What do you love most about being married?

I can say that being married is one the best decisions I made in my life... plus the fact that I chose a good person to be my husband.

1. In the beginning, I love the feeling of being married because this is the only time that my parents (especially my dad) does not have to monitor me whenever I go out or I am with somebody else. It was a blessing that my parents doesn't have to worry so much about me anymore. I guess this was the stage when they finally realized that I am already mature enough to take care of myself.

2. Another reason is that I can go anywhere for several days without worrying of someone looking for me. It makes me feel more secure with the thought that someone out there is with me and he will never let anything bad happen to me.

3. The feeling of having to have someone on my side, whatever time of the day. I love waking up in the morning seeing my husband beside me sleeping soundly. I love going to bed at night because I know that whenever I feel cold, there is someone who will hug me in my sleep.

4. I love being married because I found a partner, a 'kasangga', a 'sumbungan', a 'kakampi'. I know that whatever my decision is, as long as we both agree on it, we will always stand by each other. Life's challenges have been easier to deal with because I know that there is someone who will divide the heartaches with me, who will multiply the happiness with me.

5.  I love being married because he completes me. He stands up for me whenever I feel low. He talks for me when I cannot express what I wanted to say. He smiles for me when he knows that it is difficult for me to bring that smile on my face.

6. Lastly, I love being married because being with G assures me that we can have our family started. I cannot make a house a home if there is no father who will stand for the family. I cannot manage a home properly if there is no good provider around. I cannot continue life is something is missing in me.

        

Whenever G & I travel, we always make sure that we bring our camera with us. We wanted to document every moment possible. So far, we have already thousands of pictures (thanks to digital technology) taken. But most of these shots are taken solo or individually. You may ask why? This is because we do not have any tripods with us. If ever we wanted to take a picture of us together, we still have to look for a possible sturdy area where we can put our camera on. This is really funny because G has to set the timer first and he would later on run to his 'position'. We have done this many times and so far it was not really that fun.

Finally, we have decided to buy any type of tripods that will fit into our camera. No matter how simple it is or how basic it is, as long as it can serve the purpose. We wanted to purchase a new digicam as well to document baby's coming out and together with the new cam, we will definitely bundle it with compatible tripod already. I just hope we get this on time... I saw several tripods on our last trip to the mall and it is not that expensive as I thought.

        

While browsing the internet, I found myself directed to wifespeaks.com, this is a site where wives give their 'say' on different topics under the sun... for this week, the question is on 'Collections You've Gathered Throughout the Years'.

I'd like to share my answers here...
To start with, I really a collector. I collect almost anything that I can think of. There are some that I collected and lasted for a year while there are those that I still collect under these days.

Among the first things that I collected were bookmarks. I am fond of reading books that is why I love to have different bookmark for every book that I read. I first started buying these from bookstores, then I started scouting for other places for different designs. There was this one time when I even requested my friends to buy me different bookmarks as their birthday gift for me. I was addicted to this collection until I finished college. These days, I think I have more than 500 different types and designs of bookmarks. My most loved pieces were the gold-plated bookmarks that has different animal design on it. Some of these are still in our house while some were already thrown away because it got wet during one rainy day.

I also love to collect angel figurines. This started when friends started giving my sister angel figurines. Since she is not really the collector type, she'd just put it somewhere in her closet. I, on the other hand, would find these pieces and put them in our cabinet. I sorted them out according to sizes. Then people visiting the house noticed our collection. From that time on, whenever I find an angel with beautiful face, I'd buy it. I prefer the smaller ones though since it is easier to keep (though harder to clean). Now, our cabinet is overcrowded with angel figurines already... but I still can't stop myself from buying in case I see one that I really like.

Another collection of mine is invitations. I have invitations as old as 1990's. I collect all types of invitations, from birthdays to baptisms to weddings. I prefer to keep the invitations rather than the souvenirs that I receive. Because of this obsession, my family would always keep invitations that they receive and they give it to me for safekeeping.

