A Bell In The Clouds

"Talking between men and women never solves anything. Where we think, they feel. They are creatures of the heart. "
- Don Pedro Aragon, A Walk In The Clouds


I really like the story of the movie A Walk In The Clouds featuring Keanu Reeves. It is a story of a US Army Sergeant Sutton(Reeves) who met a beautiful Mexican-American university graduate whose family owns a vineyard in the Napa Valley. Apparently, Victoria Aragon (Mexican-American) was pregnant and Sutton offers her to introduce him to his family as her husband.

Apart from the story, what really captured my attention is the beauty of the setting, Napa Valley, a farm of grapes which they call, The Clouds.

I just love to imagine living in gardens like these wherein you get to see the beauty of God's creation everytime you open your eyes. I also imagine a beautiful house with a Farm Bell attached in one of the house posts.

I don't know about you, but having a Farm Bell or a Dinner Bell gives a peaceful and harmonious feeling inside of me, whenever I hear the sound of it. And if you think this is used only for decorations, you may get wrong. A Dinner Bell acts to signal family members who are working in the gardens/fields to come home for lunch or dinner.

Also, you might find it surprising that a Farm Bell does not really cost that much. In fact, you can even find great buys when you browse the internet. Some online stores offer other great selection of beatifully crafted wind chimes that are perfect for your country houses.

It is my hope that someday I would be able to have a house in the gardens or in the fields. Surely, I shall be looking forward to the day when I and my family will just stay out in the gardens and enjoy the beauty of nature, with the hope that someone from the house will ring the farm bell to announce that we need to get back to our house for a bountiful dinner.

Stormy Halloween

Folks, expect a Stormy Halloween this weekend as typhoon Santi (International Name: Mirinae) threatens to move closer to the Philippines' area of responsibility by Friday night until Saturday morning.

Storm Signal Number 2 has already been raised in Metro Manila and many nearby provinces, so people who are visiting on the Cemeteries are advised to take caution and bring tents, umbrellas, or raincoats.

People who are planning to travel to Central and Northern Luzon are also advised to take their trip early Friday to avoid possible heavy rainfall caused about by the typhoon.

Meanwhile, it has been declared that November 2 (Monday) is a holiday, in commemoration of the All Souls Day.

Keep Safe, Everyone. Have a great weekend!

Go Get Gold

Do you have excess cash?
Are you looking for a sure investment?

Go Get Gold!

The world is witness as to how the US economy has become so unstable during the last quarter of 2008, and as such, most countries around the world are also affected. With this, a lot of people are asking: Is there still a good means of investing? Well, economists and financial experts are offering the people a good investment, and that is, to buy gold bullion.


To buy gold coin as an investment is actually one of the most popular forms of making your assets secured from any economic and financial unstability (such as stock market declines and inflation). In fact, famous author Michael Kosares indicated in his book that the gold owner will always find a friend in the yellow metal no matter what happens with the stocks or with the market.

Not only that, investors also believe that when you buy bullion, you are almost sure that the value will rise up in a few years time because gold does not depreciate, but always appreciates its value.

There isn't much hassle in doing this because you can actually refer to various respectable companies wherein you can purchase gold bullion. These companies even find their way to help you get more acquainted with the what, how, where and why's of investing in gold.

So remember, if you are on the lookout for a good investment:

Go Get Gold!

Our Old House

My Dad is a retired teacher. Bust aside from teaching and farming, he also loves doing carpentry and house improvement works. This is why it is no wonder that he always want to watch the show "This Old House"; a television hit that teaches step-by-step procedures related to carpentry, home renovation, among others.

One particular episode that proved to be very useful for our own "Old House" was when they featured about Gutter Protection. The idea of protecting gutters is actually new to us because for all we know, it is the gutter that protects our house from unwanted water leaks.

But as we watched and listened at the program, it became clear to us about the importance and significance of installing gutter protection, because by protecting the gutter, you eliminate the chance of getting leaves, twigs and dirts to be stuck on your gutters. In turn, rain waters can easily flow out. And since the waters do not stand still in the gutters, you also prevent mosquitoes from breeding in it.

