DOVE Messages

I love Dove chocolates. I always have one every after dinner. It is some kind of a comfort food to me. On some time, especially after a very stressful day or an "unpleasant" day, I just love to lie down on our bed and have one. It kind of gives me some relaxing feeling.

.

At the back of the foil packaging, you will find a message. It kind of made me smile after reading them. Lately, I have decided to keep every one that got a different messages on it, and wrote it down here for the record. So far, these are the messages that I had collected.

*Stop and enjoy the chocolate aroma.
*Chocolate therapy is "Oh, so good."
*Love rules without rules.
*Open your eyes to all the love around you.
*A good love is delicious because you can never get enough.
*Let your sensuousness shine through.
*Do what feels right.
*You make everything lovely.
*Remember the simple pleasures in life.
*Dazzle your sense of flavor.
*Don't settle for a spark, light a fire instead.
*Ignite your sense of adventure.
*Engage, embrace, enjoy.
*Love every moment.
*Keep the promises you make to yourself.
*Take time to notice the color of the leaves changing.
*Indulge your sense of amusement.

Keeper Of The Stars - (originally by Tracy Byrd

Back in July of 2006, it was the time of the year when I first met my boyfriend (now became my husband) while we were playing domino online. In the middle of the game, we started talking about how good the game was... We talked about how we learned domino, that lead to agree to met up online again on the following day... and so on and so forth, that then lead to knowing each other on the next level.
.
We reached to the point where we both feel something special toward each other. He likes music a lot, and the very first song that he sent to me via email is the "Keeper of the Stars" originally by Tracy Byrd. He told me that the lyrics was a perfect description on how he felt about me. I listened to it, and was in love with the song, too. The song is full of divine love, and I love to listen to it over and over again.
.
During our wedding, my husband surprised me by making arrangement to the sound operator to have this song played. He took my hand and led me to the dance floor. I am never a dancer. My husband is. But the song just carried both of us to dance with it, and we just didn't mind who were around us. That was a mystical moment to both of us.

Love Potion #9 -by The Searchers

When it comes to choices of songs, maybe you could be one of those who would call me an "old school". Yes, my kind of songs are from 70's, 80's and maybe some from 90's. It is probably because of the lyrics that the old songs have... or maybe because when I was a kid I get to hear them too often because my father used to play them in our house, and I grow up to like them.
.
No offense, please, but I believe that some of you would agree with me that some "new generation's" song's lyrics just don't make sense to me. If you would ask me for an example, I can't give you any because I really don't know any of them. I heard them. I gave negative comments about them, then I forget them. But there are some new songs, too, that I like. If you ask me for a title, again, I can't give you any. Maybe because I don't get to hear them too often. We don't turn on our radio in the house.
.
But this song that I am sharing to you is "something" to me. It is "Love Potion #9", probably from 60's. I just recover this song from YouTube a while ago, and it brought back memories in my mind. I can still remember that we have a long play record of "The Searchers", and my sister loves to play them over and over again. As I was playing it, I was amused by its visual humor. It really portrayed every lyrics. And I realized, too, that singing along with it is more like doing a tongue twister. It made my day.
.
By the way, during the appearance of the advertisement, just click on the little "X" to make it go away. Thanks.

Watching Monk Through TV Online

When I was still in the Philippines, I only watch movie after dinner. It was some kind of a relaxing habit where I like to eat sweets or grab my favorite hot tea. When I came here, I was surprised that my husband did the same thing. Although he is not watching the same favorite tv show that I had in the Philippines, but I come to like most of the show that he is watching here in USA as the day goes by.
.
My husband loves crime scene show. I love some of them, too. One of them that we both love is Monk. It is an American police procedural comedy-drama mystery television series created by Andy Breckman and starring by Tony Shalhoub as the title character, Adrian Monk. His many personalities include being OCD, and I find it very amusing because I consider myself slightly having it, too.
.
There are times that we were away and missed a session, we can’t help but became restless and hope to be able to watch it to wherever we happened to be. Soon, my husband found that through Spreety.com, we can still watch our favorite tv show through their Free TV Online . After we found this website, we no longer worry if we missed a session of our favorite tv show. We can now enjoy a night out with our friends and still enjoy our favorite tv show the following morning. Oh, how grateful we are for making life easier.