One more collection that I have are watches. I collect all sorts of watches from simple to fancy to unique designs. It doesn't matter if it is expensive or cheap as long as it catches my attention. I wasn't aware at first about my collection until I noticed that most of my close friends and relatives were always giving me watches during special occasions. For now, I only wish to add even just one of the Festina watches.

I would say that I feel contentment when I see my collections. To some, it may look as trash but for me, it is something worth keeping.

        

Just some fun blogging questions.

Participants: 1. Me and Mine 2.Creative In Me 3.Little Peanut 4. Pea in a Pod 5. Sugar Magnolias 6. The Salad Caper 7. All Kinds of Me Stuff 8. Aggie Scraps. 9. Winding Creek Circle 10. Mommy Talks. 11. A Slice of Life. 12. Jenny Said So 13. This and That 14. Simply Jen 15. Dancing With Butterflies 16. Blessed Chic 17. Just Let Go 18. Twisted Angel 19. Pieces of Me 20. Julai's Corner 21. It's Leisure Time 22. Tidbits and more 23. Strong and Healthy Living 24. Bucks from Home 25. A Housewife's Journal

RULES:
1. Add your blog/s to the list. Feel free to add all your other blogs. It’s okey if you only post this questions in one blog as long as you answer them.
2. Get back to Me {YEN} and I’ll add your blogs to the master’s list here!
3. Tag as many friends online you know. But you don’t need to be tag in order to join.

QUESTIONS:

1. I posted this experiment at URL: gwenmarisalvilla.com href="http://julai1181.blogspot.com/" target="_self">
2. I posted this on date (day, month, year): 2 July 2008
3. I posted this at time (24 hour time): 07:00
4. My posting location is (city, state, country): San Pedro, Laguna, Philippines
5. My blog is hosted by: Quickblogcast
6. My age is: 31 yrs old
7. My gender is: Female
8. My occupation is: SAHW
9. I use the following RSS/Atom reader software: FeedBurner
10. I use the blog format to post to my blog: Blogger
11. I have been blogging since (day, month, year): 2005
12. My web browser is: Fire Fox
13. My operating system is: Windows XP

        

G's bday is in 20 days. Since we got married, he has only one major birthday wish (it is already answered now) and one minor material gift. It is considered as a minor gift because it is not really that expensive and I can still afford to buy it. Among these are DVD players, MP3 players, cellular phone and the like. For this year, he is asking for an MP4. The last time we were at the mall, I found one within my budget, so I think I can give it to him. I plan to buy it this week when my money from Paypal arrives. I will just give it to him on the day of his birthday because he might ask for something else if ever I give it to him earlier. He is such a smart guy you know, and he knows how to get the things he want from me...

        

I saw this again from Milet's site which made me want to answer it too. Despite being late, I hope I can still share my answers.

What sound or noise do you love?
- I love listening to hubby's snore. This makes me feel more secure since I know that he is still breathing and he is just sleeping beside me.

What sound or noise do you hate?
- I hate the sound of people shouting or raising voices.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
- I wanted to be a social worker or a mission worker.

What profession would you not like to do?
- I do not want to be a police officer or a customer service representative... anything that deals with confrontations.

 

        

By this time. almost everyone around the world already know about the winning streak of Manny Pacquiao against David Diaz. We were lucky enough to watch the live video streaming through a website in the internet. It was even a good timing since I was able to share the site with my cousin who is in India at present... Going back to the fight, I think it was an easy fight for Manny. He was moving really fast and still sure with his movements. I pity Diaz but still I was proud that he was humble enough to accept his defeat. He was very manly when he met Manny in the hallway and congratulated him. Pacquiao, on the other hand, is another great man because he distance himself from Diaz when he saw his face filled with blood already... I would say that this attitude is more for the books, the same level as Pacquiao winning 4 different categories in boxing.

        

Another friend tagged me with this but I can not remember who it was (my sincere apology)... but to make up for it, I am posting this here. I got the copy from Juliana's site... (thanks again manang

Start Copy:

This award is extra special because Crystal created it in honor of the donor who saved her son’s life. Her son Noah had to have a heart transplant when he was just over a month old. This award is supposed to help raise awareness of the importance of organ donation.

