I am quite familiar with vehicle reimbursement programs. The company I have worked for for five years offered it to its top-level employees – managers, trainers, and executives. Their programs is actually a merit (reward) and tenure benefit. Once you reach a certain tenure in the company (for us it was only 7 years since our industry, the BPO industry, has a high fall-out and pirate rate) and if at that tenure, you have been appraised outstanding by your manager (next level person you report to) with two promotions or three step-level promotion, you are entitled to a car.

Now the car model will be up to you. They have different budgets for different levels of employees. You can give them the car model, they will buy it for you (they sometimes have preferred models) or you take the cash, get a loan to add to the lump sum you got, and buy one. All the lump sum needs to be paid back by tenure of service again. If you stay at the company for 10 years, the car (money) is yours. If you decide to take it out your pay to be safe, the car allowance allotted to your salary will cover that.

We got the best HR Benefits Department I tell you.

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Another year, another chance to live life to the fullest.

And well, for others, another year to shop, go with the trends and be a fashionista.

I’m no trend follower and definitely not even a trend setter but I love reading the fashion forecasts every beginning of a new year. Fearless forecasts include the emergence of masculine styles for women (think military jackets) and fluid dresses, drapes and ruffles. The safari trend is making a comeback as well. With the recent outcome of the US presidential elections, the favorite red-white-blue combo will take over store racks. And for me, personally, the pink color craze not waning is good news – I LOVE PINK! Accessories will still be a very much basic need from bangles, earrings to watches.

Watch Straps will go funky this year. It will always be advisable to invest on a universally recognizable brand with a classic design, but if you use a watch as an accessory, why not go for some watch that can change straps? You can get a brand new watch just by changing its straps.

You get the same classic timepiece with a boost in style with these nice watch straps. One can never go wrong with a watch in hand, but you need to remember you also can do it in style!

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1. What is a nickname a former (or present) lover gave you?
Thart

2. How do you style your hair? If you just would say "cut" what style is it?
My hair now is a long bob. It is now at an awkward stage so I usually tie it up high.

3. What’s your least favorite Christmas song?
None

4. How many colors are you wearing now?
Three – aqua blue, yellow & black

5. Are you an introvert or extrovert?
In the middle
.
6. What was the last book you read?
Remember When? by Judith McNaught

7. What’s one piece of fiction that changed your life?
Judith McNaught’s Paradise.

8. If you are attracted to someone who is already in a relationship (or married), what might do you do?
Stay away.

9. Is there anything that has made you unhappy recently?
Yes. Some feelings of being unappreciated.

10. What’s your favorite dessert?
Cake & Chocolate!

(more…)

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I hope the new year has been good for you. Not too much of excesses – food, drinks and merriment – I hope? Or else you are either suffering from a worse hangover and a sick stomach like me. Ever since I got married, we have been celebrating with my husband’s side of the family every New Year and they have the reputation to really party (and drink) hard.

A good family friend has gone to New York for Christmas and New Year’s Eve. She has stayed with a relative of ours and have gone to Times Square for the good ole’ Countdown to New Year’s gig. She was amazed with all the lights and fireworks, since it was her first in New York.

She will be staying there for a good two more weeks before coming home and even now, she has been raving about the Newark Airport Car Service at the JFK Airport. Apparently, it is managed by the GO Airlink Shuttle  and they offer affordable, on time and safe ground transportation services throughout New York City and the surrounding suburbs. They will be availing of their services again once they schedule their tour of New York City.

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A friend of mine recently made the switch to study nursing. He is a dentist by profession and has his own clinic too. He has been practicing for 10 years when he realized our country is going nowhere – and that his colleagues are in the US or UK, and are nurses! Can you imagine how he got the shock of his life? So now, he is a student again. It really isnt much of an adjustment, academically, since nursing books also over biology and basically, the human body. The one who supports him is his mother who is Australia. So when he is finished, they will be migrating to that country.

They got all his books from Borders and the law books for his younger sister as well. He still maintains his clinic for his family’s expenses and goes to classes at night. Since that virtually leaves no room for the gym for him anymore, he got fitness and diet books to improve his diet. He is not getting any younger and he needs to stay fit for the clinical internship.

