Owner: My World URL:http://www.lucel.blogspot.com Join Date: Sun, 12 Aug 2007 21:36:39 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: An on-line journal of my life in the Big Apple as a stay at home wife Site statistics:Click here
Aruba Day 5 2007-09-23 01:16:19 Our day started today with a light breakfast at the Cafe in Marketplace. We've been eating like there's no tomorrow the past few days, so we thought of going light today.This is how the homes of Indian settlers in Aruba looked like in the old days. Wrecked ship - still intact in the middle of the ocean Aruba is the place to be if you're longing for that nice blue sky everyday. Today was no exception. The sun shone brightly and a bit humid, but the strong ocean breeze compensated the heat. Dutch Colonial style buildings and homes painted in pastel colors abound...Simply mood lifting ... This is it for today...in My World.
Aruba Day 6 2007-09-22 09:48:19 Room service for breakfast was the first order of the day, today. We opted for another light breakfast, just enough to rev up our morning. These was what I saw through the balcony of our room, enough to bring a wide smile on my face. Can't help but think about how life has been so good and I thank God for all of these...This is it for today...in My World.
Yom Kippur 2007-09-21 23:52:56 Today, at sunset Jewish community all over the world will be celebrating Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement, known to be the holiest day of the year in the Jewish calendar.Fasting starts at sunset tonight and breaking of the fast will happen tomorrow also at sunset.Now, why am I even writing about this? Frank, who's Jewish is here in Aruba on vacation. That's the rebel in him. My in-laws must have been disgusted upon hearing of our vacation plans, as the schedule is right on the holiest day of the calendar of their religion.Oh well, they didn't say a word. So here we are ...
Happiness is... 2007-09-21 17:43:20 Knowing to appreciate the beauty of nature...Finding time to commune with nature...And last, but definitely not the least - getting what you're wishing for... These ended my day with a wide smile... This is it for today...in My World...
Aruba Day 2 2007-09-21 16:15:30 Just resting right now in our temporary abode while F is busy in the gym. Tonight will most likely be Casino night. Hope I'll get lucky because I just started...Shopping... And window shopping... and definitely going back for some stuff from these...The above stores are just in the mall here in the hotel and some of them are just around the corner.At Hing Nung Supermarket, I discovered these...Who would have thought I'll see them here. Hmmmm. Now, I'm thinking of even buying the above items. They're definitely hard to find in New York even in Filipino stores. In fact, from our dinner last night, our waitress was a fellow Pinoy and according from her, there's a growing community of Filipinos here.I definitely anticipated I was gonna shop. The extra duffle bag I've packed will be put to good use, as we are entitled to 5 luggages- 50 lbs. each. I can just imagine Frank's reaction to this and I'll cross the bridge when I get there... This is it today...in My World.
Aruba Day 1 2007-09-20 00:36:39 We started our day sooo early because we needed to check in at 6:0o a.m. The flying time was about 5 hours, and we landed about 1:00 p.m. The ride to the hotel from the airport was only about 20 minutes.Currently, we are billeted here at the Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino (a property operated by Marriott). AAA has rated this hotel as 4 diamond so I think we will be comfortable in this place while we're away from home.At the hotel's atrium- this is the boat that takes Renaissance's guests to a private island and beach to spend a day there.Inside our room at the Marina Tower of the hotelThe island view from our balcony in the roomNow, I got a big secret I discovered while walking around. Shopping will be pure bliss. They have all my fave brands and nothing can be better than getting them tax free. Ssssh... Frank doesn't know this secret yet. He'll be sorry, he picked this destination...
