Posts from — September 2010

There’s only one way to go now: the Christmas season! Yesterday, I saw the Christmas decors slowly but surely getting a pretty good share of the shopping aisles in one shop. That makes Sydney an eager beaver when it comes to celebrating the season. We’d better get the photo Christmas cards arranged soon or we’ll end up at the end of the queue. Isn’t this exciting? As the famous carol goes… soon it will be Christmas day!

It’s almost end of the year. I am reminded of how we came back to Sydney from holidays last year with the eagerness to open my luggage for my collectable mugs to join the shelves. To my surprise, a lot of them were chipped or broken despite being packed well and having the luggage marked as ‘fragile.’ They’re not custom mugs but are mugs given by family and friends from different parts of the globe. Now that’s pretty tough to replace.

Seing this whole page article in one of the leading newspaper here in Australia will definitely give every Filipino a reason to smile.

Manila, yes ‘it is chaotic but friendly capital of the Philippines’.

We’re hunting for a new rental house. But it is not that easy especially with kids in school. The situation of rental properties in Sydney make it even harder. Living in a suburb not requiring Nikon binoculars to see the CBD landscape is yet another factor as people generally want to stay closer than close. But I trust that things will fall into place just as the good Lord has planned.

I read something in the papers recently about a hi-tech solution for the normal teenage pimple. A simple patch will apparently wipe out a pimple completely in just a little over a couple of days. I wonder if it works with blackhead on nose. Eitherway it sure does sound promising. As I’m about to watch over teenagers in the coming years, I hope this thing comes in handy.

I know it may sound trivial but the television tells almost everything. It can tell you about news and world events. And it can also tell you the temperature even without watching the weather news! Yes, as you see ads about sunscreen or tanning lotions, you’ll get the idea that it is almost warm enough to hit the beaches. I can only be glad that the cold seasons are almost over.

I could still recall a few years back when we had to stay up late to watch a good show on television. With today’s technology, setting machines to record television shows on cue are getting easier and easier. That means you can sleep soundly without sleep pills and then wake up fresh in the morning for a nice late evening show! It works for the kids as well as they can possibly watch shows that run while they’re in school!

While some parents are probably having a tough time to get their kids to eat fish, I am having a leisurely swim! Both my kids do not have issues eating fish. They like it fried, steamed, or even raw (sushi). I personally like the last one. Of course, another favorite is when you slightly burn belly fat of a pan grilled tuna. Now that’s yum!

We’re fast approaching one of the busiest quarters of the year. But I am not really complaining as it is also one of my favorites. I’m sure that as early as now, mini led christmas lights have already hit the store aisles in the Philippines. And even our family enjoys putting up the Christmas decors early to enjoy them more than just a couple of a weeks. As the famous carol goes… soon it will be Christmas day!

We are already three weeks into spring. But all I can say is, it’s not so “springy”. It is definitely better than winter but we’re just not quite there yet. While we can do without heaters or heated mattress pads in the evening, it is still chilly. The only thing I can look forward to is the fact that it can only get better and better.

There are several choices for children’s birthday party themes. Just head to your party shop and you will have more than a handful choices. That can only be true if your kid chooses one of those themes. For my daughter, none of these choices would do. She chose a theme/character which party goods manufacturers are yet to do massive production jobs to create goodies for this party theme. Alvin and the Chipmunks it is. But nothing can be the creativity of a mom like me. We’re almost all set for a party theme you can’t buy straight out of the box.

We have now hit the ‘ber’ months and at this point, we still have no plans for the December holidays. Well, it’s not really that we do not have any plans. We want to go somewhere. But to go or not to go or where to go are all the questions without answers. A simple road trip in NSW or nearby states or an all out Royal Caribbean trip are great options. A trip back home could also only be a good one. To be or not to be… that is still a question.

It’s clean up week in our area. It is the chance for households to dispose of bulky items which normally can’t fit in the bins. You could easily spot old lounges, bed mattress, bicycles, toys and so on. And as the common saying goes, a person’s garbage may be another’s treasure. Yes, there are nice ‘pick-ups’ every now and then. All it takes is to be at the right place at the right time.

Families have a number of choices when it comes to getting groceries. In Australia, people have the option to go to the big names promising the best prices or the smaller scale shops. In some places, there are options to go for bulk or wholesale purchases to maximize the savings. A little bit of research and patience can readily translate to some smart finds.

It is the second Father’s Day for my hubby this year. Yes, he is one of the lucky ones to celebrate this event twice a year. The kids already cooked up scones for him today even though Father’s Day is not until tomorrow. While some fathers are probably enjoying something they received from a smoke shop, I’m sure my husband has totally enjoyed the gift prepared by his babies.