New Hairstyle!

I have been considering a new hairstyle since the Fall started. It has been several months ago that I had my hair done. My hair got longer than I have ever imagined - Long, Black and Shiny Hair. I was thinking of a new hairstyle that would look good on me compared to my previous hairstyle. I wanted to let it cut a little bit shorter but my husband - Winn will not allow me to do that. She doesn't want my hair to be short. She just loved me on my usual long, black and shiny hair.

He was with me all the time when I had my hair done. My hairstylist cut 5 inches from my hair and had it layered. I had my bangs too! Ain't that cool? My hairstylist keep on telling me how gorgeous my hair was. She even told me not to color it as it will damage the natural color of my hair. So there you go folks! Me in my new hairstyle! I hope I don't look weird with my bangs.

More Birthday Presents

I know, my birthday is up! But birthday presents are keep on coming. Every week just after I celebrated my 26th birthday. It was fun. There's special delivery from UPS, FedEx or simply from the US postal office. I think the postmaster already know me and my name already as they keep coming back every week to give my package. My husband was amazed too!

I didn't imagine I will get more birthday presents after my birthday. I thank all my friends who's very thoughtful to send me something for my birthday. Thank you very much! You are highly appreciated.

A Birthday Card From My Sister

It has been 1 month ago since I celebrated my 26th birthday. I had to work that day. My husband surprised me with colorful flowers and triple chocolate-coffee ice cream. I must say that my birthday celebration went well even I am working that day. What surprises me was the birthday card that my sister - Haide sent me. I know it has been long overdue for the day of my birthday but the thought of sending me a birthday greeting card does count as she expressed how she missed me terribly.

Oh how I miss my sister so much, my mother and my younger sister. Since my father passed away 5 years ago, we have been helping each other to be strong and to celebrate our life as a wonderful family together. Here's the birthday message that my sister sent me:

(Sis, of all the things we've ever shared... our room - jewelry - dessert - sweaters - make up - cars... our friendship means the most to me. Happy Birthday!) - message from the birthday card

Actual birthday message from my sister:

If you were just a ride away, I would be there knocking at your door to party with you and have a taste of cake and wine. Since it's impossible (and I still don't know how to drive... hehehe) right now, hope this card is enough to make you smile on your special day. Just want to let you know that you are remembered on your birthday.

Wordpress Power Pack

How do you express your thoughts? Do you write and share it? If you will ask me, I simply share my thoughts through blogging. I have been a blogger since May of 2008. A friend from California encourage me to blog. At first, I though it was just a waste of time as I am not really good with words. I rather express it verbally but at the back of my mind, I have few questions. Such as 'what if I write what I really think of something?' and ' how will my other friends know more about me if I will not write them for them to read and know what's on my mind?' It all came to my senses that writing something makes me feel good and I would be able to share it to my family and friends wherever they are.

I myself have been a member of Wordpress.Com. I have been writing and sharing my thoughts for several months now and I must say that I love what I am doing. It was like more of a personal diary or journal for me. I like keeping things in writing so that I have something to read in the future to remember by. But somehow, I couldn't make a good design for my theme as I don't know where to get designs to choose from to create a wonderful theme for my blog. I wanted a unique themes and add-ons for my blog, something that will catch the attention of my readers while they are reading my blog.

Luckily, Wordpress themes and plugins are here to help me regarding my problem. They provide a rich set of features such as Wordpress plug-ins, scripts, themes and add-ons and best of all it is free to download and use. It is a powerful open source blogging application where anyone can choose what theme and add- ons they want for their blog to create creativity, something special and memorable designs. Power up your blog with cool tools and tricks that can accomplish virtually anything with your blog.

My KFC Treat!

Finally! After having been deprived for my KFC cravings for several months, I finally got to eat the original fried chicken. I even blog about it - Somehow, I Miss KFC!. It was like more of a want than a winter clothes shopping for me. I keep on wishing that someday, there would be a KFC fast food in town where we live. So that whenever I want to eat fried chicken, I can just drive in town and get it.

It was the time when we are about to go back to our home sweet home to visit my husband's family and some friends. Winn asked me if I am ready for a KFC treat. I told him 'yes' with a big excitement on my face. We finally found the first KFC store at Fergus Falls, Minnesota. Imagine how many miles we have driven just to get a Kentucky Fried Chicken treat?! We ordered one bucket meal with original fried chicken recipe, a cup of gravy and a cup of coleslaw. We had so much fun eating while moving going home to the birthplace of Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Promises of Hope and Healing

As I was watching an entertainment news, I was shocked how celebrities handle their luxurious and living in a fame life. Where everybody all over the world watched them perform as an artist. I couldn't think of any reason why they suffer from such disorder to destroy their lives. No matter how young or old, some of the people just couldn't handle such thing when they are addicted to alcohol or other addictions.

Are you or anyone from your family and friends suffer from a disorder from alcoholism and other addictions? Promises Treatment Centers are here to help. It is a private rehab where hope and healing begins. Their mission is to provide a gateway to sobriety for you or a loved one and to aid in the achievement of lifetime dreams. At Promises, they provide compassionate and restorative care for their clients because they limit the number of residential treatment in order to give each person the personal care, proper guidance and attention they need to succeed and create a new life. Let Promises Treatment Centers be the foundation for lasting recovery for your loved ones. Visit their website and be a blessing to someone you loved.

A Message From A Friend

Friendship is like a flower,
Glowing in its glory,
Each and every seed,
Telling its own story.

