CHOOO CHOOO TRAIN

Thanks Joey for this tag. I’m tagging everbody in my blogroll. Cmon guys and join the fun, it’s a great way to earn some linky love.

The rule: When you get tagged, you have to add your name below the person who tagged you and by doing so you are letting the list grow.

Limadang.com

RamblingMoo.com

blogginginmypyjamas

ChinneeqDora-zooropazoo

BabyshernHiPnCooLMoMMa

Rachel’s Soulful Thoughts

When Silence Speaks

Dancing in Midlife Tune

Underneath it All

I am Dzoi

Hobbies and Such

moms…..check nyo

Choc Mint Girl

Amel’s Realm

My Thoughts

Rusin Roundup

Juliana’s Site

Max

Rooms of My Heart

Mariuca

A Great Pleasure

MondayMorningPower

LadyJava’s Lounge

Colin aka Cotojo

NafaSG

Hanna

My Life My World

Mommy’s Gibble Gabbles

Author’s Sweet Life

A Window To Our World

Jenny’s Wandering Thoughts

We are Family

Momma Stuff
The Working Mom
Online Raket
Family Health Tips

Maybelle Doodles

PEDIA CHECK

Anton visited his pedia last December 22 and at 18 months he is 13 kilos and 84 cm tall. The pedia also gave him the DPT booster and she warned me that Anton will have a fever for about 2 days since the shot was malapot. I didn't bother asking for more details since Anton rarely gets a fever after shots. In fact his last fever was 6 months ago.

After pedia we went to Powerplant because I had to return a purchase. While we were eating merienda at Shakey's I felt Anton getting warmer. So we hurriedly went home and by then he had a full blown fever at 38.8 degrees. I had to give him paracetamol since I wasn't yet able to visit a homeopathic doctor. His fever went on until the following evening. Thank God he was well by the 24th so Neal and I could go out on a date. Here's a pic of Anton while he was at the peak of his fever. Notice his droopy eyes, red face and the P75 pajama I was able to buy at the Tektite Tiangge.

CHRISTMAS DAY KWENTO

Anton woke up at 8 am on Christmas morning and I'm more excited than him to open his gifts.

Checking out the gifts

Mas engrossed pa sa wrapper than the gift

What a beautiful Christmas smile

After Anton had breakfast we headed off to Balayan, Batangas to visit Tatay. We first visited Neal's sister-in-law in BF Paranaque. She gave birth to a baby boy last December 21. Sean Arthur Medrano Reyes came to this world at a whopping 7.2 lbs at 37 weeks. Ang sarap talaga ng bagong baby. He was so bango and super gwapo, mestizo at ang tangos ng ilong. After all the kwento we finally went back on the road. We reached Balayan at about 1:30 pm. The rest of the clan were there already. This is my third visit and for the first time we stayed until the reunion ended so we were able to take this pic.

The Medranos in full force as usual. Thanks Tatay for the sumptuous lunch and merienda.

HOLIDAY GREETINGS

Before the week goes by without a single post from me, I wish everyone had a merry Christmas and a prosperous new year to come. I'm sharing here our humble noche buena. Everything is bought from Petron Makati Avenue. We just bought Ineng's barbecue, Singkit and Lapid's Chicharon hehehe.

Since I'm not a fan of midnight snacks we ate before we heard the 8 pm mass at SSA. We left Anton at home with Yaya Jo. Our baby was sleeping already when we went home at 930 pm. I just finished wrapping some gifts then went to bed when it struck 12 midnight.

THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE

I've accepted that I'm stuck with the 20 lbs. preggy weight and it's not going anywhere anytime soon. Being top heavy I couldn't fit in the XL sizes of Kamiseta and Bayo button down blouses even before I got pregnant so just imagine how depressed I was after delivery. I couldn't fit in anything. Thank God my sister was still here in the country at that time. We went to the places where she shops and I was able to survive. At first I was holding off shopping since I knew I will be losing the weight soon, but after 18 months it's time to look good at the shape I'm in. Here's a few shops that I frequent now. Let me know if you can recommend me some more.

