Old Photos, Memories and Friendship

The advent of social networking and media has given so much reason for old friends to reconnect. I am happy to have a regular communication with my old friends again.

I was surprised to be tagged in an old photo of my best friends since high school. The picture brought nice memories of our young motherhood, taking care of our babies, attending to each other's special events like the one I posted here and just being there for each other. I was the one wearing the black trousers and my favorite diamond tennis bracelet which was a gift from my mom.

Shortly after that picture was taken, we parted ways because I had to relocate to Dubai with my husband, my other friend stayed back and the other two moved to the US and France. We lost communication for some time but like what I mentioned earlier, we reconnected through the famous social networking site known by every generation now.

I am very happy that our friendship is still intact. We are very solid and our friendship has been tried and tested through time. We will be the best of friends forever. That's for sure.

Health Nut - Quiz on Heart Health

Photo credit: colorsmatter.com

Ever wonder if your heart is healthy enough? Do you want to know what your risk for heart disease may be? If so, take this quiz from RealAge.com and the results will tell you what you have to know.

Click this to go to the quiz.

Let's Swing!

I told my husband that as soon as I get my gratuity pay, I am buying a big residential lot. On that lot, I will build a house. And on that yard, I will have my small garden and swing set.

I just love playgrounds but I enjoy the swings more than the other fun rides you can find there. I remember growing up near a playground and every day after school, my siblings and I would run there and utilize our boundless energy. We would climb the monkey bars, go up and down the slide and push each other on the swings.

I know I may be old to ride in a swing but I am not disputing the fact that I may have grandchildren someday. It will be fun to see them use the swing set. My husband and I can also enjoy our couple time by holding hands while seated side by side on the swing.

I am posting a sample of my dream swing set and playground in my back yard. I hope it will materialize.

(Photo credit: bizrate.com)

Home Blog

Dear friends,

Please feel free to drop by my other blog - Home is Where the Heart Is for some insight on family matters, friendship, relationships, home decorating tips, anything about house and home and some recipes.

I will be very happy to welcome you there as I have welcomed you here. Don't forget to leave some lovely comments too.

Thanks!

Latest Quake to Hit New Zealand

A magnitude of 6.3 earthquake shook Christchurch, New Zealand today. 65 casualties have already been reported as of this time. The city was left in rubbles and ruins. Plenty of people are still trapped in the rubbles and rescue operations are currently happening.

We can recall that New Zealand was also badly hit last Sept. 4, 2010 with a magnitude of 7.1 earthquake. I offer my prayers to all of them. It is so disheartening that there has to be fatalities as this struck on the middle of the day in the city center.

Let us all offer our prayers to them and may the rescue operation be a success. 

I Ate too Much

I have been very bad today. I ate too much at lunch. I normally eat heavy on breakfast but not much on lunch. My friend split her pasta Alfredo and gave me the half portion while I also munched on my fried tofu soaked in soy sauce and vinegar.

What's so bad with this lunch was the dessert. I gobbled a whole bar of chocolate with hazelnut filling. I felt guilty after eating those so I drank my favorite green tea. I need to run today though to burn those unwanted calories. I guess, reading those lipozene reviews will be quite beneficial at this point.

My food intake tomorrow will be portioned. I am eating oatmeal and salad. I can't entertain other freebies now. I may end up wearing a bigger dress size!

Boss Humor

I received this funny graphics from a friend's email. I am sharing it to everyone because it is very TRUE. Peace! :)

Connected by Cable

A cable is a long strip of two or more wire which runs side by side. The cable's anatomy consists of a plastic jacket, metallic shield, dielectric insulator and central core. The core is usually a copper wire or rod which acts as the main heart and soul of the cable wire. Its purpose is to transmit power or energy through its core down to the receiving end of the line.

There are various types of cables used for many purpose like audio, video, communication and electrical. HDMI cables are example of audio and video cables. They are suitable for high definition audio and video applications used for home theater installations, projectors, computer monitors and digital audio devices. Another example of cables are cat 5 cables which are used mainly for computers' ethernet connection and ATM. These cables are usually connected to a phone line and have pin ends as plug.  The optical cable is one of the highly used cable for audio and video due to its quality performance. It has a fiber optic tip which allows faster transmission of data over long distances and higher bandwidth. This is perfect for telecommunication including internet use.

