goodbye 2007

dati, pag ganitong new years eve, ngarag na ako. hindi na mapakali, my hands shake, my heart beats a mile a minute---a panic attack, seriously! after midnight strikes, i'm curled up in my bed, pillows soaking wet with tears for no real reason. i was like this since i became a teenager up until maybe 4 or 5 years ago. i don't know why, but the holiday blues hit me like a ton of bricks on new year's eve.

but new year's have gotten better. i no longer cry, although sometimes i still feel the hands shaking and the heart beating fast. nalalabanan ko na ung ano mang blues ang umaatake pag ganitong panahon.

so now that 2008 is upon us, i just want to thank the Lord for all the wonderful blessings He has given me in 2007--a promotion, paul's job, michelle's 1st birthday, our church wedding in the philippines, healing, my friends, my parents' health, our 2nd wedding anniversary....there are so much more to be thankful for. i know that the year ahead has a lot more in store. madami pang trials and blessings na darating. but one thing i know for sure is that the Lord our God is faithful and He will always be there every step of the way.

i pray for 2008 to be the year of a big spiritual leap for me and my family. i pray that our faith in the Lord will become stronger and we will get to know Him more than we did before.

seattle trip

this blog has been sitting here waiting to be published....

on saturday and sunday, paul, michelle and i visited family in seattle. it was good to see them and spend time with them. seattle is colder and wet-er than an already soaking portland. but i love the public market and watching the fish tossed around at pike place fish market.

whenever you visit family, there's always tons of food and eating involved. masarap pa naman mag luto ang tita ko and my cousins so we ate and ate and ate.

thank you sa mga pinsan ko for a great trip to seattle! we will be back for a longer stay, hopefully when it's not cold nor raining...tapos punta tayong vancouver!!!

2nd cousins, ryza and michelle

with lolo rollie (my dad's younger bro)

in front of the first starbucks coffee shop

all bundled up at the public market

waiting for the fish to be tossed at pike place

relaxing at my cousin's home

her little einstein friends always following her around

portland's domestic diva

kahapon, we braved the rain and drove 45 minutes so i can get a pair of jeans at woodburn. the pants are too big (one size larger than what i usually wear) but for 7.99, it was a steal. i bought a few other things and michelle bought a stroller and a new baby doll (para isakay sa stroller). feeling ng anak ko nanay narin sya. she's still a little bit under the weather. makulit, lakad ng lakad, hingi ng hingi ng grapes (pssss, psss that's how she calls 'em). last night we had dinner with gracious and jay at india palace. masarap naman. we had chicken tikka masala, shrimp masala, eggplant bhartha, and fish vindaloo. para sa akin mas masarap parin sa naan n curry at mas down to earth pa. paul likes the masala here though.

today naman, kung kelan tumila ang ulan, that's when we decided to just stay home. namalengke lang kami sa winco and then bought a jacket for michelle at target. she didn't have a jacket that suits this kind of weather e.

i cooked...and will still cook. i have to make pasta for tonite. i already made chicken in golden mushroom sauce, pinakuluan ko na yung pang fried chicken ni paul. i have to do the dishes...kaso tinatamad na ko so sa dish washer nalang sila. the house is a mess! michelle throws everything all over the place. nakakapagod pala maging stay at home wife and mother!

bukas, weather permitting, pupunta kami ng seattle to visit family. atat na atat na daw ang pinsan ko so kailangan hindi mag snow.

parang walang kalatuy latuy ang blog ko. wala lang akong magawa. i'm taking a break from being a domestic diva. blog diva muna ako ngayon.

paul's opinion of ozumo

so he liked it. i think more than he cared to admit. but he doesn't like the idea of spending $$$ for food. this is our most expensive dinner yet. buti nalang mabait ang Lord! hehe my big boss gave me $150 to dine here. paul and i only had to pay an extra $50. busog na busog kami and we brought home a dragon roll and yellowtail sashimi for my dad to try. my mom isn't into sushi or sashimi so wala kaming uwi for her. hehe

paul LOVED the short ribs though. i cracked up when i saw his face when he first bit into it.

paul: pano ko kakainin to e wala man lang binigay na knife sa akin?
(he then proceeds to pick up the boneless piece of meat with his chopsticks, take a small bite, and biglang nanlaki ang mata nya)
paul: grabe di na pala talaga kailangan ng knife! sobrang lambot. sarap!

it was really good! ako naman inorder ko yung scallops with mushroom risotto (parang di na japanese no?) the small plates/hot food is contemporary japanese...so medyo fusion sya ng kung ano ano pang cuisine. the sushi and sashimi is of course predominantly japanese.

this is still number 1 in books. pero it really is expensive so talagang paminsan minsan lang dapat ang punta dito. =)

christmas gift

paul handed me his christmas gift when he arrived last nite. i was actually able to resist and didn't open it until this morning. alam ko na kung ano yung gift kasi i requested that from him months ago so wala ng surprise surprise. it was so pretty in it's blue box with a red bow. di ko na kuhan ng litrato hehe. i wore it to dinner tonight. siguro paul thought that they were just simple jewelry. but when i wore it kanina, he said, 'wow! ang ganda pala!' hehehe

here it is:

may katerno syang bracelet but i didn't ask for it. it's very pretty when you see it on. it can dress up even a tanktop. it can be worn on a night out or to the office. very versatile. i love it!!!

places i'd rather be...

paul's flight home is 2 hours delayed so i'm stuck here waiting for him to call me para masundo ko na sya sa bart station. nakatulog na ang anak nya kakahintay.

so i thought i'd write down places i'd rather be right now or places i would love to visit soon:

morrocco (because i've always wanted to go since i saw casa blanca [number one on my list])
machu pichu (because i have to go before i am old or else i wont survive the trek)
greece (because i have never seen water so blue)
egypt (because it's interesting)
hawaii (because i've never been)
paris (because chel and t said i will fall in love with this place)
aman pulo (because it seems like the ultimate place to relax)
italy (to visit my relatives again and an excuse to visit venice and buy more murano glass)
the great barrier reef (because i want to go scuba diving)
new zealand (because i know my husband wants to go)
disneyland (because it's the happiest place on earth and so michelle can meet mickey)

babalik!!!

paul and i are going on a date at ozumo tomorrow night!


yey!!!

the scent of a woman

I have allergies so my nose is very sensitive to perfume so I’m very picky with the scent that I wear.

My two favorites have been miracle by lancome (I must have gone through 5 bottles) and white tea by bulgari (1 bottle lang pero I really like the scent). The white tea I bought shortly after I gave birth to michelle. I used the very last drop just last week. Like I said, since i have allergies, I don’t wear too much perfume so 1 bottle usually lasts for 1 year.

