When It Is More Blessed To Give Than To Receive!

Christmas and other special occasions are NOT the only time for giving or "sharing our blessings." It is being done everyday! You see, blessings come in various forms, and we give and share in various ways. For me, I see giving and sharing blessings as a chain of constant, continous link that always leads to a good cause. It means, giving should be non-stop that passes from one to another. It is because "giving is a kingdom principle, and it brings MORE BLESSINGS to the giver than the recipient."
One who shares his/her blessings doesn't expect any payment or exchange in return from his/her bretheren. Of course, God is always watching, and He knows whom to give His blessings to those who deserve. On the other hand, the recipient can pass on the "giving link" to another. I bet you know what I am trying to say, right? ;) The reason why I mentioned earlier that giving should be a non-stop link.

The Bible practically points out a lot of scriptures about giving. One scripture that stood out for many is in Acts 20:35 : - "It is more blessed to give than to receive". You don't need to be a Bible scholar to find all those scriptures, but it is just vital to read our Bible from time to time, because it is the Word of God.

On the other hand, in many instances, it is sometimes sad to see and feel that many who receive would just be contented to accept. They would make up stories that they are incapable of giving anything...because they are poor, they don't have money, they are too weak, sick, disabled, etc...True Christians can always see things worth giving to other people. Fake ones would only be sticking to one golden rule: "What is yours is also mine, and what is mine is only mine!"

Beware of those people who would only love you because you give them something, particularly material things...especially "MONEY"! Beware behind your backs that those people whom you choose to share your blessings with, would be saying things against you, and yet they can bring you the sweetest smiles when you are with them face to face!
There are more people who need our blessings to be shared that are more deserving than for people who are hypocrites. Not unless you want to give just for the sake of a show! Not unless you want to give and share because you are guilty of something?

Beware of people who only want to be with you because you give them money! In other words, they see you as a walking ATM on the road, and that wherever you are they would be happy to be with you.

On the part of the "giver", I don't see anything wrong with people who are generously sharing their blessings in public. Each has his own perspective why one chooses to do it that way. It's only God who knows what the real intentions are. Public sharing/giving is NOT condemnable, either. It pleases God's eyes when we do good works as a RESULT of salvation but NOT the MEANS for salvation. (Titus 3: 5, 8).

Watch out what the Bible says in Romans 4:5. "A person cannot WORK FOR his salvation." And it is being supported by a passage at Philippians 2:12. (This time, read your Bible! :))

I am delighted and very thankful for our Lord, that we have been graciously blessed in many ways. We believe it's because our blessings are shared to those who are deserving! We keep quiet whenever possible when it comes to sharing. We would sometimes prefer to be called "anonymous donors", and we want to maintain it that way. But there are times that we have to share our blessings publicly...when the need to do it arises. God works in mysterious ways through people whom He chooses to give blessings to those who truly need!

I hate to tell this again, but I just feel like telling it again. I don't have any intentions of hurting anybody if you get hit, but if you do, I think there's no reason to get bitter. I am not even perfect that sometimes I tend to get hit by those things I write. ugh! Of course, there's no reason to get bitter or get mad because if I need to be rectified of the mistakes I did previously, I always let myself stand corrected.


Why are there people who tend to get bitter and tend to be "demanding" whenever they feel they haven't felt any of the blessings we are sharing? I will answer that. It is because I felt they are more blessed than those "others" I choose to share our blessings with!
Why are there people who get so upset when they haven't been visited and even more upset when you visit them without giving any monetary gifts? Or shall I say they don't need your presence when you don't have money in your wallet?
Why are there people who are already blessed enough to live a good life and yet when they see other people who have something better still want to get theirs and claim it as their own?

I felt when I and my family was struggling to survive, we didn't ask any demands of any other means to people who should be there for us when calamity strikes! We prayed instead. When people would be getting together for special occasions, and we are left behind, I kept quiet and didn't complain. I felt happy and prayed for constant happiness for them. When I was going in and out of the hospital, I didn't bother asking other people to help me on my hospital bills because I know nobody can't...(and won't!). I prayed and I understood. When my mom was sitting on a corner crying because she didn't know what to do, I knew she needed somebody to help her so bad...but nobody cared! I prayed that God would comfort her. When the shelter that we occupy starts to leak and the bed I sleep at night would be drenched with raindrops, while others are sleeping so tight on their homes with tightly secured windows and doors, I didn't say anything and didn't complain. Instead I prayed for hope. My mom didn't mind being ignored while living alone in a place she called home while she struggles to walk so bad and can't barely make it for a few distances because nobody would say "are you okay? When I aired my grievances to my mom and asked "Do we still have a family?"...she calmly would say "Don't turn your heart into a stone, pray for our family instead!" I did and I am still praying for all of them because I love them. " And yes, during those times, I was still counting my blessings day by day!