A common household will also contain various types of cables to complete the function of their appliances. These wire cables used for home are great electronics for your TV and other overly used appliances like refrigerators, stereo components, computers and the peripherals and so much more.

The world of connection through cable has evolved tremendously over the years. The use of cables is still a high demand. We will continue to be connected by cables because of technology. 

Different Accents

Okay, I recently posted about my hearing problem here. Here’s a nice anecdote about it which has happened to me in the office recently.

My colleagues are from various European and Australasian origin. Therefore, their accents are either too soft or hard for my sensible hearing.

I cannot help but laugh at myself because I really have to strain listening while trying to understand them when my other colleague can actually comprehend. Either my hearing is bad or I am poor to pick up (which I doubt!) or their bloody accent is just too much to comprehend. Arggghhhh…

Don’t get me wrong now. I love hearing them speak with their unique accent but when they talk fast, I can barely make-out the sense of the words spoken. For example, someone would tell me “Total time limitations” and I would only hear either the first or last word but never in full. My colleagues are already telling me to listen up. BUT I AM LISTENING!!! Waaaahhhhhhh…. Is it time for me to wear a hearing aid?!?

Flabs to Fab

It may take a lot of years to actually make my mid-section fit and well toned, if not sculpted. I do not plan to have a muscular mid-section. I want it firm and not jiggly like how it is now.

My flabs started to develop ever since I got hooked on Facebook and other social media. My current post which is sedentary in nature also added to the current condition of my flabby tummy area. Although those are not the only factors to blame, you can throw in my lack of will power to commit on a regular exercise and genetics.

There are lots of supplemental aids in the market to help burn tummy fats. I have just checked abdominal cuts review and other fat-burner supplements to give me more insight on what they can do.

I know I can still achieve my goal of losing the bad fats and making myself fit and trim. I just have to be determined and committed.

Wrapping Up the Weekend

Why does every long and great weekend have to end? My 4 days at home doing nothing (joke!) is coming to an end today. Tomorrow is another work week I have to endure.

I have been very open about my desire to leave the work force as soon as I get a better opportunity elsewhere or if money matters will stabilize for me soon. I do not mind doing menial jobs as long as I can put food on the table and pay my bills. I just want to get out.

I can still bear and grin it for few more years. I want to get my gratuity pay and of course, I want to be able to start a decent living out of what I am going to get. Anyway, it won't be long.

It is back to the grind for me. I just pray that my day and week in the office will be positively charged, no dramas and definitely less tension.

New Blog Coming Very Soon!

I am going to introduce a new blog very soon. I am very busy working on it right now with ideas on contents and template.

It is about another aspects in life I am passionate about - beauty tips, fashion sense and style, and shopping tips and great deals.

I used to own a domain about beauty and fashion but deleted it 2 years ago for personal reasons. I am back on track again and hopefully it will pick up soon.

I am still working on some stuff on the design because I want it fabulous. It may spur my next goal - open an e-commerce site. I am crossing my fingers and I hope to see you there when I launch it soon!

Various Spoken English Around Me

I wonder what is happening to me lately. I used to be very finicky with spellings and grammar but seem to be losing my fine touch these past few weeks.

I noticed how hard it is to recall basic spelling rules. An example of this was when I did a research on products and services about tattoo removal. I could not get a proper hit because I was typing this "tatoo removal". I did not even bother checking because of haste. It is a bit disturbing because I handle contents of legal, training and safety manuals in the office. How can I let a spelling error slip by?

I need to focus more and filter all these weird, various spoken English I hear around me. It is difficult to be surrounded by different nationalities who speak different kind of English. What is correct for me will not be the case for them. I often find myself arguing to one of my colleagues about the proper use of such and such. The kind of English taught to them and the way words are pronounced is so different from where I come from.

I will settle for whatever I have learned in school - American English it is!

My Other Blog is Moving to WordPress

This is one of the most difficult decisions I have to make. I am not very keen with WordPress no matter what other people say. I used to have a blog there and I had to shut it down because I found it very cumbersome. However, statistics and a lot of credible blogger friends vouch for its ease of use and its functionality and features which other platforms cannot compete with. 

