Jakie and the Beadstalk

It's the holidays, so I am still online window shopping, or is it window online shopping? Haha! While browsing through some online shops, I saw some interesting stuff (being sarcastic here, my dears). Here they are: 1. Brand new fake tooth cover Who, in his right mind, would bay second hand fake tooth/cover-whatever-that-is? 2. Polaroid camera cover There's really nothing wrong with buying a polaroid camera cover IF the description fits the name of the product. See the description: HD pixels, accurate recording action, blah blah, for only P599.00.  This description is for the camera, and not for the cover which is the one being sold. If one is not too careful, that person would think that he/she is buying a polaroid camera, and not a cover, at a very cheap price! 3. Diffuser Diffusers are good. I am just not sure if they really serve the purpose, but a good friend gave me a portable one and I like user it. I really have no problem with the descript...

Live and Be Well with Taiwan Excellence Products Rapid technological innovation has paved the way for better healthcare and medical solutions. Older people can move around with ease thanks to e-motors and scooters, people monitor their  physical activity with handy trackers, and surgeons are able to perform more efficient and safer operations with smart surgical solutions. This is very important because the thought of getting a procedure can be terrifying for someone. I remember a friend who almost screamed while having her MRI in the hospital. Smart healthcare solutions are very crucial for patients who feel intimidated by hospital equipment and procedures. When my Papa was hospitalized before his death, getting his blood sugar was a huge problem every time!             These are just some of the breakthroughs of Taiwan Smart Healthcare products. Bearing the Taiwan Seal of Excellence—a mark accorded only to the highest quality brands—...

1. Gifts - Check 2. Grocery - Check 3. Food - Check 4. Family - Check 5. God - Check! Let us not forget the reason for the season - Jesus Christ. God bless us all!

Warning: mababaw na post ito. I am not sure when I started dreaming of owning Sharpie pens. Call me "mababaw ang kaligayahan" but it's one of my dreams to get Sharpie pens. I don't even know why. I just heard that they write better and last longer than ordinary markers. So after months of salivating over the 21-piece Sharpie pens at National, I tried to search for a cheaper alternative in Lazada. It's 25 pieces this time, at P729.00. Here they are... my new babies!!! Thanks for visiting!

I was again given the privilege to visit another province - Surigao! The public beach in Surigao Surigao is pleasant. Sadly, I didn't have a full day to enjoy it... just a couple of hours only since we had to work. Road going to the Pier And when in Surigao, it is a must to visit Siargao, the surfing capital of the Philippines. Siargao is about 2 1/2-3 hours away from Surigao City via a motor vessel.  Fare is P210 pesos, plus P15.00 terminal fee.  Tricycle to the surfing area costs around P200 for the entire tricycle. The ride from the port to the accommodations was roughly an hour  of scenic, winding road. The port is very clean! The ship is also clean! There's tv in every cabin, or whatever they call it. There was a promo at that time- it was on the deck- for about P175 or 190. It was not airconditioned and there was no tv, but you see close up where the ship is going and you can feel the wind on your hair and the amazing scent of the sea. I would ha...

Life gives us a lot of blows and punches. Just like the recent Pacquiao-Horn fight, life gives us a lot of surprises- some good, some bad.  There are so times I complain about life - why, despite working hard, we still have financial difficulties, why misunderstandings in relationships still arise, why traffic is terrible, all those mundane questions about life. Then, an unexpectedly as life's blows, I get bowled over by simple but meaningful acts of love like the one below, when I got inside our family vehicle on my way to work. Ahh, life is good, after all...

Sometimes, my eye catches a lot of weird stuff.  This morning, while checking out Lazada for some school stuff for my kid, I saw this: Ganito na pala ang itsura ng sando ngayon. Is that a sando shirt tank? Hmmm...

