By J, on February 15th, 2010
Since the fourth quarter of last year, I got totally hooked on several health supplements. Not long after that, my husband followed suit, so the two of us are now a pill popping pair. Don’t even ask me how many pills I get to pop at breakfast/brunch and at dinnertime. The good thing about it is that I’m also downing a lot of water. Yes, agua!
Now, I’m also looking into glucomannan. They say that this is a dietary fiber that may aid in weight loss, and has been touted for its wide following for constipation, high cholesterol, acne, and type 2 diabetes.
Don’t blame me for believing in supplements because I can now attest to the efficacy of one. Now, I’m a living proof. I don’t think I’m imagining because after a month of taking a certain breast supplement, I have already said goodbye to those miserable painful swollen breast prior to my period.
I will share more of my experience on succeeding posts.
By J, on February 15th, 2010
It’s not surprising to hear that there’s a good number of people suffering from adult acne. That must be tough, because almost all of us in one way or another went through acne in our adolescent years. While we expect acne to be gone by the time we are well into adulthood, the not so lucky ones are still dealing with fresh acne while most of us are already concerned on getting the best option available for acne scar removal.
I’ve had my share of acne too. In fact, it got worse a few months after I moved here. Being in the hands of a good dermatologist helped a lot. Not long after, the flare up stopped.
Nowadays, there are tons of options to try. Not every single remedy available out there yield the same result on every person. It’s a matter of trial and error. Based on my experience, not even a good dermatologist can predict the effect of a certain product on ones skin. The key is to keep trying and being relentless in finding the one that works best on you.
By J, on February 12th, 2010
It’s the love month, and for some reason I’m feeling a bit nostalgic and sentimental hence, I can’t help but reminisce our weddings (yes, we did it two times). This can also be because I’m currently being asked by a family friend based in California to lend her a helping hand by sharing my planning experience through my blogs, as she is about to start to plan for her wedding to be held in the Philippines next year. She’s aware for a fact that I have remotely planned for our second wedding held there five years ago. I will happily oblige but that will have to be on several separate posts on my other blog.
One single element that made a big dent on our wedding budget was the decor on both the ceremony and reception venues. While the Patio (ceremony and cocktails) and the whole of Quezon Ballroom A, B & C (reception venue) of the Makati Shangri-La Manila are nice enough, I was not willing to settle for just the basic decor that came with the package, thus I hired an Event Stylist. I wanted to transform the Patio to an English garden complete with a gazebo sans a lake, and I specified my preference for white flowers . The same look was re-created inside the ballroom incorporating the New York skyline with the Statue of Liberty as backdrop and an ice sculpture of again – the Statue of Liberty as the centerpiece in the buffet set-up and the bar at the Foyer of the ballroom.
I was very pleased with the collaborative work of our Florist and Event Stylist. I loved the table centerpieces to bits!
And another great use of fresh flowers? Just take a look. My Baker also didn’t disappoint.
I was not too keen about the idea of fresh flowers on a cake at first, but I was told that my Baker will adorn the cake with freshly picked, high quality pieces of flowers. Of course, we paid a premium for the additional specs but it was all worth it. The cake was yummy in itself (every layer was edible and in different flavors) but the good presentation all the more made it more enticing.
Is a wedding vow renewal in the works? Maybe, on on our 20th?!
By J, on February 11th, 2010
Yesterday’s snow storm didn’t totally cripple the Big Apple. This proved that the city is well prepared in dealing with a treacherous situation with this magnitude. With the city’s 1,600 plows and 365 salt spreaders on hand with more than 4,000 sanitation employees working in 12-hour shifts, the parkways and streets were pretty much passable. The rule of thumb is that for every inch of snow that falls, the city pays $1 million to clean it up. With up to a foot and a half expected, the total could reach $18 million.
The public transport system operated normally except for a few routes (MTA buses) that were suspended. In fact, if anyone had to be out, the best way to get around the city was through mass transit.
While schools were closed, New Yorkers went ahead with their usual business and that included government offices, as well as private establishments. We had our mail delivered yesterday, which meant that our trusty mailman worked too. Many chose to telecommute and totally stayed away from the outside element. Nothing beats working from the comfort of ones home when the weather is that bad.
