CongratuLations to Nursing Board Exam Passers!

We woke up today finding we have 20 missed calls on our cell phones.... Aaahhhh those were calls from our churchmates who passed the recently held NURSING BOARD EXAMS! Praise God for the blessing ! Indeed God's favor was with them... These girls are zealous in serving God that even while still reviewing for the Board exam they still find time in doing their respective ministry in the church as Sunday School Teacher, Praise and Worship back-up singers and Care group Leaders. Truly there are examples to look up to for students... that serving God and being faithful in the ministry is not a hindrance to studies! We are proud of you girls!

( If you wish to see the full list of the result just click HERE)

Beauty, Talent and Brain

She got the Body .................................. the Talent............

............. Everything to be crowned the next Miss America

Caressa Cameron, a 22-year-old Virginia woman is the newest Miss America, emerging from equally beautiful and talented 53 contestants .She is a broadcast journalism student at Virginia Commonwealth University.

She won the Pageant wearing her lucky Yellow Gown!

Receives her Red... Red.. Roses with Red Ribbon

LOVE IS IN THE AIR

Love is in the air! Radios and TV’s are filled with Valentine’s songs and shows. After the long festivity last Christmas and New Year, people are looking up to Valentines day as the next event to anticipate. LOVE is universal so as the celebration of Valentines Day. Expect everyone to be busy with parties, dinner dates and gift giving. For me this is a very special month since two of my in-laws celebrate their birthdays a day after Valentines. As early as today, I am planning what would be the best Velentines Gift for them . I must buy in advance since last year I was left out of stock. To avoid the rush, I search online for affordable yet meaningful gift items. A friend gave me a link to an article that gives ideas on how to celebrate the occasion in a memorable yet affodable way. This time I want something personalized. I’m through with flowers and chocolates last year so I prefer a token that would last a lifetime...

For my hubby? I am glad I read this Valentine's Day ideas for men ... I now have an idea how to give him the surprize of his life.. Lol! For you ladies out there, check the site and have a unqiue way of celebrating the occasion . Back to my in-laws, I plan a charcoal Portrait and painting for my mom and a jewelry for my sis-in-law. Hubby and I planned to take them to a hotel restaurant so that the occasion will have a different ambience of romance, beauty, charm and enchantment.

TT : Challenges in Life

Today I was confronted with three different problems... problems that are too big to ignore and too complicated to resolve.NO! it's not my problem nor I am directly involve with the problem. As a minister's wife, I can not help but be affected. Yes! everyone of us is vulnerable... vulnerable to temptations. No one can say I am strong not to be tempted or you can say to your self I am righteous not to be trapped into sin.

You might ask WHAT I AM THANKFUL for today when I am faced with these problems and issues in life? Yes! I am grateful to God for He is our REFUGE, our STRONG TOWER in times of trouble. In whom can we run to? Only GOD can make something GOOD out from something BAD. His forgiveness is as wide as the ocean and as His mercy is as huge as the universe. Thank God we have you in our lives.

To Go or Forego

Its the last day of Cebu Pacific "TO SEAT IS TO BELIEVE PROMO" today . Hubby and I can not decide yet whether to take our kids with us for our Hongkong Get-away. One way fare would only be P 1,499... looks like cheap but when we total round trip ticket for the 4 of us plus the airport tax of P 1,600.00 - airfare total would be P24,000.00. Adding up accommodation, food ,spots entrance fees and shopping , I guess we need around P 50,000.00 for it! Waahh... too big for a 2N/3D vacation. The frugal me is in limbo now... I want to go with just hubby and me but the kids are begging also. I got till midnite to decide before the promo ends. What shall I do now?

Camiguin Paradise Island

A view at one of the Islands while we were on a vacation trip to
Camiguin Paradise Island, Philippines.

Word-filled and Wordful Wednesday

Adgitize and Entrecard

Josie of Josie's window leave a message on my CBOX asking me what happened to Adgitize. I checked my other sites today, it was really no working.Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! I supposed to install one on this site today. It's not only Adgitize that is not working, also Entrecard. It's my EC dropping schedule today but I can not drop EC. Oooopppssss calling all concern... Please fix it ASAP!

