December 25, 2006 10:04 PM Monday, Jacksonville, Florida         

Engaged na si Kuya Allen!

“Say what? Did you say you’re engaged as in you are getting married?!?” This was the first reaction I expressed when Kuya Allen showed the engagement ring to mom and told her they’re engaged.

At first I can’t believe Kuya Allen is finally getting married—his first marriage at age 47! You know why I reacted that way? Because for many years, every time the topic on marriage comes up, he always rejects the subject because he simply doesn’t believe in marriage. Period.  But now he’s engaged and getting married soon?!?   See what Love can do? Needless to say, we are happy for him, at long last he found the right woman to spend the rest of his life with ;-)   Congratulations, Kuya Allen and Ate Mary :-)

Yay, our family is now growing ;-) The more the merrier isn’t it? You see, I grew up in a very big family and DH's both sides of the family reside in other states so I sometimes wish there are more (not too many though) loved ones, family members to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas with us. But then over the years, I am actually loving the idea of having a peace and quiet celebration with DH, my mother-in-law and Kuya Allen. Ano ba talaga, Ate? he he he

Here are the photos of our Christmas Day celebration. 

December 24 , 2006 9:04 AM Sunday, Jacksonville, Florida         

 

Christmas and Friendship Party

Our pot-luck party yesterday was more fun because we rented the American Legion Pub for the gathering thus we had a full-size space for kids to run around and for adults to hold and play different parlor games.

Thumbs up to Josie, Lesley and Hillary for the awesome job in planning and running the show. You see, I am only good in initiating and or delegating the job so somebody has to fully execute it and these guys did an incredible job! I couldn't have done it without them. Josie, you got my vote in case you decide to run for president someday ;-)  Make sure Lesley and Hillary belong to your party affiliation so it would be easier for us to cast our votes :-)

I also would like to express my gratitude to Jeff and his 2 boys: Jeffrey and Zach (Jeff is Josie’s hubby), Tim (Lesley's hubby) and Greg and his 2 boys: Aj & Daniel (Greg is Hillary’s hubby) for cleaning up the mess in the hall after the party.

And thank you also to Ate Susan and Juliet for taking care of our main dish; lechong baboy (pork roast).  Mercy and Eva thank you for taking a time off to be with us and of course those who showed up in the party and those who brought their own delicacies.

Wayne and Gretchen, I truly appreciate your presence in the party even though you guys don’t celebrate Christmas because of your religious belief. You two are so cool. What a lovely couple :-)

Thank you guys for the gift of your friendship!!!

More photos here

City Employees Play Santa

I was thrilled to take part in the charitable act; “Adopt an Angel” of the city of Jacksonville Fire & Rescue Department and see my face on TV, local news last week as we hauled the gifts and toys for the poor and homeless tots  that we accumulate from our generous donors and benefactors to the Salvation Army.   At least, here in the States the unfortunate homeless kids still have the chance to enjoy and celebrate the Christmas season. 

Photos here
 

December 16 , 2006 8:09 AM Saturday, Jacksonville, Florida         

And the Countdown Begins

It is 9 days before Christmas and I have yet to send out Christmas cards to family and friends and do some Christmas shopping due to my hectic schedule lately. I'll probably hit the mall later today.

DH, as usual, had done a wonderful job to festively lit our home on the very 1st day of December so I have been feeling the spirit of Christmas and smelling the heady scent of our real Christmas tree at home.  I tried to talk DH into getting a fake Christmas tree as it is a little cheaper since we can recycle it every year but he won’t budge. We also got an outdoor Nativity this year (as you can see Jesus is not in the scene yet… not until Christmas Eve). We also have a complete set of Seraphim Classics Nativity that my mother-in-law gave us last Christmas.

Well, it's that giving time of year again where almost if not all people go overboard with their Christmas shopping binge. We are not the exception as DH and I had a history of racking up bills every Christmas season.
 

This year, after learning the process of financial planning, I have been diligently watching every penny that comes in and out of our pocket. I kept pressing DH to go easy on his spending this time of the year because I know he, just like his mom, has this penchant to spoil me and rest of family members during Christmas.  I started to hunt down every receipt and charges there is on all the things we purchased and then meticulously categorize them in different expense account so that I know exactly where the money goes and how much or what percent of our income goes into this type of expense and that kind of splurge. Now, I found a solid answer as to why all these years, we really haven't been able to stash or build sufficient amount of money for cash reserve fund which is pretty bad. Apparently, my mother-in-law is exactly right in saying that DH and I spent our money like a drunken sailor.

