~ surfacing ~

Shameless Plugging :D

2012-02-03T15:04:00.002+08:00

Today, yours truly is featured over at Tina's One More Page as the first guest in her new semi-regular feature/series called What I Read.

I won't be delving into what the series is all about. Tina will tell you all about it in her blog. When she ~~approached~~ e-mailed me about it, the first thought that came to mind was, who am I to say no? Being just asked, by itself, is already an honor and a pleasure. Tina is one of my good friends from Goodreads, one of very few people who has been nothing but very friendly, open, and welcoming to new faces and personalities online. It is from her that I mainly get recommendations for YA books, and I trust her judgment when it comes to that genre. I am happy and grateful to know her. :)

She made me sound more interesting than I ever hope I could be. Thanks, Tina! :)

Hop on over to the post and say hi! :)

Allie in Boracay!

2012-01-25T09:54:00.002+08:00

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After talking it over with my husband, who badly and desperately needs to go on a vacation (and soon!), we finally decided: we're going to Boracay this summer! :)

It will be the first of many things for Allie: first time to ride a plane, first time to actually be on a beach (yes, Bagasbas beach in Daet doesn't count because she wasn't able to wade in), first time to travel outside of Luzon. We are so excited for her knowing how much she likes to play with water, and I already have her two-piece suit ready to be used! :D

Our trip will be this coming March, which will coincide with our second wedding anniversary on March 6th. It took me some time to find a decent and affordable hotel, because it's been 4 years since Archie and I have been to Boracay. We didn't want to book Sun Village Central, where we stayed in 2008, because we didn't think it would suit Allie's needs. Thanks to fellow book blogger Chris, whose family is now based in Aklan, I found Residencia Boracay and loved their amenities and rates. (Thanks again a million, Chris!) Archie and I also loved her other suggestion, Sea Wind, but decided to go for Residencia because of their De Luxe Select room, which has a veranda overlooking the beachfront. I didn't waste time and had a room reserved for us right away! The flights have been booked, too, so all that's left for us to do is wait for March. Oh I am so excited!

Coincidentally, last night, I came upon this online article that Boracay has been names as the second best beach in the world, according to TripAdvisor. Now I really cannot wait!!! :D

Nanay Woes :(

2012-01-12T16:25:00.001+08:00

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It's only the second week of the new year, but it feels quite longer than that. Already, my husband and I are exhausted, and it doesn't look like things are perfectly okay, at this time.

Since Monday last week, Allie's bowel movement has been loose - very loose - and she threw up her milk and food a couple of times. Her vomiting ceased in the evening of Monday, and we thought her bowel movement would be okay by Tuesday. We were wrong. So we brought her to her pediatrician on Wednesday, had her stool examined, and (thank God!) were told that she's bacteria- and parasite-free.

Days later, however, the consistency of her stool has still not improved. We had another couple of stool examinations done on her by two different hospitals, and both yielded negative results. The pediatrician has asked us to observe for another couple of days, and then to bring her back in for another check-up.

We are at a loss as to what could possibly be wrong with Allie. Nothing is apparently wrong with her: she's still very active, her appetite hasn't waned, she never threw up again, she sleeps well, and she looks well. Except that her bowel is loose, and we don't know why.

And we can't rest assured that absolutely nothing is wrong with her until we know the cause of it.

I hate that my baby is sick. :(

My 2011 in Pictures

2012-01-05T22:25:00.000+08:00

In hindsight, 2011 has been a celebration of motherhood for me: it was the first full year of Allie's life - Allie, our pride and joy. Our family received other blessings too, in other aspects, but since Allie's birth in December of last year, our lives have been centered around her, and that's the best part of 2011.

Here are the highlights of the past year:

Allie's christening at UST, our alma mater

Allie was a few days short of her 2nd month birthday when she was welcomed into the Christian community. She was baptized at the Santisimo Rosario Parish in February 2011. :)

Read more »

Allie Turns One!

2011-12-21T12:10:00.001+08:00

The little girl's 1st birthday party happened on the exact date of her birthday, Dec. 11, and it was a blast!

Although we were initially apprehensive about inclement weather, as it had been raining steadily everyday that entire week, we were very thankful that on the morning of her birthday, on our way to the venue, the sun was smiling down on us, as though it were bestowing its own gift upon the birthday girl. :) And while it did rain in the afternoon, the party had already been wrapped up and nearly everybody had gone.

Family from Laguna and Bicol, as well as friends from all over, took the time out from their busy holiday schedules to grace the party with their presence. We are so grateful to them! Seeing them come over to greet Allie personally on her birthday meant so much to us, it was worth every bit of preparation that we put into her party. I know that everyone enjoyed the program, and that we filled their happy tummies, too. ;)

Here are a few pictures from the event that consumed Nanay's days (and nights) for practically the whole year. Photos courtesy of the best photographer in the whole wide ~~web~~ world, Joel Francisco (incidentally also Allie's ninong, by affinity, haha):

Family Portrait

A Funeral, A Wedding, and A Birthday

2011-11-28T15:16:00.000+08:00

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I've got my plate full for the next few days. I have a funeral first, then a wedding, and then my baby girl's first birthday party – and the concomitant preparations, too – to keep me busy for quite a while.

My paternal grandmother, Regina Almeida y Bantaya, or Lola Reny as we lovingly call her, passed away yesterday. She was 84, and prior to her hospitalization, she was in the pink of health. Everyone had been sort-of expecting that her time has probably come, so my aunts and uncles waived CPR. But the fact that it was expected did not foreclose the fact that her death was a big blow to the family. After all, she is – was – the clan matriarch, and everyone looked up to her especially since our Lolo Ikeng died several years before.

Let me just share with you how much I appreciate Lola waiting for me before she took her last breath. I say she waited for me – for our family: Archie, Mama, and Venice – because just a few minutes after we got to her hospital room and I talked to her by the foot of her bed, she had a cardiac arrest (from what we gleaned from the rather incompetent nurses) and expired not long after. I distinctly remember that when the nurses couldn't seem to revive her, the 3 o'clock prayer was being said on TV, and we arrived at the hospital around half an hour before. So, thank you, Lola, for letting us say goodbye. We love you very much and you will always be remembered.

To anyone who might be interested, her remains lie in state at the ancestral house in our hometown in Laguna, and interment will be this Thursday, December 1st.

On the other hand, my best friend from college, Daei, will be tying the knot this Saturday, December 3rd, and I am designated to read the Responsorial Psalm during the eucharistic celebration. The ceremony is slated to start at 7 pm, but I will still need some prepping up (read: manicure, threading, [way overdue] haircut), so that will take up considerable time, too.

And then of course, there's my little girl's 1st birthday party in a couple of weeks. I am so rattled and nervous about everything going ~~perfect~~ right, I want to go through every single detail with the party planner right now. There are still a couple of things I ought to do before the big day, and I still need to meet with her to finalize everything, I keep looking at my calendar just to make sure I haven't forgotten anything. Talk about stressful!

Yes, all these in a span of 2 weeks. Can anyone be any more busy?

Trick or Treat!

2011-11-14T21:05:00.000+08:00

This year is Allie's very first Halloween, so we decided to go trick-or-treating. After scouring the internet for Halloween events at malls, I decided to bring Allie to Glorietta 5, which held their Halloween programs and trick-or-treat on October 29.

Here are some photos of this super-fun event. :)

Our little pumpkin fairy fell asleep even before we could go trick-or-treating. She just woke up in this picture with her Tatay. Take note of the super-cute booties! ;)

There was a faux pumpkin patch at the hallway of Glorietta 4, and since we have a pumpkin fairy with us, it's time for some photo-ops! :)

Very happy Nanay! Allie didn't once try to pull at her (rather itchy) costume or her booties, and her pumpkin stem headdress stayed in place because she let it be! That's my very good girl. :)

Tatay, Little Pumpkin Fairy, Nanay

When we got to Glorietta 5, where there were Halloween activities for the kids, we realized that we needed to register so we can trick or treat, and that all the slots have already been taken. Booo. :( So, because the Tatay will not let his pumpkin fairy go home empty-handed, we trooped (my sister-in-law, Ate Maan, tagged along) to Toys R'Us and bought the singing Abby Cadabby toy and a Fisher Price flip phone for her. Her rewards for being such a behaved little pumpkin fairy!! ;)

What should she go as next year? Haha. No, I am not a stage mother. :P

Our very first trick-or-treat!

2011-10-25T11:00:00.000+08:00

... hasn't happened yet, but it will next week! :)

Costume: check!

Pumpkin: check!

Baby girl: check!

:D

Allie will be going as a pumpkin fairy, complete with fairy wings, pumpkin headdress and elf shoes. (I hope she'll agree to wear them without a fuss!) And after scouting the internet for Halloween parties for kids, I finally decided that for the little girl's very first Halloween event, we'll go trick-or-treating at Glorietta next week!

Once Upon A Halloween is happening on October 31, and with the following schedule of events:

Tricky Treats Maze
Glorietta 5 Atrium . October 31, 2011 . 10AM to 6PM

Trick or Treat
Glorietta 5 Atrium . October 31, 2011 . 10AM to 6PM

Bobbing for Apples and Treats
2nd floor, Glorietta 4, fronting Italianni's
October 29 to 31, 2011

Jack O Lantern Pumpkin Station
Ground floor fronting Octagon
October 17 to 31, 2011

For other Halloween events this year, please visit this site. :) Happy Halloweeeeeeen! ;)

Suppliers Update

2011-10-12T11:11:00.001+08:00

Okay, time for some updates on the suppliers for the little girl's birthday party.

The suppliers that we've agreed on so far:

(1) Venue ~ North East Greenhills
(2) Party Planner ~ Jacque Tan of Partyboosters
(3) Cake ~ Alex Franco
(4) Host/Magician/Ventriloquist/Balloon Twister ~ The Chubster

We met with Jacque some few weeks ago and discussed with her the decorations, which will cater to the theme, Sesame Street. I won't divulge much of what we've settled on, but suffice it to say that there will be lots of balloons, and lots of colors everywhere. ;)

Jacque will also take care of the food carts. We chose suppliers that will provide the four food types that we want: french fries, nachos, ice cream, and assorted candy. I'm really glad that we commissioned Jacque to plan Allie's party; aside from the fact that she will be taking care of most of the details for venue preparations, she will also be the one to contact the food cart suppliers for us. Plus, she is already very familiar with the venue, having planned events there before, and so we needn't worry about a thing. (Hopefully.)

Read more »

Pictorial!

2011-09-17T09:41:00.001+08:00

Last September 9, our daughter had a scheduled photoshoot with our favorite photographer, Joel Francisco, at Robinsons Midtown. It was a lifestyle shoot; we wanted some pictures that we can use for her birthday (printed materials and stuff), and although I actually have a ton of those, there's simply not one that's good enough for our purposes. Hence, I commissioned Joel for an hour-long photoshoot. And since the little girl doesn't sit, stand, or walk without support yet, her Tatay and I were inadvertently included in the shoot. (Not that we minded it.)

I'd love to post more than these, but where's the surprise element for her birthday? :D So I'll just post these - a sneak peek, really - to whet your curiosity:

Family picture :)

Time to shape up!

2011-09-02T13:51:00.000+08:00

After much deliberation, my husband and I have finally decided to hit the gym. For most of the year, we've been complaining to each other about our ever-increasing weight (mine is more pregnancy-related), futilely attempting diet plans and obviously failing at everything we've tried. For the longest time, we've contemplated enrolling at a nearby gym for the sole purpose of losing weight, and I've been holding back because I feared it would take away a chunk of our quality time with the little girl. (I didn't want to leave her with her yaya all the time, because I'm utterly scared to see that one day, she will favor the yaya over me.) But at Allie's age of almost 9 months, when she can already recognize faces and people, and considering how much time I've been spending with her (I'm a very hands-on mom), there is very little chance of my fears coming true. So it was with very minimal persuasion from my husband that I decided, yes, let's do it, let's hit the gym.

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Allie hearts Tagaytay

2011-08-16T10:39:00.002+08:00

Over the weekend, we drove south to one of our favorite places, Tagaytay City, for the little girl's very first out-of-town trip. We've been planning to drive up to Tagaytay for months now, but our plans always get thwarted by the rains and the consecutive typhoons that hit the country. So when the weather improved (a little) last week, we decided it was the perfect time to push through with our shelved plans.

After a quick detour to her Lola Julie and Ate Venice in Laguna, we excitedly hied off. Allie never made a fuss nor threw a tantrum during the entire ride: she was even very hyper! Screaming, jumping, and generally making her Nanay break a (good) sweat just trying to keep her horses down. :)

Family picture with Taal Volcano and Lake in the background.

Allie's First Birthday Shebang: UPDATES

2011-08-12T14:08:00.001+08:00

As I've mentioned in a previous post, the venue and the host/magician/ventriloquist/balloon-twister are already booked. We're still deciding which caterer to commission for the event, choosing between Queensland and Center Table Catering, the latter one having been recommended to us by our favorite cake chef, Alex Franco. I've done the preliminary math, and so far, Queensland is a contender for the caterer.

Speaking of Alex Franco, we met up with him last, last week to discuss Allie's Sesame Street-themed five-layered all-edible cake. Since Alex doesn't really customize his cakes according to a specific cartoon character (he's not into gumpaste stuff, which allows for more customizations), we've decided to have it tailor-fit according to the Sesame Street muppet colors instead.

Ribbon samples I gave to Alex for color reference.

The blue is for Cookie Monster, the red is for Elmo, the yellow is for Big Bird, the orange is for Ernie (sorry, we can't have another yellow for Bert), and the green is for Oscar the Grouch. :)

Read more »

Allie's First Party

2011-08-02T10:32:00.000+08:00

... that is a birthday. Um, yeah. That should be more accurate than if I were to say "Allie's First Birthday Party", because then it would be construed to mean that Allie celebrated her first birthday party. Which is not the case. The case is, Allie attended her very first party, as guest, and the party happened to be the 2nd birthday celebration of our inaanak, Louie Defensor.

It was held at the Jollibee branch along Ortigas Avenue. I just came from the fifth meet-up of my book club at El Pueblo, Ortigas Center, and was lucky enough that Louie's party started at 4pm, giving me the opportunity to attend the meet-up from 11:30am to 3pm.

We were very apprehensive about Allie throwing a tantrum around unfamiliar faces, but she just about surprised us: she was so behaved all throughout the event, and even allowed herself to be carried by one of our law school friends, not giving a fuss at all! She was amazed at the people, at all the colorful decor, and yes, the ceiling fan. Haha.

I made her wear the blue dress that my sister-in-law, her Ninang Maan, gave her some months back, and matching white stockings, shoes, and floral headband, too. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take a picture of her in her full get-up, so these should do. :)

Showing off that little dimplet at the corner of her mouth.

We're Moving!

2011-07-28T14:04:00.000+08:00

Just the book-related posts, anyway.

After much thought, research, debates with myself, and the weighing of the pros (which are many) and cons (which are none), I finally did it: I created a subdomain for a book blog.

