The Pig on the Table

Last night was my Aunty's ( my Mom's older sister) 82nd birthday. Praise God for added years in her life and not to mention that God has really blessed her with good health and joy! It's such a blessing to see her.

Anyways, as with any Filipino celebration, a Lechon Baboy ( roasted pig) must always be served. But for my 4 year old Pindian (Pinoy-Indian) girl it's a shock for her to see one. I was happily chatting with some relatives outside when she hurriedly ran to me and said, " Amma, there's a pig on the table!" Before I could reply, she was already pulling me inside the house to show me. I was so amused by her reaction as she stared at it. I also took the opportunity to take photos of the Lechon and her.


And then, I thought that she has already gotten over her 'shock' because she was back to normal as we were eating our dinner. But then, she looked again where the 'pig' was and exclaimed, "What are those people doing with the pig?" Hahaha! If you're a Filipino, you can imagine the scene of people crowding around the Lechon baboy busily and happily cutting each piece and trying to get the best part. I couldn't help but laugh because it could have been more shocking for her to see people cutting ans slicing the 'pig'. Anways, I explained to her that they're trying to get some meat to eat it. I even ask her to try to eat the skin, but she complained that it's too hard. Hehehe!

So, there goes another culture shock for my Li'l girl. I'm sure there are more to come..

Thinking of Canada

Our friends are soon migrating to Canada. I've heard about the opportunities that Filipino workers have in Canada and the added advantage of easily bringing their families with them. I've heard that it's easier to migrate in Canada than in the US. Don't get me wrong, but we don't have any single thought of migrating there. Hehehe! It's just that I've come across a site where you can actually find any phone number in Canada with the use of canada reverse phone directory . So, that's the reason why I suddenly thought of our friends and Canada. :)

A Birthday Treat From Globe

I've posted about our slow and not so good internet connection a few weeks ago. Well, the condition is still the same now. But we got a pleasant surprise today when there was a letter from our mailbox.

It was a birthday card for my Mom, who turned 68 years old last October 8. The sender of the card was quite unexpected. It was from our internet provider, Globe Broadband. Wow! It was thoughtful of them to send my mom a birthday card. And not only that, they also attached a gift certificate for a free burger and coke from Jollibee! Hhehehe!

Oh, I just hope that just as they're thoughtful enough to send birthday cards and treats to their subscribers, they'll also do the same in providing the best service to everyone. I hope that they're indeed working towards that goal. Mabuhay!!

What's In Panama ?

Have you ever wondered what's in Casco Antiguo region of Panama? I was curious after reading a lot of posts about this place. Here is what I've found in Wikipedia.

Casco Antiguo was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1998. After the first settlement was destroyed by diseases and the attacks of pirates, being the last one and most remembered one Henry Morgan, the city moved into a rocky peninsula that was both healthier and easier to defend. In 1673 they founded what today is called officially Casco Antiguo, but is also known as San Felipe, Catedral and more commonly, Casco Viejo.

Currently under a revitalization process, Casco Antiguo is a mix of different architectural styles, which reflects the cultural diversity of the country. Caribbean, Republican, Art Deco, French and Colonial mix in a site of less than 800 buildings. Most of Panama´s City´s main monuments are located in Casco Antiguo: The Salón Bolivar, the main Cathedral (Catedral Metropolitana), the National Theatre (founded in 1908), Las Bovedas Monument, La Iglesia de La Merced, La Iglesia San Felipe Neri, Iglesia San José with its distinctive Golden Altar, which was saved from Panama La Vieja and transported into the new city.

Sounds like a great place to see huh? Well, if you're a traveler and and investor, you might want to check out this place and also the Hotel Casco Antiguo - a condo hotel in the region. This condo hotel is now open for interested people who might want to invest and purchase some units. If you want to get more details then Register for an eBrochure Here .

Ms. Nepal

I'm thankful that our Li'l girl has gotten over her 'shyness' with people and was able to stand on the stage, did a bit of modeling and introduced herself as Ms. Nepal. Not only that, but she also did a Brazilian Dance and an interpretative song together with her classmates.

A lot of things has really changed in her few weeks time here in the Philippines. I praise God for the exposure and opportunities like this or else she can't experience all these things since she's home schooled in Thailand. She just enjoys every moment of her stay here, except during the times when she's bored and starts to miss her Appa. heheh! but that seldom happens since she's a busy gal here.

Anways, here's her Ms. Nepal video..and I'm so sorry if you have to tilt your head at the middle of the video since the camerawoman (myself) forgot that digital camera's are not supposed to be tilted vertically when taking videos. heheh! sorry about my ignorance. I guess I was just too excited and maybe nervous to see our girl on the stage.

For Busy Bees

Are you tired of getting a wrong number from other callers? Or maybe you're too busy to attend sales calls? Then, there's this new site that allows users to Report Phone Numbers and comment about calls from certain numbers and let other users know what to expect from that number. When this site is used, then those who are busy could save some time from attending the 'not so urgent' calls. Try it, it could be helpful for you and the others too.

Buko Halo Forever

Finally, I was able to satisfy my craving for Buko Halo!! Yipeee!! I was craving for this Filipino delicacy since I was pregnant with my 2nd child. Finally, after more than a year of waiting, I was able to taste it, savour it and enjoy it! Yum!!

Last Sunday, my mom together with my sis' family went to Dear Manok at Tiano St. Cagayan de Oro City. They have a newly renovated restaurant which had an added facility - a playpen! Yes, I just love restaurants with playpens. I'm sure most of the parents enjoy watching their kids have fun and at the same time be able to eat well too. We had Buko Halo as our dessert and the famous grilled chicken as our main dish.



There's another restaurant that serves Buko Halo and grilled chicken called Jo's Chicken Inato', along Corrales Ave. If I'm not mistaken, they came first before Dear Manok. Anyways, I hope next time we will be able to go there too. I'm still craving for Buko Halo and I want more!! hehehe!

