Happy Halloween Y'all!

Happy Halloween friends and readers! TRICK OR TREAT! I was out today with some friends. We went out with their kids for trick or treating at Park Meadows Mall. We had fun, as usual! When I came home, my husband was already home and I saw some candy he put out for the trick or treaters. I took a couple of Reese’s peanut butter cups – well more like six. My husband joked at me when he saw them. He asked me, “What are you doing?” I Said, “I took some before you give them all away!” Hehehehehe. Before I got pregnant I didn’t like Reese’ peanut butter cups. But now that I am pregnant, I love them!!! Hhhhmmm….weird! Is it really me, or our baby, who loves them? Who knows! hahaha

TFC TV series

I have been using the computer too much today. Because of that, I forgot to watch my favorite TFC shows this afternoon. But it’s okay because they have a replay tonight so I can still watch what I missed this afternoon. I am watching three TV series; “PIETA,” “DYOSA” and “IISA PA LAMANG.” The stories are really good and sometimes I catch myself crying while I’m watching them. Heehheheh

boring wednesday!

I am bored today. I am hungry but I don't know what to eat. It's 2:30PM but I haven't eaten lunch yet. I didn't get out of bed until 11:30 this morning and ate around a little around noon! I guess I just have to wait until 3:30 so I can watch a new TFC ( The Filipino Channel) show titled "Pieta". If you happen to have TFC then you probably know what I am talking about. The story is really nice so at least I have something to look forward to every day!

ATLAS box

Hubby and I are supposed to go to an Asian store early this afternoon. But since somebody will pick up our balikbayan box at 2:00 we decided to just wait and go after the box is picked up! I bought an ATLAS box and this is my first time for me to send a balikbayan box to the Philippines. I am very disappointed because I called the office the other week because my box was ready to be shipped. I talked to somebody and she told me that she will pass the message to the guy who's supposed to pick up balikbayan boxes! I waited for a return call for over a week but never heard from them! I finally called back again and talked to the pick up guy! He told us that he would be here today at 2:00 because he said the shipment will be on Monday. Unfortunately, I haven’t heard anything from him! I called the office again and they told me that he is not available, he went out to pick up balikbayan boxes! Hhhmmm.. I really don’t like the way they treat their costumers! I am not happy about this ATLAS balikbayan box!

Christmas decorations at park meadows mall

I went out today with my friends Liezel and Glenndel. We went to Park Meadows Mall. My husband picked up my friends and dropped us off at Park Meadows. Glenndel’s husband picked us up and dropped me and Liezel off at our homes. We did some shopping, as usual. We really enjoyed the company of one another. We took photos of one of the stores where they are already selling Christmas trees and other Christmas decorations and supplies! It was really nice, and really fun! Rachel (Glenndel’s 11 month old daughter) was having fun too!

Baby's Gender

It’s only a few more days until the next visit to our OB-GYN. During that visit, we will find out our baby’s gender. My hubby and I are both excited about it because we really want to know our baby’s sex! Some couples prefer not to know it because they want it as a surprise when their baby is born. I don’t think I can wait 20 more weeks without knowing our baby’s gender. We are planning to buy our baby stuff after my baby shower.

Abdomen

My tummy is getting bigger every day! I am no longer comfortable sleeping so I asked my husband to buy me Benadryl because I am hoping it helps me get to sleep. My OB-GYN told me that taking Benadryl is safe for pregnant women.

I was scared when I woke up today because it felt like my abdomen is so heavy, and it hurts a little. However, it was gone later in the afternoon! Wheeewww! I sometimes panic a little if something doesn't feel right with me. I talked to a friend who is also pregnant and she told me that it is normal to feel heavy in my abdomen. I was relieved. I am praying every day that our baby will be OK!

what to cook?

I am hungry but I don’t know what to eat. I haven’t cooked yet because I don‘t know what to eat. I wish I was in the Philippines right now. I always think every time I get hungry I can just take a taxi and go wherever I want to eat! This is the problem if we live here in the USA without our family. They call it “sariling sikap!“ I wish my mom is here so she can cook Filipino food for me!
It’s good that I don’t have to cook for my husband. He will make his own meal and I will make my own! If he gets hungry he will just make something he wants to eat. He is not the kind of person who demands that his wife cooks! Lucky me! Hehehehe. God is so good! I guess God knows that I can’t even cook for myself let alone my husband. LOL

Nagging sister!

