Reminiscence of my Adventures

365 Days Photo Project: Week 1 and 2

2012-01-26T20:08:00.000-08:00

It's so unfortunate that the website where they post a weekly photo challenge has shut down. Hopefully, they will keep it up coz I believe it has good amount of traffic daily. But anyway, I am going to start my weekly photo on this blog.

Week 1: Something Cold

This photo is overexposed due to the improper settings of my camera and it was taken from a moving car on a snowy day so taking a photograph is a challenge. These trees are by the snow covered river across Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Week 2: City Landmark

Boston Landmark

Wow Over A Month

2012-01-24T17:34:00.000-08:00

Since my last update on this blog! I forgot about it after getting a new Macbook coz I'm trying to get use to my new notebook. There were so many fun things happened during the last month of December. We had Christmas Party at my friend's house on the 22nd and the weather was not friendly at all. There was 0 visibility due to the snowstorm and the road was so dangerous but that did not stop all of us at all.

Last month, I also got my first ever car and named it Tiffany a cute Chevy Aveo that's perfect for my size. I am horrible in parking so getting a compact car is a great idea, does not matter if I parked it crooked as long as it's inside the parking spot then I'm good.

We spent Christmas in Atlanta at my in-laws where we drove to their cabin in Talking Rock, GA. Ernie, my in-laws neighbor's cat spent Christmas Eve and day on the 60ft high tree trying to save himself from predator that got him stuck and was not able to come down himself. Luckily, he was rescued on Christmas day.

Luna Did It Again

2012-01-24T17:28:00.000-08:00

On a cold windy night this wintertime my dog fell in the pool the second time. We let her go out before bed time and she's used to the pool area already after falling in the deep end. Since it's winter the pool is covered. Our pool guy put pool covers on the last week of November before the snow hits our city.

For some reason Luna fell in the pool again, it's so funny but I really felt bad for her as she's freezing. I was starving and preparing our dinner but I had to bathe the dog first or else the pool chemical will get into her skin.

Birthday Gifts, Any Ideas?

2012-01-24T17:21:00.000-08:00

My friend's birthday is fast approaching, it seems like yesterday I just sent her a present but time flies so fast. I am a fan of gift cards but that does not work well back home, I have been thinking of girlfriend gifts birthday to order online and have it delivered to her doorsteps. Would it be flowers, perfume, jewelry or spa gift certificate? I will talk to her and pretend I am not fishing information for her birthday wish list.

Since our birthdays are just a month apart, I think I can also make another trip to visit my family and friends. I had the biggest birthday celebration last year held at the resort. I realized I have a huge family that keeps growing every year.

White Christmas?

2011-12-18T08:24:00.000-08:00

Right on time when I was about to do our holiday cards to send out to our family, it snowed. Perfect to have a white Christmas theme this year. We got about 5" snow in Albuquerque and another one is coming this week. I haven't been to the ski area yet up in the Sandia Mountain but sure one day we will find time to go there. There are some ski stuffs in our garage but who knows if I know how to use them. I never tried skiing and I don't think I know how to jump off the ski lift.

Here's our view 2 weeks ago, the Sandia mountain is covered with snow. It's all white! It's so beautiful.

Cleaning Services

2011-12-17T10:17:00.000-08:00

My biggest challenge in cleaning the house if my pet fur everywhere! I can't vacuum them off so vacuuming is off my list. I would love to have someone to professionally clean our home just like what I saw in NC durham cleaning services few years back. Although, we have cleaning services in our area too but cleaning is like our bonding every weekend.

We do have a great pool guy though that maintains our pool. We are happy with his service so we got him an ipod shuffle for Christmas. So far our pool is closed for the winter and hope to open by early February.

Beautiful Sunset in Albuquerque

2011-11-21T07:39:00.000-08:00

Every State in the US has its own beauty. Among the four States I have lived in so far, New Mexico has the most beautiful sunset. I love the beautiful array of colors in the afternoon touching the Sandia Mountains. It was breath taking driving in the afternoon down the Tramway overlooking the sunset.

Yesterday was one of the beautiful sunsets in town, after shopping at Uptown Mall, we were driving back home in the perfect view. I grabbed my iphone and I had the opportunity to capture the amazing sky.

Meet Carrot

2011-11-19T08:34:00.000-08:00

The day was cold and windy, I was about to collect our mail when I heard something under the bush in our front yard. Someone greeted me with warm hello, who was it? It's a cute bunny! I grabbed my camera, changed the lens and tried to get closer to this cute creature. Luckily, I had my 300mm nikon lens on my dslr, I didn't have a hard time taking a good shot of this bunny.

I called hubby right away at that time he's out of town. He asked me to leave a piece of carrot so the bunny won't go far and look for food. We named it "Carrot", we presume that this bunny is a girl. She 's our regular pet in the front yard, you can see her hopping from one bush to another. She has a little nook under the bush, we leave lettuce for her food. She's been around for almost two weeks already. At night we can see her at the neighbors front yard but I guess her favorite yard is ours.

Playing Guitar Made Easy

2011-11-19T08:25:00.000-08:00

Are you one of those who wanted to learn how to play guitar? I was once taught how to play guitar by my brother in law. I was frustrated many times learning how to press the string properly or it was not my thing really. One of my sisters knows how to play guitar and I admire her a lot plus the fact that she can also sing. At that time internet does not dominate the world yet so every thing you want to learn is by the book. With the technology nowadays, easy songs on guitar is now easy to find and learn.

Christmas Photo Cards

2011-11-06T08:03:00.000-08:00

Being hooked into photography, we send out Christmas photo cards during holidays to our family and friends. I customize the card with our photo on it and order it online. This year, I will make sure to make our calendars too as last year I didn't make one so our Aunt was looking for it.

I didn't know they like the photo cards and calendars that I make yearly then I missed it last year. I will need to start looking for the best photos for 2011 and put them in our card and calendars. We also need to send them out as early as we can before we go on our trip.

Watches For Men

2011-11-06T07:45:00.000-08:00

Christmas is almost around the corner! Right after the Halloween, stores have replaced their decors to Christmas. I got my hubby Mac Air for advance Christmas present already, now I have to save for his actual present on Christmas. I wish I can afford to buy one of those mens diamond watches. To those wives that are thinking what to give to their partner there are many gift ideas you can think about. I think I'm not the only one who's having a hard time looking for gift to hubby during birthdays, anniversaries and holidays. Here is your chance now, a watch is one of the best gift options.

The Halloweeners

2011-11-03T07:45:00.000-07:00

Yow party people! I hosted a Halloween Party at my place last Monday. Some of our friends were trick or treat first timers so I figured this would be a good time for them. Unfortunately, not many kids in our neighborhood for trick or treats unlike in San Francisco last year that we ran out of chocolates. The kids from other town kept coming in group and it was so fun to watch.

Anyway, I guess here in our new town the kids are not trick or treat fanatics but we have just enough kids in their costumes. Everybody brought a bag of chocolates so we ended up having like 10 jumbo bags of sweets. We had dance and karaoke sessions after the trick or treats where you know karaoke is always present for Filipino party. It was such a fun fun fun party!

Switch Jobs

2011-10-29T13:38:00.000-07:00

Are you tired of having a daily routine job? Well, it's time to think about going forward and what's best for you. A lot has been switching careers to medical field, from business to nursing or any other field in medical industry. There are many options to switch to like Diagnostic Medical Sonographer Jobs and medical technicians. My friends have started to change their career but for me, I can't decide yet but who knows maybe one day I will.

Portable Tablet

2011-10-18T07:48:00.000-07:00

Our first notebook is made by Asus and it lasted 5 years. That's even one of the ways of communicating with my hubby then bf. It was memorable for us until the time it gave up, it was not mine it my bff's pc but we shared as we lived in the same apartment. Asus now have a cool Eee Tablet that is very portable especially for travelers. I am a light traveler who would love everything compact in my carry on, since I cannot use my iphone on the plane, tablet is the alternative.

The Coat

2011-10-18T07:41:00.000-07:00

It's Fall season but I am not talking about fall coat or winter coat. What I am going to post is about Marcus lab coat for medical professionals. These are trendy and stylist coats that suit to your taste. My dermatologist was wearing her white lab coat when she checked my allergies. She looks so beautiful in her coat, it looks very neat especially when the coat color is white.

Don't Trust Ericson Rapio

2011-10-14T07:47:00.001-07:00

In the Philippines being a single mother is so typical and already accepted in the society, there is a huge amount of single and teenage moms. Why? Because there are so many men who would love to satisfy their physical pleasure yet could not stand up for their responsibility when they have deposited their sperm to their partner. When that trouble comes, suddenly they would disappear and hide in their mom's skirt! They could make up all the alibis in the world not to take responsibility. I am not saying all guys are like that but coward men have been a huge percentage then they run away from their impregnated partner.

Why is this happening? Why there are a lot of unwed moms in supposedly Christian country? Why the population is overflowing? Where there are so many kids loitering in the street? Where the poverty is so high? Who is to blame for all of these? Of course, the couple who have been happy while on the peak of their libidos that never think about possibilities and responsibilities, with the exemption of sexual harassment and raped victims.

