Avail Discounts

Using discount coupons is a great way for consumers to save money on products and services. And since we all enjoy shopping and trying new services at a lower price,we should all be armored with discount cards.

So if we feel like traveling and booking to the best hotels, we should have accommodation coupons which will surely give us big savings. And if we like staying home while shopping at our favorite stores, on line coupons also help!

Typhoon Pepeng

Great Shows

Dying to watch a blockbuster concert?

We don't always have the luxury of time to spend on the phone or to wait in line attempting to purchase quality event tickets. And even if we're lucky enough to buy a ticket, there is no guarantee that we get the quality seating we want. In this sense, we need a professional ticket broker with access to the shows we are eager to watch.

ACheapSeat.com is a friendly, professional ticket broker who is eager to provide you with assistance. If you want Tsongas Arena tickets which are hard to buy or Raymond Stadium tickets which are always fully booked and even Bradley Center tickets ,you can always depend on them. So if you think that it is impossible to get box office shows, there is now an assurance that someone will make that seat available for you.

Math Help

When I was in grade school, I was a Mathematically challenged student. I always needed Math help. I had a tutor that assisted me with my daily lessons especially in Algebra. It was an effort on my part as I needed to see her every after school. How I wished to get get the assistance I needed just at home.

Nowadays, there is this online tutoring which helps students in exam preparations and master Math topics. This costs only a small fraction of what private tutors would cost. And since there are several videos from a variety of teachers, students could learn in different ways.

Writer's Death

What happens when a writer doesn't want to write anymore? When the progression of her fingers across the keyboard is like an old dry horse hitched to the millstone, blinders and yoke lashed?

Disliking Endings

For me, writing the ending is the hardest part. If editors interfere, it is likely to be there, at the ending. If we are not satisfied with our story, it is perhaps realized there, at the ending. The pressure is always at the ending. The getting it right. The feeling of "I must be able to capture the entire story in few lines while being able to leave a great impact" is definitely at my every story's ending.




photo credit: xianlandia.com/pix/writing.jpg

Mailboxes

Why settle for a plain old mailbox? Add charm to your house with house mailboxes which would definitely add to the curb appeal of your home! Browse Mailbox Collections and look for that wall mount mailboxdesign which just suits your taste and needs as they offer elegant and unique wall mounted mailboxes.

Add a cheerful welcome to your home. A stunning wall mount mailbox is the perfect way to enhance its exterior!

Fabuous Vacation

If you think that it’s about time to live the life you've always dreamed, have a Myrtle Beach Resort experience. It is where you can discover a truly blissful living. The beautiful Prince Resort which is just located at the entrance of the Cherry Grove Pier is a perfect place to just sit back and relax plus it has plenty of dining options and leisure activities.

Myrtle Beach accomodations is at its finest. Its celebrated customer service will make your stay a truly memorable one. You will be welcomed with warm smiles as everyone will happily assist you with your needs and preferences. You will also be provided with superb housekeeping with fresh linen and towels every day.

Go for a stroll along quiet marshlands, settle in your spacious oceanfront condo, breathe fresh air and see the breath-taking view at Myrtle Beach Resorts You can even enjoy spa treatments, golf, helicopter tours, and sailing cruises at a very affordable price!

Faces of Manila

photographed by Gerald Diocades

A Misunderstood Writer

My husband could not understand that I am actually working while staring at him.












photo credit: myspace.com

Abroad is in the Heart

I was watching my niece Yana closely while she was waving goodbye to her dad (my only brother Orvhil) in the airport who was off to Belgium this morning. With much love she yelled, “Dad, God bless you!" And while her dad checked-in his luggage, Yana asked me to text him to look at where we were standing. And when her dad took a glimpse on us over the glass walls, Yana said with a bittersweet smile, “That was dad’s last look at me!” And sealed a kiss on the air.



I know exactly how my five-year-old niece Yana felt as I’ve experienced it 20 years ago when I was a young girl like her waving goodbye to my mom and dad in the airport. A melancholic feeling knowing that I wouldn’t be seeing my parents for quite a long time and yet with a great sense of pride knowing that they will be gaining knowledge in the place where they were going. “Not everyone is given an opportunity to study abroad for free,” I often heard my brother say who tried to lessen my gloomy feeling then. And I also found myself telling those words to Yana.



