Off to La Union, Philippines

This will be my last post for 2008 as I will be off to La Union to visit my hometown. This will be my first visit again to La Union after settling in Manila and more than 10 years of living overseas. I'm quite excited as I expect to experience living in the barrio again just like when I was growing up. Likewise, be able to see my friends back in high school and college.



La Union is located in the southwestern part of Luzon It is bounded on the north by Ilocos Sur, on the south by Pangasinan, on the east by Benguet, and on the west by the China Sea. La Union is fast becoming a favorite among local and foreign tourist especially for surfing enthusiast as it is dub as the "Surfing Capital of the North" as well as " The Pilgrimage Capital of the North". The stretch of white and gray sand beaches along the towns of La Union is the main attraction to tourists. Beaches to check out are Bauang Beach, San Juan Beach, Agoo-Damortis National Seashore Park, Agoo,Caba and White Sand. while in La union you can also enjoy its historic landmarks, cultural and man made attractions.


Well, I better get ready for our trip to La Union.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year !!!

A great education site for teens

My nephew who is currently a 2nd year high school student would always ask me about his Algebra subject. Though I can still recall my Algebra, I must admit that I have forgotten a lot of things with regards to Algebra. Luckily, I was given an opportunity to review Brightstorm, an online education site that has great courses for high school students. I thought that online education such as Brightstorm is a good alternative for my nephew to increase his learning options.

Brightstorm offer online courses in Geometry, Algebra II, SAT Reading, Writing and Math, and AP History or Government . And since my nephew had asked me questions about Algebra, I choose Algebra II from the list of courses being offered. Hopefully this course would help him a lot in learning Algebra.

The first step was to Sign up for a free brightstorm acocuntwhich will give you access to a free episode in every course Second step was to purchase the $49 Algebra II course as taught by Joshuah Thurbee. After confirmation of our order, we were then given a link to launch the course.

Algebra II consists of several video modules such as :
i. Introduction
ii. Algebra Boot Camp – Solving linear equations and inequalities, arithmetic sequences
iii. Boot Camp Graphing - Graphing linear equations and inequalities
iv. Absolute Boot Camp - Solving and graphing absolute value equations and inequalities
v. Systems Boot Camp - Solving and graphing systems of equations
vi. What Is the Matrix - Matrix operations, solving systems with matrices
vii. What’s Your Function - Function notation, domain, and range
viii. Top Secret! - Composition and inverses of functions
ix. The X Factor - Solving quadratic functions by factoring and completing the square
x. Rooting for Quadratics - Solving quadratics using square roots and the quadratic formula
xi. Out On Limb - Simplifying and Solving Rational Equations
xii. Equations Are Radical - Solving radical equations
xiii. The Josh Curve - Exponential growth and decay
xiv. Let’s Get Explicit - Geometric sequences
xv. Getting to Second Base – Logarithms
xvi. All In The Family - Circles, parabolas
xvii. Let’s Get Hyper! - Hyperbolas, ellipses

I honestly don’t know how valuable this course will be for my nephew, but judging from the course content, the course we have chosen had covered a lot of the advanced topics in Algebra.

All Brightstorm courses are accessible 7/24 for a year starting from the subscription date and with a 30-day guarantee period for customers who are not completely satisfied.

My conclusion is that Brightstorm offers an excellent option for you to consider helping your teenage son or daughter get to deepen their understanding of their high school subjects and a good way for them to prepare for college.

Ladder Safety

Here are a few ladder do's and don'ts:

· DO position extension ladders correctly. For stability, a ladder has to be planted with its feet one-quarter of its extended length away from the house. This is not as tricky to calculate as it sounds: If it's a 12-foot ladder, that means it has to be positioned 3 feet from the house. For a 16-foot ladder, make it 4 feet. There is also a sticker on the side of ladders that illustrates the angle that the ladder should be placed. It looks like a capital "L," with the bottom of the "L" parallel to the ground.

· DON'T carry an extension ladder upright as you move it. This is a maneuver best saved for the clowns at the circus. You could easily lose control of it in this position, smashing windows and gutters along the way, and knocking into power lines. Instead, lower it and carry it parallel to the ground.

· DO make sure the ladder is positioned on a level surface. DON'T try to use rocks or bricks to prop up one side of it, figure these will fail just as soon as you reach the top.

