Quick Bytes..

Our home’s basement currently has signs of water seepage destruction. The paint is chipping in the most moist area of the basement and I don’t know if we need a dehumidifier or what. Sigh! The problem in our place is that we live high up in the mountains where its cold and moisture prevails. Add to that the fact that we have a stream running behind our home. It only means one thing– water is everywhere! And that is bad, and I mean BAD for a basement! We gotta waterproof our basement much better than we already have. Any ideas guys?

Anyhoo, I realized in July 2007 that I just wanna loaf around for some time and not worry about what my parents will think about my life. You know how parents are, always worrying about their kids — multiply that to infinity and you get my parents’ worrying level I was set to take the August 2007 Medical Board Exam but my inner self kept on telling me to rest and nourish my soul. My inner self knew that once I’m a licensed doctor, my parents will not let up and will just pressure me to go into Residency (and then go into practice as a Specialist and so on) immediately. There would be no respite for me then =(

And so I put my foot down and “promised” that I will take the Medical Board Exam on February 2008. Of course, we all know that didn’t happen coz Labsie and I announced our engagement that month and my parents were caught up in the excitement that their only daughter is getting married to think about my Boards. Hehe! Anyhoo, since I was off the hook and free to do what I want, I went traveling (with my family, of course). From October-November 2007, I was all over Luzon (Makati, Manila, Subic) and Boracay. I also spent time in the pretty Samal Island beaches with Labsie =) Then on December 2007, my family went to General Santos City (Gensan) and Lake Sebu.

My Lakbayan grade is B! How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan! Created by Eugene Villar.

“Bushism” = President George W Bush’s occasional verbal lapses during his eight years in US office. Helluva funny!! Go on, read!

“I’ll be long gone before some smart person ever figures out what happened inside this Oval Office.” - Washington DC, 12 May, 2008

“Information is moving. You know, nightly news is one way, of course, but it’s also moving through the blogosphere and through the Internets.” - Washington DC, 2 May, 2007

“That’s George Washington, the first president, of course. The interesting thing about him is that I read three - three or four books about him last year. Isn’t that interesting?” - Speaking to reporter Kai Diekmann, Washington DC, 5 May, 2006

“Those who enter the country illegally violate the law.” - Tucson, Arizona, 28 November, 2005

“Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB/GYN’s aren’t able to practice their love with women all across the country.” - Poplar Bluff, Missouri, 6 September, 2004

“The war on terror involves Saddam Hussein because of the nature of Saddam Hussein, the history of Saddam Hussein, and his willingness to terrorise himself.” - Grand Rapids, Michigan, 29 January, 2003

“There’s an old saying in Tennessee - I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee - that says, fool me once, shame on… shame on you. Fool me - you can’t get fooled again.” - Nashville, Tennessee, 17 September, 2002

“You teach a child to read, and he or HER will be able to pass a literacy test.” - Townsend, Tennessee, 21 February, 2001

AND MY ABSOLUTE FAVES –
“It’s clearly a budget. It’s got a lot of numbers in it.” - Reuters, 5 May, 2000
“They misunderestimated me.” - Bentonville, Arkansas, 6 November, 2000

MORE Bushisms here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7809160.stm

I don’t know about you guys but I’ve been having choppy Globe signal in our home for the past week. Sometimes there’s no signal at all which is very disconcerting since the cellphone is what connects me to my parents in Makati and my hubby who works at his office the whole day. The lack of signal is weird since we’re near a cell tower or cell site which generates the reception signal. Maybe there’s something wrong with my phone? =(

Valentines Day is fast approaching and if you haven’t had any plans yet, why not have an aphrodisiac picnic somewhere dark? Hehe! Here’s some yummy foods that will put love and romance in the air..
Avocado: The Aztecs called the avocado tree Ahuacuatl, which translated means “testicle tree.” The ancients thought the fruit hanging in pairs on the tree resembled the male’s testicles. This is a delicious fruit with a sensuous texture.

Chocolate: “Love,” someone said, “is like swallowing hot chocolate before it has cooled off. It takes you by surprise at first, but keeps you warm for a long time.” The Aztecs referred to chocolate “nourishment of the gods.” Chocolate contains chemicals thought to effect neurotransmitters in the brain and a related substance to caffeine called theobromine. It was actually banned from some monasteries centuries ago.

Honey: Many medicines in Egyptian times were based on honey including cures for sterility and impotence. Medieval seducers plied their partners with Mead, a fermented drink made from honey. Lovers on their “honeymoon” drank mead and it was thought to “sweeten” the marriage.

Durian: It smells like hell but tastes like heaven. In Indonesia, the Javanese impose a strict set of rules on what may or may not be consumed with it or shortly thereafter. A saying “Durian jatuh sarung naik” (”The durians fall and the sarungs come up) refers to this belief. The warnings against the supposed lecherous quality of this fruit soon spread to the West, the Swedenborgian philosopher Herman Vetterling commented on so-called “erotic properties” of the durian in the early 20th century.

Garlic: The “heat” in garlic is said to stir sexual desires. Make sure you and your partner share it together. Garlic has been used for centuries to cure everything from the common cold to heart ailments. This is a good time for moderation.

Oyster: Oysters were documented as an aphrodisiac food by the Romans in the second century A.D as mentioned in a satire by Juvenal. He described the wanton ways of women after ingesting wine and eating “giant oysters.” An additional theory is that the oyster resembles the “female” genitals. In reality, oysters are a very nutritious and high in protein. Raw oysters are very high in zinc which raises sperm and testosterone production.

More of the aphrodisiacs HERE –> it’s my source article actually. Hehe! What I listed above are just my fave aphrodisiacs =) For Valentines gift ideas and gift tips, clickHERE. Good luck! =)

I just read a Forbes article of the world’s top 20 billionaire heiresses and I’m so starstruck. Err, more like $$$struck! Hehe! And no, Paris Hilton is not on the list, she’s just on #56. Tsk! Anyhoo, below are the top 3 and other interesting heiresses. For the complete list, go HERE. Happy reading! =)

*Vanisha Mittal tops the ranking. Daughter of Indian-born, London-based steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, Forbes estimates his net worth at $51 billion.
*Number two on the list: Delphine Arnault Gancia, daughter of France’s Bernard Arnault ($26 billion), who runs the Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton luxury goods empire.
*At No. 3 is Marta Ortega Perez, the youngest child of Spain’s richest resident Amancio Ortega ($24 billion), the self-made apparel manufacturing giant.

*Both Georgina Bloomberg, daughter of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg ($11.5 billion), and Paige Johnson, daughter of Black Entertainment Television founders Robert ($1 billion) and Sheila Johnson, are world-class equestrians (I wonder where they buy their horse supplies) with scores of championships under their respective belts.
*Josie Ho Chiu Yi, daughter of one of Hong Kong’s richest men Stanley Ho ($7 billion), is an indie rocker with several films and commercials to her credit.

The reason why I finally joined Twitter are here: http://twurl.nl/1f4xx8 and http://twurl.nl/u7i4oj ^_^

And yes, it’s all about the money baby! Hehe!

Follow me on Twitter ( http://twitter.com/cutieissa ) to stay updated on ways to earn $$$ online =)

Aside from me, that is. Hehe! I’m crazy about bags and I often buy several pieces during store sales when bag prices are 50-75% off their tag prices. And sometimes there are FREE promotional bags too! Really super duper great bargain huh? ^_^ And the best thing is that I can give these bags as gifts too. That’s what I did last Christmas and during birthdays of people close to me. Leather bags rock!