just simple thoughts

They Need New Tiles

noreply@blogger.com (Dottie) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:54:33 PST

I have been to one government office yesterday to visit a friend who is among the agencies middle management and I could help but be dismayed to the flooring of her office. My big mouth became out of control and I told the janitor who was in charge to clean the office to properly mop the floor because it looked so disgusting.

Can you imagine entertaining official visitors with dirty-looking floor tiles such as those in the image above? The appearance of an office is actually part of the official’s representation; therefore, it should always be clean and free from all visible dirt. Dirt and grime on white tiles is such an eye sore.

While I was there the janitor did mop and scrubbed the flooring but he was not able to remove the unsightly marks. I told my friend to just request of a carpet to at least hide those disgusting marks on the flooring or if they have a budget, they could change them into dark vinyl tiles similar to this basement floor tile so that future marks on the floor won’t be very visible.

He Wants To Wash Cars

noreply@blogger.com (Dottie) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:52:43 PST

My husband had a blast last weekend cleaning his brother in law’s recently purchased pick-up truck. I am not sure if I have mentioned this already but hubby is so passionate with cars and he enjoys spending the weekend doing car wash, putting on wax and buffing the cars. Because of this passion he’s seriously thinking of starting his own car wash business soon. Hmmm…Why not! I have always believed that you can never go wrong by doing the things that you really love. We’ll never know, from a car wash biz, we might eventually venture into an auto shop biz and carry some of those whispbar roof racks which I heard are very efficient and thoughtfully-designed.

Estrel's Caramel Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Dottie) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 21:05:51 PST

Last Friday my Dad & Mom celebrated their 49 wedding anniversary and to those who have been following my blog knows that I always get a regular Mango Bravo cake from Conti's whenever there's a special occasion at home. For last week’s anniversary celebration, I decided to try something else for a change.

One of my college friends is a big fan of Estrel’s caramel cakes and it was actually through her that I learned about Estrel’s. I have read good reviews about their caramel cakes saying that these are not as sweet as the other cakes that are available in the market, plus the fact that these are the cakes that we often see in Eat Bulaga whenever one of the Dabarkads is celebrating his/her birthday. There cake designs are also so pretty and dainty so I decided to give it a try and ordered for an 8” round caramel cake for my parents’ wedding anniversary.

I specifically orderes for a caramel cake with caramel icing and with filling as show in the image above and you might think that it too sweet because of the thick, creamy icing and filling, but I tell you it's not! This was the cake that my Mom was able to enjoy without having to worry much about her blood sugar. My Dad is lucky that he doesn't have problems with his blood sugar that's why his sweet tooth is never a problem.

Since I always get a cake the day before the occasion, I ordered my parents' anniversary cake last January 4 and picked it up the following day. Because cakes by Estrel's cakes do not have any preservatives, these are prepared on the day of pick-up and should be consumed within the same day. True enough, the expiry date stamped on the box was Jan. 6 (the day following the pick-up date)!

BTW, Estrel's cake box and cake design are protected by Copyright and this was stated on the side of the box, aside from the TM mark found under the logo. Obviously, this is a warning to those who wants to imitate their pretty and elegant cake design. :)

Charlie Chan Pasta + New York's Finest = Yellow Cab

noreply@blogger.com (Dottie) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 01:00:26 PST

It has been quite sometime since we last dine at Yellow Cab so when we hit the mall last Thursday to look for cable covers at ACE Hardware, I asked hubby if we could have lunch at Yellow Cab instead. We originally planned to have lunch at Pizza Hut Bistro but while we were doing around the mall, I suddenly carved for Charlie Chan pasta and New York’s Finest pizza so that explains my request to go to Yellow Cab. Actually, these are our faves and have been loyal to these two since day. Whenever we would visit Yellow Cab, it would always be Charlie Chan and New York's Finest so I really don't have any idea if the other pizza that they offer are just as good.

Because we still have to do a little more shopping, we do not want to go around the mall carrying and bag of left-over food so we only ordered for a 10-inch New York's Finest pizza. Guess what? We ended up taking home half of it! So much for not wanting to take home left-overs... ;)

I have been wanting to make a home-cooked version of Charlie Chan pasta and when I Googled the recipe, I found out that that it was not as hard to prepare as I thought it would. I have read in one forum that Clara Ole's Kung Pao sauce + chicken + shitake mushroom + peanuts + chili flakes is the easiest way to do it. Others however prefer to use a combination of hoisin and oyster sauce but for my first attempt, I think I will go fot the easiest way and try Clara Ole's Kung Pao sauce.

