Sweet World of Joan

Merry Christmas to everyone! May the Lord shower His Blessings in the years to come! At long last, I have the time to blog! Thank you for always checking if I have new things to share. Hopefully I can post all the things I want to tell you this Christmas break.

I was recently interviewed for a consultancy job and surprisingly most of the questions were about my experiences on my online store, mylittlebaker and not about what can I do for them as an IT consultant. The questions were about my online customers, internet payment and deliveries plus website management. They were so interested that what I thought to be a simple panel interview became an exchange of ideas that I forgot being nervous. They were interested on what kinds of payment I have and what I would recommend as a payment facility for an online business. One of the interviewers engages on website development and would like to know my opinions on e-commerce so that it will be helpful for his clients. I was asked in what kind of payment facility I would recommend for website transactions, are they really secure and are there really reliable payment processing companies available for the Filipino businesses willing to go online. I answered that companies considering adding online pa...

I was a victim of a pickpocket today at 6am in the morning. Crossing Aurora Blvd in Cubao this morning someone bumped me from the side but I ignored it for I was anxious to get to the other side to ride the FX. When I rode the FX I noticed my backpack pocket was open, but it seemed nothing was missing for my wallet was still inside and in prominent view. After a few minutes as we are moving, someone’s cellphone ringed I remembered my cell and began looking for it in my bag but it was not there. I tried very hard to remember if I placed it in the bag, I just had it charged and remembered holding it before leaving the bedroom but can’t be sure if I put it in the bag. I usually misplaces the cellphone, even the remote of the TV when I am at home and at times forgot about it for a day or two so I was not overly concerned about not having it with me today. During my break, I called home to ask if they could look for my cell in the house for I can’t remember if I indeed brought it, and told ...

I am proud to say that my son Lorenzo is a very generous person. One of the toughest things that any parent could teach their kids is the right values, this is one of my fears – that I may not be able to teach him good values. Being respectful, friendly, generous, kind, industrious and self reliant these are the values I want my son to have. Being a working mom I have this fear that I may not be able to teach him the right values for I work six days a week. So far my five year old have most of these values in place, but I realize you have to continuously work at it. Sabi ni Jollibee “ SHARE” A few months ago there was these TV program at GMA7 called “Jollitown”, it was a show featuring Jollibee characters it airs every Sunday morning and my son loves watching it. One the things greatly impressed upon him was about sharing and my son regularly reminds us about it. He would say the phrase “ Sabi ni Jollibee share” on anything he wants to take part in. Like I am using my laptop and he wan...

I just finished teaching about the basics of blogging and social networking to my students. I enjoy teaching about these topics because its one of the activities I love doing online and seeing how my students are interested and asking questions on blogging really make me happy. As a conclusion to a very interesting semester I organized this blog writing and social networking activity to measure and get feedback on how much they learn from our classes. To my students please click this link to proceed to your online activity Go to Digitized Youth

Since Moving in our new home last month I am slowly filling up my bookshelves again, arranging the study room to accommodate my husband’s, my son’s and my needs. I would like to think of the room as a mini library, where my son and I study both our lessons( I teach and he is in kinder ) and my husband can continue his work away from the office. The study room was one of my requirements in looking for a new house, I grew up in a two bedroom house where the whole family sleep in a room and the spare room was rented out. Studying then was done in the dining table when there is no one using it. I wanted my son to have his own space for studying as well as for playing. Looking at the room now I noticed the books I collected this past years and it contained an interesting mix of technical books, business books, baby and parenting books and books on baking and chocolates. There are also magazines like yummy, entrepreneur, good housekeeping, smart parenting and prevention. I have other books s...

My PLDT MyDSL is finally installed today after almost 3weeks of waiting. My experience in having this connection was filled with horror, frustration and anger. I was really disappointed with the service I received in getting this pldt account. I have been a subscriber of pldt dsl since 2002 and this is my third time to get a dsl account and so I was not a newbie in how things work so I was really surprised how my expectations were not met. I will blog the details soon, just let me catch up on whats happening online.

