Orlando Citrus Parade Route

Are you excited for the New Year? I bet you are busy organizing a family party to welcome the year of the dragon, right? Well here in Orlando, most people are busy volunteering to create beautiful citrus floats for the Orlando Citrus Parade which will be held on December 31, 2011. The map below is the route based from cfnews13.Take note of the following roads which will be closed:

Orange Ave. from Colonial Drive to Anderson St.
Anderson St. from Orange Ave. To Rosalind Ave.
Robinson St. from Summerlin Ave. to Rosalind Ave.
Amelia St. from Magnolia St. to Garland Ave.
Livingston St. from State Lane to Magnolia St.

According to the news, there will be detour signs and it will be posted to guide the motorists. There will be a busy traffic in getting off of State Road 408 into downtown Orlando as the Rosalind Avenue exit ramp will be closed, detour to Mills Avenue. The I-4 exits to downtown Orlando will also be busy so; delays on the interstate is expected.

The Orlando Citrus Parade will start at 11:00 A.M. Parking space is hard to find if you go there late so; come early to find a good spot. The last time, we park was near the city hall so; we had to walk all the way to Lake Eola. Hubby and I are excited for tomorrow's event. We will see you all tomorrow. Have fun Floridians!

The Week Before Christmas

We were supposed to visit New York for Christmas but, the schedule changed when the catastrophe struck Cagayan de Oro, my home city in the Philippines. It happened on Dec.16, 2011 when people were asleep and raging flood waters struck the houses and everything on it's path. It is the worst calamity in six decades and the incident left thousands of families homeless. I mourn with our friends who lost their daughters, sons, uncles, parents, grandchildren and nieces. It was a week before Christmas and the tragedy happened where Christmas trees with full of gifts are all set for the celebration.

Basically, most of the residents in my city Volunteer and assists the needs of the flood victims. People like us who lives halfway around the globe are busy packing relief goods to send to the people of CDO. We also send cash donations to various organizations and most of all sent directly to the family who are victims. I for one forgets Christmas Eve but, the spirit of gift giving is very much alive. We attended the mass on Christmas Eve and gave the kayak paddles to our friend who is a sports minded but, we refuse to attend the party. We went home and I talk to my family and relatives who are flood victims who are staying with my mom in CDO. My Christmas is complete and happy because they are all safe. My thoughts are for my friends who suffered a tremendous loss of this tragic event caused by Storm Washi (Bagyong Sendong). May God bless their hearts.

Attention ABS CBN Re: Relief Operation to CDO

I hope this incident will never happen again. The ABS-CBN network together with Kris Aquino (& the group) visited Cagayan de Oro City to provide Relief Operation in Consolacion and Balulang areas. The result of the visit is negative and it created a big discussion in Facebook groups because the victims were not treated accordingly. Below is an opinion posted in Facebook Wall:
Ang sa akin lang po, sana naman ibinahagi ang tulong para sa mga biktima ng tama. The flood victims were cold, hungry and thirsty for water. They waited for hours but, hindi nabigyan lahat kasi umalis na kayo pagkatapos ng video footage. Feeling nang mga biktima ginawa silang props para may maibalita kayo. Tama ba yun na umalis kayo at hindi nyo naibigay ang tulong na intended for them? Okay lang sana kung naubusan kayo, kaso marami pa pero di ninyo ibinigay. Sana hindi nyo nalang ipinakita sa kanila kasi torture yan eh. Here's another observation from a volunteer:

RE-POST: Actual report by Volunteer =Tess:

