Mother's Love (Haiku)

a mother's love pictures

From www.blingee.com

Mother's love is pure

A gold gem to keep and treasure

Timeless, unconditional

My late mom, Lydia... We missed you !

Reposting the poem I made last May 2011
 My Mom Will Always Be There

Inside her womb,

Mom took care of me

So when it is time for me

To see the world

I will be as healthy

And beautiful like a fairy.

Coming out of her womb,

My eyes were still shut

Yet I felt my mom's love

With her tender loving care

I was so special

An angel in her eyes.

When I took my first steps

Mom was there to hold me

And encourages me

Till I am confident enough

To walk on my own

She was a great teacher !

My growing-up years

Was not easy for mom

But she was always there

To guide me and mold me

To become a righteous person

And be love by everyone

Mom is no longer with me physically

But the good values she planted in me

Will stay with me forever

Mom will always be with me

In spirit and in my memories

I thank God for a great mom !

 

GREETING ALL MOTHERS... 

 Photo from www.villapenna.com

A Happy Doggy Easter !

 Nina and Scotty

 I'm Nina and I'm Scotty.  We belong to the small dog breeds. We are pomeranian and chihuahua mix and we are the proud parents of five (5) beautiful and healthy puppies.  They were born on January 15, 2013 which coincidentally was the birthday of one of our mommies. It is Easter Sunday and we are celebrating the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, Christianity's most important holiday.  

Here are our adorable pups and  we all wish you a HAPPY DOGGY EASTER !

BEETHOVEN

I'm Beethoven. I'm a bit shy when this photo was taken. I look so much like my grandfather but I have short legs. You don't see it here though because the frame covered it.  But they said I look cute with short legs.

 BEETHOVEN

I feel weird....one of my ears is UP and the other one is DOWN.  I do not know why.

HAPPY 

I have a happy-go-lucky personality so they named me Happy.  I love to play and I am very affectionate.  I love to kiss and I love to get a hug.

HAPPY

I wonder where my mommy is... I have been waiting for so long.  I am worried.

SPARKLE

Among my siblings,  I am the biggest of them all.  Although they said I look like a pirate because my other eye has black/brown spot, I have a glittering and sparkling eyes.

SPARKLE

I have to keep a watchful eyes to look after my brothers and sisters so don't do anything foolish.  Remember I am watching you !

LILY

 They named me Lily, a symbol of innocence and purity as well as beauty. I am the apple of my mother's eye.  Maybe because I look like her when she was just a puppy.  She always look after me.

LILY

I have a special talent.  When I play I like to dance and go round and round as if I am going after my tail.  Isn't it funny ?

TWINKLE

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!

(Verses from the song "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" written by Jane Taylor, an English poet and novelist)

TWINKLE

I am Twinkle, the littlest among my siblings. They got my name from the popular children song "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."  I am fragile so they have to take good care of me a lot and make sure my brothers and sisters won't step on me or I will be crushed.

 I can fit into a coffee mug.  Do you think I will still grow as big as my other siblings ?

HAVE A BLESSED AND WONDERFUL EASTER !!!

 

Courtesy of fanpop.com

Something From Aachen (Germany)

My boss who is a German national brought something from his hometown ~ Aachen, Germany when he came back after his vacation.   I wonder what's inside the nice canister as I could not see any English translation.  The label and writings are in German language.... it must be some goodies !  The canister has some pictures of old buildings with great architectural designs.  I guessed these are some of the historical places or landmarks in Aachen. It looks like the Aachen Cathedral also known as the "Imperial Cathedral" which was built by the first Holy Roman Emperor, Charlemagne and one of the oldest churches in Germany.  Aachen is one of the most beautiful and historic medieval cities in northern Europe.

 Aachen Cathedral (Photo is from www.opentravel.com)

 

I opened the can and there was a flower designed paper that says  "Nobis Seit 1858 ~ Original Printen aus Aachen" and I interpreted it as "An original product of Aachen manufactured by Nobis since 1858".  The rest of the write ups could be some description of the products. Nobis Printen is a well-known family owned  bakery in Aachen, Germany founded in 1858.

Photo from flickriver.com

I tooked the paper out and wow !  It's cookies and biscuits and looks yummilicious !  

Thank you for the delicious goodies from Aachen !

Congratulations....Great Work !

