You Are Inspirational---Truly A Great Pleasure!

First Blog I Really Admired... Jean's

Author of 2 more blogs.
Time Goes By
Glossalicious

A Great Pleasure was one of the sites I often visited. I only have my Multiply back then. She was very warm. Crossing from Multiply to Blogger wasn't easy. Some bloggers snubbed me. I found it very rude. Blogging will always be blogging regardless of what domain you're using.

In order to break the sad feeling from that unpleasant experience, I created my own Blogspot and worked my way to connect with other bloggers. This time, I searched for people with humility. One of them was Jean.. She welcomed me to the Blogger world with open-arms.

A Great Pleasure is a site composed of her stories featuring her artistic side, inspirational thoughts on life and especially her love for food. Through her site, I met friends (like Janice of This Is A Miracle) and I got introduced to various tags and memes such as the Weekend Snapshot. Not only that, she made me feel even more special when she created a Multiply account just to be able to comment on my blogs.

Isn't she the sweetest! Jean is a very thoughtful person. I haven't met her yet, but I know she's that very same being, or even better when I see her. Jean's site reminded me of friendship. The comments that her readers leave, signified a relationship not only between bloggers but as friends. By the way, Jean does Blog Makeovers too!

Lastly, I am thanking Chris for opening this opportunity to give thanks to the blogs that inspired us from the very beginning.

Share with us your source of blogging inspiration at: You Are Inspirational

Contentment

One of the things I am very thankful for is Contentment. A path to good living, a form of positivity and an act that will lead a person away from greediness.

There were times when I wanted more than what I have. My family led me away from it. Everytime I see my little boy's innocent face and smile, I see simplicity. And that gave me the determination to look and find possible ways in order to finally have it.

Contentment is a blessing for me. Few are given this state.

An answer to our human desires. Against the things that will give us endless discontentment. Everytime we get bored, we always look for something more. And the worse part, we just want it. We don't even need it.

I have become aware of this dilemma as I went on from being a teenager to now, being the light of my own family.

Why am I sharing these thoughts? This weekend, I found new realizations. Over a year ago, I was asking my husband to buy me a DSLR. 2 or 3 more months back, he bought me a new digital Camera.

His question: "why do you still want a camera, when I just bought you a new one". It took me months to finally convince him.

My reasons? I want to take good pictures with a better medium. Reasons justified.

Because now, I carry my DSLR more than my digital camera, even if its too heavy to bring around regularly. Yes, it is something I just wanted...and I promised that it is going to be my last. With this, I seeked for Contentment. I know that I will never be satisfied as long as the term "upgrade" is around. I can't tell that I already crossed the bridge to that path. Its better to say, I'm almost there...

As we were walking around the Cyberzone area of Megamall today, my husband and I both uttered, "do we need anything here?" We both smiled and went out of the area.

Actually we do needed something ( a new desktop), but since the current one we're using is still in an A-okay condition, yes we still don't need it.

I was just happy to finally see "us" naturally walk away.

Before, it was impossible for us to get anything by the end of the day. I am very honored to have given Contentment at this early stage as a Mother & Wife.

Look for it, find it. It might just be working its way towards your direction :)

Have a great week!

All In One Entry

Tagged by one of my online buddies. Jean of A Great Pleasure . Jean is one of the great bloggers who welcomed me here on Blogger. I got attracted by her cute site, her food adventures and sweet entries

Cool meme were created by, Emila Yusof.

*Start Copy Here*

You do not have to be tagged to play along. The game is simple and so are the rules.

1. Copy from *Start Copy Here* through *End Copy Here*
2. Add your site(s) to the list. Just be sure to post at each site you add.

3. Tag as many bloggers as you like so the list keeps on growing.

4. Let me know your blog’s name and url by leaving me a comment HERE. I will add you to the master list.

5. Come back and copy the master list back to your site, often.

This process will allow late-comers to get as much link benefit as the first ones in.

