My Sugar Free Sweet Life

Ang aking lahok para sa Pinoy Top Ten ngayong linggong ito.

Sabi naming mag-asawa sa aming anak, bago natin libutin ang mundo, pasyalan muna natin ang buong Pilipinas. Kahit paano, masasabi kong mayroon rin naman akong napasyalang magagandang lugar sa Pilipinas. Yun nga lang, halos lahat iyon ay sa Luzon. Aklan pa lang ang narating ko sa Visayas at ni wala pang isang lugar sa Mindanao.

1. Boracay, Aklan. Kakaiba ang pakiramdam ng pag-apak sa pinong puting buhangin ng Boracay. Maswerte kamiing magkakapatid na makailang beses na kaming nakapunta dito. Akeanon kasi ang aking ama, isang oras na byahe lang ang Caticlan mula sa kanilang bahay sa Makato. Nung lumaki na kami, kumuha ang aking ina ng kwarto sa isang hotel doon para permanente naming tuluyan sa Boracay.

2. Mayon Volcano. Dahil naman Bicolana ang aking ina at pati na rin ang aking asawa, madalas akong nakakauwi ng Bicol. Pero sa buong buhay ko, 2 beses ko pa lang nakikita ang Mayon. Maswerte nga ang huli kong punta noong 2006. Dahil makatapos ang ilang araw ay dumating ang bagyo na sumalanta sa Daraga, Albay. Mas nabaon na raw ang simbahan ng Cagsawa sa lupa dahil dito.

3. Baguio. Maraming beses na rin akong nakarating ng Baguio pero ang huli naming pagbisita sa lugar na ito ang pinaka naging kakaiba. Hindi namin masyadong nilibot ang mga nakasanayan nang pasyalan sa Metro Baguio. Gumawa ang ate ko ng aming itinerary at talagang nag-research siya ng mga kakaibang puntahan sa Baguio kaya maraming naging bago sa aking paningin. Isa na dito ang Maryknoll Eco Sanctuary at ang pag-swimming namin sa Asin Hot Springs.

4. Hundred Islands, Pangasinan. "High tide or low tide?", tanong ni Charlene Gonzales sa judges noong siya ay kalahok sa Miss Universe. "Low tide!" naman ang sagot ko. Maganda mag-island hopping pag low tide sa Hundred Islands. Ang iba ngang isla, nilalakad na lang para marating at di na kinailangan pang mag-bangka.

5. Hidden Valley. Isang beses pa lang ako nakarating sa tagong kayamanan na ito ng
Laguna. Company outing noon sa opisina ng aking ina kaya kami ay nakasama. Hindi ko makakalimutan ang aming pagkain ng tanghalian sa mga mesa at upuan na nakatayo sa mismong batis nila.

6. Manila Bay. Maganda sa Baywalk lalo na kung palubog na ang araw. Maingay man at matao dahil sa dami ng sasakyang dumadaan at mga taong namamasyal, kakaiba pa rin ang kapayapaang idinudulot sa kaisipan ng panonood sa palubog na araw.

7. Angono, Rizal. Kapag ikaw ay nakarating na sa bayan ng Angono, iisipin mong nakabalik ka sa nakaraan. Bukod sa napapaligiran ka na ng napakaraming art galleries sa bayan ng mga henyong ito, maaaliw ka rin sa mga kabahayan na luma pa ang arkite

8. Subic, Zambales. Iba ang ugali ng Pinoy kapag nasa Subic na sabi nga ng ilan. Marunong na raw kasi sumunod sa mga batas dahil sa takot na makulong. Ang mga batas na ito ang nakatulong na mapanatiling malinis at maganda ang dating base militar na ito. Nakakatuwang alaala rin para sa akin ang mga tumatawid na unggoy sa kalsada noong unang dalaw ko sa lugar. Inaalagaan daw kasi talaga nila ang mga ligaw na hayop na likas na katutubo ng mga kagubatang pumapalibot dito.

Hindi pa ako nakakarating sa dalawang huling magagandang pook na ito pero talagang binabalak naming pumasyal dito basta't tama na ang oras at ang ipon namin.

9. Bohol. Gusto kong maranasan na kumain ng tanghalian sa bangka habang binabagtas ang Loboc River. Gusto ko rin makita na ng personal ang Chocolate Hills.

10. Palawan. Matagal na naming pangarap mag-asawa na mag-nature tripping sa lugar na ito. Hindi ang beach resorts ang umaakit sa akin na bisitahin ang lugar kundi ang mga kweba na maaring pasyala habang nakasakay sa bangka.

Napuntahan mo na rin ba ang mga magagandang lugar na napuntahan ko? Anong mga magagandang lugar sa Pilipinas ang pinapangarap mo ring mapuntahan?

