In this tiny island

2 things

2007-05-16T10:05:00.000+10:00

one - last day ko na ngayon sa work. woohoo! ang saya-saya!

two - ang sakit ng ingrown ko. waaah!

Dear Diary

2007-04-10T22:03:00.000+10:00

what to you do when you are offered the sun and the moon and the stars, things you have always wanted... but now that it's offered, you've actually decided to move to a different direction and the sun, moon and stars don't seem to matter as much anymore?

it's so tempting...

it's something that you've always wanted and you feel you deserve...

is it a matter of too late, baby!

and how do you say no to something like that?

help me, please!

2007-04-03T14:25:00.000+10:00

You can give without loving,
but you can not love without giving.
- Mother Teresa of Calcutta

The Comeback Misis

2007-03-30T13:53:00.000+10:00

I (re)joined the misis at wifespeaks thinking in the next couple of weeks, I will have more time in my hands, so I can have more time to blog. Thanks mga misis, for taking me back. And as the 2nd year anniversary topic for wifespeaks, here's my slumbook entry.

THE BASICS:

1. What is your (screen) name, and why did you choose that as your screen name?
ISLANDGIRL, because I'm a girl and I live on an island.

2. How long have you been married? Have kids?
3 years and 10 months married. We have a daughter who's 2 year and 10 months.

3. What is your favorite color? And how has your color preference influenced your life (if it has)? My favorite color is blue. Yes, I went to a college who's school color is blue.

4. What are your hobbies?
I love to chat and surf on the internet, I sing (and dance sometimes), I like to read.

5. What is your motto in life?
In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.

6. Do you have pets?
Fish. Dati madami, ngayon isa na lang natira.

7. What are the three adjectives that best describe your spouse?
God-centered, kind, reliable

8. Give three songs that best describe you.

9. What satisfies you about the work that you do?
you get to predict the future and validate your predictions right away

10. Do you blog? Where? Can we visit?
here!

CHIKAHAN:

1. Define Love.
Love is a decision.

2. Kakaibang talento mo.
Kaya kong magchat, mag-blog, mag-surf, mag-email at magtrabaho ng sabay-sabay.

3. Share your adobo recipe.
Here's my rule - 1 is to 2. 1 part toyo, 2 parts suka. Depends on how 'masabaw' you want your adobo, but just follow these ratios. Then lots of garlic and peppercorn.

4. Describe your current screensaver/wallpaper.
It's a picture of Abby and her friend Lawrence on Christmas eve. Magka-akbay sila.

5. During your teenage years, what fad/s did you follow? Why?
I followed everything - denim mini skirt, bangs, tall bangs, and even taller bangs, the Demi Moore-Ghost hair style, Tretorn and K-swiss sneakers, Giordan backpack, those wallets that are made of floral prints that have velcro on them, making your wallet into a 'photo album' with lots of pictures of your family and barkada --- and lots more!

6. How many times have you had a broken heart? Which was the worst and how did you recover from it?
I've only had one boyfriend. And I'm married to him now.

7. If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why?
To heal the hearts of those who are sorrowful.

8. What frightens you about getting old?
Getting old alone.

9. Do you have a guilty pleasure?
Chismis magazine and websites, and chocolates!!!

10. What's your favorite chore?
hmmmm... meron ba? Sige na nga cooking!

11. Describe your wedding ring.
It's a plain white-gold band with three small diamonds.

12. If you could have a tattoo, what would it look like?
Probably my initials, and hubby's and Abby's. RMA

13. What book would you like to be made into a movie? Who would you like to star in it?
The shopaholic series. I don't know who should be the star.

14. Share something that you do not believe in.
I do not believe in being content in a relationship. Cause then it starts to become stale. We should always thrive to make a relationship work.

:

1. First love never dies.
TRUE.

2. You can change your partner once you're married.
FALSE. Only he can decide to change himself.

3. The Philippines is worth it.
TRUE.

4. Women are moodier than men.
FALSE.

5. James Yap is innocent (Sorry Kris!).
FALSE.

6. 80s fashion is coming back.
TRUE.

7. Angels.
TRUE.

8. Good and bad luck come in threes.
FALSE.

9. Destiny.
TRUE.

10. It is better to have love and lost, than never to have loved at all.
TRUE.

TIPS:

1. What is you favorite skin care product?
I've changed so many times, but I think I like Aveeno a lot.

2. What do you do to keep fit?
What's fit? hehehe

3. Where do you do your bargain shopping?
Ross, TJ Maxx, Greenhills, Divisoria

4. Recommend an effective household cleaning item.
Swiffer and those new Clorox wipes.

5. Sex.
Enjoy it!

Full of grace

2007-03-29T14:48:00.000+10:00

I just feel so blessed that 3 important symbols of my faith was recently here on island, and that we were able to share in the festivities for them.

Sometime December 2006, the image of Our Lady of Fatima was here. Unfortunately, we were still on our vacation when Our Lady visited our parish. Fortunately, she was here long enough for us to see her in one of the other parishes. She truly is one of the most beautiful images of our dear mama mary.

Then, early March, the World Youth Day cross was here. Hubby and I can't stop reminiscing when 12 years ago, we were very active in the WYD celebrations in Manila. And we were one of the first people who were able to touch the cross, since our Rover Scout group (college boy scouts - yes, I was a boy scout!) was part of the infrastructure, sites and layouts committee. Our team was there when the cross was brought in. And we had our picture taken too. (i'll have to scan it and show it later, but you probably won't recognize us, ang papayat pa namin sa picture!) Our team was even featured in one of the newspapers in the Philippines, as the writer is the father of one of the guys in our team.

So going back, on March 8, I was able to see, touch and kiss the WYD cross again. And what made it extra special was my daughter was with me to share the event. She may be too young to really understand the significance of this cross that the late Pope John Paul II gave to the youth of the world, but I know someday we will cherish this time together. (again, i don't have the picture, will post it soon)

Then last night, we were blessed again to be able to see the relics of the passion. They are 8 relics that are believed to be part of the passion of our Lord. There was one that is a sliver of wood of the original cross. Then a replica of the nails that was used to crucify Christ. Also an effigy of the veil that Veronica used to wipe the face of Jesus. A piece of wood from the table of the last supper. A relic from the crown of thorns. A relic from the shroud that Jesus was buried in. And... oops, I forgot the other 2. But anyway, I know some of these will not be the original, but they still symbolize Christ's love for us that He died on the cross for us to save us from sin.

Holy week is coming soon. Such perfect timing that we are reminded of the things during Christ's passion to remember Jesus' sacrifice... a perfect time for us to reflect on how God has truly touched our lives... how He truly loves us to His death... and how we should strive to stay closer to Jesus and be true Christians.

tumon bay music festival

2007-03-10T14:55:00.000+10:00

i am a part of a group called MAGIS and we participated in the 3rd Tumon Bay Music Festival.

here are some of the pictures of our first night of performance.

tumon music fest 030307

note: there are 10 photos and 4 videos on this album

we were chosen to sing on March 8 in the Comman Performance for the festival under the open category. pictures of that soon.

then on March 9, we were awarded a trophy for actually winning in the festival. congratulations, MAGIS!

comment on the comments

2007-02-13T11:03:00.000+10:00

dahil ngayon lang ako nag-upgrade ng blogger, ngayon lang lumabas yung mga comments na 2006 pa napost ng aking readers (naks!). sorry po at di ko nasagot mga comments ninyo. at baka too late na rin para sagutin sila kasi 2007 na e.

i hope to update this blog more often. dahil abangan at maraming pasasabugin this 2007.

meet enzo (aka lawrence, aka oyie)

2007-02-13T10:52:00.000+10:00

sya ang best friend ni abby ngayon. born 3 months and 2 weeks after abby.... lagi silang nagkikita pag nagsisimba at nagpa-practice for the choir ang mga magulang. they practically grew up together. ang sarap panoorin na sabay silang lumalaki. ngayong pareho na silang makulit...

abby and enzo

if you can't view the slideshow, you can see the pics here.

2007-02-06T12:21:00.000+10:00

buti pa ang manok, nangingitlog...
ako, hindi!

looking forward...

2006-10-09T11:46:00.000+10:00

finally, matutuloy na rin ang bakasyon namin!

with the all the things that have been happening at work, it looked like there was no opportunity for me to take a vacation. so what's the use of those 18 days of vacation leave available? in my work, if you don't use it, you lose it. it can't be accrued for the following year, nor can it be encashed.

to explain my rant further, sometime mid this year, my boss resigned, in the middle of proposal preparations for the government's health plan!! i was planning to take a couple of week then (before i found out she was quitting) so we can spend time with family in the states, and also take advantage of the airline promos during that time. anyway, with my boss gone, i was the most senior member of the staff. also, from a head count of 4, we were down to 2, because the other person in the department decided to move to a different department.

so hectic june and july happened with me and my co-worker working tirelessly to finish deadlines that were for 4 people. (i imagine she racked up a lot of overtime hours, as for me, i racked up a lot of headaches, no over time for me =<)

august looked promising. we just finished negotiations with the government and it might be great to have a breather. then island boy tells me that the church will have a golf tournament fund raiser on august 26, of all dates, his birthday! so in short, we can't go because he'll be preparing for that event. but i sure was saddened because my whole family (save for us) was in chicago at that time to see my new niece, jadyn. well it's fine. there's still september right? and september looks like a free month for me, work-wise at least.

mid to late august, our pastor was appointed monsignor! the mass was going to be in september. and of course, hubby had to be there and he also had to help prepare.

btw, the golf tournament was postponed (what the...?)... and finally happened on september 23. so long stor short, august and september happened, and i still have full leave. islandbaby got sick, instead of using personal leave i just used my vacation leave for 2 days.

so here i am with 16 more days left. i've accepted the fact that i might just get my leave one day for every week, so maybe have long weekends of something.

you see october and november will be hectic for me as we will be having a number of projects for those months.

then a couple of weeks back, there was a promo for deferred payment using our credit card if we book thru a certain travel agency. then the week after that promo went out, the airline came out with promo fares to the states!

i had to ask permission from the ceo (i'm reporting directly to her now). island boy asked the pastor (well, technically he hasn't said yes, but he did not say no either). last saturday, we booked out flight and we're off to take two weeks vacation. yehey!

now the problem is how to we split the two weeks among all the people who want to see us. relatives in san diego, a have a good friend in l.a., my sister in bakersfield, my aunt in las vegas, and my brother in chicago. we definitely won't have time for canada. maybe next year.

anyway, i'm excited. finally a family vacation for this year. so looking forward to november...

What have I been through?

2006-09-12T14:04:00.000+10:00

I got this from one blog I saw. Thought it was interesting and worth giving a try.

Highlight the ones you’ve done.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said ‘I love you’ and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped (di pa, pero wish ko yan)
11. Visited Paris (hindi pa rin, pero gusto ko rin)
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game (naku ULTRA days pa to)
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables (does calamansi count?)
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars (too many camping trips)
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne (hmm, I've had champagne, pero di talaga ako nalalasing e)
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run (pwede sa family computer?)
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was shit faced
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them (share a seat, win a friend - hehehe)
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero (Supergirl!)
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken (first and last and only)
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class (judo for PE)
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark (sharf fin pwede?)
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house (constructed ba pwede)
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children (actually, raising)
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery (appendicitis)
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life

hay ang haba... ikaw, what have you done so far?

had to blog about this

2006-09-07T08:52:00.000+10:00

yesterday, the usual routine, i would wake up. take a bath. then get abby. kahit tulog sya binubuhat ko sya para paliguan... but yesterday was different.

tulog pa rin nang dalhin ko sya para paliguan. pagkahubad ko ng pajama at diaper, biglang umupo, pero nakapikit pa rin. nang buhusan ko na ng tubig, aba! pikit pa rin!

natapos na lang maligo, tulog pa rin. although paminsan-minsan dumidilat. binuhat ko na pabalik sa kwarto para bihisan. TULOG PA RIN!

nasuklayan na, nabihisan na, may cologne na, tulog pa rin si abby. grabe na toh! super mantika.

this morning, akala ko gagawin pa nya ulit. well tulog pa rin sya habang pinapaliguan. pero nang matapos nang maligo, finally nagising na. pero pagbuhat ko sa kanya at ibalik sa kwarto, paglagay ko sa kanya sa bed, tulog ulit! hahaha... takaw tulog ata itong aking anak.

waaaaahhhhhh

2006-07-07T11:59:00.000+10:00

di ako pumasa sa exam ko...

dapat na bang mag-isip ng career change?