Groceries From Philippines

These and a little bit more are the groceries that I bought from Philippines that I brought home with me here during my last visit there. These are the stuff that I can't find here... or let me rephrase it, I can barely find here in USA. That was why when I was there, I really spare some money to be able to buy these groceries.
.
Allow me to enumerate them with the explanation on why I like them. I want to start with the corned beef. Sure enough we have corned beef here in USA. They even say that the corned beef here is better than in the Philippines. That is why most of the Filipino from here take some from here to bring to Philippines. I don't disagree with that. In some way it is true, but personally, I love the corned beef from the Philippines better than the one from here. Why? Probably because it is more juicy compare to the corned beef here. And also, there is a big difference on how we cook our corned beef back in the Philippines compare to how they cook theirs here. No offense, americans. We all have different tongue. I'm talking about sense of taste.
.
The second one is the Lucky Me Pancit Canton. This is my husband's favorite snack. There are different variation available, and I bought the "Extra Hot Chili" which he likes very much. The hotter is the better for him. Although I can find them sometimes in one of the Asian store around here, but barely the hot one.
.
Another one is the McCormick's Carbonara Mix. This is mine's favorite snack. I can't find this one here. Or maybe I just haven't be to a store where I can find them. Although I can come up with something else to get the taste that I want for my Carbonara, but having this mix in a packet is a lot easier.
.
All the rest are just extras, such as Nescafe 1 use pack instant coffee, Magic Sarap All-In-One seasoning, Knorr's Sinigang, Nestle Cream and Maggi Savor. Having all these stuff, and standing in my kitchen makes me feel like I am still in the Philippines.

It Is Time For Winter Shoes Shopping

Autumn started four days ago, and before I will notice it, it will be winter soon. I will then be wearing again winter clothes and Stuart Weitzman winter boots to beat off the cold weather. I both like and hate winter season. I still agree that it is the most beautiful season of the year no matter what.

.

My new Filipino friend who has just been here for six months worries about winter season. She hasn’t had the chance to gather winter clothes and shoes yet. I might have to go with her for an early shopping, or better yet, I will lead her to my favorite winter shoes website, which is the JildorShoes.com. I have a feeling that she will like Tory Burch Shoes collection.

.

I love shoes. I believe it is one of the common things about girls. I found the website that I mentioned above a year ago and liked their collections of winter boots. They are just so fabulous. Their selections are just endless and to help you with it, just browse using your favorite shoes designer. If you have no favorite designer yet, I would suggest that you start with Jeffrey Campbell Shoes . His collection are just so awesome and yet, amazingly affordable. Visit their site now and start shopping for your winter shoes, too.

I Love Pajamas.

I love wearing pajama. I could wear it the whole day if I didn’t care what others would say. I just love its cozy feeling, especially on my days off from work. But honestly, there are nights that it gets me into trouble because my husband would sometime complain about me wearing pajamas a lot. He wants me to wear those sexy lingerie that he bought. I did though. But not very often, because I am always feeling cold, that I can’t get rid of wearing those pajamas with socks, too. Even on summer time. Oh yes! Well, it is because my husband always turned the air-conditioning on to make himself comfortable all day long.
.
Anyway, talking about pajamas, and if you are fond of women’s pajamas , too, here is a cool website that I want to share with you; WomensPajamas.com. They have a wide variety selection of sleepwear, night gown, robes, lingerie, nighties, sleepshirts and womens pajamas made from variety kinds of materials that would surely capture your heart. Lookie here at these cutey pajamas that catch my eyes from their website, a softies Melanie short sleeve crop. I just love their pastel colors.
.
If you are a pajama-lover and is planning to buy women’s pajamas , I definitely would suggest for you to visit their website and I should say that you will have fun picking your choice.

Grapes By The Patio

One of the many things that I like staying at the house of Jim and Charleen was this grapevine. It was so wonderful sitting by their patio while you eat some sweet grapes right within your reach.
.
I always love grapes. Health.LearningInfo.org says that eating fresh grapes may prevent the accumulation of harmful oxidized cholesterol as well as the development of atherosclerotic lesions. Naturally occuring antioxidants in fresh grapes known as polyphenols are believed to be responsible for this beneficial impact.
.
Grapes may also be potent against viruses and tumors because of their high concentration of another polyphenol, tannin. Therefore, let us eat a good amount of fresh grapes regularly.

Elevate Your Life With Lowlife

I always love belts of different styles, colors and sizes. It adds beauty to the simplicity of the blue jeans or of the straight cut dress. You can also add fashion belt on your regular shirt or blouse and it will look so elegant. Belt plays important role in making you appear presentable and this is why if you look inside my closet I have a long line of belt organizer hanging on the wall.
.
I can still recall during my high school days, whatever color of shoes or sandal I was wearing should match the belt and bag. That was cool though, and it doesn't apply in the present time anymore. Current styles is being daring in what you do and how you carry yourself with your clothes impression.
.
So, I found this "eye-catcher" belt. A multi-color checker studded belt from Lowlife . I think it is cute. UrbanExcess.com is proud to be selected as an official Lowlife Belts supplier. They have a wide selection of EMO and rock inspired Lowlife belt range from the classic triple row studded Lowlife 'Triple S', it's two row brother the Lowlife 'Duel' studded belt and the recently launched Lowlife 'Amor' triangle studded belt. Their styles goes along with today's pop culture and encourage individuals to have a creative independent spirit by wearing what your heart wants. Lowlife belts delivers and electic modern alternative lifestyle that will not really put you out of place in the world of constant changing of fashion.
.
Hop in to their website now and find your choice.