So. The book posts are moving. To their new home.

Photo courtesy.

Find it right here.

And the reasons why I finally convinced myself that it should be worth it? Read about it here.

It's still under construction, so please bear with me a little. Hopefully, someday soon, I can fix it, and it will be so much more presentable.

Let me know what you think! :)

The Filipino Group: 5

2011-07-25T11:33:00.002+08:00

Last Saturday, I attended the fifth meet-up of The Filipino Group of Goodreads. It's my second, having attended the fourth meet-up last April 10.

Compared to the April gathering, which had roughly 20-something attendees, this one boasted of around 40 attendees, including some first-timers, and Filipino authors Mina V. Esguerra and Samantha Sotto, who is plugging her newly-released book, "Before Ever After". Also in attendance was DJ Caz of... I forget which radio station, but what I distinctly remember is that he also loves Anne Rice (one of my most favorite authors of all time!), and he doesn't play revivals. Yay for the ban on revivals! Hehe.

Here's a pic from one of the members, Book Elf, which I edited just a little:

With our loot! And happy smiles all around. :)

Lunch was at Congo Grille, El Pueblo, where we also had an introduce-yourself portion c/o Louize, a tete-a-tete with Mina, Sam and Caz, and the Literary Quiz - With A Twist! game c/o GameMaster Jzhun which, unfortunately, my team (Team Aldrin) lost. Huhu. There were also three birthday celebrators - Kuya Doni, Joyzi and Sam, so the event was definitely a blast. Imagine, I brought home a ton of books, both given and lent to me ~

See that corner bookmark at the lower right? A token from Louize! So cute!

I have to thank Tina for letting me borrow her copy of The Lover's Dictionary, Aldrin for my copies of Robopocalypse and The Little Prince, reading buddy Angus for The Inheritance of Loss, Tintin for Fragile Things and A Wrinkle In Time, Aaron for Howl's Moving Castle, and Kuya Doni for lending me Naermyth and The Wasp Factory, and giving me A Secret Garden. My copy of The Thirteenth Tale, I filched from the pile for giveaway purposes, so to whoever it was who brought that, thank you as well! :)

Read more »

The Venue

2011-07-20T13:47:00.000+08:00

Over the weekend, we drove all the way to North East Greenhills to secure the venue for Allie's 1st birthday, and also to conduct our ocular inspection of the clubhouse. I took a couple of pictures for posterity's sake.

Bare. (Sorry for the grainy pics, these were taken from a phone cam.)

Light filters through from all sides, so it's really very nice.

This is how it will look like when properly set up.

Photos courtesy of Jacque Tan of Partyboosters

Love all the vibrant colors!

Now that the venue is settled, and I mentioned in an earlier post that I've also booked The Chubster as master of ceremonies/magician/ventriloquist/balloon twister, I am intent on booking a caterer next. We'll schedule a food tasting session with Queensland within the next two weeks, and I'm really hoping for the best. We've heard good things about them so far, and I really like how they have reasonable rates.

I've also spoken with Alex Franco (who created our wedding cake last year) for Allie's 5-layered cake, and we'll also schedule a meeting with him soon. I'm still thinking of designs that would fit the Sesame Street theme.

More updates later! ;)

Allie at 7 months

2011-07-15T22:54:00.000+08:00

Allie turned 7 months just this Monday, and as is usual with her monthly "birthdays", we had a small celebration. This time around, our theme was Mexican: we had Friday's ballpark nachos and Mexicali's chicken and beef burritos, and cheese and garlic quesadillas. Incidentally, my mother-in-law was in Manila for her doctor's appointment, and so celebrated with us.

Blowing the candles with Tatay

Allie's turning 7 months means I have more or less 5 months to prepare for her first birthday shebang. So far, we've already booked our venue and host/magician/ventriloquist/balloon twister in the person of The Chubster (my first choice, Flooch, was booked already, so he recommended Chubster in his stead). We've also already narrowed down the choices for caterer, and I more or less have someone in mind - party coordinator - who will supervise the decorations and setup at the venue. For the small stuff like invites, food carts, loot bags, etc., those can be easily taken care of as soon as the more important suppliers have been settled.

I am so excited for my baby to turn one! :)

The Midnight Palace

2011-07-15T10:44:00.000+08:00

Photo from Barnes & Noble

As in all books by Zafon, I loved this one. It had its little quirky um-where'd-that-come-from? moments, but I loved it nonetheless.

The synopsis at Waterstones.com reads as follows:

1916, Calcutta. A man pauses for breath outside the ruins of Jheeter's Gate station knowing he has only hours to live. Pursued by assassins, he must ensure the safety of two newborn twins, before disappearing into the night to meet his fate. 1932. Ben and his friends are due to leave the orphanage which has been their home for sixteen years. Tonight will be the final meeting of their secret club, in the old ruin they christened The Midnight Palace. Then Ben discovers he has a sister - and together they learn the tragic story of their past, as a shadowy figures lures them to a terrifying showdown in the ruins of Jheeter's Gate station.

Note: I am not sure if this is a spoiler, though I don't think it really is, but I'm giving you a fair warning anyway, as it has a lot to do with the foundation of the story.
The first part of this book was a bit shaky, I will have to admit. How many times have we heard of the story of a newborn child (or children, or baby/ies) whose parents were murdered in cold blood by an evil person/being, but which child, by some fortunate twist of fate, is rescued by a benevolent character (who may or may not end up dying anyway), and who leaves such child somewhere (at the doorstep of another benevolent character, maybe?) where the child grows up, shielded from the past and clueless that, upon reaching a certain age, he/she and the evil murderer of his/her parents will resurface? I'm thinking Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book and, of course, the most obvious example, J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter. Almost always, a token - something - will be left in the possession of such child that will help in the discovery of his past. Well. Go figure.
Okay, it's safe to continue reading the rest of the review now.

The little "showdown" and "game" towards the end, too, was a bit tacky. If you've been dealing with an apparently invincible enemy, with demonic powers and super-strengths, the "game" would not be something that you'd expect.

Notwithstanding the somewhat predictable foundation of the plot and the tacky little parts scattered in the storyline, I enjoyed this book immensely. I've read all of Zafon's previous works, and always, the part which I look forward to - the best thing about his novels, for me - is the suspense. The mystery. The eerie atmosphere that prevails throughout the story. The creepiness of the narrative that makes the hair at the back of my neck stand up on end. Yes, I'm a scaredy-cat, but still.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
My copy: Kindle edition

Queen of Babble

2011-07-12T13:35:00.000+08:00

I picked this book up for variety, since it has been sitting on my office table for the longest time, and it's been a while since I read a chicklit novel. The verdict? It was a light, okay read - nothing exceptional (where chicklit is concerned), nothing bad, either.

Queen of Babble is the story of Lizzie Nichols, a (non-)graduate of History of Fashion who lives with her parents at Ann Arbor, Michigan, who flies all the way to London, England, to spend time with her British boyfriend, Andrew. While there, she discovers more things about her boyfriend than she bargained for, forcing her to cross the channel to France, where her best friend, Shari, and her boyfriend, Chaz, are spending the summer helping out with the weddings being held at Chateau Mirac, owned by Chaz' best friend's family, the de Villiers. Luke, the handsome son of the owners, happens to be there, too, and, well, as in all chicklit novels, I guess we all pretty much know with whom Lizzie ends up at the end of the book.

Predictable, yes. Very much. There hasn't been an instance when I predicted what was going to happen, and I turned out to be wrong. However, the predictability was actually - forgive me - predictable, so I wasn't really disappointed. I also expected that it would follow some sort of formula: you know, cute heroine, hunky love interest, the latter's bitchy girlfriend, loyal bestfriend, etc. True enough, all those characters were present here. But I was just looking for a fun, easy read, and this book is just that, perfectly.

Cute book, I'd say. But I'm going to think really hard before I read its sequel. :)

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Photo courtesy: Barnes & Noble

On the Domestic Front

2011-07-07T10:29:00.000+08:00


Oh, I hope it won't EVER come to this! Photo courtesy.

Yesterday, our two ate's (read: Allie's latest yaya and the latest househelp) left for the province. The yaya is the third in 6 months, same as with the help: our third in 6 months. The histories of each one are too complicated to write about, so I won't.

Apart from the initial stress that comes with the Kuya-magpapaalam-na-sana-ako bit and the scramble to find a replacement - pronto! - we haven't experienced much problem where hiring is concerned. My mother-in-law, who is based in the province, has a vast network of connections that she can tap for purposes of finding someone to replace the current help, so there wasn't a time when we didn't have someone with us, at anytime.

Except now.

I can actually do the chores around the house: cooking, cleaning, a little laundry and pressing of clothes, sure. That leaves the yaya exclusively with Allie, who is, really, the priority. And that arrangement is alright with me: after I'm through with what needs to be done around the apartment, then I can spend time with my daughter.

But I don't want it. That arrangement, I mean. Sure I could cook all I want, but I'd rather be spending that time with my baby - the idea of me in the house, within several feet of her, and not actually spending time with her, taxes my mind too much. I would rather spend all my waking moments in the house with her, spend quality time with her.

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Required Reading: JULY

2011-07-05T13:49:00.001+08:00

I've been having a blast participating in this challenge because I am actually ~~obliging~~ ~~forcing~~ making myself read the books that have been ~~languishing~~ sitting on my shelf, collecting dust, for the longest time. So props to Tina from One More Page for this reading challenge! :)

Before I go into the books that will make up my list for July's Required Reading challenge, a recap of my June readings first:

(1) THEODORE BOONE, KID LAWYER by John Grisham ~ I enjoyed this one: Grisham's first YA-oriented legal thriller. I hope that the sequel will be as much fun to read.
(2) A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD by Jennifer Egan ~ It had its good points, it had its bad ones, too. This book proved to me that not all Pulitzer-winning novels will be enjoyed be everyone.
(3) HATCHET by Gary Paulsen ~ 2 out of 5 stars. I didn't like it very much and contemplated giving it just 1 star. And to think this was a Newbery Honor book.
(4) QUEEN OF BABBLE by Meg Cabot ~ The first book by Cabot that I've read. It had its hilarious moments, but was quite predictable. I enjoyed it, nonetheless.

So, 4 out of 4 for me in June! *pats myself on the back* In addition, I even finished a chunkster of a book, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, buddy-read with my Goodreads friend Angus. Good job, self. :)

Now, for July.

All-Natural Homemade Baby Food for Allie

2011-07-01T21:25:00.001+08:00

When Allie turned 5 months last May 11, her pediatrician advised that we could begin giving her solid food. All the signs that she's ready for solids are there: licking her lips when she sees us eating and seemingly unsatisfied with just milk for her diet. Being the excited first-time parents that we are, Archie and I prepared for another important milestone in Allie's life.

But we didn't want to give her processed or easy-to-prepare food, like cereals. We wanted to start her with something nutritious, and bereft of any chemicals or preservatives that would, in the long run, have an adverse effect on her health. We also didn't want to spoil her taste buds by giving her delicious or sweet food - I don't want her to develop a sweet tooth, just like her Nanay.

Her very first food was mashed banana.

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Recent Readings

2011-06-30T10:13:00.000+08:00

I have been a slacker blogger for the past days because, well, I am up to my neck in chores and work and everything else that I have no time to spare for blogging. Apologies. Anyway, here are my reviews, as posted on Goodreads, of the last books that I've read.
___________________________________

A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD by Jennifer Egan

Six degrees of separation winning the Pulitzer, with twisted characters in various states of senescence, forlorn, gloom, and devastation all at the same time, spanning several decades as time frame. That, in a nutshell, is my assessment of "A Visit From The Goon Squad".

This is no cerebral review of the novel; I do not want to over-analyze any underlying messages or meanings beneath each and every chapter which featured a different character. Instead, these are simple observations.

The shifting perspectives and time frames took a little getting used to: there was even one chapter, “Out Of Body”, where Drew and Rob, as college students, get high on the streets of New York and end up swimming in the garbage-strewn Hudson River (please correct me if this is wrong). The narration spoke of “you”, as in, “You are doing this and that”, and “you” turns out to be Rob. At first, the abrupt change in the perspectives was disorienting, and I had to read slowly just to be able to comprehend the circumstances of who, when, and where for every chapter. However, three, four chapters in, and I eventually got the hang of it.

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6 months, and growing really fast!

2011-06-14T10:38:00.000+08:00

Last Saturday, June 11th, we celebrated Allie's 6th month with the usual: a cake and some dishes from the month's theme.

For this month's ITALIAN theme, we had vongole pasta, bruschetta and pizza from Italianni's, and buffalo wings from our favorite Don Henrico's. I ordered a small cake from Theobroma ~ their special moist dark chocolate cake, yum! Aesthetically, Allie's 6th month cake was unassuming and bereft of decor, but the lack thereof was more than made up for by taste. Theobroma! Belgian Chocolate! Drool!

Blow the candle, darling!

Little Bee

2011-06-08T13:22:00.000+08:00

“Little Bee” is the story of the lives of two women: the life of “Little Bee” herself, a teenage Nigerian refugee girl who, after having witnessed the murder of the villagers in her hometown, (illegally) flees to the United Kingdom, spends 2 years in a detention center, and learns the Queen's language, and of Sarah Summers, a British magazine editor who lives at Kingston-upon-Thames, United Kingdom, with her husband, Andrew, and young son, Charlie.

They cross paths once upon a time in a beach in Nigeria, both escaping from someone or something in their lives that were inevitable, anyway: Little Bee, running away from the men who will take her and make her pay for having witnessed their crimes, and Sarah, attempting to evade the impending severance of her marriage. Their fates collide and become intertwined by a single event that will haunt them for the rest of their lives.

It is the mystery of that event that had me drawn to the story, I will admit. The narrative was simple and engaging, and I loved how Chris Cleave shifted perspectives, between Little Bee's and Sarah's, in weaving the story, all told from the first-person point of view. The novel was retrospective, starting from the present time, revealing only bits and portions of past events – specifically from 2 years back – that led to the circumstances of the here and now. But it was the mystery of the event that transpired in the Nigerian beach that was the focal point of the story.

Movie Roundup!

2011-06-08T11:29:00.000+08:00

Before we got married, and waaay before I had Allie, my husband and I went to the movies every week, without fail. Really. We would always check movie schedules, even in the middle of the workweek, and see if there's anything we like. If there is, you can definitely count on us queueing for tickets, and if there isn't, well, we just pick the most tolerable one (judging from the actors, story, and ratings) and watch, anyway. That's what my husband and I are: movie buffs.

When I had Allie last December, however, things have changed much where our movie-going habits are concerned. Of course, we have the little girl to think about now, and we can't just leave her all the time with the yayas, especially taking into account that we're already out of the house for the better part of the day and are left with very little time to spend with her in the evenings, after work. It was especially difficult during her first few months, as she's still so small and we know that she needs very special attention. It's a sacrifice, truly it is, to forego our own R&R in favor of taking care of our daughter. But we'd gladly do it; anything for our baby girl.

