It's my first time to join Monday Mayhem and hopefully, I'd get to do this every week from hereon. 

For today, the theme is Let's Get Random so here goes:

1. What animal in your opinion is the stupidest animal alive? - Men! Not all...but some of them. Particularly the men who became part my life.

2. What person in the news or spotlight makes you wonder how they got so far? - Lindsay Lohan and Lady Gaga

3. If you could make up a new law and be in charge of arresting law breakers, what would that law be? - Law against dressing up sloppily.

4. Name something of the color blue that you despise. - Nothing in particular.

5. If you were on your way somewhere and were running late and witnessed an accident, what would you do? - It depends on how late I am. Otherwise, I'll try to see how bad the accident is, if authorities have already been informed about (maybe they need help in contacting the police or paramedics) and if all's taken care of, I'll leave.

6. How tall is too tall and how short is too short in your opinion? - Too tall would be any height higher than 6'6. Too short would have to be me since I'm barely 5 feet tall.

7. What hair color and/eye color would you not want in someone you were planning on having children with? - Hazel brown or blue.

8. What hour of the day has the worst drivers? - Here in the Philippines, that would have to be all day long!

9. Are you following the Stanley Cup Finals? - No.



10. If you wanted to eat lunch at the zoo and all they served were animal parts, would you eat them? - No. I can somewhere else on my way home.

11. Would you give, and if so how much, money to a 25 year old man holding a sign at an  intersection that asks  for money? - Heck no! Goodness! He's a man and he's only 25. He should be out looking for a job instead and not relying on a 33 year old woman's hard earned money!

12. What do you do with emails that tell you to forward them on to 10 other people or something will happen to you? - Just two things. IGNORE and DELETE them!

Sunday Stealing: The Just Because Meme

1. Make a list of 5 things you can see without getting up. - my cellphone, the TV, my copy of the latest OK! magazine, the TV's remote, a pair of chopsticks.

2. How do you style your hair? How often do you cut it? - I usually just wear it down. The last time I had a haircut was in March.

3. What are you wearing now? - shorts and a tank top

4. What's your occupation? Do you like it? - I work as a freelance writer. I love it!

5. When was the last time that you took a nap? Was there a special reason? - I can't remember! That's how long ago I last took a nap.

6. Who was the last person you hugged romantically? - my EX boyfriend.

8. What was the last full meal that you ate? - just a couple of hours ago I had fried spring rolls, a cup of rice and fried seafood noodles. Is that considered a full meal?

9. What was the last email that you received? - project brief for my latest writing assignment.

10. What one website do you always visit when you go online? - Facebook.☺

11. What was the last significant thing you bought? - a new cellphone.

12. What musical artist did you not get at first, but then became a fan? - hmmm...can't think of anyone.

13. What do you think about before you go to bed last night? - if I didn't forget to lock the front door.

14. What was the last CD you bought? - I don't buy CDs...I just download music.

15. What is your favorite weather, and why? What's the weather like today? - I love it when it rains (not too much of course) because it feels good to just lie in bed and read a good book. Today was friggin' hot!

16. If you could have a special artistic talent, what would it be? - uhm, I'd love to be able to paint and draw.

17. Did you watch the Idol 9 finale? If yes, what are your thoughts? - Yes. Both Crystal and Lee were deserving but I would've wanted Crystal to win. I think she has a wider range than Lee.

18. What's something you'd like to say to someone right now? - "Don't ever bug me again!"

19. Any special plans for this (holiday in the States)k weekend? - none...I'm not from the States.☺

20. Besides your current S/O, who was the last person that you loved romantically? - I don't have a current SO. So I guess the last person I loved romantically was my EX.

It rained some this afternoon and quite frankly, it was a welcome relief because El Nino has hit my country so hard. In fact, just the other day, the temperature was at its all-time highest. You can just imagine how cool this evening is and after a long time, I’m going to sleep without getting drenched in my own sweat. However, news reports said that the rains were only brought about by the tail-end of a cold front and they weren’t the much anticipated sign that El Nino has left the country. In fact, the rainy season won’t kick in until the last part of June.