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We rode a two-hour trip from Naga City to Daet, Camarines Norte to visit my husband's aunt, uncle and cousins. It has been a tradition of the family to have a feast by the beach of Bagasbas everytime we visit the place. Bagasbas Beach is just near the town proper and is very accessible to tourists. Over the years, I have been a witness to how this place has changed. Before, the beach was just an ordinary free-for-all beach for the local townsfolk of Daet. When we came over in May, there are already bars and restaurants lined up ala Manila Baywalk. Yesterday was my first time to see surfers riding the waves of Bagasbas! The place has slowly made its mark in becoming a surfer's haven in Bicol.

We are always looking forward to visiting our relatives in Daet. For one, our Tita Myrna is the best host there is. She always does everything to make our stay worthwhile. Food in her place is always non-stop every time we are there. Second, since the place is near the sea, seafood in Daet is always cheap! We eat sugpo (big shrimps) and crabs to our heart's delight! The sweetest pineapples are from Daet, too!

We rented small cottages fronting the beach and ordered food in the restaurants lining the baywalk. Our cousins prepared fruit salad and bought some fruits from the market for dessert. We let the kids enjoy the beach and they spent their time digging the sand to find small crabs and seashells.

I was able to destress even though we just stayed there until 3 in the afternoon. I took a short nap in one of the bamboo benches and was awakened when my husband started caressing my hair. He was apparently looking for gray hair! (That's one of my problems at present my rants about that would require another post. Hay, life!) The wind coming from the sea helped decongest my nose and lungs. My nostrils are stuffed since Tuesday. Now, I'm breathing a little better now.

A few more days and this short break from work will be all over. I am now enjoying every minute of my stay here in the province. We still don't know when we can come back.

Pic 1: My brother-in-law, Dong, beams with joy while holding the bowl of sugpo.
Pics 2 & 3: Our feast in the small cottage that we rented.

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We went to my sister-in-law's house for lunch yesterday. The house is recently bought but is not brand new. They are still in the process of renovating it and are planning to move in by December. We had a buffet lunch set up under a mango tree in the backyard. It was quite airy in that area because there were already rice fields in the other side of the bench. I regret to admit that I ate a lot. My sister and brother-in-law are great cooks and they cater food for a living. I was sick when we arrived and did not enjoy the feast that they prepared for us in the first two days. Yesterday, as Ralph has announced, was "Forget Your Diet Day". And I ate to my heart's delight! Who cannot resist the Inihaw na Baboy, Ripe Mango Salsa, Tinolang Manok, and Homemade Chocolate Cake. Come on, don't tell me you won't lose your mind for that kind of spread!

As we were having siesta under the same mango tree in the backyard, my husband was ranting about how different life in the province is. He practically grew up in the province so I know how misses life here in the province. Life is slow and relaxed here. It's so different from our fast-paced lifestyle in Manila. Most of our days are busy and stressed. Especially when my husband's work requires him to work on weekends four times a year. I get stressed too with my work. I'm just lucky that I can blog and plurk to destress.

It will really be nice if we could live in this province, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Naga has most of the conveniences that we enjoy in Manila. I think we can settle here when we retire from work. We're planning to buy a property where we can build our provincial dream home. Once Ralph has graduated from college and is ready to face the world on his own, we can then pursue our dream of living a more relaxed life. For now, we still have to join most people in the workforce to save up for the future.

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pictures taken on our road trip to Naga


We're here in Naga City already. We reached my sister-in-law's house a few minutes before 3 in the afternoon. I thank God for giving us a safe trip and sending His angels to guard us all the way to our destination. If not for His guidance, we could not have reached our destination safely.

We all planned it to be an exciting road trip. To cut down on our expenses, we cooked adobo and rice for our lunch and brought drinks stored in a cooler. We have gone home in the past doing this whenever we drive the car to the province. We have already identified a spot somewhere in Quezon where we can stop the car and have lunch by the roadside fronting the sea. Because we set off early, we passed the place too early for lunchtime. So we moved on and just decided to have lunch somewhere else but definitely not along the Quirino Highway diversion. We knew that the place is NPA (Filipino rebels)and highway robbers infested. The circumstances did not allow us to avoid making a stop-over along that highway though. Our car needed the stop and so was my husband who was already driving for four hours. We thought it was still safe because no rebel or robber would dare to come out in broad daylight. Or so we thought.

The highway was undergoing a lot of repairs as of the moment. We initially planned to make a stop along the nearest military checkpoint but all the dust from the road repairs prevented us from doing so. We ended up deep into the highway around 30 minutes away from the checkpoint. We found a shaded spot and made the stop. I brought out or folding chairs and opened the back of our SUV so we can have lunch. We ate to our hearts' delight. We brought a sleeping pad so we put down one side of the back of the passenger seat to make room for the sleeping pad. I intended it for my husband who needed to lie down so I can give him a little massage on the back before driving another 4 hours from Quezon to Naga.