Now that Allie's bigger, however (6 months this Saturday!), Archie and I have decided that it wouldn't hurt us in the least bit if we could find some quality time with each other, even just for a couple of hours, every week. It's also fortunate that a mall is just next door to where we live, and we could pop out of the house at least half an hour before the movie starts, and then pop back in just as soon as it's over. Just two hours, the length of time that Allie would spend napping, and then we're back at home before she even realizes that Tatay and Nanay have gone out on a date. ;)

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Required Reading: June

2011-06-06T13:50:00.002+08:00

I'm just going to squeeze in this entry considering I'm so ~~overworked~~ swamped with stuff in the office, I might not be able to accomplish this before the first week of June is over. And I really, really want to specify which books I must read for the month. You know, setting the priorities straight. LOL. ;)

But before that, how did I fare with the challenge for May?

(1) The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows ~ Loved it for its historical value; the love story was a mere incident.
(2) Little Bee by Chris Cleave ~ I actually finished this book this Saturday, June 4th, because, well, I didn't have much time left for reading after all my other duties, at home and in the office. But I finished it didn't I? ;)
(3) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon ~ The second book for May with such a long title, heehee. This book was unique, and informative on Asperger's syndrome, a mild form of atheism.
(4) The Eyre Affair (Thursday Next, #1) by Jasper Fforde ~ Hello Thursday, so nice to meet you. I'm Friday. :D

So. Not bad, huh. I finished all four books in the list, and I still managed to read "Life of Pi" in between (which I rated 5 stars, very good book). :)

Now, for my June readings.

Life of Pi

2011-06-01T11:47:00.002+08:00

In a nutshell, “Life of Pi” is one long metaphor about man, his faith and his God, adversities, resiliency, and above all, hope. If I were to describe the book, I would say it is engaging, heartwarming, and hilarious. (Yes, you read it correctly.) The only downside is that it tended to drag a little, but I didn't mind; after all, what can you expect from a novel, written in the first-person point of view, about a teenage boy who is shipwrecked in the Pacific with only a 450-pound adult Bengal tiger left for company? That, in a sentence, is what the novel is all about.

I constantly put myself in the shoes of Piscine Molitor Patel - “Pi” for short, as in 3.1416 – while he was stranded in a lifeboat with Richard Parker, the Bengal tiger in whose claws he was sure he was to meet his end. I knew, without doubt, that I could never have done what he did, and survive for more than 200 days floating in the ocean, practically starving to death, and with a carnivorous mammal for company, to boot. But Pi was an extraordinary person: he was resilient, he never lost hope (even when the circumstances actually justified it), he did his best to co-exist in extremely cramped living quarters with a carnivore, and best of all, he never doubted God and fervently kept the faith throughout his ordeal. It's an amazing life story, indeed. And although there were several situations in the story which even an unskeptical person may find improbable (e.g. The carnivorous island in the latter part of the story), it nonetheless helped drive home the point: that there is always hope.

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15,000 hits!

2011-05-31T13:35:00.001+08:00

Okay, I know that I exaggerate: 15,000 hits for a blog is such an easy feat, especially for bloggers who have, early on, carved a niche in the blogosphere and earned a constant readership with the things they write. For me, though, reaching the 15,000th mark is far from easy. Consider this: my blog has been in existence since September, 2004, which makes it 7 years old this year. And it only has 15,000 hits in that span of time???

This blog merely started as a hobby, something with which to pass the time while I was waiting for the results of my bar examinations due to be released the following year, or 2005. I didn't have a job then, and although I had been diligent in looking for one, the feeling wasn't exactly mutual. :D So I asked an old friend of mine how to go about setting up a blog, as he had also created one on Blogdrive. I found Blogdrive much too complicated for low-tech old little me, so I signed up with Blogger instead, learned the ropes, and then the rest, as they say, is history.

My blog has gone through several revamps and rehaulings over the years. I've changed templates numerous times, and I taught myself those html codes in order to tweak the templates and settings just a bit. (Thanks to the internet and its free tutorial sessions!) I've also changed URL names, from "monikee" to "listenasthewindblows" (the first line from a favorite Sarah McLachlan song) and finally, to the current URL, which domain name I've decided to buy off and appropriate as simply mine. I've ranted, raved, poured my heart out and shared my happiness on this blog; truly, it is a repository of the events and concomitant emotions that make up the past 7 years of my life.

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baby shoes

2011-05-24T10:45:00.000+08:00

Aren't these the cutest shoes for my darling? :)

White Dora shoes for her little-girl dresses :)

Denim doll shoes from FisherPrice for the more casual get-up

I bought these last, last week as I was shopping for a gift for my inaanak Jairus' christening. As I have made it a personal policy to always get something for ALLIE when I'm out shopping, either for myself, Tatay, or for someone else, I browsed around the babies' section at the mall and found these. Super-cute!

Oh, and she's a size 2 already ~ the size 1-year-olds wear. My girl is growing way too fast!

The Eyre Affair [Thursday Next, #1]

2011-05-24T09:00:00.000+08:00

Be sucked into the pages of a book...!

The cover of my trade paperback copy of this book has this snippet of a review from The Wall Sreet Journal: “Filled with clever wordplay, literary allusion and bibliowit, 'The Eyre Affair' combines elements of Monty Python, Harry Potter, Stephen Hawking and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But its quirky charm is all its own.”

Now Harry Potter and Buffy I am most familiar with, so after reading this book, I must say that I would have to agree. I think I also ought to add that I've never read any author that was as literal as Jasper Fforde.

At first, I had a difficult time with this book. A couple of chapters in, and I found myself utterly overwhelmed – much too overwhelmed – by the surreal world and characters that Fforde had created. Imagine a setting where you can cross over from the real world into the fictional setting of a novel and actually meet the characters, and in the course thereof, even alter the narration (well, because someone else is in it!)... Yes, it would be jumping into the pages of a book, literally!

When I finally closed the book, I had mixed thoughts about it. For me, it was a combination of odd, funny, fantastical, and action-packed. But what's definite about it is that it's enjoyable, to a certain extent.

I found the idea of parallel worlds very original. But how it was written/constructed left much to be desired for me: the first part was a mishmash of events and character introduction, and it was only in the latter part where the action and actual Eyre Affair transpired. Likewise, I had a hard time remembering the names and places, and recalled easily only those that I found funny and pun-filled (pun intended!), like Victor Analogy, Paige Turner, Jack Schitt, our heroine Thursday Next, even Braxton Hicks. (By the way, Braxton Hicks will be more familiar to anyone who's been pregnant before. It has something to do with false contractions.) To be fair, however, when I had gotten immersed in Thursday's world, it became easier to be engrossed with the story. I especially liked how Thursday brought it on with her incredibly superhuman enemy, Acheron Hades (get it?).
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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

2011-05-16T13:29:00.000+08:00

My initial thought after reading the book was, Wow, that was a weird one. Then, after a reassessment, I realized that weird has a negative vibe to it. Unique sounds just about right.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (2003) by Mark Haddon is the story of fifteen-year-old Christopher Boone, who has Asperger's syndrome, a mild form of autism. He discovers the slain body of his neighbor's poodle, Wellington, with a gardening fork stuck to its side. Deciding that he should write a mystery book on Wellington's murder, he takes on an investigation on his own, and in the process, unwittingly unearths secrets long kept from him by his own Father. (Yes, he calls his parents Father and Mother.)

What's unique about the book is that it was written from the first-person point of view of Christopher, whose mental condition both hampers and facilitates his “detection” of Wellington's murder. His Asperger's syndrome makes him an emotionally detached protagonist, and I honestly didn't know whether to feel pity or be stressed because of this. Imagine if you knew someone like Christopher, who groans aloud to block out any sound he doesn't like, hates anything yellow or brown and uses red food color so that he can eat yellow or brown food, hates physical contact, and almost gets run over by a train because he is more concerned about losing his pet rat than anything else. And because he was exceptionally awesome at math, he uses this skill as defense mechanism when he feels, even remotely, lonely or stressful.

On the other hand, the book was an eye-opener. Although it is by no means a medical treatise on autism or any of its forms, it will make readers realize that what these “special” children (or people) ultimately need is patience and understanding, especially coming from their immediate family and loved-ones. Reading about the scenes which would otherwise be considered lamentable by a normal person who happened to be in that situation, but was merely reduced to insignificance because of the emotionally-detached hero that is Christopher, was gut-wrenching for me.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

2011-05-12T13:32:00.000+08:00

Last night, I finally closed my copy of this book with a satisfied smile. There were a lot of things to like about it, and they lingered in my mind as I closed my eyes to sleep.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows is, principally, a romance novel. Set sometime in the mid-1940's, after the liberation of Europe from the Nazi occupation, in the little island called Guernsey, which formed part of the Channel Islands in the English Channel nestled between England and France, this book tells the story of writer/authoress Juliet Ashton, who develops friendships with a group of Guernsey Islanders who call themselves members of the “Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” through a series of missives exchanged between and among them. As Juliet, a single woman who lives in London, was then in search of a proper topic for her next book, she senses the makings of a novel among the letters sent to her by the Islanders. Initially, the stories were about how their Literary Society was founded, its members and their subsequent meetings; later on, however, the Islanders spoke of their experiences during the Nazi Occupation of their island. Packing her bags and spurning a lover's perfectly reasonable marriage proposal, Juliet boards the boat that would take her to Guernsey, and there discovers more than she bargained for.

The book was very easy to read. Instead of a winding narrative, the authors weaved and created the story in the form of letters and telegrams – letters to and from Juliet, her publisher Sidney, Sidney's sister and Juliet's close friend, Sophie, and the Guernsey people: Dawsey, Amelia, Eben, and the funny and slightly cuckoo Isola Pribby, my favorite character. I appreciated this style used by the authors because then, the points of view shifted from character to character, depending on who was writing the letter, so the reader, instead of seeing the story unfold from a limited viewpoint, was allowed unlimited vantage point and access to all of the characters' innermost thoughts.

ALLIE's First Day Out

2011-05-10T14:36:00.000+08:00

Last Saturday, Archie and I brought ALLIE to Power Plant Mall at Rockwell for her very first day out. :) We had been contemplating on the proper time and place for it, and finally decided that ALLIE deserves to go out already. Thanks to her Tito Ninong Andrei, Archie's youngest sibling, who arrived some weeks ago from his overseas on-the-job training (OJT) and upon whose arrival ALLIE got scared out of her wits. :D It was then that Archie and I realized that ALLIE needs to see other people's faces, apart from us. :D

Our trip was just in time for her Lola Amie's arrival from Bicol, as well, who joined us together with Tito Ninong Andrei and Tita Ninang Maan. :)

ALLIE's doting Lola Amie, who eagerly showed her around Power Plant

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-09T11:46:00.000+08:00

Happy mother's day! <3

This year is technically my first Mother's Day, but I think of it as my second year, the first one being last year while I was still pregnant with ALLIE. There was no special celebration of any kind last year, because I wasn't exactly into the groove of things yet being a true-blue mom. This year however, is truly a special one with my daughter around, and because the date coincided with my Dad's 60th birthday, if he were alive.

After hearing mass at nearby Ermita Church and having been blessed, together with other mommy churchgoers, and then getting some cafe mocha with my darling husband at the Starbucks next block, we drove and spent the day at my hometown in Laguna, with my own Mama. Archie and I bought a small cake for her. Oh, it was also the day when Pacquiao slaughtered Mosley in the arena via unanimous decision, and brought honor once again to the Philippines for a job well done. :)

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Post-Anniversary post

2011-05-04T14:19:00.002+08:00

Our first wedding anniversary was on March 6th, but because we were both so busy with a lot of stuff then, coupled with the fact that we couldn't just plan outings without taking ALLIE into consideration, Archie and I had to content ourselves with a simple celebration, one that did not include an out-of-town trip.

So on the morning of March 7th (I know, it isn't the exact date but, well...) we drove to the Manila Diamond Hotel, just a few blocks away, and had a buffet breakfast at their Corniche Restaurant, which used to be the Palm Court Cafe. Our families were billeted at Diamond last year for our wedding, and we loved the service and amenities, and especially the buffet breakfast, so we thought it appropriate to celebrate our first wedding anniversary with another buffet breakfast at one of our favorite hotels. :)

*burp* breakfast at Corniche

While enjoying the food as usual, we even ran into one of our high-profile ninongs from the wedding, hehe. No names, sorry. ;)

Then, as a continuation of our anniversary celebration, Archie brought me to Circles at the Shangri-La for a buffet lunch. How many times are we going to celebrate our anniversary, eat-all-you-can style? Haha. What can we do, we love food. :)

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Readings for the Month of May

2011-05-03T10:55:00.000+08:00

Last April, I made pretty good headway with my required reading, I was actually able to finish all three titles I committed to read. Here are the books I read for April:

1) Looking For Alaska by John Green
2) Fairy Tale Fail by Mina V. Esguerra
3) The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
4) Matchless by Gregory Maguire
5) Number The Stars by Lois Lowry
6) Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
7) The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events #3)by Lemony Snicket
8) The Miserable Mill (A Series of Unfortunate Events #4) by Lemony Snicket

A total of eight books for April. Not bad huh? It helped that I had more than enough free time (simultaneous with my nanay duties, of course) especially during Holy Week. :) So for this month, I've decided to add another book to make my required readings four: all the faster I'd be able to conquer my to-be-read pile!

So, for this month's required reading challenge.

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Holy Week 2011

2011-04-27T13:41:00.000+08:00

It is our first Holy Week (and Lenten season) as a family, and Allie's very first. Much as we would have loved to go home to Archie's hometown for the break, we couldn't afford to drive Allie, at 4 months, all the way to Bicol.

So, how and where did we spend it? :)

We just stayed at our apartment in Manila, the three of us. Although we did visit Allie's Lola in Laguna, it was only for an entire day (Black Friday) and we hastened to go back to Manila before dark. It is one of the few holidays when Archie can truly take a break off work, and we intended for him to take advantage of the long weekend.

So the three of us spent much quality time with each other for all of Holy Week. In between taking care of Allie and our household, I managed to squeeze in some readings: I finally finished "Norwegian Wood" by Haruki Murakami, the first one of his works that I've read; "Number The Stars" by Lois Lowry, which I found to be very informative; and two books from the "A Series of Unfortunate Events" series by Lemony Snicket, "The Wide Window" and "The Miserable Mill". After the Murakami read, which was long and laborious, I felt like I needed some super-light readings, hence the choices in books.

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Sofitel's Spiral

2011-04-15T10:54:00.001+08:00

Yesterday was the oathtaking of the successful examinees of the 2010 bar exams. And because my boss' unica hija is one of the new lawyers who took the oath, the office was part of the "contingent" that trooped to Sofitel for a buffet lunch/blow-out at its famous Spiral. :)

My favorites were the fresh seafood and the roast beef. Yum!

It was my first time, and boy oh boy, I couldn't get enough of it! I have been to eat-all-you-can restaurants before, but nothing prepared me for the smorgasbord of delights that was Spiral.