So, here are the rules Crystal gave:

“The rules of this award are: SHARE THE LOVE!!! Share this award with all those blogs out there that you love. All the people who make you smile. All those that make you laugh. All those that make your day. All those that leave uplifting comments on your blog. **All I ask, is that you include a link to this post with the award and ask your recipient to do the same**

As you may have recently seen on my side bar, I have finally created a custom blog award!! I have wanted to do this for a long time but never came up with something that “fit”. I didn’t want just anything. It had to be something that meant something to me. And what could mean more than Sharing the Love by giving you pieces of my heart?? So I created this award in Honor Of The Donor That Saved Noah’s Life. I share this award with those of you whose love and friendship have enriched my life and made my world a better place.

I hope by passing this award around the blogging world we can all help raise awareness of the need for Organ Donation.”

        

I started loving pizza when I lived here with hubby. His family loves to have food delivered and one of which is pizza. Whenever they feel hungry, this is one of the firsts in their lists.  Whenever they  wanted to drink beer, they prefer to have pizza on the side too. I got used to this set up that whenever we want something delivered, we resort to pizza.

I've tasted several pizzas from different pizza parlors already. I have several favorites as well. Whenever there are promos wherein we can avail of additional pizzas in lesser price, we usually avail of it. What more if we get the chance to win a year supply of pizza, I guess I won't miss this opportunity at all. There's a new site, Ristorante, that just launched. In connection with this, it offers the Ristorante Contest. This is only open for Canadian readers though so I cannot join the contest. It would have been great to join this contest...

        

Am I overreacting or is this still normal? At 10 weeks, I am still super lazy. I just wanted to stay in bed and sleep most of the time. I've read that it is natural for the first month since the body is adjusting with the amount of hormones being produced.

Here is something I found in connection with fatigue, laziness and sluggishness...

Is it common to be exhausted when you're pregnant?

It's particularly common during the first trimester. What most women remember about this stage is a constant feeling of fatigue. Being pregnant puts a strain on your entire body, which can make you awfully tired. Even night owls may find themselves struggling to stay awake long enough to watch their favorite eight o'clock show.

It's possible that hormonal changes — in particular, a dramatic rise in progesterone — are contributing to your sluggishness. And you may be having trouble getting a good night's sleep, especially if you're uncomfortable or getting up to use the bathroom frequently.

Nausea and vomiting can certainly cost you energy. You may also be feeling anxious about your pregnancy, which can be draining. Add it all up and it's no wonder you feel as though you've run a marathon by the end of the day.

*-*
Based on this, I think I am still on the right track... but I just wonder, how much is too much sleep being discussed here?

        

We don't have one for now... but as soon as baby Gwenks come out, we will surely make up for this activity. When we got married in 2003, we promised that every year we will have to go to a place that we haven't visited before. This event usually happens between September (in time for our civil wedding anniversary) and October (in time for our church anniversary). Since I am still pregnant on September, we plan to move our next out-of-town trip for next year. For now, I am just scouting for possible trips that my small family can enjoy.

One of my sources for trips is my w@w yahoogroup. This is a community of bride and groom-to-be's offering help for each other. Aside from wedding preps, it also includes honeymoon trips like vacation packages and even cruise packages. One of the latest cruises that these couples wanted to try is the European Cruises. One of the brides shared their experience which prompted other couples to inquire about it. Aside from this, there are also those who are looking for Mediterranean Cruises to explore. From what I've read on their posts, there are online sites like the Cruise Vacation Center where interested individuals can book. It is also cheaper to book online rather than availing it from travel agencies.

Cruises From New York is the most availed cruise since there are 3 major airports in this state. Aside from being a port to the cruise, New York is itself a vacation area. There are a lot of must see places and must do activities in New York alone. There's the Times Square, The Statue of Liberty, the Wall Street, New York Harbor, Broadway, Carnegie Hall and a lot more.

Will we avail one of the cruises too? Not for now, there are still a lot of things that we need to take care of. Maybe soon...

