Goodbye August

How lovely and delicate these flowers are and so is life.

August was a tough month - physically and emotionally, so I can't express how excited I am that it is coming to a close.

September for me means:

• my first semester in grad school
• healing and getting stronger physically, emotionally and spiritually
• Labor Day long weekend
• cooler mornings
• hot cocoa days
• wearing sweaters and knee-high socks
• and soon, most probably playing with a new pup pup :)

Geek Alerts

This week, I'm officially a part-time grad student and also a full-time worker. Although it took me sometime to decide to go back to school, this economy has proved challenging to an ordinary employee like me; I felt the need to upgrade my skills. As a student/full-time employee, I have to be wise in terms of spending my money and that my priority is increasing my savings. Whenever I can, I make use of coupons and discounts to save money here and there. If you're like me who's always looking for ways to save money, geekalerts.com will come in handy and useful. If you're into Geeky Gadgets, this site offers the latest news and information about the coolest gadgets in the market. Their articles are informative and quite entertaining. I love that they include photos and complete descriptions of their featured gadgets. It's just like reading a cool geeky glossy magazine.

Apart from their entertaining articles, they also offer money saving online coupons, promotion codes, and discounts for online stores. Don't forget to check out their Coupons+Deals section. They have a variety of coupons to choose from Amazon coupons, Home Depot coupons, Medifast coupons, Nutrisystem coupon code and much, much more. I am particularly interested in their Amazon coupons, and I am hoping to save a lot more with the help of this website.

Organize With Spice Racks

Brought to you by your friends at spiceracksource.com.

Yesterday, as I went to pick up groceries in preparation for hurricane Irene, I had to pick up some spices as I really intended to do some home cooking during the hurricane. It finally hit me that I really need to organize my kitchen and that I've been wanting to get a spice rack. So many times I end up fumbling through my bottled spices just because they are everywhere. A wall spice rack from spiceracksource.com would be really nice and would definitely keep my spices where they ought to be.

At spiceracksource.com, they offer a variety of quality kitchen spice racks. I really like their 36" Wall Mounted Spice Racks with Utensil Storage, and I think this would be perfect for my kitchen and I love the utensil storage that comes with it. Also, I appreciate that this website includes photos and a full product description of their items. This makes shopping easier. This site is very organized and they offer countertop spice racks, wall mount spice racks, in drawer spice racks and more.

Peterhof: The Capital Of Fountains

On our second day in St. Petersburg, we toured Peterhof, one of most famous ensembles, sometimes dubbed "the capital of fountains," a magical sight of water and gold, marble and bronze, magnificent paterres and age-old trees. (Source: Peterhof Guide Book) I was straining already from all the walking we did at Catherine's Palace, the Hermitage and a night show of Russian folk dances the day before, but once I saw how beautiful and inviting Peterhof was, I forgot how tired I felt and just snapped photos the entirety of our visit.

Although we didn't tour the interior of Peterhof, I think that the gardens and fountains are much more beautiful especially that the blue skies and warm weather framed the impressive palace and its enticing gardens and fountains.

The Cathedral of St. Apostles Peter and Paul. This cathedral is walking distance from the Peterhof Palace.

I love the well-trimmed gardens at the palace entrance.

Playful nymphs and fountains at the entrance pool.

For me, the Great Cascade is the highlight of this palace. From here, you can see the waters flow to join the Gulf of Finland. On the left, you can see the Trumpeting Tritons.

Gold statues shine underneath the Russian sun.

Peter I headed the construction of this palace and he launched the fountains to celebrate the end of the Northern War (1721). (Source: Peterhof Guide Book)

According to our tour guide, the Great Cascade is one of the biggest fountain ensembles in the world. It includes more than 60 fountains, more than 250 statues and reliefs. (Source: Peterhof Guide Book)

The Samson Fountain was placed in 1735 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Battle of Potava (1709). The water jet of the fountain, located at the mouth of the lion, is the highest in Peterhof, about 21 meters. Peter I wanted Heracles fighting a Hydra, but they decided on Samson Defeating the Lion instead. Why? Because the triumph of the Potava Battle took place on the memory day of Sampson the Hospitable, the namesake of the famous biblical hero. (Source: Peterhof Guide Book)

Corporate Gifts

Brought to you by your friends at corporategift.com.

Where I work, custom business gifts are very important especially that we want our members to feel important and appreciated. Our person in charge would make sure that for special occasions like Christmas or Thanksgiving, we send gifts to our members. We don't just pick out any gift, instead, we make sure that our gifts are of great quality.

