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Friday's 10 Happy Things 12

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Welcome to another round of Friday's 10 Happy Things where I jot down ten things that made me happy this week. Keeping this list gets easier every week. Click the image below this blog post if you wanna join us spread happy cheers all around. 






Here's my happy things this week: 

1.   Roadtrip to west of Denmark (Jutland) and then to Germany! Yes, we survived it.    

2.   Combed the shores of Blåvand beaches to look for amber (Denmark's gold). It was an awesome experience. I would love to do it everyday if I live here.   

3.   Summer loves food! She like mashed bananas, avocados, potatoes, asparagus, zucchini, carrots and even blackberries. She is a dream! Feeding time is always fun time between her and I or even when her daddy feeds her.    

4.   Lost a few kilograms while on vacation. How often does that happen?   

5.   Learning Dansk by reading labels and road signs. I have to start from somewhere right? 

6.   One of my photos was featured for #myweekoffoundandforaged.

7.   Crossing the Big Belt and Little Belt (bridges) when we travelled from Hillerod to Jutland.  

8.   Scandinavian design - I am getting so much inspiration for our future house.    

9.   Learning to read maps.      

10.   New fonts in Creative Market.    

That sums up my happy list. Hope you enjoyed it!


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Our Scandinavian Vacation In Instagram

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I have not been active here in my blog for the past couple of months because of several reasons - adjusting to a new life being a mom, working on name wreaths (#NameWreathByKT in Instagram) for my followers and clients, and travelling among other things. I however have been active in Instagram because it is very easy to take a photo, share, and tell a story.

If you have been following me on Instagram (@ktnielsen24), I know that you have witnessed and shared in our first family travel in Scandinavia (Denmark and Sweden) and a bit of Germany (Flensburg). I have shared bits and pieces of our travel, Scandinavian home design, tourist spots, and of course pictures of my little daughter, Viktoria Summer.

I also noticed that ever since I started putting a little love in posting pictures, my followers have been steadily increasing and I can only be thankful. I have also tried to put more meaningful captions. I am still working on unifying the theme/color of the pictures and I have so much to learn. I shy away from using filters now but maybe one day I would be able to appreciate it too like most of the Instagram users I follow. I am also learning how to carefully craft photos so it would look "prettier" and worthy of attention. I have so much to learn and if you have tips please leave a comment and I would gladly try.

Let me share a few of my Instagram posts.

A photo posted by KT Peralta-Nielsen (@ktnielsen24) on

A photo posted by KT Peralta-Nielsen (@ktnielsen24) on



Fredensborg Palace The Queen and Prince Consort live at the Fredensborg Palace for extended periods of time. And in 2004, the Crown Prince couple took permanent residence in the Chancellery House. However now they live at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen. The beautiful Baroque-style palace is often the setting for important events in the lives of the Royal Family, such as weddings, anniversaries, and birthdays, and the Queen also receives Heads of State from all over the world at Fredensborg. The Palace is open to the public in July/August, on guided tours. The Palace Gardens are among the largest historical gardens in the country. A typically French Baroque element are the long broad avenues of trees radiating in a star shape from the centre of the palace. The part of the garden nearest the palace, the Reserved Garden, is the Royal Family's private area. However, in July, the Reserved Garden, as well as the Palace itself, the Vegetable Garden, and the Orangery are open to the public. Free admission to the Palace Garden all year round. Services are frequently held in the Chapel on Sundays and holidays. #Fredensborg #FredensborgSlot #FredensborgCastle
A photo posted by KT Peralta-Nielsen (@ktnielsen24) on






A photo posted by KT Peralta-Nielsen (@ktnielsen24) on

You may visit my Instagram feed by clicking this link


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Hello October

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"Everything has beauty but not everyone can see." -Confucius


Today, October 1st, I sit in my desk typing words in my computer just simply wishing to be at the very least make some sense and be somewhat coherent. I am still on our vacation high but a little sad that we're ending our family trip soon. There's only one museum left in our itinerary and we've practically crossed out all the items in our to-do list.

Yesterday, we were invited for afternoon coffee and tea and some pastry as well as cider and chips in a relative's home and I was asked the question "Are you excited to go back to the Philippines?'. I didn't bat an eyelash and I said "No!". I've fallen in-love with Denmark again much more than the last time we were here. Sure I miss my family and friends in the Philippines but I don't miss many other things but don't get me started on that (hello Manila traffic).

Our long walks made me appreciate how invigorating it is to live a stress-free life. I feel like our Scandinavian vacation has molded me into becoming a new person. I am more positive now, more energized to face the future and I feel content about my life, our lives.

That being said, I plan to make the most of what's left of our time here in Denmark. I will be updating  my blog as often as I can so I hope you come visit my blog again. Thank you for following our journey in Instagram. #TheNielsensInScandinavia

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Friday's 10 Happy Things 13

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Welcome to another round of Friday's 10 Happy Things where I jot down ten things that made me happy this week. Keeping this list gets easier every week. Click the image below this blog post if you wanna join us spread happy cheers all around. 






Here's my happy things this week: 

1.   We safely started and finished our Hillerod to Esbjerg to Flensburg to Blåvand to Vejle and back to Hillerod road trip. Too many happy memories made, three museums visited, two instances of misreading the map, one stronger unit of love and zero fight. Pure awesomeness. 

2.   Summer learned to say "mama" and "dada". I am not sure if she associates it to me or to her dad though. Milestone checked!   

3.   It's a bummer that we didn't get to see the Black Sun (Sort Sol). We were however so lucky to see quite a number of different species of birds on our trip to Rømø.     

4.   Picked raspberries and blueberries and ate them too. I wish I could do it everyday.    

5.   Earned $33 from Creative Market this week. Oh and yes if you haven't downloaded the free goodies this week yet, go ahead and do so - floral alphabet is up for grabs. 

6.   Visited Minibyen (Little Town) - scale model of houses, schools and churches made of the same materials as the real ones in Varde Kommune, Denmark. 

7.   Rediscovering the wonderful product that is Nivea Creme. My face has no dry spots anymore. They say it's a very good dupe for Creme de la Mer. I love that it's so cheap yet it works.    

8.   Almost completing our travel itinerary. I have only one museum left in my list and I can't wait to see it. I'll write a blog post about it if we ever get to go. This time it's for contemporary art.          

9.   Buying 800 grams of Nutella for less than 3 euros. Score! It will always be a guilty pleasure.             

10.    Pumpkins in the garden - all ready for halloween. Too bad we won't be here anymore. I should try and make a pumpkin pie instead before we leave. Great idea no?           

That sums up my happy list this week. Do you list down things that made you happy too? Do share, I would love to know. 


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Roadtrip and Signs

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We are back to the yellow house which we call home in Denmark from a little more than a week trip to Jutland (West Denmark) and Flensburg in Germany. We sure had fun making wonderful family memories. As we drove back to Hillerod, we couldn't help but wish that we had more time to spend but we feel lucky as it is to have the luxury of time in our hands to explore as much as we could.

