Work Efficiency: List of Five

Work in the office continuously pour in. When one task is done, another one comes along. Some colleagues of mine get stressed with this never ending workflow.

I already resigned to the fact that tasks in the office never stop. I have found a new but simple way of making life efficient at work: to create my own List of Five Things to Do for the day! I've already practiced this for 3 days and I hope to continue this for 3 weeks more since I've heard that it will take about this time of consistent implementation to make one exercise a habit.

Creating my own List of Five Things to Do enables me to focus and gives me a sense of fulfillment after marking them as done. The List of Five also makes me flexible enough to prioritize tasks not in the list such as within the day "urgent" requests from my boss or other important emails that needs to be addressed. I also use the "extra" time to organize my email outlook once I've done all items in the list.

As I shut down from work, I get a sense of pride finishing my tasks for the day and put on a happy smile on my face as I go on my way to take my Wellness Group Classes or Gym Exercises.

Prayer for Everyday Marriage

About a year ago, I walked inside Papemelroti store to buy nice looking boxes to organize our DVDs and VCDs. I chanced upon a scroll type wall decor with a marriage prayer scribbled on it. Having realized then that in daily occasions, marriage is not a bed of roses, I silently did my own prayer while reading the marriage prayer. I felt a sudden warmth inside me after reading the wonderful prayer. I tried to memorize it but having been in 2 consecutive anesthesia during childbirth, I had to make do with what I remembered from the prayer. I would like to share this prayer to those who are married. May they have a blessed union and fruitful years ahead in their marriage

Almighty Father, we would like to thank You for letting us experience this marriage.
In trying times, we would like to seek for Your assisting hands to help us remember when we first met.
Help us to remember the strong love that grew between us and work that love today into practical things

Strengthen our partnership so as nothing can divide us
We ask for caring words and for kind and forgiving hearts.
All of these we ask through jesus Christ Our Lord and through the Power of the Holy Spirit,

Amen.

SOM'S : A Sumptous Thai Experience

We had lunch earlier in SOM's after hearing mass in St. Andrew's Parish. Tucked near Rockwell Makati ( I would fondly call this area Rockwell gilid), every Thai cuisine lovers should visit this spot as it never fails to draw in crowds of people even during Sundays.

Since we have our young daughter with us, we decided to stay in their aircon area (despite additional charge of 10%) as people normally dine in SOM's al fresco. We also decided to order non-spicy version meals such as Tom Ka Gai, Chicken Pandan, Chicken Fried Rice and Garlic Pepper Shrimp. I wanted to order their must try Spring Rolls but hubby said we've ordered enough food for 3 1/2 (my daughter being the half count) =) I was thinking maybe I'll order Spring Rolls next time when I'm with my officemates as we sometimes pay SOM's a visit during lunchtime.

For the drinks I ordered their Milk Tea while yaya and hubby ordered Coke Zero. It was my daughter and yaya's first time to dine in SOM's and they loved the Chicken Pandan and Fried Rice as much as we did. We ordered their must try dessert as well- Sticky Rice with sweet mangoes.

We highly recommend SOM's to everyone. A sumptous and authentic Thai cuisine is expected at reasonable prices. I see regular customers ranging from locals, foreigners, young and senior professionals. I've heard they even get orders from celebrities and politicians alike. What most of their customers do would be to call up beforehand and have their orders picked up at SOM's to be consumed at home. If you want to dine at SOM's be early as it is hard to find an empty table during peak hours.

Reliable Products I grew up with

I was recently amazed by the fact that I have a few products that I grew up with now being used regularly in my own household. There are times that we try out new products in the market but we always keep coming back to these reliable, efficient and effective items in the list:

1. Safeguard - Skin Germ Family Protection proven in its performance. We use this as our hand soap and body soap. We've tried many soap and bath gel products but my husband always request that we use Safeguard Pure White instead.

2. Colgate -I've patronized Colgate ever since I was a kid. We've tried their other variants and we like them all. When we need to buy a new toothpaste, what we do is we purchase one Colgate variant at a time.

3. Silver Swan Soy Sauce - We love how it contributes in making our dishes flavorful. A seasoning and sauce all rolled into one! I've tried Datu Puti but since Silver Swan is relatively cheaper and has equal performance with its major competitor, I go for the more cost efficient option.

4. Maggi Savor - My favorite is their Garlic Variant. Although they've undergone some packaging changes, I still can't let go of my teenage habit of putting a few drops of Maggi Savor on my sunny side up served during breakfast. Sometimes when pork chop is the main dish, I put 2 drops of Maggi Savor both on it and on my rice as well!

5. Zonrox - for super dirty whites, we put Zonrox. Our household help still practice this today.

6. Tide - Whether its the bar or the powder it still does laundry magic for us! I like the clean smell of Tide whenever I put my newly washed (and pressed) clothes on. The price is right for me with Tide as we don't need to purchase Downy anymore whenever we use this ever reliable laundry soap!

7. Perla - Tide for regular clothes, Perla for the delicate ones. It's great to use Perla in washing newborn clothes as well as stained underwear.

8. Toilet Duck - Toilet Duck has proven its efficiency in cleaning our toilet bowl for many years

9. Johnson's Baby Products - the cologne, lotion, oil, powder, bath soap, baby wash. You name it. We've used it! I sometimes apply my kids' Johnson's Baby Lotion to this very day!

10. Del Monte Products - similar strategy with Johnson's, we use quite a number of Del Monte's products: the ketchup, tomato sauce, fruit cocktail in special occasions, and their pineapple juice every day!

Standard Souvenirs

My dad is about to go back to the province tomorrow after two weeks of stay here in Makati for a business seminar. We picked him up at his hotel to have dinner and buy some pasalubong(souvenirs) for his officemates and for our family. First in his list: the Double Dozen deal of Krispy Kreme.

Our standard pasalubong procedure would be to request to have these doughnuts in boxes of 6's for it to be manageable to bring back home. He was tempted to buy UAAP doughnuts as well but since Ateneo won and Season 71 is finally over, he managed to order our family's favorites instead: Hershey's Cookies and Creme, Dark Chocolate and Honey Glazed Doughnut. I used to get gaga over these doughnuts until one of my former classmate in high school thought I was pregnant when she saw me few months ago. That ended my weekend craving for Krispy Kreme and their doughnut became a once in a while tasty treat for me.

Next in my dad's list would be a box or two of French Baker brownies. He bought about 3 boxes for his officemates. French Baker brownies along with Brownies Unlimited used to be one of the top pasalubong we give to our family, relatives and officemates. It was overruled when Go Nuts Donuts came into the picture and now replaced by Krispy Kreme given the minimal price difference between the two.

My dad's officemate asked us if we know where to buy Eng Bee Tin (EBT) Hopia. EBT also ranks high before as the top pasalubong list during my aunt's era. I told his officemate that I used to see Eng Bee Tin stall in Waltermart Makati. I used to think that Landmark Makati and SM Makati are complete in terms of key pasalubong in their supermarket area. Unfortunately, EBT is in their out of stock list when we checked these supermarkets recently. I hope his officemate was able to buy a few EBT hopia as pasalubong.

Working Mom on Working Mom

I would like to encourage working moms to get a copy of the Working Mom Magazine. If they can afford to subscribe to get hold of a copy annually the better. They've got relevant articles related to fashion, motherhood, childcare, health, career, food and household tips all condensed in one great and affordable magazine.

