Family Frolics

Hans Strikes Kumon Gold

2010-04-02T01:24:00.000-07:00

If you are a Mathematically-challenged person all your life. Chances are, when you have little kids of your own, you will do everything that you can to prevent them from developing the same handicap. It’s a personal wisdom gained from my own experience.

I vowed that no kids of my own will ever fear Math nor even have the slightest inferiority towards numbers. That is why, even before hans had weaned from his bottle, he’s already enrolled in Kumon Math – trekking 3x weekly to their kapasigan branch.

Kumon is a Japanese style of learning math, developed by an old Japanese guru for this son, who has difficulty in Math. The concept is doing math equations every day, in such a way, that the child masters Mathematical disciplines, whether due to constant memorization, exposure and persistence until he understands --- all under time pressure.

Sounds punishing? Not really. Afterall, he’s done 3 years of crunching his numbers and hasn’t committed Harakiri yet. As a matter of fact, on his 2nd year, I blogged that he was awarded Bronze level.

Just recently, when we moved residences, he also moved to a new kumon school, near our new home. He recently got the Gold medal, and it also states that he’s 137 of o total of 1,917 students doing Kumon, the same level as he is. Ted says, it's pretty impressive, since it's about the 10th percentile ranking.

I don't know about ranking stuff. All i know is, the boy can add, subtract, multiply and divide even before he's in Grade one. Whereas, I learned multiplication table when I was grade 4 already. So, that, in itlsef, is already a personal fulfillment for me.

:)

simplest things that make me happy

2010-03-29T06:17:00.000-07:00

Sabi nga, "The best things in life are Free." In this day and age, when too much is focused on material things, of acquiring, of competing, of achieving, of getting ahead... I like to list down, and remind myself, of the simplest things that bring me really bring me real joy without the stress and the pricetag.. things such as ...

1.) the smell of my sons' hair after a bath
2.) waking up to the smell of native longganisa being cooked, and coffee brewing
3.) a sip of iced calamansi juice with honey on a hot, summer day
4.) crunchy turon..and surprise, there's langka sandwiched between the ripe bananas
5.) my hubby's warm body, cuddling me, when the aircon goes full-blast
6.) that fresh, clean feeling, after 15minutes doing body scrub
7.) ahh.. conditioner, after shampoo.. untangling hair
8.) finishing a song on karaoke, and out-scoring my partner by 20pts.
9.) my eldest solving a math problem (a relief, that he's not math-averse like me!)
10.) dark, dark chocolate, melting in my mouth, justifying in my mind, that it's antioxidant.
11.) perfectly applied eyeliner... whew!
12.) deleting all 300 sent messages in my cellphone.
13.) updating my blog, and getting a nice comment from someone i don't know
14.) helping resolve someone else's dilemma, at yahoo answers
15.) getting latest update from a good friend, who live far away
16.) cooking a dish, with the barest ingredient (ginisang gulay) and the whole family finishing it all
17.) conniving w. kids to do a secret project for Daddy
18.) not missing a novena day
19.) fun, gayspeak, conversations
20.) updated showbiz tidbits
21.) my body sweating it out in the hot sauna
22.) listening to my favorite love songs, in the cold dark night while I write my journal

what's your simplest pleasures?

Rania's a Christian!

2010-03-27T16:05:00.000-07:00

March 27 was a beautiful sunny saturday morning when we had Rania baptized at the Hearts of Jesus and Mary Parish (twin hearts) in West Triangle, Quezon City. Though we lived quite far from QC, we decided to have her christening there because Hans & Ivan were also baptised there. Also, we fell-in love, with their beautiful air-conditioned christening room which makes the event intimate and memorable.

We normally have about four sets of each sponsor. But on this day and age, when most of our good friends and loved-ones are out of the country. Two of each, who can grace the event with their presence are good enough. Aissa and Mean are my colleagues from Nu Skin while Joey and Leodie are Ted's asssociates from San Miguel.

Rania wore a white dress with a requisite hat. The dress was a hand-me down gift from my friend Divine, whose daughter was baptised a year ago. It doesn't make sense that I should buy her a new long christening gown, when it will only be worn once, and for only a few minutes, since most christening cloth are very itchy. We are not the type naman to make a legacy out of it.

The priest was a jolly fellow who made a loving homily about our responsibilities of raising a Catholic child, how the sponsors should lend a helping hand, as well. Don't you just love christenings, whether it's your kids' or not? It's always refreshing to, sort-of, renew the vows we made to the Lord & and the church, of raising God-fearing kids.

We had lunch reservations at Mario's along Tomas Morato. I love Mario's, the ambience is like a piano bar, but food is comforting. My choices were a mix-match of my all-time favorites -- greens & kangkong fritters for appetizers. Main dishes were melts-in-your-mouth Beef Rendang, fresh fish fillet in oriental sauce, Chicken cooked Thai-style in coconut milk with just the right kick, sauted seasoned-vegies, spaghetti puttanesca and yummy Paella with lots of chorizo de bilbao. Desserts were fluffy Canonigo (Mario's bestseller) and fudge brownies.

I bought wine from outside because Mario's wine list were too over-the-top! Ten bottles of Red and White table wines from Carlo Rossi's at 12.3% proof. Plus, two bottles of non-alcoholic Chamdor for the oldies. We paid corkage, but it was worth it.

Cakes were ordered at nearby Estrelle's. It's a small specialty neighborhood cakeshop that grew out of mother's hobby. Since 1946, they haven't really expanded. I think because they are well-off, they didn't see the reason for additional stress, in exchange for commercial value. They just love to bake, period. Their specialty was lemon custard cake.

I initially didn't want any souvenirs na. Normally, the stuff we get become dust-gatherers at home. But Ted was adamant we should have one. So, to settle the issue. I chose something practical at may silbi. Bookmarks, with a lovely image of Rania and a funny wording, "Cute is an Understatement." and for lack to time, I ordered online some tealight candleholders from a shop at Makati Shangrila. My friends says, tamang-tama, it was Earth Hour that night (830-930pm) the candles will come in handy!

It was a memorable day, with excellent food, pleasant company, lots of laughter and wishes, teasings and lasted till about 230pm lingering over coffee.

My wishes for you, my dear daughter...

"Your Christening is just one of our attempts of becoming good parents to you. You and your brothers came to our lives without any working manual. The way we will raise you, are basically handed-down methodologies we got from our parents. We, your parents turned-out ok, so those methods must be working fine.

As our only daughter, you truly are a blessing we have asked from the Lord, given most lovingly. I don't wish you to be a mini-me, just because we are the only ladies in the famiy. Although, if my style and manners will rub-off on you, please forgive me. Genes and consistent exposure are to blame. You are a unique individual, and I look forward in discovering your developing person, in each and everyday."

Prepped-up

2010-03-27T13:03:00.000-07:00

If i have it my way, he would have been Grade one already by age 6. However, these big schools have age requirements, he had to be age 7 to enroll in grade 1. So Hans had taken up Prep again. I was concerned that he might graduate high school too old, Lourdes School has grade 7. The same way I did in my elementary days.
But when I saw him with the rest of his classmates on their recent graduation, my concerns were unfounded. There were several boys looking much bigger than he is, and they're all Kinder.

I was expecting a usual graduation ceremony with names being called one by one, and parents are enjoined to pin the ribbons or medals, in case the kid, has an honor or something.

But hans' graduation was different. There was none of those dressed-up toga, go up the stage, shake hands. It was a fun, light, entertaining dance program prepared by the kids to entertain the parents. It basically showcases how matured, behaved, obedient, prayerful -- what they have become since we enrolled them 10 months ago, and shelled-out 70K. Bwahahahaha

When it was my son's class turn to dance, I was so proud of him. He dances so well. He was not shy, he had the groove. Whenever I see him dance, at home or in parties, I cannot fully comprehend where he got his talent. i was a klutz in high school. My husband was a nerd. I was more involved in essay-writing contests, quiz shows, extemporaneous speeches rather than the more graceful dance programs. Weird. I must have been listening to too much pop music while I was pregnant with him. :)

Congratulations, my son. This is just a start of your journey ahead. Too many things to learn, skills to develop, talents to be unlocked. I do not aspire for you to be the best in class, or to be the best in your school. It can be frustrating often trying to measure up to others' standards. My dream is for you, to be the BEST of what YOU can be.

vanity hurts

2010-03-07T06:26:00.000-08:00

Rania had her usual doctor's visit this morning. The difference is, aside from the usual vaccinations, we had her ears pierced. It was an exciting day for my 3 boys. Baby girl rituals are new for them. Well, for me, too. Everything is a new experience.

My boys were giddy with excitement. The receptionist told us that Dr. Regalado does not accept ear piercing on weekends, only weekdays. It was a saturday, but Ted wouldn't be dissuaded. When we got in, nagparinig agad ke doc. "Doc, sayang, hindi daw kayo nagbubutas ng tenga ng weekend. excited pa naman kami magka-earings si rania." "OO nga po, kasi he looks like a boy." Paano mo ba naman matatanggihan ang sumamo ng 3 boys? So, pinagbigyan kami.

Poor rania, she was crying like a banshee. Hans and Ivan were covering their ears with the throwpillows. They don't like to hear her crying. After sometime, ok na.
She looked so cute with her new emerald-green colored earings.I think she loves it.

Now, the next question is, what do buy that would go lovely with her new earings?

disney on ice

2009-12-27T21:07:00.000-08:00

I initially didn't have any plans at all for Christmas Day, except laze around the house in my house dress. But Ted was telling me that Christmas is not for me, but for the kids. So, we should be thinking of activities for the kids.

I mentioned last time that we've been to almost all the places in Metro Manila, and there seems to be really nowhere new to visit. Good thing that every now and then, something new happens.

The latest visitors in town is Disney's Holiday on Ice, at the Araneta Center running from December 25 till about the first week of January. I have caught Disney on Ice about 2x in my life. One, when I was a kid, and Second, when Ted and I were new parents to Hans (who was then about 2 years old) and we were all excited to show him everything, which expectedly, Hans can't remember anything now. (I will wring his neck, if he will not be able to remember our US Trip when he was 4 year old)

Anyway, the latest Disney installment is a bit lackluster for me, or has it always been that way? Is it just my taste and standard that has improved? I guess, if you're watching the show in the eye of a 6yo (Hans) and a 3yo (Ivan) I'll looking at it in awe, excitement and delight. Squeal Superflagilisticexpealidaceous!

I didn't get the lower box seats, it's a bit above our budget. I'm starting to feel the weight of having more than 1 kid. You have to budget!! Imagine if we need to buy tickets for all three kids, and then the 2 of us. That's x5 for every cost.
So, Upper box seats this time.

Every generation has it's own Disney Star character. In my generation, except of course, for the classics like Mickey/Minnie, Donald/Daisy, Goofy/ Pluto, the biggies were Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. In Hans' time (that's only about 3 years ago), the favorites were Ariel & Flounder (Little Mermaid), Simba & Mufasa (Lion King). Today, all of them have their appearances, but the stars of the show, who gets longer time in the limelight were The Incredibles, Stitch, even the prostitutes of the Pirates of the Carribean, wearing fabulous versions of the corset had equal airtime.

Here are some photos of the event. We had a new SLR camera but my hubby is still grappling how to use it, that should explain the quality of the shots.

Will not be complete without souvenirs toys right? (mahal na madaling masira)

Till 2020 again, disney on ice, please!!

cosmic christmas eve

2009-12-26T18:57:00.000-08:00

Enchanted Kingdom, Starcity, Fun Ranch, Avilon Zoo, Ark Avilon, Manila Zoo, Luneta Park, Marikina Science Centrum, Museo Pambata, UP Campus, Serendra, the Fort, watch shows at Araneta Center, shop at major malls (megamall, glorietta, trinoma, shangrila) If you have been to all of these places, chances are, you will think, Metro Manila is so limiting! Where else can we go? Where else can we take the kids?

I chance upon Cosmic Kidz, in one of my favorite the blogs, and we decided to bring the kids there last December 24. We don't have big family gatherings on Christmas Eve, anyway, so i didn't plan on cooking up a storm. Besides, one of the househelps asked for a day-off. So, it makes sense of just go out, and take the kids somewhere.

It's better pala to go out on christmas eve on these kind of establishments. Since most will be at their respective homes, there were very few people. Hans and Ivan almost had the plaground for themselves.

Cosmic Kidz is inside a section at the Mall of Asia called Kids Universe. Kids Universe, on the side of MOA SMX Convention Center, is a wing devoted to kids stuff like toy stores, botiques, ice cream parlor etc. It's a 4storey playground where kids can play with new, and safe play equipment.

The entrance fee is 250 Php per one hour of play. There's an option for half an hour. You can leave the kids on their own while you go shopping. Kids under 3, like Ivan, must have a companion. The fee for adult companion is 120 Php. Socks is compulsary. They sell cheap socks for 30 Php if the kids or the yaya needs one.

At the start, Ted went in the kids to take their photos, after a few minutes he swapped with the yaya. It's allowed naman, since Ted and I had to go shopping pa for Rania's new stroller.

Here are some more photos of the place:

she's here!

2009-11-23T19:27:00.000-08:00

I knew it would be sometime during the first week of November, even though the Ultrasound says it's around 29th, and last menstrual counting places it around 19th. I already had a hunch. So, i took an earlier maternity leave. I don't want to have my waterbag break at the office, or worse at SM megamall.

