Archive for February 2008
New Home Bug
February 23, 2008
So the new home bug is still after me!
I know… this isn’t the best time to buy a new home if you also have a house that you need to sell in order to get buy that new home (hmmmm… that was a winded sentence 
Altho one needs to be pratical and just try to make the current house as beautiful as one can, one can still dream of owning a new home, one thinks (this one sounds so Bridget Jones, ha ha ha!)
But anyways, for those of you who don’t have to worry of having to sell an existing abode, this is definitely one of the better times to look for that dream castle. The real estate market is on the downscale (and may continue to be so for the next 2 more years, I’ve heard), and as long as you’ve got the credentials to show that you can afford to pay, then go ahead and pursue your dreams! In fact, the shopping part is one of the enjoyable parts of the house-buying routine – it is for me, at least. You get to see model homes, you drive around the neighborhoods of houses for sale, you get to go inside and look around some of them. And if you don’t want to go out, there’s always the real estate websites that will give you a tour of the houses with pictures and even vidoes of the inside and out. Why is this exciting for me? I’m a shop-a-holic and even window shopping excites me!
Some of you might want to do the house-shopping yourself, which is actually ok. Some of you might want to eliminate the hassle of going thru houses that you weren’t really interested in seeing had you known some other facts, and so would want to hire a relocation realtor, which is fine also. Either way, it’s really up to you.
But once you’ve found THE ONE, and the mortgage home loan has been finalized, all the papers have been signed, the hand-shaking ritual between you and the realtor (or former owner) has been done, it’s time to gear up and get ready to move to a new house. Now, this part, I’m not that excited about anymore. And I’m sure I’m not the only one who isn’t very enthusiastic about this.
It’s not only that you have to pack your stuff and put them in boxes and all that (think about all those plates, pots, pans, and pantry stock… NOW you know what I mean). You also have to get rid of things you don’t use anymore, go thru every nook and cranny of your house to make sure that you’ve got them all cleaned. Plus you have to clean up your current digs because if you don’t you either will a) have to give up a portion or all of your downpayment (if you currently rent a house or apartment) as payment to the landlord for cleaning up your unit(it’s in your contract) or b) the buyers of your house would have to discount that cleanup bill from the money they still owe you. And besides, you don’t want anyone to know really how much garbage (not to mention, what kind) you’ve accumulated all these years.
Another thing you have to be careful about picking are the movers. You can actually do the moving yourself – rent a moving van and ask friends and family to help you move. But if you don’t want to or you’ve got really huge stuff you need to move, then it’s time to go on the internet to look for movers and ask for mover quotes.
So once you’ve gotten your new house ready and you’ve finally settled in – the plates, pots and pans all neatly stacked up in the cupboards and cabinets, the bathroom thingies have all been kept away, the clothes have all been stored (hopefully in your new walk-in closet), then it’s time to relax and savor the aroma of a new chapter in your life 
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The Need To Exercise
February 18, 2008
I need to be more active.
Last Saturday, hubbie and I went to a Filipino party at Washington, DC with another couple friend. We had the time of our lives just dancing. There’s 3 things that Filipinos love doing – eating, dancing and singing. So it won’t be any wonder if you’d go to a fancy Filipino party and see all three activities in full swing – lots of good food, karaoke singing and ballroom dancing. We actually saw a few couples who were very good at ballroom dancing that I told hubbs maybe we should follow up on that thought we had a year ago of going to a few ballroom dancing classes. Thing is, I should look for an affordable dance school cause the ones I’ve seen so far are priced so steep. Do you know that there’s this school of thought out there saying that couples who dance together build a better relationship between them?
I had fun that Saturday night. Hubs and I were just enjoying ourselves dancing silly. Come to think of it, that was actually the first time we went out to a formal social event. It was something we both needed to refresh ourselves what with all the work and commuting and housework we always did. We vowed we’d have more of this kind of fun next time.