FLASHBACK: GOING BACK IN TIME

2006-07-04T10:15:00.000+10:00

kahit na sabi ni cynch na panis na ang mga balita ko, gusto ko pa rin kayong iupdate sa mga nangyari sa amin nung may...

may 1st, hubby and baby went to the philippines. si hubby para ipagamot ang kanyang kidney stones. thanks to the mileage that i got from my vegas trip, nakakuha kami ng almost free flight thru mileage reward. si baby girl naman, since less than 2 years old pa lang, e mura lang ang pamasahe. they stayed for 2 weeks sa pinas. gusto ko man sumama, ang dami kong kailangang gawin. pati na rin may exam ako nung may 16th, kaya i took the extra time to review for my exam. deciding factor itong exam na to... but more of that later.

so they were there for 2 weeks, and hubby was practically at st. luke's everyday. laking pasalamat ko lang na malapit bahay namin sa st. luke's. kasi imagine, titingnan ng doctor. tapos order tests. pagkatapos ng tests, wala na si doc sa clinic, so balik na naman the next day para i-read results. tapos depende sa results more tests pa. pabalik-balik talaga. buti na lang at natulungan si hubby ng manila office ng kumpanya namin.

timing din ang uwi nila kasi kinasal naman yung isang first cousin ni hubby.

ako naman, aral nga ako. actually i was cramming already kasi dapat ang pag-aral starts at least 3 months from the exam date. but with all the things that's been happening at work, parang di ko masingit ang pag-aaral. mahirap lang talaga i-balance time between work and family, tapos mag-aaral pa for actuarial exams. kaya nga the two weeks na wala sila, i tried to study. di ko alam kung ang result ng exam na ito ang magdedecide sa aking future sa career na ito. kasi kung pumasa man ako dito, i would have 7 more exams to take. kayanin ko pa kaya?

bumalik sila hubby and baby nung mother's day. pero hapon na. nagsimba lang kami that night, tapos kumain na lang sa labas. yun na ang pinaka-celebration namin ng mother's day.

oo nga pala, may 1 was also the day na nagsabi sa kin ang aking boss (also ninang sa kasal) na magreresign na sya. it was something that i knew was bound to happen, di ko lang alam kung kelan. it wasn't much of a shock anymore but still it was surprising. naturete ang mundo ko... dahil sa kakaisip kung gusto ko pa rin magstay sa company... tapos iniisip ko pa mag-ama ko na nasa pilipinas... tapos iniisip ko pa ang exam ko. haay!!!!!!! she gave a month's notice... but it still wasn't enough i think, considering 13 years of experience in the company. ang laki na ng responsibilities nya.

may 17, we celebrated our 3rd year anniversary. simple lang naman. kasi still had to go to work that day. so kain lang sa labas. ininvite namin si boss cum ninang, since hubby nya was off-island at that time. isip namin, it might be our last anniversary na makakasama namin sya. kumain kami sa tony roma's. yum, yum. sarap talaga ng ribs nila.

may 23rd naman, 2nd birthday ni baby abby. di na sya baby!!! syempre may pasok ulit si mommy and daddy kaya dinner na lang kami bumawi. kumain na lang kami sa pietro, isang bagong italian restaurant, kasama naman si ninang linda at papa rolly ni abby. nakakahalata na ba kayo, puro kainan?

may 26 was relay for life. it's an annual fund-raising event for the american cancer society. bale, it's from 7pm to 7am the next day. a lot of the island establishments just gather to have some fun and donate to charity. lakad lang around the tracks. pumunta kami pero sandali lang. mahirap nang mapuyat si bebe.

may 28 was abby's birthday celebration. at first we were planning na magluto lang sa bahay and invite just close friends, mga ninong, ninang... pero nung ilista namin, aba umabot ng mga 40 to 50 ang guest list. so we decided na sa restaurant na lang at di naman kasya ang 50 people sa aming mumunting apartment. we had a simple lunch at seafood chef. okay naman, sarap ng food. eto pictures nung 'party' ni abby.

o ayan ang highlights ng may. june na lang ang bubunuin ko!

HINDI AKO BUNTIS!!!

2006-07-03T10:49:00.000+10:00

nakakatawa, tumawag ako sa mama ko kagabi, at ang bungad nya sa akin... "o, naglilihi ka na daw!" ako naman, "saan nyo naman napulot yang chismis na yan?"

apparently hindi sila nagkaintindihan ng mga taong nasa nabua. umuwi kasi si auntie alice, taga dito din sa guam. pero matagal ko nang di nakikita si auntie alice, siguro isang tao na mahigit. ang binabalita ata nyang buntis e yung anak nya na kinasal last year. pero ang intindi ng mga lola sa probinsya e ako daw ang buntis.

paano ako mabubuntis e may hormonal imbalance nga ako. at ako ay umiinom pa ng gamot para ma-correct ang imbalance! yon lang. just to set the record straight.

2006-07-03T10:14:00.000+10:00

hay nakakatamad. it's july 3rd, monday. kakatapos lang ng weekend. tapos bukas holiday ulit (4th of july). kalahati ata ng kumpanya nakaleave ngayon. kaya nga ako nakakapag-update ng blog e. hehehe

siksik na siksik na july 1

2006-07-02T10:02:00.000+10:00

hay grabe, punung-puno ang araw namin nung july 1.

first, hubby woke up really early in the morning to play his 18 holes of golf. ako naman woke up around 830, tapos did the laundry na. si islandbaby tulog dahil napuyat the previous night, nag-attend kasi kami ng sweet 16 party (dito kasi sa guam ang debut ng mga babae, hindi 18, kundi 16th birthday nga). after pa nung sweet sixteen, e humabol pa kami sa 4th of july weekend sale ng macy's, tapos nagpunta pa kami sa kmart. e talaga namang napagod ang aking baby girl.

pagkagising ko, i did the laundry while waiting for little abby to wake up. and finally, at around 10am, nagising na ang aming prinsesa. nanood muna sya ng cartoons nya habang tinatapos ko ang aking labada. at 1130, ready na kami to go to our office's family day, kumbaga e outing kung dyan sa pilipinas. we had it at one of the water parks. enjoy na enjoy ang bata. at syempre dahil mahilig sa tubig si abby, no choice ang mommy kundi magswimming din. si daddy at si ninong anthony, na kasama sa golf, ay sumunod na lang sa waterpark. bukod sa daming food, aba may raffle prizes at give-aways pa. nanalo kami ng tool set para sa kotse tapos yung give-away, bag na may lamang tshirt at tuwalya, may shampoo at sabon pa! for the kids may give-away na mga laruan.

ang daming pagkain!!! ang saya-saya. outing talaga.

around 330, nagdecide na kaming umuwi. pero tumawag ang mga kaibigan na kasosyo sa mahjong! yup, we have a new pasttime, mahjong nga. ang pustahan, $0.25 lang naman. hahaha nagdala din pala kami ng napakaraming balot na pagkain dahil nag-uumapaw nga ang pagkain dun sa outing.

at around 6, we had to go home and prepare for 7pm anticipated mass. after the mass, punta naman sa bahay ng isang friend to eat dinner. birthday nya kasi.

o di ba, daming happening. will post pictures of the family day soon.

so what happened in april

2006-06-23T16:26:00.000+10:00

quick run down of what happened in the month of april

celebrated my 29th
flew 16 hours to las vegas, with islandbaby sitting on my lap. had to go to a seminar. imagine, my total flight to and from las vegas, mas mahaba pa kesa sa seminar na inattendan ko. i'm so proud of my baby dahil super behaved sya sa eroplano. lahat ng katabi namin kinocongratulate ako at ang bait daw ng anak ko sa plane. di tulad ng ibang bata na umiiyak pag take-off and landing.
had to bring baby with me kasi si hubby busy sa activities for holy week sa church.
at dahil nasa vegas na rin lang ako, met with my auntie and sister. ang saya-saya! gustung-gusto nilang makita si baby (at hindi ako!)... went to hoover dam, lake mead, tapos nagdrive pa kami to california where my sister lives
yung plane pabalik to guam from los angeles, nadelay. so we spent good friday lunch at redondo beach in l.a., tapos the next day na kami nakabalik sa guam
nakabalik kami sa guam, easter sunday na. so wala nang pahinga at pasok na agad the next day. will post pictures of our trip sa next post
oh, before i forget, got a new toy... a sony cybershot T5, yeah!

http://marie.wifespeaks.com

2006-06-23T16:24:00.000+10:00

hey, i have a new url! thanks mama mee. ang mga wifespeaks misis ay meron nang sari-sariling mga url with wifespeaks. o di ba high tech na.

so please update your links. mas maganda na yung url ko... although the tagaisla one still works

I'M BACK!

2006-06-23T16:22:00.000+10:00

whew! close to 3 months ko nang di napapansin itong blog ko. sige na, i'll give you the usual answer... busy ako!!!

will try to give you a run down of what's been happening to us the past 3 months. ang dami na actually na nangyari. di ko alam kung maaalala ko pa lahat. but i'll try to update the blog.

like the new skin? still working on it para mapaganda pa. but for now, ganyan na muna sya.

wait for the new posts.

What's my true color?

2006-03-28T08:41:00.000+10:00

Your true color is Green!

What's Your True Color?

Brought to you by Tickle

You're green, the color of growth and vigor. Good-hearted and giving, you have a knack for finding and bringing out the best in people. Green is the most down-to-earth color in the spectrum — reliable and trustworthy. People know they can count on you to be around in times of need, since your concern for people is genuine and sincere. You take pride in being a good friend. For you, success is measured in terms of personal achievement and growth, not by status or position. Rare as emeralds, greens are wonderful, natural people. It truly is your color!

Tagged by Mickee

2006-03-21T17:10:00.000+10:00

matagal na kong walang post. pero sagutin ko muna tong tag ni Mickee

Mommy: Q & A

How did you feel during those first few days after the birth?
==> I still couldn't believe that I gave birth to an 8.8lb baby, thru normal delivery, with no epidural!!! Nakakaloka, kaya ko pala. Syempre happy ako that our dear darling has arrived. Pero feeling alone, kasi di pa dumadating mama ko from pinas. Most of the time, kami lang ni baby sa bahay. Buti na lang magaling sa chores ang asawa ko.

How were you emotionally?
==> I was happy then sad then feel sorry for myself, specially if hubby needed to go to work. Then happy again lalo na if the baby coos... then sad, lalo na if the baby poos. Tapos feeling sorry, kasi kahit na normal, masakit ang tahi down there.

Is there anything you wish people had told you about the postpartum period?
==> That it doesn't stop at just giving birth. That you would have oh so many sleepless nights. That though you think you are a natural with kids, you won't know until you are with a newborn 24 hours a day... lastly, that you would be crying too while the baby is crying.

