Vacation Mode: ON

Yey! In a few hours from now I'll be on vacation mode. Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are observed as official holidays here in the Philippines.

My father is leaving for Bataan late this afternoon for a vacation at my aunt's rest house by the beach while my siblings and I will be left here in the city.

I promised myself that I'll be observing a more solemn Holy Week this year. Last Monday, I attended a Lenten Recollection with Fr. Jerry Orbos at our parish. Tonight, one of the stations of the cross will be placed in our house so I'll have a chance to pray the stations of the cross with the members of our community. And for Thursday and Friday - I'll be in church too to attend the services for those days.

When I'm not in church, I'll be busy cleaning the house and preparing it for Easter Sunday. Aside from cleaning and rearranging the house I've prepared also our menu for our Easter Feast.

I know a lot of Filipinos will be out of town for the long break, I just wish everyone to be safe and to take the time to reflect on God's great love for us.

My Father's Third Birthday

It's my father's third birthday today!

I know the title does not make sense. :) How can he be my father when he's just three years old?

My father's real birthday is on August but for kidney transplant recipients like him they consider their date of transplantation as a second chance at life - a new birthday. Every time he goes to the National Kidney and Transplant Institute either for a fellowship with other kidney recipients or for check up they always asked one another when is their second birthday or when was the date of their kidney transplantation?They don't call it anniversary but they refer to it as birthdays.

Today is a blessed day for our family. We are grateful that my father had a successful kidney transplantation three years ago and because of it we still had our loving father with us. We continue to be thankful that my father is healthy and his kidney graft is doing well in my father's body.

I am also specially grateful to my brother Paul for not hesitating to be my father's kidney donor. Thanks bro! I love you.

I started a blog that chronicled our family's kidney transplant journey. I've only have a few posts there but I hope I can write more posts in the coming days. I put up a blog about it in order to share and give inspiration to those who are undergoing the same experiences we had three years ago. Here's the link.

House Cleaning

It was a busy and tiring Saturday for me. I spent most of my day cleaning our house. I swept and dusted every corner, I changed the curtains and scrubbed the floor of our receiving and dining area and kitchen. I took out and put in the garbage bag all things that are of no used and just gathering dust and space.

I'm going to continue cleaning the rest of the house in the coming days. I want a clean and well organized house by Easter Sunday.

This practice is something I've observed every year it's something like Spring Cleaning for me.

Earth Hour 2010

This post is to remind everyone that tomorrow is Earth Hour, March 27,2010.

Every one is encouraged to show our love for Mother Earth by turning off the lights for one hour from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm. It would even be better if you can switch off other electrical appliances as well.

Our family participated last year so it's definitely something we're going to do tomorrow.

Let's make a stand for our planet and help in creating awareness about the effect of climate change in our environment.

Please participate!

Earthquake

I was encoding results in my computer and I felt like something was moving my chair. I then realized that it was an earthquake. I was about to shout to my co-employee that there was an earthquake, stand up and run to the nearest exit when the shaking came to a stop.

I was just surprised because my office mate and the clients he was talking too did not react at all and were busy chatting with one another as if nothing happened.

With those reactions from other people I thought that it wasn't an earthquake at all. Perhaps I was just dizzy from staring too long on the computer's monitor.

My brother texted me that the National Capital Region experienced an intensity 4 earthquake and that the epicenter of the earthquake is at Mindoro with a 6.00 magnitude.

I'm not sure if the information passed on to me has been verified. I'll definitely watch the evening news later to know more about the earthquake.

Investing in Gold

About two years ago, I attended a seminar on financial literacy. That seminar made me aware that there are a lot of investment opportunities available for middle income earners like me.

That with just five thousand pesos I can already invest in mutual funds and do trading on the stock market. Putting my money in these investment vehicles allows a bigger return of investment if compared to saving the same amount in the bank. But, although the return of investment is much higher in mutual funds and in stock market trading; the risk is really high in these investments.

