The Thrill of Victory

I pride myself on having the mind of a realist and the spirit of a believer. Granted, these two parts of my personality often find themselves at odds with one another in the life I try to lead. It isn't always easy to both think through things (and reject the nonsense) while still believing that pretty much anything can happen (especially things that usually don't). Still, I press onward, searching for some meaning to all of this stuff. Life can be so confusing; it's nice to occasionally find a place where I can both believe in something and think my way through something in a logical way.

I do believe that I have found the perfect place to combine these two occasionally warring traits of mine. Don't think I have lost my head, but I have taken up placing the occasional bet as a side hobby. Now don't call any compulsive gambling hotlines on my behalf; it is nothing more than a little bit of fun I have on the side. I never bet anything that I couldn't bear to lose, no matter how tempting it is at those sports betting sites to just lay it all down. That would be a silly way to sacrifice the old retirement fund.

After all, nobody wins every time, not even me. But it isn't for my lack of trying. I put the same level of effort into making the best possible bets as I put into everything else that I do, you know. No half hearted efforts on my part, when it concerns the money I sweat so hard to make in the first place. Just remember one thing if you also decide that taking up a little online gambling is your thing. Know what you're doing before you start out with any real money. You can always pretend to bet and see if your system works first.

My Hannah Montana

Can my little girl pass for a model? Or will she be the next Hannah Montana? Whatever. Whatever or whoever she becomes someday, i hope she won't forget all the people that loves her along the way. And she will always be and forever my BABY.

Ladies' Shopping on Black Friday

If you have stayed at home the last two years of Thanksgiving shopping, you must be all agog to get on the streets this year. From sexy costumes to cool electro gadgets, nothing is out of the agenda. There is some money to spare—thanks to careful saving brought about by the recession—and while it may not be a lot, it is enough to bolster your spirits and give you that healthy belligerence against these bad times.

If you live in big cities like New York or Chicago, there is a wealth of things to buy, and a host of destinations to buy them from. In New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, giant departmental stores and boutiques are doing all they can to make you come and buy their offerings. They are decorating their shelves with thousands of beautiful things, just waiting for you to come along and get them. There are things in there beautiful beyond your wildest imagination; things you can brag about for the rest of the year to your neighbor. So, for city people, there's no dearth of shopping fun on Black Friday.

But suppose you live in the smaller towns, or rural areas where there's no good stores to buy from? Here's an idea for those of you who live away from cities—check out online shopping for a spell.

Online shopping—the process of shopping itself—may not be as fun as an outdoorsy shopping day. But the good thing about online shopping is that it gives you as much and even more choices than any single city departmental store can ever give you. Some of these online stores are the most gigantic shopping portals available. You can find every kind of stuff in these stores. So, don't worry if you don't live in a city. This Black Friday, how about you shop online?

Real Estate is Still a Good Investment

You hear so much lately about how down the real estate market is and how low home prices are. In some areas, prices are lower than they have been in 20 years and that creates great opportunities for people looking to invest in real estate. Because of the foreclosure crisis, there are a number of people looking to rent homes since they no longer qualify for home loans, and that means new customers for property owners.

Buy low and sell high is the motto of any investment plan, and real estate is no exception. You can pick up bargains now and sell them later when the market picks up. Plus, in the meantime, you can rent out the property and earn income. The secret is to invest in property in very desirable locations because those will be the first markets to recover.

One thing that discourages many people from buying property is that they do not want to serve as a landlord. They don't want the midnight call when there is a problem or having to constantly chase after tenants for their rent. An easy solution is to hire a property management company to do that for you. You can own the property and earn the income while someone else handles day to day operations.

By hiring a firm to manage the property, you can also invest in real estate in cities other than where you call home. For example, one of the most popular places to live is San Diego, California. You can find excellent deals right now on apartment buildings there to purchase and then hire a San Diego property management company to handle maintaining the buildings and renting them out. This could also be an excellent way to purchase a vacation home where you want to spend a few months a year and then rent it out the rest of the time.

