Off to Denver

I'll be away for a week from blogging as Jeff and I are going to Denver, Colorado for a training. To all my visitors and readers, I'd like to thank you for hopping here. I'd like to apologize for my Entrecard droppers 'coz I can't drop an EC back for a week. I hope you'd still be there when I get back. Thanks so much and until then!!!

Let's talk about food

Yesterday, I've read about the Recipe: Kip Saté a La Mina post that my friend Jacy posted on her blog. It looks yummy and easy to prepare so I cooked it for dinner last night. Jeff and I loved it. Jeff told me that I'm turning to be a great cook each day, hehehe! If you want to try it yourself, visit Reveries of simplyJacy. Thanks for sharing this, Jace!

Magic Lamp of Luck

This tag is from Nova. Thank you so much for remembering.

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1. Add your site(s) to the list once you have received the Magic Lamp of Luck.

2. Pass on the Magic Lamp of Luck to as many people as you like. After all, everyone needs some good luck!

3. Leave a comment HERE once you’ve passed on the Magic Lamp of Luck. Once the Genie King and Genie Princess have visited your site to make sure your links are complete and proper, you will then be added to the Master List.

4. To ensure everyone receives equal link benefit, please UPDATE your list regularly!

1-Mariuca 2-First Time Dad 3-Mariuca's Perfume Gallery 4-Emila's Illustrated Blog 5-The Other Side of Emila 6-My Sweet Escape 7-Bay Head Blog 8-Roxiticus Desperate Housewives 9-LadyJava's Lounge 10-Petty Ramblings of a Petty Queen 11-The Real Deal 12-Pinay Mommy Online 13-Perpustakaan 14-LadyJava Life's Pages 15-Make Money Online 16-Cat Tales 17-LadyJava's Food Paradise 18-Being Woman 19-Spicybug 20-Biz-N-Honey 21-Aeirin's Collections 22-Sasha Says 23-Project Heavy Traffic 24-Picture Clusters 25-My Wanderings 26-Maiylah's Snippets 27-Moments of Colours 28-Life Quest 29-BigMoneyList 30-The Best Parts 31-Morphed 32-Buhay Pinoy 33-Galatayo 34-Blogging Tips 35-Apples Of The Eyes 36-My Own Utopia 37-Sasha's Corner 38-Under One Roof 39-Say Cheese 40-A Great Pleasure 41-A Life in Bloom 42-Because Life is a Blessing 43-Digiscraptology 44-Xixi 45-Ode to Adrienne 46-CrankyDave 47-Simple Life 48-Dew Drops 49-The Journey 50-Mastering Your PC 51-Day Break 52-A Little Girl Talk 53-Mom Knows Everything 54-Day to Day 55-1 of a Kind Wis 56-It's a woman's world! 57-Breather 58-Photo Hook 59-Letterbox 60-Asian Mutt International 61-Dream Doe Philosophy 62-MommyAlehs Up-Close And Personal 63-Livin' the Life! 64-Restnrileks 65-English Corner 66-English Grammar 67-Bodybuilding & Fitness 68-Everything you need 69-One Stop Games 70-Blockbluster Movie Trailers 71-Bodybuilding & Human Growth Hormone 72-World of Tennis 73-Men's Health & Tips 74-Internet Marketing Strategy & Tips 75-Latest Technology 76-Tentang Binaraga 77-Berita Seputar Selebriti 78-Panduan Kesehatan 79-Insurance For You 80-Crissy's Zone 81-Crissy's Library 82-Crissy's Haven 83-sHeNzEe's wOrLd 84-Voice Of The Spirit 85-Best Cuisine Recipes 86-Stand My Ground 87-SeeNRead 88-This Is A Miracle 89-I AM KCAT 90-Traipsey Turvey 91-GBeX & DOm 92-Spun By A Seanachie 93-ISL Family 94-D' Cooking Mudra 95-'Story' the Great 96-UmmiRosma 97-Munirah Abd 98-Atie 99-Hit-or-Miss 100-Twisted Sister 101-Laketrees Artist 102-Blessed Sanctuary 103-Comedy Plus 104-Blogging By Sandee 105-Living Life to the Fullest 106-Speech-Less 107-Happy Life 108-My Discoveries 109-Strangely Out Of Place 110-Rooms of My Heart 111-The Paper Vision 112-Luxurious Retreats 113-Reef 114-Weekend Snapshot 115-Blessie's Finds 116-Confessions of An Army Wife 117-My Pooch Life 118-Five Martini Lunch 119-TIPS FROM THE TRAILER 120-PoeARTica 121-STAY AT HOME MOM 122-Rantings of a Woman 123-Sjtl's Weblog 124-Turn-u-Off 125-My World in My Own Word 126-Shawie 127-A New Saga 128-Janeth Vicy's Life Journey 129-Simple Reveries 130-Berry Blog 131-Touts4u 132-My So Called Life 133-La Vida es Hermosa 134-Speedcat Hollydale Page 135-mangosteenskin 136-Choc Mint Girl 137-Of Colors And Styles 138-Pinaymama's Diary 139-My Life's Rollercoaster Ride 140-My Life...My Journey! 141-Bonoriau 142-Jenny and Belle 143-Read My Mind 144-A Sweet Taste Of Life 145-Shopping Blog 146-Precious Moments 147-Feydakin 148-Hot Shit Form Here 149-A Mother's Simple Thoughts 150-Daily Ramblings Rendezvous 151-Miss Moneypenny's Comical Posts Undercover 152-My Precious Niche 153-FunFierceFabulous 154-Colorful World of Shiela 155-Me,myself+2 156-Ozzy's Mom 157-Let's talk about MJ 158-Great people make us feel we can become great 159-A Family Man 160-Just the way it is... 161-In Depth 162-Attitude, the ULTIMATE POWER 163-Are You Grateful? 164-Complain Complain Complain 165-My Little Black Pot 166-Notes By Marvic 167-Aku Pelukis 168-Jiwasintetik 169-Foster Me Up 170-Life: Thoughts & Inspirations 171-The Callalily Space 172-Mommyhood and Me 173-Bits and Pieces 174-La Place de Cherie 175-Through The Rain 176-Blogfixes 177-New England Lighthouse Treasures 178-Chez Francine 179-Tsinay 180-Hailey's Domain 181-Hailey's Beats and Bits 182-My So-Called Life 183- SuperNova & SweetPain 184-My Sweet Haven 185-YOU Next!

