Her and History

I'm in dire need of HELP!

genefaith@yahoo.com (Genejosh) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 06:20:00 +0000

It all started with a deep respect and support for my marces, Kaye and Pehpot, who jointly hold the biggest blogversary contest this year (a whooping $200 for the highest pointer) that I joined the contest. The result of the contest update yesterday, March 8, made me realized that I'm in for the amazing race of my entire blogging career! I'm the 2nd highest pointer as of March 8, 2010 12:00 pm PHT. There's no turning back. I need not quit this game amidst my very hectic schedules. I need to earn more points to bag the first prize-$200! and the good news is YOU could help me by joining the grandest contest of the year by following the very, very simple steps:

Step 1: Open your dashboard and create a new post, put in a title of your choice.
Step2: Copy the codes that can be found HERE.
Step 3: Publish your post and copy the URL or link location then comment with the URL of your post HERE.
Step 4: Create a new post in your blog and copy the codes that can be found HERE.
Step 5: Publish your post and copy the URL or link location and comment with the URL of your post HERE.

Easy peasy right? In just 5 simple steps you are already qualified to join Kaye and Pehpot's Blogversary Contest! Please don't forget to mention that I, Genejosh, referred you to join the contest. By simply mentioning my name, you're helping me earn additional 50 points and YOU just gain 200 entrecard credits from me and a linky love to my PR 2 blogs (Our Adventures with Hyzyd and Away from Home) . You will also have a chance to win $5 by just posting about the contest, too!

The contest will end on March 18 so I'm encouraging you all to JOIN NOW!!!

P.S. What would I do to the $200 if ever I WIN because of your help? I will tell you later but this I can assure you, I will use the money in a wise and benevolent purpose.

Thank you so much.

Meet the MAJOR sponsors of Kaye and Pehpot's Blogversary Contest

genefaith@yahoo.com (Genejosh) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 07:00:00 +0000

Below are the four MAJOR sponsors of Kaye and Pehpot's Blogversary contest:

I Am Buraot
A blog about politics, the environment, religion, philanthropy, and everything else that is life. Author is known for his generosity in sponsoring contests. The home of the famous EntreDropper.

Anak Ni Kulapo
Yet another blog of Buraot. If you want to die laughing, then go visit Anak Ni Kulapo. His life in the US and hilarious stuff about his home country are only two of the must-sees in this blog.

Seiko's Diary
The blog title says it all. This is Seiko's journal about being a mom to her five gorgeous kiddos, her take on life in general, and random musings of a woman who loves life.

Mom Conversations
A new blog about everything concerning mothers: pregnancy, health and fitness and babies are the current categories, under which are detailed articles containing tips and valuable information for moms everywhere.

Please drop by these blogs if you have the time and see why they are worthy of a special mention. :)

Care for kindergarten graduation ideas?

genefaith@yahoo.com (Genejosh) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 21:00:00 +0000

Last Friday our school celebrated the culmination of kindergarten-3 with a graduation ceremony. They look great with their black gown. I didn't see them wearing cap, some girls wear floral head wreath instead (not during the ceremony, but during pictorials). I wonder why the Grade-6 and Seniors here in Thailand don't have a graduation ceremony . They just have a special meeting to receive their report card (it's much more like a report book for me) instead of a diploma. That's just my opinion as what I've observed here in our school. I remember back in the Philippines that we wore cap and white gown and we received our diploma onstage as we graduated elementary and high school years and the celebration is grand that's worth remembering for a lifetime.

Anyway, back to the K-3 graduation ceremony. The school prepared special areas with backdrops for pictorials. It's not like in our school before in the Philippines that we'll have the pictorials onstage and it's hard to find the right spot because it's jampacked with other graduates who wanted to take photos too.

Here are samples of the graduation backdrop that our school prepared:

The parents and grandparents love to give gifts at these moments to commemorate such a wonderful job of their little scholars. They don't have a hard time finding the perfect gift because outside the school's gate are arrays of gifts that boys and girls will surely love like the following:

Who could resist the charm of a "Barbie bouquet"?

or the power of the Ultraman vinyl Japan dolls?

They could buy their children's fave stuffed toys like Doraemon, Winnie the Pooh, various colors of cuddly teddy bears or a bundle of roses and many more!

The favorite of the girls during the pictorials is the floral head wreath. They look like angels with it on their heads.

More gifts are waiting to be picked up at my back. The prices range from 50 baht-200 baht. If you have a kindergarten who will graduate this month, what would be your gift for him/her?

Whatever it is, make sure that your kindergarten graduation gift is appropriate, something that your children will surely have fun with it but not overwhelming. For me, a good gift for a boy is something he will be able to play with during the upcoming summer months like a bike or a glove and a ball. For girls the kindergarten graduation gift of choice would be a new doll or imaginary toy that she has wanted for a long time.