I will post an update once I have made my home-cooked Charlie Chan pasta.

Adigitize to Close

noreply@blogger.com (Dottie) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 18:16:42 PST

As I was checking my e-mails this morning, one particular subject caught my attention and that was “Adgitize to Close” from Ken Brown. Just seeing the subject made me a sad already. When I read the entire message, I truly am at a loss for the appropriate word to describe how sad I feel. According to Ken, by December 27 new accounts will no longer be created and that they will be shutting down the ability to create or renew any ads. By January 1, 2012, they will officially stop showing Adgitize ads and member publishers will not receive any revenue for ads shown. On the other hand, advertisers with running ads will be refunded a prorated amount of the ad price.

I am definitely one of the many bloggers that will be affected by this major turn of events. As an advertiser, Adgitize has no doubt brought traffic towards my blogs and I won’t be able to generate that much traffic without the help from Adgitize. As a publisher, Adgitize has also been one of my sources of passive income online. The closing of Adgitize will be such a loss to bloggers like me who needs a network such as this to promote and bring traffic to our blogs.

After publishing this entry, I will be removing the Adgitize ads that are running on my 3 blogs. I just hope that in the coming days, months or years, Ken Brown will be able to come up with some new and fresh ideas.

As I end this post, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to the Adgitize network for all the things that it has done for my blogs.

My Lasagna Was a Hit!

noreply@blogger.com (Dottie) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 22:01:19 PST

I was so happy that the lasagna I baked for Christmas was such a big hit with my family! I baked the lasagna on the day before Christmas and just in time for the Noche Buena. Because I know that my cousins and their kids have been craving for lasagna, I have decided that it would be the perfect food to share on their table for Christmas Eve. I must admit that I was so tired that day and I slept at around 2:00 in the morning because I had to bake 8 pans of lasagna (5 of which were given to my cousins & in-laws) and 5 pans of Mango squares. Luckily, hubby volunteered to wash the dished and other utensils that I have used.

Yes, I maybe tired but I was so happy particularly when I learned how much they appreciate what i have prepared. In fact on Christmas day, some of my cousins' kids went to the house for more lasagna saying that they couldn't get enough of my lasagna. One of the kids asked what my secret ingredient is and there was actually none. The ingredients that I use, aside from the usual ground pork and spaghetti sauce, are Clara Ole's 3-cheese spaghetti sauce, no-boil lasagna noodles (to save time and energy on the pre-boiling process), basil, mozzarella cheese and cream cheese (for the white sauce). I really couldn't think which of these makes the lasagna so good.

Now, as I was browsing through Facebook, I saw the status update of one of my cousin's daughter saying that she wants more of my lasagna, to which her cousin made a comment that she too loved the lasagna that I have been making. Wow! I was so flattered that I promised them that I'll be making another batch of baked lasagna for them on New Year's Eve. It really feels good know that my efforts are appreciated and that makes my effort worthwhile. :)

Breaking the Monotony

noreply@blogger.com (Dottie) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 20:04:20 PST

In an entry that I have made early this month, I have mentioned that I am a little bored with work and I feel that everything is so monotonous. Thanks to the holiday season because it was kept me for a few days doing some last minute shopping until the mall’s closing time! Somehow, I was able to amuse myself with everything that has to be done for Christmas.

Maybe what I needed was a few days off from work so I decided to go on leave starting today until the 27th. I think 6 days will be enough to recharge me and make me as enthusiastic as I was when I was just starting out. Well, I have always loved baking…it is something I do that can really ease all the stress…So I will make my days off in the kitchen and prepare for our Noche Buena. In fact, I have to bake some goodies late this afternoon to be given away tomorrow to family and friends.

To break the boredom and the monotony of my daily life at the office, I am also thinking of going back to school. Online masters degree programs are now being offered by different universities so I might also check them out. Earning a degree online (that is without the need to physically go to school) is very convenient.

Yeah, I might just go back to school…that might break the monotony…I can’t afford to lose my job just because I was bored.

