Just two more sleep before 2010

To all my blogger buddies and blog's visitors...

May peace, love and prosperity be with you this coming 2010 and all the years to come!

Best to Bid at Bidazzled.com

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

If you are a serious Online Shopper, there is no doubt you are always in search for the best deals. And how would you like to save up to 90% on name brand merchandise while you get to help a foundation that funds the charity for lung cancer (The Ruch Foundation: www.ruchfoundation.com )? I’m certain you wouldn’t want to pass on such good opportunities. Being the case, you must visit and join auctions at Bidazzled.com.

In auction sites, these are commonly called Penny Auctions or Pay-Per-Bid auction. Bids purchased in advance are used to bid on merchandise. The price increases a few cents with each bid until auction ends when no other bids are placed. So if a new laptop ends at just a dollar, you win the laptop for a dollar!

Here’s more at Bidazzled!
· Auction winners normally save over 80% off retail
· Nobody Loses:
- Non-winners receive up to 50 Bonus Bids in appreciation for participating
- Non-winners can purchase the auction item less the investment he had in the auction
- If a winner, Bidazzled basically make an offer to buy the item back for either
Cash (paypal or check)
Cash and bids or

Bids

By using the code

*Blog BBP1202A and

*Twitter BTP1202A

your reader will get 15 additional Bids if he enters those on the registration form with no cost at all. Another good thing with Bidazzled is that bids cost at only $1 available at packs of $25.

Plus many more valuable offers to enjoy if you’ll visit the fabulous Bidazzled.site now!

Give me a break!

-->What’s your plan for Christmas? I’m sure many of you are very busy now shopping and preparing for the oncoming Noche Buena and the Christmas day itself. With me here, I see nothing special with the days ahead except that we are gonna spend Noche Buena and Christmas day with my Big Sis’ family in Bataan. It’s our first time of celebrating the holiday outside of our own home and hopefully, the altered venue and the presence of my beloved sis’ family would bring some oomph to my currently dull emotion.

I have been requesting Hubby for an out of town holiday, like one being spend on Oceanfront Myrtle Beach Resorts. I know his fund is way too low to reserve for an Oceanfront Myrtle Beach Resort, let alone book a unit in Oceanfront Myrtle Beach Hotel that’s why what I am after now is just to be anywhere but our place. For almost twenty four years, I’ve been spending each and every Christmas holidays here and that’s where I think the kick wears off. Well that’s what I feel so far. A vacation anywhere in the north would be fine with me as long as we could find a place like those of Oceanfront Myrtle Beach Hotels. Oh well, not actually! Any regular hotel will do as long as we're all together.

So far, Hubby is keeping mum on my whining. I do hope that he’d say “yes, we’re going on vacation” before the year ends. If that happens, I'd be rejoicing this early!

On Gold and Swindlers

Have I mentioned here before that we were victimized by some swindlers? Although this incident occurred a couple of years back, I came to remember the incident today coz I’m missing my gold necklaces and bracelets that were taken by some criminal syndicates. Now that the price of gold is soaring high, I wonder if I still could afford to own those valuable gold jewelries I’ve lost to those wicked men. I am just hoping that with the better economic times ahead, I’d be able to acquire some valuable gold jewelry again and perhaps, even buy some gold coins for investment. If ever, I’ll make sure I’d visit Gold Coins Gain website first to get some insights on gold investments.

Now that I am dreaming of having a new set of gold earrings, ring and necklace, I couldn’t help but recall the depressing incident we had back then.. The swindling episode happened when we went out for an overnight outing together with a couple friends and their family. Left in our house were my aging mother and my only house helper. Hubby and I were confident that everything would be well with them as we’ve warned them to be cautious with incoming calls. As we had much fun at the resort, we forgot to check on the two people we left behind. I only did so when we were about to go home. There and then, my house helper informed me that it was late when she realized she was victimized by some unscrupulous men. She said she received a phone call and was informed that we got involved in a vehicular accident and that I was brought to the hospital and my husband was supposedly brought to the jail. She was asked to get all our money and gold jewelries from our cabinets and hand it over to the man who was supposed to be the lawyer helping us with our case. She was warned to keep it from her companion. Scared for our safety, she said she searched all our cabinets and found few hundred U.S dollars from my husband’s attache case and all the nine pieces of gold necklaces and gold bracelets I just left hanging on my dresser and handed them over to the man who met her in a shopping center quite far from our place.

