My Stories

The Alphabet

2008-10-24T09:47:00.001+08:00

Jadon, despite having a fever of 38.8 degrees, still recited the alphabet and was actually in a very nice mood, except when his temperature reached 40.

Midnight Jam

2008-10-17T11:50:00.002+08:00

Roney was learning a new song, and Jadon wanted to jam with him. And we came up with this song: (key of G)

Apples and Bananas
Grapes and Oranges
Carrots and Potatoes
Rice and Veggies, too!

These are Jadon's favorites
Yummy, yummy food!

New Home

2008-09-22T18:40:00.001+08:00

hey guys and gals!

I have moved in my new home, but will be retaining this one....

so, please include the other addy in your blogroll.

thanks!

2008-09-16T14:46:00.005+08:00

A wish shared by Mandy. Thanks!

Here’s something nice to go around to spread the spirit of Christmas as early as now. Starts here. It’s so simple. Copy the photo below then write your blog and your wish this Christmas 2008. Your wish has to be something PRICELESS and SELF-LESS… something that money can’t buy… something that another person will treasure dearly.

1. Bits and Pieces by Jan :: I wish Gino and I will be able to convince friends to help us sponsor a simple Christmas party for the children of White Cross Children’s Home in San Juan.

2. The Wifey Diaries by Jannesse : My birthday falls on the 22nd of December. I have always wished to spend it with orphaned or abandoned kids. I’d be super happy to spend my birthday with them. That way, they get early Christmas presents from me. Oh, and can I wish for a baby, too? Please?

3. The Versoza Inc. by Con: I’d like to have a simple Christmas party for all the children of our employees. Times were hard on our company this 2007, but still, the Christmas Spirit should not be overpowered by it. Christmas is about family. So our Christmas party should not be for employees only, but for their families as well. Also, I wish our clan would make it a tradition to have a Christmas gift giving project. My Tita Doi started it last year with the Antipolo church children. I am looking forward to this year .

4. Mommy On Top: I wish I could help a couple of kids (both are related to my kids’ nannies) finish their education so they can, in turn, help their family earn a living. I could try and help them find a job, but without finishing their studies, they can only go too far. With a diploma or at least some certificate of formal education, they could do so much and reach farther. I hope my efforts in hooking them up with this certain NGO will come out with favorable results.

5. Coffeenchoclate : We hope to sustain an extended help for a few elders and be able to increase aid to another few elders before the year ends.

6. C'est La Vie: We'd like to continue on helping out and sharing the Christmas spirit to our household help and their families.

7. My Stories: I wish to increase our love offering to missions this Christmas so that more souls would be captured for Christ.

I hope that Cez, Karen, Meeya, Meldita & Weng would reveal their golden hearts through their wishes :)

Fri-date

2008-09-13T10:27:00.004+08:00

It was a welcome surprise that we could be off from work earlier than usual yesterday. On the way home, Roney and I decided to have a quick date at Gulliver's. The last time that we were there was to celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary which was 7 months ago. And the last time that we had a date was too long ago, not counting our birthday date.

We ordered Calamari Fritti, and this is how it looked.

Because we were not celebrating a special occasion, we did not order wine. Instead, I had a Shirley Temple:

We also ordered a bowl of French Onion Soup which we shared:

And we split a Gulliver's Cut of Roast Prime Ribs of Beef, served with yorkshire pudding, spinach souffle, baked potato and creamed corn of course.

The place was not crowded. In fact, there were only 2 couples dining when we got there and a pianist playing sweet music.

It was romantic!

I sure am going to miss my boys this weekend :(

2008-09-09T16:07:00.002+08:00

I owe this one from Vina :) thanks!

START COPY
Do you read books to your child? Sometimes, when we're in the mood.
Does your child like to read books? Sometimes, especially when he's in the mood.
Do you like to buy new books or is second-hand ok? Anything good works for me :)

Post a picture of your child's bookshelf if you have one.
Drop a line in this blog if you receive this tag and do it.
END COPY

This is Jadon's shelf. The ones he's really crazy about are My Picture Dictionary, My Little Counting Book, Super Car, Nature Discovery Cards, The Runaway Bunny (look how tattered the book is already!) and some of Brainy Baby books. Books have been helpful to us widen Jadon's vocabulary and understanding of things. He can identify the Earth, sandwich, roll, cake, sand, and other lots and lots of things because of these books.

If you have a child who likes books, feel free to snag this one :)

2008-09-09T09:57:00.003+08:00

Thank you Mandy for this wonderful award :)

The Above recipients of the Brillante Weblog are welcomed to put the Logo on their personal blogs and have the honor of passing this award to seven other bloggers.

Here are the rules for passing on the award:

1. Put the logo on your blog

2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.

3. Nominate at least seven other blogs

4. Add links to those blogs on your blog

5. Leave a message for your nominee on their blog.

I respectfully nominate LT, DivineMissM, Dphat, DragonLady, Mrs. Working Girl, Pat, Cez and Mel dita.

Finally!

2008-09-07T20:41:00.006+08:00

The package has finally arrived! The gift is now in my hands. Although it was a week late, i have no complaints. I have my new 'yoyo' on my wrist. And i hope to take good care of it so i can pass it on to my descendants :) thanks, roney!

Match The Picture

2008-09-04T17:38:00.004+08:00

Studies tell us that the brain of a toddler is a sponge for knowledge. Still, I am amazed at the development of my son's cognitive skills.

Haay, it seems only yesterday when he completely depended on me for food and transportation. Now, he can eat by himself, go downstairs without any help, and run where ever he wants. How time flies so fast.

Number 7

2008-09-02T16:52:00.003+08:00

I am thanking Cez for this one :)

The rules:
a. List these rules on your blog.
b. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog.
c. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs. You'll have to read on for my 7 facts and see who I tagged.

My 7 facts:

NUMBER ONE - President Ramon Magsaysay and I have the same birthday!

NUMBER TWO - Hubby and I have known each other since 3rd year HS but it was only after 12 years that we became attracted to each other.

NUMBER THREE - I am the eldest of 2 girls, while hubby is the youngest of 2 boys.

NUMBER FOUR - I bathe my baby everyday before going to the office on weekdays, except on Wednesdays that I am early for work due to number-coding.

NUMBER FIVE - My first name is a combination of the names of my father and mother.

NUMBER SIX - I want to stay at home and teach, nurture and rear up my child which would soon have REN.

NUMBER SEVEN - So, I am trying every racket to compensate for the eventual loss of income should i pursue my plan on Number Six.

I am tagging every reader of this article :) hehehe

Wasted Morning

2008-09-02T14:04:00.002+08:00

The company has issued a new phone for me. Yipeee! My 3-year old Nokia 6630
would now retire and be replaced by Nokia 6500 slide :) However, the transfer of data, contacts, pictures and messages is becoming more and more cumbersome. I tried the "transfer data" icon of the 6630, but when the 6500 accepted it, the format was not supported. And then i used the bluetooth technology, but both system hanged. I was beginning to use the "manual" method, which is to transfer data from phone to sim card, then sim card to the new phone, when someone suggested connectivity through the Nokia PC Suite. Well, i utilized the synchronization, but i am still trying to figure out how to transfer from one phone to the other. My morning was wasted and I still have to draft 3 more contracts today.

Birth Date!

2008-09-01T16:49:00.006+08:00

Because it was my special day, Roney and I went to Aubergine to celebrate. It is a classy restaurant located at 32nd and Fifth Building, Bonifacio Global City. Although it was not really needed, we kinda dressed up for the occasion (not the usual jeans and shirt) :)

We ordered their Degustation Menu which is a six-course meal. We also ordered a bottle of Talus Chardonnay because we figured that it would be cheaper and we could bring it home after dinner.

We began with the Chef's Compliment: I can't recall the name of the dish.

Then we had the following in that order. I tried writing down the menu, but my eyesight is really poor.

After the dessert, there was no wine left to take home. I was dizzy and drunk. Good thing I was not the driver :) Thanks Roney for celebrating my birthday with me. Lthysm :)

Today, I Am...

2008-08-29T16:41:00.003+08:00

After much pleading (hah!), I finally got a tag from mEldita!

1. List 6 things that describe yourself today.
2. Add your blog to the list. Feel free to add all your other blogs.
3. Tag other online friends you know.

Links: Creative In Me Little Peanut Me and Mine Pea in a Pod Sugar Magnolias Doll Me Up Deviously Creative IamDzoi My Happy Place To the Moon and Back Raising Sandy My Colorful World Working It MyParty.Finds.A Home. Em’s Detour Stripe & Yellow Something Purple Vanity Kit Mind Bubbles Living the Healthy Life As We Face Forever Feeling after the I do meme me My Stories

Since it's TGIF, I am....

Sleepy
Lurking @ Plurk
Envisioning myself in
Estimating our next month's budget
Pretty.... much occupied right now doing this tag
Yapping words here which are not descriptive of me, but what i do

hey, i am tagging Pat!

Damot!

2008-08-28T21:02:00.003+08:00

Roney and I woke up in the middle of the night last Tuesday because Jadon was restless. He was sleeping in between us so he would neither fall nor bump his head on either side. That night, Jadon was kicking his legs, throwing his arms, rolling all over the bed. When he finally settled down, I picked him up and put him at his rightful place to continue his sleep. Then he pulled the blanket so he would have it all for himself. Which led to the following repartee:

Roney (thinking it was I who took the blanket) : Ano ba? Nilalamig na ako, ang damot-damot pa!

Me (to Roney): Hindi ako yan.

Me (to Jadon) : Baby, please share the blanket with Tatay.

Jadon : Ummmmm.... (short pause) NO!

So, Roney and I ended up using pillows as shield from cold.

I don't think that Jadon is madamot. I think that he is in a stage where children become territorial and want to assert themselves. It is this time when parents teach the child to share. I just hope i would be able to.

Ano kaya?

2008-08-28T20:14:00.003+08:00

My birthday is just around the corner. Roney and I were discussing his gift for me. It is the only thing that makes me really look forward to the coming of that day. I have forgotten to count the years. I could not remember the year that I was born (and please, i am not asking for any reminders heehee).

With all the talk about the LV bag in n@w, I was tempted to tell him to give me that bag. Well, almost. I really do not want the bag right now. I am a lousy bag owner. I usually leave it on the floor where ever i am, or just push it in corner of my cabinet underneath the other bags without any protection whatsoever. True, it could be an heirloom. I have an LV pencil case which my grandmother gave to my mother who, in turn, gave it to me. It is old, but it is still sturdy and very nice, and does not look new. So, i know that it is made with uber quality. But still, i do not want to take care of a new designer bag. I am fine with the P500 bag i carry all over town.

Anyway, since he just got his midyear bonus hot from the atm (yipeee!), he was asking me what i want for my birthday. He really celebrates the day i was born. I mean, he would not have a loving, cheerful, wise, sexy, pretty wife (hahaha!) if i were not conceived on this planet. (Why do I hear someone asking, 'who? where?')

Going back, I want something that:

I can use or keep in the cabinet.
The value would never depreciate.
I can someday give to my daughter or granddaughter.
But purchasing it would not leave us in debt.
And of course, it should top the Nokia N95 he gave me last year ;)

Happy gift hunting, honey!

Let's Talk About Shoes

2008-08-27T12:07:00.004+08:00

{Start Copy}

What’s your shoe size? Are your feet the same size as your mom’s feet? How about your sister’s feet? Can you borrow shoes from each other?
Post a picture of your latest shoe buy. Tag the number of women of your shoe size, i.e. size 5 = tag 5 friends. Don’t forget to drop a line in this blog when you’re done.

Jenny and Belle
SAHMdom and Beyond
The Journey Continues…
Mommy Talks…
When Mom Speaks
Walk On Red
100% Kelly
Shopaholic Ties the Knot
My Stories

{End Copy}

Answer: My current shoe size is 8. Well, you know what they say about the size of the feet- the bigger the foot, the bigger the HEART! haha! My mom, sis and i used to borrow each other's shoes all the time when we were all size 7.

My latest goods from Celine and Charles & Keith last June, which i still have to break-in.

Now, i am tagging Jade, Melisse, Sasha, DivineMissM, LT, MWG, Dphat, Dragon Lady

Jadon's Birthday Celeb Kwento

2008-08-14T18:12:00.005+08:00

We (more likely I) did not want to throw a party for Jadon's 2nd birthday. It's just a second birthday. Nothing significant. Had it been his 7th or 12th or 21st birthday, i would have prepared painstakingly for a grand celebration. So we (more likely he) agreed that we should have a small gathering in the house with only the closest relatives.

Thus, we trekked off to Divi to get some party essentials such as:

the banner

Balloons

and the loot bags, which unfortunately had not been photographed.

Of course, a birthday would not be complete without the cake, which we got from Goldilocks

Since this is not really a party, we did and cooked everything.

The punch was a blast! Everyone loved it, especially the tidbits that were included in the juice.

the Punch

The spaghetti and the garlic were were a hit! I even had to prepare another set of spaghetti because people kept on getting seconds (and thirds, and fourths, and fifths...)

the spaghetti sauce with garlic bread

However, the fried drumsticks, which should have been lollipops, were kinda bland. The kids did not eat their share. Which means, it isn't delicious :(

Fried Drumsticks

We also served leche flan (which Roney wonderfully made) for dessert. But, again, no photo to show the yummy sweets.

The most important of all is that Jadon had such a wonderful time with his cousins,

8 boys out of 10 children

And was even able to show off some of his tapping skills.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JADON!

In Threes

2008-08-13T18:50:00.004+08:00

THREE NAMES YOU GO BY:

Dyes
Jyl
Jessie

THREE SCREEN NAMES YOU HAVE HAD:

yaneeps
o0otambayo0o
sikret!

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:

nose
eyes
muscular legs!!! haha!

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU DON’T LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:

feet! it's so unfair to have a hubby who has nicer ones than mine!
postnatal belly - when will it go back to its original state?
belly button

THREE PARTS OF YOUR HERITAGE:

black hair
black eyes
asian skin

THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU:

losing myself in this messed-up world
losing my loved ones
foreclosure

THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS:

hugs and kisses from baby j and hubby
contact lens/eyeglasses
gel

THREE THINGS YOU ARE WEARING NOW:

blazer
pants
blouse

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE SONGS (RIGHT NOW):

Mister Sun
Twinkle, Twinkle
ABC

THREE THINGS YOU WISH [FOR] IN A RELATIONSHIP:

God would always be the center of it
the flame would always be ignited
forever and lasting

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS ABOUT THE OTHER SEX THAT APPEAL TO YOU:

Body
Height
Eyes

THREE OF YOUR FAVOURITE HOBBIES:

surfing the internet
watching movies
playing games in facebook

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO REALLY BADLY RIGHT NOW:

clean up
quit
sleep

THREE CAREERS YOU’RE CONSIDERING/YOU’VE CONSIDERED:

(still considering) teacher
(still considering) accountant
banker

THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO GO ON VACATION:

Europe (all the countries)
African Safari
Maldives

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE:

see and step foot on every continent of the world
see my kid/s marry well
take care of my grandchildren

THREE WAYS THAT YOU ARE STEREOTYPICALLY A GIRL:

wears perfume
loves chick-flick and chicklit
and of course, i love dressing up

THREE WAYS THAT YOU ARE NOT STEREOTYPICALLY A GIRL:

watch espn and starsports
drive like crazy
messy

THREE PEOPLE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE TAKE THIS QUIZ NOW:

Happy Birthday Jadon!

