STONECPS

My husband and I we’re watching TV last night and we watched one show where they featured Ilocos Norte and hubby said “Let’s go to Ilocos.” I think Ilocos is more than 16 hours by land and because of my condition, I don’t think that we can do a road trip to Ilocos not until I give birth.

But did you know that Cebu Pacific flies to Ilocos Norte? And what a good timing since Cebu Pacific is having a seat sale for their North Luzon and selected Visayas destination. For only P699, you can avail of Cebu Pacific’s Go Lite Seat Sale and book a flight from Manila to Cauayan (Isabela), Tuguegarao (Cagayan Valley) and Laoag (Ilocos Norte). The Seat Sale started last January 29 up to today only for travel beginning February 15 to March 31, 2010.

The P699 Go Lite Seat Sale is also available for flights from Manila to Bacolod, Cebu, Iloilo, Roxas, and Tacloban.

So what are you waiting for? You still have a couple of house to book your flight to any of Cebu Pacific’s North Luzon and Visayas destination.

My mom has been asking me everyday if I already know the gender of our baby. I am already on my 19th week and I will have my check up again next Saturday but my doctor said that we have to wait until my 7th month to be really sure of our baby’s gender.

Everybody is excited with the coming our second child, from my parents, to my friends and my colleagues in the office. In fact, my colleagues and my supervisor have been taking good care of me since I came back to work last Monday after being in bed rest for more than a month. They particularly instructed me to just answer phone calls and never leave my room unless I need to go to the CR. That is how supportive and thoughtful they are.

But I guess nothing can be more excited than me. I am so excited for the coming of our second child that I have been looking for baby announcements already and I already thought of a name for our baby if ever he happens to be male. I also have scouted venues already for the Christening of our baby and I already have a list of suppliers and guests so all I have to do as soon as I give birth is book everything so we can have the Christening as soon as possible.

My mom has been calling me crazy already and she said that I am loosing my mind because I am planning a lot of things already and the baby hasn’t arrived yet. LOL. Well I guess this is just a natural feeling for a mother like me. Don’t you agree? Who won’t feel excited if you know that in just a few months I will be able to see our second bundle of joy, a second baby who will fill our lives with more joy, inspiration and love?

My new baby arrived today, the Coach Heritage wallet.

I initially plan to look for electronic cigarette for my dad but then it has always been my daily hobby to check on Faye’s Flickr site for some of her items on sale before I start my day so that is what I did and discovered some of her new items for sale. I was just planning to buy the Nine West wallet because it is just affordable compared to the Coach wallets that I have been drooling over. But Faye gave me an offer for this wallet that I really can’t resist so after thinking it over for a couple of hours (LOL), I gave in and told Faye that I am buying it.

But it is really a good buy and I don’t think Faye earn anything from this transaction (thanks talaga mare). And since the wallet is already in Manila, Faye just asked her friend to send it over to my address and after just one day, I already received it. I haven’t even paid for it and I am already using it. LOL.

Now I was checking the other items that she has on sale and since this morning, my eyes have been set on the Coach Heritage Convertible bag. Gosh, online shopping is really so addicting. Please help me guys and hope I can resist temptation (though if you think of it, the price for this bag is also a steal. LOL.)

Do you want to have a beach escapade in Boracay, or Coron or Bohol this summer? Then this is your last chance to book your tickets at discounted price since Cebu Pacific is having a domestic seat sale.

You can book your tickets from Manila to Kalibo (Boracay), Cotabato, Calbayog, Tagbilaran (Bohol), Catarman, and Busuanga (Coron) with Cebu Pacific’s Go Lite fare of only P999. Booking period is from January 22, 2010 until January 24, 2010 which is valid for travel from March 1 to 31, 2010. The date is really perfect as it is just the start of the summer months.

