Temporarily unavailable

My other site Pen, paper, pan is not accessible at the moment. I just updated it today, but when I came back to check this afternoon, it's no longer available. I have no idea what may have caused the problem. I hope it’s only temporary...I hope the connection will be back soon as I still have pending assignments to post. Sorry for the inconvenience. 

Toddler puffs cigarette

Have you seen this video yet? It's quite disturbing to see a two-year old kid from Indonesia puffing cigarette like an adult. It was reported that he bangs his head on the wall, whines and cries if he doesn't get cigarettes. He began his bad habit at 18 months old. See full details here.

On motherhood

Our theme this week is MOTHERHOOD. You can share any post, experience, poem or picture which describes motherhood to you.




My thoughts on motherhood? Well, I can't think of a profession nobler than motherhood. It's a career no one has taught me to be good at (am I? :)), not even my own mother. There are no set of rules to guide you. You cannot have the role fill-in by someone. It's an on-the-job training where there are always room for improvement, but always expect you to be always at your best.

Motherhood does not end up with bearing and raising your own kids until they can take care of themselves. Motherhood or parenthood extends up to the time your kids are rearing their own children.
How about you, what is your take on motherhood?

First communion

This will be my second entry for Nostalgia (or Nostalgic Thursday for me).This picture was taken in front of  St. Peter's Parish along Commonwealth Avenue for Naomi's First Communion in 2005. She was in Grade 2 and was studying at the Diliman Preparatory School. This picture was also memorable because I was two months pregnant here. But it turned out, the baby has no heartbeat and does not move based on the ultrasound performed a few days after this picture was taken. I underwent a D & C (dilatation and curettage or "raspa") at the Capitol Medical Center, also in Quezon City. Had the baby survived he or she would have been five years old this year and probably attending school just like her Ate and Kuya. Oh well, that's life. The baby is nor really meant for us.

Drug menace

More kids turn to drugs for a number of reasons such as family problem, peer influence or mere curiosity. I have heard a number of stories like these from former drug users who sought treatment in Drug Rehab Center.

Listening to the stories of young boys and girls enlighten me as a parent. I heard from the point of view of children who are neglected by their own parents, who are either separated or too busy with their own affairs. It’s sad to know how parent-children interaction and the lack of it can destroy the lives of young people. Imagine seeing these lives in Drug Rehab when they should be enjoying their time with their families, friends (the good ones), school and community.

Drug rehab such as the California Drug Rehab center is the only place where drug patients are supposed to be taken for treatment by trained personnel who will facilitate their slow recovery.

Drug treatment includes detoxification or the removal of toxic substances into the patient’s system. It is during this process that patients need the full support of their families and friends; the medical staff and their own peers inside the rehab to recover and eventually send back to mainstream to lead a normal life.

Drug addiction is truly a menace and it’s everybody’s concern to do something to curb if not eradicate the problem. Parents with young children should be vigilant all the time. If you are a parent like me, try to be your children’s confidant. Win their trust not to nose around but guide them in everyway you can. Try to explain the things that you want your children to avoid or quit doing for their own good. Parents should know the people their kids are dealing with. And most importantly, listen to your kids.

For kids out there, it always pays to heed your mom’s advice. She may not be perfect, but mom’s intuition will always keep you away from trouble.

Math tutorials for my kids

I contacted my daughter's former math teacher in grade school and ask if she can teach math lessons to my kids. Naomi and Khalil will have more than three weeks to spend at home so I decided to give them something worthwhile to keep busy at. Besides they are the ones who requested for the tutorial.

Ms. Jael, who is also attending her Masteral Classes, readily agreed to my request despite her hectic schedule. She set the first day of tutorials on June 1. She will come to our house three times a week to devote one hour or a total of six hours to each kid for the period of two weeks.

I hope the tutorial will keep the kids interested to learn new (and difficult) math lessons. Kyle will be in Grade V; Naomi is an incoming sophomore student this year... We're all looking forward to Ms. Jael's best teaching technique in Math.

Events for Moms

I received this J&J schedule of events from Nuffnang, and I thought of sharing it to mommies out there who might be interested to attend the separate occasions in Makati and Quezon City areas.

Click on the image to enlarge

Today's Postcards in CRMs

Just when you thought postcards were becoming obsolete, the industry has come up with a new and innovative use for the 150 year old postcard. Postcards are being used by sophisticated Customer Relationship Management software (CRM) to provide an added service to a wide clientele. Using the software, a company can send out quick personalized communication to its customers, and the cost of doing this is relatively cheaper than sending letters in envelopes.