I will be happy if I'll you'll share with me any kindergarten graduation gift ideas.

By the way, today is our first day of summer class for my K-1 students. Wish me luck!

Dance, baby, Dance!

genefaith@yahoo.com (Genejosh) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 21:29:00 +0000

Hyzyd already knows how to use his body to express emotion and loves to explore the ways his body can move. He has his own invented dance moves. He slowly sway or spin when we play a slow , classical music. He's rocking out and his legs are bouncing out to the beat of a rock music.

We , the parents couldn't deny that we enjoy music and dancing though we feel clumsy or uncomfortable with dancing in public places.We enjoy dancing with our little boy by not focusing on any formal type of dance but we concentrate on the silly aspect of just moving to music . As you can see in the photos, we're just trying to remember what it was like when we were children. It seems that we still remember all the silly songs and movements that went with them (as if I'm not doing this everyday inside my class ) .

How about you? Do you dance with your toddler?

Is it OK to say NO?

genefaith@yahoo.com (Genejosh) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:00:00 +0000

Do you approved anyone who wants to be your friend in facebook?

In my friendster account, I used to do that because I thought that the more friends I have the more Ill be popular . No, I'm just kidding. It's just that I'm not used to decline a friendship and I think that there's no harm in it.

Here comes my inquisitive bf, my hubby now. He asked me if I know all my friends in friendster and before I could reply he bombarded me with questions if I know Mr.So and So and Ms. Sa and Sa . He asked me to choose only those that I personally know and those whom I'd like to share my lousy photos. He has his points and now I'm only accepting friendship request from people I personally know even in my Facebook Account.

You , too, could ignore invites from strangers!

Friendship, it is generally understood, is a relationship that evolves through shared interests, common experiences and a primeval need to share your neighbor's power tools.

Yet for many people, Facebook permits a return to the simplicity of the schoolyard.

Rather than inviting someone to be our Facebook friend only after we've become friends in the real world, many of us are using Facebook as a short-cut around all that time-consuming relationship building.

Why bother asking someone you've just met questions about their family, interests and ability to run a farm or aquarium, when you can simply send them a friend request and read the answers in your Facebook news feed? And so we think little of receiving friend requests after we meet someone for the first time at, say, a dinner party.

Of course, many people don't have a problem with being Facebook friends with colleagues, especially those they know well. But for those who would rather keep their work and private lives separate, there are options other than ignoring an unwanted friend request.

One is to accept the invitation and then use Facebook's privacy settings to limit the flow of information between you and your new "friend." To do this, you can create a "colleagues" list from the Friends menu and then add to it your new friend. Then navigate to the privacy settings and use the "Profile Information" section to control what information people on the "colleagues" list can see.

Another way of declining a friend request from people you don't wish to be friends with, you can decline by simply selecting "Ignore." Doing so will remove the request from your Requests list. They will not be notified that their friend request was declined, but they will be able to send you another friend request in the future.

If you take no action on the request they've sent you, they will not be able send you another friend request. You will appear instead as a pending friend request when they view you in Search or elsewhere on the site until you either accept or ignore the request.

Happy Birthday Eugene Rijn!

genefaith@yahoo.com (Genejosh) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:00:00 +0000

Eugene Rijn (read as RIN) is my brother and he's celebrating his 27th birthday! He's the third in a row of 14 children, a teacher by profession but currently enjoying a computer geek's life and happily engaged to his long time girlfriend.

This is "us" about 22 years ago

A brother is a little piece of childhood that can't ever be lost.
Thanks for being there for me through the years.
A brother is a special gift.
I'm so glad that God gave me a brother like you.
There is no other brother like you.
A brother is a friend for life.

Happy birthday, bro! May you have more years to come. I love you. Stay blessed and happy with your chosen career.

I wish I was smart enough ...

genefaith@yahoo.com (Genejosh) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 07:49:00 +0000

...in preserving my old photos and in choosing the best photographer for my senior year photo.

It has been an age-old habit of the past to capture images and photographs to cherish precious memories forever. My family didn't own a digital camera until I was 21. So, there's a lot of my life that is virtual undigitally documented. But only few photos of mine were left and usable as of these days. I'm not yet smart enough at that time to put my photos in "acid-free" boxes when I left for Thailand. They were left in photo albums and the last time my sister checked them, most of them deteriorates because of moist. Technology rescued some of my photos. I requested my father to scan all my photos and saved it for me. He forgot to bring the CDs that saved my photos. I asked him to send some for me but that's equal to impossible because of the uber slow internet connection in our place. I missed my old photos . I missed looking at my old photos- how I posed when I'm in elementary, high school and in college years, my expressions, and the surroundings in which the photos were taken. It's funny, sometimes, as I rarely smile in most of my old photos – it is as if I've been told to stand really still and not move at all!

