My Treasures

Adobe Photoshop Elements 10.0

noreply@blogger.com (Bing) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 23:12:00 +0000

I was browsing the internet for the perfect photo editing software and I think the Adobe Photoshop Elements version 10 is just the kind that I am looking for. Here is one of its features..... depth of field. This is a new feature in photoshop which enables you to feature a specific subject on your photos by adding or adjusting its depth of field. As you can see on my first photo, me and my hubby looked blurred because the background was more focused. By using the guided editor in photoshop, I simply clicked on our image then added the depth of field on the background so that it will look blurred. Now I can see ourselves more clearly on the after photo.

He Did It!

noreply@blogger.com (Bing) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:26:00 +0000

Today is report card day. My two sons in high school have no classes today to give way to parents and teachers conference and the giving of their report cards for the 2nd trimester. My youngest son studies harder each trimester because he is aiming to become the top of his class. Last 1st trimester, he was expecting to be on the Third Honors list but unfortunately he didn't made it because he got a low grade in Computer. For him to be included in the honors list he must not have a grade lower than 82 and his general average must not be lower than 83. Well, he did it this time! All his grades including the not so major subjects are not lower than 82 and his general average is much higher than 83. So I am so happy and proud that he made it into the 3rd honors list and I still hope that he will maintain in that list till the end of the school year. He even got certificates in English for being on the top 2 and Filipino for being on the top 3. He is also a deportment awardee so he got a total of 4 certificates including the 3rd honor certificate. Congratulations Ryan!

A New Look for A New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Bing) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 03:37:00 +0000

Yikes! It's 2012 already and still I haven't updated my blog posts. Laziness keeps on creeping inside my head whenever I contemplate on doing some posts. Most people especially on New Year, tend to make their New Year resolutions. I'm one of them! My list consists of at least 10 resolutions whether I do them or not entirely. My bad.... So this 2012, I decided to skip the list and I'll just take one resolution at a time and do it whenever I feel doing it. This way, I won't be pressured on doing these resolutions until the end of the year and ending up not doing them at all. So it's a no list, no pressure for me.

So my first resolution for this year that popped out off my mind this morning is to change the look of my blog before I update it. Yup, resolution #1, checked! I figured that to be able to write again , I have to change the look, the theme and the design of my blog so that I be bored to write. I've been busy last year to even open my blogs and I kind of got bored, especially when Facebook hits the roof. I mean who in the entire planet doesn't have an FB account these days? My sentiments exactly. FB is more fun and exciting nowadays :) Well, I guess that's another resolution for me.... minimize my FB time, more time on blogging. The important thing is that I started my year right and let's just hope I ended it with a bang. First post this 2012, checked! And more to come.....

It's Been 4 months!

noreply@blogger.com (Bing) — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 12:07:00 +0000

OMG! I didn't realized that it's been 4 months now since I updated my blog....tsk, tsk! My bad! I've been busy most of the time and I guess I was so lazy posting something here on my blog. But I'll definitely change that...... i hope :) I'll try to update my blog as soon as possible and probably post new pics taken from my new dslr camera. See you guys soon!

Good Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Bing) — Sun, 01 May 2011 13:37:00 +0000

It has always been our family's tradition to close our businesses on Good Friday and pay tribute to our Lord for his sufferings. After breakfast, we all went to our Parish church in Hagonoy Bulacan (what our family calls "Parong Parong"). We spent our time there getting together with the rest of the Santiago clan, tried to read and sang the "pasyon" and witnessed again the men who wore red cloths on their faces with thorns who walked long distances while hurting their backs with bamboo stilts until they bleed out and then end their journey in front of our church and bathed on the river. My kids cannot stand watching these so called patrons of this tradition for they cannot stand seeing blood. But they always go with us every year and tried not to be affected. Little by little they understand why some people do this every year. I tried to explain to them that these are some Filipino traditions that we must accept and respect. People do these for a reason, and reasons that my kids don't understand yet, but I guess in someday they will.