Aside from these paper investments, one can also invest in gold. Gold being the most precious of all metals has been traded and used for investment.

So what is the price of gold in the market today? Gold price is on a high right now. Gold prices are steadily soaring because of the high demand for gold and gold investments.

There are many ways to invest in gold. Gold investments can be done through buying gold bars or gold coins which is the most popular way of investing in gold. Gold coin is price by weight,plus the premium above the gold spot price. Investments in gold can be done also by trading through gold exchange traded funds and buying shares of stocks in gold mining companies.

But before going into any investment, it would be wise to do research first about a particular investment vehicle. Getting familiar with terms like spot gold, inflation, stock rates and other investment lingo is a must before going into gold investment and into other investment vehicles as well.

I Need a Good Massage

Things have been stressful in the office lately. I can't wait for the weekend to come so I can relax. I'm so looking forward for next week's long break because of Holy Thursday and Good Friday.

The stress is probably the reason why my back aches and I feel some tension on my shoulder.

Good thing though, my father's massage therapist is coming over late in the afternoon today. I'll definitely have a good back and shoulder massage to relieve the muscle soreness.

And the Blessings Keep Pouring In

And the blessings are pouring in:

My father's doctor did not say anything about him being diabetic, she just prescribed a different medicine with a higher dosage. So probably his elevated sugar is manageable. I'll make sure that he watches what he eats and that he exercises. He is scheduled next month for another laboratory exams.

I've said in my previous post that I'm having problems with our family's budget because unwanted expenses keep popping up; but I was a little relieved when I checked our electricity and water bill it amounted to less than what we paid for last month. We were able to save a thousand peso from our bills. And the new set of presciption drugs for my dad's medication is also less compared to the set of medicines last month.

As with my brother's problem at work, he decided that he'll be resigning from his post second week of April. I know that it's the right decision because he's not happy with the present management. It was a good thing he has emergency fund, he has money that he can use while applying for his next job.

I can't wait for the next good news to come.

Challenging Days Ahead

It's a challenging week for me and for my family. First, my father's blood sugar is elevated I really pray that he's not diabetic.He's having a medical check-up later in the afternoon. Second, my youngest brother is having problems at work, he's up for a panel meeting with his superiors tomorrow and I'm struggling with the family budget because unwanted expenses keep coming up.

I feel I'm starting a week with so many bad things going on.


But I find my consolation from this verse from the Bible

"Let your hope keep you joyful,

be patient in your troubles,

and pray at all times." -Romans 12:12

The challenge is not really on my father's condition or my brother's problem at work nor is it about financial concern because all these worries will come to pass; the challenge is how to keep my spirit joyful and patient during this trying time. Hopeful in God's promises that He will take care of me and all my loved ones. He is our Healer, Provider and most of all my Father who loves me so much.

You can't beat a good euphonious

Poor Eyesight

I don't have a perfect vision. I am near-sighted. My eye problem started when I was in high school and because I can't see well I always sit in front of the class to see the lessons . I did not tell my mom about my eye sight because I don't want to wear prescription glasses .I thought I look geeky in it.

When I was in college I have no choice but have a fitted prescription eyeglasses for me because I can't understand the lecture well because of my not so clear eye sight. But instead of wearing it throughout the day I just wear it during my classes.

This unhealthy practice of mine resulted in the continuous failure of my eye sight. My vision became poorer and poorer until I can't see clearly things that are only a few feet away from me.

Nowadays I always wear contact lenses or my prescription eyeglasses.

It's a good thing though that there are a lot of stylish yet affordable eyeglasses available in the market today.

Today's God's Whisper

This is today God's Whisper message for me:

Dear Joy,

Never waste time answering critics.

Delighting in you,
God

P.S. Spend time with people who can correct you in love, Joy. There's the gold.

My Dream Last Night

I dreamed last night that I was the girlfriend of popular actor - Piolo Pascual. He's really good looking but I was surprised to see him in my dream because my celebrity crush and the one I want to dream about is Brendan Fraser.

