Hi everyone :).

The visiting relatives and friends are finally here, that's the main reason why I have not been blogging and going online for several days now. I am slowly getting back to my regular online programming but for those who sent emails, I might be able to reply to them in a week's time. We need to hit the beach and 2 other cities this weekend. I'm trying to squeeze in a few entries before we leave today. You see, I can't help but share this site which supplies wheelchair accessories and walker accessories. Hodge Podgeia Smartie Paks also caters to people who use scooters, wheelchairs, and walkers. In fact, my one of our visiting friend will check out some of their scooter and wheelchair accessories and scooter accessories for her dad who has been disable for years now. Check out the site for more information and details about their quality scooter, walker and wheelchair accessories. I hope to be able to blog more in the coming days and share some of the photos we took during our resto-hopping.

I am quite flattered (and happy!) each time my friends and family would give comments about my losing weight. Finally, my hardwork is paying off and if it decreases my lbs, it has also decreased inches now! Whee, so keep those "Payat" comments coming lol! But I assure you, I still have a long way to go to reach my pre-wedding weight. Pre-wedding not pre-pregnancy hahah! I am aiming for the stars this time. Anyways, one of the funny comments I received was when my Bestfriend said that maybe DH is just getting fat (and even looks a little big on his tuxedo during the last wedding we attended) so I look smaller beside him, hee hee. Don't worry babe, I think T is just kidding lol, but I guess you should start joining me in my diet routine, afterall it's almost winter and it would be so hard to lose those stubborn flabs when it's cold!

My blogger/twitter friends and I have discovered this free seo services site, well it's not really meant to increase your page rank and optimize one's site but more of it will increase your Alexa score and eventually gather more readers. I only joined it for over 2 weeks and so far it has been helping my domain's readership score. If you are interested, just holler or drop me a message here and I would be very willing to help you :).

Just passing the bucket of knowledge.

Yay, this free online auctions site is tempting. You should check it out. Anyways, here's my take for this week's Four Foods on Friday.

1. What color is your refrigerator? Off White and Silver.
2. What kind of toaster do you have? A black one that could also be converted to a mini-oven. I love it.
3. Do you use a tablecloth? When - always, when eating, etc.? Nope, just a table runner and placemats.
4. Do you use paper or cloth napkins? Just paper.

Hi Everyone! As usual I am swamped. Aside from the online work I have in hand, I am rushing up with cleaning the house and checking out travel deals because my folks are finally coming to our house. Hep hep hooray! They spent a month in West Coast and it's time they visit their only grandchild hee hee. I was not able to do errands and general house cleaning because I had a very hectic Summer school quarter, just imagine Constitutional Law and Managerial Economics taken together in 1 quarter, yay! Thank God, it's finally over :).

I promise to post more foodie entries in a little while, in the meantime my 5 loads of laundry are waiting for me.

Have a good weekend!

My last trip in Las Vegas was truly memorable because it fell on a Fall season. When we did our hotel-hopping, there were various and beautiful (---is an understatement) Fall Foliage everywhere. It was truly a breath-taking experience. Now, that Fall is slowly peeping in, I am very determined to show my folks why Autumn is my favorite season because of all these foliage and changing of colors. You see, I have even researched on this Delta County Colorado Tourism and would love to bring them there to experience the Colorado's Wine County and a big entry to Black Canyon National Park tourist. They say that Delta County is the place for artsy tourists. However, with my parents very swamped itinerary, I do not think we can accomodate this in their trip. So let me just share to you the site WesternColorado.org if you are looking for a unique Fall Destination. Can you imagine, Summer is almost over?

I admit I am a solid McD fan hee hee :). Sorry, the only meal I love in Jollibee is ChickenJoy, no wonder I don't miss it that much. I would eat Mc donald's over and over again and I could forget about Jollibee. For the past 3 weeks, I have been pigging out on the Angus 3rd Pounder burgers of McD, Deluxe and Swiss/Mushroom in particular. Talagang napapapikit ako sa sarap! And yes, I do not need the best sleeping pills in town after binging on Mc D's Angus burger because of too much satisfaction, I can usually snooze very fast. If only these 3rd-pounders are not that fattening, I would take them 3 times a day/everyday! But, I might gain all the 7 lbs I lost if I don't control my craving now.

Anyways, here's a cute video on one fine day at Mc Donald's :). I love!

