Huling's words proved prophetic. She said I would be needing two months to write about my "past loves". It will be March 1 tomorrow and I still have a few (guys) left to brag... errr, blog about.

Today proved to be a tiring, unproductive and at some point, irritating day. I woke up early with the intent of doing my internet stuff first. No deal. I deemed my house dirty and that no amount of effort from my maid satisfied me. I did the cleaning myself. I got carried away that I did the garden and terrace too making me rush through my bath and dressing so as not to be late in watching the Oblation Dance Sport Finals at UP. It was a boring but at some points interesting competition of students. I stayed up to the end thinking that my son would (naturally) come home with me. He chose to stay and told me so after I've endured the 4-hour torture.

Ethan and I went home and got our dinner/snack at the McDonald's Drive Thru. The ketchup sachet chose my white blouse as target. The nugget barbeque sauce chose Ethan's shirt to dirty. It was hard unwrapping the food, eating, looking out for Ethan and driving at the same time. I was just glad there was no traffic going home.

Tired and dirty, I arrived home. I immediately set myself up for a shower. Crap! Whatever happened to the lavatory faucets? None is working! Okay, I'll just leave that for tomorrow. After a refreshing shower I finally turned on the computer, typed my blog url and whadaaa!? Where's my PR 3? It was here last night!!

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Ethan's field trip to the Ayala Museum proved to be highly educational for him. For the past month his kindergarten class has been studying "art". The topics ranged from the works of Van Gogh to Picasso and Seurat. My daughters were highly surprised by Ethan's knowledge as they don't even know who George Seurat is. Well, do you?

Anyway, the tour of the Museum was interactive. The school has made special arrangement with the museum and the tour guides had lectures and art materials for the kids to do abstracts patterned after Fernando Zobel's "syringe" medium and Arturo Luz's visuals. The tour also included 60 dioramas, re-telling Philippine History. The area was artfully lighted and fitted with emergency lights maybe in case of power failure. The tour guide had to look for us as Ethan and I got so caught up with the dioramas.The part I liked best was the collection of women paintings by Fernando Amorsolo. His "sunlight" painting has never ceased to impress me. The natural beauty of a Filipina has been the favorite subject of Amorsolo.

School field trips should always be educational. I just don't get it why there are schools that "do" field trips in malls.

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Having a doctor in the house is a blessing. There's no need for us to got to a doctor's clinic or the outpatient department of a hospital for minor ailments. I have never believed in self-medication. Why? Simple enough. I am not a doctor. I did not study How to Cure diseases. However, I do practice treating simple symptoms such as cough and colds. I try to use simple relief such as inhaler and vaporub and other alternative medicines such as herbal. I confirm that gargling warm water with salt can lessen sore throat. Drinking ginger tisane can alleviate a hoarse voice. However, I'm careful to always consult a doctor when symptoms persist.

There are several websites that offer help and information about alternative and herbal medicine. Check out www. SymptomsandTreatmentandCures.com for getting the best tips and articles to help you search for the best treatment for symptoms and cures for ailments. Getting information on how to treat simple ailments and symptoms and preventing common sickness will help us achieve a better quality of life.

For questions and concerns about healthcare, how to cure diseases and other related topics, Dan Neumeister can help in clarifying the pressing issues. Know more about Dan Neumeister's background here.

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I want to renovate and refurbish my bedroom. I'm just not happy with how the way it looks anymore. It's a virtual mess. I've tons of stuff strewn all over the place. I have books, books and more books every where. There's just not enough space left for me to put other personal stuff. My bedroom is pretty average in size but through the years it has "grown" smaller because of accumulated stuff I horded and stored in it. Now I want to tear down one wall for additional space but it's too tedious a job. Maybe I could just throw out my old furniture and replace them with Contemporary Bedroom Furniture for a more compact and sleeker look. I've always been partial to wood furnishings and finishes. However, since I want new a style for my bedroom maybe I should take a look and consider Metal Beds too. I found this bedroom set online and I like the combination of metal and wood.



Great isn't it? I just love the combination of the modern and contemporary. Maybe I should take a look at new Furniture For Kids too. Ethan needs a new bed and study table. He has grown quite a bit and had outgrown his old furniture. Heck! What I really need is a new furnished house!

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After Suyen came a string of so-so relationships. One was with a certain Herman. I was on my way to school and I noticed him staring at me while on the bus. I got off the bus and he did too. I went inside my building and class and he did too. I found out later that we belong in the same class. He became my boyfriend only for a short time - less than two weeks I think. I did not even had the chance to know him well. So why did I break up with him? Simple. A hottie entered the scene. I told Herman about it and he actually did not mind. He said "I knew it was too good to be true".

The hottie was Larry. Not the Gerber one. He was a former pre-med student who shifted to architecture and 6 years my senior. He was quite good looking in a ruggedly handsome way. I think our relationship lasted for about 5 months or so. I broke off with him for he failed to visit me during Christmas break. In fairness, he actually called long distance as he was staying somewhere in Pandi, Bulacan. As I was in Rizal, the phone connection was really bad. Remember that this was in the mid 70's. He called to ask for directions going to my place. I tried to tell him over the phone but he just can't understand what I was saying. Anyway, he should have asked for directions way before the Christmas break.

On the first day of school after the holiday break, Larry was all eager to see me. I was not. I was irritated and just wanted to get it over with him. He thought I was kidding when I told him there were no "us" anymore. He just can't believe I broke off with him. He said that no one breaks off with him. Tough luck I said, I just did. In no time at all, girls from the college of Fine Arts were clamoring for his attention. I think he hooked on some FA girl after that. I have not heard from him since 1979. I wonder what happened to him.

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So many Valentine's Day has come and gone and I still need to hear from daughter # 2 that she has a date. She' just not into dating! She is so engrossed with her work that she breathes, dreams and talks of work. She and some of her core friends are just not into "dating" for they say that finding the right lifetime partner is proving to be very difficult to accomplish these days. The young and the not-so-young are all so busy meeting head on the challenges their work brings. For the younger gen Xs, marriage seems to be the last in their "to do" list. Work and leisure are the order of the day for these young people. What happens now if these "youngsters" are not so young anymore? Find the man or woman of their dreams so they can finally get married and maybe make a mad-rush to create a family?

I have met several online buddies who have met their partners through online dating. They are now living and raising happy families. I think that online dating is a matter of perspective. There are sites that are just plain hacks and scams and then there's Passion Search for those in the lookout for online friends. Actual Dating might intimidate the shy ones but in online dating, would prove to be a breeze. You can literally log-off if you don't like your online date! I better tell these young girls about the possibilities of the site. Care to check it out yourself? Sigh up is free.

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Let's count. So far I've written 12 to 13 articles about my past crushes and loves (yuck!). Ummm... I think I'm about halfway through my list. Or am I? I have not even included my all-time crushes like Robert Redford, John Travolta and David Cassidy to name a few.

Robert Redford was my biggest crush back then. He was not handsome in a "Hollywood" sense but his appeal was electrifying. He was oozing with sex appeal. His want for privacy regarding his personal life made him more appealing. Robert was and is still a great actor and director. I was Mrs. Robert Redford in between boyfriends.


David Cassidy was the ultimate pretty boy of the '70s. He was a singer but not in the caliber of Frank Sinatra and Andy Williams. He was just pretty, young, and can sing and dance. David Cassidy was my ideal when I was in high school.