Black Friday Shopping Tips

'Tis the season to be shopping! With Black Friday right around the corner, if you're like me you're probably gearing up for some pretty serious shopping. Holiday shopping, especially the day after Thanksgiving, can be hectic and crazy.

Here are my tips for getting what you want at the great post-Thanksgiving day sales:

1) Have a plan. Unless you like to spend all day cruising parking lots waiting for a spot, standing in line for hours, or fighting thousands of other shoppers for the last sale item, it's best to start with a plan. Peruse the ads of your favorite stores, make a list of where you want to go and at what time, and stick to the plan.
2) Prepare to get up early. It's no secret that most of the really good deals are gone well before noon. If you plan on saving some serious money, be prepared to get there when the stores open. Sometimes, that's at midnight. Other times it's at 6 am. A little research will help you know.
3) Decide whether it's really worth it. Sometimes, the hype of Black Friday sales is just that--hype. That's why it's important to know what you want ahead of time, and then look to see if it's on sale anywhere. If you've had your eye on a new $800 flat-screen TV or want to stock your closet with rocawear and find out that the TV you want is now $400 and all Rocawear is 50% off at your favorite boutique, then by all means brave the crowds and the craziness. But if you're standing in line at 6AM so you can save $10 on a toaster, you may want to rethink your motivation for shopping.

These are just a few ways you can keep your sanity and get what you want during holiday shopping!

Thinking About Poker Tables - Because Women Like to Play, Too

Women are still often seen as creatures far different from men. In a lot of ways that's true, but there are similarities which men always seem to ignore. One of those is that women often like to play the same kinds of games and the same kinds of sports as men - like poker. Poker tables can make great gifts for women during the holidays, for a birthday, or just because. If you're only thinking about that kind of gift for a man in your life, it might be time to reconsider and think about the women in your life, too.

A lot of people don't think outside the box when it comes to the kinds of gifts they can get for the men and women in their lives. In many ways, the gender lines are still very strong and people are quite divided on what they 'want' for a present. In reality, the line between the genders is often blurred when it comes to hobbies, activities, ideas, and opinions, as well as interests. Don't assume that a person won't like something just because of gender. If you're not sure what a friend or family member might like for a gift, ask.

It's always easier to ask what someone would like, instead of just assuming that you know what's best. Sometimes you'll be right on the mark - especially if you really know the person well - but other times you might not get what the person would really want. No matter whether you're shopping for a man or a woman, you want to get your recipient a great gift. That's most easily accomplished when you pay attention to the hobbies and interests that the person has, and when you ask them about their life and take an interest in them. That way, you can get just the right gift for them.

In the Eyes of a Child!

There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million. ~Walt Streightiff

Chaos Answered: Pay Day Loans

It’s been a long day (and you’ve come to realize that this is a commonality). You sit tiredly behind the steering wheel, navigating a road you’ve traveled often. It’s a familiar path that requires no concentration, no concern. Its curves could be followed in dreams; and it’s such a temptation to test that theory, to allow your eyes to close and gain the precious rest. You consider it for a moment before you’re suddenly denied the chance to even try.

Because a deer comes prancing onto the lane, forcing you to spin the car away. It’s a shriek of an engine, the scratch of rubber against concrete. You’re white-knuckled and shaking as you try to escape the impending collision. And you succeed.... until you stumble off into a ditch. And the consequence is a whine of metal and a burst of steam.

Your car is ruined - as well as any hope for sleep.

There is one truth in life: it is never the simplicity we wish it to be. Accidents happen. Fate is fickle. And chaos is as common as it is tedious. No planning will suffice. No expectations will be enough. We can instead only budget our time and our dollars, hoping they will sustain us in the wake of an emergency.

They won’t always.

And this is why pay day loans become so vital. Should an accident occur - one that demands more than those spare pennies you’ve been hiding - you’ll need the proper funds to counter it. But banks will often refuse to help and credit unions can only offer limitations. These will be of no aid to you. Loan institutions, however, will.

These are tailored for all of the little emergencies that can’t be denied. They’ll provide quick service, immediate funds and the much craved sympathy. You can finally have the money you need and the results you want.

