Blog Awards Day

Ironically, I got this Blog Award during my absence in the world of blogging. It's like at work, sometime ago, I have been getting nominations for "Employee of the Month". Nonetheless, I finally got this 'title' when I went away for a holiday break! Anyways, I am passing this Blog Award which was thoughtfully awarded to me by Yileen, the spicy Asian writer of Dreamer. These are the bloggers who seem to be genuine and they inspire me to keep blogging

Once again, a zillion thanks to you Yileen for being generous.

so they deserve to receive this award:

• Varun - writer of Varun's Vagaries - for genuinely sharing his thoughts even on the most controversial article (e.g. Racism Around the World) , which no other would like to involve themselves with.
• Kevin - writer of KHarvee - this young man bravely shares his innermost thoughts whether his mushy feelings or about other bloggers' attitude in general.
• Narissa - writer of Warmstone - she is a blogger from the Philippines who shares her honest thoughts and wisdom to her avid readers.
• Tea - writer of Tea512 - a blogger who writes about what seems to be important that everyone should know e.g. politics, hollywood, etc.
• Keren - writer of Webnomena - a no non-sense blogger who educates other bloggers e.g. better sources in blogging, comparing online social networking, etc.
• Amy - writer of Amy Grindhouse - for being brutally frank and talks smack about hollywood. This blog is sooo fetch! (If you know what I mean)
• Ranu - writer of "Breaking Barriers" - Women in Police Services - for taking time to share about "women power" in police service.
• Tommy - writer of E-mail Rubbish - for entertaining readers and cleverly making use of those rubbish joke e-mails.

Now it's your turn to pass this blog award to eight deserving bloggers.

Sleepless in Manila

Total of 16 hours travel from Bermuda to New York to Hong Kong to Manila = exhaustion + sleepless nights. We all tried hard to adjust our body clocks for over a month now. But somehow, either all of us or one of us find ourselves wide awake in the middle of the night (Manila time) up until now. Eleven hours time difference from Bermuda seemed a bit of hard work to adjust body clocks. Added to the fact that there are a lot of things in our minds e.g. finding a suitable place to live, a car, school for our son, health concerns, etc. In the past month of living in a hotel (paid for us), I just stare at my seventeen inch laptop. I had too much in mind that I can not find time and strength to write or check my blog. Pardonne moi. There are a lot to say but I will save them all for later. Ha-Ha-Ha-Happy Halloween!!!

You Need Some Orange in Your Life

Orange will make you feel open, lively, and artistic. And with a little orange, you will project an aura of friendliness. The downside of orange: It's too powerful and unusual for some people to deal with. If you want bolder experiences, you've got to get a little orange in your life! For extra punch: Combine orange with red or yellow The downside of orange: It's too powerful and unusual for some people to deal with The consequences of more orange in your life: You will become more creative in almost every aspect of your life You will find humor in the most serious and dismal situations You will feel like life is exciting, even when you're doing ordinary things

What Color Do You Need?

Goodbye Bermuda!

Tomorrow we are off to a very loooong journey to reach the Pearl of the Orient Seas: Bermuda to New York to Hong Kong to Philippines. Everything, except a few clothes and important documents, has been sent for shipping yesterday. Today we will spend our last full day in Bermuda to cancel bills, take the bag of a trillion Bermuda coins to the bank and, of course, will go shopping for some souvenirs. I will leave you all with a Bermuda Gombey Dance: Be back online maybe next week with more Bermuda photos. Happy Blogging!

I'm Going Home!

To inspire me and my fellow Filipinos living abroad, here's a clip to remind us how beautiful Philippines is. I don't know some of the artists here but, hey they are good huh! Mabuhay Pilipino! Hurray! After ten years away living in different countries, I am finally going back home. This time it's for good! Thank God we got this great opportunity to settle down in the best paradise of the world: Philippines. This time it's official because we just booked our flights. Our papers took longer than we anticipated, in fact we should have been gone last week, but better late than never! Hence, we are extremely busy these past couple of weeks rushing documents, packing up stuff for shipping, throwing things that are not worthy shipping or giving away and filling suitcases while our son helps by "sorting" his toys. On the other hand, despite my excitement going back home, I am dreading the thought of heat, humidity, traffic, etc. However, if we survived living in 5 different countries in the last decade, then we should be perfectly alright to live in the Pearl of the Orient Seas. I, myself, will have to adjust but I'm sure my sisters will be there to help me as they always do whenever I go home for a holiday. Anyways, almost finished sorting and ready for shipping company to pack and pick up our stuff. Here's some of our stuff sorted for shipping (others are in the other room):