No matter what negatives I hear about him, John Travolta will continue to be perfect for me. He may not be handsome or pretty but I bet he's better looking than the average man in the street. I like John. He's one talented actor.

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Daughter # 1 is so busy with her residency that we hardly see her. Her off duty days are on Sundays so she has requested me to take care of her car registration for 2009. It's due next month and I have not really taken care of anything yet. I still need to get an auto insurance comparison quotes from different companies. I want the best deal for D1's insurance policy.

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What do you know, today is the 23rd anniversary of the People's Power Revolution of 1986. After 33 years, what's different? Principle-wise, nothing! Our local and national leaders are still inept and corrupt, majority of them, that is.

I was 29 years old during EDSA 1. My three girls then were aged 5.5, 4.5 and 2.5. They were too young for me to take them to EDSA. I so wanted to go and be one with the Filipinos in ousting Ferdinand Marcos. Then in January 17-20, 2001 EDSA 2 happened. Again, the Filipinos had it with Joseph Estrada. The Pinoys wanted Erap out and GMA in. Concerned Filipinos were trooping to EDSA while concerned parents were trying their best to keep their children safe at home. Not me. I missed EDSA 1. Surely I won't be as crazy to miss EDSA 2.

Getting away from my hubby was easy enough as he was out golfing that day, January 19, 2001. I told the kids to dress in black for we were going to rub elbows with fellow patriots. Getting there was easy enough. I took the then new C-5 route - no traffic. I parked in one of the parking lots in Ortigas Center and the kids and I started to walk into the heart of the "revolution". Fun! I saw a lot of church mates and friends from Taytay. I also saw several under-aged nephews who went to EDSA without their parents' blessings. Each and everyone begged to "please do not tell my mom". No problem. We had pictorials galore, shook hands with GMA, listened to a lot of political crap then ate at Pizza Hut.

L to R: D1, D3, me, D4, Nephew, My son

D4, D3, My son, D2 and Me

EDSA 1 was the outcome of 14 years of Martial law. It was the culminating event that was further pushed forward by Ninoy Aquino's death. EDSA 2 was illegal in a sense. EDSA 3 was.. there is no such thing.

As Ninoy said "The Filipino is worth dying for." Can the same thing be said now? I don't know. Let's just hear it from Kris Aquino. Deal or no Deal.

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Save the environment.Go Green! This seem to be the mantra of all those concerned with the issue of global warming. I sincerely believe that all humanly possible endeavor should be done to save the environment, therefore saving our earth and the rest of humanity. Go Green and stop global warming!

There are Going Green Home Business Opportunity available for work-at-home-moms and those interested in home based businesses. The site helps sahms and wahms to look for the best environmental-friendly home-based businesses around. Products that promote going green and could help save earth in the long run are well-received by consumers around the world. With companies closing and employees being laid-off now is the opportune time to work from home by selling earth-friendly products. This way we'd help alleviate unemployment and save mother earth in the process. Trying to understand the nature of green home business opportunity can be a hard task for a regular Joe but EcoQuest international can help in giving enlightenment over the issue. Know more about EcoQuest company profile page.

Check out the site and read tips on the best environment-friendly home-based businesses online today.

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I never thought I'd see the day when my landline would be free from users. Before the advent of SMS or text messaging, my phone line was almost never free. My girls hugged the phone that I had to have a private phone for my use. Since text messaging also translates to "money" a better and cheaper way of talking with friends can be done through online chats.

Online conversation, or online chat has come a long way. It has made our lives easier with instant communication. We even save money from long distance and overseas calls. We can go online anytime and chat with friends and relatives. This mode of communication is highly used now as even e-mail providers have chat lines. The use of webcams is now a common pratice too. We can meet new people online. I know of some who even met their husbands online. Cool. Now, there are probably hundreds of chat rooms available in the net today, Senior Chat City included. There are chat rooms for under every classification that you can possibly dream of and Senior Chat rooms are in the list too. I once kidded my 78 year-old maiden aunt that she should consider a Senior chat to finally hook a boyfriend.

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I first saw, rather, heard him vocalizing. Some tenor with a real piercing voice was making some unsuspecting passersby do a double take and gawk at him by the door of the UP Madrigal Singers practice room. Gosh! He was terribly good looking. Fair with rosy cheeks and lips, longish-brownish hair, beautiful almond-shaped eyes... gorgeous!I stopped by the door to have a look at the person vocalizing. He stopped vocalizing when he saw me too.(Must have been stupefied by my beauty!) To cut a long story short it was actually "love at first sight...err... heard".

My 16-year-old inexperience must have been naive and insecure to his 22-year-old experience. Nevertheless, our relationship thrived for more than a year. That was a year of awakening for me. I learned so many things from him. I met so many "music" people through him. We were inseparable. I used to play the piano for him so he could practice his songs. I watched their concerts and every time I do I fell madly in love with him all over again. The head of the UP Madz did not like me. I was actually endorsed by my voice teacher to her but she refused to even audition. She found me exceedingly juvenile and made no secrets about it. His mom did not like me either. I think she found me too demanding of her son's attention.

I found myself, with my Tya Liling, watching Operas like Madame Butterfly at the CCP to see him. He had made arrangements with the stage hand to open the side door during intermissions so we could meet and hug. Those were such wonderful days. He was becoming one of the Philippine's top tenors and offers were coming in left and right. One day he said that he has been invited by the School of Holy Spirit to play the part of Nanki-Poo in its adaptation of The Mikado. For almost a month we barely saw each other. I was so agitated and pissed that we ended up quarreling every time we saw each other. His mother heard about the fights. The conductress of the UP Madz heard about it. Every freaking one in the UP College of Music heard about it. It was to may detriment that I threw books and stuff whenever I was angry. Maybe her got tired of picking up my mess.

The day of reckoning came. He was supposed to pick me up after a class but he did not come. Technology then was a far cry from today. It was hard to locate "missing" persons more so if the "missing" person refused to be found. I finally got it. WE were over. The hard part was when both of our singing groups performed at the Folk Arts Theater for a series of Christmas presentations. I was devastated. At the young age of almost 18, I experienced a gut-wrenching broken heart.

I quit the UP Concert Chorus. I quit my dream of being a choral conductor. I quit my Bachelor of Music course. Although he was from the College of MassCom, I didn't think I could handle seeing his face and feeling his presence everywhere. Boba! I should have not! Anyway, what's done is done. No regrets... oh yes there were... but hey! That's life.

It took me years to recover from that heart break. I never knew what happened to him... until the internet. Yey! He now lives in California and is married to a M**i*da. He is active in his parochial church. I don't think he has kids. Haha! His lost as I have five! Thanks to People Finders and Email finders, I was able to nail his email address. I emailed him for the "sake" of "art". He did not reply although my software notified me that he did open the email. Gosh!

Raoul Baretto Raymundo! Haven't you recovered yet?! I know that I was your first true love too but.... Life Goes On....


P.S.

My online buddy Huling said she Googled the name and came up with nothing. Well, I searched real hard this time and learned that there is a M*r* and a M*li*s* related to him too. His children perhaps? I even got directions going to his house. What the crap!? I even found his daughter in fb! How did I know it was his daughter? I just checked all her contacts and found some familiar surnames way back UP days. LOL . I even found a sister of his, some nephews and nieces and his parents in facebook!!! Gosh! His mom is 78 years old and still doing fb! I know... I know.... I'm such a great stalker!

