Most Filipinos that are residing and working abroad never failed to send money to the Philippines. If my sister is not in college I probably won't be sending any except for birthdays and occasions. When Ryan and I were still corresponding Ryan put all the money in the mail. Yep it was scary especially when we know how bad the mail systems in the Philippines. He used to send me some over there to open an account so that he will have some money to spend during his visit. He also sent money when I was preparing my papers to come over. When I got here we both didn't feel comfortable anymore mailing the money. So we chose to go to a bank in Chicago to send it. It was a very long drive and I used to hate how busy it is up there. Then a new Filipino store opened in Steger and that is how I have been sending money but during winter I send it online since I didn't like dragging Frankie around. Here are some of the places online.
1. Xoom.com - Exchange rate is a few cents lower than the other two but their fee is also way lower than the other two. It is so reliable, fast and dependable.
2. Luckymoney.com - fee is a little expensive than xoom but very secure. From the time I started sending money through them, they have called twice already for verification to make sure that I am the owner of the credit card I am using.
3. emoneygram.com - 14.00 flat rate for the fee regardless how small the amount but it is better if you are sending as much as $400.00. Unfortunately, there is no direct deposit to the bank (you have to apply for something that takes days) so the recipient has to pick it up in the sender's chosen bank or pick up center. Can be a hassle because you pick up the money and had to go to the bank and deposit it again.
Well now that it is summer I am sending to the Filipino store because they have 10.00 flat rate on money up to $2,000.00. So where do you go?
Maybe by now you have heard about SocialSpark especially if you are also a member of PayPerPost. If you are trying to make money using your blog, SocialSpark can be another great alternative for you. However, if you haven’t checked out SocialSpark then let me tell you a little about it. SocialSpark is not only a place where you can monetize your blog but also a place where you can build a community and with that drive traffic to your blog(s). You sign up and create your own profile for other members to read just like the one below.
In your blogger profile you have an option to share things about yourself and about the things that interests you. You will also find a list of your network of friends, comments and recent opportunities you have taken. Not just that, below is a list of opportunities. The common question I always get from friends is where we can find the opportunities. By clicking market place on the upper right corner of the home page and click browse opportunities, that is where you will find all of them like the one below.
The best part is when a multiple opportunity opens up you can reserve more than one and you have 12 hours to finish it. So you have enough time to take care of things or on long overdue chores that needs to be done. And if in case the slot is already full in an opportunity, you can click to wait a slot and as soon as the advertiser opens up again, SocialSpark will reserve it for and notify you through email. SocialSpark not only allows bloggers to earn money but it also offers advertisers the following:
-100% Audit-able In-Post Disclosure
-100% Transparency
-100% Real Opinions
-100% Search Engine Friendly
So what are you waiting for? If you are a blogger, join the SocialSpark community now to make money and meet new friends and if you are an advertiser let us do the job in bringing your products and services out there.
I am so exhausted and I am really to fall asleep. There were so many things that needs to be done today. I am just glad that the weekend is fast approaching so that I can relax. Ryan wants us to go the Botanical Gardens this Saturday but I told him that it is the day before Mother's day and it could be really busy over there. Dad said it is so beautiful in there that we need to go and check it out. Honestly I haven't been there and I am dying to go but maybe next week we can finally go.
I have been to so many weddings back in the Philippines and here and I have to say that wedding flowers always add so much beauty to the wedding although they can be very expensive if you don’t know where to get them. At www.fiftyflowers.com you can get flowers at a discounted price allowing you to save 75%. Why so cheap? It is because there is no middle man that usually adds more to the price. You can also check out their wedding flowers packages to save even more. The flowers are freshly shipped to you overnight and with free shipping. Choose from the selection of flowers they have and save.
Whenever we are invited for a party I don't know it always makes me so excited. It only means we are special to be remembered. It will be a birthday party/get together of Allona's husband, another friend of Rosit and I, that I met through Rosit. She is really nice and we have eaten together whenever I am over there. Also she is from the same University that I went to in Cebu so it was fun talking about the people that she knew and I knew. I can't wait for this Saturday but Ryan has to work overtime so Frankie and I will only be the ones going. Rosit and Charles will be waiting for us in there house and we will go there together. Excited... excited... excited.
The market is down and it is not advisable to sell your house because you will most likely not going to get your asking price. Although it is a great advantage if you are planning to buy a house or a piece of land. That has been keeping us busy lately looking for a land and researching for their land taxes before they go up again. I can feel and see the effect of the market because we have neighbors who have been selling their houses for almost a year now. One house always have an open house but still they didn't sell it. One house is actually bank owned. It was repossessed 9 months after the previous owner moved in because they couldn’t make the payment. Now someone has to sell that repossessed property for the bank.
