Mongkok Experience

Yesterday I was invited to a lunch date with my colleagues but I opted to have lunch with my girl friends instead as I already miss their company. We waited for our friend to finish her meeting and we let her chose where to eat for lunch. She does not want to do with chicken and spaghetti thus our normal lunch at KFC and bangers is out of the question. I offered to eat at Gloria Maris but she hesitated to eat there thinking it was expensive. Thus we settled for a cheaper alternative which was Mongkok. I veered away from my normal order of spareribs rice and instead tried out their noodle selection. I chose Beef wanton dumpling soup for lunch and my friends ordered siomai, chicken feet and a few other dumplings for themselves. I partook a piece of their siomai and ate my noodles as it came.

At around 3:30, I felt a queasy feeling in my stomach. Good thing my meeting almost came to an end as I thought I was gonna puke at the room! I suddenly rushed to the wash room and did my thing. I threw out whatever is inside my stomach. I drank tea after but it did not do any good. Instead I puked some more. My officemate who saw me in the ladies' room advised me to go to the clinic. I was tasked to lie down for a while and the doctor gave me antacids and injected me with Plasil. I also asked my girlfriends who dined with me if they had a weird feeling in their stomach. GF1 felt ok while GF2 felt LBMish a bit.

My stomach is my biggest weakness. Yes it is the biggest part in my body and it is my weakest one as well. Doctor's initial findings is hyperacidity but I have a feeling that it was because of the food that I ate during lunch. Until then, Mongkok will be out of the list of restaurants that I would dine into until such time that I'm convinced that I have hyperacidity. I do hope this won't develop to something complicated.

Typhoon Condo Procedures

There's another typhoon coming news report say.. From typhoon Frank it is now typhoon Igme. I was caught off guard last Sunday when winds started blowing loudly and rain poured heavily.. Smashing and tapping our windows.. Good thing it did not break. It has already been our SOP to close all the windows when we hear window glass banging here in the condominium. We have standard glass windows across all units here in our place. All the bedrooms have glass windows majority of which are life sized ones. Once we hear it opening back and forth and hearing a large thud sound, it is already our call to close all windows. They say that windows break when air entering inside the house from open areas piles up creating a huge force trying to pull everything inside out. Glass windows are the first ones to break given their volatility. Next thing we knew other items will come flying out of the open window. As a golden rule inside the house, as we hear a thudding sound from other units, close all the windows including in the bathroom.

My Airline Up and Downgrade Experiences

I just learned from the news that Qantas Airlines had an emergency landing in Manila. Imagine a 1 mile per minute descending flight! Previous days, my high school friends shared me their stories of their own experience at the airport during their adventure outside the country. I pondered on the thought of sharing my experience as well during my trip to other countries.

My upgrade experience came about 5 years ago during my coming home trip from a seminar in Egypt. Unfortunately our travel agent in the office booked us for a return flight back home with a waitlisted flight from Egypt-Dubai but a confirmed flight in Dubai-Manila. I was so scared of being left from the flight as other colleagues of mine on the same flight got a confirmed ticket booking. As part of company policy, we are booked on a business class if the flight extends to more than 3 hours. As we went to the airport in Eqypt, I was asked to wait in the Economy class area. My colleagues were kind enough to wait with me and their business class privileges were foregone by doing so. I was very happy upon learning that we can still be on board the same flight and much more we were upgraded to Emirates first class rather than being in business class.

It was a one of a kind experience for me. Even though I was not dressed fit for a first class passenger - my co-passengers were mostly on business suits and looked like high profile CEOs, I enjoyed the experience, slept comfortably during my flight to Dubai.

Years have passed and I have always looked forward to being upgraded in first class from business class. Two years ago, in one of my foreign trips, I had a downgrade experience and hoping that it would never happen to me again.

I took the chance to take a vacation the week after our seminar in Vevey and tour London by myself as it was my first time to be in Europe. I enjoyed the sights and places that I've been to but I just hoped that my husband was with me then. We were being practical enough then that instead of him being with me, we saved the money since we were in the process of finalizing our house purchase.

During my last day in UK on the way to the Heathrow airport, I took the chance to indulge myself and take a cab instead of taking the Tube. I was surprised to see that the path going to Terminal 2 was closed by some policemen. I originally thought that UK deployed such a huge number of police in the airport. I had no choice but to get off my cab at Terminal 1 and pushed my big red luggage all the way to Terminal 2. Trolleys were nowhere in sight thus I managed to push my luggage minding not to miss my flight. Imagine how big international airports could be that it is such a feat to transfer from Terminal 1 to another by foot with a big luggage to drag. When I was near the escalator going to the entrance of Terminal 2, I was shocked to see that it was closed to all passengers. I managed to ask various airport personnel on why the Terminal was closed and how do we go about our scheduled flights. I only got a standard answer of "Terminal 2 is undergoing airport security procedures. Further announcements will be announced shortly."

