Today is the Queen's Day

This picture was taken last year.

The Netherlands biggest festival...Queen's Day is a national holiday in the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba since 1949 and is celebrated on April 30 (formerly August 31, the birthday of Queen Wilhelmina). Every Queen's Day, the queen will visit a place. Today, Queen Beatrix and the rest of the Royal Family will visit Zeeland.The day is celebrated with various festivities (also on the preceeding 'Koninginnenach') and a free market. It is a rummage sale. You can sell whatever you want.

It is now 9 a.m. Around 11 a.m. will go to the city to watch the activities on this day. I was able to convince my hubby that we will take a bus in going there because the parking lots this time are full. He may have difficulty in looking for a parking lot and that may lead to big irritation. So we will take a bus. It is only 5 minutes from the bus stop going to the center.
The weather is not cooperating. The sky is covered with dark clouds. Last night the rain poured. It was a pity for the people who started displaying their stuffs last night. They were allowed to display their stuffs starting 6 p.m. yesterday. Last year's Queen's Day was sunny. It was nice walking through the free market. I think today would be a bad day. I still hope that the sun will show his face this afternoon but the weather forecast today is mostly cloudy and around 11-17 degrees celsius. Thus we will just wait and see. I will take some pictures and will be posted in my other blog.

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I Met an Old Friend

Last Saturday I met an old friend of mine. I never met her since I came back here on August 2008. I know her pretty well. I even made her wedding invitation cards and attended her wedding ceremony and party. My daughter was one of the flower girls. The last time I visited her was on October 2004 when she was pregnant for her first child. We had a very good relationship before. Since we moved to my homeland, our communication was broken due to distance and time difference. She is now pregnant for her second child and expected to give birth on June. We met at the market. They were on their way to the optical clinic. They had an appointment with the optician for her son's new eyewear. I asked her, why not buy an eye wear online. There are so many optical stores online like  Zenni Optical. They have lots of choices of children's eye wear. I sent her the website address so that she can browse it. Next time if her son needs a new eye wear she can just order it online.
After a short conversation and changing telephone numbers I headed home. I was in a hurry in going home because I had to prepare our lunch. I was glad to meet her. Our friendship blooms again.

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WedNesDay GReeTinGs

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The Philippine Jeep

Jeep is already a part of the Filipino culture. People from all corners of the Philippines like students, teachers, pickpockets, construction workers etc. ride on jeeps.
The US military left this kind of transportation during the World War 11. From that military jeeps Filipino make some changes like painting it with bright colors and put some ornamentals. Jeeps are our means of transportation in the city and some remote areas. Jeep comes in different models like sarao, pasajero, and tamaraw and many more. There are 12 and 8 seats jeeps. You can only see jeeps in the Philippines. Filipinos manufacture jeeps but most of the jeep accessories are bought outside the country.

Some jeeps are overloaded especially when the jeeps transport products and people from remote areas to the city. The driver overloads the jeep because of the distance. He can make more money in a trip if he will overload it. You, as commuter, you do not have a choice if the driver overloads the jeep. It is very frightening riding on an overloaded jeep.
I had once an unforgettable experience riding on a jeep. It was around ten o'clock in the morning. I took a jeep going to the construction site where our house was constructed. It was not a rush hour anymore. There were only few passengers in the jeep. Two guys sat opposite me were very busy talking. A guy sat next to these two guys had cellphone in his pocket. These two guys were pickpockets. They played some game or tricks inside the jeep to divert passengers attention. One pickpocket talked to the prospect and the other tried to get the cellphone from his pocket. When the pickpocket had the cellphone, he jumped off while the jeep was running. The guy tried to run after the pickpocket but everybody told him not to do, since you cannot win against these people. Right after when the jeep had to stop to pick up a passenger the other pickpocket got off. It was the worst experience I ever had. So, beware when you ride on a jeep in the Philippines. Many unexpected events may happen.

