With my blogging luck, I may bring home today the sweetest prize for the WiFi Testing Event here at the SM Marikina. So far, I only won an imation cd during the registration, I hope before the day ends, I’d be lugging around the Asus laptop, the grandest prize for this bloggers’ event sponsored by SM Mall.

You can still come and join the fun here at SM Marikina, all you need is a blog, a wifi-capable gadget, and the luck to be here before 5PM. The whole SM is now being roamed by bloggers who flocked the event and right now, I am live blogging here at Mister Donuts in front of the main entrance. The registration is stationed at the main entrance but the raffle drawing will be at the cyberzone area. After registering, you may pick a cafe or any part of the mall to check the free WiFi accessibilility through your wifi gadget — laptop, PSP, or cellular phone. Snacks are served at the cyberzone area courtesy of Mister Donuts.

What are you waiting for, meet fellow blogger and enjoy food, WiFi access, and raffle prizes here at SM Marikina now! See you!

At 32, I’ve realized that happiness is not anchored on health, career, on money, or on people. It is actually a little of everything plus the most important thing — appreciation of life’s blessings, no matter how small or sometimes, meaningless.

I’ve seen people with money but still fighting or putting down other people for more money. I won’t exactly call them happy, probably greedy or…. a little greedy. There are people however who are on top of their career — popular and prestigious — but hardly find time doing the things that would make them happy. What’s ironic is this, there are people on the verge of dying or with serious illnesses but learning and trying to enjoy their life while they can but there are also healthy people who find no meaning in their life and does not appreciate that life itself is already a blessing.

At times, happiness is associated with love. Some people think that when you’re in-love, you’re probably happy. In truth, there are more pains you’re bound to experience when you’re in-love than when you are not. Others don’t even get past the stage of hurting while being in-love which at times can be destructive.

As part of my thanks to everyone who keep on tuning in to Marikenya.com, here is the listing of free training courses from different training centers under the city government of Marikina.

Center for Excellence, 2/F Marikina City Hall, Sta. Elena. Tel. No. 646-2360 to 71 loc. 228

I Call Center Training I Medical Transcription I Welding I 2D Animation I

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MCF Manpower House Livelihood Training and Productivity Center, along Kabayani Road, Balubad Phase II, Nangka (under Nangka High School). Tel. No. 467-2586

I Beauty Care I Food Processing I Welding I Dressmaking I Hotel and Restaurant Services I Massage Therapy I

The other week, our group conducted series of sessions on Career Planning and Job Skills Improvement for graduating students of a local college in our area. In one of the tests on career planning I have administered with the participants, there was a question asking them whether they prefer a work with frequent travels or with less or none at all. I was actually surprise that some of them answered they would prefer no traveling especially since most of them are single.

In my kind of work today, I am usually required traveling. It was difficult for me when Marcus was still a baby, I hated leaving him for days. I still remember my first out-of-town travel after I gave birth, I left my baby and my husband a long letter telling them how it was painful for me to not be with them at night. After some years though, my baby and I eventually got the hang of the nature of my work and I although I still get homesick being far away from them, I would admit I really enjoy traveling.

Got this from a Marikenya reader, Sheryl.

Congratulations on your blog! Its very helpful and informative. Its a great way to promote your city as well as to inspure other cities to pattern the innovations you have introduced. By the way, can you please help me out by sending me a listing of hotels and restaurants in marikina? What are the top restaurants and why has it become the choice? I’m looking forward your response. Thanks so much!

Thanks for your praises Sheryl. The like of you inspire me more on improving and updating this site amidst my hectic schedule. With regards to your question, there are only a number of hotels in this city but numerous restaurants to choose from. Known hotels are the Riverbend Hotel which is located at the Riverbanks Mall while the other one is the Marikina Hotel and is located at SSS Village, Concepcion Dos.

With regards to dining places, there are so many in Marikina. I have made an article on the most popular restaurant and eating places in the city. It actually depend on what you wanted to eat. You would see there listing of popular food choice in each resto.

How was your valentines day celebration? Even if some keep saying valentines day is commercialized, we still give some importance to this day. Why not, if it’s another day where we can show our partners and family how much they mean to us, I would surely take advantage of this opportunity.

My whole family spent our valentines morning at Marikina’s Pan de Americana, a lovely place my son really like, the whole place is a fun playground for him. He especially love their hanging bridge on top of the trees. We were lucky to be seated even though many couples and families chose to celebrate this day also at the Pan.

There are always two types of people on Valentines day. Those who are in-love and happy to celebrate this day for lovers with a big heart and those who are broken hearted or loveless and wishing this day would not come at all. Where do you belong?

My valentines day was celebrated early. My husband decided not to go with the flow, he thought it would be corny, as we’re almost 7-year-old married already, to celebrate hearts day on February 14. Needless to say, I was surprised since he’s not the thoughtful or sweet type at all.

Good news to people who wanted free medical treatment and medicines. The College of Nursing of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Marikina (PLMar) partnered with the City Government of Marikina for a Medical Mission for indigents of the city.

Anyone who needed medical attention to surgery should be at the Freedom Park in front of the Marikina City Hall on February 16, 2009, from 8AM to 5PM. Registration would be on the day of the event. Have a healthy February!

Have you noticed the boom of stores in the Philippines selling Japan Surplus automobiles, appliances, homewares, furnitures, and almost everything you can think of? I did. Every mall I visited have at least one store selling pieces from Japan and I bought a few times from these stores too, I even got my new, but cheap, laptop sleeves from such store at the Robinsons.

The other day, while looking for spring plungers, I noticed a new store located at the old Milan Flea Market in Nangka, Marikina. The shop replaced the old talipapa as well as the fruit and fried chicken stand in the area. It was a Japan Surplus Shop which really caught my attention because in front of the store, there were semi flat television sets, treadmills and bicycles for sale. When I entered the shop, I became more interested as they have cute collectibles, I bought a really cute CD holder which I never saw in any shop before and a cute pen holders with Japanese letters on it.

As I look around, my gaze fixated with the different dining tables and chairs and cabinets which price ranges from 6,000 to as high as 20,000+++. I fell in love with a wooden dining and a center table with design that fits a pricey condo. I asked the saleslady the price of a tower fan which I wanted for our sala and was happy to know I can have it for as low as 500 but she told me too that all electronics in the store run under 110volts and you would still need a transformer to power them to 220volts under our country’s standard. Such a waste, I was about to ask then about the treadmills.