Take a look at my old photo when I'm in my senior year:

This may appear stodgy to you but this old photo which I successfully salvaged from being forever buried in a muddy place , is an amazing testament of my life's story that I graduated with flying colors in my high school.

Talking about senior year photo, I wonder why our advisers didn't take much effort to give us what we deserve-a senior picture that will capture what a lot of others can't see- the real US! They just settled for the cookie cutter photos that amateur photographers took. When I open my senior yearbook, I will always remember that I was once a gawky teenager! How I wish it's the opposite- someone with style, someone with class, someone trendy.

If I will handle a senior year in the future, I will give my student the best. I will choose a senior portrait photographer that will take photos that are so different, so fun, and so fresh that they could not be mistaken for traditional studio pictures that most seniors end up with.

If I will be given a chance to be 16 again (I get the concept from the movie 17 again ) and I have a senior year photo, I would choose a pose something like this:

Whaddya think?

first entry for:

Knights of the South Bronx

genefaith@yahoo.com (Genejosh) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 07:53:00 +0000

Knights of the South Bronx is based on a true-life tale about how a businessman-turned-teacher uses chess to inspire inner-city kids. Ted Danson starred in the inspiring true story of inner-city English teacher David MacEnulty, a true story of heroism and inspiration. The movie depicts one man’s struggle to better the lives of underprivileged children from the South Bronx. By teaching these children chess, he transforms their lives and the lives of thousands of other kids, their families, and their neighborhoods

In Knights of the South Bronx David MacEnulty strenuously argued that chess was not just a game but a set of mind skills that would enable children to face challenges they would encounter in their lives. They not only learned the art of competition, but triumphed by beating private school teams across the entire country.

This movie was excellent. I didn't look at anything technical, only how this teacher was there for his students. As a teacher myself, this movie reminded me once again the real reason on why I teach. I wish I'll be a teacher like David MacEnulty. I wish there'll be more David MacEnulty who will be there for the students both in disappointments and the victories. All in all I enjoyed this movie. Also, I loved the way the Ted Danson (David MacEnulty) used the game of chess to get the students motivated and so intrigued with the game, but also the way he insisted that "all homework" must be done and completed before all chess matches. I feel that all students and teachers should view this movie. It shows there are teachers who care for students, though they are few in numbers, they are out there...and I am here!!! And also, I think there should be more movies made in this fashion to tell the students there are people willing to go the distance for them!! Take for instance the woman who donated 4,000 + dollars so the team could go to nationals, or the kind gentlemen who graciously gave Mr. Mason the money needed for clocks. I would like to do something in this nature but my income don't support me yet..he..he.., but I would like the students of our nation to know although teachers that care are scarce, they are out there!

an entry for:

Her and History in PINK!

genefaith@yahoo.com (Genejosh) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 04:58:00 +0000

You're still here at Her and History. You're not lost my friend. I just have my lucky day today for having Marce Kaye do wonders to my layout amidst her very hectic schedule- a layout that truly speaks about myself. Need a layout that speaks about you? Why not visit Kaye, the designer of my layout and discuss with her the layout you have in your mind and she'll materialize it for you.

I love pink! Pink lovers are lovers of beauty, aren't they? Pink provides feelings of caring, tenderness, self-worth and love, acceptance. That's what I want my readers to feel when they visit this blog.

Since I started blogging, I already used 3 layouts before this pink one. I had yellow one from finalsense.com, next is the uber pink layout that I won from Ms. Carlota and the later is from Template- Mama.

the header of my latest layout

About the image- a lady sitting on the window sill with paper and pen. It shows what I really love to do. If only we have window sill like my grandparents used to have, I will feel properly pampered when I relax on a window sill. The sun warms me and sends down excellent reading light; I will have a pleasant view; and I will enjoy a private niche that’s separate, yet open to both indoors and outdoors. The smells of green would just lilt me into some sort of day dream. The birds would sing their wee hearts out, and I just would think about things. Anything, everything.

Her and History will talk about my story as a unique individual. The stories of mine will be part of the history in the future. I would love to have my child/children know more about me through this blog and they may be blessed of the amazing things God did to my life. They will read some part of my topics that evolve on history. I love history! One of the reasons I love history is that it forces you to travel backward in time and actually live the events that the historian is writing about. You’re compelled to experience the event from the perspective of someone from that time, that era. What do you believe? What are your prejudices? How would you interact with the characters? What would you see? Whose side would you be on?