Walking around Flensburg City Center

On the roads and city centers where we walked around, I observed the street signs and signages. I used it to remember where we came from and which road to take. I noticed that LED signage are mostly used in gas stations (where you pump gas yourself and costs a lot more than in the Philippines). Restaurant signage on the other hand are the fixed kind (mostly acrylic signage or stainless signage).

Moin Moin is used as greeting in Flensburg, Germany but also used in a signage of an establishment as seen here. I went inside shops in the afternoon and the storekeepers greet shoppers almost in unison "moin moin". The first time I heard it I thought they were saying "good morning/morgen". I was totally wrong! Until I passed by a souvenir shop and saw moin moin practically scribbled in all the items. Face palm moment!

My husband entrusted me the map reading as well. Me and maps will never be a good mix but I forced myself to learn reading it so we will not get lost and we survived. I also had a little crash course on the road courtesy of the hubby. Learning impromptu!

It rained cats and dogs on our way home from Germany to Denmark. Auf Wiedersehen! This sign makes me remember Heidi Klum. 

I would surely miss our road trips in this part of Europe. I feel so blessed that I was able to experience such unforgettable trip with my little family. In about two weeks we will be back in the Philippines again. We may not be in a road trip there and I wouldn't need a map to navigate the city anymore but it would be nice to come home to a warmer place somehow. I am sure I would not be lost when we go back because we've only just been away for less than three months and I am almost sure the signages in every establishment will be a good guide. After all, I am one of those that remembers signs so well (or so I think).

I would never forget where FEU is in Makati, or Makati Medical Center, or Mang Inasal in the corner of Filmore and Dayap Street is in Palanan because their signages will still be present. The comman denominator of the three is that the signage design were all made by M&G Global Ads.  M&G Global Ads is the leading signage maker and sign service provider in the Philippines. Oh and yes they also made the signages in Kidzania and assist businesses and organisations in imaging and branding needs.

Anyway, I need to go and prepare for my niece's birthday part later this afternoon. I'll see you soon Manila. Please be kind and I hope you embrace me back warmly.


DISCLOSURE: This is a sponsored post and I will thus be compensated. All opinions are my own.

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5 PRETTY SCRIPTS YOU'LL LOVE

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I wrote a blog post in March about 10 Oh So Pretty Scripts that I love and since then I have found 5 equally pretty script fonts that I wanted so bad to share with you. It has been 7 long months since then so I won't delay this round-up any further. Oh and yes, I still love modern calligraphy typefaces.

01 | STARSTRUCK

Starstruck is a hand-lettered script font that exudes charm and elegance. It's too sweet, sophisticated with seductive swirls! I've been using this font a lot in my name wreath projects. You can get Starstruck here. As you may have noticed by now, I used Starstruck in my blog header (inspired life and the letter "k" inside the wreath).

02 | STYLISH

Stylish is a font that is undoubtedly "stylish". It's a hand-painted brush script created by one of my favorite artists, Nicky Laatz. I love how natural-looking this font is - it looks like my own handwriting if I may say so. But alas, it's not because it's Nicky's work of art. You can get Stylish here plus bonus goodies.

03 | SORTDECAI

Sortdecai is the most popular font from SwistbInk Design Studio and in line with their 3rd anniversary, you can get $119 worth of the font family for only $27. This is an awesome deal and something you totally don't want to miss. You can get the Sortdecai font family here.

04 | SOULBEAMS

I got Soulbeams as part of a design package I bought a couple of months ago and I am not sure if it's for sale now as it is. I will update this as soon as I find out where you can directly buy or download this font. For now, you may browse through other fonts here.

05 | AMELIA'S QUILL

I got Amelia's Quill for free when I won in an Instagram contest in Nicky Laatz's feed. You may want to follow her if you want to win in one of her giveaways as well. She shares her fonts to her followers and her feed is worth the follow. If you can't wait for the freebie, you may get Amelia's Quill here.

What fonts are your favorites from this round-up? If your favorite is not part of this list, please leave a comment below so I can check it out. It could very well be the next font I will fall in-love with.


PHOTO CREDIT:Desk by Heidi Lau and all the rest are from StockSnap (edited using Adobe Photoshop CC 2015 to use the fonts featured).


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10 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT DENMARK

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Denmark is beautiful even more so in summertime (could have been more beautiful in spring I suppose). Denmark is clean - I drink straight from the tap and if I could only bottle up the air I would if I could. I don't see garbage on sidewalk, I don't see smoke belchers, even the harbors smell nice I tell you. Every city has its own charm, mostly revolving around medieval buildings, history-laden brick walls and paths as well as castles.

Besides history and the environment, the Danes are absolutely friendly (at least my husband's family and the people we have encountered on our hikes are). They are very welcoming and I always get a greeting "hej" even from kids. Everyone is happy (even the garbage collector and the postman to name a few). They wouldn't be the happiest country for nothing.

Now, let me count the ways (apart from the ones I mentioned above):

01 | The attitude of gratitude. 

Kids are thought to say thanks for the meal (tak for mad) to whoever prepared the food. I would want to teach Summer that as well. Every day that I stayed in Denmark, I hear "tak" or "mange tak" from family and even from strangers.

02 | No one crosses the street when the red traffic light is on - even when there are no bicycles or cars coming! 

Talk about discipline. I would love to live here for good and that's enough reason for me to consider moving knowing that I would be living with rule-following citizens.

03 | Urban planning and transportation is above par. 

Even if Denmark is an old country, road networks are impressive. Train system is good. I've only experienced one malfunctioning train and the delay was less than 5 minutes including the transfer to a new coach. Roads and streets are also clearly marked - if you know how to read and follow signs then you will never get lost.

04 | I love Danish food. 

Not everyone likes Danish cuisine but I love it. I love leverpostej. I love remoulade. I love medisterpolse. I love smorrebrød. I love frikadeller. I've also grown to love boiled potatoes after not having rice for more than 2 months. Maybe I was a viking in my past life.

05 | People mind their own business (especially in public transport - yes, trains and buses can be very quiet). 

I love this! I can enjoy the view outside without being distracted. I guess I am over and done with small talks (but I don't detest it at all - I would still respond when someone talks to me). No one speaks loud in public as well (ah, such a welcome scenario - the exact opposite of where I come from).

06 | You have to have an appointment before you visit someone. 

Great! Once you have the appointment, make sure you show up and be on time. Why do I like this? Well, as you might have guessed I'm not a big fan of surprises and I need time to prepare (the house, the food, etc) that's why I love this practice so much.

07 | Castles were carefully preserved and some restored. 

I love how they respect and cherish their history. I was amazed seeing kids at the Kronborg Castle with their teacher for an educational tour. Some castles were also transformed and now serves as museums. Even the castle grounds where the royal family lives is open to the public.

08 | Danish design (especially interior design). 

Clean, elegant, luxurious, timeless - just but a few of the adjectives that one can use to describe Danish design (Royal Copenhagen, Lyngby, Georg Jensen, Rosendahl, Lego, Pandora, Arne Jacobsen among others).

09 | Color me amber. 

I love that I can walk on the shores (west Denmark) and I can search for amber (Danish gold). The best coastlines to look for ambers will be in North Jutland. If you are lucky, you will find amber in different sizes in most beaches. Insider tip: The best time to look for ambers is after a storm.

