Ornament To Cherish That Moment

Aside from sending Christmas cards, I can go crazy with collecting Christmas tree ornaments, especially the ones that either bear the year or preserve a special memory.

To celebrate my baby niece's First Christmas, I bought this Rudolph-red giraffe ornament from a Carlton Store. Their holiday stuff were 50% off, so this cute ornament ended up being just $5.

And by some magical coincidence, I stumbled upon American Greetings' (which owns Carlton Cards) "Remember That Time Sweepstakes," in which you can upload a favorite personal story from 2010 in 1000 characters or less and have your friends vote for you. The three stories with the most number of votes each win a $100 Amazon gift card! (Contest open only to legal residents of the USA.)

I've never won a popularity-based online contest before. Had no luck with the Fossil Vintage Photo Contest and that New Jersey Photo Contest sponsored by a NJ insurance firm. It's hard to beg people to click on your link repeatedly (once daily until December 31st, 2010). It's even harder when the current top story is a 44-year-old who shares the late blossoming of a romance in her life. She now has almost 200 votes.

But then, who knows? I have to roll the dice, right? With your help, I might get lucky! Please click the VOTE button on the left of my entry called "Hello, Aunthood!" It's my personal highlight this year. I had to trim down the details to a mere 1000 characters. The long version was orinally blogged here.

Thank you so much for taking the time to vote for little old me!

Lego-Lust

Last July, I visited the new Lego Store in Rockefeller Plaza. It opened in June of this year! It's a place to indulge your Lego-lust in! What was so cool about that store was that they have Lego-fied replicas of the art deco sculptures seen around Rockefeller Plaza, such as this imitation of the golden Prometheus statue.

You can let your imagination run as wild as this green brick dragon! The wall to the right has round dispensers of Lego pieces in a variety of shapes and sizes to choose from. What's to be built is totally up to you!

Here's a Lego version of the Atlas statue, a famous sculpture that originally stands opposite St. Patrick's Cathedral along 5th Ave. The guy below must have thought I was taking his picture, but I later thought it was good he stood underneath it so his head can be a reference point for the sculpture's size.

Look up and you'll see more Lego masterpieces. Like this cartoony impression of the artwork originally seen on the entrance of the GE Building in Rockefeller Center. They took the artistic liberty of replacing the words "Wisdom and Knowledge" with "Creativity and Imagination." Don't you think this piece is just begging for a comic bubble?

I played with Lego and some Lego-like toys as a child. This man, though, took his love for Lego to the level of fine art: Nathan Sawaya. He calls himself the Brick Artist. I hope to check out his upcoming exhibit in New York City next month!

Chicken, Not Bread

One of my little cousins did her own version of amateur stand-up comedy at her mom's 50th birthday party recently. Her inspiration was this Fil-Am Youtube ("You Choob!") comedienne over at HappySlip.com. The jokes revolve around the peculiar things that make Filipinos Filipinos in America, as well as the thick Filipino accent that makes words sound funny to the American ear. Happyslip is actually from the term "half slip," or that piece of protective fabric worn underneath sheer skirts. The Happyslip actress portrays members of her own family, and the butt of the jokes is always her mother.

So the joke goes something like this: Use "chicken not bread" in a sentence.

(In a thick Filipino accent): A girl went to the pool. She finds out she could not swim. She starts to drown. CHICKEN NOT BREAD! (She cannot breathe)

My aunt was proud of her little girl's performance. Her happiness wasn't defined by whether she owned wholesale lots or all the riches that money can buy (she had enough designer bags as gifts to enjoy for the next three years anyway)...just the fact that she was with her family and friends on her special day.

Perhaps my little cousin just become the next "You Choob" sensation.

This hen and her coven of chicks were photographed in my hometown in Capiz, Philippines last May.

Buying Books For A Better World

I rarely buy books I fancy at regular price. When I visit my favorite local bookstore, I'm usually at the bargain aisle. Sometimes I get lucky with the marked-down books I find. For other books I really want but are not on sale, I used to go to Ebay for used copies. My latest online book purveyor of choice, though, is Better World Books. Not only do they sell new books at a much cheaper price, they ship for FREE throughout the United States! It's just $3.97 shipping elsewhere in the world.

