May I Have Some?

My Wordless Wednesday.

I was at Baluarte last year and took some pictures of the animals there. I find this one quite funny. But hey, don't disturb the dude. He's savoring his ice cream. We call that dirty ice cream. It's not really dirty bit this kind of ice cream is peddled in the streets.

Check out the other Wordless Wednesday participants.

Comfort and Reliability

One of our goals for the first half of this year is to remodel a few areas of our house. We have started on the master's bedroom which we repainted. We also did some improvements with the cabinets and the shelves. We added some wall mounted shelves to hold our collection of DVDs and other knick knacks. They are better organized compared before.

We are looking at replacing our mattresses too. Beds need to be upgraded to a better quality but at a price well within our budget. Our priority is my daughter's bed. She had been asking for a new one to match the interior of her bedroom. I did some browsing on the internet and found a suitable style for her.

I showed the Galaxy style bed to her and she liked it too instantly. I like it because it's just about the right size for her room. It does not look bulky. I also like beds which has room under it. It's easier to clean what is under the bed plus there can be one or two storage underneath for my daughter's various collections of arts and crafts.

Based on the website's description, the bed's backing has a ten year warranty. Now that is some good come on. Even if my daughter outgrew the bed, we can always have it for younger cousins who can use some good frames.

List

Here's a tag from Genny. I thought I have done this before but it was a different tag though it's about random facts about me. Now I am going to share some things a few bloggers (or none at all) know about moi.

The customary posting of rules first...(I edited because the rules are redundant.)

* Each blogger must post these rules first.
* Each blogger starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
* At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
* Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

So here goes...
1. I do not watch any local noontime shows even if there is a chance like there's no office. I'd rather tune in to Nickelodeon and watch with my daughter.
2. I don't like strawberries in any form but I love the color and the food presentation of anything strawberry.
3. I wouldn't ride a rollercoaster again.
4. I love star gazing.
5. Full moon fascinates me.
6. I am not a sun lover. I like the beach mainly for its scenic view but not really to swim.
7. Period movies interest me.
8. I always have to have a good pen with me at any given time.

I'll go around first to see who I can tag with this. :)

Enhancing Your Knowledge Through Training

I have been in the corporate world for more than ten years already. Through the years the companies I have been with have provided different kinds of trainings. There are trainings on Finance, on Leadership, People Development among a host of other management development trainings.

There are also trainings or seminars which are geared towards personal enhancement. As we know, the more developed we are as a person, the better leaders we can be. I appreciate the most our training years ago on Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and a lot of John Maxwell leadership courses. So far, the trainers prove to be effective. The contents of the program were fully utilized.

Now maybe as I am practicing work-life balance, it would really be beneficial on my part if I will take training courses to further hone my interest in cooking and baking. The same goes with home improvements. Plumbing Courses...why not? But then again, maybe my husband will be better off taking this one. He is the techie guy in the house as well as our Mr. Handyman. I bet he will love the idea.

I Wonder...

if this first blog of mine would only contain memes and blog badges. :) I don't really mind as I love being appreciated by old and new blog pals. First up is from Genny.

Love Duets

I love watching movies and sitcoms as I have said in my previous posts here and in my Mommy Zone blog. There are screen partners that I am fond of watching. Here are my thirteen team ups at random.

* Remington Steele and Laura Holt (Pierce Brosnan and Stephanie Zimbalist)
I just love their team up and once wished they would end up together. As we
know, Brosnan's career went as high as playin 007 but the same cannot be said to Stephanie after Remington Steele. Where is she now?

* David Addison and Madie Hayes (Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd)
If there was a show I did not miss any episode, this is Moonlighting. The series which made Bruce Willis' career. Madie is one beautiful woman. I love her flowing hairstyle then.

* Paul Buchman and Jamie Buchman (Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt)
Hubby, who was my boyfriend then, had a big crush on Jamie and loved the theme song of the show Mad About You - Final Frontier.

* Dylan McKay and Brenda Walsh (Luke Perry and Shannen Doherty)
Hahahaha! Beverly Hills 90210...I could only laugh now.

* Cliff Huxtable and Claire Huxtable (Bill Cosby and Phylicia Rashad)
They seem to be perfect parents. I am not sure if there is a show like The Cosby Show these days.

* Pacey Witter and Joey Potter (Joshua Jackson and Katie Holmes)
At least Katie married The Cruise. Joshua is never heard of as he was during the height of Dawson Creek's popularity.

* Mr. Big and Carrie Bradshaw (Chris North and Sarah Jessica Parker)
This is one indication that women love them bad boys. Or should I say good-natured-bad-boys. Is there such a thing. That's Mr. Big. Carrie's character in Sex and the City fascinated a lot of women, me included for a short time.