Corporate gift giving is very important especially if you want to cement good relationships with your members or people you work with. At corporategift.com, you can definitely find great ideas for your next corporate gift purchase. The website is organized and that it's easy to find what you're looking for through their category feature. Also, their items come with photos and full product description; I like this feature because it makes choosing the right gift easier and quicker. This site isn't just for corporate members, you can also find great co worker gifts. I really found this site helpful in deciding and making the right choice in corporate gift giving. This is definitely worth checking out and worth bookmarking for future use.

LP: Piraso (to take a piece from)

Isang pirasong chocolate stick lang ang kailangan upang mapasarap ang isang tasang kape. Magkape muna tayo at kalimutan ang nangyaring lindol kahapon.

To heighten your coffee experience, all you need is to stir one piece of chocolate stick in your cup. Let's have coffee and try to forget yesterday's scary earthquake.

Yard Arbors

Brought to you by your friends at yardarbors.com.

As fall season approaches, I'm preparing my vegetable and flower gardens for fall blooming and harvesting. I'm thinking that for next year, I'd like to add a wooden arbor for my climbing flowers. I think arbors beautify any yard or garden. When I visited Longwood Gardens a couple of weeks ago, I love how they have garden arbors everywhere and it really enhanced the gardens' beauty. I enjoyed how the climbing flowers hugged the arbors and thrived in the sun.

If you are looking into arbors too, then check out yardarbors.com. This site offers all types of arbors from vinyl arbors, wooden arbors, metal arbors and other accessories. They offer a variety of styles to choose from, so you can definitely find what you're looking for. I really like their white wood cascadia arbors; I think this one will fit perfectly on my backyard garden. I also like that each item on this site comes with a photo and a full product description. This feature makes shopping online a lot easier and knowing exactly what you're investing your money into.

Everlasting

How beautiful it would be when this Everlasting flower blooms fully.

Auth Florence Mailboxes

Brought to you by your friends at authflorencemailboxesdirect.com.

Have you heard of authflorencemailboxesdirect.com? Here you can find cluster mailboxes, 4c mailboxes, 4C pedestal mailboxes and more. I think that whatever style of auth florence mailboxes you are looking for, you can absolutely find it here. It is so easy to shop on their site as it is organized and categorized. It would have been nice if we had one of those auth florence mailboxes that are Front Loading 4C Horizontal Cluster Mailbox Suite B, 7-Tenant when I was living in Rockville; our mailboxes there were so old they wouldn't even close no matter how many times you try to lock them.

You'll love shopping on this site. I found that each of their items come with a photo and in-depth product description. I love this feature because not only does it make shopping faster, it also makes choosing the right product for your needs easier. Also, shopping at this place gives you a low price protection before and after purchase and a 30 day no hassle return policy. Now this is what I call smart shopping!

St. Petersburg: White Nights

During our two-day visit in St. Petersburg, we were lucky because we witnessed the Russian White Nights. This wasn't the first time I've experienced a phenomenon like this, as I've also experienced this during my three years living in Dutch Harbor, Alaska.

White Nights, normally lasting from June 11^th to July 2^nd. The White Nights (Beliye Nochi) are a curious phenomenon caused by St. Petersburg's very northerly geographical location - at 59 degrees 57' North (roughly on the same latitude as Oslo, Norway, the southern tip of Greenland and Seward, Alaska). St. Petersburg is the world's most northern city with a population over 1 million, and its stands at such a high latitude that the sun does not descend below the horizon enough for the sky to grow dark. In fact night becomes curiously indistinguishable from day, so much so that the authorities never need to turn the city's streetlights on! (Source)

Just to show you how the White Nights were like at St. Petersburg, the photos below were taken between 10:30 PM to 12:00 AM.

In this photo, you can see that building (towards left) reflecting the sun's rays.

Since there was still daylight at night, we decided to have a White Night midnight snack at the ship's terrace. Hotdogs and lemonade.

That night, darkness never came.

Online Education

Brought to you by your friends at findyoureducation.com.

With the current state of the economy, I think this is a good time to update your skills or further your education. I know a lot of us are working full time, have busy family lives, trying to make ends meet and this is why Online Courses is the best way to upgrade your degree or get a certificate. At findyoureducation.com, you can finally pursue online degree programs in art, history, finance, business, pharmacy, physical therapy and more. Here, you can definitely study at your own pace and do your learning online. I think that whatever your interests are, findyoureducation.com can absolutely get you on the right track.