1. Marks & Spencer - I bought my top for Anton's baptism here. This is also my first clothing purchase after delivery. At first I thought it was all pangmatanda but they have great tops pala sometimes.
2. Apple & Eve - They carry sizes up to XXL. I keep coming back to this store, before and after I got pregnant. Love their styles!
3. ABU - When I need a cheap T-shirt this is the place to be. They often have half-priced sales so I always watch out for it.
4. She - From the same owners of Plains and Prints, this is plus-size clothes with style.
5. Dorothy Perkins - This is the shop I'm loving now. Great quality at great prices. Just bought my skinny jeans here and it's a perfect fit.
6. Last but not least there's the trusty Tiangge :)

CAPITALS AND PUNCTUATIONS

From now on I will start my sentences with capital letters and use the proper punctuations. I realized that though all small letters may seem cute (for me at least), it may distract some of my readers. Naks feeling may readers. For lack of proper punctuations, I'm blaming my former British boss who was allergic to commas and apostrophes. According to him commas are out and old fashioned. I still want to do a lot with this site but don't have time for that yet. I better go back to my real work now, after a couple more posts :)

ANTON MEETS JOLLIBEE / SANTA CLAUS

this is a yearly tradition at the building we live in but this is the first time we joined. we were late (as usual) because we came from the world trade bazaar. when we arrived jollibee was already in the parking lot for photo opps.

at first anton was curious. he was just looking at jollibee.

then after some time natakot na si anton kay jollibee (baby boom sa condo namin no?)

at sympre lalo syang natakot nung naging santa claus si jollibee (in fairness ang galing ni jollibee double purpose sya :) )

BUSY BEE

i haven't posted anything for almost a week. been so busy here at work, and hindi pa din tapos :( but i have some time to post this very nice family pic.

this was taken last sunday at the 2/f powerplant mall, the area where national bookstore is. panalo ang smile ni anton dito and here's my new look revealed hehe. if you have some free time this weekend drop by rockwell. there's a lot of nice spots for family pics. the polar bears here is just one of them. there's also a lot of christmas decors on the 1st floor. happy picture taking :)

TEKTITE TIANGGE

just been here and i bought a lot of stuff for anton! sorry nae-excite ako kasi di na ako masyado pumupunta ng tiangge. they may be overruns pero its pambahay lang naman kaya super happy ako. there's a lot of gap shirts that are 2 for P500 and osh kosh jammies for P75 each! im so happy :) they're open til 8pm tonight. im sure they have another one next week. gotta work now. happy weekend everyone :)

OFFICE PARTY

its the time of the year when neal babysits anton while mommy parties. yup once a year lang ako mag-party since i became a mommy. we had our office christmas party last night and i had a blast. 3 years in a row we had the same venue, caterer and band but i had the best time this year. our new employees who were our performers for the night did a fastastic job. there were 4 dance numbers and i loved everything. even our expats did their share kakatuwa. the only down side is i didnt win anything. i wanted that P20k cash prize. well umasa pa ba ako e wala talaga akong swerte sa ganyan?

CHILLY BURGER

i was so busy yesterday that i wasnt even able to open explorer. but had time for lunch at yaku and finally to taste this


vanilla with chips and nuts chilly burger at sebastian. i like it and its super neat to eat! as in hindi natunaw (or did i eat it too fast?). medyo super dami lang ng chips and nuts - on the ice cream and on the cookies. next time ill just try their ice cream :)

SHOW DAY SURPRISE

yesterday was show day at little gym and our little anton had a surprise for us.

success! we can hardly believe it. but did you notice how much more surprised teacher lara was? hindi kasi talaga nagpapahawak si anton, lalaking-lalaki talaga, bruskong-brusko hahaha. at least now nasulit ang tuition fee :)

LOVING MY NEW DO

just got back from the salon and im feeling pretty. i went to toni&guy instead when i found out they have a branch pala here! gosh where have i been? anyway kei was my stylist and i like her. i need daw to relax my hair but dont have time for that, so maybe next time. gosh gastos na naman! all for beauty's sake.

well have to run now. ill just fix up here sa office then i have to go home. my mom had herself admitted sa feu hospital. as usual nahihilo na naman. hope everythings in control. happy weekend everyone!

ITCHING FOR A HAIRCUT

on a whim i scheduled a haircut with basement salon shang mall tomorrow. wish me luck cos its my first time there and i have no idea if the stylist will do a good job. my last cut was with louie kee of razzle dazzle. it takes a lot of effort to go to legaspi village so i decided on basement here in pasig so that i can do this on my lunch break. back in the 90's (yikes im so old!) while i was working in makati my officemates will go to franck provost and be there for hours. those were the days. yes i go to the best salons kasi takot akong ma-murder ang hair ko. i really think its worth it because i only have haircuts 3-4x a year. hope ive found my new stylist. will update you guys tomorrow :)

by the way, in case you want to know, piolo pascual and his son go to basement in rockwell. my sis goes there and they have the same stylist, angelo justin (who is going to kill me cos lumayo na ako ng landas). i miss angelo who has been my angel for 10 yrs but i need a new stylist, you know what i mean? pero this guy is good and super funny. at ang dami kong nakitang artista dahil sa kanya. i was sitting beside ruffa gutierrez one time at sobra akong na-insecure. dami ko ng chika, time to pump and get back to work :)

