More About "K" (My Amazing Kindle)

It has been a little over a week after I got my Kindle. What can I say? I have no regrets at all that I got K. Look at her after one week of being with me.

My favorite thing!

I bought a black leather cover and screen protector for my beloved K. She looks really nice in her new "home." Hubby also bought a booklight for me so I can read in the evening after they turn the lights off. Bliss!

Well, I have to admit I have been staying up late in the evening because of my reading. I promise myself I'll set and follow a reading schedule so that I won't be sacrificing sleep and rest over reading anymore.

Anyway, after a week with K:

(1) I am still loving her E-ink display! It really feels like you're reading an actual book. Even my boys were amazed when they looked at K's display.

(2) I am very much impressed with her battery life. When I got her last week, she had an initial factory charge... I read almost everyday for at least an hour and a week after, I still do not need to recharge her battery. Awesome! In this day and age when people usually charge their cellphones almost everyday (especially those hi-tech touchscreen phones), K is a treasure!

(3) I was able to store over 200 ebooks and did not see any sign of slow down on K's end. Amazing!

Kindle is a very good investment for voracious readers like me. I'll tell you a secret... I read 3 books already since the day I got K. Hihi. :)

Happiness Starts With A 'K'

Aside from dancing, singing (via videoke) and listening to favorite tracks on my music player, another activity relaxes me and takes my mind off day-to-day worries.... reading. I started reading pocketbooks when I was in 3rd grade. I remember finding a hardbound copy of a Nancy Drew book at home. Out of curiosity, I tried reading the first few pages and ended up not only reading the entire book but visiting the school library more often to borrow pocketbooks. Alas, another bookworm in the family. From Nancy Drew, I also read The Bobbsey Twins and other detective series I could find. Back then, it was a given in our school for the girls to read Nancy Drew and for the boys to be more inclined to reading The Hardy Boys. Well, out of defiance, I read The Hardy Boys as well. Haha.

Francine Pascal's Sweet Valley series became a favorite when I reached 5th grade. I was lucky enough to have a friend who had a collection, so I was able to read each and every book in the series (SV Twins, High and University). I also loved Sweet Dreams.

In high school, I read Sidney Sheldon and Stephen King. When I read Erich Segal's Doctors, I decided I wanted to become a surgeon. Haha. I also started reading historical romance novels.

When I started working and became a mom, however, a lot of things changed. I found myself having less time for reading. There were also several instances when I suddenly had the chance to catch up on my reading but can't because I didn't have my book with me (e.g. waiting for hubby to pick me up in the office, waiting for school programs to start, etc). There were also times when I had a book with me but I felt like reading a different book but can't because, again, the book was at home sleeping in my shelf. I can't naman bring my library with me, debba?

But all that changed when this darling came into my life last Monday (July 23)... my very own Kindle Touch!

This baby can store over a hundred ebooks! I can bring my "library" with me anywhere! It's small and light so it easily fits my bag. Battery life is also longer (I heard it lasts for more than a month) so you don't have to charge as often as you do when you use your phone or tablet as your ebook reader. The E Ink display is also a delight! Ebook reading without the glare is bliss for me. I love my "K!" Oh, I do. I do!

Thank you, dear Mommy and Hubby. I am very, very happy with my new baby. :)

PS: I got my unit from an online seller I would be very happy to recommend. She has great after sales support. Look for Nelson KRX on Facebook.

Magnum Magnifico

A few weeks ago, my Facebook and Twitter feeds were filled with posts about Magnum. My friends in Facebook and most of the people I follow on Twitter were either excited to try the product or happy with the experience and craving for more. Because of this, my curiosity level went up. I wanted to try Magnum. #inggiteralang

The first time I went to the 711 store near our office to buy Magnum, this is what I found:



This made me want Magnum even more! I just had to try it! Rawr! The following day, I went back to the store with my fingers crossed. Lo and behold...



The Chocolate Truffle was the only flavor available. Nevertheless, I was happy because I knew that even if there were other flavors available, I would have chosen the Chocolate Truffle, anyway. I bought it for P55. A little pricey, I think, because five Magnum would already cost as much as a half gallon of ice cream. But for the experience and to appease my curiosity, I bought one. This better be good, I said to myself.

One bite and I knew why most of my friends love it. The chocolate truffle was soooo chocolatey it was a real treat for chocolate lovers like me. Imagine this... chocolate truffle in creamy chocolate-flavored ice cream covered with thick Belgian Chocolate. There, in one paragraph, I just used the word "chocolate" more than five times! Yup, real chocolatey goodness in that one Magnum bar! :)

My first Magnum experience was great so I wanted to try the other flavors as well. This was what I bought next:



Magnum Classic, to me, was not as adventurous as the Chocolate Truffle. I felt it was more on the "safe" side given that it only offered thick vanilla bar covered in Belgian Chocolate. Although more basic compared to the truffle, I still enjoyed my Magnum Classic nonetheless. In fact, some of my friends even prefer this over the Chocolate Truffle as they found the latter too sweet.

Moving forward, I found out that there were other Magnum variants and I wanted to try 'em all! Last weekend, Hubby and I went "supermarket-hopping" to look for Magnum. Our kids wanted to try the product but most stores had no stock. We found this in Mini Stop (Meycauayan).

Magnum Almond was like Magnum Classic with a twist... thick vanilla bar covered with Belgian chocolate... and almonds! Oh, the chunky almond pieces truly gave the bar a crunchy twist!

I liked all three flavors but if I were to choose which I liked best, I think it would be Magnum Almond. Why? Because it gave me a little bit of everything... thick vanilla, creamy Belgian chocolate and almonds!

Hubby and Son #1 agree with me. Son # 2, on the other hand, loves Chocolate Truffle.