10 | Educational system is second to none. 

It's free! It's F-R-E-E! Looks like  Summer is set for life.

Denmark you are golden to me! I will leave a big part of my heart when I go back to the Philippines. I can't wait to be back again. I highly recommend to include Denmark in your travel bucket list. Albeit the smallest of the Scandinavian nations, it has so much to offer. 

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FRIDAY'S 10 HAPPY THINGS 14

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Welcome to another round of Friday's 10 Happy Things where I jot down ten things that made me happy this week. Keeping this list gets easier every week. Click the image below this blog post if you wanna join us spread happy cheers all around. 

"The moments of happiness we enjoy takes us by surprise. It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us."
Ashley Montagu




Here's my happy things this week: 

1.   I managed to cook "pancit" without soy sauce. It took a long time for me to adjust the taste by using oyster sauce but it came out pretty decent I guess. My parents-in-law loved it and went for seconds. They also loved the liver steak and potato that came with the meal. Yey! 

2.   I was sulking last week for not hoarding enough of the Nivea Creme in Germany. Guess what? The supermarket we frequent here in Denmark is selling it at a discount this week. So much win! I bought a few more.    

3.   We went on a hike again around the Esrum Lake and I had fun picking sweet chestnuts and horse chestnuts. Sweet chestnuts have spikes and they can hurt your fingers - I learned my lesson. I thought the spikes were soft just like that of a rambutan. Big mistake! The other chestnut variety is a little smoother but it's the variety that is said to be poisonous. Mama nature got some tricks up her sleeve! I'll post a picture of the two chestnut varieties in my Instagram when they open. 




4.   Got to pick wild blackberries. I squeal in delight every time I see a thorny vine of wild blackberries because I get to pick for free.    

5.   Earned another $10 from Creative Market this week. Make sure to download the October Big Bundle. The font I used in the picture above is part of the bundle. Pay only $39 for $1,374 worth of awesome digital design goodies. 

6.   Tasted figs for the first time. I've never tasted the fruit before so it was a delight to taste some.



7.   Visited the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. I really enjoyed the Yayoi Kusama exhibit especially the Infinity mirrored rooms. I will write another blog post about the exhibit (probably while on our layover in Dubai on Monday). This museum is the last item in our itinerary before we fly back to the Philippines. I'm quite happy we managed to complete our list. 


    

8.   Denmark's official tourism Instagram page featured my photo of the "The Obliteration Room" at the exhibit. Yay!  #VisitDenmark       

9.   Managed to buy all Royal Copenhagen items in my list - 2 trips to the flagship store and 2 trips to 2 different outlet stores. Huge thanks to the hubby for patiently shopping with me.              

10.  I am half-way through packing our suitcases. That's enough reason to be happy I guess.                

That sums up my happy list this week. Do you list down things that made you happy too? Do share, I would love to know. 


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YAYOI KUSAMA EXHIBITION AT LOUISIANA MUSEUM

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One of the highlights of our vacation in Denmark was visiting the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebaek, Fredensborg Kommune in Denmark. The experience was surreal! I never thought that I would ever get to see Yayoi Kusama's exhibition of her mystifying modern art. The exhibit opened on September 17 and will be open to the public until January 24, 2016. So if you are in Denmark or scheduled to travel to Denmark, I would highly recommend to include this in your itinerary. It'll be worth it I promise.


The Louisiana Museum exhibition unfurls the whole of Kusama's life work: from early watercolours and pastels to her ground-breaking paintings and sculptures from the 1960's, psychedelic films, performances, installations and political happenings in the 1960's and the early 1970's, as well as shedding new light on works from the 1980's, after the artist's return to Tokyo. -Louisiana Museum website


Pumpkins! Can you count all the pumpkins? So much optical illusion here. 
Yayoi Kusama's Mirror Room (Pumpkin)
Yayoi Kusama was born in 1929 in Japan and still very influential in the world of modern and avant-garde art. Even at 86 years old, she's still making waves in the industry. She has expanded her infinity world by collaborating with leading brands such as Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs for a line of whimsical products. Aside from her use of dense patterns of polka dots and nets, she is also well-known for her immersive installations.

Infinity Nets Yellow, 1960, Oil on Canvas, 94.5 x 116 inches
This is one of Kusama's very large yellow painting - this masterpiece consists of yellow circles/semicircles painted on a dark ground. There is little texture but the obsessive pattern can hook you in an instant. From a distance, it looked as though the painting is monochromatic but up close you will see intricate details. I spent a few minutes ogling this piece. It's a classic example of perfectly imperfect work.

One of the hundreds if not thousands of museum viewers admiring Kusama's work on the day that we visited the museum.
"My desire was to predict and measure the infinity of the unbounded universe, from my own position in it, with dots – an accumulation of particles forming the negative spaces in the net. How deep was the mystery? Did infinities exist beyond our universe? In exploring these questions I wanted to examine the single dot that was my own life". (Autobiography, page 23).

This piece appears to be alive. I did not dare to come near this installation.
One of her famous "pumpkins".
As a child, Yayoi Kusama dreamed of a world covered in polka dots. Steadily, she built that world around herself and her eccentric personality, in a prolific career that spans performance art, sculpture, installation, collage, film, and painting. -Artsy Editorial

This room started out as stark white until every guest were given stickers inspired by Kusama's "The Obliteration".

THE SOULS OF MILLIONS OF LIGHT YEARS AWAY
INFINITY MIRRORED ROOM

I feel so lucky to have been inside this room alone. I stood mesmerized in this mirrored room on a platform with a shallow pool of water around and a dazzling array of LED lights suspended from the ceiling. I felt like I was in a different dimension. This made me conclude just how powerful Kusama's mind is - very unconventional. This could be vertigo-inducing I suppose. I dreamed of this room as a matter of fact after visiting the museum.







DOTS OBSESSION

"My artwork is an expression of my life, particularly of my mental disease". -Yayoi Kusama


The best time to go and visit the museum is during a weekday at night. The museum closes at 10PM so I was lucky enough to have this room to myself. So surreal. Here's another room that I got to experience all by my self.

See all these installations and more at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. Bring a friend so you get to go home with pictures in Kusama's "In Infinity" works of art.

After Louisiana, Denmark the exhibition will travel to:

Henie Onstad Kunstcenter, Oslo, Norway
Moderna Museet/ArkDes, Stockholm, Sweden
Helsinki Art Museum, Finland

I would love to visit another Kusama exhibition again in the future. Crossing fingers! Have you been to one? Let me know what you think of her modern art by leaving a comment. I would love to read about it.

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FRIDAY'S 10 HAPPY THINGS 15

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Welcome to another round of Friday's 10 Happy Things where I jot down ten things that made me happy this week. Keeping this list gets easier every week. Click the image below this blog post if you wanna join us spread happy cheers all around. 

“Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt

Here's my happy things this week: 

1.   Survived our journey back to the Philippines. It was bittersweet to say goodbye to Denmark (especially the perfect weather - at least for me) the whole time that we were there (except for the day when we had hailstorm). We also survived a very long layover (10 hours) in Dubai but since the airport was nice and there lots of things to see (and buy) I never felt bored one bit even if I didn't have a wink of sleep. 