One thing I also miss is tennis. I used to take tennis lessons years ago. Altho I wasn’t really that good at it, admittedly, I could return a serve (but my backhand’s bad, ha ha ha). The only bad thing that time was that I had a heart problem that prevented me from running after the ball too much. Thus, I never got to pursue learning the game after one summer. (This was years before I had a heart surgery that now enables me to do marathons if I want to. ) You know what else I loved about the sport? The gear! The ladies’ tennis shoes, the tennis racquet I picked out and the cute tennis gear. Ok, so I’m going about this for the wrong reasons, but I’m a girl, so sue me ;P
Speaking of tennis shoes, there was a time during my college years that I got so crazy with tennis shoes. All the colors, all the popular brands. My favorites then were Nike’s and the popular K Swiss tennis shoes. Maaan, if you had K Swiss then, you had style. I think I had to prod my mom to buy me two pairs – and that was an enormous feat, if you know my mom. On and off the tennis courts, they were the “official shoes of summer” for the teens during my younger years.
Not only did I go crazy with the shoes. Since I had noone to borrow my tennis racquet from, I had to ask my mom to buy me one. It took me a long time to pick which one I liked and would be good for my size. And when I did, my mom still didn’t buy me one. Dismissing me by saying that we didn’t have the money for it. But later on that same month, my dad gave me one for summer. I can’t remember very well what brand they gave me. But I do remember that there was this one babolat racquet that made my mouth water that time. Well my tennis racquet was also cool and that was what I used the whole summer. I know that before I left for Canada that racket is still in my closet.
One of these days, I will go back to playing tennis. Maybe when the summer comes and the weather gets warmer, I’d be able to think about this again and be serious about my need to exercise
I’m A Donkey
February 15, 2008
They had the primaries here last Tuesday. I can’t vote yet, but hubs did. I guess with all the excitement sorrounding the presidential elections, he has that urge to be a part of history in the making. Which is really good. I would’ve done the same thing if I could.
We’re indeed living in interesting times. Whoever thought that an African American or a woman would run for president here in good ol’ USA? Not that I do n’t welcome any of it:
I came from a country who has had 2 women presidents already. – one, I’m proud of, and one, I wish would step down – like, YESTERDAY. But nonetheless, the idea of a woman running the country isn’t new to me anymore.
As for an African American president, I’ve always wanted to see the day when that might happen eversince I read this fictional novel about the first black president of the US when I was a teen-ager. Unfortunately, I couldn’t remember the title nor the author of the book. It would be absorbing to compare it with what’s happening right now.
What’s new to me tho is the rule that either Barack or Hilary would still need to garner enough number of pledged delegates in order to be declared the official presidential candidate for the democrats. And if neither gets the desired magic number, the “super delegates” would decide which one of them would run. I wonder why they had to have that rule?
But on the other side of the fence, I think McCain’s a shoo-in already for the Republican Party. I’ve read some opinions that he’s much more liberal for a Republican. But I guess that’s why I like him and am not opposed to having him as president should he win.
Nevermind that I can’t vote yet, but I think I consider myself a Democrat. There was this article in Time Magazine showing a comparison of where each party stands on important issues and going thru the article, it made me realize that I agree with the Democrat’s points of view more than the Republican’s.
I guess, I am a donkey.
But there’s this notion in the air that most immigrants have a Democrat leaning anyway – maybe because the Democrats have a more lenient policy with regards to immigration. *shrug* Don’t know who said it, I just heard that.
Also on that same issue, the cover story talked about young Americans who are now suddenly enthusiastic about voting. I guess, recent economic and political situations have convinced them that they need to make a stand. The article says that this upsurge hasn’t happened since 1972 and they’re pointing this change to Obama. He’s bringing in the young voters. As the article says, “For a group of voters with no memory of a time before Bushes and Clintons, Obama is a fresh face. His opponents promise to fight, but Obama promises healing. His is the language of possibility, which is the native tongue of the young.”