1. Emila Yusof 2. The Other Side of Emila 3. Mariuca 4. Mariuca’s Perfume Gallery 5. Meow Diaries 6. Unlisted One 7. Spiff, the Spaceman 8. My Sweet Escape 9. Nota Nurul 10. Life’s Tapestry 11. Spontaneous Insignificancy 12. LadyJava 13. Miss Igorota 14. AnnyBoo 15. Yoon See 16. Jia’s Life 17. Nessa’s Mumblings 18. Also Mommy 19. The Walk of Life 20.Pretty Firefly 21. Untouchable EARTH 22. Baterya 23. Comedy Plus 24. Bain Cardin 25. Strawberry Milkshake 26. Turn-U-Off 27. Jom Heboh Di Sini 28. Notes by Marvic 29. Memoir Mez 30.Origena 31.Walking Newspaper 32. Nurul Aqilah 33. Bluedreamer 34. Breaking the Boundaries 35.A Great Pleasure 36. Time Goes By 37. Life According To Me 38. In My Kitchen 39. Sweet Nothings 40. You're next!

*End Copy Here*

I will be passing this to my top 10 amazing droppers for June.

THANK YOU...

Yummy As Can Be
The Modern Mom
Take A Coffee Break
A Simple Life
Mommy's Little Corner
Life's Tricky Situations
Moms... Check Nyo
Life's Sweets and Spices
A Life That Is Less Ordinary
Whatever Comes To My Mind

And I am thankful to Abie of The Sweet Life and Joy of From This Side for bringing these 2 awards back to my site...

And Beth of All About Elizabeth for more...

If you guys noticed, even I get the award more than once, I still post about it...It makes me incomplete if I don't. I get this feeling that if I don't post it, the thought from the sender and the effort will just go waste. But I'm not saying you guys should be doing this too, or its bad if you don't post it again...This is just me.

It's just that my active friends right now are mostly from the blogosphere. And with this, I would like to share The Friendship Chain from Jean of Time Goes By. Same author of A Great Pleasure.

~~Begin Copy~~

This is the easy way and the fastest way to :

1. Make your Authority Technorati explode.

2. Increase your Google Page Rank.

3. Get more traffic to your blog.

4. Makes more new friends.

Rules :

1. Start copy from “Begin Copy” until “End Copy” to your blog.

2. Put your own blog name and link.

3. Tag your friends as much as you can.

1.Picturing of Life 2. Juliana’s Site 3. Hazel-My Life, My Hope, My Future.4. Jeanne-The Callalily Space5.My Family is my Life 6. The Simple Life of a Baghag 7. On A Wonderful Day Like Today 8. House Everything 9. The Creativity in Me 10. Travel and Photography 11. Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow 12. You Are My Sunshine 13.Song to Remember 14. Super Blog 15. Philiippine Tv Marathon 16.Simply Blue 17. Breaking the Boundaries 18. Top Five 19. A Simple Life 20. Simple Happy Life 21. A Great Pleasure 22. Glossa~licious 23. Time Goes By 24. Sweet Nothings 25. You're Next!

~~End Copy~~

This Friendship Chain will go to all these Moms
Mom’s Special Diary
Her and History
A Life That Is Less Ordinary
Simple Happy Life
Online Mommy’s Corner
Mom From Manila
Make or Break
Things That Matters Most
Just About Anything
The Mommy Journey
Beng’s Entertainment Spree
Niko’s Blog
Me, My Family and My Career
All About Elizabeth

Seikos Diary
Baby In Between
Kizuna
Rare Ordinary Thoughts
Pensive Thoughts
A Little Boy’s Blog

Smart Mommy
Azumi Kawaii Princess’ Story
My Little Angels

Laine’s Abode
Ed’s Mommy Life
Sweet, Pretty, Naughty
My Written Xpressions
My Crazy Life With A Toddler
Becoming Kate Cancio
A Time To Weep and A Time To Laugh
E-Pamilya
Spices Of Life
One At A Time
Sassy Mom’s Corner
My Oweini Life
Twinkie Calls
Happy Moments Happy Thoughts
Nishas World and Baby Alisha
Maria Is Living In America
Home Buddies
A Taste Of Both Worlds

Will drop and blog hop to deliver your awards later :D

Let's Have Your Face Fixed

Just the other day, my husband was joking about my face. We both noticed that my skin's starting to dry. For quite sometime, I wasn't using any moisturizer. And dry skin is one of its effects. So dry it will make you look old. All of a sudden my husband joked "let's fix your face". Happy grin. I know it was just a joke but of course, while will I have my face fixed.

And even if I needed one, I wouldn't choose plastic surgery to do it. A good cosmetic surgery would be enough.

Cosmetic surgery pertains to procedures that are used to improve or change the appearance of the nose, eyes, eyebrows or other facial features. Cosmetic surgery can help people remove or change a certain physical feature that, as a result, makes them happier with their appearance and enhances their self-confidence, as well. Botox is a good example of a cosmetic surgery.