2.   We were supposed to be charged DKK3000 or roughly around PHP21,000 for 8 kilos of overweight baggage but we managed to trim down our stuff to just half kilo less than the allotted allowance. We saved a hefty sum but we also lost several things (mostly magazines and toiletries). Even then, I am still overjoyed that all the porcelain I wrapped up so carefully with paper and bubble wrap survived the grueling journey back home. 

3.   You know that feeling when your craving is satiated? I felt that! It was like heaven when I tasted chicken adobo again (and rice). 

4.   Bought the "Pleasures" font and I am so happy using the swashes and alternate letters. Love it! I am pleased - indeed!    

5.   Summer learned how to clap this week - with sound. She has been clapping for the past 2 weeks but she didn't produce any sound initially so another milestone checked.  

6.   My blog was nominated for #Bloggys2015. I am elated and in case you wanted to help me be the People's Choice, you can vote using this link - http://bloggys.ph/section-3/

7.   The Denmark Tourism official Twitter account retweeted my link for my Yayoi Kusama blog post. So much win!

8.   Saw a tree with yellow and orange leaves a day before we left Denmark. I love autumn! 


       

9.   I attended a Danish wedding for the first time. The ceremony was no-nonsense (fast and to the point with a few songs in the hymnal book) and then champagne for all guests as soon as the ceremony is over. The wedding party was a whole different story - formal dinner, heartfelt toasts and super fun dance floor. 

10.  I was able to buy MAC Viva Glam Miley Cyrus and a Ruby Woo back-up from the Dubai Duty Free. Not sure if it was indeed duty free because the usual $16-17 tube of lipstick set me back $26. That's more than a hundred pesos than the regular price here in the Philippines. Still my make-up kit is happy and my pucker red and vibrant. LOL!          

That sums up my happy list this week. Do you list down things that made you happy too? Do share, I would love to know. 



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WIN A ROYAL COPENHAGEN GIFT

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One of my favorite porcelain brands is Royal Copenhagen. I have visited their stores (flagship and outlet) in Denmark when we were on vacation and bought a few items for myself and for friends. I am also quite elated that Fiskars Global granted me access to their official Royal Copenhagen press files two weeks ago.


GOOD NEWS! This Christmas season you can win not one but two Royal Copenhagen Star Fluted Christmas items for a friend - a beautiful cup and saucer and a jar with lid for your holiday sweet treats as well as small baked goodies.

PRIZES: Star Fluted Christmas jar with lid worth around Php4200 and Star Fluted Christmas 32cl cup and saucer worth around Php2600. 

Participants must be over 18 years old and not an employee in Fiskars and Magnetix (as well as their immediate family). What a relief! I don't have a family member working for Royal Copenhagen so maybe just maybe I could win this for a friend. There will be one winner each week until December 18. The prize by the way cannot be exchanged for cash. Participate here

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ALL ABOUT SUMMER

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I wrote an update about our little miss Viktoria Summer almost five months ago. After such a long break, here I am trying to recall what has happened since May. I am sure a lot has happened but everything seemed to have happened really quickly and it's all just a blur now. And boy, babies can change a lot in a month, even in a week's time. Since the last update, she has learned to crawl, laugh, bite, stand on her cot, high five, eat, and baby talk. She is undoubtedly very curious and active too.


SUMMER LOVES TO GROWL
She loves to growl (in a very sweet way) - with a smile on her eyes and lips. She loves it even more if you try to growl back. She thinks you are playing with her and she would repeatedly do it and then giggle. Sometimes I feel like it's her way to catch my attention.

SUMMER LOVES YOGA
Aside from cruising from one furniture to another with ease, she loves doing her version of a downward dog too. She also loves to stretch her arms and legs. There are also times when she would be on all fours and would drink her milk in that position. She loves her own style of "baby yoga".

SUMMER LOVES TO EAT
We started giving her pureed vegetables on her sixth month. She has tried zucchini, carrots, leeks, peas, sweet potato, potato, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, avocado, haricot verts, chicken and salmon. We also made a huge mistake by feeding her bottled baby food. I know we should't really be feeding her with this because of the sugar content and other artificial flavors but what made me decide not to feed her even again from the bottle was when I washed her bib and the color of the "fake carrot" just won't budge from the fabric. Since then, I have been religiously making baby food from scratch at home. It is easy to make and we can feed her fresh puree - way better than commercially packaged food for sure.

SUMMER LOVES BATH TIME
Summer loves bath time so much she would start giggling even before she dips her toe in the water. She likes playing with the water but she has not learned how to play with bubbles yet. I don't know if I should teach her this early or if I should have taught her earlier or if I needed to teach her at all. Mommies?

SUMMER LOVES TO WATCH CARTOONS
When the laptop is on, she would try to tap on the letters or press whatever key she could get her little baby fingers on unless you show her HooplaKidzTV. Once it's on her favorite show, she would settle and just stare at the screen. I caught her several times smiling and giggling while watching. She has no patience for buffering though because once the video stops, she would start banging on the keys again. Impatient little miss we have here!

SUMMER IS NOT SCARED OF STRANGERS
Summer has not developed stranger anxiety yet (although I am not looking forward to it). She would stare at any new face and after a few minutes, she would be smiling already. She's so easy to please.

SUMMER LOVES CO-SLEEPING
She prefers to sleep between Daddy and Mommy. She can sleep in her cot but she would wake up in the  middle of the night and cry. She, however, sleeps better when she knows that someone is beside her.

SUMMER LOVES TO MOVE
She loves to crawl. She loves to stand by holding on to the legs of a table or side of the couch or the legs of a chair or her own chair. She loves to dance and wiggle her baby bottom especially to her favorite song. She claps when she's happy. She shrieks just to hear her voice. She loves to bite and chew on anything she can get her hands on (her current favorite: any piece of paper). She's a handful now but I am enjoying every milestone that I witness. I feel so lucky that I am always with her - one of the perks of a stay-at-home mommy.

Current Weight: 8.645 kilos (19.06 pounds)
Current Height: 69 centimeters (27.16 inches)

There are still many milestones that I have not shared but I will stop here for now. I will write another post about an update on her growth so I can document as much information as I can. The one thing though that I learned thus far about  being a mom - I have realized that no one has the right to make me feel guilty over the choices that I have made in raring my daughter. The most important is that Summer is growing up happy, fed on time and on-demand, safe, and showered with unconditional love.

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TAKING GIFTING TO THE NEXT LEVEL

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I started writing my annual Christmas wish list for as long as I can remember. I love seeing my wishes written in ink (or lead when I still used a pencil) until it changed to being saved in a document in the abyss of my computer or to my smartphone as in this year.

I remember writing a whole list of material wishes when I was much younger - mostly toys and gadgets. Looking back, I wish I wished for a swimming lesson or a chance to be enrolled in an art class. When I became a teen, I started to wish for a bump in my allowance - so I can buy the most fragrant stationery in the bookstore or different colors of fountain pen. Looking back, I wish I wished for my parents to enrol me in a foreign language course. When I was in college, I wished for cosmetics, for books, for magazines, for CDs of my favorite bands/songs. Looking back, I wish I wished for my parents to send me to weekend culinary courses or how to play competitive tennis. Now that I am much older, married and a new mother, I know I have to wish for things that are practical and something that my household can use or something that can bring more laughter and joy inside our home.