Thank God, He really puts people in the right place at the right time when all we need were support, prayers, spiritual nurturing, love, patience and understanding. These are the people who are part of whom we share our blessings with! Probably, they know who they are so I won't be name dropping :).

I always feel proud to hear when a family would stand up and initiate the practice of sharing and giving. We always pray for people who are kind hearted and want to encourage anyone from the family not only to be thankful and stop there! Move and start sharing to others as well. Don't let ourselves stick to receiving.

How about you? Are you counting your blessings and sharing them because you are saved through grace by our Lord Jesus Christ or you just want to share only for a show?
I know where I stand and I know where I am coming from, as much as I know my family who raised me up not to become greedy, but only to live within what God would provide for us.

Stay at home Mom

Thanks for the post from Al Mills

Being a stay at home mom means we now have to save money like never before. We need to work hard as a family to make sure being on one income is enough for us but it’s totally worth it considering I get to be home with the girls during the day. I know once they start school I may look into a part time job but for now I’m happy just being here with them in their greatest time of need. So we’ve been saving left and right to make the transition easier and we’ve been cutting back in places you wouldn’t expect. I love having so many options – I went to http://www.giveadish.com/ to get a better TV deal and I’ve been talking to the grocery store about a layaway program. I even sold my new car and got a used one to give us a few extra thousand in cash! My husband’s been really happy with the arrangement and I know that it won’t be long before I get to tell him I’m pregnant again!

Our Friday Movie Date!

Sometimes, there are really lot of unexpected surprises I get out of online surfing ;). For instance, yesterday, I visited my bookmarks and thought of checking what's new from my favorite theater showings. I then saw the Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol at the bottom of the theater schedule and it shows it won't be shown until the 20th of next week. I tried watching the trailer anyway, and I discovered there are initial IMAX screenings dated for December 16, (Friday) which was yesterday. I tried asking my husband if we could go watch it at the IMAX theaters in Columbia, MD since he was coming home early anyway. So, luckily he said yes, but we have to buy tickets online. Good thing we called because the previous showing slots for that day were getting sold out. So, I hurriedly got the tickets online for the 7PM showing, and luckily, it was still available.

We arrived at the theater at 6:30pm, and the line was already long, lol! I stayed in the line, while hubby went to get our drinks and popcorn. It was perfect when we came in because we belonged to the early seaters going in. So, we were able to get a good seat at a perfect angle!
We love the movie shown through Imax!! It was really, really worth it!

That was our Friday movie date that wasn't planned and it happened as smoothly as possible without any hassles! Whew! Thank you, beloved!

We Will Miss You Hi-Dee!

It's been 5 days since "Hi-Dee", my mom-in law's doggy passed away! She was 11 years old when she died on December 1st. That dog gave us a lot of memories and as for mom and George, she was the constant bundle of joy! She was treated like their own daughter and had always been a baby to them. I know the feeling!

The last time they called us, we can feel the grief surrounding them, and by just mentioning Hi-Dee's name to them is just a pain. So, we thought that we should avoid talking about her until both of them can completely recover. They are still currently in the grieving process, and I know it takes time before they can completely accept it.

To know more about what happened that day Hi-Dee showed the signs of leaving us, read it HERE.

Blu Electronic Cigarette

If you can't seem to quit from smoking, there is still one smart option to choose, and that is to probably try electronic cigarette from Blu.

It has a big difference comparing it to your regular cigarette brand that you use because you can smoke it without any second hand smoke, there is no tar and tobacco, odorless and even no ash. Cool, isn't it?

This is one good thing when you use it in places where people are around you such as in the airports, bars, coffee shops, etc...

Besides, you can save more than 50% cheaper than any ordinary cigarettes.

If in case that you are not contented or it doesn't satisfy your taste, don't worry because your money won't go into waste ;). There is a 30-day money back guarantee.

Our Philippine Trip Update

I haven't been posting much these days, although I would always love to catch up sharing our updates and what we are currently doing, our plans and more. But anyway, since I can still have the time to do it, it would be nice sharing another post with you guys!

Our trip to the Philippines was fun! Although it was shorter (2 weeks only, instead of the usual 3 weeks), we were able to make all of our plans worked. Thank God for the successful house warming of our new home there. It was good to see old friends once again, and some church family friends as well. We had fun hanging out with our family even for just few days before we left.
It was like too short for me to enjoy, but I still am thankful that God allowed us to see family once more. The only difficult time to bear is the leaving part, but there is that thing we always look forward to...to come back!

