my thoughts

the voice of whitney houston

2012-02-11T22:09:00.000-08:00

whitney houston died today at age 48.

i wish she had the chance to bounce back after her battle with addiction.

her talent was exceptional. how i love hearing her songs and her beautiful voice. *sigh*

a first for paul, my mom, and michelle

2012-02-03T21:01:00.000-08:00

they're going to italy!

well, we're going to italy. =D

my dad isn't that interested in going so he's not going.

my mom's youngest sister and youngest brother (along with their families) all live in milan so we are flying next month to visit them.

the main reason we're going is because my aunt is going to teach me how her business works because it's the same type of business i want to open here.

tickets were not cheap so paul said, 'make sure you learn all you need to learn in the 9 days we're there!'

diet is on track but will need to speed it up so i can dress 'fashionably' in a very fashion-conscious city. my aunt is planning trips to venice, florence, and rome while we are there - we're going to be doing most of the coaching/teaching in the car or on the train as we travel around the country.

ciao!

skipping school

2012-01-23T12:56:00.000-08:00

michelle skipped school today. she woke me up a little before 6 am today and cried, 'mommy, my nose is dripping.' i hurried to her room (we have a baby monitor so she knows to just speak and i'll hear her) and saw that her nose was starting to bleed. this is the 2nd time in a year this happened to her so i was no longer freaking out. well, not too much. i don't like the sight of blood and blood coming from my daughter doesn't help. we went to the bathroom to wash off the blood and keep her nose from bleeding again. after that she said, 'mommy can i stay home with you?' i wanted to say no but i don't know what came over me and i said, ok.

through out the morning, i kept telling her, 'michelle, this can't happen again ok? you're not really sick. you can't skip any more school days ok?' i hope she doesn't get sick. i really don't want her to skip any more school days. tsk tsk tsk. i feel like such an irresponsible parent. =(

how about those niners!!!!?!!?!?!?!

2012-01-17T13:25:00.000-08:00

die hard fans will accuse me of being a bandwagon fan...but i always root for my home team. ALWAYS!

i never really watch football because i really don't understand it but on saturday, after a long drive from san francisco to los angeles, we sat in our hotel room waiting for the niners game against the popular favorite, new orleans saints to start. it was the first game i watched from beginning to end and boy, did i pick a great game to watch! it was AMAZING, UNBELIEVABLE! made more awesome by the fact that my home team won!!!! if you didn't see the game, and you're a football fan, i'm sure you saw the highlights all over the news...the last 4 minutes of the game was like a tug of war between teams. but in the end, the san francisco giants prevailed!!!! wooo hooo!!! we are 1 win away from the superbowl (beat the ny giants!) and i actually understand football now. ha! i peppered paul with questions throughout the game and i learned a lot. i am no longer clueless about football and can look forward to the super bowl not only for the half time show and the million dollar commercials, but to actually enjoy the game.

the bay area will bleed red and gold this sunday. go niners!

patience

2012-01-13T13:45:00.000-08:00

well, after my last post...the world has conspired to challenge ME and my patience. =(

this week, i've scolded michelle quite a bit and became quite impatient with her and i feel terrible each time i do it. haaaay!

more patience, Lord! michelle and i both need it!

how to teach kids to wait

2012-01-05T09:20:00.000-08:00

i have trouble teaching michelle to wait. she thinks waiting is a matter of seconds. kids do not understand the full concept of time yet and today's technology makes teaching them to wait a little harder.

when i was a kid, cartoons will be on tv only on weekends so i know to wait for the weekend so i can watch cartoons.

traveling from point a to point b used to take longer but now, traveling is much faster and our gadgets seem to make time fly faster.

but michelle's generation have everything at the tip of their fingers. if they need to talk to mommy and daddy, they know someone has a cell phone somewhere and they can make a phone call anytime, anywhere.

while watching tv one time, she needed to use the bathroom and she wanted me to pause the tv (our bedroom tv does not have dvr/tivo). when i said that she can't do that, she gave me a puzzled look like i was crazy or something. i had to explain to her that not all tvs work that way.

in the car on a drive somewhere...similar thing. she heard a song she liked and she said, "mommy, rewind please. i want to hear the song again." i had to explain to her that it was the regular radio and i can't rewind the song. we used to have satellite radio in the car so she thought all radios can be rewinded. when our free trial ended, i didn't bother renewing. i still don't understand the concept of paying for radio because i am not sitting in my car for long periods of time.

power outages are uncommon here in the states. she's 5 and she's only experienced 1 power outage. that was an exciting time for her because it was new to her...but i recall back in the philippines in the early 90s when each and everyday will be rolling blackouts of 4 hours or longer. the heat and the mosquito bites were unbearable!

do you have any tips on how i can teach her to wait?

winter sport

2012-01-04T10:51:00.000-08:00

i've decided to really make skiing my winter sport.

mukha bang marunong?

i'm going to buy my own gear this year. but first, i gotta lose weight for it. i didn't know that the ski length is based on weight. yikes! me want shorter skis!

why?

2011-12-30T23:08:00.000-08:00

why is it that we still do the things of this world even though we know it displeases God?

start the year right and do what God wants us to do. OBEY.

kidnapped!

2011-12-26T15:32:00.000-08:00

every now and then, when a certain classmate of hers is mentioned, michelle says, 'mommy, you know my friend gra#$%, she was kidnapped when she was a baby and ms. #$^&& is not her real mommy.'

to be honest, when i first heard this, i was a little perplexed. what discussion was going on at school where a child's kidnapping would be brought up? i didn't bother asking michelle's teacher about this because i thought, kidnapping is a pretty sensitive topic to bring up.

yesterday, on our way to my aunt's house for our family get-together, michelle brings it up again. 'mommy, gra#$% was kidnapped when she was a baby and ms #$^&& is not her real mommy.' tired of hearing the same disturbing story, i replied to her, 'michelle, where did you hear this story? are you sure she was kidnapped? that's not a very good story to be telling people, baby.' she insists, 'no mommy, she really was kidnapped! that's what she told me.'

and then it dawned on me. the little girl wasn't kidnapped!

i was crackin' up after i realized what michelle was trying to say....

trying to put a straight face, i said, 'michelle, do you mean your friend was adopted?'

'YES, MOMMY! that's the right word!!!!!' michelle screamed.

and that is our michelle-ism on christmas day.

ALL!

2011-12-22T16:34:00.000-08:00

i read today in Romans 10:12b-13, "the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

it's for everyone. FOR ALL!!! and all we ever need to do is ask!

PERU!

2011-12-21T10:47:00.000-08:00

our Operation Christmas Child Shoe box went to Peru!

what kids want for christmas

2011-12-12T20:48:00.000-08:00

i read this article on msnbc about moms spending an average of $271 on presents for each child this christmas.

michelle has asked for all sorts of things for christmas, combined, i think the gifts would be under $100 IF we get all of them for her. which we wont. you know what she keeps telling us she wants?

this:

she kept seeing the ads for a chia pet and she kept asking for them. we'll get her 2 chia pets!

we really don't have a gift for her yet. i haven't even bought the chia pet. kids nowadays get so many gifts for christmas so we don't want to spend too much on our gift for her. have you got any ideas?

----

after posting this blog, i went on amazon.com and looked for chia pets. aba!? mahal din pala sya?! well, michelle's only getting 1. kala ko tig fafive dollars lang ito. hehehe.

sleep problems

2011-12-09T13:30:00.000-08:00

my husband and i have not been sleeping well the last several weeks.

since we got back from vacation, michelle has been WAKING UP EVERY SINGLE NIGHT, MULTIPLE TIMES, and coming to our room, asking if she could sleep in our bed. 9 times out of 10, we tell her no. there are nights when she would wake up 5 times which usually ends with a very, very, very angry me and a terrified daughter. i become a monster when i am woken up, yes, i'm bad and i'm not proud of it.

we don't know what to do anymore. paul is the good cop, i'm always the bad cop. neither of us can sleep when she's in bed with us. one of us would move to michelle's bed when this happens, or sleep in the living room, or not go to sleep the rest of the night. it's hard on all of us. we don't know what to do. we try to establish a routine with her, but that did not last long. what are we supposed to do? i refuse to have her sleep with us every night. that's just not going to happen.

i'm sleepy =(

christmas party menu

2011-12-05T16:29:00.000-08:00

we will be hosting our annual barkada christmas party here at home. it's potluck. but being host, and a domestic diva wanna-be, i want to make a bulk of the dishes. here is what i have planned:

Carmelized Onion and Gruyere Tarts

Linguini with Clam Sauce

Zucchini and Yellow Squash Gratin

Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding

i'll modify the recipes a little bit so they can be a little bit more festive and colorful.

I'll also make some festive cocktails, maybe something with pomegranate, like this:

have i told you how much i love christmas? =D

pasko na! (well, almost)

2011-12-04T08:10:00.000-08:00

the christmas decor is up, my shopping list is about 80% done (and within budget!)....

but i haven't lost the weight. (booo!!!!) i guess paul really has won this bet. i told him to go ahead and buy what he wants with the $$$$ he won and he did not waste time and bought himself one of his dream guitars:

Fender American Standard Stratocaster

it's the same guitar that john mayer and eric clapton uses. i have to admit, it does sound very good. he bought a new tube amp, too. he is very happy and plays his guitar every. single. day. well, my not losing weight has made my husband's musical side very happy.

that doesn't mean i've given up on my desire to lose weight. i am still watching what i eat and exercising...but i no longer have a deadline. the cruise didn't really derail me. i've been off track for so long that nothing can derail me! ha!

anyway, it's sunday so off to church we go!!!!

an overview of our cruise vacation

2011-11-30T14:08:00.000-08:00

i really enjoy cruising. i like the idea of visiting multiple destinations in 1 week without the hassle of lugging my carry-on all over town and packing and unpacking at multiple hotels. i also like the fact that i can eat whenever i want and not worry about where to go for my next meal. not everyone likes cruising but i would suggest that if you have a chance, at least go on one cruise and experience it for yourself. they are inexpensive considering you have all your meals and your hotel combined in one price.

this is our 3rd cruise, our 2nd time in the caribbean, and the 1st time with friends.

we took the red eye flight from SFO to FLL on Friday night. traveling to the east coast is easy - the flight is a 'short' 4.5 hours but since it's a red eye flight, that means less time to try and get some sleep before the cruise. michelle slept throughout the flight and was knocked out even before the plane took off. don't even ask me how much sleep i got.

we arrived in fort lauderdale at around 7 am and checked our bags with a company called, Bags to Go. they took our bags ($6 for each bag) and the next time we saw them was in our cabin on the cruise ship. i highly suggest doing this if you arrive early before your cruise vacation. we went to Denny's for some breakfast and then we took the trolly to see parts of the city. at around 11 am, we went to the cruise terminal to check in.

waiting for the trolley in fort lauderdale

in all 3 cruises, checking in has always been an easy process. imagine the logistics they had to prepare in order to smoothly and quickly check-in all 2,000 passengers for a ship...it's quite a feat. it did involve walking...a whole lot of walking. in order to avoid 2,000 people piling up on each other, everything was spread out across multiple levels and wide floor space. from the time we got into the terminal door and in to our cabins...it probably took no more than 20 minutes and that includes taking the 'obligatory' picture before you enter the ship.

just girls

i find the caribbean sea to be a lot more motion-sickness inducing. i got a few bad headaches during this trip. chel battled nausea and lost the battle several times. i have to remind myself to get a scopolamine patch before we cruise again...yes, we're already sort of planning our next cruise vacation with friends and family...2013, to alaska!

each night, michelle looks forward to the towel animals that the house keeping team puts together. one night, i wasn't feeling too well so i refused the turn down service, but i requested for the towel animals so michelle won't be disappointed when she goes back to the room.

michelle is old enough to go to the kids area during the trip called Club HAL. they have a full program to keep the kids occupied during the trip (it's like free baby sitting!). i was looking forward to this, but of course, my daughter does not want to spend time there and chose to stay with the adults the entire time. she was there for 1 event, for 1.5 hours, and that was it. oh well! the good thing about michelle is that she is very well adjusted and can hang out with the adults with no problems. she became very attached to her tito rj. buti mabait si tito rj. =D

best buds on the trip

our cabin was nice and small...all cabins are small but very very efficient. we even had a bath tub in our bathroom. service is always excellent. food was good. we sailed on the Eurodam which is the largest Holland America Ship (capacity of a little over 2,000 passengers) but considered mid-sized by industry standards. royal caribbean has two giant ships sailing right now, both can accomodate 5,000 passengers. one of them, the allure of the seas (royal caribbean) was docked at st. thomas at the same time we were..our ship had 19 kids on board, the allure had 1,900 kids on board. it was probably a lot more quiet on our ship than theirs. =)

any way, more cruise blog to come shortly!

invisalign

2011-11-22T10:12:00.001-08:00

i'm getting my invisalign braces tomorrow!

hurrah! i can't eat on thanksgiving day!!!! woot woot!