Not the Usual Lullabies

I never sang the usual baby lullabies to my son. As a matter of a fact, I do not know any of those lullabies except for the all-time children's favourite: "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" which was my son's first ever memorized baby song. All the other children songs that he knows are learnt from his school teachers. Singing my heart out with soulful ballad songs, enchantingly or painfully, which are usually old type of songs, was one of my passions in life. I used to sing years ago so when I got pregnant I sang unconventional lullabies to my own bulging belly, unbeknown to me yet how beautiful it is to be a parent. My son, who is now five years old, never goes to bed at night without his radio on which plays mellow songs. However, sometimes after reading a

I sang unconventional lullabies to my own bulging belly, unbeknown to me yet how beautiful it is to be a parent.

bed time story for him, he will ask Mommy to sing a song for him which, of course, I would gladly do for him. And, maybe because of my influence, he himself now sings and love James Blunt type of songs, in fact he knows the song: "You're Beautiful" by heart. Below are some of the songs, on top of my head, that I sing or hum softly for my son from when he was just a tiny human life growing in my belly five years ago up to present, in no particular order: 1. Dreaming of You - by Selena 2. Bridge Over Troubled Water - Zsa Zsa Padilla's version, a Filipino singer 3. The Way We Were - by Barbra Streisand 4. Do You Know Where You're Going To? - Jennifer Lopez' version 5. Tell Him - by Barbra Streisand and Celine Dion 6. You've Got a Friend - Carole King's version 7. Evergreen - by Barbra Streisand 8. I Could Fall In Love - by Selena 9. When You Say Nothing At All - by Allison Krauss 10. Come Away With Me - by Norah Jones And, here is one of my son's recent favourite and most requested lullaby the past couple of weeks: Who Painted the Moon Black? Performed by: Hayley Westenra Did you see the shiny moon? Turned into a black balloon Just as you walked away from me Did you see how hard I've tried? Not to show the pain inside Just as you walked away from me Who painted the moon black? Just when you passed your love back Who painted the moon black? Oh won't you, won't you come back? It must have been the darkest night Not even a star in sight Just as you walked away from me, now Who painted the moon black? Just when you passed your love back Who painted the moon black? Oh won't you, won't you come back? Who painted the moon black? Just when you passed your love back Who painted the moon black? Oh won't you, won't you come back? Who painted the moon? Da da da... Did you see the shiny moon? Turned into a black balloon Just as you walked away from me Pause the background music of this blog which is located underneath my welcome message before pressing play on this player to listen to my son's favourite lullaby: "Who Painted The Moon Black"

Discover Hayley Westenra!

Enjoy!

Ref.: Good lullabies for helping baby get to sleep

A Beginner's Guide to FFXI

Final Fantasy XI or FFXI, which is from the highly-acclaimed Final Fantasy series, is one of the most popular MMORPG (massive multi-player online role playing game). Aside from leveling one job or more job combo, FFXI have lots of other possibilities and vast areas to explore. There are also various fun and challenging quests and missions in FFXI, for every player of any age from anywhere in the world, to enjoy. Moreover, it has translation feature to help bridge the communication gap between the Japanese players and the English speaking players. This game is available for three platforms which are playstation 2, pc (personal computer) and Xbox360. This is a guide aimed for those players who have zero experience with FFXI or never heard of Final Fantasy. Summarized detail of aspects of the game is listed here in layman's term which focuses only on events related to creating the player character and building the main job career. After downloading the game and logging into your account, you will be taken to a page where you can choose what type of race you prefer for your character. Spend some time browsing at all races to make sure you really like the race and gender of your character and make sure as well that you are satisfied with the (player character) name you chose or typed in so you do not regret it. FFXI Races: 1. TARUTARU - tiny and childlike faces with long and pointed ears. They are the best

Spend some time browsing at all races to make sure you really like the race and gender of your character and make sure as well that you are satisfied with the (player character) name you chose or typed in so you do not regret it.

