2013 is the Year of the Water Snake

A few days from now and it will be Chinese New Year. I am not Chinese and my family don’t really celebrate this day but I am just curious about it because I am set to give birth this May and my daughter (yes we are having another girlJ) will have the sign of the water snake according to the Chinese zodiac.

The Chinese New Year for 2013 will happen this February 10, a day after my birthday so we are in a way celebrating this day too. My family plan to head to a nearby pool resort for a quick swimming party.

Anyway, let me share some facts about the year of the water snake that I gathered on the net:

The Snake

Ancient Chinese wisdom says a Snake in the house is a good omen because it means your family will not starve. This could be taken metaphorically to mean that a Snake could never have a problem with his family starving because he is such a great mediator, making him good at business. Or it could mean that a Snake would be willing to sacrifice his possessions, something the Snake has a lot of, in order to pay for his family’s food. Any way it is interpreted is representative of the Snake’s character and is a measure of the value he puts on his material wealth. The Snake is keen and cunning, quite intelligent and wise.

THE SIGN OF THE SNAKE

The Snake is the intuitive, introspective, refined and collected of the Animal Signs. They are attractive people who take cries with ease and do not become flustered easily. They are graceful people, exciting and dark at the same time.

Contemplative and private, the Snake is not outwardly emotional. He can appear cunning and reticent and works very modestly in the business environment. The Snake will plot and scheme to make certain things turn out exactly as they want them to. They are not great communicators and can become quite possessive when they set their minds on achieving the interest of a partner.

SNAKE FACTS:

People born in the Year of the Snake share certain characteristics. The Snake Sign is an abbreviated way of characterizing that individual’s personality. Following are features associated with the Sign of the Snake.

CHARACTERISTICS

Acute, Aware, Cunning, Proud, Vain, Vicious

From: http://www.usbridalguide.com/special/chinesehoroscopes/Snake.htm

Tweet

Congenital Anomaly Scan

For my first pregnancy, my Ob-gyne only required me to undergo one Transvaginal Ultrasound (TVS). I did it on my 6^th month mainly for gender determination. This time, though, I need to do it twice. One TVS during the 2^nd month and a congenital anomaly scan on my 6^th month. My OB said it is best to undergo CAS from 22 to 23 weeks.

I think both scans are a must for pregnant women. The initial TVS would determine fetal heartbeat as well as see the most accurate fetal age. The CAS on the other hand would show more than the gender as it can detect any abnormality on baby’s health from the start. I think the CAS is essential for the peace of mind of the mom who wants to make sure that everything is fine with the baby.

My OB initially referred me to St Lukes Medical Center for the CAS, but at the last minute she mentioned that I can also go to Capitol Medical Center as the rates may be lower.

So I inquired the rates for congenital anomaly scan of the two hospitals and found out that Capitol charges Php2,110 for it while the fee at St. Lukes is Php2,900. You need to set an appointment for the CAS at St. Lukes because they say slots are limited. Meanwhile, one can go anytime at Capitol for the CAS because it is on a first come, fist served basis. The CAS at Capitol is open from Monday to Saturday from 9am to 4pm.

I wasn’t able to set an appointment at St Lukes and rates are lower at Capitol so I chose Capitol. My husband and I went there one Saturday. We arrived around 9:45 am and I am already the 7^th people in line. We got to finish everything we had to do there at around 12:30 pm. Yes, too bad their system and procedure is pretty slow plus the staff is not so friendly. I think choosing St Lukes would have been a better decision.

The Capitol should improve their overall services because even waiting for an elevator ride can take a while. It just makes me glad I am not going to give birth there. Anyway, I am just glad that the scan showed that everything is well with the baby. That is what matters and so any irritation I felt that day was quickly washed away.

Tweet

Family Day at MOA: Hi-5, Thai Food, & Thai Massage

This is a late post.

The second Friday of December last 2012 was a full and fun day for my family though we did not really plan it all. The only thing planned was the Hi-5 concert that my daughter and my sister would watch at SM MOA Centerstage. I have to buy tickets for this show as my daughter is so into Hi-5! She would watch the daily shows in Disney Channel and vigorously sing and dance along to their songs. The reason for this fascination became clear to me after watching HI-5 for some time. I too was mesmerized with the talented members of this Australian group.

