The one with his wishlist

Yeah, somebody's christmas came in early!!!

Simon's newest addition to his collection of gadgets

I never debated against on anything that he has ever wanted for christmas. After all, it's one of the rare moments that we give in to our wishlists and i know he deserves it. Well, he wanted the newer version, PS3 but he thought that this will do and it's more practical anyway. I love that we play Dance Dance revolution with this. And hopefully, it will help me lose some pounds. haha. When he called me and told me that he already ordered my gift for him (haha, so funny!), it was like hearing birth announcements from an eagerly-waiting first time father. hehe, he was just so ecstatic about it. congrats beh!

Now...what do i want for christmas??? hmmm...

The one with really got sad

It just sunk in...I really am fat...The thought just sunk my fat brain and i really felt sad.

I was trying some dresses for emily's wedding and it's the first time i felt that nothing as in nothing fits right. even if the dress fits, it does'nt look good and i did'nt like what i saw. i got depressed knowing that i don't have the same bod, that no matter what i do, it's so hard to lose weight. I know i never had a slim, slender frame. I know i've always been blessed with hips, legs and behind. Ive accepted those things when i was still in high school. Fitting jeans take a whole day for me. But now, it just struck me that Free size shirts are not in my closet anymore...that when i try to fit blouses, i'd have to start with Large and i'd dread fitting an XL blouse.

This is also the first time i talked about this concern with my husband. (well, considering this is the first time i felt bad about it too) My husband took it as a surprise that it took a toll on me. He always sees me as a confident person and someone who knows how to handle herself, even if with a "little" weight gain. When i told him about it, he asked me what i wanted to do with it (well, men, men, men...they're after results and solutions) and he asked me if this is the time that we should start considering options like weight loss diet pill, or herbal teas, or Xenical. Karamba! i think i might start with the herbal tea like Bigerlai. I read about this from our n@w forum and im seriously considering starting with this one. I just hope it works. Oh with the christmas holiday coming...

The one with so close

Last week, I thought we're gonna have to replace our old car after being towed by MMDA where in fact we are AAP members (AAP is a towing company like Wheelers Club etc.) and had to pay double for the expenses and the towing fee. I felt the "this is it, we're gonna buy the Revo" feeling. But days after, for some reasons, we came back with the "maybe this is not the right time" feeling. We felt more right saving more for a newer vehicle or maybe when the time comes that we really need one for the business. you see, if we buy a bigger vehicle, one of the reasons (aside from saving the inconvenience of rv repair) is to expand our small party planning business. And what way to do that is to invest in another venture, say our own food carts or our mommy-daughter clothing line (which we will launch early next year by the way). So that being said, we'd have to shell out more money for that. So we decided to save a little more, work a little more until we're concrete and sure of our plans. :)

We're doing it right, yeah???

The one with pretty hectic

December is coming pretty hectic already. This first week will be popsie tony's 60-something birthday and friday is justin's 2nd bday which we will celebrate the following day. We'll have dinner with the Tans tomorrow and my parents will go there really early. you see, both are dads are really good talkers. They loooovee to chat and they never ran out of things to share. When I celebrated my birthday last august, my father in law told me that he had so much fun that even if he had coffee that night, he had a very good night sleep. as in, he was so proud he did'nt wake up in the middle of the night. So when daddy tony had a hypertension episode the other day and the medicare supplement did'nt work and they had to bring him to the hospital to have him checked, I told my mom to spend more time with daddy tony and mommy alma. I'm sure both sides will benefit as my parents needed to share things with other parents too. Not that they dont' have other friends, but it would help if they always have someone to talk to right? I'm pretty sure there's a connection and we need some unwinding once in a while.

The more reason why i'm so excited with bohol...hmmm...

The one with bohol escapade

Okay, the previous post was a little burst of emotions, let me give a lighter feel of this blog by talking about our plans for simone's 3rd bday. You see, i'm a party planner. That's what i do and i love it! But my husband and I agreed on not throwing another bash for simone until she's 7 (okay, maybe 5 or 4 pwede pa? hahaha) so while we're waiting for it, we'd spend her younger bdays on rather a smaller party or a trip. And we are just glad we'd spend her 3rd bday on a bohol trip with both our parents. There are several reasons why we wanted this trip:

First, we wanted to have a first family out-of-town trip(Tagaytay and bulacan don't count). Simone has'nt ridden a plane yet so this one will be perfect. It's domestic flight, thus, shorter flying hours and would still come out cheaper compared to an international trip. (although im still crossing fingers for it. hehe)

Second, we've always wanted to treat our parents to an all-expense paid trip. It has always been our dream to treat them (all four of them) to an out-of-town trip and then an out-of-the country trip someday. as in! They're not that young anymore and they've sacrificed a lot for all of us, we just thought that this is just a small way of making them happy and get a little adventure once in a while. we thought of boracay first because boracay is still boracay, no matter how you put it. And we have our complimentary room that can save us about 10k but i think they needed a more serene and relaxing trip so what better place than bohol?! Our trip will be exactly what i had three of four years back. We will stay in Bohol beach club, do the half-day tour and just relax and enjoy the beach. I wanted us to try the Cebu sidetrip but the lolas fear the ferry rides so we'd stay in bohol the whole time. We're all psyched about it! I wanted to surprise them with a little note or something but we had to know if all our schedules would match so we had to ask and they had to know. haha. but they got really excited too.

I'm just a little sad that our sisters and brothers won't be with us on the trip, we'd probably have a pre or post bday celebration. I got the 777 PAL promo that got us for 800.00 per ticket. I think that's a good deal considering it's a new aircraft and they have free meals too. :) I've also reserved the resort already and we're locked with the old rates. goody!

I'm just excited!!! :)

The one with turning three

Whenever holiday season is nearing, one more thing slips my mind and that's in two months time, my little girl will be less little again and more of a kid already. She's turning three in february and the emotional burst is coming early this time.

Here's a little scribbling of a letter i have for her:

Dear Simone,

Turning three is just three months away baby and i know that even if say that you're not a baby anymore and that your cousins justin and neyo are the only ones who are babies, to me, you'd always be one. You've grown so much and i know i can't stop it. I'm glad I can't because I love to see how you unfold to become someone God wanted you to be.

