A New Beginning

In about a few hours, the year of the Ox will make it's mark. Farewell to 2008, Hello to 2009!

I would have to say that 2008 has been a good year for me. I have no right to complain. I have learned a great deal about life, in general. There were lots of memorable things that happened to in 2008. Decisions (big and small) made great difference in my life. At this time, I am trying hard not to think of the could-have-beens or should-have-beens but I think most of I have and what I have become. The despite and inspite of the craziness of my world……I have no reason to complain. I most grateful for the things that had happened in 2008.

2008 will never pass unnoticed. It will surely leave a mark on me. This was the year that I made a bold move to go back to school and pursue MBA. It was a scary thought at first; to go back to school but it was all worth it. The cramming nights, the endless research papers not to mention the litany of quizzes and exams that I had to endure were all part of my amusing yet fulfilling back to school experience and I would not trade it for anything else. Learning was even made more enjoyable through the people I met along the way. My classmates are hard to ignore. Our section has been branded as the noisy group…. Noisy but surely a class with great sense of character and a mixture of brilliant minds.

As for work, I am happy where I am. I am lucky to have found good people in my work place. Good people are hard to come by these days. I value their honest opinions and advices, their companionship and support through the ups and downs and just their simple presence in my life. Through work, I was given the opportunity to see and even appreciate Mindanao. I have been given the opportunity to work hard, learn and grow.

I am happy to have been able to reconnect with my old and some lost old friends. I am happy that I get to visit Cebu for the yearly Sinulog Festival. I can’t wait to have another Cebu escapade to add to my list. Cebu will always have a place for me and likewise me for Cebu.

I am happy for everything that has been given to my family. I feel blessed to have found life-long friends and lucky to have been born into this world.

Leah's Big Day

The Montejo clan came in full force. We attended my cousin Lea's wedding last December 23, 2008. Here are some of my snaps during the celebration. The Montejo girls are now becoming extinct nonetheless, the ocassion was in pure bliss! Cheers to the Chocolate fountain right at the very back of our table!

Just got back

I just got back from my Mati Roadtrip. It was nothing I expected! It was just so fun and I had my shares of some good laughs...

We left Davao city last Monday at around 3:30 PM and had a stop over at Lupon and from there, we transferred to a Revo. The trip to Mati was filled with many car racings, siopao cravings and even the "Pinky" incident of Pidot. We arrived at Mati at around 7PM and proceded to Botona Beach Resort at Dahican. It was my 2nd time in the Resort so i was familiar with the place. We decided to have two airconditioned rooms at P1,800. The rooms were comfy plus we had our own Bathrooms. Our trip would never be complete without our fave past time and that is, videoke. We had our dinner at around 9Pm and We had non-stop videoke session til' the wee hours of the morning (3am).

At around 8 in the morning, the troop headed to the beach. We were all in awe with the big waves. Some of us were a bit hestitant to go swimming but knowing the group, we decided to give it a try..... More food pigging and videoke sessions went by.

The Mati trip was really a year-ender celebration for me. I love roadtrips and I always look forward to it.

I hope to post the pictures soon..

Happy New Year!

Change of Plans

Some friends of mine and I are supposed to go to Camiguin this weekend but due to some unforeseen circumstances (like the weather and someone's is still ill), i was informed by our Official Event Planner "Pidot", that our Camiguin trip will be postponed and that the new destination will now be MATI. I was excited about our supposed to be trip to Camiguin but Mati is a good place to chillax over the Christmas break, too.

I have been to Mati many times. It has great beaches and the sleepy town always has its way of charming me. I just want to get away from the city for a change. A couple of days to recharge and just soak my feet on the beach... Hopefully, we can go on this trip!

Another road trip to add on my list of escapades. A good way to end 2008!

Personalized Goodies from Pexagon

At work, we were asked what we wanted for the Holidays and were tasked to make an individual Wish List. We were asked to list down three items that we wanted to receive. I specifically listed just one item that I have been dying to have and that is, a Thumb drive with a good storage capacity.

I have been wanting to upgrade my current thumb drive. It’s clearly outdated plus, I need more storage capacity since I am using it for work and for my graduate school. Luckily, I found this great website that does not only provide the solution to my problem but more importantly, it provides personalized holiday gifts that may even be the solution to most of our Holiday gift-giving worries. You may want to check Pexagon and be amazed with all the varied personalized holiday gifts that they offer. Plus, from now until the end of the year, Pexagon is offering 20% off for four awesome personalized holiday gifts till the end of the year. Truly, a superb deal!