I remember that the most difficult part of my grade school life was not being with my parents. Mom went to Australia to take a diploma course and a Masters degree in Economics while dad went to India and the Netherlands for trainings. My brother Orvhil and I were left under the care of our grandmother and an aunt. And during the days I was longing for our mom and dad, I always had my brother beside me. This is probably the reason why I grew up to be very close to him.



I could not forget the nights I would just wake-up weeping, looking for mom and dad. My brother Orvhil always had ready words to make me stop cry.

He would say, “Mama said she wants us to see the Big Banana in Australia and the beautiful Ocean World, she’s working on our papers so we can also see those places soon!” Or, “Why are you sad? Aren’t you glad that Papa can now see the mountains where Maria and the kids stayed in “The Sound of Music? Papa said the Netherlands is just a train away from Austria!” And those words certainly enlightened me.

My niece Yana made me see my brother in her. She reminded me on how strong my brother was. I’ve heard her say to her baby sister before we went to the airport, “Aaliya, daddy is almost going to Belgium- we will also study there when we grow old so that we will get smarter.” What an amazing disposition she has. Instead of crying and stopping her dad to leave, she has tried to see the brighter side of it. My brother tried to be strong for me when our parents were abroad, while Yana is proving to be strong for her younger sister in her own little way as well.



All through my life, my brother has always been quietly behind me, watching over me, making certain everything was okay. And this is probably the reason why he knows me in ways and at a level that no other person can—not our parents, my spouse or even my closest woman friends.



Only my brother Orvhil knows that I screamed at our child when he scared me with his ghost stories in school. Only my brother knows why I didn’t like to expose my knees. And only my brother knows how I really felt when I reached my lowest valley in the Polymedic hospital and how I was able to pull myself up when he wiped my tears and fears away.

My brother knows me. The essential me. The me I am when nobody else is looking.

I see that his going abroad is also a perfect opportunity for her daughters to develop that closeness we have. I am sure my nieces Yana and Aaliya will also get to develop that special bond which comes from always being together. Their dad’s absence will be a perfect moment for them to grow and to deeply know each other more.
And winter abroad has a special place in me. It was the most awaited season of my childhood. There is this special feeling that the word “winter” brings which gets to melt my heart. Winter in Australia and in the Netherlands meant seeing mom and dad again as they would spend their break in the Philippines. You could never imagine how excited I was every time I would receive a letter from them telling that it was almost snowing in New South Whales or in Amsterdam. I was always excited to show them how I became a year wiser and stronger.



Now, I would again be waiting for next year’s winter break in Belgium to come. The feeling is the same. The word winter again creates a special feeling which gets to warm my heart. I can’t wait to see my kuya Orvhil again. I can’t wait to see my nieces waving to their dad once more. The kind of wave welcoming him carrying with them the lesson they have learned because of his absence-- the sisterly bond, that magical bond which links Aaliya and Yana soul to soul. And I know it would be the greatest and grandest feeling of all.

My First Article in Korean

Translated by Mrs. Lucy Hong

The Fabled Marcos Story

In the Philippines, one of the most interesting topics to talk about is the fabled Marcos’ wealth story. Recently, while Noynoy Aquino was announcing his bid to run for presidency in next year's elections, he said that he would use “political will" to go after the fabulous wealth of the family of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos which some estimates have placed at $10 billion.

The Marcos wealth, they say, consists of billions of dollars and tons of gold deposited in several banks in Switzerland. But where does their wealth come from? It is in answering that question where the story gets more fabulous, juicy and entertaining.

On Gold Investment

It is said that gold is the purest form of money, and the oldest, most durable wealth-preserving asset on the planet. No wonder, the Marcos’ malicious acquisition of tons of gold has created large efforts for Filipinos to reclaim for the benefit of many.