Bon Bini 2007-09-20 00:28:54 Meaning, "welcome" in Papiamento, Aruba's creole language whose lexicon is drawn mostly from Spanish and Portuguese(60%) and from Dutch(25%). The remainder comes from West African languages and Arawak(the language the native inhabitants in Aruba spoke several hundred years ago). English, Dutch and Spanish are also spoken and that makes Aruba's inhabitants multi-lingual. Aruba, by the way, is part of the Dutch Kingdom.Been hearing the word a lot while here, as the Aruban's are pretty friendly. And guess what? We got free buffet breakfast vouchers from the Front Office Manager. Why? Yesterday, I brought to the attention of the front desk that the latch of the vault on the door be tightened. I was told, it will be done within the day, but when we came back to the hotel at about 10:00 p.m. it wasn't done. I was pretty mad and I picked up the phone to let them know I was disappointed. The F.O. Manager assured it was gonna be taken cared of early today, and offered to send us complimenta
Aruba Day 1 2007-09-17 23:30:08 Our first dinner here in Aruba was at The Waterfront Seafood Crabhouse. We each started with Conch chowder soup and feasted on crabs no less. We were both tired working on the crabs as the servings were pretty big. But we didn't give up after that. Would you believe we still had room for Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream?(ang lamon namin...*lol*).The food was definitely delisyoso.
Aruba Day 1 2007-09-17 23:28:23 We were so hungry but didn't want to get hotel food. We checked in about 2:00 p.m. and as soon as the Bellman dropped off our luggages in our room, we dashed out of the hotel to grab something to eat. The first place we saw was Gina's Caribbean Restaurant. The food was awesome...
Aruba Day 1 2007-09-17 22:46:15 After dinner while walking around the promenade at the Market Place. In this specific area here in Oranjestad, establishments are open till 10:00 p.m. only. Live music every night in the promenade...Very good singers... I just had to take this picture. Here's how Aruba vehicles license plates look like
Aruba Day 1 2007-09-17 22:30:36 Aruba after dark... Our temporary home while we're here This is it for today...in My World.
Sports Cards 2007-09-16 18:14:39 Well, you may be saying now, "why another post of sports cards again?". I just wanted to enlighten some of my blog friends out there about this hobby: sports cards collection.First of all, it sure is not a cheap hobby. You can start collecting the less expensive ones and progress towards getting the more expensive, rare, graded and mint. Second, you just don't buy and sell on your own time at your own whim. There's such a thing as the perfect timing. So much like playing or trading stocks. You have to be patient and wait for years(if that's what it takes) because the value of the cards are dependent on how the sports man/player fare on the field. With the exception of course, of 'hall-of-famers'. Last but not the least, and I think is the most important of all, you have to love sports and be knowledgeable on what's going on in the sporting world.For those interested enough, you can check out two of the places my husband goes to: Pittsburgh Sports
Wholesale and BBC Exchange to nam Read more:Cards
My first award 2007-09-16 18:09:10 I feel honored and ecstatic. I got my very first award as a blogger from Thira. It's the "I love your blog " award created by Tish and Mike at Blogs We Love.Thira, thanks again for this award. I am now passing this award to the following Bloggers, whose blogs I enjoy reading:my joysrandom thoughtswe are family sewing momlife's all thatThis is it for today...in My World.
Want more traffic? 2007-09-16 18:07:55 I don't mean traffic
on the road. Who would want that. I'm referring about traffic on your site/blog.Yes, there's another way to bring more traffic to your site. I found out about Fechr pronounced as feature, from the site of Lynne. I checked it out myself, and I figured, why not give it a try.Here's how it works. After you write about Fechr on your blog, and once it's approved, Fechr will feature your blog on their site for a full 24 hours for FREE. Free for now... because, in the future they're planning to charge a minimal fee. Currently, the site is receiving a few hundred visitors per day. A few hundred visitors to your blog within a 24 hour span is not something to sneer at.Why not give it a try... NOW!This is it for today...in My World.
