Their Second Chances

Do you know the show, Hoarders: Buried Alive?

My husband and I love this TV series that feature people with OCD and compulsive hoarding disorder. Basically, they're the type of people who have this disorder where they find it hard to dispose or let go of things that are sentimental to them. What happens is, they bring more into their homes and nothing pretty much comes out, and through the years of just buying or collecting stuff, they've turned their homes into something that's nearly uninhabitable by any living things.

Anyway, what they do is, they help these people change their ways and turn their lives completely back into normal, providing them with any means of help they'll need along the way. They help them clean their houses, and every time they do, I still am always left in great awe at how much trash they actually can collect. They use about 3 or sometimes more huge trucks, like that of the Bellaire Junk removal, to help them dispose the things they've cleaned out of the house. You'd be surprised on how much junk they can literally remove. But above all, I guess, you'd be more taken aback at how were these people able to live in such an environment for years and not once have they tried seeking for help. Most of them actually were only forced to do so because of the fear that their house might be taken away from them, or worse, their kids will be taken by the CPS if they don't clean their homes and make it into a safe place for their kids to live in. More than anything, I think I am more surprised finding out that there are indeed people like them out there, and that they need help more than anything. They can change, if only they're given the chance to. After all, they're like us, not perfect, and they always deserve all the "second chances" they could get till they are better.

Finding Cheaper Scrubs

As early as now, I'm already looking at where to buy cheap nursing scrubs for me to use when I go back to school. I still want to take up Nursing here in the United States since they have different curriculum than that in the Philippines, where I first took up my Nursing course. They've got really cute uniforms here that I found at http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/categories/Scrubs/Scrubs-for-Women/, and when I say cute, I mean the type of uniform that I won't get tired wearing day in and day out if I have to. Looking at them just makes me feel so excited to get back into doing what I've always wanted to do since I was a kid. I just can't wait to get back on track and get things going.

Whenever things are ready, I at least know now where to buy cheap scrubs and get better deals on nursing uniform. That's at least one thing off of my "to do list". For right now, I'm more into finding the best school to go to, especially that I'm a military spouse and we're constantly on the go. I mean, no permanent address for right now because my husband will be changing duty station again in about a year and half from now. It's another obstacle I need to overcome. I just pray that wherever the Navy takes us next, we'll be in a place where schools and everything are just close by so we don't have to worry about driving far from home especially with 3 little kids. When I look at it, I know it's never going to be an easy ride for the whole family. But we all know that in the end, no matter what, it's always going to be worth it.

My First iPod

My husband knows very well that I love music, and that I listen to it like almost every single free time I have. That's why when I was still in the Philippines, on my 23rd birthday, my husband bought an iPod nano 4Gb as his gift. He was in deployment at the time and he got it online that's why he was a little worried it wouldn't get to me on time. But to our surprise, not only did I receive it on time, it actually got delivered to our house on my birthday! I was so happy because I had so many songs stored in my computer that I have been wanting to transfer to a device like the iPod and take it with me wherever I want to. Since then, I never left the house without that iPod. I listen to songs even when I was inside our classroom! But of course, not during class hours. Only while waiting on our professor to arrive. I would go to the malls and walk around while listening to my favorite songs, especially because I'd usually go out alone. Well, when you've got nobody to talk to and you really don't want to deal with people sometimes, having your headset on would pretty much let them know, "don't dare bother me or else.." (hehehe) I'm just kidding.

Right now, I have two iPods and the other one has that camera on it where you can take videos and photos. My husband got me that as a gift on Mother's Day. I'd say, they're pretty cool gadgets, and like what I said, it's one of those things that I won't leave the house without. It's always in my purse, all the time.

There's Always Next Time...

When we visited my husband's uncle in Yucaipa, California, I wanted so bad to ride on one of their horses there. It's been such a long time since the last time I rode on the back of a horse that's why I really was looking forward to that. But because I've just given birth at the time, I was also kind of hesitant, though his uncle's wife offered to take me and assured me that it was going to be just fine, and that they'll make sure they'll let me use the best horse equipment that they have in case I might find that as an issue as to why I felt that way. I admit, I got a little scared because I am no expert on riding horses, and I certainly have forgotten how it is to ride and guide a horse at the same time.

Well, I never got to do it. Not because I stayed scared to do so, but by the time I was ready to do it, we didn't have enough time. My mother-in-law was with us, too and we had other more important things to do. Besides, we only stayed there for two days. But, Uncle Rick told me that we can always go back whenever we want, and by that time, I can ride a horse for as long as I want to, at anytime.

