Dreaming for a hot tub

Have you watched Come Dine with Me? I actually watched a replay in Granada TV but still it entertains me to bits. By the way, Come Dine with Me is a hilarious reality cooking TV series where 4 contestants take it in turns to cook each other a meal in their own homes. They willingly let 3 strangers (plus a film crew) into their homes and are then subjected to their colleagues’ scrutiny and criticisms who mark them out of 10 for the standard of the meal. The chef with the highest mark wins, wait for it, a grand total of £1000 (a little over $1,500). This week's episode, the chef's culinary skills weren't the only one that entertains me but the idea of hosting a hot tub dinner party! I'm a stickler for relaxing in the hot jetted water in the evenings. Having our own hot tub would be a huge stress reliever! And I love to use it for easing my sore muscles. If only we could afford one I love to have it installed in the vacant "sandbox" of Hyzyd in our small backyard. It's indispensable to have a hot tub spa cover to protect the hot tub from the outside elements while keeping the water in the perfect conditions for a good relaxing experience. How I wish we could have one in the near future.

How about you? Would you love to have your own hot tub outside your home?

Drug rehab and alcohol rehabilitation and addiction treatment center in Thailand

Are you or someone you love struggling with alcohol or drug addiction? If you or someone you care about is having problems with drug or alcohol abuse you are probably wondering what to do. Since you are reading this you are probably considering a residential drug rehab or alcohol rehabilitation program. Most rehabilitation programs require a commitment of 12 weeks or more, and it may not be practical to take much time out of your life to attend a rehab program, especially if you have a demanding career or children. Also, you may not want your problems to become common knowledge. I know the right place for you-Channah rehab! It's the leading international destination for alcohol and drug rehab treatment in Asia. They've helped hundreds of clients from over 50 countries stop abusing drugs and alcohol. They offer an effective, professional, private, world class alcohol and drug treatment program. They can help. They offer a discreet, and shorter, alternative.

Clients will be accommodated in a luxurious and relaxing room shown above privately . There's no room sharing.

Kayaking is part of the activities you'll experience in Channah

Channah offers a recovery program comparable to the best rehabilitation centers in California like the malibu rehab treatment or the UK. They also cater a large population of English speaking clients. Being in a safe, supportive, and relaxing environment, far away from the temptations of drugs and alcohol, their addiction treatment center is unparalleled in the world. Make the decision to change your world. Let Channah Thailand help you. You need to contact them first if you consider a drug or alcohol rehab so that they could give you a free assessment. I've been told that the facilities at Channah are much more like a luxury resort than a drug and alcohol rehab and addiction treatment center.

Gourmet meals ...oh so yummy!

Channah offers a wide range of activities to support client recovery including outdoor activities and massage

Rian Pasaa-Thai ( Studying the Thai Language)

There are 8 Thai learners including Hyzyd...

Sooner than later, we'll be able to speak the language fluently plus reading the Thai scripts! I'm that ambitious!

It's about time to learn the Thai language. I've been in Thailand for 4 years already and I couldn't communicate with this language fluently! What I learned is just the basics - good enough to survive around the market in Thailand . The first time I came here, we got a friend who introduced us to this language. It gave me a terrible headache. I stopped and wasn't motivated to learn this language not until last Sunday. A Thai church mate of ours volunteered to teach us foreigners the Thai language right after church. I was hesitant but we gave it a try. We started reading their alphabet and getting to know the middle, low and high consonants. It's a bit confusing because the letters marked with high tone means you have to drop the sound and low tone denotes raising the sound! Nonetheless, we enjoyed reading and hopeful that we'll learn the language in the long run. All we need to do is practice and practice and practice! It seems that Hyzyd will be the first one to know the language than us! Have fun watching the video!

What gifts have you got for Christmas?

Here in Thailand, you'll usually receive gifts for New Year's Day. But I see to it that I have something special wrapped for my loved ones on Christmas. It is a special time for me to to let family and friends know that I care by giving gifts. It's not mechanical or a chore for me.