The seats are limited though so you have to act fast and book now. I tried checking flights to Bohol and the Go Lite promo fare is only available during weekdays. And since I have no more leaves left, I decided that this promo is not meant for me. Besides I am already on my 6th month of pregnancy by that time so I don’t think my OB will allow me to travel. LOL.

For two straight days now, a number of people have been knocking at our door and is asking for donations in help and in kind because their family is one of those families who have been affected by fire in Pasay and Baseco.

That is one of my biggest fears. Like what other people is saying, they will prefer to be robbed than experience their house get burn. At least if you will be robbed, there are still some items in your house that you can save whereas with fire, all of your belongings will be burn down. That is why I am also looking for home insurance quotes because this is one way to have peace of mind also that you have a fall back if a tragedy such as fire happens to our family.

We can never really escape tragedies such as fire and flood and so my prayers always include my family being protected from these kinds of tragedy.

Since we did not had enough when we had Lala’s shower, the Lynx gang decided to organized another dinner-coffee get together last Friday. Too bad I missed it again well for two reasons: first was I have no yaya so nobody will take care of B if I went out and if we bring B along, I am sure hubby will be so tired taking care of B after the dinner so I thought it is not a good idea. Second reason was I still want to take it slow even though my doctor said that my condition is getting better. I still have a week to rest and in less than seven days, I will back to work again so I like to take this opportunity to really have a good rest before going back to the office again. Looks like they had a great time and I really felt sad for missing the get together again.

After seeing the picture, it reminded me of the promise that I made to my friend that I will help her look for a new job in sales. Good thing I find a site where my friend can do a sales job search so she can find a new job. She currently work for Sales for an IT company but she has been with this company for a long time now and so she wants to have a change of environment as she no longer finds her job challenging. Luckily, SalesHead.com is here to help my friend since my friend can easily look for sales job in any location and she can even post her resume so interested company can easily check on her job profile and contact her. I hope she gets to find a new job soon; especially it is already the beginning of 2010, new year, new job. That would be a great way to start her year.

So you we’re not able to catch Cebu Pacific’s 50% discount and their Domestic Sale promo? Well if you’re answer is yes, don’t fret because here is another chance for you to travel this year with Cebu Pacific’s International Seat Sale.

Booking period is from January 16 to January 18, 2010 valid for travel from April 1 to June 30, 2010.

Enjoy Go Lite promo fare for only P999 for travel from Manila to Kota Kinabalu and Taipei; Clark to Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore and Bangkok. P1,499 Go Lite promo fare is also available fro travel for Manila to Hong Kong, Macau, Canton, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok and Saigon; Cebu to Hong Kong and Singapore. P1,999 Go Lite promo fare is available also for travel from Manila to Incheon, Jakarta, Shanghai and Osaka. P1,999 Go Lite promo fare is also available for travel from Cebu to Incheon and Busan.

Another good news from Cebu Pacific is that even passengers without a credit card can avail of this promo and book online by paying through Cebu Pacific’s partner banks - Bancnet, Megalink, Metrobank, Banco de Oro and Robinsons Savings Bank.

So what are you waiting for, log on to Cebu Pacific now and book your flights!!

On the other hand, I can have an alternative plan to celebrate my birthday. Since I am still on leave, I can use this day for my “Me Time.” I can go to a spa or salon and have a haircut, a manicure and pedicure and maybe I can also go to a dermatologist since I also need recommendation for acne scar removal.

This sounds like a good idea. I can’t remember the last time I had my “Me Time.” Ever since I became a mom, my world revolves around B that all my activities should involve her. Even hubby and I rarely go on a date because we always want our daughter to be with us everywhere we go.

Since I will be going back to the office next week, I definitely need to go to a salon to at least have a make over before I go back to work. I also need to fill my closet with new maternity clothes since my old office clothes no longer fit me anymore. I can talk to my mom, since I still don’t have a yaya, so she can take care of Bela while I go out for a day on my birthday.