How long do you plan to breastfeed?
==> Abby's 22 months now. I breastfed her for 8 months. Sayang nga, I wanted it to be longer. But my milk supply just wouldn't let me. All of a sudden, it dried up. Stress siguro.

Do you have any advice for getting through those first weeks of breastfeeding?
==> Tiyaga lang talaga. There is no such thing as no milk. For the first few days, wala talaga kayong makikitang lumalabas, but if the baby is latched correctly, meron syang nakukuha. Tapos, once the milk comes, just make sure to feed every 2 to 4 hours. Pag sobra nang engorged, try to pump a little first para di masyado matigas ang breast before feeding baby, kasi masakit pag sobra kang engorged, then the baby sucks! Para sa letdown, just relax, try a warm compress on your breast. Tsaka try to breastfeed the baby as long as you can.

Was there any stress between you and your husband over the baby?
==> Oo. Kasi nga when I would feel sorry for myself, parang he looks at me thinking siguro ang arte ko naman. Hehehe... tapos all the attention is on the baby na. E may stitches din ako down there so kailangan ko rin ng TLC di ba?

Let's talk about your body, Did things get totally rearranged?
==> Let's just say I was thin pre-pregnancy. hehehe... Need to work off a few more pounds

Care to share how much you weighed before and how much now?
==> I could but I'd have to kill you after.

What advice-or comfort-can you offer other new moms about their weight ?
==> When you're a mom, suddenly your weight doesn't matter as much as the total health and welfare of your baby and your family.

How important is it for you to have a work identity?
==> I always say I dream of being a housewife and a stay-at-home-mom. But I think I'm more productive when I'm working. Because the times that I've been home, we would just watch TV or sleep the whole afternoon. Bad ba... plus I need to be around people. I enjoy that part of being at work.

Was your baby a lot of fun right from the start?
==> She was fun all right but also a pain in the neck.

What's your baby like now?
==> She's 22 months. She is in the terrible two's already. Knows how to assert herself. Knows what she wants and doesn't want. Can count to ten, when she's in the mood. Very friendly, and waves and says hello to almost everybody.

It would be nice to hear from other mom's too, so if your not busy with your little one, care to share - Joy, Hazel, hmmm, isip pa ako ng iba.

no lines and lines

2006-02-23T17:07:00.000+10:00

it's february, usually the time of year that i have to renew the registration of the car. also, since the DMV and RevnTax offices are close to each other, i prefer to file our income tax returns at the same time. and usually, i do it sometime first or second week of february.

so i did these errands today, on my lunch break. it was a breeze going thru DMV (dept of motor vehicles) because i downloaded the forms from the internet so when i got there, i just lined up, paid and left. not even 5 minutes! i think it would be really, really fast when they accept online renewals. hahaha

for revntax, i had to find my way around the bldg because this is the first time that i have to file thru the cashier. it's the first year that we are not getting a refund, plus we have to pay more. waaaahhh!!!! i made errors in the computation of my deductions, so we end up paying more this year. mind you, it's not a small amount. but it's not that big either. but i could have bought the couch that was on sale at kwong hwa. howell.... but still the process was quick. i paid (and they accept credit cards too!), they stamped, i left. maybe did this for 10 minutes. there weren't a lot of people yet because filing deadline is not till april 15 anyway.

ok 15 minutes gone from my lunch break. it took me 10 minutes to get from work to DMV. 25 minutes, i still have 35 to go. i'll just grab my lunch to go and if there's time i can eat in the lounge.

i've been wanting to eat subway for a couple of days now and as i saw subway down the street, i decided to stop and get my lunch from there. ha! it took me 30 minutes to get my order as the line was so long (remember, lunch break). so, i end up eating lunch at my desk, while reading my email. as an afterthought, i should have just gone drive-thru at taco bell. hehehe

let's count

2006-02-23T16:49:00.000+10:00

21 months na si islandbaby ngayon.

one of her recent milestones was learning to count. ganito ang aming dialogue...

me: abby, let's count... one
islandbaby: tu (mommy echoes, two)
IB: chree (echo: three)
IB: or (four)
IB: ay (five)
IB: ik (six)
IB: memen (seven)
IB: eyt (eight)
IB: nay (nine)
IB: en (ten)

clap, clap, clap

2006-02-09T11:47:00.000+10:00

last night, i was preparing little islandbaby for bed.

i changed her diaper and put on her jammies...

i gave her her toothbrush ... then later finished the job for her

i gave her her sippy cup so she can drink some water

after all these, all of a sudden she said "Tatyu, mom" (Thank you, mom) without me prodding her.

Aaaaw, so heart-warming!

4

2006-02-01T13:56:00.000+10:00

Tagged by cez...

4 jobs i've had in my life
1. actuarial trainee at ayala life
2. actuarial assistant at ayala life
3. assistant actuary at staywell
4. wife to roy and mom to abby

4 movies i could watch over and over
1. My Best Friend's Wedding
2. Beauty and the Beast (Disney version ha)
3. Beaches
4. Sleepless in Seattle

4 Places I've Lived
1. San Juan
2. Gilmore Heights, QC
3. Dededo, Guam
4. Tamuning, Guam

4 tv shows i love to watch
1. CSI
2. The Apprentice
3. Dancing with the Stars
4. Iron Chef America

4 Places I've Been on Vacation
1. Bicol
2. Davao
3. Baguio
4. Boracay

4 websites i visit daily
1. Yahoo!
2. Gmail
3. Inq7
4. Philstar

4 of my favorite foods
1. Potato chips
2. Adobo
3. Sushi/sashimi/tempura/tepanyakki - in short, Japanese
4. Chocolates

4 places i'd rather be right now
1. Boracay
2. Palawan
3. Bohol
4. Amanpulo

4 bloggers i'm tagging
1. Dang
2. Joy
3. Ela
4. Cynch

temptation, thy name is....

2006-01-30T14:00:00.000+10:00

....POTATO CHIPS!

my gosh, i finally gave in to my cravings. i bought a bag of lay's salt and vinegar yesterday. i finished 1/2 of the bag (huwaaaah)... and to make it worse, i had to have a bottle of soda to down it with.

sweepstakes

2006-01-25T11:15:00.000+10:00

"Congratulations, Maria! You have been entered in the Publisher's Clearing House sweepstakes. You can get to win a Chevy, $50,000, or a trip for two to Hawaii or Rome", that's the first I heard from this Derik Thomas guy who called me this morning. "Plus, you get to have these 4 magazines free of charge. And you know what, you are also entitled to a free diamond watch, etc. etc.

He kept telling me about all these free stuff I got to win. Then he said he'll be forwarding me to his supervisor so she can give me the tracking number. But the supervisor was busy at the moment, so he said she'll call me in 5 to 10 minutes.

Then the phone rang again...

"Hello, Maria. So you've spoken with my associate Derik. You know he just joined us. How did he treat you? And then she started saying something about being charged $3+ pero week, $16+ per month for 60 months then it stops automatically.

I asked, "so you're gonna charge me $16 dollars for the magazines that you said were free?"

Sup: But you are entitled to be entered in the sweepstakes and you could win a lot. Good luck by the way... etc etc.

Then I stated to be skeptical and was thinking I should have put down the phone on the first guy already. She started to ask if I had a major credit card. What bank issued the card.

Then the clincher "could you give me the 16 digits on your credit card, Maria?"

That's when I said "I'm sorry, I don't give out that information over the phone"

Sup: Maam, we are a multibillion dollar company. And we're not about to ruin that just because of $16.
Me: Still, I don't give out my credit card number over the phone. I don't fee comfortable with it.

Then she suddenly says this...
"Okay. We'll just bill you. GOODBYE!"

..... so much for customer service.... so much for the tracking number... so much for free stuff... so much for $50,000... it was just a sales tactic. Ayayay!!! Should have known better.

Wayou?

2006-01-18T09:10:00.000+10:00

This morning, after I dressed Abby, I proceeded to dress myself. Our apartment has 2 bedrooms but the whole family just sleeps in one room. The second room has become an extension of the master's room where we have our other clothes and other stuff. I went to the other room to get a blouse and I left the little islandbaby in the master's bedroom. Islandboy was in the shower....

Then I heard her... "mommy, wayou?" At first I didn't understand, until I saw my little angel looking around and repeating "mommy, wayou?". She looked in the kitchen... she looked in the living room still repeating "mommy, wayou?"

Then I realized, she was saying "mommy, WHERE ARE YOU?"... my islandbaby was looking for me because I left her in the room.

my labor story

2006-01-09T16:07:00.000+10:00

hindi po ako nanganak ulit. gusto ko lang ibahagi ang kwento ng aking pagpunta sa dentist.

nung 2002 pinatanggal ko na yung wisdom teeth ko sa right side. kasi impacted. sabi ng dentist, next time na umuwi ako, yung left side naman daw. medyo matagal din ako sa dentista, mga 4 hours siguro.

umuwi ako ng 2003. di pwede magpabunot kasi kinasal ako. 2004 super sandali lang ang uwi ko, one week lang, di kaya. so sabi ko 2005 talaga papabunot ko na ang impaktong impacted wisdom teeth ko.

buong pag-aakala ko na mga 4 hours lang ako sa dentista. pinaiwan ko muna si islandbaby sa mga in-laws ko at sabi ko sa gabi na lang ihatid sa bahay para sa hapon makapahinga muna ako pagkatapos ng bunot.

9:00 ang appointment. isip ko, tamang-tama... matatapos mga 1:00. kain sandali tapos tulog, para pagdating ng baby okay na ako.

2:00 nakaupo pa ko dun. text ko si sil, request ko padala ng lang ng food from jollibee. sabi ko mga 2:30 siguro tapos na.

3:00 nandun pa rin ako. nachip na yung ipin, pero nahirapan silang (mag-asawa kasi ang mga dentista ko) kunin yung natitira

4:30 nagdecide na i-xray ulit para makita kung gaano kalaki pa ang natira. nakabaon kasi ang ipin, di nag-erup sa gums. at mukhang nakadikit daw sa bone. e walang xray sa clinic ng dentist. kailangan pa kaming bumiyahe sa ibang clinic na may xray.

sobrang sakit na sya talaga. gusto ko na ngang sabihin sa kanila, ayaw ko na! isara nyo na lang ulit, tahiin nyo na please!!!!!

sa awa naman, natapos ng 8:00pm ang extraction. grabe, 11 hours, para akong nanganak. to think nung nanganak nga ata ako 10 hours lang labor ko.

and for the next few days after that, mukhang monay ang pisngi ko dahil maga...

si islandbaby? sa in-laws ko na lang sya natulog. binalik na lang sa amin the next day. hehe

summary of places we've been

2006-01-09T15:42:00.000+10:00

where we went:

glorietta, greenbelt, landmark
sa puregold para mag-grocery
sa Cardinal Santos Hospital (see related blog below)
sa dentist (more on this later)
168 mall sa divisoria
bellevue hotel sa alabang
robinson's galleria
greenhills
meralco
airport (para magsundo at maghatid)
tiendesitas
podium
edsa shangrila

hmmm, hindi pa kami masyadong nakaikot nyan....

