Car Repair

I and hubby have switched cars since last week because my brakes have to be serviced. Finally, it was done last Saturday but the mechanic found more repairs need to be done so I told him to just wait for next weekend. The car parts have been ordered and are expected to be shipped by tomorrow. We found all the parts we needed from our trusted online store called carpartswarehouse.com which offers free shipping on your orders. I miss my car already. Hope I can have it back by Monday next week.

A Trip To Jollibee Queens, New York

This is the first sight upon approaching the store. OMG, it's PILA!!!!! Not bad we said. We gotta go.. we are here. No turning back! I took this photo while inside the vehicle still looking for a parking spot.

Jollibee is outside the store to greet you. My daughter was scared to give him a hug. She already saw Jollibee in the Philippines two years ago but I don't think she remembered it.

This is inside the store. There are a lot of empty chairs because they are reserved for people who are still at the counter placing their orders...all probably hungry already.

Finally, I got closer to the counter that I was able to take some photos of the menu.

HHmmm...the yumburger. Partly you can see the burger steak. That's what I had. You have a choice between two or three burger steaks.

The miss ko na chicken joy. What was so funny because from the counter you can see how many more minutes left before the chicken gets cook. When it was like 20 seconds left, the customers starts the count down and some crew would start clapping their tongs. Then, in a few seconds the chicken are gone again.

This is what we had for take out. A bucket of chicken joy (6 pcs for $13.39 plus tax) and the rest are leftovers, rice and gravy.

Are we going back there? No, if only to eat but if somebody who is naglilihi or who have not eaten at Jollibee for 10 years or more and does not know how to go to Queens, probably yes to accompany him or her but she pays for the toll which is around $15 (lol). The gas is on me as long as it stays at $1.75.

It is not because i don't like jollibee anymore but to go there is a pain in the A--. It starts with the pila from outside, luckily it took us only around 30 minutes and it was not cold at that time. Some people came all the way from Virginia and Atlantic City just to eat at Jollibee. They traveled almost 5 to 6 hours just to have a taste of the chicken joy. It was around 5pm when we were there and they have to drive back that night too. Whew! I would not do that! There was another pinay, i guess she lives in the city because it seems that she took the subway. She was on the phone while in line. We just heard her saying, " Ang haba ng pila! Pag-umuwi ako, dadalhin ko nalang ang anak mo at araw-araw ko dadalhin sa Jollibee!!!" When she hung up, she told us "alis na ako dito, bahala siya, di ako pipila ng ganito ka haba!" then she left nga!

So we stayed, once you get inside there is another pila at the counter. Ito ang matindi...almost 1 hour na naman! What is taking so long is the chicken joy. Once the chicken are cooked, they are not enough for the orders waiting. They were even asking for orders which does not include chicken to step front so that they don't have to wait but nobody went because everybody wants that chicken joy!

Once you have your food, be prepared for the elbow to elbow sitting arrangement. The store is small to accomodate all the patrons. And, if you have a car, be lucky to get a parking spot on the side streets right away. We parked about 2 blocks away. If you take the subway you are fine. The store is right under the subway. You can see the train above your head from the pila outside.

Overall, I miss Jollibee but I could wait for Philippines or california or maybe when they put up one in Jersey.

For blog purposes, here was our order:

2 pcs burger steak - $4.19
Yum cheese - $1.89
#4 Combo Palabok - $7.49
#3 Combo Spag - $6.29
6 pc. chicken joy bucket - $13.39
#1 2 pcs with 2 sides - $7.19
Regular Soda 20 oz - $1.69
(3) Peach amngo pie - $6.87

Total - $49.00 + $4.10(tax) = $53.10

Jollibee Woodside

62-29 Roosevelt Ave.

Woodside NY 11377

Penmanship Tag

Thanks Jona for this tag. Sorry, i am not following instructions. I did not write your name on the paper.


Here are the instructions:

1. Write down who tagged you.

2. Answer these:- your name / username / pseudo- right-handed or left-handed?- your favorite letters to write?- your least favorite letters to write?


Write “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.”


3. Tag five persons.

If you can't read my handwriting, sorry!

Now, i am tagging dez, doi, etavasi, heart of rachel and vicy. Hope you can hop here and see that you are being tagged.