SLEEP AND MORNINGS

anton has been sleeping late the past week and im thinking its because of neal. when anton sees his daddy all he wants to do is play. neal has been busy this week so he comes home late. so i have been successful the past 3 days of putting anton to sleep by 7-9 pm like he always had. but instead of waking up at 6 he now wakes up at 7am. this is another reason why im always late. i rarely get up when anton's still sleeping. its so sarap to see him open his eyes and give me a huge smile. what a great day to start my day.

GINGERSNAPS WAREHOUSE SALE

just got back from this sale! i received a text from gingersnaps last week informing me of this sale. at first di ko pinansin cos i dont know where it is but when i mentioned it to my officemate this morning nagyaya agad. so off we went, thank god we had a driver cos i wouldnt have any idea how to get there.

panalo tong sale na to. gingersnaps and just g broken sizes from past seasons are at rock bottom prices starting P100! no kidding! here's some tips for you.

• inspect your purchases 3x. some zippers dont work, some have snags, holes or stains. sale here is final so you cant exchange it for other items.
• expect to be there for a while. super bagal the encoder. they dont have printed invoices so mano-mano ang pagpasok ng ordinary paper sa super old na epson printer. after they encode your purchases, you will be asked to take a seat while another girl brings your purchases and money to the cashier. then before you go the guard will inspect pa your items.
• we met a nice lady there and she said onti-onti daw dumadating sa warehouse ang mga items. so there's a lot more to come. more reasons to come back for more!
• cash basis only

its a great sale if you will give birth or have just given birth to a baby, most especially if its a girl. super dami for infants. i wasnt able to buy anything for anton cos for boys the sizes are either a 12 for infants or 14 for teens. pero was able to buy for my inaanaks na dalagitas. i just love it! i bought 4 items and its only P570! i will be back for sure para si anton naman :)

THE BRIGHTER SIDE

when you woke up late, didnt have breakfast and its super traffic in northbound edsa, this will make your day


krispy kreme christmas donuts available starting december 6. yummy!

NOT AS I REMEMBERED

we planned to go to conti's serendra last sunday to celebrate my mom's birthday. we arrived there at 11am and it was packed already, and we were #4 sa waiting. well what can you expect the place was small, they serve breakfast and they dont accept reservations. hanggang take-out nalang ata talaga kami sa conti's.

since it was a hot day di ata namin kaya maglakad sa bonifacio high street/serendra. so we just went to market market and decided on trellis. we have eaten a lot in their qc branch and i remember loving their sisig. well i was in for a big disappointment.

glistening pork

the almost empty restaurant should have been a sign. matagal pa ang orders but in fairness the pinaputok na isda, liempo and sidedish of mango salad were good. pinakahuli pang dumating ang sisig. it was not as i remembered. mas masarap pa ang canned purefoods. may aftertaste sya, and it doesnt taste like pork to me. im still amazed how my sisters and yaya finished 3 orders of this (yep 3 yan yung isa di na na-picturan). we should have gone to gerry's nalang where for sure the food's good.

FRIDAY NIGHT DATE

hubby and i decided to watch a movie last friday. i was not able to research on the current films so i asked my sister what was good. she said enchanted is a top grosser in the US and hitman is also good daw. i know neal is not a fan of fairy tales so i wanted to watch something else. but before we went up the cinema to buy tickets we bumped into a couple friend and tessa recommended enchanted. i guess it was a sign so we did end up buying enchanted tickets.

we had over an hour before the movie starts so we went around the mall first. neal's first stop was of course kidz station and he couldnt help but buy anton another toy car. then i took a look at the lingerie at marks & spencer and i was surprised that they carried nursing bras. they had stock of my size so i hurriedly tried it on and i loved it! bakit ngayon ko lang sya na-discover? and the price is not so bad at P2,450 for 2 bras :) it can support the girls at super comfy pa! super happy ako its an early christmas treat for me (and anton).

after all that we only had about 20 mins for dinner. we ate at banana leaf and we loved our hainanese chicken and stir-fried squid. medyo matagal lang dumating ang chicken pero service is still good. at least konting late lang kami sa movie.

when we entered the movie it was starting na. may cartoons pala sya. oh no neal is going to kill me hahaha! well its a nice movie but its not something neal will watch. lalo na yung musical sequence sa garden, gosh tawa kami ng tawa ni neal. para daw syang nanood ng movie ni manilyn reynes and janno gibbs hahahaha! kakaloka talaga si neal. pero na-enchant pa din ako. grabe patrick dempsey is such a cutiepie :) so anong masasabi naman ni neal? hindi na sya maniniwala sa mga sasabihin ni tessa hahaha!