"Pagbasa ng Pasyon"

"Pinitensya"

Preparing for Med School

noreply@blogger.com (Bing) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 01:53:00 +0000

Only a month away and my daughter Jenine will be going to college to start her pre-med schooling in La Salle University. Next week we will be enrolling for her first term this year and hopefully she'll continue her studies in Medicine. She's not decided yet if she'll still continue her medical career or just be satisfied graduating in BS Psychology and just work as an HR on some top company. Of course as her parents we want her to be the best and have the best so we really do hope that she'll continue to her Medicine proper.

I know it is still too early for me to consider preparing her wardrobe for her medical practice but I am so excited that I can't wait any longer. I was a huge fan of the hit TV series Grey's Anatomy that I was inspired by the way they carry themselves in the OR and inside the hospital that I envied them when they were in their medical uniform. I was imagining my daughter wearing one of those scrubs and performing an operation on a patient and saving his or her life.

All the nurses and doctors looked really professional when they wear their scrubs and I just feel that someday my own daughter will wear one someday. I saw a perfect site where you can find the most comfortable and durable scrubs available online. At http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/categories/Scrubs/Scrubs-for-Women/, it offers a wide selection of scrubs both for men and women and other nursing and medical outfits even for kids. They also have lab coats, scrub hats, jackets and other accessories to go with your everyday scrubs. I find this site very useful and helpful for me for finding what my daughter needs in her future medical career. If you are in need of some nursing and medical wardrobes for your medical needs, this site is worth your time and money.

After Party..... Eastwood City

noreply@blogger.com (Bing) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:09:00 +0000

After my daughter's Grad Ball last Saturday, we allowed her to go to Eastwood City with her friends and classmates. We fetch her from her school at about past midnight then we drop her off at Eastwood. Their group went to Jack Loft, one of the restobar there. We let her drink Margarita just so she can experience it. Me and my hubby parked nearby then we went to Seafood Island. It is also a restobar just in front of the disco area and just a block away from Jack Loft.

There are many people enjoying the loud music and the bars that surrounded the area. We noticed that almost 80 % of the crowd were teenagers. We ordered some cocktails just for the sake of killing some time while waiting for our daughter. Mu hubby ordered "Pirate Punch" and I ordered Mango Margarita. The Margarita tasted a bit hard than the punch but it's good to try to drink some alcohol beverages once in a while. We also ordered Crunchy Sisig as our pulutan.

Pirate Punch

Mango Margarita

Crunchy Sisig

And for dessert, we also tried the different flavors of Cheesecake, Etc. I got 2 sugar free flavors, Mocha Macademia and Cappuccino. And one regular flavor for myself the White Chocolate Cheesecake. My husband and I were amazed by the present trends in the night life today. Back in our days, things are really different. From the clothes, restobar set ups, disco lights and props and even the time limits that the curfew used to be 12 midnight, nowadays you can still eat at McDonald's at 6 am. We went home at around 2 am. When you're a parent and you want your child to experience the outside real world, the world outside the comforts of your home, you really have to sacrifice. To the point that we as parents, went with our daughter and also experience the night life that we never experienced during our time. I just learned that night that "After Party" like this is also a trend these days. It was also a good learning experience for me and my husband because now we know how to deal with our daughter when it comes to going out with her friends and how to educate her on the bad effects of drinking too much alcoholic beverages. We know that she'll never indulge in a drinking spree and we also confident that she'll never do anything to disappoint us.

"The End Is Near"...... Grad Ball Night

noreply@blogger.com (Bing) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 23:00:00 +0000

Last Saturday, March 5,2011, my daughter's graduating class of Fourth Year High School had a grand Graduation Ball in lieu of their Senior Prom. The Ball was themed "The End is Near..." a techno party held at the Convention Hall of the Pre-school building in St. Paul College Pasig. The girls all wore cocktail dresses and high heeled shoes and only a few brought dates. My daughter said that it's their last chance to enjoy their senior year and their last time to bond with their barkadas and close friends, that's why most of them didn't brought a date to the party.

