Thinking about renovating your home on 2017? If one of your projects involve building a fence within your property, below are 6 important questions to ask fence contractors before hiring them to work on your project. Note that every contractor will try and make you think they are best one available for the job, but there are a few you want to avoid.  Try and local local online reviews before making any final decisions. So it's better to keep these important points in mind. 

1. Are You Licensed and Insured?

A quality contractor will be licensed, insured and carry workman's compensation in case a worker gets hurt during any stage of the job. You do not want to be held financially responsible by being the landowner if someone gets hurt. Ask that they show you proof so you will have peace of mind.

General guesses and rough estimates given verbally are not what you need when it comes to getting a quote for a fence. An experienced fencing contractor will know how much material is needed and how many hours of labor the project will take. They should be able to provide a written estimate that comes close to the final tally. Ask them to get with you before making any changes so you are not caught unaware of a price discrepancy when the job is complete.

3. How Long Will the Project Take?

4. Is There an Installation or Product Warranty?

5. Will You Provide References?

A good fence contractor will be happy to share the references of other satisfied customers. It is best to keep looking for another contractor if they hesitate or seem to have excuses to not share that type of information. 

Wrought iron, chain link and vinyl fencing will be the easiest to maintain. Wood privacy fencing will need to be painted or stained to finish and protect it from weather. Make sure you have the contractor give you the details needed to care for the fence and extend the life of the material.

Contact fencing experts like renovationexperts.com today and start the process of finding the perfect contractor. You will have the fencing you need and desire right away.

This portable sewing machine I bought online few years ago has been stored in one of our cabinets for quite sometime. I think the last time I used it was 2 years ago when my office mates and I DIY'd our beaver costume for our group presentation. 

Two weeks ago, the Children's Choir coordinator told Thea that her choir uniform is already too short for her, thus need to be repaired.  Instead of having it repaired by a seamstress, I decided to do it myself. I used my sewing machine in repairing the hemline of Thea's uniform. 

I am inspired by the success of my mini project that I want to engage in another one this upcoming holidays. I've been meaning to change the cushion of our wooden sofa. After few searches, I found this No-Sew Cushion on Pinterest. 

The step-by-step guide will be found in the Old House to New Home blog. I am excited for this project! 

My past week has been heavy, and today, while browsing my Gmail inbox I came across an unread message from one of the blogs I am subscribed to. The article is about the practice of continual letting go when you are overwhelmed - which is written by Leo Babauta of Zen Habits. 

In the midst of busyness and overwhelming situation, the author shared that he remembered the practice  of continual letting. How did he do that. As a Zen practice, continual letting need not be stressful. When we realize, don't know, the author shared that:

Now, I am asking myself. Should have I read this article way way back and perfected the art of letting go, the problem I am facing now may not happen or could have happened but with lesser impact to me and the other party. I really don't know...but I will keep these things in mind so that future conflicts will be avoided. 

Here is the link to the original article:  https://zenhabits.net/continual/ 

In the first part of this Travel Diaries episode, I talked about the workshop I attended during my first solo trip abroad. This time, please allow me to share my experiences as I toured around the City of Bangkok all by myself. I took the chance to see some of the most-visited attractions in the City during my free time, the day before my flight back home.  It was an amazing experience and I learned so much from this trip.

I stayed at the Nouvo City Hotel for 4 days.  I am so happy about my choice. I am very satisfied with the services and amenities of Nouvo City Hotel PLUS it is located not only near to the conference venue but also to a number of Bangkok City's attractions. Nouvo City Hotel is a boutique hotel in old City Bangkok (known as Banglamphu) near Khao San Road.

I left Manila (NAIA) last November 29 at 2:50pm and arrived in Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Thailand's main international airport at 5:45pm.  I stayed at the airport for about an hour upon arrival for few reasons - currency exchange, phone charging, and just sat down at the airport lobby getting the hang of the Thailand atmosphere hehe .  I arrived at the hotel past 7 in the evening.

my room...

