nothing, anything, everything

It’s the last hour of the work day, the last working day of the week (because tomorrow is a holiday, followed by our two-day weekend) and instead of working, my mind is all jumbled up. So, instead of doing nothing at all, I thought of just typing away on whatever I’m thinking about.

just for her

Since a lot of my posts in this blog are about my daughter, I’ve decided to create a separate blog entirely about her. I just put it up yesterday and I’m still trying to figure out what background and theme is suitable, so it may look totally different from time to time...well, until I find the right one that is.

my parents’ wedding anniversary...and mama

I had a funny conversation with Mama over the weekend. You see, today is their (Mama & Papa’s) wedding anniversary, and even though Papa passed on eight years ago, Mama still celebrates this day every year. So, last Friday during my weekly phone call to her, I teased her a little. Here’s a snip of our conversation:

yummy goodies from around the globe

Here at the office, whenever a guest arrives or someone returns from vacation, we can almost always expect some edible treat as his/her form of pasalubong(souvenir).

uh-oh, it's virus time again

Yesterday, almost half the employees of our office were on leave due to fever or colds. Two came to work but then left after a while. Two others, although they stayed in the office to work, looked like they weren’t feeling well either. One of my colleagues who left early told me that the hospital he went to was full of people coughing, sneezing, and shivering.

our lady of guadalupe

Her image arrived at our home last night, and we welcomed her with open hearts.

Since we got married, she’s visited our family three times already. The first was when I was pregnant; the second was when Caila was a year old; and now, she’s with us again. The first two times, we were still living in Karama. This is the first time we had her with us in our new home.

gone for eight years

Even though several years have already passed, it still seems like yesterday.
The time hasn’t lessened the pain, nor has it erased the memories.
But despite his missing out on so many things that have happened to me since then, just knowing that he is up there looking down and guiding me and my family is enough.
Happy 8th anniversary of being in heaven, Papa!
I still miss you...so much!

a failure and a success

It was my first time...to bake, that is.

Everyone who knows me knows that I don’t know how to cook, but less than a month ago, we were in the grocery and I suddenly wanted to try my hand in baking. On the safe side, we bought the White King Brownies Fudge & Crinkle Mix. The recipe seemed fairly simple to follow so I was hopeful that the end result wouldn’t be a total failure. When we got home that day, I lost the enthusiasm to cook, so we just put the box in our kitchen cabinet. It had been sitting there for almost three weeks, until I mustered enough courage to open it up and bake it last Saturday.

tisoy

Hubby has another baby...and yes, it’s ok with me and Caila.
Ever since I brought this little bundle into his life almost two weeks ago, they’re together everywhere they go. Whenever hubby is free, he places himself comfortably on the couch or in the bed to play with Tisoy. Caila isn’t jealous. She likes playing with Tisoy too. Watching them play together and hearing the giggles is music to my ears.
He’s 4.5 inches high and 2.31 inches wide, weighs 137g, and is fair in complexion (hence his name).
So without any further ado, allow me to introduce hubby’s baby:

my gym open house

Last Friday, hubby and I took Caila to the open house of My Gym, organized by Mother, Baby & Child magazine. We were arranged according to batches; our slot was 4:00-4:55pm, and Caila, along with other kids, was given the chance to enjoy the facilities of My Gym within this time.

to caila's daddy

Thank you for all of the perfect and precious moments you share with our daughter

day 7: violet

They say that violet is not purple; according to Wikipedia, this color, which symbolizes mysticism and royalty, is actually a type of purple like lavender and lilac. Since I can’t really see the difference, I’ll treat all of these as the same.

day 6: indigo

The color indigo signifies intuition, deep contemplation, and inner harmony. Many people (me included) often mistake it for blue.

dlsu memories

From June 1995 to September 1998: - My ID number was 95XXX5X (I don’t think a La Sallian can ever forget their number) - I belonged to block LR-27 - Like all Liberal Arts students, we had almost all our classes at the Miguel Hall - I joined Samahan ng mga Mag-aaral sa Sikolohiya when I was a froshie. In my second year, I became one of the VPs. After that, I became an Honorary Member until I graduated.

animo la salle!

Hail, Hail
Alma Mater,
Hail to De La Salle!
We'll hold your banner high and bright,
A shield of green and white,
We'll fight to keep your glory bright,
And never shall we fail,
Hail to thee our Alma Mater!
Hail! Hail! Hail!
Happy Centennial, DLSU!

day 5: blue

The fifth color of the rainbow connotes peace, loyalty, and faith. From afar, the earth is mainly a combination of green (land) and blue (water), and water comprises about 70% of the planet. During the (first) Aquino and Ramos administrations in the Philippines, we experienced a lot of brownouts, and if these lasted for hours, our water supply would consequently stop.

