the red cups are here!

as some of my close friends and hubby know, November is a special day for me. it's where a yearly tradition is kept - whatever it takes.

and Nov. 4 marks its arrival. last year it was Nov. 7 (methinks). it's here! it's here!!

come to momma toffee nut latte, and you too 2009 Starbucks planner.

*last photo credit to: MAVER

alternative is the best!

rock on! a few classics here and there

apologies for the youtube vid spamming. :)









*the quality's not that great since this vid is one of those rare ones. and i'm glad i was able to see one. better than nothing.



these 3 songs are on the my top 20 best alternative songs ever! when my kids grow up, they will be exposed to them. and i am sure they're going to like them as well.

what's your favorite alternative song/s?

tagged #6

tagged by Mars

and obviously a very delayed post.

The Seven Deadly Sins Meme.

1. wrath:

who did you last get angry with?

-my mom, she was being all dramatic again. All because of the laundry

who did you last get pissed off with?

-keon’s nanny. I sometimes catch her staring at the tv instead of watching keon who’s walking halfway the room already with unsteady steps on a MARBLE floor.

who was the last person who got really angry at you?

-my mom. Same reason as the first question.

do you keep grudges, or can you let them go easily?

-I don’t keep grudges. Forgive but not forget.

2. sloth:

what is one thing you're supposed to do daily that you haven't done in a long time?

-continue my beading

what's the latest you've ever woken up?

-when I was single and not yet a mom: 2pm

who have you been meaning to contact, but haven't?

-some clients. Haha

how many times did you hit the snooze button on your alarm clock today?

-just once then sleep again. I usually set the alarm 30 minutes before. Hehe

3. gluttony:

meat eater?

-definitely

what is the greatest amount of alcohol you've had in one sitting, outing or event?

-this was in college. An assortment of hard drinks ranging from tequila, lambanog, scotch, gin, and some I can’t remember.

have you ever used a professional diet company?

-Nope.

4. lust:

how many people have seen you completely naked?

-my kids and hubby. Of course not counting my parents when I was a little girl. Hehe

ever caught yourself staring at the chest/crotch of a member of your gender of choice during a normal conversation?

-nope.

what's your fave part of the body?

-opposite sex? Eyes and chest.

have you ever made a proposition with a prostitute?

-eeew

5. greed:

if you had $1 million, what would you do with it?

-save for the kids’education, some to finally experience splurging, give 1% to charity, some to my brothers, some to pay up my parents, pay off bills and the remaining, to save up for retirement.

would you rather be rich, or famous?

-If I'm rich, I will also be famous. – agree with you mars!

6. pride:

what is the one thing that you've done that you're most proud of?

-graduating on time, having 2 great kids, and getting the job I want

one thing you have done that your parents are most proud of?

-drama mode lang: I don’t think I ever heard them say they were proud of me – based on achievements. Except the one time when my mom said I know how to take care of my kids.

what would you like to accomplish in your life?

-travel, earn an MBA, have a business and see my kids finish school and see my grandkids.

what did you do today that you're proud of?

-didn’t procrastinate.

7. envy:

if you could be anyone else in the world, who would you be?

-I’m happy being me. Why would I want to be someone else?

have you ever wished you had a different physical feature?

-more junk in the trunk and a size c boobies with toned arms and thighs.

feel free to grab this tag! :D enjoy!

time to save up

the economy is down, prices are going up, so where do we stand? how do you cut down on spending but at the same time make sure your family is living comfortably?

one of the things we cut down on spending is buying newspapers on a daily basis. with news being available and up to date when we access the internet, it's not a practical choice anymore to buy newspapers daily. and considering almost everyone in my family is out, either in school or at work. so, we opted to buy them during the weekends when the whole family is at home and not glued to the pc. we not only save the environment but at the same time save up on having my parents visit their eye doctor and have their eyes checked, their eyeglasses checked and if their lenses require an upgrade to a higher grade. Buying new eyeglasses and lenses is no joke, it must fit comfortably and it wouldn't cause a lot of strain on the user. thank god for stores that sell affordable eyeglasses.

happy halloween!

from the little scary skeleton

and the little kid who refused to wear a costume and prefered to just wear his happy face. (or could be a little jack in the box - in sando)

happy halloween!

say you lovve me

simply red does it best. potential wedding dance song? possible!

it's just you and me

hubby and i have been planning/scheming our church wedding. target date, to be determined. but the oter details are more or less mapped out.

take for example this song:



possible entrance song or first dance. perfect lyrics, melody, everything!

we'd prefer to have songs in our wedding that' not traditional and the usual "gasgas" songs. personally i'd prefer alternative songs. ang hirap naman pag hihop songs di ba? (sorry aishi)

LP#31: Kadiliman

minsan, kailangan natin ng kadiliman para makita ang kagandahan ng ibang mga bagay.

kuha ito noong nasa isang bar kami sa marikina. di gaano ka liwanag ang lugar ngunit sa tulong nitong telang lampara, nahawi ng onti ang kadiliman.

gandang araw ng LP sa inyo! :)

don't be scared

last night while i was browsing through the photos in our digicam. i came across the picture i took of my boys a few weeks back enjoying a tub of ice cream. it was pure daddy bonding moment that i had to take a picture.

but here's the eerie part. last night, i noticed that there was something outside the window. 2 images actually.one of which is a woman wearing glasses and smiling. upon closer inspection, it looked like my grandma who passed away. it didn't give me the creeps at all. it was comforting in fact, that she's there watching over us.

the next element on the other hand was the one that disturbed me. next to my "lola" was a face. the scary part - it was screaming.

i don't mean to scare the lot of you, but it is.

