It's Mother's Day!

This is me holding my Mother's Day gift:


Yup, an iPhone! Whoohooo!

I think I was making Japa edgy because I didn't rip apart the package first thing in the morning. Well, we woke up at 850 am and we decided to catch the 930 mass. Yeah. Hahahaha! But we made it in TIME! Whoohooo! Anyway, the packaging of my gift was pretty great! Totally creative, especially for Japa if you ask me. The pics are still in the camera; but I'll be scrapping those sometime soon, hehehehe.

After mass, I had my Mother's Day breakfast at Starbucks with the kiddos (sans Ranger) and Papa. It was relaxing and fun, with the kids eager to tell stories of what's been going on in their lives. Yes, we see them everyday, but for the past several days, they've been sleeping over at Apitong. Peace and quiet at home, but God only knows what a madhouse it probably is over at Lai's house! Bwahahaha!

After mass we headed over to Ayala where the kids spent a good part of the afternoon just cuddling the new puppies:




And here's the biggest "kid" of them all, playing with the puppies' mom:


Dinner was at some Japanese restaurant where we ate 'til we were stuffed!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all the moms out there!

Girls' Time and Boys' Time

After having breakfast at McDonald's, we went our separate ways:

{GIRLS' TIME}

We went to Mongkok so that the girls could see what Hong Kong shopping was like. That it wasn't all department stores and fixed prices. Of course, the first store we went to, Bossini, was where the girls had fun shopping, hehehehe. They picked out shirts and jackets and were happy.

Mongkok showed them the stalls and stalls lined up on the streets. And the bargaining! Coach Jana taught them that they could chop off as much as 60% off the asking price of the vendors! Even *I* was surprised that we could go that low; I guess I was so used to shopping with Mom, who'd go only so low with her bargaining skills :) Apparently, prices were dropping because most of the goods were coming from China.

After shopping for a few more things, we passed by Park N Shop to get lunch. At 3 pm. Hehehehe. Yup, the girls got a chance to "live" the life of a Hong Kong shopper: going without lunch because there were still so many stalls to go to. :)

After a lovely lunch of char siu pork and roasted duck and rice that left us fully satisfied, we rested a bit before hitting the pool. Yeah right. It was *still* freezing water in the darn pool, despite the warmer temperatures outside! Sheesh! The ONLY reason why I ventured into the water was because the girls were playing with their new camera that could take UNDERWATER shots! Look how COOL this is:


All I did here was to hit Auto Levels in Photoshop and our skin tones were highlighted a bit. Otherwise, the pic was clear as day! Is that cool or what!

After the cold pool, the steam room was a WELCOME treat! We stayed in the steam room for probably close to an hour. Japa said that he heard us all the way to the gym, we were laughing and chatting up a storm! Hahahaha!

{BOYS' TIME}

When we left McDonald's, the boys went back to the hotel. And Rogan literally pooped up a storm. Our toilet overflowed and Japa had to call Housekeeping in a major way! Hehehehe. Ugh. Thank goodness us girls weren't there to witness the grossness of it all! Ewww.

The boys took a short dip in the cold pool as well; they couldn't stay that long since Ranger's lips were turning purple. They also had a much-needed stay in the steam room, long enough for Ranger's body to heat up.

{DINNER}

We found out that there was a Toys R Us by the Tsuen Wan station. So we walked aaaaaaalllll the way there. It took us about 15 minutes of straight walking and by the time we got to the Discovery Park Mall, we were hungry! After a short stop at the toy store that didn't yield a Star Wars Lego set, we proceeded to the food court.

And oh my goodness, was it totally authentically CHINESE! Everything was in Chinese, with the exception of McDonald's and KFC! After settling the kids onto tables and chairs, we bravely lined up for our food. Thank goodness the cashier could understand what we wanted. Sort of. Hehehehe. Obviously, we stuck to the "safe" staples of pork char siu, roasted duck and chicken. Everything with rice, of course.

And were we FULL by the time we were done! I regret not taking a pic of our food though, since everyone dug in when the food was set on the table. We were that famished! :)

{SCRAPS}

After dinner, I hurried everyone home because I needed to do 2-weeks' worth of layouts to qualify for the incentive over at Weeds and Wildflowers Designs. And I made the deadline, barely!





TTFN! I still need to pack! We're finally going home tomorrow!

I'm A Swimming Momma

A swimming mom. One who follows her kids to the pool and back.

And that's what I pretty much did today. I didn't want the kids to be too tired from too much walking this close to the competition, so I got breakfast for them and coach at the nearby McDonald's. Besides, the kiddos were tired from yesterday, what with having to wake up so early and the flight.

After a leisurely morning, the kids' stomachs decided that they were ready for lunch. So off we went outside to walk in search of food. We vainly tried to look for this hole in the wall place that we ate at last year, with Lai and Reese, but couldn't find it. The kids were complaining that they were hungry and by this time, we had been walking for a good 15 minutes or so.

Fine. The kids pretty much bullied me into going back to the hotel where KFC was. Yup. That KFC. Hehehehe. Where we had dinner last night. Oh well. I guess athletes would rather eat something they know for sure than risk some new food that could ruin their tummies.

Mid-afternoon, the kids got ready for swimming. I wised up since last year when I had all their stuff in ONE bag that *I carried most of the way from the hotel to the pool. This year, each kid had his/her own backpack and packed their OWN things. If they forgot something, well too bad. Mama wasn't about to go on a 10-minute trek back to the hotel for that forgotten item.

I know, so un-swimming-momma like, but hey, I'm teaching responsibility, right? Hehehehe.

So we walk to the Shing Mun Valley Swimming Pool, a few minutes' walk from the hotel via long footbridges. Made it easier, not having to walk on the sidewalks as cars whizzed past the kids. Every mom's nightmare, I'm sure.

