my de-stressing activities

Today is the last day of our English summer class! . I'm done with my worksheets too for K-1 and K-2 . I think I need to hold some de-stressing activities to nurture my mind, body and spirit like a movie marathon, play a board game, re-read "the Purpose-Driven Life" and the Bible , go for a long walk around PSU park, playing text twist for an hour , visit Songkhla's Aquarium ,put on a head set and listen to my favorite music and learn to cook something new.

Before I go to school I need to read provillus consumer reviews first because my co-teacher is asking me about it. You know he's been advised to start taking Provillus because of his evident receding hairline. He wanted to know if it really works. I gotta hit Mr. Google first and then prepare for school.

Have a nice day everybody!

do i really need a personal loan?

When I was still working in the Philippines, some of my co-teachers look for personal loans to fund their new business, consolidate credit card debt or add to their home. I also noticed that personal loans and their advertisements are popping up everywhere. Personally, I don't yet have experience on personal loans but I learned to be knowledgeable on what I should do when I need to apply one through my father.

He said in looking for personal loans, I need to take the time to find a personal loan comparison guide, and compare many companies. Compare the interest rate. Get quotes from several loan companies and keep track of who quoted what rate.

In his own experience, he found that there are companies that have the best loan repayment plan while others have better fees. And he found that a low interest rate is not always the best, because they add on higher fees.

It's a must to check the policies too in place if you have an emergency and cannot make payment. It's necessary to keep track of all of these things so I can have a full picture of each individual loan package to make the best-informed decision.

It is very important that I know the different types of personal loans for this area will save me a lot of money . There's a secured personal loan that requires collateral . Low interest rates and fees usually come with this type of loan. Low interest rates and fees usually come with this type of a loan. Next is the unsecured loan. These do not require collateral. However, you pay for the lack of security with higher interest rates.

Planning to apply for personal loans? Ask first yourself :

1. Do I really need it?
2. Can I manage without a personal loan?
3. Is it for a frivolous expense- like a holiday- that I could really avoid?
4. Is it possible that I could secure the money by other means- like borrowing from a relative, taking up a part time job, sale of an asset?

If you can avoid it, then don't apply for personal loans!

CD for Certificate of deposit

This time of the year we need to SAVE a lot because we had greater plans in the future. Besides living frugally, Certificates of deposit, or cds, can be a great way to save money and receive a guaranteed return. CDs often receive a higher rate of interest than ordinary savings accounts, because they require leaving the money in the bank for a set amount of time. We either open a CD account at a bank we already use, or shop around to get the best rate.

First we need to find out what the minimum balance is for opening a CD account. I think at this moment we don't have enough to open a CD yet so we better start putting aside money in a regular savings account until we have enough. I heard from my uncle that some banks offer higher interest rates for jumbo CDs, or those with at least a certain amount of money.

A friend suggested that we need to compare the interest rates for various CDs. Most CDs mature in 6 months to 3 years, although some may be only 3 months, or more than 5 years. Longer term CDs generally offer higher interest rates than short term CDs.

We have to make sure if the financial institution that offers the CD is federally insured, meaning that we're guaranteed to get our money back.

Do you have any experience on opening your own CD account? We would like to hear any suggestions from you to ensure that we'll be making a right decision on investing our money on CDs.

reaching a sick friend through postcards

Now that we resided near a mall where postcard mailing services are available, we usually send postcards to our loved ones to greet them on special occasions or simply inform them of our whereabouts.

Last time we heard about a special friend who is sick. Because we are away and cannot pay a visit to her, we send a postcard to her to express our love and care. Postcard printing is the best means of reaching out to sick friends from far distances. Creating postcards is our only way at that time of showing a special friend our concern.

Creating postcards with motivational and inspirational quotes are a good idea to keep sick friends motivated to get well. In addition, sick people will feel that they are loved and cherished by their relatives and friends even those who are far away.

How about you? How do you reach out for friends who are sick and far-away?

promoting business with personalized pens

Yesterday I noticed that the teachers are distributing school supplies to students with personalized pens - I mean it's not the names of the students written on them but the logo and the name of the school. I get a new idea of marketing a business in a cheaper way but have a chance to increase the exposure of the school.

This gives me an idea to introduce this kind of marketing to my brother who's in a photography business. Because the pen is a handy tool that can be brought anywhere , the name of his business will go as far as the pen goes. If he wants, maybe he can avail of the art enhancement option so he can be sure that the design of the logo as well as the name of his brand is crisp and sharp. With promotional personalized pens, he can obtain huge savings intended for advertising which in turn can be used for other matters. It will only require minimal investment but the benefits can be long-term. I think my brother should take his business to the next level with personalized pens.

why sacrifice?