I am pro-life! I believe abortion is a crime but I believe in contraceptives. I am not against pre-marital sex but I am against "cowardness" of the couple involved to face the consequences afterwards. What will they say? A child is a blessing, yes they are! But Pinoys believe that their child can take them out of poverty and give them a better future, be realistic it happens only one in a million! How can your child become successful if you could not even send them to school? It's their parent’s responsibilities to give them better future for goodness sake! They did not want to be born

Let me get straight to the point, as this post is dedicated to those men who love the intimate pleasure and yet no balls to gather their acts. One of them is Ericson Rapio a native from Virac Catanduanes, oh yeah he is one of them! I am posting to warn the future girlfriend(s) would not fall into his trap and bear a baby for 9months and raise it all by her. I discovered he has 2 girlfriends at that time, thanks to facebook for that. What a PERVERT JERK! After confronting him about having 2 girlfriends what do you expect, he deleted me and the rest of my relatives on his friends list.

True, I did not raised my niece like my own child and sent her to college this would be the pay back? I have missed a lot of my childhood and was responsible Aunt to them, of course he does not know about it. If I were in the Philippines right now, I would smack both of their heads and let them eat a basket of condoms! Now that my niece is pregnant, you are just going to walk away and F*** the next girl?

I respect your family so please respect mine too. I have ignored everything I heard how the two of you were disrespectful to my family in few occasions. I have given you both a chance and you blew it! GO Walk Away and your Karma will haunt you, maybe sooner than I expected.

Your family, colleagues, friends, girlfriends and future kids will read this.

Patawa ka, anong sabi mo? Ilabas mo ang bata at ako ang magpapalaki? Ano ka me palabiikan? Pagkatapos nyong magpakasarap ipagtutulukan mo ang tao dahil nakuha mo na ang gusto mo? Isipin mo me mga babae din sa pamilya mo. Kahit ako hindi ko nanaisin makasama ang isang taong katulad mo, at itatakwil ka ng anak mo.

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

2011-10-04T10:03:00.000-07:00

This is our first time witnessing the popular balloon fiesta in Albuquerque, NM. Every year the state hold this week long event from Oct. 1 -9, and many hot air balloon owners from all over the world join this fiesta. It is so nice to watch all the colorful balloons up in the air in different sizes, shapes and themes.

We have to get up as early as 5AM as the event starts at 545AM, the location is very convenient to our place which is 5mins drive. The only gadget I have with me is my Nikon D3100 and my 300mm telephoto lens. It's set to A Mode, F/22 as I want to get an over all clear photos, also set to RAW +Jpeg so I can freely edit my favorites later on.

The Monday (10/03) event started with the Dawn Patrol. I bet of course Intel is one of the sponsors.

The NM flag (red) hot air balloon

The accession of balloons in different shapes and colors, they look like lanterns up in the sky

One of my favorites, they look like planets around the sun

I have taken more than 200 photos!

You will fall in love with the colors
Balloons lined up for take off!

If you want to view my complete album, feel free to visit my Facebook public Album, the photos are not in their best quality as they were resized down to 650pixels. If you want some of my photos, feel free to ask me.

Proud To Be

2011-10-01T09:21:00.000-07:00

A US citizen! Finally my immigration journey has been completed. I'm at awe during the ceremony in Santa Fe, NM last week. The speeches were so inspiring especially coming from an immigrant like us. Yes it was a gift of democracy and a gift to our future generation from a great country. There were 195 applicants from 55 countries that are naturalizing on that day and only 2 of us were from the Philippines. The Santa Fe local government hold this even once a year during September, luckily I belong to this batch. A once in a lifetime experience. I felt like it was my graduation in a sense that I graduated from all the immigration paperwork.

My emotion at that time was beyond my control, I totally understand how to be a US citizen. I thought it was just finishing all the paperwork and get US passport to be able to travel to different countries without dealing with visas and embassies. I was totally wrong! It is all about defending your new country and enjoying the democracy.

Somehow, you will feel so fortunate being in the US at least I do, since I have been to other country where OFWs will be forever ofws for the rest of their lives no matter how many decades they spend their sweat and blood in that foreign country. Judge Martha Vazquez of Santa Fe, NM and her assistant handed our citizenship certificate. Her message was amazing having immigrant parents.

This is Atty. Erlinda Johnson also a naturalized immigrant from Nicaragua. I listened to her speech wonderful speech that kinda similar to what I have been through as a kid. Behind me is Santa Fe city councilor Carmichael Dominguez.

Among all the crowds on that day, there was this one person that stood out, my husband. He was the proudest taking pictures of me receiving my certificate. His facial expressions say it all! If it was not him, I would not be here. We were discussing on the way home why there were people risking their lives to cross the boarder, why there were so many so try to get to the US illegally. I now fully understand why.

Go Green

2011-10-01T09:06:00.000-07:00

Four years ago when I got here I have noticed a lot of things that I am not accustomed to. The cars are not blowing black smoke and the bus has a sign that says "running on a natural gas", I don't understand that at first until I learned about saving the nature. People here are more discipline, we know how to segregate our trash and all. We can also help saving our nature in our own little way, just like fluid tech that helps us to go green and save our nature.

Holiday Shopping

2011-10-01T08:57:00.000-07:00

Holiday is fast approaching before we knew it. The countdown begins! You will hear the Christmas carols back home starting the BER month which is September. We don't know where to spend our holidays yet, but one thing is sure for me to make my own Christmas Cards and calendar. I have to start with the layout and captions for it.

Shopping malls must be ready now for Christmas shoppers, yesterday at the store there are bunch of decors already knowing the Thanksgiving and Halloween haven't passed yet. I think this is a better year for most of us. Well at least for me it's a great year!

The Culprit in My Tomatoes

2011-09-21T07:12:00.000-07:00

I love gardening and I could say I am one of those gifted with a green thumb. Hubby was amazed how I can make the plants grow here in NM. I have ornamental plants and my mini garden box with different plants and herbs. I am lucky to find bitter gourd (bitter melon or amplaya) seeds in the oriental store but tomatoes are always present in my garden.

Anyhow, yesterday morning while doing my morning routine watering my plants I noticed that some tomato leaves are gone, I thought it fell when I was putting the stake so I ignored it. I was sprinkling water when suddenly I saw a green creature with dots clinging on the step. I found the culprit!
This little creature scares the hell out of me! I just can't explain but I am so afraid of them! A lot of my tomatoes were eaten in halves already. I was screaming and ran upstairs to wake hubby up, he could not understand me as I was yapping in tears. He said, pick 'em up baby! What???? Do you want me to pick up that worm? No way!!!!!! He said he'll take care of it but I could not wait I gotta get the tomato culprit! I got my shovel and the old swimming pool net to pick the cut worm.

Oh we saw its companion too, this is not the only one he has a buddy! Hubby put them in a trash can and they were taken by the trash collector. Good for them! However, this morning to my disappointment many leaves were eaten again! It means there are more hiding in my tomatoes, you can hardly see them they are as green as my tomatoes.

Gadgets for Fun

2011-09-21T06:55:00.000-07:00

One time when hubby had dinner with my sister and her family in Manila he was so excited to call me. He could not wait to tell me that he had a deal with my niece, yes you read it right! If she finished being the first honor in the class he will get her an ipad, my first reaction was WHAT???? You sound like you don't like the idea, he said. Well, I told him that I want the kids to strive hard because they love it not because they are looking forward to get something in return. For him it's the other way, he said well we have a deal I will get it when she deserves it.

The kids have been asking me to get them PS3, of course if they have the gadget they need ps3 controllers and other accessories. I told them, I will get it for them but not at this time. I want them to enjoy their time being kids and play with their playmates. I will get it for them in the future not at this time as they need to concentrate in their studies. Maybe during they 2 months summer vacation they can have these gadgets.

Home on the Road

2011-09-21T06:49:00.000-07:00

My friend and I are both thinking that RV is a cool home on the road. In fact, having one is one of her dreams. We know it's high maintenance but this is good to have cruising around the country without worrying about your pets in the boarding as you can always take them with you. I told her to consider looking for one, who know it maybe another dream come true for her. Start looking for rv insurance quote then research about its maintenance and all. This is important to make sure that your purchase is worth it.

New Fashionista Blogger

2011-09-19T12:50:00.000-07:00

Hello my guests! I am so happy to introduce the newest fashionista blogger, my friend Jonna. Feel free to visit her Fashion Police blog. Finally she's into bloggers world now exploring the cyberblog planet mania. It took her a while to start blogging and we are so happy that she now enjoys sharing her passion to the world.

Let me tell you something, we met each other through a common friend before we moved here in NM. Our first inbox to each other was a blast and straight forward we both hated fake people. Although, I haven't had bad experience as my friends from different states dealing with fellow pinays we both are very cautious to find friends. I bet, many of you would know what I meant.

Anyway, my impression to this lady was right! Hmmm, she has great fashion taste! Classy and elegant, I even wondered if she went to a personal development training. Anyhow, Jonnah is actually a very down to earth person you would ever meet. She would offer me a ride which I declined before because still I was in the stage of getting to know her. Funny but true, you can drag her anywhere from highest class places to the lowest one. I am glad to be her friend and I appreciate it a lot.

Watch out for her blog as it booms in the cyberworld!

Coupons, Anyone?