It's been a week since I moved to a new house and its also been that long since I have surfed thru my PLDT Dsl and I miss it already. I rely heavily to the internet, I have an online store, I get my information for work online and its part of our family's everyday life. I am already frustrated, disspointed and angry. My PLDT phone and DSL was supposed to be connected DAYS AGO. I got a call last monday Aug 18, on my mobile from PLDT asking if my phone was already installed and I said not yet, but can they please install it that day if they can. The caller said they can't do it that day for its already 4 in the afternoon and I should just wait for it in the next few days. So I waited. And waited.. And still waited even when my husband is already threatening on not going home because there is still no INTERNET! (My husband you see is an online gaming addict and must maintain or move up his levels or whatever) So by friday I called PLDT to follow up, to my surprise my records ...

I got my copy of the Blogging from Home book by Janette Toral last thursday night. I was so eager to read the book as I will be conducting a seminar/workshop on blogging and podcasting next month. The book is an easy read, full of mind maps, screenshots and features that will guide you on blogging specially if you are just starting to blog. For the experienced blogger it is a handy reference for you to take your blog to the next level or to maximize the potential of your blog. As a professor, I give high points to the book for presenting the technical details in a very simple and straight forward manner. It will be a joy to read and follow even if you are a newbie blogger or an experienced one. I am letting my mom and dad read it for I am teaching them blogging soon as I have my dsl set up. The book is a great gift to give to friends specially if you are persuading them to blog like I do or if they asks for your guidance while they are blogging and you can only help them thru text me...

"Mommy I am sad, sakay tayo LRT, punta tayo Quiapo para bili ako ng kapatid" It was my mom's birthday yesterday July 12, and my brothers came to wish her a happy birthday. My brother Jon brought with him his family and so my son was happy to have his cousins to play with. I was not at home then for I was in a strategic planning workshop in school. I came home aroung 5 in the afternoon and my mother told me about her visitors that afternoon. I was wondering where is my son Lorenzo for he did not came rushing to greet me as he always do. When I went to our room I saw my son playing on the bed and I ask how is he. He replied "Mommy I am sad, sakay tayo LRT, punta tayo Quiapo para bili ako ng kapatid". Then he tearfully told me about his cousin Matt and his brother Jet and that they are gone now and he has no one to play with, and he wished he has a brother too. I told him that he has no brother as of now but maybe if he can wait till next year we can have one. Stil...

I wanted to celebrate my 10th year of teaching with a bang. I did not intend to have a career in teaching; I did not know I have the “calling”. Maybe it was already there but I did not recognize it. I was very active in High School, a girl scout and a Red Cross volunteer I practically spent three years teaching about scouting and first aid. But I am quite in the classroom. I took my college years seriously concentrated in my studies and did not join any extra curricular activities, very opposite of my high school life. Maybe that is why I forgot about teaching, that it comes naturally for me, that I was trained to teach during my years in high school. It was my dream to share what I know specially about IT, the Internet, blogging and now social networking but I found it hard to have a venue to share my knowledge, others I tried sharing how to blog felt insulted and view me as a show off. I just want them to enjoy what I do and reap from the benefits of these technologies. Last month I ...

I am teaching Management Information System(MIS) to Business Administration students this semester. I am trying to finalize my syllabus for the subject to keep it updated with the current technology and at the same time find ways to make it more interesting to my students. It is hard to teach a subject to students that feel that the subject is of no interest to them. That is what I discovered in teaching Computer subjects to students taking up non IT courses; it’s hard to keep them motivated and is most of the time not interested in what you are teaching. MIS is a very demanding subject to begin with and is one of the subjects in school that has a high failure rate. The subject requires an Information System Plan design project with a presentation/panel defense at the end of the semester, besides teaching about the really technical aspect about how to manage an enterprise which include IT facilities. I was looking for ways that would make the subject more interesting and at the same ti...

