Archive for October, 2009

It seems that obesity is going to be the sickness of the XYZ generation – a generation of fastfood restaurants and internet activity – no sports at all. Obesity has been playing a major factor to coronary heart disease and a multitude of other diseases, diabetes being one of them.

Doctors have been trying to reorient people to change their lifestyles and have also exerted effort to introduce a variety of medicines to help them. Fish oil omega 3 fatty acids have been found to prevent buildup of fat along the coronary arteries so it has been developed and put into capsules.

The problem is many varieties of the capsule have poorly formulated, little omega 3 acids. Experts have found out that marine bi-products, cholesterol, saturated fats, and environmental contaminants that can do more harm than good. The brand of OMAX3 has been verified by a third party and even a pool of doctors to have the highest concentration of omega 3 acids – as much as 91% at a fraction of a cost – only 75 cents a gram.

You can buy them per box too!  It is priced at $31.95 per box, letting you save more than 20% on Omax.

1. So Halloween is this weekend, if you haven’t heard. Are you gonna open your doors up or not?
We are always out trick or treating so I am lucky enough not to have to prepare candies!

2. You better open ‘em cuz I’m coming… what are you putting in my treat bag?
M&Ms, lollipops, and snicker bars. Three cookies I baked myself!

3. Since October is the bestest month for television (well for cable & dish subscribers it is) and there is a horror movie on at any given time of the day – are you sick of them yet?
Sadly we don’t have cable.

4. Which one of those movies can you watch over & over again?
But I do love SCREAM and Urban Legend

5. Tell us about a Halloween scare you’ve had….
It didn’t happen on Halloween night but there were some paranormal experiences with my cousins when I was 6.

6. Did you watch the old Casper cartoons when you were a young? Well, back then they weren’t old I suppose, but I’m sure you still understand my question.
Oh yes, but I never was a fan.

7. Have you ever found a four-leaf clover?
I can have a whole bunch of them. They grow in our yard!

8. Haunted Houses… you know, the kinds you pay to get in and they chase you with chainsaws and severed heads…. do you like ‘em?
Yes, we used to go to those cheap fairs when I was young.

9. Do you use cute cartoon type wrapping paper for Christmas presents or the not cutesy paper? Or are you one of those gift card and/or gift bag people?
I am a gift card/gift bag people, except for kids under 10. I try and make an effort to wrap things.

10. How long do boiled eggs need to stay in the boiling water before they become hard boiled eggs?
I boil mine for 10 minutes.

11. Jason is coming in through your front door… Freddy is coming through your back door… zombies are at every window of the house and Norman Bates is calling to invite you to dinner… what do you do?
FAINT!

12. Did you know that the scariest part of Halloween is giving all of your Reeses Peanut Butter Cups away?
Not me – I hate peanut butter chocolate.

13a. If you were to play a part of a haunted house (not the ghosts in the attic kind), what would you want to be?
Monsters in the closet, like Sully of Monsters Inc.

13b. Have you ever played a part in a haunted house?
No.

14. If Thursday Thunks had a Halloween party, what do you think Kimber & Berleen would come dressed as?
Adam and Eve?

15. Do you cook a turkey for Thanksgiving?
No.

16. Have you ever read a book that scared the pants off of you?
I don’t like sci-fi or horror books. The last ones I read were RL Stine.

17. Whats the predicted high temperature for today?
33C

18. Have you ever howled at the moon?
HA, yes, when I was drunk!

19.You are in an alley and a werewolf and a vampire are coming at you – one of them has to win. Which one do you want to bite you?
A vampire, especially if he is Edward. OF COURSE!

Sunday Stealing: The Halloween Meme

1. What is your favorite written work of horror fiction?
I never really liked reading horror fiction.

2. What is your favorite work of science fiction/fantasy?
Labyrinth

3. Who is your favorite monster?
Sully!

4. What is your favorite Horror movie?
Freddy Krueger

5. What horror movie gives you the most chills?
Amityville and Exorcist.

6. What character from any horror film would you most like to play?
No way

7. Freddy or Jason?
Freddy

8. What is your favorite Halloween treat?
M&Ms

9. Ghosts or goblins?
Ghosts

10. Friendly-faced jack-o’-lantern or scary one?
Friendly

11. What is your scariest encounter with the paranormal?
Never had one. Thankfully.

12. Do you believe in ghosts? Why or why not?
Yes, you tend to feel them

13. Would you rather be a zombie, alien, or psycho?
Psycho – more real!

14. Favorite Halloween costume?
Cinderella!

15. Best thing about Halloween?
Trick or Treat

16. Person in your family who most likes Halloween (not counting yourself)?
My kids!

17. Are you superstitious?
Not really.

18. Share an unusual Halloween story.
My son was not allowed to go trick or treating by the school!

19. What did you do for Halloween as a kid?
I was a clown!

20. What’s the best Halloween party that you’ve attended?
This year

Saturday 9: Hey Jealousy

1. Tell us a story when you got jealous.
Oh wow, a lot of jealous-filled years were when I was 16-19 years old. Too much insecurity and passion in a relationship!

