Versatile Blogger (Part I)

Same as you Ate Balut, I was surprised too for considering me as one of which you think is a "Versatile Blogger." And like you also, it's my first ever blogger award! Yehey! 

There's so much joy and gratitude that I feel right now considering I'm a newbie and that I'm still creating my niche in the blogosphere. Thank you for always supporting and noticing my page, my blog posts and giving your time commenting on my thoughts. You're a love and a dear! And now, in order not to violate any of your rules and to avoid being having a punishment (LOL!), here are the following random things about me:

1.  INTROVERT. Sheepishly shy yet gladly welcomes new acquaintances that comes along. I'd wait for  somebody to approach me rather than me to make the first move.

2. DOMESTICATED. I am a homebody rather than going outdoors. However, once in a while I go out just to pamper myself and update myself on what's new around me. Haven't hang out with my college classmates for the very long time already due to my career as a working mom.

3. MUSIC LOVER. I love soothing music that relaxes my senses. I'm into rhythm & blues, jazz kind of music. I listen to the new ones depending on the beat that I like. But for my list, R&B and Jazz music is the best!

4. A LOVER FOR ARTISTRY. I can say to myself that I'm one because being an "Interior Designer" is my most coveted profession and dream. Even if I am not given the privilege and time to do my own crafts, still it remains my hidden desire until now. I like conceptualizing designs in my mind that should have been realized. Yet not given the opportunity to make it happen.

5. HAS A SWEET TOOTH. Loves coffee, chocolates, cakes & everything that is FOOD. I can drink coffee in any way it's prepared and for how many cups a day except for the strong, black one. I like it when it has combination. Same with chocolates. But I prefer the bittersweet one. I don't care if it has nuts or raisins on it. I would love to bake but don't have oven at house. So, it's still my pending thing to do

6. TRAVELER... Wanderer. Apart from being an introvert, I have this side of me that loves to go outdoors especially if means travelling for a vacation. I love to explore new places and try out their food. But that again remains in my wishlist since I have a kid to take care of, a job and constraint in my finances. That's why I'm just a wanderer in my mind as for the moment.

7. GOOD KEEPER. I am a sentimental person. I treasure things that is of value to me. That's is why I have loads of things in the house that I have to constantly check if to trash or not. I love to keep things that I think I still have to keep even if it's okay to be trashed already. Same as with the things that I do and the people around me. I am very careful with the things that I do so as not to have a bad karma. But sometimes my mouth gets out of me.

8. BLOGGER! Need to say more?

All an eagle would really like, is a teapot

All an eagle would really like, is a teapot

Freebies via blog

A lot of blog sites now have their own perks to be able to get other bloggers support and attention by giving freebies. Who wouldn't like that? I myself have been participating in such promos, contests and whatever it is called to be able to get those things. But unfortunately, I'm not the lucky one. Maybe there are much more deserving people than I am who by God's mercy are lucky enough to grab those featured items that's so cool to have. Anyway, I'm not giving out giveaways because I don't have sponsors yet. I'm still a newbie and hoping that I'll be able to give out soon (if my finances would let me).

http://firmoo.com/

In the meantime, I'm sharing to you one of the bloggers giveaways. As you all fellow bloggers know that Firmoo has been giving out plentiful of fashionable sunnies and eyeglasses to lucky bloggers. I joined pretzelgurl's "pa-contest" and hoping that I'll be lucky enough to grab one of those reading glasses for my tired and suffering eyes. You see it's been more than 5 years since I have my own reading glasses. But eventually it broke because of my carelessness. My job requires me to stare on a longer hours in front of the computer so I haven't been fair enough with my eyes. Hoping this time with God's mercy and pertzelgurl's presence in the blogosphere, I'll be the lucky one. The promo is ongoing and ends on the 13th of July. Winners to be announced on the 14th of the same month. So better join now! 

Santorini of the Philippines

As I was visiting some blog sites of bloggers here in the Philippines, I came across one site that mentioned www.dealdozen.com. In here, you can purchase items at a much lower price. As I searched for the that site and started browsing for its offers, I was hooked on to the travel & adventure section. That's how amazed I was with the grandeur of one of the hidden resorts here in the Philippines: The Bellarocca Island Resort & Spa. 

