Another Time-out story

I was surprised when my son put his stuff snake in the corner and kept on saying "Stay there, Mr. snake!". That's what we're doing to him as his time-out when he's misbehaving. And when I asked him what Mr. Snake did to get a time-out like that, I laughed when I heard the reason..



"Daddy I put him in the corner because he's sticking out his tongue, that's not nice! diba? (right?)!"

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's another special day to celebrate, Thanksgiving. It's so special that should actually be done everyday. I would like to share my son's prayer that he's citing before meals maybe your children can use this as well, simple yet meaningful. Here how it goes:

" God is good
God is great
Bless the food
We're about to eat
Amen "

With a combination of his sweet smile makes the food so rich and blessed. He started this before he reach 3 years old and from there on, he was able to memorize it and get to know the real meaning of it. It's a good christian practice for our children to give thanks to the Lord. As what we all believe, It is right to give Him thanks and praise. "All that we have and all that we do, we give it back to you Oh lord, Jesus."

Know how the enemy works...

For us to know how to deal with the enemies we should know how they work. This will enable us to defeat them strategically and effortlessly. This opponent’s plan is apparent whenever we do good things for our Lord Jesus.

Collection and Investment in One

Have you ever considered having some collection items? When I was a kid I collected matchbox, a toy brand for miniature toy cars. I got them from gifts, trade-ins and personal purchase. I always proud just looking at them. How they accumulate so fast with different models making one unique from another was so fascinating to me before. But where are they now? Some of them were lost when we moved, some were given to my cousins and some more to my playmates. I thought that it was not a serious collection that I should continue because it doesn’t benefit me much aside from just giving my passion with those toys a chance to be fulfilled when I was a kid. It’s more of a hobby, I guess. Now that I’m mature enough to handle manhood, I think! I’m planning of something that will benefit me and at the same time I will also enjoy in a more sophisticated way. Someone suggested to me to collect coins, but this time, not the old-fashioned way of just putting them on display for everybody to see and being proud of it. If it’s possible, he urged, try putting it as an investment. That’s why I’m talking about not ordinary coins here but gold coins.



You know what I’m thinking? I’m kind of trying to make it more interesting by putting these coins in a chest, making it look like a real treasure, which it is! The sparkle of gold really attracts my eyes especially when they pile up in one place. But this is not the way how to deal with these. This just proves how immature still I am. The real questions are, what should I know first before I buy my first ounce of gold coin or bullion? When should I buy? As of the moment I don’t have a clear knowledge about this kind of business but it’s worth contemplating as one possible income source. Like everybody says, Gold is money.

Truly One Dream Vacation

While I’m browsing my video files in my computer, I found the one when our good friend Connie brought us to “beach” somewhere in Maryland. I quoted the word because it’s not actually a natural beach but it’s man-made. The first time we went there we were so excited because I can say right there and then, on Clarence’s account, that it will be one of his first time experiences. I never brought him in a beach so I know that it will be a totally new surrounding for him. He only sees beach in cartoons from Ni-Hao Kailan and Dora’s sand castles episodes. He has an idea but he doesn’t know how it feels like to step on a real sandy beach. It was really beautiful, calming and breezy, you will not think that it’s man-made only when Connie told us that the water is not sea-salt but instead fresh water like from rivers or lakes. But Clarence enjoyed it a lot. It’s still his first time though, experiencing a man-made beach is quite a different thing that we can proudly put in his photo book. It’s a memorable experience for us with Connie and her family during the last days we had in Maryland. Now, we are still looking forward to bring Clarence to a natural beach for him to see the beauty and the wonder that nature brings. I found one in the internet where a complete vacation package awaits tourists and nature lovers to see, it is the Oceanfront Myrtle Beach Resorts.

Having a nice vacation and teaching Clarence to appreciate nature in one occasion will be great. Myrtle Beach Resorts offer hotels, golf courses, museums, parks and more which are all located near the breath taking shores that will really make you feel relaxed and think that you’re out at last from the busy moving world. This will fulfill our plan of showing Clarence the natural beach he is longing to see for the first time with a plus of experiencing other things that Beach Resorts Myrtle Beach can offer. I hope we can do this soon. As of the moment, enjoying Clarence videos are still worth our time-offs to relax and enjoy family togetherness.