They are such a joy to watch and it is really a great show for kids and the young at heart. So when I learned that they are going to Manila for a concert, I know buying a ticket would be worth it. I intend to buy tickets for the Saturday show but I waited for the last minute before buying and was surprised to see that the tickets were almost sold out. It is a blessing that I was still able to get two VIP tickets.

Anyway, the plan was for my husband and I to go home early from work so we could accompany my sister and daughter to the venue. At the last minute, my husband learned he cannot do so because of an important event in their office. So I alone had to go home early and my husband would just go to MOA after his work. My daughter still has a kumon class before the show so I went home at around 1pm. Instead of my husband, my mother and I accompanied Sophie and sis to the venue. Riding a taxi is such a hassle with the traffic so we opted for the bus. Traffic was bad but thank god we left home early.

When we arrived at MOA, the first thing we did was look for the exact venue which is the MOA centerstage which I learned is actually part of the SM cinema. Then we looked for a place to have dinner to. We choose Ja Tu Jak – a Thai resto and it was a good choice because food is delicious, service is excellent and is affordable.

After dinner, we headed to the venue where a long queue has already formed. Once my sis and Sophie are inside, my mom and I waited for hubby at one of the benches. We chatted until my husband arrives. He said he wants us to have a massage so we went to one of the massage centers inside the mall. I am unimpressed when I see their list of services, so only my husband went to avail their service

My mother and I decided to eat halo- halo in Razons. We finished our dessert just in time when the Hi-5 show and the 1 hour massage for husband is over. My daughter seems to be bitin with the Hi-5 show but my sister said it was worth it.

We also dropped by at the the bay area to buy dinner for my husband. It was a tiring but a happy and memorable day for my family. 

Tweet

Ensure a Happy, Healthy Home

All of us want our home to be a place where we can be happy and comfortable. It is a place we share with our dearest so keeping it in the perfect condition is not only worth it, it is also necessary. It is also important to know a reputable company to contact to for anything that should be installed or fixed inside the house. Some of the things that a well-maintained house should have is good plumbing condition and in countries with winter climate such as USA, a good heating facility.

Fortunately, there is a US-based company that can take care of almost everything you need for your home maintenance needs. The Mattioni Heating and Cooling Inc. offers quality services for Chester County in Pennsylvania. The fact that they have been around for more than 60 years heating exton pa and heating west chester pa is already a strong testimony of their efficiency. Aside from plumbing and heating, they also do the following: air-conditioning drain cleaning, custom bathroom remodeling, water and sewer hookup and others.

You can visit their site to see customer testimonials and view their contact details at http://matplumbing.com/ Discount coupons are also available for customers in their website.

Tweet

Fabulous Finds on a Friday

It is a Friday and one of our boss is on leave, so what can you expect? Everyone seems so relax at the office today, even me, who have to finish a lot of task. This morning, I browse for cute printable calendars and come up with this:

I downloaded each month to be printed later. You can also download this free 2013 calendar here: 
http://freebies.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=freebies&cdn=hobbies&tm=18&f=20&su=p284.13.342.ip_&tt=3&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//imom.com/tools/get-organized/2013-printable-calendars/



And this afternoon, I get to listen to this heartwarming song via YouTube. This is said to be the theme song of my office-mates who I think are engaged to be married. Find the song too cute and heartwarming that I just need to blogged about it. 

Wishes by Emi Fujita

 

Tweet

La Union Trip

My husband’s family is in La Union but because of our very busy schedules, our last visit to his province was two years ago. For the whole 2012, his family has been bugging us to come visit them because they said they already miss us and my daughter so much. For some reason, we would always plan a trip but it will get cancelled at the last minute. But alas, just before saying goodbye to 2012, we were able to finally visit them.  

It was more of a quick road trip because we started traveling early Saturday morning of December 29 at around 5 am and intend to be back in Manila by Dec 31. We opt not to go via the SCTex road but we got lost a bit and also end up heading that direction. We also got stuck in a traffic jam along Urdaneta, Pangasinan. So we reached La Union around 1pm. It was a very hot day so we are all sweaty and tired when we arrived.

