Friday, August 31, 2007

August Round Up

My August 2007 Round Up

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?

Obviously, I did NOT read any book this month. I scoured my blog archives in the high hope that I had just forgotten that I had read a book, any book....but to no avail. Sigh! I canNOT believe I did not read a book in the past 30 days! WOW!

Magazines? Not a one either, unless tabloids count, hehehe!

What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?

I did better on this front. We watched The Bourne Ultimatum this month. Waaay early this month! There was also Rush Hour 3 which we saw with Rogan and Raine. There was also Surf's Up with the kids, which we saw on video, I think.

And.....that was it. Sheesh! How UN-cultured was I this month??? No books and practically no movies, either! Unbelievable!

What special days did I celebrate and how?

August 6 -
Happy Birthday to Boydee and ME!!! It was only the 2nd or 3rd (maybe the 4th?) time we celebrated separately. I was in the States, and Boydee back home in the Philippines. He celebrated with a Mexican themed party while we had a blast at Acapulco in Glendale! Yummmy on the strawberry margaritas and the ginormous burrito I had!

No class days - We had a few of those this month, mainly because of a couple of typhoons and a couple of holidays celebrated on Mondays. The kids had no class obviously, and we pretty much whiled the time away playing the Wii (or me catching up on my CT requirements, hehehe).


What illnesses or health concerns did I have?

No problems whatsoever this past month!!! Yeah! Slight --- very slight --- back problems, but mainly because of all the walking we had done from the East Coast, and all the traveling we did. Some migraines, but those were due to that time of the month, methinks.

Oh, my back DID hurt after the first few times I played with the Wii (tennis and bowling) because I was using my back with the proper form, of course. I had to adjust THAT in a hurry, that's for sure!

The kids, nada. Healthy little buggers they were, hehehe. :)


What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?

We ate out pretty much the entire time we were in the States, so that was definitely FUN, hehehehe!

Playing the Wii was a major thing this past month. It was good for the kids because not only were they playing a video game, they were being PHYSICAL with it! So THAT'S a huge advantage of having the Wii!

1. The Sisterhood Challenge - Playing catch-up on this one. Elizza has been the runaway leader so far, finishing up the baptism pages in one weekend, I think! I'm currently on my last 2 sets of the 2nd month while Elizza and Bang are working on their 3rd month already. I need to get cracking at this!

2. Swimming Competition - The kids competed in the first ever Development Age Group Invitation Swim Meet at Valle Verde. There were a lot of clubs from all over the country, and the kids did really well.
a. Raegan - got golds in back and free, a silver in fly, and a ribbon (6th) for breaststroke.
b. Rogan - got bronze medals for free, fly and breast, and a ribbon (6th) for backstroke.
c. Raine - got ALL GOLDS for ALL strokes in her age group! Whoohoo! She did really well.....she should, seeing that she was HUGE compared to the other 7 year old girls

3. I joined the Amazing Digi Scrapping Race Season 2 with my awesome partner, Katie the Scrapbook Lady. We had a blast and cemented our cyber friendship even more. Thanks, Katie, for asking me to partner with you!

What special or unusual purchases did I make?

I purchased my monthly kit from Songbird Avenue called Dreamsicle. And no, I haven't scrapped with it. Yet. I will, sooner or later. I love getting the Avenue's kits because they're 1-great kits, and 2-the proceeds all go to support some great cause. So, no regrets from me for sure!

And a MAJOR-ajor purchase we did this month? You guessed it! My new TOY, an iMac!!! Whoohoohoo! I've scrapped a few pages on it so far and it can fly---mainly because there's practically NOTHING on the hard drive! Hehehe!

What were this month's disappointments?

I couldn't renew my dang driver's license because of some effing state law! Aaaargh!! Maybe I'll try again when I go back...

What were my accomplishments this month?

I finally DID get my Philippine license though! After almost 10 years! Hehehehe. Good thing I was "still in the system", so to speak. Whatever. Just glad that I can still drive anywhere! WHoohoohoo!

I've also done some layouts to start our East Coast album. I've also added some more pages to the kiddos' baby album, thanks to The Sisterhood Challenge.

I won a $15 GC to the awesome Shabby Princess' Shoppe!!! AND, I made LOTD over at SDK! How cool is that! Yeah!

Anything else noteworthy to record?

I've caught up with my CT requirements, after close to a month of not getting anything scrapped! Kind of. :) But I'm resolving to do soooo much better this coming month. Oh, and I've scrapped with a TON of PINK kits this past month---thank goodness I had the swimming pictures to go with them----the girls were THANKFULLY wearing hot pink swim caps! Whew!

On the Office front - we're starting to shape up the Human Resources Department a few things at a time. Turtle-like, but at least it's getting done, so yay!

August Layout Count: 49!

***End of Round Up***

A Random Blog

What's a random blog? Check out Random Encounters of We - a blog full of random stuff. :) Cute huh? Anything from money and financial issues, to blog contests, to digital reviews, and my favorite one so far, the latest entry, Photo Throws. As a scrapper, that most recent post was definitely up my alley!

And for bloggers who like making money, this website also gives tips on how to go about doing it. I've already bookmarked this blog for some er....RANDOM.... thoughts, stories, and inspiration. I always need something like that. Brain fodder, you know?

Oh, before I forget, there's also some none-brain fodder in there where you just let loose and not think of anything while going through Random Games. Great mix of issues and topics dealt with Random Encounters!

{Some "Vintage" Scraps}

Why vintage? Had to search for these really old pics to scrap! Hehehe.

DISNEYLAND WITH THE GRANDKIDS
My folks with the grandkids.