As each flower blooms,
And then continues to grow,
More of its strength and knowledge,
Continues to show.

And like a garden,
It blooms much more fair,
When carefully tended,
By those who care.

Once in a while,
You come acress a friend,
Who is as beautiful as a flower,
With a good heart to lend.

So I picked this flower,
And pulled it apart,
And soon all its pieces,
Grew into my heart.

But when I realized,
Is that this flower that grew,
Was not leaves and petals,
But pieces of you.

Your love and kindness,
Your strength and power,
Have helped me grow,
Into my own little flower.

And now with our friendship,
I'll never let go,
And we can help others,
To flower and grow.
God Bless Our Friendship

Craving For Pork Spareribs

It was 3 days ago when my husband and I had a craving for pork spareribs. So I took the half slab of spareribs and cook the recipe - Savoury Pork Ribs with Green Beans. This is a rich and pungent dish. I actually used green beans (it is called baguio beans in the Philippines) instead of using snake beans (called "sitaw" back at home) as it is hard to find snake beans at Wal-Mart. You can also use runner or fine beans (I have no idea what are those).

I boiled the pork ribs first to become tender so it is easy to chew, I put some seasoning while boiling to have a delicious taste. Then fry until golden brown. I added some chili powder, garlic powder and sweet white onion for the stir-fry then add some green bell pepper and the green beans. It was delicious and tasty! We sure loved it and enjoyed our meal that day.

10 High-Energy Ways to Start the Day

1. Brown Bag
What to take along for the car, bus, or train: A stick of string cheese, a slice of whole-wheat bread, and a cup of seedless red grapes.
Calories, 212; protein, 10; carbs, 28; fat, 7; sugars, 17; fiber, 3

2. Blender Bliss
Throw everything here into the blender and whip up a delicious smoothie: 1 small banana, ½ cup frozen blueberries, 1 cup nonfat plain yogurt, ½ Tbs. honey, ½ Tbs. flaxseed oil.
Calories, 357; protein, 15; carbs, 71; fat, 7; sugars, 47; fiber, 5

3. Grab and Go
On even the craziest mornings, there's still time to prime your body with this healthy fast food: a pear or apple, a handful of almonds, and 7 low-fat Triscuits.
Calories, 392; protein, 10; carbs, 54; fat, 18; sugars, 18; fiber, 12

4. Desk-Top Parfait
Not ready to eat first thing? At home, alternate layers of low-fat vanilla yogurt (1 cup) with 1 cup sliced strawberries in a clear plastic container. Put 1/4 cup Grape Nuts cereal in a baggie and sprinkle on top when you get to work.
Calories, 253; protein, 10; carbs, 53; fat, 1.5; sugars, 28; fiber, 7

5. Morning Mini-Meeting
Even if it's casual enough to eat while you talk, still think quiet food: half a peanut butter sandwich on whole-wheat bread, a banana, and a half-pint carton of skim milk.
Calories, 349; protein, 17; carbs, 50; fat, 9; sugars, 28; fiber, 6

6. Pre- or Post-Workout
This simple homemade trail mix will get you going: 1 cup Cheerios, 7 walnut halves, 2 Tbs. dried raisins, and a sliced medium apple.
Calories, 317; protein, 5; carbs, 55; fat, 11; sugars, 23; fiber, 8

7. Convenience Stop Today
Even mini-marts have some healthy options. Snag a low-fat yogurt, a small orange juice, and a single-serving box of whole-grain cereal.
Calories, 316; protein, 11; carbs, 54; fat, 2; sugars, 25; fiber, 5

8. Chill-Chaser for Warmth
Get stick-to-your-ribs goodness by mixing 1 cup hot oatmeal with 1 diced apple, 8 chopped pecan halves, and 1 cup skim milk.
Calories, 365; protein, 14; carbs, 56; fat, 10; sugars, 28; fiber, 4

9. The Drive-Thru Dash
Not a first choice, but better than nada. At Dunkin' Donuts, get half of a wheat bagel (they're huge), a small OJ, and a half pint of 1% milk.
Calories, 343; protein, 18; carbs, 70; fat, 5; sugars, 24; fiber, 2

10. Slow Sundays
At last, there's time to savor the meal, and the day. Start with a half a grapefruit. Scramble a large egg with some sautéed veggies and crumbled turkey sausage. Serve with a slice of whole-wheat toast. Relax.
Calories, 355; protein, 19; carbs, 39; fat, 12; sugars, 12; fiber, 6

Morning madness can make you feel like food is a time-luxury you can't afford. But research shows that breakfast eaters are slimmer and healthier than their coffee-only counterparts. One reason: People who start out empty are more likely to overeat later. Need something to eat almost anywhere? No problem. Fuel up right with these 10 breakfasts. They've got lots of fiber to control cravings, protein to trim appetite, and a dab of healthy fat to keep you full for hours.

Shopping Made Easy and Safe

When I started my job as a receptionist last August 1st, all my time was focused at work. I work full-time and for 2 months and 15 days working, I don't even remember when was the last time I did shopping. Tell me who doesn't love to shop at all? I know that everyone of us, especially the women loves to shop anywhere no matter what time of the day it is. I myself loves to shop too. I just can't help it. I have this feeling that I could not sleep at all if I can't buy what I want. But I am not a big time spender. I know what I want and what to buy. With today's economy, everyone should know how much they will spend and whom to trust with their money especially when making purchases online.

