Shadow

It was March 22, when Shadow was last seen playing 'round our home in Sta.Mesa. Myke's taking care of him since I moved to Canada last September - two months after Shadow was born.

I remember him as an intelligent dog, totally different from the others. We talk to him all the time and his gestures shows that he understood every words that came out from our mouth. He's a fast learner, teach him tricks and he follows after few attempts. He's a star, a house pet favorite not just because he thinks himself & acts as if he is our youngest son, not just because he is malambing but also he greets all his playmates & friends with a warm handshake.

Twenty four hours has passed, no trace of Shadow was recognized, lots of things playing in our minds. Might be that he went somewhere and got lost, but that's too little chances 'coz he never gets out without any supervision, he always stay home, he's like Myke's shadow 'coz he keeps his eyes on Myke every single second of the day, if he losts sight of Myke - he will cry. Don't wanna think that maybe he was forcely taken by someone else but for what?  I can imagine him crying aloud looking for us, and I, questioning myself if he had eaten his lunch and dinner yet. We just hope and pray that he's safe, eats well and don't let him starved. We keep ourselves away from thinking Shadow dead or has been eaten by those lasengeros in squatters area nearby our house. It breaks my heart when suddenly that thought strikes my brain. It just left me teary eyed. It couldn't let me sleep.

But all I can do now is to pray hard and to wish that he's safe. Myke is doing enough hardwork looking for him, he roved around (and keep doing all day long) the area where Shadow can possibly got lost or seen by our fellas. Myke went to Manila City Pound in Tondo, and in Quiapo but found nothing. I created a poster, send the draft through Yahoo Mail, Myke received it, printed 25 copies, then he posted all those copies on the walls, post, and everywhere else to inform the public & so as to immediately find Shadow.

I don't care if you guys might think we are overdoing this thing, but we loved and treated Shadow as our own, our bunso, we are maximizing our efforts 'coz we miss him and we want to spend more years being with him.

Shadow makes us happy, Shadow protects us and our home. We took care of him and saved his life numerous times 'coz we wanted him alive. He's our baby, our little one.

A message to my baby:  may someone so nice is currently taking care of you now, maybe not very caring and as spoiley as much as we do but I just wish that you are alive and safe. I wish that soon this search is over, that in the next morning when we wake up, you were there outside our main door loudly knocking. Shadow, you know how much we truly love you, how much Mimi and Papa wanted to hug you. May someone so brave lead your way back to your home, baby. We are waiting for your come back.

Watching now:

Frank (Johnny Depp), a mild-mannered American on
vacation in Venice, Italy, is befriended by Elise
(Angelina Jolie), a breathtakingly beautiful woman with a
mysterious secret. Soon, their playful romantic dalliance
turns into a complicated web of dangerous deceit as they
are chased by Interpol, the Italian police, and Russian hit
men in this action-adventure film.


- Great story. Wonderful location. I always love Angelina Jolie plays her role as a secret agent.

Refrain from slaughtering these animals!

Start eating healthy, live healthy.

Act now before it's too late.

Len and Myke's 11th Anniversary

I was feeling weak, i didn't go to work, too lazy to do household chores and so I made this e-card online sent to my honey bunch. Very pleased with the results!



I also edited some of our photos wherein we celebrate our years together by traveling. Myke went to Boracay, and I just got back from Vancouver:

Richmondville Subdivision in Lopez,Quezon

My sister and I wanting to have our own house in a newly established subdivision in Lopez, Quezon. One evening we had an agreement to find a house design online. So far we both agreed that this house is pretty enough to build in a 120sq lot. The house might look expensive but we will try to copy the same but in a least expensive way... Cheers to that!

Steam Works' Veg Burger

During the first day of my tour in Vancouver, I opted to have a lunch in Steamworks PUB and Brewery located in Water St, Downtown Vancouver. I picked Vegetarian Portabelo Burger costs $11.49. I got so in love with the taste and it was healthy also. Thumbs up for their dressing it was just so lovely!

Book: Liberation of the Soul

Started reading today.

Professor Stanley White wrote this book in the early 1970s as an introduction to the basic principles of Sant Mat, the teachings of the saints.... In those days many of the students of the West were questioning the value systems which had underpinned their society for decades. Some "dropped out" of the system and set themselves to establish a counter-culture; some explored the world on mind-expanding drugs in the hope of enhancing their understanding of life; some turned their backs on their own religion and traveled to the East in search of a spiritual path which might reveal the purpose of the creation, and thus infuse their lives with meaning. Professor White was fortunate to have discovered such a path. He had been blessed by coming in contact with a perfect living Master, Huzur Maharaj Charan Singh, who initiated him into Surat Shabd Yoga, the science of the soul.... It is our earnest hope that this book will guide the young seeker of spirituality today just as it has guided many since it was first published. --- excerpts from Preface to revised edition.