This is my tenth year of teaching in college. I started teaching in PUP in 1998 where my students was just a two years younger than me. I teach computer engineering subjects then. I was invited by my former department head Engr. Rafael Oquindo to teach in my alma mater PUP. I was a computer programmer/developer before I started teaching in PUP but as part of my work I also train newly hired programmer trainees in our company and had been a resource person on Information Technology on several seminars before teaching in PUP. I guess I have the calling/passion for teaching. I love teaching, when I teach I forget everything, my problems, my worries and everything else in between. What matters are the lessons I would like my students to learn. What I would like to achieve now in teaching is to teach senior citizens, or adults who don’t believe that they can still learn to operate computers and I would like them to enjoy the benefits of the Internet. Maybe even teaching kids about computer...

Here is my list for the writing project Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs in 2008 . This is a writing project of Janette Toral that would be identifying new and emerging blogs that are making an impact to its readers in 2008. My list is composed of blogs I regulary read and helps me in my life, whether in my work or my personal activities. Manila Foodistas basta food love ko! Filipino Voices - thought provoking ideas on current issues and events Visit Sagada - always want to visit Sagada, very informative specially for people who wants to visit The Not So Talented Dj Montano - love his posts, he is so brave in sharing his innermost emotions and I've been reading his blog since March Pacute - relaxing read, informative Jd's Niche - I met her during the ICT Training Workshop for Women Empowerment on UP last month and both declare we would be busom friends, a mommy, a fellow academic, people person just like me. Her blogs serves as a source of inspiration and reflections for me. M...

I have been getting this phone call lately about having won a free 3 day hotel accommodations at Days Hotel for 4 persons, all I have to do is to go to their office somewhere in Ortigas to claim the prize. But I have to bring my husband with me and there is something like a presentation we have to listen to first. I have been getting these calls while teaching my class, and the noise level in school is high so that I didn’t get clearly the details the caller on the phone was telling me. I ask her to call on weekends instead. Since me and my husband works there is no opportunity for us to claim the prize of that free hotel accommodation anytime soon. I am also wondering how they got my information, I’ve been to different seminars and conferences lately and dropped my calling cards to different booths on those events so maybe they got it there though I can’t remember any particular company that asked me if I am interested on a vacation. I don’t get good vibes about the “prize” I won but ...

Finally! I have my own Paypal account. Just got it verified. I am an occasional online buyer and now with Paypal I could increase my online buying activity without the fear of having my credit card hacked. As a site owner I see many doors of opportunities opening up for me. My husband joked about even putting a link on my site asking people to donate. Kidding aside I am thankful that we have PayPal in the Philippines. It is great to think that there is like an “e-money” for online transactions. I am still trying to learn more about my Paypal account, there are still things to set up like the bank transfers, sending money, security tips and shopping online. I have to learn these things before I can confidently use Paypal. My next step? Helping my husband create his own Paypal Account. Isn’t it fun?

Finding an affordable house or apartment to rent nowadays is really hard and looking for one in a place like Cubao with a beautiful, spacious kitchen(so I can bake with ease) was like finding a needle in a haystack. Of the dozens of houses I had looked into these last two months only two passed my criteria and one of them was already taken unfortunately. Luckily for me I acquired the other one, a townhouse. Many might think that I am crazy to move from my existing apartment to a more expensive one at a time like this, when all prices of basic commodities are continuously rising. Don’t worry there are times I think so too. But when I think about the reasons and the benefits I would gain in moving into a new house it counters the other “sane” reasons to stay in our current apartment. I planned to move into a newer spacious house so that I can make more chocolates and baked products than in the cramped space I have now. I can accept bigger orders for I know I can handle it more if I have ...

These past few weeks have been hectic for me, preparing for school, house hunting, attending seminars and events, having last minute summer bonding with the family and planning protocols on moving out from our current house to moving in another while everyone of the family works and continue on their usual daily routines. I allot time for seminars and events, to an entrepreneur like me it’s a great way in meeting people, finding great ideas and gives me the needed information in helping me run my business. I usually look for seminars or events in newspapers, on E groups which I belong to, on websites of products or services I am interested in and also on different organizations offering services on business enterprises. I usually have regular events I go to like the coming Fil Negosyo Expo this month and Food Expo usually on held on August. This coming months is crucial for me, my mother is retiring from government service and just told me she wants to engage in business but is unsure ...

