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29 March 2008

Personality Quiz

I grabbed this quiz at Julianna's site and got this result:


Addictive content in my personality is 75%

Beware!!! people easily get addicted to me


Really?! I don't even have that many friends these days as I rarely have the chance to go and visit former classmates and co-employees. Well, it's still fun to do the quiz and wait for the result so why dont you try it for yourself?

Technorati Explode

Julianna tagged me with this.

Start copy:
I have randomly selected 5 of you below to be tagged and I hope that you will similarly publish this post in your blog. You have to tag 5 other bloggers and just keep adding on to the list. (Do not replace, just keep on adding! Yes let’s hope a long list!) It’s real easy! Tag others and see your Technorati Authority increase exponentially!
The benefits of Viral Linking:

  1. One of the fastest ways to see your Technorati Authority explode!
  2. Increase your Google PageRank fast
  3. Attract large volume of new traffic to your site
  4. Build your community
  5. Make new friends!


And these are the people who already took part on this tag: Blognation, Pinoytek Reyna, Bluep,, Kotsengkuba, Buraot, Iris, Bangco de Reyna, Mitchteryosa, Etc Atbp, Hailey’s Beats and Bits, Juliana’s World, Winged Words, next please…

Now I'm tagging Mae, Jhona, C.A. t'que, Mhay and Ann

27 March 2008

Following Instructions

I guess I belong to a group who believes in giving other people the benefit of the doubt. I mean when I give out instructions to fill out certain forms and make a report, I believe I am giving such to responsible and educated people who will be able to accomplish them with ease. This is precisely the reason why I am irritated with the reports that were submitted to me... I mean, you'd think if they didn't understand the instructions they would at least call my attention and ask... but no! They proceded to make their own interpretations and do the reports haphazardly! Haay! Now I have to redo everything and double check each and every entry! Why?! Why do they make my office life so hard?
In an office environment (or mostly everywhere, actually) being able to follow instructions is an asset. It would be beneficial to everyone if only people were to follow rules and regulations. We would probably be living in a less polluted, less complicated world if that were the case. But let's be realistic, there really are people who seem to be physically and mentally incapable of following rules and I cannot change that... what's bugging me is when people who are supposed to be well trained in the jobs that they are assigned do not deliver what is expected of them just because they don't listen when they are given specific instructions. Haay... I don't know what else to say... I have said my piece, I know this will not be the last that this is going to happen, I just hate it when I have to repeat everything just because other people are irresponsible!

26 March 2008

Adoption

Several days ago I posted something about Baby Marianne, my neice (by my cousin). I even posted something about "borrowing" her for a day or two to take care of her and take her somewhere for fun. About a week ago my Aunt (Marianne's grandma) jokingly said "Akala ko ba kukunin mo na si Marianne?" (I thought you were going to take Marianne with you?) and also in jest I replied "Akin na!" (Give her to me!) and laughed. Since my aunt laughed also and my cousin was present during this exchange and she laughed with us, I didn't think about it again. Last Sunday, when Charlie and I went to my parents home after Easter Sunday Mass, Marianne was there, like always! And my mom was telling me that my cousin told them that she was willing to "give" Marianne to us to take care of.... I was, of course, surprised because Marianne is her first and still one and only child. Both she and her husband had work and I never expected that statement from her, even though Marianne often spends time with my parents and sisters. I was thinking, this was only the case because she and hubby were busy with their careers that they only have time for the baby at night, after work... And then my mom continued on to say "Pero pag malaki na daw kukunin na niya" (When Marianne grows older, the mom will take her back). Hala! That's like winning he lottery for them! What do they think of us? That we don't have feelings... That we will take care of the baby without forming an attachment to her and not feeling that we are her parents for several years and that when the time comes that they think they want their child back we'll just give her without a fight?! I don't think so! Adoption, when we do it will be legal and binding. It will be a lifelong commitment. And we will not enter into it lightly. Charlie and I are still weighing out the pros and cons. We are doing diligent research. And no, we have not given up on the possibility of having a child of our own, it's just that we watch the news or hear somewhere that there is a child abandoned by his or her own parents or something to that effect, we cannot help but think "we could take care of that child instead of just leaving him or her to fend for himself/herself". Children deserve to be taken care of, some are just not fortunate enough to be born into families who can do this. But as much as we want to be able to help these children, we cannot help all of them... We can only adopt one child at a time to be able to really focus on giving him or her the attention he or she deserves. And before we can even begin to take the first step in Adoption, we have to make sure that we are truly ready mentally, emotionally and financially to embark on such a huge undertaking.