Journaling reads: 3.28.2001. Lolo Boy and Mamalyn brought all 5 grandkids to Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Of course, no trip would be complete without the Yayas (Ruby, Mira, Haydee) and Mama, Daddy and Mommy! Yes, we were such a big group to go with Reese, Rielle, Raegan, Rogan and Raine. Everyone had such a blast, including both Mamalyn and Lolo Boy, who enjoyed riding all the kiddie rides with their grandkids. The kiddos had so much fun during the entire day, not a one took a nap. Train rides, Dumbo, Peter Pan, even Snow White’s ride were part of the day’s fun. Naturally, there were about a million photos taken of each child with each Disney character we could spy throughout the park!

Credits: kit - Liberty by Wetfish Designs (Cyndi Wetmiller) at Divine Digital; alpha - Grunged Up by Eve Recinella at SSD; font - DJB Lorraine Bold by Darcy Baldwin at Blue Flombingo; layered sketch, staples, tears - by Jen Caputo

GLIMPSES OF THE PAST

Journaling reads: Unearthing this photo brought me back to the past, when all of you were in preschool! This was taken during Linggo ng Wika and you had to wear a Filipino costume for class.

Credits: kit - Fell In Love with a Boy by Trish Jones; stamped alpha - by Michelle Coleman; Dustbunnies and Stickybet alpha - by Darcy Baldwin at The Digi Chick; stamped alpha - Grunged Up by Eve Recinella at SSD; sepia action - by Holly McCaig; fonts - DB Teacher by Darcy Baldwin, Colour Me Purple; layered sketch - by Janet Phillips

TTFN!

Thursday, August 30, 2007

PTCs

Today's the day for Parent Teacher Conferences at the kids' school. Good thing the teachers are considerate; with 3 kids, it's not easy trying to schedule my PTCs to be one after the other, but they did! Apparently, they give priority to those with multi-kids (hehehe) and schedule those first. So I had my PTCs at 1030, 11, and 1130.

Let's see....

Teacher Cris had nothing bad to say about Raegan. My dear little miss motor mouth was the teacher's recess and lunch buddy! She says she loves talking to the teachers because they always have something interesting to say, hehehe. How's that, coming from a 9 year old? :)

Teacher Tess said Rogan was very good the first quarter. Only 2 separate incidents marred his otherwise perfect record. Sigh! I must admit, and I did, to Teacher Tess, that I came into the PTC EXPECTING to be told that Rogan had done and said something against the rules. I was pleasantly surprised to be told that there were only 2. This was a FAR cry from last year's countless incidents. So maybe Rogan's growing up. Yeah right, hehehe. I wish!

Oh, those incidents? One was for calling one of his best friends "stupid" and the other was for opening the gate leading to the stairs and other classrooms which the kids are not allowed to do for safety reasons. So nothing major as far as I'm concerned, but of course, these incidents will need to be processed with Rogan himself.

Teacher Kitkat had all praises for Raine. Learned fast, did her work well, and she was QUIET. Huh? Quiet? I have no quiet child! Hehehehe. Apparantly, Raine had befriended this new kid who was in another section last year and they hit it off. Angel seems to have a very positive effect on Raine. No incidents of yelling, name calling or bullying! Hallelujah!

ALL the kids had either an A or an A-. So yayayayayay!!! Many thanks to Bang and Zhar who reviewed them for the exams; the kiddos passed with flying colors! Whoohoohoo!!!

{SCRAPS}
MY GOALS
For the ADSR Challenge 4.

Journaling reads: As of this writing, 28 July 2007, some goals of mine include the following, in
no particular order, just a rambling of some random goals: Like: Travel the world. Lose a lot more weight. Have the kids eat more healthy foods. Smile often. Go on a hot air balloon ride. Be more patient. Take a trip down a river on a white-water raft. Go back to school and study something different. Exercise more. Go on a Disney cruise with my family. Take a Vacation in Alaska, in Florida, in the East Coast. Take the kids on an educational trip. Take voice lessons. Learn the flute, the violin, or the cello. Go back to teaching. Complete albums. Scrap some more.

Credits: kit - Lullabye by Rina Kroes at SBE; G photo frame - by Paula Duncan at SSD; alpha - Dustbunnies by Darcy Baldwin at The Digi Chick; font - Times New Roman, DJB Suzie by Darcy Baldwin at Blue Flombingo


MY NAVIGATOR
What I love and hate about my husband's navigating skills.

Journaling reads: I love it when Japa is content to do the navigating while I do the driving during road trips in the States (especially when our car’s a Hummer!). But it drives me CRAZY whenever he forgets to give me the distance for each leg of the trip (so I can check the odometer) and whenever he mumbles the directions I can barely hear him!

Credits: kit - Nature's Beauty by Shannon Fahrnbach at Divine Digital; layered sketch, word art and interstate element - Vacation Brag Book Templates by Rina Kroes at SBE; stamped alpha - Grunged Up by Eve Recinella at SSD; yellow arrow circle - by Traci Reed; red arrow - by Meredith Fenwick; font - DJB Mandy by Darcy Baldwin at Blue Flombingo


The Wii calls. Hehehe.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Interview Day

Yes, I had 3 interviews to do today. A couple for replacing one of our preggy staff members, Susan, who's due sometime next month, and another for an additional utility/messenger at the Site Office

I also computed the necessary small wage adjustment as mandated by law, had our second HR meeting with my measly staff of 2, hehehe, and sent out a bunch of memos.

All in all, a productive day at the office. Which of course meant that I wasn't able to scrap until after office hours! Hehehehe! No time really. And I sooooo badly needed to back up my files, and I didn't even have time for that while doing the interviews! Aaargh!