Great Web Designs

Are you looking for which company can give you the best website design? Then, try out Heritage Web Solutions . Read on the following press release for more information about this site and why a unique web design is vital for your business.

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October 22, 2008, Deerfield Beach, FL – The producers of The Economic Report are pleased to announce that Heritage Web Solutions will be featured in an upcoming episode as part of the show’s Business and Technology series on The Power of the Internet Supporting the 21st Century Business Environment.

The internet has revolutionized the ways businesses market themselves. It is essential for businesses, both large and small, to have an effective web presence. A company’s website essentially serves as their electronic store front, communicating the company’s identity to website visitors.

Today, there are approximately 970 million internet users thus making internet marketing the most effective way to appeal to customers from around the world. Websites overcome the limitations between countries and continents thus making a company international. Having a website also means that a business is open and reachable at any time and allows for quick customer response time.

But, it isn’t as simple as just setting up a website. The only way for a company to be set apart from other online competition is unique website design. Businesses turn to internet technology companies for the development of a professional and search engine friendly, website.

Utah-based Heritage Web Solutions specializes in designing and hosting affordable websites for small and medium size businesses. In business since 2001, Heritage designs all websites to custom fit each company, giving each client a unique, original and authentic design. Customers of Heritage also have access to custom flash graphics, Ecommerce development and assistance, database creation and management, traffic driving resources and more.

“As a global community, we are evolving into a technology-based world,“ said Brad Stone, Managing Partner, Heritage Web Solutions. “Rarely we pay cash or write a check anymore. More of our purchases are made online, or at least we research online before making a purchasing decision. Our checking, savings and credit card accounts are maintained and paid for online. Our socializing has moved to FaceBook, YouTube and MySpace. Our communications are emailed, texted or Skyped. Breaking news can now be fed instantly via RSS feeds to our computers or cell phones instead of waiting for the six o’clock news. The Internet is very much a main part of human society today.”


For more information, please visit www.heritagewebdesign.com

Hungry??

I'm hungry and the more I got hungry when I was browsing through my photos and saw this. What is this , you might wonder. It's a 'Cream Puffs Tower' given by my Mom's friend (who owns a bakeshop) during my Mom's birthday. She gave two of this 'tower' and it's very yummy! The cream inside tastes like Bavarian Cream and the the 'dough' is poured with sweet caramel. Simply delicious!




We're very thankful for my Mom's friend who didn't just bake a beautiful birthday cake for her but also gave two additional 'Cream Puffs Tower' which made the table look more grand. Thank God for thoughtful and generous friends!

Of Websites and Webhosts Part 2

I've just posted an entry about a site that gives you tips and help you build a website by assisting you in choosing webhost. Well, I found another site that is said to be the biggest searchable web hosting directory featuring complete information on all web hosting providers, their web hosting plans, promotional and discount coupons, and unedited reviews by real customers. They have a kind of rating system that is based on the customer satisfaction, affordability, reliability, uptime and technical support. Monthly awards of 12 different categories ( i.e. Best Budget Web Hosting, Best Email Webhosting, Best Multiple Domain Hosting) are also given to different webhosts and still voted by the customers.

So, I guess this would be a great site for those people who want to make sure of getting the best webhost since it's rated by the customers themselves. There's nothing better than getting real feedback, the web hosting rating from real people when it comes to service.

Better check out this site then. It might be very helpful in the future when you want to build your own website. I know of some people who want to build a website but don't know where to start. Well, I'm sure this will be the best place to start.

Dream Bag

I'm thankful to God for blessing us through paid blogging. This week , we will be able to pay our flight tickets which we booked through credit card and pay for other bills. It's amazing how God provides our needs in unique ways and not to mention the extra bonuses in between.

You see, our daughter has been desiring and praying for a Disney Princess "bag with wheels" several months back when we were still in Thailand. We found some in Malaysia but it costs more than a 100 RM. We told her to pray and wait. We can't afford to pay a 100RM just for Disney Princess Bag 'with wheels' and to think she's not even going to school yet. She waited for sure but every time she sees someone pulling her 'dream' bag, she would never fail to nudge me and say, " Can you buy a bag like that for me?" As usual, our reply would be, " What are you supposed to do when you want something?" She would reply, "Pray". " Have you prayed about it already?" I would ask and her reply would be " I prayed for it already". And sometimes, she would say, "Why God doesn't give me now?" And then a long lecture from me would follow explaining "Why".

Anyways, since she's already going to school this week, I thought she should have a bag for school. Then, I was reminded about her dream bag and at the same time thought that it's about time to buy for her since we also have bonus of blessings from paid blogging. And not to mention, the bags are cheaper here since they were on sale! :) Now, it only cost about 45RM!

So today was the day for her. She happily chose her Disney Princess Bag and she was even given a water container (which she liked) for free. She thanked God for her bag and is now excited to go to school!

Of Websites and Webhosts

Whether you have a product to be promoted, a service to be offered or helpful information and tips to be published, building a website will be beneficial for you. Businesses whether online or offline are a step higher when they have good, helpful and easy to navigate websites. And the first step to building a website is to find the right webhost.

Well, I found this site that can help you choose the right webhost. If you're still a newbie in the online business or website building, this site gives all the How To's, industry news, products, reviews and discussions about it.

I've just read through one of the articles in the webhosting blog and it's quite interesting since they have an article on " 3 Webhosting Mistakes to Avoid". And guess what falls under number 1? Free Service. Oh, I have a very soft spot for anything that's for free and I was surprise to read about the danger of having a free one.

Anyways, I don't have any plans for building a website yet, unless I plan to create an online business. As for now, maintaining my blogs are already keeping me quite busy apart from being a SAHM. What about you? If you're looking for the right webhost for your business, then you can check this site out!

