A Gift of Surprise!

This Christmas, it was so overwhelming to receive gifts from my family. I used to receive at least 15-20 gifts every christmas. This year, I got 20 gifts from hubby alone, and another 10 from mom and George.
Anyway, every Christmas, it is always a tradition for me and hubby to open our presents (those gifts we give each other) at home under our Christmas tree. Another batch of gifts opening will be after our family dinner at mom and George's house.
So, at home, after I finished opening the 19 gifts, hubby told me to open the last one which has the most unique shape and was actually wrapped with weird things. I thought there is one thing in there that he would used to give me, like the regular girly stuff. Well, I was surprised to know it was no ordinary thing. It was a double heart diamond pendant with gold on the sides and with a dainty necklace. Hubby took a video of me opening the gift. You would probably know how surprise I was when I uttered the word REALLY??!!! That was after I saw the price...LOL! I couldn't divulge the price. I would rather consider this gift with a sentimental value :).

If you want to watch the video clip, you may click it HERE.

Our Cousin's Visit!

Last Wednesday (Veteran's Day) we got the chance to hang out with our cousin (actually hubby's first cousin) who happened to visit us here in Maryland all the way from Washington D.C. where she currently works as a foreign service officer trainee. They had holiday off on Veteran's Day, so she decided to come over and see us. Although it was raining the entire day, the rain didn't stop us from hanging around our area, and had a late lunch together as well :).

Hopefully, Tanya will soon to be a US diplomat...a rare job only smart people can get through (as hubby would say). She really deserves to be one!  She speaks many languages and well-travelled, what can we say? {wink}. I would always both compliment them that their family is a generation of smart and intellectual people, and they would both be smiling lol! It's a fact they couldn't deny...they have high education and degrees, with good stable jobs!

We are getting excited to be witnessing her "Flag Day" ceremony on the 23rd of this month in D.C., because this will be the day she would know what country will she be going to. She said it's exciting but at the same time a bit tensed! Anyway, that's basically how her job would revolve in the first place. She loves the job and she's almost there!

Thanks for the wonderful time with us, Tanya! As always, our home is open for you when you feel like visiting us ;).

God bless you!

It's Thanksgiving Month

What could I say? Time flies so fast, and now it's thanksgiving month and my birthday month! {grins}...I would always tell hubby, right after my natal day, everything would all be christmas preparations...shopping, decorations (which means I'll have to carry a 90-pound christmas tree back inside for set up and decorations), and of course my fave....gift wrapping :).

But let me set aside talking about christmas for a while. I love the thanksgiving celebration. But for me, it's always a daily routine saying my thanks to Him up there. There are many things we should be thankful for. There are always blessings being given to us, big or small. Sometimes, there are pains that we have to go through yet it's a blessing.  Well, some might not agree, but if you're sensitive to what God is telling you, you'll certainly understand.

Have a happy advance Thanksgiving, everyone! Count your blessings always and be thankful! That's God-pleasing! :).

Jack O'Lantern - Pumpkin Carving

Last night, we started carving one pumpkin for our jack o'lantern :). I was thinking it's a bit hard to do the carving, but it was done in a few minutes. We are not good in designing faces, so it's just the usual jack o'lantern with missing teeth! LOL! We put a scented candle inside and took photo. Not bad! I'll set this aside for the Halloween on our doorstep. I bet there will be more kids running around the neighborhood for their trick or treat. I am not big in this event, but kids will be knocking on our door for sure!

Fingerprinting Done!

I am suppose to post this update earlier, but anyway, better late than never :). So, last Saturday, my fingerprint appointment was done. This is a requirement for my citizenship application which I submitted last September 18, '09.

My schedule was at 3pm, and it was cold and rainy that day. Since it was Saturday, we didn't have to worry about parking. Thank God, Baltimore wasn't that busy. When I arrived at the center, there were only a couple of people there. It wasn't even 3 o'clock yet, but the lady at the counter allowed me to go ahead and fill up the form. At 2:15pm, my number was called and I was done at 2:20pm. How cool is that? hehehe...

My only concern is the possibility of a retake. Sometimes, there are instances that FBI can't read the fingerprints, so they send notices for a retake. Now, that would be a hassle! I am praying there should be no more retakes!

It's just a relief to see that at least the process is moving. I'm almost there. I would be much, much more relieved to get all the immigration things completely done once I'm through with the citizenship and get my US passport...God willing!

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Our 5th Year Wedding Anniversary Celebration (Update)

I checked the weather today for Harpers Ferry tomorrow and it says it will be rainy. As planned, we will be driving to the place tomorrow (Oct. 24), but there might be a change in the plan. If it would be a thick rain, then we'll just have to skip going there tomorrow and will go Sunday instead.

