To Do's - ASAP!

When this year had started, I promised myself I'd start buying Christmas gifts as early as August. This way, when December rolls by and the Christmas crowd is in full swing, I don't have to brave the malls just to find last minute gifts to my friends and family. I promised to have well thought out gifts.

Sadly, October is coming to a close and I've got a month and a few weeks left before Christmas and nothing. I haven't even started on our family's Photo Christmas Cards just yet. The kids have a portrait already so I am guessing this year, it will be just them. Hubby is coming home way too close for us to have our portrait taken just in time for Christmas. Too bad, I know.

What else is a good gift idea? I'm thinking personalized mug where you're pictures show up when the mug heats up, or maybe this time instead of the usual tee's I can give out statement tee's! I'm just bouncing off ideas here, I really am pressed for time - where have the days gone by? It's too fast!!!

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3rd Movie For The Year

I had a blast with my cousins last night. We had dinner courtesy of my brother then we watched a movie!;)

This is the 3rd movie I've watched in the cinema this year. The first was Sex and the City 2 with my friends, second was Resident Evil 4 with Hubby - and now, The Social Network with my cousins.

The movie was very intriguing for me. I know that it was based on the true story but I also read somewhere that the movie was not real, while some of the facts are true and the characters are real - the storyline itself was not. How true???

Anyway, here are interesting facts about the movie ;D

• Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield became good friends during filming. According to Eisenberg, the dramatic rivalry between their characters was hard for the two because it affected them emotionally.
• Justin Timberlake was the only actor who met his real-life character (Sean Parker) before the founding of Facebook and this film. Armie Hammer and ''Josh Pence'' met their real-life characters, the Winklevoss twins after filming. The twins enjoyed Hammer and Pence's performance so much they attended to a couple screenings of the film.
• Jesse Eisenberg's cousin actually works for Facebook, apparently near the real Mark Zuckerberg.
• Because director David Fincher was unable to find any suitable identical twin actors to play real-life identical twins Cameron Winklevoss and Tyler Winklevoss, two unrelated actors were hired to play each brother - Armie Hammer as Cameron and Josh Pence as Tyler. Fincher thought that Hammer looked the most like the real brothers, so for some scenes, the visual effects team photographed Hammer speaking Tyler's lines and created a computer-generated model of his face to paste over Pence's. Traditional split-screen work, with Hammer's separate performances as each brother stitched together in the same frame, was also used.
• Reported to be R-rated during production, but end up editing down to PG-13 to make it accessible for a wider audience.
• The original banner at the top of Facebook.com included a stylized portrait of a young Al Pacino. It was designed by Andrew McCollum, a friend of Mark Zuckerberg. The banner used on the website in the film uses a portrait of actor Jesse Eisenberg (who plays Zuckerberg).
• The opening breakup scene with Jesse Eisenberg and Rooney Mara ran eight script pages and took 99 takes.
• Cameo: [Aaron Sorkin] The ad executive that Mark Zuckerburg and Eduardo Saverin meet in New York is played (in a credited appearance) by Sorkin, the screenwriter for this film.
• During one of the depositions, it is mentioned that the invention of Facebook made Mark Zuckerburg "the biggest thing on a campus that included nineteen Nobel Laureates, fifteen Pulitzer Prize winners, two future Olympians, and a movie star." One of the lawyers then asks, "Who was the movie star?" and the response is, "Does it matter?" This movie star was, in fact, Natalie Portman, who was enrolled at Harvard from 1999 to 2003 and helped screenwriter Aaron Sorkin by providing him insider information about goings-on at Harvard at the time Facebook first appeared there.
• 'David Fincher' enjoyed working with Rooney Mara so much, he cast in the highly coveted
• During the climatic confrontation between Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) and Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield), Zuckerberg can be seen wearing an Arm & Hammer t-shirt. Armie Hammer, who plays the Winklevoss twins, is named after his great grandfather Armand Hammer, who is speculated to be named after the company.
• The Winklevoss twins were both played by actor Armie Hammer. However, Ralph Lauren model Josh Pence played one of them strictly from the neck down. His face was digitally replaced with Hammer's to make them appear identical, as the two men are unrelated and look nothing alike. The two spent 10 months in twin boot camp to match one another's subtle movements and rapport.
• Aaron Sorkin's screenplay was 166 pages. David Fincher was under contract to bring the film in at or around two-hours, so he had the actors speak the dialog faster (the opening scene for example, which is four minutes, is a nine-page scene as written).
• Justin Timberlake lost 15-17 pounds for his role in this movie. He felt that making himself look skinnier would make him look younger.
  