Most of the time, I share my copy to moms out here in the condo neighborhood. Once they return my copy (which is already a back issue by then), I leave it to my nearby suki salon once I get my next foot spa/pedicure so that their customers can read this lovely magazine as well.

Thanks to ABS CBN Publishing as they never fail to send me a free copy every month (part of current job perks). ABS CBN is the only magazine publication who send me free copies of their Working Mom Magazine under my name! As I got hold of my latest copy, I would like to pay tribute to their publication by sharing to everyone how fabulous their Working Mom magazine is!

Care to Share in Saving the Environment?

Many of us are living in condominiums and working in well-equipped buildings. Given the environmental issues we face today, would like to request that each of us do our own part in minimizing the impact of global warming.

A few little shares I can randomly think of:

- If we need to go to a floor or two from the point of origin, please try using the stairs rather than the elevator (I hope all the people I've been with in the elevator today who went from the second to the third floor would be able to realize what a big help this "little sacrifice" can do).
- Given the weather is pretty much cooler these days, try to have fresh air at night or at the very least use the electric fan rather than using the aircon.
- If its just a few meters away, walk some more rather than driving the car. This enables you to save gas and improve physical fitness
- Pile up the laundry. This will enable you to use water (as well as laundry powder) efficiently
- Allot a certain day to iron clothes altogether to save electricity
- Unplug appliances when not in use (especially the TV sets, Electric fan, cell phone chargers and laptop chargers) This will not only save the environment but also lessen your electricity costs.
- Recycle. Recycle. Recycle!

Little as they seem these simple shares will definitely go a long way in saving our environment!

Pineapple Juice Magic!

I used to be a regular milk drinker. I drink about 2 glasses of milk per day but I discovered a tastier milk alternative: Del Monte's Pineapple Juice! I love the unsweetened variant. I mix half glass full pineapple juice with water during breakfast. I always put on a teaspoon or 2 of Psyllium husk to increase my fiber requirement.

Our gym instructor learned about my latest drink discovery and advised me that it is better to take the pineapple juice at night rather than in the morning. A lot of people say that the pineapple is a great calorie (or was it fat?) burner. Taking it at night allows one to burn more calories.

I try go to the gym regularly at night. This habit allows me to burn a few extra calories while sleeping. I believe drinking pineapple juice complements my fitness efforts and even has an added bonus for me: in the morning, it makes me have a better bowel movement (even if I don't add Psyllium husk into my night drink).

I shared my latest habit with a colleague. She was quite hesitant to try it at first since she originally thought that drinking pineapple juice at night perks her up rather than calms her. Upon receiving lots of encouragement from her fitness instructor to try this habit, she noticed a no frills poop time from her end as well!

I did not entirely drop my dairy intake with this drink alternative as I am still a firm believer on the wonders dairy products can do for you. I drink Nesvita yoghurt drink or take a cup of Nesvita yoghurt as my morning snack to catch up on my daily dairy requirement.

UAAP Game Experience

I've always been proud to be an Iskolar ng Bayan. Imagine the indescribable feeling I've had during my first experience to witness Game 1 of UAAP Finals between Ateneo and La Salle live in Araneta Coliseum!

I did not quite understand my husband's excitement (he is a true-blue blooded Atenean) to watch Game 1 as well as him being proud of getting us tickets for 2 to watch the finals. I previously thought it was just some trend rather than a long history of rivalry between the 2 schools. With the various newspaper articles on Ateneo/La Salle UAAP game finals recently, I essentially got curious, willingly tagged along and decided not to argue with my husband this time on buying game tickets from a scalper that were almost worth a week of our palengke expense.

We left the house around 2 p.m. to make it to the 4 o'clock game in Araneta Coliseum. We decided to park our car in SM Makati and took the MRT instead. I was relatively surprised to see quite a number of people clad in blue and green outfit going towards the MRT station! Apparently, it has been a regular practice to park your car somewhere and take the MRT going to Araneta Coliseum! I secretly smiled watching some of them wearing their green school jacket unmindful of the heat while waiting in the MRT station. The ride was pretty quick and hassle free. From the MRT station, I was pretty amazed that we already arrived in Araneta Coliseum in just a few steps. (Pardon my ignorance as the last time I rode the MRT was about 8 years ago!)

As we walked our way inside Araneta, one could feel the intense school spirit looming in. I was relatively amazed to see a lot of people watching the game! I think I haven't seen Araneta Coliseum that full in my entire life! What I've relatively observed though is that even if the Blue Eagles outnumbered the Green Archers in attendance, La Salle's voice seem to be louder wanting to make their presence felt. It was relatively a great game to watch indeed. I think home viewers enjoyed the game as much as we did!

Ateneo rightfully won Game 1. After the game, I felt a sense of pride witnessing a great event in UAAP game history!

First Belly Dancing Experience

I attended our belly dancing class in the office for the first time! I thought it was relatively easy but I was so wrong! My abdominal area truly felt those I've originally thought as simple shake and bump moves (I totally forgot what the steps were called)

I would personally classify belly dancing as a pretty intense workout for my sagging tummy! While paying attention to the different moves, I can’t help but admire my teacher’s belly wishing and hoping that it was mine.

This might be quite a long shot but I should never give up until I achieve my fitness dream of having a flat tummy. Regular attendance to our belly dancing class, familiarizing myself with the great moves and complementing it with a good cardio exercise would truly help me in accomplishing my fitness goal!

Water-Related Skin Tips

Simple yet relatively helpful tips below were shared to me by my cousin who is a trusted dermatologist:
1. It is best to drink water the moment you wake up. It would replenish the moisture and liquids lost during sleep. The skin being the largest body organ in the body benefits from this good morning practice. No wonder I always feel good after drinking a glass or two upon waking up!
2. If one experiences dry skin, try to put a glass of water at the bedside table. Added moisture will help ease the dryness of the skin while sleeping. I have yet to try this one and I hope it works!

Max's Experience

After picking up my dad at the airport, we had a quick lunch at Max's with my daughter and her yaya. Max's is one of my dad's favorite restaurant and I have grown to love the restaurant ever since I was a teenager. We used to have Max's back in our hometown and we were one of their regular Sunday lunch customers. My favorite is their fried chicken (of course! they became a household name because of it!) and when I'm in the mood for it (especially my stomach as it can become a quite heavy meal), I order their kare kare as well.

Since it has become a restaurant full of nostalgia, I never fail to visit a Max's restaurant at least every quarter for more than 10 years now. For quick lunch or snack with my family, I normally order their Platter meal as I go crazy with their pancit canton! My son who is a picky eater loves their Pancit Canton as much as I do that sometimes I let his yaya order the Platter Meal so that yaya gets the chicken while my little boy gets his serving of Pancit Canton. My husband and even my parents love their Lumpia whether taken fresh (hubby's favorite) or fried (mom and dad's favorite).

What I eagerly anticipate when I'm done with their main meal is the dessert! I love their tiny caramel bars! I can take the entire bar in an instant! I still remember the first time I tasted it about 5 years ago in their Intramuros branch. I ordered a box of it after not being satisfied with just one bite and eating the caramel bar meal allocation of my friends!

Nowadays I try to control my sweet intake thus taking one or 2 caramel bars as my dessert ( I still get somebody's share)! I'm now looking forward to my next Max's Experience!