A Birthday for Two

Our son has just turned 1 but he has celebrated his birthday 3 times. The first celebration was like a pre-birthday celebration in Thailand where Hubby was present. The second one was during his actual birthday where we just bought a cake and sang and prayed for him. Then , the third one was a joint birthday celebration with his cousin ( who just turned 4 years old) Zif Azriel.

So last Saturday was the joint birthday celebration and we had a small party with our neighbors' children. Normally, every Saturday they have something like a Kids/ Teen Club where they have Bible Study and activities at our house. So this time it's a party for them. I could still recognize a few of these kids were my students several years back when we did DVBS at our place. Wow, they've grown up so fast!

This celebration was indeed a different one, we didn't invite our friends and relatives and was aimed to bless the kids and we're glad that they enjoyed and were indeed blessed. Thanks to our nephew and birthday celebrant, Zif Azriel who was the one to ask his Mom to have this kind of party - a party with the neighbors. So, we had games, food, party bags and lots of FUN!

Jedaiah Lyle in his spongebob look..:)

Zif Azriel in his military attire

Smaller Kids doing the " Pabitin" Game

Happy Kids!

Being Close To Nature

Finally, the tall grasses around the house have already been cut. I feel more secure now for our daughter to go to my sisters’ houses. As posted from my other blog, our house helper saw a snake the other day. And because of that, I’m a little bit worried for the kids to play around the “jungle”. Hehehe!

Though we live in the city but our house is in the interior part where there’s abundant fresh air and greenery all around. It’s a very good place for the kids to live and they are free to run around and not to be fearful of cars and motorists that pass by. Life here is unlike the busy bustling city where fresh air is very much needed. Some people in the city even resort to using products that gives fresh clean air like that offered from EcoQuest international . There’s nothing like being close to nature. That’s why I’m glad to be back home.

Wrong Grammar and Typo Errors

Please forgive me if I’ve committed some major grammatical mistakes and typographical errors in all my previous ( and maybe future?) posts. There are just so many things to do with very less time. I promise I will go through all those past posts in one shot then review and correct them. I’m sorry for being such a bad writer/blogger. I know I should review and edit my posts first before publishing but please forgive me for now. Cheers!

Long Distance Relationship

Once again, my Hubby and I found ourselves in a long distance relationship. We were apart for 10 months before engagement, then another 9 months after engagement, the 4 years ago, we were away for 72 days and now we will be separated for another 59 days.

I guess separation (physically) is one circumstance that one can not avoid in cross cultural marriage. We get separated physically because one partner has to go back home and the other one can not come along because of work. But thank God for hi technology and internet because even if we’re physically separated but we can still have constant communication through YM chat, chikka.com, Skype, Gmail among others. There is still that option to call long distance like using Spectrotel long distance but then if it’s not urgent and we simply want to chat and communicate, all these free calls and chats would be sufficient for us. But nothing beats the live one-one chats and talks right? But anyways, it will be another 59 days to go and we can also say good bye to slow servers, constant disconnection and interruptions that comes along with these internet communication

Setting Her Free

She’s been gone for more that 8 hours now. I can’t help but worry a bit on how she’s doing. But I know she’s in good hands.

Our Li’l girl used to be very clingy with us. Living in a foreign country without family members around, made her so attached with us that it’ll usually take a long time before she could go out alone without us. But just recently, I think before she turned 4 years old, she has become less clingy and more independent but she still chooses the familiar people to be with her.

I guess today is her breakthrough, 8 hours without her Amma and Appa but just with her Granny and Mamay. I’m somehow relieved that she has gotten past through her separation anxiety which means she must be very ready to go to school. Yeah, I know it’s so late but what to do, our circumstance is different.

Cravings..

When I was in Thailand, I had so many craved for so many Filipino food. I mentally listed down the food that I would like to eat when I arrive like the Buko Halo, Jollibee Chicken Joyl, burger and spaghetti, The Jo's Chicken Inasal, Red Ribbon Cakes, Baked Siopao from Persimmons and a lot more.

But then, I found out that my cholesterol was slightly high and suddenly all my cravings disappeared. I've been here for a week already and so far, I was only able to eat at Jollibee and ate a delicous cake from Red Ribbon. But guess what, I think my craving is coming back now. I might end up packing the kids and going through the hassles of walking and commuting just to get a taste of all the delicious food at the restaurants here. Hmm.. let me see which restaurants are on my list : Jo's Chicken Inato for their Buko Halo and Chicken, Light House for their eat-all-you can native snacks, Yellow Cab for the pizza of course, Mom's Corner for their cheeseburger and Maiz Con Yelo, Chow King for the Bulo Halo and Lumpia, Bigby's for their burger, one native snack bar at Ketkai and a lot more! Don't worry, I won't be going to all these restaurants in a day. I have 5 months to slowly but surely try all the sumptuous meals at these restuarants. So, if you happen to visit Cagayan de Oro, you would already have an idea which restaurants to try out. If you're in California, USA, then I won't have any idea what are the good restaurants in La Jolla California.

Photo taken from Flicker

Globe Broadband is so sssllllloooooowwww

Oh, I'm pressed for time. I have a lot of tasks to be finished and now is my only "free" time to work on it as my baby's sleeping. BUT.... our internet connection is so slow and gets disconnected every 5 minutes or so. TSK..tsk..tsk..

Earlier I thought that my mom's pc is just slow and disconnects the internet but then when I sent sms to my cousin who's also using Globe Broadband, she also gets disconnected. She told me that this is how Globe connection is and have already read other negative feedbacks from different sites and even there was a youtube video made to express their frustration with Globe.

I was tempted to ask my Mom to change her broadband connection to Smart but before I even asked her, I found out that a 1 year contract has been signed with them. And to think my Mom just connected this last August. Oh bad! I can't wait for a year.. and we'll be gone to Malaysia by then.

Okay, I have to stop grumbling now and continue with my work. I just hope Globe will work harder to improve their internet broadband connection and not be satisfied with the subscribers they have now, because they might lose us before they know it.

