The Importance Of Using Rig mats

What is a rig mat? A rig mat is a kind of wooden platform used to support equipment in construction.  It is also sometimes used as temporary roadway passage, especially when the road is disturbed, having several obstructions making it an unstable ground.

There are various kinds of mats used for specific purposes such as crane mat, oilfield mat, pipeline mat and the not so commonly used rig mats. Though most businesses such as big companies have a tendency to shun away using rig mats due to added costs, many failed to realize it's importance. A good example of which is an increase in productivity. Some places have long wet season and it prevents or rather shortened the drilling period which may eventually led to a decrease in production and prolonged time table for projects to be completed.  The one that's usually left unnoticed is that using rig mats also helps in the preservation of the environment.  Why is that so?  Because use of rig mats is only temporary.  It can be displaced anytime, thus causing less harm to the grounds and the environment in general.  Using these kinds of mats can also prevent possible incidents involving lives of individuals. 

The effectiveness of using rig mats in businesses has yet to be proven by some, but weighing it's advantages over it's disadvantages is pretty much obvious.  It is however advised that companies must choose their mats manufacturers to ensure that these mats can last for a longer period of time.  This way they only not able to save money but they also can take an active part in the preservation of the environment.   

   

Designing A Plant Box For Your Garden

I got to see this beautifully designed plant box during my recent trip to Chantaburi Thailand.  I captured a photo of the design so I could make a similar one in my own garden.  I love the fact that it  is very simple but tastefully done.  The neatly arranged white pebbles on the ground surrounding the plants made the plant box appeared to be more lively and elegant.

Well, I think I can do it.  It looks easy and simple. What do you think? :)

Light Bulbs And Fixtures

Being a home maker, I always wanted to have a basic knowledge on simple maintenance jobs in the house.  I've always been a working Mom since day one and I barely have time to know more about plumbing basics, painting, using electric drills and even simple things like light bulbs and fixtures.  My husband has long been working overseas and even before I was working in our own country, I also attend to a lot of personal stuff in the house apart from my regular job, thus I always shun away doing those "man's job" in the house.  I always tell myself that I could hire a professional help, anyway.

However, over the years, I've seen the necessity of going through the basics.  I don't even understand much about light bulbs and fixtures considering that it is the most common thing in the house.  I just know that there are various types of light bulbs designed for a specific use and I just tried to familiarize myself on what type of light bulbs would I use to save on energy consumption, thereby cutting some amount in my monthly electric bills.  I know that there are different types of fixtures for under cabinet lighting, accent lighting and even decorative lighting.  There are even wall light fixtures that can add drama in your bedrooms.  But it's only recently that I came to know much about airport lighting. I used to travel a lot since I've started to work abroad and I could see those airport lighting fixtures.  One company that specializes in aviation lights and various airport lighting products is Genesis Lamp Corporation.  They offer various products like LED runway lights, LED airport lights and solar runway lights.  

Though it's a little bit complicated, knowing various kinds of light bulbs and fixtures can enhance our basic knowledge of what products are designed for specific needs and knowing these requirements may help us to choose the products that we have to purchase the next time we require one.  

Choosing The Perfect Blinds For Your Homes

Are you looking for quality window coverings for your homes?  Then, installing blinds is a perfect option.  Blinds with all those various colors and sizes can very well be an attractive home decor item in your house.  Blinds has always been a favorite choice in offices, but it is also widely used now by  lots of home makers.  Installing blinds is perfect if you have large size windows.  It doesn't only looks stylish but it also has a lot of advantages and benefits.  Blocking the light from entering a room can help us save on energy costs.  It reduces our electric bills by saving much energy used in our home air conditioning.  It also helps to provide a perfect ambiance in doing our daily activities in the house like reading, watching TV, studying and even using our computers.