Incidentally, June is when school starts here. So I’m assuming that the students will suffer the most come rainy season because it’s around the same time that they’re just getting settled at school. At this point, I already feel bad for them because I know how hard it is to go to school when it’s raining for a number of reasons. First off, it’s always nice to sleep in when it’s raining. Second, rain creates puddles of water on the streets and that means muddy shoes and muddy clothes. I should know because I’ve been through it all.

With the uncertainty of the weather, it’s hard to tell how long the rainy season would last once it makes its presence felt. I wonder how the boy scouts will deal with it once they go camping in the midst of the rainy season. If I could only talk to them, I would advise all of them to use waterproof and water resistant camping tents. But of course, they are boy scouts so I’m sure they would be ready for whatever obstacles they would face.

I must say, though, that after a literally scorching hot summer, I welcome the rains with arms wide open.

The other just before my brother and his family left for their mini vacation, they went to the mall to buy some clothes for my nephew. He actually has a lot of clothes but when my SIL tried them on Keoni, she realized Keoni has outgrown most of his clothes, to think that he hasn’t even worn some. My SIL’s convinced that her son grows by the minute. So off to the mall they went in search of Keoni’s vacation garb.

When they got back, my SIL was telling me that they had a hard time finding clothes for Keoni. He’s only 39 months old, practically a toddler, but they couldn’t find clothes that fit him in the toddler’s section! They finally found clothes for him at the boy’s section. The clothes they got for him were all in size 8 and according to the sales lady, a size 8 was normally for 7 or 8 year old kids. 

Keoni isn’t obese and neither is he fat. He’s just a little bit big for his age. I think he’s got big bones that’s why he weighs so much and he looks chunky. But he does have a hearty appetite.

Anyway, after they finished shopping for Keoni’s clothes, they decided to look for matching shoes. Like his clothes, Keoni has outgrown most of his shoes. He prefers wearing flip flops but his mom wanted to buy him a pair of formal shoes and a pair of boots. I don’t know where he’ll use the boots, but his mom wanted them, so be it. I would’ve suggested that they look into buying John Deere boots for Keoni because I know for a fact that those boots are sturdy and durable. They would be the perfect pair for Keoni. Unfortunately, I don’t think there are stores here that carry boots by John Deere.

There was a time when I worked for an advertising agency. It was far from where I lived so I had to commute to and from work every day. Given the traffic situation, I travelled for roughly 2 hours back and forth all week long, except of course during my off days. I considered the years I worked there as a huge sacrifice on my part because I was not really used to commuting. I worked until 7 in the evening but because of the nature of my work, I had to stay longer and I would usually get everything done by 9. Given that the distance between my office and my house was unimaginable and well, being a woman, it wasn’t that comforting to ride the bus late at night.

In fact, I experienced being held at knife point by a hold-upper who had his eyes set on my cell phone. Fortunately, I had the presence of mind to scream at the top of my lungs to catch the attention of the other passengers as well as the driver and bus conductor. When I did so, the bad guy fled just like that. I guess I had my angel with me then.

When I told my parents about it, they immediately prodded me to take some lessons on self defense. It’s a good thing that my then boyfriend was a martial arts expert and so he taught me the basics on how to protect myself against the bad guys. But of course, after the incident, he made sure that he’d fetch me from work whenever he could. Aside from that, he gave me a can of pepper spray for just in case.

I never thought I’d ever need to defend myself but I guess reality can be as harsh as it can get. At least now, on the rare occasions that I ride the cab or the bus, I always make sure I remember what the ex taught me. It may not have worked out between us but I learned something valuable from the relationship – the art of self defense!

At 33, I worry about getting the much dreaded "crow's feet" around my eyes, as well as those fine lines which become more and more visible as years go by. Fortunately for me, friends and family say I still have a long way to go before my worries turn into reality. But as the old cliche goes, "Prevention is better than cure," that's why as early as now, I'm trying to find good anti aging products. I have tried pills and even soaps with glutathione before but for right now I am taking a vitamin supplement which is high in antioxidant benefits everyday. But I'm still trying to explore other options.

This exploration has led me to discover Oxis International. It's a company committed to the research and development of products which combat free radicals. They use L-Ergothioneine, a substance known as a "super antioxidant" compound, as a key component in their products. 

