Saturday, April 30, 2011

Hot, Hot Summer

It was last week when it was noted that the hottest temp. in the country happened. The 36.1 C temperature made us all so hot and sticky and not to mention exhausted. Oh boy, it feels like there is a  hot air being blown from a hair dryer/blower that can send everyone to look for air-conditioned rooms or beverage full of ice. It was unbearable I can say and I remember taking 2 showers that day to cool me off.
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If you’re going out you better not forget your sunglasses, umbrellas or hats for the  scorching heat of the sun can also burn you and hurt your eyes. I bought a new Marc Jacobs sunglasses last year for my birthday and been using it everytime I go out. I just gave my old Oakley sunglasses to bro and fortunately the size and style it fits him. My SIL is wearing her Fossil glasses on the picture. I think nike sunglasses also have nice shapes and styles, I'd take note of that the next time I'll buy again.

I am guessing that summer will still be too hot in few more weeks but there are times it’s gloomy. I’m not wishing for the rainy seasons to come early but few showers can dampen the already toasted ground and can bring fresh and cool air.

Bisita Iglesia and Station of the Cross p. 2

This is the continuation of our Bisita Iglesia that we have done on Holy Thursday, April 21, 2011. Part 1 is here.

Our 3rd stop is at OUR LADY OF LIGHT PARISH in Cainta, Rizal. Been to this church many times in the past because this church is just adjacent to our highschool grounds. It’s been a while since I went inside so I was thrilled the new altar that they have. When we got there at around 2 pm, there are many people who are already doing their station of the cross. Again, we didn’t let the chance to take some photos.
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Our 4th and last church that we went is my hometown’s church, ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH. I’m specifically proud of our church as it is quite huge, spacious, airy, well lighted by natural lights and elevated. There are also some renovations going and I like the painted glass tiles above with paintings of the life of St. John the Baptist.

We finished our station of the cross here and my niece, SIL and I feel so blessed after doing so. We promised that we’ll be doing this again next year and hopefully we can go to 7 churches that time.
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Can I Afford a Ford?

Owning a car or any vehicle sure sounds cool. Just imagine the convenience it can bring to you and to your family when you need to travel to your work, errands or vacation. Transporting your stuff from one place to another and bringing the kids can be at ease. In fact, these days, owning one has already become a necessity over luxury because of the benefits it can bring.


We own several vehicles and in fact, my mom is still dreaming of owning an Isuzu crosswind, which I really don’t agree. She’s been telling us that if ever she’ll win the lottery, she’ll purchase one immediately. Oh I wish that will come to a reality. Well, if you’re going to ask me, I’d rather have a Ford expedition, which is more stylish, luxurious and has enormous strength as an AUV. Well, I need to bet on the lottery as well and who knows I might own one in the future.
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The only hard thing about having vehicle/s is its maintenance. You need to always check on it to ensure good performance Repair estimates are also made available by many car auto shops just in case your vehicle is not performing well than usual. Just in case, that Ford Expedition is far from reality, I guess I just need to bear with our old Toyota Tamaraw and van.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Blessed Image of Our Lady of Antipolo at the Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage

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Antipolo Cathedral in Anitpolo City is the home of the our lady of the Blessed Virgin of Antipolo (Birhen ng Antipolo). The origin of the blessed Mother is said to date back during the to Spanish era here in the Philippines where there are galleon trade.


On March 25, 1626, Don Juan Niño de Tabora left the shores of Mexico aboard the galleon, El Almirante, to make its voyage to the Philippines. On this trip, Governor Tabora brought along the brown image of our Blessed Virgin Mother. For three months, the El Almirante safely braved the dangers of the stormy seas and a fire aboard the ship, arriving in the ports of Manila on July 18, 1626. Governor Tabora, realizing that the galleon's safe and successful journey was due to the presence of the image of the Blessed Virgin on board the ship, called for the pompous celebration of the image's arrival.

