State of the Nation Address 2012 Philippines

State of the Nation Address

July 23, 2012 – another memorable day of the year. This was the day when President Aquino delivered his SONA to the Congress of the Philippines at the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City. Citizens from all over the country witnessed this much awaited event of the year. Government officials and guests were also ravishingly dressed to witness the event. Of course it is not so surprising to see rallies everywhere during this day.

President Aquino delivered a speech consisting of 8890 words and he got interrupted 120 times for
applauses. His SONA this year really outnumbered the applauses he got from last year. He got 29 during his first SONA and 48 during his SONA last year. He still failed to top the record of former president Gloria Macapagal who got 126 applauses during her SONA way back in 2009. But the sudden burst of applauses meant a lot to everyone because it simply states that for the two years he has been serving the country, he is doing quite a good job.

When he talked about the “Responsible Parenthood Bill” or the much known RH Bill, he got the longest and loudest applause. Some of the officials there also gave him a standing ovation for that.

"Forgive and forget na lang ba para sa mga naulila ng limampu't pitong biktima ng masaker sa
Maguindanao? Maibabalik ba sila ng forgive and forget?" Aquino said. This was another part of his
speech where he was overwhelmed with applauses.

President Aquino had made at least 7 drafts before he got his speech done.

SONA 2012 on GDP

SONA 2012 on GDP

The State of the Nation Address is an annual requirement that every president of the Philippines should comply to. It is required to be done every fourth Monday of July. Last Monday (July 23, 2012), President Aquino delivered his third SONA to the Congress of the Philippines at the Batansang Pambansa Complex.

He got applauded 120 times which was really a greater number than his previous SONA applauds.
His speech was 8890 words. President Aquino’s speech this year was criticized both positively and
negatively by a lot of officials and citizens of the country. He gave numbers that were questioned by
some officials. They even wanted to have a research on the numbers and data that the president stated.

“Nitong first quarter ng 2012, ang GDP growth natin, 6.4 percent; milya-milya ang layo niyan sa mga
prediksyon, at pinakamataas sa buong Southeast Asian region;” Aquino said. This was one of his data
statements that received tons of criticisms from everyone that is concerned.

But if you will get to analyze the numbers, 6.4% growth is already a huge number. For a country with
millions and millions of people, that is already considered as a good growth change. Take yourself as
an example, there are things that you want to change from yourself but it gives you a hard time in
accomplishing it. So what more if you have to change millions of people? Every Filipino plays a vital role in this country. President Aquino’s speech consists of things that he wants for the betterment of the country. If every citizen will get to support him, he might as well report greater growth change. Let us all do our part in this country and not just criticize everything that the President says or does. If you want change, let is start within yourself.

PBB Teens Myrtle and Yves

Myrtle Sarrosa of Iloilo City was named as the PBB Teen Edition Big Winner last July 8, 2012. Of course, it did not stop there. Almost everyone was intrigued when all of them were still inside the house because of the love teams that were dramatically born. The big winner, Myrtle, and Yves Flores became one of the most intriguing couple trends in the showbiz industry. It all happened when they started sharing glimpse and sweet doings to each other inside the PBB house that really made teenager fans scream for more. They are one of the PBB teen couples that really got overwhelming criticisms from a lot of people.

The tensions, because of Kim, made their love team more intense than ever. Their love story inside the PBB house was really awaited every day and night by their fans and a lot of teenagers.

Their venture as a love team did not stop after the big night. Even until now, you can see both of
them together in different talk shows and TV programs. It is like wherever you will see Myrtle, you will eventually see Yves and vice versa. The sweet ambiance of their togetherness really became a hit.

Filipinos always love combining names of couples as sign of love teams and as for them, the
combination “MyrVes” was born. Unsurprisingly, they always get a spot in the trending topics in twitter almost every single day after the big night. Their love team is really talked about by a lot of people and even celebrities.

Though they are still young, they know their limits very well. That is one of the reasons why they
decided not to go steady in real life. Myrtle and Yves is undeniably one of the most intriguing and talked about couples this year. They are still young at heart and have a long journey ahead of them but who knows? They might end up being together in real life in the right time.