FOR THE SAKE OF WELLNESS

its our 3rd year to go to the medical city for our annual medical check-up. and neal still hates it. pati tuloy ako nahahawa na. imagine you will be in the hospital the whole day, waiting and waiting for medical procedures or interviews. the worst was last year. there's no problem with fasting (nothing by mouth starting 10pm), but when i had to wait for 2 hours for my ultrasound to be taken, meaning i ate my breakfast at 1pm well that really had me fuming. imagine i was puyat and breastfeeding anton around the clock so sobrang inis talaga ako. after our breakfast umuwi na kami. we didnt take our stress test, 2d echo and physician's exam na. and i had to pay P12k for neal (im free sa company) cos its a wellness package.

now this year it was slightly better. we had our breakfasts before 11am and was scheduled for the cardio procedures at 1:30. 2:15 na di pa kami tinawag so we left na naman hahaha. nagkakagulo na kasi sa peninsula (as if we're affected di naman kami dadaan ng ayala ave) and i miss anton. by the way so far so good ako. si neal ang may mga flags hehe. bakit kung sino pa ang payat sila ang may sakit? :)

next year ill try to schedule our procedures better. st. lukes also has the same program but waiting time daw is also the same so i guess we will still go back to the medical city next year. haaay all for the sake of wellness!

CHOCOLATE BUN

after almost 2 weeks of eating our lunch at the office, me and my officemates were finally able to go out today. had lunch at almon marina then i bought a chocolate bun at roti mum.

took this photo na here sa office. sympre i couldnt help but take a pinch while it was hot. its good but i like the coffee version more.

thanks to dessert comes first for keeping me up to date on food. have to try the ice cream sandwich at podium next :)

KEEPING PROMISES

anton is at the peak of his separation anxiety stage. its always so hard to say goodbye before i go off to work. yesterday he was crying so i told him that i love him and mommy will be home early. well its been a very busy november here at our office that i came home at 8pm (i should be home by 6pm). i was feeling very guilty last night but anton was all smiles when he saw me. good thing he's too young to remember, or is he?

FOOD GALORE

my mom and tita lourdes celebrated their birthdays yesterday at tita lourdes's house in las pinas. my mom, tita lourdes and tita lyn are childhood friends from pangasinan and every once in a while we have little reunions like this.

if i'm not mistaken, the last time these 3 were together was at my wedding in may 2005 where both titas were our ninangs.

my sister em was in charge of our family's food share and she bought

conti's lengua estofado (right dish)

conti's boneless chicken barbecue (left most dish)

and the star of the day, estrel's caramel cake.

lahat binili hehe. the others prepared home-cooked meals like sinigang na hipon, adobong pusit, pinakbet, inihaw na bangus, fried lumpiang ubod (ang sarap pala nito), ukoy, some pork dish, fruits and i even saw taba ng talangka which i did not resist hahaha! and may merienda pa na puto bumbong and turon!

here we all are pausing for a pic before the pig-out. im still bloated til now.

BABY TV

what do my some of my fave mommy sites (pinoy moms network, momma stuff and mom exchange) have in common? they all just posted articles on children's tv habits. so what's my take on this?

ayan kitang-kita ang ebidensya. kilala ni anton si pablo hehe. when i was pregnant i swore that i won't let anton watch tv until he's 2. hindi ko kinaya. but at least i make sure anton just watches nick jr and educational dvds (si neal and yaya im sure nakakalusot). i also make sure that he has time for books and play as well. what can i say? its not a perfect world.

WAITING ANTON

yaya...

i like that

let me have it

ang tagal. practice muna ako.

