i was saddened by the news of president corazon aquino's passing. the world has lost one great champion of democracy.
i have so much respect and admiration for her strength, courage, wisdom, and faith. there are few women in philippine history that have rightly gained the respect of the people not only in the philippines, but around the world. to say that she was an amazing woman is an understatement.
my prayers of comfort to family and friends she left behind. the whole world mourns with you.
Friday, July 31, 2009
supermarket
everytime michelle hears the word supermarket, or when she knows we're going to the supermarket, she reiterates our rules:
no balloons.
no toys.
no candy.
of course the rules go down the drain for her as soon as we walk in because she would say: 'look mommy a balloon! wow! a bouncy ball! m&ms mommy!' she wouldn't ask for them directly because she knows the rules but she will look at me with puppy dog eyes and i have to make sure she doesn't break down my resolve before we exit the supermarket.
she only gets her ways SOMETIMES.
no balloons.
no toys.
no candy.
of course the rules go down the drain for her as soon as we walk in because she would say: 'look mommy a balloon! wow! a bouncy ball! m&ms mommy!' she wouldn't ask for them directly because she knows the rules but she will look at me with puppy dog eyes and i have to make sure she doesn't break down my resolve before we exit the supermarket.
she only gets her ways SOMETIMES.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
what's next
any suggestion on what i should read next?
ayoko ng vampire, vampire. di ko sya feel.
i finished reading wicked on my train ride to and from oakland. i liked the musical better than i liked the book. maybe it was because i thought the book was too wordy...like maybe a good portion could have been eliminated and was unnecessary or maybe i was just rushing it kaya di ko sya natutukan ng husto. or baka mali that i saw the musical first before i read the book. basta. maganda ang book. mas maganda lang ang musical. =)
so what should i read next nga?
ayoko ng vampire, vampire. di ko sya feel.
i finished reading wicked on my train ride to and from oakland. i liked the musical better than i liked the book. maybe it was because i thought the book was too wordy...like maybe a good portion could have been eliminated and was unnecessary or maybe i was just rushing it kaya di ko sya natutukan ng husto. or baka mali that i saw the musical first before i read the book. basta. maganda ang book. mas maganda lang ang musical. =)
so what should i read next nga?
Monday, July 27, 2009
small victory
lost nearly 5 lbs from getting sick. there's always something to be thankful for!
20 more to go.
yikes!!
20 more to go.
yikes!!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Ponyo
i will be watching this with my daughter.
a twist on hans christian andersen's little mermaid. cute!
out next month. i am very curious.
the boss of me
on one hand...michelle is the boss of me.
that's how it is when you have kids. it's very rare that you get to do what you want. we parents still have the upper hand (most of the time), but who has the energy to debate and argue with a 3 year old?
i was enjoying my time with my parents while watching knowing on ppv when michelle calls from the master bedroom, 'mommy!!!!!' i get up and go in to ask her what she needs. 'mommy stay here.' do you argue with that? of course not. so now i'm stuck here in the room watching dragon tales on sprout. haaaaaay!
thank heavens for dvr, we are recording the movie as my parents watch it. saves us a trip to the video store, no late fees, and we can keep the movie until we want it. who knows when my boss will finally give me permission to watch the rest of the movie!
on the other hand, my boss is a real sweetheart.
she rests her head on my arm as i type this (and yes, it makes typing very difficult!). there are many times during the day when she'll kiss my hand, my cheek or wherever else she can kiss me and then she'll just smile. she's truly very sweet. we have our 'cuddle time', 'kwentuhan time', 'nosey nose', 'fish kiss' and many more moments that are especially ours. she knows how to apologize when she does something that's not acceptable. i try my best not to say, 'bad yan!' it's just me, but i don't want her to hear the word 'bad' all the time, then she'll use it and abuse it, then every little thing would be 'bad' like the answer to every question when she first learned the word 'no' was 'no'. so when she does something that i don't like...say, sticking her feet up my face for me to smell (yes, she does that and thinks it's funny). i say, 'michelle, stop that. that's very rude.' and she'll stop. madali naman sya pagsabihan and pakiusapan MOST OF THE TIME.
