Best Price for BESTOPE New Fashional Lovely Sweet Bowknot Leisure Canvas Backpack School Bag for Student Girls (Blue)

BESTOPE New Fashional Lovely Sweet Bowknot Leisure Canvas Backpack School Bag for Student Girls (Blue)

Brand : BESTOPE

Sales Rank : 700094

Color : Blue

Amazon.com Price : $18.99

Features BESTOPE New Fashional Lovely Sweet Bowknot Leisure Canvas Backpack School Bag for Student Girls (Blue)

Suit for：Packing books, mobile phone, wallet, computer
Dimensions: 36*30*16 cm
Material: Canvas ; Inner: Nylon
Handbag design: Geometric pattern
Weight: 0.5 KG

Descriptions BESTOPE New Fashional Lovely Sweet Bowknot Leisure Canvas Backpack School Bag for Student Girls (Blue)

Specification:

Dimensions: 36*30*16 cm

Suit for：Packing books, mobile phone, wallet, computer

Material: Canvas ;Inner: Nylon

Weight: 0.5 KG

Handbag design: Geometric pattern



Positive level off, not wrinkle, not deformation.

It's more efficient to widen the shoulder belt thickening, easily.

Luggage bag opening way: Belt buckles.

Convenient to carry when you go outdoor to have a travel.



Package including:

1*Canvas Backpack

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Dressing her up

The cutest thing about having a baby girl is that its so much more fun dressing them up! There are so many more designs and styles of clothes to choose from, from cute onesies down to personalized baby clothes that you can mix and match to your heart's content! I love dressing up Jessica, and till now she has a whole lot of clothes just waiting for her to grow to size. Its simply amazing and wonderful to see her all dressed up, my pretty little princess!

Phone Camera Shot from Cubicle Farm

Almost two years ago, I inherited this plant and this desk from a former, and much missed, coworker. About 7.5 hours remain until quitting time.

SmokeDroid's Finished Product

Losing Weight

No, not for me. I don't need any weight loss pills at the moment. Far from it, actually, I need to gain weight! But hubby surely needs to lose some weight, but at the rate of very little to no physical activity for him, I'm quite sure its a long way to go till he sheds those pounds a bit! I don't think he'd resort to weight loss pills though, that would be so unlike him. But I might someday convince him to exercise, though that could mean I have to follow suit. Ewww.... We'll see, who knows, I might get into the Wellness craze much sooner than I'd imagine.

Where'd my blog go??

Drat, someone might have hacked into my account and got through my blog.  I'm quite irritated.  I still do not know how it happened and what to do with it but I am posting anyway.  Not in a mood to check on it today, but believe me, I am sooo pissed!

Whole Wheat Braid

The Polar Kangaroo

I harvested a bunch of fresh chocolate mint and shoved it into a bottle of vodka. 24 hours later, I took it out. I stirred some of this vodka with ice cubes and a wee bit of dry vermouth, and voila! A Polar Kangaroo! A kangaroo is the purist's name for a martini made with vodka instead of gin, and it's polar because of the minty freshness.

A tasty cocktail for those evenings spent telling Commander McBragg stories to your buddies at the Royal Exploration Society Club.

"There I was, surrounded by box jellyfish, with only my trusty diving knife and a few feet of kitchen twine..."

On beauty regimens

Funny thing, the other day I bought a facial cream (I won't say the brand) because I am almost running out of it, only to find out when I was already putting it on my face that I bought a facial foam instead. yikes. One thing I'm most thankful for is that my skin never required me to undergo acne treatment. I have fairly normal skin, and even though I have had my share of pimples, white and black heads, there was no real need to undergo serious treatments and facials. In fact, I'm not too fond at all of facials. Spa I like, facial, not too much. I only put some facial cream on my face for maintenance, and lately I'm lazy to put makeup on myself. When I'm 30 I think I need to put more serious thoughts on my beauty regimen, I can't wait till I'm 40 to do that.

Blauhaus Sushi Station

I asked my brother over for dinner this week, and what does that unpredictable scamp do? He brings over the makings for California Rolls. We made most of them inside-out, unlike the ones pictured here. They were so freegin' good. He brought good crabmeat from Trader Joe's, and that made the difference. I had no sesame seeds on hand, but we made good California Rolls. Bryan is far more practiced at this art, and his rolls were perfect. Mine didn't fall apart, but the filling was off center like Marty Feldman's eyes in Young Frankenstein. I got creative with one roll, which I named the Hello Kitty Sourpuss Roll. I included some preserved lemon (with a bit of the salt removed by soaking), and it was pretty good. We drank $10 Italian red wine with it all (Tenuta del Portale Starsa Basilicata), and it was perfect. Then, we watched a violent Japanese animated film called Ninja Scroll. Not English-dubbed. Marvelous.

Hello!

Don't tell me! I've been a bad, bad girl and my last blog post has been AGES ago! not that i haven't had time to get a good thought going, its just that I have been quite busy doing legwork on the new enterprise I put up. Glad to say that the efforts have not been in vain, slowly things are working out. We were successful in the first ever bazaar I organized and I'm not in the middle of another one. Add to that, I've already made bookings at the same venue as the first for next year (February, November and December). Seriously, its not wasted effort knowing I was able to push through something huge, alone. Of course, I've had supportive friends and family who all came and visited, but I firmly believe I deserved the good results given my efforts and perseverance.

I'm still thinking of other good projects, especially for the theme for February in time for the UP Fair, and hopefully, hopefully I can come up with it soon!

Till next time!

