tHe YeAr ThAt WaS...

2008 is fast approaching and before it happen we would like to thank GOD for the Year 2007 with all the blessings that keeps on pouring… Though there are bulks of ups and downs along with, we can still say that this year made us stronger as a couple and we became closer to GOD… We’re leaving the sour past / negative omen behind and begin to gear up with positive thoughts to Welcome Year 2008 full of Hopes…

(Top 5) 2007 Blessings…
1. Got a chance to spend 1 month vacation in Manila
2. We’re all in good health
3. My siblings are finally here in Dubai with decent work
4. Hubby got promoted from his job
5. Pay raise and other material things in tow

(Top 5) 2008 Goals…
1. 2008 Baby (in progress – watch out for our new blog…)
2. Good health
3. To have our own house & lot somewhere in Manila
4. To be able to save _ _ _ _ _ _ _/- Pesoses…
5. Canada / Australia Application to soon push thru
(1 of my personal goal is to be optimistic and to at least lessen ranting)

Looking forward for a Bright and Prosperous New Year… We’re crossing our fingers and we believe that somehow we will be able to hit our 2008 Goals with God’s guidance…

Side note: This entry marks our 100th post before the year ends.

mErRy ChRiStMaS...

i have lots of stories to tell and tons of pictures in stored but i decided to blog about it after the holidays!!!

Just a quick note...

Wishing you all a Blessed Christmas!!!

EiD-aL-aDhA...

The Festival of Sacrifice, Eid-al-Adha, immediately follows the Day of Arafat. Although only the pilgrims in Mecca can participate in the Hajj fully, all the other Muslims in the world join with them by celebrating Eid Al-Adha, or "Celebration of Sacrifice."

On the 10th day of Zul-Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic calendar, Muslims around the world celebrate this feast of commitment, obedience and self sacrifice to Allah. This festival is celebrated throughout the Muslim world as a commemoration of Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice everything for God, including the life of his son Ishmael.

Because God spared Ishmael, substituting a sheep in his stead, Muslims commemorate this occasion by slaughtering an animal and distributing its meat among family, friends and the needy as a special act of charity for the occasion. Because of this, many poor Muslims are able to enjoy the unusual luxury of eating meat during the four days of the festival.

They wear their nicest clothing and attend Salatul-Eid (Eid Prayer) in the morning. This is followed by a short sermon, after which everyone socializes. Next, people visit each other's homes and partake in festive meals with special dishes, beverages, and desserts. Children receive gifts and sweets on this happy occasion. In addition, like the pilgrims in Makkah, the Muslims, who can afford to do so, offer domestic animals, usually sheep, as a symbol of Ibrahim's sacrifice. The meat is distributed for consumption to family, friends, and to the poor and needy.

Source: www.mtsu.edu/~msa/aladha.htm

Islam's holiest city and the third largest city in Saudi Arabia.
Source: www.pbase.com/mkleijn/image

Yipeee!!! 5 days break starting tomorrow… Eid-Al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice in Islam) will be starting tomorrow followed by Mount Arafat Day. Work will resume on Sunday (Friday & Saturday is our official weekend)… We’re still planning where to go, we do want to enjoy the long weekend ‘coz this opportunity rarely happens… Now, I’m starting to jot down places where we can possibly go, if time will permit us to do so… We hope everything will turnout as planned…

So stick around… C yah!!!

tHiS aNd tHaT...

I love shopping... who wouldn’t?!?

Got those Oakley sunglasses for a very reasonable price…

Just tryin' it on... heheh!