food we ate (in no particular order):

max's (pwede ba namang hindi)
jollibee
mcdonalds
companion meals ng Cardinal Santos hospital
dec
yung steak place sa wilson na may eat all you can hungarian sausage (kalimot ko pangalan)
onesan sa wilson din
annabel lee - sarap ng cheesecake!
grilla (sayang, puno kasi sa gerry's)
teriyaki boy
greenwich
ang masarap na tender juicy purefoods hotdog
syempre purefood fiesta ham din
cafe bola
david's tea house
max brenner
bellevue
shabu-shabu sa podium
archie's bbq sa tiendesitas
kfc - namiss ko ang hot and crispy at unlimited gravy
mitzi's sa 168 - alam ko na kung bakit pinipilahan ang lechon macau nila
edsa shangrila

people we saw:

syempre mama at papa ko
si mama at daddy ni roy, plus his sisters
aunts and uncles sa side ng olaños
aunts and uncles and cousins sa camara - may wedding kasi
friends from high school
friends from college
ligaya friends
meralco friends

kulang nga. marami pa sanang gustong i-meet kaso nawalan na ng time at dahil sa naospital, nawalan din ng 2 days ng lakwatsa. pero masaya pa rin ang bakasyon. masarap talagang magpasko sa pinas. nga lang, MAGASTOS!!!!

uhaaa

2006-01-09T15:29:00.000+10:00

nagbakasyon kami sa pilipinas nung pasko at bagong taon.

meron ngang reunion ang pamilya namin sa probinsya. pilit akong sinasama ng mama ko at ng auntie ko, pero ayaw ko talagang sumama. mabuti na lang at hindi kami sumama ni island baby.

nung araw na umalis sila papuntang manila, nagsimula namang magsuka ang aking unica hija. kahit anong kainin nya, inilalabas nya. nung pang 6 o 7 na nyang suka, di ko na nakaya at umiyak na ako... naaawa na ako sa baby ko. at sya din ay iyak na rin ng iyak.

nagpasya na akong dalhin sya sa ospital kasi natatakot na akong baka madehydrate sya dahil panay nga ang suka... dinala ko sya sa ER ng cardinal santos. pinapakita ko ang insurance card namin dahil alam kong accredited kami sa ospital na yon...

intern: ay misis, wala po sa listahan ang insurance ninyo
ako: imposible kaya. ang pangalan ng ospital nyo ay nasa mga brochure namin. at dun ako nagtatrabaho sa insurance company na yan. kaya alam kong accredited kami dito.
intern: naku, e wala po talaga. baka po hindi updated ang listahan dito sa ER.
ako (na naiinis na, kasi nga may sakit anak ko, dapat hindi card ang pinag-uusapan namin): di bale na. babayaran ko na lang!!! basta tumatanggap kayo ng credit card ha...

tapos nung nagdesisyon nang i-admit si islandbaby para maswero at maiwasang madehydrate, ganun din ang eksena namin sa admissions. until finally sinabi sa kin, kausapin ko na lang daw kinabukasan ang marketing at humingi ng LOA (letter of authorization) galing sa insurance ko. tapos eto pa,

clerk: misis, magkano ho ba ang allowed na kwarto sa insurance ninyo?
ako: ha? wala kaming ganun... ano ba ang available ng kwarto?
clerk: yung 2,200 lang po ang available. (akala siguro nya di ko afford ang 2,200)
ako: wala nang iba? ano bang meron sa 2,200 na kwarto? (private room na may tv, ref at phone)
ako: o sige, yan na lang. para makapahinga na ang anak ko (mga 12pm na kasi nun)
clerk: ay, meron ho ba kayong philhealth?

nakakainis na ito... alam naman nyang galing ako sa guam, tatanungin nya ko kung may philhealth ako. haaayyyy

so ayon nga. naconfine si islandbaby. 2 araw din kami sa ospital. ang diagnosis, viral gastroenteritis. maaaring nakuha ang virus sa eroplano pa lang, o maaari sa mall at sa kung saan pa man.

okay na sya ngayon. pumayat. pero malakas pa ring kumain. sana ay manumbalik na ang dati nyang bigat. e payatot na nya sya, lalo pang pumayat.

hay, the trials of being a mother.

islandgirl turns cowgirl

2005-12-06T15:23:00.000+10:00

we had our office christmas party last saturday, and this year's theme was western. YEEHAH!

photo journal of abby during thanksgiving

2005-12-06T15:02:00.000+10:00

First we went to church to give thanks for Thanksgiving.

Then she went swimming at Ninong Jay's house

All that swimming made her hungry....

... and thirsty

... and later on sleepy

imagine taking a shower here

2005-12-06T14:55:00.000+10:00

that's a picture of the shower in our cottage at the Panglao Island Nature resort. o di ba, exciting! isipin mo paano ka maliligo? hehehe...

still daddy's girl

2005-12-06T14:48:00.000+10:00

nakakatuwa... kahit na ba ganito na ako katanda at kahit na may sarili na rin akong anak, i'm still daddy's girl.

ang papa ko naman, hindi sya very vocal na tao. kung iisipin nga sa mga love language siguro, ang primary nya ay acts of service. sa mga sulat lang nya sa akin (na bihira mangyari kasi madalas galing sa nanay ko ang sulat) makikita ang mga salitang 'i love you' hehehe... pero alam ko naman na love ako ng papa ko, lalo na ba at ako ang bunso.

ang flight ko papuntang bohol at 8 na umaga. ibig sabihin kailangan gumising ng maaga para mga 6 at papunta na o nasa airport na. alam nyo naman ang kaguluhan sa mga airport sa pilipinas, sobrang daming tao. nakiusap ako sa kaibigan na kung pwede sya na lang maghatid sa akin tutal maaga din syang aalis ng bahay at pupunta sya sa canlubang. tsaka para na rin di na gigising ng maaga si papa, kasi papasok pa rin sya sa opisina ng araw na yon.

pero ng mga 4a.m. umakyat sa kwarto namin ang mama ko para sya na daw magbantay kay islandbaby. mga 430 umakyat naman si papa, dala-dala ang noodles para naman daw mainitan ang sikmura ko, bago ako umalis. nakakamiss ang ganitong pag-asikaso...

tapos pag kumakain kami tinitimplahan nya ako nung iced green tea nya... hehe... a small thing, pero na-appreciate ko talaga ng husto..

at syempre nakita ko ang paghabol at pag-alaga nya sa anak ko na napakakulit. love you, pa!

off to the philippines

2005-12-02T16:28:00.000+10:00

meron kaming pupuntahang convention sa bohol. syempre ang islandbaby ay kasama ko at kawawa naman si islandboy kung silang dalawa lang maiiwan dito. pagkakataon na ring makagimik si islandboy.

unfortunately, naubos ang baterya ng camera sa bohol kaya walang picture si islandbaby kasama ang mga lola. di bale, bawi na lang sa pagbalik namin sa pasko.

pero enjoy na enjoy ang mga lola at lolo sa kanilang apo. madaldal na kasi... at maloko pa.

let's start with halloween

2005-12-02T16:08:00.000+10:00

syempre big event ang halloween dito. bumili pa nga ng costume si islandboy online. nakakatawa pa, nung binili nya sale daw, $14. so okay lang... tapos 2 weeks before halloween, naging $9.99 na lang... hahaha.. mas magsa-sale pa pala. pero okay na rin naman yung price na nakuha namin.

si islandbaby ay isang ladybug... at marami syang nahakot na chocolate at kendi, na hindi naman nya makakain. tuwang-tuwa ang daddy sa chocolates. yung candy, inuwi namin sa pilipinas.

here are some pics.

naku

2005-12-02T16:06:00.000+10:00

marami-raming updates ito... halos isang buwan din akong alang entry... habol-habol

sigh

2005-11-04T14:28:00.000+10:00

wala ang aking regular chatmates dahil holiday sa pilipinas... kaya dito ko na lang ibubuhos ang aking mga iniisip

i just got my performance evaluation for the year. imagine, naka-5 years na pala ako sa islang ito. and what do i have to show for it? hmm, good question...

naisip ko lang, di ba normally sa mga job interview, tinatanong ka "where do you see yourself 5 years from now?". ano ba ang sinagot ko noon? tinanong ba nila ako nito? pero siguro kung sinagot ko man, ang sasabihin ko, i'm probably in a mid-management position already, fully integrated in the business of the company, knowledgeable in most aspects of operations and has passed x actuarial exams.

well, i'm still in the position i got in 5 years ago. i guess i'm integrated in the company and knowledgeable in the operations. but i haven't passed any actuarial exams. why? workload or sheer laziness or a combination of both.

i've been getting good performance reviews. i just haven't been promoted to mid-management level. i don't know if i really want to... i'm happy where i am. maybe i just need a raise in salary (ehhehe)... forgive my ramblings... it's just that, 5 years has passed since i got here. i'm just not sure if there is something tangible i can show for it. i should be happy... i've been truly blessed... i've been learning a lot... i'm being appreciated by my superiors... but there is something bugging me. i'm just not sure what...

>>sigh<<

look what i found in the laundry

2005-10-22T15:10:00.000+10:00

aegis

2005-10-21T10:49:00.000+10:00

nope, not the rock band.

sa wakas, after 8 years, natapos at lumabas na ang aming college yearbook. susme, kulang-kulang na nga, super late pa kung lumabas. pero at least natapos na rin.

pero paano ko kaya kukunin? nandito ako sa isla...

uhaw

2005-10-21T10:45:00.000+10:00

ay grabe, ang tagal ko na atang hindi nakakatikim ng alak. hahaha... kagabi, may despidida para sa isang pari sa bahay nung manager sa simbahan. yung asawa nya, mahilig sa wine at mag-mix ng kung anu-anong drinks...

gawa sya ng gawa ng martini, habang ang mga bisita naman ay kumakanta gamit ang magic sing. ay grabe, nakarami ata talaga ako. para ba akong uhaw sa alak... hahaha... huli ko atang session ng inuman e bago pa ako magbuntis. e 16 months na ang aking bebe (you do the math!)...

tsaka isa pa, kaya ako enjoy na enjoy, libre!!! imagine sa mga bar, di ako makaka-3 man lang na mixed drink dahil isang order e mga $5 to $7. sayang din ang pera. at least kahapon, open bar on the house. =D

bye, love you

2005-10-20T14:45:00.000+10:00

naging kaugalian na namin tuwing umaga, bago bumaba ng kotse si islandboy at islandbaby, sasabihin namin sa isa't isa ang "bye" at "love you"

madalas si abby, nagiging echo lang kasi pag sinabi kong bye, tsaka din sya magsasabi.

pero kaninang umaga, pa-park pa lang ang kotse sa simbahan bigla na syang nagkusang magsabi, mommy, bye, laboo!

hay, ang sweet!

molar support

2005-09-27T11:40:00.000+10:00

yup, islandbaby's molars are coming out, all at the same time! apat sabay-sabay.

buti di sya nilalagnat. pero madalas maglaway talaga at gusto lagi subo ang daliri. she enjoys brushing her teeth too. she wants to imitate me while i'm brushing my teeth. buti di mahirap... di tulad ko noon, naghahabulan pa kami ng papa ko para lang magtoothbrush ako. hihihi

i wanna grow old with you

2005-09-27T11:34:00.000+10:00

last friday, there was an island-wide power outage (brownout!). it lasted for 5 hours. so the malls were full and almost all restaurants with generators were full too.

we decided to go to this chinese restaurant. yup, it was full to. but since we were suki there, the staff accommodated us. they told us to just share the big table with another couple. while we were waiting for our orders (which took at least 30 minutes to arrive), i was observing the couple we were sharing the table with. they were probably in their late 50s or early 60s. the just quietly ate there, while the husband was reading the paper. not a single word was uttered while they ate. while islandboy and i were updating each other on what happened to each of us that day at the same time, trying to feed islandbaby oranges.

then i whispered to islandboy: i hope we don't end up like that
islandboy (IB): what do you mean?
islandgirl (IG): we have a meal together but we don't talk.
IB: that will never happen with us
IG: i really hope so. i wish that when we grow old, we still like to be in each other's company and not just forced to be with each other
IB: that will never happen. we will always have conversations even if we are old

oh how i wish we don't become like the couple we shared the table with. i wish and pray that when we do grow old, we grow old together... don't get tired of each other... run out of things to discuss aside from kids... and continue to be the best of friends until our twilight years.

