Car Search - Check

So the dear husband is home and off we immediately went to search for a possible car replacement for our old one.

We actually planned on buying a new one. In fact the make and model of this new car is already decided but we're also open to a second-hand vehicle. So before we go to the casa and inspect the possible new replacement, we decided to look at the second-hand cars yard first. Unexpectedly, the first yard we stopped by became our last stop, because there we found something "good."

It's a black slightly used Honda City car, which has been used for less than a couple of years by the first owner. The husband likes it. I also like it. And my father who came with us also likes it because its engine is in mint condition. There are however minor details that need fixing/replacement such as its left side view mirror (broken), battery (drained). It also has a pea-sized dent on the right rear door. Apart from that, it's really A-ok in-out.

We've been to the bank too so if all paperwork gets straightened out, hopefully we'll be riding a black car next week. God willing.

I-Can-Only-Shrug Tips and Tricks

I've heard and read these little tips around but I haven't really tried them. I have yet to try them - one day. Okay, okay now. Truthfully, I'm not even sure I have the guts wanted to try these as I am not really up to trying them. Sure they might work but ahhh, can I stand their smell or their feel? Uhmmm... I can only shrug my shoulders. But if you have tried them, buzz me, I'll be ready to hear your tale.

So to get the picture, here are some tips and trick I've been thinking about:

1) Controlling frizzy hair with vinegar.

Mix 1 tbsp of vinegar to a mug of water and use it as your last rinse. It is said that vinegar controls frizz in dry hair.

***Oh dear. Last rinse, it said? Fresh out of the shower, I surely wouldn't want to smell like vinegar!


2) Dry skin problem?

Eat lotsa almonds. It is said that almonds are very rich in Vitamin E and very good for the skin.

*cough* I'm just not sure...okay, I am just not too convinced almonds can solve the dryness of the skin. Sorry po.



3) For a thicker hair.

Add baking soda to your shampoo. It is said that baking soda will not ruin the potency of the shampoo and will help hair grow thick.

***I simply don't buy it. *smiles*


4) Another one for thicker hair.

Add gelatin powder to the shampoo and it is said to help you grow thicker hair.

Thicker, stickier shampoo -yes. But thicker hair? Ahhh- turning eyes heavenwards.


5) For shiny black hair.

Make a pot of lukewarm black coffee or tea. Pour this on hair 15 times, reusing the same liquid. On the final rinse, squeeze excess liquid from hair. Leave for 15 minutes before rinsing with clean water.

*** I might just try this, but not today. Or tomorrow. *chuckles*



6)For shiny hair

Dilute 3 tablespoons of beer in a mug of water and use it for the final rinse to give your hair a healthy shine.

***Hmmm? Beer this time. Let's see. I don't drink beer because I don't like its taste and then I also don't like its smell. Final rinse? *shaking head* And that's my final answer. *wink*

What Kind of Fashionable Woman Are You

Oh you know it already. It's the time of the week when I am chilling out and just want to have a little mindless fun online. Offline, it's been hectic at my end, not to mention stressful, so let me just have this simple joy of not thinking about everything serious like car loans, finances, home insurance quotes, the future and all those forehead-creasing stuffs.

I'll just be content not thinking for now. So here I am taking this online quiz to find out whether I'm fashionable or not. Actually, in my heart, I already know the answer as I don't really consider myself as someone fashionable although in my mind I would love to be fashionable. *smiles* It's because when it comes to dressing up, accessorizing and other stuff like that, I opt for practicality, durability and above all comfort than being fashionable.

Now we'll see what the result says:

Your Fashion Style is Classic

You like what's stood the test of time... Simple, well styled clothes that don't scream trendy You stay updated and modern, but your clothes stay in style for a while You wouldn't be caught in animal prints, fake fur, or super bright colors

What Kind of Fashionable Woman Are You?

Blogthings: Learn Something Surprising About Yourself

Gmail Security Feature

If I haven't thank the Gmail Team enough for creating practical, user-friendly, very useful inbox features, let me thank them now before I look for a cheap auto insurance.

But no, that is really not enough. Because honestly, I want to give them all the accolades in the world for bringing out a "security feature" that helps its users identify whether their mailbox is illegally accessed.

Simply put, it's a feature that will give us a view of our account activities (very much like the one I get when accessing my bank account online). It's not too detailed but with it, we will know if someone has somehow "hacked our account" and so we can immediately do the appropriate action i.e change password.

Read on the this Gmailblog post for more information. And yes, to the Gmail Team, thank you and a million thumbs up to everyone.

Styling Tips for Curly Hair

So I'm pregnant. And so I keep myself out of the salon for awhile ---yeah, despite the fact that I badly need a haircut or a hair treatment. SO much so that my four-year old son already pointed this out to me by telling me to go to the "barber" and have a my hair done. *smiles* But okay, that can wait.