Amidst pageantry and fireworks, the religious procession started from the Church of San Ignacio, the Jesuit Church in Intramuros, up to the Manila Catholic Cathedral, which became the first house of the Blessed Virgin's image. It is said that because of the events surrounding the safe voyage of the El Almirante, the Blessed Virgin was named Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buenviaje.
Read More here: http://www.antipolocity.com/church.htm

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Now, I learned the reason why many have been going to Antipolo to have their cars or vehicles blessed for the Lady because of the story behind. I’m also sure that those travelling and going board on ships are praying for her guidance so they can avoid any maritime accident and for their safe voyage.

Bisita Iglesia and Station of the Cross p.1

My sister-in- law and I decided to do this Bisita Iglesia and Station of the Cross on Holy Thursday, April 21. Actually she wanted to go to 7 churches but I told her we can't because the churches here in our province are distant with each other and I don't think I can go to many towns.

Anyway, this is my very 1st time to do it so it was kinda special. Hahaha actually, I don't know what to do but SIL told me we'll be guided by the small prayer book. I was feeling cold and achy before we left the house but still decided to go. A little massage on my feet and hands made me feel better.

Our first stop is at the Shrine of OUR LADY OF PEACE and GOOD VOYAGE also known as the Virgin of Antipolo (Birhen ng Antipolo) in Antipolo City. It's only about 30mins. away from our house and that day my brother drove us to the church.

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I still remember the days when go there to hear mass when we're still kids. Mom will also buy me"palayok palayukan" toy and horse paper mache for my bro.

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We started our station of the cross here and when we finished, we decided to take some photos and of course buy some KASOY nuts, which is very popular there. You can also find lots of rosary and other religious items there. We bought some and had it blessed as well. It was almost lunch time when we left the church. Our stop to Antiplo will not be complete without posing at the signage (SIL took this photo but the "t" was cut off..lol)IMG_0897

Our 2nd Stop is at ST. CLEMENT Church in Angono, Rizal. Actually this is my 2nd time to visit the church, the 1st time is when I attended the baptism of my godchild. Again, nothing can stop us from posing in front of the church.

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Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Random Thoughts About Work and More

The Holy Week slowed me a little bit when it comes to my work. I specifically decided not to open my laptop for 2 days as a little sacrifice and I’m so glad that I did it. I just went back to my usual routine on Black Saturday and I was glad to get some online works already waiting for me on my e-mail. I was able to submit them even though it was lil’ bit late except for some assignments that expired during the 2 days that I was offline. It would be nice if I was also able to finish them, yet it’s just ok. I’m pretty sure more works will pour in the coming days.



Holy Thurs. and Good Friday were spent doing some religious works as a tradition and we’ll be doing that again come Holy Week next year. I’ll be sharing some of our Holy Week photos here on my blog soon but I’ve already uploaded some at my Facebook account.



I finally got back to work on Monday and even though I still have hangover from the long vacay of sort that we had, I need to compel myself to go back to my work routine all over again. Fortunately, my blogging mojo didn’t left me when I need to finish some articles asap yesterday. Now, I’m almost done.



Doing my work ahead of time gives me more time to browse online, stop by my fave online stores (window shopping only!), blog hop for a while, open my FB acct., or read some articles. It’s also always refreshing to find new sites or blogs where I can get inspiration or somewhat take a peek at the lives of other bloggers like Henrik Stigell. I also happen to stumble upon a blogger who took my attention as I found her miniature doll house collection amusing.



As soon as I’m done with my work, I’ll be doing some digi designing once again because I need to finish a digikit that I started last week. Yay, can’t wait to dabble on my Photoshop once again.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Media Players, Instant Messenger, NotePad For Various Needs

We use our computers for various reasons and it has become a powerful tool that we use everyday. We can use it to type our documents, using the internet to browse or chat, watch videos and listen to the music and practically it has become part of our daily lives.



Adding software in our computers can add additional functions to it and thankfully, there are free downloadable software that we can easily install in our pc. We have so many options that we can install and here are some of them.



I: Multi-Media Players:


1. KMPlayer - If you’re already bored with your pre-installed media player on your pc then try this KM Player, a multifunctional multimedia player software. You can watch videos and use it to listen to your fave music or audio files. It has a good edge over others because it can read various formats such as VCD, DVD, AVI, MKV, Ogg, OGM, 3GP, MPEG-124, WMV, RealMedia, QuickTime etc.


