OMG.. my officemate is all swollen now and it is really evident on her face.. the nose is rounded as a bulb (as we teased her)… it’s her due date in a week’s time and we are all anticipating her delivery.  Wonder of all wonders…. think of how pregnancy can change a woman’s face and body… she was the darling of the department because she can command attention and a second look since she was young, fair skinned and charming. When she got married and got pregnant the guys world crumbled… and that was the end of their illusions.  My officemate  is obviously  is much much bigger than I am now as she is already counting the days till her daughter (as per ultrasound) showed up.   Oftentimes I would hear her complain about her sorry feeling that she is no longer desirable and that her skin is having rashes and that her tummy is so big and might burst.   It was very hard for her to let go of body image issues and who would not?   I can relate with her sentiments because there was also a time during my pregnancy that I felt I was really that undesirable and insecurity was there.  They said it is called pregnancy woes!

Already on her last trimester and she is having muscle cramps and pelvic region discomfort.   4D ultrasound picture of her would be baby excites her no end and her aches seemed to be gone instantly.  The excitement relieved her of the discomforts that has  been bothering her all throughout as her pregnancy progresses.  Few week ago, they threw a baby shower for her and she went home with assortment of useful baby stuffs.  Too bad, I was not around.. I missed their baby shower games….

She is on leave now and awaiting for her delivery.. it’s either normal or Ceasarian section but whichever way as long as she and the baby will be perfectly fine.   Hoping too that she will bounce back to her old figure soon.   Definitely, it would mean discipline and action on her part!   And she has a lot of hard work-out to do.

charming as ever

awaiting the baby .. soon

On our last day in DAvao City, we dared tried to taste  Durian. Have you tried this spiky fruit which is also known as Asia’s King of Fruit?  Exaggeratedly said “smells like hell but taste like heaven”   so our curiosity grew more to really find out for ourselves.  The locals really loved the fruit even though it has poignant smell.  Even when the husk is still intact, the edible flesh emits intense odor which evokes different reactions from others who are not accustomed to the fruit and for first timers like us, we can’t seem to appreciate the taste because we were anticipating how bad the smell is.   Imagine, it is not allowed in public transportation, hotels, and other establishments.

Our group accepted the challenge to taste durian.  All were reluctant because of the aroma but I think 2 in our group were able to appreciate the taste.   Gee, my friend was right afterall when she told me that it smelled like a ‘rotting gym socks”…lol…   But if you have not tried it yet..take time to read on how Wiki describes durian:

The five cells are silky-white within, and are filled with a mass of firm, cream-coloured pulp, containing about three seeds each. This pulp is the edible part, and its consistence and flavour are indescribable. A rich custard highly flavoured with almonds gives the best general idea of it, but there are occasional wafts of flavour that call to mind cream-cheese, onion-sauce, sherry-wine, and other incongruous dishes. Then there is a rich glutinous smoothness in the pulp which nothing else possesses, but which adds to its delicacy. It is neither acid nor sweet nor juicy; yet it wants neither of these qualities, for it is in itself perfect. It produces no nausea or other bad effect, and the more you eat of it the less you feel inclined to stop. In fact, to eat Durians is a new sensation worth a voyage to the East to experience. … as producing a food of the most exquisite flavour it is unsurpassed.

Anyway,  the experience is again for the books… And to show you how we reacted to the challenge, I’ve posted our pictures in our un glamorous moment ever..  We were really rolling down with laughter as we reviewed the pictures with Asia’s King of Fruit!

spit it out!

hold it!

raised eyebrows!