"last dec. 19 @ 2pm more or less my son with other abs cbn volunteers reported for duty.. when the truck abs cbn streamer was full of relief goods already, the team was instructed to proceed to Balulang evac. center to download and be ready for distribution the goods in the truck. while on their way to balulang, a call from the base instructed them to stop and wait for kris aquino and party. so the team waited for for these people. @ 6pm, a call from the base advised them to proceed instead to Brgy. Consolacion since Kris and party was there already. Imagine 3 hrs naghulat mga volunteers only to be instructed to go to Consolacion instead. Nag yawyaw na volunteers ngano ing ana pamaagi ( and my son even said in a loud manner " kang Kris ba diay ning mga relief goods? but the wala choice man but to heed to the instructions given...unsay pagtuo nila sa mga volunteers mga robot nga bahalag abtan midnight hulat2x ok lang di na kailangan foods to sustain them from doing the tasks? again, the team proceeded to Consolacion. sobra kaayo jud ka heavy ang traffic so hinay jud ang dagan sa truck....dawbe kay ang mga tao didto gutom na jud kaayo kay halos man pangbirahon na ang mga sinako relief goods but no instructions given yet if i distribute ang goods. ila na lang gi explainan volunteers ra sila and have to wait for further instructions..ga singgit na sila" unsa man na bay inyo ra na paibog. para unsa ra man na nga gidala dala dili ihatag?"gutom na daw sila kaayo. kinsa sad kaha wala nagutom sa nahitabo. hadlok na kaayo ang volunteers basin musaka na ang mga tao then sakwaton mga sinako nga goods.wala sad sila gipakuyugan ug volunteer-soldier or police for security reasons unta.. after a while, there came vans in convoy. Kris and party naman diay muagi with arrogant PSG men shouting "tabi kayo..saan ba mga pulis dito. sus nakurat tawon ang team nga mulakaway naman diay kris and party why pa man paadto pa sila didto? minutes after, a call from the base instructed them to leave Consolacion and head for Balulang again. OMG, ang relief goods gipalaway lang jud diay...upon reaching Balulang around 9pm more or less gisunodsunud jud tawon ang truck sa mga victims..wala lang gihapon instruction if i download na relief goods sa evac center. gihikap na pud sa mga evacuees ang sako2xng goods..they are shouting na nga manghatag na kay gutom na kaayo. wa man jud sila instruction as in pa lamo2x na lang sila di mamansin. kay nakita man lagi nila ang atreamer abs cbn relief ops. ug wala man sila balebaleha..nisinggit sila "aha naman inyong presidente?" Among Binay gkan na dinhi...nadawat nasad dayon sila call from the base instructing them to go back to base..grabe ila kauoy sa mga tao nga grabe pa trauma gidaladala then wla pa tagda ila pangamuyo tagaan sila. wal choice ang team but to go back to base but ni sekreto sila open sako then secretly hand in goods sa malabyan nila pero ila sad sinyasan "psst ayaw saba sa uban". hadlok man sila basin kalit mangdasuk mga tao..maapsan baya sila kay traffic pud hinay dagan sa truck.. mao na ila ordeal murag mas na trauma sila sa mga actuations sa network kay kita nila mismo ang mga situations sa mga areas affected nga ila naadtuan unya nag location-hopping lang man diay sila. ako na siya pa stop volunteer sa network and instead get involved thru NGO's or schools or any parish."

I hope we learn a lesson in this scenario. People trust their money to your network with the hope that you will deliver accordingly. You gathered millions of donations sana man lang naipamahagi ito ng tama. God bless to all the donors and thank you for your compassion.

Affordable Eyewear at Zenni

If you are planning to buy a new pair of eye wear, Zenni Optical has hundreds of design stocks for you this holiday. You can buy frames which are suited for the holiday. The eye wear featured below costs for less than $30 and I prefer this style because my cousin has lavender shoes which she wanted to wear for a Christmas party. The design is unique and the price is affordable plus, any eyeglasses from ZenniOptical.com come with anti-scratch coating, full UV protection and has protective case and a micro fiber cleaning cloth. A good savings for me and all products at Zenni Optical are in good quality so, I am confident that my cousin would love my gift for her. Please visit the Website today and check it out. All the eyeglasses in this company are made with modern materials and they manufacture their own products. Compared to other companies, their products are affordable because they do not have retail overhead. All their products are sold directly to the customers therefore, their prices are very affordable. If you are looking for fashionable and stylish prescription eyeglasses, check out Zenni Optical today. Zenni Optical has high quality products and very durable thus giving you extra family savings. Visit the Website today and purchase the eye wear that your family needs. If you want an eye wear which is safety and comfortable to wear, buy it at Zenni.

There Is Hope Cagayan de Oro City

December 16, 2011 is the day Tropical Storm Sendong hit the Philippines. For almost a week, I can't console myself to do other things but, stay on FB for updates, doing some charity work and watch the videos in YouTube. Most of us probably sent our help but we know it is not enough. The impact of this calamity is huge because we mourn with them for the loss of their children, husband, father, mother, cousin and neighbors. It is heartbreaking to see the coastal area of my beloved city covered with mud, deformed and houses washed away from the raging flood waters. Since Day 1, my family was doing the best we can to make our 10 relatives feel at home to ease a little bit of their traumatic experiences. They live with my mom in a safe place in CDO. All of us do not worry of what's tomorrow may bring. What we worry right now is the other families that we know who have no place to go but stay in Evacuation Areas. Most of the victims who survived were now homeless. But, we can only do so much. For a start, I give up most of my clothes in the closet to distribute to some of the family victims. My relatives are victims but, they decided to help by bringing gallons of drinking waters to their neighborhood. Most of the people that I know are doing the same thing which is really heartwarming.But, it is very depressing to see photos like these knowing that there were houses stood there before and now, it's gone. As of today, the death toll in Cagayan de Oro alone reaches a thousand and rising because there are hundreds of people who are missing.We mourn today but, with the help you extend, we have high hopes that CDO will restore its beauty. Thank you for all your help and for responding to our desperate call. From the bottom of the hearts of the Cagayanons, SALAMAT JUD SA TANAN NGA MITABANG.