Myrtle and Yves – PBB power couple

The love team of PBB Teen Edition Big Winner, Myrtle, and ex-housemate Yves Flores which is also known to teenagers and fans as “MyrVes” has still been one of the trending topics in today’s showbiz
industry. Even though their love team has received tons of criticisms, they are still tagged as the PBB
power couple of this year certainly because they have more supporters than haters. Their love team
name “MyrVes” always grabs a spot in the trending topics in twitter which even trends worldwide most
of the time!

These two young adults are always seen together everywhere, from TV talk shows even to public
places. Their love team really brought spice inside the PBB house. Lots of intriguing moments happened including the appearance of Yves Flores’ ex-girlfriend, Kim Balot. The two young ladies were seen crying inside the PBB house and Yves was really troubled in the situation he is in. A lot of people got confused and posted criticisms on different social networking sites. It is good to know that they got to fix those issues despite of the tension inside the PBB house. Although their love team went through ups and downs, their couple cuteness is still standing strong until now. They are the teenage crowd’s best bet from all of the PBB teen couples.

Myrtle and Yves were last seen on television as guests in Vice Ganda’s show, Gandang Gabi Vice. Lots of compromising and sweet questions were thrown to both of them. One of the memorable questions was when Vice Ganda asked Myrtle why she never had a boyfriend. Myrtle stated that she is focusing more on important stuffs and then a very sweet question was thrown to Yves. Vice Ganda asked Yves if he will still court Myrtle despite of the statement she just made and Yves sweetly answered “Yes” and when asked how long, answered “Forever”. The crowd went wild after hearing those words.

Batman: The Dark Knight Rises

Batman: The Dark Knight Rises

Over the years, Batman has been loved by people of all ages from all over the world. Batman started as
a superhero in comics and then brought to the movie industry by director Christopher Nolan. Although
there are rumors that he will not be directing another batman movie anymore, still the audience goes
wild for more.

The movie itself heightened the audience’s craving and surpassed their imaginative expectations.

It became a hit from the first day it was shown in cinemas and until now. Bruce Wayne rested for 8
years in the trilogy and the appearance of his new villains and allies was completely immersing for all
the fans. The graphics and cinematic effects were all outrageously astonishing. It was a movie that
will put you right into the heart of the action. If you have watched the movie, you can really say that
they worked extra hard to capture their audience’s feeling for the last time. The movie was really an
epic one that it received standing ovations. Fans are still hoping that Christopher Nolan would still do
another batman movie although the batman saga has ended. Of course, it doesn’t mean that director
Christopher Nolan’s career is only tied with Batman. He had also made other great movies like Memento and Inception. Let’s just wait and be surprised of other movies that he will be directing, it will surely be a hit like his award-winning movies before.

If you still haven’t watched it yet, you still have the chance! Head down now at your favorite cinemas. Batman: The Dark Knight Rises is still showing.

The Dark Knight Rises

Before the movie has been shown in cinemas, it has already become one of the most criticized movies
this year worldwide. The Dark Knight Rises, a sequel movie of the comic superhero Batman, has received positive criticisms from widely known movie critics. They all had nothing but positive and great words for the movie directed by Christopher Nolan. Their positive reviews became widespread in social networking sites like twitter and facebook which have led to Batman fans be very excited for the movie.

The Dark Knight Rises even received a standing ovation during the movie’s press screening! No wonder the movie is still trending until now.

Unfortunately, Christopher Nolan already stated on one of his interviews that he won’t be directing
another batman movie. Fans were upheld with sadness but were seen with joyful eyes as they leave
happily and satisfied after watching the movie. A lot of critics have been saying that the movie
surpassed their measures and that it was the best movie of the batman trilogy.