The picture below is a fine example of what I am discussing about.


This type of gutter protection is called the Black Magic Filter. It actually looks neat in the gutters because of its color and design; and as you can see, the house gutter is well covered and protected from any foreign objects such as leaves, twigs, etc.

There are other types of gutter protection, like the GutterPiller Gutter Brush which has durable wire bristles that effectively clears out leaves and dirts from the gutter.

Of course, you can save a little bucks and choose not to install gutter protection but this will cost you much time in coming up the roofs and checking on your gutters regularly. You also get worried whenever rain comes, thinking that leaves and dirt will block the flow of water out.

Or, you decide to spend money, have your gutter protected, and let your worries out.

I choose the latter.

After all, we all love to keep our Old House nice and beautiful.

Unique House

No, this is not Titanic.

You are actually looking at one of those uniquely designed houses that will truly captivate anybody's eyes.

For a complete view of the Homes of the Unique and Famous, click here.

Chiz Quits

The news came as a big surprise to everyone.

Last week, Senator Loren Legarda has announced that she is no longer running for President, but instead run for Vice President under the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC) of business tycoon Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco, Jr.

With this development, everybody seemed and conditioned that Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero will finally emerge as the NPC's Standard Bearer for the 2010 Presidential Elections, forging a Chiz-Loren tandem, and quite a team to beat.

And just when everyone is awaiting the big formal announcement for the tandem, Senator Escudero announced Wednesday morning today, October 28, 2009 via a press conference in Club Filipino that he has quit as a member of the NPC.

Escudero cited three reasons of his decision:

1. First, that anyone aspiring for the presidency should not be part of any group.

2. Second, that anyone who wants to become president would not be able to perform his job if his hands and feet are tied and his eyes are blindfolded.

3. Third, that he could decide freely on the role he would play in the upcoming elections if he does not belong with any group.

Needless to say, this unexpected move caused quite a stir in the political landscape.

Escudero did not mention, however, if he is running for President next year.

Change Address

I felt a little sad over the weekend when I found out from one of my relatives in my hometown that our address is being changed courtesy of an ordinance recently passed by our local village leaders. Needless to say, the local government has collected a fee for the purchase of address plaques that will be distributed to each house bearing the new address numbers.

Now I just don't think it is a good idea that they still collect a fee because it is on my understanding that they already collect taxes out of people's income and businesses. What's more, I am just sad because our address which has been our address since I was born has been changed. It is just that I felt that a part of my childhood has been taken away from me.

Anyway, the new address plaque was delivered to us last Monday containing, of course, our new house number which is now #202. The plaque is made of tin can and painted white. So you could just imagine that what they delivered is only a basic type of plaque.

My mom doesn't like the idea of placing that plaque in our house post for fear that the tin can-made address plaque will easily accumulate rust. Further, the basic address plaque looks awkward when placed in our house post.

We made contact with the village chief to ask if it is alright that we just purchase our own customized address plaque (bearing our new house number), and he said that it is fine with them. We just have to make sure that the address number is the same. We have decided that we shall put the new address plaque in our lawn garden so that visitors and postmen can easily locate our house. With this, we also need to ensure that we buy one that is rust-proof and does not easily depreciate due to changing weather conditions.

I hope we find the best plaque, and hopefully I will begin to love our new house number. After all, no matter what our address is, I still have my family to share our new memories together in our new address.

The Law of Average

Have you ever wondered why companies resort to giving flyers as a way of promotion even if people do not seem to take interest about what they offer?

The answer is, because they are practicing the Law of Average.

Thesaurus.com defines the Law of Average as the theory of probability, or, a probable future.

To further explain, business companies anticipate that for every variable, there is an equal or opposite ratio. Say for example, out of 10 flyers given to 10 customers, there is a probability that 1 customer will take notice and be interested about the product.

So if you are able to give 100 flyers, there is a probability that 10 persons will be interested in your product; thus, more sales.

