Under One Roof

I love checking out women’s jewelry. I am the type of person who loves to be prepared for a special occasion. That’s why I always scout of possible unique gift items I can buy for my family and friends. Since those close to me are mostly female, I am much more prepared for gifts for her than him.

I am a watch person. I love looking at newly designed watches. I am always on the lookout for a beautiful affordable watch. Although I am not going to buy one right away, I just want to know which stores carry it. You know, for when I already have the funds to buy one…

All these can be easily search using ShopWiki, a site which makes online shopping so much easier. It scours the web for ALL stores carrying different items like Jewelry and Watches which are very common gift items we give out on special occasions. Check out ShopWiki.com now and shop online conveniently!

I know there will be varied reactions to this kind of situation. Let me tell you about a family squabble when the three eldest children discovered that their father is already seeing someone less than a year that their mother passed away…

The three girls were already suspecting that their father is already seeing someone else. This just a few weeks after their mother passed away less than a year ago. But they had no proof so they let it go. A few weeks ago, they got the proof they need. Their father left his new cellphone at home. The second child recharged the phone and read the messages in its inbox. She read a message sent to a woman their father was obviously seeing saying that he paid for her grocery shopping. This enraged the second child and she immediately told her older and younger sisters about it. They set out to meet with the girl, the latter expecting to see the kids’ father instead.

Upon seeing the woman in a mall in the city, they immediately grab the girl and punched her. A squabble ensued prompting the mall security to break up the fight and take them all to the security office. The three girls could have been easily slapped with public scandal or something to the effect. They caused a scene, the woman claiming one of them even knocked her head on a glass window of a nearby restaurant. Fortunately for the three, the woman agreed to a settlement and they were released by the mall security.

I can totally understand where the three girls are coming from. They are actually 7 siblings, four are even minors. Their father hardly ever gives them money, making them eat noodles most of the time. And get this, two packs of noodles for the 7 of them! Their mom was badly treated when she was still alive. When they ask for money, even for a measly five peso coin, they would get a reprimand instead. Their father was that bad. And then to see him seeing someone less than a year from their mother’s death, even buying her grocery items when they haven’t seen him do that ever…

Violence is not an answer to anything. I know that. But when all the pent-up emotions of years past boil up to the surface, sometimes you can understand why violence ensues.

I work at home. I do consultancy and writing on the side. Almost always, I lack sleep. Mostly because I have so many things to do, and sometimes because of bad habits. Time management is important to me, as well as vitamin supplements. My elders, family, uncles and aunts, would often remind me to take my vitamins because of the kind of schedule I keep.

I remember around two years ago, my body almost gave up on me. I was often awake and slept for just two to three hours daily. Mondays to Sundays! There were too many things that I was doing all at the same time during that period that sleeping was bothersome for me. I forgot that I needed to take care of my health, too or all the things I was working hard for would go to nothing. Thank goodness a good rest was more than enough for me to recuperate and I was back to work before I knew it.

Sitting almost the whole day doing your work in the office or even at home (like me!) can be bad to your tummy area. It is so hard to trim that part of the body. We all know that. I have been searching for ways on how to reduce belly fat and I’ve tried most of it. It seems to me there are effective products for some people that are not as effective for some. It all depends on your body make-up, I think.

It is so hard to lose belly fat. I kept asking my sisters how come it is easy to gain weight but so hard to lose even a few? Especially when you belong to a family who loves to eat good food. Sigh.

There was a long line in the grocery store before the elections last Sunday. I think some people bought basic commodities to be ready for anything that can happen during the elections. I was a bit surprised to see the long line. Thank goodness each counter now has a barcode scanner that makes checking out easier for all. If items are still manually checked out, I think my sister and I will be at the store for hours!

I do our grocery shopping every two weeks. I don’t stock so much in the pantry to avoid spoilage. I also list down those that we really consume and I avoid buying some things that “we might consume”.

It seems to me that this person I know has been using the best fat burners out there. When I saw her three months ago, we were almost the same body size. I was so shocked when I saw her last week looking so slim! I couldn’t believe my eyes because she obviously lost a lot of weight. She told me that she lost thirty pounds from the last time I saw her. She is taking supplements while working out daily.

I was thinking that I wish I am that determined. If she can do it, so can I! But it all boils down to focus and determination really. Two things I lack, I must admit.

I am preparing my resumes for distribution. My friend is doing the same. We will be going on a job hunting expedition this whole months of May and June. I am currently a self-employed person and since I am saving up for a major expenditure by next year, I am thinking of working for the corporations again. My friend, on the other hand, is not happy with her current job anymore. So she’s also thinking of transferring to a new company.

