Everyday Fish Phil - Florida

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2013-05-01T22:55:00.001-04:00

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I Miss Working

2013-04-25T15:32:00.000-04:00

Its been exactly 2 months since I stop working at my job, I sure do miss it especially having a paycheck every two weeks hahah. I have to stop working due to my hand injury and unfortunately because of it my manager have to let me go because I'm not in good health to do my job anymore, its the corporate decision so my manager can't do anything . I can always apply again according to the corporate/HR but of course they can't assure my position, so what I did is I did not apply again, I don't want to restart my training when I was almost done with my probation, though that job is paying me good compare to my other job before, I must admit it is very stressful and I was thinking all of these happen for a reason and it is a blessing in disguise, and that this job is not worth all the stress and hassle especially its so far from were we live right now, the job was not just for me. Two weeks ago, my husband had an injury also, when he was working, he slipped on a carpet and went face down on a tile banging up his knee and skinning his elbow, its a good thing he didn't break anything thank God. But because of that, they have to cut his hour and he missed work for couple days (not paid) because his knees was swelling and the doctor wanted him to rest for days. I don't know the laws over here, but I think they should pay my husband when he was resting for 2 days, of course they shoulder all the expenses from the doctor's check up but my husband lose 2 days of salary and that hurt our budget. If only we can afford to hire a lawyer like a Personal Injury Lawyers so that we can now our rights as an employee and ask about a workman's compensation. I guess its okay, all that matters is my husband is in good health now, back to work again, just overworked, tired and exhausted but his doing good. Thank God for a responsible husband, may You always bless and guide him.

Slowly but surely

2013-04-25T14:59:00.000-04:00

Its been 4 weeks now that I've been working out again, I go back to my exercising again, doing yoga and zumba for at least 2- 3 times a week . I really like it especially yoga, its relaxes my mind and body after doing it. I only wish I have a Muscle Stimulator, so that its easier for me to build my muscle, as we know if you have muscle its harder to gain weight. I was thinking to buy some exercising machine, so that I have a motivation everyday to exercise and it would be easier for me too. I saw some online, like this website LG-TEC Dual Combo TENS Unit and Muscle Stimulator, they have a variety of things that you need, and if you need TENS Units for muscle pain they have that too. You can Visit LGMedSupply Online for more info. It important for me to exercise, not just to achieve good health but for reproductive health also. For all of you who doesn't know, I have been diagnosed with PCOS "polycystic ovarian syndrome", its a hormonal imbalance thing, its a pretty common for women in child bearing age. There's a lot of type's of PCOS, a majority of women's who has PCOS is obese or overweight and they have diabetes or high blood pressure or they have thyroid problems. Luckily for me I don't have all of these, and I'm very much thankful to God, except that I am overweight with some acne (but it gotten better since I arrive here in US). My only problem is my menstruation is not normal, I have a problem of ovulating every month that's why I have a hard time getting pregnant. I hope this is the start a good thing for me, and I will be able to exercise and have a motivation to do it at least 3-4 times a week. I also start brisk walking too, I think its fun and refreshing. What about yo? Do you have some health problems, and what did you do to cure it?

A Little Help Will Do

2013-04-22T20:01:00.000-04:00

The last time I blog about applying for an Unemployment Benefits now called Reemployment here in Florida, I was so frustrated because the process was so long and complicated that I almost give up and say to heck it with and just forget about it. To all of you who doesn't know what unemployment insurance is, it is a joint-step federal program that provides cash benefits to eligible workers. Unemployment insurance payments are intended to provide temporary financial assistance to unemployed workers who are unemployed through no fault of their own, meaning you got fired from your job but its not your fault or there's no misconduct on your part. Each state sets its own additional requirements for eligibility, benefits amounts, and length of time benefits can be paid. Also you should have worked for at least a year, that's one of the requirements before you can apply for a benefit. The benefits is based on a percentage of your earnings over a recent 52 weeks period but depends on every state, so you should check with your state first before applying for a benefit. And also benefits are subject to federal and most state income taxes and it must be reported on your income tax return. We are lucky we don't have state tax in Florida lol. Anywho after almost a month of waiting I finally got my unemployment benefits, last week I got paid for the first time, so I am very thankful that I did not lose hope and still continue claiming my weeks online. I have to say thank you also to the agent who handle my case, he keep telling me to continue filing and claiming my weeks for my benefit. Thank you Mr. Troy of DOE.

