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Friday, December 31, 2010

Goodbye 2010 ... Welcome 2011


A few hours from now, year 2010 will officially end and it’s time to welcome the New Year, 2011.  Time really flies fast that it’s like only yesterday when we welcomed the year 2010 and now we’re welcoming another new year.   

Year 2010 was a wonderful year for me and my family.  Almost all aspect of our lives was blessed.  Of course there were difficult times but God is really great and mighty, He is always there to lift us and brighten our day.  So with a grateful heart we say goodbye to year 2010 with lots of memories to cherish.

Year 2011 will officially start a few hours from now and we will welcome the coming year with lots of hope. The past year had been good and we are hoping that the coming year would be better from the last.

Happy New Year everyone!  

God bless us all.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Seasons's Greetings


Merry Christmas everyone.


May the hope, peace, joy and love that the season brings be with us not only this season but all throughout the year.

Let us not forget that Jesus is the real reason for this season, may he always reign in our heart.



God bless us all.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

A Busy Week at the Office

This is a busy week at the office, not mainly because of work related issues but because of the additional activity in preparation for our department Christmas party which will be held on Wednesday, December 15.   It’s good that our company Christmas party was already over so we can concentrate in the preparation for our department Christmas party.
Christmas parties are becoming complicated nowadays in our office.  Instead of just a simple dinner with some games or videoke and exchange gifts which give us time to associate with our colleagues without the stress of work related activities, our party becomes a competition.
There are four teams in our department and each team has to prepare something to present in our Christmas party.   This is a contest so prizes are at stake and everyone wanted to win so here is now the exciting part, the practice.
 We have to stay at the office after office hours for the practice.  Sometimes we have to stay up to 8 o’clock while the others still stay up to 11 o’clock just to finish some of the costumes/things to be used in the presentation.  Haaay, why do they have to make this party so complicated?  They say it’s only for fun but how can you have fun if you are stressed out with all these preparations.  Oh, maybe I’m just the one being stressed out here, our young colleagues seem to enjoy all these activities. 
Sometimes I’m thinking of not attending our department Christmas party but I already skipped our company Christmas party so it would be so stubborn of me not to attend this one.
Anyway, there is only one day left and this will be over.  We’ll just do whatever we can and just enjoy the party.

Monday, December 13, 2010

It’s Performance Appraisal Once Again

It’s the end of the year once again and in our company it’s time for performance appraisal.  Yes, our company has this yearly performance appraisal for all employees.  The management had developed a certain criteria where the immediate supervisor of an employee rates her/him based on the standards which were also set by the management.
For a company of more or less 800 employees, it’s a little tedious process but somehow the management had already put the system at work.  The result of the performance appraisal is discussed by the team manager with the employee usually at the first week of December, just before the release of performance bonus.  The amount an employee receives is based on his/her performance appraisal.
Actually this bonus depends on the company’s earnings for the year.  They may or may not give this bonus but so far with the seven years of my stay here, they have given us this performance bonus yearly.  Yes, even last year when the business was not good.
Personally I don’t really put so much emphasis on this performance appraisal thing.  With or without performance appraisal I just do my job as what is expected of me and as much as possible I follow all the company’s rules and regulations … I only have one weakness though, and that is on tardiness.  Well, what can we expect?  With the kind of transportation system here in Metro Manila, it’s really hard to comply with our company’s regulations on tardiness.   I may have my reasons for not complying with this company’s regulation but rules are rules and as long as I’m connected with this company I have to live by their rules. 
Anyway, this year’s performance appraisal for me is better than what I have expected.  Got a low rating on punctuality issues but it was balanced by other criteria so overall I still got an above average rating. 

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Our Saturday Family Day

It's Saturday once again and it's time to have fun with the whole family.  This time we went to the mall to treat my mother-in-law ... as promised and also to do a little shopping for the coming Christmas party at the office and at my children's school.

It's always our habit to visit the mall during their opening hours to avoid the crowd in the afternoon until closing time, especially this Christmas season when most people are going to the mall to do their Christmas shopping.  This way we can also avoid traffic jams and the difficulty in finding a parking space.