One Bread Experience

On my way to the South parking lot, I came across a bread store in Mall of Asia. Having been into lots of anesthesia lately, I cannot seem to recall if the store was named Bread One or One Bread?! The ambience of the store is descriptive of a local feel of the famous Bread Talk chain. I was feeling a pang of hunger then thus I've decided to grab something from the store and eat it in the car on my way home while beating the city traffic.

Relatively prices of their bread are very reasonable and I cannot believe that I would still be able to buy a delicious bread with that price - more than half the amount of Bread Talk's equivalent! I was happily enjoying the piece of bread bought that I managed to eat everything while I was still in the parking lot!

Book Fair Experience

Late this afternoon, I decided to check out the 29th Manila International Book Fair held at the SMX Convention Center. I've started attending this activity yearly since 1998. Back then it was held at the Megamall. Then when the World Trade Center was built, it had its run in the center and now in the newly built SMX Convention Center.

I used to be fascinated by the numerous discounted books surrounding me during this activity. It is my frustration since as a kid to have my own big library someday. Until now it is still a dream since I've only got a few shelves of various book titles. In every book sale, I try to buy as many books that my money can afford! I've always loved to buy books that I haven't read yet (and of course something that I can afford). Fortunately and unfortunately, I love to read books and magazines and anything that I can get hold of may it be at the library or borrowing from somebody else that's why I only end up buying a few titles for myself. For those books that I cannot afford, I try to read through them page by page in the bookstore as libraries nowadays are hard to find in the metro.

This time around, I was relatively surprised that I was only able to buy a few books. I've scoured the area for great titles! Unfortunately I got discouraged by a lot of attendees at the book fair that I have a hard time checking out the shelves for great buys. I was about to buy a recipe books but I got discouraged by the long line to the cashier. What I managed to buy were a few prayer books, a CD containing prayers of the rosary and Eckhart Tole's The Power of Now.

Baby Showers

I recently organized a baby shower for one of our pregnant colleague. It was a simple one - short and sweet surrounded with gifts that she truly liked.. I've attended at least one baby shower every year for the past 3 years and witnessed simple ones as well as grand ones. My best friend who is also in the family way will have her first baby shower sometime end October.

I will try to share what I partly knew of baby showers. I am not an expert so feel free to fill me in. The ultimate objective of the baby shower is to help mom-to-be prepare for the coming of the baby and showing her how important she is to you! Baby showers are normally hosted by friends or relatives to the mom-to-be. In short, a mom-to-be should not organize her own baby shower. I haven't seen a dad-to-be either organizing his wife's baby shower. A mom-to-be should at least have 1 baby shower prior to giving birth.

As to when to conduct baby showers normally depends on the party host. Rule of thumb would be to hold it at least a month before the estimated due date of pregancy. Not too early in the pregnancy (as something unfortunate might happen to the baby - knock on wood) and not too late (as the baby might come out already!)

How to do the baby shower depends on many factors as well. If someone likes it grand - then so be it! It can be a planned one with mom-to-be informed in advance or a surprise one. Gather as many people as you want who is close to or knows the mom-to-be. If there are lots of meaningful friends and relatives willing to donate some food and other stuff, it will be greatly appreciated. There can be programs in between or simple gathering of friends where they can talk baby stuff or updates from each other especially to the parents-to-be or anything under the sun!

On where to conduct the baby shower is highly dependent on the budget, time, number of attendees and resources. A simple lunch together, late merienda or dinner will do. Baby showers can be done in the couple's own home with permission from the husband first (though food and the like should be brought by the party organizers), in a common friend's house, village clubhouse, at a nearby restaurant, in the office canteen or even in a videoke room if parents-to-be are still up to it.

What to bring: Food and gifts and some baby paraphernalia to decorate the place if budget and other resources allows for it! Souvenirs can be made upon the discretion of the party host/organzier. Attendance to the baby shower is a must and equally expected would be bringing in gifts for the baby or for the mom-to-be. For experienced moms, they will tend to come up with their baby registry earlier than when their baby shower comes. For first time moms, mommy friends should remind them to come up with their wishlist for gifts and apply for baby registry in every available baby store in the metro! For guests who don't know yet what gift to bring, they can choose from a wide array of gift choices provided by mommy-to-be.

If you are a first time mom and still don't know what to put in your baby registry, suggest you bring a mommy friend along to help you out complete your list. For guests who don't know what to give or who might not be able to get a hold of the baby registry, a few of my tried and tested gifts that won't fail to please supermom would be diapers, diapers and lots of diapers! Gifts related to feeding essentials (such as breast pump, milk bottles, breastmilk storage bags, sterilizers), bath essentials (towels, bath items, baby bath tub) and clothing essentials (onesies, burp cloths, tshirts, socks, bibs ) are a few of the practical choices.

Thank You

There are a lot of things to be thankful for! Today, marks the end of the tunnel journey and the beginning of a new light of hope, love and happiness.

First and foremost, I would like to thank for the Ultimate Power of God Almighty, for His healing power where my son is one of the beneficiary. My son recently had his fistulectomy this morning. This afternoon, I've seen his normal disposition once again - Reciting his alphabets and humming a few of his favorite songs. He is now tinkering with the computer recognizing various letters and determining where it was positioned in the keyboard.

I thank for wonderful benefits being offered by the company I've been with. Part of our health benefits covers our dependents such as our husband and children. Hospitalization included. To ease us of the financial burden brought about by hospitalization, we have a partnership with an insurance company where we just present our Generali E-card during admission by any of us/our dependents. This enables us not to pay a single cent after being released from the hospital. Instead, employee's contribution which consist of about 25% of total expenses is on a "pay when able" mode which our compensation team normally schedules to the month where we receive "bonuses" - making the deduction barely noticeable.

I thank for meaningful friends and relatives who continuously pray for us and our family. For the unconditional love and support that they always give us.

These make living worthwhile.. giving us enough strength to move on and continue to be inspired. There are a lot of things to be thankful for. Big or small let us always find a way to thank God Almighty for entrusting these gifts to us.

Health Challenge No.3

Two days ago, I got sick with flu. Yesterday, I received news that my son is about to be operated for his peri-anal abscess/fistula. Today, it is my little daughter's turn.

Health is wealth indeed! No matter how wealthy you feel financially, when physical illness strikes in especially with your children, everything goes berserk and one feels poorer than a beggar when sickness strikes.

We went to the doctor earlier this morning to have my daughter checked as I think she got the flu from me. I observed a teary-eyed princess instead of her usual jovial disposition. When her temperature rose a bit, we decided to take a lunch appointment with her pediatrician. Unfortunately, our third health challenge was combined with a weather challenge!

As I was about to leave the office for our doctor's appointment, rain poured heavily. I patiently waited for a cab going to the hospital. I was about to meet my husband, my daughter and her yaya in the hospital.

Given the weather condition, traffic went bad in the Metro. The road going to the hospital's ramp entrance was relatively flooded almost surpassing the bumper level of any sedan type of cars. My taxi driver was quite in a hurry so I've decided to drop myself off near the emergency section of the hospital. I carefully sneaked into the ER area as it has a passage way going to the main hospital. I met yaya and my daughter at the hospital entrance and off we went to the doctor's clinic.

We were doctor's last patient for the day. As I had her checked, the doctor told me that my daughter caught a viral bug. One sign of detecting viral infection especially in colds is when you have a runny nose. Our doctor prescribed quality medicines and even suggested an older medicine counterpart for me.

