walking with sunshine

Gastroenteritis

2012-01-29T07:30:00.003+08:00

Gosh, I can't believe I'm afflicted again with the same illness that I got same time last year (missed it by a few days).

Last year, I was able to eat (or drink) something from a nearby restaurant which gave me gastroenteritis. This year, I'm still trying to figure out what I ate (or drank) which has caused this again. I only went to two restaurants yesterday so it could be either of the two.

I can't afford to go on leave this week as it's my last week at work before I move to my new employer. I really do hope the meds will work soon.

DFA Experience

2012-01-26T19:54:00.001+08:00

This month has been really interesting for me as I experienced both sides of our government. The efficient and inefficient sides.

I recently had to get an NBI clearance for new employment. Sad to say, that was the worst experience I had with regards to our government and it irks me no end that I pay tax money just to get crappy service. Anyway, I don’t want to go into that further as I don’t want to rehash the hell I went through just to get that yellow paper that will enable me to move to a different company.

I was at the DFA earlier to have my passport renewed as it’s due to expire January 2013. I opted to renew as early as now as I’m not sure if I’ll have time throughout the year to fix this.

I scheduled for an appointment early this month and got a 3PM schedule as today is my son’s birthday and I’m on leave. He had a small party in school earlier and I left around quarter to 1. I made good time and was at DFA at 130PM which was 1 ½ hours before my appointment.

When I got inside, I was made to sit with my other co-3PM appointees. We were made to wait on benches underneath a tent outside the building. It was rather comfortable and I had my book with me to keep me entertained. Around 3PM, we were asked to follow the 230PM appointees inside the building where there’s another line going to the counter screeners to check your documents. Again, that was fast and I was able to reach the counter at around 330PM.

After that, I went to the 2nd floor to pay the passport fees. Again, line was very short.

After paying, I was directed to get a number to wait in line for the picture and fingerprint capture. When I got my number, I was surprised to see that there were 300 people more waiting ahead of me. I then settled down to wait. I was delighted to see how fast the numbers were being called though probably because they had more than 50 counters open. I estimated that they could process 10 people per minute (or more). That’s not bad. True enough, my number came up 30-45 minutes later.

If you look at it, I was actually done in an hour and a half. I just came in early for my appointment. If that’s considered a long wait for other people, it’s a big improvement over my NBI clearance experience which was very excruciating and frustrating.

By the way, for those wearing contact lenses, make sure you either don’t use them during your picture taking or bring contact lens solution and case with you. The DFA staff only noticed it after I was done. She asked me to remove my contact lens as it’s not my correct eye color. Unfortunately, I did not bring any solution or even a contact lens case with me. I was forced to remove it after they thankfully provided me a case where I can put it in. In lieu of the solution, we used water. Good thing I was still able to put them back on after the picture taking. I had no choice as my eye grade is 5.00 and I’m driving.

I then paid for delivery and was out of the building by 430PM.

That’s it, basically. By the way, they still have a different line for those with children and senior citizens and another queue for those scheduled through travel agencies.

Game of Thrones

2012-01-21T08:58:00.004+08:00

I noted in my 2011 recap that I have started watching Game of Thrones sometime that year. However, I realized that I haven't made a post dedicated to that wonderful TV mini-series that made me read the dreadfully long but deliriously wonderful books.

I admit, the first time I saw a glimpse of the TV show, I recoiled from all the nudity and violence. But when I saw the trailer on HBO featuring the prologue which gave us an impression how the series really look like, I was hooked. The above is actually the opening credits of the show and it's just so awesome!

I love Sean Bean as Ned Stark. I don't care if he gets typecasted in historical/medieval/soldier roles (Lord of the Rings, Troy, Percy Jackson and now this) but he's just so effective. There's something about his face and performance that brings you back to the old ages where kings ruled.

The series made me search out the books and reading the novel while watching the show showed me are more in depth look on the wonderful world of Westeros and the intrigues played by the different lord and ladies of the realm. I'm a sucker for medieval stories as I grew up reading stories about knights and ladies and my favourite book ever is Jude Deveraux's "Knight in Shining Armor". When I was in third year high school, I got a perfect score in our World History quiz focusing on the medieval period. That's how much I'm into it.

My husband got me ebooks of all five existing books (2 are still yet to be released) which I downloaded into my Nook. I couldn't put the book down and hated it when I have to charge my device to be able to continue reading (that's maybe the drawback to shifting to electronic books. I have to plug it in when the battery runs out of juice).

The Game of Thrones mini-series is based on George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire books. The first of which is A Game of Thrones (GOT, 1996)--where the show started. Next is a Clash of Kings (ACOK, 1999), then A Storm of Swords (ASOS, 2000), followed by A Feast for Crows (AFFC, 2005). The fifth book which was released last year was A Dance With Dragons (ADWD, 2011). Two books have yet to be issued which are The Winds of Winter (TWOW) and A Dream of Spring (ADOS). As the books are quite long, the show only focused on certain parts of the first novel. I just read out the parts to fill in the holes.

However, when I got to the second book, ACOK really dragged at first. It was just in the middle of the book which I was forced to read while waiting in line the half day to get my NBI clearance, that the action really started. I literally could not put my nook down and was hooked at what's going to happen next. I grieved for those who died and applauded when my favourite characters won their battles.

I'm already on the 3rd book and I'm still engrossed. I dread finishing the fifth book as it will be a long wait before the sixth and seventh book will be released. I surely hope Martin finishes the 6th book soon and I really pray he'll still be alive to finish the 7th one. Actually, he's only 64 but he looks old in his pictures (must be the beard).

Sesason 2 of GOT will start on April which is three months away. I can't wait to immerse myself in their fascinating world afain.

In the meantime, here's a teaser trailer for the next season.

Personal Strategic Vision

2012-01-20T22:11:00.001+08:00

During my Strategic Management class two years ago, our teacher, Prof. Elfren Cruz, required us to make our own Personal Strategic Vision. This is to ensure that we understand how a corporate vision really works.

I was able to craft one and looking at it now that two years have passed, I could say that it still holds true. It's still idealistic but at least it's the ideals that I really strive for.

CORE IDEOLOGY

Core Purpose
My core purpose is to make most of the talents that I have been given to be able to fully give justice in all the roles I play in my life.

Core Values
I am a woman who is a wife, amother, a daughter, a granddaughter, a sister, a niece, a cousin, a student/teacher, a colleague, a subordinate, a supervisor, a neighbor and a friend, In order to play all these roles to the best of my abilities, I consider the following as values that would help me achieve by core purpose:

Generosity - I believe in giving until it hurts and without expecting anything in return. By giving, I do not mean just meeting financial needs but giving my time, my effort and my self.

Respect - I believe that there is good in all of us and it is because of that belief that enables me to respect people, even in the most trying times.

Responsible - I believe in being responsible for my own actions and words. I believe in my capabilities of making decisions and in knowing that I would have to live with the choices that I make.

Compassionate - I believe in being considerate of others. I believe in putting myself in the other persons' shoes to understand where they are coming from.

Trust - I believe that everyone is capable of good or being able to accomplish their assigned tasks.

Humility - I believe that I am not perfect and should never think that I am above others. I believe that there is still a lot of things that I need to improve or work on and this keeps me going in my goal in reaching my full potential.

ENVISIONED FUTURE

Big Hair Audacious Goals (BHAGs)

Become a person who is instrumental in the success of people, activities and businesses.

Vivid Description

I will go to sleep at night knowing that I have done my best to keep my family safe and sound...My husband and I will raise a family of well-rounded individuals, rearing them to be God-fearing and responsible adults...I will do the best of my abilities to raise our children to be professionals and who will use their time and talents to help others who are in need, without being asked to...Fifty years from now, we'll be able to hold reunions with family and friends and seeing all of them happy and content with their lives...Fifty years from now and even beyond retirement, I hope to still be able to help people and to continue on giving and playing the roles that I've been given until the end of my days.

Louder

2012-01-13T21:18:00.002+08:00

My officemate is a staunch defender of Charice and she really loves the little belter so much. She would tell us that Charice is very talented and would make us listen to her songs. Because of my colleague, I've also taken to searching for Charice videos in youtube whenever I find that I have the time to spare. Talent like hers is really something that the world should take note of.

This is her new single and it's really catchy. I hope it'll go up the charts.

Good Life

2012-01-12T20:50:00.002+08:00

I'm claiming this as my theme song for 2012.

Oh this has gotta be the good life
This has gotta be the good life
This could really be a good life, good life

Say oh, got this feeling that you can't fight
Like this city is on fire tonight
This could really be a good life
A good, good life

God Wants You to Know

2012-01-09T22:48:00.003+08:00

While struggling to make a major decision last month, I came upon this FB app, "God Wants You to Know. It's basically an app that generates random "messages from God." Out of curiosity, I clicked on it to see what would be my random message and what came out I copy/pasted below. It was just so apt and helped me make up my mind.

On this day, God wants you to know
... that it's time you stopped hiding from life, and said yes to the adventure of being alive. Enough of the routine already. Go on, have an adventure, - do what you always wanted deep within your heart. Do what brings you alive, and the universe will open doors where there were only walls.

On February 6, I will begin a new chapter in my life because of this decision.

More to come...

2012 Personal Projects

2012-01-08T17:10:00.004+08:00

My Personal Projects are actually New Year Resolutions but I don't call them that as it's so passe. Besides, "New Year Resolutions" sound so doubtful so I started calling them "Personal Projects".

So far, I've had a good accomplishment rate. Last 2010,I accomplished 6/10 and for 2011, it was 8/10. Hopefully this year, I can do better.

Before I list down my 2012 projects, here's a rundown of how my 2011 went:

2011 Personal Projects

1. DECLUTTER! - Started January last year and was moderately successful. I was able to throw away a LOT of stuff and sold my 500+ of my book collection (which is basically 3/4 of what I have).

2. Be more physically active (walk/cardio at least 3x/week)- I did this and was able to run my short term goal of 20 minutes. I had to stop though when I thought I was pregnant. I plan to get back on the treadmill by this month.

3.Cook/bake at least 1x/month - Was only able to do this for 2 months but stopped

4. Find a new hobby by end of Quarter 1 - Can teaching be considered a hobby? If it is, I missed my target by 3 quarters but I still managed to find one before the end of the year.

5. Be pregnant by Quarter 3 - I cried over this one. But I believe that God has other plans for us. Besides, we already have Basti. If he's meant to be an only child then we accept it with grace.

6. Meet with "old" friends at least 1x/month - Not once a month but at least I was able to meet with a LOT of old friends this year--especially this Christmas. I've lost track of how many reunions I've attended.

7. Try a new restaurant at least 1x/month - Not really that successful. My dinner-mate when on a "tipid" mode so there goes our restaurant tripping

8. Visit my mom and sister in the US by Q2 - highly successful. It was my most memorable and best vacation so far.

9. Celebrate Basti's second birthday party - We didn't actually have a party. We just ate out and celebrated his birthday privately.

10. Celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary - We just had dinner at Mona Lisa Restaurant here at Alabang.

And here's my 2012 Personal Project List:
1. Limit myself to one dessert/sugary snack per day
2. Run 20 minutes on the treadmill
3. Run my first 3K race
4. Limit myself to 1/2 rice per meal with no rice for dinner
5. Visit all my doctors for a check-up (OB-Gyne, Endo, Cardio, Optha)
6. Survive my first year of teaching
7. Celebrate Basti's 3rd birthday
8. Celebrate 5th wedding anniversary
9. Visit another city in the country
10. Visit another country in Asia

First Day = Epic Fail

2012-01-07T18:11:00.001+08:00

I've been looking forward to this day since December. Today was the first day I met with my students.

Since I am a professor that replaced a teacher who had to go on leave in the middle of the term, I came in just a session before midterms. I also had to handle a subject that I've never heard of in my life. Looking at the syllabus, it looks like a hodgepodge of different subjects that I had. So I just reviewed the powerpoint and mentally prepared how I will approach the lecture.

When I came to class this morning, we had no laptop or projector and for some reason, none can be found for our class. That was when everything just fell apart. I could not conduct a lecture without the powerpoint and no pep talk can make me do otherwise. Even if the students have a copy of the lecture, I still can't bring myself to discuss the slides as my mind also went blank. I think I ended up spouting gibberish and I'm praying that they forgot everything that I said because thinking about it now, I said a lot of confusing stuff.

There's no lecture for the next couple of weeks as it will be midterms next week and group research after that. I'm just so disappointed with myself and hopefully, I can get out of this funk and be more prepared next time. My students deserve to have a professor who can deliver a decent lecture and I hope I can live up to expectations.

My 2011

2011-12-29T21:27:00.015+08:00

My 2011 has been one hell of a ride. In terms of experiences, this year has a tankful of them. I'll try to recall significant events per month. As my memory nowadays is not that dependable, I would like to thank Facebook Timeline, this blog and my written journal to help me look back.

JANUARY
- Used my first VL by taking Basti to the ER for some allergic reaction.
- Started decluttering by giving away some planners that I have in storage but have not been using. Fortunately, they're the types that does not have actual days on them so you can use them at any year.
- Reconnected with a childhood friend through Facebook. We haven't seen each other in over two decades only to find out that she lives just a couple of houses away from my current home.
- Got my iPhone from Globe! The best phone I've ever had since I became a mobile phone user more than a decade ago.
- Celebrated Basti's 2nd birthday by spending the night at Manila Penn (yes, just the three of us!)

FEBRUARY
- Went to the Hot Air Balloon Festival at Clark with our rpgdlsu friends and the kids! It was our first out-of-town ever since the kids arrived.
- Annual Physical consultations with my numerous doctors - OB, Endo,and Cardio
- Small and short reunion with HS classmates

MARCH
- Suffered a health scare when I temporarily lost vision on my left eye for a few seconds. After a lot of tests, turns out I just have migraine equivalence. Read about my health journey here.
- Bought our ticket for our US trip.

APRIL
- Marvin and Mai's wedding where I was able to wear a size 10 dress! Officially lost 20 pounds!
- Was finally treated for my allergies
- The Sucat-Alabang portion of the Skyway finally opens making the dream of Alabang-Makati in 15 minutes come true. I don't have to wake up too early to avoid the traffic. Downside is bringing a car everyday is out of the question as the toll fees are horrendously expensive!

MAY
- Went to Divisoria to buy our presents for my sister in the US
- Started with Basti's toilet training
- Spent this month basically preparing for our US trip

JUNE
- Our US trip where a summary is posted at the right hand side of my blog. The best part of the trip other than seeing my sister and my Mom, NYC!!! I had to make 4 posts just all about that wonderful city
- Met up with my friend Ching for the last time as she's moving to the US to be with her husband

JULY
- Returned from our US trip which is crashing back to reality
- Yaya started getting sick making me Basti's full-time caregiver. Turns out she's pregnant!

AUGUST
- Started watching Game of Thrones in HBO. Though it's been showing for quite some time, I was not able to watch it until I saw the opening credits. I was instantly hooked that I started reading the book as well
- Started running in the gym and my record was 20 minutes straight on the treadmill

SEPTEMBER
- My SFC friend, Willie's despedida as he's leaving for Canada
- Finally sold my book collection
- Another typhoon hit the Philippines which flooded Bulacan and the storm surges destroyed the seawall at Roxas Blvd. and flooded Sofitel

OCTOBER
- After months of planning, was finally able to meet up with my BFF, Cess. It could've been a longer conversation if I did not have to go back to the office. I missed her so much!
- Steve Jobs passed away
- Started follicle monitoring for our pregnancy attempt only to learn later on that it was not successful
- Basti's trick or treat at his school, my sister in law's office and here at home

NOVEMBER
- Had bicipital tendinitis which I posted about here. Because of that, I tried acupuncture which I posted about here
- Started follicle monitoring again but was unsuccessful again. Gave up for the time being and decided to rest and wait for another time
- Had our block showing for our office Outreach fund raising. At least I know now how to go about it.
- Bazaar season! Went to two bazaars this month
- South N@Wies Christmas party. It was nice to see people who I would correspond with through our Newlywedsatwork egroups

DECEMBER
- Had the most awesome birthday ever! I can't recall being so happy during a birthday for the past 35 years and to think there was no big celebration. I just went to mass, had a pedicure, met up with my sister-in-law to have lunch and watch a movie, went to the bazaar and had dinner with my hubby. Simple yet I enjoyed everything that I did that day. I am truly blessed. God is so good!
- Was hired as part-time faculty at my alma mater, St. Scholastica's College
- Get-togethers with rpgdlsu friends, SFC friends, HS St. Scho friends, SCB and ex-SCB friends and unit Christmas party
- First time I drove to Tanauan, Batangas

There you go. 2011 does not officially end until tomorrow but overall, I could say that it's been a very eventful year. Hope that 2012 will be as good or even better and praying for less drama.

Different Versions of Beyonce's Listen

2011-12-23T21:30:00.005+08:00

I'm comparing the different versions of Listen sung by 3 artists--Beyonce, Melanie Amaro and Charice. Who do you think did it better live?

Here's X-Factor USA's Season 1 winner, Melanie Amaro's version:

Here's Oprah and David Foster's ward, Charice's version:

And finally, the original version of the incomparable, Beyonce.

The song is so emotional and a lot of people can relate to it. Whenever I hear it, especially if sung live and the singer hits the notes, I just want to stand up and clap my heart out.

The Meme Proposal

2011-12-23T05:51:00.002+08:00

I saw this video from the Weddings@Work FB page. I just want to share it as I found it very sweet, simple and romantic. I was really crying afterwards and even if I watch it again and again, I would still shed tears.

The couple is from Malaysia. The guy is the founder of Nuffnang and the girl is a blogger. I wish the couple all the best.

Typhoon Sendong - Help CDO and Iligan

2011-12-19T21:26:00.007+08:00

For a country that has an average of 21 typhoons blowing through it every year, Typhoon Sendong (international name: Washi) caught us unawares...again. With Ondoy still fresh in our minds, it makes you wonder why CDO or Iligan was not as prepared. The blame game is now starting but one reason is that these two cities are not used to storms. Typhoons would normally hit Luzon or some portions of Visayas but definitely not Mindanao. The storm dumped one month's worth of rain in just a days time overflowing rivers which led to the flash floods. The images that are now being posted across the internet makes me cringe.

Global warming is really upon us. We have to adapt and change our mindset of "it won't happen to us" to "I have to be prepared. It might happen to us." Call it paranoia but better be safe than sorry. The weather is changing fast and it's screwing our environment.

I'm glad though that there are no calls on meaningless investigations or resignations yet. First things first. We should help out Cagayan de Oro and Iligan get back on their feet. Christmas is a mere week away and we should try our best to make their Christmas less bleak as possible. Many have lost their possessions and loved ones. We can't replace the lives lost but we are capable of providing comfort and sympathy. If you can't go to the area, then try to share what you have.

I got the list below from Rock Ed Philippines in Facebook. It's quite comprehensive so please, let's help. They need us more than ever.

Cagayan de Oro — DSWD. Volunteers needed at DSWD Cagayan de Oro (Masterson rd, Upper Carmen) to repack and deliver relief goods. Call +63906-615-0095 or tweet @DSWDserve.