Knowing I had to have some sort of "system", so I could make the most out of this gastronomic experience, I went around the buffet tables first to check what they offer. I went to the farthest section from our tables, which was the Asian cuisine section, and sampled their Chinese and Thai offerings: beancurd with Thai sweet chili sauce, dimsums and dumplings. The hakao was particularly delicious, and I loved the beancurd. So for the first plate, I had some Chinese. ;)

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The Filipino Group: Anniversary Meet-up

2011-04-13T11:09:00.002+08:00

Since August of last year, I have been a member of The Filipino Group (TFG) of Goodreads. I have since then been acquainted with several friends, although I've never met any of them personally. I contemplated joining them for the Christmas party last December, but had to beg off because I was due to give birth anytime. So I knew I had to wait for another time.

Then, the opportunity presented itself. A "major, major" meetup was scheduled for April 10, 2011, the first year anniversary of the group, and because I had nothing to do that day (well, except for my regular nanay duties), I (lovingly) asked Archie if he can drive me to El Pueblo (the meeting place), he said OK, and the rest is history. :D

Here are a few pics:

Lunch at Racks El Pueblo

April Readings

2011-04-08T16:07:00.002+08:00

This is the only book-ish meme that I participate in, hosted by TINA at onemorepage.tinamats.com. It's only my second month to participate. :)

Here are the rules:

* The books should be read within the specified month
* These books should be in my TBR and not yet to be acquired
* These books cannot be used for any other reading challenges I am participating in.

These were the books that I picked for March. And how did I do? Well. One of three, which is... uh, bad. :(

But I did read several books last month:

(1) The Help by Kathryn Stockett
(2) A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
(3) Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro - which was on my March Required Reading
(4) The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
(5) The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
(6) M is For Magic by Neil Gaiman
(7) The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood - which I read with my GR friends K.D. and Tintin

So, although I failed at my March Required Reading, I think I more than made up for it with the number of books I was able to read for the month, anyway. :)

50 Books to Read Before You Die Bookmark

2011-04-05T14:09:00.001+08:00

On our date last weekend at Power Plant mall, my husband bought me this (upon request, heehee) from Fully Booked:

A "50 Books To Read Before You Die" Etched Metal Bookmark!

The list is made up mostly of classics, but there are also some contemporary works there, like J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series, J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings Trilogy", Arthur Golden's "Memoirs of A Geisha", Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials Trilogy", and William Golding's "Lord of the Flies".

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The Swedish version.

2011-04-03T15:28:00.000+08:00

"The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo"

That it's better than the Hollywood adaptation remains to be seen.

Yesterday, Archie and I went on our very first move date in what feels like a million years ~ well, that's just how it feels like since I gave birth to Allie in December last year. Mommy duties must, of course, take precedence over our own R&R. But this movie was much too anticipated, at least for me, so I thought maybe we could make a small exception this time around.

"The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" is the first book in the Millennium Trilogy by the deceased Swedish journalist and writer, Stieg Larsson. It has been adapted into a film, although in Swedish, and sometime late this year (I think), the Hollywood version, starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara in the title role, will also be released. Since I'm a big fan of the trilogy, I wanted to see the Swedish version of the movie first, as I've heard some good things about it from other fans. I know that the Swedish version has been priorly released in Sweden and other countries, and I think there are (pirated) DVDs for sale, as well.

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Reflections and Resolutions

2011-03-29T14:45:00.001+08:00

What is YOUR sacrifice?

Last night, I tweeted about an ongoing markdown madness sale at my favorite bookstore, Fullybooked, at Bonifacio High Street. A Goodreads friend replied that she will have to miss the sale this year, and when I asked why, she answered that she was holding off buying books for the Lenten season (in an attempt to conquer her to-be-read pile, as well). She said it was her way of fasting for Lent.

Her reply was like an arrow to the heart. It made me realize how lax I've been this year, unlike in the past years when I've been fastidious and diligent with my own fasting during Lent. If I could just demonstrate to you how I'd bow my head down in shame right now, you'd know how embarrassed I am. :(

Since childhood, I have always kept from consuming meat and meat products every Friday beginning Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the Lenten season. There are times when I would forget and have a hamburger for lunch or some hotdogs during breakfast, but I make up for it somehow: I don't eat merienda or try to eat much less at dinner. My parents used to have a special menu for Holy Week itself, varying from menudong daing to ginataang tulingan (my favorite!), so early on, the value of self-sacrifice has been instilled in me.

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heavier and longer

2011-03-24T14:22:00.001+08:00

This isn't Allie ha. She's cuter! :)

ALLIE, that is. :)

According to her pedia, whom we saw last Saturday for her pneumococcal vaccine and follow-up checkup, ALLIE's weight and height are above-average for her age, which is 3 months and 2 weeks. ALLIE, by the way, now weighs 6 kilos and measures 62 cms. We're not looking for her to be a big child, taking into account her Nanay's diminutive size (and the very high possibility that she might take after her), but we're really, really happy that she's improving, and at a good pace. We're so proud of her! :)

Archie and I are enjoying ALLIE so much. She's a handful, truly. We love playing with and talking to her because she makes these little noises in response, and she is so very generous with her smiles. We love that toothless grin! And we love watching her sleep, too, especially when she makes dreaming noises; we have to stifle our laughs lest we wake her up. She's so, so cute. (How many times am I going to say that?! Haha.) And I'm not just saying that because I'm her mother, ha. Though I won't take it against anyone if they consider my opinion biased. Hehehe.

I've been meaning to post some pictures of her first three month-birthdays, but I don't always have access to the laptop (because I share it with Archie). Do keep coming back for those.

Photo credits.

"under the table"

2011-03-22T15:15:00.001+08:00

The early-evening 5.7 magnitude quake that was felt in Metro Manila yesterday scared the wits out of me. Though I didn't feel it, because I was then dancing with ALLIE (read: putting her to sleep), our ate's, who were watching the TV, definitely felt it. They were the ones who alerted me, and it was obvious how they were trying so hard to rein in their panic. Who wouldn't be panicked when you're at the 27th floor of a 40-floor condominium building?

When I realized what was happening, I turned left, then right, then dove under the dining table, with ALLIE still in my arms.

Under the table, LITERALLY.

A little goes a long way.

2011-03-21T21:12:00.001+08:00

Archie and I have been thinking about how we can, in our small way, do our part in helping the victims of the earthquake and tsunami disasters (and possibly, even a nuclear meltdown) in Japan. We didn't know how or where we could make donations, then today, as I logged in to my Amazon account, I saw a button and a link on the home page where you can make donations to the American Red Cross:

It's on the upper right corner, see.

Knowing how safe it is to transact in Amazon, and after checking with Archie, we've decided to go ahead with our donation. It may be a small amount, but a little goes a long, significant way.

And there are our prayers, too.

Shopping Galore!

2011-03-20T20:10:00.001+08:00

Because our boss was so ecstatic with her unica hija's passing the bar, she gathered all of us in the office last Friday for a lunch out at Mr. Choi's, where we pigged out on some Peking duck, steamed fish with garlic (yummmy), birthday noodles, assorted dumplings, etc. etc. After the sumptuous Chinese fare, we trooped to the department store for some blouse-shopping, courtesy of - again - our generous boss. ;) Here's what I got from Samlin:

They have this in purple and gray, but I was feeling "green" that day. :)

Isn't it a dainty little blouse? The material is mainly chiffon, and its garterized hem, which gathers around the hip area, perfectly camouflages my post-pregnancy bulges. :)

And then, on our way back to the office, we passed by the VNC store, which happened to have a buy-three-pairs-get-the-fourth-pair-for-free promo. Aaand because it so happened that there were four of us girls at the time, boss pushed us to the store and made us all pick a pair. Weeeeee! :)

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memories, memories

2011-03-18T11:09:00.000+08:00

Which bar again??

My boss' daughter, who took the 2010 bar exams, was one of the 982 lucky souls out of 4,000++ who successfully hurdled the most important exams in their lives. Judging from our first-hand observations on how they struggled and made the best of the review months prior to the exams, my officemates and I know that our boss' daughter's passing the bar will call for a major, major celebration. ;)

Which brings me back to 2005, when the results of my own bar exams came out, and I felt emotions I never even knew I was capable of feeling. Exhilaration, thrill, gratefulness, and most of all, relief. :) My own journey through the bar reviews, the agonizing wait, and finally, the release of the results was an experience I will forever treasure (but am definitely glad I will never have to repeat, ever). The happiness I felt then was double because my circle of friends, including my then-barkada and now-husband Archie, all made it, as well.

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EARTH HOUR 2011

2011-03-17T11:33:00.001+08:00

Following the wake of the tsunami and earthquake tragedies in northeastern Japan last week, I would personally like to encourage everyone to join the EARTH HOUR 2011 on March 26, 2011, Saturday, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. by turning off all the lights in your household.

Earth Hour is a global campaign on climate change awareness. Participants from all over the world switch off their lights for an hour, taking that firm stand against global warming and climate change.

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new batch of lawyers tomorrow!

2011-03-16T10:14:00.002+08:00

Aaaaaaaargh!

A new batch of lawyers will be announced tomorrow as the results of the 2010 Bar Examinations, chaired by soon-to-retire Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales, will be released in the afternoon at the Supreme Court grounds, along Padre Faura Street. Some 4,000++ hopefuls took the examinations last year, and around 27% more or less made it, we heard today from the grapevine.

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Family of Readers

2011-03-14T11:11:00.003+08:00

While spending some quality time with my husband and daughter yesterday, I remembered that ALLIE has some kiddie books from my book splurge last year at the MIBF at SMX. I took it out and showed the colorful pictures to ALLIE, whose eyes were as big as saucers just looking at the various animal illustrations.

After taking some pictures of her ogling at her book, I lined up Archie's and my Kindles side by side with ALLIE's animal book and took a picture.

Tatay's Kindle, Allie's Animal Bedtime Tales, and Nanay's Kindle*

Yes, we are a family of booklovers. We're going to build up a nice library in our home, and ALLIE will grow up to be a voracious reader, just like her Nanay and Tatay. :)

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Required Reading: March

2011-03-12T20:39:00.001+08:00

One of my favorite book bloggers, Tina, began her Required Reading meme for the purpose of "conquering" her to-be-read pile (which I'm sure is as huge as mine). I've contemplated creating my own book blog, particularly devoted to my reading and books, but decided that it might be easier to maintain just this one site. I've already tried that out with my food blog, and look where that went. My last update was still in July last year because I got so busy with work and because my pregnancy.

Anyway. Back to the Required Reading post.

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Hel-lo, Hannah.

2011-03-11T15:57:00.001+08:00

Meet my newest gadget, Hannah, to replace Chloe, my old blue Sony DSC-W55 digicam, who had loyally, wonderfully been with me for the last 3 years.

My newest toy!

WANTED: Perfect Househelp

2011-03-09T10:49:00.003+08:00

Where can we find someone like her???

Or just a decent one, at the very least. We're aware that there's no such thing as a perfect helper (though we can't help wishing...), so we'll settle for one that (1) doesn't hide food; (2) doesn't lie when asked about the simplest of things; (3) remembers instructions and abides by each one to the letter, and; (4) etc. etc.

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The last time I went to a moviehouse was...

2011-03-08T10:52:00.002+08:00

The third book in C.S. Lewis bestselling children's series

... last December, when Tatay and I saw NARNIA: Voyage of the Dawn Treader and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I per advice of my OB, to induce contractions and labor. (Unfortunately, as I've explained previously, all these exercises proved futile as I ended up being cut on the operating table.) After giving birth, I haven't been to a moviehouse again, and that would be roughly 3 months now.

Hay. The sacrifices of a new mother.

Not that Archie and I are complaining, though. We'd rather spend our free time with our daughter, who never fails to make us laugh because of her antics, every single day. We love how she coos, and giggles, and most of all, smiles at us, showing all three deep dimples at the same time.

I guess, we'll just have to wait for her to be a little older before we can see go to the movies again. Until then, we'll have to content ourselves with DVD copies. The Muslims at Metrowalk will be glad for our business with them. :)

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Recent purchases soon to collect dust

2011-03-07T14:24:00.001+08:00

I bought these books over the span of my 2-month maternity leave, but I haven't had the chance to open any of them yet. I brought them to the office (actually, had them delivered) where I have more space and time to cover them with plastic, as I will NEVER read a book without plastic covering. (Sacrilege, that's what it is.)

Hay. When will I ever get to read these kaya?

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld

Test post from my BB

2011-03-07T14:18:00.000+08:00

I want to post a pic straight from my BlackBerry to my blog, but I'm not sure if I can.

Testing it now.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld

almost 3 months!

2011-03-07T11:04:00.002+08:00

In just a few days, our baby girl ALLIE will be turning 3 months old.

How time flies! It feels like only yesterday when I was pregnant with her, eagerly (and impatiently) anticipating, and now, she's gotten so big and heavy, I can hardly carry her or put her to sleep for long periods of time. Pretty soon, only Tatay will be able to carry her around. Hay, big girl agad ang anak ko!

For her 3rd month birthday celebration, I'm thinking a cake by Red Ribbon this time, after two consecutive cakes ordered from Estrel's. We're also thinking about ordering some Chinese, after our Tex-Mex menu last month and the Panciteria Don Jacinto fare in January (although that's pretty much Chinese food, actually). We haven't ordered again from Seafood HotPot next door since I was pregnant last year and didn't like the smell of the steamed lapu-lapu, so we're considering it again. Maybe this time my stomach will accept the fish. :D

ALLIE's neck is getting lots of practice, that's why she's getting stronger by the day. We're so excited for her to be able to hold her head up so her movements (and ours) won't be so restricted especially when playing. That's why as much as we can, we let her practice her neck muscles by putting her on her stomach during her playtime. And I have a video of it to show, too! ;)

Yesterday was our first wedding anniversary, another reason to celebrate. :) Tatay and I had a simple celebration, spent with ALLIE of course. Since we couldn't go out with her in tow, as we're being careful because she still has a long way to go before she completes her vaccinations, we stayed at home with her after a buffet breakfast at the Corniche at Diamond Hotel, where we were billeted during our wedding last year. Then we spent the day with our darling girl. What better celebration could there be than that? Spending time with the most important people in your life. :)

my bookworm gadget

2011-02-22T12:55:00.003+08:00

Because more often than not, when I'm at home, I'm taking care of Allie or doing other chores (or, if I'm lucky, maybe catch a few z's), I can only manage short posts such as these by squeezing in a few minutes of "rest" time while at the office. There isn't much to tell anyway. My time is pretty much preoccupied by my daughter and husband, and what little I could afford for myself is devoted to reading books and surfing the net. Alternately.