Its not really a lot of money, its like half of my paycheck when I was still working, but its a big help for me right now. And I am thankful to God for it, even though the economy is going down hill but there's still hope I know, especially for the people that help themselves. I hope I can find a real job soon, one that I like and I would love. Its not easy to receive unemployment benefits, before you can file your weeks you have to show them that you were looking and applied for a job, and it has to be five each week. So imagined you have to do these until you can find a job. Its not fun at all but of course you can't get anything easy and free. But I'm not complaining just feel bad the other people who abused the government right now, I see a lot of people on EBT or Snap, I don't have a problem with it as long as you deserve it, but a majority of what I see there still very healthy and not disable so meaning they can still work but just lazy? Hmmm

Dissappointed!

2013-03-25T16:23:00.000-04:00

In my last article I mentioned about applying for unemployment benefits since I lost my job, (now called Reemployment), I don't know why they called it reemployment when its not easy to get a job on their website, I mean I didn't even get a single call for a job interview. Anyway I just got in the mail today two letters from them, they called it determination letter, one is stating my benefits are payable because my quitting for the job is due to health reason, (even though I did not quit, they discharge me with no misconduct grr) but the other letter says I am disqualified to get my 3 weeks of unemployment because under Florida law I failed to complete a full work registration which means I did not posted a resume in their website which I was not aware of it. I called them and the agent told me I can still file an appeal and I can still claim my weeks which I told him why do I still need to claim my weeks when I'm am disqualified. Then he explained that I am only disqualified for 3 weeks and after that I have to wait for another one week which is the non paying week under the Florida law(grrr) and after that if I continue claiming my weeks they will still pay me. I was like, maybe if the time comes they decided to pay me, I have a job already then it will be useless because obviously I can't get the money because I am working again, in short I'm disqualified..
Yeah I am very frustrated right now with their laws right now, lets just see what's gonna happen... I need more patience Lord please guide me!

The Dreams of Every Woman

2013-03-25T16:02:00.000-04:00

Every woman's dream is to have a child of their own, to be pregnant with a healthy and beautiful child. I wonder what's the feeling of an expecting mother? I bet its very exciting and overwhelming, carrying your child for the whole nine months is not easy but they say its worth it once you see your little bundle of joy. I don't know if I can experience all of these, because I'm one of the unlucky victim of having a PCOS, its a hormonal imbalance that make it hard for the woman to be pregnant. But with our advance technology right now, there's always a possibility that you can still get pregnant easily, there's a lot of pills, medicine that you can take with the prescription with your doctor of course, and will help you to ovulate and you can be pregnant. There's female egg donation website that I found online, this is a big help to a lot of couple that has a hard time getting pregnant, a lot of people especially over here in the US there okay with it, but I think its nor for me at least not now. If you're financially stable there's also an egg bank, where you can buy a frozen egg, they call it frozen egg technology. If you're interested you can search it online, you can find a lot of website about this. I wonder how they do it, and I hope the one donating is healthy and a good person.
Sometimes I felt jealous, especially when all my friends whom I grew up with have three or five kids already and I myself didn't even have one of my own. My mom keep bugging me if I am already expecting, since I got married for almost six years now, so I can't blame them if they feel antsy of becoming a grandparents already. Even though they have one grand kid from my sister, and also my brother's girlfriend is pregnant right now, they still want to see me having a baby soon. I can only hope, I'm still not losing faith and hope that I will be a mother soon. I owe it all to our Lord.

Castle Dental Will Give You a Healthy and Beautiful Smile

2013-03-24T13:07:00.002-04:00

Guest post by Lorraine P

A healthy and beautiful smile begins with properly cared for teeth. While brushing and flossing at least twice a day is important to good oral health, it is also recommended that a person see a dentist every six months. Regular dental checkups will not only keep teeth clean, but these checkups can be extremely important when it comes to detecting dental issues. If you live in Houston, Texas and would like to keep your smile healthy and looking good, you need to call or visit your local Castle Dental.

With locations all around Houston and a variety of other Texas cities, Dental is a houston, tx dentist office that can give you the dental care you need to keep your smile healthy and bright. At Castle Dental, they make it super easy for anyone to get a variety of dental treatments. They handle a variety of dental treatments that include cleanings, root canals, extractions, fillings, and a variety of cosmetic and orthodontic procedures that are certain to give you a smile you can be proud of. Through years of experience and a desire to help people just like you get a healthy and happy smile.

Regular dentist appointments are important to the health and appearance of your smile. Because of this, you will want to be sure you get proper dental care. At Castle Dental, they can give you the proper dental care you need for a truly beautiful smile. If you have been putting of a trip to the dentist office, do not put it off any longer. Instead, have your teeth taken care of by an experienced and knowledgeable dental professional at Castle Dental.

Bits and Pieces (Update of my Life)

2013-03-23T15:29:00.000-04:00

My bruised poor finger!

