Light Shopping.

No, this is not about shopping less.  This is about shopping for house lights.


My two weekends have been devoted to the house project so I am a little bit exhausted now... really... but, yeah, excited.


It was a good thing that shopping for lights did not bring me to far away places just to get discounts.  The Global City has the glorious MC Home Depot.  It is located along S&R's block and occupies a large area so it can't be missed.

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It is organized much like SM Department Store.  MC Home Depot has its own large store where you will find aisles for the different home construction/improvement stuff -- electrical, tiles, paints, hardware, etc.

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From Iphone loads

Outside the store, there are smaller stores that specialize on specific home construction products.


In the Depot, we got pin lights, a spotlight, and the ceiling fan for the family room.

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We went outside the Depot store to Akari to get simple lights for the bedrooms and the bathrooms.


Then, we discovered Light Options.

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They have a wide selection of light fixtures... most of it at reasonable rates.

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We found the best track lighting fixture in the building with LED bulbs! LED, by the way, is currently expensive but consumes the least energy and is said to last longer than the normal incandescent, halogen, or even fluorescent bulbs.  We also got the mirror lights for the bathrooms... see the classy look but really... they are affordable.

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The best thing about Light Options is they have the most accommodating sales staff ever.  They did not look irritated with all my questions, managed to entertain all customers, NEVER resorted to hard sell talk and, most importantly, they gave discounts!  Here are Marco and Geron (their supervisor, Charles, was busy with a customer).

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Those were a lot of lights for two weekends but, goodness, I am not done yet.  I still have some more to buy and I have not even started with the toilet fittings.  Too many expenses... I must not bust our budget.  Lord, help me.

Mercato By Night.

We live less than 5km away but we have never tried going to Midnight Mercato ever since it opened.

Three Fridays ago was the perfect time.  My work was on monthend close mode so that meant overtime.  Overtime meant synchronization with my hubby's office hours.

Welcome to Midnight Mercato!

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We went around first and saw all types of food.  There were pastries, burgers, sausages, tempura and street food!  Of course, street food in sushyal version.

There were squid balls, chicken balls, kwek-kwek.

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We also saw barbecue, isaw, betamax, etc.

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Just like street food, you order then they cook.

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They also have samalamig (which is also called Sago't Gulaman).

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Here's what we had.

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From Digicam Shots

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From Digicam Shots

All these plus hubby's bagnet and rice for more than Php300.  Not bad.  But if you grew up in UP... expensive.

While I appreciated the experience, I definitely think this is not the hangout place for hubby and me.  It was a bit crowded.  Eating place was al fresco so it has a good number of smokers nearby.  Indeed... I am getting old.

From Digicam Shots

From Digicam Shots

We ended the night with a chocnut Mochiko ball which was delicious.

I would not mind stopping by again but if I would be made to choose between the two Mercatos, I would pick the morning version.

Bro!

Happy Birthday, brother Lou Vince!

Happy Father's Day!

You will never guess where hubby spent 3 hours of Father's Day.


He was at the emergency room of The Medical City because of hip pain.

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Two years ago, we spent my birthday, our anniversary and Valentine's Day at The Medical City due to gastroenteritis.  Apparently, he is still at it.


I just have to say that Medical City service is still excellent.  The best of them all today was the guard on duty at the exit door of Discharge Patio.  His name is Rohwen, I think (shift on Sunday runs over 4PM to 7PM).  Hubby was limping at the parking lot and we expected no help because no one was outside.  Rohwen went out, asked if we needed wheelchair, gave us a wheelchair, assisted hubby, bended the rules so we can enter at the exit area, and assisted us until we got to the elevator, even provided directions to the ER.  Whew!  If someone from Medical City is reading this, please give him an award or something with cash prize.


The orthopedist ruled that it was just muscle pain so we headed home for a 3-way Father's Day celebration -- my Dad, hubby, and my sister's husband.


We had salad, soup, spaghetti, pizza, and Arny & Dading's pichi-pichi.

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From Iphone loads

Hon, thank you for being a good father to our son.  I hope you are enjoying every minute of fatherhood and that you will continue to love us no matter what!  I love you.


And to my Dad, thanks and Happy Father's Day!


(I hope my Mom does not get tampo because I did not write something for Mother's Day in my blog -- I did greet her offline... so Belated Happy Mom's Day to you.  I love you, both!)

iPhone 4.

With the intention of being advanced on phone software and technology, I upgraded the OS of my iPhone 3G last year to iOS 4.0 without waiting for the reviews to come out.  So, I paid the price and have been enduring a very slow phone for about a year.  Slow as in counting to 10 before I could access say the message function.

I could not wait any longer so even before the August expiration of my Globe lock-in period, I had to approach them for a phone change.  Believe me... it was not easy.  Even with a plan upgrade and my willingness to pay a cashout, it still took me several weeks, several calls and several approvals just to get a new unit via the Loyalty Program.

But all is well that ends well.  Even if I went through all the hassle, I am still loving Globe for the next two years because of this...