It really doesn't matter whether some people just seem to ignore your flyier or your advertisement. As business analysts say, the Law of Average is sure to take effect in one way or another.

++++++++++

I know that I have the ability to achieve the object of my Definite Purpose in life, therefore, I demand of myself persistent, continuous action toward its attainment, and I here and now promise to render such action.

-Napoleon Hill

Mar and Korina Wedding Live Streaming Video

I hope I wouldn't miss it.

Senator (and Vice Presidential aspirant) Mar Roxas will tie the knot with ABS-CBN Broadcast Journalist Korina Sanchez today, October 27, 2009 around 3 pm at the Sto. Domingo Church, Quezon City.


See the wedding details here.

In the meantime, I am looking for a site that will feature a Live Streaming Video of Mar and Korina's wedding because I want to know what will happen during the wedding.

So if anyone of you knows of a site, kindly leave a comment, including the link so I can visit.

Thanks so much!

Impress Them!

Today I am blogging once again about the best kitchen equipments that any housewife (or house husbands who love cooking) will want to have.

I will now discuss about Fire Magic Grills, probably one of the best, if not the best name in grill equipment, not to mention that they have been in the industry since 1937, so you can be sure that the brand has actually become one of the most credible in the market.

But before I go on further, I want to first co-relate my article with what is about to take place in our family next weekend. My brother has just been married to his long-time girlfriend of 8 years, and it will be the bride's parents' first-time to visit our house (since the parents are residing in another city far south). So we are discussing about our plans for the weekend, but of course, we will be having our weekend dinner in the garden with some grilled chops, barbecues, and some vegetable salad.

We want to make a good first impression on them and we are contemplating on purchasing a new grill that would look good on our outdoor setting since our old grill is actually malfunctioning. My brother tried to browse the internet last night to look for various options but my mother really loved this model of the Fire Magic Grill (see picture).

This is a freestanding legacy fire magic grill. My mom loves the stainless steel material design because it looks very clean and organized, easy enough to make a really nice first impression on any visitor who will get to see it.


Another good thing i like about the design is that it gives an impression of being smart. Maybe it is because the design looks new and innovative, thus users and/or owners will also look smart.

We've heard that our visitors on next weekend also love barbecues, so naturally, they know a good grill when they see one. So we hope that we can purchase a Fire Magic Grill immediately to really get that good first impression.

I hope we do.

The Perfect Gift

Are you looking for a nice christmas present or a birthday gift for your mother-in-law?

Well, I hope this story will help you.

Have a good laugh, everyone!

++++++++++

Two guys were talking at work.

"I've got a problem," said the first one.

"What is it?"

"My wife has done it to me again. I'm supposed to buy my mother-in-law a present for her birthday, from the two of us. And I am fresh out of ideas. I mean it's HER mother, why can't she buy it?"

"What did you buy her last year?" the other one asked.

"Last year I bought her a VERY EXPENSIVE cemetery plot."

"Hmmmm, hard to top that one," said the other.



The two guys couldn't come up with anything. So the son-in-law didn't buy his mother-in-law anything for her birthday.

When the big day arrived the next weekend, she was a bit upset. At the family gathering for her birthday, she announced out loud to everyone, "Thank you all for the wonderful gifts. Too bad my daughter and son-in-law weren't so thoughtful!"



Thinking quickly, the son-in-law responded, "Well, you haven't used the gift I gave you last year!"

He Is Yahweh

I would like to share this very inspiring song that was presented on our church last Sunday. The song is entitled HE IS YAHWEH (by the Vineyard)

I do not have to explain the meaning of the song because actually, the message is really very simple to understand.

So here goes:

Who is moving on the waters
Who is holding up the moon
Who is peeling back the darkness
With the burning light of noon
Who is standing on the mountains
Who is on the earth below
Who is bigger than the heavens
and the lover of my soul


Creator God, He is Yahweh
The Great I Am, He is Yahweh
The Lord of All, He is Yahweh
Rose of Sharon, He is Yahweh
The Righteous Son, He is Yahweh
The Three-in-one, He is Yahweh


Who is He that makes me happy
Who is He that gives me peace
Who is He that brings me comfort
And turns the bitter into sweet
Who is stirring up my passion
Who is rising up in me
Who is filling up my hunger
with everything I need.


