Photo Hunt "Beautiful"

I definitely fell in love with the “beautiful” Lake Tahoe! You just don't know how excited I was a week before we went on that road trip. I always see Lake Tahoe in pictures and it was a dream-come-true to finally able to visit the place:) That was the best Christmas gift I had received. I thought all those pictures in the post cards, in TV or magazines are just a Photoshop but really, it’s a genuine beauty!

Breaking Free

I just can’t believe a simple comment ended up in a heated conversation when Jim and I were watching news on CNN. Of course, the news is all about the unending drama of politics. I was so shocked at how McCain’s campaign compared Obama to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton- just mere celebrity. It is a dirty tactic but of course it worked. I now understand how a junkie can grab attention too.

I was in disbelief when Jim questioned my perception of a Political Candidate like Obama. He said, I took him like a celebrity. It was offensive as I think it’s not his fault. Some people are just born gifted with charm and charisma. But the debate just went on of him talking without substance. I don’t know where it came from but I can relate to his struggles and life story- from humble beginnings to being a winner. I mean, you just can't compare somebody who is born with silver spoon and rise as a celebrity to somebody who started from scratch to being a man, a lawyer who believes in his dreams and inspired a lot of people. Of course, we all know politics. They play dirty, they play tough but who knows- there are still people who definitely had a good cause- to serve people.

When I bought the book “Living Faith”, I didn’t know that the author was an ex-President of United States. As I was reading all through pages, I finally realized what a big headache it is to be a President. Jim Carter unselfishly shares his struggles of a President, a politician and being a Christian at the same time. He is definitely rooted to his own values based on good judgments according to the Bible. However, imposing those values in a political arena is just so difficult.

I can’t vote and I’m no expert at all on all the issues between Republican and Democrats. I just take it as an spectator, observing things, opening my minds and judgments. I just thought how shallow it is to fear somebody because he’s gonna be like any Muslims only to find out he’s born and brought up with a Whitey Mom and Grandparents. Ah, people, racist, etc. Sometimes learning can happen in a most simple way- listening, emptying one mind from every clutter for even just a moment.

Wordless Wednesday "Boracay 15 Years Ago"

The Enchanting Paradise of Boracay! Yes, it is still a best place to stay for a vacation. Its white, soft- sandy beaches had charmed the world and a million of tourists to keep coming back. Jim told me he never seen any other beaches like Boracay. You can walk on the sand with barefoot without a problem. It's like walking on carpet.

On Saying "Good Bye"

Last Sunday was Fr. Mel’s last mass at St. Timothy’s. We will be having a new priest by next week. Surely, he will be missed. He’s such a very nice priest. He knows how to preach the message in a clear way and delivers it right through your heart. Last year was my first Christmas here and I was very happy. I never realized they have midnight masses here too. It was really a joyous holiday! Here’s that souvenir from last Christmas midnight mass with Fr. Mel.

Not-So-Good of a Day

I was so bummed this morning to find out I got a negative feedback from a guy who bought a babble ball on my Ebay Store. It was my fault because I didn’t tell him that I can’t ship the item till Monday since we were on a trip. He bought the product on Saturday and I shipped it Monday past midnight. Okay, I’d rather say- Tuesday midnight. I even brought Jake with me as I was so scared to go to the Post Office by myself. He only lives 15 miles away. So, I was thinking- the item will arrive in a day or two. Unfortunately, the item was routed to Anchorage, AK for some reason and without my knowledge the buyer got it after 6 days! Gezzzz! Now, my feedback was down to 97%. Bummer! I still believe I don't deserve such negative because he never paid too much of the product as well as the shipping and handling. I don't think I ripped him off. Oh well, it’s not the end of the world, right? Now, I had my fair share on EBay's new policy. I understand why I read a lot of negative feedback from sellers on EBay. Too bad!