2008-08-13T18:19:00.001+08:00

2008-08-13T15:29:00.002+08:00

I am so honored to receive this from Pat....

And passing this on to LT, Dphat, Thedivinemissm, Dragonlady and Mrs. Workinggirl

Staying Together Forever

2008-08-04T15:27:00.002+08:00

Sometimes, I get good advices from Yahoo! Personals. One of these is the following:

Relationship Advice: 10 Ways to Reduce Your Divorce Risk
By Caroline Presno, Ed.D., P.C.C.

When you dream about a happily-ever-after, sitting in a lawyer's office and dividing your assets isn't usually part of the dream. Divorce isn't 100 percent preventable, but there are steps you can take to avoid the nightmare scenario. And if you are already divorced, don't be discouraged -- just apply what you've learned in your next relationship.

To increase your chances of retaining an everlasting marriage, follow these guidelines.

1. Get married after about two years of courtship

Researchers say that if a couple's courtship is average in length -- around two years, four months -- there is less chance of divorce.

Researchers say that if a couple's courtship is average in length -- around two years, four months -- there is less chance of divorce. Couples who rush to the altar, as well as couples who drag their feet to the altar, have an increased risk for divorce. "The couples who are slowest to marry tend to be the quickest to split," according to Ted Huston, Ph.D.

2. Rethink living together

Living together before marriage is more popular than ever and it stands to reason that you might want to take someone for a "test drive" around your living space before you commit to marriage. However, research doesn't support this. Couples who live together before marriage have a higher risk of divorce.

3. Wait until you are a little older to marry

Statistics show that if you marry after age 25, your marriage will have a much better chance.

4. Talk about the big issues before you get married

How many kids do you both want? How will you handle your finances? It's important to clarify these questions before the honeymoon. Premarital education or counseling can help with this. Studies show that those who go through this process have higher levels of marital satisfaction and more commitment to their spouses.

5. You can argue, just don't let it turn into World War III

Arguing is a natural part of a relationship and in and of itself does not predict divorce. However, the way you argue does. Researchers Gottman and Levenson say they can predict divorce by watching how negative a couple gets with each other, as well as how many constructive, positive interactions they have during an argument. Things to avoid when arguing: criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling. Learn to tone down heated arguments with humor and a few kind words.

6. Do stuff together

Yes, you both need to have your own individual interests. However, if you take this too far you may start to lead separate lives and grow apart, like if he spends every Saturday golfing and she spends every Saturday swimming. Learn to reconnect by taking part in a hobby or activity that you both enjoy. Also important: Take time for intimacy even when it seems like you don't have a minute to spare. Forms of intimacy like massage and cuddling are wonderful ways to bring you closer together.

7. Share the chores

If one person does the majority of the housework while the other slacks off, that's a recipe for divorce.

8. Be as polite to each other as you are to strangers

Sometimes we treat the people we love most with the least amount of respect without even realizing it. Ask yourself, "Do I treat friends, acquaintances, coworkers, and even strangers nicer than I do my significant other?"

Take time to give each other compliments and remember to say "please" and "thank you" rather than barking orders or nagging.

9. Have issues? Get help!

Is one of you suffering from depression? Does one of you have substance abuse issues? Has one of you cheated? If you don't address these types of issues individually as well as a couple, you dramatically increase your divorce risk. Take steps to decrease your divorce risk now by addressing these issues through counseling and other means!

10. Marry someone who wants to be married

It seems obvious, but it's really not, since so many people ignore it. If you have to beg, cajole, manipulate, and hurl ultimatums at someone before they will agree to marry you, common sense says they probably don't want to be married. If you think something is going to change when you get that ring on their finger, you're wrong. Don't set yourself up for failure. Find somebody who wants the same things you want!

Excerpts

2008-08-04T10:49:00.003+08:00

Caught this from The Divine Miss M:

~ Start Copy Here ~

Instructions:

1. Pick up the nearest book of at least 123 pages.

~ The OXFORD Popular Dictionary

2. Open the book to page 123. Find the fifth sentence.

~ Since I am reading a Dictionary, i will post the fifth word instead :-p

dressage /dressazh/ n. management of a horse to show its obedience and deportment.

3. Post the next three sentences.

~ Oh no! I have to post the next 3 words and their meanings!

dresser 1 n. one who dresses a person or a thing.

dresser 2 n. kitchen sideboard with shelves for dishes, etc.

dressing n. sauce for food; fertilizer, etc. spread over land; bandage or ointment etc. for a wound. dressing down scolding

4. Like a true virus, spread this tag to as many people as you can.

Oh, i would love to read the excerpts from your book! please let me know if you caught the virus ;-p

How Important Is A Minute?

2008-07-31T14:48:00.006+08:00

Unfortunately, i just found out the answer to that question last night. We were at the lobby a few minutes before 8 o'clock and were wondering why people were running towards the doors of the theater. When the National Anthem was played, we were practically at the entrance of the main theater. But, we were never let in. Not until 19 minutes after the show started. And when the doors had been opened, we were led to some vacant seats and were allowed to take our reserved seats only during intermission.

The set was amazing. The actors were really good. However, i wish that the audio was louder. Anyway, i enjoyed the show and, of course, i've learned my lesson.

7 Random Things

2008-07-31T11:45:00.003+08:00

Here's another one from Pat :)

The rules:

A. List these rules on your blog.
B. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog.
C. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.You’ll have to read on for my 7 facts and see who I tagged.

1. I started wearing eyeglasses on my freshman year in high school.
2. I found out I was myopic when I couldn't read the plate number of the car in front of us during our ride home.
3. Every year thence, the diopter would increase.
4. On my freshman year in college, i started wearing contact lens.
5. It took me around 30 minutes to put them on during the first few times.
6. Because of the contacts, the diopter stopped increasing every year. Every 2 or 3 years na lang hehehe
7. I am wearing colored contacts now.

Please feel free to snag this tag :)

Fun Ranch

2008-07-28T16:35:00.003+08:00

Last Saturday, we went to Frontera Verde after visiting Baby J's pedia to buy medicines at Mercury Drug which happened to be located in the premises of Fun Ranch.

We started looking for a parking slot near Fun Ranch. When Baby J saw the facade of Fun Ranch, he shouted, "Pwaygwawnd!" translated as playground. Which was immediately followed by, "Go there!" I was quite surprised, not only by the words that came out of his mouth, but also the way he said them; It seemed that it took all his effort to say the last phrase.

Anyway, we went around the corner because we didn't find a slot. Baby J, still pointing at Fun Ranch, said, "Later!" Which, I figured, is his way of saying that we will go there later.

But when he saw that we were turning again on the second corner, away from Fun Ranch, he said, with a sigh and a sense of defeat (perhaps), "Bah-bye", because he thought that we were not going at all!

It's really awesome to see a person growing and learning like a flower finally blooming! God really works amazingly :)

New Look

2008-07-24T21:46:00.000+08:00

i had a hair cut. this is the new me.

My True Love

2008-07-23T10:25:00.002+08:00

I never believed in those tests.... But look what i got!

My True Love's Name Is

Ronald C.

What's Your True Love's Name?

Make-up

2008-07-22T15:47:00.003+08:00

A friend asked me if she could paint my face for her finals in Center for Aesthetic Studies located at the upper floor of Frank Provost along Jupiter St. Makati last July 5, 2008. How could I say no?

I must say that no one recognized me :-p

Mother and Child

2008-07-11T10:32:00.003+08:00

::::BEGIN COPY:::::

Rules :

1. Start Copy from “Begin Copy” until “End Copy”.

2. Choose the photo(s) of you and your child(ren) that you would like to share in your blog, with a small story/explanation about when and where the photo(s) was/were taken.

3. Add your blog name and url blog, then leave your url post in here. And I’ll add you to the Master List.

4. Please help spread this tag by tagging your friends as much as you can.

5. Please come back again to copy the update of the master list, often. This process will help new participants to get the same gains as the first participants.

Master List : 1. Juliana’s Site 2. Moms…..check nyo 3.PinayWAHM 4. Surviving deployment 5. Live Love Life 6. HotMomma7. a {GIRL} for all status 8. BaReFooTeD Me, 9. Uncomplicated 10. FunFierceFabulous 11. Hailey's Domain 12. Hailey's Beats and Bits 13. On A Wonderful Day Like Today 14. House Everything 15. Shopaholic Ties The Knot 16. My Stories

And here's my picture:

This is actually my Friendster picture :)

I would like to see the photos of Meeya and Suzi.

My Name Is...

2008-07-10T11:37:00.002+08:00

This video clip was taken this morning after we woke up :)

Six Qs

2008-07-03T11:16:00.004+08:00

The rules are simple. At the end of the post, the player tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?

~ Burning the midnight oil, praying i would know the answer for recitation (bec when my prayer is NOT to be called for recitation, i DO get called), and wondering how i will ever survive law school.

2. What are the 5 things on my to-do list today?

~ take mefenamic acid for the hammering headache
~ call the banks
~ take mefenamic acid
~ finish all the paper work
~ take mefenamic acid

3. Snacks I enjoy:

~ MTM, but i am having granny goose tortillas right now

4. Places where I lived:

~ Makati, Manila and Pasig

5. Things I’d do if I were a billionaire:

~ Buy real and personal properties,
~ Set up corporations
~ Establish a foundation for the homeless children

6. People I want to know more about:
You, if you're not busy :)

Thanks Pat for the tag. a nice break from work :)

'Later

2008-07-01T19:12:00.003+08:00

Toddler Jadon had started to talk a few months ago. (Ok, he started saying ayoko when he was six weeks old, but that doesn't count.) Anyway, he has recently added these to his list: 'tingk-oo' (thank you), 'welk-am' (welcome), 'weyt' (wait). When his cousins visited the house, Toddler J told them, "no, no, no, dondu-it!"

But what surprised me most was when he was saying good-bye to our church mates last Sunday and he softly said, "'Bye! See later."

Do you know how to read?

2008-07-01T14:46:00.002+08:00

Got this tag from Meeya:

Here are the rules:1. Check out your Blog Readability Test HERE then post it. 2. (OPTIONAL) Stop asking yourself regarding the results of the test (LOL!) 3. Add your blog from the list together with the results.4. Tag as many friends you like.

1. Big Eyed Gal - High School 2. The Chronic Shopper - Elementary 3. Vital Sighs - Genius 4. Princess Vien - High School 5. Em’s Detour - Junior High School 6. Strawberrygurl and Busy Mom - Elementary 7. Read My Mind - College 8. MrsWorkingGirl - Elementary 9. My Stories - Elementary 10. Your site/s here.

Please, don't hesitate to snag this one :)

True Love Tag

2008-06-26T22:22:00.003+08:00

Are you deeply in love with your spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend? If you do, let's try how well you remember the moment of your life with him. But before you put yourself in the hot seat please read the rules of this tag first.

RULES: 1. This tag should be pass on to your friends. 2. Visit the blog of the person you've got this tag. 3. Leave a comment on her/his tag post. Be sure to thank her/him for this tag. 4. Highlight and link all the list of people who accepted this tag by visiting their blog site. 5. There are 10 questions that you need to answer but you will be the one to write the 10th question for the next person you want to pass this tag. Here are the questions. Be honest with your answers.

1. How did you meet your husband?
We were classmates on our junior year in high school

2. Where did you go on your first date?
We went to watch a movie.

3. When was your first intimate kiss?
define intimate :) heehee

4. How many girlfriends he had in the past? Do you honestly know?
According to him, he had 2 serious girlfriends (i was the third), but we tried to count all his other "gfs" but i was already sleeping when he finished counting.

5. What is his ethnicity?
Asian

6. What is his favorite food?
Adobo

7. What is he like if he is mad?
Depends on how mad he is. Sometimes he's too crazy for being MADly in love with me ;)

8. What are the things he did you thought is the most romantic thing he'd ever done?
Doing things bec he doesnt want me to be exhausted, like doing hh chores and driving.

9. Describe how he proposed to you.
He said that he was praying to God for a partner and God showed me to him. He courted me not to become a girlfriend, but to be his wife.

10. What are his quirks that you have to put up with?
He is a sports fanatic! Nothing on tv but balls and cars, and sometimes motorcycles. hmmm, even spelling bees if it's on in the ESPN.

Snagged this from Pat (again!), and passing this on to Karen, Chai, Judy, Mariel and Chris.

Runs in the Family....

2008-06-26T15:51:00.002+08:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, May I present to you the new singer in the family

Taggedy-tagged

2008-06-25T20:11:00.004+08:00

Two Words Meme: This meme is different because it is up to the player to write his/her own words and give his/her own interpretations of these words.

Present 12 words that mean something and explain why:

1. Love - Makes an imperfect perfect

2. JC - My first love.

3. Husband - A person i didn't know i was missing until i had one

4. Mother - i didn't appreciate until i became one.

5. Father - Blessed to have one and be with one.

6. Child - I wished i wouldn't have but became my joy and my life when i did have one. Now, i'm wishing to have more.

7. Phone - Sometimes i wish i do not have.

8. Respect - Something i deeply have for No. 3 and hope to express more so he would feel it more often.

9. Holidays - More time for family

10. Drama - adds spice to life.

11. Bed - resting place

12. TV - a waste of time, but addicting still

~@~

Pink Heart Tags: A link love tag.

~Start Copy~

This is another of those Linky Love games where you only have to tag 10 persons in one post, but still there is no actual limit (you can tag more if you want!). Once tagged, you have to copy paste the link in this post, and make them grow!Do not delete any of the links and be honest to yourself!

BennyLiew, RamblingMoo, Mum & Kids In Wonderland, Judelittle, Our mini blogsphere, Rooms in My Heart, http://janiceng.blogspot.com/, ChinNee, Jo-N, LadyJava’s Lounge, My Life, My Hope, My Future, Mariuca’s Perfume Gallery, Choc Mint Girl, The Callalily Space, Juliana RW, Picturing of Life, Its Not a Weekend;Its a Lifestyle, Napaboaniya APAD, My Wanderings, Picture Clusters, Maiylah’s Snippets, TeacherJulie, GreenBucks1, GreenBucks2, Homeschooling Blog, Lucky Charms, TekKonsult, Marikit, Strawberrygurl, Busy Mom, My Stories, Punto De Vista, Your site/s here

~End Copy~

Thanks Strawberrygurl for this Tag. I am not passing this on to: Judy, Karen, Portia, Pat and Trinity

World Class Professions

2008-06-23T22:22:00.002+08:00

1. Copy and paste everything to a new post and Add your name next to your profession (or profession-to-be for undergrads) in the list. Make sure your name is linked to your blog/webbie
2. If your profession is not in the list then simply add it to the correct alphabetical place. For example, if you want to add PLUMBER then it should be placed in between ONCOLOGIST and QUEEN
3. Tag as many people as you can and witness how your technorati will explode!
4. Don’t forget to link back. In your case, link back to www.mckhoii.com

THE WORLD CLASS PROFESSIONS
Blogger - Mary, Vannie
Business - Vanniedosa
Doctor -
Finance - Pat
Lawyer - Jessie (aka Dyes)
Nurse - Mckhoii,Aggietha
Teacher -
Stay-At-Home-Mom - Mai, Aggie, Vanessa

Tagged by Pat, and passing this on to Meeya, Judy, Sujee, and Tricia

Happy Fathers Day

2008-06-15T16:02:00.000+08:00

Ako'y labis na nagagalak sapagkat ikaw ang naging Tatay ng aking anak. Alam kong hindi mo sya pababayaan, at ibibigay mo ang iyong buhay para sa kanya. Malaki ang impluwensya mo sa kanya kaya naman isa rin sa ikinatutuwa ko na ikaw ay ulirang asawa, maka-Diyos at isang tao na may integridad. Laging nagniningning ang iyong mukha kapag naririnig mong tinatawag kang 'Tay! ng iyong anak at hindi ka nawawalan ng pasensya at lakas para sa kanya. Kahit na madaling araw ay bumabangon ka pa para lamang ipagtimpla ng gatas ang kaisa-isa mong anak. Ganyan mo sya kamahal. kaya naman, labis ka rin naming minamahal.

