10 Things February

This month, I am starting a new series called "10 Things" in which I will be listing articles, blog posts or any site I find helpful, entertaining or anything that caught my fancy.

Since I am into improving my blog’s stats and eventually earning potentials, majority in the list for this month is about blogging.

1. Etsy

This is the Etsy shop where I got my current blog template. I love that all the features listed in the sales page are fully functional. The purchase comes with complete documentation and if the help provided by the document is not enough, you can always contact the developer. The support is impressive, unlike the other developer whom I got the other template from.

2. What is the Value of a Blog

I find this post enlightening and reminds me to never settle for anything less.

3. How I Make Money Blogging

In this post, Meg (the blogger) mentioned a few sites where one can find sponsored partnerships, ads and affiliate marketing.

4. Five Things Bloggers Should Never Do

As the title implies… this is a great reminder for bloggers so they will be able to improve their online presence (and manners!). 

5. How I Started Making $10,000/month My First Year Blogging

I know I may never earn as much as she does but even just 1/10 of it is enough for me. LOL!

6. 5 Reasons I didn’t Read your Blog Post

Number one reason is sooo me. The rest, I can relate too!

Priorities and Decisions

Starting a family, particularly bearing a child, is a very important decision to make. You cannot just randomly decide that you want to settle down and bear a child right away. You have to consider lots of things, commitment and finances among others. In addition to love, family life needs a strong commitment from you and your partner for it is what holds the relationship together. Love is more likely to jump out of the window when one of you is not committed to make it work. Yes, it is also likely to jump out of the window when hunger knocks the door. LOL!

Kidding aside, you (if you are a regular reader) are probably already aware that this year is a BIG one for my little family since I and my husband will be welcoming our little bundle of joy in two months time. Since the time we learned about this pregnancy, there were lots of decisions made - the doctor to handle me, hospital to give birth to, foods and even the places we go to. Everything we plan to do, we always think twice. We always think of the consequences if we do this or we do that. Will it be good for the baby? Can it cause problems to my pregnancy? Should we buy this baby stuff even if there is a cheaper alternative?

With a baby coming, we really need to set our priorities straight (not that we haven’t set any priority pre-pregnancy) to ensure that we are able to give him the care and attention he deserves. Right now, I am in the middle, rather, towards the end of making an important decision that will greatly affect our lives. Before married life, it could have been a hard decision to make but with this bulging tummy, the pros definitely outweigh the cons now. I still can’t divulge now what I am trying to say or what the decision is about since it hasn’t happened yet but I will when the right time comes.

Korean Restaurants in Iloilo

Earlier this week, I, my husband and some friends enjoyed a Korean buffet dinner in one of the many Korean restaurants in the city. The day after that, pictures of a friend eating in another Korean restaurant appeared in my Facebook timeline. I then thought of other Korean restaurants I have been to before as well as the ones I haven’t been to. I realized that, indeed, the city has a lot to offer for this nationality when it comes to food destinations. Hence, the idea to list down these Korean restaurants is born.

Here, I am sharing this information not just for the Koreans by blood, but also Koreans by heart as well as those who just want to have their kimchi and galbi cravings satisfied.

Kang Byeon Riverside Restaurant

This is the first Korean restaurant I’ve been to. It is located in Times Square Building across University of San Agustin. I love the ambiance of this restaurant as it is located along the Iloilo River, as the name implies. From the glass window, you can see the growing mangroves on the other side of the river bank, the Jalandoni bridge and of course, the river itself.

While I like this restaurant in terms of location and ambiance, I cannot say much about the food because we didn’t actually ordered Korean food. We ordered Japanese food in a Korean restaurant. LOL! Yeah we’re weird like that. I was craving for sushi that time thus explains it. But I think their food is okay based on the people coming to eat.

Don Galbi Restaurant

This is the second Korean restaurant in the city I’ve been to. It is located in Ledesco Village in La Paz, which for me is quite inconvenient to visit. But then, it is just beside the Korean salon a friend is raving about so one can just simply hop next door to have his or her Korean fix after having the mane fixed.

I love the setting of this resto for it is very Korean starting from leaving the footwear at the door to using Korean tables (table with short legs) with the customers sitting on the floor.  I love their galbi and they do not scrimp when it comes to side dishes. Service is fast too!

Hancook

This is the third and recent Korean restaurant I’ve been to. It is located in Doña Aurora Subdivision near University of San Agustin. The area is small and can accommodate I think only around 25 to 30 people at a time. Also, since the area is small, they have few manpower too. I think there is only one or two servers thus the delay in delivering foods especially when they are running a promo like the Php 249 buffet we recently availed.

Valentine's Day Gift Ideas for Pregnant Women

Love is not measured by material things alone. There can be so many ways to show a woman how much you love her aside from showering her with material gifts. More often, a woman would be content with attention and time spent with them but at some point, giving them something tangible is in order. Consider, for example, a pregnant woman who is having a hard time with her pregnancy. The mood swings and physical changes can affect every pregnant woman so why not do something to at least alleviate the negative effects they are feeling?

Since Valentine’s Day is just a few days away, give that woman in your life with something they’d be thankful for. Here are some gift ideas for your pregnant wife, sister or friend...

Pregnancy Pillow

Aside from fluctuating hormones, back pains and other discomforts make sleeping a struggle. And being pressured to get enough sleep for the sake of the baby makes it all frustrating. A lot of women suffering from pregnancy insomnia claim to find relief by using pregnancy pillows.

1. Leachco Back 'N Belly Contoured Body Pillow 
2. Leachco Snoogle Total Body Pillow   

Pregnancy Band/Belt

Pregnant belly can get heavy starting from the end of second trimester until giving birth. Thus sleeping and moving around can be very difficult. This problem can be remedied by pregnancy bands and belts such as below.

1. Bracoo Breathable Abdominal Binder & Maternity Back Support

2. AZMED Maternity Belt

12 Weeks To Go!

28 down, 12 more weeks to go! It’s amazing that my pregnancy has gotten this far without blunders and I couldn’t be more thankful for it. Now, my third and final trimester has started. I have started gathering the necessary baby stuff as early as 15 weeks of gestation but I have not started packing yet. My folks suggested that I should be ready by now though of course we want that I deliver full term.

Pants, onesie and bib set from our friends

Like any first timers, I can’t help but feel excited yet afraid at the same time. Afraid not of the pain caused by labor or birthing but afraid that something may go wrong - that I may not be able to do NSD or my baby will have to stay at the hospital longer or if I cannot breastfeed. Good thing, the husband has been so supportive and he keeps on motivating me that I can do it. Indeed, it is important to have a strong support system during pregnancy for it strengthens you physically and emotionally.

Corn Muffin Recipe

Corn muffin has become one of my favorite baked goodies ever since I first tasted it at a restaurant many many years ago. But I don’t remember my folks making it at home because of the scarcity of the ingredients particularly the cornmeal. Thankfully, Iloilo has been improving in terms of economy therefore giving ways for businesses to open including a few baking supply stores.

Cornmeal, and other baking ingredients and tools, can be bought at Chefs and Bakers located in Mandurriao, Iloilo. For less than Php 100, a pack can yield at least 100 pieces of medium-sized corn muffin.

Here's the dry ingredients.

Dry ingredients added into butter and sugar mixture.