Weneedavacation!

I need a vacation badly! How many times have I stressed it out here? I already posted a poem here about stress. A friend of mine invited me again to go with her and her family for a vacation. I declined but now I'm reconsidering after I watched the video at Weneedavacation.com. What a nice way to invite family, friends and whoever one wants to invite for a really nice vacation at Cape Cod or Florida. I checked the Cape Cod vacation rentals and they are very inviting! It would be nice if family and friends can go together and rent those vacation rentals. At Weneedavacation.com, one can plan and share by using the Power Search feature, save favorite listings for future use, send email inquiries, rate listings, and share all these to family and friends. To aid in your planning, their is also a newsletter you can subscribe to.

I got Awards!!!!

I really can feel lots of love from Jennyr. See all these awards? These all came from her. Now,I'm sharing the love too by giving this to all my blogger friends here. Let us toast for our friendship and spread the love!

If I ever forget to visit back to your sites, please be patient as I will do my best to return the favor. I wouldn't want to miss a lot of your posts. I love you all!

Country Music Performers

Do you like country music? I do. I appreciate different kinds of music and country is not an exception. I love Country Music Artists like Martina McBride, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban and Shania Twain. I've visited a few sites online and now there is a new website dedicated to this type of music. Countrymusicperformers.com rocks! You can find the list of top singers, albums, new releases, songs and even Country Music Lyrics. It's all in one site!

Someone Special Online

Always I appreciate tags. It's like you are being thought of and not left behind. I haven't met a lot of my blogger friends but due to the power of technology and blogging, I am able to know a little bit about them and consider them as one of my friends. Everybody is busy and not all can catch up but in my own little way, at least I can. Thank you Angie for this.

~Start Copy Here~

1. Copy from start to finish

2. This letter should be pass on to your closest friends online.

3. Add your name and URL blog HERE.

1. Wheng
2. Hazel
3. Janeth Vicy’s Life Journey
4. Cecile’s Life is Good and Beautiful
5. Journey And Journal
6. Life is A Gift
7. Blogsilog
8. A Window to Our World
9. Simple World of Haze
10. The Daily Matter
11. Dabawenyako

12. Add your name

4. Get back to Me [Wheng] and leave a comment once you’ve passed on the letter. Will then visit your site to make sure your links are complete and proper.

5. To ensure everyone receives equal link benefit, UPDATE your list regularly!

It’s true I have never seen you

and we have never met,

Never shaken Hands or

even truly hugged and yet!

I know for sure you care for

me by the kindness that you give.

And our keyboards keep us

together doesn’t matter where we live.

So I give you this gift to

put a smile on your face

and to let you know in my

heart you have a special place.

~End Copy Here~

Whoever is on my blogroll, please take this tag. Please let me know so I can visit your blog. :)

Great American Seafood Cook off

This is one of my favorite simple crab recipes. My Mom used to cook it for me when I was young. Whenever we go to the market, I would always ask her for crabs and she would oblige. It wasn't only I who requested but my 5 other siblings. hehehe...Anyway, she can cook it in different ways but this recipe stands out.

Crabs in Coconut Milk

5 small or 2 large crabs
cloves garlic
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 small can or 2/3 cup of coconut milk
1 hot chili pepper
salt and pepper to taste

To cook it, steam the crabs first. Set it aside. When cooled, remove the shells and cut them in half. In a skillet or pan, saute garlic and ginger in oil over medium heat until light brown. Add the coconut milk, hot chilli pepper, salt and pepper to taste. Let it boil then add crab pieces and simmer for 5-7 minutes.

The only thing that I would like to change in this recipe is for the addition of onions. I would love to have onions in this recipe to make it better. Anyway, I know that this is such a simple recipe but who knows what other people have done to this to make it the best there is. I'm excited to see the Fifth Annual Great American Seafood Cook off to be held at New Orleans in Aug. 2-3. Chefs from different states all over the US will fight for the title of Kind of American Seafood. Good luck to them all! Here in America, seafood is very abundant and also managed in a sustainable manner. I am impressed on how the government implement marine system to trully protect the marine resources of this country. You can really be assured that whatever seafood you are eating are safe and of good quality.

Stressed

Yes, I am feeling stressed right now. I just finished a quarterly filing at work so I should be relieved and relaxed but I still feel stressed. I don't know, maybe this is a different emotion which I don't know how to describe. So I thought of reading something about stress. I found this poem and it actually gave me a lift!

