A RAINY TUESDAY HERE. LOVE IT!!!

Book of the Week: Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz

I was supposed to buy The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong but sadly, it's unavailable in all the bookstores I went to. Wake was my second choice but the search seem futile so I settled for this book instead.

So far so good... =)

BOOKS THAT I'VE READ...

I'll never forget the 1st book I've read and loved. It was given by my least favorite aunt (ironic, huh?) on a Christmas day. I could never forget how great the book smelled and just how crisp the pages were... It was titled "Wizard of Oz". After then, I have never seen myself without one when I go to out of town trips or before I go to sleep.

As I grew older, my preference went from Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Daniel Steel, John Grisham, James Patterson, Paolo Coelho, Mitch Albom, Bob Ong (a local author) and etc.

Right now, I'm still having a little bit of hungover from the Twilight Sagas so I prefer the Teen Series type of books since that's what my stepkids and daughter are into, too.

These lists are currently on my shelf. I'll be updating this one once I remember all the books I've read and loved all these years. ;)

1.) The Wizard of Oz - a gift from an aunt. ♥♥♥♥♥

2.) Inkheart by Cornelia Funke - Bought ♥♥♥♥

3.) Inkspell by Cornelia Funke - Bought ♥♥♥♥

4.) Percy Jackson and the Olympians The Lightning Thief Book 1 by Rick Riordan - Bought ♥♥♥♥♥

5.)Percy Jackson and the Olympians The Sea of Monsters Book 2 by Rick Riordan- Bought ♥♥♥♥♥

6.)Percy Jackson and the Olympians The Titan's Curse Book 3 by Rick Riordan- Bought ♥♥♥♥♥

7.)Percy Jackson and the Olympians The Battle of the Labyrinth Book 4 by Rick Riordan- Bought ♥♥♥♥♥

8.)Percy Jackson and the Olympians The Last Olympian Book 5 by Rick Riordan- Bought ♥♥♥♥♥

9.) The Mortal Instruments City of Bones Book 1 by Cassandra Clare - Bought ♥♥♥♥♥

10.) The Mortal Instruments City of Ashes Book 2 by Cassandra Clare - Bought ♥♥♥♥♥

11.) The Mortal Instruments City of Glass Book 3 by Cassandra Clare - Bought ♥♥♥♥♥

12.) The Immortals Evermore Book 1 by Alyson Noel - Bought ♥♥♥♥♥

13.) The Immortals Blue Moon Book 2 by Alyson Noel - Bought ♥♥♥♥♥

14.) The Immortals Shadowland by Alyson Noel - Bought ♥♥♥♥♥

15.) Twilight Saga Twilight Book 1 by Stephanie Meyer - Bought ♥♥♥♥♥

16.) Twilight Saga New Moon Book 2 by Stephanie Meyer - Bought ♥♥♥♥♥

17.) Twilight Saga Eclipse Book 3 by Stephanie Meyer - Bought ♥♥♥♥♥

18.) Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn Book 4 by Stephanie Meyer - Bought ♥♥♥♥♥

19.) Leven Thumps by Robert Skye- Bought ♥♥♥

20.) The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown - Bought ♥♥♥♥♥

21.) The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger - Bought ♥♥♥♥

22.) Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger - Bought ♥♥♥♥

23.) The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostovo - Bought ♥♥♥

24.) The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong - Bought ♥♥♥♥

25.) The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong - Bought ♥♥♥♥

26.)

PETRON GAS STATION IN SUBIC...GAS STATION FROM HELL.

Smile eventhough you're heart is breaking....

It was a sunny day on Apr. 19, Mon. We just spent two fantastic days in Camayan Beach Resort in Subic. We were in high spirits, sunkissed and all ready to go home. Since we checked out just before lunchtime, we decided to have our lunch in Subic before we hit the road. The car occupants were my hubby, me and our 4 kids, youngest was a year old...

Since we the place wasn't familiar, we scouted the area for restos. During our search, we saw an ad for a known resto but we don't know where it's located so we decided to go to PETRON GAS STATION which is right in front of Puregold Supermarket to ask for directions and to have our car filled since it's almost running empty like our stomachs.