Yes! It is very evident that hubby is fast learning the tricks of photography.   It’s been 4 months since our photography class wrapped up and it’s really up to us if we really wanted to be competent and good at it.   My hubby sustained his interest with trial and error shots and of course he upgraded his camera with essential lenses and you will really see the difference.  Like when we went to a butterfly park, he used specialized lens called macro to be able to capture the beauty of his subjects.

a quick and closer shot of a butterfly

I don’t want to think that he had grown weary for the past weeks that he had me as his model.   Has he  gone tired and ran out of poses to teach me, thus, he shifted subject to nature?   Indeed, it inspired him most everytime his shots yielded very good results and he would always brag it to me.  Yes, I believed that he has improved a lot because he’s been into  practice shooting every now and then.   Definitely, he is putting into good use what he learned from the class.   His D90 camera is his best buddy nowadays which he always carries with him  because it is ready for shoot anytime, anyplace!

another interesting subject

He still buys specialized lenses though they are a bit pricey like the macro camera lens which is for close up photography.  Upon knowing that he will have the chance to shoot on orchids and butterflies, he really planned ahead and saved for lenses.  And it did opened him to the world of extreme close up photography that creates exciting pictures.  You bet, he is already hooked into it and he is starting to make compilations of pictures.

macro lens used here

I just hope he won’t use that macro lens on me… I believe even the tiniest dirt, lines and age spots on my face will be captured.   There goes my image down the drain….if my stubborn hubby will focus that lens on me..  no way!

Ruggedly handsome is how my cousin Jane describes her boyfriend James and I think so too when we were formally introduced.  No wonder Jane always get jealous and kind of insecure everytime girls take a second look at him.   He seems to be perfect but I found out that he smells a little out of the ordinary masculine odor and was perspiring a lot.   I am very particular about it so I did not waste any time to call Jane’s attention hoping that she will be able to correct James.

Expectantly, she defended James telling me that he is paying attention to his hygiene and that he would not leave home without his favorite perfume.  Adding too that maybe our meeting was a bad timing.  Whoah!  Is there such a thing as bad timing?  That James would smell bad that instant or perspired that heavy (out of nervousness, I guess).   Well, I meant well so I wanted to give my 2 cents sisterly advice to Jane and that I don’t intend to offend her boyfriend.  In fact, I advised her to talk to him that maybe his perfume doesn’t suit or match his body chemistry.  And that it is time for him to switch to another brand and scent which are in the market and even online.

I hope that he will be that open to suggestion and in doing so, it is going to be the start of their sweet smelling relationship.  Well, of course, one has to be particularly conscious about hygiene.  There’s nothing more appealing than a man who has been out of the shower room.. natural odor…

Love it!

Tired of wasting money on expensive beauty products only to end up frustrated? Since most cosmetics are processed with chemical content it could contain ingredients that are harmful especially to sensitive skin. So the next time you are about to make a skincare purchase think first, there are several home remedies that could work on your skin and you might want to try them.

Honey is considered as one of the popular choices form homeopathic solutions. It is known for its moisturizing and hydrating properties that provide a healthier and glowing skin. Apply a mixture of milk and honey all over face and leave it for a few minutes before rinsing. This could leave your skin looking radiant and softer.

A slightly heated dab of honey is also a good way to treat acne because of its anti bacterial properties. Apply the honey to the affected area and leave it overnight. You’ll notice that the redness and swelling is gone by the morning. Make an exfoliating mask by combining honey with oatmeal and yogurt to remove the impurities and dead skin cells.

Honey is not only good for the skin but the hair as well. Massage a mixture of olive oil and honey to strands and scalp for a shiny and healthy hair. Now with all these easy to do honey recipes, you might want to think twice before buying expensive skin care products.

Angela is a freelance content writer is also fond of traveling and outdoor adventures. She enjoys working on a tagpaptag project and sees this as an opportunity to share information about roofing.

Vacation is undeniably an opportune bonding time with family and we enjoyed all the places we’ve been to.  It  brought us to lots of  interesting places and  had us experienced activities we have not dare tried when we were young.  Part of our itinerary is to experience river water rafting in Davao City, island of Mindanao but before the real thrill, we consulted Wikipedia and accordingly ”Rafting or white water rafting is a challenging recreational activity using an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other bodies of water.  While in the office, we were assured that experienced guides and professional life guards will join the group and I asked few questions before I finally let go of the payment for a group of 6.   The package is quite expensive but never mind.. it will only be once in a lifetime experience.

