Toon Mater's Tall Tales

I am sooo loving the Toon Mater's Tall Tales dvd. I think the stories are well thought out and it's super funny talaga. I especially love the Racing Mater and Tokyo Mater - im laughing now just thinking about it Hahaha!!!

Down with English Measles

It all started on Sunday- after Trick or Treat at Mega and Miguel's 1st birthday party at Valle Verde. We got home at around 8pm. I felt tired and I had chills. I checked my temp and was surprised to see 38.3 in the thermometer. I never ever get sick, you know. I took paracetamol and called it a night. Monday was Nov 1 so we went to the cemetery. I had on-and-off fever. Tuesday, I went to work and my officemates started to notice rashes on my face. I went to the clinic and the nurse said my temp was normal and that she couldn't see any rash (roll eyes). I went to see a doctor, and she said the same thing as the nurse- I was okay,no fever, no rash. Wednesday, I went to the ER of Medical City. I was getting worried because my fever was not going away. I also noticed many little sores inside my mouth, and suddenly I was sensitive to light, as in nasisilaw akech. My CBC came back as normal, so the doctors sent me home with paracetamol as medicine. As for the rash, they said it could just be bungang araw, okay fine. Thursday, I developed cough and colds. My throat was so painful. I felt I had sores all the way down to my throat. I had no appetite, and I really felt sick. I went to see a different doctor and had another CBC. My platelet count was okay so it was not dengue. After work, I went straight home, I thought I was going to collapse. I asked Keith to take me to the hospital. We went back to Medical City, and the doctors diagnosed me with measles. I had bloodshot eyes, vomiting episodes and LBM. I was confined in one of their isolation rooms and was discharged on Sunday. I was advised not to report to work for a week, and to continue my bedrest at home. We sent the twins and the yayas to my in-laws because measles is contagious. You'd think I was ecstatic to be home alone for a week? Naku, hindi noh! I felt so weak that I was just really in bed 24/7. It was pathetic. It has been a week now, and I am slowly getting my strength back. Yesterday, Keith took me out and brought me my birthday gift (ahihi!), then we watched Unstoppable at Promenade, had dinner at Tender Bob's, then met some friends at Jalapeno in Home Depot. It was so nice to be out of the house again! But I miss the twins terribly. We're picking them up after this Pacquiao-Margarito fight...

EMMA Philippines, 2nd Leg Regional Competitors Challenge for 2010

Held at the Venice Piazza, Mckinley Hills in Fort Bonifacio. Keith joined the SQ competition category and won 2nd place. Congrats Hunny! :)



He tied with the 1st place for Over-All score, but the deciding factor was the SQ score, where he had a 4-point difference from the 1st place winner.

Special thanks to Rocky Gonzalez of Mach2Audio, and teammates Parc Cruz and Chris Berenguer. Not to mention Kuya Dodong of Dodong's Premium Auto Detailing Services for the detailing works where everybody got a perfect score in Cleanliness :P

Endless Susan Wong songs and Moonglow on repeat finally paid off! Congratulations to Hunny Bunny and to Mach2Audio. Mwahhugs! :)

Miss Universe 2010 Winners

From my friend Dong who is vacationing in Macau. The results as follows:

4th runner up Philippines,
3rd Ukraine,
2nd Australia,
1st runner up Jamaica,
Miss Universe winner is Mexico.

Im gonna watch this tonight! :)

Cats, Now and Forever - Live in Manila

It was girls night out when my mom treated me and SIL Mau to watch CATS at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP). OMG, I think the tickets were ridiculously expensive. Then my mom told me some of her amigas go abroad just to see the play. Ok, fine. Lea Salonga stars as Grizabella, leading an international cast.

I didn't know what to expect from this play. There were many surprises for me. The costumes were impressive, from wig to shoes. High-tech the stage props. They had magic tricks and acrobatics, which was very entertaining. The cast mingled with the audience during the play and intermission. One verse was sang in Filipino, which was quite funny because of the accent. Also because of the accent it was difficult for me to follow the story because I couldn't understand the words. Thank God Lea sang so clearly and it helped that her song was a familiar song. Overall, I would say the play was okay. I was surprised to see many kids watching, then a friend told me CATS is pambata. I also saw many dads sleeping, bwahaha.

Happy Birthday Dong!

We had dinner at Kanin Club in Technohub, and had drinks in Mikedee's.



Keith, Moi, Dong, Peen and RJ. Si Peen lang po ang buntis dito.

