my first abstracting job

Here's the continuation on my attempt on abstracting. The first post can be read here.

After four days, I received an email informing me that I had passed the prequalifying examination. At first I was quite hesitant to start on this because I was not quite in the mood yet. I thought that I would just have a difficult time and it would be a waste of my effort, but then I decided to give it a try. I asked for journal assignments and they gave me 9 articles to work on. Below is a sample of the article.

I was surprised because the first article was 26 pages long! I was staring on my computer screen for about 20 minutes thinking how would I start. I opened the manual they gave us during the training and went through some of the pages. I scanned the article and attempted to write an abstract. It took me an hour to write the first two sentences! After three hours, I actually finished three abstracts. The next day I tried finishing the remaining six and submitted my work for their review. On that same day, I received an email from the reviewer stating the revisions I had to make. Again I was surprised because I only had to do minor revisions like rephrasing a sentence or changing an opening phrase, etc. In fact, two of my abstracts were without any revisions at all. ; ) I now actually enjoy this work a little because the topics on the journals were interesting (although I do not actually read the whole journal, I just scan them for information). I also feel good because I think I did well for a first timer (nyaaaks!). I had finished the second set of journals (which were weird photographs--yes, they also do abstracts on images and photos) and wait for the feedback, so I still would wait and see if this is something I can do on a long term even on a part-time basis.

Why do we need friends

This is a tag from Emz. Thanks for considering me as a friend ; )

We need friends for many reasons,

all throughout the season.

We need friends to comfort us when we are sad,

and to have fun with us when we are glad.

We need friends to give us good advice,

We need someone we can count on,

and treat us nice.

We need friends to remember us

one we have passed sharing memories

that will always last.

Spread the poem of friendship.1. Everyday Life 2. Words of Love 3. Sheng's Simple Thoughts . . . 4. good thoughts, good trades 5. Ours and Our Kids 6. Jengspeaks 7. You!

I am passing this on to Jacq, ConCon, Rhea and Ayn.

spread the Christmas spirit

Something from Con at the start of the BER months...
It's so simple. Copy the photo below then write your blog and your wish this Christmas 2008. Your wish has to be something PRICELESS and SELF- LESS... something that money can't buy... something that another person will treasure dearly.

1. Bits and Pieces by Jan: I wish Gino and I will be able to convince friends to help us sponsor a simple Christmas party for the children of White Cross Children's Home in San Juan.
2. The Wifey Diaries by Jannesse: My birthday falls on the 22nd of December. I have always wished to spend it with orphaned or abandoned kids. I'd be super happy to spend my birthday with them. That way, they get early Christmas presents from me. Oh, and can I wish for a baby, too? Please?
3. The Versoza Inc. by Con: I'd like to have a simple Christmas party for all the children of our employees. Times were hard on our company this 2007, but still, the Christmas Spirit should not be overpowered by it. Christmas is about family. So our Christmas party should not be for employees only, but for their families as well. Also, I wish our clan would make it a tradition to have a Christmas gift giving project. My Tita Doi started it last year with the Antipolo church children. I am looking forward to this year :)
4.Jengspeaks by Jeng: Every Christmasmtime, our group Friends Empowered to Serve would solicit money, clothes, food, etc. to give to our chosen charities such as Anawim, PGH Chilrdren's ward and the street children of Manila. This year, we hope to be able to give more and add the families along the pier in our list of recipients. We also want to give the children there a simple Christmas party with food, games and gifts.

I'm spreading the Christmas spirit with Joanne, Pheng, Rocks, and Jammy.

wacky weekend

Wacky weekend tag by Joanne ; )

Thank God for weekends! Last Friday, me, hubby and Joaqui had dinner at Mom & Tina's Cafe with fellow n@wies Con, Jacque and Rhea and their hubbies and babies. It was not really a planned get-together but it was fun. We really had a good time plus the food was superb at Mom & Tina's. It was a little chaotic with four toddlers in tow...could you imagine?! It was like having a mini children's party in one table. It was a fun time where our hubbies talked about cameras, taking care of children and all sorts of stuff while some of us (well, it was mostly me and Jeff) took turns in going out because Joaqui wanted to go up and down on a flight of stairs...and soon the other tots followed. Hahahaha....

the rules of a toddler

This is so cute and I can't resist grabbing it from meng. She found this on LoveThoseKids, a very useful manual for parents who have toddlers.