In my dream, Piolo and I just came back from a trip to Baguio. I was upset with him because he shopped for some Baguio treats behind my back. He went alone buying stuffs at Baguio without telling me. I only found out when he started giving out Baguio treats to our friends. He was about to appease me and to hug me when I woke up from my dream.

Tsk...tsk...it was too bad I woke up before he can hug me and kiss me :)

King of Torts by John Grisham

I'm done with my third book for my book reading challenge for this year. If in my first two books I opted to read classic novels, for my third book, it's a legal drama from John Grisham.

Oops...my blog is now turning into a book and movie review site because my past entries has been about movies and books. Oh well, nothing interesting has been happening lately and these books provide an escape from the boring routine of life.

"The King of Torts," is the story of Clay Carter a lawyer for the fictitious Office of the Public Defender and his rise to become the town's most popular King of Torts.

Clay Carter was a poorly paid lawyer who dreams of one day leaving his present job and joining a prestigious firm. His life changed when he handled the case of Tequila Watson who was charged with murder. He learned that a pharmaceutical company represented by a mysterious Max Pace is illegally using recovering addicts to take Tarvan, a drug suppressant without their knowledge. Tarvan works 90% for some clients while the rest in the case of Tequila Watson commits random acts of killing.

The drug company hired Clay Carter to work as a legal retainer for the drug company to pay off the victims killed by Tarvan users in large settlements with the instruction to quit his job and to never mention Tarvan to any one.

Clay soon discoverd through Max Pace that there is another dangerous drug that is out in the market and this knowledge made him start his career path toward Tort Law. He became a powerful tort lawyer and soon find himself conniving with other tort lawyers. His sudden rise to fame and access to million of dollars came with a price, he became a subject of investigation due to various unethical conduct including insider trading, he was sued by dissatisfied clients and he loss an important case against another drug company.

The story build-up is really good. I was hoping that he will side with Tequila Watson at the beginning of the novel and defend this murder suspect which in truth is a victim too by a greedy pharmaceutical company. But when he choose to side with the makers of Tarvan and started earning big and filing one tort case after another the novel became boring. It just became a story enumerating the cases he filed and the many luxurious items he bought with his millions. In the end, Clay chooses to redeem himself by exposing the truth about Tarvan and Max Pace.

With the many things going on in Clay's life the author ends the novel abruptly. Clay decided to leave the United States for London to pursue a simple life with his girlfriend Rebecca

On Babies and Baby Showers

My cousin and her husband has been married for a year. Every one from both sides of their families has been asking them when will they have a baby.

According to the couple they want to enjoy each other company first before they started having a baby but hopefully they want to conceive if God's willing before the year ends.

I love babies! and I'm so excited for the coming of another baby in our family. It doesn't really matter if it's a boy or a girl as long as he/she is healthy.

One thing I look forward to every time there's a pregnancy announcement from relatives and friends is the baby showers. I love looking at those cute baby items and its pure joy looking for baby gifts. I particularly like those adorable Smocked Dresses for babies. Babies are so charming wearing those smocked dresses.

Littleenglish.com offers a variety of beautiful smocked dresses in different colors, designs and fabrics for babies. Not only are they lovely but of good quality as well. Babies will not only look good in their clothes but will feel comfortable as well.

I can't wait to attend my next baby shower.

Father and Daughter Bonding Time

Last Saturday, my father and I were the only ones left at home. My youngest brother has worked every Saturday while my other brother has a party to attend.

Because I was not in the mood to clean my room but I know I have to put order to my room, I decided to watch on DVD "Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief," while folding my clothes and rearranging my closet.

My father on the other hand was just reading the paper so I invited him to watch the movie with me.

At first, he was hesitant to see it because it seems like a film for children but after convincing him that it's entertaining, we watch it together.

It was fun watching the movie with him, there were some instances that he would asked me about the previous scene and I just pause the movie and explained to him the scene. It would have been perfect it we have popcorn to munch on why watching the movie.