Its been exactly one month since I lost my job, yes I am officially unemployed right now. Its a long story but I will try to explain everything, so here's what happen... I can't still forget what happen that day, It was raining so hard, I was gonna get the umbrella in our garage, I was in a hurry because I don't want to miss the bus and its still a long walk to the bus stop. But I guess that day was my unlucky day or I know its my fault, I was being stupid lol. What happen is I slammed my right fingers in the garage door! I know its hurts like hell, and I screamed for 3 hours, its really that painful . It happen so fast, what I remember is I didn't grab the handle to close the garage door because it was wet and icky so I grabbed from the inside instead accidentally doing so between two panels. When I pulled they close and I panicked right away that rather pushing up the door I pulled my hand free doing even more damage. So fast-forward, after that day we went to the doctor, and found out the bad news that I broke some of the bones in the tip of my finger. The doctor splinted my ring and middle finger and advises me to continue to wear the splint even when I'm working. Now here's the crucial part, they don't (HR/Corporate) want me to go back to work with my condition, and to make it more even worse, I can't have a leave because I'm still on my 90 days probation, so my manager have to let me go even though its not my fault and I can't get a workman's compensation because I was not hurt on the job. But they give me a consolation by saying I can apply again but of course they can't assure my position back.

That is blood under my nails at first I thought it was just dirt.

Wearing Splint to heal the bones.

Me and my husband talked about it, if its really worth it if I go back to my job again. I mean I loved my job and I was happy with it but being a floater I was always closing and my husband always works in the morning so he have to pick me up everynight and he has still to work early the next day. If only the bus here are reliable there will be no problem for me going home at night. We think its a blessing in disguise that these happen to me, my husband said that it save his sanity not having to pick me up every night anymore. Though I missed working over there, I think its a little bit stressful for us, especially for my husband with our different shift. But one thing for sure I would miss having a pay check every two weeks lol.
Right now I am applying for unemployment benefits but boy its not easy! I fell like a camel going trough the needles eye lol its hard. But I will find out on Monday if I get approved or not.
On the lighter side I found an English class that I can attend that is not so far away from where we lived, at least I can meet some friends and talk to different people. Just have to be patient and soon maybe I can find another job that is just close to where I lived so that I wont have a problem commuting anymore. Oh tomorrow is Palm Sunday, don't forget to bring your palms before going to church. Happy Weekend!

Dream Beach Houses

2013-03-17T21:22:00.000-04:00

When I was young I always dream of having a house next to a beach even if its just a simple house made of woods as long as its close to the beach. I love living in simple houses, you know like a nipa (made of bamboo) hut kinda house. But its funny right now I think my dream was partially came true because aside that we're living in Florida, my father in-law's house where we live right now is very close to the beach. My husband brought me once to that beach but the water is still too cold to swim so I did not really enjoy it. Right now we were thinking to buy a smaller and affordable house, even though we are so attached to this house that we are living now. I already love this house in the few months that I stayed here, but its up to my father in law to decide it his house, his been living over here with his family for 20 years so I know its not easy for him. Anyway my husband always look online to find a house for us, sometimes when we go out I always open my side of the window so that I can see and reads all the signs and advertisement of houses for sale or foreclosure house. You can always see a lot of ads like Beach Luxury Homes and houses for sale, I can only dream we can afford to buy this expensive house, right now we are satisfied with our small apartment even if we have some small problems like the electricity is expensive.
What about you, what state and city do you live? Do you think its cheaper or affordable over there than here in Florida?

Camping Tips And Ideas

2013-02-19T15:32:00.001-05:00

When I was younger I used to be a Civil War Reenactor. One of the things I loved about reenacting besides the living history was the camping. I was never a Boy Scout but I certainly loved camping ever since I was a kid and my grandfather gave me a boy scout tent. I used to set it up in the backyard and play for hours. Later, as a Civil War Reenactor the camping was quite a bit more rustic than the enclosed tents with bug screens and bright fluorescent lamps that people drag along on camping trips nowadays. We slept in pup tents with open sides and on top of a gum blanket with a single wool blanket as our cover. Not so bad in the summertime but cold as heck in the late fall at the Cedar Creek reenactment.

Now that my wife and I are set up in the USA I'd love to take up camping again as it is something that we couldn't do in the Philippines. They have parks over there but they lack the facilities that national parks have in the USA. Here we can enjoy a wide vista of parks to camp in and it's certainly cheaper than staying in a hotel. If you're new to camping then get involved, there's a wide variety of websites with Tips On Trips And Camps so you see how best to get started with a very rewarding hobby. I'm not sure how my wife will like going out into the wild and "roughing" it for a weekend, but I am certainly excited to try.