On the "reading books" part, I recently have a new acquisition. Well, technically it isn't really "new" because I bought it secondhand, from my boss who offered it to me. But it looks perfectly new, as it hasn't been used much. This is "it" ~ the perfect gadget for a bookworm like me:

It's ~~the latest~~ a second-generation Kindle ~~in the market: the Amazon Kindle 3G + Wi-Fi.~~ from Amazon, aka the Kindle 2, the predecessor of the latest generation Kindles. Although it's slightly larger and heavier than the newest Kindles, it has practically the same features. It can save up to ~~3,500~~ 1,500 ebooks all at once, can change screen orientation and font sizes, has a 6" (diagonal) screen, has free 3G and built-in wi-fi, and only weighs only ~~8.7~~ 10.2 ounces. It's sleek, beautiful, and just perfect for me. :)

The only downside is, I need to fight the urge to splurge on Kindle edition ebooks on Amazon. This is the problem with me and books: I always have the irresistible urge to spend moolah on them, even if I don't get to read all of them right away. I like the feeling that I have a copy of a particular book and that I can just pick it up whenever I want. Especially when I visit Booksale branches ~ I can never resist the call of secondhand, bargain and good-condition books. Until now, whenever I'm online, I always have purchases from my favorite online sellers on Multiply and eBay for secondhand books.

With a new Kindle to join my meager collection of gadgets, I have another addiction to fight off: splurging on ebooks at Amazon. I've just surfed the Kindle store and found some titles that I really, really want to buy, but are too expensive for now (US$10++ each). But I couldn't not buy anything... So I bought the Kindle edition of Kazuo Ishiguro's "Never Let Me Go", having read good reviews about it, and "Alone" by Lisa Gardner, a New York Times Bestseller and only for US$3.99 - definitely a bargain. I also sent a sample of "A Discovery of Witches" by Deborah Harkness for free. How can I resist??? Help!

Reading the Kindle is taking some getting used to. It's still a little distracting to read from a gadget (of course reading print books is still the best) but maybe I'll get the hang of it in a while. Oh, did I mention that I ordered a brand-new one from Amazon, a first-year wedding anniversary gift for my husband? I'm expecting to receive it within the week, and I am just too excited! :)

Allie's Christening

2011-02-15T10:09:00.001+08:00

Blogging has been sporadic because, since I gave birth last December, I haven't had much time to sit before a computer for long periods to make any substantial entry. The few times I was able to do so, I devoted the short time to uploading pictures of Allie on Facebook (for the benefit of the relatives who haven't seen her yet) and surf some friends' profiles and pictures as well. But because I reported back for work last Friday, my 60-day maternity leave having expired last Feb. 10, I am now able to squeeze a few minutes to blog away in the office. Just a quick entry.

At the Santisimo Rosario Parish Baptistry

Allie's christening was last Feb. 5, at the UST Baptistry, and we had a luncheon reception at Aristocrat along Roxas Boulevard after. Except for the fact that we weren't able to use Allie's baptismal gown when it was time to pour the holy water on her head during the ceremony, and that the photographer we hired was the worst one we could ever find, the christening itself was uneventful. The number of people we'd expected to show was accurate, and we had no problem with the food. It was, of course, delicious, and just enough for everyone. (We even got to take home some.) We're happy that our sweetheart is now a Christian, and that our family and friends celebrated this milestone with us.

Allie is now 2 months old, her 2nd month birthday last Feb. 11. We celebrated with some Estrel's cake, tacos, and tuna pasta, and Tita Ninang Maan dropped by with a gift. :) We look forward to her next month-birthday. :)

motherhood 101

2011-01-26T18:28:00.000+08:00

So what have I been up to the past few weeks?

After having given birth last December, my days and nights -- with emphasis on the nights -- have been pretty much preoccupied by mommy duties. As the days and weeks pass by, I've come to realize one thing: that motherhood is a full-time job, and that women who have given birth and are taking care of their children with much gusto and nary a complaint must be commended. I salute you guys.

As for Allie, she is everything Archie and I have expected and more; she's quite a handful, our little girl. The first few days were h-e-l-lishly tiresome, as we were adjusting, being first-time parents, and we found our world turned upside-down. Half of the time we couldn't figure out what she wanted when she cried, and we had to take turns tending to her when she was in one of her "moods". It was even more difficult for me when I breastfed, as I had sore nipples because, half of the time, again, Allie was improperly latched to me.

But our aches and pains and soreness would melt away when Allie would, in her stupor-like state when she's about to fall asleep, appear to smile, or grimace, or wrinkle her nose at us. She's so cute it makes us want to cry. :) Sometimes, when I look at her, I still wonder how I ever managed to give birth to this cute little thing... My heart swells. Basta. :)

The best Christmas gift. Ever.

2010-12-29T10:54:00.002+08:00

AURELIA MIGUELLE

"ALLIE"

She was born through C-section last December 11, 2010 at 3:35 pm at Asian Hospital in Alabang. She's 6 lbs and 46 cm long.

The best Christmas gift, hands down. Archie and I couldn't ask for anything better.

More kwento in a while. ;)

waiting, waiting...

2010-12-10T10:39:00.002+08:00

As soon as the first day of December rolled around, Archie and I have already been on our toes, waiting for the first signs of labor pains that would signal my giving birth to our baby. However, it is now the 10th of December, and we're still waiting, waiting...

I've already brisk-walked, duck-walked, jogged in place, and done jumping-jacks, but Baby is still sitting pretty inside my tummy. My legs and hips ache sorely, the contractions are there but aren't regular yet, and my lower abdomen is giving me the grief, but still no Baby. Mana yata talaga sa Tatay nya ~ pag lalong pinipilit, lalong ayaw, hehehe.

We're probably going to miss a lot of events in anticipation of Baby's arrival: my high school's grand alumni homecoming, two weddings, and a baptism. But what can we do? Baby comes first.

We've also enrolled Baby in CordLife, where her cord blood will be collected for stem cell harvesting and then stored for her future medical use. The agent we spoke to, Rhea, was super-friendly and accommodating. We signed up right away especially considering that this will be a good investment for Baby's health in the future, and the easy payment schemes offered by CordLife. Now all we have to do is wait again...

Baby Shower :)

2010-12-03T10:29:00.001+08:00

Nothing much happened on my 31st birthday, at least nothing worth posting here for everyone's consumption. :) I just spent the day with my loving husband by having lunch at Barbara's in Intramuros, and then we went to MOA to spend the afternoon. We did manage to take advantage of their thanksgiving sale, specially for SM Advantage card holders. We bought a crib for Baby already and some other knickknacks for Christmas. :) Then after a couple of Portuguese egg tarts at Lord Stow's (which we've missed!), we called it a day. :)

Junar & Vanny, Ate Maan, Jojo, Mama Amy, Andrei, Archie & me, Angie

The following day was much more worthwhile, as a baby shower was held at Cabalen Restaurant, Robinson's Place Ermita, which my sis-in-law, Ate Maan, helped organize. She sent the invites to a very few close friends, although regrettably, only a couple of them (Vanny and Angie) attended. :( Since the baby shower was non-traditional, we didn't have any games ~ just a buffet dinner, picture-taking, and teddy bear giveaways for the girls (teddy bears being the theme of the party).

Some of the pics can be viewed here. Thanks for the presents, and for the attendees, thanks for coming! God bless us all! :)

counting down... again!

2010-11-22T13:41:00.000+08:00

Early this year, I began a countdown ~ it was to ad infinitum, to forever, to my wedding day. Felt the jitters, the nerves, the excitement... All in anticipation of my most-awaited date at the altar with my soulmate and now-husband.

This time around, I begin another countdown ~ to giving birth and becoming a mother for the very first time. :)

After my last checkup with Doc Aina last week, she told me that, in a couple of weeks (or on Wednesday next week, to be more precise), I could already go into labor and be giving birth. It's because by then, I would already be in my 37th week of pregnancy, at which time Baby is considered full-term.

Baby is already engaged, or in cephalic position, or she's already lying head-down, quite ready to go out into the world. She's also giving me sleepless nights a lot more these days, writhing and squirming and wiggling inside me, in the cramped little space in my womb because she's grown a lot over the last few weeks. The sleepless nights can also be attributed to the more frequent contractions I've been feeling ~ Braxton Hicks contractions, that is ~ which add even more discomfort.

We're fervently hoping that I could give birth by normal delivery. As much as possible, I don't want to get cut up... so I'm praying that my pelvic bone could accommodate Baby's size. So we're also praying (please Lord!) that we won't encounter any other problems during "D" day.

Let the countdown begin! :)

dreams, book inserts, and menudong walang patatas

2010-11-08T12:20:00.003+08:00

Since becoming pregnant I've had a lot of really, really weird dreams, most of them very vivid so that in the morning, I can recall and reconstruct them in sequence (although I tend to forget them during the day, anyway). I don't have a dream book or journal for dreams, specifically, so it's no big deal. It just feels weird to have all these incoherent and out-of-this-world kind of dreams, especially during my pregnancy.

I searched the expectant mother's online bestfriend, Babycenter.com, and found this article on pregnancy dreams and what they could possibly mean. It was very informative, but didn't explain much to me in terms of what my own dreams could possibly mean. Yes, that's how weird my dreams have become lately! :)

______________________________________

While on the baby subject, and as I've mentioned in an earlier post, Archie and I have been stocking up on our baby stuff in preparation for next month's scheduled delivery. We visited SM MOA during the weekend and bought some basic toiletries, like baby wash, baby oil, alcohol, and a super-cute tub, complete with the works: support net, rubber mat, etc. It was a little too expensive if it were solely up to me but Archie didn't want to be stingy when buying for his daughter, so we bought it anyway. Now all that's left for us to purchase are the crib and necessary beddings. :)

We also visited the Enfant boutique and I just couldn't resist buying just a few items, too. Aren't these the cutest things?

We didn't like some of the designs for the layette, but their receiving blankets were really, really cute (but waaay too expensive). I did buy a couple of plain receiving blankets at Megamall weeks ago, though, so there was no need to buy more.

_____________________________________

This book came in the mail last week (ordered from one of my favorite Multiply sellers) and when I browsed through the pages, I found this:

The back portion of the index card has an illustration:

At another earlier post, I posted about having found a note in one of my Sweet Dreams books for resale. This is not the second time that I found something inserted between the pages of my secondhand-bought books, but I thought blogging about it would be interesting. For posterity's sake. :)

This is what the index card says:

"Suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy. Regard both suffering and joy as facts of life."

The comment written using the red pen:

"They are both facts of life... what if we learned to rejoice in our sufferings, knowing this life is not all there is? Being able to rejoice in sufferings is a true victory in my opionion [sic]."

The owner of the index card (and presumably the book, too) is "Katie Morson" and she wrote it on "10/20/09". She just left us some thoughts to ponder on, huh? :)

__________________________________________

Having been hospitalized last September and having a million things to do around the house without a helper made Archie and me decide to hire someone who will do the menial things for us. After Baby is born, we will also be needing a yaya to assist us in taking care of her when I need to go back to work after my maternity leave. So my mother-in-law found someone for us, an all-around helper/yaya who is now staying with us at the unit.

She's supposed to know how to cook, so what we do is we buy our groceries, just like we used to, and then tell her what she needs to cook for us everyday. Last week, I told her to cook menudo.

Now, when you say "menudo", it goes without saying that the ingredients would be pork, potatoes, and then some optional items like carrots, green peas, raisins, etc., right? Right.

When I told her to prepare the menudo, she asked me if she will put in some carrots as well. I said yes, but just a piece because Archie isn't really fond of it.

To my utter ~ I don't know ~ surprise, horror, trepidation... (lahat na yata!), she didn't put potatoes in. She cooked the menudo with just the pork and the carrots. Aruy?!?!?! So if she hadn't asked me if she was going to put some carrots, she'd have cooked the menudo just with the pork?!?!

I was stony-faced the entire meal. I didn't know what to do with her! I asked her if she wasn't used to cooking menudo with potatoes, and she replied, "Depende sa kakain...."

Hay! Naloka ako!

Love before first sight.

2010-11-03T15:38:00.001+08:00

She has cutie chubby cheeks, pouty little lips, gorgeous tiny fingers, and the most beautiful, high-bridged nose I could ever wish for her.

She grants us little peeks at her cute face only for a few seconds, and then hides behind those hands.

She smiled, and smirked, and turned her back on us!

Our daughter. We can't wait to see, kiss and hug her. :)

baby shopping

2010-10-27T13:26:00.000+08:00

Archie and I took advantage of the long weekend brought about by the barangay elections (nope, we didn't vote) to begin our shopping for Baby. I've been wanting to go to Megamall for the longest time, as I remember that the infants department at that SM branch contained more stocks than the one in MOA, so we went there as early as we can, before the mall starts to teem with shoppers.

I didn't realize until we got there, though, that they had the same stocks as those in MOA. Well, except for the baby/diaper bags, because I didn't like the ones I saw in MOA. So I did manage to buy (finally!) the biggest bag they have at Baby Couture, a brown-and-pale pink number which had lots of pockets and which, Archie and I thought, would serve our purpose especially when I get admitted for delivery.

Then we also bought a few cotton shirts: just a few of the sleeved and sleeveless button-down shirts and those which tie on the sides. I was sorely tempted to buy off the displays in Enfant, but decided against it because, as per advice from some well-meaning moms, Baby just might easily outgrow them in a matter of weeks, so it would be a waste to buy expensive stuff for newborns. So I bought the 3-pairs-in-one-pack cotton mittens, booties, and a few bonnets as well.

What I did get from Enfant are their receiving blankets, bibs and plain blankets as well, as I'm sure that, at whatever size, Baby will be able to use them for a long time. And the quality of the stuff at Enfant is clearly, unmistakably unmatched ~ you can tell just from touching the fabrics. We're still a long way off from buying everything Baby needs so we'll still drop by MOA one of these days to get some more of Baby's stuff, and maybe I'll check out their store there to see if I can maybe buy a layette for her, a complete set... Hehehe.

See? The stage mother in me hasn't been unleashed yet. But I did go window-shopping at Baby Gap, and I've already spotted some nice cotton dresses there.... :D

restraint, restraint

2010-10-22T14:09:00.000+08:00

Just for the month of October, I think I might have blown thousands of pesos just for books: old books, new books, even shipping for a couple of books I agreed to send via Bookmooch and to a fellow Goodreads member. I don't want to think about the exact amount because I'm already feeling guilty as it is when Archie and I are supposed to be more prudent with our finances, especially with Baby arriving soon, but... oh well. I just can't help it. :D

Recently I've bought some five books from Fully Booked online, which I had delivered. They are the five titles from the "Underland Chronicles" by Suzanne Collins. I've also been eyeing Chris Cleave's "Little Bee" at Fully Booked when Archie and I went to Bonifacio High Street last, last week, but thought better when I saw a copy on eBay for almost half the price (P350 only). Until now, though, I haven't placed a bid on it yet. I'm not sure exactly why.

Then there are the couple of trips to my favorite bargain bookshop, Booksale, where I managed to splurge and buy almost 10 books, combined. I bought some Sweet Dreams titles (which I fortunately found) and a copy of "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen for my inventory on Bookmooch, a couple of Jodi Picoult titles, Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" (in time for the holidays, I guess), one by Yann Martel, and the hird book in Phillip Pullman's "Dark Materials" trilogy, "The Amber Spyglass". What a haul!