Off we went and bought the entire medicine lot. I loved the nasal spray that he recommended that I instantly felt better after spraying it in my nostrils! Its great that there are lots of medicines out there to do wonders in your body to help you regain physical fitness and eventually achieve happiness!

Health Challenge No.2: Anal Fistula

Yesterday I used to write about how sick I am with the bad flu that I've got! Surprisingly, my four other colleagues whom I've last met in a meeting last Friday got the same monstrous bug! Today, another health challenge awaits me as I was informed that my son who is currently staying at the province needs to undergo fistulectomy - a surgical method to take out anal fistula and stop his recurring peri-anal abscess. He had peri-anal abscess when he was only about 2 months old then recurred when he was about a year and 2 months old then recently in the past few weeks. We've tried giving him antibiotics for the first week but unfortunately it wasn't enough to alleviate the abscess away as hardening in some part of his butt was already felt by the doctor initially but we agreed to have it under observation until he finishes his antibiotics within the next week.

My son is barely 3 years old! Barely a tenth of my age and he will have his first operation! I still remember my first operation when I was about to give birth to him via caesarean method at 25 years old. I was quite hesitant at first with having my little toddler undergo the knife but I guess I have no other choice but to willingly oblige to do so and pray hard for a safe and successful operation.

What worries me a bit is that my son has a communication disorder wherein he has a delay in using language as a form of communication compared to kids his age. He can't even say to us if he is sick or if he is hurt.. We just increase our sensitivity to his feelings and carefully observe if he feels any pain or hurt.

Our son was initially diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. I've sought other opinions from other developmental pediatricians and majority of them gave an initial evaluation of my son as someone with communication disorder. One of them wants to rule out Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) when my son turns 3. PDD-NOS is the fourth type within the autism spectrum.

We are all doing various intervention methods necessary to help our son overcome his situation and increase his level of individualism and independent living knowing common misperception of other people when someone labels your child "autistic rather than someone with autism and the lack of understanding many have on how people with autism are like normal people but sees things in a different perspective.

My son has been through a lot! He has lots of allergies encountered when still a baby, overcame his Kawasaki Disease when he was a year and a half, diagnosed with a developmental delay when he was 2 and now will undergo a minor operation barely 3 years old.

I pray for strength for myself and better physical health for my son. I pray hard for a safe and successful operation for my little boy as well as a speedy recovery post op and i pray for shield of protection from any illnesses that might come his way.

Health Challenge

I filed for a sick leave today as I had a bad case of flu plus dysmenorrhea and a severe headache! What a day to start the week.. Since Friday, I have been in search for a good cough medicine to no avail. I've also stayed in the house for the weekend to get some well needed rest but I guess I need to rest some more..I tried to sleep to my delight but my head tends to hurt more when I sleep rather than when I'm awake. I used water therapy to flush out toxins and hopefully release the phlegm. I've also loaded myself with vitamin C drinking lots of pineapple juice. I've loaded myself with bananas as well to make me feel strong. I've tried a colleague's tried and tested cough suppressant: a half glass of 7 Up filled with 5 slices of calamansi! I've also tried applying some Vicks Vaporub at my feet.. Unfortunately, the virus I've got is quite strong that previously tried and tested methods seem not to work.

I start to psyche myself that I am feeling as I don't want to spend an entire day in bed again!

TV Commercial Experience 2: Stand Up to Cancer

I've always admired advocacy campaigns being aired on TV. It makes me think how serious the organization is by investing (spending) so much on TV to create a greater awareness to the mass public on their campaign. I was amazed by what I saw recently of celebrities, models, ordinary people gathering as one for a bigger cause: To Stand Up to Cancer. I still don't know what lies ahead and I'm looking forward in my own little way on how I could be of help to support this cause.

The Picture Company: Experience of being a Member

I've just recently signed up for a picture company membership few weeks ago. We had our portrait session and still awaiting for the sheets. Annual membership fee is required. On certain periods, they offer promos such as buy 1, take 1 membership. Nevertheless if you missed their B1T1 promo, you can always avail of their discounted membership fee if you pay in cash.

What I love about their membership is that it can extend up to 4 other family members thus should sister, hubby, son or daughter wants to have a portrait session on their own or with their other friends, they are always welcome to do so. One also has an option to avail of the portrait session in any of the Picture Company branches.

I was relatively pleased with the following perks I've availed as a member: Portrait session is already for free all year round. If not a member, normally, photo session would cost about 1250 for 4 pax (and cost increases as number of person in the shoot increases). Also got 2 free wallet sized prints for every 8"x10" portrait ordered. We've ordered 3 8"x10" sheets and on the third sheet, 3-5 images were combined. I've also received an SMS from their Rockwell branch since it is my son's soon to be birthday, we got an advise that we get a free 5"x7"portrait. I need to follow up on the branch yet as to how I can avail of this fantastic freebie!

As a member one can avail of other perks: Free 5"x7" portrait on Anniversary and birthday month of members, A storybook for free after 15 sheets has been ordered and a Free 2 wallet sized prints for every 8"x10" portrait ordered. One can also get free MMS, picture mail CD or VCD slideshow of their shots!

Big discounts also awaits each members as The Picture Company also allows members to earn points with every purchase through their Loyalty Points program.

Layouts and design templates are being offered for free for a more personalized touch. Special Privileges such as glamorous pregnancy shots (for soon-to-be-moms), discounts to other establishments awaits members.

I'm glad I joined The Picture Company.. Let's hope and see that their offering could sustain our interest after a year!

TV Commercial Values

Just saw a TV commercial - a somewhat advocacy plug from a noodle company. I admire their initial crack of creating awareness of Filipino values but can't help on commenting a minor detail in the said TV material- I've always thought that when one burps at the dining table, he'd rather say "excuse me" rather than "sorry".

There could have been other instances where saying sorry applies that can be learned at home as well - When Dad unintentionally drops something perhaps? I would still be looking forward to their future materials where they will promote other positive Filipino values in (better) correlated situations.

Avon Experience: Anew

I've always been in search for a great moisturizing cream.. I just finished my Elizabeth Arden's moisturizer. Good thing my sister who is working with Avon gave me a jar of Anew Clinical Therma Firm Face Lifting cream for me to try on. They say this is Avon's at-home answer to the latest thermal face life procedure. It surprisingly feels light on the face. I normally apply it at night and though it feels a little oily on my face in the morning, it could be easily washed off with water after waking up.

Anew Clinical ThermaFirm consist of an innovative "TriSonic Technology" that is formulated to help tighten the connection between skin layers. You will instantly feel good in less than a week of trying the product. Skin feels tighter after a few days of using the product.

I never thought a great beauty product is just around the corner!

Lessons at Work

My colleague mentioned to me that there are 4 important matters at work:

1. What you do
2. How you look
3. What you say
4. How you say it

Keeping this in mind, one needs to work on at least one, at most all of these to succeed at work and in life in general. I need to work hard on improving the last one. I would still like to improve further the second one. I think most of the current leaders would exhibit an excellent part on at least one of these matters. Hope to reach in a position were I am excellent in all four.

Cafe Juanita: A Gastronomic Experience

Dined out with friends recently at Cafe Juanita! Food in this neighborhood resto never fails me! I love their Tofu Sisig that we try to replicate it at home. Apart from Tofu Sisig, I also frequently try their Chicharon Bulaklak, pinakbet, gambas and since I forgot the particular name of the last two, I would just describe it - the fish with crabfat sauce as well as their version of lechon kawali with bagoong. I love their bagoong sauce so much that I always ask for extra serving of it! For dessert my favorite is their sticky toffee pudding with ice cream!