Creator God, He is Yahweh
The Great I Am, He is Yahweh
The Lord of All, He is Yahweh
Rose of Sharon, He is Yahweh
The Righteous Son, He is Yahweh
The Three-in-one, He is Yahweh


You are holy and eternal
And forever You will reign
Every knee will bow before You
Every tongue will confess Your name
All the angels give You glory
As they stand before Your throne
and here on Earth we gather
To declare Your name alone.


Creator God, He is Yahweh
The Great I Am, He is Yahweh
The Lord of All, He is Yahweh
Rose of Sharon, He is Yahweh
The Righteous Son, He is Yahweh
The Three-in-one, He is Yahweh

-Surely, there is a God greater than anybody else. He is the God whom we serve; He is the God to whom we place our trust-

Cry Baby

Tiring but Fun.




That was how I felt last Sunday when we brought our baby to the mall for her first photo shoot. We brought her to Pic-a-boo, a photo studio that specializes in taking child photos.



I am not sure how many branches they have here in the Philippines, but they have one at The Block, SM North EDSA, and one at The Atrium, SM Megamall.



We went at about 3 in the afternoon but were told to return by 5:30 pm because they have a lot of customers (so if you are planning on taking your child for a photo session, be sure to come earlier).



It was a tiring experience because we were on the streets as early as 10 am, coming to church first, then we had lunch at a nearby food and bakeshop, before finally proceeding to the mall.

The real fun came when we finally proceeded to the photo studio because our baby started to cry when we put on the costumes. So you could just imagine how the photographer tried her best to capture the best pictures out of our baby.



Anyway, she finally succeeded taking beautiful shots even if our baby kept crying.



But you can't blame babies from crying, anyway. They just cry because they want (and need) to cry. You can't force them to smile when they don't want to. All you get is the real expression of what they feel at that particular moment.

The Standard In Grilling

I once read about this very beautiful quotation:

"Be in such a way that when the world is sitting, you'd be standing... And when the world is standing, you'll stand out... And when the world stands out, you'll be outstanding... And when the world tries to be outstanding, you'll be the standard."

The lesson is simply to bring out the best in you in whatever you do. This, of course, applies, to anything-whether in the office, in relationships, and in whatever thing that you do.

I would like to correlate this lesson to my featured topic today, which is about grills that we use in cooking.

As I have written in one of my previous articles, my family really enjoys gathering together and cook barbeques and grilled chops whenever time permits us. Needless to say, we are always on the lookout for the best grill equipment in town.

I chanced upon reading an article in the internet about a list of branded grilling equipment, and by far, the best that I saw is the Lynx Grill.

Meticulous as I am when it comes to getting house appliances, I really love the different types of Lynx Grills being offered to the market. Name what you want and you'll have it, because Lynx Grills offer high-quality gas grills. They also offer different styles of stainless steel barbeque grills and accessories.

You can choose from a variety of sizes ranging from 27 inches to as much as 42 inches built-in grills with rotisserrie and prosear. As I have mentioned, the grills are made of fine grade stainless steel materials so you can ensure that these grills can withstand even bad weather conditions.

Why go for a good, or even better grill equipment when you can own the best?

Dubbed as the "Rolls Royce of Grilling", Lynx Grills have been in the grilling equipment industry for more than 30 years that is why you definitely depend on its performance. You can really be sure that you get the best out of Lynx Grills because they continue to innovate their designs so that the brand itself becomes the Standard In Grilling.

Repair Your Credit

I couldn't help but give as much sympathy that I can for my friend who called me last night and told me he was declined from getting a car loan. Now he has been desiring to get himself a car since last year but could not purchase one, so he opted to get it by loan.

However, he was declined because the loan company has evaluated that he has a bad credit standing.

Well, I told him last night that he need not worry much because all he nees to do at the moment is a credit repair.