The Difference BetweenThailand and Philippines Healthcare

Before we came here, we made a trip to the doctor to check on our kids' fever. Then, a few days we arrived, we made another visit to the Doctor here since our son was having a cough.

During my short stay at the clinic, I was really able to notice a lot of differences between our clinics and the Thailand one. Though I find our Filipino doctors better than the Thai ones but our clinic facilities are just pathetic.

During our 4 years visit to Thai doctors, whenever our kids get sick, I'll always be 100% sure that once we go back the house, we will be bringing with us doses of Antibiotics for our kids. That's why,when my kids get sick I always wait 3-4 days before I go to the doctor because it's like the only solution for everything is antibiotic.

I was thankful that our doctor here didn't easily give antibiotic for our son when we had him check. After a series of questions from him, he asked us to give him a mild medicine and ask us to come back after 10 days if he still has the same symptom. Good that our son's cough has subsided now.

But it terms of our hospital facilities , our private hospitals still don't compare with the Thai ones. Our hospitals are still not that neat (unless we go to the more expensive ones) and I was so surprised when the Doctor's secretary asked me to fill up a 'form' with all my details on a pad that has some texts printed on it but she just overlapped it with a blue pen that wrote: Name, Age, Birthday and etc. It was a pitiful sight. I could have easily offered them to encode and print a proper form from a clean sheet of paper. But then, I thought, maybe we're in a cheap clinic that's why everything is low-tech. But then when we came out, the doctor charged us 200 Pesos for consultation. From our the more "hi-tech" clinic in Hatyai, we only pay 100 Baht ( 140 Pesos) for consultation fee. Anways, I guess we should ask help from healthhcare executives like Daniel Neumeister to improve our clinics and hospitals.

Saving For The Rainy Days

It's in the news everywhere. There is recession going on and all the stock market is down. I'm not really into economics and stuff but one I think I understand, there's indeed a financial crisis going on. It's about time to tighten our belts and think of ways and mean to save some money to 'survive' the worldwide financial crises.

Here are some of the way's I've thought of on saving for the rainy days:

• Minimize eating out. Eating out really hurts the budget a lot. Instead of going out to eat at your favorite restaurants and food shops, why not organize cook outs or home dining cooking your favorite meal.
• Turn off electrical equipment when not in use. They may not be much to people residing in other parts of the world. But here in the Philippines, electricity bills has indeed rose up. I was shocked to know how much my Mom pays for her monthly bill.
• Always plan your trip to the grocery stores, shops and etc. You'll be amazed to discover the amount of gas or fares which translates to money when you plan. It avoids unnecessary, u-turns and detours and not to mention, you also save time.
• Collect and Save on discount coupons or discount stickers. We use to do this when we were in Thailand and it's amazing how much you save and get things for free at the end of the month.
  

Where Are You?

As I'm here in the Philippines, it would be nice to meet some old friends and ex-classmates but the problem is I don't know where the others are now. I guess I need to use a People Finder huh? But since I'm still stuck in the house and couldn't go anywhere much, I'll have to wait for the perfect time when everything is settled and then I'll go meet up with friends.

Thankful Thursday 12

It's Friday again..so which means, I'm one day late for my Thankful Thursday entry. But even if I'm already late, I won't fail in giving thanks to God for what He has done this week.

• I thank God for my kids have already adjusted a bit here. My boy used to be clingy and refused to go to anyone is already okay and goes to some people now.
• I thank for for our Li'l boy has already turned 1 year on the 15th. Wow! Glory to GOD!
  
• I thank God for more paid blogging tasks that's coming and could be more than enough to get back the money that I lost at the airport.
• I thank God for His strength and joy that even if we're far away from Hubby but God's grace is sufficient.
• I thank God for time being spent with family here in the Philippines.
• I thank God that our girl is extremely enjoying her time here.

Praise God for everything that He has done and doing in our lives!

Like An Animal Farm

One thing that my girl enjoy being here in our place is that she sees a lot of animals she seldom sees in Hatyai. This place seems like an animal farm for her. Just the other day, it was her first time to touch a goat and she was so excited. She also enjoys seeing some cows, chicken, horses and dogs around.

Yes, we've got a lot of dogs here. Thin and not so clean dogs with fleas. And because of this we don't let the dogs go into the house to avoid flea bites on humans. If you have a flea problem with your dogs, you might check out this site which gives you general tips about Flea control.

Anyways, being here is such a good exposure to our daughter and I'm just glad that she's enjoying to the max.

Comfy at Home

I already have my SIm card now and I can start calling some of my friends here in Cagayan de Oro. Even if I really want to go out with them, have fun and reminisce on our high school days and stuff but as of now, I can't go out as much as I want to. It's really quite difficult traveling with 2 kids and we also don't have someone to drive us around. Traveling out is quite a challenge here and not to mention handling 2 kids outside is another challenge.

You see, our house is quite far from the main road. So, we have to walk about 15-20 minutes to reach the main road and from there ride a jeepney to the city center. Depending on where we are going, but we usually have to ride two different jeepneys to reach our destination plus the traffic and pollution ( though not much) Oh, thinking of that already makes me tired and dizzy. If we also want to be very comfortable, we can also hire a taxi which will cost us more than 200 Pesos to go out and come back. Oh well, I'll just have to wait for my brother in law to be free so, we can ride with him or maybe wait for my feet to really 'itch' to go out and then get a taxi.

As of now, I'm just so content to laze in our house, enjoy the sound of the rushing river, hear the mooing of the cow and breathe the fresh air.... and sleep... :)

The Search Is On

Searches are very common nowadays. We do google search, yahoo search or AOL search among others. We search out of curiousity or out of need. Sometimes, people need to Search Area Codes to call their friends or family who's in a different place. Then there is also this site that allows you to search for information by area codes. Oh, I don't know for what reason you're searching for information but this site might be helpful for you in the future. :)

One Year Old!!