“Win a Free Boracay Vacation Package by WOW Philippines Travel Agency”

I saw this blog post from Josie's Window and immediately I made a post to quality one entry. Who knows I might win! This would be the perfect destination for my birthday this July 22. Wish me luck guys...

WOW Philippines Travel Agency, Inc. is celebrating it's 5th year in business during July of 2010,
and we would like you to have a chance to celebrate with us, so we have decided to give-away
a FREE Boracay Package complete with 5 Star accommodations at the luxurious Le Soleil de
Boracay Hotel on Boracay Island. The lucky winner will win the following Boracay vacation
package.

Vacation Package Inclusions:

- 5 Days / 4 Nights Luxury 5 Star Accommodations at the Le Soleil de Boracay Hotel
- Flights to Boracay from Manila to Caticlan Airport on Philippine Airlines
- Island Transfers - Door-to-Door from Manila to the resort and back to Manila Domestic Airport
- Three (3) Meals each day, Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
- Boracay Activities - Horseback Riding, Island Hopping, Glass Bottom Boat
- PLUS - 5,000 peso Spending Cash
Read More Information: (Please indicate the website where you read our promo)

Example: Read more Information: http://www.boracay-packages.com

SUNDAY REFLECTIONS

Do you want to ENJOY LIFE? Then allow CHRIST to have a personal encounter with you. Even in the midst of suffering God can still work all things together for good. Sufferings are external circumstances. It's beyond our control, because these are realities in life. ATTITUDE is an internal force. This is something within our control.

Disappointments are sufferings; discouragements are attitudes. It is all right if we are disappointed, but we should never be discouraged. We can only enjoy life if we have the right attitude toward sufferings. Keep these promises in Philippians 4:13 and 2 Corinthians 4:8-9.

On Proxy Servers

What are proxy servers? I was motivated to do some research on this topic due to the sad experience my hubby encountered while he was on a mission trip in Jogjakarta, Indonesia . We had a hard time communicating through his cell phone and the internet. He can not be reached in his cell phone because the sim cards he purchased in Indonesia were not compatible with his phone.The store’s staff couldn’t hardly speak English, so configuring his phone wasn’t successful. What he did was to communicate through the internet... but sadly Facebook and Yahoo Messenger Chatting were blocked on most of the internet shops he went. If only my hubby knew about proxy servers.... our communication wouldn’t be a problem.

Proxy servers are servers with application programs which acts as intermediary or mediator between two computers. If you can not access certain sites that are blocked specially when using a public computers, or if it’s default browser will only choose the sites which you can access... you need a proxy server for you to get connected online. A friend who is still a student uses a proxy server to connect to his Facebook, Friendster and You Tube account since these social networks were blocked in their school. I knew also a business establishment who uses proxy servers to monitor and audit the internet usage of its employees.

I guess there are lots of advantages in using proxy servers. Top on my list is that you can be anonymous online. Bear in mind that cookies cache even confidential data such as user names and password and will be stored in the computer’s browsers. This danger is eliminated when using a proxy server since it will automatically close and there is no way the next user will trace your internet history. Another advantage of using the system is that it will scan transmitted content for malware before delivery. This means less virus infection for your PC. Also it will scan incoming and out-going transactions... a very good tool for data leak protection.

They say using proxy servers help them go online much faster than the average so i tried some Proxy Sites in the web. Indeed they were right! I get through my favorite site faster than my usual time. How about trying it yourself? Go to proxysites.net and see its free proxy list. Do not be left behind !See what proxy servers can do for you!

Banana All You Can

My Sister-in-law Gemini of The Road We Traveled gave us these Bananas... want some?
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Personlized Pens for Souvenir

August 21,2011 will be the 25th year Anniversary Thanksgiving of my church. I was appointed as member of the core group to spearhead and plan for the big event . Aside from the souvenir program, I was also tasked to conceptualize for the souvenir items.