And as the kids trained for the better part of an hour or an hour and a half, this swimming momma took our her current copy of Newsweek and tried to catch up on world issues. :) Ahhhh.....the Swimming Momma life :)

For dinner, we waited for Papa and Ranger to arrive. We went across the street for dinner at this restaurant where they served HUGE bowls of noodles and soup! Rogan of course went the safe way and ordered some chicken in creamy sauce and rice.

Our entrees came with a drink, but since most were teas, the kids wisely declined. So Japa and I split the drinks and mine were all juice-based:


From the left, that's kumquat tea, almond with lychee tea, and peach tea. All oh-so-yummy and refreshing! :)

Pulling Suitcases

What a day. It started at 4 am, when we got up to get ready for our 8 am flight. We met Coach Jana at the airport and lined up for what seemed like hours just to get through immigration! Sheesh! I have NO idea what the hold up was, but that line was looooong!

We got through and I must admit I sort of dumped Rogan and Raine on Coach; I was so hungry I couldn't wait to get inside the lounge where I could eat! I left some money with the kids so that they could have some juice with their sausage and rice, and so that Coach could get some breakfast as well. Raegan and I went to the lounge; it was her turn this trip since on the last trip through NAIA, Raine was the lucky person to go with me to the lounge.

I hurriedly ate some arroz caldo so that we could sit with the kids and Coach before we were called to board. Told you I felt guilty! But hey, at least I was full, hehehe. We boarded the plane and although we had bulkhead seats, we were waaaaaay over at the back of the plane. Not good if you have a daughter like Raine who has a tendency to barf due to motion sickness. Uh huh.

How far back you ask? If the plane was up to row 115, maybe less, we were at 85. So of COURSE I had Raine drink her Bonamine to prevent her from feeling dizzy! Luckily, she was able to control herself and didn't even feel dizzy. And this was at the BACK of the plane! I was so proud of her! hehehehe.

We landed, got our bags and went on the train to get to our hotel. Luckily, the Airport Express has a promo until May where the kids travel for FREE!!! Yay! Gotta love that word! We went down at Tsing Yi, crossed to the Yellow Line, and after 3 stops, crossed to the Red Line, heading to Tsuen Wan.

We got off at Tai Wo Hau and proceeded to lug our suitcases all over the streets. Yup, the streets. We started to walk from the station to the hotel (a few blocks away). Then we got to the bottom of a footbridge that wound itself all the way up and across the streets. Ooookay. At least there was a RAMP that allowed us to pull our suitcases up the footbridge!!! And thank goodness for the person who invented the 4-wheeler suitcases; although it wasn't exactly a cinch to use up the ramp, it made life sooo much easier! Poor Rogan had to contend with a suitcase while the girls each had a roller. I had the other suitcase and the humongo duffle bag that had all their swimming stuff in it. Sigh!

Our rooms weren't ready so we left everything at the concierge and went to search for lunch. Across the hotel, on the ground floor of a building, was this obscure place with noodles and rice dishes. We were SO there! We remembered this place from last November when we were here for Mantas as well.

And boy, were we all hungry! The act of pulling those suitcases was reason enough, I think! These pics are evidence enough:






And no, the pictures aren't ruined. That's STEAM from the food that you see rising from the dishes!

Day 2: 7th Asean Inter-Club Age Group Swimming Championships

The girls were insistent that we NEEDED to be at the race site early so that we could get the team some seats. The poor team was like a group of squatters, sitting on the floor because there were no assigned seats! Grrr!

So as we speeded to the Woodlands at 640 am, I looked up at the sky and remarked to the girls: "Hey girls! The MOON is STILL out!" Bwahahahahaha! Hmp.

At least we DID get an awesome spot for them, right by the 10 meter-to-go mark. We had ample space to lay out their mats and then surrounded that space with the monoblock chairs. Basically blocking out anyone who wanted to squeeze into their space, hehehehehe. Yes, call us protective. Oh, and Coach Archie did have a bench-throne right in the middle of everything :)

Three events for Raegan today:

First up is the 200m freestyle. She was easily the first in her heat, by a big margin. This event gave Raegan her BEST showing so far, coming in 10th overall, out of 26! Hmmm.....a mid-distance swimmer maybe? Probably too early to tell, but at least she used this particular event to help calm her nerves a bit, for the 100m butterfly.


Second event was the 50m breaststroke. Ahhhh. Raegan came in 2nd here, behind her friend Kate (who's always neck and neck with Raegan in swim meets, hehehe).


Take a look at how CLOSE their times are! Lane 2 and Lane 8. That ONE second difference was the difference between 13th overall and 16th overall, out of a field of 33 breaststrokers in the age group.

Last event of the day was the 100m butterfly. THIS event Raegan was soooo nervous about. I asked her what the problem was last night and she answered that this was the FIRST time she was going to compete in this event. She was confident in her 50m fly, but she knew that the 100m fly would be a test.

And last night, she just could NOT keep still! I finally did some visualization with her, to calm her down. After that session, she opened her eyes and told me she was calmer. A little bit. In the middle of the night, I was wakened by Raegan FLAILING in bed. When I looked at her, she was doing the backstroke on the bed! While sleeping! Hahaahahaha! I guess she really was nervous!


She came in 4th in her heat, which was enough for a 12th place overall out of 20. Not bad, considering it was the first time she swam this event, but she did look pretty slow and her arms so heavy. When she went out of the pool, she looked pretty tired, but relieved that this was over. I told her that at least she now had a good gauge of her abilities for this particular event, and that she should try to compete in it again to see how she would do.

One of her main goals was to beat Franco in this event, which she did, by 0.38 seconds! Heheehhe. Healthy rivalry here, which is good! At least it will push all of them to swim better and swim faster.

Check out this series of pics of Reese:



Hehehe. She didn't want to eat the broccoli that came with their packed lunch. I told her I was going to SCRAP a page about her if only she ate a piece!

Happy 11th Birthday, Raegan!!!