Iligan — Iligan Bloggers Society. Meet at Rizal Park at 8AM everyday, until the need subsides. Contact: Erika Cruz 0905-280-2002

Red Cross — Contact Ramil at 0926-902-3726 or 0917-722-1874

DONATE

DSWD
National Resource Operations Center (NROC) Chapel Rd. Pasay City (Back of Air Transportation Office) Contact: Francia Fabian 0918 9302356
Manila - DSWD Field Office NCR: San Rafael St., Legarda, Manila
Alabang - DSWD Field Office IV-A: Alabang-Zapote Road, Alabang, Muntinlupa City 1770 Tel. No.: (02) 807-4140 Fax No.: (02) 807-1518 Contact: Gina Laranan 09108860826
Malate, Manila - DSWD Field Office IV-B: 1680 F. T. Benitez St., Malate Manila Contact: Shiela Tapia (02) 5252445

Rock Ed Iligan — Running a soup kitchen in Iligan now. Donate any amount so they can continue to serve hot meals for homeless families in the neighborhood to BPI Loyola 3080.0073.44. Tweet @rockedradio or @RockEdIligan for help

Red Cross
Via credit card & bank deposit. Visit http://www.redcross.org.ph/donatenow
Via Globe. Text RED < amount > to 2899. You may transfer P5, 25, 50, 100, 300, 500
Via Smart. Text RED < amount > to 4143. Valid donation amounts 10, 25, 50, 100

Xavier University, Cagayan de Oro — Needs donations in CASH, FOOD (noodles, canned goods, etc.), BOTTLED WATER, and CLEAN CLOTHES. Details here: http://www.xu.edu.ph/index.php/other-news/642-bagyong-sendong-relief-operations-in-xavier-university/
Fr. Eric Garcia Velandria S.J.
Coordinator of Sendong Operation,
KKP Office, Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan, Corrales Ave.
9000 Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines.

Cash donations can be deposited at this account:
Account Name: Xavier University
Account Number: 9331-0133-63
BPI MAIN BRANCH

Iligan Bloggers Society — asking for cash donations, canned goods, noodles, bath and laundry soaps, toothpaste, rice, used clothings, slippers. Details here: http://iliganbloggers.com/food/one-for-iligan-help-the-typhoon-sendong-victims/

Donation Paypal ID: singcol.inquisitor@gmail.com
UNION BANK Account: Revilla N. Carbonell-Noel – 109451077611

ILIGAN – BASED DONORS:
St. Michaels’ Cathedral, DXIC Radio Staion, City Hall, Rizal Park, and Calda Pizza Iligan City Branch

LUZON DONORS DROP OFF POINTS:
Makati City: 3553 Durango St., Palanan, Makati City 1235. Contact Migz @ 09065777812 or 09227130006 OR 6-D Cypress Gardens Condo 112 VA Rufino St. Makati City c/o Meikah Delid
Quezon City: Berkeley Residences, Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City. Contact Jamie Steffani Mijares @ 09157744244
Manila/Taft Avenue: Madison Square Condominium, Taft Avenue, Manila, Right infront of De La Salle University, Right beside Kenny Rogers . Contact Roden Lim @ 09228446777

ABS-CBN Sagip Kapamilya — Donations accepted in cash and in kind. Details: http://www.facebook.com/notes/anc-247/heres-how-you-can-help-victims-of-sendong-via-sagip-kapamilya/10150529342939122

GMA Kapuso Foundation — Accepting donations for Sendong victims.
www.kapusofoundation.com.
9284299, 9289351.
Metrobank Peso Savings account: GMA Kapuso Foundation, Inc. / Account Number: 3-098-51034-7

La Salle Greenhills — Donations will be accepted starting December 19, 2011 (Monday) -- Donations in cash and kind can be received at Gate 2 of La Salle Green Hills at 343 Ortigas Avenue, Mandaluyong City 1550. You may also call any of the following telephone numbers for further inquiries:
Aluimni Office — 721-2729, 722-7750, 725-4720
GS Principal — 721-2482
HS Principal — 721-8914
Buildings and Grounds Office — 721-8904 (Telefax)
La Sallian Mission Office — 726-5851 (Telefax)

La Salle Academy in Iligan City is accepting donations in kind and in cash. Money may be deposited to:
Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) Account No. 0820-016221-030.
Kindly inform Lourdes Melegrito of COSCA the details of your donation at email lourdes.melegrito@dlsu.edu
.ph, Tel. No. 524-4611 local 147 or telefax 523-4143

US-based individuals may help Sendong victims through PhilDev: https://secure3.convio.net/phdev/site/Donation2?df_id=1401&1401.donation=form1&set.SingleDesignee=1881&JServSessionIdr004=z7xs4t1dr3.app332b

Back Home

2011-12-17T18:00:00.009+08:00

Returning to St. Scholastica's College as a teacher has never been part of my plans. After taking STRAMA under Prof. Elfren Cruz and earning my MBA degree, I had this sudden urge to teach. Maybe it's because I helped him check term papers and somehow found out that I liked it. I have a professor friend who was looking for part-time faculty early this year and even if I was qualified and the department head was ready to hire me, I had a trip that could not be rescheduled during the start of the term so it did not work out.

Fortunately, I was called back a few weeks ago as one of the faculty had to go on leave and asked me to replace her. So I went back to make a demo lecture and was hired. I returned today to fix my requirements, get some reading materials and have a last minute talk with the leaving professor.

While waiting, I walked around and re-familiarized myself with the surroundings that I called home for 11 years.

The above picture is inside the chapel where we held countless masses and where we even had our First Communion. While I was saying my prayer (and taking this picture), there was a choir that was practicing and I stayed a bit to listen to their beautiful voices. If it wasn't for the overpowering smell of incense (or some chemical), I would've stayed longer but I did not want to pass out so I left and walked around some more.

The college building is fronting the field. We had our field demonstrations on this open piece of land and I could still remember when we were in Grade 3 (or was that Grade 4) where we danced in ruffles while playing the maracas (the name of the song escapes me right now. I hope someone can enlighten me) and I think we had fruits on our heads too.

The building on the left is the newly built St. Cecilia's Hall. I think they tore down the whole building which housed the auditorium where we had our "Linggo ng Wika" celebrations and if I remember it right, Miriam Defensor-Santiago also had a talk there (I think that was when she was running for President. Oh my, I'm old!). The College library is also in that building and I was there earlier to borrow some books for my class. I'm impressed with their library and I'm looking forward to spending some time there.

The middle building is the canteen. I can still remember when we can return Coke bottles for the deposit. And my favorite food back then was cheesepie with ice cream! :) And the arroz caldo too! I can still remember how yummy it smelled.

I'm looking forward to revisit my roots and see what has changed and what has remained the same. I'll be posting more pictures and would probably reminisce more.

My New Alter-Ego, Professor

2011-12-11T20:56:00.004+08:00

Thanks to graphicshunt.com for the image.

Starting January 2012, I will have another role added to my current persona. Other then being a wife, mother, daughter (in-law), sister (in-law), niece, grand-daughter, aunt, cousin, subordinate, officemate and friend, I will be a teacher.

I remember when I was in high school, I entertained the thought of being a teacher but for the life of me, I can't recall why I did not consider it as a career option.I just thought about it seriously after earning my MBA degree last year and credit goes to my Strategic Management professor, Mr. Elfren Cruz for sowing the idea into my brain. You see, I helped him check papers of his STRAMA students and helping them sort through pages and pages of theories for the appropriate strategy. I thoroughly enjoyed that exercise and even returned the next term to help him again.

It also helps that according to Strengths-finder, my primary strength is "Learner", meaning I thrive in an environment where I am constantly learning. Where else will I continue to learn but in school and as a teacher at that?

I will be a replacement professor as the current teacher has to go on leave due to her sensitive pregnancy. I was supposed to start last June but since I had to leave for the US, it did not work out. I'm so glad that they called me back to ask for my availability. I might continue this up to next term and hope that this would inspire me to put the zing back in my work.

My students will be third year college students studying for their Bachelors degree in Business Management. Hopefully, I will be able to impart all that I can to them and will make the learning experience as fun as possible.

Wish me luck!

Basti's "Wind, Wind, Sugar Baby"

2011-12-11T17:12:00.002+08:00

I first saw him reciting this nursery rhyme a couple of days ago. He kept on repeating the whole verse over and over and over--like an Energizer Bunny. When we met up with my College friends awhile ago, I asked him to recite it and he did--over and over again. :)

My New Favorite Loveteam -- Sarah and Gerald

2011-12-04T22:46:00.007+08:00

I seldom watch Filipino movies for the reason I can't find someone to go with me. But yesterday, on my birthday, my sister-in-law invited me to watch Sarah Geronimo and Gerald Anderson's new movie, "Won't Last a Day Without You". I was not able to watch their first movie, "Catch Me, I'm in Love" which was shown last March but that did not deter me from watching their new project.

I didn't have any expectations on the movie except for the news that Gerald and Sarah has good chemistry. True enough, I was so "kilig" while watching the whole movie. Though there were some unbelievable moments, their budding on-screen romance somehow makes up for it. Gerald also can now be considered a viable leading man on his own and it's good that his team-up with Kim Chiu was discontinued. For some reason, it did him good as his team-up with Sarah can be considered a commercial success.

In the movie, Sarah is a DJ who gives love advice over the air and unfortunately, her advice to a listener caused the girl to break up with her boyfriend on air! The boy (that's Gerald, of course) stormed to the radio station to confront the supposedly erring disk jockey. The sparks start to fly from there. It's amusing to see Gerald's character improve from being a chronic playboy to an honest-to-goodness person that can be considered perfect boyfriend material. Of course, that's where the kilig moments happen.

The supporting characters added color to the movie--such as John Lapus as Sarah's co-DJ and Joey de Leon as Sarah's rocker father. Lapus was in his lovable bading best (I still can't get over him in "Here Comes the Bride" where he was "possessed" by the soul of the lolo. Ang guwapo niya bilang isang lalaki ha. Kamukha niya si Jett Pangan. Hehehe). De Leon was also amusing with his quips (e.g. he calls his daughter Sarah, "anaconda"--ang anak niyang maganda) and his rocker eyeliner.) Wish to see him in more movies like this.

Gerald's character, from what I've deduced, is a probinsiano (he uses his Cebuano accent throughout the movie. I found it quite charming) who's trying to take the board exam for nursing (it's kinda confusing as the girlfriend claims he's trying to be a doctor but he's studying for nursing?) but his playboy ways is preventing him from achieving that. Gerald can really bring the kilig especially now with his well-honed body (those abs!!!). I can't remember him being this fit during his PBB days.

Sarah Geronimo was a revelation ever since I saw her first movie with John Lloyd Cruz. I posted about it here. I was wondering whether how she will fare with a different loveteam and I'm happy to say that she does not disappoint.

Overall, I like the movie and it made me look for their first movie which my husband fortunately found for me. Will write another review for that. Oh and watch out for the bloopers during the credits. There's one scene where Gerald was trying to motivate Sarah and he uttered somebody's name which made everyone burst out in laughter.

Because of this, I am now officially a Gerald Anderson fan. How can I join his fan club? Seriously.

TTC

2011-11-30T22:00:00.005+08:00

During our Discovery Weekend, Leo and I planned to have two kids with a three year age gap. So far we already have one kid and he's turning three this coming January. In order to meet our self-imposed deadline, my husband and I have been trying to conceive since June.

It's not easy for me to get pregnant. I have a condition called PCOS which I posted about here. Any pregnancy attempt would require a cycle of duphaston/provera, clomifene, follicle monitoring and keeping a close watch on the calendar.

We have been on this cycle for two months already and each attempt has failed. When I got my period last Friday, I just cried. I felt so exhausted and wondered whether our son would be an only child. I decided not to go back for a third session and to just rest this month.

The past two disappointing months that we've had made me question God's plan for me. We already have one child and there are other couples who are struggling to even have one. Maybe this is God's way of telling me to be content with what I have. Also, maybe He has other things planned for me--something better.

Whatever it is, I just have to wait for it to unfold in His time. In the meantime, I will just enjoy the holidays and be thankful with what I have.

A friend who recently lost her 19-day old son sent me a bible reading which she said helped her through her loss. I was so touched when she sent it to me as for someone who has suffered more than I did, she still managed to reach out and provide me comfort:

From Jeremiah 28:11-14
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity.[a] I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

I Heart David Cook

2011-11-24T21:57:00.005+08:00

I was crazy over David Cook when he won American Idol three years ago, and I'm still as crazy over him until now. His recently released sophomore album refueled my fervor for him.

One reason why I love him so much is that you could feel his passion through every lyric that he sings. When he sang the above song live, I was melting (and to think that was in youtube. What more if I'm really there?). When he was still competing in Idol, I would scream whenever he would look in the camera with his really dreamy eyes.

David is also one of the rare singers who still sounds good when he sings live (others uses auto-tune so there's a big discrepancy when you listen to the album and hear them sing live). When he covered Adele's Rolling in the Deep, I wish I was there in the crowd to scream and clap for him. What you hear is what you get.

That's why I'm still sore that I missed his show when I was in NYC last June. I would've given anything just to see him live and would have paid the extra money for VIP passes. Hugging him would be a big check off my bucket list.

Until I can get that chance, I would continue to watch youtube videos of his concerts and pray and wish that I would get the chance to see him sing live again. I fervently hope so.

Basti's Prayer

2011-11-22T21:10:00.002+08:00

We've been teaching Basti to pray and I managed to record one of his nightly prayers.

Let me translate his prayer:

(Sign of the Cross)
Papa Jesus, thank you for our food, my blessings..
Bless Mommy,
Bless Daddy,
Bless Lolo
Bless Lola
Bless Yaya
(and starts to name his classmates)
Bless Valerie, Carlson, Rhian, Megan, Zachariah, Inigo, Gabrielle, Sebastian
Bless Mommy!
As I pray
(trying to pray Angel of God but end up being garbled)

Bicipital Tendinitis

2011-11-13T15:25:00.004+08:00

I was not suffering from a pinched nerve after all. According to the Rehab Doctor, I was suffering form Bicipital Tendinitis which in layman terms means inflammation of my bicep tendon. According to my therapist, if it was a pinched nerve, the pain would've been more immense than what I was suffering.

After my acupuncture session last night, I started my physical therapy today. I was given a hot compress, then heat ultrasound and afterwards, some exercises. The exercises were quite painful. We were able to do 10 rotations of my arm and 5 of side rotation--which is more painful.

What caused it? Well, I was very remiss in stretching before my work-out last Monday. I stopped going to the gym for a couple of months and last Monday was my second day back. I foolishly increased the weights on the machines where I did my shoulder press and other arm exercises thinking I can lift them. Unfortunately, I did not stretch properly before my work-out.

Well, now I know and it's a lesson well-learned. I promise to stretch before my work-outs from now on.

Thanks to mdguidelines.com for the picture.

Acupuncture

2011-11-12T18:36:00.007+08:00

I'm not a fan of needles. That's why I when I gave birth, I refused the anesthesia until I was 19 hours into labor and with only 6cm in dilation to show. However, as mentioned in my previous post, I was suffering from a bad case of pinched nerves and I haven't had a decent night sleep in 3 days.

I went to Tokyo Healthlink this afternoon to schedule an appointment with a Rehab doctor. I came in at 330PM and was fortunately first in line. I went home afterwards as the doctor won't be in until 530PM. I just returned at 5PM.

When the doctor came and checked my arm, I almost cried when he began twisting and bending my left arm. He asked me if I'm open to acupuncture. I just paused for a bit as I haven't tried it before but I'd try anything to alleviate the pain. Not giving me the chance to change my mind, I was brought into the treatment room.

I was made to lie down on a cot and next thing I knew, needles were being inserted on my forehead, arms, legs and feet. It was not painful at all. In fact, the bite of an ant is more painful. I could immediately feel myself relaxing and that somehow was part of the healing process.

The needles were left in my skin for 20 minutes and after taking them off, the doctor tried stretching my arm. It still hurt but at least the degree of pain is smaller than before.

I'm due to return tomorrow for therapy (hot compress, ultrasound etc. Same as what they did to treat my de Quervain's Tenosynovitis almost three years ago.) Best of all, the consultation and therapy was covered by my HMO (go Maxicare!).

Hopefully, I can sleep peacefully tonight without waking up to the pain.

Pinched Nerve

2011-11-12T06:54:00.003+08:00

On Wednesday night, I noticed that my left arm was feeling sore. I didn't pay attention to it as I just went to the gym the previous day. But when I couldn't move my arm anymore the next day, I knew there was something wrong.

I self-diagnosed with the help of webmd.com and found out that I have a pinched nerve. As I knew therapy was needed, I called our local manghihilot to deal with my shoulder.

When she arrived and started working on my shoulder. She confirmed that it was indeed a pinched nerve and massaged the nerves out.

My arm is still sore up to now but getting better. I haven't had a decent night's sleep in three nights and I'm getting grumpy. I couldn't get dressed without any assistance from my husband. What frustrates me is that I can't take any painkillers as we're in the middle of TTC. I just have to do with Paracetamol and it somehow takes the edge off but still painful.

I think what made it really painful yesterday was the aircon in the office. Temperature is relatively Siberian (although it's only 22C but that feels like 10C to me) and somehow amplified the pain.

Hopefully today, my arm will feel better. I miss cradling my son and playing with him.

(Thanks to healthcentral.com for the picture)

Day 19 - Groton, CT (4th of July Parade)

2011-10-25T21:14:00.003+08:00

I was finally able to witness an honest-to-goodness local 4th of July Parade. It's nothing like the Rose Bowl but it's more of a community parade where almost every aspect of the community has its own float.

Before going there, I resolved to eat a healthy breakfast so I can some cereal, fresh blueberries and humongous strawberries. This is what it looked like:

If there's one thing I miss about the US, it's the fresh fruits as shown above. That was the best breakfast that I had when I was there. I tried to duplicate it here but I could not find fruits that are as fresh like what I got there.

My step-sister-in-law, Eldica and my stepbrother, Patrick together with their son, Christian, picked us up and took us to the next town (Groton) where we staked a spot across the local Dunkin Donut (apparently, Dunkin Donuts is really big in the East Coast. Krispy Kreme is not heard of there) to wait for the parade.

The parade featured the navy servicemen in their really spiffy uniforms. There were also the vintage cars and motorcycles. It was interesting as it gives you an idea on what kind of community Groton is.

I told Eldica that on my next visit, I would want to visit an old-fashioned country fair. I want to eat the local food and see the local sights. Somehow, it's like seeing all the stuff that I read come to life. She promised to take me and I can't wait!

Here she is with her really cute son:

Day 18 - Gales Ferry, CT and Sunni Dae

2011-10-25T20:53:00.004+08:00

(Continuation of my travel posts. Day 18 is July 3, Sunday)

We spent the 4th of July weekend with my mom and stepfather at their CT house.

I really love their community because it's so peaceful and most of the people who live there are retirees from the nearby US Navy/Submarine base. We heard mass that morning in the local Catholic church. Again, they have that lovely musical organ and the sole singer who leads the congregation in the singing.

