Files and Pictures

I have some free time today so I thought to declutter my files both online and off line. I have several email accounts for different purposes - for my blogging, for my personal mails and for my online transactions. They all come with the unlimited email storage feature but old emails like those from my several e-groups are still there. They just crowd my inbox and my folders.

It's like my files want to breathe. And so I will give them some breathing space. It is the same scenario with the files in my computers. I save pictures in a DVD but I still have a lot of photoshopped pictures stored in one folder. I believe it is time to back them up too even if I have the original, untouched versions of them. One way to make the computer faster is to declutter them too. That's a no-brainer I know. :)

I will have to buy some DVDs later when I go out to back up all my files and safely keep them in my drawer. I also checked three boxes of pictures stored in one of my cabinets. I will put them all in a photo album for better safe keeping. For one thing, it is relaxing for me to just browse on old pictures - pictures when I was still a child and playing with my cousins, my classmates, pictures when we were all still young.

As I was checking each pictures I came to the box where pictures of my grandparents living in the US are neatly stored. I marveled at how my grandmother have kept her house so spic and span clean. She does it alone, mind you. She is one active woman and a great tennis coach and player. Even at age 65, she still does her tennis perfectly well back then.

What I have always loved looking at in their house is their gas fire. As a child growing up in a tropical country where gas fires or electric fires are not a common site in households, I have always wondered how it is to have one in the house. While growing up, my fascination with fireplaces have never ceased. I have seen a lot during our visits to Baguio City. It's kind of romantic I think. A lot of romantic scenes in movies use fireplaces as a back drop. But I digress.

The kind of fireplace one decides to keep contributes a great deal to the character of the house. It can be modern, traditional or avantgarde. For those without chimneys, there are flueless gas fires you can enjoy at even lower prices. Now that my parents are living in the U.S., they have their own gas fire with a pebble bed which blends well with their newly renovated house. My mother is a very talented woman too especially in decorating, arranging or doing some relayouts in her house. I can't wait to help her out in another relayout she'd been mulling about.

Budget Talk

Like most mothers (and fathers) do, I have a monthly budget that I follow. I need to monitor them on a weekly basis just to be sure I am aligned with the budget I am working on. It has to be that way. I am not perfect, a few times I go over the budget. But for the past months I am able to stick to what me and my husband was able to agree on. We do not falter in paying our bills ever since we became husband and wife and we intend to keep it that way. We manage to save a certain percentage from both our incomes too.

However, there are times that a certain expense not on our list comes up. Like our washing machine acting up. The dryer does not want to function. It's raining hard the past days and we can't afford not to have a dryer. There was a time too our television in our room conked out on us without any warning. It is a form of relaxation for us at the end of the day. We watch our favorite movie or television show before going to sleep. I just cannot live without it so to speak. Unforeseen situations like the ones I have stated are not what you may call a matter of life and death but they are important parts of our daily lives. Unfortunately though they are not on our budget. This is where a fast payday loan comes in handy. We can cover the expenses right away, we can continue enjoying the benefits of these helpful household appliances I have mentioned and we can pay the loan easily. But then again, I hope none of our appliances goes malfunctioning again. :)

Dozen:Crankiness

I wasn't able to participate last week. Been quite busy that there were some things I was not able to attend to. Here's my dose of unconscious mutterings for the week.

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Crankiness :: Moodiness
2. Backpack :: Heavy
3. Clone :: Copy cat
4. High ground :: Hill
5. Dreams :: Amazing
6. Lovingly :: Sweetly
7. Mistake :: Error
8. Carson :: Johnny
9. Errand :: Chore
10. Dozen :: Twelve

Have a great Sunday! :)

Clouds

This was taken during our Sunset Cruise going to Grande Island. I like this shot. It's so serene, with the smooth streaks of clouds giving the picture a very light feel.

For other photo hunters, you may visit here. Please check out my Clouds over Castle entry at The Mommy Zone. Thanks! :)

Business Venture

I love learning, I love studying. That is the very reason why I enrolled in graduate school. I am always thirsty for knowledge and I have always loved sharing the learning I gained through the years. I always look forward to seminars and short courses our company offers to senior managers.
One thing I am yearning to learn about is computers, both software and hardware. I want to understand their language, their system. Way before blogging was included in my life, I have already been interested in computers. My husband do a lot of things with computers. His communication with his business contacts are often done through web conference and through emails. We do transactions mostly through the internet - banking, shopping online, school account, etcetera. It is almost the same thing with the rest of my family. We may not really be high tech compared to those really in-the-know about computers but we know the benefits we can get with proper use. It saves a great deal of time and money.

Also one of the ventures my husband and I plan to go to is internet gaming and computer repair service. There will come a time, in a few years perhaps, that all households will have at least one computer. We see this as a very good opportunity. We were offered a space in one of the buildings near our place which was vacated by a church mate. Her husband went abroad and there was no one to oversee their computer repair shop. She said in two months' time, they already have their ROI (return of investment). This got me very interested. What we need now is a good computer technician.