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I have the tendency to pop or click my right jaw. Sometimes it feels like something is stuck in my jaw that makes it difficult to close my mouth. This happens when I talk too much and that is often. I have repeatedly told daughter # 3 about this and she has repeatedly told me too to see a TMJ - a temporomandibular joint dysfunction therapy dentist.

Of course I wouldn't see one as I can still "unlock" my jaw when it happens. But I'm telling you, a "stuck" jaw is mighty painful. There are signs if you are suffering from TMJ dysfunction. Some of the signs are: headaches or migraines, popping or clicking in your jaw, pain in the head, neck, face, or jaw, tingling extremities, ear infections, ringing in the Ears, pain or pressure in your eyes and more. If your jaw locks repeatedly, better see a TMJ dentist. If you're anywhere near San Diego, there's a San Diego TMJ Treatment near you. Better check it out.

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Do you play poker? Okay,let me rephrase that. Do you know how to play poker? I do but it would take me quite a lot of time to figure out what's happening to my cards. It would be most likely that I'd ask my opponent to "read" my cards. Poker might have had its roots way back in the 15th century. America's wild wild west era is the famous poker-playing period in US history. We have seen many towns or lives or homes saved through poker games - in the movies.

Poker has evolved through the years to include all the cards in a deck. Poker is a game of skill, strategy, luck and fun. With high technology at our fingertips, poker can be played online now. There are a lot of online poker sites but the best there is so far is www.flopturnriver.com. Full Tilt Poker is one of the largest online poker room. It's where you can "chat,play and learn" from pros. You can use the Full Tilt Poker Referral Code and you'll be given a 100% up to $600 bonus. The Full Tilt Bonus also has added incentives like the recurring $500 money added tournaments a month. The site has much to offer to a fledgling or a pro poker player. Check it out.

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There is worldwide recession. More and more companies, big and small, are closing down. This action translates to more and more people being laid-off from work. Ergo, more families are affected. There must be something that could be done to alleviate the economic recession. Where are the 'great' minds of the world? Cannot they join forces and "do" something? The trouble is even in times of depression there are those who still take advantage. Greediness is just here to stay! I read somewhere that with the continued recession growth, more retail stores are slashing their prices. Items go down to as much as 70% off the regular retail price. With the current trend in economy, I think a dollar store franchise is worth considering.

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My hubby has this irritating habit of turning off light fixtures that are on. I know, conserve energy. But! it's not helping conserve energy when he turns off every home lighting that he sees on. His favorite spot to cover in absolute pitch black is the yard and carport. It's a natural occurrence for me and the kids,(in times we get home at night) to get off our cars and stumble like blind mice on the path to the house. I just don't see hubby's obsession in turning off every light in the house for I use the highly economical lighting bulbs for all our light fixtures .For example, if the bulb emits a 75 watt energy, it's actual energy consumption is about 12 watts only.

I might be missing something so I checked out www. farreys.com for the latest in light fixtures. I checked out the bathroom light fixtures first as next to the yard and carport, it's hubby's favorite area to cover in darkness. I also checked out ceiling light fixtures and was amazed by the range of styles and brands that Farreys has to offer. One thing for sure, it's not the light fixture. It's the hubby that's causing my dilemma. If only there is a light fixture that talks and says "don't turn me off", I'd buy it in a jiffy.

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Not me!

Two lucky persons won the P 347,836,903.20 jackpot prize in yesterday's Philippine Super Lotto. After weeks of anticipation, the wait is finally over. I actually feel relieved that some lucky bastards have won the pot. For the past 3 weeks or so, I was forced, compelled and beckoned to place my bet. Who wouldn't?! The pot money then was over the 100 million mark. I spent many a sleepless nights thinking of how to spend my millions. I was able to formulate and decide to give 10% of my winnings to the church. Put up 10 7-11 outlets. Buy a new house in McKinley Hill. Buy each of my kids a condo unit. Buy each kid a new car. Take a European-US-Asia tours with different groups of friends. Donate to charitable institutions. Treat all the faithful readers of this blog to coffee- wherever they may be. And more.Too bad I didn't win. In case you're interested the winning combination is: 06 34 20 26 12 33. Crap! I only got 06, 26 and 12!

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Today is a working holiday. This means students have no classes but their teachers still have to be in school. This also means that all offices are open today. So, what's the deal with working holidays?

We were in Taytay yesterday afternoon for a cousin's farewell party. Even if we wanted to stay late we can't because my kids have to go to work the following day - a working holiday. I was in the middle of packing clothes and stuff in my cousin's Delsey luggage when daughter # 2 reminded me that it was time to go home. Finished or not finished we hurriedly said our good-byes and bid cousin a safe flight.

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One problem that I need to address regarding my "blogging" is my ignorance about building websites and related topics. I had to consult website designer to even out simple tweaks in my blog layout. I even afraid to go on self web hosting for fear of loosing my "blog" in the process of transferring. I've read that there is an available an easy-to-do website builder and html editor downloadable at www.evrsoft.com. First Page 2000 can be used by web neophytes and masters easily and quickly. It contains tools and guides for site builders and developers to use. Founded in 1998, the company boosts of small and big scale clients such as:Bank of America, Intel, BARTA, Coca Cola, VeriSign and Samsung to name a few. The current total download of 1st Page 2000 has reached the 2 million mark. Surely that alone is a sign of the software's excellence.

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Our house is a wifi hotspot. Go to any bedroom, and chances are the occupant is tapping away in her/his laptop. There are days when the house is so quiet that one would think no one is home. The truth is everyone is glued to their computer monitors. At times, we even IM each other! I'm the only one using a desk top. Time and again, my kids have prodded me to get a new one. Maybe it's time I consider getting a Rackmount monitor for my use.

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Cyndy was the nerdy-serious type. Grace was the "jock" as she was into sports especially basketball. Studying in an all-girls school makes one an expert in gauging who has the possibilities of being a belot. The word belot is a contraction of two words: bebot* and kelot*. The word tomboy, then, was synonymous with lesbian. We did not dare use such a strong word. We used belot instead. So, Cyndy and Grace were possible belots.

Writing love letters to a girl was easy. All I had to do was think of what I wanted to hear or read when being wooed. I wrote letters in the morning and asked some sophomore or freshman to deliver them. After a few pages of Snoopy stationery, I had them! Success! My classmates were successful too. Most chose freshies as they were easier to handle. It was hilarious to see my girly friends go "manly" for their victims.. errr, MUs (mutuals as in mutual relationship). Cyndy was more interesting for she was intelligent. She was into poems and short stories and indeed, quite talented in those areas. Grace was, well, pogi*! She was boyish and quite 'masculine' while her older sister was delicate, pretty and graceful.

It was hard keeping two relationships going more so because the two were of the same batch. All secrets were meant to come out in the open sooner or later. Boy! I had some real nasty tantrums to handle after the two discovered my two-timing modus operandi. Grace went out of the triangle and went "on" with a batch mate, Bubbles. Cyndy and I continued to be "on" until my graduation. Being "on" meant exchanging letters in school, talking during breaks, and maybe the occasional phone calls.

Graduation came. Yey! It was either Ateneo or UP. I chose UP. Little did I know that my high school relationship experiences were not enough to prepare me for the "real" world.