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Pro-active Solution works for me

I happen to have a very sensitive and acne-prone skin. For some reason, moving here in the U.S. aggravates my skin condition. I didn't do anything about it until it reached to a point when I can no longer stand looking at my face in the mirror. I've heard from friends and tv ads about Pro-active Solution, being the answer to their acne problems. I did some research and the mixed positive and negative reviews made me skeptical to commit to a monthly supply of the products. But when you're desperate, you'd like to try just about anything that can offer a solution. So after months of talking myself into it, I ordered a trial kit for free. Amazingly, it worked for me. I am now on my 3rd month of using it and all the acne in my forehead which was my biggest concern all dried up. I still get minor breakouts every now and then (guess it's the hormones) but at least my forehead cleared up. One thing I've noticed though, the chemical Benzoyl Peroxide which is an active ingredient of Pro-active tends to make my skin dry and flaky which I've anticipated but I took care of it by using Oil-free Moisturizer everyday. I am not vain. I just happen to be one of those unlucky people who are acne-prone so I'll have to do something about it.

Charice duets with Andrea Bocelli

The country's pride, 15 y/o Charice Pempengco, makes our country proud once again as she performed along with big stars Josh Groban, Alicia Keys, Andrea Bocelli and others in David Foster's discoveries for a benefit concert at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas. She was given two times standing ovation for her wonderful rendition of the songs I Will Always Love You and I Am Telling You.

There seemed to be no stopping for this young diva as she was invited by Bocelli to guest in his birthday concert in Italy last Sunday, July 20th. Charice performed with other international performers at the Theater of Silence of Lajatico, Italy dubbed as "The Cinema Tribute."

WE ARE SISTERS...WE ARE FRIENDS...