They all get their books from Borders as they are guaranteed of the newest editions of books – this is a must for academic books. His mom is avid supporter of the bookstore

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My friend has been trying hard to conceive for the past year. She just got married last January and she is frustrated that up until now, she hasnt gotten pregnant yet – I told her to enjoy the first year without the baby with her husband. Things really change when you have a kid and they should spend their time bonding and getting to know each other.

It’s not that they aren’t getting any younger. She is the same age as me and is considered on her fertile years. I guess she really just wants to have a baby. They even bought a basal temperature kit to know which days are her fertile days. I told her to maximize tools which can be found online for free. Like the ovulation calendar at Gurgle.com. All you need to do is enter your last period and for how many days it lasted and it will try to predict your ovulation and fertile period for the next twelve months. And if you actually check the box for alerts, they can send you a reminder by e-mail when you are ovulating!

The website has a running contest until December 31st for a chance to win a year’s worth of supply of Comfort Pure fabric conditioner, you might want to join!

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That’s what our status is, health-wise. Generally, we have been spared with the flu virus going around. Many of my blogger friends’ kids have had it even my blogger friends as well. I’m doing a reverse quarantine of my kids (and myself) that we have not been going out even to my parents’ place which is a 5 minute walk from our place. Afternoons have been foggy, soggy (with the rain) and cold so I avoid going out.  A visit to their doctors are still on my to-do list before Christmas starts though. The problem is I dont want to have them go to Manila because I am so sure they will get sick.

Anyhow, we have received news that an aunt finally have been issued a visa and she is flying to the US by March of next year! She hasnt travelled outside the country in her whole 65 years of life! She is one of the Executive Bosses in one of the premium hospitals in the government and she is retiring next month. So she is going to treat herself out to a vacation. She will be going to the west coast first and then going to the east coast. I have an aunt who lives in Philly and Im sure she will take her to NY. It’s just a boat ride away. She is also reading about everything about tours and have read about New York Bus Charters and how it will work handy with touring NY. She deserves the break - Im sure she will have fun!

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I have never been someone who loved playing cards. The most I can do with is play solitaire. Solitaire is the only game I don’t suck at with cards So when we had our advanced Christmas party-get-together with my online friends and their families, their suggestion of having the dads play poker sat well with me. I thought maybe I can now learn to play poker. One of the fathers brought his poker card game set and even a poker table. Unfortunately though, they wasnt able to play because most of use were busy with the kids and the place was jampacked with toys it was so hard to get around. It was a good thing the poker table was light and had foldable legs.

Poker Tables are usually bought from American Gaming Supply (like the table we had during that night). They have the widest selection of tables and 90% always has stocks for it. They have an extensive offering of poker chips and game sets too so that’s an added bonus. With free shipping, who would shop somewhere else?

Now, back to my story, did I learn how to play poker? Sadly no. I didnt even see the poker card sets. But there is a promise that the next get-together we will really have the daddies play together so us mommies can actually bond together. Here’s hoping I can learn by then.

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I have been having serious bouts of insomnia or sleeplessness lately. It was cured about a week ago but the sad news was my daughter who is just 3 had it! She would sleep at awful times – 3AM until 12NN then I will try to keep her awake until 10PM but by 7PM she would be all sleepy already :(. I tried keeping her active or going out when the naptime starts but she would just throw tantrums. I know it’s bad for her, she lost weight already but Im just really clueless on how to reverse her body clock. Any suggestions?

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Back when I was working, I worked for an outsourcing company for five years. The job paid really well, and I lasted five years serving American clients. (I did a good job I suppose because before I resigned, I got promoted). Back then, around 2003, outsourcing services boomed because the US economy started dropping and businesses were looking for ways to keep their services at a cheaper maintenance costing. Before, customer service is the only one being outsourced but due to the good performance and rave reviews of clients, it has extended to technical support even IT support for overseas clients. There is even one huge company who maintains most of the big companies’ IT system. If you are in a business, IT support is very crucial and can even help you run it better. If you would prefer to keep things small since having your own IT department would mean costly equipment (and space), you can consider getting outsourcing. NY IT services from iCorps have been getting a lot of rave reviews from their clients.

I must say that outsourcing maybe a bit risky but I would strongly recommend you go for it most especially if it’s going to be cheaper for you at the moment and you NEED support.

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