Altho I’m sure that not all of these young people are democrats, but they’re now out there, more actively exercising their right to make a difference. It symbolizes that they want to be part of the change, they want their voices heard.
Interesting and exciting times ahead. Makes you hopeful amidst the weakening economic conditions right now.
Keeping Your American Dream Well-maintained
February 8, 2008
I’ve told you about us wanting to get a house soon enough. I know having a place to call your own is part of the American Dream. It would always be a good feeling knowing that you have your own place. It makes you feel proud. Makes you feel very grown-up that, at last, you’re now a responsible adult and that someone trusted you enough to loan you a huge sum of money to own a piece of that dream. J And because of that sense of pride, you always make sure that the house you now own is in tip-top shape, clean and presentable. That’s what a responsible homeowner does.
You also don’t want to ignore the bits and pieces of problems in the house because they might turn into something bigger – and consequently, more expensive to repair. And when you get to have your own home, that’s when you realize that house repairs aren’t cheap either.
I once had a friend who almost had a heart attack when he found out how much a plumber charges to fix a small (or what he thinks is just small) problem in his kitchen sink. And I have to agree with him, these people do charge an arm and a leg for their services. And I think that’s why it’s always recommended to have a home warranty – just like American Home Sheild.
It’s companies like them who would be able to make home repairs a little bit easier to take.
Think about it. If you’ve invested a lot on your home, you don’t want to leave anything to chance with your home repairs.
In My Little Garden
February 7, 2008
Hubbie is a gardening addict. He finds solace in tilling the soil, planting his vegetables and seeing his plants grow. I don’t have a green thumb. I can only help him water his “babies”, and harvest the produce.
But I’ve always enjoyed these small activities. I get excited with seeing the buds of new fruits or new flowers coming out. Spring would always be meaningful for me because the mornings always greet me with a view of daffodils and tulips in the garden. The first signs of life after the few months of the cold winter. Hubby always told me that the daffodils mean a lot to him – it will always be a remembrance that even in the bleakest and coldest of the winters in his life, spring will always come, giving him a promise of new hopes, a new life. And that’s why I have started to love the daffodils, also. It began to symbolize this new life with a husband I will love and be with for the rest of my life – despite the fact that we‘ve met late in our lives.
Later on during the summer, I would see lilies, dahlias, clematises, violets, pansies sprouting all around the house. I get excited when I see tomatoes, bitter melons, string beans, squashes coming out. I already plan on what to cook with the bounties from the garden.
Even way up to the end of fall, we would still have a lot of gifts coming from my husband’s garden. The fall flowers and vegetables continue to give our garden color until the first flakes of snow come.
And I know that when we do move to a new house soon, I would make sure we would still have a sizeable garden for my husband to continue with his hobby.
Altho it isn’t really a breeze to tend a garden. You do need to know what kind of soil you have, which part of the day does the sun shine on your garden, how much sun you get – these are things you should consider when picking out the plants you want to take care of. You also have to know how much fertilizer to put in, on which plants to do it with and all other stuff. If you’re planning on having your own garden and don’t know how to get it going, there’s a lot of establishments that would be able to give you a headstart. There are services like Tru Green that can help you with that.
I suddenly realized… with the past entries I’ve been writing, I really do miss spring so much now…
Home Sweet Home
February 6, 2008
My husband and I have been planning to move to another house since last year.
We wanted to get a house in the Anne Arundel County – probably in the Crownsville area. Unfortunately, with the real estate market bubble burst we’ve put that dream on hold. We wouldn’t be able to get a good price with the house we’re living in right now so it would defeat the purpose of going to a new house.
Because of this, we’ve just decided to renovate the house we’re in right now so that we would be able to command a better price for it once the market normalizes.