Oh how I miss my sisters so much...I'm going to share to you a few photos of my sisters. I am the eldest of 3. The photo below is taken while I was still in Pinas obviously. I love the water background in that pic. Anyway, Jhazel is our youngest sibling and she's currently a Nursing student in the Philippines. We have a 12-year age difference.

This is Me with youngest sister Jhazel

The next photo is of my sisters Jingle and Jhazel. Jingle and me have a 1-year age gap. She's currently living in Illinois. I get to talk to her everyday on the phone so I really don't miss her that much, hahahaha!!!

My lovely sisters Jingle and Jhazel

Seriously, it's really hard to be away from your family. I'm glad I have pictures to look every time I miss them. The internet is also a very efficient tool for us to communicate. At least that helps a bit.

Tuesday chatter

How am I doing? I should be feeling excited and anxious with my new job on the 4th of August but actually, I didn't wanna dwell on it right now. I still have a little over a week to enjoy my moments as a house bum. I want to think about the Denver trip first which will be on Friday. I know we won't be able to do a lot of road trips now that I've got work. Well, we have holidays so I might as well make use of that since I can't easily just take off from work especially because I'm still new.

On a lighter note, I've been doing great with my blogging opportunities. I'm earning a pretty decent amount this month. And I'm excited with the explosion of my traffic due to Entrecard. I just hope I could maintain this. For the next few weeks, blogging is going to have a back seat as I'd be focusing first with my job. But as soon as I can adjust, I'll definitely be back. I just can't seem to let it go. I've gained friends here and I'm simply addicted to blogging now. (*wink)

Wordless Wednesday #1

A Child's Game

Bonding with Filipina friends

We were invited to a birthday party of a Filipina friend's 6-yr. old son, Brandon. I deliberately didn't eat anything heavy before the party yesterday since there will be lots of food for dinner. Jeff and I baked leche flan and brought it to the party. It was a special request by my friend, Lei, who happened to enjoy leche flan along with other Filipinos, me included. I enjoyed being with Filipinas especially that we're all Bisaya. I love watching their kids play and run around the house. I think we're the only couple there who doesn't have a baby yet so we always had to answer the ultimate question, "When are you guys going to have a baby?" Well, it's great to have a small angel in our home but we have other priorities at the moment. We'll have to enjoy each other first, then have a Philippine wedding next year, then the baby definitely follows. But of course, it's always in God's time.

Kids surrounding the birthday boy during the singing of the birthday song

I got my first ever job in the U.S.!!!

Warning: This is a very long post and it might bore you to death. But if you are interested to read about the job-hunting experience of a Filipina in the United States, then read on.

I couldn't contain my happiness when the Information Systems Manager of the Bank of the Ozarks told me on the phone that they offered me the job as PC Support Specialist. I had to wake up Jeff, who was taking a nap in the couch at that time while I was blogging, and share to him the good news. Wow, the feeling was much like how I've felt when the Immigration Adjudicator stamped Approved on our visa papers. It felt so great.

It is interesting to mention that July 18, 2007 was my last day at work in the Philippines, then a year later, July 18, 2008, I was offered my first job here in the U.S. When I got my driver's license three months ago, I started looking for jobs in the internet and newspapers in our town. It was not an easy endeavor. Living in a small town like Ozark with a little over 3,000 population, there are hardly jobs that I'm willing to take. There were times that I feel frustrated and disappointed with myself 'coz I can't seem to find a job. I first put in as a Dental Assistant in a dental clinic here in town. That was my first job interview here and I knew that the chances of getting hired are slim since I didn't have the dental job experience.

My hubby has always been the shoulder to cry on for me during the days when I feel like all my self-esteem and confidence have left me just because I am jobless. He always comforted me with words like "It's alright. It'll take time. Don't worry, we'll get you a job. No matter what, I still love you." But we both know it's not about whether he would still love me if I'll get a job or not. It's about finding my self-worth in the corporate world. I've never been jobless after I graduated college back in the Philippines. But of course living in the U.S is much more different. We both anticipated the difficulty of getting me a job but I didn't realize that it could hurt this much when after 3 months of job-hunting, there was never a clear career path for me.