what flavor pocky are you? [c] sugardew

I attended a seminar about Culinary Entrepreneurship yesterday, organized by NEW (Network for Enterprising Women) and HDI Resource held at the TOPAZ 1, Mandarin Suites, 4F Gateway Mall, Araneta Center, Cubao, Q.C. The seminar introduces the participants about what Culinary Enterprise is and gives basic tips on marketing, operations, costing and management of these kinds of enterprise. I attend the seminar to get a bird’s eye view of the industry and assess if I can venture further in it. As many of you know I have an online store offering chocolates and baked goodies ( mylittlebaker ), and I am looking for ways to expand it further through maybe a food cart in the Mall or a snack bar. The speaker Anthony Brendan Yu was great, he is frank and really gave his views on the Culinary Industry the perks and the risks. You can really see his passion for the industry (he has several Jollibee franchises) and shared his secrets on how he succeeded in being an entrepreneur. He concentrated to th...

It took me almost two weeks to start blogging again, I was depressed most of that time. When I get sad or emotionally down I can’t bring myself to write on my blogs. There are so many things I wanted to share but I can’t seem to form the words, to express what I feel. Last May 6 was supposed to be our 8th Wedding Anniversary and there were great plans on how me and my hubby will spend it. But unfortunately we had to spent it in the hospital to check my swollen right foot, I was in pain and can’t use my right foot to walk or even stand on. What started as what I thought just a small blister at the sole on my right foot turned out to a big monster source of pain and inconvenience. From what I thought was just a corn(callus) that I had months ago I discovered that it was one nasty wart and now it is infected. I did not consult a doctor about it before because I thought it was just a corn and many advised me that it is common and it will go away on its own. It continued to grow to a point ...

Be a Delegate @ the Social Networking and eBusiness Conference Philippines 2008 I won a seat to be a delegate for the conference, I would like to thank Fiera de Manila Inc. and the DigitalFilipino.com Club for this opportunity. Being a social networker is alreadly a part of my daily life for many years now and I know that the topics to be discussed in the 2 day conference will enrich my life further. The Social Networking and E-Business Conference Philippines 2008 is anevent geared towards:1. Companies who wants to see the potential of social networks foradvertising, word of mouth, and reaching out to users with big socialnetworks for collaboration.2. Current, start-up, and upcoming players in the social networkingindustry who would like to gain insight and share perspective as tohow this industry is evolving.3. Internet users who are interested to find out how this dynamicspace will change in the years to come. The conference is organized by Fiera de Manila Inc. and the DigitalFili...

One of the joys of being a kid during summer is going to new places, playing all day and meeting new friends. Last May 2 and 3, we joined my mother’s office summer outing at a resort in Pampanga. The two day summer outing is the last outing that my mother joins in before she retires this July. My son Lorenzo was in heaven, he got to swim and play with new friends. Since my son is an only child he seldom has kids his age to play with and the outing was an opportunity for him to develop his social skills. It was bittersweet when we were parting with his new friends, he invited them to visit us at home. I am so proud of my son’s friendliness and generosity. Making him feel he is loved greatly and is supported in what he is doing made Lorenzo confident and giving towards others. I hope at that even when my mom retires my son’s communication with his new friends remains.

Its summer again and with another batch of my students will graduate this coming May. They are at the moment job hunting and as there are so many job fairs all over the metro lately, I would like to share to them some tips on job hunting. Tips: Apply for jobs that matches you skills, however if there are certain jobs that you would like to have but at present you don’t have that skill or skills, you have to enroll in additional courses to have that skills. It will take time to study but if you are determined to have that job, you got to work hard for it. While waiting for job interviews or while still job hunting, take this opportunity to build up your portfolio. If your field is on web programming or design, create websites even on free websites or offer your services for free to family and friends, these sites will give you the opportunity to showcase your skills and would be useful during job interviews. It is also the same for programming. Create a blog, this is another way to buil...