Why do I choose to buy from them? Because not only do they offer "carbon-free" shipping (four cents per book) to boost your eco-karma points, your purchase actually funds global literacy AND helps breathe new life into used books and prevents them from becoming landfill inhabitants. You literally are making it a better world with your book purchase!

And I thought it was charming to get a "Thank You" E-mail from my recently purchased books. Yes, the books "e-mailed" me! It's so amusing that I had to share it with you!

(Your book(s) asked to write you a personal note - it seemed unusual, but who are we to say no?)

Holy canasta! It's me... it's me! I can't believe it is actually me! You could have picked any of over 2 million books but you picked me! I've got to get packed! How is the weather where you live? Will I need a dust jacket? I can't believe I'm leaving Mishawaka, Indiana already - the friendly people, the Hummer plant, the Linebacker Lounge - so many memories. I don't have much time to say goodbye to everyone, but it's time to see the world!

I can't wait to meet you! You sound like such a well read person. Although, I have to say, it sure has taken you a while! I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but how would you like to spend five months sandwiched between Jane Eyre (drama queen) and Fundamentals of Thermodynamics (pyromaniac)? At least Jane was an upgrade from that stupid book on brewing beer. How many times did the ol' brewmaster have one too many and topple off our shelf at 2am?

I know the trip to meet you will be long and fraught with peril, but after the close calls I've had, I'm ready for anything (besides, some of my best friends are suspense novels). Just five months ago, I thought I was a goner. My owner was moving and couldn't take me with her. I was sure I was landfill bait until I ended up in a Better World Books book drive bin. Thanks to your socially conscious book shopping, I've found a new home. Even better, your book buying dollars are helping kids read from Brazil to Botswana.

Eagerly awaiting our meeting,

Pithy Seedy Pulpy Juicy: Eleven Rhymes with Orange Books in One

Reigning Cats And Dogs: A Rhymes With Orange Tribute to Those Who Shed

Those are the titles of books that I bought from cartoonist Hilary B. Price of "Rhymes With Orange." I have to applaud the creative marketing minds behind Better World Books. I don't expect these books to be traveling by motorhome to reach me, but this missive of gratitude just made a loyal customer out of me!

P.S. If you buy any two books from them this Valentine weekend, you can get 14% off by entering this coupon code: BWBFF14. Now doesn't that make your bookworm heart go a-flutter?

Orange You Glad You Don't Get Snow?

Have I ever told you that my favorite part in any newspaper is the Comics page? I especially love reading the Sunday funnies when everything is in full color.

My new favorite comic strip is "Rhymes With Orange" by Hilary B. Price. What attracted me the most is the wit behind the imaginative drawings...and of course, the fact that she's a female cartoonist! We need more like her in the industry to stimulate our funny bones (and grey matter, for that matter)!

And speaking of snow, we're supposed to experience a "Snowpocalypse"/"Snowmageddon" of sorts today. It already hit Washington, D.C. so bad yesterday and has even claimed the lives of a father and son in Virginia.

Forecast says my area will get between 4-8 inches of snow later today. Fasten your snow boots, my northeastern brethren! Shovels and snow throwers at the ready!

I'm hoping nobody in our household complains of winter-related body aches that will have me consulting www.reliefarthritis.net for remedies. I just want it to be a hot chocolate kind of snowed-in Saturday!

Faith and Fajitas

I was watching a rerun of Food Network's "Throwdown with Bobby Flay" last night, a show which has the "Boy Meets Grill" Iron Chef challenge ordinary people with extraordinary cooking skills in their own specialty. Last night's episode featured a "man of the cloth" donning an apron--Father Leo Patalinghug from Maryland! When I saw his looks and heard his name, I had a strong sense that he's Filipino...and I was right!