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goOgLing about EngLish GRammAR

My English grammar is not that good. I live now in a country where they have their own language, Dutch language. My Dutch grammar is better than my English. Here in Europe, they use British English which I think the best English in the world. British and American English are different in some spellings, like the word "favorite and favourite". I like to hear someone speaks in British English, I like the pronunciation.
I speak Dutch everyday. I speak Bisaya to my family in the Philippines and Filipana friends here when they call me up. So, sometimes I am confused with my grammar especially the prepositions and conjunctions. Occasionally I look up the words on the internet to check how to use it. I immediately google the words which I do not know. It is sometimes difficult to compose an article. I think, the more I write the more my grammar will be better. I can compare to the English speaking countries where I think easier for them to write posts. Inspite of my difficulty in writing is still write to let my family and friends know our activities here in the Netherlands.

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Need a New Mailbox?

Do you need a decorative and quality wall mount mailbox for your home? There is a large selection of wall mount mailboxes to choose from and you may be confused which is the right mailbox for your house.
The house mailboxes of the street opposite us are all wall mounted. Our neighbor next door has also wall mounted mailbox. We are also planning to have wall mount mailbox. It is more convenient than the mailbox we have now. We have lots of mails, newspapers and advertisement papers. We actually do not have a mailbox. Our front door has a slit and the postman will just drop the mails in the slit. It is very irritating when I get inside my house, the posts are on the floor. I want to have a mailbox like this.

I found this Architectural Mailbox Antique brass wall mounted mailbox with Eternity Embossing at mailboxixchange.com. It is on sale today. The original price was $276.83 and now is $243.15. You save $33.68. Buy it today so that you can avail the free shipping cost. Isn't it great!
I will show this to my husband when he comes home this evening from work. If he does not like my choice, then we can look together the website and choose another design which we both like. I am sure that we can really choose the best which suits to our taste since they have lots of designs of wall mounted mailboxes.

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SatuRdaY gReeTingS

Just want to wish you a Happy Weekend!
The weather is fine. Today is between 15 and 21 degrees celsius. Everybody is outside sitting under the sun except me (behind my computer).
How's the weather in your country?

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ENTRECARD

I have just registered this blog at Entrecard. I really do not know what entrecard is. I have seen blogs with Entrecard logo so I want to try also what entrecard into my blog brings. I have read articles about Adgitize. To gain more points in Adgitize you must also participate in Entecard. That is what I did since I have just started Adgitize. I have to read more articles about these two companies. Learn more about them and what they can do to my blog.
Your valuable insights and suggestions are very welcome!

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MY New BLog HeaDeR

It is spring here. The flowers start to bloom. Green leaves cover the trees. I have been taking pictures. I took lots of pictures. The image of my header was taken a week ago. I keep on changing my header. I always like something new. Next week I will have another header. Here are some of my blog header collections.

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Annoying Insects

Have you seen bedbugs?

In my homeland, we have insects and see them everywhere like bugs, ants, bees, flies and many more. Maybe it is because of the weather. There is very hot. You cannot leave food on the table because of the ants and flies. Flies are very irritating and dirty. During dinner time hundreds of flies flying around seeking for a nice food to land. But still many people eat street food. It is very unhygienic.

Another insects are the bedbugs. Here are bed bug pictures.

Bedbugs are bloodsucking insects. They are normally active at night just before dawn, and are capable of feeding unnoticed on their hosts. They reach their host by walking, or sometimes climb the walls to the ceiling and drop down on feeling a heat wave. In the daytime, bedbugs hide in mattress seams and interiors, bed frames, nearby furniture, carpeting, baseboards, inner walls and tiny wood holes etc. Bedbugs are carried by human and animals.
I was once bitten by these insects. I visited a friend of mine to their house. They had this rattan furniture. We sat on it. When I was home I noticed a red spot and it was itchy. I began to scratch. I immediately changed my clothes and took a shower because there was a tendency that I carried them. I smeared some menthol cream just to relief the itchiness. Bedbugs are annoying. They are harmless but no one likes them just like the other insects.
What should you do if you are bitten by bedbugs?
How to get rid of them?

