my mommy blog

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a rendezvous

One of the things that Ramil and I wished we were able to do while married but without a baby was to travel extensively. Trying out the Bahamas vacation rentals would have been a good way to spend one of our summers. I love the beach and I know I will have fun in the Bahamas. Nothing beats lying on perfect white sand with the sun beating down on my skin, a cool fruit drink on hand and the sound of waves in the background. Heck, one of my dream life might as well be going on a beach world tour.

Aside from the Bahamas, we could also check out Cabo San Lucas vacation rentals or Costa Rica vacation rentals. It would have been a whole lot of adventure for us. Now that we have Mateo, these plans are push farther into the future. We don't mind though, those places will always be there for us to visit.

the land of hobbits

Ramil and I have been planning to visit New Zealand. After watching the movie trilogy The Lord of the Rings, we became more convinced than ever that we have to set foot on that magnificent place. That plan will be within our reach ever since my cousin moved there this January. I have been checking out places to go to and things to do to prepare for our visit to my cousin sometime soon. There are a lot of Hotels in Auckland that offers year round discount accommodation.

The views in New Zealand are a photographer's dream. We can't wait to start clicking away once we get there. My cousin, who haven't been to different parts of New Zealand even though she lives there already, has been planning to go with us when we visit different parts of it. She plans to check out different Hotels in Wellington or Hotels in Christchurch.

I can't wait to go and see the place where the movie was shot. I'm pretty sure we might go back and visit my cousin more often.

discounts online

I love shopping online! This is made more possible with my online earnings. I also get to use a lot of coupons that lets me get numerous discounts like American Eagle Coupons. There are even shops that offer free shipping. I especially like it whenever I'm choosing a purchase as a gift for someone. It saves me the hassle of having the gift delivered. Not to mention that I get to do all my shopping while sitting in the comforts of my room, in front of my laptop, while munching on some snacks, and while looking after my baby. Online shopping is the greatest!

my extra appendage

Mateo has officially become my extra appendage! LOL. The little guy has taken so much liking to me he'd get all wiggly and excited whenever he sees me. Unfortunately, it also means he'd always reach out for me whenever he's with other people, wanting me to get him and carry him. It's was very flattering at first but it quickly got tiring and irritating. I have learned to ignore him even during times when he would cry out to get my attention. His papa has been calling him mama's boy ever since and it's not making me very happy. I sincerely hope this is just a stage in my little boy. I want him to learn to be with other people as well. Oh well, I guess I just have to savor this for a while. Pretty soon, our little boy might not want to cling to me anymore.

dress hunt

I'm attending a formal affair in the next few weeks and I'm in the hunt for a good dress. I've been looking through some of my old Evening Dresses but unfortunately, I still have extra pounds and flabs from my pregnancy to look good in them. Ramil has given me the go signal to look for another one that's bigger and would fit better. There has to be some way to disguise my post-partum tummy... Hehe!

looking for a date

Yup, I'm looking for a date... with my husband of course. It's been so long since the two of us had a date. It's also been a long time since we last watched a movie. Now that we rarely get a chance to go out, I keep on having a lot of my date ideas. I even talk a lot about going somewhere with just the two of us.

Lately though, I'd often dream of these outings and the images would include Mateo. Ramil and I have just upgraded our travel dreams from couple rendezvous to family affairs. Pretty soon, we might be looking for ways to help us travel easier with a baby. Hopefully, we get to bring Mateo on his first outing soon. Our second-year anniversary is coming up this December, we just might get a chance to do that.

hypnotic teaching

Recently, my husband has been coming home really exhausted from work. He keeps on telling me that in his almost 5 years of teaching, he's never had this much difficulty in a class. I couldn't disagree with him on the matter because I've had a taste of how his class works when I taught the same class about two years ago. And they were really tough to handle, not because of the intellectual capacities but because of attitude problems.

I know it would be unfair to generalize. There are still students in that class that stand out like diamonds in the dark sky, but the rest are somewhat of a challenge to handle. Oh my honey, I sympathize with you.

If only teachers are allowed to learn hypnosis, then we might have an easier time with kids. It would be great magically instructing the naughty ones to concentrate and focus on the lesson and actually seeing them obey; or maybe magically telling them to remain in their seats during breaks and to stop horsing around during lunch time and seeing them all prim and proper and composed. I bet it would really be the ultimate teacher's learning aid.