Until finally, I filled out an application online as Loan Document Data Processor with the Bank of the Ozarks. The anticipation for a job interview feels like it's taking forever. But what can I do, I'll just have to be patient. I spent most of my time blogging which I find gratifying. Aside from the minimal amount that I get out of it, I enjoyed the feeling of having to express my thoughts through writing. At last my interview with the bank happened a week ago. I thought it went pretty well but unfortunately, my lack of banking and loan experience hindered me from being hired despite my proficiency with data processing.

BUT....there must have been something in the interview that has impressed the Item Processing Manager and made her forward my application to another department, because even before I get the rejection letter, I got a call from their Information Systems department asking to see me for a second round of interview for the PC Support Specialist position which I didn't even put in for. The interview only lasted for 15 minutes but before that day ends, I was immediately informed by a phone call that I got the job and they will pay me more than the desired salary that I put in my application. Oh boy! I am so grateful and happy...I can't wait to start working and explore my capabilities in the world of Information Systems. And oh yeah, my first day at work will be on the 4th of August since Jeff and I will be going to Colorado for an electrical training classes on July 28th-August 1st.

Whew! What a long post! I hope I didn't put you to sleep. Zzzzz...Hehehe!!! Thanks for taking the time to read my job-hunting adventure.

Get to know your Game

Are you a golf enthusiast? Do you want to know where you stand when it comes to your playing ability? Then you came to the right page. NetHandicap.com has been in online club golf handicap service for both amateur and novice golfers for years. They are trusted to provide smart, accurate, and easy to use web-based service for golf handicap calculations. A golf handicap is a numerical measure of an amateur golfer’s playing ability. The purpose of the system has always been to attempt to level the playing field for golfers of differing abilities, so that those golfers can compete equally. Handicap systems are not used in professional golf though.

What’s good with Nethandicap.com is that the golfer, club, association, or community need not install any golf handicap calculation software. Everything is online and available easily through an Internet standard Web browser such as Microsoft Explorer or others. Just log in and post your scores online, print your Handicap card online and use it at any USGA tournament. This is your ultimate golf course software.

Layout Changes

I'm in the process of modifying the look of my blog lately. I've always been wanting to change my template into a 3-column one since I think it's more spacious but I couldn't do it 'coz of time constraints. I mean it's not that I'm super mega busy in my life but blogging and the things that go with it just seems to be time consuming, emotionally and mentally draining. Visiting and reading my friends' blogs and catching opportunities matter to me more than beautifying my layout. But just recently, I took half a day off waiting for opps, so to speak. I concentrated on finding the 3-column template that I like and probably do some more tweaking in the next couple of days. There's so much to add and a lot to modify. I want a customized header, a scrolling blogroll, a change of fonts and color and so much more. I'll try to do it myself but if I won't like the outcome I might just go ahead and purchase a customized layout. (*smiles*)

A snake was found in a washing machine

What would you do if you find a snake in your washing machine? Huh! Are you kidding? How could a snake get into the washing machine? Well, that's what I was thinking when I was reading a news article about a woman in Gorham, Maine.

Mara Ranger narrated that when she was removing clothes from her washing machine at her Maine farmhouse, she noticed that the clothes moved. She said she jumped back and saw a snake and immediately called for help. Maine Animal Damage Control operator Richard Burton pulled out an 8-foot Python out of the washing machine. Burton guesses the snake got into Ranger's washing machine through water pipes.

Man, that was scary! I bet she'll get paranoid doing her laundry now. I also should probably be extra careful myself when I do laundry. Who knows it might happen to somebody else as well. (*knock on wood*)...

My Mom's Fear

I called my mom last night (July 18, morning in the Philippines), to ask how are they doing when I sensed that there is a little panic and tension on her voice. She said that she's afraid of the 8.1 earthquake prediction that was made by a Brazilian teacher named Mr. Juseleeno Nobulega DaRoose. A week ago, I've read about the email that's been circulating in the internet regarding his earthquake prediction in the Philippines on the 18th of July but I actually didn't believe even a bit of it. Even PHIVOLCS (Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology) issued a statement that people should not believe it because there's not really a scientific basis for it. Nobody can predict an earthquake as to the exact magnitude, time and actual date, says PHIVOLCS director.