(All photos were snagged from naderev sano's FB)

Read this story: GOD BLESS CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY

Rent A Home in Calgary

About a year ago, I met a friend who lives in Calgary, Alberta. He is a good man in fact; he is well loved by his family. The only set back is that his mom does not allow him to live too far from her. His relatives thought he is a "Mama's boy" because he lives with his mom and he lives down the basement. He does not care about what others think about him because he is happy and he take care his mom. Their family has a business and he takes care of their Calgary apartments for rent.He is so proud of what he does and he is happy.

He loves Calgary and he wanted to stay there for the rest of his lives. Though the weather is known to be extreme, he is so proud that Calgary is among the sunniest in Canada. Anyway, are you planning to live in Calgary? If you are looking to rent a home in Calgary Alberta, check out RentCalgary.com today. Visit the Website and find the location that you intended to live. You can find so many available properties at reasonable price. If you click the link above, finding a home to rent in Calgary is so easy. Check it out now.

Never Move

Content by Kyle Lowe:

I thought my kids would NEVER move out of the house. I’m all for them saving money and making sure they’re stable and everything before they go but you know, at the end of the day it was really frustrating that they were in their mid-twenties and they still lived at home and expected me to do their laundry, cook their dinner and all the other mom things I had done for too long. They were adults and I needed to start treating them that way so I told them to find an apartment together! They’re girls so I told them I’d pay for the security system salt lake city service so I’d feel better about them living on their own and to my surprise they took the offer. Now they’re living near school and they’ve got part time jobs – can you imagine why in the world I haven’t done this sooner? I’m thankful to have the house back and I know my kids are glad they’re out on their own at last.

Give the LG DoublePlay

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of LG DoublePlay™ for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I am a T-Mobile subscriber for four years now and I like my unlimited plan for text messages. I stay online in all my messenger apps as well as in my social network activities. I stay connected to all my friends and relatives back home so; it is very important that my phone has all the features that I need. How about you? Share your texting and messaging habit below this post and I will be happy to read it. Have you heard about the LG DoublePlay™ which is an exclusive gadget offered by T-Mobile. The LG DoublePlay is a touch-screen and the ultimate phone for heavy users who are active in social networking and multi tasking. It features a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard, the screen is a good size because the display is 3.5-inch. It features Android 2.3 and accessing to Android Market is so easy. Check out this item today and you will definitely discover the difference of how you interact with your social network activities. This phone also comes with a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash with excellent video recorder too. If you want to check your emails or surf the Web, there is no problem with that. Get the LG DoublePlay phone today!

Good Deal at Victoria Secret

When I talk about good deal, here is one which is really amazing but, you need to hurry up because free shipping on all items are only good for today. Victoria secret has free perfume if you order an item in sleepwear. Click sleepwear and order an item. For me, I was looking for the cheapest item and CAMI cost $12.99. Add it in your cart, when you check out type VSFREE (for free shipping), PERFUME (for a free perfume) on the code box and if you have a secret reward card, you add it too on the card box. You will end up paying less than $4. Good deal right? Thanks to a fellow blogger LULU from Alabama for the heads up on this deal.This is the item that you will get which is worth for $35 more or less. As for me, I ordered this sleeveless for $12.99. Still not bad because it is free shipping and I have a secret reward. I end up paying less than $16 for the three items. I have to give the perfumes to my mom and the tops are for me.

If you can't get this deal today, do not despair because every week, they have the deals that are hard to resist. Do not forget to share your blessings this Christmas.

Join the Pimp My Cube Contest

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Contest Factory. All opinions are 100% mine.

When you leave your home for work, you are expecting a nice and organized office to report to every single day right? Actually, it is your second home because you are spending most of your waking moment at the office. To have a cozy, clean and beautiful office is nice to have because you can work better if you are happy with your workplace. But, what about if you have the opposite? Are you tired of your nasty and messy cubicle? Check out the video below:

Are you ready to share your compelling story?  All you have to do is join the Pimp My Cube Contest today. It is so easy to join plus, you will have the chance to win the grand prize and your cube will be pimped! Go ahead and upload a video of your workspace. If you have the worst workspace, you have the better chances of winning and Contest Factory will come to your office and pimp your cube. So, download your video now and, you must invite your friends and family to vote for it. For more information about this contest, just visit the link above. This contest is open  from December 5, 2011 up to January 31, 2012.