And yes, we are going back in March 2012. It would still be 2 weeks, but I shouldn't be complaining. We are still full of so much blessings. I should be thankful!
It is one big thing I always look forward to...our Philippine trip.

We are planning for a family Boracay trip next time. We hope it would all work well, God willing! The kids having fun would be more than enough happiness for us!

ON the border

Guest post written by Kevin Beach

I was watching my favorite morning show on Direct TV this morning and they had a segment that highlighted a new reality television show called “Border Town Loredo” . The show is a totally new cop show idea. Basically it follows a narcotics division in a border town in Texas. The situations are really dangerous. We hear a lot about how dangerous the Texas border cities have become, but now we will actually get to see just how dangerous it is. We have a friend from Texas that insists that the violence along the border is just as bad as we see in the media. He said that his parents moved from a border town in Texas to Dallas. They felt like the area was getting really dangerous and that the school were not as good as they were in Dallas. It seems like the border officers face life and death situations everyday. It is really a service that these officers are doing for our countries trying to stop heavy drug traffickers. I am going to be watching the show!

Interpretation, Please!

Imagine when you are somewhere in a country that doesn't speak English widely! That would be so hard to think about because without any knowledge in a country's language, you will be stuck!

Take for example, China. It is a country where you have to learn a Chinese language through speaking, reading and writing. If you are just a visitor, those are not learned in one sitting. Besides, I think there is no need to learn all those, unless you decide to stay in China for good ;).

Nowadays, the Chinese people are catering to more people all around the world when it comes to business. You can actually prove this with China sourcing, that is continously gaining a fast growth, right? So, you could just imagine how an interpreting service could do a vital job in meeting your needs for proper interaction with businesses you do with China.

In China, the importance of Chinese-English interpreting is highly needed. Thank goodness for Rosetta Translation ;). It has gone a long way providing its expertise in offering one of its range of interpreting services in Shanghai and Beijing and even in some parts of the country to meet the needs of many business clients that come from all parts of the world.

In Chinese interpreting, you can either choose various modes like telephone, liaison, consecutive, simultaneous or whispered simultaneous interpreting that fits your needs. You can then get your free quote online as to how you would want the service be done for you. Isn't that cool?

Thanks Rosetta Stone!

Plans & Current Updates!

I missed posting on this blog for a while. As much as there are so much things to be done, there are also a lot of things going on in my mind that I sometimes tend to procrastinate that even posting our updates from time to time is neglected. {sigh!} Blame it on me!

Anyway, 3 weeks more to go before our big and loooong trip to the Philippines! There are so much things to look forward to in this trip. One will be our housewarming party which has been postponed once due to time constraints. God willing, this will be pushed through this month.

Meanwhile, we are still currently having some more house repairs here being done. Mostly are done outdoors, so we don't have to worry about being in the house all the time. We have been previously on trips, both for work trips and pleasure trips in the weekends. The latter is always being much appreciated because it is purely for relaxation and fun visiting some places :).

I find it challenging to get so caught up with many things and sometimes I would end up not doing anything but sit in front of my PC and doing nothing, lol! Household chores, preparing trips in between, then annoying headaches at times, shopping, another trip coming, etc....ahhhh!
I am also doing good with my paid blogging opportunities nowadays, so I was just focused on those blogs posting paid opps. rather than in here.
Hopefully, as I would get the chance to hang out and post here more often, I would be able to gain a PR here! That way, I don't have any reason not to post, lol!

Got to go back to work. Both chores in the house and online are still waiting for now.
Til my next post again folks!

Actos Injury Lawyers

I have been hearing about Actos lawsuit for patients who happened to be using an oral diabetes medicine called Actos.

It has been known from a recent study that this drug can lead to harmful side effects such as heart failure and increased risk of bladder cancer, thus can lead to an Actos lawsuit that can be filed by patients that have been injured by Actos drug.

If you happened to be one of those that are harmed by this drug's side effects, you can have product liability claims with the help of credible and well-experienced injury lawyers.

O'Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath can help you as your Actos Injury Lawyers if you think you have a case. A case evaluation is free if you get in touch with them either by phone or online.

The Last Day Of Summer

Today is the last day of summer. Although it seems Fall came in a bit earlier, it was not too cold enough for me to bear, except that when we arrived Wilkes-Barre, PA it became so cold in the mornings (in the 50's). I wouldn't wonder why since we are up here in the mountains! :) That's quite understandable and thank goodness, I was perfectly prepared in my packing as I bought jackets with me.

