Yes, I Won!

What? I can't believe this, but that's the truth! I won a Grill Kit McCormick! Last March, I received an email from Nuffnang Philippines inviting me to join this Grill Nation theme by McCormick. I posted my entry "Take your grilling FLAVOR to the next level! in my food blog site, and yesterday I received my email that I am one of the lucky winners. This is my first time to join Nuffnang Contest and I am happy and no regrets being a member of Nuffnang Philippines.
Thank you very much Nuffnang Family , kindly visit and like McCormick  Facebook Account. You too can join.

Congratulations to all winners! Till the next contest.

Simple Tips

• To keep ice cream from melting so quickly, serve it in a clay pot. First, soften a pint of your favorite flavor(microwave for 15 seconds), then pack into foil-lined pots. Cover, freeze, and bring to the table.
• Do you have old placemats? Don't throw them out just yet. Revive them by making bits and pieces out of the "good" parts. trace circles and cut to make coasters; form squares and cut to make borders for photos or picture frames; or cut the designs and keep for crafts project later.
• Create a mini family gallery with a ribbon and children's hair clips. With sewing machine, stitch buttonholes into the ribbon (or just use a hole punch). Insert a clip through each hole and attach the photos. It's easy to swap in new shots whenever you like.
  

Be More Ipod Aware

Listening to tunes in public can leave you vulnerable.
The coolest thing about mobile music is that it allows you to tune out the world around you so you can peacefully chill in your own musical bubble. Problems, you may also end up tuned out to subtle signs of danger.
"Studies show that gadgets like mp3 players lower a person's awareness and slow down their reaction time." So even though you think you're paying enough attention, you're actually much more likely to ignore a red light or not realize that a sketchy guy is following you." Play it safe by keeping the volume low or by wearing only one ear bud.
Stay tuned in to your surroundings.

BREAKUP STORIES

Just reading about the heinous ways they got dumped will make you want to rent a chick flick and dive into a vat of ice cream. Which one is yours?


--Pregnant Pause--

My boyfriend, Joseph, and I were in a quasi-long-distance relationship because he did a lot of traveling for his finance job. While I'll admit that I didn't love our every-other-week arrangement, I was dealing with the situation beause I thought we were really good fo each other.
One Friday, after he'd just gotten back into town from a two-weeks stint overseas, he took me out for an amazing dinner at my favorite restaurant. We lingered for hours, enjoying the wine and great conversation. After dessert, we found our way back to his place, and he proved to me--in the sack--just how much he'd missed me. Everything seemed absolutely perfect.
But the next morning, it went to hell. While we were cuddling in bed, he blurted out that he'd gotten his ex-girlfriend pregnant, and he was getting back together with her.


--GF Numbe One--

My boyfriend had the rep of being a playboy, but I ignored all the rumors. One day I received a phone call from someone who claimed was his girlfriend. She was accusing me of making them gulo. I confronted him and he 'fessed up, saying he did have two other girlfriends---but I was the one he loved most. It was a dirty breakup, but I'm so glad I finally got out of that elationship!

Ouch!!!! It's so hard to be in a relationship, without knowing that someday you'll get hurt with someone you loved before. Be wise on choosing your partner in life.

Post Breakup Panic

If breaking up is hard to do, moving forward may seem harder. Here are some quick tips to help you cope:

1. Face Facts--Because you don't see him anymore, you'll reach a point where you forget why you broke up in the first place. I read this before at Bellaonline.com. Keep yourself grounded with what's true.
2. Find the best way to cope--Whether it's saying a final goodbye, going away on a trip, or surrounding yourself with friends, work on how you can achieve total closure.
3. Let yourself heal--Focus on healing rather than regret or revenge. Otherwise you'll be stuck with anger. Remember, "everyone recovers from a breakup on their own time table."

A Deeper Experience

To all my readers I just want to say sorry for not updating my posts. We went to Manila to celebrate the long holiday vacation. We went to Manila Ocean Park. So, I will share something about this Oceanarium.





MANILA OCEAN PARK

The first world-class marine themed park to adopt a fusion concept- bringing together in one complex an Oceanarium, a mall, a restaurant row, boutique hotel, open water marine habitats and multi-purpose function facilities.
Manila Ocean Park is open from 10am to 9pm, Mondays through Sundays. Groups requesting for earlier or evening tour schedules may be accommodated.
The journey can take about two hours to finish. Tour guides are provided for the guests to assist them in every zone. Apart from the audio narration, the guides are strategically located to help answer inquiries from guests.
Everyone entering the Park is subject to a security check. Bags, parcels and /or items shall undergo inspection before entry. They reserve the right not to allow any suspicious looking bag, parcel item or person to enter the Park. Items not allowed inside the Park may be left at a designated repository by the main entrance. Guests shall be given a claim stub to pick up their personal belongings upon exit at the Park. People under the influence or showing signs of being under the influence of drugs and alcohol will be denied entry. Drugs, firearms and other deadly weapons, and laser lights are strictly prohibited in the Park.