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2. Media Player Classic


As the name implies, it has a classic or basic look, which is similar to that of the windows media player. Aside from the ability to read all types of media files, the additional features of this media player are the ability to capture screenshots and copy protecting a DVD. Plus it has sound filters and playlists. Though it has a classic look, you can also change its skin for added personalization.



3. MPlayer


Linux OS users sometimes have a hard time looking for compatible software to run on their (OS) operating system. This MPlayer is a great way to play your videos and music on your computer.



II: Instant Messenger:


Miranda Instant Messenger


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This is another IM that you can use to talk to your friends and relatives. It has many features that you can enjoy while chatting. There’s no more reason now that you can’t reconnect with them online because instant messengers these days can replace the expensive overseas phone calls.




III: NotePad

Free Notepad++ Software 


If you’re used to seeing a default Microsoft notepad program on our pc then this new notepad is different. Notepad++ is a good tool for programmers as it is much different from the default notepad as it has cool features such as drag-and-drop, multiple clipboard availability, spell checker, and lots more.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Palm Sunday 2011

It was Palm Sunday last April 17th and it’s our tradition to hear mass and bring our “palaspas” (decorative palm fronds) made from coconut leaves. Palm Sunday is the commemoration of the arrival of the Lord Jesus Christ to Jerusalem.IMG_0822IMG_0825  Inside our church. People waving their palaspasIMG_0828After the Holy Mass, the priest or lay ministers will then blessed our palaspas inside and outside the church with Holy Water. We decided to just go outside and have it blessed. Look how many people gather to have it blessed. Those blessed palms will then be placed on windows or top of doors with the belief that it can ward evil spirits.

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Back To Work

I decided to take some time off my computer to observe the Lenten season. I didn’t used the computer on Holy Thursday and Good Friday and I’m proud of myself. It’s a little sacrifice that I’ve done. I used those days doing some religious activities with my family. I’ll share more stories and photos as soon as I have downloaded all the photos from my camera.

I only went online this morning and saw some online works waiting for me. I missed lots of opps last Thursday as it got expired, too bad but it’s just ok because I have done different things when I’m out. Now, I’m back online and back to work already. I also used my idle time to think about what another business is feasible to go into. I'm not sure if I'll excel in the buy and sell industry because if you're going to ask me to buy and sell some stuff, for sure I'll be selling none..lol. Just not my cup of tea.

Friday, April 15, 2011

My Japan Bike

Bought myself a Japan made bicycle last March 24. Actually, a friend of my brother learned that I’m contemplating on buying one so he showed me 3 bikes that he had for me to look. At first, I didn’t want to buy any since his price is quite expensive. I just thought of asking bro to look for a bike at a Japan surplus shops but he didn’t find any cute one.

I also went to a nearby surplus shop that sells Japan items but the owner told me that there’s no delivery since the earthquake and tsunami just happened in Japan. Ok, so I set to wait for new delivery but my bro’s friend told my bro that he’ll be giving a discount and also will include the basket on the bike. I end up buying it and been using it almost everyday in the mornings or afternoons biking around our village. It’s fun and it’s work buying it.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Testing Post from Live Writer

Testing post from live writer.

 

I didn't realized that I still have the old version (2008) of my live writer here at my desktop so I opened it and add this blog and it worked.

 

But the thing is I can't make a new paragraph when I tried to enter. I guess I need to read how is works or else I'll go back to posting straight from blogger. Or maybe I already need to upgrade this to new version.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

How Can You Beat Such a Good Price?

It’s no secret that I can’t read small letters anymore especially from afar. My eyes don’t have 20/20 any longer so my last option is to wear reading glasses if I want to read clearly and not get dizzy while reading or browsing online. I guess my frequent cross-stitching in the late 90’s has strained my eyes because there are times that I sew for more than 5 hours in just one sitting. In addition, age is another factor why my eyes’ clarity has changed.