As I give my husband a massage, Rap was playing his PSP in the front seat. My mother-in-law was content in relaxing on one of our chairs just by the car's door. We were enjoying the moment because it was breezy and quiet. I heard a bird tweeting in the background. Then after a while, there were more tweetings. I thought it was great to hear birds in the place and the sound of tweetings even made me a little sleepy. When the tweets became louder, my husband awoke and rose up suddenly. He signaled everyone to get up and prepare to move. There was an urgency in his voice. There was not a long explanation of why we were supposed to pack up quickly. He just said that it was not safe. I was rattled a little that I almost left my rubber slippers outside the car. Once all of our things from our little picnic were brought in the car, he drove quickly away from the place and explained everything.

Months ago, during a company teambuilding session in Subic, Zambales, my husband underwent survival training in the forest. There they were taught how to cook rice in bamboos, make some survival paraphernalia, and also how to identify threats in the forest. There he learned how to identify authentic bird tweets from those that are just signals of rebels in the forest. He said that their military trainer informed them that rebels, in the absence of radios, mimic bird tweets to send messages to their comrades without divulging their presence. He told us that that was what he heard during our stop over.

He asked us if we recognized the pattern of the tweets because he did. I remember hearing two different tweets but I thought that the tweets still came from birds. My mother-in-law recounted that she was hearing the tweets from beside the spot and not from above the trees where birds usually nest. She was trying to find where the tweets were coming from but she did not find one.

It was a humbling experience for me. Once again, God has showed us His presence and how He looked after us. What if my husband failed to recognize the tweets as threats? What if he was not able to go on that survival training course? What if, while hurriedly packing our things, somebody went out from the bushes and held us up? These are the what ifs that kept me thinking today.

I'm glad we're here, safe and sound. Praise God and His angels for watching over us.

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I did. Back in 2005 when my 8 year-old PC's hard drive died down on me. I lost all the files that were in there. What hurts the most is that my digital photos and videos of Ralph's infant and toddler years went down the drain. Never mind the other files that I lost, it's the memories that made my knees turn like Jell-O when I realized what happened.

This dNeero conversation is all about losing digital files and making back-ups. I learned my lesson well. I bought a thumb drive for fast back-ups of my worksheets. I also made sure that I uploaded my digital photos to Photobucket and Youtube. I am now saving up for an external hard drive so we can move some of Ralph's PSP games and our digital videos to free up my low tech 40GB PC hard drive.

Respond to conversations like these. Join me on dNeero.

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Ang aking lahok para sa Pinoy Top Ten ngayong linggong ito.

Hindi maipagkakailang masarap ang pagkaing Pinoy. Sabihin man nilang marami sa ating mga pagkain ay minana na natin sa mga dayuhang sumakop sa ating bansa sa ating kasaysayan. Magkaganunpaman, higit kong ipinagmamalaking hinubog pa rin nating ito ayon sa ating panlasa. Kung mapapansin niyo pa, marami sa ating mga pagkain ang hindi aakalaing kinakain pala kung iisipin ng mga dayuhan sa ibang bansa. Marami kasi sa mga pagkaing ito ang nagpapakita ng pagiging masinop ng Pinoy. Ultimo nga lamang-loob ng baboy at manok napapakinabangan pa natin eh. O, natatakam na ba kayo? Tara, kain tayo...

Eto na ang unang sampung pagkaing Pinoy na aking paborito.

10. Paboritong-paborito ko ang pansit lalo
na kung ito ay miki-bihon. Sa isang handaan, mas gusto ko pang kumain nito kaysa sa spaghetti.

9. Kumakain din ba kayo ng balut? Lumaki akong laging ito ang pasalubong ng aking tatay basta siya ay baong sweldo. Gusto ko yung maliit lang ang sisiw. Napakalinamnam ng balut. Hindi ko nga maintindihan kung bakit ito ay ipinapakain sa Fear Factor samantalang hindi naman nakakatakot.

8. Gustong-gusto ko rin ang kare-kare. Nito lang ay nadiskubre kong masarap pala magluto ng kare-kare ang aking byenan. Hay naku, nasira nanaman ang aking diet. LOL!

7. Ang kaldereta ay isa ko pang paborito. Lumaki akong ang kaldereta ay niluluto lamang ng aking ina kapag Pasko. Nilalagyan niya ito ng maraming sili kaya napaka-anghang! Pero pang ang nanay ko ang nagluto ng kaldereta ay buto-buto ng baboy ang gamit niya at hindi baka. Hindi kasi siya kumakain nito.

6. Ang biko naman ay paborito kong meryenda lalo na kapag kami ay nasa probinsya. Suki rin ito sa hapag-kainan kapag undas. Gusto raw kasi ng mga kaluluwa ang mga pagkaing matatamis na iniaalay sa kanila sa kanilang kapistahan.

5. Narinig ko sa isang patalastas sa radyo na ang dinuguan ay tinawag na Chocolate Soup. Mukha nga namang tsokolate ung tutuusin ang aking paboritong pagkaing ito. Pero kapag ang nanay kong Bicolana ang nagluto, para na itong Chocolate Soup na nilagyan ng gatas evaporada. Nilalagyan kasi ng mga Bicolano ng gata ang kanilang dinuguan. Mas masarap, maniwala ka.