Formal-formalan at Crowne Plaza

Family day at Shangri La

We went to Shang to hear the 11am mass. We want to expose them to many people so they don't get scared and/or shy. The plan: church-hop every weekend :)



Can you see how much they've grown??



Tried the carousel, and they loved it!



Hindi obvious sa pic, coz this is how they pose for cam - serious mode, lol. :P



We also had snacks at Cerealicious Cafe. Yummm! :)

Wordless Wednesday

Ask, and the Universe will conspire for you to get it

I Secreted this my way... The Lenovo IdeaPad S9/S10e Netbook





Ahahaha I love it! :)

With Mcdo at the Fort

Vito - 2 years and 10 months



Carlos - 2 years and 10 months

Sunday, family day

Have you noticed? Lately, it's sooo freakin' hot! So today, we decided to go to the mall para mamashal and magpa-aircon, hehe. We went to Glorietta 5 coz we've never been here since its opening. Wala mashadong points of interest here, so we went to Glorietta 4 for the activity center. Half of it is under renovation, so we just played sa monkey bars and slide.



We went to Timezone, had sundae at Carl's Jr and bought popcorn from Chef Tony's. Then, we went to my in-laws in Taguig. It was fun! :)

The Quest for Bollinger

I helped a friend who is in abroad buy a special champagne in the name of Bollinger, pronounced /Bo lan zhay/. I learned from my friend that this is the favorite champagne of James Bond. Naks.

This is the first time I heard of this champagne. I went to 5 different supermarkets with a printout in tow, and most of the store clerks gave me the "i do not know what that is" kind of look. I also went to 5 different specialty wine shops, but they do not carry the Bollinger. It is so rare, I was lucky to find the only shop in Manila that sells it. Thanks to my friend, Amanda, who referred me to them. :)

I had to ask my partner-in-crime, Mau, to accompany me to Yakal Street in San Antonio Makati because I am not familiar with the place. Our destination was Tita Nia Wine Cellars. They have several branches, but it is only their main office that carries the Bollinger Champagne Special Cuvee, and one bottle costs P6,000. Huwaw!

For that price, you would think it is packaged beautifully. But no. I was surprised to find out it does not have a box. So we had to get a wooden box, which costs P300, to carry the exquisite Bollinger.

Before leaving the shop, we authographed the signboard for the Miss Mouton Cadet 2010. Wala lang, echos lang, hehe. This signboard will be shipped to France.



I promised my friend I would wrap the present in silver and blue packaging. Mau and I went to a gift wrapping store, and decided to get a silver and blue ribbon instead. Here's the outcome:

Punta Fuego - Day 2

I woke up, looked at the window and saw na maliwanag na sa labas. Ginising ko ang maid and asked her to cook breakfast. When I reached for the cellphone to check the time, it said 3:19. Huwat?? Hinawi ko ang blinds! OMG, sobrang liwanag ng outdoor lights ng kapitbahay.. madaling araw pa pala! I said -indaaay patawarin mko, mwehehe!

We had breakfast at 7AM. It was a beautiful morning!



We changed to our swimming outfits, and went back to Long Beach.



It was pahirapan to make takas sa twins coz iiyak pag nawala lang ako sa tabi. When they got busy making sand castles, tumakbo na ako to where the jetski was.

It was already lunchtime, so balik na kami lahat sa house to eat. The twins love Chef Tony's popcorn.



We packed our things. It was time to go.

Harhar moments:

when carlos was accidentally pushed by bitoy off the pavement and napayakap sha sa puno.. nagalit caloy and said "dahan dahan bitoooy!!" vito was playing with the doorbell. hindi nya abot so pag tip-toe nya nasanggi nya si caloy, mwehehe. ^_^

2pm, pagdating sa clubhouse. super-init!
justin: bibili lang ako ng souvenir t-shirt
papa: tara na kasi wala na akong gas. kelangan ko magpakarga
justin: ha? eh andito na tayo?!!
bwahahaha! ^_^

We had merienda at Pancake House in Tagaytay.



Then stop-over at Paseo De Santa Rosa. It was tiring but definitely, super worth-it!

Thanks everyone for this vacation, mwah! :)

Punta Fuego - Day 1

Napansin nyo ba.. It's really hot lately? I got a taste of summer when the family went to Punta Fuego this weekend. Caloy's yaya was on day-off so ako ang yaya, who else? Hehe.