We arrived at the mall at around 11 o'clock in the morning and it's almost lunch time so we decided to take our lunch first.  Hubby and I planned to treat Mamu and the kids to Mini Shabu Shabu at Bonifacio High Street at Global City.  The restaurant just opened when we got there and there are still no customers so we were served with our orders immediately.  It was another new experience for Mamu and the kids.  My daughter enjoyed the idea of cooking the food on our table and even requested to try it again in the future.

Having our lunch at Mini Shabu Shabu
As usual, the children finished their food earlier and  while waiting for us to finish they went out of the restaurant and did some sight seeing outside.  Global High Street is a nice place, they got wide areas for children to just run around and enjoy.

Look at what the children enjoyed while waiting for us outside the restaurant.  My daughter enjoyed taking pictures with his brother having some fun with cute little dogs walked around by their owners.  My daughter's afraid of dogs so she just contented herself with taking the pictures at a distance.

At first CJ was afraid to touch the dogs
A little later, he was already starting to touch the dog.  His favorite is the one wearing green clothing just like him.
It's time for the dogs to go.  Bye, bye doggies.  Really cute ones.
We can actually see the children from where we were sitting inside the restaurant so we just relaxed and tried to continue our lunch while watching the children enjoying themselves outside.  The weather's good and it's not that sunny so even if it's already noon, it's not that hot.

We went back to Market Market mall after our lunch and aside from the gifts we bought for the exchange gift, I bought little items for my colleagues involved in our project and also for the classmates of my children and of course we also bought something for Mamu.  She loves shoes and that's what she always ask for her birthday.  Anyway she's not into pricey ones so it's not really a problem on the budget.

Around 3:00 o'clock in the afternoon, we're already done with our little shopping and so we went home and just took a rest for the rest of the afternoon.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

It's My Mother-in-law's Birthday

It's my mother-in-law's 79th birthday today.  Happy Birthday mamu, we love you and we wish you more birthdays to come. 

My husband and I planned to treat mamu (my mother-in-law's popular name among relatives and friends) on Saturday but decided to have a little celebration today as well.  I took an early quit at the office and went to the mall to buy a cake and lechon manok (roasted chicken) while my husband bought ice cream.  At home I asked our house helper to cook some noodles, a.k.a pancit.  Voila, we have something to feast on.

Mamu with hubby and the kids 
A birthday won't be complete without pancit (Filipino style).
Rocky Road Cake from Red Ribbon ... hmmmmmmmm....yummy!
Nestle Rocky Road ice cream ... husband and I didn't have an arrangement but ended picking-up the same flavor for the ice cream and cake.

After two attempts, the children prompted to help their lola blew the candle out.  "You're taking too long lola, we're anxious to take a big bite out of that cake."

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

I want A Simple but Memorable and Meaningful Christmas Celebration

Nativity scene at our children's school

It’s December once again and in a few days time, it will be Christmas day. 
Of all the holidays in a year, Christmas day is my most favorite one.  As a believer and follower of Christ, celebrating His birthday is the most special day for us.  He is the ultimate reason why we celebrate this season.  We have every reason to look forward for this day to celebrate and be happy because our King was born … but sad to say nowadays, a lot of people view Christmas as a stressful and extravagant occasion.   Blame it on today’s too much commercialism.  Too much emphasis is put on material things.  Notice a lot of advertisements nowadays … Christmas won’t be complete without this or that … haaaay.  From decorations, to parties, to gift giving, everyone wants to have the best.
Call me old-fashioned, but I love the simple celebration we used to have in the old days.  The simple decorations which highlights the nativity, the simple dish shared by the whole family, attending mass on Christmas Day and watching the story of Nativity being portrayed by local artists at the town plaza for free.  What made these simple activities enjoyable and memorable was the presence of all family members.  I seldom receive Christmas gifts back then but I never mind, having my loved ones around me celebrating Christmas day was already enough to make my day.
This is the kind of Christmas celebration I want my children to grow with.  I want them to value more on the presence of their loved ones and not on material things, to be grateful for whatever gifts they receive irregardless of the price tag and to have a generous heart so they will learn to give without expecting something in return.