Dedication

All right, y'all! This long-distance dedication is going out to Zeuthen! The Blauhaus wine cellar has German wine that isn't riesling! Come on, let's make some noise!

digital picturebooks

i finished the layout of jessica's digital picturebook today (yey! clap clap!) am so happy. I actually thought that I won't be able to execute this part of the plan because I have yet to complete the layouts for jessica's growing up months. yesterday I was with anj in digital picturebooks and I asked the lady there what format I should use if I wanted to have the format I needed for the picturebook, and she informed me I could use .pdf files. great! Thing is though, the initial LOs I did were size 12x12. Am still thinking if I could print those LOs though and put them in picture frames for the guests to appreciate during the party, but those plans are still in the making, depending on the budget I have, worst case, the picturebook will do for the guests to look around. tomorrow I will go to megamall to have the picturebooks printed. :-)

Best Price for Fox Outdoor Small Canvas A.L.I.C.E. Field Pack, Olive Drab 42-37 OD

Fox Outdoor Small Canvas A.L.I.C.E. Field Pack, Olive Drab 42-37 OD

Brand : Fox Outdoor

Sales Rank :

Color : Olive Drab

Amazon.com Price : $31.42

Features Fox Outdoor Small Canvas A.L.I.C.E. Field Pack, Olive Drab 42-37 OD

Large main compartment
3 outside pockets
Adjustable padded shoulder straps
Size: 16" x 10" x 7"

Descriptions Fox Outdoor Small Canvas A.L.I.C.E. Field Pack, Olive Drab 42-37 OD

Fox Outdoor Small Canvas A.L.I.C.E. Field Pack, Olive Drab 099598423704

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Dinner with my brother

Chicken piccata. This was a long-overdue dinner with Bryan, especially welcome after many dinners of processed foods, take-out or hastily thrown-together things as the result of working on the bathroom. Somehow the idea of this tasty dish arrived in his head, and he came over to prepare it. Lindz and I had spent the day working in the bathroom (we may be able to shower in the master bath, for the first time in some 18 months, in a day or two), and it was very nice to observe St. Patrick's Day in a more epicurean way.
The food was great, and it was very nice indeed to cook with the bro. He and I cooked it together. We all drank copiously and talked copiously, as it should be.

The recipe for chicken piccata was executed from The New Best Recipe. Lovely, simple, tangy goodness. During the course of the evening we polished off a bottle of Three Philosophers. We also enjoyed a wee bit of Absolut Rasberri, a nice tipple.

Cranberry Onion Confit

The house smells like Thanksgiving.

Triptych: Farmers' Bounty, a Lovely White Burgundy, and Shamelessness

We got some great produce at the Farmers' Market this weekend. I made stuffed eggplant last night, and here are some yellow squash that I seared in a skillet:
JJ Vincent Bourgogne Blanc is an elegant chardonnay with a bouquet of vanilla and almond. The palate is a refined balance of melon and fig, with appropriate alcohol. There is a pleasing lemony acidity in the finish.
This shit was in the Sunday paper. I should know better than to be surprised by anything, but we really liked this:

Jealous?

1.32 gallons of goodness.

One Hundred and Three Friggin' Degrees Today

No more needs to be said.

Gotta Learn to drive

I have to learn how to drive. and soon.  I know I'm missing a lot but I've always been pretty capable in commuting, so there is no real drive for me to learn to drive. I like the train better. or jeepneys. For a while when we didn't have someone else to take care of Jess, I've thought that its easier if I drove myself and we just had a car seat for her so she can sit in the back. The thing is, Jess was not a car seat baby. She likes to be with me at the back of the car while hubby drove. But with the inevitable trip of hubby looming ahead of us, I have to pressure myself much more now.  Don't worry, I will drive. I promise myself that.

Got Crap?

Lindsey's aunt has moved recently. She was kind enough to drop by with three boxes of old stuff. It was actually pretty interesting to me, given my nostalgic bent. Lindz was quite annoyed at her aunt's lack of regard for our time and any plans we might have. The phone call began with "I'll be by in about an hour with some stuff. Some of it's family stuff like silver; some of it's kitchen stuff." Hmm. Super. Anyway, it was interesting. We were the proud recipients of several silver platters (age and value unknown), an old aluminum chafing dish set, a couple of iron skillets, some old glass bowls and a stuffed cactus. Here it is:

What, I might ask, do we need with a stuffed cactus? Now, a macrame owl for the wall, that would be desirable. But a cactus?

And how about a bunch of old, stale spices? Among these items was some 1978 meat tenderizer. I can safely say that our household had been lacking that.

You'll also notice not one, but two bottles of Angostura Bitters there. In addition to the fact that we've already got one, I found it interesting that one of the two bottles we received yesterday seems to have been manufactured before the days of tamper-evident packaging. My sister-in-law is pregnant right now. That child, even blessed with a centenarian lifespan, will not outlive our supply of bitters. There's some alum in that array of items, too. I had never seen that stuff except in old Tom & Jerry cartoons.

Here's where my nerdy kitchen interest seized control of me. Among the boxes of stuff was an old Pyrex casserole dish. It's on the left. The dish on the right is a Pyrex dish which I purchased two or three years ago at the most.

I'm curious about how old the one on the left is. Notice the tighter corners and different handle styling on the ends. And take a look at the writing on the bottom. It mentions microwaves, so it can't be too many decades old:

And this is the font on the newer dish (it's backwards because they reverse it for legibility when viewed from the top down):

There was a Pyrex bowl that might be of the same vintage. I intend to use them. The stuff lasts for ever, and it works great.

And here's a funky brass bottle opener, posing next to a loaf of bread I baked this morning:

I like the bottle opener. Not surprisingly, however, we, um, didn't exactly keep everything.