Yeah, I will endure the fact that my hair is sticking out of my skull like spiral wires. Horrible! But yes, I will bear all that for at least four months. And to help me put up with my curly hair growth, I searched for some styling tips to keep my mane looking "decent" if not tamed. And I'm lucky to have found some valuable tips and tricks from Hollywood celebrities. Ain't that great?

So without much ado, read on this article about Hairstyling Tips for Curly Hair. Enjoy!

Coooool!

I'm so inspired with the outdoor furniture I saw minutes ago. They are sooo lovely and they all look comfortable. They don't look too posh but I love the home-y feel of their designs. These designs and styles would really be perfect for our home.

Now, to give you an idea of what I'm gushing about, I'll share few photos of these furniture sets that I got smitten with.

Here they are:

How can I resist the color green? This has a "fresh" and comfortable look that I just love.

There's nothing elaborate to this set and its simplicity is something that I like.

Oh this one is so dainty, I could imagine many afternoons sitting outside sipping a glass of piñacolada during hot summer days or hot choco in the evening. Lovely, really.

Me So Lola

Oh God, but I am blown out of my wits today when I've read about a Vee-scent called Vulva. Ever heard of it?

When I saw its video ads on Youtube, I went like "whaaat?" I mean, who would have thought of making that!

Okay, okay I think this site is somewhat "wholesome" in nature so I will not elaborate more about it except to say that it's the scent of a woman in a bottle according to the German company which proudly created this product. *smile* It's not a perfume, btw. So that's that at my end (sorry I'm really so lola with matters such as this!) but if you'd like to know more visit this site.

Doing Yoga Again

Before I read about the best weight loss pills, lemme share something about yoga.

I'm back doing it again. The yoga routine for pregnant women, I mean.

I don't if this would work on anyone but it certainly worked for me in relieving those terrible back aches.

A month ago, I noticed getting those lower back pains that seem to rip my back apart. I could not almost stand steadily and support myself because of it. It's really THAT terrible. I mentioned this with my OB and she advised me to try Calcium (and told me we're going to observe if things improve).

A week of taking Calcium passed but I still feel those terrible back pains. Then I thought of trying YOGA again. I religiously performed yoga exercises for pregnant women during my first pregnancy and I remembered there was a pose there for relieving back aches. So despite my OBs reminder not to take up any exercise yet (because of the low-lying placenta thingy), I tried the posture poses. And guess what, after 3 consecutive days of doing the routine, I feel great. No back aches anymore.

I've actually done it for more than a week then I stopped. *chuckles* This girl got lazy! Then, the aches came back again and so yesterday, I started to doing the routine once more. I have really proven to myself that the Yoga poses help me in relieving those back aches.

Fun Quiz: What Color Is Your Lucky Underwear?

It's time for some online fun! Time for those mad rad online quizzes! Oh you know, this is my regular pattern breaker.

So what is the color of my lucky underwear? Here's my result:

Your Lucky Underwear is Blue

You are caring and extroverted. You've made relationships your number one focus, and your lucky blue underwear can bring some balance to them. You thrive in one-on-one situations. You are a good listener and a natural born therapist. Sometimes you let the concerns of others become too important in your life, leading to stress and worry. If you want more balance, put on your blue underpants. They'll help you take care of yourself first.

What Color Is Your Lucky Underwear?

Blogthings: We Have a Quiz for Almost Everything

Oh by the way, that is definitely NOT me in the picture! Sure I have an underpants like that--but I'm far heavier than the model. When before I say I wade like a penguin, now I trudge like a hippo! See the picture? Big improvement there. Lol. I still wear those boycut underpants (that I love) though despite looking like I badly need adipex diet pills! But the wonderful thing is, in four months time, I'll be able to see, touch and hold my baby. So hippo or whale or whatnot, I'm okay, I'm still a happy woman. Nothing can change that. :-)

New Google Calendar Labs

New Google Calendar Labs

I just came from reading the site http://www.acnecuresrevealed.net/. What an interesting read! But like yesterday, I'm again updating myself with what's new in the Google world. Are you using the Google Calendar? Oh why not? You should try it, it's totally cool.

And to show you why it's cool, please read this post about the newly added Calendar Labs features.

But take note that, these Calendar Labs features are but icing on the cake because the Calendar has lots of interesting features. And then apart from being useful in getting one organized, the Google calendar is very user -friendly.