I don't want to ruin the trip. It will be more on sight seeing so, I guess I would better enjoy doing it when the clouds are clear and sunny.

We'll give you any update guys and we'll see how it works.

Keep yourself warm...it's getting cold!!! Bbrrrrr!!!!

Our 5th Year Wedding Anniversary

On October 24 will be our 5th year together as husband and wife. Still happy and full of love for each other, still receiving so much blessings, and still lots of R & R's ;).

As early as this time, we already thought of going somewhere to celebrate it and that would be in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. As usual, hubby is requesting me to do the itineraries. The place is historical and we heard there are lots of scenic drives that we can do down there. Sounds interesting! We thought of going back home same day as it will only be an hour drive from home...so why not?

Time to web search!!!

Virus Infected!

Howdy ya'll? It's been a while. I'm just a bit concern about my FS account. I won't doubt somebody out there who can't seem to do something right is trying to hack account by trying to download a virus on my PC. I bet many of you sometimes experience this. If you don't have a powerful anti-virus software to detect it, your PC will soon crash.

This past few weeks, I've noticed that everytime I sign in, my anti virus would suddenly pop up and says "virus detected and is denied." That means, my pc is still safe, but what it does freezes my pc and I have to turn it off as I can't even reboot it :(. I'm not sure if this is my anti-virus software reaction to the attempted virus download, or the virus (or perhaps a bad spyware with the virus) itself.

Sometimes, I just thought of closing my FS account since I am now more active in FB. However, I still have my blog here, and it's still earning! {wink}...well, I just can't afford to take my blog off when in fact it's an income earner for me. Besides, I still can continue posting my rants..."cenya na po if may natatamaan ako minsan", but I don't even spare myself being righteous if I know I am wrong! Anyway, back to the story...LOL!

I am also concern about viewing friend's profiles...friendster is just crazy! I wonder if the team is aware of the virus problem or I am just the only one being affected and am ranting alone? ugh!!!!

"Ay naku, friendster team, kayo na ang bahala, ako kawawa!"

The Ravens Mania!

Today, I am supposed to be having my parking practice. And guess what? It didn't happen because I figured out, Ravens are playing! And, with that, you can't ever let hubby move anywhere as he is stucked infront of the TV!

Well, I managed to drive up to the grocery store to buy basic needs, and went to the video store real quick to return the tape because hubby forgot to put the dvd tape inside the DVD case when he returned it yesterday, LOL!

We had spaghetti for dinner, and I gave him a bowl...he finished his spaghetti bowl in a snap!!!! and went off running back to the TV!

hahahaha...funny day.

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Rude People On The Road!

Yesterday, it was my first drive in the neigborhood at its peak of busy traffic. I usually drive late in the evenings and traffic is just moderate.  I was just used to it. So, that day, I got out to drive as early as noon time, and so, I got the busiest road ever...a helpful experience :).

While I was trying to change lane, I turned my blinker on,I boosted my speed to allow ample space for the next car behind me on the next lane I am going before I can shift to the said lane. My goodness!...this car doesn't want to give way and continued to speed up to the max! So, she gave me a super loud HONK! which says don't come my way! Hah!....sooooo rude! I had to do a slight swerve back to my lane. She passed on me and gave me a mean look. The driver was still in her early 20's perhaps, or younger and probably a teenager.

Hubby said that was okay, and I didn't do anything wrong. It was just that some people are like that and I have to get used to it...Of course, driving extra careful is always a priority....and extra patience!!! But I was pissed off!

Hubby said I got the experience of meeting rude driver on the road, and road rage shouldn't be tolerated as well. He is right!

Ging's rumbles and rants ended on the right lane crossing the intersection of Johnsville and Sykesville roads! LOL!

Drive safely!

Disappointment Caused By Bitterness = BAD Attitude!

This post should have been done earlier, but due to time constraints, I wasn’t able to do it. It was still fresh on my mind few days after we arrived from our Philippine trip, and the fact that it was only relayed to me when we arrived here in the US was a difficult thing to give my own side of the story. I just couldn’t let it out of my mind until I could post and share my sentiments as well.

By the way, I love all my family! That includes all the entire relatives of both my parent’s mother and father sides. Although families are not created to be 100% perfect, the LOVE will always be there. No matter how we have conflicts and petty quarrels, the harmonious love is still there. There might be some pain and struggles, but the love remains. There are serious wrongdoings that has been done, you feel so much upset, but in the end, you still love them. That’s the way I was raised.I am not sure how many families of my relatives still believe and maintain the harmonious, and unconditional love and should be on their priority list. (Of course, God will be on top J).

Well, I am not perfect either. I have been stubborn and “crazy” but I chose to walk on the right side. Thank God, He gave me a husband who is leading me to the right way of life.