when she gets a scolding, she wont ask me if i'm upset or if i'm mad...she'll ask me if i'm happy. if i say no, she wont ask anymore questions. that means, 'galit talaga si mommy' and she'll back off. if i say yes to her question, she'll ask me to smile and if i smile that means, 'hindi na galit si mommy.' and she'll smile back at me or ask for a kiss and understand that she's already been forgiven.
elaborate sya magisip no?
that's how it is when you have kids. it's very rare that you get to do what you want. we parents still have the upper hand (most of the time), but who has the energy to debate and argue with a 3 year old?
i was enjoying my time with my parents while watching knowing on ppv when michelle calls from the master bedroom, 'mommy!!!!!' i get up and go in to ask her what she needs. 'mommy stay here.' do you argue with that? of course not. so now i'm stuck here in the room watching dragon tales on sprout. haaaaaay!
thank heavens for dvr, we are recording the movie as my parents watch it. saves us a trip to the video store, no late fees, and we can keep the movie until we want it. who knows when my boss will finally give me permission to watch the rest of the movie!
on the other hand, my boss is a real sweetheart.
she rests her head on my arm as i type this (and yes, it makes typing very difficult!). there are many times during the day when she'll kiss my hand, my cheek or wherever else she can kiss me and then she'll just smile. she's truly very sweet. we have our 'cuddle time', 'kwentuhan time', 'nosey nose', 'fish kiss' and many more moments that are especially ours. she knows how to apologize when she does something that's not acceptable. i try my best not to say, 'bad yan!' it's just me, but i don't want her to hear the word 'bad' all the time, then she'll use it and abuse it, then every little thing would be 'bad' like the answer to every question when she first learned the word 'no' was 'no'. so when she does something that i don't like...say, sticking her feet up my face for me to smell (yes, she does that and thinks it's funny). i say, 'michelle, stop that. that's very rude.' and she'll stop. madali naman sya pagsabihan and pakiusapan MOST OF THE TIME.
when she gets a scolding, she wont ask me if i'm upset or if i'm mad...she'll ask me if i'm happy. if i say no, she wont ask anymore questions. that means, 'galit talaga si mommy' and she'll back off. if i say yes to her question, she'll ask me to smile and if i smile that means, 'hindi na galit si mommy.' and she'll smile back at me or ask for a kiss and understand that she's already been forgiven.
elaborate sya magisip no?
Friday, July 24, 2009
the most annoying commercial currently being played
Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream and Cake Dance Commercial
in this case, did they think annoying = enticing? or where they going for retention?
either way, they lost one customer here due to baaaad advertising.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
kids say the darnest things...
scenario: i washed my face and was putting on my pm moisturizer and retin-a (to fight aging, di va?!)
michelle: mommy what's that? (pointing to the retin a)
mommy: this is an ointment so mommy can prevent getting wrinkles early and have beautiful skin like you!
michelle: (her face becomes sad, she cups her cheek) but mommy, i have wrinkles!
mommy: no sweetheart! you don't have wrinkles! you have wonderful skin!!!
michelle: oh! thank you!
it's funnier if you were standing next to us in the bathroom.
michelle: mommy what's that? (pointing to the retin a)
mommy: this is an ointment so mommy can prevent getting wrinkles early and have beautiful skin like you!
michelle: (her face becomes sad, she cups her cheek) but mommy, i have wrinkles!
mommy: no sweetheart! you don't have wrinkles! you have wonderful skin!!!
michelle: oh! thank you!
it's funnier if you were standing next to us in the bathroom.
my opinion: your baby can read
i have seen a lot of informercials about the 'your baby can read' program and went looking online for blogs for unbiased reviews to see if this is something i should get for my daughter. i came across this blog and all its comments and they were very helpful with the decision i have decided to make.
here's my two cents...