2011-09-14T06:44:00.000-07:00

So, are you a huge shopper? Are your eyes getting bigger when you see the word SALE? I am guilty at charged but there is another technique I used to make the most of my shopping. When I shop online before I hit the checkout button I look for coupons of course. Before I bought my lens, I searched best buy coupons all over the web for to get discount! The good thing about these coupons is that you can use it online or print and use in store.

I remember the time I was contemplating which camera to buy, there was this $100 off when you buy a body plus a lens. That's more than enough for tax and shipping which is already big savings.

PayDay Instant Loan

2011-08-29T06:52:00.000-07:00

Is it payday yet? Are you living on a paycheck to paycheck basis? I know it's hard, I've been there and trying my best to make both ends meet. Nowadays, that is no longer a big problem if you have to pay your bills but your pay period is still few days away. You can go to payday loan and hassle free you will be able to pay your bills.

We also have these back home, my cousin is using their service all the time. Especially to those who do not have credit cards, they can go there and apply a loan instantly.

Cut It Off

2011-08-29T06:44:00.000-07:00

While many are trying to lose here I am trying to gain. It is easier in my case as I can eat all I want and never worry about gaining weight while others are trying to cut their food or else they will gain more meat. Healthy living is the key to healthy lifestyle, start it from your home as much as possible organic, that is why I have my mini garden in the yard. A combination of exercise and intake of supplement that are now easy to find best natural weight loss pills. It does not mean you need to starve yourself when you are in a diet, there are a lot of factors that play around to get it.

Bumble Bee

2011-08-19T19:45:00.000-07:00

Well I just got my macro filters, new lens and a set of UV filters. I hadn't had the chance to play with it until this afternoon. I saw Miss Bumble Bee when I went out to collect the mail. I thought that would be a perfect subject to test my filters. After a few focusing and recomposing, I finally got a good shot of Miss BB. It's hard to capture Miss BB cause she wouldn't stop hopping from one flower to another.

No Flash, Macro Mode, 50mm nikkor lens, +3 macro filter

These photos are unaltered

I wish I could take some more photographs of the bees but it was dusk already. I will try some other time though and hopefully I will get a better view and focus.

Cigar in A Box

2011-08-17T06:49:00.000-07:00

We used to have a variety of cigars at home, I sold some of them coz we keep moving and give away some as a gift. I found the same kind arturo fuente from a famous smoke web site. There is no need to drive to a smoke shop as you can actually order them online and the next day its in your doorsteps.

We stored ours in its box and in a cool place, once a month hubby put something on it to keep it fresh. I am not a smoker so I have no idea what are those stuff. We have couple boxes left just the box and I used them as my change bank.

Moving with Pending Naturalization

2011-08-06T07:17:00.000-07:00

Are you moving out of state with pending US citizenship case? I have been in this dilemma and I felt obliged to share it here so others will not be worried about their case. Why would you postpone your move?

Two weeks after I filed my application, we are talking about moving out of state. There are tons of questions on our mind what to do, how to do it, when to do it, about my application. I have read forums searching for the same situation as I was. None of them could help me, as what I have read the most is stay and wait until the process is done. But would I be willing to wait 3 to 4 months or whenever until I get the interview? So we took the risk, we still moved to note that when we move that was 1 week away from my interview, yes just one week and we didn't wait! Why? Would you be willing to pay 1-2 months rent and bills until your oath is done? Our work required us to move and so we moved.

Here is my US Citizenship Timeline

Mar 24, 2011 - Application Sent to AZ
Mar 28, 2011 - NOA1 Receipt
Apr 26, 2011 - BioMetrics
May 5, 2011 - Received Interview Notice
Jun 7, 2011 - Interview Date in San Francisco, CA

Dilemma starts during the Month of May.

1st week of May - confirmed we are moving out of state
2nd week of May - looked for a place in our new state
3rd week of May - found a place, finalized contract with real estate

May 23, 2011 - AR 11 filed through USCIS website
Note: after filling out the AR11 there's a question about pending case follow the instructions
May 25, 2011 - I called USCIS customer service (as the AR11 instructions)
May 26, 2011 - Dropped off my "Interview Cancellation including original appointment letter" letter to USCIS San Francisco (Here, it should be mailed but since I worked few blocks away from USCIS, I insisted to drop it off)

May 28, 2011 - We moved out of CA and welcome NM
June 6, 2011 - Received Cancelled Interview Letter
Jun 24, 2011 - My case was updated (I subscribe email and SMS), they send me an Interview Appointment Letter

Aug 3, 2011 - Interview Date (PASSED!)
Oath taking

It's less than 5 months process, if I did not cancelled my original appointment in 3 months my application was complete.

Here's the key to make it hassle free, well for me, take note every case varies.

Look for a place for new address
File AR11 online plus the pending case form online
Call USCIS per AR11 instructions
Write a letter of explanation address to which local office your case was pending at
Move
Wait for the next steps from USCIS

It will add a little wait time to transfer all your documents to your new jurisdiction so be patient. Now, I am waiting for my Oath taking appointment this month.

Hair Curlers

2011-08-06T07:10:00.000-07:00

Curling my hair is always a challenge to me, my hair is as stubborn as me. I tried my best to do it the traditional way but after just few minutes my hair will go back to straight. When I iron or blow dry my hair it stay straight longer but why not when I curled them? I have bought 3 different brands and none of them works for me, so they ended up to my nieces.

I will still find the curling iron for me, I stumbled upon herstyler curler they have the color that I want and hopefully this will work for its price. I will let my hair grow longer again and will try to curl them.

Are You Assured?

2011-08-05T07:05:00.000-07:00

If you ask me, my answer would be definitely yes. We are both working at home but that does not mean we don't have benefits. I am a part-time employee so I am not eligible for benefits since I work remotely. It did not stop us to insured our family, I have my dental and health insurance.

After a careful consideration, checking prices through life insurance calculator we found one that fits perfectly for us. Now the family has nothing to worry, we are all covered.

Albuquerque Skyline

2011-07-19T07:24:00.000-07:00

Hiyahhh!! As I promised in my previous post I will be posting skyline photos of downtown Albuquerque. Since out of the blue, hubby asked me if I want to go to the ridge and take some photos I had no chance to look at some tips for a night photography. Being a DSLR owner is quite interesting, if you did not set your settings accordingly you will end up frustrating with your photographs.I played a bit with my camera settings in Manual Mode and Aperture Mode. But really, what I am after to the most is capturing the city in a silhouette effect. I was not disappointed at all, these photos may not be perfect but I love them and no editing done.

I know, it's advisable to use tripod but I do not own one so I put my camera on top of a steady place, turned off my VR and set my white balance to Cool White which added the silhouette sky.
These are taken at the Sandia Peak overlooking the whole Albuquerque and Rio Rancho town.

This is a little dark photo of Sandia Mountain. I put my camera on top of the car and capture this shot.

This was on our way down from Sandia Peak station, I like the effect of long shutter speed. Next project for me is to play with the Shutter speed just like my assignment from class.

Take note, all these photographs were taken with NO FLASH. You have to be a little patient waiting for your camera to complete your shot. I used ISO 100-200 and between 1/2 to 2 sec exposure.

Another Bokeh Effect

2011-07-17T08:42:00.000-07:00

The "Sutil" has been looking for color lights to practice the "bokeh" technique in photography. I'm glad that resources are available online to easily guide you capture the desired effect. This month would be the longest month for me in my entire life to pay for my month long vacation. What only a month? I just can't imagine myself not making any $$$ at all. So working during weekdays, driving class in the weekends and take note, my citizenship interview is approaching and I did not study yet.

It's quite a start of my 32nd year on earth, I know, I'm out of the calendar days but hey I care less, I'm happy and content. I am a successful married woman on earth and I'm proud of it. Anyway, yesterday after my driving class, hubby took me to the oriental store to get my tummy stuffs. I cooked dinner and we had quite a feast.

We have nothing to do but relax after dinner, hubby suggested to drive up to the ridge and I can take photos of city skyline at night. I will post photos of my obsession bokeh technique here and will post more of the skylines next time as I am running out of time.

Here, I used Manual Mode and it's a little darker. I'm not happy with the resultTry it in A mode, but hey I had a camera shake simply because I'm shooting by hands and looking up the ceiling to capture this shot, regardless it's artistic!

And so, this is my favorite one! I captured it nicely and neat in A mode! If you want to know the exact settings, just let me know I would provide it here.

The Mother Cat and her Kitten

2011-07-14T08:42:00.001-07:00

One of the most interesting morning view during our vacation is the mother cat carrying her baby cat in the hotel. The brewed coffee from the bar is the best and having our Filipino breakfast is just amazing. After breakfast, we lay by the pool, relax and

These are hotel cats, the mother takes her kitten wherever she goes and keep him safe. Most mother would do everything for their babies, be human or animals.
She teaches her kitten how to get under the gate to go to the other side. This is just so cute, I did not let my camera lens missed these beautiful scenes.

It makes me wonder how these cats would do everything for their kittens while at some times there are real mothers out there who can harm their own flesh and blood.

Dresses for Big Belly

2011-07-14T08:34:00.000-07:00

So my bff and I are planning to put up our own business but we're trying to think what would be the best that fit our interests. Boutique is on top of our list, next is pet shop, maybe? But the latter is not a big hit as pets back home is not treated like our pets here in the US. Anyway, if we pick boutique over pet shop, we want our shop to have different section such as kids, ladies, men and especial section for soon to be moms the maternity clothes section. This is a good idea as every time I go home the population keeps growing and growing, it gives me the impression that many people are busy making babies.

