Wednesday, November 30, 2016

A Guide to Learning Trumpet Instrument

Hal Leonard Essential Songs For Trumpet

Learning how to play musical instruments takes time and patience. You need to deal with a lot of learning, some are self-taught and some rely on music sheets or song books. Continuous and repetitive practice can enhance your knowledge with the certain instrument of your liking.
I find it very helpful to have a copy of the music sheet. For example on learning how to play the trumpet, there are lots of online shops that sell trumpet sheet music featuring hundreds of featured collection from past and present which you can choose from and learn. 
As you go on learning you can mix it up and combine music from soul, rock, and ballad.
I can include this on my list as a gift for friends who love music and instrument.
As the saying goes "Practice makes perfect"


Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Look After Your Body After Pregnancy

Image result for new born baby 


Pregnancy and birth should be an exciting time, but it can also leave you feeling exhausted and overwhelmed.
As well as the emotional impact, there are many physical changes that you will need to adapt to. Many women find that the first few weeks after birth are uncomfortable, especially if they are experiencing incontinence.
Incontinence can be difficult to manage, but with multiple incontinence products suitable for use after pregnancy, managing it on a day-to-day basis is a little easier.
You need to take care of yourself, as well as your newborn, so how can you look after your body post-pregnancy and birth?
#1 Rest and repair…
Your body is an amazing piece of machinery. It produces hormones to protect the growing fetus and when the baby is ready to be born, it sets off a chain of events that can only be marveled at. Providing we listen to our bodies, we can heal quickly after birth.
The greatest factor in healing post-birth is rest. You may not feel tired in the first few days as you ride out a heap of hormones – you will feel on top of the world!  However, you need to be kind to yourself. Rest when you can and when you can take a nap, do so.
Friends and family will be more than willing to help, so if they offer to vacuum, change the beds, clean the bath etc., let them and be grateful for all the help they are offering.
#2 Stay active
Rest is number one on your list but this doesn’t mean hitting the sofa and not moving for weeks.
If you are worried about incontinence or sometimes feel you don’t always make it to the toilet in time, you can do pelvic floor exercises to help your muscles heal.
Pelvic floor clench and release exercises should not hurt – if they do, please speak with your midwife, health visitor or doctor.
Perform around three sets a day of 10 repetitions each time. Clench your pelvic floor muscles, hold for a few seconds (30 at the most) and then release, making a conscious effort to relax the muscle.
Gentle exercise is also an important part of helping your body to heal and recover. Without overdoing it, try to stay active;
  • If the weather is kind, why not take a walk out, with your new baby well wrapped up?
  • Don’t lift items that are too heavy – pushing and pulling places the abdomen under pressure
#3 Eat well and drink plenty
A healthy lifestyle is essential, and when it comes to helping your body to heal, healthy foods are essential.
If you are breastfeeding, you will need to consider that these flavors will be passed on to your baby in your milk. Heavily spiced foods may not be such a good idea...
Eat little and often, and the same goes for your fluid intake. If you are suffering from post-birth incontinence, you may be reluctant to drink more fluids, assuming this will make the problem worse.
In many cases, increasing fluid intake can help to improve incontinence. It can be a problem caused by an irritated bladder. By not drinking, your urine will be more concentrated and this irritates the bladder even more.
Rather than drinking a lot more in one go, aim to increase your drinking of fluids – water is best – throughout the day. You may find that as you breastfeed, you need to increase your fluid intake. Ask your health visitor or midwife how much more you should be drinking.
Avoid alcohol, which dehydrates you and can make incontinence worse. Caffeine can also be an irritant to your bladder so cut out or decrease your consumption of tea, coffee, hot chocolate and some soft drinks.
#4 Spread out meals and low carb snacks
Your nighttime sleep routine will not be the same and this disrupted sleep can make you feel hungry. Snacking on high sugar and high carb foods can make the problem of hunger worse.
Spread out your meals during the day and if you are snacking in between, opt for healthier snacks such as turkey and cheese, vegetables with guacamole dip or hard-boiled eggs.
With your meals, eat small but often, spacing out your calorie intake over the course of the day. Bear in mind that we can often mistake hunger for thirst so if you feel what you think is hunger, have a small glass of water and wait 10 minutes before you eat anything. You may find the feeling of hunger goes away.
The first days and weeks of being at home with your newborn are exciting but daunting. Eat well, take plenty of rest and enjoy those first few precious days.