4. Mahilig rin ako kumain ng mga ihaw-ihaw lalung-lao na ng isaw ng manok. Sa dalawang piso isang tuhog, tapos na ang problema sa pang-ulam. Pero para maka-iwas sa hepa, bumibili lang ako ng isaw sa pwestong kilala ko. Sa Laguna noon, suki ko ang aking kapitbahay na sigurado kong malinis ang bitukang ginagamit niya dahil nakikita ko talaga kung paano niya linisin ito.

3. Alam kong bawal sa akin ang chicharon pero paminsan-minsan ay hindi ko pa rin napipigilan ang aking sarili. Lalo na kapag may sukang pinakurat! Hay! Keber sa diet diet na yan!

2. Isa rin sa aking kinababaliwan ang ginataang halo-halo. Gusto ko sa ginataang halo-halo yung maraming bilo-bilo at may timplang vanilla. Ayos na kung may kasamang sago at saging na saba at kalimutan na ang kamote. Hindi ko gusto ang pagkain ng kamote kahit kailan. Nakaka-utot pa, hehehe!

1. Mahilig ako sa mga pagkaing malalamig kaya pinaka-paborito ko sa lahat ng pagkaing Pinoy ang Halo-halo at Saging Con Hielo. Tanggal ang init ng ulo kapag ito ay aking natitikman.

O ayan, eto ang aking listahan. Ano naman ang iyo?

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Finally, it's the start of the semestral break for me and my students. I'm glad to be having almost two weeks of stress-free days ahead of me. Tomorrow, I won't have classes anymore because it's the start of the semestral break for my La Salle students and Naoya will be having his Halloween party in school. I'm cancelling other student. Ralph still needs to go to school in the morning, though but will be home around 2 in the afternoon.

Tomorrow I'm planning to go to the gym early in the morning to workout. I need to take some things home from my locker since we will be gone for a week. Yep, we'll be going home to Naga come Sunday. We need to go home to sign some documents for a home loan that we made on behalf of my sister-in-law. I also need to pick-up my driver's license card. (My temporary license expired yesterday.) This trip will be an exciting one because we'll be bringing Black Beauty with us. It's been a while since we drove all the way to Bicol. We usually ride the bus going home to the province. But as we all know, the Halloween season is a very busy one here in our country and most Filipinos go home to their provinces during this time of the year. We expected that it will be very hard for us commuting this time. I am looking forward to the side trips that we can make during the long ride.

Tomorrow, I will also be preparing Ralph's costume for Saturday's Family Boo-tiful Day! As I have written earlier, we will be having a Halloween-themed Family Day at Ralph's school on Saturday. The kids in his school are excited to attend because it will also be their chance to get some treats. Ralph will be dancing "Thriller" with all the other Grade 2 students and "Ghostbusters" with a selected group. I am converting his UN Day Mexican costume to a Scarecrow. I already bought some face paint last night from SM because we will be painting his face like a Jack-O-Lantern. I also bought some manila paper that I will be cutting into strips to serve as twigs. I also need to buy some treats for the kids tomorrow.

I will still be visible on-line though as we will be bringing my husband's laptop and his wireless internet connection. We will be staying with Tita Ops and we can probably enjoy her DSL connection.

How about you? How will you be spending your Halloween?

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I am seriously window shopping for a web host for my blog. Not that I am not contented with the free blog hosting of my Blogger platform, it's just that I feel the need to have my own dot com. Wouldn't it be nice for me to have one?

I frequently ask my blogger and plurking friends for their recommended best web hosting sites. As they give their ten cents worth on the matter and get deep into technical terms, I sank deeper into the web hosting facts abyss. I am totally clueless! I thought what one should just consider is the cost and availability of 24/7 support. There are still many things to consider other than those two as I have been advised. I better leave those things to my more technical husband who, as I understand, works with servers as an IT Duty Manager.

Most of my Filipino plurker friends recommend their current web hosts. I am eyeing on one of their recommendations because this one can be reached for technical support through SMS. That would be very convenient for me especially when I am away from my online activities. Another one is cheap at just 3 thousand pesos ($60) a year and it looks more convenient because I can pay using my Smart Money account or through local bank deposit. A close friend is using one at $5 a month and he pays through Paypal. For now, what's keeping me busy is the thought of having www.mauieflores.com as my site's name or should I change it to a more appealing one. Just forgive me for being an idiot on these technical things. I promise to do my homework before finally signing up for one.

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Join me on dNeero, The True Social Network Currency. Make money joining conversations and posting your opinions where your peers can join in too.

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Warning: This is another Chrismas related post. Friends and family members, read at your own risk! LOL!