Stress
by: Thena Smith

I'm feeling rather sassy today
Nothing can frighten me!
Nothing is going to cause me stress
I'm as strong as I can be!!
No one is going to get me down
Or cause me to whimper and whine
You have to treat me with respect
I've earned it, it is mine!
I'm going to tackle all those tasks
That seem to overwhelm
There's a new woman steering this ship-
A toughie at the helm.
I'm - oh what is that awful sound?
That ringing in my ear?
Oh, it's my alarm clock going off
Time to wake up, I fear!!!

Isn't this a cute poem? What can you say? wink*

Want to be in IT

I have heard a lot about IT professionals. Every company you go, they are there to provide information technology solutions. There's no denying how important their role is to any company especially at this modern age. Due to their demand, there are highly compensated. And it is expected that the demand for IT skilled professionals will continue to rise. I have been thinking of taking IT courses. It would be a good addition to my knowledge and skills. Accounting and IT go would really be a good pair and so if I get the chance, I probably would take a course that's more in line with my current work. I'm sure it will really boost my career in Accounting. I know a lot of acquintances back home who already have IT training. Now they are reaping the fruits of their labor.

Looking at Cisco online made me realize that there are tons of certificate courses out there. I don't have any clue as to what I will be taking but it's nice to read a lot of information in the site to give me at least a little background. The Cisco certification is available to many countries including the Philippines. The first step would be to take the CCENT, Certified Entry Network Technician then to the three levels of certification namely: Associate, Professional and Expert. The expert certification or CCIE is the IT Industry's most respected IT certification. It would be great to attain this level. If you are interested, just visit cisco.com and find out more of what they can offer you to become the best networking professional that you can be.

One Step at A Time

When I heard this song for the first time, I fell in love right away. Very good song! The beat, the style and the lyrics renews hope and enthusiasm. I'm posting the lyrics and the player for you to internalize. Just click play to listen to the song.

One Step At A Time
sung by: Jordin Sparks

Hurry up and wait
So close, but so far away
Everything that you've always dreamed of
Close enough for you to taste
But you just can't touch

You wanna show the world, but no one knows your name yet
Wonder when and where and how you're gonna make it
You know you can if you get the chance
In your face as the door keeps slamming
Now you're feeling more and more frustrated
And you're getting all kind of impatient waiting

[Chorus:]
We live and we learn to take
One step at a time
There's no need to rush
It's like learning to fly
Or falling in love
It's gonna happen and it's
Supposed to happen that we
Find the reasons why
One step at a time

You believe and you doubt
You're confused, you got it all figured out
Everything that you always wished for
Could be yours, should be yours, would be yours
If they only knew

You wanna show the world, but no one knows your name yet
Wonder when and where and how you're gonna make it
You know you can if you get the chance
In your face as the door keeps slamming
Now you're feeling more and more frustrated
And you're getting all kind of impatient waiting

[ One Step At A Time lyrics found on http://www.completealbumlyrics.com ]
[Chorus]
We live and we learn to take
One step at a time
There's no need to rush
It's like learning to fly
Or falling in love
It's gonna happen and it's
Supposed to happen that we
Find the reasons why
One step at a time

When you can't wait any longer
But there's no end in sight
When you need to find the strength
It's the faith that makes you stronger
The only way you get there
Is one step at a time

We live and we learn to take
One step at a time
There's no need to rush
It's like learning to fly
Or falling in love
It's gonna happen and it's
Supposed to happen that we
Find the reasons why
One step at a time

We live and we learn to take
One step at a time
There's no need to rush
It's like learning to fly
Or falling in love
It's gonna happen and it's
Supposed to happen that we
Find the reasons why
One step at a time

Start saving now!

Nowadays, it is imperative for us to assess our finances. The stock market is not as robust as it used to be due to the real estate market downturn. Prices are climbing faster that we haven't expected like gas prices which affected other commodities that we are already feeling the pinch. There are a lot of jobs cuts and downsizing among big or small companies. While we have a job and a steady income, it's high time for us to be good with saving and making them work for us. Evaluate whatever savings accounts that are out in the market today. They might not serve us best. There is a site that can help us find the right bank at the best rates for CDs, checking accounts and savings accounts. Right now, emoneycentral.com have listed savings accounts that can earn up to 3.66% annual percentage yield (apy). These are federally insured up to $100K so we can still get our money back in case the bank will fall. Everything to know about those accounts can be found there for a wiser decision. It's a very informative and helpful site if we are serious in saving money which I believe we should be to be able to survive with the times.