Real estate agents are not doing too well either with the market down. Unfortunately real estate agents can’t just sell it for the bank so this is where REO agent training will come in handy. REO also known as Real Estate Owned are properties by the banks and they need someone to sell it for them. The REO home study course allows you to learn step by step procedure in selling foreclosure properties and how to do REO Bank Owned Properties. Imagine what an advantage is this going to bring to your business when you can sell both regular and foreclosed homes. You should check them out.
Since their computer is up in the Philippines I have been talking with them for almost everyday but I hate their microphone. The background is too loud but not their voices. I told my sister so many times to get one so that I don't need to buy a calling card and I am glad she listened. Last night was the first voice chat we have with the new microphone and I can hear them really good although not as good with me to them because their connection was so slow. They have dial up and still waiting for broadband. They were promised that they will open a line around where they lived so hopefully that pushes through because then we can enjoy our conversations free.
To be honest with you, I didn’t know that you can actually get into gold investing before. I thought gold is only what we see in treasure hunting movies and not in real life and I was wrong. At monex.com you can buy precious metals such as gold, silver, platinum and palladium for investing purposes. You can always arrange a place where you want it stored at one of the secured banks and depositories of your choose. This will also be a great investment for the future of your children as its value keeps going up. Always get your precious metals from a reputable company like Monex who have been satisfying their customers for 30 long years and counting.
Two days ago I put Frankie to bed. I know he was already tired but after a while he gets up and sat down and started crawling on the edge of the bed to get off. This is the first time that he had acted like this as it has always been so easy to put him to bed. We got up 3 times and still he was sleepy but I can tell that something was bothering him. He is not crabby or anything but he was just super up even if I know that he is tired. I laid him down to touch his teeth and I was right 2 from the left side and 2 from the right side and most of the gums were swelling. Good thing I was able to get him baby orajel and 5 mins. after that he fell asleep. I am sure he is in a lot of pain. Poor baby but everybody has to go through this.
You haven’t seen extreme violence and sadistic gore until you’ll watch the movie Frontier(s). That is the reason why they will be out in selected theaters only for a week starting May 9 before the release of their DVD on May 13 because it's uncut, uncensored and unrated. Most unrated movies usually don’t get shown to the public or in the theaters until they change something in the movie that conforms to the standard rating but not Frontier(s). It was meant to be the way it is, therefore it will be seen the way it should be.
So have you seen the trailer and visited the website yet? It’s really cool. In the website you can navigate and watch clips from the movie so you know what to expect. As a background, a gang of robbers planned a robbery that went terribly wrong. To keep themselves from being caught by the police that were after them, they split up and some ended up in a hostel owned by cannibals. Soon the gang members were mutilated and tortured one by one. I guess they deserved what they got huh? Are they going to make it out alive? You have to see for yourself. Check out select theater listings to see if there is one in your area and prepare to be scared. 
I was in the Filipino store last Wednesday to send money to the Philippines and I overheard the owner of the store and another Filipina talking about the supply of rice. Apparently she just came from Costco and Sam's Club and they are not selling rice and her last hope was the Filipino store. The Filipino store still have sacks of rice. I even told him that he can have the rice we have at home. I bought one sack of rice before but I stopped cooking it when I realized that we sell grits here in the US. I grew up eating grits because we used to have a cornfield but we don't cook it soupy or fried like the south but we have it cooked like the rice. So now I don't cook rice (it has so much starch in it too) but I cook grits and I am loving it. Another alternative for rice.
Ryan bought me a supply from his shop. My mama is also happy that we have grits over here because rice is not good for diabetics.
There are so many kinds of cruise vacations out there. There are senior cruises, family cruises, romantic cruises for couples, luxury cruises, the famous celebrity cruises and now Christian cruises. People pick the type of cruise according to the kind of adventure they want to go into. Among the lists of cruises, it is the Christian cruise that I find so interesting. I read the bible regularly and a history fanatic so it would be nice to be able to visit the places that I read from the bible. With the beautiful chartered luxury yacht you will enjoy first class amenities and on board activities making this your cruise of a lifetime. There will also be bible teachings on board. Imagine visiting the place where John received the book of revelations right there in front of your very eye. Kids can also enjoy a navigational session with their very own cruise captain. There is always fun stuff to do on board for both young and adults a like. You can also visit the beautiful island of Santorini. If you think it is hard to be able to visit those places that you only read in the bible, not anymore with the Christian cruises.