· DON'T ever work on ladders alone. A helper can keep you from making stupid mistakes, such as having the ladder fall down while you're stuck up alone on the roof .

If there's one guiding principle with respect to ladders, it's this: If you feel squeamish, don't go up. Period.

Got A Wish ?

This Christmas, what gift do you plan to give to your parents who are living overseas? Well, why not try to give them something different and cool this Christmas by giving them a CEIVA Digital Photo Frame together with a Picture plan? Yes, it’s a super cool digital photo frame with an 8" hi-definition display like no other. Just plug the CEIVA Photo frame to an existing phone line and your family members or friends anywhere in the world could send photos directly to the frame. And if you order right now, you could have $100 off the regular price.

By the way, if you check out the page for the CEIVA Digital Photo Frame, you might notice that they have a CEIVA "got a wish" SWEEPSTAKES. With no purchase necessary to enter the contest, this Sweepstakes is open to any individual who is 18 years of age or older and is a legal US resident. Just go to the sweepstakes site www.SitonSantasLap.com, upload your digital photograph, provide all requested information, and then click the "Submit" button to transmit your entry to the sweepstake. There is a $500 cash prize for each randomly picked winner!

So why not check out this contest and the cool CEIVA Digital Photo Frame today!

Checklist in Childproofing Your Home

Every parent begin to worry about his/her child health and safety the moment their first child is born. The normal, active, physically healthy child will occasionally have some cuts and bruises.
What can you do then to control the impact of many injuries ? Childproofing your home should begin prior to your child learning to crawl because once he/she becomes mobile, you are faced with an ever-increasing, intensely curious whirlwind of activity. Inspect your home while you have the time to do it thoroughly.
Childproofing does not mean moving breakables to higher shelves. It means locking, securing, relocating or removing anything that may pose a potential danger to a child.

Here’s some checklist as a starting point for childproofing your home.
· Install covers over all electrical outlets.
· Install smoke alarms on all levels of your home.
· Place gates at stairways-top and bottom.
· Lift blind and drapery cords out of the reach of children.
· Use specially designed door stops and knobs that prevent children from opening forbidden doors.
· Turn down your water heater thermostat to between 120 degrees and 125 degrees to prevent scalding young skin.
· Install "child-resistant" locks on all cabinets within the child's reach. Remember, what is child resistant to most children may not be to yours, so don't assume that with the locks in place your child is safe.
· Remove all cleaning fluids and agents from lower storage areas.
· Keep all medications, including topical ointments such as insect repellents, inside a cabinet that is locked with a key. And place the key where the child cannot reach it.
· Keep all electrical and phone cords bundled and out of reach.
· Never leave a small child alone in the bathtub for even "just a second."
· Many houseplants are toxic. Find out which ones are and, if you have any of them, remove them from your home.
· Make sure that any potentially dangerous items are stored out of reach and/or locked up.

In addition-
· Place the number of the nearest clinic, hospital near your phone. Include with it your child's weight, allergies and any special medical conditions so you won't have to remember these when in a panic. It will also be available there for a babysitter or visiting relative.
· Have a first aid kit and know what to do with its contents.

Remember, childproofing is not a 100 percent guarantee that your child will be safe from injury. It is not a babysitter. Parents must still be vigilant. At best, childproofing slows down the curious young child.

You Need A Budget Software

A lot of people today are worried especially of the recent recession. In this economic hardship times, we really need guidance on how to budget and manage our money properly.

While surfing through the net, I came across You Need A Budget (YNAB) Pro software that is a personal budgeting program. Using the budget software provides a system for planning and executing short term and long term budgeting goals much more effectively. It will help you budget your money wisely in order to save a certain amount of money monthly until you would be able to save a full month worth of your expenses. Your savings could now serve as your buffer.

The YNAB Methodology uses four rules of cash flow management:
1. Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck - This refers to having to save enough money to live on last month’s salary.

2. Give Every Dollar a Job - You allocate all your funds that you have Available to your spending/saving categories until there are no more available dollars.

3. Prepare for Rain - This YNAB rule will help you allocate funds for emergencies or unexpected repairs. By allocating funds to these types of budget categories, you will avoid panic when these events occur.

4. Roll with the Punches - Using even with the best budget software available in the market, you can sometimes overspend in a Budget Category, YNAB will make small adjustments with that overspending, ensuring that you fix those mistakes before you go on to the next month.