remembering

2005-09-20T13:31:00.001+10:00

while driving back to work from lunch, bigla kong naisip ang alma mater song ng aking school from grade school to high school. let's see kung tanda ko pa... 10 years ko ring kinakanta ang kantang ito... ehem... here goes

let's sing a song for old st. john's
the school we love,
to us so dear
from loving hearts our song we raise
in joyous voices all may hear
God's blessings on st. john's, st. john's
for her our prayers, our love, our care
dear guardian of our youthful years--
to you we sing, to you all hail

the little plants of yesterday
have grown to be the trees you see
the children that were once with you
will be the nation's pride and joy
to alma mater dear we sing
the keeper of our childhood's fate
that though so far away we go--
we'll never stray, but e'er keep true

wow, tanda ko pa!

matagal akong nawala

2005-09-15T15:48:00.000+10:00

at mas matagal pa ulit.. medyo busy lately. habol na lang later ang mga kwento. medyo magulo lang ang utak ko ngayon dahil sa trabaho.

vocabulary

2005-08-22T10:44:00.000+10:00

let me list down the words that islandbaby can say, so far...

mommy - syempre ako yon
daddy - si islandboy yan
yoya/owa - lola
yoyo - lolo
mama
papa
abby - syempre dapat alam din nya name nya
nina - ninang
nino - ninong
tita
tito
do - dog
cat
apple
opo - na minsan katunog ng apple
tit - teeth
no - minsan hindi, minsan nose
eye -
labee - love you
tatee - thank you
ori - sorry
oyie - yung kalaro nya, si lawrence
star
Jesus
amen
dede
shake-shake - kapag shine-shake namin ang bote nya pagkatimpla ng milk
mamam - water
namnam - pag masarap ang kinakain nya
morow - ibig sabihin, see you tomorrow
it ba! - eat bulaga yan
tik tik tik - tickle tickle yan. mahilig kaming magkilitian e
mine - pag nag-aagawan kami at gusto nya sa kanya lang... mine! hehe
nana - wala na
no mo - no more

ang nakakatuwa, pag nabanggit mo lola, ang sagot nya adelaida as in buong-buo. si adelaida ay si tita del na nagtatrabaho sa simbahan. tapos pag sinabi mo father, ang sagot nya bibi. si fr. bibi naman ay ang parish priest ng aming parokya. tapos pag pinasawsaw mo kamay nya dun sa lalagyan ng holy water sa church, ang gagawin, lagay nya kamay nya sa noo at dibdib, sabay sabi ng "amen".

meron pa ba? isip pa ko...

excited!

2005-08-22T10:43:00.000+10:00

excited si islandboy... kasi naibigay ko na ang kanyang birthday gift (at mukhang hanggang christmas gift na rin ito)...

tutal adik na rin naman sya, suportahan ko na pagkaadik nya. binigyan ko sya ng golf set. di naman kamahalan... starter set kumbaga... sana mag-improve na ng tuluyan ang kanyang game.

girls night out

2005-08-21T10:32:00.000+10:00

paminsan-minsan lang naman nangyayari na lumalabas kaming mga babae, lalo na sa gabi. normally lang, pag nag go-golf ang mga lalaki sa umaga, kami naman ay magjog o mag-taebo sa bahay o kaya stay lang sa beach.

but last saturday, napag-isipan naman lumabas ng mga babae. at dahil maaga ang golf ng mga boys, ayaw nilang sumama. nandito kasi ngayon si vice ganda, isa sa mga stand-up comedians sa punchline sa pinas. twice na nga namin napanood tong si vice sa punchline. kaya nung nabalitaan naming nandito sya, gusto naming manood.

hulaan nyo kung saan ang show nya.... taraaannn... sa ALINDOG! o di ba, pangalan pa lang, bastusin na ang dating... alindog is a bar/karaoke lounge here. maraming pinoy ang dumadayo dito. madalas din meron silang guest galing sa pilipinas. recently, si ynez veneracio at si isabel granada nandun. madalas mga sexy starlet ang pumupunta. minsan lang may bading na komedyante.

kung tutuusin, kung sa pinas, di mo ko mapapapasok sa mga bar tulad ng alindog... pero dito, since kokonti lang naman ang choices, nakakapunta din kami dun paminsan-minsan. pero huli kong punta dun, siguro mga 2001 pa. hahaha pero ang tanda ko, magaling talaga yung banda nila dun.

anyway, balik kay vice. walang patumanggang pagpapatawa na naman syempre. di rin maiiwasan na may audience na nalait. pero parte yon ng kanilang pagpapatawa. buti na lang at hindi pikon ang mga tao. ang nakakatawa pa, umikot sya sa audience, may dalang 'koleksyon' basket at nanghingi ng mga tip. sabi pa nung 2 nyang kasamang bakla, kumpletuhin na daw at kakanta sila ng kordero.. hahaha

pero kaloka ha. ang entrance $10. nung tanungin namin sa harap, consummable daw. pero nung umoorder na kami, hindi daw consummable. ang gulo nila ha. anyway, enjoy naman kahit papaano. pero sandali lang din kami. dahil naghihintay na ang mga bebe.

ang lupit!

2005-08-17T11:48:00.000+10:00

gusto ko lang i-share ang aking kalungkutan...

nagtaas na naman ang presyo ng gasolina! from $2.77/gallon, ngayon e $2.85 na! see story for details

grabe, sira na naman ang mga budget nyan. dati nakakapagpa-full tank ako ng kotse, mga $30 lang. tapos naging $35... ngayon, lalampas na ng $40!! kebarbaridad! e ang sweldo ko nga di naman lumalaki nang simbilis ng pagpalit ng presyo ng gasolina. ang lupit talaga... if only we were not so dependent on oil....

inggit!

2005-08-16T11:50:00.000+10:00

nagpadala ang brother ko ng pictures nila nung nagbakasyon sila sa disneyland this summer. tinamaan ako ng inggit kasi magkakasama silang mga kapatid ko... at magkakasama rin ang mga pamangkin ko. si abby na lang ang hindi pa nakikita ng mga kapatid at pamangkin ko.

kelan kaya kami magbabakasyon sa states? ipon... ipon... ipon... unless may magsponsor... hihihi

house hunters

2005-08-16T11:37:00.000+10:00

i enjoy watching shows on the food network and hgtv. at food network, i like rachel ray a lot. i also like watching iron chef. as for hgtv, i like the shows that feature houses and remodelling and stuff like that. one particular show that i truly enjoy is house hunters. it's a show that helps people find their dream home. sometimes, i imagine us going around the houses, looking for that 'THIS IS IT" feel to a home.

i recently found out that my brother who's in canada, decided to take that plunge. they are now homeowners! wow, now all my siblings have a home of their own.

i wonder, when will we decide to take that plunge? but first, we have to decide WHERE to take that plunge... makes me think, in what place will we have our first (and hopefully) our last home. nuninuninu.....

incidentally, we had a topic a few weeks ago at wifespeaks about our dream home. here are the entries.

just playing at kmart

2005-08-12T11:32:00.000+10:00

mahilig kaming pumunta sa kmart. halos every week nandun kami. just to see kung ano ang sale. nakita namin itong shades na to, napaglaruan namin at nilagay kay island baby.

baby boy?

2005-08-10T15:29:00.000+10:00

island baby had a haircut. sobrang nipis kasi ng buhok... ala ayun, semikal ang beauty nya. mukha tuloy boy na. buti na lang may earrings sya...

tagged daw - hihihi

2005-08-03T10:00:00.000+10:00

I was tagged by Mia at nag tampo na ata na di pa ko nasagot. Mama Mia, medyo naging busy lang po. Tapos I just realized by friend Pia also tagged me with the same thing (well almost). Kaya eto ang aking late reply...

1. WHAT ARE THE THINGS YOU ENJOY DOING EVEN WHEN THERE'S NO ONE AROUND YOU?
- read
- chat, blog, surf (oo, sabay-sabay, multitasking ba)
- sing
- window shop (no moolah for the real thing)
- watch tv
- jog (in times na talagang sinisipag ako)
- look at pictures
- read old letters

2. WHAT LOWERS YOUR STRESS/ BLOOD PRESSURE/ ANXIETY LEVEL?
- play with islandbaby
- just seeing islandbaby blow kisses at me and show her 'pretty face'
- a sweet long kiss from islandboy
- mga malagkit na titig ni islandboy
- just holding hands with islandboy
- reading (lalo na kung bible)
- prayer

3. TAG 5 FRIENDS AND ASK THEM TO POST IT IN THEIRS.
- Dang
- Joy
- Ping
- Debbie
- Kaye

apologetics

2005-08-01T11:34:00.000+10:00

for the past month now, islandboy and i have been attending apologetics courses in our parish... topics like why are priests called father? why are priests celibate? why do catholics pray the rosary, and why is mary revered by catholics? why do we need to confess to a priest... and other topics...

apologetics is a way for us to know the tools to use in order to defend our faith whenever other religions attack ours.

although i've been attending, my mind is divided between listening to the lecture and watching where the islandbaby has run to inside the lecture room. hahaha... tomorrow, there will be practical exercises to see if we can defend our faith already. let's see if i picked up more that just running after the little girl...

hala ang dami ko na namang i-u-update

2005-08-01T11:26:00.000+10:00

naging masyadong busy ako sa trabaho (for a change - hehehe). we had to finish our proposal for the government of guam's health insurance program. so the past three weeks have been very, very, very hectic... so let me try to remember what has happened in the past 2 weeks at least...

2005-08-01T11:25:00.000+10:00

after smallville season 3, then there's season 4.

so season 4 is now under our belts. not we're waiting for the beginning of season 5 at the end of september.

in the meantime, we're finishing season 5 of csi las vegas.

2005-08-01T11:24:00.000+10:00

i think it was thursday, july 28, the day before the submission of our proposal.... i went home really late, around 1030pm. of course, the islandbaby was asleep already when i got home... i felt bad, that i wasn't even there to kiss her goodnight and tuck her to bed...

then the islandboy starts to do all the islandbaby's antics... show teeth, pretty face, blow kiss... hahaha... then i realized, she really does look a lot like her father... surely made my night... haha

LNP is 30!

2005-07-18T10:29:00.000+10:00

Happy anniversary, Ligaya! The Lord has truly been faithful to you as a community. Although I may be away, I still consider myself a member. Ligaya has honed me... Ligaya has helped me... and I continue to look back at my Ligaya days and can't help but say a prayer of thanks, because in this community I have grown in my relationship with the Lord.

Thank you for being there all these years. I know the Lord will continue to be faithful... and help you grow so you can reach out not only in the Philippines, but in Asia...

God bless.

csi naman!

