Pressie Oracle

You Are Sophisticated



You go all out when you give gifts. You want to give a present that will wow, even if it's a little over the top. You are spontaneous and impulsive. You tend to do things quickly, and you're quite impatient. You are very organized and together. No one would ever accuse you of being a slob. You don't think outward appearances matter much. As long as you're clean and neat, you're good!

The Present Wrapping Oracle

This one's another spot on. And yes, it can't emphasize enough that I am definitely not a snob.

As for gifts, I still have a few gadgets on my wishlist. They continue to be on the list because I am hesitant to get them even if they come with an iphone warranty and what-not accessories. that's because I am your regular stingy mom. :P

Techy wishes

One of the several things that is not worth investing your precious savings in are the techy gadgets like your everyday MP3 players. I just saw the new Nano a few days ago, and they've now progressed to tiny touch screens! I love my player just the same but those newer models sure make you want to buy them too. I guess I am just waiting for the time that all those high-tech gadgets will be as an everyday item that you won't have to spend an arm and a leg just to get one. That day will come, but soon enough I hope.

Cheaper isn't always bad.

Everyone's slowly moving into accessing digital TV via their new LCD TVs. And while the prices for these beauties have dropped dramatically in the past year, we for one have not just yet jumped into the so-called bandwagon and have remained ever faithful to our trusty set top box. Yes, contraptions like the Slingbox is the cheaper yet effective alternative to go, and I would definitely recommend it for those who are on a tight budget, but would not want to be left behind as well.

On PCs

I love my laptop because I can go anywhere I want with it in tow. Although desktop computers do keep you tied in one place, I often still find myself liking it because I get to use the mouse and for some other reasons I cannot explain. LOL. We have both types here at home but our desktop CPU sure needs a bit of upgrading. I am wanting those tiny ones that are less bulky and therefore a good space saver. But yes, that will have to wait.

What up?

Just a few. Like MJ and Farrah Fawcett passing away. Like taking out the Civic for a test drive. Like reviving my laptop. Of these, the last one I am most pleased with because it has saved us tons of cash. I would have thought that this not-so-old laptop could not be repaired as it just would not turn on for what must have been more than a week. I was close to resigning to thought of having to get a new one, which certainly was out of our budget. But last Sunday, it turned on and went back to its regular business of surfing, as if nothing happened. It does have its hiccups every now and then, turning off at random periods of time even if the battery is not low. But it has managed to redeem itself so far. I hope it does not become a regular habit and shut down permanently.

Alright enough blabber. Time to get back on track with online work and reading on this colon cleanse review. TTFN.

Pressure Test

Now that I have been given additional responsibilities at work, the pressure to pass that driving exam is terribly high, and I am not liking it. You see, my work entails a lot of appoinments and meetings with clients that driving is an essential part of it. As I can go from within the city to the regional areas of the state, getting one of those gps systems would be really handy especially if you're all alone on a trip and have no one with you to show you the way -- which reminds me to suggest to the company to get one for our service vehicle as I am sure it is a wise investment.

Shopping Mood

It's no secret I love to shop, but not really on clothes and shoes. I love my gadgets and would rather invest in them more than on clothing. For my last birthday, I bought myself a DSLR camera which I am so fond of. Quite expensive for housewife like me, but it was a good investment just the same. It's forced me to take really better shots with it. However, I am limited with its size. Since the little girl is with us whenever we go out, I cannot afford to haul around another bag just for my cam.

I do have a regular point-and-shoot one but am planning to upgrade it to a newer model. As I bought it almost four years ago (still as a birthday gift for myself -- see the trend?), it is a bit bulky for my handbag, and the shots are not that really good quality-wise. I also intend to get one of those sd cards with huge memories so I can store take more pictures with it. I have my eyes on a few ones already but will have to shop around more to compare prices. This gets me pretty excited especially as my birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks. I know it's so shallow but this keeps me happy. So I am good with that. :)

The Things That Parents Do

Living in the technology age has its advantages and disadvantages. The Internet has certainly has its perks, but of course, as with everyday normal life, there will always be bad elements out there. The WWW is a good tool, of course, if used responsibly. It is so much a part of my life, and I am sure it will also be the same for the future generation, if not more. The little girl may be far too young now to enjoy the benefits of having an internet connection. But when she is old enough, I reckon I will become the paranoid mom every mom becomes when they see their kids chatting and surfing online. I am afraid I may have to use a keylogger just to monitor her daily logs. It's not really something I would want to resort to, but, hey, a parent's got to do what she's got to do!

