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May 30, 2009

More Water Problems.

A few weeks ago I wrote about my leaking roof. Thankfully there was a lull in the rainy weather, thus our handyman was able to work on the leak. So far so good...no more major leaks from the roof. However, this does not mean an end to my water woes. Last night, the kitchen sink decided to let out its own flood in my kitchen. Well, okay...that's a bit of an exaggeration. Maybe a puddle is a better word to describe it. Nonetheless there's a whole bunch of water under the sink. I don’t think the pipes burst or what not, because there’s no constant leak or anything. I’m thinking that it’s clogged up badly. The problem here is I'm not sure our houseboy-slash-handyman can manage that. If only solving these water problems was as simple as calling Denver Plumbing then I wouldn't be stressing about it. For me, I always feel more comfortable knowing I am getting a professional to work on my home concerns. Even though I know there are people who can manage to do simple repairs or what not when it comes to these kind of things, I feel more secure with a pro. Wouldn’t you? After all, I worked hard to get my house the way it is…it deserves the best.

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My Most Unforgettable Teacher.

Have you stopped to thank and/or honor that one person who has made a big impact in your life? I know I have!

Check out the online contest here and get a chance to win 300 pesos worth of gift certificates from National Bookstore.

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May 28, 2009

Online Learning.

One of my favorite resources for classroom discussion is the World Wide Web. I love how it opens so many avenues for learning, although I always remind my students that they should take information from the web with a grain of salt. Nonetheless I feel that the highly dynamic and opinionated discussions in online forums and the like allow my students to see many sides of the same issue. For example, this coming 2010 the Philippines will once again be electing a new president. By checking out what forums or what different political bloggers have to say, one can make a better, more well informed choice.

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May 27, 2009

Teacher's Heart Aches.


In as much as we teachers try to say we don't play favorites, we can't help but have them. I personally don't see it possibly happening, not getting emotionally drawn to a special few, I mean. I just take it in as fact that it exists but I do my darndest to not let my emotions cloud my judgement. My heart aches today because I had to bid farewell to a sweet little girl who made my year back from semi-retirement an immense pleasure. Yes, she is one of those kids who found their way to a corner of my heart and burrowed themselves deep in it's recesses that it's taking a lot of effort to dig out of there.

To be honest, she was not one of those kids who I immediately enjoyed. At first, I couldn't see why the other teachers were so fond of her. Actually, she was somewhat of a challenge at first because she was so clingy to her nanny and she would not talk to me at all, not even to say hi to me when she'd come to school. But little by little, she began to adjust to me and before I knew it, she no longer cried for yaya. Given my hectic schedule, there were days when my partner in class had to take over and I'd be away but she'd always tell me 'Cara was asking about you today'. As cheesy as it may sound, she was definitely a bright ray of sunshine that warmed my heart in the last year.

In about two weeks, another school year will start, without my little miss sunshine, but with the bright promise that I'll have a new set of kids who will work their magic with me. But for now, I just have to stand back and say my heart aches.


and making this even more about me....days like these highlight feelings of sadness about not having my "someone" to whine and complain to....thank God for my blog!

and btw...grrrr...of all days to forget my camera at home.

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May 22, 2009

Hit Me, Baby!

Well, maybe the right term is tag me baby! My dear blogger friend Earth gave me this link lovin' tag and all I can say is THANKS!


~~Begin Copy~~
This is the easy way and the fastest way to :1. Make your Authority Technorati explode. 2. Increase your Google Page Rank. 3. Get more traffic to your blog. 4. Makes more new friends.

Rules :

1. Start copy from “Begin Copy” until “End Copy” to your blog.
2. Put your own blog name and link.
3. Tag your friends as much as you can.