Getting Your Child Ready for Kindergarten

There are lots of things your child should know before they go to kindergarten. Letters, numbers, shapes, colors, seasons and so on, are just some of the things that will be covered. You should spend some time with your child each day teaching these things so they will have an easier time in kindergarten and develop a love for learning at an early age. Books and reading are also very important, because not only do they set an example to your child that reading is good, but they also open up lines of communication.

You might be thinking, these are all things that my child is suppose to learn when they are in kindergarten, so why do I have to teach them these things before they go? The answer is that there are going to be at least 20 other kids in your child’s classroom and it is nearly impossible for the teacher to give your child the one-on-one attention that is needed to grasp some concepts. It is the parent’s responsibility to make sure their children are learning the things that they need to and help out at home. Plus, don’t you want your child to be ahead of the others?

Sometimes it can be hard to teach your child the things that they are suppose to learn because you have no experience doing it. There are resources to help you online, though, so you don’t need to worry. You can also buy educational material online that is designed specifically for your child’s age group. Overstock.com is a great resource for discounts on these materials, especially if you use Overstock coupon codes to make your purchases. Get geared up now to start teaching your child the things they need to learn in kindergarten.

Kodak C913 has a Timer!

Though it is only 10 seconds timer, we made use of it big time on our bohol getaway.. When there's nobody near that we can ask for a favor to take a picture of us, My kodak C913 or Cami's timer was and always our last resort.

It's pose and smile!

Buying Handbags Can Be Challenging

There are so many types of handbags out there today. Not only are there different patterns and materials that are used, there are different lengths, styles, and more. When thinking about these bags, many people don't even know where to start. One good starting point is to figure out what you like. Do you prefer a small but elegant bag? Or do you prefer something that is large and can hold anything and everything? Another thing to think about is whether you want it to have a long, over the shoulder strap, or a short strap like a shoulder bag?

Once you have an idea of what style you like, you need to see if you can find a material and/or pattern that you like in that style. There are many ways to go about this. Shopping online and in the stores can give you an idea of what's available. For example, if you are a fan of leather bags, you will want to look at a supplier specializing in leather items.

You will also want to set a price limit for yourself. You may find the perfect handbag, but realize that it costs hundreds of dollars. If you don't have that kind of money to spend, you can end up either disappointed or in debt.

Knowing what you want in your bag before you go to purchase it is a great way to save some time. If you get to a store, whether online or brick and mortar, and you have no idea what you want, you will inevitably spend extra time shopping around. In fact, you may end up not purchasing anything, or settling on something that you are not a huge fan of.

The Power of a Free Ringtone

I love freebies as much as the next person, and I am sure that you do too. If you enjoy getting free stuff on the internet, then you're really going to enjoy my story. I'm always trying to cheer myself up, a little bit of sunshine goes a long way. So one of my recent quests was to load some better music onto my cell phone so that I have something enjoyable to rock out to when someone is phoning me. I was surprised to find that the quality of free ringtone websites out there is not disappointing in the slightest, and I ended up finding some pretty sunny music online, definitely beyond what I was expecting.

I have been using my cell phone more than ever this week simply because I enjoy the music I have loaded onto it. Isn't technology great? I'm not going to force my personal music choices onto you, but let me just say that there is plenty of free music out there that you can load onto your cell, and it'll allow you to have a much more personalized phone experience. When people call you up, not only are you greeted by a friend or family member or some other loved one, but you are greeted with sunny and enjoyable music, which is capable of totally changing your mood around and adding some sun into your life. This really goes with everything that I have been feeling lately.

So, not trying to preach to you, but if you are rocking the default tunes for your cell phone provider, you really need to consider a change. Load up some of your favorite singers and songwriters or some unique midi tunes if they suit you, and rock out to something that will bring you peace and happiness instead.

Hollaback Girl!

Husband loves taking a picture of my back. I have not asked him why, but i noticed that in our bohol getaway, there are a number of pictures of me and my back. LOL

I know he has been telling me about how much he adores my legs... And if only i can be a leg all over i know for sure he would wish for that!

