On safe drinking water

We’re all familiar with the health tip to drink at least eight glasses of water daily, right? But the type of water we drink is equally important. “It is best to drink purified water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.” I got this snippet of information from my email inbox long time ago, which reminds us to be wary about the kind of water we drink. Tap water is not safe for drinking because in most cases it may be contaminated with harmful viruses that can cause gastroenteritis and other diseases.

Like most families, we have a water filter system for home use and we bring a water bottle or buy bottled water when going out. There’s an even more convenient way to have clean drinking water on the go, by using portable water filters. These are water filtration devices that’s handy, and allows you to filter your own water when not at home. That means a lot of savings too since bottled waters are getting costly these days.

Orlando vacation

Are you planning for that perfect holiday getaway with your family? A trip to Orlando, Florida could be just what you need. Kids would surely love having fun at the theme parks. Aside from the sunny climate, white sand beaches, countryside living few miles from the theme parks, enjoying an airboat ride in the south, or simply going on a shopping spree, an Orlando vacation means not missing out on the famous Walt Disney World Resort, SeaWorld, the Universal Orlando Resort and many tourist attractions. It’s the best holiday destination for families.

image courtesy of Lowery's Vacation Homes

Shopping online at Kohl’s

Whenever I go shopping for bags and wallets, I always check inside if they have lots of pockets and inner compartments where I can store my stuff neatly. It’s because I’m fond of getting my things organized. It’s one way to manage a hectic schedule. I’ve been browsing over at Kohl’s website for some bags and I like this red leather Croft & Barrow® My Big Fat Planner (right photo) with its many credit card and photo slots and ID windows. It has a pen, calculator, lots of deep pockets, and mirror.  
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Make it to the Thoof!

Have you been ‘Thoofed’ lately? Thoof is a way to personalize your browsing experience. It’s like reading a newspaper with stories and articles that’s customized for your reading preferences. When you visit the Thoof website, you will see articles submitted by members with summaries, story source, tags and other options being displayed. Logging in ensures that all your browsing activities will be stored to your account by Thoof. If a story catches your attention, click to read it and it will be automatically stored in your history tab. If you find that story was not interesting, just click ‘not interesting’ though you are encouraged to ‘improve’ its title, summary or tags.

Oh well, maybe they’d want to put that scholarly concept so they had to come up with a word that would include those two letter O’s forming a reading glasses combined with a fun version of the word TOP which represents article ranking and relevance. Make it to the Thoof, right?

Being at sea

To ride a boat that would take me from one island to another, this has been one of my fave travel activities. I haven’t really been on a boating trip for leisurely purposes lately. Well, being onboard boats and ships gives me that peaceful feeling while at sea. I love travelling from Manila to Bacolod onboard the big Superferry, as well as riding on a gondola along the canals of Venice long time ago, or riding a speedboat that took our family to Lakawon island where we stayed overnight. Early this year, we had our van onboard a barge when we had a trip to Cebu. So what about these days? Well, I'm just dreaming and wondering when would be my next rendezvous with the sea.

North Fork homes

North Fork, a homey area in the state of New York, is a place for relaxed country living with its wineries and farms, and great views of the Long Island Sound and Peconic/Gardiners Bay. Families looking for North Fork real estate properties can check out Prudential Douglas Elliman’s website. This real estate company is New York’s largest with 60 offices to serve their clients better. Visit their website to view properties, apartments, condominiums and houses for sale or rent in New York city (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx & Staten Island), Hamptons & North Fork, Long Island (Nassau & Suffolk), other areas outside New York and even properties in Europe, Latin & South America, and Australia among others.

To help clients in finding their dream home, a quick search option box is provided to get results on a specific neighborhood or location. The website has links to a lot of resources, reports and guides, mortgage & latest rates, new home developments and a Home Value Estimator tool to familiarize them with recent selling prices of properties by region.

Don’t miss out on your fave band concerts!

Watching band concerts and shows is a great way to unwind after a stressful work week. Here’s a reminder for you though. If you have an upcoming show to watch, better purchase your concert tickets weeks ahead before they will be sold out! Yes, do I sound like somebody warning about the sky falling down? Well, we just don’t want to hear you wail loudly just because you missed out on watching your fave band’s concert, right? It’s better to plan ahead and of course save some extra cash for the ticket if you do want to be in the front seats. Hurry hurry. 

Fine art collection

My uncle is an artist, and every time I visit their place, I am always in awe of his latest paintings and sculpted models. Actually I have some of his works with me. Most of his subjects involve nature drawn or painted in full color. I still have to frame and display them though but still have no time for that.

Here’s a work by Park West Gallery featured artist Jean-Claude Picot:

Le Vase Bleu de Madrid, 2003
Seriolithograph in color on paper

I won!