ACROBATIC NURSING

anton is 17 months today and still nursing like a newborn. lately though he has been feeding more than ever and with more acrobatics. yes anton has been a squirmer from the start. i can never nurse in public. when anton was only a few months old he liked to feed tummy down with his head sideways to my breast. looks like a weird position but he seems to be ok so i let it be. when he became a toddler he became more experimental. he would feed on top of me, upside down, side ways, standing up, bending down - name it he's done it all. i thought my anton was just different but i was wrong. i met a mom a few weeks back at my friend's house who said that acrobatic breastfeeding is normal and in fact documented. having some time on my hands i finally found this. thanks kellymom, glad to know im not alone :)

A FAMILY OF FOUR?

im holding gabbie, my officemate's 6 month old baby at the christening of my other officemate's baby. yes super baby boom sa office namin. for 2008 there's already 3 who will give birth and they are cheering me as the first candidate for 2009 naman. naku maawa naman sila hehe. im not a natural mother (i dont know how other moms do it gracefully), and anton is a high-need baby so up to now i am still struggling with keeping myself sane. pero ang cute no? kung pwede lang araw araw ganito kalaki ang smiles namin but we all know thats not possible.

WHAT ANTON LIKED

my best buys from the richwell sale accdg to anton

shellcore steering wheel P200

aquadoodle mat P1,100 (20% off)

THE RULE OF 8

i've been tagged by toni.

THE RULES

* write 8 facts about yourself

* in the 8 facts, you share 8 things that your readers don't know about you. at the end, you tag as much other bloggers to keep the fun going. each blogger must post these rules first

* each blogger starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves

* at the end of the post, a blogger needs to choose as much people to get tagged and list their names.

* don't forget to leave them a comment telling them that they're tagged and to read your blog

8 random facts about maybelle:

• i can easily gain/lose weight. if i have a big event coming up i can lose the extra weight in a month, and gain it back in half the time. more than ever i need to lose weight now but i have no time and energy for it anymore (must be the age hehe)
• i lost my appetite for horror flicks ever since i saw the ring. it still gives me the creeps.
• i love sad-sounding songs, so sad they can make you cry like old songs (david pomeranz), you make me feel brand new (stylistics). wala lang nagpapaka-senti.
• my first job was as a marketing assistant in a bank.
• i love to watch big boxing matches on tv.
• i rarely go for manicures (last time was my wedding day). i like to be in control of my own fingernails.
• i would rather do the laundry than clean the house (sweeping, dusting).
• ever since i gave birth i refuse to ride on dangerous rides like roller coasters.

now i'm tagging jacque and pat.

MANILA AUTO SALON

we went to the manila auto salon at smx convention center yesterday, just before we watched beowulf. smx is definitely the new venue for car shows. its very new, clean with high ceilings. and best of all its just a bridgeway away from sm mall of asia.

as in other car shows, most of the cars have been modified so much like the cars you see on mtv's pimp my ride. i saw a lot of tvs, large sound systems, air brushed exteriors, hoods that are split in the middle and the famous lamborghini doors. but neal is not interested in any of that. he looks for the old cars in car shows. he likes fully restored cars, the older the better. there were only a few old cars but there was a 1963 karmann ghia so he's happy. neal owns a 1968 karmann. its not yet fixed (but still functional) cos restoration can cost much more than the car itself. this pic is part of our prenups taken by our wedding photographer chito cleofas (yes that was me 2 yrs and 20 lbs ago).

i must admit the karmann is really cute. this will be a standout amongst the hondas and toyotas.


* this is just a first of the many car stories i can write about my hubby. he and his friends are super car crazy. watch out for more :)

BEOWULF ON IMAX

you really have to watch this movie at imax. as i mentioned before neal and i have been waiting for weeks for this movie. we finally watched it last night and we were not disappointed. this is the first full length movie we saw on 3d and it definitely wont be the last (keep it coming imax!). the show was fully sold out and i was a bit nervous because there were children. and children can be very annoying in movie theaters. but i heard no one and felt no one. i guess everyone was so enthralled at the movie as i was. there was no room for restroom breaks, texting and even popcorn munching (i let neal finish the popcorn). the picture and sound quality cannot even compare to regular theaters. the whole picture was in 3d including the usual paramount pictures logo at the start of the movie. from the fantastic opening sequence to the last scene with angelina jolie's face up close, this is entertainment at its best.

so what are you waiting for? buying advance tickets is a must. at P400 a ticket you deserve the best seats. find the schedule here.

