Total Solar Eclipse

If you are a into science or just want a good show, then set your alarm clocks tonite. A total solar eclipse will occur tomorrow morning (US time). Check the NASA site for your local time.You can watch the live video feed from a lot of websites, one of them is here. In the East coast, it starts at 6:30 am.

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Is Country Music Your Thing?

Dh and I have varied musical tastes ranging from contemporary jazz to alternative rock. Country Music is not a big part of it although I like some songs of Faith Hill and Garth Brooks. If I have to choose a country song as a favorite, then Faith Hill's song 'Breathe' is the one I'd choose. If you are a country music fan and are looking for Country Music Lyrics then Countrymusicperformers.com is the website for you. They have an extensive list of all things pertaining to country music and artists plus more.

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Starting Them Young

My son likes to help his sister unload the dishwasher. Whenever I ask my daughter to do this chore, he will run down the stairs and beat her to it. So now, both of them do this chore. I think it's important to give children chores around the house. It could be as easy as putting used dinnerware in the sink or unloading the clothes dryer. This will teach them responsibility, not to mention giving us moms extra time to do other household work.

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Lose that Last Few Pounds with Diet Pills

In all the countries we visited last month, we enjoyed eating out in Italy. You cannot go wrong with Italian food anywhere you go but this time, it is the real thing. We had one of the best Italian cooking in a restaurant near Piazza Navona in Rome. The downside with Italian food is all the carbs in every meal. If it wasn't for all the walking we did each day, we would've probably gained countless pounds. Oh, we also tried the gelato of course, that added to all our daily calories too. The kids really enjoyed that part of the day especially when it was really hot.

It is very easy to gain weight but so hard to lose weight. Of course, one of the solution is to exercise religiously. But for some people, that is not the best way because of their schedule or lack of motivation. There are those who turn to diet pills to help them lose weight. There are some research that proved diet pills help some people lose weight and maintain it. Of course, not everyone can use these diet pills. Since most of these pills speeds up a person's metabolism, it is advisable to ask the doctor before taking these diet pills.

The best diet pills are expensive but some people swear by it. To find a great price on the Best Diet Pills one needs to search the internet since buying it from a conventional health food store will certainly cost more. One of my friends actually tried one of these diet pills. She was big boned and carried extra weight. When I went back for a visit in my old country, I almost did not recognize her. She was slim and she lost all the weight. She told me that she started taking diet pills and these helped her lose weight. These diet pills blocked the absorption of fat in her body. There are some side effects of course but she said it was all worth it.

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Beware of Crypto in Swimming Pools

I heard about this warning from Good Morning America today. This parasite commonly found in swimming pools are resistant to chlorine. Tell your children not to swallow pool water and remind them of proper toilet hygiene.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned parents not to let a parasitic pest spoil a family trip to the pool.
Health experts are concerned about a chlorine-resistant parasite called Cryptosporidiosis or Crypto. The CDC said Crypto is the leading cause of recreational water illnesses, and more of those illnesses were reported in 2007 than ever before.

Crypto can cause diarrhea, stomach cramps, dehydration, nausea, vomiting and fever. Experts said people with weakened immune systems are most at risk for severe or life-threatening complications.

The CDC warned because Crypto is resistant to chlorine, it can be a problem even in pools that are properly maintained.

To reduce your family's risk of infection, the CDC recommended:
Reminding children not to swallow water while swimming.
Not allowing children to swim when they have diarrhea.
Taking a shower before swimming.
Washing hands carefully after using the restroom or changing diapers.
The CDC also encouraged pool operators to use supplemental disinfection, in addition to conventional chlorine and filtration methods.

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Freecycle.Org

I've been a member of Freecycle for a couple of years now. Free stuff + Recycle = Freecycle. I've given away a lot of stuff including a sectional sleeper, toys, baby stroller, etc. It's a great concept, give away what you don't need that would just end up in a landfill. There are also a lot of people asking for things and one of the most asked for item are treadmills or any kind of exercise equipment. Children's clothes are also popular as well as furniture. Right now I have big bags of toys that I need to Freecycle. I'm sure these toys will make some children happy.

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My Beautiful Dutch Kids

When we went to the northern part of The Netherlands, we visited a small fishing town called Volendam. It is a typical tourist spot by the water, beautiful and quaint. This is also where all tourists come to have their photos taken wearing the traditional Dutch costume. We all dressed up complete with wooden clogs and had our family photo taken wearing the costumes. Tyler enjoyed dressing up, he even wanted to bring home his costume. I recommend this photo op, the prices are reasonable and it is fun.

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Our Move Cross Country

Eight years ago, we moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to the East Coast. It was a tough decision for me considering all of my relatives are in California. But my first priority is my family and it is a good career move for dh. It also meant that I had to sacrifice my career and be a SAHM. The hardest part of our move for me is the packing of our things. We had to pack the small knick-knacks and personal stuff that is valuable. Dh's new company paid for the movers and they brought two moving trucks and packed the big items like the furnitures and the like. Our two automobiles were loaded up in a car carrier for it's own cross-country trip which took a little under two weeks to reach the East coast. The three of us meanwhile took the plane for the five hour flight. So, was the move worth it? Yes it is. Of course, I miss the 'almost-perfect' California weather, my friends, co-workers and family. Oh, don't forget the Ethnic restaurants in every corner! We haven't been back for 6 years and I'm sure a lot has changed. I'm sure someday we will go visit and see everyone and everything. For the meantime, I'll just sit back and reminisce about the good ole times.

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Be Careful When Texting

Emergency Doctors are seeing a rise in injuries acquired while texting. No, it's not your usual thumb injury but more serious injuries. People who text while walking, skating, riding a bike or even driving risks serious injuries. The ER are full of texters with injuries ranging from scrapes, cuts and sprains which they received when they walked into lampposts or walls or tripped over curbs. There was a teen who fell off her horse while texting and she suffered head and back injuries. Another girl meanwhile suffered burns when she was texting her boyfriend while cooking some noodles. There were also two recorded deaths: both were texting when they stepped off the curb and crossed the street while texting. Peope nowadays are so used to multi-tasking that they even do it at inoportune times.
I find it hard to text and concentrate on driving at the same time that I don't do it. How about you? Do you text and do other things at the same time?

