Time check: 7:00 am. Whoa! What a nice way to start my day by being productive in this blog! During mornings, I just can't get everything put together if I don't get a sip of my daily dose of coffee. My coffee is my energy drink. Yes, I am such a coffee lover but I limit my coffee intake to 2 cups a day, one in the morning and one in the evening because taking more than that everyday may not go well with my goal of being healthy (and slim haha!). But then, if the situation calls for it, I just have to get my third cup :).

For all the coffee lovers, McDonalds is giving us a treat during Mondays and Saturdays from September 22 - October 19, 2013. All you have to do is buy any McDonalds meal and you can get a free upgrade to a McCafe cappucino or Iced Mocha! And that would be anytime of the day! One more thing, I'll just paste here what was on their Facebook page:

You also get a Buy 1 Take 1 espresso coupon that you can use any day until December 31. 


That's too much of a treat especially that McDonald's coffees are something to crave for. I just love their coffee!


You can grab this treat from their participating stores here: https://www.facebook.com/notes/mcdo/mccafe-stores-philippines/503793256340717

Please check out the McDonald's Facebook Page for more details and for more treats awaiting us.

So, if Monday is not your favorite day and Saturdays are your rest day, a cup of coffee with your favorite meal from McDo will make your days better.

Thank you, McDonald's!

Ooooohhhh! Here's another chance to save some bucks when dining out right on your very pay day!



Mark the date, 08-15-2013. Its payday so give yourself some treat for the hardwork, you definitely deserve it! But make sure you first put in some of your pay into your savings!

Stay positive and pass it on!

I am in the process of trying to forgive myself for not blogging to often, and also trying to recover from this blogging hiatus, but time really does not allow me to do so. Its 11:30 pm right now and I'm kinda sleepy but I really feel the need to share this to the world.

The first time I saw this on TV, I was teary-eyed with the widest smile. I was so touched at the kind of love siblings can share and it made me feel so blessed the whole day. Please spend a minute to watch this McDonalds commercial and I swear whatever you're going through today, this will make you feel lighter.

from pics22.com

I know this is a bit late but better late than never, so, Happy Holidays, Everyone! I may not have all the things I've listed on my wishlist but no amount of material presents could ever replace the love and warmth one can get from a loving family. Love is all around these days so grab it, its for free! And make sure you give back more! Forget your worries for now and relieve your mind from stress and all that jazz. This is the time of the year that everyone should be rejoicing!



Again, from my family to yours, Merry Christmas and An Abundant 2013 to All of Us!

I don't if its just coincidence that whenever I decide to go on a diet, a lot of all of a sudden celebrations would emerge. Dear God, help me not to pig out! But God really tests my self-control. How can I say no to these mouth-watering Filipino dishes?

Last Friday, me and my new colleagues at my new work celebrated Nap-nap's birthday. We decided to give Kanin Club a try since this is just near our office premise and a lot of rave have been said about. But I don't believe all these sayings unless I try it for myself. So here you go, a little feedback of what we had.


Crispy Pata - The crispy pata will always be a Filipino favorite. For my verdict, Kanin Club's version is just the same as the others. No don't get me wrong, I didn't say it negatively. I've tasted a lot of crispy pata from other restaurants and I can say that they're all good when properly prepared. The crispy pata of Kanin Club will surely make you order more kanin!


Sinigang na Hipon - The taste of this sinigang is perfectly right! I can't help sipping the soup. Just like how my mom prepares sinigang at home. I could go on with my lunch even with just the soup.

Crispy Dinuguan - Their bestseller. No wonder why, crispy meat in a diniguan dish? I can't explain it in words, all I know is that, I think I consumed half of the order. hehehehe!

Its always nice to celebrate one's birthday, but aside from that I believe that this also is a celebration of a friendship blossoming from new acquaintances. :-) So, dear God, thank you for the food and the friendship! I obey! No diet for today! Haha!

For someone who works in the IT field, you would think that it may be odd that I never get interested in buying lots of gadgets. And I swear, if you want to know anything about gadgets, I may just be the last person you would like to ask for an opinion. Because honestly, I don't know anything about these high tech, expensive, complicated specs gadgets.