=(

cruise vacation blog entries will be entered during the holiday break.

am i spoiling my daughter?

2011-11-10T09:44:00.000-08:00

sometimes i ask myself this question.

i don't know if i'm giving her too much...but i know i'm not giving her too little. we provide all of her needs and i think enough of her wants so she does not feel deprived but i wonder where do we draw the line?

you know why i'm thinking about this? last night, michelle fell asleep at her usual bed time while i was busy packing our things for the trip...she woke up at around 9 pm and i had to bribe her to go back to sleep. now that i'm writing that down, i probably shouldn't have bribed her. maybe i feel guilty about that. do you know what i bribed her with???? it's not some extravagant toy or anything like that. it's gum. i bribed my daughter with gum! she had just discovered the joys of blowing bubble gum and she had ran out of the sweet, chewy goodness. i told her last night that if she goes back to bed and does not go to mommy and daddy's room in the middle of the night, that i would buy her some gum. she asked me for 5 little packs of gum and i said yes (we're going on vacation and i'm sure gum would be expensive on the cruise ship!). but she didn't do her end of the deal and she still went to our room in the middle of the night. so this morning, i told her the deal was off the table and she looked so disappointed!

so my question is, if i buy her gum, does that mean i'm spoiling her? if i don't buy her gum, does that make me a mean mom?

you'd think these things were easy, right? but it's the pattern of both our behaviours that i'm trying to make sure is aligned.

i feel like i'm making a trip to walgreens in a few minutes and indulge my daughter's request for 5 packets of gum. i'm a wuss. =(

operation christmas child

2011-11-06T17:35:00.000-08:00

i'm posting this to encourage you all to make a donation to operation christmas child.

here's what we put together...

for the little boy (age 2-4)

for the little girl (age 2-4)

we'll add some candy to the box (no chocolates!) and pray for each child. we really have to share our blessings!

where in the world is carmen san diego?

2011-11-04T14:27:00.000-07:00

do you all remember this?

i remember spending hours in the computer room at my elementary school playing this game over and over until i caught carmen san diego! back then, computers were too expensive for even a middle class family [in the philippines] to purchase but i was blessed to have gone to a school that had computers and offered classes as early as the mid/late 80s (oh wow, i'm dating myself too much!). the game created in me a 'love' for geography, history, trivia, and travel! and now that i am much older, i credit 'carmen san diego' for my ability to answer questions on jeopardy regarding geography, world capitals, and world cities.

i read in the news today that j. lo. might be playing carmen san diego in the film adaptation of the game. it got me excited and i feel like i'm 9 years old all over again!!!! =D

i really hope they make the movie and recreate the game and the tv series so that my daughter can watch them. i never saw the series...that was way before we moved to the states and it wasn't shown in the philippines, but i'm sure it was great!

make a difference this christmas

2011-11-03T12:38:00.000-07:00

ever since i became a parent, the plight of needy children has been even closer to my heart. this year, at michelle's school, i learned about a wonderful cause called Operation Christmas Child from the Samaritan's Purse Organization where we are encouraged to put together one shoe box full of little things (toys, toothbrush, pencils, etc.) and send it to a child in need. it is such a good cause and if you can see the video of the children when they receive their boxes, you'll see the joy in their faces. i was moved to tears when i saw this and so, michelle will put together 1 box for a little girl and paul and i will put together another box for a little boy. i know it's not much, but every little bit helps...and doing one little thing is better than doing nothing.

so please, if you have $20 or less to spare, please consider putting together a shoe box full of hope for a child in need.

the website again is www.samaritanspurse.org. please go to the website and get the full details on how you can put together a shoe box for the children. thank you in advance for your support and may God richly bless you for your generosity!

outlast

2011-10-31T13:59:00.000-07:00

i have tried many different kinds of lipstick that lasts all day long but i have not had much luck finding the perfect one.

after some research...i think i found me a keeper in Cover Girl's Outlast All Day Lip Color. i put some on this morning before heading out the door and 1 cup of coffee + lunch 6 hours later, i still have lipstick on! i had to re-apply the moisturizing top coat 3 times already, but it's like regular chapstick which i reapply constantly anyway. it works! i am wearing plum right now, but i might experiment with other colors. at under $10 for the lipstick...this is a steal!!!

i tried Chantecaille's Hydra Chic Lipstick before but it came off after just 1 cup of coffee. it's extremely expensive, too! i must have gone through that 1 tube of lipstick in 1 month.

mall-ing

2011-10-28T09:27:00.000-07:00

last week, out of nowhere, i asked paul, "how come we never go to the mall?"

he responded, "what do you mean? we're always at target?"

"target is not the mall. i'm just thinking, most families spend weekends strolling the mall, shopping or window shopping and we never do. we go to target to get supplies...we buy clothes and all other stuff online. i think we should go to the mall next weekend and be like a 'normal' family." i said to him.

if i were my husband, i would reply with, 'ok...i know you just want an excuse to go to the mall and drag me with you.' but he's too nice to say that. =D

so tomorrow, we're going to the mall to go mall-ing. ha! i hope i don't find anything tempting!

we're going to the stanford mall btw. paul's never been there and the last time i was there, michelle was 1 year old, i think. must revisit. plus, they have all the great stores!

turkey

2011-10-23T20:34:00.000-07:00

(scenario...we're watching the news about the earthquake in turkey)

michelle: what's that mommy?
me: it's about the earthquake in turkey?
michelle: turkey?
me: yes, there's a country called turkey.
michelle: (laughing) that's a silly name for a country!

i'm not insensitive...i am praying for the people of turkey and hope they can all recover from the devastation...but kids say the darnest things!

make up to wake me up!

2011-10-21T09:46:00.000-07:00

when i'm out running errands, i don't usually care what i look like. my friends and my husband get slightly embarrassed because sometimes i go to the supermarket looking like a homeless person. i go in whatever clothes i'm wearing and just throw a coat over it, with messy hair to top it all off. earlier this week, i was dropping michelle off to school when my mom said, 'is that what you're wearing?' i was wearing a t-shirt and my ultra comfy black pajamas that have been ruined in spots by bleach...so i have these blotches of white/gray/red thing on my right pajama leg. i shrugged and said, 'yeah, i'm only dropping her off, i'm not staying there.' even my mom disapproves of what i wear!

i go to work without make-up or hardly any and i must admit, i don't pick the best clothes for work either. i often find myself pressed for time in the morning so i don't always have time to put on make up. when one of our managers got married, paul and i went and that was the first time my co-workers saw me with a full face of make up...i received a lot of complements that night. putting the make up on didn't take me a long time and i do like to put on make up sometimes, but i just don't like to do it everyday.

BUT...

i was reading a book on monday night on how to present yourself well and it touches briefly on looking presentable. gosh! i so needed that one! i wont go into detail about what it said...let's just say that since tuesday, i go to work looking presentable. i also avoid leaving the house looking like a homeless person when i'm running my errands. i remind myself, 'if any of your ex boyfriends and their wives saw you looking like that, they'll have plenty to talk about after you leave.' i don't want that to happen. =D

i think what got me all excited too is getting some new make up from sephora last weekend. champoo, my make up artist friend, recommended i try NARS liquid foundation and since my old foundation had ran out, i decided to give it a try and i love it!

Shade: Stromboli - Medium with olive undertones

A glowing, satin-finish foundation with sheer and buildable coverage that immaculately evens skin tone. Replete with skincare benefits and the NARS Complexion Brightening Formula, it leaves skin hydrated, more luminous, softer and smoother. Used daily, Sheer Glow Foundation improves the skin's brightness and texture.

For normal, normal-to-dry and dry skin types
Hydrates for softer and smoother skin
Contains powerful anti-oxidants to protect against damaging free radicals and turmeric extract to improve skin's radiance and tone
Dermatologist tested. Non-comedogenic. Fragrance free.

Shade: Stromboli

An advanced, lightweight formula that fuses the performance of a foundation with the ease of a powder. Skin looks perfected with a soft-matte finish and is protected against UVA and UVB rays. Incredibly versatile, it may be applied with a powder brush for a sheer, natural finish, or with the included sponge for a polished and smooth finish.

SPF 12 and PA++ protection
Lightweight, non-drying velvety finish; effortless application

Shade: Orgasm

The ultimate authority in blush, NARS offers the industry's most iconic shades for cheeks. Natural, healthy-looking color that immediately enlivens the complexion. A light application of even the highest-intensity hues delivers a natural-looking flush.

Orgasm named "Top 25 Beauty Hall of Fame” 2010 Elle; "Best Blush for Light Skin” 2010 & 2011 InStyle "Best Beauty Buys”; "Best Blush for Fair Skin” 2011 InStyle"Best Beauty Buys”
Silky texture
Micronized powder ensures soft, blendable application

this is exciting! and also expensive! =( the good thing about make up is when you buy them, they last for several months.

ask me if my husband has noticed. the answer is no! men!!!!!!! =D

straight Es

2011-10-17T18:15:00.000-07:00

earlier today, i had a meeting with michelle's teacher and i was told that michelle is getting straight Es in class. not straight As. straight Es.

E for Excellent!!

kindergarten students don't get graded based on the regular letter grading system, they get E for Excellent, VG for Very Good, G for Good, etc.

so as a reward for her good grades, we told her we were going to give her a prize...paul and i were thinking along the lines of a nice toy or something like that...but she said, 'yey mommy! you mean i can get something from the dollar store?!' we didn't correct her. if it's the dollar store she wants, then it's something from the dollar store she'll get! =)

date night

2011-10-08T13:48:00.000-07:00

paul and i went to dinner to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary two fridays ago. we had originally planned on going to napa to have lunch at morimoto and go to wine tasting at cheateau st. jean, but michelle was sick for almost a week so we had to cancel our plans.

we decided to eat at baker and banker a week later... it was voted to be one of the best restaurants in the san francisco bay area in 2011. it was a small restaurant that seats maybe less than 50 people at a time. the pastry chef (lori baker) and the chef (jeff banker) came out to greet the diners which i think was a very nice touch.

House smoked trout, potato latke, horseradish cream, pickled beets, shaved fennel

Grilled gulf prawns, fresh shelling bean, oven dried tomato and baby artichoke salad, Castelvetrano olive tapenade

Soy and mirin braised black cod, foie gras-shitake sticky rice, grilled bok choy

Slow roasted pork shoulder, pan friend semolina spaetzle, sweet corn, black mission figs

Jonathan apple crisp, white cheddar streusel, bacon brittle ice cream

the food was great! i loved all of the dishes i ordered...paul was not too happy with his order especially after he had a taste of my entree. the cod at baker and banker is one of the top 5 dishes i've ever had in my life. yes, it was that good!

i would love to go back in a heartbeat! the price was not too bad...paul and i each had a glass of wine. i could have had two but i didn't want to look like the 'big drinker' at our table. =D paul hardly and rarely drinks. i drink enough for the two of us. =D

this morning

2011-09-30T08:51:00.000-07:00

i saw my boss' shoes when she came in and i couldn't help but stare and give her a complement. they look lovely! she had them in black, so now i want to get it in brown.

she said they're super comfy! the heel is just high enough. urgh! i want these!!!!

holiday spirit

2011-09-28T08:09:00.000-07:00

all this talk about facebook 'following' everything i do on the internet has left a very foul taste in my mouth. i told myself i will use less facebook...more twitter and blogspot - i don't know if that's a good thing! =

anyway, it's almost october and i'm getting the itch to start decorating the house for the holidays. i know, i know, it's too early! it's not even holloween! not even thanksgiving! but here i am dreaming about things i want to do for the house this holiday season!

oh well! that hasn't stopped me from getting ideas from all over the web on what i can do to decorate the house with stuff we already have and inexpensive things i can create (a.k.a. crafts with michelle). last year, our tree was decorated in gold ornaments. this year, we're going to do silver and white ornaments...i think we have enough white and silver to decorate the tree. if not, i'm making a trip to the local thrift shop and see what goodies i can find. all the other colors we have will be used around the house...i'm also thinking of getting a small (mayb 4 or 5 feet) fresh tree aside from our 'fake' tree...if i can find room for it, that is.

as far the rest of the holiday decorations, i very much like these ideas:

all better!

2011-09-26T19:45:00.000-07:00

after fighting a fever since thursday and missing two days of schoo (friday and monday). michelle is all better!

you'll never be hungry

2011-09-16T10:44:00.000-07:00

sometimes i forget how good God has been in my life. occasionally the worries of this world get to me and i wonder about the future and what lies ahead of me.

but He reminded me that if i follow him, i will not lack in anything...instead i shall have abundance. in this story from matthew, they crowd had nothing when went and followed jesus but went home not only fully satisfied physically and spiritually, but received an overflow of blessings enough to share with others.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand (Matthew 14:13-21)

When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”

Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

"We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

“Bring them here to me,” he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Never forgotten

2011-09-11T21:29:00.000-07:00

whales eat people!!!!