I patiently waited near the entrance and so did other passengers. Then the number of passengers impatiently waiting grew after almost 2 hours of waiting. I panicked as my flight is drawing near. I texted my husband back home sensing that something weird is going on at the airport. I got a call from him in my mobile phone saying that based on CNN news, there was a bomb scare going on at Heathrow. Based on TV reports shown back home in cable TV, a passenger arriving from one of the European flights (Terminal 2 flights are mostly European airline flights) hurriedly ran outside and left his baggage at the Terminal. Police were doing the security check all over Terminal 2 making sure that no bomb whatsoever was installed.

I started to panic upon learning this information and thought of checking out alternative flights back home. I also started looking around hoping for a slim chance to encounter someone with a familiar face. I suddenly realized that I am in a foreign country on my own. I texted our office secretary in her mobile. Unfortunately, it was about 2 o clock in the morning back home. I was so fortunate receiving a message from her saying that she is trying to contact our travel agent as well on other possible options. Unfortunately, I need to book in airlines within the airport for flights going home. Alternative flight home are mostly by Asian airlines which are in Terminal 3. Unfortunately, I cannot take the underground pass going to Terminal 3 from Terminal 2 given the huge amount of people waiting along. Luckily, a few minutes there was an announcement that all Lufthansa passengers with the same flight as mine can now proceed to Terminal 2. I was shocked to see that a long line was waiting at my back. I managed to get an alternative flight c/o Lufthansa to Emirates but unfortunately instead of being in a business class from UK to Dubai, I am downgraded to economy class since this is the only seat available and I was very eager to go home the very same day. I did not mind the downgrade since I was looking forward to see my family again back home. With this experience, I vowed to myself never to travel alone in a foreign country again.

PUPPP: A Challenging Pregnancy Experience

I’ve already been to 2 pregnancies and I’ve had a lot of challenges encountered during my pregnancies. A few remain to be untold while some worth sharing.

One of the challenging experiences I’ve had was when I encountered PUPPP or medically known as Pruritic Urticaria Plaques and Papules of Pregnancy during my second pregnancy. I hope and pray pregnant moms won’t experience this condition. It’s comes in a non-threatening form – in the form of rashes.

I would like to share my PUPPP experience to other moms (and dads as well) just in case some might still encounter a similar condition.

PUPPP appeared during my last trimester. I was scheduled to deliver on the week of April 8 and the rashes appeared first week of February. It seemed like a normal pregnancy rash but it became worrisome to me since I noticed that it spread to other parts of my body. It appeared first in my thigh area. Then I was shocked to see that few days after, my legs were covered with rashes and after a week so did my entire arms! Imagine the look and feel of being bitten by the ants all over your legs and arms! The rashes were so itchy that I went to the derma at a nearby hospital after office hours (since my regular derma is located miles away from our office and she can’t wait for me on that particular night due to prior engagement) for a consultation on my condition. I mentioned to him that I ate some seafood during the weekend in case this could be the suspect(but I never had rashes before when I eat seafood).The derma initially suspected urticaria and he prescribed me with a corticosteroid – Clobetasol. Clobetasol can only be applied for about a week. Thankfully the itchiness subsided but after a few days, it reappeared again.

This time around I went to my regular derma and when she saw me – she suspected PUPPP. As far as I can remember her explanation, I had few hormones working against instead of working with my hormones thus a certain imbalance occurred. What she advised me was that all of these would go away once I give birth. I was advised to continue applying Clobestasol for only 2 weeks. She prescribed me to take Sarna lotion instead if I can do without Clobetasol the better. Sarna lotion when applied gives a certain cool feeling in the skin. I’ve tried as well other methods on my own that helped alleviate the itchiness (temporarily) and made my skin cool such as alternately applying Aveeno lotion and No Ad Aloe Vera lotion. Being in an airconditioned room always is also recommended (if possible turn it to the maximum cooling capacity). It is not recommended to stay in tropical or hot conditions when one has PUPPP. If I feel hot at home or in some locations, I apply ice cubes directly on my skin. In the office, I even had an electric fan directly hitting my arms and legs at the office even if air condition is turned to the maximum.

On top of the Sarna and Clobetasol and my own magic tricks, I was also prescribed with Benadryl or Itherax but I was advised to check with my OB first if she allows me to take Itherax (cause I think it is classified as a sensitive med for pregnant women that benefits should outweigh the risks when taking these types of medicines). I settled for Benadryl but I always get this drowsy feeling when I took it.

After giving birth, I did not get the itchy feeling anymore and a few days after the rashes faded away leaving no marks whatsoever in my skin.