Good thing though, the scheduled brown out in our area happened just after the final scene was shown.

My father cooked our lunch and I prepared our afternoon snacks.

At six in the evening, my father and I attended the anticipated Holy Mass at Saint Joseph Shrine.

It was a lovely Saturday spending some quality time with my father.

My Thoughts,My Heart, My Turf's Anniversarry Contest

My good friend Sunshine is celebrating her blog's first anniversarry! In celebration of her blog-O-versary she's having a blog contest at her site - Cash, EC credits, Ad spaces and other surprises will be given away to the winners.

Here are the mechanics for her contest :

1. Blog about the contest and enter the link to the post on the MckLinky Area of Bambie's blog. (45 points)
2. Please include the contest banner on your post. It doesn’t matter whether you place it before, within or after your post as long as it’s there. (additional 15 points)
3. Wear the contest badge anywhere in your blog, left or right side bar, as long as it’s on a readily visible spot. (20 points) Get the badge at Bambie's site.
4. Subscribe to Bambie's blog feeds. Please confirm your subscription; otherwise you won’t be credited with any points. (10 points)
5. Be a follower of her blog. [The FOLLOWERS widget is near the bottom of this page] (10 points) *To those of you who are already following her blog, you get credited with points, too.***For items 4 through 5, you can provide the e-mail address you used to subscribe and username used to follow her blog.

Here is the list of sponsors for the contest:

A Woman Remembers - 1,000 EC credits, 1 month AD space and $5.00
Azumi...Lil Dolly Princess - $5.00
Best Vacation Places - $5.00
Brisbane Hotels - $5.00
Diva Fabulosa - $5.00
From this Side - 3,000 EC credits
Girls Rule! - $5.00
Just About Anything - $5.00
Live for Life - 4,000 EC credits and 2 months AD space
Living Life to the Fullest - $5.00 + 1,000 EC credits
Momma Wannabe - $5.00
My So-Called World - $5.00 + 1 month AD space
Niko's Blog - $5.00
Stalking Minds - $5.00
The Mommy Journey - 5,000 EC credits
The Snoring Queen - 5,000 EC credits
Travelin' with Marie - 8"x8", 20-page Photobook ($20.00 value) and two 1 month AD spaces
Wahmaholic - Wordpress or Blogger template based on the winner's choice of theme and color For more information about the contest please visit Bambie blog here*. Her contest will run for a month, starting today, March 15,2010.

To Bambie! Goodluck on your contest! I know it will be a successful one.

It Rained !

It rained! I've never been this happy to see rain in my life. It's not just a drizzle but it rained for more than an hour.

The rain provided a short relief from the very hot temperature registered these past few days due to El Nino.

I hope the rain were able to water the crops drying up and provide a small amount of water for our dams with water supply in critical levels.

Thank you Lord, for the rain. It's a miracle that it rained because our weather forecaster said that the next rain will be in the last week of May already.

Rain, rain, please come again. :)

Extraordinary Measures

I have a huge crush on Brendan Fraser! I don't know eversince I first saw him in the Mummy movie, he became my ultimate crush. I heart him big time.

I'm so excited to learn that he has a new movie with Harrison Ford. I just hope that it will be screened here in the Philippines.

Extraordinary Measures is a film based on a book " Cure" by Greta Anand inspired by the true story of the Crowley family. John Crowley (played by Brendan Fraser) has two children sicked with a mysterious illness. He then tracked down Dr Robert Stonehill (played by Harrison Ford) who does research on that particular illness. John does all the extraordinary measures to secure the huge funding needed for the research in finding the cure for his children's illness.

The movie wants to create awareness about the Pompe disease. A degenerative disease that cause muscular atrophy and the enlargement of the organs of the body.

This is my first time to see Brendan Frasier in a drama because I often see him in those adventure type of films- The Mummy Movies, InkHeart, and Journey to the Center of the Earth. I want to see how he will fare in this movie genre and to see him act alongside Harrison Ford.