* Ross Geller and Rachel Green (David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston)
I love the theme song in Friends and I love Ross' goody-goody character. I track Rachel's hairstyle.

* Michael Kelso and Jackie Buckhart (Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis)
Kelso is one funny guy at That 70s Show! Ashton plays his role to the hilt. I find him funny even without throwing a punch line. His hair is ridiculous though but that's the 70s. Now Jackie is one cheerleader to match Kelso's himbo character.

* Dr. Derek Shepherd and Izzie Stevens. (Patrick Dempsey and Katherine Heigl)
And why not, in my own Grey's Anatomy. :) They're beautiful people. Watching Patrick Dempsey back in the late 80s with his geeky, laugh stock roles, who would imagine he will be someone like McDreamy.

* Ben Covington and Felicity Porter (Scott Speedman and Keri Russell)
I thought Keri's big break came when she was included in the cast of Mission Impossible 3. Back to Felicity, wouldn't anyone be as intrigued as Felicity if a Ben makes a beautiful quote about her?

* Clark Kent and Lois Lane (Dean Kain and Teri Hatcher)
This one felt like a little Moonlighting only the guy is a superhero.

* Del Cassidy and Caroline Duffy (Eric Lutes and Lea Thompson)
I love the character of Caroline in Caroline in the City. A cartoonist living in a nice pad with an on again off again relationship with a vain guy named Del. Lea Thompson's face is very refreshing.

Last but not the least...

* Fox Mulder and Dana Scully (David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson)
My all time favorite screen partners from X-Files. It's more of an intellectual meeting than a love affair. It feels good to note that David attended Princeton but graduated at Yale with an English major. I favor guys with something between their ears.

Why Not Mortgage?

I was a little unsure when we started with our house a few years back. We were handling a business which requires big capital plus there are other ventures my husband were looking at the time. We have to be careful with our financial management. But we did not want to postpone purchasing the house we wanted located at his hometown. For one thing, the place was being developed which only means one thing, the value of the land in the area will go high year after year. It is a wise investment.

After some lengthy talk, we said why not look at the best possible solution - Mortgages. We have been managing our finances quite good and the credit standing is clean. Lenders will be good to us.

Choosing a valuable interest rate is a critical step. My husband is basically a finance person by heart hence he knows how to track rates. He has broker friends too who helped him with the different option on interest rates. There are fixed rates and there are adjustable rates.

Adjustable rate works depending on the state of the economy as a general rule. For someone who intends to have a buy and sell scheme for housing, this is a better option as the initial rate is low. Fixed rate, however, as the name implies gives the same interest rate throughout the loan period. It is wise to avail of this if the interest rate is low where you can afford to pay it for you long term loan.

'Tis the Season

.....for awards. :)

Julie handed over several awards, a total of fifteen, to her blog pals whom she said inspired her one way or another. This is so sweet of Julie. We've met her four times already - one lunch, three dinners. Haha. Talk about food and friendship.

Julie handed a collage of blog badges actually which I lifted from Julie's A Carnival of Awards post.


I will also giving away blog badges in the posts to come.

Another one from Janet...A gold card, would you believe? :)



Thank you so much! :)

Insurance, Get It

Some people I know are not to keen about insurance. It is close to saying they want to shoo away insurance associates that try to explain to them the value of acquiring an insurance. It is the other way around for me, my family and my close friends. We value it. In a way, it is a form of investment. Some say it is forced savings. My family have availed of different insurance which, after thorough studying of even the fine prints, we know suit our needs and wants.

One should have a knowledge the different kinds of insurance and what their benefits are to fully understand their importance. There is life and disability insurance. Generally, the benefits from this form of insurance will go to the stated beneficiaries. It is good to note that some life insurance offer versatility since it can be availed of for one's retirement.

There is also an insurance focused on health care. One can avail of medical service plans which will cover the cost of health maintenance or could help defray the cost of health care.

It is also important that you insure your properties - your house and your other assets. Car Insurance for one. Get it at the best possible quotes. This helps your mind at ease that for any untoward incident, your assets are well covered.

Seven

This is my first entry for Skittles' Heads or Tails. This is usually done on a Monday. This week's Tails is any list of seven things. I thought of seven books I would never get tired of reading and rereading. It's hard to narrow down to seven actually as I favor books of different genre. I'm taking my best shot here. Just seven that burst out from my thoughts.


* The Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
* Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
* Generation X by Douglas Coupland
* The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
* Perfume, Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind
* South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami
* A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce

Yes, Haruki Murakami is a favorite author. He goes wild and nowhere with his storytelling but his works are full of emotions and passion that you want to be a part of each page. See how it feels to be one of his characters and feel the roller coaster ride.