My stepfather has turned my mom into a dog lover and this weekend, they were able to bring home their new dog--an Akita breed--named Sunni Dae. I can't recall why they named her as such but she is one cute puppy.

Like any newborn baby, she pees and poops a lot and my stepdad would wake up in the middle of the night to take her out. I remember waking up also as I would hear her crying in her kennel.

I bet she's big now. I was told that this specific breed really grows and is quite loyal (there's a movie called Hachiko and a lot of my dog-lover friends have attested that it's quite a tearjerker. The dog there is an Akita breed). Can't wait to visit my mom again so I can see Sunni Dae.

The Walking Dead Season 2

2011-10-24T21:53:00.003+08:00

After posting about the first season, I knew I had to watch to follow where this new season goes. The first season was just too short so hopefully, they'll make it longer this time.

I'm deathly scared of zombies. It ranks up there with cockroaches as my greatest fear. I used to have nightmares about those damned creatures. I want to blame my childhood as we would watch every zombie flick ever made whenever we would go to the province for a vacation. Since it was pretty rural and that we leave near the cemetery, it makes quite a nice setting for any nightmare.

The new season is now on its second episode. There are still a lot of plots that need to unravel and hopefully, it won't take until the end of the season for all things to happen. I watch them with half my attention as I don't want them invading my dreams. I just read the episode guides to see what I might have missed.

I know I'm such a ninny but I value my sleep too much to have it disturbed by undead creatures chasing after me. *shudder shudder shudder*

The Plans of Mice and Men

2011-10-22T21:27:00.003+08:00

Ever since I got back from the US, I've been wanting to do so many things. Updating my blog is one thing and I have fallen way, way behind. There are still numerous items in my to-do list which I hope to finish before the end of the year. I want to start the new year with a clean slate as much as possible.

I also updated my blog template. I've had that template for two years and it's time for a change. Hope you like this one.

One of things that we're planning is to give Basti a baby brother or sister. But it's not as easy as it sounds due to my condition. The first cycle was not successful so we have to go through another cycle--which starts tomorrow. I hope this time around, it works. Wish us luck!

Day 17 - Submarine Museum in CT

2011-08-07T21:14:00.010+08:00

(Catching up on my travel posts. Day 17 is July 2, Saturday)

On Saturday, my mom, Leo and I headed off to the Submarine Naval Base to check out their museum. I haven't been inside a submarine before and they have the Nautilus SSN 571 permanently docked at the museum.

Here's a partial view of the submarine at the back.

Instead of a tour guide, they had this interactive handheld recorder (I forgot what it's actually called) where you can listen to some trivia about the ship if prompted by a sign. Here's Leo listening to the device as he views an exhibit.

The whole ship is so small and cramped. I can't imagine the sailors living in that thing for months a time. Even the sleeping compartments are so minuscule! I pity the guy who gets the middle bunk.

We took lots of pictures. I'll just post them in Facebook once I've organized that day.

Day 16 - Gales Ferry, Connecticut

2011-08-07T20:55:00.005+08:00

The first of July, being a Friday, was time for mom and her husband to head off to their home in Gales Ferry, CT. It's easier to get there from Shelter Island compared to the trip that we took from NJ.

We took the ferry to Greenport and we drove up to Orient Point, the end point of Eastern long Island. From there, we took the Cross Sound Ferry services which took us across the channel to New London, CT. Gales Ferry is a mere 15 minutes from the port of New London.

Here's a picture of the bridge that we crossed from the port going to Gales Ferry.

Arriving at the house, we put away our stuff and got ready for dinner at a place in Noank called The Fisherman Restaurant. We managed to get a table with a nice view.

After dinner, we drove around Noank to look at the old houses. I think the oldest one that I saw was built during the early 1800s. The town is a small fishing village where they have more ship/boat yards than churches. Look them up in wikipedia.

I was able to take pictures of the houses but since we were in the car, the shots were not so good. Nevertheless, here they are. Advanced apologies for the crummy shots.

I like the house in the last picture but it somehow reminds me of a haunted house (shudder).

Nevertheless, I wish I was able to take better pictures. I really liked that village. Like a blast from the past.

Day 15 - Shelter Island, New York

2011-08-07T19:51:00.005+08:00

On Day 14, Tita Chit took us to do some shopping at Walmart and drove us back to my sister at Avenel. I get to watch TV and watch Man vs. Food (I so love this show).

On Thursday, the 30th of June, we were on our way to my mom's place at Shelter Island. A lot of people don't know where it is as you have to take the ferry to get there. It's somewhere in Long Island and the scenery going there is quite charming. Think white houses with porches. I saw my dream house near Greenport too.

As no one would be able to take us there, my mom previously gave us tickets for the Hampton Jitney which dropped us off at port. The trip took us 2 hours and a half. I called my mom when we were near the Southold and she met us at the bus stop at Greenport.

As it was past noon, we had lunch at one of the places near the dock. I finally had the lobster that I have been craving for since I arrived in the US.

Here I am with the meal. And yes, I finished all of it by myself. :)

After showing us a bit of the town, we then boarded the ferry (which takes 7-8 minutes) to Shelter Island.

Shelter Island is definitely a summer place. During the summer, the population swells to almost 10,000 but during the rest of the year, it's only down to 2,000. It's a place where people spend their long vacations and holidays and definitely a hang-out of the elite, not surprising as it's near the Hamptons.

My mom owns a business there which provides home health care and other personal services to those who needs it in the island (most of the people who live there are retirees).

Here's a sample of the scenery in the island. There are a lot of beaches there although of course, they are nothing like the beaches in the Philippines.

My mom and Rusell took us to dinner at a restaurant in Sunset Beach. The name of the place escapes me now but they swore they won't be going back for the lousy service that we got.

Day 13 - New York, Part 3.2

2011-08-04T22:16:00.012+08:00

After Central Park, we tried to see more of New York as much as we can. Still keeping with our gustatory theme, we resolved to taste the best of New York that this wonderful city can offer.

We went to this place called Levain Bakery that according to Carlo, sells the best chocolate chip cookies in town. I just had to try it

This gives you a perspective on how humongous this cookie was.

Next stop was MoMA (The Museum of the Modern Art). Unfortunately, when we got there, it was closed (they close on Tuesdays!). We just contented ourselves on taking pictures of the exterior design and shopping at the MoMA store.

We were getting hungry and it was past lunch time already. Carlo took us to another hole-in-the wall type restaurant called Totto Ramen over at 52nd street. As the lunch rush was over, the line outside the place was not that long. We waited for around 10 minutes before our name was called.

Carlo ordered the vegetarian ramen (first picture below) while Leo and I got the ramen with charsiu pork (second picture below) each. It was absolutely delicious!

With our bellies full of the wonderful ramen, we decided to brave the throngs of Time Square and try to see if we can find cheap Broadway tickets. However, when we got there the lines were so long that we opted not to watch anymore and just see the sights.

If you notice Bumblebee in the background, it was the premier night of the new Transformers movie (or was that the next night).

Wandering around, we decided to see the Statue of Liberty. Since we did not endure the long lines going to Ellis Island (and practically wasting what's left of our day), we took the Staten Island Ferry and saw the Lady from the ferry. So we got on a subway train up to the end of the line. From there, we lined up to take the ferry which left every 15 minutes. Best of all, it was free! Have a couple of nice pictures below.

All tired out from the day of walking, we took the train back to Hoboken and picked up Nicole (Leo's cousin). We all went to dinner to a place called Grimaldi's. Great pizza. Here we are chatting it up. (In our hunger, we forgot to take pictures of the really scrumptious pizzas that we ordered).

From there, we walked the downtown main street looking for dessert and we found a nice ice cream place called Rita's. I ordered a mixed ice with sundae. It was absolutely yummy!

We went to Newport to gaze at the NYC skyline across the river while waiting for sunset. Take note of the St. Scho Swatch! :)

And our photo with part of the NYC skyline. I think that's the Empire State Building in the background.

Day 13 - New York, Part 3.1 (Central Park)

2011-07-25T20:51:00.017+08:00

This post will be the first half of our third day in Manhattan. I just have too much pictures and stories to post and Central Park deserves a post of its own.

This is the third time in my trip that I'm returning to NYC. Living in Jersey City is so convenient. It's like Mandaluyong and Makati.

We had breakfast at this place in Hoboken whose name escapes me now. Leo and Carlo had their oatmeal while I had a breakfast burrito.

We parked at St. Christopher's in Jersey City where we caught the Path Train to take us to NYC. This time around, we emerged at the Columbus Circle station as we wanted to visit Central Park.

This is the view of Columbus Circle from the park entrance.

Once you leave the station, you'll be met by this wave of people hawking tours of Central park or NYC. There was even a guy who asked if we were Pinoys and started hawking bicycles in Filipino (yep, he's Pinoy too). I wish we took up the offer though as by mid-day, I was so tired of walking inside the park and we even got lost a bit. You really need a compass to find your way inside that place!

I've always wanted to visit Central Park after seeing it in several movies (Enchanted, You've Got Mail, Ransom, One Fine Day etc). There's this specific fountain/bridge that I wanted to see and I finally got my wish that day.

We entered the park at its southernmost tip. We immediately saw softball fields which according to Carlo, is abounding in the park.

After more walking, we came upon The Mall. I'm sure this looks very familiar as it was in the movie Enchanted.

If you notice, there are benches lining the Mall and actually the whole park. What makes these benches interesting is that each seat has its own unique silver plaque (like the bench in Notting Hill) which is a memorial for someone. It was just pure luck that the first bench that I approached is dedicated to someone famous.

And at the end of the Mall, we see another familiar site. Again, something from Enchanted.

This is the Bethesda Terrace. It's such a wonderful place. Even the underside of the bridge is beautifully tiled.

There were a couple of guys singing Amazing Grace underneath the bridge and their voices sounded wonderful with the acoustics. It sounded as if there were a dozen of them. I had to give some money on the box to show my appreciation for their talent.

And at the other side of the bridge, this is the view. I'm sure this is familiar as well. I clearly remember this fountain in "One Fine Day" and somehow in "Ransom" too.

While trying to find our way outside the park, we came upon a couple of interesting benches. These are placed beside each other which makes it really...sweet.

After the benches, we came upon this bridge. Again, another familiar place courtesy of "You've Got Mail". I could imagine Tom Hanks walking up the bridge to meet Meg Ryan.

And that was Central Park where we spent most of our morning. The second half of our day will be in another post.

Day 12 - The City that is called New York!

2011-07-20T20:51:00.020+08:00

We were scheduled to stay with Leo's relatives for the next couple of days at Jersey City. Leo's cousin, Carlo, a student at Rutgers and working part-time at Aldo's, picked us up late in the afternoon.

From my sister's house in Avenel, we drove to Newport and parked near the train station where we took the Path Train to NYC. We figured we can have an early start on our gastronomic tour of the city that enchanted me when I was there on our first week.

We emerged from one of the subway stations at Broadway (near 72nd street). We were hungry already so Carlo took us to the nearest Gray's Papaya.

I mentioned that I wanted to eat a hotdog at NYC. Although this wasn't technically a hotdog stand, it's known to have inexpensive but high-quality hotdogs. Not to mention they were featured in Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations. The place is owned by a Filipino and run by Filipinos. That makes it a winner in my book. That's me above posing before the counter.

We walked towards Washington Square Park which is within the vicinity of New York State University. Here we are posing in front of its known landmark.

A few meters down, we saw this:

If you're a movie fan, you'll recognize this as Will Smith's front door in the movie "I Am Legend".

Moving on, we came upon a map of New York University:

I was amazed by the size of their campus. As you can see, it encompasses several blocks. You would really need longer lead time to get to your classes. That's Carlo showing us where we are.

As my husband and I are both MBA graduates, we could not resist having our picture taken in front of NYU Stern School of Business.

As I cried inside the Library of Congress, I knew I had to take a peek inside NYU's Library as well. We could enter the doors but we can go no further beyond that as one needs a library card. This is what you see when you enter and on the left side are the counters with the flags of different NYU Colleges hanging like Hogwarts! :)

After a few minutes of ogling the interior, we set out to find a place that will feed Carlo who's a vegetarian (or vegan...forgot which is which). We came upon Mahmoun's which serves the best falafel in the city.

Take note that they were featured in "1000 Places to see Before You Die" and other accolades.

Here's what my falafel looked like:

Just looking at it makes me crave for it. Wonder if I can get it here in Manila and would it taste as good?

After polishing off our really scrumptious falafels, we quickly stepped out to give other diners a chance to seat as the shop only has 2 booths inside. Carlo took us to another hole-in-the-wall restaurant a few doors down called Kati Roll where they sell Indian Rolls. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take pictures as I was busy observing Leo and Carlo chow down heir rolls.

We then ventured forth towards Greenwich Village where we came upon this nice shop called "Rice to Riches". The place looks nice so we stepped inside. They sell rice pudding or "champorado". In the Philippines, it's just one flavor--chocolate--but in this shop, they have dozens of different flavored rice puddings.

I tasted only the nutella flavored one and got a small bowl. This is what it looks like:

And here's Carlo goofing off in the store.

The three of us shared the rice pudding. Though the container was disposable, I still took it home with me as it was just too nice to throw away.

We then walked towards Little Italy where we saw the "First Pizzeria in the US".

We trudged down (or was that up?) Little Italy which was lined with Italian restaurants. According to Carlo, they don't really serve great Italian food, people just assume that since it's in Little Italy, food is good but it's not that great. We saw the edge of Chinatown and I finally got my picture taken beside an NYPD police car.

I initially wanted to have a picture taken with some firemen that we saw earlier but I was too shy to ask. That would've been nice though.

After more walking (and buying NYC souvenirs), we opted to head back to Newport as it was getting late already. We walked towards Ground Zero where we'll take the train back to NJ. But before we went down the subway, we took pictures of this historical site:

One of the towers is already up. I don't know if it will be as high as the previous one but it does look promising.

It was a tiring day and my feet hurt from all the walking that we did but my stomach was very happy. The trip back to Newport on the Path Train was shorter because we got on the World Trade Center station. I still haven't gotten the hang of their subway station but maybe when I'll live there long enough, I'll figure it out.

Day 11 - Barbecue at the CT Smith Residence

2011-07-11T15:57:00.004+08:00

The day after the party, Sunday, everyone got together again at my mom's CT residence. After hearing mass at the nearby Catholic Church, the grill was lit and hotdogs and burgers were grilled. There were ribs too! Americans do really love their barbecue.

It was also a chance for everyone to use the pool that was recently installed. If you notice, their pool is installed above-ground which is more suitable in their area. Their explanation was that a below-ground pool can crack during the winter months and could be more expensive to repair. At least with the former, you just empty out the water and leave it as is when the snow comes.

The backyard was really nice as not only did they have a pool for the adults, but there was a kiddie pool too AND a sandbox. My niece, Madison, for some reason, threw sand into the kiddie pool.

Here's the pool and the gazebo:

I wasn't able to take a picture of the grill with the dozens of hotdogs and burgers that were cooked that day. Plus of course, the cans of soda and beer!

The last guest left at around 5PM. We're riding with my sister back to Avenel and we decided to leave late at night to hopefully avoid traffic. Unfortunately, traffic was still heavy even after leaving at 8PM. It took us 4 1/2 hours to get home--which was 2 hours more compared our travel time 2 days prior.

As my sister had work the next day, Leo drove the other car to give my sister the chance to rest.

Day 10 - Party Reception at the Mystic Hilton Hotel

2011-07-11T09:31:00.003+08:00

When we got to my mom's house in Connecticut after a 2 1/2 hour drive and we got settled for the night, I found out to my horror that I was not able to pack certain clothes which I needed for the party. So when we woke up the next morning, which was the day of the party, I asked my mom if she could bring me to the nearest store where I could buy what I needed.

She took me to the Navy Exchange at the nearby Submarine Base where I bought my required clothing. She even bought two Ipad 2s which were the last 2 pieces available at $10 off the retail price and tax-free to boot. Too bad we already bought our Ipad at the Apple store in Menlo a couple of days before.

We went back home before lunch and everyone tried to get ready (our other relatives were checked in at the nearby hotels) for the party tonight.

The party was an Affirmation of Vows for my mom and her husband, Russell. It was a chance for Russell's family to get to know my mom's clan as they did not have the chance before. It was also a celebration of my mom's 60th birthday (of course, they didn't announce her age during the party).

Here's a group picture of our family:

From L-R (standing): Claudine (my twin sister), Jeff (my brother-in-law), yours truly, Leo, Eldica (Russell's daughter-in-law), Patrick (Russell's son), Christian (Russell's grandson)
From L-R (seating): Liam (Claudine's son), my mom, Russell and Madison (Claudine's daughter)

It was also the first time that I saw some of my relatives who I haven't seen for the longest time. It was also the first time that I attended an event at a Hilton Hotel. Unfortunately, the DJ/host that we got leaves much to be desired. She doesn't know what songs to play and did not even dress properly. The line dancing was better during my godson's christening party.

The party ended at around midnight. When we stepped outside the hotel, it was foggy and really cold! Apparently, I'm the only one who felt the cold. Everyone was used to the chilly weather already.

There will be another party the next day and a chance for everyone to get together again before everyone leaves for their respective homes across the East Coast.

Day 9 - Road Trip to Connecticut

2011-07-05T10:02:00.003+08:00

My mom's party was on a Saturday (Day 10) at a Hilton hotel near their home in Connecticut. We left New Jersey, Friday so we have ample time to get ready for the party. According to my sister, the drive usually takes them 4-5 hours in traffic. My brother-in-law wanted to leave late to avoid the traffic so after shopping for some more stuff at a nearby mall, we left Avenel at around 9PM.

We had to take two cars as with 2 car seats and 4 adults, we won't fit in the Lexus (plus strollers and luggage). So my brother-in-law, Jeff, drove the Honda with my niece, Madison, on the car seat and Leo accompanying him.

My sister, Claudine, drove the Lexus (which was such a nifty car. I love that SUV), with my nephew, Liam, on the carseat and me beside him at the back.

View Larger Map

According to Google Maps, the journey was 152 miles if we took the I-95 North (which we did). As the rush hour was over, we only traveled that span of miles in 2 hours and 30 minutes. We arrived in CT by 1130PM.

I love road trips here in the US (as long as I'm not driving) as you get to see different things. Too bad we drove at night as I was not able to see much but I really appreciate the scenery. My eyes tried to look at so many things and to store them in my brain hopefully I'll be able to remember them.

Day 8 - New York City!

2011-07-03T08:48:00.015+08:00

After a good night's sleep at our home base in Avenel, we were up and about early the next day, Thursday. The night before, I listed down the places that I wanted to visit in NYC and gave them to my sister. Since her husband works in NYC, he planned the route for us.

First things first, we had to catch the 116 bus from Woodbridge that would take us to Port Authority in NYC. Unlike Manila, buses have schedules and they are usually on time. We were running late as my sister had to feed her daughter and take her to day care. After that, my sister wanted to do some errands at the bank but the bank took their time.

When we finally got to the station, the bus was already there and ready to leave. We had Leo jump from the car and run after the bus. If we missed this bus, we had to wait for another hour for the next one! It was not rush hour so buses were far in between.