But my poor mom can't help but fear for the lives of my youngest sister who'll be going to school that day and my cousins who's gonna be going to work. I told her not to believe it. She said she tried not to but still she can't help but worry a little bit. Oh, I wish I can do something to erase her fears. I'll call her back again later to check on her. You know my mom is actually not that old yet, she's still 47 but she can easily be afraid and anxious due to a medical condition.

Meet Katee Taira Shean: So You Think You Can Dance Finalist

They are already down to Top 10 finalists. All of them are fantastic dancers but I picked out my favorite. Who else could it be but the pretty, 20 y/o Contemporary dancer from San Jose, California. Katee started dancing at the young age of 4. She had formal dance training at the Team Dance Company and Atlas School of Dance. I'm amazed of how magnificent she dances to almost any category. Below are a bunch of my favorite dance routine videos of Katee and Joshua (co-finalist) from So You Think You Can Dance. Enjoy!!!

Katee and Joshua (Samba Routine)

Katee and Joshua (Hip-Hop Routine)


Katee and Joshua (Contemporary Routine)


Katee and Joshua (Bollywood Routine)


Katee and Joshua (Viennese Waltz Routine)

From Jeff with LOVE

Yesterday was plain and ordinary but not until I received flower delivery in the afternoon while I was busy blogging. I didn't wanna open the door 'coz I wasn't expecting any package and I guess it's just safe if I just ignore whoever's ringing the doorbell but oh boy, the person was persistent. Much to my surprise, a pretty bouquet of flowers came to view when I opened the door. Of course it was from my sweet hubby Jeff. He likes to do that every now and then. He was busy working so who would have thought that he still thinks about sending me flowers on an ordinary day. I love that about him. He never fails to show me that he cares. I guess I'm one of the lucky wives who got charming and thoughtful husbands.

I took a close-up shot of the roses. I so love the colors of these two.

My early Entrecard experience

I am so glad I gave Entrecard a try. I was reluctant about it at first 'coz I thought it's just one of those widgets that doesn't have any use but mere decorations in your blogs but I was totally wrong. It brought additional traffic to my page not to mention the fact that I enjoyed every minute of visiting other Entrecarders. I was amazed of how extensive the blogging world is. Thousands of bloggers converge on Entrecard and what a great experience it was for me to read brilliant blogs in so many different categories. I have yet to maximize EC to its fullest potential but so far so good. I love it!

By the way, please check out Buzz In Hollywood. This is the first ad space that I purchased and it feels great to see my blog featured on her blog even if it's only for 24 hours. Cool!!!

What's right for me?

When I was still working back in the Philippines, I used to maintain HSBC credit card but I had to close it when I moved here in the U.S. Since I don’t have work right now, I don’t have a credit card in my name yet. I use one of Jeff’s card with my online transactions. If I go out and shop, it’s either I’m going to pay it in cash or have Jeff swiped his card for my purchases. Eventually, we know that I need to get a credit card in my name but still unsure which card to use. I’ve been sent pre-approved credit cards in our mailbox but they all asked for annual fee charges which Jeff doesn’t have with his cards.

I need a site that can give me ratings and reviews about different kinds of credit cards so that I can choose which one is right for me. I think Credit Cards Club would be perfect for that need. You can apply with top credit card issuers and banks through their site. They offer loads of information about different credit card offers to help you in your decision. I highly recommend CreditCardsClub for your credit card needs.

What is this?

Well, that's also my question when I first see this fruit. Ok, for some who really doesn't know, this is a Grapefruit. In Spanish, the fruit is known as Pomelo. No wonder it looks like a "buongon" to me, except that it's pinkish in color on the inside.

I've been introduced to most of the fruits sold here in the US market. By far, I love peaches and strawberries.

Anyway, grapefruits are a good source of Vitamin C, pectin fiber, and the pink and red hues contain the beneficial antioxidant lycopene.