Afternoon Break

noreply@blogger.com (Bing) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 04:18:00 +0000

New York style Blueberry Cheesecake

Cafe Mocha Latte

My hubby and I together with our daughter Jenine went home early yesterday. Jenine just finished her final exams at school and since my hubby didn't have much work to do, we decided to go home early and stop by any restaurant that caters blueberry cheesecake because my hubby is craving for it. It was fortunate for us that just along Dona Soledad in Better Living where we live, there's this newly opened cake house called "Cake Planet" that caters homemade cakes like Banoffee pies, Oreo cheesecake, Macademia Sansrival, Chocolate Torte, Lemon Torte, and Blueberry cheesecakes. They also have muffins and cookies of different flavors and varieties. I ordered the Macademia Sansrival, Jenine ordered Oreo cheesecake and hubby oredered the Blueberry cheesecake. Then we also ordered cafe mocha latte because for us this is the best way to enjoy a mouthwatering cake ..... a good cup of hot and delicious coffee.

Angel's First

noreply@blogger.com (Bing) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 08:16:00 +0000

It's been a while since we attended a children's birthday party. The last I think was last October of last year. I was amazed by the decorations of the venue. I never thought that you could actually turn any place to whatever concept you wanted for a birthday party. This party was themed to a fairy land. So the kids where informed to wear their most elegant and beautiful fairy costumes. The boys wore pirates and peter pans.

Welcome to Fairy land!

Entrance to the venue

Buffet Area

Face painting booth

Puppet Show and Magic Show

Daughter and Parent's Recollection Day for 4th yr. students

noreply@blogger.com (Bing) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 01:38:00 +0000

Last Saturday afternoon, my husband and I went to our daughter's recollection. This was one of the important activities in their school before graduation day. We had our recollection at the Pre-school conference hall of St. Paul College, Pasig and our daughter had her own recollection at the grade school building.

After the recollection, an anticipated Sunday mass was held by the priest who also talked at the recollection. Our daughters, after their own recollection, joined us for the mass. The recollection itself took about 2 hours and the mass took an hour to finish. I was a bit disappointed during our recollection talk because it was a bit dragging and boring..... my husband and I almost fell asleep while the priest is talking.

My daughter Jenine as a lector during communion

Third Party Accident Lawsuit

noreply@blogger.com (Bing) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 00:39:00 +0000

My family was thrilled when my in-laws announced last Christmas that we can visit Canada again this coming May 2011. We are all excited because this will be the first time that we get to go on a summer season. We usually go to Canada during the Christmas holidays because this is the time that the resort in Bulacan is not so busy. The last time that we visited Canada for a holiday vacation was 2 years ago if I'm not mistaken. Then during that time, we also cross the border to the USA which can be done by train or by car. For our case, we went by train and visit New York City. It was our first time in NY and I was shocked by the attitudes of Taxi drivers there.Despite the fact that they drove too fast, they also swear at other taxi drivers. We were all trembling with fear once we went down the taxi because we're all afraid of getting into an accident. I don't know in New York but if you're living in Texas and if you had an accident due to the negligence of another person or party, you can file a lawsuit and will definitely win the case.

In Texas, an Austin personal injury lawyer can give you an initial consultation for free in any state or place convenient for you. If your accident is personal or due to an auto accident made by a another party, they will insure you a fight that you can win because their lawyers are aggressive toward their adversaries. Well, I just hope that in other countries, these kind of law firms also exists so that in case we meet an accident just by riding a taxi with a bad driver, we can always file a lawsuit that will surely be justified. If your from Texas and looking for the best lawyers in town, here's where you can reach them:

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

Books: Mortal Instruments Series

noreply@blogger.com (Bing) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 00:06:00 +0000

Here's another set of good to read books by Cassandra Clare: The Mortal Instruments Series. I already finished reading the first three books and I can't wait for the fourth book. The fourth book City of Fallen Angels will be released this April 5, 2011. I just don't know if the release date here in our country is the same. In line with these books, there's another series which is the prequel to the Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices. Book 1 is already out entitled: The Clockwork Angel. Watch out for the release of the other 2 books. Enjoy reading. To know about these books visit http://www.mortalinstruments.com for more info.