Last week an organizational announcement was released from our Corporate Headquarter in the U.S. It was the promotion of my boss, Jascha Ortmanns as Senior Vice President - Global Manufacturing Operations. In his new role,  he will now be handling the cell and module operations not only in the Philippines but all the factories located in Mexico, France, South Africa including the JV factories in Malaysia, U.S.A. and China.

A BIG congratulations to Jascha ! More Power...SunPower !!!

Fun and Adventure at the Robot Zoo

 The Robot Zoo

With my siblings and two house members at the Robot Zoo

Three weeks ago before Christmas Day,  we were at the Mall of Asia and we happen to pass by the Robot Zoo and decided to check it out.  We were like children once again.  

Developed by Evergreen Exhibits and designed by the United Kingdom’s Marshall Editions, the Robot Zoo is actually a traveling exhibit.  It has toured science and natural history museums and zoos in Europe, North America and other parts of the globe.  It was officially opened to the public last June 2012 at the Science Discovery Center Exhibit Hall , Mall of Asia and will run for a limited time  and then it will be moved to Kuwait this year.

The zoo featured eight animatronic giant animals that simulate how they move in real life.  The robotic animals were designed with cutaways that exposed their mechanical interior and can be controlled by the guests.  Highlighted in the exhibit were the following animals : Giraffe, platypus, grasshopper, chameleon, squid, fly, rhino and bat.  Each animal in the Robotic Zoo included some trivia and inteactive games for the kids.

The Giraffe

The Platypus

The Grasshopper

The Chameleon

 

The Zoo is not only a fun and exciting learning tool for children but also a great venue for family bonding

THE ROBOT ZOO

2nd Level Nido Fortified

Science Discovery Center Exhibit Hall

SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City, Philippines

Tel. Nos. : (632) 556-2153, 556-2193

Amidst Challenges... A Look at the PV Industry

SunPower Team Building Activity at Lazer Extreme.  We are armed and  ready to fight !

Looking back at 2012,  it was a difficult and sluggish year for the Photovoltaic (PV) Industry.  The market was decreasing and there was oversupply.  Due to surplus, prices were rapidly dropping. Some of the solar companies around the globe declared bankruptsy/insolvency.  The  Eurozone economic crisis,  feed-in-tariff (FIT) cuts in countries like Germany and Australia,  subsidy decisions in larger markets like Italy, expiry of the cash grant program for renewable energy  in the U.S. contributed to the decline in the PV solar markets.

Despite of the current PV market situation,  Sunpower fought the challenges of times but has to make two major action last year.  First was the fab consolidation and followed by the downsizing.

A Smile ...Looking forward for a bright spot in 2013

It is the new year,  SunPower is still up and kicking ready to face new challenges in 2013.  The toughest year had passed...There will always be a rainbow after the rain.

What do we expect in the photovoltaic industry in the year 2013,  Here is the prediction from the IHS Solar Research Team :

1.     The global PV market will achieve double-digit installation growth in 2013, but market revenue will fall to $75 billion. Industry revenues—measured as system prices multiplied by total gigawatts installed—peaked at $94 billion in 2011, but fell sharply to $77 billion in 2012, as presented in the figure below. Revenue is projected to decline once again in 2013 to $75 billion, on the back of lower volume growth and continued system price declines, given that PV component prices continue to fall. 

2.     The solar module industry will consolidate further in 2013. As 2012 comes to a close, fewer than 150 companies will remain in the photovoltaic upstream value chain, down from more than 750 companies in 2010. Most of the consolidation will involve companies going out of business entirely. Many integrated players, particularly those based in China, will fold up shop in 2013. The large expense of building and then operating integrated facilities that are underutilized will be more than many can handle financially.

3.     PV module prices will stabilize in 2H 2013 as oversupply eases. Despite a drastic decline in prices along the silicon supply chain since March 2011, solar prices will stabilize by mid-2013. Changes in market dynamics will help restore the global supply-demand balance.

4.     Solar trade wars will rage on in 2013, yielding few winners. As of November 2012, there were six different solar trade cases proceeding involving China, Europe, the United States and India. This cycle of sanction and retaliation will not help solve the fundamental challenge of overcapacity plaguing the global PV industry.