Learn To Do A Massage

Are you familiar with videoshelf.com? This is an online store that sells various instructional dvd’s for beauty and spa. I came across this website when I was looking for a lymphatic massage DVD for my friend in the Philippines. She is starting with a new venture where customers can call her for massages at their own homes. She had a training here before she decided to put up her business back home. The first video I have sent her was the hand massage video for her assistant’s training. She said she gets a lot of customers from call centers requesting for hand massages. She is also trying to learn the pregnancy message techniques too just in case pregnant women will request for her service. This home massage business is a new thing there but my friend says she has clients now that regularly calls her every week.

Massage Therapy Video


Full Body Massage Video Massage Therapy DVD

Girl Scout Cookies

I got my girl scout cookies last friday. My favorite is the trefoils - a shortbread cookie. I did not order the samoas this year and the dulce de leche is something new so I tried it. Not really to my liking. It seems that it's too sweet. There were a lot of orders from my job......we just love girl scout cookies.

Emerge Labs OrganicSkinCare.com

Today starts the first full week of spring. It was a beautiful day with sunshine but not too much heat to harm your skin. One thing that we need to have in preparation for the summer heat are skin care products that can protect our skin from the sun. I have found some natural and organic skin care products that can bring real results to our skin. Emerge Labs Organic Skin Care carry products that are natural and free from synthetic chemicals, fragrances and preservatives. They have a wide selection of beauty and skin care products for women and men like the new Swiss Apple Stem Cell Day Cream with SPF30, cleansers, toners, anti-aging, skin lighteners, moisturizers and a lot more. Visit them at organicskincare.com and check their new scientific breakthrough in anti-aging by using an organic ingredient called PhytoCellTec Malus Domsestica, a natural plant stem cell.

Dinner at Pollo Tropical

If we are in the mood for grilled chicken and ribs, roast pork, red/black beans, yellow rice, yuca, friend plantians, island wraps and other carribean/spanish food we go to Pollo Tropical. We love their grilled chicken and fried plantians. We went their today. I want to share some photos I took.



I usually do the ordering. We always come here so I have mastered what we like to eat but it took us several trial and errors before we know what we really wanted.

This is hubby's all time favorite. Quarter chicken (all white meat), sides of corn and curly fries, gravy and a big order of ceasar salad with no chicken. The bread is included.

This what I always order. Half chicken (all white) and sides of white or yellow rice and black beans. As an additional, we always get a regular order of sweet plantains. This is enough for the three of us - me, hubby and the little girl. If you could still see the bill, I think I paid $20 and change. Not bad, right?

Big Sale at Sears

Spring is here but I do not think the weather is ready yet. It’s 28 degrees right now, hoping that it will get warmer a little bit later when it is time to go shopping.

Our first stop for the day is the Sears store. They have an ongoing 75-80% off original prices on fall and winter apparel until April 18th. This is the way to beat recession. I always buy my clothes at the end of the season to get the big discount and savings offered by the store. Not only that, on March 20-22, you will get additional 15% off on regular, sale and clearance priced Sears apparel, shoes and accessories. Wow! This is really huge savings for us. I will be needing fall and winter clothes for my daughter as she starts regular school this coming September. She has outgrown all her cold season clothes so she needs a ton of clothes for school. I am really thankful to Sears for this huge sale. I have also printed coupon for the additional 15% off that I would be using this weekend. If you want to print one for you, click here. This coupon can be used at any sears store and sears.com from Friday 3/20/2009 – Sunday 3/22/09.

I am sharing some outfits for me and my daughter that I am buying. Mine will be perfect for the fall. Aren’t these clothes so cute for the little one? She will be using the multi colored dress for Easter Egg Hunting in town next weekend.

If You Lose Your Costco Receipt

When we went to Costco over the weekend, we got hungry so we decided to eat before leaving the store. I know my husband showed me the receipt before he went to buy food while me and the little girl went to look for a table. So we ate – we had the baked chicken, pizza and churros. We were eating for around 20 minutes. When it was time to leave, we cannot find the receipt – not in my pocket book or papa’s pocket. We still proceeded to the door but I informed the checker that we lost the receipt. Boy, they will not let you go without it! Of course! They told us to go to the customer service, not the CS where you get your Costco card but there is another one close to the registers. Give them your Costco card and they will reprint your receipt then give it to the checker. So guys and gals, hold onto to your receipts if you do not want to be bothered by this. It was alright with us. We were not rushing that time so it was ok.

image: costco.com

Need Financial Help In Your Business?