24 March 2008

Monster Monday

I woke up this morning from a scary dream, I can't remember the details except for a few bits and pieces but I remember suddenly becoming aware that it was just a nightmare and a feeling of relief came over me...

Anyways, it's always hard going back to the usual work week after long weekends, actually I tend to think, it should be longer... boy, do I wish for a vacation right about now... But here I am back to work... back to the paperwork that needs to be done, back to the endless filing of documents, back to the room without an airconditioning unit! Summer heat is already making its presence be felt and who more to feel it than me? I sure hope I don't get an asthma attack soon because I don't want to be burdened with more work after a sick leave! Haay, why do I always feel that whenever I go to work on mondays, there's a monster lurking behind the door of my office? It's because we don't have a janitor on our floor these days and I'd have to do the cleaning all by myself! And the dust, could very well be a monster for someone with asthma like me! As if I don't get enough cleaning chores at home, I have to have cleaning chores at work too?! And today is specially more dirty because of the long weekend and my imagination is running even more wild than usual because of the nightmare I woke up with! Anyway, this is just another way of me venting out my feelings... now I'll be doing a little bloghopping during coffee break to relax my mind and be entertained by reading other bloggers' posts. And then it's back to work!

22 March 2008

Saturday Self Portrait #3

Super late in posting this because I just couldn't squeeze in time to go online with all the chores that I had to finish... actually I was about to call it a night when I remembered I have not posted something for my self-portrait every Saturday so I set my camera on timer and took a picture of me while playing the psp, which usually is my winding down activity to help me sleep...


So there, a quick post before going to sleep... Oh, and just in case I don't get to post anything tomorrow...

myspace layout

myspace layout

20 March 2008

Time Well Spent

This morning Charlie and I woke up really late as this is the first time in a long time that we are able to sleep in during the week... I know we are supposed to go on fasting but we just couldn't help ourselves but have a wonderful lunch together (Charlie and I cooked together), we'll just have to lay off meat tomorrow. Besides, the priest (sorry Father, I forgot your name) said during mass yesterday that when one commemorate the holy days, they should do so without having to make so much an effort and without having to show it to other people. When you lay off meat, the premise is that when you do so the money that you saved by buying fish instead (which is supposed to be cheaper), you should donate to a less fortunate person. But these days the price of fish and other seafood could very well be more expensive than that of pork or chicken! Hmmm... I guess times really have changed! Anyways back to my day with hubby... after lunch we sat and talked about our plans for the future... the move that we are making to our new house (or not -- more details later), the next step we are to take in this trying to conceive thing, the option of adopting which has always been a toping floating in the air but we have not talked about "in full force", the financial worries, etc. Before you know it, it was already 3pm and we were wondering where the time went... But it has been a long time since we have sat down and talked seriously about stuff, and today's time together was really time well spent!

Maundy Thursday

When I was a child I used to always wonder during "Maundy Thursday" how Thursday became "Monday"... well that was a very long time ago, and my parents, and then later on my religion teacher (Sister Luisa) have already explained to me the meaning of Maundy -- which actually came from a latin word which means "mandate" or Commandment -- which is the Thursday before Easter. This is when we commemorate the day when Jesus, before he was crucified, instituted the Holy Communion during the Last Supper.