Consumerpricewatch

Talk about dieting! hehehe...I know I have been eating a lot of ice cream lately. Feels good to succumb to cravings sometime. It's hard to stop but when you want to look good, you have to. But if you just love good food but still want to maintain a good body, you might try taking diet pills. I have thought about it before but didn't continue to really buy any because I was afraid of side effects. I heard so much bad feedbacks about it. But after I heard from a friend that it actually worked for her, I had second thoughts. It might work for me, too. Right now though, I am back to my old weight right after I set foot on this country so there's no need to take them yet. But when I do, I sure will check out Consumerpricewatch.net. In this site, I can find the necessary information and relevant reviews of the "best" diet pills and other diet pills in the market today. Actual experiences and feedbacks of consumers who have tried those pills are actually there so that's good to read before I decide on any diet pill or before I talk to a doctor.

I am so craving for....

Ice Cream! Last night, I bought Eskimo bars although I already have a tub of Walgreens' Premium Rocky Road Ice cream in the fridge. Probably this is brought about by the hot weather outside although we often have showers in the late afternoons. This one has a similarity with the Selecta premium ice bar back home. Are they still sold in the market today? Or maybe this Nestle product is already available in the Philippine market? I love it! One bar is enough to satisfy my craving tonight. Next time, I might try the cone variety. I still have four bars left so maybe I'll buy this weekend. Don't ask me about the calories. I don't mind about it right now. lol! So good!

International Phone Cards

For people like me, international phone cards are very popular. Why? It's because it's cheaper making calls overseas and if you haven't known already from my posts here, I came from the Philippines but already living here in the US for years now. One of my sisters is also in Dubai, UAE so sometimes I call her, too using phone cards. Phone cards is cheaper because you get the most minutes due to lower per minute rates and no additional charges like taxes and service fees. Like many sites where you can shop for international calling cards, getmecallingcards.com is one of the largest retailers of phone cards serving different countries in the world as far as Antarctica!

My Bestfriend's Wedding...

Yes, finally, my beautiful bestfriend tied the knot with her wonderful fiancee, Lito. Her romantic wedding happened this month at Cebu. With her dad, she walked down the aisle beaming with happiness. How lovely she was! And not to mention her really pretty bridal gown. Too bad I wasn't there but she sent me lots of pictures so it felt like I was there. I'm so happy and excited for her! She finally found her soulmate after years of heartache and broken promises. She sure deserves someone better. And now she found him. Fairy tales do come true. :-)
It's still fresh from my mind those college days. She and I and another close friend were always together although I can say that Dianne and I were closer. We met during my sophomore year. We were classmates in one of our major subjects and we had the same course of study- BS Accountancy - at University of Mindanao. She was a working student, I was not. Both of us were scholars and that's what impressed me about her the most. She maintained her standing as one of the top students in our batch and actually graduated as Cum Laude. She then became a CPA a year after taking and passing the board exam just once. She's a tough lady, I can tell you. hehehe... I'm so glad and proud to have a friend like her. Now, she has gone a long way, being one of the higher bosses in her company. For years that we have been apart, we still keep in touch. Truly miss her!

Lakeview dermatology in Chicago

Have you visited your dermatologist yet? No problems with your skin, face or body? You might be thinking that you don't need a dermatologist but think again. Assess yourself and see what you can improve like removing all unwanted hairs for good which a laser hair removal can do. Lakeview Dermatology is in the Chicago area offering that service and other skin treatments such as Park Ridge Botox, Restylane treatment and laser acne treatment. You might be surprised what they can do for a new you.

Google PR updated in July 2008

Google has updated their famous "PR" or pagerank again and this time, I am one of the lucky people to get a score. I didn't expect to get a PR2 for this blog. It's more than I was hoping for and I'm so happy! If you look at my archive, the very first post I had was in February of this year. This blog is not really that old but they say that it took only 3 months for other blogs. I've heard that some blogs lost their rank from the latest update. That's bad news. I hope they will get back their scores with the next round of update. Well, I am more than satisfied with my rank now and will keep on enjoying blogging, rank or no rank. :)