Given a chance I would want to continue working at home. But there are aspects of my life that I need to take into consideration thus this move to become a corporate rat once again.

Every little thing concerning life and even death is costly. Hospitalization, medicine, therapy, burial, funeral costs. All of it can be expensive! So if there is a way for you to alleviate your love ones’ worries about the costs when you get sick or you suddenly pass away, do it. There are burial and funeral services that can be paid in advance. My dad has one. My mom had one, too, so when she passed away, the burial and funeral services were not a problem for us anymore.

I will get one for me soon. It is better to be prepared for the future, don’t you think? It might be morbid for some but for me, it’s more practical than anything else.

Happy Monday everyone!

Have you seen your electric bill for the month yet? I kept reading about how your average bill amount doubled for this current statement period. I have yet to receive our bill and I am already anticipating that it will make my head ache. Sobrang init na nga, iinit pa lalo ulo ng maraming tao nito!

I read in a friend’s tweet that their bill doubled. I asked her what appliances they’re using and she told me that they’re using their aircon a lot the past few weeks. I can understand that. At home, we only use electric fans. I was afraid to use the aircon because I know it will make our bill go crazier than normal. So we make do with electric fans and so far, we’re okay with it.

But now, I am dreading the coming electric bill. Grabe ang Meralco talaga!

When I was a kid, a Sunday becomes special to the whole family when my mom would cook adobong pata (pork leg adobo). I come from a middle class family who regards expensive pork leg adobo and rice as a special meal already. My mom was a good cook and we loved her adobong pata. Whenever I smell or see one being cooked, it reminds me of when my siblings and I would oooh and aaahh whenever we saw my mom cooking one. We would be asking what’s the special occasion and if there’s none, we knew mom and dad had extra money. Hahaha!

My dad has a different version of adobong pata. It’s equally delicious. But these days, we seldom eat one because of high cholesterol. When we were younger, we didn’t mind it. But now that we’re older, we’re more conscious of the risk involved in eating pata. We reserve the dish for when we go to mom’s grave or when there’s a special occasion related to my mom.

You will never know the value of your whole life insurance. Only those you will leave behind that will benefit from it will know how valuable the coverage can be.

That’s what happened to my friend. He didn’t know that his mom took out five life insurance coverages during her lifetime. He was the sole beneficiary of each and every insurance coverage, him being her only child. I remember my friend worrying about the loan he took out to cover the funeral cost and other miscellaneous expenses related to it. It wasn’t until good friends of his mom who told him about the insurance coverages did he know about it. He looked for the documents and found all five policies in his mom’s stuff. He had more than enough to cover the loan and some other expenses. He was able to really start a new life with the proceeds of the insurance policies.

We talked about how his mom was surely smiling down on him and had she been alive, she would have told him to do what she did for his future children.

It’s really sad how a divorce affects the kids. Some grow up to have hang ups in life. Some suffer from psychological problems. Some pretend to be unaffected but deeply scarred by it.

I know there was a point back in the past when my parents almost separated. They were constantly fighting about my mom’s suspicions that my dad had another woman. Even when my brother was already sick, they would keep on fighting. Even when there were strangers at home, it didn’t stop them from fighting. My mom was a very jealous person. I was not sure if my dad really had someone else that time but I do know that there were times when my mom was out of hand.

I am thankful that it didn’t end up in separation.

I know not all kids are as lucky as I am. My parents ended up together until my mom died. Most parents like mine who were(are) fighting like crazy end up separating/divorcing. And the kids suffer the most from it. It’s really sad.

I keep on reminding my brother to be extra careful when it comes to using anything on his face. He is at an age where he’s vulnerable to so many skin blemishes. Pimples, acne, etc. I don’t want him to be at a point where he will be in need of acne pills. Or any other facial skin products out in the market.

I was once pimple-ridden. Soap and clean water helped me get rid of it. My brother is not fond of using facial creams like me. That’s one good thing as we are sensitive to those kinds of products. Anyway, he listens to me so I have faith in him that he won’t get any blemish on his face.

Wrinkles. It’s inevitable. We all grow old whether we like it or not. We all get exposed to the sun and the other elements of nature that speed up the aging process. We laugh, we cry, we frown, we get angry a lot. All those emotions get etched on our face. Of course, there are ways to battle the wrinkles and other signs of aging. There’s prevera and other anti-wrinkle products. We can limit our exposure to sunlight. We can avoid those tanning agents that make our skin look like leather. And so much more.

They say that growing old is mandatory while growing up is optional. I agree. We will all grow old. You must accept that. So stop worrying about the wrinkles eventually showing up. It can be a sign of the good years you spent in this lifetime.