100 Feng Shui Tips

I've always been fond of feng shui. I try to implement applicable feng shui tips I receive from SMS, friends and what I've read in books. Feng shui recognizes that small problems can have a major effect on one's life. One of the objectives of feng shui is to create a smooth gentle nurturing flow of chi through one's home. A well-kept home will always have a better chi (one can liken chi to a VIP to be welcomed).

Despite the long post, I believe feng shui tips recently consolidated for our business, relationships, family life and home (thanks to SMS recent update on feng shui!) is worth sharing to the blogging community. Read on the hundred tips I've initially gathered applicable to almost anyone:

1. Do not place an empty vase next to the main door as the new chi once it enters your office will be sucked into the vase causing nothing much left for the environment.
2. Do not allow children to sleep on double-decked beds. The child sleeping underneath will not have fresh chi and his health might be affected. If you need to use bunk beds due to space constraints, add in a metal 6-rod wind chime or a crystal sphere to break up the stale chi around the bed.
3. The company signboard should be in the wealth area so that no other competitors can be strong enough to beat you at your game.
4. Place a hanging crystal in your window as this will activate positive energy apart from looking great when the light hits them to most amazing rainbows.
5. A crystal ball can be placed on top of the phone to encourage more business calls and also to attract wealth.
6. Three-legged Toad God is a figurine used to attract wealth and abundance. Place this near your front office entrance, facing into your office for luck and wealth.
7. Don’t place a paper cutter machine next to the main door. It might cause workers to back stab/fight with each other.
8. If you wish to be a leader in your industry, place a dragon on the right hand side of your desk facing towards the window or the door. The dragon can also look into your water fountain.
9. Hanging a chandelier or crystal sphere ball in the southwest corner of your home is wonderful for activating the chi energy that stimulates romance.
10. Candles in all shapes, sizes and color are suggestive of love.
11. Make sure your child is not sitting with their back against the door if this is the only way of arranging their room, place a mirror so they can see the door behind them.
12. Make sure that nothing piercing is directed towards the chair, as this will create bad energy. Even a poster with arrows or airplanes with weapons pointing towards a room causes bad energy.
13. The laughing buddha is a symbol of health and happiness. If you stroke his belly daily, he will bring good luck. Place him anywhere in the house or place of work. Good for children’s bedroom too.
14. An ancient chinese way to good health - the 2 metal balls with high and low sound plates inside. Used to build strength and remove diseases.
15. Amethyst possesses the strongest spiritual energy.It is a remarkable stone as meditation and concentration support. Amethyst also stimulates the intellectual side of your life.
16. Round and oval-shaped mirrors in the bedroom are ideal. Full length dressing mirrors can be cleverly concealed inside a wardrobe. There should be no mirrors opposite your bed or at the side of your bed. Mirrors opposite the bed can attract a third party to the relationship.
17. In your kitchen, ensure that opposite your stove, there is no refrigerator, washing machine, washbasin and toilet. The fire and water crash causing family members to have disagreements.
18. Try not to allow children to sleep on mattresses on the floor. It causes young children to fall sick frequently. (Reason:chi will not be able to flow underneath the bed). It is also important to note that the gap between one's mattress and the floor needs to be kept clear. Sleeping directly on the floor is not ideal as it does not allow Chi to circulate below. Mattresses have the habit of absorbing Chi and need to be replaced regularly, turned regularly and given a good few hours in the sunshine every few months.
19. There should be no beam on top of your bed. The beam above causes chi to be pressured thus enabling you to have pressures in life. Also avoid sleeping under shelves heavily laden with books and old magazines. Overhead beams can be made to "disappear" by painting them the same color as the ceiling or installing a false ceiling.
20. If your child usually falls sick in the bedroom, hang a 5 rod metal wind chime as the metal element will break all the earth energies in that room.
21. Always open your bedroom windows at least once 20 min a day to allow fresh chi to come in.
22. Never give your loved one white roses. Reserve these flowers for mature people only.
23. For lovers, display a pair of mandarin ducks to symbolize happiness and fulfillment. If you are single, never display a pair of mandarin duck as this implies you wish to be single forever. Also make sure that the corners in your home is not excessively feminine.
24. Skylights are useful to bring in the extra light but there are also situations where they are best avoided. It is a feng shui no-no to include placing skylight over the cooker as this symbolizes losing your chi and losing the essence of your food out on the roof. Windows or skylights over your bed are not recommended as well since your chi is likely to be dispersed through them. This can also leave children feeling tired and drained.
25. Long straight roads generate plenty of negative chi. If this is being aimed directly at your front door, you need to screen it or deflect it. The path leading up to your front door needs to slow down the chi as it enters your home. A solid front gate can help slow the movement of negative Chi too.
26. Never place a water feature such as an aquarium or desktop fountain in the bedroom.
27. Peonies symbolize a happy love life and marriage luck. For a harmonious relationship between couples, display images or real bunches of peonies in the living room.
28. Fresh flowers in the bedroom is not conducive to harmony and love. Put them elsewhere outside the bedroom
29. Hang a painting of a phoenix to activate career luck.
30. Sleeping with the legs pointed towards the door symbolizes being carried into the “netherworld”.
31. Never sit with the door behind you in the office.
32. Display calligraphy of prosperity, good luck and fortune in the east, southeast, north and south areas.
33. A huge pile of papers on your work table symbolizes a mountain obstructing good Qi from coming to you and your work.
34. Tuck chinese coin tassels in books and ledgers to stimulate good business.
35. Place a picture of a mountain behind you in the office.
36. Tortoises are know as symbols of longevity and good health. Place tortoise items in the bedroom by the bedside.
