goodbye galle, you've been great

in the 4 months i have been working, you have been a great source of solitude and ideas as i walk your tiled floors thinking of creative ideas.

you have been good, but sadly i must bid you farewell, and see you again when i do get the chance to walk your halls and window shop in your stores.

now it's time to move on. this time to a real office in a building with elevators and where you have to go to the ground floor from the 6th floor for a quick yosi break.

i/we shall miss you.

little miss...

i want!!!

of course, they have the other schools too. click the title to go to the site. :)

order na!!

Lola Honey's Death anniversary

got a sms from my mom last night. she asked me if i can go with her to my lola's grave. i thought at first she just wanted to visit my lola, but what came as a shock was, today is her death anniversary.
i didn't realize it has been a year since my lola passed away. again, sadeness washed over me and all the memories i had with her came back.

i even remembered the dream i had of her 2 days after she passed away. she was playfully scolding me for being such a crybaby. (that night i had the dream i was crying my eyes out in front of her casket) she was telling me she's happy now and in my dream she was with my lolo. although lolo goding was just there standing looking at me. can't remember if his look was curious or proud in seeing his first grandchild again after 25 years.

so after that dream, i stopped, cold turkey in being a crybaby. i don't know if it's a good thing or not. but the bottom line is, at least lola's happy now.

and for sure tonight i might get a dream visit from her again. i really miss her. and of course her cooking.

can't wait to talk to her in my dream and tell her she's going to have another grandchild on the way. finally from my uncle who has been trying to have one after they got married.

but still, i'm still happy-sad today. happy that i have another guardian angel watching over me and the kids and sad because lola honey isn't here physically.

* i called my lolas (maternal and paternal) names not based on their names or nicknames. but my own pet names for them: hence, lola darling and lola honey.

if you could say a little prayer for lola honey, that would be great. i'm sure she'd love that. include lola darling na rin. =)

tagged! First and Lasts

tagged by MAVER (which i owe several tags)

Participants: 1. Me and Mine 2.Creative In Me 3.Little Peanut 4. Pea in a Pod 5. Sugar Magnolias 6. All Things Me 7. Because Life Is Fun 8. Mind Bubbles 9. Something Purple 10. Stripe at Yellow 11. Vanity Kit 12. Em's Detour 13. Big Eyed Gal 14. The Chronic Shopper 15. Vital Sighs 16. Maver
17. Haze

FIRSTS

First real job: Executive assistant

First screen name: i stood by yagie ever since

First funeral: My paternal grandmother

First pet: this little duckling that i forgot to name.

First piercing: Ears

First tattoo: none. big scaredy-cat of needles

First credit card: Diners Club - employee benefit eh

First kiss: eh di si first boyfriend

First enemy: i can't remember. haha most likely it was one of my boy classmate when i was in preschool.


LASTS

Last car ride: This morning.

Last kiss: This morning too, from aishi and the kiddos - kahit tulog willing mag kiss at mag i love you mommy nang pabulong.

i'm tagging: everybody who wants to copy this tag. but please don't forget to leave a comment if you answered it. would love to read your answers. cheers!

LP#9: Ihip ng Hangin

parating na ang bagyo!! ramdam mo na ba ang lakas ng hangin habang ikaw ay nasa pampang?

kuha ito nung nag outing ang aming department sa batangas. noong panahong iyon, bago itong makulimlim na ulap at malakas na hangin, mataas ang sikat ng araw, sa ilang minuto lang na lumipas, bigla na lang nag iba ang panahon.

nakakita pa kami ng ipo-ipo sa dagat. ganun ka lakas ang hangin na parating sa aming lugar. paumanhin na lang po at yan lang ang kinaya ng zoom ng aking point and shoot. pero siguro naman eh naaninag ninyo ang ipo-ipo sa dagat? nilagyan ko na lang ng pang turo para alam nyo kung nasaan yung ipo-ipo.