BrSpiritus is the Sr. Editor of The Vintage Recipe Blog

Crazy Over Peanut Butter

2013-02-16T10:45:00.001-05:00

Who doesn't love peanut butter? Peanut butter is everybody's favorite, with its creamy, crunchy and sweet taste, no one can't resist! What is peanut butter? It is a food paste made primarily from dry ground peanuts, it is mainly used as a sandwich spread. It is very popular in North America, other part of the country and of course in the Philippines. My husband's a peanut butter lover too, he loves to eat peanut butter jelly, he can eat it until he get sick of it.. He told me its like a staple food for them, when he was young that's all they can afford to buy before, bread and peanut butter plus jelly so its like a meal for them already. But unfortunately not for me, I think I'm not really a big fan of peanut butter its not that I don't like it, because I think I'm used to the peanut butter in the Philippines that its fresh, you can buy it after they made it so the taste is very simple and natural no other flavors but just peanut and its not so sweet too. And beside its very cheap its like a dollar for a small cup. The only problem if you eat so much peanut butter is because its creamy so the oil from it can get you into trouble with all the calories and extra fat that your body doesn't need, of course we all know too much of a good thing is bad for us. My husband is a little overweight so I always tell him not to eat a lot of peanut butter, of course he doesn't listen, its his favorite. I keep looking around for a peanut butter alternative that is healthier but still taste like peanut butter, until I stumble upon this PB2. PB2 powder is a powdered peanut butter with lower carbohydrates and no chemicals. It is healthier because 90 percent of fat is removed from the peanut, so the oil is squeezed out from the roasted peanut and what remain is a peanut powder that contains about 180 calories, compare to 250 calories from a regular peanut butter spread. Time to go and head on to the grocery to try this PB2 powder and find out for myself if its worth a try and if my husband will love them too.

Home Loans

2013-02-13T23:36:00.000-05:00

Before we had our own apartment, me and my husband used to live with my father in-laws house. I wrote an article about it a couple of times here in my blog. It is a nice 3 bedroom house with a swimming pool, but I didn't have a chance to enjoy the pool when I first arrived here in the US because my husband decided to make it as a fish pond, due to the fact also that the pool got neglected. Anyhow my father in law first bought that house 20 years ago,with his wife and two daughters,until his two girls moved out and went to college and his wife moved out also after a couple of years. Until 2010, my husband come to a conclusion that he doesn't want to live in the Philippines anymore, and my father in law was so kind to let him stay on his house while waiting for me to finish the processing of my visa. Finally after 7 months of processing and a year and a half of not seeing each other, I got my visa and flew right away to the US. So from that time, we stayed in my father in-laws house for almost a year, it was so nice of him, he let us stay in his house for free of course beside the food and some basic commodities that's in our shoulder.

At first we had a planned of buying the house, because that time my Father in-law still paying the mortgage and he said that the house is too big for him and too hard to maintain. But it turns out that we can't afford the monthly mortgage of the house so we ended up renting an apartment. We tried to apply for a house loan but we give up because its too complicated with all the paper works they want and you have to have a good credit score too. My father in-law seeks a lot of advice from his attorney on how to reverse his mortgage to be able to save his house and not declare bankruptcy, because his been paying the mortgage for 20 years and losing it is gonna break his heart, the house is part of his life, he had a lot of beautiful memories that I know he doesn't want to give up that house. Its just so sad that he can't find any way to get a loan or refinance it. If only we can help money wise but we are also poor, we just live as they say overhere "live paycheck to paycheck", just enough to pay the bills and have food in the table.

Valentine's Date Plan

2013-02-02T13:07:00.000-05:00

Its February and that means Valentines Day is quickly approaching, me and my husband was planning to go somewhere else to celebrate Valentines Day to be different. We want it to be simple and memorable and at the same time easy on our budget. I wanted to go back in St. Augustine to spend our Valentines date over there again, yes we went there last year but did not really enjoy it a lot because it was not plan so well and it was just a short trip due to the reason that we have to work after that day. That time we spend almost $200 just in one day, but I think its worth it because I love St. Augustine it remains me of Cebu one of the city in my home country. I love their church and their restaurant, I just love the ambiance over there. But then I also want to go to the beach, I really miss swimming and smell the ocean air that relaxes you. Maybe we will go Daytona beach. I heard their beaches are lovely and has pure white sand, unlike our beaches over here in Jacksonville its kinda filthy, I mean the water is fine I like it but the surroundings are messy garbage are everywhere and the sand is not white. That's one of the thing I miss in the Philippines, our beautiful paradise like beaches. Or I maybe its wise just to stay in the house, enjoy the air conditioning in the apartment, now that the weather is getting hotter and watch a movie all day and just have a simple candle light dinner . What do you think?

