Busted Samsung TV... tsk...tsk

Yup, our fairly new Samsung TV has suffered a dreadful blank screen syndrome. I consider it new because it's just a few years old compared to our other tv's that are between 10-15 years. It makes me wonder if these new LCD tvs are any better. I feel upset because it belonged to my dad and he told me to give it to my dd when he goes. It did make me realize though that gadgets and appliances aren't exactly the stuff that you leave behind for your loved ones because they eventually get busted or obsolete. Unless they are really iconic and will eventually turn into collectibles. Nevertheless, it's still precious to me because of its sentimental value. I need to find a fix-it shop soon.

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Leaky faucet blues

We've been having a problem with our kitchen sink lately. I think it has something to do with the faucet. I'm not too familiar with how faucets work but this one is so bad because the water has seeped through our linoleum floor and has caused it peel. Every time we step on it, the water squishes through. It's pretty bad, actually. I know we need to have it fixed so I'm going to check out if I can find a nice Grohe faucet to see if it will fit our budget.

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Childhood wishful thinking

Ever had one of those impossible wishes when you were a child? I loved watching Little House on the Prairie back then and I often felt I was like 'half-pint'(Laura Ingalls) in a lot of ways. My dad would sometimes refer to me that way. I liked her adventurous, spunky spirit and her special relationship with her "Paw". I often imagined what it would be like living in the country and having a horse of my own. Of course that was just wishful thinking because there was no way I could fit a horse in our house back then much less store all the horse supplies and all that. We'd be living in the street while the horse had the house all to herself. LOL Anyway, I miss Little House on the Prairie. I wish they would show it again here. I'd love for the kids to watch what I watched while I was growing up... Oh well, I think I'll just look for the DVD version so we can have our own copy.

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What do you do on a rainy day?

Speaking of rain, what do you do on a rainy day? I remember when I was young(er), I would watch the rain roll down on the roof outside my window and watch those silvery drops of liquid cascade straight into the gutter. Nowadays, I don't get to do that anymore. It seems like life is so fast and so high tech that the simple things get pushed to the side. Silence can hardly find a place anymore in today's media bombarded lifestyle. Entertainment or rather a-musement(a- the absence of; muse-- thought or thinking)  is number one and it has to be bigger, louder and more luxurious. Wide screen, lcd, plasma and home theater chairs in your very own living room have taken over the quiet conversations that happen whenever you can't go out because of the rain. I don't think those days will ever return. I miss those times and I think I'm going to try to let my kids experience that one of these days.

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Too early for rain

Seems like the weather is really out of sorts this early. Somehow there have been more than a couple of low pressure areas that have come to the country and it's only February. I don't mind an occasional rain shower or two. In fact, I like it when it rains (except for the rain that happens inside our house because the faucet head keeps coming off when we hit it while washing the dishes LOL! I think we need to get a new one, hmmm... maybe one of those Hansgrohe kind). Anyway, I hope this crazy weather doesn't go any crazier than this. My kids are into ballet these days and the traffic is so dreadful especially in that area where the ballet school is. It's way too early for rain, eh?

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Out with the Old In with the New

Christmas is just around the corner and New Year is around the bend. Time flies so fast while life happens. Sigh. Most people start making a list of things like resolutions and all that. A sort of saying goodbye to the old and getting ready for the new year ahead. This just reminds me of what we did to our old sofa. We literally got rid of that beat up couch that had lost all its spring and bounce because of my two little kids using it as a trampoline.  If only we were in the US, I think I would have won one of the ugliest couches ever if Oprah ever had one. LOL One day, I heard a scraping sound when I moved the sofa to sweep out the stuff my kids stick under it. I looked under and lo and behold, the spring had already come out and had made lots of hole marks on the floor. Oh man! So the hubby and I just looked at each other and said are you ready to say goodbye to it. Without hesitation, I told him "Yeah, right now." So we hauled it out onto the sidewalk, ready to be picked up by the garbage guys the next day. Bye-bye old sofa!!! Hmmm, I wonder what's next... the table lamp?