Nawa ay lagi kang pagpalain ng Diyos. Itong araw na ito ay para sa iyo.

Adventure!

2008-06-05T17:21:00.010+08:00

Last weekend, we went to Market! Market! for our usual mall trip. While Tatay went to the car to put away our shopping goods, Baby Jadon and I went to the play park. He was so excited when he saw the playpen that he ran towards it without minding the jungle cars rolling over the place.

At first, he didn't want to go to the slide. He was just happy to see other kids laughing. He was even laughing with them, even though he didn't know the reason for it.

To encourage him to use the slide, i carried him and let him go down by himself. He enjoyed it so much that he went to the stairs to climb the top of the slide . Because he's still a baby (almost 22 months old), he wasn't as fast-moving as the others were. When some kids roughly brushed him (i don't know if intentionally or not), he would just say, 'Oy, oy,' and then look at me. I would go to him and pat him and tell him that everything was ok. And he would continue doing what he was doing.

After 2 or 3 turns, he just decided to explore the other parts of the playpen. i wish that he told me his plan, because it was too late when i realized what was happening. I saw him go to the stairs, went to the top of the slide, then continued on to the bridge instead of sliding down! The steps of the bridge are not the usual one-layered-all-together steps; they are alternately high and low! And at the other side of the bridge is a higher level for the higher slides, and farther to the end is one which is similar to the fireman's pole when they are going down from their post to the firetruck, only this has horizontal bars.

[NO PHOTO because i was panicking and watching Jadon carefully]

Imagine my fright. I could not go up and follow him because he might fall and i was not there to catch him. On the other hand, he doesn't want to go back or down the higher slides despite my pleading, groveling, shouting, threatening, and crying (ok, i may be overexagg here). He just stayed on that high level, enjoyed the scenery, played around, and sometimes made me think i was going to have a heart attack with his goofing around the edge of the level.

[NO PHOTO for the same reason above]

During that time, his Tatay, who was in a cue of an ATM, suddenly prayed that God protect Jadon from harm. His Tatay doesn't usually do that knowing that I take good care of Jadon. He was even puzzled why he did just that. But when he came to us and saw me looking up and calling Jadon, he knew that God led him to pray. He immediately followed Jadon, and they both went down the slide, with Tatay so scared while Jadon enjoyed every minute of it.

The Guest

2008-05-28T07:18:00.003+08:00

Last weekend, we got a call from the province telling us that our auntie has gotten us a new helper. We were all excited and interviewed the applicant over the phone immediately. She has reached 2nd year of Computer Science Degree, but would be very willing to be our helper. Because of her educational attainment, i had to ascertain that she really wants to be a helper. She answered in affirmative when asked if she would be able to do all the household chores. She had once been a helper in Quezon City, so i guess she had some work experience. She assured me that she would not leave us after one year and her mother would not ask her to come home. Hence, we bought her ticket since she wanted to start immediately. We even gave her pocket money for the trip and some to leave to her mother when she requested for it.

Hence, she came to Manila on Tuesday morning. Roney picked her up and was able to make good conversation on the way home.

When they reached the house, I showed her her room and told her to rest or eat breakfast. After putting her things in her room, she went to me in the kitchen. I was cleaning the dishes so i told her to eat while i finish my task, but she said she wasn't hungry and just sat on a chair.
I was going to converse with her while still doing my task when i noticed that she was crying; her eyes were full of tears! I asked for the reason for this outbursts, but didn't get any response. I sat down with her and inquired if she were homesick or lonely or anything that might give me a clue on why she was crying. Her answer was dubious. She said that she was malungkot. This belied her interaction with Roney who swears that the girl was excited during the short trip from the terminal to our home. The sudden mood change made me worry.

We had to go to work, so we left the girl with my in-laws who speak the same dialect. We were thinking that they might assuage her fears and loneliness. After all, it was her first day. We told her that she should rest and start doing the chores the day after. Whatever it is, at least we have a helper now. Hallelujah!

We were excited to come home after work. Roney and I were discussing on how we would not wash the clothes and press them anymore, how we would not sweep the floors before going to work and before going to bed, how we would be able to concentrate on taking care of Jadon on weekends, we do not have to cook food and wash the dishes when we come home, blah, blah, blah. By the way, the earliest that we could be home is 8:45pm. But sometimes, we leave our work at 11:30pm to 12mn, depending on how late my boss calls it a day.

Anyway, when we reached our house at 9pm (which is early in our standard), Roney was confident to honk the car so that our gate would be opened. (When we did not have a helper, I would get out of the car and open the gate so we would not bother my in-laws.) Imagine our surprise when it was FIL who opened the gate. Our new helper was in her room. We did not even see a glimpse of her shadow! We went to our room where MIL would take Jadon to sleep.

We found out that the helper decided to go home the day after or tomorrow, which is today! MIL was so frustrated because as sweet and nice and good MIL was, she didn't know why the girl was crying! She literally did not do anything in the house but cry all day. The girl even told MIL that she wanted to jump over the terrace! WTF??!!!!!! MIL thought that it would be better for her to leave than stay. FIL would buy her ticket and drop her off at the terminal. But, they lectured her about the severity of the situation, on how we trusted her to make good our arrangement and how it was not easy to shell out money expended for her. What ticked me off more was that she did not even inform us that she was leaving!

So what we had in our home was an all-expenses-paid guest.

About A Boy

2008-05-27T12:03:00.003+08:00

This kid drives me mad. When he wants me to do something for him, he would say 'help! help!' So I have no choice but to aid him. Sometimes, he would say 'piiissss' with a smile when he wants me to give him what he wants. Again, i have to accede to give meaning to the magic word.

But when i use the words help and please, he doesn't mind me at all! I still have to "force" him to help me. haaay. but i just love this boy, and i would never trade him for the world.

10 Things About Me

2008-05-23T17:36:00.002+08:00

Appreciate Pat for Tagging me :)

RULES:1. Each blogger starts with ten random facts/habits about themselves.2. Bloggers that are tagged need to write on their own blog about their ten things and post these rules.3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose 10 people to get tagged and list their breads.4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Here goes ...

1. I'm a girl, despite any opinion or appearances otherwise.

2. I keep important things in safe places that even I have difficulty in finding them.

3. I'm a sucker for tv series.

4. My fave subjects in high school were algebra and geometry

5. I love music, but my vocal chords have their own tune and tempo. And the only thing that
prevents people from booting me out of videoke is my talent for lipsynching.

6. I love to dance, but my bones do not. And my dignity prevents me from performing outside the circle of relatives and bffs.

7. I love sports. I watch F1, NBA, EUFA Cup, World Cup, even Boxing, Wimbledon, French Open, etc. But, i don't have enough strength and endurance to be in the game.

8. I realized that i can be creative when i became a kids church teacher.

9. When i feel dumb, i secretly draw confidence from the fact that i am an alumna of reputable schools, which might possibly mean that i am just having a bad day. (hey i feel dumb, so what can i do?)

10. But being an alumna of such schools entails great responsibilities to surpass, or at least meet, expectations.

Snag this if you want :)

Let me know if you are done so I can know you a little bit more.

The Challenge

2008-05-20T21:32:00.004+08:00

It's been more than a week since we have no helper at all. A month ago, we had two. One left to get married two weeks ago, and the other left just last week.

It has not been easy for us to take care of our toddler and do the household chores while working for at least 10 hours a day and commuting for at least another 3. And i am forever grateful for my in-laws who take care of our baby while we are in the office, clean whatever we might have forgotten, wash the things that our baby had used and most importantly, open the gate when we come home. I don't know how messed up things would have been if it weren't for them. I am also so glad that i have married Roney because he really helps out a lot in our household chores which i would not speak in detail to preserve his machismo.

I admit that there are times that i like the way we are now- how responsible we are in taking care of the house and being parents, etc. For whatever it's worth, i think i am beginning to mature through this small chapter of our lives. Not just physically (with sagging eyebags and multiple wrinkles from lack of sleep), but emotionally as well.

And i also challenge and dare myself to see through it unscathed.

A Milestone

2008-05-15T21:03:00.002+08:00

We went to the Galleria Mall to celebrate Mother's Day last Sunday. I know, it has been our tradition to go to the malls on weekends, but of course we had a reason that time.

Anyway, we were at the Handyman to buy some bulb or something when Jadon whom i was carrying suddenly shouted,

"Wah! Wah!"

"What anak?"

"Wah! Wah!" Jadon shouted while pointing to the middle of the aisle

"Okay, anak. We're going after a few seconds,"

"Wah! Wah!" Jadon, still pointing and making me go to the middle of the aisle

"Okay, anak. We're leaving!"

Then, just as i was going to get out of the aisle, he quietly and matter-of-factly said, "Tu."

I looked up to the thing that he was finger-pointing and saw a marker over our head stating that we were in aisle 21.

"Yes anak. That's one and two."

Just when i thought it was over, he said, "Fow!"

I turned and saw that beyond our aisle is Row No. 24.

Hmmm... Jadon was able to distinguish numbers, instead of letters at the age of 21 months! Baka mas magaling 'to sa math mana sa Tatay!

Tagged!

2008-05-15T14:41:00.003+08:00

Got Tagged by Pat. Nice break from work :)

Participants: 1. Tere-Blessing in Life 2. Yen- Me and Mine 3. Thea is bloggerhappy 4. Thea is berryscrappy 5. Tricia-Tricia’s World 6. Shopaholic Pat 7. Dyes tells My Stories 8. YOUR BLOG add here

Would-be participants are: Judy, Trinity, Karen, Mari, Rhoda and Jake

1. What do you want for your birthday? Oooh, so many i cant think of one right now! hehehe

2. Who will be your next kiss? i was going to say Roney, but since we won't be going home together, my next kiss would be Jadon.

3. When was the last time you went to the mall? Just this lunch. went to the gym which is located inside the mall.

4. Are you wearing socks right now? No. I don't usually have socks when i am wearing high heels.

5. How did you spend your summer? working in the office on weekdays and taking care of Jadon on weekends

6. Have you been to the cinema in the last 5 days? Nope. but i did watch Iron Man. what a terrrrrific movie!

7. What was the last thing you had to drink? coke zero

8. What are you wearing right now? blouse and pants

9. What was your last purchase? blouses

10. What was the last food you ate? spaghetti pesto with grilled chicken from tosh

11. Who would be the person you would call if you were up in the middle of the night and couldn’t sleep? I would say either Mileth or Angela (but that was before i got married)

12. Have you bought any clothing items in the last week? Yep, just now. 2 blouses from Milk and Company

13. Do you have a pet? Yep. a Flowerhorn named Boom-boom

14. What made you laugh in the last 5 days? many things

15. If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be? at home.

16. What is the last thing you purchased online? surprise cake for Roney's birthday

17. One thing you hate about yourself? my eyebags!

18. Do you miss anyone? i constantly miss Jadon

19. What are your plans for the day? go home early

20. Last person you msg’d? Roney. told him that Lakers won! Yipee!

21. Ever went to a camp? yep

22. Are you a good student in school? depends on what aspect of school life we are referring to

23. What do you know about the (your) future? I know that God holds my future.

24. Are you wearing any perfume or cologne? Cool Water

25. Where is/are your best friend/s right now? That would be my hubby and he's in the office right now.

2008-05-09T10:35:00.003+08:00

i would like to thank Issa for these lovely roses:

Red rose has number of thorns in it, when it pinches your fingers it hurts. Everyday in my life is just like red roses. Sometimes life is not always a bed of roses, but life is great with GOD.

Would give these roses to Mariel, Judy, Chai, Karen, Meeya and Suzi (advance hbd)

Who?

2008-05-08T17:24:00.003+08:00

Last Sunday, when the family decided to call it a night, i went to our den and grabbed the opportunity to have the tv all for myself.

Ever so excited, i surfed the channels until i remained on Studio 23 for i miss it and have never seen any of its programs from the time we had lifestyle, etc and 2nd avenue. And i will be forever grateful because i got to see the pilot episode of Samantha Who? and i know that i would be hooked again, just like in Gilmore Girls, Seventh Heaven, Beverly Hills 90210, Boston, Will & Grace, Spin City etc.

Oooh, i can't wait til Sunday!

whattaweekend!

2008-05-05T10:47:00.005+08:00

i have been quite busy with my new-found hobby :) i didn't realize what it was until i chatted with a friend and she casually mentioned that it's my hobby! hahaha!

anyway, i might sound a little scatter-brain today because i am merely stealing time to make an entry here. Oh my gosh, i am a thief! i don't know why i am happy this monday morning, but i am. and it scares me because when growing up, a great devastation would come upon me after some bouts of laughter. (ok, i may be exaggerating a little bit) so, despite my happiness, i am still bracing myself for - what? - a thorough pananabon? oh, i will still live, i think.

i am probably happy because of jadon's pictures which were taken by his tatay.

Oh, and i am proud to say that he knows how to count: wan, thu, twee, fow, fah, ik, edbn, eet, nah, tehng. and he starts to say two-syllable words like opfi (office), hatkik (hot cake), elyo (yellow), owenj (orange).

i was surprised yesterday that jadon was not camera-shy at all when tito Dan was trying to get a picture of him and caden. Jadon would face the digicam, squat and smile, and would go to tito Dan to see the picture :) Cant wait to get the soft copy :)

Bonding Time

2008-04-11T21:47:00.004+08:00

Tatay + Jadon = Basketball

What is it about boys and basketball? Even before he reached one year old, Jadon already knew how to shoot. You would see both boys shooting with invisible balls during breakfast. Oh well, i hope that they would be able to play together in a tournament someday.

Hubby Tag

2008-04-11T20:09:00.003+08:00

Another Meme from Judy

How long did you date?

:: We're still dating :) panakaw na nga lang ngayon ;)

How old is he?

:: thirty-something

Who eats more?

:: i guess i do. he doesn't eat tedious food, like shrimps, crabs, lobster. but i love those!

Who said “I love you” first?

:: He did. It was revealed to him first.

Who is taller?

:: He is. by an inch or two. but when we're seated or from afar, i'm waaaaaay much taller. buti na lang di nya nababasa to.

Who sings better?

:: He does. i really have to say it that he does. he comes from a musically-inclined family. so he does.

Who is smarter?

:: He says he is. and being a submissive wife, i agree on that (see how smart i am?). but he says that i'm more intelligent. and that is saying a lot!

Whose temper is worse?

:: His. It gives me terrible shivers on the idea that he might be involved in a traffic altercation.

Who does the laundry?

:: our helper :) but when we had none, he did. he doesn't want me to get tired. isn't he really, really smart?

Who does the dishes?

:: our helper. but when we had none, I did. Hey, i have to let him think that i can do household chores and i am not abusing his goodness, aight?

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?

:: We do. I on the corner, snuggling the walls, while he on the side where one could fall. but we wake up cheerful so we are definitely both on the right side of the bed. as opposed to the wrong side.

Who pays the bills?

:: He does. He pays what i budget.

Who mows the lawn?

:: No one. we dont have any.

Who cooks dinner?