What do I receive? I got a lot of pens, face towel, key chains, and a pencil lip liner from my co-teachers. My hubby brought me to a mall and let me choose what I want. I picked up cotton tops, skinny jeans and red shoes!

It matches the red purse that my friend gave to me! This is the year that I got lots of red stuff!

My other co-teacher gave me this executive planner. It got one of the best presentation covers I've seen!

What gifts have you got for Christmas? Thank God for every good and perfect gifts you received last Christmas. It means you've got lots of LOVE!

Sharpen your brain with a good lie down

Ever been caught short on a creative idea (especially when you receive some online topics that let's you repeat the keyword five times!!!)? Can't think of that niggling last answer in your crossword puzzle or even what to cook for dinner? Here's a hint: put your feet up and lie down. Being a couch potato is great for boosting our brain and our creativity! Says who (I heard you asking me...he..he...)? So says Dr. Darren Lipnicki from the school of psychology at the Australian National University who conducted research on how neurotransmitters are released. He tested 20 people, who were asked to solve 32 five-letter anagrams, such as "osien" and "nudro" while standing and lying down. His findings? We are smarter and more creative lying down that standing up. It seems less of the neurotransmitter noradrenaline is released to the brain when you're horizontal, so your creative thinking isn't as impaired.

There's a child within

I'm viewing some of the videos I uploaded in Youtube . It creates a nostalgic feeling of Hyzyd's videos when he was just few months old and capturing those special milestones. I laugh hard seeing myself sing and dance "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" with my 3-year-old learners . I was kinda chubby this time and got a very long hair.

Singing and dancing are my learners favorite activity of the day. Every time I met them, I always carry with me a CD player because our class won't be complete without this thermogenic fat burners-like activity. This is the joy of working with kids- you could be a child once again with them! With them, you could forget your age, your sorrows and pain, and discouragement. With them, you'll be reminded that life is beautiful and laughter is just around the corner!

Regular date time together is good for any marriage

If I schedule a date with Hyzyd, I see to it that I also have a special date with my partner. It may not be weekly, but at least we've tried to have time to be alone with each other, to have time to talk without interruptions or just be able to gaze each other and be reminded on how both of us teach each other the joy of loving and being loved.

Because both of us are working, the best time we could spare for each other is either after class (before we'll fetch Hyzyd) or lunch break (when either one of us doesn't have class which only happens once). A day before the new year's day we set our lunch date to Sizzler.

In Sizzler, you could eat all you can the food served in their salad bar. I ordered BBQ chopped steak and Jacob's Creek red wine while hubby had Hibachi Chicken (details of what we ordered will be featured at Tasty Exploration-my food blog) with Jacob Creek's semillon sauvignon blanc viogner.

I asked hubby if we could have a dinner like this weekly, he gave me a face and teased me that he won't do a thing that will make my body scream for weight loss pills! LOL! I do agree with him. We'll have weekly dates but we'll do something that won't involved too much eating. Maybe, we'll hit the gym together or jog together. In this way, we could spend time with each other while maintaining healthy lifestyle.

It is important for us to have regular date time together. It gives us the opportunity to remember why we got married in the first place, and that is good for any marriage.

The reason why we left our old place

Here in Hatyai City, most of their apartments have roller garage doors and "garage-like" space. It's so wide and spacious that your house looks bare if you don't have furnitures, bookshelves , dining sets and more. On the other hand, it looks messy when you have your car, living room and dining room congested in one place! This space works well for families with business-at-home like retailing. It doesn't works for us.

One of the reasons why we left our former apartment is because of its roller garage door. Why can't they just build a door with knob, the one we're all familiar with. This kind of door consumes lots of time in opening and closing because it doesn't have automatic garage door openers. I won't feel at home every time we left it open on weekends when we're at home. Everything in our living room, dining room and including us are exposed to passers-by. I don't have privacy and peace of mind in there. Our neighbors has carpentry shops and they work at their home. We suffered from their saw dust and the noise they made with all those hammering and drilling is unbearable!