The Dark Knight Rises was really a very immersing experience for fans because this is the part of the
trilogy where Bruce Wayne will meet new villains Selina Kyle and Bane who have been on the crusade to beat up Batman and destroy the whole Gotham City. It is also the part where new allies will come, Catwoman, Lucius Fox and Commissioner Gordon. So much for the spoilage. If you still haven’t watched the movie yet, The Dark Knight Rises is still showing at your favorite cinemas all over the Philippines! See the movie yourself and get to be amazed with the brilliant effects and story of this movie.

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Pool Supplies for Staying Safe

One of the most important parts about enjoying your swimming pool is being safe. With the proper pool supplies designed for safety, you can be sure that your family and your visitors will stay safe. Here are some pool supplies you should have installed to ensure everybody's safety.

Safety Fences
A safety fence is one of the more important ways of keeping people away from your pool when you are not around. It helps prevent pets, children and others from getting too close to the pool without proper supervision. Most pool safety fences are also designed to be climb-resistant to prevent people from climbing it and taking a swim when nobody is around as well. Many pool safety fences are designed in such a way that they can be removed in case you decide to entertain adults around the pool for a party.

Alarms
Pool alarms to go off when someone breaks the barrier where the alarm is set up. For instance, if you have your pool alarm attached to the gate leading to the pool, it will go off if someone opens the gate. Most alarms are completely portable and you can get a remote receiver that you can place anywhere in your home. These are ideal if you have small kids or pets that may get into the pool area without you knowing about it.

Safety Nets
A pool safety net works much like a pool cover. The net stretches to the length of the pool and it is designed to keep intruders out of your pool when you are away. You can get a net that is custom designed for your particular pool and they have a UV protection so it can stand up to the sun's harmful rays. The net attaches to the pool's anchors and it is easy to remove and replace for each time you use the pool.

Offers.com

Offers.com is a useful website for consumers who are looking to save money on items they plan to purchase. Online shopping is fast becoming one of the most popular ways to shop, as people are able to surf the web from the comfort of their homes and search a wide array of stores for brands and products, with just a few clicks of a mouse. Offers.com can help shoppers that already know exactly where they plan to purchase their items because it is a website that offers discount codes at hundreds of retailers. The most popular and useful offers are featured on the home page of the site, so consumers can scroll through the website and a variety of stores featured, or perform a simple search to find the exact store from which they would like to purchase items. In addition, promotional codes and discount offers are available for use immediately, so the buyer can redeem them at the store's website and watch instant savings appear right before their eyes. This site is free and does not require membership, so it is simple to use for even the most basic computer user. There are hundreds of retailers on Offers.com which translates into many types of offers (including free trials, free items, discount codes, clearance items) and free shipping on purchases. Offers.com also is divided into categories, so indecisive buyers or "window shoppers" can scroll through pages of shoes, computers, vacation spots, or clothing and see items that are available through many different retailers. In this way, Offers.com empowers customers giving them a sense of fulfillment, knowing they were able to view many options and feel confident that the right purchase decision has been made. Offers.com is the perfect one-stop shopping location for buyers looking for just about anything.

Anniversary

It's been a year since I left the corporate world and I have not looked back since. Being out of employment to explore the world of business has been one challenging feat for me. I've learned and grown the past year after all the breakdowns and breakthroughs I experienced along the way. I know that there is still so much more to learn and there will be more challenges that I have to face but being surrounded with my business mentors and business partners in our community makes everything a little bit easier.

Yesterday, after falling in line for 2 hours waiting for a cab, I was reminded of the reasons why I left employment in the first place. I never wanted to be in the crowd during payday which means long queues everywhere. Since it's the first day after a long weekend, traffic was horrible. Nothing beats taking a vacation when you want it and not when everyone else is taking a vacation as well.

With the business that I'm venturing right now, I know that me and my husband's dreams are now closer to reality. So, there's no turning back for me. Happy 1st year of being out of the corporate world to me! I'm sure I'll be celebrating more of these. :)

The Revival

Yes, I'm reviving this blog! Stay tuned! Link me up guys!

Security

Typhoon "Ondoy" left us with almost nothing. Our whole house was fully submerged in water making almost all of our appliances impossible to use. We've already moved to a much much higher place but still near our old home. Our old home is now used for room rent and the small business that my parents have.