I have lost track of Cyndy. I never knew what happened to her. The last I saw her was in 1974-75. I found Grace through one of our high school networks. She now lives in LA and developed into a full-pledged "belot".

some of my former high school classmates
who went belots for a spell

*kelot - Filipino slang for male

*bebot - Filipino slang for female

*pogi - good-looking, manly

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I was googling a lot of names as I was on the search for long lost friends and classmates. Once I google, I stumble into sites unknown. Today I stumbled into
Interracial Chat Rooms. As the name implies, the site is a virtual hodgepodge of people of different nationalities. Membership is free. If you're into internet chats, you might want to check the site out.

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The first area I go to when window shopping is the Home and Garden section. I love to look at new and beautiful things for the house and garden. It's so nice to picture renovating or remodeling each inch of space in my house and garden incorporating my new finds. That was before. Now, all I have to do is login to ShopWiki and presto! I could search and look for every possible thing that my heart desires.

I was looking for some light fixtures the other day and all I had to do was go to Home Furnishings and all the online leading shops for light fixtures are displayed: ceiling lights, wall lights, pendants, chandeliers and more. I was also looking for a portable air conditioning unit for possibilities. Instead of only finding the AC units, I was also given some tips on how to keep my home and appliances clean. There were guides on how to choose the right kind of appliances for ones' needs too. ShopWiki is a minefield of information for about 30,000 online stores. You can find whatever item you are looking for at this site. Check it out.

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Studying in an all-girls school had its pros and cons. Pros: there were no boys to distract us from our studies. Cons: there were no boys. The only chance for us to meet boys were through school soirees that I was not allowed to attend. No regrets though as I would have probably ended up as a "wall flower" - the clinging variety. I was just so plain unattractive and fat. Of course I didn't know that then. I was my usual confident,happy and cocky self. I was in the honor roll and in numerous school clubs. The only crushes I had then was with Cocoy Laurel and my brother's friend Roy.

In an all-girls school, a girl/girl relationship was an accepted norm. Most of these relationships were harmless for they were more about "friendship" than "lustful" love. I was in awe of juniors and seniors who courted freshies and sophies. Gay and same sex relationships were still quite taboo in mainstream society. Anyway, my friends and I were not into it.

However, life is too short.

As Seniors, we ruled the campus. We were the presidents, editors, chairpersons and point persons of every organization in the school. Freshies and sophies worshiped the ground we walked on. So, we thought: It's our last year in high school and we're still neophytes in girl/girl relationships. On that fateful day in August 1972, a month or so before Martial law was declared, my group of friends - the top 10 or 12 of the graduating batch- made a pact to "victimize" high school freshmen or sophomores. I chose two sophomores: Cyndy and Grace.

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Random drug test is now required in most high schools and place of work. My two daughters, one a medical doctor and the other a dentist, had to subject themselves too to such exams before they could proceed with their residencies. This only shows that regarding substance abuse, no one is exempted. In the US alone, there is a reported 12.5 million users of illicit drugs and about 3.6 million addicts. There is not even an abstract on the numbers of alcoholics in the US. With the increase of abusers and dependents, there is also a proliferation of alcohol treatment centers and drug addiction rehab facilities.

Although drug addiction is complex, it is treatable. Drug addiction is characterized by compulsive drug craving, seeking, and use that persist regardless of the consequences. Drug addiction can become chronic, with possible relapses even after long periods of abstinence. As a chronic, recurring illness, addiction may require continued help and treatments to increase the intervals between relapses and diminish their intensity. Through effective treatment to answer to individual needs and love and care from their family and friends, people with drug addiction can recover and lead productive lives.

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A friend of mine is fond of joining chat rooms. Ever since internet chat rooms have been "invented" she has been joining each and every chat room there is. The result? She has received countless indecent and lewd proposals. Today, she prefers to chat only at known Christian Chat Rooms where she interacts with fellow believers. My friend said it's nice to "chat" and discuss religion on a completely different setting. Membership is free.

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The economic crunch is more widely felt than before: a lot of companies have folded; a lot of employees forcibly terminated; the line to welfare greatly increased.On top of that the price of basic commodities are still on the rise and there's just no way consumers can cope. Everyone seems to be in the same predicament: short of cash before the next payday.

We have to tighten our belts and make do with less. In case of emergency, one can avail of Payday Loans. A payday loan, also called a paycheck advance or payday advance, is a small, short-term loan that is intended to cover a borrower's expenses until his or her next payday. Typical loans are between $100 and $500 and are due in two weeks, or until the next payday. An online company www.nowgetloan.com offers this and more.The company even offers bad credit payday loans of up to $1,500. Getting a loan is as easy as 1-2-3. No credit check. Instant cash loans. All you need to do is apply online, ready your bank account and the company would then look for lenders to meet your needs.The company is national. You can avail of its services from any of the US states. If you are from UK, you can also apply for one. Check out the site for more info.

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Back in grade 6, an American missionary visited my homeroom class. I can't really recall why he was there. All I remembered was him giving out a list of names and addresses of American grade 6 students from Rochester, New York. A penpal. No email yet, only slow mail. Why not? I thought it would be fun to have a penpal. I inspected the list and got me the most familiar name - Lawrence Gerber, or Larry.

Larry was the typical boy-next-door type. He was an A-1 student. His parents were both teachers and I remember that he has a sister. We exchanged mails on a regular basis, maybe 2 to 3 times a month. We wrote about ourselves, our families, our school. As we grew older, there were discussions of current events, our dreams and loves. We looked out for one another. He was my friend.

My first boyfriend was mighty jealous of Larry. He sort of told me to stop writing my penpal Larry. I did not completely stop writing Larry but my letters became less and less frequent. That was in 1973. In 1975, after my first heartbreak, Larry and I went back to exchanging letters on a frequent mode once again. By this time, he was a freshman at the University of Arizona. After a year or so, the demands of studies, boyfriends/girlfriends took its toll and we completely lost touch. My stupidity even made me burn all his letters - as demanded by my nth boyfriend. Even if I wanted to then, I can't write to Larry as I can't recall his Rochester NY address.

Life went on. Larry Gerber was forgotten. Decades after, I tried to find Larry through the internet. There were hundreds of hits and I even wrote to those whose emails I was able to get. No Larry. There was one Larry Gerber from Auburn University who actually wrote back just to say he was not the Larry I was looking for.

How I wish I could find him now.

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There is nothing more frustrating than working in a dimly-lit kitchen. My friend called me up the other day and asked me to help her find a new lighting fixture for her kitchen as her old fixture conked out on her. I browsed on www.lightingandliving.com and looked over some island light fixtures for the kitchen. I was partial to decorative pendant lights as they work wonders in lighting an island and are great for adding pizazz. There are many styles to choose from to fit any style of kitchen decor. Take a look at my choice. It's called the Oil Rubbed Bronze Pendant. It's sleek, stylish and functional. My friend would love this.

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It was the end of the decade - 1969 to 1970. Twiggy's starvation look was not really catching on but people were now appreciating "skinny" as "sexy". For a 12 year old fatty (me) that was not a problem. I just did not care. I ate rice for breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner. My papa was really upset as my "career" as a ballerina was fast disappearing. My father used to say " who would dare lift you if you're so heavy?" Oh well. I just did not care. Eating chicharon was more fun anyway. Thus, at 12 going on 13, I was 15 pounds overweight, enrolled in an all-girls-school, feeling like a country hick from Taytay Elementary school and "crush- less".