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Hello Kitty Kitty Bye Bye Furry Furry

I am amazed at how many pet products have come out in the last hmmm... 5 years? Designer apparel for pets, toys and custom made furniture and living spaces  like cat trees and designer dog houses. There's also specially formulated pet food, cars and vehicles that have options for furry passengers at the back and those uber cool carrying bags to bring those wide-eyed creatures jetsetting with you wherever you go. (Wouldn't you want to be Paris Hilton's furry friend, huh?) So far, since dd has asthma history, the only kitty cat we are allowed to have around our house anytime is Hello Kitty and she can hang around here for as long as she wants. :D

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We need a new sofa

Yup, we need one yesterday! Our ratty old sofa has lost its last bounce and all that's left of it is the framework and the cover that holds it together. I don't think it had a chance with 3 kids (2 small and 1 oversized grownup) keep using it as trampoline. I stuffed it with an unused mattress and all the throw pillows we had but those things have been pulverized too. That's what happens when you get cheap discount furniture, I guess.  I wish Oprah and Nate Berkus would come visit my house and give me a home makeover.  In my dreams... LOL 

Anyway, there are a lot of online furniture shops I'm planning to check out - one of them is Boyles dot com. I think a whole range of furnitures to select from to suit your fancy. Now I have to figure out how to get my isp to fix the link. 

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I'm a little bit country...

It's been quite a while since I've spent more than three days in the city and it's been quite a whirlwind so far. I don't know if I can say that I miss the city life cause I am quite happy living outside the city. There are a lot of conveniences that aren't always available when you live in the 'suburbs' like access to a lot of  'comfort living' and 'pampering yourself' stuff. Five-star hotels, high-end facilities like gyms and spas, and restaurants with your not so usual ihaw-ihaw stuff within two to five kilometers away from your serviced residence isn't your usual provincial fare.  I'm a little bit country so I couldn't care less if facial or acne treatments were given by local derma practitioners whose surname doesn't ring a bell or if the best hairdresser in the area was the local barber. I miss our little brown house with the green door and the tiny front yard and my turon. I'm happy we'll be home soon.

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Spring Cleaning

I know there is no spring here where I live but our house definitely needs a spring cleaning day once in a while. I try to get rid of as much stuff as I can regularly but those of you who have kids know that purging is an ongoing thing. Aside from that, being in a tropical country, one has to deal with a lot of humidity and dust especially on the furniture. I sometimes wish I had one of those steam cleaners they show on the TV Shopping channel. Being married to a Physics major guy, I have these little tidbits of info on these products I have on my wishlist. Geeky stuff, y'know. LOL Hubby says that steam is actually hotter than boiling water and acts as a very good sanitizer for your stuff. Which gives me an idea...! Hmmmm, maybe I can elbow him to send me to a spa on Thursday and steam all my grimy dead skin cells away. lol

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Speaker in the house

I love watching design shows. One of my fave channels in the US is HGTV . I would always watch shows that would have these home makeovers that teach you how to make your home look fab even if your space is really tiny. One of the tips that I've used is to get things off the floor and up the walls just like what we did with our electric fans. Instead of using stand fans in our living room area, we installed wall fans. This freed up some much needed floor space for our kids to play on. Unfortunately, the fans didn't last that long and were of poor quality but definitely this little design tip is great. So now, I'm thinking of doing the same thing to our audio equipment. Right now, my poor little Bose is sitting on top of a white monobloc chair on the edge of the bed. I know, I shouldn't be treating it that way and I really need to find the right speaker mount and give my Bose a little more TLC. Not to mention, that's going to be one less chair used as a table and one more seat available for us humans in the house. :)

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Sleepless in Sta. Rosa

Hardly slept last night... dd's temperature suddenly spiked and so I just zoned in and out of sleep. DD has a history of convulsions esp when she has high fever and has had asthma attacks whenever she has cough and colds... hope she gets better today and the recovery would be faster. I'm getting familiar with her sickness cycle but still it is soooo tiring plus the added anxiety that goes with it... gotta go check on her now.

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