Bathroom or Spa Room.

Can you determine at a first glance and without going on a second look, which part of the house is this?

Honestly, I didn't notice that this is a bathroom until I read the description at HomeRenovations.About.com. This bathroom design is called the "Floating" type and this is mainly characterized by free-standing furniture meaning no fixed-in-place cabinets, no pedestal sinks, no drop-in sinks. If not for the vessel sink and ceramic tiles, I wouldn't know that this is bathroom. Even the bathroom lighting used, it's extraordinary. Of course, the toilet bowl and the shower or even the tub might just be on the other side. But nonetheless, this looks more of a spa room for me than a bathroom, don't you agree?

My Girl Insurance Commercial.

If insurance and pre-need companies employ insurance advertising such as this, I bet people will more likely be moved and realize how important it is to secure the future of their loved ones by getting an insurance.

Just a warning, especially to ladies, wives, moms and daughters out there..be sure to have your hanky ready by your side as this is truly a tearjerker.

Advertising an insurance, for it to be effective needs an emotional content. This commercial clearly exuded the emotions, feelings and thoughts associated with a head of family who wants nothing but the best and secured future for his family.

This video suddenly made me miss and think about my Dad. Albeit our family's not perfect, I'll be forever indebted for the love, guidance and the hardships he has endured working abroad just to raise us and give us a comfortable life.

I'm also deeply touched as a Mom because just like the Daddy in the commercial, I vowed to love and take care of my son FOREVER the first time I saw and held him.

Bundled Up.

Aside from shopping furniture, appliances and other dolling up stuffs that we'll be sprucing up our Little Mansion in a few weeks, we're now also researching on how to go about the application of utility services like the electricity, water, phone, cable and internet. The developer assured that the first two (water and electricity) will be somehow easy because the whole's compound has been pre-appied as a group already. I think there's some things and documentations that just have to be arranged. With that, we'll concentrate on the phone, cable and internet application. Internet is necessary in my line of work so it's just vital that it should have been installed by the time we do the move.

I don't think there's already a service locally provided similar to that of Time Warner Digital Cable Services in the US. If there is, it would be awesome since we just have to apply one time and we'll be instantly provided all bundled up services. I'm running through their website now and I'm really impressed how they're able to come up with such implausible services:

Road Runner® High-Speed Online - offers fast and easy cable broadband internet connection up to 7 Mbps (boy, that's way too fast!). The package includes for free a security software & virus scan and a 24x7 tech support. The Parental Control component protects the minors from accessing adult and child unfriendly sites.

Time Warner Digital Phone - offers unlimited calling in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico plus calling features like call waiting, caller ID, call waiting ID, Voicemail, caller ID block, speed dial, and anonymous call reject.

Time Warner Digital Cable - offers 200+ all digital channels with crystal clear picture and sound. There's a 3 month trial of free DVR which records a program or movies in HD for later viewing.

The said services can also be availed individually but bundling them up yields huge savings and also much each come payment time. Isn't that great?

A Bundle of Energy.

Most of the time, I really can't help but wonder where does my son's energy is coming from. Set him free and he will really enjoy his freedom. You'll see him running around, climbing up the stairs, the slide or the steel climbing frame in the playground. He loves playing hide and seek and running around parked cars in the garage. He's panting heavily and yet he seems not exhausted at all. I won't be surprised if he can keep up on the treadmill even. No wonder he's not plumpish because even though he has a hearty appetite for solids, formula and my breast milk, he's burning energy as if he's an athlete. Well, at least, he's active and doesn't have the slightest chance of getting obese which is more unhealthy like.

Adult and Singles Getaway

The first time I heard the term "Hedonism", I wasn't comfortable hearing and thinking about it because it sounded so controversial and adult like. But when I heard the term "Hedonism Resort" through Hedonism Resorts, I right away browsed the website and that's where I learned about the implication of hedonism. While it refers to adult resorts and adult vacations, this specific term means "the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the highest good". It is synonymous to sensuality and libertinism.