PHOTO CREDIT: http://www.linguistik.uni-erlangen.de/~msbethke

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Turbocharger for Your Car

My friend's Volkswagen Beetle is a classic. He took good care of that Beetle and it shows. Even though he can afford a newer model, he sticks with his old car. I know that there are a lot of Beetle enthusiasts out there. They trick out their old Beetle with the newest gadget to make it run more efficiently and faster. One thing they do is add a vw turbocharger to the engine. A turbocharger allows you to get more power from a small engine like the VW Beetle. This also works if you have an Audi. If you own a VW or an Audi and are interested in adding a turbocharger to your car engine, the place to go to is http://www.turbochargerpros.com/

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Travel Tip #6 - Lighten Up

Travelling across Europe by train for a month takes a lot of planning in all aspects of the trip. We want to travel light so we only brought two medium-sized luggages. That means, we had to do the laundry every week-and-a-half. Since luggage space is at a premium, we also opted to mail back our souvenirs every couple of weeks.

The first mail drop was in Florence, Italy where we mailed a box of souvenirs from Rome, Pisa and Florence. The second mail drop was in Trier, Germany with the souvenirs from Venice, Switzerland, France and Trier. The last mail drop was in Netherlands with Dutch souvenirs and gifts from friends. This method comes with a cost though, it's not cheap to mail packages from Europe. The most expensive post was in Italy which cost us 70E and the cheapest was in the Netherlands. So you might want to factor the mailing cost into your decision. It was a no-brainer for dh and I, we'd rather pay for the post than lugging all that extra weight across Europe.

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Classy Suits and Italian Shoes For Him

I'm sure you've seen a lot of men in ill-fitting suits. It's either the pants are too long or the jacket too loose. A man should have at least a pair of suit that fits him perfectly. Finding this kind of suit in some department store is like finding a needle in a haystack. UpscaleMenswear.com has the perfect-fitting suit for every man. This website has a lot of suit and shirt selections for whatever occasion it may be. Not only do they have many suit selections, the quality of the suits are unbeatable for the price. This website also offers Italian shoes and other high quality dress shoes and boots. You will receive 10% off your first order and you also get 110% price protection if you find the same product at a lower price somewhere else.

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Jesus in a Cheetos

Remember when a woman said that she found an image of either Jesus or the Virgin Mary in a Pringles chip? Well, here's another one! Another woman claims that she found Jesus on a Cheetos. Yes, that Cheetos. The orange cheese stick that's so addictive you cannot eat just one. I've seen the video and it's just a plain cheetos that's shaped like the letter T. Beauty really is in the eyes of the beholder.

Here is the link to the video, what do you think?

Jesus in a Cheetos

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Logo Creator To Help Start Their Business

My friends started an embroidery business here in Massachusetts and are doing well. Late last month they moved to South Carolina and are starting anew. They need to publicize their business to get new clients and to do that, they need flyers and business cards. They want to have some business cards printed out but they do not have a business logo. They have just been using their business name in the card, no logo or any graphics on it. Then they used VistaPrint.com, and they were able to avail of the free Logo creator in this website. All they did was to input their business name and they had a lot of designs and graphics to choose from. They also received a 50% discount on their business card order when they used this coupon code: BizCard08 . They fully recommend using VistaPrint.com because the website is very easy to navigate. They also have other promotions available for other print products.

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Cuckoo Over My Cuckoo

This is my original Black Forest Cuckoo Clock. It is a limited edition and I just love it! Before we left for our vacation last month, I told dh that if there is only one souvenir that I can buy in our Europe trip, it's a cuckoo clock from the Black Forest of Germany. Why am I obsessed with getting this? Cuckoo clocks remind me of the house I grew up in. We had a Black Forest cuckoo clock in the living room which my parents brought back from their vacation in Germany.

So on our last day in Europe, we bought this clock from a specialty store in Munich and had it shipped home. What do you think? Isn't it cute? The cuckoo comes out of the door on the top every full hour and half-hour, the man's arm holding the beer stein goes up as well. The cute wooden dolls turn around along with the water wheel while the music plays. It plays two different music, one is the song Edelweiss. Now, when I'm working around the house, I get an idea on what time it is without looking at the clock, I just count the cuckoo sound!

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Student Loans Will Not Be Honored

Have you heard? Another financial business is having troubles. This time, it is a company that doles out loans for college tuition. So now, a lot of parents are scrambling to find alternative solution to pay for the upcoming tuition bills. School is starting in a couple of weeks and it is not easy to get approved for student loans in such a short time. I heard from some parents that they are at a loss as to what to do. According to the news report, the company said that they are deeply affected by the Sub-Prime Mortgage mess and they cannot afford to go through with the student loans that have already been approved.

A short term fix will be to use a credit card. Take note that I said 'short term'. Only use it if the tuition is due at the end of the month. If you have a high interest rate credit card then it is not a good idea. It would be better to find a lender with the best 0% credit card offers. It takes a lot of searching the web to find these cards and offers. If you are looking to get the best balance transfer credit card offers the website YourCreditOptions.com is the way to go.

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When in The Netherlands, Watch Out For Bikes...Yikes!

There are bicycles everywhere in The Netherlands. Everytime I look out the car window, I see a person riding a bike. When we were visiting Amsterdam, I saw this traffic light for bikes. I did not notice this in other European countries we visited, maybe some of them have it too. I think it's good that they have these all over the place. Now, if they can only ask those bikers to slow down. We had a couple of close calls with bicycles, granted we shouldn't be in the bike lane but what happened to using their horns or bells? What do they expect from tourists, we are usually too busy looking around at beautiful sights to pay attention to where we are going.