But then again, teachers are supposed to have magnetic personalities and hypnotic styles without deliberately learning hypnosis. I guess it's just that this year is not his year. Good luck honey!

saying goodbye

When I was young, before my parents were able to build a house of their own, I experienced having to move houses several times. All in all, I experienced living in four different houses even before I reached high school. Every time we would move, I would feel a bit sad. I didn't like having to leave friends I've made and having to adjust to a new environment.

When Ramil and I decided that it's time for us to look for a bigger and better house, I was excited. The house we were living in was getting too cramped with the addition of another person and a half - yaya Cat and Mateo. We have resorted to just stacking some of our things and just placing them on any space available. I was looking forward to bigger space and hopefully, a house that could accommodate our parents if they want to sleep over.

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rock garden

One of the things that I've always pictured having in our own house is a garden - complete with a pond, small trees, and maybe even a gazebo. But since we don't have our own house yet, we don't have our own garden also.

Yet, this has not stopped me from looking at the components of our would-be garden. I've looked at various types of grass, searched for good landscape architects, and even found monolith or garden rock providers. And you know what I learned? Gardens cost a lot... Hehe!

Among the different components, I was surprised most at the prizes of the garden rocks. I had no idea that rocks can be so expensive. I guess this is the reason why some manufacturing companies came up with artificial rocks. They're cheaper and so much more convenient to transport and manipulate. The nasty thing about it though, is that most of these artificial molds appear synthetic and fail to give the same ambiance and mood as the real ones. That's why I was impressed at the fake rocks produced by the Artifical Rocks Factory. Not only do they have the same coloration and texture as the real thing, but the gloss and luster can be hardly differentiated. These artificial boulders look like real boulders but cost and weigh so much less.

Perhaps in the very near future, I might not spend too much on my garden after all.

mateo is 7

Yup, our little boy turned seven months last August 15. He had his pedia visit yesterday and we're finally done with the very expensive IPD vaccine! Yay!

As of last night, he weighs 8.4 kg and 71.5 cm. I was a bit worried since he hasn't been gaining much lately. A lot of people have been commenting that he got thin. According to his pedia, his weight is still okay for his age and a decrease in weight gain is not so surprising since babies at this age are active already. I guess our little fatso is not so fat anymore

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securing your tracks

I've always been fascinated with hacking ever since the first time I saw the movie, Hackers. But since I didn't pursue a course in computers and information technology, I assumed that I would never get to figure out the technical stuff behind it.

Recently, however, my hopes were rekindled. Because when the computers in the office were re-formatted and re-wired to build the network, I saw a glimpse of how hacking might have worked. You see, from a single computer, the network administrator was reseting and reconfiguring the other computers. All he did was to access each one using their IP addresses.

I realized that this was the important concept. Each computer is identified by a unique IP address. No matter what unit you're using, the IP address would be present. And all that a hacker needs to access your computer is to crack or find out what your IP address is.

If that's the case, then all computers accessing the internet would be in danger of getting hacked, whether by intruders or by viruses. Either case, it could end up compromising your system.

How do you protect your computer then? Hide IP address. Prevent anyone from seeing your IP address. You can never be truly invisible until you hide your IP address. Or if you don't want to, then just simply don't log in. Don't connect to the internet.

splitting headaches

Ramil has been complaining about headaches lately. Just the other night he woke up from a terrible headache. According to him, it felt like his head was being split open and he felt like vomiting. The headache has been happening several times already and we are looking for a good headache treatment. Ramil has been taking the usual pain relievers but he's looking for one that specifically targets headache. Hopefully, he doesn't get any more of them.

cable-less solution

When ramil and I moved out of our parents' house and moved in to our new house, the first thing we missed was cable TV, since the area we moved to does not offer cable services. The only solution we could cook up was DVDs. So we started renting out DVDs, first of different movies then eventually to different TV series. We're now so hooked on watching that we've come to the point where we couldn't find the next episodes anymore in the closest DVD renting stores. Good thing we came across RapidSearch in the net. Now, we could find complete volumes or seasons, and at the same time, survey the prices before purchasing. We could finally show Mateo the Planet Earth BBC series. Andrea and I could also catch up on House, MD.