I already asked my boyfriend to have a movie date with him when this film will be shown here in the country.

February Wrap-Up

Last month, I made a post on my January wrap-up on the first day of February, for this month though I'm late for six days.

Anyway, I make this wrap-ups to summarize what has transpired the last month and at the same time make a list of the things I'm most grateful for.

February is my favorite month because it's my birth month and at the same time seven days after my birthday is Valentine's Day.

I'm grateful because on those two occasions my loved ones never failed to show me how I'm so much love and appreciated. Both occasions were celebrated at home over delicious home-cooked meals.

My book reading project started in February and I'm proud to announce that I've finished reading two book and I'm done making a post about those books. I'm currently reading my third book.

One set back for last month is I have to rest from running and exercise. I've been sick for two weeks.

First I have a bad cough for a week and in the last week of February I was little freak out because I have difficulty in breathing at night, it turn out that I have asthma attacks during night time.

I am slowly getting back to my exercise routine.

I am grateful that I'm well now.

There has been few writing opportunities last month compared to last January but still I'm thankful that I've got some bucks on my paypal account.

February has been a good month and I'm looking forward at what is in store for me this March!

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea

I'm done with my second book for the year - "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea," by Jules Verne which was published in 1869.

This book chronicles the adventure of Captain Nemo and his submarine - Nautilus as told by Professor Pierre Aronnax.

The novel started when people got alarmed by sightings of a narwhal. This mysterious sea creature had been seen by different ships and has damaged an ocean liner.

The United States has led an expedition to hunt this huge sea monster. Professor Aronnax being a noted marine biologist has been invited to search this sea creature along with his aid - Conseil and the Canadian harpoonist Ned Land aboard the Abraham Lincoln US Naval Ship.

The US Naval Ship was damaged by the supposed narwhal on its encounter; with Professor Aronnax, Conseil and Ned Land being thrown overboard and landing on the hide of the sea creature.

It turned out that the narwhal was in reality an advanced submarine. When the three protagonist landed on the Nautilus, its Captain by the name of Nemo rescued them and made them his prisoners.

Captain Nemo's vessel was constructed in secrecy, he is not a citizen of any country and roamed the seas endlessly. He couldn't released Aronnax, Land and Conseil because he fears that the three will reveal his existance to the world. The three protagonists were treated well and were free to roam the entire submarine and made use of its facilities.

Professor Aronnax marvelled at this advance marine vessel which was powered by electricity. He was likewise amazed by the large collection of preserved different species in its own museum as well as the huge book collection in its own library.

For ten months, traveling a distance of 20,000 leagues; Aronnax, Land and Conseil embarked on an extraordinary sea adventure that brought them to different ports,shown them where the North Pole was and being trapped in an iceberg, made them see all the wonderful sea creations, fought with giant octopus and even went to the mythical Atlantis.

Their journey ended when Captain Nemo, overcame by grief when he destroyed and sank a mysterious vessel with all its crew to the sea after it attacked the Nautilus; allowed his submarine to wander off to the maelstrom and be suck in by the whirlpool in the seas of Norway.

Luckily, Professor Aronnax, Conseil and Ned Land were able to escape the Nautilus before it was dragged by the maelstrom.

No one knew what have become of Captain Nemo, his crew and his Nautilus; Professor Aronnax cannot tell whether they survived the maelstrom and continued their journey under the sea.

I enjoyed reading this science fiction by Jules Verne. I'm just amazed with how well verse he was with the different sea creatures as well as the different ports and places in the world. He must have been a well traveled person.

The middle part of the novel tends to be boring because it became just an endless adventure after another adventure. I felt like what Ned Land feels being fed-up with the sea and longing for land.

But the end part of the book became exciting again because you just want to know if the protagonists will ever be able to see land and you hope that there will be an explanation on what had happened to Captain Nemo that made him and his companions turn their backs against humanity.

Sadly, the question about Captain Nemo was unanswered because the manuscript that contains his biography went down with the Nautilus.

It was a good read and very entertaining.