Photo from their website

It is located in Marinduque, known to be the heart of the Philippines. Marinduque (Filipino: Marinduke pronounced [mɑrinˈduke]) is an island province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA region in Luzon. Its capital is Boac. Marinduque lies between Tayabas Bay to the north and Sibuyan Sea to the south. It is located south and west of Quezon, east of Mindoro, and north of Romblon (from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marinduque). The resort is situated at the Southern part, off coast of the island of Marinduque, the Elephant Island. When I saw the photos, it looks like Santorini. I fell in love right away and thought of blogging it. Its rates are in USD, so better check their site for complete information: http://www.bellaroccaresorts.com. It's indeed more fun in the Philippines! Proud to be Pinay!

Proud to be Dabawenyo

This morning as I was watching/listening the television, the news about the top 5 Philippine schools that are said to be included in the top 300 best Asian schools caught my attention. The following Philippine universities (already listed for a couple of years now) are the University of the Philippines-Diliman (UP DIliman), Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU), De La Salle University (DLSU), University of Sto. Tomas (UST) and first time to be included is the University of Southeastern Philippines (USEP in short, as it is known by the locals) located here in our very own Davao City (show link here of the news).

As a homegrown Dabawenyo (though not a graduate of the said school), I am very proud for the achievement and accolade that it brought for the city. USEP is a state university and many consider it as like the UP-Diliman here in the city. And what I know is (about some hearsays) that it educates, develops and provides good engineers and teachers though they offer a lot of courses to choose from.

To know more about the school, you may visit their website at http://www.usep.edu.ph/.

My Beloved: It's your day!

They say that love is sweeter the second time around. Many don't know that my marriage is tested at the beginning of our lifetime together. At first it was like a bomb that hit me in pieces and denial stage has dawned in me. Many thoughts run to my head at that time because so many things were at that moment already there. It was most of me and myself alone and a friend. I want to break free but couldn't. So many reasons and realities to face and consider. But I hang on to myself and to my God. He never left me from the start until the end of my struggle. It was so real and I have to face it (come what may).

I am writing this because I want to thank my husband who strengthened my being. Despite of everything that we've been through, I will always be thankful to my Father for reasons that He only knew. It's been a roller coaster ride and I won't surrender until my dying days. To my husband, I thank you for showing me that marriage is a two way process. I know I have my downs, my weaknesses and my imperfections but still you never gave up on me. I can see you are trying and doing the best you can to provide for us. Thank you for making up and for trying to be a better husband and a father. Thank you for always being patient and considerate now with my needs and feelings. I somehow realize that being a father is a no-joke. It is a big responsibility to take as he should be the strength of the family. I salute you "Langga"/ "Papa" (to M) for standing by with us and for taking ways to support and provide for us. Thank you for showing your happiness whenever you are with us and that is enough for me to think that you love us more than anything else. I/We love you very much. Happy Father's Day!

Health is Wealth: Really!

Easier said than done. Since the middle of May, our household was not spared by any one member getting sick. First my daughter got sick because of pneumonia and viral infection which got her into rashes. Then 2 weeks after, one of my house-help got an infection because of her constant pricking of her pimple. Half of her face was bloated due to infection because of the pus already underlying her skin. We were worried because it might be an insect bit her face during one of her working chores or it might be an allergy caused by the "bagoong" which she ate with sour (green) mango. A little bit OC (obsessive compulsive) about cleanliness, I am like a mother which always remind over-and-over again and emphasize cleanliness at the very beginning. I always tell and teach them about proper hygiene and sanitation; to keep their hands clean as possible by washing with soap and water every after doing dirty chores. I am now much more particular about sweeping and disinfecting floors and other parts of the house since our house have lots of ants crawling especially if there is food not properly disposed or kept. I also tell them to wear slippers inside the house, change pillow and bed sheets once a week and to not touch their face and eyes especially if hands are not yet washed, to name a few reminders. My daughter is fond of sitting in the floor and walking in our house so I always told them to keep an eye on her and of any dirt. Again, I always tell them that it is for our own good to be hygienic in the environment and body. I don't blame them if it's not their habit to maintain proper cleanliness since they grew in a barrio in their province. But I assure them that if we continue to maintain a germ-free and clean environment, there is less likely we get sick. Right now, I make sure 70% solution Isopropyl Alcohol is readily available for proper disinfection and taking daily dose of vitamin C a must. It not only benefit our wellness but also our pockets where spending extra bucks for the medicines could be savings already. Agree?!