When you were a baby and you were so fragile, i'd always wish that you'd grow a little faster, and that you're not as fragile as a glass. When you turned four months, I was just glad you're stronger and can sit, lift your head, babble and make faces. I'd just wished I would have known how you felt, what you wanted to say or what you wanted to do so that everytime you cried, i did'nt have to guess what you needed at that time. And I was glad when before you turned one you learned how to do signs and we communicated. You learned how to talk before you turned one and everything was a lot easier coz now i know when you wanted milk, if you wanted to eat or if you wanted to play. And then i wished you'd walk soon so that then i don't have to hurt my back everytime i hold your hands for at least 30 minutes without you getting tired. And two months after, you learned how to walk. And we were all so happy because we won't have to hold you for so long. And then i wished you werent so energetic and hyper that we'd have to run towards you everytime, follow wherever you go. Then suddenly time flew faster, you instantly turned two and now you're almost three. I will always think of something that i'd wish for you but i thought to myself, everything is just happening so fast, all i could wish for is that i'd be able to do everything right for you. That i won't miss any opportunity to become a good mother, a good teacher, a friend, and a playmate. In no time, I know i'd be writing a letter to you turning 7 but i'd cry a bucket of tears over that later. In the meantime, let me cherish this time that you are still my almost 3-year old baby.

Simone, thank you for being the daughter that you are. Sorry if mommy snap sometimes, mommy and daddy had to teach you a lesson. Sorry if mommy gets so tired at times when you still wanted to play. Sorry if mommy forgets to read to you and you just open the book by yourself and pretend you're reading the book to keep you amused. Sorry if mommy gets angry when you jump up and down the mattresses and you hit your head on the wall. It really makes mommy worried.

But thank you for being the little spoiled pa-cute girl we know. We love spoiling you, i know we'd have a hard time disciplining you but what the heck, it's worth it! and we've always loved how pa-cute you are, looking at the mirrror, posing like a model and trying mommy's sunglasses, shoes and shirts. you are sooo cute! thank you for always saying i love you even if you don't have to. Thank you for learning how to say "excuse me" when you needed to pass. Thank you for saying "sorry" when you accidentally hurt mommy or daddy. It reassures us that somehow we are doing the right thing as parents.

We love you anak :)

The one with teaser photos

I'm not even sure if someone will be teased (harhar), but here are some blog entries that you might read about in a few more days (after this weekend, i promise to blog again). We are just so excited!

yeah baby, bohol for simone's 3rd bday it is! :)

our Sunday family bonding day at Manila Ocean Park (for days that i don't have parties, we really make the most out of it)

Happy weekend everyone! :)

The one with prodigy

The words gives me goosebumps. I don't think my daughter is a child prodigy.

When I posted the video about a week ago in facebook, multiply and here in my blog, i got a lot of pretty good comments about how amazing simone is that she can play the piano at her young age. I too am amazed. I think she is really blessed to be given the heart of music that we have prayed for her ever since i was carrying her. God told us to be specific in our prayers and I thought i was specific with that, well, along with other wishful traits like her being fair-skinned, hahaha. (got that one answered too!)

But just like what i wrote in this entry, she's not a child prodigy. She's blessed with a heart of music which hopefully will turn her to be a passionate musician one day. We promise not to pressure her on anything, we'll just continue to encourage her and open more opportunities for her so she'd know what she would like when she grows older. I think letting your child explore her world really helps. If not for Simon letting her play on his clavinova, she would'nt be able to learn the song. If not for mommy letting her play on her pricey make-ups and powders, she would'nt know that there are different colors in a palette. If not for all the mess that we make whenever we paint, or draw, or cut papers, she would'nt know the shapes and all the colors around her. The mess is all worth it. The endless cleaning (of ate maru) is all worth it. Yes anak, we will be there to guide you as you explore your world and no matter what it takes, it's all worth it. Even if that thing would make me learn how to burn fat like when you ask mommy to run in circles as fast as she could, i would do it, as long as it makes you happy. :)

So yeah, she's not a prodigy but she will become somebody someday... somebody to mommy and daddy and to everyone who love her dearly :)

The one with christmas shopping

I went to a couple of toy and clothes sales recently. I wanted to avoid the christmas rush plus the good deals from the toytown sale is just irresistible. I was able to buy really nice toys for nephews, nieces and some godkids. Another sale that i was able to go to was the gingersnaps sale. I go here every year and this year, I went with simone and was able to buy really nice clothes for her and for some for my nieces. Clothes are down to 100 each up to 200. super good buys! I almost got my phone lost due to excitement, thought i locked it but turned out i had an unlocked phone accidentally lying under a pile of clothes and a man almost got it. whew. So another advice: don't bring a kid when you know you'd go nuts from all the clothes sale...hahaha.

Happy christmas shopping everyone!

The one with biggest milestone

This made me cry...It's an amazing milestone that at 33 months she can play the song Twinkle, Twinkle star. Simon was actually surprised that he was just pointing which keys to play but simone was the one who decides how many times to hit the keys. ain't that cool or what?!

Love you simone! we are just sooo proud of you!

The one with second ultimate wish

You know what my ultimate wish is, and that's our own home :) But since we're still saving up for it and might take more time than expected, another wish that i have is a brand new van. :) I think i really need one for my business and that our car, although very reliable, i can really feel that it's getting really smaller and smaller for us. When we go out, puno agad yung back with all of simone's things. And moreso, when i have events, I'd always cross my fingers and hope it won't go overloaded or something. I had to rent a van on some weekends since i really need a bigger transportation.

I know we can do it. :) i really do. i know God will help us buy one. It's just that we need to prioritize which of our ultimate wishes we need to save up for one first. hmm...tough decision??? What made it harder was when i saw a showroom and saw all the Mopar parts from SUVs, jeeps, vans and other big vehicles. man, i want one! My brother asked me, "can you drive a van?!" i answered back, "kuya, kung si babes nga na-drive ko, i can drive anything." Babes was my first second-hand car. 1982 Toyota cressida. She's old but well-maintained, a classic and I'm not ashamed that she's my first car coz i learned everything thru her. And i bought her from my own hard-earned money when i was 22. :) o diba?! :)

All in God's time.

The one with the christmas air

October 28, 2009, it's the 37th wedding anniversary of my in-laws. We had a simple dinner and my parents were there to join the dinner. I had fun seeing them four together, getting along and having a good chat. I know not all mag-balae have that kind of relationship and we're blessed to have that. :)

We pitched in for the food, had someone catered, small order lang naman but at least we did'nt have to wash the dishes and everything was on a chaffing dish. :) We had sparkling drinks, cake and a good laugh. When we were about to go home, i felt it. I smelled it. The crisp of christmas air. The soft cold breeze in my skin and the scent of christmas around the corner. And i'm just so happy. I know that we all went through a tough time after ondoy but there are more things to be grateful for and that Christmas will always come. I felt relief.

To feel the Christmas more, we are almost done with our Christmas decorations. Yesterday, we bought the decors, changed the lights for our optic christmas tree and decorated our living room. nice, really nice. :) simple but rock! i had to move the tv stand though since i needed to give more space for the christmas tree. :)

Merry Christmas everyone!