Mommy Moments: Valentine's Day 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Bing) — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 14:47:00 +0000

When we celebrate Valentine's Day we also celebrate mu hubby's birthday. Yup, my loving husband is a bonafiide Valentino :). This year, his party was a surprise planned by my MIL because it's his 40th birthday. It was held at Saisaki restaurant along Edsa and a few family and our close friends were invited. All of us including the guests wore red. Only the birthday boy didn't lol.

I guess my husband was really surprised that day and was so happy to see some family and friends who gathered to celebrate his birthday and of course Valentine's Day. After the party, his Valentine gift to us ( me and the kids) was a relaxing time at Corinthian Spa. The kids enjoyed it because it was their first time to experience a body massage, a dip in the jakuzzi and a very relaxing steam bath. Hope you enjoyed your Valentine's Day too.

Books: Fallen Series by Lauren Kate

noreply@blogger.com (Bing) — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 14:15:00 +0000

I'm a certified bookworm and I love reading romance novels. Recently I'm into fiction romance related to vampires, werewolves, nephilins and fallen angels. I just finished these two books of Lauren Kate, the Fallen series Fallen and Torment. I can't wait for the third book Passion which will be released on June 2011. These books are all about a fallen angel who fell in love with a mortal girl and was punished by Heaven because their love is forbidden. I kinda liked these books better than the Twilight saga by Stephenie Meyer. I also recommend The Blue Bloods Novel Series by Marissa dela Cruz and of course the Mortal Instruments Series (The City of Bones, City of Ashes and The City of Glass) by Cassandra Clare. Enjoy reading! :)

Amiel and Justin's Phil. Bday Party

noreply@blogger.com (Bing) — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 01:28:00 +0000

A blessed New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Bing) — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:25:00 +0000

It's 2011! Happy New Year!! We have a lot to thank for....... I thanked the Lord for a very fruitful and blessed year of 2010, for making my family safe always, for keeping us together, for making us healthy and for all the blessings that we have received in 2010. This 2011, let us stop for a while and still thank the Lord for another new and happy year ahead of us. I hope that this year will be a better and more fruitful and more blessed year for all of us. Thank you Lord for everything! Happy New Year Everyone!

New Year's Eve Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (Bing) — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 17:00:00 +0000

Our New Year's Eve dinner was just simple...... seafoods galore with our family plus my hubby's nephews from the US, Amiel and Justin. They went here to the Philippines to spent quality time with their lolo and lolo and titos and titas. They also enjoyed their time with their cousins. We didn't have too much firecrackers, just a few fireworks display for the kids to enjoy.

Christmas Baguio Escapade

noreply@blogger.com (Bing) — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 15:30:00 +0000

It's been almost two years now since we last visited Baguio City. We went there to enjoy the cold weather and to relax from our hectic shedule last Christmas day. We were surprised to see that there are so much improvement inside Camp John Hay especially their housing facilities there. The biking area and arcade were nowhere to be found and instead, newly contructed cabins and residential buildings. We stayed there for two days and I would say that we really had a good time with our family and we had time to relax. Till next time!

Newly constructed Cabins at Camp John Hay

Camp John Hay Club House

Breathtaking Golf Course

We had our lunch at the Club House

Yummy foods....

Refreshing fresh fruit shakes

We enjoyed the cold weather and our nephews from abroad

My Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Bing) — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 11:00:00 +0000

My Birthday Cake - Banoffee Cake

Because of our very busy schedule this December with all the last minute shopping for Christmas and Christmas parties of our offices, we didn't have the time to celebrate my nth birthday anywhere. So we just bought 2 large pizzas from S&R, ordered spaghetti at Paradise coffee shop and brought it at Bulacan. I still enjoyed my day as long as I'm with my family. Happy Birthday to me!