After a jamp-packed schedule on the first day, I went to Sathorn Road to attend Worship Services at the Iglesia Ni Cristo place of worship.  I walked for a while and grabbed something to eat for dinner in of the street food stalls along the way. I rode a taxi going back to my hotel.

selfie before reviewing introductory notes early in the morning - Day 1 of the workshop

ready, set...

...go! first breakfast at the hotel's Canal Restaurant - stir-fried noodles, chicken sausages, egg, rice

Day 2 breakfast - cinnamon bread, salad and fruits. I also had tomato soup and buttered toast.

----

One-Day Bangkok City Tour 

Now, lemme show you some bits and pieces of what happened during my one-day city tour. On December 2, I woke up early, dress up in my most comfortable outfit, and ate breakfast at the hotel. Armed with a small map from the hotel, I went to the first destination - The Grand Palace. Unfortunately. the Palace was closed at that time for mourners and tourists for a merit-making ceremony to mark the 50th day of the passing of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej 

a peak of the Grand Palace

Next in my itinerary was Wat Pho, also known at the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. It is located right behind the Grand Palace.  Entrance fee was 100 THB with free bottle water :)

PART 1 OF 2 

I went to Bangkok last week to participate in a two-day workshop at the UN Conference Center.  This is one of the greatest opportunities as far as my career in the government is concerned.  The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) sponsored my round-trip airfare, other travel fees, and daily subsistence allowance (DSA).  I was one of the seven (7) representatives from the Philippines.  Other participants came from the cities of Muntinlupa, Sta. Rosa (Laguna), and Naga. 

The Workshop on the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Asian and Pacific Cities was conducted on November 30 to December 1, 2016.  The workshop which gathered government officials and other representatives from various cities across the region, highlighted dialogues for collaborative action and knowledge sharing towards a localized implementation of the 2030 agenda.

The Urban SDG Knowledge Platform, a web-based online platform with the aim to promote and support regional knowledge sharing and cooperation for sustainable development, was officially launched during the Workshop. 

Event Photos:

Delegates from the Philippines

Panelists during the Special Lunch Event for Workshop participants - "From Planning to Practice: Urban Nexus as a means of Implementing the 2030 Agenda" 

Thank you, City Government of Makati, and UN ESCAP for this amazing experience.  I found the workshop helpful in carrying out my duties and responsibilities as an employee. By the way, I had the chance to visit some of Bangkok most-visited sites the day before my flight. More of that in a separate blog post. 

Achieving financial freedom is everyone's dream but for some (including yours truly) it entails a long and challenging journey.  I've been working full-time for more than 16 years, yet still struggling to build a reliable savings fund. As a government employee, I am entitled social security benefits - insurance, retirement and other work-related benefits, through GSIS or Government Service Insurance System. But that is not enough, right? I am also concerned with my family's future. We have to save up for the kids' college education. 

But, here we are, trying to make both ends meet. When the husband and I had a mutual decision to take a pause from being an OFW family, we are prepared to experience slight adjustment in terms of lower combined income in comparison with those times he is working overseas. As we're leaning towards the end of this year, daily life becomes more and more challenging. Our only consolation is that we don't have to deal with homesickness anymore. 

A couple of days ago, I came across this article from iMoney.ph which talks about how to stop living paycheck to paycheck. Very timely... It offers a surefire solution to build a so-called "buffer" - to set aside one month's worth of paycheck. "If you're one month ahead, you'll never have to juggle bills or worry about making ends meet", according to the author. BILLS! That's one of our major concern, it eats a big chunk in our monthly budget. 

Below is the step-by-step guide to build a buffer:

What are the advantages of having a buffer fund? Here are my takeaways from the article.

You can budget better.

You won't have to worry if you'll be able to pay your bills on time.  Good bye Notice of Disconnection from utility companies.

You're prepared for the unexpected. Lessen the stress in case paychecks come in late, or emergencies happen. 

I will diligently follow these doable tips in 2017.  Also, I will continuously look for additional source of income to help build a buffer and reliable savings fund as well.

How about you, do you any tips to share?

Link to the original article

Finally! I already paid my annual fee for renewal of wengzaballa.com domain. Today is the deadline, and I made it. Feeling accomplished, eh! 