Known as the "Cooking Priest," he has his own website called "Grace Before Meals" (which also became a cooking show on PBS) where he preaches that preparing good food brings together families and hence closer to God.

I was impressed with his achievements even before entering the priesthood, which consists of degrees in writing and political science, plus a black belt in martial arts! He's a mean break-dancer too! His resume doesn't list him as a former business plan consultant, though. His wit is as shiny as his spatula, as he joked on TV that he learned how to cut vegetables from Mother Teresa of Cal-cut-ta. His divine culinary skills were developed while being a seminarian in Italy--one of the best places to be holy and kitchen savvy!

Chef Bobby Flay challenged him to a Steak Fajita Throwdown...and Fr. Leo used his brown sugar and ginger sauce (and holy water?) to outgrill (and outpray) the challenger. Imagine that! One of Flay's fortes is fajitas, and Fr. Leo beat him!

Watch an overview of his "Grace Before Meals" show (which is also a cook book) and see how cool and funny he is...which also goes to show that Food and Faith can be a heavenly combination!

Chiquita, Tell Me What's Long?

Why, Chiquita Bananas, that's what!

One of my guilty pleasures is plucking out fruit labels off the fruits at the produce section--the stickers that tell you where the fruit was imported from. My favorite stickers are the ones on the Chiquita bananas. At first, they had quirky messages on them like "Yum, yum Potassium!" and "Place sticker on forehead. Smile." But now, they have crazy faces on them, too!

And their stickers have led me to their cool new website, EataChiquita.Com, which lets you customize your own sticker which automatically gets posted on their virtual sticker wall! You can download your creation to post on Facebook or your blog, such as this sticker I designed above. It's a cannibalistic baseball fan! He eats Phillies! I mean, Philly cheese steaks! Haha!

Your plantain persona can also explore Chiquitaville and earn points to unlock more sticker pieces.

Go forth and "bananafy" yourself! (And watch a banana with a hullahoop while you wait!)

P.S. This banana-shaped 1GB USB from their online shop is too cute! With this, you can literally put a banana in your purse!

[banana usb image from chiquita online shop]

When Fire Gets You Hired

Once upon a cold December morn, our local fire department had a parade which passed by our street. On their fire truck was a costumed Santa, waving at the kids who happened to lay eyes on him. I’m not a kid, but I was one of those who happened to be at our front lawn when they passed by, sirens wailing and all.

One of the firefighters, thinking I was a kid because of my short stature, went down from the truck, crossed our grassy lawn, and handed me two candy canes. At that moment, I became a kid—the schoolgirl type, with a silly schoolgirl crush on the young firefighter bearing peppermint sweets.

I’ve long admired firefighters even way before that. The tragic story of 9/11 made me regard the FDNY with solemn respect.

I was ignorant about firefighters in general until I found out that one can earn Fire Service Degrees online. Education has graduated into cyberspace that you can study in the comfort of your own home with online schools such as Lewis University Online.

I do know that firemen don't just respond to burning buildings, but other emergencies as well such as medical ones. That's why Lewis University Online's fire degree course offers subjects such as "Administration of Emergency Medical Services." And since everything we do in life has a legal aspect to it, there's also "Legal Aspects of Fire Service Management." Their online course leads to a Bachelor of Arts in Fire Service Administration which can open many doors for a fulfilling career.

Online education has many advantages for the workaholic who barely has time for his family. The computer now becomes a virtual classroom which doesn't require you to raise your hand just to go to the bathroom.

If you have a burning passion for the firefighting profession, this just may be the right direction!

Waltzing Math-ilda

I never liked math even as a kid. I thought math was simply about the four essential operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. When fractions and decimals and algebra rolled in, life became complicated.

But I think it was my Math teacher back in elementary that really made me hate that numerical subject. My class unanimously agreed that she was terrifying. Part of her teaching method was glaring at us menacingly whenever we misbehaved or gave the wrong answer to the equation. My fear of her became associated with my loathing for all things mathematical. How was I supposed to love it when the person charged with providing us math help was making it difficult for us to grasp the lesson and breathe normally?