It still depend on my husband if he agrees with me, I rather spend our Valentines day on the beach. And I know now is a perfect time to go because the weather is not that cold and not too hot either.
I also found a good deal on a dinner date for two on Valentines Day, I found it online and I think its a steal because its just $40 good for 2 person in an expensive french restaurant here in Jacksonville. But I know were gonna pay more that, that's for sure, especially if its Valentine's were gonna go overboard with food and desserts. Now I'm confused which one to choose for our Valentine's date, I wanted it special and memorable but at the same time not expensive. Special because officially this would be our first Valentine's that were going to celebrate since I arrived here in the US, since last year we did not really celebrate it due to financial reason, so now that we both have a job we wanted to treat ourselves. I think we both deserve it, especially my husband his been working a lot, between his job and picking me up after I work because I don't have a license yet, I know his very tired at the end of the day that sometimes we argue because his tired and I'm tired but what important is we know deep in our heart we can't live without each other.

I'm Back!

2013-01-29T16:46:00.000-05:00

Hello there! I know its been a long long time since I have written on this blog, sorry for not updating it for a couple of months. We were just busy between moving and the holidays plus I just got a new job and so I was just so overwhelmed with so many things happening in our life right now that I didn't have time to update my blog and for that I hope you will forgive me, but I'm glad that you still support my blog I know this because I still receive some comments and page views and that I am very thankful. Okay first of all I would like to say Happy New Year to all my readers(though its very late, but better late than never)! Hope you had a great and safe New Year celebration. We did too but its very different because this time it just the two of us (as before we celebrate it with my father in law) and also we are both working the day before the New Year so were both tired and my husband just bought ham and that's our dinner for that night, and I also had 13 fruits, I followed the Philippines tradition of celebrating the New Year, if you have 13 fruits in your table it means goodluck for the the whole year.

Anyhow let me update you with what's going on with our life since November. We finally found an apartment hooray! Yes we have our own apartment, for some of my followers who doesn't know we were living with my father in law's house for almost a year before we found this apartment. My husband got a car (used),then he got a full time job at the one of the upscale grocery here in Jacksonville, after two months I also got a job (Part time) in the same company where my husband works, so I decided to leave my other job because I was thinking its not worth the commute that I have to take, it will take me 4 hours from the house to get me to work. I have to take 3 buses and I was thinking I don't get pay as much so its not worth it anymore now that I have found a better job. Okay let me tell you a lil bit about my new job, I' am a Floater, basically I float between 3 departments: in Floral, Bulk and Coffee & Candy, hopefully I will pass my test because I'm still on my 30 days probation right now. I must admit this is a harder job compare to my other job which is retail, this job is more stressful and stricter. Plus I have 3 department manager that I have to deal with but I'm starting to love it, it just overwhelming when you have to work 7 -8 hrs shift, but hey I can't complain because usually my shift is only 4- 5 hrs unless if they will put me on grocery which I don't like but its extra hours so I'm not gonna complain. I'm just crossing my fingers and with a lot of prayers and strength I will be okay. Thank You God for all the blessings, we owe it all to You.

Go, Go, Grow! With The Gardenieres

2012-10-31T22:00:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of for . All opinions are 100% mine.

I don't have alot of time to devote to yardwork but since it's Florida if I don't make time everything will get out of hand quickly... i.e. weeds as tall as the house and all my carefully planted flowers coming to a dried out ruin. It's a good thing that there's miracle grow to help me with my fall planting needs.

This Gardenieres video helped insipre me in my path to a newer garden. What inspiration did it give you may ask? Don't plant invasive plants no matter how pretty they may look in the spring. No really, I'm serious, my apologies to miracle grow but I don't find myself with unlimited time to my hands to hang out of windows trimming the wisteria or shaping the verge. What miracle grow can help me with is maintaining a stress free garden of plants that need little to no attention save watering. Miracle grow garden soil provides just the right base for my plants to grow strong healthy roots and lovely blooms. With the application of some liquafeed they can attain truly gorgeous proportions and have the neighbors turning their heads in awe. With one days work and miracle grow I can turn the bare patch at the front of the house into a fall display of color.
Need more ideas for your fall garden? Be sure to like the Miracle-Gro Facebook page to keep up with all the news, ideas for your garden and new gardening products from Miracle Grow and the Gardenieres.

Affordable Health Insurance

2012-10-11T21:26:00.001-04:00

A lot of people is not happy with the Supreme Court upholding the Obamacare "known as The Affordable Care Act" right now, and that includes my husband and me, though I still have to learn about the laws over here in the states,and I heard a lot about Obamacare and the only thing that I know that is just another way to tax people and that is not optional. So what is Obamacare? From Wikipedia: Obamacare is The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), is a United State federal statue signed into law by President Barack Obama on march 23, 2010. Obamacare requires adults not covered by employer- or government-sponsored insurance plans to maintain minimal essential health insurance coverage or pay a penalty, a provision commonly referred to as the individual mandate. The Act also affects certain aspects of the private health insurance industry and public health insurance programs, requires insurance coverage of pre-existing conditions, and seeks to extend coverage to 30 million uninsured Americans. The Congressional Budget Office projected it will both lower future deficits and Medicare spending. And this is including us, me and my husband doesn't have health insurance yet, so from what I understand Obamacare is not optional, its like their forcing people to do it. But a lot of people that thinks that it is right, so how about you what do you think?