37. There shouldn’t be any stairs at the entrance area of the home. Incorporate ascending steps towards the entrance door. A round rug at the foot of the stairs will allow the chi to circulate. If your doorsteps follow downwards instead, hang a wind chime between the door and stairs. In addition, stairs are best if they are solid. Openings at the back of each step allows the Chi to escape and hinder it from rising upwards. Spiral staircases on the other hand are feng shui no-no as they tend to dissipate and confuse the chi as it tries to rise or fall in the stair well.
38. Avoid putting in dirty linen basket in the southwest section of your bedroom. Current happy photos of you and your partner and symbols of relationships in the sector is ideal.
39. The best position for the main bedroom is furthest away from the front door, preferably diagonally opposite the entrance. Bedrooms positioned above garages are not adviseable as the dead space below you gives the bedroom a lack of support.
One needs to color the room wisely as well. Do not use harsh colors or colors opposing the furniture or artworks in your room. Where possible, derive the colors from your artwork to help create harmony. In your bedroom, blue while relaxing can be a little too cool. Yellow is very stimulating for the mind and you may become restless or spend hours each night reading. Peach-colored walls and furnishings are said to encourage affairs. All shades of red, including pink and salmon encourage romance.Sunny Yang colors are not good for bedrooms since its strong properties will make it hard for you to sleep. Use pastel colors instead.
40. Put your aquariums only in living rooms, offices and studies not in bedrooms, kitchen or bathrooms. If you have an aquarium, get some goldfish as they bring prosperity to your home or business. Keep your fish in quantities of three probably a total of nine.
41. Fresh air and sunlight are the best cure for moldy stale chi in the bathroom. If you have windows, open them daily and allow the sunlight.
42. Always have a wall behind your back and avoid a desk with windows behind you. This ensures that you are supported in all your career endeavors.
43. Beware of sharp wall edges directed at you or your child in the bedroom. Cover them up with curtains.
44. Hang a crystal by the window in your office or place on your table to activate positive chi as well as disperse negative ones.
45. Cranes are auspicious images of a long, fruitful life. Pace a crane figurine in areas where you and your family spend most of your time together.
46. Don’t install any water features and spiky plants such as cactus in sleeping areas as the are considered bedroom feng shui no-nos.
47. Furniture arrangements in the office should be in a neat position so the chi is able to flow smoothly. No odd angles and protruding anomalies.
48. Make your own wealth pot for wealth luck - fill a pot with coins, crystals, animal figurines and rice. Hide the pot in a cupboard.
49. There should be no tapering walls along the driveway to your home. A depletion of finances is bound to occur.
50. Keep your beds in a position that provides a solid wall behind you for support. Using this position puts you in visual command of the space and allows you to face life directly.
51. Never keep your working desk or computer in your bedroom. The logic behind this is that the energy of computer (work) and that of your rest (bed) are incompatible with each other.
52. Avoid the overhead beams, low side of a slanted ceiling, sharp angles from interior corners, and an overhead fan in a room with low ceiling in your bedrooms.
53. Hang a pink crystal in the right hand corner of your home and your bedroom to bring back the old passion to your relationship.
54. Your office must be organized and arranged efficiently. Clutter stimulates negative energy and should be kept to a minimum.
55. Keep your desk in a commanding position where you have direct view of the door, a pleasant view out the window and a wall behind you for stability.
56. The shape of your desk can affect your mood and level of productivity in the workplace. Rounded curves are flowing, encouraging the flow of creativity.
57. A kidney shaped desk follows the natural curves of the human body and is said to give you a subconscious feeling of inner alignment.
58. Place plants in your work and help you stay connected to the natural world. SInce the green color spurs creativity and new ideas, it helps you to have creative element in the office.
59. The best light is the natural daylight so move your desk close to a window but never have your desk directly in front of a window or fluorescent lights that cast a glare causing eyestrain and exhaustion.
60. Keeping plants in the office helps to have positive chi flow in corners which otherwise are neglected spaced devoid of any energy.
61. If the southeast corner of your backyard slopes down away from your house, place a light fixture in the area. Shine it up the hill towards your house to direct your wealth in it.
62. Start a fish tank or bowl and place in the wealth corner. As you feed your fish, see your finances growing. Pictures of water flowing will do as well.
63. If you have a window or door that allows you to see the back of the house from the front door, you are losing money. Opportunity might come but it easily gets lost.
64. Figurines of turtles, fishes or frogs are excellent accessories facing your front door. For example, place a frog in a dish of coins with the frog facing the door to symbolize a money bag.
65. As a kitchen tip, clear, glass canisters filled with rice, cookies or other foods symbolizes abundance.
66. Identify power spots in your home. They are directly related to your key issues. MONEY power spots: home office (if you've got one), the kitchen, wherever you usually pay bills and manages finances. CAREER power spots: front door, home office, any space where you work at home, any space where you study if you are taking classes related to your career. RELATIONSHIP power spots: your bedroom, living room, any place where you and your partner frequently spend time together.FAMILY power spots: living room, dining room, den. HEALTH Power spots: bedroom, kitchen and dining room.
67. Doors that are difficult to open are bad feng shui. This makes us difficult to progress in life. Once you've got squeaking or hard to open doors, fix them instantly as these are feng shui no-nos. Also keep the door clean, freshly painted and the hinges and locks need to be regularly oiled. Also make sure that your front door bell works and is easy to locate.
68. A cracked mirror can result in a flawed perception of yourself or a situation.Anything reflected in the mirror will be cracked as well literally or symboically.
69. Windows are regarded as the eyes of the home . They need to be large enough to allow light and chi to infuse our rooms and not too small to leaving you feeling like a recluse. Too many windows relative to the size of your space will make you feel too active. It can also serve as a bigger problem with children making them hyperactive. Dirty windows makes it hard to see clearly. This can manifest as physical eye problems or psychological ones.
