A "NEOPHYTE" IN COLLECTING BABY DOLLS

When I was a kid I loved playing with dolls. I used to have baby dolls, rag dolls, barbies, and a walking doll. Somehow, as the years went by, I have outgrown my love for dolls. When I started to have a kid of my own, I bought her, her very 1st batt-op laughing baby doll (sold by a certain tiangge at the mall). She had other dolls that have come & go. But the baby doll, she managed to keep up to this time.. She was barely a year old when she had it. And when I got to meet doll collectors who were also doll online sellers, that was the time I started looking for baby dolls that were a bit similar to the ones I had when I was younger. So these are what I got for my daughter & me! Yes, I accept the fact that I went through regression. But mind you, playing with these cuties is a great way to de-stress oneself.

Stranded.. Food Trip.. Etc..

Yesterday my daughter and I were stranded in Jolibee due to a heavy downpour. We had the usual chat over some fries and sundae. And because were were getting bored, we took pictures even when we were inside the restroom. LOL.

Yup! That's us inside the restroom!!

More pictures below:

more pictures in her favorite place.. not not the restroom... the fast food!

HOW HEATHER CELEBRATED HER DADA'S BIRTHDAY

SKYPE!!! Why oh Why?

I used to have minimal, tolerable, technical problems using Skype. But lately, Skype has crashed twice. I wasn't affected when it crashed last month. Thank God for the old 3.8 version, I was online the whole time while most of my co-teachers had to cancel classes and re-schedule so many classes for a make-up class. And just tonight another Skype technical failure occurred. Weird how I went on having a 35-minute voice class while I was actually offline and my status icon was connecting. I was not able to send any messages that time, but classes went on. Then I went offline totally for half an hour. It was disturbing how I went in and out of Skype for an hour! However, after an hour, everything went okay with my own account. But I couldn't see my co-teachers online. They too went in and out of Skype from time to time. The bummest part was when you have come to class very prepared and not a single student showed up online, all because of Skype technical problems, AGAIN!!!

I noticed that since Microsoft acquired Skype last month, the technical problems became worse. There were countless dropped calls even when your internet speed was very good. You are shown offline when you didn't reset your status to turn automatically idle or offline for a period of time. While call is already in progress, you can still hear the other line ringing while the person on the other line is already talking. Or when you try to call you actually think the other party is not taking your call because it just keeps ringing but to your horror, it was not even ringing on the other end and sometimes you even appear offline!! Sooooo many technical problems in Skype drive me insane these days!

And because online teaching is my bread & butter, I got totally disappointed with how things are going on now. I hope these problems are resolved in the soonest possible time. Otherwise, there'd be more and more people going crazy over Skype.

Or is this a sign that we should switch to Google Talk instead?

...was busy.. still is busy..

Wow! I can't believe I have actually rested myself from blogging for A MONTH!!! How I miss my page! A lot has changed since I had to tend to my online store. @_@ I just got too busy with online classes, online selling and of course "facebooking" LOL. I have soooo much to write yet soooo little time.

What has bugged me lately? Watch out for my next blog. ;-)

Another weekend

This is what happens after eating a plateful of sumptuous food. I was smiling in this picture but I could hardly stand up, my stomach felt like bursting. LOL. Too bad, I never thought about taking pictures of all the food on the buffet table. I guess I was too busy eating and talking to my friend at the same time. We both got so pre-occupied with updating each other about our lives. Girls "talkathon" + delicious food = great time.

After a long time of eating and talking, my friend and I headed to my favorite internet cafe - NEVERLAND (taken from the name of Peter Pan's home). This is where I usually run to whenever my DSL connection gets busted in the middle of my online classes. This is also where I have my documents scanned and printed. The attendants here are very warm, friendly and efficient. I love it here except for peak working days/hours (Friday nights). When this picture was taken, I was signing my contract which was printed by one of their attendants. She was a little busy but it didn't take her much time to finish her printing job for me. Talk about being efficient, huh. =)

That's me again, this time with my friend: Emm. She's also a blogger & an online tutor like me. We have so many other things in common apart from blogging & online teaching like; eating out, malling/shopping, listening to music, watching movies and other fun stuff. Even if we don't get to see each other as often as we used to. The friendship will never cease. Thank God for technology, we can also have each other as virtual friends, as how she calls it. There isn't a dull moment with her. She may be a chatterbox, but she's also much capable of lending an ear whenever I needed someone to talk to. Well, I look forward to another bonding time with this gurl.