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A Hope For Cancer Patients

I know how Cancer can affect a person and their family. My father-in-law has had three bouts of Cancer and those are hard and trying times for everyone. Family support as well as those of close friends are important. In this internet age, most Cancer victims even get support from online forums. One of these is the resveratrol forum. This forum got its' name from a compound found largely in the skins of red grapes. Some research on animals found that Resveratrol can help to cure Cancer. For the first time, testing will be done on humans and one of the first patients is a member of the forum. This person has been told that he has only four-months to live. He has been given a large amount of Resveratrol for him to try. I really hope that this trial will work. If it does, then a lot of Cancer patients will have something to look forward to.

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A Year Ago Today...

...I attended my High School's 25th Reunion. I travelled more or less 15,000 miles to the Philippines to see my former classmates. We have a Yahoo Group and we planned our special day a year in advance. When we started, there were just a handful of us. But by the time of our reunion, we were able to contact 80% of the class. We also sent an invitation with a plane ticket to our former principal who is now retired and living in Bacolod. There are about 20 of us living outside the Philippines who came back just for the reunion. Out of 270 girls, 150 attended and partied till midnight.

The event was catered and the food was awesome. We held the reunion at Tektite Towers in Ortigas, Pasig City. We had two live bands: the Blue Ketchup and another one whose name I cannot remember. That was really a great night. The next day, we went to visit our old school and had a snack of puto, balut penoy, puto laksa and Pancit Malabon. We had a t-shirt printed with our school uniform which we wore for the photo-op. This was not just a two-day event, mind you. It was a week-long full of activities since there were a lot of us who came back just for the reunion.

We all enjoyed it so much that even now, our Yahoo group is still alive and active. Our reunion was about getting in touch with old friends and strenghtening new ones we formed through our YG. It definitely was not about how much money one makes or what someone's job title is. That is the reason why I think our reunion was a huge success.

We are planning another one for next year. As usual, a lot of us are going back to attend. It wouldn't be as lavish as this one though, we're saving that for our 50th reunion.

Here are some photos from that memorable night and the days that followed.

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Bay Area Sports Medicine

California is the perfect place to live in if you are an athlete. The weather is always ideal for sports and all outdoor activities. I used to live there many years ago and that is where I met my husband. I also played tennis back then. My cousin Kathy and I took tennis lessons and we always go to the tennis courts in the local high school. Like with any kind of sport, injuries are likely to happen. I had what they call a 'Tennis Elbow'. I remember it as being painful and even doing simple tasks as turning a door knob takes a lot of effort. Good thing that i had a good doctor and after a couple of visits, some medicine and theraphy, I was good to go. I'm lucky that I live in an area with some of the best doctors.

Bay Area sports medicine doctors are considered to be among the best. There is an organization called Peninsula Orthopedic Associates which are composed of Orthopedic Surgeons. They are all board-certified or board-eligible and have a lot of experience under their belt. You can check their website (http://www.poadocs.com/) where they have all the doctor's Curriculum Vitae. This website also has many information about surgeries like arthroscopic surgery and joint replacement surgery. It also has video animation of different surgeries so the patient will have an idea on what a particular surgery entails. Peninsula Orthopedic Associates serves the San Francisco Bay Area and they have their offices in Foster City and Daly City.

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Lucky or Unlucky?

I usually watch Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, not religiously but once in a while. I like the show's premise: find a deserving family and give their house a complete makeover. Wait, it's not a really a makeover since the crew tears up the old house and completely build the family a new house. Anyway, I read online that one family this show helped is now in foreclosure. What the heck happened? Apparently, the Harper family of Lake City, Georgia used the two-story home as collateral for a $450,000 loan. They used the money to start a construction business that failed. Now, the people who volunteered time and money to build the house are understandably upset. The volunteers, which included the Mayor are less than thrilled about the family's bad financial decisions.

I also read that the employees of the construction company and other businesses also raised $250,000 in contributions for the family, including scholarships for the couple's three children and a home maintenance fund.
This is not the first time that a family that was on the show made bad decisions. Last year, I remember reading about another family from Extreme Makeover. That time, the family who took in their friend's children decided that they don't want the kids to live with them anymore. The kids sued and said that the reason why the family received the home makeover was because they took them in. It is a messy thing.

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Bank Your Child's Cord Blood and Help Save A Life

I first heard about Cord blood banking a couple of years ago when I was pregnant with my son. I think I read about it in a pregnancy magazine in my doctor's office. It was an advert from a cord blood bank, if I remember correctly. This ad explained that parents can choose to save their baby's cord blood for future use. That is, if in the future the child has a medical condition that can be treated by using the stem cells from his own cord blood. It goes on to say that umbilical cord stem cells are known to treat 70 diseases, including leukemia, anemia, lymphoma, diabetes and cerebral palsy.

Why a baby's cord blood? Because it is rich in stem cells. These are stem cells normally found in a person's bone marrow. Stem cells are responsible for producing all of the mature cells in our body.

The Value of Cord Blood are now known to medical professionals since research proved that stem cells can help save a life. A lot of people are diagnosed with a disease that can be treated with cord blood stem cells, diseases like Leukemia and Huntington's disease for example. Treating Diseases with Stem Cells are now routinely used all over the world. One leading cord blood bank is called
Cryo-Cell. It is one of the world’s largest and most established family cord blood banks with over 150,000 clients worldwide.

You only have one chance to save your baby's cord blood so why not go to www.Cryo-Cell.com for more information.

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Tired

It had been a very long day yesterday. The kids were restless and they both wanted a lot of attention. There were chores to finish and I felt like there wasn't enough time in a day to do everything. Have you ever had a day like that? Luckily, I don't have it too often or else I will be crazy by now.