Saturday, December 4, 2010

It’s Saturday Today and A Regular Working Day At The Office

It’s Saturday today and not like any other Saturdays, today is a regular working day for us at the office.  Normally our regular working day is only from Monday to Friday but today management declared it to be a working day in exchange of our working day on Friday next week.  That means, we will have a long weekend next week … yehey!  This decision by our management was based on the schedule of our Christmas party celebration which will be held on Thursday next week.  This is to give employees a time to rest after the party.
As much as possible I don’t want to work on a Saturday because my children expect this day (and also Sunday) to be a family day.  They expect papa and mama to be off from work and them, also off from school.  So when my daughter saw me getting ready for work this morning she’s a little disappointed and she asked immediately her father if he is also going to the office … oh what a big relief when he answered no.  So it’s a family day today at home without me.
Commuting from home to office on a Saturday is a little comfortable.  Commuters are not that many compared during regular days, so it is easier to get a jeepney ride, however traffic is still present.  Our travel from Bicutan to Alabang via SLEX (South Luzon Express Way) was slow, maybe because of the additional volume of cars going out of town.  Anyway, I reached our office safe and sound and that is what is more important.
At the office, many colleagues filed their leave so they don’t have to report today.  Lucky them, they still have a lot of leave credits left.  For me, I only have one leave credit left and I’m reserving it for my children’s family day (also Christmas party) at school so no choice, I have to report today.
The good thing about working today is that our work is more relaxed because our counterpart in Japan is on their weekend vacation so we’re focused working on our scheduled task for the day.  There are no calls coming from them giving additional instructions or asking for drawings to be submitted.   

Thursday, December 2, 2010

My Children Hates Vegetables

“Eooow … gulay na naman? (Eooow… vegetables again?). 
That’s the common expression I hear from my 4 year old son every time vegetables are served on the table.  His expression is always accompanied with a deep sigh.   My 8 year old daughter on the other hand doesn’t complain but she sees to it that whenever she gets food from the serving bowl, all the vegetables she doesn’t like is left behind.
My husband tells me not to worry about our children not wanting the vegetables for now because eventually they will learn to love them as they grow older.   He cited himself as an example because when he was younger he remembers not eating a lot of vegetables. 
I agree with my husband but still sometimes I can’t help it, I still worry that they might be used to not having vegetables on their diet.  I know of some friends who don’t eat vegetables and I don’t want my children to be like them.  Vegetables have a lot of benefits to our body and it should be included in our daily diet.
For now, we just don’t stop serving vegetables … different kinds of vegetables.  Most of the time, it’s just me and my husband who eats them but from time to time we have lured the children to taste them and somehow they have learned to eat some of the vegetables.  I hope, little by little their taste buds would develop a love for the vegetables and that time will come when we can serve more vegetables and less meat on the table.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

How to Relieve Children’s Discomforts of Clogged Nose Caused by a Runny Nose

My son was so restless last night.  Usually, he sleeps at around 9 o’clock but last night he’s irritable, he had a runny nose that every time he tried to lay down to sleep he found it difficult to breathe.  Actually, if he just knows how to blow his nose, he won’t have problem breathing.  Many times we taught him how to blow his nose so he will be relieved but he just can’t get it, he’s doing the other way around. 
We have no available nasal spray so my husband carried him in an upright position making him rest his head on my husband’s shoulder.  Somehow he was relieved and fell asleep.  My husband put him on bed with his head and back supported by pillows making him sleep in a slightly sitting position.
Clogged nose is the common problem my children encountered since they were small and for parents it’s a big problem because it makes children irritable and restless at night giving us less sleep and worst they want to be carried all night.   
Today, there are nasal sprays and decongestants available in the market to help relieve clogged nose for children but I don’t use them unless prescribed by pediatrician.
 Aside from these prescribed medicine, we have practiced the following natural method to relieve our children the discomfort of having a clogged nose caused by a simple cold:
-          Make the child sleep  in a slightly sitting position (just what we did last night)
-          Get rid of the stuff that clogs the nose, for bigger children this will be easy because they already know how to blow their nose.   For infants, a small suction equipment is available in the market.  I have bought one once but have not used it because I was afraid I might damage my child’s nose so instead of using it, my husband sucked our child’s nose.  It’s gross and I don’t have the guts to do it, but it’s effective.  I remember my mother doing it also on my brother before. Hmmm, my stomach's turning upside down by the mere thought of it.
-          Wrapping the child’s head with a cloth or towel leaving only the face exposed.  I don’t know what’s the reason behind this but it’s effective.  I got this idea from my mother.  She used to wrap our head before whenever we have difficulty breathing because of clogged nose caused by cold.
-          Rub the soles with a vaporub and put the socks on.  I read this information from the internet and it works not only for clogged nose but also for cough.
-          Soak a cotton ball in eucalyptus oil and put it near the child’s bed but not so close to the child because eucalyptus has a strong aroma and irritating to the eyes.  This was advised by my children’s pediatrician and we tried it when our children were still below 1 year old and this also worked.     
These remedies are based on our personal experience and may be used for reference only.  It is always best to consult your doctor.