I was deep in food research last week in search for Japanese inspirations, going around malls, supermarkets and restaurants looking for the perfect Japanese inspired desserts( It’s a hard job but somebody has to do it ) when I saw the article about Japanese restaurants in Yummy Magazine. Through the magazine I discovered Kozui Green Tea Café. I was having a tough time finding green tea ingredients for my baking needs and tried calling Kozui, a green tea café and was thankful that they indeed sell different varieties of green teas. Since it was a weekend and we were scheduled to go out as a family we decided to check out the café at the same time buy the green tea I needed. I started drinking tea when I vacationed in Hongkong a few years ago and since develop a habit of drinking them although I am a confessed coffee addict, so I was really looking forward to visiting Kozui. Kozui is located at Tomas Morato, Quezon City. They have a variety of food and beverages with green tea or tea as ...

These past months we are hit with continuous rise in the prices of gasoline, cooking oil and flour but what shocks all of us is the price of our staple food, RICE. If only the price of oil/gasoline is the one that is going up many of us may ignore it for most of the population does not have their own cars so we are not directly affected, but when the price of RICE went up everybody stopped and took notice. I for one could not fully comprehend why the price of commercial rice is on the record high some reaching 50 persos per kilo, since there is no rice shortage and we see in the news warehouse after warehouse full of sacks of rice. The videos of people lining up for hours in the summer heat just to buy 2 kilos of NFA rice is really heart breaking, this should not have happen to an agriculture country such as the Philippines. As the budget/purchasing officer of the family I feel the pinch of our situation now, it’s just not happening in the country but when you read the news, its happen...

I read an article from a business section of one of the leading broadsheets a few days ago and one night my husband and I got to talk about it. It was about creating an awareness or buzz about your product/brand and in doing so you can create a demand for your product. We talked about how do we apply that to my current business considering also the changes I plan to make for my business. There were many things I am considering right now, making my made-to-order business to include catering. The article gave examples about some companies in the country getting services of PR agency to create the “buzz” about their products. It tells the story how a PR agency transforms a juice drink to be synonymous to a certain brand. It also shared some tips that PR Agency in the Philippines do to make sure their client’s Ads a success. Lessons I learned from this article are; Ads need not be expensive to guarantee success of the product, Ads must be noticed by the right consumer that are willing to ...

It’s summer once again and for kids it means fun, fun and more fun. But for a child like my son who loves school this summer time is “boring”. He has frequent tantrums now a days for there is not enough to do and he misses school and his classmates. It’s one of the disadvantages of being an only child, there are no other kids to play with. I decided than one solution would be to enroll Lorenzo to a summer activity and I looked around and here is what I found out: Learn a new sport My son is overweight and his pedia encouraged us to give him more physical activities. I found an Ad about it Milo Summer Sports Clinics on the newspaper and called the MILO hotline (02) 914-7111 and discovered they have various sports activities to choose from karate, swimming, basketball, bowling, taekwondo and other sports catering to different ages. I am considering enrolling him on taekwondo but my husband thinks it’s too soon. My son loves to swim so a swimming lesson is another choice we are considerin...

I attended last night the elementary graduation of my inaanak Patricia Nicole at Roosevelt College Cainta. It was a very memorable affair, as the graduates are receiving their diploma there was a video presentation on the side of the stage featuring the picture of the graduate and what he dreams to be when he grows up. It was very refreshing so see so many young people that are so positive about their future, we got to see their dreams and I realized that as adults we have to help them make their dreams a reality. Nicole is very special to me, she is my “first” baby. I got to take care of her when she’s just a year old, I would usually borrow her on weekends and buys her tons of baby stuff. With her I got to feel what it is to be a mother, the long nights of feedings, you feel torn when you have to leave her because you got to work. Nicole wants to be a chef when she grows up, and since I love baking maybe starting this summer I’ll start informally teach her the joys of baking. Congra...

Being in a social network opened many doors for me, I made friends, got invited to free seminars and even helped in making my dream of starting an online business a reality. As an educator I use social networks to be always in touch with my students, make sure information disseminations is easy and swift to reach them in order to supplement what we learn inside the classroom. I also use the social network to keep in touch with family and friends all over the world and to also easily communicate with colleagues. We can’t escape it, social networking is becoming the norm, a ways of life. It makes time and distance almost insignificant, long distance relationship bearable. The event Social Networking and eBusiness Conference Philippines 2008 is a very significant event and reflects the signs of the times. It shows that social networking and eBusiness is here to stay and grow bigger in the years to come. The conference is organized by Fiera de Manila Inc. and the DigitalFilipino.com Club ...