When we love someone there are instances that we need to step out from our comfort zone to make our partner happy like waking up as early as 4:00 am to prepare breakfast for the family though you still wanted to sleep or preparing dinner though I'm so tired from work, giving up your pepperoni or giving up your cloth allowance for the sake of your partner's need of a new pair of shoes that's worth a thousand bucks. These are just simple things I choose to do though I wanted to do some other comfortable things around . That's sacrifice. Sacrificing is something you do for your love ones because you love them, you wanted to offer something for them to make them happy. I think it's not a "SACRIFICE" if you do something for your love ones with murmur and complain. It's not a "SACRIFICE" if you're in pain while they're happy. That could be "TORTURE"! It's not also "SACRIFICE" if you ask for favor in return, that could be trading-off.

We can't practice sacrifice in an unhealthy relationship. Sacrifice is always called for in a healthy relationship. Why? Remember that you're two different people who decided to live together with different conditions on living. How could you relate and live together peacefully if there's no sacrifice from both parties? We need to draw a common way and sacrifice our own hobbies, interests, and many other interests. Many adjustments have to be made to make a relationship succeed.That's why sacrifice is needed.

how about camping?

Tomorrow will be the end of our English Summer Class. I could rest...for awhile. This summer we rather have "staycation" than going home to Philippines because of financial constraints. A friend suggested on why not going on camping? It is the cheapest accommodation to be found though it's not as comfortable as staying in a hotel, resort or guest house, camping is simple, easy and gets you much closer to nature than would otherwise be possible.

The best places for camping in Thailand are in the national parks. Almost all of the 76 national parks have at least one camping site. Notable exceptions are Doi Suthep/Doi Pui in Chiang Mai, Hat Jao Mai in Trang, Nam Tok Pliew in Chanthaburi, and Thap Lan in Prachinburi, where camping is not permitted. I wonder if the authorities allow camping at Songkhla Beach? I like that place.

Some parks have tents for rent for just five to ten baht per person per night. Not bad, right? It's very convenient for us to rent rather than to bring our own because we don't have our own camping tent yet.

It's a good idea to take our own sleeping bag or mat , outdoor chairs and other basic camping gear.I think if we'll pursue the plan of camping I'll also take a torch, rain gear, insect repellent, a water container and a small medical kit for our own convenience and safety.

There's still no fixed plan about this. I'll still discuss this with my hubby.

cheap but fashionable eye glasses for a sassy teacher

It was on year 2006 that I finally decided to visit an optometrist. I've been suffering frequent headaches or migraines that don't have any association with allergies, illness any other form of injury or ailment . I'm overly sensitive to light and my eyes feel weak and tired in what seems to be a shorter time period after participating in things like reading or viewing a computer screen. I wanted to know from the optometrist if corrective lenses might be the answer to my problem.

I have 20/40 vision in one eye, and 20/50 in the other. The doctor recommended correctional eyeglasses for me. With the eye glasses,there's a chance that it will get better, even back to 20/20! By the way, if you have 20/40 vision, it means that when you stand 20 feet away from the chart you can see what a normal human can see when standing 40 feet from the chart.

I spent almost $200 for my glasses lens and frames! If I only knew that I could buy online as low as $ 8 Rx eye glasses at ZenniOptical.com, I would choose to buy online. With the amount I spent on my eye glasses, I could already own multiple fashionable eyeglasses to match my different outfits!

So far, these are my favorite high fashion eyeglasses for a sassy teacher on the go!

are you on sports betting?

Have you seen Two for the Money? This movie is a 2005 film directed by D. J. Caruso and starring Matthew McConaughey, Al Pacino, and Rene Russo. The movie is about the world of sports betting. Brandon Lang (McConaughey), a former college football star who, after sustaining a career-ending injury, takes a job handicapping football games. His success at choosing winners catches the eye of Walter Abrams (Pacino), the slick head of one of the biggest sports consulting operations in the United States. Walter takes Brandon under his wing, and soon they are making tremendous amounts of money.

Sports betting is the activity of predicting sports results by making a wager on the outcome of a sporting event. Sports fan can now add extra thrill when cheering for their favorite team in making bets online. There are professional sports bettors that make a good income betting sports, many of which utilize sports information services. Back in my country we only make a bet for fun and we didn't make any money out of it.

My question now is "Is Online Sports Betting Legal?".

A friend suggested that the safe answer to the question regarding the legality of Internet gambling is to say that it is currently illegal, even though that is using a pretty generous interpretation of the law. Still, no arrests have been made for merely placing bets online.