Online shopping is the process that consumers go through to purchase products or services over the internet. It is a type of electronic commerce used for business-to-business and business-to-consumer transactions. With the rising fuel costs today, it's one of the ways to save time and gas rather than driving many miles and go to mall to do some shopping. In recent years, online shopping has become popular that caters to the middle and upper class, it has evolved with the growth of technology. And in order to shop online, one must be able to have access to a computer and credit/debit cards are ready to shop. But how do you know whom to trust when making purchases online?

Worry no more! buySAFE is ready to serve for those people who wanted security when they shop online. I myself is too scared to do online shopping even if it saves me the fuel cost because of some identity theft and hackers who will try to hacked and use my personal information. I am glad that buySAFE will backed me up when I wanted to shop online because I know that they will provide their buyers trusted, virtually risk-free shopping across the internet where purchases are automatically protected with a bond guarantee of up to $25,000 as well as identity theft insurance at no cost. With a diverse team of professionals with extensive experience in financial services, surety bonding, online services and information technology that makes online shopping safer and more secure.

This is what I am looking for! buySAFE is a reliable and trusted online. It is a free tool that provides you worry-free from identity theft and hackers when buying online. This is all we need. Download your free buySAFE application now and start shopping online at your own convenience! The Shopping Advisor also provides Safe Shopping ratings on more than 320,000 eCommerce sites in the search results of Google, Yahoo, MSN and eBay. Protect yourself when shopping online with buySAFE!

My Old Kentucky Home

We are home at last! After 3 months of being away and have lived in North Dakota was fun. I got a job plus we are enjoying the great summer up there. We got home last night around 7:38 PM. My husband and I was tired and exhausted from the long drive. It took us 2 days and 1 night to get back in our old house here in KY. We enjoyed the long drive as we always do when we go for a short or long road trip. I am glad and thanked God that we got home safe. We didn't stay up late last night. We retired for the night as soon as we unloaded our things from the truck. We missed our king size bed.

As we got up this morning, we checked the whole house inside and out. It was so depressing! It feels like our house sits in a jungle. A haunted house as I may say, it is dusty and empty. The grasses are pretty scary tall. It needs some mowing. For 3 months that we have been away, I felt like I wasn't feeling at home and my depression strikes. It sure needs some general cleaning. I need to help Winn mow the grass too. Right now, let me take a moment to our old Kentucky home.

Top 10 Eating Tips to Stay Energized All Day

Getting through the day can feel like a marathon. Mile 1: Roll out of bed. Mile 2: Feed yourself and everyone else in your house. Mile 3: Get to work on time. It's like you've run 5K, and it's not even lunch yet! Nutritionist Monique Ryan, MS, RD, the author of Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes, knows the secrets to get through real marathons. I asked her to pass some advice down to us mortals who simply want to stay alert until sundown.

Top 10 Tips to Stay Energized All Day
by Monique Ryan, MS, RD

1. Start the day right. Yes, that means breakfast. Combine a whole grain with fruit, skim dairy, or soy milk, and even add some lean protein to the mix to sustain energy levels throughout the morning. Cooked oatmeal with yogurt and a banana or Lite Mueslix with soy milk and blueberries are good choices.

2. Have a mid-morning snack. Combine a protein and a carbohydrate. It is fine to be hungry mid-morning, so honor your hunger and give your body fuel when it is asking for it. Try yogurt with a peach, low fat string cheese with an apple, or cottage cheese and grapes.

3. Eat lunch on time. Don't push back lunch until you are ravenous. Instead, eat your mid-day fuel right on time to keep your blood glucose levels nice and steady.

4. Boost your mental energy. Nature's nutrition for the brain are omega-3 fatty acids. Add light tuna or salmon to your lunchtime food choices, in addition to walnuts, tofu, and canola oil. Healthy fat keep you feeling full for a longer period of time, so add small amounts to meals and snacks. Some good choices include avocado and almonds.

5. Start the day with moderate caffeine levels and keep caffeine intake modest. While it does increase mental energy, too much caffeine may lead to energy highs and then lows, and it can interferes with quality sleep.

6. Limit processed foods high in sugar. Avoid the office candy jar, treats, and vending machine whenever possible. Processed foods do not provide sustained energy and can result in low-energy moments during the day.

7. Consume foods high in folate. Higher levels of blood folate have been associated with faster and better thought processing. Good sources include lentils, chickpeas, black beans, asparagus, broccoli, avocado, and orange juice. Also important are vitamins B6, found in bananas and spinach, and B12, found in lean proteins and skim dairy products.

8. Have an afternoon snack. If dinner is late or if you have an evening workout scheduled, fruits, vegetables, and low-fat yogurt provide energizing carbohydrate.

9. Consume complex carbohydrates that contain fiber. The fiber allows the carbohydrates to be released more slowly, providing sustained energy. Opt for whole grain bread, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, and whole grain cereals.

10. Stay hydrated. About two-thirds of our body is water, and dehydration can contribute to reduced energy levels. About 80% of the fluid we consume comes from the fluids we drink, and the other 20% comes from foods. Always drink when you are thirsty, and have water available during the day to hydrate regularly.

Fried Tilapia with Vegetable Stir-Fry

Since me and my husband started on a healthy diet, we make sure that we also eat healthy food with less sodium, less fats and less cholesterol intake. So we decided to go on fruits, vegetables, and seafood diet. My husband doesn't eat fish at all. He was not use to eating fish even if he was still a small kid. But he likes the fried tilapia and that's about it, no more other kind of fish for him!