personally, i'm not one that's attuned with my sixth sense. but there are times that i can sense beings etc. but i didn't expect to see them.

and as a disclaimer: the tv was not on at that moment the photo was taken. it was imossible if the tv was turned on and would reflect on the widow considering the angle of the face.

now, i ask you to judge the photo. no photoshop was done. a simple copying of the photo from the camera to the desktop.

if you can't see it. enlarge the photo to get a better view.
and for those who can't see what i'm referring to, i circled the areas where the elements are:

fighting over the weekend

it was a great feeling that a "fight" happened over the weekend. no, it's not a typical fight where people got physical. it was a matter of my two boys fighting for mommy's attention.

it was a good feeling indeed. my boys missed me so much after going home during the weekdays later than usual. the weekend compensated for everything.

if only i captured the moment on video and keep it forever.

and to the dismay of their daddy, because my boys are definitely mommy's boys. but in due time, they'll be daddy's barkada and i'll be the enemy. but for now, this is my moment. :)

Nominated again

nominated again as blog of the week:

please vote for my blog!!

VOTE FOR ME!

thanks!! =)

Friday Fill in #95

1. Right now, I'm feeling sleepy. slow day in the office - thank god!
2. Snuggling with mykids is where I want to be.
3. How does one make their work desk really neat and tidy?
4. Plurking keeps me on track.
5. Please don't let the weekend end!
6. My kids laughing fills me with joy.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to going home early, tomorrow my plans include bonding with the kids and Sunday, I want to extend the weekend!

Happy Friday!

LP30: Liwanag

imulat ang iyong mata
ihawi ang tulog
buksan ang kurtina
hindi bat napaka ganda
na sa pag mulat mo
ang liwanag ng bagong araw ang
sasalubong sa iyo?

kuha sa Manila Hotel. alas-6 ng umaga

blog and you might win a moleskine!

join toni's promo and get the chance to win your very own moleskine journal! just answer the question:

visit this link to join. with special mention to Avalon.ph for the generosity. visit their site as well, this is to feed your book loving appetite.

~0~

here's my entry:

i would wrtie in my moleskine all my thoughts, dreams, poetry and everyday musings. i have been a collector of notebooks where i write down things that come to my mind. i would bring my moleskine with me everywhere i go because you cannot put thoughts on hold. once it's there, it's there and to capture that moment, one must write it down.

all the thoughts that i'll write down in my moleskine would serve as my memoirs that i would gladly hand down to my kids as an invitation into what goes on inside the mind of their mom and in a way, would help them get to know me better, not only as a mom but as a person with a passion to write. i will not be ashamed of the things that i will write in my moleskine, there may be entries of hate, of anguish, of sadness, but there will be entries of jubilation, of celebrations, of triumphs and happiness. my moleskine will be the repository of all emotions felt and shared. of dreams once hidden.

~0~

i hope i get to win! wish me luck! =)

the blog post is brought to you by the number 4

i have been watching this ever since it boomed in the blogosphere. and i wonder, why didn't i blog about it?

i loved it so much and now i'm going to share this with the kiddos, who, for sure would absolutely adore it. :) will post pictures of them watching the vid.

She Said my Blog is Cool!

i thank Mars for this award. first ever award, i think. :)

now it's time to pay it forward:

1. Cez - for being one of the coolest moms i met online and personally.
2. Meldita - another online mommy i met.
3. Meeya - i just love reading her updates. and one of my "idols" as a SAHM to wonderninna!
4. Kerol - just because she's one of the coolest moms.
5. Maver - one of the most "masipag" mommy bloggers around.

and to you, mommy blogger, who's reading this now. you deserve an award too. :)

not on these dates...

we don't want another little one anytime soon. maybe in the next 5 years or so. :)

this is to remind hubby that on these dates, off limits. cuddle lang ang pwede. haha

changes

a lot of things has happened the past few weeks. it may have been the reason why i was so stressed and tired everyday. the only consolation i had was i had unlimited internet access in the office where i can de-stress even for a bit. take a few minutes off work and just relax.

as much as i wanted to blog about things, i tend to forget.

so anyway, here are the few things that happened:

speaking of changes, one big change happened here in the office. our digital publisher resigned, my sales manager resigned, my new partner resigned. which leaves me all alone in our sales department. the downside to this arrangement is that all the pressure is on me. all the quota is on me. the silver lining that i can see as of this moment is that, all the efforts i exert in this would be all mine. really.

but then, it is kinda lonely now going to meetings and presentations.

but as hubby said, he has faith in me. i can do it. which i'd like to think so. i think the universe has conspired to give me a chance to prove myself and my worth to the company i have been dreaming of working for.

and i guess now's the time to step up and make myself known.

don't you think?

some people are never satisfied

i Plurked my sentiments about some people abusing how much kindness and consideration you have inside that they tend to push you up against the wall and keep on asking for more.

i am a person who is patient. but if you push me too far i can snap. we are in fact human after all.

christmas and my mom

it's the time of the year again and my mom has begun her early christmas frenzy. she's been making these long lists of relatives whom she'll give presents to. from her uncles, aunties and nieces etc. it seems she shops for the whole clan!

so with her list making tendencies, and this list gets lost along the way, i think it's time for her to create a family tree, one site offers Ids genealogy that can help her out in her list making frenzy. she can even search through its database of information about a certain family member. what's fun is that she can discover a lot of new things and information about our ancestors! we might even be related to someone famous. now that would tickle mom's fancy!

and hopefully, this would end her yearly list making.

weekend tidbits

this is what i get when kyle catches me plurking: Kyle's turn at Plurking

and when he discovers the joy of the dancing banana and the other emoticons of plurk.