From Digicam Shots

From Digicam Shots

Never mind the iPhone 4 White.  Mine is clad in red.

From Digicam Shots

From Digicam Shots

And where is my iPhone 3G now?  It's with hubby.  OS downgraded to 3.1.3 -- thanks to Lifehacker.  He said he is loving it even if pre-owned.  I told him that if he gets lucky, he might get an iPhone 5 next year... ;)

Design Inspirations.

Activities for our house move are picking up so I am getting excited by the day.

Our contractor will start with the renovations next week (I hope!).  Deliveries and installations then need to be coordinated.

But since we are working on a VERY limited budget, the house can still be considered bare even with the renovations.  Design of the interiors and how it will feel homey must be figured out by moi.

I do have an artistic side but have only used it on cheap stuff.  I need to be careful about this.  I cannot, for the love of my husband, purchase a furniture and set it aside if it does not fit the intended concept.

The internet, indeed, is a wonderful invention.  I have found good websites that I super recommend for amateurs like me. 

Design Sponge Online.  It features sneek peeks to houses of real people, not celebrities or royalties.  They have a good mixture of lifestyle write-ups from gardening, parties, cooking and some do-it-yourself stuff.

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Desire to Inspire.  It focuses more on houses, both interior and exteriors (including the garden).

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Martha Stewart Online.  I go directly to the home decorating portion of the website.  This has a more organized presentation so you get to your topic in mind the fastest.  They have a link for decorating, gardening, home improvement, painting ideas, organizing, etc.

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And, of course, we have the Urban Zone on TV... now aired on Fridays.  It starts very late at night but I make it a point to watch.

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I've grabbed some ideas already.  I hope it turns out well and not too expensive.  Update you soon.

Old Flame.

It has been a while since I last stayed up late for a tennis championship match.  Last Sunday, I did -- it was the Roland Garros - French Open finals.

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It was a much-awaited match... between the most sought after tennis rivalry of today.

Roger Federrer

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versus


Rafael Nadal

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I rooted for Fed not because I do not like Rafa.  For me, they are both tennis talents.  I just thought that I would go for the underdog this time... Fed being third seeded (Rafa was first).

And since clay courts are Rafa's territory, he did win the championship.

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I was not heartbroken.

Several years ago, it was different.

I was a tennis addict (I sucked at playing it though).  And I was a loyal fan.

Tennis will never be the same without these two greatest rivalries.

Monica Seles vs. Steffi Graf

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From Digicam Shots

Pete Sampras vs. Andre Agassi

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From Digicam Shots

I was a Seles fan and a Sampras fan.    

In my younger years, not a lot cared about tennis.  But even if I had no one to share and discuss the game highlights with, I still spent several nights trying to be awake just to watch their Championship matches with their arch rivals.  Probably because I loved the sport and found a lot of sense in it.

And just when cable tv became affordable and sports channels famous, I grew tired of tennis.  Or perhaps, I just got old... and my idols got old.

I did enjoy last Sunday's match though.  I was suprised that I still remembered the rules. I must admit some of them have become hazy in my memory already.  But I think I have rekindled an old flame.  I am looking forward to the Wimbledon championship match... even if it will not be between Federrer and Nadal.

Platforms.

One of my takeaways from the Mommy Diaries expo is a pair of denim platforms.

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Got this for Php500 -- I call it my "mumu" shoes -- "mumu" for mumurahin (read: cheap).

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It's comfy, nice and makes me look tall.  I hope it lasts beyond 2011.

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Mommy Diaries.

Last week, I received this email from my officemate, Thirdy.

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It was an invitation to an expo.

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It has been a while since I last attended one so I convinced hubby to pay this a visit.

Entrance was only Php50.  It was not only a ticket to the expo.  I also had a chance to win a raffle prize (but I didn't win).

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I got freebies, too -- a magazine, PH Care (yahoo!), feminine wipes samples, Myra Hand & Body Lotion samples.

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I had no plans on buying anything but hubby did.  Our first purchase was a 12-roll tissue pack for Php85 from Saizen.

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Some things that caught my eye...


Apple Brand cleaners...

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In particular, the blue spray can in the middle.

It's a BAG protector.  Price was around Php1,200 (if I remember correctly).  The Scotch Guard was around Php800 so I decided to pass.

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Next was the Pink Solution soap.  It's an organic soap so it will not harm the environment.  Plus, it was marketed to us by the seller as "matipid" (read: economical) because you can make a 1L solution from the small amount of the paste.  The cost was around Php900 with the expo discount.

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The marketing was effective so I bought it.  (I will be writing my review of the product next week).

Avent products had discounts up to 50%.  The bottle nipples were bargains so I bought four --- yes, my 3yr old still drinks milk from the bottle!

Last was the platform shoes that I will writing about next.

We did not have a lot of time to attend the seminars about mommy-ness and parenting but it was a fun activity for hubby and me.  I would be happy to do a repeat of this.  

The organizer has another expo coming up and it would be something to my delight.  I think it will be called...

I'm SHOE in Love... :)