To learn more about the company, you may visit Oxis on facebook. 

First off, I would like to thank Mommy Chris for this award. She never fails to remember me whenever she needs to share an award with fellow bloggers. Thank you so much Mommy Chris! Appreciate it a lot!

The rules for this award are as follows:

1. Pass it to 10 Sweet people.
2. Inform them about this award.
3. Link back the one who gave this award.

So, I am now sharing this award to the following:

Red

Joy

Seth

Levi

Liz

Ate Vernz

My brother, SIL and their little kid are going out of town next week. My SIL’s sister recently gave birth to a baby girl and since it’s impossible for her to travel just yet, my brother’s family decided to pay her a visit instead. The trip will also realize their dream of a much needed vacation. So come next week, I would be spending a few days at home, by myself.

Since I don’t drive and won’t be using our car, my brother has decided that he will be taking our car to the repair shop for much needed repairs. He hasn’t had the time to do it because he’s always busy so he’s taking the opportunity to relegate our car to the shop during their short vacation. I heard him and his wife talking and he said that the timing belt of our car already needs to be replaced.

It’s a good thing that his mechanic is very good and I’m sure our car will be in good hands while my brother is away. Of course, the shop is not as fully loaded as a Phoenix auto repair shop, but I’ve been there before and I’ve seen some of their equipment and I know they’ll do a good job.

If I’m not mistaken, I also heard my brother say that he might need to get our car’s water pump replaced, too. Oh well. I guess it’s not just my brother and his family who needs a vacation but our car as well. I think our car’s mini vacation in the repair shop will do wonders to it.

TGIF!☺

Most of you are probably shouting that at the top of your lungs. Well, good for you guys. Hmm. Does it sound as if I'm sour-graping? Nah. I'm not. It's just that I am quite certain I am not going to enjoy the weekend to the hilt. I still have 9 articles that I need to finish by Sunday or preferably earlier since my client has set the deadline for Monday evening.

Don't get me wrong though. I enjoy writing so a packed weekend is fine by me. It's just that I was hoping to accomplish several other things this weekend including getting highlights for my hair. LOL! But I don't think I can squeeze it in to my schedule.

Anyhoot, I'm just dropping by to wish all of you a happy weekend. In the meantime, I'm going to have to go back to the article I'm writing (while watching basketball at the side ☺).

Every year, ever since I can remember, my family attends a huge convention. The convention is usually held near the end of the year and it’s a worldwide event. It’s somewhat related to our religion and it’s a yearly event. Since there are too many people there, all the attendees are asked to wear lapel badges. When I was younger, I hated wearing the lapel badge because for some reason, the safety pin that secures the badge to my dress almost always opens and pricks me. I don’t know why. I guess I just moved a lot then that’s why.

Now that I’m much older, I consider wearing the lapel badge a good way to meet new people. The badges we wear usually contain our name and where we’re from. So what I do is, when I see someone, I try to look at their own badge and check out where they’re from and I try to strike up a conversation using the information I gained. It never fails and I’ve met a lot of good friends over the years.

This December, we will be attending another one of those conventions and this time, I plan to buy a badge holder for myself. We’re given the badges months before the convention so I still have plenty of time to buy a holder. I can just slip the card inside the holder and I won’t have to worry about looking for safety pins that I can use to stick it to my dress. Also, I won’t have to worry about the pin snagging my dress since badge holders normally use a different kind of pin.

I think bookstores carry those holders and the next time I go to the mall, I would check out the available badge holders. Maybe I’ll even find a purple one. If I do, I would definitely buy it.

I don't know if I have mentioned it anywhere in this blog already. If I haven't yet, I just want to let you all know that I am a huge Chris Evans fan. I first saw him in the movie Cellular where he starred with Kim Basinger. After that, I've been following his movie career.

That's him with and without his shirt on. So I guess you now know why I drool over him. LOL! He also played Torch in the Fantastic Four series and Nick Grant in the 2009 movie Push alongside Dakota Fanning. He's got a number of movies up his sleeves but the most I'm excited about are his upcoming projects. He's slated to play Steve Rogers aka Captain America and he's going to play the role in both installments (this early, they have announced a sequel to the one that's on pre-production)! Gosh, I can't contain my excitement!

