Aloha Friday #74

Rules: Post any question on your blog on a Friday, share your answer and sign Kailani's Mr. Linky. Then have fun answering the questions of fellow participants by visiting their blogs.

Have you ever watched Michael Jackson in concert?

It's sad to think that the King of Pop is now gone. Michael Jackson will always be one of my favorite 80's icons.

I watched Michael Jackson in concert back in December 1996 when he went to the Philippines. That was around three months after my college graduation. I watched the concert with my best friend, Chary. The concert was held at The Reclamation Area in Pasay City. During that time, it was a vast vacant, open land area.

I remember the huge crowd, the deafening scream of fans and Michael Jackson's superb performance. There was a point when it became quite difficult to properly see Michael on stage because people were standing up. I still remember the cute couple near us. The guy carried his girlfriend on his shoulders so she could have a better view of the stage.

Another thing that made that night unforgettable was my unfortunate experience after the concert. There was a lot of soil and dust particles in the air that triggered some sort of skin allergy. I developed rashes all over my body and I had fever for around 2 days. Despite getting sick, I still have fond memories of that momentous concert.

Aloha Friday #69

Rules: Post any question on your blog on a Friday, share your answer and sign Kailani's Mr. Linky. Then have fun answering the questions of fellow participants by visiting their blogs.

What were your favorite cartoons when you were a child?

Here are some of my favorite cartoons when I was young. They certainly bring back many wonderful memories:

• Rainbow Brite
• Smurfs
• Shirt Tales
  
• Care Bears
• Scooby Doo
• The Little Pony
• Denver the Last Dinosaur
  
• Super Friends
• He Man
• She-Ra
  
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
• Voltes V
• Daimos
  
• Voltron
  
• Transformers

It's amazing that some of my favorite cartoons back then are now my son's favorite cartoons as well. I would love to hear yours.

Photo Hunt :: In Memory

Come and join the hunt here

This post is dedicated in memory of my loving pets that I had when I was young. My first dog was named Spotty. She was a cross breed Japanese Spitz. My Lola H's dog had a litter of puppies and she asked my parents if they wanted to have one and they said yes. My brother and I were so excited when we found out. When the puppies were old enough to bring home, my family went to my Lola H's house to choose a puppy. My heart was set on a puppy with black markings. I found out that she fell somewhere high and miraculously survived. That story made me pick her for a pet. My Dad suggested that I might want one of the pure white puppies instead but one in particular already stole my heart. We brought home my choice of puppy and I named her Spotty. She was sweet and affectionate. Spotty had one quirky behavior as she grew up. Whenever someone went upstairs, she would always twirl around in a funny, crazy way near the steps. She never outgrew that weird behavior of hers. I remember coaching her to come up with me but she never learned how. It was so interesting how Spotty easily found her way down by herself whenever I carried her upstairs.

Spotty gave birth to several puppies and we decided to keep one. My brother and I named her Bunny because she looked like a little rabbit when she was young. Bunny didn't go crazy whenever someone went upstairs. She was more reserved compared to Spotty.

L-R: Spotty, Bunny and Cookie

When Spotty gave birth again, we decided to keep another one and named him Cookie. He was a hyperactive puppy. My parents became concerned when they noticed Cookie's temper. They decided to give Cookie to my uncle (my mom's brother). I was sad to see him go but I realized that my uncle could take better care of him.

Cookie

My brother's playmate (our neighbor) gave us a puppy named Bubbles. My parents were surprised when they went home one day to find a brown puppy at home. My parents found out that the puppy had worms. My parents tried to give it back to our neighbor, however they didn't want the puppy anymore. My Dad gave Bubbles medicine to get rid of the worms. My parents gently told us that we couldn't keep Bubbles but they promised to find a good home for him. They gave Bubbles to a nice man who sold us vegetables regularly.

Bunny and Spotty

Remembering Last Summer

I feel good because I had a nice chat with my parents, my brother and my SIL this morning. I miss them very much. I remember every bit of last year's summer break because they all came home for a vacation. My parents even celebrated their 36th wedding anniversary with us. Sadly, they won't be coming home this summer. Perhaps, we'll see them next year.

3 Word Thursdays #18

meme rules:
*photo must have 3 words in it
*post your photo on your site with a link
back to Ma Vie Folle (or grab button)

Sorry for this late post. I was a little busy yesterday and I was not able to spend time on the computer.