accessories are the key

I hardly consider myself stylish or fashionable. I usually go for safe attires like a blouse or shirt and a pair of jeans and I don't think I look extraordinary in them. I've always envied people who can wear plain-looking clothes and yet look stylish. Most of the time, these people could make an outfit look stylish even by just wearing some fashion jewelry or a simple hat. I guess knowing how to use the right accessories is the key. Sadly, I'm never the type to use accessories to their full advantage. Well, it's not too late to learn how.

blog for inspiration

I love reading blogs. There are times when I would just browse through different blogs and even read through their archives when I like the whole tone of it. I saw one very interesting blog while doing my usual blog rounds. Karl Moore's Blog is one of the inspirational blogs that I have read. He writes about a lot of topics. I particularly liked his post on being kind to parents. Karl Moore features some ideas on random acts of kindness every week and this was one of it. I got some really good kind ideas from his blog. So if you're looking for some inspiring words or you just need to feel some goodwill, visit his blog. It's nice to read good things like these on the internet.

material things

I was never really into school or office supplies. Until I was able to work in a corporate setting. Since then, I've been a fan of different office supplies store. I love always having a paper clip on hand or even just simple pens for any need that might arise. I always berate my students whenever they attend my class without the necessary materials like pen and paper. That's why I make it a point that I practice what I preach. Need a pen? I can lend you one.

aiming for the top

The call center industry is booming these days. A lot of people I know worked as a call center agent right after college. The job paid big money and they accept applicants easily for as long as the applicant can speak decent English. Some of these people I know have since moved on to other jobs while others are still there, now working as team leaders and getting paid more. Some of them are actually planning on starting their own call center. With the booming industry, a lot of enterprising people have actually started their own call center. Some even start from their own home.

It's not as easy as it sounds though. Even if you're starting small, there are a lot of intricacies in the system that you must know to be able to get somewhere with this new business. Once your very own company has stood its ground and is set to grow bigger, you'd definitely need a good crm software. Being able to generate leads is a must in this industry. Learning all about CRM lead management will do your business good in the long run. As for my friends? I wish them all the luck. Hopefully, they'll be have one of the leading call center companies in the near future.

dream investment

My mama has always been a fan of jewelries. I remember a few times in my childhood when I would love hovering while she was preparing to go out, wanting a few glimpses of those shiny things. According to her, those can be considered investments. In fact, she has expressed her desire to be able to buy not just jewelries but some maybe a bullion as well. She has always believed that investing in gold and silver is one of the most stable investments out there. She's still trying to make her jewelry collection bigger. Maybe someday, she'd get that bullion of hers as well.

sweet home Arizona

My grandmother's friend from years ago just bought a house in Arizona. She has been raving about the house they just bought and she's so excited to start buying new furnitures as well. Her husband is also planning to go into Arizona real estate and that was how they found the house they just bought. My grandmother has just been invited over and she's also excited to check out her friend's place. She said she'd buy herself one as well. Hehe!

bored? take a quiz

Who says that taking a quiz is boring? There are a lot of fun quizzes online to help you alleviate boredom. There are even sites like Quibblo that lets you make your own fun quiz! You can ask your friends and family to answer it as well. For those who love to blog, there are personality tests with badges that could be added to your blogs. Sites like these could spell the end of your boredom.

out of africa

Recently, I learned quite a few interesting facts about South Africa. Let's just say that I used have images of lions, giraffes, zebras, and the like whenever I'd hear the word Africa. I was so surprised that South Africa actually has an excellent road, rail, and air infrastructure, comparable to the best in the world. And here I was thinking that the only way to go around there is with the use of a 4x4 jeep. It seems also that they can be pretty strict whenever you're traveling by road. Among the many things they are particular with are driver's license, speed limits, seat belts, and drinking and driving. Which, I might add, should be strictly observed in all countries.

If you're one of those thinking of a more adventurous vacation, this place might be for you. Accommodations are not a problem with numerous Hotels in Johannesburg, Hotels in Cape Town, and Hotels in Sandton. You can get accommodation discounts from several sites like Cheaperthanhotels.com. South Africa is starting to look more appealing to me now.

teach your child how to be money-wise

One of the things that I plan to teach Mateo is good money-handling skills. This can be pretty difficult to do since I can be bad at managing finances at times. I could definitely use some parenting tips on teaching your children how to handle their money. It's not too early to teach your kids how to save a little from their daily allowance so they always have money for whatever it is that they want. My own mama somehow taught us how to save and handle our own money. I hope Mateo learns to be money-wise in the future.