While email is faster, you probably don't want to send a lot of serious business communication over email, especially if most of your customers are from an earlier generation. This is where this new avatar of postcards is finding its greatest use. A number of businesses that offer retirement plans are using CRM-based personalized postcards to remind purchasers of various deadlines and help plan their asset management.

The idea is quickly catching on, given the overwhelming response of appreciative customers. A postcard stands above an automated email reminder, and people can get tired of the thousands of emails that they receive every month. Also, there are certain things that you cannot say in an email. A postcard is more elegant, and you can fold it and keep it in your purse or stick it on the fridge. To do that with an email, you've got to take the extra step of printing it. This is precisely the reason why people still like a postcard for the most important communications of their lives.

Businesses are quick to catch on to the residual popularity of postcards. There's software that can print out colorful postcards with appropriate images and personalized message before important events. Addresses are automatically printed using mail merge software, and postcards are sent out to customers. Many businesses are of the opinion that this new phase of the postcard printing industry is here to stay.

Google celebrates 30th anniversary of PAC-MAN

My favorite game, PAC-MAN (the first computer game I played, I think) is being featured by Google. Check out their homepage.

 
Let's you play too. Enjoy!

Happy anniversary PAC-MAN!

Trip down memory lane (repost)

I'm joining my friend, Rose's Nostalgia meme this week. I'm sure many of you have seen these pictures already, so this is kind of recycle post, hehe. I really have no time to search for "never-seen-old-pix" here, but I don't have the luxury to do so as my work is up to my neck. I can't promise to visit you back, but will do so after my job is over (maybe next month).:D

As indicated by the meme's title, old...nostalgic...these pictures showed some of the unforgettable moments in my life as a member of the fourth estate...sarap ng feeling when you landed the front page for the stories you wrote...minsan kapag sinusuwerte may award pa on the side haist...no regrets if I chose to be a stay-at-home mom...

Interview with Psychic Stargazer at the Ultra gate, Pasig City: Spirits (of stampede victims) need prayers to walk into the light and move on.

Love beyond prison walls: Social worker meets husband in prison. Now both are active preachers.

Fourteen-year-old victim of abuse tells story and slow recovery from harrowing experience.

Blind Lola misses relatives who abandoned her at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong.

(All photographs appeared in People's Tonight)

Click on the badge above if you want to join Nostalgia.  

Have a safe day everyone!

See you around. :)

Woman extraordinaire

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of NMEDA. All opinions are 100% mine.

I’m sure many of you have seen or watched Adeline Dumapong on television. She is the first Filipina Paralympics medalists and powerlifter from the Ifugago province in the Philippines. I have a rare chance to interview this tough lady from way back. Her story as a wheelchair-bound athlete, performer (being a member of the Rondalla on Wheels), student, friend and fighter in life has moved me. Despite her disability, she was able to finish school with flying colors and show the world that disability is never a hindrance to pursue one’s aspiration in life.

During our casual conversation, she pointed out that persons like her should have easy access to public transport and other services being accorded to and enjoyed by able-bodied individuals. They definitely don’t want to be a burden to society and people supporting them at the moment. They need wheelchairs to move about. I think a wheelchair vehicle much like the custom fit ones distributed by NMEDA will work for them.

Not all wheelchair-bound have the same specific lifestyle and need, there are those who are physically active (like Adeline) and then there are those who are sick and the elderly who require some special features in their wheelchair. My sister, who had the opportunity to train as caregiver before her stint abroad, said it's not easy to take care of bedridden patients. But her friends who pursued the profession have easier lives as far as taking care of patients in the US is concerned because caregivers there have easy access to NMEDA dealers to assist them with physically-challenged patients. 

From what I’ve read about NMEDA, the non-profit trade association helps educate consumers on buying products from a NMEDA qualified dealer. They take pride in the Quality Assurance Program that propels them (NMEDA) as the only nationally accredited program for the Adaptive Mobility Equipment Industry in the US. They offer custom-made wheelchairs.

If someone or a group reading this will have the opportunity to help our brothers and sisters in need of wheelchairs, they should take into consideration the durability of wheelchairs they are planning to give out. For these wheelchairs would mean a lot to them to be able “to get back on the road of independence” just like Adeline Dumapong, a Filipina extraordinaire.

NMEDA homepage can be accessed at nmeda.org. To know if there are qualified dealer near you, hit the dealers locator and type in your ZIP code. You may share this information to individuals and organizations you know who are willing to give wheelchairs to people needing them the most.