Well, I think our family just started a sinful love affair with Magnum. My calorie counting was put on hold because of this. Haha! :P

The Magic of Physiogel

My three-year old has sensitive and dry skin. I have already tried different brands (from affordable to expensive ones) but saw minimal to no improvement on his skin. Certain areas (particularly his legs and the back of his knees) remained dry, rough and itchy. My poor baby became cranky during the day and couldn't sleep well through the night because he kept scratching and scratching. It broke my heart to see how uncomfortable my baby was. He kept showing me the dry spots as if telling me, "Mom, do something!"

Fortunately, our pediatrician suggested we try Elica ointment (for a couple of days) and Physiogel cleanser and lotion. They were a little pricey but when I saw how fast my son's skin improved after a few applications only, I can say that the products really gave us our money's worth! No more itchy, dry and rough skin for my baby! He was his usual cheerful self and he slept well through the night. *insert sigh of relief here*


Physiogel lotion is hypoallergenic and unscented... perfect for sensitive skin. Before, a 200-ml bottle cost almost P900 but last month, I was able to buy one for only P650! You should have seen how happy I was. Haha!

Yes, my son still uses Physiogel lotion. There were times when I gave in to temptations of trying cheaper brands but always regretted the decision because the dryness and itchiness always came back. I ended up spending more, hence, I promised myself it will only be Physiogel for my son from now on.

For moms of babies with the same skin concern, I suggest you ask your pediatrician about Physiogel. It did wonders for me and my baby. It might work for you, too! :)

... but wait, there's more!

I did not expect to find this at St. Paul's . Baka dahil sa issue sa RH bill kaya may ganito. The kit costs PhP80.00 only.


I have always wanted to know more about the Billings Ovulation Method. I did some research a couple of months ago but found the method too complicated. This kit caught my attention because it seemed to present Billings Ovulation Method in a much simpler and reader-friendly way. It also said that the method is 99% successful in avoiding pregnancy. Heto pa, the method daw has had considerable success in preselecting the gender of children. Hmmmnn... now that's interesting! I will need this for our baby girl project na ilulunsad namin three years from now. Hahaha!

Anyway, I will give you feedback about the kit soonest. =)

Towards a More Prayerful Me

This weekend, I also visited St. Paul's (SM North EDSA). Grabe, napakarami na palang klase ng mga novena! Lahat ng concerns, meron! Here are the prayer books I got for myself today:














The novenas were sold at only Php7.00 each. I bought the rosary guide for only Php30.00. Another great find , right?

Great Finds Over The Weekend

Hubby and I love to read and we would like our kids to develop the same love for reading. Pero kuripot din kami so we usually go to Book Sale for good books at more affordable prices. Today, we visited Book Sale at SM North EDSA and found these:

For Hubby: Ken Follett's Pillar of the Earth for only PhP97.00

For myself, I got: (1) Raising Self-Reliant Children In A Self-Indulgent World (Php25.00),

(2) The 30-Day Low-Carb Diet Solution (PhP 50.00), and

(3) The 90/10 Weight-Loss Plan(PhP 50.00)

For the little guy, we bought a look-and-find book, Ice Age Dawn of the Dinosaurs (PhP 95.00)

We happily went home with five good books for only PhP317.00! Hooray for great finds! =)

(Some of) Mommy's Favorite Things

Here goes another list from moi:

My HTC Desire HD - Got this last May 8, 2011 (Mom's Day). Hubby really loves me! I love this phone because it has a big screen, super clear resolution, perfectly sensitive touch-screen, and it gives me easy access to all the applications and sites I love (Facebook, Twitter, Friend Stream, Tumblr, Reader, and Period Tracker). Plus, it's not as expensive as the iPhone.

My Nokia E71 - My ever reliable Nokia phone is another gift from my Hubby (Christmas, about 5 yrs. ago). The phone is also wi-fi ready and the battery life is longer. When in a hurry to send an SMS or make a call, I reach for this phone. I also use this phone to access Sun Cellular's free Facebook access via 0.facebook.com.

My CDR-King Music Player - All my favorite tracks are in this slim and inexpensive gadget. =)

My Timex Marathon Watch - I got this on sale! For a very reasonable price, I have a sports watch I can wear during runs and dress-down days.

My white Parker pen - A Christmas gift from a good friend, this pen is always, always in my bag. I think my handwriting looks better when I use this pen. Hahaha!

And of course, this:

My Samsung ST30. I call this my "Mommy camera" because:

It's very affordable and friendly to the family budget.

It's so small (the size of an average mobile phone), I can easily bring it with me and take pictures of my boys anytime, anywhere! Its size also makes it the perfect camera to bring during fun runs.

It's sooo girly... it comes in hot pink and with a nice-looking pouch.

Oh, for the techies.. It's a 10-megapixel camera with a 28mm lens and a 3x power optical zoom. It also has this cool Digital Image Stabilization System which allows me to take clear pictures even during runs. It has other features but you just have to go google it because this Mommy is not as techie as you are. =)

Another must-try from Estrel's!

I recently found out that Estrel's also makes really cute character cakes. Check out my baby's birthday cake... it's a 12 x 16 caramel cake with caramel filling and butter icing. They customized the letters in the blocks to spell out my baby's nickname, MAKO. Sweet. Oh, the blocks are edible, too!

We only added PhP450 for the Sesame Street motiff. The 12x16 caramel cake with filling costs PhP 1,580. I ordered the cake a day before my baby's birthday and was happy to be accommodated given that they strongly suggest placing orders at least two days in advance. Cakes for Christmas, New Year, Valentine's Day and other occasions must be arranged way before to better your chances of booking an order.

One nice thing about Estrel's is that they also inform you when your cake is already available for pickup. Moms, this really is a must-try! =)