Thursday Thirteen:Number 2

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Thirteen Things to do before Moving to our New Home

I can’t believe it’s just 16 days before we move to our new home . My head reels of a thousand and one things to do. In fact, I carry a paper planner with me all the time. I take note of all my daily activities to keep me on track. In honor of [tag]Thursday Thirteen[/tag], allow me to list the top 13:

1. Order appliances like the refrigerator, gas stove, washing machine, water heaters and airconditioner. Why new ones? Well, our appliances are over 10 year old and almost dying. In fact, the airconditioner in our room conked out. Butch and I sleep in either L and M’s room if it’s vacant. If not, we sleep in the spare room just so we can enjoy the cool comfort of an airconditioned room.

2. Buy new beds for L and M. The girls want a new look in their respective rooms. “mom, our rooms are a 10 year old look”, they protest. I gave them the freedom to take ownership of their room design.

3. Prepare internet connection. I will have to cancel my internet service provider, Destiny Cable effective end of March. I’m sad to say goodbye to my trusty 8 year old provider. In 1999, they were the only cable or broadband provider and they have been really efficient and reliable. Unfortunately, Destiny Cable Internet is not yet covered in Pasig.

Since I need redundant internet connection, I will continue Smart Bro subscription since connection has been quite good the past few months. In place of Destiny Cable, I am choosing between PLDT and Globe Broadband. Any ideas?

Globe Broadband has this new promo that comes with free landline use and an internet connection for only 999 pesos a month. PLDT came out with the same promo at 888 pesos (?).

I might get Globe Visibility too.

4. Prepare for another garage sale on March 3. I think I have disposed about 1/4 of our junk but there are a few left. My husband surprised me by discarding his old clothes (oh joy!) and some of his books. Still, I am not satisfied. He needs to remove a lot of his stuff.

5. Finalize the design of custom made cabinets and tables. Thanks to Connie, I found Marlon, a talented carpenter totally dedicated to his craft. Right now, he is painting the work station I designed for my sooo disorganized husband. Other customized furniture in queue: bay window table for M, writing table for me and L. The problem is Marlon might need to leave for Australia anytime.

6. Finalize all documents for the sale. Our loan was just released last week so registration of title , and other papers need to be in place.

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Miracle Baby

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feet.jpg
The world’s most premature baby is quite a fighter.

Her minuscule feet poking pathetically through a doctor’s fingers, few believed that she could possibly live. Born only 21 weeks and six days after conception, [tag]Amillia Taylor[/tag] weighed just under 10oz and was only 91/2 inches long.

Medical staff, however, were given a clue to her fighting spirit when the tiny scrap tried to cry and breathe on her own .

And now, four months later and weighing 4lb, she has been allowed home – the world’s most [tag]premature baby[/tag] to have survived.

Source: Born at less than 22 weeks – and baby Amillia survived

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Ten Ways to Getting Through Hard Times

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twins.jpgA footage from “Joined for Life: Abby and Brittany Turn 16” via The Learning Channel can truly inspire us during our deepest darkest despair. “Abigail and Brittany Hensel (born 7 March 1990, United States), are dicephalic [tag]conjoined twins[/tag]. Brittany is the left twin, and Abigail is the right twin. They have two spines which join at the pelvis. They have two stomachs, three lungs, and two arms. ” They are intelligent, energetic, fun-loving girls who just happen to share one set of legs and one set of arms – each girl controlling one half of their conjoined body.

Abigail and Brittany narrate their top ten list of interests since they turned 11. Despite the obstacles , they are able to drive, shop, attend high school which any “normal” teenager would love to do. After watching their video, I am amazed to see their wonderful positive attitude and their ability to live a normal life. Of course, they are probably adapted to their bodies.

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Instant Messaging from 4 computers

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google talkThank God it’s Friday but it’s a lonely night for us. We miss the two girls. Usually they are home for the weekend but they have exams tomorrow. It is more convenient for them to be near their school. It’s funny how [tag]Google Talk[/tag] can make the distance so near. I discovered that the kids prefer communication via instant messaging as it can be less intrusive than communication via phone. It’s so funny . Butch is a door away busy chatting with the two girls. I’m at my cozy nook busy reading some blogs in my Google Reader. We’re in four different computers happily chatting and catching up with their lives. Usually we talk about the antics of their pet cats who are without their masters. Sometimes, they gripe about their schoolwork. We exchange photos , youtube videos like Nora , the piano playing cat or even links. I love how the kids can still reach out to me using Google Talk. I am fascinated at how technology can bridge communication lines even closer.

I use the [tag]Adium[/tag], a pretty Mac free instant messaging application for Mac OS X that can connect to [tag]AIM[/tag], MSN, Yahoo, and ICQ. The [tag]ICQ[/tag] was the first messaging application I used. I think it was 1997. In fact my ICQ number (641900) is still around . One time, it was stolen by some Russian dude. I begged him to return it. Surprisingly, he sent it back to me with a note that if he can hack the password again, he won’t return it. Next was the AOL Instant Messenger then MSN and finally Yahoo Messenger. I love how I can chat via webcam to my siblings in the US.