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He was my desk mate in grade 6. He was quiet.Had flawless complexion. Quite cute. And he knew I had a crush on him. Drat! He was a total snob. I guess his egotistical inclination pushed him to snob my chubby (and fugly) self. See the picture on your left. This was how I looked in grade 6. I was such a fatty! When girls in my batch were "blossoming" I was still the fat-ugly-duckling and will continue to be one until my junior year in high school.

This was how Wency looked. He looked like Lance Kerwin, the 70's teen star of James at 15.

I went to a different high school than the rest of my elementary batch. My mother enrolled me in a all-girls high school.She wanted me to learn the finer things in life and thought that an all-girls school was the answer. I lost touch with most of my elementary batch mates, Wency included. For the next 3-4 years, I used to hang out in my maternal grandparents' niche at the municipal cemetery on All Saint's day hoping to have a glimpse of Wency as their family's niche can be seen from ours. Talk about desperation! Years went by and Wency took a back seat... way, way back. I finished high school. Lost about 30 pounds of baby fat. Entered college. Experienced my first heart break. Etc.Etc.Etc.

In the late 70's my cousin put up a bake shop. I was its 'guest' cake decorator on occasions. I was in the process of doing one cake when the baker barked that the customer was already waiting. I said just a few more minutes then hurriedly put the finishing touches on the cake and put it in its box. Okay. The help was nowhere to be found so I dutifully scooped up the box and went to the waiting customer.

Lo and behold! It was Wency! Gorgeously-good-looking Wency! He was shocked to see me too. There I was, 30 pounds lighter, wearing short-shorts and a mid-riff top.

"Ah...hi!" Wency said

"Hi! I didn't know the cake was yours."

"It's for my sister. She ordered it. I was just asked to pick it up."

"Oh!, I hope you like it." said I, sounding vague and stupid.

"I like it... very much", he answered while all along looking at my face.

I looked at his eyes too and then deliberately gave him the box of cake. He took the box from me and in the process caressed both my hands.

"Where do you work?" asked he.

"In an Architectural firm in Makati', I answered. "What about you?"

"I'm a car salesman of Signet. I was not able to finish college as I dropped out. Can I fetch you from your office this coming Monday?"

Ummm... I thought long and hard. At that time frame, I had three suitors. One was an architect. The other one was an architect too. The third one was a businessman. I thought about Wency. Snobbish SOB in elementary. College dropout. Car salesman. Gorgeous.

"Oh I don't think so. My boyfriend would not like it", I answered even if I didn't have a boyfriend that time.

He still made numerous overtures but nothing came out of it. I was just not interested. Years later, our elementary batch had a reunion. He was present and I learned that he has five kids and a common-law wife. Wency still sell cars and insurance.

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I have always been fascinated with snow sports. I love to watch skiing events especially the free skiing. This is the type of skiing with which tricks like flips and spins are usually associated. Watching a free skier is like watching someone do some snow ballet. Beautiful. I also love to watch snowboarding. The stunts take my breath away.

It's the peak of the ski season now. Many enthusiasts have booked their ski holidays. The more popular ski resorts are located in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and California. I am no skier but it does not take one to realize that buying and lugging your own skis are not practical - especially if you ski just for the fun of it. A leading ski rental company has thought of offering their services to over 25 ski resorts in the USA. You can reserve your skis online and then have them fitted in your home. Ski Butlers will deliver your skis to any of its affiliated rental shops in Utah like Deer Valley ski rentals and Park city ski rentals. Then there's the Beaver Creek ski rentals in Colorado if you prefer the hardcore Rockies. The ski rentals will also pick up your rentals at the end of your ski holiday. How convenient is that? Check it out.

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A friend sent me an email containing very disturbing pictures of a woman addicted to face lifts. She looked grotesque - monstrous, actually. The said woman ended up injecting her face with oil just to get her fix. I think she was trying for dermal filler injections. Wrong! The procedure should be done by a qualified doctor. We are all in the quest for the proverbial "fountain of youth" and I suppose dermal filler is one of the answers. The procedure reverses the signs of aging by smoothing up facial lines, fill wrinkles, improve volume loss and more.

Restylane injections and Radiesse are two of the most popular soft tissue fillers on that are used today. In the video presentation below, Dolores Kent MD, shows how to inject dermal fillers for different cosmetic treatments like: forehead lines, glabellar frown lines, crow's feet, tear trough, nasolabial folds, vertical lip lines, marionette lines, lip definition, lip augmentation, chin lines, mentalis, scars, and facial asymmetry.


Dermal Fillers Video

Dermal Filler Injections | Dermal Fillers

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I'm having file extension problems again! What are file extensions? A file extension is a suffix to the name of a computer file applied to indicate the file format of its contents. File extensions can be considered metadata as they commonly used to indicate how data is stored in the file.

There are numeroues types of file extensions. It's the .GIF for graphics,.MUS for music and .TXT for plain text. File extension TMP is temporary file/folder. Temporary files are used for a wide range of tasks. They are usually deleted after their purpose is served but circumstances sometimes cause them to be retained. Another type of an extension file is file extension torrent. It is associated with BitTorrent clients, and specify a file which stores metadata about files available for download via any torrent compatible peer-to-peer. Then there's there the most frequent executable file extension on your computer, DLL for dynamic link library. File extension DLL is used Microsoft Windows applications to store executable code which could be shared between several applications.

Majority of file extension problems are registry error related. Installing a new software that becomes the default editor for a file format does not revert back to the old default editor once that software is uninstalled. This is one of the causes of registry errors that makes opening of some files difficult.If you have this problem too, hop over to www.computerfileextensions.com for a free scan.

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My papa and mama watched movies for a date. The premiere movie theater in 1968-69 was the New Frontier Cinema in Cubao, Quezon city. It was the first ever cinema to have an escalator and centralized air conditioning in the Philippines. Friday nights were movie nights for my parents. On some occasions, they took me with them. There were two movies that I watched back then that impressed me. The first one was Franco Zefirelli's 1968's Romeo and Juliet and the second one was 1970's A Man Called Horse. The first movie starred Richard Harris and Romeo was the virtually unknown Leonard Whiting.

Yes. I had a huge crush on Richard Harris but it was nothing compared to the love I had for Leonard Whiting. I slept, are, dreamt, thought of Len Whiting. At age 11, I was contemplating of going to England to look for my "Romeo". I was desperate for a picture of Leonard Whiting. There was no way to procure one except to cut pictures from teen magazines and news papers. In high school, I was still faithful to Len Whiting for it was his name that I wrote in slumbooks: "Who is your crush?" Len Whiting.

Years passed. Richard Harris, a real brilliant actor, became Dumbledore. He has passed away and the Harry Potter movie series is just not the same without him.

Richard Harris

Whatever happened to Leonard Whiting? His movie career never really took off. He was out of the movie scene by 1975. I wonder how he looks now.

Leonard Whiting

What the hell happened to the beautiful face of Len Whiting? He's about 58-59 years old now. Old and.. well, not pretty?