Tomorrow will be our son's 1st birthday! I could still vividly remember when I gave birth to him, C-section with my Hubby at the side of the operating table and holding my hand. Children are really God's precious gifts and every Mom can't help but be amazed by God's miracle of life.

Wow! Praise God for our son , Jedaiah Lyle ! He is indeed a great blessing, so handsome and gives great joy to our hearts. Thank you Lord!!

We won't be doing any major celebration tomorrow since we already had a party the other Saturday in Hatyai, Thailand with some of our friends. But we will still be giving a small party this Saturday with our neighbors kids. And it'll be a joint with our nephew's birthday.



I'm just thankful to God for a year of blessing, protection and good health for our Li'l Boy! I know that more years are to come and it is my desire that Jedaiah Lyle will indeed be how God wants him to be when he grows up.

Of Camiguin and Phoenix Vacation Rentals

Before we came, my Hubby and I were already planning to go visit Camiguin. My Hubby hasn't been to Camiguin yet and it would be good if he could go see the place. It has already been years too since we've been to the place. It would be nice to take a dip at the Hot springs again, dive in the Ardent Spring, see the beauty of the white Island and bathe in the cold Katibawasan falls. Not to mention eat bunches and bunches of Lanzones and boxes of Vjandepf Pastels . Oh, I'm excited! I just hope we could save enough for this trip. I've checked through the hotels and it's quite pricey. Good thing we have a relative there and maybe we can stay at their house since hotels are really expensive.

If you're also in the US and would want to visit Arizona, staying in the hotels would also be expensive with very limited space and facilities. So, why don't you try to stay in Phoenix vacation rentals with bigger space and facilities that meet your needs and wants. It would be a great experience especially if you're traveling with your whole family. You would have a variety of options to choose from depending on your budget too. Wow! I'm sure you'll have a great time in Arizona as we hope to have in Camiguin, Philippines.

Photo taken from Campers Point Philippines

My Favorite Snack - Banana Q

I was craving for Banana Q when I was in Thailand and finally, I was able to eat it today. Banana Q is a famous Filipino Snack, it's simply banana that's cooked or deep fried with lots of brown sugar. I love my Banana Q to be very sweet and crunchy from the outside. The one I had today was not so sweet and the sugar seems to have melted so, it wasn't crunchy at all. Nevertheless, I still finished 2 sticks of Banana Q and gobbled it up with ice cold Coke! Yum!!

If you want to know how to cook Banana Q:

1) You must first heat an ample amount of cooking oil in the pan.

2) Peel the banana and put it inside the pan. Make sure that the oil is already hot.

3) Then put a lot of brown sugar in the pan and mix it together with the banana.

4) When the banana is cooked and sugar is caramelized and fully covering the banana, take it out and let it cool for awhile.

Enjoy your banana Q!

Lyle's Look Alike

My Sister says that our Li'l Boy is a Vin Diesel look-alike. Hmm.. I think it's because of his hair. For those who don't know Vin Diesel, he was the actor of A Man Apart. In this movie, Vin Diesel stars as Agent Sean Vetter, a DEA operative fighting the drug wars along the US/Mexican border. After a major player from the Baja Cartel is imprisoned, a new mysterious figure known as Diablo wrests control over the entire operation. But when Vetter's wife is murdered in a botched hit, he and his partner (Larenz Tate) must join forces with the jailed Cartel boss to hunt down the dangerous and elusive new player.I'm sure they must have use inmate search to look for Cartel.

Anyways, you be the judge, does my boy look like Vin Diesel or not? :)

My Baby's Cough Part 2

It has already been weeks since our baby's cough started. I could very well remember that we were still in Malaysia at that time. We tried to give him some cough medicine but it doesn't seem to budge.

So, yesterday we had him checked again and the Doctor gave us a medicine which he said is very mild but effective for children. The medicine is some kind of a powder that has to be dissolved. It's cann Montelukast Singulair. I gave some to my baby last night and praise God that he didn't cough the whole night. Oh, I just hope and pray that my baby's cough will go away.

Blogs..Blogs..Blogs..

I really enjoy blogging. It could have been more enjoyable if I have all the time to frequently visit my friends blogs and read their posts too. But I can't really do all that because of lack of time.

Anyways, I thank God that my sites have some Page Ranks now and even my other site has 45 subscribers! I'm so flattered that there must be 45 people who wants to be updated with my blog. But sometimes I do wonder if my posts are worth reading.heheh! I'm not really aiming for my site to be one of the top websites since I'm already contented knowing that some people are reading my posts from the inbox or readers. It somehow challenges me to improve my writing and to write stuff that are more relevant. But if I'm pressed for time from my writing 'tasks' then I sometimes write without thinking much. Sorry about that. Well, it would be nice if I could submit this site to talkreviews.ca and receive WebSite Reviews. Then I'll know what are the things I I should do to furthur improve my site. Any suggestions?

Culture Shock: Tricia's Version

Though Tricia sometimes insists that she’s a Filipino ( technically she is, since she’s born in the Philippines) but she spent most of her time in Malaysia and Thailand. So, there are some things that ‘shocks’ her as we are staying here in the Philippines. Here are tidbits of her ‘culture shocks’ in her early stage of stay here in the Philippines.

• Culture Shock #1 : My Hubby asked her over Skype, “ Did you have any lessons for today? What did you learn today?” Her answer, “ Appa, today I have learned that you must not take out your slippers when you're inside Granny’s house”. Hahaha! Slippers or shoes inside the house is quite shocking to her since she has always been taught to these out when we were in Malayisa and Thailand.

• Culture Shock # 2 : We were at the back of the ‘multicab’ (like a small jeepney) and the she was mentioning the names of the people at the front seat. She started from left to right. “ That’s Uncle Manny, Mamay, Z boy and Granny!’ Then, her eyes widened and said, “ Granny can drive already???”… hahah! As you may have known , the driver’s seat is on the right side in Malaysia and Thailand.