Welcome to my page! I accept helpful suggestions from you to improve this site. I hope you'll learn something out from my simple sharing to you.

Mommy's Day Out

genefaith@yahoo.com (Genejosh) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:35:00 +0000

Life of a mommy whether you're a stay-at-home mom, a work-at-home mom or a full time working mom are all full of interesting moments -- some have you feeling like Supermom, others leave you reaching for the aspirin. Moms need a day out with girl friends for chat and to pamper one's self. It's a blessing for me coz I had the chance to experience "Mommy's Day Out".

Last Saturday, I have a time to go out without Hyzyd to meet other mommies who need some break like me. I met Ate Lalaine of Lalaine's World, Ate Sarah of His Unfailing Love and my sis-in-law Nona of Embracing Motherhood. We're so fortunate that our hubbies willingly takes care of our kids for about 8 hours while we eat together (while chatting), hair makeover together and the one that I find most refreshing is our facial spa! It helps stimulate our skin, relax us, energize our faces and restore our skin to top condition after our daily exposures to the elements. Too bad, we're not able to take photo but it looks more like the one below:

Who else could take of taking photo when you're already enticed with the beauty of the place. It's so relaxing that all you wanted to do is just lay down and relax. The staff at Laser Slim Spa is so accommodating though their English is limited. I'm also ashamed to ask if I could take a photo. Maybe next time for my second acne treatment...he..he...

After an hour, we went out from the room fully refreshed! I slept for the whole session anyway so it's uber relaxing to me! I would suggest a facial spa for bloggers out there who's with me reviewing about 75 blogs with at least 200 words for Kaye and Pehpot's Blogversary Contest!

this is us after the facials

Here's what happened to us last Saturday:

We met at JB Hotel for the eat-all-you can lunch buffet.

The food preparation is almost the same as in the Lee Gardens Hotel but they introduced more menus than the later. It's my first time to have an encounter with "ratatouille" dish and I met my super delish sushi! With only 169 baht, we ate all we can from 11 am-2:00 pm!

meet ratatouille

my fave sushi is here to meet me!

the mommies- Ate Lalaine, it's me (the tallest because of my half-inches heel...LOL!), my sis-in-law Nona and Ate Sarah

Afterwards, we hit the hair saloon!

We have a group picture at the studio right after our hair saloon session. I'll post our photos the next time I'll get my copy from Ate Lalaine..he..he...

We're so happy for our get-together . It's much better if we'll be able to do it even after every month. One main reason why we have this much-needed Moms Day Out is because Ate Sarah will be going home on March 5 back to Philippines for her myoma operation. Please uphold her always in your prayers and visit His Unfailing Love for more updates.

We meet to pray together , encourage one another and preserve the beauty of one another from inside and out...he..he.

Beware of this phishing email

genefaith@yahoo.com (Genejosh) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 23:12:00 +0000

Have you received an email like the one below?

They claimed to be from Yahoo Customer care asking you to update your account by filling in the blanks of the requested information like your username, password, date of birth, occupation and country of residence. If you'll not reply, they warned that your account will be suspended.

DON"T BE FOOLED!

I replied an email like this before and after that I couldn't open my yahoo email. My friends are calling me, informing me that they received an email that I'm stucked somewhere in UK and that I'm in dire need for help and financial assistance. Here's the rest of the story.

The good thing is, I retrieved my email after contacting the Yahoo customer care. But before that I always access my account so that it will be LOCKED over and over again so that both me and the hacker couldn't open my account. Here's the rest of the story.

Thanks to Yahoo customer care for their efficient service. I used my yahoo account for almost a decade and it's hard to just give it up. If you experience the same thing here's what I can suggest:

1. Report immediately to yahoo customer care that you couldn't use your account and your password doesn't work. For me, I informed them I was able to reply to a phishing email which claimed to be from Yahoo and after that my account was used to send "HELP" messages to all the people in my address book and I couldn't logged in.

2. Submit all details of your account as much as you can remember. It's the information you used upon registration- birthday, country/territory, and postal code. These were all changed by the hacker except the birthday coz it's kept on file. I'm honest to tell the Yahoo Customer Care that I forgot the Security Question that I created but if they could give it to me, I could give them the correct answer. They're able to produce the Security Question which I made upon registration and I gave them the answer.

3. Be persistent. Once you followed the instructions given and still it doesn't work, don't hesitate to contact the Verification department .

I written this down because a friend of mine experienced the same thing just yesterday. She couldn't open her facebook account and blog too. Maybe because, she's using the same username and password for all those accounts. It would be better if you create different passwords for all your social networking accounts and write down your passwords in your personal notebook for safekeeping.