Monday, November 29, 2010

It's A Food Trip Sunday

Today is a Sunday and it's a family day.  After attending the 8:00 o'clock mass, the children begged for us to go to the mall.  Okay, since it's been weeks after our last visit to the mall, my husband and I gave in to their wishes.

We went to Bonifacio High Street located at Taguig global city.  We haven't brought the children there yet and even I just went there once with friends.  The place is beautiful, it's a park and business center rolled into one.  A kilometer of beautiful landscape at the center with retail stores and restaurants/coffee shops on both sides.

Since it was still early, the retail stores are still closed but the coffee shops are already open and my husband and children just can't resist the lure of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts.  We already had our breakfast at home so the doughnuts were just for dessert ... okay, well it's just a way of justifying our need for the doughnuts.  Anyway, looking at the pictures, you can't tell that the children have already eaten their breakfast.  It is as if it's their first meal after a long hours of starvation.




 After the doughnut treat, it's time to walk around, play and take some pictures.  There's just a lot of space for children to run around without disturbing the shopaholics.



Time was really fast and once again, it's time for lunch.  The children were hungry again, as usual, so we decided to try Red Kimono, a Japanese Restaurant located just a walking distance from Bonifacio High Street.  It's a first time for the children to eat in a Japanese Restaurant and thanks to Sukiyaki and Tempura, the children enjoyed their meal.

My little boy doesn't need any assistance as long as he have his noodles without the vegetables.

 For me and my husband, the food trip did not stop there.  We were invited to a dinner party so after taking the children home and taking a little rest, we went to Tong Yang, a shabu-shabu restaurant where the party was held.  It's a buffet type restaurant.

There were a lot of food choices, there are already cooked foods and of course there are ones which we can cook on our table (the very idea of a shabu-shabu).  My husband did all the choosing of foods to be cooked for our shabu-shabu and he picked only fish, mushrooms and a lot of green vegetables.  There are still a lot of ingredients for shabu-shabu to choose from but we have to control ourselves, we even skipped the rice and noodles so we won't get our digestive system into trouble.

There were two types of stocks served for the shabu-shabu, the dark one was spicy.

There's also a grill pot where we grilled some fish and thin slices of pork.
Our food intake was really stretched to the maximum level today and I feel like dieting for the whole week ...  maybe, just fruits?  Okay, I'll just decide about that tomorrow.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

A Badge for my Blog

It's a weekend and with our internet connection up again, it's time to surf the blogosphere.

The first blog I visited was that of Mommy Tots and I'm thankful that I found her post about how to create a blog badge.  I have created a badge but I just don't know how to incorporate the badge to my blog.  That's where Mommy Tots' post helped me.  Her instruction is clear and simple, it's so easy to follow.  Many thanks to you Mommy Tots.

Here's the badge I made for my blog.  I made this badge using Microsoft Powerpoint then saved to pdf, then jpg.  I resized and compressed file using Microsoft Office Picture Manager.


I hope you can exchange badge with me.