I was thinking of a photo to post and I came across my note pad which my MIL gave to me. Here are the first three words that begin with the letter R that came to my mind ...

RESPECT

• I think that respect is one of the important elements of a successful marriage.
  
• Teaching children to respect their elders will help them grow into good individuals.
• We should learn to live harmoniously with nature by respecting all living things.
  
• Standing up when you hear the national anthem is one way of respecting one's country.

REMINISCE

• I love reminiscing about the good old days. In fact, I have a section in this blog called "Past Revisited".
  

RELAX

• I never get tired of going to Tagaytay with the family because of its beautiful scenery and refreshing cool breeze.
  
• This summer, I would love to go back to Subic with my family to relax and unwind.
• I also appreciate laid back weekends spent at home.

Tennis Lessons

When I was in first year college, I took up tennis lessons with two of my friends. We enrolled in a group tennis lesson program. My parents didn't immediately buy me my own racquet because the program provided participants with Tennis Racquets and tennis balls. Half way through the program, I asked my parents if I could have my own racquet. They saw my interest in the sport so they didn't hesitate to buy me one. I remember how happy I was that day when I got my Prince tennis racquet.

My friends and I finished the group tennis program. We had a wonderful time and gained new friends. There was a tennis tournament on our last day. The three of us all earned respective medals. My parents got me a personal trainer so I could continue my tennis lessons after that. Sadly, after several months, I stopped my training because I had to concentrate on my academic subjects and numerous school organization activities.

It has been years since I last played tennis. I would like to be given a chance to play again. Summer is fast approaching and I'm considering taking up this sport again.

** Courtesy of Do It Tennis **

The Love Month Meme #3

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Sorry I missed The Love Month Meme #2. I'm going ahead with my #3 ...

This week's theme: Favorite Date Places

When hubby and I were still dating, we enjoyed going to the mall to watch movies. I guess you can call us movie buffs. We were fond of watching movie premieres with friends. We also enjoyed trying out new restaurants. Dessert has always been our favorite part of the meal.

The very first date we had was at a car show. Since then we always enjoyed going to car shows together.

Tagaytay is one of our favorite out of town places. We never get tired of visiting this place because of its accessible location, cool climate, clean air, magnificent views and interesting sites.

The Love Month Meme #1

The Filipino Mom Blog is hosting the Love Month Meme every Thursday for the month of February. This is my entry for this week.

This week's theme: Love Story

I met my hubby at work. He was assigned at the main office while I was assigned to Makati branch. We would see each other at least once a week at the main office. At first we would just exchange casual "hellos" but I got to know him when he went out of his way to help my team with the project we were working on.

Our first date was a set up one. He invited my team to go to a car show. All the while I thought the whole team was coming until one by one they came up with all sorts of excuses why they couldn't come. I was the only one left to go with Jules. I wanted to cancel but my colleagues kept insisting that I push through with the plans. I went with Jules to the car show. Later on I found out that Jules and my colleagues planned everything. We had a great time together and more dates followed.

We had a strong and steady relationship for two and a half years. We knew it was time to get married when we found it harder and harder to part after each date. We got married on July 8, 2000.

2008 Revisited

"Resolve to live each day by the Golden Rule and use this time of fresh beginnings for renewal and enlightenment."
~ from Alexandra Stoddard's Grace Notes~

The year 2008 has been a good one and now I welcome a brand new year. I hope that 2009 will bring many blessings and opportunities to everyone. Happy New Year!

Last year I posted 742 entries. I would like to share some of my favorite posts for each month of 2008.

January (72 posts)

• Don't be a Lurker (National De-Lurking Week)
• Video of Yohan's Christmas Dance

February (45 posts)

• Hot Air Balloon Fiesta

March (55 posts)

• Birthday Roses
• Easter Sunday
• Science Week
  

April (58 posts)

• My Silverlining
• A Weekend in Subic
  

May (93 posts)

• My Parent's 36th Wedding Anniversary
• Special Mother's Day

June (55 posts)

• 9 Blue Balloons and 3 Red Balloons
• Happy Father's Day
  

July (64 posts)

• Yohan Turns 5
• Cabbage Paper Mache
  

August (55 posts)

• Trip to the Beach
  

September (67 posts)

• Blood Donation Experience
• Butterfly's Journey Part 1
• Butterfly's Journey Part 2
• Philippine Blog Awards 2008
  

October (80 posts)

• Trick or Treat
• Family Portrait by Yohan
  

November (58 posts)

• Dog Emergency
  

December (40 posts)

• Christmas Decorating
• Christmas Message
• New Year Traditions

Aloha Friday #45

Rules: Post any question on your blog on a Friday, share your answer and sign Kailani's Mr. Linky. Then have fun answering the questions of fellow participants by visiting their blogs.