Gold is the oldest, most durable wealth-preserving asset on the planet. It has no debts and no politicians to clutter its value. Since no one can devalue gold, more and more investors purchase gold coins and gold bullions to store their wealth in such a stable and profitable way.

Nowadays, we need not have the power of the Marcoses to acquire gold. And our ownership need not be that intriguing. If we want to invest, we can easily purchase gold . We need not be intrigued on how we are able to acquire them unlike the Marcoses since ownership is as easy.

And since gold has always been referred to as “crisis commodity,” it has outperformed other investments over years. Many people purchase gold bullions and purchase gold coin for safer investment.

photo credit: www.manilamaildc.net

Online Protection

Internet is an amazing spectacle, not doubt. It provides us an opportunity to explore and communicate using our finger tips. Unfortunately, there are so many criminals moving their business endeavors towards the Internet which could make everyone a victim. We could be victims of phishing, rootkits, malware, spyware, viruses and other malicious threats. And this is why we need computer protection.

We can now ensure a safe online experience through the security protection provided by ZSecurity. ZSecurity has advanced features to ensure safe online experiences for our family and businesses. It delivers software solutions that provide instant, comprehensive Internet security protection against rapidly evolving security threats. Now, we can be sure that our computers are free from trojan and other viruses as it's virus protection is to its maximum.

ZSecurity has consistently been awarded the highest honors by many of the world's leading PC publications and research labs such as PC Mag, PC World for its Internet security performance. Experience full functional 30 day trial version now.

On wanting to "fit in"

Wanting to be part of the "white culture" is especially difficult for a growing up female especially when one is a Chinese growing up in America with so much desire to "fit in. Nelie Wong, a Chinese-American writer uses powerful images and description to communicate her experiences and feelings. This poem reflects her perception towards beauty.

WHEN I WAS GROWING UP by Nelie Wong

I know now that once I longed to be white.
How? you ask.
Let me tell you the ways.

when I was growing up, people told me
I was dark and I believed my own darkness
in the mirror, in my soul, my own narrow vision.

when I was growing up, my sisters
with fair skin got praised
for their beauty and I fell
further, crushed between high walls.

when I was growing up, I read magazines
and saw movies, blonde movie stars, white skin,
sensuous lips and to be elevated, to become
a woman, a desirable woman, I began to wear
imaginary pale skin.

when I was growing up, I was proud
of my English, my grammar, my spelling,
fitting into the group of smart children,
smart Chinese children, fitting in,
belonging, getting in line.

when I was growing up and went to high school,
I discovered the rich white girls, a few yellow girls,
their imported cotton dresses, their cashmere sweaters,
their curly hair and I thought that I too should have
what these lucky girls had.

when I was growing up, I hungered
for American food, American styles
coded: white and even to me, a child
born of Chinese parents, being Chinese
was feeling foreign, was limiting,
was unAmerican.

when I was growing up and a white man wanted
to take me out, I thought I was special,
an exotic gardenia, anxious to fit
the stereotype of an oriental chick

when I was growing up, I felt ashamed
of some yellow men, their small bones,
their frail bodies, their spitting
on the streets, their coughing,
their lying in sunless rooms
shooting themselves in the arms.

when I was growing up, people would ask
If I were Filipino, Polynesian, Portuguese.
They named all colors except white, the shell
of my soul but not my rough dark skin.

when I was growing up, I felt
dirty. I thought that god
made white people clean
and no matter how much I bathed,
I could not change, I could not shed
my skin in the gray water.

when I was growing up, I swore
I would run away to purple mountains,
houses by the sea with nothing over
my head, with space to breathe,
uncongested with yellow people in an area
called Chinatown, in an area I later
learned was a ghetto, one of many hearts
of Asian America.

I know now that once I longed to be white.
How many more ways? you ask.
Haven't I told you enough?

Self- doubt

Right now, this voice sounds like my own:

I have written practically nothing yet, and now again, the time is getting short. There is nothing done. I am no nearer my achievement than I was two months ago. And I keep half-doubting my will to perform anything. Each time I make a move my demon says at almost the same moment: “Oh, yes,we've heard that before!”

Katherine Mansfield