Speakers for my Mini Office

2011-07-14T08:23:00.000-07:00

I started working from home last week in a quiet nook of our house. To entertain myself, I turned on my music and have my headset on. As I was busy listening to my music I do not hear my iphone and home phone ring, as a result of course I missed many calls. I got a new monitor and keyboard hooked in my notebook and everything seems work perfectly.

My next project is getting altec lansing speakers so I can enjoy both listening to music and be able to hear my phones ring. This will help me work efficiently every day as the moment I sat in front of my computer I do not notice the time passes by. The only time I get up is when I needed to do human calling and during my lunch time.

Sissy Shoe

2011-07-14T08:15:00.000-07:00

Guess what I've found online? It's on the title, "sissy shoe". The sissies will go crazy over this pair of shoe. You know me, one of my best online hobbies is to browsing different stuffs. Today, I am in the mood browsing shoes wrestling and I found the new colorful sissy shoes.

If some of my friends are boxing, then maybe it's a time for us to do wrestling as new workout. Last night when hubby went in our walk in closet, he said, you have a lot of shoes. I know I have been trying my best not to get tempted buying shoes but that's the hardest thing to do when I'm online. So the shoe collection will never end.

On The Fourth of July

2011-07-13T07:50:00.000-07:00

We're back home on the 4th of July after a long journey o the plane. It was nice to see my friends and family back home. It's been over a year since our last visit and I celebrated my birthday with them. I will post some photos later when I have the chance as of this moment I am also preparing myself to work.

Our flight was smooth from the Manila, Tokyo, Salt Lake City to ABQ. We picked up our dog from the dog camp then headed home. It was nice to be sleeping on our own bed, although the bed in Shangri La is not bad at all.
We're still able to watch the fireworks in our neighborhood at night. I had no time to adjust my camera settings due to jet lagged and exhausted from the flight. However, I was able to capture some good shots.

Protect Your Wrist

2011-07-13T07:41:00.000-07:00

Accident occurs when least expected, even a simple bump to an object can cause us injury. Working out sometimes can also hurt us, our knees, wrist or back when we didn't hold the equipment correctly. There are proper ways to avoid these instances and keep your self protected from minor issues such as this. Aside from having the first aid kit in our home or work, it is also important to have first aid braces.

A friend of mine have different types of braces, it does not mean she's weak. She's only protecting herself from pain or injury. Her job requires a lot of carrying up to 50lbs and sometimes there is no one to help her. Although she has trained in this field, she still protect herself with wrist braces. It helps her a lot to function well at work and also when she goes to work out at the gym.

Big Day

2011-07-10T09:52:00.001-07:00

Such a great news! Two of my friends were engaged recently! Yahooo, I'm hearing wedding bells early next year. We expect to received their wedding invitations by the last quarter of this year. I promised the other one that no matter which country she's getting married, I will be present in her big day. This will be her moment, her happiness to find her partner in life.

I am hoping that my bff will find hers too pretty soon. I know every woman's dream is to walk in the aisle and share their life with their better half. I set as an inspiration to them, my married although is not perfect but I can say that it's like a fairy tale. I found my prince and happy to explore life with him everyday. I hope they will find the same.

Custom Pins

2011-07-07T20:30:00.000-07:00

Mugs, cop badges, hotel keys, coins and custom pins are some of our collections. We place all our badges and pins in a bulletin board and hang them in our home office. Some of them were traded from friends and family.

Even when I was in college, I collect pins also. Our bags have different pins on it from the pocket flaps to straps in different colors and sizes. When we go to our favorite restaurant with my friends, the servers are wearing different pins about 3 diameter in size. Every time we eat at that restaurant we check the pins of our server. The big yellow smiley is always present in their collection of course.

The Luminous Effect

2011-06-20T16:55:00.000-07:00

Another photography technique I've learned is the light luminous effect. It took a while to research how to photograph lights to create luminous effect. I've joined a flickr group and enjoy browsing the amazing photos taken by amateurs like me to continue learning.

I can't find our colored Christmas lights so our backyard tree lights works great on this project. After reading couple tips, I tried it myself. Indeed, luminous effect!

Aperture Priority Mode, F/5.6, Exposure: 1/2 sec, Focus Mode - Manual, ISO 400, No Flash, 55mm lens

I took these photographs last night, no any other source of light. If you do not have tripod put your camera on a steady area. I put mine on the yard fireplace flat side to avoid camera shake and blurry photo result.

Lost Again

2011-06-17T09:35:00.001-07:00

It was a stressful morning for me yesterday, my pet was able to get out of the yard. Hubby was on a business trip and when he called me at the airport I let my little girl go in the yard. I am confident that she's not able to get out as the 2 gates were closed and the fence is high besides my doggie is a little fatty so she can't jump high.

I was wrong! I prepared my breakfast and check my facebook. I read my friend's comment about this pic saying "Luna is beautiful", heck I came back to my reality, where is my dog? It's been 45 minutes she's in the yard and I didn't see her by the backdoor. I went out and search for her, calling her but she's nowhere to find. I felt my blood stream so cold and start panicking. I keep calling her but how can she bark? She does not bark, how would I know if she's nearby? The pool is clear so she did not drown in it.

I heard the clinging of her tags, my heart beats so fast, I know she's here. I look over the fence and BINGO! There she is sniffing in the neighbor's yard. She hijacked their yard! I ran to the main street to ring their bell so I will be able to get my dog but nobody's home. I called my Luna to come closer to their back gate, it's about 4" tall. I climbed and pull her up to the fence. I can't imagine how she was able to jump over the fence. When I checked on our side, she might went up on the fireplace bench and stepped over to the fence, the neighbor has elevated landscape and I can see all the paw prints where she jumped. I can't trust my dog in the yard, she explores and follow her nose out of curiosity.

Why Online?

2011-06-17T09:25:00.000-07:00

I have taken 2 classes online already, first the administrative assistant and the basic photography class. I did enjoy both courses through distance learning, besides it's a self-paced learning process. I like it when you can log on to your classes anytime you want. My friend and I are planning to put up our online shop, aside from business management we wanted to learn about marketing.

We can set up our online shop and online marketing degree take at the same time. It's easier I guess when you are learning and making profit at the same time. I have little knowledge when it comes to marketing but it's not too late to learn it now. Time flies fast, you will not notice that you have completed such a course.

This is an advantage if you are a career person and still want to pursue a degree such as online marketing degree. You can manage your time studying and working pretty easy, just like what I did when I was taking my personal enrichment courses. I join the discussions at night after my work hours and also able to multitask while doing my research and assignments.

My Mini Home Office

2011-06-15T06:37:00.000-07:00

Hopefully this week, everything will fall in its place. I got an offer! Well not official yet but I maybe working from home. Am I all set? Yes, I am. My mini office is all set up and the home phone will be hooked up in no time. I am so lucky that my old company still want to keep me after I moved and so I can work remotely from home.

My work requires a lot of switching windows and screen which I'm not comfortable using my laptop. I can get a a home desktop maybe on my first pay check. I'm looking for cheap desktops online and wide screen monitor since I do a lot of multi-tasking on my computer.

Flowers For You

2011-06-15T06:22:00.000-07:00

Flowers are relaxing and always a good idea to give to love ones on their special day. Who would not want to receive flowers on special occasion? You do not need to go to a flower shop to buy flowers, this is now just one click away on the internet and 3g mobiles. It's so simple for me to search for the things we need, let say I want some flowers delivery in Rosemead area I can simply type Rosemead flowers then the results will show up.

No need to drive long, these will be delivered right at your doorsteps. That's also one of the reasons why no one can't stop me from shopping as I can always shop online. Sometimes, I get a better deal online than going to the mall.

Outdoor and Indoor White Balance Settings

2011-06-13T18:33:00.000-07:00

I have read the first chapter of the book "Nikon D3100 From Snapshots to Great Shots" by Jeff Revell. I am learning a lot already, he discussed the first 10 things to do when you purchase your DSLR. He pointed out great things to remember and thoroughly explained the details. I can say that I now have a broad understanding with my camera settings.

I would consider this book as a guide and refresher in addition to what I have learned from my photography shooting class. Anyway, let's start with my first assignment. Please take note, what works for me may not work for you. I am only sharing these settings as a guide for beginners or amateurs like me whose trying to explore their photography hobby.

My camera is set to P (Program Mode)
Aperture - F 6.3
Exposure - 1/60 sec
ISO - 100
Area Mode - Single Point AF (AF-A)
Focus Mode - Single Servo AF (AF-S)

The following photographs have different white balance setting, we can see the difference in each photograph and how the white balance affects our image.

SUNNY DAY OUTDOOR PHOTOS

AUTO

Incandescent

Cool White FL

Direct Sunlight

When direct sunlight is the source of light, we can set out white balance to Direct Sunlight. Or if you don't want to play around with your white balance setting you can keep it in Auto. But the reason why I invested in DSLR is to have the ability to manipulate its settings by myself.