Choosing the Right Debt Consolidation Service Provider

In an economically pressing situation when the world is still recovering from an economic downturn, problems in managing your finance are a hard reality. Consequences of such problems are, a tight budget, bills piling up, demanding creditors, etc. Thankfully, there exists a solution, getting your debts consolidated such that they are within your comfort zone. However, the question arises, how to choose a trustworthy debt consolidation service provider?

Having the right answer to this question will definitely be a crucial step to financial freedom. You should consider the following factors while choosing a debt consolidation service provider:

Location: Choosing a debt consolidation company in your area is often better because you can reach out to them at your own comfort and discuss any new situation while they negotiate with your creditors.

Reviews: You should search the Web and read reviews of such service providers on forums and discussion groups. Learning from others’ experience can work in your favour when you are trying to spot the best service provider.

History and track record: Judge debt consolidation companies on various parameters; the age of company, clientele, history of resolving cases similar to yours, and their popularity among the people who have used them in past arer key to finding a good debt consolidation service provider.

Fees: You should be very careful of their fees and any hidden charges. Also, when you are going through a tough time, choosing a reliable service provider with affordable fees will not add an extra burden.

Of course, selection of a very good and reliable debt consolidation company is as important as the debt management itself. Whereas an experienced service provider can easily help you sail through the tough times, a bad decision can make your economic situation even worse.

A Few Money Saving Tips

Saving more money isn’t exactly the same as making more money, but it can have just as many benefits. Before you can make the most of your salary by saving money on as many items as possible, you should investigate your current financial situation and find places where you can trim costs to improve your budget.

Unavoidable Expenses

Some expenses are unavoidable. You have to pay for housing, car insurance, heating, food and clothes. There is simply no way around them for most people.

Just because you have to buy these things, though, doesn’t mean that you can’t reduce the amount that you spend on them. Many people find that they can save a substantial amount of money just by making a few smart choices in their lifestyles. For instance, keeping your heat turned a few degrees cooler than usual can save you a ton during the cold winter months. Shopping around for new car insurance every year can also help you save a bundle.

Avoidable Expenses

Other expenses are completely avoidable. You don’t have to go out to dinner once a week. Sure, it’s a lot of fun and you feel like someone else should do the cooking for a change. But you don’t have to.

Similarly, entertainment is one of those things that many people think that they have to do, when, in reality, they don’t. No one is going to hold a gun to your head and force you to visit the movie theater tonight. No one is going to make you go out with co-workers for a drink. You might want to, and you might even feel a lot of pressure to do these things, but you don’t have to.

Drawing Distinctions

Once you learn how to draw these distinctions, you can start saving money on necessities and luxury items. In the end, the sacrifices are worth every penny.

13 Pictures for Bohol Countryside and Panglao Tour

We were able to have both the countryside and panglao tour in one day, thanks to Kuya Rey, the car driver who let us see all the 13 famous destinations of Bohol. Countryside and Panglao tour is supposed to be a 2 day tour, if you would rent a van/car and they would usually charge for 2 days.

Luck must be really on our side, coz aside from the best accommodation we got from Whites and Greens Beach Resort, we had the best driver/tour guide that we will again be getting when we go back to Bohol next year!

Now here are the 13 pictures for the countryside and panglao tour with the corresponding entrance fees as of November 2010. 

Blood Compact Shrine; no entrance fee

posing with the tarsiers; no entrance fee, donation only!

hanging bridge; entrance fee P10/head

man made forest; no entrance fee

butterfly sanctuary; entrance fee 20/head, 10/children

chocolate hills; entrance fee 50/head, 25/children

loboc river cruise; entrance fee 100/head children up to 7yo free; buffet lunch 300/head and children up to 12yo free!

posing with Prony the 14year old, 250kgs python; entrance fee 10/head

baclayon church; no entrance fee, museum entrance fee 25/head

dauis church; bring home a bottled miracle water, no fee donation only!