GLEE - Born This Way - Full Performance

Dholna - Music Video - Pyar Ke Geet - Arbaaz Khan & Malaika Arora

This is one of my favorite Indian songs (Dholna)

Being partly Indian has driven me to know more about my roots, my bloodline and history. It was actually no joke growing up and everyone calling you names like sibuyas (onion) bombay or tatoo girl or the mole (referring to the bindi I had worn on my forehead for 18 long grueling years (it seemed like forever). Being "partly-alien" in this country was no joke. People not only call you names but even make you the star dummy in their sensational gossips. It was some how a bad experience, but not until I turned from a piglet to a pig and then transformed into a swan (that was on for a few years though, haha.). Yes, you get praised for looking good but that doesn't stop people from making fun of your roots! Thank God for more "transformations" brought out as we age, I now look less of an Indian like I used to. Nonetheless, that doesn't stop me from embracing the fact that I AM PARTLY ALIEN... ;-)

The "Agitated Commuter Look"

(Heather Andrea - holding on to mamita for dear life)


Now that is a picture of my lil' agitated commuter. Well, talk about summer heat + pollution, that should possibly result to having more agitated commuters like this kiddo.

Here I am, Here I go again..

Geez.. how I miss writing!! It's been awhile since my last blog. I am used to writing at least one blog in a day. Darn, this busy schedule of mine. Come to think of it, I am sometimes dumbfounded even in a middle of a simple conversation because my mind is pretty much pre-occupied with my daily to-do's and not to mention my lesson plans and monthly obligations. Whew! Is it the time of the month or is it just that June is once again fast-approaching which makes me even more tensed! So what's the fuzz, huh?!

Well, right after I am done with my lil' to-do's *slash* errands, I am off to go pre-school hunting for my only kiddo. School hunting can be fun (in a way) yet stressful at the same time. And because of too much economic crisis these days, there are so many things a mother has to consider. However, one thing that needs to be prioritized though is being able to find a school that provides quality education at an affordable or should I say much reasonable price. Now, ain't that a tough task to do?

I actually have several CDO-based school names in mind, but I am open to suggestions. In case anybody of you there has something to good to share, please feel free to comment or give suggestions. I would gladly appreciate it. ;)

My Soul Sister and My Twin

It has been 2 years since the last time I saw my soul sister (May) and her sibling - my twin (Xaf). This picture was taken when after we all set up a date to meet up in Ubec for a mini-reunion. Despite the short span of time we spent together, I could very well remember that we had such a great time. Even when we got caught up in the middle of unfavorable weather, we managed to maximize our bonding time.

I just realized we 2 love C2

Lately, the summer heat has been making me more and more thirsty at any time of day. Various refreshing drinks have been a hit in my grocery list. My family and I have tried several bottled drinks, from tea, juice to soda, name it.. we've tried it. ^_^ But I just realized that both my daughter and I share the same passion for simple drinks such as iced tea (everyday is like walang kamatayang iced tea = bottomless!). It seems like we can't live without it. Apart from the usual powdered iced tea, we have been buying bottled tea drinks like C2 Cool & Clean Green Tea which is very convenient. I usually opt for the C2 lemon flavor (in yellow bottle), while my daughter prefers C2 apple flavor (in red bottle). I believe that drinking green tea is way better than drinking soda or synthetic fruit juices. C2 also comes in "lite" variants which is good for those health/weight conscious people.

Missing the fun and laughter

That's me with my good friend Emm who's also a blogger and my cousin TZ. We used to be pioneers of an online Korean tutorial company. We have shared so many memorable moments together and I miss our "old Saturday lunch-snack-bonding" at our former office. Too many secrets were revealed as we shared and feasted over a huge platter of Lucky Me Instant Pancit canton in chilimansi mixed with extra hot and spicy flavor and gulped down several liters of refreshing Nestea Iced tea.

Which is which?

Am so confused as to which variant should I pick for tonight's late night snack. Hmmmm.. which is which??

