Lifelock
It scares me to know that identity theft is so rampant here in the US. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) estimates that each year, 9 million Americans have their identities stolen. Come to think of it, I know someone whose identity has been stolen!
It’s good to know, however, than something can be done to protect a person’s identity. The industry leader in identity theft protection happens to be Lifelock. For only $10 a month, they guarantee the protection of one’s identity and personal information. That is a reasonable price to pay as it is tedious, not to mention troublesome, to get one’s personal records and information in order after an identity theft.
Ahhh, the crimes of our time. Tsk tsk tsk.
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Sea Salt
I have something to confess. I haven’t used patis (fish sauce) in months! Surprise! Surprise! This will only come as a surprise to fellow Asians (Filipinos specially), I guess. And to think the first thing I wanted to know when I got to Austin was where to buy patis. We have a supply of the sauce and hubby still uses it for dipping/seasoning but for cooking, this has been my trusty companion…
…sea salt. It was my Mom who introduced me to sea salt and I’m not about to convert you to become a sea salt user. Hee hee! :) Sea salt is supposed to be a healthier alternative because unlike table/iodized salt, it hasn’t been stripped of minerals.
Here’s an excerpt from an article I found on Bella Online.
Ordinary table salt has been stripped of its companion elements and contains additives. In studies, table salt has been linked to hypertension and other heart or blood illness. Table salt also gives many people the feeling of being bloated.
Natural sea salt is a healthy replacement for ordinary table salt on the market; it contains about 80 mineral elements that the body needs. Sea salt has nutrients and minerals that help your body preserve the blood cells. Overall, sea salts are better for you. If you haven’t tried it, switch salts for a week and you will see a difference.
From the many articles I’ve read on sea salt and iodized, they all seem to say that the two taste generally the same and only differ in texture. In my personal experience with cooking using sea salt, I find sea salt to be less salty than iodized salt.
Want to give it a try? Why not, right? Opting for the healthier choice is good…and a little pricier, too. If you do buy sea salt and find that it is not to your liking, you can always use it for bathing. Hee hee hee. 
*This is hot a sponsored post! :D*
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Sunset Malibu
We got a surprise call from J, a long time family friend. He’s currently staying in Houston with his sister and her family. Unfortunately, he didn’t come to the US for a vacation. His youngest brother, T, is with him and J and his siter are currently going through a list of drug treatment centers hoping they can find the one that suits T well. A place that values privacy and comfrot and one that can actually be a home away from home. I know they’ll find the right one soon enough.
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I4VEGAS
Our recent house guests, dear relatives vacationing from the Philippines, came from a 5-day Vegas get-away before making their stop with us here in Austin. They had a glorious time in Vegas and since it’s been 5 years since hubby and I were there last, we thought we should really push through with our planned reunion with friends in the city. There are so many beautiful hotels in Las Vegas and I really hope we could snag a great deal on-line.
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White Chip Brownies
As I mentioned in my Wordless Wednesday post, it’s Teacher’s Appreciation Week from 05 to 09 May. In Abby’s school, the kids bring a little something for their teachers everyday, that fall under a certain theme. Monday was “Made on Monday” so the kids brought something that they themselves made. Abby brought a painting for each of her 2 teachers. Yesterday, it was “Tuesday Treats”. Instead of buying something from a store, I made my own treats. I started at around 8pm. By that time, I was already regretting not having bought from a store. Hahaha.
I got my Hershey’s Classic Recipes cookbook out and weighed my options. I naturally chose something easy…White Chip Brownies.
Here’s the recipe as taken from the cookbook…
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup (Hershey’s) cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 2/3 cups (10 oz. package) (Herhsey’s Premier) White Chips
1. Heat oven to 350degF. Grease 13×9x2-inch baking pan.
2. Beat eggs in large bowl until foamy; gradually beat in sugar. Add butter and vanilla; beat until blended. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking power and salt; add to egg mixture, beating until blended. Stir in white chips. Spread batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake 25-30 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan or wire rack. Cut into squares.
Makes about 36 brownies.
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Contract Furniture Company
I got a call yesterday from a college classmate of mine, Liz, who is now working for an architectural firm in LA. Back in college, we used to team up for design projects and I’m so happy that she seems to have found her place in the world of architecture. Anyway, she wanted to share with me the good news that she’s been tasked to head the interior decorating team for their firm’s restaurant project. In the same breath, she asked me if I knew of furniture companies. I kind of found it funny that Ms. LA Bigtime (how I teasingly call my friend) is asking me, Mrs. Texas SAHMMY (stay-at-home-mommy). Well, once an architect, always an architect. 
I told her to check out the website of Contract Furniture Company. Better yet, I suggested she visit the Los Angeles showroom. They have a New York showroom too, with showrooms in other locations under development. The company stands for quality, value and style and has a wide range of indoor and outdoor furniture including wrought iron food court seating, Europen style dining chairs, table tops, bar stools, and so much more, that come in a variety of materials: wood, rattan, metal, resin, etc. And they pride themselves for competetively priced furniture pieces.
Liz was very pleased with the info she was able to fish out of me. I told her if she needed more help, she can always fly me to LA at her expense. ;)
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To-Do List
Abby, Gracie and Meeya tagged me for this meme.
Here’s my list.
1. Go to the supermarket to buy “pantry and fridge replenishments”. Hee hee.
2. Take the clean dishes out of the dishwasher.
3. Clear the sink of dirty dishes.
4. Clean the stove and microwave.
5. Fold the (supermarket) shopping bags that have been piling up!
Whew! And believe me, this list ought to be longer. Hee hee! 
Busy people: 1.) my chopsuey 2.) mind bubbles 3.) vanity kit 4.) somethingpurple 5.) a detour 5.) women xplore 6.) princes bela 7.) our journey to life 8.) my planet purple 9.) 100% Kelly 10.) A Reality Bite 11.) juls random thoughts 12.) meeya’s memes and finds13.) Cafe Munchkin 14.) Mapped Memories 15.) Munchkin Mommy 14.) You
I’m tagging Teacher Julie, Jen and Kerslyn. 
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