It is known to cure a lot of other conditions apart from clearing out facial lines. It is now used for brow lift as well as shaping up the eyebrows? They also work to widen up the eyes and give them a more rounded look. They can also shape up the sides of the jaw as well as the face. These can all be achieved through Botox injections and no invasive surgery is required.

Individuals who suffer from back pain and do not find any relief from the traditional therapies, Botox now offers a solution to provide them back pain relief... The magic cosmetic surgery can do. If it will make the person happy, why not.

Mommy Moments--- With Pets and Animals

So where do we go to find time mingling with animals? That's none other than the ZOO! One of the most family-friendly zoo we went to, is the Ark of Avilon Tiendesitas. The main Avilon Zoo is located in Montalban Rizal. The Avilon Montalban Zoological Park is the largest zoological park in the Philippines, to date. The 7.5-hectare of the zoo lies in the picturesque valley of Barrio San Isidro, Rodriguez (formerly Montalban), Rizal, Philippines. I am so happy that they opened a zoo to a more accessible area.

We all know that part of our visit is animal interaction. At the tiendesitas branch, they have a mini ranch (petting zoo) for the rabbits, guinea pigs and a cow. For a certain amount, the child is allowed to feed the rabbits and guinea pigs. As shown in the photos.
The wild animals are caged and viewed through a thick glass window.
This was taken April of 2008. My hair was still short and my son was just 3 1/2 years old.
My husband---so brave. So brave with the glass between them.

I wouldn't want my son to miss on the famous Manila Zoo. The old zoo is cleaner now but with less animals. No giraffe, which I am very excited for my son to see. But thank God an elephant still exist. The zoo is more like a park where we can bring some food, enjoy a good meal while our children play nearby. They still have the boating area by the way.

And this is me in an improved location within Manila Zoo. With the Llamas, deer and some hairless sheeps.
And lastly, still yours truly at the Tagaytay Zoo pregnant with Franky. It's the only zoo he (franky) haven't visited yet. It is a cozy petting zoo. We plan to take him there soon. When I went here, I truly enjoyed the place. It was clean and well-organized. Not to forget the perfect weather Tagaytay has. At the low part of the place, there is a small, open- restaurant where you can relax and view the Taal Volcano. Isn't that nice!

Share your zoo moments with us at: Mommy Moments

Music In A Different Language

I started with Diamond Crevasse Entry Here. A Japanese love song sang by May 'N for the Macross Frontier OST. In fact I listened and sang along the whole album, with lyrics on hand. Its a good thing that most have English translations.

Listening to a song of different language made me discover 2 things.

1. The lyrics is heart-warming.

2. I know the singer sings the song from deep within, even if I can't understand a single word.

Since I'm hooked at this series called Boys Over Flowers (I'm sure you've heard of it), I looked for their OST and found out that it has 2 parts. One of the songs that I truly adore is the song Love U by: Howl.

Lyrics: English translation after each verse...Hope you'll like it!

Jakku iksukhan hyanggi naneyo
geudael seuchyeotdeon barami
Jigeum nae gyeoteul jinaganabwayo
Naui gaseumsoge geudaemaneul
bichuneun haessaringabwayo
Apeun sangcheokkaji gamssajuneungeollyo

Love U geudael tteoollimyeo
ije dasi kkok nuneul gamjyo

Oooh… Ohhh… Ohhh…

VERSE 1:
It’s strange how we can get along so well
You must have been my other half
At times, I’d think what if I had not let go Oh oh…
But deep within my heart
I just want you to let me stay here by your side
I’d be so thankful if I could just see you smile
Love U
You’re so precious to me
Just once…
I want to shout to the world

Chorus:
Saranghae geudae du nun chaeul su itdamyeon
Saranghae geudae naege useum boyeojundamyeon
Jeogi byeolbitmajeodo modu gajyeoda jultende ohhh...
Saranghae ireon nae mam jeonhal su itdamyeon
Saranghae geudae geu mam gareuchyeo jundamyeon
Na modu darmagalkkeyo
Love you, Love you, Love you yeongwonhi

CHORUS:
I love you like the sun that shines brightly in the sky
I love you like the moon that sparkles each and every night
Even if just as a friend
Yet I don’t need anything more
Ohhh…I love you and I promise you I will never change
I love you and I promise you I will watch over you
Can’t help but to treasure you
Love U Love U Love U
For always

