When I Am Bored

Every road trips that we have, my husband is the driver and my job is to keep him awake. Half the time, I am bored and before I knew it I doze off to sleep. I usually tweet, do facebooking and sometimes blogging. I have a USB connect so; I can can use my laptop with fast Internet connection while on road trips.This is my favorite subject for photo caption and I can't understand why.

22 Passengers of Carnival Cruise Were Robbed at Gunpoint

I know that Mexico beaches are very beautiful that's why tourists love to visit this country. But, just this week, the passengers of Carnival Cruise Line experienced the greatest scare of their lives in Mexico. Cruising with Carnival is the trip of a lifetime but, when a group sign up to go to Puerto Villarta, 22 passengers were robbed at gunpoint. That's totally scary! This incident will truly hurt the tourism of Mexico and the cruising business of Carnival Cruise. Remember the Italian Costa Concordia Cruise Ship in January 2012 strucked a rock? It was the property of Carnival Corporation.

Port of Nassau Bahamas

I will never get tired in this picture. The view is truly spectacular. I was in the balcony room of Norwegian Sky Cruise Ship when I took this picture. This is Port of Nassau in Bahamas and shown in the picture is the Atlantis Resort.Bahamas is a beautiful place and the beaches are crystal blue. We went to Atlantis for few hours and the ride cost as $5/person. We took the ferry ride from Atlantis to Nassau Port, and it was an amazing ride. The fare is only $3/person.

My New Friend

Thanks for the post from Al Mills:

Since my husband is in the Army, we move a lot. Because of this it has been really hard for me to make and keep friends. I’ve tried to get involved in different social activities in each place we have lived, but I just haven’t had the good luck of finding friends I really click with. We just moved again, and I am so happy, because I think I finally found a friend I can depend on. She has been so helpful with the move, and I am so appreciative. She showed me around the area and has recommended some great shops and restaurants. She also helped me find some awesome Direct tv deals when I was setting up all of our utilities at home. It’s nice to finally feel like I’ve made a friend I can lean on and that I’m not completely alone. I know my husband will be relieved that I will have someone to depend on besides him for social interaction too. I hope neither she or I has to move again any time soon.

D'Iberville Mardi Gras and Beads

Few years ago, I never knew that Mardi Gras parade would be like "catching beads" activity and it's from beginning to end. It was awkward to shout "throw me some beads" and raising two hands ready to catch them. But, everyone is doing it and I look like a fool standing there observing and watching the crowd fought hard to catch the beads.To enjoy the Mardi Gras celebration, I need to go with the flow of the crowd's thrilling activity. I am improving after three years of being around the Mardi Gras celebration in Mississippi and Louisiana. Hubby and I goes to one city to another city in two states. I love the Mardi Gras in New Orleans, D'Iberville, Biloxi and night parade in Ocean Springs.Well, here's the picture of my family down below. I was up on the terrace of a relative's business establishment.

Why Corporate Gifts are Important

Last week, we enjoyed our free 3-night's stay in our favorite hotel in Mississippi. In the corporate world, corporate gift and complimentary gifts are normal. If you own a business, you need to promote it by giving out promotional items to all the costumers. You could have it during your business anniversary or some important holidays in your area. Do not take for granted in expressing your gratitude by way of giving gifts to your loyal clients. Giving something to your customer is necessary to show your appreciation for their support that made your business boost to greatness.

It is necessary to give back to those who lift the sales of your business. Therefore corporate gifting is important and it is not only intended to reward the loyal customers but also those who are prospects and top performing individual as well. Clients and prospects will be motivated when you thank them by giving them appropriate gifts. Your business will increase its productivity as well as customer loyalty for sure. You need to please your clients and in return, they will patronize your business more. If you reward spa gift sets to your top performing people, employee retention and business growth will be a positive thing that can happen.

The Panoramic View of the Bay of Biloxi

I always use my BlackBerry phone in taking pictures. It is just handy and convenient. When I plan for a trip, I also bring my Digital camera but, I seldom use them. While I was taking some pictures from the balcony of the ISLE hotel, I noticed one function from my digital camera. It can capture a Panorama from either left or right direction. I tried it and it just stich the 4 pictures into 0ne. This is the result. We stayed in the ISLE of Biloxi for 3 days (Mardi Gras season) and most of the time, I stayed in the balcony looking at this view. AWESOME huh?

