As the year comes to a close, most people want to end it with a bang.  Me, I would like to wind down with the year and slow down a bit.  I have been running to and fro the whole year, I guess it’s time for a little Me Time.

My husband came home one day and bought Dove chocolates.  I joked that it would taste like soap, and then my husband came back with “so you tasted one?”  Surprisingly, the bar tastes good.  Not too sweet, not too heavy.  Just the way I liked it.  When something this good comes around, I check who made it.  It’s made by Mars, same company who makes M&M’s, Snickers, and my hubby’s favorite,Twix.  Too bad I only ate one, my hubby ate all of them.

Since irresistible car deals are all over the place, one of the things that you should be very keen on, is the insurance that goes with it. For us, who were devastated by typhoon Ketsana more than a year ago, next time we consider getting an insurance for our car, we will definitely make sure that Natural calamities (I refuse to call it Acts of God), are included. Well in case you’re buying a car now, then here are the top picks in car insurance providers:

1.) Malayan – I know Honda Marikina normally has a tie up with this company. Those who bought Honda cars prior to the typhoon Ketsana had their units replaced.

2.) BDO Car insurance – yes as in BDO as in the bank. They also cover natural calamities.

3.) UCPB Car insurance – yes, also the bank. It makes it convenient for you if you’re going to get your car loan from them. Save you the hassle of dealing with different companies.

For roadside assistance, you may want to sign up with AAP and Wheelers. Don’t just readily sign up for cheap auto insurance, make sure you know what you’re covered for.

Merry Christmas y’all!!  May you have a meaningful Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Yes, I’m an absolute cheapskate! And yes, we did check out the Carens and Sorento of Kia a few days ago, but thinking about it more and more, it seems like going for a Suzuki Alto and resurrecting our old Mazda Familia 323 is the best option right now. I’m actually more drawn into the affordable down payment and payment scheme of the Alto. A down payment of less than 35k is absolutely a sweet deal and a monthly terms of 10k is also not bad. The said down payment already includes 3 yrs of LTO registration and car insurance, which makes it even more irresistible.

I still have time to think it over…. hmmm….

Wishing you all good tidings, prosperity and peace, this Yuletide season and always! God bless you all dear readers!

image taken from fotosearch.com

I need more time! So many things I want to do and have to do. It seems that I hardly have time to slow down. I have a full time job, and on top of that I have tons of side line as a means of generating additional income. Lately, it feels like the only thing I do in the house is sleep, take a bath and change and then leave again. There’s just so many things happening. Below are the things that I’m currently engaged in:

- real estate business

- educational programs

- health and wellness business

I have tons of print ads and I guess I ought to get rubber stamps, just to be a little kinder to my hands. I do not want to write my name and contact information on more than 300 flyers. Well, anyway at least the holidays is bound to give me a much needed break.

Tonight, get set to be blown away by the latest drama and entertainment shows on an all new, all awesome AXN Beyond channel. More than ever, viewers from the Philippines will enjoy a fresh and unrivalled programming line-up Tuesday nights across a newly-expanded spectrum of genres, as AXN Beyond refreshes to redefine the entertainment experience like no other.

Turning into a ‘super-sized’ channel, AXN Beyond will serve up more monthly premieres from many more genres than before. Taking the definition of ‘entertainment’ to the limit, AXN Beyond will go beyond fun, feisty and fabulous with its variety of shows. These range from mystery and suspense, fantasy and science-fiction, paranormal and supernatural, fashion and design, to lifestyle and romance, across drama, variety, reality, sitcom, comedy, talk shows, movies and even music concerts.

Said Voo Chih Yeong, Head of AXN Beyond, “Viewers need to look no further than AXN Beyond for the latest shows across the variety of genres, as our channel will have something for just about everyone at a single destination. With a far more compelling entertainment experience, AXN Beyond now appeals to an even wider audience than before. Viewers who have come to enjoy the great programs on AXN will definitely love and appreciate the same world-class quality in the fresh content selection on the all new AXN Beyond.”

Indeed, AXN Beyond hails from the same team that brought Asia its top English general entertainment channel, AXN. As a fresh, hip and energetic TV destination, the new AXN Beyond draws audiences across a wide range of demographics seeking new and exciting entertainment choices, and has its sweet spot among male and female viewers aged 18 – 35.

Beyond fun on AXN Beyond’s Super Tuesdays

AXN Beyond viewers are set to enjoy a back-to-back series of the channel’s very latest shows on Super Tuesday evenings not-to-be-missed. The fun begins with reality talk show The Marriage Ref, as celebrities such as Madonna, Demi Moore and Gwyneth Paltrow pass judgement on real-life couples’ marriages.

That leads to light-hearted series like Drop Dead Diva Season 2 which continues the life of shallow model Deb (Brooke Elliott) whose soul ends up in the body of a brilliant, plus-size attorney. The night’s fun culminates in AXN Beyond’s headliner of the month – fresh new legal comedic drama The Defenders which stars Jim Belushi (According to Jim) and Jerry O’Connell (Sliders) as colourful Las Vegas defence attorneys.