race for magicians. 2. HUME - as the name suggests, they are like humans and the most versatile race. 3. ELVAAN - stand out against other races for being tall and lean. 4. MITHRA - identifiable with their cat-like looks. 5. GALKA - largest race with short legs and furry tail. For beginners, the following are the choices for basic jobs, which you can always change to another job inside your mog house: 1. WARRIOR - master of armed combats and effective as close melee fighter. 2. THIEF - melee fighter with sneak attack and, of course, steal ability. 3. MONK - martial art specialist. 4. WHITE MAGE - medic in the battlefield. 5. BLACK MAGE - specialist in black magic which can blow up an enemy in one cast. 6. RED MAGE - have the ability to use black and white magic, and at the same time, can be a melee fighter too. Then, there are three nations to choose from to be your character's hometown. They are: 1. WINDURST - favourite hometown amongst players so this one is heavily populated. 2. SAN D'ORIA - proud nation of Elvaans. 3. BASTOK - a nation founded by Humes. After choosing your nation, you will find yourself in the game. Welcome to the world of Final Fantasy! Now, go explore your own hometown. Before we move on to missions or activities to engage with, let us talk about the advanced jobs which can be unlocked by doing a quest once you have reached level 30 on any basic job. 1. BARD - the musician who can heal, enhance ability of party members and harm the enemy with effective songs. 2. BEASTMASTER - can charm some enemies to turn them into a pet. 3. DARK KNIGHT - carry a very large weapon with black magic ability. 4. DRAGOON - damage dealer accompanied with a wyvern. 5. NINJA - melee fighter with two weapons at a time and a master of stealth and ninjutsu. 6. PALADIN - considered as best tank who can hold enemy's hate whilst protecting the fragile players. 7. RANGER - deal damage from afar using arrows. 8. SAMURAI - bushido warrior using great katana. 9. SUMMONER - have the magical ability to summon avatars. Below are the new jobs that were added in the recent updates. 10. BLUE MAGE - the magician who can melee and can replicate special attacks of the enemy. 11. CORSAIR - the pirate who can use either a sword or a gun. 12. PUPPETMASTER - melee fighter with a puppet. 13. DANCER - melee fighter who helps enhance abilities of party members and inflict damage to the enemy by dancing. 14. SCHOLAR - uses books to damage enemies and also capable of using both black and white magic. To communicate and socialize with other players, it is a must to learn how to chat properly so here are the keyboard shortcuts: 1. To talk to a person: press control + T space then type the name of the person you want to talk to. For example: /tell Pikupiku 2. To reply to the message you received from /tell: press control + R 3. To talk to your linkshell friends: press control + L For example: /l Hello! Good morning! 4. To talk to your party members: press control + P 5. To shout when you need help because a monster is chasing you or if you want to sell something: press control + SH 6. To talk with people around you: press control + S Now, off to your first mission! Of course, as in any games, you start as level one of the job you chose when creating your character. Highest level is 75 so you have quite a long way. Equip the basic weapon which is provided automatically then head out of town to meet and bash your enemy to gain levels. It is advisable to fight solo until you reach level 10 to 15. Around these levels you may receive a /tell that says "PT?" or [Team up?]. They meant to ask if you want to join their party to defeat monsters together and gain experience points faster. When you get tired of bashing enemies and your inventory is full, go back to town to sell the items to non-player characters or guild shops that were dropped by the monsters you defeated. Some monsters drop gil, which is the FFXI currency. Either way, this will be a good way to start earning and level up at the same time. Another way to earn gil is to craft. Run to the guild of your choice to sign up and start crafting. Windurst Guild Crafts: 1. Fishermen's Guild 2. Boneworkers' Guild 3. Weavers' Guild 4. Culinarians' Guild Bastokan Guild Crafts: 1. Goldsmiths' Guild 2. Alchemists' Guild 3. Blacksmiths' Guild San D'Orian Guild Crafts: 1. Carpenters' Guild 2. Blacksmiths' Guild 3. Tanners' Guild You can either sign up to all guilds or just concentrate on one craft to earn gil

always remember that this is only a game, do not forget your family and friends or your school or work.

sooner. The more gil you have the better so you can purchase decent armour, weapons and food. There are two other means to earn gil which are: 1. Farming - go outside of any town and farm the drops from monsters. Of course, that means you have to defeat them until they drop items. 2. Gardening - if you are patient enough to wait for a few months (yes months!), then by all means, do gardening in your mog house. More reminders: - Do as many quests or missions as you can which you can start by talking to NPCs (non-player characters). Doing these will reward you with gil and fame in your hometown. - If you are unsure what to do or where to go, ask other players especially those who are wearing nice gears and are high level. I am sure anyone with high level job can provide answers for you right in the game. - Socialize with other players so you can gain friends because you will need a lot of help to do tough missions or quests. - You will need a lot of patience as well because leveling a job takes time and it costs gil. So, while leveling a job, find a suitable gil-earning crafts for you. Lastly, always remember that this is only a game, do not forget your family and friends or your school or work.