Would you believe that Ryan and I haven't seen the complete Lord of the Rings trilogy yet? I have heard wonderful reviews about it. Well I have seen the first one and Ryan had seen the second one and I have seen bits and pieces of the third one. So all we need to do it rent all three of them and watch them in a day. We haven't pick what day that we can just laze around and watch it. I can't believe we missed this movie. We also watched the first installment of the Golden Compass and it was pretty good now looking forward to the next one.
There are a lot of things to consider when one person opens a business. Besides the location and putting together manpower, introducing the product to the public will be another challenge hence exhibiting the quality of the product through its labels is a must. This is where the help of www.labelworldusa.com can come in handy. They specialize in Custom Label, medical labels, wines labels and any other branding needs that you might have. You are guaranteed with high quality labels and they answer to your labeling needs big or small.
One of the things I truly enjoy every night is preparing Ryan's lunches and breakfast while they are in the living room together. It allows me to be creative and Ryan just love whatever I come up with. One of this favorite is the omelet which I stuffed mushrooms, or ham and even pressed and cooked sausage in it. Then when it almost done sprinkle it with love 
(cheese). I always get an astounding thank you from him. For his lunch is always a filling salad with deli meat sliced, cheese and garlic croutons and his choice of a salad dressing. So can you blame him if he gains weight a little? 
I have to say I am a pants person. If only we can wear pants to school rather than a skirt when I was in high school and college, I would love that. Even going to church I always wear pants despite my mother insisting not to. My favorite pair is the Chelsea Pants with tummy control picture below from Dockers that I bought when I first got here. You asked why tummy control? Well it surely helps after giving birth to our son and not being able to get rid of this pouch that I have right away.
If my favorite pair of pants can talk I am sure it will say it can feel the love. I don’t go out without ironing my clothes especially my pants. The creases have to be perfectly followed from the front and back. One of the many things I love about my Chelsea pants is I can wear it in almost anywhere from shopping, school and even when I was working before. I am not a purse person as I kept forgetting it so I place my money and the cards at the pockets. Now it is actually a little wore out after using it over and over again (poor thing!) and I may have to get another one but surely it will be exactly the same or just slightly different from the Chelsea pants that I love. So what kind of pants do you wear and love? Don’t you know that you can actually share your story/stories about your favorite pair of pants and submit it in a video for the Dockers contest? Yes, this is your time to show your pants some love and for a chance to win.
When Ryan is home this is how you usually catch them together. They are watching something that you think is very interesting. Well I guess it is interesting enough because they could be sitting on the rocking chair for hours and Frankie just doesn't move. They are watching either teletubbies or Barney. When that (sun) baby in teletubbies comes out Ryan would say, "There's the baby" and you just hear Frankie giggling. They can do this all day long and mama is happy.
It must be very challenging to be a doctor. Imagine all those medications they have to know such as the side effects if combined with other medications and have to carefully dispel it to their patients. Imagine how many medications that is out there right now. This is probably the reason why our family doctor carries a personal digital assistant all the time. I used to ask my husband why would he need it but it could be to access the internet and check out the website www.epocrates.com for medical reference or it may have been already added in his PDA. You see I take so many medications and one medication can interfere with the effectively of the other. Epocrates offers drug reference guide and free software for clinicians to be able to perform efficiently to their patients. What’s even better is you can add a free online drug reference tool for medical websites or even blogs. Now looking up for a drug has never been so easy.
This announcement was paid for by Epocrates.
Uncle Don is celebrating his birthday next week April 30. Although I remember it I was not able to get him a card right away and sometimes when I am in the store I kept forgetting until finally yesterday. I know it will get him late because he lives in Australia but the thought that we sent it is more important. I will give him a call anyway for his birthday and I will send some pictures of Frankie in the card. He always likes it. He thinks Frankie is the cutest and I completely agree. As they say it is better late than never.
I have always admired men and women in uniform because they always perform their duty regardless of where they are and what they are doing. Their dedication to their job makes them very special that is why they deserve to be treated special. So if you know someone that can use a new pair of Bates boots for his job, why not get him one? He deserves all the comfort that he can get and don’t forget the women in uniform too because www.lapolicegear.com also carry comfortable foot ware for her. And for sure expect an astounding thank you. Buy 2 now and enjoy free shipping. 