The attendant did his usual SOP like informing us the kind of gas he'd be filling the tank. Right after we had the tank filled, I immediately noticed the car was making some jerky movements. It was pretty unusual since our car's just barely 2 years old (Ford Focus).

I just shook it off and we reached the resto and had lunch. But after our lunch and we're almost on our way to SCTEX when the car was making those jerky movements again, and my hubby can't make the car accelerate anymore. We went back to PETRON GAS STATION and doublechecked if the attendant really gave us the right kind of gas.

This was around 1:30pm.

Lucky for us, the Ford Service center is just right in front of the gas station so my hubby decided to have it checked with the mechanics there. While they were on the road, the car refused to accelerate no matter how hard my hubby push the gas. The mechanics told us, the most likely culprit would be the kind of gas we had. We went back to the gas station and my hubby demanded for the manager and he agreed to accompany my hubby to the Ford Service Center to witness for himself. The gas tank was drained and during this process we were left in a fastfood restaurant waiting for 3 hours and counting...

We decided to transfer to Starbucks around 4pm since we can't handle the humidity inside the fastfood restaurant anymore. This time, my son's cranky, hungry and very very tired... My other kids were getting impatient but they know better they can't do anything anymore to alleviate the situation.

I called my hubby and asked him to bring my son's shoes, milk, water and some diapers but he said the car's already detained and he doesn't have an access anymore. God help him, he must think if he asked for the car to be brought down, this might take the process a little more longer. So basically, my son's on an empty stomach and must be having diaper rashes at this time.

After 6 long hours of waiting, my hubby called and told me he's going to the police to make a police blotter against the gas station. The manager refuses to pay the amount for the repair and he insisted it's not their fault and etc. All this time, he was with my hubby and he actually saw the contents of the gas tank. It was murky and filled with dirt.

The mechanics at Ford confided in my hubby and told him that a lot of cars do break down right after having their tanks filled in that gas station. A lot of them actually have their cars checked in their place since it's the nearest one. In short, we were not the only ones.

This was around 7:30pm.

We decided to go home but my hubby was determined to file charges. While on the road, the car's making those jerky movements occasionally and by the time we reach EDSA, the engine icon on the dashboard lighted up indicating a problem.

This was around 10pm.

We were on our way home, famished, tired and very sleepy. The kids chose to sleep over having dinner, very eager to just get home.

When we were almost home, the car's having problems again. Jerky movements, no acceleration and etc. I was hoping against hope that we would just reach our doorstep and be safely sheltered in our own home. God answered my prayers.

Let this be a warning to all. The PETRON GAS STATION is located right in front of Puregold Supermarket in Subic. Our vacation may have turned out to be a nightmare in the end but we have so many reasons to thank God inspite of it all.

The car's now in Ford Alabang for repair. The damage to the fuel pump may cost us around Php20,000 or more... If the engine has been damaged as well, the cost will be more... We have to wait for 3-4 days. Til then, we have to brace ourselves.

HAEL'S 1ST BIRTHDAY PREPS AND DETAILS....PART I - LOOTBAGS

Boys' Lootbag Contents

(Tumbler with straw, wallet, two pencils, keychain, face towel, bubbles)

All bought at Divi Mall

Girls' lootbag contents

(Tumbler with straw, wallet, two pencils, keychain, face towel, bubbles)

All bought at Divi Mall

Hael's lootbag

Pooh's Face Tin Can Lunchkit

(bought at Divi Mall)

Divisoria is truly a haven for cheap knickknacks like party favors, party prizes, balloons and etc.

With Php2000, we were able to take home more than 800 pcs. of balloons, 4 pcs. large party poppers and curling ribbons. Not bad, huh considering some party planners can charge you at least Php5000 for simple balloon decorations. :)

Now, if I can only pull of that balloon decor tutorial I saw in You Tube. Haha!