        

I saw this test from Manang Juliana's site so I thought that maybe, I could also give it a try. I loved the result. I think it really spoke much about me.

It is really a relief doing online quizzes like this. I think I will spend more time posting results of these quizzes.

What the House Test Says About You

You consider yourself important, but no more important than anyone else. You love attention, but you don't feel like you deserve more of it than anyone else. You are very community oriented. You like to buy local, know your neighbors, and live in a neighborhood that matches your personality. You are a playful, charming, and seductive person. People feel instantly close to you. You take good care of your physical appearance. You dress well, stay in shape, and do your best to look great. You are moved by the most simple of things. You can find pleasure from a small, perfect moment.

The House Test

        

We have been waiting to be pregnant. Now that it's here, we can't explain how happy we have been. We've anticipated many things with pregnancy. We haven't thought only of the fun but the thrills, the risks and the expenses as well. Now that we are into it, we are already starting our point.

The fun is the first and best thing that we associate pregnancy with. The long wait was really worth it. The experience of visiting the doctor, not for a scheduled work up but for a pre-natal check up was indeed better. The ultrasound to check for the baby's heartbeat and picture was way better than measuring eggs or egg monitoring.

Risks are also associated with pregnancy. But what I learned about it is that, it is always better to prevent something from happening rather than working on something that already happened. I would rather stay in bed, doing nothing for 2 long weeks rather than staying up and risking the baby's status.

Lastly, expenses come along with pregnancy too. We have been saving for the work-ups and it seems similar to pregnancy as well that is why it is not that new to us. The only difference is that, we can stop the work-up in case we feel that we haven't saved enough for it. With pregnancy, its always a go-go stage. We cannot stop in the middle because of lack of funds... instead we find ways to fill up for the expenses, even if we need to avail for a cash advance loan, we will gladly do it. So far, our expenses are mostly for check-ups, pre-natal medicines and vitamins and laboratory tests. Our only major expenses will be on January when I deliver the baby.

So far, these are the things that I can associate my pregnancy with.

        

If I am not in front of the PC, I am found in front of the TV. Yesterday, while doing some work, I was also watching Kapuso Jessica Soho. She made a feature on UP since it is celebrating its Centennial. Even if I am not a grad of UP Diliman (I'm from UP, I can still relate to the different areas in Diliman since I frequent this campus during end of the sem to visit my best friend. When I heard UP Aming Mahal being played, I started missing my school. Honestly, I didn't memorize this song when I was in College. I seldom have an early class during Mondays kaya deadma ako.  I don't usually hear it being played during the flag ceremony. But last night, I wished I memorized the song. I wanted to sing it in my mind but I cannot even remember its tune and the lyrics Then I asked G if he can sing his Alma Mater Song... he just kept on saying 'My Alma Mater' all over again... I felt relieved after hearing me. At least, hindi pala ako nag-iisa. Pati asawa ko hindi rin alam kanta ng eskwelahan nya :p

**PS... grabe, the tuition fee is P1000 na pala per unit!!! During my days, P250 lang (kahit P300 sa Diliman)... pano na paglabas ni baby gwenks? Will we afford this tuition fee pa kaya? or bka P5000 na per unit when his time comes...

PS2: I found lyrics of UP Naming Mahal, sana tama ito

I.

U.P. naming mahal, pamantasang hirang

Ang tinig namin, sana'y inyong dinggin

Malayong lupain, amin mang marating

Di rin magbabago ang damdamin

Di rin magbabago ang damdamin.

II.

Luntian at pula, Sagisag magpakailanman

Ating pagdiwang,^[1] bulwagan ng dangal

Humayo't itanghal, giting at tapang

Mabuhay ang pag-asa ng bayan

Mabuhay ang pag-asa ng bayan.