Back then, I relied on my math wiz classmates for free math help, asking them to explain the formula and techniques used. The internet didn't exist then, so it comes as a great educational evolution that things like online math tutoring now exist for kids who need assistance in the comfort of their own home.

Supplemental education is now so much more convenient because an online math tutor is there to help students understand their lessons at their own pace. Online math help is just a click of the mouse away, and with TutorVista, you can test their service with free online math tutoring as a first-time user.

"FatPassport" Fits Your Travel Style

An important part of travel preparation is researching about a place. Google helps, but travel-specific websites are more appropriate. My primary source for online travel reviews on any given destination is TripAdvisor, because it contains hotel and attraction recommendations, even photos, submitted by actual travelers who have been to such places.

There’s a new online travel resource in town: FatPassport. The only excess thing you’ll get is travel tips, not baggage (or unwanted bulges). The website is still in beta mode but shows much promise because of their unique premise: it lets browsers customize their search for travel tips via their travel engine’s categories such as location, budget, and activities. It’s “personalized travel recommendations” based on your own preferences! You’re in control!

Since the website is still new, the locations featured contain reviews posted by their “Travel Experts” for now, but will soon display actual travelers’ own candid stories and recommendations.

I test-surfed their travel engine with these tabs: “Find the best Attraction, in the Philippines, as ranked by Everyone, whose travel style is Low Budget, traveling specifically for General Sightseeing,” and was led to a page suggesting that I should “Be at one with nature at Beautiful Batad” in Banaue. Banaue has always been on my travel wish-list, what a coincidence!

Tweet Your Way to One of Five "It's a Blu World Contest" Prizes!

Feeling blue? Don’t be! With BluFrog’s “It’s a Blu World Contest,” you have a chance at chasing away the blues with a travel prize package at either Chicago, New York, Aspen, Orlando, or simply a “Blugamer” Ultimate Gaming package! It’s your choice!

I am leaning towards the Aspen X-Treme Blu prize, simply because I’ve never been to that winter paradise in Colorado! The lucky winner who chooses this prize gets flown free to Aspen where a three-night luxury accommodation awaits them, plus two tickets to the Winter X Games, where extreme winter athletes compete for snow sport glory! This event takes place in January 2010.

How do you join this contest? There are three ways to win: You can leave a comment on their contest blog, telling them which prize you’d like to win; or spread the word about the contest through Twitter (but be sure to include #bluworld and http://bit.ly/UiiJy in your tweet!); or blog about the contest (like I’m doing now) and leave a comment with a URL to your post on their contest blog.

This contest is open only to legal U.S. residents at least 18 years old. The deadline for submission of entries is on July 17, 2009 at 11:59PM EST. For complete rules, go here.

Bada-"BING"!

Oooh...Watch out, Google. Looks like Bing.com is out to "cure" internet surfers of their "Search Overload Syndrome."

Bing is a new search engine launched by Microsoft that boasts itself as the "Decision Engine," one that lets the user decide which web results actually apply to the keywords we're looking for. Will Bing be hearing "Cha-ching?" Will people be cheering "B-I-N-G-Oh!!!"?

Their TV ad illustrates how keywords become a million things..."Search Overload Syndrome." It's like playing Word Connect, but with zombie-like after effects. It's a little surreal watching it.

Branson is Missouri's Brand of Summer Fun

For me, summer has already started on Memorial Day weekend. But the calendar tells me that the official date is on June 21st (Father’s Day). Where to celebrate? My grandfather would undoubtedly choose Atlantic City—his favorite gambling place, but my father is always looking for a new place to explore, especially now that he has this new GPS toy to travel with. Somewhere Midwest, say, Missouri..and Branson seems to be Missouri’s brand of fun!
Summer kicks off in Branson with wholesome events such as the Father’s Day Salute, National Kid’s Fest at Silver Dollar City, the 10th Annual Clown Jam, just to name a few. There’s plenty to keep you entertained under the sun!

