What Simply Works!

My cousin, who is getting married this year, bought a condominium unit together with his fiancée. We were all excited for them since the news of the engagement and when the property purchase pulled through, we were just ecstatic.

He consulted his mom for recommendations on the appliances and modern furniture for his three bedroom unit. His fiancée took the role of designing the color schemes and decorations for all the rooms. It has been a year since they started furnishing their home, which gave them enough time to prepare for their wedding that is happening in two months.

I’m sure it was a challenge for them to do all the necessary logistics after the engagement. For furniture shopping alone, unless the store has in-stock items and delivery is reliable, it can be pain to deal with. There are shops like modernlinefurniture.com that offer in-stock items at flat-free shipping cost. I do hope that my cousin and her wife to be had a hassle-free furniture shopping experience.

Up to this point, we haven’t bought a replacement for our trusty Philips vacuum cleaner. We’re supposed to buy a Dyson unit a few months ago but other things on our shopping list were given priority.

Hopefully the list clears up after Christmas so we can start to scout for a Dyson. There are so many cheap vacuum cleaners out there but this time around we want to buy a really good brand.

I have lost count of how many times a telemarketer has called our home phone to offer telecommunication services. Some are polite and some are rude. Either way, getting those calls a few times a day is just annoying. At one point, I had to hang-up the phone because the caller won’t stop ringing our line. How nasty is that?

Currently, we don’t have a caller ID feature and maybe when we renew our contract (we’re looking at changing carriers), we should consider having that feature. It might be a good idea to take note of the caller’s number and see whether they call us frequently on purpose. I understand the pressures that telemarketers go through to reach their sales quota. But I believe that it should not be done at the expense of other people.

In the US and Canada, there is a look-up service provided by WhoOwnsThisPhone.com. It is a reverse phone look-up that can help to trace numbers of unknown callers.

The next exciting thing that comes after purchasing your own home is shopping for furniture. There is definitely a type of antique or modern furniture that would suit any theme chosen for each room in the house.

I would love our lounge area to-be to be a bit colorful, with bright wall paintings, comfy sofas and lots of pillows. The living room will have less modern furniture but more antique pieces. The colors will be neutral yet not the dull shades. Most of the decorations will be cool to eyes and will bring a homey feeling.

The other rooms in the house will have different themes, too. Our family room to-be will have a mix of casual and modern furniture. Since this room will hold most of the simple get-togethers like DVD nights or when you just want to listen to music, the ambiance should definitely be easy-going.

It is very expensive to furnish a home so there should be a good balance between must-haves and nice-to-haves.

A good conversation we had with friends two weeks ago made us re-think of our plans to move to a landed property. We were told that depending on our budget, we could end up getting a house, which may not be properly maintained thus leaving us to do a lot of work. Or worse, having us bear a life with pests or insects that will be just too much of a burden.

Based on their experience, there was a lot of work-around done just to make their apartment livable. The neighborhood although quiet and safe is pretty old and that requires more maintenance efforts on the tenants’ part. The spaces in between the kitchen cabinets had to be taped to discourage roaches to get inside. They have an ample stock of sprays and what not to prevent ants from roaming in the kitchen corners.

Good thing though, that the interior basement waterproofing seems to be working well that they never had problems with it for almost two years now. Given that, it will be a challenge for us to look for a house to rent. We remain positive though that we will end up renting a place that’s meant for us.

Happiness can be found in the simplest things. Like being able to sleep on a warm and comfortable bed. That’s why when we were scouting around for a good bedroom furniture, we made sure that we will not scrimp and save too much yet not go to the extreme of blowing our budget.

It is important that the mattress is of very good quality. When we get a good night’s sleep, our bodies are well prepared for the stress that we’ll encounter the following day. No wonder many companies nowadays sell special gadgets that compliment bedroom sets in aide of a good shuteye.

Someday, when our daughter’s big enough to sleep in her own room and that means we’ll have the bedroom to ourselves, I would like to re-organize it. I would like to add in a dresser, a new drawer and probably replace our mattress frame. This is how cozy I want our room to be. Just looking at it makes me want to stay in it all day. Hee.

[Photo source: www.spacify.com]

We started asking around for recommendations on the areas to consider for our apartment search. We are on the lookout for a landed property to rent for another year. Based on our friends’ experience, there’s more effort involved in the upkeep of a landed property, like maintenance of garden planters, lawn and ensuring that pests or insects are kept at bay.

Nonetheless, we are pretty excited at the prospect of living in a landed property. We prefer a small place with a small garden, as we don’t want to spend all of our weekends cleaning outdoor planters, decorative planters and such.

With the very aggressive rental market here in Sydney, we’re preparing ourselves for a tough time to search for a house that exactly fits our requirements. So, our backup plan is to keep our rented apartment unit. We will just pursue our property search when it’s time to purchase our very own home.