Hope my friend's account will be retrieved sooner.

Happy Sunday!

Importance of making a shopping list

genefaith@yahoo.com (Genejosh) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 06:56:00 +0000

One of the best ways to save on our family groceries is to organize our shopping trip. I make a grocery list so that I know what I’m buying. I’m also making a grocery list to prevent me from forgetting something important. It’s hard to make another trip to the store to get the item that I forget. When there’s just one or two things that I need, I don’t make list but I’ve read somewhere that making list even for few things is important.

Making a grocery list big or small is important because it helps me to stick to what we actually need and helps me avoid buying things that we don’t, namely the unhealthy foods like cakes, cookies, and chips. I used to get into the store and pickup anything that I see even if I don’t need it so it smear my budgeting. According to a study from New York University, “The brainpower you use trying to remember what to buy takes away from the mental strength needed to resist temptation.”

Here’s a sample of my shopping list for the month of March 2010:

Bakery:
1. bread
2. croissant

Cereals:
1. cereal
2.oatmeal

Spices:
1. garlic
2. onions
3. ginger
4. pepper
5. salt
6. seasoning (poultry)

Starch
1. rice
2. macaroni

Beverages:
1. coffee- (birdy super creamy)
2. milo
3. orange juice
Canned foods:
1. corn kernel
2. green peas

Baby/Toddler
1. diaper (2 large packs with 48 L diapers)
2. formula ( 4 pack Dumex all in one )

Condiments:
1. ketchup
2. vinegar
3. soy sauce
4. rice bran oil
5. olive oil
6. mayonnaise
7. fish sauce
8. oyster sauce

Cleaning
1. laundry detergent
2. dishwashing liquid
3. floor cleaner
4. bathroom cleaner
5. fabric softener
6. iron starch
7. bleach

Personal
1. shampoo
2. conditioner
3. body wash/cream
4. body soap
5.facial wash
6. sanitary napkin
7. panty liner

Canned goods:
1. condensed milk- 2 cans
2. evaporated milk- 2 cans

On weekly basis, it's another shopping trip to the market for fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs, fish and meat.

How about you? have you done your shopping list already?

Earning Money Online with Fedhz

genefaith@yahoo.com (Genejosh) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 22:37:00 +0000

I started my blog out of boredom in school and if you checked my archives way back to December 2008, you'll see how amateur I am when it comes to blogging. I don't know what to say. Just don't check it coz it will just bore you to death. I remember I haven't really introduce myself properly in this blog. Just wait and you'll see one of these days that 'About Me" page.

When it comes to monetizing my blog, I'm not that serious . Though I'm not that serious, I tell you I already earned more or less $400 since May 2009. I was able to treat my love ones with pizza and Swensen's icecream and a shopping galore for my mom when she and my father with our youngest sister visited us last October 2009. Sometimes I wonder, how much would I earn if I really take the issue of monetizing my blogs seriously?

If you want to earn online , I could refer you to Marce Fedhz, the author behind How I Earn Money Online. This blog contains how she earns money online through her blogs and other paying sites. This also includes some tips and tricks she have learned along the way. She wanted us readers to know that she's not an expert in this area but she wanted to share her experiences on trying advertising and writing as her bread and butter.

Every end of the month she'll post her monthly earnings like the one below:

Are you interested to earn online like hers? Then don't hesitate to visit How I Earn Money Online. Fedhz will be happy to assist you.

She simply rocks!

genefaith@yahoo.com (Genejosh) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:24:00 +0000

Marose a.k.a redamethyst in the internet is the mom behind Simple Pero Rock- a personal blog of a working mom whose dreaming to be a work at home mom to be with his son 24/7. I could relate with that. We shared the same sentiments. She confessed that another reason in setting up this blog is to monetize this to help with the family finances even on its small way. Now that shows that this mom is strong, stable and dependable. She could be the rock of her family during crisis.

Her header shows a lady "rocker" (This image reminds me of the movie Freaky Friday). This mom maybe loves a blend of black rhythm-and-blues with white country-and-western or the the range of music styles that evolved out of rock'n'roll. Her favorite color is red. It's so obvious with the color of her layout's background. The use of the color grab my attention get me to take action- read her post. The font style of her posts is very attractive. Overall presentation of the site is neat and clean.

Though the author claims that she's not good in writing but I see the opposite. She has the ability to give an infinite amount of attention to detail and a commitment to clarity of thought and expression and a knowledge of the short story form of her Mommy Moments and Girls Talk's entries .

on meeting CrossRoads

genefaith@yahoo.com (Genejosh) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 08:47:00 +0000

Pilipinas Got Talent is the headline at CrossRoad and it's already on it's second audition in our island- Mindanao! it makes me excited to view the video clippings posted on there. I was amazed of the Cutie Kidz dance number from Osmena, Cagayan de Oro and so amused of the senior citizen's dance attempt of "I will survive" from Agdao, Davao City.