Item no. 6 (Jewelry) is already out from our Christmas wish list… 5 more to go…

~~~ooOoo~~~

Friday (Dec. 7) we attended the 1st birthday Party of my cutie inaanak (god son) Kurt Adam @ Burger King, Rigga Road Deira, Dubai. At first I was anxious and a bit hesitant to attend the party, as you know it’s a Kiddie Party and as expected, parents with kids or soon to be parents will be there… Imagine a couple attending this kind of party without a kiddo?!? I hate to be bombard with lots of questions particularly about baby thingy… I admit I hate being questioned all over again… My face shows it all, I can’t hide the fact that I’m indeed uneasy with all the questioning though I clearly know that they just simply care… Thank you and it’s indeed appreciated, but an added depression and angst arises from every question uttered, sorry but I can’t ignore the fact that I’m indeed affected… If only I have the powers to navigate both eggs and sperms to unite, I would have done it but it isn’t possible… Of course we do want to have our own but it’s in God’s hands… Honestly I love kids, but while holding or seeing those kids make my heart pound faster… A sudden feeling of wanting and dreaming, that what I am holding is a baby of our own… Call it irrational but I can’t help myself be envied by those happy couples… On the other way around, it’s also nice seeing friends with a family that they can call their own and I can gladly say that I’m proud of them… We believe, sooner or later we can also share the same blissful feeling of being a proud parent…

On a lighter note, I know our turn will come in his time…

We hope that we’ll be next in line…

Hubby & Kurt Adam

cOmPuLsiVe ShOpPeR... R u 1 oF dEm?!?

What is compulsive shopping and spending?
People who "shop 'till they drop" and run their credit cards up to the limit often have a shopping addiction. They believe that if they shop they will feel better. Compulsive shopping and spending generally makes a person feel worse. It is similar to other addictive behaviors and has some of the same characteristics as as problem drinking (alcoholism), gambling and overeating addictions.

Compulsive shopping or spending can be a seasonal balm for the depression, anxiety and loneliness during the December holiday season. It also can occur when a person feels depressed, lonely and angry. Shopping and spending will not assure more love, bolster self-esteem, or heal the hurts, regrets, stress, and the problems of daily living. It generally makes these feelings worse because of the increased financial debt the person has obtained from compulsive shopping.

How can you tell if you are a compulsive shopper?
Shopoholics, when they are feeling "out of sorts, shop for a " pick-me-up." They go out and buy, to get a high, or get a "rush" just like a drug or alcohol addict. Shopping addiction tends to affect more women than men. They often buy things they do not need. Holiday seasons can trigger shopping binges among those who are not compulsive the rest of the year. Many shopping addicts go on binges all year long and may be compulisve about buying certain items, such as shoes, kitchen items or clothing; some will buy anything.

Women with this compulsive disorder often have racks of clothes and possessions with the price tags still attached which have never been used. They will go to a shopping mall with the intention of buying one or two items and come home with bags and bags of purchases. In some cases shopololics have an emotional "black out" and do not remember even buying the articles. If their family or friends begin to complain about their purchases, they will often hide the things they buy. They are often in denial about the problem. Because they can not pay their bills their credit rating suffers, they have collection agencies attempting to get what is owed, may have legal, social and relationship problems. They sometimes attempt to hide their problem by taking on an extra job to pay for bills.

How do you control and treat this condition?
It is recommended that spending addicts seek professional counseling or a self-help group to deal with this problem. Addictive behaviors tend to come in clusters, so if you have an eating disorder, a problem with drugs or alcohol, or gambling, you may be a candidate for shopping addiction. Many communities have credit counseling centers that will also help with shopoholism.

How do I prevent shopping binges?
· Pay for purchases by cash, check, debit card.
· Make a shopping list and only buy what is on the list.
· Destroy all credit cards except one to be used for emergency only.
· Avoid discount warehouses. Allocate only a certain amount of cash to be spent if you do visit one.
· "Window shop" only after stores have closed. If you do "look" during the day, leave your wallet at home.
· Avoid phoning in catalog orders and don't watch TV shopping channels.
· If you're traveling to visit friends or reltives, have your gifts wrapped and call the project finished; people tend to make more extraneous purchases when they shop outside their own communities.
· Take a walk or exercise when the urge to shop comes on.

Source: http://www.indiana.edu/~engs/hints/shop.html

How do you know if you’re a compulsive spender?

Here are some questions that can help you decide:
(Quiz from "Overcoming Overspending: A Winning Plan for Spenders and Their Partners," by Olivia Mellan with Sherry Christie, revised and updated 2004)

Respond with O for often, S for sometimes, R for rarely, or N for never. Try to be honest with yourself. You don’t have to share the results with anyone else.

1. Do you buy things you want, whether or not you can afford them at the moment? O S R N