There is always an important reason every time we go to the Philippines for a vacation...to visit our families. Of course, it’s always the direct/close family members that seem to come first...I can’t deny that.We have been always wanting to see every member of my BIG family (as my hubby would say), but there has been always a challenge beating the limited time we have. 

Our last visit to the Philippines was not exclusively to visit family but to attend to some important matters over family legality issues. In that case, it was one top priority! We were lucky enough to visit my cousin Senia’s family since our nephew and niece (yen and waky) wanted to see their “lola mins” (they call her that way). Their “lola mins” took care of them while they were still small. Thank God, they have decided to come back to Iloilo for good...so, the “reunion” happened. And speaking of the kids staying in Iloilo, we are still continuously praying for a heavenly wisdom for the jury that the kids’ wishes will be granted by court.This is a sensitive case to tackle, so I won’t be sharing it online. In one way or the other, we thought, their “lola mins” has the right to know what is really happening. She has been an “auntie-mom” to the kids for a while. (until now, I guess).

For those other relatives that we weren’t able to visit, we are sorry. There will always be a time for all ofus to gather. It will be in God’s perfect timing! So, please don’t cast out your disappointments but instead be open-minded enough to understand.I wonder why this should be a “big issue” to some other relatives L. Before you condemn us, perhaps, you should try “paying a visit” to my mom and she can give you updates.

There have been several members of our family who have been blessed enough to work abroad. I have heard and saw them visit Philippines, back and forth, but we were not “disappointed” to say “they didn’t pay us a visit”.We hear (and see) relatives who celebrate “fiestas” , birthdays, weddings, etc. and we are not invited (perhaps, forgotten on their list), and did you hear any word??? Did you see and hear us being disappointed? We still include you in our prayers! Before my mother went to Cavite to take care of the kids, she would always wish at least a niece or a nephew would come by the house to see and “visit” her. NOT even a niece or a nephew who is just close to her would bother dropping by. She wasn’t disappointed.But all these, we understood, because we all have our priorities on the list.

By the way, when we visit our families, we don’t give money! We are not rich. Just to clear things out. We don’t want anybody thinking about money when we pay for a visit. I know there are those (not all) who think that way. All we want is to be with families and strengthen the bond of love. If somebody would only think of money, then I will tell you, for sure, you don’t deserve to be part of the family! Sorry for being blunt!...but it makes sense, don’t you think? 

To all our families, you are all cordially invited to my house warming on 2011! ALL will be invited...as long as you’re a relative. Just bring you birth certificate to prove you are one. LOL!!!! (just kidding.)

Try to overcome envy. It would only make you bitter. Envy + bitterness lead you to disappointment. And that means “BAD ATTITUDE”. We don’t tolerate bad attitudes in the family. Not even a “crab mentality” attitude because it’s a bad attitude!

Hope you’ve said your prayer today! God bless!

Fun in the Sun!

We just arrived from our Rhode Island trip the other day, and I can say we really had fun! It really put "smiles" on our face because lately, I and my hubby had been teasing each other with the words "Lady Ging" and "Duke Craig". LOL!

Well, the fact that we visited 7 mansions, it's a no wonder why those words seemed to just be spoken out of nowhere, hehehe...

The mansion tours inside are incredible!!! The only downside of that is NO photography inside! :(.  If ever allowed, I should have at least more than hundreds of photos stored in my camera already. Well, it's part of the National Historic Preservation rule, so visitors can keep coming :). I was really tempted to attempt to click my camera, but...NO WAY! Video cams inside the mansions are everywhere! Any person caught taking photos will be prosecuted. Well, I don't want to ruin my vacation spending the rest of my days in jail. So, behave na lang me, hehehe...

There are mansions that allow photography inside such as the Astor's Beechwood Mansion. It's kinda a private mansion, and I guess we were able to get 4-5 photos in there. It's not as fancy as the other mansions are, but it can give someone a glimpse on what is inside.

The Marble House (which is a mansion, by the way) is so far the most beautiful to me. Inside are all marbles, full of gold architectural designs on all ceilings and walls. The designs are inspired during America's Gilded age as they call it. Of course, mostly are like castle designs, and many are like Victorian designs. These were built in the 18th century, so just imagine the designs you'll see like that one in ancient Rome! :).

But of course, we spent most of our time outside, the longest one when we did the "Cliff Walk". This is a long walk (3.5 miles), and we didn't even finished it. Too bad! It was tiring, and you can't find any refreshing stand at all. Our drink was all gone, and we still had to walk more than a mile away,  and the heat was scorching, and I was super thirsty! If you love to walk or jog, this is the best place to do it. You get an exercise and an excellent view of the ocean! Just be sure to bring at least few bottles of water or soda with you. You'll be mostly along the cliff side, so refreshment stands are far, far away!