Cooking tilapia fish is just a piece of cake, especially when you bought it clean and scaled that is fresh from the market. I used to remember when my mother bought fresh fish and I was assigned to clean them. It was a tough job for me as I hate cleaning the fish. The smell and their fish bones will always left a cut on my palms and fingers. Luckily now here, I don't do that anymore. The vegetable stir-fry is just easy. You can have any vegetables you want but I used bean sprouts, bell pepper and carrots with sweet white onion. Add some seasoning and you will have a perfect healthy meal for the day.

Be Cheap on Eyewear!

It was in her high school days when she noticed that something was wrong with her eyes. One day, while she's sitting in her class, she felt dizzy, nauseous and her vision got blurry. One of her classmates joked, she might be pregnant. But that's not really the real case. She went to the doctor and had an eye check-up. After the eye examination, the doctor said, she needs to wear a prescription glasses. But it was expensive than we have ever imagine. Aside from being expensive, it is totally out of fashion! Imagine wearing those big lenses and the color was awful to bear. I couldn't help but say, she looked older than our mother.

Luckily, there's a fashionable eyeglasses from ZenniOptical.com where you can shop online at your own convenience. It is so stylish where you can also choose what color you want. Plus, they offer big selections of frames with single vision lens for as low as $8. How cool is that? You will never be out of style and you will be satisfied with your fashionable eyeglasses. They only sell their own manufactured frames to their direct customers that's why their prices are low. As a matter of fact, because of their cheap and fashionable eyeglasses, it was featured in Chicago Tribune. If you are tired of your expensive prescription eyeglasses, why not go online and visit ZenniOptical.com so you will experience how cheap the stylish prescription eyeglasses are! You don't need to spend much money to look glamorous! Pay less, wear cheap and look fabulous!

Morning Banana Diet, Anyone?

Diets hailing bananas as a new superfood that assists weight loss is fueling a
boom in banana sales in Japan

The Morning Banana Diet regime is simple: A banana (or as many as you want) and room temperature water for breakfast; eat anything you like for lunch and dinner (by 8 p.m.). A three o'clock snack is okay, but no desserts after meals, and you have to go to bed before midnight. Sumiko Watanabe, a pharmacist in Osaka designed this stress-free diet to help increase the metabolism of her husband Hitoshi Watanabe, who had been rather overweight. In due course, Mr. Watanabe lost 37 pounds and introduced the diet on mixi, one of Japan's largest social networking services. Morning Banana Diet books published since March have sold over 730,000 copies, and some have been translated and published in South Korea and Taiwan. The diet became even more popular after a TV program featured a singer who had lost 15 pounds in just six weeks. It was literally the day after that program aired that the shortage of bananas first became evident. "Bananas suddenly flew off the shelves, there was a 70%-80% increase in weekly sales compared to the same period last year," says Takeshi Ozaki, a spokesperson of Life Corporation that runs 201 supermarkets throughout Japan.

Professor Masahiko Okada of Niigata University School of Medicine questions the hype around the banana diet. The human body has three essential nutrients: carbohydrates, fat and protein, she says, and "the golden rule is to balance these three nutrients and a daily calorie intake. Once you understand that, you don't have to be swayed by the fad diet any more, whether it is a konnyaku (alimentary yam paste) or a banana diet." But a nation prone to dieting fads often ignores such sober advice.

According to Ministry of Finance, Japan's banana imports were 970,000 tons in 2007, mostly from the Philippines. "It takes from 10 to 15 months to harvest bananas, so it is not at all easy to meet a sudden increase in demand," says Dole's Ohtaki. Dole Japan is trying to make up the shortfall by negotiating distribution deals with Dole corporations in other countries. Supplying the spike in demand will be lucrative, because banana prices in Japan have risen about 20% as a result of supply shortages that have coincided with the diet fad.

Bananas are hardly the first fad diet to create shortages in Japan's consumer markets. During the 1970s, there were similar runs on black tea fungus, oolong tea and konnyaku; during the 1980s it was baby formula, banana and boiled egg; then, in the '90s, came apple, nata de coco, cocoa and chili pepper; and during this decade black vinegar, carrot juice, soy milk, beer yeast and toasted soybean flour (kinako). Last year's fermented soybean (natto) diet emptied supermarket shelves. Based on experience, Horiuchi predicts that the banana boom will last only another month or so. "In the past, there were all kinds of hit diets. But they never last, do they? So, we don't really want to end up with an uncontrollable banana surplus."

Colorful Dinnerwares

From our 2 old houses back in Kentucky to our house here in North Dakota, I have always wanted things organized, clean and colorful. It took me a while to have our house organized as my time was taken every time I go to work. It was 2 weeks after we moved to our new house, I got the job as a receptionist in a campground which is just a mile from our house. So there's no hassle for a long drive for how many miles just to reach my workplace. Since I graduated from college and moved to Makati City, Philippines I have become an independent person and found my luck in real corporate world. I am renting an apartment which I have shared to my friend so it wouldn't be hard for me to pay the full rent.

And there I was, building my dreams, living alone and found myself shopping for the things I needed in my apartment - the kitchen utensils, my own complete bedding and every thing that I needed to live comfortable alone in the big city of Makati. Just after my birthday, I ordered this Ambience 16-piece Dinnerware Set to spice up the color of our kitchen. The colorful dinnerware set will instantly add warm to our table. It is hand painted decorated in shades of berry, spice, almond and olive made of durable stoneware. It is also dishwasher and microwave safe. I can't wait for more collections in my kitchen...