I have decided to move my "Home is Where the Heart is" blog to WordPress today and hopefully, I will not regret this move.

My other blog will be down for the time being. I am still working my way around WordPress. It is new to me. I hope I will find immense joy out of this decision. My other blogs may soon follow suit if I deem it worthy. Time will tell...

Enjoying the Long Weekend

I took a local leave last Wednesday and Thursday was announced as public holiday. I was so ecstatic because I could enjoy the long weekend without a care in the world.

I have been sleeping very late since Wednesday. So, it comes as no surprise if I develop black tones under my eyes. I am checking for tips on how to get rid of dark circles under my eyes. I do look like a raccoon right now. I don't even have to put a smoky eyes effect for a make-up because of my dark circles. I can't look like this come Sunday when I report to work. It makes my face look tired and a bit goth!

The late nights are all worth it considering the fun times I have with my family. Apart from that, I have no work-matters to worry about. I hope it is always like this. I can get used to this kind of life.

Birthday Gift in Advance

Well, yours truly will turn 39 in few weeks time. I have just been given an advance birthday (and surprise at that too!) by my sweet darling hubby last week.

He knows I do not fancy high-tech smart phones because I barely answer my own mobile. However, as sweet and generous as he is, he took me to the mall last week. He was so casual to just ask me to go with him to buy some grocery. So I just went and even told him I did not want to buy anything because I was saving money. He said it was okay. So, to make the long story short, I went along. The moment we entered the mall, he led me to the mobile section and casually asked me, "Okay Honey, you choose which BLACKBERRY you want." You should have seen the surprised look plastered on my face! I was so embarrassed because I really and sincerely did not want anything for my birthday. I am just happy to get through being 39 and go on with my life. There I was, almost on the verge of crying because my hubby knew I secretly admire the BlackBerry but did not want to buy one. He was planning to buy me for sometime already and he took the right opportunity to do just that because of the Dubai Shopping Festival. I chose the very cheap one but he asked me if that was what I really wanted. I actually had my eyes on the BlackBerry Curve 9300 which was slightly expensive than the older model I was checking out. He asked the sales person to give me the BB Curve 9300 and the rest was history.

I love my advance birthday gift so much. I even sleep with the BB next to me which I normally don't do. Dear hubby has been teasing me a lot lately by telling me how he regret giving me the BB because all I do now is chat incessantly with the BB messenger ;)

Anyway, what more can I possibly want now?

Top pic: My daughter caught and snapped me tinkering with my BB (which I named after a famous gay actor in our country - BB Gandang Hari) and of course, the diva dog had to be in the pic too!

Below is the wonderful BB Curve 9300 hubby bought for me. Oh, what a bliss!

Taebo and Zumba

I wonder why I haven't done Zumba before when it existed since the 1990s? I have done Taebo in the early 2000. Back then, my purpose for doing the Taebo was to build my stamina and resistance since I was sickly. It did help a bit but I had to stop because of work pressure.

I am doing Taebo again for health reasons now. I am alternating Taebo and Zumba but on weekends, I do them both to boost my cardio and stamina. My Taebo and Zumba sessions are done at home in the comfort of my bedroom so nobody can see my flabs jiggle around. I prefer to sweat alone anyway.

I will track my progress and hopefully do the advance Taebo session in few weeks time. My Zumba is also the basic because I need to practice on the footwork first.

I enjoy combining these two equally high-performing workouts to jump-start my weight loss goal which I derailed during the last quarter of 2010. I pray that I can stay on track this time. I need to lose weight for my health's sake! Cheer me on please :)

Happy Birthday Sweet 13

Today, it is official! My daughter is now a bona fide teenager! I cannot believe how time flies. I still reel inside and wonder what's next for me and my husband. I guess we'll just go with the flow of parenthood.

To our sweet princess, who will be forever our little girl, have a wonderful birthday. May God continue to bless you with His amazing Grace and Love. May all of life's richness be yours because you deserve it. We may not have anything fancy for you right now but always remember how great our love is.