For personal use, I own a laptop (3year old), a cellphone(5year old) and a point and shoot digicam ( I can barely remember when did I buy it). These things do the works for me and I'm very happy with their performance. I don't know what did I say to my dear husband but for Mother's day he keeps on insisting to buy me a tablet. I got hold of an Ipad and Galaxy Tab and instantly want to own one. But after sometime, I thought what am I gonna do with it? For me its just practicality, but for some, I know they would just easily say I'm so "kuripot". Two weeks of my husband's stay in California and he said I'd better decide what I want. With all these gadgets, how can I pinpoint which would fit my needs? What gadget would an woman like me needs to help in my multi-tasking? Managing household, taking care of the baby, working in corporate IT, blogging for a hobby, and having fun with my girlfriends, which do you recommend should I be getting? I surely hope to get your insights!

1. Apple Ipad 2 - An eye candy for the techie peeps! But I always thought, if I buy this today what upgrade version would we have on the late quarter of the year? Apple has been known for releasing upgraded versions of their products very often. I don't want to be "addicted to Apple products and keep buying when there's a new release!

Mac Pink Nouveau

Again, I am so busy at work I have no time to blog. I really miss posting on my site and seeing lot of traffic on my webpage. So I thought I need something worth reading to post and something that would really entice my readers' minds. :)

Last week, I have just done one life-changing decision. I have just passed my resignation letter. Though it is truly a heartbreak to leave the company I have worked for 8years in my life, I know that God is up to something good that's why He gave me a new opportunity to be accepted in another company.

When we decide to leave the company we are working for, it must be because we have found a better workplace. Be it a better pay, better working environment, better work schedules, etc. But can these "better" things compete with the world's best countries to work for? Surprisingly, America is not on the list. Aaaww, does that mean no more "American Dream" for us Filipinos? I have nothing against USA but the facts says it all, USA may not be the only country that can be branded "the land of milk and honey" nowadays. Read on and see for yourself what we are actually missing. :) (the blue lines are my comments)


The 10 Best Countries to Work In

Source: Yahoo! She


2. BULGARIA: Bulgarians are given up to 410 days of paid maternity leave at 90 percent of the mother's salary, 45 days of which must be taken prior to the birth of the child. Parents are also eligible for a second year of paid parental leave at a minimum salary. Even better, both the father and the grandparents can take the second year of maternity leave in place of the mother, if necessary.


3. BRAZIL: Brazil is most notable for offering workers the most paid vacation days per year in the world. Full-time workers can earn a whopping 41 paid days off - 30 of those days are mandated for leisure time at the worker's convenience, and the other 11 are considered paid federal holidays.



4. FRANCE: According to the OECD, French people work nearly 200 hours less each year than other countries in the organization. France is also a world leader when it comes to the number of paid vacation days: 40 in total, 30 of which are mandated and 10 of which are public holiday.



5. FINLAND: Like Brazil and France, Finland is one of the world leaders in offering paid vacation days - up to 40 days a year, including 30 of which are mandated, and 10 more as public holiday. Additionally, only .04 percent of Finnish workers work more than 50 hours a week on average, an important indicator for a healthy work/life balance.



6. NETHERLANDS: Workers clock only 1,378 hours per year, or 27.6 hours per week. Like Germany, however, the Netherlands maintains a healthy GDP and high standard of living in spite of fewer hours on the job. On top of that, they are given 28 paid vacation days per year, and 16 weeks of paid maternity leave at 100 percent of their salaries. As if that weren't enough, Dutch workers are also offered tax breaks on an additional 26 weeks of unpaid maternity leave if required.



7. NORWAY: A parent is given as much as 47 weeks at 100 percent salary, or 57 weeks at 80 percent salary. Nine weeks are reserved for the mother, 12 weeks (the "daddy's quota") are reserved for the father, and the parents can share the rest. Norwegian workers are also given a healthy 35 days of paid vacation per year.



8. DENMARK: Denmark was ranked No. 1 in the world for providing the best work/life balance by the OECD. It has a number of factors working for it: a full 52 weeks of paid maternity leave, 34 total days of paid vacation, and only .04 percent of workers are on the job more than 50 hours per week. Additionally, the OECD calculated that as many as 16.31 hours per day are dedicated to personal care among Danish workers.
 