I asked another church mate who works at the IT department of this international bank if he knows someone. He mentioned a few names but he said he is interested in partnering with us. He can very well help in the technical side as a consultant. He was off to New York then for a training sponsored by his company. Wow. This boy, in his early twenties, is doing good in his chosen career. I commended him for what seems to be a job well done. Maybe a Cisco certification will all the more increase his market value. If and when our computer business will pursue, I believe it will be in good hands.

Cupcakes

I have not met anyone yet who does not like cupcakes especially if they are so good like what I have here. This is one of the reasons why I love going to Serendra. I do crave for Cupcakes by Sonja. I can only consume one though. One is enough, it's really creamy, really rich in toppings. A Sunday afternoon snack is perfect with my favorite cupcakes.

My other entry for WS is at The Mommy Zone, Liver Spread Spaghetti. :)

Red Onions

This is my entry in today's photo hunt with the theme "hanging". This was taken in one of the stores along the road in Isabela going back to Manila. Onions and garlic are hanging on the the stores' frontage.

Please visit my other entry at The Mommy Zone. Thanks. :)

Another Home Improvement

One of my goals this year is to have the toilet and baths remodeled. The last time we had a bathroom remodel for the master's bedroom was about six years ago. And the one near the kitchen and upstairs was when we moved in here which was more than a decade ago. That long. I clearly remember how my then four year old daughter looked at the videotape while doing some funny lines with all the remodeling inside the house then. She acted like she was a host or something of a television show. We were also remodeling our kitchen at the same time with the bathroom. Half of the house was a mess but it was worth it after all the works were finished.

At four years young, my daughter just picks up everything she can while construction was going on. I have to follow her every time. Imagine that. My husband and I delegated our work. I was in charge of my daughter, keeping her off wherever there is construction going on. My husband who knows more about bath tub refinishing than I do oversee the work being done. I just want it glossy, that's it. I do not care
about the nitty gritty of it actually.

She just turned ten years old and still loves taking a video of herself while singing or dancing or acting like she is in television. But I highly doubt if she will act in front of the camera while the house (or at least the bathrooms) are being remodeled. Yes, we are on to another bath tub refinishing project. I guess we have to do this every year or two to preserve their new look. I do not want the slippery of course but I want them glossy like they are newly purchased.

Looking Back

Ours is a closely knit clan. You can say we are your typical Filipino family. We normally do things together. We love celebrations, we love giving gifts to each other no matter what the occasion is. Needless to say we comfort each other in times of needs and challenging situations.

Like how it was when both my grandparents were hospitalized at the same time. I do not know if it was some stroke of faith or a mere coincidence. But the hardest part here was that they were in different places.

My grandmother on my mother's side was in the country so it was easier to look after her. We can monitor her regularly. Anytime we want we can call her doctor and ask how she was progressing. We can go to the hospital where she was confined anytime we want. Us, her grandchildren took turns looking after her.

It was a different story with my grandmother living in the U.S. then. Only my father and my aunt were able to visit her. We were constantly on the phone asking about how she was doing. We were really worried since my father mentioned that all sorts of medical equipment were attached to her body to help her breathe properly. She had pneumonia. Even so we anticipate good news every time the phone rings. My father and my aunt update us so we all know what is going on with our grandmother.

My grandmother from my mother's side went well in a couple of weeks, five days of which she spent in the hospital. She had severe arthritis so she had to be on a power wheelchair which cost quite a sum but the family pitched in so she can be comfortable during her therapy. We just wanted her to be well in no time. Used medical equipment in the U.S. are no problem but it was quite hard to find one here. Refurbished medical equipment are often a good choice since quality is assured at a lower cost. Anyway, true enough, her therapy was quick at only a month and she was back on track.

My father stayed in the U.S. for two months to be with my grandmother. She was released from the hospital after two weeks. What's good was she did not need any therapy but it was as if she did not get pneumonia when she stepped out of the hospital. I fondly recalled she wanted to play tennis right away after that. But of course she needed a lot of rest and my father was there to look after her.

Both my grandmothers are in heaven now but as a family, it's always a heart warming recollection whenever we reminisce how it was with our loving grandmothers.

Kanluran (West)

Ang larawan sa ibaba ay ang aking lahok para sa linggong ito para sa temang "Kanluran" ng Litratong Pinoy. Ito ay kuha sa isang resort, Dos Palmas, Palawan.)

(The picture below is my entry for the week's "West" theme of Litratong Pinoy. This was taken in a resort, Dos Palmas, Palawan.)

Para sa iba pang larawan, maaaring bisitahin ang Litratong Pinoy. May isa pa rin akong entry sa The Mommy Zone kung inyong ibig makita ang isa pang "kanluran". :)

(For other entries, you may visit Litratong Pinoy. I have another entry for West at The Mommy Zone.)