I just updated my photos in Facebook and was able to catch up with friends and checked out their photos as well. For this reason alone, I am very thankful for this social networking site. Facebook has been a place for me to keep in touch with people that matter. Anyways, one of my diving buddies just posted some new photos from Tubbataha including some photos of her children watching a dolphins show. I missed water and scubadiving so much :(. The beaches we have here are nice but they are not comparable with the beaches we have back home. While I was checking her photos, my little boy interrupted me and asked about dolphins. He loves the water too, like me and his dad. Which reminds me of these affordable Miami Dolphins Tickets I saw the other day. I guess we might watch this show one of these days.

This week's Lasang Pinoy theme is yet again, Freeform. I chose to post photos of what I am currently craving but decided not to binge on while playing with our playstation 3. For one, we have a family history of Diabetes, my mom is on a maintenance medicine now and then there goes my borderline Gestational Debiates history too. So never mind, these pictures are enough to satisfy my craving....err...not!

I got this from The Salad Caper which she swiped from Yahoo news and I thought of sharing it here too. I may be just 5-12lbs away from my target weight, but I do not think I am on my healthiest state at the moment. These reminders from the Doctors would surely keep me healthy again.

Skip the 11 o’clock news, respect your mouth and 18 other stay-healthy musts:

1. Learn How to Relax
2. Know Your Resting Heart Rate
3. …And Your Waist Size
4. Respect Your Mouth
5. Drink Tap Water
6. Skip the 11 O’clock News
7. Volunteer for a Cause You’re Passionate About
8. Get Familiar with "C" As in c-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation (checked with a blood test) that experts think may play a role in the formation of clots that block the flow
   of blood to the heart. Researchers in the landmark JUPITER study of more than 17,000 women 60 and older and men 50 and older found that those who had normal cholesterol levels but slightly elevated levels of c-reactive protein reduced their risk of heart attack and stroke by taking a statin–meaning that CRP levels may be worth keeping tabs on. However, keep in mind that experts are still trying to figure out CRP’s exact role, and whether or not it directly causes heart disease or is a sign that it’s developing. "Men and women in this age group with normal cholesterol should ask their doctors about CRP," says Dr. Goldberg.
9. …And "D" "Mountains of research show the benefits of vitamin D," such as lowering the risk of osteoporosis, "but many women don’t know their levels," says Marjorie Jenkins, MD, executive director of the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health in Amarillo, Texas. And 60% of American women are deficient, whether they live in Boston or sunnier climes like San Diego. (Your body produces D when it’s exposed to sunlight.) Because D is fat-soluble, you can get too much of
   it–so ask your doc to check your levels before you start taking a supplement.
10. Treat Your Body as Well as You Treat Your Car
11. Reapply Sunscreen-and Make Sure You’re Using Enough
12. Don’t Keep Bedroom Troubles to Yourself Another study found that frequently hugging your partner can help reduce blood pressure and heart rate.
13. Think of Your Home as Your Gym
14. Know Your Family Health History The genes you inherited play a large role in your risk of disease, so gathering the details is a must!
15. Be Organized
16. Get Your Flu Shot
17. Stretch It Out
18. Don’t Discount Hormone Therapy
19. Make Friends with Bacteria
20. Go Low-Tech-At Least Sometimes

It has become a trend in most companies and offices to block certain social networking and IM sites. You see, these sites eat up a lot of time and once an employee is stuck to checking his own IM or social networking site, his productivity is also affected. No wonder, most employers have already installed an employee monitoring software such as the one seen at Activ Trak. If you are an employer and you want to know Who's Doing What and For How Long but in a very discreet way, this tracking software is for you. They current;y have a short 10-minutes online demo to have a glimpse of what to expect on this software.

I skipped last week's FFOF because I was so busy, here's my take this week. Have a good weekend everyone :)!

Hi everybody.
This week I’m asking players to look in their kitchen and find at least four items that start with one of the following letters - J, W, B and O.

My answers are:
J - Jug as in water jug :P.
W - Wheat Bread
B - Banana
O - Olive Oil

Do you know that too much oil in dishes can cause skin irritation, say blackheads. Despite the fact that I love greasy oily dishes, I try to avoid them. It would also do good for DH and DS whom I want to live a healthier life by providing dishes that are healthy. In tuned with DS upcoming 1st day in school, here's a recipe that would be very easy to prepare and your school kids would love to pack!