Ref.:A Beginner's Guide to FFXI

I'm back on FFXI!

After six months staying away from FFXI - Final Fantasy XI, which is a mmorpg (massive multi-player online role playing game), I am back today to join my husband on a mission, i.e. mission in the game. I was welcomed heartily by fellow gamers and luckily we succeed with our mission and achieved what we needed to gain from it. FFXI is one of the most popular mmorpg and we have been playing this game for three years now. It is very addictive because there are endless list of missions and fun activities to engage with fellow gamers. I created a community (which in ffxi terminology is called a linkshell or ls) in the game that my husband, my step-son and I lead. Our linkshell has been going on for over two years now. To keep the interest of linkshell members, I have designed a website and a forum for the linkshell where we can get to know each members, discuss the missions or events and post screenshots like those ones above. They are some of the linkshell's highlights last year.

Hairy Food on Hell's Kitchen! @,@

I love cooking. Well to be perfectly clear, I love experimenting in the kitchen. So, I took gourmet cooking class and I also watch cooking shows to learn techniques (still not a good cook though :P ) My recent fascination is watching Gordon Ramsay's mentor Marco Pierre White on Hell's Kitchen (this was, I believe, shown in England last year). I never knew him but my husband told me about him:

By the age of 33, Marco Pierre White had been awarded three Michelin stars, becoming the youngest British bestowed with this accolade.

Known for being foul-mouthed, volatile and controversial, Marco Pierre White was the enfant terrible of the British kitchen through the 1980s and 1990s. His verbal and physical brutalizing of other chefs and diners was the stuff of legend his cooking the stuff of genius.

In spite of Marco's accomplishments and fame, he was not quite contented or something irked him so he gave up his Michelin stars and he stepped away from the stove for eight years. So, he's back on the limelight and I really admire him the way he handles issues that arise on the Hell's Kitchen even when he sends customers away for complaining, it's hilarious to be honest. However, last night was a disappointment and realization of his messiness. One customer (or two) found a strand of Marco's hair on her food but he just dismissed her with no apology. I admire his dedication, passion, drive and frankness but that was so unhygienic! I wish an international law can be made that all Chefs and Cooks worldwide should wear hairnet or a hat to pull the hair back. On the other hand, if I was that woman, I would not bother waltzing towards Marco knowing his reputation. She should have just talked to Maitre D’ Nicholas. Anyways, here is Marco's advice to young Chefs:

To realise your potential, first understand why you are doing what you are doing. What is your motivation? If you are prepared to invest the time and have the capability of a star, go and get it. But don't lie to yourself. Be a realist: only work for something you truly want, something that's possible within yourself.

Racism Around the World

In the present time of advanced technology, we all may proudly say out loud that people have forgiven and forgotten the era of discrimination, which was a thousand years ago. But deep in the thoughts of, perhaps, over half the population of the world, discrimination is lurking and waiting for a good chance to display ludicrousness of racism, silently or contemptuously. Depressingly for some of us, fair skinned or not, however hard we try to deny the truth, discrimination around the world is like a disease that plagues the mankind up to the present-day. The common approach by racists to others who do not possess fair skin, blond hair or blue eyes is absolutely vile and inhuman.

"Spreading the word of love and respect for each individual who suffer the ugliness of racism keep them going to fight for their rights as a human being. They continuously support each other in any manner they can and living their life in this unmatched purpose."

People from ethnic minority regions and the so-called third-world country are those who suffer from racism unmistakably. They get hostile reception from other fellow human beings who unfortunately and strongly believe in themselves to be superior because of the lightness of their skin and hair, and because they speak, and claim it to be theirs, the international language, English, fluently and effortlessly. Despite this sickening absurdity, some fought back and never shown defeat by being active and proudly involved in anti-racism organizations. Spreading the word of love and respect for each individual who suffer the ugliness of racism keep them going to fight for their rights as a human being. They continuously support each other in any manner they can and living their life in this unmatched purpose. Nonetheless, not all people who were born with fair skin, light hair or blue eyes harmoniously agree with this unreasonableness of racism. Some of them support the anti-racism group generously and proudly. However, some of them perhaps do embrace the purpose of anti-racism groups discreetly, i.e. maybe without the knowledge of fellow fair skinned citizens. They engage themselves in this manner so as not to be labeled in such activity and be discriminated as well by their fellow countrymen. This is like a tug-o-war, between racists and anti-racists, that people deny to be happening endlessly up until our generation. And, these same people, who disagree with racism, are one of the reasons why nations continually classify people into different races. They do not want to get involved and would rather just watch the charade of irrationality.