This is Spartan!!!

got this from JORI while checking my multiply inbox. as he mentioned, this one made his morning, it made mine too since i'm awfully early here in the office.

enjoy!! (since 300 is showing in HBO, this is so appropriate)

credits to the great pmjunior

LP#8: Tubig

dati
araw-araw nagagamit ang pool pag tag araw
ngayon
mistulang palamuti na lamang sa bahay
at minsan ay wala pang tubig

siya nga naman, sa hirap na ng buhay ngayon
magagawa mo pa bang magsayang ng tubig
na kailangan ng ibang tao?

panahon na para tayo ay mag ipon
maging praktikal
wag magaksaya

unti-unti nang nauubos ang mga resources
ng ating kalikasan
dapat naman siguro tayo naman ang magsukli
diba?

Momma Stuff Question Week 3: Baby Names

i know there's a week 4 question already, but better late than never and no entry at all :)

Question of the week:

Now, for this week’s question: What are the names of your kids? Who picked them? Any significance of that name/s?

Here's my entry:

i never planned on choosing my kid's names based on their meanings but i based it on pure gut feeling if it would fit/match with their personality when they grow up and if it will match their surnames. it's hard thinking of a good name when the kids have a chinese surname. or maybe it was just me. :)

kyle xavier

why kyle? why xavier? well, even before i got married, i really wanted one of my kids to be named kyle. initially, kyle was supposed to be named kyle adrian, then changed to kyle anthony when i was pregnant with him. hubby thought it was unwise to name his firstborn after him thinking kyle might go down the same "path" as daddy when he was single. haha

in the end, we decided on kyle xavier. and with the momma stuff question, i had to do my research to find out the meaning behind my little boy's name:

kyle: means narrow or straight
xavier: means bright, splendid

now, isn't that a great description for my little boy?

keon xyrus

notice a pattern? haha when we found out i was pregnant again, without question, we decided that the next son/daughter will have the same initials as his/her kuya. at first i thought i was having a girl, a name was prepared already (i won't divulge here, baka gayahin eh) but still with the KX initals. lo and behold, we found out we were having a boy. so hubby and i thought hard for a name that would suit this little bundle of energy. so, why keon xyrus? keon, because it sounded unique and you don't get to meet anyone named keon right? for his second name, it was quite hard thinking of a name that would match keon. good thinking care of hubby while driving on the way home. xyrus was the perfect match. we tweaked the name a bit, since it was supposed to be cyrus. just to align with the KX initals.

keon: of Zeus
xyrus: sun, lord, throne

fits my little bunso just right. a name worthy of a god. haha

wanna join? visit them here: MOMMASTUFF

tagged! one of the pending tags hehe

1. What do you want for your birthday?
>> a surprise party and some gifts? hehe

2. Who will be your next kiss?
>> of course, aishi

3. When was the last time you went to the mall?
>> i work in a mall monday - friday. well our office is in a mall. so there.

4. Are you wearing socks right now?
>> no. i wish i was

5. How did you spend your summer?
>> at work. how sad noh?

6. Have you been to the cinema in the last 5 days?
>> No!! i wish!!

7. What was the last thing you had to drink?
>> Coffee. vendo coffee - in three gulps, ubos

8. What are you wearing right now?
>> polo, carpenter capris, sandals

9. What was your last purchase?
>> vendo coffee

10. What was the last food you ate?
>> adobo. which was last night's dinner. but, i'll be eating my lunch in a bit

11. Who would be the person you would call if you were up in the middle of the night and couldn’t sleep?
>> aishi if he's not around. if he is, i'll be calling ple

12. Have you bought any clothing items in the last week?
>> No!! it's been ages since i last bought clothes for myself. pity.

13. Do you have a pet?
>> Yes, an askal hehe

14. What made you laugh in the last 5 days?
>> kyle and keon of course

15. If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be?
>> At home, with the kids or wishful thinking at powerbooks buried in books

16. What is the last thing you purchased online?
>> gossip girl books

17. One thing you hate about yourself?
>> moody

18. Do you miss anyone?
>> my mom

19. What are your plans for the day?
>> work work and set meetings and presentations.

20. Last person you msg’d?
>> Mel :)

21. Ever went to a camp?
>> No.

22. Are you a good student in school?
>> i'd like to think i am :)

23. What do you know about the (your) future?
>> that it's going to be much better than it is now

24. Are you wearing any perfume or cologne?
>> yup. baby bench

25. Where is/are your best friend/s right now?
>> same as i am, at work. hopefully having a great day =)

feel free to grab this tag!

been awfully busy. i miss my blog. a lot of thoughts have been in stored and waiting to be blogged about. but, work has to come first to pay for the bills. =)

tagged! top 10 songs of the 90's

i was tagged by IGGY
which was due a for quite a while so, better late than never.

thanks IGGY!!