I was stunned when we reached home, finding all my jewelries gone. I was suspicious of my house helper so I brought her to the police precinct for investigation. However, I eventually took pity on her and decided to just release her and just kick her out of our household.

If you think that was the end of it.. you are mistaken! The swindlers attacked for the second time with the same modus operandi. We were just fortunate that the house helper we had at that time was smart enough to have figured out it was a hoax .

Posting this experience to give warning as well, especially to my blogger friends here in the Philippines.

Another Cyber Friends' Meet Up

When I learned that this blogger friend is here in the Philippines, I just left a comment on her blog wishing her to have a grand time with her family. Although I wanted to invite her for a meet up, I didn’t do coz I know she’ll be here for only a short period of time and I don’t want to minimize the valuable time she’s gonna spend with her family. But then I got a message from her asking me if we could meet up along with some of her blogger friends. I am more than eager to meet her personally so when she asked me to choose where to meet from the three places she mentioned, I said it doesn’t matter whether near or far. (as long as it’s within Metro Manila), I will see her. And Mall of Asia it was.

In MOA, I saw Sheng walking towards me. I realized, her blog’s url is true to its word - Kaiden's gorgeous mum. Sheng is indeed gorgeous! She’s visibly a fashionista. With her was Kaiden, her cute li’l man. Together we proceeded to Friday’s and there I came to meet her other blogger friend, Lena of Pinay Mom Blogs who’s with Ethan, her grandson. Actually, Lena isn’t new to me. I’ve hopped to her blogs many times before though not regularly. I told her what my impression of her was. I said I thought she’s “mataray” and she admitted she really is Mataray she maybe, but I found out she’s fun to be with. . I don’t know.. but I felt very comfortable with these two bloggers. I guess, blogger buddies would always have that especial rapport in between them. Just like us who endlessly talked of anything and everything under the sun while the two kiddos were enjoying their own time.

I’m so glad to have met Sheng and Lena in person! The faces behind those awesome blogs are now real to me, no longer imagination. This meet up is an addition to the wonderful things blogging has given me. I hope there would be more to come.

Btw, I wanna thank Sheng for that wonderful lunch we had in Friday’s' last Friday. Please give me the chance to return the favor next time around, if ever. Tomorrow you’ll be flying back to Brisbane, Australia. I wish you all the best.

Here are some of our photos:

L-R Kaiden, Sheng, me, Lena and Ethan


Just the three of us while the kiddos are
having their time.


Cutie Kaiden hugging his mom to pose for
the shoot.


Gorgeous Sheng's candid moment.


Lena's sweet smile.


The caring grandma watching over Ethan's
funny antics.


Lively performance of Friday's' crews.


Good looking guys and sexy gals made the
performances even more entertaining.

So that's what we had more or less. Though very quickly done, it's like days that we've been together. And I enjoyed the moment.

Mead Johnson, Maker of Enfamil, Loses Multi-Million Dollar False Advertising Case Against Store-Bran

This is a sponsored guest post written by a Press Release on behalf of PBM Products. Post powered by Sponzai.

GORDONSVILLE, VA., December 2 , 2009—PBM Products, LLC, a leading infant formula company that supplies store-brand infant formulas to Walmart, Sam's Club, Target, Kroger, Walgreens, and other retailers, has received a favorable jury verdict and a $13.5 million damages award in its false advertising lawsuit against Mead Johnson & Co., the operating subsidiary of Mead Johnson Nutrition Company (NYSE: MJN) (“Mead Johnson”), the makers of the national-brand Enfamil® LIPIL® Infant Formula. Mead Johnson is 83 percent-owned by Bristol-Myers Squibb.

PBM’s lawsuit claimed that Mead Johnson engaged in false and misleading campaigns against PBM’s competing store-brand of infant formulas, suggesting they do not provide the same nutrition as Mead Johnson’s brands. PBM’s store-brand infant formulas cost up to 50 percent less than Enfamil® LIPIL®. The $13.5 million in damages awarded by the jury in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia is one of the largest damages awards ever for a false advertising case.