Never been keen on discussing financial and accounting matters, my friend literally had to bear with me as I discuss about the necessity of having a good credit standing in order to get loans (housing, car, etc.) approved easily. But since, he is now faced with having a bad credit standing, I also introduced to him the need for him to get some credit repair services.

I first got the idea about it during one of our Finance subjects in college. I was even amazed when our professor told us that there are even credit repair companies whose business is to help people in repairing their credits. The credit repair company's job is to evaluate your credit standing and look for ways to improve your credit line. As to how they do it, well, it is their job, and we can just be very happy that there are companies like them that can help us in achieving a good credit line.

So really, your dream house, or your dream car is not that hard to get. All it takes is for you to repair your credit.

Holiday Declarations In November

Filipinos will experience two long weekend holidays this coming month of November 2009 as President Gloria declared various holidays in observance of All Saints/Souls Day and the Feast of Sacrifice for the Muslims.

Here are the two long weekend schedules:

October 31- Saturday
November 1- All Saints Day (Special Non-working Holiday)
November 2- All Souls Day (Special Non-working Holiday)


November 27- Eid'l Adha/Feast of Sacrifice by the Muslims (Special Non-working Holiday)
November 28- Eid'l Adha/Feast of Sacrifice by the Muslims (Special Non-working Holiday)
November 29- Sunday
November 30- Bonifacio Day (Regular Holiday)


sources: abs-cbnnews.com , gov.ph website

Sharing The Night Together

This morning I was awaken by a very beautiful song coming from my brother's room. His radio was playing Dr. Hook's "Sharing The Night Together". It kind of makes me imagine and think with the idea of asking my special someone for a dinner date.

Now we've been to countless dinner dates on restaurants and grills but as far as I can remember, we have never tried having dinner date in the gardens- that is to say, even outside our house.

I've seen in the movies how lovely is it having dinner in the gardens, when both of you will just eat a nice dinner and drink wine and stare at the stars above. There was even a particular movie I saw wherein a couple was having dinner using a Fire Pit Table, so you could just imagine them eating outside in the gardens on a table with a fire in the center illuminating the night. Oh, I've long been dreaming of doing that!

Now Fire Pit Tables may not be popular in other countries, but these are very well used in areas with tropical settings. They are perfect when you set them up outside on beach resorts, and some, even put them in golf courses.

But of course, you do not need to go that far to enjoy the effect of using a Fire Pit Table. All you have to do is a little creativity and imagination in having your perfect dinner date even at the comfort of your home. Fire Pit Tables are available on purchase even in the internet. There are many variations, so you can be sure that there is an available one that is most suitable in your garden or in your terrace.

What's more, these Fire Pit Tables are also suitable for big parties, so you can invite friends and relatives for a lovely dinner party in your house anytime. Surely, they, too, will love the idea of owning one in their homes.

A beautiful setting, fine food and wine, plus beautiful mellow music playing in the background, who wouldn't want to fall in love?

++++++++++

Sharing the night together, oh yeah
Sharing the night together, oh yeah
Sharing the night

We could bring in the morning gir
lIf you want to go that far
And if tomorrow finds us together right here
The way we are
Would you mind

Sharing the night together, oh yeah
Sharing the night together, oh yeah
Sharing the night

CPA Board Exam Results: October 2009

The Professional Regulations Commission (PRC) has released the list of successful examinees from the recently concluded Certified Public Accountants (CPA) Board Examination conducted on October 10, 2009. The result was released today, October 19, 2009.

For the complete list of the Board Passers, click on the link below:

LIST OF SUCCESSFUL EXAMINEES: CPA BOARD EXAM, October 2009

Congratulations to the Board Passers!

A Time For Compassion

Even as the 2010 election in the Philippines comes nearer, political issues, discussions, and bickerings are temporarily put on hold to give way to the more important issue of the past weeks- help and compassion so much needed for the victims of typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng which put the nation in a state of calamity.

Typhoon Ondoy brought so much rainfall in the country and put most of part of the Metro Manila in deep water. Many people died, while houses, properties and business establishments were badly damaged by the flood.