Yummy Scallops!

Last Week, I blog about my curiosity on scallops. I found a recipe from the Chinese cookbook that Rowena gave me and found the recipe - Stir-Fried Scallops with Asparagus. It is not only that I don't know what scallops was but I am also curious what you can do with scallops. With the help of the cookbook, I found the perfect recipe and cook it.

Asparagus is extremely popular among the Chinese and Thai food. It is also said that eating asparagus will help you with good digestion and loose weight. The combination of garlic and black pepper gives this dish its spiciness. You can substitute the scallops with prawns or other firm fish if the scallops is not available in the market. You can serve this dish either by jasmine rice or with cooked carrots and broccoli.

What's Your Money Personality?

Your Money Personality is Healthy

You have a good relationship with money.

You don't spend wildly, but you're not opposed to treating yourself on occasion.

In general, you save some of what you earn.

You know the importance of a nest egg.

You aren't afraid of being financially literate - you embrace learning more about finances.

From a retirement plan to having an emergency fund, you know what you need to have to be safe.

What's Your Money Personality?

Save Green and Go Green with Charter!

When I came here to United States, I worry about a lot of things. I know it is going to be a very big adjustment for me especially that I will be marrying my then fiance - Winn who happens to be my husband for 1 year, 1 month and 9 days. In my first 2 months here, he showed me everything that the mother nature could offer. The rivers, the lakes, the rock formations in the mid-west, the mountains, the beaches in the east coast are so wonderful! I was able to see my first and second colorful autumn. It is just so great to experience everything and be closer with the nature and I would be glad to do anything to save it. It so refreshing to have a nice and clean environment to enjoy with family and friends.

It is also good to enjoy the modern technology especially that I am away from my family and friends. Internet is the only thing I could only use to communicate with them. Without internet, it seems like I will be bored and my communication with my family and friends back home will be compromised. I don't want that to happen. I can't stand being bored and lonely all the time. So my husband decided to buy me my very first laptop, my very first mobile phone with internet connection with it. I thought it was reliable to have an internet connection with my mobile phone so I did most of my internet communications with it until I got my very first phone bill. I was stunned! I can't imagine how did it cost me a fortune to communicate with them just by chatting using my mobile phone? So my husband decided to switch to another service but I wasn't happy enough about their service as I get disconnected from time to time.

Then I came across Charter Communications. I remember my former co-worker told me that she's a customer service for the account of Charter. She explained to me that they have a great deals going on and savings for bundle services of TV, Internet and Phone. She also told me that I could have the chance to win the environment-friendly brand new 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid. How cool is that? It is not only I am saving on gas and help out the environment at the same time but I can also enjoy the reliable high-speed internet. Simply visit the site and register for a chance to win. Go get yours too and help save the environment!

Singing While Cooking?

All my life, my grandmother both from my father and mother side said that don't sing while I am cooking. I asked them why and they gave me just one answer - I will marry someone way older than I am. I think they were right as I love to sing while I am cooking. But there are times that I don't sing while I am cooking. I really tried hard not to and I don't sing that much. Maybe I was just destined to meet and love someone who became my husband.

Last Tuesday morning, I got a package from Barnes and Noble delivered by the UPS guy. My husband was curious about the package asking me why I am getting packages almost every week since before and after my birthday. He asked me if I am shopping online for some things that I liked but I told him I did not. He knows that I am not an online shopper. I love to shop but I rather shop for the things I see, touch, try and fit. I got lovely presents from Jocelyn of Washington. She's also from Zamboanga City like me. I wanted to thank her for the recipe book - From Bangkok to Bali in 30 minutes and the 3 CD's - I Can Only Imagine with 30 powerful hit songs of praise. Makes me reach God much closer than I can ever imagine. Thank you very much!

Find Your Right Love

Who can define what love really is? Is it just a mere emotion? Or is it a thought process? This is one difficult term to define. I always remember how this topic on love was discussed in our Philosophy class. The term phenomenology is always attached to it. Yes, accordingly love is a phenomenon. It is an occurrence which follows certain pattern. It is said that love came to exist with out a beginning nor can it come to an end. I am sure that everyone of us have a great and fascinating love stories to tell to our family and friends. I have the same fair share too. I grew up with a slight strict parents. Their goal was to let their kids finished college first before getting married. We always have a piece of advice every time we had the chance to gather together in our living room.

Love does not have a definite meaning, it is an individual experience. It may bring joy yet it can cause pain too. Love is dynamic! It comes in different forms, others become inspired, driven and optimistic. It is up to an individual how to handle a romantic relationship. True.com is a great way to find the love of your life and the safest way to start online dating relationship. I have few friends who tried online dating and found the love of their life and have live happily ever after. You can sign up for free and search for free. Just think of the thousands of couples who found their match and had their great love stories to tell. My friends are married for over 2 and 3 years now and I am married for 1 year and 1 month now.

Butterfly Award for Coolest Blog

It is very inspiring to be given an award since it is a way of giving compliments. Thank you that at least my effort in writing and blogging has been rewarded with such sincere compliments. My gratitude to SimplyJacy for this award. Thank you Jacy!

Butterfly Award!

1. Put the logo on your blog;
2. Add a link to the person who awarded;
3. Nominate 10 other blog;
4. Add links to those blogs on yours;
5. Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs;
6 Give a reason why you consider their blogs are cool.

