Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Happy Holidays!

It is almost Christmas day! Even though we are away on vacation and I can't blog much, know that YOU are all remembered this Christmas and always. And so before the Holiday excitement and buzz sweep me away, let me leave you with good old Christmas cheers and wishes of good health, happiness, peace and love.

May Our Good Lord smile down upon us always!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone!




Bid and Be Dazzled

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Bidazzled. All opinions are 100% mine.

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Monday, December 21, 2009

TCP#20: Polar Express

Welcome to the December 22nd edition of Tuesday Couch Potatoes, where we post about a movie each week. Three days more to go and it is already Christmas! So before I proceed to our meme, allow me to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I know you are all busy with your Holiday preparations. I hope you also find the time to gather around and watch a nice Christmas movie as a family. After all, the best gift you could give yourself and your family is to spend Christmas with them. As Burton Hillis puts it, The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.

Last week, we had Musical Movies and John of Asia Today World Tomorrow featured Chicago, a movie that won six Oscars. Find out what he thinks about the movie by visiting the link.

This week's theme is A Merry Christmas Movie. If the holiday season excites you, and you love Christmas cheers, children frolicking in the snow, yuletide carols being sung by a choir and folks dressed up like Eskimos, then come join the fun!

And now for my pick for this week's theme: The Polar Express. It was in the Christmas of 2007 when I first watched this movie. I was pregnant with my little Samantha then and this movie is a very memorable one for it taught me to always believe in the wonder of Christmas. I love 3D animations and children's-book-based movies so I knew it would be worth it. In this 3D Animation film starring Tom Hanks in five roles, a child was having doubts about the existence of Santa Claus until one night when the mysterious Polar Express stopped on their doorstep and he was invited to take a ride. Find out how he came to believe Santa Claus and in Christmas in the trailer below:



Got a Merry Christmas Movie to share? Come share it with us here by entering your link to the MckLinky below:

Thank you for joining us this week on Tuesday Couch Potatoes. Next week, we will feature New Beginnings movies, movies about people being given an opportunity to start over again or a chance at second life.

P.S. My apologies for not posting the TCP early. I intended to last Monday but we got stuck in the snow from Heathrow International Airport here in England on our way to my brother-in-law's house. We didn't expect the four hours that we got stuck in traffic.

Hope to see you all again! Again, a very blessed Christmas!




Sunday, December 20, 2009

Dried Fish for Breakfast

The Hubby has requested that we have bulad or dried fish for breakfast. We received a pack of bulad and tableya or Cacao tablets from our friend last Friday so he was requesting that I cook it today.

You know how it is when you cook
bulad in your house, especially in the winter season when the air could get very dense because of the cold. It would indeed be very difficult to eliminate and mask the odor.

So before I head to the kitchen, let me just share a few tips on how to cook this very appetizing delicacy with less of the smell:


1. Light scented candles inside the kitchen before cooking. This will make the kitchen smell like heaven and absorb some of the odors. You can heat up some vinegar in water too. Dried fish aroma is basic and vinegar is acidic. This will help to neutralize the odor.

2. Cook coffee in your stove and have the coffee aroma fill the air. It also absorbs the odor considering that coffee is a good absorbent.


3. Have an air deodorizing spray handy so that you could spray it all over the house while the dried fish is cooking.

4. Cover the pan while the dried fish is cooking. Place a wet cloth soaked in baking soda over the lid. This will also absorb the smell coming out of the pan. Remove it from the heat and let it cool before opening and serving the
bulad. Remember, hot vapors (from the oil and the dried fish) rises and spreads quickly so the cooler it is, the lesser the smell.

5. If possible, cook the dried fish in one batch to avoid having to reheat the pan and spreading more odor.


That's it! I hope this works for you and will enable you to enjoy your favorite bulad without the neighbors knocking your doors down and screaming bloody murder! :D


Thank You Willa!



I received this very special Christmas tag from Willa of Smart Mommy way, way back. Thank you Willa for the very sweet thought, I really appreciate it.

Let the spirit of love gently fill our hearts and homes.
In this loveliest of seasons may you find many reasons for happiness.


A Most Blessed Christmas to you and your family!


Where Have All the Bartenders Gone?



Imagine this: you are invited to a cocktail party. You expect fun, good music, and of course great cocktail drinks. But something is amiss! No one is there to fix you your favorite Pina Colada or Margarita. Oh yes, there's no bartender! And we all know that a cocktail party ain't a cocktail party without them!

Where have all the bartenders gone? Gone to the German Bartender School to perfect their bartending skills. Being the best bartending school in Germany, this Munich Bartending School offers various courses according to your needs. You could take an introductory course such as one day sessions on barkeeping or showmixing if you just want to have fun and learn a new hobby. Or you could take a full vocational course if you want to become a professional Barkeeper or Showmixer.