However, with the emergence of various companies offering the product, the challenge now lies in choosing stylish and competitively priced products, not to mention its durability.  There are lots of available options within your areas and even online, but if I have to choose the right product for my house, I would definitely go for the ones that already has a name.  Commercial blinds Victoria has always been a top choice. Not only it is a trusted name but it can vouch for it's beauty and durability.  I remembered that I once fancied for a glass house before, and installing some cute and colorful blinds will really make that living space awesome.  I just dropped that idea long ago because of various inconveniences that I could foresee living in a glass house. I still love the idea of having large sized windows though, and installing perfect blinds has always been an option.  I think I would love to have blinds Victoria for my home, too.   

If one day I decided so, then I would choose among traditional, modern and contemporary designs.  I could imagine how stylish my house would be. 

How about you? Will you go for blinds too?

Carpet Cleaning And Maintenance

I used to be fascinated in floor carpets.  Why not? It adds beauty, comfort and elegance to our homes.  I also love the idea of choosing the right color of carpets to match the color motif of my house.  As I always been saying in my previous posts, I am a person who loves to mix and match.  I used to have a carpeted living room. That was when we are still staying on our first house.  We have two living rooms then.  The first living room was designed solely for the purpose of accepting visitors, while our second living room was designed to be a family area, an entertainment room.  We never had chairs or sofa in our second living room.  The entire floor is carpeted and we just had a bunch of square throw pillows dressed up in cute, trendy and colorful pillow cases scattered all over the floor.  We had a wall unit in one corner where we put up some ceramics for display, as well as our TV, DVD player, component and karaoke. It has been the favorite spot in our house where the family gathers together every night.

Everything seems to be perfect but one problem that always confronts me is how to maintain the cleanliness, the color and the elegance of our carpet.  We can't totally avoid those stains brought about by spilled coffee, milk and juices. We used to clean our carpet using a vacuum cleaner but I guess, it's not enough.  Carpets should be treated more seriously.

Here are some tips to keep those lovely carpets in good shape:

1. Never attempt to remove the stains on carpet by rubbing it hard using a brush after applying detergents.  I've done it once, and I just cause the stain to spread on other areas of the carpet.  It also weakens the fibers of the carpet.
2. Never let liquid spills stay long on the carpet.  Immediately brush the surface gently with an old tooth brush and try using lemon juice and salt solution to remove the stain especially on colored carpets.  I never use bleach or harsh chemicals as much as possible.
3. Sometimes, the stain goes through the surface of the rugs and I used to find a thick cloth or foam to absorb the stain first before trying to remove it.
4. I am always on the look out for best carpet shampoos in the market and I choose the ones without strong chemicals.  
5. Regularly maintain the cleanliness of your carpet by having it vacuumed at least thrice a week to get rid of those accumulated dust and dirt.
6. From experience, I find that steam carpet cleaning is still the best. It thoroughly cleans the outer and inner surface of the carpet and it leaves the carpet looking fresh and really clean.  We can make use of steam cleaners available in the market, but if your entire house is carpeted including all the rooms, I think it would be best to seek the services of professional carpet cleaners.  Not only they can assure you of best quality result but they can also save you a great deal of time and effort.

The best challenge that home makers used to face is ensuring that our homes are well kept and managed. For me, cleanliness and orderliness in the house is even more important than just keeping it beautiful and pleasant. This affects the health and total well being of every member of the family and it something that we always have to prioritize.

PSID Mounts ‘Gabay: Dibuhong Umaakay’

I would like to give way to the following press release from the Philippine School of Interior Design on their forthcoming graduation exhibit.  Let us all support "Dibuhong Umaakay" and the graduating class of 2012 in their goal of providing not only a well designed living space, but a place that can be considered a well defined shelter for those people having disabilities.  They too, deserved a beautifully designed space and a comfortable place to live in. 

 The Philippine School of Interior Design (PSID) proudly marks its 45th year with “Gabay: Dibuhong Umaakay,” the graduation exhibit of the PSID Advanced Class of 2012, from Sept. 29 to Oct 31, at the former Super Sale Club, SM City North EDSA, North Ave. cor EDSA, Quezon City.

In cooperation with SM City North EDSA Interior Zone and the National Council for Disability Affairs, “Gabay” showcases 20 different spaces designed in creatively planned solutions.