        

I watched from one of the TV shows in a local channel that despite the crisis that Philippines is facing now, there are still some individuals who try to dress up and look better. But instead of going for the more expensive clothes, they prefer to go for the stores that buy wholesale clothing and sell it for a cheaper price... if I am thinking of this now, it is really better to purchase items in wholesale especially if you have means of distributing it. So if you are planning to start a new business and you feel that you have a good fashion sense, good location and a market to cater, this is best for you. You can avail of these wholesale products, such as designer clothes for both male and female. There are also several designs for kids. Brands for these clothes include Diesel, Meltin Pot, Miss 60, Replay, Rock & Republic and a lot more. The brands itself need not to be marketed or advertised since they are already famous and known by its brand. The minimum order which is 100 pieces can easily be sold. You might even purchase more than this number when the demand really zooms. This means that your ROI (return of investment) is also easier to gain back.

        

        

The last time I visited my OB, she requested that I undergo several lab exams. The lab tests include CBC, blood typing, test for Rubella, Hepa A & B, and one more I can't remember. Since today is payday, we thought of doing the tests today. We had to search for a hospital that does all the tests with cheaper price compared with what Asian charges. After hopping to several hospitals, we were brought to Sinai Hospital. This is a relatively new hospital (which just opened in March 2007) located in Sta. Rosa. I liked the ambiance of the hospital because it primarily caters to pregnant women and to the pediatric department. What's even better is that it accepts medicare insurance, which is an advantage for us. In the end, we spent less than the amount we were required to pay. It made us save a little more, leaving us additional money for our grocery needs.

        

Mommy Elvz and another blogger friend (sorry,  I can't remember, please help me refresh my memory), tagged me with this meme.

The goal of this tag is to reach bloggers from different parts of the world and see how far we can get. We know that there are lots of bloggers around the world so let's do this challenge, and have this meme "Travel to 7 continents."



Rules :

1. Start Copy from "Begin Copy" until "End Copy".
2. Put your blog's name and url write in which continent you live, add the country you live in. Example : My Imaginary Travels (Netherlands)
3. Leave your url post in here and I'll add you to the Master List.
4. Please help spread this tag by tagging your friends as much as you can.
5. Don't play unfair! If you have more than 1 blog, you can participate all your blogs for this tag. BUT you will have to post this tag to all your blogs as well. So, please. Don't cheat!
6. Please come back again to copy the update of the master list, often. This process will help new participants to get the same gains as the first participants.
7. Don't forget to use the banner at your post, you can save as or you can just copy the code in here.

Master List :