I am giving this award to 10 special bloggers for I know each of them deserve this. I proudly merit this award to the following person I know deserving and making each post significant to their lives to spread the wings of this beautiful butterfly, I know how cool bloggers they are:

Ann Christine's Blessed Life
Adei's Beautiful Life
Adin's Chika Corner
Ann Kerney's World
Eva Marie's Chronicles to Boredom
Janeth's Journey to Life
Marynoll's Haus of Thoughts
Fel's Bienvenue a la Noryfel
Roche's Illustration of Passion
Rowena's Thought

Shave Your Head!

When I was growing up, I have always wanted to go to different places and explore many things. You see, all of my siblings were born to different places in the Philippines because of my father's occupation - A Philippine Military Soldier. He's been deployed all over the Philippines, and everywhere he went, he took us, his family with him. But when were old enough to go to school, my parents decided to stay and build a new life for good in one city. It was a big surprise and challenge for all of us as we always leave and say goodbye to all of our friends and neighbors but it is also for our own good as we will build our lives together in one place, one community with good neighbors and will call it a place of our own. That's my life-changing journey.

As I grew little by little and became matured enough, my life took me to a more challenging journey as I have to leave my family and friends where I grew up and be with my husband - Winn. I have no idea what would be my life in a foreign land of the United States of America. I have lived here for over a year now and I am loving it as I get to see different places of every states. It seems like Air New Zealand is holding a casting call in late October to select 30 adults to be shaved and tattooed to serve as cranial billboards in Los Angeles as part of the airline's marketing campaign promoting life-changing journeys to New Zealand. My husband would be a perfect contender for this job. How cool is that? Visit www.airnewzealand.com now and be a part of life-changing journey to New Zealand! Experience wonderful things. You might want to be amazed on how many sheep are there in New Zealand.

The 50 United States of America

In my 1 year, 3 months and 10 days living in the United States of America, I am proud to say that I have already adapted my new and big environment. Although at some point in my life living here, I just couldn't stand the dirty politics as well. Why brag about what you have or what you have done where in fact, we can help each other to be productive and think about a progressive nation. But I am not going to talk about politics here right now. Since I have been to 29 states already and been reading road signs and directions totally from scratch. I mean, reading the road directions purely from my Atlas Map. It is the big map covering the whole North America including Canada and Mexico. My husband started teaching me how to read road signs, route numbers and State and Interstate highway directions. Everything that I should learn, I owe it from him because he's been patient teaching me directions.

Earlier today, I took a challenge for myself. Without looking at the book - the Atlas Map, I wrote down all 50 states including their 50 state capitals and 50 state largest cities in alphabetical order. I was having fun when writing them while my husband was peeking at what I am doing. After writing all them down, I looked in the map book and check my mistakes. I have completed writing down the 50 states in alphabetical order (I can say them verbally too). I have 4 mistakes in writing down the 50 state capitals and 12 mistakes in state largest cities. Isn't that amazing? Next time, I am ready to explore the remaining 21 states to complete my journey to the United States of America. If you will ask me what's my next goal? Memorizing all the USA Presidents from past to present. How cool is that? Right now, I have to beat my husband as he still know all the USA presidents.

The Phone is Ringing!

Here is the syndrome once again! As you all know that I have worked as a call center agent back at home and the feeling of working near a phone makes it weird for me. I don't know why but it was like an abnormal condition for me. Then, I got a job here as a receptionist which requires to answer phone calls and make arrangements with some businesses too. It was like every time I will hear the phone is ringing, it was like I am oblige to answer it. Even in my dreams, I can hear the phone is ringing and I have to open my eyes and hear it once again that it is not an imagination nor from my dream. When I opened my eyes, the phone is not ringing anymore. Then it is hard for me to go back to sleep again.

Then yesterday, while me and my husband was watching TV, I heard the phone was ringing. I got up from the couch to answer it but as soon as I took my first step, the actress from the TV show say "hello?". My husband asked me, why did I get up? I just told him that I am supposed to answer the phone. But he said the phone was ringing on the TV show not our own phone. We just laughed about the instant phone incident and enjoyed the whole TV show instead.

8 Possible Reasons We Aren't Rich

You care what your car looks like: A car is a means of transportation to get from one place to another, but many people don't view it that way. Instead, they consider it a reflection of themselves and spend money every two years or so to impress others instead of driving the car for its entire useful life and investing the money saved.

You feel entitlement: If you believe you deserve to live a certain lifestyle, have certain things and spend a certain amount before you have earned to live that way, you will have to borrow money. That large chunk of debt will keep you from building wealth.

You lack diversification: There is a reason one of the oldest pieces of financial advice is to not keep all your eggs in a single basket. Having a diversified investment portfolio makes it much less likely that wealth will suddenly disappear.

You started too late: The magic of compound interest works best over long periods of time. If you find you're always saying there will be time to save and invest in a couple more years, you'll wake up one day to find retirement is just around the corner and there is still nothing in your retirement account.

You don't do what you enjoy: While your job doesn't necessarily need to be your dream job, you need to enjoy it. If you choose a job you don't like just for the money, you'll likely spend all that extra cash trying to relieve the stress of doing work you hate.

You don't like to learn: You may have assumed that once you graduated from college, there was no need to study or learn. That attitude might be enough to get you your first job or keep you employed, but it will never make you rich. A willingness to learn to improve your career and finances are essential if you want to eventually become wealthy.