“SM City North EDSA is always in the quest to support the creative arts and educate our shoppers, especially the young minds,” states SM Malls regional operations manager Renielda Bacani. “The exhibit creates an awareness in two areas the SM strongly supports: liveable space solutions for persons with disabilities, and educating customers about the creative alchemy of interior design.”

For decades, PSID has been known to produce groundbreaking exhibits that become the benchmark of interior design exhibits in the academe. This year’s exhibit delves into a topic rarely discussed in interior design:  livable yet stylish spaces for the visually-impaired, hearing-impaired, physically handicapped, and the elderly.

In line with this, PSID has partnered with the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA). The NCDA was established in 1978 by virtue of presidential decree of 1508 issued in June 1978 by Ferdinand Marcos. They promote the rights of persons with disabilities under the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

“We decided to partner with PSID on their exhibit because through this, they can empower persons with disabilities with their designs,” says NCDA Chief Information Officer Rizalio R. Sanchez. “Plus, it could even inspire those with disabilities who have artistic talent to consider a career in design.”

The 24 spaces will be divided into four main areas: Tanaw (for the visually impaired), Dinig (for the hearing impaired), Galaw (for the geriatric), and Tindig (for the orthopedically-challenged). The goal is to create environments for the disabled that will help in their healing process as well as assist the physically impaired and geriatric in their homes and assure their safety while providing comfort and style. Research into ergonomics and limitations of such spaces will be undertaken to provide assisted living spaces with an atmosphere that soothes and heals.

Sponsored by Boysen, Ivan Acuña, APO Flooring, and Mity Mike, “Gabay” also aims to raise the exhibit audience’s awareness on the daily challenges of people with disabilities and encourage them to think of solutions for a more barrier-free society.

Sending Holiday Greeting Cards

Christmas is just around the corner and I'm sure that most of us are already thinking on how could we send some cheers to our families, friends and loved ones.  Well, the most common, I believe, is sending greeting cards.  With the advent in technology and hundreds of sites offering free online greeting cards, who would like to bother sending a "real greeting card"?  Well, the long queue in post office and the long process of sending and receiving actual greeting cards is giving us second thoughts of going for snail mails.

Well, personally, even those online greeting cards are so cool, with all those colors, animation and great music, I am still thrilled to receive the actual card, much more if it's personalized.  It's not that I would like to stick to traditional but it still different if you receive something that you can hold, open and read without turning on any electronic device.  Now, this made me think on how I would like to greet my loved ones. Would I send e-cards or actual cards?  Probably, I'll choose the latter.  Then, I would have to look for some affordable blank address labels where I could type the names of the recipients on my computer and print all labels at the same time.  Not that I'm lazy to write but I just want to speed up the process, not to mention that my hand writing is not that awesome. (lol)    

Perhaps, If I would have some free time, I would also love to make personalized cards.  How about you? Would you still prefer sending e-cards? 

What Is The Most Popular Type of Plastic Bag?

It is hard to go through a day of your life without either using or seeing someone else use a plastic bag. They are everywhere. Every store uses them, and almost every single restaurant uses them for takeout. There was a time when you were asked if you would prefer plastic or paper. That does not happen anymore.

Most of these bags are made from a material called polypropylene. This material is excellent at creating a barrier between objects. It prevents moisture from entering or leaving, and it is a strong and resilient material.

Poly bags come in several different shapes, sizes and even colors. The most common color is clear. This allows people to see what is inside the bag without the need to touch what is inside. It is a great way to tempt people to purchase a product. The polypropylene acts like a window that allows you to see in, while at the same time offering great protection from the outside elements. If the polypropylene is used for food storage, then it can help the food stay fresh for a longer period of time.

Millions of businesses all over the world use thousands of polypropylene bags every single day. Some of them have adopted stock poly bags, while others have had bags custom made. Many businesses will extend their brand by having their poly bags custom printed. They can print slogans, names or logos directly on the front of the bag. This is an excellent form of advertising for business. Their name, company or brand will be seen everywhere the bag travels. There has even been a term created for the specific type of advertising. It is called bagvertising. Millions of companies all over the world are using this affordable method of advertising to help get their name out.