2. What is your least favorite thing about yourself?
How very underachiever I am!

3. Who do you mess with the most?
I mess with my husband the most. I drive him crazy with my mood swings all the time.

4. Do you have any special talents? What are they?
I can speed read!

5. If you could have a secret fling that no one would ever find out about, would you?
No. I wont be able to take it if the husband does the same. However, if it will be with Gong Yoo…..

6. What’s the furthest you’ve been from home?
US – 16 hrs flight, when I was 17

7. How many Saturday 9 player’s blogs do you typically visit?
About ten!

8. Some great bloggers lose their "mojo" and quit blogging. Could you see that happening to you?
Yes, I see that happening as soon as I shift careers.

9. What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made so far this year?
TOO MUCH SHOPPING! From Coach bags to gadgets to shoes and clothes, name it I have bought it! (I didn’t buy any Rocky Patel cigars for the husband though!)

Burglaries are on the rise these days as Christmas is approaching. Add to that the recent tragedies of flooding and earthquake (couple with illness outbreaks), people can become quite desperate and will do anything to stay afloat during hard times. It will be the best time to invest in Home Security Systems.

Home Security should always be a priority for households. Would you not protect your most valuable belongings, especially your family who resides in your home. A friend recently got the ADT Home Security Surveillance System which has the following:

• Digital Keypad
• Up to 3 Entryway Contacts
• Keychain remote
• Pet-Sensitive Motion Detector
• High Decibel Alarm
• Backup Battery

And they now can sleep peacefully at night! I personally would want to have my own security system when I have my own dream home. I labored blood, sweat and tears for that home and it would follow that I will do anything to protect it as much as I can!

Almost every family I know who has kids under five are planning to go to Disneyland next year. The airline airfare promos and discounts are just too hard to resist. Most of them have already booked their flights during the sale without concrete plans (hotel, tour plans) because of the amazing deal (It’s actually a steal already!).

It will be a great dream come true for us if we will be able to go there as a family. I have been there when I was 17 and while I enjoyed it, I just know it be a different feeling if I go there now with my kids. I also want to go to Myrtle Beach  as well. I have blogged about that before.  Myrtle Beach is considered to be the number one beach in the East Coast, with its vast view on the Atlantic Ocean. In fact, Myrtle Beach Accomodation is always fully-booked at Myrtle Beach Hotels located along the coastline.

Myrtle Beach Accomodations are hard to come by if you want to get booked at a prime spot, so you better reserve early. Why would I not want to get a view of the sea every morning when I wake up when I’m on vacation? That’s one of the reasons why I want to go to Myrtle Beach!

** As part of my goal to re-educate and expose myself to the world, I am watching movies and reading books like there is no tomorrow. I am happy I am getting reacquainted again with my old self – but know that I like pretty feel-good movies after a hard day’s work. So you might not see anything from me that deep. I do write about movies I enjoyed and would love to watch again though.

A comedy about getting dumped, and taking it like a man.

The ultimate romantic disaster movie.

Summary:
Peter is a composer and a likable sad guy who’s devastated when his girlfriend of five years, Sarah Marshall, the star of a cheesy CSI-style crime show, dumps him. He weeps, he rails, he mopes. Finally, his step-brother Brian suggests Hawaii, so Peter heads for a resort on Oahu where, as he’s checking in, he sees Sarah and her new beau, Aldous, a polymorphously perverse English rocker. The weeping and moping starts again, until Peter is rescued by Rachel, a thoughtful hotel clerk who invites him to a luau and to hang out. Although he constantly runs into Sarah and Aldous, Peter starts to come alive again. Will Sarah realize what she’s lost, and what about Rachel?

Instead of trying to compare online life insurance quotes I have received over the weekend, I watched this!

You might think that the movie is your usual feel-good B movie but it isn’t. But first you might get shocked with Pete’s frontal nudity at the first 10 minutes of the movie so I need to tell you now – this might not be suitable for your kids.

I love how vulnerable and heartbroken Peter was portrayed in this film – it catches a glimpse of a real man who got dumped (and worse, cheated) by a long time partner. And while one might think that the Rachel is love on the rebound, I love that the story stayed true to life, that it really takes time to fall in love again because after a long term relationship, one must discover himself again and really live along for awhile, to make sure that when he moves forward, there will be no looking back.