I made my first karaoke video!

I am an avid fan of Jessica Simpson so I made my first videoke version of Irresistible:

Book: The Year She Fell by Alicia Rasley

I just finished The Year She Fell by Rasley, Alicia on Kindle for Android! http://www.amazon.com/kindleforandroid/

Description:

The tragic mystery at the heart of their family has finally surfaced . . . When Ellen Wakefield O'Connor is confronted by a young man armed with a birth certificate that mistakenly names her as his mother, she quickly sorts out the truth: his birth mother listed Ellen on the certificate to cover up her own identity, but also because Ellen is, in a way, related to the child. The birth father is Ellen's troubled husband, Tom. The secrets of the past soon engulf Ellen, Tom, and everyone they love.

- keeps you reading page after page.

London Eye Portrait

I remember seeing this portrait displayed in one of the shops located in Old Town, Hastings when I was heading my way to the Catholic Church. The portrait was beautifully framed in a approximately 50x30 wooden piece. I wanted to buy it then but I can just imagine how it costs, another thing considered was on how to take it home, it was too huge to fit into a balikbayan box. Told myself: 'okay,leave it'.

Kindle 3G Wireless

is my current fantasy

Gift for my family

Toshiba Satellite 15.6 Inches Laptop
500 GB storage
4G processor
Windows 7
AMD Turion

I bought it for only $599.00 + GST at The Source, Chinook Centre. It was a promotion for Boxing Day week.

Becoming a Pescetarian

Definition
A pescetarian diet excludes land animals and birds, but includes fish, mollusks, and crustaceans in addition to fruits, vegetables, plants, legumes, nuts, and grains. Eggs and dairy may or may not be present in the pescetarian's diet.

Why pescetarian?
The pescetarian lifestyle is often adopted by people in transition to becoming veg*an or by those interested in a healthier, more ethical, and environmentally friendly way of life.

After years of thoughts, consideration, attempts, Finally - I am now a certified Pescetarian. I would say I was influenced mainly by my friend Liam who has been practicing Lacto Ovo diet for the past 3 years I suppose. It was a decade ago since I first attempted to become a vegetarian but with lack of information and guidance, I failed few times. It was funny coz when I was really young I thought vegetarians eat just plain veggies, so i thought -'where do they get their energy from'? lol! but as I get older and my friends introduced this healthy practice, my mind lighten up. Well actually, purposes for this diet are to eat healthy, live healthy, and to lose weight. Might be little silly to hear but I believe I am contributing a lot in saving lives of 5 chickens in a month, 1 pig in 2 1/2 months and 1 cow in 6 months :-) and for fish,seafoods? gradually, yes, it will be opted out.

Leviticus 19:23

Sundry Laws
      9‘Now when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10‘Nor shall you glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger. I am the LORD your God.
      11‘You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another. 12‘You shall not swear falsely by My name, so as to profane the name of your God; I am the LORD.
      13‘You shall not oppress your neighbor, nor rob him. The wages of a hired man are not to remain with you all night until morning. 14‘You shall not curse a deaf man, nor place a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall revere your God; I am the LORD.
      15‘You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly. 16‘You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people, and you are not to act against the life of your neighbor; I am the LORD.
      17‘You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart; you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him. 18‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.
      19‘You are to keep My statutes. You shall not breed together two kinds of your cattle; you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor wear a garment upon you of two kinds of material mixed together.
      20‘Now if a man lies carnally with a woman who is a slave acquired for another man, but who has in no way been redeemed nor given her freedom, there shall be punishment; they shall not, however, be put to death, because she was not free. 21‘He shall bring his guilt offering to the LORD to the doorway of the tent of meeting, a ram for a guilt offering. 22‘The priest shall also make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering before the LORD for his sin which he has committed, and the sin which he has committed will be forgiven him.
      23‘When you enter the land and plant all kinds of trees for food, then you shall count their fruit as forbidden. Three years it shall be forbidden to you; it shall not be eaten. 24‘But in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, an offering of praise to the LORD. 25‘In the fifth year you are to eat of its fruit, that its yield may increase for you; I am the LORD your God.
      26‘You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor practice divination or soothsaying. 27‘You shall not round off the side-growth of your heads nor harm the edges of your beard. 28‘You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves: I am the LORD.
      29‘Do not profane your daughter by making her a harlot, so that the land will not fall to harlotry and the land become full of lewdness. 30‘You shall keep My sabbaths and revere My sanctuary; I am the LORD.
      31‘Do not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out to be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.
      32‘You shall rise up before the grayheaded and honor the aged, and you shall revere your God; I am the LORD.
      33‘When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. 34‘The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God.
      35‘You shall do no wrong in judgment, in measurement of weight, or capacity. 36‘You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin; I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt. 37‘You shall thus observe all My statutes and all My ordinances and do them; I am the LORD.’”