In the Christian liturgical calendar, Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday is the feast or holy day falling on the Thursday before Easter that commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles. It is the fifth day of Holy Week, and is preceded by Holy Wednesday and followed by Good Friday. On this day four events are commemorated: the washing of the Disciples' feet by Jesus Christ, the institution of the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper, the agony of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, the betrayal of Christ by Judas Iscariot. The morning celebration of these events marks the beginning of what is called the Easter Triduum or Sacred Triduum. The Latin word triduum means a three-day period, and the triduum in question is that of the three days from the death to the resurrection of Jesus. It should be noted that for Jesus and his followers a day ended, and a new day began, at sunset, not at midnight, as it still does today in the modern Jewish calendar. The Last Supper was held at what present-day Western civilization considers to be the evening of Holy Thursday but what was then considered to be the first hours of Friday. Its annual commemoration thus begins the three-day period or triduum of Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday, days of special devotion that celebrate as a single action the death and resurrection of Christ, the central events of Christianity.

Well, as a catholic, not only is this day a very special day of realizing how the Lord loves us so much but it is also a time of reflection of what is innately good in us and in the people around us... This is truly how we can see Jesus through our neighbors, our family and friends. May we always remember that life is what we make it and if we choose to live life with faith that Christ will always guide us (we just have to listen well).

18 March 2008

Amira's Tarts

My love affair with Amira's Tarts has always been an open book, in fact I even wrote about it once before in this blog on a post entitled Bountiful Breakfast Bliss. They have Chicken Tarts, Pineapple Tarts, Egg Tarts, etc. My most favorite is the Chicken Tart but for now, I'll have to make do with these...


These Buko Tarts were given to me by my Dad last night...


Thanks Daddy! (I guess that's why I am always being accused by my siblings of being "the favorite" of my dad... I don't really think so, but I am definitely still Daddy's girl!) These buko tarts are really yummy, but no worries, I didn't finish them all at once... I only ate one last night and Charlie took a couple with him to eat at work... now I can't wait to go home and have another of these delightful creations.


Working for a Living

These are the times when I wish that I am just a stay-at-home wife... workload seems to be extra heavy these past couple of days as there are reports, left and right that I have to accomplish before the Thursday-Friday holidays. Not to mention the report that has already been lined up for when we go back to work on Monday! Oh, and that's not all... the airconditioning in my office has yet to be installed and the summer heat is already starting to make it's presence be felt! But these are just ramblings of a tired and grumpy person (that's me!) Of course, I appreciate the fact that because both me and hubby are working, we were able to take on a housing loan and we will be able to move in to that house in several months... that we don't rely on anybody else for our expenses... and most of all, that we are able to afford the things we need and even some luxuries (provided it doesn't make such a huge dent on our savings that we are alotting for the renovations of our new house!)... haay, life...

16 March 2008

Palm Sunday

Today, Holy week officially starts...


Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday


This Sunday observes the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem that was marked by the crowds, who were in Jerusalem for Passover, waving palm branches and proclaiming him as the messianic king. The Gospels tell us that Jesus rode into the city on a donkey, enacting the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9, and in so doing emphasized the humility that was to characterize the Kingdom he proclaimed. The irony of his acceptance as the new Davidic King (Mark 11:10) by the crowds who would only five days later cry for his execution should be a sobering reminder of the human tendency to want God on our own terms.

Traditionally, worshippers enact the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem by the waving of palm branches and singing songs of celebration. Sometimes this is accompanied by a processional into the church. In many churches, children are an integral part of this service since they enjoy processions and activity as a part of worship. This provides a good opportunity to involve them in the worship life of the community of Faith. In many more liturgical churches, children are encouraged to craft palm leaves used for the Sunday processional into crosses to help make the connection between the celebration of Palm Sunday and the impending events of Holy Week.



I'm just thinking, do the young ones of today realize the real meaning of Lent? And soes holy week something more than just school holidays to them? Well, I hope so...