The Rules of a Toddler

If it is on, I must turn it off.If it is off, I must turn it on.

If it is folded, I must unfold it.If it is a liquid, it must be shaken, then spilled.

If it is a solid, it must be crumbled, chewed or smeared.
If it is high, it must be reached.

If it is shelved, it must be removed.

If it is pointed, it must be run with at top speed.

If it has leaves, they must be picked.

If it is plugged, it must be unplugged.

If it is not trash, it must be thrown away.

If it is in the trash, it must be removed, inspected, and thrown on the floor.

If it is closed, it must be opened.

If it does not open, it must be screamed at.

If it has drawers, they must be rifled.

If it is a pencil, it must write on the refrigerator, monitor, or table.

If it is full, it will be more interesting emptied.

If it is empty, it will be more interesting full.

If it is a pile of dirt, it must be laid upon.

If it is stroller, it must under no circumstances be ridden in without protest. It must be pushed by me instead.

If it has a flat surface, it must be banged upon.

If Mommy’s hands are full, I must be carried.

If Mommy is in a hurry and wants to carry me, I must walk alone.

If it is paper, it must be torn (and sometimes eaten-->Joaqui).

If it has buttons, they must be pressed.

If the volume is low, it must go high.

If it is toilet paper, it must be unrolled on the floor.

If it is a drawer, it must be pulled upon.

If it is a toothbrush, it must be inserted into my mouth.

If it has a faucet, it must be turned on at full force.

If it is a phone, I must talk to it.

If it is a bug, it must be swallowed.

If it doesn’t stay on my spoon, it must be dropped on the floor.

If it is not food, it must be tasted.

If it IS food, it must not be tasted.

If it is dry, it must be made wet with drool, milk, or toilet water.

If it is a car seat, it must be protested with arched back.

And last, but definitely not the least…
If it is Mommy, it must be hugged.

award!

Thanks so much sis ConCon for the award.

Rules of this award are :
1. Put the logo on your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Add links to those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs

I am awarding this to:

ConCon - for being a nice person...you always make me laugh when we see each other
jacque - for being a supermom and super businesswoman
ayn - for starting our n@wie chapter, I wouldn't have met wonderful sisters if not for you
dada - for being a true friend and for being an inspiration
doc joey - for being a superb blogger. you make me want to always keep up with my blog
mec - you have a gift with words and I really admire you for that
lizette - for being full of surprises

preggy tag

I was tagged by mommy concon!

{START HERE}

Moms Who Played Along: Mai / Yen /Eds / Vannie / Fun.Fierce.Fab / Bojoy / bonz / Pinaymama / Sheng / Carol / Cee / Jacque / cOncON / jeng

Preggy Facts:
1. Who did you first inform about your pregnancy and how? My Husband. He was waiting outside the comfort room when I did the pregnancy test. He was elated when I showed it to him. It was Mother's day so it was very timely.
2. Maximum weight? 190 lbs!
3. Cravings? Nothing particular, I ate everything ; )
4. Aversions? None.
5. Morning Sickness? Once lang.

D Day Facts:
1. Number of Kids/Deliveries? One
2. NSD or CS? CS pero nag trial labor pa ko for normal delivery.
3. Girl or Boy? Boy
4. AOG (age of gestation) on Birth? 36 weeks
5. How long in labor? six hours

{END COPY HERE}

I'm sharing this tag with all the mommy bloggers from Pinay Bloggers.

How Do You Discipline Your Kids?

This my entry for the PPBC 7th Edition: How Do You Discipline Your Kids? posted by theworkingmom

The word discipline comes from the Latin word "disciplina" which means "to teach." It involves teaching the child right from wrong, respecting other people's rights and the behaviors which are acceptable and which are not. As there are many forms of teaching, there also are many forms of disciplining.

For us, we really started discpiplining our son when he was about 10 months, as this was the time he started to talk and communicate with us through his words and actions. Even though sometimes he would just stare at me, wondering what I was talking about, I would talk to him about how to properly do things. I do not think that there is really a right age to start on disciplining children. It is an ongoing process and as our children grow, we also learn about their behaviors.

Discipline begins at home and as parents, we try to set an example of doing the right things. We also try to be firm when we set rules. At Joaqui's age, he now begins to throw tantrums when he doesn't get what he wants, and no matter how hard it is to stick to the rules, we try to just distract him on other things and when he has calmed down we explain to him the reason for our actions.