:: Oftentimes he does. he says he is a good cook. so, i let him show off his skills.

Who drives when you are together?

:: He does. there is something in men that they must take over the wheels. and i let him. he is much smarter than me. anyway, i dont like the stress that the manila traffic brings.

Who is more stubborn?

:: He is. but he says, i am.

Who kissed who first?

:: He did.

Who is the first to admit when they are wrong?

:: No one. because he says that i dont admit it, even when i did. and i dont think he admits it. we are always right. yep, both of us.

Whose parents do you see the most?

:: His. We're just neighbors. And i would like to take this opportunity to thank my in-laws for taking care of our son while we are away. we appreciate their effort and love to their grandchild. Jadon can never have enough love.

Who proposed?

:: He did.

Who is more sensitive?

:: He is.

Who has more friends?

:: I do. His only friend is me. as far as i know....

Who has more siblings?

:: none. we both have one other sibling.

Who wears the pants in the family?

:: He does. he steers the family to the God-given direction. But i appreciate that he values my opinion.

Consider yourself tagged if you have a hubby.

20 Questions

2008-04-04T14:26:00.003+08:00

I have been tagged by Judy.

Here are the rules: Remove one (1) question from below, and add in your personal question, make it a total of 20 questions, then tag eight (8) people in your list. List them out at the end of this post.

1. At what age do/did you wish to marry?

:: well, i never thought i would marry someday. but i did one day, when i was 28. and i must admit that it's an ideal age.

2. What color do you like most?

:: pink

3. Have you ever shoplifted?

:: of course not.

4. Where is the place that you want to go the most?

:: The Holy Land

5. Which part of you that you hate the most?

:: my hair. do i really have to style, iron, blow-dry it so it would bend to my will? such a stubborn hair!

6. When you encounter a sad moment, what would you do?

:: think of happy thoughts, or eat happy food afterwards

7. What are you afraid to lose the most?

:: my life. i hate to speculate on what would happen to baby jadon and roney if i lose my life.

8. If you win $1 million, what would you do?

:: tithe first, get a franchise from Jollibee, buy properties from all over the Philippines, tour around the world and live the life of a homemaker

9. What do you loved the most last year (2007)?

:: Celebrating our first Christmas at our own house

10. List out 3 good points of the person who tagged you: :

:: friendly, a good person, and has perseverance (may be interpreted as stubborn)

11. How do you cope with boredom?

:: turn on the tv or surf the net

12. Till now, what is the moment that you regret the most?

:: whenever i let my emotions run over me

13. Which type of person do you hate the most?

:: selfish bi@tch

14. What is your ambition?

:: to be the person God has called me to be

15. If you had one wish what would you wish for?

:: that i would have more wishes, a hundred more perhaps?

16. How did you celebrate new year?

:: with wine and cheese while looking at the grand firework displays over our veranda

17. Name your body part that hubby tells you he adores.

:: face, i guess. 'cause that's what he sees every morning.

18. It is already 2008, do you have a new year’s resolution?

:: i think it's the same like last year.

19. What do you look forward to in 2008?

:: long weekends, vacations, any holiday that would give me more time with my family

20. What is the best movie you have ever watched so far?
:: Terms of Endearment. I cry each time i watch it.

I am tagging my fellow n@wies: Issa, Joanne, Arlene, Tricia, Donna, Toni, Jenny, and Maybelle

Let's Dance

2008-02-28T18:40:00.002+08:00

I was listening to DZAS the other week over the internet. And I can't remember who the preacher was, but i find the topic very interesting and pragmatic. He likened marriage to a dance. You can have a successful married life if you win a dance contest. There are four points in a dance that we can apply in our relationship:

1. There must be a choreographer. All dances must be choreographed. Otherwise, the dance would have no direction, no sense at all. In marriage, the couple must choose who their choreographer must be. But it is strongly suggested that it must be GOD.

2. The dancers must follow the choreograph. If the dancers do not follow the choreographer's instructions, then the dance would still have no sense at all. The dance, as choreographed, might not appear to be beautiful to the dancers. But it is an excellent dance from the viewers. As spouses, we may sometimes doubt God's will for us, but, hey, who are we to question His judgment?

3. Only one must lead. Have you ever tried dancing where both of you lead? Don't you always step on each other's toes, bump each others elbow, etc? It is the same with marriage. And i hate to tell you, but it must be the Husband who should lead. Being a leader does not give him the privilege to be a dictator (Remember points 1 & 2). And it doesn't make them our superior. In a dance competition, the man leads, but who gets the applause? Right. Because of our invaluable efforts, the marriage becomes successful.

4. Practice, practice, practice. Need i say more?

2008-02-28T15:56:00.002+08:00

The Link Tag

Rule #1

Copy all the links below and replace a single link under the appropriate alphabet. If your domain name, or even the title of your blog, starts with an ” A,” you’d replace the link under that alphabet and put the replaced link at the bottom. Also, don’t forget to credit the tagger, or where you got the list from, at the end of the list with a full URL of the post so that a pingback gets generated.

alwaysbcmom.com
because life is fun
caffeine-overload.com
dzunejenn.blogspot.com
enjoyingtheride-jenn.blogspot.com
forumfinder.net
gotic-peach.net
happykeg.com
ipentimento.com
juliesjournal.com
kabalyero.com
leahjoseph.com
michmagbag.com
notjustmama.net
originalmx5.net
patrickdevivo.com
qweddings.com
rantingsofawoman.blogspot.com
sujeesarmiento.blogspot.com
the-working-mom.blogspot.com
utada-online.net
valmg.com
wickedbabylon.com
xaviermedia.com
yaneeps.blogspot.com
zbudapest.com

Replaced Link: yimto.com

Previous Tagger: sujeesarmiento.blogspot.com and http://www.dzunejenn.blogspot.com/

Rule #2

You now have to “tag” at least five people and encourage them to participate so that this thing spreads like a virus. Remember, though, that not everyone’s into these kinds of things, so don’t be upset if they don’t participate. Just simply replace your tag. Remember to tag blogs only and no pornographic ones as we do want to keep the integrity as a blogging community.

TIP: Tag your frequent EntreCard droppers via its messaging system.

1. Vergie
2. Lemuel
3. Judy
4. Jake
5. Chai

Kilig Moments

2008-02-28T15:35:00.003+08:00

On the way to our dinner date to celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary, Roney told me that there is one song that reminds him of me.

Here it is:

God's Best

2008-02-25T00:00:00.000+08:00

On this day four years ago, I have committed my life to one man. And I celebrate this commitment by telling a story inspired, written and directed by God.

One evening while I was walking towards the jeepney stop along Ayala Ave after work, someone called my attention. It was a classmate from high school. We exchanged greetings and since I knew his girlfriend, I asked how she was doing. His hesitation to reply made me query him more, and he said that I should ask her. He changed the topic by inquiring if our church had calendared a Young Adults’ retreat since we are of the same faith but from different churches. He looked so sad, so I persistently asked him if he had a problem. He finally told me that he and his girlfriend broke up, but I should ask the details from his girlfriend.

All I saw was a brother who was so lost. I wanted him to hold on to the Lord so that he would never go astray in those trying times.

I also felt for his girlfriend who happened to be my friend. She was more of a friend than this classmate was. Hence, I connected with her to comfort her, and tell her that everything would be alright. I even encouraged her with hopeful words for reconciliation even though they were not of the same faith (mea culpa).

Blessedly, our church had lined up a youth and YA camp. I encouraged my classmate to attend this camp, which he did. My main plan was to surround him with male Christian friends who could help and console him without any chances of a rebound. During the camp, I purposely avoided him to force him to mingle with my male churchmates. Truthfully, it was quite difficult to evade him: I was the only one who knew him before camp, and I was the cell leader of a group of adolescent males (10-12 yo) who happened to be his roommates. I did not want him to befriend me because he was in a very delicate situation which can delude one’s self of falling in love but was merely on a rebound. In life, I have found that prevention is better than cure; that Joseph was wise to run away from temptation rather than face or play with it. Anyway, during our praise and worship, and prayer time in camp, I would see his face whenever I asked the Lord what His plans for me were. My thoughts were that God wanted me to pray for this classmate because he was really devastated that time, which I did.

After the camp, this classmate would text me, and I him. I would text him of the verses I read or the preachings I heard; but he was only one of the many recipients of those text messages. I included him in my list because I wanted to obey God and really prayed that he would be enveloped by His love.

After a few months, he declared his intentions of courting me. Oh, no! This was the very situation I was trying to steer clear of. Hence, I easily said that we could just be friends and get on with our friendship. But he was unrelenting. He said that I was God’s will for him, a line I had heard so many times before. He was very sure of it; it was crystal clear to him.

But not to me. Prior to that Ayala incident, I had made up my mind that my next boyfriend, who would eventually become my lifetime partner, would, in terms of importance, [a] be a bible-based believer, [b] not be someone who knew me when I was very young (I did not mean to spend the next half of my life with someone who knew me during the first half. It might bore me to tears!) , [c] be a man of great faith, someone who is very active in the activities of the Church and occupies a high position therein (his stature might prevent him from looking maliciously at any woman other than his wife), [d] be two or more years older than me (so that we would be able to adjust well with each other as studies have shown), [e] not so good-looking, but merely acceptable-looking (I do not have a problem with his fidelity, but I might have one on other women who think of themselves as irresistible). He only qualified on the first.

Because of his forceful conviction, I allowed him to court me, but without any promise or hope of an ensuing romantic relationship. I would merely open myself to the idea that he MIGHT be telling the truth that we were meant for each other, because I really could not see even a trace of such tale. Thus, our courtship began.

As it progressed, it became clearer to him that I was God’s best for him. But, again, not to me. He was baffled that I could not see it. He became irritated that I was still struggling with the idea that he threatened to stop courting me. A part of me was glad that the ordeal was over, but a part was truly saddened since I began opening up my feelings to him. For years I had been meditating on my requirements for the next-boyfriend, and there came someone who did not qualify but one telling me that he was my pre-ordained lifetime partner. How can he expect me to change my perception, expectations and aspirations overnight?

After a few days, he came back and asked to court me again. He said the same lines, and apologized for rushing things. His return set the seriousness of our courtship. It was then that I realized that this was for keeps. I prayed harder to God. But the more I cried to Him to let this go, the more He made him closer to me.

I said, “Lord, I need a man who has great faith. I need someone who is active in the Church, not some attendee. I need a spiritually grown man!”

My sixty-something year-old mentor told me that we are all diamond in the rough. We are still work in progress. He might not appear to be like David, a man after God’s own heart. But he may be one someday. The only criterion God had given us was that we ought to have the same beliefs.

I said, “Lord, I do not want someone who is habulin. From his looks alone, I know that many women would want to have a piece of him.”

My devotions led me to the 1 Samuel 16:7b, “The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

Still, I did not give in. And another “option” was coming toward the picture. I was toying with the idea of that option. But God, being a real Father, made me ill to refrain from going out of the house and going for it. Sometimes, God has a weird sense of humor, but i do appreciate it :)

What can I do but obey? And after fifteen months, we vowed before the Lord that we would love each other and never part for the rest of our lives. And though not everyday is ups, we try to submit the downs unto the Lord. Truly, God's best is the very best!

Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
-Isaiah 40:28

Let's Learn How To Speak

2008-02-19T20:01:00.003+08:00

In his first year and six months, Jadon can now determine objects and utter one-syllable words. I wish I could describe his intonation on each word, but my capabilities are so limited. Anyway, I made a list of some words I heard him say:

Tatay: TAH! (his father)

Nanay: NAH! (me, of course)

Lolo: LUH! (sounds like duh)

Lola: LAH!

Papa: PAH!

Mama: MAH!

Barney: BHAR (he says barney's name sweetly. I guess he likes him much)

Jollibee: BIIII??? (although he doesn't eat the food, he knows the 'bee. He's like asking the name)

Ball: BOL (it's his favorite toy. but the sports that he loves watching are billiards and F1)

Car: KAHR

Fish: ISS; sometimes, PHISS???

Kite: KUHT (We were surprised that he knows the object and what it is called. I thought that it was written in the Alphabet poster, but it was not. Roney was correct in saying that Jadon learned this from Barney's CD. I soooo luv Barney right now.)

Down: DOWN

Up: EP!

Two: U! (I just heard him say it this morning. I asked him how many Lolo he has because his only one lolo was there, and he pointed his Lolo when i said one, then he looked around and saw his Tatay and suddenly said U!)

Jeep: IP

Book: KUB; sometimes, KU

Truck/Tractor: KAH!

Lord: RO

Balloon: BON

Bubbles: BAB

Bear: BER; sometimes, BEH

Hooray: HOOR

Star: AR

Moon: UHN

Sun: SAN

Wow: WAW

Go: GO, GO, GO, GO, GO,GO!

Nose: NOWS

Ears: EEEH!

Comb: KUM

Grapes: GRIP (it's his most fave fruit. The next one is papaya, which he still cannot pronounce)

Apple: APEL (uyy, it's a two-syllable word!)

Queen: KIH!

Phone: FOH (When he was barely one year old, we were surprised when he got our cellphone, put it on his ear and said 'Low?')

Hello: LOW???

Call: KOH

Dog: GOH

Duck: KHUH!

Quack: KHUH! (i know. it's the same)

Turtle: THEL!

Drums: RAM!

Bed: BED! (he says it like it's urgent)

Yes: YEEAH!

And lastly, when i asked Jadon this morning if he already prayed, he answered with his head swinging from left to right, "AAAAH, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!"

Thrice on Hearts' Day

2008-02-15T19:13:00.002+08:00

Just like any person who is in love, I was full of excitement and expectant feeling yesterday, the Hearts’ Day. Thus, as soon as I was free to go home, I immediately packed my things and went on my way to pick up Roney. Since he texted me that he was still in a meeting, I decided not to rush my way to his office.

As I was cruising along Buendia on the second to the leftmost lane and nearing Ayala, this white Ford Everest with Plate No. ZFF-990, which was on my left as we were almost side by side, suddenly shifted to its right without even a warning! As a result, I was scratched on my left rear bumper. Grrrr…. So, I immediately stopped in the middle of the road and put on my hazard lights as the Ford Everest with Plate No. ZFF-990 was behind me. Since I was alone, I deemed it prudent not to get out of the car first, but wait for the driver of that vehicle to get off and inspect the damage s/he had done. I was expecting that the least I would get from this is an apology. I guess I was putting too much confidence on human kindness, decency and courtesy, because I saw that the Ford Everest with Plate No. ZFF-990 slowly turned its wheel and began to rush to Ayala Ave. I couldn’t believe my eyes! I immediately rolled down my shotgun window to get the attention of the driver. But the vehicle went on, and all I saw was a dirty finger of the passenger seated behind the driver. I was tempted to tail that vehicle and teach the people inside some manners. But, a cautious person that I am, I computed in my head that there were at least 2 people in that vehicle (driver, plus the passenger giving me a dirty finger), and decided that they were not worth my time.

But please, readers, if you know the owner and/or driver of that Ford Everest with Plate No. ZFF-990, please, pretty please, teach them right manners and good conduct.

I thought that I had enough misery on Hearts’ Day. But, it was just the beginning of a very looooonnnnngggg night.

Roney and I decided to forego our V-date because we wanted, and were very excited, to watch The Amazing Race Asia 2 Finale. We have been religiously watching the show and rooting for Marc and Rovilson whose attitude during the race set them above everyone else. They truly enjoyed each leg without losing focus on the prize. They finished first last epi, so we were really hopeful that they would snag the title! But, though they were the first to reach the roadblock, they were the last to complete the task. Nevertheless, they handled their disappointment and frustration well. I did not hear Marc yelling at or even blaming Rovilson. Instead, he said that if he was frustrated, he could imagine how it frustrated Rovilson more. My hats off to you guys!