Our children were very much excited with the thought that they are going to do it  finally.   I was included while we were planning our itinerary to river rafting adventure, however, I backed out after seeing the video clip.  I don’t think I can actually survive that adventure fearing I might drown for I don’t really how to swim.  A life vest might not save me enough because I might panic so I better not take the risk.  Understandably it was the young blood who are risk takers!

So a group of 6 was formed, my 3 children, a nephew and a friend and my husband who was concerned of just letting the youths on their own joined too.  I know that he is also apprehensive but his concern for the group outweighed his fears.  Good for hubby for he knows how to swim so it would not really be that hard for him to adjust in the water.

signing waiver

As advised, they should be in the office before 7am for rafting orientation.   They were asked to sign a waiver since it is considered as an extreme sports and their helmets and life vests were distributed.   Initial rafting orientations ensued and they were then transported by jeepney to the starting point  for the 13 km of adrenaline rush with more than 15 rapids.   Upon reaching there, they were given another basic rafting orientation and were taught on how to put on their life vests, the basic rafting techniques and different rafting lingos they will hear as instructions.

rafting orientation.. teaching them how to paddle

the 15 km. water rafting thrill

high five  after challenging rapids

break

It was more than 3 hours of water rafting and braving the wind and heat.   They were really exhausted and famished and when they reached the end of the line, lunch was served. It was an experience to cherish!

thumbs up!

Helmets off and thumbs up to their guide Mr. Onin for one great rafting assistance!

The other week my brother was an emergency case when he complained of chest pain and shortness of breath.  He was diagnosed to have suffered mild heart attack and found out that he has an artery block.   Who wouldn’t if you can consume 2 packs of cigarette a day, no exercise, stressed and he always stays up late at night?   Being an artist, for him cigarettes are his comforter while doing his oil painting but now it is beginning to take its toll on his health.  He was confined for 4 days and was discharged when he was declared out of the danger zone that is 1-3 days after the last attack… because according to the attending physician, it is likely to have another attack within 24 hours -3 days.

His take home medicines are a lot and the “bitter pill” for him to swallow is the stern advice to stop smoking.  The first few weeks is expected to be terrible and a struggle because of the withdrawal symptoms that he is going to experience.   Lately, he has been complaining of headaches but we were told that it is normal.  It will be an overall change of diet for him like avoiding saturated fats, too much preservatives, sweets and though he is protesting because his food taste bland, he had to obey and be a good boy.

brod is trying to eliminate the habit

I can see him always sitting on his favorite rocking chair and I have to cajole him to start walking around.   He should not just sit idly.. in fact he can start to go back to his painting but he needs to take it easy.   Discipline is the key.

Last night, much that I wanted to hit the comforts of my bed earlier, but a call from a friend Jessa made me stayed up late because of her endless stories of a not so close friend of ours named Sheryl.     Yay.. again?  It  was one of those girls chit-chats and Jessa pointed out how Sheryl irked her no end.  I really don’t want to get involved with these kinds of petty issues because it only drive us to sin against her.  We can’t help but talk about Sheryl and her Louis Vuitton bag!   Apparently, based on stories, she is all over the place prominently displaying her LV bag and all of her pics in Facebook showed her carrying her “one and only” bag.   It was noticed that she seemed not to own another bag and that is the same bag she repeatedly carries with her in all occasions,  meaning, be in the mall, partying, at the beach, in a local shop, out of town trips, everywhere….  The ladies tongues keep wagging asking that “Isn’t it that there should be a bag for a particular place like at the beach.. a straw bag or trendy plastic carry bags would be best and for out of towns, colorful bags hand carried or back packs?”