Anyhow I'm not here to talk about dirty politics, I'm here to talk about health insurance, that it is so hard if you don't have insurance. When my glasses broke we didn't have a choice but to buy a new one. But in order to get a new eye glasses I have to go through eye exam first, which is not cheap, so we bite the bullet and did go to the eye doctor and did it all without any insurance. We end up paying $537 for my new eyeglasses including the eye exam, my frame is not cheap because I am near sighted and I believe my left eye has astigmatism. But I like my new eyeglasses, I think its worth it. I just hope we can afford to have a health insurance soon or my husband can find a full time job that offers a free insurance. I was searching online about affordable health insurance, and one thing I found out that before you can even have insurance they will have to do a health check on you, especially if its a life insurance you're talking about. So a lot of people right now is looking for affordable health insurance, well good luck to them.

My new glasses

My first birthday in the US!

2012-10-09T17:32:00.001-04:00

My husband's Filipino style spaghetti

Yesterday was my 32nd birthday, and yes it was my first birthday here in the US. At first we were planning to cooked a lot of food but then we realized we didn't have any visitors, its a good thing my mother in law showed up for the dessert even though it was raining so hard yesterday. My husband ask me what do I want for him to cook for my birthday, I told him I want some Filipino dishes, so he go and went shop for the ingredients while I clean the house. My husband ended up making Filipino style spaghetti, Lumpia (egg rolls), fried chicken and also baked my birthday cake. I help him with doing the prep and I cooked the main ingredients for the lumpia so that its ready for wrapping. I was frustrated because I got the wrong wrapper,which was the Vietnamese egg roll wrapper, but its a good thing its turn out good when we start to fry it.

simple birthday dinner

It was a tiring day because of all the preparations and cooking that we do (husband did a lot of cooking, I just help him), and all of a sudden we got a call back about an apartment that we saw online and we have to break and go take a look at it. It was located in downtown so its an hour drive back and forth. Anyhow we did have fun celebrating my birthday, although I wish my family (in the Philippines) was here with me, I bet they will really enjoy all the foods my husband cooked. The spaghetti was good also, my husband did it really like its a filipino style, he did bought a quezo de bola and it really taste good, and he also put some hotdogs hehe, I loved it!

My birthday cake Butterscotch cake with Butterscotch Icing

A toast for more birthdays to come!

Finally it was time to blow the candle, so they gather up for me my husband, father in law and my step mother in law to sing me a happy birthday, I was so touched because they sing it form their hearts the only missing is my family in the Philippines and my birthday would be complete. I got a birthday greeting card from Cathy my mother in law, she was so sweet she inserted some cash also. If not for my husband effort's to cook even though he still have to work early the next day, my birthday will not be possible. I am very thankful to God for another year of my life, thank You Lord God for all the blessings and guidance, thank you for giving me such a wonderful husband like my husband. Thank you for my new family here in the US they are a blessing for me and my husband. Thank you for giving me a loving family who always supports me and always think of me even though we are thousand of miles away from each other, I could still feel their love and prayers for me. All in all I enjoyed my birthday and hopefully this Christmas we will celebrate it in our new apartment.

Baby Sling

2012-10-03T13:33:00.001-04:00

A lot of my friends are pregnant right now, the one friend that I actually meet last year, we were together for our flight on the way over here, she is due to give birth this last week of October. I am so excited for her, and of course she is very thankful to God that her pregnancy is healthy and she had no major problems. Because before she had a miscarriage when she was still in the Philippines and I know how hard and painful it was for her. But now she's just waiting for a few more weeks and she's gonna have their bundle of joy. I saw on her Facebook that she just had a baby shower, and she had a lot of gifts from her friends. I was gonna give her baby ring sling but we both so busy. Maybe next time she will get pregnant again I will definitely make it sure to send her some baby gifts.

Sunday Stealing: The End is Near Meme, Part Two

2012-09-30T11:59:00.002-04:00

Today we ripped off a blogger named Dark Trinity from the blog Sparking Beach. He states he got it from DA.. But, it was probably stolen there as well. So, of course, that will be as far as we go. Tracing back our theft's thieves might take some time. Take the time to comment on other player's posts. It's a great way to make new friends! Link back to us at Sunday Stealing!