And then there are the purchases from my favorite Multiply sellers, Julie, Mia and Maricar, from whom I bought some more trade paperbacks: Sarah Dessen, Arundhati Roy, Patrick Ness, Margaret Atwood, the list goes on and on.... Haaaay! We're already running out of space in our little unit, and I might have to bring home to the province some of the books I've already read, just to accommodate the ones that are still in the mail. Tell me how can I resist when most of these books are so cheap, the most expensive one I bought for only P150?? And all in perfectly good condition.

My to-be-read (TBR) pile is fast, well, piling up, and I'm enjoying the routine as of now. I try to read as much as I can to Baby, especially when she's squirming around so much and seems to like it when I read aloud to her. :)

To save on money, I've set a specific amount ~ P1,000.00 ~ which I can spend a month on books. Doesn't matter if it's a new book or a secondhand book that I buy, or where I buy it; the only condition is that, I only get to spend a thousand bucks. I need to practice a little self-restraint here, I know... and it's probably so much easier said than done, but I can try.

So this is how Becky Bloomwood probably felt like...!

Reading Habits meme

2010-10-18T14:51:00.002+08:00

I'm just about ready to tackle my next case but decided to surf the net for a while, and came across this Reading Habits meme from one of my favorite book bloggers, Blooey. I'm no hardcore book blogger, but I do love to read, so I've decided to give this meme a try. :)

1. Do you snack while you read? If so, favourite reading snacks?

I don't usually snack or eat while reading because I need both hands in handling a book. I'm not fond of clamping just one hand on the top or at the bottom of the spine ~ I always think that, if the book had feelings and can speak, it just might ask me to ease up a little. :) I also don't like opening the book so wide that it creases the spine unnecessarily, and I also don't like the idea of having dirty or oily hands while holding a book. I hate smudges and oily hands with which to handle my books.

2. What is your favourite drink while reading?

Nothing in particular. I love coffee (but am not allowed to consume any at the moment) and would usually stay at coffee shops with my husband whiling time away, but not solely for the purpose of reading.

3. Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?

I used to have book plates and stickers specially made, which I stuck on the front and back covers, but constantly tired of having to go back again and again when I didn't have a lot of time to do so, especially if I wanted to read a book sooo badly, and I needed them to be covered in plastic already. I also resorted to rubber stamps and Trodat (the self-inking ones) but I need a new one to reflect my married name in new books I've acquired (and am still to acquire). At the moment, because I don't have a new Trodat just yet, I've resorted to writing my name on the inside front and back covers. I also used to highlight particular quotes that I like when reading a book using a Stabilo marker, but stopped that as well when I realized they began to look like my law books, hehehe.

4. How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog ears? Laying the book flat open?

I used to have the (bad) habit of folding corners of pages to mark my place in books, until I realized what a horrible thing that was. So I turned to bookmarks ~ which translates to calling cards or any other flat thing that can fit inside the pages.

However, when I started losing them, I turned to magnetic bookmarks, or the ones with which you clip a particular page to mark your place. They don't fall off so you don't lose them!

5. Fiction, non-fiction, or both?

Definitely fiction. I get bored reading non-fiction. Right now however, "What to Expect When You're Expecting" and "What to Expect The First Year" are necessities for me. :)

6. Are you a person who tends to read to the end of a chapter, or can you stop anywhere?

I usually read to the end of a chapter if I can help it ~ that means, unless I'm interrupted to do something else really important. If I do stop anywhere, I might need to scan the previous pages just to refresh my memory.

7. Are you the type of person to throw a book across the room or on the floor if the author irritates you?

No, I just don't continue reading. It would be a total waste of my time, I think. But I don't usually give away books even if I don't like it or even if I didn't finish it.

8. If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop and look it up right away?

I always get the impulse to do that, because I always think that it's one way of enriching my vocabulary, but when there's no dictionary on hand right away, I say the word over and over to myself so I can remember it and look it up the first opportunity I'm able to do so. If my husband is with me, I also ask him if he knows the word.

9. What are you currently reading?

"Gregor and The Marks of Secret" by Suzanne Collins, the fourth book in her "Underland Chronicles".
"Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
"The Julius House" by Charlaine Harris, the fourth book in the "Aurora Teagarden Mysteries"

10. What is the last book you bought?

Technically, I bought several books but they still haven't been shipped, so I'm not going to write those down. The last books that I bought that are in my possession already are: Sarah Dessen's "Just Listen", "Lock and Key" and "This Lullaby".

11. Are you the type of person that reads one book at a time, or can you read more than one?

I can read more than one simultaneously. Right now, "Gregor and The Marks of Secret" is on my bedside table, "Lord of the Flies" is in my bag which I read whenever I need to pass the time somewhere (while waiting for my turn at my OB's clinic, for example) and "The Julius House" is, well, inside the toilet. :P

12. Do you have a favourite time/place to read?

Yes, at bedtime under the covers.

13. Do you prefer series books or stand alones?

Doesn't matter to me. If I like a book in a series, I'll get everything all at once, if available.

14. Is there a specific book or author you find yourself recommending over and over?

Yes, usually just my favorite books of all time, like "The Shadow of the Wind" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, and the 2 books by Khaled Hosseini. If a person has a genre preference though, I try to tailor my recommendations based on such preference.

15. How do you organize your books? (by genre, title, author's last name, etc.)

Right now, because space is a problem both here at our unit and at the house in the province, my books are pretty much in a huge jumble. Maybe when we get a bigger space because my husband's book collection is growing, too.

:)

a Mickey and Minnie Mouse-themed birthday

2010-10-11T15:21:00.001+08:00

Archie and I attended our inaanak ZOIE's first birthday party yesterday at Monte di Portofino Clubhouse, Portofino, Alabang. We had fun with Archie's office, SEDALAW, and ZOIE's parents, our kumpare Mox and his wife, Minnie (from whose name the Disney theme was derived). Here's a pic:

That's me, Archie, Jane, Elaine, Zhelle and husband Philip; Mox and Minnie with the birthday girl, Zoie (busy with her Mickey and Minnie loot bags/tin containers), Zyril (one of our flower girls during our wedding) and Zyna. :)

Happy 1st Birthday Zoie! :)

my two cents on recent readings

2010-10-04T18:10:00.001+08:00

I'm a member of the booklovers' site called Goodreads and have written short reviews about the books I've read so far. I haven't gotten around to actually writing reviews about every single book I've read, only those which are far more recent (I might actually need to re-read the old ones in order to make a proper review). No hardcore reviews here, though, just a few short paragraphs to say what I thought about the story, the writing, and the book in general.

Just a few of them, from the most recently read (kindly click on the title for the review):

(1) "Shiver" by Maggie Stiefvater
(2) "The Prince of Mist" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
(3) "Mini Shopaholic" by Sophie Kinsella
(4) "The Hunger Games", "Catching Fire" and "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
(5) "The Swan Thieves" by Elizabeth Kostova

I didn't include the Charlaine Harris books because those are read in series.

Let me know what you think if you've also read any of these titles. ;-)

bookmooch! :)

2010-10-03T17:37:00.002+08:00

Last week, I received my first mooched books via Bookmooch, a site where booklovers/collectors may give away their old books and, in exchange, ask (or mooch) a book they want in return.

Basically, this is how Bookmooch works:

(1) Type in the books that you want to give away.
(2) Receive requests from other members about the books that you want to give away.
(3) Mail your books and receive points.
(4) Ask for books from others with the points you've acquired.

It's essentially a trading site, except that you don't get a book-for-a-book deal. You get a specific number of points for each book that you give away, depending on the location (if you send a book abroad, you get 2 or 3 points per book), and then with the points you accumulate, you can request for books from others who may have a copy of the book you want. Since the cost of shipping abroad might be a little expensive, I personally think that this site works especially for those who are looking for hard-to-find, collector's items books.

Like me!

I'm still collecting my old highschool "staples", Sweet Dreams pocketbooks, all 233 of them in the series. They're out of print since the late 1990's already and they're really, really scarce. Most of those in my collection I bought off eBay and other online stores like Sulit and Multiply, but since they're really hard to come by even in second-hand bookstores, I decided to try out Bookmooch.

I'm so happy most of the missing titles in my collection are there! And these are two of the first books I ever mooched (by "mooched", I mean I asked someone else to mail them to me in exchange for my points):

I mooched them from Annabelle from Dumaguete, Negros Oriental. (Incidentally, their family owns the beautiful Antulang resort, which we plan to visit... next year! Hehe) I actually didn't have a lot of points to spare but since she knew that I'm collecting these, she agreed to send two books (instead of just one) to save on shipping fee, provided I pay her back for the extra point. Ambait! :)

I haven't received any requests yet for the books that I'm giving away, so I'm looking forward to that. ;)

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Last Saturday, I had a follow-up checkup with my OB, Doc Aina, and after having assessed that I was too big (read: my tummy looks reaaaallly huge) she advised me to cut down on carbs and sweets already. That was really bad news for me because, in addition to my other favorite things that I had to avoid during pregnancy (like coffee, chocolates, softrdrinks, sushi), I will also have to avoid another favorite food: sweets. However, knowing that I'm doing it for my Baby and that it will save us a lot of trouble if we have a normal delivery, which is the target, I knew I need to practice self-restraint.

As of today, we've already stocked up on (tasteless) crackers, some spreads I can eat with them to break the monotony (like liver spread, Cheez Whiz, tuna), soups, wheat bread, Quaker oats, granola bars, etc etc.... I have been eating a lot of whole grains and oats for Baby all throughout my pregnancy, but it would really take a lot of willpower to make my diet consist of only them for the next weeks. No more juices or fruits, either, except maybe for an occasional apple (sans the skin) and singkamas, which Doc Aina advises is good for me. Archie says I've already eaten up all I can of sweets already, anyway, so it's time to cut back now. It's one helluva payback time, Nanay. :(

Next week, follow-up checkup with my pulmonologist naman, Doc Lenie. I'm beginning to feel like a resident of Asian, seems like. :)

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I'm nearing the end of "Shiver" by Maggie Stiefvater, but nothing I've read so far has piqued my interest. Well, except for the fact that its narrative was beautifully written, I haven't come across anything worthwhile yet. Let's see what happens with the last few chapters. :)

home work

2010-09-30T13:50:00.002+08:00

As in literally, work done at home.

Since Monday, I've been working from home after my boss very willingly allowed me to take home everything that I need to be accomplished at the office. Since my job mainly consists of researching and drawing up reports for her, I could very easily do that provided I have (1) a laptop, (2) internet connection, (3) rollos, and (4) reference materials. I already have (1) and (2), and (3) could be easily addressed by having someone (maybe Archie, or one of our utility workers) drop them off and bring them back to the office after I've finished a report. Of course, with the internet, I could easily have access to (4), so the arrangement should work without a hitch.

So far, so good. My personal quota for reports is 1 per week, and I've successfully accomplished that: before I went on leave last week (when I was confined), I had one report submitted, finalized and promulgated, and then just today, I emailed a copy of my next report to our secretary and had Archie drop off the rollos. It would be a lot difficult incorporating bossing's corrections if I'm not at the office, but she says not to mind. I so love her.

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Working at home is a really relaxing experience. I love the fact that no one but me is in control of my hours, and I can get to work at the most comfortable time that I want. Plus, I can just surf the net (Facebook and other restricted sites at the office are so accessible), laze in bed or take naps, and of course, read all I want! I just finished "Mini Shopaholic", reading it in a record 2 days, and I'm now on to "The Prince of Mist". This is the one bright side about having been sick. ;-)

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Care to give away your books in exchange for another one?

My very first mooched books via Bookmooch were delivered the other day to the office, and I have yet to get my hands on it ~ it's still with Archie in the car when he dropped by the office today. I'm so excited because the person I mooched it from, Annabelle, was so generous and accommodating, she agreed to send 2 books instead of just the one I actually mooched, because I am currently low on points and mooch ratio. Plus, the books I mooched from her are Sweet Dreams books, which are out of print already and are hard to come by, so I'm psyched to be getting them! I haven't had time to update my inventory of books to be given away because of my current state, but I'm hoping I could get around to doing that soon.

Want to know more about mooching? Join us on Bookmooch! :)

hospitalized :(

2010-09-26T14:37:00.002+08:00

Because of the excruciating pain on the left side of my back, I asked Archie to take me to the ER of the nearest hospital, MaDocs, last Tuesday night. I had been feeling the pain since last week but didn't mind it much, thinking it was just muscle pain because I had been sleeping on my left side for a while now and would not be budged even if I couldn't feel half of my body already. So when I felt that stabbing pain on my left side last Tuesday, I knew I needed help.

My pulmonologist is from MaDocs, but since it was already around 8pm by the time we were at the ER, he had already gone for the day. The ER staff at MaDocs had to take some blood sample for a routine CBC to check if I had any infection, and in fairness to them, they were quick to assist us then. However, because I'm pregnant, we decided to notify Doc Aina, my OB, about my condition and she advised us to proceed to Asian Hospital so that she can monitor Baby and I can already be checked by Doc Lenie, the pulmonologist to whom I was referred by my old doctor for purposes of pregnancy and delivery.

To make a long story short, I was immediately admitted to Asian on Tuesday midnight, and the first thing they did was to check Baby's condition. The staff at the ER and the Genesis Center in Asian were very, very supportive, and they immediately rushed to all of our needs as soon as we got there. Thankfully, Baby is stable and healthy, and after having her checked, they proceeded to check on me naman.

After Doc Lenie ordered an ultrasound of my chest/back, I was diagnosed to have pneumonia notwithstanding the lack of fever. I was put under medication, antibiotics and pain relievers because of the pain in my back, all of them safe and OK'd by Doc Aina, my OB. They constantly monitored Baby's activity and checked for her heartbeat, and she did very well. Her biophysical examination showed that she is a perfectly healthy baby and that we have no trouble where she's concerned.

Nanay is an altogether different case. I had to take a lot of tests ~ CBC, urinalysis, amylase, gram stain and sputum exams, chest ultrasound... Haaay. I passed the tests with flying colors, except for the chest ultrasound where Doc Lenie found me to be suffering from pneumonia. With my poor lungs, it's a miracle that Baby is very healthy. She's truly God's gift to us. :)

Doc Lenie was the one who gave the discharge orders on Saturday, clearing me for worse diseases and prescribing a ton of medicines for continued consumption. I am ordered to take a few days off from work, so I will most probably be working from home for the next few days. Just as well, so I can make a full recovery for Baby's sake.