seriously i am not surprised, it is his generation of techie stuff. and it never bothers me that he knows how to navigate youtube when he requests to watch episodes of thomas the tank.

next thing i'll know, he'll have his own blog and would rant about having a mom like me. haha

iron chef bobby flay

everytime we get to watch iron chef, it never fails to amaze us when bobby flay is the iron chef. i've been dreaming to try or be even half the talent that he has in the kitchen. with my boys at home, they sure love to have their food, grilled, barbequed, roasted, baked and with lots of sauces, garnishes, spices and side dishes.

i heard, bobby flay is one of the chefs that has a lot of restaurants sprinkled all over the US. i've been bugging my godmother to try out his restos when she gets to travel the states. and kill me with envy (sadistic much?). it wouldn't be any hassle to her reserving a seat since she can call the resto anywhere she is. all she needs is toLocate Area Codes and she's good to go. all she needs is to get the area code and local number of his resto and reserve a date with her girlfriends.

and the moment i get to visit her, she has to take me to at least 2 of his restos.

last night: ranting inside my head

mental note to self: avoid smoky and stuffy places to avoid a very bad allergic rhinitis attack.

and on our way home, i have been asked three times if i was ok, but obviously, just by looking at me, it was looking really bad. i was sniffling, sneezing and scratching my nose. it was the worst. but i managed to answer the three questions with consistency: i can't breathe properly at all.

and all the while, i thought that we were rushing to get home so that i could properly rest and clear my stuffy nose. but lo and behold, we were in fact rushing to the mcdonalds drive through.

sure, he bought food for himself since i don't have the strength to eat anymore. again, he asked if i was ok. i said i can manage i just want to get home. i was thinking, if i said i wasn't would that change anything? would he not go to mcdonalds and instead head home? of course not. he'd still order food while i struggle to clear my nose.

and before this happened i had to endure 30 minutes of waiting for them to finish chatting knowing that the bill has been paid and i have been telling him i was having a hard time breathing because i was having an allergy attack.

but of course, someone has to be the sacrificial lamb - as always. when will i get the chance that i get to sacrifice the lamb?

-rant over-

last night's trip to the er

a few minutes after arriving home, one of the worst things i could have ever encountered as a mom happened. sure, there were accidents considering i am raising tow rowdy boys under the age of 4.

so anyway, while the nannies were clearing the dishes, kyle and keon running around the house. one thing led to another. kyle was running as usual, keon was standing still while eyeing a cartoon on the disney channel when suddely kyle collided with keon, and keon, well, bumped his head on the wall.

at first i thoughtit was just a bump, but hs cries told me otherwise. and then blood came gushing out. lots of them. i was panicking telling aishi that this is not the usual scrape on the head. it was literally a gaping hole on his forehead. my clothes were soaked with his blood. everybody was panicking, mom was trying to put betadine on his head, his nanny distracting him, while my little one was crying his eyes out. i told mom that this cannot be remedied anymore at home. so we had to take keon to the ER now.

kyle on the other hand, while everybody was preparing, sat quietly on the sofa. he kept on saying sorry keon, sorry keon. i guess, due to the panicking, aishi wasn't able to control himself and shouted at him causing fear and confusion with kyle. so i sat beside him, gave keon to his nanny for a bit. and told him that what he did was not his fault, he just has to make sure that next time it won't happen again.

so off we went to the ER. from the moment we entered the treatment area, to waiting for the bill, keon was crying his eyes out. can't blame him, his would was really big and thankfully, the ER doctors were patient and understanding.

as much as i would want to do a blow by blow account of everything, i can't. half of i was all a blur. and personally i hate going to emergency rooms.

by the time we got home, keon was calm, ok, back to his usual self dictating all the letters he sees. and was sleeping after 15 minutes.

i'm just happy that nothing bad happened to keon or kyle. the funny side to this though is that both brothers have been marked with scars from being too "malikot". but kyle still leads 2 to 1.

Here's keon this morning with the wound all covered up:


little harry potter in the making with that scar. hehe

ever wonder

what's the meaning behind Unilever's logo?

at fist, i thought it was an attempt to make them stand out from the rest. but i was wrong, when i was browsing their website (you know for work), i stumble upon an explanation about their logo.

you can find it HERE it's flash based so you have to move your mouse pointers to each drawing/symbol to get the idea.

it's genius! each symbol embodies the product line they carry.

i say hop on over and check it out. :)

Yen's Question of the Week #34

1. If someone expects you to do something you aren’t obligated to do, does that make you want to do it less? yes it does, especially if it was forced on me.

2. Are there any activities, commitments, obligations in your life that instantly put you in a bad mood? i just detest last minute change of plans, after everything has been ironed out.

3. What do other people do that irritate you that you recognize as a weakness in yourself? being fickle minded - sometimes. :P

4. Do you surround yourself with the friends who like you best? i'm more of the other way around. i surround myself with people i like best.

5. When you are angry or nervous, how do you calm yourself down? do other things. find something that would distract me, and i smoke.

6. Do you take compliments well? typical pinoy response would be to act all shy and stuff, but if i know it was a sincere compliment, i say thanks.

7. Do you think you would have been a different person if you had different parents? not entirely, as much i'd want to give credit to my parents for making who i am, 50% of the time, i learned to fend off for myself and learn things the hard way.

8. Do you change your mind frequently or do you make up your mind about something and stay firm with that position? if it's the mababaw things, i tend to change my mind, but for things that are serious, i stand my ground, especially if i know i am right.

9. Describe the person that would be the exact opposite of you. meek, total girly girl, math geek, friends with everybody nbut with no close friends, emotions out in the open.