Oh well. At least I got a lot of things done.

I get home and I worked a bit on my new baby, the iMac. Just for a bit. I take a break for dinner and get back to the room to find the kids all over the Fun Booth and the iPhoto programs. They were taking loads of silly pictures! Kids! What's a mom to do, eh?

Japa uses the iMac to play his Generals game. Making a mental note to buy more mac games for this new baby. Although, come to think of it, the kids MAY corner my new toy for more hours on end, hehehehe. But I do need a good version of mac solitaire for me to while away on; not that I'd have that much free time, what with scrapping taking up all my free time pretty much!

But games --- any game! --- cost too much moolah nowadays. I remember forking over close to $50 per game for the Wii! Sheesh! I know computer games don't cost as much (do they?) but I'm assuming that mac games will cost a little bit more than the usual PC games. Sigh. Gotta try out those free mac games sites first and see if I like anything before deciding. Free is definitely GOOD! Suggestions would be great at this point......so that *IF* I find the time, maybe I'd be up for a new mac game or two. *wink*

I have free time now....off to scrap! LOL!

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

HR and Pink Kits

No, there's nothing related between the 2, hehehe. Starting to revive my Human Resources duties once again. I need to. We all want to be able to adjust everyone's salaries (upward of course) because it's high time that we did. The company has been doing well, and yes, we owe it to the employees, too, especially those hardworking ones!

Anyhoo, started issuing directives and delegating work. Writing memos up the kazoo, especially in the area of updating job descriptions. We start on the performance appraisal process in September and we need the job descriptions done asap. Yikes!

As for the Pink Kits, I just got a PLETHORA of them from my CTs and I am beside myself! Hehehe. Yes, I'm not a big pink fan and I have been scrambling in a major way to get pics to be able to scrap with these pink pinks! :)

SISTERS
Just a random pic of my SILs and me Smile Btw, this layout made PAGE OF THE DAY at a site (sorry, forgot where!) Maybe NDISB? Too lazy to look for it now.

Credits: kit - Colors of Spring by Claudia Sollinger at Scrappin Freestyle; vintage frames, dirty alpha - by Katie Pertiet; font - KGD Angela


DAD AND ME
Yes, another random pic. Hehehe. This one was from the Shrine inauguration.

Credits: kit - Flowers in My Hair, a collab kit between Nina Scraps and Theresa Hernandez at ndisb; notebook papers - by Amy Martin; bend it template - by Debbie Knorr; fonts - KGD Tiffany, DJB A Bit of Flaire by Darcy Baldwin at The Digi Chick



Monday, August 27, 2007

Yet Another Holiday

National Heroes Day. Not that the government does anything major to celebrate it. No wonder we are not a patriotic people. Sigh! Everyone just looks at it as another day off of work or school. Yippeee! I mean, that's all it is really.

Anyhoo, we just stayed home today. And played with the Wii for HOURS. Yes, even me. I'm starting to get the hang of Mario Party 8 or something like that. Hehehehe. The kids look at me with amazement when I win some minigame or duel. Love to get looks like that. And yes, I still scream my head off when I'm about to lose to one of them or if my little character gets kicked off or punched out of some game ring. Hahahahaha!

Ok, more scraps, just because I want to, hehehe.

The first 2 are layouts for the Amazing Digi Scrapping Race that I joined with Katie the Scrapbook Lady as my partner. She is awesome, especially in the area of journaling! She did the journaling for the first layout below while I did the layout :) Teamwork, eh?

FRIENDSHIP ACROSS THE MILES
ASDR LO#2 by the SAAVY SCRAPPERS (Katie the Scrapbook Lady and myself!)

Journaling reads: Only in today's internet connected world could two scrapbookers from opposite sides of the world forge such a friendship. We live in completely different hemispheres separated by many miles and lines of longitude and latitude. Our time zones are even 10 hours apart but we manage to have conversations via email and message boards. We read each other's blogs. We have found that we have a lot in common despite our different backgrounds and countries of origin. What a wonderful world we live in today that we can find friendship from all over the globe!

Credits: blue paper - Flag Background by Katie the Scrapbook Lady at The Digi Shoppe; grid paper - by Christina Renee; paper teaers - by Traci Sims; postcards - by Carol Baumann; flowers - Flower Frenzy by Gina Marie Huff at Weeds and Wildflowers; postage alpha - by Eve Recinella at SSD; torn and curled shapes - by Jen Caputo; flag buttons - by Katie the Scrapbook Lady at The Digi Shoppe; arrow doodles - by Gina Marie Huff; globe - downloaded from Wikipedia; fonts - Adler, Arial Narrow; avatars - by blessthischick


3 WISHES FOR YOU
Layout for the ADSR Challenge 3.

A tongue-in-cheek list of wishes for Raine on her 1st birthday, based on these photos Smile

Journaling reads:
3 Wishes for you on your birthday:
1. Always be generous and give of yourself
2. Be a good, well-mannered girl
3. Learn to enjoy girly, frilly dresses

Credits: kit - Happily Ever After by Kathryn Balint at kbandfriends; fonts - Arial Narrow, and DJB Angela & DJB WendyP Script by Darcy Baldwin at The Digi Chick; layered sketch - by Trace Drane


SWIMMING LESSONS
Ranger during his first ever formal lessons in the pool. Look at that poor little face crying his heart out. Awwwww.....hehehe.

Journaling reads: You had your first swimming lessons this summer at Ayala Heights. For the
first half hour, you kept crying and calling me. It took all I had to not go near you just so you would start treading water and listen to Coaches Archie and Rod. Soon, you were laughing while Coach dunked you in the water!!!