So today I started surfing the internet and found the perfect gift to mark the Silver Anniversary – Personalized pens. Why personalized pens ? Aside that it is cheap , it can be customized . We plan to engrave our church logo and greetings on it. I found a site who offers plastic and metal laser-engraved pens in trendy and sleek designs. They have a wide selection of quality pens with prices ranges from $ 0.50 to $ 3 ( note : the bigger the number of orders the lesser the price) . I already made a choice - a distinguished full graphite barrel with a unique top accent in jewel tones as shown below. It is classic and yet a modern retractable pen. It can be imprinted with laser-engraved silver up to 2 lines of greetings and logo.

This would be a great collectors item and I guess the congregation would love this . I am sure when I present this idea to the committee I would receive a resounding approval.

Just a quick note

I have just arrived 2 hours ago from a 3-day Leader's summit. As much as I wanted to rest, I can not help but be back to my usual rounds here in the blogosphere to check my messages and visit my blogger friends. Thank you guys for visiting my site while I was away. God bless and have a good day!

Watery Wednesday

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My Friend's Grand Wedding

I am super excited to coordinate a wedding this coming April 10. Why? Not only because the venue will be held at one of the top Beach Resort in the Philippines but most of all it’s the wedding of our very dear friend Dr. Joseph Lubrico. This event will be quite challenging since the venue is miles away from our home base and the couple are both working outside the country. Just this morning, I was alarmed when the groom told me that he will be arriving the Philippines from Tennessee on the last day of March (March 31)!. Whew! We will not be able to meet the 10-day processing period of the Marriage License since April 1,2 and 9 are holidays . I told him to reset his schedule so we could have ample of time to process the marriage license and concentrate on the details of the big event.

Just this afternoon, I emailed him the draft of the wedding ceremony program and the wedding checklist. I emphasized the need for them to have the perfect video coverage . A wedding video that would truly reflect the love, emotion, and beauty of this special occasion. I would prefer and highly recommend that they will engage the expertise of Buddy Gancenia. Yes, that name alone spells quality, beauty and charm in videography services. My friend will never regret getting his expertise as Buddy Gancenia is one of the best corporate, events, wedding videographer in the Philippines.

I know my excitement will be doubled knowing that my friend will really have his wedding captured in a video that will become the envy of many .

Below is a sample of Buddy Garcenia's wedding and corporate video.

Just asking....

How many days does the transition of my new URL will take effect? I have 2 paid post due for revision since the two URL's do not match. I was given 3 days only to edit or else it will be rejected... Oh no! I have labored much for these opportunities ... I have already submitted ticket informing my change of URL. I hope the blog URL transition will be completed tomorrow. Any remedies pls?

Blog Site in Transition

To all my viewers and blogger friends out there. Please bear with my site . I have just bought a new domain and my URL is under transition from wwww.gracefancz.blogspot.com to www.gracefulwalk.com. Pls. leavea comment in case your site was not included in my bloglist. It is yet to be updated since I changed my lay-out also. Thank you for your consideration. Keep coming.God Bless!

Skywatch Friday and Scenic Sunday

A clear view of the Sky at Luneta Park -A hero's memorial Place.

What's your Investment for 2010?

My friend was tricked into buying fake gold jewelry from a bogus businessman. She was carried away with the sale’s talk of the lady seller that she shell out her cash without authenticating it first. Now, that lady seller is nowhere to be found.
She talked to me crying and angry with herself . Long before I already advised her not to buy gold Jewelry from direct selling since there is no way to check its authenticity. She didn’t heed to my advice to always buy jewelries from genuine Jewelry shop…. Now she must have learned her lesson well.

Gold Jewelries are good investment. In times of economic Crisis where everything is fluctuating, it make sense to fall back on time-proven investment – Gold. Gold is a standard form of investment that has proved its worth .. How I wish I can buy cheap wow gold as my investment for 2010. The price of Gold appreciates as time goes by. I have few pieces of jewelries I bought 20 years ago and mind you its worth is now 6x the price before. Aren’t they good investment? This 2010 I am planning to buy more gold Jewelries… this time I want white gold . How about you? Start your gold investment now.