HAM POTATO BITES

Ingredients:

8 small red potatoes, about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter (1 lb)

2 tsp olive oil

1 1/2 cups deli ham (or chicken) salad

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple or well-drained crushed pineapple

3 tbsp. chopped fresh chives

3 tbsp. chopped almonds or cashews

1 tsp. prepared mustard (optional)

additional chives, almonds, and pineapple pieces (optional)

Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 14 minutes
Serves: 16

1.) Heat oven 425F. Brush or rub potatoes with olive oil; toss to coat. Spread in shallow baking pan. Bake 14-19 minutes or just until potatoes are barely tender; do not overbake (potato shells need to hold their shape). Cut each potato in half crosswise. Cool slightly, until able to handle.

2.) Meanwhile, in small bowl blend salad, pineapple, chives, almonds and mustard, if desired.

3.) Using melon baller or spoon, gently scoop centers from cut side of potatoes, leaving at least 1/4 inch shell. (Cover and refrigerate removed potatoes for future use, if desired). If necessary, cut very thin slice from rounded part of potato halves to allow shells to stand upright.

4.) Mound about 1 tablespoon salad mixture into each shell. Garnish with additional chives, almonds and pineapple pieces, if desired.

This week's Lasang Pinoy theme is Freestyle :) Post any foodie photo you want and here is my entry. Before I tell you why I chose this entry, let me request you to visit Ces' site, the author of Lasang Pinoy and be a fan of the FishBallZinc at Facebook whom her husband is the admin. DH and I were entertained by his comic strip consisting of Fishballs, Isaw, Betamaks and the like lol!

Moving on. As I have mentioned in my previous entries, my kitchen skills will again be challenged as I prepare for my son's everyday baon in school. I paid for his cafeteria lunch but I want to make sure he won't get hungry in case he does not want the food in the cafeteria. Anyways, I asked him what he wants for his 1st day at school and guess what, he requested for?My mini-brownie cupcakes lol! I know it ain't healthy for a packed-lunch so instead we ate this during our Saturday snacks. Too bad, the camera flash was too bright or was it our kitchen lighting, I guess I better interchange our bathroom lighting and kitchen lighting. Happy Lasang Pinoy everyone!

As mentioned a few entries ago, I might just need to replace my laptop very soon because it has been acting up since I-don't-know-when. DH insisted on getting a Mac replacement. And in the process, we chanced upon this SFM Replacement site. The ExtremeZ-IP is one of the most compatible and stable Windows-based AFP server solution on the market. This is a good file sharing for anything Mac-related. While it has nothing to do with my laptop purchase especially since I am going to use it only for personal use, I thought of sharing it here especially for those who have businesses. Check out their site at GroupLogic.com.

Come Tuesday, I now have a school boy. DS used to go to a gym school but the most number of hours he'd been away from home was 2-3 hours and that's not even on a daily basis.

This school year would be his first time to be under an instructional-based setting class and would be there for 6.5 hours a day. While the school cafeteria offer healthy snacks and lunches, I still insist on packing him lunch just in case he does not feel like eating what the cafeteria offers.

While I was searching for healthy kids packed-lunches and snacks, I chanced upon this insightful article which gives comparison on food that are instantly bought in the grocery and what healthier alternatives we could give our children. Check it out HERE.

For the longest time, DH has been convincing me that bikes are indeed safe rides, he meant the big motorcycle rides. In fact, I saw him checking out this kuryakyn site where you can find the largest selection of Kuryakyn Parts & Accessories. But for now, I won't give in to his request, my closest friends and relatives have had bad experiences with riding a bike so it will be a no for me, right now. Who knows my mind would change in the future :).

I try as much as I could to avoid Soda particularly Coke. But, there are days that the easiest way to energize myself is not coffee but coke. Now, here's a really interesting email I got from my Mom. I do not know its authenticity and who the source was but the information is quite reliable.

WATER
#1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.
(Likely applies to half the world population)

#2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak
that it is mistaken for hunger.

#3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as 3%.

#4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs
for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of
Washington study.

#5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

#6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of
water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain
for up to 80% of sufferers.

#7.. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term
memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on
the computer screen or on a printed page.

#8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of
colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast
cancer by 79%., and one is 50% less likely to develop
bladder cancer. Are you drinking the amount of water
you should drink every day?



COKE

#1. In many states the highway patrol carries
two gallons of Coke in the trunk to remove blood from
the highway after a car accident.

#2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Coke and it will be gone in two days.