The weekend after our mini-vacation, I felt the urge to rearrange all the furniture at home. Given our small space, our living room serves as our daughter’s playroom as well. With that, I have to be a little more creative to make the whole area look pleasant especially so that we like inviting friends over for dinner meet-ups.

Thankfully, the IKEA store is just a few minutes away. We frequent the store to buy organizers, boxes and baskets, which helped de-clutter our home. I’m sure those purchases will not be put to waste even if we move apartments or even we have a nice lounge with home theater seating in our future home. I love those little organizers. I’d thank the geniuses behind those very useful handiworks anytime.

I recently saw a health feature on acne and how the technological advancements in the field of dermatology have helped many acne sufferers. There used to be complicated and usually painful procedures used in order to stop acne growth. Back then there is no known remedy to this skin problem.

Now, there are treatment products that help deal with acne issues. Acne Complex is one popular brand that offers easy, safe and effective options to end skin breakouts. They are non-invasive as they are purely creams and gels that are applied externally.

It is interesting to note that the terms “Murad Acne” is coined after the developer of these products, Dr. Howard Murad. There is a good testimonial page on the website and there are photos that show the before and after results. The write-up and photos speak for itself. The products are truly effective! I was hooked on reading the FAQ page, which has general tips on skin care. I’m sure this brand will go a long way in helping people live with blemish-free skin.

I hear many people say that success in marriage can be achieved with love, commitment and faith in God. While I do agree in that framework, I think it is also critical that the couple is surrounded by friends and family who can provide support when the rough and tough times come. And in situations that call for professional help, there are experts in the field of counseling that couples going through a “rough patch” can consult with.

The internet has a wealth of information on counseling clinics, the type of counseling required and of course, the counselors. Theravive.com is a good example of an online directory where these types of information can be found. The clinics’ location is mainly in the US and Canada. If you hop to the Counseling Oakland page, a thorough list of counselors, registered psychologists and areas of practice are listed.

I find it amusing though that the website offers an “E-counseling” option. With just a few clicks, the website will display a page where the available E-counselors are listed together with the means of communication, whether by phone, email or instant messaging. I admire how the field of counseling has widened its reach through technology.

I guess there shouldn’t be any reason for anybody to feel alone or left out when going through marital, personal or career issues. Theravive.com is a good source of counseling and support.

I once read a story on the Reader’s Digest about a teenager who died after taking ecstasy. What struck me was that the girl was not a party girl type who is into drugs but a decent and smart girl well loved by her family, classmates and friends.

In a nutshell, the girl was “dared” to take the pink pill by another group of girls in her school. Not long after she took it, her heart went on overdrive and she stayed at the hospital in a coma state before she died.

Whenever I hear or read stories like that, I can’t help but worry about my daughter. We can go on and encourage her to be a good kid but we have no control on the people she’ll meet, the friends she’ll make and the environment she’ll be in.

It is always my prayer for the Lord to guide her and keep her safe all the time. We can only do so much as parents no matter how we try. In one of my conversations with my husband, I jokingly said that maybe we should have a GPS tracking device on her so we know where she is all the time. But that’s just an exaggeration of course.

There is a non-profit organization that aims to assist uninsured patients to get free medication through their patient assistance programs. Patient Assistance.com is a corporation located in the US and has helped so many people through their programs.

I wish something like that is available for our fellow Filipinos back home. With a big chunk of our population living below poverty line, it will be greatly beneficial for patients to get free assistance in the form of medications. There are so many pharmaceutical companies back home which can sponsor the programs. I’m not sure if we already have something similar to this but I hope we do.

One of the most important considerations before my husband accepted his job here in Sydney is the insurance coverage. With Australia’s economy booming, it is expected that the standard of living will go up as well.

With our objective to experience a change of lifestyle and still be able to meet our target savings here, we had to go through the insurance coverage offered by my husband’s company thoroughly and checked if there are areas to upgrade based on our needs.

Since we are here on working visas, it is vital to choose a good private health insurance. So far, we have no regrets in the company we chose. We are comfortable with the coverage we chose especially with our child in mind. For permanent residents, however, Medicare will cover hospitalization or medical needs.

Our friend here who got the same coverage said that her plans for baby #2 are well underway since the insurance will take care of her delivery/ hospitalization expenses.

My husband has been asking me to make appointments with the dentist, chiropractor and optometrist. He said that we should maximize the benefits before they lapse. I guess the next opportunity I get; I will definitely make calls to schedule all of these visits.

When a good friend of ours got hospitalized for a serious illness, one of our major worries for him and his family is the hospital bills. We feared for the worst financial setback possible. This is where health insurance plans play a major role. My husband and I are so happy to learn that their health insurance will cover all the medical costs. It is a big relief that now they can focus solely on the patient’s recovery.