~!~

in no particluar order

10. TLC - Waterfalls
> almost everyone tried to memorize left eye's rap part. i did, but failed. haha

9. Under the Bridge - RHCP
> classic classic classic. i'd include the remake of all saints as well. rnb version. nice! (nasaan na ba ang all saints?)

8. Black Hole Sun - Soundgarden
> 2 words: Chris Cornell

7. No Diggity - Blackstreet
> again, everyone tried to memorize the rap. i remember fondly a print out was circulating the classroom so that everyone would understand the lyrics.

You get what you give - New Radicals
> love their album! the songs. sayang naging one album wonder lang sila tapos yung song nilang someday we'll know sinapawan ng version ni mandy moore. sayang.

6. Wonderwall - Oasis
> british bands are the best! a shadow of the beatles, but great nonetheless. love all their albums. and a big thanks to my good friend dolly for introducing them to me in 2nd year high. she even gave me a copy of definitely maybe as a xmas gift. casette tape pa! =)

5. Semi Charmed Life - Third Eye Blind
> catchy song. and the video: Vespa's!!!

4. 3AM/Push - Matchbox 20
> again, classic songs. great band, great album.

3. One of us - Joan Osborne / Bitch - Meredith Brooks / Alanis Morisette
> yey for chicks who rock!!

2. Virtual Insanity - Jamiroquai
> the most creative video ever during the 90's. great song too. winner!

1. Stay - Lisa Loeb
> admit it, we all fell for the sappy song. some even made it their anthem. Reality Bites rule! haha

so there, i had to go to a site where it listed all the best songs of the 90's and actually, i should've made 20, but the tag only asks for 10.

thanks iggy! you rawk!

now i'm tagging: mel, maver, meeya, daiz, ple, kerol, mec, carla, and you! yes you, the one reading this post right now. link back once you're done with the tag. :)

LP #7: Umaapoy

sa bawat araw ng ating pagsasama
ang apoy at init ng kandilang ito
ay walang katulad
walang susukat
sa iyong pagmamahal

para kay aishi =)

*may ihahabol pa akong isang lahok, pero ito naman ay kuha ng ama noong paslit lamang ako at uso pa ang mga brown-out. hehe

maligayang LP sa inyo!

>gagawa pala ako ng list/link ng mga LP friends, kung gusto niyo makasama, mag comment kasama ang link o mag email sa akin: hazel(dot)yago(dot)hung(at)gmail(dot)com. tenchu! <

pending tags

to those who tagged me, so sorry! but i really don't have the time as of now to do them, but promise, when i get my much needed downtime (especially here in the office) i'll be sending you guys some love. =)

but please, keep those tags coming! one of the things that keep me sane.

mwah mwah!

1001 books to read before you die

better start now. =)

being a dormant bookworm (i miss reading books!!! as in READ) i came across this site which was shared in a forums i frequent. this has motivated me to make time to read up on books and create a ME time with all the busy schedule i have at home and at work.

i wouldn't dare share how many books i have read in the list as this would put me to shame. but nevertheless this is enough motivation for me to go back to reading and would enhance my kid's interest in reading since at this age have been showing positive signs of a potential bookworm. and no, not like daddy who likes books with big fonts and pictures mind you. :)

LP#6: Mahal na Ina

paumanhin po sa delay ng aking lahok. =)

walang mga salita o mga akda ang makakapag halintulad sa unang paghawak mo sa iyong anak. na sa bawat hawak at haplos, tumatahan ang munting sanggol sa pagiyak. napapawi ang lahat ng takot. sa kandungan ni inay ang iyong tunay na tahanan. walang makakapantay sa pagmamahal ng isang ina sa kanyang mga supling. lahat ng paghihirap ay nawawala makasama lang ang mga hulog ng langit. ang sukli lang na hinihingi ay ang mga ngiting hindi maipipinta nino man.