Surprisingly this year, I have not penned my wish list yet. I haven't even written down my birthday wish list which was supposed to happen before the middle of the year. I guess my heart is so full of love for my darling daughter that I have forgotten myself - to reward myself that is. Reward for what? I guess giving birth to a human being is a feat that should be rewarded and all moms deserve to be granted a wish or two. Am I right?


But hey, aside from an 8-hour sleep or maybe not losing another strand of hair or a new wardrobe, I have items in my Christmas wish list. Let's get to the list, shall we?

MY CHRISTMAS WISHLIST

My Christmas wish list this year is a combination of items that I can use (and my family too - because c'mon mom's ought to think of her family too especially her children the moment she is given the privilege to be a mother). I'm not going to wish for another vacation because we just got home from a two-month vacation. I'm not going to wish for a swimming lesson either - because I guess it's too late. The cooking classes - I can probably teach myself. For the art class - I can attend workshops in the metro anytime. So, here's my simple grown-up Christmas list:

01 | Lingerie from La Senza - I "need to feel" sexy again (SM Mall of Asia) 02 | Several shades of MAC Lipstick - just because painting your lips with a happy color can instantly transform your rather drab "mommy look" (SM Aura Premier) 03 | Le Creuset Dutch Oven - for cooking stews with love (Crate & Barrel SM Megamall) 04 | Scandinavian-inspired lamp - our home is crying out for a chic and functional addition (SM City North Edsa05 | Dansk Lesson - this is a necessity (maybe take a course online) 06 | H&M Call Me Sugar apron from H&M Home (SM Makati) 07 | Crate & Barrel Quilts - to combat the cold nights (SM Makati) 08 | Kitchen Aid Food Processor 09 | ConAir Hair Dryer 

What do you think of my list? Do we have anything in common? Would you wish for the items in my list too? Maybe you have any suggestions for me to add, let me know...

Now that I am done sharing to you my list, please indulge me further and allow me to share my Christmas gift ideas for my loved ones.



FOR THE MEN I LOVE

Choosing gifts for men is a real challenge for me. I remember I would always wish to pick out a girl's name every time I participate in exchange gifts because choosing gifts for men is rather a difficult task. The truth is - it is easier to look for gifts for men. Why? You can never go wrong if you choose something that they can use and reuse all over again. You don't need to buy a car or a yacht for them (although some would have that in their wish list for sure), you just need to buy them something practical, sleek, and and brag-worthy.

01 | Wrench Set from ACE Hardware - for the handyman in every man02 | Oral B Vitality Toothbrush - for your big brother or little brother 03 | Tissot Wristwatch - for your daddy04 | Levi's 501 Jeans - for your boyfriend05 | Polo Sport Blue Perfume - for your cousin 06 | Red Grill - for your husband07 |  Swiss Knife - for a man you love who loves to travel08 | New pair of shoes - for the fashion conscious 09 | External hard drive - for your techie family member

FOR THE WOMEN I LOVE

As I have mentioned earlier, I would prefer preparing a wish list for women because it is way easier. I just think of the items that I might like and love and then think of the other person's personality as well. I have a very long list of gift ideas for the women I love but here's nine that I feel would be the most appreciated and treasured and of course used.

01 | Gucci Premiere - for the woman who loves to smell good all the time 02 | Kenneth Cole ladies timepiece - for the businesswoman 03 | Clinique Skin Care line - for your beautyholic daughter 04 | Powerbank - for the always on the go and online friend 05 | Nail Polish - for your sister who loves manicure and pedicure sessions 06 | Chic Laptop Bag - for the career woman in the family 07 | Scandinavian-inspired lamps - for the woman who loves interior design 08 | Red lipstick - for your sister 09 | Gym Bag - for every woman who loves to go to the gym and stay in shape

FOR THE LITTLE ONES I LOVE

I love buying anything for my daughter or my nieces and nephews. I think I am a spoiler - both with material stuff and attention. You know what's nice with kids and the young ones? They would love you just as much and give you the same hugs and kisses whatever gift you give them. Here's my gift ideas for the little ones that I love - so full of cute things in all color possible and would surely score you some tight hugs and sweet kisses.

01 | Onesies and dresses from Carter's - for the little baby girls02 | Educational toy - for the growing super-curious babies 03 | Christmas-inspired socks - for the teens 04 | Sunday's best dress with cardigan - for the chic little girl in the family   05 | Toddler bag - for the cute little boy06 | Lego Classic blocks - for little kids and big kids and kids at heart alike 07 | Mini Melissa shoes - for the fashion-forward little girls  08 | Christmas tree socks - for every kid in the family 09 | Holiday Barbie - for the little girl who loves dolls and dress-up

So there's my Christmas gift ideas for my loved ones. How about you? Is your list ready as early as now? The best thing about all the gifts above is that you can buy them locally and you don't have to travel far too. Giving is a wonderful feeling but please don't ever forget that apart from the material things, our loved ones also deserve our love, our time, and our attention among other things - which leads me to the next part of this post - not everyone feels loved because they don't have families, not everyone receives gifts because their loved ones prefer to spend on food or worse don't have food or any money to spend at all.

GIVING BACK THIS CHRISTMAS


This Christmas, as I have always done in the past Christmases, I plan to prepare a meal for the families who live near the bridge in our barangay and also prepare a little gift for the little boys and girls. I also plan to conduct a weekend reading and writing class in our garage for them since I have more time to devote now after quitting my corporate job. Any material thing can bring short-term happiness but the ability to write and read will help them as they face the challenges of the real world.

I also plan to buy bears through the SM Christmas Bears of Joy program - for just Php200, I get to keep one bear (which I plan to include in the Christmas gifts in line with my first plan above), while the other bear will be given to children from various orphanages and charitable institutions through the SM Cares Program. That's hitting two birds in one stone - two happy kids for an amount that is less than the cost of a venti frappucino and a slice of cake.

It may not mean much but I know it would mean the world for these kids. I would be elated to see their sweet smiles and the  joy in their eyes.

#MERRYSMCHRISTMAS2015

“For more updates about this year’s “Merry SM Christmas” campaign, visit SM’s official Christmas microsite (https://www.smsupermalls.com/merrysmchristmas2015) and follow its official social media accounts at Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/smsupermalls), Twitter (https://twitter.com/smsupermalls), and Instagram (https://instagram.com/smsupermalls/); and get an insider access to all the fun happenings at SM Supermalls nationwide through Viber (http://chats.viber.com/SMsupermalls). Shoppers can actively share their holiday merriments inside the SM Supermalls by posting their photos on social media and adding the hashtag #MerrySMChristmas2015.”

I hope I inspired you to come up with your Christmas list as early as now. Beat the holiday traffic and head over to the nearest SM super mall in your area. I'm sure there is one! Also, in the past years, SM offered free gift wrapping so I am almost sure that they would still offer the service this year.

