My Final Artwork for 2013 ^^

Time flies so fast and today marks the end of 2013! Instead of looking back to the year that was, for now I'd rather look forward to the year that will be.:) 

Here are my aspirations for 2014, as symbolized by my final artwork for 2013 ---- 

My Customized and Handmade Planner Cover!:)

Unlike its "predecessor" which is more on the cool pastel side, the cover of my new planner screams of sparkle, shimmer and all that! 

It might be too lustrous for some but, hey, that's how I want my 2014 to be.:) I want to "radiate" endless energy and enthusiasm to be able to take giant leaps in reaching my goals and accomplishing even those I haven't had courage to do before. 

The color scheme is also reminiscent of our wedding motif. I hope 2014 will be another fruitful year for our marriage, in whatever means possible.

As for the gold ribbon, it also signifies me, Golda being my name haha. It simply means that one of my aspirations for the coming year is to have more opportunities to express my individuality, my skills and whatever that would speak of who/what I really am, sans fear of rejection or indifference.

The color violet (my fave!) is also for royalty. Maybe, just maybe, I will be a real princess in my own palace come 2014.:)

Finally, the heart on the cover denotes my yearning to give more love and care to family, friends and just about anybody in my own little way. Of course, such would not be possible without first acknowledging God's great love for humanity.

So that's my final artwork for 2013. More than a visual masterpiece (or at least that's how I perceive it lol), it is an unabashed display of my heart's desires for 2014. May all of these (and yours too!) come true, God-willing.

I wish everyone Wondrous & Joyful New Year!^^

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UPDATE: January 27, 2014

After barely a month, the metallic coating on the letters I used for my name already began to chip off. Hence, I decided to just use plain foam cut-outs, material of which is similar to the ones I used for "2014".:) 

Here's the current look of my planner cover teehee...:)

ADVENT 2013: Of Observance and Crafts

Today, the 1st of December, marks the beginning of ADVENT, a season that Christians observe before Christmas. It is a time of reflection, anticipation and preparation for the nativity of Jesus.:)

A Catholic myself, I grew up  having an Advent wreath in our home as part of the season's observance. Every year, the presence of the wreath would nurture my spirituality, reminding me of what the season is all about.

Source: http://christmastraditions.net/advent.shtml

An Advent wreath has many symbolism in itself. Traditionally made of evergreen, its color signifies eternal life. Its circular shape speaks of the belief that God has no beginning nor end.  

There are four candles on the wreath, representing the four weeks of Advent.  Three of which are purple and one is pink. 

The purple candles in particular symbolize the prayer, penance, and preparatory sacrifices and goods works undertaken at this time. The rose candle is lit on the third Sunday, Gaudete Sunday, when the priest also wears rose vestments at Mass; Gaudete Sunday is the Sunday of rejoicing, because the faithful have arrived at the midpoint of Advent, when their preparation is now half over and they are close to Christmas. The progressive lighting of the candles symbolizes the expectation and hope surrounding our Lord’s first coming into the world and the anticipation of His second coming to judge the living and the dead.  The light again signifies Christ, the Light of the world. Some modern day adaptions include a white candle placed in the middle of the wreath, which represents Christ and is lit on Christmas Eve. (www.catholiceducation.org)

In the past, it is my mother who always took the initiative to set up an Advent wreath. Now that I am living in separate residence with my Hubby (and JIGGLY :)), I happily assumed the "responsibility".:)

To be honest though, until yesterday morning, I did not have a clear idea on how to go about setting up our own Advent wreath. Afternoon came and I was cramming already. Since time wasn't enough for me to go to wherever to buy a ready-made wreath, I decided to improvise one.:) I suddenly had inspiration when I rummaged through the available materials in the house. Thank God, I was able to come up with this... tadaaaaah!:)

Materials used:

4 wine glasses
4 candles (3 purple and 1 pink) ---> Courtesy of my mom ^^ 
Green Garlands 

See, I did not have to spend much for our simple wreath! I truly hope that with this in our home, as in the past years, I would always be prompted of the true essence of Advent which leads up to the most joyous yet meaningful time of the year, Christmas.:)

WIN A BORACAY TRAVEL AND TOUR PACKAGE!:)

I am pleased to share with everyone this exciting invite that I received from I-map Websolutions, Inc. :D

Greetings!

We are pleased to invite you to our “Expression of Love Blogging Contest.” Share a story of a captivating moment involving flowers and gifts that made your heart goes “awwwww”. Be it your own experience or someone’s magical moment as long as you can convey the expression of love into words. Be as creative as you can be!