So, for any shopper or for those of you who have not decided which gifts to give, the website offers a lot of options to choose from personalized holiday gifts. They have offers on four items; personalized thumb drives, personalized pens, Business card flash drives and even, wooden flash drives.

Here are some information about the items.

• 
  Personalized Thumb Drives - available in 14 colors, up to 16GB in capacity with FREE custom laser engraving! Choose from one of our 32 exciting themes such as "#1 Teacher" or "Happy Holidays" and engrave two lines of personalization text on the reverse side! Starting at $7.99 after discount.

• Personalized Pens - 3 unique styles, multiple colors and a FREE line of personalized laser engraved text! Starting at $1.59 after discount.

• Business Card Flash Drives - the perfect gift for the business person or administrator in your life! It looks like a business card but the back side hides a small USB cable (huge 2GB capacity) and the front side can be engraved for FREE with 3 lines of personalization text! Starting at $15.99 after discount.

• Wooden USB Flash Drives - environment-friendly, wooden design with attached cap and two color choices. Available in 2GB and 4GB capacities with 2-sided custom laser engraving absolutely FREE! Starting at $15.

By just looking at the product information, you can tell that it’s a sure hit as a Holiday present. Extremely useful, colorful, plus you get to personalize the item. Now, that is surely a good deal! Please check Pexagon for full details.

Cheers!

to stay hidden

Sometimes, you just have to close your eyes so that jumping into the unknown would not be that scary. Sometimes, you have to learn to trust that no matter what happens, things will be better in time...

Sometimes, you have to let go and hope that in the process of doing so, you learn to accept that things are not just meant to happen...

In the distant future, where there are no more strange feelings, you may have the answer to that one question that lingered in your mind for so long..

Was it worth the risk or are we better off as we are?

For now, i will stay hidden...

Merry Christmas In Different Languages

Afrikaans - Gesëende Kersfees
African/ Eritrean/ Tigrinj - Rehus-Beal-Ledeats
Albanian - Gezur Krislinjden
Arabic - Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah
Argentine - Feliz Navidad
Armenian - Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand
Bahasa Malaysia - Selamat Hari Natal
Basque - Zorionak eta Urte Berri On!
Bengali - Shuvo Naba Barsha
Bohemian - Vesele Vanoce
Brazilian - Boas Festas e Feliz Ano Novo
Bulgarian - Tchestita Koleda; Tchestito Rojdestvo Hristovo
Chile - Feliz Navidad
Chinese (Cantonese) - Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun
Chinese (Mandarin) - Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan
Columbia - Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo
Croatian - Sretan Bozic
Czech - Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok
Danish - Glædelig Jul
Dutch - Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar! or Zalig Kerstfeast
English - Merry Christmas
Eskimo - Jutdlime pivdluarit ukiortame pivdluaritlo!
Estonian - Ruumsaid juuluphi
Farsi - Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad
Finnish - Hyvaa joulua
French - Joyeux Noel
Gaelic - Nollaig chridheil agus Bliadhna mhath ùr!
German - Froehliche Weihnachten
Greek - Kala Christouyenna!
Hawaiian - Mele Kalikimaka
Hebrew - Mo'adim Lesimkha Chena tova
Hindi - Shub Naya Baras
Hawaian - Mele Kalikimaka ame Hauoli Makahiki Hou!
Hungarian - Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket
Icelandic - Gledileg Jol
Indonesian - Selamat Hari Natal
Iraqi - Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah
Irish - Nollaig Shona Dhuit or Nodlaig mhaith chugnat
Italian - Buone Feste Natalizie
Japanese - Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto
Korean - Sung Tan Chuk Ha
Latin - Natale hilare et Annum Faustum!
Latvian - Prieci'gus Ziemsve'tkus un Laimi'gu Jauno Gadu!
Lithuanian - Linksmu Kaledu
Maltese - IL-Milied It-tajjeb
Maori - Meri Kirihimete
Marathi - Shub Naya Varsh
Navajo - Merry Keshmish
Norwegian - God Jul or Gledelig Jul
Papua New Guinea - Bikpela hamamas blong dispela Krismas na Nupela yia i go long yu
Pennsylvania German - En frehlicher Grischtdaag un en hallich Nei Yaahr!
Peru - Feliz Navidad y un Venturoso Año Nuevo
Philipines - Maligayan Pasko!
Polish - Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia or Boze Narodzenie
Portuguese - Feliz Natal
Pushto - Christmas Aao Ne-way Kaal Mo Mobarak Sha
Russian - Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom
Sardinian - Bonu nadale e prosperu annu nou
Serbian - Hristos se rodi
Slovakian - Sretan Bozic or Vesele vianoce
Serb-Croatian - Sretam Bozic. Vesela Nova Godina
Singhalese - Subha nath thalak Vewa. Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa
Slovak - Vesele Vianoce. A stastlivy Novy Rok
Spanish - Feliz Navidad
Swedish - God Jul and (Och) Ett Gott Nytt År
Thai - Sawadee Pee Mai
Turkish - Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun
Ukrainian - Srozhdestvom Kristovym
Urdu - Naya Saal Mubarak Ho
Vietnamese - Chung Mung Giang Sinh
Welsh - Nadolig Llawen