House.. house...house...

There is truly a great joy in living at your own place.  Ok, in our mortgaged place, if I may correct myself.  One major, major (tribute to Venus!) is not having to ask permission from anyone to do anything there.  Like if I wanted house repairs then nobody really cares about it and I can do it anytime.
And so I took advantage of hubby's one week vacation to Dumaguete (he went with his friend/officemate), to do some stuff at home.  Pictures to follow, was too busy with the activities to take any pics.
One thing I planned to do on the onset was to paint the single wall in the Dining area that was not white.  Backgrounder: we got a 20yr old house, so it was not exactly in "mint" condition, the previous owners who sold it to us did paint it white before they sold it so it looks ok, but the house itself was built on two parts, the original house had some wood on it separating the dining area to the room (what we now call the hobby room).  All the other walls in the living room, kitchen area, dining area, were concrete and painted white.  So when two weeks a go hubby and I took advantage of a buy-one take one sale on makro of 3-layer shelves, which sold for 2 for 500, or 250 each, I felt what needed to be done was to paint that single wall with white so everything turns out white around the dining table. And so when hubby finally decided to push through with his vacation I took the opportunity to do the painting.
So Sunday morning Jess and I went out to Robinsons MetroEast to do some paint-shopping. I had in mind to use odorless paint so there's a more forgiving smell once I put in on, since its indoors and not exactly a lot of windows around it.  Unfortunately after a long discussion with the hardware guy, I found out odorless paint can't be applied to unpainted surfaces, you will still need a primer, or flatwall enamel in our case, to put there before putting the odorless paint.   Then there is the issue of size.  The odorless paint sold gallon sizes only. And with the primer plus the odorless paint (which costs than Php 500 per can by the way), I felt I did not need all the leftover paint.  So I had to make do with smelly paint and just bought the flatwall enamel, around half-liter which supposedly can cover around 20-25 sqm, my wall was around 2x3 meters only so it should be enough for two coatings already.  Bought a paint tray and a roller, a bottle of paint thinner and one paintbrush.  And then I bought another can of gold spray paint because I wanted to paint an old aluminum table gold so it looks new.  But I'll get to that later.
When I got home I prepped the area, took out everything that's hanging there, set aside the new shelves, and put masking tape along the circular mirror on that wall. I had no plans of taking out the mirror and risk breaking it.  Someday I will take out the whole wall and replace the old wood, so what I was doing was not at all permanent.  I painted the wall with one coat using a roller, and for the small gap-things that was supposed to be part of the design, I had to use a brush since its brown in there.  I felt I did fine, after a few hours I painted a second coating, and left the electric fan open throughout the night to let the wall breath. I put some vinegar and baking soda there as well, to help absorb the paint.  The result was nice, there were smudges of paint on some brown framings near the ceiling, but its no big deal for me.
The next day I painted the old table gold, after spending an hour taking off the rust and the stuff there, I suppose they were because of oxidation.  I used the spray paint which was a really nice idea, and the gold color was a good choice.  I am very pleased with the outcome.
And then I realized I actually need some white spray paint to paint some discolored areas of the wall. That's another small project for me.
All in all, I'd say the past weekend was very fulfilling. I got to do a lot and that pleases me.  I do need some rest though, but this week is going to be quite a busy week, so these activities will probably have to wait until the next weekend.
(Pictures to follow...)

IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT IS GOOD AND DECENT, GIVE ME SOME SODDING CHICKEN

Yes, we did eventually give him some chicken (we're not made of stone, you know). He wolfed it down and then resumed his plaintive staring at us. Too bad the purring didn't come through; he was rumbling prodigiously. Sehr nette, as we say in German.

How do you start doing other things you love to do?

(DISCLAIMER) I am practicing typing on the iPad. So if you find some typo errors on this post, I blame it on the iPad.
I'm too lazy at home to be productive in anything else. I know I should really be more productive. Sometimes I think it also has to do with the fact that I have two yayas/house help at home so I really don't need to do any household chores. Since there is only one child to look after, and not many chores to do at home, I would really have to exempt myself from chores otherwise I'd feel like I was overpaying them. Problem though, I am too lazy to do other things, like perhaps do some digiscrapping or some arts and crafts, or start working on the digital printing business.
I do hope I will find the energy to start an evening routine soon, though I am not really guilty that I don't do Anthony, because I also know that the time at home should also be spent with the family. And I am happy that I have lots of that time for hubby and Jess.

Best Price for Durable Mens Military Canvas School Hiking Travel Backpack Chest Pack Bag Bookbag

Durable Mens Military Canvas School Hiking Travel Backpack Chest Pack Bag Bookbag

Brand : VOCHIC

Sales Rank : 197996

Color : Khaki

Amazon.com Price : $26.94

Features Durable Mens Military Canvas School Hiking Travel Backpack Chest Pack Bag Bookbag

Thicker canvas material.
9''3/4L x 1''5/8W x 11H
Genuine Leather.
Brass hardware.

Descriptions Durable Mens Military Canvas School Hiking Travel Backpack Chest Pack Bag Bookbag

This kind of bag is made from pure cotton water canvas,texture is soft, strong and durable, carry comfortable, very suitable for photography lovers do for short trips, also can be uesd in the daily travel. If you are not satisfied, please don't leave us negative or neutral feedback right away. Please contact us via email. We promise to provide 100% fine customer service and try best to make every customer get good mood with fine shopping experience here. Due to monitor variations colors may appear slightly different. More fashion bags@Dealkiller

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Legislation, Yardwork and Pizza

The Cap is officially popped. The state legislature, on August 13th, 2005, approved House Bill 392, increasing the allowable alcohol content of beer in North Carolina from 6% to 15%. This past week, I enjoyed my first beer on tap, and then bottled, which I would not have been able to enjoy before. I drank and reviewed Chimay Cinq Cents White, Reserve Blue and Premiere Red this week. They had the White on tap down the street at the Sawmill Taproom, and I procured bottles of the Blue and the Red at Taylor's Convenience Store (also my source of propane). It is a marvelous example of the government doing something that actually benefits me. I am very pleased indeed. The $300 I got from George W. Bush a few years ago was nice, but this will last longer.