“This decision by a jury of the people confirms that Mead Johnson’s ads have been false in suggesting that there is a nutritional difference between our store-brand formula products and their products, when in fact the only major difference is price,” said PBM CEO Paul B. Manning. “Despite Mead Johnson’s scare tactics, parents are assured that PBM’s formula products are as high quality and nutritious as Mead Johnson’s.”

U.S. District Court Judge James R. Spencer issued his written rulings yesterday following the November 10^th jury verdict. Judge Spencer’s written rulings permanently enjoined Mead Johnson from making any false statements concerning PBM's infant formula, including the claims Mead Johnson previously made in Enfamil advertising that "It may be tempting to try a less expensive store brand, but only Enfamil LIPIL is clinically proven to improve brain and eye development," and "there are plenty of other ways to save on baby expenses without cutting back on nutrition." The Court also ordered Mead Johnson to retrieve from the public domain all advertising or promotional materials containing these or any other false claims about PBM's store brand infant formula.

The details of the decision and the complaint are posted online in full at:

· http://www.pbmproducts.com/docs/Order_Laches.pdf

· http://www.pbmproducts.com/docs/PBM_Complaint_MJ_III_LIPIL.pdf

The nutritional supplements under examination in the case are two fats, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and ARA (arachidonic acid), which Mead Johnson calls “LIPIL®” solely for marketing purposes and touts as promoting infant brain and eye development. PBM’s claim focused on Mead Johnson’s direct mailing to more than 1.6 million parents of an alarming blurry picture of a child’s cartoon duck next to a clear picture of the same image which suggested that anything other than the Enfamil LIPIL® blend of ingredients is inferior and will result in poor eye and brain development. Other parts of the false advertising campaign consist of statements that only Enfamil LIPIL has been proven to confer visual and mental benefits on infants, and store-brand formulas are a “cut-back in nutrition” compared to Enfamil.

PBM successfully argued that these advertisements were false and misleading especially since PBM store- brand infant formulas have the same nutrients at the same levels as Enfamil. PBM infant formulas are formulated to contain DHA and ARA, and are sourced from the same supplier in amounts which equal or exceed the DHA and ARA in Mead Johnson’s Enfamil LIPIL®.

This decision marks the third time PBM Products has sued Mead Johnson for false advertising claims. On the prior occasions Mead Johnson admitted that it made false claims about PBM’s products. It is also the first false advertising case to focus on the issue of DHA and ARA nutritional ingredients in formula, which were introduced into the market in 2003 and have become a staple in recent years by many brands as key components for infant development.

“This jury verdict should send a significant and clear message to Mead Johnson about the way it conducts marketing and advertising for its brands,” said Manning. “This lawsuit also demonstrates our complete commitment to defending our products and the valuable brands of our retail partners.”

“As a parent and supporter of children’s medical research, I take a personal responsibility in assuring our customers that the products we produce are healthy and nutritionally equivalent to brand names like Enfamil® LIPIL®. It is important, especially now, for parents to know that there are lower priced yet highly nutritious store-brand formulas that will provide the same benefit to their children as any national brand name formula product,” Manning added.

The U.S. infant formula market is estimated at $3.4 billion and the global market is estimated at $7.9 billion.

All of PBM’s formulas, and for that matter all of U.S. infant formulas, are subject to the exacting standards of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), pursuant to the Infant Formula Act of 1980. This legislation vested FDA with the authority to ensure that all infant formula products sold in the United States provide the necessary levels of identified nutrients required for the growth of healthy babies. For more information, visit this FDA link.

PBM Products was represented by the law firm Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP. Partners from the firm’s advertising practice, Harold P. Weinberger and Jonathan M. Wagner in New York, led the team.

About PBM

PBM is privately owned and based in Gordonsville, VA. PBM companies specialize in manufacturing, distributing, and marketing consumer food, nutritional, and pharmaceutical products. For more information, visit www.pbmproducts.com.

Enfamil® LIPIL® are registered trademarks of Mead Johnson & Co.

