A few days before Christmas, we were finally able to watch more cable TV channels. That’s because finally, the cable company technician was able to make our cable converter work. What I don’t understand here is why we needed to buy a cable converter when our TV is supposed to be cable-ready.

Anyways, all three of us are now taking turns watching our favorite cable TV shows. Our four-year-old son is actually the boss in our household since he gets to watch most, if not all, of his favorite cable TV shows every day, especially during their school Christmas break. The only time we can switch TV channels is when the little boy is busy playing.

Now, I seldom watch TV, but when I do, I want no distractions because I want to hear everything and see everything. I also want the shows I watch to have crisp and clear audio and picture.

Incidentally, did you know that you can now get the best possible resolution and sound quality through HDMI cables? HDMI stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface. You heard it right, folks! You don’t need to buy a new TV set to be able to watch high definition content. All you need is to connect an HDMI cable to your TV, and you get to enjoy excellent digital video and digital sound in the comfort of your own home.

If you’re looking for reasonably priced premium HDMI cables, you can check out Optimization-World.com. All cables that you order from them come with a lifetime guarantee. This means if your cable suddenly stopped working, you can send it to them for a hassle-free replacement. They also offer same-day shipping if you place your order before 5:30pm Eastern time. Plus, you can take advantage of their free shipping promo with your online purchase. They also have an adapter for VGA if you need one.

I just drank a bottle of Minute Maid Pulpy. They say it’s got ‘no preservatives added’. Aw, c’mon…It’s bottled juice. Is that even possible? So I thought maybe... they're just saying that for product publicity.


I didn’t believe it the first time I heard it’s got no preservatives added. So I read the ingredients (even the fine print) and everything checked out! It really has NO PRESERVATIVES ADDED! That means it doesn’t have ingredients that may turn out to be allergens, or worse...carcinogens! Whew! Now that’s healthy goodness that tastes so good, I... will definitely buy some more of this and share it with my family and friends.

So okay, it’s got no preservatives added. That’s really good, right? Not just because it doesn’t have those icky, harmful ingredients, but it also means... I'm getting my daily dose of Vitamin C just by drinking Minute Maid Pulpy!

So far anyone who still has a hard time believing that Minute Maid has got no preservatives added - meaning it's THAT natural, it's almost like it's plucked straight from the tree, it's just as Mother Nature wanted your orange juice to be, it's got nothing but the good stuff yes, none of those potentially toxic stuff that can harm your brain, kidneys, heart; cause tumors aargh- the list of preservatives' bad effects just go on!!! Anyway, just to prove a point on just how good Minute Maid Pulpy is 'cause it's got NO PRESERVATIVES ADDED, I'm gonna make Minute Maid Pulpy part of my daily diet.

Feels good to know about the real pulpy deal, right? C’mon show me a smile on the comment box, and you might win yourself a Really Pulpy Deal! (That’s a chance to win a Minute Maid gift pack simply by commenting. Sweet! C'mon you just might be picked as the lucky 'commentor'!)

Love,

Tetcha

A few hours before 2011, Justin, his Dad and I went to Veranda at Robinsons Galleria to try one of the restaurants there. Veranda is located along Ortigas Deck Parking. We agreed to eat at Papa John’s Pizza.

Mommy and son hamming it up for the camera while waiting for our orders
We chose to stay outside Papa John’s because we were watching the crew of a nearby restaurant dancing to the delight of the diners. We were grooving to the music, too. We made a mental note to visit this place one of these days.

We ordered the following: Super Papa’s Pizza, Marinara and Seafood Carbonara.


Super Papa’s (small, 9 inches), Php300.00/$7.00
What we like most about this pizza is its soft and chewy dough. They also serve pepperoncini and garlic butter sauce on the side to enhance the flavor of pizza. I like my pizza with garlic butter sauce on top. Yummy!

Super Papa’s has pepperoni, Italian sausage, succulent chicken roll, freshly sliced mushrooms, onions, green peppers and black olives.


Marinara, Php (forgot to list down the price, sorry!)
My son loved this! In fact, this was all he ate. He left the pizza to his Dad and me. I like this, too, but I think the Seafood Pasta of Chef D’Angelo tastes so much better.

Marinara is spaghetti or penne served with shrimps, crabsticks, tuna, green peppers, and onions baked in special pizza sauce and topped with mozzarella cheese.


Seafood Carbonara, Php180.00/$4.00
This one’s too bland for our taste, but we ate all of it, nonetheless. We have to get our money’s worth. LOL!

Seafood Carbonara is spaghetti and penne served with shrimp and calamari served in carbonara sauce.


Our drinks
I think we were really hungry that time because we finished everything. LOL! So, are we coming back to order more from Papa John’s Pizza? We already did. Hubby bought a medium-sized Super Papa’s pizza last Tuesday.

It has been customary for others to list new goals at the beginning of each year, hence, the term New Year’s resolutions. In my case, I don’t usually list down my goals for the new year (except in 2007 in this blog), but instead I make a mental note of what I hope to accomplish each year. That’s exactly the reason why I don’t fulfil most of my New Year’s resolutions because I tend to forget them as the months go by. But because this week’s Mommy Moments’ theme requires us to list our goals for this year, I have no other option but to oblige. Here are my 2011 goals.

1. I vow to start saving part of my monthly earnings this year. The family crisis we had last year was a real eyeopener. It made us realize the value of having emergency fund because we wouldn’t know when we would need it. My mother underwent quadruple bypass surgery at the Philippine Heart Center last June 9, 2010, and my husband had to take out a big loan from his office to help finance the surgery. Now, my younger sister and I are paying for that loan with interest. It is also worth mentioning here that without the help of friends from Harversters Christian Fellowship, Nanay’s operation would not have been performed. We owe these people big time! Lesson learned: Save for a rainy day, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do this year.

2. I promise to manage my time effectively at work this year to spend more time and energy with the things that really matter. The last quarter of 2010 had been very busy for me. Before, my work ends at 5pm, but because I have been given more responsibilities at work last year, I’m still in front of my laptop at 7pm, even extending to 8pm or 9pm at times. This has significantly reduced the time I spend with my son. This has also affected my social life. I have so little time catching up with family members and friends.

3. I pledge to pamper myself more this year. I said this already in 2007, but I never really achieved this goal because there are just too many expenses in our household, not to mention that I’m also giving part of my salary to my parents for their medications, that there’s little to nothing left for me when I receive my salary every payday. I will make it a point to buy something for myself each month or do something for myself each month. It doesn’t need to be expensive for as long as I feel I’m getting something from what I’m earning. I should love myself more so I can give more love to others, right? This will also stop me from being grouchy most of the time. LOL!

4. I swear to take better care of my health this 2011. I’ll be turning 39 on my birthday, and my son will only be 5 years old in July, so I need to be healthy to be able to care of my one and only child. I will not miss any medical appointments and I will make sure I will have the required procedures done as instructed. This month, I’ll have my second shot of Cervarix (anti-cervical cancer vaccine). In February, I’ll have my lipid profile checked again; I just need time to flush out all the bad cholesterol I ingested during the holidays. LOL! I will also be having my annual MRI of the head in March, and before the year ends, I’ll have my mammography done, too.

5. I will strengthen my prayer life and spiritual life this year. While this is the most important thing that I need to help me accomplish all the things I need to do every single day, I’m ashamed to admit that this is the most neglected area of my life. I’m a novice here, and I need all the help I can get. I’ll start by going regularly to church and reading the Bible.

Sorry for my long post, folks! I just got carried away! LOL! If I may add, good luck to all those whose main goal this year is to find tech jobs. May we all accomplish our goals in 2011!

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