Eva Ekvall's Death

noreply@blogger.com (Dottie) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 21:59:35 PST

When I saw the news headline in Yahoo! about an ex-beauty queen who died at 28, I can’t help but read the entire article. The former beauty queen was Eva Ekvall who was crowned Miss Venezuela in 2000 at the age of 17 and won 3rd runner up in the Miss Universe pageant the following year. According to the news, she died of breast cancer only last December 17, 2011 at a hospital in Houston. Reports said that she was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer only in February 2010.

I am not a big fan of beauty pageants but for some reason, I felt sad about her death. Perhaps because she died at such a young age and I feel that fate hasn’t given her much opportunity to enjoy life. Or maybe, I feel sorry for the 2-year old daughter that she left behind…I wonder if she would remember her mother at such tender age… Oh well, who am I to question life? Yet, I still can’t help the sadness that I feel.

Towards the end of the Yahoo! News, it was reported that Eva’s husband posted on his Twitter account a close-up photo of his hand holding his wife’s, resting on the bed, with words "Always together ... I love you wife." This made me teary-eyed…It was indeed a love the goes beyond a lifetime…I was so amazed by the kind of love that they have that I searched for John Fabio Bermudez’s (the husband) Twitter account to see the uploaded photo and found this:

This is just so heartbreaking…

Comprehensive Insurance

noreply@blogger.com (Dottie) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 01:08:04 PST

As the year 2011 is about to end, we are now trying to prepare for our insurance-related expenses for the coming year. While some people are concerned about getting life insurance, we, on the other hand, are concerned with getting the best comprehensive insurance for our car that would also cover “acts of nature”. Since we already have a life insurance, all we have to worry now is the car’s insurance which will expire in the 1st quarter of 2012.

After the flood that we have experienced last October, we really have to make sure the “acts of nature” is covered as well. I wonder which among the insurance companies in the country is the most reliable. Although insurance premiums can be quite costly, after all the car-jacking/car-napping incidents and the unexpected flood that has occurred, we couldn’t afford to neglect the comprehensive insurance.

If you know a good insurance company, please do give me a buzz. Thanks guys!

Bye Bye iPhone 4s

noreply@blogger.com (Dottie) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 19:41:14 PST

I said goodbye to the iPhone 4s even before I had it. Some weeks before the latest iPhone was launched, Globe Telecom sent me a text message saying that I could be one of the first to own an iPhone 4s by simply renewing my post paid account with Globe. The first thing that I had to do was to express my interest through their website and provide my account details. Thinking that this could be one of the loyalty programs the that telecommunications company have, I immediately expressed my interest based from the instructions provided and prayed that I could have the much coveted smart phone only by renewing my account and without any cash out.

Of course, that would only be just wishful thinking. Getting the latest iPhone without any cash out and at the current plan that I have of only P800 per month is just impossible. Still, I kept my hopes up and wish that the cash out would be minimal considering that it was under a loyalty program. I really wanted to have this new gadget but I had to prioritize my financial obligations so I was really uncertain if luck will be on my side.

With just a few days before the grand launch, I got a call from Globe asking if I want to pursue my interest and actually own an iPhone 4s. To give you a brief of our conversation, 1st I had to upgrade my subscription plan and there will be a cash out involved (as expected). Should I upgrade to unlisurf plan 999, the cash out would be roughly Php25,000.00; while if I would opt for plan 1799, the cash out would only be around Php4,800.00 but I had to deal with a minimum monthly due of P1,799 for at least 2 years and that would be too much. The required cash out is actually a good deal but because I am in a very tight budget, I had no choice but to say "pass" to the offer and wish that there would be other loyalty offers in the future.

So there, the latest iPhone is just within my reach but I had to say goodbye even before it was launced.

Weight Loss Update with Leisure 18

noreply@blogger.com (Dottie) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 23:11:19 PST

In one of my previous entries, I have mentioned that I’ll be trying the slimming coffee called Leisure 18. Just to give an update, I am already on my 3rd box and so far I have lost 3 inches off my waistline. Yes, I am using a tape measure and not a scale because I am more concerned with visible results and the likelihood of fitting in my old clothes again.

There was a time though that I had to stop drinking this coffee for 2 weeks. Not that I have experienced any negative effect, it was just that I was at a training at the time and I was afraid my usual trips at the comfort room after each meal might disrupt my training. So just to be on the safe side, I decided to temporarily stop drinking Leisure 18 for the whole duration of the training.