Potpot loves Bear-bear

For the length of time that Bear-bear (the stuffed toy) was occupying that chair in the living room. Potpot (our pet and baby) loves to jump up that chair and position himself on Bear-bear's lap. That's his favorite spot to rest on. However, Bear-bear was overlooked lately. He hasn't been washed for quite a while and Potpot seems to know. He doesn't seek his lap anymore and instead chose to sleep under the center table. Probably, his own doggie smell that stuck to Bear-bear was a complete turn-off for him. (Lol!) The other day, Bear- bear had a good bath complete with a perfumed disinfectant. Fresh and sweet smelling, Potpot quickly found out. I just noticed he is back there with him when I heard his loud disturbing snore. It was obvious, he missed lying on Bear-bear’s sweet smelling lap.

I aimed my cam and shoot...


Oops!.. the cam's flash disrupted his snore
and opened his eyes.. seemingly annoyed


Then turned to look at me as if to complain...
"hey, I'm just having a nap. will you please
leave me alone?!"

And I did, coz tomorrow he will be forced to be groomed to look good for Christmas.

I’m celebrating!

It’s the 17^th year of my life after Cancer today! I praise God! He has blessed me with second lease in life with a clean bill of health. There are 1,001 reasons to be grateful for and there won’t be enough words to equate the joy and contentment that’s in my heart right now. God’s blessings are indeed endless. We only have to keep the faith!

Read the related story on my last year's post here,

God has Purpose for Everything

Charina was the daughter of our neighbor/friend. She was a typical young lady, vibrant, energetic and beautiful. At 21, she had freed herself from books and school and started to face the world full of dreams and hopes. Like any other fresh college graduates, she was starry eyed and excited on her very first job in a private office. However, fate seemed to be hostile on her. One morning when she was preparing for work, she noticed numbness in her limbs. She could no longer hold something for more than a minute. Curious with number of other symptoms, they saw a doctor. The mom was expecting that she would be prescribed an anti-biotic medicine or something similar, but was shocked by the doctor’s diagnosis. C’s kidneys were no longer functioning. They have shrunk like raisin. Apparently, C was strong willed to fight the odds. She didn’t give up, let alone be overwhelmed by all the complexities of the severity of her illness. She underwent peritoneal dialysis daily and lately switched to twice a week hemodialysis. The last time I saw C was in a jeepney going home. She appeared to be cheerful despite her state of health, still in control, so to say.

However, cheerfulness slowly slipped away. C was losing her two year battle with the disease. And the other day, I got the heartbreaking news. She has passed away. The jolly girl who’s just beginning her journey on the real world was brought to a halt by kidney malfunction. All the dreams and hopes are now gone with her. Last night we bade our last respect to C. I chose to view her coffin from afar instead of looking at her lying inside. By that, only her lively image would remain in my mind.

I was thinking …life is unfair sometimes. For a young girl full of dreams and hopes, how could she be stopped from all the pleasures she’s just about to meet and enjoy? Nonetheless, I do believe that God has plans for all of us in this chaotic but beautiful world. As one verse in the bible goes… “you can make many plans but it is God’s purpose that prevails.”

Sending our heartfelt condolences to Charina's family.

The Finest Online Ticket Broker

How many times have you planned to watch a show, a game, a concert or event but have missed doing so only because you were unable to grab a ticket or two? Not having enough time to go out and buy the tickets shouldn’t deny you the chance to watch that desired show, or concert or whatever it may be. For those who have experienced such frustrating moment, I supposed, it is only one amongst the many problems often faced by those who try to obtain their tickets from ordinary ticket sellers in the market.

To minimize your trouble regarding show, games, concert tickets or the likes, I advise that you contact ACheapSeat.com. Whether you’re looking for Grand Ole Opry House Tickets, or THE PALACE OF AUBURN HILLS TICKETS, or IRVING PLAZA TICKETS, try visiting their site and most likely than not, you’d find all of them available together with scores of popular entertainment venues all over the country. So while you’re in California trying to catch up a concert in New York, you can make arrangements online and they deliver your purchased tickets to your doorstep.

It is quite tough to find a ticket broker such as ACheapSeat. They give their customers the help and advise regarding the ticket purchased apart from the best possible price they can offer.