I read that Nicole kidman almost lost her endorsement deal with chanel because she prefer’s jo malone over no. 5. it was reported that Nicole would spray jo malone in between takes when filming. She of course denied, sued the newspaper company, won, kept her deal with chanel and probably wears jo malone when no one is looking.

So I decided to give jo malone a shot.

Mabango! Very mild and sweet. Jo malone has atleast 15 scents to choose from which you can combine to create your own signature scent.

Since I can’t afford to buy 2 bottles dahil may kamahalan sya, I decided to get one bottle of the blue agava and cacao cologne - Inspired by the artistry of flamenco, Blue Agava & Cacao is an impassioned scent. Notes of blue agava and cardamom are sharpened with sea salt in a lush introduction. Sensual cacao underscores the scent, creating a pulse that provokes the senses.

I really love the scent. It’s sweet and mild. Tomorrow I’m going to combine it with the free samples that I got when I bought this at Bloomingdale’s.

This morning, I im’d chel:
Almira: chel, lam mo what this scent reminds me of?
Chel: ano??
Almira: hehe
Almira: amoy yakult!!! Amoy akong yakult!!!! LOL

Pagkamahal mahal, yakult lang pala ang kaamoy! Haha! I’m not kidding tho, it does remind me of yakult but of course it doesn’t really smell like it. If it did, chel would surely tell me kasi paborito nya ang yakult and ________ combo nilang magkapatid when they were kids. (sikwet!)

I smell the mild hints of the cacao when I take a whiff of the cologne. It’s sweet almost like vanilla without being too strong. Naisip ko, this cologne is like wine. Minsan kasi may wine that tastes like pears even when they are not made with pears…I’ve had wine that tasted like honey. jo malone has created fragrances that gives one the freedom to express herself in a scent she will love.

For me, this is a real winner.

restaurant review: ozumo

You have not had sushi until you’ve had ozumo’s

A colleague was in town from Chicago so we took her to dinner. She visits the office about every 2 or three months and since she mentioned the last time she was in town that she likes sushi, we took her to what people say is the best Japanese restaurant in san Francisco .

I drove to the restaurant after doing a bit of christmas shopping at the Westfield. I valet parked my car so I don’t have to look around for parking. It wasn’t terribly expensive anyway so it was worth every penny especially on a cold san Francisco night. When I arrived, the rest of my party was already at the bar having drinks. It was myself, my boss, and our guest.

When I first walked in, I was not too thrilled about their lounge/bar. It was too dark and too loud for my taste. But I knew we were not going to hang out here for long since it was already 5:20 pm (we had a 530 reservation). We were just waiting for the main restaurant to open up. I caught my first glimpse of the main dining area when I went to the restroom- the dining area was very clean, sleek, bright and modern (without trying too hard). I also saw the staff being briefed by the manager on the night’s menu.

I had a glass of wine at the bar…a chardonnay from Monterey , ca. it was ok…just something to sip while we waited. We were promptly seated at 530 and we ordered edamame and miso soup to begin. These are two Japanese staples, so any restaurant that does not have decent edamame or miso soup should be promptly shut down. The miso soup was the same miso soup we get from my [demoted] old favorite Japanese restaurant – spiral ( san bruno ). I don’t think ozumo’s miso is worth the $4 that it is but I’m not to complain.

I always like to check out a restaurant’s menu before I go. I was thinking of getting something from the small plates menu so I could try a different kind of Japanese food. But when we got there, my mind changed and I was up for anything. We decided to stick with sushi and sashimi for the rest of the night.

For our sashimi plate, we ordered 5 pieces of each: yellow tail (13), sweet prawn (14), and wild salmon (13)

after my first bite into a slice of yellow tail sashimi, I found sashimi heaven. I am not a big fan of sashimi like my husband, dad, and best friend are. I eat sashimi but I just have 1 or 2 slices of fish and that’s it for me. But the sashimi at ozumo was so fresh, it literally melts in your mouth. I have not tasted fish so fresh here in san Francisco . Back in the Philippines , the seafood is always fresh and usually still breathing when you go to the market early enough in the morning. I had several of the yellow tail and i tried one of the sweet prawns too but it was too slimy for my taste. It was also extremely fresh but the texture is what turned me off. I didn’t touch the salmon because I’m not a fan of salmon…raw or cooked they are not at the top of my list.

Then we had 5 different kinds sushi – ozumo roll (hamachi, tuna, shiso over California roll), spicy scallop roll (scallop, kaiware, and cucumber), spider roll (soft shell crab, tobiko, kaiware, and cucumber), a sushi with mango, jalopeno, lobster and tuna and another one with tuna that I can quite remember (obviously not my number one favorite). They were all amazing! The flavors just explode in your mouth. A perfect example is the sushi with lobster (a whopping $22 for 1 order of 4 pieces). This is not your everyday sushi. The outside of the roll has toasted black sesame seeds that taste nutty. when you take your 1 big bite, you taste the nuttyness, then the sweetness from the mango, the saltiness of the lobster and the warmth of the jalopeno. it’s crazy good!

They also have one of the best cocktails I have ever tasted. It’s called Akatsuki and it has La Pinta pomegranate tequila, triple sec, lime juice, and sour mix. It was sooo good and so smooth, I was tempted to order another one…but I had to drive back home and I don’t want to drink and drive. After my first sip of akatsuki, the wine I was nursing from the bar was ignored. I don’t get a good night’s sleep when I have alcohol in my system and also this being a business dinner-it’s best to stick to one or two drinks and stay sober!

For dessert…of course! I have to indulge! I had the warm choco-azuki mochi. If you’ve never had mochi, it’s a Japanese ice cream ball wrapped in a thin layer of something like our own palutang (or palitaw however you want to call it). Ozumo’s version of mochi is flat rounds of mochi at the botton of your ice cream bowl with warm chocolate and sweet red beans (yes, matamis na munggo) and a scoop of green tea ice cream. I used to not like green tea ice cream but ozumo’s was great. The serving size was perfect for 1 person…just one good-sized scoop of ice cream with all of ozumo’s fixins. =)

It was food heaven last night. This is truly one of the best japanese restaurants—not that I have been to many because we’ve been going to spiral for at least 5 years. Spiral is still a favorite---decent Japanese food that won’t burn a hole in your pocket. Ozumo, though, takes Japanese food on a different level. This lengthy post does not do the food justice. I plan on bringing my family here at the end of January. The price will be a turn off for my parents but it’s an indulgence that I think every Japanese food lover should take.