If you want to experience pure bliss and the true meaning of hedonism, Jamaica is the perfect spot to head to. Various singles vacation packages are available at Hedonism Resorts. This collection of superior resorts are operated by Super-Inclusive® resorts and the parent company SuperClubs. They've got the best playful paradise beach resorts in Jamaica and they are well known for Breezes Resorts & Spas and the mentioned Hedonism Resorts.

Crap.

It sucks and it's extremely annoying when you're in the climax of reading online about an interesting topic, let's say about xenadrine rfa x when suddenly, your internet connection conks out. That's exactly my predicament right now and it's driving me crazy. It's taking five freaking minutes before a page fully loads. I'm almost at my wits end and really, my patience meter is running low. What's making all these worse is that I can not get through PLDT MyDsl's customer service calling queue. Even my Globe Tattoo isn't cooperating...what a great Saturday noon! It's seems everyone's conspiring to annoy me. Sheesh..I'm doomed.

Krispy Kreme Baked Creations.

If you have a sweet tooth or a savory craving, a donut lover, a muffin hearty eater and a big Krispy Kreme fan..then, surely, their newest creation called Krispy Kreme Baked Creations is something that will make you rush to their nearest branch. But sorry, I think this is initially offered in their Ayala Avenue and Greenhills branches for the mean time.

But first, let me just remind not to bother scouring for and thinking about the best acne pill fearing that too much Kruffins sweets will cause you acne. That's just a false notion as acne is caused by nothing but hormonal imbalance. Period.

So what exactly is a Kruffin and a Pull-Apart?

Kruffins - freshly baked American style hand made muffin with a hole. It is filled with rich, luscious and delicious fruits, nuts or chocolates. Its variety includes Double Chocolate, Apple Streussel, Blueberry and Classic

Pull-Aparts - freshly baked hand-rolled balls of dough originating from North, pulled apart and laid to form a doughnut. It is filled with sweet or savory varieties which include Cheese, Bacon & Cheese, Sausage & Cheese and Cinnamon.

Did I get you drooling there?

Falling Hair.

I thought I would need the best testosterone cream to treat my hair loss dilemma earlier this year. The experience was very inconvenient, annoying (raking up a bunch of hair on the floor, how does that sound?), and I just have to add, the paranoia it caused me was tremendous. I thought I was positive of hyperthyroidism. Thankfully, my TSH level, through the lab testing done, yielded negative results. Otherwise, I could have gone crazy and poorer, too, because of the treatments I have to undergo.

The family doctor pacified my paranoia saying that our crowning glory normally sheds about 127 strands a day through our normal activities of washing, combing, and brushing. Further, she explained that hair loss and growth varies in every individual. The denser the hair, and the shorter the anagen cycle (the growing stage of human hair) is, the more hair that will normally lose per day.

So the next time you experience hair loss, be sure to count the fallen hair first before getting worried of anything. LOL.

More Blessings Today.

Wow...I'm so taken aback with how we've been receiving blessings one after the another.

From the husband's recent promotion which is synonymous to pay increase, to a hefty bonus received last payday and now, he has just been given another type of incentive that can be converted to a monetary reward (as in the forms of Gift Certificates). These great news are giving me instant joint pain relief to the discomforts I'm feeling right now from working too much in front of the computer. The husband has now earned enough points to convert to GCs that we can use to buy a new washing machine for Little Mansion. Great!

I've also just received a new writing project last night so it's another opportunity to earn. I don't know what we have done to deserve all these blessings all I know is that God really provides and He knows the right time to give them.

When It Rains, It Floods.

If you're following my public twitter, you could have read that I'm once again at a glorious "when it rains, it pours floods" moment. Right now, it has not come to my senses yet how taxing my weekend will be with the downpour of another huge writing project that I just received from my boss at O. All I know is that I need some good cream for the dark circles that will soon invade my eyes...the circles that will be the very symbol of some hard earned $$$.

I am not panicking...

I am not overwhelmed...

...yet.