Just a few nights ago, I watched him on The Losers. 

He played a tech-savvy member of a CIA black opps team who were doubled crossed and presumed dead. He and his group then made plans to even the score after they were joined by a beautiful operative with her own agenda. Working together, they must remain deep undercover while tracking the heavily-guarded Max, a ruthless man bent on embroiling the world in a new high-tech global war.

It was a good film. Action-packed with some comedy here and there. I highly recommend it although whether or not you guys would like it remains to be seen.☺

A drug addiction is a disorder that causes you to use drugs compulsively. Often, those suffering from a drug addiction have an uncontrollable need to use drugs, sometimes even though he or she knows it's not good for them. It may be hard for those around a drug addict to understand why the person doesn't just stop and why he or she continues with this self-destructive behavior, but the fact is that repeated drug abuse actually alters the brain. These changes in the brain cause you to lose your ability to think clearly or use good judgment. It can control how you behave as well.

How an Addiction Develops

The path to addiction can be slow. It can start out with a curiosity about how doing drugs would make you feel. Maybe you have friends who use drugs and they encourage you to try it. It could also be because you're going through a hard time and you think drugs will make you feel better. As times goes on, it shifts from a choice you make to a need — your body craves it and it no longer feels like a choice. It feels like chains wrapped around you preventing you from moving and the only way to release yourself is by getting high.

Myths about Drug Addiction

There are many myths out there about what drug addiction is. One myth is that if you really wanted to, you could stop using drugs. Depending on how much that drug has altered your brain, this might not be possible. That's why drug addiction recovery programs were created — to help you rid yourself of the chains of addiction. Another myth is that addiction is a disease and there's nothing you can do. This also isn't true. It is a disease, but there are treatments for it including therapy, medication, and exercise.

I'm sure you all know that silk screens are used for printing. Silk screen printing is a technique that makes use of a woven mesh to support an ink-blocking stencil. A silk screen looks like this:

Anyway, last night while waiting for the gang to finish with their nightly rituals so we can start watching The Book of Eli, I watched a lifestyle show and one of their topics was about taking care of one's accessories. Obviously, the show was for women. So, one of the hosts let the viewers in on her wide collection of accessories and among those she showed were her earrings. She had a lot of dangling earrings and she organizes them by hooking them on silk screens after use. She had several silk screens on her boudoir and all of them were filled with earrings of all shapes and sizes.

Since I love accessories and I have a growing collection of earrings, I appreciated the show's episode last night. I learned something from it and I think using a silk screen to organize my chandelier earrings is a cool idea. Now all I need to do is find out where I can buy the silk screens.☺

If you're a busy individual who doesn't always have the time to call several different companies to get estimates, mortgage rate quotes may be just what you need. Websites offering this financial tool have arrangements with top mortgage lenders, which means you can get a customized quote based on the information you provide. While an average quote gives you a ballpark for the rates offered by companies, a customized mortgage quote bases the estimate on your specific situation. Take advantage of these quotes to quickly compare your options.

With online mortgage rate quotes, you can find the lender offering the lowest interest rate. You can also get quotes for refinancing a mortgage. In order to provide the most specific estimates, you will need to enter information, such as your state, the type of loan you need, and the reason for the loan, into the tool. After you initiate the search, the website may ask for additional information, including your name, your contact information, your credit rating and the amount of money you want to borrow. While all of this information is personal, it helps the company provide the most accurate mortgage rate quotes for you.

By providing your personal information to the company, you authorize it to share your information with mortgage lenders. The lenders then have the right to contact you with their quotes. Instead of searching for potential lenders, they find you. In some cases, you can lock in a mortgage rate based on a quote, which can save you money should the interest rate raise in the next few days. If you have signed up on a do-not-call list, don't worry. By giving your permission, the lenders can contact you even if you are on the list. That means you won't miss valuable phone calls that could save you money.

I am a self-confessed FarmVille addict. Not a day goes by that I don't play it. I go online to work and to talk with my mom who's in the States. However, I always see to it that I squeeze in Facebooking in my everyday routine. 