I just know that there are sites that give guidance to sports betting. They provided tips and tricks about football betting, baseball betting, basketball betting, hockey betting, soccer betting, boxing betting and more. They even encouraged the fans to place smart bets on sports.

Sports betting online are considered as charm for most people who try and make their living out of it. If you're one who joined sports betting online, I hope that you'll always avoid betting like a pro as it is not necessary that you may always make your big win. The moment you feel that you have earned your share it is just the right time for you to quit.

Any trained body emerges above a wonder.

Is God Saying "Wait"?

Often the toughest times in life are those moments when all we know about God doesn't seem to help or get us the results we want. That's when we learn about His silence. Whenever God doesn't say a word, He's teaching, even in stillness. He's allowing us to grow by forcing us to think, study and arrive at conclusions while He stands by like the loving parent He is. Faith comes by hearing, but patience comes by silence. Patience is what God gives you when bad things remain unchanged. It's His sedative for the troubled heart. It's the balm He rubs into your aching muscles when it feels like you're being stretched to breaking point. These are the times when the pain lasts so long that only God can release the patience required - the sheer grace to get you through it.

There are great benefits to waiting. For example, if you learn to wait and observe, you'll make better choices. The thing you think you can't live without today, you may be glad to live without tomorrow. '...No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly' (Psalm 84:11 NKJV). So when God says, 'Wait,' trust Him. Either it's not what you need at this time, or He has something better in mind for you. You say, 'But what am I going to do in the meantime?' The Bible says, 'Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart...' (Psalm 27:14 NKJV). Stop fussing, stop pushing, allow God to work and you'll come out of this stronger and with a better result.

you're 17 months old!

Today at your 17 months my son Hyzyd , it's pretty obvious that you love DRUMS! Do you want to be a drummer someday ? Every time we walked in the church you point first on the drums on stage and sometimes when your dad is playing there during the Praise and Worship service, you also wanted to be there with him! You cried and scream to get your way, which I find embarrassing my son ...so we end up staying in the office the whole time watching your dad plays the guitar through a window. We know that you love to "bang" those drum sets but we need to let you understand that you can play the drums after the service.

You use to wake up late in the morning like 8:30 to 9:00 am but when your dad plays on the computer the Hillsongs' drum tutorial, you surely wake up to watch the video too! So, that's what I'm going to do tomorrow to let you wake up at 7:00 am because I'm going to bring you to school. We don't have class but we still need to sign in. I want to have you with me coz I want you to see your mommy's school as well as you'll have time to play in the children's playground. We will also visit your Tita Lorna, the one that babysits you because we'll not see her again because she'll be back in the Philippines and hopefully their family will migrate to Australia. We'll surely miss her my son.

You grow up so fast my son. I love you so much !

Moving?...not again!

We received a letter from Hatyai Water district that they're going to start our residential water service on the 29th of March. It took almost 2 months to process our start service request (which means almost 2 months too of fetching water from the homeowner's residence which is 5-minutes drive away from us!) ! We talked to the owner of the house that if this month, the water district will not reply to our request, we need to move out from his house! This strategy works and the owner visited the water district everyday and followed up the request. Now, I'm relieved. It means no more moving for us... again !

I dreaded the idea of ever moving again. Moving is experienced by everybody but nobody really likes it. Are you with me? Looking for a moving company here in Hatyai is next to impossible ! Moving companies are only available in Bangkok which is 14-hour away from us by bus. In times of moving, I wish I'm in Southern California. Why? They're blessed there to have good movers like Irvine movers, Carlsbad movers, San Diego movers and many more that makes their moving a pleasant experience.

Now that it's settled that we'll stay in this house for three to five years more, I plan to purchase sofa in our living room where we could snug warmly and comfortable, a portable steel kitchen sink and some kitchen storage hardware and kitchen accessories made of chrome plated steel and. Finally, it's now time to decorate our room.

my thoughts on wedding invitations

Have I told you that our wedding invitations were personally made and designed by my father? It's one of his wedding gifts to us. What I love about them is that the items really speak to our guests about the value of our special day and we are really making a statement with those.

Wedding invitations option are now limitless- fancy to expensive, elaborate to make-it-yourself and themed to traditional invitations. In our case, we wanted to come up with unique wedding invitations but at the same time it is something that does not have to cost a lot of money to show that it has heart. We're successful in creating a beautiful wedding invitation that our invited people have never seen. This lets them know that it's not just a wedding, it's OUR special wedding.