THE OCEANARIUM

The Oceanarium is the first and largest aquarium facility in the Philippines. Experience a wide variety of species, such as sharks, fishes and invertebrates indigenous to the Philippines and Southeast Asia. Walk through their 25-meter long underwater tunnel, surrounded by awesome creatures.
Even inside the oceanarium smoking is not allowed inside. Foods, beverages, candies and chewing gum are not allowed inside, but infant formula is allowed inside the premises.
Flash photography is not allowed as this scares the marine animals.

In their multi-media facility, we found out how we can help save the ocean and its inhabitants, we learn more about marine ecosystems, life cycles of coral reefs and other interesting facts and trivia through the use of thrilling, hi-tech devices. My four years old child really enjoyed this experience. Here are some words to remember, we found it in this facility:

• Agos (Flow)-- We begin our journey in Agos and learn about the natural flow of water from land to sea. Giant arapaima, alligator gar and various types of african cichlids can be found in this zone. At the touch pool, a hands-on experience awaits those who want to interact with some of their friendly residents, such as starfish and sea cucumber.
• Bahura (Reef)-- Bahura features some of the most fascinating creatures in the Philippine coral reefs. Find out why the clownfish loves hanging out with the magnificent sea anemone or why the Japanese spider crab is called the largest living arthropod.
• Laot (Fishing Ground)-- In Laot, we found a wide array of fish in the deeper waters of the sea.
• Buhay na Karagatan (The Living Ocean)-- We found various marine animals and how they interact with each other. I can see how they protect themselves from predators and they have techniques for finding food to survive.
• Ang Kalaliman (The Deep)-- It features different kinds of schooling fish like the barracuda. We discover why many fish feel safer in groups.

Here are some photographs taken from the Oceanarium:

What's the Meaning of Christmas

I heard this poem from a 7 year old kid, and grade-II student. She is very bright and pretty. I really admire her. She is our family friend. She delivered this poem in their Christmas party.

This poem is about a birth of Jesus Christ who went to earth to die for our sins.

One Special Night
by Matthew Hadley


One special night a long time ago
A baby was born in a stall
The shepherds arrived and offered him praise
For the baby was born to save us all.
The rich and the poor, the young and the old.

Jesus showed love, love to the world
By dying for my sin and yours
The rich and the poor, the young and the old

Starting this Christmas let us show love
To every person we meet and pray they believed
That God loves them too
For Christ came to die for us all
The rich and the poor, the young and the old.

Friendships

Making True Friends


Way back of 1988, I remember this experience of mine. We have diaries for our daily chores in school and our home, it's for our English subject. Everyday our teacher check this diaries. Here it goes:


Wednesday:
I had one of those days when nothing goes right. I was walking home from school, thinking about how bad it was, when Sarah caught up with me. She know I'd had a bad day. She started talking about our lesson and some other stuff. Soon we were laughing, and I forgot about my bad day. When we got to my house, she had to hurry home to meet her mom. She had walked with me just to cheer me up. I've been sitting here thinking about that because it just made me feel good. Friends do that, don't they?


It's a great feeling to have a friend who cares. I had learn how to make friends. It didn't just come naturally. I have had good friends and people that only pretended to be my friends. Learning to tell the difference can be kind of confusing, so I tried making a list of the things I've been learning about friendship.


Here's what I think makes A GOOD FRIEND
Maybe you can think of other things:

• You can trust friends--friends don't tell your secrets. They are honest with you. You don't have to worry that they are talking behind your back.
• Friends stand up for you-- real friends don't make fun of you in front of others. They are on your side. They will be there for you, no matter what.
• Friends Care about you--friends put your needs ahead of their own. They understand when things aren't going well, and they try to help.
• Friends Accept you--in real friendship things like skin color, family background or culture don't even matter. They accept you, and you accept them.

After I made the good-friend list, I made a list of what bad friends do:

• Pressure you into doing things that aren't right
• Insult you, judge you, gossip about you
• Don't care about what you have to say
• Don't support what's important to you
• Try to control how you act and think
• Tell lies about you behind your back

If a "friend" starts doing these things, it's a big signal to find another friend. Having no friend is better than having a bad one. One way to say it better is that it's a friend's character (who they really are on the side) that determines whether they would make a good friend or not.

Fishy Story

Philip was studying for his SAP at our place when Imee dropped in from a biking trip. He asked her to help him review as he shoved a texbook in front. She said "I wasn't up to it", but he insisted so she gave in. She opened the book on the page where a sheet of bond paper was inserted and a ring fell out. It was then that he dropped on one knee to pick it up and told her to read what was written on the bond paper..."Will you be my permanent fish?", fish being their term of endearment. He stayed on one knee waiting for her reply. Imee finally replied "YES" which prompted him to stand up and hug her. Afterwards, she excused herself because she has a manicure appointment to rush on, she was in tears the moment she stepped out of our house. Christmas came a day early that it's December 24.