Time to pay Government Taxes

It’s new year ! Time to renew our government obligations such as Real Estate Tax, Business Permit and Short Term Insurance. This will be a busy week for me to process all these documents . I hope the government system already has some improvement. Last year , I waited 4 hours waiting in cue for my turn. There were only two personnel assigned for the task since most of the employees were not yet back from their Christmas Vacation. How could they overlooked such important matters? Anyway, It was a blessing in disguise... while I was waiting for my number, I took the time to scan from their files the long lost property of my Dad which we thought was already foreclosed by the bank. Thank God, I found out that it was still in the name of my Father. The property is only 230 sq.m. but the assessed value is high since it is located in a commercial Area. Truly God works in wonderful ways. If not of the long...long lines I wouldn’t be reminded to such thing.

Disclosure Policy

DISCLOSURE POLICY

BHCCCI Leaders Summit

This week until the first week of February will be a busy week for me. It’s our Church Annual Leaders Summit. Ministers from the different part of the country will be coming together for a 3-day gathering this February 2-4 . Being the host Church and the BHCCCI Executive Secretary – this will mean bulk of paper and graphic works. Just a while ago, I surf the net for new LCD backgrounds. I want something that is trendy and not the conventional designs on default . If only I have a sync program like that of filesync.moleskinsoft.com it wouldn’t be a problem. File Sync is a folder and file synchronization software which will help define distinction between two folders. It can copy only the files you don not have on the your computer from another PC on a flash. Shaware 2 indeed will be a great help for me.

After the leader’s summit I will prioritize downloading the software since it is free for noncommercial usage. As for now, my challenge is to look for the venue of the summer. I was tasked to look for a place preferably a Resort wherein after a day of brainstorming, we could all relax like swimming or just simply watch the sun set by the shore. I have picked a handful sites . Got to go now since I have to report to the office early today. I will resume blogging lunchtime..

Disclosure Policy

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.

The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post may not always be identified as paid or sponsored content.

The owner(s) of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

A Prayer for Haiti

Just a quick note .... I watched the news today and my heart is bleeding over what happened with the poverty-stricken nation HAITI. It was strucked by a very strong earthquake ( intensity 7) yesterday that left people dead inside the buildings. It destroyed a Hospital, the National Palace, the UN peacekeeper headquarter and other buildings. Communications were widely disrupted, making it impossible to get a full picture of damage as powerful aftershocks shook a desperately poor country where many buildings are flimsy. Electricity was out in some places. People were left dead inside the crumpled buldings. They are in total chaos.

LET US ALL PRAY FOR HAITI… WILL YOU?

Word-filled and Wordful Wednesday

Visit Lori of Word-filled Wednesday and Wordful Wednesday for more posts.

I Hate Bed Bug Bites

While I was doing my rounds in the blogosphere last night around 10 p.m., I was interrupted by my ‘lil girl that she can not sleep due to bed bug bites. I thought everything was okey after we sprayed each of our rooms with dis-infectant last Saturday evening. Really, some bed bugs are hard to eliminate. We already soak the Foam with bleaching power and let it dry under the heat of the sun for 2 days. It seems all our efforts are useless. Hmmm.... what shall I do next? Include the bed and its foam for our next Garage Sale? But how about the next owner? I can not bear that they will suffer the same....I guess the best solution would be getting rid of the old stuff ( throw it away!) and buy a new one.

Tonight, we just let Dale sleep at our room for the mean time . I hope we can get a new bed for her the soonest time possible. Any suggestions?

Biking Pictures

I supposed to upload these photos on my blog post below but I forgot. So I decided to publish it on a separate post. Father and Son on open of their biking spree.