Work in a 5-star hotel, a cruise ship or even in a trendy lifestyle bar and earn good money barkeeping or showmixing. Attend the best barschool in Germany now and find out the endless possibilities and windows of opportunities that will open up for you once you become a qualified Barkeeper. You will never run out of a job as a barkeeper because somehow, there will always be cocktail parties organized somewhere and looking to hire for qualified barkeepers.


Thank You for The Gifts!


She wonders what's inside...


When Samantha's name was called by "Santa Claus" last Friday, she was a bit afraid and kept saying "Nein, Nein!"I had to "drag" her on the way and hold her in my arms just so she could receive her gift. When she received her gift, she was no longer afraid but curious with what was inside the wrapping.


Enjoying her butter cookies already!

What did she receive then? She got a fleece jacket from her Auntie-Lola Anita, a long-sleeved shirt from her Auntie-Lola Cita, a box of German butter cookies and money from the Sto. Nino group and some more cash gift from Auntie-Lola Lolit.


A Jean-ny Kind Of Christmas



If you still haven't found a gift for Christmas, then you might consider giving your loved ones customized jeans. Remember how much they have been dying to buy designer jeans for themselves? You could surprise them with custom jeans or made to measure jeans, one that you embroidered yourself and "decorated". It need not be expensive but it would surely look chic and fashionable and it would show off their personality. Learn more about it at GetWear.com and you are sure to give that kind of jeans that your loved ones will surely love!


Is It Monday Yet?



I woke up a little bit disoriented today. I thought it was already Monday and I was frantic! Why? Because I still haven't done the packing nor prepared our travel documents and Monday is our flight to London! Geez! But then I realized that it is still Sunday. We were out last night for a late shopping and I was just too exhausted to remember which day is today. Glad I realized it immediately or else I would waken the entire family and ask them to help me pack! Whew! I must be getting old!

Yes, we are going away on vacation in the next couple of weeks. We are off to England to visit my brother-in-law and his family. And so I hope that before this day ends, I would have already prepared everything that I need to prepare. I don't want to forget anything AGAIN so help me God!


Christmas Presents


So I mentioned that we had an exchange gift during our Christmas Party last Friday. It was agreed that the gift should be worth only €10.00. In the Philippines, that would be equivalent to about Php650.00 and you could buy a very nice gift with that amount. But here, that is already very cheap and finding a gift that is special at that amount is quite hard. If you are buying for a child, then it is enough but if you are buying for an adult, it is difficult.

While shopping, I was thinking of buying something wearable like
sexy panties or winter accessories like hand gloves or knitted scarf but opted to buy something else. I hoped the person who received our gifts were happy. Hehe!

As for me and Hubby, we received a Non-Stick muffin baking pan and a deep red table runner. Not bad! Now I should start baking! Thank You to the ones who gave us the gift. We loved it!


An Evening Of Fun

I guess you all know that every Friday evening, the Sto. Nino group meets for a prayer devotion to the Sto. Nino or the Infant Jesus of Prague. Last Friday was a special one because after the prayer meeting, we had our Christmas Party.


Singing and dancing to our heart's content!


Samantha trying out the Limbo Rock!

It was an evening of pure fun especially for the children. Samantha was asleep when we got there though so that she didn't get to enjoy the evening until after dinner. There was dancing and good old Filipino Christmas carols were sung. And of course, Nikolaus or Sta. Claus was there to give gifts to the children. Samantha received four gifts that evening and then some cash that her "Tante-Lolas" inserted in her jacket pocket while she danced.


Nikolaus giving out gifts to the children.


Sam and me after receiving her gift from Santa.

The adults had an exchange gift too although it wasn't done in the manner that I was used to because we just claimed our "numbered" gift. I wasn't even able to say THANK YOU to the person to whom the gift was from because nothing was written on it. Perhaps next year, they will change the rules.

It was snowing outside when all this fun and excitement happened so that when it was time to go home, it was very freezing! I only felt chilly when we got home, after all the warmth and excitement of the evening has left me and exhaustion crept in.


Saturday, December 19, 2009

A Little Help From Alice

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Alice.com. All opinions are 100% mine.We all know Alice from a storybook. Many people have a lot to say about the story and about the character of Alice. Some love her but others don't. But there is one Alice that you will always like, even love. The very helpful Alice who will help make your shopping easier, without having to go through the trouble of being stuck in traffic just to get to the groceries and buy the household essentials that you need for the month.



As a mom, I know how important it is to save money so that we frequent the stores that sell the lowest available prizes, use coupons as much as we can or even avail the free shipping services. Now, here's an online service that allows moms to get all three: Alice.com. As a registered member, you get the most out of your money and get Automatic Coupons on thousands of products. The best is that you can manage all your household essentials online and have what you only need shipped to your doorstep, FREE. That means additional savings in terms of fuel and time.

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Friday, December 18, 2009

Mommy Moments: Favorite MM Entries

I really find it amazing that this meme, Mommy Moments, has been running for almost a year now. I admit I have not been able to post my Mommy Moments entries religiously but that does not mean that I do not enjoy doing it. Let me thank Chris, author of The Mommy Journey and the gracious host of this wonderful meme for initiating it. As mothers, we should all celebrate our motherhood and this meme has made that possible.

