I wonder who called

While we were swimming in the pool at The Linden Suites, my phone kept on ringing but I did not know who was calling. Only the number keeps on showing and I am not in the habit of answering calls from an unknown number. It was familiar because it seems to be a call from the United States, or Canada in Ontario or Alberta. Anyway I disregarded the call, thinking that maybe it was a wrong number. I thought of looking it up at Reverse Phonebook Canada, a reverse phone search engine I found on the Internet. I can specifically narrow down my search through their ontario phone book. According to their website, their reverse phone directory has access to any and all types of numbers. I was about to connect to the Internet at the hotel but changed my mind because it would cost me $5 an hour!

hubby's birthday celebration - Dining at Mannang

I mentioned here that we stayed at The Linden Suites for Jeff's birthday celebration. We also had a dinner reservation at Mannang in SM Megamall. Linden has a shuttle service going to SM Megamall, but we missed it. We arrived at Mannang 15 minutes before our reservation time, but our reserved table for 10 people was ready. I was impressed, considering the line of people waiting to get seated.

Mannang serves Filipino cuisine with a certain twist and even if you eat in Mannang, you can also order from their menu at Mannhann. For starters we ordered their steamed dimsum, followed by the main courses: Sinigang na corned beef (which was really super tender beef cooked sinigang), crispy pata, steamed fish in coconut sauce, stuffed tofu (this was soooo delicious), garlic kangkong, dinuguan, roast chicken from Mannhann, Mannang fried rice in beef and pork, and pansit palabok bihon. We find the prices of their food reasonable and their waiters are attentive and courteous.

And that was how we celebrated hubby's 33rd birthday. Everyone was happy with the stay at The Linden Suites and the sumptuous dinner from Mannang. My apologies for not having pictures from Mannang because we digged in as soon as the food arrived. ; )

hubby's birthday celebration - Linden Suites

Since hubby's birthday fell on a Monday, we decided to celebrate the weekend before that by checking in at The Linden Suites and having dinner at Mannang in SM Megamall. We like staying at The Linden Suites because of the homey ambiance of the hotel. Their rooms and suites have a small kitchen where you can cook, and they are not strict about bringing food inside the hotel. Actually this is where we had our wedding preparations when Jeff and I got married and we have been satisfied clients ever since. I also think that they have reasonable rates and so whenever I have a chance, I would buy Linden Suite vouchers. We have also decided that Jeff's birthday celebration this year would be a family affair, so that the family will have more bonding moments. I tried booking for a two-bedroom suite a week before, but they were fully booked. They just informed me that they have an available three-bedroom suite at their new wing, which I can still use the voucher for and just add P3,000. We arrived at the hotel at 3 p.m on Saturday for the check-in. Their new 3-bedroom suite was enormous, but the hallways in their new wing were a little cramped. I liked the ambiance of their old suites better.

(picture courtesy of http://www.swiss-belhotel.com/ - but this is exactly how the living room/dining area of our suite looks like - except for the plants and the flowers)

Our suite had 3 bedrooms - 1 master's bedroom with a queen size bed and 2 bedrooms with 1 double size bed each. There were 2 bathrooms - 1 with a bathtub and 1 with just a shower area. There was a small kitchen with a stove, refrigerator and microwave. The floors were not carpeted compared to the suites at their old wing. I had noticed that there were still a lot of wasted space in the living room - which for me could have been placed with another sofa or a coffee table set. Another downside of their new wing was the view from the windows. All we could see were buildings. When we had our wedding preparations there, our room had a stunning view of the Ortigas Center. I was excited to show Joaqui the view from the window but when we opened the curtains - there was no view at all. Now I know why the curtains were always closed.

The next day, I wasn't happy with our breakfast at all from the new restaurant Taberna Barcelona Tapas y Vinos. We used to have breakfast at the Azzurro and we have always been satisfied with the international dishes served. Well, maybe they were doing a little cost cutting ; ) The breakfast here consisted of plain rice, toasted bacon, scrambled egg, french toast, salad, small burger steaks, some cold cuts, bread, butter, fruits, and 2 kinds of cakes.

The big difference in our stay this time was we spent a lot of time in the swimming pool because of Joaqui. He loves to swim. From the time he woke up the next morning, he would say, "Swimming! Swimming!"