Free Online TV Shows

One TV show that both my husband and I enjoy watching is the “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” It is our favorite show every after dinner. Sad to say that with the storm that sometimes crushed in the thumb area of Michigan, it made us missed the show. But there is always a way! Spreety TV Online help us not to miss our favorite show. It is a legal place to watch TV online, including news, sports and movies. Spreety TV Online : Watch TV Shows Online Free has replaced cable TV and can make you saved a lot of money. An E-Book is also available for free. The site is 5,000 pages deep, and has many genre pages (i.e. home & garden, comedy, sports, westerns, etc.), classic tv pages (1950s, 1960s), pages about movies, most popular online TV, etc. Hop in their site now to find out more interesting details.

Cherries! Cherries!

When I woke up this morning and went downstairs to take care of our breakfast, these two buckets of cherries greeted me. Wow! What a good way to start my day! I love cherries!
.
A growing body of science reveals tart cherries, enjoyed as either dried, frozen cherries or cherry juice, have among the highest levels of disease-fighting antioxidants, when compared to other fruits. They also contain other important nutrients such as beta carotene (19 times more than blueberries or strawberries) vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, iron, fiber and folate.
.
Emerging evidence links cherries to many important health benefits – from helping to ease the pain of arthritis and gout, to reducing risk factors for heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers. Cherries also contain melatonin, which has been found to help regulate the body’s natural sleep patterns, aid with jet lag, prevent memory loss and delay the aging process.
.
How I wish I can share these cherries to all of you.

Tea! Tea, Anyone!

One of the most important thing that I can't travel without is the TEA. I need to have it wherever I go. I need to have tea after too much eating of meat of any kind. I need to have tea after too much sweets. And most of the time, I need tea just to give me a sense of relaxing after a hard day of working.
.
My husband's cousin, Charleen, knows that I love tea, and here, she gave me a whole bunch of tea... of different kind. Thank you very much, Charleen. You are really an angel to me.
.
Here are some facts on what tea can do to our body:
*It can fight free radicals which are responsible for wrinkles and skin spots.
*It can be used to increase energy
*It suppress your appetite that will cause weight loss
*According to some research, green tea acts combatively against certain cancer cells
.
Nowadays, there are many ways of serving your tea, either hot , ice-cold or with milk. It is all up to you. I like them any way it is serve though. My favorite one is the Essensia herbal chamomile tea. It is 100% natural, caffeine free. What is your favorite tea?

A Boy's Dream

When I grow up, I'd like to be
A big strong rover out at sea
A sailing on the ocean tide
To see the big world far and wide

But then I also wish to fly
A whizzing jetplane in the sky
I'll make a loop and zoom and dash
And come to land without a crash

Oh! how many things I'd like to do
Like building houses big and new
How very happy I would feel
If I could build a bridge of steel

I'll try to do these if I can
When I become a full grown man!

It's amazing that I can still clearly remember all the words on this poem from my 4th grade, English subject. It stays firmly on the back of my mind. I'm sorry, I don't remember who wrote this poem. Anybody who knows this poem? Please leave a comment. Maybe if I was a boy, this would be my dream, too.

Where Can I Find Okra?

I need anybody to help me where I can find this kind of vegetable. Okra. I like this vegetable and I miss this. Lately, I have been craving for Filipino foods, and made me lose my appetite because my mind is on the Filipino foods.
.
Okra is often known as Lady's Fingers outside of the United States, and gumbo in parts of the United States and English-speaking Caribbean. Maybe there are some other names given to this kind of vegetable, but anyway, the picture alone explains what I mean.
.
I like eating it steamed or it could be with "Sinigang na Baboy". I love this on "Pinakbet", too. Actually, I basically love any kind of vegetables, and too much meat can lost my appetite in eating. I hope I can find Okra seedings and plant some on our backyard, but I wonder if it will grow in the cold weather like here in Michigan.

Efficascent Oil and Omega Liniment

Almost two months ago, my Filipina friend who lives in Cass City ( about four miles away from our house) had the chance to visit her family in the Philippines last month. And before she went, she visited me here to ask what are the things I wanted her to bring back for me. That was so nice of her to ask me. She is always that nice to me. I told her that there are two things that I need and they are Efficascent Oil and the Omega liniment. So, she wrote them down.