I'm glad we're taken away from that place. I never missed it..ever!

Surigao del Norte, here I come!

I've been away from home since October 2007 after my wedding. I can't wait to be back this coming April! Yaaayyyyy!!!! I can't wait to visit my grandparents, relatives and friends. I can't wait to eat my favorite Surigaonon dish especially the "kinilaw" . I am thrilled to visit our Cagbantoy Beach and Mabua Beach and I can't wait to shop in one of the newly department stores in our small city. I hope it has included barcode scanners to their retail POS system for a fast and efficient shopping. I remember that about 5 years ago, before I came here in Thailand, our department stores and grocery stores in our province don't have either fixed barcode scanners nor the handheld barcode scanners. Because of this, if we wanted to do our grocery shopping we'll go to the city as early as possible to avoid a very long queue. Because there's no barcode scanners, the cashier will manually key in the price or the bar codes of each item purchased and it really takes forever to wait! Nonetheless,I miss the undeniable beauty of my home. I miss the fresh air of the province of Surigao del Norte. The smell of my house. I miss the view of the stream and the view of the forest in our backyard. I miss the peacefulness of the surrounding that you'll hear the chirping of birds and the croaking of frogs. I miss walking along the muddy trails of my neighborhood. I miss the sound of my mother and sibling's laughter and my father's sporadic cooking. I feel like I am missing out on all things which make my home wonderful.I am more thankful for my home than ever. I know it's waiting for me.

I am a minister to children!

I started teaching Sunday School at 9 years old. Since then, I realized that God put me in this world to minister to children. I didn't want to be a teacher but God's way is amazing. I became a teacher and enjoyed every minute of it.

To continue to develop a positive mental attitude, I encouraged myself to read, Our Mission: "Children" by Roger Fields everyday until it becomes a vital part of my daily thinking, motivating a change in my lifestyle. I remember God's word in Proverbs 23:7 "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he". Here it is:

My calling is sure. My challenge is big. My vision is clear. My desire is strong. My influence is eternal. My impact is critical. My values are solid. My faith is tough. My mission is urgent. My purpose is unmistakable. My direction is forward. My heart is genuine. My strength is supernatural. My reward is promised. And my God is real.

In a world of cynicism, I offer hope. In a world of confusion, I offer truth. In a world of immorality, I offer values. In a world of neglect, I offer attention. In a world of abuse, I offer safety. In a world of ridicule, I offer affirmation. In a world of division, I offer reconciliation. In a world of bitterness, I offer forgiveness. In a world of sin, I offer salvation. In a world of hate, I offer God’s love.

I refuse to be dismayed, disengaged, disgruntled, discouraged or distracted. Neither will I look back, stand back, fall back, go back or sit back. I do not need applause, flattery, adulation, prestige, stature or veneration. I do not have time for business as usual, mediocre standards, small thinking, outdated methods, normal expectations, average results, ordinary ideas, petty disputes or low vision. I will not give up, give in, bail out, lie down, turn over, quit or surrender.

I will pray when things look bad. I will pray when things look good. I will move forward when others stand still. I will trust God when obstacles arise. I will work when the task is overwhelming. I will get up when I fall down.

My calling is to reach boys and girls for God. It is too serious to be taken lightly, too urgent to be postponed, too vital to be ignored, too relevant to be overlooked, too significant to be trivialized, too eternal to be fleeting and too passionate to be quenched.

I know my mission. I know my challenge. I also know my limitations, my weaknesses, my fears and my problems. And I know my God. Let others get the praise. Let the church get the blessing. Let God get the glory.

I am a minister. I minister to children. This is who I am. This is what I do."

A blogger needs a notebook

I'm excited for year 2011. I expected more blessings from God to bless others. I'm thrilled for more new adventures with HIM. I'm intoxicated with the idea of having my own notebook. I just don't want a notebook, I badly needed it especially that I'm expanding my blogging horizon. It would boost productivity. With a notebook, I can turn some of my unproductive time into opportunities. In school, I have vacant time from 11:10-1:40. I could work on my online tasks within that time with the aid of wireless connectivity.