INDOOR PHOTOS LIGHT SOURCE - KITCHEN LIGHT BULBS

AUTO

Incandescent

From now on, I can use these white balance settings accordingly based on the source of light when taking photographs.

Auto - default, the camera will adjust the white balance for you
Direct Sunlight - sunny day for outdoor shooting
Incandescent - regular light bulbs
Cool White Fluorescent - fluorescent lights

The other settings are self-explanatory. Play around with your settings, if you messed up you can always reset to default.

Afternoon in Rio Rancho

2011-06-08T08:49:00.000-07:00

During the last 3 nights, the sky in NM is smokey due to the fire in AZ state. You can even smell the smoke in the afternoon. I'm sure if the fire is already contained but yesterday when we stepped out the house this is what we saw. It was around 6pm and the sun color is red-orange. I thought it's the moon, silly me!

I grabbed my SLR using 55mm lens this is what I captured.Sorry my watermark is out of place

I am thinking to get a 300mm lens! In case I will photograph long distance subject.

Anyway, our unpacking/organizing is almost done. My next project is to look for a driving class as I can't be lazy to take driving or I will walk in the middle of the desert to go to work or stores.

Something New

2011-06-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

I always wanted to watermark my photos but doing it one by one is just time consuming and hey I have no patience when it comes to waiting. I had no time working on it since yours truly was busy working in SFO. Traveling from and to work is already 2 hours when I'm home am already exhausted and don't want to touch my blog. But anyway, finally yesterday I had the chance to pay attention to the instructions on the vid in you tube and bravoooo! I got it!

I can batch watermark 100 photos at a time, let the photoshop do the work while I can do some other stuffs. I'm glad I took advantage to buy photoshop cs5 when I was working in the Academy. My next project is to find a cheaper photoshop class to explore all its capabilities in graphic design.

Pampered

2011-05-22T09:04:00.001-07:00

It is a very busy weekend for us putting down all our frames, collections and tossing stuffs that we do not need to take with us when we move. Although we are not going to pack them by ourselves we want to make sure that it's all set so when the movers come on Saturday, it's easier for them to pack and load everything in the truck. This is what I love about my hubby, we keep moving and yet I'm not stressed with all these packing and carrying heavy boxes. We only unpack them when our stuffs get to our new home. It's quite pricey but it's all worth it.

So yesterday, i had my pampering myself moment. Hubby dropped me off to the salon, I had my hair done and it feels so good to have hair treatment and cut. Not only that, I had my brows done too, too bad no time for my manicure and pedicure. I was gonna have my facial as my friend's friend is in their house and she has all the equipment to do facial using organic herbal treatment for blackhead remover. I so love to have one but yeah the line was long and I can't wait for another hour.

Our New Home

2011-05-22T08:55:00.000-07:00

When we were planning to move budget is our main concern, we both agreed that we are not going to spend that much and we can only get a house within our budget. So we looked at 5 different houses, we all like them but of course they have cons and pros. The last house that we saw was a little bit pricey and over our budget but it all washed out when I saw how beautiful the house itself. From the outside starting the pathway, house number plaque, gate, yard, the interior, kitchen and dining overlooking mountains and heck yeah the pool!

I didn't bother to browse the photos online simply because it's over our set budget but when I saw the house in person, I only said THIS IS IT! No question asked!

From Point and Shoot to DSLR

2011-05-21T22:21:00.000-07:00

I thought I will stick to PnS camera but then, I realize why not upgrade to dslr and take some fun photos.

Pepper from my garden capture by Canon Powershot sx210 IS

Nikon d3100 Aperture Mode

Another Nikon d3100 captured

My favorite, I cropped the photo. Nikon d3100

Canon Powershot t70 shot

New Environment

2011-05-21T10:36:00.000-07:00

Am I going to be a cowgirl? Our new state is very diverse and very artistic. During our 3 day house hunting visit I have noticed the hats, the boots and the warm people. The sutil is now hopping for those cool outfits too, hats, riding boots and more warm weather clothing. We had top 3 houses that we looked at, our first choice is in a quiet neighborhood with 5 acres land and can even have horses.

We are settling in a suburb closer to malls and industries, our house is overlooking the mountains and close to Rio Grande river. Included in our project is getting bikes, we can ride our bikes and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Trampolines

2011-05-21T10:30:00.000-07:00

It's almost Memorial Day, I was hoping to get paid for this holiday but hiyahhhhh I bet on this day we are exhausted from our drive. What's new? We got our house in the land of enchantment state, sunny and beautiful desert. Our house has a huge yard and play area. I want to trampolines in the yard just like those trampolines new york I saw online.

In this state we do not need to bundle up all the time, well it gets winter which I want to experience the ski. Mostly it's sunny so as a person from tropical country I would definitely love our new state.

In The Name of Love Now Showing

2011-05-19T21:09:00.000-07:00

In The Name of Love. 5. 11. 11.

Star Cinema's 18th anniversary presentation. An Olivia Lamasan Film. Starring Angel Locsin, Jake Cuenca and Aga Mulahch. In theaters May 11, 2011.

Official Trailers

Theme Song # 1: Naalala Ka - Jericho Rosales

Theme Song 2: A Love Story (Where Do I Begin) - Gary Valenciano

Official Poster

Promotional Photos

Official Website

Official Twitter Account

For other updates feel free to visit the following:

ABS-CBN Global (for international release dates)

Address: 150 Shoreline Drive Redwood City, CA 94065 USA
E-mail addresses: starrystarrystore@abs-cbni.com and customerservice@abs-cbni.com
Contact Number: 1-800-227-9676

Star Cinema's Official Website
MyCHOSdotcom
Pinoy Exchange Thread
Peyups Thread

Dates to remember:

*to be updated as soon as dates are released*

May 6, 2011 - SM Cebu Mall Tour.
May 7, 2011 - ITNOL Cast in Happy Yipee Yehey and E-Live. SM Bicutan Mall Tour.
May 8, 2011 - Trinoma Mall Tour.
May 10, 2011 - Premiere Night. SM Megamall. Cinema 10. 6 PM.
(Win Premiere Night tickets! Click here for the detailed instructions on how to join.)
May 11, 2011 - First day of showing. Nationwide.
May 28, 2011 - International Premiere in Alex Theatre, Los Angeles.
(216 North Brand Boulevard Glendale, CA 91203) *Tickets will be available on May 6, 2011*
May 29, 2011 - International Premiere in Fox Theatre, San Francisco.
(2216 Broadway Street Redwood City, CA 94063) *Tickets will be available on May 6, 2011*

New Place means New Job

2011-05-18T20:31:00.000-07:00

as I've mentioned in my previous post, we are moving to a new state. What is that mean? I am going to look for another job. Before looking for one, I will take a vacation and visit my family first in the Philippines, get done with my paperwork and this time I have to learn how to drive.

Hubby is going to travel a lot so no one will drop and pick me up from and to work. I hope it wont take so long to get a new work just like how I quickly got a job when we moved here in San Francisco.

Benefits

2011-05-11T17:19:00.000-07:00

Soon I will be losing my benefits from my work when I terminate my employment. It will take a while before I will start working again, since hubby is self employed he has no insurance.We are looking to get a private medical, dental insurance even our life insurance. Wholesaleinsurance.net has term life insurance quotes online. This is one of our priorities when we move to the new state.

Yard Maintenance

2011-05-01T22:43:00.000-07:00

Today is sunny but I got a headache. I had no chance to clean up my yard as I planned. Our yard maintenance came and that helps me a lot to worry about our yard. They keep our yard and plants clean with their redmax leaf blowers. They always do a good job, the roses they trimmed last winter are now growing back and the flowers are ready to bloom.

By the end of this month, we are moving out. We are leaving our herbs in the herb box, the tree I planted in the porch and our midget lemon tree in that backyard. This place has been a good home to us, not the best but the neighborhood is nice and quiet.

Which One?

2011-05-01T19:55:00.001-07:00

What did I do last week? I forgot about my quiz, did not update my blog and did not even do my nails. The answer was.... yours truly was busy browsing for a DSLR. Budget wise, I wanted to get the SONY A390L with 2 card slots but there is no movie recording. Another downside about sony is it's hard to find accessories so it's off my list. Don't get me wrong, sony is my favorite brand I've had 2 pns sony cameras, I love the quality. I'm not giving away my 2nd pns coz I love it even though hubby got me a canon powershot already.

Anyway, now I'm upgrading to DSLR. Forget about the size at least it's not as heavy as rock to carry and not as big as a large pizza. Anyway, I am deciding whether to buy Canon or Nikon, they are both good.
My friends have Nikon D3100, I like the video and the photo quality. It has 14MP which is good and according to them it's user friendly. Regular price is $599 plus sales tax of course.On the other hand, the Canon Rebel T3 was released this year. Video is a little bit lower than Nikon but it has higher ISO capacity which is good when shooting indoor. 12MP, not too bad we can work things out. If given a choice I would go for Canon T3i but that is way out of my budget already.

Balance Weight

2011-04-30T14:37:00.000-07:00

We are moving again soon, so expect that we are going to be in a stressful month again. It also means that we require a lot of strength and energy to pack and get ready. Anyway, I can smell the real spring now, next week is going to be beautiful. My spring outfits are ready and I started wearing my spring dress, I got a lot of compliments from work. One major question they keep asking me is how I maintain to be petite and skinny. My answer is consistent, eating a lot.