The one with more about the medical insurance

Well, im not promoting anything what my dad in law is offering but the one that i got from him was really a good package. It's a medical insurance with pension after your 10-year insurance lapse. i think it was an impulse decision but i also felt i needed one. Imagine, it secures your hospitalization, check-ups, dental discounts, and other laboratory and physical examinations. plus, you get some cash after some time. cool right? so if you want to know more about it, just buzz me :)

The one with twerty

My eyes caught the Tv commercial of a vitamin that's said to be "age-deceiving", meaning you'd never need to lie about your age if you take your vitamins. one part of the scene says, "i'm thirtyish..." and i remembered this exact line when i was asked by a bank teller how old i was and i effortlessly answered, "twe...rty" hahaha...i was set to answer 29 but was able to hold myself back and tried to pull back my answer to correct it to a thirty. so funny.

I did'nt make a scene when i turned 30. in fact, i was so nonchalant about it that i really did'nt mind if there were numbered candles of 3-0 in my cake. :) But as months was passing by after my birthday, i realized that hey, im not really in my 20s and that there are really some things that i need to do for myself as this goddess-like body and face will soon fade. (eehhh, who the heck am i kidding?!)

but seriously, i started to watch what i eat. it's been two weeks that i've been controlling my rice intake and i'm taking it a little at a time but im getting there. I also started to seriously put on sunblock, eye creams and moisturizer. i know, it's starting to really sink in! and just a while ago, i got a medical insurance policy from my dad in law. haha. i need to secure my medical needs and when i read something about short term health insurance NC in the net, i started asking my dad about it and he offered me one.

Am i growing up or what???? hehehe...

The one with trick or treating

As a kid, I was never able to do this. I thought we were'nt allowed since our faith did'nt believe in halloweens, etc but who says we can't have fun. Now that i have a kid, I wanted her to enjoy just a bit during this costume-filled time of the year. :)

Simone was Minnie mouse last year. This year, I wanted her to be a pirate but since we were pressed for time with the costume (ironic as it is, we make costumes and yung sa amin mismo, rush order, hahaha) I bought one for simone during GMA's trick or treating. She was monster bride. I thought she really looked cute with her black and white dress. It came along with a veil but she did'nt want to put it so yeah, we settled with the dress instead. It was hard to put the dress at first as she was really fussy and crying at the top of her voice. kakaloka. but when she warmed up already, she did'nt want to take off the dress anymore and enjoyed the trick or treating to the max. we had tons of candies, her pumpkin was so full already, i think we needed a bigger plastic bag. hahaha. I think next time, i might have to try a girly costume for her. Although personally, im not into the fairies' costumes, ahehe. i love girly stuff, minsan lang, para maiba naman :)

The 2nd trick or treating we had was at the Podium. When we went there last year, we came in a little late na so we were'nt able to fill up the pumpkin, so this year i came prepared. haha. i have a 6pm party then so i asked my staff to go ahead of me so they can start with the decors already. I had to be a mommy first. Simon was with us and so was my mom. My mom loves and enjoys trick or treating. bet she wished she had done the same thing for us, although come to think of it, wala pa ata ganun nung time namin. hahaha. fine! so she was pirate already in this trick or treating. the costume made by mom in law was really nice. sayang lang wasnt able to buy boots to go with it and i forgot to bring her closed shoes so she was wearing lang her sandals. yikes. and we can't put the belt coz her tummy is so "all-out" that we can't lock the belt. hahaha. next time, aayusin ko talaga costume nya para the best ito, or siguro something simpler.

Again, we had a hard time putting the costume on but the minute she saw the kids, she warmed up already. And the minute she saw justin, she was sooo ecstatic na. She did'nt remove her white blouse until the day after. hahaha, oa. Another best thing about this was the instant fat burner from all the walking i had to do. hahaha.

Happy trick or treating everyone!

as always, pics to follow...

The one with missing the baby in her

Yesterday, Simon and I were browsing over simone's pictures from day 1 up to like before she turned two and we could'nt believe how much she has grown now. I could'nt believe it when she asks me, "what you doing?" and then i tell her what im doing and she would reply, "why?" and the answers will just be returned with a big question why. haha.

I'm pretty amazed of how she's beginning to form words and phrases from her thoughts. not the usual boxed answers that we get when she was younger. we would ask her how her day was and she would reply with phrases of what she did like, "simone AND justin eat doughnut", "simone and justin watched tv". what movie? "hmmm, cars. what else? hmmm, hi-5. what else? hmmm, huggies" as in kasama yung what else sa question nya to herself. haha. cute. other phrases she loves to say are the ff:

~ mommy, SM tayo. (haha, i know!)
~ mommy, where's daddy?
~ mommy, come on, let's go to playroom.
~ ayaw talking! simone lang
~ no, no, not yet! (hahaha)
~ eeewww, dirty! (arte!)

she's very used to her manners of saying thank you when something is given to her, saying please when she's asking for something and saying ingat when somebody leaves. she loves as in loves kissing mommy and daddy and biting our mouths, holding our faces so we won't move. hehe. she has a knack of remembering lines from the videos she watches, singing songs and memorizing the lines. she loves the song, "nobody" hahaha.

And she's a total lover of books. man, mas mahilig pa sa ken magbasa. as in 12mn na, books pa rin. she would ask me to open the lights so she could read (err, look at the pics and pretend to read, hehe) one time, we really rolled to laughter having to see her read the book to herself, as in kasama yung nodding motion when you're reading to someone and there's some diction and accent on some words, sabay turn ng page. hahaha. ang cute talaga! sayang, wasnt able to catch it in video.

Another thing that she loves is make-up. i just read rhea's blog and i was able to relate about andie's love for make-up. simone loves make-up. she knows how to put powder, eye shadow, lipstick, and nail polish! as in! of course, im her only customer. hehe.

What totally surprised me was when out of the blue, she told me, "cat -- letter C". so i thought, "oh, she remembers our lessons." i asked her other words and she effortlessly identified what letters starts with what word... withouth any flash card at hand. cool!

Simone, thank you for always reminding us that everything we did, everything we sacrificed, were all worth it...may sukli ka pa anak. :)

taken months ago. hehe

The one with so much so (part 2)

September 27 - was'nt really able to sleep that well. we were all anticipating that the flood might rise again, but i was glad it did'nt.

We woke up with our living room all filled with mud. The water outside is still knee high. There was no electricity, my phones were dead and i have to inform my clients that i can't attend to their parties because all of us were stranded. Going out was like a post-war scenario. There were trucks everywhere, trying to rescue those who were stranded on the highway. The roads were simple filled with smoke, fog and people walking with their bags and whatever they can carry with them. It was the first time that one will take 4 hours just to be able to buy Andok's chicken. It was the first time that a simple fried egg is like a steak well done and that it's selling like hotcakes. Everything was a first time...everything.