Best Online Coupons

Have you done shopping yet? OMG! You are in the rush for this week right? Do not despair because you can still get good gift-able items with the Best Online Coupons Website. Visit the links here and you will enjoy the product which if you order by December 20 to 21, it will arrive for Christmas. It is not too late if you shop today. If you want to give a basket of chocolates, you can visit 1.800baskets. Upon checkout use the code SANTA10 and you will get 10% discount on any item. How about wines? The swankmartini.com offers free shipping on all orders. That is a huge savings right there.

Just click the links here and you will find the online stores that can deliver your gift on time for Christmas. Check out the Christmas Shipping Deadlines 2011 now. Do you love to shop at Amazon? If you are looking for amazing deals and bargains, Amazon has watches, designer beauty products and other items that you can buy. If you order by December 20, Apple products will arrive for Christmas using standard shipping. Did you include the Apple gadget on your wishlist? If you want to give a gadget, check out the Apple Store Coupons first.

Icy Santa and Countdown Santa

What's up everyone? After the busy blogging days, lazy days took over and now, tasks are piled up high towards the ceiling. Gezzz! I must focus on my blogs for few hours and back to the real world. How's your shopping spree? Have you completed your buying list yet? Well, I hope you did! No time for procrastination now coz we have 13 days before Christmas. WoW!I saw these beautiful Santa display in KOHL'S with a price tag at $43. There's no way that I will spend for that amount because I do not need a Santa decor but, when I went back yesterday, this was priced at $17 plus I have a $10 off coupon. So, I only bough the two items for $24. For me, it's a good deal. I think I began to appreciate it more when I have these decors in the house. I might collect some more each time I saw a good deal.I just bought two for this year and I chose Icy Santa wearing a white coat ready for the winter season. The second is Countdown Santa who is wearing the traditional suit. He is wearing a list with stuffs ready for delivery. They look so cute. Hubby loves the Christmas Village decors and I think I will continue collecting the Santa for the next years to come. Merry Christmas everyone! Check out Kohl's.com, they have affordable prices if you use the coupons that they have.

For the Boys: Top 5 Best Toys for Christmas

The Spy Watch Video Watch - What's cool about this gadget is the amazing features: a time piece and at the same time, a working video camera with microphone. It has the ability to record the audio as well as the video and not only that, it also takes pictures. It has a playback feature using the 1.4 TFT screen, your child can view the pictures and the videos. Since there is a USB cable included, he can also transfer them to the computer. It can record a video with 20 minutes long and can save 2000 photos. It has on-board memory with a rechargeable battery and USB cable to charge from the computer. Order this item at Walmart for $49.97. Electronic Touch Chess Game - I have been teaching first graders for 12 years and I know that they have the capabilities to solve puzzles and chess game tops their favorite. This is very educational as it sharpens their level of analysis and application. It simply develops their cognitive domains. They can identify the characters and how it works then, they can predict the moves. They can analyze the moves as well and plan what's the best move to win the game. So; instead of buying the games that promotes destruction such as guns, why not give them this game? This is only $34.98 at Walmart.Razor A Kick Scooter- You should always think about safety when you buy toys for your kids. Bikes and Scooters are nice toys but, you have to be there when they play especially outside your house. If you live in a cul-de-sac or have a big backyard, you can watch them play. But, kids love adventure where they can use this in a big space. Spend time with them and let them enjoy this toy. You can buy this at Walmart for $29.97, good buy right? Disney Acoustic Guitar - If your kids love music then, give him a guitar. This is an on sale item at Walmart. For $18.88, you can have the savings to buy him other gadgets. Huffy Disney Toy Story 16" Boys' Bike - Okay, my bike is a Huffy brand and I just love it. I recommend this brand and because the customer reviews are positive, I might as well recommend this product. The design is classy and it's Buzz Lightyear, popular for the kids. For $49.97, this is a good deal! Note: All photos used in this post were snagged from Walmart.com. I am recommending these products because in the eyes of my nephews, these products are great! They love their gifts, what else can I say? Kids choice, price and quality matters the most! Buy it from Walmart because this store has the affordable price!

Internet Marketing Strategy

If you own a business and you want to target the clients and customers online, you need to work out the visibility of your Website. Of course, even if you have an excellent layout, you still need to advertise it. Internet Marketing is the fastest and easiest way to improve your site's visibility and soon you will acquire more visitors who are potential clients or customers. You need an expert to work out your SEO so that when online user search for the service you provide, your site will appear on the Internet searches and that's why Internet Marketing is very important.