The Bay Bridge Between Biloxi and Ocean Springs

Last September Hubby and I went to Mississippi and stayed there for 5 days in two hotels. Well, Beau Rivage is one of my favorite hotels in the area but, it was frustrating to stay in a hotel where you cannot access the Internet. Our room is perfect and the view from the window was awesome but, with NO WIFI, it was totally ridiculous. We moved to the Isle Hotel in Biloxi. I took these pictures from the balcony of our room. It was gloomy and foggy that early morning but, later on the sunrise shows an awesome display along the Gulf. Oh yeah, WIFI in the ISLE? It's everywhere in the building! Anyone can access it whether at the marketplace, Lava bar, Starbucks, and just anywhere! I can't understand why Beau Rivage cannot give the exact privilege to their customers?Anyway, this is the Bay Bridge along Highway 90. This is over Biloxi Bay between the cities of Biloxi and Ocean Springs. The Bay Bridge is a replacement to the old bridge which was heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. This bridge was opened in November 2007. It has a pedestrian path along the Gulf side area where people can use for jogging and have a bicycle ride.

FreeShipping.com – No Rip Off Here

Guest post by Harry Littleton

I’ve been meaning for some time to give my FreeShipping.com review. With such a renowned company and so many satisfied customer testimonials I wanted to make sure that I got the full story before writing anything up. And I’m pleased to be able to tell my readers what I’ve found out about FreeShipping.com. Legitimate, fair, honest, and forthright—these are all words I would use to describe the sort of business FreeShipping.com is running.

If you’re unaware, FreeShipping.com is one of the quickest growing names in the online benefits industry. They provide a simple and practical yet innovative members-only service that allows their customers to receive free shipping on products from thousands of participating online merchants. The way it works is that any time you shop at a merchant associated with your membership, you get cash-back rebates for any shipping charges. They also provide additional services such as free return shipping, a complete price protection plan, and even instant free shipping when it’s available.

The key to getting the absolute most out of your membership is to learn about all of the workings and details of your account with FreeShipping.com. IT sucks to sign up for such a smart and affordable service, and then not know how to use it. An advantage of FreeShipping.com, as compared to some others, is that they understand this principle and make every effort to educate and inform their customers. Their site is full of helpful info and they also employ a 24/7 customer care staff that is friendly and knowledgeable about all of their products and services. So go with FreeShipping.com.

Beads From Mardi Gras

I got a full bag of beads collected from two Mardi Gras parades. My mother asked for these beads so she can distribute it to her sisters in Christ.Most of the friends of my mother are flood victims so, the beads that she gave to them before must have gone and washed out to the river. Definitely, these beads will be sent for them soon.

My Father-in-law is a Good Man

My father-in-law served in the Air Force for many years and retired as a Major. My husband and I lived with him for 18 months in Mississippi and we sure had wonderful times with him. We dine out almost everyday, he loves to play the slot machines in the casino, we both love gardening, and we play the Wii Game up to 3 AM, LOL! At 90 years old, he masters the Wii- bowling and beat me good!We missed him dearly. May God bless his soul.

Staying at the Isle of Biloxi Hotel

We stayed here for 3-nights and we had a wonderful time. The Isle Hotel's parking garage is huge and you can choose either self-parking or valet. The hotel is located along Highway 90 just after the Bay Bridge. If you stay here, you will truly enjoy the amazing view of the Gulf and the Bay of Biloxi. The Isle is a hotel and casino so, you are staying a good life here since fun times are endless in this place. If you plan to visit the other 8 casinos in the area, casino hopper transportation is available every hour.If you are hungry, you don't need to go anywhere but, here! They have fine dining at the Farraddays' as well as casual dining such as: The Buffet and Cafe' at the Point. You can also unwind in the Starbucks and chill out with a coffee or check out the Tradewinds Marketplace and enjoy a delicious pizza. By the way, their slot machines are paying good too in fact, this is the favorite place of my father-in-law.

Wood Carvings at Mississippi Welcome Center

If you travel towards Mississippi, stop by at Mississippi Welcome Center and you will see the wood carvings of birds using the existing tree.These are great carvings of birds and animals which are popular in the Gulf coast.There are so many great wood carvers and artists in Mississippi and most of them offer their talents and skills to create such a wonderful art pieces.Some oak trees were toppled down during Katrina so, what they did was save it. They do not uproot the trees. They created a wonderful art out of it and you will see it once you drive down the Highway 90.This is the beautiful Welcome Center in Mississippi and at the front, you will find the 3 bare trees with carvings of pelicans and seagulls. The white car is the rental car that we used. I was relaxing inside when I saw the trees with carvings of birds. I took the pictures to show you the beautiful attraction in this area. If you happen to pass by, take a look at it. It's truly beautiful.