Poly bags are also commonly being used for different types of storage. The most common type of storage is food storage. There are even FDA approved poly bags for food use. These bags can safely be used to store a variety of different types of foods.

Clear poly bags can actually keep costs down too. These bags are often cheaper than having specialized printing done on specialized packaging. Food products benefit from poly bags because consumers can easily see what's inside the bag without any sort of flashy or gimmicky packaging.

These plastic bags have become so common in everyday life. They are easily the most popular type of plastic bag that you will run into on a daily basis.

Dividing Your Space And Experimenting with Colors

      Photo credit : hgtv

Traditionally, curtains are being used to separate an area.  Maybe, because it's the easiest, simplest, cheapest and the most common way of dividing a space.  However, home decorating and designing transcends from traditional to modern, and that's the time when using wall units and dividers came into the picture.  But just like clothes, home designing evolves and eventually returns back to it's previous state. But the creative hands and minds of some Interior Designers are always ready to give some twist by injecting new trends in home decorating.

See the photo above? A sheer curtain was used as a divider to separate the living room and the dining room.  Simple as it is, the design which combines colors of rust, brown, tan and gold made the entire space elegant and appealing.  Designer Vanessa DeLeon was able to convert this space into a comfortable and soothing Asian inspired house.  But the one that really catches my attention is the dining table :).  Pebbles of various colors and sizes were used to adorn the table.  It was covered with clear glass and it looks very unique and elegant.

I think, I saw a similar one in Phnom Penh in one of the restaurants where I dine before.  But apart from pebbles, they also made use of some artificial flowers but it's also very cool! :)

Well, I'm glad that this color combination is a little bit similar to the current color motif in our house.  

Securing Your Future

I think every family is thinking of securing their own future.  There are basic things that we like to acquire. House, lands, car, properties and investments.  This is apart from securing educational plans for the children. Other families also opted to get health and medical insurance.  Why not? We have to secure our future and it is a well accepted fact.  This is the primary reason why we are working very hard.  Given a chance, I would also like to apply for a qualified life insurance.  My colleague at work, once told me that she was not able to invest anything from her long years of working.  She spent a lot on personal stuff that depreciates in value like gadgets, shoes, bags and clothes.  Well, that was her weakness.  She couldn't control her urge to shop every time she gets hold of her pay check. But one thing that she considers her investment is her life insurance.  She said, she's single and doesn't have any kid.  She paid for a life insurance because she's working over seas and she wanted her family to be secured financially if in case something happens to her. Sometimes, I feel like I do not like to entertain the idea of getting a life insurance.  But being practical has been the choice of many.  Well, if I could find a reputable insurance company that I could trust, why not?  But it's not my priority at the moment although I would also consider getting one soon.  

Wall Book Case

Here is another space saving idea to organize your collection of favorite books.  I'm pretty sure that despite the advancement in technology having e-book readers, Ipads and laptops already within our reach, some of us still want to stick to traditional books.  I think it's quite hard to get away with our pretty hard bound books that we used to keep for years in favor of e-books.  However, the usual problem now is space and storage.  Some people who lives in condo units and small apartments cannot afford to store all their personal stuff due to a very limited space.

This is the reason why I would like to get some inspiration from my favorite stores and furniture shops online.  Recently, I came across these wall book cases from PBTeens that are really cute and adorable.  I think it would be a perfect fit behind bed head boards or on the wall against our study tables.

Here, take a look and see what would best fit your rooms:

Revolving Book Case

Guess what? I have another great find for my room.  It's a revolving book case! Cool huh? 

This revolving book case is another great home product from PBTeen. I love the fact that it revolves, making it multi functional.  You can store those favorite books within your reach and you can also showcase some of your favorite collections and souvenirs.  It's a space saver, too.  You can place this lovely book case in a corner of your room ideally, near your bed.  It's an awesome addition to your bedroom furniture. :)

What Greatly Concerns Me As A Mom?

Whenever somebody asked me of what concerns me greatly as a Mom, I always give the same answer, of course, it's the welfare and happiness of my children.  What would be more sweet to the ears than hearing the laughter of your children?  What could be more challenging than working very hard for their future?