HARTMANN Direct are suppliers of incontinence products. With a range of quality products, there is a product for men and women, including a range of products suitable for post-birth incontinence.

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How to Revamp Your Garden and Increase your Property’s Value



Image result for garden

If you are thinking of selling your property soon, you will no doubt be considering the small and the big changes you can make so that your property sells.
The garden has an important impact on how well your property is perceived by potential buyers, creating the all-important first impression.
The good news is, you don’t have to rip out your garden and start again. With some clever changes, your garden can look simply fantastic and with these ideas from Rattan Direct, you can create an outdoor space that not only attracts buyers but allows your home to stand out. 
#1 Lawn edging
This may sound a little odd, especially if you were expecting ideas that took far longer to implement and at a great cost. However, there is no substitute for ensuring that the edges of your lawn are nice and neat. By doing so, you will only not create the impression of the garden being bigger, but prospective buyers will like the idea that the garden and the home are well-maintained. 
#2 Solve problem arrears with plants
Busy roads, overlooking neighbors, overly shady areas and more can all be disguised with some clever planting. Shrubs and trees make great wind and noise breakers, and for shady areas choose drought-loving plants to add greenery and interest. 
#3 Suggest a use for the garden
No matter how big or small your garden, you want to suggest to buyers how it can be used. For example, if your property is a family home, you want to show that the garden is ideal for children. You also want to suggest it is versatile and a great place to sit and relax. The use of garden furniture and accessories is the perfect means of doing this. Just as property experts will tell you that the interior of your home should be selling a lifestyle, so too should your garden. 
#4 Mulch
Mulch, along with gravel and bark, is the ideal spread across bare soil around and under plants as it suppresses weeds. It also adds a sense that your garden is well-maintained and looked after. Stay away from highly-colored barks and stick with the natural looking ones. 
#5 Limit plant species
If you are not much of a gardener, it can be tempting to spend an afternoon at a garden center, buying all kinds of colored shrubs and flowers, of all types and species. The problem with this is that once planted, it can all look a little jumbled.
If you are planting fresh plants specifically to sell your home and garden to prospective buyers, opt for similar species and group similar plants together. 
#6 Look after the lawn
Back to the patch of green, green grass… or is it? Bare patches of earth and yellowing grass is not a good look and frankly, can be off-putting to buyers.
If you cannot afford to lay a new lawn, buy in the services of a specialist lawn company that can feed and fertilize the grass that is there and makes it look lush and green. 
#7 Add color and form
On one hand, you may think that a blank canvas garden is an answer, after all, most people will want to put their own stamp on the house, its interior and the garden.
However, your garden can also be the aspect of a home that makes it welcoming. A few hanging baskets with pretty, colorful blooms, along with flowers and shrubs of varying heights in the border all add notes of interest here and there.
Potted plants also make lovely points on interest. Colourful pots stand out nicely without being overbearing. Bear in mind the color of the flowers and plants you use with the pots so that the colors complement each other. 
#8 Prune shrubs
Ever-green shrubs are perfect for any garden, providing all year-round color in the garden. As spring arrives, they shoot up and out in all directions and what was once a tiny shrub in the corner of the garden, is now fairly substantial in size.
The temptation is to grab the shears and prune it back to a shadow of its former self. However, this can leave you with a rather-straggly looking specimen and so say expert gardeners, prune back shrubs but be conservative. Prune them back in to shape so that they are in keeping with the other plants around them.
Your garden, with rattan garden furniture, accessories and sympathetic planting, will look delightful and could the factor that clinches the sale.

Rattan Direct is an online supplier of high quality and stylish garden and conservatory rattan furniture. They understand the difference a delightfully landscaped garden will make to a home.

Citrus Farms Calamansi Concentrate

During my weekend trip to Royal Duty-Free shop here in Subic Bay, we discovered this new concentrated drink product that is so perfect to have this season. 


Citrus Farms calamansi concentrate made from freshly squeeze calamansi mixed with honey and vitamin c. Since we love calamansi juice and recently calamansi fruit is very abundant and cheap on the market. You can buy a kilo of calamansi for only Php40 or less than a dollar. To lessen your time to squeeze every single piece of calamansi and remove the seeds too, you can rely on this bottled calamansi concentrate and get an instant calamansi juice with the choice of hot or cold to drink. 

