This August has been busy month for me and hubs and also lots of birthdays! I wanted to make a birthday post for those relatives and friends who are celebrating (about 20 celebrants) including mama-in-law this August earlier this month but then I failed to do so. Work has been so hectic and other matters along with it. Many special people close to my heart celebrated with me this August despite our distance. To name a few I'll start with my dear brother (aug.2), my older bro who treats me so dear and depends on me for many things most especially taking care of his precious baby Elisse. If you guys remember my birthday post he's the one who gave me that iphone. It's funny that between the two of us I tend to scold him more with a lot of things like I'm older than him. I guess I'm just more strict than him.


I also have a very dear friend whom I treat as my sister who happens to be a 15th celebrant like me. We always try to celebrate our birthdays yearly with group of friends (HS buddies) considering it as a reunion or get together at the same time. I make sure I set up a date yearly so we could all meet like the event organizer. It wasn't easy because we were in different courses but at least in the same university and later on everybody's working or doing extended school studies for Bar exam and all.


This post won't be complete if I don't mention this very special girl celebrant none other than my favorite niece Elisse whom I treated as my own daughter. Her birthday coincides with ablogger friend Mariuca (aug29). I called my family yesterday to greet Elisse too bad she wasn't in the mood to talk. Bro said she's missed her nap on their travel thus throwing tantrums. Hmp, if he didn't set up that TV in the car then she could've taken that nappy and talked to poor auntie! What I know is that they were heading to the Manila Ocean Park (aquarium) for her birthday treat. How I wish me and hubs can be with them =(


I might have not mentioned everybody's name here but that doesn't mean I forgot who they are. For some reason while writing this I thought of them...and realized that I'm longing to see or hear from then again soon. The sentimental bug might have bitten me! hehehe!


Lastly, to reveal my very special gift this year.... you may also click here to know more, I have prepared a special blog just for this =) Isn't this the best gift of all?

Last time I blogged about our movie nights on how much we enjoy and take time watching movies just to relax after work. Lately we haven't been watching much movies not even any of the DirectTV shows I love to see on specific weeknights. One reason is time but the other reason is our family extension in the house. Some of my blog buddies know about my hubs' family's temporary stay in our place but to cut the story short, I won't really discuss on that here. That's the very reason also why i channel more of my time blogging...looking on the brighter side, that works better for me =)

One time papa-in-law brought home a computer unit that needs some fixing. Because of that we had to clear the other table here in the room where we have our small tv too since hubs has to make use of a good work space whenever he's assembling or fixing a computer. That marked the day when I can't take much glimpse on the shows I want to see from time to time until that unit will be ready to go to be delivered back to his uncle. I don't watch much but it's sure frustrating still because there were times when I just wanted to lay down and see something on tv. Now I'm so outdated with the DirecTV programs. You might be thinking why not go to the living room and watch there? Nope, cannot be. The rest of the family are always there watching something else.

Finally!!! The table's clear and we already delivered the unit, time to rearrange things back to where they were. It took our saturday cleaning, organizing and fixing the room....everything's back into place. Hubs set up the tv to be up and running so as the Direct TV for our viewing pleasure. Now when we feel like checking something quick or watching shows and movies we need not to go to the living room and just stay lazily on bed in the comfort of our room. I know that I mentioned about him preferring to watch DVDs better than tv movies due to the commercials, we can get by with that since we don't really watch every night anyway plus there's a great selection of movies to watch. We just have to tune in DirecTV cinema and there we can see great movies.

One thing I love to do is to channel surf simply when I cannot find something to watch so having over 130 channels, my tv roulette seems to be a lot more fun not to mention more headache for hubs. Sometimes i annoy him for changing channels so quickly...what can I do I love switching shows! =P Before I forget, DirectTV has a feature in which you can record shows so no worries if I badly want to see a show but we have to be out and about. Just like our friend who makes full use of the recording her golf series, tournies and games whenever they are out on vacation.

I hope this one makes you smile!

I'd like to thank everybody who greeted me on my day most especially Monica who had a special dedication on her MM post. It's my first time celebrating my special day without my family but all your warm greetings made it extra special. Some friends greeted me thru overseas call, emails and friendster. Speaking of which, I'd like to share my bestfriend's blog greeting for me. We managed to chat for a while in YM, thanks to modern tech now I can easily be in touch with them.

...fun shots...

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Been so stressed lately with work and other things, both me and hubs found some comfort watching movies after dinner. Sometimes we watch whatever's showing in the Direct TV but most times we choose among our dvd collection or our rental service. Watching is a great way for us to loosen up a bit and be ready to do some other things...ehem...extra works, blogs, emails, etc... later on. What were you thinking huh?