When we made it to Port Authority, we took the subway to the Museum of Natural History. The subway was not as pretty as that in DC. Nevertheless, it did not stop us from posing among its dingy walls.

I wanted to see this museum after seeing it in Ben Stiller's Night at the Museum. It somehow looked different than what was on the film. We entered the museum through the basement entrance from the subway. Entrance fee is a suggested $16. Being a suggestion, you have the option to pay less than that. Of course, giving just a $1 would give you raised eyebrows.

I was already ravenous so we stopped by the museum canteen to get some grub. My sister, Claudine and Leo got some healthy food while I chowed down on mac and cheese and fried mozarella. Unlike the food at the Smithsonian Museum, the food here was just so-so and nothing to rave about.

After fueling up, we tried to find our way to the main lobby and get a map. There were so many stuff to see. I just announced that I wanted to see dinosaur fossils, especially the T-Rex and I'm good to go. So after grabbing a map, we made our way across the building. As school is out for most of the kids in the US, we had to jostle our way through tourists with families to find our way around.

We got some nice shots but I'm glad that we finally saw the T-Rex/.

And these are fossils of a brontosaurus.

Got a nice picture of me and my sister, Claudine too.

After checking out other exhibits, my friend, MJ, who's based in NYC, called me and we agreed to meet up somewhere outside the museum. So we walked around and I got another picture outside the building.

We met up with MJ at Shake Shack where he treated us to some shakes and fries. Each shake was 1200 calories and you could feel it add to your weight as it goes down your gullet. Here's me with MJ.

From the American of Natural History, we took the subway to Rockefeller Center. MJ joined us and took over the guide reins from my sister who's not as familiar with NYC.

We got off the station nearest Rockefeller and while walking, I saw the offices of Simon and Schuster. Much to my companions' amusement, I just had to take a picture.

We finally reached the Rockefeller Plaza:

We saw the studio where some NBC shows are shot. Too bad there was no show ongoing at that time else we'll be extras outside the studio.

Here's a nice shot of me with all the buildings at the Plaza.

The area behind Leo and me (as shown in the second picture) is some sort of cafe. I think that's where they have the skating rink during winter.

From the Rockefeller Center, we walked to Fifth Avenue where the nice stores are located.

Saw Saks and Company,

and a few meters down is St. Patrick's Cathedral.

There were other famous brand names down the road such as Versace, Ferragamo, Hollister (with two half-naked men wearing trunks or shorts in front of the store), Fendi, Forever 21, Prada, Louis Vuitton and amidst that is the Trump Tower.

We finally reached the Apple Store where I got a picture below:

As we needed to catch the bus at Port Authority to meet with my brother-in-law, we rushed to the subway to catch the train going back to Carteret.

This was just our first day in NYC. Another post on our next visit.

Day 7 - Washington, DC (2nd day)

2011-07-03T03:32:00.012+08:00

Waking up and early the next day, we decided to have breakfast at the Inn and check out and head out to explore the city some more.

Our hotel payment comes includes free continental breakfast. Being a converted apartment, breakfast was served at the ground floor where you share the big table with other guests. We also shared breakfast with the hotel cat who is just so cute and cuddly.

We checked out afterwards and tried to find the train station. When we passed by a local McDonald's, I could not help but go in and buy another breakfast meal. Somehow, the continental breakfast that we had earlier did not hit the spot. Besides, I wanted to know if it tastes the same as what we have back home.

After finishing that meal, I learned afterwards that there's not much difference as what we have back home.

We finally found the subway station after a few more blocks. Here's what the station looks like. I like the architecture.

We got off the station near Capitol Hill and the Library of Congress. After a short discussion, we decided to see the Library of Congress first. I knew I have to see this place being the mecca of book lovers everywhere.

There was a short line entering the premises as we had to go through a metal detector and security inspection. It was difficult as we were carrying our backpacks with us. We entered through the first floor and found ourselves in the Great Hall. We took pictures including me all giddy and excited.

We tried going into the main reading room where all the books are located (and where Nicolas Cage shot a couple of scenes in his film National Treasure: Book of Secrets. But there was an ongoing tour so we decided some other parts of the building.

One thing I love about the Library is that you can get a "passport" before you start your own tour. At each exhibit that you visit, you insert your "passport" inside a machine which automatically logs your visit. Afterwards, you access a certain website where you can virtually recall all the rooms that you saw during your tour.

After going through the rooms (and getting lost in the basement), we tried going back into the main reading room. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures so I just had to make do with a picture on the steps leading up to the balcony of the reading room.

When I got to the balcony, I just stood there and took it all in. Books everywhere! The book lover in me wanted to scream out in delight, but I just stood there until tears started pricking my eyes. It's such a beautiful sight and so far, it's the most heart-tugging sight that I have ever seen.

I searched the web and found a picture of what I saw, this is what the Main Reading Room looks like from the balcony:

(Thanks to the DC Traveler for that picture)

From the Library, we took a short detour at the Cannon House Office Building where I dropped off a couple of postcards. I saw different offices of US Representatives. When I told my husband it and mentioned seeing the office of a certain Nancy Pelosi, he asked if I saw her and said that she's the Speaker of the House. If I've known that earlier, I would have exerted extra effort to peek into her office.

After the Library, we walked to the Smithsonian and entered the National Museum of American Indian.

The second picture is the roof of the building from the Potomac Atrium.

Taking into consideration the recommendation of Leo's boss, we ate at the museum's restaurant the Mitsitam Native Foods Cafe. Leo ordered cold tomato soup and fried bread while I got pork Soft Tacos. Both are just SO yummy!

Our train was not due to leave until 2PM so we had time to spare. We went around the museum again and crossed The Mall again to go into the National Gallery of Art. Here's a nice picture of The Capitol.

And here's Leo posing on the steps of the National Gallery of Art.

We were asked to leave our bags in the coatroom. Believe it or not, this is the room beside the baggage place. Makes you want to sit on the sofa and get comfortable.

Posing at the fountain on the Rotunda.

This sculpture is the Capitoline Venue which is on loan from Rome.

We then proceeded to the Union Station where we bought tickets for the Amtrak Train back to New Jersey. If the bus ride took 4 1/2 hours, the train ride should only be 2 1/2.

The Union Station looks also very grand. The place was packed to the seams with people trying to get in and out of DC. Tickets were kinda expensive at $140 each (I think). Ride was comfortable too.

My brother-in-law, Jeff, picked us up at the train station near Woodbridge and we were able to make it home in due time.

Day 6 - Washington, DC (1st day)

2011-06-24T22:00:00.022+08:00

Washington, DC was not initially part of our plans but it was highly suggested to us by my in-laws. Moreover, my husband's boss resides there so it's a good chance for them to meet up and talk business for a night.

After debating how to get to DC, we settled on taking the Megabus. I'm glad we did as even if the trip was longer (at 4 1/2 hours), the bus had free wifi and you can charge whatever equipment you want.

We also booked a hotel online, Windsor Inn, which was the relatively cheap hotel/inn that we found. It's supposedly near Dupont Circle but I've forgotten what constitutes "near" here in the US. It was actually 4 LONG blocks away from Dupont! Here's their front door.

We arrived in DC after lunch time. As we didn't bring any food on the bus, we were very famished when we arrived at the parking lot bus stop. We made the mistake of not hailing a taxi and taking up the offer of one of the people standing their for a taxi. He charged us $20 but according to Leo's boss, it should be around $10 only. Oh well, lesson learned.

When we got to the Inn, our room was not yet ready. So we left our bags with the Front Desk and looked for a place to eat. We walked four blocks to Dupont Circle and found a Starbucks. I readily devoured my sandwich and water afterwhich, we walked the four long blocks back to the Inn where we checked in.

After freshening up, we decided where we wanted to go. Feeling very touristy, we decided to make The White House our first stop and walk our way towards the Lincoln Memorial. Here's a summary of all the places we've visited.

So we had a cab drop us off at the White House. Here we are posing for mandatory pics:

We realized later on that this was the BACK part of the White House and not their front door. Oh well, at least it's still the White House.

From there, we walked towards the Washington Monument. We passed by The Ellipse and arrived at the Washington Monument. Though it's just near, we didn't want to walk towards it was just too hot with no shade at all. So we just contented ourselves taking pictures from afar:

After another short walk, we arrived at the World War II Memorial where The Philippines has its own marker. I wanted to take a picture of it but there was this group of obviously Filipinos hogging the area. We decided to just take a picture in front of the Memorial:

Here's another view of the Washington Monument from the vantage point of the WWII Memorial:

We then made our way to Lincoln Memorial. We saw the Memorial from afar and tried to find the Reflecting Pool but all we saw were dirt and machines. It took awhile to register that the pile of dirt was the Reflecting Pool and was being renovated:

We took another picture of the Washington Monument and Reflecting Pool when we got to the Lincoln Memorial. It would've been perfect if they left the Pool alone:

The Lincoln Memorial was just awesome. I wanted to just stand there and reflect on the history that this place inspired but there were too many tourists around jostling for a nice shot. I just had to make do with the moment and took a few pictures of our own.

After the Lincoln Monument, we caught a cab to take us to the Smithsonian. We were supposed to walk but we were so drained by the heat. Being from Manila, I know we're used to the heat but in this case, the sun got the best of us again.

We first visited the Museum of American History. Their exhibits are more on the mode of transportation in the US. I like the trains more. Here are some of our photos:

We decided on the Air and Space Museum next. Turns out we had to cross The Mall to get to the next museum which is on the other side of the complex.

The National Mall is between Constitution Ave. and Independence Ave. surrounded by the different Smithsonian buildings. Here are some of our pictures there:

The Air and Space Museum showcased space shuttles, planes and such.

We went around for awhile and waited for Leo's boss to pick us up. We had dinner at a restaurant at Georgetown called Das. It features Ethiopian cuisine which was interesting. It's not something I would rave about but at least it was something different.

After dinner, we walked around Georgetown and had dessert at a place called Sprinkles.

I had a Milk Chocolate cupcake as shown below. Quite yummy. I was told that they're part of a show called "Cupcake Wars" although I have yet to see it. I did see the DC Cupcakes store but we were not able to go inside the store or take a picture of it.

I found Georgetown charming with its red brick buildings although populated with yuppies and young people (probably because of the university nearby). The photo below was taken between 830 to 9 in the evening.

And that's our first day at DC.

Day 5 - Six Flags and Atlantic City

2011-06-23T10:29:00.009+08:00

When I was in the US more than 20 years ago, my main frustration was that I was not able to visit any amusement park except for Universal Studios. Back then, the only ride was the tram where you see the different sets of movies. During this trip, I asked my sister to take us to 6 Flags to at least fulfill my wish to ride a US rollercoaster.

Together with my sister, Claudine, brother-in-law, Jeff, their daughter, Madison, Jeff's sister, Jermaine, my cousin, Micaela and Leo, we left the house at 9AM to make it to 6 Flags (Jackson, NJ) before its 10AM opening.

This was the first sight that greeted us from the parking lot:

The rollercoaster on the left is the Kingda ka. It's the tallest rollercoaster. The one in the middle is the newest ride of the park, the Green Lantern where you ride the coaster standing up. The one on the right is the Superman where you ride the coaster on your belly.

Here we are posing and waiting for the park to open:

There were a lot of people rushing towards the Green Lantern and of course, I had to have the mandatory photo. This was before the long lines started:

This was the first rollercoaster I rode after so many years. The one in Enchanted Kingdom does not even compare. I was not nervous before the ride but as I got on my seat and the coaster started climbing, the butterflies just started and I just closed my eyes and hung on for dear life.

If you're feeling dead then it's one way to know that you're alive. After the ride, I just kept on saying, "I'm alive! I'm alive!" My cousin was able to film the ride and Jeff was so sore as he had his camera out but he was not able to press the record button. However, when we got off the ride, Jeff and Mica was intercepted by park officials as apparently, they were caught by the park camera filming the ride which according to the park's rules and regulations was prohibited and subject to expulsion. No amount of "pakiusap" would let them stay, they were kicked out and banned from the park for a year. Though we can still stay, we opted to accompany them in their misery and left the park as well.

Jeff and Mica were sore that they were thrown out after just 1 ride and it was barely lunch time. We decided to go to Atlantic City to at least see another big city.

The ride was nice as we borrowed Tita Flor's Yukon. We made it to Atlantic City in 2 hours. We parked at the Trump Plaza and proceeded to the Boardwalk on foot.

Here's a photo of me and Leo on the Boardwalk and the second one with us on the beach:

Leo tried his hand at the slot machine and won five bucks. I also won 8 bucks but that was on a 10 dollar bet. Before we could lose any more money, we went out on the Boardwalk and just walked the whole length up to the end where the carnival was located.

The area of the Trump Plaza is still ok but as you go further down the pier, that's where things sort of look a little run down. The carnival has definitely seen better days but it's sort of charming in a quaint sort of way.

While on the Boardwalk, we tasted the different cuisines that it has to offer. The funnel cake was really good. Fried dough with powdered sugar on top. Yum!

We also tried some salt water taffy which was also good.

After MORE walking and with Maddy trying the carnival a bit, we decided to head back to the car and go home. We all belatedly realized that we have to get home early as we had to return the car and we all had to prepare for an early day the next day. Leo and I had an early morning bus ride to DC while Claudine and the rest of the family has a long drive to Niagra Falls.

Day 4 - Mass and Tinton Falls

2011-06-23T08:07:00.005+08:00

I remember attending mass at a Catholic church the first time I was in the US almost 20 years ago. It was still a nice surprise when I attended mass again at the local church at East Brunswick where my cousin is an active member of YFC. I think it was the St. Bartholomew Church and the mass was at 12 noon sharp.

First of all, I liked the mass guides and song books that they have on each aisle. I was especially enchanted by the organ. I haven't seen one up close. I managed to take a short video while it was being played.

He was only accompanied by a soprano singer who sang all the songs. It was also interesting that the whole congregation really participated during the whole mass. I wish the people back home are as fervent in their worship during mass as the people here.

After mass, we went back to my aunt's house as East Brunswick. She and her friend, Tita Mona, took us to Jershey Shore Tinton Falls where we went more outlet shopping.

It was there that I finally bought a Kate Spade bag. I've always wanted to own one ever since I saw one at Rustan's. I managed to find one at the outlet store there that was more than $100 off the original price.

After buying more stuff, my aunt invited us to go to Marshall's for more shopping. Leo and I were still jet lagged so we just sat down after buying a few stuff while we waited for Tita Flor and Tita Mona to finish.

I managed to doze off at the drive back (I think it took us an hour and a half). We had dinner at Olive Gardens where we mostly had pasta. Then after getting our stuff at East Brunswick, we went back to my sister at Avenel where we spent the night.

Day 3 - Liam's Dedication

2011-06-19T21:58:00.010+08:00

On Saturday, I attended the first party that I was invited to—one of the reasons why we came here. My nephew had his dedication and I was one of the godmothers.

I started the day early as I woke up at 330 AM yesterday which translated to about 6 hours of sleep. Not bad. I wrote my first entry on our trip and came down for breakfast at about 6AM when hunger pangs called.

Everyone then got ready for the Dedication and the party afterwards. Not wanting to get on everybody’s way, Leo and I got ready way before my sister and her family did.

The Dedication was held at a christian church (Jesus the Healer Filipino Church). It was a short and simple ceremony. Here we are posing with my sister, her family and the other godparents.

Afterwards, we proceeded to the reception at The Rosewood Gardens. My sister gave me an assignment to count the guests.

It was my first time to attend a Filipino party in the US. Other than the good food (it’s really good! My relatives said though that I’ll surely miss Filipino food soon), they had line dancing! Leo’s aunt, Tita Chit, who my sister invited, apparently is a veteran in line dancing and also participated. She said that around 90% of Fil-Am parties usually have line dancing and she can lead too. I tried my hand at it and could’ve participated more if not for my party shoes. It’s really fun!

Also got a more decent picture of my sister and I, here we are:

Afterwards, another aunt (my mom’s sister), Tita Flor, invited us to stay with her last night at East Brunswick. We quickly packed an overnight and Leo’s aunt drove us over. Here is Tita Flor's family:

If our house at Manila is in the suburbs, this literally defines suburbs. I feel like I’m in Forks (yes, in the Twilight movie) where the backyard is literally a forest. However, it’s not as overcast or rainy as in the movie/book. In fact, I just saw a squirrel when I woke up this morning! Cool! My only encounter with a squirrel is with Alvin and the Chipmunks and Chip and Dale. :) I couldn't resist taking a picture.

We also visited another aunt, Tita Cora, who lives a block away from Tita Flor's house. Here we are with Tita Cora's family:

Day 1 and 2 - Outlet Shopping at Jersey Gardens

2011-06-18T16:57:00.007+08:00

I was up and early the next day as I could not sleep properly. After breakfast, my sister and her daughter, Madison together with my husband and I left at around 10AM for Jersey Gardens to do some shopping.

Here's my picture with my twin sister. It's the only one that we have so far since I got here. I'll make sure to take more.

I was not prepared when I saw what was in the mall. There were branded stores all around that I could not wrap my mind around what I want to see first. I just told Leo to shop for himself first and I'll just see what I want.

We settled down for lunch at the foodcourt where I had some sort of chicken bourbon meal. I've forgotten how the servings here are just so humongous. I was supposed to share with Leo but he wanted another thing. Anyway, I was only able to eat barely half of it and decided to take home the rest.

Here's Maddy, smiling one of her beautiful smiles.

I survived on caffeine and sugar during the whole time. By midafternoon, I was almost on the verge of collapse. I got a pack of M&Ms for the sugar rush which gave me the strength to get back on my feet and do more shopping. Here's me with Maddy as I shared my last two M&Ms with her. I became her bestfriend all of a sudden. :)

We headed back home around 5PM but briefly stopped over at a local grocery at Carteret to get some supplies. When we got to the house, my mom was waiting for us with her stepdaughter-in-law and her step-grandson. It was great seeing her and gave her my pasalubong. Will spend more time with her next week.

We bought so much stuff at the outlet mall. I can't wait to go back to buy MY stuff. :)

US Vacation - Getting There

2011-06-18T16:30:00.011+08:00

The day that I've been looking forward to in more than 20 years has finally arrived, I am able to return to the US and experience its wonders all over again.

We were actually supposed to visit in April 2008, a few months after my husband and I got married. Together with my US visa getting renewed, we confirmed that I was pregnant! So we had to postpone the trip until I gave birth. That occasion finally arrived when my mom invited us for her 60th birthday celebration and my sister for her son's Christening this June 2011.

I booked an EVA Air ticket for my husband and I (we did not bring our son with us) last March for a three week stay in the US. After that, there were a flurry of email exchanges between my mom, sister and I as we planned our itinerary.

On the morning of June 16, we were in NAIA around 3.5 hours before our flight. That's my husband with his rare smiles as we patiently wait for the check-in counter to open and that's me at the Gate waiting for our flight to be called.

Our flight left almost one hour behind schedule at 130PM. It wasn't a problem as our flight does not leave until 650PM so with the almost two hour flight time, we'll surely make it without stressing ourselves too much.

When we arrived at Taipei, we went around familiarizing ourselves with the place and trying to find a place to eat.