When you have a business, one of the essential things to make it solvent is the cash flow. It is very vital to the life of a business to always have the money on hand to pay creditors and workers. Along the way, problems occur that will affect the cash on hand which sometimes lead to some business problems such as bankruptcy if prolonged. Being solvent depends on the returns made by your debtors but if it comes to a situation that your receivables are tied up, a factoring company can be of help so that you can transform your receivables to running capital to augment your cash flow needs. If you have a small business and you are having problems with your cash flow, check what can working-capital.com can do for you. Working Capital Company has been in the business since 1985 and has built a reputable name in the industry.

St. Patrick's Day and Buko

Because it is St. Patrick’s Day or Paddy’s day today, I would like to post something with the color green. St. Patrick is one of the patron saints of Ireland and his day is usually celebrated by wearing something green, displays of the shamrock leaf, eating Irish food (I am only familiar with corned beef and cabbage) and Irish drinks. A parade is always held in New York as a celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. I cannot think of anything green but I found this photo taken last summer 2007 at Paradise Island in Davao – not related to SPD at all but just something green. I wonder if they are still P40 a piece; never had a fresh young buko since then. So here it is:

~~~~~~

Here is Google's Celebration of Paddy's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Yummy Arby's

No time to cook dinner last night so we went to Arby's for a quick eat. This is my favorite - French Dip & Swiss Toasted Sub. It is made of thinly sliced roast beef with melted swiss cheese on a toasted sub. Before biting, dip it in the au jus ......yummy, yummy, yummy.
Their curly fries are our favorite too.

Welcoming Your Little Bundle of Joy

Do you know anybody who just had a baby? If you or anybody is shopping for custom designed Birth Announcements, check doodlebugdezigns.com. I stumbled on their Website while I was looking for photo thank you notes and holiday photo cards for my friend. You can see at their Website the different beautiful designs using your own photos or digital images. The designs will be all up to you with the help of their very creative experts who are always ready to assist customers with any questions. I wish I could have another baby because seeing those beautiful designs at their Website makes you feel like becoming a mommy again.

Happy Weekend

This week came by fast maybe because of the daylight saving time. Since Monday I feel better driving home still seeing the blue sky and not turning my headlights on yet. Although it was not that warm but we got some 50's and raining. One thing I still have to do is do a total car wash to totally get rid of any traces of winter under my car. Happy Weekend.

Dolphin Bubbles at Sea World Orlando

It is vacation time once again. My co-worker has just informed our HR her planned vacation this coming Easter weekend. She and the whole family will be in Florida starting April 10th to the 20th. During this time, the kids are also off from school for their spring break. She told me that they are considering driving instead of flying to Florida to save some money on airfare. It is probably a wiser decision because they are bringing five kids with them.

As she was doing their itineraries today, I suggested to her to make sure they go to Sea World to see the Dolphin Bubbles. I showed to her the video as seen on World News with Charles Gibson and she saw how amazing the dolphins are. Through Sea World Orlando’s Dolphin Cove, you are able to experience seeing the most amazing thing dolphins could do by making and playing with those bubble rings. I am sure this will be very entertaining not only for the kids but for the whole family. These are the natural behaviors of dolphins that you can capture or witness live through the big aquarium.

I have been to Orlando but I did not get the chance to visit Sea World. This is why we have to go back there, this time bringing my five year old. This Dolphin Bubbles is one biggest attraction that we surely would not miss.

Where is Your Tax Refund?

Do you wish to know when you are expecting your tax refund? You can click here and fill up the necessary information to get the status of your refund. I did not do the e-file for our tax but I already mailed it. Let's see how accurate the system is.

source: irs.gov

Importance of Stem Cell Preservation

A lot of Filipinos are mourning because of the demise of a famous artist in the Philippines. He died at a very young age of 44 only after eight months of battling from leukemia. He left behind a wife, eight kids and millions of fans and friends who tried to take a last glimpse of his body at his wake. I am sure he will surely be missed by his family, friends and fans.