Point and Click

If reading "The Most Dangerous Game" excited you, or if you’ve ever wondered if you had the stuff to be a super-stealthy-army sniper/ninja elite, then paintball is for you! I’ve never actually played it myself but my hubby does. And here’s what he has to say about it: "One of the funniest things I’ve ever done is playing paintball. It’s more exciting than super-nintendo, easier than a tour of duty in Iraq, and you can still be friends with all the people you shot at the end of the day. I remember my very first game of paintball, there were 3 of us against 3 of "them". "Them" being some co-workers that I didn’t know very well. We later became great friends. It started out as a boring morning when a friend came over and said, "get up and let’s go do something fun!" I wanted to tell him where he could put his fun, but then my curiosity got the better of me and I gave it a try. After a short drive out to the woods, and a brief instruction on what a paintball gun is, how to wear eye protection, and what people to shoot and not shoot, we were off and running. Not literally. I was really trying my best to look like a skinny tree in the middle of a bunch of real skinny trees. I wasn’t doing a great job of it, but nobody seemed to notice, as 2 of the 3 people on the other team walked within spitting distance. Blah...blah...blah..."

Anyway, you get the picture. My hubby can go on forever talking to me about his paintball experience. He sure sounds like he enjoyed it. And if you already know how much fun it is, then rush on over to Ultimate Paintball’s site. They sell top selling guns and they even have cool BT Paintball stuff to upgrade your current paintball gun, or get yourself a new one if you don’t have one yet.

US woman faces Identity Theft charges

I've heard and seen identity theft cases in movies and in the news and I think it's scary to fall victims of these crooks. Just today, I've read a news article about a 22-year old woman from Philadelphia who admitted that she and her ex-boyfriend pulled off a brazen identity-theft scheme that funded trips, fancy dinners and expensive salon visits. Jocelyn Kirsch and Edward Anderton, 25, acknowledge that they stole the identities of friends and neighbors in the Philadelphia area in 2006 and 2007 to net more than $116,000 in goods and services, and tried to obtain at least another $122,000 more. Whoa! That's a lot of money. No wonder she was confident to go to an upscale salon and had a hair extension job which costs $2,250. Too bad for her 'coz the check bounced thus exposing her scheme to the police authorities. Tsk! Tsk! Tsk!

A week in Denver

This is probably the longest time that I'd be away from home and of course blogging. From July 25th-August 5th, Jeff and I will be going to Denver, Colorado for his training classes sponsored by USACE, the government agency where he works. I've got mixed emotions for this trip. We made two mini-vacations in just a month and my system doesn't really feel like travelling again just yet. I don't have a laptop yet so I'm reluctant to go for that would mean blogging opportunities missed for a week for me. *winks* However, I feel that this is the perfect time for me to see the beautiful state of Colorado. I've read that the scenery is so different up there and that the rocky mountains of the state is something that I would really love to see. So I guess this is it. I'll be off from blogging for a week. I hope to still see you in my page though. Promise I'll visit your blogs when I get back from the trip. Ciao!

*photo from chitarita's page*

I am an Entrecard Newbie

When I blog hop, I try to read the posts that interests me. I happen to came across with Elaine's Entrecard Drop List post. I was intrigued and read more about it. I like the concept of it since it's another way of increasing traffic to my page so I made an EC account a couple of days back. Actually, I don't completely understand how the whole system works but I've read that it worked for some of the bloggers I've known. I am definitely an EC newbie but I'm trying to educate myself about it by reading blogs with EC info posts. Hopefully, this will work for me as well. Cheers!

Wife Carrying Contest in Finland

I find this funny and strange but it's actually a sport in Finland. I'm talking about the wife carrying contest in Finland where the prize is the wife's weight in beer.

Despite the humorous aspect of this sport, it actually has deep roots in Finland history. It's supposedly reminiscent of a past in which men courted women by running to their village, picking them up, and carrying them off. The festival originated in the 19th century when it was common practice in Finland to steal women from neighbouring villages.

The objective of the contest is for the male to carry the female through a special obstacle track in the fastest time. The track has two dry obstacles and a water obstacle, about one meter deep. The wife to be carried may be his own, the neighbour’s or he can choose any woman over 17 to be the symbolic wife for the event. Several carrying styles may be used like piggyback, fireman's carry (over the shoulder), or Estonian-style (the wife hangs upside-down with her legs around the husband's shoulders, holding onto his waist). Cool, eh!