Keeping Up

I’m glad I lost 2 lbs. at the span of one week. I know, it’s not a lot but I wished I can be stricter just like before. But it seemed as though I don’t have enough will power. I never rode the bike either nor done my yoga session. I just stick on my calorie-restriction. Well, it’s alright. I’m down and there's 4 lbs more to lose. Hopefully, I would be back to 100 lbs by first week of September. One thing, I missed though is our yogurt moment. My husband just loved it and before going to bed- we always have a cup of that. Hmmmm...

Unseen Effect

I thought my friend (Taiwanese) was just kidding when she told me about her life story. She was born in China and her Mom fled to Taiwan when she’s only few months old. Her Mom married her high school sweetheart. She became their first born child. Since it is bad luck to the family if the eldest is a girl- the in-laws decided to throw the baby (her) to the river. Her Mom can’t do it and so she escaped, moved to Taiwan and never looks back. At the same token, I was in disbelief when my Uncle told me about his brother whom he never seen for a long time since they got separated during the war. He was born in China too and fled to the Philippines by boat. Well, I was young then and thought all those stories are just mere myth.

After watching the film, “China’s Stolen Children” I finally realized that the stories of my friend and Uncle were true. The film had touched the most familiar problem in China after the implementation of “One Child” Policy and the cultural preferences for son. It was even more interesting how it created a social imbalance to their society and how money had played a big part of the problem. With all the China’s booming economy and a few controversial Gold medalists during the Olympics- it seemed as though the country can’t hide itself anymore. With its rapid transformation, the disturbing stories of lost children and abuse reflect a society disoriented by its vivid transformation, struggling between tradition and ideology, where humanity is abridged to a marketable commodity. In short, it’s all about money.

More Cheap Shopping

We did some cheap shopping last weekend at the Thrift Store. I was a few minutes late though when Jim told me that there’s cheap, new shoes at the other side of the store. The Mexican lady had picked the good pairs already but still I’m grateful I had bought more than 15 pairs of kid’s shoes. Then on Sunday, we headed to some clearance sale in Target for nice clothes. We never really had enough time to go back home to change clothes for the Mass. It was a little bit embrassing to attend the mass with my flip flops, haha!
Well, I'm just happy that finally, my “balikbayan” box/package is full and it’s ready to go. The guy will pick it up tomorrow. I just love going on inexpensive shopping and hopefully, some kids in the neighbors (back in town) can have at least a pair of shoes.

Great Bloggers Award - Meme Monday

This is quiet funny. I seldom use the word "kick ass" though as I don't clearly understand the meaning, lol! Anyhow, I'm so grateful when somebody gives me an award:) Thanks to Jade of Life and Me for the KICK ASS AWARD. This is awesome:)

Here are my five favorite KICK ASS BLOGGERS.

Jade- She's very friendly, seemed so sincere and so great in socializing with fellow bloggers. No wonder, she's a darling.
Sheila - She is very open, flexible, friendly and a super Mom. She definitely know how to handle her time:) I admire her perseverance.
Vhiel - She has a very creative skill. A great businesswoman with a great talent.
Mommy Ruby- She definitely knows how to make money and very strong to face all challenges and trials. A great businesswoman too.
Hailey - A great Mom, teacher and a great writer too. She openly shares her wits and wisdom.

Do you know any bloggers that kick ass?

Maybe they've got incredible, original content. Or they're overflowing with creativity. Is it someone that helps you become a better blogger? Or a bloggy friend you know you can count on? Or maybe it's someone who simply inspires you to be a better person... or someone else who sends you to the floor, laughing your ass off.

Whatever the reason may be, I'm sure you know at least a couple of bloggers that kick ass. Well... why not tell 'em so?

LOVE ON 'EM

• Choose 5 bloggers that you feel are "Kick Ass Bloggers"
• Let 'em know in your post or via email, twitter or blog comments that they've received an award
• Share the love and link back to both the person who awarded you and back to http://www.mammadawg.com/
• Hop on back to the Kick Ass Blogger Club HQ to sign Mr. Linky then pass it on!