Tube Schmoob

I am getting frustrated with our TV in the master's bedroom. The TV, I reckon is perfectly fine. It's the reception I am very irritated about because even with a set top box (yes, our set's not yet HD), it can only manage to get a few channels on the screen. Practically, the set is useless as we don't get to watch anything much on it, which leads me sometimes into thinking of just getting a high definition LCD type. There are probably good tv deals out there, but with budget constraints and all, I guess we will just to suck it in for the meantime. *sigh*

Gadget Freak

I can be a gadget freak at times. Though am not much into gaming and acquiring the latest playstation 3, I do love my cameras. They are my latest downfalls, as my recent investment was an DSLR type. I have no regrets though because it performs well and does the job that I require. I'm still not over my cam obsession though as I am keen on getting a new point-and-shoot digicam to upgrade my 4-year-old 5MP one. I am eyeing the 14MP by Canon. But that'll have to wait for now. :)

On Mobiles

Filipinos love their phones. In fact, I'll bet most of them own more than one unit. That's because mobile phone companies offer different packages and you get more advantages in the long run. I have two phones myself, one for my Oz number and another for my Philippine roaming number. I make sure to get a unit that's open so I can just switch phones anytime, which is why I am not really a fan of unlocked cell phones. I feel so tied by them! :P

Shopping around

My father-in-law is on the look-out for a new laptop, seeing as how convenient it is to bring your computer just about anywhere in your home, especially now that he's also installed a wireless router for his internet connection. We've suggested a few brands and models including the Toshiba Satellite, but it seems that he is still biding his time to check out and study all his options. He's a smarter shopper you see, so unlike me who can be quite impulsive. LOL.

Wrong Unit

J was able to upgrade his mobile phone before our trip to Melbourne. I specifically told him to get the E65 which was up on offer by our provider. We separated ways before he completed the transaction so I did not see the unit until we got back to the car on our way home.

He got the wrong model. Instead of the E65, he requested for the 6120. He really thought the 6120 was what I indicated the entire time. I suppose it's okay since there is not much difference in their features. Well, there's always next year, which is my turn to upgrade my unit as my contract expires then.

Mobile Madness

J is planning to upgrade his mobile phone unit as his old one has already surpassed the 2-year contract and he can now upgrade to a new phone for free, provided he still avails of the same post-paid plan he got 2 years ago.

Originally it was the Nokia E65, but they all ran out of stock of the unit so now we have to choose another model. Apparently, other people also had the same idea as we did, which explains why they were sold out.

We're going to try out if they are still available in the shops. If not, then maybe we'll just wait it out a bit and hope that the one with GPS (which is what he really digs) will be on offer soon.

My Next Project

It looks like we are getting no thinner. I am referring to both J and I. Our goal is to have a weight loss that is appropriate for our height and age. Whatever means that we can decide on to achieve this is important because the program should be something that we can stick to.

We are planning to do some Tae-Bo first so we can exercise at home even with the little girl around. When all has been paid and done for my Canon DSLR, I also plan to buy a Nintendo Wii Console. It is something we have eyed on for a while and I can't wait to get my hands on one so we can do some fun activities together, at the same time shedding those unwanted kilos off. :)

GB Galore

Yesterday, we were at the mall for our weekly grocery shopping. But we also came home with something for our reliable old PC. Well, it is not that really old as it has only been 2 years since J bought it. However, a lot has changed in that two years and our once huge 40 GB hard drive is nothing now compared to the standard 120GB in current models. So we thought a good upgrade would be to buy an external HDD. And it's a whopping 500GB! Ha! And we bought it on sale at Harvey Norman so it is very much a pretty good investment. Now, we can edit all those video recordings we have so we can burn it on DVDs and we can send them to our relatives in the Philippines. :)

Video Games Geek

Not a lot of people know this but I love playing video games. I especially like the Sims and other puzzle games which keep me hooked on to the computer for hours. J says it's the most unproductive thing that I could do. But since he is not a game-player like me, he does not realise how much enjoyment it brings to me.

Anyway, we have yet to get a console for us to play with and maybe a cool playstation 3 would be a neat thing to purchase for the holidays. Well, that all depends now on my paycheck for the month and if J will permit me to buy one. :)

Up, Up and Away

Our little girl is getting to be very mobile now, after she learned how to stand up on her own a couple of days ago. It is important for us parents to slowly keep all those house decors and appliances away from her reach. Otherwise, we run the risk of of our kids getting injured or our things all broken up at the end of the day.

It's a good thing someone invented a TV Bracket. You can place your TV in a place where your kids won't reach it. Plus, you can also free the area it occupies, if you're a little short on space in your home. I think it is a pretty nifty invention, if I say so myself.

Shopping around

I am still unsure as to what to give my younger brother D for his birthday and graduation next year. I have one thing on my mind though that he may like and it's an apple mp3 player.

But before I go out and buy him the first thing I see in the store, I want to shop around first and compare prices online like on SaveBuckets.co.uk so I know how much I'll actually be spending on it. I'm glad there are websites like this so I don't have to go out in the shops and tire myself from canvassing prices. It saves me a lot of my precious time.

Cool frames

Our families back home in the Philippines can hardly wait to see us, especially the little girl, when we come visiting them next year. In the meantime, we try to regularly send them photos of Erin so that they can keep track of how she's growing. It's a known fact how kids grow up pretty fast so it is important to document their changes though photos.

Since we have sent tons of pictures already back home, nobody really has the time to go through everything and choose which ones to have printed. J suggested to purchase a digital picture frame for the grandparents so they can just upload Erin's pictures and look at it anytime they want. It's a great idea really because it is convenient for everyone concerned. Plus digital frames are space savers no matter how many photos you want to be displayed. With this in mind, I'm thinking of getting our own digital photo frame as well.