#3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and let the 'real thing' sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china.

#4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.

#5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.

#6. To loosen a rusted bolt: Apply a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.

#7. To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake. Thirty minutes before ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.

#8. To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of Coke into the load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains. It will also clean road haze from your windshield.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION:
#1 the active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. It will dissolve a nail in about four days. Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major contributor to the rising increase of osteoporosis.

#2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup! (the concentrate) the commercial trucks must use a hazardous Material place cards reserved for highly corrosive materials.

#3. The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean engines of the trucks for about 20 years!

Now the question is, would you like a glass of water? or Coke?

One of the best things to promote your products is by creating a catchy logo that would retain in the mind of your prospective customers that would make them think: "Hey, what's that brand or what's that store? What do they sell?". No wonder companies these days would go further by giving out embroidered bags as their corporate giveaways. With bags, customers would frequently use them and carry it wherever they go, hence other people would be able to look at it as well. For other customized giveaways such as these embroidered bags, hats, check out Water Mark Graphics for their wide variety of items.

The Cooking Meme (What Is The Meaning of Thyme and Other Deep Questions)

1. If you could put thyme in a bottle, what is the first thing that you'd like to do?
::: It would be very easy, much much easier than software development, no wonder I love cooking than anything related to computer software hee hee. Here's what I will do, I will buy a dry-packed powdered thymes and put it in a crystal canister, which we usually do with our spices. :::

2. Do eggs really crack or do they merely have a nervous breakdown?
::: Of course, they crack! :::

3. Why are you whipping the butter? What did it ever do to you?
::: Whipping will make it thick! :::

4. Do your spoons spoon in the drawer? Have you ever noticed? And more importantly, if wooden spoons spoon do they get splinters?
::: Yay! I am beginning to regret I join this meme LOL!, you gave me the laughs though. :::

5. You hear: "Dumpling, my Dumpling, come hither." The candles are lit, the fondue is dipping, the Godiva is pouring, the scallions are steaming and the music is playing.....but wait, the windows are open. Why did you close them?
::: Huh?! :::

6. Do you need a recipe to cook or are you a bohemian chef? Show us your reckless and wild side in the kitchen. Don't have one? Here's a recipe I made just for you: You will need a spatula, a whisk, a gallon of Chardonnay, a banana and a rump roast. What is the name of your dish?
::: I try to experiment when I feel like finishing up some ingredients. :::

7. After dinner, the dishes are so dirty that the dishwasher refuses to wash them.
What did they say to get in hot water?
::: I wash our dishes, I don't like my dishes washed by dishwasher hee hee. :::

8. Is your pot black?
::: Silver and black and blue. :::

9. What is the sexiest spice or condiment in your cabinet? What makes it so?
::: Basil, because it mixes well with wine :). :::

10. How much crock is really in your crock pot?
::: ONE, I suppose. :::

The first time I heard about ftp replacement and other terminologies related to FTP was when I got a webhost. My friend, C was so kind to install everything for me and guide me in migrating my old domains to its new house under a new webhost. But, I have to learn the itsy bitsy tiny weeny details on FTP in order for me to change the blog templates that I want. Speaking of FTP and FTP replacement, Group Logic is a website which offers this service. By subscribing to their FTP replacement services, you are able to save thousands of dollars a year in file shipping costs and it can also be very cost-and-time-efficient because you are assured that no employee hours is wasted with it. For more information on this, please check out their site at GroupLogic.com.

I do not know if you have seen the speech of Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Industries which he delivered during the 2005 Commencement Exercises. If you have not watched it, check it out in YouTube. Commencement Exercises speeches are what I usually watch these days, I am probably inspired because I know that my graduation is very very near :). Anyways, the speech made me want to FINALLY switch to Mac after many years of being a Windows User. Also, I chanced upon this site which solve filename problems and other extension file problems. The site is called Group Logic and you check their site at GroupLogic.com for more information.

Hello everyone!

It's the 2nd of September and while everyone seems to be raving about how September marks the start of Christmassy-season (Philippines, in particular), this month is my birth month too and yes, I should be able to shed off those 7-10 lbs off me before my birthday or at least, before this month ends. Yes, that was the target I set for myself and I know it may sound like I am rushing this diet regimen, this is the best way to hit my goal or else I would be delaying whatever I have started and consistently been doing.

Now, after I achieve those targets, the next onus is for me to maintain and live a healthier lifestyle.