So maybe, the next time you want to see a game, an opera, a concert or what ever, seek the assistance of the finest online ticket broker , the ACheapSeat.com

Credit Card Freebies

One of the advantages of using your BPI credit card when paying for your purchases is getting some yummy treats like 1 piece, 2 pieces and 6 pieces Jollibee Chickenjoys. Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) is offering these promo items in exchange for Credit card receipts amounting to P1,000., P3,000., and P6,000., respectively. Not bad at all coz apart from those freebies, you still garner reward points that could be exchanged for more valuable gifts. And I heard, for a single credit card receipt of P3,000 you can also claim a dinner item from Friday’s Resto.

Just some words of advice though: Don’t use your credit card for purchases you can’t afford to pay. You’d definitely find yourself in a pit hole of endless bank charges and penalties that would be too deep to get out of.

See you again and have a happy weekend!

RJ Bar: Plays the music for the young once

I will use again the over used phrase. …how time flies so quickly! Who would think that this oldie mom used to frequent Folk Houses and Discos in her heydays. Lol! It seems like it wasn’t too long ago when almost every night of the week was spent in different Discos and Music Bar in town like Stargazer Disco in Holiday Inn Hotel(was it Silahis then?), or Siete Pecados in Philippine Plaza Hotel, or Circuit Disco in Regent of Manila and in practically all the popular night places in town. (Not forgetting the very significant Boccassio Disco in Bayview Hotel). I could only sigh as I reminisce that time of my youth. I was yet in my early twenties and life was all fun and excitements. How silly I was to think that life will forever be that way, coming home with bouquets of roses and boxes of chocolates and RCPI telegrams. Ha ha ha…! Perhaps you’d wonder how the hell did I afford those when I was just a lowly ordinary office employee then. Simple! My friends that time were working in Bureau of Customs.. I’m sure you know how easy money was (or still is for that matter) for Customs people.

Other guests on the dance floor.

Well, well… those were the days and given that I was used to it, I tend to miss it. I’m glad hubby could find time to date me out on similar places. (Coz if not, he knew, I’d run amuck. Lol!) So, last Saturday we went out of the normal routine and had fun in RJ Bar in Makati. The place fits those young once like me coz they play the music of the 60’s and the 70’s. I want to emphasize though that 60’s is not my era. Lol! Anyway, I enjoyed the music so much! I wasn’t able to control my feet, so I pulled hubby to the dance floor and swung the night away. We went home hour after midnight and I feel young again!

Our 29th Celebration

Although this post is way too late, I’m still posting anyway, only to keep record of one important celebration. …our 29^th wedding anniversary last November 22nd! Oh yes, 29 is such a huge number! (as commented by a blogger friend.) But it looks like 'twas not too long ago when we were married in Malate Church one Saturday afternoon. Ahh.., my mind seemed to be stuck in time that stood still! Well, I supposed this is just normal to one aging brain like mine. Or is it? It didn’t feel like it’s already almost three decades spending our lives together. This marriage may not be perfect, but for me, it almost is! Although he's five years my junior, it didn't pose a threat to the relationship. After all, age is just a number, right? I think the significant other feels the same way! (He said so. Keeping my fingers and eyes crossed that he's telling the truth. Lol!) Belated Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart!

To celebrate the day, we drove to Subic once again. Had lunch at our favorite pit stop in NLEX , roam around Subic, went shopping… chilled out in the much loved Pizza parlor in the place and that’s about it. Celebration is done! No frilled fancy date.. . ganon yata talaga pag matanda na. Ouch! Anyhow, 'twas a wonderful day for the family!

Here are some photos taken:

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Souvenir from Blogging

Last week, I withdrew my accumulated blog earnings from Paypal. It reached a certain amount enough for me to afford the pricey jewelry I’ve always dreamed of. It’s a set of south sea pearl earrings and pendant. I’m very pleased that I finally got what I want not using hubby’s money but my own. Likewise, I had bought hubby a high quality leather wallet from Marks and Spencer. It's my wedding anniversary gift for him. I hope he liked it. Yup, it was our 29th wedding anniversary last November 22. I was too tired to blog about it though. I will post the celebration we had, soon. Anyway, I still couldn’t believe that blogging could be this worthy.