Prized Picture with Santa

Wishes do come true! And every one of us got a wish. My wish when I was a kid was that I always wanted to meet Santa. I remember telling my parents that I have been a good girl for the whole year so definitely, I will have presents from Santa Claus. As we were passing by one of the stores, I was ecstatic because I instantly knew Santa was there and was sitting on his chair with presents just for me. I finally got the chance to meet Santa and I whispered my wishes to him. Also, I had my picture taken with him and sat on his lap contentedly knowing that I deserved my presents. As a child, that memory was one of the best Christmas experience ever.

Just the other week, I was scanning my old photo album and I chanced upon my most prized picture with Santa. Now, I can always look back and say I have seen Santa and what’s even great is that I have a picture with the Big man. I remember how happy I was when I had the photo taken and I cannot wait to share it with my friends and little cousins. With the advent of technology, I searched for websites that could help me make my old photo much interesting. Luckily, I found a website that answers my need. Thanks to the creative designs of the CEIVA Digital Photo Frame. With CEIVA Digital Photo Frame, you can never go wrong. The designs were absolutely stunning and creative and the picture that I uploaded was even more astounding. So, if you happen to have pictures but want to make them more outstanding, I suggest that you visit http://www.sitonsantaslap.com/?utm_source=b. On top of that, their site also has a contest where one random entry of the day has the chance of receiving $500.

It’s the time of the year to share so what better way to celebrate this season than to spread the holiday cheer! Please do visit their site http://www.sitonsantaslap.com/?utm_source=b and you’ll be in for a treat.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Disclosure Policy

This policy is valid from 23 December 2008This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.The compensation received will never influence the content, topics or posts made in this blog. All advertising is in the form of advertisements generated by a third party ad network. Those advertisements will be identified as paid advertisements.The owner(s) of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org/

Blame it on the Rain!

I always had this fascination about Rain!

I mean where does it come from? Why does it even Rain?

Rain is liquid precipitation. On Earth, it is the condensation of atmospheric water vapor into drops heavy enough to fall, often making it to the surface. Rain is the primary source of fresh water for most areas of the world, providing suitable conditions for diverse ecosystems, as well as water for hydroelectric power plants and crop irrigation. However, not all rain reaches the surface; some evaporates while falling through dry air. This is called virga, a phenomenon often seen in hot, dry desert regions. The METAR code for rain is RA.
Rain is also known or suspected on other worlds. On Titan, infrequent methane rain is thought to carve that moon's numerous surface channels. On Venus, sulfuric acid virga evaporates 25 km from the surface. There is likely to be rain of various compositions in the upper atmospheres of the gas giants, as well as precipitation of liquid neon and helium in the deep atmospheres.

Formation

Rain plays a role in the hydrologic cycle in which moisture from the oceans evaporates, condenses into drops, precipitates (falls) from the sky, and eventually returns to the ocean via rivers and streams to repeat the cycle again. The water vapor from plant respiration also contributes to the moisture in the atmosphere.
A major scientific explanation of how rain forms and falls is called the Bergeron process. More recent research points to the influence of Cloud condensation nuclei released as the result of biological processes.

The downsides!

I just hate it when......