This week was entirely cooler and you wouldn't think it was still summer. Now, it's rainy here in Wilkes-Barre, PA. I suddenly miss home. We've been here for 5 days now. It was a good thing to think that the neighborhood is quite ideal for me. So that while hubby is at work, I can go to the mall which is just a walking distance from our hotel (Quality Inns & Suites), and the neighborhood is surrounded with restaurants, convenience stores and the mall of course. I went to the mall several times without the hubby, and I was able to still find some summer tops that I was trying to get for our Philippine trip next month.

I am not yet ready for summer to go, but nature does its own way the way it should be, lol. Anyway, it would be a great time to plan for an early fall foliage trip again if hubby's schedule would allow it. But I think there should be no problem if it will be in the weekends. I would surely not miss much about the pretty fall colors before we go to the Philippines. I think the peak of the fall will be the time we will be leaving for Philippines. But either way, it would be both something to look forward to on the fall foliage trip and the Philippine trip.

Goodbye summer...I'll surely miss you til next year :(. Hello, Fall! I would surely be able to see your colors once again. I hope you would allow us to see your true colors before we leave.

So Much Things To Do!

Okay, so we were out of hurricane "Irene", then came the raining non stop for a week. There were floodings in some part close to our area within our county, thank God we had the sunshine today! It was a bright day and still has the warmth of summer. I know we are on the last week of summer.
Sooner, fall is here. How I wish summer will be extended :(.

Since last week, we started getting a repair guy to fix our window screens, cut the tree in front of the house close to our garage door, and let somebody fix the piece of sidings on the right side of the house. We also had let the repair guy remove some of our back fence and extend the rest of the ends on the neighbors' fences, and the back porch has to be repaired as well.
So many concerns, and yet next week, we will be away for 5 days going Pennsylvania.

We hope everything should be all done before we go home to the Philippines in October. Whew!
We are looking forward to be just having R & R there and no stress for a while ;).
We'll see you soon, family!

Topamax Birth Defects Lawsuit

Topamax may not be good for everybody. Although I have read some articles regarding some people who claim that they didn't encounter any harmful effects of the drug, much more that many people have been victims of the harmful side effects.

The drug is not approved by FDA according to my reads and when used by pregnant women, it can lead to serious birth defects and abnormalities. Topamax is an anti-convulsant drug used to treat epileptic seizures and sometimes being given to patients for migraine headaches.

How about those that are victims of the drug? What will happen to them?
You will be glad to hear that there are injury lawyers that are open about it and are willing to help the victims by filing a Topamax lawsuit. You can call them for a free consultation and free case evaluation as well.
Take note of them at the address posted below.

O’Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath – Personal Injury Lawyers – 808 West Avenue, Austin, TX. 78701 – 512-494-9949

Hurricane Warnings!

Hurricane Irene has already started her fury in North Carolina, smashing the coastlines. We couldn't probably feel her strength until late tonight. I am always praying for safety of all and for us at home. I hope we still can get a slighter pressure considering that we are not close to the bay...am crossing fingers!
Some are losing electric powers now, and I hope we won't...or if ever, it won't be that long. My gosh! I can't live without internet, lol!
I'm keeping my phones and 2 ipads well charged up!
C'mon Irene, just leave fast!

Paypal's Alert Email

The other day, I got an email alert warning from Paypal telling me that my account will be on hold temporarily for any outgoing transactions until I would be able to change my password and check entirely that my account hasn't been used for any anomalous transactions.
It was kinda alarming as well, and I felt so concerned when I ordered something online and I can't get my item I bought...whew!
Anyway, I posted the detailed experience I got. If you want to know what happened, please read it HERE.

Go Modern Furniture

One of the most exciting part of moving into a new house is when you are into that part where you choose and buy your new furniture that look best for your home. Of course, I had that feeling when I moved into our home last year.
Bonaldo Designer Furniture is one of those online shops where you can get to choose very elegantly designed furniture for your home while you are in London. If you love to have designs that are ultra contemporary and yet timeless, it's the ideal place to go to.

It would be nice to have those simply yet exceptional quality sofa beds that are comfortable enough to be used daily either as sofa and beds. They are made of high quality materials consisting of thick spring mattresses making the products tough for long duration of time.

Quite an endless choices to choose from on all kinds of home furniture. Take a look at them!