We're looking forward to paying them another visit, especially now that they haven't seen our other two kids yet. It'll be a perfect time to let them see the kids and be able to spend more time with them again.

She Deserved More Than That!

Do you happen to know anybody who's going through rough times right now due to reasons that have something to do with mental health and substance abuse? If you answered yes, what do you feel deep within you every time you look at them? What truly comes into your mind when you see them in that situation knowing in the back of your head, you know they can do so much better than that? It can be hurting, am I right? Especially when you just watch there and hope you can help them, but you know there's nothing really much you can do.

I know someone from my hometown who's been known for her mental health disorder. I had witnessed several times when she was in really ill, she'd do things that would make you feel so bad about her. I felt sorry for what she went through that triggered her illness! But above all, I felt sorry for those people who, instead of doing something to help her, sat there and laughed at her condition. They think she was crazy and they even made fun of her. It was something that, to me, was degrading on their part. There they were, who supposedly were the "normal" people, making fun of someone who wasn't in her right mind just because they think it was funny. That, right there, was downright unacceptable! They should have known better and acted more understanding toward her condition. She deserved to be understood, accepted for not being herself because of her mental issue, and above all, she deserved to be treated like everybody else. She didn't want herself to be in that situation for sure, if she was only given a choice. The reason behind her mental breakdown was, as I was told by people, her husband left and took one of their two children with him. They said, since then, she completely went downhill.

If only we have a facility in our town that offers post traumatic stress disorder treatment, I knew she would have gotten better. Her family had to take her to the city, which is a 24-hour long drive (by bus) from our town, just to get her to a doctor that treats mental illness like the one she had.

I've had incidents where she almost looked like she wanted to attack me, but she never scared me once. The truth is, we were friends when she's not in that condition. She's such a nice person, a loving Mother, and a good wife. I've had conversations with her and if you didn't know that she has mental illness, you wouldn't even suspect that she has one. That's why I felt so bad that she had to suffer just because she couldn't get the proper treatment and care that she deserved. I knew that if only she was taken care of, she would have recovered and could have been given a better chance in life, especially that she has kids who need her.

I haven't heard anything about her in years. The last thing I was told was, she went missing when they took her to the city to have her treatment done. Some said, she was never found, while others said, she was found and was brought back to our town. I just hope she's all right now, and that she actually got better. I may haven't done anything to help her during those times, but at the time and at a young age, I never stopped hoping and praying that she'll recover soon. And I'm still hoping that she did, or that she will.

May God bless her heart!

SS: The Madness Meme, Part 1

Wow, I didn't even realize that the last Sunday Stealing post I had was on August 8, 2011. I must have been too busy, eh?! Anyway, I am back, so here I go...

Cheers to all of us thieves!

1. Have you ever licked the back of a CD to try to get it to work?
- No, I haven't. But I spit on one before then wiped it with a rag. Hahaha.

2. What’s the largest age difference between yourself and someone you’ve dated?
- Six years, and I'm talking about my husband.. ;)

3. Ever been in a car wreck?
- No, and I will never wish to be in one..

4. Were you popular in high school?
- No, I wasn't. They just knew me because I came from a small town where everybody knows everybody :)

5. Have you ever been on a blind date?
- No, I haven't. The only guy I dated was, my husband :)

6. Are looks important?
- Not really. But I mean, you wouldn't just go after someone who doesn't look appealing to you, now, would you?

7. Do you have any friends that you’ve known for 10 years or more?
- Oh, yes. I actually know a lot. I've been friends with them since we were like 5 years old. We all went to the same school from elementary to high school..

8. By what age would you like to be married?
- I'm already happily married now :) I did say I wanted to get married by at least 25 years old, but I ended up getting married at 22 ;)

9. Does the number of people a person’s slept with affect your view of them?
- If they slept with them because they were in a relationship at the time they did and I wasn't in the picture yet, no, it won't affect me at all. But if they slept with so many people just to do it or to play around, then, yes, it will totally affect me on how I view them as a person..