When you were young, did you celebrate United Nations Day in school? If you did, what was your favorite costume?

I remember in grade school, we always celebrated U.N. Day in school by wearing traditional clothes from any country. My favorite was the Japanese Kimono. I loved the pretty kimono, the pillow on the back and the wooden slippers. Too bad, I couldn't find any photo of me wearing the kimono.

Image source

Favorite Childhood Tales

My son has a Reading Passport in school. It is a small pamphlet where parents are required to read one book to their child every week. The parents write down the title of the book on the Reading Passport and sign it. The book read is passed to the teacher together with the Reading Passport. It is returned a few days after. I don't have a problem with this weekly school requirement because Yohan loves story time. I always make it a point to read a story to my son before bedtime. His favorite book is Hans Christian Andersen's The Brave Tin Soldier. He never gets tired of listening to the wild adventures of the brave tin soldier with one leg and the object of his love, the paper ballerina.

When I was a young girl, I also had a favorite tale. I was mesmerized by the story of a young orphaned girl who went to live with her grandfather in the Swiss Alps named Heidi. She is sweet, innocent and has a pure heart. I love her fun adventures in the meadow with her best friend Peter. I grew up in the city and I found Heidi's story of birds waking her up in the morning and her daily walks in the meadow with goats so interesting. I even remember daydreaming of spending my weekends at the meadow.

I still have the hard bound book of Heidi that my godmother gave to me when I was a young girl. I have kept the story books that my parents gave to me when I was a child. In fact, I have read those stories to Yohan.

I never lost my passion for reading. I admit that I spend more time on the computer nowadays than reading a book but I still find time to buy a good book every now and then. However, I noticed lately that my eyes get easily tired from reading. I think I already need to get a pair of reading eyeglasses.

Anyway, what's your favorite story when you were a child?

Childhood Hobby

I was going through a box of old books and papers when I saw these stationeries. I recognized them right away. Ive had them since I was 7 yrs. old. When I was a young girl, I collected all sorts of stationeries. If I had a pad of stationeries with the same design, I would keep a few and trade the rest with friends and classmates. Trading of stationeries was something I looked forward to back then. Sadly, when I was in high school, I gave away my collection to my younger cousin. I'm happy that I found these stationeries. They bring back happy childhood memories.

Aloha Friday #32

Rules: Post any question on your blog on a Friday, share your answer and sign Kailani's Mr. Linky. Then have fun answering the questions of fellow participants by visiting their blogs.

What surprise from a special person can you never forget?
(Inspired by a meme question I recently answered at my other blog.)
On August 6, 1998, Jules and I celebrated nine months of being together. He picked me up from work. We watched a movie and had dinner together. When he drove me home, I received a wonderful surprise. As I went inside my room, I was astonished to see so many balloons scattered on the ceiling. The balloons all had "Happy Anniversary" printed on them. They were from Jules. I found out that he went to our house earlier that day and asked yaya to put all the balloons inside my room.

Jules surprised me with me 9 blue balloons corresponding to each happy month we’ve been together and 3 red balloons symbolizing I Love You. Each balloon had a special note inside so I had to pop each one in order to read the messages. It was a sweet surprise that I will never forget.

Aloha Friday #24

Rules: Post any question on your blog on a Friday, share your answer and sign Kailani's Mr. Linky. Then have fun answering the questions of fellow participants by visiting their blogs.

Do you know how to ride a bike? If yes, do you remember who taught you how to ride one?

I learned to ride a bike when I was around 9 or 10 years old. It was also around that age when my parents bought me my very own bike. I used to borrow the bike of our neighbor and I was thrilled when my parents gave me my own.

My Dad taught me how to ride one and I have many wonderful memories of those times. I remember how excited I was every afternoon to ride my bike in our street. During weekends, my parents would sometimes bring my brother and I to the park where we can safely ride our bikes.

Aloha Friday #20

Rules: Post any question on your blog on a Friday, share your answer and sign Kailani's Mr. Linky. Then have fun answering the questions of fellow participants by visiting their blogs.

What was your hair like when you were younger?