Ready... 2007-09-16 18:07:31 Clock's ticking. The real countdown begins. Passports from the vault at the bank has been picked up.We are packed and ready to fly. Oh by the way, for some of you curios enough to know, NO I didn't give up my Filipino citizenship. Pinoy pa rin ako. I have dual citizenship, enjoying what both worlds has to offer. The blue passport is merely for travel, easier access to the world kumbaga.Aruba here we come...We will be waking up at the crack of dawn tomorrow, 3:30 a.m. to catch the 8:00 a.m. flight at JFK International Airport. Can't wait.Had to do some last minute chores earlier today. The patio set had to be taken out for storage na. Autumn is in the air. Last night, the temps dipped down to 50 degrees here in the Manhattan/Brighton Beach area where we live. When we come back, definitely sitting out will no longer be fun.I had to harvest some eggplant, as well, probably my last harvest for the season. Oh how time flies. Summer came and went in a fleeting moment. Officially, it's no
The fish 2007-10-02 16:54:00 Care to see the result of my first venture back into the kitchen last night?It was delish! Well, at least, this was the rating given by my # 1 fan -- my husband. But then again, he's my one and only customer! Whatever...I'm whipping up a pot roast dish for tonight's dinner. It's been slow cooking since 12:00 noon and I'm just getting soooo hungry smelling the aroma. Will it be another hit? We'll see...This is it for today...in My World.This is it for today...in My World.
Back to normal grind 2007-10-01 18:11:00 Today is hubby's first day back to work after 2 .5 weeks of vacation. Which means, I'm also back to working here at home. The thing is, it's kind of hard to get back into the old routine because when my husband is off from work, I'm also off from one of my daily chores specifically cooking. Within the 2.5 weeks he was off, we just relied on restaurant meals and take-out food. It was a nice respite from the heat of the oven or the stove.Sadly, we have to go back to the same old routine, same old grind. Thus, tonight I'm making my first home-cooked meal and what could be better than a live tilapia, freshly killed from my Chinese Supermarket nearby.I 'm planning to steam the 2 pieces I bought. A substantial amount of fresh watercress sauted in garlic will complement my fish. So my kitchen is now once again open for business.Hmmmm, I'm getting hungry. I better start cooking, as Frank just called. He's on his way. Kind'a late, but this is our routine. 9:00 p.m. will always be dinne
107 2007-09-30 22:08:00 Time goes by so fast. Who would have thought that as of today, this post is my 107th. I wasn't aware I have published that much posts already. I certainly enjoy writing on this on-line journal, and I hope I'll keep up with my momentum.By the way, I'm posting this late because we just came home from Long Island. It was my nephew's 17th birthday and we all went out to Minado, a Japanese restaurant. Sorry, I was just too lazy to take pictures, as I was pre-occupied with my food. It was a buffet dinner and the food was so yummy. My sister and her family are regulars in this place and really, they got good reasons why they keep going back. We truly enjoyed the company and why not, if it's accompanied with good food too. Again, Happy Birthday, Ted!This is it for today...in My World.This is it for today...in My World.
New York homes 2007-09-29 16:51:00 Just wanted to share some little known facts about New York
real estate:Prices of homes (this includes all types of residences) have significantly dropped in the last 6 months. This means, the value of homes if they were on the market right now are also affected.The booming market is now a thing of the past. Analysts are predicting that this trend will continue towards the end of 2008.During the real estate boom, NY was one of the places where home prices badly needed price correction. Home prices soared like crazy, that then, a $500,000 home was a handy man special.My sister bought a house in Long Island in 1999 for $210,000. It was still the buyers market then. Between 2001 to 2005 the same house was already being valued at $400,000. This value is indicated by the annual document they receive every year, which also indicates the cost of real estate insurance for the incoming year. Currently, in the area where she's at, homes on the market priced in the $500,ooo mark have been sittin
Question and answer 2007-09-28 23:41:00 Irel started a question and answer