Today, everything is expected to be back to normal. In fact, Mayor Bloomberg announced early last night that schools will reopen.
Now, it’s time to bring out those shovels and start to dig out.
By J, on February 6th, 2010
The only thing that is constant in this world is change. Be that as it may, a lot of people take any kind of change as simply disruptive and an unwelcoming idea.
I may now be one of those people to some degree. When I was younger, I welcomed change just like changing outfits. Testament to that was my career moves and company transfers in an effort to get to where I wanted fast. Getting pirated by another firm with a juicy offer and a career advancement was the norm. I was an aggressive twenty something, who had a specific objective to reach at the age of twenty five. It was very detailed and straight to the point, that I was going to declare myself a failure if I didn’t achieve it. I was driven and unyielding. No wonder that at that time (in my early twenties), a lot of people thought that I was in my early 30’s, and I only got those business suits to blame.
I don’t regret any single career move I made in the past. Looking back, I would not have been the person that I am today if I didn’t do what I did. I’m now a secured stay at home wife who is no longer power hungry and unyielding. I’ve been there and done that. I must say that I have peaked and achieved what I wanted in my professional life. Now, it’s time to relax and smell the roses. As you see, I have survived the biggest move in my life – and that is moving from the Far East to the West. That has been the biggest move I’ve taken so far. At my age, I would hate to move cross country if I can help it, but the promise of warmer weather is enticing. When that happens, I’m sure we can peruse those professional cross country movers.
I don’t even want to think about moving at this point though. Just the idea of it gives me stomach cramps. You’ll know why, when the time comes.
By J, on February 4th, 2010
After almost three weeks of disappearance, HGTV and Food Network are now finally back on CableVision in the tri-state area.
On January 21, Scripps Network and CableVision gave me a wonderful surprise by bringing back two of my favorite channels on cable. The sudden blackout of these two channels brought a damper on my new year, as they pulled the plug out on these channels at the second hour of the new year right after the merrymaking and celebration of New Year’s eve.
Scripps’ and CableVision’s terms of agreement were not disclosed. I wonder why! While they were busy bashing each other at the height of the dispute, dishing out how much each of the two parties get from the subscribers, their lips were sealed after they finally ‘agreed to agree.’
It was the longest three weeks for someone like me who rarely watch TV with the two channels gone. Now, I should find the time to sit on my fave recliner, relax and watch TV more often.
By J, on January 31st, 2010
This time of the year, I always get offers for term life ins from different pre-need companies. I wonder why. My husband also gets his share although both of us already have life insurance policies in force. In fact, because my husband is drawn to insurances we have coverage on all the basic insurances including jewelry and that umbrella insurance policy.
You want to hear how insane he is with insurance? He also insisted on getting appliance coverage. For now, our kitchen appliances are all covered under the manufacturer’s service coverage. And they are not new as the pieces are now about 10 years old except the dishwasher. We pay the premium on these every two years. I’m contemplating on not renewing the service contract this Fall. After all, if one of the appliance breaks down it may be less of a burden if we just replace and get a new one instead of calling for an on-site repair which the policy covers.
See? I have an insurance man in the house.
By J, on January 30th, 2010
I live in the biggest and the most exciting city in the world (please don’t contradict). If I don’t see New York as such, I would not have been lured to keep going back for New York Holidays all those years when I was still living overseas.
The fact that almost everyone who has not been to the United States would consider the Big Apple as one of their first State must-see/must-go to is enough proof of the city’s allure. I must know, I was once one of them.
The city that never sleeps has a multitude of things to offer to all the millions of visitors that flock annually. Holidays to New York as we all must know may not be that cheap, but if a traveler knows where to find good deals and offers, there’s a vacation package out there that will perfectly suit ones budget.
Yes, we all dream to travel and see the world. But it’s only those who dream big and act on that dream, who will eventually make that dream a reality. If you’re dreaming to travel someday, then you might as well dream of Holidays New York. It may not be the ultimate destination to some but your travel portfolio is not complete without New York listed on it.
Am I a good enough endorser of the city? Lest, you think I’m on the payroll of Mayor Bloomberg, no I’m not. I just love New York!
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