Poise after The Great Fall

I think it would be everyone's nightmare to tumble on stage in front of millions of viewers. It was a nightmare come true for Miss USA 2008 Crystle Stewart, who never would have thought in a million years that she would fall down in the prestigious Miss Universe beauty pageant but in this case, accidents happen. After Miss USA 2007 suffered the same fate last year, one would wonder why American candidates go through the same humiliation. It was impressive to note though that both of them were able to handle it very well and continued on as if nothing had happened.

Rachel Smith, Miss USA 2007

Crystle Stewart, Miss USA 2008

Miss Venezuela is Miss Universe 2008

Miss Venezuela, Dayana Mendoza bested the other 79 lovely candidates in this year's Miss Universe beauty pageant held in Vietnam. The 22-year old Latina beauty confessed that she was once a victim of 'express kidnapping' in her own country and that experience taught her to remain poised under pressure.

Three other Latina beauties made it to the Top 5 Finalists, Ms. Colombia (1st runner-up), Ms. Dominican Republic (2nd runner-up) and Ms. Mexico (4th runner-up). Ms. Russia won 3rd place.

On the other hand, it was a nightmare come true for Ms. USA as she fell on stage when she tripped on the train of her bejeweled evening gown. Ms. USA made it to the Top 10 Finalists.

World Youth Day Sydney 2008

I remember the time when Pope John Paul II visited Philippines back in January 1995. I was in college at that time and my grandmother (deceased) was an active member of a church organization and was part of the group of pilgrims who went to Manila to witness the event.

On July 15-20, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI visits Sydney, Australia for the World Youth Day 2008 Celebration. WYD, organized by the Catholic Church, is the largest youth event in the world which brings together young people from around the globe to celebrate and learn about their faith on a more regular basis. This will mark the first visit of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to Australia. More than 125,000 pilgrims from overseas are expected to attend the said celebration, which culminates in an open-air mass on July 20 to be attended by 500,000 people.

The 81-year-old Pontiff arrived in Sydney on Sunday at Richmond Military Airbase.

*photo not mine*

My Girl invades Baguio despite heavy rains

Do you watch My Girl? This is a cute romantic comedy Filipino adaptation of a Korean soap opera that stars Kim Chiu and Gerald Anderson. I love this show. I find Kim's character funny and lovable. The episodes keep getting nicer and nicer and major shifts are gonna happen with some characters' relationship in the story. The latest buzz about My Girl is the cast went up to the City of Pines, Baguio to do a 3-day shoot this week. This makes the show even more exciting as we all know how romantic the place is. I've been to Baguio and it's one of the nicest places I've ever been.

The frequent afternoon rains caused delays with the shoots, messed up their taping schedules so they had to stretch their tapings up to the late evenings. Because of the rain, there may not be enough time for Kim to hit the ukay-ukay market which she loves to do in between breaks, Gerald on the other hand makes the most of their production downtimes by enjoying the beautiful scenery of Baguio. Wow, the Baguio scenes must make this show even more fun and exciting to watch. To all My Girl fans, Tira Tira!!!

Shark found in Australian Pool

How would you react if you happen to find a shark swimming with you in a swimming pool? I know this is bizarre but it happened in Cronulla Beach in Australia. The one-meter (3.3 foot) shark turned up in a rock pool situated next to the open ocean at Cronulla Beach. The Cronulla Surf Lifesaving Club spokesperson thought it must have been swept into the pool overnight by a large wave. She added that they've got swimmers who made laps as early as 6:00 am every morning but they must not have noticed the shark that it was there since it's still dark. Yikes! There were no people harmed and the shark was reportedly released back into the sea unharmed.

Start of a new Weekend

After we enjoyed an activity-filled weekend last week, we would just gonna take it real slow and easy this week. I've got a good suspense book to read by Catherine Coulter right now. We would also gonna watch a movie in our living room later today. This week's just gonna be pure lazy bonding at home which we liked to do sometimes.