Overall it was a very pleasant overnight stay for us because we celebrated Jeff's birthday with the whole family. But then if we should ever stay at The Linden Suites, we would be staying at the suites in their old wing instead - a second honeymoon perhaps for me and hubby ; )

Note: The dining experience at Mannang to follow.

today is hubby's birthday

Today is hubby's birthday, but we celebrated it just this weekend because a lot of the family members are available only on weekends, and besides he has to report for work today...no birthday leave for the birthday boy ; ( So for this year, we celebrated hubby's birthday by checking in at The Linden Suites and having a family dinner at Mannang in SM Megamall. Reviews and stories to follow...got a lot of work to do for now. Ciao!

Before I forget, I wish to thank all the n@wies who texted a birthday message to Jeff. He called me twice today because he was surprised a lot of people were texting him and greeting him as far as Pangasinan and Cagayan De Oro. I said, well that is the sisterhood of the newlyweds at work. Thanks a lot sisses!

Krispy Kreme Halloween Doughnuts

Even my favorite Krispy Kreme doughnuts are getting ready for Halloween. They are offering a "spooktacular" treat - The Krispy Kreme Halloween Doughnuts! There is the Creepy Crawly Web, Mr. Pumpkin Head, Boo Berry, Halloween Sprinkles, NEW! Mr. O-Grrr and NEW! Scarecrow Jr. (made with Reese's Peanut Butter and Reese's Pieces). These are only available from October 25 to 31 in all Krispy Kreme stores.

Kids can join their annual Boo Bash event on October 31 where kids who come in their favorite Halloween costume can get a free Krispy Kreme goodie bag!

the power of Barney

Joaqui was never a fan of Barney - because his mommy doesn't like Barney very much...hahaha. But when we attended a birthday party last Saturday and a Barney mascot came out, Joaqui just looked at him and hugged him. Maybe the purple color has a hypnotizing effect or something. He just couldn't stop looking at Barney and was even calling out his name! I might as well teach him the Barney song too.

get it on with internet marketing

With the difficulties hurdling our economy today, I am thinking of getting into an online business such as an online store where I can sell unique baby products not available here in the Philippines. I have seen a lot of these online businesses and I just noticed that most of these websites are too crowded. When I am finally decided to set up mine, I want my website to be complete and original, something that would really drive customers to it.

I have done a little reading about internet marketing and found out that with today's advanced technology, the internet has brought many unique benefits to marketing, one of which being lower costs for the distribution of information and media to a global audience. Internet marketing has an interactive nature which can provide instant response and elicit response, and ties together creative and technical aspects of the internet such as design, development, advertising, and sales. Although the internet has innovated the ways businesses market themselves, effective internet marketing requires a comprehensive strategy that synchronizes a given company's business model and sales goals with its website function and appearance, fixating on its target market through proper choice of advertising type, media, and design. This is where website design plays a major role in internet marketing. With a host of website designers in the industry, it is crucial to employ a website designer who can make your website stand out from your competitors - it should be custom, unique and original. And that is what Heritage Web Solutions does best, specializing in designing and hosting affordable websites for small and medium size businesses.

In fact, Heritage Web Solutions will be featured in the show "The Economic Report."

October 22, 2008, Deerfield Beach, FL – The producers of The Economic Report are pleased to announce that Heritage Web Solutions will be featured in an upcoming episode as part of the show’s Business and Technology series on The Power of the Internet Supporting the 21st Century Business Environment.

The internet has revolutionized the ways businesses market themselves. It is essential for businesses, both large and small, to have an effective web presence. A company’s website essentially serves as their electronic store front, communicating the company’s identity to website visitors.

Today, there are approximately 970 million internet users thus making internet marketing the most effective way to appeal to customers from around the world. Websites overcome the limitations between countries and continents thus making a company international. Having a website also means that a business is open and reachable at any time and allows for quick customer response time.

But, it isn’t as simple as just setting up a website. The only way for a company to be set apart from other online competition is unique website design. Businesses turn to internet technology companies for the development of a professional and search engine friendly, website.

Utah-based Heritage Web Solutions specializes in designing and hosting affordable websites for small and medium size businesses. In business since 2001, Heritage designs all websites to custom fit each company, giving each client a unique, original and authentic design. Customers of Heritage also have access to custom flash graphics, Ecommerce development and assistance, database creation and management, traffic driving resources and more.