15 March 2008

Saturday Self Portrait #2

saturday self-portrait #2

This morning I had to go to the office to get my wallet. Silly me forgot to get my wallet from my drawer before leaving yesterday and I only realized it this morning when I was about to go to the grocery for supplies. I didn't notice that my wallet wasn't in my bag because I didn't open my bag anymore when I left the office because I just walk home... Haay, time lost pa tuloy! Anyways, now I'm done with my chores, laudry, cleaning the house, groceries bought and tucked in the cupboards and refrigerator all neat and nice... now I have more time to update my blog.

14 March 2008

Help Wanted!!!!

To all my blogging friends who can help me with this problem please, please, please tell me how I could do this as I am now at my wits end on how I can edit my layout so that my blog posts would show the date of posting on top and how I could edit my post footer so it shows quick edit when I log in... I have checked the appropriate boxes but still they don't show up. It probably has something to do with the html or something but as I am just learning how to do this I don't want to experiment and ruin the layout again as it will make start all over with a new one... please, anybody... help!

Movie Night

Last night, hubby went on overtime at work so I was left alone at home... needless to say, I spent my time watching HBO while waiting for Charlie to come home. I chanced upon World Trade Center by Oliver Stone... At first I thought it was boring and the story was slow moving as opposed to what I was expecting when I thought of watching a movie about a devastating event. Oh, and yes folks, it's my first time to watch it because for some reason, hubby and I didn't get to watch it when it was shown in movie theaters... come to think of it, it's been a while since we've watched a movie! Anyways, back to World Trade, it turned out to be a touching tale. The real tearjerker part for me was when the men were carrying out the rescued policeman out of the ruins in a long line, and the part when John's wife was talking to another woman in the hospital while waiting for news of her husband's rescue. It truly is an example of how people can be so good to one another when times get rough. And how men can unite and work without waiting for something in return to help others in need.

13 March 2008

The Letter "I"

C.A. "t'que" (girl you have got to tell me your nick name because this C.A. thing sounds so "robot-y", hehehe!) tagged me with this, thanks!

  • I AM… transparent (what you see is what you get!)

  • I WANT… to be a mother someday (hopefully soon!)

  • I HAVE… a constant hunger for something new to learn

  • I WISH… i could become a stay-at-home-wife someday (in the distant future pa!)

  • I HATE… ironing the clothes (and sometimes even doing the laundry, hehehe!)

  • I FEAR… losing or being away from loved ones.

  • I SEARCH… for time to do everything that needs my attention.

  • I WONDER… why some mothers can abandon their children.

  • I REGRET… having said the things that i say when i am angry (that's why i try to stay quiet as much as possible when i am in that state)

  • I LOVE… life and everything that God blessed me with.

  • I ALWAYS… make it a point to stay in touch with my family, even if i don't live with them anymore.

  • I AM NOT… outgoing (i actually prefer staying at home)

  • I DANCE... with hubby at home all the time (more comical than romantic) or when I'm alone and I feel like it.

  • I SING… whenever i feel like it, although more to myself than out loud, hehehe!

  • I CRY… when i get hurt (physically or emotionally)

  • I WRITE… all the time, i'm a journalling kind of girl!

  • I WON… lots of friends either in cyberspace or in real life over the years.

  • I AM CONFUSED… by lots of things but then, who isn't?

  • I NEED… to be more disciplined and have better time management.

  • I SHOULD… exercise more!


THE LAST THOUGHT I GO TO SLEEP WITH IS… "Thank you, Lord for this day, and if you decide to give me one more tomorrow, please guide me so I could live it in accordance to Your will."

I'm passing the tag to: Mhay, Toni, Meng, Anne and Vivek

12 March 2008

Friendship

I have been blogging for quite some time now and some of my blogger buddies may not be so active right now but I'm glad there are always new ones whom i could call cyber friends. One of them is Jhona who frequently visits my blog and takes the time to read my posts and even drop a line or two. She has also given me lots of tags and awards, like now... she has just given me these:

perfectfriendship

lightindarkness


Thanks friend! Take care!