Jessa would not stop blabbering… that Sheryl’s LV is not the “real thing”.. not authentic…and yet she displays it as if it is or maybe she is not aware that it is only a cheap imitation.  Apparently she bought it from her Hong Kong trip last month and the other fashion conscious ladies in our circle would swear that her LV is fake and that genuine bags cost thousand of dollars.

Lol.. the ladies would say that maybe Sheryl thought that they will drool with envy  but doesn’t she knows that they can’t be deceived even there is LV monogram…just because it has an LV monogram doesn’t mean that it is..  They don’t like Sheryl.. obviously!

Of course, I can’t relate because I don’t have any plan or means to buy one so I don’t bother to

found this pic on the web showing the difference of both bags

browse on how on to spot a fake LV.   However, on second thought, best to have hints or tips  so that if someone would be parading before me with an LV and would try to belittle my bag, I can just raise my eyebrows.  Oh dear, I think I have unconsciously learned that from the ladies…

BTW… my bag is also LV…. Local Vag…. yay!

Mom warned us not to swim last night…. And why?  It was raining hard and she said we might get wet in the rain if we go ahead with our planned swimming.   But of course, it is  one of those running joke and so still our hard headedness prevailed and we swam anyway only to find out that we were only the lone souls braved enough to swim that night amidst the heavy downpour. But who cares?   We were prepared for that.. so we thought but admittedly it was really cold though we submerged ourselves in the pool up to our neck line and only our heads showing so as we won’t be able to feel the extremely cold weather .. harsh wind blowing and intermittent rainfall…

enjoying the rainy swimming night?

took us about 45 minutes stay in the pool because it was getting really chilly and we’ve noticed that one by one, our companion headed to the shower room to rinse.   Alright.. since we had satisfied our swimming mode, we had to follow others who were dashing out of the changing room to the condo unit.

got you guys on cam.. those who dashed out of the pool

The swimming mode turned into eating mood because we felt we were very hungry after getting out of the pool.  At least we had experienced how it was to be getting wet in the rain while swimming.. (*wink)

It was one rainy swimming night to remember… Promise..

I wasn’t surprised at all when our colleague was promoted 2 level higher than most of us who were about 5-6 years senior in service than her.  She was a budding junior IT specialist , new university graduate  but armed not only with charm but considerable stock knowledge and fresh ideas.  Undoubtedly, she is bright, very much opinionated and ambitious that somehow, some senior ladies in the department oftentimes resent her presence and brushed aside her inputs.  For some reason, one officemate would always consider her a “threat” and labeling her as someone who is  ”pulling too many strings”and using good connections to facilitate her early rise to Supervisory position.

While it is true that this very ambitious stance of her is getting the ire of some, but my personal views changed after a chanced one to one talk with her.  Aside from her family life, she also recounted how she struggled past through her university studies and how she strives hard  to get Online Courses and pursue her long dream of becoming a good web page designer.  She persevered studying while working because she has a goal…. She bravely admitted that her projected toughness was due to  the hardships she had in life and this inspired her no end to work her way up.  She also recounted that upon learning of a supervisory position in our IT department would be vacated soon,  she divulged that she started mapping up her career path by taking online degree program in web designs to elevate her level of educational attainment.   And true enough, she best qualified and was hired for the position not long after she finished her program.

I felt the sincerity in her voice when she said she felt sorry for her colleagues for thinking otherwise because of her recent promotion.  She would like to reach out to those colleagues who alienated from her to also go for their dreams of promotion ( if they have any).  Well, she added that should they want to further their  studies, it is always possible with on line degree programs offering various courses of choice and like her, she availed the assistance of Federal Student Aid College Finder http://studentaid2.ed.gov/gotocollege/collegefinder/advanced_find.asp.

Her parting word was… “once they have finished the program, it might work wonders for them too!”    Whoa!  That was quite an intriguing one!

There goes my highly opinionated friend..err supervisor!