Just thinking about it makes me all excited already…

I am almost finished with all my workload and I am really happy. I have tons of work to finish but I was able to accomplish all of it in just three days. I stayed up late for a couple of days though since I really want to finish everything before the week ends (so I would really rely on pronexin because I am sure my acne will act up again) but I am happy since I will be celebrating my birthday with all my work load done.

I really have no plans for my upcoming birthday. I don’t know but for some reasons I don’t feel like celebrating at all. I am thankful and all for another year and for all the blessings that I have been receiving (really I can’t ask for more), but I just want to have a simple celebration. I just want to go to church to hear mass and say thank you to my Creator for everything and then I will just stay at home and sleep. LOL. Sounds boring? Well, maybe it is because I am pregnant that I am really so lazy. We initially planned to go to Tagaytay or Subic for an overnight stay but then I was so lazy to book for our hotel accommodation that is why we ended just staying at home for the weekend.

But I know there will be more reasons to celebrate like the coming of our second baby so there will still be more chance to celebrate and have fun.

“I am so proud of what we accomplished with the Spider-Man franchise over the last decade. Beyond the films themselves I have formed some deep and lasting friendships. I am excited to see the next chapter unfold in this incredible story.”

This is from Tobey Maguire after news has spread that Spider Man 4 will no longer include the old casts including Tobey himself and they will also have a new director and new film making crew.

Spiderman 4 is set to release in 2011 but director Sam Raimi decided to withdraw from the project because he thinks that he won’t be able to meet Sony’s deadline of 2011. Instead of hiring a new director, Sony decided to get a new franchise and hire a new director, new writer and new casts.

They plan to reboot the series from scratch where Peter Parker will be going back to high school. Spiderman 4 will be released in 2012 with the rebooted script to be written by James Vanderbilt.

I wonder who will play as the new Peter Parker. Spiderman series has earned thousands and thousands of dollars in big screen. Let us see then if the rebooted series (without Tobey and the rest of the cast) be able to match up with the earnings of the previous Spiderman series.

This coming January 16 will be the birthday of my dear Aunt Vicky. She died from cancer a couple of years ago. She was the strongest of all my mom’s sister. She has a very strong faith in God and she is the one who thought us that God should always be at the center of our lives and that family should always be number one. She is our source of inspiration. She is our idol and had taught us all the things that we need to learn in life.

When we learned that she had cancer, all of us felt so down and low but she is the one who gave us strength. Instead of us preparing her for the day when the Lord will take her, it is she who prepared us to accept her faith. Now that she is gone, we still miss her fondly but we know that she is very happy that she is now with her creator.

When she died, she left her two kids who are still in school that time. But with the help and grace of God, her two kids where able to graduate from college and both have good jobs now.

I really realize that life is short. That is why my husband and I really try to live a very healthy lifestyle by eating healthy foods, living a healthy life by avoiding bad vices like alcohol and smoking, and by taking colon cleansing pills and other health supplements that will make us feel better and strong.

Our goal is we will grow old and we will take care of our grand children even our great-great grand children. I hope and pray that we will be able to see our kids grow until they are old enough to have a family of their own. These are just our simple wish that we always include in our everyday prayers.

To my Aunt Vicky, you have thought us so much and we are who we are today because you have been a part of our lives. We miss you dearly!! Happy birthday!

Hooray, hooray I am feeling so lucky this week. I guess most of my online friends are feeling the same way as I am. This will be real hard work for us which translates to more late night sleeping (so I will really need the best eye cream for wrinkles), less time spend in Facebook, (which can be a real challenge), and less chat in Twitter (but I don’t think this is possible because I just spend an hour or so reading and replying to my friends post in Twitter).

This can be a real sacrifice but this means that we will have more moolah for online shopping. LOL. Or maybe not because we try to promise each other that we will support each other in our goal for 2010 which is less shopping and more savings. Or at least splurge a little bit to reward ourselves for all the handwork that we have been doing like a little Coach bag from Faye. LOL.