I'm thankful for the people who prayed for our fast recovery, especially our families ~ Mama and Venice who visited me at the hospital, Mama Amy and Ate Maan, and my friend from college, Diane, with her husband Aldrich and son Audric, who dropped by on Saturday just as we were about to be discharged. I'm also very grateful for the wonderful people at Asian Hospital, for their world-class service, amenities and especially for their genuine concern. Archie says this is just but a "dry-run" for December, when I'm due to give birth, and with this experience, I know that it wouldn't be a difficult time for me when it's time for Baby to come out. :)

Thank you for all the well-wishers who texted and commented on my FB account, you know who you are. :)

Thank you Lord, for taking care of me and Baby, and for a husband who never left my side all throughout. :)

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Spending time at the hospital gave me some time for some pleasure reading. I was able to finish "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins, the second book in the "Hunger Games" series, which Archie had the mind to bring to the hospital when he came home to get some clothes and stuff. I'm currently reading the third book in the series, and can't wait to have time to read these as well:

(Sorry, grainy picture ~ I'm very bad at taking pics with my phone)

They weren't available at the MIBF last, last week, so these I bought separately. Now that I'll be resting for a few days, I'm hoping I could read them already. ;-)

more of my loot! Day 3 at the MIBF 2010

2010-09-20T18:09:00.003+08:00

I just couldn't resist not going back because I felt like we hadn't exhausted the book fair the first time we went, so on the third day of the event, September 17, I asked Archie (nicely) if we could go. We were supposed to meet his siblings, Ate Maan and Andrei, at SNR in Taguig for the weekend sale, but when we asked them if they'd like to check out the book fair instead, they willingly said yes. (Fortunately, we are all voracious readers.)

So we met up at SMX around 6pm, and after Archie "unleashed" the book addict in me, here's what I got:

Squeeeeeee!

"MINI SHOPAHOLIC" by Sophie Kinsella ~ her 6th book in the Shopaholic series
"THE PRINCE OF MIST" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon ~ his first book before "Shadow of the Wind" and "The Angel's Game"
"BEATRICE AND VIRGIL" by Yann Martel, the author of "Life of Pi"
"ILUSTRADO" by Miguel Syjuco ~ a Filipino writer; one of his influences is Zafon, whose works I love, so I'm intrigued by this book
"HOLES" by Louis Sachar ~ a favorite young adult book

Meanwhile, these are my husband's books:

"PASSAGE TO DAWN"
"SEA OF SWORDS" both by R.A. Salvatore, one of the contemporary fantasy-fiction writers whose works were inspired by the master himself, J.R.R. Tolkien

I scouted around for some Bible stories for children and found several, but all of them were compiled into a very thick edition. I was looking for something like the ones I have at home, the ones I used to read as a child, "My Bible Stories", comprised of 10 books in all, with illustrations. I think there are 2 stories in one book. I'd have also loved to get the Adarna and Lampara book stories (the Adarna stories are published with 2 languages so it would be more educational for the child) but decided to forgo until next year, when Baby is with us already. The 2 storybooks would suffice for now. :)

Speaking of Baby! She's almost always moving and somersaulting and kicking at Nanay's tummy, hehehe. It feels like she's all excited to come out, but we've got 3 more months to go. I'm officially into my third trimester of pregnancy, and here's hoping for a safe delivery on the 9th month! Last Saturday I had my glucose challenge test, and the verdict will be given on Saturday. Crossing my fingers...!

book splurge! Day 1 at the MIBF 2010

2010-09-17T08:48:00.005+08:00

September 15, 2010 ~ the first day of the 31st Manila International Book Fair at the SMX, and Archie and I were there. We had initially planned to go today, Friday, but since there were other plans brewing from Thursday onwards, we (at his suggestion) decided to go on Wednesday instead. Better to go early on than brave the crowds that are sure to come flocking come Friday and the weekend.

As can be expected, I felt like I could stay there for an entire day just browsing and buying books, if only I had the unlimited means to do so. It was H-E-A-V-E-N! This is Archie's and my first time to attend because, although we had planned to go during the previous years, something always came up at the last minute, and we just couldn't find the time to go. This year though, notwithstanding my swelling tummy, I made sure that we could drop by. My ultimate goal was to buy something for Baby ~ her very first baby book, whatever it may be. ;-)

Since we got there at around 6pm, we only had a couple of hours to spend in scouring the exhibit halls for bargain books. Because I remember my college best bud Vanny telling me about SCHOLASTIC's bag-all-you-can promo last year, I decided to head over there first, only to be sorely disappointed when I was informed that their stocks ("Harry Potter" books, Suzanne Collins books) were only available at the National Bookstore exhibit, for discounted prices of course. There was another Scholastic booth but it only sold kids' merchandise, so that was a letdown. :( Then I read in another book blog that Scholastic still had that bag-all-you-can promo for P995 (how'd I miss that???!) so I'm going to hound Archie til the weekend for a second wind. ;-)

These are the loot from our visit at the MIBF:

These are for Nanay ~ books 2 and 3, respectively, of Suzanne Collins' "The Hunger Games" series:

And these are for Baby ~ "Animal Bedtime Tales" and "366 Fairy Tales", a copy of which Tatay used to read when he was a kid. These are the very first items we've ever bought for our sweetheart:

We especially liked the animal alphabet in the "Animal Fairy Tales" book, which we will definitely enjoy reading for Baby:

While for the "366 Fairy Tales", we look forward to the beginning of every month because there's a "special" fairy tale waiting to be read!

Of course, Ate Venice also has something from her Tita ~ a Dora the Explorer activity set, with 3 activity books, stickers, crayons and paper dolls:

All of these, except for the newly-released "Mockingjay" book which sold for an introductory price (somewhere within the vicinity) of P530.00, were marked down with a 20% discount, so I got all books for more or less P2k. Considering that they were all imported books, and new releases as well, they were definitely a bargain. ;-) Plus, we had all these freebies!

Afterwards, around 7pm (yes, we spent only an hour or so because my husband was complaining of hunger already) we decided to have dinner at MOA and then drop by at Booksale. Shopping isn't done pa pala because I found these on the bargain bin:

A big coloring book for Ate Venice for P50.00, and "MALINCHE" by Laura Esquivel for P125.00.

I'm still thinking whether I passed up the opportunity to buy the new Sophie Kinsella book, "Mini Shopaholic", which was also sold for 20% less, and some leather book covers from Aklat Eklat. Maybe we could drop by again later? *lopsided grin*

the downside

2010-09-09T09:19:00.004+08:00

This coming September 15-19 is the 31st Manila International Book Fair to be held at the SMX Convention Center near MOA. I desperately want to go but with my condition by then ~ officially into my 3rd trimester of pregnancy ~ I just might not be able to. And it's so heartbreaking ~ imagine, a booklover's heaven -- rows and rows, aisles and aisles of books within reach! -- and I can't go... WAAAAAAAH! :(

Maybe I can just wear a surgical mask? Or stay for just 5 minutes? But who am I kidding... Let me loose in a room full of books, and I'd easily get lost.

Guess I'll just have to content myself with bookstores and booksales for now. I just might ask Archie to drive me to Fully Booked Bonifacio High Street for a whole day just to satiate my desire to buy something.

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I'm really glad that I bought these new Sanuk sandals last week, which I have since then been using even in the office. They're the most comfortable things next to Crocs, and even more expensive (hence, worth it!). My feet have been getting larger as time passes by, and I can feel my Crocs getting uncomfy every day. No, I don't really have manas just yet. But since I'm nearing my final trimester, I thought I just might as well be prepared for the eventuality.

My little critter is kicking and making somersaults again ~ see ya! :)

accuracy

2010-09-08T09:05:00.002+08:00

There's a particular project I have in mind for me, Baby and Tatay that I want to begin now, even before Baby's born, but there's just one hitch: is the gender (as shown in the 2d ultrasound) 100% accurate such that there's no room for error? Because with the project I'm thinking about, we need to be 100%, absolutely certain about Baby's gender.

I ask this because I know someone who had had ultrasound thrice, and all three times, the result was that she and her husband were having a girl. All three ultrasounds were conducted in the US. So they bought baby girl things, and of course, already had a baby girl name.

Then, when the time came, they were surprised to learn that they had a boy!

So... how accurate is a gender ultrasound anyway?

So how's my pregnancy so far?

2010-09-07T12:59:00.002+08:00

Pretty good, actually, not taking into consideration that right now, my face is a war zone of acne and dry patches of skin, and that my shins still haven't improved from their condition since the beginning of my pregnancy: blotchy and itchy. I've gained weight, of course, jumping from my 110 lbs to my current 133 lbs, and yeah, I'm definitely feeling it. None of my regular clothes fit at this time, and I've scouted sales at department stores just to buy maternity stuff. My tummy has gotten reeeaaaally big for my current gestational age of 25 weeks (almost 6 months), but thankfully, I have no stretchmarks anywhere. (The only ones I have are the old ones, on my thighs.) I'm so happy I use Chicco's Mamma Donna Elasticising Oil. ;-)

Baby has gotten really active, too, but she does her somersaults and kicks during the night, when I'm at rest. That's because during the day, when I'm active, she's lulled and rocked into dreamland by my activities. So at night, when I'm resting, that's when she acts up and shows off. Her Tatay is the one more excited than me when he feels her kicks, hehe. As for me, I just laugh and watch as my tummy rises and falls every time she kicks. :)

We're still scouting for a restaurant where we could have our baby shower. We'd have loved to have it at home, but our little place would just not be able to accommodate everyone. One of these days we'll finalize the venue so I can start with the details. I'm so excited!

And then of course, there's the 3d/4d ultrasound that I'm so looking forward to. We only had the CAS (congenital anomaly scan) and 2d ultrasound last time with Doc Milks (the results of which were all normal, thank God!), so we're planning to have the 3d/4d ultrasound sometime during my 7th or 8th month so that Baby will have filled out more by then. I'm beside myself with excitement!

Some of my close friends are also expecting. There's my bestfriend, Thea, who's pregnant with her 2nd baby. (Hope it's a boy this time!) Then there's my college best bud, Vanny, who just tied the knot with her hubby Junar last January. She's several months behind me, like Thea. Then there's Shervel, my classmate from college, who's just a couple of weeks behind me as well. Baby boom, ang saya-saya! :)

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Meantime, what have I been reading lately (which I do aloud, so that Baby can hear my stories as well)? I've just finished the first book in the Hunger Games series, "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins, and right now have continued with the Charlaine Harris books. At my bedstand right now is "Dead and Gone", book #9 of the Sookie Stackhouse novels, while I've already finished with the Lily Bard series last week. After "Dead and Gone", I'll move on to the Aurora Teagarden series, which I've had for the longest time. Archie, meanwhile, is busy with his Legend of Drizzt series by R.A. Salvatore. Baby will be a booklover, too, just like Nanay and Tatay. ;-)

so excited!

2010-08-26T15:24:00.002+08:00

This first-time Nanay is so excited, she has several projects lined up for when Baby is born! :)

For her baby shower, for Christmas, for her baptism... Of course, projects that include Tatay and Nanay, the three of us! Can't wait! I'm just too excited! I spend half of my time in the office just browsing through the net in preparation for these projects. Hehe!

I already have a name in mind for Baby. She's going to have 2 names, the first should begin with A, and the second with M. We're already settled as to the 2nd name... Now we're deciding on the "A" name. I have 2 names in mind which I've already discussed with Archie... With matching nickname pa, hehe. Maghahanap pa raw muna siya. ;-)

Baby kicks so hard na! There's no mistaking the kicks and somersaults she makes inside Nanay's tummy. Sometimes I just laugh with exhilaration. Sarap ng feeling! :)

Can't wait to hug and kiss you, little me. :D

2010-08-25T17:19:00.003+08:00

Last Saturday was my scheduled congenital analysis scan (CAS) with Drs. Aina and Michael at Asian. I'm already on my 5th month and 2 weeks of pregnancy, which translates to 22 weeks. Of course, we were very excited to know Baby's gender. ;)

The results of the CAS were very encouraging: normal lahat, kumpleto fingers and toes, walang bingot, and functioning lahat ng organs na present. It was quite a long procedure unlike the first two ultrasounds I've had. Dr. Milks was very meticulous, measuring and probing, and my Baby was so playful, she didn't want to show her left hand at first, hehe. She kept it hidden for a while at the back of her neck... But eventually she stretched her left arm, and boy oh boy! So cute little fingers, cute little toes... I was teary-eyed and so, so happy. :) Especially when Dr. Milks focused on the face and we caught Baby opening that cute little mouth, as though yawning... Haaaaay. So this is what it feels like. Parang passing the bar, pero triple! ;)

And the gender? It's a girl! We're having a little Monique soon. Tatay and I are so excited!! :)

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Archie and I attended his highschool friend, Jayson's wedding to his fiancee, Jeanne at the Christ the King church in Ortigas. Reception was at The Glass Garden near Marikina. Very nice place, although it didn't serve the purpose of the AVP when it was shown: they couldn't dim the lights, it being high noon and all, so we couldn't appreciate the AVPs.

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I also bought, over the weekend, some photo albums and scrapbook stuff so I can mount Baby's ultrasound pictures already while I still have time (I don't have that much time now, as it is). I need to scan them first and try to have them printed because the print on the thermal paper might fade with time - sayang naman. And this is one of my favorite stuff:

I'm going to fill them up while the details of the last 5 months are still fresh in my mind. :) Ah, the joys of being an expectant Nanay! ;-)

Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love you, tomorrow...

2010-08-20T09:52:00.002+08:00

Finally!

Tomorrow is my next checkup with my OB, Doc Aina, and I'm scheduled for my second trimester ultrasound... Which means, we get to check Baby's gender already! Whoopeeee! :)

Personally, a boy or a girl is fine with me. Archie, though, prefers to have a boy as a firstborn. Although, of course, if Baby's a girl, siempre OK pa rin. It's just a preference, after all.

I think I'm also scheduled for a glucose tolerance exam, to determine if I have GD (gestational diabetes). I'm praying hard that I don't have it... Kawawa naman si Baby. I might have to go on a strict diet. Sana talaga wala. :(

I feel Baby's squirmy movements more often now than before, and sometimes it's ticklish, I laugh whenever I feel the tender flutterings. They're so soft, you can hardly feel it through your hands if you touch my tummy, that's why Tatay is beginning to think Baby might not like him, heheehe. At the right and perfect time, Baby will kick so hard, at magpapasikat siya kay Tatay. ;-)

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Last Wednesday, Archie and I attended the wedding of one of his close friends from highschool, Jayson, to his now-wife Jeanne. Church was at the Christ The King in Ortigas, and reception was at the Glass Garden. Nice place, indeed. Will post pics later. ;-)

booklovers, bombs, babies

2010-08-06T11:04:00.000+08:00

Gustong-gusto ko nang magkaroon ng sariling library sa bahay! But of course, this pet project of mine will have to wait until we have our own house. Hindi kasi kasya sa condo yun. I already have a specific design and layout in mind... Excited ako especially since I want to expose our Baby to books at an early age. Nothing like starting them out early. :)

My friend from the office, Lalaine, created an account for me at this site called Goodreads. It's a place where booklovers share their reviews and opinions about books they've read, recommend books to their friends, and even comment on others' reviews or recommendations. I like it because it's a site, aside from the New York Times Bestselling Lists, where I could find recommendations for new titles. I've already added 105 books to my "read" shelf and am quite busy writing reviews about each one (hope I could still remember all of them!).

