Today this blog hits its first year in the blogosphere.

That’s it!

Pleasant surprise number 1: Instant cash!

The other day while Dad was preparing my bedroom wall for drilling (for a woven wall décor to be hanged), Mom and I moved my bed and as I lifted up the foam, I saw a white envelope tucked under. I curiously opened it and found Php1,500 (about $30) inside. I think I placed it there many months ago and totally forgot about it! It was not really a huge amount but that instant cash was really a big help considering money is really tight these days.

Pleasant surprise number 2: Irresistible offer!

I got an email for another training project in Thailand for December. I already sent a quick reply (it’s a yes, of course!) with a proposed training outline and schedule for the participants. Now I’m praying this project will really push through. Please help me pray about it, OK? Thanks!

Pleasant surprise number 3: Early messages!

I got early text messages from a dear friend today, and nope they were not those forwarded chain messages I usually get. She texted me that she read my post about New York in my travel blog (she’s a regular visitor to our family’s blogs) and their family is planning to visit there next summer coz their US tourist visa has been granted. I am just so happy for them, I myself am dreaming of going to NYC. I was also amused coz she asked me if it’s okay for her to comment even if she has no blog coz she said she really wanted to comment. Getting text messages that are not the usual forwarded ones really make my day! 

How about you, any pleasant surprises that happened lately? 

Photo credits: happycaity.com

Update: The baby in the photo is my cute niece little C.

BasBasBas.com (29)
Symphony of Love (26)
Communique by Ivanhoe (24)
rainydazeee (24)
Money Saving Pro (24)
Comedy Plus (24)
Pastel Corner (22)
Athletic Alley (21)
happy caity (20)
The Long Journey of My Life (20)

Thank you guys and gals for the regular drops. Salamat!!!

p.s. Top droppers will be featured on the sidebar soon! Watch out for that!
p. s. again, please visit and drop your ECs also at my travel blog happysteps.net!

It’s good that many companies are now integrating environmental awareness and conservation in their systems by producing biodegradable products or eco-friendly gadgets. For instance, Asus recently launched their Bamboo Series notebook PC which they claim to be “truly green” from conception, production up to recycling and disposal. It would be nice to use a laptop such as this, knowing that it will be properly disposed of in the future.

Another big plus is its Super Hybrid Engine feature which provides longer battery life than most notebooks with the same specifications. I also like its wooden case which contrasts with the sleek modern designs of most notebooks today. More eco-friendly products are featured at EnviroGadget.com such as the Energy Detective (a gadget for monitoring energy consumption), a water powered calculator, WaterMill, Eco Stapler or the Coleman Solar car battery charger.

While my main job description was research (that meant reading lots of articles, books and documents), it was also balanced with out-of-office work such as site visits and plant inspections. My colleagues and I were also tasked to meet different suppliers and evaluate the products/services they offer. It was like shopping some goodies for your company and choosing among the best at the most reasonable price. We were assigned to review, do research and decide on the product quality of telecom equipment to be used for our landline services in terms of function, design and technical standards.

My favorite part of the job was visiting the supplier’s plant where we learn more about the details of their production process. My colleagues and I also get to go to trade shows and visit the booths and displays of prospective suppliers. There would also be occasional field visits within the city and in other provinces to perform acceptance testing of equipment which to me was the best part since it gave me the chance to travel and be away from the humdrum of working behind my desk. I was also blessed to have been one of the engineers sent to Europe for a three-week training (it was my first trip to this dreamy continent) which gave me the rare chance to visit some of the tourist attractions during weekends.

Another big plus with my previous job was having to work with generous and understanding bosses and superiors. I know some employees would complain about how irresponsible, stupid or crazy their bosses are. My bosses were not angels and they had their personal faults but their professionalism in dealing with their staff, providing inspiration, encouragement and support during tough times, was a blessing. I made many friends with my office mates as well and still communicate with some of them. Thus, when I decided to call it quits to pursue a different career path, it was a difficult one for me. I’m always grateful for my previous telecom career, it gave me not just work experience but heartwarming memories and countless life lessons learned.

This is the Cemetery Chapel with Ossuary at Kutna Hora, in Czech Republic where the bones of about 40,000 people were kept, and some were made into intricate decors – chandeliers, candelabras and other wall and ceiling moldings.

It felt creepy as I walked inside despite the many tourists inspecting the details of the unique artworks of skulls and bones.

Massive chandelier made of bones…eeeekkkk!

The Schwarzenberg coat-of-arms. Look at the huge pile of bones behind!

I wonder how the artist must have felt while holding those bones and skulls as he worked on them! Yikes!

You can read more about this chapel here.

To view more PhotoHunt scary entries, click here.