10. Are you generally capable of seeing both sides of an argument at the same time? yes. that's why i'm a libra. hehe

i appreciate the people who make time for my not so frequent venting out. sometimes i just need a different or a fresh perspective on things that i might have overlooked. and in a way, makes me look at the bigger picture.

depression is a bad place, and i don't want to go there. never again. it's hard to analyze things on your own.

thank god for people who matter and tell it as it is. no sugarcoating. :)

peanut butter drams!

now i'm definitely going back to them for this:

this is a welcoming treat when i read this in my email.

here's what they said:

Krispy Kreme has an "irREESE'Stible" offer - The NEW REESE'S Peanut Butter Doughnuts!

Your favorite Reese’s peanut butter is now on a Krispy Kreme doughnut!
Available in 3 variants - NEW Reese’s Peanut Butter & Kreme, an irresistible Reese’s peanut butter mixed with creamy vanilla icing on a Krispy Kreme doughnut.
NEW Reese’s Peanut Butter & Chocolate a perfect combination of Reese’s peanut butter, vanilla and rich chocolate on a Krispy Kreme doughnut and the
Reese’s Pieces & Kreme, a chocolate iced Krispy Kreme doughnut topped with crunchy Hershey’s Reese’s peanut butter candies drizzled with creamy caramel.
Visit your nearest Krispy Kreme store today and grab a dozen to share with your friends!

Taralets! time to invade KK! yey for peanut butter lovers!

terrible twos part 2- the keon chronicles

we're back on the the terrible twos bandwagon, this time with keon. i blogged about Kyle's terrible twos and as much as i avoid comparing the two, it's quite different and literally a whole new experience for us.

it's amazing how i am raising two different individuals at such a young age.

keon's almost there with a few months to spare hitting the big 2, and he has started with his mood swings. to enumerate:

> his crying has become frequent. from crying because he wants to go upstairs to crying because he wants to play with his kuya's toys.
> to waking up in the middle of the night crying, and wouldn't want to be put down. so i had to try to sleep while carrying him - sitting.
> to using me or his nanny to manipulate us into doing the things he want. going outside, refusing to take a bath or preferring a certain toy while taking a bath, playing with my laptop while i work/surf at home, asking for food if he sees someone eating to basically anything and everything to get what he wants.
> hates the fact that when i say no. and would resort to going to daddy to appeal his case.
> knowing how to fight back when his kuya gets to bully him.

and the list goes on...

my little man is quite the character compared to his kuya. he can make fun of his kuya when kyle's the one throwing the tantrums, but is quite the relief since kyle would then stop crying out of humiliation because his shoti's laughing at him. which works everytime. what he does is he squats infront of his kuya and mock him - laughing or imitating his cry.

but the thing is, i'm usually at the losing end when it's his turn throwing tantrums, one minute he wants me to be his protector, the next i'm the enemy. there are times that he would run to his nanny asking for sympathy. good thing his nanny knows better.

thank god for parenting resources on how to handle the terrible twos or else i would have cried my eyes out with kyle and keon.

how did you handle your child's terrible twos?

i never realized until last night that it has been months since i last cried that hard. and how it felt to be free from all the things that had bothered me, things that have been plaguing me, things that cannot be resoved on my own. all it needed was one moment to vent out how i felt.

how, much i have been needing a little more attention than other people. i just hope that ater what happened last night, some things would change. that things won't turn out like a litany of what i want, but then left heard and no follow through.

it was a good cry. it was a good conversation.

hopefully, starting today, i won't cry the way i did last night.

One Word

Snagged this from MAVER . hehe even if you didn't tag me, i'm going to do this. this is fun!

You have to answer the question with ONE WORD only and then you have to tag 4 people.

1. Where is your cell phone? TABLE
2. Your significant other? AISHI
3. Your hair? SEMI SHORT
4. Your mother? MAMA
5. Your father? DADA BU-DADA
6. Your favorite thing? SHOES
7. Your dream last night? BLANK
8. Your favorite drink? COFFEE
9. Your dream/goal? SUCCESS
10. The room you’re in? OFFICE
11. Your hobby? READING
12. Your fear? DYING
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? NZ
14. What you’re not? SLIM
15. Muffins? CHOCOLATE
16. One of your wish list items? SHOES
17. Where you grew up? MANILA
18. The last thing you did? BREAK
19. What are you wearing? CASUAL
20. Favorite gadget? LAPTOP
21. Your pets? CHUBBY
22. Your computer? HP
23. Your mood? BORED
24. Missing someone? AISHI
25. Your car? HONDA
26. Something you’re not wearing? JACKET
27. Favorite store? POWERBOOKS
28. Like someone? NAH
29. Your favorite color? PURPLE
30. When is the last time you laughed? NOW
31. Last time you cried? YESTERDAY

TAGGING: KEROL, DYES, COLBY AND MISSYOSIGIRL

Yen's Question of the Week

i've joined Yen's Question of the Week. :)

1. Do you ever think about how your actions affect other people?

> yes i do, most of the time. i'm more of the sigurista type, that i make sure that what i did/do will not affect people in a negative way.

2. How good is your “emotional intelligence”?

> i'd like to say, very good. but i would prefer if people would grade me on this. :)

3. You are cordially invited to my Virtual Masquerade Ball.
Who/What will you disguise yourself as?

> a courtesan. puffy gowns and all.

4. How far apart are you from your closest sibling?

> 5 years older. my parents spaced us. hehe

5. Do you trust your feelings?

> yes i do. and i find it difficult to hide it from people. you'll know when i'm pissed, happy, nonchalant etc.

6. How much time do you spend with your family per week?

> i make up the time lost during weekends with my kids. so weekends are for mommy and daddy bonding. and gives the nannies a break.