Happy Birthday sweet princess. Enjoy the coming of age. We love you!

(Photo credit: partydazzle.com)

Happy Valentine's Day 2011

It's Love day once again! To all my family and friends, here's wishing your Valentine's Day be filled with loving memories spent with your love ones.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!



(Photo credit: funny-potato.com)

Red Velvet Cake

   I haven't tasted this cake yet. Although I see this in some bake shops in the US, I actually haven't seen any here in Dubai. I was a bit curious about this Red Velvet Cake. So I searched the internet and found out the following:

1. It's origin is not well defined. Some said it came from Waldorf-Astoria in New York while others claimed that the recipes appeared in a number of 19th century cookbooks.

2. The cake must have some cocoa but not much because it is not a chocolate cake.

3. Red food dye is used to the cake batter to make it red.

4. Cream cheese frosting is commonly used to frost this red cake.

5. This cake made an appearance in the 1989 movie Steel Magnolias.

(Photo credit: en.wikipedia.org)

Health Nut - Zumba Time

I don't want to enroll in dance lessons nor workout sessions because they are very expensive here. I checked the internet for free dance workout and found several videos in You Tube for Zumba.

Zumba is a dance routine with elements of Salsa and Merengue beats. It was born out of serendipity by Alberto Perez of Cali, Colombia. He came to his aerobics class one day and forgot his music so he grabbed whatever was in his backpack at the time. He improvised the steps to follow the Salsa and Merengue and thus, the Zumba was born.

I tried doing this dance workout earlier and I was panting like a dog. I felt my flabs jiggle all over the place. It is a great workout because it involves a lot of body movements which is good if you want to lose weight and build up your stamina. This workout is also a good break from the monotonous routine in the gym. 

So, if you feel like throwing some bucks over gym memberships or dance classes, just check out free videos of Zumba in the internet and dance your flabs away!

Listen Up

I am a good listener and I do so with fervor. Unfortunately, I became partially deaf due to my daughter’s innocent act of love (she blew a horn on my right ear) for 3 years.

It was so difficult to hear people and make out where the sound was coming from. My sense of balance was out of sync. Even crossing the street had been a great challenge. I could not tell if the motorists were honking or not.

I was a regular out-patient in the E.E.N.T for my ear check-up. That experience was really painful and challenging. Imagine being a Travel Agent and dealing with clients every single day of your life with a partial hearing condition. Difficult. I was straining my ear so hard. I often had a headache afterwards. I endured all that.

My hearing is okay now. It is not as good as it was but I can hear and that is more important.

I am more appreciative of what I have because I know how it feels to be “limited.”

Meaning of Rose Colors

Love is around the bend. This article I read from Yahoo/Reader's Digest is just apt for the occasion.

Do you know what the meaning of the various rose colors? If not, this is a good read. So to those who are expecting a bunch of pretty long-stems, don't just jump yet. For all you know, it may signify a platonic love ;) Pray that the person who is giving you the flowers know what they mean :)

Red: Love and Romance

The ubiquitous red roses are the staple of a romantic love presented in lovely bouquet or vases. The red rose represents true love and it has appeared throughout history and across as political and religious symbol.

Yellow: Friendship, Joy, Get Well

The sun is always a symbol of life and bringing cheer to people. So, yellow roses are the best appropriate to cheer up people or send a message of platonic love. It also represents feelings of joy and delight.

Pink: Love, Gratitude, Appreciation

Pink is commonly associated with ladies, grace and elegance, as well as sweetness and poetic romance. Moreover, dark pink hues of roses are symbolically tied to gratitude and appreciation and traditional way of saying thanks. The paler shade of pink roses are associated with gentleness and admiration and can also be an expression of sympathy.

White: Purity, Innocence, Sympathy, Spirituality

The early white roses signify love in its purest form. This is also known as the bridal rose because it is mostly used for weddings. White represents unity, virtue and pureness of a new love. It also signifies honor and reverence which a white rose fitting for a memorial for the dearly departed.

Orange: Desire, Enthusiasm and Passion

Orange roses are mixture of yellow and red and often seen as a bridge between friendship and love. So it symbolizes fascination and passion.