We settled on a noodle house where we had beef noodle soup. The serving was so huge that my husband and I shared a bowl.

We boarded our flight right on schedule. The flight though was uneventful and horribly boring for me as I could not sleep. The EVA Air entertainment/interactive system helped me keep my sanity. The movie selections sucked though but I did manage to watch an episode each of Family Guy, CSI and five other shows.

We touched down Newark airport 20 minutes ahead of schedule. I was so grateful that I wanted to kiss the airport ground but that would probably not be advisable. :)

Due to the lateness of the hour, there were only a minimum number of passport control officers who were manning the counters to process our arrival. There were more officers for the US and Canadian citizens and green card holders. We were in line for more than hour until we were up. Our fingerprints and pictures were taken and we were asked how long we will be staying.

After that, we proceeded to the bags carousel to retrieve our luggage. As we've been stuck in line for so long, our bags were already on the conveyor. I got a couple of carts (which costs $5 each!), loaded our bags and was fortunately waved through customs. I don't mind the random bag search but I was so tired already.

It took around 30 minutes before we finally found my brother-in-law, Jeff and got everything loaded in their SUV.

My niece, Madison, and my sister, Claudine, greeted us when we arrived. I still had strength to open our bags and give out pasalubongs. It was already 130AM when I was able to take a shower and lie down. Unfortunately, I was just too tired to sleep that I only had 2 hours of rest. I gave up when I woke up at 4AM and decided to just tough it out that day.

Our Day 1 and 2 kuwento here.

Basti Picture Company Pictures - 5 June 2011

2011-06-12T19:52:00.006+08:00

I've been getting lots of comments about my son's overflowing cuteness. To ensure that his cuteness is preserved before it disappears from memory, I paid for an annual membership at Picture Company so he can go there anytime for a studio shot. It's money well spent because my son is as cute as ever!

Here's a collage of his photos:

These are my favorite photos of the bunch:

How cute can you really get???

Parent Humble Pie

2011-06-02T14:04:00.001+08:00

I had a somewhat humbling experience yesterday as a parent.

When I came home last night, my husband shared with me news that Basti cried during Kindermusik class yesterday afternoon. I was amused as usually, Basti is the culprit whenever other children cries but this time around, he's the one crying. It turns out that he has a classmate with Down Syndrome and as the boy's way of showing his amusement and "gigil" for Basti, he grabbed and pulled my son's hair which caused my son to cry.

I just hugged my son as I totally understood what happened. Moreover, I wanted him exposed to such kids and hopefully, he'll develop a mindset that these children should not be scorned but accepted and loved.

I was touched when Teacher Ana (his Kindermusik teacher) gave me a call informing me of what happened and apologizing for the incident. The call was not needed but still appreciated. I really don't know mind if he gets hurt during such incidents as long as he's not severely wounded. However, I would make a big fuss if he's bullied or hurt intentionally by other kids.

Are We Good Parents?

2011-05-31T22:18:00.004+08:00

My husband and I will be going to the US for three weeks and we're leaving our son behind.

I've been hearing so many things and opinions regarding our decision. There are others who could not comprehend how we can leave our son at home (with my in-laws actually). There are others who are quite supportive and totally understand where we're coming from.

I'm already preparing myself for all the questions and uproar when we arrive without our son in tow. Being the polite person I am, I will just give vague references on why we chose to do what we did.

Of course, there are doubts but my husband and I believe that right now, we made the right choice.

I hope I get to enjoy this vacation without the unnecessary stress.

Foreclosure Empathy

2011-05-30T20:48:00.003+08:00

One of the tasks that I do at work is to review approved consumer loans and check for any deficiency in the approval process. Recently, I was asked to concentrate on home loan accounts that have been endorsed to our Remedial Unit (i.e. clients that have not paid their dues for the past 90 days or more).

I was excited over the task at first as it will be the first time I'll be handling home loans, but after reviewing several accounts, I'm beginning to feel a bit down. The last one I reviewed, the Bank has already started steps on foreclosing the house which is the client's primary residence.

As I have the clients' folder with me, I have somehow grown familiar with their background. My heart just bleeds for them and their children that will be uprooted because the Bank will force them out of their house.

I feel for them because my family had the same experience while I was in College. My parents were struggling with their business and the Bank soon foreclosed on our family home. We were forced to live within the family business premises. And when the business folded, my mom had to go abroad to work as a caregiver so they can pay off their debts. Thank God I was already working by then but the trauma of it stayed with me. I guess that's the main reason why I am so afraid to go in business.

I cannot fault the Bank for doing what they did and still continue to do up to now. The clients signed an agreement that in exchange for the sum that they borrowed, the Bank has every right to foreclose on the property if the regular payments are not made.

I can only wish them the best and hope everything works out for them in the end. I just hope their children won't be too traumatized.

Grief

2011-05-18T15:44:00.000+08:00

One of the members our Newlywedsatwork egroup shared the story of how her 19-day old son died. Most of all the messages that were posted henceforth were words of condolences and comfort. I'm sure most of us were thinking what we could have done if it happened to us.

Up to now, I'm still thinking of her and what she has suffered. This was the second child that she lost. The first child (if I'm correct), died in the womb while this one, died 19 days after he was born.

I cried because I sympathized and empathized with her. I could understand the terror and grief. I was also in tenterhooks the first few weeks that Basti was born. I would wake up in the middle of the night just to check on him. I would hold his back to check if he's still breathing. Thank God he was not much of a crier when he was a baby (although he whines a lot now).

It's stories like this that makes me pause and think whether I really want another child. It's every mother's nightmare to see your child die before you and I don't know if I would want to experience that. I will jost hold steadfast in my faith that God has a plan for all of us and we just have to accept whatever it is that lies ahead. We just pray for strength to have that kind of acceptance and surrender our hesitations and doubts to God for He alone is omnipotent.

Anima Choir

2011-05-02T20:33:00.003+08:00

Apart from the birth of our son, our wedding was the most memorable day in my life, bar none. I was very particular with the choir and after so much searching, I found Anima Choir. They sang my chosen bridal march, Ikaw Lamang, perfectly. And they managed to tape their performance too.

They also sang the above song during our contract signing. It's a Filipino love song, Minsan Lang Kitang Iibigin, originally sung by Ariel Rivera.

Toilet Training

2011-05-02T10:01:00.002+08:00

Our toilet training adventure started yesterday.

Actually, we've been letting Basti use his potty and the big potty for quite some time. Yesterday was the first time that we did not let hime wear diapers while we were at home. I reasoned out that he's already wearing XXL and it's already starting to get a little snug. Pretty soon, it would barely fit him anymore. Besides, he will be starting toddler school in June so we have to be prepared for that.

So far, he did not have an accident yesterday. Only time he peed was when he was in the playground and yaya noticed that he was shivering a bit. She rushed him off to the bushes and encouraged him to do his thing. (Sorry! No CR nearby). He was able to do it and was praised endlessly.

At least his diapers are now limited to only when we're going out or when he sleeps. Hopefully, this will decrease my diaper expense.

Our next struggle now is for him to sleep straight through the night. So far, he still wakes up 2x during the night to ask for milk. There were times that he woke up 3 times! He should be really sleeping straight by now.

Allergies

2011-04-28T10:55:00.000+08:00

After suffering from unexplained allergies for almost two years, I finally went to an allergologist to find out what's really wrong and what I'm allergic to.

After queueing for almost half a day, he saw me and I agreed to have a skin test done through scratch method immediately that night. The results were quite depressing. Turns out, I'm allergic to almost all the stuff that's on the list!

I'm officially allergic to the following:

A. INHALANTS
- House Dust
- Kapok (some type of tree/plant with fibre)
- Molds
- Orris Root (it's used as a base note in perfumery--no wonder I sometimes end up with asthma when I breathe a certain type of perfume)
- Pigweed grass
- Acacia
- Pine Mix
- Pyrethrum (type of flower which is used as a natural insecticide)
- Dust mite
- Feathers
- Tobacco
- Cotton Linteers
- Cat/Dog/Horse Hair
- Mosquito
- Cockroach
- Fire Ant

B. VARIOUS FOODS
- Pepper Mix
- Soy
- Chocolate (I've proven this. Broke out in hives when I drank my husband's fresh chocolate milk)
- Coffee
- Almond
- Peanut (yep, also proven. Had an asthma attack after eating Nagaraya)
- Egg
- Corn
- Brewer's Yeast (beer)
- Bakers Yeast

C. FRUITS
- Pineapple
- Apple
- Lemon
- Orange
- Strawberry
- Mango

D. MEATS AND SEAFOODS
- Pork
- Beef
- Chicken
- Shrimp
- Crab
- Oyster
- Clams
- Salmon

Those in BOLD letters were encircled by my doctor as I'm highly allergic to them.

It's quite depressing, really. I'm coping by having antihistamine and my inhaler with me at all times. If I know I'll be eating something which I'll be allergic to during the day, I take my antihistamine in the morning. Otherwise, I'm prepared for any attack.

I don't know why I'm suddenly allergic to a lot of things when I'm not this sensitive before. Everything just went to hell after I gave birth. I don't know if that is the tipping point that caused these changes.

Whatever it is, this is something that I have to live through everyday hoping that my next attack won't be to severe which would require hospitalization.

Losing my Excess Baggage

2011-04-27T10:19:00.001+08:00

My weight is considered excess baggage for me and it's the only baggage that I'm happy to lose.

After my health scare last February, I was prompted to lose the excess weight which spiked all the bad things in my blood. I dusted off the diet plan that my dietician gave me and proceeded to follow it to the letter.

The first week was not as difficult as I thought as the doctor's words were still haunting me throughout my meals that I was deathly scared of eating anything remotely unhealthy. When I saw my neurologist that weekend, he ruled out a stroke and after clearing me from other worst-case scenarios simply ruled on migraine equivalence (I only suffered visual auras sans the headache). He gave me this medicine which not only manages seizures but has a nice side effect on suppressing hunger pangs. This helped me lose more weight that I could on my own.

I still continued on going to the gym and since then, I've lost a total of 20lbs. Not bad but not good enough. I need to lose more if I really want to be healthy. I'm giving myself a break from the dieting although I'm still controlling my intake portions and avoiding fried foods. It's difficult as I don't drink the migraine medicine anymore so I really have to solely depend on my willpower now. I do plan to go back to my diet which would hopefully jumpstart the weight loss again. Another 20 lbs won't be too bad but would undoubtedly be a big struggle.

Hillsong - At the Cross - With Subtitles/Lyrics

2011-04-25T21:24:00.000+08:00

My LSS for today, and what a great LSS it is.

God truly loves me and I am truly humbled.

White Hair

2011-04-25T10:22:00.000+08:00

I found my 3rd white hair this morning. Actually, I've caught glimpses of it the past few weeks but was not able to really catch a handle of it until this morning.

My first white hair was 5 years ago and I can excuse that because I was highly stressed. I have no reason now except *gulp* old age. What makes it worse is that I found two of them but one of them is still too short to pull out.

I'm not really that vain so a few white strands should not bother me. I guess I'm just reminded of my mortality and of the years that I have yet to live in this earth.

Attending a recollection during Holy Week made me realize how short those years can be and how my spirituality has suffered these past few months.

I can't really blame the whole RH Bill brouhaha thing. I should know that religion is different from my God and my spirituality. Religion just gives me the channel to worship Him but I know in my heart that He is there and there is only one God. I have just grown spiritually dry these past years. I've been yearning to go to confession but I'm rather partial to the priests that I go to as I don't want to go to one who's a rabid anti-RH bill protestor lest he should pepper my confession with his anecdotes.

I still haven't lost faith in my religion and I still believe in what it stands for. The recollection that I attended last week made me realize that like me, it is not perfect.

I have downloaded (yay for Itunes!) songs from Hillsong to which I listened to on my way to work to remind me of God's love for me. One thing I realized is that I have stopped doing things out of love and have been doing them out of my sense of responsibility.

I look forward to the day that I would gladly embrace my white hair and all that they stand for.

US Trip

2011-03-23T21:03:00.004+08:00

After 24 years, I'll be returning to the birthplace of Disneyland; the so-called land of opportunity; yep, good ole' US of A.

I've been wanting to return ever since I spent two months there in the summer of 1987 but I never had the opportunity to do so until now. I'll be spending 3 weeks at the east coast to celebrate my mom's 60th birthday and my nephew's baptism. It would be great to see them again and relatives who I haven't seen in over two decades.

As time is short, I have to plan our itinerary up to the last day. Hopefully, we'll have enough time to visit all the places that I want to see. Too bad we won't be able to see Les Miserables but I hope Leo will change his mind and agree to accompany me to LA so we can watch the tour.

My Health Journey

2011-03-11T07:51:00.003+08:00

I could not actually say that I'm on the top of my health. I'm obese, my sugar, triglycerides, uric levels are high and I'm polycycstic to boot. I'm still not diabetic but I'm on my way there if I don't control my diet. I've always disregarded my doctors orders and I've always had dozens of wake-up calls but nothing as life-changing as what I've had recently.

On the first week of January, I contracted gastroenteritis which took out a quarter out of my allocated annual sick leaves. The upside of that, I lost the holiday pounds. It inspired me to lose weight further and I enrolled in a gym near our office.

So together with my annual OB check-up, I went to a cardio who supported me on my gym plans and an endo who gave me something to bring down my sugar. She also gave me strict instructions to go on a diet--which I tried to follow half-heartedly.

A few days after, I woke up either in the middle of the night and I couldn't see anything from my left eye. After furiously blinking, I regained my sight and went back to sleep. I forgot about it and went about my business. A month after, it happened again and on the same eye to boot! It scared the bejeezums out of me and made me run to the nearest available ophthalmologist at Asian Hospital to have my eye checked.

After checking my eye and not seeing any trauma, she referred me to another eye specialist and a neurologist. As the eye specialist won't be in until Monday, I went to the neurologist first. The neuro prescribed me to take an MRI/MRA and EEG. MRI stands for Magnetic Resonance Imaging. It's where your body/head is inserted in this machine which creates a magnetic field which in turn makes the nuclei in our body align and the computers pick this up forming an internal image of our body--without the radiation.

I scheduled all the tests at Asian on a Monday. After informing my boss, I rested and returned to the hospital on Monday.

I went first to the eye specialist who scared me further by saying that I might have ALMOST suffered a stroke in the eye. Based on my blood tests alone, there must have been a clot in my veins that must have caused my eye to temporarily lose its vision. He prescribed a 2DEcho and Carotid Doppler to look for that clot and a Perimetry and another test to detect if I'm at risk for Glaucoma.

With my mortality in mind, I proceeded to my EEG and MRI appointment and tried to fight the claustrophobia. I was subdued when my husband and I went home after the tests. I asked him that we pass by the grocery so I can buy my food for the week--which consists of kamote, salads and lowfat stuff.

The next day, I went to Makati Med as I wanted to have the carotid doppler done immediately for my peace of mind. Fortunately, I was able to get the results a couple of hours later and it was happily clear.

When I returned to my neuro that Saturday, he gave me positive results and said that my brain scans are normal. I just have migraine equivalence. I was surprised as I have not been experiencing any headaches but vision auras is one of the symptoms of a rare kind of migraine. He gave me Topiramate to treat it. He also informed me that a wonderful side effect of the drug is that it suppresses hunger pangs and with just one week taking drug, I can positively say that it works.

Later that afternoon, I had my stress test, 2Decho and ECG done as requested by my cardio as baseline tests. He also had me hooked up to a holter monitor which records the electrical activity of my heart for 24 hours. Yes, I had to take it home me and unfortunately, I could not take a bath for 24 hours because of it which kept me in the house during that period of time.

I'm returning to my optha later to get the results of my perimetry to check if I'm really indeed at risk for glaucoma. I'm also going to an allergologist and pulmo as I've been having allergy attacks either through rashes or asthma intermittently for the past year. I don't know if it's something I've been eating but it's really alarming already.

It's still a long journey before I can say I'm physically fit. Knowing that I really do not have a clot is not an excuse to skip my diet (besides, I'm not hungry most of the time). My goal is to say that I'm fit by the time I turn 40 which will be in 5 years time. It's a pretty doable goal and I'm on the way in achieving it. As long as I see my doctors and stick to my diet, I can do this.

Test of Faith

2011-02-24T22:45:00.003+08:00

My faith has never been tested as it is being tested now.

For the first time in my life, I'm beginning to lose faith in the Catholic religion and all that it stands for. I don't know if it's only a group people who is ruining it for me, or the actual Church itself. But I am seriously thinking of either moving to a different parish or worse comes to worse, convert to another religion.

I was raised a Catholic--I studied in Catholic schools from Prep to my MBA. I believe in God, our Creator; I believe in Jesus Christ, His Son who died for our sins; I believe in Mother Mary; I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection etc etc.

I was part of a catholic organization during my 20's and my relationship with God was at its highest during that time. Praise and worship are my favorite activities as I get to give thanks for all the blessings that I have received.

In other words, I am a Catholic through and through.

My test of faith started last year when the RH bill brouhaha happened. The barangay/parish where we live has taken a VERY active stance against the RH bill. Every Sunday, they would find ways to interject the parish's violent objection to the bill and I'm just sick of it. I understand where they're coming from--what I can't stomach is how they twist everything to make it look that the RH bill is the most evil thing in the world. They pass out leaflets saying things against the bill which is FAR from the truth. They interpreted it based on how they want to see it without actually seeing what it's for.

I'm tired of how they're shoving THEIR truths down my throat.

My husband said I should just ignore the anti-RH bill segments during the mass but it's so hard for me when I have these negative feelings in my heart. I cannot anymore listen to the homily because I cannot bear to hear another twisted truth. Everytime they say the prayer against anti-life, I just want to walk out.

I don't know if I am right to feel this way or if I'm really sinning against God for going against our parish or if I'm really condoning abortion (the way I see it) by supporting the RH bill. But I just feel so unsettled that there is something not right about this.

Bohol Travel Kuwento

2011-01-24T23:02:00.002+08:00

I managed to back-post an entry which I initially wrote in September 2009 but was only able to save it as a draft. I finished it today and you can read about our Bohol Travel Kuwento here.

I really want to go back to that place. Hopefully really soon.

2011 Personal Projects

2011-01-22T10:03:00.004+08:00

I managed to do 6 out of my 10 personal projects last year. Not bad. Hoping for a better batting season this year. I should take a leaf out of what I learned in MBA and make my objectives SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timebound)

Here are my 2011 Personal Projects

# 1. DECLUTTER! (more on that in another post)
# 2. Be more physically active (walk/cardio at least 3x/week)
# 3. Cook/bake at least 1x/month
# 4. Find a new hobby by end of Quarter 1
# 5. Be pregnant by Quarter 3
# 6. Meet with "old" friends at least 1x/month
# 7. Try a new restaurant at least 1x/month
# 8. Visit my mom and sister in the US by Q2
# 9. Celebrate Basti's second birthday
# 10. Celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary

Busy Week

2011-01-22T09:59:00.003+08:00

This week has been very exhausting in a sense that I would get home past Basti's bedtime already. It was only yesterday that I arrived home just in time for dinner and had time to play with Basti.