2005-07-18T10:20:00.000+10:00

we've finished smallville seasons 2 and 3. can't wait to rent a copy of season 4. but for now, we've shifted to csi season 5. although we've watched most of the episodes already, it's still fun to watch it. we're such csi addicts. we even watch reruns on tv.

busy bee

2005-07-18T10:15:00.000+10:00

hay, can't wait for july 29. that's the submission date for the proposals for the government heath insurance. then i can breathe a sigh of the relief... in the meantime, work, work, work

2005-07-17T10:23:00.000+10:00

happy anniversary, love! today we celebrate our anniversary as a couple... well, i guess we are one of those who still celebrate bf/gf anniversaries even if we are already married. actually the reason why we chose the same date (17) cause we still celebrate monthsaries... i lost count already on the monthsaries as bf/gf but as a married couple, we're on our 26th.

not all people are lucky enough to be with their beloved this long. some marriages don't even last this long, but i'm happy that we are together. we still love each other. we enjoy each other's company. we still learn a lot from each other. and we continue to share the joys and pains of being new parents.

i'm looking forward to more more monthsaries, and more anniversaries with you, my love...

salt and pepper

2005-07-10T21:38:00.000+10:00

hindi po yan ang kulay ng buhok ko... proud to say, all black pa sya... na walang tulong ng tina ha... talagang itim pa sya at hindi rin ako mahilig sa mga highlights, highlights na yan. anyway...

paborito namin ni hubby ang kahit anong klaseng luto basta ang unang 3 salita sa pangalan ng pagkain ay "salt and pepper"

ke porkchop, tofu, chicken wings... at para sa akin kasama ang shrimp at squid (bawal kasi kay hubby kasi allergic sya).

so tuwing kakain kami sa chinese restaurant, hindi pwedeng mawala ang isang putahe na salt-and-pepper...

nag-experiment ako... sinubukan kong gayahin ang salt and pepper recipe, at sinimulan ko sa pork chop. wagi ang aking eksperimento... pwede na lang kami dito sa bahay kumain ng salt and pepper (bawag vetsin pa)... at mas lalo kaming makakatipid. yon lang... di ko na nga napicture-an kasi naubos namin agad. hehehe

dan-dan-dadaaannn (2x)

2005-07-10T21:33:00.000+10:00

kinasal na kahapon si lolo j at mama a. sayang talaga, gusto ko sanang umuwi. but under the circumstances, at dahil umuwi na rin si hubby on an emergency, di na kami umuwi for the wedding.

dumating ang tunay kong lola from the states. tapos family ng auntie ko. syempre nandun si mama and papa plus the other relatives.

ok naman daw. maganda daw ang wedding kahit simple lang. at ang nakakatuwa, tuwing nagkleng-kleng ang mga baso dahil humihingi ng halik ang mga bisita, binibigay lang daw ni lola j ang pisngi nya at si mama a ang humahalik. hahaha

mga ganitong magandang balita ang gusto kong nandito si blog ko...

kahit medyo deep inside, natatakot na talaga ako sa sitwasyon sa ating bayan :(

my new best friend

2005-07-10T21:30:00.000+10:00

i realized... masyado nang matagal ang suspense ng akin new best friend, na feeling ko corny na kung ilalabas ko pa sya ngayon.

pero i owe it to you, my readers... hehehe... para namang meron akong loyal following.

may bago lang akong comfort food, ben and jerry's ice cream. hehehe... lately ko lang kasi sya nakita sa supermarket... ewan ko ba kung bakit di ko sya napapansin. palagi lang dreyers, breyers o selecta ang binibili ko. (di ko kasi afford ang haagen daz, well paminsan-minsan pwede naman hehehe)

ngayon, ang kinababaliwan ko e ang brownie batter flavor... siguro sa susunod yung ibang flavor naman ita-try ko.

at pag may ben and jerry's sa bahay, ako lang pwede kumain. bibigyan ko si hubby siguro mga 2 subo, all the rest sa akin. pero syempre, di naman isang upuan lang ang isang pint. grabe, di na talaga ako papayat nito!!!!

smallville

2005-07-08T21:24:00.000+10:00

hindi naman kami adik sa smallville... pag natitiyempuhan sa tv, pinapanood namin. pero pag hindi okay lang.

pero nung pumunta kami sa video store, merong pinapahiram na buong season 2 ng smallville. 4 dvds, $8 for 4 days. pwede na di ba? e kasi madalas $2 per dvd, kahit ilan hiramin mo, good for 1 day lang ang dvd mo.

anyway, nahiram namin lunes ng tanghali yung mga dvd and since holiday, natapos ata namin yung 2 1/2 discs. hahaha... holiday e. walang ginagawa. tapos na ang chores nung weekend, kaya petiks na lang.

tapos yung natitirang episodes, binuno namin ng tuesday, wednesday at thursday ng gabi. photo-finish pa nga kasi 11pm ang due ng pagsoli, mga 1030 namin natapos lahat.

ok lang naman sya. ngayon hahanap kami ng iba pang shows on dvd, di naman kailangang smallville lang... basta pag may bakasyon ulit, marathon ulit gagawin namin. hihihi

sa season 2 pala ng smallville lalabas si christopher reeve. ok naman yung episode nya.

"i'm more that a bird, i'm more than plane
i'm more than some pretty face beside a train
oh it's not easy.... to be me"

4th of July

2005-07-05T21:16:00.000+10:00

kahapon e July 4. independence day ng amerika... wala namang special sa akin sa july 4, pwera na lang na tumapat sya ng lunes... therefore, long weekend. yehey!!!!

what's ironic, kung kelan holiday, gumising ako ng 6am... hahaha... on a normal weekday, 7pm na ako gumigising (take note 8am ang pasok ko). kasi napagplanuhan ng mga kaibigan na pupunta daw kami sa beach. e napangako kong magluluto ako ng breakfast. so wake up ng maaga ang beauty ko. madali lang naman niluto ko, nagsaing lang ako. tapos luto ng chicken tocino, itlog at spam. sisiw! si hubby naggolf muna at susunod na lang daw sa beach. so kami ni baby girl ang dumiretso na sa beach to meet the other friends.

wagi ang aking breakfast. kasi parang ang sarap, picnic sa beach. may nagdala din ng donuts, pero nakain na lang to sa merienda. e nagdala din ako ng spanish style na sardines... yumyum.

yung ibang friends at si hubby (nung nakahabol na sya around 9am) ay nagsnorkeling. kami ni baby girl, sa may mababaw na lugar lang, at nagtatampisaw. sandali lang ako nagswim kasi mga 9 na kami start makapagswim (inuna kasi ang paglamon!) at malapit na ang bawal na oras sa paglangoy (10 to 2). nag-enjoy naman si baby girl at syempre enjoy din ang mommy.

yun talaga ang okay dito. e imagine, kung sa pinas, kailangan umalis ng bahay ng 5pm para makarating sa beach ng 8am. e kami umalis ng bahay quarter to 8. hihihi.

pagdating ng tanghali, nagkayayaan na kumain sa isang bagong restaurant na buffet style kung lunch. aba, e walang shower-shower, pwera si baby ha. nakaswimsuit pa kami sa ilalim ng aming mga damit, diretso sa restaurant.

ang nakakatawa pa, usapan alang uwian (although malapit lang mga bahay namin sa restaurant).... ang umuwi para magshower, pangit at di bati (ahahaha, nagmukha talaga kaming mga bata)... alaskahan, kasi may buha-buhangin pa ang mga shorts at mga tsinelas. pero deadma, gutom na kami.

ang sarap ng pagkain!!! may pansit, chopsuey, nilagang baboy, tempura, steamed fish, crab in garlic sauce, embotido tsaka may 2 pa na nakalimutan ko. meron ding salad bar for appetizers, pero sa gutom namin, diretso na sa main course. and for dessert, ginataan, puto biñan at halo-halo!!! yum-yum

ang sarap talaga pag holiday...

catching up

2005-07-04T16:40:00.000+10:00

naku, two weeks na pala akong di nagpopost... susubukan kong tandaan ang lahat ng nangyari nung nakaraang 2 linggo... ang dami na kasing nangyari. here goes...
******
hmm, dumating ang family ng ninong namin sa kasal nung june 11. one week din sila dito. nakakatuwa, at least meron kaming bisita. nag-round the island kami, isang activity na dapat ay dinadaanan ng bawat taong tutuntong sa guam. imagine nyo, sa loob ng 3-4 hours, kaya mong maikot ang buong islang ito. e sa pilipinas, papunta pa lang batangas yan. at kung traffic, baka hanggang cavite lang yan.

tapos nailibot din namin sila sa mga kainan dito sa guam. grabe, ganun na ako nakatira dito, at meron nang bumibisita sa amin. hahaha

ang nakakatuwa pa, parang noon, ni hindi ko naisip na maglilibot-libot kami sa ibang bansa... hehehe... it was nice to catch up with them.
*******

2005-07-04T16:39:00.000+10:00

pag-alis nila ninong, dumaan ang father's day. 2nd father's day na ni hubby. unfortunately merong bad news... nung tumatawag kami sa daddy nya sa pinas, nalaman namin na patay na pala si lola nya at a ripe old age of 94.

so kinailangan naming mag-isip ni hubby kung ano ang gagawin namin. ang mga choices (1) hindi kami uuwi
(2) uuwi kaming tatlo
(3) uuwi si hubby at si baby
(4) uuwi si hubby lang

ang hirap magdecide. kasi hindi lang oras at pagod, pati finances apektado. syempre bukod pa sa pamasahe na pauwi sa pilipinas, yung mga gagastusin pa para sa libing dapat mag-share din kami. medyo mahirap.

out na agad ang hindi kami uuwi. kasi lola ni roy yon. nanay ng daddy nya. syempre gusto namin may uuwi to pay last respects. tsaka pangalawa, medyo matanda na din si daddy ni roy. dapat may tumulong din sa kanya. e si daddy lang ang lalaki sa pamilya.

so pagkatapos ng pag-iisip at pagdedesisyon... si hubby na lang ang uuwi. medyo mabigat sa bulsa kung lahat kami. mahihirapan din naman sya kung kasama pa nya si baby dahil malikot na ang aming supling. sana uuwi na rin ako, tutal balak ko rin namang magleave, yun nga lang ang libing ay sa quezon pa. mahirap pang ibiyahe ang baby girl ng ganun kalayo. kaya si hubby na lang ang uuwi para hindi na rin nya kami iintindihin pagdating sa pilipinas para maayos nya ang dapat ayusin para sa libing at para sa pamilya
******

2005-07-04T16:38:00.000+10:00

and since uuwi si hubby ng pilipinas at iwan kami ni bebe dito, single mom ang drama ng beauty ko.

hindi na ako pinag-leave ng boss ko. okay lang daw na isama ko ang baby sa office. tutal may crib naman sya dito kasi minsan pag byernes ng hapon o kaya pag pumapasok ako ng sabado, sinasama ko rin ang aking hija sa opisina.

and since mahilig din naman sa tao ang junakis, hindi sya hirap at nanibago sa office. sama ng sama pa nga sa kung kani-kanino.

nung sabado na wala si roy, nasa bahay lang kami ni bebe. ang likot! akyat-baba sa kama... takbo... guluhin ang mga vhs at dvd sa may tv... takbo... lumabas ng kwarto at buksan mga cabinet sa kusina...takbo...

at kahit malikot, aba nakapagwalis at nakapaglinis pa ako ng bahay.

nakapagsimba pa kami nung gabi...

nung linggo naman, nakapaglaba pa ako. eto pa ang nakakatawa... akala ko down for a nap na ang bebe girl. so sneak out ako sa kwarto para pumunta sa laundry room. so nagload na ako ng washing machine, inaayos ko ang next load, pagtalikod ko, nagulat ako... may nakatayong maliit na tao sa likod ko na nakatingin sa akin at nakangiti! di pa pala tulog ang bebe, at sumunod sa akin sa laundry room. tawa ako ng tawa dahil nagulat ako. tumawa din ang bebe, pero sure ako di nya alam kung bakit ako tumatawa. pero 2 lang kasi kami sa bahay nun.

girl bonding talaga kami nung weekend. kaso nakakapagod talaga. tapos nagsimba kami ulit. ang likot sa simbahan! buti na lang nandyan ang mga friends from the choir para tumulong sa paghabol sa chikiting. sabi na nga ba, at effective at kinuha ko karamaihan sa kanila bilang ninong at ninang. at least nagagamit ang pagkaninong at ninang nila. hahaha.. user ba ako?
******

2005-07-04T16:37:00.000+10:00

that night sinundo ko yung officemate ko sa dati kong pinagtatrabahuan. wala na rin sya dun sa dati naming opisina. pero yung trabaho nya, connected sa isang kumpanya dito sa guam. ang galing nga e. sino ba naman ang mag-iisip na sa guam pa kami ulit magkikita.

e hindi pa sya nagsisimba, so simba kami ulit (pangatlo ko na for sunday) tapos kain sa labas. catching up. kasama namin ang choir friends sa dinner pati yung bisita naman namin dito sa opisina na for training. napakaliit ng mundo, pareho sila ng skelahad at tipong parang naging magkaklase pa ata sila sa UP. hehehe

dami talaga naming bisita na... hihihi
******

Ssssh

2005-06-14T11:39:00.000+10:00

i have a new best friend.... introduce ko sya soon....

anong usapan ngayon ng mga misis?