I think if there's one thing good that came out of this, it is that i was able to spend time again with my family. It's been a while since i slept with my mom and dad, since i had that "open" conversation with my kuya and been a while since i cleaned the house with my brothers. It was such an unexpected happiness. Over the two nights i slept there, my mom and i would always chat til we fell asleep and i missed her so much. I realized that she missed those talks that we used to have and it was good. I loved that my older brother just talked with me again. Before we used to talk about his girls endlessly. haha. and he does'nt get shy talking about his feelings, what happened to him and all that. He shared another secret with me which shocked me, but glad that he told me about it. And cleaning the house with my brothers??? whoa! it can't get any better than that. hahaha. since there were no electricity, no internet for my younger brother, no cellphones to use so we had more time to clean! and that's what we did. And the situation may be a little off, but i love that experience of spending time with them. :)

Oh and another good thing that came out of the ondoy experience was me losing "some" weight. hahaha. and you'd think a slimming pill will be the answer. although i think i gained back the weight again...yikes.

The one with so much so...

Life has been pretty unusual for the past two weeks and I have so many stories to tell, share, but I'm overwhelmed of how things turned out since Ondoy and Pepeng hit us. I have my own share of Ondoy experience and maybe starting to narrate it will hopefully inspire and awaken everyone of the realization that life is short and that life, however we plan it, may be taken away from us in just one click.

September 26 - I woke up at 5am with rains starting to pour. I anticipated the traffic even if it was a weekend so i left home really early. I met up with my staff at 730am and turned over the materials and deployed them to their respective tasks for the day. I was on my way to quezon city when i found myself stranded and can't get myself out from the traffic. I tried three different routes already and the last route i tried almost got my car submerged from the flood that's rising on a very unusual fast pace. as soon as i was able to get out from that turn, i immediately decided to park my car in a supermarket nearby. I chose it because it had a covered parking space and the parking space was high, subconsciously i was thinking of it getting flooded or something. It was the same time that my client decided to postpone the party and re-schedule it. My two other parties were also postponed but my staff were there already and they were done with all the decors so they had no choice but to pack up as soon as i gave the go signal. I, together with maru and another staff, waited for hours in the supermarket hoping that the rains might stop but that did'nt happen. I noticed the water rising and at 3pm when the clear flood water turned muddy in color, that's when i decided that we'd have to walk thru the flood. I thought that since the supermarket closed already, we won't have food for the night should we decide to stay there. I also thought that we won't have a decent restroom there so we opted to walk along the others who were also attempting to do the same. It was my first time to walk thru a flood and I had a very memorable first time experience. the first block was easy, knee-high. i thought to myself, "hey i could do this..." and by the time we were on the corner of the street, it suddenly reached waist-deep and i found myself pausing in the middle of the street while everyone around me was walking. I said to myself, "i cant do this." but i knew i had to go home. i knew i had to be with my daughter. that's the only thing i wanted to do. so we walked thru waist-deep water. after a few blocks, the flood came to zero, as in nada. so we just walked until we saw a tricycle and road up to the gate of the village of my parents' house. that's where simone was at the time. i was super happy seeing the gate of our village and i was so excited that finally i''ll be able to see my daughter. The minute we started walking, two men told us not to attempt to pass by the street as the water is 6ft high already. i could'nt believe what i heard. 6 feet?! and that's when i thought, "this will be a long walk" we changed route. we passed by this small street supposedly a shortcut from manggahan to sta. lucia. that's the only alternative route i knew. the water was chest-deep, the deepest i had to walk thru, but it was not that deep all the time. there were parts where it was just knee or waist deep. Walking thru waist-deep water was actually easier than knee-high since we were against the current of the water, the force was twice harder. I think the walk was over an hour. There were times that i really felt my legs are shaking from the cold and that i can't move a step further anymore. I wanted to cry but would literally talk to myself, "jacque, konti na lang." when maru (our yaya) sensed that i was having a hard time, she'd encourage me and said lines such as "ate, nakikita ko na yung ilaw ng poste, lapit na" where in fact the lightpost was the size of a raisin in sight. but it helped me get through. My legs and feet were hit by a lot of hard rocks, hollow blocks, and branches with thorns even. There were times when the water current was so hard, we'd walk on the sidestreet and hold on to the rustic gates of the neighborhood. The residents there would coach us, "o mas mahina agos sa kabila, dun kayo" so we would cross to the other side and would walk on the "island" hoping that there were no unclosed manholes. The last turn before seeing sta. lucia mall was the hardest part that i had to do. The current was so hard that no one can cross the street unless you were accompanied by a man or that you hold on to a rope. We were blessed that three guys helped us crossed that street and it felt like we knew each other for a long time. I even teased the guy who helped me and said, "kuya, close tayo ngayon ha" they did'nt want anything in return for helping us but i gave them a little something. They were simply there to help us who wanted to go home and i just could'nt be more thankful.

When we reached the mall, starbucks was even open. haha. i wanted to buy a venti size cafe macchiato but i never had the strength to do so since i just wanted to go home. Just right after the mall, the flood was waist deep again and the current was as hard. it was the longest 50meter walk of my life. The used-to-be-walking distance was the longest i have to make since i knew i was so near but since it was hard enough to walk thru the flood, we had to stop and think of strategies of how not to be drawn by the floods.

As we were entering the gate, i saw our neighbors' cars, SUVs, luxury cars literally floating in the middle of the street. I even came across a man who decided to stay on the street for the night to see his new Montero sport SUV submerged to the flood. he just got it that day from the 'casa' and all the billet grilles were worn out and scratched. When we finally reached my parent's house, i was greeted by my daughter who wanted so bad to hug me. i wanted to kiss her right away and hug her but i was soaking wet. I immediately went to the bathroom and removed my soaking clothes. The moment i sat on the bowl, i cried. I cried because i suddenly felt how weak and tired i'am already. I cried because I saw my baby and knew that we'd be together from then on. I cried because I don't know how we did it. It was God's protection over us. Some say it's the adrenaline but i knew, God was with us. He protected us from any form of danger and I thanked him for that. I cried because it was so surreal. It happened so fast and i could'nt believe that after 30 years of us living in that village, this is the only time it flooded...the only time.

I have'nt eaten for eight hours but i did'nt have the energy to take a bite. When it was night time already, around 9pm, the water went inside our living room. My parents and brothers started to pray again and asked God to protect us and to stop the rain so the flood won't go higher. We put an invisible marker that if the flood reached that high, we would immediately go to the rooftop. We all did'nt sleep. My dad stayed at the living room to monitor the flood. It did'nt go higher than our knees but the basement rooms, kitchen, dining room were waist-deep. We were on the second floor and grateful that the flood stopped from rising. We prayed and prayed and decided to sneak a quick nap when the rain finally stopped.

To be continued...

The seven people you meet on the street

This is my own version of my favorite book "the seven people you meet in heaven" and this just happened last week.