Oh my goodness! My first baby is ELEVEN years old today!!!!! Officially (?) a tween....or has she been a tween for several years now and I was just clueless? Lol. Wouldn't put it past me! :)

A different birthday "celebration" of sorts.....Raegan and I are in Singapore and everyone else in Manila. Well, we did have a "pre-birthday" dinner of sorts before we left, when we ate at Sweet Inspirations, but I guess it's still always best to do something special on your birthday.

So.

We started the day getting up REALLY early. We did have a swim meet to go to, hehehe. Breakfast was a pathetic bowl of noodles. Yeah. The breakfast of champions right there, bwahahahaha! But the birthday girl was pretty content and looked happy with her noodly power breakfast:


Packing up the things she would need for the day, Raegan didn't forget her birthday gift, her new Guitar Hero for the Nintendo DS:


We actually got this yesterday, at a Toys R Us inside a mall on Orchard Road, but I told her she could only open it today, for her birthday. So she was excited to rip into the box and prepare everything for her (long) day today.

The birthday girl had a pretty good day, swim-wise. She improved on all her times, and came in first in 2 heats and 2nd in another. The Singaporeans were just incredibly fast! Raegan was 16th (out of 28th) overall, the top swimmer from the Philippines in the 10 and under category.


Her second event was 100m freestyle, one of her favorites (I think). She came in first in her heat, and placed 15th out of 33. Again, top swimmer from the Philippines in her age category, woot!


Last event for the day was what seems to be Raegan's specialty. At least, that's what it looks like to my untrained eye. The 200m individual medley. I like to think that Raegan's coaches took note of her potential in this event when she placed 4th last year at Mantas. Raegan came in 2nd in her heat (to some Singaporean) and was 14th overall, out of 24 swimmers. There was one other Filipina swimmer, and another from Brunei. The rest were Singaporeans.

Yes, the swim meet pretty much took the whole day, never mind the fact that we left right after Raegan's last event. After a couple of hours rest at the hotel, we were off to dinner. An early dinner, since we all had to be up with the moon, er, sun, tomorrow.

Raegan shopped for a few things, the FIRST time she willingly and enthusiastically shopped for clothes! Lai got her a pair of shorts and a shirt for her birthday, too, which added to Reagan's stash for the day, hehehe.

Here's my baby's "first official shopping spree":


And for dinner? Raegan treated us to an all-time favorite: KFC!!!


hahahahaha! I know, I know, what a place to celebrate! But trust me, we ALL wanted KFC! While I was buying our chicken, Lai went to the nearby Yoshinoya to buy R.I.C.E. Of COURSE we had to have rice with our chicken! Wouldn't be complete without it!

And yes, we were STUFFED by the end of the meal! Not to worry, the kids definitely need it for tomorrow's events. As for us moms, uhm..........it was a GREAT meal! Bwahahaahahha!

Stress in Singapore

What? Stress on only our second day in the city of the Merlion?!? Read on and you'll find out why.

{BUS TRIP}

We asked our lovely "smart" lady at the front desk (who shall be unnamed since I don't want to be the cause of her possibly losing her job) told us that there was only ONE bus that would take us to the Tampines Mall. Yes, we decided to be adventurous today and explore another mall; one with a Toys R Us since I wanted to get the boys their Star Wars Lego.

Anywhoo, this front desk lady explicitly told us to go to the bus stop on the LEFT side of the gate. Okay, check. We were there. We waited for about 15-20 minutes and the bus finally came. Check out Lai's pic above. It does say Tampines, yes? So we all excitedly dropped in our coins for the cheap fare (compared to taking a taxi!). When Lai, who was last in line, dropped her S$1 in the box, the stupid driver asked us where we were going. We told him we wanted to go to the Tampines Mall and he looked at us and said that we were on the wrong bus!

He could NOT have missed the fact that we were all tourists. Yes, we stupidly thought it was the correct bus since we were directed to it, but hey! It's my blog and it's my story! Hahahahaha! Anyway, to cut a long story short, we had to get off sans our fare since the stupid bus driver would not return the coins to us. Hmp! He probably pocketed the damn change!

So we crossed the street and waited for the CORRECT bus. And yes, we asked the driver BEFORE we even boarded and dropped in our precious coins! Finally! On the way to Tampines!
Forty minutes or so later, we were still on the darn bus, chugging through millions of bus stops through a residential area. Yes, the smart front desk lady assured us that it was only going to be ONE stop! Sheesh!

Of course I spent the time in the bus wisely, snapping pics with my handy dandy cellphone! Hehehehe. Much to the consternation of the kids. But they still smiled for the camera!

{TAMPINES MALL}

As it turned out, the mall was the LAST stop of the bus. Sigh! So we got off and followed the crowd. And they led us to the mall. We were all agog at the newness of the mall. Apparently, everything was new: the mall's opening day was TODAY!!! So much people, so many sales, so little time.

We agreed to meet after about an hour, and off we went our separate ways. Ten minutes later, I got a text message: Coach wanted us at the pool at 12 noon instead of 1:45 pm! What?!?!??? LOL. I looked at my watch and it was 11:15 am. Right. Hurriedly, I texted Lai and Matec about the news. And Raegan and I hurried through the mall in search of Toys R Us. Which was nowhere to be found! Ack!

We were in the WRONG mall! Toys R Us was located in the OLD Tampines Mall. We practically ran through the MTR station to get to the mall and buy the boys' Lego before we woud have to meet up with the others. We got to the meeting point a minute or so after everyone had. Is that stressful or what!

{DIVIDE & CONQUER}

This was the strategy that we swimming mommas came up with. It was the most logical. So:

I would take the 3 kids to the pool, passing by the hotel to get their stuff. Reese was the only one who was wearing her swimsuit.

Lai would buy Dic's basketball shoes first.

Matec would buy lunch for all of us, and we would just eat after the kids' practice.