I got a free iPod shuffle when I bought my laptop last year and since then, using it changed many things for me. I am not really fond of listening music though the use of earphones but since listening on my iPod I gotten the hang of it. I don’t just use it for listening to music, I also use it in listening to podcasts and recently I got this habit of listening on audio books on self help topics like the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen F. Covey's bestseller on personal effectiveness and the Secret by Rhonda Byrne. I even found audio books on IT and business management topics. The use of this small gadget is proved beneficial for me. I also have reflective, refreshing music played on it specially when I am traveling or I listen to audio books that I know will help me improve myself. At present I am looking for audio on the teachings of the church to help me reflect this Holy Week. I read recently that the church is trying to bring the teachings of the Lord to the people...

This morning was Lorenzo’s Nursery Recognition Day, after weeks of practice for the program and a year of studying; we finally attended the conclusion of Lorenzo’s Nursery Classes. The school said this day is the gift of the children for us their parents, it was a special and happy day for everybody. We enjoyed the special numbers prepared by the children, Lorenzo even conducted the National Anthem(I’ll upload it in You tube soon). They showcased the skills and talent they had developed throughout the school year, they danced, sang and even performed a short play. It touched my loving mother’s heart how eager and good all of them were during their performances. I got teary eyed when the children sang then gave roses to their parents as a culmination of the ceremonies. The Awards Even though I attended their daily rehearsals I have no idea what awards would be given or if my son would receive any but just before the awarding portion got started my son whispered in my ear that he has 3 a...

We visited the newly opened Manila Ocean Park located behind the Quirino Grandstand at the Rizal Park on my birthday last March 8, a Saturday with my husband Samuel, my son Lorenzo and my Mom. We have been waiting for the chance to visit the park since last year. The Park which was supposed to open December last year was finally opened last February 29. As a Filipino I am very happy and proud that finally we have our own Oceanarium in the country that showcases our rich marine life. Since it was a Saturday the Ocean Park was full of visitors, we spent almost an hour waiting in line due to heavy crowds mostly groups of families just as eager to get in. There are food stalls in the lobby of the park where you can eat before you get in the oceanarium proper. It’s a good advice to eat before entering the oceanarium for it takes 2 hours to fully tour it and food and beverages are not allowed inside. Some Information about the Manila Ocean Park I got from its website: The Manila Ocean Park’s...

I’ve been putting off buying a car for years and since its will be beneficial for my family and my business I have decided that its time to have one. One reason I’ve put it off is because I don’t want to drive and that is the condition my husband gave a few years ago when I asked him if we could buy a car for he does not want to drive too. He has a quick temper and I get scared easily, plus I usually day dream while traveling or on the road not a good practice when you’re the one driving. I asked advice from one of my uncles who is a company driver and he advised me to learn how a car works, its parts and information about cars or any other vehicles I am interested with. He advised me to enroll in a good driving school and he refused to teach me informally due to the fact it will be hard for both of us because of my zero knowledge in cars or even on motorbikes. I plan to enroll in a driving school this summer. I am planning to buy a car before the year ends and I have plenty of time to...

It’s my Birthday today, and I made the conscious choice of spending it with my family than at work. The lure of my work is really hard to refuse but at the end of the day what is more important is the family, the people you love most. This day we will spend it in Manila Ocean Park, a new attraction here in Manila, maybe a dinner in a restaurant as the day end. There are only two kinds of food that I usually like to have on my special day one is spaghetti and a cake with candles so that I can make a wish as I blow them. I don’t really have a wish list for my birthday for I don’t expect to receive any gifts but I have my secret hopes and dreams. I stopped expecting gifts from other people but what I would like is to accomplish and acquire my wants through my own hard work. It’s much rewarding that way. As I grow older I realize that I reflect more on where I am at my stage in life, what I want to achieve in a year, in five years time and what steps I would take to achieve them. This year...