1. Picturing of Life 2. Juliana’s Site 3. Hazel-My Life, My Hope, My Future.4. Jeanne-The Callalily Space5.My Family is my Life 6. The Simple Life of a Baghag 7. On A Wonderful Day Like Today 8. House Everything 9. The Creativity in Me 10. Travel and Photography 11. Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow 12. You Are My Sunshine 13.Song to Remember 14. Super Blog 15. Philiippine Tv Marathon 16.Simply Blue 17. Breaking the Boundaries 18. Top Five 19. A Simple Life 20. Simple Happy Life 21.Mom’s Special Diary 22. The Mommy Journey 23. Mom Writes for a Cause 24.Earthlingorgeous.com 25. The Accidental Teacher 26. Daydream Believer 27. You're next!

~~End Copy~~

Thanks again to Ms. Gorgeous for the tag, and I'm now passing it on to my blogger friends Sire, Monique, Ryan, Jenn, Cathie, Rochelle and Jennai.


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May 20, 2009

Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

Hot off the heels of the Slumdog Millionaire's success, TV5 brings to Philippine viewers an old favorite! Starting May 23, Who Wants to be a Millionaire will be aired in our own local network. Truly, they are shaking up television as we know it!

The show will be hosted by none other than the Philippines' Bossing, Vic Sotto. The show will maintain the original British format where contestants from all over the country will have the chance to compete for the 2 million peso jackpot prize by answering a series of 15 multiple choice questions.

Do you want to be a millionaire? Interested contestants all over the country are given the chance to win millions by just simply typing in "MILLION (space) Name" to 2910 on their mobile phones, wherein an automated reply will be sent to the subscriber for the next steps.

Who Wants to be a Millionaire airs every Saturday, 6PM only at TV5.


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May 18, 2009

Summer Hiatus? Not with Direct TV!

Much as I love the summer, I hate how it marks the end of television seasons. Just last Thursday Grey's Anatomy featured the season finale. The week before it was Private Practice. Gossip Girl comes next....for the next few months, there's nothing left to watch on TV. Okay, while the summer can be a good time to do other things, nothing beats a spending the day locked in your room with the AC full blast with your friends watching something on the boob tube, right? How I wish directv was available here in the Philippines for fans like me.

Direct TV offers commercial-free exclusive programming including sports shows like NASCAR, reruns of old cable TV shows and movie channels galore. Compared to the typical cable subsciptions, Direct TV offers 100% digital and high def or HD programming.


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May 17, 2009

Movie Night: Angels and Demons



One of the flicks I have been eagerly waiting for was Angels and Demons. Thanks to TV5 and Myk, I finally got to see it!

The set was captivating! I think I got a wee bit caught up in the magnanimity of the way Rome and the Vatican was recreated that all I could mutter under my breath was "oh my gosh...". I promised myself one day I would get to go see those places for myself.

Back tracking a bit, the story is an intense suspense thriller highlighting the divide between science and religion during one of the Roman Catholic Church's darkest moments. As the Church mourns the loss of the Holy Father, crisis strikes when just before the conclave convenes, the favored cardinals for succession of the papacy are kidnapped. The tension rises as the legendary Illuminati makes its dark forces known. Symbologist Robert Langdon is then called in to unravel the mystery.

I enjoyed the movie immensely! Thank you again to TV5 and to Myk for the special screening tickets!


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May 14, 2009

You've Gotta Be Kidding Me...No AC?!?

Getting in a car often means one thing to me: cold AC. It's one of the perks of being in a car! However, for some reason, AC's seem to fail when the car is a few years old.

Many people think the worst time for your car's AC to fail is in the height of summer. While being stuck in an AC-less car under extreme heat is indeed dangerous and uncomfortable, for me, it's worse when my AC fails in the middle of a storm. You see, with the heat, opening the window is an option. Even though it is not enough to overpower the heat, there is some form of a solution. However, when it's raining cats and dogs, driving a car without AC is so difficult as the glass tends to fog thus hampering visibility. Plus the inside of the car gets muggy. This reminds me, before the rainy season sets in, I should go have my car's compressor checked and find out if a diesel fuel pump is something I should look into before I get stuck in a car without air conditioning.