My travel list

So, it's 7am in the morning. I woke up early because for some reasons i can't sleep thinking of where i will spend my next holiday. I was thinking to invade the whole Philippines though coz there are just too many places to explore there, yet cheaper and more enjoyable. Also for blogging sake, website article sake, and mainly for Len's pleasure.

Alright, before I forget on that very holiday I've been waiting for I am putting up here travel that has been accomplished and my wish list so that I would know where I would like to go first (when I'm back in Pinas for my holiday). It's just too many, tell ya.

here it goes.

ACCOMPLISHED TRAVELS
Luzon
Vigan, Ilocos Norte
Laoag, Ilocos Sur
Benguet - Sagada and Banaue
Baguio City
Hundred Islands, Pangasinan
Potipot Island, Zambales
Subic
Puerto Galera
most of Batangas places - Nasugbu,etc
Quezon - Pueblo por la playa
Taal Volcano creek
Daet, Cam Sur
Paracale, Cam Norte

Puerto Princesa, Palawan


Visayas
Bohol
Boracay
Cebu

Mindanao - nothing yet, because of safety issue.



WISH LIST
Coron, Palawan
El Nido
Camiguin Island
Davao City - Samal Island
Mt Apo
Camiguin - Catarman
Dapitan - Dakak Resort
Bantayan Is Cebu
Bacolod - Iloilo
Mayon Volcano
CWC or Cam Sur Watersports Complex
Caramoan Is
Donsol Sorsogon - Butanding
Cagayan De Oro
Siargao surfing
Kamay ni Hesus in Quezon
Pansanjan Falls
Hacienda Escudero
Manaoag Pilgrimage

Mt Pinatubo climb
Banahaw climb


Festivals
=====
Maskara
Baguio Flower Festival
Pahiyas in Lucban


International
Singapore
Macau
Europe tour
Dubai
Cruising in Mediterranean and Carribean

Canada - Niagara Falls, Toronto
US - Vegas, LA, Grand Canyon, Miami

more....

Investment

81 Newport Blvd
Newport City

So, we were a frequent visitor of (not officially opened yet) Resorts World Manila when one early morning, heading our way back to our place, a man wearing a business attire handed out a brochure of some luxury condos of Newport City where Resorts World is situated. Striked by the information that caught our attention: Php10,000 per month.

Wow.

At first we thought it was just a simple inquiry that we wanted to make, but then again as we take a closer look on the opportunities and benefits of having a condo in this area, we decided that we wanted to own this condo for good.

Patiently waiting

I am getting bit worried but still on positive side. This is all about my work application to Canada. I started it on October when I was still in UK, now i'ts 2nd of March and LMO is still processing, it's taking SO long when CIC said it should be 6-8 weeks. I remember calling up Ms. Bailon early February where she said that the documents were returned because of some wrong entry or something (that's their fault!) it started processing again that I should wait 6 more weeks for the result...which is now 2 more L O N G weeks to go. Haha! Not very long, but it still I'm feeling inip na.

Because of that, I can't decide whether to pursue my plan on migrating to Canada or not. Consultants said I can have the 2 applications at a time because immigrant and work are processed different ways and won't be complicating. I still don't rely on them. I want to make sure this work visa of mine comes first before filing up for immigrant. We'll then see.

Everything Happens for a Reason

Sharing a piece of article to entertain you for a moment. My favorite entitled:

EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON

Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were
meant to be there… to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson or
help figure out who you are or who you want to become. You never know who these people may be but when you look eyes with them, you know that every
moment that you are with them, they will affect your life in some profound
way. And sometimes things happen to you at the time that may seem horrible,
painful and unfair, but in reflection you realize that without overcoming
those obstacles you would have never realized your potential, strength,
will power or heart.

Everything happens for a reason!

Nothing happens by chance or by means of good luck. Illness, injury, love,
lost moments of true greatness and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits
of your soul. Without these small tests, life would be like a smoothly
paved, straight, flat road to nowhere, safe and comfortable but dull and
utterly pointless.