Anyway, I thought I was going to have a good night sleep after rising above depression over the results of TARA2. But Jadon had a restless night. He woke up at 130am crying and wanted to go out. We had difficulty in getting him back to sleep. He would wake up intermittently and we would rock him to sleep. Needless to say, I did not have my rest. I was tempted to take a leave from work due to lack of sleep, but i can't. I just hope that i would be able to go home earlier than usual tonight. (Usual is 11pm)

What a night! I eagerly await next year’s Hearts’ Day for I know that it will be better. It should.

Anna's Tag

2008-02-14T10:28:00.003+08:00

This tag came from fellow n@wie, Anna.

Copy this entire list of questions and change all the answers so that they apply to you. Then tag and pass it along to other blogging friends. Let’s see how well we can get to know one another!

1. What is your occupation? LO cum EA

2. What color are your socks right now? transparent (coz am not wearing any!)

3. What are you listening to right now? the buzz of the vacuum cleaner

4. What was the last thing that you ate? camote chips for breakfast

5. Can you drive a stick shift? a master of it!

6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Red

7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Hubby, informing him that i have arrived the office safely despite the traffic gitgitan

8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Of course :)

9. Favorite drink? Watermelon shake

10. What is your favorite sport to watch? everything except golf and contact sports

11. Have you ever dyed your hair? yep, during my younger, silly years. but i think i will do it within the year if given time (and money).

12. Pets? can we consider the boys in the house? (fingers crossed, hoping that hubby would not have the time to read this)

13. Favorite food? chicken curry and right now, korean beef stew!

14. Last movie you watched? the assassination of jesse james by the coward robert ford

15. Favorite Day of the year? Feb 25 - the Freedom Day. though it's a working holiday this 2008.

16. What do you do to vent anger? be by myself then shout and/or cry

17. What was your favorite toy as a child? barbie dolls!

18. What is your favorite, fall or spring? Fall. i like the smell of autumn. and love it when the leaves are falling. it's our own version of snow

19. Hugs or kisses? hugs AND kisses

20. What kind of pie? Mango Creme Pie

21. Do you want your friends to email you back? yep!

22. Who is most likely to respond?

23. Who is least likely to respond?

24. Living arrangements? live-in with my lifetime partner and lifetime son. i only get day-off when am out of the country.

25. When was the last time you cried? cant remember

26. What is on the floor of your closet? shoes and bags

27. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending this to?

28. The friend you have known the shortest amount of time that you are sending this to?

29. Favorite smell? hubby's sweat (but he doesn't know it!)

30. What inspires you? games!

31. What are you afraid of? heights

32. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? cheese burgers

33. Favorite car? ferrari

34. Favorite cat breed? pusakal

35. Number of keys on your key ring? 4

36. How many years at your current job? almost 5 years

37. Favorite day of the week? FRIDAY!!!

38. How many provinces have you lived in? one (1)

39. How many countries have you been to? 4, including the Philippines

am tagging anyone who wants to answer these Qs...

2008-02-11T12:39:00.000+08:00

I am so honored to have received this award:

Thanks Trinity for making my day :)

I would like to pass this award to Karen and Jake

Life's Simple Pleasures

2008-02-06T12:06:00.000+08:00

I don't think i have answered this Tag from Judy yet, so here it goes...

1. A Kiss. from hubby and from baby. Tells me how much they love me, and vice versa.

2. Chocolates. Happy food. Need i say more?

3. Bed. A nice, warm, soft haven after a toxic day.

4. Barney. When tired after a hectic week and have to take care of a super cute active Jadon, i just turn Barney on. Voila! i can now take my rest.

5. Lipstick. Never mind the lead. My face transforms when i'm wearing one.

6. Massage.

7. Soft, lovely music. Soothes the soul.

8. Good books. Feed the mind.

9. Long bath. Refreshes the body.

10. Malutong na tawa. Nakakapawi ng lungkot, pag-aalala at anumang agam-agam.

Five Values

2008-02-05T18:44:00.000+08:00

This meme from Meeya is delightfully timely. I have been procrastinating on my 2008 M-V statement for my son. But this opportunity forced, err rather tagged, me to now "define" my Jadon's path.

As a believer of God's Word, i will use the Bible as my guide for the values i want my son to keep for the rest of his life.

1. Faith and Fear of the Lord.

"Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates" Deut 6:5-9

I would feel safe and secured knowing that my son fears the Lord. I know that he will be taken cared of, all his needs would be provided for, and would never be neglected if he submits himself to the Lord.

2. Commitment

"Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond
this comes from the evil one." Matt.5:37

Integrity begins from commitment. I have never seen a more committed person than his father. When he says something, he will see to it that it will come to pass. Hindi nang-iiwan sa ere.

3. Love for Family

"Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you." Exo. 20:12
"Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord." Col. 3:20
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as
Christ does the church— for we are members of his body. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." Eph. 5:25-31

In my book, family is one of the most important part of one's life. This is where values are formed, the character is shaped, and of course, where you run to when everything else failed. I hope that i would be able to inculcate this value to my son. I hope that he would always protect his family, especially since he is the male, the would-be head of a household.

4. Industriousness, Diligence & Hardworking (parang isa lang ito ah?)

"Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth." Proverbs 10: 4

I am earnestly praying right now that God will give me the temerity to restrain myself from giving everything to my son in a silver platter. He should learn that he must work so he could eat. It would be my great honor if he would be a good provider for his own family someday.

5. Humility

"When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." Proverbs 11: 2

Most of all, I want Jadon to be humble always. Humble in the sense that he does not boast his talents or achievements. Rather, he would use these to help others who are in need. After all, everything he has comes from God.

My prayer: Lord, help me to bring up Jadon in the way that he should go. Teach me to remember these things every time I interact with him. Most of all, guide me to be a good example by doing what I preach. In Jesus' Name I pray, amen.

And now for the TAG....

i am tagging mommies in my blogroll who have not posted this Meme in their blog yet.

Sayang

2008-01-23T07:25:00.000+08:00

Today, i weep again for another life which i thought was so fulfilling and had so much in store for it.

Heath Ledger died yesterday due to overdose of sleeping pills. According to the news, he was 28.

How could a young man, with a great future and a flourishing career, not get any good night sleep? It may be anxieties, worries, angst, or a mere sleeping disorder. It could even be just a mistaken dosage of pills.

Whatever it may be, it made me stop and reflect about a Bible verse, "[a]nd what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?" (Matt. 16:26).

And another verse. A better one for me: "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Phil. 4:6)

A blessed day to you all.

December Highlights

2008-01-11T17:45:00.000+08:00

December has always been a party month. So, a class reunion, 3 weddings, a concert and Christmas gatherings all in the same month came as no surprise for me.

The first event I went to was the reunion. It was nice to see good ol’ friends and reminisce our growing years. It may be the very same reason that one did not attend the party. One does not want to remember the traumatic teenage years. Nevertheless, the joy of celebrating with friends and making new acquaintances is still worth the trip.

After a few days, we attended a very elegant wedding. The ceremony was done in a chapel and the reception in a nearby hall. There is something in weddings that makes me want to cry. Or probably it’s the sentimental me. We wish you all the best, Kaye & Gino!

The day after was another union of hearts. It was a very enjoyable ceremony and reception, a time to see old friends again. Every moment captured in MB was priceless. Live a blissful married life Eric & Judy!!!

We witnessed the third wedding a couple of days before Christmas. Roney (Cui to his friends) was the veil sponsor, while I was his alalay. I felt I was a stage mother during that time, worrying if he was wearing the right clothes since there was some sort of confusion if it was barong or suit that he was supposed to don. Weng, wag mo na raw pakawalan si Stan! Love each other as long as you live.

Of course, there was also our office Christmas party. I guess my blessings have not run out. Every year, i was able to take home something. First was a cellphone. Next was the HK trip for 2. Then there was the Beijing trip for 1 (but Roney tagged along. at least we paid for only one c:) Last year was the rainbow dvd player. And now, this! Yey! That's the power of prayer! Thanks to all the sponsors who had twisted arms after the party!
And because there is an on-going Barney-craze in the house, watching Barney’s concert is a MUST. I never thought that my son would be a Barney-buff at the age of one year and four months. It was also nice to chance upon a friend who loves her daughter to tears (bringing her near the stage so she could get a better look of Barney). Sayang, I was not able to take a picture of our kids together.

And of course, December would not be the most exciting month without Christmas.

This is Roney's gift for me. Is this a sign that i have to prettify myself? wait, i remember telling him that i would want to buy make-up, but it's too expensive for my budget!

This was our First Tree....

And our first family pic by the first tree...

WISHING YOU ALL A PROSPEROUS 2008!!!

My Birthday Weekend

2007-09-03T17:22:00.000+08:00

On the eve of my birthday (around 1130pm), i was blasting Roney's ears off for not having filed a leave of absence on my birthday! The fact that he was not able to project THIS leave made me feel worse. And the further fact that I was the one in charge of our planned leaves does not exonerate him from marking it. Heck, you can't expect me to surprise myself, can you?

Anyway, i was going to sleep off my gloom (and actually dozing off) when Roney announced that it was the start of my birthday. And to my delight, he gave me two cards! I was so kilig and it was my bestest birthday to date.

And since he was not going to work on my birthday, i asked him to look after our baby while i go beautify myself. I had my hair relaxed and got a footspa with pedicure and manicure. The relax did great for my mane which is not used to being NOT fizzy. And i guess my fingernails must first get used to having polish before it could shine colorfully for more than a day.

When i returned home after four hours ( i really wonder why it took so long. but then again, my hair is still flat and straight. so no complaints should be coming from me), Roney said that we could have a date because MIL volunteered to babysit Jadon.

Off we went to Greenhills. Why GH of all places? Because he was going to buy me a gift!!! Nope, i don't need diamonds. I also don't need roses. I just need this.

Did i say this was my bestest birthday to date?

After purchasing my gift, we went around GH while still deciding where to dine. Roney wanted to make it special. We would have gone to Gulliver's Restaurant-Makati, our fave steak place, had it not been a friday-payday kind of traffic. I wanted beef and meat and eat-all-you-can so we went to Brazil Brazil. We called it a night at ten pm.

The day after, I was still claiming my birthday rights (the one where you can do all the things you want because it is your birthday) so that I could convince Roney to shop books at the World Trade Center. Since joining shelfari, it has been my objective to collect as many books as i can even if i would not have time to read them all. Roney did not want to go to the book fair because the last time we were at the World Trade with Baby Jadon for a food expo, we had not even gotten to the Entrance due to heavy population of visiting guests. It was a terrible experience and i cannot blame Roney for being burned. But I could ask him, on my knees with beautiful eyes, to ask MIL to babysit for a while, which he did (thank God!).

After two hours at the book fair, we went home with His Dark Materials Omnibus by Philip Pullman, a complete set of Gabriel Garcia Marquez books, the Third and Sixth book of Harry Potter, and a couple of romantic novels by Marian Keyes and Judith McNaught. Oh, and Powerbooks had a promo that the first 100 customers with a P2,000 worth of purchase get a Powercard Plus (a discount card which you could have after having a card all stamped up evidencing your purchases of P15,000 worth of books). Considering we went to the booth of National Bookstore first, we no longer have much books to purchase. I only learned of this promo when i was next in line of the cashier. When it was my turn, and we found out that i only have P1,200-something, i had to hold off the register to get a 10-day MBA book and a pre-K book off the rack, without thinking what on earth i need them for. I just hope that Roney would read the MBA book and Jadon would enjoy the pre-K book. Even if they don't, at least I got my card! Yipee!!! I was also happy that we got loads of freebies from NBS like tagalog-english dictionary and synonyms, antonyms homonyms, and fans and bookmarks. They even handed out a Penguin toy, which we gave to Jadon and named it Primo.

Did i say it was my bestest birthday to date?

Soon we had our afternoon naps at the house. Actually, it was only Baby Jadon who took the nap while his Tatay watched t.v. and his Nanay began her reads. When Jadon woke up, we went to Serendra & Bonifacio High Street to stretch out our legs and walk. Unfortunately, Jadon refused to walk on his own. It seemed that he lost his confidence to walk without help.

Then on Sunday, two days after my birthday, I celebrated my birthday with my aunts from my mom's side. They visited our house because Tita Lulu (from Japan) has not seen it yet. Due to time constraint, we were not able to call a caterer, but had our food delivered by Savory Restaurant. It was a disaster! My aunts arrived before the delivery came. Hence, they saw us taking all the food out of the boxes and plastics. We were also not able to entertain them much, as we were torn between preparing the buffet table and taking care of Jadon. Be that as it may, they seemed to have enjoyed themselves by looking at our photo albums and chatting about people of their age whom we do not know (or care to know). I guess they had lots of fun being in our house for they had lasted more than 3 hours in it even if the hosting had sucked big time!

The low-down of the weekend was that we were not able to go to Church on the First Sunday of the month and receive communion. We were all exhausted, but boy, we, especially I, had so much fun.

Thanks Roney for being my soulmate and making me the love of your life and celebrating life & love with me.

2007-08-17T16:58:00.000+08:00

I feel guilty. I don't think i have been performing my duties well as a biographer of my son. I don't have as many pictures and videos of Jadon in my possession, esp the recent ones, that it is sometimes almost embarassing to respond to people who are requesting for his updated pics.

So will now seriously save for this.

Imaging

Imaging and Video

Up to 5 megapixel (2592 x 1944 pixels) camera, Carl Zeiss optics, Tessar™ lens, MPEG-4 VGA video capture of up to 30 fps
Direct connection to compatible TV via Nokia Video Connectivity Cable (CA-75U, included in box) or wireless LAN/UPnP
Front camera, CIF (352 x 288) sensor
Video call and video sharing support (WCDMA network services)
Integrated flash
Digital stereo microphone
Flash modes: on, off, automatic, redeye reduction
Rotating gallery
Online album/blog: photo/video uploading from gallery
Nokia Lifeblog 2.0 support
Video and still image editors
Movie director for automated video production

Mobile Video

Video resolutions: up to VGA (640x480) at 30 fps
Audio recording: AAC mono
Digital video stabilization
Video clip length: limited by available memory
Video file format .mp4 (default), .3gp (for MMS)
White balance: automatic, sunny, cloudy, incandescent, fluorescent
Scene: automatic, night
Color tones: normal, sepia, black & white, negative, vivid
Zoom: Digital up to 10x (VGA up to 4x)

Mobile Photography

Image resolution: up to 5 megapixel: (2592 x 1944 pixels)
Still image file format: JPEG/EXIF
Auto focus
Auto exposure - center weighted
Exposure compensation: +2 ~ -2EV at 0.5 step
White balance: automatic, sunny, cloudy, incandescent, fluorescent
Scene: automatic, user, close-up, portrait, landscape, sports, night, night portrait
Color tone: normal, sepia, black & white, negative, vivid
Zoom: Digital up to 20x (5 megapixel up to 6x)

Camera Specifications

Sensor: CMOS, 5 megapixel (2592 x 1944)
Carl Zeiss Optics: Tessar™ lens
Focal length 5.6 mm
Focus range 10 cm ~ infinity
Macro focus distance 10-50 cm
Shutter speed: Mechanical shutter: 1/1000~1/3 s

Rainy Days and Fridays

2007-08-17T12:15:00.000+08:00

Due to inclement weather these past few days, with the late announcements of suspension of work (which ours never did), my brain has made its own proclamation that no part of the body, including the brain itself, will perform any official function. The body must get back to bed and curl under the covers.