November 8, was one of those lazy sunday mornings. The night before I was already preparing to go to the hospital since I was feeling some regular contractions, but they were still quite distant from one another. I brought out all my pregnancy books,the babycenter website available for all my search and I've unearthed all my lamaze reading materials, for review.

By noon, I already texted my OB that the contractions are becoming regular around 20minutes intervals. It really pays to learn the birthing process. I was not panicky. I was just going thru the motions. She told me to go the hospital so i can be assessed.

When we arrived at Cardinal, I texted my OB if I can still eat before going up to the delivery room. However, she wanted me to be assessed first by her residents. When I got to the delivery room at the second floor of Cardinal Santos Hospital.

My two elder children were born at the Jose Delgado Memorial Hospital. It's a maternity hospital in Quezon City, where my two OB are affiliated. However, my second time at Delgado was not so impressive. I found the labor room, quite messy and the sheets were like from cheap motels. I don't have any issues with the staff and resident doctors at Delgado, they're all attentive and very capable. Cost-wise, five years ago, the difference between a maternity hospital and an upscale private hospital like cardinal would have been huge. But nowadays, even Delgado can be quite expensive. Good thing that big hospitals are now offering birthing packages.

Anyway, when we went up, I was the only patient in the prep room. Ted was allowed to go inside, and he saw how I was interviewed, IE-ed, and prepped for the labor room. I'm impressed how clean and organized the facilities at Cardinal Santos. There were no dirty linens, lying around uncollected.

I brought along my Ipod and magazines, i know it's usually long hours of labor. I'm prepared. But they only allowed me to bring my preview & ok! magazines. No other stuff because it might get lost. During my labor with Ivan, I was reading The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks until my eyes crossed due to the labor-inducing pill, which i dimly-heard as Florabelle.

I'm impressed with my assigned labor room. It's private, and it's equipped with cable TV, fetal heart rate monitor, and a junior resident beside me. I actually had a fun labor,discussing the lives of celebrities with the resident, in-between contractions. When I was about 7cm., when i was straining a bit hard worthy of a drama actress, that the resident asked me whether i needed epidural already. I told her, you decide! She said, "ba't di mo na lang i-ire?" What? She wants me to go painful not painless?! Is she out of her mind.

3 more centimeters later, and I was already crying out, "Where's my epidural?! Please!! I need an epidural now!" The attendants were already getting stressed, also, since my OB and anesthesiologist are still not around. They're on their way!! After a few minutes of grogginess from an IV-infused pain reliever, I heard them saying, "Ok, put her on the airplane" "Dr. Aquino is on her way, but Dra. Poblete, is ready just in case." Well, at this point I don't care who should be the OB, as long, someone gives me relief.. fast!

With my 1st two deliveries, I was dead to the world. I didn't remember what happened. My anesthesia was full-blast. But this time, I am awake. So, awake that I heared my OB finally arriving, and was able to greet her, like a normal human being. Here's the funny part, before the OB arrived, I was telling everyone during my contractions, "ayan na! ayan na!" (i meant, the baby's coming out!) and I really felt the crowning of the head, but then, they were telling me, "not yet! not yet! wala pa si dra!" I felt someone pushing the head back in. So funny! Then i heard, them say, "Wait, Get the Daddy!" I wanted to pop, but they want me to wait, till all the right people are in attendance!!

After a while, i heard the anesthesiologist, with a booming voice, instructing me this and that. And then, i as floating in heaven!! I was told to push, and after two pushes, I was told to open my eyes, and because lo and behold, Rania's there! Crying her heart out! What a relief!

Now, I want to sleep! But wait, they're still laughing. The anesthesiologist was making comments like, "Dewie, Next time, outpatient ka na lang ha! Ambilis mo manganak!"

Welcome to the World, Baby Rania!

what a historic pregnancy, this is!

2009-10-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

I'm on my homestretch with my pregnancy. Being on my 37th week, I'm all set to pop, just waiting for the right moment. I already have my admitting orders from my OB.

What a relief. Honestly, I feel so bored already with the pregnancy. It's not that I love my daughter less, it's all the inconveniences that goes with carrying a heavy load for the past eight months. It's the loooong wait, taking a toll on my already-limited patience. It's wearing the same clothes week by week. I didn't bother investing in a lot of maternity clothes, save for the basic ones. I plan for this to be my last pregnancy. I just have the basic warddrobe, and they're all worked to seams.

Pregnancy inconveniences, like always feeling hungry, walang kabusugan! the restricted movements, caffeine, zero alcohol, no gimmicks, the disturbed sleep, I always wake up at night, either I need to pee, change my sleeping position, or I'm hungry again. Nakakapagod at Nakakasawa na rin!

This pregnancy is the most eventful one, speaking from historical perspective unfolding in the world. With my last two pregnancies, I cannot recall any huge events that happened, that rocked our world. But Baby Rania's 9months stay in my womb, is really memorable.

On a personal note, we moved to our new home in Kapitolyo April 2009. I was about 2-3months pregnant when we had the house renovated. I hope there are no permanent side effects to Rania with all the rebuilding, remodelling fumes that I inhaled.

A new and deadly strain of flu was discovered, and because it originated from pigs, it was called swine flu. It was almost declared a global pandemic. Classes were suspended for 10 days everytime a case is discovered in schools. My officemate who sat beside someone on a airplane who contracted swine flu, was quarantine for 10days in an isolated resort in Singapore. Suddenly, like the time of SARS in hongkong, wearing masks become fashionable again.

The King of Pop, Michael Jackson died, allegedly from overdose of prescription medicines. Suddenly, we can't get enough of Michael's music and videos again.

Cory Aquino, the former Philippine president who overthrew the Marcos regime died of colon cancer. Her funeral drew huge crowds and lasted from 8am to 9pm.

Ka Erdy Manalo, the most-revered Executive Minister of Iglesia ni Cristo also died, I was glued to the television watching the solemn and dignified funeral rites. My respect for INC members grew. My husband was asking whether I'm thinking of converting, because after the funeral, i used linger in the Tamang Daan show in GEM TV, listening to INC evangelists.

Typhoon Ondoy devastated Metro Manila. Almost all major cities are flooded, except our area, Kapitolyo and Ortigas, Pasig. Most of my colleagues, nu skin accounts, ted's former officemates in San Miguel, experienced horrible flooding. Some were flooded up to the 1st-2nd floors of their homes, their vehicles also flooded.

About two days after Typhoon Ondoy, Typhoon Pepeng wrecked havoc in northern luzon. Ted was on a business trip to Tuguegarao, despite advisories. How stupid can one get! They were stranded for 9 hours in Landslide prone areas. My accounts in baguio, pangasinan were affected, also.

A rare scientific occurance happened with Ondoy couldn't leave the country soon enough. The reason for this was the pull of the succeeding typhoon pepeng who's devasting Northern Luzon. Pag-asa called it Fujiwara Effect, and the last time it happened was 1974, my birthyear.

What else ba? I hope that was the last. No more unfavorable events before the year ends.

Girl Power!

2009-07-24T04:00:00.000-07:00

My colleagues were all predicting the same thing, Ted was very positive about it, even the two kids know what they want... A girl! It seems I'm the only one who's still unsure. Maybe because I don't want to feel disappointment, just in case, the opposite happens.

On my 5th month, off we went to megamall's In My Womb, to try the latest in ultrasound technology, 3d/4d. It's quite an expensive service, really. The cheapest is about 2,200 for a 3D ultrasound, which will get your 3 4R colored photos of the developing baby and gender determination. Since I was scheduled also the the Congenital Anomaly Scanning, which costs 2,500. I spent 3,500 for the whole experience.

Initially, i told the staff, to just do a 2D ultrasound. If it's a girl, that's the time we'll do a 3D. Poor Baby! Can you blame me? I had my fill of grainy black and white boys' ultrasound photos. I know what to expect. I was ushered into the room with the ultrasound machine, the boys were also in the same room, but separated with a ledge, though there's no glass partition. They have chairs to sit, and see the whole thing happening. They are very, very noisy, talking with the doctor.

Initially, the baby's genitals could not be seen. She's tucked somewhere in my rightside. The doctor asked all of them, if they want a boy or a girl.. and they all said, a girl!! Well, she said, you will soon have a little princess! look at her waving her hands!! She was indeed making open and close fists.

Despite her pronouncements and pointing to the lacking "lawit" I couldn't quite believe that she's indeed a girl. Doctors are fallible. So, could she be mistaken? It's just too surreal to be true. Well, she sounds confident, have tagged the photo, and is now using the pronoun She. Our new baby is a dream come true... an Answered Prayer.

The doctor then started studying the baby's features. As usual with a congenital anomaly scan, every part of the baby's body is scanned. The good doctor/sonologist keep a running commentary, counting the fingers, looking at the 4valves of the heart, listening to the heartbeat. It was a steady 140per minute. good rhythm.

After awhile the boys got bored. They were already talking about lunch while I was lying there being scanned. Kids! I chose the photos that will be printed. Honestly, the baby's figure is still a bit unformed. I was asking the doctor why it doesn't look like those in their posters and brochures. Apparently, those shots were of babies already 8 to 9 month old. Fully-formed, and almost ready to be given birth to. Our baby is just 5th month old, still being formed. She suggests that I get another ultrasound maybe 3 to 4months from now.

There's a slight problem with the growth of my placenta. It's laying too low, almost near my cervix. According to literature, if this one persists, I had to undergo caesarian. But the doctors assured me that normally the placenta will go up, when the uterus grows, about 98% of low-laying placenta will resolve itself. I hope and pray that i will be part of that statistics.

Songs I Grew Up With

2009-06-28T06:29:00.000-07:00

The recent demise of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, made me nostalgic about the songs from my past. From my childhood years up until today, that I'm a mother of 2 kids, songs have always been at the background.

While i was growing up, around 5-8years old, i was still with my parents in the province of Masbate. I remember listening to the long playing albums (the vinyl-kinds) of Nora Aunor (tiny bubbles... in hawaii..), Victor Wood, Sylvia La Torre (balot, penoy)and Celeste Legaspi (Mamang sorbero, saranggola ni pepe). But that is not to say, we're that parochial. On the international front, I knew Patty Page (tennesee waltz... was a favorite!), Nat King Cole (I can't remember the exact titles of his songs, but let me hear the intro, and I will surely remember the rest of the lyrics), a slew of Elvis Prestley's, Beatles... Ooh, not to forget, I also love to sing-along to the catchy songs of Cascades (Rhythm of the Rain, Last Leaf..) Beach Boys (Surfin' USA, Califoria Girls), Four Aces, Platters and Neil Sedaka (Put your head on my shoulder, diana, Happy birthday sweet sixteen...)

When i went to Manila to study, since elementary days up to grade 5, i stayed with my grandmother in Ongpin, Manila. My mother's cousin, Ate Adela, served as my yaya, fetching me to and from school. Since she was only about 4 years older than I am,
we had the same taste in music. Our lives revolved around Menudo! Menudo was a group composed of 5 extremely cute young men from Puerto Rico. Whenever they turn 16, they graduate from the group, and is replaced with a new one. We used to buy tons of songhits, and if the cover was Menudo, we will lovingly cover it with plastic covers. Looking back, when i had more matured appreciate for music, i recall that the voices of menudo members are actually "duh?!" They're horrible. I wonder how i could have squealed over them!

When i was about 12 or 13 years old, my older brothers came to Manila, from their boarding school in Iloilo, to continue their high school education. Despite a one-year gap between their ages, they have different tastes in music.

Our eldest brother Ricky was a rocker. From him, i learned the songs of Scorpio, Nazareth, Eagles, Queen, Kiss, and Journey. My elder brother Ed was a fun of 80s, he's the nerdy-type who excels in school at matipid sa allowance. You can always count on him for extra dough. From Ed, i learned New Wave music like OMD, Duran Duran, Tears for Fears, Spandau Ballet, Fra Lippo Lippi, the Crew, Depeche Mode and a number of other unforgetable band names but who have one-time hits.

I have my own personal favorites, too, which my two brothers consider tacky. What the heck, I'm thirteen! I loved Michael Jackson (Beat It, Bad, Billy Jean), Madonna (Papa Don't Preach & Crazy for You), Cindy Lauper (Girls just wanna have fun, time after time), Laura Branigan (self-control,Power of Love) Gloria Estefan (conga!), Bryan Adams (summer of '69), Culture Club (karma chameleon, miss me mild), Huey Lewis & the News (hip to be square), and who was that who sang Tarzan Boy?

Those were the days of casette tapes and walkmans. We usually "record" our favorite songs from the radio to our portable casette tapes. Or, alternately, you can give a list of your favorite songs to any store along Raon, Manila. They'll record the selections for you.

I went back to Masbate during my 6th grade to 4th grade. We didn't have FM signal in our place. Can you just imagine, a city-bred like me adjusting to it? That's why i went back to the old vinyl records of my parents and really mastered the 70s hit songs, in those vinyl records! It doesn't help that even AM stations, also seemed to be stuck in 70s various artists selections turned into modern tunes (Pretty little baby..)

Whenever my father would go back to Manila, I would ask him to buy my the latest casette tapes. At that time, I was already a teenager, i was into love duets...James Ingram, Patti Austin, George Benson, Billy Joel, Lionel Richie.... Hay... kilig!!