A week after, and even the nation can even rise up from Ondoy's wrath, another typhoon, Pepeng, brought havoc on the northern part of Luzon. Landslides occured on the mountainous parts of the region; water dams were forced to release water that caused heavy floods in the nearby provinces, and crops and livelihood resources were badly damaged.

Indeed, this is a time for the country of the Philippines to stop fighting about politics and corruption, but instead focus all the efforts into finding the best ways possible to help the victims of the calamities.

This is a time for Compassion and Action.

And every Filipino is expected to give it.

Big Is Beautiful

I have been celeberating christmas with my family for over thirty years now. Each year, we return back to our hometown in Nueva Ecija, Philippines at least three days before Christmas day.

One will have to understand, of course, that in the Philippines, Christmas season begins on September 1 (start of the ber months-September, October, November & December) and ends on the first Sunday after New Year (where catholics celebrate the Feast of Three Kings).

This is so because the moment the calendar turns to September, shops and boutiques in the malls start to decorate the establishment with Christmas trees and hang Large Christmas Ornaments on the ceilings, while Christmas carols continuously play on radios and CD players.

Even in the respective houses, the people begin to clean up and hang lanterns and christmas lights on the windows. No matter how festive the celebration is, I have to admit, though, that these types of decorations put in houses become so usual that you can't find any more excitement in seeing them.

Today I am thinking that maybe I should ask my mom if we could somehow change the way we decorate our house. I think that maybe we could get the idea from those malls and decorate our house with Large Christmas Ornaments for a change. But instead of putting those on the ceilings, we can try putting big decorations outside in the garden.

I am sure the idea would be a big hit especially when one would want to impress his neighbors and visitors during Christmas. You could just imagine if you have life-size, Large Christmas Decorations just like what is shown below:

Or maybe a big snowman standing near your frontdoor welcoming your visitors:

Kids will definitely love to hang around with dear old santa:

Let the fun and excitement of Christmas be seen in your house decorations. This year, you can show to your visitors and neighbors that Big is Beautiful on Christmas.

But above all, still the most important thing is, may we always remember that Christ is still the reason why we celebrate Christmas. It is on this day that God our Father has given his begotten Son unto the world to save us and give us eternal life.

Happy Christmas everyone!

I Bid for a Mac Book Pro

It must have been love.

I was drooling over when I chanced upon seeing the above image of the 24K gold plated Mac Book Pro by Apple while browsing the internet a few days ago. Needless to say, I literally fell in love with the design.

I have been blogging for almost two years now, but it is only in March of this year when I decided to try and get more serious with making money on line. However, my problem is that I am only using a desktop computer at home, so I can only go and browse business opportunities when I get home from the office. This proves to be a very big limitation because oftentimes, other people get ahead of me in getting the bigger and better opportunities.

On one particular instance, I was not able to commission a big project because my family went on an out-of-town trip, and I only got the chance to check on my emails when I we went back three days after. By that time, the offer has already expired and was given to another bidder.

To address my problem, I have decided to go and look for a computer laptop; and that is when I saw the Mac Book Pro. A friend who is knowledgeable in computer gadgets informed me that I can actually bid online if I want to purchase one.

He shared that everytime he wants to purchase new gadgets, his first option is to search online and look for a unique auction site that allows people to bid for brand new products at considerably low prices. What is good about this auction site is that it offers the newest products, which may or may not yet be available when you personally go on shopping centers. My friend even shared that he was able to purchase his new PS3 online thru bidding at an unbelievably low price.

Now I have never tried bidding for products, and so this will be my first time to try. My friend is willing to orient me, so I am geared to bid (and win!) for a Mac Book Pro tonight.

Labor Department Gives Jobs To Ondoy Victims

The Department of Labor & Employment has extended its arms to help the victims hit by the typhoon Ondoy on September 2009. The typhoon caused so much wreck and havoc when most part of Metro Manila was flooded, causing hundreds of death victims, while houses and business establishments were deeply submerged in water.