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I Want a Hot Tub

After weeding the garden out front, every muscle in my body was aching. It felt like I just got run over by a bulldozer! It would be nice to have a hot tub sitting on my deck right now. Do you have a hot tub? My friend who lives close by has a hot tub, I wonder if I can go over and soak in it for half an hour. I'm sure all that warm and swirling water will feel good. My friend and her husband bought the hot tub last year. Her husband is a police officer and works long hours. He likes to use the hot tub after every shift. They have a big hot tub, it can accomodate about six adults. She also told me that they bought a lot of hot tub accessories. I like the hot tub cover that they have, it's not the regular ugly brown cover. It looks very sturdy and will last a long time. It is very affordable and for the price they paid, it looks very expensive. They've had it for quite a while and it didn't fade from the sun or the pool chemicals. She said that she and her husband installed it themselves and there's no need for special tools. They love their hot tub cover, it makes their deck look nice.

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A Fun-Filled Day

Last Friday, we went to New England Six Flags Amusement Park. The last time we were there was two years ago for Intel's Family Day. Dh's company have it every year but we didn't go last year because of a scheduling conflict. This year though, we went with my good friend Lanie and her family. It was a hot day, it felt like it was in the high 80's. Even so, the kids, most specifically, Tyler enjoyed it the most. I just noticed while looking at the photos that I didn't have any of Amber. It was all photos of Tyler this time unlike when we were in Europe were you'll see Amber in almost all of the photos.


There were a lot of rides for small children in the park. For kids smaller than 36 inches, an adult has to ride with them. For most of the rides that we went to, Tyler was tall enough to ride by himself since he's already 40 inches tall

What's Tyler's favorite ride? It was the kiddie rollercoaster. He rode with his dad and dh said that Tyler laughed the whole time. He definitely took after me since I love rollercoasters and have no qualms about riding even the tallest, fastest and scariest ones. Amber meanwhile is like her dad, not too crazy about it. Amber loves the water rides and enjoyed riding the Big Splash with dh. As with any water rides, they got very wet but it was refreshing for a hot day.

Mareng Lanie and I communicated via cellphone all day long. Her husband and son brought their swimsuits and enjoyed the waterpark instead. It's a good thing that they only had to pay one entrance fee for both parks so they had a good deal. We used a coupon from the Luncheables pack and received a $20 discount for the adults and free tickets for the kids. Good deal!

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Personal Loan For Everyone

When this whole mortgage problem started, it is now much harder to get approved for loans. Lenders' requirements are more stringent resulting in a lot of rejections. They are more discerning in whose loan application they will be approved. Many people defaulted on their loans like mortgages that a lot of banks foreclosed on their homes. There are Personal Loans Online that are available for almost anyone. Since it is online, it is a very convenient service offered to the customers. PersonalLoansMania.com offers quick loan service no matter where you are in the United States. Even if you have less than stellar credit, you have a very good chance of getting approved since bad credit personal loans are their specialty.

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Interested In A Pedicure?

Would you pay to have a pedicure like this? If you are a ticklish person, then this is definitely not a good idea. I cannot imagine how this fish pedicure would feel. I remember when we were in Bohol Beach Club in Panglao island, there were a lot of small fish in the water. It's a little unnerving walking through the school of fishes, Amber though, thought it was cool.
For more photos, read full post.



Back to this fish pedicure, these are a type of carp called garra rufa, or doctor fish. It is a species of freshwater fish which breeds in the river basins of the Northern and Central Middle Eastern countries, mainly in Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran & India. It is also called the Doctor Fish, because of the role it plays in healing people affected with skin problems like psoriasis. Garra Rufa also goes by the names of Nibble Fish, Kangal Fish, and Doctor Fish. In non-medical terms the fish is also called Reddish Log Sucker. Nibbles on dead skin by scrapping their mouths against your skin, similar to exfoliation, the natural way. Judging from these photos, it already is popular in some Asian countries. What do you think? Are you interested?

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Staying Healthy

At this stage of my life, staying healthy is a top priority. I'm not an exercise freak by no means. God knows I'm a lazy bum nowadays when it comes to that. I used to attend Jazzercise classes every single day in California, that was when I was single and have no other care in the world. Nowadays, everything else comes first before my needs. I know, that shouldn't be the case and I need to put myself first. But as most of the moms out there know, that is hard to do.

So back to staying healthy, one of my friends lost some weight lately. I asked what she did to lose that much weight in a short amount of time. She mentioned that she started taking this eca stack and it helped with her metabolism thus the fast weight loss. Of course this might not be the right solution for everyone and as with any other dietary supplements, ask your personal physician first.

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High Expectations For Belgium

I really had high expectations for Brussels and Antwerp. Being an old city, I was looking forward to visiting and seeing it in all its glory. The start of the trip should've been an ominous sign. I remember talking to the person who helped me with our EuroStar tickets. She asked me why we would want to visit Belgium. She said that there's nothing special about it. I should've listened!


Anyway, traffic entering the city. We didn't see any accidents or detour, it is just backed-up. When we finally got in the city, there was no parking to be found. There weren't even any useful signs, no directions towards the famous Brussells monument. What a disappointment. After driving around for an hour, we gave up and just went to see the Atomium. It is a huge building that is shaped like an atom which was built for an exhibition in the 50's. We then proceeded to have lunch in the area and the kids rode the merry-go-round.

Afterwards, we drove to Antwerp which is called the 'Diamond Capital of the World'. My impression: it's crowded and congested just like Manila (not as worst though). I thought we'd have the same problem with parking but we found a parking space. We went to see the Antwerp Hauptbanhof (train station), this one definitely impressed me. It is beautiful inside! Too bad they had cranes up front, they're still in the process of renovation. It was also here that I had my first taste of a REAL Belgian Waffle which I wrote about in my food blog, Kusinera sa Amerika.

Beside the train station is the street that is lined up with jewelry stores selling diamonds. I had to try real hard not to buy a piece of jewelry for myself. Dh said that it's ok if I get something but being the CFO, I know how much the trip was costing us so I had to decline. Ugghh...