I have also bought a bottle of green tea capsules when I purchased my 1st box of Leisure 18 slimming coffee to help me burn fat but due to the lazy bone that I have, I also wasn’t able to take the green tea capsule as often as I should. Normally, I just take a capsule of this green tea extract after I had a fatty meal. But I guess I should make it an effort to regularly take a capsule of green tea extract after every meal to get the maximum result.

Overall, I am happy with the results that I am getting. In fact my sister in law who gets to see me only once or twice every month commented that I have lost weight. She said that thought I haven’t lost that much weight, it was still very obvious that I did lost some pounds. She even asked if I got sick and that was then that I told her about the slimming coffee that I have been drinking 30 minutes before breakfast.

I still have a long way to go before I reached my desired waistline and I have to be really patient. What’s important is the fact the have been getting results and I am happy with that.

What's For Noche Buena

noreply@blogger.com (Dottie) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 07:19:34 PST

With just a week before Christmas, I still can’t decide what to prepare for Noche Buena. So far, I only have Kare-Kare, baked lasagna, Mango squares and triple chocolate balls on my list. I still can’t decide what else to prepare for the Holidays. Those in my list are my family’s all-time fave but aside from those, I want to prepare something really special and something that we don’t get to eat everyday.

BTW, I just learned this evening from the show “Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho” that we can drizzle some truffle oil over a serving of Kare-Kare to make it extra special. According to my husband, he once tried to put a few drops of truffle oil on his clubhouse sandwich (as suggested by an officemate) and he said that it was really good. My husband also mentioned that this oil is quite expensive but it’s worth the price. Hmmmm…I will definitely try this truffle oil with our Kare-Kare…I just hope that it’s available in supermarkets such as SM and The Landmark.

How about you? Are you all set for the Noche Buena?

Boredom + Change = Biz

noreply@blogger.com (Dottie) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 20:21:31 PST

For the past months I have been seriously thinking about the professional aspect of my life. I am at a point where I am considering whether I would continue my career as an auditor in the government or should I go for an early retirement when I finally reached my 15th year in service which will be 4 years from now.

My dilemma is caused mainly by boredom. I guess doing the same things for 11 years has taken its toll. I must admit that I no longer feel motivated…In other words, everything just seems so monotonous. With kind of state that I am in, I definitely need a change. Actually, I have been talking with my husband about starting my own business…

I have talked about how much I enjoy doing online selling in some of my previous entries and since I love meeting people from all walks of life, I am thinking of venturing into something that will not only be available both off and online…

Since my Mom is planning to have some commercial apartments for lease sometime next year, I am considering the possibility of getting one space for my own business. The question is: what kind of business will I venture into? Whatever it will be, it must definitely be something that I am passionate about for it to be successful. If you are familiar with marmot jackets, then you probably know that the company was conceived out of its founders’ passion for the glacier. Well, I want my own biz to be just as successful and who knows, might gain international recognition as well.

The more I think about the possibility of going into business, the more I get excited about. Sometimes I do ask myself if I am in the right profession or could this be just another bout of boredom?

Dealing with Blogger's Block

noreply@blogger.com (Dottie) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 23:32:17 PST

I have been meaning to update this blog for weeks but I just couldn’t muster the energy to actually write. Even after I have leaned that my page rank has dropped from 3 to 2, I still couldn’t make myself hit the “New Post” tab on my Blogger Dashboard.

Since I started blogging in 2009 I have read entries from fellow bloggers about “blogger’s block”. I never imagined that dealing with this kind of mental state (if I can call it that) could be quite difficult. Though I wasn’t able to make regular blog updates many times in the past, those instances were mainly due to my super busy work schedule and I couldn’t really find the time to sit down and write. This time, I can not blame my silence to my current work load because I do have the time to surf the net for movies and games to download. It’s just that blogging isn’t my “thing” lately.

Now, for the first time in 2 years, I am confronted with this “blogger’s block”. It’s not that there’s nothing that I have to share…In fact, there are so many things that I want to share but, as I said, I lack the energy and the enthusiasm to actually pound on my keyboard and write.

But do I want my blogs to be just like those other “dead blogs” that we sometimes encounter? Of course not! So when I opened my browser to do my cousin a favor and Google Basic Tube Bending Guide, I decided to also open my Blogger dashboard, hit the “New Post” tab and deal with this blogger’s block.