MY Shop

Thanks for the guest post by Kristofer Bartlett

I do hair for a living and it’s always been my passion so there’s really nothing wrong with the way I do business, in my opinion. My dad keeps sticking his nose into things and telling me what to change and who to fire but the way I see it it’s my company that I built from the ground up and I don’t have to take orders from anyone. I recently made a lot of improvements to the salon like adding Www.SatelliteStarINTERNET.Com internet and getting a security alarm to protect everything at night and it set me back a pretty penny. My dad wasn’t too happy about that decision but I think I’m being a really savvy businesswoman! I think he’s just outdated in the way he sees things and I could teach him a thing or two about what it takes to survive in this economy. I love him to death but if he doesn’t butt out soon I may lose more than my temper with him!

An Act Of Kindness

Last Saturday, I and my husband went to Big Lots store to find some stuff I could add for my "balikbayan box". This is one of my favorite stores to go to when it comes to buying some cheaper items and yet are still good qualities. Most of the items here are also sold in bulk, and in cheaper prices, just an ideal place for sending items in bulk as well ;).
Then it was time to check out at the counter. We were next in line to an elderly couple who seem to be adding every cents carefully with the salesclerk, just to be sure they don't overspend their meager budget. We saw them with their items bought at 50 cents each and one item which was a book was priced $5 bucks. The book was mixed with those 50 cents items and it so happened that it was only misplaced on that area. They thought it was also priced at 50 cents. The male told the clerk he couldn't afford the book at $5 bucks so he put it away. The book has a title called "freedom"...(yup, my eyes caught them.)
My husband then went to grab the book back and I thought he's gonna get it for himself, but then asked the old man if he wanted the book. I saw the old guy gave him a forced smile. The hubby paid the book and gave the book to the old man saying "I want you to have this book". The old man was a little bit surprised I think while the salesclerk said...awww, you have a good heart sir!" The old man then said "thank you sir" giving a shy smile, but had excitement in his eyes.
I suddenly felt so touched, and I felt my eyes are getting blurred. I told myself...no, don't cry, that's embarrassing, LOL! I just felt so happy and proud seeing my husband helping others and seeing them happy. That day, my admiration towards my husband has grown more, and the love I have for him became bigger and stronger. For 7 years that we have been together since we got married, this man I chose to be with has the most generous heart and has the feeling of happiness and fulfillment helping others. And I don't wonder why God has been so good to him. He has been giving more than enough blessings to him so he can give it back to others.

My thankfulness to Him is endless and I will never get tired thanking Him and counting my blessings as well. It's because the most precious blessing He had given me is also a continous blessing for others.

To God Be The Glory!

Philippine Trip Update

It would be really something looking forward to for our Philippine trip this year. Our dates are set and submitted for booking with our travel agent which means we already are sticking on the dates. We are currently on the process of finalizing payments and some paper works needed to be filled out for submission at the travel agency.
Hhhmmm... it seems these paper works are now the SOP for travel companies nowadays, as required by the TSA (Transportation Security Administration). I remember doing the same paper works last year as well.

We are set to leave on October 22, arriving Philippines on October 24 and coming back on November 4. It will only be a shorter trip for us this time (2 weeks) so we can be able to go back for our March 2012 trip.
I hope everything will move smoothly with all the plans on our housewarming there. I guess we have to do an early planning this time. Invitations are actually done already and included them in one of our balikbayan boxes. Two of the boxes have already been sent, so hopefully it would be received there before we arrive.

Meanwhile, I still have to update our Caribbean cruise as well. I have been lagging behind on our recent trip updates. So, I think I need to double my time posting updates before totally forgetting all the dates and all...{sigh!}
We are also seeing another big trip next month in the west coast...perhaps San Francisco and some neighboring cities. No confirmation yet but just in case, we know what to expect.

Oh boy! How could I be able to do all computer works at the same time? I still need to check the photos and trip dates during our weekend trips previously. There are so many work to be done. Trip updates, paid blogging, website updates...ahhhh!
Okay, so I need to calm down!..lol!

Guess what? I don't think I should be pressured. I don't have any boss, remember? :)

Zoloft Lawsuit

Just a friendly reminder for all pregnant women out there who happened to be taking antidepressants. Did you know that the antidepressant drug called Zoloft may cause birth defects to your unborn baby? There has been some studies about this, so I'm sure many mothers out there don't want to risk their babies having birth defects that would make them suffer later on all their life because of it.

Are you familiar with the Zoloft Lawsuit as well? If you think you have a case, then you know what to do and where to go for help, right? You deserve to be compensated if proven that you're a victim of Zoloft's harmful side effects.
The address is posted just right below this post if you need help.