2011-09-06T20:38:00.000-07:00

michelle was drawing a whale on the board, and then she said, 'i'm scared of whales! they eat people!'

i said, 'no, michelle. whales don't eat people.'

michelle looked at me and said, 'no, mommy! in my bible, the whale ate the man, so whales eat people!'

nga naman! si jonah kasi, matigas ulo e!

michelle's room makeover

2011-09-05T19:38:00.000-07:00

usually around christmas or her birthday, michelle breaks open her piggy bank. this year, we decided to fix up her room and make it more conducive to learning (michelle's now in kindergarten).

so this is how it turned out. i just hope she keeps it clean!

happy 5th birthday, michelle!

2011-09-05T19:34:00.000-07:00

my dear daughter turned 5 yesterday and we celebrated with a cat in the hat themed birthday party at CuriOdyssey at Coyote Point Park.

the awesome birthday cake was baked by one of ninong ed's closest friends, mar. i found a neat cake online and emailed mar the picture and she did it! hooray!!

cake by mar

gift boxes for her guests

catering by tselogs

entertainment by happily ever laughter parties

miss raina, the circus girl

look at alex, the little girl at the bottom center of the picture.

she kept interrupting miss raina who wanted go on with the show

and started to politely ignore alex;

alex in return pretended to be falling asleep during miss raina's routine. hahaha!

face painting also by miss raina

it was one, fun, party!!!!

no present this year from mommy and daddy. they spent too much for the party.

pang miss universe!

2011-08-30T20:20:00.000-07:00

it was back to school night at michelle's school this evening. we got to talk to her teacher for a little bit and she explained how the first few weeks of school has been.

on the white board, the teacher wrote the kids' answers to the question, 'how can your parents help you do your best?'...below are the kids answers and i encircled michelle's response

BONGGA! pang miss universe! kulang nalang, 'and world peace!'

Weight Watchers Mantra

2011-08-30T17:18:00.001-07:00

Taken from the Weight Watchers Website....

“Steady and slow, learn as you go. Lose too fast, it may not last.” — Louise F. *

“It matters not how slowly you go, only that you do not stop.” — Julia B. *

“No matter how slow you go, you’re still lapping the [person] sitting on the couch.” — Stephanie H. *

“I may no be where I want to be, but I’m better than where I was.” — Heather J. *

“You don’t drown from falling in the water, you only drown if you stay there.” — Barb L. *

“Success requires backbone, not wishbone.” —Debbie S.*

“If we defend our habits, we have no intentions of breaking them.” — Judy P. *

“Life has no remote…YOU have to get up and change it yourself!” — Tracy S. *

“The weight didn’t arrive from the Fat Fairy last night, and the Skinny Fairy isn’t coming tonight, either.” — Miscelena1.**

“Instead of a plate, reach for your mate!” — Frank E. *

“What you eat in private shows up in public!” — NicoleJuner1 **

“I’ve come too far to take orders from a cookie.” — Gina L. *

“If you kinda do it, it kinda works. If you really do it, it really works.” — Andrea G., Carol T. *

“If you’re driving and you get a flat tire, do you get out of the car and slash the other three? No, you fix it and get back on the road.” — Tanya S. *

“The scale is a weight loss tool – not a judge, jury and executioner.” — Brenda T. *

“Keep tracking, stop slacking!” — Holly L. *

michelle's first day at school

2011-08-16T15:34:00.000-07:00

last night, as paul, michelle and i lay in bed, michelle and i couldn't stop going over how her first day at kindergarten would be. i told her that she'll meet a lot of new kids, make new friends and learn a lot of new and wonderful things. i told her how excited i was to go to school when i was her age and encouraged her to listen attentively to her teacher and follow what she asks the class to do. paul kept telling us to go to sleep and stop talking so we can all get some rest before the big day. =D

we dropped her off to kindergarten this morning. it seemed like a momentous event - one that we parents will never forget. many of the kids in her class came from the same preschool so michelle will be seeing a lot of familiar faces. michelle's always been comfortable around people so we know this new environment wouldn't be intimidating for her. she was grinning from ear to ear as she said hello to her teacher and her friends from pre-school. on one of her forms for school, the teacher asked for a few things that michelle finds interesting and i wrote - she likes craft, singing, and dancing...anything music related; she loves to talk so there will be a whole lot of talking and asking questions.

michelle loves to ask questions about anything under the sun. she's not satisfied with simple answers...she wants a full explanation of things that go on around her. one perfect example is from the recent perseids meteor shower. she saw me looking out the window and so she asked, 'mommy what are you looking for?' i said, 'i'm checking if we can see shooting stars.' she then asks, 'what's a shooting star mommy?' 'well, they're not actually stars sweetheart, they're meteors...rocks that fall from the sky,' i replied. she paused for a little bit, as if to analyze my answer. then she asks again, 'but where do meteors come from?' so i had to answer her as best as i can. she keeps quiet only when she's satisfied with the response...as i try to squeeze my brain to get all the astronomy information i have retained out of it, i was also silently hoping that the last bit of information i give her is enough to satisfy her curiousity because my brain could not give anything further on the subject. she stopped asking any more questions and we failed to see any meteors so we turned to youtube so i can show her what they look like.

i just got off the phone with her and she excitedly told me about her day. she said she can't wait for me to come home so we can do her homework together. i am thrilled for her as she begins a new chapter in her life. i've always loved school and would like her to enjoy it as much as i did. i am thankful that the Lord provides all that we need so we can send her to a small christian school where we know she will learn not just academics but also guide her throughout her christian life.

Michelle's actual first day

meeting???

2011-08-10T21:01:00.000-07:00

paul has a conference call at 9 pm Pacific with folks from either India or Israel (not sure). dahil maingay sa living room (malapit ng maging adobo yung mga ibon namin! jk!) and michelle and i are in the bedroom, he went to michelle's room...

michelle: daddy, why are in in my room?
daddy: maingay kasi sa labas e dito muna ako.
michelle: (heading towards me) mommy, why is daddy going to my room?
me: daddy has a meeting, wag ka maingay.
michelle: meeting? he can't meet anyone there, there's nobody in the room!

walang meeting pag walang tao.

breaking bad habits

2011-08-10T14:28:00.000-07:00

if you read my blog regularly, you know that i have weight-y issues. =) i am back on the weight watchers program trying desperately to lose as much weight as i can so i don't lose on the bet paul and i had when we were on vacation in las vegas. (christmas is my deadline).

in addition to watching what i eat, i have given up soda (all kinds! even diet soda) since the last week of June...so i have been soda-free for the past 6 weeks (going on 7)...and i miss it every single day! yesterday, i was at outback steakhouse with chel, t, and michelle, and when the waitress asked for my beverage, i said, 'i'll just have water.' and then i told chel and t that i haven't had soda in six week and they asked me why i gave it up. i replied, 'i want to stop putting junk in my body.' wow!!!! parang totoo!

yesterday, i decided to add to my ~~misery~~ healthy choices and give up chips, too. urgh! this is going to be very, very, very hard for me!!!! i like to munch on chips all the time (obvious naman di ba?) and so giving this up would be so much harder than giving soda up. the last time i gave up chips was for lent back in 2002 i think...40 days without chips....i was so glad when the 40 days were over!

the amount of chips that i consume weekly really adds up and makes it harder for me to lose weight...so instead of eating chips, when i get a salty craving, i go to the fridge and get some parmesan cheese (i weigh each slice, portion control!) so i can easily add it to my weight watchers points tracker. so far so good.

i've also been exercising on the elliptical again and have started playing tennis. i know i've written about this battle so many times and i've lost most, if not all, of them. now, i've ran out of excuses and have no one else to blame but myself if i lose this one again. i don't plan on seeing anything drastic, but i am excited that i am being more aware and making better decisions regarding my health. i'm not getting any younger and i want to set a good example for michelle. that and i need to look good in clothes again!

michelle-ism from june 30, 2011

2011-08-04T20:41:00.001-07:00

Michelle wants her own tablet pc. I said, ' when you start working and make your own money.' She replied, ' I work at tselogs and one way. Ninang gives me money sometimes.' She has a point. So I just said, 'you're too young. Pag malaki ka na, pagusapan ulit natin.'

michelle-ism from july 15, 2011

2011-08-04T20:40:00.000-07:00

Took michelle to her pediatrician for her vaccine and tb test (required before school starts). After the tb test she said, 'that's it mommy? i thought iwas going to watch tv and you'll ask me questions.'

michelle-isms

2011-08-04T19:16:00.000-07:00

i keep forgetting to post michelle's funny remarks here...

the latest is this:

(scenario) at home watching discovery channel's shark week.

michelle: shark week! hu ha ha! like in nemo mommy.

mommy: anak, it's shark bait hu ha ha. iba yun.

good NEWS

2011-07-28T18:47:00.000-07:00

there are many things i love about living in the bay area (close enough to SF to call it my hometown)...the beautiful bridges, the fabulous food, the diverse neighborhoods...and believe it or not, the liberal thinking (even for a conservative me!).

but this news which broke out several months ago made me shake my head and say out loud, ''what the eff are they thinking...and what will be next?"

ok...sometimes, people take things too far. this is going one step too far...it's annoying. it's like the people who thought about it just thought about it for the sake of being controversial, for the sake of being mentioned in the news as , 'the first city in the united states to put such measure on the ballot.'

really, wtf?????

ODM on HAL

2011-07-27T19:54:00.000-07:00

i think my motivation for blogging is going on vacation....

we booked a vacation in november to celebrate my dear friend, claire's 'dirty thirty' as she calls it. i don't think there will be anything dirty about it really...we're all pretty conservative...except chel...she's not so conservative. hahaha! (she does not read this blog so i can say that).

for claire's 30th birthday, most of the gang will be going on.....

A CRUISE!

the itinerary

i'm more excited about the company than the cruise, really. the last time i went on vacation with my friends was in 2004. they have all gone on trips together but since i got married in 2005, then had a baby in 2006...well, that limits the time you get to spend with your friends. now that michelle is bigger, we can take her with us pretty much anywhere!

when claire first brought up the idea of the cruise, paul's response was, 'i would love to go on a cruise with friends...' naisip ko, 'yey! he doesn't need me to convince him anymore!' but then we found out the cruise is departing from florida so that means we have to pay extra for airfare...the cruise itself isn't very expensive, but with the airfare, we're paying double.

so i told paul that i will bake pies like crazy to pay for the vacation and he said, 'ok!'

i booked the airline tickets first because airfare always goes up and scouted for the best deal on the cruise. we saved $200 by going with a travel agent vs booking directly with holland america.

we will be pulling michelle out from school for a week and we will all get to enjoy some sunshine in the caribbean this fall!

sama kayo!!!

a busy last month and a half

2011-07-18T14:37:00.000-07:00

it has been a month and a half since my last post. i've been busy with work and a few other stuff that i just haven't found time to write anything.

june was filled with activities...mostly baseball games really. it's like i was at the ballpark every week and june..but i'm not complaining. i'm not the biggest baseball fan out there but i truly enjoy watching the games and being amongst all the giants fans out there. paul is really into baseball (all kinds of sports really) and he's getting michelle into baseball. he's taught her how to read the scoreboard and knows when to cheer. buster posey is her favorite baseball player and she was really bummed that he's out for the season. paul got michelle a pink baseball glove and a lightweight baseball so they can play catch.

on 4th of july weekend, we took a drive up to portland to visit gracious, jay and jairus. it was nice to see them again. It has been a year since paul left portland for the bay area and it was our first time back in the northwest since the move. we also went to crater lake which really is one of the most beautiful sights i have ever seen. even imagining it now makes me go, 'wow!' in my head.

my next 'project' is to prepare for michelle's 5th birthday. i wanted to take her to disney land for her birthday but she didn't want to go. she asked a party with her friends instead. i think we found a place for her birthday, just need to visit the place and make the reservation and we should be good to go. she also wanted a 'cat in the hat' themed birthday so that's what we're going to do. i've been scouring the internet for ideas and i'm seeing a lot of cute little centerpieces and things we can do for the party. budget will be small. =D i don't like throwing extravaggant parties...when she turns 18, it will be a whole different story though! i will give michelle the debut i never got! haha! (i have 13 years to save up).