at siyempre para sa aking ina. na kahit na para kaming aso't pusa kung magaway eh hindi ko pa rin ipagpapalit. nagiisa lang siya. kahit hindi mo nababasa ang blog ko, kahit na hindi ko nasasabi o napapadama ng pisikal. alam mong mahal kita. ganun lang ka-simple.

remember Itsumo?

the first time i heard this i thought it was a foreign band/group. but surprise, surprise! pinoy pala. although it's a bit bordering on Timbaland's style. hehe

compare their first hit, itsumo to this:




big difference di ba?

things i discover while waiting for hubby to fetch me. comments and panlalait are welcome =)

how our day goes in the yago-hung household

I read this interesting topic in Momma Stuff and i couldn't resist in joining. it's a good reminder as well on how we go about our routines at home.

Now for this week, the question is : Do you have routines for your kids? Care to share? Does it really help?

yes, i have set a routine for my kids since day 1 so that everything would be in order. but i do make exceptions here and there especially for kyle since he's getting more independent and prefers to sometimes do things not in the schedule. so, it's keon who still has to go through the not so strict daily routines. but surprisingly, he's the one who sometimes reminds me to stick to the schedule. haha my bunso's a lot like clockwork. so anyway, on with the entry:


i specifically mentioned yago-hung since we are "squatting" in my parent's place until we get to wipe our our debts (this year, yey!) and find the best place to settle with the kids. or until we do get the chance to migrate to NZ hopefully by 2010, whichever comes first.

but i digress.

so, how do we go on with our daily routine at home with two rowdy boys, their nannies and us? let me show you:

aishi wakes up at 6:00am to prepare for work. the kids and i are still asleep.
7:00-7:30 keon wakes up. drink milk, bathe in the sun and play with me while i prepare for work.
8:00-8:30am kyle wakes up, drinks milk, playtime with the nannies. i leave for work.
9:00-11:00am playtime while the nannies prepare their lunch, bathtime. usually keon takes a 30min to an hour nap after bath. kyle and nanny go through his workbooks-usually at his request.
11:30 lunch time for the kids. this goes while watching thomas and friends.
12:00-1:00 the nannies take turns eating their lunch
1:00-3:00 nap time
3:30-5:00 playtime again for the kids. this time outside the house. but in the garage if there's space.
5:30 one of the nannies prepare their dinner and their bathwater
6:30 dinner time, baths and a little tv time
7:30-8:00 dinner time for the nannies
8:30 aishi and i get home
8:30 onwards are our bonding time before bedtime
9:30 bedtime for keon. usually stretches to 10 if he's really hyper and playful. i'll go up to the room with keon's nanny to help me give him a spongebath. drink milk before bed. say prayers, a little cuddling and playtime until keon falls asleep. i leave the nanny to look after keon in case he wakes up
10:00 mommy and kyle time. start to prep him for bedtime as well. recap what he did today in his workbook.
10:30 give him milk and prep him for his spongebath. go up to the room again and prepare him for sleep.
11:00 the kids are asleep. a little tv time for me and aishi. or if we're really tired, we just head for the bed and sleep.

but since keon's with my in-laws for the past week and since kyle's nanny is on vacation while he's in summer school, (which tomorrow is his last day. yey!) we changed the schedule a bit. but more or less this will be the routine once kyle starts school this June.

5:30am i wake up and prepare kyle's things and baon. heat water for his bath and mine.
6:00am wake up kyle, give him his milk. let him watch nickelodeon so that he won't be in a bad mood when he goes to school. aishi prepares for work
6:30 bath time. aishi leaves for work
7:00 - 7:20 school bus arrives. mama will accompany him to school.
7:30 i take a bath. prepare kyle's lunch and dinner.
8:00 leave for work
10:00 kyle comes home from school
10:30-11:00 mama prepares kyle's lunch
12:00 kyle will ask for milk.
12:30 nap time for kyle
3:00 kyle wakes up from his nap. will usually ask for milk again. then will eat bread or whatever's for merienda.
4:00-6:00 playtime with mama and dada and his uncles. or he'll ask for his workbook again and doodle. or read some books.
6:30 dinner time for kyle
7:00-8:00 my family eats dinner
8:30 aishi and i arrive from the office
9:00 bonding time with kyle, check on keon again - what's he doing, how he's doing, if there are things that need to be bought for him etc.
9:30 prepare kyle for bed. prayers, cuddling etc. while aishi will prepare kyle's food for tomorrow. (we usually cook it a day in advance to cut on time)
10:00 tv time for aishi and i. and on wednesdays, it's csi night.
11:00 i usually get to sleep ahead of aishi since i'm the one putting kyle to sleep. an hour or so before he joins us.