A relaxing and stay is assured at either the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing, Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel or Branson Landing. Whichever hotel you choose, you’re close to where the action is—whether it’s shopping, live entertainment or even golfing that catches your vacation fancy. For the golfing enthusiast, there’s a new golf course by Hilton called Payne Stewart Golf Club where you can score holes in one, one after another!

Personally, I’d like to visit Silver Dollar City. It seems like a place where you can find all sorts of attractions. Wanna get wet? Wanna Ride the Ducks? Wanna cruise Table Rock Lake in style? It’s all here! And Hilton Promenade just has the perfect package which includes overnight accommodations and three-day park hopper passes for a family of four at Silver Dollar City and White Water! Splendid!

Kitchen Kitties

One of my grandmothers in the Philippines had invited me to their newly constructed home in a subdivision in Roxas City last year while I was on vacation then. Roxas City is the capital of my native province, Capiz. This particular grandmother of mine loved interior decorating, and have even offered to do quickie-makeovers of rooms of certain friends.

I also discovered a kindred cat-lover in her. After a delicious seafood lunch, I had spied on their kitchen sink and discovered two of her housecats feasting on our leftovers. It was an amusing sight for me. They don’t care if they were treading on fancy farmhouse sinks or not. It’s a fancy feast of fish bones, for sure!

Mountain vs. Manta

The most daring roller coaster rides I’ve ever been on my previous Orlando vacation were the Incredible Hulk (which gave me an incredible neck pain afterwards) and Dueling Dragons at Universal Studios Orlando. Unfortunately, since I lost my digital camera on my last day there, I can’t share those photos. Neither did I buy the expensive souvenir photos from said rides. So instead, here’s a photo of the Everest Expedition Ride at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. There’s supposed to be a Yeti lurking in that mountain to scare you, and the roller coaster drops you backwards at high speed.

I never got to ride on this one due to poor time management and the fact that this particular theme park closes early--5PM. It didn’t help that we arrived at the theme park later than planned. But what’s great about these theme parks is that they let people swipe their tickets to get a “Fast Pass,” which assigns you a time frame (say, 1PM-2PM) to come back and skip the long lines and get priority seating. It’s a time-saving option rather than spend most of your day queueing. That way, you can grab a quick snack and maybe swoon over Capt. Jack Sparrow!

At SeaWorld, they have this new ride that invites you to “Ride the Flying (Manta) Ray.” To celebrate the opening of their new attraction, they have a contest which lets you win a “Front-of-the-Line” Pass. Just follow the six steps in the contest’s instructions for a chance to win. If you complete two of the Manta site activities, you get a free electronic photo of your Manta experience! So are you MAN enough to ride the MANTA? Check out this cool video for a preview!

The Malevolence of Mesothelioma

Perhaps you’ve seen this commercial on TV asking you if you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, a type of lung cancer that affects certain workers exposed to asbestos, a toxic chemical. Asbestos has long been used by manufacturers and builders, but its inhalation poses a serious health hazard resulting in this malignant disease. The cancer cells develop in the mesothelium, the protective lining of most of our internal organs. Symptoms of mesothelioma include shortness of breath, chest wall pain and general weight loss. Doctors diagnose mesothelioma by a series of tests such as chest X-rays, CT-scans and biopsies. The biopsy confirms the existence of a tumor in the lungs.

Workers in direct contact with asbestos can transmit its dangerous health risk to family members who touch or inhale particles from their clothing embedded with asbestos dust or fibers. It can be transmitted simply by handling such clothes in the washing machine. People who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma can consult a Mesothelioma Lawyer if they wish to discuss their rights, if any, and to possibly file a claim against former employers based on their work-related illness. This is a type of tort action which, according to the American Bar Association, has 50,000 to 75,000 new cases filed each year.

Waking Up in Vegas at the Sahara

Wow, it’s been five years since I went to Vegas! Believe me, when you’re there, you’ll understand why it’s called “Sin City!” My only goal then was to have a photo with an Elvis impersonator, and we did! Right outside the Imperial Palace Casino Hotel…we got free drinks, too.