if you don't know by now, i have a daughter who is almost three and i've been thinking whether or not i should introduce YBCR to her. like many parents out there, i think my daughter is pretty smart and naturally, i want to get her the best tools out there to enhance her gifts. and i have been going back and forth in my head whether or not i should get this for my daughter.
speech came early for michelle. i don't know if it's from reading and singing to her a lot from when i was still pregnant with her or from engaging her in conversation or the cartoons that she watches...i am guilty of letting her watch quite a bit of sprout and noggin and playhouse disney (no cartoon network, no nickelodeon, no disney after 10 am. these are my rules). i was raised a similar way (too much tv), and i didn't turn out so bad...i think. =D at barely 3 years old, she can express her ideas, thoughts, and memories very well. she 'sang' her abcs shortly after she turned one and can count up to 20 in english (most of the time), and count up to ten in 2 other languages (just for fun, no pressure, i swear).
sometimes we parents want our kids to be the best or ahead of everyone else. i think this puts a lot of pressure on the children and the parents. it is great to see a child reading at 2 years old and i'm sure it will help the child along the way, but i think, i should just let my daughter enjoy her cartoons and our own 'school time' where i try to teach her to write and read/recognize a few letters and numbers until she's really had a good grasp of the few characters. if it takes her a month to get there, then we'll do it for a month. if she learns them sooner, then we'll move on. if it's just connect-the-dots she wants to do for our school time, then that's all we're doing. i think the key is to make it fun for kids so they'll really enjoy school and develop a love of learning and hopefully, this will ensure their success later in life.
one other reason (not the main reason, but it's reason enough) why i wanted to get the ybcr program for my daughter is...to be honest...bragging rights. imagine, a child that can read before she even started school! my, my, my! how smart can this child be!? and i'm sure there are parents out there who think the same way too (aminin!). but i'm correcting myself and i'll just let her enjoy whatever it is that she enjoys. i think our children will give us cues that they are ready to start learning to read. i think michelle is getting there that's why i'm teaching her to recognize letters now. whenever she sees a sign like in a garden, she 'pretends' to read them and say, 'look mommy, the sign says, 'don't go on the grass!' (the sign says, keep of the grass). so i'll take that cue and teach her a little bit at a time. if she doesn't learn to read before she turns five (or starts going to regular school), i'm 100% sure that she'll learn everything in kindergarten and improve along the way.
so the pressure to learn to read is off my shoulders and off my daughter. if only i can say the same about potty training!
here's my two cents...
if you don't know by now, i have a daughter who is almost three and i've been thinking whether or not i should introduce YBCR to her. like many parents out there, i think my daughter is pretty smart and naturally, i want to get her the best tools out there to enhance her gifts. and i have been going back and forth in my head whether or not i should get this for my daughter.
speech came early for michelle. i don't know if it's from reading and singing to her a lot from when i was still pregnant with her or from engaging her in conversation or the cartoons that she watches...i am guilty of letting her watch quite a bit of sprout and noggin and playhouse disney (no cartoon network, no nickelodeon, no disney after 10 am. these are my rules). i was raised a similar way (too much tv), and i didn't turn out so bad...i think. =D at barely 3 years old, she can express her ideas, thoughts, and memories very well. she 'sang' her abcs shortly after she turned one and can count up to 20 in english (most of the time), and count up to ten in 2 other languages (just for fun, no pressure, i swear).
sometimes we parents want our kids to be the best or ahead of everyone else. i think this puts a lot of pressure on the children and the parents. it is great to see a child reading at 2 years old and i'm sure it will help the child along the way, but i think, i should just let my daughter enjoy her cartoons and our own 'school time' where i try to teach her to write and read/recognize a few letters and numbers until she's really had a good grasp of the few characters. if it takes her a month to get there, then we'll do it for a month. if she learns them sooner, then we'll move on. if it's just connect-the-dots she wants to do for our school time, then that's all we're doing. i think the key is to make it fun for kids so they'll really enjoy school and develop a love of learning and hopefully, this will ensure their success later in life.