Family Hawaii Picture Slideshow

2011-05-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

day 5 in oahu

2011-05-24T14:04:00.000-07:00

lazy day...very lazy day (read: short post). we had nothing planned but to lounge by the pool and the beach today...our last full day in oahu.

we discovered the 3rd pool in the resort complete with tunnels and waterfalls (less windy and less crowded too. why did we have to discover you this late in our trip?

paul and daddy went on another trip to ono seafood all the way in honolulu today to buy more poke. yes, the poke is THAT good! truly ONO (delicious)!

day 4 in oahu

2011-05-23T02:18:00.000-07:00

jetlag's just about overcome with only 2 days left in hawaii. isn't that tragic?

we woke up 'late' today (around 7 am) because we were all exhausted from the trip to pcc yesterday. instead of heading to pearl harbor as originally planned, we stayed at the hotel in the morning then went to my dad's friend's house in honolulu for lunch. after lunch, we made a quick stop at the swap meet (flea market) to look for a ukulele. paul wanted to buy one since last year and he was advised by the concierge here at the hotel that the swap meet would be one of the more affordable places to look. he found what he was looking for, hindi nga lang inexpensive in my mind pero i know that paul really likes it and it's something he would actually use...the ukulele he got is a nice, rosewood ukulele and a bright pink one for michelle. paul said he's going to teach michelle to play. he's given up teaching me to play the guitar (even if he knows i can play a little) because i give up when i need to use all my fingers to press on the chords. kahit na 4 lang ang strings ng ukulele, give up parin ako. magkakakalyo kamay ko no? (oo maarte ako! masakit kaya magkakalyo!)

anyway, we are the first time honolulu visitors who have never been to waikiki beach. it was in the itinerary i planned originally pero kasi wala rin sa plano yung pag punta namin sa bahay ng friend ni daddy. i don't know why i'm not to keen on spending time in waikiki and downtown honolulu.

anyway, after the swap meet, we went to lanikai beach over on the east side of the island. sabi nila, this is the best beach in hawaii DAW. well, so far, i would have to agree. after seeing several beaches in maui and here in oahu, this is indeed the most beautiful. it's a pain to park here though because there is NO PARKING! good luck looking for a place to park on the one way streets near the beach. but once you get to there, wow! the sand is fine like the sand in boracay and the two islands not far from the beach make it all the more picturesque.
it was crowded today though and there was no shade to park our bums while we stare at the beautiful water. sandali lang kami nagbabad sa tubig then back to the hotel we went.

it's almost 11 pm and i'm still awake. wala na nga akong jetlag.

day 3 in oahu - polynesian cultural center

2011-05-23T00:40:00.000-07:00

our third day in oahu was a trip to the north shore. first, we went to laniakea beach to look for turtles but we didn't see any =( so we just strolled the beach and watched the big waves of the north shore. it was a little overcast in the morning and the rain stopped our beach trip short. on our way to giovanni's shrimp truck for lunch, we stopped by a fruit stand and bought some mangoes and guava. ang sarap ng bayabas! kung may bagoong lang kami, solve na solve sana.

we arrived at giovanni's at a little before 11 so there wasn't a lot of people yet. we ordered the shrimp scampi that was swimming in loads of butter and garlic. it was really good but it could use a lot less butter. i feel like it would still taste as good if they didn't use a stick of butter for each order.

after lunch, we went to the polynesian cultural center. i was very hesitant to take this tour in the beginning, primarily because of the price. the package that we bought was the ali`i luau package. given all the performances that we saw, it was worth it. it was a nice cultural experience and the food at the luau was pretty good (the choices were limited though). my dad, who is incredibly hard to please, was very impressed with everything that he saw. he even gave a standing ovation to the performers at the 'ha breath of life' show.

we spent the entire day at pcc and we were all exhausted after the long day. it was a surefire way to get rid of jetlag. now, we are more or less on hawaii time.

day 2 in oahu

2011-05-20T19:29:00.000-07:00

it's only after 4 pm, but i'm feeling exhausted! we woke up after 5 am due to jetlag so we had an early breakfast and took a drive to hanauma bay to go snorkeling. i wanted us to go early to hanauma bay because i read that the parking lot fills up and the beach gets crowded. the only drawback to leaving before 7 am is we caught some rush hour traffic in honolulu. parking in hanauma bay is $1 but entrance fee for each adult is $7.50. after paying the fee, we watched a 10 minute video about how the bay was formed and what types of marine life we can expect to see. the bay was beautiful! paul and my dad went snorkeling first while i played by the beach with michelle. the water was super clear, but the seabed was a bit rocky. we saw quite a number of fish (but not schools of them).

after hanauma bay, we went looking for ono seafood for what i was told was the best poke in hawaii. it's a hole in the wall place that's quite challenging to find. after we found, we bought two pounds of poke (it is expensive at $15/pound) and contemplated driving back to the hotel and eat lunch there...but we were all starving after spending the morning in the beach. we succumbed to the call of the nearest kfc and ate greasy fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and coleslaw. we ate our poke, too...and my...there's a reason why it's expensive. the fish was sooo fresh and flavor was perfect!!!! we had quite a bit left over so we bought beer and we'll have beer and poke later tonight. =D

back in the hotel, we spent some time again in the beach and the pool. i am the darkest i have been in a while because of spending the entire day under the sun...but this time, i don't mind so much. i just want to have a great time with my family who slathers me with sunscreen SPF 50 because they know how paranoid i am about the sun.

tomorrow, i turn 31 and i am spending it in paradise with the people i love. i am truly blessed! =D

day 1 in oahu

2011-05-19T22:42:00.000-07:00

we're here!!!

yipeee!!!! vacation has officially began! we arrived in honolulu after a 5 hour flight from san francisco. we were greeted to a perfect 80F weather! i hardly ate anything during the flight so by the time we landed, i was starving so we went straight to highway inn for some hawaiian food. highway inn was recommended to me by a friend of mine who now lives in oahu. the food was good and i enjoyed the meal and the friendly service. =)

after lunch, we went to safeway to get groceries. we'll be here for almost a week so we'd be saving a lot of money by cooking some of our meals at the hotel/condo. groceries here are soooooooooo expensive. strawberries were $4.99 when at the safeway in california, it would only be $2.99. onions, $1.69/lb; back home it would be $0.69/lb. it's an island, so a lot of the island's supplies get shipped in...we already knew this so we expected it but i guess, sticker shock is...well, shocking. it's still cheaper than eating each of our meals out and since we have a full kitchen, might as well take advantage of it, right?

next stop, the marriott ko olina beach club. i love how the lobby is open and breezy with a view of the pool and the beach. when we walked in, it really felt like we were on vacation. we haven't had the chance to explore the entire resort yet because we're tired from waking up so early + the long flight but from what we've seen so far...it's beautiful!!! our 'villa' is big... almost 1,000 square feet i think (about 90 square meters). we got a full kitchen like i mentioned earlier, and a large bathroom (large tub with a view of the marina and separate from the shower). there is a separate bedroom too and a king sized pull out bed. i love how it feels homey and comfortable. we have a lanai with the view of the golf course and the marina.

we spent some time in the pool (salt water pool i think) and had some fun in the sun. even my dad took a plunge! i don't think he's gone swimming in about a decade! it's nice to see him in the water again. he's a pretty good swimmer. batang lungos e! while the four of us were in the pool (paul, me, michelle and daddy), my mom just watched us from her lounge chair (di marunong lumangoy, takot sa tubig).

tomorrow, it's snorkeling at hanauma bay and a drive to lanikai beach...at least that's what we planned for tomorrow. i could just stay here at the resort and be happy pero sayang naman if we don't explore the rest of what oahu has to offer right?

more to come!!!

kape

2011-05-18T20:48:00.000-07:00

you know that coffee machine i blogged earlier...well, i got it as a gift to myself....well the smaller version so it doesn't take up too much counter space.

i went to macy's to change my watch's battery which happened to be in the 'Home' section of the department store so i looked around while my watch was being serviced. ayan tuloy, napabili ako ng wala sa oras!

but i love it! at least now my coffee is consistently drinkable. ako lang ang taong nagtitimpla ng instant coffee na everyday, paiba iba ang lasa ng kape. there are days where i cannot drink my coffee. hindi ko alam kung anong ginagawa kong mali, e instant coffee na nga yun! with my keurig, at least i know masarap yung magiging kape ko. i didn't know it came with a box of different kinds of coffee so i bought 1 box of the tully's kona blend coffee...si paul, who does not drink coffee, nainggit kaya bumili sya ng hot chocolate para sa kanya. di ko naman gusto...it's too sweet for me.

i'm not a big coffee drinker but i drink 1 cup a day to wake me up...sometimes 2 when i'm having a terrible day (puyat, hung over, etc). there are times when i don't drink coffee...wala lang, tinatamad magtimpla hehehe.

anywayz, hawaii tomorrow. I CAN NOT WAIT!!!

that school girl feeling

2011-05-13T09:57:00.000-07:00

i felt that again last night when chel, t, and i went to watch hugh jackman perform at the curran theater in san francisco.*sigh* i could not stop staring at him and telling myself over and over, 'ang guwapo naman nitong lalakeng to!' he was tall, much taller than he looked on tv or the moview...he can sing, he can dance, he kept his audience engaged and entertained the two hours that he performed (without an intermission!).

we scored good seats even though we bought the cheapest tickets (it pays to buy early) and got a good view of him. unfortunately we couldn't take pictures, sayang!

he said he's shooting the new wolverine movie soon...it's going to be set in japan so they're waiting for things to settle down over there before they start filming. so while he has some free time, he decided to do the one man show he's always wanted to do. and san francisco was just the place to do it!

he's a very good singer but an even better actor. kinikilig parin ako hanggang ngayon. hahaha!

i'm not the fanatic type. the few celebrities that make me feel like this are michael jordan, hugh jackman, george clooney, and brad pitt. san ko kaya hahuntingin si george at si brad?

panawagan

2011-05-11T09:35:00.000-07:00

if someone out there wants to get me a birthday present....

please get me these:

Keurig B40 Coffee Maker, Elite Single Serve

Keurig 5060 K-Cup Carousel

(available at macy's and it's on sale!!!!)

my husband will not get this for me because his gift to me is our vacation next week. so sa aking mga friends sa tabi tabi dyan, baga gusto nyo akong regaluhan nito, tutal, kayo rin naman ang iinom nyan. =D

MOONSTAR / PACMAN / PIES (no creative title)

2011-05-02T16:01:00.000-07:00

i skipped work today...

we celebrated my pastor's birthday yesterday at MOONSTAR buffet and for the 2nd time, it gave me food poisoning. i don't know if it was the sashimi, the clams, or the oyster..whatever it was doesn't really matter any more because i don't think i'm going back. i had food poisoning the last time i was there, more than a year ago, and now, yet again. my best friend had food poisoning, too. i wonder who else got it...chel asked me, 'should we call the restaurant and let them know?' i said, 'it doesn't matter. i don't think they'd really care.' after a brief conversation, we hung up and went straight to the bathroom. (the rest i leave to your imagination) LOL

after drinking tons of water and one too many trips to the bathroom, i am feeling slightly better. although at times i still feel like i was punched by manny pacquiao in the gut. speaking of pacman, we're having a pacman party here at home on saturday to watch his boxing match with mosley and to celebrate 4 birthdays during the 1st half of may - my dad's (may 3rd), my uncle cesar's (may 5th), my cousin in law charlie (may 7th), and my other cousin in law adrian (may 9th). my aunt and i will celebrate later this month. 6 celebrations in the family in just one month. at church, someone's celebrating a birthday it seems like every other day this month...i'm not kidding. may is not a good month to go on a diet.

i made pies again today...i have 2 really good pies on my menu now - buko and ube macapuno. on saturday, with my relatives as my guinea pigs, i might try a 3rd and 4th pie for them to taste....one will be mango and the other maybe a banana and jackfruit pie (i want this one to taste like turon). i wonder what will go well with the mango? i want something different..i know peach-mango is a good combination....but i want something else. anyone got any ideas?

viva las vegas

2011-04-27T22:01:00.000-07:00

over the easter holiday we took mama boots on a trip to las vegas. the drive from sf to lv took about 8.5 hours, and surprisingly, michelle did not complain about the drive. sure there were multiple times when she asked, 'are we there yet?' but even i was asking that...not out loud of course but i could not wait for the drive to be over!

we stayed at the four seasons las vegas which is the best smelling hotel i have even been in! amoy spa! you'll notice this as soon as you walk in and all over the common spaces like the lobby and the hallways - that minty, relaxing smell. after walking down the strip and through smokey hotel casinos, i looked forward to coming 'home' to our hotel at the end of each lengthy walk. check in was easy, no waiting in line but we had to wait about 15 minutes for our room to be ready. it wasn't too long so we walked around the lobby and took a peek at the pool. the pool wasn't too big, they didn't need a big pool since the guests can use the pools at the mandalay bay. the four seasons occupies the top 5 or 6 floors of the mandalay bay so we had easy access to the casinos and the restaurants there, but we also enjoyed the peace and relative quiet of the four seasons. it was the best of both worlds.

we spent friday afternoon in the pool and walked 1/4 of the strip before dinner. after dinner, michelle was ready to crash so we headed back to the hotel.