I was really looking forward for the family picture. I decided that we all should wear a white shirt so there will be no conflict of colors so Frankie and I went ahead and bought one for me and Ryan. Our appointment was at 5:00 p.m. Ryan worked overtime today and when he got home he told me that doesn't want to do it today because he looked so tired and exhausted. I told him that I really wanted it done and over with but he insisted and instead took a nap. He told me not to return the shirts because we will find time. So we'll see. When he got up he asked me if I wanted to have some Filipino food. I wasn't really not into anything but he wanted to make it up with me so I said yes. We ate at a Filipino buffet and it was yummy. I also had halo-halo and we all loved the food. We all went home and watched a movie.
I have to say I am one of the few who got lucky and didn’t have any stretch marks when I was pregnant with Frankie. I was even surprised not to get any knowing that my body had undergone so much stretching and I am not a big woman with a big baby inside. I didn’t even have any varicose veins, I guess I got lucky? Nah, I still have the weight that would love to get rid. So if you want to get rid of those annoying stretch marks in time for summer then you should visit www.ensbio.com for their the stretch mark cream and see the impressive results. Are struggling to lose weight like me? Then the weight loss home wrap kit from www.goo4swap.com might work for us. They also carry cellulite body wrap kit, skin tightening wrap kit, detox body wrap kit and many more. The body wrap contains natural ingredients so you are assured that it can work with even the most delicate skin. You should check then out today.
One of the many things that I missed in the Philippines is the province where my mother grew up and where my grandma still lives. She is in San Fernando, Cebu. It is the place where I took my students or if we want adventure we go there. It is a little far from the city and I just missed going up there. The view, the fresh air, the beautiful mountains overlooking the city and the island across and of course our nanay. I wish we can go for a visit soon and nanay can see Frankie. But for now let me share a picture of San Fernando that I snagged from my sister's friendster. This is the closest I can find.
We bought our house about three years ago and a real estate agent helped up through most of the things. Although we wish there were things that could have been done better. There were a couple of times that we were left hanging. There was a house that we wanted to see but he was out of town. He left us with his partner that really didn’t do much. There were houses that we also want to know more information about it because the internet only showed very limited details but it took more than 3 days for the complete information to get to us. I am sure he doesn’t know anything about House4Cell because if he did, I could have been telling you a different story. You see House4Cell is a service that makes real estate agent’s job a lot easier by using text messaging or the SMS solution to provide information to their clients. Let’s say for example I am a home buyer and I want to request an information then it will be given/sent to my cellphone in an instant. So no one will be left hanging. Real estate agents can also send photos through the client’s cellphone, send blast alerts to notice homebuyers if there is a price drop. Another great thing is the real estate agent can track the progress or inquiries online. It will be both perfect for both parties.
Majority of the people these days has a cellphone so why not use it to your benefit? The services that Cellit mobile marketing offer will be perfect for small businesses and big companies alike to better serve their clients and possible clients. Imagine how you could improve customer service by using the Cellit service such as the Cellit studio, where a powerful, user-friendly interface handles different types of campaigns with ease. They also have Cellit Alerts which is perfect for universities, companies and corporate campuses to easily contact and keep in touch with their members for emergency alerts during critical times. They also have Cellit properties, Cellit recruiting and Cellit surveys. However they will be of help to you and your business.
Another thing that I find so unique with mobile marketing is the CouponZap. Remember when we get coupons in the mail, forget that with CouponZap you get it through your cellphone like the one below.
To those who prefer to get coupons through their cellphone will get it. It is ideal for restaurants, nightclubs and bars. Just show the coupon in your cellphone and be able to enjoy the deal. Isn’t it mobile marketing just wonderful?
Rosit and CJ were here today. We went out for lunch at the Chinese place with Frankie and CJ and then headed to the Filipino store to shop for some fish. We had so much fun chasing the kids around. Afterwards we headed home and watch a movie while Ryan was doing something in the den. We all then head to Orland Square Mall to stroll and have Frankie's photos taken at Sears over there. We had to reschedule and have a family picture instead because Frankie didn't want to be alone. We then let the two kids play in the play area and eat dinner over there. We had a wonderful time. I am so happy that it is just me and Rosit rather than having a big crowd like before. Makes me think if they really liked me or if they are just pretending. Well with Rosit it's free. Literally, free food whenever I go there and she watches Frankie for free. But I guess you can say we give and take and I know she is not only my friend when we meet but it will be forever. Anyways, there are so many things lined up already. We were supposed to go to the Botanical Garden tomorrow but I asked to reschedule because I want to relax but we are going to have a cook out at the park by Rosit's house and invite all her friends and their kids soon. There is also a carnival that we will be going this June. So many things to do with wonderful people. I am sure with Papa coming over, this will be my best summer ever. Ohh yeah I am looking forward for bowling with Frankie and Ryan.
Happy Sunday... 
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