You buy things you don't use: Take a look around your house, in the closets, basement, attic and garage and see if there are a lot of things you haven't used in the past year. If there are, chances are that all those things you purchased were wasted money that could have been used to increase your net worth.

You don't understand value: You buy things for any number of reasons besides the value that the purchase brings to you. This is not limited to those who feel the need to buy the most expensive items, but can also apply to those who always purchase the cheapest goods. Rarely are either the best value, and it's only when you learn to purchase good value that you have money left over to invest for your future.

It's a Very Nice Gift!

It is not the grandfather's clock or the piano I wanted to blog about. It is the black and gray top. Last September 29 (oh yeah, it is my birthday!) I got a gift from a wonderful friend, Wena. It is a nice black and gray striped top. I like the texture and the cloth of my new top. It is 100% made of acrylic. It keeps my body warm especially that the weather here in North Dakota is getting colder and breezy. But I still have to put on my jacket and gloves to keep me warmer for my arms and hands. I think Rowena spoiled me much on my birthday, she also gave me 26 chocolate truffles (because it is my 26th birthday) and some other chocolates, plus the 2 mascara make-ups and a lip gloss. I just want to say that a big THANK YOU for making my birthday a special one.

Keeping Fit and Healthy

It is about time to start keeping fit and healthy. As we were shopping some groceries at Wal-Mart, we are choosing which food we will get and we are making sure that it is healthy when we eat it. While going to every aisle, we always make sure that we read the nutrition facts labeled in the food. We only get the food that has a low sodium, 0% of cholesterol and total fats. It was fun doing it and be worried about our health because it is for our own good. I always remember the saying, "Health is Wealth".

It took us like 2 hours and a half just to find the right food for me and Winn. We argued on some foods that we will put in the cart but in the end, we had it fixed and checked out overwhelmed. Now, we are on seafood, vegetables and fruit diet. I felt so good that somehow, my husband follows anything what I said about his health and he cooperate with all the healthy foods we got. If we will continue to eat healthy foods, we might end up fit, super healthy, looking younger and stronger than ever.

Baked Ribs With Beef Consomme Soup

Baked Short Ribs with Beef Consomme Soup

Pork or Beef ribs are one of my favorites. When Rowena posted her recipe about the
Baked Short Ribs with Beef Consomme Soup, I know I was going to follow her recipe. One thing that made me cook it because I love eating spareribs. So, I printed the recipe and started cooking it. I prepared all the necessary ingredients and clean the beef ribs. Mixed the seasoned flour. I boiled the beef ribs first to make the meat tender. Then, coat the beef ribs with the seasoned flour and fry until golden brown.

The Baked Ribs with Baked Potato and Sweet Corn

In a container which is good for oven cooking, put and arrange the ribs, then pour the can of beef consomme soup. I don't eat raw sweet onions but luckily, the sweet onions are also baked so that's fine with me. I can only eat cooked onions but not raw. My husband loves to eat raw sweet onions plus, I put both yellow and red sweet onions on top of it. I also baked potato with sweet corn on the side as an alternative for white rice. It was a knocked out! My husband love it so much!

Evidence of a good meal!

We had a good meal! We enjoyed every bit of it, the tender meat especially the soup. At the end of our meal, the rib bones was taken to Wacko's place so all 3 of us enjoyed the Baked short ribs with beef consomme soup. Try to cook this at home. It is so easy to prepare and it's very delicious! Bon Appetite!

Long, Black and Shiny Hair

It has been several months now since I had my haircut. I had it cut layered to show the volume and style of my hair. Now, that style is gone! I had to get one pretty soon. I wanted to look good (giggles) again especially winter time is coming. My hair is longer than before now. They look out of style, dry and frizzy. I am also thinking what hairstyle I like for the fall-winter fashion. I really need the help of the people from the salon. I just can't wait to get back into fashion and get a new hairstyle.

My EntreCard!

Finally, after trying several times to sign up for my own EntreCard, I already have one! It has been a while since I started signing up for EntreCard, unfortunately, I have some errors that I can't go through and get my own. So, I let it go for awhile and I would say that I wanted to forget about it. I was thinking it would be just a waste of time to put it in my blog profile. I was bitter about it then. So, I have stopped signing up to get my EntreCard.

Luckily, just few hours ago, I have chatted with Roche. I asked her about EntreCard and she cropped my picture that I wanted to upload in my EntreCard image. If not for her, I may not be able to have my own E-Card that I will put in my blog profile. I just wish that there will be more people to give me a drop now that I have my own E-Card. Thank you so much Roche for the help!

Drink Water on Empty Stomach

It is popular in Japan today, to drink water immediately after waking up every morning. Furthermore, scientific tests have proven a its value. We publish below a description of use of water for our readers. For old and serious diseases as well as modern illnesses the water treatment had been found successful by a Japanese medical society as a 100% cure for the following diseases: Headache, body ache, heart system, arthritis, fast heart beat, epilepsy, excess fatness, bronchitis asthma, TB, meningitis, kidney and urine diseases, vomiting, gastritis, diarrhea, piles, diabetes, constipation, all eye diseases, womb, cancer and menstrual disorders, ear nose and throat diseases.

METHOD OF TREATMENT

1. As you wake up in the morning before brushing teeth, drink 4 x 160ml glasses of water

2. Brush and clean the mouth but do not eat or drink anything for 45 minutes

3. After 45 minutes you may eat and drink as normal.

4. After 15 minutes of breakfast, lunch and dinner do not eat or drink anything for 2 hours

5. Those who are old or sick and are unable to drink 4 glasses of water at the beginning may commence by taking little water and gradually increase it to 4 glasses per day.