walking the strip with a four year old can be interesting. we shielded her eyes from the many pornographic business cards and publications that littered the streets. we would distract her from looking at equally provocative billboards. there were people handing out cards for 'gentlemen's clubs' and i would have to say, they have been pretty respectful of people who were walking around with children. yun nga lang, sa sobrang daming nagkalat na larawan ng mga babaeng hubad, it would be impossible for older kids not to see them. michelle's too young to focus on what's on the ground. the lights of vegas held her captive, thankfully!

the next day (saturday), we went to the mandalay bay and spent almost two hours going around and around the lazy river. it was so much fun! pati kaming dalawa ni paul, para kaming mga bata nag eenjoy ng paikot ikot lang sa pool. after that, we went back to the pool at the four seasons and paul and michelle played a little bit there. i have had enough of the sun (takot umitim) so i asked for a chair in the shade and continued to read 'the girl who played with fire'.

we took a nap after lunch then got ready to watch the lion king at the mandalay bay. i've seen this show before with lai and chel when it first toured san francisco and i was blown away by the costumes they used. michelle would cover her eyes whenever the hayenas were on stage but after a while, she got used to them. this is one thing paul and i kinda struggle with. michelle avoids conflict. any kind of conflict. on one hand, it's good. hindi sya pala-away. but on the other, she needs to know that the world isn't perfect and that there are conflicts all the time. we're still thinking through how to explain this to her in a manner that she will really understand. ayaw na ayaw nyang nakakakita ng nagaaway, kahit sa cartoons. she'll cover her eyes or ask me to change the channel. nerbyosa ba ang anak ko? hindi naman namin sya tinatakot, hindi naman kami nagaaway sa harap nya. hmmm....

after the show, we went to the bellagio to see the conservatory and the dancing fountains and walked the strip some more. we had dinner at the grand luxe cafe at the venetian. this is my favorite restaurant on the strip. it's not too expensive and the plates are huge! we ordered 2 entrees and split it among the 4 of us, may natira pa. the grand luxe is owned by the same people who own cheesecake factory.

easter sunday, we had brunch at the four seasons. the food was good, the presentation fantastic...i was disappointed though that the menu on their website said there will be lobster and there wasn't. because of that i don't feel like i got my money's worth...it is a very expensive brunch. the lobster would have made it reasonable. so i've learned my lesson, i will call to check and confirm before i book. sayang ang pera. i'm sure paul will never say yes to me regarding something like this the next time. (lesson learned).

we drove home after brunch and it took us 10 hours to get home. there was traffic just outside las vegas - californians trying to get home after a weekend in sin city. it was so windy in the mojave desert, too, and it caused a lot of drag for the car. we made it home at 1030, exhausted from a very long day. again, michelle was the perfect traveller. she got a small water pistol as a reward for what i tell her are her 'excellent adventure behavior'. masaya na ang anak ko sa $2 watergun. bongga!

one for one...

2011-04-18T20:01:00.000-07:00

isn't enough to convince my husband that i should get these shoes...

too late though

(it's the perfect shade of red!)

beauty pageants and other girley stuff

2011-04-10T21:36:00.000-07:00

are beauty pageants still relevant?

that was the question (i think) during last night's bb. pilipinas pageant. my question is, when have they actually been relevant?

don't get me wrong. i love watching beauty pageants and envying each contestant because all of them are prettier and sexier than me. i always cheer for ms. philippines (and ms. usa) in international pageants. but like many things in this world, we don't really need them but they provide us with entertainment and they do help out with charities and other causes...beauty with a cause is what they say, right?

-----

on the subject of things we CAN live without, i got a pedicure today. hindi na mukhang paa ng magsasaka ang mga paa ko.

i can live without getting a pedicure...but that means very ugly feet.

-----

i've switched my powder to NARS which was recommended my make up artist friend, charmagne. i like it! i've also started using a primer to help make the make up last longer. during the work week, i hardly have time to get up to eat lunch or use the bathroom, let alone retouch my make up, so hopefully the primer does what its supposed to do. i'm also sticking to a good skincare regimen to fight aging. iwas wrinkles!

a long drive ahead

2011-04-08T21:28:00.000-07:00

we are heading to vegas in less than two weeks.

i love going to vegas to see the lights...it never fails to amaze me how much electricity a city wastes each night. hahaha! for someone who doesn't like crowds and does not gamble, for some reason, i am drawn to vegas...it's not because i've found it as an escape from my quiet [read: boring] life...i never do anything 'naughty' when i'm there. siguro lakwatsera lang talaga ako and going to vegas seems different each time we go.

a few days ago, i again began my search for the best hotel for our buck. paul and i narrowed our search down to the MGM Grand, Treasure Island, and Vdara. they were all priced about the same...vdara was the newest among the three. last year, we stayed at Aria which is just right next door to Vdara. i found city center to be ultra modern and lacking in warmth. treasure island was the cheapest of the three by a few bucks. it was my third choice because i wasn't too thrilled about their pool. mgm grand looked like it was going to be our home for the weekend in las vegas. but i held off on reserving it in the hopes that something better would come along.

the next day, i had lunch with my ninang carmen (ninang from my wedding) and we talked about vegas. i told her we plan on being there over the easter weekend and she asked where we were staying. i told her i haven't quite made up my mind because my first choice was waaay beyond my budget even with my firm's discount. she told me that her company has good rates at the hotel and she's going to try to see if she can get the same rate for us.

kinabukasan, answered prayer kaagad! carmen sent me the confirmation for our stay at the four seasons in las vegas! and the rates are cheaper than any of the three hotels i mentioned earlier. i was thrilled!!! i LOVE LOVE LOVE staying at the four seasons. they treat you like royalty! i've stayed at 3 other four seasons properties in the past, (beverly hills, san francisco, and westlake village) and i am always blown away by the service and the courtesy they extend their guest. the hotel itself is nice, the rooms are ok...not the most beautiful i've seen but i keep going back for the service. now i am even more excited to visit vegas again!

post-kitchen remodel

2011-04-02T14:15:00.000-07:00

i never got to post pictures of the kitchen after it was remodeled last summer. here's what my kitchen looks like now.

cashing in on someone else's poverty

2011-03-28T13:53:00.000-07:00

I’ve been reading a bit of news from manila lately about a poor 6 year old boy who was asked to dance a sexually provocative dance on national tv while the host, the boy’s relative(s), and the audience watched on with glee. I will not post the video here, nor will I mention the name of the show—if you’re reading this, you’ve probably seen it and read a lot about it already—it breaks my heart that the kid had to subject himself to ridicule and humiliation to make a few bucks. I detest the host for his arrogance and his disrespect of EVERYONE he worked with – staff and audience included.

It makes me sad that there are people out there who are cashing in on poverty in the guise of ‘helping the poor’. If they are really out there to help the poor, people do not need to make a fool of themselves in front of millions of people just to get help. If the network or the show is on a mission to help, their stage is really not the platform to do it and they SHOULD NOT be making money out of the people’s plight. It defeats the purpose. Lalo lang nagmumukhang kaawa-awa ang mga tao. yes, they'll get some money, but it's like selling a piece of their dignity and self-respect.

It’s not enough to talk just talk about things like this and do nothing. If we don’t come up with solutions, we contribute to the problem. So what am I going to do about it? I came up with an idea shortly after we saw the bbc program ‘toughest place to be a bus driver’, the place being again, unfortunately, manila- that each time we throw a party at home for birthdays and other gatherings, in lieu of gifts to the celebrant, I will have a ‘tip jar’ on the kitchen island. Our guests are free to put money in the jar (if they don’t then paul and I will strongly encourage them to make a small donation) and whatever amount we collect will be given to a deserving family in the Philippines via our parent church’s outreach to the poor. It’s a small gesture, but at least, no one has to make a fool of themselves on tv to receive some help to tide them over.

I mention this to encourage each one of you to do your part to help someone in need out there. Hindi nyo naman susustentuhan ang mga taong ito, but we can all make a small difference in someone’s life.

i want...

2011-03-13T17:03:00.000-07:00

Tory Burch Sally Wedge

pero expensive.

mapapalo ako ng sugar daddy pag binili ko.

haaay!!!! why do you have to be so cute?!?!?!?!?

ko olina

2011-03-06T23:03:00.000-08:00

i couldn't get hawaii off my mind these last couple of days...maybe because it was the 'cheaper' alternative to visiting relatives in italy. now i have to call my aunt and tell her we are postponing our visit for yet another year. siguro dapat sila nalang magpunta dito. =D

anyway, so i asked paul if hawaii was ok...so as soon as he said yes, i was on the computer planning another getaway...the criteria for my search:

beach access - i don't want a hotel that's a block from the beach, i want to be right at the beach
kiddie pool - when traveling with a 4 year old, it's wise to look for a place with a good kiddie pool. it doesn't have to be fancy with all the slides, i'm just looking for a good size pool with no more than 2 feet of water.
kitchen - going on a vacation can be expensive and i want to save a little bit of $$ by finding a place with a kitchen so we can cook a few meals and not have to eat out every single time
reasonably priced - we were lucky to land a very, very, very good rate during our trip to maui last year. the same trip this year at the same resort cost 3x more than what we paid for so i have to find another good deal this time

after looking at vacation packages from many different websites and not being satisfied with their prices (all of them cost $1,200/person for 5 nights) i was starting to feel a little discouraged. parang can't afford yata mag hawaii ngayon. waaaaah!!!

so i went to look at just hotels and think i found THE perfect place in oahu for me and the family!

Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club

i found prices that were a little more than what i would pay for a stay at the marriott but the kitchen makes up for that. we can cook our breakfast in the kitchen and there are bbq pits around the resort. it had everything i wanted plus we can snorkel at the hotel's lagoon! wowoweee!!! even without paul seeing this yet, i went ahead and made reservations. yipee!!!

my parents are coming too (most likely) so double yipee! someone can watch michelle while paul and i enjoy some time at the pool with our mai tais!

i'm booking our air tickets tomorrow or the day after. woot woot!!!

29 is the magic number

2011-03-04T17:26:00.000-08:00

towards the end of february, i told myself, 'if i don't lose at least a few lbs this month, i'm joining weight watchers.'

and guess what happened????

WALANG NA-BAWAS SA AKING TIMBANG.

so on march 2nd, i decided that if jennifer hudson can do it, i can do it too!

hahaha! so i signed up for weight watchers online, entered my information and they calculated that i can consume 29 points a day to lose weight. those points translate to a mysterious number of calories per day. today is my 3rd day on the program.

so far so good. i have not lost weight (3 days palang e) but i have been really watching what i ate, trying to stay within the 29 points i should consume. i pick healthier food choices and i think before i eat. i've been eating a lot of fruits and vegetables (which have zero points so i can eat a lot of it). hopefully, in 3 months, i could lose 20% of my weight and move closer to my ideal size.

i was tempted to take diet pills and take the 'easy' route to losing weight. i've tried this in the past and while some do work, i end up gaining it all back after i stop taking the pills... it does not really change my eating habits and that is what needs to change. i really want to stick to this weight watchers thing (for as long as i can afford it) and hopefully i stay long enough to change the way i eat.

i miss wearing my pre-motherhood jeans that i can't find the courage to donate to the salvation army because i am still hopeful that someday i will fit back into them. maybe weight watchers will help me get there. i'm feeling really optimistic.

cioppino night

2011-02-26T23:18:00.000-08:00

busog!!!! chel was praying in the car on our way home, 'Lord, forgive us for our gluttony!!! forgive us!!!!"

we look forward to this event every year. pang apat na taon na namin pag punta dito. always fun and the food never disappoints!

skiing - take 2

2011-02-26T13:24:00.000-08:00

dahil ang yabang ko noong una akong nag skiing lessons, hindi ako bumagsak, and remained upright the whole time...my second ski class was a lesson on humility.

ako lang ang natumba sa pito na nasa class na yun. in my defense, i am also the most inexperienced having only been on skis for a second time. many of the folks in my class are regular skiers. i was also the only person who's never been on the lift - which, for a person who does not like heights, is another triumph! dami kong palusot!

i had fun though. the snow was perfect! the sierra nevada mountains received about 55 inches of snow in the few days before our trip so powdery pa talaga yung snow when we went. it was the perfect snow for falling on your behind! walang pictures kasi ski to the max lang talaga ang ginawa namin. wala akong panahon mag take ng pics.

i told paul that next time, hindi na muna namin isasama si bulinggit...kasi once her class is over, over na rin ang maliligayang skiing at snowboarding namin. baby sitting duty na kami. so next time, magpapractice lang ako ng magpapractice hanggang sa sumakit ang mga binti ko.

turtle plus na ang skill level ni michelle when it comes to skiing. konti pa, daig na ako nito. hehehe

---------------

tonight is cioppino night. first time ni paul to attend. we'll have lots of pictures tonight!

february na!

