An Ordinary Life

Before March Ends...

2009-03-31T22:52:00.007-05:00

I have been away from this blog for more than 3 months now. More than 90 days... What I've been doing all those time, I will reserve for future posts. While it is still March, I want to use this space for my only little sister's birthday greetings!Today is NOT her birthday. It was some other day in March. Am not going to tell which date since that will give away how late my greeting is. (I did

Our 2008 Letter - Merry Christmas!!!

2008-12-24T20:17:00.006-06:00

Merry Christmas from the warm south! Al and I are now Austin, TX residents for just more than a year now. The four seasons were great ... oh-so beautiful spring and fall, tolerably hot and humid summer and very, very mild winter. We finally had our first taste of snow in Texas a few days ago. (It was just actually a flurry or wet snow that fell during the night and that melted away way before

If You Think You Aren’t Good Enough

2008-12-24T20:16:00.000-06:00

The next time you feel like GOD can't work through you, just remember...Noah was a drunkAbraham was too oldIsaac was a daydreamerJacob was a liarLeah was uglyJoseph was abusedMoses had a stuttering problemGideon was afraidSamson had long hair and was a womanizerRahab was a prostituteJeremiah and Timothy were too youngDavid had an affair and was a murdererElijah was suicidalIsaiah preached

It's The (Most Wonderful) Time of the Year Again…

2008-12-22T08:03:00.001-06:00

… when I sit down and write our annual letter. I actually got the idea from Auntie Pesing when she sent me their 2003 letter then. I thought it was a good idea to recall and summarize the key highlights of the past year - if not for our friends and family, then for us. (Somehow, it does remind me of my past corporate life where we had year-in-review for the company, groups and individuals.

The Christmas Story - For Nothing is Impossible with God

2008-12-21T08:22:00.005-06:00

No, this is not a rehash of the gospels' first chapters...Went to Dallas area two Sundays ago and attended the Stonebriar Church in Frisco. Chuck Swindoll preached about the Christmas Story. He emphasized Gabriel as the messenger of God's message and Mary as the recipient of God's message. Yes, Mary was going to conceive a baby even without knowing a man. For as Gabriel said, "for nothing is

My Wish List

2008-12-20T08:04:00.000-06:00

And another break … this time, from one of our sponsors. :)Have not decided what to get yourself for Christmas? Not me! I have actually been "using" Amazon's Wish List for some time now to collect my wanna-haves. With online shopping becoming more prevalent these days, Amazon has continuously made it easier.Anyway, back to My Wish List…I actually have posted this earlier (since last Tuesday) at

The Singing Christmas Tree

2008-12-18T20:00:00.000-06:00

Here's an idea for next year's Christmas events… Join a production of your local singing Christmas Tree (like the Francis family!) or go watch one (our family!)Here are 2 videos of the actual show of the 2008 Bannockburn Singing Christmas Tree. This year's presentation was even better than last year's! Enjoy!Apparently, this Singing Christmas tree is a well-know tradition here in the U.S. So

Bye, Sally!

2008-12-17T20:19:00.006-06:00

We interrupt the "Christmas spirit" of this blog to say good-bye to Jaime and Sally Padilla. Jaime, ex-Intel Philippines, now works for AMD Singapore and has been on a business assignment here in Austin, TX. Their assignment has ended and are going home today. Bon voyage, Jaime, Sally, CJ and Chloe!Thanks for showing us how to knock-out opponents on Wii boxing. One doesn't need to be as highly

And More Christmas Decors...

2008-12-17T15:34:00.016-06:00

I've successfully conquered the Christmas Tree, so why stop there? :)I got inspired to decorate our stair banister after seeing a photo on the Real Simple magazine. (Photo on the right.)Here's my version on the left… not an exact replica, but just as inpired. Whaddaya think?And of course, more pictures...As for the fireplace mantle… it was tough to make a choice on which Christmas stocking

Oh, Christmas Tree! Oh, Christmas Tree!

2008-12-16T10:56:00.021-06:00

It's my first time to put a Christmas tree on my own.Usually, I am just the assistant (read: one who hands the decors)/ supervisor (read: one who critiques) / clean-up crew (read: that one is self-explanatory… the artistic ones are usually not bothered with the menial stuff) for my brother, Oscar or my sister-in-law, Ann Janice. So … I was a bit anxious putting up the tree on my own because I

It's Beginning To Look Like Christmas!

2008-12-11T08:15:00.003-06:00

… even before the oh-so-rare Texan snowfall last Tuesday night!Dripping Springs, TX (yes, that's the name of our small town) had its Christmas Bazaar last weekend and we checked it out. Not too many booths like the Founder's Day event but there are interesting things to see like:Ball décors with the Texas flag designs (Yup, Texans are proud!)Christmas clothes with Texas map shape designs (…

Yes, Virginia... There is Snow in Austin!

2008-12-10T01:04:00.007-06:00

Snow, snow, snow... Oh, at last! I would have never believed them Texans had I not seen it with mine own two eyes.It's official then... Austin indeed has a winter season :) Just a little bit more snow would be fun!But not too much though ... don't want to resurrect the snow shovel from Boise, ID!Meanwhile, see other Austinites' going-gaga photos of the rare snowfall!