9. LITHUANIA: It is the only nation tied with Brazil in offering the most total paid vacation days in the world at 41 ("only" 28 are mandated, but 13 are public holiday). Lithuania also offers a generous maternity leave: one year of leave at 100 percent salary, or if parents opt to take two years off, the first year is set at 70 percent salary and at 40 percent in the second year.



10. SWEDEN:  As many as 480 days, or 16 months, of paid parental leave is offered to workers, 60 days of which are reserved for the father. Furthermore, those 480 days can be spent however the parents see fit over the first eight years of their child's life. Sweden also offers a generous 36 days of paid vacation every year, and ranks firmly in the top 10 countries in the OECD with the best work/life balance.

For the record, Sweden is my best bet to work in. :) How I wish I could have that 16month paid parental leave :(



WOW. Working in these countries may just be the work-life balance everybody's dreaming of. Apparently, 9 of these countries are situated in Europe. Oh yes, not in America. Reading this article actually got me into thinking, would it be best to migrate in these places? Who knows, one day I might just give in. But for now, I am such a patriotic as everybody knows. For me, still, "Its more fun in the Philippines!" I love you, motherland!

A lot of ideas has been said about happiness. But I think the truest of them all is that "Happiness is a Choice." Do you agree? For me, its a solid YES. While it is a fact of life that bad things can  and do happen even to good people, most of the time due to misfortunes they have no control of,  we must always remember that there's always someone who would want to be where we are right now. Think of the people who have heavier burdens than you do. And then be thankful you are not on their shoes. Do you feel a little lighter? A little happier now?

For a happier mindset, I have some tips to share. When you are feeling blue, I hope these things would somehow give a you a boost of some bliss:

1. Discipline your thoughts. Always think positively. Pass on positive energy. When you feel down, think happy thoughts instead of focusing on the annoying circumstance you are into. After all, it will not stay that way forever. So focus on the things that would make you feel bright and light and soon enough you'll have a solution to the problem you are facing without even you knowing it.

2. Do good, feel good. When was the last time you actually helped out others? Doing good not only makes you feel good about yourself but also makes other people think good about you. Nothing is more joyous than being able to help people in need.

3. Release that energy. Do some physical activities that would require you to sweat. Do you know that exercise lets our body produce endorphins? Endorphins also called "happy cells",  has been explained by wikipedia as cells "produced by the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus in vertebrates during exercise, excitement, pain, consumption of spicy food, love and orgasm, and they resemble the opiates in their abilities to produce analgesia and a feeling of well-being." So go ahead and move that body!

4. Get out of that comfort zone. Do something that you've always wanted to do but had always been delaying to do because of too much excuses you've been reasoning out but the truth is you're just too lazy to make it happen. Why? Because you don't want to get out of your comfort zone and face that challenge. Why not start by devoting a day or two in a month to do something you've never done before. You will be amazed at what you can discover about yourself.

5. If you can't adjust the wind, adjust your sails. As I have said, not all the time you can get your luck. Unfortunate things may happen but there will always be ways to change how things can go around you. The external factors that affects our life are just little compared to what we can actually do to get out of that detour. You completely have the power to make changes in your life and make things really happen.

6. Be thankful. Count your blessings and thank the Lord for it everyday. Enough said.

I can enumerate hundreds of ways to improve our perspective about happiness but at the end of the day, the only way to make one happy depends on ourselves. How we think, how we act, how we feel is our free choice. So if you want to be happy , think, act, and feel happy. Aren't you glad you have that choice?

A lot of ideas has been said about happiness. But I think the truest of them all is that "Happiness is a Choice." Do you agree? For me, its a solid YES. While it is a fact of life that bad things can  and do happen even to good people, most of the time due to misfortunes they have no control of,  we must always remember that there's always someone who would want to be where we are right now. Think of the people who have heavier burdens than you do. And then be thankful you are not on their shoes. Do you feel a little lighter? A little happier now?