70. Burnt bulbs, fixtures that don't work and inadequate lighting contribute to lack of vision, energy and initiative in that certain area related to one's life.
71. Dirt and clutter are examples of negative chi (or Sha chi). There are also other forms of negative chi affecting one's home and life. Examples of sha chi are the following: exterior "secret arrows" aimed at the house from neighboring structures, interior "secret arrows" caused by angled walls and exposed ceiling beams. Secret arrows are caused when chi flows along a smooth wal or surface and comes to a sharp angle or corner as these create turbulent energy. Another example of Sha Chi would be "fighting doors" or those that touch when opened for it can lead to increased conflict and arguments at home.
72. Flow of smooth chi will also be disrupted by sharp corner of a table, sharp shelf edges, even points, angles on a lighting fixture or a piece of statue. A sharp angle can be "cured" by placing a large plant in front of it, drape a piece of fabric over it, hang a crystal ball or wind chime on top of it.
73. A good way to remove old and unpleasant energy from one's house is to use an orange peel cure. The aroma of fresh oranges is effective at removing negativity.
74. Energy should not disapper so quickly it has no time to do good. If your front door has an unimpeded view to the back door, block it with screens.
75. Busy streets, train tracks generate energy that move too fast to enter your home. A wall, tree, shrub can slow down or screen out fast moving negative energy. If possible keep a bamboo plant near your front door. Bamboo is a symbol of good luck. You'll attract goodness within and part of it is financial security.
76. Intersections create lots of chi. If your front door is not well situated, it could become bombarded with energy making relaxation impossible.
77. Furniture should facilitate movement and conversation. SInce the living room is a yang area, add yin influences with plants, soft cushions and perhaps a fish tank. There should be an even number of seats in the living room and the most comfortable seat should be reserved for a guest and should never have its back facing a door. Seating in the living room should be placed in a way that breaks up direct pathways. Avoiding placing the back of a lounge chair directly towards a wall.
78. Always make chi's formal entry and access from the street inviting. Overgrown hedges, hidden doors and im lighting are all barriers to chi. In one's home, chi likes to flow in gentle curves and will exit through side doors and windows. Long straight corridors will funnel chi quickly towards what's at the end.
79. Mirrors should not face a bed because the spirit leaves the body at night and sometimes might get upset at seeing its reflection causing a disturbed sleep.
80. Round dining room tables are best since the circle symbolizes heavenly blessings. Similar to living rooms, chairs should be of an even number and should be comfortable.
81. Food represents wealth in feng shui. Therefore, the kitchen can generate general happiness. Kitchens should have a balance of fire and water elements.
81. The bathroom is the most yin room in the house because of the presence of water. Yang elements such as bright colors or candles may be added in the bathroom.
82. Gardens create a pleasant view. They should contain balance and have a natural look. Flowering plants will bring good luck.
83. In Feng shui, four is the worst number because in cantonese when spoken, this sounds like a word for death. Thirteen is also unlucky since if you add 1+3=4.
84. There should be no shoes or slippers lying around outside the main door of your house. Allow space at the main door to be free and clear.
85. Chi travels about in your house looking for water to stay. If there are no water fountains or fish tanks, the chi will be dispersed by the wind.
86. If after placing a fish tank in your home for about 4 months and you get lawsuits, bankruptcy, work pressure and other probels, shift your fish tank to another location.
87. For young children, try to have their back to the wall when they write. This allows the child support and avoid letting them move about and get distracted from homework.
88. Your bed should always have a solid wall behind you. It simply means that you can go into deeper sleep and therefore enable you to have a good rest.
89. If you have a lot of work pressure, maybe its the marble table in your dining room. Change it to a wooden one.
90. Do not use a red sofa set. The color red represents the elements of fire. Having a red sofa set may increase one's heavy work pressure, troubles and obstacles.
91. In feng shui, it is more recommended to use gas rather than electricity or microwaves in the kitchen, It will definitely change the chi for the better.
92. Keeping your cupboard and your fridge well stocked implies abundance. Doing this exudes the Chi of richness, generosity and hospitality.
93. As much as possible, avoid having the bathroom opposite the kitchen. The leap from the preparation of food to the elimination of food is too violent.
94. Avoid placing a toilet adjacent to the front door. The doorway is the mouth of our home whereas the toilet it at the other end of this process.
95. The worst location of the toilent is in the middle of the home. It is a feng shui disaster when it comes to your health and wealth as the toilet is associated with waste and loss. If a toilet is centrally located in the house, place a full length mirror on both sides of the door if you can't persuade yourself to use the room as a storage room.
96. Dripping taps encourage you to waste money, noisy plumbing are disturbing on a subliminal level. Keep the bathroom light, airy and well lit.
97. Place fresh cut flower in a vase in your peach blossom sector to attract lover. Your peach blossom sector is in the south if your animal sign is Snake, Rooster or Ox.
98. Every morning, we wake up to new possibilities. The image in front of our bed needs to bear this out rather than a blank wall or an image of struggle. It is a great motivation to be greeted by an image on the wall ahead of you. The image needs to be both tranquil and uplifting.
99. Sometimes we consider that we have 2 front doors. Having these can cause unnecessary bickering and arguing amongst the occupants. The size of the front door also needs to be proportional to the size of your home. You might lose opportunities if it's too big while occupants are most likely to argue if it's too small. In addition, if a front door is made up of 2 panel sections, they need to be identical in terms of color and design as irregularities can also lead to disagreements.
100. How you position the number of your house can also have a subtle effect. For example if your house number is 22, position the second number slightly higher than the first!