So, I’ve made a proposed budget and cash flow statement for us to follow all throughout the year and I also set a spending limit to myself and DH this Christmas. After all, it’s not really the price tag and the number of gifts we gave but the feeling and sincerity behind the gift that makes all the difference.

Here are the rest of the photos of our festively decorated home.

Have a safe and blessed Christmas everyone :-)

 

December 15 , 2006 9:15 PM Friday, Jacksonville, Florida         

 

School is Out

I am just glad that my final exam is over now. I am worn out! My poor brain is still on the mend from all the pressure and stress I went through in the last three months of being in school. At this instant, I am itching to go someplace to chill out.

I am giving up this career goal for now! The Financial Planner profession is clearly not in line with my expertise/forte. Essentially, you have to be like partly Accountant, Estate Lawyer, Financial Analyst and Stockbroker to be able to thrive in this career. A Certified Financial Planner Professional encompasses all the areas of the market industry: investment in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, annuities, real estate, life insurance and including retirement planning, estate planning, taxes, employee benefits, social security benefits, Medicare, pension plans, IRA’s and other tax shelter investment strategies. And all these good stuff just overwhelmed and beat the poor and trying hard, Rhebs!

I know from the very beginning of the class that I won’t be able to really get a good grip in this class as much as I would like it to be because of the empowering scope of the course but at any rate at least I was encouraged to pursue the class just to get the feel of it. Mind you, I put my mind and heart to it but I guess my best wasn’t good enough. At the very least, I probably would have to consume sack and sacks of salts to really become an expert in the areas of how the US Federal Reserve monetary policy works, US economy, business laws, investment portfolios, and how the global market, business cycles and inflation impact our economy and co-relate with every aspect of living.

All in all though, I think I’ve passed the class anyhow otherwise I will have to pay for the tuition and fees from my own pocket because my employer would only pay for a class with a grade of C or better.

The Grading system:                                            My Ave Score  Final Grade

Quizzes …………………………………………………    10%            94              9.4
Term paper ……………………………………………   10%           100            10.0
Case Analysis 1 /Class Presentation ……  20%            78             15.6
Case Analysis 2 /Class Presentation……   20%            95             19.0
Exam ……………………………………………………     40%              ?                ?

Final Grade
       A = 90 - 100
       B = 80 - 89
       C = 70 - 79
       D = 60 - 69
       F = Below 60

The 3-hour final exam was composed of 50 pts multiple choice and 150 pts Case Analysis/Essay (15 numbers: 10 pts each); total of 200 pts.

My assumption:
    Out of 200 pts, if I score 180 pts and above, I should get an A in the final grade.
    However, if I score between
                   130 -179 pts, I’ll get a B.
                     80 -129 pts, I’ll get a C.
                     79 pts and below I’ll be SCREWED!!!!

In the area of quizzes, we had 12 total number of quizzes (100 pts each quiz; Total of 1,200 pts). I scored: 2 (60), 1 (70), 1 (80), 1 (90) and the rests were 100’s. My total score was 1,060 pts divided by 12 = 88 but we were told at the beginning of the class that we get to drop the two lowest scores from the quizzes so that bump up my average to 94!

As you can tell, I suck big time in the first case analysis/class presentation :-(   “I warned you, I am only good with numbers. But you know what? Had I grew up in this country mastering the language of the industry just like all my classmates, I am pretty sure I would have aced this case even with my eyes closed”, told my professor this and he just gave me a grin and a nodding head. LOL

Truthfully, I took petty to myself knowing how my classmates speak in front of the class so eloquently, confidently and with substantial amount of facts/data along with such a pretty charming American accent. Whereas, I, with my thick Pinay accent, was stuttering because I was so tensed and uneasy the whole time I was doing the presentation in front of the class with 2 professors to critic my report.    However, as the class progresses, I finally gained more confidence and I took a big step to face the class without any nerve-racking sentiment. So you see, I did a little better on the second presentation ;-).

Interestingly enough, if I pass this class, I’d still like to proceed to the next level of the course next spring or fall just for my own personal enrichment and advancement. After all, this is a free education that I can’t afford to lose because not everybody gets this opportunity in life.

I was Robbed!

I never thought this shocking incident would ever happen to me here in the States. It was around 12:30 in the afternoon in downtown. I was walking down the street back to work after lunch. When I saw my colleague across the street whom I have not seen in a month because she had a surgery done, I stopped, waited for her and while we were chatting amiably, out of nowhere this black guy came up to us; patted me on the shoulder as if he knows me. And as I looked at him tying to figure out if I have met him before, he quickly grabbed my diamond/white gold necklace and yanked it… then he took off.  I was stunned and shaken!