Twitter Fuss

Even though I haven't been able to watch the latest showbiz news on TV recently (the little one owns now the remote control), I am somehow updated about the entertainment world through instant Twitter updates, entertainment portals releases and Celebrity Blog sites that abound the web these days. Just for example, the brouhaha about Kris Aquino and Ruffa Gutierrez's allegedly walking out of the The Buzz two Sundays ago. The news spread like fire online and offline that people instantly searched on the web for the recorded video just a few hours after the show. Controversies such as these are now easier to disseminate because of the viral capabilities of the internet. You just publish a post on a blog, or make even just a controversial tweet on Twitter, the whole world instantly knows about it and the next thing we know, everyone's talking about it. People by nature, make a fuss over a controversy or a gossip especially if it involves a celebrity.

Now on to the issue between Kris and Ruffa, my insight is that there's nothing to be offended about Kris' controversial statement: "Aminin mo mas masaya dito.." (Admit it, it's happier here) pertaining to the latter's transfer to another station. But Ruffa might not be in her stable self, emotional wise, impending of her leaving the show she has been with for several years now. It could be also that she's undergoing tremendous pressure (from her influential and loquacious Mom) that her emotions just exploded when Kris said it. She might also got fed up by Kris' constant bickering on her even while on air. Viewers do notice how, in the past, Kris has been butting in every time Ruffa's saying something leaving the latter thrown into a tizzy evidently.

I'm not really into the entertainment industry but sometimes you can't really help to stick your nose into an issue especially if it's well talked about among your Twitter pals.

Just A Possibility.

I've been getting frequent headaches lately so just to prep myself for possible prescription of eyeglass, I have started reading about The #1 online Rx glasses store, which is Zenni Optical. I've just browsed their collection of eyeglasses and I'm stoked on their wide array of designs and styles. I'm quite surprised too that they offer the Lowest Price Progressive Glasses among all online eye stores. I couldn't agree more with Eric's Review of Zenni Optical because he nailed every point about Zenni Optical.

With Just One Click.

Isn't it amazing how easy it is now to find jobs and all it takes is just one click of the mouse? In fact, some businesses and companies do not require applicants anymore to pass hard copies of resumes because the online profile they keyed in suffices in the application process. So let's say if you've just graduated from a cosmetology school and wish to pursue a career in well known spas and salons across the US, just go to a beauty job placement website www.beautyjobs.com to search and apply to the industry's most respected names. From there applicants and salon owners are connected through matched requirements and qualifications. As the technology gets advanced more even, I also won't be surprised if hair cutting and applying makeups will also take just one click of application in the future.

Swamped, Again,

Again, I'm blessed with more online writing works this weekend and it seems that I won't be able to breathe still in the days to come. I've just complete a project at Odesk and it was such a nice surprise when the Manager I've worked with sent me another work offer just minutes my first project with them ended. They must have really liked me and my style, thus, they're contracting my services for the second time.

Working at home is everyone's dream. However, such careers as online writing freelance jobs can also be taxing and have its disadvantages, too. No holidays, no weekends. It can also be so draining especially if one lacks the mojo and inspiration to write. It is in these times when I wish I was working in the corporate world because I have the weekends to just relax and de-stress from day to day busy life at the office.

Coral Nail Paint

I'm not really into manicures and pedicures because I'd rather keep my nails just short and clean. I put nail paints very rarely because I just hate the part when the paint starts to chip off.

I really salute these ladies who are so into nail arts...to be specific those nail arts that are out of this world such as this "coral" nail paint.

The owner surely doesn't need any fork to eat her pasta, does she?

Picture snagged from forladiesbyladies.com

Business and Investment.

My Dad is on a lookout for a new business venture. He's thinking of putting up a new biz, just a small one to begin with and one that's easy to manage even if he's not around that much. He's based in the Middle East where he still works as a consultant. Our youngest sibling is graduating this month so he's letting him manage the new business. However, he's quite adamant of putting one with the unpredictable economy that we have. Of course, it's already given that a business is always risky regardless how the economy is behaving. Aside from putting up a business, my Dad is thinking of trying out gold coins investment, too. He just learned from the financial experts that now is the best time to buy gold coins while the Euro dollar is doing great against the US dollar. Let's see if he gains the confidence to try both business and investment ventures.

