Plea

"But words came halting forth, wanting Invention's stay;
Invention, Nature's child, fled step-dame
Study's blows†
Biting my truant pen, beating myself for spite,
'Fool,'said my muse to me; 'look in thy heart, and write."

-Shute, Nevil originally Nevil Shute Norway

Thus, I escape with the cliché; a picture paints a thousand words...

Renovation and refurbishing

Nowadays, remodeling one's home could be better than buying a new one especially when budget is considered as well as the convenience of staying where you have lived for a long time. Transporting furnitures and stuff or buying new ones doesn't cost only much, its tiring too. Improving your home (remodeling) also increases the value of your home and it also gives you a feeling of security  when things are properly functioning.

This is what I thought when I was home 6 months ago. I have lived in my parents' new house for 10 years and I love how they had planned the whole place. Being old though and lacking space is a bother so I had talked to my brother about renovating it and buying new furnitures. I anyway love playing interior designer using those free online floor planner.

Choosing to remodel one's home means trusting someone how you want it done, rather than doing the thinking yourself or having your finger hammered, leave it to the pros. To remodel, normally connotes making your home look better but there are companies that offer a variety of services including repairs; of floor and wall cracks which is usually brought about by a weak foundation.

I have been on the lookout for a company with many years of experience in construction. I'm all for professionalism and keeping customers in all the happening that they are guaranteed of getting the best. As for the furnitures, there are a lot of stores out there but I'd go for one that handles their business well. Sure they'd have a MYRIAD of things to sort out but if they can't  keep up, the customers get affected too. Any recommendations on contractors or a furniture store you know?

Eyeing a new bathroom suite

(photo taken 1 February 2008)

I was at the XXXLutz shop near our place the other day. I was looking for a box to store kid's toys and a garbage bin to replace the one we had under the sink. It has gone "kaputt." I can't remember where I got the old bin so it was not an easy hunt for me. I asked the attendants but they were giving me one that would take weeks to be delivered after order has been placed. I remember the last one was an item that I took home right after paying (Carry-home furnitures).

-

While at the shop looking for the bin, I explored the kitchen and bathroom section, opening the sink cabinets to look for the said bin. :D I can't help but be amazed by the displays of most kitchen units and this particular bathroom suite...hidden from all the suites somewhere are bathroom fans which are as important as any other part of the bathroom.

Just looking at this makes me want to renovate our bathroom! If I was patient enough to shop around 5 years ago, I might not have rushed buying what we installed in ours. Lutz' prices though are a bit expensive compared to other furniture stores but when they're on sale they really are on sale...imagine the prices slashed to half  or 70% off the original---you get more than what you paid for. So now in case we move to a bigger place, I know exactly where to buy bathroom furnitres.

Oooppssss...

Back home we were literally running around town and the adjacent city for days on end. Needless to say, running around tires the car too! We were on our way to visit hubby's relatives when the car broke down in the middle of Makati City. Overheating was the problem or was it fluid or water? Anyway, this made the hubby said we need to have a car insurance. We browsed for cheap auto insurance quotes around and got one so we won't be bothered by the expenses on too much repairs. Since we left already, my brother-in-law now gets the benefit...

The car breaking down was anyway a good opp to practice night photography....especially in Makati where the lights shine brightest at night.

It pays to pay your insurance

I posted this photo before for the Lasang Pinoys Sunday's theme kitchen. Good thing I did because this would now be the only remembrance of what that glass door was. See the little boy? He would often stick his nose there to see what I'm doing whenever I close it (which is cooking, of course). Last Monday he was running as usual when he hit a ladder standing on the other side of the door. It fell and cracked the glass which hubby only noticed a few hours later on. Good thing the glass didn't really broke to pieces or it would be another bloody incident that I would surely cry about.

The door was picked up for repairs and after 4 days brought to us new and clean. Good thing we pay our house insurance on time, they paid for it. I'm not sure how much glass door or glass door repairs cost but surely it's not something that I would be willing to pay for. :P This makes me think of getting other insurance other than what we pay for;legal costs insurance, bank insurance. I'm thinking laptop insurance because the little boy had a history of breaking our laptops at home too. lol. Anyway, if you have an interest about which insurance to get, click here.

Not your traditional Wedding Proposal...

If there is ever one thing that my mom loves and I don't it's jewelries. She collects them, she buys me and my sister pairs and we love those but I can't seem to have the same passion that my mom has for them.  I might have bits and pieces but mostly costume jewelry and fancy ones. I don't spend hundreds or thousands for them...