"Hence, discrimination based on races are spread out around the world. It is the unpleasant result of the ancient history of humankind. When will it end? When are we going to say we are just one race? That is, human race."

Consequently, racism keeps the economical gain of people, from minority groups and from Far East, extremely low. Some countries, if not all, compensate people according to race, immodestly. This is actually demeaning the talent, knowledge, perseverance and hard work of these people, who are discriminated, for not getting the same compensation as the other 'lucky' human being, i.e. fair skinned people. It is sometimes laughable, and annoying at the same time, that racists pay wages of fair skinned people more, even if some of them are absolutely clueless and rely on others' assistance (e.g. talent and knowledge); these 'others' are people of minority groups. This is a matter of a fact. Because of this racism, people are not compensated according to their talent and work experience, but rather according to the lightness of skin. On the contrary, as a result of racism towards dark skinned people, they fight back too by discriminating everyone who are not as dark as them. They do so proudly and boldly. Other people too who have ancient history of suffering discriminate others too. Moreover, people from every region in each country discriminate others who are from other regions. Hence, discrimination based on races are spread out around the world. It is the unpleasant result of the ancient history of humankind. When will it end? When are we going to say we are just one race? That is, human race.

Ref.: The damage done by classifying people into races

Casablanca

Geca's Love Life is Like Casablanca

"Kiss me. Kiss me as if it were the last time." For you, love is never finished. If you've loved someone once, you'll always love them. You're an old fashioned romantic... even if your relationships don't end up as romantic as you'd like. Your love style: Traditional and understated Your Hollywood Ending Will Be: Complicated and ambiguous

What Movie Is Your Love Life Like?

Unbiased View on Blogging Code of Conduct

I am relatively new to blogging but one does not need to be an expert or an old timer to know the basic code of conduct.  It is of human nature to know code of conduct whatever medium is used or wherever.  

I, myself, is not aware that there was a written code of conduct until I hit "blog code of conduct" on google and met Tim O'Reilly, well not personally but through his web writings.  Nonetheless, people need to be constantly reminded of basic rules anywhere in the world, real-life or online.  Through my keen observation which means lots of browsing, during my free time, not everyone is bothered to care what is the blogging code of conduct. 

For me though, blogs should only consist of properly written articles. Hence, grammatically correct and taking consideration good morals.

Not only that articles must be in correct grammar and spelling but also well-thought out and considers the world wide web users. With that said, a blogger should be polite in any manner of writing in any subjects, not aggressive and arrogant nor rude which means abusing access of world wide web. 

However, I am not suggesting that only those who can write grammatically correct, and in most courteous ways, have the right to be a blogger because I believe in freedom of speech and expression. 

On the contrary, as soon as I see crude language on a blog, I quickly close the page and make a mental note never to visit the same page again.  I must admit that I am not a master of this but, at least, I try my best each time I write. 

Writing in public reflects one's own personality and character, even those who prefer to write anonymously and use aliases.  It is a free world to speak up one's own thoughts in any way they can.  Nevertheless, we should take responsibility with every words written and sent throughout the world wide web. Writing is like presenting one's self applying for work or doing a presentation at the board or conference room. 

Hence, it is like advertising yourself.  However, for some, maybe, restraining bloggers to be honest and straight-forward blatantly and flagrantly would make themselves feel suppressed and stripped-off of their rights to freedom of speech and expression.  Therefore, some, if not all, may resort to exaggerate, more aggressive approach in their writings. 

After all, who would really enforce with a fist, metaphorically, the blogging code of conduct?  To each his own, I guess. 

Happy blogging!

Thoughts on blogging code of conduct

Passionate Kisser

You're a Passionate Kisser

For you, kissing is about all about following your urges. If someone's hot, you'll go in for the kiss - end of story. You can keep any relationship sizzling with your steamy kisses. You're total spark plug, and your kisses are bound to get you in trouble

What Kind of Kisser Are You?

Ways to Show Love

Since my last post speaks out loud about love, I will expand the subject by sharing ways to express feelings to someone we love. There's no secret on being romantic, everyone knows how or what to do but sometimes we all need to be reminded. Each one of us have different ways on how to show love. Some people are more vocal about their feelings while others refuse to utter the words, "I love you". I'm not an expert when it comes to relationship, but I know how it feels to love and be loved. It's a great feeling when you know that your love is reciprocated. Saying "I love you" is not enough. Showing your love bridges the gap where no words of any language can define. Hence, actions speak louder than words. I know it is easier said than done but when you finally found "the one" and there's no pretense between the two of you and you share the same emotions, expressing feelings the best way you can is romantic enough. Expressing your love everyday, in multitude of ways, helps build a more romantic relationship which can be addicting in a very good way. So, let's get on then with simplest ways to show love:

Say "I love you". - Only when you mean it.