Have a nice weekend everyone and God bless.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Problem With PLDT Telephone and Internet Line

Our telephone and internet connection at home was out of service since Sunday, November 21.  My husband contacted our service provider – PLDT, and the customer service in-charge said that he already sent a repair ticket to their technical group, in other words, checking and repair of our line is now in their list.
Tuesday came and it was already 24 hours since my husband reported the problem.  I tried to contact our number so I can talk with the kids but still all I can hear is a busy tone.   I texted my husband and requested him to make a follow up call to PLDT.  Once again the customer service in-charge told him that the repair ticket was on queue.
Today, it’s Wednesday and still we have no connection.  My husband called their hotline this morning and still the response is the same.  I’m a little impatient so I also contacted their customer service and guess what’s their response… of course same as what they told my husband with some apologies on the side.  So there’s nothing more we can do but to wait until they finished fixing the problem.  Until when? … I really have no idea.
For now, I just use our internet at the office during break time so I can write this post but aside from that, there’s nothing else I can do.  No entrecard, no adgitize, I can’t even reply to comments on my blog.  Haaaay, life.  There are a lot of restrictions in our internet system here that a lot of websites are blocked, but it’s understandable, internet here should be for official use only and it’s just fortunate that blogger was not blocked.
I hope PLDT technical group can find the problem soon so they can repair it and hopefully bring our telephone and internet connection at home back to normal again … the sooner, the better.    

Monday, November 22, 2010

Early Morning Monday Blues

It’s Monday once again and after the two days off from office, here I am again, sitting in front of my computer trying to concentrate on my work.
Just like any other Mondays, it’s really hard to get up and be ready for work … I don’t know, I just feel that the two days off is not enough for all the things needed to be done at home.  But that’s the life of an 8 to 5 employee, whether I like it or not, it’s Monday and I have to report for work. 
Commuting from home to office was also a struggle.  Reaching Alabang 15 minutes before 8:00 o’clock, I decided to take a tricycle going to our office instead of the usual jeepney ride … based on my experience, it’s hard to reach the office on time riding a jeepney with just this 15 minutes remaining before the ring bells at the office.  My fare was 6 times more than taking the jeepney but it doesn’t matter, I want to start the week right and arriving on time at the office is one way of making it right.
I really tried to start the week right but it seemed that the circumstances are against me this time.  Most of the intersections were at the stop mode and I did not make it on time … I was late for 1 minute and 2 seconds.  Grrrrrrrrr.   
After taking a long deep breath, I was calm.  Even though I did not hit my target this morning, I’m thankful that I have reached the office safely.  I may sound sour-graping but it doesn’t matter, it’s better than thinking and feeling sorry about it for so long.  My week did not start perfectly as what I have planned but it doesn’t end there, there are still a lot of things coming and that’s what I’m looking forward to.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Overtime Work – Just what I love in the Past


Our project is at its peak from this month up to March next year.   A lot of construction drawings are needed to be submitted.  We've got a crazy schedule ahead of us. It’s good that we have a lot of young engineers here who are willing to work overtime so we can submit on time.
I remember when I was their age, I really love rendering overtime work.  Whenever my supervisor informs us that we need to work additional hours, it sounds like music to my ears.   Additional hours mean additional pay and who don’t want additional pay?  Of course, not me. 
I was only starting to earn a living then with my younger sibling depending on me so I really love overtime work because financially, it was a big help.  Aside from the monetary reward of working overtime, I also enjoy working with my officemates who became my friends and one of them became my husband (sometimes having an inspiration at the office boosts up your energy level).   It seems that I have all the energy needed to do all those works.  I remember working for 12 to 15 hours a day, on holidays and weekends.
I think being young, single and having the drive to earn more was the primary factors why I loved working overtime then.  These went on for years and eventually I got tired of it.  It’s the physical factor that early gave in and of course I have now my family to attend to.
Nowadays, I still work overtime but only in cases when it is deemed necessary.   I have different priorities now and if there are any other options aside from working overtime, I would be glad to take that option.  

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Manny Pacquiao Did it Again

Yes, Manny Pacquiao did it again and this time it's his 8th world boxing championship belt.  Wow, he's really a great boxer, someone we can be proud of as Filipinos.