Who's the author that takes the effort to post the video clippings? I looked for his "About Me" page of the author from it's magazine-type blog layout and this is what I found:

He's creative in resenting about himself with his photo and then we'll know that his personal blog contains any topics that revolves around places, people, events, movies, entertainment, life and so much more! He's a proud member of the elite group, Cebu Bloggers Society for two years already. (So he's a Cebuano pala...magkasinabot diay ta ani dong Mark sa atong Bisaya...he..he...) .

I'm browsing the pages to see if he monetized his blog. Though some of his posts are sponsored, he still managed to strike the balance between getting personal, informative without being overly pushy with the sales bit. He has the knack of an effective writer.

Meet the author at CrossRoads...where yours and his ideas meet!

Life is Beautiful

genefaith@yahoo.com (Genejosh) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:16:00 +0000

Life is beautiful is an unforgettable fable that proves love, family and imagination conquer all.

In this World War II tragicomedy, famed Italian funnyman Roberto Benigni (The monster) portrays Guido, who moves during the '30s from the country to a Tuscan town, where he is entranced by schoolteacher Dora (Nicoletta Braschi, Benigni's real-life wife). Dora likes Guido, but she remains faithful to her pompous fiancé, so Guido has an uphill struggle. Meanwhile, anti-Semitic attitudes lead to attacks against Guido's Jewish uncle (Giustino Durano). Flash forward five years later and we see Guido owning a bookstore he manages with his wife and son Giosué. It's almost the end of World War II, but that makes the position of Jewish-Italians all the more precipitous. One day, the Germans come to take away Guido and his son. His wife, not being Jewish, chooses to go along. After they are imprisoned in a concentration camp,Guido takes a huge risk by treating the whole exercise as a joke. He explains to his son that they've just bought tickets to take part in a contest to win a tank (not a toy one, but a real one, thought of which lights up Giosué's eyes) and proceeds to concoct an imaginative and humourous explanation for the happenings around, and to, them in the German concentration camp.

All of the things Guido asks Giosué to do are in the interest of saving Giosué. I learned here that laughing in the face of adversity is the best way to triumph over it.No such piece of art has ever before combined laughter and tears of sadness in me before and that is the miracle of the movie.

Life is really beautiful as you watch Guido's relentless efforts to make a lovely exciting experience of the concentration camp to his son. You get exhausted just watching him going through his painful day and yet you smile as he speaks to his son and makes him laugh. This is a story of how a father applied various levels of creativity and sacrifice to protect a son in a Nazi camp. One can go on forever describing the creativity of this movie, but one will not be able to capture all its beauty in writing.

Watch how this beautiful story ends.

an entry for Tuesday Couch Potatoes : For the Love of Family

Thank you Lord for my family

genefaith@yahoo.com (Genejosh) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 15:01:00 +0000

A family starts with only two and if they're lucky and work can create something magical called a family.

A Tribute To Family
© Michelle A. Moran

I don't know when it started,
Or how it all began.
But God created families,
As only our Lord can.
He was teaching what it means,
To love, honor, and obey.
He wanted a strong bond,
That we don't see too much today.
He wanted someone to hold us,
And show respect for others.
He wanted someone who'd be gentle,
And so he created mothers.
He wanted someone strong,
A support filled with love.
And so he created fathers,
Sent from heaven up above.
Brothers and sisters came next,
With that, an instant friend.
Someone to look up to,
Someone on who to depend.
When he put them all together,
He was amazed at what he'd done.
He had created a family,
Mother, father, daughter, son.
But look at the family,
Created by only two.
How many we've become,
And all because of you.
We have a lot to be thankful for,
The memories through the years.
The many times together,
Full of laughter, full of tears.
I don't know where we'd be today,
If it weren't for the two of you.
To show us strength, support, and love,
Like only the two of you can do.

After dark encounter

genefaith@yahoo.com (Genejosh) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 12:41:00 +0000

What do you usually do after dark? My toddler and I usually take a warm bath together, Watch t.v., read bedtime stories , pick my suit and shoes for work the next morning, and um, make love. LOL! Blogging? I changed my schedule to 3-5 am already. How about you?

I know one blogger who writes and writes after dark. She's the one who says:

I'm not a good writer.

But I write from the heart.

Is that good enough?