mcdonald's and tom and jerry

Last night, we went to the McDonald’s branch near our apartment building after having Piper washed and cleaned. Our daughter wasn’t hungry so she went to the area where four screens were showing the same Tom and Jerry show. I noticed that every time we go there, it’s always Tom and Jerry on the screens; nothing else. Before, I didn’t mind what they were showing because Caila would always stay with us while we ate, but this was the first time our daughter went to that area.

day 4: green

Green represents nature, freshness and growth. Lately, so many groups are promoting "going green." Although I'm not much of an advocate, I try to help save the planet in whatever small way I can. Plus, it's so refreshing to be surrounded by trees, plants and flowers that are in full bloom wherever we go...definitely much better than being enveloped in dark pollution!

kung fu panda 2 in 3D

Kung Fu Panda was the first movie hubby and I watched as husband and wife when we returned to Dubai after our wedding in 2008. We really enjoyed the film, so when we found out that the sequel would be released in 3D, we made a plan to watch it. Unfortunately, we couldn’t squeeze it in our busy schedule, and whatever free time we had, we opted to spend with our daughter...until last Friday night. On the way home after our household meeting ended, Caila dozed off in the car. This was the perfect opportunity because it was still pretty early and we wouldn’t feel guilty for not spending our free time with her. So, we dropped her off at home under Ate Cel’s care and hubby and I set off for DFC.

day 3: yellow

Smileys are yellow, and it’s no wonder because this color depicts sunshine, happiness and optimism. Come to think of it, looking back, this color actually brings back some happy memories.

day 2: orange

According to blurtit.com, the color orange symbolizes energy, zest, enthusiasm and creativity. For me, orange represents, well...an orange. You know, the round citrus fruit, packed with vitamin C that can be eaten as a snack.

day 1: red

The first color of the rainbow often signifies blood, danger, heat, power and romance. It also stimulates the appetite which is why most restaurants use the color red. This is one of my favorite colors because it stands out, and since I’m a bit of an attention-seeker, I like using it.

my birthing story

So many people I know are either giving birth or becoming pregnant. When we go out, I see lots of pregnant women walking proudly with their protruding tummies. Considering that it’s the Chinese Year of the Rabbit (and rabbits are known for their err...reproduction skills), I’m not surprised. In fact, I’m really happy, especially for those I know who have been trying and praying so long to have a(nother) child.

putting color in my week (7 colors in 7 days challenge)

I was thinking of something regular to blog about, and although I’ve come across bloggers who have done/are doing the 30-day or 365-day challenges, I didn’t think I’d be able to complete it. This made me come up with an activity for an entire week.

walking

Ever since our stay in Atlantis, I think my bulges have become bigger. Don't get me wrong...I'm not blaming Atlantis. It's just that that's about the same time I started noticing this. My weight is still the same, but although I haven’t checked, it seems my waistline is growing. Although hubby hasn’t commented about it (he wouldn’t dare!), I decided to take my butt off the couch and start exercising again. Much as I’d love to join a health club or work out at a gym, I don’t yet have the funds or time to. So, I chose the no-cost option which didn’t require that much physical strain: walk.

pasalubong from germany

Almost 2 weeks ago, my sister went to Germany for an international tourism exhibition, and being the nice sister she is (love you, Ate!), she brought us some goodies:

nudity dream and blogging

A few nights ago, I dreamt I was with my colleagues somewhere outside the office, fully naked. Everyone was aware of my nudity but I didn’t mind. Then, as we were laughing at a joke one of my colleagues told, we saw a car approach and we realized that it was our big boss from Japan who was visiting. That’s when I began to get worried of my state of undress. I tried to hide, but he obviously saw me, and sent his assistant to call me to his office for reprimanding. So I put on the first shirt that I saw and tried to cover whatever I could. That’s when I woke up.

my german family

I just received great news from my German sister that she, along with our parents, will be coming to Dubai to visit again! Hurray!

I know what you’re thinking...how can I have a family from Germany when I’m Filipino, right? Well, I gained this family during my visit to their country for the World Youth Day in 2005.

my eyes are addicted to chocolate

I keep telling myself that I have to control myself when my sweet tooth attacks, or at least not give in to the temptation to put chocolates and candies in the trolley when we go to the supermarket.

good stuff...love ko 'to!

Last night, hubby had a meeting with our Unit leader and brothers at McDonald’s, and since they have a playplace there for kids, he decided we should all go. So off we went to the Golden Arches in Spinney’s Bur Dubai.

our experience at PBR

To satisfy your curiosity on my post regarding Pampanga’s Binalot Restaurant, allow me to share with you what happened. Don’t worry, I didn’t make a scene or anything. I’m not the type of person who confronts others or points out their flaws directly to their face...that’s why I decided to blog about it so that others would be aware. For those who still wish to try out the restaurant after reading this, well, I’m not warning anyone, but at least you know what to expect. And if you’re unfortunate to go through what we experienced, I hope you’ll have the guts to tell the people there how much they fail in the service department.