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Be a Unicef Champion for Children. I have become one only recently. I was in Powerbooks Greenbelt, looking for some school supplies for TL#1 when someone approached me. I am normally wary of salespeople and say no right away. But the UNICEF fundraiser's come on was, I'm sure you do not have kids yet. And I was (ahem) flattered and said I already have two kids. That was the start and soon he had me convinced to sign up as a champion. Beforehand, I was aware of the program because the husband receives mail from UNICEF regularly. UNICEF is an agency of the United Nations committed in helping the world's poorest children. Champions for Children is a community of individuals whose regular monthly contributions help the poorest, most vulnerable children to enjoy the right to education, healthcare and nutrition as well as protection from violence, abuse and exploitation. I chose to become a champion for healthcare and nutrition. I only made a modest pledge but i'm glad I joi...

Today is TL#2's birthday so hubby and I took the day off. To maximize the day, we decided to spend the morning eating a frog in the Land Transportation Office (LTO) - me, for the renewal of my expired driver's license which i've been putting off for more than a year now. I do not really drive so there was no point until recently. I will turn 32 in August and there's no harm (really?) to try to muster the courage to drive live with all the other drivers out there. Scary! We arrived here in LTO - FTI Taguig at 9:15 am. The queue is organized and the officers are helpful. There are also documentation requirements and steps posted in conspicuous places. Fo renewal, you only need your driver's license and accomplished application form plus medical certificate. There was no need for a drug test due to the recent lifting of such requirement by Senate Bill 45 filed by Sen. Tito Sotto. The medical examination consisted only of getting your weight, eye examination and blood ...

Warning: OA account I am a sissy. And there's something about the sea and huge waves that make me think of morbid thoughts. But I survived my first helmet dive! Hooray! When I first heard of helmet diving, I thought people were brought down into a huge controlled aquarium (think ocean park or ocean adventure) to get up close with various sea creatures. I didn't realize that it actually entailed going down 15 feet below the open sea until our speedboat was almost to the floating barge where the helmet and oxygen tanks were stationed together with the divers. Understandably, I had cold feet. All my bravado and yes-to-adventure attitude were gone with the sea breeze. We had to go through a brief orientation before the actual experience. We were taught a few sign language to communicate with the divers while under the sea. I tried to memorize only the important ones - 'Up' and 'Not okay!'. The guide also informed us that the helmet is very heavy but it becomes light...

People are staring at me. My head is aching. My face feels weird from the anesthesia which is now starting to wear off. My lesions are starting to hurt and itch. Ouch! I had my facial warts removed today and i'm making a 'drama' out of it. The drama queen has found time for drama. Another busy season is over. :) I spent the whole morning since I woke up trying to contact my HMOs. I was a bit guilt-stricken from the spending last week that I felt like scrimping today for the warts removal. Unfortunately, HMO 1 will shoulder only 1K and it has to be done by an accredited doctor (PF!). HMO 2 covers face and neck warts removal but not the face. After making some calculations, I settled on going to a derm clinic where the rates are cheaper. Take the risk. :) I'm not supposed to wash my face for the next 48 hours (oil production!) so i'm taking Monday off (yey!). I'll be cooped inside the house (blog time)! I can see the light. May I be able to stick to my beauty regi...

As I've said, this blog will serve as a repository of great ideas, wonderful discoveries, bits of wisdom and what-not that I stumble upon in my everyday life. One of our goals is to have (or rather, mortgage) our small dream house someday (hopefully, within three to five years) so i'm now collecting great home decor ideas, just in case. Dreams do come true! :-) Magnetic chalkboard wall I was browsing wordpress when I stumbled upon a post by cottage life living on chalk board wall . It seems like a good idea for a home (hubby is also fond of magnets). This is much like the chalkboard in Starbucks where they scribble the special of the day or something like that. But as a bonus, it is also magnetic so you can stick on anything attractive on it such as frames, fridge magnets or pictures with magnetic tape. It can also serve as a vandal board for the family. eHow has instructions on how to do it. Other ideas, which I got from deal grocer are: Contemporary FLOS can can pendant lam...

I'm not a devout catholic and therefore, I am not a prayerful person (in its strict form). I do pray, but of the free-form kind, mostly in a conversational form with God. But there is one prayer a friend of mine taught me (about 4 years ago) that I would like to recall to mind. This prayer is special to me because praying it helped get me through a crossroad and a challenging phase in my life. The problem with me is that I have a bad memory and can no longer remember it, so I had to resort to google. This 'forgetfulness' reminds me to pray constantly and regularly, not only for selfish motives, but most importantly, to maintain a gratifying relationship with my creator. The prayer I'm looking for is the Novena Prayer to St. Therese . The prayer is widely used by Catholics to ask favors from her. I especially liked it for its simplicity and power. After all, it helped me to successfully get to Dublin . The prayer is done as follows: 1. Make the sign of the cross . Thin...

