How Do You Define Success?

My friend asked me:

Friend: Where do you work?
Jules: @___
Friend: Why not go abroad? You'll be successful there.
Jules: Ha?

It saddens me that people define success by how much money we earn and how much savings we have at the bank and how many cars we have or whatever. Success is relative and is defined differently by every individual.

I don't believe that we become "successful" by acquiring something; I think that we become successful by appreciating the effort that we do as part of achieving our goals because we know that we did our best and gave everything that we have and realize that we have touched other people's lives along the way.

Next time we assess if someone has achieved success, think about counting your hair strands. It probably ends when we finally made the final count.

To-Die-For Kitchen Designs

My mom and I are die-hard advocates of a better kitchen at home. We've been campaigning to have it renovated and install the custom kitchen design at a local furniture store. Mom and I agreed that we have to invest on things that we think we love even if it means spending a great deal of our existing savings.

I have a few kitchen design ideas right here and I am still on the decision stage as to what design I think will fit my current kitchen room setup. The designs I have in mind is something like the ones below minus the luxurious furniture (since I can't afford it LOL).


Mom thinks that she likes this better because its not-so contemporary and gives the house a cozy look while the one above is more festive in appearance (but is preferred by people at home). I'll leave it all to my parents anyway since they usually make the final decision anyway. Whatever design they choose, I'll be happy (smile).

Movie Tickets Giveaways for Stephenie Meyer's New Moon Movie

A few months had passed after I concluded my first Soloden Raffle Contest. Now, with the much anticipated New Moon movie, I once again want you to experience the movie for free! Yes, free, with SM Cinema movie passes! I am still thinking if sells movie passes for their cinemas but I have to check with them first. I also like their cinemas anyway.

Remember that this contest is only open for Philippine-based bloggers or social network users (Facebook, My Space, Multiply, Friendster, etc...) only since I don't have a way to send the movie tickets outside the Philippines :-p.

The qualifications are simple:

1. You must be residing in the Philippines during the raffle draw date.
2. You must own a blog or a member of any social networks (add me up though).
3. Leave a comment on this blog post with the following thoughts in mind (one entry per comment. Only one comment per day maximum):

• Why would you like to watch the movie?
• Who's your favorite character in New Moon?

Before the end of the month, I'll draw lots and pick three (3) lucky winners who will receive two (2) movie tickets each. I'll announce them on soloden.com and send the prizes via courier. Hope you guys will join the contest. Tell your friends to join as well. Stay tuned!

Business Opportunity for Italians with Herbalife

In the past, I've written about the health benefits of health supplements. I personally believe in the value of balanced diet and regular exercise although we cannot discount the usefulness and benefit people with special needs derive from food supplements.

Herbalife, a leader in weight management products encourages everybody to join their affiliate force in letting people know about their product can change life and help men and women achieve an ideal body weight and maintain an active lifestyle.

For those who wants to earn an extra bucks to support in the payment of utilities at home, you can take advantage of direct selling opportunities with the company. In Italy, its L'Opportunità Commerciale Herbalife. I encourage all Italian women to be part of this exciting business venture and have another source of income without leaving their jobs. Check it out for more information.

Income Tax for US Expats

Our city is home thousands of American expats. They're nice and friendly and they learned to live the Filipino way of life. But when most of them managed to live here, they still aren't safe from income tax.

Taking care of income tax for a US citizen living in a foreign country involves a lot of work. But there are companies in the US who works for Income Tax for US Expats. The ExpatCFO is one of the companies that are equipped with tools and resources to help you organize and protect your financial information and aggregate them all in one secure place online. You can check with one of their consultants today for more information.

I Want My Camera!

One of the gadgets I wish to buy this coming holiday is camera. I'm looking for a more powerful one so I think I'll consider DSLR camera. I have no particular brand in mind but my friends are telling me that the Canon EOS 1000D is best in terms of budget and picture quality for beginners.

Canon's Powershot is also a good buy but its almost the same price as the EOS. I think I'll get the DSLR where I could add up more lens later on and increase its zooming capability.

Have you planned on buying one for yourself this Christmas?

Chris Madden Comforters

The holidays are just around the corner and most parts of the world are now starting to feel the winter breeze. This means that nights can become a bit colder and you'll be needing a more insulating bedding to keep you warm during sleep.

Just last week, I had the chance to decide as to what comforter to buy for my friend who just came in from London. She had a lot to attend to so I promised to buy her a comforter while she's ironing some of her personal affairs.

I had to go online to search for comforter designs and brands. The Chris Madden Comforters are pretty good candidate for her queen size bed. They are relatively affordable and stylish. These comforters can be bought from SHOP.COM and are shipped anywhere in the US and other areas covered by the shipping terms. You don't have to buy them directly from the site as you will be directed to other sites where the item is originally being sold. They accept paypal payments. Paypal is the most convenient and safest way to shop these days.

If you're looking for investing on quality comforters, shop.com has the best collections.