I am in a crowd yet I feel so remote, so alone
I know I am right yet it seem like something’s wrong
And I know there is something wrong yet I become complacent with the way things are
I try to sit still yet my mind wanders off
I sit in the corner trying to ignore my thoughts yet I am helpless and feel bored
I cannot control my composure and with it, I blush uncontrollably
I get too transparent, obvious and predictable
I get too nervous and start to shake and stutter frenziedly
I overcomplicate things when the truth is right in front of me
I try to put on a brave front yet I know am fragile and sensitive
I am pushed back to think of the past and then, realize how poorly I made my decisions
I become to gullible to the point that I have nothing left of me
I plan things ahead so meticulously but somewhere along the way, I am brought to a different direction
I watch good movies or Korean/chi/Japanese series or dramas and suddenly burst into sob (in the dramatic scenes) or laugh my heart out (over silly stuff)
I get too Obsessive Compulsive (OC) on how things should be in their proper arrangements / places
I would never ever do that thing again yet still find myself doing the exact same thing
I say enough is enough yet enough will never be enough

Our little Drummer Boy

My nephew has always been adorable and I can never say no to his little wishes. At his tender age, he knows how to get what he wants. And he has totally got me wrapped around his chubbly little fingers. How can i resist?

To Leam Adriel, here's hoping that you grow up to be the someone who is respectful and compassionate. An individual who is God-fearing and has the drive and passion to seek out the best in life! May you grow up to be a conscentious, healthy and happy person...

and now the end is near...

2008 has nearly come to an end. Another year promises new great things to come. As the year ends, I am compelled once more, to make my to-do list for the year 2009. The list should include things or activities that I am to do or to experience. So, as early as now, I am thinking on how to fill up my list. Achieveable yet challenging! Something to spice up my year…

Book Worm

I never knew that reading books (if I may say, E-books) would be this fun! Even when I was younger, I made it a point to borrow books from our school library. Bedtime stories or fairy tales were not so engaging to me. I have always been fascinated with the world of the unknown – books that tackled science, mystery, magic, supernatural and the unknown. Something exciting!

I rekindled my enthusiasm for books, three years ago. After long scheduled breaks from work, I found myself curling up my bed with almost nothing to do. And so, I decided to end my unexciting Rest days by reading exciting books. I borrowed books from a friend and was acquainted with Paolo Coelho, Anne Rice, Dan Brown and Nicholas Sparks. I also got to read Anne Rice’s Beauty’s Punishment and got my very own The Queen of the damned book by Anne Rice (because of my fascination with the vampire Lestat and all the vamps in general). Aside from that, I bought my very first Dan Brown book - Angels and Demons.

This year, I started reading Twilight series (during the month July) and was hooked on the novels Stephenie Meyer had wonderfully crafted. I finished all her four books in a month’s time. It was so addicting and I could care less about the sleep that I got. Sleep deprived or not, I can hardly contain my excitement as I read the book from one page to another. The movie was an added treat!

After my Twilight series experience, I searched the internet for more vampire storylines similar with Twilight. And so, I came up with a list aka my very own Twilight Readalikes List. I finished reading the vampire novels made by Melissa dela Cruz. The first book entitled “blue blood”, the second is “Masquerade” and the final installment “Revelation”. A refreshing story to read and very likeable characters to start with. It caught my attention and finished reading all three books in two days. It’s a love story that is addictive. Torn between whom to choose -- between a forbidden blue blood vamp love with Jack Force or be with his all time loyal human best friend and “conduit”. It does not only have vamps in it but angels as well.


Right now, I am reading Vampire diaries. I will try to read the whole series over the holiday break. Hopefully!

Rank and File

I checked my blog today and i was glad to see that finally I have a rank. At long last! I hope to write more interesting topics and chronicle my experiences.

I hope to write about my nephew and post some of his first birthday party pictures held yesterday (December 13) at Woodridge Club house.

I am also looking forward to attending series of Christmas Parties this week. The holiday rush surely kicks in. I look forward to spending the holidays with family and friends.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Courtesy Please

To: John Doe
Subj: Courtesy Please

A friend of mine heard a disappointing news. A particular John Doe who once showered her with much attention suddenly got lost in the picture. After months and months of sending text messages and the typical “eating out” scene, this guy literally stopped existing nor made his presence felt. What went wrong? The long hiatus of the guy was finally uncovered. According to a source, the guy is now with someone else. So what just happened?

In times like these, I just can’t help but say to the guy that you could have had the courtesy and the decency to at least say something to my friend about your all new and improved love life. No long explanations are needed but at least you could have given hints about it! You could have spared her the lingering questions in her mind. I guess it’s just hard when the cookie crumbles.

From:
RITO