When i was in college at UP, it was back to Manila life for me. I quite unfamiliar with the 90s songs, it was my roommate Kaye Madrid who introduced me to acoustics rock. She plays a mean guitar. I became acquainted with Jon Bon Jovi, U2, nirvana, radiohead, pearl jam, stone temple pilot...

Working at ABS-CBN, my colleague Myra and I love Regine Velasquez! But we weren't into music much then, we were into self-help books like jack canfield's chicken soup for the soul, paul coelho, john grisham...

During my pregnancy with the kids, I'm into classical music almost every morning and night. I had my brother, who now shuttles between Hongkong and China, to buy me the compilations of tchaikovsky, mozart and beethoven. I have about 5 CDs from each Master. I don't bother with the titles, i just pop one into the CD player or my laptop, like what's playing now, whenever I'm alone.

The kids now, all growing-up, while I'm playing those classical music for the one in the tummy now, thinks that classical is soooo noisy. What happens to the babies whom i raised in mozart while they were being conceived? Well, they're now into Black Eyed Peas, Pussy Cat Dolls, even Elton John, and willie revillame!

Off to Big School for Hans!

2009-06-15T15:56:00.000-07:00

Remember 6 months ago, Hans did series of entrance exams to enroll for the coming school year? It was a whirlwind, trying to meet requirements and worrying if Hans can hurdle the big schools' standards (Ateneo, La Salle and Lourdes). We didn't had him take Xavier's, I have trauma against Chinese Schools. (He can learn another language as an extra-curricular activity, some other time.)

Anyway, he passed all the 3 big schools alright, but eventually the main consideration why we chose to enroll him at Lourdes School are the following:

1.)COST - Prep school in Ateneo costs more or less 83K per year. La Salle's rate is about 95K per year. Those doesn't include miscellanous and books. Both offer only
2-installments payment schemes which has interest. Lourdes' rate is only 50K. We have the option to pay quarterly, per semester or one-time. No matter what scheme, they do not add-on any interest.

2.) PROXIMITY TO THE HOUSE - a child is in his growing up years, it's cruel to have him wake up 430am or 500am to travel to school. I also don't want him to be lantang gulay at the end of the day, travelling to and fro, with all the traffic around the metro. Secondly, I also want the school to be near where i work, so I can also be present in emergencies, meetings or school programs.

3.) CATHOLIC EDUCATION - Having schooled in catholic school ourselves, and turning out just fine.. We want all the works for Hans -- first communion, rosaries, mass, daily prayers, service, etc. Is it asking too much, if i hope to see him, an acolyte someday ?

4.) NOT TOO BAD REPUTATION - the only not so favorable comment i hear about Lourdes, is that, there are a number of kids that end up being gays. But we believe that, if one is destined to be gay, he will be, no matter what. Besides, both of us are full-time hands-on parents. I think the kids are aware of gender differences and roles, early on in their lives. The other thing favorable thing I hear about Lourdes, they turn-out kids who are street-smart. Who would not be? the school is just a block away from EDSA! Hahahaha. Kidding aside, I do not want to cuddle my son, and to live constantly fearful of what's happening to him. I want my son to grow up, ready for the challenges of life. He must be able to take care of himself, with or without mommy & daddy around.

So, yesterday, Hans rode his school bus, and was on his own, for the first time, without any mommy/ daddy or yaya. I was not apprehensive at all, I was confident for Hans.

Well, I was suppose to meet him, at the gate, because the school bus' staff are not allowed inside the school. I was suppose to bring him to his classroom. He has not been to his classroom yet, the only place he's been to in Lourdes was the guidance office during the exam.

When ted and i arrived in school, Hans was already inside the classroom, sitting there, waiting for classes to start with his huge bag. Galing! I wonder how he found his classroom? When i asked him at the end of the day, apparently, he went with a parent, who had a kid, wearing similar prep-uniform like he was wearing, and she helped him find his way inside the big school. Bravo!

We stayed for about 30minutes observing the class, until all the parents were turned-away, since most the the kids are settled already. Three of his classmates were crying having separation anxieties. Hans, covered his ears, with all the crying. :) Until we waved him good-bye, as we went off to our respective days ahead.

In retrospect, I tell my friends and my husband, seeing my eldest starting in big school is a bit overwhelming. "Imagine, nagsisimula pa lang kami. Andaming pa niyang pagdadaanan... school projects, book reports, field trips, relationship problems... I recall my own childhoold challenges, yung maliit na mundo ko noon, na buong akala ko ay this is the world, yun pala, mas malawak pa ang mararating ko." My son has to undergo these things, overcome small challenges to grow up to be somebody someday.

My husband confidently assures me, "Kaya natin yan! We just have to take it a step at a time." Hahaha! Do i hear Jordin Sparks? Pero totoo nga, "We live and we learn...A step at a time, there's no need to rush. It's like learning to fly, or falling in love. It's gonna happen, baby, what's suppose to happen. When we find the reasons why, one step at a time."

Liveable -- at last!

2009-05-29T01:40:00.000-07:00

Finally! After a literally gruelling 2-3 months of renovation, we have moved-in to our own new home! I can't describe the feeling, but my husband succintly described it, after waking up in our own bedroom, "Iba talaga, pag sarili mong bahay. Parang wala kang ini-intindi na. Relax!"

Renovation was no-joke! I can't describe everything in detail. I guess some of these before and after photos will tell the story. It's actually a complete renovation of the house. As my husband say, "Parang lot and framework lang binili natin."

This is the old living room. The former owner had enormous sofas, wall cabinets and consoles that are all over the place. Notice that there's a dog near my feet. She actuallys allows her dirty askal to roam around the whole house! On a positive note, we both like warm lights instead of stark flourescents.

Here's our version of the same space. We made drop ceilings to hide the lights installation, and create depth, installed ceilings fans, for some breeze. In the windows, we made built-in seating, which has storage underneath. This became the favorite nooks of the kids and the helpers watching the goings-on in the street below

I wanted a cheery, happy living room, so we painted one of the walls - bright sunny yellow. We installed our home theater in the living room, because there's nowhere else to place it. I would have wanted a home theater, but it's kinda impossible on this townhouse!

We have some paintings, which we bought from Bali, waiting to be installed on the walls. Ted volountered to do them, but he hasn't find the time yet. I'm not so keen on curtains. It's homey, cute but too traditional and commonplace for my taste. Ted and I are still debating whether curtains or blinds. Besides, we're still saving up to settle some obligations!! So, Those little things have to wait awhile.

This is what the old dining area looks like.

As you can see, she has a passion for pink. Pink Curtains, pink walls and that garish bluegreen "roller-painted" images of leaves running all over the ceilings. Clutter all-over. eeww!

Here's our version of the dining area.

We didn't buy new tables, because a 4seater is still enough for our small family. Though a 6seater is also perfect for this space. Besides, I wanted more space... plenty of space to move around. Thank God, my husband was tolerant of me, wanting a redish-orangish color because I read somewhere that it stimulates appetite. The embossed wall, as my friend Rommel, who helped make sense of my style puts it, is a Statement. The oomph that this little unit needs. On top of the wall, there are installed warm lights, which creates a glow while we're dining. We haven't got around to buying lights on the ceiling. I wanted a something that will really go with the wall. For now, the soft glow from the wall is enough to guide our dining pursuits.

This is the old kitchen.
What can i say? She has too much going on! The cabinets, for sure, have termites. They really had to go. The pics will speak for itself

The new kitchen for the lady of the house! I would have done something on the marble countertop, but taking them off will be too much trouble. Non-fire stove, conductor microwave ovens, high-tech rice cooker that can cook bulalo as well, all electricity-powered, and, in modern black and silver color! My dearest husband thinks of everything! I better produce some culinary creations to make all these modernity worth it.

I'd rather not post my complete side by side of my documentation process of the whole renovation. Suffice to say that some of the "before" photos might disturb some of your sensibilities.

So, here are photos of the newly renovated unit. We havent' gotten around to buying a lot of furnishings. For now, we're making do of what we have accumulated from the past years.

I'm especially proud of this window treatment at the master's bedroom because I was the one who designed it. We don't have a home office, so I had a built-in desk made overlooking the window. Underneath are open shelves for my little brick-a-bracks and a drawer and cabinet to put in all our paper clutter. I love that i can look over the window, and get a view over the treetops.

Some of the other parts of the house:

The dirty kitchen, at the end of the garage, on the 1st floor

Our Lanai at the roofdeck, which is temporarily being used as drying area.

Our Latest Offering

2009-05-09T04:05:00.000-07:00

All pregnancies are blessings from God. What you make of your children's lives are your offerings to Him. I'm calling our latest pregnancy as our 3rd Offering.
Certainly, bringing another child in this world is something that a couple can offer to God. It's no joke to raise a child, providing all the material comforts and the emotional investments. Hindi ka lang naman magluluwal ng sanggol. You are committing yourself to a lifetime of responsibility and accountability to another person's life. It's tiring, challenging, sometimes frustrating but all in all, it's worthwhile and rewarding.

Having kids gives direction to a marriage. A person, more so a couple, has so much capacity to love and nurture. Kung wala kang aalagaan at mamahalin, sayang yan!

Everyone knows that my hubby and i are hoping for a baby girl. With the two handful boys that we have, we are looking forward to a more serene and less racuous little girl.

Now, this pregnancy is little bit different than my earlier two.
Whereas before, I look gorgeous and have no problems at all despite my slowly burgeoning tummy, now, I have a tons of pimples! I'm the type who will not take this sitting down, especially since I'm working for a premium personal care company.
At the first sight of a zit, I'm ready with my anti-pimple cream.

Unfortunately, my pregnancy hormones seems to be working overtime. My pimples keep sprouting, and their favorite spots are my left face. My right face is still manageable. My colleagues and my hubby say there's really no fighting hormones at this time!

I try not to be too conscious about it. It could also be the effect of the on-going renovation around the house. A bit dusty environment.

Another concern is my gray hair! Eversince I joined the bandwagon of changing my hair color, I've started developing gray hair strands after a few months. That's why I need to re-touch my hair color every now and then. I research extensively about hair coloring during pregnancy. There are 2 school of thoughts. Some advize zero major hair treatments altogether. While some literature says that hair dyes are too superficial to go thru the bloodstream and affect the baby. So,it's ok to color the hair.

Well, lest I be depressed with all my gray hair showing. I took the chance of having my hair colored. Perfeect timing because Bench Fix had a 30% mark down of its hair coloring services!

Aahh.. to feel gorgeous again!! Heaven! I always take pride in looking my best even if I'm pregnant. some say that if one looks extra lovely during pregnancy, with that glow, likely the child will turn-out to be a boy. In my past two pregnancies, with less efforts, I can look pretty with aplomb. Now, I have to double my efforts!

Well, Is this a sign that it will be a girl?

Let's see!

Red Apple goes Latino

2009-05-04T15:16:00.000-07:00

The Moving Up Day of our eldest Hans, was extra special. Red Apple playschool themed it as Latino. The teachers and the kids were in Mexican costumes and Spanish words were carelessly thrownabout.

The event was held at the penthouse of the Children's Library near Pasig City Hall. It was a good 5 floors walk-up. I heard that the kids were already practicing there for about a week. Unfortunately, Ted had an overnight team-building at Punta Fuego. He's new at coke, so he cannot beg-off. I went with ate carol, lenlen, kuya johnrick and Ivan.

The cutest thing about Red Apple, they usually prepare surprises for the parents. They swore kids to the secrecy about the happenings on the event. Even the yayas are not aware.

There was the usual group prayer, recognition of top students and speeches of the 1st honor. Amazing how some kids are advanced for their age. The Top 1 can already read his prepared speech.

Hans, introduced himself and what he wants to be when he grows up, A soccer player. This ambition is two years in the running already.

He also got the most participative award:

The cutest part was during the group dance. Hans was the star of the show! The song was Volare, and there was a spanish narration at the beginning of the song. He was the one who lipsych it. He was the one who opened the number! So cute, how he was acting it all out, feel na feel. It was a fun number. Marunong ng magpatawa ang anak ko. I was so proud!

The second most touching number was the final song. They say Thank You, I think by Sarah Brightman. They had their hands at their back, and at the end of the song, they went to their mommies, and gave a white rose, and said Thank You Mommy! I was so touched, and my tears flowed! Then he embraced me..

Parallel Universe. During my grade school days, we used to do this to our teachers during Teachers' Day. Now, it's being done to me as a parent. It's a lovely feeling. Hay, to have kids! Some days, they make you feel frustated, you feel you're robbed of our personal time. But days like this, it makes you feel, rewarded, fulfilled and ever thankful that God has given you the opportunity to be a parent.

The Art of Renovation

2009-03-08T16:25:00.000-07:00

So, you think renovation is just choosing new paints and changing the set-up of living room? Think again!

When we bought this run-down townhouse a month ago, my thoughts were just running along that lines... change wall paint, bring in new sofas, tell maids to brush the toilets' floor, extend cabinets, put a bar, and then move-in!

Well, I was very, very wrong. With the state of "dilapidation" the townhouse was in, it will be months, before I can even venture to think of buying a new sofa.

Here are the challenges:

1. LEAKING WATER PIPES - the old owner has a contested water bill amounting to 10K. She said she's not paying it because it's impossible to incure such bill, she doesn't have a swimming pool! But when our carpenters analyzed the water pipes, there are so many leaks running all over the house. It justified that excessive bill. We had to unearth and re-do some pipes on the toilets and under the sinks.