My most enduring relationship (aside from my family) is my friendship with my high school barkada . Even though I rarely keep in touch with them (blame it to my anti-social tendencies), they are omnipresent in my life especially during the moments that matter. Oh, we used to have a lot of conflicts and a good share of teenage girl dramas - misunderstandings, taking sides, crying in the school stairways, puppy love, family problems, insecurities... akin to the then very popular teenage flick TGIS ! But we did share a lot of fabulous memories together and we helped each other survive the awkward teenage phase and all its emotional baggage. We parted ways after high school graduation, going to different schools in the country for our college courses. Here's an excerpt from a letter I wrote shortly after our graduation: ...With us, there's no need for any friendship pact because there's an invisible bond that bridges the gap and makes us realize that someone is always there f...

I'm turning thirty only once, so let the countdown begin! No, I won't be doing anything grand or expensive. I will celebrate my birthday with my parents and siblings at home in the province. Planning is simple - I texted my mama and well, she'll take care of everything else as she always does. Thank God for mothers. For the days leading to my birthday, I will celebrate the little things and grand things that make my life worth-living. Today is day 30 - me as a Filipino citizen I was going through flipboard on my ipad, when I stumbled upon an article from inquirer asking for more votes for Puerto Princesa underground river (PPUR). There is an ongoing global movement to vote for the New 7 Wonders of the World and the Puerto Princesa underground river has been selected as one of the 28 finalists. Since I have not done much as a Filipino these past days, I decided to go on and vote. Voting via text is easy, just send PPUR or PPUR7 or PPUR15 to 2861 for all networks. I think t...

Question no. 3 in Martha Beck's Yours for the Asking article is: Why worry? I worry. I worry every now and then. Especially when it comes to my son. I worried and cried and prayed so hard for each time he fell off the bed or bumped his head or he was sick and brought to the hospital. I worry that I am not a good mom and that my shortcomings will affect his growth and maturity. I worry that my husband and I will not be able to provide for him well. I worry about my health and my husband's and my parents'. I worry that I might come down with a disease that will handicap me and that will make me a burden to my husband. I used to worry about client complaints and quality of work. I used to have sleepless nights wondering how i'll resolve a conflict or issue at work. I'm glad I have rid myself of the job and consequently, the sometimes unfounded worries. Of course, I can not apply the same solution to the other aspects of my life. I most certainly cannot get rid of my s...

I drafted this post about a month ago but never got to finish it until today. Something came up last week that left me wondering which is more important, time or money. Keen to find a good answer to my dilemma, I turned to my laptop and googled "which is more important, time or money?" and was led to a number of blogs discussing the topic. Not surprisingly, most answered that time is more important because as my practical husband puts it, time is money. I am not fully convinced though by the general answers and points that were raised to give time the upper hand. I remember an argument I had with a cousin when I was in grade school. We were waiting for the jeepney and I asked my father for extra allowance. He said money was tight and had nothing more to give me. In my disappointment, I said half-jokingly," Bakit hinde ka na lang kasi mag-abroad?!?" My cousin who overheard me countered that I shouldn't utter such nonsense and be glad instead that I am enjoying my...

Let me say it out loud and with much conviction - I hate going to the doctors! Most importantly, I should be more mindful of my health - the food I eat, lifestyle in general and fitness regimen - to avoid visits to the doctor other than for mandatory annual physical exams. I've just spent precious 4 hours on a Sunday waiting for and having a consultation with the doctors. Apparently, both of them had a change in their schedules on short notice. I got very pissed off with the nurses for not putting my form in queue at the internal medicine doctor's room, wasting another 30 minutes of my time. This prompted me 1) to write a formal complaint in their suggestion box and 2) berate the nurse at the nurse's station for such mishap. I am normally a tolerant person but I've long learned that in this city you have to demand respect and customer service in order to get them. Otherwise, you will just be ignored, an unheard voice. I felt a bit bad afterwards because the wrong person...