Speaking of being skinny, there are many ways to keep yourself healthy, maybe skinny but slender. I've read about adderall weight loss, according to some users this work for them. It helps build muscles and helps your metabolism works properly. I guess my metabolism is active and working hard, trust me I eat more than 3 times a day and don't gain weight.

On The Hunt

2011-04-24T18:56:00.000-07:00

We are counting the days again, in less than 2 months we are moving to a new state again. We are flying out in 2 weeks to check on the houses that we saw online. We have top three favorites so far, the one has a pool, hot tub, play area and swing sets in the yard. Its yard has grass, well landscaped and fence which is very important so my dog wont be able to get out.

Hormones

2011-04-24T18:48:00.000-07:00

Women tend to have an unpredictable attitude when the monthly is near. Yes, I experience this too when it gets closer my temper and patience is kinda weird and short. Being a woman is not an easy task, we have a lot to deal with. What about if you are in the menopause stage? Hormone replacement therapy could be an answer . This not only working for women this is also available to men, there are hospitals that offer this type of therapy nowadays.

Sutil is Back

2011-04-17T08:49:00.000-07:00

Hello my fellow bloggers! I am back after a week of hiatus, no it's not really hiatus, yours truly as been preoccupied. Not to mention the stressful week that is not worthy to mention here on my blog. Anyway, it's over and I'm glad sooner we will be outta here baby! Things are getting in place, I had to postponed my vacation for my bff and my mom's birthday next month. A bit sad but I have to prioritize things. On the lighter note, I am going to spend longer vacation with them before I start a new career in a new state.

My dog almost died, a not so productive week at work. No room for whining, I am just so blessed with all the things around us. My temper was tested many times for the past weeks but I was able to manage my composure. Some people got under my skin but heck, why would I ruin my day? Life is too short, let's all enjoy it.

Have you noticed my blog new look? Ohh yeah, I can't keep up a template! I started blogging in 2007 and I changed my layout countless times. That does not really matter. Anyway, here are some jellyfish snaps from Monterey Aquarium. I have no time to add watermark on these photos, if you want to use 'em for personal you are most welcome.

The guy's head was disturbing!

I love this one, no poser!
Lovely but dangerous jelly
The tentaclesBad camera setting?Give it one more try, slow shutter setting
That guy again was a pain! I'm not sure if I used auto setting here or AV.

Mobile Homes

2011-04-10T14:56:00.000-07:00

It's a beautiful Sunday today, the sun is smiling to us but a little bit chilly. We are having a lazy weekend, yesterday I bathed my dog and today hub washed his car. The neighbors are busy too, the other neighbor is busy in the front yard garden with the dogs, the next neighbor to us I guess went the bay and ride their boat. The front neighbor family is busy washing their motor homes. They have like 3 of them and I think that's their collection and do perform their motor home repair too. They look look like Asian but I am afraid to approach them, they maybe not friendly. We've been here almost a year now and I do not know the names of our neighbors.

Lifesaver Alert Call

2011-04-09T19:07:00.000-07:00

When I am feeling down, aside from shopping my other therapy is look back and think of people who have less fortunate time than me. I know my complaints are nothing compare to them. Couple years ago, a friend was diagnosed with terminal cancer after the operation we tried to contact her but we could not get a hold of her. Fears set in, we were devastated and scared that she didn't make it, afraid to call her relatives to avoid the heartbreaking news. Until after months she contacted us, she was okay she has medical alert systems and the reason she lost contact with us because she stayed in assisted living facilities.

The good news now is she is healthy and back in her track, working and doing her activities. She is equipped with a life alert system that is 24 hours monitored. It helps her living a normal life again and not worrying about her illness as she knew she is protected even staying by herself in her home. I would want to meet her one day, she's one of the people we consider our true friend.

Pork Sinigang sa Bayabas

2011-03-27T10:15:00.000-07:00

This is what I am craving for this weekend. The last time, I was lucky to find fresh guavas from the oriental store. I did not let that opportunity pass by, heck been craving for "bulanglang" for awhile. When I cooked it and brought some to work, my colleagues love it, even our floor receptionist loves it. She asked for the recipe so she can also make it herself, mind you she is not Filipino but she loves my sinigang sa bayabas.

Do you want to try this? Check out my recipe below. Oh I did cheat hahahaha, I added mama sita's sinigang sa bayabas.

Ingredients:

1lb pork (I used boneless country ribs)
10 pcs ripe guava (seeded if you want)
onion (peeled and sliced, I used half since our onions are as big as apple)
1 tomato, quartered
salt
patis (fish sauce, pampalasa -never mind the smell)
bokchoy (pechay, subtitute for kangkong)
2 pcs green long pepper (siling pang sigang)
1 taro root (gabi)
Instructions:
Boil water in a pot, add tomato, onion, taro root, pork and season with salt.
Boil guava in a different pot until cooked. Drained and smashed (optional).
When pork is tender and cooked, add the smashed guava let it simmer for another 10 minutes.
Add bokchoy and long peppers, season with patis then add sinigang sa bayabas mix. Let the veges cooked then it's ready.
Serve with white rice
If you don't want to season your sinigang with patis, just make a dipping sauce (I squeezed calamansi in the patis)

There we go! That's my sinigang sa bayabas version. This weekend, I may try the version with bangus.

Burning

2011-03-27T10:03:00.000-07:00

So my colleague bought a two year club membership with her sister. I asked her if she would be able to exercise regularly, believe it or not, she has 2 jobs and sometimes 3 when needed. Oh she still has time to party with friends, I can't imagine how she's able to manage her time with all those stuffs. If that was me, I bet I would be sleeping all day, I can't work from 9AM to 2AM, that's exhausting!

She's in a good shape, she has tons of supplements and I tease her all the time that she panic buys when she sees on sale tags on the vitamins. If she wants to lose weight why not not try taking weight loss like conjugated linoleic acid? I just can't imagine spending another 2 hours in the gym 3 times a week when my body is not rested.

Saturday At Work

2011-03-27T09:54:00.000-07:00

My weekend is short, I don't want to think that tomorrow I am back to work. Oh well, that's the reality, I cannot take Monday off due to 2 events we need to work on tomorrow. I had a conference call with my boss yesterday about our project, so far so good. I can't wait for our new project to push through as that will be a big help for the team.

On the lighter side, I am taking a 3 day weekend! I'm off this coming April Fool's day! I will look for some fun things to do for our long weekend. Monterey or Reno? Or we may end up staying at home? Who knows? Let's see where we will end up going.

Bigger Screen

2011-03-26T19:03:00.000-07:00

We are hooked to apple gadgets now. Soon apple is going to release the newer iphone and ipad2, we are still contemplating if we are getting an ipad for hub and iphone5 for me. It is now easier to connect it to the bigger screen, how exciting! You can connect your iphone or ipad to your television using apple component av cable. I love that idea!

Anyway, my bff got her new iphone, we can now talk all we want using free apps. I am giving my old one to my mom to when I visit them so we do not need to pay for overseas calling.

Doggie Facial and Spa

2011-03-20T09:18:00.000-07:00

Having a pet means being responsible and giving them good care too. Let's just say this is most likely having a kid too. They bring us happiness and we should give them real care in return.

After months of searching online to find a specific breed, we found our baby girl. She was fresh from being rescued to a hoarder case. How she became housebroken, we really don't know as she only stayed 2 weeks with her foster mom then we got her.

Adopting a pup is not as easy as you think, in PI what we do is go to the neighbor when their dog is preggy and let them know we want one. Here you have to undergo to an interviews, disclosures to sign and of course they want to make sure you are capable of having a pet, raising them and give them love and home. February 22nd 2008, we got ours after signing the 3 pages agreement, we have our baby! Oh at that night my baby was the stinkiest doggie, we spent around 500 bucks to start with. New bed, food bowls, leash, treats, tag, and food, no complaints coz we have our furry pet.

When we got home we let her in, get familiarize with her new home, all she did was sniffing every corner. She was so aloof and does not want to show emotion, we understood she's still holding herself. Oh the funniest thing on that night, she does not know how to walk up and down on the stairs, we have to show her, she was trained so fast. We talk to her while hubby holds her collar I push her back, the next couple of days she's perfectly great.

Now here is the real deal, where did my shopping money go? It goes to her spa and grooming! Yes, I had to cut down with my shopping to take care of my baby's needs. At least couple weekends in a month we take her to the doggie park for her social life, every two months she has to go to grooming for regular nail trimming, toothbrush, and spa. When we bathe her she has to use my tub, blow dry with my hair dryer and she has her own 4 towels.

The greatest thing of having a pet is the happiness they bring to us. It's different when she's at the groomer and we are cleaning the house, it's very quiet, you wont hear the clinging of her tags. In short, our family is not complete without our biscuit.

Keeping Track of Your Home

2011-03-16T11:04:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how technology makes our life easier and secured. Being away from home is quite hard for most of us, just like when we go to vacation we want to secure our dog to a place we know she's well taken care of. At least leaving her to a dog boarding with live stream camera makes us feel better, we can watch her and that gives us peace of mind.