...............

Anyway, to prevent brain freeze due to cold weather, i bloghopped and left some footprints. i really enjoyed reading their entries and learning new things about life. Though it's hard to live in the real world, it is much more difficult to live in a fantasy away from the real world.

...............

Some friends and i were discussing family finances. My family believes in tithing and we have been living testaments of its effectiveness. There was a time when Roney and I failed to give our tithes, not because we do not want to but we just could not for we had not attended church for quite sometime. The money was still in the bank and the check was ready. Lo and behold, during the month that followed, we were always out of cash. There are still some to shell out for our basic necessities, but there were no excess money for luxuries until we went back to regular tithing.

...............

Rainy days are here again. Did i mention that government work was suspended twice already this week? First was last wednesday, and the second was today. i just hope that it will not bring us into a state of calamity. I wonder if Buendia will be passable this afternoon.

...............

Students are either celebrating their 6-day vacation (from wednesday afternoon to monday (ninoy aquino day)) or pulling their hair for being bored out of their wits.

...............

Haaay. I just hope that the rain stops this afternoon or evening because i plan to go to the gym tomorrow morning. But if the weather is not good, i might just stay at home and play with my boys.

...............

Oooopppsss! I almost forgot! Baby Jadon has an appointment with his pediatrician tomorrow afternoon. Now that he is more aware of his environment and already has his own mind, i wonder how he will act during his visit.

...............

Now that my mind is medyo alert, i will go back to work...

Music Trip

2007-08-16T15:24:00.000+08:00

JACI VELASQUEZ lyrics

UTADA HIKARU lyrics

MERCY ME lyrics

Hmmm….

I don’t know why but when i look in your eyes
I feel something that seems so right
You’ve got yours i’ve got mine
I think i’m loosing my mind
Coz i shouldn’t feel this way
Catch me i’m falling for you
And i don’t know what to do

How can something so wrong?
Feel so right all along
Catch me i’m falling for you

How can time be so wrong
For love to come along?
Catch me i’m falling for you

How can love let it go
When it has no place to go
And i can’t go along pretending
That love isn’t here to stay
Catch me i’m falling for you ooh ooh

If i could just walk away
Without you floating today
I would die just thinking of you
I know we can’t therefore be more friends you and me
But why do i feel this way

Catch me i’m falling for you
And i don’t know what to do

How can something so wrong?
Feel so right all along
Catch me i’m falling for you

How can time be so wrong
For love to come along?
Catch me i’m falling you

Maybe someday i’ll see why love did this to me
And i can’t go along pretending
That love isn’t here to stay
Catch me i’m falling for you
Catch me i’m falling for you

And it’s wrong for me to feel this way
Coz i don’t know what to do without you
I’m falling for you
Catch me i’m falling for you

How can something so wrong?
Feel so right all along
Catch me i’m falling for you

All about the 'Do

2007-08-13T12:22:00.000+08:00

LUNES BAGO ANG PARTY

ME : Hindi ko na ata kakayanin pang magpunta ng parlor para magpa hot-oil or magpa highlight. Pwede bang pupunta na lang ako sa salon sa Sabado ng umaga para magpa-hair and make-up?

RONEY : Sige. Pero wag kang masyadong magpapaganda ha. Hapon yun at children's party pa!

ME : Syempre naman.

MIERCOLES BAGO ANG PARTY
Hindi ako nakapasok kasi bumabagyo

MOTHER-IN-LAW (MIL) : Ah, hindi ka pala aalis. So, hindi pala ako ang magbabantay kay Baby Jadon. Pwedeng-pwede akong magtina ng buhok.

ME : Sige po. Ako na lang po ang bahala. Baka sa Sabado ako magpunta sa parlor.

MIL : Dun ka na lang sa Ever Mall magpunta. Meron dung ___________. Di ba sikat yun dati?

ME : O sige po. Ita -try ko yun.

BIERNES BAGO PARTY
Ka-chat ko si I

ME : Uy, pupunta ako ng salon bukas ng umaga.

I : Talaga? Iniisip ko ring magpaayos ng buhok sa birthday party ng aking anak na si E.

ME : Syempre, dapat maganda tayong mga nanay sa birthday ng mga anak natin para hindi nila tayo ikahiya pag pinakita na nila ang pictures sa mga kaibigan nila. Magpapa hair and make-up ako...

I : Papa-make-up ka rin? Ako, baka hindi na. Baka kasi mag-iba ang hitsura ko eh.

ME : Honga no? Sige, baka hindi na rin ako magpapa-make-up. Papadalhan na lang kita ng pics sa Monday.

UMAGA NG PARTY
Sa Salon

STYLIST : Ma'am ano po ang gusto nyong ayos?

ME : (Naku, wala pala silang bading dito. Itong me edad na babae pala ang mag-aayos sa akin!) Kasi po ang event po na aatenan ko eh FIRST birthday party po ng anak ko mamayang HAPON. So, kung pwede pong hindi formal.

STYLIST : Ok po. Sige po. French Twist na lang po ang gagawin ko sa inyo. Maganda po yun.

ME : (Huwat???!!!) Naku, pang-formal yung French Twist, di ba? Pwede po bang nakaladlad yung hair, pero hindi sumasagi sa mukha. Maganda siguro kung itirintas po yung kalahati?

STYLIST : Sige kalahati na lang.

hair-spray. mousse. tease ang aking hair. teka, teka....

ME : Ay, excuse me po. Di ba ititirintas yung buhok ko?

STYLIST : Ah, ititirintas ba? Maganda kasi pag itatali lang natin tas aartehan sa likod.

ME : (Grrrr....) Itirintas na lang po natin.

STYLIST : O sige.

pagkatapos ng ilang minuto, mukhang matatapos na...

ME : (kelangang i-text ko na si Roney para sunduin na ako. Message: Am Finished!)

hinarap ako sa salamin

STYLIST : Oh, okay na ba yan?

ME : (Hmm... hindi pantay!) Ito pong side na ito, baka pwedeng suklayin? (flattening my hair)

STYLIST : Okay. Teka, ulitin natin.

tinanggal ang pagkaka-tirintas ng buhok ko!

ME : (Sana wag dumating agad si Roney.)

STYLIST : Artehan natin sa likod.

ME : Naku, oks lang po kahit tali lang yan. Hindi naman po formal ang event eh.

at nang matapos na...

STYLIST : Make-up, gusto mo?

ME : Hindi. Ok na po ako sa buhok ko. ^_^

*************************************
Conversations that took place may not have been published in verbatim.

Mother Overdo

2007-08-09T17:31:00.000+08:00

My beauteous self seems to be on the verge of anxiety as the first birthday of baby jadon approaches.

why did i waste so much time and effort pondering over, computing, re-computing and thinking of dropping some details so we could spend a certain amount of money? i have never been profligate. but as the day of celebration nears, i am beginning to wonder why i let a simple thing as budget hinder me from availing of so many party needs that could brighten and enliven the party. worse, within this week, i get to read reviews and/or see pictures of the parties with the same theme but with all those trimmings! even if i let my budget go, i still could not get them at this time. argh!

i prayed for rain to prevent drought. i also wanted baby jadon to have it every birthday that he has. wanted baby jadon to celebrate his birthday with rain. just a drizzle. not even a downpour. so, why is the weather forecast showing a scattered t-storm on saturday? it would have been okay had the venue been inside the mall so people would not get wet or would have time to fix before showing up. but the entrance is outside, and without a roof! i really need to pray hard that during ingress and egress, there is not a drop. oh, and i should not forget to pray that the flood would subside so people could commute without hassle. haaay! but friends, don't take me wrong. i don't regret celebrating the birthday in august rather than october as earlier (way much earlier) planned, because it means i get to enjoy baby jadon two more months.

i gotta think positive thoughts. positive thoughts.

oh hey, i am so proud of my invites (patting myself on the back). i have sent it via email to tekkie friends and distributed them to relatives (mostly oldies who do not have emails). and because of limited gigaspace, i have only a few pics to choose from. i had to make do with the available one. i will upgrade either my pc or my celfone (with at least 3.2 megapixel) so i could have as many pics as i want to! soon, i promise myself. but not now, since celebrating a birthday has its price.

so, here's the invite...

<--------- The front page

<--------- The back page

there isn't a party without a banner. so, we would have ordered a tarpaulin. yep, would have. because it will be given to us for free by a generous guy. yey! i will have it in my hands tomorrow, (hoping that we would not have a typhoon, which would prevent me from coming to office and getting the tarp). since this pic was taken two or three weeks ago, it wasn't in the invites. sayang!

here is the tarpaulin

<----- isn't he divine????

i think that baby jadon would someday want to know who his guests were. hence, i made a very special guestbook. (1) instead of address, we put message. we are not really interested where our guests live, but we do want to remember their message to baby jadon. (2) instead of the usual straight lines, the blank spaces are highlighted by jadon's name. (3) we used pictures of baby jadon as a backdrop. and (4) there are pictures of baby jadon from august 2006 to july 2007 in between pages!*** i can't wait to show you the whole album!

this preparation inspires me to start scrapping! with a slow pc and a little creativity, wish me luck!

~~~~
Note:

***I would have uploaded one of the pages, but it wont load and i gotta run.

Wanders

2007-07-20T13:00:00.000+08:00

magkakawang-gawa muna ako....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WANDERS is a one of a kind musical extravaganza that top bills the best homegrown talents in the entertainment scene. It showcases world-class Filipino performers who are out to captivate audiences with soulful renditions of timeless classics and vibrant dance numbers. A fusion of cultures, the show also highlights gravity-defying aerial acrobatics and stunning displays of skills by flamboyant performers from China and Russia.

For inquiries and reservations, please call the TicketWorld at 891-9999
July 21, 2007 to Dec. 29, 2007

just friends?

2007-05-28T22:05:00.000+08:00

i have been reading about instances of infidelity for the past few weeks. and the following is an excerpt of the afterword of Dr. Shirley Glass, the author of the book NOT "Just Friends" Protect Your Relationship From Infidelity and Heal the Trauma of Betrayal.

Seven Facts You Need to Know About Infidelity

A happy marriage is not a vaccine against infidelity.
The person having the affair may not be giving enough at home rather than not getting enough.
It is normal to be attracted to another person, but fantasizing about what it would be like to be with that other person is a danger sign.
Flirting is crossing the line because it is an invitation that indicates receptivity.
Infidelity is not only about love or sex--it's about maintaining appropriate boundaries with others and being open and honest in your committed relationship.
You do not have to have sexual intercourse to be unfaithful. Passionate kissing or oral sex is a violation of your commitment to your partner.
Emotional affairs are characterized by secrecy, emotional intimacy, and sexual chemistry. Emotional affairs can be more threatening than brief sexual flings.

What You Need to Know About Love

People compare and confuse the intensity of being "in love" during an affair with the secure, comfortable feeling of reality based "loving" that occurs in long term relationships.
The feeling of being "in love" is linked to Stage One idealization, passion and infatuation.
True love, which you grow into, is characterized by acceptance, understanding, and compassion. That is why so few people end up marrying their affair partners, and those who do have an extremely high probability of divorce.
Once the affair is no longer the forbidden relationship that takes place in a golden bubble, the cold light of day soon bursts the romantic fantasies.

Seven Tips for Preventing Infidelity

Maintain appropriate walls and windows. Keep the windows open at home. Put up privacy walls with others who could threaten your marriage.
Recognize that work can be a danger zone. Don't lunch alone or take coffee breaks with the same person all the time. When you travel with a co-worker, meet in public rooms, not in a room with a bed.
Avoid emotional intimacy with attractive alternatives to your committed relationship. Resist the desire to rescue an unhappy soul who pours his or her heart out to you.
Protect your marriage by discussing relationship issues at home. If you do need to talk to someone else about your marriage, be sure that person is a friend of the marriage. If the friend disparages marriage, respond with something positive about your own relationship.
Keep old flames from re-igniting. If a former lover is coming to the class reunion, invite your partner to come along. If you value your marriage, think twice about having lunch with an old flame.
Don't go over the line when you're On-Line with Internet friends. Discuss your online friendships with your partner and show him/her your e-mail if he/she is interested. Invite your partner to join in your correspondence so your Internet friend won't get any wrong ideas. Don't exchange sexual fantasies online.
Make sure your social network is supportive of your marriage. Surround yourself with friends who are happily married and who don't believe in fooling around.

Critical Elements for Healing the Trauma of Infidelity

Recovery requires reversing the walls and windows in the extramarital triangle to place the betrayed partner inside and the affair partner outside.
Healing cannot begin without safety. The first step in establishing safety is to stop all contact with the affair partner.
Rebuilding trust after deception and lying is achieved by complete honesty about the infidelity. Voluntarily sharing all unavoidable encounters with the affair partner is an essential trust-builder.
Discussing the story of the affair is crucial for understanding the meaning of the infidelity.

Weird Tag

2007-05-18T18:26:00.000+08:00

Instructions: Each player of this game starts with 6 weird things about himself/herself. People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state the rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names.

Don't forget to leave a comment in their comments box that says you tagged them then tell them to read your blog. No tagbacks.

The 6 Weird Things About Me:

1. i am so addicted to sudoku that i solve them even on the web and i also cut the sudoku out from my boss' newspapers even if he hasnt read them yet!

2. i sometimes make weird sounds through my mouth (of course) when i am bored during my ride home.

3. i dont get kabag.

4. i think i was the only girl during hs whose favorite tv programs are shaider and bioman.

5. i love love stories. yes, i was a sucker for it.

6. i used to read jane austen novels while studying for exams in law school. and guess what? the reading made me think clearer and write more logically.

will tag all my friends in the right corner!

Sorry....

2007-05-15T10:24:00.000+08:00

My all-time fave movie is Love Story. And its all-time quotable quote is "[l]ove means never having to say you're sorry." I thought i understood that. It was really easy to understand theoretically. If you love unconditionally, you dont need the person you love to say sorry. Completely simple to comprehend. Until i loved.

Even God who loves us so much is waiting for us to seek forgiveness. He loves us unconditionally. Yet, not everyone will go to heaven. And we, mere mortals, have been created in the likeness of God. So, who are we to proudly say that we do not need to say or hear sorry?

I know of friends and family members whose relationship had been strained for years because no one ever apologized.

What makes us fail to say sorry? Pride. Love of self above love for the one you offended or caused pain. You know that what you did was wrong which eventually hurt someone. And yet, you do not apologize for the mere fact that you do not want to admit that you were wrong.

But when we do say we're sorry, we really have to mean it. It won't happen again. Or at least we exerted utmost efforts not to. Because the essence of apology is lost in insincere repetitions.

And sometimes, even though we believe in our hearts that we did nothing wrong, we are sorry that we hurt the persons we love.

It really is a matter of choice between restoring a relationship and preserving your pride.

Correlative to apology is forgiveness.

For some who had been badly hurt, it would take a lot of time to heal the wound. But forgiveness and healing are two different matter. We may completely forgive the person even if the pain is still there; it is just a matter of will. i believe though that the pain will not fade without forgiveness.

~~~~~~~~~~

Note: this was the inspiration of this article.