You knew her before (thru my posts) as the Wonder Wifey and the author of Coffee, anyone? More will be revealed about the author here in Clarisse After Dark. She prefers this time to be just called "Claire". This woman never fails to introduce herself in every blog she has. This time though she's the same person behind Coffee, anyone?, she's a little more intoxicated, and less caffeinated. Maybe because she prefers that frizzy blue wine after dark than coffee (as shown on her blog's background) . What do you think?

I discovered in this blog her toilet paper painting made with coffee on watercolor paper. I forgot to mention before that she's a Psychologist/Teacher/Child Dev. Specialist. Professionally, these are everything she's NOT anymore but she's still all those in her heart. Her hubby includes painting, sketching and creating different things with her hands. More of her creations can be found at her online portfolio at Bistro de l'arte. Isn't she quite an artist? I really adore her!

Clarisse After Dark is written more personal. She shares her that they lost their baby three years ago. I'm so sorry to read about that. I'm touched when she left this question "When will we be able to surf and shop for baby stuff, and not just car stuff, and shoes and purses?". I hope they'll be at that time as soon as possible. There are many interesting posts awaiting for me over there.

Join Claire with her after dark endeavors at Clarisse After dark.

Chat over coffee with Clarisse

genefaith@yahoo.com (Genejosh) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 11:45:00 +0000

Have you read my post about the Wonder Wifey? Her horizon is expanded in her another blog, Coffee, anyone? . I got this feeling that this wonderful wife loves to chat over coffee. I do love to chat over coffee preferably one on one and encourage and care for each other, love each other, pray for one another and build each other up.

According tho the author, Clarisse, this blog is about her realm. It's not work. It's not home. It's that comforting space between, where she gathers her thoughts; and connect with fellow beings who treat each moment as a gift, and are grateful for life. You could meet her here in Coffee, anyone? for coffee, hot chocolate, a piña colada or a glass of wine. What a nice invitation. I love to!

The first thing I noticed when I visit this blog is the plainness of the design with that light brown color (like the color of a coffee with lots of cream). Your eyes will surely be focused to the real meat of the site- her inspirational personal posts. It's my first time to visit a blog in another platform-not in blogger nor in wordpress platform but in bravejournal. Some of her posts in Wonder Wifey like the Go-Bag and the most dangerous cakes were reposted in this blog.

I love the way the author introduces herself in her profile. She talks about her educational background, her personality, the reasons why she's in US and her previews in life. She doesn't fear going beyond her comfort zones and embracing changes because she believes that life should be meaningful and we only got one to live! Her writing is not too difficult (or too simplistic) for me. I found that she limits the use of jargon and give her readers all the background information that they will need to understand her posts. Let's join her at Coffee, anyone? for more fun- a chat over coffee.

Easier chance to win $200!

genefaith@yahoo.com (Genejosh) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 08:13:00 +0000

Remember about my post about Kaye and Pehpot's Blogversary Contest where they'll be giving away more than $500 worth of cash and prizes? There's a good news! Instead of reviewing the 4 major sponsors and blogging about the contest in order to qualify, they make it easier for YOU! All you need to do is just blog about the contest with the banners and links of the sponsors. Codes are provided for you. All you need to do is just add add some creative, catchy or funny description about the contest. The most creative post about the contest will win TWO months of advertising in Adgitize, which means a traffic blast for you! So what are you waiting for, join now and start earning points by leaving comments to the hostesses' blogs and sponsors or blog reviewing . The highest pointer will win $200! Click on the contest banner for more details. Before I forget, please don't forget to mention Genejosh as your referrer. Inform me too so that I could give you a linky love and 200 entrecard credits. Thank you so much!

JOIN now before the contest ends on February 28!

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school fair 2010

genefaith@yahoo.com (Genejosh) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 01:35:00 +0000

Classes is finally over in my school. Next week our kindergarten students will have their final tests. Yesterday, the school hosted a fair to display the learners handicraft and handprint crafts. The crafts use materials found around the house, like egg cartons, cardboard, paper, boxes, string, crayons, paint, glue, etc.

I prepared a slideshow of the school fair. Feel free to watch.

Wonder Wifey

genefaith@yahoo.com (Genejosh) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 08:56:00 +0000

It's only on rare occassions when I visited blogs that I feel the warmth of welcome. One of the blogs that I felt welcome is at Wonder Wifey. Maybe because of the layout's cozy ambiance with that coffee image on the header. It's like visiting her blog is visiting a friend that is ready to offer you a cup of coffee while having chitchat. Another thing is the text on the sidebar welcoming and thanking every visitors that drop by. It's like visiting Jollibee where employees welcome you every time you enter the food chain and thank you for visiting once you go out.