O’Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath – Personal Injury Lawyers – 808 West Avenue, Austin, TX. 78701 – 512-494-9949

My Apple Babies

My Ipads 1 & 2, ipod classic and Iphone 1 (32GB)

Every time Apple gadgets are being released to the public, the competition from other brands made more Apple products even stronger and incomparable! I am not making a paid post for Apple (although I would be all willing to if they pay me, lol!), but I am an Apple user, from my Ipod to Ipad2 ;).

But anyway, since Apple Iphone and Ipad were made out to the public, many competitors started making their own "copycats", taking the chance of what other features they could add that Apple can't. But technically, Apple still tops everybody else.

There's nothing to argue about when you have Apple. In every product released for the first time, it wouldn't be perfect...and no gadget (even to other competitors) are 100% perfect for the first time it is released. Apple upgrades gets better and better every time they have ones. And taking one step at a time is always a success!

Homemade chocolate Valentine's Day treats

Guest post written by Rachel White

I love chocolate candy, so when holidays come around and there's even more candy available, I go kind of crazy and buy a lot of it to eat. It's been the same for Valentine's Day this year, as soon as they put out some of the holiday themed candy at the grocery store, I bought several bags of it. But I also got kind of inspired when I saw on a TV talk show where someone made homemade Valentine's Day candy, so I decided to make some too.

I tried to track down a recipe for those peppermint dark chocolate truffles that I saw that talk show host make on TV and when I was online looking for it, I came across the website www.get.wildblue.com. After I looked through most of the website, I decided to switch over my home internet service to the internet provider.

Well, I did track down a truffle recipe like what I wanted to make and I've bought all the stuff for it. It definitely isn't the simplest dessert, or at least it appears that way from the recipe, but I think they'll be so good that they'll be worth the work.

It's Officially Summer! ;)

Since I got this blog moved from friendster to here, I haven't been able to visit it as much as I could. So, it's been more than a month since my last post and I thought of getting another post done before this blog would be forgotten, LOL!
There are so many things to tell about my updates.

First, God is so good that He allowed me to get back my pageranks (PR) from Google. My 3 blogs have been earning with PR's 1, 2 & 3 respectively. Since I regained PR's, my blogs have been overwhelmed with paid posts since September last year. The posts can really make me busy in a day and would sometimes be exhausting. But as many would say, "strike while the iron is hot!" because page ranks can become unstable...like here today, gone tomorrow.
They are still here for 9 months now, so pending posts are still waiting.

This blog has no page rank, (yet), and hopefully in God's due time, it can have one too! But good thing is it is still earning! So, it's also an income earner.

Next update. It would be 29 days more to go before our Caribbean Cruise trip for 4 days. It would be my first so I am excited! :) I haven't started the packing yet, but I was able to get done with choosing our shore excursions online. These are all prepaid, so that it will all be a breeze when we are on board. We don't need to be shelling out money and credits left and right on the ship from time to time, except perhaps for some tips.

Next is our Philippine home. It has been declared official...we are extending another room, yey!! The agreement and estimates have already been done together with our contractor. I actually decided to have a canopy in front to protect the maindoor from rain and too much sun. I will be posting some photos for our house updates soon. The canopy is done (thank God), and just above it will be where the proposed room extension is. Hopefully, this will be the last of all the constructions that has been done, lol!

And finally, our trip to the Philippines this October. We've set the dates, but the hubby has still to submit the dates at his work for approval. We haven't got the ticket yet, since we are still figuring out if we can be able to drop by Hawaii for hubby's training session. It has to be approved by his company first since they have to come up with a budget for that, so it's kinda like we are still hanging.

So, these are all for the moment. I can probably catch up again for more updates after a month :). For the moment, I should be back to work and blog, blog and blog, with some household chores in between. I can feel I am a "jack of all trades" in my house, LOL!

Ciao!

Cold Therapy Injury Law Firm in Texas

It must be a nightmare having an experience of cold therapy injuries. Who should be happy anyway? And what if you happened to be one of the victims? If you think you have a case about a cold therapy lawsuit, cold therapy lawyers from O'Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath Law Offices can help you sort things out.

The firm is based in Texas, so you should be more lucky enough to seek their help if you happened to be Texas-based.
Start fighting for that right today! Feel free to contact them online for a free case evaluation or get in touch with them through phone at 877-494-9949.
Consultation is free.

O’Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath – Personal Injury Lawyers – 808 West Avenue, Austin, TX. 78701 – 512-494-9949

Blog Imported From Friendster!