RICHWELL TOY SALE

this is really the best toy sale in manila! almost everything is 50% off. brands available are fisher price, hot wheels, chicco, pigeon, disney cars, barbie, shellcore, vtech, megablocks and many more! some major items i saw are the chicco slide (P8k), chicco stroller (P3-4k), easels, kiddie tables and chairs and all sorts of kiddie cars. i wanted to buy a slide for anton but it was just too big. first it wouldnt fit in the car and it will be too big for our house. i saw a small slide there but it had a big crack. sayang nga P2500 pa man din sya :( there were a lot of chicco and barbie shoes / sandals / rubbershoes for only P200-300 each. there were vtech storybooks at P200-600 each as well as vtech laptops (sorry didnt get the price, didnt need this kasi). there were lots of dora. i especially liked the dora musical instruments for anton pero baka malagot ako kay neal hehe.

check it out before stocks run out . remember before anything, look for the big supot. you'll find it as you enter :)

BABY SHOPPING BUG

i was looking at one of my fave sites and found this. i can totally relate, but on my own budget of course. going back to the work force and the outside world after my maternity leave this shopping bug also hit me. i would go to the malls almost every lunch break and buy baby stuff. at first it was the necessities like shampoo, cotton balls and diapers. but after a while it was like i was being hypnotized everytime i pass by the baby section. it doesnt matter what i buy. be it an educational dvd, toys, some clothes, i wouldnt go home empty-handed. i really felt high everytime i bring home a shopping bag.

thank god i was cured after a couple of months. i realized anton didnt really need too many clothes that time since we seldom go out. toys he received so much at his baptism. as for dvd's, i didnt actually need it yet that time. now there's a new kind of bug - the toddler classes bug and it hit me hard since my baby became a toddler. here we go again. more on this next time :)

TGIF

im late for work again! as in 730 na ako gumising, tapos na backyardigans hehe. thank god edsa was pretty free so was able to get to the office slightly late lang. anton kept me and neal awake almost the whole night! he slept at 11pm and woke up so many times pa. gustong mag-play haaay.

anyway its a very good tgif for me cos my officemates and i are going to the first day of the richwell toy sale! hope i do better this year. i came late last year so the line at the cashier was soooo long nag walk-out ako. my officemates did well last year and these are their tips:

• go there before it opens. you dont only get the first look, you will also have a decent parking slot inside the warehouse.
• before looking at anything, go grab a plastic bag. there are people giving this away for free.
• humakot ng mabilis. you have to finish your shopping an hour at most.
• have a buddy with you. to make pila while you do more shopping and toy-testing.

more info and kwento later. have to work na :)

NO CABLE

bakit kapag umuulan walang cable? di na nga makalabas si anton wala pa syang nick jr. buti nalang i bought the pussycat dolls cd yesterday. anton loves to dance so when he danced to 'buttons' at the mall last sunday we just had to buy that cd. anton did a good job of entertaining me as i ate my breakfast :)

MY LITTLE MAN

just sharing a few pics of anton last sunday.

here's a pic of my little man watching tv. ang galing diba i hurriedly got the camera when i saw he was putting his hand in his pocket. his size 12 shorts are too masikip na. pinatanggal ko ang tuck-in para mas gwapo :)


here are my 2 boys at powerplant. neal was carrying him when he asked to be put down. he ran to the xmas tree by himself.


he enjoys driving the cars in the grocery. buti nalang kawawa naman si daddy :)

THE little WRITER IN ME

ive always been a terrible writer. i remember i really had a hard time in high school doing formal themes. these papers were supposed to be written and submitted in an hour's time, written on a nice cattleya paper using a fountain pen no less! the content was not the problem it was the construction. even as i write this post my mind is thinking too fast for my fingers to type. and mind you i type fast. typing class was one of the two 4.0's (perfect score) i got in college. the other was was my writing class taught by dr. isagani cruz. so why did i get a 4.0 when im such a terrible writer? mabait si prof hahaha! well i just did all the required compositions and he especially liked my haiku which was later on published together with other compositions from dlsu students. too bad i wasnt able to buy that book in our college bookstore. i remember my poem though like i just wrote it yesterday (duh its just a three-liner). my inspiration here was my daily breakfast - cigarettes. hey this was back in the 90's when smoking was cool. i lived in a dorm in college and as soon as i wake up i would go to our balcony and have a smoke. here it goes:

this morning i see
the sun and all its beauty
warming my cool skin

hey before you laugh remember dr. cruz liked my poem. its so japanese daw :)

THE SWEET LIFE

for the first time since anton was born i went home to an empty house. my mom 'borrowed' anton together with my yaya and maid. though i miss anton it feels good to just sit back and relax for a while. i tuned in agad to Q-tv and watched lucy torres' the sweet life. i would rather watch this than the news hahaha. yesterday they featured mama rene salud's new collection. diba mas maganda panoorin to? :) you know i wasnt always a fan of lucy torres. but she really improved her hosting skills dont you think? its not yet perfect but you feel the sincerety and credibility diba. basta i like her show :) after mama rene's segment dumating na si anton. bye bye tv time to nurse.