In my Ellen straw cup I added about 3tbsp of the concentrate with cold water and ice, it was a bit sweet will be adjusting the amount next time. 
For the taste, evidently, it has the scent and citrusy flavor of the calamansi. 
We bought two bottles to try and each bottle cost Php180 ($3.68). 

Btw, a little brief description of the calamansi or the Philippine lime. It is a small, very round citrus fruit that is abundant in the Philippines. It is used when the color of the skin is still green. It has seeds in it which you need to remove when taking the juice out. Calamansi can be used as a food flavoring, in ice cream, meat dishes, pastries and even as an additive in soap. 

if you are into citrus juices you can try this and enjoy the goodness of calamansi in a bottle. 

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

OPPO F1s Selfie Filter

Selfie became one of the most popular words when it comes to mobile technology. The word itself landed in Wikipedia with its definition as a self-portrait photograph, typically taken with a digital camera or camera phone held in the hand or supported by a selfie stick. 
From famous celebrities to well-known politician took part in this selfie craze which some landed with the title of the most famous selfie of a group. 

For me taking selfies can bring out the lighter side of the person's personality and enhance self-esteem. Whether your goal for that selfie would be for personal or for the whole world to see, it is up to you to decide on what to do with that selfie photo you take. 

I love taking selfies especially when I am with my family and group of friends. I love how I can keep those candid shots of me and my kids, me and my loved ones and even friends that I have not acquainted with for a long time. And, with the technology, today selfies can be taken with ease. With the right brand of mobile phone, you can use you can achieve that 101% selfie-approved shot you wanted. No more of that editing features after taking a selfie, one can set the right filter at that exact moment and never miss out the perfect moment. 


With OPPO F1s Selfie Camera I can create hundreds and hundreds of selfies! How can you miss out the details of the image with the 16MP front camera which is the best resolution to take a good selfie. Plus, tag-a-long a good choice of filter that will suit you and make your every selfie look so natural looking and romantic..check the soft filter my favorite filter amongst the rest. So many reasons why I would use that filter, for one it creates the glow and will make you look so vibrant and dramatic. It gives a soft touch to every portrait in a photo. It makes you feel young and happy at the same time too. It is like the morning that you "woke up like this" feeling. :)
If you are given a chance to own this camera what would be the filter you'd be using every time?

If you are looking for a mobile phone that can give you that perfect selfie-on-the go check out OPPO F1s Selfie Expert and share it with the world!

OPPO F1s is now available in limited edition space gray.


Friday, November 18, 2016

How My Daughter Celebrated her 12th!

She just turned 12!
Yesterday was one of the most awaited days not just for me but most of all for my daughter. She was doing the count down a few days before yesterday. We thought of different plans to celebrate her day but eventually, we boiled down to celebrate it with the whole class after their last subject yesterday.  


At home, we surprised her with the things she's into right now. The second book from she loves at the moment "Dan and Phil- Go Outside".  Some YouTuber from the UK she has been following. 

The reason behind the UK flag fondant cake design + the flag with a cash treat inside! :)

After the party at school, we went grocery shopping and the kids were treated by their Dad a get all you want grocery shopping treat they want. 
We head to Texas Joe's Ribs inside the Subic Bay for the birthday girl dinner. And she was given a birthday brownie-ala-mode also the staff greeted her with a birthday song and her birthday cake. 




It was our second time to experience the food at Texas Joe's and this time we enjoyed the food and might come back again soon. Some of the food we ordered last night. 

Riblets
Spicy Pork Quesadillas 
Texas Joe sandwich with coleslaw sidings
Tennessee Trio, we ordered two of this with different sidings.
Brisket Sandwich
Thank you to all who sent their birthday greetings for my daughter and also we thank God for giving us, my daughter. More years and years of learning and adventures Anak and may your all your wish come true. We love you! :xoxo







Monday, November 14, 2016

Enjoying the Goodness of Emborg Dairy Products!


How do you love grocery shopping? For me grocery shopping is my therapy, I find happiness every time I visit a grocery store for a large or small quantity of products I need to buy. I like stocking on things especially the necessities because I can save more and can get the freshest items of course!
When I ran out of anything needed in the kitchen most especially the ones for cooking I get a little stress out. This coming holiday season, better get a little of everything you need and stock ém up for later use. 

Today, I am going to share my latest dairy find in the grocery. 
I picked up these two last night at SM supermarket in Olongapo along with my list of items we need. 