2. CEILINGS - due to the leaks, some ceilings have nasty watermarks. We replaced the ceilings with more modern Hardiflex material, and styled it as Drop Ceilings, where the lights are hidden, they're the rage these days.

3. ELECTRIC LINES / LIGHTS - eletrical connections were not much of a problem. We replaced traditional light bulbs, flourescent tubes with CFLs and we added more pin lights. We also liked the new modern switches with tiny lights that turn-on when the main lights are off.

4. BATHROOM TILES - augh! no further explanation necessary. They're old and dirty.

5. CABINETRY / CLOSETS - the kitchen cabinets and closets of the kids' & master's bedrooms have anay. So, definitely, they had to be rebuilt. We took advantage of the need to change the cabinets, by looking at nice styles of interiors of closets.

6. PAINTS - the former owner had this thing about ferns. She had them stamped all over the house using paint rollers. I think, she also painted the house by herself using dark pink colors. Yaiks! The kids' room have peeling wall papers. All of these had to be erased!

They're just 6 on the list, but the work involved will take about 2-3months of non-stop work. We used to have workers, working even on Sunday. Until we realized that the Sunday rate is just not worth it.

Let's see how it turns out!

housing investments : how we decide

2009-02-21T15:32:00.000-08:00

If you are like-most regular couples, owning a house is THE MAJOR INVESTMENT that you'll undergo. Paying-off mortgage is something that will be normal as breathing, for more than 5, 10, or worse, 30years of your lives. That's why, we spend countless times seeking for THAT home... Not perfect per se, but perfect for our need and budget.

So, What do first time home buyers look into? When we decided to acquire the property I mentioned, these are the considerations that we really spent time weighing the pros and cons.

1. LOCATION. we really wanted a place near my son's prospective school. I pity those kids who have to wake up so early everyday because of school buses schedules. Then, pag-uwi, latang-lata na sa stress ng traffic. I also wanted a place near where I work. It pays to be able to go home fast, esp. during emergencies. Sometimes, I check on them during lunchtimes, especially when a child is sick.

2. COST. we are never attracted to home loans, even pag-ibig. my husband would deftly compute the interest rates, and we end up deciding to borrow from friends and relatives. Besides, we still want to enjoy life's little luxuries. We don't want to have a nice home but make dildil sa asin, for the next 10 years. Kumuha lang ng kaya ng bulsa.

3. ACCESSIBILITY TO PUBLIC TRANSPO & MARKETS. Granted that you pick an area whwere there FX passing through, but have you consider, how they are during rush hours. Baka dadaan dun, punung-puno na ng pasahero! you will also end up running after them or getting a cab almost everyday. If you have a need for public transpo daily, make sure that the house is near the FX terminal or areas where FX / jeepneys routes converges, so you can have options in case you're running late. I also appreciate little talipapa, where my maids can easily get a condiment or two, in cases, when we ran out of them.

4. SAFE NEIGBORHOOD. we cannot avoid getting home late once in awhile, or kids going outside the house to play. Even if we didn't choose an exclusive, ultra-secured neighborhood, I wanted an area, where kids can go out to make a few friends, without the fear of being run over by vehicles; or getting acosted by bad people.

There really no perfect home. Most of the times, we need to compromise our wants versus our needs. But whatever it is you've decided, you really have to stick to it, and make the most out of it.

One of my favorite quotes, says, "Happiness is not getting what you want. It's wanting what you have."

wanted: a home to call our own

2009-01-31T06:53:00.000-08:00

All couples plan of creating a dream home. It's something that we all plan, at the back of our heads, while in the midst of all the daily grind -- working, sending the kids to school, saving up for vacations, etc.

But before creating one's dream home, we need to get away from the cycle of house rentals. Monthly rentals are punitive. Multiply your monthly rents by 12, and it's a huge savings had the money gone straight to the bank.

We are renting for about 4 years already. We're paying 10,500 pesos monthly for a 2-bedroom, 1bath apartment. Despite the high cost, we endure it, because the location is good, very accessible to modes of transportation, and the unit is in a compound, making it safe for the kids to play within its confines.

As much we wanted to have our own home early on, the initial equity for new house and lots, or even a plain lot, or worse, condos are really high.

A year ago, we started planning the constructing of our own home, in an lot we've purchased a long time ago, in an exclusive subdivision. However, the hassles of home construction, the high cost of construction materials, labor costs, and the availability of someone whom you can trust to oversee everything are real challenges. We decided to put-off the attempt for awhile.

Just recently, a real estate agent invited me to look over an old townhouse near our office. It's being sold on a "sacrifice amount" because the owner is desperate for cash. Location has always been the top of our list when we scout for our future home. We believe that no matter how beautiful one's home is, if it takes you 2hours to go home everyday, it's not worth it.

The townhouse is quite dilapited. It's about 14years old. It wasn't properly maintained by the owner. But there is great potential, once it's renovated. It's just 38.5sq m. but with 4stories. It's just enough for our small family. Thus, we decided to take the plunge.

Renovation challenges... next!

Ang Alamat ni Mariang Makiling

2009-01-17T04:05:00.000-08:00

Everytime we go home to Lukban, Quezon. We pass upon two huge mountains, Mt. Makiling along Los Banos, Laguna and Mt. Banahaw, in Quezon. If the kids get impatient and rowdy, as usual asking the proverbial question, "Are we there yet?" It's time for Mommy to concoct tales from the passenger seats, and entertain her listening public of 3 boys (Baby Ivan, Kuya Hans and Daddy Ted).

One of these stories is the Alamat ni Mariang Makiling (in reference to the beautiful slopes of Bundok ng Susong Dalaga, which we were passing through), of course, I could not talk about the Maiden's Breast to the kids. They're content with the Mariang Makiling legend.

And so it goes,
" Once upon a time, in the mountains of Mt. Makiling, there lived a beautiful fairy called Mariang Makiling. She is kind-hearted lady, a friend of all the birds, animals and people of the land. She's also very generous, and the townsfolks go to her, when they needed to borrow things for their events like weddings, christenings, etc.
But as the years passed by, the people changed. Instead of being thankful for all the kindness of Mariang Makiling. They abused her kindness, by not returning the things they borrow, by hunting the animals in the forest and throwing their trash in the forest.
Because of man's activities, the fairy shied away from the people. She went deeper into the forest, not bothering to associate with the townsfolks again.

Coming from New Year Celebration in my hubby's hometown Lukban, Quezon, we decided to drop by UP Los Baños and have a picnic at the Makiling Botanical Garden. I know Makiling Botanical Garden during our courtship days. Ted and I visited it once and we were amazed at the huge old trees still preserved.

We bought lunch at KFC outside UPLB. One pays only 10 Php /person to get inside the park. It was 2 days after New Year, we had the park to ourselves! The scene was quiet and serene. The greenery was refreshing. Like in any picsnics, huge ants want to share your food.

We followed the cemented trails inside the park. We saw huge Narra, Yakal and Molave Trees. We also passed thru a small stream. We could have gone deeper into the forest but we were pressed for time.

Inside the park, we also saw the beautiful flower Medenilla Magnifica. I recall that Myra, my former colleague in ABS-CBN did a segment or something about this flower. I can't recall what makes it special, either it is endemic locally or was developed by a local scientist. I knew we've seen it somewhere in the mountains during our mountain climbing days.

If you want a cheap and fun day getaway. I highly recommend Makiling Botanical Park. The kids can run around, learn a thing or two about nature. You yourself will also get refreshed. Best of all, it doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

Baguio Holiday, day3

2009-01-17T02:35:00.000-08:00

On our 3rd day and last day in Baguio, we went to the Baguio Public Market. My mother-in-law wanted to buy Ilocano blankets and brooms for pasalubong to her other children. We wanted to buy fresh vegetables and more strawberries.

While Ted, my mother-in-law and the kids went boat-riding at Burnham Park. My nephew and i went to the public market. As soon as you set foot inside, you will be acosted by well-meaning vendors, kids selling plastic bags or offering to carry your bags. Do not buy immediately from those vendors, sitting in the middle of the market, without any "pwesto." It's cheaper to buy from those who have their own stalls and there are varietry of choices.

We bought carrots, cauliflowers, red/ green peppers, potatos, cherry potatoes, native garlic & onions, and of course, more strawberries. Walk a little farther to get to the Maharlika Building, it's connected to the market, to find the nice Ilocos Blankets and beautiful Igorot weaves. I wish I did my Christmas shopping there. A set of 6 colorful placemats costs only 150 Pesos! Table runners costs the same.

A visit to Baguio will not be complete without dropping by the numerous Ukay-ukay stores. I can get myself lost in these shops for a whole day! There are so many great finds. Unfortunately, when you're travelling with the whole family, there's really no time.

I sneak into 5 shops while waiting for Ted to fetch us in our agreed meeting place, Petron Gas Station. There's this place that sells vintage Louie Vittons, Gucci, Coach bags. Oh my! I was salivating! I was looking for funky shoes. Something that I can wear leggings with. I can't find any my size. But, I chance upon a Miumiu black loafers that's my size. I couldn't pass it up. costs only 300 bucks :)

We went back to the hotel to check-out. Ivan is well-known with the staff, albeit, being the subject of their reports, due to the table banging incident the day before.

Going down, we passed by the Philippine Military Academy. It's quite a walk from the parking to the main campus. If you have old folks along with you, they can browse the museum. But for those who have the energy, go for the long walk inside the campus. The weather is cool, and there are nice photo-ops areas along the way.

If you see a cadet or two, you can ask them to pose for photos with you. They are generally accomodating, except some seniors, who always seem to have a perpetually grim expression.

Going back enroute home, we passed by Kennon View Deck. It offers a perfect view of the winding road going to Baguio. There's a small museum about how Kennon Road was established by Americans using Japanese prisoners of war.

Be sure to plan where to eat or prepare some baon. There are few restaurants from Baguio to Dagupan. You'll probably end up eating at bus drivers' joints, should you get hungry on the long drive home... which is what exactly happened to us. :(

In Dagupan, there are a lot of road vendors selling crabs and huge prawns. We bought prawns for the New Year celebration. Needless to say, we were duped because their weighing scale is faulty. Well, it's Christmas, afterall, and my husband Ted, advised me to let it pass.

Till Next Trip...

Baguio Holiday

2009-01-10T01:47:00.000-08:00

The last time Ted and I went to Baguio was about 6 years ago. We were newly-weds. It was December and the weather was nippy. We didn't have a car yet, we took a bus and we just commute around the city.
Last Christmas Day, we packed our small SUV with the 2 kids, my nephew johnrick and my mother-in-law Nanay Luming and joined the thousands of city slickers making the trek to the city of pines.

I was a bit apprehensive on the journey. I know how treacherous the roads are, and the danger of landslides. But my apprehensions were unnecessary. My husband is a confident driver. He reminded me that we've driven the longest route to Pagudpud last summer 2008. He's also has not a stranger to zigzags. The road to his hometown, Quezon has steep rounding climbs also.

The journey up was long and beautiful, especially the going up. We took the Kennon Road. I'm sure this route is not safe during rainy season. There were plenty of erosion prone areas. The steep climb only took about 45minutes.

We stayed at The Manor at Camp John Hay (CJH). I think it's one of the best hotels in Baguio. The city itself is very crowded. I don't want to make the same mistake of getting a hotel, like last time, right smack in the city. If you're in Baguio and want to experience the beautiful pine trees, the grass and of course, the cool weather. You have to book yourself inside the Camp John Hay or the nearby Teachers' Camp. That's where you can still feel the Baguio of long ago.

The Manor is beautiful, theme is country. However, unfortunate incident happened when Ivan ran after me going to our room. He bumped his head / eye into a table, which was haphazardly strewed about, being fixed for evening diners. Good thing, Ivan had the strength to use both his arms to prevent his head from bumping on the floor. I was so shocked, and we brought him to the clinic. Thanks God, it was just a small cut, but his eye area was swollen.

Our room is a two-bedroom number at the ground floor with a simple veranda, that overlooks the beautifully-manicured garden. The cool weather doesn't call for air-conditioning. We only have a lovely ceiling fan, dispersing the cold air.

Across Camp John Hay is a strip of restaurants and retails shops called Mile Long. We were looking for a place to eat, but the place is too crowded with people. So, we decided to go out to the city and go to Cafe by the Ruins, a friend recommended the place. However, it was either closed for the holiday or has folded-up.

We decided to go back to CJH. There was a shakey's and figaro inside near the arts center. While eating our manager's pizza and some capuccino. We listen to the bonggo players jamming it out near a bonfire.

On our first day, we had a yummy breakfast at Country Waffles. A breakfast plate of Baguio Longganisa, 2 eggs and Rice cost about 250 Php and there's no coffee with it. The flapjacks are huge. One serving is two pieces, served with sausages. No kid will be able to finish. Order to share.

After breakfast, we drove to the Mansion, the official summer residence of philippines presidents. We would have wanted to go horseback riding, but there were so many people. Fortunately, across the Mansion there was a guy who made his horse available for photo-taking & quick ride. The kids enjoyed the short experience.

We didn't want to go to the usual Baguio hotspots because of the crowd. So, we forego The Minesview Park. The last time we went there, we were not impressed because it was so commercialized. The view deck was so narrow, and numerous presistent vendors obstructed the view.