Since the house we live in now was made in the 70s, there’s a lot of features in this 4-level split home that you wouldn’t find in new houses anymore. Firstly, there’s a really good hardwood floor underneath the carpet. We decided to take out the worn-out carpet in the living room to reveal a very beautiful wooden flooring. We also took out the old and ugly paint in the foyer, living room and kitchen and replaced it with a more sedated and neutral light mocha and eggshell-white. We’re planning on installing new base boards and crown mouldings also.
With the help of my husband’s brother and his wife, we’ve already renovated the laundry room – new vinyl tiles, new paint job and pretty soon, new washer and dryer. We’re also planning on setting up a spot in the laundry room where we can hang our delicate clothes that we didn‘t want to put in the dryer.
While we’re doing the laundry room, we’re also tiling our foyer and kitchen. At first, we were just planning on putting on new vinyl flooring. But when we visited Lowe’s, we found out that they were selling a simple but really classy ceramic tile design. We decided to install that on our kitchen and foyer .
Everything is still in the works, but it’s getting to be really promising once it’s done. I’m really excited. Once we’ve cleaned up and the construction dust has been cleaned out, I will be posting pictures to show you all what we’ve labored on for almost a year now.
I know, I know… you’re probably wondering if we’ve also considered the “internal health” of the house. Of course! We’re planning on putting on new mouldings around the window to lessen the consumption of heat in the winter and coolnees in the summer. Plus we’re also checking the water tanks and checking for termites and all other parasites. Just in case, we do find some critters in the house, we know the only weapon against them would be “Terminix”. People have told me that they really work good.
So the real ultimate goal underneath all these is that we’re making sure that the house will be in very good condition once the market gets back to normal and we’d be able to command a good price for the house – something meaty we could put in for the next house we will live in.
How Many More Days Till Spring?
February 2, 2008
How I long for spring.
Not because this winter has been cold. As a matter of fact, this is really mild compared to my winters in Canada. Which also bothers me because this mild winter would mean a drier summer for Maryland. And a dry summer would mean not too much water in the reservoirs, right?
But yeah, despite this very tame winter, I really, really wish it is spring already. I miss the happy mood, the promise of growth and newness and life. I miss the tulips. I wish we can soon go back to the Sherwood Gardens in Guilford to see all the wonderful tulips in their garden. I miss taking pictures of them.
Maybe I should just cross my fingers, close my eyes and wish that Spring would soon be here.
Blogging and Some Things Related
February 1, 2008
It has amazed me, one time I was counting, that I’ve been hanging around the internet for about 10 years now. In fact, I met my first very serious relationship over the internet. He actually taught me a lot of things about the internet, Photoshop and websites. Altho we didn’t end up together and I know the main reason is because that relationship was just the bridge for me to meet up with a schoolmate from 25 years ago who eventually became my husband – my ultimate relationship of all.
Ok… where was I? Oh yeah, the internet. Since I could consider myself quite a veteran already, some people have asked me about webhostings and putting up their own sites. In fact, I’d helped quite a few people putting up their own websites in the past. I guided them through getting their own domain name (that thing that comes after the “www” thing) and getting their own hosts. For the domain name, I usually point them to one of the most popular websites for that because they’ve gotten really dirt cheap. For the server, I point them to my own domain – Hostgator.
I’ve had some problems with other hostings before and they’ve really gotten expensive then. But when you compare features point by point Hostgator actually gave you more bang for the buck. And actually, more than the features and the inexpensive plans, it’s their customer service that has always made me stay with them. Whatever problem I had, it was really easy to get a hold of them and they’d be able to troubleshoot really fast. That, for me, is very important. I wouldn’t want a cheap host but get really annoyed and irritated when I talk with them (much like when you want to get a hold with a customer support person from your phone service and you get this voice-activated system that’s really so annoying!)
For now, I have about 26 bloggers on my Pansitan.net domain, with about 2 to 3 more coming up soon. And honestly, I have not had any problems with my maintenance with them as far as hosting them is concerned. Most of them hosting their blogs on WordPress, too.
