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.