2011-02-10T16:24:00.000-08:00

I think I would consider the highlight of this first 6 weeks of 2011 is that I learned how to ski. Yes,with confidence, I can say that I learned to ski after just 1 class! Woot woot! I’m not athletic (even though I was a varsity volleyball player in elementary and high school - that was ages ago!), I’m not adventurous. I can rollerblade and skate a little bit but I’m always afraid of falling on my behind. In the snow, it’s perfectly understandable to do exactly that. And I am so glad I didn’t pick the snow board!!!! I am thrilled though. I never thought that I, a self-confessed lampa, will actually learn and enjoy this! Michelle took lessons too and she is of course fairing much better than I am. We are going back to Tahoe for the President’s day weekend to have some more skiing/snowboarding fun.

Michelle is really into American Idol lately. She loves watching people sing and she is thrilled when she hears the judges say, ‘You’re going to Hollywood!’. Sya din daw kakanta sa American idol and will go to Hollywood. Sige anak, dream big, you can even dream bigger!

i have been...

2011-01-30T20:20:00.000-08:00

obviously lazy to blog.

the highlight of my january has been that i learned to ski. we're going again during the president's day weekend and enjoy some fun in the snow. =D

sana wag na ako tamarin magblog next month.

winter footwear

2011-01-03T19:50:00.000-08:00

The North Face 'Nuptse Fur' Bootie

My perfect winter footwear!

2010 recap

2010-12-28T19:26:00.000-08:00

The best of 2010:

January – Family trip to Las Vegas. I am one of the few [young] people who have been to Vegas and yet have never stepped into a bar or club over there. Even my husband who doesn’t dance and drinks very little has been inside one of those places. #manangkasiako

February – Annual Cioppino night at St. Thomas More School. I am already looking forward to this tradition that me and my friends have. 2011 should be even better because Paul can finally join us and see what this night is all about!

March – Paul’s birthday! We had little celebration at home for his 33rd birthday. Isaw party!!!!!

April – Washington, D.C. Paul and I have never been back since we first went there in 2005. 5 years later, with Michelle in tow, we headed east to visit Paul’s side of the family. It was great to see them again and for Michelle to meet her cousins.

May – Our trip to Maui for my 30th birthday! Oh what a vacation! I loved it and can’t wait to go back again in 2011!

June – Paul comes back to the bay FOR GOOD! After 2 ½ years of flying back and forth from Portland to the Bay Area, my husband now comes home every night and has dinner with us. We do errands together and disagree a lot more (hehehe) but that’s what married life is all about! I love it!

July – Michelle enters pre-school. Her first day was flawless…no crying, no tantrums. Michelle thrived when she started going to schools. She knows her letters and can write her name…and her name is the only word she can read right now. Hehehe but that will change soon. The school’s director told me they’re moving her to a different class beginning January because Michelle is ready and needs to be challenged a little more. we also renovated our kitchen this month. the two week project (according to the contractor) turned to 4 weeks. in the end, I'm happy with my kitchen (dapat lang!). my aunt, uncle, and niece from the philippines also visited this month and I saw joy, gelsey and gave in oxnard. it was a very busy month. =)

August – My Ate Anna Dayag left this world on July 31st and we said our final goodbye to her in August. I miss the sound of her voice and her infectious laughter.

September – Paul and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary and Michelle turned 4! Ang bilis talaga ng panahon!

October – Philippines – it was so nice to be back to see friends and family. If only we could stay there longer. Michelle had a blast and adjusted very well to the new environment. She bonded with her cousins and enjoyed the beach in Boracay.

November – Driving through snow and ice. I have never seen so much snow in my life when we went to Tahoe the day after Thanksgiving. I was so out of my element because I like the beach more than I like snow. But it was a good experience for me (although a little bit nerve racking). Ski lessons are in the works for when we visit the area again in January with my cousins. I also saw Harry Potter during our company's advanced screening. that was a great treat!

December – I just love the holidays so much! We went to the symphony, cooked and ate a lot and went to countless holiday celebrations. We’re going to Tahoe again in a couple of days. December is/was a great ending to a great year!

Thank you, Lord for 2010. I know you have prepared 2011 to exceed all that was in the past. 2011 shall be the year of restoration, promotion, and abundance. Thank you, Jesus!

michelle opens her christmas presents

2010-12-27T20:47:00.000-08:00

Ballet and Hula Hoop

2010-12-27T20:43:00.000-08:00

while waiting for christmas eve dinner, michelle entertains herself this way...

Michelle covers the Beatles

2010-12-27T20:42:00.000-08:00

she's not perfect after all

2010-12-23T21:23:00.000-08:00

'train up a child in the way she should go, even when she is old, she will not depart from it' - proverbs 22:6

michelle has always been an easy child. she listens to what we say, she's not super likot, follows what we say, she's very understanding and very well behaved. she's never thrown a tantrum. that is, until tonight.

she threw a hissy fit we never saw coming. it caught me off guard and broke my heart into so many million pieces. sigh

but we've made peace now. and again everything seems perfect. but tonight, she reminded me that no matter how much i try to make her perfect, she will never be and she will make many more mistakes. this may be the first tantrum she's thrown in her 4 short years, but it's definitely not the last. all i can really do is train her in the way she should go so when moments like tonight happen, she'll know how to find her way back and get on the right path again.

oh how much i love her.

(i am ever so thankful she doesn't throw tantrums left and right. i'd like to think of it as a learning experience for the both of us.)

sf symphony presents...

2010-12-19T15:12:00.000-08:00

last year, we saw the nutcracker on christmas eve. this year for the holidays, we went to the san francisco symphony last night to watch the snowman with the sf symphony orchestra as musical accompaniment. ganda! michelle enjoyed the short film and the festive music. towards the end of the performance, the orchestra played some of the most popular and well-loved christmas carols and the audience all sang along as they played. christmas is such a joyous event. =)

the sf symphony orchestra did a wonderful job. paul and i hope to watch more of their performances in the future.

here are some pics from our family date:

a very snowy lake tahoe trip

2010-12-08T20:51:00.000-08:00

the day after thanksgiving, paul, michelle and i went to south lake tahoe to enjoy some early snow. winter came early in this part of the world and the sierra mountains saw snow as early as the 2nd week of november.

when we headed up to the mountains on friday, the sun was shining brightly. the snow looked so pretty as it glistened under the sun!

after we checked in at the hotel, we rushed to get to the nearest snow park so we can go sledding. at this time of the year, it starts to get dark at 5 pm. we reached the snow park at 4 pm and didn't have cash to pay the snow park to go sledding. after running to the nearest atm to get cash, it was already 4:15. the good thing about being late is that we were only charged $10 to go sledding instead of $30 (it's normally $10/person).

now, i am scared of heights and the feeling like i'm going to fall out of control. even the feeling when you slide down a playground slide, i don't like that. but that's exactly what sledding is. sliding on snow while seated on a sled. yes, my heart raced as we swooooshed through the slippery snow but it was so much fun!

we had dinner at applebee's afterwards and then relaxed at our hotel.

now, look back up to pictures number 1 and 2 and see how clear and sunny it is. the next day, right outside our hotel, it looked like this:

and we drove through this...

which made me feel like this...

early on saturday morning, i was silently praying paul would just say, 'i'm not gonna go snowboarding nalang. let's just head home...this weather is horrible.' pero wala akong super powers! we went to the ski resort and paul snowboarded for only 1.5 hours. michelle was soooo bored! the ski class we wanted to take started at 1 pm and we got to the resort at 1:30 so we couldn't take the class so michelle and i decided to just go sledding. as we walked to the sledding area of the resort, i asked for directions only to be told that sledding is closed kasi nga matindi ang snow. bigo! so we headed to the lodge to beat the cold. buti nalang one of my friends from way back was there (small world) and we hung out and tried to entertain michelle. at around 3, paul found us and said the words i had hoped he would say 6 hours earlier.

we lost one of our tire chains and had to buy a new pair. fortunately, the folks at the resort helped us install the 2nd pair. it took us 2 hours to drive a distance of 30 miles. the drive that would normally take us 3.5 to 4 hours took 6. but we made it home safe. =)

it will take some time for me to get used to the snow. i still like beach vacations the best. i do not like dressing in so many layers. it's a whole production to get michelle in and out of her clothes just to make sure she is seated in the toilet in time! but i am looking forward to another ski trip next month, this time for a whole weekend instead of just overnight. and this time, my cousins are coming so mas masaya and we will make sure michelle and i get to ski class before it starts!!!

harry potter

2010-12-06T22:12:00.000-08:00

ok, medyo delayed na to...pero i'll try to recap the things that happened since we got back from pi.

harry potter 7 part 1 - i work for a BIG company na maraming mayamang kliyente. as a thanksgiving treat to the clients, we hosted an advance screening of harry potter in union city 1 day before its worldwide release. i was not a fan of the harry potter movies or books. i just never got into it. but to prepare for this screening, i called the biggest hp fan i know and borrowed her dvds. i had 1 week to watch all the earlier movies and i was quite surprised i found all of them very interesting and very entertaining. that j.k. rowling has some wonderful imagination! at the screening, we could take whatever we wanted from the concession stand. all the popcorn you want, ice cream, nachos, candy. parang fiesta! after the movie, there were goody bags waiting for us as we walked out of the cinema. scarves, wands, and harry potter glasses. wow! it was such a well received event. we've gotten so many 'thank yous' from the clients (well, their kids actually) saying how special they felt because they got to see the movie before everyone else did and how special they all felt!

a few days after the movie, as i was reading facebook updates from friends all over the world, one particular comment about harry potter cracked me up. my friend said, 'watched harry potter 7 today!' or something to that effect. and the comment from my friend's friend was this, 'maganda sana yung movie...kaso i didn't like the ending!' i cracked up when i read that! maraming sarcastic comments pumasok sa isip ko pero syempre di ko nilagay. sinabi ko nalang kay paul. hihi! i'm looking forward to part 2!

boracay

2010-11-21T16:51:00.000-08:00

we went to boracay during our vacation in the philippines. i have been to a several beaches in different parts of the world, and i have yet to find a beach with sand more beautiful than boracay's.

i've been to boracay with my friends before and this is my family's first time. everyone had a good time.

waiting for the flight to kalibo

ati-atihan

the beach

relaxing at astoria boracay

relaxing by the beach

polvoron from boracay!

this is as deep as my mom will ever get in the water

hotel review:

the good - astoria boracay is nice and new. the facilities are really beautiful. the pool is very small but real estate in boracay is expensive so resorts would rather use the space for rooms instead of a bigger pool. the manager seems really nice. mas nauuna pa sya bumati sa guests kesa sa sariling nyang staff.

the bad - the layout is very poor. i think the architect or designer went for form instead of function. i didn't like the lobby/dining room combo. it's so weird to walk into the space after spending time at the beach, all covered in sand while other guests are enjoying their meal in the dining room. there's too much traffic in one confined space. service is ok, staff could use more training and improve their customer service skills. for the price that i paid for, i expected to have conditioner in my room. it's the little details that takes a hotel from being good to great. would i stay there again? unless prices are dirt cheap, not really. just being honest. i want the hotel to do well but i wasn't blown away by anything.

food: i don't remember where we ate. nothing really stood out but none of them where bad. meals are very expensive...everything is expensive in boracay. we were at d' mall looking for beach toys for the kids. one store said P250 daw, another said P380, pareho walang tawad. konting lakad pa at nakita namin ang palengke and a similar toy goes for only P150. sold! so magpunta kayo sa palengke at doon bumili ng supplies na kakailanganin nyo like water and snacks, you'll get it for half the price.

while the sand in boracay is perfect. it bothers me that it is so commercialized. it's very different from my first trip back in 2004. i had a better time in coron, bohol, and maui. i like beaches that do not have too many people. siguro if we stayed at shangri-la, my opinion would be different. but we can't afford to pay for 12 people to stay at shangri-la boracay. not now at least, sana someday we can! =D

before boracay

2010-11-07T20:03:00.000-08:00

ano ba ginawa namin before boracay?

oh, nag karaoke kami ng mga pinsan ko that friday night! lahat pala kami mahilig kumanta. =) sayang lang at di lahat nakasama. oh well! there's always next year! (parang uuwi talaga kami next year e no?)

saturday/sunday, we went to laguna to spend time with paul's family. nag rent kami ng private pool and we spent the night there. masaya naman. di masyado mainit, kaya di masyado umitim and the pool is fresh and clean (they replace the water for each guest at the resort. mura ang tubig sa laguna).

michelle spent most of her waking moments in laguna in the water. that's where she built her confidence and relied on her floaty thing. she was kicking all over the pool. malapit na mabuild confidence nito for a full on swimming class (next summer perhaps).

monday naman, i went to dinner with my friends from high school. nagpunta kami ng tagaytay and ate at buon giorno. ang cute ni raja! mabait na bata din. mukhang nagkasundo naman sila ni michelle. after dinner, we went to starbucks for some coffee/tea hanggang sa mag aya na umuwi si michelle. how i miss these guys. sana nandun din si lizette at imee...pati si crisanto, si ryan reyes, at si gamban. again, sana next year! =D

tuesday....boracay na! separate entry to. highlight e!