Lindz and I have been working in the yard. She has ripped out large tracts of ivy, and I have cut down and cut up innumberable tree branches. We transplanted some of the herbs from pots into the newly revealed ground. I constructed a workbench, in our storage room, out of an extra door. It's extremely stylish. I feel like more of a man, now that I have a workbench. Next, I want functioning electricity and a vise at my bench.

And then I made pizza:

Standard pizza dough from The Best Recipe, smeared with a paste of roasted garlic, capers, flat leaf parsley, olive oil and black pepper. On top of that went sliced gouda and sausage. Lindz made a spinach salad with mustard balsamic vinaigrette, red onion and toasted pine nuts. We drank chianti. We lived life to the fullest.

Got my wish! ME and MACKY!

For so long a time, I've wanted a macbook.  It wasn't just a spur of the moment thing, it was the type of thing I wanted to own because I loved how it looked and its a perfect tool for my creative side (ok, i'm not that creative, and windows can do the same things, but a mac looks so much nicer!).  And for me, if ever I were to buy another laptop, why waste money on another windows-based laptop (no matter how powerful) when all I really want is a mac?  But its just too expensive, right?

So anyway, fast forward to a few months after.  I had to have my office laptop reformatted because the system we use in our office got corrupted (by Adobe Photoshop... so they say).  After that, I was told not to install photoshop there so I won't corrupt the system again.  Problem is, I've been meaning on working on the digital printing business for the longest time, and I need photoshop for that.  The only laptop with Photoshop now is the netbook, which is also being used by my studying housekeeper, and I don't really want to deprive her of that.  Besides that, its also so slow, that it takes a while getting anything done.  

So really, I'm just justifying that I needed the mac, the VERY EXPENSIVE MAC, which by the way, I can't pay in cash.  Now comes the tricky part!  I was looking through the internet for possible sellers and all of them are actually pricing the mac the same way.  I was really hoping I can get something that would allow me to pay it in installment.  And then it hit me that perhaps, we can transfer some of hubby's credit limit so that its converted to an SIP (Installment credit line).  And when I called the customer service of the bank, they said its possible.  Next hurdle is to convince the hubby.  This was not too difficult since he knew I had the means to pay for it if its installment anyway.  And I was only plotting for a simple white macbook but he was the one who told me I should get a macbook pro instead.  So in the end, he agreed.  And here we have my new baby!  Its not paid yet, but i love it to bits!  Here's to many years of friendship for me and my mac!

Sushi and Rolls

My brother and I got sushi for lunch at Sushi Thai in Cary (superlative food, by the way).

Our late grandmother on our father's side was a huge sushi fan. She could often be found at Frankentrost Sushi, drinking Sapporo with her hamachi. One time someone asked to taste a piece of her unagi and moved their chopsticks toward the plate, presuming consent. Grandma grabbed the chopsticks out of the man's hands and snapped them in two. She threw them on the floor and said, in her heavy Italian accent, "You toucha my sushi, I breaka you face! I serva you lungs to you onna plate, capeesh?" *

*Except for the fact that Grandma was not Italian, had probably never even heard of sushi, and never said an unkind word in her life, this is all true. I don't think there are any sushi restaurants in Frankentrost, Michigan either, now that I think of it.

typhoon frank

today we experienced the first flooding in our new home. well, not exactly in our house. it was down the street actually. hmmm... I'd say my weekend at home was eventful, to say the least. First, I short-circuited a switch which ended up burning a fuse, then in the afternoon we had visitors, hubby's parents and his aunt, who also came coz she wanted to see our place as well as to inquire re our loan. apparently when they applied for the loan for the balance of the condo unit they bought they did not get any mortgage quotes, and now, after three months, they are still waiting for loan approval. Ours came after 5 days, and I'm quite happy about that part, otherwise we probably won't be here right now.
Anyhow, the typhoon Frank came over this morning and decided to make a mess of Metro Manila. We all woke up around 5:30 because of the gusty winds, and then there was no electricity. and then around lunchtime, the flooded waters of antipolo came through the subdivision. There was literally water all over the streets. Good thing our house was really elevated so there was no worry on the mess it'd make to the appliances and furniture. The water subsided after a couple of hours, but well, seeing that much water outside was still scary. :-)

Blessings come when you least expect it

A few months ago, to be exact when hubby when to the US for a month, we decided that I stop taking pills already.  One, to guard my health.  My family has a history of cancer and we're fearing that prolonged use of the pills will have a negative effect.  I've been using it for more than 2 years before giving birth and another 3 years after Jessica.  No other means worked for me.  We are not good at withdrawal and NFP and injectables shook up my hormones a bit when I tried it.  We're not so thrilled of using C's.  So the pills were still the most stable thing we could think of.  And so in July I stopped using it.  When hubby came back it was more the calendar method.
When my period didn't come this October, I didn't think any of it. Might be delayed. I might be stressed.  We did our counting and all seemed well.  Or so I thought.  Just for the fun of it, I tried taking the test with an old kit I kept at home.  For some reason I can't even remember why I had it.  And then it turned positive.  And with the many things I read about the topic, I could remember so well that its more common and probable to have a false negative than to have a false positive.
And the rest, as they say, is history. :-)  Jessica is turning 4 in May and I'll be due in June.  Hopefully I can give Jess a jollibee party before I'm due as a tribute to being the only child. And so she won't feel too jealous when the baby comes out.
We are happy for the blessings.  While its a bit earlier that we expected it, we're just as happy knowing that we have been blessed again.  God is really great.  He gives us what our hearts truly, truly desire.

