How I set-up my 1st Aquarium

Got some free fresh water fish from Bioresearch’s “The Lost Eden”, after going on a Mini field trip. Kudos to the management and staff of The Lost Eden for the brilliant marketing strategy. Each child that joins the tour is given a fish to take care and take home. If you currently don’t have an aquarium at home, chances are you’ll be purchasing the equipment and supplies from them.

I was still in the 6th grade when I last had an aquarium. The technology has changed much since then and I couldn't remember where to start. The logical step is ask around, but be sure to just ask for the basics, as there are a lot of equipment and supplies that you can put into your aquarium which may eventually cost more than you bargained for.

Here’s a list of equipment and supplies to get you started:

Reasons why you should consider starting your home garden

The summer heat has really been so unbearable this past few weeks that we've finally decided to do something about it.  Turning on the air conditioning unit is one way to go about it, but the rising cost of electricity bills isn't going to cut it. 

One day, during a stroll in the park We noticed how the trees keep the park relative cool despite the scorching heat.  Since our room is directly beside our terrace which has no roof to cover it, We decided to buy Chinese bamboos and place it on our terrace.  Chinese Bamboo is relatively easy to maintain and tends to multiply rapidly.  We discovered that placing the plants, not only reduces the heat coming into the room but it also reduces the accumulation of dust particles.

Sunday's, Family Day, and The Feast @ Festival Mall Alabang...

My wife and I used to be active members of our local YFC groups at school. It was through our participation in YFC that We first met. All through-out our college years, We were active member of YFC. But work, family responsibilities and daily schedules has greatly reduced our participation. With 2 small kids and another one on the way our interaction with God has also been reduced to daily prayers and going to mass.

Sunday is a very special day for us. As a family We always look forward to our Sunday's. It's the only day in the week were We get together as a family.  It's also the only day in the week were We give 100% attention to the family and opening of our computers and working from home is considered a no-no.  We usually spend our Sunday's going to mass then visiting our parents or eating out together. We were raised as catholics and of course We want to bring-up our children to the catholic faith. Since our kids are still young to go to school and Sunday school is not available in our community, We searched for a group where We could bring our kids so they could interact with other children while learning about the catholic faith...

As faith would have it, somebody introduced us to The Feast in Festival Mall Alabang.  Aside from the celebration of the Mass during Sunday's, they also have a short prayer meeting sponsored by the Light of Jesus Family were you could learn about how you could improve your relationships and the way We look at our lives.  And the also have a Kids Feast for your kids.  So for 3 weeks now, My Family and I have been going to The Feast at Festival Mall Alabang, and it has been a welcomed experience for our family. Going to 

The Feast every Sunday has closer not only to God, but also as a Family. We encourage you to bring your own Families to The Feast at Festival Mall Alabang, it's truly an enriching experience.

Starting March 10,2012 The Feast @ Festival Mall Alabang will be having a new schedule:

Every Saturday:
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm Saturday Feast
7:30 pm  - 8:30 pm Anticipated Mass

Every Sunday:
10:30 am - 12:00 nn First Session
12:00 nn - 1:00 pm Mass
2:00 pm - 3:30 pm Second Session
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm Mass
5:00 pm - 6:30 pm Third Session


Check out The Feast @ Festival Mall Alabang
2nd Level, X-Site Entrance, Festival Mall,
Alabang, Muntinlupa City

Living a Healthy Life is a committed choice

I used to take pride in having a fast metabolism.  I could eat anything and do almost any physical activity without even breaking a sweat.  I could play an entire basketball game without being substituted.  Having a 28 inch waist line is a good index of my former physical stature.  But age does have its way of catching up on us.  From 110 lbs., I gradually grew to 165-175 lbs.  My weight gain may not be much for some, but for someone whose weighed less than 100 lbs. most of my adult life the extra weight is quite a burden.   I forgot to take care of myself, I stopped exercising, I ate too much and drank too much of the wrong foods.  It wasn't until I reached the age of 30 that I decided that I didn't want to live like this.  I was diagnosed with pre-hypertension and classified as OB2 on my BMI.  At first I thought of it as a funny joke.  I used to tell myself that it's normal for people of my age to feel this way.  But I found out otherwise.  I felt always tired and sluggish.  I experience all sorts of body pain.  Even going through a flight of stairs became more of a challenge than a daily routine.  Pill popping with all sorts of headache and pain reliever became part of my daily routine and no matter how much sleep I have, I still seem to be always tired. Then I would make a life changing decision that would change my life and the way I live for the rest of my life.  The birth of my second child came with additional responsibility.  If I was having trouble raising one child, how much more 2?  Then I made a committed decision not just for myself, but for my family that I would live a healthy life.  But don't get me wrong the results didn't happen overnight.  It took me almost 2 years to reach my ideal body weight.  There was no magic formula, just a series of steps and rules I set for myself to achieve my goals.  Here are some of the steps I took on my way to a Healthy Life:

1.  I cut down on eating processed foods and drinks. If it's stored in a can, it's definitely not for me.
2. I refrain from drinking alcohol and soft drinks...
3.  I reduced my intake of fatty and oily foods. I try to take in more fruits and vegetables than I usually did.
4.  I don't each junk foods...
5.  I reduced the amount of salt and sugar intake from my diet...
6.  I drink plenty of water whenever I can...
7.  I reduced my pork intake, I normally eat fish and chicken...
8.  I go to sleep early before 10 P.M. and wake-up early around 5-6 A.M. the next day...
9. I walk to wherever I want to go, whenever I can...
10.  I try to get some exercise as much as I can...

As you can see the steps I took in living a healthy life are not new.  I didn't force it upon myself to do it all at a time.  Gradual steps I took daily led me to a healthy and fruitful life. The how is no longer important, if you have a strong enough why.   As of my last annual Physical test, I am now within my normal weight of 150-153 lbs. with no signs of hypertension.  I am living proof that change is possible. I was able to do it so can you...

Connecting to family, friends and loved ones and the power of the internet

I could still remember a couple of years back when I was still conducting and attending trainings overseas. During that time the Internet was still developing.  Dial-up connections was still the popular.  Though broadband connection was already available, it was still quite expensive and available to mostly corporate clients and a few selected hotels. I could still remember an experience I had connecting to 1 of the prime hotels in Singapore. During that time they were supposed to be one of the few hotels which offer premier Internet connections.  However, you still needed to dial-up to establish a connection.  The problem was, you had to pay for each connected or attempted connection. It was very difficult to establish an Internet connection and I ended up with a SGD 100 bill. So I resorted to use prepaid cards and mobile roaming calls. Overall, I paid a whooping Php 40k for a months usage of mobile roaming calls. As the Internet connection improved, messenger services became very popular and accessible. Yahoo messenger and Skype became very popular during that time as it allowed you to do PC to PC chat. However, I found Chikka messenger very useful as it allowed me to send SMS messages from PC to mobile phone and vice-versa. This used to be a free service, but now for a small fee you can still send messages from your PC to a mobile user. The recipient mobile user just needs to reply to the message sent from the Chikka messenger user. For a time mobile 3G communication became a fad, but eventually died out as cost of the service was quite expensive, both user had to have 3G capable phones and 3G service was network dependent. Eventually, Yahoo and Skype offered audio and and video calls.  This eventually became the standard for what we have today.  The improvement in Internet connection made this technology possible. Internet connection today is measured by speed and bandwidth. Broadband connection is no longer limited to offices and businesses, but is in fact a part of every house hold. Social media sites soon followed, and offered their own brand of communication.  Today mobile web browsing has enabled Internet access outside the confides of traditional PC and notebook user.  Today, using your mobile phone you can connect to other people around the world through mobile web browsing. You can answer e-mails, access messenger services, connect to social media sites or remotely connect to your home or office PC. Indeed technology has gone very far from its humble beginnings. I can wait to see what tomorrows technology has to offer.  We have truly been able to bridge the gap between people in different countries through technology. 

Father & Son Talk about a Windows Xp Error Message:

David: Daddy there's something wrong with the computer game I'm playing.
Daddy: What seems to be the problem David?

David: The game I'm playing is not working. A Message appears on the screen.

Daddy: What does the computer say?

David: "There is a problem with the game you are playing. Please call your Daddy or
        Mommy to fix the problem, or restart your computer and try again."

My Number 1 Priority...

There are important things in life that we often take for granted.  Little things from a beautiful sun shine, a majestic sunset, a breathe of fresh air, or laughter of a little baby. Yesterday, my Son & Wife went to the Zoo. My son apparently had a great time as he asked his mother to call me up from the office to tell what he saw from the zoo.  As soon as I picked-up the phone my son told about all the animals he saw from the zoo in less than a minute... "not to mention the Lion, the king of the jungle, rarrrgh..." I was so happy for him as he had a wonderful time and also sad at the same time as I wasn't there to experience those moments with him. I was glad though that he wanted to call me up and update me on his day as though I was actually there to experience it with him.

I went home early as I wasn't feeling well and feeling burned-out. Probably this is the highlight of my day, as I usually leave home early to find my kids sleeping or go home late to find my kids going to sleep.  AS soon I opened the gate, I head the loud footsteps of my son charging to meet me at the gate. For I moment I thought I was going to be run over by a train or trampled upon by a stampede as the force of my son's charging bear hug was enough to knock me flat on my back.  The force of that hug was so strong that it was able remove all the stress I was feeling.  This reminded me why I get up early everyday, to share a moment with my kids before I leave or arrive home from work.  This is my number one priority. My job maybe my profession, but my family is definitely my number 1 priority.