Grabbing everyone's shopping bags, we rushed to the taxi stand and got into a taxi. Thankfully, there was no traffic. As we neared the hotel, I distributed the keys to the kids and told them to dump the shopping bags and grab their swimming stuff as fast as they could. I had barely chit-chatted with the taxi driver when the kids stormed out of the hotel doors with their bags in hand! I swear, it wasn't even a minute when they tumbled out of the cab!

{SINGAPORE SPORTS SCHOOL}

And so we arrived at the race venue. Whoa. It was a huuuge sports complex! I guess the kids here concentrated on their respective sports while studying. There were dorm rooms, gym, a built-in track along the inside of the building! No wasted space for sure!

The rest of the team had just gotten there, too. Barely. They had come from the airport and had only time to check in and leave their bags in the hotel rooms before having to board the bus that would take them to the sports complex. And we thought WE had it bad, hehehehe!

The kids were barely in the water when Lai and Matec arrived with food! Not that we ate when the kids were still swimming; we wouldn't hear the end of that, no sirree!

After close to an hour of swimming, the kids were done. A quick shower and we all trooped to the school cafeteria to see what was for (late) lunch and to eat our lunch. Matec and I ordered their lunch. It was a reasonable S$4 for a ton of food, plus juice and a dessert of orange slices. Good thing we did, too, since Raegan and Franco dug into their duck toppings AND then ours! Yikes! Hungry maybe? Heheheh.

Then it was back to the hotel to REST. Like we had a choice. We had to bring the kids to the south for their powwow with Coach Archie later in the evening.

{NEWTON CIRCUS}

Nope, not a circus with a big top and animals. It's a tourist-y place of food, food and more food. It was 7-ish and we were famished. Wrong thing to be when ordering food in a place like this, especially if you're Elizza!

Some pics of our ginormous meal:

This is Elizza, with mouth watering as she gazes into her black-pepppered crab's (dead) eyes:


This is the uber uber YUMMMMMY fried rice that we had. As in! When we ordered it, we put it down in front of Raegan and Reese as Lai and I searched for more food to order. We had barely ordered our other food and sat down to wait, when we saw that the girls had practically INHALED 3/4 of the fried rice!!! So Lai jumped up and got another big order; take note, this big-sized order was supposed to be good for 4-5 people!!!! Ack!!!


And yes, both of us adults almost finished that one extra order of rice!!!! It doesn't look all that great in the pic, but trust me. It was verrrrrry good! Probably with tons of MSG mixed in, hehehehe.

Here's my oyster omelet which I had to have, just like Lai had to have her crabs:


I know, gross looking, but totally yummy!

Last, but not the least, the carnage of our table after our meal:

Blech!

It was powwow time for the kids and the team while we swimming mommas waited in the lobby for them.

Home to the hotel, chatted with Japa and the other kiddos for a bit, before falling asleep.

Sooooo stressful, yes? :)

Pre-Singapore Preparations

For dinner, we congregated at Sweet Inspirations for mongolian food. It was a pre-birthday celebration of sorts for Raegan, who won't be here for her 11th birthday to celebrate with Papa and her siblings.

After dinner, we stopped by La Vista to say hi and bye, and for a few wishes of "good luck"s to Raegan and Reese.

Then it was time to pack. Yes, it's last minute packing, as usual. Again. No matter how early I try to plan, I end up putting everything into the suitcase at the very last minute. Then staying up late for other last minute stuff. Not sure what, but it's always the case when I travel: staying up til the wee hours in the morning before we leave. Sigh! Our flight's not until 10 am, but we have to leave early because we're leaving from Clark, a good hour and a half away if we're lucky. Oh well. At least we can sleep on the way there.

The Wake Chapel in Use

I spent the entire day at the Site today. The Wake Chapel was used for the first time, with Oel's Dad, Rolando, interred there. The area was a flurry of activity this past weekend, because the Wake Chapel was very clean. Not spotless, but pretty clean. I was surprised, lol! It looked really big and well, CLEAN!

Several couches were arranged, and several sales agents were waiting for Oel and his family to arrive. The coffin arrived at around 1230 pm, and was set up in the place of honor, in front of the crucifix. I was teary-eyed when I greeted Oel and his wife who, obviously, had reddened eyes from tears. They were very grateful for what the company had done for them. But hey, they're family, right? And we take care of our own.

Ok. Kinda sounded like the mafia, now didn't it? :)

In the evening, there was a mass said for Rolando and the entire office attended and mingled with some of the sales force and Oel's family and relatives. Putting aside the homily, it was a pretty moving service, especially when family was called to spray holy water on the coffin. Oel's stance was one of disbelief, and he paused before he started to sprinkle the coffin with the holy water.

Apparently, his dad's death was pretty sudden. He was a strong man. But he was wracked with extreme pain towards the end, and had told Oel that he was tired. Tired of fighting the pain, tired of it all. He told his son that if the doctors managed to revive him and put him on a machine, that Oel would pull that plug when he saw it. As it was, Oel told the doctors not to try and revive him anymore.

That's probably one of the most difficult things a son or daughter can ever say to a doctor, isn't it? Hard to fathom, but it's a decision that must come from the patient and must be respected by everyone.

Talk of supersitions abounded during the time we stayed at the wake chapel. Some of them (that I understood!):

1. On the way to Manila from Batangas, the funeral procession made several stops at elderly relatives' homes. This was so that none of these elderly relatives would follow the dead too soon. Also, people were said to whisper to the dead to take away their aches and pains and bring it with him to the afterlife.

2. At night, during the wake, avoid looking at a mirror when you're by yourself. It is said that if you don't see your reflection, you'll be dead soon. Creepy, I know, but aren't most superstitions?

3. At a wake, family members aren't supposed to see you off at the door because this would mean passing on the death to another family.

4. When coming from a wake, you shouldn't go straight home, especially if you have old people or very sick people at home. This way, you don't "rub" being dead onto the others.