I couldn't wait for Cyber Monday to buy my own notebook. We've already scouted various computer centers to find the notebook that has the features we're looking for in a very affordable price. In today's world having a notebook has become a necessity, no one can stay without one. After all who can deny the luxury/necessity of owning a notebook in today`s world?!

Finding time to blog

I forgot to mention that I blogged for 2 years already! Happy blogversary to me...ha..ha..ha...! Actually, the blogversary happened last December 15 and I totally forgotten about it. Hyzyd was just barely a month old at that time and I started blogging at school during lunch breaks. I think it ran for about 4 months before we had our own computer and internet connection . I don't know where I got the energy to blog and write about 2 posts in a day before! I had so much motivation to blog, so eager to learn and so hungry to earn friends!

I first enjoyed joining blog contests and felt the thrill of winning. After a year, I started to smell the sweet scent of virtual money released to my account. I delighted in cashing out from my PayPal account to my bank account and buy those blue shoes and party dress I've been saving for. To top it all, I earned virtual friends that stays with me through thick and thin- the Marce Club! I thank you Marce Kaye, Niko, Jade, Seiko, Pehpot, Liz, Yami, Mye, Kikamz, Chris, and Fedhz for your friendship. It isn't often that I say this, but I wanted to thank you all for being such good friends. You are always around when I need you, always willing to listen when I need to talk. You are one of the most important people in my life, and when I count my blessings I always think of you. You were always around to lend a hand and tell a joke. I appreciate that more than you know.

The past year was very hard on me. I tried to squeeze in blogging to my already hectic schedule . As if it wasn't enough, what on earth am I eating that I got the balls to create 9 blogs in all (6 are still on their vegetative state) ! Blogging is hyper-addictive once you started reaping the fruits of your labor. How did I manage blogging without affecting my career, my role and duty as a wife and a mom and as a friend? I managed to wake up as early as 3:00 a.m. to blog and write my online posts. When I wake up, I don't readily face the computer. I take time to pray , read and meditate on God's Word. I couldn't do a thing without making God as my first priority. It would consume about 30 minutes. After personal devotion, that's the time I face my work of the day. I see to it that I stopped working when the clock struck 5:00. I need to prepare our breakfast and other things for school.

Our computer is in our bedroom so when I woke up at 3:00 am, the only light I have is our "House lamp" . Switching on the fluorescent lights would wake Hyzyd . I don't have enough light in my working space that's why I'm asking my hubby to install pendant lighting fixtures. Lamps take up valuable space on tables and counters. With pendants, they are hanging high out of the way. I won’t have to worry about them being knocked over (I'm clumsy most of the time:)).

I think 2-3 pendant light fixtures above are enough to provide more lighting in my task areas every time I worked at dawn or late at night .

This is what I used to say to my single girl friends whom I encouraged to blog " if I could find to blog, then so are you! "

It's Hyzyd's Day!

...because it's Children's Day in Thailand! He deserves some special treatment today. Actually, Children's Day was celebrated yesterday all over Thailand. We didn't go out yesterday because based on our experience before , on Children's Day the city is congested- people from neighboring provinces flocked to the city creating severe traffic and children's play station like Skippy's Wonderland is sooooo crowded with young and old that freedom of movement was hindered.

We told Hyzyd that today is his day so he dressed in best and even allowed us to let him wear his sunglasses which was not used for a long time!

I gasped as I saw him stand like that and posed for me. I can't believe that my baby will soon be a young man!

We went to church first then after lunch we ventured Skippy's Wonderland. Hyzyd's favorite game there is Burnout 3: Takedown-the new king of arcade racers. I tell you that it's hyper-addictive single-player mode. You can see down here that Hyzyd patiently waited for his turn.

We played and we're able to takedown 6 cars. No photo was taken coz our only photographer (my hubby) was in a hair salon. We also try out the mini-hockey game and the slam dunk.