Sunday Stealing: The End is Near Meme, Part Two

21. BIGGEST LIE THAT YOU'VE EVER BEEN TOLD?
That there's a santa claus lol

22. BLONDES, BRUNETTES, REDHEADS OR BALD?
Brunettes
23. WHO DO YOU PHONE MOST?
My family in the Philippines
24. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB?
I was selling some hot bread in the crack of dawn when I was 8.

25. WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE SUNDAY STEALING?
I was doing laundry again.

26. IF YOU COULD GET PLASTIC SURGERY WHAT WOULD IT BE?
It would be a noselift and skin surgery to get rid of my acne marks.

27. WHY DID YOU FILL OUT THIS SURVEY?
I miss doing it.

28. WHAT DO YOU GET COMPLIMENTED ABOUT MOST?
Being a Filipina?

29. WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF ALCOHOL BECAME ILLEGAL?
I would be very happy hahha.

30. HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU WANT/HAVE?
Actually 5, but I don't know if its still possible.

31. DO YOU WISH ON STARS?
When I was young, and I did saw a falling star.

32. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Hmmm sometimes.

33. WHEN DID YOU LOSE YOUR VIRGINITY?
Oh my too personal sorry.

34. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Yeah sure.

35. DO LOOKS MATTER?
Sometimes.

36. HOW DO YOU RELEASE ANGER?
Pray and walk away.

37. WHERE IS YOUR SECOND HOME?
Here in Jumerika.

38. DO YOU TRUST OTHERS EASILY?
Not so much.

39. DO YOU USE SARCASM?
Sometimes.

40. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN A MOSH PIT?
What is that?

Invest in Gold and Silver Coins

2012-09-29T11:57:00.000-04:00

Today the US is experiencing economic problems, with a lot of people are unemployed or underemployed (which means they have a job that can't pay their bills). I've seen a lot of people giving up living over here, because they feel like they can't afford to live the American lifestyle anymore. I don't blame them, I learn a lot from my 8 months of living here in the US, it is very expensive, you really have to have a full time job for you to survive and enjoy your life. I can understand why my aunt and her family decided to leaved the USA for good and moved in the Philippines. My aunt and her family was living in Wisconsin for 15 years but her husband feels that its cheaper to live in the Philippines, which is very true. But the downside of it especially if you are a foreigner, its hard to find a decent job. So her husband started to invest on gold and silver, when I was still in the Philippines, they showed me what gold bullion coins looks like. And from that day I said to myself we should start to invest in gold and silver coins too,nnd my husband agrees with me. We just have to work hard to be able to start to invest and maybe we can have peace of mind that we can still afford to retire when where too old to work.

It's Football Season Again!

2012-09-26T21:13:00.000-04:00

Its September and its Football time again here in America. The National Football League regular season begins the weekend after Labor day and ends in December. Each team plays 16 games a17 week period, each week's games are played on Sunday afternoon with weekly games on Sunday night and Monday night and occasional games on Thursday night and Saturday night. Here's a little bit of history for you, there's two kinds of football that they used to play back in the 19th century, which is rugby football and association football. Both these games have their origin in varieties of football played in Britain. It was Walter Camp the father of American football who instituted and changed the rule of football. The popularity of college football grew as it became the dominant version of the sport in the United States for the first half of the 20th century. Its not until in the 1920's when the American Professional Football Association was formed and after 2 years they change its name to the National Football League (NFL) and eventually became the major league of American football.

We also played football in the Philippines, but the way we play its very different, as far as I remeber playing it when I was young we kicked the ball at a goal and run over a line. Even though I'm not a big fan of football due to the obvious reason that I don't know how to watch it and how it was played. I just like watching it sometimes because of Tim Tebow. Anyhow my father in law and my husband loves football, they are a big fan of gators of course. Though I think gators suck sometimes, they never seem to win the games. Well the other day they win against the Minnesota Vikings. My husband actually won a bet against his co worker for 50 bucks. A lot of people are doing the NFL Betting, especially with the gators winning the last time they played. I can only wish I know how this game being played so that I can start betting too. Maybe if its basketball then I can say I am a pro, because basketball is a famous game in our country and beside I used to do the scoring in our sub-div everytime we have a fiesta. So I know how they play it and I can really say that I am good at watching it. Well I gotta go now my husband is calling me to watch football, I think the gators are playing tonight, I can hear them cheering.

Blogger's Choice

2012-09-26T20:36:00.001-04:00

My husband just join the Blogger Idol contest, and unfortunately his blog was not chosen to be one of the bloggers choice. Blogger Idol is a contest like the American Idol, to see whose gonna be the famous blog. They got a scoring system in place that is not a popularity contest, they will judge your blog by: likeability, appearance, appeal of the public, and many more. The prizes are of course free exposure of your blog, the chance to meet new people, networking and the chance to stretch your writing skill and become a better blogger.