Write a poem or a letter. - It doesn't matter how bad your writing, spelling or grammar.

Hold hands.

Watch movies together.

Cuddle up.

Cook special dinner for him (or her).

Kiss. - Either when people are looking or not.

Hug.

Go for a walk on weekends.

Talk on the phone.

Send love text messages.

Flirt with each other.

Share private jokes.

Go out for a meal.

Say sorry. - Whenever you know you've hurt your lover's feelings.

Save romantic souvenirs.

Bring flowers.

Serve breakfast in bed.

Do things without being asked.

Sing to each other.

Look into each other's eyes.

Never end the night with a fight not resolved.

Stand up for each other in times of troubles.

Share your dreams.

Compliment him or her.

Admit your mistakes.

Listen intently. - Even if he (or she) says boring stuff.

Make love.

Say good night with a kiss.

There are more ways to show love. Feel free to share how you express your feelings for your loved ones here. ^.~

Love to Hate Me... Or Hate to Love Me?

My husband laughed when I mentioned that another blogger seems amused with one part of my blog profile which says, "love-hate relationship with husband".

yileeen: Hello Geca! Thanks for dropping by! Haha..love the "love-hate relationship with husband" bit

Smiling he said, "You meant: you love to hate me". I hugged him and said, "No, of course not, Honey". He slightly pushed me back to look straight into my eyes and corrected himself saying, "No, no, no! You meant: you hate to love me" then pouted his lips and did a pretend-cry. We both laughed at the thought of those phrases then went on sorting and/or packing our stuff for shipping while our five-year-old son "helps" by messing them all for us. :) I proudly say that our love for each other is incomparable to any other married couples around the world, no ifs and no buts. Altogether, we have known each other for ten years but it seems and feels like longer than that. Ten years ago, unbeknown to us that we are destined to meet, my husband-to-be and I arrived almost at the same time in Saudi Arabia to work under the same company, coming from different "ends" of the world. One weekend, we were introduced to each other by a common friend, at a beach resort which was owned by our employer. We did not hit it off right away but we became really good friends who share the same silly jokes and absolutely no pretense. Respect for each other was there and maybe "love" was already there, too. However, I guess, we did not realize it sooner because we were both involved with someone else (on the contrary, he vehemently denies involvement with any girls in Saudi). Anyways, (skipping our own history) why "love-hate relationship"? As I mentioned above, our love is incomparable, without question and beyond doubt. I never ever hate my husband per se, even if I shout at him sometimes (alright, I should say "all the time"). I just generally dislike men for their ways, e.g. not putting things back to where they were, misplacing things all over the place (like keys) and so on, but most especially, for being unhygienic. Nonetheless, our love for each other is more powerful than anything that keeps us united in thoughts, ideas, likes and dislikes, through thick and thin, rain or shine.

I'm Ana Cláudia Matos! @.@

My Sexy Brazilian Name is:

Ana Cláudia Matos

So, what's Your Sexy Brazilian Name? Share it here! ^.~

Busy Bee

At the moment, I feel like "can't be bothered" to keep blogging because of various reasons. First, my laptop is unfortunately malfunctioning ridiculously! This Qosmio G20 costed us over a thousand quid 3 years ago, now it's a pain in the £££. My husband and I did try to fix it yet it's still doing the same thing. (Everything in my laptop were transferred to an external hard drive then re-installed everything back together.) Its behaving at the moment so I'll try my best to type as fast I could to update this blog. I could blog on our pc but I refuse to use it because it's uncomfortable to sit on our home-office chair. Anyway, the second reason for not blogging (and not answering e-mails) for awhile now is that we are busy sorting all our stuff (e.g. furnitures, clothes, books, etc.), getting ready to pack things up for shipping (as I mentioned about a month ago, we are moving to the Pearl of the Orient Seas real soon). My step-son and his girlfriend were here visiting us for two weeks and flew back to England last weekend. So, the last couple of weeks, we were busy going around Bermuda beaches as much as we can whenever weather permits. Hence, we are all beautifully tanned again. With that said, we just started sorting stuff as soon as they left. Tomorrow people from shipping company are coming by to survey how much stuff we are sending so I have to sort loads of stuff this morning then later this afternoon I have to go to US Consulate to pick up my passport then go shop for some grocery necessities then back sorting stuff again before night ends. rrraahhhh! lots to do! Additional to-do on my list is my project before leaving Bermuda: to photograph Bermuda as much as I can either with my D40x or my old small-and-handy digicam or my husband's small digicam. I will certainly post some photos if I do get "decent" shots. brb