6. The above method of treatment will cure diseases of the sick and others can enjoy a healthy life.

The following list gives the number of days of treatment required to cure/control/reduce main diseases:

1. High Blood Pressure - 30 days

2. Gastric - 10 days

3. Diabetes - 30 days

4. Constipation - 10 days

5. Cancer - 180 days

6. TB - 90 days

7. Arthritis patients should follow the above treatment only for 3 days in the 1st week, and from 2nd week onwards - daily.

This treatment method has no side effects, however, at the commencement of treatment you may have to urinate a few times.

It is better if we continue this and make this procedure as a routine work in our life.

Drink Water and Stay healthy and Active.

This makes sense - The Chinese and Japanese drink hot tea with their meals, not cold water. Maybe it is time we adopt their drinking habit while eating!!! Nothing to lose, everything to gain...

For those who like to drink cold water, this article is applicable to you.

It is nice to have a cup of cold drink after a meal. However, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed . It will slow down the digestion. Once this 'sludge' reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine. Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer. It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.

A serious note about heart attacks: Women should know that not every heart attack symptom is going to be the left arm hurting.

Be aware of intense pain in the jaw line.

You may never have the first chest pain during the course of a heart attack.

Nausea and intense sweating are also common symptoms.

60% of people who have a heart attack while they are asleep do not wake up.

Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware. The more we know, the better chance we could survive...

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this mail sends it to everyone they know, you can be sure that we'll save at least one life.

In and Out Rain

It is Sunday and everything outside is gloomy.I missed going to church as I woke up late for the usual time I should be in the church. It started to have a few showers last night. The wind blows so hard that I have a hard time getting to sleep. I have been tossing and turning in our bed last night and there are times that I am already disturbing mu husband into his sleep. I am disturbed by the wind blowing. He gave me a hugs and kisses to put me into sleep.

My day went fine. I have been working even on Sundays. The weather is still bad. Luckily we have few customers to fill up the campground. I have to prepare all the things I needed as I will be starting to file the sales tax form and send it in to avoid delays of the business. Besides, it is also my job to take care of everything as a multi-tasking receptionist or shall I say, jack-of-all-trade receptionist. I am having fun actually. I can't wait for my bonus and salary to be at hand. I know I am only working for the season but definitely will be back when the season starts to open again for all campers and I am ready to meet them once again.

The Chinese Cookbook

It was my 26th birthday when I got a present from Rowena - The Everyday CHINESE Cook Book. As I look over inside the book, I felt the passion in me that I wanted to cook everything in it. I love the Asian cuisine. Be it Filipino, Chinese, Korean, Malaysian and Thai food. I just love the spices added to every food in the Asian cuisine. My eyes were filled with so much excitement and eagerness to start cooking. So, the night of my birthday dinner, I prepared the Spicy Spareribs and the Red and White Prawn with Vegetables. It was delicious! It was like, we ate in a fine dining restaurant. I can say, I had fun during my 26th birthday because I made something special, celebrated my birthday with my husband and so loved with all the birthday cards and presents I got from my wonderful friends. Thank you Wenggay for this cookbook! I will surely use this and keep it.

Smile is Contagious

Smiling is infectious,
You can catch it like the flu.
Someone smiled at me today,
And I started smiling too.

Toss this smile along to your friends who brightened up your day
or those whose days you want to brighten up.

Smile!

Each day is a wonderful reason to celebrate!

Thank you Chrissy for passing this contagious smile to me. You made me smile because I know in my heart that you are a good person and a good friend. Keep on smiling!

I want you to SMILE Wenggay, Roche, Jenneth, Eva Marie, Jacy, Ann Christine, Adei, Marynoll, Noryfel, Adin and Jocelyn

Missing A Friend

My day went fine today. I just have to work a little bit as we prepare to close for the season. I am also checking my e-mails as I haven't check them in a while because of my busy working schedules. Luckily, we have a TV here in the campground where I work so I won't be bore while waiting for the campers to pull-in and retire for the night. I have watched the TV series Charmed and Law and Order. While watching them, I am also chatting with my classmate and friend in college, Leslie. We have been together for 6 years in college and remain friends until now. She's working in Dubai now. We talked for like 5 hours in Yahoo Messenger.

After graduating from college, she landed a job as a shift manager in Jollibee back home (Zamboanga City) and I went to look for my luck in Makati City. I have worked as a call center agent for 8 months. We have never seen each other after the college graduation but the communication (through texting, calls and internet) remain wonderful for both of us. I miss her and hopefully someday we will get together and just enjoy being together. Thank you for the time girl and take care of yourself.

It Was A Fine Day

My day started just fine today. I just watched some Tagalog movies all day while multi-tasking at work. It has been 10 days now since the Autumn started. The trees in the campground are starting to get all bare. The fallen leaves were all over the campground. It is so wonderful to see them falling, the wind blows them as they separate from the tree. My job will end for the season too and will be back when it is time for camping season probably by April or May. For the mean time, let me enjoy the remaining days that I will be working before the camping season ends.

Before I end my blog for today, I just want to greet my friend from Zamboanga City, Philippines who's celebrating his birthday. I know my time here is behind from the time it was back home but still I did my job greeting him on his birthday. Happy birthday Erico! I wish you all the best in life and may all your wishes be granted!