We, instead went to the Strawberry Farm in La Trinidad. It's about 20minutes drive away from the city, but the traffic is horrible. As soon as you're there, go directly to the fields. There are 'bantays' whom you can talk to directly, if you want to pick the berries yourselves. A kilo of strawberries that you've picked yourself cost 300 Php. If you buy them ready, it's 150Php. If you want to pick fresh lettuce, it's about 20Php a kilo. There are also cabbages and leeks.

Another unfortunate incident, when my son Ivan saw the juicy, red, berries. He couldn't contain himself, picked some and it went straight to his mouth! Then, someone told us, not to pick berries on that part, because it was just recently sprayed with pesticides!! Oh my! I was so scared. I was told that if one swallowed poison, you need sugar as first aid. So, we bought Strawberry Taho and made Ivan finish a whole cup. Well, he's ok. No after-effects :)

My husband wanted to see the Rice Terraces. We asked around how long it usually takes to get to Banaue. It looks near on the map, but actually it's another 6 hours drive! It's like going to Baguio from Manila, again! But still, we were insistent, we drove and drove for an hour or so, hoping to catch a glimpse of some rice terraces near the city. We did get some great views. The roads up to Benguet, are all hugging the mountainsides. We gave up our quest, when it seems the roads are endless. We went back to the city.

We killed time enjoying our hotel. Hans, wanted to have a picnic. He envies the group of friends, families having picnic in the grassy parks inside camp john hay. Ted wants to stay in the hotel and bum. I want to go to Mile Long strip and scout the shops.

We ended up strolling at the Bell Amphitheater, where the Bell House is also located. (I understand Bell, was the American who established Camp John Hay). We also went to The Lost Cemetery. It's a place where an American staff long ago, thought of symbolically burying negative emotions. I think it was a great idea. What a catharsis for him!

The Bell house is huge. It's like a mansion. It must have been really, really awesome during its heydays. We went around the nooks and crannies.

Ted and Nanay didn't want to have dinner. They went back to the hotel. So, the kids, Johnrick and I went to window shop at Mile Long. It used to be the concessionaire for the Americans. Now, it's just a row of shops and restos. They have Havainas, Crocs, Dencios and local restos. The souvenir shops are a bit pricey, not that we're interested to buy. We had dinner at the Diner something. Nice set-up ala 70s bistro, with a jukebox and all. But the food is so-so. We ordered steaks and some homestyle fried chicken. We should have stuck to club house sandwiches, which the other diners did.

1st Medal - Kumon

2009-01-10T01:17:00.000-08:00

Hans received his first medal. This came from his Kumon class, which he started earlier than his playschool. He received a bronze medal, which means he's one level above his level in a regular Math class.
When I was still studying at Andres Soriano Junior Memorial School, I often receive medals during Recognition Day. Modesty aside, it's pretty common occurance that i find it "no big deal" even if my parents do not attend the Recognition Day. Usually, it's my favorite teacher who pins the ribbon or award the medal to me.
Now, that I'm a parent, it's a different matter. I feel so proud to be one of the parents who kids have an award. Also, it feels satisfying to know that my son is learning something, that all the hardwork is worth it.

Hans was the first one called. I didn't know that I had to be the one to pin the medal on him. So, I just stood aside with Ivan while and my hubby Ted, took photos. It was the teacher who awarded him the medal.
Since I started it that way, all the next awardees' parents did the same. They just let the teacher award the medal. Then, I recall, the practice should be, the teacher give the medal to me, then I should award the medal to my son. Sayang.
Anyway, I'm sure this will not be the last :) But the first one will always be memorable.
Hans, being a prep is the smalles who was given the medal in Bronze.

Enrolling him in Kumon is really worth the monthly 1,880 Php tuition fee. Kumon gives daily homework, which instill discipline. We rarely have difficulty getting him to open his books. Except after a long vacation, even if there are kumon homework that he needs to do daily, it's really difficult to get him to do them. Iba ang focus.
He started Kumon reading subjects. But i'm not so "bilib" with kumon's reading style. It's all so based on pictures. The pictures becomes more of a crutch, rather than a tool to help them read.
So, we decided to really concentrate on Math. I think mabilis lang naman matuto magbasa, once you know the basics. I want him to develop the love for math... something which I failed to have growing up.

Learning Parenting from your Parents

2008-12-03T16:12:00.000-08:00

"You will not realize fully the sacrifices that your parents made for you unless you become a parent yourself." I always relive that principle whenever I encounter challenges in parenting my two kids.

Yung panganganak lang, is a major feat in itself. I can imagine my own mother, who is a Manileña, brought by my father to an unknown barrio called Aroroy in Masbate in the Visayan Region. She helped in the tindahan / bakery of her in-laws. But she's wise, she goes back to Manila everytime she needs to give birth to her 3kids. Manila is where the good clinics are, albeit public, and where her parents are.

Normally, after giving birth, she leaves us, under the care of our maternal grandmother. We won't go back to aroroy, until we're about 3 years old. We spend a few years with our parents, and when we're ready to go to school. It's back to Grandma in Manila. We stay with grandma until like... forever. We only go back to Aroroy during summer breaks. We even spend Christmas with Grandma, because my mom, fears the huge waves that normally ply the seas. We need to undergo 3hour boatride going to our province, on top of the 12-hour bus trip. We usually go home during summer breaks only.

My two elder brothers went to a Chinese boarding School in Iloilo City. My parents learned about this school through a Chinese trader that usually comes to the store. He said it was a great school for teaching kids independence and the requisite Chinese language.

So, off they went to an unknown province, guided only by our favorite Auntie Ninang Dolly and a yaya. The stories they tell everytime they come home, are scary. There was time they encountered a terrible storm in the middle of the sea. My aunt just held-on with my two elder brothers who were with her, fearing for their lives. My brothers would tell stories how terribly strict their teachers and dormitory advisers were.

Anecdotes goes like this, Like they would be ask to submit at least 10 flies daily, to get rid of the flies in the dorm. Like they have to eat all the viands served, even if it's lousy ampalaya, because if they don't finish it by lunch, it's the same ulam they would have for dinner.

They practically grew up in the dormitory, they had chicken pox there, and only came home during summer breaks to have their circumsions. :)

Ako naman, I studied in Manila, from grade 1 to grade 5. I was a year late in getting into grade 1, because I'm the youngest and only girl. My father put-off sending me to school. Going to school means I am

In order to give us the best education, My parents missed a lot of our childhood. Before, I was young, when I think about it. I feel "tampo" even angry. How can they send us away? How could they miss our milestones?

But when I think about it now, and especially at this stage, when I'm looking for the best schools for our eldest. I realize that my parents made those decisions, because for them, it's the only way to give us the best future. It must have been tough for them also. They sacrificed the time and money for sending us away, just to give us a good education, for our future. They must also be feeling guilty, at some point.

As for me, I don't think I can do the same. I want to see every milestone in my kids' lives. I want to be there for them all the time.

Big School Entrance Exams

2008-10-22T21:08:00.000-07:00

After two fun years in Red Apple Playschool, kinder and Prep. It's time for Hans to take the leap towards big school. It's so different now. Unlike before, we are usually sent to a big school nearest to the house. Now, we feel like we have a senior high school student applying for colleges & universities.

We started applying for La Salle and Ateneo grade schools early September. We were scheduled for the exams, early october. We found out, we were last batch na pala. So, it seems the other parents filed their applications earlier. The instructions were very systematic. Report to the venue, at this time, release of results after two months. Do not call. We will release.

Ted brought hans to both schools during the filing of applications. Well, so far, he said he wants to be a blue eagle rather than a green archer. Oh Lord, sana lang pumasa.

In his La Salle exam, both of us went with him. He was very excited and gung-ho to fall in line. Made friends with a seatmate. Even signaled the arms, "yes!" While they were on the way to the testing room.

Unfortunately, he got sick in the week preceeding his Ateneo entrance. He has some viral thing. On exam day, as Ted was signing a waiver that the child is in good-health during the exam, we decided to have it rescheduled. They're understanding naman.

Kaso, on the day of the exams. Panay ubo at sipon pa rin. I was so worried while waiting for him. Funny thing about the parents of kids in Ateneo, hindi magkaugaga how to make their kids comfortable. Pinapapila lang ng teachers, they're still there, behind the child, giving additional instructions. Ako naman, "hans, go there. Pila daw." :)

With his exams in Lourdes School of Mandaluyong, I'm most confident. I was able to ask feedback from the guidance-examiner immediately. I can hear them converse during the exams. She said that Hans has very good handwriting. He writes like a grade one. He answers questions clearly and understand instructions very well.

Hans, being only 5 1/2 years old applied Prep for all the 3 schools.

Bahala na. We're praying for the best. Whereever he is accepted, we'll just make the most of it.

Daddy's & Hans' Day-out

2008-09-20T18:41:00.000-07:00

It's field trip season once again at Red Apple. Last year, I accompanied Hans, but this year, I was out for an assignment in Indonesia. Thus, it was Ted's turn to chaperone our school boy.

They went to Goldilocks Cake Factory in Mandaluyong. The parents were not allowed to get inside. There were no photos inside the cake-making processes also. They had lunch at the Goldilocks Restaurant across the factory. I gathered from Ted that he overdid himself, ordering too many food, but surprisingly, both of them finished it all. Our son is really growing. Even at home, the yaya complains that Hans keep on demanding for food, even after just an hour of lunch.

Next stop was Ark Avilon, a petting zoo near Tiendesitas. The kids had a field day interacting with the animals.

Near Tiendesitas is Active Fun, A covered warehouse-type full of cushioned play areas. The kids also enjoyed the slides, the colorful balls and all the other amenities.

Ivan Turns Two!

2008-09-19T21:59:00.000-07:00

Ivan turned a year older last August 28, 2008. We wanted to have a kiddie party for him, but then, we realized that we have very few friends with the same ages as hans and ivan. The party will end up with more oldies than kids. So, we decided to just have some cake, cook kiddie foods and buy some ice cream.

That evening, we went to Eastwood City, the Walk. The kids miss the crabs, that my brother Ricky uses to bring from aroroy, masbate. So, we decided to have some crabs and shrimps, among other stuffs, at the new restaurant in Eastwood City called Seafood World (?). I can't recall if it's the exact name, but it's the one that replaced Twist of Mingoy's. A pity, since we love Mingoy's oysters sooooo much.

Ivan's very cute and lovable lately. The way he says words are so cute. Whenever I go to work and we say our good-byes, he says, "Bye, Mommy. Inat.. (for ingat!)." More often, only his yaya ate Amy, can understand what he means. He will say several nonsense sounds, like several words put together, totally incomprehensible. Ate amy will tranlate for us.

The two kids are very sweet to each other. Ted brings hans to school daily and Ivan tags along. Ivan will throw a fit, if Hans proceeds to the school without kissing him goodbye. One time, we had to run after hans going to the classroom, because Ivan was crying that Hans didn't kiss him. So cute. I hope their relationship will stay as sweet as the years go by.

Although sometimes, they horse around the house, or jump like monkeys on the bed. Augh! There are times they quarrel with the same toy. They really test my patience. Coming from work, i just want to plop on the bed and watch Gossip Girl. However, it's the only time, they can have me for themselves. So, they want me to play referee.

Child's Play Photography

2008-09-06T06:53:00.000-07:00

We took the kids for a photo session at Child's Play Photography, to mark Ivan's 2nd birthday. Hans was a natural at the camera. He's so like me, i guess. He knows how to play with the camera. He easily takes directions. He even encourages Ivan to smile and pose.

Now, Ivan is a different matter. He's very shy, and took awhile for the photographer to coax a smile out of him. But when he does, it's sooo cute and innocent. He melts your heart.
I should have thought of having these yearly studio shots sooner. Medyo mahal lang. Pero worth it when you get the photos. A professional result on the images of your kids when they celebrate a milestone.

We also had a family-sitting. But i didn't like it that much. My & my husband's faces looked so professionally airbrushed or photoshop-ed, whatever you call it. We looked fakes.

Maybe we should try another studio sometime. But we paid membership fee for child's play, sayang din. I also didn't like the set-up at child's play, the props and the area are not clean. Most of the costumes are dirty. Makalat at maalikabok. The kids' photos turned out nicely though. The photographer took lots of shots, and you choose from numerous choices. One observation though, the photographer was not so kid-friendly. Medyo distant yung dating. She should have spent a few minutes warming up with the kids, so she can coax a smile from them, especially the little one.

Anyway, it was a nice experience and we'll go back again, if only to maximize the membership. You don't get the negatives, you have them print or replicate it for you.

Lazy Sunday in Bonifacio High Street

2008-04-30T18:50:00.000-07:00

Have you been to the latest Chill-out Destination in the metro? It's called Bonifacio High Street, a long-strip of chic stories and restos. Its been here for a year or two. I didn't get a chance to visit it, until recently. I don't drive, so I'm usually slave to where my husband's mood take us on weekends.

I had the perfect chance last saturday. Nickelodeon had a weekend carnival behind NBC Tent. I cajoled my husband to go, promising that Diego and Dora will be there. Unfortunately, as soon as we entered the small venue, we were assailed by the heat and the number of people. There were very few attractions. There were lots of freebies though, but I am not the type to endure long-lines and heat, just for a Ceelin or Chocolait sample.

After a few photo-ops in the booths, we left the carnival. As luck would have it, we were just a few meters away from Bonifacio High Street!