So, finally this blog has a new home for good! Thank God, I was able to import all my entire blog from friendster (this blog). I wouldn't regret doing this thing because I have been thinking of shifting this blog to other blog host site ever since before but I don't know how.

When friendster, (a social networking site) announced that they will be shutting all blogs, profiles and photos, I just did the importing right away since they helped me with all the proper steps and guide on how to do it. Of course, blogspot is really my favorite {wink}! I have been maintaining 4 blogs with them and even got my domain names with it. Another thing, I feel more convenient and more comfortable posting with blogspot...easy and just a breeze.

I hope I can be able to build a good stability of this blog with blogspot, including a page rank sooner, lol!

Refurbishing yard sale patio furniture for my home

Guest post written by Cynthia Wilson

If I can find something for a little less, I definitely take advantage of it and take the deal. Sometimes that means that you have to take what you get and fix it up a little bit. i was going to yard sales a few weeks ago and I found this really unique set of patio furniture. It did need a bit of work but it was such a great deal and a whole set, that I decided to take it and see what I could do with it. The price was that good that I could afford to eat the loss if the patio furniture was beyond use or repair.

But thanks goodness, the furniture is actually going to work. First I cleaned it pretty thoroughly and then I used some flat black paint to coat it and give it a more modern look. While I was online trying to find soem chair cushion patterns to use, I ran across the site get.wildblue.com. I looked through it a little bit and after that I decided to change over my home internet service to the provider.

I saw these really lush looking cushions with some patio designs that I based my makeover on my furniture on and basing my cushions off of that.

Current Updates!

So, our next trip is set in July, - a Western Caribbean cruise...yey! It will be 4 nights, 5 days and will be departing from Miami, FL, which means we have to fly down there and then board the carnival ship on the departure date. We shall try to visit part of Miami and Key West, FL which is part of the itinerary, before the departure for Cozumel, Mexico. It should be fun doing it in the summer, much easier to pack clothes that way, lol!

We are as well eyeing to go Hawaii for a day or two before flying to the Philippines this October if hubby's training would be approved there. Cool!...something to be looking forward to ;).

Then, in October of this year, we will be going home again to finally schedule our housewarming. We are trying to work on dates when the kids are off school so we can hang together. Perhaps, a week with them would be good already, and hopefully we can set a schedule within that date for the housewarming party. I ordered invitations made special {wink} for people who will be around and can make it to attend our event. We aren't planning it to be a big event, just some few friends and family members are enough. The entire vacation would be a mixture of fun and making tough decisions in many things, which include some concerns on our dad's grave, and some decisions that have to be made.

On the other hand, hubby would be able to witness how "All Soul's Day" is being celebrated in the Philippines. We don't celebrate that in the US, but Easter Sunday is somewhat recognized :).

Would you believe our Philippine trip for next year is already planned as well? No exact dates yet, but it will be March 2012 where the kids are graduating...they made it, (yey again). Their tito Craig might get the chance to go up the stage for the graduates! Then their tito Craig would be treating them for a boracay adventure. Then, the planning would be tough because it would be a peak season. So, the earlier the better for the planning.

Well, this would be all for the meantime. It's just more on the updates of our plans.

So far, so good!

Happy Easter everyone!

When Money Goes Into The Wrong Pockets!

I was dumbfounded the first time my husband told me these; - "Filipinos are so sweet, happy people but when it comes to money, their personalities suddenly transform into greed."...then he quickly added; "of course, NOT ALL of them do that. I married a Filipina because of her astounding positive qualities than any other woman would have." So, there was a relief on that part for me, lol!

I am not against his first statement, and I couldn't disagree on it...why? It's the truth!

It's heart breaking to hear such a negative feedback from other people who happen to be in and out visiting our country for many years, particularly if you hear one referring to your countrymen, race, family, relatives, etc... It's also disheartening if you know somebody, a friend, a co-worker, a family relative, classmate, etc..!

But the fact mentioned in the statement is mostly true to many people in the Philippines. I wonder if that statement could be an effective criticism done constructively and wake them up! I myself don't even know the exact reason why this behavior exists so strongly, but I might as well state some ideas coming from my keen sense of observation...eyes, ears, nose, mouth, sense of touch, and the extra mental telepathy! hahahaha!

So, how would you react when your money goes into the wrong pockets? or being mismanaged? Why is it that some people can take the  chance of getting/accepting money from people who happened to trust them and wouldn't mind breaking that trust?  Is it because Philippines is a poor country and thus most people are desperate? or is it just because they were born and raised being greedy? One thing bad about people that I know which leads them to greed is that most of them want to live above their means. I see that mostly to people in the Philippines. Of course, I am not singling out my country...greedy people are all over the world! It so happened, they became so populated in the Philippines! Is this the strong pull of influence of crab mentality? Why can't just they learn to live below their means or at least live within their means? It's just like " I wanna show them I can afford, even if my financial status couldn't." or shall I say; - "Pedro just bought a new house, so I wanna buy a mansion to show I'm better off."