More soon! :)

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Driving Updates (again)

I am now through with the 6 hours from the school. Hubby insists I continue to work on with the tutor, but I am thinking it is impractical now because we need to pay him 50 bucks for 2 hours. Just imagine if I just continue driving (which doesn't actually need a lot of lessons once you get used to it on the highway) with the tutor twice a week, that's expensive! My driving tutor gave me the tips on parking techniques, and all I have to do is enhance it.

Ah, what can I do with hubby?....too lazy to be with me to do the practice. I understand him anyway...he's a workaholic, and already dead tired when he comes home from work. I did try few times doing the parking, and I think that is the only part I need to continually practice. I don't have a problem driving on the road, winding or not, narrow or wide, and straight, etc...lol!

Sometimes, I feel it's just too unfair that many states don't even give a test on parallel parking, and getting a DL is just a breeze, while Maryland is just too crazy to test new drivers on parallel parking. I am aware of the reasons, and who am I to be on the contrary?

Driving Lessons Update

Yesterday, I finally had my appointment with my driving tutor for the first 2-hour lesson. He picked me up at home and drove me to a nearby school parking lot and from there, I drove around the parking lot for a warm up and just to get used to with the car. The car was the school car where I had my 36 hours classroom lecture. It was a bit old and I had to adjust the side mirrors manually. I don't like doing it, but on the other side of it, the car has a "student driver" sign at the back so I felt more comfortable with it so that other cars would know and be considerate enough when I will be on the road, LOL.

I felt it was a good start for me, and drove for 2 hours on a long windy, hilly, some bumpy road around he neighborhood, and went as far as I don't know where I was, lol. The instructor said he wouldn't let me drive on the highway yet since it's my first lesson.

Thank God, I passed. Originally, the plan was that I will pay him just for the tutoring and not a part of the free 6-hours on the road lessons from the school since I felt am not yet ready to be graded and assessed since I haven't been driving for more than a year since my last practice :(.

My hubby was about to write a check for him, but the instructor said it's not needed because I did good and therefore, he is crediting it from the free 6-hours road lesson from the school. I was surprised but thankful at the same time. That means I still have 4 more hours for the road lessons before I can finally get that school driving certificate to present it to MVA for my final driving test. Lots of blah-blahs needed, but I got no choice anyway but to follow the SOP's.

Now, I felt my adrenaline suddenly went down, and I suddenly felt so exhausted and weak...and my behind is so sore!! LOL.

Gosh, how long can I be like this??

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A House We Will Call Home!

Please don't kill me, lol! as I am really lagging behind on all my posts. But as I've mentioned previously, I am going to share updates on our house that we are buying in the Philippines.

It was actually a very tough challenge and a lot of difficulties for me lately one week after we arrived from the Philippines. Hubby caught the bug (definitely, not the swine flu), and passed it on to me. He had a flu shot last fall, and I didn't, so he recovered faster and there was the poor me struggling on the most terrible cough I've ever had for 2 weeks.  I was diagnosed with bronchitis and pharyngitis, and had to take antibiotics for 10 days! Ha! that wasn't as easy as it sounds because I have to swallow a tablet as big as a marble! LOL!

Anyway, I'm feeling much more than better now.

Back to the topic, here is the story. While in the Philippines, we had been visiting some houses in many of the housing subdivisions in Iloilo (my hometown). I was actually surprised to see many housing real estate companies in Iloilo this year which was a good thing for us to look for more options. We finally managed to choose one house that I and hubby thought will be a good one.

The house is a single attached 2-storey home with 3 bedrooms upstairs. We got this choice because of its unique house finishing that's unique from the rest. The house will be made with CPAC two-toned tawny brick, much more durable than the regular hollow blocks that they put for the wall and foundation.

Currently, we are now paying the installment plan without interest for 18 months. Since we put a downpayment of more than the required DP amount, we will be paying much more smaller for the remaining loan after 18 months. We had the option to pay the remaining loan for 5 years, but we are aiming to pay it in less than that, God willing :).

More or less the house would be finished late of 2010, or early of 2011. It gives me excitement to think about the house, and I was tasked by hubby to do the interior designs and getting the things needed inside. Sounds like a good yehey next time we visit Philippines and staying on ou new home instead of staying in a hotel for 3 weeks! Of course, planning a house warming would be exciting as well :).

So far so good. I will post updates from time to time.

Our RP Vacation Update

It's been a good feeling to get back to the blogging world! Haven't been around for a while. Although I have been in constant struggle to update my blog(s), many things are keeping me busy since I and hubby arrived Philippines on April 18, '09. I missed doing the posts, but that's just nothing compared to the quality and quantity of time you spend with your family, isn't it?