MECHANICS

• The topic should be about giving flowers and gifts in any occasions.
• Must be an original composition with 500 words but not more than 600 words.
• Should promote our products and business. (Philflora.com, ManilaBlossoms.com, PHgifts.com)
• Willing to put up the article in their personal blogs.
• Content must be in English.
• Participants can submit one (1) entry per website. (Philflora.com, ManilaBlossoms.com, PHgifts.com)

NOTE: Participants can request photos for the writing purposes.

Deadline of Submission

Submit on or before November 20, 2013. 

Registration Form:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/19i4BtLRxoM01dPG8JYjeK8L5FRp9Plk-I-owC90e9P8/viewform

Announcement will be on December 07, 2013.

Criteria for Judging

                25% - originality

                25% - creativity (writing style)

                20% - use of media

                30% - promotional and marketing relevance, key wording and overall content

Exciting Prizes

                1^st Prize – 3 days and 2 nights travel package and tour in Boracay

                2^nd Prize – Blog website and 1 year hosting            

                3^rd Prize – Ebook reader

If you have any questions or you would like to participate, please contact us by email. You can also forward this email to your blog’s followers and following.

Eagerly looking forward to your participation!

Best Regards,

Philflora, ManilaBlossoms, PHgifts
IMAP WEBSOLUTIONS, INC.
Address: 2E Patricia Bldg. 1050 EDSA Magallanes, Makati City
Website: www.imapwebsolutions.com www.philflora.com www.manilablossoms.com www.phgifts.com

Just a lil Boracay "visual aid" haha. Lifted off this old post of mine.

So what are you waiting for? Join “Expression of Love Blogging Contest” now and get a chance to fly to BORACAY for FREE!:D 

Good luck!

Staycation at Tune Hotel Quezon City (The Good and The Bad))

Hubby and I took advantage of the recent holiday with what we've been desiring for some time --- a relaxing activity with just the two of us. Our ultimate consideration? Destination should be away from home but just within the metro as neither of us were in the mood to subject ourselves to long, tiring travel.:) All we wanted to do was simply chill out without much effort. Hence, our staycation.:)

Weeks prior, we booked a room in Tune Hotel Quezon City via Asia Rooms website. Located just along Timog Avenue, it seemed to be the perfect staycation venue for us. The hotel opened early October of the year making it one of the newest hotels in the city. It is part of a "limited service" hotel chain in the Philippines operated by a group under Tony Fernandes, the founder and CEO of AirAsia. (Notice the semblance between Tune's logo and that of Air Asia.^^) 

Because of the "limited service" feature, the hotel is perfect for the budget-conscious because one can opt to pay only for the basic offerings (but of high quality as claimed) to guarantee a 5-star sleeping experience at a 1-star price ---> 5-star bed and powerful hot shower. Customization can then be done by adding any of the optional services as deemed necessary like aircon, cable TV and internet access. Each add-on has a corresponding price. 

In our case, since we booked via Asia Rooms, we got a package inclusive of toiletries, cable TV and wifi. No breakfast though due to absence of restaurant/ cafe in Tune Hotel Quezon City for the time being. The total amount that we paid for was merely Php1320.00... yeah so affordable that our pockets danced for joy.:) 

Anyway, to know more about Tune Hotels, visit their website. 

So much for the introduction, now it's time to share the unanimous thoughts of Hubby and I on Tune Hotel Quezon City during our staycation. 

THE HOTEL

Facade during the day and at night.

Facade during the day and at night.

Tune Hotel Quezon City looked really new and clean to us. We were especially delighted by the sight of the lobby with an oh-so-modern feel plus the background of the reception...the coolest we have seen in a hotel so far. :)

We were given a room at the 4th floor. Upon stepping out of the elevator, we knew we were in the right place because of the huge number 4 in front of us. The hallways seemed a little narrow but we did not really feel claustrophobic because of the transparent door at the far end which let the light in.

THE ROOM

Compared to most that we've been into, the room's quite small but there was still enough space for the Hubby and I to navigate comfortably. We observed though the nonexistence of the usual stuff that can be seen in a hotel room such as refrigerator, bar, coffee maker, cabinet, bathrobe, slippers, laundry bag, complimetary water, paper and pen. 

But we would have to agree with the "5-star bed" claim as the mattress felt really soft and contributed a lot to the coziness that we experienced during our staycation. Not to mention, the TV that was cleverly installed on the wall made viewing while lying on the bed such a pleasure.