[end here]

******************************

Here's another great award from Vhiel of Cans of Thoughts. She's the one responsible for my great layout. I just love her scrapbooking skills. She really is talented. Thanks Vhiel for this award:)

The rules of the award are:

1. The winner can put the logo on her blog.
2. Link the person you received your award from.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Put links of those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message on the blogs of those you have nominated.

I have started blogging with the idea of just writing and eventually, I gained a lot of friends and learned a lot of different things from HTML to getting to know some other people from the different sides of the world. It was a great exposure in the perfect sense of the word. Here are some of the my favorite blogs. I always enjoy hopping in these blogs. In no particular order:
BareFooted Me
Biyaheng Noypi
My World in My Own Word
Hailey
Pinay Mommy Online
Pinay Jade
Merydith

Stay Connected

We were in the mall and so surprised to see a long line of people outside the Apple Shop. We asked one guy that’s standing in there- on what they are waiting for. He just replied: "he wanted an upgrade for his iPhone to the latest 3G." Oh, okay. I was really convinced that I’m going to upgrade mine too. I just love the latest one as I can blog with PPP, haha! I thought it’s only gonna cost me 10 bucks but actually it’s additional $10 every month. Plus, $199 fee for the upgrade. Gezzz! My iPhone was bought at $499 plus $199 upgrade? No, thanks! Opps, don’t get me wrong. I still love my old iPhone. In fact, I had downloaded a lot of my favorite music from iTunes. I still get buzzed for new emails and it helped me a lot when I get lost, hahaha! The Google Maps is pretty amazing. It was my first time to drive that far (Balboa Island) and I was lost. Thank God for the magic of technology. I was able to locate where I'm at and how to go back and definitely give me more directions. Seriously though, this little thing is just so amazing! No wonder why a lot of people just loved it.

Photo Hunt "Wrinkled"

With respect to the culture of the older generations in Bali, Indonesia; this picture reminds us of what hard labor means. I admit, I love comforts and who wouldn’t? Some people are not that privileged though to live and enjoy a good life. Made me appreciate the more what I have and share some. I don’t have any picture that represents something “wrinkled” and thought it’s a best shot for the theme this week. It’s an old picture but it’s worth sharing, I guess. Happy weekend everyone!

The Healing

Many of us have absurd ideas of who we are. Many have been so hard on themselves about how life ought to be lived. When I was a young girl, I learned how to feel about myself and by the reactions of the adults around me. In a small town, where everybody knows everybody - life seemed too small. I felt the pressure of my Mom comparing me to another good daughter of her friend. I felt the uneasiness of living up with the expectations of my parents and the people around me. At a young mind, I have always been so stubborn. Although I don’t remember talking back to my parents but still in my mind- I allow myself to explore the possibilities of not being manipulated. But then, I was just a kid. I can’t depend on myself and all I know is that I need to listen to them.

In one way or another, I have created the image of myself as what my parents want me to be. Growing up, life becomes complicated. I have to handle things myself. It’s only me that I can rely on. I never allow my parents to define myself anymore. I always listen to my guts.

For one, the biggest miracle happened was to love myself first. I have let myself be healed from the wounds of my parents being so judgmental of me and my choices. I realize that no matter what happens- they will always be there. They were the first people who were there when I was in need of comfort.

I believe, loving oneself works miracle in our lives. I define love as:

• having great respect to oneself and gratitude to the miracles of our bodies, minds and spirit.
• an appreciation to such a degree that it fills my heart to outpouring of every little magic moments.
• a wonderful feeling of joys in being alive.
• seeing the beauty and wonders in another person.
• the gift of knowledge of knowing the good and the bad.
• the very process of LIFE itself.

While there are ways that can put ourselves to death bit by bit:

• We nag and criticize ourselves endlessly.
• We mistreat our bodies with junk foods, cigarettes, drugs and alcohol.
• We create illness and pain in our bodies.
• We procrastinate about things that would help us.
• We choose to believe we are not worthy to be loved.
• We deny our good in one way or another.