The guard
I met him a couple of times before whenever i had the chance to be in McDo El Pueblo and he does'nt fail to bring a smile to my face everytime i had an encounter with him. He is the most and I mean this with all my heart, the most friendly and accommodating guard i have ever met. :) While walking towards the fastfood resto, a few meters away, i already saw him waving at me and my husband and i gave the "was he waving at us?" look. and yes, he was waving at us and greeting us with "good afternoon, dito na kayo kumain." we will really go there as i was scheduled to meet someone but you know the feeling that he gives you, the very charming way of greeting you and inviting you for lunch. While entering the fastfood, i glanced upon him talking to another customer who was satisfied with his service. i don't know, his aura was really contagious. :) He even asked for my parking ticket and volunteered to have it validated. I remember the time when i had a dress up there, he was very accommodating helping me with my stuff and showing me the room where we can set-up the decors. He was genuinely nice. And it's comforting to know that yes, there are still people like him.

The teller
I'd always go to the same banks i'm used to primarily because it's convenient. Maila is one of the tellers that I became acquainted with. And it took us a while before we really got to know each other by name and those small conversations while waiting for the print out of my deposit slips turned into longer talks. :) I like that she is fascinated with my daughter. She does'nt give me special treatment at the bank, i always line up but i'd always hope that she'd be the one to queu me. :)

The homeless
I know i've written about this guy before here in my blog and seeing him again on the street brought some memories. From the moment i learned how to drive, i managed to pass by the same route from my then office to home. as in the same route, and side of the road etc. And at one intersection in ortigas, i always see him. He begs for food or money. What sets him apart from the other who would ask was that he walks using his bare hands. He has polio. He can only walk using his two hands and right food and he would literally crawl to my window asking for whatever i can give him. I used to buy a pack of bread for him and give everything just so he has food and i would consciously pass by his "territory" the same time i always see him just so i could give whatever amount i can. When i resigned, i never saw him again. I changed routes. But one day, i saw him again and he was still asking for money, he was still crawling to the window but he grew up. After a man gave him money, I saw him walking towards the side street and he sat and lit his cigarette. And beside him was a plastic of rugby. My initial reaction was anger. I thought that many people try to help him so he might as well help himself. But come to think of it, i could'nt judge him. Nobody can. And then there was guilt. I thought that i could have helped more but was'nt able to.

The mother
I meet a lot and I mean a lot of moms. I meet them everyday of my life. I schedule meetings with them for the kid's parties, i share with them the struggles we all go through as moms and i laugh with every comic stories they share with me. The other day I met her. She's preparing for her daughter's birthday in october. what sets her apart was her daughter is a test tube baby. yes, i thought i'd only know about it in the net but the daughter that she was carrying was a product of 10 years of waiting, lots and lots of needles and treatments, financial struggles and emotional battle. She was teary eyed talking about her and i was more teary eyed listening to her story. I though i felt her pain, her joy, her doubts, her fears. And she reminded me of the bliss when i gave birth to simone. She reminded me that i'm blessed that we did'nt have to go through that but i'm inspired by her that she embraced everything with a leap of faith. She and her husband is a couple who has gone through a lot. And she was honest enough to admit that she fears of having another baby. Aside from having to go through everything, she fears more that she won't be able to give the same love as she has for her daughter now. and i quote her saying, "eto na yung lahat-lahat ng love ko e, baka wala nako mabigay sa susunod and it's unfair". Honestly, i can totally relate to what she said. But of course, there will always be enough love for our children. I'm sure God is willing to provide all of those for us. :)


The boss
I was just two months of a fresh graduate when i had my first formal job and it's the only job i learned to love before i resigned to venture in something that i love more. I was introduced to him while he was cleaning his desk and from then on, i always called him "tito ocs". He was one of my bosses. He taught me how to be organized (but im not sure if i learned right), he taught me to be objective all the time, never mind what people say as long as you do your job. He taught me that it's always nice to be early, if not on time. And most of all, he taught me that bosses, as bossy as they seem, have soft hearts as fathers. I would always remember him talking about his children and how proud he is of them. I knew I'm one of the few people he can share his fatherly stories with and i'm so glad he did. He would always tell me that i'm like his daughter and at times, he would ask if he made the right decision when it comes to disciplining his kids. he's needs a little loosening of the belt, hehe. beneath the strict and serious father image, his face emits this pure joy when he talks about them and i will always treasure those small talks over coffee. Thank you tito ocs and your passing was a big shock. I thought i should have seen you again but you know that you will always be my tito ocs. :)

To be continued...

The one with house blessing

Actually, it's more of Neyo's 2nd month birthday and Chell's birthday too. We visited them in their house for the first time and we had so much fun. I could not believe that my brother in law has a Starbucks signage at home. He had one done, as in exactly the same. Moreso, they also prepared real starbucks coffee for us, caramel macchiato please. and mind you, in starbucks coffee mugs and tissues. hahaha, and i thought i'm the only starbucks addict in the family. :) When i first entered, i immediately smelled the aroma of the coffee and shouted, "wow, starbucks!" hahaha...of course, i know my addiction well :)

I also love their home. It's so cozy and pieces are very well chosen. Brought me back to the time when Simon and I were living in our small apartment and we'd have all the time to arrange our house furnitures and be able to display small pieces for the houses. Now, we just can't. Since we have a growing toddler, everything had to be packed, everything that might break. So all of us were telling them that once neyo learns to walk, hahaha, the good old days of having those displays and furnitures will be missed. ;)

Of course, we took pictures. We love pictures! and in my attempt to become a photographer, here are some of my shots:

i absolutely love this shot! obviouse ba it's the first to be posted. hahaha. i feel like a pro! bwahaha.

love chell's emotions here. nothing beats a candid shot. parang gusto sabihin ni neyo, "iniipit nyo ko e."

caught neyo's serious look. hehe. he looks like his daddy here! he's such a charmer. gwapito! and he's not a cry baby!

this, i love too! i did'nt know babies are hard to shoot. as in, i wanted to have so many pictures but i never realized i'd only like some coz they're so mobile that a little move will make the pic blurry.

it's very seldom that you see all the Tan siblings together. And i have this subconscious way of always documenting it.

Don't you just love how he stare???

Chell and Neyo

Mommy and baby shot. I initially attempted to do the same concept for Chris and Neyo but Neyo kept on moving. hahaha. when i saw this, I immediately took a shot. would have been better if neyo's hands are open but yeah, it's still nice! you gotta love your own :)

don't you just love seeing parents staring at their babies like these two pics???

of course, the two achies of the family. nice noh???

neyo's shoes!

these next two shots made me realized that i think im better taking non-life subjects. hahaha.

I wanted to post some of our pictures here but i'm just too fat right now. hahaha. i know, best diet pills won't work for me right now. what can i do, i looove to eat!

The one with all grown up

It's been a while since I wrote something about Simone. I missed blogging (err, bragging) about her milestones that i discover everyday.