So in the custom of keeping #4, we (Mom, Bang, Lai, Japa and moi) went to Serendra to have a late dinner at Silk. Yummy Thai food! A bit too spicy for me, but it was good! We had Tom Yam (sp?) soup, some stir-fried stir-fry seafood, fried king fish, steamed bass, and the best dish of all: pad thai! :) Although the restaurant had pretty good ambiance, it was a tad bit hot for me (or maybe it was because of the spicy soup? Hehehe. I loved their restroom, though. It smelled so fresh but not overly flowery. It reminded me of some of the historic hotels we've been to on our tours in Europe and the US East Coast.

Mom was craving for dessert; yes, she of the no-cakes-and-ice-cream-for-Lent sacrifice, hehehehe. We decided on Portico where she had coffee sansrival and Lai and I had brownies a la mode.

The sansrival wasn't anything fantastic. In fact, it looked downright skimpy! Four thin wafers atop each other and sprinkled with what looked like coffee flavored chocolate sauce. I like my sansrival chewy, this was crunchy. So crunchy, that when you stuck a fork in it, the wafers splintered into several pieces.

The brownie a la mode was a different story, though. Yummy and chewy. And the ice cream wasn't plain vanilla, it was coffee-flavored scoop! Sorry, though, that we had to make mom sit through this forbidden dessert of hers :)

Happy Birthday, Mom!

My dear mother is 63 years old today. We surprised her by showing up at church for the 6 am mass, to thank the Lord that Mom was given to us and to Dad. We are very very lucky to have Mom as our mom :) She is an inspiration, a pillar of strength, the epitome of faith. She is the foundation of our family and has played a huuuuge part in making us the kind of people we are today.

We all like to think we turned out pretty well, lol, and that's mostly because of the way Mom brought us up. It wasn't easy for her, transferring to the province when she first married Dad. She was a city girl, that's for sure, a socialite. But she uprooted herself to be with Dad. And she coped. Sure, she had her rough times, especially with Dad busy at work AND playing mahjong during the early part of their married life. She was pregnant with me and then with Boydee within 2 years. Life didn't seem easy for this city girl, that's for sure.

But it made her stronger, more a molder of character. And from that we all benefited. And for that we thank her from the very bottom-est part of our heart.

Even today, her birthday, her first though was still to be with Dad. We did try and coerce her into showing up for her birthday dinner, but she didn't want to leave Dad's side. We were all hoping that Dad could leave the hospital today, but it wasn't to be. Oh well.

After mass, we trooped to Shangri-La for breakfast. Yummmm! Then Lola wanted to treat Mom and all of us for lunch. After that HUGE breakfast. Yeah right! I couldn't put another thing inside me! So I begged off, since I had so much work to do anyway.

With that one big meal, I was set for the day. But noooooo....Boydee texted us in the afternoon saying he had made reservations for dinner at Shangri La. Again. Nooooooooooo! LOL! Mom wanted the grandkids to celebrate her birthday as well, which was the reason for dinner.

So we were all seated, stuffing ourselves silly from the plethora of seafood at Heat, when Mom calls and says that she's NOT going to make it to dinner after all! WHAT??? What's a birthday without the celebrant??? Heheheee. Soooo typical of mother dear! At least we were all sated and full! :)

This birthday celebration surely is one for the record books! :)

With Dad in the hospital, we all conspired to send Mom a gift from him. Of course, we already knew what it was. I just confirmed it for formality's sake when I went to see Dad yesterday. We were to have 63 flowers delivered in a bouquet or arrangement, red roses and white roses. We --ahem, *I*-- made the card; everyone absolutely pitched in to give 63 reasons from Dad as to how and why he loves Mom. Thankfully, with everyone texting me something, we did come up with 63 reasons! Who would have thought it was an easy thing to do! Sheesh!

And for the information of the brotherhood and the sisterhood, I stayed up til 3 am printing, cutting and gluing to make that card come together. I was so tired, I didn't have a chance to take a photo of the finished product, darn it! Oh well. When I see it next, I will :)

Happy Birthday, Mom. We love you!!!

7 Chikkas and an Unico Hijo

7 Chicks and a Guy. That was us, traveling to Hong Kong. Mom, Lola, 4 sisters-in-law and me......oh, and Rod, the Chikko. Hehehehe.

It was supposed to be an all-girls trip, but Rod maneuvered himself in and thank goodness he did! At least he did the guy-stuff, like get most of our bags from the baggage conveyor, lug the bags in and out of the airport bus, carry the ton of stuff we shopped.....and ate the food that no one else could stuff inside our already-full selves!

Yes boys, this is the barest minimum of what is expected of you when you go with the girls.

I'm stealing this pic off off Zhar's blog since I don't have any pics. I (wisely) didn't bring a camera, big OR small. Stella took tons of pics and Elizza brought out her camera when we insisted she did (probably because Stella's cam had run out of batteries). Hahahahaha.


And what a trip we had! The main purpose of the trip was twofold: One, to force mom to have some R&R, what with all the time she stayed at the hospital watching over Dad, AND two, to eat authentic Chinese food. This CRAVING for REAL Chinese food started with Bang and Elizza a few weeks ago. We didn't get our fill of real Chinese food during the Chinese New Year, and it's been a topic of conversation ever since.

So....our Hong Kong trip was filled with tasty, authentic Chinese food. For ALL meals except breakfast. We had our regular breakfast at the Executive Lounge and it was quite filling, really. However, with Bang in charge of food (O.M.G!!!), our tummies were streeeeeeeetched out to the max with 3.5 days of appetizing, heavy, oily and yummy lunches and dinners!!! Heeeeelp! hahahahaha!

It was a FUN-filled trip, too, with the laughter, the secrets (that weren't really secrets since everyone knew what it was before the hour was up), the kikay stuff, the shopping....and the eating. I took pics with my phone for my photo-for-the-day, but that was it.

I leave it up to you to click on my sisters' blogs on the right for a full-blown account of where we ate and what. I don't think I remember everything!