With all that and more, viewers will surely adore the all-new, all awesome entertainment experience with the latest shows across the greatest variety of genres, unveiling this December on the fresh, hip and super-sized AXN Beyond. Check out some of these shows airing tonight:

The Marriage Ref

Tuesdays, 8:10pm, first and exclusively on AXN Beyond

Jerry Seinfeld is back and in the producer’s chair for a funny and revealing comedy panel series The Marriage Ref, about the unpredictable and hilarious institution commonly known as marriage. In The Marriage Ref, disputes between real-life couples are revealed, examined – and ultimately judged.

For the first time, audiences will be able to look at these fights, analyze them and declare a winner. At the centre of the action and making “the call”, is popular comedian Tom Papa (The Informant!) who will have the final say in determining the victor of each spat.

Advising and influencing the Ref’s decision will be a rotating panel of ‘experts’ comprising top celebrities, comedians and sports stars who will weigh in and offer their own wit, wisdom and unique opinions. Guest stars featuring through the series include Tina Fey, Eva Longoria Parker, Larry David, Ricky Gervais, Madonna, Martha Stewart, Sheryl Crow, Tracy Morgan, Gloria Estefan, Donald Trump and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Read more…

Good babysitters or nannies are a rare find and it gets harder and harder to find one these days. I’ve had my share of nasty babysitters who were only nice to you and your kiddo when you are around. I was fortunate to have my mom during the time my son was an infant till he reached 3 years old. And I was blessed to have our nanny since my cousins and I were 8 years old, to be with us at that time when I gave birth. I do not know of any parent who doesn’t put a premium on child safety, as such, I know that we all want to end up with a good nanny. While I know it’s likewise important to discuss pointers on how to find a good nanny, I must say, I haven’t really been fortunate in that arena. I’m just blessed to have our faithful household helper/sitter/nanny to be back in our lives again, for the third time around. So do not turn to me for advice on how to find the perfect nanny, because my quest was rather unsuccessful at the time our beloved nanny wasn’t with us. Let me just share with you the ways we do to make her decide to stay with us.

1.) Treat your nanny with respect – this goes a long long way in any relationship. They are not robots, make sure that you give them time to rest once in a while and give them rest days. Also, make sure you do not leave your children with them day in and day out. It is their job to help you with the baby, but ultimately, you are still the parent.

2.) Be kind – everyone is fighting their own battles, and so learn to be kind. If there are mishaps, then do not readily blame them or accuse them. Ask. Ask what happened, and don’t jump to conclusions. There may be times when you may question their judgment on things especially when it concerns poor child safety. On the other hand, you may be surprised, just if you’d take the time to ask. You may find out that they may just have a different way of viewing things, although faulty at times. But that’s why they’re nannies to begin with.

3.) Be generous. – While some people may object to this, i would say that it plays a big factor on why people leave. Plus, being generous doesn’t necessarily have to equate to giving money. You can be generous with praise when they did a good job. People like it when they get recognition for a job well done. Other things relating to this would be giving out their law-mandated benefits, such as their social security and medical contributions, that’s part of being humane.

We’ll hope that helps you keep your good nannies, if you happen to have one right now. Otherwise, I hope it converts your current nanny or sitter into a good one.

There are so many good car deals out there in the market today. Yesterday, the hubby and I couldn’t resist going inside a KIA showroom. We were looking at a Sorento and a Carens.

image taken from justgoodcars.com

The husband, naturally, by instinct, gravitates towards the hunky and bad-ass Sorento, but I on the other hand, being more practical (both financially and in terms of space), am drawn to the Carens. When we found out that the Sorento display in the showroom then is the 5seater model, we were bothered at how huge the 7-seater will be. So off we went to check out the Carens. Hubby wasn’t really impressed with the way it looks from the outside. But he was in for a surprise! When he checked out the inside and sat at the driver’s seat, he was surprised at just how spacious it was. It also helped that the sales supervisor, was hyping on the features of the Carens (well, he ought to anyway), so the husband was won over. We left the showroom convinced that KIA Carens is a great car for us.

Now, we just have to really sit down and fix our budget.

We cannot be careful these days.  I remember a saying that too much of anything is bad.  Take for example one of our neighbors.

He lived in a far away province as a miner.  He started working there since he was 18.  The guy was a hard worker, works twelve hour shifts and never misses a day of work.  He worked so hard that he never married, never had any kids, and a handful of his so called friends.  He always said that too much hard work was never enough.  A person must work as hard as he can and everything would fall into place.  I never really believed him, I always believed that a balance should be maintained at all times.  Some of our neighbors told him to think of another way to earn a living since working everyday in a min can cause serious damage to his lungs like Mesothelioma or something else.  But he never listened.

One day we found out he got sick.  He was bed ridden for months.  He’s ok now but the doctors told him he shouldn’t exert too much effort since his body took too much damage from his condition.  Bad thing is, he’s alone and there’s no one to really take care of him.  His fellow miners often come by to check on him from time to time but there is really no one to look after him.

We should always be mindful of that we are working to live and not living to work.  Those two are very different things.