Best Price for kmbuy - Quality Linenette Style Unisex Fashion Casual School Travel Shoulder Backpack bag with laptop Compartment / 43cm*28cm*12cm (khaki)

kmbuy - Quality Linenette Style Unisex Fashion Casual School Travel Shoulder Backpack bag with laptop Compartment / 43cm*28cm*12cm (khaki)

Brand : kmbuy

Sales Rank :

Color : Khaki

Amazon.com Price : $30.99

Features kmbuy - Quality Linenette Style Unisex Fashion Casual School Travel Shoulder Backpack bag with laptop Compartment / 43cm*28cm*12cm (khaki)

Material: 90% polyester linen + 10% PU
Dimensions: 43cm(Height)*28cm(Width)*12cm(Thickness), adjuestable shoulder straps: 75CM to 95CM
Weight: 620g / Capacity: 17L (Medium capacity) / Max loading weight limiting: less than 4.0KG
Compartments: 2*sider pouch, 1*inner zipper pouch, 1*outter zipper pouch, 1*phone & licence pouch compartment, 1*laptop/tablet compartment (28CM width laptop up to 15.6'')
For the crowd: Male or Female with height 150CM to 190CM

Descriptions kmbuy - Quality Linenette Style Unisex Fashion Casual School Travel Shoulder Backpack bag with laptop Compartment / 43cm*28cm*12cm (khaki)

Features:
- Mainly made with high-grade durable polyester cloth, classical and refining design.
- Mixmatch with qualify PU leather accessories, elegant and fashionable.
- Durable PU bottom design, strong and long lasting.
- Thicken breathable strap design,comfortable to carry.
- Plenty capacity design, most of your daily necessities can be loaded.
- Scientific and reasonable compartments, makes your goods lay in the bag systematically.
- Specially equiped with laptop compartment, carry your tablet / laptop easily.
- Casual Easy style using for: School, Excursion, Going out, window shopping etc..

Washing instructions:
- Washing with clean water with ordinary temperatures.
- DO NOT washing with hot water.
- Hang to dry.
- Washing separately to avoid staining.

Package includes:
- 1 * Backpack ONLY

Purchasing Notes:
- The actual colour of the backpack maybe different from the picture shown due to the different screen of display or reflecting light when shooting.
- 1-2cm error of measuring is a reasonable range due to different measurment methods.
- It's can't avoidable that you will receive the backpack with some smells from original material as it's brand new.
- The smell will be gone if place the backpack in freely circulating air for 2-5 days.
- Each backpack will be check carefully before shipped, but it's still very hard to guarantee there's no extra thread.
- Please do limit the loading weight within 4.0kg to avoid the damage caused by overloading.

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lots of space to fill

Its just so nice whenever I realize that there is still some space to fill in our home. I'm excited to have some funds to be able to buy some stuff for the house, not that it really needs anything more all that much. some basic stuff would do anyways. But of course that doesn't stop me from wanting to have some nice-to-haves, such as patio furniture for example. After all, a 3-car garage which holds only 1 car is kinda sad. hehehehe... but I'm sure we will get to that. soon.

Shelf Improvement, Taxes and a Russian Chemist

(listening to Louis Vierne's Symphony #4)

Our little hallway closet had shelves of stained pine, which we replaced with tidy, white MDF. I glued some corks onto one of the old shelves and hung it in the den.

I'm sipping a glass of The Reverend. It's chilly outside (by the standards of this unusually mild North Carolina winter, anyway), and it's nice to drink such a rich, warming beer indoors.

It's been a pleasant weekend of putzing around, not being broke, and going out for a bit of social activity. Thursday was payday, which always puts a spring in my step before bills and expenses suck it all up.

Friday evening, I chatted with my mother for a while over the phone. It's an unfamiliar thing, to hear her talk about her parents as people who actually exist. I really don't understand the reasons behind the schism that existed for so many years, but perhaps my grandmother's stroke was enough to at least partially break down that wall. Mom did say that Grandpa is an odd old man, and not altogether likeable. It's weird to hear anything but silence on the subject.

After the phone conversation with Mummy, I went out for take-out Mexican food. We have a very respectable place near us (no ground beef to be seen, and they have multiple salsas which all have flavor and texture!), and we ate wolfishly when I brought it home. We washed it down with RedHook IPA, and all was right with the world. We had some tasty Dagoba chocolate afterwards (Xocolatl, with cayenne pepper, and Eclipse 87%, the darkest dark chocolate I've ever had).

Saturday was grey, but I got a few things done. I bought new printer ink cartridges, so we could print out our TurboTax forms. We get to pay the government quite a few bucks this year, much to our chagrin. I wouldn't be quite as annoyed if our money was actually getting used for anything good. Conservative? Is that what Republicans are? What the hell does that mean? Fight an expensive, ill-informed, strategically idiotic war and just let the deficit keep growing? Is that the platform that the Republicans stand on? Brilliant. Here's my check, Bush, you incompetent, backward moron. Even the staunch Republicans among my coworkers have run out of excuses for you. The fact that I have to pay for your mistakes infuriates me.
{deep breath}
Anyway, in addition to reading a bit and doing some grocery shopping, our Saturday evening concluded with drinks at a bar in Durham with an old friend of Lindsey's, the friend's sister, and the sister's boyfriend. It was a pretty well-educated, well traveled group, so the evening was stimulating. The boyfriend, Dmitriy, is a Russian-born PhD who is a chemist at UNC Chapel Hill. Among many other things, we talked about graduate studies. Perhaps it was the two pints of Allagash White talking, my something inside me, again, told me that I need to be done with the menial shit that I'm doing and earn a PhD in English. I'd rather be teaching and writing than shovelling bullshit for Big Pharma. At any rate, I think I'm too much of a pain in the ass to not be an academic.