On Monday, I stepped out to meet with my childhood friend.
On Tuesday, I went to a wake.
On Wednesday, my officemate and I had our physical exam to check if we're fit to work-out.
On Thursday, I went to another wake.

And now, I'm here at Asian Hospital waiting for my doctor for my annual exam. And tomorrow, it'll be another busy day as we'll be out of the house again.

Hope next week won't be this exhausting.

Childhood Friends

2011-01-17T22:50:00.003+08:00

My memory is not dependable nowadays but I do know that I had a happy childhood.

My siblings and I would spend most of it outside our house playing with the other kids in the neighborhood. We would play patintero, pico, habulan or whatever game we could think of until the sun would go down. Our maid/yaya would yell out threats from inside the house as we refused to come in even when it's our bedtime.

In the early 90's, our playmates from the corner house had to move away. I remember missing them so much. I have this vivid sensory memory of their house always smelling like newly baked cookies or cakes. I thought we would never see them again but apparently, the world is not as big as I thought it is.

A few days ago, I was looking for a person in the village who can bake Basti's 2nd birthday cake. As we won't have a party, I just wanted a simple cake for him. Googled spewed out Bohemia Cakes which apparently had an address which is 2 houses away from our home. I asked my husband and in-laws and though they know about the house, they're not aware that there's a bakery there.

I searched for the owner's name and a familiar name popped up. Through the wonders of Mark Zuckerberg's creation called Facebook, I was able to find a name to match the face. My memory was then kicking my brain telling me that I know this person and everything connected. I was still not yet 100% sure if she's my childhood friend so I sent her a message in Facebook. She replied a few minutes later with an affirmative.

Like someone who's suffering from amnesia, bits and pieces of our childhood came trickling back--the scent of their home, the games we used to play...but basically how happy we were.

A few more FB messages, we managed to set a time and I just came back from having tea with her. I saw her mom, brother and dad and they're the same welcoming people who I met years and years ago.

It was great to see her again and I can't wait to reconnect with her. We spent more than an hour catching up and she invited me back to their house. I can't wait to go back.

Travel Kuwento: Hongkong Dec 3-5, 2010 DAY 3

2011-01-15T16:50:00.006+08:00

We were leaving on the last flight back to Manila on Sunday night. We opted to check out early though so we can still go around Hongkong without worrying our check-out time.

As tradition, hubby took a picture of our hotel room and the view. This is what the view from our room looks like:

Apparently, there are no houses in HK, just condos.

We decided to go to Hongkong Island and ride the tram going up to the Peak or ride the never-ending escalators. Instead of the MTR, we decided to take the ferry just to see how it's like and also to see the famous Hongkong skyline from the sea. This is my picture with my husband posing with the Hongkong Island harbor behind us:

After treating my family to lunch at a fastfood place, the siblings wanted to return to Temple Street to see if we can score more finds. After meeting up with an old friend who is based in the country, we then took the MTR up to Jordan Street where we walked towards Temple Street.

After buying more pasalubongs, we had an early dinner at one of the food stalls there and proceeded back to the hotel where we retrieved our baggage and waited for our shuttle to pick us up and bring us to the airport.

It was an exhausting trip. Moreover that we had to watch over my siblings who are not familiar visiting a foreign city. It was fun though experiencing these things with my family. We're already looking forward to the next trip--wherever that may be.

Planners Galore!

2011-01-15T14:41:00.004+08:00

Taking a break from the Travel Kuwento, I'm giving away 3 planners as shown below:

My #1 New Year's resolution is to declutter and I'm giving, throwing, selling away some stuff. I've already cleaned out my closet and vanity table. I still have tons of stuff to clean but at least, I've started.

If you want any of the above planners, send an email to cdsangalang at gmail to com. Unfortunately, this is for meet-ups only in Makati or Alabang area.

Travel Kuwento: Hongkong Dec 3-5, 2010 DAY 2

2011-01-14T22:08:00.017+08:00

We all woke up late Saturday morning. But the kids were up early as they know that Saturday is their date with Mickey Mouse and Friends. Yes, it's the day that we will all finally set foot (except for hubby) on Disneyland! Yahoo!

Everyone has been looking forward to this day, especially the kids. I was also excited (although trying to be nonchalant about it) as I was not able to visit Disneyland when I was in the US 20+ years ago. I've been pretty sore about it and I was so glad to be given the chance to visit the Magical Kingdom.

After a quick breakfast at McDonald's, we took two taxis which brought us to the MTR station where we can catch a train which would take us to Sunny Bay station. From there, we will board another train which will bring us to tadah! Disneyland resort.

The Disneyland train gave us our first flavor of Disney. From the mouse-shaped windows and handles (as seen below) to the statues on the train.

When we got off the Disneyland station, the kids were jumping up and down with excitement. We paused to get our bearings and walked towards the direction of the park. Lo and behold, this was the sign that greeted us and my heart skipped with delight. This was our first stop of non-stop picture-taking for the day:

We entered the archway and all around us, we could hear Christmas music and Disney songs. Magic is definitely in the air and it brought out the kid in all of us. More than a hundred meters down, this fountain of Mickey surfing on top of a whale greeted us:

It was another round of scurrying to get FB-worthy shots and that was mine above. A few more minutes later, I told everyone that the whale was not the reason why we went to Disney. So a few more shots later, we turned right and followed the crowd which led us to the park gates.

According to my hubby, HK Disneyland is the smallest Disneyland there is as it only has 4 attractions: Main Street (bottom), Adventureland (left), Fantasyland (top) and Tomorrowland (right). Map is taken from themeparkbrochures.net.

At Main Street, everyone wanted to look at the souvenirs first but I said we'll just buy before we go home. As we're still at a loss on what to do, we decided to ride the train and see the whole park. From there, we'll just choose which attraction to go to next.

From the train, we decided to ride the Dumbo ride at Tomorrowland. After that somewhat boring ride (we barely got off the floor), we decided to have lunch. I chose the Mickey Mouse waffle below:

After lunch, we decided to try Tomorrowland. I couldn't resist having this photo with the orb where I could literally say, Pasan ko ang daigdig (I carry the world).

Since the waiting time for the ride was still long, we decided to line up with the photo op with Buzz Lightyear:

I also had one with the statue:

We finally got into Space Mountain and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. It was an indoor rollercoaster and you cannot see a thing inside except for "stars", "moons", etc. You don't know whether you'll be turning or falling or rising or whatever. It adds to the thrill. It's not surprising that we look like this:

After the ride, we saw a booth outside selling ice creams and I just had to buy this one:

We were fast getting tired so we hurried off to Fantasyland but the lines were too long. We just posed for pictures at the houses and Sleeping Beauty's (or was that Cinderella) castle below and walked to Adventureland.

At Adventureland, there was Tarzan's tree house(below) where we had to ride a raft to get to his treehouse.

We were all just so tired by then that we decided to go home (but not before buying our souvenirs first). I went gaga over the coin press machines as I remember playing with them when I was in Vegas 20+ years ago.

All I wanted was to go back to the hotel and sleep but my family had other ideas. They wanted to go to Temple Street to look for more bargains. As I was overruled by the majority, we took the train to Jordan where we looked for a place where we can rest. We ended up at this "authentic" Peking restaurant where we ended up paying for a lauriat meal that we barely enjoyed. We found the peking duck delicious though--as modeled by my sister below:

We then trudged off to Temple Street where we browsed through the famous night market. Unfortunately, after a few meters, I just gave up that I sat down literally on the street. I was so tired and cranky and all I wanted to sleep.

Everyone thankfully agreed to go back to the hotel where we went off to our own rooms. The next day, I learned that my siblings left their kids with my dad who babysat them and went back to Temple Street to do more shopping.

Anyway, that's it for Day 2. Day 3 will hopefully follow tomorrow.

Travel Kuwento: Hongkong Dec 3-5, 2010 DAY 1

2011-01-13T16:05:00.012+08:00

When: December 3-5,2010
Who: Me, Hubby, Father, Sister with her husband and son, Brother with wife and daughter (party of 7 adults and 2 kids)
Where: Stayed at Harbor Plaza 8 Degrees at Kowloon side and visited other places which will be detailed in the itinerary below
Airline: Cathay Pacific

At the start of the 2010, my sister told me that she wanted to bring her family to Hongkong and asked if she could join me and my husband in our annual holiday. We consented and as early as February, we were scouting around for cheap packages going to Hongkong for a December booking. However, travel agencies do not yet have prices for December and it was only in August that we were able to find a package and it was at the Cathay Pacific website. Promo was inclusive of airfare, hotel lodging, land transfer and HK Disneyland entrance ticket. Not bad for the price.

When my mom learned about it, she said that in lieu of Christmas gifts, she will shoulder part of our fare and said that we should bring our brother and his family with us. To make the family complete, I called my dad and invited him to come with us and he agreed (after I told him I'll shoulder his fare).

So we were set, Hongkong, here we come!

DAY 1, DECEMBER 3
Our flight was at 0630AM and we were supposed to be at the NAIA1 airport 3-4 hours before. I told them that I'll meet them there at the entrance as the tickets and itinerary were with me.

My siblings were so excited so they slept at my Dad's house and they arrived 10-15 minutes before my husband and I did. As we're a big group, the nice people at the check-in counter directed us to a different line where we checked in at around 330AM.

As it was everyone's (except for me, Leo and my brother) first time at the airport, they were roaming around checking the stalls and we finally waited for our flight at the gate. That's my brother, my husband, my nephew and my dad with an airplane (that Cathay) at the back.

As we had kids with us, we were able to board ahead of everyone else. We were able to find our seats and I so love the monitors behind the headrest as seen below.

My siblings were excited of course. A couple of our airplane shots:

Another interesting thing is that they have a camera underneath the plane which gives you a belly view of what's outside. So at take-off, it shows you the front wheels and when the plane leaves the ground and vice versa at touch-down.

Breakfast was served and I liked the corned beef pandesal and fruit bowl.

We arrived in Hongkong an hour or so later. I would love to fly Cathay again in the future, especially on a long-haul flight. Too bad they're a bit pricey. When we left the plane, we were made to ride a train which took us to immigration. We cleared immigration, exchanged a bit of our dollars and proceeded to our land transfer booth.

We boarded a bus which took us to the hotel which was 30-45 minutes away. I enjoyed the view and was reminded that Hongkong was indeed a port/harbor city. I was also amazed by how tall and thin the buildings are.

We made it to our hotel in due time and while waiting for our room to be ready, we walked around to find a place which would serve early lunch. We found a hole-in-the-wall place and walked in to try out authentic chinese food. Much to our consternation, the server does not speak any word of english and we had to order by pointing to the picture of the food that we want.

After taking our order, she prepared the food and served it to us as well. Talk about being a one-woman-show. Apparently, the rest of the staff (which we deduced was her family) was out shopping for ingredients. Here's my brother-in-law posing in front of the (in)famous restaurant:

We headed back to our hotel where we happily found out that our rooms were ready. Unfortunately, one room is not on the same floor so Leo and I decided to take that room with my Dad rooming in with my brother and his family. Since we were up early that day, we all took a nap and woke up at around 3PM where we headed out to look for a snack. We found a nearby Yoshinoya where Leo and I ordered the yummy meal below:

After pigging out, we walked to a nearby park where we savored the deliciously cool weather and enjoyed the thought of just being in a foreign land with your loved ones.

We then decided to take the shuttle which would take us to Nathan Road so we can see the sights. Unfortunately, we were a bit overwhelmed by everything so we just headed to a nearby Mcdonald's where we whiled away the time while waiting for the shuttle to take us back to the hotel.

And that ends Day 1 of our Hongkong Adventure.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-13T15:42:00.006+08:00

It's been awhile since I wrote something down. December was undoubtedly so hectic that I went home late every night (blame it on the traffic and the parties) and when January hit, I got sick of acute gastroenteritis which did not only suck much needed fat out of my frame, but also my productive and creative will as well.

Now that I'm on the mend, might as well update my blog and share some of what has happened to me these past few weeks.

I complained last year that I was not very busy during the Christmas season. Well, karma decided to give me a punch in the face by giving me several activities one after the other by the end of November.

Not only did I have to buy and wrap gifts, I scheduled our annual holiday on my birthday which was on first week of December (will write about that after this post). Two days after I got back, we had our group Christmas party and our team had a presentation where I was (unfortunately) the director/stage manager etc. I was supposedly part of a concert three days after the Christmas party but I had to beg off as I could not attend the practices anymore.

Then there were the Christmas buffet lunches (I had three, I think...or was that more?) thus the additional weight gain for me. A week before Christmas, I hosted our team Christmas party which was fortunately, a hit that I held another contest at the office the last day before Christmas.

Did I mention that a friend also got engaged and we attended her engagement party? Too bad I could not stay long. I missed some of our common friends who also attended.

I'll try to post about each event one at a time and hopefully, I'll be able to document everything before my undependable memory starts to fail me.

In the meantime, hope everyone will have an absolutely awesome and great New Year!

The Walking Dead

2010-11-06T21:33:00.002+08:00

I was not aware of this series until my husband tuned to this last night where it premiered in 4 different local Fox stations. I initially thought that it was a drama series but when he woke up in the hospital alone, it made me think of Resident Evil. But somehow, the zombies here are different. They only walk.

Though I was deathly scared of zombies, I could not tear my eyes away from the screen. True enough, I could not sleep afterwards.

I still want to watch it though, but not late at night. I'll try to look for the replay times (hopefully in the morning) and I'll watch it then.

In case you're trying to figure out where you've seen the "bida" before, he was in "Love Actually" as the guy who fell in love with his best friend's wife--the one with the placards.

Goodbye, Soprano

2010-11-04T22:56:00.003+08:00

When I became a member of Singles for Christ, I learned (and was affirmed by friends) that I can carry a tune and sing well. I refused to believe them at first as this talent did not manifest all throughout my life. I was persuaded to serve in the SFC Music Ministry which led to me being invited to be a part of the Villa San Miguel Choir. During those years, I felt a different joy when singing with other people and hearing our voices blend together. I started listening to the Madrigal Singers and other show choirs. This started my passion for choir music which led to my requirement on having a really good choir during my wedding.

When I left Mandaluyong to live in Paranaque in 2005, I did not join any other choir as I was focused in preparing for my wedding and eventually, dealing with my pregnancy. I was content with the office choir where we just sang during First Friday or Special Masses and sometimes, office programs.

After I left that company and joined my current employer, I heard that my new company has a show choir but I did not make any effort to join. I have somehow lost faith in my singing abilities and I'm scared to audition.

However, when a former officemate/choirmate joined the company and heard that I was there, she invited me to join the chor. I refused at first as I was not particularly keen with the late night practice but when I was again invited by two different persons, I knew I had to give it a try.

I finally attended the practice earlier and I was overwhelmed when they started doing warm-ups. I initially sat with the sopranos and I had difficulty hitting the high notes. After a couple of pieces, I was asked by the Choirmaster (a Philippine Madrigal Singer Alumni) to stand beside him and sing with the piano scales. After one scale, he told me to relax my vibrato (which has been my problem in the past) and try it again. After a few scales, he told me that I'm a Mezzo Soprano and grouped me with the Alto 1s.

I was initially disappointed as I've always been a Soprano 1 ever since I started singing in a choir. I did not have to worry about learning any special notes as Soprano usually sings Melody. I now have to unlearn what I now and learn how to sing Alto.

I've always found the Alto notes very beautiful and haunting. It gives more depth to the song and actually carries the Soprano notes.

I think I will pursue this, late nights aside. I hope this will revive my passion for singing and will give me something else to think about and do. Besides, I realized I miss singing with a choir.

Selecta Hazelnut Brownie

2010-11-02T22:06:00.005+08:00

Disclaimer: This is NOT a paid advertisement. I just had a cup an hour ago and I'm alternating between happiness and sadness over giving in to my sweet cravings.

Three years ago, I wrote about my Haagen Dazs craving. Now, I have a new favorite ice cream flavor, the Selecta Hazelnut Brownie!!!

With Haagen Dazs, I could use the price as a reason not to buy it, but Selecta Gold is a relatively cheaper alternative and it's available in all grocery stores!

I've been fighting myself and holding on tight to my willpower not to eat this everyday or to finish off the carton that I find in the freezer (My husband makes me buy it as he likes the flavor too!). I love the hazelnut flavor and the brownies too. A treat to the senses. Yum yum.

I have to keep on repeating diet mantras and to remind myself of my blood sugar just to stop myself from the devouring more than a cup (a minute on the lips, a lifetime on the hips).

Wish me luck!

Thanks to Philstar.com for the picture. By the way, they have a nice article about the Gold Label series which includes my favorite flavor.

The Defenders

2010-10-28T20:27:00.004+08:00

It's been a long time ever since I got hooked on a new TV show (last one was Glee late last year).

I only discovered this series by accident when I saw my husband watching an episode. I got curious when I saw James Belushi and the humorous twist of the stories so I hunkered down to watch as well.

The Defenders is a legal drama-comedy from CBS--it has the same producer as that of CSI--Carol Mendelsohn. The series is set in Las Vegas, Nevada and it involves a pair of defense attorneys who go all out to defend their clients.

So far I've only seen a couple of episodes (it started airing just this Sept. 22) and I like what I've seen. It would make me appreciate legal stuff more as I don't really follow Boston Legal or other courtroom drama series.

I think it's too early for me to recommend this series to people, but I like what I've seen so far.

Picture from the World Correspondents site.

Discovery Channel's Boom de Yada!

2010-10-25T17:06:00.007+08:00

It never gets old. I made a post of the first video here (if you want to compare).
My husband was pretty stoked that Optimus Prime has a cameo. Hah!
I'm curious though, is there a meaning behind "Boom de Yada"?
Nevertheless, the World Is Just AWESOME!

If you want to sing along, here are the lyrics:

Boom de yada, boom de yada, boom de yada, boom de yada

I can't get that song out of my head
Totally, I'm going again

I love the mountains, I love the sun so bright
I love crustaceans, I love the stars at night
I love the whole world, so many things to see
Boom de yada, boom de yada, boom de yada, boom de yada

I love to catch fish, I love the lemur eyes
I love the future, I love when humans fly
I love the whole world, no place I'd rather be
Boom de yada, boom de yada, boom de yada, boom de yada

Still dirty, still love it

I love to blast off, I love adrenaline
I love the Big Bang, I love where air is thin
I love the whole world, and being part of it
Boom de yada, boom de yada, boom de yada, boom de yada
Boom de yada, boom de yada, boom de yada, boom de yada
Boom de yada, boom de yada, boom de yada, boom de yada

Christmas 2010 Wishlist

2010-10-24T15:09:00.011+08:00

Yes, it's that time of the year again. As per tradition, I'm posting my wishlist this year (which somehow is similar to my wishlist last year):

1. Wall clock
I love our wall clock now as it has a white face and the arms are black which enables me to see the time without wearing my glasses. However, it has fallen off the wall so many times already and the edge is already cracked. It's calling for a replacement.

2. Notepads/stationery/post-its
I love these stuff. I still write longhand letters and these would come in handy. As for the post-its, it's for the office.