7. What do you do if everything seems to be going wrong?

> here's the scary part, i usually go into depression for a while until i get a clearer perspective then weigh the things that happened. and believe me, i hate it when this happens. i also tend to rant and rant and rant even if no one wants to listen.

8. How do you decide between “right” and “wrong”?

> i weigh options. what if i did this, what would happen, if i did this, what would happen. then decide from there what's wrong or right. but usually i go for the gut feeling and woman's instinct.

9. Is your personality more like that of your father or your mother?

> a mix of both, i'm more of my dad when it comes to being independent, friendly and musically inclined. i'm a bit of my mom in terms of neatness and holding on to things worth keeping.

10. Do you find blatant burping and farting offensive?

> if it's my kids doing it, not at all. we find it fun and amusing. but if the adults did it, especially in public, it's very offensive.

PPBC9: hey Shawty, it's your birthday!

Hosted by Doc Joey

Topic of the week: BIRTHDAYS!

~!~

My entry is quite short and simple, but it was one of the best memories ever that we can tell our kids and grandkids.

it was the first birthday of our firstborn, Kyle. July 15,2006 MCDonalds Greenbelt. Everyone special was there. Close family and friends were there to celebrate the birthday of the first grandchild and great grandchild in my mom's side and the first male grandchild and great grandchild in hubby's side of the family.

Little did they know that it was a double celebration. we were waiting for the right moment.

when it was our turn to share our message/birthday wish to kyle, i gave the chance to hubby to tell the whole world that kyle is going to be a big brother in 6 month's time. imagine the shock and happiness in the faces of those who heard the good news. it was a memorable moment indeed. i was blessed with child again, and a healthy offspring to call my own.

and as i type this entry, i recall another birthday - my mom's which falls on the eve of new year, so it's always a double celebration with the family. never ending food.

the memorable part was, my uncles and aunts were able to get my mom and dad drunk. they were wasted than a college student. mom was laughing loudly that usual, dad was upstairs, puking. that was by the way, the first and last time my mom let her siblings give her something to drink. it was a great relief to see my mom, for once let her hair down and just go with the flow.

and so, these 2 birthdays tops the list when i get to share it with family and when the kids grow up.

Friday Fill-ins

Friday Fill-ins
1. October is the best month ever!
2. Cockroaches scare me!
3. Leaves are falling all around, it's a typhoon!
4. My favorite horror movie is Chuckie because it scares the daylights out of me until now!
5. Highschool = good memories.
6. It was a dark and stormy night in September.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to bonding with the kids, tomorrow my plans include blogging and Sunday, I want to go out with hubby!

feel free to grab this. :) visit the one who started this too! cheers!

Friday Feast 196

i'm back to playing Friday Feast. obviously, i'm having more free time to blog and do tags, memes and other fillers.

anyway, here goes!

Appetizer

When was the last time you had your hair cut/trimmed?

> 2 weeks ago i think. my hair was looking like a crazy mess.

Soup

Name one thing you miss about being a child.

> nap times, birthday parties, and the innocence that came with being a kid.

Salad

Pick one: butter, margarine, olive oil.

> butter!

Main Course

If you could learn another language, which one would you pick, and why?

> french. it has this expressive, sexy feel to it when you hear someone speak. it is the language of love as they say.

Dessert

Finish this sentence: In 5 years I expect to be…

> to be living in New Zealand. still with a great job or earning a lot with a good part time job and more time to bond with the kids.

happy friday Y'all!

LP#27 Aking kompyuter

matagal na akong nasanay gumamit ng isang desktop na computer, ngayon lang ako nabigyan ng pagkakataon na mag may-ari ng isang laptop sa tulong ng kumpanyang pinagtatrabahuan ko. kailangan din kasi. kadalasan akong nasa field at kailangan ko ng laptop para sa mga pagkakataon na kailangan ipakita sa kliente ang mga binebenta ko.

ngayon, makakahinga na ako ng malalim dahil, kahit paano dadali na ang buhay ko.

maiuuwi ko pa sa bahay at di na kailangan makipag-agawan sa pc kung kailangan.

one year older, one year wiser?

One more day to go before I turn another year older, wiser? That I have to check. (haha) but I do like to think I got a little bit wiser from all that has happened the past year. I’ve learned not to do the same mistake again – as the cliché goes. But yes, it is true.

I looked back in my old blog about what I wrote about my 26th birthday. and it was more of a thanks/tribute to those who have been there to celebrate the day with me. If I remember fondly, I was celebrating a week before my birthday with a bunch of gigs and bonding moments with my friends. It was a blast and this year may not be the same as last year, but I am sure the people who matter, will be there.

I may not invite all the people from work, acquaintances etc. but really, when you do get older, you would chose to have those who were there (another cliché coming) in good and bad times.

I’ll have another blog post about looking back 26 years ago in my life. I’m past the 20-25 age bracket and moving up the 26-30 age bracket, so there must be something worth looking back on.

mommy's got a new toy

this is what i was plurking about yesterday.

that morning, i got the best ym message. our assistant tole me that our ISD is finalizing the turn over of my new laptop. whee! and i'm going to get it that afternoon.

this is what i actually needed since i can't lug around my desktop to all my meetings right? starting today, less papers for me to print. yey for saving the earth! now all i'm bringing is this baby and my usb drive.

so without further ado, i present you my new toy/baby:


but i still feel bad for leaving my desktop. it was the best. it was fast, great. and the monitor was amazing!

see?
no complaints here.

i just hope the next peroson who'll use my desktop would take care of it and be the same level of OC-ness as i am.