Emborg is a product of Denmark and locally sold here in the Philippines. My first dibs of this brand was from the duty-free shop inside the Subic Freeport and I am glad that it is now available at the local supermarket like SM.

Emborg cream cheese and skimmed milk were my breakfast buddies this morning before I left home. 


Emborg cream cheese classic flavor. 
The containers have 200 grams of cream cheese, the cheese is spreadable a little like the "kesong puti" (comparable to cottage cheese) that is locally made cheese here in the Philippines, a little less salty version of it.

Each container sells at Php94.50 ($1.92) way cheaper than the other imported brands of cream cheese sold in the supermarket plus it has its own easy open container to protect the cheese product inside. I used to buy Philadelphia cream cheese bar not until I discovered this. 
Two points that totally convinced me of this product brand: 
1. price 
2. taste 

Emborg skimmed milk was a good pairing for my Starbucks Sumatra dark roast (no sugar). It has a fresh and creamy taste when I mixed just enough of the skimmed milk over my coffee. A liter box of Emborg skimmed milk cost Php74.50 ($1.51) almost the same as Anchor lite and Anchor fresh milk, which was our brand before. I can switch every now and then for Anchor and Emborg since they both passed my criteria for milk in cartons.

A good source of calcium which I never neglect of having not just for me but for all of us at home, whether it is mixed with cereals, coffee, and chocolate drink. 
Each serving can give you different vitamins and minerals the body needs, most especially the kids.


It is fun and exciting to discover new products in the grocery and eventually sticking to it as a regular product brand the family use. 




***this is not a paid product review, photos are property of bitsenpieces.com






Holiday Shopping for the Family

Holiday is just around the corner and time is passing by so quickly. Reunions and Christmas parties are lining up and I am a little stressed out with the limited time I have at the moment. I need to squeeze up time after work to do some house errands and my scheduled time to go to the mall is being canceled for a couple of times already. I promised myself not to do the Christmas shopping rush like I did years ago. The quality of clothes and items I got from the rush got me so disappointed. A somehow waste of money on my end and also stressing out makes me not so beautiful for the holidays haha! 
This year I will be dividing my time, 50% will be for mall shopping and the other half will be for online shopping. 

Online shopping is the in thing right now, from local to imported items we can buy and the variety of design and sizes are endless. I always rely on family and friends recommendations when it comes to an online shopping site. But, I sometimes need to try new ones for myself and test the water for the service and products. 

I am looking at StyleWe for some dresses I can use for the coming high school reunion next month. Torn between the casual pants and blouse or to buy green dresses which can be a color motif I can incorporate for this season. 

I can also add some items for my daughter who is into jeans and shirt for her going out an with friends at the mall. Teens are always into style and comfort specially in a tropical season like we have. Ripped and distressed are so in right now and I am glad I came across the topic on dress up tips for skaters for me to get more additional ideas on what to get her. 

Online shopping tips:
1. Value for money
2. Free shipping
3. Timeframe for the item to reach you
4. Product quality 
5. Return product option

Those are my key points when purchasing items online and I hope this coming holiday season you can get all the things you need for you and your family! 

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Reinventing A Pasta Dish with Sarangani Bay Premium Bangus

Since I was in grade school about in Grade 3 to be exact I was introduced and taught by my Mother on how to go to the market to buy fresh produce. She lists down all the things I need to buy and the price for each of the items. 
At the age of nine, I have learned how to distinguish fresh to the ones that are not. From vegetables, pork, chicken and most especially seafood. Then when I reach home I will help out in the kitchen to clean the stuff I bought from the market and eventually learned how to cook. I was a fast learner and that was the reason why when I became a mom I enjoyed experimenting dishes with my own kids to enjoy.
I always believe that food is the greatest thing a person can share with someone while enjoying good memories.

A few weeks ago I received this box package with a cute blue bow wrapped in it. It was so nice to see a styrofoam box delivered to you and getting surprised at what's inside.

It was a box full of vacuumed seal packs Sarangani Bay Premium Bangus! 
As I was pulling out each of the pack from the box I got excited of the dishes i can whip up using this variety of bangus (milkfish) preparation. 

Even in my regular market day, seafood are always a part of my list. My daughter loves to each fish and shrimp that she can have it anytime of the day. I love how she can picked all the bones from a fish even if it is fried or with any sauce in a dish. And, since this bangus were all boneless she can enjoy it even more! 
As parents we need to introduce our kids to eating seafood as it will benefit them today and in the later part of their growing years. 