Second Blogversary Giveaway Contest from the US

My friend Rose Cotrill, of Rose's Obstacles and Glories, is holding an exciting giveaway contest for all her avid readers and followers.

The contest is sponsored by the CSN Online Store so whoever wins will get the $100 promotional code from online store. However, the CSN sponsoring is open to Canadian and American residents only.

But do not despair, Rose said everyone outside the US and Canada can still participate and win. The winner will not receive the CSN prize, but a prize of $25.00 to be sent via paypal.

Click on the badge below to participate in the contest.  :)

Hope for the needy

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of SEO 5 Consulting. All opinions are 100% mine.

Two week ago, we went to National Bookstore at SM Fairview to buy some school supplies. We have yet to complete the list so we are planning to go back before the school opening next month.

We spent an ample amount for the items. I just thought to myself, if we can afford to buy the basic things that we need, what about those children who can't even buy their own meal for the day?

We try to explain to our kids everything that we do for them in a manner that they can easily understand us. We always tell them that not all children are lucky to go to school. Some children who are dying to study do not have the means to do so. While there are children whose parents are capable of sending them to good schools, are not showing interest in school. That's the sad reality of life.

In their young minds, they already understand that we are doing our responsibility to equip them for the future, to make them competitive in the real world. We only encourage them to give it their best shot by studying their lessons well.

Our kids' future still depends on what road they will choose to travel. We are only here to guide them.
As a mom, I feel for children whose parents could not support them. If only I could do something to alleviate their poverty.

A number of institutions, individuals and even game shows on TV help the less fortunate kids realize their dreams. On the international level, there is Plan Canada, who channels donations and even permanent help to assist our brothers in need.

By sponsoring a child, we don’t only help a single child, but his community as well. The single cents gathered will help them build schools and improve their lives in general.

Imagine the little amount we can give to help millions of kids go back to school. We can sponsor a child and we can start now. Imagine your $35 a month can sustain a single child. Please visit plancanada.ca and see what you can do to help a child and his community rise from poverty.

I hope similar projects will serve as an inspiration to other people in other parts of the world to do just the same act of kindness to our less fortunate brothers and sisters, especially children.

K is giving away a fab blog make-over worth $100

Here’s what’s up for grab:

Up to $100 worth of WordPress or Blogger Makeover including:

• custom header and footer
• custom background
• custom favicon
• custom navigation bar
• custom post footer (for Blogger)
• fancy post title font
• 125×125 button/badge
• personalized signature
• fancy comment section
• layout style of winner’s choice
• and anything else that will make the makeover fab  

Visit Marce K's site for the complete mechanics of the contest. Contest runs from May 13 – May 31, 2010.

Inspirational Insight turns 1!

Marce Chris is celebrating Inspirational Insight's first anniversary this month. In line with this she is holding a contest for her dear readers.

Required steps to join:

1. Write a post about what inspires you and make sure you link back to this contest page saying it is your official entry.

2. Write another post about this contest with the list of sponsors on it.
Here is the list of my sponsors and the prizes. You can copy and paste this.

1st Place
Seiko's Diary - $30
Topics on Earth - $10
SAHM Hosting - INFO Domain with Free Blog Hosting

2nd Place
Mommy Rubz - $5
The Mommy Journey - $5
Chris Chronicles - $5
SEO Friendly Blog Directory - $5
Rubz Online - INFO Domain with Free Blog Hosting

3rd Place
WAHM sa Pinas - $5
MommaWannabe- $5
Pinayjade - One Year Free Hosting

The contest will start from May 15 until May 30 12am EST. The winner will be chosen via random.org and announced on May 31.

A Mother's Day gift

My daughter gave me a beautiful present last Sunday. This drawing is not me, but my daughter said, it’s the only gift she can give me for Mother’s Day. I’m deeply touched by her gesture. She never realized her dream to enrol in any art school that we promised to send her this summer. But, my daughter never complains. She did what she has to do. She spends a lot of time practicing drawing almost every day. She’s using a different drawing tool now if you notice, from pencil, to water color, and now pen.

These are two of her latest drawings that I’m proud to show you. The lines are more distinct in actual copy. I feel happy for her accomplishment, it's more than enough gift for me.

Friends, thank you for visiting and leaving comments on my blog(s). I wish to reciprocate the same act of kindness, but I’m still busy (the busiest) with my side-line here. We are nearing the deadline, and sad to say we are half-way through the initial phase of the project.

I haven’t visited or open my FB account to say thank you to everyone who greeted me on my birthday and on Mother’s Day. I’ll just take this chance to sincerely say “Thank You” to all of you (you know who you are).