For a happier mindset, I have some tips to share. When you are feeling blue, I hope these things would somehow give a you a boost of some bliss:

1. Discipline your thoughts. Always think positively. Pass on positive energy. When you feel down, think happy thoughts instead of focusing on the annoying circumstance you are into. After all, it will not stay that way forever. So focus on the things that would make you feel bright and light and soon enough you'll have a solution to the problem you are facing without even you knowing it.

2. Do good, feel good. When was the last time you actually helped out others? Doing good not only makes you feel good about yourself but also makes other people think good about you. Nothing is more joyous than being able to help people in need.

3. Release that energy. Do some physical activities that would require you to sweat. Do you know that exercise lets our body produce endorphins? Endorphins also called "happy cells",  has been explained by wikipedia as cells "produced by the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus in vertebrates during exercise, excitement, pain, consumption of spicy food, love and orgasm, and they resemble the opiates in their abilities to produce analgesia and a feeling of well-being." So go ahead and move that body!

4. Get out of that comfort zone. Do something that you've always wanted to do but had always been delaying to do because of too much excuses you've been reasoning out but the truth is you're just too lazy to make it happen. Why? Because you don't want to get out of your comfort zone and face that challenge. Why not start by devoting a day or two in a month to do something you've never done before. You will be amazed at what you can discover about yourself.

5. If you can't adjust the wind, adjust your sails. As I have said, not all the time you can get your luck. Unfortunate things may happen but there will always be ways to change how things can go around you. The external factors that affects our life are just little compared to what we can actually do to get out of that detour. You completely have the power to make changes in your life and make things really happen.

6. Be thankful. Count your blessings and thank the Lord for it everyday. Enough said.

I can enumerate hundreds of ways to improve our perspective about happiness but at the end of the day, the only way to make one happy depends on ourselves. How we think, how we act, how we feel is our free choice. So if you want to be happy , think, act, and feel happy. Aren't you glad you have that choice?

A lot of ideas has been said about happiness. But I think the truest of them all is that "Happiness is a Choice." Do you agree? For me, its a solid YES. While it is a fact of life that bad things can  and do happen even to good people, most of the time due to misfortunes they have no control of,  we must always remember that there's always someone who would want to be where we are right now. Think of the people who have heavier burdens than you do. And then be thankful you are not on their shoes. Do you feel a little lighter? A little happier now?

For a happier mindset, I have some tips to share. When you are feeling blue, I hope these things would somehow give a you a boost of some bliss:

1. Discipline your thoughts. Always think positively. Pass on positive energy. When you feel down, think happy thoughts instead of focusing on the annoying circumstance you are into. After all, it will not stay that way forever. So focus on the things that would make you feel bright and light and soon enough you'll have a solution to the problem you are facing without even you knowing it.

2. Do good, feel good. When was the last time you actually helped out others? Doing good not only makes you feel good about yourself but also makes other people think good about you. Nothing is more joyous than being able to help people in need.

3. Release that energy. Do some physical activities that would require you to sweat. Do you know that exercise lets our body produce endorphins? Endorphins also called "happy cells",  has been explained by wikipedia as cells "produced by the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus in vertebrates during exercise, excitement, pain, consumption of spicy food, love and orgasm, and they resemble the opiates in their abilities to produce analgesia and a feeling of well-being." So go ahead and move that body!

4. Get out of that comfort zone. Do something that you've always wanted to do but had always been delaying to do because of too much excuses you've been reasoning out but the truth is you're just too lazy to make it happen. Why? Because you don't want to get out of your comfort zone and face that challenge. Why not start by devoting a day or two in a month to do something you've never done before. You will be amazed at what you can discover about yourself.

5. If you can't adjust the wind, adjust your sails. As I have said, not all the time you can get your luck. Unfortunate things may happen but there will always be ways to change how things can go around you. The external factors that affects our life are just little compared to what we can actually do to get out of that detour. You completely have the power to make changes in your life and make things really happen.

6. Be thankful. Count your blessings and thank the Lord for it everyday. Enough said.

I can enumerate hundreds of ways to improve our perspective about happiness but at the end of the day, the only way to make one happy depends on ourselves. How we think, how we act, how we feel is our free choice. So if you want to be happy , think, act, and feel happy. Aren't you glad you have that choice?