From this day forward, I hope to make regular updates and bring my page rank back to where it was before.

Costume Hunt Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Dottie) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 17:54:13 PST

It’s already the last day of the week and I still wasn’t able to hunt for breeches which I’ll need for a costume party that we will be attending next weekend! With so much work at the office, I totally forgot about this party. Uhm, actually I have also been engrossed in other activities so planning what we’re going to wear for the party slipped my mind. It was just last night that hubby asked if I already have a costume for the rodeo-themed party and that was when I realized that I was running out of time!

I just can’t come unprepared and make do with whatever I have in my closet because I am well aware that the people who will be coming for this party are those who really love to dress up. Geeeeze….Now I have to search every online shop because it’s so impossible to physically visit every store. I just hope I get to find a really good online shop who can deliver on time, otherwise, I’ll have to say “pass” to this event and come up with a really good excuse for not showing up! :)

Transformers Shirt Only Php37.44!

noreply@blogger.com (Dottie) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:57:14 PST

Since we were already at SM Rosales last weekend, I thought of buying my husband another Transformers shirt. You see hubby is into collecting Transformers toys so I thought of getting him another shirt which is much cheaper than those toys in his collection. :)

Hubby's Transformers Shirt

Because hubby is planning to buy the new Optimus Prime that he saw (provided that there's a budget for that), which according to him has a different "look" from the one that he already have, I decided to get him a shirt instead with the image of Optimus Prime printed on it. (At least he now has his Prime! Lolz!) Anyways, can you believe that I only made a cash-out of Php37.44 for the shirt? Yes, I only spent Php37.44 for hubby's shirt!

SM Advantage Points Earned

The shirt originally costs Php349.75 but since it was retailed at 20%off, the price went down to Php279.80. When I was about to pay for the shirt, the cashier (as expected) asked if I have an SM Advantage card - you know how it works, they ask for the Advantage card so that they can swipe the card and you earn points. Anyways, it was then that I thought of checking how much points I have earned. When the cashier told me that I have 242.36 points, I decided to use the points I have earned with my purchase. Hence, they deducted the points I have earned from the shirt's retail price and I ended up paying only Php37.44!

Now that was the best purchase I have made so far! :)

Kids' Recital

noreply@blogger.com (Dottie) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:06:42 PST

Thanks to the long weekend that we recently enjoyed, we were able to visit my in-laws, spend more time with them and watch the recital of two of hubby’s niece held at the Event Center of SM City Rosales. We were not aware that it was the day of the recital so we were surprised to find out that no one was home when we arrived. It was our fault really because we wanted to surprise my parents in law with our visit so we didn’t inform them that we will be coming over…I guess we ended up being more surprised with our supposed surprise visit. :) Anyways, hubby immediately called his Mom and asked where the family was and it was then that we found out that they were all in SM Rosales for the kids’ recital.

Since it was already lunch time, we decided to have lunch first before we go to SM Rosales. Upon learning that the venue of the recital was at a reputable mall, I thought of hitting two birds in one stone – that is look for some cutting tools that I need for my “project” and watch the kids' recital.

In my earlier posts, I have already shared a video or two of hubby’s younger niece who have been taking voice lessons and have been joining singing contest for years; this year, another niece of my husband started having voice lessons it was her first time to be part of the annual recital. I really busy taking photos and it was too late when I realized that I should’ve captured the kids’ performance in video instead. Anyways, I was still able to capture part of Ren’s performance (hubby’s older niece) and I must say that she’s so good considering that it was her first time to join the recital.

We are really proud of how talented these kids are and what impresses me that most is that both of them remains so humble – it never went to their head that they both have God given talents and people from their town are admiring them.

Glad Not to be Included

noreply@blogger.com (Dottie) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 23:03:38 PDT

The office order for the 3rd interim audit of the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization was out and I am happy to learn that 6 of my batchmates will be deployed this November. Where will they be going? One will be off to the headquarters in Rome, while the other 5 will be going to the different decentralized offices - 1 in Pakistan, 2 in Kenya and 2 in Chile.

Am I included among those who will be first deployed? Of course not! Considering my poor performance during the training, it would be a miracle if I get included in the first deployment. Do I feel disappointed that I am not included? Again, of course not! I know myself very well and I know how I performed during the 2 weeks training. In fact, I am so relieved that I was not part of any of the audit teams that will be deployed and I am praying that I will not get deployed anytime soon.