Personally, I'm not really a fan of boxing,  I don't know, I just don't enjoy looking at people punching each other even if it is just a game, I'm not just into these kinds of sports.

Well, even if I'm not a fan of boxing, I'm proud of Manny Pacquiao and I admire him a lot.  He's an inspiration to many.  His discipline, determination and most of all his being grateful to God is really something which gave him the edge over his opponents ... qualities which we need if we want to be successful in anything we do.



 

Saturday, November 6, 2010

The Importance of Breast Self-Examination

Last 2003, I had undergone a minor surgery to remove a lump from my right breast and right underarm.  The extracted specimen were biopsied and it turned out to be benign.  From then on, I regularly do a breast self-examination.  I have learned that breast cancer if detected earlier has a very high percentage of patient survival and doing the breast self-examination is the easiest way in detecting a breast cancer in it's early stage.

Last September, a week after my period, as usual, I did my breast self-examination routine and I have detected a small lump in my left breast, as small as a black bean.  For several weeks, I just continued monitoring the lump hoping that it would disappear but another month passed and the lump was still there ... not changing in  size though ... but the fact that it is still there, I decided to seek professional help.

I visited a gynecologist and she examined my breast.  She told me that the lump is too small and she's happy that I'm doing a breast self-examination, at least more women are now aware of the importance of the said self-examination.  She doesn't recommend the removal of the lump because it's too small, instead she recommended breast ultrasound. 

This afternoon, I had my breast ultrasound.  It was my first time to undergo breast ultrasound although I had other ultrasound (tummy and trans-vaginal) before.  As expected, it was just a short, painless but messy procedure.  Messy because of the gel spread on my breasts.  The result was released 5 minutes after.

Tomorrow I will bring the result to my gynecologist and I'll see what she have to say.  I know things will just be fine ... I can feel it.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Celebrating Our Mother's Birthday


My mother joined our creator twenty-three years ago but that doesn’t mean that we stopped remembering her especially on her birthday.  Last Saturday was her birthday and as way of remembering her special day, my brother and I (there are only two of us) decided to meet at the mall together with our family to have lunch together.  

A simple lunch at Gilligan's Market Market

It’s kind of a get-together for us especially for the kids who really had fun playing with each other.  I have two kids, a girl and a boy and my brother also has two kids, both boys … they are still working for the third one because they really wanted to have a baby girl … hope they can get it right this time …LOL   


My brother and I with our respective partner

The children having a good time

After our lunch and a little rest we brought the kids to the children’s playground and let them play to their heart’s content while we “the grown-ups” were having a little chit chat while watching them play.  We really had a good time and I know our mother and also our father (he died earlier than my mother) would be very happy and proud of us.

Children's playground at Market Market

Monday, November 1, 2010

Thirty on 30 "Changes in My Life" Blog Contest

I was blog hopping when I stumbled upon this blog contest sponsored by blankpixels of Just Another Pixel.Net.  I'm not really into contests ... well, not yet because of time constraints but actually I really love to join contests and giveaways online and I want to sponsor my own contest in the future. I think contests and giveaways make blogs more interactive and fun.

I have already read some contests and giveaways sponsored by fellow bloggers but I haven't tried joining any one of them.  I think I have missed a lot of opportunities there to earn additional income and meet new friends online so this time I have to do something ... so here I am, writing my post to officially join blankpixels' blog contest, the first blog contest I ever joined.  I hope I will have that so-called "beginner's luck".

If you are also interested in joining this contest, just click here for the mechanics.  Good luck to all of us.