New Default Gmail Features

I haven't had time to read updates in the GmailBlog for the longest time. I'm just glad I was able to drop by and get myself some dose of Gmail loving. :-)

And am more than glad that finally some useful features in Gmail Labs have graduated and included as default Gmail features. These are:

Search Autocomplete
Go To Label
Forgotten Attachment Detector
YouTube Previews
Custom Label Colors
Vacation Dates

Have you tried these features already? Like them? Activate and find out now. Or read more about on this Gmail post.

Right Store

I was reading about the advantages of getting a health savings account for one's own security, when I realized that I need to post about us finding the right store with the right price.

For the longest time, we always buy our supplies in Supermarkets found in malls. This worked for us because we thought it is mighty convenient. In the mall you can aways shop for dry goods, groceries, eat in restos, have a little R&R, etc...

But we have realized that going to the mall supermarkets to buy supplies means spending more - the price of commodity is certainly not the same than going to a wholesale supermarket. Though most patrons in the former buy wholesale, these stores also allow retail purchasing. We've actually a trusted store in town which offers the lowest price on all commodities but customers also have to give up the comforts of space and airconditioning. Not to mention that the waiting time on the cashier is longer because the queue is always long. But I don't mind this. For me, you always get what you pay for. But as long as the commodities I buy are in good condition, I don't mind the tight space nor the long queue. I can endure all this. What matters most is the savings I can get on every canned good or packets of detergent I buy. Like today, I paid a total of 1.8 K pesos ($44) only and saved about PhP 500 ($12). That's a lot of savings already!

6 and Going Strong

Before I check the best paid web directories in town, lemme greet my husband (and me!). Happy 6th Anniversary to us! Here's a toast for more wonderful years to come in our marriage life.

Six years! What a feat. No, it wasn't all a bed of roses. It was a series of ups and the downs but I'm happy that we've surpassed the past challenges in our marriage.
I know I'm not an expert on relationships but in our 6 years of marriage, I've learned so many things. It's actually a continuing process of learning. Some of these things that I've learned/realized to make a relationship flourish are:

1) Patience - Marriage is a lifelong journey. Over time, we may discover that our partners are not really the cookie we perceived them to be. And then things don't always go as we planned. But a dash of patience surely goes a long way in preserving a relationship.

2) Acceptance - Everyone is a unique individual. Thus, it is unfair to expect our partners be like us, or our parents, or someone else.

3) Trust - Sometimes, this is hard to do. But sometimes, it is easier to trust someone than not trust them. For me, I always think that it is best to give someone the benefit of the doubt. :-)

4) Respect - Couples sometimes take things for granted with their partners. And more often than not, respect is the last thing you give to someone you live with 24/7. But letting someone grow independently, respecting their space could mean a lot to your partner. It does for me.

So there have a happy heart everyone!

DIY: Maternity Pants

My belly is getting bigger and bigger -- stomach fat loss is still out of the question lol -- and no old jeans of mine can fit me at the moment. With this, it is inevitable to shop for some stretchable pants. I actually have maternity pants from my first pregnancy but I still don't feel like wearing them because they are far from being fashionable. Heheh.

I have recently purchased good leggings and stretchable pants, which I could hopefully use 'til the last trimester. But I must admit, that at some point, I still wanted to wear jeans. I always think it's cool to wear jeans even if one is pregnant. But ah, the growing belly! Good thing, I found a cheap way to do this. Actually, there are two ways.

First was to use a maternity belt. I saw an online shop that sells preggy belt kit for 1 thousand pesos (about $24). I didn't order though because I feel I can make the belt myself. Infact, I already bought all the materials needed and I plan to start making the belt tomorrow. Hopefully, when I'm done I can take a shot and post it here.

Now the other way for pregnant women to still use jeans is to make a maternity pants out of old jeans. So practical and really inexpensive. But as I am still trying to figure out how to do this (I have the materials though), I'll just link up to two helpful articles that give instructions on how to do it. Please read here and then here.

Fun Quiz: What Color Bikini Should You Wear?

It's tayyymmmm... yeah, it's time for those online quizzes. And lemme take this time to share one quiz I took sometime ago.

Being pregnant and all, I kinda like to know what the quiz will say about me. For once let me admit that it was a bit difficult for me to answer question # 3 (hahah!) which goes: Do you have a bikini body?

The choices are as follows:
- It's good enough, and you have the confidence to carry it off
- Well, you're happy with your body (of course I am but....lol)
- You look good in all kinds of swimsuits
- Definitely
- Mostly, but you have a couple problem areas
- Not especially (this was my answer!)

So anyway, below is my result:

You Should Wear an Orange Bikini

You're the kind of girl who usually likes to leave more to the imagination... a bikini isn't really your style. However, once in a while you find a bikini so unique and stylish that you just have to wear it!

What Color Bikini Should You Wear?

Blogthings: Discover the Parts of Your Personality that Have Been Hiding