Luckily, we were only few feet away from the Fire Department building and it happened that few of the firemen were out there with the Chief…and within a few minutes the cops came to the rescue and the bandit got his ass busted.  I didn't get the necklace back (he probably tossed it somewhere) but I was deeply touched by the all-out support and concern of all the people that work with me in the same department. They came down and comforted me.  Tonight, my mother-in-law treated me and DH out for a sumptuous dinner so I feel a lot better because I am loved.
 

December 2 , 2006 8:08 AM Saturday, Jacksonville, Florida         

Set to Fly & Sail Next Year

I am just as thrilled and giddy as a kid as our Alaska cruise is now on the bag.  I have finally booked our dream vacation: Alaska cruise for our forthcoming 8th wedding anniversary next year! That's an extraordinary treat for me you know ;-)  The round trip flight from Jacksonville to San Francisco for this cruise has been booked this early as well.  Talk about early bird :-)

Our cruise itinerary:

Day	Port		Arrival		Departure
1	San Francisco, California				4:00 PM
2	At Sea
3	At Sea
4	Sitka, Alaska		12:00 PM		7:00 PM
5	Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska		7:00 AM		5:00 PM
6	Skagway, Alaska		7:00 AM		8:00 PM
7	Juneau, Alaska		6:00 AM		3:00 PM
8	Ketchikan, Alaska		9:00 AM		6:00 PM
9	At Sea
10	Victoria, British Columbia Canada		7:00 AM		2:00 PM
11	At Sea
12	San Francisco, California		7:00 AM

For a non-experienced cruiser, planning and booking a cruise vacation can be a daunting task especially if you don't know the ropes. I didn’t realize how time consuming it is to plan and book a cruise until I started sailing on the web, talking to 6 different travel agents and at the same time going back and forth with the cruise line itself to verify if  the travel agents I am dealing with are actually legit.

Here's what to keep in mind before booking your cruise:

Spend ample time shopping around first either online, by phone, over e-mail, or in person. Compare cruise lines, cruises and travel agents side-by-side to see which offers the best value.

Check out different sites that specialize in selling cruises:

Tours & Cruises  http://www.iwantacruise.com
Cruise.com  http://www.cruise.com/
iCruise.com  http://www.icruise.com/
eCruises.com  http://www.ecruises.com/
CruiseDirect.com http://www.cruisedirect.com/
Cruise411.com  http://www.cruise411.com/
CruisesOnly.com  http://www.cruisesonly.com/
CruiseValue.com  http://www.cruisevalue.com/
MyCruiseGetAway.com  http://www.mycruisegetaway.com/
LastMinuteTravel.com http://www.lastminutetravel.com/

Realize that you really won't get a better deal from the major-all purpose travel companies like Expedia.com, AA.com, Orbitz.com, Travelocity.com, Priceline.com because for one thing, you can't haggle on the price. Although I have always used Expedia.com to book our flight and Priceline.com to book the hotel. 

After you picked your cruise line, familiarize yourself with the ship's staterooms, deck plans, cabin categories and have a calculator in front of you before you call the agent. That way you know exactly what he's talking about while quoting you the different price for this cabin and that cabin. One thing with the travel agent though, if he doesn't spend time answering all your questions or giving you some helpful tips about the cruise itself, drop him even if he quoted you the lowest price.  Chances are, you are still going to get that same price from  another travel agent because most companies nowadays offer price guarantees: that is they'll match those of their competitors’ price as long as you know how to negotiate it.  Find an agent who is patient enough to deal with and is not rushing you to book your cruise as soon as possible.  Bottom line is,  if you want to get a good deal and save some money, you have to spend quality time and do some legwork. Nothing comes easy in this world anymore folks.  Don't make the same mistake I did by booking our cruise on the first occurrence then canceling it, booking it on the second occurrence and canceling it! You also have to watch out for all those non-refundable booking and cancellation fees.

On many cruise ships, the size, category and location of your cabin can have a big impact on the price of your cruise. I was told by experienced cruisers/agents that the best cabin location to get with the least amount of movement are located in the middle of the ship more so if you are concerned about getting seasick.  Cabins in the front of the ship are a little bumpy. That is why the prices vary even though the cabins are basically on the same deck and same class. You will pay a little bit more for cabins in the middle of the ship than cabins in the front and back of the ship.   See the cruise rate here that I obtained from the cruise line itself. That is the total price just to get on the ship alone not including the plane ticket, minimum $10 tip per person per day for 12 days.  Plus you also have to pay separate for all the shore excursions, drinks (soda and liquors) and other goods and services that you avail on board. Know that the price you see online is per person without travel protection insurance and bus transfer fees. But here's the catch: if you go on a cruise by yourself and book one cabin, you still are going to be charged double because the price they quote online is based on double occupancy. 
 