Source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1285016/trivia

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Yum-Yum

Yum.

I am currently eating Yan-Yan right now. It is better than what I remembered from 20 years ago. Naturally, I ate the bread sticks first and ate the chocolate later.^-^ Too much for me and my diet. I mean, there's weight loss pills so why do I even bother dieting right??? Wrong. Diet pills are my last resort. Besides, Zumba has actually helped! 15 minutes of doing it made me sweat like a pig! Gosh. I didn't expect it to be this intense. So far, I am loving it.

Check back on me in a week or 2 if I'm still enjoying it then.

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Thoughts On Carts

I am not in a medical field so I am not familiar with medical jargon's and what not. However, I've heard about medical carts enough to know how vital they are in a hospital or medical facility. If you wants medical shows like Grey's Anatomy, you see them checking the medical carts which contains all the information they need to properly care for the patients. These carts have a variety of applications that include Charting and EMR, Medication Dispensing, and Nursing Education.

Sadly, being in a third world country - I could only dream of having such things. I remember when I was admitted to the hospital the nurses would get a dilapidated equipment that takes minutes to work. We have to share it with the other patients because they don't have enough carts that check on the baby's heart rate. Other than better education, the Government should work to provide for better medical services too. Pnoy, 100 day Honeymoon is over, time for the change you so promised.

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Thursday Thunks: I See Dead People

Welcome to the October 21st edition of Thursday Thunks!
(which we always seem to post on Wednesday)
Where we make you think a little bit before you blog!
We pick a subject, and your job is to interpret it anyway you want.
Write about it on your blog... simple as that.
Maybe you can interpret it as a picture - we don't care!
Please only leave a link if you have written a Thursday Thunks post.
Don't forget to go visit the other participants' blogs.
Read and comment about all their Thursday Thunks responses!
That's what all this is about after all, isn't it?
We'll have so much fun and become lifelong friends....

The TT questions are brought to you by Bud, the color of a bad back and the number 28.

1. Berleen is sending you away again. You can travel anywhere in the world; one destination per day from Friday through Monday. Where do you go and why?

First Destination (F): Norway to fetch the Hubby. Second(Sat) : Milan to Shop ;) Third (Sun) : Rome to Pray. Fourth (Mon) : Venice for Love. ♥


2. Would you keep a secret from the closest person to you if you thought it was in their best interest?
Yes I will. If I think that keeping it a secret is for the best; then I will keep it to my grave. At times, ignorance is bliss.

3. Tell me one odd/interesting fact about you that you have not revealed in some other crazy meme.
...this q have been asked far too many times and each time I just say something random because there's nothing crazy about me - except I love killing zombies. The game PVZ rocks.

4. You can have three wishes (for yourself, so forget all the 'world peace etc' BS) - what are they?

• I would be a billionaire. I've created an awesome site (better than Facebook) and I'm filthy ricccchhhhh.
  
• I'd honestly wish for a baby girl in 4 years.
• Good health and life for my family & friends.
  

5. If you could change anything about your living situation, would you?
Yes. I want to own my own place already. Its about time.

6. Who is your favorite character from a comic strip? Please post one strip for us to laugh at.
Just saw this online. Not my fave but I just thought of sharing because it made me laugh.