• Culture Shock # 3: We were walking from our house to the main road. Our house is in the interior part of the city ( near the river). So, we passed by tall grasses and trees. Then she said, “ This is fun! We are deep in the forest!”

That’s all for now. I’m sure there are more to come as she has only been here for 5 days. J

Of Trends, Clothes and MMA Wear

When I was in Thailand, I was never too particular with trends and fashion. But, since I came everyone was talking about skinny pants, skinny pants. I didn’t have any idea what that was until my Mom who showed it to me and even gave me a pair. I’ve got a cool mom huh? So, immediately I wore one and was reminded of my college days when this was also one of the trends. So, the trend did come back.

Anyways, I know of some people who do not wear clothes because of the trend but more on to reflect their interests like sports or MMA and etc. So, as a result they wear MMA Clothing. For football fans they also wear their favorite team’s jersey.

For me, as long I’m wearing something presentable, may It be in fashion or out of fashion I’m already contented with it.

My Mom's Birthday Surprise!

Last October 8th, Wednesday was my Mother's 68th Birthday and we gave her a surprise birthday party and a surprise birthday gift - our presence..hheheh!! My sisters didn't tell her that they were planning to hold a party for her at the hotel until on Sunday when they gave her her birthday invitation and asked her to get a new pink dress ( her birthday motif) and make herself beautiful. My Nanay didn't know we were coming especially for her birthday too. As far as she knew, we were only supposed to go back home in December. Little did she know, that as early as March, we have already booked our flights for October 8th. Sadly, my Beloved couldn't make it as his leave is only due in December. But, Praise God that my friend was also going back home to the Philippines so, she helped me a lot in traveling with our kids.

Here are the photos taken from our Nanay's 68th birthday celebration. It was indeed a great night to remember as everything went well and God's joy and presence was just evident during the whole program. Praise God!



more photos to be uploaded tomorrow.. it's already getting late here.. :)

A Funny Discovery

When my Hubby and I were discussing our daughter’s education, one of the options that came up was sending her to a boarding school in India. We’ve heard about Hebron International school there that also a great boarding school.

But just now, I chuckled when I found another kind of boarding. It’s called Dog Boarding. Funny huh, that it’s not just people who needs boarding but dogs too. I think this is very common in the US when the owners go for a vacation and they need somebody to take care of their canine friends.

Re- Entry Stesses

It's our 6th day already here in my hometown and praise God because things are getting better. I've been really quite stressed out for the past days because our kids were still adjusting with the people and environment around us, our boy was sick and I was still so exhausted from our trip. Even if there were so many people around me to help me out with my kids but my kids were not willing. Even our 'friendly' Lyle didn't turn out to be so friendly at all as he just cling onto me and refused to go to other people. So, you could imagine me feeding Tricia, eating and doing other things with Lyle clinging on me. Tricia was testing my authority by being disobedient. She felt so free during the first few days and thought that she could do whatever she wanted including going out alone by herself to her cousin's house.

The first few nights of chats and phone conversation with Hubby was filled with complains of Tricia and Lyle doing this and that. But praise God for my encouraging Hubby who kept assuring me that things will turn out well and he's praying for God's strength.

And praise God that today was a quite a good day for me. Lyle is starting to go to other people (for a longer period of time) which gives me time to do other things or take care of Tricia . While Tricia though still very active, was quite milder today. Praise God for His strength too that I don't feel so tired and stressed out at the end of the day. Thank you Lord!

Another Dream Destination?

I was quite curious where is the exact location of Florence, Italy and how it looks like. So, I searched through Wikipedia and here is what I found.

Florence (Italian: Firenze, Old Italian: Fiorenza, Latin: Florentia) is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany, and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany and has a population of approximately 364,779.

The city lies on the Arno River and is known for its history and its importance in the Middle Ages and in the Renaissance, especially for its art and architecture. A centre of medieval European trade and finance, the city is often considered the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance; in fact, it has been called the Athens of the Middle Ages. It was long under the de facto rule of the Medici family. From 1865 to 1870 the city was also the capital of the Kingdom of Italy.

It's such a beautiful place and it's indeed so rich in history and the arts. I wonder if we could ever go there and stay in one of the Hotel Florence . Then the next stop for sure will be Naples and also stay in one of the Hotel Naples and then continue on to experience Bed Breakfast Paris , where else but in France.

Anyways, I guess all these places will be another dream destination of mine. Will it just be all in my dreams? ;)

The Blessings of Technology

I thank God for hi-technology and communication!

Just a few hours ago, my kids and I were able to skype my Hubby. My Li'l girl was so excited to see her Appa on the webcam. She was chatting excitedly which woke our Li'l boy. Lyle was still half awake but when he heard his Appa's voice, his eyes widened, smiled, got up and was also so excited to see his Appa on the webcam. He laughed and giggled as his Ate and Appa were happily talking. Only then I realized that as little as he is, he could have also missed his Appa like his Ate.

It was already 12 mn when we chatted with HUbby but both kids were so active and awake. Tricia kissed her APpa so many times and insisted to ' make Appa's face big' in the computer. At one point I got teary eyed when my Hubby said, that we pray first before saying good night and Tricia requested , 'can I hold your hand , Appa?" So, she extended her hand and let it touch the screen as her Appa did the same. She really longed to touch and feel her APpa. Yes, even with hi technology where you can talk and see each other but it's really very much different where you can actually feel and touch the person. But it's okay.. there's another 65 days to go and we as a family can hold hands together again as we pray. So, as of now.. I'll be contented with skype and thank God for the opportunity to talk and see my HUbby everyday. Thank you Lord!

Life and Death

My Uncle passed away last week. So, today we were able to visit my Aunty and I was able to extend my condolences to her. My Aunty seem to be cool and at peace. I learned from my Mom that my Uncle (during his last days has truly committed his life to our Saviour. I believe that God has extended his life for the very purpose to know HIM. He was was diagnosed with colon cancer several years ago but survived. This time he had lung cancer but the only difference was, he was very much prepared to meet our Saviour.