tag. She has a question that I should answer and I in turn will ask her a new question which she will answer.The question is:How true is it that body builders have small penis?My answer:Honestly, I have no idea. Malay ko ba, I haven't seen one hahaha. But seriously, I watched an episode on the Oprah show one time and Dr. Oz was her guest. In that particular airing, Dr. Oz mentioned that the fatter the man, the smaller the penis. Now, I wonder if the theory is the same with the size of the penis of a body builder.My question:Why is it that when someone sneeze, the person close by almost always say: "God bless you" ?Anyone interested to answer aside from Irel?This is it for today...in My World. Read more:Question
Purchase or lease? 2007-09-28 22:32:00 On our way out of the dealership (maintenance department) of Honda today, we saw a 2008 Honda Accord parked in front of the dealership. The nosy girl in me, I went ahead and looked how the interiors look like. From out of the blue, a woman came by and asked if this was indeed the 2008 model. I told her it is and she also took a quick peek inside the car.She told us, she's shopping for a new car and she's considering another Honda. Apparently, the lease
to her car is up(leases usually end in 3 years) so she needs a replacement. She's considering leasing again and she went on and on telling us why leasing is good. To her, leasing is the way to go because of the low monthly payments.After the conversation with her, I couldn't help but talk to Frank about the pros and cons of leasing. At the end of our little conversation, we still both believe in owning-- meaning buying the car outright. Why? Because we both think, leasing is like giving away your money. You'll never stop paying mont Read more:Purchase
My baby 2007-09-28 22:00:00 Tomorrow, September 29 is my baby's 4th birthday. Do I sound crazy? To some they might think I am really crazy, but we call our car Cordie, and to me she's my baby, because although I'm not the man in the family, I am the one taking care of her most of the time. My husband works 5 days a week and commutes to Manhattan via subway everyday, so most of the time, I am the one in-charge of maintenance schedules needed for the car and of course, I use the car more often than him.Cordie's turning 4 and today, we brought her to the dealership(service department) for its annual NY State Emission Inspection and regular tune-up. I scheduled the appointment before we left for Aruba and as always, whenever I bring her for tune-up, there's the dilemma of what or which maintenance schedule to perform and follow because of the low mileage to date which is only 8,570 miles. This is just way below the regular expected mileage of a 4 year old car.Time went by so fast. We bought this baby September 2
Magical Flying Carpet Ride 2007-09-27 22:53:00 This flying carpet ride that was given to me by Lynne and Marie was simply magical. It was exhilarating and I got swept away. I got transported to the days when I was a little girl believing in magic. The magical ride has on board, the mighty Genie King and the beautiful Genie Princess on a quest to redeem their souls.I am now sending the magic carpet and send the genies to my fellow bloggers: Mich, Claire, Ida , Genny and ThetPlease visit Mariuca for a full set of the rules.***Start Copying Here***Rules:1. Write a short paragraph about your visit by the two Genies and include a link to the blog that passed on the Genie Symbol to you.2. COPY the Rules and ENTIRE List below and post it on your blog.3. List down your wish.4. Place your name below the last name on the list and pass on the Genie Symbol to at least 5 other bloggers.5. Please put up either one (or both) of the Symbols of the Genies on your blog to show that the Genies have visited your blog.The Genie King, the Genie Princess Read more:Magical
, Flying
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Hectic 2007-09-27 22:08:00 Finally back home, and as expected, it was a hectic day. The good thing is, jet lag's not a problem because the time zone in Aruba is the same as New York. It's 5 hours flying time but for some reason the time is the same.We went to our eye specialist for our annual eye check-up and it took us forever waiting to be taken in. It was a mistake booking this appointment, scheduled that soon after we're back from the trip, but there could not have been a better time because F will be back to work on Monday. He's actually done with all his doctor's appointments for his annual check-up. His two and a half weeks vacation allowed him to do everything.So, I'm back to work, household stuff, I mean. Tons of laundry, supermarket shopping, wheewwww!!!. This is life in the USA sans live-in househelp. Miss ko na talaga ang Pinas. My husband has been suggesting for years to hire a live-out house cleaner every week, but I'm not giving in although, it would make my load a little lighter. The rea Read more:Hectic