What we believe in ourselves becomes who we are. We are who we think we are, really. When we love ourselves, everything in our life will work harmoniously.

Shedding Off

Wow! I have been eating a lot lately and never really watch out my diet ever since I came back from my vacation in the Philippines. I can’t believe I was a eating a lot of food. I think I eat almost every hour when I was there. I was so excited to see the “kinilaw” or Filipino-sushi and “lechon” roasted pig. I felt like I was starving for years! Gezzzz… Plus, the summer vacations to the lake and river were just so great! Yes, with all those chocolate molten cakes, banana split, junk foods, big dinners, frozen yogurt every night- no wonder I gained 7 pounds. Yikes! That’s a lot.

Yesterday was my official first day of a two-week strict diet. It’s a combination of both South-Beach and Calorie-Restriction diet. I had successfully lost weight last year with that and hopefully I can do it this time too. I dropped the “cleansing” diet though because I don’t get a support from my husband, hahaha! He’s not ready yet for another strict diet. Well, good luck to me, lol!

Cheap Humor

Sometimes there’s a humor on playing cheap or looking for something cheap. We saw a Gas sign somewhere on our way from CA and it’s amazingly cheap- like $3 or so. On our way back from the river (last weekend); we were looking for that Gas station. Unfortunately, we were already in the middle of the desert and still can’t find that station. Too scared that we might run out of gas, we decided to stop at another Gas station in the middle of nowhere. Well, here’s what we got:

We get inside the small shop to pee and buy some junk foods. It’s amusing to read the sign that says something like: “We’re glad to serve you in the middle of nowhere and thank you for not complaining”. We just chuckle on that.

Animal Instinct

Have you heard of a dog that doesn’t know how to swim or a dog that walks in the water?Unfortunately, our dog Jake is one of them, lol! Yap, he almost drowned himself, haha! We decided to bring Jake to the river as he never been on a long travel before. We were so excited to buy him his life jacket which he thinks not comfortable. On our first day, he was so thrilled to see the water. When the ride gets bumpy he hides his face at my back. He’s definitely terrified. He loved playing with his ring- that’s his favorite toy. So, we played with him, throw the ring to the water and hoping he would jump in. At first he tried and then was so scared when it gets deeper. And yet because he really loved chasing and playing with the ring- he had no choice but to get it. He had his back legs standing while the front legs up in the water. When it gets really deep, he tried swimming and he almost drowned. Gezzzzz! He forgot that he can swim lol! He was so tired when he gets back to the hotel. He had his own bed. We believed we made a mistake of bringing him. Poor little one!

Road Trips and Discoveries

I always love traveling especially on road trips. It’s very nice to see sceneries and some interesting lifestyles that you never thought could exist. Or something like an old house in a middle of a desert, junkie cars in the front yards with a small lake and a wave runner. When we had our very first road trip from Orange County to Fresno and spent the Christmas night there; I was very excited! I probably had taken a thousand of pictures! It was my very first time to experience snow in Yosemite. Oh, I was so happy to finally see a whole bunch of white thing laying on the edge of the road. I can’t believe those are snow, LOL!

I haven’t traveled a lot when I was a kid. We never go out on a family vacation. That’s just not a Filipino thing. We are but strangers to our own country. My first time to travel in a plane was when I went to Taiwan to work. My first time to stay in a hotel was when we had a college field trip. My longest trip was just going back and forth from the city (where I went to College) and back to the small island.

On my first day in Taiwan, I was looking for houses. It was so confusing to me because I never saw any front yards or any fancy houses with big gates. I finally realized that most people live in tall condominiums. Their living room is a garage at nights. Well, that’s practical, right?

When I came here in the US, I was so amazed at the wide roads. Even more surprised when I saw a lot of traffic lights on every corner. Wow! I don’t even see a traffic jam. (I didn’t realize though that we hit the roads at 2-3PM, LOL). Last week, we stayed in small town. It’s astonishing how a big lady can work in a front desk and never seen any traffic lights in every corners at all!