                                                     Primary Sponsors

 ● Everything Nice!News Break Online  ● Fat Girl No MoreWritten by Mys
 ● My Thoughts, My Heart, My TurfZoWandererJust the Tip of an IceBerg
 ● Just About AnythingBlogger ManilaDress Up Your Blogs
 ● Certified FoodiesPinay Online Money MakerPinay Reviewer

                                              Secondary Sponsors

Georyl: Blogging with my HeartPop Ups of My MinBlog TacticGrace in Creative Life

                                                General Sponsors
Make Money Online and BeyondOne Proud MommaLover MushroomPlate and MePaula's HomeMake More Money OnlineThe Miscellaneous MeHere, There and EverywhereTravels and ExplorationsMusings of LifeKharen's CornerIt's KhaNoypistuffJennyholic, Confession of an AddictDeej SpeaksTechie ThingsCups and LowercaseLive for LiveExperience of a Super MomSharing my ThoughtsYashiro's JournalTable for FiveInternet Cafe BlogblankPixels – The Geek Side ● 

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Our Company's Halloween Celebration





Children toured around the office for the trick or treat event
It’s the end of October once again and Halloween celebrations are just everywhere … malls, subdivisions, villages, schools … there’s just a lot of Halloween celebrations going out there.

Here in our office, it’s been 5 years since the company started holding this celebration.  Children of employees, 12 years old and below are allowed to roam around the office area with their costumes doing their trick or treat on each department.

At first, the celebration was just a simple giving of treats to the children but later on, efforts were put on this celebration and decorations were prepared for the children to enjoy … or be scared?  The creativity of each department was also showcased because prizes were given to departments who have created the most attention grabbing decorations.

This year, the theme is about sci-fi movies.

X-men, 4th floor's entry (a team effort by electrical, instrument and mechanical departments)

X-men characters ready for action

Ready for action girls?


4th floor's treat for the children






  
Avatar, 5th floor's entry (joint effort of civil and OIT departments)

Camera ready avatars
 
Star Wars, 6th floor's entry (Piping and OEDM departments)

Star Wars' characters

More Star Wars characters




6th floor's treat for the children

Kingkong, 7th floor's entry (HRD and finance departments)


Jurassic Park, 8th floor's entry (Process and PJO departments)
Many children were present during this event and this time the children relaxed a little compared to previous years where the theme was more scary and a little too much for little children to handle.  My children should have enjoyed this event but they were not able to come ... too bad ... but it's okay, this coming weekend there will be another trick or treat at our place.

The winning entry for this year's halloween celebration is none other than our very own entry, X-men.  At last, our team made it on top, thanks to the dedication and creativity of our young engineers and secretaries who really gave their time and effort in preparing all those displays.









Saturday, October 23, 2010

Entrecard Review

I joined Entrecard.com a few months ago not knowing what to expect but after just a few days my blog's traffic increased.  I was happy and excited. Furthermore, I've learned that the site is easy to navigate, locating blogs with similar theme to mine is easy, advertising on other blogs is possible by using only entrecard credits and if you have multiple blogs, you can register them all.

However, they say every good thing has a drawback and Entrecard.com is no exception.  If you have multiple blogs, you need to provide different e-mail address for each blog, which is inconvenient and tedious.  Earning entrecard credits also takes time so it's good to know that from time to time they hold promos to make it easier for members to earn additional credits.

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Tuesday, October 19, 2010

We Have a Bed Weather Today

I woke up early this morning only to find out that it's still raining outside, still the effect of typhoon "Juan".  It's been raining here in Metro Manila since last night.  Typhoon "Juan" is not only a strong typhoon but it also  has a large coverage area.  Metro Manila is miles away from Isabela and Cagayan provinces where the eye of the typhoon is centered but still we experience the typhoon's wrath.  It's good that early preparation were made for this super typhoon resulting in a minimal number of casualties (as per the initial report).

Speaking about bed weather, it's really a bed weather today, it's cold and I felt so lazy to get up and get ready for work.  My husband also feels the same so instead of getting ready for work, we just turned on the radio and listened to the latest weather update and announcement for classes suspension.

My son's class was suspended but my daughter's class was not suspended so we have no choice but to get up and prepare her for school.  Just like any ordinary weekdays, we had our breakfast early and took our daughter to school but instead of going to work, we went back home and went back to bed.  It's so relaxing to just snuggle in bed with my husband and son enjoying the cool breeze coming from the open window.  Our daughter joined us in the afternoon after their classes were suspended at around 12 o'clock noon. 

It's really good to take advantage of the bad weather and just stay at home and have some fun with the family.