Online Poker

I don't know how to play any card game. I don't even have the slightest idea how Black Jack or Lucky Nine or Poker is played- all these card games is a mystery to me.

My boyfriend on the other hand knows all sort of card games and his favorite is playing poker. He and his pals have poker nights. They don't really bet on large amounts of money. Their poker nights is more of telling stories and teasing one another.Sometimes, my boyfriend would play poker online. He said he enjoyed playing with other poker players from different countries.

What he likes about poker is that it is a game of strategy and more of outwitting your opponents.

Last month, he joined a poker tournament in Marikina City and he was in the final four. I'm not sure if he has plans of joining other poker tournaments in the future.

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Enjoy playing poker online!

Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief

Bf and I were supposed to watch this movie during its opening week run but because I was sick we only got to watch it last Sunday.

"Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief" is based on a book written by Rick Riordan.

Rick Riordan has a second grade son who has ADHD and Dyslexia. To help his son who was studying Greek methodology for second grade , he would tell bedtime stories to his son based on Greek myths. When he ran out of stories to tell, he came out with new stories based on Greek mythology in a modern setting - thus the character of Percy Jackson was born.

Percy Jackson like Riordan's son was diagnosed with ADHD and Dyslexia and has been expelled from many schools. On a recent school field trip to the museum he was attacked by a Fury disguising as one of his teachers asking Percy about the lightning bolt stolen from Zeus.

Percy who has no knowledge about the lightning bolt was rescued by his teacher Mr. Brunner, his Latin teacher who was a centaur and by his friend Grover who was a satyr and his protector. Mr. Brunner instructed Grover to accompany Sally (Percy's mom ) and Percy to Camp Half-Blood.

On the way to the camp, Percy, Sally and Grover were attacked by the minotaur. Because his mother cannot go through the camp because she's a mortal, she was caught by the minotaur and disappeared. Percy made used of his magical pen that turned to a sword given by his teacher to kill the minotaur.

Camp Half Blood is the training ground for demigods. It was here where he met Annabeth Chase, the daughter of Athena and Luke Castellan, the son of Hermes.

It was in camp that Percy learned that he was the son of Poseidon - the god of water, and it was in camp where he discovered his powers.

Hades attacked Camp Half Blood and revealed to Percy that he had Percy's mom as prisoner. Hades will free Percy's mom in exchange for the powerful Lightning Bolt of Zeus.

Percy with the aid of his friends Annabeth and Grover embarked on a journey to save Percy's mom and to travel to Olympus to convince Zeus that it was not Percy who stole the god's lightning bolt.

I will not go into details about the rest of the story but I certainly enjoyed the movie and I was entertained. Students who find the study of Greek mythology to be boring, will definitely find Greek mythology as something interesting. The movie renewed my fancy for Greek myths. It made me be re-acquainted with Medusa, Persephone, other greek gods and mythology creatures.

The movie is fast-pace and there is no dull moment. "The Lightning Thief" is the first book of the five fantasy novel on Percy Jackson.

I'm so excited for the next movie installment and I'm looking forward to how the other gods and mythical creatures will be presented in the coming films.

UAAP Season 72 Volleyball Champion

Yey! The University of Santo Tomas Men and Women's Volleyball Team both win this year's Championship.

The men's squad defeated the Far Eastern University's Tamaraw while the Lady Tigresses defeated the Dela Salle University's Lady Archers.

I was not able to watch the men's game last Saturday but I was able to catch a glimpse of the women in action during the game's third set. Unfortunately, the third set was won by the Archers. At the start of the fourth set, the Lady Archers were in the lead by five points. I was not able to watch the rest of the game because my family was going to attend the anticipated mass at six in the evening.

After the mass, I surf the internet to know the result and I was glad to learn that the Lady Tigers were able to outscore the Archers on the fourth round.

Good thing there's Youtube, I was able to watch the Championship Game last night.

Congratulations to the UST Volleyball Men's and Women's Team. Go USTe!