Another thing how technology gives us wonder is our cable tv, we can record our favorite tv shows in just one click on our phone, cool. We do not miss any of our shows at all. However, the most important for us is the home security. Although, the windows and doors are fully equipped with alarms it is more advantage if we have smart home systems installed. You can keep track of your home 24/7, it does help you monitor your home even you are on the road.

Energy and Lighting

2011-03-13T12:45:00.000-07:00

Part of my class assignment is to take a picture of anything about energy. My first idea was to submit the windmill photos I took on the way to L.A. last month but those are quite far and I did not get a good image. So I decided to take something that can be found in the house, a light switch maybe or cords, but I want it more artistic so I took a photo of our pendant lighting during the night with dim and blurry background to emphasize the light.

Today, I am taking a photograph of our ceiling fan while it's ON to capture the movement perfect but I am not able to get the correct exposure. I am thinking to change the subject instead so tonight I am going near the airport to take a photograph of a plane taking off.

Cozy and Warm

2011-03-13T12:35:00.000-07:00

During winter at night time our heater is off because of two reasons, first to save electricity since our heater is centralized, and second it makes our room very warm that SO can't sleep. We leave our windows half open to let the fresh air gets in the room but that is too cold for me. In the end, I keep complaining about it simply because I could not sleep when it's too cold in the room. To avoid this, I am thinking to get an electric blanket for me to keep me cozy and warm at night especially during the last quarter of the year. Both of us will be able to sleep without complaints, SO can have his fresh air and I can have my warm blanket.

My Little Girl in a Tub

2011-03-06T11:25:00.000-08:00

I enjoy bathing my dog to save 50 to 60 bucks every visit to the groomer. Plus it is our bonding time, she is such a great furry baby. When it's sunny I bathe her in the yard or in the garage but since it's cold she has to use my bathroom. Every 2 months we take her to the pet groomer for toothbrush, nail trim and her spa.

She is a sweetheart when getting bath, no complaints at all except when you wash her head and it's time for her to shake. Yay!!! This picture was when I bathed her in my tub, she just laid after bath and looks like she's enjoying it.

The Lighting

2011-03-06T11:14:00.000-08:00

According to the news the regular bulbs are going to be phased out. I am a kind of person you wanted every corner of the house lighted until I moved here. Our living room light is nothing but the light coming out from the TV, lampshades or the fireplace light. Our living room lighting is dim unless the windows and blinds are open during sunny days.

Anyhow, I spoke with my mom the other night and she has a special request. To get the 2nd floor of the house fixed and done. The main concerns are the windows and the lighting in the study room and living room. I want them to at least follow what I wanted for the house just like paint, I told them to make it very light green but it turned out to be sky blue. It's frustrating sometimes since I'm not physically there but my consolation to myself is I don't live there, they are.

I think this time, after the windows are fixed I will shop for vintage lighting myself at least I have my taste on the lighting. I want to decorate my bedroom too or guest room according to my perspective.

The Promise

2011-03-06T11:01:00.000-08:00

It's true every diet pill promise to be the number 1 and most effective lose weight pill just like the TV networks. Every network claims to be the number 1 but in my opinion it depends on the target viewers. In diet pills it depends on the consumers, one of the pills with the promise to give effective results is the adapexin-p. Is this clinically proven? I haven't used it, so my answer is based on the reviews and the written information about it.

Only users can prove whether it is effective or not, however the efficiency of every product also depends on the consumer. If you are taking medication or lose weight pills but then you have no self discipline and determination then the result is not pleasant.

IT This is It!

2011-03-05T08:02:00.000-08:00

I woke up so early today to get ready for our event unfortunately, here I am blogging. My suit is now ready, got plenty of time to prepare and go to work. I like my job, in fact I enjoy the environment and this is what I like to do. In some cases, I am also thinking of getting a job in my field to continue learning. I feel like my brain is already rusty, can't even fix my computer when it crashed. I guess I deserve a credit though that through my knowledge a door opened up for us, I just can't disclose what is it all about but maybe in time.

Am I ready to look for a career in IT? I think I am but the question is "are there a lot of opportunities in to get into information technology jobs" these days? Of course, tons of opportunities are waiting for IT people. It is like working in medical field, they never ran out of opportunities. What I like about IT is the the skills and challenges, it's not a routine type job. You gotta make your brain works all the time.

Argentina

2011-03-04T11:01:00.000-08:00

It made my day! I had argentina corned beef and rice for breakfast. A Philippine brand corned beef that nothing can beat the taste. No matter which corned beef I tried my mouth is longing for our very own corned beef, I do not know why but I juz love the taste of it. Thank you to my bff for sending me this together with chocnut and boy bawang corn bits. My mouth don't want to stop munching today but I gotta control myself.

I postponed my supposedly trip to PI last month but at least I have a taste of argentina, good meal for my day off. Speaking of day off, yeah I'm off today but tomorrow I will work. Not fun huh! It's rare anyway so it's fine. Weather is great, the sun is shining bright contrary to the weather forecast it sunny instead of rain shower. How I love it!

Prom Time

2011-03-04T10:53:00.000-08:00

This is the most awaited event for juniors and seniors in high school, the most memorable one. Were you able ask your crush to escort you on this event? If not, this is your chance to ask and get to know the person you admire. During the first month of the year, we start to plan the venue for the JS prom for February.

Are your dresses ready yet? When I had my prom way back then, I browsed so many prom dresses and in the end, I copied the design and have it custom made by our tailor. I can say that is not the most practical thing to do for some but since my dress size is hard to find from store I needed to have my dress custom made.

Nowadays, if going to party I will just buy one from the store or online then if it does not fit me, the solution is to take it to the alteration shop just like my regular office clothes.

Glasses for Less

2011-02-26T09:41:00.000-08:00

So I passed driving written test in order to take a driving class. The lady asked me to read the alphabets on the board at the DMV and she did not say if I need to wear glasses. I am now eager to learn how to drive and be independent when hubby is out of town or out of the country. Hopefully when I take my actual driving test I will pass my vision test too. If not, I will have to get cheap glassesto use when I drive. Although, I am confident that my vision is still perfect but who knows after decade of being in front of the computer almost everyday. After my photography class, my next class to take is defensive driving. Many are saying I do not need it, but of course it's different when you take a proper class.

True to Size

2011-02-26T09:31:00.000-08:00

Health conscious? I bet every woman is conscious about their health. We all have our ideal weight and size. As for me, my size falls in junior playing between 0-3 in petite I rarely find size 00 that fits me. Yes, I shop in junior department most of the time but I choose not to pick the teeny bopper styles. How do I maintain my physique? Swimming and proper diet, well diet is not much of a big deal for me as I can eat the food that I like to eat without thinking twice if that will make me gain weight.

While am not having trouble about diet, many women have a problem in gaining weight. If diet pills is their option to lose weight, I do not disagree with that. There are top diet pills for women available in the market today. It is a matter of finding the right brand or product for you that will not affect your health. One thing I like pills here in the US is the transparency of side effects and health warning. It is not all about marketing and selling their products but also making sure that every consumer is informed.

She's Turning Six

2011-02-20T16:00:00.000-08:00

Luna is turning 6 this week, we don't know exactly when she was born but the vet tested her blood to determine how old she really is. We got her from the humane society on February 22, 2008 it's her 3rd year with us. She is such a sweetheart, never gave us problem except for her expensive hotel boardings when we go out of town and her grooming. On the lighter note, she makes us happy and our family complete.

This is her during her first week with us. A skinny girl who does not know what treat is and a picky eater.
Now, this is her after 3 years! She would eat every treat you give her and the food you put in her bowl.

Happy Birthday to our little Luna Biscuit, hope you will bring us more happiness and longer years with us.

Lose It

2011-02-20T15:50:00.000-08:00

Based on the poll, losing weight is one of the top new years' resolutions this year. No wonder about it as during holiday seasons we can't help ourselves from pigging out food on the table. There are many weight loss supplements to choose from if you chose to take diet pills. In staying healthy, discipline and determination is important but it does not mean you have to starve yourself to lose weight. What we need is proper diet ,watch the calories, plan your healthy meal and exercise.

Diet Pills for Women

2011-02-20T15:40:00.000-08:00

Many fake diet pills are spreading in the market nowadays, they promise to help you lose weight quickly but are you sure that pills are approved by the health department? When looking for best diet pills for women you may want to conduct a research and best if you would consult your nutritionist or physician. You don't want to get carried away with false promises.

Health is wealth, you do not need to achieve the perfect figure on earth, what matters most is being healthy. There is nothing wrong in trimming down as long as we are taking it properly and follow the instructions thoroughly.

Daily Diet Habit

2011-02-20T15:20:00.000-08:00

When I arrived here, my impression was "everything is big" that was during my lay over in Houston airport. Even most pinays, when they got here gaining weight is an issue to them, I'm one of the lucky ones who do not have this problem. I think it's because of the diet that is why it's important to us to watch our health. When we gained to much weight what we want is to get a fastest way to lose belly fat without having bad side effects.

I think it's hereditary that I do not gain weight that much no one in the family is over 110 lbs, well at least my female siblings and mom. Our best exercise I believe is walking daily, at work when I go to 2 floors I used the staircase. It's also important to watch our daily habit especially the food calories to keep us healthy.

Weekend Hiatus

2011-02-16T11:55:00.001-08:00

It's been a while, after 10 months working my tail off I've finally got a chance to breath. Where's the destination? Look down....