It was my fault that I allowed all those negative vibes to get to into my system and affect my performance during the training. It was difficult enough to learn everything that was taught in a matter of two weeks without the added emotional stress. Anyways, I am just glad that I was not included because I am so unprepared with the demands of international work. Because of what happened during the training, I really have a lot of reading and catching up to do.

I have also said that I do not wish to get deployed anytime soon and hopeful not for another year. Well, I need at least a year to prepare myself with the technical know-how and to regain my confidence. Honestly, I do not wish to repeat the same mistake again and I do not want to get caught unprepared. I want to see myself in the "battle field" armed and prepared.

This is now my challenge to myself, to be out there - in God's perfect time - prepared physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, and equipped with the required technical know-how. My aim is to show to everyone who made me feel bad that I deserve to be there and I have the right to be there.

I am not being proud or arrogant or anything like that...this is just me trying to rise after a fall...

Eidul Adha, Another Long Weekend Ahead

noreply@blogger.com (Dottie) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 00:51:23 PDT

Do you feel that the long weekend that we just had during the All Saints Day a little “bitin”? Well, good news because we are in for another long weekend! Under Proclamation No. 276, November 7 has been declared by Malacañang as a regular non-working holiday in observance of Eidul Adha.

Based from the bits and pieces that I have read, Eidul Adha is the last of the two Eid festivals being celebrated by our Muslim brothers and sisters, the first being the Eid’l Fitr. It is the also called the Feast of Sacrifice because it is during this occasion that the Muslims commemorates the willingness of Prophet Abraham to sacrifice his own son for God. During the observance of Eidul Adha, the Muslims make a sacrifice of a living animal which may be a goat, a camel or a sheep, as a reminder of the value of self-denial.

The declaration of a regular holiday was actually base from recommendation made by the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) that the observance of Eidul Adha be on November 7 and the Eidul Adha prayer on Sunday, November 6.

Aside from the long-weekend that we all look forward to, it is also a good way of showing our Muslims brothers that we are with them in the observance of these important Eid festivals that they celebrate.

Thicker, Longer Lashes

noreply@blogger.com (Dottie) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 02:32:50 PDT

Thick, full and long eyelashes…I bet every woman want exactly just that. Unfortunately, not all of us are blessed with great genes that would allow us to have that much coveted thick and full lashes. Whenever there’s a special occasion and need to be our best self in front of the camera, most of us would often use falsies or false eyelashes because it is much cheaper compared to eyelash extensions. Truth to tell, I never had to use falsies…well, not because I have thick and full lashes but because I always thought that false lashes might be a bit heavy and uhm, they do look fake. Even during very special occasions, mascara had always been enough for me.

But can we have that pretty lashes in a more natural way? I believe we can. I have read that some eyelash growth product available in the market have been proven to be quite effective. Of course, it is important to choose the right product because I have read that some can cause irritation and allergy. It really is important to do your own research before spending your hard-earned money on any beauty product.

I have also read that Vaseline or any other petroleum jelly can help moisturize the lashes by applying a thin coat every night. Some claim that it works and that they had longer lashes, while others say that it was a false belief. In my opinion, there’s really no harm in trying. Some products might work for other, while some do not. The bottom line still is just be careful with what you are applying.

Reminiscing My Own Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Dottie) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 08:02:50 PDT

A colleague of mine will be getting married next month and with just a few weeks to go, I can’t help but notice her excitement. Last week, we had the chance to talk about her wedding over a cup of coffee and I couldn’t help but remember my own wedding preparations. I love weddings and I really had a grand time preparing for my own wedding. Hubby and I made sure that we were hands-on during our wedding preparations and that’s why it took us almost a year to prepare for a big event.

Looking back at our preparations, one of the challenges that we faced was looking for the right suppliers. Hubby was very particular with our photo and video coverage because according to him, those are the only remembrance that we would have of our once in a lifetime event. I can’t help but agree to him because after 4 years of being married, we would often look at our wedding album or play our wedding video and reminisce that grandest day of our lives.