Happy birthday, dearest one, Sweet child of my heart! We've become one family, Of which you are a part. And so I sing out equally To all of those who are Mine by blood or fortune blessed, No more, no less my star! We are one in love and joy, In fondness and in worth, And so as one we celebrate This day, your day of birth! As a mother I believe that we must also celebrate the day that we bore our children. It is a celebration for entering into motherhood as much as a celebration of birth by the celebrant. Words cannot express what I feel today, so much happiness, so much love. At this time I only have 3hours of sleep preparing for my son's birthday party held in his school but I don't mind. I would have made my own peom for Lorenzo but at this time words seems elusive. So I got this special poem from Nicholas Gordon for express what I feel for my son Lorenzo.

I am constantly trying to try out new things for my business and throughout last year there are inquiries about edible giveaways for weddings and birthdays. At present I am in the research and development stage in producing edible giveaways for weddings and birthdays. Maybe other events would follow as I improve my skills in crafts and arts. I receive suggestions encouraging me to join Philippine Wedding bazaars and events so showcase my products and that is my target for this year. Weddings have become a big industry in the country and many business opportunities are available if you know how to tap the market. My main focus my wedding giveaways is to showcase the Filipino culture in my designs, that is why I am looking for materials that shouts “proudly pinoy” as guests would see them. My dream wedding was to have a Filipiniana theme wedding but I did not have one. Wearing a gown made of Piña, maria clara styled of course and have to whole entourage wear Filipiniana inspired designs...

We are going to a birthday party this Sunday, he is a playmate of my son and is the son of my husband’s boss. My son loves to play with him and always asks us when can he play with him again. The only issue that my husband raised when I was thinking about what to give for a birthday gift is what do you give a child so basically have “everything”? or can have any toy he wants. Obviously we are in a dilemma then my husband suggested “why not give him one of your delicious chocolates? But not the ordinary ones, make it something special” So I decided to give him one of my chocolate bunnies, it is made of pure solid chocolate and what kid would not want to have a special chocolate just for him. The tricky part was, where to put it, so I looked around for a water bottle for kids and got just the right one, a Bugs Bunny water bottle. Everyone should be given special chocolates once in a while and to receive them on your birthday make it even more special.

Lorenzo’s final exams are coming up, and making sure that he is ready to take his exams is one of my responsibilities as a parent, even a working one. My son at his age is not an easy child to study with, there are times he gets distracted or stops at the middle of our study time and decides he is already finished studying and would like to do another activity. Lucky for me I had the foresight to allocate a quite corner for our study time and they were told at school to study their lessons before going to sleep at night. Strategies I have to help Lorenzo study: Have a routine – we have our study time after dinner every night even on weekends. Giving him a set activity where he can study his lessons or learn new things helps him form good study habits. Make studying fun – Lorenzo does poorly in writing, as this is his weakness I make up stories or sound effects while teaching him/practicing to write to make the activity fun and interesting for him. Have supplementary activity books av...

Having children is great but sometimes it takes its toll in the relationship as husband and wife. My husband always complains about the lack of privacy and time spent for just the two of us. We even spent these valentines day with our son, “how romantic” hehehe. I just promised him that our anniversary is coming up and we can make up for the lost opportunities then. One luxury we give ourselves as a couple is checking into hotels even once a year. We love the sense of privacy it gives us, gives us a break from the hectic activity as a family. It is the time we renew our love for each other and or simply put it gives us a chance to just be us, as a couple, as husband and wife. Even just for a day or two we focus on romance, keep the love burning so to speak. We just check in the hotel then go out to enjoy the day as a couple, watch a movie, window shop and eat at our favorite restaurant. We don’t go too far, because you never know what emergency will pop up on your absence, there was ev...

I have just paid my son’s last quarter tuition fee and I felt an overwhelming feeling of achievement. I gave the Lord a heartfelt thank you message as I receive the final permit and receipt. I have finished paying Lorenzo’s tuition for this school year and coughing up twenty nine thousand pesos for a whole year in nursery is no joke. As any parent would understand, giving your children the best education that you can provide and afford really matters. I believe that the primary years of education is important, it is you child’s educational foundation. Once your child have these strong foundation you can be assured of your child’s performance in school till college. It is also one of the gifts my parents gave all of us kids. They sacrificed so that they can send us to a good private school in elementary and then let us loose in high school and college to public schools. We even graduated in state universities. I love every minute I have studying in all my schools; I am even the one that...