A friend of mine shared to me that she get a unique wedding invitations online. I saw it, it's a whimsical multi-dimensional collage of ribbon, flowers and colors handcrafted card. It's a delight to receive one like that. I ask her if spends a lot of money with it. I was amazed that she does saved more than I do in making the wedding invitations! I thought buying wedding invitations online is cheaper because online businesses are competing for our money, thus we can get discount prices especially if we'll order in bulk. Saving money on a wedding is one thing that people love and a lot of people try to do, and coming up with inexpensive wedding invitation ideas is not difficult after all.

Whether you make your own wedding invitations (I prefer this because I can rest assured that no one else has a card out there like mine) or you let the printing press do it for you or you order online, see to it that it is more fitting for your wedding. One more thing, please don't forget to prepare save the date cards too . It's a perfect way to make sure your friends and family are fully aware of your upcoming wedding date.

advantages of using ergo baby carriers

I really find it very convenient to have a baby carrier . I could get things done around the house. I could do my rounds on shopping. We could eat in a restaurant without any hassles. I like Hyzyd to be held all the time while I'm at home on weekends and at the same time doing some minimal household chores.

I read from the Baby Book of William and Martha Shears that using a baby carrier reduces crying and colic. A 1986 study of 99 mother-infant pairs (reported in Pediatrics) showed that carrying babies at least three hours a day reduces crying and fussing 43% during the day and 51% at night. Babies are happier because they have less need to cry, and parents enjoy their babies more as a result. This simply explains why Hyzyd is a happy baby. I don't have a problem with him.

Carrying my baby promotes bonding and enhances my feelings of competence as a parent. A higher frequency of feeding and touching stimulates mothering hormones, and frequent carrying encourages and speeds the development of a mutual reading of each other's cues.

Looking for baby carriers that suit your needs and style? Try Ergo Baby Carriers. You could use it from birth with the Heart 2 Heart Insert and up to 40 lbs. It is the ideal carrier for larger babies and is comfortable long after your baby grows out of most carriers. You can also place your children face in or out in it. What I love about this carrier is that it allows parents to unsnap the front section easily to remove sleeping babies and it also provides optimum support for your baby's developing spine and sacrum

I heard that La Stella Blu is great place to shop for an Ergo Baby Carrier plus they offered FREE shipping on all ERGO Baby Carriers.

BHRT, a very effective solution for severe menopausal symptoms

My mom will be turning 41 years old this June. She's wondering if she's already in the menopausal age because her menstrual period started to change irregularly. We read that natural menopause usually occurs between the ages of 45 and 55. Menopause becomes official when you have not experienced a period for 12 consecutive months. In my mom's case we believe she's not yet on menopausal.

I've known someone in our place who's in her 50's who has severe menopausal symptoms like very heavy menstrual bleeding during the years leading up to menopause. She's very irritable (she even shouted at me when I bought something in their grocery store) she looks so depressed and her mood swings affected her relationship with her customers, family and friends. She always went to Cebu Doctor's Hospital. I wonder if the doctor recommended to her Bioidentical Hormones replacement therapy. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT), also known as bioidentical hormone therapy or natural hormone therapy refers to the use of hormones that are molecularly identical to endogenous hormones in hormone replacement therapy. Specific hormones used in BHRT include estrone, estradiol and progesterone, which are available both in FDA-approved manufactured products and as pharmacy-compounded products as well as testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone and estriol. The use of compounded BHRT is a practice that primarily appears in the United States, and is strongly associated with the use of custom-compounding, saliva testing, and the attempt to reach specific levels of hormones in the body (determined by blood or saliva testing). Bioidentical Hormones replacement therapy may also be recommended for women who are experiencing signs of osteoporosis, vaginal dryness causing painful intercourse and night sweats that are interrupting normal sleep cycles.

I haven't heard about that woman since I got here in Thailand. Maybe I'll ask my mom about her. I hope she's getting better now.

This I could say, for women whose quality of life is profoundly diminished by menopausal symptoms, Bioidentical Hormones Replacement Therapy (BHRT) is a very effective solution.

sweet treat for me please

I felt so alive today and so relieved ! Last night at 12 midnight (Philippine time) is the ending of the two-month celebration of Kaye and Pehpot's Blogversary Contest. I'm one of the highest pointers of that contest so I finished it 'till the end by leaving tons of comments to the hostesses' blogs . I can't wait for the announcement of winners on March 25.

Now that the end has come of that contest, I think I need a rest and a time to enjoy my time with my family. Tonight we'll spent the time together watching movies! I better grab some popcorn at Diana Mall for tonight's plan.

Upon the mention of popcorn, I remember that Popcornopolis housed some of the most amazing popcorn treats in the United States. If I got to choose, I want this Easter 3-Way Chocolate Lovers Popcorn Tin.