Back to reality: parang ang sosyal masyado no? kasi sa trabaho ko, I get to visit places like this ng hindi ako nagbabayad! (ay jologs pala yung sumulat!) lahat yan company ang magbabayad. We paid $241 for 3 people plus tip. Pati yung valet parking ko, company magbabayad non! Hehe pero even if this wasn’t a business dinner and I had to pay with my own money, pupunta parin ako dito. Gusto ko nga sana sa sabado magpunta na ulit para matikman ni paul e. =) sana makapunta kami. Sana mabasa to ng asawa ko at mag aya sya heheh =)

christmas gift

I’m thinking about what to get the Lord for His birthday. What do you get someone who owns EVERYTHING? Because he does own everything doesn’t mean he does not deserve to receive anything on this special day.

So on this, his 2000th something birthday, what is it that he would like?

1. more time spent with him in prayer – I know I haven’t spent as much time with him as I should. Although he knows everything there is to know about my life, I still have to pray to him and confide in him everything that I feel. I have to thank him for blessing me with so much and for his gift of salvation. I want him to know that I am proud to bear his name (a Christian) and I will continue to walk with him in love and faith.

2. more time spent in praise and worship – He has given me the gift of a singing voice and I should use it more for his kingdom. So this Christmas (December 23rd actually) I will sing for the lord again. I used to be part of the church’s music ministry. The last time I sang at church was in may. It’s been difficult to find time because I have to take care of michelle. But I should start singing more kahit pa isa isang kanta lang and on my own time at home.

3. to spread the good news of jesus Christ and to tell the world about his love – how? Through this blog, I am able to reach out to friends and relatives that I don’t talk to on a regular basis…this is one way to keep all of them up to date on the wonderful things god has done in my life. I should also live this life as pleasing sacrifice to the lord. Let my actions reflect the goodness of the God whom I faithfully serve. Like Andrew’s mom said, ‘your life may be the only bible people will read.’ So if you or anyone were to read the pages of my life (like you do when you read this), I have to make sure that on every page, through my life’s peaks and valleys, I have to make sure that you don’t miss god’s hand at work and how I put my trust in him and how he never fails.

4. give to the poor – the lord said in his word ‘Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his deed. Proverbs 19:17’ so this Christmas, I will give to those who are in need. This doesn’t have to be just money or material things…poor doesn’t only mean lacking any of those things. It could be a teenager who needs a mentor, or a kid needing help with homework, or an elderly who needs a hand with groceries. It can be a multitude of ‘things’ people need and if I have the ability to help them, then I will.

This is a short list pero I pray, that everything I do be all for his glory. The words of this song is my gift to the Lord. I pray that you, too, may find the heart to offer your life to the Lord.

All that I am, all that I have

I lay them down before you O Lord

All my regrets, all my acclaim

The joy and the pain, I'm making them yours

Chorus:

Lord I offer my life to You

Everything I've been through

Use it for your glory

Lord I offer my days to You

Lifting my praise to You

As a pleasing sacrifice

Lord I offer You my life

Things in the past, things yet unseen

Wishes and dreams that are yet to come true

All of my hopes, all of my plans

My heart and my hands are lifted to You

hitting the books again

On Wednesday, I went to golden gate university to inquire about their mba program. It’s something that I’ve decided to do since joining Merrill and yet have put it off for the past 4-something years.

Before I went to ggu, I was browsing through their website and was playing with the idea of going for a degree in law instead. I’ve always dreamed about being a lawyer…a dream that I’ve put off since I started dreaming about it (weird, yes). Since mbas are easier to get than a law degree, I decided to shoot for something more realistic. After all, I have work and family to juggle along with school. I know lai will again be disappointed (she really wants me to be a lawyer) but law school will have to wait at least 3 more years. It’s a dream I haven’t really given up on and something that I still want to accomplish. Maybe when michelle starts going to school I can explore this further.

Back to the mba…so I need to take the GMAT and get a decent score before I’m fully accepted into the program. I plan on taking the exam in march and I’ve already ordered study materials on amazon. Then I have to take a college-level algebra class as a prerequisite to one of the first 6 mba classes I need to take. This is something that I dread more than taking the gmat. I’m not good in math that’s why I tried to avoid taking them in college. But we’ll see how I do now that I really have to take it. I’ll seek help from 2 of the math wizards that I know: my dear husband and my dear friend lai.

long story short, i plan on starting the mba program in may.

absent nanaman!

napakaswerte ko at napakabait ng boss ko! simula ng thanksgiving week, i must have been out of the office at least 3 times. hindi pa kasama dun yung umuuwi ako ng maaga.

kasi naman since then michelle has been sick, on and off. she went through a battery of tests: 2 blood tests, chest xray, ct scan at echo cardiogram. grabe! ayaw na makakita ng white coat ng anak ko dahil na trauma na yata sa mga pinagdaanan nya.

yung blood test ang pinaka mahirap. sobrang liit pa kasi ni michelle so hindi pa masyadong kita yung ugat nya. the first time they did this, unang tusok, wala. so they switched to the other arm...dun may nakita sila at lumabas ang dugo. the next day kinun ulit sya ng dugo. tapos yung chest xray, parang nilagay sa clear na plastic na cylinder si michelle para hindi makagalaw. nakaluhod sya at nakataas ang dalawang kamay. para bang pinarurusahan! haaaaay! dun sa blood test at chest xray, lagi nya sinasabi, 'mommy, nana! mommy nana!' she says 'nana' to mean 'wala na'. pero when she was saying that through out her tests i knew she meant 'tama na!' kawawa naman ang bata! but it's better to be safe than sorry.

tapos yung ct scan nya. dapat fasting sya. pag gising na paggising, nahingi na ng dede, syempre di pwede. fasting nga e. e sobrang dami pang palpak sa kaiser so yung ct scan nya na scheduled at 8:40 am e naging 11 am! una, we had to fill out paper work pa pala. tapos binigyan sya ng pampatulog na hindi umepek. pampakulit yata yung nilagay nila kay michelle! lalong kanta ng kanta at turo ng turo ng mga bago nyang nakikita. so they had to give her something stronger. naka alis kami ng kaiser 130 na. hindi lang si michelle ang gutom na gutom, pati kami ni paul kumakalam na ang tiyan.

yung echo nya naman hindi masyado intrusive. medyo nag enjoy pa nga sya kasi nanonood sya ng elmo habang tinitingnan yung heart nya.

why all these tests?? kasi sinabi ko sa doctor na parang ang laki laki ng tiyan ni michelle and they checked and determined that her liver and her spleen are larger than normal. so they did all those tests to determine if there is anything wrong. negative naman lahat ng tests nya except for a small pneumonia sa left lung nya yata kaya they prescribed antibiotics. so they figured that the reason why malaki ang spleen at liver is because of her pneumonia--which happens a lot i was reassured by her doctors and my aunt who's also a doctor. they did the echo naman kasi during the ct scan, napansin nila na parang may fluid naman daw sa puso. it could be one of two things, either may tubig nga sa heart or gumalaw lang sya noong ct scan kaya parang may kakaiba silang nakita. so to rule out the former, they suggested the echo.

buti nalang may health insurance kami. imagine, if we didn't have health insurance and we had to get all those tests done for her, we would spend about $1,000. napakamahal magkasakit dito sa amerika---the only industrialized nation in the world without universal healthcare for it's citizens! (i don't want to get into this, this is a whole separate entry!)