Always remember that at the end of the day, it's still the thought that counts. Give love on Christmas day - make every day a Christmas day! Happy holidays ahead.

Disclosure: This is my entry to the Nuffnang and SM Supermall's Merry SM Christmas Blogger Contest. As usual, all thoughts and opinions as well as suggestions mentioned in this post are entirely my own and were not influenced by any of the brands mentioned.  

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FRIDAY'S 10 HAPPY THINGS 16

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Welcome to another round of Friday's 10 Happy Things where I jot down ten things that made me happy this week. Keeping this list gets easier every week. Click the image below this blog post if you wanna join us spread happy cheers all around. 

As you can see I am on still on a travel high, more like vacation high (based on the cover picture for this post). I'm also planning to chop up this blog and separate my posts into it's own niche so let's see if I will be able to do that. I don't wan to bite more than what I can chew so I leave it all up to my determination and diligence and see what will be realized. For now, I am going to share to you my happy things for the week. 

“Man is fond of counting his troubles, but he does not count his joys. If he counted them up as he ought to, he would see that every lot has enough happiness provided for it.”
Fyodor Dostoevsky



Here's my happy things this week: 

1.   Business is booming. I am very thankful for how my passive income is turning into now. Along with the increase in sales means more spending power for me. It's still a couple folds to equal what I earned when I had my regular corporate job but still I would appreciate whatever amount that I earn now.  It's fun! I enjoy managing my "little business". Check it out when you have time if you want to switch to organic skincare also. I just hope no one would send me inquiries in the middle of the night though because I feel compelled to respond so I'm losing sleep lately. 

2.   I discovered a cheaper way to send documents and parcels and more convenient too. Win!  

3.   We went to see Summer's pediatrician for her regular monthly check-up (she missed 2) and follow-up doses for her vaccine shots and happy to share that apart from her milestones which I shared here, she is also growing steadily and still a well baby.  

4.   Whipped up a yummy meal for the little miss with only three ingredients - squash, cinnamon and water. I roasted the squash in the oven for 20 minutes and used a hand blender to puree it. It was so yummy I had to eat a spoonful! Haha!     

5.   The husband discovered a cheaper way to transfer money to my bank account online. Eureka! It's cheaper and faster compared to bank-to-bank transaction. We tried to transfer around $200 dollars before (kroner to US dollar) and we were charged more than a thousand pesos. For the online transfer however, we were only charge around 210 pesos.     

6.   Wrote a blog post about my Christmas wish list and my gift ideas for my loved ones.  Have you written yours? 

7.   Summer touched my hair and uttered "mama" while she played beside me and I was tinkering on my phone. Too precious! 

8.   Watched old episodes of Ultimate Airport Dubai and Klovn (my favorite comedy Danish sitcom).

9.   Shipped most of the items  that my friends requested for me to buy from Denmark. There's only a few items left. Looking forward to clearing Summer's cot with all the items next week. Hopefully! Yes, her crib serves as our little "warehouse". 

10.  Red RibbonTriple Chocolate Roll. So rich and gooey! 

That sums up my happy list this week. Do you list down things that made you happy too? Do share, I would love to know. 



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THREE YEARS AGO TODAY

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Exactly three years ago today, I walked down the aisle to marry my ex-boyfriend turned forever husband. I remember how I woke up that day feeling so positive and happy and not even thinking of the minute details of the wedding anymore. We had our last breakfast as boyfriend/girlfriend at the hotel restaurant where we stayed and then went on with the preps for the ceremony.

It rained that day - hard! There was a typhoon and some parts of General Santos City were flooded and this rarely happens. After my hair and make-up was done, I looked out of the hotel room window wishing the rain would stop because it would be very inconvenient for our wedding guests to travel and brave the typhoon just to come be with us. It continued to rain in the afternoon and I even got a little bit wet when I got out of the bridal car. Our outdoor garden wedding became an indoor wedding instead. The typhoon can't deter us alright! The ceremony pushed through and we were married before the day ended.


I watched the video again and it's so funny to look back at how I stepped on my mom's dress. LOL! She also didn't want to be made up that day because she's not used to make-up. She's the face powder and lipstick kind but after she got dolled up she exclaimed, "Ay gwapa man gali ko kung may make-up!" ("Oh, I look beautiful with make-up!"). She indeed looked radiant that day. My dad was just his usual self - cool, calm, collected - not a worry on his face. We personally wrote our vows and the video only showed part of it but until now the words still tugs at me. I still get teary. It's also funny to remember how my pink wedding shoes were "stolen" by a hotel guest while the videographer was shooting scenes for the on-site video inside the elevator. The hotel security had to go knock on the guest's hotel room to retrieve my shoes. The nerve! I never knew who that person was and my mom was more affected when she learned my shoes mysteriously disappeared.


Fast forward to today, we're now celebrating our 3rd anniversary and blessed with a blissful married life and a charming little bundle of joy. We may spend most of our days in a year apart but I rest in the fact that we have a lifetime of togetherness ahead of us. We have all tomorrows waiting for us. I can't really tell what will happen but I pray each night for God to prosper our married life and for it to be protected. It's only through God's grace and favor that we can weather all the storms that we will encounter.

How do you celebrate your wedding anniversaries?


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FREE PRINTABLE HOLIDAY GIFT TAGS

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Hello my dearest blog readers!

Are you all knee-deep in wrapping presents now? I sure am. I still have a few items I brought home from Denmark that I needed to wrap and send to friends. I also started shopping for holiday presents for my family already so you can just imagine the scenario in our home now - gift wrappers and ribbons and tags occupy even the odd places - including the dining table.

I really wanted to celebrate Christmas this year because it will be Summer's first ever Christmas. Although hubby won't be home with us, I will try my very best to fill in the void of his absence. Summer will get double the hugs and kisses from mommy for sure.

I'd like to share some gift tags to you in printable format and I hope you will like it and maybe even use it. You may send me an email or leave a comment below and let me know which design you like so I can send the high resolution file to you. Oh and yes, I can personalize the tags for you too by adding your name in the card.

Have fun wrapping presents for your loved ones (and for your self too). Here's to spreading holiday cheers! 


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FRIDAY'S 10 HAPPY THINGS 17

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Welcome to another round of Friday's 10 Happy Things where I jot down ten things that made me happy this week. Keeping this list gets easier every week. Click the image below this blog post if you wanna join us spread happy cheers all around. 


“We all live with the objective of being happy; our lives are all different and yet the same.”
Anne Frank







Here's my happy things this week: 

1.   I witnessed Summer's attempt to stand without support (wobbly legs and all) - and she was successful! She managed to stand alone for 2 seconds at least. Way to go my little adventurer. You make mommy so proud. I'm glad and undoubtedly feel so lucky to have witnessed most if not all of my daughter's milestones. I'm glad that I am with her most of the time - since I gave birth. 

2.   Hubs and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary. It was a low-key celebration - nothing pompous and grand. Yet, it was meaningful and unforgettable. We just had lunch in a restaurant with family and spent the afternoon in a bowling alley. Strike!

