (Crispy Pata)
TJ (Pixie Bangus)
Anya (Dried Pusit)
Jenn (Beef with Pea Pods)
Oggi (Kuchinta)
Gizelle (Freshii frozen Yogurt)
Race (Home-Made Street Food)
Cheerful (Chicken Carbonara)
Mymy (Pad Thai)
Girlichef (Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Frittata with a Simple Spinach Salad)
Gengen (Food Friday: Corn Bread)
Peachkins (New Pizza Flavors at Sbarro)

ps. should have done this EONS ago: adding a DEEP backlink to those who played as my way of saying thanks for linking back. :)

Small flowers

Really tiny flowers...that's my forefinger behind that cluster. Had a hard time focusing on them; it was windy, and my two-year old wanted me to take his picture all the time! lol.

Had to be satisfied with this. For now. Only thing is: this plant will have these tiny flowers again on December...and not on any other month. Oh well. :)

On picture-taking...

Whenever I take pictures I almost always prefer natural lighting. I guess that's cheaper (LOL), though of course you need to be 'there' (mostly outside, or through a window/door). Also, if you have awesome outdoor lighting, you can take shots outside, too. But honestly, for me anything goes. What might work for me might not work for others; and same thing: might work for them, but won't work for me. Depends on a lot of factors: camera, subject(s), weather, tripod, etcetera! Good thing any shot can be photoshopped now. ;P

Taking pictures for me is therapeutic...almost like tilling a garden. Though not as labor intensive. Literally. ;)

I still can't take my mind off those Florabella Collection! :/

Oldie...

Not an old picture, I'm afraid. But took this shot three months ago at my SIL's place. Just did loads of post processing. Living with her right now is an aunt who loves to do crocheting. I like crocheting too, but I think I've forgotten how it's done...and I honestly don't think I still have the patience. And the time. ;P

Neighbor

Our new neighbor's quite different from the one that we had last year, and we're glad! She's quiet, cleans her area, and...she just bought her first car (a brand new Hyundai i10)! The first thing that she asked hubby was if he knows of any car insurance quote. Hubby got his car last year (a reliable Toyota Innova for a growing family like us, lol) and since it was bought by the company, he wasn't troubled with what insurance to get. Am not sure what hubby told her, but I do know that she's enjoying her new car now. :)

Textures and Actions And...

I'm totally in love with Florabella Collection! Actually, I love the results that you can get from them (textures, actions) and am thinking of giving myself a treat. Am not too sure if they use Paypal, though...I feel totally secure with Paypal rather than using the credit card directly. I guess it's because I've been using Paypal for almost three years now and no glitch or anything (hoping there won't be one soon! lol). I've heard of credit cards getting hacked, and I don't want to be one of the statistics.

Oh well, definitely thinking of getting one (or two?! lol) of their sets soon. Real soon.

After...

Usually whenever we pass by one of those gadget shops we can't help but look at lcd televisions with HD features. I've noticed in our cable subscription that they offer HD, too...and that certainly got me curious. Not that I will be subscribing to that feature any time soon (since our television is almost always tuned in to those kiddie shows (cartoon network, animax, disney...you get it. lol). Maybe we will, when our sons are older and prefer other channels (I will always enjoy watching those kiddie shows myself, though). In the meantime, we're reading those sony tv reviews and trying to decide which television to choose.

After we pay for our plane tickets going home and the tuition fee for our son's school, of course. ;P

I see you...

I saw you...all alone. But not quite lonely. :)

Wishful Thinking...

I'd love to have a garden of my own someday...I used to, two houses ago. I think there's just something therapeutic about tilling the soil and planting, and watching that plant grow. It would be nice, too, if I can get a weeping willow tree, though am not sure if it's appropriate here in my country. Maybe in cooler areas, like Bukidnon, Tagaytay, or Baguio. Not here in Quezon City. lol.

Still...am wishful thinking. Again. :)

New Camera, or...

I want to get a new camera (so that hubby can have his, too...he sold his camera to his sister a while back), and a new netbook (i find bringing this laptop along wherever we go, quite cumbersome). Am honestly undecided between the two.

This laptop is almost full (i know, I can always opt to transfer my pics and digital scraps to another media)...and the camera that we like is not out yet (they say it's going to be released real soon). So...

Anyway. Am not in a hurry. I just hope that either my camera or this laptop won't conk out sooner than expected! LOL

Decisions...

My sister just recently had their house redecorated, and it included having to change floorings. They were debating whether to change tiles or do a laminate flooring in one of their rooms. It certainly took them time to decide and until now am not so sure if they've decided already. Good thing it was only the guest room, or else they'd have to be forced to act sooner (like, if it was their daughter's room. lol).