Weather: It's been a rainy weather since we arrived. From Iloilo to Manila, rain is just almost daily usually in the afternoon and late evenings. There's a good thing to that...hubby wasn't sweating too much, LOL!

Family: Meeting with my family is the best this year! Why? I saw and was with my siblings seeing us complete. It was one of those few ones where I consider it the most memorable! We had fun in the beach, at home, at the dinner table, good chats, some more outings, etc...We're looking forward to have one like this next year, God willing.

A place we call home: We reserved a house and lot last week in Iloilo. It was tough actually looking for a good one - nice neighborhood and flood free areas, the construction quality and good deals on the price. We have some plans now, but we kept praying for it. I am excited to share about the house, but I won't until we start our payment midweek of this month. This is a BIG investment on our savings since we are thinking of paying the downpayment half of the total price of the house. The total contract price: 2M Php...now you got the idea how much we'll be paying for the down. I'm keeping my fingers crossed! :) It's a 3-bedroom house with a wide porch on top. ..just ideal for a couple. We can manage to accept visitors once in a while, hahaha! Oh, by the way, I got carried away, I already shared almost all about the house :)).

Meeting Friends: I guess, I am gaining more friends both internationally and locally, LOL! I can't imagine myself being invited at the Manila US Embassy for a visit! I am looking forward to meeting some of them on Thursday.  Hubby has some co workers assigned there and wanted to meet them as well. Hubby has been a good asset of the group in relation to his job. That has been a blessing ever since :).

Two more days, and we'll setting our feet off the Philippine grounds. It would be nice to be back home soon!

To all the mothers out there, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! Hey mom! I hope you liked the card and the gift we gave you! We love you. Mwah!

We got a new look! :)

Everytime I go to the Philippines for a vacation, I make sure I've got to cut my hair shorter than the way it is here in the US. I love my long hair here as it is always a good warm protector during cooler times. But having my long hair in the Philippines would be a disaster for me! My hair seems to be highly reactive to warmer climate so whenever it is exposed to a tropical temperature, it becomes so nasty...I couldn't imagine having hair as thick as a rough grass LOL!

So, here are some good news...I (and hubby) are finally done with our hair appointment last Saturday with Daisy (my friend-hairstylist). And once again, I finally was able to convince hubby to color his hair as well :). We both had been growing a "salt and pepper" hair color and many say it's a good color for a natural hair. It was a good complement, but we wanted to have a slight change, and so it ended up a BIG change for me, LOL!

I usually have a trim for my hair (at least 2-3 inches), but this time, I told Daisy to cut my hair half. I was surprised that half was really long and hubby was really surprised with big eyes and suddenly asked me why that long! Hubby always loves my hair long, but I told him my hair grows fast. By the time we'll be back home, it's gonna be long again...whew! at last he accepted my reason. Besides, it would be hot there, and he knows I hate having long hair in a hot climate.

Another good news, my hair that was cut will be going into a good cause. It will be donated to a goodwill agency (forgot its name). So, not bad, right? I'm now a hair donor! LOL!

4 days more to go and we'll be stepping the Philippine soil once again. It's always been an excitement seeing our family first and foremost and seeing friends as well :). As always, we are requesting you to pray for our safe trip going there and back.

Happy Resurrection Day! God is alive and always be!

I'm Now a Lawful Permanent US Resident! :).

First and foremost is my big thanks to Him up there who continues to answers our prayers and constantly gives us more than enough blessings with our lives daily. Thank you Lord!

When I came here in the US to finally join my husband, I was granted a conditional permanent residence for 2 years. Of course, we still consider paper works as hassles since we keep on submitting the same documents, forms, etc...and yet the payments continue to increase! Plus, we can't just imagine long months of waits before we could finally get a result...well, in this case where you don't have any choice but to follow the law is a tough hurdle. But in the end of each final step of struggle, it is all worth it.

Dealing with the US immigration involves a lot of paperworks, not to mention some interviews...I consider this as a battle - just like fighting for my marriage and relationship with my husband, which is really the focus, anyway.

It took me 9 months to wait before I received a letter of approval last week (March 11) from the USCIS congratulating me about being a permanent US resident, and will be a green card holder for 10 years! But on the other hand, the wait is not yet over until I have the 10-yrs green card in hand. (letter says I have to wait within 60 days).

Of course, the approval is as well an automatic eligibility to take the US citizenship or Naturalization test. So, in this case, one more final step to get that test and I'm done. This means, it's one more step of doing the same routines..fingerprinting, submitting paperworks and forms, etc..., wait another several months, before getting the final result! {{sigh}}....it's one more FINAL step of long waits but I wouldn't be minding it since it would be the final hurdle with USCIS! :).