LOVEd this movie!!

A little trivia for you: I have two degrees and am licensed on both. I am a registered Medical Technologist and a Nurse. But I don’t work. For now. The kids come first and this is something I really do not have any choice for now.

However, for people who want to finish their degree but cannot for some reasons attend an actual university, there is an online university called Western Governor’s University that allows people earn their by giving them a chance to complete them online. They offer an online nursing degree if you are interested.

WGU has flourished into a national university, serving over 14,000 students from all 50 states. They have been built because they want to give adult learners a chance to have access to post-secondary educational opportunities without sacrificing the quality of education.

You can call me weird. Because I am as girly as you can get but I detest shopping at malls. I have always been the type who goes to the mall with a specific item in mind, buys it, then goes home. These days, instead of going home, I go eat and have a coffee. I hate walking, I hate window shopping and I hate the need to check out a dozen stores to compare which one offers the best item.

That is the reason why I think online shopping was made just for me. Nothing beats shopping in the comforts of your home at 2AM in your pajamas. I often wonder how much it takes to open up one’s online store. For one thing, just stocking the shopping cart and securing payment gateways must be tiring. I know since I worked for a hosting company before that a reliable hosting company is essential for a success of an online store.

JustHost.com has recently been names best ecommerce hosting company by Web Hosting Choice because not only do they take orders online and process credit card payments, their control panel is user-friendly enough for users to load their cart with stocks and take inventory. Plus their site is loading with tutorials and videos on how to get along the site.

Here are a few of their features:

• Unmetered Web Space and Visitor Traffic
• Unlimited MySQL Databases, Hosted Domains and Email Addresses/Space
• Huge Library of FREE Scripts
• REAL 24/7 Support
• Anytime Money Back Guarantee
• Free Instant Setup with No Strings Attached

I knew that there will come a time that surfing around endlessly will result to me saving a lot. I am a list maker. I love jotting down lists and it give me great accomplishment just to see them checked off one by one.

I spend a lot on planners too – but this is going to be making me save a few dollars. The lists are available in PDF file, making them printable! So if you want to have a lovely list that contains the things you need to buy from milk to diapers to dog supplies and bathroom cleansers, save yourself a few dollars and just have these printed!

Download them – here, here and here.

You got to admit – Americans love baseball! That is why these baseball bats sell like hotcakes!

It truly is America’s favorite past time. Even in movies, the baseball sport is always included.

Here are Hollywood’s Top 10 Baseball Movies:

1. The Natural (1984)
2. Bull Durham (1988)
3. Field of Dreams (1989)
4. Major League (1989)
5. Bad News Bears (1976)
6. A League of Their Own (1992)
7. Eight Men Out (1988)
8. 61* (2001)
9. The Sandlot (1993)
10. (tie) Rookie of the Year (1993), Little Big League (1994) and Angels in the Outfield (1994)

It’s obvious I’m not much of a baseball fan – I have only seen 4 out of the 12 movies that got in the Top 10 – three of them are at the bottom rung. I love Rookie of the Year, Little Big League and Angels in the Outfield because they are family movies, and are very light movies. While I watched Major League because of, you guessed it – Madonna!

Everything is being carded these days. Most restaurants and stores accept major credit cards so it will be easy to attract customers (It is just easier to charge everything to the card, right?). But along with credit card availability and its convenience, steps are needed to ensure that credit cards swiped are protected against stealing and stores are protected from fraud.

That is where Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard comes in. This standard was created to help organizations that process card payments prevent fraud through increased controls around data and its exposure to compromise.

The best PCI compliance solution was developed by Braintree Payment Solutions. They handle everything from online credit card payment processing to completely eliminating the handling, processing and storage of credit card data. All these are PCI compliant.

I personally would want all stores where I charge my card to to be PCI compliant. There are so much credit card fraud these days that I don’t want mine to be compromised.

1. Cake
2. Cake + Chocolate
3. Cake + Chocolate + Soda (deadly combination)
4. Cake + Chocolate + Soda + Something Salty to finish it off afterwards (super deadly combination) I would need the best acne treatments after eating these!
5. Sleeping and lying on bed all the day
6. Surfing all day
7. Window shopping turning into real (online) shopping
8. Mango Shakes + Donuts
9. Massages
10. Weekly manis and pedis!

Look what I chanced upon while looking for colon cleanse products to recommend to my dad:

The Twilight Saga: New Moon Soundtrack has officially been launched. I am even a few days late as I blog about this. I am pretty sure this will be on the Christmas gift wishlist of so many women .

