Education doesn’t stop when you graduate from college. Thus, most of us would still enroll in advanced courses that would help us develop to be better equipped in our career. Of course, work experience is also a good teacher but in this Information Age, it is essential to be updated with the latest trends in relation to one’s chosen career. For those who are working, however, there’s the dilemma of not having time for another academic endeavor especially if you have kids. Thus the option of getting an online degree is a good and convenient choice.
For instance, there’s Western Governors Online University, a fully accredited online university, which offers masters degree online program for courses in education, business, information technology and health profession. I’m sure busy parents and executives who need to pursue further studies can choose which course they prefer to upgrade their knowledge and skills. Having a masters degree or an advanced course on your resume gives you an edge over the others.
During one of my dental checkups, the dentist advised that I should wear braces to align my upper teeth as one of my jaws are already extracted and this caused some misalignment of my teeth. Well, I’m quite hesitant about that as I don’t like being braced and especially having some weird metal stuck to my teeth. But after reading about invisalign braces, I might consider being braced after all.
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Whew! What a busy week for us as we met contractors and suppliers. And last Thursday, we went to the mall to buy some important furniture and accessories for the condos. It was Thanksgiving Sale at SM Mall of Asia and so I had a checklist of the things for the condo such as the bathroom accessories, beddings and other furniture. Yes, we got 10% discount for the items we purchased and for me that’s a big difference already.
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While going around the mall last Thursday, we passed by some stalls at the center aisles. Some stalls were displaying real estate properties with attractive pictures of modern buildings and happy families, wide verdant lawns and spacious interiors. Most of the sales agents would hand over to us their brochures. Some of them can be so persuasive as if they’re selling online term life insurance quotes. Sometimes I would accept them, sometimes I would refuse. Well, I told Mom we don’t really need additional condo units in some unfamiliar location. She told me to just get the brochures for comparison purposes.
Anyway, of all the stalls we passed by, the one at the center aisle, at the ground floor, was what got my two senses… my eyes and nose! Yup, it was a stall displaying perfume and all sorts of fragrances. It was heavenly just passing by those sweet-smelling scents. There were also some agents encouraging us to try their samples. Oh well, we really have no time for that, as we had to hurry around with our checklist.
While still in the planning stage for the condo, I discussed some design options with my friend who’s an interior designer. Aside from the color scheme and the furniture arrangement, he also suggested using blinds instead of curtains. He said most people would opt for curtains for their windows, but to give the condo a different look, blinds or shades are great alternatives and they look simple yet more elegant.
So, I took heed of this recommendation and opted for wood-like blinds to give the rooms a homey look. I tried to ask around for blinds suppliers but we were given an address that’s too far from our location. I also browsed over the web and checked out free directory submissions. I got one contact number just few minutes from our place but too bad the business was already closed as the owner went abroad. Good thing, we found wood-like blinds at Our Home, at the SM Mall of Asia. Compared to curtains, the cost for the set of blinds, which includes the mechanism and the materials, is more economical and requires less maintenance.
So, blinds or curtains? You decide. 
To save on calls, we usually have a stopwatch on hand to keep track of the minutes. But last week, we subscribed to Globe’s SuperDUO which enables us to make unlimited calls to any landline within a specified area (in our case, Metro Manila). Aside from that we can also make unlimited calls to any Globe/Touch Mobile phone nationwide. Of course, after service activation, Mom immediately tried using it to call some offices and residences but to no avail. What went wrong?
The next day, we got this message from Globe, “You may have experienced difficulty making outgoing calls using DUO/SuperDUO service yesterday at around 2:25pm. We apologize for the inconvenience.” So, I guess one of their cell towers were down that time. Oh well… at least, now their service is up and running again, and we just made lots of calls with our SuperDUO subscription. Having unlimited calls can really bridge distances and build relationships, yeah?
How do you care for your pets? Do you pamper them not just with lots of hugs and attention but also with the best pet food, accessories and pet supplements, or do you just feed them three times a day? Well, for our dog Scrappy (as in Scrappy Doo), it’s just the latter choice. But we do think of him every time we’re dining out and never fail to bring him a doggy bag. So yes, we do love our dog, we just don’t pamper him that much.
We’re bracing ourselves for another sale from SM Department Store this week. On Thursday, they will be having a Thanksgiving Sale and since we have some items to buy for our condo project, I’m still listing the things we need and reserve it for thanksgiving shopping to get discount. Now that my rewards card is upgraded to Prestige status, I’m looking forward to getting more points. Hmmm… let’s see if there’ll be some nice Naot shoes for me on the shelves. Happy shopping everyone!