“As a global community, we are evolving into a technology-based world,“ said Brad Stone, Managing Partner, Heritage Web Solutions. “Rarely we pay cash or write a check anymore. More of our purchases are made online, or at least we research online before making a purchasing decision. Our checking, savings and credit card accounts are maintained and paid for online. Our socializing has moved to FaceBook, YouTube and MySpace. Our communications are emailed, texted or Skyped. Breaking news can now be fed instantly via RSS feeds to our computers or cell phones instead of waiting for the six o’clock news. The Internet is very much a main part of human society today.”

For more information, please visit http://www.heritagewebdesign.com/

what kind of monster are you?

Halloween is fast approaching and it is surely a fun way to know what kind of monster you would be. I have taken this quiz just for the sake of Halloween to find out. Try it for yourself so that you will know if you will end up as a witch like me. ; )

You Are a Witch (or Warlock)

You are deviously brilliant and a perfect manipulator. You somehow always end up getting what you want - without anyone knowing you're working behind the scenes. Crafty and cunning, you can work your way out of any jam. And it's easy for you to get people to do what you want, whether you're working for good or evil. Your greatest power: Mind control Your greatest weakness: Making people your puppets You play well with: Ghosts

What Kind of Monster Are You?

my hubby's toy upgrade

But now I don't consider it just a toy anymore. I thought having the Nikon D40 DSLR camera was the end of it all, but I should have known better. The toys for the big boys...they keep on upgrading and adding something, so out with the Nikon D40 and in with the Nikon D200. Actually I like it ; ) I am happy that Jeff is into photography which is something that gives him energy and something to look forward to. He worked hard to have this and he deserves it. Keep on shooting Daddy Jeff!

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Your Birthdate: July 11

Spiritual and thoughtful, you tend to take a step back from the world. You're very sensitive to what's going on around you, yet you remain calm. Although you are brilliant, it may take you a while to find your niche. Your creativity is supreme, but it sometimes makes it hard for you to get things done. Your strength: Your inner peace Your weakness: You get stuck in the clouds Your power color: Emerald Your power symbol: Leaf Your power month: November

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

locating area code

Christmas is almost here. I can smell that coolness and crispness in the air. Christmas also means keeping in touch with our family and friends who live outside the Philippines and greeting them Merry Christmas. Both Jeff and I have relatives and friends in the U.S. and Canada and although we can communicate via chat or email, nothing beats a phone call and personally hearing their voices.

But there are times that I am confused with phone numbers and area codes that I cannot seem to get it right. Locating an area code is difficult if there is no list to look up to. When my cousin from Wisconsin called, I asked her about this and she referred me to a website that lists all active area codes and their locations. Whether I will be looking for my Tita Linda's number in California or Tita Nene's number in New Jersey, this area code locator will point me to the right number to dial.

craving for carbonara

I was craving for carbonara for the past few days. Usually I would ask my brother to cook this for me because he makes really yummy carbonara, but he was busy and so I had to cook carbonara myself. I would not consider this a first time for me, but it was so long ago that I had made one and I had to look up the recipe. It's a good thing that I always stock our pantry with milk, cheese and cream in case I have a carbonara craving. : )

It was not as delicious as my brother's carbonara, but I am THIS close...hahaha. Well Joaqui seems to like it very much. He finished a small plateful and would say in between bites "hmmm...rara...yummy!" ; )

decluttering phone books

I did not do any work yesterday and so I had done major decluttering in our house. There were a lot of things that needed to be thrown or kept away. I have found a lot of things that I was looking for but couldn't find then and now that I found them, I don't have any use for them at all. Sigh. I also found a lot of phone books that still look new and has not been used at all. I looked through them and searched for the phone number of a friend I have not had in contact for a while and to my dismay her name wasn't listed at all.

It would be much more economical and environmentally friendly if we have a website for phone books where we can find people by reverse phone lookup. Instead of flipping through bulky pages of ordinary phone books and looking through names, why not search by phone number or cellphone number per state or region. It would considerably save us more time and paper!

it's all in a day's work part 2

Again these are errors or bloopers made by medical transcriptionists and these are from actual transcriptions that I have edited. Part 1 can be found here.

He was recently cutting the grass and breaking (raking) leaves. - Makes sense, cut the grass and break the leaves...