then the routine starts all over again. =)

now, where can i have a little me time then? haha

LOL news of the day

i had to read it twice. nakakatuwa lang. i want to see the pictures!

bwahahahahahahaha na lang ang masasabi ko sa iyo neng! =)

go speedracer go!

ple and i watched speedracer last saturday in megamall. much to my excitement in getting to watch a premiere, one thing slipped my mind. it was the 3 day sale of megamall. so imagine my shock when i saw almost the entire metro manila population (exagg, pero it felt like it) walking the whole stretch of the mall. babies, infants on strollers, mothers, fathers, grandparents, kids, lovers, you name it they were there. along with the sweltering summer heat. it was torture.

the upside of this, i was able to buy 2 cute sandals for work. yey!

so anyway, on to speedracer.

i'm not going to go into the full movie review thing. i'm not going to pretend i'm this expert on movies. so i'll just post as a typical blogger who was able to watch a movie - after all these years. the last time i was able to watch a movie was... a long time ago. see, i can't even remember the last movie i saw.

but i digress. on with the comments:

> the film was colorful. vivid, striking, in your face colors. it was like watching a comic book come to life.
> the cgi was superb. but quite dizzying especially the racing part.
> obviously it was directed by the matrix directors. the signature matrix "chenes" we all know.
> everytime we see Rain, we can't help but snicker and remember his clear commercial.
> i find cristina ricci a bit old for the role of trixie. but i guess she looks quite cartoonish to fit the part.
> there were some parts that were quite dragging that i can't help but make chika with ple while watching. hehe sorry ple!
> overall, it's a light movie that the kids would enjoy. i think mine will with their love for cars and all.

but we are still looking forward to watching Ironman soon. :P

a little bit of improvement in our MRT

was on my usual commute to the office riding the MRT. was minding my own business and thoughts when all of a sudden i heard a loud doorbell sound. at first i though someone must have left their message alert volume on high. but then someone spoke out of the speakers: "boni station, boni station. please exit on the left side of the train. maari lang po lumabas sa kaliwang pinto ng tren. maraming salamat po" surprise surprise! finally something worth listening to in the morning aside from the ho-hum wouldn't care less station announcement of the train operator. it was fresh and new. and it was quite fun hearing something pleasant in the morning. well, along with the usual people i rode with who always complain about something.

at least MRT management did something new. and i must say the aircons are not that bad too. you just have to find that right train to get on. =)

~!~

i'm just happy that i was able to spend the weekend with my kids. keon has been really clingy to me knowing that he would be able to see me again this saturday.

LP# 5: Malungkot

sa mga pagkakataon na abutan ka ng lungkot, minsan ay mahuhuli mo ang sariling nakadungaw sa bintana. tulala. nagiisip.

ang pag dungaw sa bintana ay mistulang mga rehas ng kulungan ng iyong kalungkutan. hindi ka makawala, at makakilos ng lubusan. ikaw ay nilalamon ng mga pag iisip na nakakasira ng iyong pagiisip. na ang mga bagay sa labas ay tila abot ng iyong mga kamay ngunit malayo pa rin dahil sa mga nakaharang na rehas ng bintana at ng iyong kalungkutan.

paumanhin po sa masalimuot na akda. ang tema ngayon ay sadyang angkop sa aking kalagayan. miss na miss ko na ang mga chikiting ko dahil sila ay nagbabakasyon sa kanilang lola kaya ganito na lang ang lungkot sa aking puso. bilang ina, mahirap mawalay sa anak kahit na ba 2 jeep lang na pagpasahe ang layo nila sa akin. mahirap matulog ng hindi naamoy ang kanilang mga nakakagigil na halimuyak. ngunit alam ko naman na sa mga darating na araw eh makikita ko sila at balik sigla na ulit ang kanilang ina.