When I was a young girl, I had long straight hair. I loved having my hair styled in different ways. I liked having my hair braided in the evening, then I would remove the braids the following day to have instant curls. Sometimes, I wanted to put my hair up using different kinds of colorful hair clips. I loved ponytails and pigtails too.

Reviewing 2007

I saw this meme at Kailani's blog and thought it would be nice to do it too. I just made some changes on the original meme.

I went over my archives to go through old posts. Instead of listing the most popular or highly commented ones, I would rather share my favorite posts that are significant to me for the year 2007. Here's the list:

Month- Total Post - Favorite post of the month

January 2007 - 52 posts - Sweet Dreams My Lil' One
February 2007 - 42 posts - Kung Hei Fat Choy
March 2007 - 41 posts - Labor of Love
April 2007 - 31 posts - Silver Lining Named Lyonnel
May 2007 - 40 posts - Recipe for New Friendships (PMN)
June 2007 - 24 posts - Happy Father's Day
July 2007 - 29 posts - Yohan's Birthday Blessings
August 2007 - 28 posts - Broken
September 2007 - 30 posts - Nursery Progress Report
October 2007 - 59 posts - Please Help Me Win My Own Domain
November 2007 - 75 posts - Symbols of Long Life
December 2007 - 57 posts - My Son's Dream Kitchen


Total No. of Posts for 2007 = 508 Posts

Featured Mom of the Week

Hi Friends,

I'm the Featured Mom this week on Pinoy Moms Network ~ Parenting Blog. I invite you to get to know a little more about me by visiting me there (just click the link above). Thank you!

Dolls of Today

Dolls of today are adapting to the changing fashion and culture. Just look at the dolls of my niece, Tisha. The doll at the right is a My Scene doll and the others are Bratz dolls. Plenty of make-up, big eyes and huge pouting lips.

A few years ago, I gave Tisha a Bratz Styling Doll Head for Christmas. It was a huge Bratz doll Head that you can put make-up on and style the hair. It was the first time I found out about Bratz and I was surprised at its popularity. They don't look too appealing to me but girls love them.

When I was young, I loved Barbie dolls. I had four Barbie dolls and one Skipper doll. They all had sweet looking faces unlike today's modern dolls. I wanted to have a Ken but never had one. I wish I took photos of those dolls before I gave them away to my younger cousins.

Heads or Tails #4

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September 11: TAILS - Your reflections or memories of the 9-11 terror attack.

I recall...

My husband and I just got home from a night out with friends. Before going to bed, Jules decided to watch TV. I was already upstairs when I heard him calling frantically for me to go down to watch the news. I was half way down the stairs when he said that a plane just hit the World Trade Center (Twin Towers) in New York. I couldn't believe it. It happened so fast as we watched the chaos on TV. Another plane hit the World Trade Center which eventually caused the massive structure to fall down.

I wasn't able to watch the rest of the news as I hurried to the phone to call my family in New York. I couldn't get through and decided to go online instead. My cousin happened to be online and I requested if he could ask my brother to call me because I was worried. My parents and my brother all live in New York and I feared for their safety.

My brother called me and said everybody was fine. I felt my racing heartbeat slowly returning to normal. I was relieved to hear everyone was safe.

It was a sad and tragic day. It was heartbreaking to see so much destruction and lives lost. I kept glued to the TV hoping for more survivors. I prayed for everyone who got hurt and those who perished in that catastrophe. I thanked God for keeping my family safe.

Heads or Tails #1

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Skittles is hosting a new meme called Heads or Tails. This week's theme is Luck.

A stone accidentally hit our window when someone from the village maintainance team was cutting the grass outside.

Apparently, the blade of the grass cutter hit a stone which caused it to act like a projectile. The stone hit our window, penetrating the screen and landed on the floor of our living room.

We were lucky because nobody was in that area when it happened. You could see the rock on the picture (I put a dime beside it to give you an idea of its size). This kind of rock, which had a pointed side is big enough to cause injury especially at that kind of speed.

I feel lucky and blessed that no one in my family got hurt. When I saw the huge hole in our window screen, I was thankful that my son was upstairs when it happened.

I called the village engineer to report the incident. He immediately went to our house with the person responsible for the accident. I asked about the cost of repair. When I found out that the cost will be deducted from the man's salary, I decided not to pursue it. I just told them to be extra careful next time and to make precautionary measures to avoid a repeat incident.

I'm happy and thankful that God has spared the people in our house from getting hurt.