Building Homes.

When scouting for a house these days, whether for acquisition or just rental, one of the things that is usually asked is "Did typhoon Ondoy flood this area last year?". Truly, after that destructive flooding that hit the metro months ago, a lot is now more cautious about the property's location. Of course, nobody wants to have their fruits of hard work submerged in murky flood waters, right? Nobody wants to risk the lives of their loved ones and a secured home, that is famine-free (as much as possible) is what we want to provide our families.

I know several friends who were victims of the said catastrophic typhoon. But it's pretty amazing how they were able to get back on their feet and start lives anew. The very proofs of their resiliency are their houses that are well fixed and made up in a blink of an eye as if they weren't hit at all. I wonder if they utilized new mobile homes similar to the ones that are commonly used in the US. Do not confuse mobile homes with motorhomes and rv trucks. Also called manufactured homes, these mobile homes for sale use cutting edge technology where the house is built in the factory then transported to the site through panelized and pre-cut homes and installed. We do not have this technology yet but I know for sure that the local house manufacturing industry is looking at this already as many homebuilders in the US opt for these. They have cheaper price as opposed to site-built ones and implore environment friendly processes.

Want a FREE Wedding Banquet at Mandarin Oriental Manila?

Just saw this ad at Weddingsatwork and at the hotel's Facebook page....

Attention all engaged and soon-to-wed couples, how would you want to have a wedding reception at Mandarin Oriental Hotel for free? Again may I repeat and emphasize the word FREE.

All you have to do is visit “Our Wedding Proposal,” Mandarin Oriental Manila’s grand wedding fair on March 20 and 21 at the Mandarin Ballroom. New wedding themes, sumptuous culinary delights, tempting wedding cakes and other treats will be showcased as well as folios of other suppliers in the wedding industry: designer bridal gowns, invitations, mobile entertainment, giveaways, and videography and photography services. A special raffle draw will be held for those who will attend the fair and book their wedding at the hotel where up for grabs for the first prize is a voucher for a PHP500,000 banquet to be applied to the couple’s wedding function. Runner up prizes include a weekend stay at the Mandarin Oriental Club, as well as a dinner for two at The Tivoli. Now, aren't those alluring?

Come one, come all and enjoy the wedding fair. Entrance is free, but requires registration.

For inquiries, email momnl-socials@mohg.com or call 750 8888. Visit the hotel’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/MandarinOrientalManila for more updates.

No Back-To-Work Plans Still

Wow..I can't believe it's been two years since I became a Mom and gave up my career to just concentrate on taking care of my son. During my pregnancy, never did it cross my mind that I will be a full time hands on Mom, that I'll resign from work. But when he came, there was a 360 degrees turnaround of thoughts that, with full conviction, I rendered an irrevocable resignation. That's how motherhood changes one's life. It's so powerful that nothing and no one can ever stop a Mom to do whatever she wishes/plans for her baby. When I tendered my resignation, I said that I'll be back in the workforce after a year or so. But two years have passed and here I am, still spending glorious moments with my son 24x7. It's good that I have my online writing gigs enabling me to earn enough to augment the husband's income without having to leave our home. I don't have immediate plans still of going back to work as I'm not yet ready and conditioned. However, as my son is speedily growing up and as the economic life isn't getting any better, I need to think of ways to earn some more extra income. Investing in a business, a franchise perhaps, will be a good idea. Further, since I have basic knowledge about Photoshop as I do digital scrapbooking and a bit of artistic mind, I can probably do paid scrapping or do paid business card design. It isn't that hard really since most businesses go for the minimalist look and prefer just the simple and embellishment-less layouts. Then, I've also been hanging around Odesk these days and trying my luck for some work there. I need all the luck on these endeavors and I'm hopeful that these will all be fruitful.

Headache's Gone.