It's now more than a year since we moved into our home here in Cainta. When we moved here in May 2007, we chose to get rid of most of our old furnitures that we brought from our home in Laguna to the apartment where we stayed in Makati. We let our relatives choose from our old furnitures and decors for their use. Some of them we even sent to my mother-in-law's home in Bicol. We sold what was left of the old ones to the nearby thrift shops in Bangkal. For our new home, we had to buy a new bed, new dining set, sofa set, television rack, and cabinets. We chose to buy new furnitures to complement our mahogany colored doors and wood treatments. We had to install a custom made mahogany-colored cupboard in the kitchen, too.

After more than a year, I feel that our furnitures have lost their appeal. We are saving up for new furnishings and decor to give our home a new look. My husband is thinking of replacing our sofa set. We somehow agreed on buying a small 2-seater leather sofa so we can still have the space for the recliner of his dreams. That is, if we still have enough budget left after buying the sofa! Hahaha! Me? I am wishing for a new set of beddings for our bed. I hope I can also stretch our budget so I can buy new curtains to complement the new beddings too!

Our home is our haven. That is why we treat it with utmost care and consideration. We treat our home as another baby in the family. Just like saving up for Ralph's needs, we also try to save money so we can buy our home's needs, too.

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Christmas time is here. For me, it's a time for updating my wardrobe. The season allows me to ask for a little bonus from my husband so I can buy new clothes. That's how poor I am. LOL! A little shopping allowance from the husband is a great Christmas gift, don't you think.

I have lost some weight after I started going to the gym to complement my weight loss plan. I'm proud to say that I lost a few inches around the waist! I plan to buy a few pairs of new jeans before the series of Christmas parties for the season starts. Last year, my husband's company Christmas party had the theme "Fab Christmas" and I wore a denim coat and a pair of skinny jeans that was so "in" that time. I hope the theme this year will allow me to wear jeans again.

In buying jeans, I consider the style, cost, and brand. Styles that I usually go for are straight-cut, slim, and flare. I use straight-cut jeans when I am wearing rubber shoes or flip flops. It gives me the rugged vibe. I wear slim jeans when I want to exude a semi-casual aura and when wearing blouses. Flare jeans I wear when I use high-heeled shoes.

Cost and brand go hand in hand, I think. I have my favorite brands because, over the years, I have tested them to complement my figure. I am five foot tall and more on the heavy size. It's very important for me to wear jeans that will make me look slimmer. Most of the times, weight related fashion problems for me are solved by wearing just the right style of clothes. I don't care much about the cost just as long as I consider it as a trusted brand. Anyway, I think my trusted brands fit into my budget.

I'll be scouting for new jeans soon. I hope I won't have a hard time looking for ones that will suit my taste, figure, and budget.

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Isa akong guro, kung kaya't para sa aking panimulang sulatin sa aking pagsali sa Pinoy Top Ten, naisipan kong itala ang Sampung Katangiang taglay ang ating lahing Pilipino na aking ipinagmamalaki.

Naging leksyon na namin ito ng aking mga estudyante noon pang unang markahan pa lamang. Itinuturo ito sa mga mag-aarak sa asignaturang Sibika at Kultura. Sa tingin ko, hindi lamang ang mga bata ang palagiang paalalahanan ng mga katangiang ito kundi pati rin tayong mga nakatatanda. Nakakalungkot isipin na sa paglipas ng panahon ay marami nang mga Pilipino ang nakalimot sa mga magagandang katangiang ito na karapat-dapat lamang na ipagmalaki at ipagsigawan sa buong mundo.

Heto ang aking listahan:

10. Ang mga Pilipino ay matitipid. Hindi nangangahulugang kuripot ang taong matipid. Sadya lamang na marunong ang Pinoy na mamaluktot kapag maikli ang kumot.

9. Ang mga Pilipino ay mahuhusay na talento. Sino ang hindi nakakakilala kay Lea Salonga sa mundo ng teatro? Heto rin si Charice Pempengco na napahanga ang mga Amerikano sa kanyang pag-awit? Isipin mo na ang kung mapanood nila ang lahat ng mga mang-aawit natin dito sa Pilipinas at baka sila ay mapagod na sa kakapalakpak.

8. Ang mga Pilipino ay masayahin. Pansinin niyo sa mga kuha sa telebisyon tuwing may kalamidad. Hindi mawawala ang mga kuha ng mga Pinoy na nagtatawanan pa rin at nagkukulitan kahit na nahaharap sa matinding problema.

7. Ang mga Pilipino ay magalang. Kaya nga hindi ko pinapalimot sa aking anak at mga estudyante na gumamit ng "po" at "opo". Tayo lang yata ang gumagamit ng mga magagalang na kataga sa pakikipag-usap kahit na hindi sa mga nakatatanda sa atin. Hindi ba't kahit sa mga mensahe sa cellphone ay hindi mawawala ang "poh" sa mga pagbati.