I love chocolate flavor so this buttery caramel corn drizzled with luscious dark chocolate or exquisite white chocolate is one of the most delectable sweet treats I would love to have tonight, if only Popcornopolis is here in Thailand.

Couple's corner: Bedtime Habit

Let the photo speak for you. We read the Bible before going to bed- hubby is the reader while Hyzyd and I are the listeners. We pray together as family for we believe that a family that prays together stays together. We play for a while while hubby plays with his mobile phone or playstation (if bro lend him his PS2) . Since Hyzyd is one year old, we tried to sleep together at 9:00 am. We avoid late-night and shut down our computer (I woke at 3:00 a.m. if I wanted to blog especially now that I'm joining Kaye and Pehpot's Blogversary Contest) to give ourselves time to wind down without electronics.

On sleeping position- we've tried the "royal hug" where the the male partner lies on his back face up, and the woman's head resting on his shoulders but it's only good for 5 minutes because hubby's arms get numb and my neck got the feeling of that being anesthetized so we lie back to back with only the buttocks touching for the rest of the night.

Enter Hyzyd in that scenario. That "Zen style" of sleeping i just mentioned earlier just turns to "cliff hanger" position as Hyzyd occupies the center between us. Try to move him and he'll slap you left and right...I'm just kidding but he's restless and cranky if he's not in the center. He wanted that when he turns right he could touch the face of his dad and when he moved on the left side, he loves to pat my back. He feels secured in that kind of setting.

We then turns the light off, set the alarm, kiss each other good night and both of us kiss Hyzyd goodnight and then off to heavenly sleep.

an entry for:

Hyzyd and his car

We don't yet have a car but Hyzyd already experienced riding on cars or vans when friends came to pick us up. Hyzyd's favorite past time too is riding on toy cars at Skippy's Wonderland. It's amazing to see him driving the car like a professional...LOL!

If we'll have our car one of these days, I see to it that I must keep cars keys out of reach of my children. It's important to lock the cars, even when in the garage. I will teach my child/children that cars are not toys to play in and on or around, and that cars are dangerous. I should make my child/children understand that cars are not hiding places for games, and are dangerous, even deadly places.

Kids are in and around cars from birth and become familiar with them. Cars are like an extension of our homes. Parents need to remember that cars are huge metal objects and in essence more deadly than having a loaded gun in the home.

Leaving a child unattended in a car is now illegal in many states. Common sense should dictate this is a stupid act to do yet everyday parents do just that as they “run” into a store for a few minutes or go in and pay for gas while the baby, child, or children stay in the car. Once you lose a child, it is too late to take back the few minutes a parent saved by leaving a child unattended in a car.

an entry for:

moving with U-Pack

Hopefully, this year my brother's family will move back here in Hatyai City after two years of staying at Kuan Hin, Songkhla. Moving isn't an easy job and during this times, how I wish there's one way truck rentals available here. One-way truck rental means you can pick up your rental truck in one location and return it somewhere else. But if that would be the case, truck rental is useless to us because my brother doesn't know how to drive a truck!

Because driving a rental truck isn't a nice idea for them, how I wish U-Pack services are also available . It's the perfect solution when you want to avoid driving a large rental truck in a busy city and if you don't know how to drive a truck (in our case). It's a better value at a comparable price. All fuel, taxes and the driver are included in your U-Pack price. That's not the case with other moving truck rentals . To get your final price with rental truck companies you'll need to add fuel, sales tax and insurance. You'll be pleased to know there are no required "extras" with U-Pack.



Professional ABF drivers safely transport your belongings to your new home. You simply arrive ready to unpack. No concerns about rental truck accidents or breakdowns or driving the rental truck in bad weather. Your U-Pack move travels with ABF, the nation's safest, most reliable carrier. With U-Pack, you pay only for the trailer space or number of ReloCubes you use, and additional space is always available.

Want to know more how U-Pack works? Visit them HERE!

Don't just see the city, taste it!

If you wished you had a close friend in Hatyai City to give you an insider’s tour of the city, I could be your tour guide and together we'll explore and learn about this wonderful city. But don't expect much from me. If you want real insights into the people, the history, and the culture of the city, I wish the Hatyai City Tours could meet your expectations. I wish they could be like the New York City food tours where they combine your sightseeing experience with a walking food tour like the authentic local foods in the city's most unique neighborhoods.

I hope I could have the spare time to look for you a right tour that take in a good selection of off-the-beaten track sights and a few must-see attractions. I would choose for you a tour that include stops at authentic Hatyai restaurants known only to locals.

If you want to see Hatyai City, I'll be happy to assist you where you will not only see the city but taste it too!