Rumor has it that it was supposed to be launched at a later date but a leak  to one of the soundtrack songs prompted production company to move the launch date to an earlier one.

Fans are way happy!

I have the Twilight soundtrack from before and I remember I had the entire soundtrack on repeat for so many months.

Yes the Official Twilight Saga: New Moon MySpace page has the NewMoon soundtrack up ready for your listening pleasure!

Listen to it here!

And if you want the list of the songs included in the soundtrack, you can see it after the jump:

Read the rest of this entry »

While blogging, Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook have brought us to a new level of communication on a mass level, there certainly has drawbacks.

For one thing, how can you be sure that people actually are more sociable? Just go to the malls and you see thousands of people on cellphones or laptops, not making talk to the people they are beside with. (Maybe they are just updating their status on FB and Twitter?) They are silent walking zombies, their fingers are their mouths now.

Are relationships really better? Shallow relationships just because of web connections are on the rise. I am scared it will make my kids anti-social in the future.

Are we accomplishing more everyday? I know I am NOT.

Obesity is on the rise because people are ignoring their exercise equipment and are in front of the computer the whole day (I am guilty of that). My son even complained of not being able to sleep after playing FB application games the whole day last weekend.

Yep, Social Media Marketing Madness alright!

Sunday Stealing: The ABC’s of Meme
A- Advocate for: Truth
B- Best Feature: Eyes (according to the husband) and Height. If it was up to me, I’d like to say my brains.
C- Could do without: TV
D- Dreams and desires: To be famous and photographed. To travel – I haven’t been traveling since I was 18. (And Im 28) Outer Banks vacation rentals would be a great start To be cheesy, I just want to have a happy, peaceful, God-centered family life
E- Essential items: Coke Zero + computer + internet connection
F- Favorite past time: Surfing (the web)
G- Good at: Scrapbooking, writing, discerning people
H- Have never tried: Bungee jumping, zip lining and eating frogs
I- If I had a million dollars: I never would have to work again.
J- Junkie for: Make-up and bags + shoes
K- Kindred spirit: I have never met anyone who had a spirit like mine.
L- Little known fact: I’m left handed and have size 11 feet
M- Memorable moment: My wedding
N- Never again will I: drink 3 shots of espresso – I was a palpitating zombie
O- Occasional indulgence: occasional? Purchases for myself that are absolutely not necessary
P- Profession: RMT RN, SAHM
Q- Quote: To be irreplaceable, you have to be different – Coco Chanel
R- Reason to smile: October is the birthday of people I consider my fathers
S- Sorry about: Being so impatient with my son
T- Things you are worrying about right now: Husband’s workload, signs of the times
U- Uninterested in: Making another purchase
V- Very scared of: The Apocalypse
W- Worst habits: Procastination, Overeating
Y- Yummiest dessert: That would be too much to ask for someone who loves sweets
X- X marks my ideal vacation spot: Beaches of Cebu, Philippines
Z- Zodiac sign: Aquarius

Saturday 9: Inside Job

1. When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was 3, I told everyone I like to be “just like my mommy!” At six, I wanted to be a teacher. By the age of 8, I knew I wanted to be a doctor. That has not changed. I’m now a licensed medical technologist and a licensed nurse.

2. Did you ever pursue that career?
Yes, but due to being a mommy to two kids, it needed to take a backseat for now.

3. If you are not in that field, what changed?
I am involved with computers.

4. What is your current job?
I work at home. Take care of the kids. Since the husband is at the city during weekdays to work, I get to be dad too – do all the dirty work like take the trash out, replace light bulbs and water filters and clean toilets and fans. Such a *nice* job!
M-O-T-H-E-R

5. What’s the best part of what you do?
Being able to know you are the singular person in this world which has brought one human being into this world.

6. Do you have plans to do something else down the road?
I still want to be a doctor.

7. How did you get your present job? If you are a stay at home mom, how long did you need to plan that move?
I stay at home. It took me two years to finally get up the courage to quit my job.

8. Did your parents influence your choices of jobs over the years?
No. They are very supportive.

9. What advice would you give your children on careers?
Love what you do so it doesn’t become work.

People never learn. With recent tragedies happening left and right, I realize that I should always save for the rainy day. And for more rainy days. I am quite serious to saving now, unlike before. I am reading up on where we can invest hard-earned money and which ones would likely be stable and have a big return. Investing on gold is becoming a trend. It is the only investment that never depreciates and is never risky unlike mutual funds. (I will be writing about that soon). You can invest in gold by buying jewelry or better yet, buy gold bullion – it is like a coin but has more monetary worth. It can also be formed like a bar. You can get one at the Monex Deposit Company (MDC).