Cafe Juanita never fails to fulfill my satisfaction! Apart from their food, I also love how they've set up the place. If you check out their decorations one by one, you might think that it is tacky but upon seeing it in its entire view you will appreciate such a wondrous work of art!

I urge everyone to visit the place and dine with friends, family and their loved ones as often as they can!

Public Market Experience

I rarely go to the public market and do all my shopping at our nearby Grocery. Yesterday, I wanted to clean up most of our stuff - empty bottles and newspapers.. Yaya informed me that there is a nearby junk shop at Pasong Tirad's vicinity thus we cleaned up these recyclables to exchange for a little moolah. We also decided to try out the public market especially their vegetables and fish as we were craving to have fish for dinner together with a monggo dish.

Unfortunately the junk shop was closed for the afternoon so we proceeded with buying our goodies. I noticed that goods are really way cheaper and fresher in the market than at the grocery! You can even bargain for a few stuff and some nice ladies would even add a little something for free to your vegetable goodies.

I was so happy as we finished fast with our shopping, spent only about 500 bucks for a week's worth of menu compared to spending about 800-1000 when we buy stuff from the grocery of the same kind.

I therefore wanted to make it a resolution to do weekly marketing at the public market for fresh meat, vegetables,rice and fruits whilst maintaining to do the grocery at Shopwise for personal items such as bathroom items, cleaning materials, diapers and canned goods.

Hope this Ends Soon

It's been almost a week lately since I've been with my firstborn.. Unfortunately, it had to be a week of good times hearing my children's laughter as they play together as well as few bad ones.. My son is sick for almost a week and it has been making me a lot worried as caused quite a number of consecutive sleepless night.s

He had peri-anal abscess that some doctors suspect would be a fistula when we had him checked back in the province.. Initially, operation was suggested but upon seeking various opinions by other doctors here in the metro, they felt that recommendation for an operation should be put on hold until such time that his abscess might not respond to antibiotics given. Good thing with only about 2 days of being on antibiotic, the swelling subsided. We are praying that the abscess did not develop into a fistula and that operation is no longer needed.

Mid-week, my son experienced on-off fever for about 2 days. Given his very high body temperature, we sought the reliable doctor's opinion again on what might be the probable cause of his fever. Initially we suspected it might be the infection from his abscess but upon further probing doctor wanted to rule out dengue as based on tourniquet test given, infection is positive. Upon hearing dengue, I became alarmed and prayed to dear God that results for dengue condition for my son would turn negative. Good thing God was indeed good. My son has been tested negative on dengue based on his latest CBC results. Doctor advised us to give cough and colds medicines for my son as he suspected these are bound to occur. True enough though the fever went away, his cough and cold started to become bothersome tonight especially on his sleep. He finds it hard to breath and when he coughs, you would hear phlegm traveling to and from my little boy's respiratory system. I still continue to pray hard for God to give my son a better health and protect him against all harm especially of illnesses/sickness and infections.

All in One Cooking Magic!

I am not a good cook compared to my loving husband. What I am proud of is introducing him to an all-in-one cooking ingredient filled with magic that is true to its name - Maggi's Magic Sarap! In tradition cooking, we normally have salt, spices for seasoning, we also have soy sauce and the like as well as bouollons for soup, certain soup base for sinigang, fried mixes for crumbs and marinating and so forth! Little did I know that what i gave him as a Magic Sarap sample to improve the taste of Chop Suey could easily substitute for all of these hoopla cooking mixes!

Nowadays, we don't store many types of bouillons as well as other frying mixes. We only add to our meat and dishes a few granules of Magic Sarap and off we savor such a delectable dish! I was quite surprised to enjoy such a tastier fried rice when it was sprinkled with a few Magic Sarap!

Hospital Experience: PGH and NKI

Our son had a high fever last night that's why we decided to have him checked for the day. I took an emergency leave from work to attend his needs. Good thing his fever subsided a bit in the morning. We went to PGH to have him tested for Nitrol blue tetrazolium. NBT was only done in few hospitals as I was told by my son's pediatrician and PGH was one of them. It was my second time to go to PGH. The first time I went in this 100 year old hospital was about 10 years ago. I can't even recall where we passed as we went there hurriedly to visit a sick friend.

We got lost for about 15 minutes looking for the Immunology Laboratory. We inquired with some nurses but most of them seemed pissed off when we ask directions while a few were accommodating. We passed by what seems like a maze smelling a bit of mold dews and medicines and a few body odor of passersby. I even saw a cockroach crawling along the hallway and I almost stepped on it since I jumped to my surprise upon seeing it! We were supposed to meet an old friend who works as an intern in the said hospital but since we were told that PGH only do NBT test mostly on Mondays or by appointment, we had no choice but to leave the hospital soon.

Good thing the attendant nurse in the Immunology Laboratory told us that National Kidney Institute does NBT test as well - the two of them being the hospitals offering this type of test. She gave us the number of NKI, we called up and inquired and received good news that NBT test are normally done on Wednesdays. We requested if we can still be accommodated for the day as my son is scheduled to go back to Davao on Sunday. We were given about 30 minutes to go to NKI from PGH.

We travelled from Manila to QC in about 30 minutes and when we arrived at the NKI, we were impressed by the efficiency and hospitality of people working in the hospital. NKI boasts of quality services and we definitely got a service of more than what we expected.

Onie, the attending nurse willingly accommodated us and while we were waiting for our charging number to be called for payment, she already escorted me and my son for blood extraction. My son was terrified when he saw the needle and singing ABCs as loud and happily as I could to take of his fear seemed to help a bit. What helped him most cope during the painful extraction was his video caught on camera phone with his little sister running around the house.

I never thought a hospital like NKI existed here in the country. Results can even be emailed to the attending physician or can be retrieved about 3 days after. Hospital was neat and orderly. I hope that most hospitals will be taken to new heights like what NKI is now today to offer quality and better service to patients.

Wanted House Help!

Our house is now a certified mess! Good thing our daughter's yaya is such a neat freak that she tries to put everything in order as it was before! Our firstborn paid us a visit and is staying with us for a week. His yaya is supposed to go with him here in Manila but due to some personal reasons, yaya opted to go back to their province to take care of her sick mom instead. Thus daughter's yaya ends up taking care of 2 little tots in her own hands for a few days!

My mom who is taking care of our son for the meantime back in the province down South is in dire need of a yaya for our son. In fact, she needs an all around house help who knows how the works - cooking, cleaning and most important of all taking care of our first-born when my mom is busy and knows how to feed a child.

Our first born is a challenge - he only eats yoghurt, chicharon (crispy pork skin), Rice Krispies, Goldiluck's Zero Trans Fat bread, Tita Mira's Sinigang and McDo or Jollibee's crispy fried chicken. The last being his favorite, we mostly succumb to his delight as we would rather have him eat the same thing that see him eat nothing at all!

What's worse is he is now into antibiotics - a very strong one in fact - Augmentin that the main qualification for this is not to take on an empty or light stomach!

What a challenging week it is! We hope that everything will fall into place soon- My son will now eat quality food or at least eat a lot of rice for him to take his medicines, and we fervently wish to find a good yaya/househelp patient enough to take good care of our son and knows how to feed him!