We started at 7:00AM. Reached Petron SLEX at around 8:30AM. Surprisingly, there was no traffic in SLEX.

Harhar moment: justin and leizl nka jacket and chaleko. may date ata sa alchemy. parang hindi pupunta sa beach, lol.

We arrived at Josephine's at around 9:30AM. We were here for the buffet breakfast. I feasted on bacon and egg and mostly left-overs ng twins - champorado and myam myam with dang dang (that's bread with strawberry jam). The twins loved the taho and arrozcaldo.



Photo op muna with Taal as background. Kahit scorching hot, todo pose pa rin, OMG! Hehehe

Then, we went to Mahogany market to buy beef, fish, rice, uling and spices. Punta Fuego was still one hour away. The twins slept through the byahe. We had pitstop at 7-11 in Nasugbu to buy drinks and chips.

Finally, we reached Punta Fuego.



After unpacking our things and settling down, we had lunch. There was karaoke, so anupaba? Hehe



The view from the balcony is breathtaking...



Usually, the twins take their siesta at 12NN. But today, no no no! Naloka sila sa playstation.



At 4pm, we all decided to go to Long Beach. Sinakay muna ang kayak, then off we went.



Weather was perfect and the beach was calm... saraaap!



Wrap-up time was 6pm. Carlos didnt want to leave. Iyakan blues. So we promised, tomorrow, we'll have "swimming time" again.





Pagbalik sa house, ligo then dinner. Pahinga, chikka time, karaoke and playstation. That was Day 1.

So, what did you do on V-Day?

Last Saturday, Keith and I had dinner at my parents' house. It was potbless and we were in-charge of ice cream. We brought vanilla and avocado, which is now becoming a family fave.



After dinner, we met up with Keith's friends at Quattro in Timog. Sinalubong namin ang V-day here. Nkkaloka coz there was a dating game, lol.



On Valentines Sunday, the twins and I heard mass at the chapel; Keith was still asleep. After lunch we went to my in-laws'. Around 6pm, Keith and I made takas, and we went to Serendra. Super dami ng tao hanggang Boni High Street, nkka-lokah! Ikot ikot muna kame, finding a spot that's not crowded. Keith was hesitant to light his yosi which he bought from the waiter in Italianni's for P100 a pack, bwahaha. It was a rip-off, super mahal. And no, it was not blue seal noh. We had dinner at Cupcakes by Sonja. It was my first time here. Walang tao dito coz people usually just take out their goodies. It was masaya, bonding moment.



We also stopped by this mini-concert in the middle of High Street. Papano, Keith is going gaga with all this vroom vroom audio set-up thingie. Being the supportive wife that I am, I agreed to watch and listen. Well, to be honest, I didnt try to analyze the musical chords or what, I just enjoyed the music :)

So that was Valentine's for us. :)

2010 Year of the Tiger: Chinese Zodiac Horoscope Forecast of Your Life, Love and Fortune

The Rooster – Keith (1981)

The Rooster is always popular, extravagant and creative.. They can be brutally honest and generally like being showered with attention. They are wonderfully loyal friends and also give advice freely – whether they are asked for it or not! Family means the world to the Rooster and they are fiercely loyal to those they care about.

Forecast for 2010
The Year of the Tiger will have mixed fortunes for the Rooster, but by staying calm, observant and flexible, the Rooster will glide through 2010 coming out much wiser, stronger and with great success behind him. He will be in much demand for his sage advice and experience and, at work, this will come to the notice of his employer. Many will also decide to go back to college this year or completely change the direction of their career. Travel features quite strongly with the Rooster seeking out adventure, fun and new places to visit. A word of caution: all Roosters must ensure that they don’t overdo things – exhaustion and a depleted immune system will result if proper rest isn’t taken. Home life will bring many joys and will be seen as a cosy sanctuary throughout the year. The Spring months and November and December will be excellent for intimate romantic encounters.. March and July to October will be the optimum time for making career decisions or to change jobs.

Interesting Rooster Facts:
Zodiac Stone: Citrine
Special Flower: Aster
Best Hours: 5-7 pm
Season: Autumn
Horoscope Colors: Orange, Green

The Horse – Jovie (1978)

Fun, charming and attractive sums up the Horse’s traits perfectly. They love parties and crowds and being the centre of attention. They can also be egotistical, hotheaded and impatient. The Horse is a considerate and protective friend and partner and when in his company, there will always be excitement around the next corner.