I hope that every week will be like this. Happy, happy.

Resorts World Sentosa, which is said to be Asia’s ultimate family destination, will be opening its doors to the public on January 20, 2010. On the said date, four of their hotels will be opening together with 10 restaurants and lounges.

Just take a look at the pictures of the four hotels that will be opening in resort World Sentosa next week:

Resort World Sentosa also houses Universal Studios, Marine Life Park, Festive Walk and Maritime Xperiential Museum. Universal Studios was supposed to be open to public last December already but they were not able to meet this deadline. Up to now there is still no definite news on when Universal Studios will open though some are saying that it will open first quarter of 2010. Maritime Xperiential Museum and Marine Life Park will open after 2010.

Wow, new attractions to visit in Singapore. We have been to Singapore twice already but with this new attractions (especially Universal Studios and Marine Life Park), I am sure we will surely go back here.

I am now on my 17th weeks of pregnancy. As per BabyCenter.com’s Pregnancy calendar, my expected due date will be on June 23, 2010 which is one week earlier than what my OB advised me as my expected date of delivery (July 2, 2010).

I just have to continue taking Duphaston for one more week then I just have to take my ascorbic acid (which is really working for me as I did not catch coughs and colds even though my whole family has one) and my doctor gave me new prenatal vitamins now that I am already passed my first trimester.

So what should I be expecting now that I am on my 17 weeks? Based on My Calendar at BabyCenter.com, these are the things that I should be expecting for this week:

• Pregnancy hormones may make my eyes a little dry and dull my vision. Contact lenses may feel uncomfortable, too but over-the-counter eye drops often help.
• My baby measures about 5 inches and weighs about 5 ounces. This is how my baby looks like now:

Do you want to learn something new this 2010? Or do you want to impress your loved ones or even yourself or try something that you can turn into a business. Then why not enroll at Del Monte Kitchenomics Culinary Program. The best part of this program is that some of it is even being offered for free by Del Monet Kitchenomics.

Below are their classes for January – February 2010.

1. January 15, 2010
Basic Home Menu Planning
Absolutely Free
2:30 – 4:30 PM
In this class, you will learn to how to plan creative, budget-friendly and nutritious meals. This is exclusive for Kitchenomics members only.

2. January 23, 2010
Oriental Cooking for Beginners
P2,600 per participant
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
In this class, you will learn to prepare Asia dishes that are so light on the budget. You will learn to cook dishes like Chicken Adobo Aloha, Mafo Tofu, Pineapple Porkies, Fish Congee, Schezuan Style Shrimp ad Mussels Salute.

3. January 30, 2010
Dimsum Feast
P2,600 per participant
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
In this class, you will learn to prepare dimsum treats that are great for easy home entertaining or a rewarding business venture. You will learn to cook dimsum treats like Siomai, Siopao, Spring Rolls, Sesame Chicken Wings, and Pineapple Buchi.

4. February 6, 2010
Sweet Nothings: A Baking Class for Couples
P3,600 per couple
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
In this class, you will learn to the rudiments of baking delectable delights with your favorite buddy. You will learn to bake dishes like Chewy Low fat Chocolate Cake Cookies, Fruit Cocktail Brownies, Butter Cake, and Black Forest.

5. February 12, 2010
Cooking Demo: Smart Cooking for a Healthy Heart
Absolutely Free
2:30 - 4:30 PM
In this class, you will learn how to live a good life with easy-to-do recipes that are low in fat but not in taste. This is exclusive to Kitchenomics members only.

6. February 13, 2010
Cooking for Couples: Italian Affair
P3,600 per couple
10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
In this class, you will learn how to prepare classic pizza and pasta recipes. You will learn how to make Penne Amatriciana, Pasta Alfredo, Four Seasons Pizza, and Tomato-Mozzarella Pizza.