Why Seafood?
Seafood has always been a favorite to many especially the Filipinos due to having an abundant supply in the agricultural and fisheries sector.
- It provides various health benefits due to the vitamins and minerals it contains such as iron, zinc, iodine, vitamin B1, folic acid, and especially the omega-3 fatty acids that is known to prevent heart diseases.
- The fat in seafood is also combats other diseases such as: Arthritis, Asthma, Diabetes, Lupus, Prostate tumors and even breast cancer.
- Apart from the nutrients seafood offers, it also helps to easily achieve a healthy and fit lifestyle because it has less calories and fat compared to chicken, pork, and beef.
- Filipinos love “Bangus” (Milkfish), which is the country’s national fish. 

And, as my kids know me I love to invent and reinvent dishes when I am in the kitchen. I always use what is available and what it taste good based on my imagination. From the box full of Sarangani Bay Premium Bangus I picked the Smoked Boneless Milkfish for my pasta dish, the recipe below.

Pesto Pasta with Sarangani Bay Smoked Milkfish 

Ingredients: 
1-cup Sarangani Bay Smoked Milkfish flakes (half portion for garnishing)
200 grams Malunggay pasta (boiled and drained)
1- pack McCormick pesto powder or you can make your own pesto sauce
(olive oil, pine nuts, basil leaves, garlic, ground pepper, grated cheese) 
3 tbsp- olive oil
1-cup cream
1/2 minced white onion
1-cup grated cheese for thickening the sauce
chopped black olives 
chili powder 

1. Set aside the cooked pasta and leave some pasta water for later use.
2. Sautee onion in olive oil in a sauce pan.
3. Add the milkfish flakes and cooked it for a minute. Do not stir vigorously to maintain the fish flakes pieces.
4. Add cream, mix and cover. 
5. Add the pesto powder mix, then add the grated cheese and olives.
6. Adjust the taste according to your preference.
7. Garnish it with the flakes, olives and a dash of chili pepper on top.
Verdict: I got a thumbs up from my daughter! 
The family loved it and the taste of the fish really blends well with the pesto sauce. Making it even more creamy to taste and nutritious too!

I enjoyed flaking the fried smoked bangus because it was boneless and when I was frying it the aroma was delicious. Compared to the regular smoked fish I am buying in the local market that are not pack sealed. 

Why BUY frozen seafood?

1. It’s not true that “fresh” fish is always better than frozen fish. Seafood should be frozen as soon as possible after being caught but cost and logistics make this difficult for many fishermen. Often fresh fish is NOT fresh as it may have sat on insufficient ice for days before reaching the market.
2. The best way to enjoy fresh frozen fish is to select brands sold by established seafood processors with a reputation for consistently excellent quality.
3.  Sarangani Bay is the most trusted and largest processor of premium quality bangus and other processed seafood products. It is also the country’s largest exporter of the said products.
4. Synonymous to the brand name is Sarangani Bay, the marine sanctuary of the premium quality bangus and is located at Southern Mindanao. The clean and fresh water of Sarangani Bay is bred by the Alsons Aquaculture Corporation—the only integrated farm to market fish processing operations in the country.
5. Commercially packaged frozen fish can taste as good as fresh caught harvests because they are carefully “fresh frozen” within a very short time after being caught, locking in freshness and flavor.
6.  Not only the most trusted and largest in the country, Sarangani Bay is also a favorite overseas: like US, Canada, Guam, Australia, China and Middle East.
7. To maintain the freshness of the fish products, Sarangani Bay practices the cold chain management that is critical in maintaining the premium quality they offer compared to other fish processors.
8. There are numerous options to choose from among Sarangani Bay’s products ranging from:
- Marinated (http://www.saranganibay.com.ph/marinated/)
- Unseasoned (http://www.saranganibay.com.ph/unseasoned/)
- Frozen (http://www.saranganibay.com.ph/pre-cooked/)
- Cooked bangus products
9. One of the Sarangani Bay’s must try-products are the interesting yet delicious bangus sisig, boneless tocino, and boneless tapa. 
To know more about Sarangani Bay, visit www.saranganibay.com.ph.

*** all photos are property of this blog.
***products were sent to me by the brand for product unbiased review.