It's a beautiful oasis in the middle of The Fort. The Fort is a former military community which was sold to big real estate companies. The Fort is also called Global City. There's a frenzy of building-constructions at the Fort, mostly office high-rises, and residential condominiums. The latest of these new concepts in residential enclaves is called Serendra. It's a community of medium-rise condominium units. An agent may approach you while you're in the vicinity, it costs about 4M for a studio unit! How about that! Serendra saddles the Bonifacio High Street, it's the playground of the residents of the high-end communities at The Fort.

There are tall palm trees, wide expanse of green grass, beautifully-designed installations, fountains, among others. The stores are really high-end. I don't dare go into any of them. I swear there's nothing in there that I can afford! There are new and unique restaurants, most of them unfamiliar to me, except the usual itallianis, Friday's, Seattle's Best.

My kids love the installations in the middle of the expanse of grass. There was a huge fountain (is it called fountain?) It looks like some of the Robot monsters that invaded Earth on the movie End of Days. There were ice cravings of the word REMEMBER. Hans and Ivan loved it! Would like to lick the whole thing, if I didn't intervene!

My niece Jeremie from the province had a blast having her photos taken in the nice spots that are all begging for a shoot. Hans, I noticed is so like me! He knows where the best angles are, to pose for a photograph!

At the other end of Bonifacio High Street, just across is the mall called Market! Market! We often used visit market, market. The kids love the colorful playground, although its usually crowded. We had to trick Hans that Market! Market! has closed. Everytime you asked him, "where do you want to go this saturday?" "Market! Market! Mom!" We didn't know that right across is a beautiful haven called High Street, away from it all the crowd.

But I'm glad that mere mortals like us can enjoy this beautiful spot in the metro. This is especially great when you need to show visiting friends or relatives something about Manila. We've had our fill of Eastwood, Tiendesitas, Trinoma, Mall of Asia. I'm not so familiar with Makati, so we haven't ventured in the new Greenbelt Area. BFS is a wonderful addition to the must-see places here in the Metro.

As Hans would say, "balik tayo dito, Mommy!"

Ilocos Road Trip Part 4

2008-04-02T15:05:00.000-07:00

We arrived Laoag Ilocos Norte at around 4pm already. I immediately scouted for the famous Iloko Empanada. We found it, near the terminal stations, behind Phil. National Bank. It's a street food. Unlike our usual empanada, my description of the Ilocano Empanada is, "gawang-tamad pero masarap (done haphazardly but yummy)." Instead of the usual giniling, raisins, green peas wrapped thick sweet dough, with little curves on the sides. They made their empadanas, using thin flour (parang turon skin), they just slice one or two longganisas, and a whole egg. That's it. No nonsense. Eat it with suka. It's a cross between pritong lumpia and empanada.

We were debating whether to stay overnight in Laoag or to proceed to Pagudpud. After a few queries with the policemen, saying with hesitancy but yes, it's doable to go to Pagudpud at this hour. Give it 2-3 hours. Ted decided to go for it, which we would soon later look back with regret.

It was a looooooooong journey from Laoag to Pagudpud. It was so long that we felt that we were going to the ends of the earth. It was 4hours! Gone are the little sidetrips on quaint little towns. We only had a singular purpose, reach Pagudpud before sundown.

We didn't have google map yet at that time, so relied on good old map from the Shell station, which was helpful, except that maps don't really tell you how many kilometers it takes from one end to the other, or where you can have your tire fixed, just in case you get a flat, or where to eat the best local delicacy, or advise your driver/hubby, to slow down, and enjoy the sights.

It is you, the lovely lady beside the passenger seat, who had to worry about these little seemingly trivial things, but those are the stuff which memories are made of.

We made a quick stop at Burgos, where the lovely Cape Bojeador Lighthouse is located. It's romantic, because it's quite old, probably in the 50s, and you can see the beautiful sunset slowly disappearing in the horizon. We made perfect timing. It was a bit cold, we hugged. Feeling romantic. Hans and I wanted to go up the lighthouse, pwede naman. But it was already 6pm and we still have 2-3 towns to go before we would reach pagudpud!

It was about 8pm when we finally reached pagudpud. It's actually a town, a laid-back provincial barrio. It's not the beach itself. The famous beach in pagudpud is in Barangay Saud. We asked around, if anyone can point us for a place to stay near the beach. A tricycle driver guided us to the resort of Carol and Albert. It was peak season, so we didn't balk at the 3,500 for overnight charge. we had a 2bedroom, one toilet, and a small veranda. Besides, we were a group of four adults (me, ted, 2 yayas) and two kids (hans and ivan). We didn't see the beach at all because it was too dark.

We woke up the next day, and these view greeted us:

After breakfast, we immediately rush to the beach and play!

The beach is so beautiful, we had the whole stretch for ourselves! It's a great idea to go before the crowd comes rushing in. We went there the four days before the Holy Week. We usually time our vacations that way, so we're not competing for space or caught in traffic jams. a great, great idea!

There are times, that the waves in the beach can get a bit rough. care must be taken especially for non-swimmers, like me. Big waves can sneak up on you. The kids are a bit scared, but they love the sand!

We had the loveliest time in Ilocos. It's something that I want to do again, when the kids are older, or when we would have visitors from abroad. It's a lovely way to see a lot of places in just one trip. Highly recommended!

Ilocos Road Trip Part 1

2008-03-24T04:58:00.000-07:00

This year, we took a 3days earlier leave from work prior to the holidays of the Holy Week. We initially planned to take advantage of our accumulated miles with a trip to Hongkong, Macau and China thru the invitation of my brother Edward. But Kuya Ricky & his wife Jhing could not make it.

So, we decided to take a road trip up North towards Ilocos Region. The goal is to reach Pagudpud, a beach, known of its long-stretch of white sand, and for its huge distance from civilization. A day before, I frantically researched the Web for the route, the must-see sights, and the best places to eat in the North. I don’t want to be caught information-deficient when Ted asks, nor waste time asking for directions, getting impatient in the process, settling for less than the best.

Besides, I know my husband! He has what you call an “analytic/ logical” personality. If you want to convince him where to go or what to do, give him the facts and the data. He is exactly my opposite, I’m more spontaneous and will be convinced with the reasoning called, “basta!”

March 17, 2007 (Monday)
We left the house at around 6am. Two kids and two helpers in tow, we set our sails via our Hyundai Tucson. We expect several stops along the way, with two restless sons. First stop was Gas Station in North Expressway for wee-wee , Starbucks, and to buy our map. I initially got the map on cities of la union, pampanga & ilocos. I made a mistake. It was too detailed. What I needed was actually a whole Philippines map with only the municipalities written. It’s a good thing I had it replaced.

The EZ Philippine map (90Php) was our bestfriend throughout the trip! It was so much fun tracking our progress and learning the names of the towns that we are about to enter. North Luzon Express Way is the best highway, in the entire archipelago! Newly-constructed, it’s a smooth journey all throughout.

We exited at DAU (toll = 144 Php) and continued through Mabalacat, Pampanga till the Sugar Cane routes of Tarlac. (Victoria, Geronia, Camiling etc.) We stopped again at Mc Donald’s Capas, Tarlac since Hans was complaining of hunger, he didn’t have breakfast. We let the kids play at the play area for about 15mins for them to expand some of their energies. . In my itinerary, our first stop was Gerona, Tarlac, where there’s a restaurant called Isdaan where we can eat. But we passed by Gerona, 9am, too early for lunch.

We reached Urdaneta, Pangasinan at around 10am. We continued to move up north, reaching La Union by lunch time. At the passengers’ seat, my goal was to take photos of the archways, that are the usual sights when you are entering a new municipality Since, I didn’t plan any stop in La Union, thus, we had to ask around for a good lunch place. Most are pointing us to resorts, since La Union is also known for its beaches & surfing. But we only have time for a quick stop. We settle for a place with available parking, called L.U. Hillside Center, San Fernando, La Union. I was a bit wary since we were the only customers & the restaurant beside it was full. But we were not disappointed. The food is good and reasonably priced! We had sinigang na lapu-lapu, beef with broccoli and spicy shrimps for only 333 php! This small restaurant in La Union is definitely recommended for those wanting a good meal but are tired of the usual fastfood chicken & rice fare.

Reaching Ilocos Sur, the rows of mint green and dark green Tobacco fields were a pleasing sight. We reached Vigan at around 4pm. We went around their plaza, whose main attraction is a pool of water with the statue of Elpidio Quirino, and huge clay jars or Burnay strategically displayed.

At the end of the plaza sits the imposing white structure of Vigan Cathedral. It's a beautiful old Church. Mcdonald's even copied its architecture.

To go around Vigan, it's best to take the calesa. The Kutcheros are trained to show you the sights of their town. It costs only 150Php per hour. Our 1st stop was the Bantayan Church Belltower. It's a beautiful brick structure, separated meters away from the main church. We were told that the movie, Ang Panday, was shot there. We went up to the tower, the staircase was cemented but higher up, it's just a wooden staircase, only Ted went higher up. The view is the whole of Ilocos Sur. We were told that the tower was constructed without using any cement, only clay, limestone and egg whites! According to Ted, that was probably the reason why Leche Flan was invented! To make something out of the egg yolks!

Next stop was Baluarte. It's a park cum zoo owned by former Vigan Governor Chavit Singson. There are no entrance fees. It's a very wide and expansive park where deers, ostriches and miniature horses roam freely. There are picnic areas. There are even tigers, snakes, birds, turtles, butterflies. The kids had a grand time! There are souvenirs shops outside the Baluarte. We thought it would be expensive there. No pala, since the stalls are also not paying any rent to Chavit.

We decided to rest at around 6pm and check in at the hotel. We stayed at El Juliana, a few steps away from the famed Calle Crisologo, the location of old spanish-style Vigan houses. Our hotel is also an "old house" but renovated. There's a swimming pool. The rooms are airconditioned. The walls outside are still made of bricks. They have an indoor "well." Typical of old spanish houses.

After freshening up, Ted and I had "couple time" together. We left the yayas & kids at the hotel. ted & I had dinner the Cafe Leona. A local restaurant known for its Ilocano Fare. Since we were both on diet. Me, I need to fit into my bikini for the summer! Ted, well, he needs to. He has a beer belly!

After dinner, we walked around Calle Crisologo. It's Vigan by night at its best. We took photographs of ourselves in the quaint facade of old houses, with antiques horse carriages outside. There was a very nice carriage, we posed quite a lot, only to find out that it's owned by the Funenaria Baquiran! Creepy!! There was a group of photographers. We noticed that they weren't using flashes on their cameras. So, we got the tip! Mas maganda pala pag natural light. Dramatic effect!

What a Day! Watch out for Part 2 of our Ilocos Road Trip!

Ilocos Road Trip Part 2

2008-03-23T22:19:00.000-07:00

March 18, 2007

The next day in Vigan, ted was asking if the kids wanted to enjoy the pool at the hotel. I told him we can't anymore since we have a full-day ahead. Ted wants a lazy-dazy schedule, while I want to cover lots of places. I know that there are so much to see and we have to be on-time, otherwise, we run the risk of getting stranded on the road by nighttime.

El Juliana Hotel is near Calle Crisologo. On the way to breakfast we took few pictures near the old houses, this time, in daylight. The old Spanish houses are really quaint, some with antique stores, or Vigan souvenirs items. We are not keen on local souvenirs when we travel so we didn't realy spend much time looking around.

We were told that the old Spanish houses, after the war were left by the Spanish Owners, and many enterprising Indios (that's us, Pinoys) occupied them, until they become the owners. They pass it on to generations. Before Vigan was declared a UNESCO Heritage Site, the old Spanish houses were spooky to the residents of Vigan, and they generally don't ply the street were the old houses were. There are about 140++ old houses now maintained for tourists pleasure. You can feel that Vigan people are really, really proud of them.

There are very few restaurants in Vigan that serves authentic Ilocano fares, saved for Casa Leona where we dined last night. We went around the plaza, it seems that Vigan folks don't usually have Vigan Longganisa for breakfast, their Carinderias don't have them! So, we looked and asked around the plaza and they pointed us to Ej's. It's a small carinderia at the back of Landbank. There we sampled Vigan longganisa. They're very small and dark colored, almost black. But since we hailing from Quezon Province, we love Lukban Longganisa more!

After breakfast we rode a calesa again to continue what we've left off yesterday. Our calesa driver is better this time. He gave a running narrative about Vigan and the history of the places that we are in.

We passed by the Penitentiary. Apparently, it's the same penitentiary since 1600s. Elpidio Quirino, one of Philippine presidents was born inside the penintentiary. His mother was visiting his father, who's the jail warden (not an inmate) when she had contractions :) Well, I'm sure she'd rather give birth there, than in their town Caoyan, which was 20 minutes away from Vigan proper.

Next stop was the Burnayan. Burnay is ilocano word for Jars. Burnayan is the place where they make jars. Nowadays, Jar-making is mostly ceramic and involves modern technology. There are now only 2 burnayans in Vigan that still retain the old ways. It entails the use of bare-hands in shaping the clay, and using feet to run the improvised rolling machine.

Once a jar is formed, it is air-dried for 7 days. Afterwhich, they placed it (along with all the other jars) in a huge makeshift oven. They use firewood to cook the "jars." The oven is so huge it's about as big as two nipa huts! As soon as the jars are "cooked" they wait another 2-3 days until the oven is cool enough for them to retrieve the jars inside! The Burnayans could use some reinvention when it comes to designs. They're very, very simple and no nonsense jars. Use mostly for gardens. Or for storing bagoong. It's a trade that can use a lot creative process.