So, what in Belgium impressed me other than the Belgian waffle? The Belgian chocolates! They are out of this world and the best. The first time I tried one, it totally melted in my mouth. It is hard to describe, it tastes out of this world. One famous chocolate shop in Belgium is Leonidas, they have shops all over the country and I also saw some in neighboring Netherlands. Good news is that they are selling the chocolates at Amazon.com. So, what are we waiting for, let's go order a pound or two of these delicious and mouth-watering chocolates.

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Cool Rick Ross Ringtones

My dh's nephew is turning thirteen in a couple of weeks. Like many teens his age, he has his own cellphone. His sister who is fifteen also has her own. No wonder my 9 year old wanted to have one for herself too, but that's another story. Anyway, Corey's music choice is Rap and Hip Hop and he has a couple of Rick Ross Ringtones. He's asking for the album and the new ringtone from this artist for his birthday. He likes "Rick Ross The Boss Ringtone". He also plans to download the MP3 into his video IPod and listen to it when they go on their summer vacation next month. I'm glad that it will be easy for me to get his gift, with teens nowadays, you never know what they like.

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Limit Cellphone Use

It is all over the news today. A leading cancer researcher from the University of Pittsburgh warned that we should limit our use of cellphones because of the electromagnetic waves emitted from the device. He advised to use the earphones instead.

The head of a prominent cancer research institute issued an unprecedented warning to his faculty and staff Wednesday: Limit cell phone use because of the possible risk of cancer.




The warning from Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, is contrary to numerous studies that don't find a link between cancer and cell phone use, and a public lack of worry by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Herberman is basing his alarm on early unpublished data. He says it takes too long to get answers from science and he believes people should take action now — especially when it comes to children.

In the memo he sent to about 3,000 faculty and staff Wednesday, he says children should use cell phones only for emergencies because their brains are still developing.
Adults should keep the phone away from the head and use the speakerphone or a wireless headset, he says. He even warns against using cell phones in public places like a bus because it exposes others to the phone's electromagnetic fields.
The issue that concerns some scientists — though nowhere near a consensus — is electromagnetic radiation, especially its possible effects on children. It is not a major topic in conferences of brain specialists.

What do you think? In my opinion, whether the FDA agrees with this or not, I will start using the bluetooth earphone that dh gave me last Christmas. Up until now, I've been lazy and have not used it often. It is better to err in the side of caution that be sorry later.

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Good News For Drivers

Massachusetts auto insurance used to be open only to a handful of insurance companies. That has now change thanks to the new law that was passed in the State senate. Now that there are more insurance companies that can do business here in the state, naturally, car insurance premiums will be competitive. Normally, to get auto insurance quotes you find an insurance agent that sells the policy that you're interested in. That could take a lot of time which we all don't have. Thanks to the internet, that problem is eliminated. This website, mheac.com, will do all the leg work for you. They offer free quotes on car insurance, all kinds of health insurance, home insurance and even life insurance. You will get quotes from multiple companies, deal with a local agent and save up to 30% off regular insurance rates. I've tried their free insurance quote and the whole process is fairly easy and fast. The questions are direct and basic and very easy to fill up. Compared to other free online insurance quotes, this is one of the best options out there.

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Must Love Kids

Have I told you that I'm a reality-show junkie? I like to watch reality shows like The Amazing Race, Little People - Big World, Top Chef and Project Runway and other shows like that. Today, I saw a promo for another reality show on TLC (The Learning Channel). It is called 'Must Love Kids', it is a dating reality show unlike any others. The people involved are not your run-of-the-mill model types but real people like us. The women all have children and are looking for the 'right person'. I think I will like this show unlike the other dating shows out there which I detest. You won't see any overly sexy outfits here or a hunk showing off his six-pack (although I don't mind seeing that!). I will definitely watch this show and I hope that it will live up to my expectation. How about you, do you like to watch any reality show?

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Our Summer Vacation B.C. (Before Children)

Dh and I like to travel. The last summer vacation we had before the children came was in Las Vegas. Don't get me wrong, we are not into gambling. Sure, we dabble a little in slots (for me) and Black Jack and Poker (for him) but we don't go overboard. We do it because that is one of the things to do in Las Vegas. Other things to do would be casino hopping since the new casinos in the strip is a site to behold, from the architectural detail of the buildings to the actual art itself inside the casino. The Treasure Island casino has an outdoor show that is free for all. We also went to Madame Tussauds where we saw famous and infamous celebrity waxworks. It's kind of eerie looking at these though.

While we were in Las Vegas, we rented a car and drove to Arizona to see one of the most beautiful natural wonder in the world (my opinion, of course), the Grand Canyon. It is truly a site to behold and dh and I found ourselves a quiet spot and just sat there and stared at the beautiful vista for hours. Now, back to Las Vegas. We also watched Siegfried and Roy's show at The Mirage, that obviously was before the awful incident involving one of the tigers. We stayed the the Luxor hotel, this was newly built back then. We wanted to experience riding the unusual elevator, so we booked a room in the pyramid part of the hotel. It was quite an experience since the elevator did not go up but went diagonally.

Las Vegas is definitely one of those cities that has something for everyone. It is now a place where you can bring the whole family since they made it a point to have attractions for all ages. You can get more information at Trusted Tours and Attractions where they have online travel guides. If you sign up for their newsletter, you will get a chance to win a $150 iTunes Gift Card.

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My Brave Boy

My darling little boy had his 4th year medical check-up last Monday. For the first time, I wasn't there with him because I had a Jury Duty that day. Dh was with him along with my daughter. Dr. Bender said that he is growing well and is tall for his age. He is now at 40 inches at weighs 41 pounds. He received two shots and they pricked his finger too. For the first time, he didn't cry when he received all of these. Dh said that he just looked while they were doing it and did not even flinch. What a brave boy! I was so proud of him upon hearing this. For his reward, dh bought him some strawberry ice cream which is his favorite flavor.

Tyler in front of what used to be a part of the Berlin Wall. This was

taken near Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin, Germany.