Good news for First time Homebuyers

First-time home buyer tax credit extension approved
November 5, 11:59 AMReal Estate News ExaminerBroderick Perkins

The first-time home buyer tax credit extension and expansion has won Congressional approval and is on its way to President Barack Obama.

He's expected to sign the measure as early as tomorrow.

The U.S. House of Representatives, this morning, voted 403 to 12 to pass the measure, following unanimous U.S. Senate approval yesterday.

The measure was passed as part of unemployment benefits extension legislation H.R. 3548.

The extension and expansion of the popular first-time home buyers tax credit gives both new and move-up buyers a tax incentive to buy a home until at least April 30, 2010, longer for military personnel.

The new tax credit extends the existing credit for first-time homebuyers, worth up to $8,000, and offers a new credit of up to $6,500 for some existing homeowners.

The reduced credit for existing homeowners is available to those who have been in their current residence for a consecutive five-year period.

The new rule also raises the qualifying income limits to $125,000 for single taxpayers and $225,000 for joint taxpayers, from the current $75,000 and $150,000.

The maximum allowed home purchase price is $800,000.

A home buyer must have a sale agreement in hand by April 30 and close escrow by June 30, 2010.

Military personnel, deployed overseas for a minimum of 90 days in 2008 or 2009, would have until April 30, 2011 to claim the tax credit.

That's all good news for the housing market.

The National Association of Realtors says as many as 400,000 resale transactions (1.2 million for both new and resale homes) were completed specifically because of the first-time home buyer tax credit, since it began, and that put a dent in the housing inventory.

Home sales also add property and sales tax revenues to the coffers of local governments as reduced inventory helps boost prices and home values.

Fortunately, the tax credit also has been available at a time when often have been below 5 percent.

Fortunately, the first-time home buyer tax credit's availability has coincided with mortgage rates often hanging below 5 percent, according to Jeff Howard, CEO of Erate.com.

As the Nov. 30 tax credit deadline neared, reports from the Commerce Department, revealed new home sales slipped 3.6 percent in September and were down 7.8 percent from September 2008.

Wholesale is a Big on sale

When it comes to saving money I always make sure that I’m updated. I collect coupons, wait for the on-sale and seasonal promos and look for good deals in different stores. I also joined wholesale stores like Sam’s Club in Maryland. Even if there’s a membership fee, you will still find it cheap to buy products in packs or bundles. My reason, if you’re going to use a product more often anyway why won’t you buy plenty of it in much lesser or cheaper price when you have money to do it. I find it a good deal to buy bulk of baby diapers there when Clarence was just 11 months old. Even if Clarence used almost 5 diapers in a day, my stock of diapers will still be good until our next scheduled shopping.

When Clarence turned 2, I tried using training pants so it will be easy for him to go whenever necessary because that was the time I also teach him going to the potty on his own. Still, I used the same practice in stocking up of diapers and I can tell you that I did not waste a single one. Now that he’s more than 3, and potty trained, I continue using it and I found Huggies Pull-Ups good for him which he only wears during the night when he goes to bed. When you try to check our pantry and closets you will find packs and bundles of bathroom tissues, canned goods and snacks. Products that will count a year before it expires. I can say that I saved a lot in a wholesale store.

Another Day of Shopping

Remember my article about Shopwiki, well my wife’s friend, Tina had read about it and wishing that she could shop also using the site. And when I asked, what’s preventing her to do so, she replied with annoyingly tone saying, “Hello???, I’m in Australia!!!”. Well I get back on her by saying… “Knock knock Tina, you’re just in Australia and not on Mars! Hehe”. I mean if she was able to read my article in the internet, she sure can try searching for Shopwiki too in her area. That’s the power of the internet. I asked her to get a pen and dictated to her the website’s address for Australia since I’m already in front of my computer. She’s so excited about it. I can’t blame her because she’s not that really good in computers, I know that! since her profession is not related in modern technology, (Tina, if you’re reading, please admit it, Lols!). I even told her that it’s also available in UK and France where some of her cousins live.