…also saw Dr. X in the past who administered injuries (injections) in the knees with reasonably good relief of symptoms. How can a doctor administer injuries?

... and shared that she has a lot of stress with her kid that have been killed and her daughter has _________ for (kids and her grand kids and her daughter's failed marriages.) - There is only thing I can say...NOSEBLEED!

The pain along the legs (neck) radiates to the shoulders and to the arms with tenderness and weakness of the arms. - This MT should really clean her ears more often.

She still has __________ borrowed from her brother. (She still has good control of bowel and bladder). - Makes me sigh and say....NOSEBLEED again!

my baby is growing up fast

Our litte baby is growing up so fast. It seems like only yesterday that he was dependent on us for everything, but now he wants to do things by himself. He walks fast now, just like his dad, and loves to play "habulan" and hide and seek. He has a contagious laugh that shrieks throughout our house. He knows the types of vendors who pass by our street like the fish vendor, vegetable vendor and suman vendor. He would shout "isda," "gulay" and our favorite "suman" with his toy pail on his arm, walking around our living room as if he was selling them. He has his own chair in the house and would sit infront of the television like a "don." He knows some of the names of the restaurants like Jollibee, McDonald's, Max's and Chowking, and can pronounce SM Megamall like an adult. He says "type" when playing with the computer keyboard and would casually say "work" while typing and looking at the monitor. He would make pa-cute to salesladies and lady waiters waving hello and hi and would shout "guard" with all his might when he sees one. He is becoming more and more a handful and more and more of a growing little boy....

information overload

As early as now, Jeff and I are already planning a major vacation in summer of 2009. Joaqui will be old enough then to come with us on our really first family vacation. We are thinking of going to a beach in Bohol or Boracay or, if our budget permits, a trip out of the country like Hongkong or Thailand. As usual, whenever I am searching for something, I go to the internet first and search different websites - which led me to a hundred different websites that I had an information overload. Sometimes it is really hard to discern if the the information on a certain website is reliable or if I am really getting the facts that I need.

I searched for a site that reviews websites and found talkreviews - which is basically a site where internet users can give opinions about their favorite or least favorite websites in several countries. It is very informative because it also provides traffic stats and page ranks, and it is us users who will give first-hand experience about it. I tried it myself and registered so that I can post a review in their users reviews section. I was able to read descriptions of the websites without having to click all of them, at least I can narrow my search to the sites I think would be most useful for me. I was also able to find out the top websites in the Philippines and in other countries. I was even surprised that Friendster was not on top of the list for the Philippines..hahaha. I thought every Filipino has a friendster account! Anyway it was fun using talkreviews and I even reviewed my own website. You just got to try it for yourself to see how it works. ; )

cosplay

According to Wikipedia, Cosplay is short for "costume play," which is a type of performance art whose participants outfit themselves, with often-elaborate costumes and accessories, as a specific character.

We were in SM Megamall earlier and there was a Cosplay event going on and we ran into a participant preparing his costume as Voltes V. We ended up watching that person complete his costume and I just can't help admiring how they manage to get these costumes and participate in events like this. There were so many participants wearing costumes from characters in different animes, but the Voltes V and the other robot (I forgot the name) were our favorites. Check it out:

searching made easy

We are starting our application for Canada as immigrants and are completing the required documents. I had no idea that it would be so difficult to get birth certificates from the NSO office. My mom also needed my dad's death certificate for the Social Security System and we had to wait in line, which was sooooo long and had to bear the scorching heat. My brother informed us that we can now get birth certificate or death certificate through the NSO Helpline Plus. It would be much more convenient, but then the price would be three or four times than that of getting it from their office.

I hope that our government will continue to improve their service with regard to getting documents. I now wonder how those living in the far away provinces get their important public records. In the U.S., there is a database available which you can use to recover death certificates no matter in which state you live in. It uses a direct data retrieval process and is easily accessible at a cheap price, without the hassles of going through long lines or hurting your pocket. We need something like this which will definitely make public records search a breeze and not a horrible experience for us.

i heart your blog

I got this award from Concon. Thanks for this award sis! This kind of award makes me feel appreciated and I hope it goes around, especially to us moms who are into blogging and sharing our wonderful experiences as a wife and/or mom. It just makes our day knowing that as "virtual sisses," we are supporting each other by taking the time to read our blog posts and what-have-yous that we put in our blogs. ; )

***start copy***

The rules of the award are:
1. The winner can put the logo on her blog.