3.   Created my first ever free printable holiday tags and made it available for all my blog readers who wants to get a head start on wrapping presents for the holidays. Please email me if you want the high resolution copy. 

4.   I discovered a mock-up scene editor and my life changed for the better. Haha! I know I am exaggerating but try it out and you'll like it at the very least. So easy to use and so many accessories to play with. It's also a plus point that the creator is from Denmark so some of my Danish design favorites are part of the editor. 

5.   Hubby is onboard Nord Sustainable already. I'm sad that he had to leave again but I am happy that he joined the ship in Singapore. Hello same timezone! I don't know until when we will be on the same timezone but they are headed to Guam in the next few days so we have a little bit of time to adjust.       

6.   Finished two commission work this week - wedding invitation and a large format poster. I never thought I would be able to do such things let alone dabble into digital art. Who would have known? Anyway, if you are interested to have something made - invitation, tags, stationery, name wreaths, etc - please let me know. It won't cost you an arm and a leg. My clients were actually surprised when I told them how much I charge for the projects. 



7.   My niece is such a darling! She can imitate the way I say "no, no, no, no, no!".  I was wrapping fragile items from my online store one night and then she came inside the bedroom and started to pick up stuff and transfer to another container so I said "no, no, no, no, no!". If you ask her now what Tita said, she would say "no, no, no, no, no!" in a very cute way. Hahaha! 

8.   Watched old episodes of Ultimate Airport Bangkok. Why don't we have at least one world class airport here in the Philippines? 

9.   I manage to ship ALL Royal Copenhagen items to my clients - zero casualty. Thank you Emirates Airlines, LBC, JRS and Fastrack. I'm now a little bit more confident to pack because I think I am a good packer. Hahaha!

10.  Chatime Pearl Milk Tea - large, 50% sugar, less ice. My guilty pleasure. I can have one everyday. Never mind the calories!

That sums up my happy list this week. Do you list down things that made you happy too? Do share, I would love to know. 



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MY BELKIN WISHLIST

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If your birthday is coming up or you are trying to finish writing your holiday wishlist, I strongly suggest that you include a nifty gadget to get you through the holidays and the coming years ahead. As much as I want to be "wired" and "connected" all the time, I have identified several items that I am planning to buy for myself this Christmas or maybe wish so hard to get them all as gifts.

In all honesty, I can't imagine myself living without internet anymore, whether I am inside the house or when I am out and about. That's why it is really important for me to have power cables and power packs anywhere I go. I bet you do too. If you are still thinking of what to buy to up your tech power, I ask you to please go through my list as I share my Top 5 most wanted Belkin products.


I would not want to ever run out of battery power ever again. I can still remember how much memories I failed to capture when we went on vacation. I missed to capture family moments on our beach trips, road trips as well as the wedding we attended all because I ran out of battery. Gaaaah! I felt so frustrated and helpless to say the least. 

MY TOP 5 MOST WANTED BELKIN PRODUCTS


You see I included all these products in my most wanted list because I feel that these are all what I needed to be connected "all the time". These aren't big ticket items as well so these would mean I would not put so much dent in my wallet if I decide to get a few of these. I can very well add any of these in my family Christmas wish list as well. Hint! Hint! 



BELKIN DUAL SWIVEL CHARGER WITH LIGHTNING TO USB CABLE

What I really like most about the Belkin Dual Swivel Charger is that I can charge two devices at the same time. How convenient is that? The swivel charger also rotates at 90 degrees to accommodate hard-to-reach electrical outlets and the prong folds so very convenient for storage as well. Now, I don't have to buy an extra charger because I can now charge my iPhone and iPad at the same time. 

My sister's family is vacationing in our house now so that means we have double the amount of gadgets to charge. It's a challenge not having this gadget because we have to take turns in charging our phones and tablets. If only we have this swivel charger then we can charge two at the same time. 


BELKIN SINGLE 2.1A USB CAR CHARGER WITH 4-INCH LIGHTNING CABLE

I personally don't own a car charger yet so it's high time to get one or two. I plan to give the other one to my husband when he comes home from another overseas stint. What I love most about this product is that I can use it at home and also inside the car. It's also a fast charger so it would make road trips more fun. With the heavy traffic in Manila especially now that we are approaching the holiday season, this product is an essential. 

I can still vividly remember how frustrated I felt when we went on a road trip to Germany from Denmark and I ran out of battery because we did not have a car charger with us. I planned to snap pictures on the road but I wasn't able to and I would not want that to happen again. It's a definite must buy!  


BELKIN 1.2 METER LIGHTNING SYNC/CHARGE BRAIDED CABLE (GOLD)

What I like most about this braided cable that syncs and charges at the same time is the color. So glam! So fit for the holiday season. I have a gold phone as well so they would be two peas in a pod - perfect match! 


BELKIN MIXIT 1.2 METER LIGHTNING SYNC/CHARGE CABLE (PINK)

This pink cable is L-O-V-E! Aside from the color, I love that it can sync all my lightning connector devices quickly and safely. If you do not like pink, there are six more colors to choose from and you can mix and match too.  Of course, data transfer is also a breeze with this two-in-one cable. 


BELKIN MIXIT 4000mAH POWER PACK

Here's another pink beauty! What I like most about this charging device is that it has two USB ports so I can charge my iPhone and iPad at the same time or maybe share one port to a friend. I can charge it overnight (8 hours) and I am set for the day wherever I may go. 


A day without these most wanted Belkin products would mean time away from checking my emails, being in constant contact with my family overseas, timely response to my business clients, boring hours while stuck in horrendous traffic among others.

Can you imagine attending a Christmas gathering and running out of battery? Yes? Not good right? You always wanted to be ready so you don't miss to capture that perfect moment to document your holiday happy moments. 

Can you imagine being stuck in traffic and your car broke in EDSA and you don't have battery left? Yes? It can be a horrible experience not being able to call for help. If you're stuck in traffic and running late for a business meeting and your battery phone died and you don't have a car charger with you - how can you inform your business partners or clients? Not good yeah? 

Photo Credit: EgoMagOnline Running out of battery is NOT FUN. Que horror!
Now that our world basically revolves around being wired and staying connected, these gadgets aren't just considered wants anymore but rather can be considered as needs. 

Let me share my Lazada wishlist to you (click the picture below to view). I made it a public wishlist as well so you can view the page and read about each of the products. Of course, you too can add any of these products in your own wishlist as well. Once you are done with your Lazada wishlist, you have the option to send it to your friends in Facebook, email or just go ahead buy them all for your self. 

If you are still trying to come up with your Christmas wish list, you might be interested to check out the Belkin products sold by Belkin PH by Macpower. You will for sure get the bang for your buck.

Please feel free to share your Top 5 most wanted Belkin products by sharing in the comments below. I would love to know what's in your wishlist.

Disclosure: This is my entry to the Nuffnang and #BelkinWishlist Contest. As usual, all thoughts and opinions as well as suggestions mentioned are entirely my own and were not influenced by the brand and merchant mentioned in this post.
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THE SUNDAY CURRENTLY - STARTING OVER AGAIN

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Good morning happy Sunday, the first day of November!