For this week's theme, we are to select three of our favorite Mommy Moments entries. Now that is a task tough considering I love every Mommy Moment that I wrote! But anyway, here are my top three picks:



Special Trips: Because we love to travel and I think that a mom's endurance is always being put to the test when on the road. You never know what will happen especially when you have a small child with you. And traveling is a great way for us to bond as a family and to spend quality time with each other.



That's My Favorite: Because everyday I spend with my little girl has allowed me to experience her likes and dislikes and get to know her better. Observing what she does on a daily basis has made me understand her better than anyone else could!



It's Daddy's Turn: Because as a Mom, I am grateful that she has a Dad. And I celebrate that reality. Not all children are fortunate enough to grow with their fathers by their side. And I just love to see the two most precious people in my life share a special bond that is only theirs.

How about you Mommy, what are your favorite MM entries? Come share it with us today!

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Thursday, December 17, 2009

What You Need To Know About Cancer


Breast cancer cells. Looks beautiful, eh? But they could kill!

I don't usually share information that I receive from my emails here in this blog because most of them are forwarded. And with forwarded information, it means that it has been long circulated and the possibility that you may have already read about it is high. But here is one article which I found really informative and is worth re-posting:

AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRY ('TRY', BEING THE KEY WORD) TO ELIMINATE CANCER, JOHNS HOPKINS IS FINALLY STARTING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY.

Cancer Update from Johns Hopkins:

1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.
2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's lifetime.
3. When the person's immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors.
4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle factors.
5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and including supplements will strengthen the immune system.
6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract etc, and can cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.
7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.
8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor destruction.
9. When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.
10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.
11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply

What To Avoid & What Not To Avoid:
  • Cancer feeds on sugar. By cutting off sugar it cuts off one important food supply to the cancer cells. Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses but only in very small amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in color. Better alternative is Bragg's amino or sea salt.
  • Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soy milk cancer cells are being starved.
  • Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little chicken rather than beef or pork. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.
  • A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).
  • Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine. Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer fighting properties. Water-best to drink purified water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.
12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines becomes putrefied and leads to more toxic buildup.
13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.
14. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6, Florescence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs, etc.) to enable the bodies own killer cells to destroy cancer cells. Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells.
15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor.. Anger, unforgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.
16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells.

Other Preventive Measures:
1. No plastic containers in micro.
2. No water bottles in freezer.
3. No plastic wrap in microwave.

Johns Hopkins has recently sent this out in its newsletters. This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well. Dioxin chemicals cause cancer, especially breast cancer. Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don't freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic. Recently, Dr. Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Cast le Hospital, was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers. This especially applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body. Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food. You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else. Pa per isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons.

Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with a paper towel instead.

I hope this information was helpful. Let us all start doing the right thing to prevent acquiring cancer. Remember, prevention is better than cure. Stay healthy, everyone!

When Jobs Are Hard to Find

The economic crisis is not yet over. Many are still struggling to find their jobs. A friend of my Hubby was one of them. In his quest for a job, he also applied for a Doctorate degree at his University. Guess what happened to him? He was accepted for the Doctorate degree. And I am sure, with it comes a part-time job, enough to help him with his daily expenses.

So his problem is solved. And soon, he will get his doctorate and even find a better job because of his additional credentials. So I guess instead of looking for a job, I should search for a Graduate course or even learn Spanish while waiting for the right time to come.


And The Snow Flakes Cometh

The past few days saw me anticipating for the white, sparkling, soft snowflakes to fall. It snowed on a number of occasions alright, but the snow is just too light to even cover the ground white. Today, it was unusually cold. Hubby was even awakened by the biting cold at around 2:00 AM and wrapped himself up with our comforter (the blanket wasn't enough this time).


Looks like a ghost town huh? The people were still inside
the warmth of their homes and it is already past 9:00 AM!


There was slow traffic due to the snow.
The roads had to be cleared first to prevent accidents.

Then when we woke up at around 6:00 AM, we saw snow falling gloriously on the ground. The snow was fluffy and large and I delightfully told myself, "now that's more like it!". It was still dark at that time so I patiently waited for light to come out so that I could go out and take a few shots. At around 9:00 AM, when daylight has really crept in, I went to our balcony and armed with only Hubby's fleece jacket to keep me warm, started taking photos. Sam stayed inside the house. She was more interested with Micky Maus Wunderhaus tv series (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse) than with the snow. :D


A view from our balcony. A strong testimony that winter
is here to stay for a couple of months or so.

The snowfall has managed to reach our outdoor plants and I felt bad to see them all wilted and freezing. I should have taken them inside when they were still green but I was too lazy and too occupied blogging. Bad me! Tsk! Tsk!


This daisy bloom braved the cold!


Even my plants had to endure the biting cold! They are all withered now... Poor dears!

Anyway, I hope you like my snapshots! More of my winter adventures in the days to come!



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