.

She was in the Philippines for almost a month. Last Thursday, I called her to check if she was home already, and yes, she was. She talked a lot about her vacation in the Philippines, her privilege flight and everything. She told me how happy she was to be able to visit her family and how happy she was to be able to eat again all those foods that she miss so much and are not available here.

.

So, she made me come to her house and picked up the stuff that she brought for me. She also gave me some local delicacies and a couple of duck salted eggs. I love it. She is really a very nice woman. I love you, Friend. God bless you abundantly.

My "Vintage" Dictionary

I love writing articles. But since English language is not my native tongue, I need the help of a dictionary most of the time.

I have a favorite dictionary. It is from my father who died fifteen years ago. ( Websters New World Dictionary, Compact School & Office Edition; Copyright 1967; THE WORLD PUBLISHING COMPANY , Library of Congress Catalog Card Number# 67-24862) I was using it since I was in second grade. Though I have few modern dictionaries given by some friends, I'd still stick to my "vintage" dictionary. I love the way it helped me find the precise words in expressing my thoughts and gives me satisfaction in what I'm writing.

But the sad thing is, I left my "vintage" dictionary in the Philippines. I have to, because of its weight and size. I left it to the care of my best friend along with my mother's favorite "vintage" cookbook, too.

But thanks to the online dictionary. http://www.dictionary.com/ It helps me find the precise words that I need and they made it a lot easier, too, because you can look for the synonyms by using their Crossword Solver.

Writing is fun if you love what you are doing.

Sidney Sheldon

I love the novels of Sidney Sheldon. I used to read a lot of them and have a collection of of his books, but I give it to a friend prior to my moving here. A master storyteller, Sidney Sheldon (February 11, 1917 – January 30, 2007) garnered international praise and recognition the world over. The winner of an Oscar, a Tony, and an Edgar Allan Poe Award, Sheldon has over 200 television scripts, twenty-five major motion pictures, six Broadway plays, eighteen novels (which have sold over 300 million copies) and one memoir to his credit, ranking him as one of the world's most prolific writers. Sidney Sheldon passed away on January 30, 2007. To find out about his entire life, scan the Sidney Sheldon Timeline.
.
He struggled with bipolar disorder for years; he contemplated suicide at 17 (talked out of it by his father, who discovered him), as detailed in his autobiography published in 2005.
.
"I try to write my books so the reader can't put them down," he explained in a 1982 interview. "I try to construct them so when the reader gets to the end of a chapter, he or she has to read just one more chapter. It's the technique of the old Saturday afternoon serial: leave the guy hanging on the edge of the cliff at the end of the chapter."

Fruits From Florida

Dad and Mom (in-law) came from Florida and look what they brought me... fruits... lots of fruits. Those that are outside the baskets are mangoes and those that are on the baskets are grapefruits and oranges... but they look all alike. It is almost hard to recognize which one is the grapefruit or orange. Yes, you are right; it is the size that matters.
.
I am very happy that they brought me mangoes. It has been a while that I miss this certain fruit; although it is not really the kind of mango that I used to eat while I was still in the Philippines but when you are here in US, it don't seem to matter at all. And hey, these kind of mangoes are very expensive back there in the Philippines.
.
I had one mango right away... and mmm... how I love it. It is very sweet, just exactly what I miss so much. Thank you, Dad and Mom. This made me became more excited moving to Florida this summer. (If God is willing.)

Dark Chocolate For A Healthy You

This is my favorite chocolate and lately, I have been eating a lot of these... while working on my computer. (kinda addictive, he-he-he) Dove is the only kind of chocolate that I like to eat, and it should be rich dark chocolate, if not... it's all yours then. :) Although there are some brand name of chocolate that I like... and they are at least 75% cocoa, any less than that won't appeal to me.
.
More researchers found evidences that confirms dark chocolates makes us healthy. It was reported that people who were diagnosed with hypertension dropped from 86% to 68%, and it is because of the antioxidant effect of dark chocolate. Yes, indulging every once in a while may have long-term heart benefits.
.
And it got crunchy almonds, too. Its organic phytonutrients and antioxidants, can prevent dry skin and reduce the visible signs of aging... and is healthy for the brain. Hmm... I need this to keep me going.

I Love You, Honey

I love honey on my pancake. I love honey on my milk. I took one teaspoon of it every after breakfast. I used it for my skin exfoliant; and lately, I tried it on my hair as a treatment, too.
.
What springs to your mind when you think of honey? Is it the sweetness and luxurious of it? When indigested, either in your tea or spread on toast, it helps stimulate the immune system and clear the infections.
.
Well, I just learned that honey possesses a formidable amount of anti-oxidants, along with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties, which should earn it a spot in your first aid kit, too.