I got a message from Travis today saying that he already bought tickets for the Minnesota State Fair this Saturday.  Of course I was ecstatic since this is going to be my first state fair ever!  I have always heard a lot of interesting stories about it… from performing arts, to popular concerts, adventure rides and out of this world foods, this is an occasion that brings everything and everyone together.

Minnesota State Fair is considered as the largest state fair of the nation in terms of average daily attendance though the Texas State Fair runs twice as long and has the largest annual attendance.  The Minnesota State Fair is held in the Fairgrounds located in Falcon Heights, MN which is adjacent to the capital city of St. Paul.  This even is known as “The Great Minnesota Get-Together”.  Many people from different regions come together to take part in the different activities.  Some participate in exhibits and showing off  their livestock, talents and skills.  There are also activities that gets you involved in arts and cooking.  But it is the food (usually on a stick) that draws the crowd above anything else.

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Last year was my first Thanksgiving.  Travis and I spent it watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade and we also prepared a small dinner for just the two of us.  It was memorable.  It will be one of those occasions that I will look forward to every year.  And of course, the day after Thanksgiving is something that I look forward to as well.  The only thing is that, Travis doesn’t want to be  one of those people falling in line early in the morning just to get the good deals on Black Friday.  So, I missed it.  I wasn’t able to shop on the day that prices are outrageously dropped.

Today, while spending time online, I decided to browse around and see if there’s a way that I can shop with good deals on Black Friday without the hassle of being in the line the night before and without the crowd.  I came across www.blackfriday.biz and found out that this site can definitely help me in planning to shop on Black Friday. The website already shows the different deals for Black Friday from popular stores as early as now.  I continued browsing through it pages and find Old Navy Specials, Best Buy Deals, and Macy’s Ads to name a few.  DVDs will be on sale for as low as $2.99.  It is a good site to check on those Christmas wishlist.  Magellan Navigatoin Unit, gadgets for Travis, branded clothes for my family and toys for my nieces and nephews are there on the list.  It just makes shopping easier and planning it as early as now by clicking on item to put on my list will definitely save me time.

Things just got better coz www.blackfriday.biz will show us which items we can buy online on Thanksgiving Day.  I’m sure Travis will approve of this.  This will definitely save us the time and effort not to mention avoiding the crowd while still getting huge discounts on various products.  Can’t beat that!

Travis and I spent last weekend in Fergus Falls.  It is our way to get out of the busy life of the metro area.  It has also been awhile since we last visited Grandpa and Grandma in the farm.  And both of us missed Grandma’s cooking. We expected to see more family last weekend.  And sure enough, Travis’ uncles and their families were there.  They are even new faces as some of them brought friends along to camp.  We did not put up our tent and decided to sleep in the camper.  We went tubing since the weather was just perfect for it and of course, we went fishing.

Instead of keeping our catch and cooking it, Travis and I decided to simply catch and release.  Fishing has become popular and it lead to the problem of having too many people and too few fish.  In some places, catch and release fishing has been implemented.  So why catch and release?  Catch and release offers a way of prolonging the fishing trip after you have reached the reasonable or legal catch limit.  So it helps you make the most out of your trip.  Secondly, several studies show that as anglers get expertise on a particular fishery or fishing method, they develop and interest in “limiting their kill instead of killing their limit”.   Read the rest of this entry »

A beautiful house, a good job and a nice car are just few of my dreams even when I was a kid.  I’m working on getting a good job.  A beautiful house may not come too soon but a nice car is not far from my reach.

Here in the US, owning a car is a necessity, it’s no luxury.  You don’t have to be rich or have a good credit to be able to own a car.  Auto Loans are the path that will lead to your destination of driving your own car.  These loans come to you as a help when you are in need of extra money to buy the  car that you need.  Bad Credit Auto Loans will provide assistance even to those who do not have a not-so-good credit.  And the good thing is that, if you get auto loans online, you can get it easily in just minutes.

Gone were the times when you have to just dream and wonder when you can get your own car.  The time has changed and regardless of your credit history, you can get your dream car whenever you are ready to drive  it.  That new car you have been yearning for could be yours sooner than you think, even if your credit is bad!

If there’s one reason why I would like to go back and visit The Netherlands soon, it’s gonna be their delicious street food.  Unlike the Philippines, Dutch Street Foods do not consist of bizarre and exotic  dish but  consists of the usual fries topped with special sauces and a variety of their deep fried goodness.  Don’t get me wrong, I do love our street foods and I have my usual cravings for it too.  But today, I just happen to crave for my favorite food from the Netherlands- Patat Oorlog.