Forecast for 2010
The Year of the Tiger will be an exciting and lively year for the Horse. On the home and family front, there may be some changes with family members moving in, moving out or relocating to another location altogether. On the social front, the Horse will be in much demand with invitations to parties and gatherings increasing as the year moves on. Health wise, with such a busy year and added pressures, the Horse must ensure that he looks after his diet and gets adequate rest. Otherwise, irritability and heated arguments could arise unnecessarily. Those born under this sign will do exceptionally well career-wise this year. However, they must follow up leads and career openings with vigor in order to take advantage of the fast paced energy of the Tiger year. A word of caution for the Horse – they need to keep a careful eye on their finances as overspending could happen very easily. August through September will bring fantastic opportunities for those looking for love. March through May will be lucky for changing jobs or careers while November and December will bring fun and lively social gatherings.

Interesting Horse Facts:
Zodiac Stone: Golden Topaz
Special Flower: Rose
Best Hours: 11am-1pm
Season: Summer
Horoscope Colors: Orange, White, Yellow

The Pig – Vito & Carlos (2007)

The Pig is an innocent, sweet and lovable personality. They can also be quite melancholy and over-sensitive. The Pig loves the company of others, and adores parties, gossip and chit chat. They are highly intelligent, but prefer to keep this side of their nature under wraps. The Pig does not care that much for money, but is one of the zodiac signs that is very lucky.

Forecast for 2010
The Pig loves activity and challenges and the Year of the Tiger will certainly provide this. There may be additional financial pressure on the Pig this year, but with prudent spending and consideration, this need not be a problem. The Pig is an open, friendly soul and very trusting, but this year he must be wary. It’s possible that gossip may prove too tempting or that he may listen to false advice, causing upset and trouble. Be guarded and careful this year! The Pig must ensure that he follows up all correspondence or financial dealings – to delay or overlook details will prove costly. Short, fun, unplanned trips will feature throughout the year and will be excellent for off-setting any stresses and pressure the Year of the Tiger may bring. Interest in spirituality and self-development will be to the fore and any opportunity to study and explore these should be taken. November to January will provide excellent opportunites for changing career direction or to find a new job. August to December will prove particularly social, with many fun occasions and opportunities to make new friends.

Interesting Pig Facts
Zodiac Stone: Ruby
Special Flower: Chrysanthemum
Best Hours: 9-11 pm
Season: Autumn
Horoscope Colors: Purple, Red, White

Taken from this.

Christmas at Bahay ni Maria

Keith and his friends organized a charity event this year. They chose Bahay ni Maria in Makati. This is my very first charity event. :)

Christmas at Jalapeño

Merry Christmas! Here we are with Strike Team at Jalapeño Julia Vargas. Masarap the food, and I loved the lemonade!

We had exchange gift, and we got a starter set with bowls from Les. This will be useful in the kitchen and for our get-togethers, thanks! :)

Ondoy

Just want to make a quick shout-out that I am alive and well!! And here’s hoping that all of you are doing fine.

During the typhoon, we had poor cellphone signal, poor water, no electricity, no telephone, no internet, no nothing. At night, we couldn’t sleep, bcoz the twins were sweating to death despite our best efforts to fan them. Flood water was thigh-deep outside our apartment. And because we were beside a creek, we were praying real hard that the wall will protect us from the raging waters. And it did. Just past midnight on Saturday, we heard a crash. In the morning, we discovered that the wall collapsed just a few houses away from us.. thick mud and big rocks were everywhere, about three houses were severely damaged.

On Monday, Keith decided we needed to evacuate. All hotels were booked, except Lancaster Hotel in Shaw. Mau, Moxi and the yayas were with us so we booked a 2-bedroom loft-type suite with kitchen (utensils, pots included), a dining area, living room and laundry area. It was a good refuge to us typhoon-victims. Buying grocery from Megamall was a nightmare. The lines were crazy long! I overheard Sta Lucia was closed so people were doing their shopping in Mega.

Ondoy will never be forgotten. He has taken so many lives in Rizal. In fact, in De Castro Pasig, where we usually lived, the houses were submerged in flood water. I am so grateful that we have moved to Brookside and I am truly blessed that my entire family is safe. We were fortunate that flood was only in our street. Mom's house was not as lucky. Flood water was waist-deep on the first floor and all cars were submerged in water. My dad was rushed to the hospital on Sunday night because of cold sweating, tummy ache and headache. He was discharged today and is perfectly okay. Na-stress lang, hehe!