7. Now we have found you dead. What five people do you want to MEET in Heaven?
People I never got to meet, my Grandpa, my paternal great-grandma (because my dad says we have the same style), my Uncle who died early, maybe Princess D and Heath Ledger.

8. So since you are dead, what will the title of your life story be?
Shop. Pray. Love

9. Word association time! What's the first thing that comes to mind when you see the word pleasure?
Sensual Massage.

10. Kimber is by the Arizona ocean. She finds a message in a bottle. What does it say?
"What's the first thing that comes to mind when you see the word pleasure?"

11. Would you like to guest host Thunks one week? Answer “yes” here and email us here! If the answer is “no” who do you think would be a great guest host?
No because I am not good in making up q's :) Hootin' Annie or Harriet might be a good idea.

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Acne Be Gone!

Both my Mom and Dad have no problems with acne. While I have my own skin problems (too dry and easily gets hives) acne has never been one of them. So, I consider myself luckier than the rest. I have a few close friends who have problem with acne, one even joked that she purposely did not put any ointment or take any medication for her acne to ward off potential suitors 'cuz she has too much already. We laughed about it of course, but when the laughter died down, we did discuss home remedy for acne. Let's face it, how can we face a problem when the problem is our face!?

Who wants to have bad skin? No one. Exactly.

Some of the great advices I've gotten to cure acne:

• Water Therapy.
• Sleep.
• Take anti-oxidants.
• Avoid oily food like peanuts and chocolates.

However, if you really want to rid of those wretched acne, then there are great products out there just know how to choose the right one by reading and asking people for feedback.

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...Bad Week.

It's weird, for 2 days now I've been very touchy and on the edge. I am easily irritated. You wouldn't want to mess with me because I will fight back.

My red days are finished but the after-effects of PMS is still evident.

I guess it because some people irritate me.

• I don't like it when people hoard.
• I hate it when some people (yes you j!) go into something blindly and end up even more broke.
• I dislike eating alone because I end up eating more (been eating alone lately, no one home ;( )
• I don't like it when some people make hurtful comments.
• ...and I dislike people who judge without looking at themselves first. grrrrr.

My pricey wrinkle cream will be of no good if this hellish week does not end soon. Speaking of creams, I've been applying day cream, eye cream, night cream plus applying CURE for weeks now - while the ordeal is time consuming and expensive, it has given me great results. People would comment about my glowing skin (that's without GLUTHA ha!). So, I will definitely won't stop. ;)

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20 Decorating Secrets

1. Pile On the Pillows: One pair of pillows always looks skimpy. Use two pairs, in contrasting patterns, colors, and textures.
2. Buy a Bigger Bed: Small-scale furniture only makes a small bedroom look smaller. Try a high bed and a tall headboard. Your room will grow.
3. Leave Cabinets Open: An open armoire is more interesting than a closed one. Let people into your secret world.
4. Go Dark: Dark walls do the opposite of what you'd expect: They make a small room feel bigger.
5. Wallpaper Is Easy: The fastest way to make over sliding closet doors is to wallpaper them, like Melissa Warner did to turn a bedroom into her office.
6. Large Collections Need Order: Wall brackets can bring order to a large collection or odd shapes, which is what Mary Watkins Wood did in her master bedroom.
7. Use a Real Rug in the Bathroom: Use a rug instead of a bath mat. It was made to withstand a lot more wear than the occasional wet foot.
8. It's Okay to Skip the Sofa: There's no rule that a living room has to have a sofa.
9. White Works: You'll never get tired of a white room.
10. Mix Styles: A four-poster bed will take the chill out of a modern bedroom, like this one designed by Vicente Wolf.
11. Layer Your Lighting: Four lamps are better than two. You need ambient light for mood and direct light for reading.
12. Tuck In Your Throws: Keep throws under control. Fold them lengthwise, then in half, then tuck them into cushions.
13. Kick Your Traditional Coffee Table to the Curb: The most versatile coffee table you'll ever own is an ottoman topped with a tray.
    