Another challenge that we faced at the time was looking for the perfect wedding bands. Although I fell in love with quite a number of designs, we also had to consider what would look good on my husband’s finger. Since I am from Bulacan and there are good jewelers in nearby towns, we initially thought of having a custom-made wedding bands. We even looked through triton wedding bands for inspiration so that the design of hubby’s wedding ring would match the design of the wedding band that I had in mind for my own wedding ring. However, when we dropped by Hearts & Arrows we saw a pair of wedding ring made of white gold with a lone diamond on the center. It’s really a simple wedding ring but hubby and I decided to go for it so that we could have an identical wedding band.

Indeed wedding preparations can be really stressful but when you see the result of all those hard work on your big day, you will be saying to yourself that it was worth all the effort. In fact, I would love to go through that whole process of preparations and get married again to the same man I married 4 years ago. It was really fun doing all those things with the man I love and be able to spend the rest of my life with him.

I Lift Everything Up to God

noreply@blogger.com (Dottie) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 22:41:11 PDT

I have been out of the blog world for weeks and since my last blog entry about the worst flood that we’ve ever experience in area, so much have happened that I want to share with you but I just do not where to start…Oh, I think I better start with the most recent one and that was being able to go through the 2 weeks rigid training for me to be included in the pool of auditors for international organizations.

To give you a little background before I go any further, the term of the Philippines as the external auditor of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has been extended by another two years and the Philippines will also assume office as the external auditor of the World Health Organization for the financial periods 2012-2015. Given the fact that the Commission on Audit (COA) is the supreme audit institution in the country, the auditors that will be deployed to audit these international organizations will, of course, be coming from COA.

It was last August when I learned that there was a need to increase the number of qualified auditors in the pool of auditors for international organizations. Admittedly, being one of the UN Auditors, as we call them, has been my dream since I joined the Commission sometime in 2000. It is not only an opportunity to go out of the country for free but it will also mean going out of the country holding a diplomatic passport. Indeed it will be such an honor to be among those few who will have the chance to represent the country.

So I did apply and about 364 applicants took the qualifying exam last September. I must say that the qualifying exam was more difficult than the CPA board exam. About 2 weeks later, I learned that I was among the 62 applicants who successfully passed the qualifying exam and were to take the IT proficiency exam and go through the panel interview the following week. It was indeed a very stressful process, particularly the panel interview. I was so nervous during my interview that I couldn’t even answer a very simple question properly. I was not really expecting to pass the interview so you can just imagine how happy I was when I learned that I was included among the 50 applicant who would undergo the training for the audit of international organizations and was lucky to be included in the 1st batch who went trough the 2 weeks training which concluded only last Friday.

The training was nothing that I ever imagined…It was the most stressful 2 weeks of my life. I really had an information overload considering that I had to understand and grasp everything in only 11 days…not to mention that daily exams and the final exam that we had. It was really a mixture of physical, emotional and mental stress that I was so relieved when the training was finally over. I must confess that there were some unpleasant attitudes that I have observed (unpleasant based on my own personal standards) which made me so close to backing out, but my husband kept on encouraging and telling me that I shouldn’t give up because I have already went that far. Indeed, many have applied but I was one of the very few who had the opportunity to undergo the training so I still tried to do my best despite the negative emotions that I was feeling at the time. Honestly, those negative feelings that I was having affected my performance during the training and no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t find the motivation to go on.

Now as I look back at our 2 weeks training, I wonder if it’s worth pursuing the dream. Yes, it will definitely be an honor to go out there and being among those who will represent the country, but will I be able to give my best when all that I have been hearing from the person who was supposed to give inspirational talks were words of disappointment, doubt and uncertainty? I truly am having doubts now… For 11 years, I have been so used to working with people who are very supportive and it makes me wonder now if his words of discouragement were just his way of challenging us to give our best.

At this point, I can say is that I have done what I had to do given the situation that I was in and despite my lack of motivation. I now lift everything up to God and pray that He will give me what is best for me and I will gladly abide His will knowing that He won’t give me anything that I couldn’t handle.

We Need Clean H2O at Calumpit

noreply@blogger.com (Dottie) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 03:56:16 PDT

I believe that our town (Calumpit) in the province of Bulacan has been in the news for days already. We have been submerged in flood since Friday and since morning of that day we have no supply of electric power and water. Actually, we could deal with the lack of power supply and can make do with flash lights and candles but it is so hard to have a normal life with no water supply. For days, we have been depending on water rain which we try to catch through plastic containers for our dishwashing needs and for us to be able to wash a few pieces of our dirty clothes.