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I need to buy another extra mattress as the old air mattress leak cannot be fixed anymore. The air mattress is my son's "camping bed". He takes it with him every time he goes out of town for school-related trips. He likes the convenience of an air mattress since it's easy to pack and unpack and feels like a real comfy bed too. The last time he took it with him, a leak sprung and being out of a patch kit, the leak got bigger and eventually became a big hole. A trip is in the offing and the air mattress is an essential "gear" of my son.

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All is well! I was offline for almost four days because of work. I was hired by daughter # 4 to do flower arrangements in their school fair's booth. She and her fellow alumna put up a flower booth. When all has been arranged and done,what do you know? The two know nothing about arranging flowers! So, my best bud and I were incorporated. We were out of the house by 7:30 A.M. and was back around 9:00 P.M. I went to bed around midnight because I had to take care of a million-and-one-things before I hit the sack. There was just not enough time left for blogging.

I have 228 emails in my inbox and about 443 in my spam - and that's just in my yahoo account. I have four other email accounts to check - or not. Anyway, the school fair culminated last night but my slave-driver-of-a-boss took delivery orders for February 14! I had to wake up around 6:00 A.M. after a late night (or early morning) and do five bouquets and 66 single rose arrangements! By 3:30 P.M. all the deliveries were done. I am pooped and daughter # 4 has a lot of moolah. I wonder how much she'll pay me.

BTW

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

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Zenni Optical in the New York Times?! The online eye wear store had received a good review. The New York time highly recommends the an extra pair of eyeglasses is a must. Prescription eyeglasses for only $8! Who can beat that? I need a new pair right away and I've already sent my prescription to my brother so he would do the ordering for me. I want two pairs! Getting your eye glasses at Zenni Optical is Seeing Straight Without Breaking Bank .

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When boys ages 10-11 were sporting bowl cuts, Eliezer's hair was longer than most, parted at one side and neatly finished at the edges. He was 12 or 13 years old but was in grade five. According to the grapevine, he failed one level and had to repeat it. At my young age of 10, Eliezer's 12-13 year old's antics were more sophisticated and mature than my 10-11 year old boy classmates.

I was invisible to Eliezer. In grade 5, I was chubby and awkward. Surely, a heart throb like Eliezer was beyond my reach. Of course I was so young and didn't know any better. Every batch, whether in college or high school and even in grammar or elementary level, had its own resident vamp or tramp or bitch. In our grade 5 batch it was Nerida. She and Eliezer were an item - the heart throb and the vamp. There was no way Eliezer would notice little-chubby me. However, an opportunity was presented. The school decided that it wanted to put up a Rondalla group. Good for me. I excel in playing the banduria as my papa taught me well. I joined the group and lo and behold! The tramp and throb joined too. Nerida played the laud while Eliezer the guitar. Okay now. Nerida sucked, big time! I was better in playing the banduria and Eliezer gravitated to me if only to play his C's, D's, and whatever chords as accompaniment to my melodious banduria.

For the next couple of months, everything went fine. We were busy practicing for we were supposed to play at the local town's first air-conditioned cinema's opening. I was really minding my own business - playing my banduria. Then one Saturday after practice Nerida approached me and challenged me to a "duel". What the heck? Whatever for? It seemed that Eliezer broke off with her and the vamp thought that I snatched her boy friend. (Nuh-uh! I have not mastered the skill. That would come years later!)

I thought long and hard while the remaining rondalla members were jeering/cheering "suntukan na! suntukan na!"* I didn't like Nerida. She was trashy and flashy. She was also several inches taller than me. Do I fight her? Maybe I could use Karate to crack open her skull or split the lip of the batch bitch. But my father told me not to use Karate for meaningless fights. Umm... what will happen if I do fight her then lose? Does Eliezer merit me fighting for him? Do I even like him now that I found that he has bad breath? What will my parents say (both dentists) if I come home bloodied and scratched all because of someone with bad breath?

"Excuse me, Nerida. If your ex left you, it's because of your rotten personality. Why should I fight you? I don't want to get dirty."

Nerida made a dash for me but I was quicker. I was holding a baton in one hand and boinked her hear with it.

"Touch me and I make sure the principal hears of it. She is after all, my aunt."

I packed my banduria, looked haughtily at her and left. I started out slowly at first then progressively speeded up. The bitch might change her mind and come after me. She didn't. Eventually, we ended up acknowledging each other but we never became friends. Eliezer? I have not seen him since 1969.

Lesson learned: A boy is not worth fighting for, specially one with bad breath.



* fist fight! fist fight!

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Getting home last night, I noticed that Chuck, the choco labrador pup, has been at it again - chewing one of the chairs of my Patio Set. The chairs are made of wicker and Chuck finds the material good for teething.I better hop by www.patioset.com and get suggestions of what is the best patio set chair to buy. I'd like a cast iron piece this time.

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My girls and I are in the process of scheduling our much-awaited paintball match. Back in late 2008, my kids and I together with some "crazy" relatives had a water-balloon match. It was fin but we think a paintball match would be more fun and exciting. We have already found the venue. My brother-in-law heard of our wacky plan and decided to offer to buy us paintball guns. Why not? So I sent him the link to one of the more known paintball shop online at www.jassepaintball.com. Oh wow! I do hope he buys us complete,even if simple, paintball package.

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I have been busy since Monday helping D4 with her flower booth at her Alma Mater's. Sale is still slow but we hope it would pick up tomorrow. My hectic schedule made me forget that D1 has asked me to get her a list of auto insurance rates from my agent. Her car is due for registration soon. Since I don't have the time to troop to my agent's office for a quote, I decided to browse for auto insurance online .

Is there a real need for auto insurance? Of course! It is one's protection for one's life and car. In the USA alone, a reported 5,935,000 vehicular accidents were recorded in 2006. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that 42,642 Americans died in traffic in 2006. Car insurance is not cheap though and some pay more for not knowing any better. Do you think you have the right auto insurance coverage? If you're looking for the right insurance company check out www.simpleautoquote.com. The site offers help and information regarding insurance rates. It also provides a varied listing of insurance companies, offers a general guide on insurance policies and more. Click link for more information regarding auto insurance.

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In grade five I met Delfin. He was a transferee from a parochial school. Students from the said school felt superior to us public school-ers. What the heck? - we public school toughies used to say. Delfin had a hard time fitting in at first. There were some talk (from our section 5-1) that he transferred school due to pressing economic crunch suffered by his family.

Delfin was dark and dusky. Talk was that his father was a hunter and that Delfin occasionally tagged along, thus, his dark complexion. He was smart too. While I struggled with the dang universal, finite and infinite sets, Delfin was breezing through it. He can also, sing, declaim and scrub the floor best when assigned as homeroom cleaners. (Yes. Public school-ers were mandated to clean their classrooms, which I never did because my Tiya Liling was the school principal.) Anyway, Delfin was just a passing fancy. He was new in school and I was curious. I was then more mesmerized by an older boy, a grade six student, Eliezer.

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If you are on the lookout for the best outdoor gear and clothing, don't miss out on www.www.brigadeqm.com. The company started some 30 years ago with the intent of providing the best outdoor gear and clothing to consumers. Now the Brigade Quatermasters also offers tactical and field gear, footwear, clothing for the military and professionals. The company also carries other brands for Special Ops Equipment.The SPEC.-OPS.® BRAND specializes in gear management and organization. The products minimize clutter thus maximizing efficiency.A college classmate is into outdoor target shooting and roughing it out. He claims to be a loyal online shopper at Brigade Quartermasters. Check the site out for more.