3. Journal Notebook
I found a journal notebook a few months ago at National Bookstore Podium. It was only 99pesos and it already has a hardcover and bookmark. It also can be closed by this elastic thingee that you wrap around the notebook. The pages are also yellowed and smooth--great for my pen. However, I can't find that type of notebook anymore.

4. Fountain Pen/Sign Pen
I use these pens to write out my checks. I currently use the Parker Sign Pen that my CAU Team gave me as my going-away gift last year. However, I've always been fascinated by fountain pens. My earliest memory of it was my grandfather singing his cheques and notes with his green fountain pen. I'm quite happy with a black pen though.

5. Body Wash
I love shower gels or body wash stuff. It does not have to be the picture above but any brand will do. I prefer the milky types. One of the best that I've tried was Marks and Spencer. Almond bath cream, I think.

This is it, for now. Will add more once I remember them.

When Angelu met Bobby

2010-10-17T18:20:00.004+08:00

After having lunch at Don Henrico's with my family, we went back to the house for a siesta. As I did not want to take a nap, I staked out the den (where the Destiny cable is installed) and channel-surfed. I paused when I saw the PBO channel and though I wanted to check the other channels, I put aside the remote and watched the movie with Bobby Andrews and Angelu de Leon as leads. I was trying to guess the movie's title and found out later (online) that it was "Laging Naroon Ka". If I'm not mistaken, it's their 3rd movie together showcasing their loveteam.

The Bobby Andrews-Angelu de Leon love team started in their weekly TV series, T.G.I.S. (Thank God It's Sabado). Their pairing was one of the most popular teams in the mid-90's. In fact the Angelu-Bobby team was included in spot.ph's Top 10 Eternal Pinoy Love Teams joining the perennial partnering of Nora Aunor and Tirso Cruz III, Sharon Cuneta and Gabby Concepcion and Vilma Santos and Edgar Mortiz--among others.

I can't recall how I started to heart Bobby Andrews when I did not even watch T.G.I.S. back then. But I do remember my college press friends giving me a photo of him and that I tried to be nonchalant when he shot some of the "Laging Naroon Ka" (LNK) scenes at La Salle but I was actually raring to stake out the library where the scenes were shot.

I really love their movies although I only watched their movies on cable TV but watching them after more than a decade, I'm happy to say that their acting and chemistry together was really good. LNK was about two college friends, Quinito (Bobby) and Tricia (Angelu) who wanted to take their friendship into another level but Quinito was so unbelievably torpe (I don't know if there's still a guy like him nowadays) that Tricia was getting confused and tired of waiting for him. She began dating another guy much to Quinito's chagrin until he was forced to face his feelings for Trish and declare himself to her.

The movie's supporting cast was also wonderful. Mitch Valdez was hilarious as Tricia's mom and Noel Trinidad was funny as the kooky but very patient dad. Gloria Romero was the conservative lola who raised Quinito (her nails and manicure looked really nice there). Unfortunately, I forgot the name of his lolo who was really good.

Their other movie, "Wala Na Bang Pag-ibig" was also good and I can still remember the plot (childhood friends who grew up studied in the city together etc etc). I wonder if I can still find some of their old movies? It will be great to watch them again. They bring back great memories of my college days.

Unfortunately, their love team had to end when Angelu got pregnant with Joko Diaz' child. I was so devastated. I felt the same when I learned that Albert Martinez eloped with Liezl leaving his love team with Snooky Serna. (Wow, I can't believe I remembered that. I was still a kid then!). It was a grim reminder that love teams are just for show and most of them don't really end up together.

The fantasy was great while it lasted though. I wonder if there will be another pairing like them.

Picture courtesy of Shannen's blog

My 2nd White Hair

2010-10-07T09:26:00.000+08:00

I was fixing my hair this morning when I saw a strand of white hair near my temple. I freaked out when I saw it.

I could justify my first white hair with the stress that I was going through that time (November 2006). I was barely sleeping nights and I was overworked so I was not overly surprised when I saw that pale strand.

But I could not justify this white hair as I am not stressed--well, unless you consider my pre-diabetic state as a source of stress. Nevertheless, I was shocked when I saw it. Is this a sign that I am really growing old? That my mortality is indeed creeping up on me?

Impaired Glucose Tolerance

2010-10-04T15:17:00.003+08:00

I have been diagnosed with Impaired Glucose Tolerance or in more understandable terms, I am Pre-Diabetic. Basically, it means that I'm predisposed to diabetes UNLESS I make a lifestyle change. Not only do I have to change my diet, but I have to exercise more often.

I've know all these things before as early this year, I was already diagnosed as such. I was ordered to have an OGTT done to verify the diagnosis but I postponed having the test done as it was not a pleasant experience as I detailed here. Also, trying not to throw up sorely tested my willpower.

Maybe this is the wake-up call I need (God knows how many calls I already got). I know I managed to lose weight before and really lived a healthy lifestyle. I just need to set my mind that I can do it--again. I just have to think that my future with my son is at stake.

Jude Deveraux is Back!

2010-10-03T19:03:00.004+08:00

My passion for books started when my paternal grandfather introduced me to Larry Alcala's weekly cartoon. Every week, he would call me from our house next door and together, we would look for Larry Alcala's head in his magazine.

What does books have to do with Larry Alcala? Well, my grandfather's room is a bookworm's paradise. Wall-to-wall books! If people decorate their walls with artwork or pictures, my grandfather decorates his walls with books. The four walls of his bedroom are all books. Whenever I'm in his room, I would reverently touch the books even if I cannot understand or appreciate the tomes that he collected. All I remember was the smell of paper and someday, I would want to have a room like that as well.

I started speed-reading through the Nancy Drew collection in our school library and was done in less than a year. Somebody introduced me to Sweet Dreams and I was hooked on romance. As I grew older, the romance novels became more...advanced...until my aunt introduced me to Jude Deveraux.

It was love at first word with Jude. Her historical romances on the Montgomery family kept me wanting for more and more and she never seems to run out of stories on this very prolific family. But after more than three dozen books later, she ran out of steam.

Her last good book, for me, was Sweet Liar (about modern-day Montgomerys and Taggerts), after that, her books on modern-day romances were not worth reading anymore. They were absolutely boring and I somehow thought she lost her touch. I didn't bother buying anymore of her books after that.

A few days ago, I saw Days of Gold at National Bookstore and I was curious what kind of story she's telling now. When I saw she went back to her historical romance roots, I bought the book to see if she managed to recapture her magic touch. After finishing the book today, I could cautiously say that she's back. I still have some qualms on the storyline, but reading her book feels like coming home. It's not perfect but it just feels right.

Yaya's Day Off

2010-09-26T21:33:00.002+08:00

Our yaya is entitled to a day off once a month. For this month, she took it last night and returned this evening.

Though the day-off is part of our agreement, there's a silent part of me that wants to beg her to stay. Basti is a handful already. You cannot take your eyes off him as he'll be destroying something. His bedroom is Basti-proof but unfortunately, not the rest of the house. But I figured it will be a nice bonding experience for us.

Last night, I wanted to cry when after two hours, Basti didn't want to sleep and he was growing cranky by the minute. My usual tricks doesn't seem to work and makes his crankiness worse. I felt so helpless last night and was so depressed afterwards. I so envy my friends who have developed some sort of bond with their kids that putting them to sleep won't drain their blood as what happened to me and Basti last night.

I questioned our sleeping arrangement (he sleeps in his own bed and room with his yaya) and whether he should sleep with us or not. In the end, he fell asleep cradled in my arms while dancing around the room. He would wake up and start crying whenever I would sit down on the rocking chair or on the bed. My arms were crying out for mercy and I was so thankful when he finally slept.

However, he woke up at midnight crying again and I could not console him. He struggled to be let down and slid down to the pull-out bed where he immediately fell asleep. I slept after that only to wake up at 430 AM for his milk feeding. He slept after finishing 7oz only to wake me up a couple of hours later as he slid down from the bed.

We went downstairs for breakfast and I gave him a bowl of rice and egg where he fed himself (he wants to use the utensils and doesn't like it if we feed him). The food ended up half on the floor, on his clothes and chair and hopefully, the rest in his tummy.

Kindermusik this morning was bearable because Leo did most of the chasing. Lunch was the same as breakfast (with half of the food again on the floor etc). Thankfully, he fell asleep without not much fuss for his afternoon nap (Oddly enough, I just talked to him and begged him to just sleep without the dancing and rocking because I was exhausted and my arms could not take another round of that. He seemed to understand me as he just fell asleep on the bed cuddled beside me).

While reflecting on my exhausting day, I really admire the moms out there who survive without a helper. My sister who is based in the US, is one such person. Now I understand why mothers really are very affected when their children do something to hurt them.

I hope I can find more ways to bond with my son. I might have to change the house rules a bit so I can have more time with him.

My Take on the GulfAir Baby

2010-09-20T17:11:00.002+08:00

I'm having mixed feelings about the woman who threw her newborn baby in the trash bin of an airplane. It's an absolute miracle that the baby is alive and no doubt, God has big plans for him to survive such odds and I am looking forward to knowing his future.

I've been reading in different parenting fora how most of the posters basically condemned the woman (one of the posters even mentioned that she cannot call the woman "mother") for abandoning her child in such a way. I initially reacted the way they did. Being a mother myself and seeing how helpless my son was back then, my heart bled when I read the way the baby was just disposed in the trash. I've already stopped thinking how a person can do such a thing because of the news that I've been reading lately, I can already surmise that humans are capable of things that we used to only read about and is now part of our unfortunate reality. Somehow the world has evolved from bad to worse.

But I digress, humans are capable of awful things especially when their mind is stressed. I guess this somehow proves the adage mind over matter.

Amazingly, one of the voices of reason came from Ramon Tulfo. I was so used to his acerbic and biting words that compassion coming from him sounds a bit different. His columns lately were mostly about forgiveness which was a big deviation from his earlier columns--not necessarily a bad thing. His column reminds me of the Bible saying, "he who has no sin cast the first stone." My heart still cannot fathom the barbarous act (reminds me of a video that I saw of a woman throwing puppies in the river) and I don't know if I'll be strong enough not to judge her for what she has done.

I guess I will just have to remember Jesus' example of forgiving those who have done Him wrong and suffering for our sins. Perhaps compassion is the first thing we should give this woman. Though I cannot justify what she has done, I just hope that there will be a happy ending for all of her, and the baby's trials.

Gypsy by Shakira

2010-09-16T22:18:00.001+08:00

I was fanning myself after watching this video.

Shakira with Rafael Nadal can surely heat up a room. Whew.

Eye Candy!

Pacific Rims by Rafe Bartholomew

2010-09-10T17:40:00.004+08:00

It has been a long time since I watched basketball. I was an avid fan when I was in first year high school when I rooted for Ginebra/Anejo and worshiped Jojo Lastimosa and Samboy Lim (to be honest, I worshiped them for their cuteness. hehe). But I somehow outgrew it when I went to college. The only time I watch basketball games was when we were required to by our PE subject.

My husband is an avid fan of the sport and knows stats and player names. He can hold his own on a discussion regarding basketball. Over the dinner table, he and my father-in-law would talk about the latest game or who got traded to where (NBA and PBA). My husband even subscribed to Destiny Cable (even if we're already existing Skycable subscribers) because of their Balls channel where he can watch all the Basketball he wants.

When he bought Pacific Rims, I just shrugged that it must be another basketball book. When he learned that the author, Rafe Bartholomew, will be in town to have a book signing, he asked me to go (he was in Europe during the last week of August). Unfortunately, my schedule was a bit iffy so I was not able to go to either Powerbooks or Fully Booked which hosted the signings.

However, I got curious about the book when he would read it and bed and suddenly, the bed will be shaking because of his laughter. He would laugh over something in the book and when I would ask, he would just shrug because he knows he would have to explain the whole thing for me to get it--and he was enjoying the book to much to take a break.

During a lull here at home, I saw the book lying around and out of boredom, read the first chapter--and I was hooked. My high school love for the game suddenly resurfaced and I devoured every word of the book. I'm already halfway through and I've laughed so much already. Rafe certainly has a way with words.

Now, I'm sorry that I was not able to meet him in person and shake his hand (and maybe have a picture with him. He is cute. Hehe). As an avid and voracious reader, I never thought that I would be reading about basketball but somehow, Rafe wrote about it to make it easy to read and appreciate the sport--and our people--more.

When he was here a couple of weeks ago (he actually lived here for 3 years to do the book and speaks amazingly fluent tagalog), a couple of local shows did a segment on him. The video below is from Bandila--an evening news program.

I hope he'll return someday so I can have my book..errr...my husband's book signed. I won't be able to talk bastketball with him but at least I can tell him how my interest returned because of his book.

Mabuhay ka, Rafe!

ps
He's cute too :)

Giveaway Galore!! Win a Diaper Bag from ManilaBaby Shop!!

2010-08-09T20:39:00.003+08:00

I love joining online contests as I've won my fair share of prizes from such events. This time around, manilamommy.com is hosting another contest where the winner will get a diaper bag from ManilaBaby Shop. I would love that diaper bag as we bring a lot of stuff with us whenever we go out with my son.

For contest details, visit the ManilaMommy website here. She has noted the stuff that you would need to do in order to win.

Good luck to us!

At Last!

2010-08-08T08:22:00.005+08:00

At last, after 7 long years, I'm done with my MBA!

I started 2nd term of school year 2003-2004. It was as if yesterday that I climbed those stairs going to the RCBC Campus of DLSU inquiring about their MBA program. Next thing I knew, I was asking for an application form.

Seven years later, the De La Salle Professional Schools is no longer an entity but was merged back into the De La Salle University fold. Instead of having a separate graduation ceremony, we will join the 1000 other undergraduates and masteral graduates who will attend the graduation ceremonies.

I actually stopped for two years due to work and personal reasons. I promised my husband that I'll go back to school when I have more time and I did return last year.

I took my Oral Comprehensive Exam on August 5. It was the last step before I receive my MBA degree. It entails presenting a core subject paper that you did during your MBA and defending whatever it is that you put there. It was quite brutal this term as there were a lot who did not make it. Thankfully, I made the grade and it tops as one of my most memorable moments ever. The relief that I felt afterwards was so great that I burst into tears when the panel chair delivered the verdict. I knew he was saying something after he said "congratulations" but I cannot remember anything anymore. All I could think of was, "At last!"

Though I was hesitant at first, looks like I'll be attending the graduation ceremonies. I never did enjoy my undergraduate graduation as I was sick a week before and I was not able to attend the practice and other ceremonies. At least now, hopefully, I can experience it fully 14 years after I left De La Salle.

As a postscript note, my original panel was supposedly Prof. Aleister Cruz, Prof. Michael Joseph and Prof. Benedict Avila. Thankfully, Prof. Cruz pulled out as he was a college friend and it would be a conflict of interest if he stayed in my panel. I don't want my passing mark to be marred by any hint of favoritism. He was replaced by Dr. Tony Concepcion.

Sick Basti

2010-08-08T08:01:00.007+08:00

Last week has been very harrowing. Not only did Basti get sick, but I was scheduled to take my Oral Comprehensive Exam which was the last step for me to get my MBA degree. But thankfully, we all got through with it all in one piece.

Basti's low grade fever (if you call 38.5C as his highest temperature as low grade) started Thursday, July 29, 2 days after he got his annual flu shot and his 3-in-1 booster shot. We all thought it was due to the vaccine so we didn't give it second thought. We just gave him his paracetamol dose and we all went through our daily grind.

On Saturday, his fever was still there and I was beginning to worry especially when I saw him just lying there. My son is very active and he refuses to just sit there and do nothing but that was what he was doing. I resolved that if he doesn't get well by Sunday, we'll bring him to the ER.

True enough, his fever returned Sunday and we took him to the Asian Hospital ER.

I was surprised by the number of kids that were in the Emergency Room that day. There must be a bug going around that would entail kids being rushed to the ER on a Sunday afternoon. Whatever case, we just have to continue with the paracetamol and bring him to his pedia the next day.

Basti was given his tag and as a precaution, they took a blood sample to rule out dengue. The results were available in less than an hour and good thing, his platelets were at a normal level but we were advised to return the next day as the levels were low-normal.

The ER doctor said that Basti must've caught a flu bug or could be roseola.

His fever still returned Monday morning so we returned to Asian. Though his pedia is not expected in until 330 but we were there at 1130 to have Basti tested again for dengue. I was surprised when the laboratory said that they will only release the results after 6 hours as there's no stat request. I had to call Basti's pedia, Dr. Clemente, to request for stat. Good thing the laboratory agreed to rush the results with minimum fuss. They did however, made me wait for another hour before I got the results. Thankfully, his platelets were higher compared to the previous day.

When we saw his pedia, he agreed to the ER doctor's pronouncement but he suspects it could be roseola. He told us that the fever will abate by Tuesday and by then, spots or rashes will come out with is indicative of roseola. I was also give then option of having Basti confined but after a discussion with my husband and in-laws. We resolved to just take care of him at home.

True enough, Basti's rashes and red spots came out the day after and his fever no longer recurred. I breathed a sigh of relief especially when he returned to his old, "malikot" self.

No doubt there will be more days like these. I just hope I'm strong enough for all of them.

The sun will come out, Tomorrow!

2010-08-04T14:47:00.000+08:00

That song has been reverberating in my head today as tomorrow will indeed be a big day for me.

After 7 long years, tomorrow will be the culmination of my MBA studies. I will be facing a panel of three professors who will quiz me and determine if I really learned anything in my years of studying. My fate will be in the hands of these three people.

I am nervous as hell. At first, I was pretty nonchalant about it but when the date approached, I started to panic. In my former job, I am always prepared for meetings and such and even if I tried my best to prepare for this, I still feel that I am not ready. But I cannot delay the inevitable. I already postponed for one term and I cannot put this off much longer. If I fail, then I fail. I just have to find the strength to go back, re-do my paper and face my panel again. Whatever the case, I am preparing myself for the worst.

Though I know my panel with even one of them a friend, I do not want to take their "nice-ness" for granted. I know I have to earn that passing grade and that degree. I know I can and I have to believe that.

Wish me luck. By tomorrow, I will know.

Oishi Baconette Strips

2010-07-11T17:55:00.005+08:00

I wish I am paid when I write about all the food that I'm eating. I would probably have enough money to be able to pay for all my trips abroad. Anyway, for free or not, I just have to write about this new snack that I discovered while grocery-shopping this afternoon.

Oishi Marty's was known for its vegetarian chicharon. Yes, chicharon that tastes like chicharon but without the guilt! Supermarkets would run out of stock as people would trip over each other buying it. Now, they are at it again. This time, healthifying (is there such a word?) bacon! Whoever thought bacon would be healthy?! But the good and wonderful people of Oishi found a way to make this notoriously high cholesterol breakfast item into a relatively healthy snack.

The 3.17oz/90g (pictured above)pack costs P14.95 at SaveMore. You just have to taste it.

Percy Jackson

2010-06-30T20:11:00.004+08:00

I can't remember what made me buy the first book of the Percy Jackson series. After being disappointed by 39 clues, I was not too keen on reading books with a 12 yr old as the main character (Harry Potter was an exception), but with the film coming out, I was curious.