I happily picked  up some space-saving ideas which I could apply to our own room in the future.:) Such as the foldable wall table...

...and the compact acrylic desk.

We noticed the presence of a ceiling fan. So we thought, in case we opted to forgo the aircon (very unlikely to happen though haha) to save some cash, ventilation's still very much possible. One comment on the aircon though, it was a bit noisy that for several times, I though it was raining outside.

The fire sprinkler in the room was definitely a reassuring sight for both the Hubby and I. We're just glad that the safety feature wasn't actually put to use during our stay.:) 

TOILET AND BATHROOM

The cleanliness indeed met our expectation. Like the room, it's not really that big but the arrangement of the elements (the bowl, sink, shower,etc.) made it look spacious, well at least for us. (Another space-saving inspiration for our future T&B!^^)

Warning though, the door's translucent. It was alright for Hubby and I since we're married but we're not sure if everyone will be amenable to having a translucent toilet and bathroom door.:)

TOILETRIES

We were handed two bright red eco-drawstring bags, each containing towel, soap and shampoo. Had it been  other (and more expensive) hotels, there'd be more than soap and shampoo.:) Then again, we did not mind because we brought our own stuff. Besides, Hubby and I both agreed that the red bags compensated for the lack of toiletries LOL.:) 

STAYCATION

From check-in (at 12NN) until sleeping time, we truly enjoyed our stay at Tune Hotel Quezon City.:)

Minding our own businesses:
Me taking selfies and the Hubby so intent
on the program he's watching haha

MORNING AFTER (THE BAD)

The time we woke up was a different story though.:( 

While snuggling lazily in bed, we heard a person or two walking outside our window. And then a few minutes later, we smelled PAINT FUMES. The odor got stronger that we were compelled to get up and start fixing ourselves so we can leave already.

While the Hubby was showering, I slightly drew the edge of the curtain and secretly took a peek  on what's going on outside our window and I saw this!

So that's why we smelled PAINT FUMES! There was a painting job happening right outside our room!

Here are more of the ninja shots I took:

The incident sadly RUINED whatever good experience we had at Tune Hotel Quezon City. 

WHY?!

Firstly, we just couldn't take the smell of paint fumes. We would have wanted to stay snuggled for a little more time but we ended up vacating the room at 10AM, an hour before the official check-out time. @_@ 

Secondly, the presence of strangers right outside the window just felt creepy. It's as if our privacy was invaded. We're pretty sure that anyone who'd suddenly wake up with strangers so close to his hotel window, or any window for that matter, will also feel uncomfortable, if not threatened.  @_@

We informed the Manager of the situation and told her that we should have been placed in another room from the start since workers would be painting our side of the building come morning. To be fair, the Manager was apologetic about the lack of coordination. It seemed that she did not know/was not informed of the scheduled painting job. Even Manong Guard kindly asked us what happened and recorded it in his log book.

For the price we paid for the hotel, some might judge that ours was a petty complaint. But we did complain with the future guests in mind so they would not experience the same inconvenience. Hubby let me do the talking because of my more diplomatic personality haha. I did not raise my voice but I believe I was firm enough to convey our message. After all, service should always be of quality...doesn't matter if it's cheap or costly. Right?

FINAL THOUGHTS

If not for the paint fumes, our staycation at Tune Hotel Quezon City would have been a perfect one. Oh well, better luck next time.:)

********************

TUNE HOTEL QUEZON CITY

100 Timog Avenue,

Barangay Sacred Heart,

Quezon City

1103

Philippines

Our Dog's Amazing Transformation ^^

Out of boredom, I juxtaposed a photo of our pet dog during his early days with a more recent snapshot. The result is a depiction of his amazing transformation which happened in barely a year!:)

Though JIGGLY remains to be a playful and overly energetic furball sometimes to the point of being destructive haha, it is without doubt that he has already grown. 