11 March 2008

Did you know?

I was checking my e-mails and bloghopping while on coffee break a while ago when it occured to me to browse the net for tips on how I could stay alert at work because... well, it's just one of those days when I just can't seem to stay focused. I feel tired and sleepy for no apparent reason! I mean, it's not as if I stayed up late last night... I was in bed by 10pm for pete's sake! In fact, i was even late in getting up this morning, hence, I was late for work!

Anyways, back to what my search resulted into... I found a How to Stay Awake at Work page that had several steps and tips you can follow to stay awake at work. I couldn't help but smile (most of the warnings actually made me laugh!) specially step 6 which said something about sunflower seeds *LOL* Hello! I wanted to stay awake to do work not concentrate on something else, hehehe! And that first warning... it really cracked me up... boy, am I easy to amuse?!

I guess they really wrote this for people like me, because when I read it, the laughter definitely woke me up, hahaha! Anyways, it is also informative in the sense that I never knew before that eating an apple is a much better alternative to coffee when keeping yourself awake!

10 March 2008

Fantastic Blogger

Thet started my blogging week with this:


Rule: Copy the entire list and add your name at the bottom. And tag at least 5 friends. (But you can tag as many as you like): Thea, my scrappy side, Childstar, abie, aggie, alpha, apple, apols, jacqui, jane, jody, joy, mike, kelly, mich, peachy, dorxie, Butchay, lena, anna, sheryll, pat, gracie, cheche, thet, Heidi 2, Heidi

And now I'm tagging Gracie, C.A., Anne, Maeyo and Maureen

Accidental New Look

I guess those who are frequent visitors here would know that I have just finished "tweaking" the template that I chose last January for my blog, so you're probably wondering why I changed the look AGAIN, so soon! Well, actually, I was just looking at new templates and contemplating a new look by middle of this year... But of course, clumsy me struck again... I accidentaly erased my old template and I didn't have a backup copy... so, what was I supposed to do?! I just had to have a new one and quit crying over the one I lost. I could probably track my widgets and stuff from where I got them but I guess that will take a while. Hopefully, you (my frequent visitors... as well as the new ones) would bare with me for a while and still continue to hop on my blog.

09 March 2008

Snapbomb

Have you heard about Snapbomb? It's a new opportunity to make money from blogging. I mean since we write about a lot of things anyway why not earn while doing so. Most of the time we write about stuff we recommend to our readers/friends, by joining this newes buzz, our blog marketing gives us extra income! Signing up with Snapbomb is easy and getting your blogs approved is a snap! Besides, they don't even require that you have a high PR to get approved, they just take you as you are and then base the value of your posts on their evaluation of such. So if you're like me who is continually looking for extra income, check out Snapbomb!

08 March 2008

Saturday Self Portrait #1

I've decided that every Saturday, I will post a self-portrait. Something that I am busy at for the day... And since today I have not gone out of our bedroom eversince I finished doing the laundry...

ordering a super late lunch

I ordered food from McDonald's Delivery Service online since it's already 3pm and I have yet to eat lunch. This is what happens when you leave me alone with a pc and an internet connection! I have to take my meds and I haven't eaten anything yet... yikes! If I didn't check my cellphone for text messages (because our landline is still on the blink! Grrr!) then I wouldn't have read my husband's text message asking me if I've eaten lunch already then I would not even know that it's way past lunch time already!

P.S. I know my PC area is a mess... It's not always like that, I just don't have the energy to clean right now. (excuses, excuses!)

Cooking with Pros

Last night, as I was waiting for hubby to come home, I watched Take Home Chef and Nigella Express at Travel and Living Channel and my mouth watered with the dishes that they cooked there. I am definitely going to try and cook the Roasted Chicken with sweet potatoes that Nigella cooked last night, it looked easy enough... The Onion Bhajias and Tandoori Platter on the other hand is another matter. Although it looked easy enough to prepare and cook, Most of the stuff that Curtis used as seasoning is quite hard to find here specially the tandoori paste and the garam masala. I mean, I haven't seen that in the grocery stores that I've visited so far... So I'll just have to find a nice Indian Restaurant here to taste that. Hmmm, where could that be?