Now that rainy season is nearing again, husband and I thought of getting a home insurance coverage for our old home to protect its contents. Coming from the insurance industry, I'm very picky when it comes to choosing which Insurance company we'll get it from. Tomorrow, I'll start asking for quotations.

Thinking about our home insurance reminds me of a friend in Texas who's asking if my previous employer offers excellent claims service since she might be getting a home insurance in Texas. My former employer boasts of great claims servicing. Probably the best we have here but I have yet to tell my friend to check with Texas Department of Insurance since there might be better insurance companies there.

Fountain of Youth

People often mistake me 5-7 years younger than my real age (I’m nearing my 30’s). Naks. Not to brag about it but I’m really flattered and they would often ask me what’s the secret to looking young. My secret – Galvanic Spa. Brad Pitt calls it wrinkle iron. Thanks to it, I look younger. It basically removes the signs of aging – wrinkles, sagging skin, uneven skin tone, it even worked on my stretchmarks! And as any mom can relate, it’s really frustating everytime you see those dreaded “battle scars”. I even thought of going to Belo before to remove these but thanks to Galvanic Spa, I can wear my two-piece swimsuit again! We all know how hectic life is these days. So many things to do, so little time! And this spa treatment is just what I needed for my busy lifestyle. It would only take 10 minutes of my time and I’m good to go. It’s like having a facial everyday right in my own home.

I also found out that this Galvanic Spa Treatment has been making some big news lately. Click here

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And, according to the German Vogue Magazine (May 19, 2008), celebrity Nicole Kidman won’t go on the red carpet without using first the Galvanic Spa Treatment. Check it out here.

You can research for Galvanic Spa in the internet yourself. So you’ll know what other people say about it. =)

If anyone has any questions about getting one or how it has effected my skin, I’d love to answer them. This can be also purchased online using a credit card anywhere in the world, so if you know of anyone who’s interested, let me know so I can assist. You can PM me here or you can reach me through my mobile at 0916-5316580 or email at bernamoldez@gmail.com.

Cheers!

Berna Moldez

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goodbye blog

I created this blog way back 2004. It was initially meant for me to keep my ex-bf (who moved to foreign land that time) updated on what's happening in my life and it was a sort of outlet for me to release my frustrations of being in a long distance relationship then. Since that relationship didn't work, I revived this blog to be a travel blog where all my "makakating paa" adventures and moments will be kept. There was a time when I made a little income here in blogging. Although hindi ko na na-career ng todo.

This blog was also witness on how my life changed tremendously when I became a wife and a mother. I shared my son's growth... husband and I's love story... my recent travels...my journey. Most times, I was not able to update this blog as frequent as I want to. Updating a lot of accounts (I recently had to open new accounts for my business) now is proving to be a hard ordeal. And so I finally decided to keep all my personals (pictures, blogs, videos, etc.) in one account. That is, my multiply account.

Ang drama pa ng sinabi ko. Point is, my blog will now have a new home and I don't intend to cross-post (i'm not sure of the term) kasi OC ako. Gusto ko lang nasa isang lugar lahat. Haha. Ang babaw. To my blogger friends, see you in multiply. =)

Add me up: http://bernagutierrez.multiply.com.

baby steps

Another smilestone by our ever adorable son. Last night, I felt lucky to have witnessed this. JB was able to manage 3 small steps without clinging to any stationary object. Since it was too fast, the moment was not captured. Malapit lapit na kaming maghabol sa isang makulit na bata. :)

2008 holiday recap

I drafted this last Jan 6 and I only got to post this now. Hehe. Talk about super delay.

Happy 2009 everyone! As I have blogged before, the holidays had been pretty crazy.

What happened during the looooooong holiday?

As my multiply-mates know, I started vacationing early on in December. Hehe. I experienced paradise for 3 days! I have to blog about this as I had a very bad encounter with the Cebu Pacific staff! I'm never flying Cebu Pacific again (or at least try to!). From now on, PAL na talaga kami. Good thing we booked PAL for our Iligan trip. PAL's service is really very different from Cebu Pacific.