Credits: kit - Colors of Spring by Claudia Sollinger at Scrappin Freestyle; bubbles - Bubbly Suds by Gina Miller; white alpha - Dustbunnies Alpha by Darcy Baldwin at The Digi Chick; sticker alpha - Stickybet Alpha by Darcy Baldwin at The Digi CHick; convex bend - by Jen Caputo; fonts - Times New Roman, DJB Angela by Darcy Baldwin at The Digi Chick; layered sketch - Smartstarts Coll 4 by Darcy Baldwin at The Digi Chick


Off to play with the kids some more!

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Bummer Basketball, Blah and a Blurb

For the second week in a row, we girls (Zhar, Lai and myself) trooped to the Xavier gym to cheer on the VWL Vultures. It was a must-win situation to be in contention for first place; otherwise, the boys go home with second place. For the 3rd year in a row.

It was a pretty exciting game, especially the part where we were screaming our heads off, "Defense!" For the most part, our cheering was DEFINITELY noticed. I mean really! We were the ONLY loud ones there. If we hadn't started cheering, NO ONE else was going to start yelling. Sheesh! It made for exciting moments, hehehe.

But all to no avail. The boys were within 2 points when everything went to heck. They were too tired, since they practically had no substitutes on hand. Sigh. Sayang! Oh well. Maybe next year :)

I guess they should try getting some younger guys; nothing against the older guys, but really, they needed some speed on that team and not necessarily guys who looked like they needed to use provillus, hehehe.

{BLAH}

The blues? Weeeeellll....just feeling a bit blah lately. Maybe I'm PMSing...I hate that time of the month, you know? I go hot and cold within a short period of time. And no, it's NOT hot flashes either! I'm too young for that, hehehe! Maybe I'm perimenopausal (I read that somewhere). Maybe. But have a feeling I'm going to be nearing that time already. Just feeling bleck, and my back is starting to ache. Sigh!

{BLURB for Today}

Go check out my post a couple of days earlier. Where we talked about F.A.T. I guess it goes without saying that if one has fat, one has those ghastly cottage cheese type of growth on, in and within, our legs. This, my friends, is called cellulite. Ugh.

I've been trying to get rid of mine since I was what, 12?!?! I've always had cellulite on my arms, legs and stomach, the latter made worse due to childbirth! And the search for the perfect cellulite cream to completely eradicate these horrific bumps goes on and on and on. And on and on and on.

Want to be able to compare products before actually buying them first? Then check out this site to get the real deal on whether certain products work or not. What works and what doesn't. Where real people actually write reviews about the products. I guess I need to sift through this site to be able to find something for weight loss, trimming, dieting stuff, and (eek!) exercise gear maybe? I guess there's no denying that I MUST exercise somehow eh?

{CATCH UP SCRAPS}

More of these! I've got at least a couple of pages of layouts over at DST to wade through before I'm actually caught up! Here are a couple of pages that I scrapped for a potential album about our Walking Tour with Carlos Celdran a couple of months back:

KUCHERO
A "kuchero" is a person who drives a horse-drawn carriage.

Journaling reads: We spent an enjoyable 20-minute ride with Many Rey aboard his kalesa, pulled by Romeo his horse. Mang Rey told us that he started off working for one guy until he was able to save enough to buy his own kalesa and horse. He now has 8 kalesas and horses. Despite his success, he still enjoys driving people around the Walled City and sharing what he knows of the city’s history. Mang Rey is a typical hardworking Pinoy who has put all his children through school. He says he is grateful that the government has given people like him a chance to make money and to do well in business.

Credits: kit - Celebrating Liberty by Rina Kroes at 3Scrapateers; font - DJB Mandy by Darcy Baldwin at Blue Flombingo; convex bend action - by Jen Caputo; layered sketch - Getting Playful by Janet Phillips


AMAZING LIVING MUSEUM
My LO for the ADSR Challenge 1.

A potential cover for my Walking Tour album.

Journaling reads: Intramuros, the Walled City.....a museum in its own right. A LIVING museum of Philippine history. Built in the Spanish era circa 1500s, “intra muros” literaly means “within the walls”.The fortress and the city within was severely damaged by the Japanese during WWII. Today the city showcases different museums, monuments and churches that re-tell Philippine past.

Credits: by Karah Fredricks at Blue Flombingo: kit - American Sweethearts; star buttons - Bountiful Buttons; graph alpha - Hoopdee by Lauren Reid; sticker alpha (recolored) - Chalked Full of Fun by Lisa Whitney; font - DJB Angela by Darcy Baldwin at The Digi Chick; layered sketch - by Gina Miller


I am excited about this album! Ever since I got my first Shutterfly book, I am sold on them! So now I want to start making pages for yet another album! Exciting!!!

TTFN!

Saturday, August 25, 2007

New Word Learned

Going through the different SSD challenges to earn Sweet Rewards Points, I learned a new word: MEME (pronounced meem).

Here are different meanings for Meme:
A contagious information pattern that replicates by parasitically infecting human minds and altering their behavior, causing them to propagate the pattern. Individual slogans, catch-phrases, melodies, icons, inventions, and fashions are typical memes. An idea or information pattern is not a meme until it causes someone to replicate it, to repeat it to someone else. All transmitted knowledge is memetic.

Examples of memes are tunes, ideas, catch-phrases, clothes fashions, ways of making pots or of building arches. Just as genes propagate themselves in the gene pool by leading from body to body via sperm or eggs, so memes propagate themselves in the meme pool by leaping from brain to brain via a process which, in the broad sense, can be called imitation.