The whole experience of traveling to me is the best way to fully understand one culture and lifestyle. Even better way to reach out…

Wordless Wednesday "First Trip to River"

Jake is just too terrified to go in the water. He's even more scared when the ride gets bumpy. I never really thought some dogs can be real scared with water. All I know is that they love swimming that there's even a stroke named after them- "doggy-style". Hmmm, that was strange. Oh well, I can relate as I can't swim good either, LOL!

Joys of Summer

We had a great weekend at the Colorado River. It was packed on Saturday with young, wilder crowd. Some ladies were dancing on a loud, groovy music while the boat is drifting with a bottle of beer on one hand. Whew! Some got really carried away that they’re showing their tits, lol! The guys were so loud, singing and dancing to the tune while passing by another group of people clapping at them… Oh, party people:) It was such a new and interesting adventure to me. It was more than I expected, LOL!

The water was kind of chilly though but it was indeed fun, fun, fun! Oh, it’s always nice to get away from work and have a short break (good thing to have your husband as your Boss, LOL).

Yes, enjoying while the summer fun is in the corner. Most people were drunk and so loud that the sheriffs were so alarmed, haha! Many have been hold for OUI (Operating under the Influence). Hmmm…

Spread the Love Blog! Meme Monday

I have been tagged by Jenny at A Slice of Life with the aspiration of spreading the BLOG LOVE Fever to all the bloggers:) I agree, why not...right? So here goes:)

********************

{Start Copy Here}

(Pls. don't remove) Credits: Elements/Paper by Dani Mogstad/ Layout by JennyL)

Rules:
1. Don't remove the credits when you post the image
2. Please link back to the person who tagged you and pass this tag to many of your friends
3. If you have more than one blog, please post this to all of your blogs so your other blogs can be listed to the master list too.
4. Remember to come back here at A SLICE OF LIFE (pls. don't change this link)and leave the exact post url so I can add you to the master list to help increase our rankings and improve our Technorati Authority.
6. Spread the BLOG LOVE FEVER!!

BLOGGERS:

1.Scraps & Shots 2.) Simply Jen 3.) This and That 4.) Bargain.Sales.Deals. 5. A Slice of Life 6.) Aussie Talks 7. When Mom Talks 8. Mommy Talks 9 Aggie Shoots. Aggie Scraps 10 All Kinds of Me Stuff 11 The Salad Caper 12. Winding Creek Circle 13. InkBabyStudios 14. Me and Mine 15. Creative in Me 16. For the LOVE of Food 17. Little Peanut 18. Pea in a Pod 19. It’s Where the HEART Is 20. Around the World 21. SugarMagnolias 22. Nita's Random Thoughts 23. Nita's Corner 24. Nita's Ramblings 25. Batuananons 26. Thomas Web Links 27. Filipino Online Community 28. Thomas Travel Tales 29. Bohol Paradise 30. My Wandering Thoughts 31. Arts and Entertainment Center 32. Great Finds and Deals 33. Make Money Online 34. Entertainment News and Beyond 35. Erlinda's Wandering Thoughts 36. TnT Kit 37. Aha Mama! 38. A Zone for Digiscraps 39. RazorianFly :] 40. WebGeek Journal… 41.All About The Memories 42. Spymama 43. Alamak OiOi 44. HasH's Personal Blog 45. MommyAllehs Up-Close and Personal 46. All About Kawaii 47. My Photographic Sketch 48. Embrace Simplicity 49.WilStop 50. Fun.Fierce.Fabulous 51. Kidd Designs 52. Me,Myself+2 53. Anygen's JourneyUltimate Food Cooking Guide 54. 55. Moments of My Life 56. Insights from the Grocery Cart 57.Beauty of Life 58.Jona's New Life 59.Money Maker 60.Creations 61. Quicker8 62. The Daily Matters 63. Make Every Day Your Lucky Day 64. Triz Designs 65.Pinaymama's Diary 66. A Mother's Journal 67.Simple Life, Simply Me 68. Life Expressions 69.Asawa's Love Book 70. Pinay in States 71. Blessings in Life 72. Thoughts and Beyond 73. Journey in Life 74. Tere’s World 75. A Mother's Simple Thoughts 76. Tech Stuff Plus 77. Unique You 78. My Blogging Experience 79. Pinay dot US 80. My Blog Entry 81. Byaheng Pinay 82. A Pet's Life 83. My Journey to Momhood 84. Straight from the Heart 85. Anything and Everything in Between 86. Living A' La Mode 87. My Crossroads 88. A Beautiful Life 89. Race Corner 90. Moms... Check Nyo 91. My Wanderings 92. Picture Clusters 93. Maiylah's Snippets 94. Free Blogger Templates 95. joys IN LIFE 96.Life is What we Make it 97. Pinay WAHM 98. Life Realities 99. Hailey's Domain 100. Hailey's Bits and Beats 101. When SAHM-one Speaks 102.Jean's Live it Up... 103. Motherhood Unscripted 104. Ivory Tasks 105. I Play Mom 106. Juls Random Thoughts 107. A Grateful Heart 108. The Real Deal The Real Me 109. Biz-N-Honey 110. Aeirin's Collections 111. Blessings and Beyond 112. Mommy Earns Money Online 113. Pinay Mommy Online 114. Pinay Mommies Community 115.Everything Has A Reason 116. A Moment to Exhale 117. Room of Sphere Ideas 118. Jenny's Wandering Thoughts 119. Rumination 120. OnlineBiz and Resources 121. Digital Life Scraps 122. Lourdes' Mia 123. A Matter of Perspective 124.My Colorful World 125. Heartish 126 My Not So Pvt. Space in th Web 127. Rosilie: My Blog 128. Changing Lanes 129. Lost in Love 130. Pinay L0ve 131. Captured on time 132. Pit of Gadgetry 133. Me, the Islands and the World 134. Startin’ A New Life 135. Startin' A New Lfe Too 136. Filipina Web Designer 137. The blog Presher 138. Webline Help Desk 139.Treeennndddzzz 140. Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow 141. Watchamacallit! 142. Nellypie's Chatterbox 143. Meishien 144. Food on the Table 145. Simply Me 146. My Heart 147.Ang Kinabuhi ni Lakandiwa148. Lovin' Life 149. Cooking Momster 150. Simple Life 151. Anything Lah! 152. Perfect Gift From Above 153. Memoirs: * Cross mY Heart 154. Little Prince 155. Our Little Princess Gwen 156. Chen Xi & Mama's Blogs 157. LovelyMummy 158. Our Journey 159. Spy Mama 160. 3B's ...baseball, baking, and books 161. Of Soaring and Dreaming 162. Carnation 163. My Yummy Life 164. Wenz and Denz Little Notes 165. BlogNow101 166. ADD YOUR BLOG HERE.

{End Copy Here}

Photo Hunt "Colorful"

We did had a great time at the Sin City- Las Vegas. The city lights are so "colorful" and fascinating:) We never gamble at the Casinos though ... Nobody never really imagined a lot of people would travel half around the world just to spend money in Las Vegas:)

Sweet Nothings

Yehey, finally we had rain today! Although it’s just a few drops that’s alright, LOL! We seldom have rain here and I always long for rainy days. I don’t know but I do love rainy days! Yesterday, the skies were very pretty. Most of the time, it’s just plain blue skies. No clouds at all. But behold, I had captured some wonderful shots!

We will be heading early tomorrow to the Colorado River for yet another boating adventure. I’m so excited! Jake is coming with us and so we bought a life jacket for him. Andy’s puppy is coming too- so, it’s gonna be a doggie party, LOL!

Anyways, I did some errands this afternoon to make sure we have everything we need, return some DVDs, deposit some checks, and drop off some boxes in the Post Office from my EBay sales which are great… and guess what? Here’s what I did too:

That's very Filipina of me, huh? Happy TGIF everyone!