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May 13, 2009

Customer Satisfaction.

Not too long ago, I blogged about my displeasure with the dynamics of customer service in the Philippines. While the post was brought upon by a not so happy Starbucks experience, it was not just that particular company that has failed to provide quality customer service in my personal experience. I ended that post with a "so what" and cynical tone, thinking, based on past situations, that nothing would happen anyway even if I complained.

To my surprise, not 24 hours later I received an email from Mr. Carlo Lopez, Operations Service Manager of Rustan Coffee Corporation apologizing for the incident. What I appreciated about the letter was that it was not just an off-handed apology on the part of the corporate giants I was ranting about, but that they were not just seeking feedback to improve their services, but that there were steps being undertaken to make change happen.

In my letter I told Mr. Lopez that I felt that indeed, customer satisfaction is valued by their company. I said this because they made contact even without me filing any formal complaint to them directly, unlike in the past where I have even spoken to managers who offer nothing but a complaint form then no follow up.

Today, I received a pleasant surprise in my snail mail mailbox. As a token of appreciation for my feedback, Rustan Coffee Corporation sent me two complementary coupons :-) Although I was offered this in the initial email, I did not expect it anymore because the communication was exchanged quite some time ago, so I assumed it was once again one of those things that slip through the crack. Second point proven wrong!

In the enclosed letter, Mr. Lopez also assured me that the feedback I gave was forwarded to the District Managers to be able to ensure that better service is offered to its patrons in the future. Because of this I have a new take on the term "customer service". With or without the free coupons, I am glad to see that I, a simple customer, still matters to this particular so-called corporate giant.


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May 12, 2009

A Magicalympic Day at Enchanted Kingdom!

I have always wanted to join the Amazing Race. Seriously. However, reality prevents me from doing so...for one I am not healthy enough for it, and secondly, given my poor sense of direction and highly volatile emotionality are factors that are definitely going to work against me. Luckily, Enchanted Kingdom, the Philippines' Premiere Theme Park, graciously set the stage for my dream coming true, even if in a small way!

Last Sunday, May 10, 50 or so bloggers were invited to participate in EK's Magicalympics, Enchanted Kingdom's own version of an amazing race where tasks involving the theme park rides are given for the teams to complete. Oh what fun it was! I would have to say my most favorite games were the Anchor's Away tomato catching game and the Dodgem retrieve the flag task!

The concept of the Magicalympics stems from the companies desire to provide fun and entertaining alternatives to team building and company outings, and I think they definitely hit the mark with it! Don't just take my word for it, watch the video and see what fun the magicalympics can be.



Special thanks to Ms. Myla Miranda-Cammayo, Manager of Corporate Communications for Enchanted Kingdom for arranging a wonderful day for us bloggers. Truly, Enchanted Kingdom's magic stays with you!

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Shopaholic Stays Home.

Lately, it takes a lot to get me out of the house. Even shopping does not lure me out of the comforts of my bedroom as much as it used to. No, I am not in hibernation...the weather has just been to crazy lately thus I prefer to stay in. What's more, everything is available with a few taps on the keyboard, so not, shopaholic can still shop at home!

The thing with staying at home, however, is that I see all the things my home needs. Just the other day, for example, I noticed that many of my home appliances are kinda falling apart. The washing machine, for one, makes a loud clunking noise as it spins. I think I gotta go find a good model to replace this sometime soon. Lucky for me I can search and compare models from my trusty PC. Not only that, I can also compare prices. This will surely be a great bonus given the economic crunch.

Speaking of seeing all the thing my home needs, it's not just appliances I've noticed that need upgrading. Looking around made me realize that since I have gotten into photography lately, I should spruce up my walls with some nice frames of my photos. I also want to put some of those cute Chinese paper lanterns in my lanai and some kind of nice lamps in the corners so my living room can have a warmer feel to it.

Oooh.....I can smell a home makeover coming up!!! Let me see...is my paypal account ready?!?