Tuesday Toot - Favicon

I recently joined Blogamama and today, I received my first e-mail from Blogamama herself - Marie. She's talking about joining them in "Tuesday Toot". I thought to myself, "What in the world is "Tuesday Toot"? Should I say "Woot! or cry like an owl and say "Hoot!" Tuesday Toot sounds like umm ... ewww! There's always a first and this is my first post as a "Blogamama" ... woot! I searched the site how did this "Tuesday Toot" originate and found that it kicked off early this year and Tuesday Toot came from nowhere significant. But I agree with Marie that it's quite catchy. Anyways basically, every Tuesday is a day for Blogamamas to post an accomplishment done especially as a Mom. What a better way for us Moms to celebrate weekly than by "Tooting Out Own Horn"! Nonetheless, celebration isn't limited to achievements as a Mom but also success on any other role we play in life. Moreover, it can also be a day to post other people's accomplishment - kids', husband's, friend's. So, what's the reason to toot my own horn at the moment? hmmm... mmmm... lalalala. (sigh) To be honest, I'm the queen of procrastination. If not for the Blogamama e-mail, I wouldn't update my blog. :P A few people (maybe very very few) know that I've been busy the past week tweaking and changing and tweaking my own blogger template. My recent discovery is "Favicon". I just did this last night. If you are Firefox user, you should see that tiny icon next to my blog's URL and on the tab. If you are IE user (sigh), double click the icon to see the favicon. Hey it rhymes! I'm quite happy with it especially after seeing that it worked! Hence, this is my Tuesday Toot, woohoo! Here's what my favicon looks like if you can't see it: ( yes, that's my own pic) To make your own Favicon: Follow Blog U's instruction Happy Tuesday Tooting!

My Intrapersonal Intelligence is Very High

Geca's Intrapersonal Intelligence Score: 100%

Your Intrapersonal Intelligence is Very High You've spent a lot of time introspecting, and it's really paid off. You are comfortable with who you are, and you have a life philosophy that you are happy to live by. And you're always re-evaluating what you believe. Because you learn something new about yourself each day!

How Does Your Intrapersonal Intelligence Rate?

Huh?!

Tweaking Blogger Template

As previously mentioned, here's how I tweaked my blogger template and I'd say they are some of the best solutions that hackers have done for bloggers: (I'm talking about "good guys' hack" not those hackers who steal IDs and do unimaginable things). First and foremost important rule to remember when messing about with your own template: DOWNLOAD the original so you can easily get back to it when tweaking doesn't work out or you get lost and want to start again. 1. "Peek-a-boo View" - I love this one because it bores me to death if I have to browse a very looong article and will take ages to get to the next one. The purpose of peek-a-boo hack solves that. "Summary of post" is shown to let visitors preview and browse through the titles of each posts and decide which one to "read more". When "read more" is clicked the full post appears on the same page... peek-a-boo! Click HERE for Peek-a-boo View instructions. 2. "Recent Comments" - I think this is a charmer. The number of comments and characters can be easily customized. Follow these steps to create your own "recent comments. 3. "Blogroll Dropdown" - I did a search for this so that all my favourite blogs/sites are listed and it doesn't occupy too much space. Here's where I found the easiest way to do it. Tedious but worthy. 4. "Label Cloud" - Here's how to make your labels (or categories) pretty in sight and, again, not occupying a loooong space on the sidebar: follow these steps. 5. "Change Template Background" - Wouldn't you want your own blog to have a personal touch by adding up your own choice of image as a background? Here's a complete guide to change your template background. There's more out there on the web waiting for you to discover the magic of tweaking. Meanwhile, have fun tweaking your own blogs with these 'hacks'. Kudos to blog tweakers!

Au revoir Divalicious!

Okay this is my final template, promise! lol (as long as I don't see another one that I might like or love or want just because it's cute or girly or whatever!)