10. Have you ever made a mistake?
- Who hasn't? Tell me :D

11. Are you a good tipper?
- If they deserve it, why not? ;) I can even be a great tipper :)

12. What’s the most you have spent for a haircut?
- I think we paid $23 for a haircut.. That was already a lot for me..

13. Have you ever had a crush on a teacher?
- Oh, yes!! Actually, my classmate, Anne and I had a crush on our Anatomy professor back in college :) We thought he was too cute ;)

14. Have you ever peed in public?
- Public as in what? Public bathroom?

15. What song do you want played at your funeral?
- The Prayer by Josh Groban and Charlotte Church

16. Would you tell your parents if you were gay?
- Sure. It may not be easy to do so, but they deserve to know and I deserve to be accepted for who I really am.

17. What would your last meal be before getting executed?
- I don't think I'd even want to eat... Would you?

18. Beatles or Stones?
- Beatles..

19. If you had to pick one person on earth to die, who would it be?
- I'll tell you, but then I'd have to kill you ;P

20. Beer, wine or hard liquor?
- Wine..

21. Do you have any phobias?
- Astraphobia (fear of thunder and lightning)

22. What are your plans for the future?
- Retire in a nice home that we built with my husband and be debt-free by then so we don't have to suffer financially and just enjoy the rest of our years with our love ones... I guess, that means work, work, and work.. And more work.. And some more -- for a better future. Period.


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Something I look forward to in the future...

I still do plan on getting a job when the right time comes. Being a stay-at-home mom and wife is definitely fun and fulfilling. But don't get me wrong if I say that sometimes, I really do miss being outside of the house and actually doing something aside from taking care of the kids and keeping the house clean. I know I can do more than just that.

When I was still in the Philippines, I had a job at a call center as a costumer service representative and I was a Nursing student at the same time. I was never not busy because I always had a lot to do. So being at home right now all the time is definitely a drastic change on my part. So when I get the chance to go out and find a job, I honestly am not even going to get too picky about it. Internist Jobs, for example, would be a great first step for me to land a job that I would actually enjoy working for. It's never wrong to always give something a try, right? It may not always be the very thing we all hoped for, but you'll never know, it could end up even better.

Another Hour of Extra Sleep!

Daylight Savings Time just ended at 2 A.M. today. That means we fall back an hour and an extra hour is added to our sleep. (Hehehe). I don't go to work so you might wonder why I'm happy about that. Well, I'm happy because that means I get to stay in bed with my dearest husband one more hour longer before he needs to get around for work. And I'm glad that he gets that extra hour of sleep as well because he works almost 12 hours everyday. He truly deserves it. Now, we'll just have to get used to this time change again and I hope this doesn't really mess up the kids' bedtime. I think it'll only take us a couple of days before we get used to it and for things to get back to normal.

It's suppose to be 3:23 A.M. now, but because he went an hour back, it's only 2:23 A.M. but my body is already aching for some sleep. My husband is waiting for me now in our bedroom and I did tell him I'm not going to stay up longer anymore, so I'm going to sign off for now. I need to get some sleep, like right now! I am not going to stay up till 4 in the morning again -- not anymore!! Period.

A Token of Friendship

Friendship is something I truly value a lot. Next to my family, my friends are the ones I hold so dearly in my heart.

Speaking of friendship, I miss my good friends back home so badly, and that's definitely a fact! It's been years now since I last spent time with them and almost all of us were there. If I'm not mistaken, I think that was back in December of 2006. We all happened to be on vacation and home for the holidays that's why most of us were there at the time. We all went to one of our friend's house after the christening of their daughter, Gia, and had dinner with their family. We all had so much fun. That probably was the last Christmas we all got to spend together like that.

One of the things I'm planning on doing whenever I get the chance to go back home is, buy rings as our token of friendship and give one to each of them. We've been friends since we were kids and I just know in my heart that they all deserve something special. I came across these claddagh rings, something I really haven't heard of before, but definitely got me interested in them. These rings are of Irish origin and are often used as token of affection and loyalty, perfect for friendship. Now, I'll just have to ask for the size of their fingers to make sure they'd fit on them.

I can only hope they'd actually like it. I don't know if they'll ever use their rings or not, but that's not going to make me change my mind on that plan. I am not going to worry about whether they'll use them or not, as long as they make sure they keep them safe and take care of them and not forget the real value and message the rings actually convey, I'll be cool with that. The most important thing to me is, for them to know that I love and appreciate them, and that I will forever keep our friendship safe in my heart.

Fix It or Get a New One?