On Today's Pedia Visit

its been a while since we went to the pediatrician as an entire family. Its basically me and my daughter, me and my son or my husband, my daughter and I. Our son is temporarily based in the province in the care of my mom. He is here in Manila for a week to spend quality time with us. Unfortunately, he had a boil in his butt cheek wherein doctors suspect it to be a fistula and wants it to be operated right away. We had to incorporate as part of his agenda visit a trip to his pediatrician here in Manila.

I've always been the conservative type especially when it comes to medical treatment for my kids. Seeing that my son is still barely 3 years old and cannot speak quite yet, I would prefer not to have him operated at his age. He is quite sickly and I feel that there is something wrong with his immune system.

During our visit earlier to the pedia for another opinion on my son's "fistula" condition and our daughter's MMR vaccine shot, we relayed most of our concern to our children's ongoing development. It was basically a well-baby check up checking on their height, weight and overall condition. As I relayed my son's condition to our doctor, he is also a bit worried as well and asked us to undergo a test called nitrol blue tetrazolium test to check on my son's condition and to rule out chronic granulomatous disease. I have still yet to continue my doctorate in Google and will try to google as much as I can about this test and this condition.

I hope and pray that whatever my son is going through, that he may surpass and overcome this with flying colors and live truly to what his name meant - a true conqueror! I would definitely want to see him grow, graduate in elementary, high school and college. Take up whatever course or degree to his liking! See him mature, be with his girlfriend, see him marry and have kids and be truly successful in life!

The Picture Company Experience

Yesterday, we went to Powerplant to have our first family studio pictorial! It was timely as our first born paid a visit to us for a week here in Manila. We booked for an appointment few weeks before as they had a promo for a free photo session and in case you don't like the outcome of the photos, you may opt not to purchase anything from them.

Off we went and wore everything green on top! My daughter wore a floral accented blouse in green and blue color, my son wore a green and blue plaid polo, hubby wore a neon green polo shirt while I wore an olive green cardigan blouse. We sat there for an hour trying to get the best smile out of everyone. After, we had Noah and Bea for their shot together and solo photos!

We loved the outcome that we got a membership from the Picture Company for a year. We also ordered about 3 sheets and planning to order a huge one to frame and display in our house! Our very first great family photo together!

Recalling My Nursery Rhymes

I am spending a long weekend with my 2 toddlers. They are such a bundle of joy! I don't mind fixing their room all over again even if alphabet rubber mats, toys and books are scattered all over the place. Currently, we are playing some nursery rhymes. Some I can still recall, some are quite new to me. I often wonder, am I singing the right lyrics? I hope so as sometimes they might pick the right/wrong ones from me.

Search for a New Family Car

My car loan will end next month and we are looking for a replacement car. We are planning to sell Phoenix - a Toyota Altis 2003 mid-range model soon which is very much still in good condition and with less kilometer run than most cars. We are planning to replace Phoenix with a Toyota Innova J. It is bigger than our current car as one of our qualification for our next family car is for it to seat at least 7 in total to accommodate visiting relatives and friends.

We are still torn if we are going to get the silver one or the red one but we are planning to add a few basic accessories such as bumper guards, side mouldings, side visor, back up sensor with LED, luggage tray, step guard, power lock with alarm, tint to name a few. Our main qualification is to add as minimal as possible to my allowable car loan limit. Good thing our nearest Toyota branch comes handy and is very accommodating in our needs and requirements.

I am excited to drive and ride our new family car. I still don't know what to name her yet! Probably Blessing or maybe Isabelle? The car is a blessing and I hope it will bring lots of blessings in the future. For Isabelle - I've always liked to name my kid isabelle but my husband forbade me to do so then for my daughter as he said it was the name planned by her sister for her baby as told to him (without me knowing it yet then! you see we got pregnant almost at the same time.. so being the underdog I gave in.) Perhaps now is the time to name a few of our things Isabelle. If not for our kid, at least for one of our precious things!

Phoenix - our current car was named as such since during those times that I purchased him - I encountered a lot of bigger and bolder changes in my life! =)

Worried For The Moment

I'm worried for my son... He is just turning 3 and when he had his recent check up with the pedia, it was found that he has fistula near his butt cheeks. This has been a recurring incident - when he was still 2 months, then a year and 2 months and then now that he is turning 3. I hope that the fistula recurrence would stop and be put to an end. I was told that operation is the only solution. Is there no other way? Can operation be delayed until he is older and can tolerate and understand the pain of going through an operation?

I would definitely seek second, third perhaps up to 5th opinion on his condition on whether to go or not go with operation so soon. For now I continue to pray for a better health condition for my little boy.

My First Gym Experience

I still remember the first time I went to the gym to do individual exercise! I've been to previous gyms before for group classes but nothing beats going to the gym to exercise at your own pace. I went to the 16th floor with my colleagues as we have a gym in our office. There is also a trainor who does personal training ( at the employee's own expense) as well as guide first-timers like me on how to use gym equipments properly.

Since it was my first time, I only tried the treadmill and stepper. I walked in the treadmill for 10 minutes. Surprisingly I got tired and I rested for a bit and went to the next machine. I would like to call it a stepper/walker/glider as I forgot what it was properly called. I spent 5 minutes in the machine and funny that what you did won't register if you act slow! I was trying hard to push it and walk on it! Luckily I did and when I already got the hang of it, the trainor told me that it is time to stop and that I should not force myself much since it was my first time in the gym given my sedentary lifestyle.

Experience with an Astrologer

Had my first encounter with an astrologer if that's how they call it. She is not a fortune teller.. She will just describe you and read your astrology chart what you were and what's in-store for you based on your birthdate, name, time and place of birth. Although we've only met for the first time, it seems that she knew me way before.

She describes my personality right on the dot. Even to the extent of what I was feeling! What she told me was quite true and I will follow her suggestions albeit difficult to reinforce. I wonder how I would be in a year and a half time as she said currently I am undergoing a transition period and doing my karma payment.

Missing the Cinema!

I missed watching movies... Friday night used to be a movie date night for me and my husband. Lately, we've been skipping watching movies and end up either having dinner or going straight home instead. This has been a tactical move by us in order to save a few bucks and add up to our monthly fund pot.

How I wished I've seen this movies: Kung Fu Panda, Made of Honor, Dark Knight, A Very Special Love, Wall-E, Zohan among others. I might end up watching this in DVD instead.

Crunch Time!

Third Quarter is a crunch period for us.. No bonus pays to be expected during the quarter.. Need to tighten our belts and be stricter in terms of financial measures in the household. I think companies are also in a tightening mode when it comes to expenses and costs.

Prices continue to increase, gas price in particular went berserk.. For the first time, my salary increase is less than the inflation rate! We can't stop working (even if we want to) as we have kids to feed and take care of, bills to pay, house and car on loan and life to live with.

Everything can be taken as a challenge! It is up to us to rise above the challenge! Every experience in financial situations whether good or bad will help strengthen one's character.

Can't wait for our new car!

Ice Cream Fun Facts!

I've always loved eating ice cream since I was a kid.. I used to remember every Sunday, my mom would always include in her grocery purchase a half gallon of ice cream for us. I've always loved Nestle's version of Rocky Road as well as all ice cream brands of plain chocolate, ube and double dutch.