A meme survives in the world because people pass it on to other people, either vertically to the next generation, or horizontally to our fellows.
Ok, for my points, I need to answer this meme:

Five in a Row

1. Name one thing you do everyday. Surf the internet.

2. Name two things you wish you could learn.
Learn how to sing, hehehe.
Learn how to play the violin.

3. Name three things that remind you of your childhood.
Barbie Dolls

Hello Kitty, Little Twin Stars and the whole Sanrio gang
Horseback riding and bicycling in the city of Baguio

4. Name four things you love to eat but rarely do.
Turkey
Peanut Butter Ice Cream
Reese's chocolate peanut butter cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory
Homemade hot chocolate

5. Name five things that make you feel good.
Reading
Scrapping
Kisses and Hugs for no reason at all from my kids
Cuddling under the comforter when it's cold outside

There you have it! With this, I should have enough points to get me the coveted 40% off coupon for some Sweet Shoppe Treats!!! Can't wait!! Whoohoo!!!

{SCRAPS}

Okay, I need to break this text-full posts I've been having....

AMERICAN KIDS
Did this page in honor of Independence Day in the States.

Credits: kit - Starburst by Laura Deceatis at SSD; tags - by Amy Wolff; star template - Fillament by Katie the Scrapbook Lady; painted star doodle - by Lisa Whitney; font - You Are Loved

COUNTING ON YOU
Journaling reads: To my girls: Here is a fervent wish that we will always have a special bond between us --- mother and daughters, sisters, FRIENDS. May this bond never be broken, even when you have your own husband, your own family. My dream? That WE have the same relationsips, the same CLOSENESS that you see and experience with our family now. I am counting on the both of you to keep our family close, together...forever. No matter what it takes. I love you girls!

Credits: kit - Hope Springs Eternal by Rina Kroes at SBE; font - DJB GinaE by Darcy Baldwin at Blue Flombingo; layered sketch - Trying Something New by Janet Phillips


If you faithful blog readers of mine would like to see any of my layouts on my blog up close AND leave a comment or two or three, hehehe, just click on the layout themselves! Thanks much!


F.A.T.

Sigh! Gotta face the music somehow. Yes, I am SO overweight, it's not even effing funny! Ugh! Some part of me wishes that I'd get LBM (the runs) yet again just so I'd lose weight, even if it is just water weight. Boydee lost 10 pounds just like that after about 5 days of the (major) runs. And he looked so much thinner this morning! When I had LBM, I lost a mere 5 pounds and didn't even lose an INCH!!! Aargh! The injustice of it all! Hehehe. SO the drama queen, but you know what I mean.

All this talk of losing weight in a major way --- we're going to have TWO weddings next year!!! --- makes me seriously consider lipo again. Not just ordinary lipo, but beverly hills liposuction. I figure, these are the people who made lipo "hollywood friendly" so to speak, so they should know the business pretty well, eh? Sigh (again). I do WISH I'd hit the lottery ---any lottery, for that matter--- just so I can do anything and everything to get some sort of body shape again, hehehe.

Another thing for my Christmas wish list? A beverly hills tummy tuck! After 4 kids, of COURSE I want abdominoplasty done one moi! I need that body contour and loss of excess body fat and skin that the procedure guarantees. All this weight I'm dragging around is not good for my back, obviously, and I AM trying by way of yoga and (some) diet, but trying to lose weight is SOOOO hard when you get older! Add that to the fact that I now live a pretty sedentary lifestyle, and there's not that much hope, is there?

The only thing I can think of for something FAST is to have los angeles cosmetic surgery. Fast and easy; all I do is lie down on a table right? I'm sure I'll be hurting afterwards, but then I'd have a SHAPE :) And that's all I want right now!

Friday, August 24, 2007

My Celebrity Look Alikes!

You have GOT to try this out! Too much fun!

Here are MY celebrity lookalikes (who would have known, eh? *wink*)



And just for the heck of it, here's Japa's:



Have fun with this!

Thursday, August 23, 2007

We're Moving? We're Moving!

States that is. From California to Nevada. Randy, Stella, Tita B and Roc have been renovating and packing like crazy the past couple of weeks, and apparently, our counter offer for some house near Vegas has been accepted (with some of our clauses, probably because of the plunge in the markets the past week). So, moving will be imminent.

Good thing I had packed our stuff (in Polaris) before we left. I had 2 huge boxes all filled up, and the rest we had either shipped to Manila or thrown away. I know Randy and company are looking at various Home Improvement Guides for tips on renovating what they can without breaking the bank. Wallpaper stripping, wall painting, grouting, even changing the faucets. He's done those, and lived to tell about it! Hehehehe. Good for him! At least all his efforts won't go to waste; it's slowly changing the look of Polaris from an "old, timeless" look to a more modern, more at-home and lived-in kind of place. Changes which will sure fetch a better price overall for Polaris.

Not sure if they've already thought about it, but I guess we have to start thinking of how to move the cars. Maybe we should contact a company that deals with auto shipping just so the whole move will go much more smoothly and we don't have to worry about a thing. I'm thinking a company that takes care of all the details for physically moving our vehicles would be safer (although much less fun!) than a convoy from LA to Vegas, hehehe.

Next problem we have to think of? How to furnish our new home-to-be. I'm assuming that Mom and Dad will be doing the same thing we did with Polaris: use international movers to ship our Philippine-made furniture (read that as wooden, carved and painted GOLD furniture! hehehe) from here to the States. Obviously, we're all crossing our fingers that Mom and Dad won't even think of international shipping, but just buying furniture from the local Ikea or something similar! :)

But until we close (or is it open?) escrow on the new house, all we can do is keep planning!