Dawn Princess Ship

STATEROOMS (Class)            
      Suite
      Mini-Suite
      Balcony
      Ocean View
                                 Interior

DECK PLANS (Level: top to bottom)
       Riviera
       Aloha
       Baja
       Caribe
       Dolphin
       Emerald
       Promenade
       Plaza

CATEGORY (Column: front-mid-back)
       BA
       BB
       CC and etc.

When we were first planning about our cruise, I opted for the less expensive cabin (typically an Interior-inside cabin with no windows and it’s at the bottom of the ship which is the Plaza deck) as I thought, we only need to use the cabin anyway strictly for sleeping and showering.   However, my ambitious DH prefers a room with either an ocean view window or balcony for his private outside oasis.  He always does this whenever we go on vacation just because he likes his comfort and wants to give me the special treat (kuno)  I am worthy of occasionally.  He just doesn't settle for anything less.   Oh, I am tickled as much as I like his thought (I so love my man and I can't say that enough!) but I want to save some money, Darling! Yet he won't budge and he whispered to me he'd rather not go on a cruise if I won't compromise. Period.   Even my mother-in-law had joined forces with him and was getting on me about my being cheap.  So I thought about it for a while but I still can't seem to get over the big price difference which ends up being more than two thousand bucks for just a freaking window?   Later on, I remembered the scene in the movie "Titanic",  when the ship was slowly falling apart, the elite passengers at the upper level of the ship were given the first priority to get on the life boats while passengers from the Plaza deck were left unattended. Talk about the privileges and benefits of the rich and the mighty. So then, I got over the price difference and decided to upgrade our cabin to a balcony at the upper-top level of the ship which is the Riviera deck ;-)  Hey, I reckoned, I have been poor all my life so at least, once in a lifetime I would be able to experience being categorize in the elite society right? LOL  Plus that would make my DH happy and comfortable in our vacation.

Book your cruise way in advance. Booking your cruise far in advance not only saves you money but allows you to be one of the first to choose the cabin you want.  Some people wait for the last minute deals to save even more but keep in mind though, that last-minute deals are usually for a very limited selection of cabins. So booking your cruise in advance and taking advantage of early bird booking discount is still the best way to go.

Use a travel agent. Do not book your cruise either online nor book your cruise through the cruise line itself because they tend to be more pricey.  There's really no substitute for talking to live person especially with a very patient travel agent. Most people think a cruise will cost more if you go through a travel agent but the truth of the matter is, a good and trusted travel agent may be able to cut you the best deal and help you through the complex process because he can negotiate discounts with the cruise line based on the agency's volume of sales and commission plus if you were like me, you can always haggle on the price. Hey, it works and I was able to save at least a thousand bucks for booking our cruise with Cruises & Tours. 

If you have to fly, book your flight separate from your cruise.  You will get a better deal by booking your flight separately as long as you know how to find bargain flights online. Again, book your flight in advance and if you do it online, Tuesday is usually the best day to do it.   You know, if I had to book our cruise and flight all together at the same time through the travel agent, it would have been approximately a thousand bucks more. So if you ask, I saved a total of roughly two grand by using a travel agent and booking our cruise and flight separately. The only trade off was, I lost some sleep and nearly failed in my school quizzes that week because evidently I spent all my free time either on the phone or online.

Now, if you are planning to go on a cruise, after you did your research, I recommend you call Cruises and Tours at (800) 935-2727 and ask for Josh Monahan. His extension is 220. I tell you, he's a very patient agent although I don't think he ever wishes to talk to me again. LOL This guy literally spent most of his day going back and forth with me before I finally booked our cruise not counting the occasional phone calls and emails we exchanged two months before the booking took place. Poor thing.  I tell you, my stint in sales for many years really pays off. That's where I actually learned and acquired the fortitude in dealing with the business world.   Neither DH nor my MIL is willing to spend a day on the phone and go through what I have been through just to save some money.   

Michigan Trip

My flight to Michigan on February 6-11 has been confirmed too!   I hope and pray it's not going to snow on the day of my flight... please lang, Lord. This trip is going to be a lot of fun since I will be joining Lani's family and friends to celebrate her birthday on the 7th of Feb and a baby shower party for In~in on the 10th. Can't wait...  meanwhile, I need to get my act together: finish my term paper and prepare for my final exam on Dec 14.  After that, I'll be a happy-go-lucky girl again ;-)