My Aunty was present during his last few breaths. He was able to bid good bye to her and told her that God has indeed answer his prayer. We don't know what his prayer was all about but one thing for sure, God has answered the prayers of many people as he has come to the knowledge of him. It's sad to hear of someone pass away since that person will truly be missed but joy overflows once you know for sure that person has gained eternal life through Christ Jesus.

I could just imagine heaven now. My Tatay would have surely jumped with joy as they all welcomed my Uncle to the heavenly realms. My Tatay was one of the people who prayed for him too.

Speaking of life and death, some people are in search of free death records which I don't know for what purpose but there is a site that can help them with this search too.

My Baby's Cough

My baby is coughing again. He had this cough since we were in Malaysia (that was 2 weeks ago) then it disappeared and not it's back again. This cough is causing him to have difficulty sleeping now. I've already given him medicine (in fact I've been doing that for the past days) but it seems it's not working anymore.

I remembered my friend who searches natural remedies for her kid's sickness online and so I tried to search some natural remedies for my baby's cough too. I'm glad I did a bit of searching. I've found some remedies but a few of those natural ingredients needed are not available here in our house this time, like the oils , cider vinegar among other things.

But I've read from a forum that rubbing Vicks Vapor Rub on the sole of the feet seems effective for many. So, I searched for my Mom's Vicks and luckily I found one. I rubbed some on my baby's feet, chest, back and throat and at the same time praying and asking God to completely heal him. Seeing and hearing Lyle cough is such a pitiful sight.

Tomorrow , I'll have to ask my Mom if we have honey availabe since I've also read that taking a teasponful of honey is also effective to treat cough. I don't know what are the scientific explanations of all these natural remedies but it's worth giving a try. Anyways, I'm sure this won't harm my almost 1 year old son since it's all natural.

Lord, I pray for your healing upon Lyle. In Jesus Name Amen!

Of Cable TVs and Series

One of the things that I missed here when we were in Thailand was watching cable TV and practically understanding 100% all the movies and shows that we watch.

So today I decided to watch some shows. While I was flipping through my MOm's cable Tv, I was surprised that a lot of channels that I used to watch before were all missing. Only then she told me that she got the cheapest package that's why she only got a few channels left. :)

I was hoping to watch the 24 or the Prison Break Series. Actually, I saw this series (Episode 1 and 2) in DVD and I thought I could see the episode 3 in cable. I actually like the storyline of the series especially the 1st episode where the lead star wanted to help his innocent brother escape the prison and the only way he could do that is to become and inmate himself. I'm not sure if he was an Indiana inmate . I actually forgot where the story was set. But if you're looking for inmates in Indiana, you can try indiana inmate search .

So, there goes my cable tv watching time. Not much interesting channels anymore , so maybe I'll end up watching GMA 7 or ABS CBN anyways.

New Developments in Cagayan de Oro City

Though I've only been here two years ago, but it was only the other day that I was able to literally go around the other part of the city. I was amazed by the changes and the new developments of my beloved city.

Apart from the new malls, restaurants and fastfood chains sprouting like mushrooms new housing projects, roads and bridges are also being built.

Thanks to my bro in law who took us for a tour in the city. We started from the Marcos Bridge in Kauswagan then passed by the new terminal in Bulua and the passed through the road going to Greenhills memorial park. I was surprised that this road led us to PN Roa. Everything else looked familiar but I've seen a lot of changes as we passed by each place. Then, we went up the hill that led us to SM. From there we saw a lot of expensive but small new housing projects Philam Subdivisions, Morning Mist and a lot more.

Our drive continued, passing through the Pelaez bridge and I had another surprise since we were led to Aluba Subdivision. We went back again and up the new upscale subdivision that is currently being developed called Alegria Hills. From there, there's a road connecting us all the way to Camaman-an. And then we passed through the newest bridge from Tomas Saco St. all the way up to Carmen and then SM Mall again.

Wow, that was one great ride! As we passed through each place, many memories were being recalled as we passed by places where we used to go when I was still small like the Laundale Springs, Macajalar, the Cagayan River and etc.

image from www.travelandtours.com

Rest Day

After all the stress and excitement from the past days, I declared today as our rest day. Our Li'l girl is still asleep even if it's already 11am now. She also sleep so early last night 8:30 and she slept straight. I think she must really be so tired from our travel. Poor her!

Even if my feet are aready itching to paint the town red (hehehe!) but I guess I have to give some break for me and my kids first. Anyways, we will be staying her for 5 months so, we'll have ample of time to go around. I hope this time I can get to meet my old friends from high school. But first, I need to buy some SIM card for me to call them.

Speaking of phone calls, there is this site that offers Caller Identification and allows users to leave comments about number they don't know that have called them. But it's good that I don't need to worry about that now since I don't have a sim card yet.

Thankful Thursday

I'm late again for this week's Thankful Thursday... Nevertheless, I would still post my list of thanksgiving this week to testify God's love and grace!

1) I thank God for the opportunity of being present for my Mom's 68th birthday. It was truly a blessed one.

2) I thank God for a safe journey from Thailand to the Philippines!

3) I'm thankful for the healing for my kids. They were not well last week.

4) I'm thankful for a sweet, loving and wonderful Hubby whom I miss so much already. Even though I know it'll be more difficult for him to be away from me and 2 kids but he willingly sacrificed, for us to spend more time with family in the Philippines.

5) I'm thankful for my family here in the Philippines. It's indeed great joy to see them and spend another 5 months with them here.

6) I'm thankful for God for who He is and what He is doing in my life!

Have a blessed weekend to ALL!

$ Lost!

Oh, the difficulty of traveling with kids and bringing so many things. Just as your hands are full, so is your mind and end up not being too alert with the surroundings. So the result? Valuable items get lost.