one other reason (not the main reason, but it's reason enough) why i wanted to get the ybcr program for my daughter is...to be honest...bragging rights. imagine, a child that can read before she even started school! my, my, my! how smart can this child be!? and i'm sure there are parents out there who think the same way too (aminin!). but i'm correcting myself and i'll just let her enjoy whatever it is that she enjoys. i think our children will give us cues that they are ready to start learning to read. i think michelle is getting there that's why i'm teaching her to recognize letters now. whenever she sees a sign like in a garden, she 'pretends' to read them and say, 'look mommy, the sign says, 'don't go on the grass!' (the sign says, keep of the grass). so i'll take that cue and teach her a little bit at a time. if she doesn't learn to read before she turns five (or starts going to regular school), i'm 100% sure that she'll learn everything in kindergarten and improve along the way.
so the pressure to learn to read is off my shoulders and off my daughter. if only i can say the same about potty training!
i want a day off
can i ask for a day off? just one day where i can just be by myself, no interruptions?
how stupid of me to ask. after a couple of hours naman, i know i'm going to miss michelle narin.
but i just really want a break so i can re-boot and focus. haaay, para namang mangyayari yun.
how stupid of me to ask. after a couple of hours naman, i know i'm going to miss michelle narin.
but i just really want a break so i can re-boot and focus. haaay, para namang mangyayari yun.
Friday, July 17, 2009
could she pass for a young kim chiu?
or nahahawa lang ako sa addiction ng parents ko sa 'tayong dalawa'?
Sunday, July 12, 2009
because i really go to the gym now
i really do wear rubber shoesies
nike free trainer 7.0.IV in black-vivid pink-dark grey
(thank you to my sugar daddy, and to nike for the warehouse sale)
Saturday, July 11, 2009
today/tonight (no creative title, sorry!)
earlier today rodney, tin, and michael had lunch here at home and michelle and i took them around for a little bit. kausap ko si rod at around 930 or 10 and he said they were coming over for lunch. taranta ang beauty ko. hehe i had to clean and cook. buti nalang natapos ko lahat at nakaligo pa ako before they arrived. nagluto ako ng buttered shrimp, tinolang manok and baked striped bass. sarap!
after lunch, we drove to half moon bay to the fitzgerald marine reserve. hindi low tide so we didn't get to see what creatures were swept by the tides but we saw a bunch of sea lions and their puppies resting at the beach not far from where we were. there was one that died right on the beach where we were standing (lungkot, but that's life). we then went to the legion of honor and then to land's end. the weather was cool and breezy so mahirap mamasyal dahil maginaw.
we hope to see rod, tin and michael again real soon. (and rod, tell them we would be more than happy to pick you guys up in concord before your flight. walang hassle don. dito na kayo mag dinner before you go.) i love having people over, especially now that i don't have much of a social life. haha (it is so true)
hindi na ako nakapunta sa birthday party ng ninong ni michelle. we didn't have enough time and everyone at the party was going to head to the pageant right after. i couldn't go to the beauty pageant tonight and support charmagne. but, 'go champoo! ganda mo talaga. i'm proud of you!'
so we're stuck here at home right now. michelle is bonding with her lolo and lola watching some narnia movie and i'm in my room talking to DH and watching some crazy guy catch pythons in caves while waist deep in bat poo. (how entertaining!)
michelle just ran to my room screaming. this is what she was screaming about:
after lunch, we drove to half moon bay to the fitzgerald marine reserve. hindi low tide so we didn't get to see what creatures were swept by the tides but we saw a bunch of sea lions and their puppies resting at the beach not far from where we were. there was one that died right on the beach where we were standing (lungkot, but that's life). we then went to the legion of honor and then to land's end. the weather was cool and breezy so mahirap mamasyal dahil maginaw.