Mysterious Foe

Why are there people who can't accept and respect others position in the workplace or its stature in the society? Why do they have to envy people even if they already have everything in their hands? I am a victim of this kind of scenario. It just kills me because I didn't do anything to this person. If ever I did something wrong, why do this person just confront me in my face and tell me what's going on. Tell it to me straight and let's deal this professionally! Because we are now in the world of techies and gadgets, it's not appropriate to communicate thru it. The presence of the person still matters so that the message will be properly addressed. There are pieces of messages that will be said and most of times misunderstood if communicated through mobile phone. I am just distraught with this incident because of false accusations against me. I don't know what this person is trying to convey to me. But I am clueless. What the heck is happening here!

I don't know if envy takes this person to attack me. But I doubt because this person has everything (per this person said). I just don't know why this person hides his/her identity to me. I am open to any criticism because I am not a perfect person. So does he/she. Nobody is exception to the rule. Only that he/she knows better than me (this person claims). It doesn't matter to me if you're the greatest, the best as long as you deal other's fairly. I feel I'm not fairly treated. So it is unfair in my part and it bothers me a lot. However, I just wish that in time this person can face me squarely and tell me what's his/her problem with me. I just hope that he/she will realize that it started out because of his/her text to me that hurts me. All I wish that you will come up to me, face me and talk to me. Be a person enough to finish this since you started it.

Caring for my sick daughter

As a parent, I experienced the most dreaded part of being a mother. When your child is sick, there's nothing more stressful than seeing your child helpless and weak. Since last week, my 1-year-old daughter had very high fever like she's having chills. Her body temperature would not go down to 38-degree Celsius. I am afraid that it might be Dengue fever since it's very rampant now due to the rainy days. My daughter even would play with us even if we know in her eyes how weak she is. When, we decided to admit our daughter in the hospital, I feel very weak too seeing my daughter in an IV. In our second day, laboratory results shows normal in her urinalysis and CBC platelet count. However, in her X-ray result, it showed that she acquired PCAP (Pulmonary Community-Acquired Pneumonia). I was totally  mad on the nanny since I constantly remind her to take care of my daughter and to look on her shirt for any sweat. My daughter is very sweaty. Even if we are in an airconditioned room, her head sweats easily especially if the weather outside is very hot. For 3 days in the hospital, I thought that it will be over since she will be bringing her medications at home. But after her last dose of medicine and scheduled for a follow-up check-up, we noticed again rashes in her face and gradually spreading in her arms, chest and legs. Oh my God! I'm afraid it's Dengue fever again since she has slight fever. Then the doctor diagnosed that it is a viral condition. Again, I feel pity of my daughter as everyday we forced her to drink her medicine in a dropper. It is stressing to see her cry and stopping us to let her take it. Oh, how I wish I could let you see it in photos but I decided not to post it here. I am praying that she will be fine the soonest since her last medication will be this Sunday. Hoping her rashes will be gone already.

A Horror act of Parenting

As I opened my internet today, I saw a shocking and horrifying news at Yahoo! As a mother and having a child, this is a heart-breaking news that any mother could take. This video clip that was spread around the net got a lot of attention of netizens that would almost like to kill the mother who happens to abuse her child (click here to see the whole story). This baby of hers is very helpless and I would not dare to watch again the photos. It just pains my heart and pity the baby very much.

As a mother, I would not imagine this woman doing it to her own child. Spanking, pinching, pushing and kicking her own baby because the baby won't stop crying? Of course, it won't stop! She's hurting her baby more and to think her baby is crawling up to her and maybe asking for some pacifying act. But in return, she just pushed her baby. God! What the hell is this woman doing? She's totally out of her mind! I'm sorry for putting my emotions here. But I can't help to feel the sympathy towards the baby. I told my nanny always not to spank my daughter because they may actually follow it. When my baby shows her tantrums, I let her cry until she ends crying and that's the time I carry her and embrace her. I always talk to her even if I know she doesn't understand what I'm saying. What's important is I want to let my baby feel that Mama is not mad at her and I love her. My tight embrace and a kiss to her stops her crying. Babies are still fragile and delicate. Spanking and hurting them will just make things worst.

My Blog got PR1

Yey! Finally my online diary got recognized today. For these past few days, I've been trying to check if my page rank got at least a 1. But it failed and even was invalid when I try to check it via page rank checker . And at least today when I tried to check again, I got a PR 1 today. I still have a long way to go since the highest is 10. Not too bad compared to last week with no rank at all. And here's another one, I check also my blog site if how it ranked in the top blog of the Philippines and from last week's 700++, I am now at 495 (as of writing time). Thanks to all my fellow bloggers who have been visiting my site religiously and even oftentimes. If not for your support, my site wouldn't have a face in the blogosphere.