Fall 2008 Pictorials

2008-12-08T08:18:00.007-06:00

2006 is when we had our last Fall pictorials and that was in Boise, Idaho. Fall 2007 was an extremely busy time for us because of our relocation to Austin, Texas - so no photos then. So this year 2008, we've done it again!Last Friday, we went to the McKinney Falls State Park. There was a bit of color to the autumn leaves but not as much as there are in Idaho or in the East Coast. Perhaps if we

Cannoli Joe's

2008-12-06T08:55:00.008-06:00

For a year now, we have been planning to dine at Cannoli Joe's in South Austin, but somehow, Buffet Palace always wins out. I see it often when I go through Ben White Blvd/290/71. Al has dined there a couple of times courtesy of the big company (or is it from the boss' wallet?) and says he likes it, but not for everyday meals. So, I was intrigued...So finally, we have an excuse to check it out (

The Greatest Turkey Recipe on Earth

2008-12-05T08:59:00.016-06:00

Due to persistent public demand (ahem...), here is the greatest turkey recipe on earth!Thanks to John Dawson, aka Patio Daddio of Boise, Idaho......who unselfishly shared his brine recipe, answered all my "stupid" questions about how to roast a turkey and pointing me to a step-by-step process in the web.The turkey was soft, moist and very, very tasty. Some of the comments were "tastes like

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-12-04T08:20:00.016-06:00

On Thanksgiving day itself, Al and I really had no special plans. We just wanted to finish the painting the walls ...Joey called before noon though and invited us to have dinner at their house. And go we did and were greeted with tableful of food that Shiela and Mamang cooked- Turkey lettuce wrap, Sliced turkey, Pancit, Grilled salmon, Fresh veggies, chips and dip. I brought Chicken Teriyaki (

Seen a Smart Car?

2008-12-03T08:35:00.000-06:00

I have noticed a lot of small cars recently and I thought these were European cars which were imported in. Well, I learned a few days ago that they are called Smart Cars and I finally, I got to touch and sit on one!The Smart Car is obviously small. They're cute and as Janice, the lady owner above said "be prepared to be a spectacle" or what this other owner calls "smiles per mile":It's officially

Are You Shocked by the Gas Price?

2008-12-02T08:26:00.000-06:00

This is the gas price last week!This is nearly the gas price when we first moved to Boise in 2003. Woohoo! I wonder if everything else will have a price roll back??? Or is that wishful thinking?Anyhow two months ago... Kuna, the Honda Pilot, required $60 to fill its tank. Although I saw the gas price sign before I went into the gas station last week, I was still pleasantly shocked when I

Project: Wall Painting

2008-12-01T17:05:00.009-06:00

That is my perfect alibi for not blogging the whole week! And I do have proof for it. :) This is us in action as we painted one of the Living Room walls in dark brown (Homestead Brown by Sherwin Williams paints).(Except the last photo in the lower right corner of the above collage, all these photos were taken in the evening, so the contrast shows well.)We are becoming "more adventurous" in

What Do You Think?

2008-11-23T03:18:00.005-06:00

I think I am done with the makeover...Do you like the colors of my template? Black letter on white background is supposed to be easier on the eyes. And I like the RED post titles and the RED links.I like having an image on the Header as well. It's not the greatest image - wintry grey and black - but I guess it is good in maintaining the neutral-look of the blog. Maybe one of these days, I'm

My Next Project

2008-11-20T06:16:00.001-06:00

... is a blog "make-over".I will be trying out new "themes" (ie the background color, design, lay-out, font, etc of a blog). I'm thinking of either using close variant of the current them or an entirely different theme. Have not decided yet...The sure thing though is that the theme will remain neutral looking, although I am tempted to put in pinks, reds, flowers and swirls. Al is still

That's All, Folks!

2008-11-19T06:59:00.004-06:00

That's it! I think I can "rest" now.I was just thinking if I could have blogged more real time while on vacation. My answer is NO! I may have lost some details by blogging later but I would not have the perspective of how to "best" share our vacation.What I realised I could do though during the vacation (aside from downloading the photos from the SD card which I did almost every night) was to

Baltimore and its Aquarium - Want To See A Real Shark?

2008-11-18T12:43:00.003-06:00

Here you go...This one above is real...But this one below is not real, just a replica of the multi-layer teeth of some big shark's (how technical was that? :) ).But to appreciate the Baltimore Aquarium even better, I managed to put together this video so that you can see them in action - seahorses, dolphins, turtles, stingrays, odd-looking fish, and more! The sharks are at the end of the video.

Washington DC - Taxation without Representation

2008-11-17T00:31:00.002-06:00

Did you know that 68 sq mi Washington DC has a non-voting Congressional delegate? That is why you see these license plates in the residents' vehicles as a protest and a movement for full representation. Anyway...I've been to DC twice before but never did the tour bus thing. Well for my third trip, that is exactly what I did! The tour bus was for 3 reasons 1) mainly for my in-laws though so that

New Jersey - The Garden State and more...

2008-11-16T12:01:00.001-06:00

When I hear the mention of New Jersey in the past, my mind would picture an industrial place with lots of factories, trains and minimal flora. Not sure why I have that image when the short time I visited there in the mid 1990s, I saw the lot beyond my cousins' backyard were full of trees. Perhaps it was because I was on trains back to back for 2 days... Somehow the train and the sight of