we hope to see rod, tin and michael again real soon. (and rod, tell them we would be more than happy to pick you guys up in concord before your flight. walang hassle don. dito na kayo mag dinner before you go.) i love having people over, especially now that i don't have much of a social life. haha (it is so true)
hindi na ako nakapunta sa birthday party ng ninong ni michelle. we didn't have enough time and everyone at the party was going to head to the pageant right after. i couldn't go to the beauty pageant tonight and support charmagne. but, 'go champoo! ganda mo talaga. i'm proud of you!'
so we're stuck here at home right now. michelle is bonding with her lolo and lola watching some narnia movie and i'm in my room talking to DH and watching some crazy guy catch pythons in caves while waist deep in bat poo. (how entertaining!)
michelle just ran to my room screaming. this is what she was screaming about:
look what God sent our way
a double rainbow across the street from our house
(a faint one to the left of the antenna, a brighter one to the left of the satellite dish)
what a perfect reminder of God's wonderful promises!
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
michelle's understanding of michael jackson's death
michael jackson's death is all over the news and i'm watching with michelle. she asks me when she sees paris jackson crying,
michelle: 'why is the girl crying, mommy?'
me: 'she's crying because her daddy is in heaven now.'
michelle: 'why?'
me: 'because he got sick and he died.'
michelle: 'why he not go to the doctor?'
me: 'he went to the doctor but the doctor wasn't able to make him better.'
michelle: 'oh! [she pauses for a second] i need jesus.' and she moves on to play with her toys.
yes, that's exactly how our conversation went. the bottomline really is we need jesus, even my 2 year old has acknowledged that. no matter who you are or what you have accomplished, at the very end of our life, people may give us memorials like the beautiful memorial given to michael jackson, but none of it we can take to the grave. having jesus in your life, well, that's a gift you'll have for eternity.
Monday, July 06, 2009
michelle the singer and the sleeper
this is michelle entertaining us and herself while we were stuck in traffic in canada.
she's also super sleepy and is half asleep by the end of this short clip.
Sunday, July 05, 2009
funny
to all the dictators and o.c.'s out there, a glimpse of what you DON'T WANT TO TURN INTO.
http://californiakara.blogspot.com/2008/11/happy-thanksgiving-ocd-style.html
http://californiakara.blogspot.com/2008/11/happy-thanksgiving-ocd-style.html
Saturday, July 04, 2009
avenue of the giants
we drove more than 200 miles north to see the biggest trees in the world, located right here in california. it was well worth the long and exhausting day trip. the beauty and majesty of these trees makes me want to go on more hikes. (magiging outdoor-sey type na ako???)
michelle's tantrum at 430 am this morning nearly threw me into a fit. (we are so much alike sa ugali, di lang kami magkamukha). but she made up for it by being a perfect angel during the long drive.
we wanted to go to eel river for a quick wade but the drive was just too long and we have to pick up my mom from work so we had to head back to civilization before dark.
we went to spiral for dinner and we are now waiting for the fireworks to start on tv.
isn't she just the cutest? (haha!)
michelle's tantrum at 430 am this morning nearly threw me into a fit. (we are so much alike sa ugali, di lang kami magkamukha). but she made up for it by being a perfect angel during the long drive.
we wanted to go to eel river for a quick wade but the drive was just too long and we have to pick up my mom from work so we had to head back to civilization before dark.
we went to spiral for dinner and we are now waiting for the fireworks to start on tv.
happy birthday, USA!!!
this is our car driving thru the chandelier tree
cars easily drive thru, SUVs like this need to fold their side mirrors
the tree is believed to be no older than 2,400 years old
a chunky monkey trying to climb a giant redwood
a chunky monkey trying to climb a giant redwood
isn't she just the cutest? (haha!)
.
this is infront of the Giant Tree
52 feet circumference
at least something has a bigger waist than mine!
.
by the creek
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
this is really is it!!!
i have FINALLY made pandesal!!!
FINALLY!!!!
after 7 failed attempts, i was able to make them not only edible, but truly great tasting.
god is really good!!!!
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