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May 11, 2009

The Grey's Anatomy So-Called Wedding.

I realize this comes as a super random post, but I just have to blog about the Grey's Anatomy wedding. I am eagerly awaiting the television premiere here in the Philippines but thanks to www.greysanatomyinsider.com I know what's going to happen!

I was both thrilled and disappointed in the episode, for obvious reasons, but watching it reminded me why I loved the show so much! In the past two seasons my addiction had started to wane slightly, but in the past few episodes, I became a fan again! Thank God for Studio 23's FUSE (fresh US episodes).

Watching the show gives me a lot of insight. I love how the storylines mirror a lot of my own experiences. In many ways, it provides the psychological catharsis that I need. Not too long ago, i was in the same dark and twisty place Mer and Cristina were. While I was there, the only thing that kept me sane was watching them live out life for me. I've written several posts about that in the past here and here. Eventually I found my way out of that darkness, and now realize that, as Cristina put it in one episode, "being aware of your crap and actually overcoming your crap are two very different things"(pardon the misquote!). Now I am not just aware of what would make me feel all dark and depressed. I am actually able to do something about it, even though I can't say I am immune to being hit by moments of depression any more. Nonetheless, I am healed and whole, not because I found those pieces that I thought I was missing, but because I was able to find out that these missing things are essential in making me who I am.



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May 8, 2009

What Happens in Vegas...May Not Stay in Vegas!

Last year my mom and my siblings went to Las Vegas. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to come! I had to satisfy myself with pictures of their fabulous trip. I literally was green with envy when I saw the landmarks and attractions that are often seen in movies and tv that truly say "Las Vagas".

As I await the approval of my US visa, I am eagerly plotting out my own soon-to-be trip to sin city! I can barely wait to actually walk around the city made famous by CSI. However, I am not going to go there just for the sights. So as early as now I am browsing the internet to be able to plan the perfect itinerary. What would a trip to Las Vegas be without seeing a show, right? While planning, I came across a very interesting show by the Blue Man Group. It's an interesting concept! According to the write-up, it is an interactive show where audience participation with the blue spray painted men is key. Hmmm...getting curiouser and curiouser!!! I bet I've peaked your interest too, even in a small way! Should you be interested, you can check availability and book Blue Man Group Tickets as early as now. As soon as I get confirmation about my trip, I definitely will check that out! Let's see what happens then...and maybe when I get there what happens in Vegas, especially the shows I'll watch, may not stay in Vegas!

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iBlog 5, do you?

IBLOG5

Tomorrow is iBlog5! This will be the first time I will be attending an event such as this, and I have to say, I am indeed looking forward to it despite some apprehensions because I don't really know so many bloggers, except for those who I always hang out with. Nevertheless, I hope this becomes the start of more involvement and discoveries in the blogosphere.

Are you going?

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May 7, 2009

If All The Raindrops.

Great. My roof is leaking.

Literally, seriously leaking. Just take a look. See those little lines running across the ceiling? Water is dripping from it! I almost slipped on the wet floor so I had to put a bucket/container to catch the water.




On the bright side, I suppose it's a good thing that despite it being summer, the rains have started to come. Because of it, I was able to find out that there's a leak on the roof. Can you imagine if this happened in the midst of the rainy/stormy season? Disaster! Now that I know the roof is leaking, I can go find a solution to it.

The thing is, when I brought it up to the people here at home (also known as my family) they said we should just go to the store and buy some sealant to patch up the roof. I said maybe it would be better to check out professional services like Huron Roofing just to be sure that our home is safe. Just the mere thought of the whole roof coming down because the wood had rots out because of the rains is frightening! I also worry since, as you see in the photo, there is a chandelier nearby. I may be no expert and I could be wrong, but I would assume there is some form of electrical connection somewhere there. And isn't water bad for that?

Now if only all the raindrops were lemon drops and gum drops, then I wouldn't mind having a leaky roof!


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May 6, 2009

Flickr or Photobucket?!?