Geudae ttaraseo geotgo isseoyo jeogi dalbit dwie sumeo
Geuri nunchi eobseumyeon eotteokhaeyo
Birado naerige gureumege tto hanbeon butakhalkkayo
Jeojeun geudae maeum ana jul su itge

VERSE 2:
You know that you can always run to me
When things just seem to get too tough
I know you love someone else, what can I do? Oh oh…
It’s too late to regret
If you let me, I just want to be close to you
Without you, I don’t know how to live anymore

Love U geudael tteoollimyeo
ije dasi kkok nuneul gamjyo
[Repeat Chorus]

Love U
Having you is enough
Just once…
I want to shout to the world
(Repeat Chorus minus last line)
Only U

Listen To The Whole Song

Thankful...

I would like to thank Maggie A Taste Of Both Worlds and Stacey of All Stace All The Time for these 2 awards.

And big THANKS to the following moms for nominating Sweet Nothings under the category of Emerging Influential Blog for 2009.

Mommy Jac of Mom’s Special Diary
Mommy Peh of Make or Break
Mommy Chris of The Mommy Journey
Mommy Fedhz of Home Buddies
Mommy Willa of Smart Mommy

If only I have the extra time, I would also have my list of the top 10 Influential Bloggers. There's so much to share and to write. I started here looking up to other blogs too and I still do. I found not only friendship, but inspiration and happiness reading stories from all aspects of life.

I am also thankful for having a permanent blog design. I have always wished for this since I started with Blogger. Having a personal web design that goes well with the site title, adds excitement for the readers and visitors. It makes them know the author more as a person inside-out.

I Want More Autobots!!!

If there is something I didn't like about Transformers 2, that is it lacked Autobots. It was announced ahead that the movie is going to be focused on war between The Decepticons and the Human Race. Wouldn't you think adding a little flavor to our good robot friends would have made the movie more exciting. Robots familiar by name. I mean, its "The Transformers" right? This is also the movie where I concentrated on the robot characters instead of the humans. A job well done for the actors by the way.

Over-all, the movie was great. There's a big bunch to watch out for.

The fight scenes of Optimus Prime are my favorite. It showed qualities of a real leader and a great warrior. He fought Megatron, Starscream and Blackout all in one battle. But of course, a twist was needed in order to make way for more interesting scenes.

Let me introduce you to the Transformers who made the list:

Originally, we planned to watch on IMAX at the Mall Of Asia. Due to a busy week, we weren't able to make ticket reservations. Second choice was the Globe Platinum (Cinema 10) at the Gateway Mall. When we got there, it was fully booked until the following day. All 9 cinemas at the Gateway mall are showing this robot flick. The line went all the way around coiling from the center. Bought tickets for the last full show.

Franky was very excited. He brought his toy robots, and played along while watching. As for me, I want to watch it again on the big screen, buy the toys and DVD as soon as they release it. Will there be a next Transformers? I don't know, I hope so. Megatron still reigns, Optimus Prime is stronger than ever. Most Autobots and Decepticons survived.

Recovering From A Tooth Extraction

Last saturday, I had an emergency visit to my dentist. I planned my weekend perfectly. I thought a quick prophylaxis and tooth extraction will be good. Everything turned out to be a visit from hell (nothing against my doctor). This one tooth extraction gave me a hard time. The tooth was too hard to be pulled out. I had hunches that the root must be hooked to my gums, exactly what my dad and my sister had.

If something like this is hereditary, most likely, I have it too. My dentist tried her best to pull it out. I had two rounds of anesthesia and my dentist ended up hammering some bone part of my tooth to make room for movement.

I was sitted on that freakin' dentist chair for 3 hours. My dentist was getting exhausted. I gotta give it to her. My dentist's position wasn't easy. I mean, she's trying to put force to pull the tooth out, at the same , she was also making sure I was comfortable enough to handle it.

In the end, she was able to pull the whole thing out. The tooth was really big. As predicted, the root was curve. I felt like I'm a vampire. I have human blood all over my mouth. By the way, that is, a vampire missing a tooth. LOL!

Anyway, I had to take meds to stop the bleeding and some anti- biotic.

The heaviness and pressure brought about by the extraction stayed with me the whole weekend. But inspite of everything, I enjoyed ice cream from Dairy Queen and a late night show of The Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen at the Gateway Mall after. (Movie review in a while).