We live in a pretty quiet neighborhood. Save for the emergency cases where we heard ambulance sirens a few times within the compound, our neighbors seem to respect each others’ privacy. It does help that the outdoor lighting in the walkways and driveways are fully functioning. That keeps away the “bad elements” (read as thieves, drug users) from potentially entering the area.

One of the many highlights of our trip in the US a few years ago was our visit to Universal Studios in Hollywood. My cousins, who live in San Diego, joined us in exploring the attractions. We then decided to try the horror maze. It was pitch dark inside and since all of my cousins are guys, I had to put up a brave face and pretended that I will not get scared.

All of us screamed our hearts out but we continued on. When we were nearing the exit, my cousins congratulated me for being brave but they all laughed when they found out that my husband’s white shirt had lots of red specks of my lipstick! That’s because I buried my head on his back while trudging the maze! Boo.

We also took one of the Los Angeles tours that took us around to see the Hollywood Boulevard, Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills and lots more. Although we missed getting Knotts berry farm tickets, we enjoyed the whole tour immensely.

We only have good memories to share about our vacation trip. That’s why, whenever friends ask us for tips, we always tell them to do some research prior the trip and check online travel guides. Trusted Tours & Attractions have a promotion currently where signing up for a newsletter could win a $150 Magellan’s Gift Certificate. Now, that’s a good bonus.

Now that we are contemplating to move apartments, one of our considerations is the cost that we’ll incur in hiring a mover. The thing is, we have so many things that we’ve accumulated through the years. Back in Singapore, we didn’t have a problem since there are a lot of local moving companies, which offer good but cheap service. Unfortunately, it’s not the same story here in Australia. With the high costs of labor, it may take time for us to scout a reliable but cheap moving service.

One of the exciting things that we looked forward to when we moved here in Sydney was the prospect of owning a bigger car. Since there will be more opportunities to go for long drives, we wanted to get an SUV type.

I jokingly told my husband that we could opt to get a pick-up truck just like what my cousin has in the US. We enjoyed our ‘truck’ ride during our road trip from San Diego to Las Vegas. We didn’t worry about the space for all our luggage and what not as they were properly stowed at the back of his truck. My cousin has one of those truck bed covers that secured all of our stuff.

But then practicality set in and we dismissed the idea. So far, we love the car that we bought as it brought us (and will continue to bring us) to many beautiful places here in Australia.

As a stay at home mom, I have thought of ways and means to earn from home. Some of my friends who are business-minded have asked me to join them in their planned small business opportunities.

Although I was interested at the thought of earning good money once again at the comforts of home, I realized that managing my own company could be tougher than being employed. To set-up a business and nurture it until it becomes profitable is no easy-peasy.  The time and effort it requires will translate to working long hours and even devoting weekends for meetings or research.

With that, I resigned to the fact that the closest thing I can do to earn from home is to do sponsored blog posts. Ha-ha.

I started to experience wrist pain sometime in 2004. One part of my wrist ballooned and somehow it got worse as I continue to use my laptop. I got an immediate relief from pain relievers given by my aunt, as she had tendonitis. My wrist got better after a day or so but my fingers started to feel numb especially after a long night’s sleep.

When I did some reading about it, I learned that what caused my wrist pain was my continuous laptop usage. I didn’t give my arms and hands a break after an hour of usage, which was what is recommended. Also, I didn’t have a mouse and in the process strained my fingers using the laptop’s trackpad. A lot more factors may have contributed to my wrist trouble, like my posture or the computer desk and chair that I was using.

Then my aunt gave me a pair of splints, which I used at the height of the pain. It was so uncomfortable as a splint is similar to wearing a glove made of a hard material. It is made as such to keep the wrist in its proper position. But even with splints, the pain comes on and off.

It was this early this year when a doctor confirmed that I have carpal tunnel syndrome. I was recommended to see a specialist but forego it when the pain stopped and it has been a while since my last CTS attack. Apart from the doctor’s advice to do some stretching and relax my tensed arm, wrist and fingers, there is a new product line for carpal tunnel relief. The Smart Glove is similar to a splint but is more flexible yet helps to keep the wrists in proper position.

Judging from the photos on the website, this product is easier to use and does not impede with the hands regular movements as it is not as stiff as the old fashioned splint. Its material is cotton Lycra, which makes the glove comfortable for everyday use. The best part is that the price is reasonable. The simplest style available costs a measly 20USD a pair. I am seriously considering to purchase one for myself.

Today, we officially started our Christmas window shopping.  We wanted to have an idea about what to get and where to buy our gifts.  After that, I’ll draft out a gifts list and work out our shopping budget.  It feels good to start this early.  We have our weekends of September and November tied with commitments and with our trip back home by end November, that leaves us with eight weekends to finalize the gifts!

As always, it is challenging to think of gifts for our fathers.  We usually get them stuff that they can use for work or for sports.  Good thing though that they don’t set high expectations on the gifts that they’ll get.  They will not expect expensive gifts such as new pocket watches or any thing that’s of a high-end brand.  I’m sure for them it’s the thought that counts.

I love eating roasted cashews and pistachio nuts. I like them salty and eaten in tandem with a glass of iced cold soda. When I was much younger, I always hear of the saying, “nuts are good for the brain but are bad for the skin”.

They say that nuts (I guess the roasted ones) stimulate the oil glands, hence, can give any one a bad skin problem. Despite the warnings, I still enjoy snacking them to this day. I never had skin issues especially on the face that required me to get acne treatments so far but only regular facials.

I chanced upon The Oprah show one time and watched the episode about caring for our colon. Although at the high level, I know that the colon is a storage tube for solid wastes in our body, I wasn’t sure how it’s going to affect me by not knowing more.

As we age, this tube holds more of the indigestible products our body was not able to absorb. It is possible that this blockage will result to various health problems ranging from constipation to colon cancer.

This is where colon cleanser products play its part. It claims to help “dissolve” the wastes thereby continuous use can free up the tube and enable it to function normally. There might be an age where “colon cleansing” procedure is advisable and that’s one thing I have yet to find out.

I earlier wrote about the growing number of pimple breakouts on my forehead and how itchy and uncomfortable they are. I think now I know the culprit and it’s my usage of warm (nearly hot) water for my showers.

Since it’s winter, I have been using really warm water for bathing and that triggered my oil glands to “clog”, hence the adult acne (if that’s how it’s called). I started using cold water for my face and religiously applied cleansing lotion and moisturizer. Now, I see my skin clearing up and I feel a lot better.