With regard to spanking as a form of discipline, for me it has no value to very young children and can affect their sense of security and self-esteem.

Although discpline is a joint effort for both me and my husband, my husband is more of the disciplinarian. He is the "moderator" in the house and he tends to be more firm when saying no, especially to Joaqui.

Discipline is also a way of showing our love to our children. Good discipline always has a goal of helping to develop a child who is self-confident, self-disciplined and to feel secured and loved.

Did I marry the right person?

It's not that I'm asking...but a friend emailed this to me and I thought of sharing it in this blog.

DID I MARRY THE RIGHT PERSON? During one of our seminars, a woman asked a common question. She said, "How do I know if I married the right person?" I noticed that there was a large man sitting next to her so I said, "It depends. Is that your husband?" In all seriousness, she answered "How do you know?" Let me answer this question because the chances are good that it's weighing on your mind. Here's the answer.

EVERY relationship has a cycle. In the beginning, you fell in love with your spouse. You anticipated their call, wanted their touch, and liked their idiosyncrasies. Falling in love with your spouse wasn't hard. In fact, it was a completely natural and spontaneous experience. You didn't have to DO anything. That's why it's called "falling" in love... because it's happening TO YOU. People in love sometimes say, "I was swept off my feet." Think about the imagery of that expression. It implies that you were just standing there; doing nothing, and then something came along and happened TO YOU. Falling in love is easy. It's a passive and spontaneous experience. But after a few years of marriage, the euphoria of love fades. It's the natural cycle of EVERY relationship. Slowly but surely, phone calls become a bother (if they come at all), touch is not always welcome (when it happens), and your spouse's idiosyncrasies, instead of being cute, drive you nuts. The symptoms of this stage vary with every relationship, but if you think about your marriage, you will notice a dramatic difference between the initial stage when you were in love and a much duller or even angry subsequent stage. At this point, you and/or your spouse might start asking, "Did I marry the right person?" And as you and your spouse reflect on the euphoria of the love you once had, you may begin to desire that experience with someone else.

This is when marriages break down. People blame their spouse for their unhappiness and look outside their marriage for fulfillment. Extramarital fulfillment comes in all shapes and sizes. Infidelity is the most obvious, but sometimes people turn to work, church, a hobby, a friendship, excessive TV, or abusive substances. The answer to this dilemma does NOT lie outside your marriage. It lies within it. I'm not saying that you couldn't fall in love with someone else. You could and TEMPORARILY you'd feel better, but you'd be in the same situation a few years later. Because (listen carefully to this): THE KEY TO SUCCEEDING IN MARRIAGE IS NOT FINDING THE RIGHT PERSON; IT'S LEARNING TO LOVE THE PERSON YOU FOUND. SUSTAINING love is not a passive or spontaneous experience. It'll NEVER just happen to you. You can't "find" LASTING love. You have to "make" it day in and day out. That's why we have the expression "the labor of love." Because it takes time, effort, and energy and most importantly, it takes WISDOM. You have to know WHAT TO DO to make your marriage work. Make no mistake about it. Love is NOT a mystery. There are specific things you can do (with or without your spouse) to succeed with your marriage. Just as there are physical laws of the universe (such as gravity), there are also laws for relationships. Just as the right diet and exercise program makes you physically stronger, certain habits in your relationship WILL make your marriage stronger. It's a direct cause and effect. If you know and apply the laws, the results are predictable. .. you can "make" love.

Love in marriage is indeed a "decision"... not just a feeling.

Tagged: Thrilling Twenty

Tagged by Apple.

The rules are simple...1. Answer this question--WHAT CHEAP SNACK WOULD YOU BUY FOR TWENTY BUCKS?2. Take a pic of it and post it on your blog.3. Link back to Cez's site.4. Give Cez a shoutout so that she can include your thrilling-twenty in the round-up.

And here's my thrilling twenty snack...

Lucky Me instant pancit canton and Kool-Aid strawberry juice. I really don't know if this would be worth P20, but it is my favorite snack ever since I was in college ; ) I would put egg and sometimes leftover hotdogs or luncheon meat on my pancit canton...not for the weight conscious I guess ; P

I'm tagging Kitts, Meng, Dada, and Lissa.