2. Do you have trouble saving money? If you have a little extra available to put in the bank (or to invest), do you tend to think of something you’d rather spend it on? O S R N

3. Do you buy things to cheer yourself up or to reward yourself? O S R N

4. Does more than a third of your income go to pay bills (not including rent or mortgage payments? O S R N

5. Do you juggle bill-paying because you always seem to be living on the edge financially? For example, do you tend to pay only the minimum balance on your credit card(s)? O S R N

6. Do you tend to keep buying more of your favorite things — clothes, CDs, books, computer software, electronic gadgets — even if you don’t have a specific need for them? O S R N

7. If you have to say "No" to yourself, or put off buying something you really want, do you feel intensely deprived, angry, or upset? O S R N

If you have four or more O's or S’s, you have overspending tendencies. If you answered O or S to question seven, you are most probably a compulsive spender. That question now seems to me to be the most powerful indicator of a serious problem.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9496493/

Geeezzzz, at least i'm still not one of those Compulsive Shoppers...

For me, shopping depends on variuos circumstances, if i really feel bad on that day, going out and treating myself will make me feel better... it's my way of pampering myself and at the same time to deviate my attention to something exciting... I am not splurging that much, the money spent is ideally within the budget... It's always a must for me to make sure that whatever amount i spent is not beyond my shopping budget... And a no-no to Credit Cards...

Cash kung Cash basta No-No to Kas-Kas...

Hay, Year End Sale Season pa naman, it's really hard to control the shopping bee in me... Next post is all about my shopping escapade last weekend... (hay shopping pa rin?!?)

Shopping is one way of enjoying life and to get rid of those negative thoughts that keeps on popping...

oUr WiSh LiSt...

Our Christmas Wish list...

1. A 2008 Baby

2. A New Car (Black Mistsubishi Outlander)

3. A Tour or Cruise (I want to see Greece)

4. Super Slim PSP (for hubby)

5. DKNY Couple's Collection Watch

6. New Set of Jewelries (for my collection)

Well, maybe we're asking too much but there's nothing wrong if you wish for something hefty... It's just part of our wishful thinking, it may or may not come true... We will do our best to have our wishes granted... Need to save badlly...

How about you, what's on your wish list?!?

MiSSiNg HoMe On ChRiStMaS...

Perfect Christmas by Jomari Chan

My idea of a perfect Christmas is to spend it with you in a party or dinner for two anywhere will do celebrating the yuletide season always lights up our lives simple pleasure are made special too when they’re shared with you

Looking through some old photograph faces and friends will always remember watching busy shoppers rushing about in the cold breeze of december sparkling lights all over town childrens carol in the air by the christmas tree a shower of stardust on your hair

[CHORUS]I can’t think of a better christmas than my wish coming true and my wished is that you’ll let me spend my whole life with you

[Instrumental]

Looking through some old photograph faces and friends will always remember watching busy shoppers rushing about in the cold breeze of december sparkling lights all over town childrens carol in the air by the christmas tree a shower of stardust on your hair

[CHORUS]I can’t think of a better christmas than my wish coming true and my wished is that you’ll let me spend my whole life with you
My idea of a perfect christmas is spending it with you

Christmas Eve in the Philippines is one of the traditions most families celebrate. It is a night without sleep and a continuous celebration moving right into Christmas Day. As December 24th dawns, the last Mass of Simbang Gabi is attended; then preparation begins for Noche Buena, which is a family feast that takes place after midnight.

The Noche Buena is very much like an open house celebration. Family, friends, relatives, and neighbors drop by to wish every family member "Maligayang Pasko" (Merry Christmas). Food is in abundance, often served in buffet style. Guests or visitors partake of the food prepared by the host family (even though they are already full or bloated!). Among the typical foods prepared in the Philippines during Christmas are: lechon (roasted pig), pancit, barbecue, rice, adobo, cakes (Western and native rice cakes), lumpia, etc. There is also an abundance of San Miguel beer, wine, and liquor, which makes the celebration of Christmas indeed intoxicating!

The streets are well lit and are full of activities. The children run in and out of the house to play, to eat, and to play again. The Christmas Eve gathering provides an opportunity for a reunion of immediate and distant family members. Some families may choose to exchange gifts at this time; others wait until Christmas day.

Christmas day is a popular day for children to visit their uncles, aunts, godmothers, and godfathers. At each home they are presented with a gift, usually candy, money, or a small toy. Food and drinks are also offered at each stop. It is a day of family closeness, and everyone wishes good cheer and glad tidings.

Hay, we really miss spending christmas with our families back home! We still don't know when we will be home for christmas... This will be our 4th christmas away from home, sigh!?!... But i guess i'm still lucky, 'coz i'll be spending christmas with my ever loving hubby...

21 days to go before Christmas...

Source: www.seasite.niu

oNe FoGgY mOrNiNg...

Outside our flat

Side entrance of City Centre Sharjah mall

My spot where i hail cab

Inside the cab on my way to work