4 days after getting off on antibiotics, eto nanaman ang ubo't sipon nya. at dahil tinanggal na sa lahat ng shelves ang cough and cold medicine for children under 2, wala ka ngayon mabibiling gamot unless mag prescribe ang doctor. e ang mga doctor naman dito e hindi magpeprescribe ng kahit ano hangga't hindi lumalala ang sakit. gusto ko nga sabihin non sa doctor, 'kung binigyan nyo kagad ng gamot ang anak ko, hindi na magiging pneumonia yan!' hmmf! no use arguing so tahimik lang ako. so eto, noong tuesday, nagsimula ng magka sinat si michelle. buti my mom was off ng tuesday and wednesday. pero wednesday night, nagising si michelle ng 11:30 pm...inaapoy ng lagnat! kinuha ko yung temperature nya and it registered at 102F. sumuka pa si michelle. tapos 4:30 am ang taas parin ng lagnat. pano ka naman dadalin sa day care ng ganon yung anak ko? so call in nanaman ako sa work. haaaay!infant tylenol lang pwede ko ibigay sa kanya until dumating yung gamot na padala ng aunt ko from illinois. buti meron akong tiyahin na doctor na pwede magpadala ng gamot.

she's sleeping right now. she stayed in bed pretty much the whole day, just lying down, singing, calling for her dad. begging me to have her watch little einsteins. (i gave in once) *sigh* ang bait naman ng babysitter ni michelle nag luto ng molo and she saved some for michelle dahil alam nyang gusto yon ni michelle. dinaan ko kanina and pinakain ko. she's eating fine, she's taking her milk. but her eyes look tired. (mommy's tired too.) she only took a nap kanina for 45 minutes...usually mga 2 to 3 hours yan kung mag nap. buti natulog ulit ngayon. i'm sure she'll be fine tomorrow. i don't want to miss work any more kasi nahihiya talaga ako sa boss ko. i don't want him to think i'm taking advantage of his being so understanding. i kept laying my hands on her and declaring healing sa buo nyang katawan. gagaling na sya in the name of jesus!

restaurant review: perbacco

we took a colleague of ours to lunch at perbacco. it was a convenient walk from our building and an alternative to our old favorite, tadich grill. perbacco has been voted as one of the top 100 restuarants in the city so i wanted to give it a shot.

the place is small, but they were able to make the most out of every square inch of the space. the staff was friendly we were quickly seated (we had an 11:30 am reservation). i ordered the frito misto of rock shrimp as my appetizer and the sea bass with wild mushroom for my entree.

the frito misto was a combination of fried cut up rock shrimp, olives, green beans. everything tasted fishy. i didn't like it very much. there was only a few pieces of rock shrimp so i ate those and left the veggies on the plate. the lemon aioli was too sour.

the entree was a good size. the fish was a little on the salty side but combined with the wild mushroom and the few bites of potato that i had, it was actually ok.

the dessert was the highlight of the meal for me. i had the warm chocolate souffle cake with hazelnut gelato. it was delicious! the cake was moist, not too sweet. it was perfect with the hazelnut gelato. i would come back to this restaurant just to have this dessert.

over all, i didn't like perbacco. i wouldn't go back there again unless to eat the chocolate souffle. service is great but you don't go to a restaurant for the service. i'll pick tadich grill any day over this restaurant.

kooza!

Saturday, November 24, paul and I took my parents to see cirque du soleil’s kooza.

Madrama pa sa una, because my mom expressed early in the morning that she’d rather stay home with michelle and we can watch without her.

Violent reaction from me!

I decided, I will stay home to be with michelle and the three of them can go.

Violent reaction from paul!

Of course he doesn’t want to go to the show with his in-laws without me.

Turned out, michelle felt fine the whole day. No ‘suka’ incidents which plagued her for two weeks. The four adults of the 3rd floor enjoyed the show.

My parents enjoyed it so much they said, ‘dapat manood tayo taon taon!’ hehe I’m glad they had fun. The tickets were not cheap kahit na yung pinaka mura na yung binili ko but I think it’s money well spent. I told my parents we should see a show each time we’re in vegas because they have about 5 shows on the strip. There was one part of the show where my heart was doing flips sa sobrang kaba ko for the performers.

this is the photo of the performance that thrilled me.
Tumatakbo sila sa labas ng ring na yan at nagjujump rope while they are outside the circle and spinning 40 feet above the ground. Matindi!!! That was my favorite part of the show.

sleeping baby

catching some zzzzzzs

holiday party outfit

this outfit with these accessories

bracelet and earrings since the outfit wont really go with a necklace

doggy dilemma

jean will hate me for writing this blog (maybe PETA, too) but it has to be said...

a cop knocked loudly at our front door about half an hour ago.
'ma'am, do you have a dog in your backyard?' said the she-cop.
'yes officer.' i replied.
'is your dog barking?' she asked.
i wanted to say, no he 'meows!' of course the dog barks!
i looked towards the back of the house and said, 'well he's not barking now.'
'your neighbors are complaining about your dog's constant barking in your backyard.' she said.
'ok, i'll let the dog in. thank you.' i said in surrender.

JOBBBBBBBBBIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

we've had this dog almost as long as we had the house. it was allan's gift to charmagne. NO ONE IN THE HOUSE WAS PLEASED TO SEE THE GIFT. it has been a constant battle to get him out. WE DO NOT WANT HIM IN THE HOUSE! mahirap alagaan. everyone in the house works. he hangs out in the backyard where he barks at every moving creature he sees, thus, the neighbors are complaining. it's only a pomeranian but it barks louder than a pitbull. matatakot ang pitbull sa lakas tumahol ng asong to! he was cute when he was a pup, but no longer. cham doesn't have the time to bathe him, doesn't have time to clean up after him. the deck is his toilet/playground (gross, yes gross!!!). he had fleas one time and the fleas managed to climbed to the third floor and hang out in my bed where they bit me! yes, i still have scars to prove it. i knew they were fleas cause i actually caught one of them on my bed! i was not a happy camper!

this is not the first time a cop knocked on our door to tell us about the dog. siguro third time na to. kailangan din naming makisama sa mga kapitbahay. there hasn't been any benefit to us having a dog downstairs so we have to let go of the dog. when cham gets her own house and when she has time to care for the dog, she can get all the dog she wants. but now, the dog has to go. it really has to go!