Thank God I'm feeling a lot better now. I woke up this morning with a throbbing head and a toothache that I could not pinpoint which particular tooth because the whole left part of my jaws (both up and down) were hurting. I don't know if it has something to do with my left eye or sinus because I can feel pain somewhere there and even in my left nose part. Fortunately, a mefenamic tablet and a 2 hour nap from 11 am to 1 pm did the trick and drove away my feverish feeling. I woke up without any pain or whatsoever.

I bet I need to have my eyes checked for who knows, I might be needing a pair of eyeglasses already. Well, my work entails being in front of the computer for most hours of the day. And so even though I try to rest once in a while, eye strain is still inevitable. It is also in the genes that we have problematic eyes with an exception of me because among us siblings, I'm the only who doesn't wear an eyeglass yet. I hope this is just nothing or just an ordinary headache that one feels occasionally. Can't afford to get sick especially that I'm celebrating my birthday next week.

Hedonism Escape.

It seems that the summer bug has already bitten me. All I think of now are white sand beaches, my swimsuit, sunblock lotion, a refreshing mango shake, breath taking sea views -- everything that has to do with a summer beach getaway. Today's the first day of March and with an extreme heat in the afternoon, I can't be blamed if I feel so summer-y already. Then, Hedonism Resorts' website is enticing and getting me more excited as I see their singles vacation packages, the relaxing rooms and suites with ocean views, dining, amenities and a wide array of special activities and sports. They also have adult vacations for the more adventurous and liberated travelers. Hedonism is their name because absolute pleasure and happiness are what they regard highly. Their adult resorts are the venues for sensuality and libertinism. So if you are up for some one of a kind adventure and sensuality, fly to Jamaica and have a hedonism escape.

So True.

Adult and Singles Vacation.

Have you ever experienced or heard about how adult vacations are like? Well, honestly, I don't have the slightest idea until I stumbled upon the website of Hedonism Resorts. They have two adult resorts in Jamaica, one in Negril and one in Runaway Bay. Many couples, singles and even groups book hedonism getaways from their resorts for some extraordinary pampering and relaxation. According to the site, they don't have restrictions unlike the family resorts since basically, all of the guests are adults. The site says, guests can even go skinny dipping. More likely, these resorts are for those who are liberated and of course, mature enough for their actions. But of course, there are a lot more activities that can be enjoyed even with the singles vacation package type like the most popular water sporting activities like scuba diving, water-skiing, windsurfing, sailing, snorkeling and land sports such as badminton, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, cycling, golfing, and rock climbing. They have a fitness center and even offer reggae classes as a special activity.

Happiness.

Summer Plans.

Summer is definitely just around the corner. Have you started planning your getaway for this year yet? We already have and I can't wait for April to spend some quality time at the beach with the whole family. No, we did not book and are not going to adult resorts in Jamaica. Perhaps, the husband and I will try their adult vacations some other time and if we'd be able to save up for it. I've heard great things about the wonders and how beautiful Jamaica is. In fact, whenever when we're in Boracay, a premier white sand beach strip in my country, I always imagine that it could be equally lovely or even greater in Jamaica.

In Negril and Runaway Bay, there is an adult resort that is perfect for the adventurers. Coming with a companion isn't really necessary as Hedonism Resorts also offer singles vacation for those who prefer to come alone. Are you up for some Jamaican hedonism vacation?

Jamaican Hedonism

If you are in search of an exciting and one of a kind adult vacations this summer with your better half, friends or by yourself, do check out what HedonismResorts can offer. Located in the beautiful island of Jamaica, these adult resorts is the ideal vacation spot for lovers or even just between adult friends. Anything goes at these resorts. Except for the age requirement, there are no other restrictions that can stop you from having the great vacation of your dreams. According to the site, absolute pleasure is what you'll get. Various activities like land and water sports, beach, spa, fitness and special activities await the guest who wants to get nothing but sheer hedonism and heavenly pleasure. For those who opt to come alone, singles vacation is very much available too for their enjoyment. Do check out their site as they offer savings of up to $570 for every Hedonism Escapes booking.