LP#26 Puti at itim

napaisip ako sa tema ngayong linggo. ang daming pwede gamitin para sa puti at itim...

ito ang cake ng aking panganay nung nagdiwang siya ng ika 3 niyang kaarawan. sa pagka-alala ko, eh hiniling niya na tsokolate ang kanyang cake. mabilis din naubos ito dahil sobrang sarap niya. kahit na sa anak kong hindi mahilig sa tsokolate (di ko rin alam kung bakit niya hiniling na yun ang bilhin) nagustuhan din niya ito.
ito naman ang salamin ko na ginagamit ko sa pag babasa. minsan na siyang nawala (na plurk ko pa ito) at sa awa ng diyos, nahanap ko na rin. nabaon lamang siya sa dami ng kontrata at papel sa aking tokador.

happy LP sa mga bumisita. :)

tagged: another 7 things about me

Thanks CEZ for the tag!

The rules:
a. List these rules on your blog.
b. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog.
c. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs. You'll have to read on for my 7 facts and see who I tagged.


so, what's another 7 facts/things about me?

1. i had a boyban phase when i was in highschool. it was hardcore- from collecting all magazine clippings, recording all their videos, interviews (tv and radio) and to the point of joining a radio contest just to score tickets to watch them. yes, i was that baduy in highschool. of course, di na ngayon... hehe di ba ple?

2. in first year highschool, i was always mistaken for a lesbian. i had short hair, walked like a boy, talked like a boy, i was in every way boyish. but! i'm 100% a girl. i would get kilig with all my crushes but oddly, i never showed it. in short, kilig deep inside.

3. still on the highschool topic, i never had a hard time befriending boys when we had interactions in school. it was fun meeting people other than the same gender.

4. when i was in 2nd year highschool, we had an interaction with xavier. and guess what, hubby was my batchmate. but no, we didn't meet there. i only met him when we were working. fate? pwede!

5. i wanted to be a dentist. until i realized that dentists do surgery as well. and i stay away from other people's blood and needles. oh well..

6. my barkada has this special dance that if one starts moving, the rest unconsciously follows until everybody's doing it.

7. i'm scared to light the stove using matches. automatic gas ranges please?

feel free to grab this tag. :)

Tagged: why do we need friends?

We need Friends for many reasons,
all throughout the season.
We need Friends to comfort us when we are sad,
and to have fun with us when we are glad.
We need Friends to give us good advice,
We need someone we can count on,
and treat us nice.
We need Friends to remember us
one we have passed sharing memories
that will always last.

Spread the Poem of Friendship. 1. Everyday Life 2. Words of Love 3. Sheng's Simple Thoughts . . . 4. good thoughts, good trades 5. Ours and Our Kids 6. Jengspeaks 7. Jacque 8. Snippets of My Mind 9. Melisse's Domain 10. Seize The Day 11. Living A' La Mode 12. Gossip Gehl 13. Maver's Most Wanted 14. My escape 15. YOU!

now i'm tagging all the new friends i found in PLURK!

Thanks MAVER! Mwah!

8 ways in raising a happy child

From BABYCENTER.COM :

8 ways in raising a happy child

As a parent, we want our kids to be happy, tantrum-free, and worry-free. we all have this idea that as much as possible we want the kids to be the perfect little angels. but really, isn't the idea of perfect kind of boring? there isn't much to keep you on your toes and expecting the unexpected. personally, i don't find that fun at all.

i have two toddlers, two different personalities, two quirks, two likes and dislikes. so, what would help in raising them to be separate happy kids most of the time? babycenter.com has a few tips to share to mommies.

Learn to read the signs
Make room for fun
Help them develop their talents
Healthy bodies equal happy children
Let them struggle with problems
Allow them to be sad or mad
Be a role model
Teach them to do meaningful things


here are my own thoughts on the tips:

1. learn to read the signs:
> kids aren't expression deprived individuals. if you're in tune with your kid, you'll know what makes them happy, sad, fearful, etc. i remember kyle has this great fear for this novelty item, which we call poopoo man. it's literally a man sitting on a toilet bowl and with a face that's trying to push out one big chunk of poo. (think constipation).

we as parents should also know when to play with the kids. kids also want their own quiet time. a time for themselves in their own little world. i would often catch the two side by side playing but doing two different things, minus the fighting.

2. make room for fun:
> there's always a time in injecting fun no matter the situation. especially during mealtimes. what i do is, we do pretend play. my mom would often frown upon this since this is not within her parameters of table manners. it's not that we throw around food or whatever but we make use of the moment to come up with games, songs, stories etc to get kyle to eat, especially if he's having a bad day. this does not apply to keon for now since he's up for eating - anytime.

3. help them develop their talents:
> this is what i noticed with kyle and keon when it comes to their talents. kyle has this ability to get the melodies of songs after hearing it twice and tries to get the lyrics right and sometimes makes up his own. he also has the potential when it comes to memorizing songs, info etc. he may not show that he's listening but when you ask him, he gets it right.

keon on the other hand, at 1 and a half has showed interest in cars, and other modes of transportation. as long as it got wheels, he's going to study it and its details. same as his kuya, he has the talent in picking up things quickly.

so what we do is as much as possible expose them to the things they like and introduce them to different alternatives that would interest them as well. so far, things are doing great. i'm just happy that the kids are very much open to educational toys we give them. And of course, encouragement is key, you may not like what your child chose as a talent but, it’s better to nurture than to repress.

4. healthy bodies equal happy children:
> i think there's no need to expound on this. we mothers want the best for the kids and it’s non negotiable when it comes to providing the healthiest meals for the kids. But personally, I let them indulge in junk food once in a while so as not to deprive them.