We were a little bit dissapointed, when we find out his blog The Vintage Recipe, didn't win. I was really expecting he could make it to the top 12 because his blog is unique from the other blog, he tackles vintage recipe and food. So anyhow, how do make sure that our blog is appealing to the public? Of course we have to right good quality content, I think my husband's blog got that. His got a lot of followers too, not to mention his Facebook page has 1,600 plus likers now. And he got a lot of pageviews compare to my blog. But I think because he was gone for 3 months to work in Alaska, so he didn't able to update his blog while he was there plus he just got a job so he didn't have time to write as much as he want. I think that's one of the reason maybe the judges thought that his not updating his blog on a daily basis. Anyhow my husband's was not discourage he still want to try and join next year and hoping he will get the coveted bloggers choice award.

I'm Back Folks

2012-09-26T20:08:00.000-04:00

It has been a long time since I updated this blog, I was quite busy working and spending time with my husband (he just return from working in Alaska) and at the same time we are also trying to find an apartment or a house for rent. But I promise myself that I have to write an article at least like three times a week. So hopefully I will stick to that :). Anyhow my husband finally got a full time job (Yey!), we were so thankful that after how many years of trying to find a job over here in Jacksonville, God finally answered our prayers and he is now working as a produce clerk in one of the retail store over here. After all, the economy is still thriving but fighting, so its still possible you can get a full time job. The downside of it is now that his working and I'm working also, our time is limited and we don't have a lot of free time anymore. So if we both have a rest day together we really make it a point that we spend quality time.

My husband fresh from AK.

I'm gonna miss spending time with my husband, now that his working almost everyday.
I have a lot of things that I'm thankful of, first my husband's new job, second my brother who is in the Philippines finally got a job, he is working as kitchen crew in one of the fast food restaurant. My sister is still works in the same company that shes been working for almost a year now. My parents are good and healthy and of course my loving nephew Gabriell is doing good in school, he just got chosen as one of the participants in a quiz bee contest. I am so proud of him, me and my husband both. I feel like I'm not worth for all this blessings that God has showered us, because I didn't go to church for a long time now (like 3 months) and sometimes I can't even pray the rosary because I was too tired from work. I know God is just there waiting for me to have time with Him. Thank You God for all the blessings and guidance, we owe it all to You.


Cajun Linguine

Fresh oyster

Anyhow we take a day off together last month, and we had dinner at the one of the best seafood restaurant over here in Jacksonville. This is my third time eating at this restaurant, so far this is my favorite restaurant, I had tried their poached mussels, Cajun Linguine and gumbo, I also have a taste of there asian tuna. My husband had buffalo wings, and it was the best, it was really delicious. My father in law got his all time favorite raw oyster.

Spanish Weather

2012-09-20T14:20:00.001-04:00

It seems like currently there is a proliferation of weather sites on the internet, indeed it seems as if I could find a weather site just for my neighborhood. However, as with most things in life, quantity does not translate into quality. So what does one look for in a weather site to gauge the quality? First it must be weather centric and not another arm of the news agencies. Second it has to have quality forecasts, and third it can specialize in the weather of a specific area or country.

It is in my opinion then that Spanish Weather meets these 3 criteria effectively. We have quite a few cruise ships that leave from Jacksonville and go trans-atlantic to Spain every week so it would be a great site to visit to see what the weather would be like for the duration of your trip. Their site is designed to be user friendly with a menu with links to the weather in all the major Spanish cities and resort areas, including the British Crown Colony of Gibraltar.

I would like to take a trip to Spain next year since after all, Spain is the mother country of the Philippines, having owned it as a colony for over 400 years. I do know that when I take my trip, I'll be using Spanish Weather to see if the weather will be nice and sunny for my trip.

Apartment Hunting Tales

2012-09-08T15:53:00.001-04:00

We're going to be moving into an apartment soon since we have given up on the search for a house. Nothing really strikes our fancy right now and at any rate we don't have enough money for a down payment. Apartment hunting can be quite a chore though as we have been driving back and forth from where we live now to Riverside/Avondale downtown to look at places. Every one we have looked at lately has been not our type of place and one place just smelled bad (old musty). Also the cr is always in need of some bathroom accessories. It's really horrible how the landlords of these places just don't take care of them as they should. Windows that won't open, smells old or musty, bathrooms that are as bad as indoor outhouses, gosh it's so tiring to keep driving downtown to be dissapointed. Well my husband was looking at another place today in Avondale, unfortunately I couldn't go because I have to work and my father in law will drive me to work so he can't go either. I hope it's a good place though.

Links for 2011-02-04 [del.icio.us]

2011-02-05T00:00:00-08:00

Crime of Passion
PG13

Links for 2011-02-01 [del.icio.us]

2011-02-02T00:00:00-08:00

Everyday Fish Phil
An eclectic collection of stories from the far side of the world.