This site is so easy to navigate. You can find what your looking for by categories like Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's, Military, Campus and Online. You can also Browse By Subject or click their In Demand Careers feature to be in the know what are the careers being easily employed these days. With sites like these, you can definitely get started and finally pursue your dream. If you are still unsure which direction to take or need information on how to go about financing your education, you can start your Free Application For Federal Student Aid at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ today. Start your education today.

Outrageous!

This is outrageous!

What happened to good ol' sportsmanship?

Photo source is the Express (August 19, 2011). This basketball brawl is quite the talk of the town since the Hoyas are from the DC area.

Printing And Paper Services

Brought to you by your friends at www.superfineprinting.com.

We always use printing services for work especially when we have association meetings, conferences and conventions, so it is always good to employ the help of a quality and trusted printing service company to accommodate our printing needs. I think this is one reason why Superfineprinting Company exists? Are you looking for a quality printing company? Have you heard of Superfineprinting company? This company specializes in Black & White Copies, Brochure Printing, Color Copies, Envelope Printing, Business Cards, Memo Pads, Postcards and much, much more. I think that this is THE place for all your company's printing needs. You name it and I think they got it.

At work, we use a lot of Flyer Printing services and I really like this site's 4 color flyer. I love that the flyer samples on the site come in colored and in-depth product description. This makes choosing, designing and ordering your company's flyer easier and faster. Whenever I order for work, I always go for the less stress way, and that is I order most of our paper products and printing services online.

Aside from their printing services, they also offer paper services. They have all sorts of paper from Bright Neon Stickers, Laid & Linen Paper to Parchment Paper. I am considering ordering their 20lb Color Paper; I use colored papers for a more noticeable flyers. If you're ready to order or still deciding, feel free fill up their online printing job quote or stationary quote; it's one easy way to get your order and know about your budget.

The Hermitage: Halls And Galleries

If Pushkin has a summer palace - Catherine's Palace, the heart of the Hermitage Complex is the Winter Palace. The Hermitage, which means "a place of solitude" in French is a former winter residence for Russia's monarchs. "The Hermitage is composed of the Winter Palace, Small, Large and New Hermitages, and they all form one of the most brilliant architectural ensembles in the center of St. Petersburg. The Hermitage Museum boasts of an extensive collection of art and culture from around the world." (Source: Hermitage Guide Book)

The collection of art here is amazing and for history and art lovers, this is a gold mine.

It was packed when we visited. There are some galleries in the Hermitage that are air conditioned and some are not. As it was summer, apart from the hot and humid weather add to that the crowded galleries so it felt suffocating. I've seen a couple of people who fainted and one has to be carried to a van.

The name of this room escapes me but I was sure glad there was room to breathe.

 The War Gallery of 1812 - a commemoration of Russia's victory over Napoleonic France.

The Palace Square.

 The Golden-Drawing Room - this is my favorite gallery.

Another view of the Golden-Drawing Room. The lady in green shirt was our tour guide.

 My blurry shot of the Raphael Loggias. According to my guide book, Catherine the Great commissioned copies of the famous frescoes by Raphael at the Vatican Palace.

 The Hall of Peter the Great and The Silver Throne of Empress Anna Loannovna.

 St. George Hall was used for official ceremonies and receptions.

The Alexander Room - built to memorialize Alexander I.

What I've seen during my visit was just a minute sample of the Hermitage's collection. This place is massive and according to our guide, you would have to walk 24 miles to see all the exhibits. I was exhausted after this visit. I'd love to do the Hermitage again possibly in the winter with less crowd and less tourists.

Garden Trellises

Brought to you by your friends at www.trelliscenter.com.

As a seasoned gardener, I have learned from experience how garden trellises can enhance, beautify, protect and even keep your plants where they ought to be. I've used trellises to keep my vine plants in place and to help them climb and grow properly; vines can crawl anywhere and can suffocate other plants. For next year, I intend to add one more trellis for my backyard garden. I am actually interested at the bell chime trellises at trelliscenter.com. I love the idea of relaxing bell chimes especially when there's a good, gentle breeze. I think that's perfect for my backyard.

At trelliscenter.com, they specialize in metal garden trellises, vynil garden trellises, wooden garden trellises, arbors and planters. Their website is very easy to navigate, and shopping is easy because each item comes with a photo and a full product description. Also, I love that they offer Low Price Protection Before and After a Purchase and a 30 Day No Hassle Return Policy. I think this is great customer service.

LP: Ginhawa (Comfortable, Cozy)

Napakaginhawa sigurong maidlip sa tabi ng kahoy na ito.

It must be so cozy to take a nap underneath this tree.