While I was cleaning my drawer the other day, I accidentally found my old wristwatch that my husband gave me as a gift about two years ago. It looks a lot like the one in the photo below that's why I like it so much. The only reason I'm not using it right now is, it stopped working. I'm not sure if it needs battery replacement, or, if it's broken. I haven't taken it to a repair shop yet so I'm not sure. I really didn't give it much priority right now because I still have another one that I'm currently using. But in case it does need some fixing, I'd probably just go ahead and get a new one. Sometimes it's cheaper to do that than get something fixed because it might cost you almost the same amount as getting a brand new item.

If anything, I'd still go with citizen watches. That's the one I have and I like their designs - very simple but they look beautiful. I'd still keep the old one because it's a gift. And if ever I get enough money to buy a new one and get it fixed as well, that's what I'll end up doing.

Get That Perfect Smile!

One of the things that I find attractive in a person is, their smile. It's probably the very first thing that I notice about them, then their eyes.

They say that a smile can brighten up someone else's day. It doesn't take a lot to flash a smile but it could mean something to those you're smiling at. You never know, one of them might be going through a lot, and your smile might have just made their day.

But are you always confident with your smile? I mean, not everybody thinks they have the brightest smile and because of that, some people tend to be shy to even attempt to flash one. The reason? They don't think they have the pearly white teeth that others have to make their smile noticeable or standout. Well, there are a lot of solutions to that nowadays. Like for example, Teeth Whitening San Antonio, or even toothpastes have whitening substances added to them. You can pretty much choose whichever best suits your needs. But I believe, above all, it's all about proper oral hygiene. Any whitening stuff is not going to work if you don't know how to take care of your teeth in the first place. So I think the first step to do to achieve that perfect white smile is, start from taking care of yourself. After all, prevention is always better than cure. So if you don't want your teeth to lose their natural white color, take very good care of them.

GT: KC's Christmas Wish ;)

Christmas wish - who doesn't have a wish for Christmas? I bet everyone does, including the "older" kids, like me. No one will ever be old enough to wish for anything on Christmas, am I right?

Honestly speaking, I really am not wishing for anything material for Christmas. If I could be granted one wish, I'll wish for us to be able to spend the holidays with my family back home. This year will be my third Christmas away from my love ones and it saddens me right now that I really am not sure as to when we actually will be able to fly all five of us to the Philippines without having to worry about the expenses. Air fare is what's going to kill us. We need to have at least five grand ($5,000) to be able to buy round-trip tickets for the five of us. That doesn't even include other expenses as far as food (especially now that we've got 3 kids to worry about), transportation, and extra money for us to enjoy with. I mean, it's tough. How I wish it is as easy as saying "I want to go home", because that definitely would make a big difference right there. But when your family is like ours where only one person is bringing in money, it really is going to take a little while longer for that to happen. Now, I understand why some Filipino families here in the U.S. take years and years before they could get the chance to visit home because of how expensive it can get. If you don't have the money, then you definitely aren't going anywhere.

I know it's not going to happen anytime soon, but that doesn't mean I should stop wishing for it. I'd still wish that if we don't get to go this year, at least next year around summer time so my family can finally meet our little ones, especially my Grandmother. She's been wanting to see our kids because of all of her six great grandchildren, the only ones she still hasn't seen in person are, our children. She already turned 90 years old last month and I would love for her to meet them, have a photo with them together, and be able to tell them the same stories she used to tell us when we were little kids. So even if we don't get to see each other all the time, I have something about her that I can show and tell to my children when they get older. My Grandpa already passed away in 2009, when I was almost 4 months pregnant with our first born, and my other wish is, for my Grandma to at least get to see them and spend time with them. Grandpa never got to see any of my kids, and I will do my best for them to at least get to meet Nana before it's too late.

Not much for a Christmas wish. But that right there, means the world to me.

I guess I will have to end that part here. It's already starting to make me cry. (Sorry, for getting a little emotional right now. I just couldn't help it.)

But I do have one more wish that I would love to receive this Christmas. You see the photo below? That's the type of casual outfits I love. (And yes, that's Vanessa Hudgens right there, but she's not included in my wish list..Hahaha..)


If I can find this set of outfit, I'd be the happiest woman on Christmas. That is probably going to be the first set of outfits I'd get in a long time. I better go check on that website to see if they have one. If I'm lucky, I might bid on it. I just hope it's not going to cost me an arm and a leg or else, that wish is definitely going bye-bye. So, wish me well on this one!

(photos source: Google Images)

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The Worst Summer Ever!