Finally we have our Christmas tree in the living room! We assembled it before our trip to Manila. It’s full of the usual trimmings, like our Christmas lights, balls, ribbons, poinsettias and other décors. Funny how we only have one gift under the tree for now…for my Uncle F. Oh well, I’m still thinking of some nice gifts to give to Dad. Maybe some auto accessories will do? Ooppss…I hope he’s not reading this!
My mind is still on Christmas and gift-giving. I like to make my loved ones happy, that’s why I’m already thinking of gifts for her - my mom - and of course also for my dad, and the rest of the family.
I can’t help but recall our latest family reunion, that of Christmas 2008 - what a joyful and memorable togetherness we had! Two of my sisters with their families, one from far-away Finland, the other from also another far-away European land, Prague, were home. So did my brother from Thailand with his beloved wifey, and our eldest Big Bro (working in China) who came with his family from Cebu.
The family picture below could speak more than words could do, so I share this with you: (For some unavoidable circumstance, one family member was missing though, but he was with us in spirit!)
You can imagine with such number, when we were not posing for a take, how riotous and topsy-turvy we could be! It was surely fun!
With Christmas in the offing, aside from the early-dawn Masses, what comes to mind are the gifts to be given to loved ones, and the affordability of the items with respect to my budget! For my techie niece and nephew, some gadgets and electronic stuff would surely make them happy. I bet they’ll give me big grins with presents such as a new mp3 player, camphone or USB flash drive.
Hmmm…I’ll make a list first of all possible gifts I have in mind, and of course, I have to check my budget as well! For me, what’s important in gift-giving is not so much the gift, but the heart of the giver. If we convey our thoughtfulness and love to the recipient with even a humble gift, the purpose is served, don’t you think so?
How times flies! We continue with our busy lives, not much aware we’re now in November, the month before Christmas, and preparations for the holidays are already in place. Some though, including us here, have not taken measures yet to deck their places with the trappings of the season.
There are many options for decoration though, and one can choose an artificial Christmas tree which looks so much like nature being brought to the living room. We might even try it. Hmmm… we should not forget though the real reason for the season – Jesus!
I got some good news in my mailbox today! Here it is…
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Congratulations!
We are pleased to inform you that your SM Advantage membership has been upgraded to Prestige status. As a Prestige member, you will enjoy all the perks and privileges that are over and above those enjoyed by regular SM Advantage members. These include:
· Free 2-year membership
· Concierge services, valet shopping and priority fitting rooms at SM Department Store
· Priority check-out lanes at SM Supermarket and SM Hypermarket
· Free access to the SM Prestige Lounge
· Free delivery (with minimum purchase) at SM Appliance Center, ACE Hardware, ACE Builders Center & Makro
· Valet Shopping at Toy Kingdom & Kultura
· Free gift wrapping at SM Department Store & Kultura
· Seasonal promos, exclusive to Prestige members, from SM Advantage retail partners
· Discounts and freebies from partner hotels, restaurants, resorts, spas, fitness centers, recreation and automotive establishments
How to Claim Your Prestige Card:
To start enjoying your Prestige membership, please visit the Customer Service Counter of any SM Department Store and present either:
- your SM Advantage Card, or
- a print out of this email
Your personalized Prestige Card, along with your copy of the Privilege Directory, will be ready for you in just a few minutes.
For more information, you may call the SM Advantage hotline at 833-8888 for Metro Manila or 1-800-1888-SMAC for areas outside Metro Manila.
Thank you and we hope to see you at SM soon!
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Well, I didn’t know all that shopping for setting up the condo (with all those furniture and appliances) did something good for my SM Advantage membership. ;-)
Have you ever had a “facial” or a “derma”? I did few months ago and it was soooo painful. Tsk…that’s what you get when you want your face to be cleaned up from dirt. The staff did a lot of pricking on my facial skin, I think I shed few tears during the whole process. So, do I still want to have a facial treatment after such uncomfortable procedure? Sure I do. It’s actually advisable to have a regular facial to close the pores especially if your skin is the oily type.
For instance, my face belongs to the oily type, I think I can harvest lots of oil to cook eggs! LOL. But even so, I’m thankful my face is not plagued with pimples and I don’t have to resort to acne treatment or get professional help. A friend even told me that having an oily face is a sign of being healthy! LOL.