A Mother's Dilemma

2007-05-11T14:37:00.000+08:00

less than four days to go and my kodigo is still blank. this coming Monday, unlike any other Second Mondays of May three, six, nine or even twelve years ago, is most significant because i will now cast my vote as a Mother with my son's future in mind.

what shall be my standards for giving my trust to these persons who would have a hand in steering the future of my son? i certainly do not want my son to grow up in a country with no greens and under the sea. i do not want to see him looked down by foreigners merely because he is a Filipino. and in this sense, i do not want the Filipinos to be branded as corrupt, immoral and without dignity. Yes, many of us may be slaves in foreign lands. but we are not the first to be one. and from history, those nations stood up and became important. I am still expecting that one day, we might achieve such greatness. and, hopefully it will be in my son's lifetime, if not my own.

with this in mind, there is no doubt that i will heed the 10 Commandments. i have been listening to the podcasts of the senatoriables at Inquirer website and viewing Isang Tanong of GMA News these past few days to make a somewhat intelligent vote (since my vote could only be as intelligent as the candidate).

and surprisingly, i must say that a certain political party has impressed me. Their candidates are no nonsense professionals who are running for platforms and what they believe in. Dr. Bautista particularly has moved me through his interview with Lynette Luna wherein he said, "[p]olitics here is so corrupt because politicians make a living out of it. Once a politician is going to depend on politics as a means of making a living, it's going to be treated like a cottage industry where all your sisters, brothers, friends, are going to depend upon you to make a living. And that's the number one biggest cause of corruption in the Philippines. It's become a way of life." And i completely agree with him that politicians made it their family business, especially in local politics. Why else would they ask their son, wife, daughter to run when their term has ended? To remain in power. Name recall is all there is in politics, and they cheapen it more by espousing, more yet encouraging it.

but i guess i was not the only one impressed by them. mike enriquez, a staunch journalist who cannot be bought, gave them airtime this morning in his radio program. mike repeatedly stated that he was not endorsing these candidates, and i do believe him because what he was endorsing was their programs, platforms and how simply they campaign not for gain.

it takes more than opposing the administration to become a good leader. if you do not agree with their programs or how things are becoming, provide an alternative solution at wag kyaw-kyaw na lang ng kyaw-kyaw. a senator's principles must be defined and very well articulated to the people. no more turn-coatism or personality-based decisions.

i do not want my son to grow up with a government as the biggest example of crab mentality or power-tripping. public service is a noble endeavour, and those reserved only for noble wo/men.

is my kodigo filled-up after writing this article? nope, because we really do lack qualified leaders.

Favorite Book

2007-03-01T14:48:00.000+08:00

I was at the Fully-booked while waiting for Roney to pick me up. It was not my intention to buy any book, especially for Baby Jadon since I don't have time to read to him. But when i saw this book and read it, i decided that Baby Jadon must have this one.

This story is about "[a] mother rabbit tells of the lengths she will go to find her baby, who threatens to run away. "If you run away, I will run after you," she says. The baby bunny imagines all sorts of escapes, but realizes he will never be able to leave his home and his mother. Youngsters have been reassured by this book, a nice companion to the author’s GOODNIGHT MOON, since 1942." (Kidsreads)

It was even mentioned in one of the devotionals of Our Daily Bread. And i prospectively agree with Elizabeth Lesser and Daniel Rechtschaffen in their review of the book.

Anyway, Roney and I have different views about it. He thinks that it encourages kids to run away from their parents. But for me, it says how the bunny is unconditionally loved by his mother and that she would never let him go; that whatever the little bunny does, his mother would always be with him. I just know that Roney thinks he's dehado in the book because it leaves out the father.

Whatever, this is Baby Jadon's favorite book!

First Solids

2007-02-12T11:32:00.000+08:00

For the past few months, we were making inquiries, researching and pondering to arrive at a big decision - what first solid food to give to Baby Jadon. Being the mom with maternal instinct, Roney gave me a free hand to give what i think is best for baby jadon. (no, no. he's not ducking the responsibility. he delegated it to me because i should know better.)

Our pedia advised us to prepare one kind of food a week so that we would be able to determine the foods that baby jadon is allergic with. We (read: I) would have wanted to give him fresh vegetables, but because it would take a lot of time to prepare, we settled for cerelac. This week, he's going to eat brown rice with milk.

Click here for the video of his first taste of solid foods.

Momma!

2007-02-09T11:29:00.000+08:00

i was very disappointed yesterday. greatly disappointed.

wanting to give the very best to my baby jadon includes providing him the best education. so, i asked pareng aguy whose daughter gugu (my inaanak) goes to cdc. i didn't hear anything beyond the required 1x1 id picture and a photocopy of his birth certificate.

after some discussions, i was finally able to drag roney to up diliman. suprisingly, the route to home ec took a mere 15-minute drive. the way things were going smoothly, plus the fact that i was able to bathe baby jadon earlier and he couldn't simply stop smiling and laughing at me until i bade goodbye, made me excited and hopeful that he would be accepted despite the small number of slots (0 to be exact and 1 wait-listed for males). with high heels and a heavy bag, i marched to the 2nd floor of home ec to photocopy his birth cert. i even mustered the nerve to ask the lady next in line if i could go first since i only need one copy of a single page.

happy that i have the requirements, i went straight to the door of cdc, even without minding roney who was reading the bulletin boards. i waited for 15 minutes before my number was finally called, and made some small talk with those in charge of the registration. then, they finally realized that my baby jadon could not be accepted because there is no class available for his age! huwattt??? grrrr..... the 4-7 months indicated in bulletin board refers to the age of the baby on june 2007. that means baby jadon would be 10 months old by then! argh!

when i went out with a gloomy, almost teary-eyed, face, roney immediately said that it's okay. he was reading the bulletin board and was thinking that baby jadon could not really be enrolled. but he let me be because i might be able to convince them to let baby jadon in. and besides, i was really excited.

oh well, there's always a better alternative - homeschool.

~~~~~~~~~~

this morning, i was really happy because i saw baby jadon smile when he saw me. and whenever i am not in the room, but he has heard my voice, he would try to look for me. he even follows me through his eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~

ohhh, btw, we were able to shoot a video of baby jadon crawling, sipping his cup and sitting without support.

Fun Birthday Facts

2007-01-31T16:23:00.000+08:00

I was browsing the net and came across this on babiesonline:

Of course it refers to baby jadon.

Your baby's birthstone is Peridot or Jade (Married Happiness)

Your baby's Astrological Sign is Leo
Your baby's Flower is Gladiola or Poppy (Orange, Red and Light Green)
Your baby was born in the Chinese Year of The Dog
Your baby will start kindergarten in 2011, be old enough to drive a car in 2022, finish high school in 2024, and will graduate from college with the class of 2028, give or take a year. Can you imagine?
This time last year you were 13 Weeks Pregnant!

The First Two Teeth

2007-01-08T07:08:00.000+08:00

At almost 5 months, Baby Jadon's teeth begin to sprout...

Mission

2007-01-01T00:01:00.000+08:00

I don't do new year resolutions because it becomes old over a few days. But marriage mentorships and seminars inspired me to list down my own set of short-term goals for this year:

1. Routine. I used to connote this word with boredom. But orderliness follows it. Though my long-term plans are laid out well, the details of my everyday life aren't. Besides, baby jadon needs routine to establish his trust and confidence on me.

2. File. I do file everything. However, it's how I do it that doesn't work. I label envelopes, folders, containers, etc. But I guess I should also follow my own labels.

3. Reduce clutter. Throw away unnecessary things. Like many people, I am stuck in the anal-retentive stage and have a tendency to acquire and accumulate unwanted and pointless things. I need to move on. Unload some baggage. Live in the present and forget the past.

4. Prioritize. Focus. Determine what is vital and important to life and everyday living.

5. Accomplish before moving to another thing. Multi-tasking may be fun-- it relieves boredom and gets me on my toes. But it seems that a few are always left hanging after some have been finished. Corollary to the prior point, I need to put down my foot and say, 'First things first.'

Fingers crossed, I hope to achieve these by the first quarter of 2007 so that it becomes a habit for the rest of the year.

Ay Mali!

2006-12-21T13:27:00.000+08:00

When i woke up after a night of irritation and altercation due to traffic, i was amazed at our view. I said to Roney that being in Pasig wasn't so bad after all because we have a view of the calm sea meeting the sky, just like in the beach. Our house kasi is a tall house (two-storey with mezzanine). We have a view-hoo. We have a view-hoo. On the back is the mountainview and in front is the seaview. yey!

"What sea?" Roney asked. How blind naman my husband is! I had to explain and point to him pa that there is the sea and that line separates the sea from the sky. But he looked at me with knitted eyebrows, then went to the other room.

So i got up and put on my eyeglasses. there was no sea. only a line cable hanging from post to post in the sky.

Lesson: it is sometimes better to see the world without the eyeglasses.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Anyway, i am so happy because they delivered our sofa yesterday morning. it should have been last tuesday (and they did try to deliver but something went wrong. anyway, not trying to dwell on that).

here's how our living room looked like last weekend on the first day we moved in.....

But this is our living area now....

... from-the-top view ...

hmmm... it's probably better nga to have the sofa rather than the tree.

Next Project: The Dining Area

Album

2006-12-15T11:59:00.000+08:00

After almost three years, i have now in my own possession one of my most precious valuables --- the wedding album. as i gaze at every page therein, i am amazed on how young and sexy (a word that eludes my being nowadays) i looked that time. how grateful i am that i chose not to be 'manang' on my wedding day! i could just imagine jadon proudly showing off our photos to his friends and telling them how happy his parents were when they got married. (i know, i know that this is too farfetched for a teenage boy to brag about his parents. but hey, it's just an imagination! c:)

Anyway, this is our first page....

It took us almost 3 years to have this because on the first year and a half, we were dillydallying on picking the right photos for our precious album. when we finally had the perfect pics, the lay-out artist got pregnant. legally and ethically, we could not blame them because we could not 'come to court with clean hands'. morally, we could not in our hearts fault them for having a child. after all, they had theirs at the same time we had ours :) be that as it may, the final result was superbly satisfying!

and this is the last page...

Boy, oh boy... was i really that thin?

Baby Jadon

2006-11-22T18:32:00.000+08:00

Little Experiments

2006-11-20T18:50:00.000+08:00

The Crawl

Last Sunday night, baby jadon constantly flayed his hands while lying on stomach as if he were swimming. i guess he wanted to reach Mr. Blue Clown, a rattle we dangled him with. But, baby jadon couldn't advance and get his toy. Becoming tired of his cries of frustration, his pretty mother *ahem* put her legs below his feet just to see what he would do. Baby jadon used them to exert force towards Mr. Blue Clown until he got his toy.

~~~~~xOxOxOx~~~~~

The Television

I noticed that whenever i watch the television with baby jadon sitting on my lap, he would be quietly still as if he were watching also. i did a little test by putting his clean cloth diaper in front so that his vision on the tivo was obstructed. when he saw that he could still see a glimpse of the tivo on his right, he slanted himself until he almost fell. So much for the restriction on the tivo.

~~~~~xOxOxOx~~~~~

The First Hold

I guess baby jadon doesn't really have any choice but to let Mr. Blue Clown become his favorite toy because it's his only toy. Well, of course he has his mobile and other rattles which warped when i sterilized them. But Mr. Blue Clown remained to be the most solid of 'em all. Because it incurred only a small damage from that monster sterilizer.

Anyway, last Saturday afternoon, since there was not much to do, i did another experiment. i helped baby jadon hold Mr. Blue Clown. after that, i put Mr. Blue Clown on his front and waited to see what he would do. Baby jadon raised his right hand and slowly held Mr. Blue Clown on its left. then, he raised his left hand and aimed for Mr. Blue Clown's right. Voila! He held Mr. Blue Clown. On his own.