I do wish our otherwise loyal pet would remain with us until 100 dog years or beyond. Never mind the x number of slippers and stuff that he has nibbled and would nibble to disintegration...never mind his annoying hobbies which include licking human skin, nipping human legs and playing tug-of-war with a rag...he would always be forgiven as long as he stays healthy and keeps us company for the longest time possible.:)

Uh...on second thought, I take back what I said about the slippers and stuff LOL.:)

3 Easy to Cook and Healthy Meals

Admittedly, I am no good cook. I would rather eat, munch, devour than whip out delightful dishes unlike the Hubby who really knows his way in the kitchen. :)

Lately though, out of necessity since I do not want to be branded as a useless wife LOL, I find myself tinkering in the kitchen and experimenting on ingredients to come up with easy to cook and healthy meals to feed the household (and that's just me, the Hubby and our dog, Jiggly ^^) 

Hence, I am pleased to share 3 dishes "conjured" out of my imagination (no cook book, mind you!). Preparation and cooking take about 15 minutes only so these are perfect for busy COOK-WANNABE LIKE ME. With vegetables as main ingredients, these dishes are not only healthy but yummy as well, as attested by the worst critic AKA the Hubby and... ehem... yours truly who is a voracious meat/ junk eater.  

Anybody can add/replace ingredients to further develop these dishes according to preference. 

Enjoy!:D (Excuse me if I misused any cooking term^^)

STIR FRIED STRING BEANS WITH LUNCHEON MEAT

Ingredients: 

(Amount is according to one's discretion)

String Beans

Luncheon Meat, sliced to bite-size pieces (Or Canned Tuna)

Seasoning

Cooking oil

Simple steps:

1. Heat the luncheon meat. (In my case, I fry the luncheon meat until crispy on the outside)

2. Add the string beans and stir fry for a few minutes. Careful not to overcook the beans to retain the crispiness.

3. Sprinkle some seasoning.

4. Done!^^

POTATO AND CHICHARO CURRY

Ingredients:

(Amount is according to one's discretion)

Potatoes 

Chicharo
Squid Balls

Curry Powder

Water

Seasoning

Cooking oil

Simple steps:

1. Fry the potatoes until golden brown. Set aside.
2. Fry squid balls until golden brown. 
3. Add the potatoes to the squid balls.

2. Add chicharo and stir fry for a few minutes. Careful not to overcook the beans to retain the crispiness.

3. Add curry powder.

4. Pour in a little water, enough to make a thick sauce sauce.

5. Sprinkle some seasoning.

6. Let it simmer.

7. Done!^^

POTATO AND MUSHROOM IN OYSTER SAUCE

Ingredients:

(Amount is according to one's discretion)

Potatoes (I like using baby potatoes)

Mushrooms (fresh or canned)

Oyster Sauce

Seasoning

Cooking oil

Simple steps:

1. Fry the potatoes until golden brown.

2. Add mushroom.

3. Add oyster sauce.

5. Sprinkle some seasoning.

6. Stir fry for a few minutes. 

7. Done!^^

BON APPETIT!:D

PSA: Ridin' on the SMILE TRAIN:)

This is a Public Service Announcement.

The world can be cruel for children born with cleft lip and palate, a type of congenital facial abnormality. 

Such was the case of Jhoanna who experienced being the object of ridicule in school due to her condition. The young girl's mother often fought with neighbors in defense of her daughter's cleft. Born to an impoverished family, an operation to correct her condition seemed to be a far-fetched dream.

But Jhoanna's ordeal was finally put to an end upon receiving a free cleft lip surgery thanks to Philippine Band of Mercy, one of the partners of SMILE TRAIN in the Philippines.

Photo courtesy of SMILE TRAIN PHILIPPINES

SMILE TRAIN is the leading cleft charity responsible for Jhoanna's life-changing "SMILEstone". Since its establishment in 1999, the organization has performed hundreds of thousands of free cleft lip surgery to poverty-stricken children around the globe.  [In fact, Jhoanna holds the record of being the 750,000th recipient of Smile Train's benevolent service.]

To quote Ms. Kimmy Flaviano, Country Manager for Smile Train in the Philippines:

“It only takes a very simple procedure, to change a child’s life.  It is sad that so many children in the Philippines, particularly those from poor families, do not have the means to correct this condition.  They have to go through life bearing the physical and health complications, as well as the shame and isolation.  This is why we, at Smile Train, are very passionate about carrying-out the organization’s mission to give an opportunity to every child with a cleft case to live a full and productive life.” 

Photo Courtesy of SMILE TRAIN PHILIPPINES

Jhoanna is truly a living testimony that there is hope for children born with cleft lip and palate. With Smile Train, such physical abnormality would never again hinder anyone from beaming oh-so-brightly to the whole wide world.

**********************

Ride on the Smile Train! 

If you know anyone in the Philippines in need of FREE cleft lip and palate surgery, contact Smile Train Philippines by calling or sending a message to 0917-52-TRAIN (0917-52-87246). 

Photo courtesy of SMILE TRAIN PHILIPPINES