Finally, my good friend M in the US has just given birth. I am so happy for her since she and her hubby had been praying for a baby for many years already. I bet these days they’re devoting most of their time taking care of the little one. But maybe after few months, M will be out scouting again for jobs in south jersey or any nearby state. At least her hubby has a decent paying job which I’m sure is more than enough to take care of their needs.
My low carb diet has been helpful in keeping me in shape, although I do cheat sometimes and still have some bread, pasta or sweet dessert. What I really need though is some exercise to keep me physically up. Following a regular exercise routine surely keeps me healthy and fit. I noticed that during my monthly period, I didn’t feel the usual stomach cramps when I engage in regular exercise a week before.
Recently though, my life has been so hectic, I just can’t include a regular 45-minute exercise into my schedule. Thus, it’s interesting to know about the “Six Week Body Transformation” program of KettleWorx Ultra which one can do at the comforts of his home. The package includes a free 5-lb Kettlebell, 4 DVDs, an eating guide and more. What makes this program attractive to busy people are the relatively shorter sessions of 20 minutes 3 times a week, designed to transform one’s body within 6 weeks of personal training.
I’m thankful to my best friend G for letting us stay in their newly renovated house during our recent trip to Cebu. For the three days that we stayed at her place, we had a chance to bond more and catch up on the things that happened since we live far from each other. Our topics of conversation were not only about reminiscing the good old days, but also about family, parenting, relationships, and even those TV shows.
I’m glad G is happily married with two responsible and loving kids. Thus even if her body weight has become heavier than during our college days, she has not considered taking one of those best diet pills. I think she’s happy and contented with herself, her family and life as a whole. And that’s all that really matters.
Whew! Just came from a business trip in Cebu and thank God it was worth it. We have new associates for our group and it is just so inspiring. We didn’t expect it to be that fruitful and now it is very encouraging for me to go on with our business plans.
Personally, I have been interested in being a business owner ever since I’ve read about Robert Kiyosaki’s bestseller book Rich Dad Poor Dad. It was an eye-opener for me and encouraged me to go freelance, attend business seminars and read up on articles about entrepreneurship and franchise opportunity.
What I’ve learned from our business trip was priceless. I’ve realized that in order to succeed, one has to give time and take risks, pray hard and cultivate meaningful relationships with others.
For busy professionals, going back to university and taking up some master’s degree can be difficult especially with a work schedule that’s not flexible. Thus, it’s best to consider the option of getting an online masters degree to address this need, as long as you’ve carefully chosen a reputable university since most top ranked universities don’t offer online programs.
Gonzaga University, ranked as one of the best universities in the US by The Princeton Review and Forbes Magazine, is offering online degrees in Master’s in Organizational Leadership, Master’s in Communication & Leadership, Master of Science in Nursing, RN to MSN and Servant Leadership Certificate. Ranked as number 3 in the West by US News and World Report, Gonzaga University’s education is based on humanistic, Catholic and Jesuit principles with the Ignatian philosophy of integrating mind, body and spirit in a person’s learning process. Learn more about Gonzaga University at gonzagaonline.com.
Education doesn’t stop when you graduate from college. One learns more from his work experience as a professional in his chosen field. But aside from the knowledge and skills learned from work, it’s still important to consider taking up advanced degrees to keep up with career demands especially with industries that are constantly evolving.
While staying for few days at my best friend’s house during a business trip, I’ve observed how her two kids (both of them are my godson and goddaughter) have grown up to be responsible and respectful persons. I asked D, the youngest who will be in high school soon, what course he plans to take up, and I was surprised he’s interested in a Nursing career. I really thought he’d follow his Dad’s footsteps as a mechanical engineer, but not D, he’s more interested on caring for sick persons than tinkering with engines or ring terminals. I guess he’s influenced by his Mom who just got a BS degree in Nursing while his big sis is currently taking up the same course in college. I think another reason could be the allure of Nursing as a course that is in high demand for work abroad. Their family is planning to migrate to another country in the future, so I’m sure the course will be a good choice though.
Business owners are finding ways to improve their company’s image to the public and especially to their clients. Thus, improvement is always an essential part of one’s business goals. From the tiniest details such as the quality of office supplies used for business presentations, to major purchases such as providing photocopy machine or receipt printers for a more convenient office process, or deciding on a marketing and advertising strategy.
Even the office setup is very important as this tells a lot about the company. If an office is neat and well-organized, you can be sure that this is also how it is with the way the company is being run.
Recently I have noticed some local banks changing their company logos and even their office building exterior and interior designs. When it comes to implementing business strategies, change is an essential part of the process.