The best Patat Oorlog that I have  ever tasted was from Febo.  It is a fast-food place where you can order in the counter fries with your choice of sauce or some other products in their menu.  The other products can be bought from the vending machine inside the place for those people who are always on the go.  Patat Oorlog is simply fries seasoned with salt and their special seasoning ( I still have to find out!) topped with Frite Sauce (mayonaisse) and Sate Sauce (peanut butter sauce).  I always like mine with chopped onions on top of it.  Mmmm… just the thought of it makes my mouth water.

Some people find Fries and Mayo strange.  I’m sure many will find this fries combination stranger.  But once you get to try it, you will love it!  I will have to make my own version here at home until I can go back to the Netherlands once again.

Our life is full of memories.  And looking back at those good times in the past has always been my favorite pastime.  Remembering how it was like growing in a big family of 7 and we have to share whatever is on the table; going to school in a parada; and bringing pride and joy to the family.  It definitely gives me a wonderful feeling that reconnects me to my youth and to my family.

But how would you feel if you gradually lose your memory?  How is it like to no longer remember those precious moments?  It is like taking half if not most of your life away.  People with Alzheimer’s Disease or AD must’ve faced a lot of emotional stress especially on the very moment when they are diagnosed to have the devastating and progressive organic brain disorder.  AD has become our nation’s sixth leading cause of death. This disease may run in the family but anyone who had previous head injuries could also be a possible candidate.

So, what can we do to help?  Let’s leave the researches and studies to the professionals.  We can help by becoming a part of any support grouop for AD.  Let’s start by taking part of the Alzheimer’s Memory Walk.  The Memory Walk is the Alzheimer’s Association’s signature event for awareness and fundraising for Alzheimer’s care, support and research.  You can volunteer, invite your friends or exercise buddies and form a team to join the 2-3 mile walk which will be held on a weekend morning in the fall.  You can visit this link to sign-up or to find the Memory Walk closest to you: Alzheimer’s Memory Walk.

So let’s get involved and get physically fit for a good cause!  Now is the time to reach out…

Beijing has finally welcomed the world to the Games of the 29th Olympiad with an Opening Ceremony which took place at the Beijing National Stadium which is affectionately known as the Bird’s Nest.  To the eyes of the Chinese, the omens were good.   The ceremony started at 8pm on the 8th of the 8th month of the year 2008 – auspicious in a country where eight is the luckiest number.

A splendid fireworks display burst forth from the Bird’s Nest and lit up the night sky with brilliant colors.  It was witnessed by the maximum capacity of 91,000 people in the stadium with another 4 billion potential spectators worldwide.  It was thought to be as the largest, costliest extravaganza in Olympic history, bookended by barrages of some 30,000 fireworks.

To the beat of sparkling explosions, the crowd counted down the final seconds before the show began.  A sea of drummers—2,008 in all—pounded out rhythms with their hands, then acrobats on wires gently wafted down into the stadium as rockets shot up into the night sky from its rim.

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Chinese people believe that the number 8 is the luckiest number.  This could be enough luck for a family in Fergus Falls who is welcoming a baby girl born on the 8th day of the 8th month of the year 2008 at exactly 8:08 am at Lake Region Hospital.

And it just gets interesting when they weighed Hailey Jo Hauer.  And you’re not going to believe what she weighed.  Yes!  She weighs 8 pounds and 8 ounces!

It is indeed a one in a million chance.  Many think it was just mere coincidence or sheer luck and several hospital staff resolved to buy lottery tickets later that day.  Would you?

It is one of those things that I look forward to in every fiesta in every places.  Apart from the fun of seeing a big crowd gathering in one place, screaming while taking a deep breath upon riding the ferris wheel, or even the excitement of winning your bet on huldam, it is these boiled peanuts that I’m after for.

When I arrive here in the US, I didn’t expect to see boiled peanuts.  Afterall, we have different cuisine and different style of prep.  But when we lived in the south – North Carolina, Florida and Georgia, it came to my awareness that the same style of preparing peanuts is not just a favorite snack down there but is also infact the official snack food in South Carolina.

In the south, boiling peanuts is a folk cultural practice.  When peanut crops would come in, unsold peanuts are then boiled.  Extended family, friends and neighbors would gather around the peanut boil for a celebration of the harvest.  When I was in Tallahassee, every Friday is a treat that is because it is on this day that vendors would put up their large barrel filled with boiling hot water and peanuts.  I was so excited when Travis first brought me some when he came home from work.

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