Since I've discovered the wonderful world of blogging, photography soon followed. I've discovered a new love, and its been taking up a lot of my time and hard drive space! Ok...I tend to be a bit of a tightwad when it comes to online purchasing (hello, blogspot here!!!) so I am not yet ready to take on a pro account that will allow me to host my photos.

With that said, let me ask you: flickr or photobucket?

If I were to choose one, which is better? Or is Multiply/Facebook good enough for hosting my photos??? I don't have that many anyways, but thats just for now. Wait till Santa brings me a dslr!

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May 3, 2009

Law to Order.

As a child I loved watching shows like LA Law. When I got older, I took a liking to shows like Ally McBeal, The Practice, Law and Order and Judging Amy. I preferred the more family or civil oriented law shows over the criminal ones, however, as it seemed more personal. Yes, I know it was scripted, but the cases always were interesting and captivating. Anyways, whatever type of law show it was, they gave me an idea of what the law is like and how one can fight for his or her rights, no matter how seemingly insignificant they may be to others. From simple property settlements to the value of a prenuptial agreement, even to getting and enforcing a restraining order, those television shows gave me a glimpse of the law in action. Further, it gave it a more laymans feel to it. Granted that these are just television shows, I can't help but wonder if firms like San Antonio Family-Law-Attorneys offer the same services the television counterpart does. I wonder too if the cases these firms handle are similar to the make-believe cases on television.

Hmmm...maybe its about time I should look into asking for legal advice as an alternative to ranting about my broadband problems. What do you think?

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New Lessons I've Learned From Blogging.

My fascination, should I say the least, with blogging has gone beyond just a passing fancy. Before, I used to just blog for fun, but now, it's become some alternate form of a lifestyle for me. I've learned so much from blogging, from the basics of html and the like, to more complex human interactions that, to be honest, I did not expect to learn.

It's funny how much my life has changed because of what I do in the world wide web. I think blogging has made me a better person in so many ways. One big lesson I've learned is to hold my tongue, both literally and figuratively. Because I've been online, I've learned how to stop and think about what I will say. Unlike before, I used to just say things at the spur of the moment or perhaps as a reflex.

Another thing I've gained from blogging is the spirit of camaraderie. From simple tips and tricks shared over plurk, or perhaps offering a helping hand whether on or off line, I have learned to expand my social circles to welcome new people in.
On a personal level I've learned to take risks. Be it purchasing my own domain and feeling my way through setting it up, these little achievements have given me the opportunity to explore the vastness of what I can do. What's more, it allows me to challenge my own capabilities and belief in myself.

One of my favorite gifts from blogging, however, is the chance it fives me to be silly once in a while :-)

photo courtesy of partypicslive.com taken during the Globe event, on April 30, 2009 at the Legend Villas. Check out Globe's Sulitxt 15 or Everybodytxt 20 at your nearest Globe loading center/sari-sari store.

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May 1, 2009

Keeping Your Home Safe.

I used to resent how my lola (grandmother) used to nag me about making sure our doors at home were locked at night then after I do so, she would go and double-check. It used to make me feel like she did not trust me. At times, I'd feel that she thought I was incompetent. However, not too long ago, my cousin called me in the middle of the night saying they were victims of a home invasion. What's worse, it happened when he was at home with his wife and three young kids. This even though he and his wife are quite meticulous about locking up after themselves. From that time on, I became more appreciative of my grandmother's nagging. I became more aware of how to keep the house safe from these unlawful elements. Since I'm such an internet addict, I decided to look up more ways of being protected, especially given the high incidences of crime in the city. It seems that because of the poor economy and difficult times, people are resorting more and more to crime to make a quick buck. Anyway, I came across this Home Security Blog which gave a lot of ideas from low-cost security measures to tools, gadgets and equipment that can deter home invaders and keep your home safe. After reading a bit, I went out and checked on whether our home front door is vulnerable to burglars. Thankfully, my home passed the test! What about you? Are you safe at home?

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