~~~~~xOxOxOx~~~~~

The Roll Over

I read somewhere that having the baby lie on his stomach would decrease colic and startleness. So, like any other first-time mom obedient to the books, i took baby jadon and forced him to lie on his stomach. at first i thought he didnt like that position because he kept on bobbing head and moving it sideways. so i scratched the idea off. and then baby jadon started lying on his side. and before we know it, he was already lying on his stomach and enjoying his newfound power! baby jadon could do that on his own only when he's on the rocking crib. Otherwise, he needs a little push.

~~~~~xOxOxOx~~~~~

The Picture Book

Due to mommy raves, this new mother went to the bookstore to buy Goodnight Moon. I know that those reviews were really true and based on their experience. But not mine. He didnt care about the book. is it because he's not interested in books at all? however, and blessedly may i add, i did not give up on just one book. i marched to the bookstore again and bought him a picture book. when i went home, i put him on my lap and read him the book. he was restless and kept on pushing his feet and swaying hands. i looked up to roney who was carefully watching us and asked for a description of baby jadon's expression. He said, "Baby Jadon is intently staring at the pictures." Yahu!

Dream Home

2006-11-15T16:49:00.000+08:00

In a few weeks, i will be in a new house.

It's been fun going around places to shop for fixtures, furniture and appliances with a stroller and pooping baby in tow. Choosing the colors for the room, tiles for the bathroom, floorings for every level, the light fixtures and even the tub became an enormous responsibility since these would finish the product and seal our fate (unless of course if we have a huge sum to renovate).

And i just realized that we are definitely moving but i have yet to finish my shopping! i still have to select our sofa, dining table, couch for the family room, aircon, gas range, and other knick knacks. The more important concern that i have is: do i still have the budget for it?

Anyway, because of my baby jadon, my aim now is to put up a Christmas Tree in our living room. this would be the first Christmas of baby jadon and our first Christmas with him, so i want it to be memorable with all the Christmas trimmings. i want to have a very tall Christmas tree and a glittery star. i am even willing to do without the sofa just to have that tree. And i want baby jadon to have so many presents under it even if he does not have ninangs and ninongs since he hasn't been dedicated yet. so, i will probably give him all my gifts this Christmas. haaay, i am definitely now a nanay.

The house that we will be in isn't my dream house. It's location is far from the civilization (mainly due to traffic) and the neighborhood seems rural (but better than the tejeros naman). But certainly, it is my dream home :)

The Two Men Currently Occupying My Heart

2006-11-15T15:19:00.000+08:00

Paparazzo

2006-11-06T12:00:00.000+08:00

Escapist or Uzi?

2006-10-31T15:45:00.000+08:00

I was in high school when the great quake shook Manila. A class of my batch was in the top floor and the teacher was ‘calmly’ telling her students not to panic while she was hurriedly scooting off the room.

Then I went to college. We were barely of legal age when our professor proposed a sort of immersion in Los Banos, with his girlfriend tagging along with us. During the so-called ‘educational’ trip, our dear professor and his gf were always missing. Our class didn’t even have a decent dinner because like any other freshman, we were naïve. Anyway, during our trip home, the professor almost went away with the payment money for the bus company.

When I was in law school, a rumble was brewing between members of the two fraternities. My classmates affiliated with these frats were completing the first phase of the brawl near the end of our joint class. Our learned professor rushed his concluding speech, took his books and left the room immediately.

Hmmm…
Last month, I watched the news where it featured several men who were drowned in the dam. They were watching a man being submerged by the current. Two were found dead.

Back to Regular Programming

2006-10-25T17:56:00.000+08:00

...and so [i'm] back
from outer space
I just walked in to find you here
with that sad look upon your face...

i just felt the urge to sing this song and dance to its rhythm... in my head, that is. (so, doncha wori all who know me. no typhoon was formed with my singing and dancing.)

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

i had written a long prose (what kind of fallacy is this?) about how i gave birth, my active labor, my emotions upon meeting my baby, how the baby was when i first saw him, how i cried because i wasnt "allowed" to see him again for 24 hours, how i wept and prayed hard when i learned that there was a hole in his heart, how panicky we were when i was rushed to the hospital again after 10 days due to severe bleeding (yep, i am a bleeder. now, i could understand and relate when actors say 'we have a bleeder here' in grey's anatomy and house), how emotionally and physically painful it was to breastfeed, how non-existent my nights have become, how all the stress dissipate when i see jadon smile, how everything becomes okay when we all cuddle.

anyway, that award-winning prose that i wrote? well, it disappeared into thin air when i closed the document without saving it. darn computer!

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

i was able to get the following from yourbabytoday. btw, baby jadon is more than two months old:

Milestones this month* (TWO MONTHS)

Your baby can follow an object as it's passed over her face, looking in an arc about six inches from her face..... CHECK!
She steadily holds up her head..... CHECK!
Baby rolls over in one direction..... CHECK!
She can raise her chest using her arms for support while lying on her stomach..... CHECK!
Baby smiles when you smile at her..... CHECK! bungisngis pa nga!
She responds to loud sounds by becoming completely silent, crying, or acting startled..... CHECK!
Baby coos..... CHECK! Jadon twice told me 'a-yoh-coo' when i was persistently trying to feed him even though he was full already. and this happened when he was only 6 and 8 weeks old, respectively.
She focuses on very small objects, like raisins..... CHECK!
Baby may laugh out loud. She may even squeal..... CHECK!

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Some were asking why we named our son Jadon.

It is a Hebrew word (seems to be the trend of 2006- naming children after Hebrew words) for Judge. It could also mean 'descendant'. whatever it really means, we hardly care. we culled it from the Bible in the Book of Nehemiah chapter 3. He helped build the temple of God. And our Jadon helped us decide to build a new house to place our old home.

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

What happened to 'linggit'?

We could not continue to call him Linggit because when he came out, he was 8.3 lbs and 21 inches (yessss, he was almost 2 feet) long! the last measure that he had, he was 26 inches long. babies of his length are already 6 months old! and he continues to grow...

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Ok. i am a mom now. yep, nanay na ako. so, i cant stop raving about my son.

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Now, about getting back in shape... should i follow brit's suit? heck, i have an excuse! i had a c-section. couldn't dive right into the gym now, di ba?

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Gotta go, gotta get back to work!

The Last Stretch

2006-07-05T15:54:00.000+08:00

Yahu!!!! Would have jumped with joy had I been able to! After gaining 35 lbs (the maximum allowable, and still growing by the hour… argh!), a trip to the emergency room, more than a month’s session of child-birthing class, numerous cues during ob visits, countless bedrests, several sick leaves which would probably affect my performance evaluation this semester, gorging carbs heartily after several weeks of low-carb diet… and then ignoring the diet given by the ob, a placenta previa scare, several excruciating trips to the mall, I AM NOW FINALLY ON MY LAST STRETCH!!!!

Only 37 more days to go, my adorable little boy will no longer be physically connected to his beautiful and loving mom. Here’s how he would look like…

Excuse the amniotic fluid and the placenta, but isn’t he the duplicate copy of his mom? *wink, wink*

Eeeek! Does oxytocin come with corniness?

ricochet?

2006-04-18T16:39:00.000+08:00

Yesterday was just a day of sighing, one-liners, cold shoulders and slant looks. nope, i was not ready to reconcile. not yet. nor will i give in to his puppy looks, loving whispers and caring touch, no matter how they affected me so. i will let him suffer for another day. magdusa sya!

i ended my day with these thoughts. i prayed aloud so that he and linggit could hear my prayers. it was up to him if he would join me in those prayers. i was not angry anymore. in fact, i was not even angry to begin with. i just dont want to talk to him so that he may contemplate and repent from his erring ways.

perhaps God was telling me through some weird manner that he had learned his lesson. or probably that i should be grateful with what i have.

it was an odd dream, but like the rest, it felt real.

i was in the house of an unknown friend (though i knew her in my dream). the house was shabby, and in the inner circles of an urban poor community. it was infested with rats and other creeping things. but we were happy because i was with my 2 unknown friends and my husband J. but it was thursday and we still have an exam on friday. so, being the geek that i was, i told my husband J that we should go home. when he still didnt want to, i screamed! we walked miles and miles in that maze of a community. when i finally had a glimpse of lrt railways, i was so thankful that we could finally take the train and go home. but my husband J had other plans. he went to this building, which looked like an office/residential building. and when he came back, he told me that he got us a room! i was so frustrated because we have not studied for the exams yet. but since he was my husband, i just submitted to his decision. i hated the place, not only because we have no time to study, but mainly due to my fear that we might get robbed, or worse killed, by akyat-bahay gangs, or be infected with crabs from the previous room occupants.

however, there we were. the two of us. and finally my husband J touched my small belly and told me that the baby growing inside me would look like him!

my mind screamed and freaked out! it kept on yelling that this big child i am actually carrying would be a replica of roney, whether boy or girl. nothing would grow inside me that would look like any person other than roney! that's when i woke up.

and i saw him. rather his back. and i held him tight. then he faced me and embraced me. in a hoarse whisper, i told him that i had a dream. in that dream, i was happily married. but not to him. he hugged me tighter and asked whom i was married to. i could not tell him, though i know the person. it was not important. but i guess it was significant to him, because after our 'loving moments' it was still the topic of our conversation. and during our ride to the office, he kept on interjecting my dream in our talks. i just said that i am pregnant, and i am allowed to have weird dreams. so i sent him the articles on dreams.

that's how we started today.

haaay, ang mga lalaki nga naman.

Another Dream

2006-04-17T09:59:00.000+08:00

i just have to write this. else, i would forget how it went.

last night, i was in a very uncomfortable position. literally.

i could not lie on my back because linggit is now too heavy for my other organs. i couldn't lie on my either side because it seems that my tummy was too small-rounded for linggit. so there i was expressing my pains and aches until i dozed off.

then, i had this weird dream. it seemed too real for me.

i had delivered linggit.

the doctors did not allow me to see my baby. i told them that i would be breastfeeding my child. it should be with me as soon as it was delivered. but, my pleas only reached deaf ears.

they told me that linggit was too small. they had to feed my child with formula to make it stronger. they did not give me linggit for two days. Two days!

but, as a mother, i insisted and shouted at them to let me see my child.

when i finally saw linggit, my child was so small and thin. and i told myself that maybe it's because it was delivered only on my 6th month.

then i woke up.

was it because i incessantly complained last night?

or did the feature on XXX showing drums and drums of fetuses at a funeral parlor affected me?

does my linggit want to tell me that it is not big enough despite my contrary perception?

In the Rut

2006-04-06T10:48:00.000+08:00

That's how i feel right now. I first heard that in 1997 from a pastor. Then, from people all over the places. But that is how i could describe myself right now. And it doesn't matter if people are in the same boat, because the fact remains that I am in this situation. Has life become too slow for me? Did I lose the excitement of life? Or is it merely a case of being distracted from the real purpose of my life?

I have always heard that the journey is as important as the destiny. We make our own destiny. We are the masters of our soul. Blah. Blah. Blah. These are all garbage to me. My will power is not as strong and resolute as it had been. I guess I am just tired. Or plain lazy. Or I could blame it on my hormonal imbalance, which I have the privilege of doing so considering my current state. I am trying to be objective and as detached as possible to analyze the situation so that the solution (or answer perhaps) may be unraveled. But everything leads me to my character flaws as the main source of my present condition. If only my physical strength could exceed its limitations, I would have been in a different, more joyful state. My spirit is very willing, but my body is weak. If only my mind could command things to do my very wishes, my life would have been more organized physically and emotionally. I just hope that I would survive this 'ordeal' with learned lessons to keep me in place forever.

I now dread the post-partum stage.

Scare

2006-04-03T18:20:00.000+08:00

Right after our trip to Beijing, I was very happy with how well Linggit and I had done all throughout the tour. Linggit was generally docile except for very few episodes of excitement.

However, the day after we came back, I began to feel sick. Day after that, I was not able to go to work due to fever and diarrhea. Two days thereafter, I hardly ate anything; I was so weak and had no appetite. The doctor diagnosed acute gastroenteritis. Thank God it wasn’t fatal, or even harmful, to the baby, except if I were completely dehydrated. Roney supplied me with as many Gatorade as there are in the stores. Although I was feeling better last Saturday afternoon, he still hoarded Gatos.

The acute gastroenteritis gave us a scare. Me specifically. I never thought that I would survive. I had only little sleep because even in the middle of night, my stomach would raise me from my slumber. I had little food because I had no appetite at all, and my stomach hurt when I eat. It had me worried about the baby. Despite the reassurance of the doctor, I felt so damn useless, not being able to give proper nutrition and care for the baby. During those times, I had to constantly communicate to our Linggit our love and how sorry I was to eat food that triggered the AGE.

Through prayers, I was able to recuperate from sickness and recover from that nightmare. I will never eat taho again. Mark my word.

All About Linggit

2006-02-28T19:28:00.000+08:00

Since we have yet to know the baby's gender, Roney decided to call our little treasure LINGGIT, tagalog for little -- it could be either a mini-me, if girl, or a mini-him, if boy.

Anyway, as i was typing the keys away, i suddenly felt a sudden jerk in my stomach. it was a little painful but i felt something moved! And my maternal instincts are telling me that it was neither gas nor contractions. I looked at my tummy and saw that a little mound was protruding on the left side. I couldn't contain my happiness that i immediately told Roney about it.

Our Linggit is so obedient. Roney would give our baby some words of wisdom and advices at night, and, lo and behold, Linggit would heed them the next day. Roney once told Linggit to swim up during my contractions, and miraculously, it did! Sometimes, Roney would tell Linggit not to move too much to alleviate my pain, and, of course, it did not even attempt to change its position! We just hope that our baby would remain obedient, esp during its teenage years.

During my first trim, i ate the recommended food groups and abstained from 'harmful' food. But i noticed that i gained too much weight, so i just ate what i wanted but continued to refrain from caffeine and alcohol only. I was thinking that if i gain weight, it was at least because of the delicious food i enjoyed. It was an extreme sacrifice on my part to live without coffee, but after feeling Linggit move, it was all worth it.

We are so excited about this baby! i am even daydreaming of planning its first birthday party!!!

Panaginip

2006-02-21T11:19:00.000+08:00

Dati ko pang gustong mapanaginipan ang baby ko. Nais ko syang magparamdam sa akin sa pamamagitan ng panaginip.

Noong isang gabi, dumating na ang oras na pinakahihintay ko. Pero, ang weird. Eto ang aking panaginip:

Lumabas kami ng elevator sa 2nd floor ng condo. Karga ni Roney ang bata na 1 and 1/2 years old na; naka-dress na white ang aming baby girl. Merong toy store sa kanan namin at isang toy ang nakalabas. Pinakita ko ito sa aming baby na kinuha naman. Kaso, ayaw ng ibalik. Kinuha ko si baby kay Roney at naghanap kami ng isang sulok. Pagbaba ko sa baby, naka brown na jumpsuit na sya at naging lalaki! Kamukhang kamukha ni Roney pero kasing kulay ko. "Do you want nanay to scold you in front of these people?" sabi ko sa kanya. "That is not your toy. You have to return it. Your nanay and tatay are not going to buy that toy because you don't need it. You have so many toys in the house already." Ayun, mula sa pag-iyak, unti-unti na syang humihikbi hanggang sa hindi na umiyak at ibinalik ang laruan.

Since November, feeling namin eh girl si baby. Pero, nung nag-check uli kami sa chinese calendar, it's a boy! Sabi ng mga tao, blooming daw ako kaya siguro eh babae raw si baby. Taliwas naman ang sinabi ng bisita namin kagabi; lalaki raw ang anak ko at nakita nya sa mata ko. So, hanggang ngayon, matalinhaga pa rin ang gender ni baby.

Excited!

2006-02-20T14:27:00.000+08:00

Before anything else, i would like to convey my gratitude to those who responded to my earlier post.

At the end of January, Roney and I were talking about our plans for our 2nd anniversary; and we agreed that this time, he'll make all the arrangements. From then on, I pestered him for weekly updates which he would jolly give a where-do-you-want-to-go retort.

Then, on valentines week, since we have plans to visit the Great Wall next month (and this is still a plan which may or may not come true depending on the availability of funds) and Roney has yet to make a single inquiry for our week-end plans, we decided to forego any anniversary celebration to save money for the trip.

However, by the end of the same week, we began to be consumed by some sort of guilt for not commemorating the day that God has united us. Thus, we immediately retracted our earlier decision. It’s panic time to organize an out-of-town trip with only one week to go. And, of course, it’s up to moi, your pretty and beautiful preggy sis, to handle everything.

After inquiring a number of resorts in Batangas, we were able to get one reservation. So, last weekend, we went shopping. And guess what I bought. Two sets of bikinis, a pair of goggles, sunglasses, shorts, capri, blouses and slippers (Roney was just in his generous mood!) Sayang nga lang kasi di ako pwedeng mag-waterski na included pa naman sa babayaran namin!

Anyway, I have this opinion that pregnant ladies have a license to wear bikinis showing their tummy. I got this notion when I saw a picture of the wife of my ex-bf Matt Damon wearing a bikini at a beach. Well, her belly is indeed smaller than mine, but who cares?

Oooh, I’m just so excited! Counting the days ‘til Saturday.

Help!

2006-02-17T12:10:00.000+08:00

Friends & Readers,

Malapit na ang 2nd anniversary namin. Pagkatapos nito, tatlo na kami. Originally, we were planning to go to the beach or somewhere outskirts manila to celebrate our anniv. Me suggestions ba kayo na romantic yet affordable na getaway para i-celebrate ang aming anniv?

Thanks!

Starstruck!

2006-02-16T16:41:00.000+08:00

The doctor advised me to take a bedrest for one week (again!)

But fate has it (or is it just my stubborness?) that i forced myself to go to work. Upon entering the office, i already sensed that something unusual was going to happen; excitement was in the air. Someone famous was coming to town.

Buti na lang, pumasok ako. Nagkaroon pa ako ng picture.

he's taller than i thought. but the baby i am carrying is definitely not his :)

Tag Attack!

2006-01-31T19:55:00.000+08:00

'was tagged by meeya

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

4 Jobs I’ve Had In My Life…
:: documentation assistant at the defunct FEBTC
:: planning officer at NCRFW
:: junior associate at Alampay Law Office
:: legal officer at PAGCOR

4 Movies I Could Watch Over And Over
:: when a man loves a woman (am a chick flick fanatic)
:: the breakfast club (dont ask me why)
:: kung fu hustle (a very funny movie)
:: terms of endearment (i could cry over and over again)

4 Places I’ve Lived
:: batangas (during summers of my teenage years)
:: makati
:: sta. ana (due to roney's insistence)
:: pasig (by faith)

4 TV Shows I Love To Watch
:: game ka na ba (very informative)
:: house
:: etheria
:: iron chef

4 Places I’ve Been On Vacation
:: hongkong
:: boracay
:: bohol
:: ilocos

4 Websites I Visit Daily
:: http://yahoo.com
:: http://gmail.com
:: http://blogger.com
:: http://google.com

4 Of My Favorite Foods
:: crab/lobster
:: shrimp
:: chocolate
:: sweet corn

4 Places I’d Rather Be Right Now
:: home (so i could sleep and rest na)
:: by the beach (to swim all i want)
:: hotel room (to laze around all day)
:: heaven (to have eternal peace)

4 Bloggers I Am Tagging
:: dial
:: mariel
:: judy
:: chai

Mee, am done! :)