KINDERMUSIK

we tried the kindermusik class at cambridge fort last saturday. it was a very small class compared to the little gym where anton is currently enrolled. there were only 3 enrolled students vs 8-10 average attendees a class at the little gym makati. the flow of the class is also very different. obviously at kindermusik the main focus is singing, playing with musical instruments and there is storytime. little gym on the other hand is a more physical and structured class. at the moment we are sticking to the little gym. i already enrolled anton for the next quarter. well he is still shy like he only performs the skills with me. he doesnt let teacher hold him yet. but its a big improvement na din cos he now explores the gym on his own unlike before when i had to carry him the whole time! hopefully he improves more, or talaga bang pasaway ang anak ko like his mommy and daddy? medyo napapansin ko lang cos anton is the only student who rejects the teacher hahaha. here's a few pics from kindermusik while we were listening to teacher bedi's story.

a sweet photo of me and anton

anton really listening to the story

ANTON'S FIRST MAIL

anton received his first mail from world vision. neal signed anton up last month to sponsor a child. he chose a 9 yr old boy whose favorite toys are cars, just like our anton. although world vision already gets a lot of help, many more children are waiting to be sponsored. it only takes P15 a day or P450 a month to help a child get education and other needed resources. please check out their site to find out how to help.

MY FAVE HALO-HALO

i just finished eating my fave halo-halo from razons. they call it the zen or white halo-halo because it only has 3 ingredients - leche flan, saba and macapuno. this is the creamiest halo-halo i tell you. and now they offer delivery service in the pasig/ortigas area. a perfect merienda during a meeting. razons best sellers are their halo-halo and pancit luglug, which both sell at P68 per order. read this for a better razons description cos i havent eaten yet in any of their restaurants.

razons delivery
687-0017
687-5742

DADDY'S BACK

neal went on their company planning for 3 days in cebu. i was a little apprehensive because its the first time he will be away that long and there are times that anton refuses to sleep unless daddy's home to play with him. it actually happened more than once. anton lights up when he sees his daddy then they play for a while. after just 5 minutes neal goes downstairs to eat his dinner. then anton will nurse from me and he's asleep in less than 2 minutes! i am also nervous about anton's 'nightmares' at night. before neal left, about 3 days in a row, anton will cry hard in the middle of the night. its crying that nursing will not appease. neal didnt always help me with anton's nighttime awakenings until anton became a toddler. now he is the one who makes 'hele'. i dont like waking up the yaya at night and even though im a big girl i cannot carry anton for more than 10 mins.

anyway i survived the 2 nights without daddy pretty well. this is what happened the first night he was away. the second night was a breeze as well. i guess anton is not just a daddys boy after all :)

EXTENDED BREASTFEEDING

i surprise quite a few when i tell them im still breastfeeding my 16-month old. and more often than not i receive 'comments'. lets start with my ob and pedia. both of them agree that breastfeeding should only be for the first 12 months because the child will develop oral fixation. my officemate on the other hand weaned her children at 6 months so that she could have privacy. then some friends believe that after the first year, breastmilk has no nutritional content (this i heard more than once. i have no idea how they learned about this), while another friend thinks that breastfeeding can only be done for 2 years (im thinking she got this from the formula commercials). everytime i hear these comments i just smile politely, not wanting to lecture during festive occasions.

i admit i really dont do research on the benefits of breastfeeding. i feel that i dont need to because my son is thriving very well on exclusive breastfeeding. and i think its a given that breastmilk is better than formula. how can cows milk compare with human milk? anyway heres something from kellymom that will explain this topic further.

after reading this im now more inspired to breastfeed anton. i will wean him only when hes ready. its a lot of sacrifice (for neal especially) i admit but its a chance to bond and at the same time nourish my baby. i can have all the privacy and free time i need when anton starts school anyway.

TUSHY WUSHY

straight body (which he didnt get from me)

macho man

pagod na mag-pose

for your enjoyment (special mention to jen of next9 who sell these great diapers). i have to buy more of these. anton badly needs a break from his disposables.

OPA!

im so busog. just finished our group lunch at cyma shang. it was my first time there and i was excited cos its so masarap daw. there were 12 of us so i was able to taste a lot hehehe. we ordered roka salata, flaming cheese, hummus, solomos angel hair, roka pasta, lamb chops, moussaka, gindara and flaming mango and cheesecake for dessert. from what i experienced earlier it was overrated. first the service was bad. ang tagal ng orders. and i didnt like their version of my fave dip, hummus. i like my hummus thick like the one at jerusalem makati ave. but cyma's salad and angel hair pasta were really good. enough reason for me to come back there soon. yes even if the service is bad. heres a pic of us while waiting for our dessert. obvious ba binagyo ang food namin?