I'm reaching a big milestone in my life this August - I'm turning 30! - and I've decided I want to blog more. I'm starting right now. I will be posting on this blog at least once a week for the rest of 2011. I know it won't be easy and I might come up with a million excuses, but it will be fun, inspiring, awesome and simply wonderful if I could just do it. Therefore i'm promising to make use of The DailyPost , and the community of other bloggers with similar goals, to help me along the way, including asking for help when I need it and encouraging others when I can. If you already read my blog, I hope you'll encourage me with comments and likes, and good will along the way. Signed, merryli

It's been more than a week since I posted question no. 1. Now, we're off to question no. 2 from Martha Beck's Yours for the Asking article in the February 2011 edition of O, The Oprah Magazine. Is this what I want to be doing? Time is precious because it is limited to 24 hours a day. This second question aims to foster mindfulness of the here and now. Sometimes we get so caught up in our daily routine that we just let time pass us by and we forget about the things that matter. I personally find this question helpful as I try to schedule and maximize my weekends. I try my very best not to work on Saturdays and Sundays unless absolutely necessary. I also surf facebook less than I used to. I have long let go of my plants and zombies. I read somewhere that 'poor' people spend on entertainment while 'rich' people invest in themselves. Point taken so I try to squeeze in more time for reading and self-help, learning to cook, menu planning, finding ways to be a bet...

I am getting old and close to advocating that health is wealth. I've also become more appreciative of my and hubby's company medical benefits. When I first heard on the MRT in-house entertainment that a left-handed woman can be divorced in Japan because they are prone to diseases and die young, I thought it was funny and unbelievable. But maybe there's a grain of truth to it as recently, I've been sickly and losing weight. Today, I had a checkup with the General Medicine Doctor, the Ophthalmologist and my Obi-Gynecologist - for free! Thanks to hubby's corporate HMO. Because of my almost-blacking out spell last Tuesday, i'm scheduled to take fasting blood test and other laboratory tests early tomorrow, also for free. I have EDED/ Echo(?) scheduled on Friday. Thank God the Ophthalmologist cleared me of any eye disorder even though I've been seeing this tiny gray specks called floaters, but not after dilating my eyes and having me cry a good deal of tears from ...

Instead of staring into space or willing the traffic to move, I bring my pinkpad with me on my everyday commute and listen to podcasts or read books or magazines. Today, I read the February 2011 edition of O, The Oprah Magazine which was a free download. I especially liked Martha Beck’s column May We Help You? This month’s topic was all about the 20 essential questions every woman should ask herself. Since I’m currently at a ‘confused’ stage, the article caught my attention. Maybe asking the right questions could help me ‘find’ myself and redirect my life appropriately. Knowing which changes are best for you comes, always, from assessing what you feel. Ask yourself every day. Yours for the Asking question number 1 is: “WHAT QUESTIONS SHOULD I BE ASKING MYSELF? ...Without this question, you wouldn’t ask any others, so it gets top billing. It creates an alert, thoughtful mind state, ideal for ferreting out the information you most need in every situation. Ask it frequently." I know...

I wrote this 'short story' some time in high school. The Promise A Cloud Holds 1998 Intense heat radiated from the sun yet I felt a spine-chilling breeze envelop my whole being. Today's the 3rd day of the last week of March. Periodical tests were finally over so here I am sitting on a bench under the mahogany tree with mind and body set on some relaxation and idling. Absent-mindedly, I riveted my gaze to the skies up above. My sight lingered there for a moment until it focused on a lone cloud. I was hypnotized by its simple charm and before I knew it, memories of a sweet voice barged in. It was of someone I've spent almost all of my time with two long years ago. It was your voice. "I wish I were a cloud!" was your favorite statement and whenever I gave my negation, you add jokingly, "Don't you want it? I could watch over you." You used to walk me home and we spent some time on top of a hill we claimed our own. Under the sky ablaze with bright ora...

While browsing the website of Reader's Digest Asia yesterday, i got interested in an online contest wherein you write in brief about your best travel adventure and you might just win a free 3 days 2 nights stay in Beijing ! (exclusive of airfare) Sleepy as i was, i decided to join the contest. I needed a break and got nothing to lose. I racked my brain for memories of my travels and the most notable that came to my mind was the trip to Paris three years ago with my girlfriends. So here goes my impromptu entry which was sent to my email: Tell us in brief your best travel adventure: I always dreamt of going to Paris one day and in 2008, that dream came true. Together with three of my friends, we booked a flight to Paris for 3 days and 2 nights. We were working in Dublin then and Paris was just 2 to 3 hours away. On the day of the flight itself, i was in panic mode! I couldn't remember where I put my passport. After causing much mayhem, I finally found it in the backpocket of my ...