Links Around the World

Jhona and D' Cooking Mudra (sorry new friend, but your site doesn't display your name) tagged me with this:

Instruction:
1. Place your link after the list. If you have more than 1 blog, feel free to add them all here!
2. After placing your blog's address/es, you must tag 5 or more bloggers that is not yet in the list, this is to keep the ball rolling.


Links around the world tag (update as of Mar. 8, 2008)
1 - Momhood Moments 2 - Business Mars 3 - Pinay Mommy Online 4 - OnlineBiz and Resources 5 - A Simple life 6 - moms….. check nyo 7 - Mommy’s Little Corner 8- Princezz 9 - Princess 10 - Random Thoughts 11 - Paradigm 12 - See Me For What You Will 13 - Pamp's Blog Corner 14 - Pampered 15 - HappyHeart 16 - Qtcotzkie and Baby 17 - A Sorta Fairytale 18 -tragicseven 19 - Listen to the Beat! 20 Just Saying 21 Tipsy Tips 22 Different Angles 23 Delicious Corner 24 I Care 25 Blog Blag Blog 26 Daily List 27 - Life's Journey 28- Welcome to my Crib 29 - Hearts Desire 30 - Island Paradise 31 - Texas Life 32 - Long Journey 33 - D' Cooking Mudra 34 - My life 35- Swept Away 36 - Winged Words 37 - add your blog here!

I'm tagging kaye, kathy, anne, vivek and andrea

07 March 2008

Teambuilding

Oftentimes, a company would send their employees to a "Teambuilding Seminar/Workshop" to promote better camaraderie and working relationships. The problem I see here is that during these so-called team-building activities, the people involved are exposed to a different a environment and different set of challenges than that of their workplace. One might even take it for granted that the said "workshop" was attended to build bridges between officemates. It might be mistaken for a simple office outing. And yes, while there -- in a resort or a hotel where this activity is being held -- the people may let ther guards down and get to know one another, maybe even find friends in people they have always worked with but never really got to know. But... when they go back to the office, would they really apply the concepts that were taught to them? Would working relationships really improve?

My take on this is... I admire employers for wanting to give bonding time to their employees but let's face it, by the end of the seminar/workshop, the real personality of each individual will always be the critical factor whether he or she would be able to work well with his or her co-employees. There really is no short cuts in building relationships whether they be personal or professional. I commend people who are able to learn and imbibe the teachings they are inculcated during these said activities but the other percentage of employees who would still go back to their old ways and not really care about their co-workers are not stupid or bad people either. Maybe they just prefer to build relationships over long periods of time (I mean, eventually if your co-worker proves to be a team-player then it really is quite hard not to like that person). Maybe these people are just careful of who they want to trust (TRUST is quite a big word and it shouldn't be demanded of people... it is earned). All I'm saying is "different folks, different strokes". One should not impose his or her opinion on someone else just because he or she thinks it is the right one. Building a team cannot be done overnight. It takes time and patience for people of different upbringing and personalities to be able to work in unison. There really shouldn't be a time frame, but when this group learns to walk in one direction, you'll know.

Juliana's Generous!

Why do I say so? Well, read the post below about her on-going contest and tell me if she's not...

JULIANA'S POST:

I am very delighted to let you all know, that I’m running my first ever contest on my three blogs: My World, My Library and Juliana’s Lair. I will be celebrating my first anniversary in the world of blogging this coming July 19, 2008. I can’t believe it will be a year soon, and I have enjoyed this experience immensely.

As my way of thanking my readers, my blogger friends and my constant visitors, I’ll be giving away cash prizes to contest participants with the highest accumulated points across all my three blogs.