If you see an update on my blog, most likely, it’s an assignment (but not this one) nearing its deadline (I missed one opps already from SR and now I’m being punished, they’d drop all my blog PR in my dashboard for that). I hope to be back soon and pay all of you a visit. I mean all those who still remember me (no pun intended here) even if I don’t visit their site often. Thank you.

Just one last thing, I’m wishing everyone (including my own mom, whom I have not greeted or seen during the occasion) a belated Happy Mother’s Day.

Beautiful need not be painful

I had my fixed bridge (fixed partial denture) done in the mid-1990s and the experience, well it's not worthwhile. The procedure was quite painful despite the administration of anesthesia. My only consolation was it turned out well. Had the dental procedure performed two years ago, the experience would have been a lot better probably less or without pain. How I wish there was a San Diego sedation dentist in the old days.

Ever wonder what a sedation dentist can do for you? Well I made a little research and I found out that sedation dentist places patients in a relaxing state like they feel sleepy while undergoing a dental procedure. I think this is the best technique ever created to help kids and adult patients who dread visiting the dentist for a certain dental service.

Sedation dentistry is one of the popular services (under comfort and technology) being offered by the New Image Dental found at newimagedentalcare.com while patients undergo the state-of-the-art technology in beautifying their teeth such as veneers and implants; invisalign; and cosmetic and restorative dentistry.

The dental care company is manned by pool of dental experts who had advanced training from prestigious dental institutions in the United States specializing in leading edge technology to create amazing smile makeovers. I’ve seen testimonies of people whose lives have dramatically changed after a dental makeover.

Personally, my fixed bridge has given me a lot of self-confidence when I had it several years ago. If I have the money right now, I would avail the same services offered at the New Dental Image, especially now that a sedation dentist will help me feel comfortable while undergoing similar dental procedure again.

Driving experience

Not mine, but my husband’s. Even when we don't own a car yet, hubby has learned to drive a car through his brother who used to own a Volkswagen. Hubby got the hang of using the old car while driving around our neighborhood. My BIL also taught my husband when its time for the car to have a brake job. It is necessary to learn everything there is to know about cars and their parts to run well, not just how to drive the vehicle.

Talk about driving a car, I admire the mom of my daughter’s classmate who is now working in Dallas, Texas. She was able to buy a Chevrolet Silverado from her years of working in the Big Apple. I got the chance to visit her daughter’s Face Book account and saw the photos of her new car. It's a sturdy and lovely car. I asked hubby if such car is easy to maintain or requires low maintenance. He said that brand new cars will have minimal care need, but it all depends on how the owner takes care of it. But if the car is pre-owned, you really have some kind of preservation effort to keep it running for a long time. Good for her (the mom of my daughter’s classmate) she lives in Dallas so she can easily avail of the services of Dallas auto repair shop. I heard the shop offers quality car care for a reasonable price.

Time away

I’m taking a brief vacation from bloghopping and joining memes for the meantime. I will be busy beginning tonight and the days to come because of the project that I post here. I hope everyone who will visit my site(s) (including the regular droppers, friends and members of the Marce Club) will understand that I can’t visit you back for now.

I wish to update my site(s) when I'll get the chance or if there are interesting topics to write about including some opportunities, if there will be any.

I will miss all of you. :)

The night of my birthday

It was unfortunate that it happened on the night where I’m supposed to be celebrating or at least relaxing on my birthday. I’m referring to the downpour and power outage on Friday night. Of all nights why it should happen on that day?

It rained so hard the power went out. And then my worst fear happened…rainwater overflows the gutter and end up flooding the low part of our house in a short span of time.

I called up hubby at the office to inform him about the incident. Worried that we might not be able to control the flooding, hubby called up his brother who lives in the next house to assist us. My ever helpful BIL immediately came to check on us. He went up and cleared the roof gutter removing the debris and decaying leaves.

The leak has stopped, but the rain continues. I’m thankful to my BIL and to hubby who requested BIL’s help.

My body is sore from draining rainwater and mopping wet floor. I almost cried from exhaustion. I never thought I'd end my birthday like this.

Nevertheless, I’m thankful that I was able to clean up the mess and still grateful that the kids in the midst of their playfulness were able to help drain the water using dustpan and pail and basin to hold the collected water.

Unexpected things do happen in our lives…incidents that make us feel happy or sad...but I'm sure everything happens for a reason...whatever it is I hope it's always for the better...

So near and yet so far

Do you have blurred vision while reading a book or magazine, and you tend to hold the reading material away from you in order to read it clearly? Chances are you have presbyopia. It is something that happens to your eyes when you hit 40. I admit I might have one although I need to see an eye doctor to confirm it.