7. February 20, 2010
Fruit and Vegetable Preservation
P2,600 per participant
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
After this class, you can start your own business by creating crowd-pleasing fruit and vegetable treats like Fruit Jelly Spread, Atchara, Pine-Mango Chutney, Sampalok Candy, and Pickled Vegetables.

8. February 27, 2010
Salad and Dressing Festival
P2,600 per participant
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
In this class, you will learn the essentials of salad and dressing preparations by making these all time favorite concoctions – Classic Caesar Salad, Waldorf Salad, Russian Potato Salad, Fresh Basil Vinaigrette, Oriental dressing and home made Mayonnaise.

All classes are on a first come-first served basis so call Kitchenomics now at 897-7000 to register.

Just when I thought that I am finished pigging out during the holiday season…But I was wrong. I was chatting with my MBAP friends and I told them about my problem that even up to now that I am already on my 14th week of pregnancy, I still feel bloated after eating. They advised me that I should eat light during breakfast and snack time and I should just try to eat at least 1 cup of rice only during lunch and dinner. They said that during this time, I should start eating healthy and light so the baby will not grow that big.

I promised myself that I will really try to do this but then I can’t stop myself from eating after seeing this:

These were the food that we ordered during Lala’s shower. We had crispy pata, chopseuy, beef and my friend’s husband even brought lechon from Cebu. We even had cake for dessert. Yummy.

Looks like diet will not really work for me but I should try using elliptical too like my friend Joy who is pregnant also like me. She said that she has learned some exercise for pregnant women when she and her husband attended Lamaze class and she is doing elliptical too. You’re my idol Joy!! Honestly, I am really so lazy that I would rather prefer to sleep and eat than do exercise. LOL.

In just a few days, hubby and I will be celebrating our fifth wedding anniversary. Hubby wanted to have a renewal of vows since it is our fifth and we will have a small gathering of close family and friends to witness our renewal but I told hubby that we can just keep the money instead as savings for the coming of our second baby.

But if only we have the budget, I will choose to celebrate it like one of those Destination Weddings that I see on TV. One of my favorite destination weddings is a beach wedding in one of the resorts of Karisma Hotel. Imagine, renewing your vows on a white beach sand of the Mexican Riviera Maya with the sunset and the view of the ocean as your background. How romantic can that be? And then after the wedding, guests can enjoy the amenities of the resort like their all-inclusive gourmet package or be served by a personal butler or get a massage in your own casita Suite.

Oh, sometimes it is just so nice to day dream. But who knows, maybe in our silver wedding anniversary, we can finally afford to have a renewal of vows in any of the romantic resorts of Karisma.

It is a date on May 28, 2010 as Sex and the City II will be released on this date. I heard they move outside New York and shot some parts of the film in the dessert. The official trailer has been released already but it doesn’t reveal much about the story plot. But from what I read before, some major points (spoilers) of the movie are:

• Big will cheat on Carrie because he was so depressed because his business went down because of the recession that they even have to live with Harry and Charlotte. Big will eventually recover from their financial problem but let’s see if they will be able to patch things up.
• Miranda and Steve will start their own restaurant as Miranda lost her job because she was sued from malpractice.
• Samantha thinks that she sis still in love with Smith (this, I love to see) and she thinks that her cancer has resurfaced.
• I don’t know what’s up for Harry and Charlotte in this movie but they are expecting a baby from SATC I so we might have a peek of their baby in this movie.

I am so excited already. I miss the girls so much and I can’t wait to see them on big screen again.

After reading the 50% off promo of Cebu Pacific, it got me into thinking what the long weekends for 2010 are so I can plan our vacations. Thankfully, I saw the post of Thea for the holidays this 2010.