Thriller on Glee

I love Glee! I missed it so much I kept bugging my husband since morning to download the latest Glee episode. Their episode this week with the rendition of Thriller is so fabulous! The make-up is so realistic you can almost feel their gory presence next to you.

Their plot is very apt and just in time for the Super Bowl. Glee loyalists and football fans are thrilled to have a showcase of football, half-time entertainment and some good cheer.

Glee's cover of the mash-up of Michael Jackson's Thriller and Yeah-Yeah-Yeah's Heads Will Roll will surely be one of the top downloads in the digital music. I know I will download this soon :) 

(Photo credit: Popeater.com)

The Smell of LOVE!

I smell love in the air and it's just around the corner. Valentine's Day is fast approaching and most couples I know are already scampering to find ways of celebrating it with interest.

The old-fashioned way of gift-giving does not appeal to my ultra-hip and modern friends so I guess, they are more into something adventurous and unique.

As for myself, my husband and I have been over the gift-giving phase and a simple "I love yous" do the trick. I for one will be content to receive a bunch of lovely flowers (tulips to be exact because they are my favorite!) if he wants to give me. If he does, then I can already smell Love!

My Hypertension

I was diagnosed with hypertension last year. I didn't realize I had it until my nape ached for more than a week. My knees were painful and I felt nauseated and light-headed at the same time. 

My triglyceride was very high for my age and I was put into strict DASH or Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension. My food for more than a month was either steamed, grilled and less seasoned than usual. My taste buds actually adapted to the bland tastes of my meal but it really helped lower my triglyceride. 

The doctor also advised me to exercise regularly (which I am failing to do right now!) and be active no matter how mundane it seems. Losing weight was also one of the tasks I had to commit myself to because I cannot carry any heavy weight around my stomach area.

Avoiding stress is also a must. I cannot get mad nor get upset over silly matters. It is a big make-over on my perception in life. I want to be healthy so I have to commit. It's not easy having hypertension. 

Food Take-Outs

Oh no! Did I just see the weighing scale register a higher number than the usual? Not again! These take-outs and weekend dinner with friends are making my waistline a little wider. Instead of losing the weight, I have packed more and add the fact that the weather is not very helpful at all. With the cold weather now, sweating out is thrice as hard.

I seriously think I need to have Lipofuze if I want to jump-start my weight loss goal for 2011. It is already the 2nd month of the year and yet, I have not lifted off from what I was supposed to do. I haven't been binging nor eating more than I should. However, the tempting buffet dinners and take-outs were hard to resist. Well, if you're paying $80 per head, then the more I should make the most of that money, right? So I ate...and ate!

I have to really run like crazy now and skip the desserts area if I still want to have dinner with friends. Maybe the next take-out of orders will be more of the veggies and fruits.

Track Your Steps

We're already in the 2nd month of the year. Hopefully, everyone who is planning to be fit and healthy has started doing their share.

If you have opted to do walking over gym workouts, visit this site for some helpful tracking tools.

http://www.realage.com/shape-up-slim-down/walking/

Good luck and keep those running shoes and pedometer nearby. Happy walking!

Info time - Christmas and Crime in Sports

Source:Online Universities


Source: Guide toOnlineSchools

PayBox.me

PayBox.me is developing a new online currency and processing service. It is still in its pre-launching stage and everyone who joins will get $25 as start-up. Isn't that great?

Please click this link to go to the site:  PayBox.me

Discount Cards

I only have 2 discount cards which I maintain. One is from our company as tied up to our company's ID and the other one is from a credit card which I have for the past 9 years. You can just imagine the points I have accumulated from that one.

The good thing with these 2 discount cards are that we can use them almost anywhere here in the Middle East. The one tied up to my employer is widely recognized here in UAE and gives a hefty discount on fashion, medical products, services, food and travel.

It will be nice though if these discount cards can tie up with major international shopping online stores. I am browsing through my favorite web stores for the best promotional products online. I can't help but think of my discounts cards with plenty of points. Such a nice thought!

Chinese New Year 2011

A warm greeting to all my Chinese friends and to all who are celebrating the Chinese New Year tomorrow!

Kung Hei Fat Choi! Peace and Prosperity to everyone!!