I grew up with a poor family, but the thing I can be proud of is that no matter how difficult life was, money wasn't a big issue! My parents were not perfect, but they raised me away from the temptation of being greedy. Money wise, I was trained to save wisely and keep what's mine, and respect what others have. Being trustworthy is one vital trait that I've learned not only from my parents but from other concerned friends as well. Whatever is entrusted to you, you take care of it, and let it be that way.

I feel good that when it comes to money, my husband and I consider it as a delicate serious matter. When we talk about it, we don't debate, no disagreements. We don't even think of whose pockets will this money go? We don't use "my money" or "your money". It is OUR money.
I can say I'm so much blessed with a good husband  with good financial stability. But we are living within our means. We have been so much blessed with many "extras" in life, but we still spend wisely.
I still search for coupons when I shop, I still go and mob with the crowd on the discount section of a store. Call me frugal, but worth it. It's the way how we live within our means!
I don't need to be so much interested accepting money from others putting it in my own pocket instead of taking the money to where it should be used.

If you are the one doing the bad behavior, how would you look at yourself when it comes to trust? Just imagine when you would hear people talking about you being NOT trustworthy, and greedy when  it comes to money. For sure you won't be happy about it...who does, anyway? But if it's the truth, you deserve it! (forgive me for being blunt, but I'm just stating facts.)
You maybe helpful, sweet, friendly, kind, (name all the positive traits) but what do those do when you can't even earn trust from others? It's like you're covering yourself with fancy decors to hide your dark side. Not even your religious actions can save you from that. Only God sees the real truth and beware!

Of course, money is only one material thing, and we can't bring it with us when we die. Many people would say "that's just money", but it doesn't mean you have to grab somebody's money and be greedy, put them in your pockets and spend them all then make up stories. It's ridiculously none sense, don't you think?

"Money is the root of all evil"...and you being the devil's advocate, you like that?

Talking about trust, it's not being given to you. It's not a simple concept gained overnight, as a poem would say. It is gained from others through your actions rather than asking them to trust you.

So, just imagine when money goes into the wrong pockets...it's disaster! It ruins your personality and credibility if you're pocketing a money that's not yours. You might not be confronted by people whom you've done wrong, but someday, God will!

Yun lang po...thank you!!!

Spam Comments?

It's really ridiculous! My email is always flooded with spam comments. Well, it's nice to read comments that are somewhat related to my posts, but most of these comments I'm receiving are from people who only want to promote their products. Sorry guys, but your comments wouldn't even reach the published status from my posts because they don't really look sensible enough to read!

I do blog about products and promote them, but I don't promote them as comments in a post that are even too far and not connected with the idea of the post.

There are lots of free applications out there to promote your sites or products without spending your time writing and promoting your products to any blog's posts that are not even closely related to the posts. You are just wasting your time commenting on gazillions of blogs out there just to promote your link, only to be deleted instantly because it just doesn't make any sense!

Just a warning message to everyone who gives spam comments on my posts! You are wasting your time doing it because they will be automatically deleted anyway.

Just imagine when there are comments about educational thesis, writing thesis, blah blah...on one of your posts with a title of: "Spending My Christmas With My Family". I don't even care to read  that comment because it is not even related to the title of the post. Dang! When will these people understand what they are doing?

Anyway, thanks for the comments, but NO, THANKS! LMAO!!!LOL!!!

The Sunshine State

Guest post written by Julia Krimp

This spring is going to be very exciting for my husband Mark and me. We are going to move out of New Mexico after 10 years and move to the east coast. Mark and I have had great business runs in the past five years, but somethingÕs calling us to moveÉand we both really want to go to southern Florida. While we get plenty of heat in New Mexico, there is still something very attractive about Florida to us, and we are going to start a new chapter of our lives down there. Mark has always loved the Florida Keys, and often talked about retiring down thereÉguess itÕll just be a little early! We are far from retirement, but it would be nice to be close proximity to them. Being close to the water in southern Florida is going to be paradise.

Before we go, Mark and I still have had to do a few things. We have been getting the house ready to put up the market. We searched for sears vinyl siding New Mexic0 online and found some help for the exterior. The inside just needs a little paint and it will be fine. ItÕs just about time to start our new lives in Florida!