All I know is that we had delish Peking duck, dimsum and the uber uber yummy lobster in some creamy buttery sauce, on the last night that Tony (friend of the twins from Taiwan) brought us near the racestrack. Oh my oh my oh my! That was just DIVINE!!!

It was the FIRST time I remember us being gone from our hotel room the WHOLE DAY! From after breakfast to AFTER dinner! Whoa! And we had Lola with us, too! Whew! By the end of the trip, my back was so sore from all the walking and the standing. Foolish me forgot to bring a gidle to act as a brace of sorts. Tsk, tsk!

I did manage to scrap, though, so my bringing my laptop wasn't a total waste! Hehehehe.

ON THE CAROUSEL

Hong Kong Still

still eating......

and eating.....

and eating..........

ok, throw in some shopping too! :)

Still in Hong Kong

Eating.......

eating...........

and

eating.............

Off to Hong Kong

In Hong Kong......

checking in at the Holiday Inn....

eating.......

making chika.......

Happy Valentine's Day!

Ahhhh yes. The day of L.O.V.E.

Traditionally, lovers express their love for each other by sending gifts, cards, flowers and/or chocolates (yummm!). We haven't celebrated this particular day in the truest sense since it has been way too commercialized everywhere. Restaurants are always full AND traffic is just horrific!

Besides which, if you really think about it, do we honestly need this day to remind us to tell the people we care about we love them? I didn't think so. :)

I did, however, scrap a page in honor of today, hehehe.

MY HEART

We all gathered at La Vista for dinner. Tito Rey had ordered lechon baka and it was delicious! Mom of course, arrived late, coming from the hospital. Dad was in pretty good spirits because he was in his "regular" room, so that made Mom feel pretty good as well.

As usual, it was eat-til-our-insides-were-full time, and we pretty much rolled out of La Vista going home! :)

So Sleepy!

I have no idea why, but I was just really tired today. In the morning, I was at the hospital with Dad, bright and early (9 am-ish). I stayed a couple of hours because I needed to get home before Japa left for Chie's son's baptism; I had yet to wrap a gift. I meant to do it last night, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Laziness, yes. And now I'm paying the price! Not that I didn't get enough sleep last night.....I think I've gone by on way lesser hours of sleep. But, oh well.

After the hospital, and rushing home to look through the stock cabinet for gifts, wrapping and sending Japa off, I lay in bed. My laptop was on, hoping against hope that I'd be able to scrap something. But NCIS won out and I started watching a few episodes.....only to nap. For at least two hours! Heheehhe. I just simply fell asleep!

Good thing the kiddos weren't there....after their Saturday morning activities of swimming and Kumon, they went to La Vista to play with Bric. Then to Apitong to hang out. They were back by 430 pm so that we could all go to the hospital chapel for our anticipated mass. Best to do it today than be uber tired tomorrow from Family Day.

Since we were early, I dropped by to see Dad. And was in time to see a (minor?) procedure being done on him: an inter-jugular tube (???) to give access for the dialysis machine. The doctor advised against him having the access point in the leg again, to avoid it being infected so easily. So Dad had his neck cut open to insert the tube. Ugh. Bloody procedure, obviously, it being a major artery!

* can you FEEL my hair standing on end yet??? *

I actually wanted to be in the room with him when the doctor did the procedure, but they shooed me out! *POUT* The nerve! hmp!

After mass and another short visit to Dad upstairs, we brought the kids to Omakase for dinner. And did they dig in! Like they hadn't eaten for several days! (it was more like hours, if the truth be known). I guess they missed their favorite restaurant, hehehehe.

Ok, am not even attempting to scrap tonight. We need to be up REALLY early tomorrow to go Enchanted Kingdom for Family Day.

G'night!

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Benjamin Button:

"I was born under unusual circumstances." And so begins "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," adapted from the 1920s story by F. Scott Fitzgerald about a man who is born in his eighties and ages backwards: a man, like any of us, who is unable to stop time. We follow his story, set in New Orleans from the end of World War I in 1918, into the 21st century, following his journey that is as unusual as any man's life can be.

Japa and I finally got to see Brad Pitt in Benjamin Button. Beautifully, touching movie. Dramatic for sure, but with many lighthearted moments. Loved it, and would probably see it again if I had the time. I was surprised that it was close to 3 hours long, I was so engrossed in it. Brad Pitt was very very good here, as was Cate Blanchett. Classic? Most likely. :) Hmmm.....maybe I should look for the book? Probably more details.

* * *

We had lunch at Capricciocas, an Italian restaurant along Connecticut Avenue. Yummy food, everything we ordered was good. Unfortunately, I think my tummy is acting up, what with all the cheese and creamy sauces that I filled up on. Yuck. Oh well, you think I'll lose a few pounds? Hehehe. I sure hope so!

At the Site for a Few Hours

Office at the site today. For a few hours, at least.

Stella and Tyler arrived this morning. So we met for lunch at Ponzo's. Zhar was at the DFA getting a new passport, Bang was at Galleria. Japa wasa able to meet us though.

Reminder to everyone: do NOT let Lai do the ordering!! Holy Moly, she ordered soooo much (not THAT much), we were stuffed beyond stuffed! Hehehe. I had to cancel my cheese steak sandwich because we had paella, pasta, korean beef stew, gambas and salpicao! Can anyone say HUNGRY?? (we were, too!)

Some scraps I got done late at night:

SWIM BALL
WAITING FOR MIDNIGHT

Off to finish up my Monk DVDs.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Or...Kung Hei Fat Choi!!! (there are a host of other spellings and pronunciations for the Chinese New Year, this is the one that I know...whatever dialect it is, lol!)