She's all grown up. Yes, I really don't want to admit this but she really is. Hey, im not overacting but I can't believe that she's not a baby anymore. This realization started when i heard her asked her ate maru, "ate, what you doin'?" She has started to make conversations as if she can understand what we needed to say or how to explain things. but as they say, never underestimate kids. That's why we always talk to her like when you talk to an adult.

She does'nt drink Wilkins anymore. The only water that survived her thru her infant years is not a necessity anymore. And while I was pouring water from our own water dispenser to her bottle, i realized that yeah she does'nt need those water filters anymore. Suddenly I felt that she does'nt need too much clean water, she can take a little dirt sometimes coz she is growing up. Suddenly, it's like a metaphor. She does'nt need to be in her crib all the time, she can fall and bruise her knee or bump her head sometimes, you think she needs it so she'll grow strong and brave.

She has her own seat on our dining set. Recently, we bought a new dining set to replace the two-seater round table that we used to have. Though it took us a while before we were able to buy a family dining set, i personally think that the timing can never be more perfect. It was the time that Simone has learned to really eat all by herself, sit more comfortably on her own chair. She sits beside mommy and daddy takes the "breadwinner" seat. :)

She wants to wear her clothes by herself. She still needs to be guided but if she'd have a choice, she'd want to do it by herself. She chooses what she'd like to wear too. She has become more sure of what she wants and just like mommy, she wants the nicest things ;)

Love you simone. :)

The one with still on the hunt

We are still on our house hunting and it's just so hard to find the home for you. And it makes it harder that we are on a tight budget. One option actually is to not "rush" things and just save and save until we find what we're looking for. The other side is we've set a timeline for ourselved that before we enroll simone in a school, we need to have a house that we own. That way, expenses don't pile up in front of us, sort of taking it one at a time. We've also looked at foreclosed properties but we still prefer the brand new ones. We've considered townhouses but out hearts are set with a detached home with a backyard and a provision for expansion. We've also tried pre-selling options but the one that we wanted does'nt have a working permit yet, making it harder to start paying for it since there might still be problems with permits and construction. The money that we will invest with that will be the only money alloted for the house so we really need to spend wisely.

I hope the house hunt comes to end soon. :) All in perfect time :)

The one with marathon

My eyes are strained right now. I marathoned the latest season of Desperate Housewives. I slept at 530am in the morning and just tried hard to stop watching. hahaha. I stopped at the episode where Edie dies and they had to bring the urn to her son. Watching the episode made me realized that yes, friends are really important and that no matter how different we are from our friends, it's a relief that we are surrounded with people who stick with us no matter what. I laughed at the scene where the old lady (forgot the name) had to change the tire since no motorhome towing was around when they had a flat tire. none of them knew how to change a tire. made me realized that i myself does'nt know how to. my brother taught me but it just slipped knowing that i registered our car in a towing company. hahaha.

Hopefully I'd be able to continue my marathon, if my eyes stop from twitching. ;)

The one with trials

I feel for my friend. Her parents are of old age already. They're going through a very tough time right now. Her dad is suffering from lung cancer, part from which mesothelioma can also be related. Her mom has some nerve dysfunctioning and the worst part is that her mom does'nt know about her dad's condition. they chose to keep it a secret since she knows that her mom won't take it easily. Who won't be? It's just so hard to see people being sick, moreso if they are your loved ones. I can't even have the guts to talk to her as I can't find the right words to say and I honestly

I will always pray for this family. That they will continue to see God's goodness and grace amidst this trial. God bless you.

The one with the ark

As part of my birthday celebration, we had a pre-birthday family day out. Simon thought that since simone is fond of animals, he wanted to show what real and live animals look like, not just the ones that simone points out in books or boards. hehe.

We went straight to Ark Avilon Zoo in Tiendesitas Ortigas since it's the one nearest from our place. I also thought that this is different from the zoo that we used to go to when we were kids, yung talagang outdoor zoo which is a good start for simone. hehe.

~ Simone liked the sheep. the minute she heard the sheep went "Meeehhh...", she started looking for the sheep by replying with "Meeehhh..." ang cute!

~ She was super afraid with the orangutan though. as in! the one with pink crocs, ewan ko ba. hehe.

~ She had fun feeding the guinea pigs. she was not scared at all. actually, she also fed the sheep. hehe.

~ She spent ample time sa playground too which we did'nt want sana coz if that'd be the case, we should have stayed in an aircon playgound diba? haha. although, i was able to rest a bit while she was playing in the sand

~ It was hot but not too hot. :)

~ While looking at the pictures, I really can't help but think that I'm sooo fat. hahaha. I know this is so out of context but no new diet pills can make me slim. I eat a lot din e. hay. i love to eat!

The one with birthday pics

~ We wore our new mommy and daughter matching outfits. bought it at Purple candy. really nice. I asked mom in law to make tons of this design. hehe.

~ It was Neyo's first time at Starbucks. grabe, 1month old baby spending the evening at starbucks! cool!

~ Simone and Justin had fun in starbucks. I notice that Simone loves to go there. as in feeling nya playground nya. I guess it's the smell of coffee that makes her hyper. haha.

~ Grannies had a time to catch up. I'm glad we had coffee pa after dinner kasi dun yung kwentuhan talaga. And my dad in law even told me that he had a very good night sleep that night. nakapag unwind kasi. :)

~ Oliver and Jane were stuck in traffic but they managed to eat double time to get the most out of the buffet

~ Simon and Ate Maru were kind enough to let me eat three plates! hahaha. i really stuffed myself. di nila pina-alaga sa ken si simone so each of them were only able to finish one serving lang. ahehe. thanks beh!

The one with wishlist given

If you remember in my previous post, I wrote down a short wishlist of what i wanted for my birthday, and i'm so happy two of those were given to me. The NikonD40 is such a thrill to use. I'm not so much of a gadgety person but I need a more decent camera to help me take better pictures of our decors. And i'm just glad that my husband bought me one. We were choosing between a Canon camera and this one, i'm glad we chose nikon.

The book that i wanted was ordered already, it's always out of stock the reason why i had to order it online. So there, two out of three. Well, the house and lot would have been a great gift too (haha) but i'm sure it will come and God will give us one soon :)

I had a small celebration with my family and Simon's. It was a good evening. We had buffet at Don Henrico's and capped the evening with coffee at Starbucks. We had a good time catching up, chatting and showing off how active our babies are. hahaha. Simone and Justin kept on running around Starbucks like they own the place. hahaha.

I got less number of greetings this year. I don't know if it had something to do with my shrinking circle of friends or that i did'nt treat anyone this year. hahaha. but it's really no biggie. Surprisingly too, I became less and less affected about it. I was greeted by my family and my closest friends and it's more than enough.

Thank you Lord for another year and the journey that continues for the years to come. :)

The one with 2 years and a half

August is always a special month for us and Simone turned 2 years old and 6 months. Time really, really flies so fast and I just could'nt imagine that a year from now, she will go to school already. waah!