A. Asia : 1. Moms... Check Nyo (Philippines) 2. Aeirin's Collections (Philippines) 3. Jenny and Belle(Philippines) 4. Hailey's Beats and Bits (Philippines) 5. Appleofmyeyes(Saudi Arabia) 6. Deranged Insanity (Philippines) 7. PROJECT HEAVY TRAFFIC (Singapore) 8. Rooms of My Heart (Indonesia) 9. Blessings and Beyond (Philippines) 10. lancerlord (Singapore) 11. allinkorea (Korea) 12. kimchiland (Korea) 13. korean food (Korea) 14. idealpinkrose (Korea) 15. Pinay Mommy Online (Philippines) 16. Momhood Moments (Philippines) 17. Business Mars (Philippines) 18. Maiylah’s Snippets (Philippines) 19. Picture Clusters (Philippines) 20. My Wanderings (Philippines) 21. Hit-or-Miss (Philippines) 22. Life Quest (Philippines) 23. FunFierceFabulous (Phils) 24. and Life Goes On for... (Philippines) 25. Moments of Colours (Philippines) 26. Making sense… (somehow) (Philippines) 27. Day To Day (Philippines) 28. My Happy Place 29. Me and Mine (Japan) 30. Little Peanut (Japan) 31. Creative In Me (Japan) 32. Pea in a Pod (Japan) 33. A Slice of Life (Phils) 34. Jenny Said So (Phils) 35. Live it Up... (Philippines) 36. A Sweet Taste Of Life (Philippines) 37. Through The Rain (Philippines) 38. Sugarmagnolias (Japan) 39. ParentZine育兒好好玩 (Singapore) 40. We are Family (PH) 41. Reference Notes (Hong Kong) 42. The Sweet Life 43. A Great Pleasure (Malaysia) 44. Lalaine's World ( Thailand) 45. Proud Mommy (Philippines) 46. Petty Ramblings of a Petty Queen(Malaysia) 47. The Real Deal (Malaysia) 48. My Sweet Escape (Malaysia) 49. Mommy Earns Money Online (Philippines) 50. Pexlinks Triple Love (Philippines) 51. OnlineBiz and Resources (Philippines) 52. LadyJava's Lounge (Malaysia) 53. LadyJava Life's Pages (Malaysia) 54. Being Woman (Malaysia), 55. Cat Tales (Malaysia) 56. Make Money Online (Malaysia) 57. LadyJava's Food Paradise (Malaysia) 58. Lourdes' Mia (Philippines) 59. Miss Write (Philippines) 60. Me, Myself+2 (Phils) 61. Moments of My Life 62. My Deepest & Honest Thoughts (Malaysia) 63. Crissy's Haven 64. Strangely Out of Place (Philippines) 65. Frozen Moments (India) 66. NER: Never Ending Resolve (Philippines) 67. Mindjuice in Full Throttle 68. Straight from the Heart 69. Creative Thoughts (Philippines) 70. Emila’s Illustrated Blog 71. WilStop (Philippines), 72. Alanzain-home decor world (Malaysia) 73. Let's talk-everything in one space (Malaysia) 74. Tiklaton (Pilipinas) 75. Digiscraptology (Philippines) 76. A Life in Bloom (Philippines) 77. Because Life is a Blessing (Philippines) 78. Day to Day Miracles 79. Budget Traveler 80. The Success (Indonesia) 81. Lets Travel Philippines (Philippines) 82. Life together Starts (Philippines) 83. A Housewife's Journal (Philippines) 84. your turn

B. Australia : 1. Reflexes (Australia) 2. Emcee 3. Outback-Pinay 4. Collect and Connect (Australia) 5. your turn

C. Afrika : 1. Doudy Sketche Watercolor Paintings 2. Optimizing for Search Engines 3. Painting Artworks 4. your turn

E. South Amerika : 1. your turn

F. Europe : 1. My Imaginary Travels (Netherlands) 2. Juliana's Site (Netherlands) 3. Picturing of Life (Netherlands) 4. SuperMae (Portugal) 5. The Callalily Space (The Netherlands) 6. Portia (UK) 7. Daily Grind (Germany) 8. Amel's Realm (Finland) 9. Mummy Diaries (England) 10. your turn

G. Antarctica : 1. your turn

~ End Copy ~

        

You would agree with me when I say that every country in the world is now experiencing economic crisis. Prices of commodities are increasing while the salary remains the same. A lot of people are tightening their belts just to be able to cross each payday.On the other hand, no matter how some people try to budget their expenses, there are still instances when emergencies happen. In times like this, one usually resorts to availing of fast cash payday loans. During these times, it is best to turn to a reliable company to help you in your needs. There are limited reliable companies out there so it is really important to find the best one. Since we are already in crisis, I hope you won't be brought into a deeper trouble by choosing the wrong company.

        

Doc Joey tagged me again with this new meme... Thanks so much doc, for always remembering me
 

1. Copy and paste everything to a new post and Add your name next to your profession (or profession-to-be for undergrads) in the list. Make sure your name is linked to your blog/webbie
2. If your profession is not in the list then simply add it to the correct alphabetical place. For example, if you want to add PLUMBER then it should be placed in between ONCOLOGIST and QUEEN
3. Tag as many people as you can and witness how your technorati will explode!
4. Don’t forget to link back. In your case, link back to gwenmarisalvilla.com


THE WORLD CLASS PROFESSIONS
Blogger - Mary, Vannie, Mari
Business - Vanniedosa
Doctor - Joey
Finance - Pat
Nurse - Mckhoii,Aggietha
Teacher -
Stay-At-Home-Mom - Mai, Aggie, Vanessa


I would like to ask the following ladies their professions: Vina, Julai and  Mina