Here are five things I liked in Hongkong (aside from Disneyland and Ocean Park): 1. The clean streets and the strip of designer shops along Tsim Tsa Tsui 2. The dog litter box (I don't know what it's called) 3. The fresh fruits that are very cheap. The strawberries were around P180 per kilo. The blush pears were around P100 per kilo. 4. The weather! It's not so hot and humid. When we went there around March, there was still fog. Imagine Tagaytay weather.  5. Its Cultural Centre which is walking distance from the Space Museum and Art Museum

Whenever my family travels, as the "supermom" as my kid calls me, I have to make sure that the essentials are packed and there's a provision in case something goes wrong.  So when we booked our trip to Baler, I had to make sure that the essentials have been taken care of. Small falls before we reached the Mother Falls 1. Bus reservations Since it was going to be a looong weekend, I made sure that we had reserved tickets to Baler via Genesis Transit. A good friend, Atty. G, suggested that we book through iwantseats.com.ph. But since the seats were already full for all the  trips from April 26-28, I stumbled upon pinoytravel.com.ph which also offers online booking. I immediately booked and within the required number of hours to pay, deposited our payment through PNB. But my reservation was cancelled and I was mad and I couldn't contact them blah blah blah (long story) in short, I had to get another set of tickets this time, directly at the Genesis Bus Terminal...

It's Day 5 and I am itching for this to end. hahahahah!! My food: Breakfast: Yummy! Except for the chorizo taste because I hate chorizo. I had to take out the chorizo pieces from the omeletter before eating. Why is the apple bruised again? Natagtag sa biyahe? Lunch was chicken sausage stew with sauteed cabbage and bits of bacon. One word: Sarap!!! Sayang walang kanin. Hahahah! And I am so happy that they used breast part of the chicken. Dinner was Pork strips and crisped tofu with adobong gulay. Again, Yummy!!!! I love day 5! :) 

After heartbreaking lunch  I got yesterday, I tried to eat my dinner, kasi sayang. But when I got home at 7, the zucchini pasta already smelled off. According to hubby, it still tasted ok, but I decided against eating it. The meatball puttanesca was yummy. I could tasted some fat from the ground pork, so I had to spit these fatty bits out (which is really a problem for me when I eat spaghetti bolognese, burgers, lumpiang shanghai - or those with ground pork because I can taste it and I can't just swallow it). But it was generally good. Today's menu is:

Here's my food for today :) It's day three and ever meal is a struggle. This is not because the portions are little, but because I am a picky eater. It's a real challenge for me to try to eat what's on the table sans any other choice. Add to that is there is no rice. I am happy with 1/2 cup of rice every meal, but no rice at all can be quite depressing. hahahah!

It's my second day with Yummy Diet and tatataraaaaaa...

I am forever struggling with excess baggage a.k.a. fats, and tried a 5-day meal subscription online. The food serving was so " little " it made me cranky the whole day. My friends ordered theirs and they consumed their food allowance for the entire day before lunch. photo source This time, my sister so generously subscribed me to a 3-week diet from Yummy Die t. It's a Low Carb High Protein plan.

I made this blog to make it an avenue for me to sort my thoughts out. Call it my online diary or something else. It is through this blog that I get to process events that have transpired, or things that somehow clog my mind. My family complains a lot that I am so busy. My Mama tops the list. She complains that I don't get to do the things she asks me to do because I never have the time. Or, that I keep neglecting my well-being since I am always on the go. Guilty. Photo source The hubby is second on the list. His complaint is mainly due to the fact that I am so forgetful. Because of too many things going on with my life - full-time work, part-time teaching, trying-hard-to-be-hands-on-mommy, sports, household chores, and what-have-yous, my brain is usually in overdrive and things get forgotten in the process. Heck, even my sleep is full of vivid dreams that I wake up each morning still tired because I felt awake the entire time. My kid asked me something one time. I tol...

Work again allowed me to visit my parents' home province: Cebu! Since we only stayed overnight, we planned on maximizing our two days there (or less than two days, since we had to finish work first). We planned on trekking to Osmena Peak at the south of Cebu then try canyoneering at Badian Falls (Kawasan) the next day. Too bad, it was raining hard so we decided to stick to some places near the City. We visited the Temple of Leah which is somewhere along the Cebu Transcentral Highway in Cebu City, specifically in Busay. A good friend of a friend drove us there since there is no route for public vehicles there. The Temple of Leah is a tribute of Mr. Teodorico Adarna to his departed wife of 53 years, Leah Villa Albino-Adarna. It's really impressive and inspired by Greek (or is it Roman?) architecture. It is supposed to have 24 chambers, but none of these chambers are open yet. Am I in Greece or in Rome?