It’s February again, the love month. It is the time to reach out and tell people that they are important and they are loved. I remember when I was in grade school my mother has this gift wrapping paper full of small hearts and I asked her what she is doing with it, she replied that she was cutting the paper into small half-inch sized hearts and come valentines day she gives them to her friends at the office. Mostly, the small hearts are pinned on the clothes to let everybody know that it’s Valentines Day. Since then I also started giving those small paper hearts to friends and family but nowadays I give chocolate roses. Chocolate roses can be considered a 2-in-1 gift this valentine, instead of just giving roses and chocolates separately your can give both. I remember the thrill in receiving a bouquet of roses during Valentines Day but those roses wilt after a day or two, but receiving chocolates gives me an all time high. Chocolates are my passion, even the smell of them makes me happy...

My mother is retiring in a few months, and she has expressed her interest in venturing into a business with me. There are two choices I am considering to venture out into a full time business. As of now my online chocolates and baking business is a part time only, I only bake when there is an order and it follows that I earn only when I have orders. But if I make it as a fulltime business and put a physical store then maybe I can have a regular income from that biz. My problem is there are too many risks involved especially monetary risk and my brand is not that known. Another option it to have a franchise business, the brand is there and the business is already working. But my problem with franchising is there are so many available now that it’s really hard to choose what will work for you. I am also considering getting a franchise like a food cart business and then sell my products along with it. I don’t know if that is allowed but at least it’s an idea. I am also surfing the net for...

This year is a challenging year for me; I have big responsibilities to shoulder and crucial decisions to make. I got a little depressed when 2008 started there are so many things I want to achieve this year but I realized that I have to sacrifice some things to achieve them. So for these past two weeks I started soul searching and prayed to the Lord to always guide me My mother is retiring this year and as a loving daughter I am taking full responsibility in taking good care of them. Actually one of the reasons why I ventured into business is to have an opportunity have a business partnership with my mother, she is a great cook. Working after retirement will be beneficial financially and physically. My mother is a workaholic; she even goes to the office even when she’s on leave. That is why I am considering on having a physical store wherein she can supervise during the day at her own pace. I even have a line up of would be salespersons on standby. I am also planning to move to a new h...

I sold more baked products last Christmas than chocolates, and demands for them continue to come in but I noticed that my son added more weight due to availability cupcakes and sweets at home all the time. Since last year I have been trying to make my son lose weight encouraging eating more fruits and limiting consumption of chocolates and sweets but it is hard when they are readily available anytime of the day. Making the right and healthy choices I would like to make my family live a healthy life starting this year and even though I have orders for baked products and sweets I am now starting to develop healthier baked goodies. I already started with my sugar free and low cholesterol oatmeal almond cookies and gave them as gift for my diabetic relative last Christmas and they really loved it. Now I’m developing healthy cupcakes filled with fresh fruits, oatmeal and using low fat ingredients that are good for the heart. The verdict? They love it, even my customers love it. I’ve alread...

A new year for me means a new opportunity to better oneself. To avoid past mistakes and apply what you have learned from them. It can also mean a new life ahead, a promise of a greater future. I am surrounded of young people, some at the crossroads of their career life, some already making a head start for the life they always planned to have. A few of them have me to help and support in any decisions they make, they are my cousins, some just graduated from college and currently deciding to move on to a new job and some deciding on what courses should they take to make their dreams come true. Some are friends who are on the crossroads to work abroad or stay here in the country. Even I just got unsolicited advice from well meaning relatives to just stop working here and go abroad to work. Work or a source of income. They say money make the world go round, some dreams cost money like house and lot, cars, clothes etc. That is why choosing the right career path or the right company to work...

I would like to greet everyone A Happy New Year!!! And may your year be filled with Blessings from the Lord.