2. Link the person you received your award from.

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.

4. Put links of those blogs on yours.

5. Leave a message on the blogs of those you have nominated.

Previous awardees: Mabelle, Prily, Ate Norma, I Love Philippines Too, Shenga, Nova, WebbieStuffs, Nancy, Webloglearner, Pinay Wahm, and My So Called Life, Let’s Spice Things Up, Beauty and Shop, Idealpinkrose, allin, kimchiland, Korean Food, The Paper Vision, Embrace Simplicity, Me and Mine, A Window To Our World, A Grateful Heart, Can of Thoughts, A Mother’s Stuff, http://housewifeatwork.blogspot.com/, MommaWannabe, Lourdes Mia, Praning’s Shoutout, When Silence Speaks, Etc Atbp, Aeirin’s Collections, Life is What we Make it, Underneath It All, Cellulitic Bliss, My Lavender Fields, Life.Love.us., jengspeaks, YOUR BLOG

Now I am sharing this award to all my fellow Pinay Bloggers ; )

stop annoying me

As a work-at-home mom, it is important for me to have a few hours of quiet time when I can concentrate on my work and focus on tasks at hand, so that I can then take care of my son Joaqui. Sometimes when I was in the middle of transcribing a STAT report, I was interrupted by three phone calls which were not important at all. One was a call center agent from a credit card company offering me a new credit card, the other was a wrong number and the third was a telemarketer from a home TV shopping network. I was really annoyed because I was hurrying to finish that report as it needs to be sent immediately to the doctor.

This has happened to me quite a number of times and even though we have a caller ID, I would still want to know what to expect from a certain number so that I would know if I should answer that call or not. I hope that there is a site where people can report phone numbers and provide comments on a certain number, so that I would know beforehand if it is just a sales call, a wrong number or a telemarketer. It would be a big help especially for busy work-at-home moms like me.

What Color Day Are You Having?

You Are Having a Yellow Day

Today is a pretty great day for you. How could it not be with your optimistic attitude? You are very inspired right now, and your creativity is at its peak. While you are on top of the world today, be careful. You may be more fragile than you think. As long as you don't let yourself get too worked up or over-stimulated, you'll be fine.

What Color Day Are You Having?

Krispy Kreme's irREESE'Stible offer

My favorite Reese’s peanut butter is now on a Krispy Kreme doughnut! I so love Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and I am so happy that Krispy Kreme came up with 3 variants:

NEW Reese’s Peanut Butter & Kreme - an irresistible Reese’s peanut butter mixed with creamy vanilla icing on a Krispy Kreme doughnut.

NEW Reese’s Peanut Butter & Chocolate - a perfect combination of Reese’s peanut butter, vanilla and rich chocolate on a Krispy Kreme doughnut

Reese’s Pieces & Kreme - a chocolate iced Krispy Kreme doughnut topped with crunchy Hershey’s Reese’s peanut butter candies drizzled with creamy caramel.

Got to have these all! Yummy!

Flowers from Popcornthoughts

Thanks Joanne for this tag!

The rules of the award are:
1. The winner can put the logo on her blog.
2. Link the person you received your award from.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Put links of those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message on the blogs of the girls you've nominated.

I am giving these flowers to Jammy, Emz, Lani, Mel, Sheryll, Sujee and Eds.

budding friendships

Simone, Joaquin, Andie, Joaqui

I love this photo! I hope they become really good friends when they grow up, just like their moms. ; )

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Breast cancer remains a significant health concern for women throughout the world. It is the leading killer of women ages 35 to 54 worldwide and more than a million women develop breast cancer without knowing it and almost 500,000 die from it every year. The Philippines has the highest incidence rate of breast cancer in Asia and is today considered to have the 9th highest incidence rate in the world. Risks for breast cancer include a family history, atypical hyperplasia, delaying pregnancy until after the age 30 or never becoming pregnant, early menstruation (before age 12), late menopause (after age 55), current use or use in the last 10 years of oral contraceptives, and daily consumption of alcohol. Early detection of breast cancer, through monthly breast self-exam and particularly yearly mammography after age 40, offers the best chance for survival.

October is the Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Education is empowerment. Learn the ways on what tests you can do to determine your breast health.