I called my family in Cebu, Philippines. I talked to my sister Helen and she told me that my other sister, the one who lives in Germany (Beth) and had an argument with my mom two days earlier! My mom got mad at Beth because she pressures them too much. Beth wanted them to plant more trees, vegetables, plants and flowers. My mom told her that they already planted a lot and that there is no more space to plant more! Then Beth told my mom to tell our sisters-in-law to plant more flowers. My mom replied saying to leave them alone and let them decide what they want in their life. My mom told Beth that she heard my brother and his wife talking about finding a new house far away from her so they will no longer have to hear all the nagging from Beth. They feel that every time she calls she gets angry and has something negative to say to everyone. They feel like Beth manipulates their lives!
When Beth heard that she got angry again and threatened to not go home to Cebu anymore! She said she would never help again! I know Beth is out of line sometimes and can be too much for our family! She said a lot of hurtful things to us but sometimes I can’t blame her. She is controlling but she has supported us a lot! Although she loves to nag she loves us and tries to help as well! Hehehe.

peanut

I am not sure if this is true but a friend of mine called me and told me to stop eating peanuts. I’ve read that pregnant woman should eat peanuts because they have protein. Because of what I read, my husband and I bought a lot of peanuts! My friend was here and saw the peanuts. The next day she called me and told me to stop eating peanuts because there is chance that our baby will become allergic to peanuts! I was shocked to hear that. I don’t know if I should listen to her or not! However, it scared me a little so I did stop eating peanuts!
She told me that she has a couple of friends who loved to eat peanuts when they were pregnant and it turned out that their babies are allergic to peanuts!
It’s not really a big deal for me but is there anyone who can verify what my friend has told me? Just curious! Hehehe. Just leave me a comment and thanks!

17 weeks

I am now 17 weeks pregnant. My tummy is getting bigger. It has started to get heavy too! I am excited because in a few weeks my husband and I will find out our baby's gender! However, I have a feeling that it's a boy! Hehehe. I would like to have a girl. I have three sisters and all their kids are boys so I am hoping that I will be the one sister who can have a baby girl! But hey, baby boy or baby girl, it doesn't really matter. As long as our baby is normal and healthy! That's all we want. As soon as we know the sex, I will post it!

Exhausted

I went to a friend’s birthday party yesterday. I left home around 11:00 AM and didn’t get home until almost 9:00 PM. Me and some other friends helped Ate Tess (the birthday celebrant) in cook food. It was raining a little bit and cold but we had fun! We cooked a lot of Filipino food which of course, includes our dried fish? Hehehehehe.

When I got home, I was so exhausted! I don’t even get the chance to take a shower yesterday! Hehhhe. I know, eeeewwww!!! I changed clothes and lazed down on the couch and watched TV for a little bit and went to bed before my husband.

After 30 minutes, I went back downstairs and asked my husband to go to bed with me since I couldn’t sleep. I hate it when I can’t sleep without my husband beside me! No matter how hard I try and no matter how tired I am, I still can’t sleep without him! I think it’s because I am used to having him in bed with me!

Okay, this is all for now as I am tired and want to go take a nap! Zzzzzzzzz

TFC (The Filipino Channel)

I was checking Youtube and searching for TFC (The Filipino Channel) video, particularly from Wowowee. If you are a Filipino then you are probably aware of the show's competition between channel 7 which is "kapuso" and channel 2 which is "kapamilya".

There was a comment from a guy saying that there is less subscribers to TFC now because people don't like the show. So, I commented back to him saying, "Hello, are you kidding me? I am a TFC fan and have been since I arrived in the USA and I know a lot of friends who have TFC too and as far as I know they like the show and enjoy it like I do! Maybe its just you who don't like TFC." I am a diehard fan of TFC, especially Wowowee because I enjoy it every time I watch it!

Then another guy replied to me saying something that my comments are like hitting him below the belt! He called me a bitch and said that I look like one of the girls working in a bar in a the Philippines and that he will become my costumer! I know I shouldn't be upset because God knows what I am doing and where I come from. My friends and my family know me better. But I was so upset because that guy called me a prostitute and he doesn't even know me at all! I don't think I said something horrible in my comments to the other guy so the way he responded is very inappropriate!

So I sent him a message in which I was cussing and I told him my family background and shame on him for calling me a name!

He replied to me by calling me a "witch!" I was so mad! I felt like my blood was boiling and if I only knew him personally - God, forgive me for what I would do!

I responded by calling him a "FAGGOT" because of the way he talked to me, he has a mouth like a girl! I asked him how long he is going to hide the truth from his wife. I told him that living a life like that with a big secret is not that easy. I called him gay many times! Hehehhehe. After that, he stopped responding to me and recently I saw some of his comments on Youtube. He was more careful about his comments and wasn't saying bad things to people. Hehehehe. IT WORKS!

Well, all I can say is that God loves me! He knows me very well inside and out. And I am so blessed. He answered all my prayers and what else would I ask? Maybe, just keep me, my baby, my husband, my family, my husband's family and all my friends and even my enemies away from any harm or danger! Give us a healthy, happy and harmonious life and peace in this world! Oh, one more thing, please stop the bleeding in economy soon!

God bless everyone!

Bad day!

My other blog was recently removed from PayPerPost. I am really sad because I earned some money and I really like PayPerPost. I am hoping that I can submit this blog in PPP in the future and also hoping that it doesn't get too complicated.