I would have love it though if I'd receive one from hubby...I used to dream about an engagement proposal where you get the ring while eating or something of the sorts. :D Watch this video and see how a guy went a little over the traditional gesture of wedding proposals much to the surprise of his  girlfriend.

During one episode, Robin freaks out in a restaurant when she mistakenly thinks Ted is proposing to her after she receives a champagne glass with an engagement ring at the bottom. When Ted tells her "That's not mine", another gentleman at the table behind them says "It's mine", then proceeds to propose to the woman at his table. The proposal between the man and woman was real. The man set up the whole scheme with the show's producers, and told his girlfriend that they won a contest and got to be extras in a HIMYM episode. Instead, he proposed on camera, and the proposal will live on forever as part of the episode.

Dressing up

The season calls for new shoes and clothes. Thick moon boots and rollis are on my list...The hubby has a penchant for sporty profile photos for his Facebook, I am the one assigned to do the picture-taking! :) Since it's winter, snowboarding is the "in" sport. It really isn't easy standing there on the snow, holding the camera and waiting for the right moment to click! I've scouted the sportshop around but I found online items cheaper and to my taste. Like Uggs boots, apple bottoms shoes, sweaters, Timberland and Doc Marten's and Tom tailor jackets.

Bukas (Open)

----

Alas-diyes ng gabi na hindi ba dapat natutulog na tayo? Pero si manong, heto dala-dala ang kanyang mga gamit at naglilinis pa sa kalsada. Aba, dahil bukas pa ang mga ilaw at madami pang tao sa labas ay patuloy ang trabaho niya (Wag pong mag-alala dahil night shift lang siya). Ganito pinapanatiling malinis ang siyudad, sana lang pwede ding linisin ang utak ng mga taong nagtatanim ng punla ng pagkasuklam sa mga hindi katutubo para naman maging bukas sila sa migrasyon at pakikipag-kapwa tao.

Noon ay ang unang Sabado ng Oktubre. Taon taon ay ginaganap ang Lange Nacht der Museen (Long nights at the museum) dito sa Austriya (partikular sa Vienna). Sa ibang siyudad gaya ng Munich ay sa ibang araw naman ng Oktubre ngunit kadalasan ay sa Sabado din. Nitong taon ay mahigit sa 650 museo ang bukas mula alas-sais hanggang ala-una ng madaling araw para sa mga bisita na inabot ng 200,100 katao sa Vienna pa lamang.

(Dorotheum, mga alahas at ibang mamahaling bato ang kanilang display. Mayroon ding mga kama at ibang kasangkapan sa bahay na napapalamutian ng ginto, pilak at iba't ibang bato. Pinakana-alala ko ay ang lapis lazuli na kwintas na nagkakahalaga ng kulang kulang sa 1000Euro)

Sa 650 na museo ay pito lang ang natapos naming puntahan ng aking panganay na anak. Ang pagsakay ng bus, tram at train at ticket sa mga museo noon ay nagkakahalaga ng 12 Euro at libre ang mga batang hindi hihigit sa labindalawang taong gulang. Mantakin mo ang laki ng aming natipid dahil kung ang bawat museo ay may 5 Euro na entrance fee (minsan ay mas mahal pa) ay aabutin na kami ng 35 na!

(Albertina, naka-display ang sining ni Picasso, ilan ni Michaelangelo at Walton Ford.)

Iisa ang lagi kong reklamo sa mga museong ito, bawal ang litrato kasama ang mga sining, sabi ko nga hindi naman kasinglaki ng Louvre pero mas suplado sila ha. lol. E yun nga, sunod na lang sa alituntunin...sa labas lang maari maglitrato.

(Mozarthaus, bahay...building ni Mozart.)

Pinakapaborito ng aking anak ang tirahan ni Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart dahil nag-aaral siyang tumugtog ng Piano at alam na niya ang bersyon ni Mozart ng Twinkle Twinkle Little Star...pinakinggan namin dito ang Magic Flute at nakita namin ang ilan sa mga gamit ni Mozart bukod sa kanyang apartment noon,  nanirahan siya dito kasama ang kaniyang asawa at mga anak. Sayang lang at hindi na nagka-anak ang kanyang mga anak kaya naputol ang linya ng mga henyo sa musika sa kanyang pamilya. Di bale, sumunod naman sina Joseph Haydn at Ludwig van Beethoven sa yapak niya. :)

Narito ang ibang kwento sa paggala naming ito. Dito naman ang ibang kalahok. Happy LP!