2005-06-13T11:43:00.000+10:00

nakakakilig ang topic ngayon ng mga misis...

http://wifespeaks.blogspot.com

puntahan ninyo para makisalo sa saya at tuwa ng pag-alaala sa mga nakakakilig na panahon...

Si Lolo J at si Mama A

2005-06-11T11:40:00.000+10:00

sa mga bumasa ng post ko tungkol kay Lolo J at kay Mama A, tuluy na tuluy na...

sa July 9, 2005 ang kasal. 3pm. di ko na sasabihin kung saan at baka magsipuntahan pa kayo. hahaha

best wishes and congratulations, lolo j and mama a. you are truly the best examples of love having no boundaries on age. cheers to you!

I love broccoli

2005-06-06T18:33:00.000+10:00

kanina, sinubukan kong pakainin ng broccoli si baby... aba at nagustuhan nya. kakaiba talaga itong anak ko. kahit anong ipakain mo, isusubo... walang problema sa pagkain (knock of wood, baka mausog - hehehe)

ano kaya ang next na gulay na ipapakain ko sa kanya?

better late than never...

2005-06-02T23:35:00.000+10:00

anniversary namin nung may 17. pero dahil nga may sakit ang baby, di na kami nakacelebrate sa labas ni loveydoods.... kaya kanina, natuloy na ang aming date.

nagpunta kami ng outback, kasi di pa natry ni loveydoods dun. e sa dami ng appetizers, nabusog na agad kami. pagdating ng main course, konti lang nakain namin at pinabalot na lang namin para iuwi.

sabi pa nya, at least, parang dalawang beses tayong kumain sa outback... kasi may leftovers pa kami.

love you, love... 2 years na tayo! pero actually 13 years na this july... and i still love you and will love you always. mwaaah! mwaaah! mwaaaah!

One

2005-05-29T11:30:00.000+10:00

tapos na ang party... marami ding nagsidalo... masaya din naman ang salo-salo.

maraming regalong natanggap ang unica hija. tuwang-tuwa din sya... aba, 2 ang birthday cake nya nung party.

masayang-masaya ang baby....

tingnan nyo ito para makita ang mga ritrato

http://community.webshots.com/user/abbycamara

You are cordially invited!

2005-05-20T11:01:00.000+10:00

i tried making the baby's birthday invitation using a collage of her pictures. wagi naman ang project ni mommy.

*details of the party omitted, just send me a message if you want to know the details

big girl na talaga

2005-05-20T10:57:00.000+10:00

waaah, big girl na talaga sya. eto at marunong nang magpose sa camera

stay at home mom part 2

2005-05-18T10:42:00.000+10:00

kawawa naman ang bebe. kahapon inabot ng 104 F ang sakit. sabi ng doc buti di kinumbulsyon. binigyan na nga ng injectable antibiotic. meron daw syang ear infection. (come to think of it, ano kaya ang ear infection sa tagalog? kasi common daw ito sa mga baby. pero parang bakit walang term in tagalog?)

so ngayon, home ang drama namin ni baby. dahil inoobserbahan pa kung lalagnatin ulit.
*******
pagtawag ko sa office, yung isa din palang staff absent, sick leave. yung boss ko naka-VL. e apat lang kami sa department. yung bago namin (3 weeks pa lang sa trabaho) ang naiwan mag-isa sa opisina. kawawa naman sya.
*******
at dahil may sakit ang baby kahapon, napurnada ang date namin ni hubby sa aming 2nd year anniversary. di bale, babawi na lang sa susunod.

stay at home mom

2005-05-16T08:29:00.000+10:00

i'm staying home today... to take care of the baby. hala, e nahawa na ata sa amin ng daddy nya.

pero eto sya, parang walang sakit (umeepekto ang gamot!), hawak ang lampin nya, at umaarteng naglilinis ng bahay. punasan ba ang sahig, at punasan ang tv. hahaha... mukhang madaling turuan ng household chores ito.

sana gumaling na sya ng tuluyan.

under the weather

2005-05-10T22:08:00.000+10:00

hubby and i both have colds and cough. hopefully the baby does not get sick too...

Big girl!

2005-04-27T11:32:00.000+10:00

As I was preparing my baby yesterday, I saw a new pair of jeans in her cabinet. We recently put away all her smaller clothes and took out the ones we thought would fit her now. I dressed her up with the jeans and a polo shirt. Then put on her rubber shoes... Then I looked at her and can not keep the nostalgia from setting in. Big girl na ang anak ko!!!! See for yourself...

Chwinkle, Chwinkle...

2005-04-21T09:55:00.000+10:00

baby girl has a new song....

Mom/Dad: Twinkle, twinkle little.... (pause)
Baby: Tar (star)
Mom/Dad: How I wonder what you... (pause)
Baby: Are
Mom/Dad: Up above the world so...(pause)
Baby: Ay (high)
Mom/Dad: Like a diamond in the (pause)
Baby: Ay (sky)
Mom/Dad: Twinkle, twinkle little.... (pause)
Baby: Tar (star)
Mom/Dad: How I wonder what you... (pause)
Baby: Are

YEHEY! (clap, clap, clap)

who says love is only for the young?

2005-04-19T09:38:00.000+10:00

just got this great email from my mom. my lolo j, brother of my maternal grandma, whom we thought would be a bachelor for life is getting married at age 65. and guess who the blushing bride is. my mama a, the person who took care of me, my yaya if you will. and we thought she'd be a spinster. i think she's going to turn 50 soon.

it's amazing how their romance developed. they've known each other for a long time already since mama a has been with the family since my sister was a baby. but lolo j lives in the province, while mama a lived with us in manila. when i was in high school, mama a even went to saudi for greener pastures. who would think that their paths would again cross and that cupid would target them with his arrow.

couple of years ago, the house of the lola, the house where my mom and her siblings grew up, was renovated so that lola can come home from the states. she planned to live peacefully back in her old hometown. mama a went back to the province to help lola settle down. lolo j, since he was a bachelor, also went to help lola with the other manly duties in the house. and there they came to know each other more.

it's so amazing really! so mama a, would soon be my lola a. how i wish i could be there to witness their wedding. a 65 year old man, and an almost 50 year old woman, going off on their honeymoon... how sweet, how inspiring, how magical.

2005-04-18T09:33:00.000+10:00

watch out for more tests next week...

2005-04-18T09:32:00.000+10:00

You Are 60% Normal

(Really Normal)

Otherwise known as the normal amount of normal

You're like most people most of the time

But you've got those quirks that make you endearing

You're unique, yes... but not frighteningly so!

How Normal Are You?

2005-04-18T09:25:00.000+10:00

Your Linguistic Profile:

50% General American English

25% Yankee

10% Dixie

10% Upper Midwestern

0% Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

2005-04-18T09:21:00.000+10:00

Your Japanese Name Is...

Hisa Imaidegawa

What's your Japanese Name?

bagong bisyo

2005-04-17T21:17:00.000+10:00

ang baby girl may bago na namang ginagawa...

she has her own bed next to our bed. but usually when she wakes up, she moves up to our big bed. yesterday and today, she took her nap... she woke up, went up the big bed as usual and starts to scream!!! well, she got scared, cause she was the only one in the room... aint that cute... well, you should picture this, this tiny baby, in the middle of this big king size bed screaming to get attention...

you might think i'm weird, pero cute talaga. hehehe

and the eating doesn't stop

2005-04-13T16:43:00.000+10:00

we have some guests from our reinsurers (yes, i work for an insurance company)

of course guests have to be entertained... so we took them out to lunch and on their first day, dinner. wala na kong ginawa kundi kumain... dyaske!

burp, burp!

Oh What A Beautiful Weekend

2005-04-11T16:33:00.000+10:00

It is so great to have your birthday on a Friday 'coz you get to celebrate the whole weekend.

Friday morning. Of course, first order of business... go to mass to thank the good Lord for all these years of blissful existence. At work, I was surprised with a small breakfast prepared by my coworkers in our department. Lunch time, the folks at the church treated me to lunch at the Marriott. It was such good fortune, that the F&B manager is a friend from church too and she provided us complimentary wine. Imagine, I was drinking wine at 1p.m. By the time I got back to work, I was sweating. I don't know if it was the wine or just the extreme heat outside. hahaha

In the afternoon, my colleagues still gave me a chocolate cake. Uhmm, soooo gooooodddd!

Dinner time was for the family. Hubby, baby and I wanted to eat at Outback. But there was such a long waiting time that we decided to move to another place instead. We ended up at the Hyatt buffet. There I got another piece of cake. Take a look at the baby, she's so excited! Just look at that pretty smile...

Saturday, hubby cooked as a treat for my birthday and invited friends from the choir. Little did I know that one of my friends also prepared a little something for the get together. Sunday, friends from the choir treated me to a Chinese food lunch. Yum-yum.... Well that was it... we celebrated the whole weekend.

burp!

GMA Pinoy TV

2005-04-07T21:25:00.000+10:00

Guess what, we got GMA 7's answer to ABS-CBN's TFC... GMA Pinoy TV. Yehey, we can get to watch Bubble Gang and Eat Bulaga. And maybe some of the new teleseryes too.

The other night, I was watching I-Witness and their topic was abortion. Couldn't help but shed a tear as the hidden camera showed how three women were led to this house where the "midwife" was waiting for them. And she said "hindi ko kayo pipigilan kasi dapat nandito na kayo, nakapagdesisyon na kayo na ituloy"... "hindi ako ang inyong konsensya"... then after the abortion has taken place the previously pregnant woman asked for the remains of her child, the 'midwife' said, "huwag na. ako na lang magtatapon sa basura".

Some women who committed abortion defended themselves as saying, "sasabihin nyo masama akong babae kasi ginawa ko yon. mas masama akong babae kung buhayin ko ang batang ito pero wala naman akong ipambubuhay sa kanya. kung sarili ko nga hindi ko mabuhay e."

All I could do then was carry my daughter and give her a big hug.

I don't want to judge them. I do not know what road they are taking... all I can do is pray for them, and pray for those babies that were never given the chance at life.

Tomorrow, I celebrate my birthday. I thank God for the years that He has blessed me. Sure am glad my mom never thought of having me aborted. For life is a great blessing, it ain't a smooth ride, but it sure is full of things to be thankful for. It's just sad that these kids never had an opportunity to see all of these.

A baby is a gift, not a choice...