BAKERS FAIR - EXTENDED EXTENSION

october 28 was supposed to be the last day of the bakers fair at powerplant mall. this fair was originally scheduled on all weekends of september, and then it was extended until october. i was there on the last day (the day neal and i watched stardust) and there were 'last day sale' signs on almost all the booths. but last sunday the cakes were back! looks like they have no plans of going yet. though some booths are missing like karens kitchen (i love pa naman their choco cupcakes. and theyre the cheapest there at P30 per piece) and diamond hotel, there's still a lot to choose from. bought caramel cake from costa brava. well in fact i had no intention of buying anything cos we have loads of chocolates at home from my sis but i was offered a free taste so i gave some to anton :) he loved it so just had to buy. they have mini-cakes, 3 for P100 lang so whats there to lose? im looking forward to buying this again on sunday :)

GOODNIGHT MOON

i bought this book on my 5th month of pregnancy and started reading it to anton every night until the night before i gave birth. i read it so many times that i would just recite it from memory whenever we were out at night. i resumed reading this to anton when he was about 6 months and he loved it! he would cry when i say 'the end' so i would read it not just twice but as many as 10x a night non-stop! here's a video neal took when anton was about 9 months old. so cute no? well he was well-behaved pa dito. when he turned one he would not sit on my lap anymore. he wanted to look at the books himself, play in between, then go back to looking at his books. i guess this is a phase where they love to play more than sit down and read books quietly.
not until last night. anton specifically took this book from his collection and looked at me as if asking me to read it for him. well he was not as bait as he was in the video, he was turning the pages left and right but still he was just sitting down and not getting any more books nor toys. after i finished reading the book he made ungot meaning 'one more time mommy'. and so i read it again and again and again. we almost finished it for the fourth time until he stood up and raised him arms. sleeping time na daw :)

ALLIE'S FIRST BDAY

went to fun ranch last saturday for allie's first bday. even though anton was sleepy, he enjoyed the bubbles and the spaghetti. yes anton loves pasta :) it was my first time there and its a great bday party venue. the kids wont get bored cos theres just so many things to do! i dont know the whole list cos i wasnt able to go around but i saw a toms world, a baby clinic/salon, a carnival and a baby clothing shop. and my shopaholic nature took over as i purchased a new pair of shorts for anton. hahaha! so typical!

bday girl allie with anton (busy looking at the bubbles)

my officemates

BEOWULF STARTS NEXT WEEK!

neal and i cant wait for this movie. we also cant wait to go back to imax. the first time we were there we watched spiderman 3. we didnt get our money's worth since it wasnt 3d but neal wanted to take me there for me to experience imax. this theater has the hugest screen and i cant wait to feel the whole experience when we finally watch beowulf.

so the second time we went to imax was last friday with our 2 angels (aka kasambahays). even though we were not going to watch a movie the imax lobby is a great place for toddlers who are so malikot. cos when they fall they will land on soft carpet.

heres a few pics of anton at moa / imax.

looking at the fish

taking a closer look. picture moment by neal (mommy busy viewing the beowulf trailer)

guess what antons doing ... good thing restrooms are closeby

running away from the giant coke

ANTON VISITS PAPA

we visited papa's grave at himlayan qc last nov 3. the last time anton was there was 2 years ago. yes i think i was just 1 month pregnant the last time i visited. when anton was below 6 months old our getaways were limited to grandparents and pedia visits. see i have an excuse naman. not very good though. we have to visit papa more. and its another opportunity to pig out with my family hehe. yup my whole family loves to eat. even my one skinny sister em.

whenever we eat out, i order anton's food first which is usually soup with rice. anton is very much a celemin when it comes to eating.

one of the rare occasions where our food is caught by the camera before the beasts hahaha! we had lunch at serye qc circle. ordered everything from the chix bbq and boneless crispy pata. yummy!

NEW LOOK AGAIN

i almost forgot to share that anton is kalbo again hehe. i just posted his 'new look' pics on my last entry. my son is such a chameleon ... but always cute. haircut from kids salon at rustans makati. as usual mega iyak si anton. he is so trembling everytime he hears the vibrating machine :( balik kids salon kami since cuts for tots is in glorietta 2. thank god we were not anywhere near the place when the bombing happened.

merienda at food choices after the haircut

still not liking wearing hats