Today , I still have all those messaging applications but prefer Google Talk.

And so a typical message from Butch ends this way…
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Real Estate Loans from the Country’s Top Banks

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housing loanBuying our new home was a little off our budget . I wasn’t too confident in getting another [tag]housing loan[/tag] as we had an existing housing loan for 6 years now. I have no idea how the banking sector works or how credit scores are attained. All I know is we have an excellent credit history as we never missed payments. Maybe , I thought, we might get a second housing loan. Who knows?

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Credit Cards

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credit cardsFinancial institutions seem to be very liquid these days. They are giving out credit cards as if it is a bank brochure. The other day, BPI Express Credit sent me two [tag]credit cards[/tag]. I don’t understand why they have to send me a credit card when I already have a BPI Express Credit card since 1989. *snip* *snip* The lady at the Express Phone protested when I told her that I had no need for additional credit cards. A few weeks ago, Banco de Oro (BDO) also sent us credit cards. *snip* *snip* I believe in having a credit card but two are enough, thank you. I used to have a VISA card but I snipped that a year ago . It’s just so much easier to balance my budget. My husband has three credit cards and he plans to snip one card as soon as he pays off a “zero lite” plan.

Why would anyone need so many credit cards? It causes anyone to go into debt much faster, thinking of the additional cards as a standby.

The first credit card I ever had was Diner’s Club in the early 80’s. During those days, credit cards were very limited in the Philippines and often offered to businessmen or the “rich”. As a struggling career woman, I didn’t qualify for a credit card. Anyway, I got mine as supplementary card from my dad. After a few years of wise use, it paved the way for me to get a credit card on my own. Then credit cards became an “in thing” in the late eighties that more bank started on credit card operations.

Through the years, the advantages of credit cards outweighed the disadvantages.

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Thursday Thirteen:Number 1

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Thirteen Things about Me

Naturally the first thirteen things should be about me, so here goes:

1. My mom got my name from the Biblical name, Naomi

2. My husband calls me “Noyt” because of our then toddler , Lauren who couldn’t pronounce “noem”.

3. I am the second among 7 siblings.

4. I became interested in computers in 1980.

5. I cannot drive without pop music playing inside the car.

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Home Furniture and Furnishings Conflict

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home magazinesIn 26 days, we are moving to our new home. It’s quite exciting as we plan to replace 50 to 80% of our [tag]furniture[/tag] and furnishings. For the past year or so, my husband judiciously read up on home magazines, carefully marking the ones that he liked. My hubby is the artist in our family so I just let him do his homework. Hiring an interior decorator that charges 1,000 pesos per square meter is out of the question. With a limited budget, we will try to furnish our simple abode in the following months. My husband and I agreed on clean , simple and contemporary lines like the Ikea furnitures.

Now he insists on two awful furniture pieces which totally ruins my idea of clean and simple lines. Take a look at this 8 seater dinner table. I agree that antique furniture is wonderful to have if it’s beautiful and functional.

But lion carvings at the foot of the table?!?!?!

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Anna Nicole Smith’s Death

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anna nicole smithMy heart goes out to Anna Nicole Smith. In death, she is still in the spotlight. [tag]Anna Nicole Smith[/tag]’s Death remains a mystery as of press time. The medical examiner says her death was “sudden, unexpected and unexplained. Upon hearing of [tag]Anna Nicole Smith’s death[/tag], the first thing that entered my mind was her grief over the loss of her son, Danny five months ago. The reality of child loss is devastating to a mother. There are overwhelming feelings of guilt, inadequacy, and most often feelings of failure. These feelings can overwhelm a mother for several months following the death of a child, and it can be quite difficult to build a support system to carry a mother through this roller coaster of emotions.

I have known bereaved parents who numb their pain through alcohol or drugs. So the second thing that entered my mind was did she die from drug overdose, alcohol or both?

Though Anna Nicole monopolized the gaudy, gossipy celebrity stage in life and in death, I can truly relate to her pain.

I don’t drink alcohol but during the early months of my grief, I just wanted to numb the pain. My doctor recommended anxiety pills but I refused. All I could think of is ” Stop my heart from hurting, please. ”

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Fellow Pinoy Blogger Legal Fund Drive

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justiceFellow blogger Abe is in a legal mess. After reading J Angelo’s entry on Help Out a Fellow Pinoy Blogger, I knew I had to do my share. I am aware on how much Abe has spent already in the quest to clear his innocence from a [tag]libel suit[/tag] filed against him (for case details, read this). I know he is not even responsible for posts made in that forum. Why doesn’t the complainant demand the original poster? Why does it have to be the web host?

J Angelo and Blog Herald are finding ways to start a legal fund:

In line with this, some regular readers of the Herald suggested that we help out Abe with his expenses by setting up a legal fund. After all, this is a case where online publications are involved. And this could happen to any blogger (I’ve heard of bloggers in other countries being sued because of comments that readers have posted).

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