Be Inspired!

I received this forwarded email from good friend and my kids Pediatrician Dr. JTS. I'm awed and inspired!

The Choice

by Max Lucado


IT’S QUIET. It’s early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming.


In a few moments the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met.

For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day’s demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary , I’m free to choose. And so I choose.

I choose love . . .
No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.

I choose joy . . .
I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical . . . the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I choose peace . . .
I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I choose patience . . .
I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I’ll invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I choose kindness . . .
I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I choose goodness . . .
I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.

I choose faithfulness . . .
Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their father will not come home.

I choose gentleness . . .
Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I choose self-control . . .
I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek his grace. And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.

Travelog Day 9: Free Day at NYC

Finally we're done with the tour, and had 2 free days on our own at NYC! We just took our time roaming the streets of Manhattan and catching up with some shopping :) Today we have really few pictures because we all went panic shopping at Macy's, Old Navy, Aeropostale, Lululemon, Oakley, etc and the boy's favorite- Best Buy!

After all the walking, shopping, roaming the streets.. we are starving! HG suggested we splurge on dinner tonight and dine at the famous "Peter Luger" Steakhouse. We followed the map and took the subway to Brooklyn area..

hear it is!!!!! YUMMY

Peter Luger Chocolates gold coins

I think we all gained a pound or two tonight! We rode the subway back to Manhattan area, walked about10 blocks to wash down our dinner. Manhattan is really beautiful at night.. most shops don't close their lights and leave them till dawn. The city that never sleeps!

What's New

I'm making some "Transition" pieces this year.. and this baby is one of the many I'm coming up for the collection.

Diamond Clustered Earrings. Set in 18k White Gold. 92 pieces, total of 6.19 Carats. Wear it and its about 2 inches long.

And.. you wouldn't know it was in 3 separate parts!

So you can wear it as a short dangling for afternoon cocktails..

or like this!

This baby is only ONE of its kind.. Classic and will never goes out of style!

Plugging Post

I'm going to plug and show off a little bit hahaha. Can't help it, it's my passion to make my clients happy!

Miss RS was so happy with her previous Celphone Charm studded with diamonds that I made for her.. now she wants a charm that looks exactly the same, but this time she wants it plain.. but in 22k yellow gold!

This is the initial study, and she liked the concept...

This is the finish product.. 22 karat yellow gold matte finish with some diamonds on the smaller hearts. This baby is heavy!!

22k Heart Celphone Charm of Miss RH

Ms PJO started inquiring about a diamond.. After few exchange of discussions.. she set her eyes on buying a really good quality round brilliant cut diamond!

Presenting... 1.72 Carat Excellent/Excellent/Excellent GIA certified Round Brilliant Cut Diamond!

Enjoy it ladies!!!!!!

Travelog Day 8: New York City!

Sorry guys I went for 5 days business trip in Hong Kong with Dear Son. It's been taking so long to finish my US Travelog! LOL!! Please bear with me. I promise to post lots of pictures!!

Today, our guide was in a rush and our morning call was 6am! He said we'll be seeing a lot today. This is the picture of Manhattan at 7am! NO TRAFFIC!

He brought us to Chinatown to have early breakfast and we saw this interesting storefront of McDonald's.

From there we head to Wall Street at the heart of the financial district, home to America's wealth and business interests.

Then headed to Ground Zero, site of the tragic events of September 11th, to pay our respects and to witness the massive rebuilding efforts.

We also visited United Nations, a gathering place for 192 countries to meet and discuss important issues of the world such as peace and human rights.

We took the Waterway cruise of the New York City harbor, where you can view the city's magnificent skyline and sights, including the busy South Street Seaport, the Statute of Liberty, and the Brooklyn Bridge from the Hudson and East River. An entertaining and informative tour guide provides interesting facts about all of the sights that make this city special.

We also visited Rockefeller Center, NBC Studios, and the surrounding shopping district along Fifth Avenue, where cutting edge fashion and luxury brands reside. No tour of New York City would be complete without a tour atop the Empire State Building, where on the 86th floor, 1,050 feet above the city's bustling streets, the Observatory offers panoramic views from within a glass enclosed pavilion.

Next stop was the newly transformed USS Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum. We all love this museum!

We also went to the beautiful American Museum of Natural History! Another favorite.

And see REAL mummies!!! And ancient Egyptian jewelries; so many things to see!

The tour continues to the bright lights of Time Square and the Broadway Theater District. We walked around and really enjoyed the city.

It was a long day. We had so much fun yet so tired from doing all this touristy thing!Today was our last day with the group. So we all said goodbye to all our new friends who most likely.. will not meet them ever again.
We extended out stay in NY for 2 days. We stayed at Manhattan Center Hotel.It's a nice boutique hotel which I bidded and won at Hotwire.com at a pretty good deal for the location!

DH and I stayed in the room to rest for 30 minutes and un-pack. I read in a blog that a visit to NYC must never miss the best street food at the corner 53rd and 6th. So for dinner, we brave the line to try the Halal Guys who sell the chicken & lamb rice. Look at the line!!! Its unbelievable. $6/plate. Huge serving too!

It was really good. We were so stuffed! So we decided to take a walk and ended up in the Apple Store. They just launch the iPad 2 days ago.

I can't believe we are still in the streets of NY at 1am!! And to end the day.. this is our loot :)