it's obvious i'm not much for pets. i don't have anything against them nor the people that love them to pieces. but having a pet is like having a baby that will never grow up to take care of itself and so it's HARD WORK! right now, a dog doesn't fit into this home.

i don't want to put the dog down. we should try to find him a loving home (if you're interested, send me a note!) . one that will nurture him back to his beautiful self and hopefully train him to meow so his new neighbors wont complain.

my boring wardrobe

i was looking at my friends' photos on friendster and narealize ko na napaka boring ng wardrobe ko!

even before i had a baby and i was slimmer, hindi ko nagwang ma-spice up ang wardrobe ko. hindi ko alam kung bakit. siguro i just don't have the eye for style. it's not that i dont want to try the latest fashion, because i really want to. pero when i go to the mall, napupunta lang ako lagi dun sa mga 'boring' na styles. hindi naman ako mukhang jologs most of the time, pero hindi rin ako fashionable.

haaaay! once i reach my target weight, i'll buy a whole new wardrobe!!!



beb, ok lang? hehehe

no lemonade today

yes, i ate.

i broke my diet because i felt like i've hit a plateau. no excess lbs lost in the last 3 days so i broke the diet and decided i'll start again either tomorrow or sunday just to trick my body. i've actually lost between 4 to 5 lbs. napapansin na sa office ang unti unti kong pagpayat. i still have a little over 10 lbs to lose and i'll be at my ideal weight na. hopefully by january ma meet ko na yung goal na yon. better yet, sa pasko!

i had to go home early from work again today. michelle has been terribly sick. when i got home, ingit sya ng ingit. like she was in a lot of pain. she doesn't want to walk...she just wants to be held or lie down. her nurse advised saltine crackers, chicken noodle soup and water. i made a trip to target and got her what her nurse prescribed plus yogurt, pedialyte, infant's multivitamins, and infant's tylenol. she started to take a few bites of her crackers but they were dry so she'd start coughing again. so sinusundan ko ng tubig na may konting patak ng vitamins nya. i'm surprised she drank any of it. tapos sinundan ko ng pedialyte para di sya dehydrated. she hasn't eaten anything since last nite. basta kumain or dumede sya, she throws it all up. nung di na nya sinuka yung mga binigay ko sa kanya, i started to feed her yogurt. she loved it so much ang bilis nya naubos. siguro nag enjoy din sya kasi i let her spoon feed herself. inalalayan ko lang ng konti so she wouldn't make a big mess.

soon after that, she was lively na. naglalakad na ulit at kumakanta. medyo iyakin pa ng konti pero so much better than how she felt during the last week. salamat sa aking ever dearest mother at nag call in sick sya today just to take care of michelle. nahiya na kasi ako sa boss ko dahil di na ako pumasok noong monday dahil nga may sakit si michelle. so ngayon may utang akong isang araw na sweldo sa nanay ko. hehehe

walang magawa

1. fave street food?- isaw at ulo ng manok!
2. fave pasta?- filipino style spaghetti
3. fave food pag summer?- halo-halo
4. fave food pag umuulan?- champorado with tuyo
5. fave food pag nanonood ng sine?- curly fries with chicken fingers sa metreon. nakaka miss. haven't been there in over a year
6. fave shake?- oreo cookie shake, vanilla, strawberry, mango
7. fave night-out drink?- cosmopolitan, chardonnay
8. favorite softdrinks?- diet coke
9. fave food pag nasa beach?- inihaw na seafood at inihaw na baboy...tapos naka kamay ka...sarap! reminds me of island hopping sa boracay
10 . fave drink/food pag galit?- wala
11 . fave cuisine?- filipino, thai, italian, japanese, indian (halatang malakas ako kumain no?
12. fave dessert?- fried banana with ice cream
13. fave breakfast?- longsilog
14 . fave kind of chocolate?- basta european chocolate hehe mas masarap kesa american e
15 . fave food na iniihaw?- kasama ba isaw dito? isaw at hipon
1 6. fave food na may sabaw?- sinigang
17 . gusto mong handa sa birthday mo?- basta masarap at hindi ako ang nagluto! para naman makapahinga no
18. best place to have coffee?- peet's coffee and tea
19 . saan sulit kumain pag gutom?- sa spiral. pag may inaya kami dun, hindi na tatanggi
20. best palaman sa tinapay?- chicken salad ni mommy
21. favorite ice cream flavor?- rocky road ng haagen daz. i love the marshmallow swirl!
22 . milo or ovaltine?- neither. pareho ako di nainom non
23 . pagkain na hindi mo kakainin?- ung buhay pa! hehehe (visions of bizarre foods with andrew zimmern flashes before my eyes)

4 days of lemonade

so i started my 'diet' by breaking it!

the past 4 days i should only be having this lemonade concoction but i could not stand being without solid food. i would have a bite here and there of whatever is infront of me. i still hardly ate anything but i think that's the reason why i've only lost 2 lbs in 4 days. magreklamo pa ba daw? i know 2 lbs already sounds like a lot when i've only been doing this for 4 days...pero kasi inexpect ko by this time i'm already 5 lbs lighter.

tomorrow, i'm gonna try to go completely without solid food. and i'll try to keep it up until the day my husband gets home from oregon.

ang nakakainis lang talaga when i start to lose weight, sa mukha unang nakikita. syempre violent reaction kagad ang parents ko na kesyo malamlam daw mata ko and maputla daw ako. e kasi, wala akong make-up at wala akong tulog dahil michelle has been sick again. =( di nanaman nga ako pumasok e. i feel so bad i didn't go to work again but michelle gets really clingy pag masama pakiramdam. chel would not have been able to handle her kung silang dalawa lang maiiwan dito sa bahay.

anyway, i hope to lose more weight before thanksgiving para magulat din ang relatives! hehehe

my weekend at the beaver state (a.k.a. oregon)

I came home last night after spending the weekend in Portland where Paul now lives/works. I flew after work on Friday in a really cramped airplane by horizon air. There were probably about 100 passengers in this tiny tiny tiny aircraft…so tiny there’s no room in the overhead bin for carry-ons that are larger than a backpack. I traveled light (so proud of myself) with really just the essentials but I still carried a wheeled carry-on which they had to tuck under the plane just as we were boarding. Sa sobrang liit ng plane, I couldn’t even cross my legs properly. I’m not going to pull a ‘malou fernandez’ and rant about economy class seats (I’ve never flown biz or first class in all miles I’ve travelled in the air) pero sobrang sikip talaga nung eroplano! So I made a mental note to AVOID flying a plane that small again. Buti nalang on my flight back to san Francisco , I was upgraded ng konti to economy plus seats on united. I had 5 extra inches of leg room which made a whole lot of difference. I had a window seat, and an empty seat to my left so I had enough elbow room. I was wondering why I was upgraded. I’m guessing it’s because this is my 3rd flight on united in less than a month and a half. Maybe they noticed that I’m becoming a true frequent flier. =) bring on the perks!