6. Ang mga Pilipino ay malikhain at maparaan. Marami tayong magagaling na imbentor sa bansa. Dahilan sa hirap ng buhay sa atin, ang mga likha nila ay yaong mga makakatulong sa pagtitipid ng kuryente, tubig, at pera. Nakakalungkot lang isipin na sila pa ang hindi nabibigyan ng lubos na suporta galing sa ating pamahalaan.

5. Ang mga Pilipino ay mapagmahal sa pamilya. Hindi kumpleto ang isang okasyon kapag hindi kumpleto ang pamilya. Hindi rin natin basta-basta iniiwan ang ating mga lolo at lola sa mga bahay ng matatanda.

4. Ang mga Pilipino ay masipag at matiyaga. Kaya nga gustong-gusto ng mga dayuhan ng manggagawang Pinoy dahil na rin sa mga katangiang ito.

3. Ang mga Pilipino ay matatag. Walang anumang pagsubok ang makakapagpabagsak sa Pinoy. Sanay na tayong bumagsak, bumangon, at lumaban sa pagsubok.

2. Ang mga Pilipino ay maganda ang kalooban. Mababait ang mga Pinoy. Hindi tayo sanay na makasakit ng damdamin ng iba. Laging handang tumulong ang Pinoy sa mga nangangailangan.

1. Ang mga Pilipino ay madasalin at may takot sa Diyos. Ang ating isang buong taon ay napapalibutan ng sari-saring pagdiriwang na panrelihiyon. Kahit anumang relihiyon pa ito, hindi maipagkakailang ang Diyos (o si Allah sa mga Muslim) ang sentro ng buhay Pinoy.

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I grew up having Reader’s Digest in my household. My mother has been a subscriber since then. Back in the days when there was no internet and SMS, reading “Laughter is The Best Medicine” made my day. “Word Power” also helped me improve my English vocabulary. Not to mention that I honed my writing skills reading the cleverly written articles of this magazine. Now that I’m now living away from my mom’s place and I don’t have easy access anymore to her stash of Reader’s Digest copies. An alternative for me is visiting Reader's Digest.Com. I go to RD Laughs Main to get my daily dose of jokes! Believe me, a laughter a day keeps the doctor away!

Now, here’s good news for Reader’s Digest fans like me. Reader'sDigest.Com now has widgets for us to place in our sites and even in our Facebook and Friendster profiles ! Woot! I grabbed a "Word Power" widget that I posted in my right sidebar. Try the "Word Power" widget below. We may even have a "Word Power" challenge if you like! LOL!

Take the challenge and play Reader's Digest Word Power -- build your vocabulary, boost your brainpower and challenge a friend to beat your score! Our readers love the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">wordpower</span> game. Where else can you test your knowledge, increase your vocabulary and have fun at the same time? &<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">lt</span>;<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">br</span>>And now you can challenge your friends on word power and try to beat their best score. What are you waiting for? Play the word power game! &<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">lt</span>;<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">br</span>>

Aside from the "Word Power" there's "Laughter is The Best Medicine" widget to grab, there's also the cool application, "Prop My Photo" that gives Facebook users a nice time of enhancing their photos and turning them into one-of-a-kind hilarious ones for posting! For the busy body Reader's Digest enthusiasts, there's a toolbar to download not only to have a direct link to Reader'sDigest.Com but also to "Search RD" for relevant information.

So live the sweet life I am having right now. Visit ReadersDigest.com Widgets now and grab a widget! You may also like Stand-up Videos and Funny Cartoons for more in fun your life!

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I love bloghopping. I like it more when I stumble upon fellow Filipina moms' blogs. One blog that I have been visiting lately is Pinaymama's Diary. She's a Filipina mom living in the States. To celebrate her blog's first year, she is holding a contest for fellow bloggers. One of the prizes is a very gorgeous Italian made scarf that I cannot receive because I am not in the States! Hay! Check out her site to know more about the contest.

Check out her other blogs as well:

Pinaymama's Diary
A Mother's Journal
Simple Life, Simply Me
Life Expressions
Asawa's Love Book
Pinay in States

The contest is supported by these generous sponsors:
Beauty of Life | Praning's Shoutout| Starts at Two | The Money Maker | A mother of yesterday, today & tomorrow| San Diego w/ Love | Beauty is in the eye of the beholder | Tips & Experiences | Biz-N-Honey | Mommy Earns Money Online | Pinay Mommy Online | Micsart | Twinkletoe Writing Space | Everything Has A Reason | Life's All About

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This is my post for today's Blog Action Day against poverty. I chose to write it in Filipino so I can address my message directly to my kababayans.

Kung ako ang tatanungin, sawang-sawa na talaga ako sa mga kwento ng kahirapan sa ating bayan na araw-araw na lang napapanood sa telebisyon at nababasa sa dyaryo at internet. Hindi naman sa dahil balewala sa akin ang isyu ng kahirapan. Ramdam na ramdam ko nga ang isyung ito eh. Sa maniwala kayo't sa hindi, galing din ako sa pamilyang naghirap. Nakatikim rin ako ng mga panahong kapos lalo na noong lahat kaming magkakapatid ay nag-aaral pa at ang Nanay ko lang ang kumikita.