Labor Secretary Marianito Roque said that a short-term and emergency wage employment program will provide flood victims of at least 15 days work, mainly in de-clogging operations, and in helping with the reconstruction of damaged infrastructures such as school buildings and drainage systems.

Roque said subsistence workers who lost their income and livelihood sources due to the calamity will be prioritized especially those whose properties were totally damaged and those formerly engaged in a particular craft or skill.

The program will be implemented in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, and Calabarzon area.

“It will serve as a bridging mechanism aimed at helping the beneficiaries cope while seeking to recover and regain their livelihood and income sources from the destruction brought about by “Ondoy.” Roque further states.

Read the complete story here.

Hark Now Hear The Angels Sing

Long time ago in Bethlehem
So the holy bible say
Mary's boy child Jesus Christ
Was born on Christmas day


Hark now hear the angels sing
A new king born today
And man will live forever more
Because of Christmas day



I had an extra time to shop yesterday in a mall nearby when the famous song "Hark Now Hear The Angels Sing" started to play. Instantly, people beamed with a smile on their faces on the thought of Christmas day, and started singing along.

The store owners also started redecorating their boutiques with christmas decors, lanterns and christmas lights. On one side of the mall, there is a life-size nativity scene on which the shoppers are getting pictures at.

The Department store has also set-up a dedicated space wherein you can purchase christmas trees, christmas balls, christmas lights, lanterns, santa claus figures, and nativity sets. I went looking for the nativity sets because I have long wanted to purchase and give my mother one as a christmas present. This is because when we were children, my mother would always set up a nativity set which is only made up of cardboard or hard paper. That is why I want to surprise her with a beautiful set which is made of plastic or fiberglass. The price, however, is expensive, so I didn't buy. Instead, I thought I'd better go and check for other shops, or I might as well search online in the internet.

There are a couple of online shops that sell nativity sets, but of course, you should go for the one that sells the best products at affordable prices. You can also pick your choice of nativity scene because there are a lot of options to choose from. Sets vary from six, ten, and fourteen pieces. There are life-size pieces, while there are also miniature ones.

I'm considering the life-size pieces because the set would be perfect for the outdoors, and will definitely go well on a garden setting.

----------

Here's wishing a merry christmas to all of us!



Trumpets sound and angels sing!
Listen to what they say
And man will life forever more
Because of Christmas day!

David Letterman Apologizes

David Letterman apologizes to his wife on Monday's Late Night Show following the recent controversy whereby Letterman revealed on-air that he had sexual involvement with women from his television program.

Letterman says,

"if you hurt a person and it's your responsibility, you try to fix it"


Tom Keaney, Letterman's spokesman, however, noted that those relationships happened before Letterman's marriage with Regina Lasko, to whom he had a son, Harry, born in 2003.

Water Damage Treatment

The nation of the Philippines in South East Asia has never been the same again after a typhoon came and brought so much damage in the whole city of Metro Manila. Hundreds of people died, livelihood crops were devastated, and millions of infrastructures were damaged when the water did rise up unexpectedly and flooded the area.

Right now, many people are having the big problem of repairing their houses which were destroyed by the flood. I am just not so sure in the Philippines, but whenever there is a water damage in Orlando, Florida, residents can readily contact water damage experts that can help restore the place in a very professional manner.

Another big problem that people need to solve whenever there are floods and water damages is in the area of document drying. Because of sudden increase of the water level in houses, the residents tend to panic and save only those materials and possessions they can get. Oftentimes, books and other important documents are neglected and get soaked in water. This is why it is again, important to contact the services of companies who cater to helping with such kinds of problems.

These companies do not only focus on helping clients with their water damage problems in houses. Since they focus in helping restore houses from damages, certain companies extend to help restoring smoke damage in Orlando. When houses, or a part of the house caught fire, the other problem aside from putting off the fire, is putting off the damage caused by the smoke.

In these times of global unrest due to climate changes that happen in our environment, each one needs to be prepared for calamities such as typhoons, floods, etc. Let us be prepared and know who to call in order to restore our houses when damages occur.