Maybe I should pay them a visit soon... :P

Green Grass

Green as green grass can ever be...

My two year old loves playing here...even if sometimes we can see small spiders, biting ants, and cat poo (yeah, lol) and what-nots in here. We don't allow him to lie down, of course (think of all those creepy crawlies! lol) but instead he gets to run around as fast and as long as he pleases.

As for me, I get to play too. Using the camera. :)

Health Insurance

Do you have a health plan? My family and I get health benefits from hubby's company (if I remember correctly, we didn't pay a thing when I gave birth two years ago) and we're really thankful. I think it's similar to Blue Cross Blue Shield NC, but of course we're in a different country.

Having health insurance is important, but not everyone can afford it. I wish something can be done, specially for those who can't get jobs, here in my country. Or maybe someone's already doing something, and I don't know it yet. I hope so...

Grocery Shopping...

Last weekend my family and I were forced to do our groceries (yeah, we were really low on most stocks), so we went to the mall after hearing Holy Mass. As usual, there were no plans where we were supposed to eat, but hubby mentioned that I might like shopping for groceries at Greenhills. So we had lunch there, then off to grocery shopping. It was indeed nice (i liked their vegetable section; it was well-stocked and fresh) but we couldn't find my son's diapers. lol. I did get to buy some new plates, though (which I intend to use when I take shots of food).

Think I'll buy groceries from there again? I might. Maybe. LOL

Weight Alert!

Lately I have been more concerned about my weight since I think within two years I have increased by about six kilograms (roughly multiply it to 2.2 to get the pounds equivalent: 13.2 lbs)! Whoa...that's fast! Our weighing scale couldn't be fixed anymore (we got it free more than ten years ago (yay, an antique! lol), so it looks like we'll be on the look-out for weighing scales when we go to the mall this weekend.

I guess I have been munching more than my share these past few months, hence the reason for my 'sudden' flabbiness. I wonder if I can still 'shrink down' to a more appropriate weight...like back to 54kg? ;P

Background for website

I was trying to change my template's background last weekend, but was stumped. I already have an idea what I want but putting it on the template and getting it to work stopped me. It was either too big, or too small. I wonder if there's a fixed size for it....?

Anyway, it looks like I might need to do some more research on how I might add my own background to my website. Will definitely do that, when I get the time. lol. In the meantime, I think I need this book... LOL

On money and stuffs...

If given a choice, I wouldn't want to incur any debts (both financially or otherwise). That's why I seldom use my credit card (though it's there because I think it could be useful when I actually need it like in emergencies; or like when I'm stranded somewhere and my cash was stolen...but that's purely fiction. lol). I do read about others who can't resist using them, though, and so something similar like Outer Banks foreclosures can happen to them. They were unable to pay their debts and so their properties are taken back from them. Quite sad, really, specially if it was your dream home or something. But it could mean a good thing for the buyer, too. You can get good deals if you look real hard, they say.

But anyway, what's important right now is that my family and I try not to spend too much. On anything. :)

Path

A fuzzy path...

Last Weekend...

Last weekend my son and his classmates attended a ping-pong tournament at their school. My son has been playing that game for less than a year, so it was no surprise that he didn't win. But he wasn't actually there just to win; he enjoys playing with his classmates and friends and attending the tournament was just an excuse. lol. He said that he saw the trophies (both past and present) along the hall and was inspired by them.

I hope this isn't just a phase that he's going through (like the taekwondo and basketball), but if it is, then that's fine with me. What's more important is that he enjoys what he's doing and learn from it. :)

Now, I wonder if he'll take up playing the piano sometime... ;)

Food Friday

Mushrooming without Fear: The Beginner's Guide to Collecting Safe and Delicious Mushrooms

Last Sunday we happened to get ourselves a bag of this yummy oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus spp.), after I pestered hubby that we stop by Mushroom Burger (Tagaytay) before going home. I wasn't sure what to do with the mushrooms but I wanted something quick and easy (as usual). Since we were having eggs for breakfast the next day, I thought I'd do an omellete.

Here's what I did: chopped the mushrooms in small sizes (didn't wash them or else they'd absorb all the water! just 'dusted off' some small particles that wasn't part of the fungi), then sauteed them gently in melted unsalted butter. I also added a bit of pepper, smoked paprika and a few drops of soy sauce. No salt. When wilted I took them out and added the scrambled eggs to the pan. Dropped the cooked mushrooms on top of the eggs, folded it, then continued cooking until it was set (sorry, I don't like my eggs to be runny). I was supposed to add cheese before folding it over, but I forgot. Hehehe.

I ate mine with rice while the rest of the family ate theirs with buttered toast. :D

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