I couldn't help but notice the author's "decluttering skill". If her layout is compared to a house , you'll find it immaculately clean and spotless. On her sidebar, she organized her main sites and other sites. She's quite a prolific writer! She maintained around 10 blogs from different platforms. The author didn't forget to introduce herself to the newcomers. Her image can be found on the sidebar and when you click it, you will be led to her other site that describes more about her. I was even led to her friendster blog and I wonder if she's a teacher too like me because of her URL http://teacher-c.blog.friendster.com/- teacher c for teacher Clarisse, isn't it? It reminds me of my first ever blog created in friendster too way back year 2006.

Her latest posts make me glued infront of the computer because it's my first time to really consider preparing a GO-BAG for emergencies like fire or typhoon. I have to bookmark this first because it's quite a lengthy post. Another post that catches my attention is about the most dangerous cake: 5 minute chocolate mug cake! Why the most dangerous? Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

I noticed too that she included a "Buy at Amazon" widget after her posts. Maybe she's an Amazon Associate. I don't know yet. It's very handy for readers to purchase the items she's blogging about when they're interested like baby stuffs and Dyson soft dusting brush just to mention a few.

What more could I say? She's a wonder wifey indeed! I will recommend Wonder Wifey for wives out there looking for tips on home improvement, easy-to-prepare menus , where to find baby stuffs and more!

Between the pages of Ms.Glitter

genefaith@yahoo.com (Genejosh) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 05:23:00 +0000

I love the pink layout of Glitter Page the first time I visit this blog. The header makes me want to own a bunny for a pet right at that moment. The bunny looks so cuddly...so I perceived that the author may like pets...yes she does but she prefers dogs for a pet. You'll not get bored of the feminine-look of the template , no distractions of the widgets or other page elements on the sidebar for they're all properly arranged and the font she used projects confidence.

I wanna meet the author so I click on the "About" page and I found what I'm looking for- the author with her ID! It's so creative of her. I rarely met authors who introduce themselves with a photo . She's a pretty registered nurse, isn't she? She even shared a trivia of why her domain is http://glitter.xaeron.net . Glitter is her online name since 2006 and xaeron is the online name of ron, her boyfriend. Actually if she had a choice it is suppose to be http://glitter♥xaeron.net . What do you think?

I wish the author has a separate page for her archive. I haven't found any so I just content myself on browsing her past entries through CATEGORIES. I noticed that her personal blog caters blogging contests , entertainment, girls talk , health and lifestyle, nurse's notes and even techie stuffs. I'm blessed with her post about a reminder from God , where she spend time talking to God in a very honest way. She also writes some of her posts in her own vernacular which is Filipino and I love reading them. It's relatable and she got her own personal style. She has a knack of a storyteller.

There's much more to discover from this young lady who loves pink , a registered nurse, a self-confessed shopaholic and a Christian. Visit Glitter Page now!

Living Life to the Fullest

genefaith@yahoo.com (Genejosh) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 09:17:00 +0000

Have you live your life to the fullest? By God's grace I do.

How?

I try not to worry . Why worry if I could pray. In prayer, we could move the hand of God to do the things which we can't do.

I loved much. I read once that "If you haven’t love, you haven’t truly lived". To truly live life to the fullest is to dive yourself into the ocean of love. Love is the very essense of true living life. Open up yourself to love, to compassion, to the depths your heart. The world teaches you to withdraw from love, to be “protected”, impersonal, and dead objective, but God is calling you to go love and experience life

I never take anything for granted. I savor every bite of a meal, enjoy what I have, I laugh often, I try to be thankful always instead of complaining and tried actively to stay in peace.

How about you? How do you live life to the fullest?

While bloghopping, I came across Living Life to the Fullest, a personal blog of Levy who blogs about tips,articles and facts about ALMOST everything in this journey called life. She gave up her career to take care of her 2 sons . I salute moms who gave up careers for their family. Her blog's template exudes life with it's green background. It's presentable and looks so lively. I noticed that after every post, she left an encouraging message "what ever happens in life we should always remember to live life to the fullest". This mom really knows to live life to the fullest. She records her accomplishments as well as her delights like her winnings- Real Life Paparazzi Photo Contest and the $500 she won from Yousaytoo awards. Her personal posts like her new year resolution for 2010 is an inspiration to others.

Visit Living Life to the Fullest and join her towards her quest to live life to the fullest.

my thought for the day

genefaith@yahoo.com (Genejosh) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 09:02:00 +0000

Why do I feel so tired when I only have 1 class today instead of my regular 5 classes? Is it because I have to wait for the last period (2:40-3:30 pm) to conduct my class or is it because I'm wrestling emotionally on why Chinese teachers are allowed to take a whole day break while we English teachers are forced to sit on our butt the whole day just to wait for the preschoolers' test to finish and take over the madhouse to conduct a class? Why can't I just go home and blog...LOL!