This weekend I realized that eating out all the time is NO FUN! Friday night, we ate P.F. Chang’s. well, we ordered our food to go because there was a 45 minute wait just to be seated and paul and I were both starving. If we stayed, it will take another 30 minutes before we can get our food so take out was the best option. on Saturday, breakfast was the food at the hotel, lunch was food from ikea where we shopped for furniture and dinner was thai food from thai orchid. Sunday, breakfast was tuna sandwich (home made) and lunch was food from old Chicago . So 5 of the 6 meals I ate in Portland were restaurant food. When I got home last night, I was happy to eat chicken adobo and rice with my bare hands! Nothing’s better than comfort food!

Now I miss paul. We were exhausted from this weekend of running errands and building furniture but we had fun because we now have our ‘own place’ kahit na it’s 500 miles away from me. It’s really more like his bachelor pad-2 years late (we’re married 2 years now) but he’s not complaining. All the furniture is from ikea so we only spent about $1,100 to furnish the entire apartment. Buti nalang walang sales tax sa Oregon !

We missed michelle. Most of what we talked about was our growing love for this beautiful girl. Haaay. I’m sure miss na miss na ni paul and mini version nya.

Before I left Portland , I promised paul that he will come home for thanksgiving to a slimmer wife. He looked at me like I told him I was turning stone into bread, you should have seen his face! Of course I already have a plan in mind.

Enter: the master cleanser diet a.k.a. the lemonade diet. According to “The Master Cleanser,” Burroughs’s book, the lemon acts as a purifier and provides potassium, the cayenne pepper adds B and C vitamins and aids in circulation, and maple syrup, a sugar, provides energy and minerals. Burroughs suggested that fasters drink anywhere from 6 to 12 glasses of the stuff a day as well as a mixture of water and sea salt in the morning and an herbal laxative tea in the evening, to help aid in waste removal. (don’t imagine too much. It’s not a pretty picture)

My co-worker lost 17 lbs and gained a few back after he went off the diet but he’s happy with the results.

I was gonna start my lemonade diet tomorrow but because it’s ate t’s bday on Wednesday and michelle and i have been invited to have dinner with her family, I have to move it to Thursday and avoid questions from the camus family like, ‘why are you just having water when this bounty is before you?’ or ‘is this diet even safe?’ or a better remark I’d like to hear is, ‘you look great! You don’t need to lose weight!’

Of all the comments, the last one is the one I’m least likely to hear. So I’ll start my diet on Thursday. =) I’m hoping to lose at least 10 lbs. maybe then I’ll fit into the old halogen jeans that I absolutely love. (hindi ako maka 7 for all mankind, my hips are too much for $150 jeans. Dun ako sa mas mura!)

So ayan. I haven’t written anything in a looooooooong time. Hoping to write more in the coming days. =)

michelle's first trip to the pumpkin patch

we took michelle to her first (and ours too!) trip to a pumpkin patch. here are some of her photos:

mukha bang nag-enjoy sya?

more evidence at http://ynif209.multiply.com

he's moving out!

no, hindi kami maghihiwalay ni paul no! but he will be moving to oregon beginning next week. i'm happy for him that he's found a great job...one that allows him to do what he loves to do and also pa konswelo sa amin, he can come home every week and a half to be with his sexy wife and beautiful daughter.

we're looking for an apartment and a car and i'm making a list of every little thing he needs to get when he's there. susunod ako sa kanya next weekend to help him settle. hopefully he has an apartment by then para shopping to the max na kami.

God is Good!

paul got the job at intel! yun nga lang malayo sya, sa oregon pa. but his schedule works out na every 2 weeks, he is here in sf for 4 days. di na rin masama. =)

boring?

parang ang boring na ng blog ko.

suggestion naman dyan kung ano pwede ko isulat.

half book reviews

i started to read 'i don't know how she does it' and i can't pick it back up. it's a story about a working mom so feeling ko makakarelate ako at best seller daw ang book. hindi ko kayang tapusin. the story is weak and i just can't bring myself to finish reading the book.

so i move on to my next book....kite runner

this is a story about an afghan man and his recollection of his childhood. i'm half way through the book and i last read it about 5 days ago. before then, i could not put it down. but 5 days ago i read the disturbing part of the book and i was so disturbed and the image seems to flash before my eyes at random times that i just had to put it down muna. it's a good book. i would say one of the best i've read the last couple of years. it's not gross or scary. there's just one part that bothered me. i think i'm over reacting but i just want to sort of forget about it muna and let the images subside so they're not so vivid in my head. i don't want to reveal too much about the story but i highly recommend it to anyone who likes to read. especially now the the movie is finished and they're debating about a november or december release because they have to iron out some issues because of the sensitive part i was referring about.

curious?! basahin mo kasi yung libro!

our lives on display

with the internet and some of its hottest sites, people have decided to announce the current situation of their lives on line.

take friendster for example...do u realize na yung mga kaklase nyo noong elementary at high school or kung sino pang kaibigan nyo from so long ago, malalaman nyo nalang na break na pala sila ng boyfriend or girlfriend nila dahil hindi na 'in a relationship' ang status nila...or kung ang alam mo naman e kasal na, biglang 'it's complicated' or worse, 'single' na ulit sila.

meron ding iba na may inaaway sa mga pinopost sa bulletin! bakit kaya di nalang nila send-an ng message at dun nila awayin?

meron din shout out ang gamit para mang away. yell out ang ginagawa hindi shout out.

meron din blog naman ang gamit.

i wonder if it's more information than we need to know. kailangan ba talaga natin i-share yung mga ganong bagay sa buong mundo?

i mean, ok, siguro guilty rin ako dun in some way dahil i'm keeping a blog pero i try not to reveal every aspect of my life online. i'm scared of it's repercussions. there are too many people who have lost great opportunities, relationships, even jobs because of things they wrote or were written about them online. nowadays, you also have to be cautious of your actions...one drunken mistake at a bar and you could be the next big hit on youtube. hindi naman lahat tayo tulad ni paris hilton na kayang pasikatin ng internet 'no?!

this is just me, thinking out loud. nakaka bother kasi minsan yung mga nababasa ko online, especially from and about people i know personally.

i guess, we're all feeding an insatiable appetite for gossip. i love to read my friends blogs kasi it's one way to know what they've been up to. but none of my closest friends have written too much information online. if they did, i'll be the first to warn them and tell them to be careful.