How would you react if some stranger would just knock at your door and announce that you just won a prize in a raffle contest or sweepstake you participated few months ago? Well, this really happened to me few years back. A kid came to our house, looking for me, told me I won one of the prizes in a raffle contest organized for fund raising. I almost forgot about that raffle thing, I just bought the tickets to help raise funds. It wasn’t a cash prize though but a whole day tour for two at the ruins of Ayutthaya with buffet lunch and a river cruise. I’ve been to Ayutthaya before, but thank God, the prize was just in time for my Mom’s visit, and we had fun visiting the ruins and going on a cruise along the Chao Phraya river for free.
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A heart for the missions

“You’ve got to have a heart for missionary work.” A missionary friend once said. I know he was not only speaking for himself but for other missionaries like him. Yes, serving God by going to the mission field takes a lot of sacrifices and risks — leaving your comfortable life and your family behind and travelling to places you’ve never been before to spread the gospel. A lot of preparation for missionary travel is important, and one of them is getting the lowest airfare possible so your church or organization can save more. I remember when our community invited a disciple from another province, and we had to ask for donations from big hearted individuals so we can purchase his air tickets and provide a comfortable accommodation for him in our city.
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Jazzy office furniture

I’ve been imagining about an ideal setup for our future office — a simple yet professional look that would make visitors comfortable yet shows good business sense. I’d prefer to have a modern look for the sofa set, receptionist desk, cabinets and the tables and chairs in the computer training room.

I browsed over some contemporary office furniture at jazzyexpo.com and this Haifa Reception Desk caught my fancy. I like its design, a great combination of style and function.

San Fransisco sightseeing

The travel bug in me is itching to go places these days. Hmmm… how about a popular tourist destination such  as San Francisco this time? Famous for its great architectural diversity and famous landmarks, I would surely want to tour this city and witness its beautiful sights.

It would be fun to go around and explore the area with Trusted Tours’ tour offerings such as their Deluxe City Tour where tourists get to see the city’s great views onboard a double decker bus. This San Francisco Sightseeing tour includes discovering the crooked Lombard Street unfolding to a scenic view of the bay, visiting Fisherman’s Wharf, touring designer boutiques and stores, stopping at Vista Point at the Golden Gate Bridge, getting an awesome 360-degree views of the city from atop Twin Peaks and visiting other lovely spots.
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Freebies!

I love freebies. Who wouldn’t? Well, as long as it is legit free stuff and you want to use the product, why not? Thatfreebiesite.com keeps you informed of the latest in freebies and sample products being offered by companies. This useful site brings all sorts of freebies in a wide range of categories — arts & crafts, baby, books, cameras & accessories, cell phones, clothing, health, music, travel and many more. A search feature is provided to help site visitors find the free stuff they particularly want.
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Shopping for blank CD DVD media products?

I always keep stocks of blank CDs for my data storage needs. It helps to have an ample supply in hand for those times when you need more than just few pieces. Here’s an online store where you can find lots of blank CD DVD media, packaging case and other computer products such as hardware, memory and printer supplies — SuperMediastore.com, a major reseller and wholesaler for these items.

You can check out their big discounts and clearance sale such as cheap HP toner from their Ink/Toner category or browse through their Electronics category for DVD/CD burners and external hard drives enclosures. I like their Hot Topic & Tips page where they feature a wide range of useful articles such as Beginners Guide to Buying DVD Media, Choosing the Right Printer Ink, FAQ for Data Storage Solutions and many more.

24/7 shopping with ecommerce

“To our valued customers, thank you for shopping at ABC store, you only have fifteen minutes to finish your shopping before we close at 9 PM. Please come again tomorrow!” Ugh, don’t you just hate it when the store announces something like that while you’re busy still choosing over which blouse would best fit your new jeans? When pressed for time, you sometimes act in haste and buy something that wasn’t really what you wanted.

Fancy a store that’s open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Is this possible? Sure it is! Online, that is. You can take your time browsing through all the items with all the details and images, putting your choices in an electronic shopping cart, with nobody telling you it’s already closing time. Well, that’s ecommerce for you, a cool way for merchants to reach out to their clients not just locally but to a global audience as well. While websites help businesses increase their worldwide presence, providing a safe and secure online shopping for the clients is even better.
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Light and stylish footwear

Whenever I go outdoors for a long walk, the best footwear would be sandals or flip-flops. I love the comfort they bring, they’re light and easy to wear. Of course, it’s nice to wear those stylish ones such as Reef Sandals which are available at ActiveSandals.com, an online Top Rated Yahoo! Store for all your sandals needs. Brands like Rainbow, Chaco, Birkenstock, Crocs, Keen, Sanuk, Cobian, and Medium sandals for men and women are featured in their site.

I like this pink Wrapsody-Taffy item (see right photo) from the Women's Chaco Sandals category. Its adjustable straps and comfortable BioCentric™ footbed is just right for a day of trekking. Another favorite is Ginger, a classic Women's Reef Sandals with hot pink thin straps and black sole. They also offer discounted prices in their Women’s and Men’s Clearance Sandals.
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