Next on my to-do list is to revamp the blog layout. And, I want to learn Photoshop or its open-source counterpart which is GIMP. Good luck to me, hehehe. 

I am happy with what's happening to my blog now. It has more updated content than before. Hope to maintain consistency in publishing articles. 

Stay happy! 

After a melodramatic post, let's move forward and create positive vibes. Birthday is one of the most anticipated events in our lives, right?  So, this time let me share what happened during our simple birthday bash for my unico hijo Yohan last November 4.☺

Since, we are loving Shakey's Pizza, we dined out together with Nanay and Joie at Shakey's Lourdes, Sta. Mesa branch. We instantly fell in love with the place. Aside from its proximity from our house, the staff are friendly and courteous. They also have a small area wherein kids get to play in arcade games.  Yohan and Thea really enjoyed there.

Let me also take this opportunity to thank my family, relatives, and friends who took extra mile and greeted Yohan on his special day. Here's some of the photos shared by his aunts, uncles and cousins via Facebook with matching heartwarming messages.

with Ate Celyn

with Ate Yolyn

a photo collage made by Tita Elna

another collage, from Ka Leo

I was the one of shared this throwback photo, day 2 at the hospital, six years ago

Belated Happy Birthday, Yohan! Mama loves you to the moon and back! 

Inasmuch that I want to keep my blog's positive tone, please let me pour my heartaches this time. 

Being responsible individuals is one of the things my husband and I would like to instill in our children. However, we are already have a tween.  Our daughter is sometimes tenacious and clumsy.  Lost notebooks and other school things is a frequent issue. She has the tendency to be impatient when watching TV or playing with her younger brother. 

We are strict when it come to following rules and fulfilling their duties as a student. And, Thea, being a member of our Church's Children's Choir, should always prioritize choir performances and practices. 

This morning, I lost my temper.  I talked to her about a water bottle she left in their classroom.  Others may think it is only petty. But the important thing her is, she should be responsible with her things.  To cut the long story short, she talked back, and walked out on me (padabog na naglakad palayo sa akin, in Tagalog terms). That's when I totally lost my temper. She's grounded. No school for today. I want her to realize that it is right to act that way when we, her parents are reminding her about the proper way to handle things. 

She called me in the office and said sorry. 

I hate it when I get mad with my children, but I am not a perfect mom.  I will not get tired of teaching them life lessons and will try my very best in positive parenting department. 

Do you, guys agree with this quote?

This post is inspired by a famous quote by Milton Berle which says "If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door." We should not only wait for opportunities to come, we should go and create them for ourselves.  

Participation in training and seminar, either local or international, is a great opportunity to  gain additional knowledge and skills which can be applied in our respective jobs and even personal lives. For more than one and a half decade as an employee, I've been through a lot of training from various government institutions and agencies.  However, an international training seems to be an elusive dream, hahaha... There were many factors in the past that caused the delay in the realization of that dream.  

This morning, a good news landed my email inbox :)... I will be participating in an international workshop soon. The topic is really important though the "work" will not end in sharing inputs during the workshop, it will entail a long-term commitment on the part of the organization that I will be representing - my beloved City Government of Makati. Will share the details as soon as I have my tickets with me. 

Wish me all the luck, guys! 

The Temple of Leah which is located in Busay, Cebu City is gaining popularity as one of the most visited places in the City.  The seven-storey mansion turned museum sits on top of a mountain.  This huge structure of Roman architecture is built by Teodorico Adarna in 2012. The temple symbolizes his undying love for his late wife Leah V. Albino - Adarna. By the way, he is the granfather of actress Ellen Adarna.

Since it was drizzling during our visit, we were not able to go around museum. Nevertheless, we had the chance to take quite a number of Instagram-worthy photos. Yes, you read it right! Temple of Leah is perfect for photo shoots.

Thea in front of  a nine-foot statue dedicated to Leah V. Albino-Adarna. The marker indicates the Leah was a Matron Queen of her Alma Mater University of Southern Philippines. 

More selfies :) 

Yohan , Cebu as the backdrop :)