She speaks english and tagalog. She answers to conversations. She answers to three questions in a row and these are'nt boxed questions.

She's very much of an achie to Justin and Neyo. Last night, Justin accidentally bit her and she cried so loud but she did'nt throw a hand at justin nor did she get angry at him. katuwa.

She loves to imitate people, what they say, when people sing and she can remember tunes like the back of her hand.

She still loves cars, live animals, balls. I would'nt surprised if one day she'll ask for truck accessories to go with her toys in her playroom. hahaha. But she's all girl don't worry.

The one with it's not as bad

I turned 30 last august 20. (oh, which reminds me, have to change the number on the upper left of this page, harhar) anyway, it was not as awful as i thought it was. I was able to watch an episode from Friends where they all turned 30 and it was so funny I watched it on the eve of my bday. And on some parts, I was able to identify with them when they said that turning 30 makes you sad because you're not in your 20's anymore and that you have to live your life seriously.

My achie asked me how i felt, i said it was ok. and then she followed with, "may family ka na kasi e." siguro nga that's how it is. but whatever the reason, im just sad i can't say twenty plus anymore. just like when i turned 20 when i can't say the word "teen" at the end of my age. hahaha. it's a new chapter, a new phase in my life which i'm excited to journey in :)

And since my metabolism will be slower than before, need those fat burner supplements ASAP. hahaha.

The one with she walked

Last Aug. 1, we had a very busy schedule. I had three parties that day plus a wedding to attend to. I could not miss this wedding as our baby was one of the flower girls. When Onin (the groom) asked us for Simone to be one of the flower girls, we kept on telling them not to expect so much as she's just 2 years old. Out of all the weddings I attended and organized before, the youngest flower girl that i saw walked the aisle was 3 years old. And everybody was telling me to dress in motiff too as I may have the greater chance of accompanying my baby, if we're lucky enough that she'll march.

When we tried the gown on her, she was throwing tantrums already, as in she did'nt want it on her. kaloka! so we thought, "yeah, she won't walk..." after about ten minutes, she got tired of crying and attempting to take off her gown that she stopped and got used to it. Her gown was made by my mom in law, of course. and mind you, she made it in three days lang. hahaha. cool!

So there, while we were in line, she suddenly asked for crackers. and i was, "oh no! if i can't give her the crackers, she will sure throw tantrums" i was trying to call maru but she can't pass since the march started already. and then i told simone, "you know, the crackers are with daddy. you go to daddy and get the crackers" and then voila, she marched! her walk was slow, and she even stopped in the middle, as if knowing what she was doing. She was all-smiles and very behaved holding her basket with her two little hands. hay. im just one proud mom. I saw some cellular phones being taken out and taking some shots of her as she was really a cutie having to walk all by herself.

I love you baby and daddy and mommy are just so proud!

The one with a full life

Everybody's talking about her. Almost all blogs i surf are about how they are all touched with her passing and of her life. And yes, she may have gone up to where she truly belongs, but hopefully, we will always remember the legacy she left....democracy.

In every Filipino life, one has to experience a President's passing. In our case, it was that of Cory's. I may be alive during Marcos or Ninoy's death but since i was just 3 or 4 then, I had no idea of what happened (yeah, you do the math. hehe) And it makes my heart leap and it gives me chill and goosebumps having to see what Filipinos did on their farewell for the most-loved president. A part of me, i should confess, felt shame of not being able to be there in person to experience it first hand. But i prayed for her and the country. I prayed for what will happen in the future. I had mixed emotions. There was fear, hope, love stricken for the Philippines and sadness. I felt really sad and found myself with a bucket of tears for the family she left. I had to cry over and over while watching Kris last speech for her mom and I remembered my mom. I was reminded of how we should always take the time to tell our parents that we love them, to take care of them and always make sure that they feel happy and that they live a full life.

A lot of Filipinos were awakened with their Filipino blood. A lot of us felt the fire of that democracy she fought for. And beinga true Filipino, it is our responsibility now to continue what has been started. To live, in every way we can, the Filipino way...and that is freedom.

To you Tita Cory, thank you. I thank God for your life. I thank God that more than a leader, you were a mother to us all. Salamat.

The one with missing in action

Yes, I'am missing in action for almost a month already. I have so many stories to tell and to be excited about but I can't find the right timing to do so. yikes! But i can't complain. I don't have the right to complain. God is good and I'm sure it's just a matter of prioritizing things and time management and everything will be pretty back in shape (err, i'll get used to it...)

I seldom talk about partyboosters here since this is my family blog but can i just say that I'm so grateful that God blesses us with clients and I mean, it's really overwhelming. I know you'd hear this on awards night, but really, "I never expected this." hahaha. and siguro nga it's true, that you set your expectations low but you exert your best effort. It has always been true to me. When I started Partyboosters last year, I never, never expected that we'll have events on a weekly basis and not just one party but on the average of four parties over a weekend. When I share it to my husband and my friends, nakakakilig lang coz I know it's God's favor. Parang dati, happy nako to have one party sa isang buong weekend. hahaha. and now, nakakatuwa that there are bookings up to March of next year already. hahaha.

Although looking at the other side of it, it's also building stress and pressure on me. Before I'd have more time surfing the net, updating my multiply and answering to clients' emails. now, i barely have time for a decent manicure. As much as possible, I don't want my quality time with my simone to suffer and I mean that. Mawalan nako ng "me" time, that's ok. But I can never lessen the time i spend with my daughter, even if she had to go with me during set-ups and meetings, I don't mind. hehehe, that's what we actually do now. :) But like what i shared to a client and some of my bestfriends, I don't want to be burn out. That's why I had to decline some clients already for some dates this month. It's my birthday month and I want to enjoy the most of it, for crying out loud. Pilitin ko talaga mag bakasyon, promise! If only an apatrim can also lessen my stress and not just my weight. hahaha.

More kwentos to share on my next posts...

The one with achie

Last June 26 was the birthday of our achie, the eldest of the Tan siblings. To my embarrassment, I almost forgot about her birthday. well, i was still able to greet her in the morning but my mom in law reminded me about it pa. yikes! bad!

We treated our achie for an Ultra 7 cinema experience. We watched Transformers 2. For a while, I had second thoughts about it since she's not a fan. she does'nt even know who the characters are. hahaha. but when she said it's ok, we got excited pa rin. Unfortunately, even if we watched it on a monday, we only got two seats for the reservation so simon had to watch it on another cinema 30 minutes later from our showing time. hehe.