{More Catch-Up Scraps}
MY PRETTY GIRLS
My Pretty Girls:

*pretty*fair*gorgeous*
*lovely*beautiful*stunning*
*enchanting*attractive*
*cute*glamorous*sweet*
*winsome*splendid*

Credits:
Idea taken from Katie the Scrapbook Lady's January Amazing Month of Memories: January 24-Compliment Day; kit - Garden Delights by Lynnie Smith at Divine Digital; button cluster - Take the Buttons by Nina Scraps at Oscraps and ndisb; folded corner - Easy Peasy by Karah Fredricks at Blue Flombingo; font - DJB Mandy by Darcy Baldwin at Blue Flombingo

YEAR-END PROGRAM (RAEGAN)
Raegan enjoying herself immensely during her school's year-end program.

Credits: kit - Curtain Call by Silvia Romeo at Divine Digital; vintage frames - by Nancy Comelab; font - Impervious; layered template - by Gina Miller



Wednesday, August 22, 2007

I Can Drive Again!!!

Oh yeah, oh yeah!!! *doing some crazy dance here* Hehehe. I now have in my possession my Philippine Driver's License!!! Whoohoohoo!!! I WAS using my license from the States ever since I got it, but for some irritating social security law, I couldn't get it renewed this month! Grrrr!!! Total hassle, I swear! Maybe when I go again in the next few months, I'll find some kind DMV person who will let me renew.

Anyhoo, I immersed myself in the whole Philippine government red tape bureaucracy today. And.....it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be! Hehehe. Yes, it was effing HOT (because it was going to rain, as it turned out), but I managed to find someone to actually HELP me after being sent to only 3 different windows.

And after less than 2 hours, a visit to this rinky dink hellish hole for the mandatory drug test and eye exam, and going to several DIFFERENT windows for the forms, the cashier, and the picture taking place, I was DONE!!!

So I can drive again. Watch out! Hehehehe.

{Some More Catch Up Scraps)

Here are some layouts for my Intramuros (still in the works!) album, from our walking tour last Independence Day:
MANILA CATHEDRAL
Journaling taken from the official website of the Cathedral: The story of the Manila Cathedral is not only a story of the Church, it is also a story of Intramuros, a story of Manila, a story of the Philippines. The Manila Cathedral is a time narrative; it is about ruins and ravages, rising and restorations. Its rich history is a reference to the trials and timelines of Intramuros, the Walled City. The Manila Cathedral: the homepage and centerfold of Philippine history.

Credits: kit - Celebrate Liberty by Rina Kroes at 3Scrapateers; flag button - by Katie the Scrapbook Lady at The Digi Shoppe; fonts - Adler, DJB Mandy by Darcy Baldwin at Blue Flombingo; layered sketch - by Tracy Blankenship



KALESA RIDE
We hopped on a kalesa (horse-drawn carriage) on our walking tour of Intramuros.

Credits: kit - Frolic by Betsy Tuma at MDM and PDW; alpha, ribbons, glitter burst - Starburst by Laura Deceatis at SSD; font - Adler; layered template - by J Billingsley


DETAILS OF INTRAMUROS
Journaling reads: The Walled City holds many interesting details. There are the doors of the Manila Cathedral which depict the earthquakes and fires that ravaged the City; the cobblestoned roads; and Chinese graveyard markers which commanded a high price in the olden days because the markers were stone and not adobe.

Credits: kit - Teen Extreme Boy by Amy Wolff; vintage frame - by Katie Pertiet; fonts - Rusted Plastic, DJB KeelyB by Darcy Baldwin at Blue Flombingo; layered template - by Janet Phillips


Ok, gotta go. I need to get dressed for the 40th day of Tita San's passing. We're all congregating at the Shrine.

TTFN!

Home Repairs

As of today, the kids' rooms have all been laid out with maple flooring. Only the masters' room to go. I think it should almost be done since when I left last week, the guys were grouting (?) the space between the floor boards. Then "just" sanding to go. They use a sander, but I know it gets REALLY dusty, so none of us can move into the other rooms just yet.

Can't wait to see what the whole upper floor will look like without any carpet but real flooring this time! Whoohoo!!!

Next on the list? I'm having some cabinets taken out. Like ALL the TV cabinets. I don't want the built-in ones that mom and dad had had made 20 years or so ago. Hehehehe. We need to modernize a bit (finally!).

My personal project will probably be to paint the kids' closets in their bathrooms. Heck, even the walls in their rooms! The plan? To strip the wallpaper and have fun painting their walls! Off course, still just a plan now, but it's formulating in my mind for sure!

First things first, to make sure that we have an air compressor available. I refuse to paint the walls by hand. In the States it was ok doing it, but the rooms here are just soooo much bigger, man! Hehehe. Besides, not only would the walls looks more professionally done, but having an air compressor sure would make the work go by so much faster, eh? So. Either borrow an air compressor from someone....or hire someone to do the job who has one. Hmmm...........somehow that latter option sounds SOOOO much better, hehehehe!


Tuesday, August 21, 2007

My New Toy!!!

Voila!!!

My new iMac!!! Yes, yes, I converted. But no shame! Hehehe. As soon as I was able to figure out some crucial Photoshop maneuvers on the Mac, there was no turning back! Yes, awesome specs, except for the fact that there was NO 2GB RAM available....so I'm making do with a measly 1 GB of RAM for now. Until the 2GB arrives, so then I can have at least 3 GB!!! Then it'll be time to start saving for an extra gig to max out this new baby at 4GB! Hehehehe. All for the sake of my scrapping eh?