In situation like this, I always feel the importance of the stem cell preservation technology that is being offered by C’elle. From us women, we are a great source of stem cells which can be found in our menstrual blood every month. Through C’elle’s revolutionary service, our stem cells are being collected through a special kit they provide us. Once our stem cells are transmitted to C’elle laboratories, they are processed and cryo-preserved for future medicinal purposes and known to treat a lot of life threatening diseases such as heart diseases, stroke, Alzheimer’s and a lot more. It is better to always be prepared for our health or for your parent or siblings. You can order now and avail of the special pricing that is being offered right now by C’elle by using the code CN200 upon checkout and you can have a savings of up to $200. Learn more about C’elle’s Stem cell revolution through their Website at celle.com.

Spring Forward

Have you changed your time? Make sure you did so that you will not be late for work tomorrow. How this day went by fast. We slept late last night, only 12:30 am but because of the daylight saving time, that means it was already 1:30 a.m. This morning, I was able to watch The Buzz very early around 6:45 a.m. then went back to sleep. We all woke up 11:40 am!!! I cooked breakfast then we went to Target and Sears. That's it for the day, and now it's already 5:00 p.m.

It was a beautiful 60 degree weather. Spring at last! Yehey!

Enter to Win $500 gift certificate

We always see on TV or read in the papers everyday about home foreclosures. Many homeowners are deciding to put their houses on the market because of not being able to afford their monthly payment. A lot factors affect the home owner’s decision and one of them are loosing their jobs. Before you do sell your homes, take some time in knowing the 101 Home Selling and Staging Tips that are being offered by energizedseller.com. They want to help homeowners by giving them practical advice or information on how to make their homes ready for sale to future buyers. For sellers, you want to improve your home without too much spending to attract buyers and make the sell as quickly as possible. And, as buyers, you want to buy a house that you can readily move in at anytime. The experts at energizedseller.com will help the homeowners out there to achieve this goal. Of course, when you are selling your home, you will have open houses by inviting future buyers into your house. But, you have one problem. You have a scary or funny pet that sometimes would surprise the buyers while visiting your place. If you have some pet pictures, submit them to energizedseller.com and you might be the lucky winner of their contest. As a prize, you get a $500 gift certificate from Lowes or home depot.


I don't think I can send the picture of my pet at home. He is a camera shy bird.

$4 Starbuck's Breakfast

Starbucks launched yesterday their new breakfast menu which probably can compete against McDonald’s dollar menu, value meal or breakfast. It is called the Starbucks breakfast pairings at a very affordable price of $3.95. It is available the whole day so you cannot say you miss breakfast anymore. You have two choices for your $4 breakfast: For a tall brewed coffee, you can pair it with the new artisan bacon or ham sandwich or the reduced-fat turkey bacon sandwich or the sausage sandwich. If you get the tall caffe’ latte (12 fl. Oz), you can get it with a reduced-fat cinnamon swirl coffee care or perfect oatmeal.

This recession period, everybody has to diversify to be able to survive it. I gotta taste this new breakfast pairings from Starbucks. The sandwiches sound good plus the coffee. Hmmm….perfect for a late breakfast this Saturday. I have a weekend off.

credit: starbucks.com

My Car Won't Start

We are ready to leave when I went outside to warm up the car. It won't start!!! I hear some noise but it does not kick in. I don't think it's the battery because I can see all the lights in the dashboard. Maybe it's too cold. It's 12 degrees right now. I was already advised before to put some anti-freeze on the gas tank but i did not do it. Hubby said to give it try after 15 minutes. I already called the school. Me and daughter are stuck inside the house. Hubby is already at work. Kung puede sana mag jeep or tricycle...wwaaahhh...wala dito kasi eh...kahit bus madalang!

Half-day Work Today

The snow and wind tapered off around noon so I decided to go to work. Actually, I attempted to leave around 7am because I did not see a foot of snow (probably 4-5 inches) but I turned around as i reach the highway. The streets are not plowed thinking that it was just a two hour break from another storm expected around mid morning. I just stopped by dunkin donuts to get some bagels and coffee. Around 12noon, it was clearing up so I decided to leave for work again. The main highways are clear but it was 19 degrees. I worked for five hours, got home around 6pm.

Chat Rooms for Mr. and Mrs.