After they had a very looong talk, I asked my wife if she still has a plan to go out and buy an electric fan. Maybe you’re wondering why should we need one considering it’s almost winter. I know in Maryland, where we used to live, cold temp. starts on fall season but here in California we’re still getting 79° inside our apartment, turning on the air conditioner is a waste of money that’s why electric fan is in our TO BUY list. We went to Arden Mall, it’s so big and there’s a lot of stores. But we didn’t get any luck finding an electric fan, one of the store crews said that they only put out products based on the current season. I guess we’re going to check the Chinese outlet that my brother recommended us to go. My wife spotted a kid’s store and check for Clarence’s pants. I thought she will just look around but when she asked for the wallet, I refused. I told her that the “2 for $22” promo ($13.50 for 1) pants she’s holding is available in Shopwiki with a lesser price but same quality and style. Check this out.



This is just $4.98 each and you won’t be needing to get 2 pairs to save money. Instead of getting 2 of the same style, you can shop for another one. When we got home, I show her the site’s directory and she was overwhelmed with a lot of choices from different stores. I taught her how to sort it based on price and brand. Again, I know she felt lucky having me around hehe..

Animator vs. Animation

How I wish I have the talent in making such programs like this. This really amazes me. Those who are familiar in computer stuffs will surely appreciate this. Kudos to the one who created this, my advice for you is give yourself a break, try to stay away from computers for some time. LoLs!

Where is she?

I can't figure out where the girl went. Of all the challenges I tried to solve, this one left me hanging. Even if I did stare at her with all my concentration. I still can't get it. I think there's a clue in the sound but it's really hard to hear it right. Better to increase the volume of your speakers. Maybe you can help me with this mystery. Leave me a comment when you know the answer. Thanks.

Our Neighborhood

Friends and relatives always ask us about our new place. I can’t describe it in words, fortunately, I found a video that will best describe the neighborhood where we moved in. The video will also show the Mercy General Hospital where my wife got her new job. The hospital is just beside our apartment. There’s also a park six blocks away from us. We just need to walk to that park whenever Clarence wishes to go there, check out the second video below. I took the video the day after having a heavy rain so it doesn't show the real beauty of the park which is supposedly clean and bloom with flowers. So far, most people we encountered are nice and friendly. How safe it is can be seen at night time, you can still see people in the park, jogging, feeding ducks and playing even at around 7 pm. The only disadvantage living in downtown is the noise of new building constructions and cars on the roadways but all in all, we are beginning to like Sacramento.

Fun Day with our Friends

One thing we’ll surely missed in Maryland is our dear friends who made us understand that homesickness doesn’t exist in America. They were the ones who accepted us for who we are. They helped and supported us till our last day in Maryland. When we left them I felt the same way I did the day I separated from my family in the Philippines. Truly, they made a significant part in our lives. Friends, who we can count on and always there for us in times of fun or trouble. Our CFC Family made us grow in love – love for God and love for family. They inspired us to be in our best, as individuals and as children of God. They totally changed our lives for the better. God really works in mysterious ways. I knew from the very start that meeting the CFC organization was not an accident. They are instruments of God used to make our struggled lives straightened. I owe to them the happiness and the peace of mind me and my family are enjoying right now. For all of these, we take this opportunity to thank them for everything. Our CFC Household Family, Bro. Jun and Sis. Babes Sacay, Annette and her family, Connie and her Family who were there in the last days of our stay in Maryland.

The video clip below will show you how much fun to be with them. You may need to increase the volume because the original music background I used was not loud enough. (Music by Wayne Waltner – God, Family and Friends)








We miss you so much!!! God Bless you all!!! Continue bringing God's blessing to all!!!

Al, Lorie and Clarence

Looking for TV

Ten days in California without TV! We’re planning to get one but we don’t know yet what brand and how big but definitely a LCD one. I want the one that can be connected to my computer without me buying an extra pc interface or converter. That’s the reason why we just subscribed for internet and phone service because we don’t have a TV yet for Direct TV. Whenever I visit my brother’s house, I always watch their recorded shows because they do have DVR and service from DirectTV too. It’s helpful because we don’t want to miss the news in the Philippines regarding the flood caused by Typhoon Ondoy (Tropical Storm Ketsana). For now, that’s one of the means we're using to know what’s happening in the Philippines.

My son already misses his favorite cartoons and shows. When we were in Maryland, I used to give him schedule for watching TV but only programs that have my approval, of course, educational and descent. So once we get a TV here, the next plan I’m thinking is to call Directv and inquire about their promos and special packages. I know they give good deals in a cheap price.