My desktop 2007-09-26 22:28:00 Genny and Mich wanted to see how my desktop looks like. Here it is:Nothing fancy, as you can see I only have my essentials.Note: Start Copy Here!My Desktop Free View Instruction:A. Upon receiving this tag, immediately perform a screen capture of your desktop. It is best that no icons be deleted before the screen capture so as to add to the element of fun. You can do a screen capture by:1. Going to your desktop and pressing the Print Scrn key (located on the right side of the F12 key).2. Open a graphics program (like Picture Manager, Paint, or Photoshop) and do a Paste (CTRL + V).3. If you wish, you can "edit" the image, before saving it.B. Post the picture in your blog. You can also give a short explanation on the look of your desktop just below it if you want. You can explain why you preferred such look or why is it full of icons. Things like that.C. Tag five of your friends and ask them to give you a Free View of their desktop as well.D. Add your name to this list of Free Viewers wit
Last Night and Take Off 2007-09-26 21:19:00 I captured this from the balcony of our hotel room(mukha ba siyang sunset?)It was our last dinner in this lovely island. We decided to "pig-out" one more time. So, off we went to a seafood buffet in one of the hotel's restaurants...We were so "belly-full", but still we went for these to finish off the night...At 12:00 p.m. (Wednesday) while waiting for the airport shuttleThis man must have been getting bored...(F's unaware I took this pic)One last look at the One Happy Island. Goodbye...This is it for today...in My World.This is it for today...in My World. Read more:Night
Spent 2007-10-13 17:52:00 Yeah, I'm spent. Why shouldn't I be, I ironed a load of Frank's button down shirts. You see, I tend to procrastinate that's why it piled up. Early on, I used to drop off Frank's shirts to the cleaners but I stopped doing this. I'm not satisfied with the way the shirts are washed and ironed. On top of that, the shirts seemed to deteriorate faster. So now, the suits he wear are the only ones that I drop off to the cleaners and of course, all our clothing and linens that are for dry clean only.The one good thing is that on Fridays, it's dress down day at Frank's work place. He can wear jeans, over the head shirts and sneakers. How I wish, it's dress down everyday. Then, I won't worry about ironing his button downs because he won't wear suits.I remember that my father in law had told Frank early on, that I may not be able to iron his shirts properly. It became a challenge and my mission was to prove him wrong. How hard could it be if you're equipped to do the chore? Niagara Spr
Birthdays 2007-10-13 17:20:00 I've been meaning to write about the people close to my heart celebrating their birthdays in October. As usual, the forgetful "old woman"(*lol*) in me, I can't keep up with everything going on all at once.This month started with the birthday of my brother in law - S (the husband of my sister in law), (would that make him my brother in law?) on October 2nd. He's a very low profile, simple guy.Then on the 9th, it was the birthday of my older sister, Madelyn a.k.a. Ada. Oh my, she's getting up there but she's still very young at heart as she has 2 teenagers at home. She's by the way, the "culprit" why Frank and I became a couple.Also on the 9th, it was the birthday of a close and a dear friend, Elsie based in California. She was a former colleague of mine at Procter & Gamble. Although, she's very much older than me, we got along so well, that even if we had big disagreements at times, we just clung to each other. We really enjoyed each other's company so much, that we took vac Read more:Birthdays
Well check-up 2007-10-12 21:59:00 I've been going to my Internist religiously every quarter, and today was the appointed date. As you very well know (those that have been reading this journal for quite sometime), I've been battling hypertension and been taking meds for quite sometime, thus the need for close monitoring.I was taken in as soon as I got to the doctor's office, but this didn't mean anything (meaning, I'd be done quick). As usual, regular blood work up has to be done, ECG and the whole nine yards. Something I'm really used to already. The whole agony of waiting for my Harvard alumni Internist was mind boggling. There I was, alone inside the examination room, in my lab gown just patiently waiting. I swear, I could have gone to sleep as I was lying down already. Then, I finally got my turn, Dr. G came into the examination room and did a thorough physical check . My Internist was pleased with the blood pressure reading. Thank God! Best of all, he must be confident everything is fine because I'm gonna be
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