Fr. Jett's Speech

2005-04-05T08:34:00.000+10:00

I got this in my mailbox today. It was written for a graduating class, but I felt it was written for me. It's amazing how the Lord can use different things to wake me, even through a forwarded email. Read on...
-------------------
Kayo ang Kanyang Tinig
Fr. Jose Ramon T. Villarin SJ
Commencement Exercises
Ateneo de Manila University
18 March 2005

Dalawang bahagi sa homilyang ito. Sa una, susubukan kong takutin kayo. Sa pangalawa, susubukan kong pasagutin ang Panginoon sa inyong kaba. Sabihan niyo na lang ako mamaya kung nasapol ko ang target na takutin kayo at lung narinig niyo ang sagot ng Panginoon sa pananakot kong ito.

Bueno, takot. Sabi ni Jeremias, Panginoon, bata pa ako, di ako madunong, may gatas pa sa labi, huwag mo akong tawagin, huwag moakong yakagin. Sagot naman ng Panginoon: huwag kang matakot sakanila, huwag kang mabahala.

Meron ba kayong dapat katakutan? Aba, oo, marami. Ilista ko: matakot kayo kung wala kayong mahanap na trabaho pag tuntong niyo sa C5, palabas ng Ateneo. Matakot kayo sa usok at ingay at trapik sadadaanan ninyo sa darating na mga taon. Kabahan kayo sa mga naghahasikng lagim sa lipunang ito: kung mabait ka, kung tapat at maginoo, ipapako ka nila sa krus, patatayuan pa nga ng monumento katabi ni bonifacio. Matakot kayo sa katiwalian, sa mga trapo sa gobierno, private sector, o civil society. Sabi sa ebanghelyo, sila ang mga namamanginoon, dinadakila, nasusunod. Matakot kayo sa kanila, sa mga taong may kapangyarihang mang-grado sa inyo at sa madlang bayan. Akala niyo ba nalampasan niyo na ang C+ o QPI? Lalo kayong matakot dahil ang mga nakaka A o B+ o minimedalya sa labas ng Gate 3 ay ang mga matutuso at yaong malapit at maykapit sa mga namamanginoon at nang gagrado. Matakot kayo pag sumabak kayo sa laro at sa nilalaro sa labas. Para kayong napalaro ng basketbol, yon nga lang, magulang ang kalaban, binayaran ang referee, at kung di man gayon, pa bago-bago naman ang linya. Matakot kayo sapagkat hindi lahat ng pagsusulit o papel o kontratang kinakatha sa labas ay tinatatakan ng amdg. Matakot kayo salaki ng agwat na humihiwa sa ating lipunan at sa ating pagkakabaon sautang (ni kuryente man lang di natin mabayaran). Matakot kayo kung angmadlang pilipino ay walang alam at walang pakialam sa ateneo-lasalle oblue eagle spelling. Matakot kayo kung saan niyo ipaparada ang inyongSUV. Pustahan tayo, lilingon lingon pa rin kayo, kahit may bubog atbarbed wire ang inyong bakod, at gated ang inyong community.

At higit sa lahat, katakutan niyo ang multong ito: kabahan kayo, kung sa inyong pagkalula at pagkapagod sa mga nangyayari sa ating lipunan,tumamlay na ang inyong kalooban, tumabang ang inyong panlasa, pumurol ang inyong kahahasa pa lamang na isipan. Kabahan kayo kung di na kayokinakabahan, di na nababahala, nababagabag, kung naibsan na kayo ng lakas na umasa, manindigan, mangarap.
---------------------------------
Sabi ng Panginoon, sshh, tahan na. Sabi Niya, huwag kang matakot sakanila. Sabi Niya, huwag kang magtago, huwag kang tumahimik, huwagmaumid, at mag walang imik. Sabi Niya, pangako Niya, hahaplusin Niya ang iyong bibig, para makapagsalita ka. Sabi Niya, pangako Niya, Siya ang iyong magiging tinig, para maisigaw mo sa kanila ang Kanyang isinisigaw. Di mo na kailangang kapain pa ang salita; ang Kanya mismong pangungusap ang iyong bibigkasin sa dilim at sa hampas ng alon at sigwa. Siya ang mangungusap. Bibigyan ka 'kaNiya ng lakas sa piling ngmga malalakas, kapangyarihan sa tabi ng mga namamanginoon, lakas namanlipol at mampuksa, magtayo at magpunla. Ganoon katunog ang Kanyang salita. Sabi pa Niya, bago ka pa nagkahugis sa sinapupunan ng iyong ina, kinilala, nakilala ka na Niya. Bago ka pa nagkaroon ng mukha, namukhaan ka na Niya. Bago ka pa iniluwal na humahagulgol sa mundo, nagisnan na Niya ang buo mong pagka-ikaw, at nasalo na Niya ang bawat butil ng iyong luha. Bago ka pa nagka-andador at natutong maglakad, nakita na Niya ang layaw at kupad at paglalayas ng iyong puso, ang galos sa iyong bawat pagkakatisod, at pabalik-balik (gigiray-giray) na pagtindig. Bago ka pa nagbinata o nagdalaga, nakita na Niya ang dalisay at tindi ng iyong pagkauhaw sa buhay at pag-ibig. Bago ka pa nagtapos at nagkadiploma, bago ka pa iluwal na tuliro sa saya mula sa ina nating paaralan, nasilayan na Niya ang lundag at pitik ng puso mong maligaya. Bago ka pa nagkalakas ng loob na itaya ang habambuhay, nakita na Niya ang iyong pagdududa't pag-aalangan. Bago pa nanlabo ang iyong mga mata at nagka-uban, nasulyapan na Niya ang anino at banal sa iyong muli't muling pag-ako at pagpapakatao.

Ganito kahiwaga magmahal ang Panginoon.

Kaya sinasabi Niya sa iyo ngayon, sshh, tahan na, huwag kang matakot sakanila. Walang sasapit sa iyo na hindi Niya nakita na. Huwag kang atakot sa iyong kamusmusan o kabataan o kahinaan. Walang lamat sa buo mong pagka-ikaw na hindi Niya nalalaman. Huwag kang matakot at mag-alinlangan. Hindi ka mag-isang tatawid sa C5 at makikipagbuno samga namamanginoon at naghahasik ng lagim sa ating lipunan. Sinasabi Niya sa iyo ngayong umaga, huwag kang matakot sa kanila; hindi Niya matitiis na ikaw ay iwanan; ikaw ay Kanyang-Kanya, Kanyang tinig at pangungusap at panawagan.

Mga kinagigiliwan kong kapatid, idinadalangin ko na marinig ninyo satuwina ang tinig at tawag ng Panginoon. Tinig Siyang nagpapatahan satakot, nanghahamon sa laot. Wala naman talaga kayong dapat ikabahala samga alon at sa mga namamanginoon na may kapangyarihang mang-grado saating lipunan. Sa tingin namin sampu ng inyong mga guro at kaibigan,hindi na lamang kayo pasadong Atenista. Kayo ang Kanyang bagong tinig sa Kanyang sinisintang bayan, summa cum laude (matagal na) sa harap nginyong mga magulang, mga mahal sa buhay, at higit sa lahat, sa pagtingin ng Panginoon.

Bago pa kayo naupo para sa una niyong pagsusulit, namarkahan, markado na kayo ng langit. Tatakan niyo ang inyong unang hakbang, tatakan niyo lagi ang inyong bawat hakbang sa labas ng ating inang paaralan: ad majorem Dei gloriam.

Jose Ramon T. Villarin SJ
Baccalaureate Mass, Class 2005
High School Covered Courts
18 March 2005

John Paul 2, We Love You

2005-04-03T10:19:00.000+10:00

Let's travel back in time.... to January 1995, Manila Philippines

As a member of Rover Scout Circle 8, we were volunteers for the Infrastructure, Sites and Layouts committee for the World Youth Day. What does that mean? We were responsible for ensuring that the Luneta park for prepared prior to the big crowds coming, and that it was clean at the end of the event. We touched the Jubilee Cross when no one else was there (hey, we even had our picture taken with the cross and it was published in one of the broadsheets).

It was the culminating activity for the world youth day. Millions of people came to be with the youth and the Pope who travelled halfway around the world to be with his flock. As ISL volunteers, we would go around the place ensuring cleanliness and orderliness. We could just watch from the big screens from afar as we had other duties to attend to.

That fateful Sunday, 30 minutes before the Pontiff was to arrive in a helicopter, our team, dressed in our scout uniforms, was summoned to be part of the civilian security during the last mass. Amidst the sea of people, we were able to get from where the Planetarium was, to the front of the Quirino Grand Stand in less than 20 minutes. The previous night, just to cross Roxas Blvd. would take 2 hours!!!! And there we were, right after the priests and the Pope's security, praying, singing and rejoicing with all the youth. His presence comforting and instilling hope in all the people in the vicinity.

Surely, JPII has touched a lot of people especially the youth. He has been an inspiration to us all.

Today, our dear pope has passed on... for sure the angels in heaven are singing and Jesus is right there to received him at the gate saying... Well done, good and faithful servant.

Sporty (kuno!)

2005-04-01T10:59:00.000+10:00

Two weeks ago, we did a 5K run/walk.

I started walking/jogging again maybe a month ago.

We play tennis every Tuesday. (for Roy, it's Tuesday and Thursday. - well, Thursday is my TV day)

Last Sunday, tried playing golf (but it looked more like cricket kasi di lumilipat mga bola namin - hahaha)

Bowling once in a while.

Naks, trying to get into all these sports. I guess that's one thing I never had the chance to try while I was in Manila. First, the lack of funds hindered me from getting into these 'expensive' sports. Second, all that Manila traffic!!! Who would want to travel 3 hours just to get to a tennis court or a golf course.

In Manila, one has to be a member of a country club in order to play golf or tennis. Here is our island, tennis courts abound. Some don't even charge a penny for you to play, but you do have to wait in line to get an available court. What we do is rent a court for $12/hr and just split it amongst friends. Sometimes, the hotel (owners of the court) allow us to play up to 2 hours, but only pay for 1.

As for golf, it was first the guys who played golf. A couple of weeks back, since I started regular exercise again, I decided to tag along and just walk through the course while they played. Then last Sunday, the wives decided not just to walk but to try hitting those golf balls. Like I said, it looked more like cricket or bowling, as the balls just rolled. Had we kept score, we might have gotten more than +100 for a 9-hole par-3 course. hahaha All these for the cost of $6 per game. We didn't even need to be a member of anything.

As for jogging, joining 5K run/walk costs around $5. But the goodies you get right after makes the $5 a good investment. hehehe But I can run for free. Just have to park the car somewhere, even near the beach and run there. Or just run around the neighborhood and pray that the dogs don't run after me.

In Manila, I used to swim regularly after work. But I had to be a member of the hotel. And I had to pay a lot to get the membership. With the limited income I had then, it really was a big burden on the pocket.

Golf, tennis... these sports are not just for the elite here. Anybody who wants to give it a try can definitely sink their teeth into it. At less cost... or even free...

Hmm, will try going to a driving range (golf) tonight and probably play another round of golf (or cricket/bowling) tomorrow. Just for fun!

Woohoo!

2005-03-30T11:26:00.000+10:00

Since my photo upload was successful, I would like to share another successful endeavor...

our adjustment of status for greencard has been approved!

This has been a major intention in our prayers for the past months. Primarily, so that hubby can get work. Being on a dependent's visa does not allow him to apply for work. Now that that greencard has been approved, he can now apply... yehey...

Also, this gives us the security that we can stay in the States since we are legal permanent residents already. I've been on work wisa for 5 years now and I would have reached the max years by next year. At least our baby girl does not have this problem since she's a US citizen already.

This is a great Easter blessing for us... oh, did i mention, I consider Easter to be one of my feast days because one Easter Sunday (many years back) I was baptized (a few days after being born on Good Friday). I knew something special would again happen at Easter. What a great blessing this truly is.