reminiscing our wedding

Every 17th of the month, I usually get fleeting images of our wedding on my mind. Sometimes I'd even look at some of the pictures that are in our laptop. There were very few times when I watched our wedding video. I just love our wedding video! Although Ramil and I didn't plan on splurging on that wedding item, we ended up getting a really good one. Not before we learned all about high definition video, digital videography, 3CCD video cameras, etc. Each cent that we paid for our video was worth it though, I'm sure I will love watching it even when Ramil and I are grandparents already.

getting a card

Credit cards have save us on more than one occasion. I've always believed that these cards can be advantages if used wisely. One of the important things to remember when considering a credit card are its interest rates. Best if it is a 0% interest credit card. You wouldn't want to be stuck with a card that charges horrendous interest rates. Of course, all the other benefits should be considered also but interest rates should be your priority.

a sexy gift

We received quite a number of gifts from our wedding. Most of them are things for the house like cookware, bedsheets, small appliances, among others. One of my friends gave me a gift that stood out among the rest. The gift is more often given as a bridal shower gift, I think. It was a sexy lingerie. I was so amused with it. I never really tried wearing the silky kind of lingerie. I'm more of the cotton type of girl. I was surprised to find out that it also feels good to wear. It does make one feel sexy, if not look sexy. Well, it doesn't mean I'm off to buy myself some. I'll let Ramil take care of that. LOL.

Spain, here I come!

Spain is one of my dream destinations. Ever since taking up Spanish in my college days, I said to myself that someday I will go to Spain to practice my Spanish. Unfortunately, all the Spanish that I learned have been buried deep in my memory.

I still plan on going to Spain though. When that time comes, I guess I just have to get a refresher course on the language. Back then, I even checked out Hotels in Madrid and Hotels in Barcelona with the hopes of having enough money to go there. I was surprised to learn that there are actuallya lot of very affordable accommodations in Spain! I just have to save up for the airfare and pretty soon, I'll be staying at a Hoteles en Barcelona.

wedding coordination

One of the extra jobs I plan to be doing is wedding coordination. My friend just decided to become a wedding coordinator and she asked us to be part of her team whenever she has a wedding booked. Of course, I said yes. Apart from the much-needed extra money, I loved preparing for my own wedding and being involved in the actual day itself makes me excited, regardless of whose wedding it is. Some of my friends are also getting married next year and they've been asking me for some Wedding Ideas. I have so much to share and I told them to update themselves on wedding trends by visiting several wedding sites. I guess my generation is muck-deep into the wedding times. Well, good business for us!

a french affair

One of my dream European destinations is France. This country will always be on my travel wish list. Going to France will not be complete if you don't have an inkling of the language. That's why one of my plans is to take some french lessons before going on my trip.

It's a good thing that there are a lot of good and cheap Hotels in Paris. It would be better if I can save a lot on Paris Hotels so that I can spend some of my money on other things to do in Paris. I would love to simply have coffee in a French cafe. Of course, a trip to Paris will not be complete without going to the famous Louvre museum. So much to do and see! I hope I can start looking for Hôtels en Paris. Time to practice my french!

goodlooking garage

It's always a challenge to make a garage look appealing and presentable. Usually, our garage ends up looking like some workroom with the ugly cement floor and drab walls. Ramil and I plan to redecorate our garage. We want one that looks like an extension of our house. My parents' house has a garage that could actually double as an extended receiving area and it's very convenient whenever there are a lot of guests in the house. What they did is put some garage floor tile instead of just a cemented floor. It sure made the garage look wonderful.

feedbacking

Constructive criticisms should always be welcome to anyone. Even though any kind of criticism may be difficult to hear, a great deal of improvement could be the result of criticisms if given in a constructive manner. Appraisal360 helps to solve this problem with 360 degree feedback. This software helps people get reliable feedback from other people around them anonymously. Since feedback is given anonymously, the person giving the feedback gives it more honestly. At the same time, the person receiving the feedback tends to be more accepting of it because they feel that it is given objectively. This software would definitely be useful in any community of people.

watches up for grabs

Want those watches? Each of the watches above is worth $195. The round one is for men while the other is for women. Both are currently available as prizes for Fellin's September Giveaway Contest. They would be perfect for anyone or if you don't like watches like these, they are perfect as college graduation gifts. If you like them, they have other items like a colorprint desk box and a glass photo frame available at their site.