hindi masama ang blog or friendster or myspace. kailangan lang siguro na maging maingat para walang pagsisihan later on. you'll never know when your past comes back to bite you in the @$$.

more on the cruise

habang tulog si michelle isusulat ko na yung iba pang kwento about the cruise...

we arrived in san diego before noon on thursday. medyo matagal yung shuttle that will take us to the port kasi madami pang pasaherong pinipick up. suggestion ko next time (and a tip to myself) would be to just catch a cab. it's a short ride lang naman and mas mabilis pa. mas mura parin tuloy.

madami lagi food. feeling ko tumaba ako sa cruise na yun dahil walang katapusan ang pagkain. i have not weighed myself in fear of what the scale would say. si michelle tumaba kaka-kain ng french fries tsaka ice cream.

the staff is the friendliest i have ever encountered anywhere. i guess kasi alam nila na dun nakasalalay ang income nila. we were told they don't make much and sa tip lang talaga sila nakakabawi. maraming staff ang galing sa p.i. they always took the time para makipagkwentuhan ng konti. madami rin nag ku-cruise na pinoy.

michelle was the most popular passenger on the ship. lahat ba naman sabihan ng hi! marami na nakakakilala sa kanya. tuwing dadaanan tuloy sya, sasabihin ng staff at guests, 'hi michelle!' (sabay wave).

sa mexico naman it was nice. malinis din...i guess kasi cabo san lucas is so americanized. almost everyone spoke english...or a form of english hehe. we had tacos at the beach. masarap pala talaga ang mexican food sa mexico! hihi hindi kami nakapag shop kasi sobrang init, dami namin bitbit tapos michelle was getting angsty dahil sa sand at dagat. sarap pa naman sanang magswimming dahil ok yung temperature ng tubig. yung sand hindi powder-y parang sa boracay. it's more like the sand in puerto galera...mas malalaki yung grains.

we really enjoyed our cruise and will definitely sail again. i wasn't too happy about our room so the next time we cruise i'll try to see if we can get a suite. hindi naman ganon kalaki yung difference e. next time siguro disney cruise ang try namin para talagang kid friendly. =) maybe we'll do this for michelle's 2nd bday instead na disneyland. =)

if you want to see pics from the cruise, please see http://ynif209.multiply.com

back to the real world

we got back from our cruise to mexico yesterday afternoon. it was a relaxing trip. michelle had the most fun kasi she had the entire ship as her playground. kami ni paul hindi masyado nakapanood ng mga shows at kung ano anong activities dahil most of them were at night so di namin pwede iwan si michelle.

the food was good. considering they have to prepare food enough to feed the 2,600 passengers. i didn't not expect michelin quality food pero i was surprised how good the food was.

some pics are on friendster. will upload more photos later on and will discuss the trip more in detail. michelle's acting up. dede daw. dede!

a mother's [funny] song

in a few years i will be singing the same song

(waving!!!)

mexico, here we come!!!

restaurant review: crustaceans

it was our second year wedding anniversary so paul and i decided to go out to dinner.

he picked crustacean which is an asian seafood restaurant (vietnamese) specializing in crab and garlic noodles. my co-workers and friends were raving about it. since paul and i have never dined there before, we decided to give it a shot.

parking is expensive and difficult to find anywhere in downtown san francisco. we valet parked our car for $9 which is not that expensive. we go up an old, slooooooooow elevator to get to the dining area. and boy! was i disappointed! the place is ancient and in desperate need of an over haul! still, i thought to myself that i should not judge a book by its cover. given i saw a number of people so early in the evening, there must be something about the place that draws the crowd. we were seated at a corner of the restaurant which is what i prefer. paul and i already had an idea what we were going to get. for appetizers, we had the grilled calamari and the mussels. they were both good, garlic-y, buttery and sweet. but i don't think they're worth the price we paid for them. $10.95 for 5 pieces of mussels, $10.95 for 6 pieces of small squid.

for our entree` we had the roast crab and tiger prawns with garlic noodles. now, this is what this restaurant is famous for. paul and i were prepared to be blown away by these dishes. i was told the prawns were as big as the palm of the hand that you'd think they were miniature lobsters on your plate. behold!!! they were just the larger-than-average shrimp we buy at manila oriental in south san francisco! my shrimp stayed in the oven 30 minutes longer than it should. i can't even bring myself to call them prawns anymore since they were tiny! the shrimp was tough and dry.

the crab, well, pretty much all of the dungeness crabs i've met and ate have all been decent sizes and last night's was no exception. we read in one of the reviews that the crab served there are frozen crab. i went to the restaurant not believing what i read. after all, this is san francisco. we would NEVER be served frozen dungeness crab when our bay abounds with these delicious critters. but whoa! the crab is indeed frozen! paul asked me, 'how do you know it was frozen when they serve it to you cooked?' see, my husband has never gone crabbing on the san francisco bay (we'll take him crabbing in november). so he has not tasted the sweetness of ultra fresh crab meat caught fresh from the pacific ocean. we go crabbing almost every season and bring home buckets of dungeness crab. (ooops! bawal nga pala manghuli ng dungeness unless you're a commercial fisherman!) my mom cooks the crab as soon as we get home to maintain its freshness and since i love crab, i could not resist eating one or two before going to bed. I KNOW WHAT FRESH CRAB TASTES LIKE! what we had last night was not fresh crab!

on to the garlic noodles which i expected to be so good because the recipe is kept under lock and key in their famous "secret kitchen". bleh! paul said, and these were his very words, "lasang lucky me pancit canton!" ha! my husband is not difficult to please when it comes to food. he does not cook. for him to say that the noodles taste like something he can buy from a filipino grocery store for a buck means something. the noodles are plain 'pancit canton' noodles soaked in butter, garlic and sugar. that's it. no veggies, no meat, nothing. just the noodles, plain and simple.

see, all the dishes we tried tasted the same. ingredients: butter (lots of butter!), garlic, and sugar. doesn't matter if it's squid, or mussels, or crab, or shrimp, or noodles....the only ingredients are butter, garlic and sugar.

for dessert, we had fried banana with ice cream and mango cheesecake. i was not given enough ice cream for my fried banana and the mango cheesecake tasted like the sara lee cheesecake you can buy at the supermarket. the extra work they did was to top it with diced mangoes and strawberries. nothing fancy.

i guess, after you read all i said above, it will come as no surprise if i say i am not spending my hard earned money in that restaurant again. I AM NOT SPENDING MY HARD EARNED MONEY AT CRUSTACEAN AGAIN.

everything we ate, i could have cooked at home for a fraction of the cost. i guess, non-asians don't really know what good asian food tastes like. i think, it's the prices that drives people there. jack up the price and give these americans a taste of the 'exotic' and they will buzz about it. i told my co-workers the food was good so that we don't burst their bubble. they were RAVING about it! serious raving! they seem to really like the restaurant so i don't want to get on their nerves by saying that i did not like the food. these people have not been to dampa or mandaragat or seaside where they can really appreciate fresh, delicious seafood. makes me proud of the philippines even more!

paul and i left the restaurant feeling robbed but with a full stomach. (yes, it was highway robbery, plain and simple) nabusog kami because we had to eat the food we were paying so much money for. given we were not happy with the food, it was still abeautiful evening for both of us. it was our 2nd anniversary and i could not have asked for a better food critic partner than my husband.