When you are young your eye lens is soft and flexible they readily changes shape to focus. But as you age, the crystalline lens in your eye hardens and loses elasticity, making it hard for you to adjust quickly in focus from near to far and in-between.

I read about the eye condition and one way to correct it is by wearing multifocal eyeglasses. But since I have a choice between contacts and eyeglasses, I might choose contact lenses. There are brands of multifocal contact lenses to choose in the market so my option will be to buy an expensive or discounted contact.

Care for contact lens

I don’t wear contacts, but some of my female friends do, so I’m aware that one of the tedious parts in owning a pair is its maintenance. In one instance, I saw my friend carefully take out her lenses and place them in a receptacle before putting a contact solution. The following day she has to clean the lenses before wearing them again. contact care seems very easy for her because she is used to doing it daily.

Contacts do wonders for her too. They take a few years off her real age. *wink*

Gifts

I'm excited to share here what the Marce Club

Pehpot Kaye Niko Jade Seiko Gene Liz Mye Kikamz Chris Fedhz gave me on my birthday. I received the Red Ribbon cake and baked lasagna at about 3:00 pm. A bouquet of long stemmed white roses was delivered 15 minutes later. They came from Flower Depot... I feel so special!

 Thank you Marces for making my birthday special!

Announcing the winners of "You Gotta See This Video" contest

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Incendia Health. All opinions are 100% mine.

Five months ago, I wrote about the iLASIK Video Contest of the Abbott Medical Optics Inc. (AMO), the global leader in laser vision correction. I or my husband should have joined the contest, but none of us have actually undergone the eye procedure. So what I did was invite my readers to join the contest instead. I’m not sure how many of them did participate. But I'm sure it was fun joining the contest.

For those who are not familiar with iLASIK, here's a brief explanation about it and how it works for people with eye problem. ILASIK is the most precise medical procedure to treat common eye problem such as nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. The procedure is revolutionized by the use of two computer-guided lasers instead of one as in earlier generations of LASIK.

Now that the contest has ended, I’m excited to share with you who the lucky winners are. The winners are not just picked randomly, but were chosen based on the impact of improved vision on their lives through the iLASIK procedure. These people have undergone iLASIK procedure and now living a normal life with perfect vision.

Alex grabbed the $5,000 Grand Prize to the iLASIK Video Contest for his entry “You Gotta See This Music Video”.

By category:
My Contacts Are Getting In The Way Of My Good Time
First Prize - Robbo won an HDTV package worth $2,500 for his “You Gotta Be Kidding Me!”
Second Prize - Windysail, won a Flip UltraHD™ camcorder worth $199.99 for his entry “Contracts Stink".

My Favorite Sport Or Activity Would Be So Much Cooler With Better Vision
1st Prize - jhbmw007 for the video “iLASIK Would Make Surfing More Enjoyable”.
2nd Prize - Snowman for the video "Foggy Riding".

You Should See Life After The iLASIK® Procedure
1st Prize - Danny V for “Orbs Of Perfection”.
2nd Prize - Ahowalton for his entry “Army LASIK”.

You can visit www.GottaSeeThisNow.com for the complete list of winners and other entries. I hope that you can also join AMOs future contests to win the same cool stuff like the winners did. By the way, the copy of list of winners is sponsored by AMO. See you in the next contest. And congrats to the winners!

More greetings

Another set of thank you's is accorded to the fab mommies and marces who greeted me on my birthday through a blog post. I’m also thanking so many friends, fellow mommy bloggers and non-bloggers (you know who you are) who greeted me here and at FB.

From Marce Liz:

I just want to greet my Kumareng Yami a Happy and Wonderful Birthday. My post might be late but it’s full of love and great wishes for her. I know that she’s already blessed with a wonderful husband and great kids, but I still want to wish her the best life ahead of her.

Thank you for being so sweet and even if we haven’t met in person yet, I can feel how wonderful you are. Enjoy your day Mare and don’t think that you’re getting old. Nag uunahan lang tayo, hahaha!

If you know her, please visit her blogs and greet her Happy Birthday,

From Fab Momma Bams:

One of the awesome and nicest mommy bloggers I know. I'm sure I would learn a lot from her about parenting if I get the chance to chat with her.

 

From Marce Seiko:

I maybe late upon greeting you on during your big day Marce Yami & yet I din't forget.
I hope you have a happy,incredible,fantastic birthday filled with all of the good things life has to offer.And above all I hope you wont stop for being you.Happy happy Birthday to you Marce Yami!!