billiard time for the family

(image source here)

One of my husband's leisure sports is playing billiards. What I like about Billiards is that it's a game that increases eye-hand coordination, focus and concentration, and even practical application of physics and geometry. I should say that hubby plays pretty well and he's one of the best players in their place but not yet good enough to compete against Efren "Bata" Reyes(a Filipino professional pool player from Angeles City and a two-time world champion. Reyes is considered to be one of the all-time greats in the games of nine ball and one-pocket)...he..he...If my memory serves me right, hubby used to work on weekends as a billiards attendant at his uncle's billiards hall.He confessed that before we met, he's so engrossed with billiards that he forgot to eat his meal for most of the time!

When we came here in Thailand, he doesn't have an opportunity to play billiards. I'm not comfortable too if he'll go to billiard halls with strangers. He just content himself on playing billiards flash game in the computer.

If we could have our own house someday my hubby planned to have an area for billiards. We'll just buy our own balls, rack, table, cues (preferably meucci cues) , mechanical bridge, scoreboard, mirror lights, dart boards, and chalk. Isn't it expensive to have our own billiard hall? If we can afford and beneficial for the family's unity, why not? Hubby told me that playing a game of billiards with family can prove out to be one of the most enjoyable experiences in a lifetime. I totally agree with him because we used to hang out with our dad playing billiards at the Club House with my uncles. The game is so soothing that you do not have to apply yourself technically and those who play with their families can always lounge around and have a gala time. It becomes highly enjoyable and the whole process seems to take you to a very surreal world where one tends to find nothing but happiness, ecstasy and joy. My hubby can't wait to teach our son how to play the game. The game will surely help us all get together . Isn't it cool if I will also learn how to play billiards?

Happy Birthday brother!

Today is my brother Ben's 28th birthday! He's next to me and one of best brothers I have! We're super close and I'm blessed to have a brother like him who's sweet, generous, loving and talented! I'm wishing him the BEST in life through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

Happy birthday bro !

Look how sweet we are before and even today and how we shared so much fun together as brother and sister.

God bless you more each day with your beautiful wife and lovable daughter!

FREE Yoplait Greek Yogurt for my first 50 readers!

A yogurt a day is part of my diet. Eating yogurt regularly helps restore my good bacteria levels. It has been shown that good bacteria can help prevent urinary tract infections (UTI). I believe on this because I never ever experienced UTI especially during my pregnancy stage.

What I like about yogurt is it's very high in calcium which is beneficial for bones and teeth health. Healthy levels of calcium encourages body to maintain and lose weight.

One more thing, yogurt is a good source of protein. It gives the body enough energy to get me going throughout the day and it makes me full for a longer period of time.

I have so much to say about the health benefits of yogurt but I want you to experience it for yourself. It's timely that Yoplait Greek Yogurt provided me the opportunity to host a giveaway on this site! I'll be happy to announce that the first 50 readers has the opportunity to sign-up to receive a coupon for a free cup of Yoplait Greek yogurt!

Yoplait® Greek yogurt is the newest option from America’s number one yogurt brand. It has a unique, divinely thick & creamy texture with the great taste expected from Yoplait. Each cup contains 12 grams of protein, 2 times that of the leading yogurt. Now, Yoplait offers a new Greek yogurt with 0 grams of fat! It's very ideal for those whose watching their diets. Yoplait is the only leading yogurt with vitamins A and D. It has four delicious flavors: Strawberry, Blueberry, Honey Vanilla and Plain. At a suggested retail price of $1.19 for a package size of 6 oz., Yoplait Greek is affordable, when compared to similar Greek yogurt products, and available at major grocery stores nationwide.

Can't wait to have a free cup of Yoplait Greek Yogurt? Why not click on the microsite below and start filling on the information to receive your first cup of Yoplait Greek Yogurt. You can also peek the trailer and behind the scenes footage from “Clash of the Titans,” which hits theaters in 3D on April 2.

By the way, please DON"T FORGET to leave a comment here if you've joined the giveaway and leave me email address to contact you to ensure that you receive your free Yoplait Greek yogurt coupon (Yoplait Greek Yogurt will handle sending the coupons.) Spread the good news to your friends, too!

Actress Izabella Miko, portraying Greek Goddess Athena in the new epic adventure film you just watched "Clash of the Titans", has teamed up with Yoplait Greek to encourage every woman to nourish her inner goddess.

If you have any point of clarifications and questions please don't hesitate to contact me through leaving a message in my comment box or through the "Contact Me" form found on my dashboard.

personal accident insurance for hubby

My hubby and I had a great conversation with our works. He loves his work as an ESL teacher for 1st year to 3rd year high school in one of the government schools in Songkhla. Everything seemed so perfect except for two things: no salary on April (no work, no pay policy) and no any-sort-of-insurance for him . The insurance is our safety net while walking the high wire of life.