The next morning, I swilled down a pot of coffee as I made scrambled eggs with cheese and rosemary roasted potatoes on the super duper quantum leap of potato technology pan. I was pleased with myself. I went out and wandered around a couple of stores for fun. At HomeGoods, I got an Emile Henry pan for only fifteen bucks. It's a fun store, if you're a dork like me. I went next door to Total Wine and got a couple of my favorite $10 reds, J. Vidal Fleury's Cote-du-Rhone and Tenuta del Portale Starsa Basilicata. I also got The Reverend there.

For dinner, Lindz cooked a very tasty gnocchi/meatball/red sauce dish out of a Rachael Ray cookbook. We really get into a groove of enjoying the weekend just before it ends. Bummer.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Almost done.

Reviews for Earth Brown European Style Rucksack Backpack

Earth Brown European Style Rucksack Backpack

Brand : Rothco

Sales Rank : 251411

Color : Earth Brown

Amazon.com Price : $23.49

Features Earth Brown European Style Rucksack Backpack

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got my netbook back

Whew! I'm so happy I finally have my netbook up and running. It has been a frustrating month what with having to recover and recover all over my files because it just keeps crashing. Apparently something was wrong with the harddrive and it was causing all the blue screen terrors. We brought it several times to where the store that sold it (Octagon). First we brought it to Megamall branch. They used the recovery disk and I lost all my files the first time. Then it crashed. I built my own removable cd rom to recover it. same thing. I used someone else's external drive (the offices' equipment). Still crashed. Took it to the Sta. Lucia branch. It still crashed after a week. Upon checking there were a lot of bad sectors in the HD, must be the one causing those crashes. We went back to the Sta Lucia branch and they advised us to go directly to the distibutor for faster service, since if we course it through them it will take around 3 weeks. And so I did. Brought it last Saturday to the distributor, I called up in the morning and they informed me that its ready for pick-up, and they replaced the hard disk. Yey! So happy about that. I went there during lunch and I have it back now. Whew. It was a struggle, but I'm happy its fixed. I hope. I'll be placing it on trial mode for a couple more days but hopefully all will be fine now. In as much as I don't spend too much time on the PC at home anymore, its been a hassle using the bigger laptop. hehe... I still love this one because its just too easy to carry around. And when we go to Singapore next month, I'll definitely be glad I'll be carrying this one around instead of a really bulky thing.

Best Offers for Large Capacity Hot Sale Attack on Titan Backpack Canvas Rucksack Anime Book Backpack

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Reviews for KAUKKOFH03 Latest Retro Cotton Canvas Man Cross Body Travel Bag Dark Khaki

KAUKKOFH03 Latest Retro Cotton Canvas Man Cross Body Travel Bag Dark Khaki

Brand : Vktech

Sales Rank :

Color : Dark Khaki

Amazon.com Price : $29.99

Features KAUKKOFH03 Latest Retro Cotton Canvas Man Cross Body Travel Bag Dark Khaki

Model: KAUKKO FH03
Suitable for men
Color: Dark Khaki
Dimensions: 26 x 21 x 9cm(L*W*H)

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Structure: Main pocket(with drawstring openings), two side mesh pocket, small pocket, front vice zippered pocket, inner zippered pocket

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Go Germany

Euro 2008 info

The Museum of Glass in Tacoma

 

This tunnel of spectacular glass works is on the way into the Museum of Glass.

Hedonism

This past week, Lindz was out of town on a business trip. When she's gone, my life loses its backbone and slumps into self-gratifying disorder. I went to work, went to the gym and took out the trash, but everything else was centered around food and wine (with some Netflix DVD's thrown in). I stayed up too late every night.
The experiences:
Mantra Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County 2004 (I think it was 04, but possibly 05): I bought this at a wine shop near my office. I just had to escape the gloom of the office, and it was too hot to enjoy a walk. I opened it that evening, letting it breathe while I was at the gym. It's a nice, deep crimson color with a heady aroma. I smelled black currants and a wee bit of coffee or chocolate. Maybe tobacco. It was a brown smell. It was a big, balanced wine with nice tannins and alcohol. It kept up nicely with the roasted goat steak I ate with it. I watched some Space:1999. I had some left the next night. I had salmon with the last bit of it.

George DuBoeuf Moulin a Vent 2005 Domaine des Michelons: Traffic was pretty bad Thursday night, so I got off the freeway to go to Total Wine and wait it out. I picked out this Beaujolais because it apparently got a 92 from Robert M. Parker. I dropped it off at the house and dutifully went to the gym. This wine was a clear garnet, with a clean bouquet (think of a bowl of raspberries with some cedar chips and a sprinkling of tobacco in it). It was a really elegant wine. It had the typical bright berry Gamay flavor, but with nice woodsy, earthy notes. It had good acidity; it was very nice with the sauteed beef liver I had for dinner. I watched Sunshine as I ate.