1st place - $100.00
2nd place - $ 55.00
3rd place - $ 40.00
4th place - $ 30.00
5th place - $ 25.00

The contest starts today, as soon as this post is published and ends on July 19, 2008. Contest winners will be announced on July 23, 2008.

Here’s how to earn points:

1. Comment on my blog posts.
- Every comment is equivalent to 1 point. You can only leave a maximum of two(2) comments per post and the comments should be relevant to the post.
- Comments on my posts starting from entries written starting February 24 ,2008 counts. Only comments written starting today, March 2, 2008 are valid.

2. Copy and paste then publish this entry about the contest on your blog.
- You earn 30 points.
- Please inform me of the link so I can validate and add the points you earned.

3. Mention this contest on your blog by linking to this post.
- You earn 20 points.
- Again, please leave me a comment notifying me about this so I can credit your points.

4. To add an element of fun, since many of my readers have been asking about how old me and hubby are, let’s play a guessing game.
- If you join the fun, and make a guess you’ll earn 10 points.
- The right guess/guesses will earn 30 points (if both ages are correct)
Only one right guess will earn 15 points.
- Again, leave me a comment so I can credit your points.
(Hint: the pictures you see on my three blogs are all current except the wedding pictures, which were taken when we celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary three years ago.)

The running accumulated points across the three blogs, will be posted on the side bars of the three blogs to keep you updated on your points earned.

Should there be a tie in any of the prizes at stake, a drawing will be held to determine the winner of that prize, and the person/s not drawn will win the next prize.

Prizes will be remitted to the Paypal accounts of the winners.

So... I told you she's generous! If you want to join, just click here!

06 March 2008

Baby Marianne

marrianne with me

marianne with charlie

Last night after my usual routine of going to church (Wednesdays, I go to St. Andrew's Cathedral for the novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help and to hear mass) I went to my parents' home for a quick visit. Marianne, the 5-month old daughter of my cousin, Cherry was there (like always) and I lost track of time playing with her so I texted Charlie that he should just go straight to my parents' house after work so he could pick me up. When hubby arrived, he played a little with Marianne also (we just can't help it!) before we finally went home. Charlie and I told them we were going to "borrow" Marianne one weekend to bring her to the park or something, hehehe! I guess we were hooked!

marianne

05 March 2008

Miss Earth Candidates

This afternoon, our quiet office was suddenly a-buzz with the arrival of some of the candidates of Miss Earth Philippines beauty pageant. They visited one of the schools under us to teach some of the students how they can help save the environment. Here are some of the pictures my officemate took before they went to the classrooms:
Photobucket

miss earth 02

Photobucket

Cute Puppy

Vivek gave me this:
Cute Puppy on Chair

Thanks friend! It really is adorable! I will treasure it forever!

The Longest Line

Andrea tagged me with this:

The Longest Line

Have you in your childhood been to a girl scout or summer camp and one of the games that you played is creating the longest human line? Let's relive the moment of summer camp and let's try to make the longest human line...

Rule: Copy the entire list and add your name below the person who tagged you. Then tag at least 5 friends (But you can tag as many as you like) and visit their blog to let them know you tagged them.
Abie - Journey to Life
Abie - MyPlanetPurple
Farah - changing lanes
Andrea

Bela
Kaptyurd by Howell
Aggie
Apols
Apple
Thea
Jacqui
Jane
Jody
Joy
Kelly
Mich
Peachy
Vien
Nick
Heidi

and now I'm tagging Mhay, Toni, Vivek, Kathy and Raquel

04 March 2008

Chicken Casserole

This is what we had for dinner... I didn't go to the market or the grocery store last weekend so I had to make do with ingredients that were available at home to make dinner for me and hubby. (Mental Note: Go to the grocery tomorrow after church, to buy fresh supplies!!!)