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Four down, one to go. Yes! Daughter # 4 has been conferred her BS Economics and BSC major in Management of Financial Institutions degrees on February 7, 2009 at the Philippine International Convention Center. The graduation rite was a three-part affair. First was the Baccalaureate Mass on February 3, then the College Recognition Rites on February 6, and finally the Commencement Exercises. Three occasions equal three new dresses with a sum total of two dinners, one lunch, a binge at the ice cream parlor and after dinner Starbucks.

At the Baccalaureate Mass. Thats' the medal for the
Honorable Mention. So small!!

With her best buds at the CBE Recognition Rites

I'll be posting the Graduation pictures next time.

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My niece called up and asked for advice. She and her husband have plans of putting uP nursery for their 4-month old baby. She said the baby has so much stuff he needs to have a room of his own. I told her to go ahead but make sure that the room has sufficient cross ventilation and that the closets be designed to accommodate the baby's growing needs and apparels. She asked if a separate closet be put up for baby bedding stuff. I recommended to include a couple of shelves for the bedding in the closet so as to maximize the floor area.

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Having five kids, I am no stranger to sleepless nights caused by their illnesses and ailments. There is nothing more heartbreaking than seeing your child go through known childhood diseases such as influenza, mumps, chicken pox, measles and the likes. One good thing though is over the years, great drug companies like Sanofi Pasteur, continued to do research and produce vaccines to help preserve and extend human lives. Sanofi Pasteur is an active advocate for flu prevention in the Philippines – the Bakunado sa Flu campaign. What’s the big deal with flu?

The flu is a dreaded disease not only for children but for adults too. It is a highly contagious disease of the lungs caused by the influenza virus. It is viral so you can catch it from the surrounding; from someone who is sneezing or coughing; from close contact with someone who has the flu or from touching contaminated objects. It is ranked as the fourth leading cause of death among Filipinos. Research indicates that one out of 100 Filipinos is reported to develop an influenza-like illness every year. I have had numerous experiences with trangkaso, the latest of which was in August 2007.

My son contacted the disease while staying at the school dormitory. He called me one stormy morning and asked me to fetch him as he was feverish and was experiencing body aches. With typhoon signal # 3 about to break loose, I braved the flood and rain to fetch my son. My son barely made it walking to the car. He was running a 39-40°C fever and almost dehydrated. I drove like mad to get him home. As luck would have it, the street were live was flooded and my son had to wade in the flood to get home. He was almost delirious when my eldest daughter, a doctor, came home. She immediately hooked her brother to an IV and gave him a shot for his fever. The flu turned into something bacterial and my son had to take high-dose-expensive antibiotics for 7 days- missing school for a week. The influenza could have been prevented if only I did not forget to have my son immunized that year.

Flu season in the Philippines has its peak during the months of June to September. It is best to avail of the flu vaccine before the onset of the season. My daughter uses the brand Vaxigrip to immunize us. She buys the vaccine from a reputable drugstore and injects the whole family. The doctor in the family explains that the vaccine has a 70-90 percent efficacy and usually protects most people from the flu. Sometimes, a person who receives the flu vaccine can get the flu but will be far less sick than those without the vaccine. That is reason enough for me and my family to get our yearly shot.

Have you had your flu shot? If not, what are you waiting for? Go to your doctor for your bakuna. For more information go to http://www.bakuna.ph.

“A Flu Awareness Campaign brought to you by Sanofi Pasteur”

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My first grade year was spent "obsessing" with Roger. However, there was a boy in class who can't take his eyes off me too. Well, of course I didn't know at the time that Jay had a crush on me. We were the class A-1 students. A-1 is not about being the top in academics. A-1 has something to do with being the healthiest students in class. In the 60's, healthy meant "chubby". Yes. I was the chubbiest (and the cutest) girl in our grade-one-section-one class while Jay was fat, not chubby. I remember him looking at me with basset-hound eyes. Always. He was always in my peripheral - during class discussion, seatwork time, recess, etc.

At first, I was not irritated because I had no idea that he had a crush on me. The moment I found out though, I was annoyed. Even more so when Roger started teasing me about it! Roger! The love of my grade one year! What was I to do? I was 6.5 years old and was completely lacking in experience! Mothers were of no help then. It was unthinkable for a 6 year old girl to have a "heart" dilemma. Yes. I started young. I just let it go when moms today say that their kids are so emotionally advance because they have crushes in kindergarten. Big deal. I had a love triangle at age 6.

In grade two, Jay transferred to a private school. Problem solved. There were times that I saw him lurking about the school ground, probably looking for me. After more than 30 years I had the chance to see Jay in our elementary batch reunion. He said that he was an honorary guest. That was in 2005. The following year Jay succumbed to a heart failure.

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I am seriously considering of transferring my domain to a personal hosting site. The problem is I wouldn't know how. There are a lot of web hosting provider in the net today where almost all offers great packages. However, I wanted to know who are the top ten best web hosts so I dropped by www.top10webhosting.com to find out. The top two are Host Monster and Blue Host. I'm no tech yor computer savy so I wouldn't know how to go about the transfer. It's good that both will help me setup my domain transfer and other pertinent stuff. With unlimited add-on domains, unlimited hosting space and file transfer, the special promo of $4.95 is a steal!

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Ethan is really growing up. He refuses to wear "kiddy" clothes - the ones with big pictures of cartoon characters. He once said he wants to wear something "cool". Not a lot of clothing lines carry innovative and hip kids clothing that learning that Jay-Z's Roca Wear has Kids Clothing Roca Wear was a nice surprise. The Rocawear store carries boys and girls apparels from newborn, infants, toddlers, 4-7X and big boys/girls. I checked out the 4-7x shirt line and showed the hip and cool grays, blacks, white and gold colored shirts to Ethan. He wants me to buy them all. So do I.

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Illac Diaz. A nephew of Gloria Diaz, former Ms. Universe and the mother of daughter #4's batchmate, Belle, who is the first cousin of daughter # 4's classmate, Georgina.That about sums up my relationship with Illac. Oh and he's also my Multiply online buddy. We've met in Sony's First Event and that was that. Anyway, Illac has this thirst to alleviate poverty in the country (and maybe the world's) and an eagerness to go "green" thus upgrading the common Filipino's flight. Through his site, I found out about this highly ingenious contraption, errr, machine, err bike!

sige lang manang! padyak pa!

manang, checking out if the cycle's done

I've asked Illac if the bike washing machine would go commercial. No answer yet. If ever, I'd sure franchise! LOL. Imagine marketing something that is: a washing machine, a stationary bike, a sure conversational piece, and has no need for electricity or fuel consumption. Great huh?!

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A few months back, my blog's topic for a month was all about losing weight. I must have written more than 30 articles about the subject. The subject covered all aspects of shedding off pounds: exercising, dieting, diet pills, and more. I thought that writing about the many ways of losing weight would push to lose poundage too. No deal. I am still overweight and summer is almost at my door. Time to consider taking Solo Slim. The pill claims that within 30 minutes of taking it, you fill less hungry and your cravings for carbs and sweets diminish. Now, this pill is for me.