So thank you to Japa for getting me this new toy!!! Whoohooohoo!

I'm still typing on my laptop for now..I need to get started on transferring all my files to the iMac AND setting up my scrapbooking site bookmarks. Those are crucial, too, you know! *wink*

Speaking of scrapping, I've been super duper busy trying to catch up on my CT requirements since I wasn't able to scrap much during the past month.

{Some Inauguration Scraps}
PINK AND LACE
Mom and me all dressed in pink.

Credits: kit - Beauty by Tina Williams; font - Impervious

SHOWER OF ROSES
Some pics of the shower of roses during the Inauguration of the Shrine of St. Therese. Her quote reads, "I will let fall a shower of roses."

Credits: kit - Grammy's Place by Jolene Shaffer at Divine Digital; font - DJB Annette Script by Darcy Baldwin at Blue Flombingo; layered sketch - by Brenda Kempf

TTFN!

It's Almost Christmas!

Yes..and that means.....time for shopping! I just saw this thread on either DST or MSA that asked if we had started Christmas shopping yet. Of course I have! Hehehehe. I did a lot of that when Japa and I were in the States last month.

So now I have to get my Christmas list out and actually start crossing out names! Then I start the process all over again for those whose names are still on the list. Luckily, I found this site, called mpire. It has pretty much ALL my fave stores listed on there. And I just go to ONE site! How cool is that? Am bookmarking this one so I can hit it on Thanksgiving Day weekend....by then I should be done with my shopping right? *wink*

The great thing about mpire (aside from the fact that it has links to most of my fave shops) is that it's also got a link to some great coupon deals!!! You all know how I love shopping with great deals on hand, hehehe! Hard to resist! One of the things I'm definitely going to be looking for deals for are the Wii video games for the kids. I'll be watching this link for sure to see if good deals turn up so I can snag those babies before they disappear!

Thursday, August 16, 2007

LOTD!!!!

For you non-scrappers, that means Layout Of The Day!!! Whoohoohoo!!! And I got LOTD over at Scrappin Digi Kreations, a great cozy and fun-filled site.

With what layout? This one:
THE RING
Zhar, showing off her engagement ring :)

Credits: kit - Summer Porch by Kim Smith at Scrappin Digi Kreations; photo border - by Terry Maruca; stitched button - Saturday Market by Dani Mogstad; font - SandraOh; layered sketch, stitches - by Janet Phillips

Cool, huh? Hehehe. That pic was taken by Rodney and I didn't have to crop anything. Good thing my brothers and sisters love taking pictures...I always have an array of pics to choose from. It's just a matter of borrowing their memory cards, hehehe.

Saturday, August 11, 2007

I WON!!!

Whoohoohoo!!! $15 to Shabby Princess from awesome ladies Jan Crowley and Meredith Fenwick of Songbird Avenue!!! Click on that link and it'll show you that I'm the official winner of their blog contest: I wrote about their latest collab with Robin Carlton of SSD, Dreamsicle, in this blog post here.

So thank you, thank you, Jan and Meredith!!! And of course to the equally fab Shabby Princess!

I am SO beyond excited, you guys!!!!!! :)

Monday, August 06, 2007

I'm 38!!!

Happy Birthday to me,
Happy Birthday to me!
Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday,
Happy Birthday to ME!!!

I'm 38! Yikes! Definitely off the calendar numbers, but still on the thermometer, eh? *wink* Hehehe. Hanging on for sure, before "middle age" hits me. But hey, age really doesn't matter; what matters is what you feel INSIDE of you, right? Right! And for now, I feel.....uhhmmmm......18? Hahahahaha!

I was pretty spoiled today. Japa and I woke early and he reminded me about going to mass to thank God for my life. Yes, my husband reminded me! Since we had time to spare, he even cooked me a breakfast omelet and made me some coffee!

Then it was off to church, at Incarnation. Today the church celebrates the Transfiguration of Jesus.

Then we went home and spent a quiet morning on the computer and watching some TV. I then shouted upstairs to wake up Randy and Stella so we could go get lunch. We were all anticipating the Souplantation for lunch; but when we got there, the dang place was closed!!!

We found out that they had voluntarily closed shop. Apparently, they had failed a food or restaurant inspection and they were not leaving anything to chance until they got that rating back up again. But still! It was my birthday and they were closed!!! Waaaaah!

So, after wracking our brains for other places to eat, we all settled for Fuddrucker's. And drove all the way to Burbank since the Fuddrucker's at Michillinda was closed! Sheesh! All this driving for a simple lunch! Hehehehe.

I had my usual Chicken Caesar Salad, Japa had a buffalo burger, Stella had a regular burger...and Randy had a ginormous ONE POUND hamburger! Oh man, this thing was HUGE!!! And yes, he did finish it! Hehehehe.

After lunch, Randy and Stella dropped us off at Barnes and Noble while they went to Lowe's to buy some supplies for the renovation of the powder room. I bought some books, including a text for Dreamweaver CS3. That may be reading material on the way home (ugh!) so I can refresh my memory before tackling the job of getting the website set up. Sisterhood dears, if you're reading this, get ready with your plans for the website!!

Then it was back home where I did some more packing; seems like a never-ending thing doesn't it? And after surfing the internet for a few hours, it was time for dinner. No question about it, we were going to have MEXICAN, my all-time fave food! So off we trooped to Acapulco where I had a huge chicken burrito and not one, but TWO strawberry margaritas! Whoohoohoo! Lip-smackin' good, those 'ritas! Yummmm!!!! Val and Ram joined us, but only for drinks, since they had had an early dinner.