Chicken Casserole finished product


I don't know what this dish is called since, like I said, I had to make do with what was left in our refrigerator and pantry. Maybe there is a already a dish like this called something else but for now, I'm calling it Chicken Casserole. Oh, and although I am stating the amount I used when I cooked, I guess everyone is free to alter everything according to their taste...

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 Kilo Chicken Wings
2 Bell Peppers, cut into strips
1 small pack tomato sauce
1 large onion
1 clove garlic
2 small potatoes, quartered
1 tablespoon fish sauce (patis)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup water
salt and pepper, to taste

PROCEDURE:
In a pan, saute garlic and onions in canola oil then add the chicken wings, salt, pepper and fish sauce then stir fry until the wings are half cooked. Add the bell peppers and 1 cup of water and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and let it simmer again until the potatoes get half cooked.
Chicken Casserole step 01

Then add the tomato sauce and simmer to completely cooke the potatoes and to reduce the sauce into a thick consistency.
Chicken Casserole step 02

There, it's simple so you can make it in about 15 to 20 minutes. Very ideal for working housewives like me! Plus it can serve 2 to 4 people depending on how many helpings they get, hehehe! But since there was only me and hubby, there was enough leftover for hubby to bring to work tomorrow for his lunch.

... and they continue to come





Remember the saying you will reap what you sow? Well, I don't know what I've been doing right lately to make me reap awards... Hehehe! I know it may not mean much to others but when blogging friends award me with whatever stuff they have, it just makes my heart swell with happiness and love. So, to the academy... ehem, I mean to Jhona who has bestowed upon me these great gifts, Thanks a lot! You don't know how you made my day...

03 March 2008

5 star award

Jhona has awarded me with a 5-star rating!


Now I'm passing it on to Toni, Mhay, Meng, Anne and Kathy.

Global Business Etiquette Seminar

Normally, I would cringe at the thought of yet another seminar to attend... and yes, when we were informed that we were to attend an "Etiquette Seminar" I felt like, it was just going to be a waste of time because I felt like I knew how to act in the office already. Besides, most of our clients are "masa" anyway so I really didn't feel the urge to attend seminars that includes "fine dining etiquette" in the program. One more thing, the secondary appeal of a seminar, aside from it's topic and how it would affect you is the venue... And when we were told it was going to be in a conference hall in Ortigas, I thought, "how boring", couldn't they have chosen a hotel or somewhere scenic? But I'm really glad I attended, it was refreshingly informative and enjoyable at the same time. Our speaker, Ms. Valerie Cruz-Tapalla held her audience's (that's me, including 57 others) attention quite well. Her wit coupled with her being blunt was surprisingly the antidote for an otherwise boring subject. I mean, it really isn't rocket science, most of the subject we tackled there, we already studied during social graces class in college, but in terms of being reminded that times really have changed and you might not be changing in time to cope with the recent globalization of everything, it was quite an eye-opener. And it didn't even matter that we were not in a hotel or an idyllic resort or whatever... It was the topic that was engaging and the speaker who mattered the most. For me, if the seminar's objective was to show employees - be they in the government or in private companies that there is more to etiquette than just social gatherings or dealing with the elite. It is so much more! But what struck me the hardest was the realization that most working Filipinos, regardless of whether they belong to the group of employees or that of employers, practice working ethics based on customs and traditions that we, Filipinos have grown up with. It is but fitting that we update these practices to make us more globally competitive. Even the simple act of shaking hands could make or break one's impression of a business colleage or client. Besides, now I can brag about being an Emily Post Global Business Etiquette certificate-holder!

intently listening!
the graduate, hehehe!
a pose with the class before going home


I enjoyed the seminar so much that I checked out the Wilma Cruz-Tapalla website for other similarly useful seminars or classes. Hopefully, I would be able to attend another soon... now I'm sounding like this is a paid advertisement of their academe, hehehe! But really, if you like to improve your working etiqutte, or even if you just want to attend a seminar or personality development, you should check out their site.

clowning around with grace on the way home