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As an architect and builder, it's standard procedure for me to douse the footing and foundation of new constructions with liquid termiticides. I also make sure that any untreated wood be coated with sodiun borate to make the wood termite-resistant. So, I was quite surprised when a client informed me that a termite colony was in her yard. After inspecting the site and its surrounding I concluded that the termite infestation must have come from the garden soil used for the garden. Since the infestation in the house was still minimal I suggested spraying of termidor by a competent exterminator. However, my client wanted to consider termite tenting too.In the end the termiticides proved more practical. Know more about termite infestations and treatments, go to www.killthetermites.com

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It was June 1963. Or was it July? I really can't remember. It was the first day of school and six-year old me walked all the way to the local primary school. I was to be in grade one! Back in those days mothers don't hang around school. In my hometown, kids walk to school by themselves. If one's house is not within walking distance from the school, one takes a motorized tricycle. No school bus.

My grade one teacher was a relative of my mother. Therefore I was given the best seat in the classroom. Some of my classmates from our church's kindergarten class were also there. As I looked about the classroom, one boy caught my attention. He had fair skin, dark hair, and beautiful eyes. He looked neat and clean too not like some of the boys in the room whose noses needed cleaning - Not my neat and clean object of curiosity.Let's call him Roger.

He lived in the big white house across the school. He was the youngest in the family and his siblings were batch mates of my older cousins. All through grade one, I think my eyes always strayed on Roger's face so much so that my teacher finally decided to sit him beside me. After school, we hang out by sitting on the low concrete fence of their yard. The fence must have been teeming with streptococci for in one or two occasions, I developed boils on the part that touched that dirty fence. The boils were painful. There were no antibiotics then, only penicillin based medications that I was allergic to. My father finally forbade me to stop hanging out by that fence. My budding feelings were cut short due to a boil.

Roger and I remained classmates until grade 4. For the next two years I still saw him around the school. In high school, I've totally lost track of Roger. However in 1976, we once again crossed path at my aunt's wake. My childhood friends were also there and they were excited for me as they knew that Roger was my first crush. Gosh! I said, that was eons ago.I was then requested to sing a Vilma Santos-Fernando Poe Jr. theme song. I obliged. I sang Bato sa Buhangin. Mid-song, Roger decided to join me to the excitement of my amigas. I was "loveless" that time and I thought "What the heck? Why not?!" But as I looked into his dark tantalizing eyes, the magic of 13 years ago was long gone.

Last I heard he and his family migrated to Australia.

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My cousin will be coming home for a visit next week. I was on the phone with her the other night while we discussed the upcoming sweet sixteen birthday of her daughter. She asked if I could help her with the million and one things that needs to be done. Of course! I said. As a token of her appreciation, she asked me what I want for my birthday. Boots! I have always wanted to wear one. So I browsed online and looked at some Double H Boots.Truth is I had a hard time choosing as www.metboots.com carry a wide range of brands and types of boots -work boots, cowboy, lineman, insulated, steel-toed, logger boots, fireman boots, and more. I settled with Double H Womens Brand 12 Inch UltraGel ICE Buckaroo Boots #DH5159. I love it!

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My son had his first thorough color blindness test from an optometrist last week. He was made to solve puzzles, look at pictures and arrange color prisms and tubes in accordance to the brilliance of colors that he sees. Verdict - green/red color confused. We've known all about it for the past 13 years. The color test was to gauge the degree of his color blindness. While at it, the optometrist through in other test nigh blindness included. Nope. He's not deficient in that area but he's interested in procuring night vision goggles. Whatever for?, I asked. He answered "why not?" So, we both browsed on sites that sell night vision goggles. The leading online store of a wide range of night vision goggles and binoculars is www. opticsplanet.net. I'm considering the ATN Night Cougar Night Vision goggles. Cool stuff.

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There are hearts everywhere! I took Ethan to his reading therapist yesterday and I was engulfed by hearts of different sizes and colors at the building's canteen. I can barely see the menu board posted by the wall as the board was inundated with hearts and cupids. Valentine is in the air! The malls are festooned with Valentine decors ever since their Christmas decors came down. Talk about commercialism! Now, what will I do on February 14 as it falls on a Saturday? I'd be cooking dinner of course as Saturday dinner is an all-family-affair. Maybe I'd serve wine too just to liven up the conversation. What wine would I buy? Is there a wine of the month that I could get for my family's Valentine dinner?

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February is the second month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the shortest month and the only month with fewer than 30 days. The month has 29 days in leap years, and 28 in regular years. February was named after the Latin word februum which means purification. The violet and the primrose are the flowers of the month. Its birthstone is the amethyst. February has been synonymous as the love month mainly because of Valentine's Day. I have not been a "valentine" person. I can't even remember celebrating the occasion. Why? Because I believe that when two people love each other, everyday is Valentine's day! Hoot-hoot!

What do I write about for the month of February? Hmmm... Think... What about if I write the many loves of my life...not erase that. What I meant was the many (?) men who I have admired (from a distance and not). Let's see. Now, how do I go about it? Where do I start? Who the heck was number 1 in the list? Hold on. I've to do some real deep thinking to refresh my memory.

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My birthday is next month. Like clockwork, my brother is sure to send me a birthday gift. The gift would either be a branded bag or watch - the two things my one and only brother knows how to give. Not that I'm complaining for the branded bags and watches were sure mighty fine. If he plans on buying me a watch this year, I hope it would be from the line of Nooka watches. Take a look at the one I want. It's red! It's sleek! It's innovative and unique! Great huh?!

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My brother-in-law lives in Houston, Texas. He has plans of selling his old house to build a new one. He said that his growing family needs a larger accommodation. He asked me for my opinion regarding floor plans. I referred him to look over the site of www.Schumacherhomes.com. The company builds custom houses and has been in the business for the past 16 years and has received several awards for exceptional value and design. I told him that he could actually take his pick of floorplans and have it quoted or have his dream house designed without making a deposit. I gave him the link to Schumacher Homes Press so he could learn more about the company.

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What? You want another cup of coffee?!

But I'll pay for the second cup of coffee!!

Ummm... I wonder if I should stay or leave?

Ahh... interesting! So can I eat the rhum cake now?

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My sister-in-law needs high quality commercial refrigerators for the school canteen under her management. The ordinary-residential type refrigerators the canteen uses are not sturdy enough. I told her to browse www.kitchengadgetry.com to look over different types of commercial refrigerators. The site boosts of high quality and long lasting brands. She mentioned that she needs a chest freezer for the kitchen and a display case for the dining hall. No problem then. Kitchen Gadgetry has been a credible kitchenware supplier and restaurant supplier for quite some time now. The company carries various products from name brands and quality manufacturers to meet each of their client's needs. Check it out.

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Meeting up for coffee has a new concept today. For one, the coffee being sold at coffee shops ceased to be plain coffee. The concoction can be hot or cold, sugared or sugar-free, black or latte, or whipped, tea, juice, smoothies, shake or frappucino or blended - really depends on the coffee shop. I ordered cold-black-sugar-free coffee last Saturday. Cherry ordered a not cafe latte while eMz ordered cafe mocca. Mike was such a child as he ordered what Ethan ordered, vanilla blend at Coffee Bean or what Starbucks would call vanilla frappucino.

Mike actually wanted fried chicken with rice but settled for three-berry-cake. I also ordered super-cheesy ensaymada and mini rhum cake. Delicioso! What's with Cherry and eMz? The two did not bother with the cakes! Are they insane or just dieting? Gosh! I hate waste. I ate the two sweets with a little help from daughter #3.

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