Anyway, we flew to Iligan December 21 and came back to Manila December 26. I have to say it has been an "explosive" vacation. If you've been following the news, bombs were planted everywhere in Iligan before Christmas. For our safety, we tried to avoid crowded places and churches! Ang hirap because it's Christmas. I wanted to go to their big church in the city there but no can do because of the bomb threats. Since we cannot frequent the malls, husband and I decided to do something productive. We applied for our driver's license! Hehe. Since Dec 22 is still a working day, we went to the satellite office of LTO there and getting our license proved to be a breeze. It also helped that father-in-law knew a lot of people working in LTO. Hubby took the opportunity of practicing his driving skills since there are relatively few cars in Iligan as compared to Manila. I, on the other hand, is contented that I have a license that can serve as my second ID. Prior to getting my license, I only have 1 ID kasi which has my married name on it. Now, it will be easy to open bank accounts. Uuuy, foresight!

We also celebrated hubby's bday last Dec 23 with his friends, his mistah, upperclass, and some of his dad's officemates. Come Christmas day, we decided to have some pool fun. We headed again to their famous Timoga pools. As in the past, JB doesn't want to be dipped in the water. Takot sa malamig na tubig!

We got back to Manila to another crazy schedule. 3 weddings were lined up during the last week of December. Nasuot na yata ni hubby lahat ng pwedeng isuot sa wedding--barong, suit and the semiformal polo. =)

New year's celebration was a blast! Relatives from my mom's side celebrated it with us. Ang daming kids sa bahay. We prepared for the celebration by buying party hats for the kids and party poppers (alternative to paputok). We woke JB up come 11:30 para nakapag-warm up na sha when the clock strikes 12. This was a far-cry from our new year's celebration last year in Fort Magsaysay (bawal paputok and we even shared medya noche with the commanding general which means proper behavior).

It was indeed a crazy holiday but of course, we had lots of fun! Never mind if we went over our budget with all the miscellaneous expense a holiday brings. I'm thankful that husband got to go on vacation for 1 month. This has been the longest we've been together so far. Masmahaba pa to kesa sa paternity leave nya before. Because of this long break, we got to seriously talk of our long-term plans. J agreed with me that business is really the way to go if we want to spend more time as a family.

Sana holiday na lang palagi!

update

I've been neglecting this blog for the longest time. My 2008 year-end update is still in draft. I just came back from a week-long leave from the office. My aunt died last Jan 16 and the whole family went to my mom's hometown in Anda, Pangasinan to bring my tita's remains there. To all those who prayed for her and our family, thank you very much! It was indeed a very tough time for all of us especially to her husband and the 4 young children she left behind. She's only 38. I can still remember spending New Year's eve with her and her whole family. It was the first time we celebrated it together, little did we know that it will be the last.

Anyway, I'll be posting my super late 2008 holiday stories.

Busy Bee

I'm still alive! Been extremely busy with a lot of stuffs. I have yet to post my entry regarding what transpired during the looong holidays and my 2008 round up. I still have pending photos to post in multiply. I still have to prepare for JB's birthday this March (I've started last year pero naudlot because of some pressing issues). I have to prepare for the changes that will soon be happening in our lives. Change is good. And we're welcoming the initial discomfort that goes with this change. After all, this will do us good in the long run. No, we won't be living on our own. JB is the only thing that keeps my parents and titas happy. I won't take him away from them.