I must admit, though, that it's hard to keep track of my farm. LOL! Sometimes, I totally forget that it's time to harvest my crops so they start to wither. So when I learned that I could download the FarmVille Toolbar, I went ahead with it. Installing the toolbar has a lot of advantages. First, I can monitor if it's time to harvest my crops. Second, I get alerts when one of my friends are offering bonuses so I'm never left out.

Notice where it says "harvest in" and there's a countdown timer? It tells me that my crops are ready for harvesting in 1 or so hours. Clicking on the "bonus" icon would open a page where I can partake of the bonuses being offered by my friends.

I so love it!☺

Time surely flies when you’re having fun. I can pretty much attest to that fact. It seems like only yesterday when my nephew Keoni made his grand entrance to the world. I can’t believe it’s actually been three years since then.

When Keoni was born, the doctors told us he had a weak heart. They deduced that it was because of his birth weight. He came out weighing 11.22 pounds! We even had to leave him at the hospital after his mom was discharged because he had to undergo several tests. It was heartbreaking to see a tiny little boy with all those needles stuck to his legs.

Anyway, it was a good thing that the doctors were able to detect it right away and ever since he was given a clean bill of health, I can say that he’s at the pink of his health. Of course, we’re still monitoring his condition. So as much as possible, we don’t allow him to overdo himself. Keoni does engage in some physical activities but what’s great about him is that when we tell him to stop, he obliges.

Educational kids toys are what normally keeps him busy most of the time. His grandma (my mom) bought him a toy laptop that has lots of interactive features and currently, he’s starting to learn his upper and lower case letters. He also has several activity books, most of which feature his favorite characters like Mickey Mouse, Barney, Thomas the Tank Engine and The Backyardigans.

It’s amazing how much he’s absorbed through his educational toys. Children’s development nowadays is so overwhelming and I’m just so happy that Keoni is turning out to be one smart boy. Playing with his toy laptop has even taught him how to navigate my own laptop and on days when I’m not so busy, he asks if he can play interactive games there. Of course, I let him and boy, does he know how to use a real laptop! I can't help but smile and be amazed when I see him ably controlling the laptop's touch pad and knowing which icons to click on. 

Before I start, I just want to ask for a little more patience from the non-winners of my blog contest. I know I promised you all 1000 EC credits each and AD spaces in some of the sponsors' blogs. I still haven't forgotten about it and I won't. There are just some things beyond my control that's somehow causing the delay. But I won't let you down on that promise...I promise. LOL!

Now, off to the juicy part. I did promise that I would award a special prize to some of the participants. The prize is nothing too grand actually. It's just to show my gratitude to them. Why? You'll see below:

1) Red or Marose - for writing the most number of reviews for the sponsors. She wrote a total of 20 reviews, if I'm not mistaken.

2) Joy - for being one of the early birds. She was actually the first one to enter her link on the contest MckLinky.     

3) Levy - she's the second half of the 2 early birds.

I still owe the sponsors the reviews I promised them. I'm actually just working on the articles my client needs by the 24th of May and as soon as I finish them, I'll start the reviews. But I want to thank Red for working on the reviews and she did those while playing Farmville and Cafe World. LOL!

To Joy and Levy, thanks for spearheading the long line of contest participants. It was as if you both stood on guard waiting for the contest to start!☺

Each of you dear ladies will get $5.00 from me. So please e-mail me your PayPal IDs. You can send them to me through the contact form or just send me a message through my Facebook account.

ArticleEx is the website that brings bloggers and advertisers together in perfect synthesis, providing an ideal opportunity for talented, creative and self-motivated bloggers to make money through their writing. Do you fit that description? Then let me tell you how it works.