By the way, I will be eligible for citizenship on August 30, 2009 onwards :). Isn't that cool?  (Yay).

Philippine Domestic Airlines Online?....My Goodness Gracious!!!

Thank God, after spending so many hours trying to book 5 people online, I finally managed to get our domestic airline tickets late last night (e-tickets). My special thanks for my husband's coming in to the rescue so these could all be done!

I hate name dropping, but this time, I thought it might be of good help to some who would be thinking of purchasing their tickets online from either of the Philippine domestic airlines online.  No offense meant to the airlines I would be mentioning, but I am just sharing an experience.

Since we will be travelling during the peak season, I and hubby just decided to get our domestic air tickets earlier, so we decided checking the airlines' air fares, schedules, etc. We were glad it says on their websites we can book and pay online, so that's super cool...much more convenient for us.

I first worked with Cebu Pacific (which has a good price by the way) for a Manila-Iloilo flight. The first attempt to book and pay failed because our credit card was declined. Here comes hubby to the rescue, called our credit card bank, which gave him an answer that the anti-fraud unit is now authorizing the transaction. I tried booking again 4 times, still failed 4 times, hubby called bank again 4 times, with 4 different answers...and hubby's face was turning red!!oh-oh..I said this is not good! There were bad argues on the phone and hubby was so pissed off, so that he decided to just give up using the card and close the account...(sorry Chase).
Second option....I tried calling on Cebu Pacific's phone (call center) so we could just book and pay via phone, and I was on stand by for more than an hour!!!where all I could hear are commercial ads of Smart and Globe played gazillion times! Where in the world are those people at? Sleeping? They just lost another sale of at least more than $200 for that...why? we gave up and decided to go for another airline.

This is our second story: I and hubby decided to just then shift to Air Philippines, another domestic airline. We remembered buying our tickets online last 2007 from them, and it was okay. Just a bit more expensive than Cebu Pacific, but if we could just buy tickets without any problems, we won't mind about the price.
So, I then started booking 2 round trip tickets (I and hubby) using credit card, (byt the way, this time we are using another credit card, not Chase!) and it was okay. The hassles came in when I started booking 3 one-way tickets for Iloilo when the fillable form asked that any of the 3 passengers should be one of the credit card holders which obviously would be impossible because these 3 passengers are my family and I am buying the tickets for them. Anyway, since I couldn't reach any live person on their phone, (as usual...in the Philippines, a hotline number NEVER works!) I put one of their names on the credit card so that the tickets could go through the booking system. They went through indeed and were confirmed! I know the consequences of what I did, so I asked for hubby's rescue again, LOL!

First, hubby had to call the credit card bank and explained to them that a transaction with a different name on it might appear on the billing, and the bank said it would be okay since hubby had called them earlier to notify them about this international transaction. Furthermore, at that time, the lady said they haven't receive the transaction yet, but we won't be worrying about it anymore since they were informed about it.

Second, we called the reservations of Air Philippines. Hubby volunteered to do the call and he was on standby for 30 minutes! Thank God, we had this earphone that you can just stick it into the phone so you could be hands-free! :). Finally, the operator answered. Of course we had to tell him about what happened on the credit card with the different name on it. The guy told hubby he still has to check about this with his superior and so hubby was put on hold for another 20 minutes. The guy returned, and this time I got the chance to speak to him:

Operator: Hi mam are you Mrs. ____?
Me: Yes.
Operator: How are you related to Mrs..Ms. and Mr?____?
Me:They are my family, and I am the credit card holder. I am buying the tickets for them.
Operator: Well, mam, putting one of your family's name on your credit card is not allowed since she is not a card holder.
Me: I know it wasn't. But since I can't reach anyone on the phone, and your website is not equipped with an option of  ordering tickets for people that are not card holders, I had to do that. Sorry for doing it, but I will be travelling together with them, so I'll be carrying my card with me just in case you wanna check. Are there any advices and recommendations you can give?
Operator: Mam, we should not be allowing it, but we would allow this case only for this time. But mam, pls. don't do it again? Then, you have to make a certification letter explaining that you are the credit card holder, to be presented on your check-in...blah,blah,blah!
Me: Thank You. I appreciate you giving me the information and warning. Thanks for the time and answering our queries. Bye.

Whew! Our phone transaction, including the stand by hours was 1 hour 20 minutes.

After more than an hour, I received the e-tickets on my email.

End of our ordeal! :)

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Chapped Lips!

This is just one of things I hate about winter! Why? My lips become dry and scaly, so that I couldn't even put a lipstick on them because they just look worst! I got a lot of lip gloss and moisturizers in hand, and I even have a medicated balm, but they just don't work. They can relieve and just give a temporary protection for a few minutes.