Nowadays, I realized life is not really easy. My husband and I have so many bills to pay! With our bad economy, I just hope and pray that my husband's job is safe and that the company that he works for will survive the mess! Two years ago, our life was so good! It seemed like money was never really a concern. We lived life very comfortably! But lately, we both feel the need to pay off debt and put money in savings, especially with our baby on the way. A new baby brings a lot of new expenses. I wonder when the bleeding in our economy stop. Is there still a chance to get back on our feet again and how long do we have to wait and suffer?

Writing this blog makes me feel bad and I also feel like crying because of what's going on now! I want to give my baby a good life! Well, who doesn't? I think it's every mother's dream to give their child a good life!

Paris Hilton

I'm not really a big fan or Paris Hilton. In fact, I don't really care for her at all. I was watching Parental Control on MTV and after it was over, Paris Hilton's My New BFF came on. I am watching it right now and to be honest, I like the show! There was nothing else on TV that I was interested in so I decided to watch Paris Hilton's show. It's kinda fun and exciting finding out who will make it - to become Paris Hilton's new Best friend! I think I will keep watching the show!

OUT, OUT , OUT! SHOP TIL WE DROP! LOL

My hubby will be home from work soon to pick me up and then go to one of my friend's house to pick her up too. We are going to another friend's house, Glendel, where we are planning to cook Filipino food! After that, we are planning to go out and shop a little...heheheh. You can call us the "Shopping Girls Team!" hehehhe

Yesterday was my 16 week OB appointment and I heard my baby's heartbeat again! The doctor said that the heartbeat is over 150 beats per minute which is great! It seemed like the doctor was chasing my baby's heartbeat because the baby was moving a lot! hehehe

Next month is going to be exciting because I will undergo an ultrasound and we will learn our baby's gender! I can't wait! Some parents don't wanto to know the gender because they want to be surprise when the baby is born. But for me and my hubby, we want to know as soon as possible and we are both very excited about it!

whats going on

The focus of the presidential election and the current state of the country has recently shifted toward the economy. My husband saw the economy as an issue starting about 16 or more months ago. In fact, he started seeing the decline in the housing market about two years ago. He works in the mortgage business so he has first hand knowledge on how and when things started spiraling out of control. People are pointing to Wall Street and the current administration for all the problems we see today but there are so many people who should share the blame. Interest rates were fairly low and mortgage companies were booming from 2002 through 2006. They had the capital to make the loans because they were owned by big banks or could sell the loans to banks who wanted them in order to bundle them into mortgage backed securities. Issuers and underwriters were making a ton of money which fueled the need for more. Simply put, supply and demand.

In order to generate more loans the mortgage companies had to reach out to a broader population and/or existing home owners who could refinance or upgrade. To do this, new products were devised with the input from the banks and issuers. You could buy a house with no money down, no proof of income and poor credit. You could get an interest only loan, hybrid ARM or option ARM. These were great options for the borrowers because their payments would be lower than if they were to get a 30 year fixed loans. This helped them qualify for a more expensive house. This in turn created more demand which drove up housing prices. What people qualify for and what they can afford are two totally different things. When you qualify for a loan the lender looks at your housing debt to income ratio and your total debt to income ratio. If you have a stated doc loan your income is not verified so some people miraculously earn enough money to make their debt to income ratio (DTI) qualify them for the loan. Either way, some products allowed DTI's up to 65%. The DTI calulation only uses debt like house, cars, credit cards - basically only things that show up on your credit report. It doesn't take into account your groceries, gas, car insurance, health insurance, electric/gas, etc. Also, it is based on gross income, not net income so taxes aren't taken into account. With that said, you could have a monthly income of $5,000 before taxes. Based on the 65% DTI exception, you could have $3,250 in monthly obligations. So what is your tax rate? It varies based on several factors but mine is about 31%. If yours was the same, your take home pay would be about $3,450. That leaves $200 to pay for all your other expenses - could you afford that? The 65% is probably the highest DTI, most products have lower DTI requirements but even going lower you should get my point. Typical housing DTI standards are about 35% to 38%.

OK, this is enough for now. As you can see, the banks and issuers (Wall Street) are to blame for the housing bubble which led to the economic crises we face today. However, there is so much to tell. In future blogs I will expand on the role of Wall Street. Also, this illustrates why mortgage companies are to blame. I will also go into more detail of why they helped make matters worse. I barely touched on the borrower but yes, they too are to blame along with mortgage brokers, appraisers, underwriters and everyone else who share a role in the mess.

The housing market is in a correction right now. Based of statistics going back to the late 1800's and adjusting for inflation, trends were not looking good. In January of this year, home prices were sitting where they should be sitting in about March of 2010 so we were way ahead of schedule. The housing market is probably the largest factor in the largest economy (the US) in the world. When that market goes down, the entire economy goes down. I will share more inside information soon.

HELP!!!

I am having a difficult time doing this blog! I am not an expert when it comes to doing anything fairly complicated on the computer! I called Irene, one of my good friends, and asked her to help me with this domain since she has her own domain too. As of now, I still don't understand it! Anyway, I would like to thank you IRENE SUING for helping me out! hehehehe!