14. Skirted Furniture Finishes a Room: Too many chair and table legs can make a room "nervous." A skirted piece or two will make it feel "grounded."
    
15. Gold Is Gorgeous: Gold is back in a big way. A few accents will warm up a room, like this classic living room designed by Kirsten Fitzgibbons and Kelli Ford.
    
16. Plants Cheer Up a Lonely Corner: Nothing softens a lonely corner in a big room like a potted tree.
    
17. Leather Lasts: The most indestructible fabric for dining chairs is leather or vinyl. Especially if you want white.
    
18. Switch Up Your Seating: Mix up the seating at your dining table. You wouldn't have eight identical chairs in your living area.
19. Don't Forget the Closet Lighting: Love your closets. Paint them, paper them, hang pictures in them to inspire you. And definitely light them.
20. Refinish Vintage Finds: Don't be afraid to paint a vintage piece. Every piece of furniture can't be brown.
    

Source: http://www.housebeautiful.com/decorating/decorating-secrets

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How I Get My Muscles.

I am in no position to say which of these pills are the best weight loss supplement out there but let me tell you this - the best bet in losing weight is to exercise.

Easy to say but hard to do. I should know, I am laziest when it comes to exercising. However, I've figured out a way to do some physical activities while enjoying myself at the same time.

...and what is that?

I clean. Yup. I clean our room like a madwoman and scrub the floor so clean, you can eat off it.

I may not be as toned as the material girl here, but sooner or later I will. Our room only stays spic and span for 30 minutes max when the kids are around!

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Diet Files Week 2

Week 1 was great. I was able to cut back on my rice intake and I did not take any desserts after meals. Plus, I even did Zumba! ;))

Week 2 which started yesterday, Sunday started off with Sansrival and ended with a thick slice of chocolate cake!!! Wahhhh. All my hard work from week 1 down the drain in less than 12 hours. I really love to eat and I keep on relying on the fact that there are the best diet pills out there to help me out when push comes to shove. Of course, I don't want to rely on pills as much as possible. To make up for the sansrival and cake, I vow to do Zumba for 30 minutes tomorrow. Wish me luck! ^_-

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5 Ways to Add a Modern Twist to Traditional Decorating

Text and pictures from House Beautiful

Break Up the Pure-White Look

In this new Los Angeles home's kitchen, black Windsor chairs are added for contrast in the creamy room, painted White Dove by Benjamin Moore. The dark chairs are "like a punctuation mark," says designer James Radin.

Go with Large-Scale Prints

Designer Nancy Boszhardt shakes it up with a Persian-style banquette in the main entry hall that's upholstered in a large-scale Brunschwig & Fils pattern that's almost folk art. Called Animal Farm Crewel, the rich brown of its bugs and birds is echoed in the old-fashioned striped stair runner from Patterson, Flynn & Martin.

Use Modern Upholstery on Traditional Furniture

Choose classic-to-formal furniture pieces and add something to make them feel modern and relaxed. Robert Goodwin took this already stylish Hanna chair from Oly Studio and added a modern twist to the seat cushion with a contemporary Dalmatian-inspired fabric.

Mix Classic Furniture Styles With Bold Accessories


Great decorators know that no matter how classic the furniture, color can make it feel modern. Glamorous and a touch retro, this Los Angeles living room designed by Joe Nye is evocative of such resorts as Palm Beach and La Jolla, with its turquoise and raspberry palette.


Match the Baseboard to the Wall Color

Painting the baseboards, as well as the trim and molding the same shade as the wall color is a more modern look than having contrasting trim, and is an easy way to update a traditional room. Here, in the entry of this classic 18th-century Pennsylvania farmhouse, designer Robert Goodwin preferred this streamlined, monochromatic treatment.

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P4.

Project 4 is in the works.