When I got married, I always look forward to raising a family of my own.  It's every woman's desire to bear a child, and it excites me more than anything else in the world.  As parents, we only wanted the best for our children.  We would love to see them grow to be God fearing, caring and responsible individuals.  That is so much of a consolation, being a parent.  As am Mom, I always take pride in my kid's achievements.  No matter how small it is, it is always a reason for us to celebrate.  Recognizing their potentials and strenght is very important to me.  It helps me to motivate them more to excel in whatever field or subject they have chosen in school. They do not have to bring home something like trophies for fantasy football league as other parents may dream.  For me, a simple medal or a certificate of recognition for all their hard work is more precious than a diamond.

Nothing can replace the feeling of being a fulfilled Mom.  It's a greatest achievement beyond compare.

End Of Bed Storage

Our house bedrooms are just of average size. It's neither too big nor too small. Just the right size. :) However, it would still be more convenient to move around a spacious room especially if you have lots of personal stuff lying around the room. This is the reason why I am constantly looking for ways to organize. I actually featured some in this blog.

Now, I want to share another storage solution, it's called the "end of bed storage". This is a cool way to store those daily notes that you would like to grab from time to time. You can also make use of this to keep your chargers and cell phone accessories in place. Sometimes, I also get too tired of grabbing these "small things" out from my closet.

The solution?

An end of bed storage!  I saw this on sale from PBteen at $53.90.  It is made of durable 600-denier polyester and features 3 adjustable velcro straps.

 

Hmm...or if you are good in crafts, maybe you could make a similar one of different color and design, tailor made for your intended personal stuff.

What do you think?

Are You Considering A House Renovation?

 

Are you considering a house renovation?  I'm just done with mine recently.  Actually it's not for the house that our family used to live in, but for a house where we derived a monthly income.  My "for rent" house had undergone major renovation more than two months ago and I had a lot of stressful experiences during the process.  Well, I couldn't blame anyone as neither me, nor my husband was personally there in the Philippines to attend to the project.  I entrusted the job of overseeing the whole process to a trusted care taker and my teen aged son for the financial side.  I really admire my son for being able to handle the finances well at a very young age.  I guess that was a good training for him and he had passed it with flying colors.  The first part of the renovation project was the roofing services which we obtain from our regular contractor.  Since it was our nth time with them, I was too trusting.  When I had my vacation before, I made a deal with them and discussed to them everything about what my expectations are. The discussion went on smoothly and we both agreed on payment terms and total cost of the project.  I was expecting that everything will go on smoothly, but to my disappointment, most of the agreed conditions were not met and worst than that, some of the contractor's workers had stolen all the door knobs and cabinet handles in the house.  The worst part was, the contractor did not not agree to be liable for the "acts" of his men and keeps on avoiding our demands for explanation and compensation for the lost items.  Needless to say, I charged everything to experience.  I was not there so it's not possible for me to settle things legally.  I just allowed them to finish the project and it's over.  After that experience, I promised myself not to hire their services anymore.  Yes, not again.

Morale of the story? When we deal with major projects such as house renovation, we have to choose the experts and the company that we can trust.  How I wish we also have some reputable companies in the Philippines to do such sensitive work like the Dallas roofing company.  It's really important that we deal with people who already made a name in the industry.  It pays to be careful and choosy with the companies we dealt with to avoid problems in the end.

Now that I will have to work on other future projects such as the preventive maintenance servicing of our air conditioning unit, I better be sure that I will choose the right people to do the work for me at this time.  I wish that we also have a better business bureau in the Philippines who could do the job for us finding the right contractors and accredited businesses for our specific needs such as air conditioning Forth worth. 

Well, I've learned my lessons and I will just have to be careful next time.  But this doesn't stop me for coming up with more future projects on home improvement.  Just choose the right people to the job for you, prepare an appropriate budget, come up with a time table for completion and choose the right project at the right season and you will definitely be on the right track.