Cheers To Great Skin

Brought to you by your friends at www.murad.com.

When I was in my 20s, I wasn't big on Skin Care Products because I had the wrong notion that my skin will remain young and supple - until I got into my 30s. My 30s were the trying years in terms of acne and acne scars. Those were the years I searched frustratingly for the right product for my skin. I was trying so many different products every month but my skin wasn't responding; it was getting worse. A lot of the products out there were causing me more to break out or were drying my skin too much. I needed help badly.

One day, a lady at one of the shops suggested that I should try Murad products. Guess what, I'm glad I did. In my experience, their Acne Products worked great on my skin in just a couple of weeks. My face felt clean and it absolutely kept my acne away. Do check out their site at www.murad.com and learn more about how to take care of your skin whether you're looking for a solution to your Acne or Age Spots, this site is the place to get the right info and care. I really like their "What's right for you skine?" feature because it helps customers get a personalize regimen for their skincare needs. You can definitely shop on this site for cleansers, treatments, moisturizers, supplements, eye care and more. Don't forget to check out their New Offers for some savings.

Tsarskoye Selo: Other Rooms

In addition to the gilded rooms, we also toured different themed rooms in the palace. I think that if you like history, you'll enjoy looking at the portraits of royalty especially the Romanovs. I've only read about them in books, but looking at their photos and knowing that they once called Catherine's Palace their home makes me feel closer to history.

Portraits of Russia's historical leaders and royalty adorned this white painted room. In these photos are the Romanovs.

Portraits of Nicholas II and Alexandra Romanov.

More royalty portraits.

Portraits from ceiling to floor. This is called the Portrait Hall.

Visitors enjoying the Portrait Hall.

Other side of the Portrait Hall.

 One of the antique collections that caught my eye.

 The Green Dining Room.

This is the view when we exited the palace. When I took this photo, we were on our way to the pick up point since we lost sight of our tour group.

 This is the Amber Room, and this is the room that caught my interest the most. I think that most people who visit Catherine's Palace yearn to walk into this room; I did. When the palace was raided by Nazis, they took all the amber from this room and took them to Germany. This room is a product of careful reconstruction and since they're still searching for more amber, some portions of this room are still uncovered. Photography is not allowed, so I scanned this from the my St. Petersburg Guide Book.

A closer look at the amber. (Source: St. Petersburg Guide Book)

Wedding Ideas

Brought to you by your friends at www.vponsale.com.

I would prefer my wedding to be simple and intimate. I think that having the people closest to me on my wedding day is the most important of all. I'd like this to be a day of celebration of love and not about lavish spending. In my opinion, a wedding is a celebration of two people and the people who will guide them and support them through their married life. In terms of wedding invitations, I really love the delicate rose wedding invitations at vponsale.com. I think it's simple but very classic especially that I love roses. If you're looking into great, quality wedding invitations right now, check out this site. They have so many designs you can choose from, and it's easy to shop here because each item comes with a photo and an in-depth product description.

This site is totally about weddings and to make your wedding planning a lot easier. Take a look at their beautiful but cheap bridesmaid dresses. It's so easy to find the right size for you. All you have to do is fill up their online order form and put in your size of vital statistics. I think that's easy and convenient.  I adore their offerings on wedding dresses too. I really enjoyed watching their sample wedding dress video. Check them out when you have the chance.

Tsarskoye Selo: The Grand Hall

Catherine's Palace is huge. Without a tour guide, I could probably get lost in its beautiful rooms. 

Room after room, I found myself mesmerized with either the gold gilding or the antique collections they have displayed, each telling their stories, where they've been and how they found their way to the palace. Even the palace whispers her stories through its walls, its elegant draperies, its gilded candlesticks and its parquet floors. One story that caught my attention is how much of this palace is a result of present day restoration. The palace was bombed during the Nazi occupation therefore leaving most of the palace in ruins. Restoration experts have to build this palace from historical photos and paintings in order to restore it to its former glory and to get it to its grandeur today.

 Do remember that Russia came under Nazi invasion and at that time, a lot of the palace was bombed and destroyed. These two Cherubins are originals while the rest of the Grand Hall was restored by carefully looking at the photos and paintings from the archives.

 Gold and mirrors at the Grand Hall.

 The amazing Grand Hall. The floor is covered with wood parquet. If you've noticed, visitors must wear booties to protect the floor.

 Details of the gilded wall decorations.

An upward view of the room's intricate designs.

Booties to protect the palace's flooring.

Non-stop photography.

End of the Dining Hall and entering another grand room.