As we get older, we realize how important life and health insurance policies are. Especially when we have dependents, we are given the financial security when we get proper coverage for the earners in the family.

I’m sure there are still some people that are cynical towards getting insurance coverage. Some on the other hand think that as long as they have a good cash flow, they don’t need to get life or health policies.

In this case, it helps to think of a possible worst case scenario. Having a good cash flow is fine but who wants to use it up for health or emergency cases? How would you want your children to end up when either of the earning parents could no longer work?

There are many financial agents out there who give free assessment and advice on this matter. If you don’t have coverage yet, I strongly encourage you to consider getting one.

I am not proud to say that I have a bad set of teeth. Well, what I am trying to say is that my teeth have been in the hands of many different dentists, most of whom ruined my teeth. When I was in college, I wore braces. Not to waste time (and more money) in travelling from our province to get a more experienced orthodontist in the city, I fell in the hands of this doctor who pulled out my two molars. Yes, my two precious and innocent molars.

After I took off my braces, the same dentist just left the “spaces” in between my teeth and asked me to continue using my retainers. After years of seeing her, she eventually left the clinic and moved elsewhere.

All the dentists that came after made a hit and miss procedure (that includes a root canal!) and it was only in December last year when my light and shining armor in the form of a lady dentist explained all the procedures that were done (and should not have been done) on my teeth. I will never forget the day when I was (un)comfortably sitting on her dentist’s chair for the routine cleaning and filling because it was my birthday!

On our next trip to Manila, I shall see her again. She recommended that I wear braces again to save what needs to be saved. Oh, she also asked (or rather demanded) that I use an electric (or battery operated) toothbrush, which will help with my weak teeth enamel. I checked the internet and this one looks like a good buy — an Oral-B Triumph Professional Care 9400 Power Toothbrush

About seven universities in Australia have started publishing tutorials and research work over their websites. This means that students would never have to miss class or miss out on important lessons or publications.

You know how it’s called? It’s Itunes U! It was successfully launched in the US last year and seven of the largest Australian universities followed suit. Before, it was just distance learning and now we have Itunes School!

This can only get better.

My in-laws like to send articles about health through our family e-group. Among the many that I received, this one particularly got my interest. It’s about toothbrush care. But before you go on to read the excerpt, how many of you out there use a toothbrush cover? Do you leave your toothbrush in a cup, a holder or just beside the sink? Is it placed near the toilet bowl or you hide them inside the cabinet? Read on.

“Take your commode: There are 3.2 million microbes per square inch in the average toilet bowl, according to germ expert Chuck Gerba, PhD, a professor of environmental microbiology at University of Arizona. When you flush, aerosolized toilet funk is propelled as far as 6 FEET, settling on the floor, the sink, and yes, your toothbrush. Shutting the lid, of course, is probably a smart move, but at the very least, put anything that goes inside your mouth behind closed doors (your medicine cabinet will do just fine).” [source]

Gee, the thought of toilet bowl germs landing on my toothbrush just grosses me out! So, if your toothbrush is “exposed” to your commode, time to move it elsewhere!

Since our apartment is fully carpeted, it takes more effort to do the vacuuming. The Philips brand that we are currently using was bought in Singapore and is not really suited for carpet cleaning. No matter how many times I drag the poor thing to and fro, I still see some dirt on the floor.

My friend who just bought this Dyson brand swears that well, it sucks! She has asthma and has seen better mornings (without the usual nose clogs) since they started using this.

When I got the chance to see this in their apartment, I noticed that it’s bagless! It is not as heavy as the one we have. But along with the cool features is the steep price! I should start scouting on ebay or tradingpost, there might be a good soul out there selling this beauty at a good price!

~ source: Gadgetguy

You are looking at the future of gardening right there!

This UFO looking AeroGarden appliance here is perfect for growing little veggies in your very own kitchen. It comes in different styles and shades, too! The price is kind of steep though, 279AUD a piece!

But even if the price is right, I’d still choose to dirty my hands with real soil and get the satisfaction out of doing real gardening. I wonder if Better Homes and Gardens will feature this in their show?

~ source: Gadgetguy

R and I have been dreaming of owning a huge plasma TV since we were still in Singapore. One thing that always holds us back from buying one is that we don’t have our own place yet. It will be hard to move a highly sensitive TV from one place to another.

Hopefully, in a few years’ time, when we have our own home, we’d be able to buy the HD Plasma TV of our dreams. I’m sure by then, Amelie would want to have an accompanying Wii to play with. Hee.

This Panasonic Viera HD TV is what I am dreaming of having in our future home. I can imagine its 42″ body sitting on the wooden TV bench in our entertainment room. There, we will also have our collection of DVD greats, a super comfy couch and a mini bar with snacks, soda and even ice cream! Sarap talaga mangarap!

~ source: Gadgetguy