Helpful Tips on Washing Kid's Clothes

Would like to share with you helpful tips on washing kids’ clothes based on my experience and a few tips I got from others (my mom, my friends, our househelp)

Read on the following should you wish:

1. Hand-wash your baby’s clothes if possible. I still ask yaya to hand-wash my son’s clothes even if he is already turning 3 years old. I might ask yaya to machine wash my son’s clothes when he goes to big school.
2. Avoid fabric softeners if necessary.. Some fabric softeners will cause allergic reactions to your baby’s skin.
3. In our country, PERLA is the best laundry bar for baby clothes. I’ve tried Cycles but I find them quite expensive since I now have 2 kids. If your NET monthly income is in the A Socio Eco income bracket, it is highly recommended to use Cycles for your baby if you wish. Apparently for me, I need to mix practicality with functionality these days thus I am currently staying with PERLA.
4. Always iron your kids' clothes for hygienic purposes (it can kill some ants and dry up moisture left especially if you don’t hang clothes in direct sunlight).
5. Follow care label instructions and your kid's even baby's clothes could last long enough for your next baby to use. My second child still uses my first-born’s clothes. Thanks to yaya’s care in hand washing and my non-compliance to family planning (my second child was conceived few months before my firstborn turned a year old) =)
6. To avoid wrinkling, wash crib sheets in warm water. If you are using a washing machine with dryer, remove from dryer as soon as they are dry in order to keep the nice, soft feeling.
7. To keep towels fluffy, shake it out before hanging it up. If you are using a washing machine with dryer, shake out before and after putting in dryer. This would open up the loops that get stuck down during washing and make them more absorbent.
8. If you are using fabric softeners on baby towels, it would make them softer (as their product descriptor applies) but it will also make them less absorbent. Thus if you are using AQUAZORB towel, it is always highly discouraged by the sales ladies to use fabric softeners on them as it loses its towel's absorbent capacity
9. As much as possible, avoid bleaching your baby’s clothes. The baby’s skin is most sensitive and can react to the bleach. It would be best to wait until your baby turns a year old when allergic reactions tend to minimize in your baby's skin. If it is really dirty/yellowy, try to bleach a few and when dried and ironed, test it on him upon wearing and check if he doesn’t have allergic reactions to it. If none, then go ahead and bleach the whites if needed.
10. Quickly sponge stains with cool water, soak in detergent for 30 minutes and then wash as usual
11. If you are using cotton diapers, washing it is sometimes easy - just rinse each soiled diaper promptly in cold/running water, soak in a solution of warm water and detergent until wash time. If you don’t want to go to the hassle of washing cotton diapers, I suggest you go with disposable diapers. I’ve tried using cotton diapers with my firstborn and surrendered for a month then shifted to using disposable diapers. It turned out to be much better and economical for me.
12. Shrinkage doesn’t happen in the wash but rather when left in the dryer for too long
13. Don’t over dry - 15 to 20 minutes should be enough. Take out the clothes just before they are completely dry as it is always best to air dry them.