{Boydee is 37!!!}

Yup! Happy birthday, brother dear! And for you faithful blog readers who don't know, Boydee and I have the same birthday. Yeah, kind of like twins. Only thing is, I tell people he's my bulok twin! Hahahahaha. Hmmmm.....not sure what bulok means in English; could be rotten, grossly stale....something that happens when you've been in storage for a year. Bwahahahaha! I love you, Boyds! :)

What an awesome day! Sure, I missed the kids, but we'll celebrate when I get home :)

TTFN!

My Next Digital Scrapbooking Purchase....

...will be this:
It's called Dreamsicle and is available at the awesome Songbird Avenue. I have all the kits that have been sold there.....and all for a good cause. Dreamsicle's beneficiary will be the Make A Wish Foundation.

Have I scrapped with all of them? Hehehe. Not yet. But getting close. These kits are what I'm using to do a lot of my pages for The Sisterhood Challenge.

Dreamsicle is a collab between Jan Crowley, Meredith Fenwick, Janet Phillips and their guest designer Robin Carlton. All wonderful designers, and Janet's templates are some of the best there are out in digiland!

So before this day is done, I'm off to Songbird Avenue and getting my hands on that cute kit.

Ok. Lunchtime. :) TTFN!

Saturday, August 04, 2007

Goodbye, East Coast!

Time to leave the East Coast and say goodbye to our trip to History. :( Sadness. We had a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed going through ---and living---American History, one of my favorite subjects in High School. It was wonderful, the way this country preserves its past, and how they celebrate it, every single day.

We brought Stella and Lola to the airport, bright and early. And no, there were no delayed or missed flights for the both of them.

That inconvenience was reserved for Japa and me. Sigh! What a loooooooong day.....at the airports, hehehe!

Backtrack a few hours.....after we had brought Lola and Stella to the airport, we went back to the hotel to finish packing. That done, we WERE going to go back to Hershey World, but Japa decided he wanted to watch a movie instead. Ok fine.

Off we went to the nearby Cocoaplex (cute name, huh, to be near the city of Hershey? *wink*) to see the Bourne Ultimatum. Man! I was TENSE throughout the entire movie! Matt Damon is a much much better version AND actor than Steven Seagal. I was on the edge of my seat for most of the movie, breathing only just before the credits rolled up. Two thumbs up for this one!

After the movie, we had enough time to go to the airport, return the Hummer (bye Baby! Hehehe) and check in. We were scheduled to leave at 640 pm.

At precisely 640 pm, it was announced that due to mechanical errors, our flight was going to be delayed. The new departure time was 840 pm. For those with connecting flights (that was us), we were asked to line up to get our new itineraries.

As it turned out, we had to stay in Atlanta, GA overnight, and get the first flight out the next morning. Fine. Overnight in Atlanta, in a hotel, and get on the 7 am flight. On First Class. Sounded good.

Too good to be true, I guess. We ended up leaving at 10 pm. We get to Atlanta and they have NO rooms to give us. NONE!!! Aaargh! The Delta people were saying that there was a convention in town and that they even tried a place called Ho Joe's. Um.....OKAY. I think I'll take my chances at the Atlanta airport, thank you very much! :)

The huge hassle was that we had to claim our luggage at Atlanta....and we could only check in at 4 am at the earliest!!! Sheesh! We got our meal vouchers and chowed down on Wendy's burgers and fries. We lingered as much as we could to pass away the time. I took my jacket from the suitcase because it was FREEZING in that airport!!!

Japa took out a small bottle of shampoo and his razor and went to find a restroom. He came back after a few minutes looking nice and fresh. Hehehe. He had shampooed his hair and shaved what little stubble he had. A major way to pass the time, eh? Hehehe.

Finally at 4 am, we line up and check all our bags in. We could THEN go to the gates. We grab some Starbucks coffee and some Chick-Fill-A nuggets for Japa with our meal vouchers. Then we sat down and waited.

By this time, I was half expecting that the flight was going to be delayed. Again. So I settle down and was able to take a nap! Thankfully, the flight left at 730 am AND we had scored some great First Class seats!!! Whoohoohoo! Redemption! Hehehehe.

The great thing about flying Delta First Class? Our cabin steward was just AWESOME! He was this kindly-looking, dapper, elder gentleman and he was the epitome of professional elegance. Mouthful, huh? But it's the best way I can describe this guy. He was friendly, courteous, greeted all of us with a handshake. And he always had a wonderful smile on his face. No, he wasn't high! He was just a really really nice guy!

{Back in LA}

We get to Los Angeles in style. Remember, we were in First Class. Japa and I slept for most of the way, waking up to get a drink of water and a cookie. Then we'd promptly go back to sleep.

Randy picks us up, and I stand by the BMW as he goes in to help Japa with the bags. As I stood there folding my jacket, airport security comes and the lady tells me that I have to get back in the car and drive off, there was no parking out in front. Ok, I tell her.

I get in the car and can't find the key. I finally figure out this small rectangle thing COULD be the key and look for a place where I can insert it. I do and press this button that said START/STOP. Oooookkkkkaaaaayyyyy. Nothing happens. In the meantime, security lady was looking at me like I was an imbecile who didn't know how to drive! Hehehe.

I get up and tell her that I couldn't figure out how to start the damn car and I had to get my brother to drive it. She comes over and peers over my shoulder and says that she'd love to help me but had no idea how to do it either! She tells me she'd stand guard while I run in and go get Randy. With one eye on her, I go into the terminal and yell for Randy. He comes out and drives off...but not without showing me how to do it.

You have to step on the brake BEFORE pressing that dang start/stop button! Sheesh!!!

Ok, I need some sleep!

TTFN!