Literally speaking, this summer, I should say, was the worst we've had since I got here in the States in 2009. Aside from the incident where we lost power for 3 days, prior to that, we didn't have AC unit at home. It was so tough on us, especially on our three kids because it was so hot and muggy at the same time almost all the time. We have had up to 90 degree Fahrenheit inside the house and it was just too much on the little ones. It felt like an oven that we literally needed something as huge as a spot cooler to bring the temperature down. And it sucks that summer ended without us getting the chance to actually enjoy it that much because of how hot it always was. I mean, if it was almost 90 in the house, just imagine how hot it was outside! It was something I would never want our family to go through again. What's ironic was, we finally got the AC installed probably a week or two before it started getting colder. So we didn't really get to use the new AC that much. Good thing on the part where we got to save money for the next electricity bill, but it's just a shame we didn't have it at the time we badly needed one.

Anyway, I'm just happy we've got AC and we never have to worry about next summer again. I could care less this time if we never get to enjoy outdoors that much as long as we don't bake inside our house anymore!

Wednesday Whites: Wedding Photo

This is my first time on Wednesday Whites so I want my first entry to be something special. ;) And since it's our wedding month (November), I decided to use our photo that was taken when we got married in the Philippines in 2007.

It was a civil wedding. We never got the chance to prepare for something bigger because he was only there for two (2) weeks. We pretty much spent most of the time getting a lot of paperwork ready for us to be able to get married. I was only 22 at the time and was still considered a "minor", so I had to get a parental consent. And since my husband is a foreign national, we had to go to the U.S. Embassy to get a Legal Capacity to Marry that would indicate he's not married to someone else. It was such a hassle I should say, but in the end, everything was all worth it. And now, almost four (4) years later, he we are still, happily married with three (3) great and healthy kids.

We've been through a lot and we know it's not the end of it. But trials only made us stronger and had drawn us more closer to each other. It's never going to be a perfect marriage like everybody's relationships are. But what matters most is, we are in this journey together and we will always be there for each other and for our children.

That's it for my first Wednesday Whites.

See you next week!

Fast and Easy Payment

(Photo source: Google Images)

Few weeks ago, I created an account on eBay and started bidding and buying stuff for the kids. My husband has been a member for years now and most of his online purchases are from that website. I've seen him bid on items before and won, and when he told me he got good deals on the items, I got pretty curious. That's why I decided to sign up. At first, I only wanted to browse around, search for items and see how much they cost, and look at stuff that people sell on there. But when I saw an item that I've been wanting to get for awhile now at a cheaper price, I went ahead and placed my first ever bid. I must admit, that first time was fun! I had to wait for like 30 minutes till the time was up to see if I won or have been out-bidden by somebody. And to my surprise, I won the item! I got it for $5.45 including shipping and handling. From then on, I am on the website everyday.

I'm just glad that you can do Electronic Payments nowadays. It makes it so much easier on people to buy something without having to go to a store all the time because all transactions are done through the internet. I really am glad I can buy things online because electronic payments exist. I still don't have my driver's license so you can just imagine how tough it would be for me to get around. Plus, I get better deals from shopping online anyway, so for now, I'm fine with that. I'll just have to really make sure I don't splurge on buying things that we don't need just because they are sold cheap. It can be tough at times to hold back, but if it's not worth it, I also know how to wait.

Why I Admire Law Students

I really admire law students, to be honest. It's probably one of the toughest courses anyone could take up in college. I have one friend who's studying law now, and every time she posts photos of her on a social network with all the books they need to read and study, I just can't help but be amazed at how good they probably are in handling everything. Sometimes she'd post things about RA Bills, case brief, constitutions, Philosophy of Law, and a whole lot more. I don't even know if I mentioned the right terms, but as far as I know, that's all I can ever think of. Don't ask me what they all mean, I don't know a thing.

Going back to law students, some of the things that I admire most about them are, their determination, perseverance, and their dedication to what they're doing. I once overheard somebody said, you don't necessarily need to be super smart to make it in whatever field you want to be successful in, as long as you're determined enough to pursue what you want and have faith in yourself that you can do it, you'll make it! You just have to really do your best and not give up when things start to go wrong, or, when they start to not look like the way you think they're suppose to. Just keep moving forward and never let go of your dreams no matter what.

I don't know if I, myself, can actually do what they can. I can only imagine. That's why I admire them in every way. I think they all are smart. They've got to be.