So what those watches? All you have to do is to enter the contest! First, you must have a blog so you can join. Then write all about their contest. Yup, as easy as that! So if you want those pretty little watches, start blogging now!

diamonds with a personal touch

Sure there are lots of Richmond jewelry stores, but not all of them offer the same quality of service and product as Adolf Jewelers. As more and more people move to buying important, expensive jewelry online, Adolf stands by their tradition of offering top quality fine jewelry and engagement rings in Richmond, VA…without selling through their website.

My friend searched a lot of stores, and I've yet to find better service and products than those offered by Adolf Jewelers. According to him, they really do love what they do and will make you feel right at home as soon as you walk through the door. A lot of people do their shopping with Adolf Jewelers, and I think you'll want to see why they're one of the best Richmond jewelry stores.

russian date

Mail order brides are not myths. Even when there was only snail mail for correspondence, this kind of thing existed already. With the easy access of the internet, getting a bride through the mail became so much more easier. I remember watching a movie starring Nicole Kidman where her role was a Russian mail order bride. I was aghast that some people would consider getting a bride just like that. The whole thing seems to work for some people, though. Russian and Ukraine women seem to be very popular as mail order brides. There are dates for those who like dating russian women. There are even claims that divorce rate in marriages with Russian women tend to be much lower. Of course, this might not be the main reason for their popularity. It could be that Russian women are known to be very beautiful and sexy, think Anna Kournikova and Maria Sharapova.

yo momma

Just because Wilmer Valderrama doesn't have you on his show doesn't mean that you can't share your yo momma jokes with the world. MTV recently launched an online companion to the television show at yomomma.tv that lets you battle other users, upload videos of your best yo momma so thin jokes, and vote on other users jokes. Check it out today both on myspace and on the yo momma website, but watch out for some guy calling himself Jesus on the site - apparently he's got some world class yo momma jokes just waiting to be used on somebody.

a girl's best friend

I know that it sounds clichéd, but diamonds really are a girls' best friend. Go ahead and try to find a girl that doesn't like receiving diamonds. Whether it's diamond necklaces or diamond engagement rings, trust me that you can never go wrong with diamonds, and you can never go wrong by getting your diamonds from Danforth Diamond. Trust me when I tell you that they've got the best selection and quality of diamonds that I know the girl in your life will love.

gift ideas

It's the -ber months once again in a few weeks. Time to start planning for the Christmas season. One of the best things about Christmas are gifts! I love receiving them and I also love giving them. I put a lot of time thinking over my list of possible gift ideas. It's such a joy to be able to give a gift to someone that you know will be truly appreciated. For this year, I'm considering giving gift baskets. Gourmet Gift Baskets have gift baskets that can be considered works of art. They have different types of baskets and I'm sure chocolate gift baskets or sweets gift baskets would be a safe option for someone you don't know well. There are also gift baskets for men and gift baskets for women. There are so many choices, I can't wait to start my gift shopping!

a house of our own

Ramil and I initially planned on getting our own house before getting married. Well, some circumstances prevented us from doing just that. Doing some computations, we figured it would take a long time before we get married if we do that. So we opted to just save for it while married. Some of our relatives have just recently bought their own house. They know someone who knows a lot about Miami real estate and he helped them find a good property. Ramil and I have been talking about it and we are seriously thinking of following suit. We just need to save a bit more. I just hope it's soon, I can't wait for a house of our own.

german taste

One of the many foreign languages I took up in college was German. Just like any other European language, I immediately took a liking to it. I was only able to take a few units and I would have wanted to pursue it. I have a dream of going on a European tour and I felt that my German, Spanish, and Italian would do me some good, no matter how little they may be.

I know it would be a big advantage if you know a little of the language in a foreign country. Just checking out Hotels in Berlin or Hotels in Vienna would be easy if you know a little German. Someday, I know that Ramil and I will get to travel to Europe. All the foreign language I took up in college would be way too rusty then for them to be of any help. I guess I just have to take them up again once we start planning our dream trip. I can't wait to start checking out Hotels in Berlin or Hotels in Vienna for real.