Rental Income Business

Today, I was doing our tax return and I found out that this year, we will have no refund. For two consecutive years, we bought two properties one for our home and the other is for rental income.My receipts are not yet organized but, this year I am trying to buy a software so I can pull out my expenses right away in a systematic manner.
By August, I am planning to add more subjects for my tax course because I am interested to become a tax preparer.
These photos were taken at our rental condo. We got this for few months now and it's truly a good source of income.
If you have a small business like we do, it is alright to prepare your tax return personally. But, if you have more than two big time businesses, you should hire a professional to do all your paper works. It is really complicated. You need to save all your receipts too.

Rental income business is good especially when you add energy saving features in the property. You will get refund from it. Good luck on your rental business.

Norwegian Sky Poolside

The 4-day cruising to Bahamas that we have last year was fun. If you visited all my blogs for the last few days, I posted some of the cool shots that I took. I was using my camera phone and the digital camera but, I was proud of my shots. All of these pictures was taken on the poolside of Norwegian Sky.The poolside is located on the 11th Deck and it has a good size pool and 5 jacuzzis. I was not able to use this pool because it's very crowded and people are drinking alcohol.Though it was not a perfect sunny day, people enjoy their tanning moment. Restaurants are open in free-style dining so; when you take this cruise ship, you will never get hungry.I love staying on this area where I took these pictures because I can see everybody down below.There are bahamian music and delicious food so; crusing is truly exciting and fun! A good time to relax and unwind!I made my tour on this deck and when hubby and I got tired, we go down to 5th deck to listen to a jazz music in one of the music lounges on the ship. I would love to recommend that you take Norwegian Sky Cruise Line next time.

Turbo Tax Software

A friend of mine asked me if I can help her prepare her tax return, I told her why not? I used this software that I bought from Turbo Tax. I was actually trained by H&R Block for months but, I am comfortable with Turbo Tax software so; for years I'm using this. We submitted the tax return and it was accepted successfully. Since she got a child dependent, her refund was really good, as in really really good.

Exploring the Marketplace at Museo Pambata Museum

These pictures were taken in Museo Pambata, a children's museum located in Metro Manila Philippines. My nephews and niece were exploring the Marketplace area of the museum. This museum was built to stimulate the children's inquisitive minds, and discover new things thru hands-on activities. The marketplace promotes Filipino culture where children explore the neighborhood play-stores providing them ideas on entrepreneurial skills. This area would give them a formulation that these are important part of the community as well as give them an idea of becoming business oriented person when they grow up.Museo Pambata has seven cool theme areas to explore: I Love my Planet Earth, Children in the Global Village, My Body Works, marketplace, Old Manila, Career Options and Environment.I remember that this topic has been included in Social Studies/Civics subject in first grade.The kids love Museo Pambata Museum in fact, they don't want to leave just yet. The father promised them that they will come back next time.

The Saint Alphonsus Fall Festival

One of my long time friend was surprised when he knew that I live in Mississippi. Well, he lives in a fast-paced city in the US compared to Mississippi, this place is a heavily forested state in the US. But, I am so proud that I lived in Mississippi for 18 months in fact, I got my first State ID in this state. Full of charm, that's how I describe Ocean Springs Mississippi. The people here are family-oriented and friendly, the bread winner works hard but, when there are festivities, the community is very supportive.On the last quarter of each year, this town celebrates the Alphonsus Fall Festival. This is a school activity but, I noticed that the whole community are involved. There were games, booths, exhibits and delicious food displays. The kids together with their parents and guardians were enjoying this festival.Hubby and I enjoyed the food and just watched the kids play their group games. Some of them did the horseback riding, bowling and wall climbing.Saint Alphonsus School is the Alma Mater of my husband in his elementary years. This school is centered around God and focused on developing children with the following: strong moral character, outstanding academic performance, and enhanced skills necessary for success in higher education and life.Their mission is to provide a Catholic elementary school that is a living Christian community. It also provides a broad competitive curriculum that challenge the children in academic and spiritual aspects through self-discipline, service to God and community.This was an interesting weekend because right after the Saint Alphonsus Fall Festival, across the street was the Peter Anderson Festival displaying the arts and crafts of local artists. It was crowded and people are buying stuffs. Most of the people who came did not only look around but, really bought something for their personal collections. Ocean Springs is fun and interesting city especially when there is a festival like this.And though it's a small town, I like their activities. Oh if you like to play the casino, you just have to drive the Bay Bridge and more than 7 casinos are there waiting for you. If you visit the coast, do not forget to drop by at Ocean Springs.