If its recreation one is after, there are winding mountain trails at White Mountains, and he can enjoy hiking or biking, or can just lazily move around to get the pleasure of the abundant beauty of nature. Or one can go fishing; there are plenty of lakes, streams, and rivers up there, which abound with different kinds of fishes. Or one can choose hunting different varieties of animals – elk, deer, antelope, to mention some. In fact, they have the Arizona Department of Game & Fish to handle different kinds of sporting challenges. Or if one goes for skiing and winter sports, the place offers some of the best ski resorts, they even have designated special cross-country skiing trails for enthusiasts.

Anyway, I’m just on dreaming mode for now… after our recent family vacation in Europe, still I’m looking forward for more travels to come next year.

After browsing through the Internet, I’ve come across a usual joint pain which knows no age; it can strike even the young ones. Uh-oh. Osteoarthritis (OA), also known as degenerative arthritis, a degenerative joint disease, which is a low-grade inflammation resulting in pain in the joints, caused by abnormal wearing of the cartilage (the soft white bone usually found in joints) that covers and acts as a cushion inside joints and destruction or decrease of the fluid that lubricates those joints. This word is coined from Greek words “osteo”, “arthro”, and “itis” which respectively means “of the bone”, “joint”, and “inflammation”.

When there is inflammation, there is commonly pain. There may be no external swelling, it may not be seen but is felt only by the pain suffered, as it exists internally. Sometimes though, skin redness can be seen, or there is a feeling of heat. As the bone becomes exposed due to less protection by the cartilage, pain results especially when standing and the body bears the weight, which naturally affect the joints supporting the body. So now I know! Since the whole process of the affliction is slow, usually this is associated with age, but in cases which are more the exception rather than the rule, young people may be affected too.

There are however oral enzyme formulas, just like Medizym, a natural solution which have been used for long already to arrest inflammation, promote healthy joints, encourage robust circulation, support immune function and promote healthy aging. This directly influences the immune system for a quick inflammatory response throughout the body. Medizym is also recommended for many other conditions such as rheumatism that involve an imbalanced immune response.

Thank God my knees are very much fine and they’re not giving me any problems. But after seeing my friend, it made me realize that I need to care more of my health (particularly regular exercise) especially since I’m not getting any younger. Yikes!

A vehicle warranty is much more needed especially in the used car business; one has to be sure the purchase is covered by a dependable used car warranty. It’s best to see to it that claims are not just passed off to an unknown third party, much less a fly-by-night one. For instance, a good used car warranty coverage includes money back guarantee, choice of repair facility, free roadside assistance, protection for mechanical breakdown and wear & tear, unlimited number of claims and more.

A warranty provides peace of mind to the owner that the product or service he bought is of good quality. In all business dealings, whatever one purchases, the customer always wants to have a good buy, meaning that he is not shortchanged, or that he gets his money’s worth. People even could pay more just to be sure that the product he buys or the service he pays for will last for a long period, not that it will right away snap, or be damaged, even without any reason.

Question: What are these crowds of tourists at the Old Town in Prague waiting for? What’s keeping their heads and eyes fixed many meters above them?

Answer: The Prague astronomical clock!

The Old Town City Hall where the astronomical clock is mounted.

A closer look at the astronomical clock.

Every hour, the Prague Astronomical Clock or Prague Orloj, one of Prague’s tourist attractions, has a mini clockwork show dubbed as “The Walk of the Apostles” which shows the moving figures of the apostles appearing on the two windows.

Finally, the windows were opened and we can see the apostles now.

We had to squeeze our way through the large crowd gathered in front of the City Hall tower to get a good view of the show which lasted for only few minutes. If you happen to be at the Old Town, this is one entertainment you shouldn’t miss!

Appreciating music is really subjective and what seems to be a favorite tune to one could be “noise” to another person’s ears. There are also some songs that may sound weird or not so likeable at the start but later becomes acceptable as you keep listening to them. Of course, there are those songs that we easily label as “irritating” as soon as we hear them. Music somehow affects our emotions and moods. For instance, we play our favorite song to keep our spirits up or we suddenly become sentimental when we hear a mushy love song.

Music has also developed much through the years. Nowadays there are many styles and genres sprouting in the music scene, thus aside from classic, dance, jazz, rock or pop, some musical styles are more specific – electronic, progressive, powerpop, fusion and more. Browsing on a wide range of musical talents from WM Recordings, you can see new musical styles developed from jazz to rock genres. The site is an online label which offers commercial releases and free downloadable albums.

WM Recordings is a venue for budding musicians to share their music globally, for commercial releases or for free downloads, as long as they follow the site’s submission guidelines. Featured artists such as Happy Elf, The Aperion Project, CobSOn, and Elfferich Four have commercially released their CD albums in this site. More featured artists have their albums available in the list for free downloads.