I encountered some nice ice cream trivia worth sharing thanks to Nestle's Choose Wellness handout..

Did you know..
- Scientist have observed that ice cream makes a person happy (a similar effect takes on me during or after eating it!)
- Ice cream activates an area of the brain that enable us to feel happy and it only takes a spoonful to create this effect!
- During World War Ii, ice cream has already been a morale booster as the first "ice cream parlor" was built for sailors in the Pacific in 1945.
- Ice cream was served during America's World War II celebration victory
- Waffle cone came into the picture in 1904 when Ernest Hamwi - a Syrian concessionaire first came up with a waffle cone. An ice cream vendor ran out of dishes thus Mr Hamwi rolled his wafer like waffle into a cone! When it cooled, the ice cream vendor put ice cream on it. The customers liked it and the rest is history! (This might have been an inspiration to put ice cream on bread buns as well! )

Tracking Finances

What a tough month it is! Financially (I mean).... I am the designated budget manager in the household and I would like to think I did a fairly good job managing the household's financial budget. I finally admitted that I need to track our expenses thus I assigned one of my previous diaries to be my financial notebook. I am trying to jot down monthly Telephone bills, Mobile Phone, Electricity, Water, Cable, Condo Association Dues, Condo Monthly Mortgage, drinking water allowance, grocery, credit card bills, gas, food expense, time share fees, tuition fees, OT, language stimulation fees and health check ups.. I think I don't have amount allocated for personal/miscellaneous use for the month.

I look forward to September as our "money-making month" when I can finally sell my car for 5 years and loan a new car! Money from the sold car will eventually be our emergency fund and savings fund.

Hope everything will turn out well in our family - financially, physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Post Lunch Dip

Had our lunch at Mc Donald's and I love the new set up of their Rockwell branch. After lunch, we checked out the "sale" in various stores in Powerplant. We did not find anything that we fancy thus we proceeded back to our office to continue working.

After a while, I noticed that I experienced a post-lunch dip from an all time high of eating lunch and window shopping. They say that post lunch dip can be minimized if we just eat a smaller meal. Good thing I ordered only a piece of chicken instead of 2.

Another alternative to reduce post lunch dip is to increase one's alertness by listening to soothing music, doing exercise (hope that the strolling in the mall would count!) and drinking caffeinated drinks such as coffee.

I'm glad there are free cups of Nescafe being offered at work as caffeine in coffee helps restore levels of alertness and improves one's performance and mood through the day!

Wanted: Reconnection

My cousins living in NY flew in a few days ago and I suddenly felt the need to reconnect with them and bond with relatives I've long been in touch with. I was always busy at work sometimes sacrificing my personal gain and happiness. When they got into an accident, I took it as a sign to take a break from work and take care of them while in the hospital for a few hours. Sometimes work needs to take a backseat as it is not worth giving your best without gaining anything.

They stayed in our place for a couple of days and I tried to bond with them to the best of my ability.. We went to our relatives few miles away from our place and had dinner with them.. I never had a personal connection with them and I suddenly had this feeling of regret on why I did not bond with them before.. I now vowed to myself that I should try my best to reconnect.. In the end they are part of the family .. I might need to improve on how I connect with others and treat them as family or friends as well.

I hope they will give me a second chance to get to know them better.

Show me the money!

I just had my mid-year performance evaluation at work. I came to realize that I've chosen to grow old with the company I currently belong to. I trust my skills as well as my superior's capabilities to help me improve in terms of career and financial growth. With the current state I'm into.. it seems that I am not yet financially free.. I have house loans to pay coupled with car loans, utilities, salaries, food expense, miscellaneous and some investments for the future.

I don't have much current savings. My earnings coupled with our expenses almost evens out. We hope to change the trend and come up with better savings once we have earnings when we sell our car in the near future. For savings, I am thinking of not placing my money in bank accounts but rather in investments funds. Mutual funds as they most call it. I currently have some in PAMI and I hope to increase my investments as time goes by. What I am eyeing for is to invest in their AIG Global Bond Fund. Hope that I could embark on it in the near future and have wise financial decisions when in comes to investment and savings!

Choose Wellness Mid-Evaluation

Today, I just had my mid-evaluation for my participation in our company's I Choose Wellness Program. I Choose Wellness is a year long campaign for better nutrition as well as health and wellness. It is the employees prerogative if he wants to be into this program. I joined hundreds of colleagues who took part in this endeavor. I take pride of working for the company I'm currently with as non-monetary benefits such as this motivates the employee to do better in their personal life which in a way has a positive effect in their job performance.

In this program, we have nutritionist who will see us monthly and conducts one on one nutrition counseling based on our eating habits, our physical activity, weight and height. Given this information, she will help us plan a health regimen that meets our own fitness goals. Most of the programs are achievable depends on how much discipline an employee puts into it.

There are daily wellness activities in the company and we can choose which activities we would like to attend to. Group class choices would be yoga, body combat, latin groove among others. I only knew of these 3 as they were the only ones I've been to. If one is not into these types, there is always the gym and almost an entire floor in the office is dedicated for it. If one opts to have a personal trainor, he may do so at his own additional expense.

I've never been fond of the gym before. What I've only tried were the various group classes. Unfortunately, it helped a little in improving my physical performance during our evaluation earlier. I've decided to try out the gym within the week and hopefully would achieve better results.

Apart from these programs, we also have a "nutrition quotient" training where we learn facts about nutrition in a fun way. This would also teach us how to eat healthy. Problem is the application bit as it is easier said than done that "moderation, variety and balance is key in choosing which foods to eat".

What's good about this program is that progress (or regress) is being monitored and evaluated. Pre, mid and post evaluation are being done (all the works! - measuring fat, flexibility, endurance, height and weight etc.) The team (nutritionists, doctors, trainors and employees) are helping each other out to commit to a better and healthy lifestyle. I do hope that other companies would offer these types of initiatives for a better work-life balance amongst their employees.

Lovely Prayers

As I was cleaning up my receipts for liquidation in the closet, I managed to recover a piece of paper with 2 lovely prayers - Prayer to Take Authority and Cleansing Prayer. The sheet was previously handed to me when I attended a "caring circle" for the first time 2 years ago. Unfortunately, the author of these prayers were not listed in the sheet for recognition but given the beauty of these prayers, I would like to share these prayers to the blogging community:

Prayer to Take Authority:
In the name of Jesus, I take authority and I bind all powers and forces in the air, in the ground, in the water, in the underground, in the netherworld, in nature and in fire. You are Lord over the entire universe and I give You the Glory for Your creation. In Your Name, I bind all demonic forces that have come against us and our families and I seal all of us in the protection of Your Precious Blood that was shed for us on the Cross. Mary our Mother, we seek your protection and intercession with the Sacred Heart of Jesus for us and our families and surround us with your mantle of love to discourage the enemy. St Michael and our Guardian Angels, come defend us and our families against all evil ones that roam the earth. In the Name of Jesus, I bind and command all the powers and forces of evil to depart right now and away from us, our homes and our lands. ANd we thank You Lord Jesus for You are a faithful and compassionate God. Amen

Cleansing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, by the power of the Precious Blood of Your Son, come upon us right now. Purify us and wash us clean with the blood of Jesus from the crown of our head to the soles of our feet. Let this Blood penetrate up to the very marrow of our bones to cleanse us from any entanglement, from whatever spirit we may have come in contact with during the course of our intercession. Anoint us with the gifts of the Holy Spirit and refresh our body, soul, and spirit. May the sign of Your Holy Cross drive away all evil spirits from us. In the name of the Father+ and of the Son+ and of the Holy Spirit+. Amen.