If you think that the internet marketing strategy is simple, I will refute that! I have been blogging for three years now and the subject about link popularity, SEO, site ranking and more are not easy to understand. Well, some bloggers talk about this topic in social media platform and yet, only IT experts understood the flow about Internet marketing tactics. Some of us hire people who are knowledgeable about these stuffs. Yes, we do spend money so that our blog looks appealing to the readers. When we market our blogs, we will have more visitors and thus, we gain popularity. It holds true with business either micro or macro, your online business should have a working SEO. More visits to your online site means possible product sales and possible clients for your services. Your business is nothing when no one knows you exist in the Internet world!

I am participating in a blogger campaign by Bucks2Blog for an seo company and was compensated. However, the views and opinions are my own.

Family Insurance

We work hard to provide the needs of our love ones. We clothe them, provide the food on the table and give them shelter. We always protect them from harm as long as we are with them. But, how do we protect them when we are not with them? How do we secure the future of our family? We should provide them a plan such as Family Insurance that covers the basic needs. Visit AmericaLifeQuotes.com and check out the affordable coverage that you can afford to pay.

Our family deserves to have a secure future and when we are gone, Life Insurance will give them security. Purchase the Best Rates Life Insurance today to give your love ones the peace of mind. If you want to get the free Insurance Quotes, get it from America Quotes today. You can get the Cheap Life Insurance with good coverage. If you plan to have a good investment, get an insurance policy. It will cover medical expenses, funeral expenses, mortgage payments, and more. Insurance will definitely give them security and peace of mind when you are gone. If you have no insurance for the family, get it today. Click the links here and get a free quote!

UNO Chicago Grill at Wickham Road

It's 18 days before Christmas and I am excited! How are you everyone? The weather here in Orlando is NICE and I love it! How about you? Have you done your shopping yet? You better check your list now or else, you will have a panick buying on Christmas Eve, LOL! Anyway, yesterday we travelled 50 miles from Orlando. We went to Melbourne to visit the listing company of the townhouse that we are interested. Along the way, we saw this restaurant:We had lunch at UNO Chicago Grill which is located in 8260 North Wickham Road, Melbourne, FL 32940. Our server did a wonderful job and the manager tried to check on us if we enjoyed our meal. Of course we did! This restaurant is cozy and the ambiance is really great!We love the food and though I only ordered two plates of appetizers, it fills me up bigtime! I ordered Stuffed Mushrooms with portabello, shiitake, goat and romano cheeses. The appetizer that I enjoyed the most is the sauteed shrimp with white beans and breadsticks.

I would definitely recommend this restaurant and this location too.

The View of Nassau, Bahamas from the Cruise Terminal

Here's some of the pictures that I took while we were on board the Norwegian Sky Cruiseship. I just can't put down my camera because the view from the ship was truly beautiful. This is Nassau, Bahamas, the last island destination of our 4-days cruise to Bahamas. That is Atlantis, the big building shown in these pictures. The cruise terminal is very clean and the water is deep blue, no trash at all.We visited the Atlantis in the morning and came back to the ship at 3PM. Transportation access is only $4/person which is very affordable.
From the Atlantis, hubby and I decided to take the ferry and it's only $3/person. The ride was enjoyable and interesting. The water is really blue and clean. No sign of crude and trash in the water.I love this place. If I am rich, I will buy me a property here and stay half of the year just relaxing.Atlantis, the Paradise Island in Bahamas is a huge place complete with all the amenities one would ever wish for a great vacation. It is an expensive place too in fact, for Holiday dates, the cheapest room is $319/day. Whewww!

Ideal Neighborhood

We have two realtors working with us now. Both in two different locations. One realtor covers Brevard county and we already look at houses in Palm Bay area. It is about 75 m from Orlando. For two months, we had no luck. I told my husband that we will try a townhouse so that we will not have to do anything else. Look at the wide road and the landscaping of this place. Isn't it beautiful? We went to this location yesterday and I love the place. It is newly constructed (2007), poured concrete and the space is a good size. The home owners fee is very affordable and the neighborhood is very quiet. It is nearby the area of NASA facilities.This is the first townhouse that we bid and I am hoping that they will accept our offer. There is a short sale though so, it may take a long time to process. But, we are okay with that because we are not in a hurry to move. I already pack some of our things and I did not bother to unpack it. Anyway, this is an ideal neighborhood to live and I like it because it is nearby Orlando.