manila: the rest of the first week

2010-10-31T01:40:00.000-07:00

our plane landed at sfo several hours ago. i fell asleep on the plane so i am still wide awake at 1 am. michelle, who slept the entire flight is catching up on nick jr. paul is fast asleep...my mom is going to try to fall asleep but i already know she's not gonna have much success. =)

recap of what happend in the philippines after the last blog update:

oct. 18: we had dinner at chelsea market @ serendra will paul's friends from sykes. nagkanda ligaw ligaw kami kakahanap ng serendra. feeling namin sa kabilang ibayo pa yun ng market market, katabing katabi lang pala. mas matagal pa yung paikot ikot namin kesa yung drive from the marriott to the fort.

nasa serendra kami habang bumabagyo. buti nalang signal number 1 lang sa manila kaya there were several breaks in the weather and we didn't have to drive through much of the storm.

masaya rin kasama ang friends ni paul. since friends ni paul yun, sila ang laging bangka. taga pakinig lang ako hehehe. =) the food was good too and the restaurant was nice. sayang lang di namin na explore ang area na yon.

oct. 19: i told my mom to visit us at the hotel since wala naman syang gagawin sa bahay. we had lunch at the red crab at resorts world. wow! sarap ng thai chili crab and seafood bicol express! ang dami namin nakain so natural, marami rin ang ibinayad namin. hehehe

after lunch dumating na si jean at si leah at nagsimula na ang mega kwentuhan.kung hindi lang kailangang umuwi nung dalawa, we would have talked all night! nagsimula ang chikahan namin mga 130 or 2 pm. hanggang sa umalis sila ng 930, hindi parin kami tumitigil kakadaldal. binili lang kami ni paul ng pagkain sa mcdo dahil hindi talaga kami tumatayo sa inupan namin sa dami ng kwentuhang naganap! si leah, simula nung grade 4 kami, hanggang ngayon, wala parin pinagbago. ngingiti lang, tatawa ng konti, susundot ng konti sa kwentuhan. sayang sana nandun din si mm, krisna at jaymie. nasan ka na ba jaymie olaes?????? magparamdam ka sana!

oct. 20: wedding na ni jenny at ian. we checked out of the marriott and went to trader's hotel across from ccp where the wedding reception was going to be held. nagpahair and make up narin ako kahit na di ako kasali sa wedding. sayang naman ang ibinyahe ko ng pagkalayo layo kung mukha lang akong yaya ng anak ko di ba? =) aling lita and her team who did my hair and make up at my wedding was the person we contacted to do our hair and make up again this time. they do a really good job and i am once again happy with their work. if you need a make up artist na affordable, just let me know and i'll give you her number! =)

the wedding was beautiful. jenny was a beautiful bride and i am so happy that she found a wonderful husband in ian. michelle was feeling slightly under the weather the whole day and by evening, nilalagnat na sya. we called it a night and went back to our hotel room to rest.

oct. 21: we went to greenbelt 5 just to see what it looks like and we had a late lunch at banana leaf at greenbelt 3. dumaan kami sa landmark and i went crazy over the affordable christmas decor so namili na ako ng pangdecorate sa christmas tree dito sa bahay. (looking forward to putting up the tree tomorrow!)

in the evening, we went to alabang to meet with maan and abbie, paul's friends from intel. sayang kasi yung ibang mga friends ni paul na taga intel, nasa iba't ibang bansa na. naiwan nalang tong 2 beauties na ito kaya sila nalang ang nakasama namin. we had dinner at cpk and continued the chikahan at starbucks. habang nasa starbucks, napansin ko na nawala ang bato ng engagement ring ko! hindi naman ako masyado kinabahan (mas kinabahan siguro si paul!) i didn't know where it fell off. sa ganong sitwasyon, ayoko magpanic. sinasabi ko nalang sa sarili ko, bagay lang yun at napapalitan. di ko nga lang alam kung kelan sya mapapalitan kung mawawala nga talaga ang bato ng singsing na yun kung sakali, pero mapapalitan din yun! humihirit na tuloy ako kay paul na alam nya na kung anong christmas gift ang gusto ko...bagong diamond ring!

when we got back to the hotel, i emptied the contents of my purse, one by one...and found the diamond! sayang! hindi mapapaaga yung kapalit...i'm sure my husband breathed a sigh of relief!

manila: the first few days

2010-10-17T23:49:00.000-07:00

we're home!

Well, our other home. To be honest, the philippines no longer feels 100% like home which isn't a good or bad thing. it's nice to be able to identify with multiple places especially in this day and age...the world is flat, di ba? =)

Michelle has adjusted quickly to everything around her. She's been to the wet market (palengke) and ridden the tricycle and pedicab. She's questioned the absence of toilet paper from public restrooms and refuses to go potty without my reassurance that i have a roll of TP in my purse at her disposal. flies still freak her out (kahit sa san francisco, takot sya sa langaw) and she's having a blast stomping at ants around the sidewalks (pag nakagat ng langgam ito, siguradong madadala!)

we spent our first day with my family and she's really bonded with her ate gela who is just a year older than her. yesterday, we spent time with paul's family. since her cousins are older, she hasn't made quite the same connection but she was thrilled to see her tito jon's african love birds (he has like 20 of them) and she got to hold a baby bird and saw eggs that are just beginning to hatch. kuya jon had a more interesting pet, an albino python, but we skipped that one. we're here for a vacation, we're not here to freak our selves out. =)

we're staying at the marriott in manila for a few days (thanks to my marriott points, i'm hardly paying for the stay) and i'm impressed with their service and facilities. maganda! and the casino/mall right next door will remind you of the hotel/casinos on the las vegas strip.

most of money has been spent on food. paul and i noticed food is more expensive now. in an effort na makatipid dahil parang ang mahal ng last several meals namin, paul and i decided to just eat at sm sucat's food court. natuwa kami kasi our lunch would only cost P200! that's $5 for the 3 of us! after michelle's first bite, she refused to eat any more. after my first bite, i looked at paul...after his first bite, he looked at me and took a big gulp of his sprite...he looked at me again and said, 'sprite ba 'to o tubig?' we pushed the food away and tried to find the nearest jollibee. jollibee has changed as well. di namin alam if it was just that branch or the whole organization has changed. =( after our lunch disaster, paul and i agreed na wag na magkuripot pagdating sa pagkain. kakain kami kung san namin gusto kumain basta reasonable naman ang presyo at hindi presyong ginto.

by the time we got to our car, i was exhausted. lunch lang, nastress na kami. nakakastress pala yung gutom na gutom ka tapos hindi mo makain yung pagkaing nasa harap mo.

tonight, we're meeting paul's friends from sykes and tomorrow i spend time with my gamols. =)

coming home again

2010-10-02T20:25:00.001-07:00

it has been almost 4 years since i last went home to the philippines. the last time we were there was for our church wedding celebration. Michelle was 5 months old then and i can remember how uncomfortable she was on her very first day there. She cried all day due to heat and the new unfamiliar environment. Now that she's 4, i have a feeling adjustment will come easier and she'll have a blast.

We are coming home for my kinakapatid's wedding and michelle is going to be the flower girl. Excited na sya magsuot ulit ng gown!

Ako naman excited nang bumalik ng boracay! =)

happy anniversary beb!

2010-09-26T16:05:00.000-07:00

on sept. 21st, paul and i celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary. we opted for a simple dinner at house of prime rib and was impressed by the service and the food. it's not gary danko of course, but h.o.p.r. sure hit the spot. i think it's a must for anyone who visits san francisco. =)

green apple martini

(note to self: you don't like green apple martini, never order it again)

prime rib carved right at your table

city cut prime rib, medium well with mashed potato and cream spinach

(sarap)

i love you beb! happy anniversary again!

nasabi ko na sa kanya lahat ng mushy-ness during dinner, so no need to write it here. =D

hospitality

2010-09-15T21:26:00.000-07:00

filipinos are proud of their hospitality. having lived here in the states for almost 13 years now, that hospitality has not disappeared. we always have friends and family visiting from all over the world and we do our best to make them feel welcome and comfortable whenever we spend time with them. sometimes, i would take a day or two off from work just to take them around town...or if i can't do that, i'll leave the office early just so that i can spend time with them.

but maybe that's just me. because apparently, not everyone seems to remember what being hospitable is all about.

michelle's first book

2010-09-13T12:59:00.000-07:00

Illustration and story by Michelle. Hand-writing by Mommy.

what are the best restaurants in cavite, metro manila, and boracay?

2010-09-12T20:00:00.000-07:00

in preparation for our trip to the philippines next month, i would like to ask for YOUR suggestions on which restaurants to visit while we are there.

paul, michelle and i were running errands the other day when i turned to paul and said, 'pag uwi natin ng pilipinas, kakain tayo sa chefoo!' sagot ni paul, 'e ang traffic naman magpunta dun e!' sabi ko naman, 'i traveled all the way from san francisco, tingin mo traffic is going to stop me?' di na sya kumibo. pinapanga-pangarap ko ang masarap nilang pancit canton at fried chicken. haaay! matagal tagal narin akong hindi nakakakain dun.

sa manila naman, i used to always go to gerry's grill. every time i'm in the country, mga 3 or 4 na beses akong pumupunta dun hanggang sa mag sawa na ako. di ko alam kung pupunta pa ulit ako dun. parang naumay na yata ako.

definitely, kakain kami sa seaside. =)

san pa ba kami pwede kumain bukod sa mga lugar na to(boracay, cavite and manila)? please give me suggestions =)

happy birthday michelle!

2010-09-11T09:13:00.000-07:00

"good morning, little miss birthday girl! it's your birthday! time to wake up and get ready for school!" i said to michelle as i gently woke her up on the morning of her birthday.

"thanks mommy..." she replied sleepily.

"i'm going to pick you up at school today ok? i'll bring treats to your school so you can enjoy them with your frinds." i told her.

"ok, i'll wait for you mommy. don't take a long, long time, ok?" said michelle.

i went to work that morning but naturally, she was all i could think about. she's a big girl now. many of the things that happen to her from this moment on, she will remember all her life so it's important that we fill her with such good happy memories.

i left work at around noon to get the cupcakes at the supermarket and to cook pancit at home. i was starting to panic because i felt that there was so much i needed to do and i didn't have enough time to do it. as i drove home, i was running a mental list of things to do:

go to the supermarket and get the cupcakes

cook pancit

thaw the chicken

pack for swimming

paul had already put together the disney princess bicycle which was our present for her on her birthday.

i got home cooked the pancit (which was delicious btw) and paul and i ate lunch. there was this voice in my head that kept telling me since the day before to call the hotel and make sure that their pool is open. i ignored it then but since i had a few minutes to spare, i picked up the phone and call the hotel....good thing i did because their pool is closed for maintainance....i canceled the reservation...one less thing for me to stress about!

we drove to michelle's school just in time for her to wake up, well, according to the teacher, she didn't sleep that day. when i asked her why, she said, 'because i'm waiting for you to pick me up, i didn't want to sleep!' excited?!

it was the first time i saw michelle interact with her classmates and her teachers. she's really well behaved and masunurin. she was moved to the class for 'big kids' and i think that class will really prepare her for kindergarten next school year. i'm still undecided if she'll go to the same school next year...it's something i have to think about within the next couple of months.

anyway, we went home and she loved her present! she completely forgot that we were supposed to go swimming that day.

saturday was cooking day to prepare for the tanza fiesta celebration/extended bday celebration for michelle. it was soooooooooo hot in san jose on sunday but the kids had fun running around, biking, and hitting the pinata.

michelle still talks about her birthday. like i said, she'll remember many of the things that happen to her now. it is really important to make most of these memories, as positive, happy, and uplifting as possible.

thank you lord for giving me such a wonderful daughter. may she grow up with the fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom and use her to be a blessing to others.

she turns 4 this coming week

2010-08-28T11:35:00.000-07:00

i can't believe how quickly time flies. michelle turns 4 this week and she's grown and learned so much.

we were supposed to celebrate by taking her on a trip to disneyland this weekend, but because we have another trip planned for october, we decided to skip disneyland and just have a simple celebration with family and a few friends.

as i type this, michelle and dad are playing in the living room, singing to jason mraz's lucky. gotta go and join them, i'm missing out! =D

negativity wont get me anywhere

2010-08-25T20:33:00.000-07:00

i started writing a blog criticizing 3 of the most annoying personalities i've ever come across in philippine show business. i have avoided reading articles about them but even headlines have given me enough reason to get irritated. on the blog entry that i started writing, i criticized their personalities, their ethics, their tactlessness. i went on and on and on about the things that made them horrible...