The people you meet affect your life. The successes and downfalls that you
experience can create who you are, and the bad experiences can be learned
from…. In fact, they are probably the most poignant and important ones.
If someone hurts you, betrays you or breaks your heart, forgive them because
they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious
to whom you open your heart. If someone loves you, love them back unconditionally not only because they love you, but
also because they are teaching you to love and open your heart and eyes to
little things.

MAKE EVERYDAY COUNT!
Appreciate every moment and take from it everything
that you possibly can, for you may never be able to experience it again. Talk to people who you have never talked to before, and actually listen. Let yourself fall in love, even if it doesn’t seem right because you are too young or too far, just follow your heart. Surround yourself with those who make you smile, laugh, and make you happy.

Break free and set your sights high. Hold your head up because you have every right to. Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will believe in you. Create your own life then LET GO and LIVE IT!

One Sunny Day

Been to the beach today. It was 21 degrees. Not very hot nor very cold. It is just uber comfortable. Just by myself at first. Lying down, sunbathing, relaxing, chillin', whatever you call it, It was a day that I was truly cravin' for sun.

I brought a pack of Digestive Biscuits with me and a piece of red apple, I was eating those foods while listening to 107.8 Arrow FM. After 30 minutes I phoned Fay, my Pinay buddy, and asked her to come and join me. We shared funny stories and gossips. We laughed out loud but then she has to go and see someone for coffee, I was left alone again. That's alright. There were dogs coming after me though and asked pieces of my biscuits. They are closely similar breed as my dogs so I was imagining as if they were my dogs. How I miss my little babies . . .


It was then half past 6. I packed my things and gone back home. It was getting quite cold at that certain time.

Hopefully I can chill out again on the beach tomorrow.

Afterwards, I felt this bored moment. I was like wanting to go some specific bar somewhere and have a drink. Going alone is not a good idea though. What to do, all of my friends are busy at this moment. I just then took a shower and get ready to go to bed ;p

. . . . and then comes the feeling of missing home . . . which I hate(feeling) the most.

Just another day

Been a long time I haven't update in this Blog. Got very busy the past few months.

Currently I am in the UK and working hard ;p

Today, I just worked for 6 hours in Zanzibar Hotel, that is in the morning. Now it's about 5 in the afternoon and I am about to get ready working for Chatsworth Hotel. Yeah, you've read it right. I am working in 2 different hotels. Just started working for Zanzibar this week. Chatsworth (been working for 4 months) is a contract until November this year.

I think that's about it for today. I will write up more maybe within this week. And I am also planning to take the draft out of Hong Kong blog and publish it hopefully on May.

Adsense? I am having $27 earnings now. Way too long to go for $100. But we'll definitely get there..very soon.

Adsense at $57.60

Yeah, without any effort for a year, it still gone 100% up. As far as I can remember, it was something 29 USD when I left for UK. I will be motivated to carry on updating once I found that Hong Kong draft

$1.52 Adsense earnings

I had 2 clicks last night, each costs .30c. I noticed that whenever I made backlinks such as submitting my URL's to directories, I earn clicks. I also had some tweaks on my ads. I'm now using large rectangle and wide skycraper which I learned from my adsense fellas that those formats are highly effective. Well, I guess it's true!

Not just an ordinary buffet

No occasion or anything. It's just that Myke and I are craving for seafoods. Yes, seafood word with an "s". Meaning we wanted to satisfy our huge tummy demands.

We were supposedly looking for 169 Seafood Restaurant which his brother Talong told us. No luck of eye-ing 169 though. Then a Causeway Restaurant valley park man politely referred us to Tramway (along Scout Tobias I think) and Chinatown's Best both in Banawe Streets. We had dinner with Chinatown Best a while back and that was the current best (quite inexpensive)buffet in town for both of us. We wanted to try something new so we headed for Tramway, the dinner cost P188. We got inside and took a glance at their dishes in the buffet table. We only sighted a big unknown kind of fish, we thought that wasn't good enough and we would not be satisfied. We went back to the car and finally decided dining in Tong Yang Hot Pot along Quezon Avenue across Aberdeen Court.



Tong Yang Hot Pot buffet costs P560 per pax including any (all-you-can) drink of your choice. The food setting for buffet is a little bit new to us. Normally, us dinners will see cooked food on the buffet table. Oh well, not for Tong Yang. The restaurant has wide array of fresh seafoods which will let diners pick what they want and cooked it on their own hot pot, except crab which is serve cooked. Hmmm...diners get to eat their food zizzlingly hot! Table setting is ala - shabu shabu style. You get to have the hot pot itself with a grill at the bottom. For soups you get to choose normal, spicy, and sinigang. We opted for spicy which is quite good.