New place, new look!

I didn’t expect moving to a different state will be that so difficult. We came all the way from Maryland and arrived here in California last week. We wish to bring everything we have, like our old stuffs; appliances, furniture, clothes and etc. but we just really couldn’t. The expense that we will be having for the shipping and packing will be more than the value of these stuffs. We just brought what we really needed and the others we sell and gave to our friends. Now, we are starting to settle down and little by little establishing again things we needed for this new beginning. We looked for bed, sofa and some utensils in our first day here, then we subscribed for internet and phone services. Now, we are looking for our new clothes to wear since most of our clothes were left to our friends in Maryland. We’re just new in this place that’s why the internet really helps us a lot. I searched and surfed till one of the net shops got my eyes’ attention. It is Shopwiki which gives a variety of choices for men’s clothing. One thing I liked about it is being organized, they will make it easy for you to shop for the particular clothing type you need. You can sort it by size, by season and by style. Like the one I found in their men’s outwear. Check this out.





Leather jacket is one in my priority list, since there’s no snow here in California, I can still use it for winter. Their styles really made me look for more options in their site plus tips and links that you can use as your own fashion resources. If you are looking for signature clothing, they also have men’s clothing designer page. There’s nothing you could ask for more. In stating this, I remember the time my nephew begged from his dad a stylish drawstring shorts which I found in shopwiki’s jeans section. I’m sure he will like this one.



I would also recommend to him to check the Surfing and bodyboarding section since he always complain that he’s getting bored with his old sports and kept on looking for more adventurous sports or hobby. Now that we’re here in California, I can be my nephew’s buddy in some of his manhood activities. Being close to my family is one of the factors why we chose to transfer here. I hope everything will be perfect in this new environment we chose to live. And I do hope that our new look will match this new place.

I Left My Heart in California

I wasn’t able to update my blog for a long time for we’ve been busy in our vacation in California. We visited my brother’s family in Elk grove. Finally, after 5 years of being apart we’re so thrilled of being together once again. When we got there, we ignored the almost 8-hours flight that we’ve gone through. We talked overnight along with my sister-in-law and their two bright kids. My brother finally had the chance to meet my son face to face. I told Clarence that he is his legitimate uncle because my son usually refers all our male friends as his uncle. We really liked their place, especially when you see most of your “kababayan” (fellow Filipinos). It’s like you don’t feel you’re away from your hometown. We enjoyed once again eating Filipino food like sizzling sisig, crispy pata (pork hocks), daing na bangus (salted-dried milkfish), pancit (stir-fried noodles) and etc. They brought us in Seafood City where we saw all the food chains that are originated from Philippines like Jollibee, Red Ribbon and ChowKing. All staff and crews are Filipinos, they are everywhere. They are free to use our own language which I seldom hear from other people for years. It’s like a hang-out for Filipinos and if you see an American inside, you’ll think that he is the foreigner in his own land. Well, the American who goes there are actually either spouse of a Filipino or friend of a Filipino. My son really loved playing with his cousins and staying in their big house. Play parks are also everywhere with just less a mile away from each other.

In my other post, I talked about transferring to California and I believe going there for just a little visit made us decide to pursue this plan. We already did what is needed to do in our moving and I’ll tell you, it’s not as simple as that. We already established a home in the apartment here in Maryland. I mean furnitures, appliances, stock of canned goods, supplies and everything. But the very thing that we’ll surely miss is our friends. There are lots of things needed to consider in this kind of transition; application of new apartment in California, cancelling of accounts in our Internet Service Provider, job hunting, auto shipping and etc. We’re thinking to call Direct TV to learn if we can bring our old account with us. I know there’s also Direct TV in California because my brother is actually using their service. We enjoyed watching programs from it especially my brother has DVR which recorded everything we'd liked to watch while we are out of the house. I do hope that Directv has a moving and relocation program because I really loved their service. It will be easier for us to establish a new beginning if some of our old stuffs are with us.

We hope and pray that this decision is right for us. I believe my son will have a better future in the new environment he’ll be living in. Our deciding factor always ends about him. What’s best for our son is always our priority regardless if we already established a stable life in Maryland. Because we saw good schools in California, how safe it is and the support of the relatives around.