Hygiene will really be sacrificed due to the lack of clean water supply. I would love to visit someone who can do Dental Hygienist Jobs at soon as I can get out of the house. Unfortunately, the muddy flood water is still waist deep and it’s unlikely that I’ll be able to get out of the house anytime soon.

On a lighter note, Ms. Winnie Cordero visited our place last Monday morning and she distributed some bags of relief goods. I have the impression that those bags were from the Umagang Kay Ganda because she distributed the bags of goods during the time that UKG was airing. It was the first time that I was given a bag of relief goods and I really appreciate the help that was extended to us.

I will share more of our flood experience on my next posts…Probably when our electric supply returns to normal because my laptop battery is already running low. I just hope that the flood will subside soon and the water supply (at least) returns to normal at the soonest time possible.

Unreliable SmartBro Connection

noreply@blogger.com (Dottie) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 07:19:02 PDT

SmartBro never fails to fail me and it happened again last weekend. Although we have a DSL + landline at home, I bought a prepaid SmartBro plug-it so I could still have an internet connection whenever we go out of town. Because we were scheduled to go to my parents in law’s house last weekend, I loaded Php50.00 to my prepaid SmartBro plug-it for 24-hours unlimited surfing.

I have always been interested with accessories made of polymer clay and for the longest time, I have been meaning to learn the craft. Because I expected to have a relaxing weekend at my in-laws’ house, I thought that it would be an ideal time to learn how to make beautiful accessories out of polymer clay through video tutorials and at same time, search for cutters with safety features such as those utility knives at MartorUSA.com. So since Saturday afternoon I have been trying to download articles and videos on polymer clay tutorials but I was not able to get anything because of the intermittent internet connection. I thought that perhaps it was the rainy weather that caused the terrible internet connection so I decided to give up at around 10:00 in the evening and just try to resume my tutorial downloads early the following day.

I woke up to a sunny weather this morning, so after breakfast I decided to continue the polymer clay tutorial downloads with the hope that the internet connection using my SmartBro plug-it would be much better. Guess what? After 4 hours of trying, I wasn’t able to download any video but I was able to read about 3 articles about the topic though. Good thing I only spent Php50.00 for one day unlimited surfing because I definitely didn’t get the quality of service that I paid for. All I can say is that Smart should really improve the quality of their internet service…

Beauty with Nature

noreply@blogger.com (Dottie) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 20:13:17 PDT

I’ll be 34 next month and it looks like I am starting become more conscious with the way I look as the “number” increase. Like most women, I also want to be able to age gracefully and I don’t want to appear as if I have neglected myself. I have already started drinking my slimming coffee and green tea capsules last weekend in an effort to do something with my weight loss problem. To know if I am getting some results, I measured my waistline before I had my first slimming coffee and I plan to measure it again after I am done with my first box. This way, I will know how many inches I’ve lost, if any, with one box.

Since I’ve already started to deal with my weight problem, why not have a total make over, right? Because I also want to have that clear, glowing skin and a shiny black hair, I decided to go natural (as much as possible) with my hair and skin. Starting with weekend, I intend to have a hot oil treatment at home using a virgin coconut oil and I plan to do this every weekend. Coconut oil is actually the best solution for dry and damaged hair because it can restore lost moisture from everyday shampoo and it does prevent protein loss.

Now for the skin (particularly the face), I have read that activated carbon is best in removing those dirt, oil and make up that clogs our pores. Locally, the only brand I know that has activated carbon is Pond’s Pure White Deep Cleansing Facial Foam so I made a purchase of that last night before I went home. Some say that the smell is too masculine but when I tried it last night, the smell was perfectly okay with me. Actually as long as it does the job of removing skin impurities, I can deal with whatever kind of smell it has.

Of course there’s Vitamin E that helps us have that glowing skin but I have also read that some people actually apply Vitamin E oil on the skin directly from the soft gel capsules. I actually tried it last night and I intend to do that every other night for at least a month and find out if it will help me achieve that clear, glowing skin. I have also heard that dead sea minerals is good for the skin but as of this writing, I am still trying to find a product that has dead sea minerals in it.

Frankly, I am not yet prepared to see any signs of aging and I dread to see any of those signs! :)