As for my blogging, hmm, I missed 3 big bucks opportunities. Waahhhh!!! Ooops..but anyway, I shouldn't let it get to me. I'm hoping there will be more opportunities to come. I just ain't lucky probably today. (*Sigh)

Blogging my heart out

The day is almost over and I am still glued on the computer. I've been feeling dizzy and nauseous for the past two days. No, I'm not pregnant. This could have been caused by too much computer usage. Blogging is just so addicting especially if opportunities flood your way. I've had less time watching tv lately because I prefer to sit in front of the computer and blog. After my IZEA codes were fixed, they were able to give me a true ranking. Thanks to my readers and blog hopping friends, my Real Rank improves and now more opportunities are offered to me. Thanks PPP and SS!!!

Pinoy bodybuilder "Jerick Ternida" wins in US

Presenting the Pinoy "Arnold Schwarzenegger"... He is Jerick Ternida, 37 y/o, 6th time Mr. Philippines Winner, now the first Filipino to win MuscleMania Universe Bodybuilding Competition in the U.S.

This is another Philippines' pride. He is now paving the way for other Pinoy bodybuilding athletes who dream of competing in the US. Click here for the full story.

Water Fun at Wild River Country

Wild River Country Water Park claims to be Arkansas' Largest Water Park. It may have been true but personally I was disappointed with the size of the wavepool. They really don't have that much fun attractions to offer but then again, we came to the place to swim which we luckily did get the chance to do despite the intermittent rain and thunderstorm. By the way, this was one of our stops last weekend.

I can't swim really but I just love the feel of being in the waters since it's summertime. Afterall, there are tubes available for those who are non-swimmers. It was not a superb water park experience, nonetheless, Jeff and I enjoyed our time together in the sun and on the waters. We would love to do this again before summer ends.

Wavepool

Driftin' River

Lovebirds



Dyesebel in flip flops (toink!)

Glenn Beck's Political Humor

I am not really into political satire comedy but recently, I took the chance to visit the website of one of the famous comedians in this genre, Glenn Beck. I find the views in his blog very interesting. He has this way of making pressing political issues sound lighter by hints of humor but if you come to think about it, some of his opinions are true, therefore I agree with them. His opinions can be controversial but one must admit, this guy is smart and funny. He has shows on television, radio and he even writes books but if you want to listen more views from this guy, Glenn Beck will be touring this summer. Don’t miss the chance to see him in a One Night Comedy Show Beck ’08 Unelectable. This is gonna be on the 17th of July in Dallas and will be broadcasted nationally to select movie theaters nationwide.

Binibining Pilipinas-Universe Jennifer Barrientos competes in Vietnam

Jennifer Barrientos, 22 y/o, who hails from San Mateo Rizal is Philippine's representative for 2008 Miss Universe to be held in Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa, Vietnam. This 5'8" Filipina stunner will try to bring home the elusive Ms. Universe crown. After Gloria Diaz and Margie Moran won it decades ago, we only came close to winning it back last 1999 when Miriam Quaimbao won as the First Runner Up.

NBC will air the Miss Universe 2008 pageant night live on Sunday, July 13th, 9-11 PM Eastern Time.

Goodluck to our bet, Ms. Jennifer Barrientos!

Snack Naturally with YoNaturals

Bid adieu to junk foods, welcome Yo Naturals for healthy school vending. YoNaturals Vending is the perfect natural and organic choice for schools, offices, malls, parks, etc. It offers a wide selection of the tastiest organic snacks, beverages, meals, energy bars and dried fruit. They can put up their YoZone and YoThirsty healthy vending machines in your schools with free nationwide delivery. This could be a good start to curb childhood obesity.

The Museum of Automobiles

One of the stops that we made during our 4th of July weekend trip was in The Museum of Automobiles atop Petit Jean Mountain. They had a wide array of antique and beautiful automobiles. I saw all kinds of old models of cars and I was really impressed with how good these cars still look despite the age.

The entrance to the Museum

Car Display

Longest car I've ever seen

Elvis' Car

Pretty in Pink

My best favorite car in the Museum

Weird-looking Mercedes

A boat or a car?!?