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AmeRsFooRT zOO

The Netherlands has many tourists spots like museum, zoo park, flower park, and many more.
AMersfoort Zoo is one of them. The zoo is 25 minutes drive from our house. We've been there many times. It is very nice for a day out. They also have playground where children can play after a long walk in the zoo. I am sure that this summer it will be very busy. There are also other tourist spots to visit.
Burgers' Zoo, Avifauna, Artis zoo, Apenheul, Zoo Parc Overloon

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Netherlanders are Avid Football Fans

Dutch people are avid football fan...very fanatic. Football is the Netherlands favorite game because it is the national sports. If you are Dutch then you know about football and that is why I know. When the Nederlands National football team plays in the World or Europe Cup, then Dutch people must not miss it. Everyone here is very fanatic. Some bars put big screen TV to invite customers to watch football in their bars. Some people will stay at home like us to watch the game. During the game the roads and streets are quiet, no traffic. Parks have few visitors since everybody is watching TV. It is a good time to shop since only few people go on shopping. But if you are an avid football fan then you will be watching TV or maybe in the stadium wearing orange t-shirts, costumes or anything that is orange since it is our national color. Sometimes they look crazy with their outfit but the more they look strange, the better. Nowadays they even spray their hair with orange color. See! How enthusiastic they are when their team plays!
Football, hockey and baseball are just few of the sports where people bet. Sport betting is very exciting. There are websites where you can get tricks, tips and latest news about sports betting. Some people do this for a hobby or to earn a living. 
Do you bet on sports?
Are you a sports fan?

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The Netherlands Sluice

My hubby took this picture last Saturday when we took a walk in the neighborhood. This sluice is near to our house. It is 10 minutes walk. We have lots of sluices here because Netherlands is below sea level. We are surrounded with water.

A sluice is a water channel that is controlled at its head by a gate. For example, a millrace is a sluice that channels water toward a water mill.
A sluice gate is traditionally a wooden or metal plate which slides in grooves in the sides of the channel. Sluice gates are commonly used to control water levels and flow rates in rivers and canals. They are also used in wastewater treatment plants and to recover minerals in mining.
We have lots of canals thus lots of bridges.

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AccoRding to the BLog AdverTiseRS

It nice to hear from the blog advertisers that they are satisfied with the ads or reviews I made. Some of the blog advertisers from SponsoredReviews were enthusiast with the reviews I wrote about their products. They give positve comments on the post I made. It encourages me to write more interesting reviews about their company  products and services they offer.  So far, I do not receive any negative comments from the advertisers.
How's your blogging experience?

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The Game I Used to Play

I remember when I was a kid, my family used to play card games like black jack, forty-one, mahjong and many more. We often play Forty One. Each player has four cards. Then the player tried to collect four cards of the same color and forms. Like this:

During weekend we are allowed to play cards. I love to play games. It stimulates your brain to think tactics, maneuver how to win the game. My father had a collection of 1-cent coins. He distributed them equally to the players. We betted using those coins. It was really exciting. We could play the whole afternoon. That was our way of relaxing. I still recall those moments.
Nowadays you can play alone. People just sit behind the computer and play online games like casinos, board games, etc. Life becomes easy. You do not need to go out to play your favorite game. You do not need to have playmates in front of you. You play against the computer or someone who is also online. Las Vegas USA casino, Golden Casino and Slots Village are just few of the online casino games which you can find at usacasinos.org. Visit their website and see their collection of online casino games.

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DaFFodiLs GroW EveRywhERe

It is spring here. The flowers begin to bloom. The leaves start coming out. The buds are starting to sprout. It is wonderful to see flowers everywhere. The trees start to show life. Tiny leaves are coming out. In the winter, they were spiritless as if they were dead. The daffodils are very attractive. Most colors are yellow and white. They grow everywhere, under the trees, along the road, besides the bridges and canals.