5.     South Africa and Romania will emerge as PV markets to watch in 2013. The two countries next year will expand from virtually no solar installations to capacity of several hundred megawatts. The PV uptake in both markets is driven by distinct factors. In South Africa, PV additions will mainly stem from the tenders awarded in 2012; in Romania, the growth driver will be a green certificate (GC) scheme that will stay in place until 2014.

6.     Double-digit returns remain possible for European PV projects in 2013. With the subsidy schemes that are currently in place, all EU countries continue to offer attractive conditions for both private and institutional investors. Meanwhile, an evaluation of no-incentive scenarios shows that the most mature market segments are on the cusp of grid parity, allowing healthy returns on investment.

7.     Solar will surpass wind in the United States. The year 2013 marks an important milestone, representing the first time that new U.S. solar PV capacity additions will be greater than those made by wind. This is partly a result of the near-term uncertainty over the federal production tax credit for wind. However, it is also a reflection of solar PV’s increasing competitiveness as a form of renewable power generation in some key U.S. markets.

8.     China will become the world’s largest PV market. Total PV installations in China next year are predicted to surpass 6 gigawatts, allowing the country to surpass Germany as the No. 1 solar market on the planet. 

9.     Energy storage will transform the solar industry. Batteries increasingly are being seen as an attractive way of retaining PV electricity, letting people use the power later in the day to avoid paying high prices for electricity from the grid. Next year IHS forecasts a big jump in the number of residential PV systems installed with batteries attached.

10.   New technology will revive equipment vendors’ prospects. Improved technologies will help PV manufacturers cut costs, increase margins and ultimately distinguish themselves from the competition. Such a focus creates an opportunity for both manufacturers and equipment suppliers to obtain larger revenue streams.

 

Loving My Cool Template !

 My New Blogger Template

It's a fresh new year so I decided to change my blogger template and I love it. I actually combined two designs :  The middle design is from Emporium Digital and is called "Flores Em Voce", a floral motif and vintage style.  The design on the left and right side bars are from Shabby Blogs background called "French Flea Market.  It looked great !  Thanks to the creative people behind these design elements.

My Old Blogger Template by Freyja Silver

A Spooky Halloween : The LBA Trick or Treat 2012

Halloween Night at LBA

Our village had its annual halloween celebration highlighted by some games and  costume competition among kids followed by a "Trick or Treat" about two weeks ago (Oct. 27, 2012).  Weeks before the event, my stepmom and I were busy making our decorations for halloween.  We actually start doing it during the first week of October.  We enjoyed making those scary decorations and had been participating in the Annual "Trick or Treat" for kids.

Halloween Trick or Treat was not popular in the Philippines long ago.  But Filipinos nowadays  due to western influence had started making it a traditional practice in the city villages, malls and even in companies.

Our halloween decorations consist of two (2) white ladies, a witch, skeletons, zombie, demon, scary pumpkin head and masks, lighted pumpkins and an owl.  We also placed some spider webs and dried grass.  My family were in black attire and each one of us were wearing a lighted devil's horn. It was always a great feeling to see kids and some were accompanied by their parents visiting the house and enjoying our scary decorations.   Most of them had their pictures taken and I also took some photos.  Some children were very scared of what they see and would cry.  The halloween scary sound that my father down loaded and played also added a big impact on the decorations.   It was more scary !!!

By the way,  our dogs were also in halloween costumes.  My Mama Zen made some witch hats for our dogs and they all looked so cute.  You will see them in below photos. Enjoy !!!

 

The witch and the white lady

A close-up of the white lady

Children starting coming at around 5:00 PM

Children in pirate costumes

Children with their mommies

Mama Zen with one of the kids who visited our house

Moms of these children are my friends from our "Ladies' Fellowship"

More children !

Mama Zen (left) with our dogs and some children

Here we are in front of our house dressed in black and wearing the devil's horn with our cute dogs

This is my dog, Cupid seated  beside the candies the whole time.   Some of the kids thought she was a stuffed toy.  She was behaved and not moving.

This is Pom-Pom wearing a striped witch hat with blue and red accents

 

Nina wearing a red hat with flowers and ribbons.  She is Cupid's mom

Scotty wearing a native inspired hat with red feather and laces

Nina and Pom-Pom in costumes

Our four dogs in their halloween costumes ! Cute !

We visited our neighbor's house.  Their decoration's theme was pirate