If we were in Manila now, we’d be hearing Christmas carols already. That is a “tradition” of sorts back home. That once the “ber” months start to roll, the stores and restaurants slowly invite the consumers to shop, dine and start celebrating the coming holidays.

For us, we’ve got a lot of budgeting and planning to do. With our growing Christmas gifts’ list, we need to make sure that we will not over-spend and lose the fun in gift-giving.

Just like the booming property sales and rental market here in Australia, the domain marketplace is seeing its own growth spurt. For new and expanding businesses, it is very critical to make a presence on the Internet.

Netfleet has a good domain selection for both business and personal use. There are categories for the most popular or latest domains that anyone can bid on. Check out the site and see a lot of domains selling out fast.

The high standard of living in countries like Sydney, Singapore or New York brings so much financial stress to families these days. Those with current home mortgage, car payments or school loans to pay for are hit the hardest with soaring interest rates. Their pockets are stretched to its limits just to survive day to day.

Debt consolidation in New York help people deal with today’s financial crunch. Richard S. Feinsilver from Feinlawyer.com provides credit counseling that explains how debt consolidation companies work. It will empower the consumer to decide wisely on which company to work with. It is important to seek legal advice before jumping into debt settlement arrangements.

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 with the help of online travel guides.

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.

At times, it can be a challenge to look for suppliers for car accessories, especially for trucks. When in need of good truck bed covers, there is a company called Agricover that specializes in the manufacture of standard and roll-up covers for different types of pick-up trucks.

With the company’s philosophy “to create products that make sense”, customers are ensured that their products are quality, innovative and award winning. Other than truck covers, they also sell agricultural tarps and snow plows. The company has been in business since 1981 and they have earned a good reputation and awards to back their products.

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.