Saintsbury Pinot Noir Carneros 2005: I forced myself to go to the gym Friday evening. Afterward, I changed my clothes and went to a local Mexican place where I hadn't gone before. I had an ice cold Dos Equis and a satisfying, if unsurprising Steak a la Tampiquena (it's still North Carolina Mexican food). I went home, full and sleepy. I talked to Mom for a while, and by the time the conversation was over, I regained some energy. I was reading The Emperor of Wine, a book which has had the effect of filling me with ungovernable urges to run out and get a bottle. It happened at about 10 pm. It had to be Pinot Noir, but the good shops were closed. Lowes Foods had a sure thing: the Saintsbury. While I was wavering between that and another wine that I hadn't tried, I couldn't help but eavesdrop on some fellow shoppers. Four college boys were debating the merits of various cheap, fruit-flavored wines (cheapness and sweetness being the desirable traits, apparently). It took me back to my college days, when price and alcohol content were the only criteria we considered. I brought my Saintsbury home, and I happily sipped and read until after 1 am. This one has the things that I love in California Pinot: soft, fleshy cherries, hints of cola, chocolate and smoke, an indulgent experience. It's mouthfilling and ripe; it gives itself to you without a battle of tannins.

I finally got out of bed Saturday and drank a French press of coffee with my breakfast/lunch. What the hell, there was a glass of the Saintsbury left; I drank that as well (it was just fine with coffee and blueberry chicken sausages). To pretend to myself that I was an industrious individual, I did a load of laundry. I put on some clothes and drove downtown to Seaboard Wine Warehouse.

Their usual Saturday tasting was going on. This day, it was French whites. They were all nice (the Vouvray was a little sweet, though), but the only tasting wine I bought was a white Burgundy. It had a really nice lemon-zest note to it; I'll have to write about it when Lindz and I drink it. I wandered around the store for a while with the goal of getting a couple of bottles for the wine rack and one to enjoy that day. I looked at a few $60 bottles that I want some day, but I held to moderation. I got, in addition to that white Burgundy and a couple of tasty everyday wines, a bottle of Plungerhead Zinfandel Lodi 2006. I stopped at our local pizza place on the way home and got a 14" pie with mushrooms, sausage and anchovies. I watched Solaris (the Clooney version). The wine was huge and gooey. Lots of ripe fruit with a sort of medicinal, black licorice, eucalyptus underpinning. Hard to describe. The movie was slow, psychological and visually well done. Everyone else seems to hate it. I'm going to watch the 1972 version next. Anyway, I watched, drank, ate, loafed, read and briefly dozed. I got up and went for a walk. I was totally useless, and I loved it.

Sunday, I got up, had breakfast and coffee, did some more reading, ran the dishwasher to keep up the ruse of productiveness, and went out for sushi with Bryan. A while after that, I went to gym, and then Lindz was home. Like magic, as soon as she was in the house, I started bustling about dinner. When she's gone, I do not bustle under any circumstances.

The fact that I had showed up for work is the main blemish on this otherwise respectable streak of hedonism.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Sandwich

I made it with the bread I baked earlier today. I warmed it on a cast iron griddle, and I posed it beside some Jamaican rum on the rocks and On Food and Cooking, the Science and Lore of the Kitchen, by Harold McGee (open to the page about peanut butter).
Since it's on the internet, everyone is free to view this. But it's for my sister, and she'll know it as soon as she sees it.

Best Price for Lewis N. Clark Urban Gear Backpack, Grey, One Size

Lewis N. Clark Urban Gear Backpack, Grey, One Size

Brand : Lewis N. Clark

Sales Rank :

Color : Grey

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Rugged 16 oz, 100 percentage cotton canvas construction with water-resistant coating
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Panorama from the End of Stearns Wharf, Santa Barbara

 
 

On moving on and forward

Today marks my last day out of a 1 year hiatus from the corporate world. Hopefully it will be a breeze starting work again. It's a good thing though that I am really happy where I am going, it has all the elements for a start of a good career. Too early to tell, I know, but I always think that thinking positive helps to make a good start. Anyway, I'm happy with what's going on ahead of me.
The past year has been a roller coaster ride for us, I definitely learned a lot, lived a lot, and definitely feel that for what we lacked on the financial side the past year, the memories and the experience more than made up for it. I would not have exchanged it for the world.
First and foremost, it was the experience of having been a stay at home mom for a time, while I had busy days when I tried to handle a business, for the most part I was busy with Jessica and running the home. It was heaven being able to take care of a toddler, see to her needs, and generally see how she's growing up, good and bad sides included. At the end of 2009, I even let go of my yaya, and had to struggle being the full-time mom for around 3 months. And I definitely have no regrets over that, I think those 3 months together where we only had each other (hubby, me and Jess) was also a plus because I can definitely say I can take care of my daughter + all the chores on my own, and I can live without being dependent on someone else to do the chores. It was a much needed realization for me as well, that the yaya I had simply lacked the motivation and the concern she once had for my daughter, so it was time for her to move on. The new yaya I have now, I believe she's very much worth it and worth the wait of a couple of months. I'll be leaving the house every morning confident and assured that my daughter is in good hands.
Career-wise, I don't feel that the past year has been a letdown in terms of my career. I for one, believe that the last employment I had was inevitably going to be a dead end. I was happy I ended it at three months otherwise I would spend the next few months (or years if I tried, I guess) probably miserable and 20 years older.  I also don't regret that I left the previous one before that. After a couple of months things there didn't turn out well from what I hear, so it was still a good move. True, I spent a couple of months and several frustrations over my 5-plus months of job hunting, and two job offers after I was studying the possibility that I lost my marketability, despite the UP-education and the MBA.  Turned out it was a matter of getting the right offer at the right time.  Kudos to hubby for always reminding me that the right offer will come at the right time. And it surely did.
Over my relationship with hubby, the past year has been deeply enriching, for both of us.  I have always earned my keep, and I always got the things I wanted. I had a good career in the past and really good compensation for the past 4 years that we were together, we lived a comfortable enough life and can buy the things we want. He had a whole collection of remote-controlled cars and trucks and I was happy seeing him with that, he never heard a word from me about it, just as I never heard him say anything about me shopping, whether its for me or for Jess.  But when I let go of my job our world turned upside down, he had to give me almost all of his earnings, where previously he just gave half of it so he could save or buy the things he wanted). Now he had only his allowance. It was fine for a couple of months, I had the bazaars which also earned enough to keep the lifestyle at the very least, but came December we were already having a hard time.   The first half of 2010 had been a struggle making ends meet. Though we said goodbye to diapers already and saved a lot when Jessica changed over to more economical milk - Nido 1+ to 3+ will save you a lot, we still had to struggle because the salary was only just enough. No extras.  It was hard because when I had the time to spend money, there wasn't any to spend. :-p  But I never heard hubby complain, because I am sure he gave up a lot too. No night outs for him, he would take food to the office so he can minimize lunch outs. But it did bring out a  sense of responsibility for him to be the head of the house.  And I am proud of that. It made us closer to each other and we realize that if we had each other then we can make it, for better or for worse.
In parting, this closes a difficult but otherwise very enriching one year. And as I move on and hopefully to a better more wonderful workplace, I keep this experience up my sleeve and feel happy that I got through it. :-)