***

i just have to say this: don't eat at crustacean! you pay me, i'll cook it for you! =)

2 years ago...

we tied the knot at san francisco city hall exactly two years ago...

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY BEB!!!!!

i love you!

around town

pinasyal namin ang pinsan kong si rodney and his friend christian around town and it was a chance to take our new camera for a 'test drive'. ganda photos namin ni michelle, look!

ganda namin no? =D

more photos at http://ynif209.multiply.com

ngarag!

madaming beses na akong nakaramdam ng nangangarag ako...pero this morning, tumawag si husband dearie...

paul: beb, uwi ka na. dalin natin sa doctor si michelle. dumugo ang ilong.

mimie: ok sige uwi na ako. (hung up the phone)

i raced home to get to her as soon as i could. as i was driving, lumilipad ang utak ko. anong sakit ng anak ko? is it life threatening? will she be ok? and then i found myself saying to the Lord, 'heal her. i don't want anything to happen to her.'

my worst fears where put to rest immediately. as soon as i reached the top of the stairs, i could already hear michelle's voice in her usual 'kutata'. and as soon as she saw me, she smiled and said, 'hi!'. (aaaaaaw!) i called the hospital to check if we need to bring her in. i was told it wasn't neccessary unless she breaks out into a rash and her nose starts bleeding again. normal daw sa edad ni michelle ang lagnatin kahit di sinisipon or inuubo because they are succeptible to viruses and the nose bleed was due to the weather changing and the lack of humidity. common DAW to kids her age during this time of the year. continue lang daw to give her infant tylenol to make her feel better and saline spray sa ilong nya twice a day for 2 to 3 days. we have a pre-scheduled appointment to see her pediatrician tomorrow so we'll talk to her then. dapat sana babakunahan sya bukas, but since ilang araw na syang nilalagnat, i don't think they'll vaccinate her.

nakaka-kaba kapag may sakit ang anak. super taas ng lagnat nya last night, umabot ng 41C or around 103F. lahat kami kulang sa tulog dahil hindi sya makatulog ng maayos. pero i know that the Lord has already healed her. malikot na nga ulit e. =) iba talaga ang pagmamahal ng magulang, para sa anak.

my health and michelle's

So wala na nanaman akong ginawa kundi kumain over the weekend!

But I countered that by running 30 mins on the treadmill 3 times the last week with matching weight training. Resulta tuloy, ayun nga…para akong gutom na gutom! Haaaaay!

Gracious who is my partner in this crime is sticking to her diet and work out. I wont be surprised if she reaches her goal waaaaay before I do.

Sige, back to good behavior ulit ako. I’m kinda, sorta, enjoying my 30 mins sa treadmill naman e. nakakapagod nga lang! i ran again today for 30 mins straight. bukas gigising ako ng maaga and i'm going to lift weights, cook breakfast and prepare my lunch. i should be prepared to sacrifice a little bit of sleep if i really want to see results in 3 weeks.

michelle doesn't seem to be feeling well after paul and i ran our errands today. pag dating namin, naka higa lang sya sa kama namin with my mom. she didn't smile tapos hindi bumangon. she has a bit of a temperature and ang aga nakatulog. =( pina inom namin ng konting gamot. she's lying next to me dito sa kama right now and parang ang lalim nya huminga. i wonder why she's not feeling good all of a sudden.

sniffles

For the past two days, masama ang pakiramdam ko. I went home on Tuesday sneezing and reaching for the Kleenex countless times. When I woke up yesterday morning, my throat was all dry and it was hard for me to talk.

But since wala ang bossing ko sa work ngayon hanggang next week, I can not call in sick. Went to work and was ‘off’ the entire day. Today is only a little better. Pupunta akong walgreens later to get some cold medicine and some cough drops. My throat is scratchy and there’s a hint of an ‘inday garutay’ sounding voice.

Hindi ko tuloy mahalikan ng mahalikan si michelle dahil baka mahawa sya. She kept us up again last night, waking up at least 3 times…the third time, paul put her to bed with us, and then she was looking at me and she started to sing! Hehe singer talaga yung bata na yun! And then she fell back to sleep. Ipinag hehele lang pala ang sarili nya. She’s getting more and more adorable everyday. Gosh, I’m so in love with my daughter. This is how my parents must feel about me. It’s unbelievable!

michelle's first birthday

the day has finally arrived!

my daughter turned 1 year old yesterday. we celebrated on saturday by throwing her a swimming-mickey mouse themed party. she was fond of the water just last july but as of saturday, this is how she felt about it...

daddy!!!

daddy sabing ayaw ko sa pool!!!

mommy, get me out of here please!!!

at dahil ganito ang reaction nya, hindi namin alam ni paul how she's going to react when we go on the cruise at the end of the month where she will see nothing but water!

but she still had fun at her party (of course!). take a look!

hehe, i tricked them into getting me out of the pool!

ang wais ko no?

hmmm, this is yummy! what is this stuff?

aaaah! i remember the taste! ito lang kinakain ni mommy nung nasa tiyan nya pa ako!

ubos na yung ice cream? talaga???

fine! i'll just like my fingers! it still tastes like ice cream!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRINCESS MICHELLE!!!

more photos at http://ynif209.multiply.com

jevon's wedding

jevon got married on august 25 and i haven't blogged about it yet. =) the ceremony was short and sweet. the reception was superb! very elegant...sa four season's ba naman! all of us enjoyed the meal, the wine/alcohol, the music. hindi namin makalimutan yung ravioli which was the first course. kulang nalang, i-lick namin yung plate sa sobrang sarap!

here are some photos from the wedding...

more photos at http://ynif209.multiply.com

bag lady

i can't buy clothes (not yet at least).

i can't find shoes that i want (again, not yet).

but i found two bags that i want!!!!

voyager drawstring
this is what i'm getting muna. hehehe

estella large tote
mas mahal to so i'll get it next time

but the prices are cheap because my friend, ron, gets 75% off!!! yey!! more bags for the bag lady!!!!