Early Christmas Shopping

I shopped early this year to avoid the crazy Christmas rush. I remember few years ago when I shopped in December for gifts for my friends and relatives, I end up falling in line for an hour or so just to pay. Also, there's not much stocks left on the sizes that I want. So I promised to myself that I will start early this year.

In fact, I already started Christmas shopping last September when there is a 3-day sale at SM mall in our place. Oh boy, there are lots of buyers too but even I got too excited with the sale, I scored some really nice finds as Christmas gifts. Now, my list is already half-way done. I stumbled upon m-audio mobilepre online but I'm not sure if will get it or not for my nephew.

Our local mall is having a Pre-holiday sale once again today Oct. 21st till the 30th and of course I will be going there once again to see what I can get. It's not bad to shop early for gifts because all along you can find nice bargains and stocks are not that scarce. Wish I have gone also to the 3-day sale at Megamall about 2 weeks ago but since it is a bit far from my place and traffic around there is crazy, I opted not to go anymore.

Have you started your Christmas shopping already like me?

Reed Diffuser in my Room

We all want to have a fresh smelling room, don't we? My room is my haven, a place to relax and sleep so I want to make sure that is clean if not that neat most of the times. I may not have the cleanest room but my room smells fresh these days. Thanks, to the reed diffuser thatI bought for P300 at SM home department few months ago.

While I was in my sister's house in Australia last year, their house is full of reed difuser, from the bathroom to the living room that is no wonder why their house is smelling good all the time. Reed diffusers are giving longer-lasting scent that contains essential oils in pretty glass bottles with rattan reeds. You need to put the rattans upside down from time to time so that the scent will give out more.

Right now, the scent of my reed diffuser is lemon as it smells fresh. I might have to buy another scent next time when I run out.

Should You Pay Child Support After a Texas Divorce?

Texas is one of several states that allows residents to file for divorce without obtaining an attorney. You can actually purchase kits that will walk you through the steps of filing. These kits show you everything you need to do and all the paperwork you and your former spouse must file. When looking for help on how to file for divorce Texas residents often have questions about child support, including how it works and what happens if they cannot afford to pay. You should first look at who receives and who pays child support in the state.

Who Pays Child Support?
Like most states, Texas requires that the noncustodial parent pay child support to the custodial parent. The custodial parent is the one who has primary custody of the child. Even if you have your child two or three days out of the week, the court will still view you as the noncustodial parent. The court will often ask that you make payments out of each check, and you can even set it up with the payroll department of your company to automatically take those payments out.

How Much Do You Pay?
The amount that you pay in child support depends on several key factors, including your salary and the lifestyle of your child. If you raised your child in a specific lifestyle and then ask to pay less, the court will likely require that you pay enough to keep your child in that same lifestyle. The amount depends heavily on your income too. Though state laws allow the court to demand you pay more than 50% of what you make, most will require that you pay a set amount that still provides you enough to live on comfortably. Those who make minimum wage may pay well under $100 every two weeks.

What if You Can't Pay?
If you cannot make your child support payments because you lose your job, your work hours change or you face other hardships, you should let the court know as soon as possible. The court can suspend or pause your child support payments or even reduce the size of your payments. If you simply stop making payments, the court can hold you in contempt, issue a warrant in your name and even place you in jail. Make sure you know everything you need to know about child support in Texas before filing your divorce papers.

Keeping Memories Alive in Photobooks

I've been a digital scrapper probably around 10 years now and I have to say that this hobby of mine is worth keeping. I just learned how to do it while browsing online and I've become addicted to digital scrapbooking ever since I got the hang of it. I have tried the traditional paper scrapbooking as well but it's a bit messy aside from you need to buy physical supplies to keep. Unlike, digital scrapbooking, you only need a computer, photoshop and supplies that you can buy online. No more boxes to hold or store your papers and elements.

Through the years, I scrapped a lot and have it printed. Now, I have around 25+ photobooks where our precious photos from different occasions and events in our life are printed. I have it printed at Artscow.com ever since I started bec. the outcome is durable and price is affordable. The print is nice too though there are time the prints are dark so it depends on the quality of the photo that you will upload in their site.