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Our Collection

What are your collections?
Do you collect something?
Whenever my sister-in-law and her husband go on vacation, they usually send us postcard. Last year, they went to France, the other year to Spain. They sent us postcard. Sometimes it is funny because we did not receive the postcard yet and they were already back from their vacation.
I have a folder where I keep all the cards like birthday, invitation, Christmas, greetings, postcards etc. I have now 4 folder full of cards. I just want to keep them. I also teach my kids to keep their cards and collect something. Annabel keeps her cards. When Annabel has a homework, like making collages, I get my folder and find cards which I can use. Last December I recycled some of the old Christmas cards. I have made 20 Christmas cards out of the old ones. I cut the old cards, put some Christmas glitters and letters. Being creative has an advantage. I do not need to buy new Christmas cards. Dutch people appreciate hand-made cards than expensive cards from the store.
Kevin collects stickers. He has a sticker book where he can paste the collected stickers. It is almost full. I have to buy a new sticker book for his collection. It is to train the kids how to keep something.
Do your kids collect something like stamps, coins, stickers etc.?

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dRoP, DuTcH candy

DROP is really a dutch candy. They said it's yummy but not my taste. For me, it tastes a little bit sweet and salty. I cannot explain the taste. They come in different tastes and forms. This is Netherlanders' favorite candy. There are some Dutch people who are addicted to this candy. There are 32 million kilos DROP eaten every year. For the past ten years Netherlands was the biggest manufacturer of DROPS in the European Union.
Want to try one?

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FunnY MondAy, STep Back, i know FiRsT-Aid

When a car skidded on wet pavement and struck a telephone pole, several bystanders ran over to help the driver. A woman was the first to reach the victim, but a man rushed in and pushed her aside. "Step aside, lady," he barked. "I've taken a course in first-aid!"

The woman watched for a few minutes, then tapped him on the shoulder. "Pardon me," she said. "But when you get to the part about calling a doctor, I'm right here."

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The Cheapest Tickets to the Top Events

NJ Nets plays tomorrow April 12, 2010 at 7:30 PM. You can watch them at IZOD Center. You can buy the IZOD CENTER TICKETS at acheapseat.com. But if you already have an appointment then you can go some other time.
Get a ticket for the concert of Rihanna on August 15, 2010 at 7:30 pm. Central Park Summerstage TICKETS are now ready for the concerts of Flaming Lips, the Black Keys, John Butler Trio and Hot Chip.
IZod Center, Central Park Summerstage and JOHN BEACH THEATRE TICKETS are now available at acheapseat.com. The company that is reliable with friendly and helpful brokers who extend multiply assistance to their clients. They provide information like show times and venues for sports such as baseball, hockey, soccer etc. and other activities. The only online ticket company that gives the lowest prices. As a result of good service and low prices many clients are coming back. You can purchase the tickets online or call them at 1-708-535-8682. Please visit their website for schedules, seats and tickets information.
Be first in the row and enjoy the show!

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Tulips and other flowers for your BLog Header

We went to Keukenhof three weeks ago when my sister was here. Here are some of the pictures:

If you can find some nice pictures of the flowers, feel free to copy them. Choose the pictures and make a blog header just what I did. The pictures are big enough and you can edit or resize to 970 pixels which is needed for the header. Let me know so that I can visit your blog.
If you have Microsoft Office Picture Manager then you can resize the picture to 970 pixels just like these:

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It is Time to Play

After a long day of work, you are eager to relax. Playing online casino is one way of relaxing. You do not need to go out to play casino. Just sit behind the computer and search online games then you will find lots of online games like Online Casino Spotlight. The best and the largest online casino. The most updated casino online game is here. Rushmore, cherry red and slot oasis casinos are the most recommendable online casinos. If you want to play Rushmore, you will get $888 free bonus. You can play immediately or you can download for free. Read the recent online news. This will give you some tips how to play casino. Online Casino Spotlight is the most popular in the world of casinos because of its reliability and record track. Vegas...in just one click.
So, choose your game and start playing.

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VRoLijK PaSen!

Vrolijk Pasen! = Happy Easter!

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