But we have to set aside our fatigue as it seems like there is a big fiesta when we arrived.  My husband’s folks prepared lots of dishes, hired a videoke and invited lots of guests. Well, I guess this is how they show their happiness that we are able to visit.

The singing, drinking, chatting lasted all day, I thought they won’t stop. On the morning of Dec 30, Sunday, we all went to a nearby beach in Luna, La Union. This is my favorite part of our trip. The place is so clean so serene, and so beautiful. These are the things why I sometimes consider the possibility of living in a rural area. There is no entrance fee to enjoy the beach. We only need to pay a cottage for Php400. that is very cheap because I think the cottage can accommodate up to 50 people.

My mother in law wants us to celebrate New Year there but we just had to say no. Our travel back to Manila is a breeze because we left at around 4:30am and reached Mandaluyong at 10:30am. We are tired but very happy with the trip and the whole experience.

Tweet

Family Day at Manila Ocean Park

The company where my husband works decided to give away Manila Ocean Park tickets for their employees and the family members. It is supposed to be for the family day activity. I am pregnant and not really sure if I would have the energy to roam around this theme park all day but I decided to participate in this activity for my daughter. So one Saturday morning last Nov 2012, my husband, my daughter and I went to the Manila Ocean Park.

Our free tickets give us access to the following: Oceanarium, Fish Spa, Trails to Antarctica, Jellies Exhibit, Sea Lion Show and Fountain Show. We arrived around 9:30 am and though it is still early, the place is already jampacked. There were so many people; most of them are students and teachers on a field trip. I wish the management of Ocean Park would set a limit to the number of group trips because the crowd makes it hard to appreciate the place.

Our first stop is the Oceanarium which is a large display of different forms of marine life. This experience would have been much more awesome if not for the huge crowd. We still manage to enjoy it though and took a few blurred pics.

There is a space where children can pick reading and coloring materials but that time, the crowds makes it look like a battle place.

Then we opted for the fish spa which is just what we needed after braving the crowd. It is a good thing that my husband and daughter enjoyed the fish spa very much. The fishes that nibble the dead skin cells on your feet is relaxing and tickling. They just need to improve this area because there aren’t even small lockers to put one’s belonging while one is in the spa area.

The penguins at the Trails to Antarctica are so cute. I like this attraction even though one needs to pay again just to have a picture with the penguins. The jellies exhibit is fascinating too but can be a bit boring.

Well, we did all that in less than 2 hours so we have lots of time to kill before the sea lion show at 2:30. We opted to go home then just catch other shows next time. Yes, we can do that as long as we keep the tickets and it will not go beyond the expiry date. I guess if you want to catch the fountain and sea lion show, it is best to just schedule your trip around mid-afternoon.

On our 2^nd visit, we catch the sea lion show at 4:30pm. We arrived 10 minutes late though so can’t say much about this. The sea ions are adorable but you need a great spot to really appreciate the show.

The musical fountain show made our second visit worth it. It was breathtaking and entertaining. The show lasted only for 30 minutes but it seems like an hour has passed. 

Just for info, here is the schedule of Manila Ocean Park Attractions:

Oceanarium/Fish Spa

Mon & Tue. 10 am – 7pm (last entry – 6:15pm)

Wed to Fri – 10am to 8pm (last entry- 7:15pm)

Sat and Sun -9am -8pm (last entry- 7:15pm)

Jellies

Mon to Fri – 10 am to 7pm

Sat & Sun – 9am to 7pm

Swimming : Mon to Sun: 8am to 5pm

Sea Lion & Exhibit (20 mins)

Mon to Sun : 11am/ 2pm/ 4:30pm

Fountain Show: Wed to Sun: 7pm

Trails to Antarctica

Mon & Tue: 11am -8pm (last entry-7:15pm)

Wed & Fri: 11am -9pm (last entry- 8:15pm)

Sat- Sun: 10am-9pm (last entry- 8:15pm)

Bird Show: Mon-Sun: 3:30pm (one show only)

Tweet