villa living

Everyone needs some time-off at one point or another. Ramil and I love to do a lot of self-proclaimed time-offs. There have been days when we'd wake up and declare that it is a day for relaxation. The whole day would then consist of lying in bed, watching tv/dvd, reading, having food delivered, etc. Lately though, we've been looking for some serious time-off. This would be a great opportunity to look into a Florida Villa. I'm pretty sure we'd enjoy a lot of relaxation. Not to mention the comfort of a cozy, nice place in Florida. I can't wait for that time-off

corporate world

Sometimes I miss my life before. The life where I get to wear business attires, high heels, and make-up. The life where my meals consist of going to the nearby mall and eating at restaurants I would normally reserve for special occasions. The life where I spend the whole day in front of my computer inside my cubicle. The life where I get to walk amidst tall steel buildings. I miss it sometimes. But I'm happy now. Happy with the life that I have.

teen problems

Working with teens has made me more concerned with different teen problems. I must admit that their concerns are the same and yet different from my generation's concerns when we were teens ourselves. Times really do change. More teens now also try out drugs and some of them get hooked on it. A Teen Rehab is not an extraordinary place to be in nowadays. It's not very surprising considering that a lot of teen celebrities are not exactly exhibiting role model behavior. Makes me more worried how it would be a few years from now.

bigger memory

Our laptop needs bigger memory. We were actually planning to buy another laptop but due to our limited financial resources, we've decided to just use a little money to improve our current one. Ramil has been mulling over which part to upgrade and we've decided that getting additional memory is the way to go. We saw some Dell Memory and we're just looking for a good price. Hopefully, once the laptop is upgraded, we'd be able to work faster and I'd be able to write posts faster. Hehe!

connecting people

That's the tag line of a famous mobile telecommunications company. Nowadays, people are more connected than ever. Cellular phones and email are popular ways of connecting with other people even when they are miles apart. For any business that has braches in several places, VoIP or Voice Over IP, is an effective way of linking all the branches. These kinds of businesses can share the same phone system on the same private list of extensions despite being scattered all over the country. VoIP phone systems can make dealings with other branches more efficient. This kind of phone system would reduce cost and maintenance. It's a deal a small business won't be able to resist.

ola espanol

Ever since I took up Spanish as an elective in college, I've been wanting to go and visit the country. I love the language and I wanted the opportunity to practice it in a place where everyone speaks the language. I also love the culture. Spain will always be on my must-go-to countries in Europe.

I look forward to going to Barcelona. I still remember this place from the Olympics that was held there before. Checking out Hotels in Barcelona is not a hassle nowadays. Also, once I am in Barcelona, how can I resist not visiting Madrid. With flights between the two taking only a little over an hour, it's a must to make a stop in both. Hotels in Madrid are also easy to check out with the ease of the internet.

I look forward to brushing up on my Spanish soon, no matter how poor it may be. No better way to do it than to go to Spain. Pretty soon, I'll be saying Hoteles en Barcelona or Hoteles en Madrid.

for the sake of green

We are having more environmental problems more than ever. The only good thing about is that people are also more aware of the environment and the things that will be good or bad for it. A lot of countries are moving towards finding solutions to solving them and making steps towards a greener environment. Recently, British Gas has announced the launching of two new green energy tariffs, Zero Carbon. Read more about it below.

BRITISH GAS LAUNCHES GREENEST ENERGY TARIFF

9 August 2007: British Gas has announced it is launching two new green energy tariffs, Zero Carbon, which will be the greenest tariff available on the domestic market and Future Energy. British Gas has launched the tariffs, in response to the increasing demand for green energy products.

Householders signing up to the Zero Carbon tariff will:
• reduce their household energy carbon emissions to zero through Kyoto compliant offset schemes which will meet the new Defra requirements
• help fund a direct increase in investment in renewable energy generated in the UK
• contribute to the new British Gas green fund which will:
o invest in developing new renewable technologies such as wave power
o oversee a programme to help schools in the UK reduce their CO2 emissions

Gearóid Lane, Managing Director British Gas New Energy said,”Our new tariff responds to consumer demand for truly green energy solutions. It is essential that customers have confidence in green energy tariffs and that their credibility is not damaged by tariffs that claim to be green but in reality do not deliver any incremental environmental benefits. Green tariffs are moving from niche to mainstream products and we’re leading the industry by offering a tariff that will do more for the environment than any other product currently available.”

Under the government’s Renewables Obligation (RO), electricity suppliers in the UK are already required to produce an increasing percentage of their electricity through methods such as wind farms which, unlike traditional power plants, produce zero carbon emissions. For 2007/2008 this figure is set at 7.9%.