Acts of God, Wiring and 33

I have been remiss in my blogging duties of late. I've been happily wrapped up in the not-so-exciting but satisfying management of my household. Lindz and I enjoyed a sublime and lazy Labor Day weekend at Lake Norman with her folks. Naturally, we spent some time discussing Katrina, its effects and the topics that it has dragged into the light of day. Here's a few of my thoughts, in no particular order of importance (or unimportance, whichever is your perspective):
1) I'm glad I drive a small, fuel-efficient car.
2) I'm thankful that my loved ones and my home are safe.
3) What the hell do you expect when you live below sea level in a hurricane zone?
4) Wal-Mart has a better-organized logistics infrastructure than FEMA does, and that's why Wal-Mart trucks full of supplies rolled into the disaster area first. Perhaps the federal government can learn from corporate entities which are profit- and results-driven.
5) "I can't wait to sit on Trent Lott's front porch when his house is rebuilt." Wow, Bush is such a fucking retard that I'm ashamed to be a member of the same species. Even his fellow Republicans are beginning to wonder what sort of brain-damaging fumes are leaking into the Oval Office. Wait- strike that, he doesn't spend that much time there; he's on vacation all the damned time.
6) Good things will come of this; wisdom is dearly bought.
7) Refugee is a racist word? Get a life, Jesse Jackson.

On a lighter note, I installed outdoor speakers under the soffits overlooking my deck. I've spent time on other various projects around the house, and it is very pleasant indeed to relax on the deck with my wife and a glass of wine. It makes me thankful for my blessings and mindful of the fickle nature of the world. We are always in God's hands. An Arab quote (which I paraphrase to the best of my memory's ability) says, "Call on God, but tie your camel securely also."

On an even lighter note, Lindz gave me a pasta roller for my 33rd birthday, and my mother gave me a big box of half-pound burger patties from Kansas City Steaks (via QVC). Several burgers have already been enjoyed on the deck with newly wired musical accompaniment.

I'm just about a third of a century old, and the world is not making any more sense than it ever has.

Life's Rich Pageant

 

So much stuff packed into so few blocks. I believe we took this picture as we were walking down the hill to go to dinner at The Pink Door, a marvelous restaurant in Post Alley. We had some off-the-menu seasonal things: risotto with fava beans, mint and goat cheese and some unbelievably delicious bacon-wrapped monkfish on a bed of braised artichokes. The pear tart was a very fine dessert, and I had some very good Oregon grappa while we watched the famous burlesque show that begins at 11 pm. We arrived at 8 to assure ourselves a spot.

As far as Seattle goes, I'd say we did a halfway respectable job of scratching the surface. 'Tis quite a town.

Mrs. Cardinal

This cardinal is sitting on two eggs. She is no more than 20 feet from our back door.

Messiah

(listening to organ music of Anthoni Van Noordt)
Golly, I feel pretty durned cultured. This evening, Lindz and I attended a performance of Handel's Messiah at Duke University Chapel. The wide-eyed rapture I sustained during its three hours of music is evidence that I inherited my late father's love of sacred music. I suppose my cd collection would also serve as evidence, but enduring those hard pews at Duke is the true test. Lindz's tailbone still hurts; bless her.
The performance was fabulous, the orchestra, choir and soloists were top-notch. The glorious place where they did it was what made it so magical for me. A gothic church with exquisite stained glass windows and a vaulted ceiling 73 feet above one's head will take one out of a humdrum state of mind. The Messiah is a great piece of work, both in quality and quantity. After three hours, you feel like you've gotten your dose of couth.
Dad would have burst with glee; he traveled to many cathedrals in Europe in his days, but a performance of this caliber in such a grand church would have really been something special for him. I enjoyed it enough for the both of us.

The Ongoing Bathroom Project

This picture is entitled "Chiseling away the Eighties":

"Father-in-Law Peering into the Underworld":

"The Tub is Ready to Jump!":

"A Glimpse up through the Drain at the Pulsating Ever Growing Verdant Vista of the Ultraworld":

"Rusted Tub and Trees: a Mixed Media Installation":