Dam- View from topWelcome to Hollywood

Doggie Disco only in HollywoodThe Famous Hotdog Stand in Hollywood since 1939

You read it right, HOLLYWOOD! We drove down Southern CA to visit friends and spend a fun weekend with them. Our little feet of course were very happy shopping, talking, eating and photographing. I so love it! I was supposed to be in my homeland this 2 weeks but due to some circumstances we passed the home visit. I retracted my approved vacay from work and taking 3 days instead. I am getting overwhelm again with paperwork but I'll get through it, 2 more paperwork then I'm done.

Aside from visiting friends, I took off 2 from my list. First, got my CA id and took my driving permit test. That's a goal, every weekend I should practice driving this time laziness is not allow to kick in my blood stream, not at all.

Mobile Reception

2011-02-15T18:18:00.000-08:00

One thing I am having problem with my phone is the signal, it is so funny how I used to have good signal when our office was at the basement. When we moved to our new office which is in the second floor my cellphone is having trouble getting good reception. Even when I connect it to wi-fi it wont stay connected all day, once it's idle for 5 minutes my wi-fi and signal are both gone. The result was all my calls go directly to my voicemail and my sms are late. Do I have cell booster? No, I do not have one, I wish I can get one so my reception misery will end. All I am hoping for at this time is to move to another office with better cellphone reception. If in a year or two we did not move, I have no choice but change provider or get a booster.

Fun Day at the Beach

2011-02-06T12:57:00.000-08:00

Macro and Portrait Test

2011-01-29T09:18:00.000-08:00

I had time to play with my camera setting, I have been reading a lot of articles but it seem hard for me to follow the instructions. Anyway, I finally understand the macro and portrait setting, gosshh I never used macro before and now that I've learned it, I love it and so as the portrait setting.

Auto mode using macro

Macro mode with extra AV setting - nice you can see the spider web
Portrait setting, notice that the subject is very clear yet the background is blurryPortrait in default setting
Portrait setting with custom setting

Wrong Door

2011-01-29T09:05:00.000-08:00

I know it's embarrassing when you made funny mistakes but you can't avoid those circumstances. One time before my lunch break, I went to my regular round and I am such a very impatient person to wait for the elevator. I use the stairs to 2 floors up and down, that is good exercise anyway if you are sitting almost 8 hours a day at work. Since it was lunch time, my buddies are waiting for me in the break room. After I collected my stuffs I walked towards the staircase door, When I opened it there were 4 executive guys having a meeting, all of them were looking at me. I paused, I felt like my face turn into red and I felt so cold. I said I'm so sorry many times and they were laughing and at me and saying you are fine, no worries.

That was so embarrassing, I couldn't eat, my buddies were laughing at me and telling me to wear reading glassesso I can read the note on the door "In Training". I swear, that sign was not there. I almost opened that door many times since it's next to the stair door, but that sign saved me many times as well. That time, the sign was not there and yeah what if the president of the company was having a meeting during that time. I am smashed in shame for sure.

Short Weekend

2011-01-23T08:39:00.000-08:00

Hey fellas, it's a short weekend for me. The sun is greeting me two days in a row with its bright shine in the morning. I had to work yesterday to cover my colleague's shift, glad we did not have plan yesterday so it's okay. Today, I gotta do something to make my weekend worthwhile. Gardening is not my priority as it's still cold maybe in couple months I can find time to start on it again. I lost my sweet potato tops, water spinach when it was too cold during the winter but I still have spring onions, beets and some carrots in my plant box.

Nothing compares when you are having a freshly brewed batangas coffee in the morning while blogging and facebooking. I did my morning chores already, fed the pup and took her out for her morning routine. It's going to be a relaxing day and maybe "mall" later? Oh, I still need to write a letter for my friend, she's been asking me to make her one since last week.

I wish there is a pool nearby, a heated indoor lap pool but I have been looking around and can't find one. I miss doing laps, in short I miss swimming. Next month when we visit our friends, we'll make sure to have a swimming session before shopping.

It's Positive

2011-01-23T08:33:00.000-08:00

I've got a message from my friend who's also a blogger saying she is prego! Yes, 2 weeks! I know they work hard and been longing for the 3rd baby and hoping it would be boy. Everybody is excited for the development and we can't wait to find out the gender. I am going to fly again to visit them on the baby shower party. If it's a boy, he's going to be the prince. I bet she already have ideas of top prenatal vitaminsto keep her baby healthy, so happy for them. As for me, we are still contemplating when to have our little angel. At this time, we keep moving I think not the best idea to have a mini me in the family.

No Room for Bumps

2011-01-23T08:21:00.001-08:00

Acne has no room in my face, not in my dreams please. Lately, I have been prone to adult acne causes, I paused for a little while and think. I do not want to get them from cosmetics, I make sure I remove my make up every night. I want my skin to breath when I'm sleeping. I've noticed that I started to have blackheads around my nose, I gotta do something about it. I will change my cosmetics brand to hypoallergenic so it wont get my face oily.

Luckily, I am not having acne problem so far. They do not have room on my small face, nowhere not even one I wanted them on my face. Aside from being itchy it's also disgusting, I can't stand having a zit either, I will prick them right away.

My Domain and Hosting

2011-01-23T08:06:00.000-08:00

It's not a spam! It's a reminder email from my domain provider, my blog domain is expiring very soon, how soon? In less than two weeks, yes that soon. They keep reminding me to renew my domain. Of course I will renew my domain and maybe will just set it up to auto renew, I don't remember what my username and password so am gonna end up resetting again. I rarely open my account because my hosting is in blogger. Maybe when I get a dedicated hosting for my blog and to my under construction photo blog, I will be able to manage it well. If I personalize domain why not get a hosting and its perks?

My web designing skills is already rusty, I need a refresher to remember the coding again. I personalized our blogs by just self studying the codes. If I want it neat and change the template I'd go for more personalized than the generic so my blog design is unique.

Pull It Up!

2011-01-22T08:50:00.000-08:00

Every place we moved to has its pros and cons. What I like about Seattle is our health club and the weekly spa and this is where I learned how to swim, I love it! In SFO, the best part is the yard where I can plant herbs, veggies and my ornamental garden, forget about the slugs that pest my garden.

My favorite so far is the Washington DC not because the White House and this is the US capital but the neighborhood. The house is our least fave among the 3 places but the trail in Tyson's Corner is superb! It's a mile trail with gazebo, mini park and a creek. This is where we walk our pup daily, hubby jogs in the afternoon and stops at the exercise area for stretching and he pick a pull up bar, pull himself up few times then continue to his routine.

The wife on the other hand is in the gazebo doing her nails and patiently waiting for hubby. How sweet, the moment I'm done with my nails hubby ran 2 miles already.

Hooked on TFC

2011-01-22T08:41:00.000-08:00

I'm hooked once again on the TFC channel, you may think what am I talking about? It's the filipino channel, it's a cable channel for us Filipinos abroad. There's only 2 shows I am hooked to, Imortal and Mara Clara where my 2 fave actresses play major roles. The excitement of both shows are on, the wedding of Lia-Mateo wedding in Imortal and the revelation of the true parents in the latter. Clara the brat girl don't want to believe that she is in fact from a poor family. She is going to take the risk to take paternity test that in the end the truth is unbearable when the results revealed.

Oh yeah, I will hear hubby again saying why your shows are always crying? That's how it is, it's drama if not then they will not call it drama but comedy. Let's see what will happen to the next episode where the high technology proves the truth.

Exam Time

2011-01-22T08:31:00.000-08:00

Things are getting in its place now, my dental check up, cleaning and fillings were done recently. It's time to look for an OB for an annual check. Don't you ever think anything about it, 'twas just a yearly check a woman should do. Since we keep moving I could not keep an MD or even dentist so every time I lay on their exam table I get butterflies in my stomach. That is fine as long as I am assured that I'm healthy I can deal with it. After few checks I will get use to it and everything would be like peanuts as long as I do not see blood. I am coward when it comes to blood and syringe, I can't look at it.

Locked Inside the House

2011-01-18T19:26:00.000-08:00

Whew! My weekend was not that great when the garage door broke and the car was inside. I thought somebody hit the garage door when I was singing in my karaoke and there's a very loud bang on the garage. I was scared turn off the karaoke and ran inside the house and can't figure out what was that loud sound all about. When we are ready to go I hop in the car and the garage door won't open. The big spring snapped that no matter how we pull up the door it won't open it weighed more than 500lbs. Oh, yeah what a beautiful day and yet we're stuck in the house. I spent my whole day on the couch watching the Filipino channel instead while waiting for our landlord to send someone to fix it.

Our landlords took care of it on the same day. How lucky we are to rent this house, every time something is up they are so efficient. I hope our next landlord will be as great like them.

Cigar Anyone?

2011-01-18T19:18:00.000-08:00

Last year I sold my SO's leftover cigars, if I'm not mistaken I think I made couple hundreds that was spent for my shopping. We priced them based on cigar reviews and a little less than the price from stores since we sold them to coworker. My SO quit from smoking cigars when he met me 5 years ago and I am so proud of him. But if he wanted to take 1 cigar a day and quit from smoking I'm on it. This give me an idea what to bring to my uncles back home when we go visit. I bet they would love it more than chocolates.