I hope I was able to do my part in sharing these wonderful tips. Feel free to add up to these list if you've got your own great tips to share!

Moisturizer Search

It was only about 3 years ago that I started religiously applying moisturizer on my face. Thanks to my sister in law who previously worked in the beauty industry as well as my vain officemate who let me realized the importance of moisturizing one’s face. I used to have a hard time looking for the right moisturizer but when I was given a bottle of Elizabeth Arden’s moisturizer as a gift, I did not hesitate using it immediately.The bottle claims that it is a “perpetual moisturizer”. Hydration is guaranteed for 24 hours. One will experience continuous comfort with the advanced Filagrinol Complex and Aquaxyl.
The moisturizer was too good to be true! Unlike any other moisturizers, it feels light on the face when applied, it has a pleasant smell and helps skin maintain its own ideal moisture level. It seems that moisture was bound within the skin’s surface layers. It can be used alone or under make-up. Elizabeth Arden’s super light lotion delivers instant and lasting shine control and oil free hydration. I have an oily skin but I never experienced too much oiliness in my face whenever I apply Elizabeth Arden’s Perpetual Moisture Lotion. It can be used both in the morning and at night that I wish my bottle supply can still last me for a few more months!

I think I've been hacked!

Uh oh! My yahoo email ad seems not to be working anymore! I don't see my inbox now! It diverts me to this frustrating page on mc blah blah! I can open yahoo.com but I can't seem to open my mail inbox! I've been on this inbox since the time that I've been hooked with the internet which is about 3 years ago. Yeah I admit I am a late bloomer in the modern technology area. I can't seem to hide my frustration with what's happening that I can't help but to write about it. Modern technology can be a blessing and a curse. Most especially if you nearly depend on it..

Now I am praying that I wish I could access my mail inbox again. For sentimental reasons, I still want to maintain my original email address. Oh well, here goes.. I gotta go and find out a solution hoping to outwit modern technology.

Are you acidic?

I don't know if some of us has been asked this question already. I was quite surprise getting hold of an information about acidity as a serious problem. I did not know that it can cause cancer, hypertension, anemia, obesity, osteoporosis, tuberculosis and kidney stones. They say stress is a major cause of acidity. Is this the reason why stressed people often have ulcers? or high gastric juices? Ill effects of acidity includes a stressed out condition, depression, constipation, muscle and body pains, headaches, insomnia, weight loss or gain, lack of focus and concentration, forgetfulness, acne, eczema, dry skin, premature hair loss.

How do we find out if we are acidic? Is there such a thing as acidity level? I am dying to find out if there is such a thing. Can anyone enlighten me on this matter please? Thanks in advance!

A Fabulous Experience with Mamma Mia!

Last Thursday, we watched a special screening of Mamma Mia in Shangri-La courtesy of my cousin-in-law. She gave us 8 tickets to see the movie. Unfortunately, my husband won't be able to accompany me thus I invited my friends and gave out the other tickets to my office mates ensuring that they will watch the movie! We left the office early and arrived at the mall an hour before the screening time. Instead of taking a nice dinner, we took the chance to check out stores inside the mall. My girlfriend and I had a fabulous time as we were able to catch some items on sale - around 50% off for a nice pair of shoes. What's even better is when we used our Citibank card, we had a special offer to mark down the price of the item we wish at 50% off more! a 75% fabulous discount in total! Such a steal that we almost forgot to eat our dinner! We grabbed a bite of lovely dumplings and had some rice and off we went to the movie theater!