PINOY BIG BROTHER DOUBLE UP RESBAK ATTACK OR CRAB MENTALITY ATTACK?

Being a stay at home mom, my main entertainment consist mainly comes from television or from a great book. Sure, pathetic as it may sound, I do watch telenovelas, soap operas and a couple of reality tv.

I do watch Pinoy Big Brother and I couldn't help but shake my head in disgust with what I'm seeing for the past week. They aired this so called "Resbak Attack" wherein the exhousemates get to test the housemates' true personalities and their "worthiness" to be in Kuya's house.

Sure, why not give them something to bring out their true personalities? I do get it. What I don't understand is that some of these exhousemates seem to take this as a perfect opportunity to vent out their personal issues with the housemates. They appear too bitter and personal. They don't hesitate to result to physical violence and what's sad, Kuya seems to be too lenient about this. This doesn't showcase the housemates' true colors but sadly highlights one negative Filipino trait which is crab mentality. I could see very clearly this so called "Resbak Attack" never meant to show who truly deserves the big win but nevertheless a perfect opportunity for some of the exhousemates to take out their personal angst against the housemates, deserving to win the title or not.

I never liked Princess. She's too tacky for my taste. True enough, her "palengkera" attitude was exposed during her confrontation with Mariel. And oh, don't get me started with Cathy. She feels she's all that. Hello! Trust me, I don't have any bet on who deserves to win. I just find it entertaining. Period.

I also hated Paul Jake's guts right from the start but to my surprise, I was really impressed on what I saw in the show this week. He stayed true on who really is and never gave up on what he believed in. Mayabang na kung mayabang, may paninindigan naman.

Really, don't we all have that invisible guard built around ourselves when we're around with people whom we barely know? We don't usually open up until we reach that comfort level with that person... We truly shine in the adversities we face. I don't think provoking and hurting people physically, verbally and emotionally is the right way to do it.

Just my two cents, really.

Sunset Bay Resort-La Union Jan. 18-19, 2010

Here I come, La Union!!!

Hasta la vista, baby!

Infinity Pool

Sunset Bay Resort

When Yab told me that I get to go with him to La Union for his client meeting I couldn't help but feel so giddy about it. Not only do I get a quick getaway from my mundane life, I also have the chance to explore another new place. ;)

After several pit stops at different gas stations in different towns and cities, we arrived in La Union more than six hours later.

We asked the locals for recommendations for the best resort and three people suggested Puerto de San Juan. We checked in and realized we didn't have anything for lunch so we decided to check out the restaurant and the beach, too.

I was quite disappointed to see the waves too ferocious to swim in... I do know a lot of surfers out there would definitely love to be in this place but not me. After a while, I resigned to the thought of settling to the resort pool instead. We took some pictures and headed to the restaurant afterwards.

Since it was a weekday, I didn't expect the resort to be packed of people but I was shocked to know that we were the only guests... I suddenly have the feeling that I'm in a deserted island somewhere. Hey, no man is an island, right? After some discussion with Yab, we decided to cancel our stay and check out the other resort in a different town, Sunset Bay Resort.

We immediately fell in love with the place. It has a "Moalboal" feel to it (popular diving/beach place in Cebu), not too pretentious unlike other resorts I've been to. It was so serene and peaceful. They have this very long shoreline perfect for day and night strolls.

The room accommodation costs Php1,600/day but it is truly cheap considering their amenities and facilities. The room is equipped with a 21" cable TV, a personal ref, safety deposit box and they've got heater in their bathrooms (I just love warm bath!). Oh, did I mention their whole resort is equipped with wifi? Yeah, you still get to log in to Facebook and other internet sites miles away from home!

During dinner, we decided to have sirloin steak and we were truly in for a big surprise. Not only does the food tastes great, they have great servings too. The steak costs around Php490 (can serve two people already) and you can order a liter of Coke for Php60 and viola! Great place with great food. What more could you ask for, right?

It was a quick and short stay but If given another chance, I'll go back to the place in a heartbeat. This time, I'll be bringing my kids with me. I'm sure they'll love it as much as I do. ;)