This snippet from Wikipedia gives a background as to how this celebration came about:

According to tales and legends, the beginning of Chinese New Year started with the fight against a mythical beast called the Nian or "Year" in Chinese. Nian would come on the first day of New Year to devour livestock, crops, and even villagers, especially children. To protect themselves, the villagers would put food in front of their doors at the beginning of every year. It was believed that after the Nian ate the food they prepared, it wouldn’t attack any more people. One time, people saw that the Nian was scared away by a little child wearing red. The villagers then understood that the Nian was afraid of the color red. Hence, every time when the New Year was about to come, the villagers would hang red lanterns and red spring scrolls on windows and doors. People also used firecrackers to frighten away the Nian. From then on, the Nian never came to the village again.

Explains some things, eh?

We didn't do anything exciting to celebrate the Chinese New Year. With the exception of Bang, none of us are true blue (red?) Chinese. But hey, we still look on it as an excuse to eat out! Which we did, at Causeway.

It's a time to look at all our horoscopes for the coming year, depending on your zodiac animal sign.

Wondering what your sign is? Check this chart:


Ours are the following:

Rooster

Get ready for an outstanding year. Aside from the Snake, the Rooster has the best prospects in the year of the Ox. This is the kind of year you have been waiting for, as everything seems to go your way. You have been diligently working towards some long term goals that finally come together this year. Your relations are felt at new levels, as you find a sense of satisfaction that you may not have experienced in a long time. Things you may have thought not possible will become a reality for you in this positive year.

Rooster Rating - 72% (10 favorable and 2 neutral months)

Rooster Career

Determination and diligence are two key aspects that put the Rooster over the top this year. 2009 is a year that you should promote yourself: Your ideas and your talents will be highly regarded and you will be recognized for past and present efforts. Give it your best this year and seize any opportunity that presents itself. This year will certainly be a landmark for years to come, as you will remember it as one of your most productive times in your life.

Rooster Relationships

Domestic matters will fare well for the Rooster this year. You will find comfort in the support and encouragement of family members and friends alike. Seek advice from your seniors, as they may provide information that opens doors to areas that are not known. The social life for the Rooster is a busy schedule. You will enjoy the company of others in many social functions and parties. Romance is highly favorable for the unattached Rooster, so flaunt your feathers.

Rooster Health

Health issues are minor for the Rooster this year. Though exercise and diet are not an issue, you may have a problem maintaining the discipline of a steady routine. Take the time to get the exercise you need and everything should work out fine for you. Being somewhat of a risk taker, you may want to try something new that holds your interests. Consider surfing orparasailing to indulge your fancy.

Rooster Wealth

This a great year financially for the Rooster. If you have any available funds, you may want to reinvest it in your work. This could prove to be highly favorable and you will reap the benefits in your return. One key issue is your spending habits. Make sure you don't spend the money before it is in the bank or this could pose a problem with your budget. Receive professional advice for any large investments in areas that you are unfamiliar.

* * *

Tiger Overview

From the outset, 2009 may present some true challenges for the Tiger. The year of the Ox presents an overwhelming influence upon the Tiger to maintain a steady and well disciplined pace. That is not to say that there won't be opportunities for achievement, but it would be more precise to say that this is a year that would benefit the Tiger in the areas of experience and possibly lay a solid foundation for the year to come. You will have to be resourceful and rely on your boldness and quick wit to ascertain anything in the year of the Ox.

Tiger Rating - 27% (3 neutral and 9 unfavorable months)

Tiger Career

It would be beneficial to be cautious and careful when it comes to career decisions in the year of the Ox. It would be wise to be aware of the views of those around you, as this is not a year to be too independent in your actions or take any unnecessary risks. Be persistent in your responsibilities to impress others, as this will lead to progress towards your future. For the Tiger seeking a career change, tread through the rough spots and your relentless efforts will be rewarded in surprising ways.

Tiger Relationships

The Tiger's relationship may be one of the more favorable areas this year. You can look forward to some happy times with your loved one this year. Though your domestic life may be busy, it can bring you much satisfaction. Be aware of the fact that those around you hold you in high regard and you may not want to jeopardize these relations by your independence or by being too stubborn. Pay attention to the thoughts and feelings of others in your life and everything should work out well for you.

Tiger Health

The Tiger will not have any serious health problems this year, but there may some minor issues that you may want to pay attention or they could become much worse than originally anticipated. One area of concern is stress. There may be some situations this year that could escalate your stress levels and you may want to find some ways to alleviate this issue. The Tiger enjoys outdoor activities and this could provide an outlet to relieve your stress.

Tiger Wealth

Take caution when it comes to your finances this year, as it is not a time to speculate or take any unnecessary risks. Plan your large purchases carefully and avoid impulse buying. The best advice is to monitor your spending throughout the year and you won't have any problems. This may sound like simple advice, but due to your generous nature, it may not be as simple as it sounds.

* * *

Rabbit Overview

The past year may have provided the Rabbit with many challenges and difficult situations, but this year will be a relief. The Rabbit has a very favorable outlook this year. Though it is not part of your usual plan, you may find that being assertive and bold will allow you to achieve unforeseen success. Your attraction to the finer life may lead you to living it. Personal relations are of great value to the Rabbit and will be emphasized throughout the year. Put your best foot forward in the year of the Ox and you will reap many benefits and rewards.

Rabbit Rating - 67% (7 favorable and 5 neutral months)

Rabbit Career

This year is one of change. Though the Rabbit is not prone to taking risks, you may benefit greatly from taking bold new steps in finding the career you desire. Complacency in your current job could lead you to such actions. September and October are two months that are favorable for a change. You may want to seek a position that allows you to utilize your social skills and your abilities to relate to people on a personal level. Set your sights high and you will get what you want in this highly favorable year.

Rabbit Relationships

The Rabbit's family and friends will be a source of great pleasure for the you this year. They will offer support, encouragement and will be the wellspring for meaningful and enjoyable times. Personal relations are held in high regard and could be taken to a new level. Rabbits seeking new friends or romance should make an added effort to go out more and come in contact with others-you will be well rewarded for your efforts.