For me brown goes well with variety of colors or maybe I'm just being biased because I am not too fond of wearing black shoes casually. Good thing here hubs can get shoes easily than there in the Phils. rare that his size can be found there but mine is more or less a standard size. I don't know if you guys will like the design or style of our choices but we're happy with it. I opted for a walking shoes since i love to walk around the neighborhood and do shopping. This can go well with shorts, sporty skirts and my jeans =) Everybody has their own preference with things and I respect that. Mind sharing what's your taste & style?

I have so many photos that I want to post but it's just so hard for me to choose which occasion should go first. Actually I specifically wanted to post this one last June 28, exactly a year after I had this trip in El Nido, Palwan (Philippines) but i lost track of time. The trip was both business and pleasure. How come? Just check out the islands we visited and you'll get what I mean with the pleasure part. As for business, it was a resort renovation project that I had to check so I can design accordingly. Having ocular inspection is very important in any project most especially renovation works.

Do you believe in the saying "health is wealth"? Before I don't put too much attention on those matters but not anymore. Since my dad had a near death situation last year I started getting more health conscious. That was a realization for all of us that we can't just stake on our health. Last January 2008 dad had bypass surgery and it was something very painful as he quoted. It was supposed to be just a regular check-up to check if he has to undergo Angioplasty, just check it out here to more about it. Everybody went to the hospital happy like a family outing but at the end of the day something big was announced. Dad's chest has to be opened! The doctors said his condition can be critical and just one heart attack... that's it. Sudden news, sudden decisions. After checking out all the options our parents came down to a decision, to do the operation. I'm just so glad dad made it. Thanks to the experienced doctors and all the prayers, our family surpassed the storm. That time I also resigned from work part of it to prepare for my migration and to attend to dad in the hospital. It's almost 2hrs drive or commute from our place and not all the time I bring the car so I even commute going there... everyday for a whole month. No, it wasn't easy but my dad's there and I want to be there. I know that will be my last year with my family. Wanna see his souvenir form the operation? Check this out!

...toasted sesame bagel cuts with guacamole dip...

One Sunday after attending mass hubs & I with his mom and sis went to visit his aunt. We purposely brought along mama and li'l sis to see auntie. It's been more than 10yrs the last time they saw each other after hubs' family migrated to Philippines for a while. Now that everybody's back here, so much visiting here and there takes a big toll on our time. It's ok, it's nice to be out from time to time just to have a little break from working. I guess it was a lucky day for me and hubs too. Auntie talked to me saying she's been wanting to see me fro some kind of business opportunity. Her friend has a shop selling almost all sorts of accessories for dogs, carrying bags, dresses, coats, warmers, leashes and etc. Her friend needs more exposure and them not being internet savvy, Aunt thought of asking us to do the work. Why not? All we need to do is to put up an online store and make the magic work =) We know it's not as easy as it sounds, marketing efforts still play a big role with the success of the store but we're wiling to work things out. Maybe now you get what "The Dog Shoppe" is all about. It's still under construction and hopefully we can launch it soon. Being out and running whole weekends made us lose so much time working on our computer and internet matters.

Do you like dogs or any other pets? Everybody has their own preference when it comes to pets, even with just dogs alone so many breeds and all are cute in their own ways. Talking about dogs, what do you think of these dog products? Kinky? Fun? Cute?


Aside from this store, many other online stores offer such products and services for pets. Buying online isn't bad at all, in fact it's way convenient than hopping from shop to shop. One online shopping site I recently came across has a big selection in their directory (of course we need to work on researches about pet products). You know what is this cool site I'm talking about? Any guess? Ok, no more guessing... it's ShopWiki. Nope this isn't an online store but a shopping engine which caters numerous retailers who provide the products. Don't mistake it to be related with wikipedia, they simply use the same "Wiki" technology.


So how does this Shopwiki works since it's not considered as a store but a shopping engine? I was confused also at first thinking it's an online store with bunch of products like accessories, collectibles, electronics, foods & beverages, pets and all. Their system simply scans the internet for the best deals according to the searches. It filters the products from online store sites to give you just what you need. Am i making it any clearer or I'm confusing you more? Hahaha, well the best way to know what I'm talking about is to check it out yourself. This site is ideal to those who love to browse for products and most especially shop online! I tried it myself and i was even surprised to see certain items I don't get to see when I visit some shops around.

I hope thru Shopwiki our dog shoppe products will find its way to success. I would love to expand not only here in US but in other countries like France, United Kingdom or Australia. Of course thinking of this vast expansion, it won't be all about dog products and accessories alone. I have other craft items up for grabs too. I'm getting too excited about this so i better end this post now before I even think of world expansion! Too much wishful thinking? I'd rather feel and think positive for this opportunity because we all know it's not easy putting up any business. Who knows what internet can do for us.