I went to several eye doctors already and often than not, the glasses that they prescribed either make me dizzy or it seems that I still can’t see clearly and I'm not sure why. Maybe wrong measurements? Anyway, I went to this eye doctor about 2 years ago and voila, the prescription eyeglasses that she prescribed were more than helpful. I’m still seeing that doctor if I need to change my specs.

Salon Time

Finally had the time to go to the salan last month. My white hairs are showing up once again and aside from the fact that I look old when they are out it's very unsightly to see so I had it colored very dark brown (almost black). I don't like brownish hair because it doesn't suit my skin tone and again it makes me look too old.

Every time I go to the salon, which is every 3 months for my hair color, I also had my hair cut and hair spa. My hair is coarse and thick so I need some a hair spa all the time but too lazy to do that once a month. I just bought a sunsilk hair treatment cream that I use once a week for deep conditioning.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Today..

Outside my window…I can see it's so sunny and look so hot and humid. I'm staying indoors till late afternoon.

I am thinking… of experimenting on new dishes and desserts recipes that I found online.

I am thankful for…all the blessings that I’m continuously receiving.

From the kitchen…I've cooked stir fried cauliflower and other veggies and fried chicken for lunch. Also, I've been wanting to eat the no cook mango layered cake that I made.

I am wearing…my favorite duster for today

I am going…to finish more works today as I don't want to cram on its due date. Also I wanted to find new color scheme for the digital scrapbooking kit that I'll make soon for Father's Day.

I am watching... Eat Bulaga, a local noon time show eventhough I'm working on my laptop.

I am hoping…that my mom's blood pressure will not get high once again just like last night. It was 140/70 when I checked it last night and she's kinda uncomfortable with that. I took her bp this morning and it was 130/70. She's drinking her medicines regularly but I guess the hot and humid weather affected her bp too.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

So Little Time

Sorry for the lack of updates here..

You see I have tons of photos to share but I got little time to put watermark on them and post it here. Also, having multiple blogs on my shoulders make it impossible for me to blog almost everyday on this blog. I'm not complaining though because having many blogs is a blessing for me for that can mean that I'll have more work.

There are also times when I got lazy blogging and the only thing that I wanted to do is to browse the net and tweet endlessly.

Trying Out New Dishes

My 2 nephews and a niece are taking a vacation at our house this school break for at least a month. They're going back to the the university and will stay once again in their dormitory when new semesters start after Holy Week. Since they are at home, I need to cook for all of us and I need to serve not only food that they like but also different dishes that they don't normally eat while they are in Manila.

I've been also scouring the net for some new dishes so that it will not be boring and that makes me inspired to cook. Actually, I have tried numerous dishes and it turned out good. Actually, I need to find more so I can keep our meal time interesting. Aside from that, I also experimented on a mango dessert and it's good although I need to adjust some measurements. I hope they love my cooking and they will not blame me if they get fat this summer hehe. If they do they need to exercise or consider a lipozene if they gain more weight. My other nephew is going to the gym and has control on what he eats (he doesn't eat rice) so I don't think he'll gain fast.

Later on, I'll be going to my fave recipe blog and will look for another good recipe and I reckon that the chicken with creamy mushroom sauce sounds delicious.

Friday, April 1, 2011

Topamax Birth Defect Warning

Migraine attack is always annoying and painful. I have experienced such from time to time and I need to rest and if possible my room should be dim for I also become sensitive to light and noise. If I can’t take the pain, I took some otc pain reliever to alleviate the pain. I learned that a drug topamax used to combat migraines and even epilepsy can cause some side effects. I got worried when I read it and thankfully I’m not taking any.

The worst thing is that, pregnant women who may have been taking such drug, aside from experiencing side effects can result to birth defects of their baby according to studies. Wow, this is a very serious matter and should not be taken lightly. Victims of this drug also have taken action and filed Topamax lawsuit where they got compensated. If you know someone who needs legal advise on this case, you can advise them to consult O’Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath – Personal Injury Lawyers – 808 West Avenue, Austin, TX. 78701 – 512-494-9949