I spend most of the time facing the mirror and pulling off the scales from time to time. I think I overdid it one time and my lips were bleeding. There are times that I am not aware, it's already bleeding!

Gosh, it feels so uncomfortable having it. I hope winter can just be gone in a few seconds from now, and skip to summer LOL!

Winter, winter go away, come again after another decade! :)).

Our Philippine Trip

Now that our trip to the Philippines is officially confirmed and booked via Cathay Pacific, I can say this is really it!...LOL!

We just receive the ticket itineraries last week from our travel agent friend, (thanks Dion) who did an excellent job in booking us to the most convenient flight, talking about looong hours of sitting on the plane.

I had to request her to book us in a shorter hours, to which she booked us from Baltimore to LA (I can withstand 4-5 hours in this), LA to HK, HK to MLA. The route from LA to HK would now be much shorter for a wait compared to New York - HK route (this one is so far I think the looooongest wait just sitting on the plane) which we had the last time we travelled to the Philippines.

Although the total length of our trip will still be the same, (at least 9,000 miles) halfway around the globe, LOL! - the hours of sitting on the plane are staggered, which means we can have enough time stretching our knees and relax.

And  oh by the way, hubby is a member of Marco Polo Club (a sister company of Cathay), so we would be treated for a free snacks and beverages at the lounge area while waiting for our flight. I had been there twice, and it's really a good place where you can even take a nap, free internet, etc...it's like a small home where you can sit in the living room and watch TV or read the papers, how cool is that, huh? :).

I am starting my countdown as of today! :).

I Wanna Be in Cancun!

Aside from Europe, I had been wanting to visit and see Cancun someday - hopefully, sooner than expected! :). Besides, I have heard many beautiful stories of people and friends visiting this place. Of course, I can't hide the fact that I always love to be in the tropics. Whether I would be splashing down in the beautiful crystal waters of the white sand beaches or just close to the water with a pretty sunset background, - that would be a nostalgic experience I wouldn't forget.
I consider myself a frequent traveler, and one aspect of getting a good trip experience is proper planning. I do plan trip itineraries whenever I and hubby want to go for a trip.

I came across a website called Karisma Hotels that offers cancun vacation packages. Most packages are offered with a favored collection of Gourmet Inclusive resorts located along the white sand beaches of Riviera Maya. I can actually do online reservations, but I am still currently checking some options on where is the best to go. El Dorado Royale is awesome, while Azule hotels are also good equipped with pretty scenic spots. Who knows? We can do the trip anytime late this year! :). If not, there's always the next time to do further planning.

Undergoing Theme Change...

As usual, I play games of trial and error when it comes to this. That's how I learn things as they go. The downside is it would take all your time doing it and if your patience is not long enough, you'll just give up. Of course, I wouldn't recommend this to those who has jobs that are taking their days mostly, not unless you love doing it anyway! :).

My mind freaks from time to time when I am not contented the way a certain thing looks. Just by taking a good example is  this one...blog tweakings or just plainly customizing a site or a blog.  I continously search for other better options that I think I like, and I am running out of it since WP at friendster is so much limited in features :(.

I guess I need to stick on the famous quote..."be content!". :)

Okay, for now, I am not saying am sticking to this theme, but expect a little "chaos" once in a while. Rest assured the posts won't be affected though. After all, that's the essential part of this blog.

Now, I need a good header for this. I'm still critically looking for a good photo of me that fits! I am just trying to be extra careful because customizing this header is a li'l bit tricky. It transforms photos into a horrible state, LOL!

But I'm needing a break! I shall return! :)).

Blog Tweaking

I did a little bit of tweaking on this blog. I thought it would just be as simple as it is, but it was somewhat challenging, but I ended up with just a simple outcome. Wordpress has a lot of limitations, so widgets are stubborn, particularly html codes.

Anyway, I thought of changing my theme background, plus uploaded a new custom header. I tried to put animations on it, color tone combinations, photo effects....yikes! doesn't suit my taste.

Well, I finally thought of removing all animation effects and just uploaded a resized custom header on one of my photos. So far, this was the best photo I can fit in the custom header. I had a lot of better choices, but the resizing effect looks horrible...I look like an alien! LOL!

I think I had too much animations on most of my blogs/sites. So, this time, I am trying to make it as simple as it is. My eyes are even getting tired of looking at animated objects nowadays.

Have a safe and good week end to all!

This Is Making Me Crazy!