A Night To Remember

We have approached the month of October again, and our church is devoting the whole month for our yearly evaluation (of the past year) and planning (for the coming year). Part of the main event that we are organizing in 2010 would be the three-days Kids Camp for our Sunday school students in our Children's Church.

We are targetting a beach resort in Subic, Pampanga, and because the place would be very near the sea, we give good review on the security, since we are expecting about thirty to fifty children whose ages range from 4 to 12.

Mornings will be devoted to divided sessions and teachings, while in the afternoon, we are planning for group competitions (cheering, banner-making and other games). For the evening, we are planning to conduct a 1-hour worship service. We are giving much thought on what we are going to do right after the worship service because we know that the children wouldn't want to go to bed and rest. We are contemplating on doing an outdoor activity in the grounds, and thought that placing an outdoor fire pit would be very lovely. The cozy fire coming from the fire pit will surely attract the children and make them want to gather together.

The idea of using outdoor fire pits was introduced to me last March 2009 when our office conducted a night-out seminar in one of the finest resorts in Puerto Galera. The event organizers prepared a fun team-building activity after dinner in the grounds, with each group finally commencing and evaluating the activity as we are gathered in the fire pit.

This is why I thought of suggesting into our Kids Camp directress that we must have an outdoor fire pit when we have the Kids Camp next year. There are outdoor fire pits available for sale in the internet, such as what is shown in the picture below:

This type of outdoor fire pit is very much ideal, especially to our Sunday school students because they actually contain lovely designs that can attract children.

Other than having them come and gather around the fire, we are also planning to set-up a place to cook barbeques and hotdogs on sticks-an activity that is ALWAYS a hit to children, and even to us, teachers. Surely, we look forward to an exciting Night to remember for our Kids Camp next year.

In Search for a new Mobile Phone

My Motorola mobile phone has totally been damaged last Friday. I went to the service center last Sunday and the crew told me that they wouldn't be able to repair the damage. It is with much regret that I wouldn't be able to get the pictures, including the phonebook memory.

Anyway, I still can get the memory card and the sim, so I really got to check out for a new mobile phone for my globe number.

There is this new mobile phone, modu, which is holding Guiness' record for the world's lightest phone at 1.5 ounce.


The phone will soon be released in the Philippines and is to be exclusively distributed by Globe Telecom.

Click here for the modu phone specs.

I'll go and check this out, see if it fits my needs.

Remembering Our Families

We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together.

~Erma Bombeck

(quote from here)

A Touch of Elegance

I got a surprise email from my former boss whom I haven’t heard of for about two years. Her family had migrated in the United States in 2006, and they have not come home in the Philippines since then. She informed me that her family has acquired a decent lot in the United States and they are on the process of building a house of their own. Knowing her, I’m sure the house, including the garden landscapes would be meticulously designed.

As I used to handle the purchasing office on her company, my work extends to finding materials and things for her personal use. Anyway, she has tried to contact me and ask if I will be able to help her in finding and procuring an ideal address plaque for her new house.

I did a research on the internet and found out that there are loads of companies supplying address plaques. Among those, I found that a Whitehall Address Plaque would be the most suitable for my boss’ needs.

Elegantly crafted and designed, Whitehall Address Plaques are made of fine grade, rust-proof materials, so consumers are ensured that their plaques are perfect for use, whether they are mounted on walls, or whether they are put as markers in the garden. Much more, the materials used can survive even the harshest weather conditions.

I have also found out that there are lots of Whitehall Address Plaques that you can choose from. You can select from a wide variety of color combinations that will best suit your house motif and design.

I have downloaded five sample designs and emailed the copies to my boss. She has initially sent a response that she’ll be having a wall mounted address plaque, and is asking if I could check on a good lawn marker as an additional purchase.

Prices vary, of course, depending on the designs, but I think they are very much reasonable. I still got to check, though, concerning shipping fees agreements, and how long we expect to receive the items, but seeing the sample products, I am sure my boss would approve the purchase.