Before I say goodbye to Divalicious (I meant that old template I used, that one with pretty woman showing her bare back), I tried my best to make it “work” for me because I’m a Diva! I added and tried to enhance the features of divalicious by tweaking and adding widgets. But I wasn’t quite happy even after all the tweaks I did so I ended up ditching it because of restricted and narrow layout. However, if anyone wants that Divalicious template, download it from HERE. Then, I will share how I tweaked Divalicious. I love messing about with my websites although I am no expert. But I do lots of research on the web and try to comprehend as much as I can. Most of the time, I’d stare at all these codes (HTML, CSS, etc.) for ages, pull my hair and ask myself, “What the heck am I staring at?! Where is that “thingy” he (the author) is talking about?!”

It’s very confusing and intimidating but thanks to those who gladly share their knowledge and explain everything in layman’s term. For this new template, it’s a brand new one from www.ourblogtemplates.com that I found last night. I worked the whole night until dawn to change my template and update and redo all tweaks I did on divalicious. And finally, I'm quite happy with the result so this is it! (nah I'm kidding myself... I'll keep changing it until I get sick of this and gets lost! well I won't change the template anymore as promised)

Anyways, it’s past midnight again so I think I’ll call it a night. I will share tomorrow how I did the peek-a-boo post, recent comments, blogroll dropdown, label cloud, and changing the template’s background with your own image for those who want to tweak their own. So long Divalicious! Ciao! Au revoir! Auf wiedersehen! Paalam! Adios! nn

I am Comfortable with Who I Am

I am Confident and Secure I am practically immune to insecurity and self doubt. I'm comfortable with who I am, and if someone doesn't like me - that's not my problem. Some people think I'm too confident, but that's just their insecurities shining through. My confidence carries me through my worst moments, because I know I'll always come out fine.

Are You An Insecure Girl?

Wedding at the Beach

Elijah and I were invited by Eureka to go to Jobson Cove beach at 6pm with her son, Scott (who is Elijah's best friend at school). It was a hot sunny day and we weren't busy so I accepted the invitation. This will be different experience for my son because I prefer going to the beach early in the morning to catch the morning sun. As soon as we arrived at the beach, the boys went running excitedly towards the water. Eureka and I were still gathering the towels and other beach stuff when Elijah ran back to say that we can't go to the beach. Jobson cove is almost completely concealed and enclosed by cliffs and separate from the open sea (hence, why it's one of the favourites among families with young children) so we can't see what's going on from the parking lot. At first, I thought an accident happened because from a distance I saw people standing and staring at something and there was also one uniformed Bermudian guy looking in the same direction. So I yelled to the kids to get back and I ran to check what's going on. But to my surprise there was a small group of people gathered for a very special occasion, a wedding! How sweet and romantic! The ceremony was about to finish when we reached the cove so I only managed a couple of shots of the group - without a clear shot of bride and groom. :P

The pastor. (I think)

The wedding entourage left

so it's time to build sand castle.

Elijah and Scott

I'm 20% a Child!

I am 80% Grown Up, 20% Kid

Congratulations, you are definitely quite emotionally mature. Although you have your moments of moodiness, you're usually stable and level headed.

How Emotionally Mature Are You?

View from a Cliff

Come see the view from Astwood Cove and Park - South Shore, off South Road. One of my favourite spots to sit down and relax is on this cliff looking down at this beach. Join me now by looking at this picture. ^.~ I took this photograph last February with d40x.

"Icing on the Cake"

My Passion is Gray

My sexual attitude is best described as apathetic. Often joking that I'm asexual, I can go months without getting any. For me, great sex does not make or break a relationship. If it happens, it's just the icing on the cake.

What Color Is Your Passion?

Bermuda End-to-End Walk

Last May, we participated in Bermuda's largest charity event, End-to-End Walk. This is held annually and this year more than 2,500 participated (locals and tourists) and raised more than $300,000. It is called end-to-end walk because the main event is literally to walk from one end of the island to another which is a little over 24 miles. For those who can't do 24-mile walk, there's middle-to-end (MTE) category which is about 15 miles. The third cateogry for walkers is the "Fun Raising Walk" which we signed up for. It was designed for families with little children which was only a 3-mile walk. I was quite surprised that my son never complained nor asked to be carried, not once! He was beaming with pride and loved the rewards and medal given to him when we reached the finish line.

The other options for the event were for: cyclists, swimmers, rowers and equestrians. Anyways, it's always fun to participate in events like this especially if it's for a charity.

Bermuda International Race Weekend

Every year, Bermuda hosts International Race Weekend where locals and tourists are welcome to join. The next event will be onJanuary 16- 18, 2009. I took these photographs last January and applaude them at the same time for participating. (click photo to view in larger size)