4 huge ostritch ; entrance fee 20/head, 10/children

hinagdanan cave; entrance fee 15/head

bohol bee farm; farm tour 20/head

If you want the cheapest bohol tour package, it is advisable to just rent a car/van and then pay separately for the entrance fees on each destination. For van/car for hire contact Rey Batugan @ 0917 631 8105 or 0929 437 0017. He was our driver/tour guide and he is one of the nicest people we met in Bohol.

Bohol Countryside and Panglao Tour in a Day!

This is just a quick recap of our 3days 2nights stay at Bohol. I will make a separate post on all the places we’ve been, the entrance fees on some tourist destinations in bohol and a review about Whites and Greens Beach Resort soon.

We spent our first day at the resort since we arrived at lunch time. My husband and daughter enjoyed the beach while I face my laptop in our cottage chatting with friends at facebook and prepare myself physically for the countryside tour the next day. On day 2, we started early at 8am and went straight to the Blood Compact Shrine, then met the smallest primate in the world the Tarsiers, walked hand and hand at the Hanging Bridge, enjoyed the cold breeze of winds at the Manmade Forest and learned the difference of mariposa and butterflies at the Butterfly Sanctuary and then head to the famous Chocolate Hills!

We had our buffet lunch and enjoyed the cruise at Loboc River, saw the huge 14 year old Python right after and then head at the two oldest Churches in Bohol, the Baclayon Church and Dauis Church. We also dropped by at the 4 biggest Ostritch Place before going to Hinagdanan Cave and Bohol Bee farm, where we had a taste of their malunggay ice cream.

We went back to the resort by 5pm and swim for almost an hour. It was a very tiring getaway but we had so much FUN! Bohol really rocks our world!

Happy Birthday Mrs Sasaki!

Dearest clang,

What I wanted to tell you, I wrote it on a note, sealed it with a kiss and sent it to the wind. I hope you be happiest not only today but for the rest of your lives with Yochan, Haruka and Wakaba. And I hope all your wishes come true! Wink wink. Happy Happy Birthday! Inuman na!! ^_^

I hope this special banner especially made for you by her Highness Kaye could give you the hugs and kisses we wanted to give you right now!

~ 0 ~

And if you want to make someone happy today - please click this lovely buttons below and leave the gorgeous birthday girl some great lovin'! Get to know this wonderful person and am sure you will find a genuine friend! I JUST DID and she's forever a FRIEND! =)

Honeymoon in Vegas

After my husband’s last post on his blog about our planned church wedding in 2017 I have dreams of going to Vegas for our honeymoon and spend a fortune playing in a microgaming casinos. That’s if we can step foot in Sin City in real life. But if not, I know we could see the place online or through google earth. I guess I can be contented with that.

Seriously, I haven’t tried playing on the best online casinos yet but at the rate my dreams are taking me I guess I need to learn the tricks of the trade most especially on the no deposit casino bonus. Oh, how much I’d like to feel the thrill of bringing home the biggest prize ever. I would be on cloud 9 for sure!

But being the player that my husband is, I know for sure he would have a great time on the poker or at the roulette while am behind him cheering my heart out. Or he would be hiding his face in shame for having a loud wife cheering for him, lol. Either way, I know that if this dream is coming true, the day I step foot in Vegas would be one of my happiest days ever!

Luckiest!

I started the day with lots of cramming and stress and most especially prayers. The cramming and stress came after i read the message from my fave advertiser in the blogniverse - the message boils down to transferring to wordpress, leave my comfort zone blogger.com and have my own hosting.

and then I pray i could transfer my two new blogger blogs to wordpress (these are the two blogs am planning to add to the system) and the problem is that - i don't know where to start.

Until i buzzed two blogging friends over yahoo messenger who helped me with the transfers, designs etc etc. Now my food blog is under wordpress and has its own hosting. Ok, the host is the most recommended webhosting site so i shelled out my budgeted penny for that but no regrets. I LOVE the new look of my Plate and Me blog!

and i feel i am the luckiest blogger on earth to have friends like them who are always there when i need a hand.. Thanks much Kaye and Sam!