The Isle Hotel in Biloxi Mississippi

I took most of these pictures from the Front Beach of Ocean Springs, Mississippi. When we lived there for 18 months, the Front Beach is our hang-out place. We love driving down here and have a picnic at Fort Maurepas Park. When I was working, my husband and his cousin would go fishing in this area. The land across Front Beach area is the city of Biloxi and the huge building that you see here is the ISLE hotel and casino.The Isle hotel and casino is one of our favorites mainly for the ambiance and food trip. Not only that, this is the favorite casino of my father-in-law where his luck in this casino is unbelievable! Last September, we stayed in one of the rooms on this side facing the bridge that connects Ocean Springs and Biloxi! It was an awesome view!The picture below was taken while we were having a picnic at Fort Maurepas. The arrow shows the Isle Hotel and Casino across the waters. It's huge with 710 hotel rooms that includes 200 suite rooms.The Front Beach is beautiful. If you are planning to visit for the Mardi Gras parade, check out the Isle Hotel and Casino. You will have a good day ahead once you see the beautiful sight of the Gulf view. The sunrise and the sunsets in this place is truly spectacular and enchanting.From the Isle Hotel and Casino, you should check out the Front Beach in Ocean Springs. You will appreciate your awesome stay in the hotel if you visit this place and look at the hotel from this location.You should book early especially when you are visiting for Mardi Gras Season, Christmas Holidays, New Year, Valentines Day, Halloween, Saint Patricks Day, and 4th July. It will be sold out before you knew it! Speaking of Mardi Gras, we will be going there and we will be staying at the ISLE HOTEL AND CASINO. I will see you there, right? Thanks for reading.

The Atlantis

October 17, 2011- We drove down the Florida Coast towards Miami. It was a gloomy and chilly day but, four of us were excited for our Bahamas Cruising via Norwegian Cruise Line. It was drizzlin' as we park our car in the rental garage near the Miami Port. Then, off to the Port area. There were so many tourists and guests in line systematically and we found our way fast on board the Norwegian Sky. This is Nassau Island of Bahamas and from the ship, this view will welcome your eyes!I was indeed dumbfounded by the blue water and the blue skies of Bahamas. This place is truly enchanting and the wonderful scenery will continue to amazed you every second of the day.From the Port, we took a van and paid $5/person towards Atlantis and I was blown away by its grand and luxurious architectural design. We explore the main hallway inside Atlantis and it was so huge complete with all the amenities: shopping center, movie theatre, restaurants, ballroom and more. We explore the Marina and it was absolutely gorgeous. The locals were charming and friendly and no one approached us to beg for money. On our way back, we decided to take a boat ride which cost only $3/person and it was an amazing experience.The Atlantis is a world class hotel and if you travel to Atlantis this week, the cheapest room rate you can get is $612 up to $2500 a day. So expensive right? Well, I can only stay in Atlantis if Bill Gates or Warren Buffet can provide me a FREE stay in this hotel (*-*) LOL. Not in my lifetime will I ever afford this hotel/resort. Dang! It would be awesome to stay one week and just enjoy the view and waking up with this enchanting scenery. Of course, I can dream can't I? I would love to travel and stay here with my family and that includes my mom and my brother with his family. That's it! I am now wide awake hahahaha. God bless you everyone! Remember, If you can't feed a hundred people then, just feed one says Mother Theresa.

Mardi Gras in Ocean Springs is Always Fun

I was checking on some pictures in the folder of my working pc and saw these Mardi Gras photos. I took these photos during a Mardi Gras parade in Ocean Springs, Mississippi in the Government Street. This was a chilly and cold season and though everyone was bundling up, the wind will really get into your bones.
There are so many beads they gave with awesome designs in fact, some of us got collectible beads. One of my cousins told me that when she comes back from her travels, she will provide floats and all of us will participate in giving out beads, sort of thanksgiving for the family. I am looking forward for that event. I remember the first time I went to a Mardi Gras parade. I was hesitant to bring a bag but, when I was there, everyone brought more than one bag for the beads.It feels funny that I was just standing there watching the fun atmosphere but, hesitant to raise my arms asking for beads. When I looked around, everyone was cheering and giving signals to throw 'em some beads. The more you cheered at them, the more they love to give nicer beads.There were two Mardi Gras parade in Ocean Springs that time, one in the morning and the other parade took place in the evening. The evening parade was fun but, the chilly atmosphere was even more brutal but, we enjoyed it. Most of us brought our snuggie even if we already bundled up. This year we will be heading to Mississippi and we will be witnessing the Mardi Gras parade in Biloxi, Ocean Springs and D'Iberville.