After the Burnayan, we went to the traditional weaving industry, using old wooden looms. I got to the looms. Most of those doing the weaving are old women who listen to radio dramas while they're on it. They make the famous Ilocano blankets, table runners, shawls, table sets etc. The Ilocano blanket is usually cream or white. It's very cool to the touch. You can use it even to warm summer nights. We bought some small kikay bags for my officemates, blankets, shawls and a table runner.

Next we visited to houses of famous Vigan people in history. The Crisologos used to rule Vigan, before the name Chavit permeated the air. Bingbong's father used to be Mayor, Congressman, Governor, you name it, of vigan. We went to their old house. It's the first time I've seen a wooden refrigerator. They've preserved almost everything, even old perfumes bottles of Crisologo senior's wife. Even the car where he was ambushed was there with bullet holes in it. Tons of old books and newspaper clippings about the crisologos political affairs were preserved.

We went to another house, the ancestral home of Elpidio Quirino's wife. Elpidio was a former schoolteacher who married a congresswoman. The lady descended from a Chinese Trader whose trading business did very well, making them one of the richest families in Vigan. The Syquia mansion, owned by the family of the wife of Elpidio Quirino is very well-maintain by the katiwala, a friendly dude named Rusty. A beautiful painting of the lady of the house was done by Mananlasa.

We feel that we've seen the best of Vigan, so we decided to check-out of the hotel and continue our Ilocos Journey...

Watch out for Ilocos Road Trip Part 3 ! (Off to Laoag!)

Ilocos Road Trip Part 3

2008-03-12T19:27:00.000-07:00

We left Vigan for Ilocos Norte, a little after lunch. Along the way, we made several stops in small towns, most of which have historical significance. We also took the opportunity to do our Visita Iglesia. A Visita Iglesia is a traditional Holy Week tradition of praying the Station of the Cross at 7 different churches. Well, in our case, it's just praying...none of those prolonged station of the crosses, while the kids are pulling our shirts, impatient to leave.

One of the best things in an Ilocos Road Trip, are the littles stops along the way, before you reach your final destination, in our case, Pagudpud. If you are a history buff like me, you will enjoy this route.

Badoc Church, in the town with the same name, is one of the quaintest church whose facade I fell in love at first sight. The church is just small, and "nakakasilaw ang puti" in the noonday sun. The patron of the Church is Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.

The old man tending the candles, ask about our whereabouts, and when we told him we're just passing by, on the way to Ilocos Norte. He gamely told an anecdote about their dear Patron. (it was the usual tale, about the statue being suddenly lost, and then being found somewhere else, and/or ten men trying to carry it to move to another church, but are not able to do so.. a sign that the icon won't leave their church..) Quite a character. I bet if you go there today, he's still there.

Badoc town is also the hometown of the famous painter, Juan Luna. We visited his huge bahay na bato (stone house), beautifully restored by the National Historical Institute. I don't really mind paying for an entrance, for these kinds of places. They have a donation box, where we willingly put our share for its upkeep.

It was very evident that the Lunas were rich in those days. In the absence of modern-day cars, the status symbol in those days, were the caruajes (kalesa). They have a garage for one or two caruajes. They also have a prayer room in the terrace and their own "balon" or well. Aside from his photos, and that of his family, some memoirs, there are also replicas of his famous paintings like the huge Spolarium, and the renowned Parisian Ladies, which years ago created a stir when it was brought by GSIS using members' funds from Christie's of London. But I'm deviating....

The Queen of all churches in Ilocos Norte is, of course, Paoay Church. Anywhere you aim your camera, it's a postcard-friendly, feast for the eyes. The architect of the church must have planned the church to be something "to behold." There is an immense space in-front of the church. That distance, allows the visitor "to behold" the grandeur of the church, as one approaches it. Really beautiful! This scene alone is worth the trip!

Across the plaza is a small restaurant that sells Pakbet Pizza. Having several doses of pakbet awhile back in Vigan. We didn't have an appetite for anymore of it, more so, in our pizza. We, instead, had the local Lomi. Sticky homemade noodles. Ilocano Lomi has some achuete, so the liquid is reddish. Quite yummy! We ran out of memory in our camera, and we didn't bring our laptop. So, we looked for an internet shop to download them in our memory stick.

Internet cafes are not hard to find, since Paoay is a university town, because of the presence of the region's biggest university Don Mariano Marcos University, named after the father of the former dictator, Ferdinand Marcos.

Speaking of Ferdinand Marcos, our next stop was his hometown of Batac. Batac is now a city, thanks, of course, to the numerous tourists visiting the tomb of the former president. I've been here during my college days courtesy of my roommate from laoag, reylah espiritu. But I noticed the exhibits have taken-in the minimalist style. Gone are the houseful of Marcos' life-like mannequins, all wearing various ceremonial outfits. What's left is a few exhibits of the bills he passed, huge photos of his handsome young self, and needless to say, his air-conditioned tomb.

some marcos' nonsense sayings outside his tomb:

The scene is quite eerie because of the carnival-like atmosphere. It feels like going inside a horro house! Unfortunately, photo-taking is not allowed. One enters the dark chamber smelling of sampaguita, with eerie music in the air. Then, at the center of the room, is the tomb, and the wax figure of Marcos lying on top of it, with a solitary spotlight. Eeew. the stuff that nightmares are made-of. The place reeks of negative energy.

We left the place immediately. We are now traversing the route towards Laoag. We can see the beaches on our left side, and the mountain ranges, on the right. Hey, this is what we studied about Ilocos Region during my high school days. The lack of tillable land made the Ilocanos, what they are now, not kuripot but "matipid."

What happened in Laoag.. did not stay in Laoag. It's up next!!

Sunday Afternoon in Luneta

2008-03-09T05:14:00.000-07:00

Hans has been bugging us for quite sometime that he wanted to fly a kite. So, this morning when Ted had an errand in Manila, we took the time out to visit Luneta Park, and have a Kite Flying Day! In fact, he was the one who coined the word, when we told him that, we might have a chance to fly a kite today! He said, "wow, mom! Kite Flying Day!"

I bought him a cheap rainbow-colored saranggola only 45Php. Ivan, as usual was attracted to balls. I had to buy him one, kahit na meron na sa bahay, because he kept on pulling the plastic balls on display by the vendors.

There's a slight breeze enough to blow the kite. But Hans, Johnrick and my two helps, Amy & Carol, can't sem to get the hang of it. Hans wants to fly it by myself, but as soon as the fly takes off, it barrels down to the ground again. Hay, poor boy. He needs 5 more years to be able to pull this off.

Luneta is a still luneta, with a few major changes. For one, the grass near the grandstand, seems to be hopeless in becoming green again. It's almost brown because of the number of people trapsizing on it. There are so many people. Bad trip lang yung ibang dahil naninigarilyo.

Rizal monument is still the same. When Ted told hans that, the spot on the left (Tableu) is where our National Hero Jose Rizal was killed, Hans asked, "Where's the blood, Daddy?" :) No, Son. It happened a long time ago. They already cleaned it up.

It's fun to go to Luneta Park again and visit this old haunt when I was still a child and teenager. I remember Ate glo and Ate Dhel used to bring me there with my cousins Steven, Steward. Our baon is usually pan de sal with peanut butter. We would bring mats, and set-up under a coconut tree near the breakwater. Ngayon wala ng halos mga puno. They're building a new complex called Manila Ocean Park. It's already opened but the facilities are not yet finished, so we'd rather visit it some other time.

Ivan the Early Bird & Hans Bottle-lover

2008-03-05T04:05:00.000-08:00

Kakatuwa sobra ito si Ivan. He's the first person to wake up in our home! At exactly 5am, you would hear his voice, "huh.huh.." calling you from his territory on the floor beside our bed. He sleeps on the opened sofa-bed on the floor. Ang aga magising! He wakes up his daddy, then Hans. I had to call his yaya, to bring him downstairs for us to get some sleep till about 6am.

They go downstairs together and play at 5am! He sleeps too early kasi, sometimes 630pm, when i come home from work, tulog na. Hans naman sleeps at 8. If he's not sleep at 8, and still watching TV, maya-maya lang, tantrums na, antok na kasi.
Hans is sobrang difficult to wean! Until now, he wants a bottle to lull him to sleep. Hindi makatulog. Eh di ba ubos na nga yung ngipin. So, the dentist advised as na sobrang labnaw na lang yung dede. As in, one scoop for 6 ounces! Wala syang pakialam kung matabang. He just want something to suck on before he sleeps.
I swore to myself, I will really put siling labuyo on his bottle para matigil na, pero di ko magawa. Naawa ako. minsan suka, so, hindi sya magdede. pero, next day, dede na naman. hay..

Ivan eats everything you give him. Whatever you're eating, he wants a bite. Kahit gulay, or tsitsiria. Basta, he will ask and taste it. Hindi naman uubusin. Nguya-nguya lang, then spit. So, cute. He now knows where we keep our food. He opens the fridge, looks around inside. Gets his G3 bottle. He loves the G3 juice, from my company nu skin. He's the only one in the family who finishes 2 bottles a month! Minsan naman, he points to the cabinet where we keep all the junkfoods, etc. Ginagaya yung kuya nya, parang nagsasabi, "Mom, can i see? anong meron?"
I'm so happy how my two little boys have gotten very close to each other. When ivan wakes up, he always want to cuddle with his kuya, and his kuya too hugs him and pats his head. So Cute tignan! Even ted & i are touched when we see them. Si hans naman, wherever he is, upstairs or downstairs playing, he wants Ivan with him. When his Dad brings him to school, he wants Ivan to go him them in the car. When they reach school, he wants Ivan to play in the school slide. We did it once, when Ted waited for us. He was so proud to show-off Ivan to his classmates. I'm so happy na wala na yung dating jealousy stage ni hans with Ivan. We always tell kasi that he's the big brother, he should take care of his baby brother...

A Day of Global Fun

2007-12-19T21:53:00.000-08:00

It was the annual Family Day once again of San Miguel Polo Brewery. For several years, the Family Day is held at Star City. This 2007, they held it at the new Global Fun Carnival near Mall of Asia.

End of November pa lang, excited na si Hans. He was literally counting the days.
Personally, I was excited too. I look forward to a welcome change from the perennial star city. Global Fun had good ads. Maybe they have great rides and attraction, too.
But when we arrived at Global Fun, the place was a complete let-down. The grounds are gravel, which makes it hard to bring a stroller. Needless to say, It was also inaccessible for handicapped.

The rides, whose photographs were very impressive, were a major let-down.
They were so small, only fit for little kids. It's like SM storyland bought outside where people can ride under the heat of the sun. How we longed for the air-conditioned facilities of Star City! We huddled around under the shades of the huge tent, SMC has erected for the magic show. The magician have talents that's in dire need of innovation. He's acting more like a stand-up comedian than a magician.

The bump cars where in such small space that you don't really need to push the accelerator. you just get bumped and bumped by just about anyone. The attractions like The Mummy, Pirates and Dinousaur were so pathetic. Even Hans who love dinousaurs doesn't want to enter the rooms. They look so pathetic. Peeling paints, styrofoam plaster so obvious.

Anyway, SMC made up with the Food provided. Lunch was KFC Bucket Meals with Rice, chicken, chicken sandwiches, brownies and drinks. Since it was Ted's and Hans' favorites, ok na rin.We didn't stay long. We went to the Wordwide Bazaar at World Trade Center.
The photos below were taken at the WTC Bazaar.

Hans-ism

2007-12-07T14:45:00.000-08:00

Raising our first-born Hans Christian brings so much joy for first time parents. There are so many stories, anecdotes and memories you accumulate throughout the years. But then, time is cruel. It's a pity that these little things might be forgotten in the future. I'm putting some of them here, so that if memory fails me, I can always relive them here in the future.

On Having a Baby Brother

While I was expecting our Second child, we took pains in preparing hans for the envitable sibling jealousy which comes from being the center of attention for several years, then being confronted by a tiny newcomer. One day while we were having one of those loving moments, I told him, "Wow, Hans, Magiging Big Brother ka na." Hans was silent massaging my bulging tummy. I asked him again, "What do you want to name your baby brother?" Hans thinks hard, finally, he said, "Pinoy!" That brought a laugh even to my friends whom I texted the story. At that time, Pinoy Big Brother was such a hit since ABS-CBN brought the franchise to the Philippines.

On Happy Meals

Forget the gourmet dinners that you as a couple took while you were just a couple. With a toddler always in tow, it's always fastfood whether McDonald's or Jollibee everytime you bring him out. For hans, it's McDonald's Happy Meal. One day we were going thru a drive-thru. The crew said, "sorry. we only have Strawberry Shortcake Toys left." So, we told Hans, "Hans, sorry, no more toys for Boy." He thought for awhile, then whispered to my ear, "Mommy, alam ko na, "Kunwari, Girl Ako." :) That never fails to elicit laugh whenever I relay the story to my officemates.

On Gender Differences

While he was about 3 years old. We were just starting to teach him gender differences. Everytime we see something, we usually ask him, o ano siya? boy or girl? And he responds accordingly. One time, he sees me dressing up, he saw my breasts. He's not breastfed, so he's not so familiar with the looks of breasts. He asked me, Mama, Why do you have dede? I said, "because I'm a girl." To further enforce his gender learnings, I told him, "Yaya also has dede. She's also a girl." You and Daddy have no Dede! What are you? Hans thought for a minute, and then said.. "ah, Bestfriends."