By now, you probably know that fish oil and omega-3 fatty acids are super popular as supplements for all around physical and mental health. Fish oil can help boost energy and assist in improving brain functions and even help in weight loss. But, did you know that fish oil can actually help with fertility as well? I have been trying to conceive again for the last seven years and upon learning this, I immediately got interested in fish oil. I bought some Fish Oil this morning :)  DHA and EPA are two of the essential fatty acids that come from fish oil.  These omega 3's help with blood pressure, inflammation, and much, much more. Your body can use fish oil to help with the production of hormones, and can reduce inflammation, which can be related to infertility. Fish oil has a ton of benefits for both men and women, whether you are trying to conceive or not. Sounds good, right?! Fish oil can help with improving circulation to the reproductive hormones, and the great...

Our family was so blessed to go to Hongkong for a vacation. Why Hongkong when most of the people there act as if tourists are irritating swarm of mosquitoes? One word: DISNEYLAND!!!!! The Chipmunks at the Parade So to Disney, we go! My top three favorites: 1. The Mystic Manor (Only HK Disney has this) 2. The Jungle River Cruise 3. It's a Small World 4. Mickey's Philharmagic - oh I have four, ugh, can I add two more? hehehehe

Work allowed me to visit another province in the Philippines that I had yet to see: Leyte. Walking along the streets of Tacloban while listening to the horror stories of an officemate brought by Typhoon Yolanda made me realize the magnitude of the destruction. What I saw from the news and social media did not come close to the horror faced by the people of Leyte.  A lot of the structures have been rebuilt or reinforced,  but some structures still bore the aftermath of the wrath of Yolanda.

I saw this book at Booksale and immediately bought it. It's entitled "Lunch Letters"  by Carol Sperandeo and Bill Zimmerman. I bought this for P70.00. It's a book encouraging parents to write "lunch" notes to their kids.  Well, any note, actually.  The aim is to get back to writing love letters and reminding your kids who awesome they are and that the parents are 101% behind them no matter what.

My Paps just celebrated his 73rd birthday in heaven recently. I know he had a blast in there. He probably had a golf tournament in his name, a week-long mahjong session where the wager was a sack of no-value chips, plus a non-stop videoke.  I bet he forced his guests to sing his favorite songs, dictating the "number" of the song he likes since he memorized the corresponding numbers of his favorite songs. I would also wager he just had a time of his afterlife. But I would also bet he missed us, because we miss him a lot too. So to the greatest man I have ever met, the greatest father in the world, my idol, belated happy birthday Pamsie. I love you to heaven and back. Our hearts may have this tender spot because of your loss, but I know you are watching over us while making a putt. Candid Photo: Pamsie was happiest when giving toys to his apos.

Prof. Benjamin Magubat, Sir Benj as we call him, is one of my favorite professors in college.  He designed a car that floats and called it "Bangkarwayan". The name is from "bangka" (boat) and car and kawayan (bamboo).

I hate mosquitoes- I hate the buzzing sound they make, I hate their flying presence everywhere and I most specially hate the virus they bring to mankind.  I've come to master the art of catching them with my hand while they are hovering, and when I open my palm, most of the time, they are still there writhing, their wings squished. In the event I still see them alive, I try to separate the wing one by one until they bid their last goodbye. Yes, torturing mosquitoes makes my day! My hate for them increased last June when my son was diagnosed with dengue fever. Good thing, his platelet count were 220, 210, 200, 210, respectively, during his four days in the hospital. I was going crazy that time because even if his fever was only hovering between 38.5-39.4 (believe me, he has had fevers where his temperature soared to 39.9 and he didn't act sick at all), in the three days that he had the fever, he was (and looked) weak, and didn't want to eat, and complained of something ou...