Samples of their seafood choices are slices of lapu-lapu, tanigue, yellow fin, and tuna. If I were to count it, i would say Tong Yang has around 15 kinds of fishes. And then there shrimps! hmmm... cooked with garlic and butter? why not?So tempting to eat huh. Aaahhhh, I might run to the car now and drive back to Tong Yang! Not yet, not until I finish this post!

Tong Yang also has choices of noodles, vegetables, marinated beef, chicken, pork, lamb...name it! And here's an exciting one... US prime beef,oh boy!

The highlight in Tong Yang Hot Pot is the the crabs. Those cooked to perfection pieces of huge crabs is oh so mouth watering. Take note that crabs are not served all the time. You can have unlimited crabs but you have to wait for it's serving time. Staying for 2 hours and a half in the restaurant, we had 2 servings of crabs, huge serving by the way. As far as we know, they served crabs every after an hour. Funny thing with these crabs is...whenever the diners hear the waiter saying "crabs are available" these diners (including Myke) immediately proceeded to where the crabs are situated. Tong Yang suddenly turned into a seemingly scene of a crowded people with vendors yelling in the wet market,just imagine that :)

Anyway, when you dine in Tong Yang Hot Pot make sure you have enough room for deserts. You cant get enough of ice creams, fresh fruits, and Filipino deserts buko pandan and halo-halo.

A surprise call

At around 8 in the morning the telephone rang.
Ring,ring....Myke stood up from the bed and answered the call. I was still sleepy that time. I did not ask him who was calling.He got back to continue his interrupted bedtime.
Ring...ring. There's the disturbing telephone ring again. As usual, he answered the call. But this time, he shouted out to me "hon, sa embassy yata ito" ("hon, i think it's a call from the embassy"). I was surprised and immediately headed where the phone is situated.

"hello?"
"hi, im calling from the B_ Embassy. Is this ____(my real name)?"
"yes, this is she" ................and so on.

I was really surprised how an officer from __ embassy called me to explain one thing that she needed from me in order for her/them to make the final decision. First of all she called from a land line, it was just the other day I realized that I misplaced my cellphone SIM to which the number is the one reachable for the embassy. Luckily, I written down my land line number in the LBC package (I sent to embassy) which I thought can be useful in case the embassy calls me. Second, this is the third chance they had given me.

On my first attempt, I was a bit hopeless because they wanted me to submit something that I didn't have and a requirement that I have but is less qualified. In the letter I received from the embassy dated October 10, they said they needed my 1.bank statements and; 2. evidence of own funds. I have a bank statements but with very small deposits, next is a melting-on-the-knees answer: 'I do not have evidence of own funds', period!

Then there's Atty. Tupaz. Atty. instructed to submit a Letter together with Affidavit of Declaration and Undertaking in addition to job offer, bank statements, US visa and Notice of Action for visa extension BUT without the 'evidence of own funds'. These documents were submitted just Wednesday this week, just 2 days before today.

Just a day passed by after submitting the, I received the embassy call. The officer told me "there's nothing wrong with your documents. all we are needing is the evidence of your own funds which you can spend when you arrive in the UK...." meaning...a pocket money!

"okay, fine" I told myself. Is that all you needed in order for me to get a visa? I smiled while thinking of something. Now, you have given me a big chance of getting approve! By the way all those lines were just my thoughts.

And then I told the officer that I will submit my parent's bank account because they will be the one to support me when I get to UK. she said "that would be fine"

Now, my current problem is where to get the BIG amount? hmmm, I know! I'm crossing my fingers up to this moment hoping that this person will lend me the money.


P.S.
Ms _officer, I thank you so much for giving me lots of chances and taking your time calling me just to thoroughly explain what should I be submitting.

Lord, I thank You for letting that certain person handle my visa application. Thank you for sending her..

Well, you know, not all officers will give somebody those kind of efforts just for the visa applicant to comply with the requirements. All other officer can just 'refuse' a visa on the first attempt if the applicant's document is incomplete. I had 3 chances, by the way. Hopefully and praying that finally I will get that stamp on my passport very soon.

Very first adsense click

I checked my Adsense account this afternoon. I was so happy the moment I have seen my first revenue for my website. 12c. You might be laughing because it was just few cents. I laughed out loud too. But you know, It was just a beginning. Good thing there is now I learned how to make impression with my visitors in order for me to get those $$$ clicks.