I am the kind of person who loves to eat. That also means I love to eat anytime of the day and/or night. Whenever I feel like eating something heavy yet easy for me to prepare, the first thing that comes to mind is Lucky Me Instant Pancit Canton and/or Lucky Me Instant Noodles. Even when I used to work at the office, the easiest, most convenient and yummiest food for me to prepare was either instant canton or instant noodles. I have heard about the negative effects of eating instant food but so far, that has not stopped me from patronizing Lucky Me food products. In fact, it is what my daughter and I usually crave for during our movie marathons. It is also what keeps me going at work-nights (apart from my Kopiko and chichiria). I usually have various flavors stocked at home like: calamansi (for my lil' one), chili-mansi (for me), seafood noodles (for my mom) and seafood Chow Mien (for all 3 of us).

The Power of Light

These days, when natural disasters (earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons and flash floods) and fire incidents have become rampant, I began to worry about the possible power failure or power interruption. With an online job like mine, I can't just go offline due to a power interruption. Aside from that, the biggest reason for my concern was that a lot of important things couldn't be done just because of power interruption/failure. And some complicated situations may also arise because of having no light at all (especially at night). Thus, I thought it was time for me to buy a reliable flashlight, instead of using those cheap disposable penlights. Well, talk about "reliable", I opted to buy an Eveready Household LED flashlight with an Eveready Super Heavy Duty Battery to power it up. I always put it on top of my work/computer desk because it is where I am usually seated and it is also a few inches away from the bed which makes it easier to locate during brownouts.

Say hello to power, hello to EVEREADY LED technology!

A 4 year old girl's opinion on Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding

Today, I was just so surprised to hear some comments about Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding, coming from my own 4 year old daughter - Andeng. She told me how everything on the TV news pissed her off. She evens asked why everyone is fussing over about the whole thing. She further said that both were "foreigners" and that we had exactly nothing to do with their lives and that people just had to let it pass. My oh my, it is indeed true that "Kids say the darndest things!" But somehow, I felt that she had her point. She was just being rational and opinionated about her feelings towards the sensation upcoming royal wedding.

My Dearest Susan

Whenever I want to relax at home, I listen to songs sang by people that are really soothing to the ears and can make me feel at peace. Two years ago, I came across a video of BGT's Susan Boyle while I was at work. The first impression of her by the judges and the audience was very negative as she showed a very cynical behavior. But not until she actually started to sing Les Miserables' "I Dreamed a Dream". She had an unbelievably powerful voice. I was so moved and extremely awed by her performance. It felt like you were being lifted from your own seat while listening to her. From then on, every time I felt like relaxing at home by watching and listening to music videos on Youtube, I would always browse for old videos of Susan Boyle.

Here's 2 of her performances for Britain's Got Talent audition, semi-finals and finals in 2009:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnmbJzH93NU&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7Ayk9G7-sc&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BvBkTmDWBA&feature=related

They all cried FIRE on a Maundy Thursday!!! .

A smell of fire-caused smoke woke us up 2 hours ago. I kept myself composed and stayed rational despite every one's panic reaction and all the commotion outside the house. Of course, my mother and I immediately took the initiative to turn off our circuit breakers, called the police (which by the way was answered by a slow poke) and the fire station, and got out of the house. The smoke was from a building which was a just a few steps from our own house. Thank God all concrete commercial buildings have firewall(s) and it took only a few minutes for the fire truck and the firemen to arrive. The local firemen and their truck had less facilities needed to open up steel doors and huge padlocks. However, a few minutes later, ROGER CHIU owner of GRAPHIC All in One Store and his entire fire brigade came up with their 2 fire trucks complete with all the much needed facilities to help put down the fire. SYDNEY GAISANO and his men also came to help. It took them about an hour to put down the fire of the building's ground floor. Nonetheless, we are all thankful to God that nobody was hurt and the fire brigade volunteers did their job. I salute ROGER CHIU the man behind all Graphic Outlets and Graphic Fire Brigade, who was very hands-on in helping. Thank you, sir to you and your men and everyone else who helped; for being GOD's instrument.

THANK YOU LORD FOR SAVING EVERYONE! ^_^

Below are the pictures taken during the said incident.

The man wearing the red helmet is MR. ROGER CHIU of GRAPHIC All-in-One Stores and GRAPHIC Fire Brigade Volunteer.