Most men willingly delegate the task of shopping for their clothes to their wives. Some say it's due to the natural aversion to hopping from store to store while others say it is to keep the peace by letting women decide. Like most men, the men in our family, namely my husband and my teenage son are not fans of shopping. This doesn't mean however that they do not like good clothes. They actually do, but most of the time they'd rather do something else than shop.



Acquired Fashion Sense for Men's Clothes

Very few people know that my very first job right after graduation from college was a merchandising assistant for the men's wear department of a very popular chain of department stores. Although paper work formed the bulk of my everyday task, the exposure to products as offered by suppliers to the merchandiser for selection helped me distinguish between excellent and poor quality, classic and trendy, blockbuster and dud, and essentially what works for men and what doesn't, based on actual and steady sales.

I started looking at clothes in the eyes of a man. It was our job in merchandising to put products in the sales floor that they would buy and wear. Unknowingly, I acquired a fashion sense that men find acceptable. Thus when I found my self shopping for clothes for my husband and my son, no one questioned it.

Personal Style

But there is such a thing as personal style and preference. It is impossible for me to second-guess what they want all the time. It's a good thing that online stores came to be.

They have recently discovered Stand Out, an online store dedicated to "helping men of all ages find the right piece of designer clothing".  Allowing them to choose provides me a wider insight of what they want to find in their closet.



My Say

I definitely love shopping, including for the men in our family. I do appreciate the fact however that they can comfortably shop online especially if I am really pressed for time.

That said, it is a relief to realize that we agree on some basic guidelines for choosing clothes which includes comfort, quality, and price.

Ever since I was a young girl, I noticed that I was fascinated with anything vintage. For some reason, I was drawn to things related to the past. This fascination extended to antique and vintage jewellery or at least stylings of it.





My Say

I have another old soul in my 12 year-old daughter. She is showing the same inclinations that I have when it comes to her fashion sense and home furnishing choices.

That said, I hope I can purchase vintage jewellery which will be the heirloom piece we can pass on from generation to generation.

Locks have always been the first line of defense when it comes to securing homes and personal properties. We place it on our gates, doors, cabinets, lockers, desks, and just about anything that we need to secure the contents of. Failure to use the right locks can spell danger and risk for intrusion and theft.



Secured Homes= Peace of Mind

It's definitely a no-brainer to make home security a top priority. This is where we and our loved ones live. Therefore, it is a must that we have the peace of mind while staying in it. Occupants of any home or business should have a reasonable degree of confidence of their safety given the everyday threats to life and property.

While it is good to be concerned with the aesthetic features of our home, security should never be compromised. The level of security largely depends on the physical environment. While there are places that would require more security features to be in place, reliable locks are a must for any home or business.

Choose the Right Locks

A wise home or business owner does not take the choice of locks for granted. There are specific locks fit for every use such as these fast keys locks. Make sure you choose the right one. A deadbolt lock for example can present a problem during emergency situations if the key is not readily available although it is admittedly one of the most secure locks there is.

Locks used for exterior doors should be of higher grade security compared to locks used for rooms. The logic is simple since the home or business is primarily sought to be protected from outsiders. The harder it is for them to penetrate the privacy of the places we seek to protect, the safer we are. Of course, inferior quality locks wherever in the house, regardless of security grade is not recommended. Let's face it, locks don't come cheap so we should enjoy a good number of years of service from them. 



My Say

My home, my paradise. There is no place that I would defend more from intruders. Before I invest in any security gadget to protect it, I choose to install quality locks. 


That said, it always makes perfect sense to attend to the basics of home protection. All else follow. 

Image

For quite some time, the village where we stay has had some concerns with how to dispose of wood from trees felled by strong typhoons and tree cuttings from regular trimming and pruning. It seems that the pile of wood is growing faster than we can dispose of them. Then one bright idea struck which is to use them as decorations instead of throwing them. The results are actually very cute. 



Tree Trunk

As you can see, with some colorful paint and rich imagination, several variations of snowmen decor can be produced. 



Whether round or elongated, they are equally festive,


especially with candles bearing messages of love and peace for the season.



See how they make an attractive sight set in a row, very much comfortable in nature where they came from.



Wood Plank

There will always be odd sizes left from wood planks used in construction. Here they are formed side by side to create a humorous message,



while here they were made as Christmas trees in various sizes and colors. 



They can be scattered in strategic places in a village to create a theme. 




Window Glass

Someone's works of art also found its way into old discarded window, also using the snowman theme. 



My Say 

Whatever theme the village Christmas decoration will choose to have, there will always be the belen which is a traditional symbol of Christmas in the Philippines. It will always have its place no matter what even among snowmen in a place where it does not snow. 



That said, I'm really glad that there are still some people in our village who find time to cheer up the atmosphere with Christmas decorations that may be simple and practical but no less "christmassy". Scrap wood and left-over materials put to good use can be our gift to our environment to ensure that future generations will still get to enjoy the most celebrated season in the world.