This is the latest photobook that I made this year. See how I have collected our photos from our 2012 Singapore vacation and made them into photobook. I still have tons of photos to collate and hope that I will h ave more time to do so.

Know about Endoscopy Procedure

Endoscopy is a medical procedure that involves the use of a very long, thin, and supple instrument known as an endoscope to examine the inner parts of the digestive system. The instrument’s diameter is less than ½ an inch. In upper endoscopies, the endoscope is normally inserted through the mouth to examine the upper part of the digestive system. In lower endoscopies, the colon is examined by inserting the endoscope into the digestive system through the anus. An endoscopy is used to detect the probable cause of various conditions including bloating, inflammation, vomiting, nausea, pain, ulcers, and even tumors. Endoscopes can also be used to eliminate growth, treat bleeding, and take small tissue samples.

Upper Endoscopy
You should not eat eight hours before an endoscopy because the procedure is only effective on an empty stomach. An endoscopy medical professional will administer a pain reliever and a sedative through an IV into your vain a few minutes before the procedure. A numbing agent will also be sprayed into your mouth to numb your throat. Thereafter, a mouthpiece will be placed inside your mouth and then the endoscopy specialist will ask you to lie on your left side. The procedure will take approximately 20 minutes and you will be able to breathe well and stay awake throughout the procedure.

Lower Endoscopy
Patients in a lower endoscopy will have to go through an enema the day before the procedure. This means that the patient will have to take a break from work at least a day before the procedure. Patients are often given some dietary recommendations that they are required to follow two days before an endoscopy. A painkiller and a sedative are usually given to the patient through an IV moments before the procedure. The patient is then asked to lie down as the endoscope is inserted via the anus and into the colon. This is where the test takes place. Lower endoscopy usually takes about 30 minutes. Although patients can drink or eat immediately after the procedure, doctors often recommend rest for a few hours before eating or drinking anything.

Endoscopy is a very simple procedure with minimal risks. The only time a patient cannot go through endoscopy is when he is deemed unfit for anesthesia. According to the American Cancer Society, the procedure has low mortality and morbidity rates and is considered safe for patients in all age groups. A defunct endoscope can be repaired by an endoscope repair technician.

80's Music Forever

Right now, I'm playing 80's music on my Spotify account and I can't help but to groove, become to sentimental and nostalgic to the music. 80's music brings a lot of my younger years.. ahhh.. what a great era. This decade is during my elementary-highschool-college-days where a lot of memories are stored in my memory.

Depeche mode, Spandau ballet, Madonna, Tears for Fears, Michael Jackson, A-ha, Tiffany, Duran Duran are just some of the popular singers/band back then. The era was new wave and i can still remember the dance moves that we used to dance haha.. Such a lovely memory and I had so much fun.

I can relive all the 80's music by playing them on Spotify or evern in Youtube if I want to watch some of their music videos or concerts. 80's era is the best! The sound/music are classic and easy to listen too. I regret not going to any concerts of international performers when they came here. It should been the best place where I can listen to their best songs,best bass players and more. I guess I don't have money that time since I'm a student that time and probably my parents have no means to give me money to splurge on a concert.. Funny..

I will cap my night with 80's music and it will ring in my ear till morning..

Shrimp and Spinach Pasta Recipe

From time-to-time, I crave for pasta. It's not always that I cook them so when my craving sets in, I need to give in. During my market day one Saturday morning, my fave store has some baby spinach so I immediately bought one bec. it is seldom that she sells them.

I then cooked this Shrimp and Spinach Pasta for dinner.

I was supposed to use Penne pasta but thought that spaghetti noodles is much better. This is so easy to make.

Ingredients:
1/4 kilo spaghetti noodles
baby spinach
1/4 kilo or more of shrimps - remove shell but leave the tail
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
salt
pepper
olive oil
butter - unsalted
1/2 Lemon
 1 tsp. dried oregano
parsley
garlic


Direction:
1. Cook the noodles.. set aside
2. In pan, put oil and butter (low heat), saute garlic. Add the shrimp, salt, pepper according to your taste.
3. Add the oregano and spinach. Stir.
4. Add the pasta, put a lil bit more of butter, parsley
5. Squeeze in some lemon juice,
6. Cook for few minutes and it's done

Just easy to cook and it's delicious!