First Crush

Hans met Cielo in a children's party at the office. Cielo is one of the guests. My officemates were teasing him to her. He also makes it a point to sit next to her. She's very pretty, around 4 years old, long hair. She looks like a model for children's magazine. Up until today, that hans is already 4 years old, when you ask him, Who is your crush? Even though he has new playmates and classmates. He always says, "cielo" in a respectful tone with reverence. Para bang, the girls now are no match for my first love...

Ivan's 1st Hair Cut

2007-10-27T05:22:00.000-07:00

Haba na ng buhok nya! He's already 1.2 years old, yet hindi pa nagugupitan. I have some sentimental feelings. I want him retain that baby looks. His Dad wants him to be kalbo like his Kuya Hans when he was about the same age. But I said, Ivan has a different personality. Hans is tough. A bit rough on the edges. Ivan is cool. He's the quiet artist type.

We went to the Kids Salon at Robinson's Galleria. Initially si Hans ang pinagupitan. But we decided, sige, pati na rin si Ivan, because he has been scratching his head these past few days. Pero sana... long hair pa rin ha.. I don't want skin head! The salon is really made for kids. The seats are colored cars. There are toys and television sets. The kids are kept still watching tv. While waiting they can play in the play area. But cuts are expensive, 280 per child!

Sulit na rin after Hans was finished. He looked like a clean-school boy. Dito sa neighborhood barber, hindi pantay-pantay ang gupit, pag tumubo, sabog-sabog. Dito ung gupit pulido talaga. Then, it was Ivan's turn.. initially behave sya sa chair. So, we were aiming for a barbers' cut. But then after awhile ang likot na. He wants to get up, he keep looking at the barbero. Nangangati. Hay, sige na nga. Grasshead! Kalbuhin na! Out with the razor!

A few minutes with the razor..wow! Is he the same child? Ibang-iba ang dating. Even the other folks in the salon agrees, lumutang ang face ni Ivan. Hmm.. naging tough-looking. But he's still the same cutie.. Look here!

Lessons from my Son's 1st Field Trip

2007-10-07T15:48:00.000-07:00

The permissions slip said, " Attire: PE t-shirt and jogging pants or jeans." What is so hard to understand with that? Or am I just too neglectful and I just told the yaya, wear PE. Hans was the only one wearing shorts at his 1st outing! I didn't bring any extra shorts because I though he will be as clean as can be, having a mom beside him all throughout. Unfortunately, that's wishing for the stars! At our 1st stop at Manila Zoo, they all made a beeline for the slides. With just a few turns, the back of his red shorts was a dirty as a rag. Hay! Ano ba yan hans! Nag-slide ka pa kasi! :) Blame childhood not a mom's neglect! The other moms told, didn't you bring any extra pants? "No." "Sayang, my son's pants are too big for hans. Otherwise we would have lent it to him." "Thanks for the thought Tita." (Auggh.. it placed me notch lower than the yaya's on Skills Scale)

We've already gone to this Kinder Zoo before when Hans was just two. But it seems Hans has forgotten all about it. He's excited seeing the alligators, the snakes, keeps asking where's the elephant is. Which at the moment, doesn't feel like showing itself. There's an unexpected silence among moms, when we came to a glass cage of two Komodo Dragons (Iguanas) on top of each other, in an undoubted sexual position. The silence was broken when Hans said, "mom, he's scratching the back of the other Iguana." Good thinking Hans! Kids really love animals, no matter how the smell sticks to your shirts. No matter how many zoos you've been to. Seeing another open-mouthed alligator, or a nosy ostrich will never fail to ellicit Wows and Shrieks.

On the rented bus, they all took out their baon. The mother & daughter team beside us had hotdog sanchwiches. The mother & son behind us had chocolate chips cookies. I took out our French Baker Muffins. It's actually yummy.. and expensive ha! I was confident last night, that my son won't be able to resist them. Ooops, field trip day, Hans doesn't like them. He keeps looking at the hotdog that the other mom is feeding her daughter, and whispered to my ear, "Mom, can i have chocolate chip cookies?" "But hans! I already declined the woman's offer awhile ago!" Hay... I should have asked Yaya to cook that 1 kilo hotdog at home, and brought it with us! What else do i have in my bag? Cheetos, pretzels, jelly beans, pringles. None of which, interests his palate.

Next stop was Onstage Greenbelt to watch the play Cinderella's. There were so many kids from all other pre-schools. Buti na lang Hans' uniforms are red & white. Wouldn't be difficult to miss him!

It was Hans' 1st time to watch a play. He probably thought we were just watching a movie. But when the lights went up and a chorus of actors & actress sang in the stage, he was taken aback. "Ma!," He uttered, surprised at the turn of events and move over to my lap. From then on, he was transfixed. Buti na lang, I had told him the story of Cinderella in one of our nightime storytelling days ago. At least he can follow the follow the plot.

After the play, we had lunch at Jolibee at the mall just downstairs of the theater. I just able to converse with the moms. Most of them knew one another. They said they are more familiar with my husband Ted, since he brings Hans to school everyday. (Ya, the absentee Mom) The SAHM usually wait for the kids until dismissal time. One of the moms told me that she plans to transfer her son to montessori. Apparently due to the several number of NI. (Needs Improvement) comments her son got in the card. (What? Don't you want to think about what's wrong why he's getting that instead of just tranferring him to another school?)
She said that her son just turned 4, it was his 1st time to be in school. He's not yet as behaved as the others. She said the school should base their gradings on the learning alone not behavior. (gosh, this is just playschool! should isn't this the time to teach kids how to behave? )
Next we went to the Science Centrum in Marikina City. After our visit to the Palace of Arts & Science in San Francisco, CA; this visit to the local copy is really, really disappointing. The place is so hot! There's no ventilation. The displays are dirty. They scheduled field trips at the same time. There were lots of sweaty, rowdy elementary students. It's noisy. Hans is also bored. Good thing that they have this air-conditioned & carpeted area for the younger kids. There was a wall for climbing & I was amazed at how hans was really good at it. He's strong & climbed until the top most! So much energy...

After the dismal Science Centrum, we walked towards the mall to view the Biggest Shoe in the World. It's displayed at a shoe store who sponsored the shoe. They're huge. The kids had fun sliding down to it. Until we were asked to stop! It's an exhibit not a little tykes slide!

We went home.. tired.

US Trip : 2nd Day

2007-08-02T01:50:00.000-07:00

If you're in LA, do not visit Universal Studios and Disneyland magkasunud na araw. You'll usually stay up in either place late at night. Chances are, you will be so tired the next day, you might not have enough energies to enjoy the next place.

Our pamangkins/tour guides superbly planned our itinerary. Our 2nd day in LA was more slow-paced. We went to the Chinese Theater. It's where the foot and handprints of famous celebrities are immortalized on the concrete pavement. I learned that the idea came from an untoward incident. A certain movie actor, in the 60s (70s) fell-out of the window of the theater, and made some marks on a wet cement. The owner of the chinese theather thought it would be an interesting concept for the establishment. It's fun comparing our own feet size, with the feet of Arnold Swarchzenegger, Tom Cruise, even feet prints of Donald Duck!

On the sidewalks of both sides of the stretch of Hollywood Boulevard, we saw the stars of famous celebrities. Of course, I looked for the star of my idol, Johnny Depp. I'm all smiles, as you can see.

There are roving mascots; men & women in superheroes costumes. A photo with one, will cost you a dollar each.

We took pictures at the Kodak Theater, home of the Oscars. But on ordinary day, it looks like an ordinary mall.

We also went to the galleries of Madam Tussaud and the Guiness Book of World Records. You only pay once, and you get to see both museums. The wax scupture were so life-like. Hans was a bit scared on some of them, except, of course the replicas of the Ninja Turtles, Spiderman and Superman.

There are plenty of tours being offered,in brochures, in the different shops. One of them is a tour of celebrity houses in Beverly Hills. Although, really, You have no way of confirming, if the houses they will be pointing out, are really owned by that particular celebrity. They can just point any of the fabulous homes in LA.

We were lucky to have very patient hosts, my husband's niece Shelby and her hubby Joseph, and their 2 lovable kids Seth and Sean. When I candidly ask where the famous Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive is, they gladly offered to include it in the itinerary. I thought it's just nearby. Malayo pala.

We passed through the famous sunset boulevard. It's just a long strip of highway, where on the horizon, almost blinding you while you're driving, is the setting sun.

Another icon of Beverly Hills are the very tall palm Trees, lining the avenues. They're so classy.

The rows and rows of upscale shops in Rodeo Drive are so intimidating. We didn't dare go into the shops except Coach's.

Sayang we didn't see any artista. But there were lots of nice fancy cars and nice, thin, beautiful people in fancy restaurants. There are lots of tourists, like us, looking around, having their photos taken in the landmarks.

Next stop... Universal Studios!

US Trip : 1st Day

2007-08-01T20:44:00.000-07:00

This trip happened in August 2007. However, I keep stalling to finishing this journal. I fixed all the albums, hardcopy and the online versions. The only thing that will tie-up everything, is to include the adventures in my blog. I only starting blogging recently, and it's a great way to preserve my thoughts and memories.

When I was given the chance by our company, Nu Skin to visit our head office in Provo, Utah, USA. My husband & i took it as a wonderful opportunity to visit our relatives in the US. We brought along our 4-year old son Hans. It was our first overseas trip as a family, and we intend to make the most out of it.
I was ready with Benadryl in case Hans makes a fuss with his ears on the flight, because he had a congested nose weeks before. But that was unnecessary, he gave no-fuss throughout the flight and was contented watching the inflight movies. Thanks goodness, they were showing Spiderman on that flight! He was fascinated with the giveaway toiletries. If only to have an excuse to go up and down the aisles, he wants to brush his teeth again, and make-weewee.

We met my husband's pamangkin Shelby, her hubby Joseph and two lovely kids Seth and Sean, at the Los Angeles Airport. They actually live in Fremont, California but since they will take us to the requisite sights in LA, it makes sense to meet in LA.

Hans didn't hit it off right away with the kids. They're were still making "pakiramdam" with each other. The kids are very quiet. As expected, we were jetlagged. Poor Hans. He doesn't know what hit him. His body clocks says 8am, he's up and about, but it's 12o' clock Midnight in the US. He keeps looking out the window of our hotel. "Mom, bakit gabi pa?" He doesn't want to turn-off the TV. He's was watching cartoons until he dozed up 3am US Time.

But I'm amazed at his resilience, when we woke-up 9am, he was up and about ready for the day. He even want to try the bath tub! But we had to go, our 1st day was spent at Disneyland! Hans can't seem to believe that he was in the Kingdom of Mickey House, his Idol. When we came in the gates, all he said with his eyes wide-open, "Wow!" He didn't know where to look first. He wants to take it all in. We all wanted to pose for pictures. All Hans wanted was to look around and take-in all the sights.

It's a great satisfaction to hear him recognize the Disney Characters that are found in his fairy tale books. Snow White. Cinderella. Simba and his Father Mufasa, Pinocchio, Little Mermaid. He knew even Dumbo's friend the mouse Timothy. He visited the houses of Mickey and Minnie. He enjoyed driving a car in his Auto...He even got his own "license."

We had a taste of Nemo's World, in a submarine-like ride, the latest one in Disney. The rode took us under the sea where we watch Nemo and his friends. We loved the Pirates of the Carribean ride, where we rode a boat, and went into "sea" where pirates battle it out, complete with gunshots and explosives.

Going around Disneyland, there's a train that takes you from one territory to another. There are various stops with different themes like Tomorrowland, Toontown, New Orleans, Main Street. You get entertained along the way with some sights like Dinousaur Era, this is the most fun for us, and we would relish seeing the life-like dinousaurs wherever we pass through. Hans is beginning to show his makulit side, when the trainmaster said, "all abroad." He echoed him, "all abroad" loudly which brought smiles to everyone.

With two Fil-am kids with us, Hans has no choice to also speak English as best as he can. It's so cute to hear him putting to use what we've practiced and what he hears on TV. If there's anything good about the cartoon shows he watches, it's the vocabulary that he gets and the phrases he imbibes from the cartoon characters.

We rode a fairy tale boat ride, where we can see tiny miniatures of the different disney castles, like the castle of Sleeping beauty, the market of Agraba & Jasmine's castle, the houses of Gepetto, little things that are so cute!

We also rode a jungle cruise, it's like being in Africa. We saw all the wild animals (robots of course) but they look so life-like. There are elephants, lions, tigers, even crocodiles and hippos that emerges from the water below.

The best for me, was the Indiana Jones Ride. You ride in an African Trailer, then the trailer goes for various spins. It happens in a blur where you go through the various Indiana Jones adventures like being under the Diamond Mines, the land of snakes, among others. It's so much fun. We wanted to ride again but the lines are long. Besides, the kids are waiting with Joseph. The kids are not allowed inside because of the rough ride.

The finale at a Disneyland visit, after the fabulous parade where all the characters come out with their amazing floats and costumes of the staff, was the light and sound shows at the lake. There was a lone fairy that rode up with a harness at the castle and finally a grand fireworks display! The kids asleep already at that time. For this trip, the most important thing we ever bought is the Stroller. Without it, we would have ended up with grouchy kids and dislocated shoulders for Joseph and Ted because they surely would have to carry those kids.