Malaki ang pasasalamat ko sa Nanay ko na kahit paano ay nahango niya kami sa hirap ng buhay. Nakapag-aral kami sa isang pribadong paaralan dahil nagturo siya dito ng part-time. Tatlo kasi ang trabaho niya noon. Opisina sa araw, pagtuturo sa gabi, at pagtuturo na naman sa isa pang eskwelahan kapag araw ng Sabado. Nakaraos kami kahit paano kahit na nagsawa kami sa ulam na pritong tamban, adobong tinik (tinik ng maya-maya na nabibili sa palengke ng Paco at Quiapo), adobong adidas, ginataang gulay, at ginisang gulay sa sardinas. Naranasan din naming maputulan ng ilaw at tubig at mapalayas sa apartment na tinitirahan. Naranasan din naming sabihan ng masasakit na salita ng aming mga pinagkautangan. Pero heto kami ngayon, sa awa ng Diyos at hindi ng kung sino man, nakaraos rin.

Kahit paano masasabi ko na nakaangat na kami sa kahirapan. Kahit paano may naipundar naman na bahay at sasakyan ang Nanay ko bago siya nag-retire sa trabaho. Kahit paano ay ang bunso na lang namin ang ngayon ay nag-aaral pa sa kolehiyo. Kahit paano ay may negosyo akong nakakatulong sa amin para mapaaral ko ang aking kapatid. Kahit paano ay may mga kamag-anak rin kaming natulungang makapag-aral at layasan ang kahirapan sa probinsya. Lahat ng ito ay nakamit namin nang walang inasahan kundi ang aming mga sarili lamang.

Ang sagot sa kahirapan ay hindi dapat hinahanap sa gobyerno o kung sino mang Pontio Pilato na makukuhang maawa sa taong naghihirap. Ang sagot sa kahirapan ang hindi rin dapat iasa lamang sa swerte. Hindi ako naniniwalang naghihirap ang Pilipino dahil walang oportunidad para mapabuti ang buhay at makaahon sa hirap. Hindi niyo naman siguro ako masisisi kung bakit ganito ang pananaw ko sa isyung ito. Dahil na rin sa karanasan ko kaya't ganito ang pag-iisip ko. Sabi nga nila, kapag gusto maraming paraan, kung ayaw maraming dahilan. Ngayon, siguro, bahala na kayong ilagay ang mga sarili niyo kung saang pangkat kayo lulugar. Hindi pwedeng lahat ng pagkain ay ihahain na lang. Kailangang isaing muna ang bigas bago ito mapakinabangan ng nagugutom na tiyan.

Sana nakuha niyo ang gusto kong iparating. Hindi aahon ang Pilipinas sa kahirapan hangga't hindi lahat tayo ay natutong manindigan at gumawa ng paraan.

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My husband and I agreed that he will be picking up from Sta. Lucia East last night after Rap's taekwondo class. Rap and I were with my mother-in-law because we went straight to Rap's class after working out from the nearby gym. After Rap's class, I decided that we wait at the basement food court for my husband to arrive. A few minutes before the time I expected my husband to arrive, I left the table and went up to the next level so I can cross the street to the nearest off site ATM.

I had a hard time crossing the street that connects the mall's two buildings. I was even kind of pissed off with the guard on duty because he didn't even bother to stop the cars so I can cross. When I had the chance to cross, I spotted a black Hyundai Tucson stopping a few feet away from me, right in front of the ATM where I was supposed to go. It was ours! In my mind, I thought that my husband already saw my crossing the street and that was the reason why he stopped. With a wide smile on my face, I went near and knocked on the glass. Guess what? He was suprised to see me outside the car. I caught him trying to send a message using his Blackberry. He said it was supposed to be a message informing me that he's already there. Another thing was that he was asking me if we would like to have dinner somewhere else which was exactly what I was also thinking of asking him. Now, was that just coincidence or what?

After eight years (going nine this January!)of being married, I notice that my husband's thoughts and mine tend to get more connected. Most of the times, we get to be surprised that we're thinking or planning the same things at the same time. I believe I was really able to marry my soulmate.

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I recently joined dNeero, a social network that also lets you earn as you join or initiate conversations. I found it a relaxing way to interact with other people in the internet. This is the first conversation I joined. I watch TV rarely nowadays as my time away from work is either spent in managing the household, working out in the gym, plurking, or blogging. I have my favorite shows though that I cannot miss! My favorite shows are Oprah, CSI, and Heroes. We are just unfortunate that we still don't have cable service here in our new village. We still need to reach the 100 household minimum of Sky Cable before they come in and install cables. For now, I'll just make do with Studio 23 and Channel 9 reruns.