"Daddy gets silly!..."

"Daddy gets silly! whuhuhu" this is exactly what Clarence told his mom.. hahaha.. I don't know what came into me but I found myself teasing my son so hard. It started when he didn’t listen to what I asked him to do. Whatever he acts, I mimic him until I annoyed him so much and began to cry... then my cruelty doesn’t end there, I still continue copying what he does, how he cries, how he stomps and worse giving exaggeration in it.. I ignore him saying “stop!” I was like a little maniac who kept on pissing him off, survival of the fittest, I said to myself.. haha.. we’re both screaming as I followed every pitch of his cry.. not minding the grumpy old man living upstairs. Then my wife woke up and gave us a fiery look as if she’s trying to tell me something that I should’ve known right from the very start. That’s her power, just one look, a strong hidden message hehe.. Oh well, that’s my signal to stop. My son hurriedly went towards her and surprisingly said that phrase. Surprised because I didn’t know how he will tell to her mom what I did… Usually, he’ll go to his mom crying, “Daddy got mad!” but today is different, he made his description of what had happened so funny. He just perceived it as silliness whereas I’m expecting him to say that “we had a fight”. For I know I got him real good. It’s not my intention to make him cry, it’s just that my son is really irresistibly cute for me that I wanted to tease him and have fun with him. I believe it’s better to get silly than to get mad. You know, child heart! Everyone has it.

Book's Cover

I'll ask you to stare at the image above carefully, what can you see? Many of you will say that there's a point or black dot. That will be the very first response we’ll have in our minds. That’s what I answered before when somebody asked me about this. We only see what is obvious. We didn’t give enough attention to what is bigger and more evident in the picture --- and that is the clear and enormous WHITE, surrounding the black dot. Actually, if the black dot was not there, then we will now say, it’s empty or there's nothing in there. Just blank. Sadly, this kind of viewpoint lives among all of us. What we see first are the negatives, we often forget the beauty that lies beneath those. This is true in meeting people, we sometimes prejudge them on how they look, how they dressed, how they walk and others. I would like to present this thought in a video and you be the judge.

Susan Boyle


She's really amazing, isn't she? It's true what they say that you cannot judge a book by its cover. You have to know the person better first before you can say anything that really has sense about that person.

This is sometimes true which is happening right in our own homes. Our spouses will do their best in cleaning the whole house but instead of appreciation and compliment, they'll get criticism, whether the cleaning is not right, they wasted a lot of cleaning agent when they can just use little or there’s still a place in the house that is unclean. We didn't consider the hardship they've gone through, the sacrifices they gave just to clean up, they could be watching their favorite show or do shopping for themselves instead. We should be grateful of what they're doing especially when it's hardly done just to please us.

One busy child equals one happy dad.

We went to Clarence’s playgroup today and it was held in PACT, a Kennedy Krieger institute that helps children with special needs. I didn’t anticipate that they will be involved in water play even if I already saw in the playgroup’s calendar the phrase “water play”. I thought we will just have a trip on some swimming pools and water kind of stuffs. Good thing, Like Dora and Diego, I always carry my backpack. I have his complete set of clothes that can be good for 3 days hehe.. towels, food, wipes and etc..

Clarence really enjoyed it, the fact that he’s allowed to play in the water as long as he wants and to do whatever he likes to do, is really a good treat for him. It’s really different when he’s with other kids, he can see how their creativity and courageousness set into play. There are kids who have no fear to get wet, tried high slides and climbed arched steel ladders. And there are some who squirted and sprayed water using the toys around them. No doubt, it’s another great and learning experience for him.

At home, letting him play in our patio with water hose, watering can, pail and dipper made him so busy that I can do some chores without any interruptions. Of course his safety is still considered, our patio is not slippery when wet and I can clearly see him from where I am. He loved playing with water. He’s very much free to do whatever he wants, I believe this will develop his cognitive skills. He’s trying to get answers from his curiosity, like the cause and effect theory. He’s there watering the veggie plants, the grass and the patio table and chairs while me in the computer, blogging hehe… Again, it’s a win-win solution for parents and child. You may also think of other ideas that can make your child busy. Other parents in Clarence’s playgroup shared to me that they bought set of locks, magnets, and others that are not toy-like items because as you’ll notice, kids are more attracted to those things that they’re prohibited to play than to their usual and kind of weary child toys. Here are some of the pictures I took for that event.