Nope. We are not aiming for 4 kids, it just means I want to lose 4 pounds in 60 days. Easy right??? Not. Well...for one, I love to eat! I can easily finish 2 cups of rice per meal. Plus, I always have dessert after. Cheesecake, ice cream, doughnuts or chips - I don't care as long as it would satisfy my craving for the day. So, basically - I eat a lot, I don't exercise and I want to lose weight. Impossible. How else will I fit my sexy costumes for Hubby and mine's alone time if I don't lose a bit of weight?

So there. I am cutting back on my rice intake + Zumba. Yeah. I can do this...;)

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Crimson Resort & Spa

In less than 2 months, I'm going to see Hubby again! Yey. We're planning to spend a weekend - only the 2 of us - in a new Resort & Spa in Mactan.

They boast of villa's with private pool, first class spa and fitness center and world class food.




Since it would be both our first time in the said resort, I've gone ahead and read some of the previous guests comments about the place. Some had very positive things to say, and some well - they have raised really good pros and cons.

A guy from London, United Kingdom said;

Loved every bit of it, overall colour is pleasing to the eye. Loved the fact that it isn't a high rise concrete building. Rooms are fantastic, in detail. Beach and pool are excellent as well. The resort offers great food and water/sports facilites. I enjoyed my stay, would return absolutely (and have already been, for the second time).

...and someone from Singapore said;

stayed for over 4 days with my wife and sister. we were looking forward as the pictures from the internet of the villa with private pools looks so inviting and a great place to chill out. upon check in it just did not have the feel of a resort. relative plain outlook, pool had no privacy at all. most times people kept looking in and to add on the dive center was next door and so open. most times you will b disturbed by the sounds of the oxygen tanks hitting each other. the villa was supposed to be a beach front villa but the positioning and facing only gave us a glimpse of the ocean. for the food, i cant deny most of the dishes are pretty good but seems pricey. overall not a bad place but they lack a sports manager to organize some beach games, sailing or canoeing. sadly the beach waters looks scary. we were expecting a much cleaner water. so if u are one who spends most time in the water, i doubt u will love it. but to compensate the beach had great outdoor chairs single and love seats to enjoy a good tan. if you are planning a visit i suggest not to waste your money on d private villas. the normal rooms work well.

Lastly, Monchef from Manila said;

Crimson is a newcomer to the leisure resort property world in Cebu. Built as low rise and sprawling beach front estate, it could have had all the elements in the upwardly mobile leisure market...They just opened a few months back you can argue, so I will pass on the landscaping...you get an idea of what they want to build. I think its really the touches that make a relatively well thought out asian styled resort work...the villa given to me to check out was actually impressive, a one bedroom suite, with a plunge pool beach front. The furniture is impeccable...you are in Cebu, the furniture export capital of the country, and it would be a crime not to have good interiors. But it ends the there. The room feels unfinished, the minibar fridge stocked a ref 1/3 its size. The plunge pool missed out the fact that you needed a ledge to sit on and wade while watching the beach (well you cant see anything when in the pool because of the plants) but EVERYONE can see you, even the guard house perched overlooking your suite. The smallish bedroom was fine, closet space ample. The bathroom also had good amenties, save for the the fact that in the 2 sink counter, to enter the one closest to the tub, you would have to be really thin, or just wont squeeze in.
Food was lack luster, and they tried to make it up in service. I did check out the big pool,and again you can see how it was made, the cement floor cracking, the life guards totally bemused by the korean tourist trying to take photos at every angle.
I think what go to me was where they missed out was the lighting....imagine any asian resort in thailand, and you imagine warm light reflecting on wooden roofs and flooring...here the white daylight was all over, making this feel -- cheap. The whole place did not match the pricing of the rooms nor the food.
I was expecting far more...imagine strewn monobloc plastic chairs in the reception? So much for a first impression.
I would do two things -- either give them a break, and check them out again, or just let have the large tour group market have the resort and stick to Cebu's tried and tested.