Ultra 7 experience is really one of my best cinema experiences. I've always loved Eastwood but this cinema gives me the best service ever. :) There are only 60 people who can watch at a certain showing time, there are lazy boys situated by two's with a very good distance from each other so that when you recline the lazy boy, you won't hit the head of the one in front of you. haha. you just need to raise your hand if you want more popcorn or drinks. winner! unlimited popcorn and drinks for the whole duration of the movie. Gosh! Service deluxe to the fullest! I think the only thing missing were alarm systems on every lazy boy so that you just need to press it and someone will immediately attend to you. hahaha. abuso!

After the movie, we were happy that achie enjoyed it, as in. she's kinda picky kasi on cinemas and she really enjoyed the ambiance and the service. more yey! unknowingly, she felt that we always spoil her on her birthday and it will always be something unique and first-time experience for her. Last year, we treated her kasi for a lea salonga Cinderella stage play, our first time too. i think it's just our subconscious way of making her feel that was want to thank her for being always there to support us and guide us and for always being our achie :)

The one with updates

It's been a while since my last update about our family. Simone has learned her numbers from 1 to 40. She's memorized the Barney song and can sing the same song over and over during car rides. as in, she never gets tired of it. katuwa. it's like a loop in an ipod, haha. Other songs that she sings a lot are twinkle, twinkle, row, row your boat, where is pinky? and many more.

I and my husband are currently overworked. harhar. I'm not sure if what we do have peak and off seasons but definitely this month is one of the peak seasons. He has so many deadlines to meet, I have events to attend to. I cannot believe that July 19 is my most number of bookings to date. waah! to think that i turned down two clients already. nyahaha. don't ask how many, it makes me nervous. hahaha. i plan to hibernate starting monday next week to prepare for the events. But of course, we will never forget to treat ourselves right so we reserved two tickets for Boyz to Men concert on July 21. yahoo! im giddily excited! it's a relief that they will hold it on a weeknight. so much better that way! I'm just waiting for the call from ticketnet. I can't wait! hehe.

Going back to us being overworked. Well, we're not really overworked as we still get up late (but sleep late too) and has more control of our time still. So no need to complain. hehe. I think it's the fact that we are more motivated now to work harder since we are saving up for one of our wishlists and since we are now debt-free (im so proud!) as in credit card,zero balance! wahoo! it's so much easier to save now compared before. We just hope the goal amount that we want to target this year will become a reality. haha. so far, we're halfway there. trabaho lang ng trabaho! hahaha. But Florida vacations might be a good dream too, dont you think? *wink*

The one with blabbering

I'm such a blabber-mouthed when it comes to dieting and those sorts. And i can't get it off my system. I just can't find the right motivation to push myself on getting a more pleasing bod. And yet, I keep on complaining and writing about it, despite me of not doing anything about it too. haha, the irony of life. I even surfed on some sites about dieting and i came across an ephedra product that has been banned for quite some time dues to the controversy it was involved with. It got me a little scared but nothing's been proven yet and why will i be scared, i have'nt even tried it! hahaha. funny me!

oh well, no complaints...all is well...if i just learn how to stop eating. hahaha.

The one with catching up

Yesterday was my godson's baptism. Vince is the firstborn of Jannet and Richard and I, of course, took charge of the venue decors. Albeit some last-minute stress, I can still say that everything went well. One thing I noticed lang is that it's so much different pala when your clients are your friends and/or family. hahaha. But I love what I do, so it's something that im sure i'll get accustomed with.

We were'nt able to chat and catch up so we decided to have an early breakfast this morning to spend more time catching up. It was a good girl time at Jannet's place. They're currently based in Bulacan now that's why the opportunity to be together again can't be missed out. We talked about motherhood, house plans, our dreams for our families, how hard it is to budget and of course, the never ending diet plans. hahaha. I even asked them where to buy nuphedra but of course, a healthy way of dieting is still the best option.

Thanks girls for a wonderful time. hope to see you again soon! :)

The one with long hair

Yes, i have'nt cut my hair since august of last year when i had it rebonded. I fear that if i cut it, the straight, long hair effect will last, aka. magtatampo. and my long hair has reached below the bra line, ahehe. in fairness, the long hair makes an illusion that i'm losing weight, when in fact, i can't even button my jeans, hahaha. I always tell myself that I will try to lose weight tomorrow but nothing happened for the last couple of months. i still end up drinking soda, eating ice cream, drinking iced tea and everything that's sweet. :(

So just to make it more illusive, I will never cut my hair. I think it's the best fat burner for me. hahaha.

The one with need of sleep

Whenever I have events, I think I always cram. Despite the arranging of logistics days before, I will still end up not getting enough sleep (read: 2 hours). But it's a wonder i still have the energy to last me the whole day and even after (coz saturday and sunday diba? hehe) But i'm really thinking of getting those outdoor pillows so i can at least take a nap (if there's such time for that) or at least get one of those eye concealers so i'd look a little more presentable to my clients. hahaha.

But to give you an idea of what keeps me sleepless, here are some of our works. Enjoy!

The one with the dog says

When we ask simone the sounds that animals make, she just does'nt imitate the sounds, she has an extra line before she makes the sound. :)

mommy/daddy: "What does the dog say?"
simone: "the dog say aw, aw, aw" (hehe, wrong grammar)
m/d: "how about the cat?"
simone: "the cat says nyaw"
m/d: how about the bird
simone: the bird says twit twi twi twi
m/d: how about the sheep?
simone: sheep says meeeeeehhh
m/d: how about the cow?
simone: cow says Moooooohhhh (with fingers naka ipit sa nose para mas close sa cow sound)

hahaha...funny! she has other animal sounds pa like frog and duck :)

aside from her verbal skills, she can now color within the lines. well, not exactly (haha) but she already knows that she has to color inside the lines. and she uses different colors for different objects in the picture. :) she also can count up to 40 but she has to see the numbers in front of her, otherwise, she can only recite up to 20. she knows the animals from the pictures and can really count already, not just recite. :) like show her 5 balls and she will go "one, two, three, four, five balls"

she also speaks more english now. but sometimes tagalog pa din. her sentences can be something like, "mommy, watch tayo tv room" or "daddy, come on, play room" cuteness!

she also knows her please and thank you. as in when you give something to her, she says "ten tyu" and when she wants something, we don't give it unless she says please :)

life skills are very essential learnings in a child and i hope she will always apply these life "lessons" in her life. :)

The one with our friend's accident

Our friend, David (simon's college friend), met an accident while crossing the 6-lane highway in front of our village. The thing about that highway was that there were no street lights. as in nada! he was hit by a motorcycle which caused his knee to be cast with metal for life. we felt so sorry for him and at the same time angry at the government here in taytay. for goodness' sake, it's a main road and the whole stretch of the road, i think only 20% had lights (SM mall included but they have their own electricity source) I don't know how we'll be able to file a complaint against the government but he is set to report the incident to the police and it's a good thing he remembered the plate number of the motorbike (oh i did'nt mention that it was a hit and run incident?)

But we still thank God for sparing his life. we love you david.