This is a late post. I have been going out with some friends over the past Fridays to weekends. Malling, dinner and some shopping, I got so broke. ;-)  I almost wanted to pull payday! But as Alanis Morisette said, 

I'm broke but I'm happy. 
I'm poor but I'm kind. 
I'm short but I'm healthy yeah! 
I'm high but I'm grounded. 
I'm sane but I'm overwhelmed. 
I'm lost but I'm hopeful
And when it all comes down to 
Is that everything's gonna be fine fine fine
I've got one hand in my pocket 
And the other one is giving a high five

There are a lot of interpretations made for this song. But for me, its message is simple, we can all be happy even with the absence of material things. Our friends and family are the real determinants of our happiness.

Here are pictures of some of my friends and family members who never fail to make me happy. 
Abigail and Clara

Clara and the Shopaholic me!
 We all ordered the same meals from Burger King. (weight gain!)
Over the weekends, I went out with my family. Remember my niece in my previous post? We brought her to the mall as her birthday treat.
We bought her a toy and ate at her favorite KFC.
Nope, Alexia doesn't have a twin sister! ;-) It was just the mirror inside the fitting room.

My country was celebrating its independence day last Sunday too. Allow me to pay honor to my country by showcasing some of our locally made products.
Since the Philippines is an archipelago, surrounded by seas and oceans, pearls are one of the best products we are producing. We culture fresh sea water pearls to the priciest South Sea pearls.

My country is also producing fabrics made from Piña (pineapple) leaves. The fibers of the Piña leaves are carefully extracted and converted to threads. The threads are later on weaved to form these beautiful Pina clothes.

Some miniature items

The item in the left mimics the traditional Filipino ice cream cart. The cart circulates in the residential streets by a man we termed as the Mamang Sorbetero (literally translated as the ice cream man). I grew up in a place regularly routed by the Mamang Sorbetero. My cousins and I would patiently wait for Mamang Sorbetero every morning and enjoy the ice cream while watching local morning cartoons.

The other item depicts a Pedicab (a bike with a mounted sidecar that accommodates the passenger) is a common form of public transportation.

Tomorrow will be Friday and I still don't know if I will find myself going out with a friend. My wish is that I will be able to prevent myself shopping. Seriously!

It's 12:10 am here in the Philippines, I'm still awake and have to report for work tomorrow or I mean later. I accepted a freelance research job and I want to finish everything tonight. Hopefully, I'll earn enough money to fatten my savings account, treat my family to a fancy meal over the weekends and no more shopping please. ;-)