I own and write several blogs. And while it has been financially rewarding, maintaining it is a big chore and finding a good web host is a necessity. You would want to have your blogs or your sites to be up all the time, right? For me, my web hosting choice came from two factors: 1) Account Manager interface and 2) Reliability. Price would only be secondary to the two.

I’m not really a techie person so having an account manager interface that is user-friendly and easy to navigate is a must for me. Plus, I’d like for my web host to have 99.9% uptime so I looked around for web hosts that have good reputation and good customer service.

It’s a good thing I came across a site that has impartial reviews and feedbacks about web hosting companies – WebHostingChoice.com. It’s a free guide to help customers like me find my perfect match for a web hosting company. As of April 15, 2009, they have listed the Top 10 Web Hosting Companies on their homepage and I’m glad Host Monster is number two on the list – that is where I have my blogs hosted! The site has different categories which would fit what you would really need and are looking for a web host. If you need dedicated servers, e-mail hosting, or just blog hosting like me.

I don’t know if it’s just my age or there is really what you can call a baby boom. Every year, the people I know who get pregnant are getting bigger, not to mention younger (yes!) and I cannot help but think if there really is a need for the Reproductive Health Law in the country.

One thing I am thankful for though is that baby showers are getting popular and are considered tradition now. Back when I was pregnant with my firstborn (nine years ago), people found it odd and uncomfortable to throw me a baby shower as it seemed that it is tantamount for asking for gifts for the baby.

Now I go to baby showers of friends with the best gift that I can give. I usually even spearhead collecting money to buy THE gift, usually a nice stroller or a crib for the baby.  Baby Bedding Sets are usually bought in accordance to the nursery theme decided by the parents.

Baby bedding sets can be purchased at the Baby Bedding Palace because they are currently having a SALE! Their 12 piece 100% Cotton Nursery Baby Bedding Set is such a steal at $79.98!

Here is what you get:

* 1 Baby Crib Quilt (48 inches x 41 inches)

* 4 piece Baby Crib Bumper (2 long pieces: 55 inches x 9 inches and 2 short pieces: 27 inches x 9 inches)

* 1 Baby Crib Fitted Sheet (51 inches x 28 inches, can fit matresses from 4-6 inches deep)

* 1 Baby Crib Skirt (Dust Ruffle, 74 inches x 51 inches)

* 2 extra wide Window Valances (82 inches x 11.5 inches)

* 1 Diaper Stacker (27 inches x 14 inches)

* 1 Toy Organizer (19 inches x 12.5 inches)

* 1 Decorative Pillow (10 inches x 10 inches)

* *BONUS GIFT* Free matching high quality hand made zipper bag with handle

* (Fits all standard size baby and toddler cribs)

** As part of my goal to re-educate and expose myself to the world, I am watching movies and reading books like there is no tomorrow. I am happy I am getting reacquainted again with my old self – but know that I like pretty feel-good movies after a hard day’s work. So you might not see anything from me that deep. I do write about movies I enjoyed and would love to watch again though.

Life is a messy business.

Summary: A family. Rose and Norah, in Albuquerque, lost their mother when they were young. Rose is responsible – a housecleaner, raising her seven-year-old son Oscar. She’s also having an affair with Mac, a married cop, her high-school sweetheart. Norah can’t hold a job. Their dad, Joe, is quirky. When Oscar is expelled for odd behavior, Rose wants to earn enough to send him to private school. Mac suggests she clean up after crime scenes, suicides, and deaths that go undiscovered for awhile. Rose enlists Norah, and Sunshine Cleaners is born. Norah bonds with the dead, Rose finds out that it’s a regulated business, and complications arise. Can a family marked by tragedy sort things out?

What do you get when you team up two delicate beauties, Amy Adams and Emily Blunt, in a movie? You get a drama that is full or ironies.

The title itself is full of ironies as the storyline is dark, and somewhat real. Watch the two beauties be normal people, act unglamorous and basically try to live.

The storyline is not that dark, trying to leave up to its viewers things that would be better off unsaid. You get to see the legendary tale of a popular beauty queen in high school who gets knocked up, left to raise a child by herself and be a mistress to her old flame, a quarterback. She is living the “I cant believe you ended up like this” life.

I love how everything turns up rosy  in the end but real.

You always end up being responsible for bringing sunshine to your life. That’s what I learned from Rose, who ended up cleaning murder and suicide scenes after seeing her own mother kill herself when she was young. Talk about going full circle and having closure.