Gold for the 2nd Time!

noreply@blogger.com (Bing) — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 12:42:00 +0000

I didn't know what I ate when I was still pregnant with my children! It's not only my boys are sports minded but also my only daughter Jenine who won the Gold medal in Chess! Not only for the first time but for the second time in a row. Congrats Jenine! Their team also won last year when they were third year high school. Same team, same sportsfest. Jenine was the forth girl from the left :) I am so proud of you girl! Go, go, go!

PAYA Champions

noreply@blogger.com (Bing) — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 12:32:00 +0000

My son Ryan and his team mates in table tennis at LSGH won the PAYA tournament that was held at Ateneo de Manila last November. They won the gold medal in the grade school division and my other son Rafael won the silver medal in the High School division. I am so proud of you boys! Keep it up and Animo La Salle!

The LSGH Grade School Varsity Team in Table Tennis with their Coach Smeck

(My son Ryan is their team captain :) )

Bathroom Supplies

noreply@blogger.com (Bing) — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 12:22:00 +0000

I remember the very first day when our house was built. I can’t believe that it’s been 8 years already. Last April, my husband decided that it’s about time for a paint job on the exterior of the house. The color of our exterior walls was faded already and dirt spots can be seen everywhere. During the repainting of our house, our master’s bathroom was leaking water to our garage ceiling. Our garage was located just below our bathroom. We don’t know where to look because the leak seems to be coming from the pipes that was embedded to the floor. We didn't have any choice but to take the existing tiles off so that we can see where the leak is coming from. Unfortunately, we have no idea that the tiles we took off was already out off stock and wasn't manufactured anymore. So we had a problem there. Good thing there are tiles available that looks like the old ones so we just replaced it with new ones that looks like it hasn't been repaired at all. There are so many kinds of bathroom tiles to choose from. If you don’t have it locally within your area you can always look online for more designs. I just found the perfect replacement of tiles and other fixtures for our bathroom at www.betterbathrooms.com. Yup, they have a variety of choices from bathroom furnitures to fixtures to wall and floor tiles. It's like having a home depot of for bathrooms online. It's convenient and they will deliver your order nationwide.

Nine Days To Go!

noreply@blogger.com (Bing) — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 10:10:00 +0000

Nine days to go till Christmas...... I'm not ready yet! I haven't finished with my Christmas present list and I'm not done shopping yet! Simbang gabi started this wee hours of the morning. I was awakened by the beautiful Christmas Carols coming from our parish church nearby. For me this is the sign that Christmas is just around the corner, knocking on every door. I just want to share what my house looks like right now.... it really feels like Christmas already!

Christmas Gifts to family and friends and employees

Our Nativity

Our Christmas Tree

Weight Loss Problems

noreply@blogger.com (Bing) — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 01:30:00 +0000

It’s been years now since I’m planning to lose a couple of pounds, but still come December I always fail to start dieting in the first place. December is the hardest month to plan a regular diet because its Christmas season and everyone is preparing delicious food for the whole family to share. So how can one start a good diet? I started gaining weight when I had my kids. I used to weigh 85 to 93 lbs. and won’t even reach a 100. Now I can’t seem to maintain my weight to a 100 lbs.! I already weigh 130 lbs. and I’m afraid of getting heavier by the end of this year. I’ve been searching on magazines and on the internet on how to lose some of my weight without having to sacrifice my lifestyle or my health. I also read somewhere that crash dieting is dangerous to your health so I plan to have a slow but effective diet. No rush.

I saw an article about a pregnancy hormone called HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin). The HCG diet when consumed daily with proper food intake, exercise and lots of water could lose you a pound a day. So imagine losing 30 lbs. in just a month without having to sacrifice your health. There are two kinds of this HCG products, the oral type and the injectables. You can buy HCG online and they also have special promos like you can have the products for a lower cost if you buy for a 60 day supply and some freebies. I don’t like using injections so I would rather buy the oral ones, the drops and I think they also have the pills. But remember to eat healthy foods and exercise regularly if you’re going to try this HCG diet. If you experience some side effects stop using the product and consult with your physician. That way, you’ll know if you can still continue the product or not.