and then i stopped. i may see the horrible side of who they are, but i'm sure they have friends and family who think highly of them, so i turned off the computer and moved on. they wouldn't care what i write about them, and i have no right to judge.

over the last several years, i've learned to control my feelings, the things i say, and the things i do. it really is the Lord and His Word, changing me everyday from faith to faith. in james it says, "Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does." James 1:23-25.

you just learn to see things more clearly, and He reminds you that He loves them all...even the ones whom i think are unloveable. He shows me what it's like to see the world, to see people they way they see them. to have more compassion rather than irritation.

writing about bad things wont get me anywhere. it doesn't solve the problem and brings people down. but i still vent, usually on twitter, where i am limited to 140 characters...the less i say, the less i sin. so twitter has been my venting outlet.

there was a situation at work that got me so furious last week, and all i could tweet was, 'get off your high horse, dude! you're not all that!' i wanted to say so much more, but 1 tweet is all it took that day to get the negativity out of my system.

i found that it's best on certain occassions to keep the mouth shut, and to pick the battles that i want to fight. i've never been a nag because i'd rather write than speak and it has helped my marriage! hahaha! paul and i don't really fight. sometimes we get on each other's nerves...i don't know what his trick is...but mine is that i don't initiate a conversation with him. if he asks me a question, my answer is always straight to the point (hindi ako bastos, pag kinakausap ako, nakikipag usap ako). i try not to ask him anything, i just keep myself busy, or i go to the room or play with michelle. by the time we go to bed, i've already cooled down, he's forgotten why he got upset, he holds my hand and we go to sleep.which reminds me...we celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary next month. that may be short compared to my parents who has been married some 38 years, but i do feel we've had quite an achievement. 5 years and going strong, we're happy, and still in love! and part of the success comes from picking our battles and staying positive.

so try to look for that silver lining... look for the best in people, even when they behave at their worst. God loves us all....equally...and none of us deserve it.

backyard bounty

2010-08-21T20:19:00.000-07:00

every couple of days, we pick about 5 berries from out little strawberry patch in the backyard. michelle's been getting a real kick out of picking them, washing them, and eating them. it really has been the most rewarding plant we've had in the backyard. we have an apple tree, a lemon tree, tomatoes growing in the backyard, but i don't think we'll get any luck with them. the previous owner of the house might have poisoned the soil in an attempt to get rid of weeds. i've tried to fertilize the soil with fertilizer and compost but nothing. the apple tree and the lemon tree have not died but they haven't really grown either. they're just...idle.

our neighbor's apple tree on the other hand has apples growing from its branches. they never pick the apples and my dad told the owner that we will be helping ourselves to their apples once they're ripe and they don't mind. yippeeee! more apples for us!!!

organic, pesticide free fruits!

not that i've joined the organic revolution. but it kinda feels good to grow some of the stuff we eat right in our own backyard.

yesterday, i made garlic fries and the parsley came from the backyard. we also have thyme and rosemary and lavander.

i'll plant whatever grows. ano pa kaya ang madaling sumibol?

my own eat, pray, love

2010-08-14T11:48:00.000-07:00

i finished the book in time for the movie....which i'm hoping to see within the next couple of days. i am now dreaming of my own 'eat, pray, love' adventure.

but unlike the character in the book/movie, i don't want to do it alone. i'll take my husband and daughter with me and we will have our own 'eat, pray, love' adventure....someday! haha!

i really should start putting more money into the savings account that i have designated as the vacation fund.

i wonder how i can convince paul to head to india or when michelle would be old enough for an adventure like that?

maybe for the mean time we can just go to an italian, indian, and indonesian restaurant and do the culinary experience instead.

my food is GOOD FOOD!!!!!

2010-08-12T21:09:00.000-07:00

this an OK article, but take some time to read the comments and any filipino with some ounce of pinoy pride will just be mad!

They all keep talking about dinuguan, balut, and all the ‘fear factor’ types of food that is part of ANY culture. Have they ever been to the South and know the types of food they eat over there? Or to parts of China where Filipinos got the balut idea? They’re all so used to eating their General Tso’s chicken, broccoli beef, and they think that is real Chinese food! Or real Italian food is the stuff you find at Olive Garden!

Please!!!

I wish they could all try my mother’s mechado - Beef simmered for hours in tomato sauce with potatoes and bell peppers. My! Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. It’s like slow cooked beef stew, only better.

Or they should try Tselogs’ chicken sisig served in a sizzling platter. I understand it’s greasy, (the chicken is fried after all), but who hasn’t splurged and eaten grease laden food every once in a while? They’ve all eaten at KFC and Popeye’s…THAT is more greasy!

there's sinigang, chopsuey, kilawin, kare-kare (minus the tripe), pancit, laing, laksa, pangat, paksiw and my forever favorite, ginisang munggo...i could go on and on and on and on...

Filipino food can be a mixture of the good stuff (the healthy stuff) and the bad stuff (the greasy stuff), just like any type of cuisine but like any other type of dish, food taste better with fat. Have guys ever heard of fat = flavor? Yeah. It’s the same for any type of food. Whether it be French (do you know how much butter they put to make your escargot taste good?) or Italian (yes, olive oil has zero cholesterol, but fat, is still fat, too much of it can still be bad). But any of these foods can be prepared the healthy way, and so can Filipino food.

I am upset that Filipino food gets such a bad reputation. If only I can invite you all at home so I can cook for you. Where are all these people getting their filipino food? Should I invite this people to our home and let them see and taste what REAL Filipino food is all about?

some outstanding filipino chef should redeem filipino food. NOW!!!!

rejection

2010-08-09T20:57:00.000-07:00

there's someone i know whom i invited to hang out with my friends...i have a small social circle so the people i hang out with are either my relatives, or my friends most of which are from church. upon knowing that the friends were from church, this someone brushed off the invitation and politely said, 'i want to hang out with you guys. if it's with other people, wag na lang.'

i knew that it wasn't because this person was shy. i know this person has hung out with acquaintances of mine and this person doesn't have any problems hanging out with them. so even though this person declined politely, it still bothered me so i just prayed. the Lord said, 'don't worry. it's not you nor your friends this person is rejecting. this person is rejecting me.' nakakalungkot, but it is true what the Lord said in his word, "They are going to do all these things to you because of the way they treated me, because they don't know the One who sent me. If I hadn't come and told them all this in plain language, it wouldn't be so bad. As it is, they have no excuse. (The Message)" "They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. (NIV)" John 15:21.

but God is good. His plans are perfect and the best i could do is continue to pray for those that are dear to me and live a life that glorifies the Lord. sabi nga, 'your life might be the only bible that people will read...' so Lord, teach me and let your glory shine!

tipid tipid muna

2010-08-05T21:26:00.000-07:00

hindi pa tapos yung kitchen, pero malapit ng matapos. at dahil malaki ang nagastos (ubos LAHAT ng ipon), wala munang gala gala. (ang lungkot!)

we are skipping the trip to disneyland for michelle's birthday. magastos. disney raised their ticket prices again this week. next year nalang siguro kami pupunta tutal hindi rin naman makakasama si kuya joy, ang nagiisang disneyland virgin dito sa bahay dahil may work sya. nakapunta nanaman si michelle before kaya ok lang, she's not going to be terribly disappointed. we're planning a little something something for her on her bday nalang. yung hindi magastos!

balak ko sana to do something nice on our 5th wedding anniversary. naisip ko sana a weekend at the ritz carlton half moon bay...i'm sure the husband will shoot that idea down the minute he finds out i had this in mind. erase! erase! magiisip nalang ako ng tipid date for our anniversary. makikikain nalang siguro kami kasi i have a work function on our anniversary at this really expensive restaurant in the city hehe.

uuwi pa kami ng pilipinas, so napakaraming gastos. hinay hinay lang muna at mahina ang kalaban.

The Only Child: Debunking the Myths

2010-08-02T21:42:00.000-07:00

The Only Child: Debunking the Myths

i saw this article at my optometrist's office earlier today. i struggled to read it as my eyes were dilated so i made a mental note to google this when i get home.

sa mga nagtatanong kung kelan ko susundan si michelle, eto ang honest to goodness kong sagot.

'ayoko na sundan si michelle. kung ako ang masusunod, gusto ko isang anak lang. kung masusundan si michelle, bahala na, but we're not trying. we want to provide the best we can for her at gusto rin namin magawa ang mga bagay na gusto namin bilang mag asawa, at bilang pamilya.'

pwede ko rin bang sabihin, na 'hindi kayo may ari ng matres ko, pwede wag kayo makulit?' hehehe

sa totoo lang kasi, medyo nakukulili na tenga ko dahil i get asked this question every week. before, i would answer, 'pag nakabili na kami bahay.' or 'pag nakabalik na si paul.' e nangyari na pareho so naubusan na ako ng sagot. so ngayon pag may nagtatanong, ganito ang sagot ko, 'ay! (sabay tingala) parang may naririnig akong kung ano. (sabay palinga-linga) ay wala pala. ano nga ba ang pinaguusapan natin? (and i will change the topic)' obvious na ayoko pag usapan. kasi yung nagtatanong, hindi nya gusto yung isasagot ko, so bakit pa ako sasagot? they get the hint, and we all move on.

para dun sa mga gusto ng dalawa, tatlo, or milyon milyong anak, good for you! sana lang ganon din ang reaksyon nyo sa mga mag asawa that want to stop at one.

like i said earlier, gusto ko isa lang. but if i get pregnant again, siguro yun talaga ang gusto ng panginoon and i'll be very happy with that.

she's shaking things up in heaven

2010-07-31T17:00:00.000-07:00

my dear friend, anna lisa dayag, passed away this morning from her year long battle with cancer. naturally, we who are close to her all feel sad. i can't stop thinking about her and all the thinking and crying has made me so exhausted. i know she doesn't want us to be sad and i know she's in a better place....and i'm not just saying that. there is no doubt in my mind that she is in heaven right now, either walking through her mansion, eating at a banquet fit for royalty, or singing and dancing and worshiping the Lord.

what i love most and will never forget about ate anna is the tremedous amount of faith she had in the Lord and the joy she had despite her illness. she was diagnosed in june last year with stage 4 colon cancer. her doctors thought she only had a couple of months to live and they were all surprised by her will to live and fight the disease to the very end. during her chemotherapy sessions at the hospital, she would walk from room to room and encourage other cancer patients like her and tell them about the love of God. the other patients didn't believe her at first when she told them that her cancer was at its last stage and that the only thing that could cure her was a miracle from the Lord. how can this woman, whose cells are conspiring to terminate her life still have this joy and this optimism? ate anna believed that her purpose in life was to share the gospel of Christ to the cancer patients at Seton Hospital and she did so with every strength she had.

i'm sure there where moments when she asked the Lord why it had to happen to her. but i also know that through her entire ordeal, she never doubted that Christ was by her side, holding her hand through every painful prick, through every excruciating day.

ate anna loved to laugh, and she loved to eat. napakabait ni ate anna. there is nothing negative i can say about her. she was very patient, very kind. she always had a smile on her lips and a sparkle in her eyes.

we also shared our birthdays. so when the month of may rolls around, maguusap na kami kung ano ang ihahanda namin sa birthday namin. kainan nanaman!!!!

oh how i miss you ate anna! i miss cooking for you and i miss how you rave about my cooking at ang paborito mong luto ko. i miss your hugs and i miss hearing your voice! i miss everything about you!

thank you for showing us how to trust in the Lord by the way you lived your life. thank you for being part of my life. i wish you knew what an impact you've made and how you've made all of us better people.

like i told you ate, say a prayer for us as you enjoy eternity with the Lord. you're probably thinking, 'naku sister! nakapasaya ko dito! just keep the faith and in God's perfect time, makikita mo rin ang Glory ng Lord! there are no words to describe it! ibang level na talaga to! o sige, worship muna kami! ang saya talaga grabe!'

nalulungkot ako, pero napapangiti rin kasi alam ko na you are experiencing joy beyond words and the true peace that passes all understanding. we're going to take good care of pierre. malaki nanaman sya e...but we'll guide him to be the best person he can be and live his life in a way that will make you proud.

goodbye, ate anna! we love you!

kitchen remodel: day 5

2010-07-23T22:08:00.000-07:00

all the cabinets have been removed. the wonderboards have been laid.

we picked the tiles today, too. i can't wait for all this to be over! =)

kitchen remodel: day 2

2010-07-20T21:28:00.000-07:00

the door to what used to be the hall closet has been removed and light switches are moved

wood floors are stripped to make way for ceramic tile

the header is installed to support the roof

we picked the style of cabinets last saturday (paul's choice), and we picked the counter tops today (my choice). compromise di ba? para we both get a little bit of what we want. =D

kitchen remodel: day 1

2010-07-19T17:12:00.000-07:00

the wall that separates the kitchen from the living room and the dining room have been knocked down and they made a hole in the wall for the door frame of what would be the pantry area.