We are having a snow storm today but when I woke up the snow has stopped. I am not sure now if we have work or not. I tried calling my job but nobody is picking up the phone. I immediately logged on to our chat room at married chat city to check if any of my co-workers are on line. Yes, I was able to chat with one of them. This is how we keep in touch with one another if we have no work. I have invited them to join the married chat so that we can make fun or talk things that we cannot do while working. Have you tried joining any married chat rooms? At marriedchatcity.com, you can join with no charge and meet a lot of friends. It is fun to be chatting with people that you share something in common. You can even see them through video cam services at the website. Start and enjoy making new friends now at marriedchatcity.com.

No School Tomorrow

Because of the big storm that will start tonight until tomorrow, classes in all levels here in our town have been suspended. We already got the phone from the school’s superintendent this evening. I think I am staying home too. My work is 13 miles away and to be driving in at least six inches of snow is very scary. I promised not to do it again. Although I made it to work but it was hell scary. It is not worth it if something happens to you. A 4x4 or an AWD is nothing when it is heavy snow. Sometimes even if how careful you are, accidents still happen. I am staying home and enjoy the snow with the little one.

Chatting With Friends

When we went to church today, I saw some friends that I have not seen since last year. I thought I was the one that is out of the circulation but no. All of them have been in constant communication with one another through the catholic chat city. I have been told about this catholic chat before but I never got the chance to register myself. They keep themselves updated of each other’s lives by going into the catholic chat room. To be a member, all you have to do is create a username, password, and submit an email address. This is your chance to meet, view and chat with fellow catholic from around the world. Please join catholichatcity.com. It is fun. I already saw a lot of my classmates from the catholic school in the Philippines. I do not want to be left behind anymore so I try to log on every night to check what is new with my chat mates.

Multi-tasker Mom Gets in Trouble

How can you be in trouble just by breast feeding your child? This mom is a multi-tasker. She was breastfeeding her child in her lap, while driving and talking on the phone. A motorist saw her on the road and alerted the police giving them her license plate number. The cops located 39 year old Genine Compton. Her defense was she doesn’t want her child to get hungry. She has been charged with child endangerment and faces up to 180 days in jail and a fine of $1,800 if convicted of misdemeanor.

credit: gmanews.tv

Great American Pie Show in Branson, Missouri

For the first time in Branson, Missouri, a pie show entitled “Branson’s Great American Pie Show” will be held on Friday, April 24th and Saturday, April 25th, 2009 at the Branson Convention Center. This show is being sponsored by Branson and Taste of Home Magazine with NBC’s Today Show host Al Roker as the celebrity judge on the final day. If you are interested in joining the contest, you still have time to submit your favorite pie recipe and who know you could be the one who wins the fabulous prizes. The first place winner gets $2500 cash and four day, three night trip for two in Branson, Missouri.

If you want to be a part and experience the first Annual Great American Pie Contest in Branson, MO, make your reservations as early as now. You can stay at the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing or at the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel, located adjacent to where the event takes place. They have reserved a block of rooms for April 20-29 to expect the large crown that will be attending the big event in Branson. Special room rates are also available until March 22 or until the group block is sold out.

As an added treat while you are in Branson, you will get the chance to see the NAIA college basketball championship, FLW Bass Tournament or the first ever Branson Airport air show without mentioning the various live entertainment and attractions Branson already have. Plan your spring vacation early and make Branson, MO as your first stop.

Plantains on Sunday Morning

I love plantains or “platano.” This is the alternative of our saging na saba in the Philippines. I cooked this by frying but my friend boils them like nilagang saging but I never tried that. If the plantain is not very ripe, I put a little sugar before frying but if it’s ripe already, I just put the sugar on the side after cooking. They are similar to our Dole or Chiquita bananas although the skin is thicker. I could make around eight to ten slices in one fruit. We always have them in the house. Like now, my daughter requested some as soon as she woke up. Sometimes, I can buy a bag of green plantains from Costco and I store them inside a brown plastic bag for a week and they will be nice and yellow ready for frying. Do not worry if you see some brown on the skin, the inside is still ok as long as it’s not too soft. We have “platanos” here but I still miss our banana cue that we buy from the tindahan.