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Another pleasant surprise greeted me yesterday when I checked my site. I had lots of messages congratulating me that I made it to Nuffnang's 68 Blogger Winners! That means that I will get to receive 500 peso credits in my account soon. It was in September that Nuffnang announced about the contest. I submitted my post not really hoping that I will be chosen knowing that there will be hundreds of entries that will be submitted. I think I just got lucky to be chosen among all the other blogger hopefuls.

Also, I received an email that ads will be appearing in my badges soon. Oooh! I'm so excited! I'm gonna be earning from my blog soon!

Here's the official list of winners:

www.acconectedlife.net

www.iamdownloader.com

www.ibeejing.com

www.boysessence.blogspot.com

www.quingdom.com

www.pinoywebsurfer.blogspot.com

www.galwinfabian.com

www.lalaksut.blogspot.com

www.manuelviloria.com

www.randomdetox.com

www.pinoysportsblogger.blogspot.com

www.mindy-tv.blogspot.com

www.mauieflores.blogspot.com

www.charmspassion.blogspot.com

www.suzakulace.blogspot.com

www.bum-spot.blogspot.com

www.laarnay.com

www.azraelmerryland.blogspot.com

www.gannsdeen.com

www.blogmarc.com

www.wahb.biz

www.pinoylottowinner.com

www.jezvest.blogspot.com

www.zdiaz.com

www.filipinayzd.blogspot.com

www.sandokatpalayok.com

www.maalamat.blogspot.com

www.mommyelvz.com

www.chococherrycoco.com

www.berryblog.net

www.gl3nnx.net

www.macappleboy.com

www.thefilipinoweb.com

www.marroxas2010.blogspot.com

www.pinkista.net

www.pinaymommyonline.com

www.atchucan.blogspot.com

www.angperegrino.com

www.edelweiza.com

www.thewebmagazine.blogspot.com

www.blogcebuworld.com

www.brainbitsandbeats.blogspot.com

www.kapamilyaonesite.blogspot.com

www.pinaylighterside.com

www.dacrocyte.blogspot.com

www.beauty-in-out.blogspot.com

www.joedelsanvictores.com

www.earthlyexplorations.blogspot.com

www.subtleoasis.com

www.mylifejoys.com

www.flaircandy.com

www.dpositiveside.blogspot.com

www.scrollandspin.blogspot.com

www.houseofnika.blogspot.com

www.gummybaby.blogspot.com

www.hilig-pinoy.blogspot.com

www.apolthegreat.blogspot.com

www.ljdiaz.com

www.rockinerrol.blogspot.com

www.tonyocruz.com

www.excesc.com

www.badudets.blogspot.com

www.insearch4you.blogspot.com

www.muzikistah.com

www.marvz18.blogspot.com

www.pakjwan.i.ph

www.pinoyambisyoso.com

www.council.ph

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No, I don't have gall stones. As of this moment, my brother is probably in the recovery room at The New Medical City after his gallbladder operation. It was a total surprise to all of us that he would succumb to such an operation. There were no other prior symptoms days before he went to the hospital last Monday. He just woke up Monday morning with an intense pain in the right side of the upper abdomen and his back as well. He said he thought that it was just because the electric fan in his room was directly facing his back but the pain was so great that it made him cry. My older sister, whom he lives with, brought him to the hospital in no time. There it was diagnosed that he has gall stones.

Today, they informed me that a Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy will be done to remove his gall bladder. There were two options given to us regarding the removal of his gall bladder. This procedure is simpler than the traditional gall bladder surgery. The doctors promised us that since there will only be 4 small cuts to be done, my brother's recovery will be faster. With the laparoscope inserted to his abdomen to his abdomen through one of the small cuts, there will be no need to open him up with bigger incisions.

I have received an email in the past containing the recipe of the Gall Stone Flush. This, according to the email, is a non-surgical way of removing gall stones. I personally would have opposed to my brother's gall bladder surgery. I was concerned about the the future effects of not having a gall bladder. The doctor told us that it's okay to remove the gall bladder because it's just a storage for bile from the liver. I was silently thinking "So why remove it when it has a function?" (But my brother decided to go on and have the operation. I can't make the decision for him anyway.)

You see, without the gall bladder, excess bile from the liver will just leak inside the body. Bile is needed to break down fats during the digestion process. The liver will still produce bile even if there is no gall bladder. The problem is when my brother needs a large amount of bile needed to break down large amounts of fats in his diet, there will be no stored bile enough for his immediate digestion need.

I don't believe that not having a gall bladder will not have long term effects. Of course, it will. He has to watch what he eats now. I guess, he needs to cut down on fatty food now that he will not have an adequate supply of bile. I wish he had read about the recipe first before going under the knife. Still, I can't blame him for choosing the fastest option to get rid of the pain.

Read more about the Gall Stone Flush (or Cleanse) here. Please know that I am sharing the link not because I strongly advocate it. I just want more people to have other options. Do your own research, too.

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