ArticleEx is utilised by a wide array of companies and individuals who want word of their product to spread organically across the web. They publish full details of their requirements on the website and then bloggers like you write an article to meet those requirements and post it on your personal blog. You decide how much you charge for each article published on your blog.

as ArticleEx becomes increasingly popular with advertisers, there will be a wide range of articles that need producing and no two pieces will ever be the same. You may find yourself writing an in depth critique of a new technological breakthrough or commenting on a website, backlinking to it in order to increase its search engine ranking. You could also find yourself writing a news article about an up and coming fashion designer or reviewing the debut CD of the latest band. For those of you with a creative streak then ArticleEx will offer a perfect opportunity to showcase your writing skills, but there will always be enough information supplied by the client to ensure that you can write an excellent article even if it's on a subject that you were not previously familiar with.

ArticleEx insist that all of their bloggers publish a disclosure badge at the end of their article. This small banner lets your readers know that the blog was paid for. Some people criticise blogs that promote products surreptitiously but by displaying this disclosure badge you are showing that your article has nothing to hide, and that it is proud to show that it comes from a reputable source.

If you have the drive, ability and desire to male money through publishing interesting and informative articles on your blog, then why not sign up for ArticleEx today and make your words work for you.

Vacation was a luxury to me back when I was working as a call center agent. The odd working hours, coupled with work related stress made it impossible for me to enjoy even the mandatory off days. Whenever I was granted the much desired leave, whether it’s vacation or sick leave, I would rather spend the days at home, either sleeping or just hanging out with my brother and SIL. I don’t know if it was just me. Maybe I just wasn’t prepared enough that’s why I couldn’t quite fully adjust my body clock. I’m not sure if other people who work at call centers feel the same. But when my nephew was born, I took that as an opportunity to get out of the company I was working for.

After I left the company, I started working from home as a full-time freelance writer. Oddly enough, I’m still unable to take a much deserved reprieve from work. Of course, since I hold my work hours in my hands, I can take a break every now and then. I can even take the day off if I want too, when I choose to. But what I am aiming for is a long vacation. Preferably a month-long vacation where I can hie off to a faraway place and just enjoy!

Naturally, I won’t go alone. My brother, SIL and nephew must accompany me. I can’t picture myself going on a vacation without them! Since my nephew is a certified Disney fan – he loves everything Disney especially Mickey Mouse – visiting Disney World is a must. So, as early as now, even if I still don’t have a clue as to when we all can go for an out-of-the-country trip, I will start looking into affordable or reasonable Disney World Packages. I’d rather go for packages because at least that way, all areas will be covered.

It may seem like a far-fetched idea considering that, except for the little boy, all three of us are very busy. But I’m sure once I tell them that a visit to Disney World is the focal point of the trip, they would gladly say yes.

I have finally decided to purchase a domain name from GoDaddy. Look up at the address bar and you'll see that from theroaditravelon.blogspot.com, it's now www.bambiesturf.com.

Frankly speaking, I'm still groping in the dark as a result of this change in domain name. I have a lot of questions, but I'm too shy to ask. LOL! Bad Bambie! * Note to self: You want the easy way out again! *

Some of the questions I have in mind are the following: 

1) Do I need to change the information I granted to the sites I've signed up with? Particularly the sites I write for? - I think I don't have to since it gets redirected anyway. Am I right?

2) Will the change affect this blog's PR? (It's currently ranked 2)  - I hope not!

3) When I type the old address (theroaditravelon.blogspot.com) on my browsers (IE and Firefox), I get redirected to the new address (www.bambiesturf.com). That being the case, do I still need to make other changes?

Oh well...more stuff to think about to worsen this migraine! LOL!☺

Obstacle and Glories, a blog being maintained by mommy blogger Rose is celebrating its anniversary this merry month of may and she's holding a giveaway that's proudly sponsored by CSN Online Store. A $100.00 promotional code from CSN is up for grabs and this can be used to shop in their online store. When I browsed their inventory in the hopes of finding something I might like, I saw this lamp and I immediately fell in love with. Guess why.

CSN is actually sponsoring the giveaway for American and Canadian residents only. But since Mommy Rose has a good heart, she's giving her fellow Pinoy bloggers from the Philippines a chance to participate in the giveaway as well. What's up for grabs for Pinoy bloggers? $25.00 straight to your PayPal account. Cool, huh?

The giveaway started yesterday, May 15, and will run until June 14 so you still have ample time to join. Please head on out to Obstacles and Glories for further details or click on the banner below.☺