I am back - basically starting over again with "The Sunday Currently". I've been meaning to join again after I gave birth but I have been so busy doing all sorts of things that I didn't have enough commitment to push through. So after a year and 4 months, I'm here again...



Today will be a day of working on commission work (I'm dabbling into strange territory now and I will write more about this in a separate post). Now that I don't have a regular job, I am itching to keep myself busy especially when my little darling is napping/sleeping. I just have to do something to save my sanity and doing something means getting busy in the kitchen or spending time online.




I am actually pretty excited to join again so here goes:

I am currently...

reading Photoshop tutorials online. I learned everything I know about Photoshop through design forums. I actually don't know a thing about Photoshop until I decided that I have to learn how to use it so I decided to buy the monthly subscription. Having to pay to use it compelled me to learn as much as I can before the membership expires. I have not started manipulating photos yet so all I use the software for is to add text or work with templates and mock up scenes.

writing waybills for the items that I will ship to my online store clients. I can print it but I have to save up on printer toner because our toner is not the cheap kind.  I'll save that toner for more important documents (documents for visa processing, etc) to print.

listening to the Denmark Top 50 on Spotify - because I kind of miss our road trips when we were on vacation. When I hear the songs I'm transported back to our Denmark/Sweden/Germany trip. I can't wait to go back.

thinking about renovating our apartment kitchen. Then again, we will be moving to our house soon so it's just going to be a waste of money. I'll consult the hubs when he's back online. I'm also seriously thinking about moving to Wordpress however the sentimental value of this blog is the biggest roadblock.

smelling the wonderful aroma of Royal Copenhagen RC Blend tea. I have to get more of this blend when we go back to Copenhagen.

wishing for me to get well again. I've been under the weather for the past couple of days and I have not been sleeping beside my baby daughter because I don't want her to catch my cold. I've loaded up on Vitamin C and hopefully I'll be well the soonest. I miss kissing my little munchkin.

hoping that the internet in hubby's ship will be stable so we can still communicate when they sail to Guam from Singapore.

wearing my nightdress. It's almost 2AM and I am still up.

loving how my baby responds to the solid food that I've fed her. She recently tried persimmon and she finished it like a champ. Today, I am going to make roasted squash with cinnamon. I am slowly introducing spices to her food so she'll grow up to be an adventurous eater.


wanting to redecorate or at least rearrange our bedroom but there's only so much I can do. I can't wait to move to our new house so there would be more space.

needing a good massage. I haven't had a good body rub ever since I got pregnant so I guess it's about time to call for a therapist.

feeling excited! I joined two blogging contests and I hope I win at least one. Read my entries hereand here.

clicking through tips and tricks on how to use Photoshop. I'm quite serious about learning more so I can at least recoup my membership fee.

So yeah, that's my Sunday, currently! How about yours? I would love to know what are you up to today.

Here's my old archive of The Sunday Currently. If you want to join us, click here or here

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10 TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL ONLINE DATING

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I've been asked many times where I met my husband and so I decided to write about it here along with 10 tips for successful online dating. Online dating and I go a long way back to be honest. I talked to a few until I met my husband halfway through 2011. We were engaged and married the next year. It was, you could say, a whirlwind romance but you will know and feel when the relationship is for keeps.

I know many of you will frown or raise eyebrows but this article is meant for those who are seriously looking to find their soulmate online. I've tried the old school dating scenario as well so I've tried the best and worst of both worlds so to speak.

So if you'd like to meet someone online to bring to your real world, here are 10 tips for successfully snagging your match (trust me, it does not involve rocket science):





01  CREATE A WELL-THOUGHT-OUT PROFILE

Write and rewrite what you will include in your profile. Sleep over it. Your profile should be well-thought-out and should contain a catchy headline, your picture and biographical information about yourself,  Your profile is your one and only chance to make a good impression. Be detailed to a point but don't write a story. Keep it short and simple and positive and don't forget to spell check.

Extra Tip: Instead of writing about your personality, let your personality shine in the words that you will use in your profile. 

02  PICTURE PAINTS A THOUSAND WORDS 

For the profile picture, if you have one with minimal make-up then use it - the more natural looking the better.  Suffice it to say, do not submit a picture with you and your family and your whole friends. Your profile is yours and the picture should be with just you. Oh and yes, ditch the sunglasses.

03  HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY

But you have to learn to create a curiosity gap. You don't have to spill all the beans. You just have to make sure that everything you write in your profile is the truth - zero lies. You also need to be honest when you exchange emails already. Never fabricate information to appear cool. Be yourself!

Extra Tip: You need to be honest to yourself too. Know what you want (preference) and stick to it. 

04  PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE (just another cliché)

Do not get discouraged when you can't seem to find an interesting person or at the very least a decent profile. Remember, nothing worth having comes easy. I created my profile in 2005 and I only started talking to my husband four years after. Four years is like forever in the online dating world so to speak.

When you finally find the "one", be patient as well. Don't rush it! Just let the relationship blossom into the next phase. Getting too attached too soon could hurt you really bad in the end.

05  DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ 

Ask questions. Learn to read in between the lines. Take down notes. Google the person's name and see if you can find any information about him or her. When I say don't believe everything you read I simply mean that you should not be gullible and just believe that you just found the inventor of post-it notes in the dating site you signed up for. Oh and yeah don't easily fall for sweet talkers too.

06  COLLECT AND SELECT 

Yes you read it right! You have to collect - talk to different individuals and rate them and based on your own rating system you can then select. Do not settle for the first one that will come your way. Of course, keep your options open. Take advantage of the opportunity to choose - it's a numbers game after all.

07  DO THE MOVE

Don't just wait and sit. Do the first move if you feel like doing it. No one will judge you.

08  ADJUST YOUR EXPECTATIONS

If you signed up in the dating site to look for someone to date and build a relationship with, you have to learn how to adjust your expectations. Do not expect for a fantasy to happen. Be realistic and don't start to imagine about the other person being the "perfect" person because again no one is perfect. We all have flaws.

09  BE OPEN TO MEETING YOUR MATCH

C'mon! Forever will not wait for you. Two weeks of exchanging messages back and forth is I guess the perfect timing as in my experience with my husband. We spent at least 4 hours everyday talking (even if we were living in different time zones) and getting to know each other. After two weeks he decided to book a flight to the Philippines to meet me and the rest they say is history. So yeah, when there's a chance to meet up, go ahead and show up.

10  SAFETY IS PRIORITY

While exchanging messages, don't give out too much information about you. Don't divulge your social security number or passwords. You can never be 100% sure about the other person until you two finally meet. Meeting may even not assure you that the other person is genuine so don't give out your trust in a silver platter. Take calculated risks.

When you do decide to meet up, tell a friend or family member where you are going. When I first met my husband, I tagged a friend along which he really didn't mind. We had dinner, watched a movie and got home safe.

Please note that these are just tips and not in any way the only things that you need to do or not do in order to have a successful online romance. Look at online dating as a means to an end and not the end all be all. At the end of the day, you have to learn how to love yourself first before anyone can and will love you.

Have you used an online dating service? How was your experience? Share your stories - I would love to know.

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