Designer Jewelries And Accessories Only At Salang

I'm pretty sure that most women love to acquire designer jewelries and accessories.  For one, it is a symbol of femininity. Second, wearing designer jewelries exudes that aura of confidence among women.  There are various jewelry shops that we can find within our locality, but most of the items sold there are mass produced.  Although these type of jewelries are affordable, most women still prefer to acquire some unique pieces that show class and durability. 

I, for one is very particular when it comes to jewelries.  I carefully choose those pieces which would match my corporate outfit and personality.  Price is not really an issue. There are also lots of unique pieces available elsewhere that are affordable, but having extra ordinary accessories that you can enjoy for lifetime is a separate issue.   When it comes to handmade artisan jewelry, I think Salang is where you can find the most designs that will suit any woman's discriminating taste.  

How would you love to wear timeless jewelries that will make you look more elegant?  A lot of people believed that your choice of jewelry reflects your kind of personality. Those women who love to wear artisan jewelry had an eye for class and sophistication. They choose hand made, fine crafted jewelries that suits their life style and fashion sense. But most of all, they choose these handmade artisan jewelry as they believed these to last a life time.

Ordering handmade artisan jewelries online is very easy.  You can choose from a variety of colors and designs available and on price bracket that you can afford.  I find it more convenient rather than going to the actual shop where you will feel uneasy looking through all the displayed items only to realize that nothing actually suits your budget.  Ordering online will give you the freedom to choose the actual jewelry design with a price tag that you can afford.  It's also very convenient to be sent as a gift to our friends and loved ones.

Have you tried ordering for your jewelries and accessories online?  You might soon realize that it's the right way for you to shop and enjoy timeless pieces that you always wanted to add in your collection.  


Disclaimer:
This is a sponsored post for Salang, however, all the points and views presented here are my own.

Bathroom Sink And Vanity Designs

I noticed that our bathroom sink has already been worn out and I would like, if possible to upgrade it's design into something different.  I want the design to be classy, unique and elegant.  If I have to choose the design of the sink, I prefer to have one that will give my bathroom a "spa effect".  I, myself is a spa lover.  I don't know, but I always derived great pleasure feeling the serene and captivating ambiance of a spa.  For others, bathroom is the least decorated part of the house.  Not for my family. Me, my husband and kids love to decorate our bathroom.  In fact, our bathroom have picture frames, hanging organizers, hanging cabinets and a beautifully designed shower enclosure.  We also put on display those souvenir shampoos and lotions in small bottles that we derived from some hotels that we've stayed on during our trips (lol).  Some bottles come with the hotel logo, so my son and I thought that it would be a good collection.

Below are some of the bathroom sink designs that I fantasize and hope to have very soon.  Probably, when we construct the additional studio type room on top of our garage.

photo source: hgtv

The last design is my favorite.  The color combination is extra ordinary and that sink and toilet bowl looks so elegant.  The bricks on the wall is also a good alternative for wall tiles.  But if I would just replace the sink in my current bathroom, I would go for the glass sink on the second photo.  It looks clean and elegant.

What about you? Are you also dreaming of a bathroom make over?

Self Defense Tools

Since I started working overseas, I used to travel a lot.  I go back to the Philippines two to three times a year to visit my family or just to get a short work break.  Aside from this, I used to travel to different provinces and cities of Cambodia as well as to it's neighboring countries like Vietnam and Thailand.  Prior to working abroad, I'm not used to traveling to places alone.  Even when I was studying in Manila during my college days, I seldom go out of the dormitory where I used to stay.  I really get scared especially that Metro Manila  is over populated and walking around late at night is not recommended especially for girls. It is during these times that I thought of having some self defense tools like the simple kubaton key chain. I know that women can't do much to defend themselves, but having something to rely on during emergencies won't hurt.  I also heard of other women who used to carry with them some pepper sprays for self protection.

Now that I already have a daughter who's attending high school, sometimes I also think of getting her some defense tools.  But on the contrary, I don't want her to feel paranoid and to always have that fear of mixing with people.  For now, I just always remind her to take care of herself especially when going to some places and more importantly, not to go to places alone.  But since, there are some defense tools in the market which are affordable, I might as well get a few soon.