This is what happened to me during our most recent trip. I lost some money. The last thing I remember was putting that at my back pocket. I was too occupied to put it inside my wallet. My jeans were tight so, there was no way it could have fallen off. My only suspicion is that someone could have taken it out expertly from my pocket. I don't know.

As I think of that incident now, I couldn't help but shake my head. How could I have been so careless. How many things could that money have bought if only it didn't get lost?

But God reminds me that it's just 'money' , material thing therefore it's temporal. Our minds must be set on eternal things and not so much on the temporal ones like money, clothes, cars, shoes, bags and all other material things. I guess that's why a lot of people end up having bad credits and need to resort to bad credit credit cards since they tend to overspend on buying all these material things.

So, even if I lost quite a large amount of money, I'm now at peace that it's just 'money' that I lost and not anything more valuable like life. Therefore, I thank God for preserving us and taking good care of us!

66 Days to Go!

Nope, this is not my Christmas countdown but my countdown of seeing my Hubby again. My kids are I are here in the Philippines while he is in Thailand.

This is not the longest time that we're far from each other but the 2nd longest. The longest one we had was 72 Days. I was in the Philippines waiting to deliver our 1st baby while Hubby was also in Thailand because of the work.

Oh, it's just very difficult to be separated for a long time with someone you dearly love. After that difficult experience, we told each other that that would be the last time we'll be away from each other. But then , more than 2 years later we were separated by distance again for 3 weeks.

I guess, this is one of the challenges of cross cultural marriage or working in a 3rd country. This is one scenario that you can't avoid - being separated in 2 different countries. Haaayyy...

Another 66 days of thinking, missing, chatting, emailing, texting and calling.... I hope and pray that it'll pass by so fast. We just need to keep ourselves busy to let the days go unnoticed.

I just hope that this will truly be the LAST time to be away from each other.....

Another Victim

I posted a few months ago about our baby boy destroying Hubby's glasses for the 2nd time and I thought that was the last. But I was proven wrong... Last week, when we went out for dinner with our friend. She and Lyle were happily playing outside the restuarant when 'bang!' out of his excitement he hit her glasses and they dropped on the floor.

Our friend had frameless eyeglasses. Fortunately, the glasses didn't break but the screw came out from the lens and thus it got detached. Our friend just bought her glasses a few months ago and now it's destroyed.. :(.. Good that our friend was cool and she said, she'll try to glue it all together or send it to the shop for repair.

That night, she tried to glue it all together but it didn't work. So, the next day our friend went to the shop to send it for repair but went she came back home, we discovered that she ended up buying new prescription glasses.

Oh, we feel so guilty because it's our baby's fault that her glasses got destroyed. Thank God for such an understanding friend. I hope that our son won't destroy everyones glasses.

Speaking of glasses, you must have also heard of Zenni's Optical. They've got glasses of all kinds starting at 8$ only.

Our Lives Are in God's Hands

My Hubby and I went on a dinner 'date' last night and on our way home we dropped by one of the malls at the city center to buy something. I went inside the mall first, while my hubby went around to look for parking space.

When he came, I was not yet finished buying the items that I wanted to buy when he said, " I think we have to hurry up!" He relayed that when he was coming, he heard a lady on a phone exclaimed in Thai , " There's a bomb? Where?". The lady then left in a hurry and he did not hear the rest of the conversation anymore.

Living in a part of the country where bomb explosions are not unusual, you can't help but panic. So, when I heard this, my heart was already pounding hard and fast and couldn't concentrate on what I was buying anymore. I kept on telling my Hubby, " Let's go then! There's no need to buy these things." But my Hubby was insisting, it's okay to finish it off first.

I hurriedly got all the things I wanted to buy and we both briskly walk out of the the mall. I was asking again and again how the phone conversation went while we walked by the exact places where the bombs went off last year. The more my heart was beating fast and I asked him , " Why did you park the car so far?" but the question that was really at the back of my mind was, ' why do we have to pass all these places where the bomb went off last year?' Only then I realized that I was so afraid. In a split second, I asked myself, why was I so afraid.. and then I told my HUbby, " Never mind.. Our life is in God's hand." And he agreed.

We safely reached our car and even reached our house safely and no bombs exploded. We then checked the internet about any news of bomb explosion in the city but didn't read anything about it.

We don't know what that phone conversation was all about. We don't know if there were any bomb threats in the city at that time ( sometimes, they don't publicize the bomb threats as to protect their tourism industry). But one thing we learned and realized from God at that very night was that our lives are in HIs hands. There is no situation in our lives that happens without His knowledge, without His 'approval'. He is in control of everything. If He allows something undesirable ( in our definition) to happen in our lives, for sure God has a purpose for that. But rest assured, HE is with us and will never leave us nor forsake. Therefore, we will not fear.

Our Family Dream Vacation

Last year, we had a friend from US who came to stay with us here in Thailand. He has son in Florida and invited us to go and stay with them in US. He has also befriended Tricia told her that he'll take her to see Mickey Mouse in Disneyland. Of course, our Li'l girl was ecstatic and couldn't stop talking about and asking us about Disneyland and "America" for days.

I guess if all these things will come to pass, our family dream vacation will indeed be fulfilled. I know that it's just a dream.. a desire .. but our God knows the desire of our hearts, right?

A few weeks ago, I've also read one post of a family with two girls who went to Disneyland for the first time. One of the girls was Tricia's age and from the photos itself, I could see the excitement and joy in her eyes when she met the all Disney Princesses face to face. I'm sure my Li'l girl would react the same way too.

Anyways, there's a lot of things to see in Florida. I've also read that they have a beautiful island there and it's much more advisable to stay in an Anna Maria island rental than in a hotel. I guess it'll indeed be cheaper and more convenient to stay in a vacation rental. It'll be more personal with a lot of extra amenities that you'll never get from a hotel.

So, that's our family dream vacation - to go to Florida. Will it just be a dream or will it turn into reality? :)