Inside the theater, we were given great center seats! Popcorn buckets were freely distributed for us to enjoy! When the movie started, one gets this lovely feeling of being familiar with the song wanting to sing your heart out everytime Meryl Streep or Amanda Seyfried's character singsI ABBA songs are such a hit and creates a wonderful magic with the movie that I also wanted to see the theater version of it! I regretted of missing the opportunity of seeing Mamma Mia in West End since I chose to watch Phantom of the Opera then over Mamma Mia. Chiquita, Mamma Mia, Dancing Queen, Money Money Money, S.O.S. brings back some lovely childhood memories of hearing those song played in papa's long player (if that's what it was called back then). I also loved the cinematography and the location! How I wish I could visit Greece and check out some of the country's idyllic islands!

After the movie, I could not thank my cousin enough and told her we had such a great time! On our way home, we can't help ourselves talking about how lovely the movie was and sometimes sing to our hearts' delight a part of Thank You for the Music.

Financial Management Tips

Do you have enough savings? Are you ensured? Do you have more than 5 "insurances"? Do you know your net worth? Were you able to save more than your net worth? If your answer is yes, I wish to ask how you did it and hope to give me some tips.. If you answered no to any of the above, then let's help each other out.

I am not an expert when it comes to financial matters. I am a self declared frugal but there are times that I spend just out of the whim! Though I can say I am earning quite well, I was not able to manage it carefully not until a few years back. Let me share you some tips that I was able to accumulate over time on how to improve one's financial condition.

- Spend less than what you actually earn
- Every payday, pay yourself first before others. This means to already allot a certain amount of money for savings.
- Invest wisely and save more!
- Have at most 2 credit cards. One does not need more than these actually. Remember to pay off every amount due in your card during its due date.
- Determine which are wants and which are needs. Insurance is a need. A high tech phone is a want. Travel is a want and so is jewelry. If you can afford these wants without sacrificing your need, so much the better.
- Do not put all your money in the bank. The saying "do not put all your eggs in one basket" applies to financial matters. It is not advisable to keep money in the bank more than 5x your monthly spendings. It is important to build this emergency fund as well. The minimum emergency fund one has to set up is at least 3x monthly expense.
- Divert excess amounts to insurance or other pre-need plans (life insurance, educational, endowment, pension etc..), mutual funds, bonds, stocks or equities
- If you have kids and would want to get them pre-need plans, best to get these before they turn 8 years old since rates are still low and affordable.
- Explore and join a cooperative group that you are comfortable with or has a good reputation
- If you will invest a few of your monies in the bank, best to go with reputable rural banks or have it enrolled in the bank's various strategic management growth funds.
- maximize loans- put them in good use and make sure to pay off loans when it is due.
- Take advantage of various credit cards' 0 interest schemes when you want to purchase "high ticket items" that are in a way needs for the family.
- Discuss with your family or partner any major ticket purchase that you are thinking of.
- Treat yourself once in a while
- Explore ebays, flea markets for great and affordable finds!
- Maximize housebrands and compare other brands' prices
- Buy in bulk for things you always use.
- Learn how to budget. It is best for couples to have a financial diary if they want to track down their expenses. Though this is quite tedious specially if done monthly, one will soon get a hang of this.

Have you heard of Thanakha Creams?

I'm guessing only a few have heard of Thanakha Creams. It would be good to make it known to others the benefits and inherent properties of Thanakha creams. Thanakha is a tree common in Burma. Ever wondered why Burmese women's skin are so smooth? That's because one of their beauty regimen consists of applying Thanakha Creams made solely from the bark roots of Thanakha Tree. Scientific name for the tree is Limonia Acidissima. Though the name sounds on the contrary, it has no chemical or synthetic mxtures that might possibly harm your skin. Thanakha Cream is 100% organic since the barks and roots are grounded and mixed with essential floral and herbal oils and a few drops of water.

Thanakha Creams are claimed to cause smoothening of one's skin, immediately controlling pimples and other roughness of the skin. It does not apply only to the face but to the entire body as well. It can also be used as a facial mask or a foundation that will result in a flawless skin texture.

For application, one needs to wash her face thoroughly with face and water. A pinch of Thanakha cream and diluting it with a few drops of water makes it ready to be applied to the face. If you prefer to have a facial mask, apply thickly like a mud pack whilst if one prefers to use it as a foundation, it needs to be applied thinly and can serve as a make up base.

There are a lot of Thanakha Cream types. Only Sandalwood, Rose, Shihm, Spa, Shiles, Jasmine and Kankaw can be used as both day and night creams whilst Lime and Nat can only be used as night creams. Since it is organic and merely an herbal cream, it does not cause overdosing and can be used 24 hours a day.