I will be back with a longer post. The bee has to keep buzzzzing.

checking in

Halu, halu! Singit blog amidst this crazy busy holiday! I got back from Iligan last December 26. Lots of stories there. =) We did a lot of errands when we got back and then got quite busy again with the business community Create Abundance (I'm now a core team member! Yipee!). Check out our online community here , you'll find my face in their front page. haha. Nag-plug pa noh? I'm now in for a really exciting journey towards financial freedom through this community. Na-eexcite na ko sa dami ng mga free books and audiobooks and our gatherings and all the learnings I'll acquire from my mentors there. I've blogged before that in 15 years time, we might actually be earning our first million. After I joined the community, I'm quite sure I'd be able to achieve this in 2 years time...or less!!! Exciting! My family is my greatest motivation for this. Husband is sharing my excitement as well. If you wish to be part of this great community, just let me know. You can text me at 0916-5316580 or 0923-6363614. =)

So there, we just got back today from a wedding of an officemate and we'll be waking up early morning tomorrow for another friend's wedding in Greenhills. There's also another wedding on Saturday, Jan 3. So, wedding marathon na talaga ito! hehe. New Year lang ang pahinga. =)

How's your holiday so far? =)

vacation mode

I'm very much feeling the holidays! Every weekend is hectic and we almost always start the day very very early. The past 3 days have been extra special. Will post about it in my multiply account tomorrow. Hehe. Pasuspense pa noh?

I only have to go to work until Friday and then I'm officially on vacation until January 2. Yey! Saturday will be spent on giving gifts to our relatives and godchildren because we're flying early Sunday morning to Mindanao. We will be back here in Manila on the 26th and then the days following will be busy with weddings we have to attend to (I still need to find a suit for J).

Bakasyon na naman. Happy Holidays! :)

my 5 success

Part of what I learned in my seminar last night (I'm finished with module 3 of the wealthcourse! yey!) is to list down your 5 successes everyday. That way, your successes will be more glaring than your failures. Being successful is a habit, as what my mentor told me. So let me share to you the things I consider as my successes for this day.

1. Touching words from a friend who reads my blog. Thanks Jackie. =)
2. Crocs orders. Yey!
3. An insightful discussion with husband this morning.
4. I have finally released that proposal letter that has been in draft mode for so long.
5. Finishing module 3 (well, this was late last night's success. hihi.)

Crocs for Sale!

I'm selling crocs for only 1,000 pesos! Any design! They are authentic crocs but are export overruns that's why they're cheaper than those sold in malls. Guaranteed no defects. You can view the items here. There are available designs for women, men and kids!!

For orders, you can send me a friendster message or testimonial or you can email me at the following email addresses berna.gutierrez@gmail.com or bernagutierrez@yahoo.com. Happy shopping!

come fly with me

It's confirmed. We're flying again to Iligan to celebrate Christmas with J's family. I'm excited but a bit sad. This will be my first Christmas away from home. Huhu.

I sure hope we get to go white water rafting in CDO this time and I would love to see more falls! hihi.

fruitful weekend

Saturday, i dragged the husband to our early morning appointment in Ortigas. We were to attend the Cashflow 101 workshop conducted by Create Abundance Community . I so wanted to get J involved with this, for him to get a glimpse of what I've been up to for the past weeks and for him to personally see that this could actually change our lives. I told him it was going to be fun. After all, we are only going to play a board game! This game was designed based on the best-seller book by Robert Kiyosaki and the main goal is to raise one's financial IQ. And so we headed off 8 am on a Saturday to Pearl Drive in Ortigas despite the resistance in my husband (gusto pa nyang matulog).

The game lasted for about 3 hours and yet I didn't feel it was that long. I was so caught up in the game, I even wanted to play longer. I was clueless on what to do at the start. There were opportunities being presented to me but I didn't know if it's a good opportunity or not. Not until I experienced some losses and gains was I able to learn how to really play it. Our facilitator also mentioned some points during the middle of the game which helped us decide on the opportunities. The goal of the game is to get out the rat race (which I'm in right now. my life seem to be only within the cycle of paycheck-paying bills-paycheck-paying bills). During the start of the game, all of was wanted to land in the "paycheck" box wherein we receive money from the bank. This was our salary. And then later on, when we knew better, we're all disappointed if we landed there. All we want is to land on the opportunities.

I learned a lot. And so did the husband. Now both of us has increased our financial literacy. I'm definitely playing this game again. I need to play 3 times before I can qualify for the Cashflow 202 game. If you're thinking that I just buy the boardgame, it costs a freakin' P15,000! Mahal no? If you're also interested to play this game, let me know. =) The fee is only P200 (includes lunch and bottomless iced tea while you're playing) and I promise you it will be money well spent.