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Make A Splash In A Trade Show

I've been to a lot of trade shows when I was working in California. One that I look forward to attending is the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. It's a big gadget convention where you can see the latest electronic gadget being offered out there. I love going through the trade show exhibits and see new electronic products. I'm a tech junkie and yes, I know how to program the DVR.

Since these trade shows are usually held in a big convention center. You cannot see every exhibit, it will take you days if do. Naturally, people gravitate towards exhibit that are attractive and pleasing to the eye. Exhibits with nice looking table top display and table covers naturally get a lot of visitors. I noticed that the exhibits using Camelback Displays look organized and attractive. They have custom printed table covers and custom artwork. So if your company is planning to participate in a trade show, use Camelback Displays to make a splash and stand-out from the rest.

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Wordless Wednesday

Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria - Germany

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A Grand Family Reunion

I know summer is not yet over but we are already planning for our summer trip next year. We had a great time in Europe this summer having visited a lot of beautiful places and creating wonderful memories. Now it is time to plan for our trip to the Philippines for next summer. It will be my parent's 45th wedding anniversary and my sister and I, along with our families and other relatives including my parents, of course, will go back to the old country. I'm already looking in the internet for a condo hotel to stay in. This is better than staying in a conventional hotel since these units gives us more space and has a kitchen. We are all excited for next year, even my cousin and his family who lives in the United Kingdom are going back for this reunion.

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If You Need To Go...

Can you guess what this is? If you are ever in Amsterdam, Netherlands you will see these scattered across the city. I was flabbergasted when I learned what it was for. I couldn't believe it. I had to take this photo to show everyone back home. I'm glad I did. :)

Have you figured it out yet?





Well, believe it or not, it is a urinal...for men, obviously.

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Should I Pursue It?

Dh loves to play golf, too bad he cannot do it all year round. When we lived in California where the weather is always perfect, he played a lot. He taught me how to play the game. I even have my own set of clubs and golf shoes. I stopped playing when I was pregnant with my daughter and have not taken it up since then. Do I have plans to play it again? Uh, probably not. I'm not the most patient person and I don't like spending half a day in the sun chasing after a tiny white ball.

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When in Venice Do the Gondola

Ahh, Venice...wait, let's do it over. Ahh, Venezia. There, that sounded much better. Somehow using the Italian counterpart sounds more romantic. I miss saying 'grazie' or 'scusi'. Anyway, on to Venezia. One of the most romantic and beautiful cities in the world. I've always dreamed of visiting Venice, Italy. I've been lucky that


I fulfilled my life-long dream last month. We spent two days in this amazing city. It is the most expensive city in Italy compared to Rome and Florence. Since real estate is at a premium here, naturally the hotel rates are also sky high. We could've stayed in the Four Seasons or the Ritz Carlton in New York City with the amount of money we paid in Venice.

Of course, since we are in Venice, there is one thing that shouldn't be missed. That is riding the Gondola through the narrow canals of this city. Yes, it is very expensive but was it worth it? Of course!


It may have cost us an arm and a leg but the memories of going through the canals in a Gondola is priceless. The house in the middle of the last photo was the house of Cassanova, the so-called 'world's greatest lover' or womanizer for that matter. You can also see the effects of the sea water on the buildings. We saw a lot of erosion on the brick walls, rusty gates and rotting wood.

Riding a gondola in Venice is truly an amazing experience. Just remember to not think about the Euro to Dollar conversion so that you will enjoy the ride.

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Time to Upgrade

My daughter came to me this morning and asked me to check her computer. It is acting very sluggish, the web pages takes a while to load. I ran Ad-Aware, SpyBlaster and Spybot along with McAfee Anti-Virus. I also emptied the internet caches. It made it ran a little faster but not fast enough. I told dh that we need to upgrade the memory cards for my daughter's computer. Dh commented that we should get a new desktop computer since Tyler does not want to use his computer. He complains that it's too slow and he always uses Amber's computer and in turn, Amber uses my desktop. So where does that leave me? No worries, since I have the newest system in the household, my Dell XPS.

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What Is Happening with Blogger?

Even though I have my own domain, it is still hosted by Blogger. I noticed that my blog and some blogs out there are acting weird this afternoon. When I load the page, only the header and the left sidebar loads. The main and right sidebar takes a while to load, about 20 secs after the first two. I didn't change my layout or edited anything. I hope it will get back to normal soon since it is driving me crazy.

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Can You Hear Me Now?

We have been having problems with our phone line lately. Once in a while, the conversation will just be cut-off and then resume again. I thought that it must be the cordless phone and it just needs to be re-charged. But the problem also happens when I used the corded phone. My husband finally isolated the problem to the phone jack in the computer room. He replaced the defective jack with a Cat5e Keystone jack. It has been working fine after he changed it, I'm just glad that it didn't turn out to be an expensive problem after all.

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My Civic Duty

After years of not having to show up for Jury Duty, I finally got nailed. Almost every year ever since I moved to this state, I always get that dreaded Jury Duty notice. I've been lucky that I'm always a 'Stand-by Juror' and I just need to call in the day before to find out if I need to go. When I called in today, I heard the recorded message that all jurors need to show up on Monday at the District Court. Oh well, I guess my luck just ran out. I just hope I get dismissed early. Maybe I should tell them that I always watch the 'People's Court'. ;)

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Unsightly Cellulite

I remember in sixth grade during gym, my classmate showed me what cellulite looks like. It's just like the skin of an orange or grapefruit. Almost all women have cellulite. Yes, even well-known actresses and models have the same problem like us regular women. You've seen those photos in the supermarket check-out, right? There are lotions and creams that costs hundreds of dollars each which promises to smooth out the cellulite but they do deliver.

The good news is that there is a new non-surgical way to get rid of cellulite. It is called Accent cellulite therapy which is offered at M Medical Spa. It is an FDA-approved treatment and is painless according to patient testimony. M Medical Spa which serves the Atlanta area, also offer other beauty enhancement procedures such as Laser Hair Removal, Pixel Skin Resurfacing, Botox, Restylane and Microdermabrasion among others. This facility offers only the safest and best treatment for any kind of cosmetic rejuvenation you plan to undergo.