I remember reading the first book during our Holy Week vacation at Tagaytay. After speed-reading through it, I wanted to go home to Manila and buy the next books. When that happens, the book is good. When I started reading the 2nd book, I didn't stop to breathe until I finished the 5th book and I did this in 4 straight days. In fact, I finished The Olympian in a day--and a work day to boot. I started while waiting for the morning shuttle, read through lunch, read again while waiting for the evening shuttle, and finished it when I got home.

It's odd considering I am not that familiar with Greek mythology. I mean, I know who the gods are plus other trivia that I got from watching Hercules (the cartoons) but that's basically it. But I really love the series.

Percy Jackson is a demigod--the son of a god, Poseidon to be specific, and a mortal. The books talk about his quests and how he and his friends get to defeat Kronos--the father of the gods.

I love fantasy/adventure books, especially those that are adapted in the modern setting. The dialogue was also very witty and funny. There are times that I would suddenly laugh while reading drawing stares from people in the shuttle.

Though the Percy Jackson series looks like its written for an early teens audience, adults, like me, can still appreciate it. A good read if you're a fan of Greek mythology and quests.

Writer's Block

2010-06-10T16:18:00.002+08:00

It's been years since I wrote fiction. I used to write for and was part of the editorial staff of our school's literary journal when I was in college. I loved writing then whether it was for my own pleasure or for others. I wrote in English and amazingly, excelled in Filipino (I was recognized for my Filipino poetry). Unfortunately, that drive to write died down after I graduated from College. I do not write creatively anymore, instead, I keep this online journal which serves as an outlet for my happiness and frustrations. I don't know if it's considered creative writing as none of it is fiction but at least I get to practice putting words together.

My current job involves a lot of report writing--technical and formal writing at its very best. I have to basically unlearn writing creatively and keep my report emotionless so to speak (No "I"s, "we"s or "us"). I have to watch my words to ensure that I deliver my findings with no bias whatsoever. Basically, creating a document which would bore the hell out of a person. I would think that the more boring it is, the better the report will turn out to be.

I used to think that writers block only strike writers who have to come up with novels or stories or poems. I never thought that it would apply to report writing as well. I have a paper that I've been trying to finish today but I can't seem to find the right words to express the thoughts that are floating in my head. Everything is there--the summary of my findings and my recommendations--but I end up putting emotions in the words that it's so difficult to edit them out.

For the past hour, I've been pulling my hair or staring at the swimming pool view outside trying to clear my head so I can write properly. Every few minutes or so, I return to my document and try to add a few words but end up deleting them as they sound quite off. Hopefully, I'll be able to pull myself together so I can finish this. I am so way out of schedule already and I have a couple of reports still waiting to be written.

Photo from of memphismafia.wordpress.com

A Wedding Reception to Remember

2010-06-07T15:14:00.000+08:00

http://mb.com.ph/node/260733/groom-bride-treat-gue

I read this article in today's edition of Manila Bulletin and other than wondering what Morgan Spurlock and the anti-McD's crowd would say about this, I was very much amused and maybe, a bit envious.

Whenever I would read weddings featured in newspapers, I would be amazed at how original and extraordinary some of them turned out to be. I would've wanted mine to be like that. But my husband and I are not creative people so we had a difficult time conceptualizing a one-of-a-kind wedding.

Nevertheless, I was still happy with how our wedding came out as it was what we always wanted. Not too exceptional that would merit a newspaper article (hey, I was not exactly like those brides who had/have svelte and sexy figures during their weddings) but special enough for us to remember that day for the rest of our lives.

Powerbooks Greenbelt

2010-06-04T19:53:00.005+08:00

I had a nice experience at Powerbooks last Friday and I would recommend that branch (maybe all branches) to all book lovers out there.

I was out shopping for a book--a continuation of a book that I was reading--in Powerbooks Greenbelt. I already got the second book and was browsing around for another one when I was approached by a sales clerk asking me what I would want to read. When she saw what I picked out, she recommended other books of the same nature (angels). She went with me to the young adult section and picked out a few books for me to choose from. I quizzed her about the stories and she actually read them and gave me some spoilers from the books. I bought all the books she recommended.

Powerbooks did more than renovate their interior when they fixed their shop. They apparently educated their staff. I don't know if they're required to read the books they are selling or actually hire people who read but whatever they're doing, I hope they keep it up as it really makes me buy the books they recommend. It's not enough that they put a sign saying why they recommend it. It helps if you get to talk to someone who can really give you an idea what the book is all about.

Which reminds me of my Fully Booked experience.

I really love Fully Booked because of their stock. They have books that Powerbooks and National Bookstore doesn't have. Unfortunately, I had a rather negative experience with their Cebu branch which makes me think twice of going back to their shops to look for new books. When I was in Cebu, I asked the clerks if they can recommend books about angels as I love reading about them. I don't know if they don't understand me since I'm speaking in Tagalog but when they pointed me to someone who can speak Tagalog, she couldn't recommend much and can't really tell me much about the books that were on display. It was really disappointing.

Anyway, kudos to Powerbooks, most especially to Lorie, who recommended the books to me. Job well done!

Wonderful Cebu

2010-05-30T07:44:00.015+08:00

I was in Cebu last week for a business trip and it was my first time to visit the Queen City of the South. For years, I have friends urging me to visit but haven't really had the chance. During my first pregnancy trimester, I wanted to visit but based on the options given to me, I just agreed to stay put until the time I can travel again.

I only learned that we will push through with the trip, a week before our departure date. For a month, I knew we will be going but I kept delaying preparations as we were still not yet sure if it will be approved. Once I got the paper approval, I had to submit it to the necessary departments (per diem, allowances, airline tickets, hotel etc). My officemate and I were booked on a Cebu Pacific flight leaving Sunday afternoon and we're booked at Cebu Midtown. I realized too late that my husband and I were booked to stay at Hotel Sofitel the day before my departure. So that means I will have to pack for an extra day (my stay in Sofitel would entail another post).

My husband and I checked out early at Sofitel so I can see Basti again (who we left with my sister-in-law) before I leave for Cebu. They took me at Terminal 3 two and a half hours before our flight leaves and I met up with my officemate, Eunice, there.

We arrived in Cebu just on time and after checking in at Midtown, we took a cab to Ayala Mall where we met up with my friend Kay, for dinner.

She took us to Sunburst Chicken where we had sarap-to-the-bones chicken and had dessert at Oh, Georg.

We had a job to do and we spent office hours (and even beyond) in the office doing our review but during lunch break and after office, we spent time exploring the city and its wonderful delights.

On Monday, we had lunch at the Ayala Mall foodcourt. Eunice had CNT lechon while I had something at the neighboring kiosk (yes, it was so unremarkable that I've forgotten what it was). For dinner, we just went back to our hotel and ate at Jollibee (the hotel was located on top of a Robinson's mall).

On Tuesday, we opted to be more adventurous. Based on the numerous recommendations given by my friend Kay and my former boss, Joanne, we ventured forth to Ayala Mall for lunch and ate at Desserts Factory. I had their own version of Chicken Cordon Bleu wherein the chicken was grilled instead of friend and the ham and cheese is on top.

For dessert, I had their banana split ice cream cake. It was oh so heavenly and I found myself finishing one whole slice. The slice involved three different ice cream flavors with a cookie base and chocolate syrup. It was just absolutely divine.

For dinner, we went to SM City Cebu. We had no idea which restaurants we can eat there so we just looked for one that was not in Manila. We found Jonie's which somehow reminded me of Kenny Rogers. The food though is a far cry from Kenny's but apparently, the place is popular in Cebu because of the unlimited rice (and beer, I think). Nevertheless, all I can say is that at least we tried it but I'm never going back there again.

Wednesday, we resolved that we'll eat at Casa Verde. The day before, we stopped by the place and asked them what time is the best time to eat there where the line is not kilometers long. She said 2pm for lunch and 8pm for dinner. So we had a late lunch and was able to snag ourselves a seat. We asked for the bestseller. Eunice and I had their spectacular ribs each and I ordered the Death by Chocolate.

On Imagine my surprise when this was served to us each. We had no idea how to finish it. It was served on a humongous plate and when you dig in, the meat was soft and fluffy. And the sauce was absolutely delicious. Better than Raks. Better than Tony Roma's. Better than any other ribs that I've ever tasted. And best of all, it was so dirt cheap! That big plate was only worth P188!!! No wonder lines are SOOOO long. And they don't take reservations so you really have to fall in line.

After demolishing those huge ribs, I don't know if I still have room for dessert. But I knew I had to try the dessert that I ordered as there is no way I will be able to bring it home (it's an ice cream cake). So I just breathed in deep and tried not to gag when this was served to me. There is no way in hell I'll be able to finish it moreover when Eunice wouldn't share as she's sporting a cold. The first taste was pure bliss. Chocolate ice cream coated with chocolate syrup with marshmallow and nuts on a bed of chocolate cake. Absolute absolute bliss. I was only able to eat half as I didn't want to die of chocolate overload but it was definitely worth it. It was also as affordable as the ribs. That one big slice only cost P125!!!

That night, we skipped dinner as we were still digesting our very heavy lunch.

On Thursday, we had lunch at Moon Cafe, another referral of Kay. It's a place in Ayala Mall that serves Mexican food. I ordered a Chimichanga and Chicken Fingers with Mozarella Cheese and Tomato. Both are absolutely delicious! The Chimichanga was so fluffy and soft. The crust melts in your mouth.

For dinner, we went back to SM to buy more pasalubong at Don Merto's and eat at Cafe Laguna--which was a recommendation of my former boss Joanne. We were a loss at what to eat there as the servings seem so big. We settled for Sinigang na Baboy which sourness was just enough for me. Too bad we wanted to eat the Kare-Kare but was too wary that the servings might be too big.

On Friday, our last day, we took time to see the sights. Aside from the side trip last Monday at the Basilica to see the Sto. Nino shrine, we haven't done any other touristy thing since we arrived five days ago. We had the cab driver drop us off at the Magellan's Cross where we had our photos appropriately taken. We went back to the Sto. Nino Basilica intending to take one last look at the Sto. Nino image but was dissuaded by the long line. We then walked to the Cebu Cathedral and to the Museum. By then, the sun was up and very hot. I was sweating buckets and after buying some last minute pasalubongs at the nearby Shamrock store, we hailed another cab which dropped us off at the hotel where we checked out.

Overall, Cebu is a wonderful and beautiful place. The people, especially the unit which we reviewed, were very warm and helpful. I definitely enjoyed my stay and look forward to returning and seeing more of the sights. Hopefully, I'll be back with my husband so he can experience the extraordinary food and culture with me.

See you soon, Cebu!

Maayong Buntag, Cebu!

2010-05-17T16:01:00.001+08:00

Talk about photo-finish.

We initially planned to go to Davao last February. But since my boss went on Maternity Leave, we had to postpone our trip. She returned last April and we're now ready to go out of town. We rechecked whether Davao is still our destination but according to our bosses, we should go to Cebu. So, Cebu it is.

We're leaving on Sunday and will return Friday evening. I'm quite excited as I have NEVER been to Cebu and it will be something new for me. I've heard great things about the place from my friend Kay and previous bosses at SCB. Since we can't do much sight-seeing due to our limited time, I asked around on good places to eat. I've received numerous suggestions. I hope we'll have enough time (and budget) to try everything out.

Probably the downside of the trip is that I will not be seeing Basti for a week. I'll miss his hugs, kisses and laughter. I'll be bringing my laptop and Globe Tattoo with me so I can chat with them.

Epidemic

2010-05-05T21:01:00.002+08:00

We have some sort of epidemic here at home and we're still trying to figure out the source.

I was sick during the weekend but the illness that most of the people in our household are down with are not related to what I had. I had upper respiratory tract infection but the symptoms that they, and now including me, have are LBM and fever. My husband and FIL has it. Since I'm in antibiotics due to my recent illness, I'm only sporting the LBM symptom. Basti is also sick but in his case, it's cough and he threw up 3x this evening.

Hopefully this will subside, especially Basti's cough.

Starbucks May Promo

2010-05-05T10:31:00.000+08:00

Though my husband says they're very expensive and not worth the price, I love the Starbucks planners. Every Christmas, I religiously buy coffee so I can gather the corresponding amount of stickers to get the diary. I remember only missing two years (the first year it was offered and the year I was pregnant).

What I loved about the planners especially when they first came out, were the freebies included. The buy-one-take-one promo was a big deal for us moreover when we have a Starbucks store at the ground floor of my office then. (I remember that branch with bittersweet memories. That store became our office extension too and I can still recall the times that we had powows there and even cried my heart out to my boss then. No wonder I was so interested and passionate about the company when we had it as a case in my STRAMA subject last year.)

Going back to the planner, I noticed that the latest issues did not have the freebies anymore. Maybe that's why they reduced the number of stickers required to qualify for the promo. I'm still having mixed feelings when they brought it back this year. The planner only have 6 coupons and only 2 can be considered as useful. One of them can be used this month of May.

So for 2010 Starbucks planner owners, use your May coupon from May 1-31, 2010. Buy your friend a frap and you'll get one too for free.

See you at the nearest Starbucks branch!

"Niluluto sa Sarili kong Mantika"

2010-05-04T14:58:00.001+08:00

"ANG INEEEETTTT!!!!!"

This is the common complaint very much heard in the metropolis nowadays. Everytime you would meet someone, the weather becomes an instant conversation starter.

"Grabe, ang init ngayon!"
"Nagkakasakit na ako sa init!"
"Tumayo lang ako, tagaktak na ang pawis ko!!"
"Niluluto na ako sa sarili kong mantika!!!"

are very much repeated (especially the last part, for rounded and healthy people like me). Having spent half of the day out of the office, I could very much attest to the heat and have discussed it with at least 2 people I met today.

My husband's balikbayan aunts have even made a game out of it. The next time somebody says "ang init", they have to pay P20. They've been here for a week and will leave this coming weekend. I wonder how much they've contributed to the pot already.

The intermittent rains do not help at all. They seem to make the heat worse, especially yesterday. I got sick also because of it. I nursed an upper respiratory tract infection during the weekend which did not let me enjoy the extra vacation day. The fever started Friday evening (39.2C. That's my highest temperature in more than 5 years) and broke the morning after.

Hopefully, this coming weekend will not be as hot. Not only do we have to go out and vote, I have to do a lot of cleaning and doing so in this weather will not make the task enjoyable at all.

Basti's Picture Company Shots

2010-05-02T15:37:00.006+08:00

Last April 25, we took Basti to Picture Company for some studio portraits/shots. This was supposed to be taken during his birthday but at least it's better late than never.

Here are some chosen shots out of the numerous cute ones:

DFA passport experience

2010-04-20T15:32:00.001+08:00

Ever since we've been hearing of the new e-passport, we wanted to get our own. As I already have the machine-readable passport and is not due to expire until 2012, my husband opted to get his first (he still has the old one with the green cover). He scheduled an appointment through passport.com.ph. We also decided to get Basti a passport as he might be traveling with us in the future.

The new DFA office is located along Macapagal Ave right beside S&R Aseana. It's less congested and parking is immense. There's a McDonald's across where people can wait or eat while waiting for their companions. Our appointment was at 9AM but we left at 630AM and arrived barely past 7.

Yesterday (and even days before), I was already asking around whether we should bring Basti as in the past, the DFA would allow the mother to appear in behalf of the child. However, there have been reports that children/babies should also be physically present. I did confirm this with the egroups that I frequent and told my husband about it. He was adamant though that Basti would not come with us so together with the requirements, I had with me, Basti's passport photos.

As mentioned, we were there at 7AM. I was surprised when I saw the number of people crowding around the entrance. With the appointment system, I was expecting order and at least a minimum number of lines. Apparently, these were people who did not have any appointment and was hoping that they be accommodated. The security guard was tightly manning his post and refuses to allow anyone inside without an appointment. I pushed my way through the throng and showed the guard our appointment papers. He opened the gate a bit and we squeezed through the small opening.

Once inside, we were greeted by more lines with no signs telling us where to go. We had to flag down a roving guard to ask which line we should go first and he politely told us where to proceed.

The first stop was a table in front of the rest rooms. They asked us for our names and they gave us the printed application forms containing the information that we provided through the website. We had to fill-up some of the missing portions though.

Next stop was to get inside the building to get a number so our passports can be processed at any of the 23 windows. Before we got inside, there was a waiting line. The first line was for those who came in before their appointment. The next line was for those who are due to join the line entering the building. The third line was for those ACTUALLY entering the building.

Once inside the building, we were handed numbers and we took our seats. The seats are like those found in airports (the steel, cold ones) and the aircon was pleasantly cool. I was a bit bothered though by the humongous mosquitoes that were languorously buzzing around. Our number was 1234 and I freaked out when I saw that the number being serviced was 1094! I settled down and prepared myself to wait until lunch but was pleasantly surprised to see the numbers move speedily along. Our number was called 30 minutes later at Window 19.

We then proceeded to our assigned window and handed my husband's renewal application first. The processor checked the details and was done in 5 minutes. She gave my husband a slip for payment at the cashier at the 2nd floor. I then handed Basti's application and she looked for my son. I told her that he's at home and she said the he should be physically present as they will be taking his passport picture. I asked if we could get the machine-readable passport instead as I already have pictures. She then mentioned that they are no longer issuing such passports. She was kind enough to mention that we can pick up our son and return later in the day so his passport can still be processed.

We then proceeded to the 2nd floor where we paid for the processing fee (if I'm not mistaken, it's 950 for regular processing of 20 days and 1200 for processing of 10 days) and arranged his passport to be delivered at home (for an additional fee). I held my tongue as I was exasperated with my husband for not listening to me that we should bring our son for the personal appearance. I managed to let one "I told you so" out and kept my mouth shut after that.

The whole process took less than 2 hours. I somehow feel I wasted my half-day leave as we were done by 9AM and we were unsuccessful in securing a passport for Basti. At least it was a lesson learned.

I just wish that DFA would update their website to include current information regarding passport application. They should have indicated that machine readable passports are no longer being issued and personal appearance of children is MANDATORY. Moreover, I hope that they would do something about their customer service hotline as apparently, it's not working.

They should also have a special lane for children and the elderly and they can still improve in pointing the people on where to go. Visible signs can help A LOT.

Basti enjoying his food

2010-03-21T20:45:00.001+08:00

Here's another video of Basti enjoying his food.

Videos of Basti shooting hoops

2010-03-21T19:39:00.002+08:00

The makings of a future basketball MVP:

Here's another one:

Vote for Basti!

2010-03-10T20:31:00.003+08:00

This is the first contest that my son has joined.We just bought him a pair of Elmo Polliwalks at last Saturday's Kidsexpo and the stall owners said that they have a contest wherein the kid with the most number of like votes in Facebook wins a special prize.

So, please help Basti win by doing the following:

1. You need to be a facebook member. Go to www.facebook.com
2. Search: polliwalks philippines. You have to be a fan in order to vote.
3. Look for Basti in the album Polliwalks Philippines's Photos - kids expo. Or click on this link in order to go to Basti's photo directly.
4. Click on LIKE

Contest will run for 1 week and the winner gets a special prize from Polliwalks Philippines.

What are you waiting for? VOTE NOW! :)