My Milo Marathon Story

For about 2 years now, my husband has been trying to convince me to join the Milo Marathon. I am not an athlete nor am I a health buff as I am the opposite. Last year, we signed up for the marathon but was not able to go since it was raining hard. This year, we decided that we participate in the Marathon whatever the weather may be. It was both our first time to join the Marathon but it was not my first time to witness one. My first Milo Marathon experience which was about 6 years ago was almost a forgettable one as I woke up late then and when I got to the event location, all the runners were in the different race paths.

I've managed to have a better Milo Marathon story since then. At around 5 o clock in the morning, we got up, got dressed and tried to reach the race area by car. There was a re-routing for vehicles on these times as runners were trying to assemble in the starting line. It took us about 30 minutes to reach Km 0 and the race just got started.

I was mesmerized by what I saw, I used to think that only ants can gather in such a number! There were a lot of participants all having their own Milo Marathon story to tell regardless of age, gender and socio-economic class. Rain poured heavily and a lot of participants did not mind the weather at all. We managed to walk first in the starting line as it was quite hard to run given the volume of race participants.

We managed to finish the 5Km race and was amazed to see that the participant of 42K already was about to go to the finish line with almost the same time as ours. My husband and I vowed to ourselves that we will make it a yearly ritual to participate in at least one Milo Marathon. If weather permits, we would bring our kids for them to experience such a glorious event while they are still young.

Walking Experience

Last Thursday, my husband informed me that Makati was traffic in its most unusual way. We have lived in this city for more than 5 years and it was his first time to encounter such traffic. Rain poured heavily the entire afternoon leaving most of the roads hardly passable due to floods and a few cars bogged down in the flooded streets.

Since I need to wake up early the following day, I was dying to go home early but was strongly advised against doing so. My husband who was supposed to drop some things at home first before picking me up took almost 2 hours to go home from the usual 10-15 minutes drive from a nearby hotel (where he had a seminar for the day) to our place. Unfortunately, all alternative roads were jammed with cars as well. I was advised to have dinner in the office and wait for the traffic to subside for him to pick me up. I offered to take the taxi home but he was hesitant about it as first. He said for me to take my dinner first while waiting for the traffic to subside. We've decided that we update each other whichever comes first - me taking the taxi or him picking me up.

Instead of having dinner, I went to the mall to hail a cab. I saw the waiting line longer than ordinary days. I tried to hail a cab in various areas in the mall to no avail. I decided to go window shopping instead. My husband updated me on the traffic condition. Unfortunately traffic going to and leaving our place worsened compared to few hours ago.

I was desperately wanting to go home and felt an initial pang of hunger as well. I don't know if it was out of hunger or out of desperation that I decided to take a walk back home as my office is just about 15 minutes drive from home. I bought a sandwich and water to go for my walking trip back home. Upon passing by the taxi waiting line, I noticed that it was short now and only 5 people were ahead of me. I decided to take the taxi instead and ate my sandwich while waiting for my taxi turn. Good thing my taxi driver was pleasant - a wonderful surprise given the traffic condition. The ride was quite smooth and fast. Only when we were a few blocks away from our place, traffic was jammed and our cab was not moving for more than 5 minutes. I knew then that this was the area where it starts to get super traffic. Remembering the traffic updates of my husband few minutes ago. I told the driver that I've decided to get down from the cab and walk towards home by foot so as not to involve him in the horrendous traffic situation. It took me less than 10 minutes to arrive at my place from the area where I got out of the cab.

It's been a few years already since I've walked "that far". I am a sedentary person and that walking experience made me realize to get into frequent walking trips these days to be physically fit and eventually lose some pounds. The walking experience made me appreciate things I normally took for granted such as my health, the accessibility and convenience of our place.

Accidental Experience

Last Wednesday morning, after my meeting with a colleague, I received a call from my aunt in Davao and told me my cousins got into an accident!

My cousins based in NY (whose mom is my dad's sister) are in their teenage years and together with their other cousin from NY decided to take a few weeks' adventure in our country all by themselves. It was their first time to travel without their parents. They stayed in their other relatives place many miles away in the metro. On the way to the airport to take a flight to our provincial hometown, they got into a vehicular accident.

I froze for a moment upon hearing the news. I was near the hospital where they were rushed. I got my bag, asked permission from my boss and told him of what happened. I told him that I might not be able to make it in succeeding meetings scheduled during the day as I would like to ensure first that my cousins are okay.

On the way to the hospital, I asked our medical coordinator to check out on my cousins in the emergency room and see what tests needs to be conducted to further evaluate their condition. Few minutes after, I got a call from her and she told me that they had a relative in the same hospital and that she might not be able to convince the ER team to do some further tests.

As I went to the ER, I noticed one of their cousin sitting in the waiting area holding Anne's bags. I asked him where my cousins were and he told me that they were ushered somewhere else. I asked for the resident doctor on their condition and also inquired if their relative working in the hospital was around. I was told that their relative was out of the country and that my cousins were sent to the Radiology area. He mentioned that Andrew had a cut in his nose while Anne had some bruises and traumatized lips.

I rushed to the radiology area and saw my cousins on wheelchairs patiently waiting for their turn. I asked them how they are feeling. They said they feel okay but upon judging on their initial looks, they were a bit traumatized. I asked them if they knew what type of xrays will be done for them and they said no. I asked those assisting in the radiology area of what tests are to be conducted. They mentioned that the boy was for nasal xray while the girl was for dental xray. I asked if there are any xrays to be done for skull as well as their backs and the nurse said none. I requested if they could take additional xrays and was advised to go back to ER to tell the resident my concerns for him to give orders on additional xrays.

I went as told. Good thing the doctor was cooperative when I relayed my concern. I requested their cousin in the waiting area be checked as well for basic xray. As we wait for the results and saw my cousins condition, I asked if they can be referred to neurologists and EENT specialist as well. I was told to wait for the skull xray result and if abnormalities occur, they will refer it to a neuro and EENT.

After the initial xray result, I was strongly advised that a neurologist is not needed since skull xray showed normal results. Our request for EENT however was granted. It was decided that Andrew needs some sutures in his nose. Their mom (my father's sister) called me up overseas and asked on how her kids were. I told her they were doing fine waiting for other tests. I omitted other details that might cause them to worry. I also asked her to get some sleep and that I will watch over her kids in the hospital. We waited for the EENT doctor we've requested for second opinion and true enough he found something from Anne that needs to be sutured as well.

While waiting for the various tests, second opinion consultation and other minor suturing procedure done with my cousins, I offered to their relatives in their dad's side that my cousins can stay in our place as it is accessible and convenient for them in case they decide to just stay home for the next day to rest. They immediately agreed and we also changed their flights to Davao for Friday.

As we went home from the hospital, I mentioned to them, that despite what happened, good thing they are still ok, was not confined to the hospital and that the incident will be counted as one of their Philippine adventure. We always see accidents in TVs but never had we imagined that we can be part of one.

I continue to pray that their bruises and wounds would heal immediately as well as take out the whatever trauma the accident brought them. I also hope that this incident will not happen especially to those visiting our country for the first time as it can be traumatizing, costly as well as lessen their time to explore our wonderful country.

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!