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Picky Pickle

That's me! There are a couple of available jobs that's been staring back at me for a couple of days now but I have no intention of taking it. Gone are the days when I grab everything I can lay my hands on. I'm back to my good ol' self, 'picky pickle'.

I also don't have that much time for blogging. There are a lot of things lined up for me to do this summer. I don't stay up late at night just to blog. I just don't want to do it. I guess that's why I'm still on the fence if I'm going to make another blog. I still have not updated my food blog ever since we came back for vacation. I want to change the layout for that blog. I have so many ideas but no time to implement it. Maybe I should just pay for a new layout but that costs money. So I guess I need to pursue more tasks and not be a picky pickle.

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Mails, Mails, A Ton of Mails

We accumulated a ton of mails just for the one month that we were away. I was expecting more but the good news is that it turned out to be less. I had to sort out through a lot of junk mail and catalogs. I kept some clothing catalogs and furniture catalog and threw the rest in the recycle bin. I'm glad that I've signed up for paperless billing, it saves me time and effort.

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Vatican Museum - I

The Vatican Museum is a treasure throve of magnificent artwork. I remember that I kept saying 'WOW' at almost every room. It is just amazing and I highly recommend going if you are visiting Rome. One can easily spend the whole day in the museum and I'm sure that even is not enough to scratch the surface. It is best to be with a tour guide to give you the basic information on each room. At the end of the tour, you can go back to any part of the museum and take your time. Photography is allowed in all rooms but one. They do not allow photography in the Sistine Chapel which is too bad. The copyright is owned by the Japanese company that financed the restoration of the chapel. Was I tempted to take a photo? Of course, but my 'good girl' side prevailed or should I say the angel on my shoulder did. :)

This post is just one of many that I will write that will show some of the artwork in the Vatican Museum. I think I took tons of photos that day and wished I could've taken more. These photos show the ceiling in the Map Room which is my favorite. If ever I get the chance to go back to Rome, I would definitely visit the Vatican museum again and again and again...

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Don't Go Through Bankruptcy Alone

I read in the news lately that more and more people are filing for bankruptcy. Many people are losing their homes and businesses because of the bad economic condition the country is in. I personally know of a couple who just filed for bankruptcy. Their business closed and creditors were knocking on their door. They said that at first they were planning on filing for bankruptcy by themselves. They later find out that it is not easy and they had to seek the help of a bankruptcy lawyer.

If you live in the New York area and need help with filing for bankruptcy, Richard S. Feinsilver, ESQ is a New York bankruptcy lawyer. He practices Real Estate and Bankruptcy Law and has his own website: www.feinlawyer.com. He makes it easy for clients by having a questionaire on his website that clients can answer and the information goes into their database. There is also a FAQ page with the commonly asked questions by clients and an 800 number where they can be reached. For any kind of help in bankruptcy or real estate, Richard S. Feinsilver will be able to help you sort through all the legal stuff.

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Thanks Lou!

I'd like to thank Lou for always visiting my blogs and leaving messages on my tagboard while I was away for a month. :) To show my appreciation, I made you banner for your photography blog and Entrecard. (Click on the banner for the bigger file. Right click and save.)

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Hair Loss Not Only For The Elderly

Most of us have the misconception that hair loss only happens in older people and mostly in men. That's not the case at all. People from all ages experience hair loss for one reason or the other. Take my parents as an example. They are both in their mid-70s. My dad still has his full head of hair which is still thick and healthy while my mom has had thin hair for a long time now. It seems that her hair is getting thinner each year.

For those who are experiencing hair loss or thinning hair like her, there is a new option available called Aventi Laser Hair Therapy. Their services are not just for men but also for women. The Aventi Laser Hair Therapy method of restoring hair has been clinically proven.

Aventi Laser Hair Theraphy is now in Southern California. They have begun offering their services for hair restoration Newport Beach is their newest location. They first opened in the East coast and have other locations in the West coast as well. Visit their website at aventihair.com and schedule your free analysis.

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A Day in Kaiserslautern, Germany

Dh and I met fellow blogger and good friend Vicky and her husband Bernie last month while we were visiting the southwestern part of Germany. We met in Kaiserslautern and we visited a Japanese garden. It was great to finally meet her after all these years. We felt so comfortable with each other immediately and we had a great time together. Too bad that it was such a short encounter, she had to work that day so we met in the afternoon.

Vielen Dank Vicky for the gifts you gave us. I hope that we will see each other again.

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My Dream Grandfather Clock

Our project this summer is redecorating both our family room and living room. We need to paint these rooms a different color. Currently, it's just the boring and plain vanilla colored walls. One item I would like to add to both these rooms are some kind of grandfather clock. I've always wanted to own one eversince I saw it in my Aunt's house many years ago. There is something classic and regal about grandfather clocks. Right now, the only clock we have in the house is your run-of-the-mill wall clock, nothing special.

I saw this website that sells different kinds of grandfather clocks. They have this Howard Miller Arendal Grandfather Clock that I like. I like the shape and the fact that it has a different shape than a regular grandfather clock. Another important feature that I like about this clock is the nightime shut-off option. I'm sure nobody wants to be awakened in the middle of the night by loud chimes from the grandfather clock. I plan to have this clock in the living room, on the wall between two windows. I don't see the need to have two sofas at this time so that will free up valuable space.

This website also has different clocks on their inventory like mantel clocks, atomic clocks and even Movado and Bulova clocks. I have an uncle who is a big fan of Frank Lloyd Wright and I'm sure he will love a clock from the Frank Lloyd Wright Collection. I read about this on a blog about Frank Lloyd Wright Collection of clocks. This blog is a good resource if you want to read about different clocks. The 1-800-4CLOCKS.COM is definitely the place to go to in the internet for grandfather clocks.