So here is the list:
Regular Holidays
Maundy Thursday April 1
Good Friday April 2
Araw ng Kagitingan April 9 (Friday)
Labor Day May 1
Independence Day June 14 (Monday nearest June 12)
National Heroes Day August 30 (Last Monday of August)
Bonifacio Day November 29 (Monday nearest November 30)
Christmas Day December 25 (Saturday)
Rizal Day December 27 (Monday nearest December 30)
Special (Non-working) Days
Ninoy Aquino Day August 23 (Monday nearest August 21)
All Saints Day November 1 (Monday)
Additional special (non-working) day December 24 (Friday)
Last day of the year December 31 (Friday)

I was browsing the Internet and I landed on a site of a support group for those recovering from injuries caused by negligence and accident. I read the website and I realized how much stress and pain they are going through as they try to get back on their feet again and recover. Some of them have lost their jobs as a result of the accident so this adds up to the stress that they are undergoing.

As help to the members of the support group, they have advised each of them to get in touch with Omaha accident injury lawyers so they can get legal help on how to deal with their case. Attorney Larry R. Demerath can help them negotiate their case to get a settlement and he can also act as mediator to insurance companies to help victims with their claims. And if ever they need to go on litigation, attorney Larry R. Demerath has good experience in getting a fair and fast trial.

It is remarkable that support groups like this are present to help victims start a new life again.

Cebu Pacific is having its promo again. They are offering 50% discount for all their domestic and international flights. Booking period starts today until January 8 and travel period is from February 1 to April 30, 2010.

This is a perfect offer since the travel period coincides during the summer months. If only I am not pregnant, I am already ready to pack my Samsonite luggage and I will definitely avail of this promo and book a flight either to Bohol or Cebu or to our favorite Asia destination, Hong Kong. But since we are on a tight budget right now and I am not allowed to travel also because of my sensitive pregnancy, I have to say no to this offer again (Boo-Hoo).

A lot of Cebu Pacific promos have come and go already and I manage to stop myself from doing an impulsive move and book a flight. But if you have the budget, Cebu Pacific promo is something that you should really watch out for. I was reading the blog of my blogger friend Nice and they were able to buy seven round trip tickets to Singapore for only P5000++. It is like, we are just purchasing bus tickets to Baguio. LOL.

But I am sure there will be more promos to come from Cebu Pacific and once I am already ok to travel and once our budget is secured already, I will really not hesitate and I will definitely book a flight.

How was your Christmas and New Year celebration? My family and I had a blast since we celebrated the holiday season as a complete family. Hubby took almost 2000 pictures for both occasions. I have uploaded our Christmas Eve and Christmas day pictures in my Flickr and Facebook account and I have started to upload our New Year’s Eve and New Year’s pictures.

Flickr is a nice backup facility of our pictures but wouldn’t it be nice to have those pictures printed too instead of just sitting online or in my hard disk. This can be a good gift for each family who were present during our family gatherings. And just the perfect timing since Artscow has a post-holiday gift to all its loyal clients. Each Artscow member can redeem a set of ten 20-paged 7” x 5” photo books.

To redeem this great offer, just log in to your Artscow account and under My Credits and Discount enter the following Coupon Code:

Coupon Code: 2010BOOKS
Expires on: 01/04/2010
Credit Effective Period: 45 days

I am now on my 15th week of pregnancy. It was four years ago when I was in the same condition so it is like I am learning the ropes again on how to become a mom. That is why as early as now, I am already searching for my previous notes and I already started to read the book “What to Expect when You’re Expecting” so as I will really know what should I expect now that I am expecting.

I reviewed my previous files and notes and it reminded me of the things that I have to prepare before the coming of the baby. Though the elders believed that I should wait until my 7th or even 8th month before I start to shop for my baby, I think there are things that I can prepare in advance like purchasing water softeners (since we can very well use it even before the arrival of the baby). We also checked the crib and stroller that was previously used by our first child and all of them are still in very good condition so we just have to clean it, maybe a few days before I give birth.

We are all excited already and we can’t wait to know the gender of the baby. B is already telling her classmates that she is having a baby brother and we will name him Jacobo. LOL. I think, among all of us, B is the most excited and I am sure she will be the sweetest ate in the world.