In a recent report, the National Consumer Council (NCC) raised concerns that some energy suppliers are packaging electricity which is produced under the RO scheme as “green”, yet it delivers no additional environmental benefits. The NCC called on energy suppliers to take steps beyond their legal requirements and offer green energy tariffs that provide genuine additional environmental benefits, in particular CO2 emissions reduction.

British Gas worked with Global Action Plan and The Climate Group’s “We’re in this Together” campaign to develop Zero Carbon which goes further than any other green tariff in meeting these requirements offering consumers the only zero carbon option on the market.

The tariff carries a premium of £84 per year, reflecting the higher cost of producing energy through lower carbon emission schemes.

Virginia Graham, Chair of Global Action Plan, said, “The British Gas Zero Carbon tariff delivers on all three of the essential requirements of a green tariff which are: additionality, transparency and verifiability. As such it is a very welcome new offering in the market. Consumers signing up to the tariff can be confident that they are getting 12 per cent more renewable energy than they would otherwise have got. The carbon emissions from their electricity and gas will also be offset with emissions reductions from projects accredited by the United Nations.”

Zero Carbon is one of the first initiatives launched through the ‘We’re in this Together’ campaign, which was launched in April 07 as an alliance of some of the UK’s biggest brands who are all working to help their customers reduce their impact on the climate.

Dr Steve Howard, CEO of The Climate Group and founder of ‘We’re in this Together’ said, “We’re committed to offering people ways to make a real impact on climate change through Together.com. We’ve worked with British Gas to ensure that Zero Carbon is a genuine step forward in delivering more environmental benefits than any other tariff currently available.”

British Gas’s second green energy tariff, Future Energy, offers an alternative green electricity tariff at a premium of just £20 per year. Customers signing up to this tariff will contribute to a green fund which will provide solar panels and other renewable energy technologies to UK schools. Money from the fund will also be invested in development of future renewable technologies and sources.

To sign up customers can call British Gas on 0845 604 0055 or visit www.britishgas.co.uk

moved

We've moved houses, finally! I never thought that packing everything we have in boxes and sacks could be very, very difficult. The major move itself was not really that hard because we were able to get a very good moving service. They were very quick and efficient. We almost even forgot our light fixtures. Unpacking is an altogether different story. We couldn't make heads or tails of our not-so-organized rushed packing frenzy. We're done with most of it, just a box or two left. Yippee!

a parent's fears

My mama used to worry a lot about my brother. During his last year in high school, he became friends with a group of boys whose behavior she doesn't really approve of. My brother got exposed to drinking, smoking, and who knows what else. We were really thankful that he didn't go as far as seriously go into drugs. I say seriously because he might have tried them, we just don't know about it.

As his older sister, of course I was also very concerned. Sadly, some of his friends got into it and needed drug treatment to be able to go back to their normal lives. Now that I have a boy of my own, I am also very worried about such dangers in society. Even though it will be a long time before Mateo reaches that experimental age, I can't help but worry about him especially with how much kids are getting into nowadays. I know that with proper guidance, young people can usually be steered away from such things. But still... just hearing about other people's experiences with drug addiction can make any parent want to put their kids on balls and chains.

Sometimes these things have their way of getting into a young person's life despite everything and when this happens, the support of people around them are very important. It's great that there are a lot of free help for those who need drug treatment. It's important to extend help especially when young people are involved. The earlier they get help, the better.

Drug problem is every parent's fear. These things can place your child so far from your reach. They can destroy your child's life along with your dreams for him/her. Many parents are at a loss when faced with this problem. I guess this is one of those times when love may not be enough to help your child. As for me and Mateo, I plan to do everything I can to keep his path clear of anything that has to do with drugs. And pray.

hear ye, hear ye

A friend sent me a text message the other day. She's pregnant! I just love announcements like these. Mateo gets to have more playmates and I have another friend to exchange mommy stories with. Ever since Ramil and I got married and had Mateo, I find myself getting excited whenever one of my friends is getting married or having a baby. Times like these also makes me realize how old we are. We are now having babies and starting our own family. Exciting times indeed!

bone repairs

My mama has a hip problem ever since she was a child. She has long been advised by an orthopaedic to have surgery on it but she's afraid of the procedure and the long recovery afterwards. My friend on the other hand, just had a knee replacement surgery