Through a friend, we're able to get a personal accident insurance for him from Muang Thai Life Assurance. We need to pay 1,500 baht per year for this policy. This kind of insurance provides a cash cover to a policyholder when he suffers injuries as a result of an accident. While this insurance helps a policyholder pay off hospital and medical bills in case of accident injuries, it provides cash benefits to family members if the policyholder dies in the accident. But God forbid, I'm praying everyday that nothing bad will ever happen to my hubby in his everyday travel to school.

I remember that few days from now we're going to renew our policy. The problem is we can't contact our friend who helped us with our insurance. She's nowhere to be found. I just wish that the insurance company is like the Los Angeles insurance who provided a unique website for Los Angeles Customers. They can get quotes online or call 800 431 3920 to speak to independent insurance agent. I'll get through the insurance documents of my hubby if I could find where to contact them and I just wish somebody can speak English.

banners for house decor

I noticed here in Hatyai that people heavily used banners not only for advertising but also for personal purposes like wedding, birthday, party and other special events! It's a common scenario in schools to greet the graduates using banners and newly-wed couples display their wedding banner at the roadside!

I have this weird idea of ordering a 23.5 x 78" birthday banner for me, for my husband and for my son and I will invest on wholesale banner stand where I could place those banners. I could then make them a design in our living room, a sort of combine multiple displays to create a large background like in a trade shows. It would make a nice division to create a dining space and a living room space.

What do you think?

he's sweet enough for me

Don't you know that my hubby treats me like I'm still his girlfriend? Even my mom noticed it. His Public Display of Affection for me is still limited on compliments and hand-holding only, no kissing on public even I'm now his wife. He only kissed me publicly when we got married and only in front of Hyzyd. That's sweet enough for me .

It's sweet enough for me that when he's drumming during the practice for Praise and Worship service, he'll wink at me and smile his way. Oh girl, I never thought his winks still bring shiver to my spine ! It's the same feeling when your crush smiles at you, you know that?

It's sweet enough for when he rubbed my back and massage me or when we're riding on a motorcycle and he'll just hold my hand and squeeze it. It still excites me and it really adds freshness to our relationship. In a day, we see to it that we really hugged or held each other close . It really relieves us from tension.

Have you ever thought of whispering a sweet gesture ? I find it sweet when hubby whispers to my ear and tell me what he'll do with me later that night...! I know what your thinking...! It's not always like that. He'll whisper to me that he'll help with dish washing, laundry or he'll mop later when the baby's asleep and... you know, that idea that makes you sweat...!

More sweet gestures? Sugary couples are found at Couples' Corner.

an entry for:

my mr. handyman

I'm blessed to be married to a happy man and to someone who's capable of completing multiple tasks around the home. He could do minor home repairs like light plumbing for leaky faucets or broken pipes, painting, installing electrical fixtures, internal beautification, cleaning out clogged sink drain, light carpentry and many more! He's also fond of house plants. In fact, he has grown and raised orchids in our home alongside with our other houseplants. I appreciated him because I know how tricky and difficult it is to grow orchids outside of a greenhouse. He diligently searched for the right wood where his orchids could grow and cut them with saw blades while others are potted with a special mix of chunks of bark, wood chips, fiber from coconuts or tree ferns, perlite, charcoal and cork often among the ingredients.

Because of my hubby's talent as our own handy man and his love for house plants, I love to surprise him on special occasions with handy man tools like complete set of drill bits and its accessories or some indoor gardening tools.

With our own handy man in the house, I'll be assured that our rental unit will always be in a livable condition- no more drip, drip, drip of leaking bathroom faucet or broken doorknob. One more thing, with a handy man in the house, we enjoyed buying do-it-yourself cabinets which we can assemble by ourselves.

it pays to have your own printer!

We've been planning to buy a printer with scanner and photocopier but that is always put aside because we didn't use printer that much. When we need some documents for printing we'll just run to the nearest internet cafe and let them print for only 1 baht per page for black and white or 5 baht per page for colored printing. We could also use our school's printer if we need our worksheets, syllabus or lesson plans to be done. We don't yet have that urgency to buy a printer on our own not until today.

You see, the head teacher of the Kindergarten department asked me to redo two worksheets that I passed to her. She need the alphabet to be enlarged. I can passed the worksheets for only few minutes if only the school's computer room didn't run out of Brother Printer ink. There were hundreds of Brother Printer Ink Cartridges scattered all over the cupboard but no ink! What a frustrating scene! That's the problem when class is almost over. The school supply will not buy new ink cartridges. So what I did, I ran out the school's compound to find the nearest internet cafe that caters printing under a hot, hot sun! Another problem arises because most of the internet cafe I visited don't have Microsoft Word! I couldn't believe them! Whereas if we have our own printer, I could just run back to our home and do the printing myself.

Better get our own printer with scanner and photocopier for only 1,999 baht as soon as possible!

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 !