Saturday was spent on raising our financial IQ, Sunday was spent for shopping. Haha. We took advantage of the Pacquiao game early Sunday morning and headed off to the Richwell Trading Center Sale in Libis. I got this information from blogger friend Mai. Since we haven't shopped gifts for our nieces,nephews and godchildren and we don't have the EQ to go to Divisoria, we decided to just buy all the toys in the Richwell Sale. As expected, the place wasn't crowded. And, again, as expected there were a lot of good items on sale! Imagine a barbie doll worth only P400! At ang ganda pa ng lalagyan. The only problem we had was the ventilation. After about 30 minutes inside the building, hubby and I were kinda nauseous already. But since I was hell-bent on completing the gifts, I shrugged off the queasiness and proceeded to rummage through the items. In less than 2 hours, we were done shopping! Hubby was extra surprised when our bill totalled to only P2,500. We bought 9 toys. All were really nice and affordable!

There were a lot of good finds there. I was amazed at the affordable Baby 1st items especially the bath tub seat I've been eyeing since time immemorial. Hubby wanted the Chicco stroller and the car seat. Educational toys were everywhere. We were so tempted to get all those for our JB but maybe due to our Saturday workshop, we had the discipline to stop ourselves from doing so. Haha. Wala sa budget ang magshopping for JB dun e. We've shopped for him already. Maybe if we'll have an extra budget towards the later part of December, we can probably drop by in the warehouse again. I figured, everything will be at rock-bottom prices on its last day (Dec 23 I think) because I noticed the salesladies further slashing the prices in half in some of the items.

After our Libis adventure, we headed to Landmark Trinoma to buy clothes for our not-so-young nieces, nephews and godchildren. Again, few people in the mall. Parking is hard though! In an hour, we were done! It's really so easy when you're not competing with a lot of people. The salesladies attended to us well.

We got home just in time for the 2pm delayed telecast! Isn't that good time management or what? hehe.. =)

me, the entrepreneur

I've been busy the past 2 weeks with this online business community which aims to teach their members to achieve financial freedom. I have always wanted to be an entrepreneur. In fact, I even enrolled myself in an MBA program before (which I still have to finish btw). When I got married and when I had JB, all the more that I felt the need to have my own business. I don't want to be a corporate slave for the rest of my life. I may have climbed up the ladder but the price I have to pay for this is very high: my time. And time with my family is very important to me especially since JB is still young (I'm hoping that I can homeschool him when he's 3) and I have to be available on the few times that the husband is home (and this sometimes doesn't necessarily mean weekends).

I can always have time if I quit my job but that would mean strain in our monthly income. So business is really the way to go. This way, I own my time and the possibility to earn is endless. So I have been racking my brain on what business to venture on. I guess the law of attraction is indeed true as I received an email one day from a fellow military wife inviting me to this business community called Create Abundance. I'm sharing this to you because on the two times that I attended their focus group discussions, I have learned a lot. We even made a major overhaul in our budgeting process because Create Abundance taught me a money management system that really works! I have already finished module 2 (the program is until module 3). There's an assignment after each module and right now, the task on hand is really testing my "diskarte" and creative abilities to the core. Still, I'm learning. It's like I'm in MBA again. Only this time, it's for free!!! I didn't have to shell out 20K per term. haha! I only have to pay for my starbucks drink everytime I meet up with the group for the discussions. This could be the start of something grand! =)

If you want to join, just click on this link. Joining will just take 5 minutes of your time and it's pretty much just like friendster, only it's a business community. You can also check their website for more info.

the sweetest words

For quite some time now, JB had been calling everybody with specific names. The only problem is, he calls everybody by how I call them. For example, he calls my dad - daddy, my mom - mommy, my tita - tita. Even his cousins, who he's supposed to call tito, he calls them kuya. The only thing he got right is how he calls his dad. And me, he doesn't address me by any name. Except for that one time when he called me "na". I suppose that was short for "berna".