Mountain Biking

Can I really make it? My hubby challenged me to go mountain biking with him this 2010. He purposely bought a new bike to give away the old one for me. He’s a health buff .. he wanted me to be health conscious too! He does this daily exercise for 2 hours and sometimes 3 hours when he is with other bikers. He has been to the highest elevated areas in our city and the neighboring provinces.

It’s been long years since I did cycling… maybe 25 yrs ago thus I am afraid if I still know how to pedal and balance a bike. Hmmm... this is the greatest challenge I have to face this year. My hubby is really determined that he plan to build a Bike Shed at he adjacent area of our house. He has lots of biking accessories and tools that i guess a Bike Storage Sheds must be prioritized this year.

How about you? Have you tried biking around?

Soar Up High Movie Addicts!

Thank you Kikiamz for featuring my Tuesday Couch Potatoes entry last December. Indeed “Elf” is such an entertaining Christmas Comedy Movie. Rest assured that I’ll continually post entry every week . We are a family of movie enthusiast. Proof? Our expenses on movie dates and DVD’s purchases exceeds our budget for 2009. Last week when we made our evaluation, I tried to cut cost on this vice (?) but my hubby and kids objected.Lol!

There are lots of movies to watch for 2010! Soar up high movie addicts!

The Queen of all Torrents

Lately a lot of IT people have been talking about New Search Engines . The latest I know is Queen Torrent Search Engine. It is a new search engine that is becoming popular among its contemporaries. It is a super downloading and uploading sites which has an impressive database support. At a click of your mouse, countless page links will show relevant to your query. What made it unique is that you can see at the homepage the latest torrents searches for the day.So you will have a hint on what topic is leading on the worldwide searches.

I tried to download software today like AdobePhoto Shop for my Artworks and AutoCAd for my drafting works . In fairness... I did it for only 5 minutes. I enjoyed browsing new movie releases,music and games. Truly this is the new search engine to watch for 2010. I can not wait to spread its functionality to my friends. How about trying it now?Surely you will be satisfied.

Tuesday Couch Potatoe :Blockbuster Movies

I do not need to detail the synopsis of the movie because I am sure everybody has already seen it. Am I right?

The estimated $48.5-million domestic Sale of Avatar in the US over the weekend will truly crowned it the blockbuster movie . James Cameron easily passed the $400-million mark domestically, winding up on Sunday with about $429 million. With overseas the gross sales to date to $906 million.Will this movie surpass the titanic Gross sales? Let us see and wait..

What's in Avatar the Movie?

It seems everybody is talking about Avatar the Movie. It is the story of an ex-Marine who finds himself into hostilities on an alien planet filled with exotic life forms. He has a human mind with an alien body, he finds himself torn between two worlds, in a desperate fight for his own survival and that of the indigenous people.It is truly an Epic Visual Masterpiece. James Cameron, the Director of the people did an excellent Job! He let me shed tears and glued me on my seat.

My hubby and Son can no longer wait for it to be shown on the wide screen that they struggled hard to download the movie from the internet. Thanks to Mark, he told us to Search and Download from Rapidshare for a Clear and English version.We have just tried and we found the following link below.

For your Rapid downloading try Rapidshare . It has a remarkable database which made your search easy. It works the same as your favorite Search Engine. So Wanna try it? Make Rapidshare your downloading partner this 2010.

Ruby Tuesday : Gifts from USA

Our gifts from a friend in USA. Thanks May Seven. God Bless your graciousness!

Alternative Learning System

I went to the Department of Education today to inquire about its program called ALS ( Alternative Learning System). My mom-in-law who is a retired Non-formal Education Supervisor encouraged me to let the out-of-school youth of our church to enroll on the program. ALS is a free education program implemented by the DepEd which benefits those who cannot afford schooling. ALS offers various training like Computer Literacy, Arts and Craft, HRM and Care-giver. Students have to attend once a week classes for 10 months.

Back to my visit to their office, I was surprised to see different handicraft products on display. I saw colorful pillow cases, stuff toys, bags, rags, curtains and iron cabin decor - all were crafted by their ALS students. I was truly impressed with their products that I was tempted to enroll myself. I love home decors that is why I frequently visit sites like www.wroughtironhaven.com. I just loved browsing their sites to see what’s the latest trend on home decoration. I hope I have the time to enroll on ALS so I can apply my knowledge into practice.