Hyzyd envied the older kids riding on bump cars. He just contented himself on watching them and cheering for them. Yeah, he'll literally cheered them by screaming "YAY" while raising his right arm. The parents around was amused of him.

My tired boy asked for popcorn and sat at the feet of Rapunzel..he..he...We've watched this movie "Tangled" at home already. Hyzyd was more fond of Pascal, the chameleon, and Maximus, the horse than Rapunzel and Flynn Rider.

Afterwards, we brought him to Swensen's Ice Cream Parlour. He looked like an expert ice cream eater here...LOL!

He chose the "Very X-mas" menu. It has a scoop of Mocha Almond Fudge, Reversible Chocolate and Chocolate Rainforest. Toppings include fan wafer, chocolate chips, whipped cream, cherry, strawberry, sliced banana, chocolate balls and rainbow sprinkles.

It was indeed a magical moment for our Hyzyd especially that today ushers in a nice weather. It's a fine opportunity that we're able to spend quality time with our toddler. Children's Day celebration did surely bring in laughter and great times.

About

Welcome to Her and History- a blog that relates how a working mom finds time to be a mommy and a wife, yet staying true to her passions. Along the way,the author will talk a lot about things her and her family are doing together and ways she's finding to stay connected to her son, despite being gone over 40 hours a week.From time to time, she will discuss topics related to EDUCATION, ENTERTAINMENT, HEALTH, GADGETS, MONEY, MUSIC, WOMEN, RELIGION and SCIENCE.

with my Anuban 1 (K-1) learners

I'm Genebei Faith. I am a Filipino ESL Teacher here in Thailand . I'm Gene to my family but Teacher Jenny here in the "Land of Smiles". I'm married for 3 years already to my only boyfriend and we got a 2-year old bubbly son. By the way, many asks me if my hubby's a Thai. Nope, he's not. He's a pure-bred Filipino.

I came here in Thailand on March 2006. Before that I used to be a college instructor in the Philippines for almost three years. Teaching is my passion and it runs in our blood-my mom is a teacher, my dad is training teachers and both of my brothers who's next to me are also teachers. Do I need to mention that my hubby, sis-in-law, aunties and uncles are all teachers too? Maybe we all like the idea that teaching is the profession that teaches all the other professions.

I love reading thriller novels of Sydney Sheldon and Agatha Christie. I'm quite introverted. I value my time alone. I really love PINK. Pink lovers are lovers of beauty. I'm friendly, charming, and warm. I get along with almost everyone.

My son, Hyzvhann Hyzydyll "Hyzyd" is the main reason why I started blogging. I wanted to chronicle his life's journey online so that his grandparents will be able to "see" him grow even we're miles away. I wanna express my gratitude for my friends Ate Litlit, Ate Love and Ate Janet for the motivation and inspiration to start a blog on my own. They're also my channel of information that I could earn while blogging. Since then I'm unstoppable...LOL! To date, I have 7 blogs with their own domains- Adventures with Hyzyd and Beyond, Tasty Exploration, Away from Home, Fashion Explorer, Genefaith's Home, Teaching Moments plus this main blog.


How do I juggle blogging with my hectic schedule? Since last year, I wake up as early as 3:00 am to start blogging and stop at 5:00 am to prepare breakfast for the family, send my 2-year old to his babysitter and be at school before 8:00 am. When I have lots of online tasks, I squeeze them into my lunch break from 11:30 am-1:00 pm. I don't blog in the evening because I train my son to be on bed before 9:00 pm. That means I'll be snoring my night away starting that time. I started to appreciate what my mom used to say "Early to bed and early to rise makes "my lil Gen-gen" healthy, wealthy and wise".

It's a pleasure meeting all of you. There will be times that it takes time to visit you back but I promised I'll be there anytime I'm free. And if ever you'll visit Thailand, don't hesitate to drop me a line. I'll be here waiting for you in Hatyai City with open arms and sweet smile.

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