There you go. Since its a new place, let's give it a break - but I am having second thoughts about spending the only weekend alone (after 2 years!) that Hubby and I have together. Gotta scout for someplace else.

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Home Insure

Today I am thankful that there have been no rotational power interruption in our place.

You see, everyday since last week, there have been 2-hour power interruption due to power shortage. I hate it because it cuts on the work hours, also the kids get uncomfortable with the heat.

Plus - fires have been breaking around the City. I am guessing this is due to the candles left unattended. Just last week, there was this huge fire near a good friends' house. They started to pack their things already, the fire was *this* close to their home. Good thing the fire was under control before that tragedy happened. This reminds me, our home insurance is due for renewal. Got to check up on cheap insurance for homes before the end of this week. Got to also include theft, flooding and earthquake. We can never be too careful, after what Ondoy did to Metro Manila, it has left me thinking that it too can happen here in Cebu.

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Keeping Our Options Open

The last thing my Husband and I did as a couple before he left back to Norway was visit houses.

Hours before his schedule flight back to Norway - we toured the City to visit some ready made, single-detached houses. Some of the houses was furnished and some were not. There was this one subdivision in Lahug who had semi-furnished houses at reasonable price. The negative thing about it, is the location. While it was in the City, the road going in the subdivision was really small. If you don't have a car, you have to ride a motorcycle or taxi. Their houses were quaint. The inside was well designed. Normally I love pink, but this time not so.

There was one place we loved because it fit out budget and the location was perfect. However, it was too small for our taste. Plus it was not detached, it was a townhouse. We're thinking about it though, got to keep our options open. Here's how it looks like.

Anyway, we would still keep on looking. Hubby's not here right now, so I have to do the looking myself. Maybe we'll broaden our options to condo units and houses in Banawa and Guadalupe as well.

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Quick & Safe

Notice how some people easily lose weight without trying while others struggle with weight loss?

That is because everyone is wired differently. Some have fast metabolism and others don't. Some are genetically prone to getting fat because his parents are both overweight. There are plus and minuses and everyone so better stop comparing and deal with what you have. Some people opt for exercise, a lifestyle change, some go Vegan, while others starve themselves (not a healthy option, mind you!). Lucky for us, in this day and age where everything comes in an instant, there an instant solution to weight loss. If you think exercising is not for you, liposuction and others then try out HCG injections Austin Wellness Clinic way. They offer hormone hCG shots to help patients lose weight quickly and safely.

The good thing with Austin Wellness Clinic is that you could call in and schedule your free consultation.

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All That Glitters

Being online 24/7 is also like being in a store all the time.

There a gazillion online shops offering anything from party favors to DIOR. If you have a credit card or paypal then buying online should not be a problem. Just make sure you are dealing with a seller with good feedback and buy only those that you really2x need or want. I should know, there are a few items in my closet that I regretted buying. For example, a nursing bra. While I measures and made sure of the dimensions, there's still nothing better than fitting it first before purchasing.

Anyway - online I found a store which specialized in sterling silver jewelry, I was tempted by their extremely competitive prices but then again, this is one of those things that I cannot buy without actually seeing beforehand. However, I am tempted by their fashion forward collection which is 78% off! After all, I am a girly girl. I love everything that glitters. I cannot go out the house without putting a necklace or 2 or 3. Should I!? Should I get??? Ack.

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Friday Fill-Ins #194

So...here we go!

1. My favorite month is December because #1 It's Christmas, #2 It's hubby and mine's anniversary and lastly because Hubby will be home in December!.

2. When we has power outage yesterday, I prayed for a fresh breeze.

3. I love to sniff my kids armpits. (yes I am crazy)

4. Pancakes and hot choco is what I like to have as a treat for breakfast.

5. The hobby I enjoy most is blogging, even though I am feeling a bit of burnout lately, I still love to blog.

6. 2 hours of browout again??? oh my!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to sleeping early, the kids still need to rest, tomorrow my plans include cleaning the room and Sunday, I want to hear mass and buy groceries!

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