MYM : At Chinese Temple

My kids at Taoist Temple, Cebu City.

The Heavier Me

I am tired of having new resolutions only to find out not fulfilling them. Last year (January 2009) , I vowed to myself to be consistent with my diet and exercise. I bought 3 DVD’s - Taebo, Hiphop and Belly Dancing . I did only 4 sessions then they just lazed down my DVD Rack for the rest of the year. I tried jogging around our City’s Sports Center 4x but due to distance and entrance fees – I surrendered. The result? A bulging and heavier me for 2010.

Last night, I wrote down my new year’s resolution and posted it on my room’s wall so that I will be reminded on a daily basis. My hubby joked that if ever I will fail this year I have no other choice but undergo Liposuction. If only I have a lot of money, I’ll undergo the process to bring back my beautiful Body shape. Oh… I missed my 25 inches waistline.

This year I’ve got to do what needs to be done. This is not only for myself but for my love ones.

There is Cash in the Trash!

My 2nd Garage Sale last Saturday was successful. Once again I was able to gather a considerable amount of money out from it. This time I included my collection of imported beauty products given by loved-ones and friends abroad. I have Cabinets and beds for sale from my mom-in-law. Thank God they renovated their house , I was the beneficiary of all her old furniture…Lol!

Truly there is Cash in the Trash. The old items which has been considered trash in our storage room were sold like hotcakes. Would you believe our defective electric fans, oven toaster and blender were sold? Even my hubby’s very old helmets? Hahahahaha... t’s like hitting two bird in one arrow. Our house was unloaded with extra baggage and at the same time I earned a lot from it.

Hmmmm… I guess I have to do this Garage Sale annually. Next year it will be a bigger one. I will let my brothers and in-laws be involved with it. It will be a good bonding time for us all!

I love Faces Photography

My little girl just love to take pictures of her own.

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I hope it's not yet too late to express my gratitude to all my blogger friends who took time to visit my site. I have been very busy lately that I wasn't able to post it. THANK YOU SO MUCH FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!

'my art matters'
Bits and Pieces
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walking news paper
Top Medical Health Care Books for Students, Doctors & Health Lovers
Cacai's Steps and Journey
Beyond My Quiet Zone
PinayMom
Honeysweet Learning Center

Medication

I can not sleep due to stomach cramps! It's already 4 am but I am still here blogging since it hurts and I want to divert my attention. I took medication ( antibiotic) for my allergy.The medicine must have been too strong for me. Ahhhh.... the pain is bugging me.

New Years Resolution

My New year's Resolution ( Health related)

1. Spend at least an hour for exercise daily
2. Sleep as early as 9:30 pm
3. Control PC usage
4. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables
5. Refrain from High cholesterol foods
6. Executive medical check quarterly
7. Must not skip breakfast
8. No..No.. No.. to junk foods
9. Take food supplement
10. Go biking with hubby
11. Drink at least 8 glasses a day
12. Sleep at least 8 hours a day
13. Be moderate in everything

Word-filled and Wordful Wednesday

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Graphic Design

Last Decemebr was a very busy day for us all. Parties, programs and event everywhere. Me? I attended more than 15 parties - to name a few my kid's school parties, my high school batch 1982 gathering, our churchs' Christmas Party , my son's math club party and Clan reunions. Whew! This means extra pounds again. Now I am thinking to overtime on my Taebo and Hiphop dance exercise. I hope I still have time to burn all those fats.

2010 has just started and I am once again tasked with countless of works to do - from office , church and household works. I am planning to enroll for a short graphic Design course by 1st week of February. I have been longing to update my knowledge on graphic designs since I was challenged with my Son's expertise on professional logo design . I hope I will not be very busy by this month so I can pursue this desire. I just keep my finger cross for the moment.

skywatch Friday and Scenic Sunday