Each Day, Another Chapter!

When I was not into CFC (Couples for Christ) yet, I don’t know how to start using the Bible. Some have told me things about it. One has said that people who are bringing the book are hypocrites because they are exposing it when they have a bag to keep it, another said to the one who carries it, “What’s the gimmick?” But most often I heard people saying that they got answers from it. I’m really confused why some people find it waste of time while others claim it as wisdom. Two people has attested to me that when they are in their lowest moments of their lives, they just get the bible, open it and in front of them is a scripture which lifts them up and resolves their confused minds. I can say that people who has lack in knowledge about the Bible has no right to say anything bad about it. Like, you cannot give criticism to a movie that you, yourself haven’t watched. I, myself is still discovering what it can offer to my life and I’m happy that I was accepted in CFC to make this process possible for me. I cannot say anything yet about the Bible because I don’t want to make mistakes on describing it, all I know is, there’s a purpose why in a very long time, it is still in existence. Having joined the Christian Life Program made me committed in their objectives and goals. Like a husband to my wife, or a father to my son, I have an obligation and interest to pursue. One of them is to read the Bible.

Many might want to try reading the Bible but the often question they have in minds is “How/Where should I start?” In the Bible Reading Guide that CFC provided me, they made it very simple and easy. It has a checklist like this:



Each day, one chapter. That’s really easy, if you can spend a lot of time doing junk in the internet, why don’t you try giving some minutes to do this. They asked us to do this for at least 15 minutes a day. They also recommended the following:

1. Say a short prayer before you start reading, asking for the Holy Spirit to enlighten you and for God’s Word to find a home in your heart.
2. Read the text through quickly. Then read it again, this time slowly and trying to understand more fully.
3. Meditate on what you have read, especially those portions that struck you.

When I opened Mark’s Gospel, It says in the introduction that it’s an ideal starting place for someone (like me) who knows little about Jesus. It’s style --—simple sentences, without complicated transitions or long speeches ----makes understanding easier. I realized it’s true, it made me wanting to read more when I started. It’s my 10th day today and I just read Chapter 10 a moment ago. Who can say that the old Bible we found under the pile of books in my Aunt’s house in the Philippines will be useful for me. Now I know why we were able to dig it up and brought here in US.

Let's Do the Safety Check!

We already taught our son how to cross the road inside our apartment complex but we still can’t be sure of his safety from some reckless drivers. Yesterday when we sent Lorie to work, (we usually walk her to the train station and played in the park afterwards) we were walking slowly in the parking lot when suddenly a man started backing up his car when we were just a yard away from his rear. If Lorie didn’t shout which alarmed the driver, I don’t know what terrible could happen. We’re too big for the driver not to be seen at the back of his car. He just wave like he’s trying to apologize but he still continues driving as if it’s not a big deal. I’m waiting for him to get off the car and check if there’s something went wrong with us, but he didn’t. We were still shocked then and didn’t think of arguing or getting his plate number. All our concern has been brought to our son if he’s okay. We got so scared of thinking the horrible things that might have happened when the man continued backing up. As of now, we’re all okay. Thank God. I know He was there to protect us.

Whenever my son and I are outside I don’t let him get too far away from me, I’m always a meter away from him when walking in the sidewalk. I think I’m getting so paranoid, always thinking that someone might get him from me haha. I love my son so much, that’s why! And when we are about to cross the road, he knows the rule, I just need to say “Okay.. safety check!!!” and he will respond, “Stop! Look and Listen!!!” in a singing mode… He’s now looking on both sides making sure that it’s clear to cross, but sometimes, I still need to remind him. There’s one time, I forgot to do the routine because I can see from afar that it’s safe to cross, he cautioned me, “Daddy, Stoooppp! Stop! Look and Listen first!!!!” hahaha… followed up by saying “That’s dangewoouuss..!” Oh well, I said, “oh, I’m sorry, I forgot about our safety check!”. That’s just one instance, but now when we’re out I always make sure that we do this practice constantly. It’s like making him responsible in a fun and easy way he’ll like it. I believe everybody should have their own safety patrol anywhere and anytime.