5. let them struggle with problems:
> i totally agree on this. this helps in nurturing their independence and thinking. It may be heartbreaking for you to see your little tot, cry out in frustration and run to you for help. But sometimes, we just have to let them go and let them figure it out for themselves.

6. allow them to be sad or mad:

> yes, kids have feelings too and they need to vent out the same way as we do. Let them get mad, let them get sad. It’s ok. But the key here is to be there for your child to explain why they’re feeling that way and what they can do about it. It’s better to acknowledge the emotion rather than letting it be and leaving your child clueless to what he/she is feeling.

7. be a role model:

> a constant reminder from every parenting blog, website or even book would say that our kids will mirror our actions. When they see us do things, good or bad, for them it’s ok since they see mommy or daddy doing it. So as parents we have to be careful of our own actions in front of the kids. Worrying why your kid may be hitting other people? It might be this one instance when he/she saw you hitting hubby or your sibling. Kids are mimics, great ones at that, so if we want to instill good values and behavior, it should start with us.

8. teach them to do meaningful things:

> it may be the simplest birthday card, or a school project, as long as they put their hearts into it, it becomes the most wonderful creation ever. Our kids should know that in doing things, it should be from the heart, 100% meant or else it would show. Kids should be taught to think of others especially those who are not that well off compared to them, involve them in charity work as early as now. As what the elders would say: marunong lumugar.

Not your Girly-Girl

I have been subscribing to several fashion blogs, just reading about their latest get up, outfits, finds etc. makes me envious, giddy and drooling at the same time.

Personally, I have no fashion IQ at all. Hold up a picture of a Gucci bag and a Prada bag and I won’t be able to tell which is which – as long as I can’t see the logo i'm lost. I repear i have zero fashion IQ.

When I get to read Cosmo, Preview, Marie Claire and all those fashion magazines, I can’t help but dream that one day, I get to be one of those lucky girls that were given an awesome makeover, from head to toe. or just get to own that featured, dress, shoe, bag etc. oh yes even make up and those beauty products.

And since i said i have zero Fashion IQ, I’ll let you in on a semi-secret. I can’t walk properly in heels. Imagine a guy wearing heels. Yup, that’s how I walk.

Growing up, I hated wearing dresses and other girly clothes maybe because growing up in the 80’s and being forced to wear those hideous dresses was traumatic on every sense of the word. But, lets say the dresses and girly things kids wear and use now were the ones in style during my day, I guess I would be one of those girly girls. Seriously.

At that time, boys’ and men’s fashion were more appealing to me. Shirts, jeans, sneakers, etc. I wanted to won one. Remember the time when guys would wear low waist jeans? I had one. Remember when birks with socks were in? I wore that too, with shorts and polo shirt to boot. Tomboy much? Yeah.

So I guess, it’s only now that I realized that I have to change my perspective when it comes to dressing up. I think I have been too casual when it comes to choosing outfits for work, for play, for going out and for formal occasions. And I think it’s time to be a girly girl once and for all. i think hubby’s having enough of a boyish wife. I thin deep inside, he’s screaming for a wife that can knock his socks off and show off to the world, not the me that can be dragged to drinking sessions being one of the boys.

But.

It does not mean it’s a total 360 degree turn. I still love my own fashion sense, it’s just that I need more “personalities” to play with. Haha

Now, where can I find those makeover contests?

friendship...

the best people in the whole world. forlife bros and sis!

Today, I am...

Thank you Mel for this.

1. List 6 things that describe yourself today.
2. Add your blog to the list. Feel free to add all your other blogs.
3. Tag other online friends you know.

Links: Creative In Me Little Peanut Me and Mine Pea in a Pod Sugar Magnolias Doll Me Up Deviously Creative IamDzoi My Happy Place To the Moon and Back Raising Sandy My Colorful World Working It MyParty.Finds.A Home. Em’s Detour Stripe & Yellow Something Purple Vanity Kit Mind Bubbles Living the Healthy Life As We Face Forever Feeling after the I do meme me my escape

Today I am...

Hopeful - that my kids get well soon
Looking forward - to my birthday
Praying - that we'll get through this little hurdle in our life.
Happy - with the way things are turning out at work
Relaxed - after a very stressful work day
Blessed - just as i was the day before and in the coming days.

Tagging anyone who wants to grab this meme.

LP# 25: Ginintuan

paumanhin sa aking matagal na pagka-wala sa LP. natambakan lang ng maraming trabaho at nawalan na ako ng pagkakataon lumahok at maka kuha ng mga litrato para sa LP. ngunit ako'y nagbalik at sana simula na ito ng aking lingguhang paglahok.

eto ang aking lahok sa linggong ito:

hindi talaga ako mahilig sa ginto, at ito na lamang ang nagiisang bagay na may
bahid ng ginto na naisusuot ko araw-araw.
ito ay pulseras na galing sa aking asawa.
binigay niya ito sa akin nung kami ay magkasintahan pa lamang.
at ito na rin ang naging simbolo ng kanyang pagiging tapat sa akin.
sa susunod na lang daw ang white gold na singsing
pag dating ng aming kasal sa simbahan.

maligayang LP sa inyo! =)

and in this moment i am happy...

i don't need any fancy wedding, a hundred and more guests, an elegant gown, high heeled shoes...
as long as in that moment i know i am with you, nothing else matters...

i am not asking for something grand, just the thought of sealing our love is worth it. and yes, you have to fulfill a promise to my grandma.

mommy takes a back seat on this one

hubby texted this to me last night:

kakatuwa si kyle kanina. hanap ka niya, tapos sabi ko nasa office ka pa, sunduin kita. sabi niya, i want to fetch mommy, come daddy let's ride the car. e sabi ko i'm playing basketball muna. tapos sabi niya, i watch you play basketball then fetch mommy.