Rabbit Health

The Rabbit should not encounter any major health issues this year, but you may want to take precautions during certain times of the year. The Rabbit's sensitive constitution may leave you vulnerable to colds and flu during the winter months. You may want to get a flu shot during this time and make sure that you get plenty of rest to avoid any setbacks

Rabbit Wealth

The Rabbit should enjoy a new level of wealth. If you are inspired to make a career change, this will prove to be a successful venture financially. You will be particularly pleased with some of your purchases this year, as many could relate to redecorating or changing the appeal of your home. Beware of any risky investments and continue to do the things that accumulate your level of savings.

* * *

Dragon Overview

The year of the Ox may slightly hinder the Dragon's independent spirit. There will be gains, but you may have to adapt to situations with different strategies than your usual style. There are three favorable months to provide periods of substantial progress and you would do well to take notice of these times and make the most of the opportunities offered. You will have many situations socially that provide great joy throughout the year. The single Dragon will be happy to know that romance is favored this year, so you may find someone to share your experiences. Be conservative in your spending or it could result in problems next year.

Dragon Rating - 67% (3 favorable and 4 neutral and 5 unfavorable months)

Dragon Career

The Dragon's career may be one of the more positive aspects of the year. This will be a year of reasonable progress. Even though the Dragon may have some distinct ideas on what you want to accomplish, 2009 will disclose conditions that you will have to adapt and overcome. You may have to adapt and work with others to gain what you want, rather than doing things in your own independent style. With care and effort, you can make considerable progress and improve your position, but your true gains will be with experience and skills you acquire this year that will prove invaluable in the future.

Dragon Relationships

The Dragon is a social creature and you will invariably relish in the company of others adding enjoyment and pleasure throughout the year. Your family life will offer the support and encouragement you need. You will have to pay attention to your family members feelings by using tact and discretion in vulnerable situations. By not doing so could deteriorate close relations. There will be a number of occasions that will allow you to add to your circle of friends. The single Dragon will be pleased to know that romance is favored.

Dragon Health

The Dragon has an active spirit and it is important that you involve yourself in a number of physical activities to maintain your health. You enjoy being outdoors and you might want to get involved with something that tests your skills and provides a change of scenery, such as rock climbing or hiking. Failure to remain active could result in added stress and emotional swings that could effect your work, as well as your personal life.

Dragon Wealth

The Dragon would do well to pull in the reins on lavish spending and take a more conservative approach this year. You may want to avoid any risky ventures or speculative investments in the year of the Ox. Failure to take care and caution this year could result in future problems. Keep a close watch on your financial situation throughout the year and you may find that you will have times when you can make purchases that coincide with your budget.

* * *

Monkey Overview

This year offers the Monkey some opportunities to go far with your talents. The Monkey's generous nature may leave you stretched in several different directions, so it is important to stay focused in order to achieve the goals you have set for yourself this year. You will be given the opportunity to impress the right people both in business, as well as in your personal life. Don't hold back this year, for this could be one that will leave an impression over the course of the next few years.

Monkey Rating - 49% (4 favorable and 5 neutral and 3 months)

Monkey Career

Great strides can be made in your career this year. Timing is everything and in your case, time is on your side. You will be in the right place at the right time to impress the decision makers in your career. The steady Ox rewards those with strong work ethics and the Monkey will surely reap the benefits of your labor. Don't hesitate to do anything that will aid your skills and benefit your position.

Monkey Relationships

This could be a busy year for you domestically. Look to your family for the encouragement and support you need. On the same token, it is important for you to listen and heed the advice of those who care. Your social life is active filled with plenty of opportunities to make new friends. Don't forget the ones that have been with you through the rough times, as it is just as important to offer your time with your existing relations.

Monkey Health

Take note that there are several high points to your year. With such a busy social year, you may stretch yourself thin with your health. Be aware of your energy levels throughout the year, as you may need some added rest to counter your affairs. It would be wise to take an active part in your health, taking up a new form of exercise that follows your interests: martial arts or dancing are two good possibilities.

Monkey Wealth

This could be a great year for the Monkey financially. You will possibly make great gains in this area throughout the year. Due to your generous nature, you may have a difficult time refraining from giving to others. Be mindful of this and make sure you give to yourself every once in a while because you deserve it.

* * *

dfgsfgfg

Another Scrapped Page!

I *knew* all I had to do was scrap that first page! Hehehe. Tickled my creative juices that's for sure! I spent the early morning downloading some CT kits and I came up with this:

IF ALL THE SNOWFLAKES

And the words? From Barney the purple dinosaur, of course! It was just perfect for my photos! The kids were so excited to have some snowfall that day, they were sticking out their tongues trying to taste the snow! Take note, they were so busy sticking their tongues out, they were tripping over their own feet! Hehehehe.

Mom, if you're reading this, know that I've already ordered Dad's Transport Chair and his nebulizer. The chair's the same as his current one. I wanted the "suv" chair, the ones with the 12" wheels, but the arms probably wouldn't go under dining tables. Like Dad would be seated at a table with him being fed on a Peg tube for now! I just thought about that! Oh well.
The nebulizer I chose was a new portable one. And it is tiny, weighing less than 3 pounds, I think. But the motor is relatively new, and very quiet. And the best thing is, treatment time is cut into half because of it's ultrasonic capability....or something like that, hehehe.

Hey, at least if we're traveling together, the kids can use that, too! Best to nebulize and pre-empt any and all sort of throwing up on the sofas, Kohler sinks, toilets, wooden floors, etc., right? Ugh. Just thinking of what all the kids have gone through because of asthma and allergies just gives me the shivers, hehehe. Blech!

After work, I went to the grocery store. Again. But this time it was for La Vista; I had called Marivic to go on ahead and fill the carts with must-need stuff only. So that when I got there, all I'd have to do was pay. And as luck would have it, Rustan's looked like it was newly-stocked, too! I quickly grabbed some Tostitos that weren't there a few days earlier and checked out. My lips were a-smacking as they anticipated the taste of those Lime flavored chips! Yummmmm!!!

Ok....off to start my Monk marathon for the night....