And here’s the set of south sea pearls I've bought::

Get Math Help at Very Affordable Price

For most students, math is not an easy subject. Many are having trouble in understanding the various concepts. Are you one of those who find math subject tough to deal with? Or is it your child who is having difficulty? Is it hard for you to give him the math help he needs? Now you can help him cope and even be way ahead. With TutorVista’s online math tutoring, he can have the best online math tutor 24/7. It is easy to get the online math help he needs coz you only need a PC to connect to the math tutor. Unlike the tutor in the ordinary learning centre, Tutor Vista’s online math tutoring gives you the advantage of enjoying the peace in your home and need not waste time, money and effort in traveling to and from the learning centre only to be taught for one or two hours.

TutorVista sessions are like having the actual tutor right beside you where you get to talk and interact with each other. The one on one interactive session would be a great help in understanding fully the concept of the math subject. Eventually, that would give the edge you wanted with regards to the mentioned subject you used to hate. Countless students have already benefited from TutorVista's online math tutoring. Be one amongst those and enjoy the advantage of having fun while learning. You can try their free online math help and uncover their free online math tutoring. It is for you to enjoy while you get to discover the uncomplicated world of online math tutoring for a very cheap price. So log on to their website now and get to learn the easy way!

Sicknesses Here and There

I have been too occupied recently. Apart from having caught colds and flu myself, I wasn’t feeling well yet when daughter had to be brought to the hospital for continuous diarrhea and vomiting. Fortunately, she’s now doing fine after 2 days of confinement. I felt I was released of the heavy load seeing her fully recovered, but ‘twas not for long. Because on the following day, son was hot as a burning coal after hours of shivering. Oh my! I wondered what was happening. My first reaction was …irritated! Recalling how stubborn he was with regards to eating the right food at the right time and taking for granted his vitamins. He would only eat what he wants and would not consider if it is nutritious or not. He prefers Lucky Me than veggies or would have appetite only for meat and poultry dishes. With my one on one guarding on his food intakes, he’d be nuts and we would clash. Once, he even demanded that I just leave him alone. Maybe now, you understand why I was kinda irritated! Initially, I didn’t want to mind him at all. “You were asking me to leave you alone? Alright, your request is granted!” he was tongue tied on what he heard. I just let her sister look after him in giving him medicines and keeping him dry after perspiring but only for a time being. The mother instinct in me acted otherwise. I couldn’t help but cooked him oatmeal and fried a piece of chicken, his favorite. He disliked oatmeal, but again I insisted. I was glad he finished it. Thankfully now he has recovered. Hopefully, he’d continue to abide by me. He doesn’t want being blogged. Or this would be another issue for us to argue about.

Oh well! I wonder if I’m the only mother in this world who’s caring and concerns are almost always misunderstood.

For Easy Translation

Traveling around the globe is such great fun. You get to know the culture and folklores of the countries you go to, apart from personally seeing those popular tourist attractions of places you visit. But to be in a country whose language is totally different from yours, you may find yourself completely lost in an ocean of unfamiliar words. In cases like this, the need for translators arises. Perhaps, just like when you can’t communicate well with an international business client and sending wrong messages may mean losing big business with him. Clearly, these situations call for a professional translator.

With regards to professional translation needs, Translia.com is the website to visit. They are the leader in online translation. Native, fluent and accurate translation is available 24/7. With the widest professional translator network, they have served countless satisfied clients all over the world. That’s due to the fact that they have already developed state of the art translation technology. And evidently, that made them a cut above the rest.

Brunch at the Makati Shangrila

We were in my Sil’s birthday celebration yesterday. Her daughter’s husband gave a party with the whole family as guests. The celebrant was my Sil, wife of my Kuya, our eldest in the brood of three. Actually, ours is a small family (or is it now a clan?) We rarely had the chance to gather as often as we want to and as completely as we were like yesterday. But every time my U.S. based niece comes to town, we always have a sort of grand reunion together. This time, they gave a treat and it was for her Mom's birthday! It was a brunch party at the Circles, an elegant restaurant in Makati Shangrila, a five star hotel. It was my nth time in Shang but my first time in Circles. The place was awesomely splendid. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing! A fantastic assemblage of various international cuisines arranged stylishly and served on the numerous buffet serving counters. It was a very attractive and extravagant buffet. I really love those luscious imported crabs, huge prawns, fresh salmon, tuna and other sashimis and sushis and many other different international cuisines with some cooked right in front of you. Hmnn.. I wished I had a big container inside my tummy then just so I could try all those sumptuous cuisines available, but unfortunately, I haven’t even been halfway through and I was already full. Nonetheless, I still was able to grab a little of every sinful dessert there was. Whew! I wonder what makes them so irresistible! The Brunch Birthday Party was a blast. The celebrant laughed and cried with happiness. Many had their own comedic acts that our earsplitting laughter was heard in the huge hall of the restaurant despite being secluded in an exclusive function room. It was one rare fun moment of bonding together with my Kuya’s (big brother’s) family, my Ate’s (big sister’s) and my own. Our little tots on the carpeted floor were enjoying each others presence while adults continually went back and forth to the serving counters for more of the delectable fares. Obviously, everybody’s happy. I’m sure my niece and her husband were happy as well despite footing a huge bill.