The other day, as I opened my email, I saw several paid blogging opportunities waiting inline in my inbox. I then check one of the sites which the opportunities are coming and they are all to be posted on my old friendster blog link which I deleted several months ago. I deleted the old blog because there's nothing I can do to change it to a free subscription. The choices I had was to either stick to that paid subscription or delete it in order to start another new one with a free subscription. I thought of giving up the subscription because it wasn't worth what I was paying, so then I deleted it.

Today, when I checked my email again, there are several more coming sponsored paid posts waiting and are all to be posted on the same old blog I used to have. This is a strange thing, so I checked the pagerank of the old blog link and I found out it has a Google Page Rank 4!!! Waaaahhh! I hate this...and it's making me crazy! Why? The waiting paid posts are almost $80 bucks for 2 days offer.

Google is making me crazy! That old blog has been a paid subscription for many months and never had any page rank at all, and when I deleted it, they gave a PR4??  It could have been another "site of gold" for me, but I can no longer retrieve that blog! Poor me!

If you are into the paid blogging world, you know what I'm talking about, but if not, just ignore what I'm saying, LOL!

But to give you some ideas, (you might end up trying to be a paid blogger) here's what you need to know:

If you maintain a blog that are constantly updated, try checking its Google Page Rank. (Just type and search the word google page rank checker on the web) and once you find it, type in your blog link in the box and submit.
Google page ranking comes from 0-10. The higher the number your blog gets, the higher your page rank (PR) is. The higher your PR, the more and higher paid ads you'll be getting. Now, don't ask me how Google page rank is being calculated because the answer is I really don't know! The calculations sound too complicated to understand. Perhaps, only a few knows how it works.

Now, I guess you know what I'm trying to imply. It just makes me crazy rejecting those paid ads because the blog is already deleted and had been dead several months ago!

GGGGGrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!! I'm really mad!

Our Updates!

I guess this is not yet too late to greet you all a Happy New Year! My apology for the long hibernation, but this part of the season is still a busy time for me and hubby. Now, our updates:

TRIP:
We are preparing for our upcoming trip on January 27 til the 29th for San Antonio, Texas. As usual, we are requesting your humble prayers for a safety trip for both of us. We are not confirming this, but this might be the last trip we will do this year regarding hubby's symposium trips at work. SSA-headquarters is changing to a new symposium leadership training topics and hubby's not sure if he will still be needed in the symposium since he already moved out from the Office of Training. We'll keep you up to date regarding this.

The other piece of good news is that we already set up a date for our 3-week vacation to the Philippines in April this year ...(yay) :). The dates are yet to be confirmed as to hubby's work schedules.

OUR FAMILY PORTAL SITE:
I had to cancel our former family portal site and moved our site to a new host. Call me silly...but probably because my mind keeps on getting more active as it was, I discover more things that need to be done, talking about website making. I later on discovered that I really needed more features that I really wanted for a family site, giving me the reason to change it. At least now I know I'm getting worth the payment :). Please visit us at http://craigandging.net. We are continously updating it, so check us up from time to time :).

My FACEBOOK:
I had been keeping my profile silent for two years in here. Now I am just starting in making it more active once again. I like the cool features, better than two years ago, LOL!. Please join me in facebook...angelnoah_1121@yahoo.com.

WEATHER:
Winter season is making me sick! I just checked the weather updates today and it says 9F!!?...I just become so lazy (and depressed?) when it gets too cold! Don't wanna go out, don't like moving much and all I want is to sit and sleep :)). I'm still struggling to overcome the "laziness" effect of winter on me. Why I hate going out? I don't wanna wear 4 layers of clothings and go shopping for just 2 blocks away from home, come back and takes me time to remove the layerings :(.

Hope the year 2009 will create more blessings and happiness to all of you.

Ciao! :).

Celebrating Christmas 2008 (Part 2)

Christmas was not only challenging for me, it was a season of catching the worst "bug" ever since I came to America. The bug celebrated Christmas with me until New Year. So, that means I had been "barking" from time to time for more than a week, LOL!

Thank God, I am feeling better now. I was deprived of sleep for the past few days because of the cough, but I now am getting good sleep for the new year 2009 :)).

Anyway, after Christmas, we thought of going to Longwood Gardens (one of our favorite place to hang out) in Pennyslvania to watch the Christmas lights. We didn't expect it was much of  a challenge to get a parking spot that night of December 26th. Our parking was far away from the garden where a bus had to pick us up. But the Longwood Gardens staff did a wonderful job! Kudos! :).

We enjoyed the beauty of the garden lighted with sparkling colored lights at night...no wonder, one of the staff told us they receive at least 15,000 visitors every night for the holiday season! Whew!!!

We went home early afternoon of December 27th, and I was knocked down on bed! LOL!

It was all worth it. I trully enjoyed the spirit of christmas as well. Thank you Lord...we are so blessed! :).