We used to have a GE cordless phone but I think there’s always something wrong with the cordless phone battery that we buy. We’ve tried replacing it with original ones and even with generic ones but nothing seems to last. After just a couple of months, the battery span lasts only up to one hour or less. It’s really irritating especially when you’re in the middle of an important conversation and then you’ll suddenly hear the phone beeping and before you get the chance to tell the person on the other end that you’ll just transfer to another phone, the lines become dead. This happened to me every time so I’d rather use a our regular phone instead of the cordless one. But now we’ve switched to AT&T cordless phones and everything’s working well now.

I love pesto! I love it on pasta, cheese sticks, sandwiches, anything! We keep a bottle of pesto in the fridge and when I get hungry I just whip up a pesto sandwich. Just put cream cheese or cottage on bread then add a spread of pesto, toast it and voila!

Interesting facts:
Did you know that pesto is a sauce that originates in the city of Genoa in the Liguria region of northern Italy. Pesto comes in various forms and the one that we’re familiar with, the one made with basil and pine nuts, is its classic basic form and is actually called pesto alla genovese. Another interesting fact is that basil has been used as a treatment for coughs, skin diseases, and intestinal problems.

Here’s a recipe that I got from Wanda. Two of my favorites together, garlic and pesto! Try it!

Garlic-Pesto Sauce

Ingredients:
3 medium garlic cloves
1 cup fresh basil, washed and patted dry
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon cashew nuts
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Chop garlic, basil leaves, parsley and nuts into small pieces and combine in the bowl of food processor. Continue processing until the mixture becomes fine (according to your liking). Add oil in slow, steady stream. Stop the machine and add cheese, salt and pepper. Turn on machine and process a few seconds to combine.

I’ve been thinking of rearranging my room and giving it a more beachy feel. I’m thinking of earth colors with some blue and yellow and furnitures with more natural materials like wooden blinds. Then I’d decorate the whole room with shells, fishes and wavy prints. I also like those rotating lamps with blue streaks which when turn on at night makes the room look like you’re underwater. I’d really love that! Then I’d put glow in the dark stars on my ceiling so it’d be like I’m star gazing every night before I go to sleep. And don’t forget the wind chimes. The sound of wind chimes remind me of nights in Anilao. There nothing like the gentle sound of the waves together with the wind chimes lulling me to sleep.

One technique that I’ve been taught when I took my basic photography class is photographing moving subjects by panning. Basically, what you do is that you pan or follow your moving subject with your camera as it moves. The end result is an action shot with a relatively sharp subject against a blurred background, giving you the impression of movement.

First thing you do is to position yourself so that you are parallel to your subject. Avoid using a tripod but if you need to then use a monopod so you can be free to move. Use a slow shutter speed like 1/60th second or 1/30th second. Start following your subject as it move before pressing the shutter. Then when you press the shutter, avoid shaking your camera and continue panning even after you’ve released the shutter.

So there you go… hope you learned something today. Don’t forget to experiment and be creative! Remember that there are no rules in panning.

I’ve always dreamed of going on vacation in the USA. If I ever get the opportunity then I’d surely won’t miss to visit and experience the famous Florida sunshine! I’ve already mentioned lots of times that I love beaches and I’d surely not miss this one. I’d avail myself an Orlando vacation home rental then head on to the white sandy beaches and soak myself in the sun! Of course, I won’t miss Florida’s numerous amusement and theme parks. Bet it’d be a wonderful and unforgettable vacation! I just wish this dream will come true in the near future…

I’m planning to buy a DSLR and I was surfing the nets for reviews and tips when I bumped into this do-it-yourself protection for cameras at Instructables. Coincidentally, it involves one of my must-have item when traveling: ziploc! Yes, another practical use for ziploc and a such a clever one too. This one instructs us how to use a ziploc to protect your camera when shooting on a dusty or wet environment or situation. It is very when shooting a kiddie pool party or shooting when there’s a drizzle. Some even tried using it for shooting underwater but I don’t think I’d do that. So here it is… have fun shooting and hope you find this useful!

Camera Zip-lock

My best friend and I dream of owning a furniture shop someday. And we don’t want to just sell furnitures but we also want to design it and if possible even build it ourselves. I bet it’ll be fun, especially using a plasma cutter… just imagine all the custom shapes you can create using it. Maybe we can also create and sell modern art sculptures. We also both want to become interior decorators and once planned to enroll at an interior decorating school. But you know real life gets in the way and we just have to keep on dreaming and hoping that one day we’ll be able to fulfill these dreams together.

I love ziploc or any zipper bags! For me it’s a must when I travel or when going on outdoor trips. When I was in college I was active in our school’s outdoor organization and whenever we go on trips, we should be prepared for the worst so they got us into the habit of waterproofing our stuff. What I do to waterproof my bag is I put a huge plastic bag inside, sort of like a lining, then I put all my stuff inside the plastic bag and close it using a rubber band. For an added extra, I put my clothes inside ziploc bags so I’ll be completely worry-free in case it rains or when on a bumpy boat ride.

On my other travels, I put my clothes in ziplocs to organize my bag. What I do is I pair my clothes first (e.g. shirt and pants) before putting them in ziploc so that when I’m going to use it, I don’t have to rummage through my bag just to find that pair. And when coming from the beach, I just put my wet suit in a ziploc so I don’t have to worry about getting my other stuff wet or I don’t have to wait for my suit to dry first before I can pack my bag.

Another practical use for ziploc is for packing my snacks, like chips, cookies, veggie sticks, etc. I transfer my snacks to ziplocs so it won’t be so bulky inside my bag and I can seal it again when I have leftovers. And what I like more about ziploc is that you can use it over and over again. Have I told you already? I love ziploc!

Are you familiar with hydroxycut? According to Wikipedia, it is a nutritional supplement designed to help lose weight by increasing metabolism and reducing hunger cravings. I am on a constant hunt on ways to lose weight and I’ve already tried a number of diet pills but nothing really worked. A couple may have worked but it has side effects like palpitation and excessive perspiring, which are both uncomfortable. But I noticed that when I don’t eat dinner or have it earlier than usual, my tummy feels smaller the next day. I once heard somewhere that if you want to lose a little weight then you can eat anything you want for breakfast and dinner but you should stop eating 8 hours before you go to sleep. Now I’m really not sure If I’ll last that long. Right now I’m sticking to eating more fruits and veggies than I used to, also eating more fish than meat. And when I get hungry in between meals, then I eat a fruit or salad or crackers. And I’ll start jogging again soon so I’ll be in shape when I go to Palawan next year!

I would like you all to meet San Miguel Bear, Miguel for short. He’s a small version of my teddy bear Miggy and he’ll be sharing his adventures with us here in this blog.

I used to collect teddy bears but realized that it takes too much space. So I’ve decided to start a new collection, it’s still teddy bears but smaller ones only, not bigger than my hand (and I have such small hands). So far I now have about five in my collection, including Miguel who’s been with me for more than 10 years now.

Below is his photo, just ignore my chubby little hand… isn’t he cute? I think he looks so fine in that vest and green bow! So say hello to Miguel and watch out for his adventures!