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Link Exchange

Please let me know if you've added my blogs to your links so I can add your link/s as well. I've been away for a month and was not able to check my tagboard often. Leave me a comment here with your name and blog URL.
Thanks. :)

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She's Off to Manila

My mom left yesterday by herself for the Philippines. She's going to spend two and a half months in Manila, Zamboanga City and Dapitan City. This is her first time going back as an American citizen since she only received her US Citizenship a couple of months ago. I know that she's excited to see everyone back there. I had a few things sent for my aunts and cousins like perfume and beauty products like wrinkle cream and make-up. As to my 'pabilin'? Just bring me back a couple of bags of Lamayo and I'll be a happy camper.

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Strange Photo @ Trevi

This was just one of the photos I took of the Trevi Fountain in Rome. I noticed that there were a couple of round objects on the photo. I checked the other photos I took before and after this one and found nothing on it. That means it is not some dirt on the camera lens. If you are familiar with the term 'ORBs', then that's what I think these are. I see a couple of orbs in this photo and I highlighted the two obvious ones. Kind of creepy...

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Friends Come and Go

I miss my good friend Michelle. I last saw her a week before we left for our vacation and I was hoping she'll still be around when we got back. They're settling in their new home in the South. They're looking for a Charlotte North Carolina dentist, a pediatrician and a primary care doctor for their family. They already found a private school for their two sons, Kiefer and Kielen. I hope that they will be back for a visit. Friends come and go but special friends are hard to let go of. I know that she and her family will be our friends forever.

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Parking Space Too Small? No Problem!

This is the 'Smart Car'. I saw a lot of these cars in Europe especially in Rome where the streets are small and narrow. This is a neat car to have if you live in a place where parking is at a premium, like New York City or San Francisco. You can squeeze in where regular-sized cars cannot. This is just a two-seater car (obviously) and is not a gas-guzzler. I don't know about safety though, I wouldn't want to be in this car in an accident.

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Taking Control of Your Finances

With the way the economy is going down these days, it is more important to take control of one's finances, especially debts. One of the main problems that people have is how little they know about their finances. Some people don't know what affects their credit score or even what their credit score is. There are a lot of websites in the internet that has this information but not all of it is easy to navigate. There is a website I saw called http://www.bills.com/ and they have a quiz which anyone can take that will test their financial knowledge. This Bill IQ quiz is free and you don't have to register to take it.

I took the Bill IQ quiz myself and scored a little above average for my demographic. The nice thing about this quiz is that at the end, it gives you the best answers and a detailed explanation about it. I learned that it is recommended that one's will should be updated every three years just in case circumstances have changed.

It is also advisable according to this website toConsolidate My Debt. We should all be aware of the interest rates of the credit card that we use. If you carry balances in your credit cards, this website advised that you should pay the card that has the highest interest rate first. This will save you a lot of money in the long run. It is also better to pay off the entire balance each month if you can afford to do so.

To improve your credit score and financial IQ, visit http://www.bills.com/

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In Rome, No High-Heels Please!

This is what the cobbled streets of Rome look like. I cannot imagine how one can walk these streets everyday wearing high heels. Obviously, Italian women are used to it since I saw some wearing 3-inch heels and walking comfortably..or it might be just that I didn't see them tripping on these cobblestones.

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My Straight A Student

Congratulations to my daughter, she finished the school year with all A's just like the preceeding school year. She also got a Composite national percentile rank of 99 in the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS). This means that she scored higher than 99 percent of third grade students nationally. It said that her overall achievement appears to be high for third grade. I'm thankful that she does not have any problems academically. I hope it will be the same for my son too.

For parents whose son or daughter are having academic problems in school, getting a Tutor might be the answer. Choosing one is not easy, the parents need to be vigilant in getting a tutor that has the right background and attitude. One of the world's largest one-on-one tutoring program is Club Z! Their tutors can help students improve their grades, raise their test scores, learn productive study skills, build their academic self-confidence, and reach their full potential.

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A Place To Whine About in Rome

I saw this restaurant menu board while walking through the streets of Rome. Wouldn't it be nice if there really was a 'WHINE' bar? There are crazy days where I want to do it. Luckily, I don't get those often. :)

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His Allergies

My allergies are finally over and now it's dh's turn. His allergies are triggered by grass which is not good since he plays golf. So he's suffering now and I made sure we have ample supply of Claritin-D which is the kind that you need to get through the pharmacist. We are thinking of getting an air-purifier like IQAir to help clear out the pollen. Hopefully this will help with his allergy problem.

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Alexa

Finally, my Alexa rating is below 1 million. Yipee! What does that mean exactly? I really don't know. LOL What did I do different? Uh, nothing. Unlike the Google ranking, Alexa rating is supposedly based on concrete data. If most of your visitors have an Alexa toolbar installed on their browser, your rating will improve. If that's the case, then maybe we should all install this toolbar and help each other improve our Alexa rating.

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Home Sweet Home...

There's no place like home. How true! After being gone for a month, I really appreciate being back home. I miss everything in my house starting with our comfortable bed. I also miss my old washer and dryer. I think these were the things I missed the most. Staying in hotels that does not have laundry facilities and only offer laundry service, one has to find self-service laundrymat unless you want to spend a fortune paying for laundry.

After eating in restaurants for most of our trip, I miss cooking our own food. Did we gain a lot of weight while on vacation? The good news is that we didn't. Why? Because we walked a lot. There were two days where we walked a total of 16 miles (I had a pedometer with me). Those were in Rome, Italy and Berlin, Germany. The other days, our average was about 10 miles/day. If it weren't for the walking, we could've easily gained weight.

There were a lot of mails that accumulated in the Post Office while we were gone. The usual bills and some catalogs. There was also an ad from a computer store offering deals on system memory.

So, yes, I am back. I wish I can take a break from blogging a little longer but I miss getting that email from PayPal informing me that $ was deposited in my account. :)

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