Casino-hopping at the Vegas Strip felt a bit like country-hopping with hotels like the Bellagio, Paris, Rio (where I got to watch Chippendales perform live), and the Venetian to cater to your needs, sinful or otherwise. It’s also legal to walk in their streets visibly drunk, as long as you don’t cause any trouble.

And to add to your Vegas itinerary, there’s also the Sahara hotel. The Sahara right in the Nevada desert! Ever heard that new Katy Perry song, "Waking Up in Vegas?" Perhaps you might find yourself waking up in Vegas...at the Sahara!

An RV is your official vehicle for R&R

My recent road trip to Florida was memorable, not only because I got to conquer my fear of driving on the interstate highway (rush-hour traffic in downtown Jacksonville was simply horrific, though!), but also because I got to experience all four theme parks at Walt Disney World—with the only dismal part of the trip being my loss of a camera at Universal Studios Orlando. Photos are the cheapest and most precious souvenirs you can ever have from any vacation/event!

We had stayed at a time-share resort in Kissimmee, only minutes away from the theme parks. On our way to Florida, we did pass by some campgrounds for families who prefer RV camping. Imagine traveling and living in your own camp-ready vehicle! How thrilling it must be to go cross-country driving in an RV, not having to pay for hotel stays. I think I see myself doing this in the future, especially since I've gotten the hang of being guided by GPS on the road.

Charter's Free Gift Card Sweepstakes

Can you believe it’s already the middle of May? Pretty soon it’s Memorial Day Weekend, and that means summer won’t be far behind. Before you think of those barbecue parties, don’t forget to join Charter's Free Gift Card Sweepstakes. Last month, they were giving away free HDTV’s a day. This time, it’s free gift cards which could be worth $75-$1,000, or if you’re the grand prize winner, it’s $5,000! There’s still time to join!

The best part about this promo is that you don’t need to purchase anything to win! You just need to register and follow the instructions to submit your online entry. However, if you’re a new customer seeking to subscribe to any of their service bundles, you’re automatically given a gift card. For instance, if you get the cable+internet package for $74.98/month for 6 months, you get a free $75 gift card to use at one of the many stores of your choice! Surely, you can use it for that Memorial Day Holiday barbecue! (Can you tell that I can’t wait for summer already?)

It’s too bad that Charter doesn’t offer their services in my area, but that doesn’t mean I can’t try my luck at winning one of those hefty gift cards! Guess what, you can also follow Charter on Twitter!

kissimmee mucho!

I’m a believer in the saying that “the best things in life are free.” Free samples, a free lomography workshop, free hotel stay in Atlantic City that I just booked for next week with my grandparents…I try to take advantage of these complimentary treats whenever I can. When I’m feeling lucky, I join online contests and have been fortunate in some blog-sponsored contests (waiting patiently for some prizes to arrive in the mail at the moment).

I’ve never won any of those all-expenses paid trip sweepstakes, but I still try my luck, anyway. Who wouldn’t want a free vacation? It’s as good as winning the lottery. That’s why I’m quite stoked to find out about the “Kissimmee Freedom to Enjoy” Sweepstakes! I’m entering for a chance to win a dream vacation in the “Heart of Florida!”

What free things can I enjoy there? I don’t even know where to start! Kissimmee has a charming, historical district that also doubles as a shopping complex, and a lake that’s perfect for fishing, picnicking by the waters, or even boating! Last year, we went to Tuckerton in South Jersey (photo below) but never got to go boating (because the boat-owner forbid us, haha), so it would be great to try that in Kissimmee!

And Kissimmee is only a heartbeat away from Orlando, which just so happens to be the home of Disney World and SeaWorld, two of the attractions included in the Grand Prize! A Dream Vacation is a Wish My Heart Makes!

So try your luck, too and kiss your cares away in Kissimmee! Contest is open only to legal residents of the U.S. (except Puerto Rico), Canada (except Quebec), and the U.K. Deadline for entries is on May 22nd.