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Yesterday, my workplace received a bomb threat in the early morning, even before 8:00 am. My officemate texted me while I was in the shower, and I didn't read until after I was ready to go. Anyway, our security guards, some Manila police and even our very own PJ (Presiding Justice) inspected the grounds and declared the buildings safe before 9am. So, back to work kame by that time.

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Two weeks to go, and we'll know Baby's gender.. So excited! :D

There you are!

2010-08-04T11:24:00.000+08:00

Last night, I was reading in bed, preparing to go to sleep when I felt this butterfly-light, soft fluttering inside my tummy. I sat still, anticipating more fluttering, and I wasn't disappointed.

It was so soft and gentle, you couldn't feel it with your hands if you touched my tummy. And it definitely wasn't just my stomach gurgling nor my gastric Muzak acting up. The movements were somewhere in my lower belly, right in front, just exactly where my uterus would be located.

There you are my Baby! I thought you'd never make Nanay feel your gentle kalikutan. Tatay and I are so happy! :)

grin

2010-07-30T12:45:00.003+08:00

Last night, I learned something that made me grin from ear to ear.

Something that never in my wildest dreams I imagined was the truth.

Secret. ;-)

a collage of rashes, pimples and whatnot

2010-07-28T09:56:00.002+08:00

That's my skin these days.

Especially my shins, face, chest and back.

*sigh*

Hormone overload. :(

I especially hate the occasional pimple that would spurt out of conspicuous places on my face. They grow out sporadically, but boy oh boy! They grow out like a giant mushroom, and without warning. I even had a breakout the last time. La fea!

But the worst part is my shins. They're like a canvass with reddish maps on them. Terrible, terrible. I have no qualms about wearing shorts or knee-length dresses whenever I feel like it, but I'm always too aware of how bad they look... Hay.

18 weeks: visibly pregnant but not feeling baby's movements yet

2010-07-22T09:50:00.003+08:00

Is it cause for worry? A lot of peers who have had children always express surprise when I tell them that I can't feel my baby's movements yet – no subtle kicks, no flutters, nothing. I don't know if that's out of the ordinary, especially since my tummy is so huge for 18 weeks (roughly 4 and ½ months) it can pass for a 7-month-old bulge.

Internet research told me that it's pretty normal not to feel anything at this stage. Some women are even further along than me, like 20-22 weeks, and yet they're only just beginning to feel their baby's movements in their tummies. A lot of factors can actually contribute to this, but all in all, there's nothing to worry about. Except, maybe, if you're already 30 weeks pregnant and still don't feel a thing.

Archie has been taking pictures of my very pregnant self every month so we can properly document this first pregnancy. I even took a picture of the home pregnancy kit that I used, with the 2 purple lines that caused much elation for me and my husband. ;-)

I'm excited about my checkup this Saturday! I don't know if Doc Aina will order a sonogram already to check Baby's gender, because I'm at 18 weeks, 3 days by then, and as I understand it, 2nd trimester ultrasounds are conducted on the 20th week, or 5 months. Nonetheless, Archie and I are so psyched, we're counting the days...!

scared

2010-07-19T12:57:00.005+08:00

Yesterday, Archie and I attended the first birthday party of his inaanak and our friend Noy's son, Lorenzo "Louie" Defensor at Albergus, Quezon City. Also in attendance were our barkada Mau and Angie, and her son Gio, and some old classmates from law school who are friends of Bunny's, Noy's wife.

Practically all the couples who attended had small babies in tow. One baby in particular ~ Jakob, first baby of our classmates Gary and Irene ~ particularly caught my attention. I'd been seeing pictures of him on Facebook and was curious as to how he looked like in person. When I approached and held my hands out to the child in a gesture of "Will you come with me?", I didn't wait for an answer: I just took him by his armpits and carried him.

Ouch, ang bigat. Irene had warned me beforehand that he was a little heavy, but not that heavy! Eh ano pa bang magagawa ko, karga ko na... Then I went over to the cupcakes tray and got myself one, using baby Jakob as front.

When I gave him to Irene after just a minute or so, parang sumakit ang lower left abdomen ko. I panicked. I immediately sat down until the sharp pain subsided.

All the way home, the sharp pain recurred. Short moments of pain, then just as fast as it came, it would be gone. But it recurred... So I told Archie I needed to take my Duvadilan prescription (for uterine relaxation). Since we were going to go grocery-shopping anyway, I bought some and took one tablet immediately.

Nawawala naman siya, pero sumasakit ng bigla. It's not really very painful painful, just short, stabbing pains, and just in one part of my lower left abdomen, almost near the singit. I got so worried because during the two times when Doc Aina and I listened for Baby's heartbeat, we would catch it at my lower left abdomen.

When we got home after attending mass, I took another Duvadilan and slept. When I woke up this morning, I felt a lot better... then I felt the pain again. After breakfast, I took another Duvadilan ~ 3x a day naman kasi siya everytime I feel pain in my abdomen. I've also been watching out for irregular or unusual discharge, and thankfully, wala naman.

Right now, pinapakiramdaman ko pa si Baby. I'm feeling better but I'm really worried if he's OK... If the pain recurs until this evening, I'll go to Doc Aina tomorrow ~ 4 days in advance from my next checkup on Saturday.

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Some pics from our Cebu trip:

The Minor Basilica of the Santo Nino De Cebu, their patron saint

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Magellan's Cross

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Plantation Bay

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Lapu Lapu's Marker at Lapu Lapu City, Mactan Island

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You OUGHT to watch "INCEPTION". Ang ganda! Super. You'll love it... 'til the very end, meron pa ring puzzle. Heheh! :)

I stand corrected.

2010-07-16T10:25:00.004+08:00

In my Facebook account, I once posted about having sampled CnT's lechon in Cebu, announcing that Archie and I finally "got" it why Anthony Bourdain of "No Reservations" touted it as the "best pig ever" on his show.

After an old friend commented, asking if it was indeed CnT lechon that Anthony Bourdain tried out, I decided to research about it a little.

Several blogs say that it's CnT lechon, some say it's Zubuchon. However, when I checked Anthony's blog itself, nothing therein says or indicates which lechon it was that he tried when he was here.

So. I can only rectify my mistake when I claimed that it was CnT lechon that Anthony Bourdain featured on his show. He didn't say a particular name or brand; he was referring to the Cebu lechon in general when he proclaimed it the "best pig ever"!

"Basyang"

2010-07-15T09:08:00.005+08:00

The only downside about living in a high-rise condominium unit is the fact that, whenever strong winds brought about by typhoons such as "Basyang" would hit, you can practically hear the howling and creaking and groaning as if it's just right by your ear. If you were scared to death about the moaning winds of "Basyang" during the early morning of Wednesday, imagine the fear I felt, 28 floors up.

Power was out by around 1am, and we had to contend with fanning ourselves even if we were so groggy with lack of sleep. We couldn't open our windows and the door to the balcony because they would just be slammed shut by the wind.

Thankfully, electricity was restored by 2:30 pm yesterday and our building has generators so that the elevators continued to service (dapat lang!) and the hallways were lit.

My mother was also worried sick in Laguna. I could just imagine how it must have felt like, hearing the creaking of our G.I. sheets and fearing that they would just be blown away by the wind. In all my years in Laguna, we never had the unfortunate incident of having any of our G.I. sheets carried away by a typhoon, and I pray that there will never be a first time...

Back at work today. Oh well.

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Archie and I are anticipating the showing of three movies within the next 2 weeks: “The Last Airbender” by M. Night Shyamalan, “Inception” by Christopher Nolan, and “The Sorcerer's Apprentice”.

Since “The Karate Kid” (with Jayden Smith and Jackie Chan), we haven't seen another good movie yet ~ we always reschedule watching “Toy Story 3” until we never got another good opportunity.

I think my Baby is going to love watching movies when he/she grows up, too. :)

Maya's despedida

2010-07-12T12:46:00.002+08:00

Last Saturday, I finally got to be present at a get-together with my SNC friends ~ it was the despedida dinner for the only girl-contender left in the group, Maya. hehe.

Buti na lang, the despedida, which was originally scheduled for Friday, was moved to Saturday. I thought it would be canceled for sure but at the last minute, Ja texted with the confirmation that Saturday night's event would push through. Yehey!

It was the first time since our wedding that I got to join them. Sadly, it might also be the last time in a long while that I'll be able to join with Maya around, as she will be flying to Singapore on Tuesday to try her luck there.

The dinner was a simple one without the usual inuman ~ after all, it was supposed to be dinner only. T'was nice to see Ja, Maya, Jigs, Pidro, and Demz again. And Casey! Ang laki na ng inaanak ko. Nagpapalakihan yata sila ni MM, hehehe.

To Maya, have a safe trip, at simulan mo nang pag-ipunan ang pang-Universal Studios namin ha? :)

undecided

2010-07-07T09:05:00.003+08:00

I have friend-invites on Facebook from several people whom I do not personally know, but have added me because they're former classmates of Archie from highschool.

I'm torn between confirming/accepting their invitation because it is, after all, my personal account, and of course, I don't want people getting the wrong notion that I'm suplada (actually, I am, hehe!), and on the other hand, directly going against what Archie had told me to do: to just leave the invites pending as they are. They know daw naman na siya ang suplado, and that they're adding me anyway to have access to him.

What would you do if you were in my place?

"Cebu? B?"

2010-07-05T10:25:00.002+08:00

Archie and I pushed through with our Cebu trip last July 1-4 after receiving the go signal from Doc Aina that it's safe for me to travel. And why not? I'm already on my second trimester, the safest period of pregnancy, and Cebu is only an hour's plane ride away.

So after booking our flights on short notice (3 days away!) and confirming our hotel reservations at the Waterfront Hotel Cebu City, a wedding gift from Valenzuela Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian, we flew to Cebu and experienced the sights, sounds, and food! Pictures in a while. ;-)

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So. "Walang wang-wang", eh? It's really funny to see police and traffic enforcers going out of their way to apprehend those with sirens and blinkers and confiscate them by virtue of the inaugural speech of "P-Noy" last June 30. Well and good, but until when? I'm giving it less than a year, then, back to the old.

I highly doubt if Noynoy himself can afford the waste of time that it will cost him by his refusal to use these wang-wangs. After all, he is President. But until when? Unless he uses a helicopter to get around, I'm willing to bet di tatagal yang leadership by example na yan.

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I'm back at work and suddenly wishing for an extension of our vacation. Hay!

thrilling new finds!

2010-06-25T14:04:00.002+08:00

I'm currently reading the first book in the Millennium Trilogy, "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson, and I am absolutely fascinated!

Sure beats Stephenie Meyer's stuff, hands down.

Miss na miss ko nang mamasyal. :(

2010-06-22T10:14:00.002+08:00

Our last trip was during our honeymoon in Bangkok last March, and from the looks of it, I might not be able to go out of the country for another year or so, especially with Baby coming soon.

Not that we have any regrets about Baby, not at all !

It's just that unlike before, when we can suddenly plan trips out-of-the-blue, or contact our travel buddies for a weekend at a domestic location, now, those things have taken a backseat.

Last year, we had to put off our plans to take the long drive to Gota Beach, CamSur with several of our barkada because we were busy planning our wedding. Then we also had to decline another friend's yaya to go to China because of the same reason. Nothing has changed much since then, and with an even bigger reason: our Baby.

Of course, this is not to say that we can no longer travel, ever. We'll try to work something out when I've given birth by December, maybe plan a trip or two every year with Baby in tow. Archie has plans to visit his relatives in the US in the near future so we'll see about that.

But sometimes, I just miss it.... Hay.

thesis, schmesis

2010-06-18T14:07:00.004+08:00

In college, we had no thesis, being Legal Management majors.

In law school, we had no thesis either, as the same is not a requirement to successfully pass the bar.

Imagine me now, 6 years after graduating from law school and 5 years in the practice, and I have to study, research, and spend time on a thesis that isn't even mine.

Hay!

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New blogger template inspired by my friend Ja's new blog design. Siempre, mine will still be in blue, my favorite color. ;-)

The most torturous things

2010-06-17T11:06:00.002+08:00

about my pregnancy are:

1) having to wake up practically twice, even thrice, during the night just to pee.

2) finding the most comfortable position when I sleep so that I can rest fitfully and uninterruptedly. Of course, that's almost next to impossible, taking into account no. (1) above.

Archie and I talk to our baby every moment that we can, especially at night before going to sleep. We tell him/her to relax, to be healthy, and that Tatay and Nanay can't wait to meet him/her on December. Sometimes I think I feel something pulsating inside, as though my baby lets me know that he/she can hear me, or just makes his/her presence felt. Love that feeling.

I just passed my 13th week of pregnancy and I'm now officially on my second trimester, supposedly the safest and easiest part of the entire 9 months. Archie and I are entertaining the idea of a weekend vacation in Cebu, my OB (and the weather) permitting. We'll have to consider everything first. :)

~ surfacing ~

Shameless Plugging :D

Allie in Boracay!

Nanay Woes :(

My 2011 in Pictures

Allie Turns One!

A Funeral, A Wedding, and A Birthday

Trick or Treat!

Our very first trick-or-treat!

Suppliers Update

Pictorial!

Time to shape up!

Allie *hearts* Tagaytay

Allie's First Birthday Shebang: UPDATES

Allie's First Party

We're Moving!

The Filipino Group: 5

The Venue

Allie at 7 months

The Midnight Palace

Queen of Babble

On the Domestic Front

Required Reading: JULY

All-Natural Homemade Baby Food for Allie

Recent Readings

6 months, and growing really fast!

Little Bee

Movie Roundup!

Required Reading: June

Life of Pi

15,000 hits!

baby shoes

The Eyre Affair [Thursday Next, #1]

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

ALLIE's First Day Out

Mother's Day 2011

Post-Anniversary post

Readings for the Month of May

Holy Week 2011

Sofitel's Spiral

The Filipino Group: Anniversary Meet-up

April Readings

50 Books to Read Before You Die Bookmark

The Swedish version.

Reflections and Resolutions

heavier and longer

"under the table"

A little goes a long way.

Shopping Galore!

memories, memories

EARTH HOUR 2011

new batch of lawyers tomorrow!

Family of Readers

Required Reading: March

Hel-lo, Hannah.

WANTED: Perfect Househelp

The last time I went to a moviehouse was...

Recent purchases soon to collect dust

Test post from my BB

almost 3 months!

my bookworm gadget

Allie's Christening

motherhood 101

The best Christmas gift. Ever.

waiting, waiting...

Baby Shower :)

counting down... again!

dreams, book inserts, and menudong walang patatas

Love before first sight.

baby shopping

restraint, restraint

Reading Habits meme

a Mickey and Minnie Mouse-themed birthday

my two cents on recent readings

bookmooch! :)

home work

hospitalized :(

more of my loot! Day 3 at the MIBF 2010

book splurge! Day 1 at the MIBF 2010

Allie hearts Tagaytay

grin