Niece and husband:
former secretary and
boss respectively. Now
married for 21 yrs.

Sil - deceased Kuya's wife

Daughter & Nil

Niece and her son

The table of happy eaters

The whole clan with only
1 nephew missing

My Kuya's family





Chandellier at the Shang Lobby

Grandnephew and grandniece

Daughter w/ police K-9

Nil and grandniece

The Enchanting Island of Mauritius

-->

Are you looking for a getaway place so serene and enchanting? Mauritius is beckoning you, the beautiful tropical island lying within the Indian Ocean. No other island is comparable to the fine white sandy beaches it has. The warm climate and scenic landscapes has captured the heart of many visitors. Mauritius will captivate your heart no end. Here, every guest is pampered with great attention. Treat yourself to a distinct gourmets Mauritius have – a creole that is a product of Indian French and African tastes. It has a excellent ritual of making its very own rum directly fresh from the sugar cane fields and is concocted for the choosy wine lover.

Mauritius wants you. It is there waiting in tranquility to give you the chance to enjoy the beauty of nature. Take the opportunity to find out its intriguing variable cultures of Christians, Muslims, Hindu and Tamils that co-exist harmoniously together. Discover the beauty of the cheerful people that presents their own promise of a perfect holiday. Beautiful hotels to accommodate you are plenty. Each hotels classy ambiance will absolutely soothe every tired soul. Rest and relax to your hearts content. Every hotel offers superb services that would definitely be instilled in your memory. Seek for perfect service and they give it to you with even more. Come to a paradise like no other. Come to Mauritius! Click here for more.

Stormy Outing

I should have been invigorated after the long holiday. But it looks like it's the contrary. I caught daughter’s colds virus and they are seeking their way to bring me down again. I just hope the anti-flu pills I took would topple these stuffy nose and aching joints. Never mind, it's not the topic anyway!

Last Friday, we headed to Balanga, Bataan once again to take advantage of the long weekend. My sis reserved two-aircond room cottages for our overnight stay in La Vista Balanga Resort not minding the whether forecast. Friday was a bright day without any sign of Typhoon Santi. Everybody, (which included Sis and her children and grandchild, Sil with her boyfriend, nephew and his family, plus my own) have been enjoying the pool at the farm-like resort that much. Food was aplenty, though I didn’t bring any. Nil told me not to, so I just obeyed her, (lol!) Sis’ and Nil’s generosity in bringing food were always there, so what else is there to worry for me? ha ha ha…
We were aware of the coming typhoon alright! But we weren’t aware that it would hit the place like in bull’s eye. Heavy rains started in the evening yet we didn’t mind. We still had fun despite the brown out. The following morning, we woke up to the pounding of strong winds. The cottage’s windows swung to and fro until broken; wall frames were falling to the floor, the trees were swaying vigorously with branches breaking off. Some trees had fallen to the ground and the swimming pools were all covered with leaves and twigs. Our dining and cooking place was in total disarray. The lighter stuff like plastic plates and cups were blown away together with even heavier ones like pots and pans. It was a complete chaos. Fortunately, typhoon Santi's havoc lasted for only few hours. At around 9am, the sky was clear again and the sun was up. As if nothing happened if only for the scattered debris around the resort. And everybody was back in the pool once again despite the tons of leaves on the water. Do you think we would have allowed it to stop having fun? No way!

Sharing you these photos:(click to enlarge)

Fallen tree after the typhoon.