it was such a proud daddy moment for him. one, he can converse with kyle properly, two, kyle can express what he wants and can use his logic and thinking in ways that are quite mature and advanced for his age. three, he can speak straight english.

and this moment i fully award to hubby. it's his turn in being a great parent.

i'm blaming the disney channel for this

because the kids are hooked on watching anything disney, and with them requesting that mommy watch with them, i can't help but look forward to watching this:

and i sure hope this is not high school musical-ish.

i had a conversation with hubby about it last night:

me: bear, gusto ko yan panoorin.
hubby: ang alin?
me: yang camp rock na yan. pero sana hindi parang highschool musical ang effect.
hubby: ah talaga? mukhang ok naman, rock siya eh.
me: huh?

i was stumped for a while until i realized he was referring that the movie was about music and singing. ah.. rock nga. blame the hip hop fan to say this.

but yeah, i am looking forward to this. are you?

will you melt...

if you get a stare like this?edward cullen... how you dazzle the twilight reader in me. iheytchu!!

yes, i am still on my twilight fixation. after reading all 4 books, plus the controversial leaked unfinished book - Midnight Sun. i am totally hooked.

hubby knows that i am smitted with this vampire, who wouldn't when you get to read how he expresses his love and restraint in dealing with his love of his life - a human. how mind blowing can that get?

but of course, they did triumph in the end.

aak.. edward cullen... stop staring at me please... :P and no, this will not be the last of my twilight posts. nope, not at all.

what have i been up to?

in bullets like how i do my to do lists everyday.

> working my ass off in reaching my yearly quota. my partner AE just resigned so all the pressure's on me.

> saving up for 4 weddings to attend before the year ends. and guess what, not one of them is mine. haha (paging aishi! you owe me a proposal - you promised!) more on this soon and this deserves its own blog post.

> kyle getting 64/70 in his first quarter exam. i couldn't be prouder of his performance. and i'm betting the 6 mistakes were identifying the colors, he finds that too boring.

> keon being the talkative and more naughty than his kuya. yep, i have no more babies in the house. i've officially got 2 toddlers!

> and i have been quite worried how come my PR went down to 2? does mr.G hate me? or did he just neglects me. :P

> and of course, i have been a plurk addict. before i was hesitant to try this out. initially i found it too intimidating, but nooo... it was so user-friendly! now i'm more online because of plurk! and i have been neglecting twitter. :P

off the bat that's what i have been doing since my last blog post about voting for my blog. majority of this was i was 70% working and 30% (you guessed it) plurking. haha

Three Step bedtime routine for your babies

As published in Femalenetwork: LINK my first article ever, and it got published! yey! now i'm motivated than ever to write. and the feedback from good friends ( you know which ones are sincere and those said just to make you feel good) are overwhelming. :)

on with the article!

~!~

We all know that sleep is vital to baby’s development and mommy’s disposition in the morning. Yet mommies also know that getting the baby to sleep through the night is easier said than done.

Did you know there’s a thee-step process in ensuring a good night’s sleep for your baby? Establish this bedtime routine as soon as the baby is born.

Step 1: Give baby a five-minute relaxing warm bath using a mild baby soap or wash, which, over time, will serve as a signal that it’s time for bedtime soon.

Step 2: Give baby a two-minute massage using a gently-scented lotion or oil. Apply this with downward strokes on limbs, circular strokes on the tummy, outward sweeps on the chest, small circles on the head and face, and sweeping downward strokes on the back and feet. As you do this, try talking to her in a soothing voice to strengthen your bond. This is a reliable way of getting your baby ready for sleep.

Step 3: Have quiet bonding time right before slumber. Sing lullabies or nursery rhymes to your baby or with her if she can already speak. Cuddle, read bedtime stories, and say a prayer with her. As soon as she gets drowsy, put her to bed while she is still half-awake. This is to help the baby learn to self-soothe, so when she wakes up in the middle of the night, she can go back to sleep without your help.

A study shows that babies who go through this bedtime routine fall asleep 37% faster and experience 37% less night awakenings. In fact, total night awakenings decreased by as much as 49%, and length of babies’ continuous sleep increased by 23%. And we all know that with a well-rested baby comes a mommy who is less tense and tired and more energetic. Barbie Almalbis-Honasan (shown in photo with baby Noa Stina) is among the moms who can attest that having a good bedtime routine will improve baby's sleep.

You may try using Johnson’s Baby Bedtime line when you do the three-step routine. The line consists of a bedtime bath, soap, lotion, oil, and powder—all of which contain a patented blend of soothing aromas and essence of jasmine blossoms called NaturalCalm.

For other concerns and inquiries about giving your baby a good night’s sleep, check out Johnson and Johnson’s website devoted to this: www.bedtime.com.ph. It also gives mommies a Customized Sleep Profile, designed to help them better understand the quality of baby’s sleep, and which comes with personalized advice on how to improve it.

the concert will push through!

even without this tobacco company...


EHEADS!!




and i'm still looking forward to it. now the dilemma is, how much is the ticket??

Pepper Lunch!

is love!

finally a dream/plan came true shared with two of the best people in the world.

here's to the next dates and bonding moments girls!

and yes, i will be back for more!




and i'm back to blogging. plurk has been keeping me busy lately that i neglected my blog. huhu

Please vote for my blog as blog of the week!

never in my life did i get a nomination for my blog. well, there's a first time for everything then.

so,

please vote for my blog!!

to vote, please visit: http://salaswildthoughts.blogspot.com/

thanks!! =)