Last night was monumental, I was about to leave the room to get something from the kitchen when all of a sudden JB called me "ma". And then I turned to him and saw him with a bit of frustration on his face (probably because I put him down in his crib), and then he said it again, this time it was more clear, "mama". It was the sweetest word anyone has ever said to me.

great 8!

Happy 8th month birthday baby! Mommy will be home with cake and pancit. Lola's bilin: Malimutan mo na ang cake, wag lang ang pancit. For long life daw. =)

At 8 months, you can now recognize the people around you and you now have preference as to who will carry you. You prefer daddy and lolo over everyone else, much to the delight of your dad (sha daw ang favorite mo). Everytime you'd see new faces, you won't cry, you'll just give them your killer stare. It's as if they've done something wrong. Buti na lang anak cute ka kaya hindi sila na-ooffend. haha.

You try to stand by yourself, without clinging to any object. Your favorite meals are potato and banana. You'd get mad at your lola if your lunch is just cerelac (which means lola didn't have time to cook your meals). You smile and jump everytime mommy comes home and you'd be restless until I carry you.

8 months flew by so fast. I guess I was so busy being amazed by you.

tired...and it's only monday!

It's the first day of the workweek and I already feel like it's Friday. Hubby left at 4 in the morning to head to Tarlac. Thanks to schooling, he's regularly home on weekends but I'm also constantly sleepy during Mondays. Zzzzz..

To add to my fatigue, I have a new role here in the office. This can be my time to shine, but I can also fail big time. My head is spinning with all the projects that I need to start. I need to f-o-c-u-s.

Hubby and I had a serious talk over money matters last weekend. We need to start sticking to our budget, seriously. We have had numerous spur-of-the-moment expenses which costs us a LOT. We also talked about the investments we have to make. Based on my computation and if statistics would not change for the next 15 years, we should have saved up our first million! Achieving this in less than 15 years would be fantastic. We just set a realistic timeline for us. This would entail a lot of discipline when it comes to our savings. Plus, we also want to live in our own home. This should be a reality 5 years from now. And just now, hubby texted me about a business plan that could bring us closer to our goals.

Just thinking about all these plans are making me tired already. Haha! Lack of sleep, my work, money management, plus a number of extra-curricular activities and trying to calendar all the activities for December are draining my energy. I need to go home. And sleep. And start tomorrow refreshed.

electric bills

Our last month's electric bill shoot up to a whopping Php 9,000! Considering that I don't use the aircon often and that we don't have that much appliances, I decided to take matters in my own hands and researched on how to compute for our electricity bill. All those computation in the billing statement just makes me woozy (even if I'm a math major). A colleague told me about Meralco Appliance Calculator. It's a user-friendly way of computing the cost of consumption for each appliance. It's a good indicator which of our appliances are causing the big bulk of our bill. They even have energy saving tips!

So did it work for me? I was able to account for the 7K of our bill. For the 2K, Meralco will hear from me. :P

P.S. This is not a paid post. :)

Enchanted Kingdom promo

To my friends from the military, here's good news for us all. =)

ENLISTED ENCHANTED

Promo period: October 16 to December 19, 2008

Mechanics:
1. This promotion is open to all officers, enlisted men and women of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), as well as their civilian employees, who will be given a FREE Regular Day Pass upon presentation of a valid ID.

2. For every AFP or PNP ID presented, a maximum of five (5) of their dependents or family members can avail of Good-Same-Day Regular Day Passes at a discounted rate of Php 350.00.

3. The free tickets acquired under this promotion are non transferable, cannot be rebooked and cannot be resold. Transfer of tickets will result in confiscation, and will render them null and void.

4. This promotion cannot be used in combination with any other existing EK promotion.

5. The promo offer can be availed of at the EK Front Gate Ticket counters in Santa Rosa, Laguna and at EK Makati Sales Office.

Promo runs from October 16 to December 19, 2008.

You can visit their website for more details.