Love in the City

Last night, the lonely duo (that's me and Lai) and our youngest sister, Zhar, watched the private showing of Sex and the City, thanks to an invitation by stylish, svelte and sweet friend, Grace Ang.

So we went, me and my sisters. Dinner was at Cafe Bola where I practically devoured my Parma ham mongo and crispy dilis rice meal; Lai, Rod and Zhar weren't able to even get a taste of the dish. Until now, I am still craving for another serving of that. I'll try to revive my other blog and write more extensively about Cafe Bola... which means, I need to go there for a second visit. Hehe... Excuses...

Over at cocktails before the movie where we had bite size servings of portobello mushroom canape and calamares by Sala, we got to talk about the TV Series. Among the 3 of us, I think it was Lai who watched most of the episodes. I, for one, having been 'brainwashed' (and thankful for it) by the nuns at Sacred Heart School-Girls wasn't really a huge fan of the tv series. For one, I thought it was a sin to even watch that because it had sex in the title. So, I would sneak to our TV room and pretend to scan channels on a Tuesday night at 10:00 (that was the schedule way back then), and 'just happen' to pass the HBO channel which was incidentally showing Sex and the City. Haha... After watching one episode not smoothly (I skipped channels every so often for fear of being caught watching what I thought was an x-rated tv series), I began to wonder why it was even called sex and the city. Sure, they talked about it and implied it, but I guess the censors did a good job of cutting the graphic scenes. Despite that, I didn't really change my sked to watch it.

When I got married, we had a collection of Sex and the City DVDs per season. I tried to watch one season but after 2 episodes, I kinda got "disgusted" at all the making out happening. It was just too much for me to watch the same girls with different boys and men. The Catholic in me couldn't swallow the liberalism of the series, where virginity was antiquated and sex was soo in. I didn't continue watching the dvds.

With my history of Sex and the City, I really wasn't expecting much from the movie. So imagine my surprise when even at the beginning, I was glued to the screen. Midway, I wanted to pee but I didn't because I might miss something funny, or heart breaking, or some quotable quote. The 3 of us laughed, sneakily wiped a tear or two, and related to the girls. It was a beautiful film that any woman who had ever been in love and who had ever experienced the joy of female friendship/bonding could relate to.

We are all a little part of any one or all of those characters in the movie. I'm Carrie for being the hopeless romantic; I'm Charlotte for being a prude; Miranda... for the brains (hehe... whew, a whiff of air there); and Samantha - well, I'm like Samantha when she had a big tummy. Hahaha...

It was a heartwarming movie with an "and they lived happily ever after" ending. (oops, did I just give the ending away? hehehe). In Sex and the City, there are happy endings, not because of the sex, but because there is love. When there is love that's pure and true, there will always be a happy ending.

Just Checking In...

No week round ups, no stories. Just dropping a line to say hello.

It's been a busy week with tons of work, lots of unfinished business and to-dos waiting to be done. I've issued out many memos (not scary ones), just work flows since we're introducing cash cards in our payroll and commission systems. There are plans to upgrade our cashiering, I'm working on the workflow of the new company, thinking of ways to improve collection, etc... Things are pretty full in the office and Bric had just recovered from a four-day fever with his temperature reaching up to 40 degrees Celsius!

There's also a Ruby Wedding Anniversary to plan. We've finally decided to hold the reception at Makati Shang. Best choice, really, considering the convenience and the freebie rooms. Now, we're working on the program before I leave for South Africa care of Mommy Nonie. (I hope the violence will have been resolved by then) But before Cape town and our safari, I am soooo looking forward to going to Disneyland HK with our mini family :). It'll just be me, Boydee and Bric and yaya Mila. Aahhh... a welcome break!!!

But before the break, have to make sure all's how it should be and make plenty of bilins. So, just thinking of everything leaves me a bit drained. But I'll manage :)

Round Up for Week (May 3-May 9)

This week I call the Glutton Week. Here's why:

May 3 (Saturday):
Dad suddenly got called in for a sleep test in Medical City because a slot got freed up. So, Mom grabbed the opportunity for the earlier appointment... which meant we had to keep Dad awake the whole afternoon until he is tested for sleep at 8pm. So after Boydee and I swam with Bric, we trooped to Edsa Shang with Mom, Dad, Rielle, Rogan, Raine and Bric, of course, to 'enterain' and distract Dad from dozing off.

It was Bric's first carousel ride in Edsa Mall and he was scared at first. He wouldn't ride the horse nor would he let go of me. But when his cousins arrived, and a little warmed up, he chose to ride the horse but still wouldn't let me go. Sadly, we didn't have nice pictures for this :(

Dinner was at Crustasia beside ClawDaddy. It's now a Thai themed resto and wasn't so bad. I kinda lost my appetite though because Yaya Mila brought Bric around and weren't within my sight. The paranoid in me got me so tense. I just made himay the crabs for Boydee and Raine.

May 4 (Sunday):
Dad couldn't sleep last night with a cpap machine on his face. They had to give him sleeping pills which kept him groggy and sleepy the whole morning. We heard mass at 1030 in Dela Strada and had lunch at home.

I got bitin with my crabs the other night and was psyched at eating out on Sundays, I asked Boydee if we could eat out for dinner... which we did. And in Zensho. No crabs there but my, my... what a treat we had. Here's what our tummies digested: seafood fried rice, buttered shiitake, oysters teppan, steak teppan, assorted sashimi, 15 pieces of ebi tempura, cold noodles, clams in the shell, fish on a clam shell!, bean sprouts teppan, chicken teriyaki, asparagus and tofu teppan. All these between Boydee and me! Hehehe...

May 5 (Monday):
Monday being an office day is supposed to be gluttony-free but we had a scheduled Columbarium meeting that morning. I step inside our Board Room while Japa was listing down our lunch menu from Mr. Choi!!! Now who could resist Chinese?!!! (Well, Ate actually... hehe.. but not me, definitely!) So we had.. yang chow fried rice, hakao, chicken feet, fish fillet with garlic, tofu with mushrooms and minced meat, taiwan pechay, mushroom with lettuce and brocolli. Yummeee... :)

May 6 (Tuesday):
Ate and I shared a rotisserie chicken for lunch. I had on side of thigh, drumstick and wings while Ate had 2 sides of the breast. We gave the other half of the dark meat to Letty and Elma.

It was today when I recommended the 'termination' or the 'non renewal' of one of our newly-hired staff. Although she had shown some improvement after I had a one on one with her, her growth and either her mental capacity or lack of focus was a deterrent in doing her simple job well. Add to that her innate talent for finding excuses and answers for every issue, question or fault, whether valid or senseless, which is most often the case.

I hope she'll find work in a company better suited for her talents :) I wish her well.

That was not an appetite-inducing activity. No gorging out today.

May 7 (Wednesday):
1st Wednesday mass and Father Benny's a day late birthday celeb at the office. Since it was our suki and fave priest, Father Benny's birthday, we had a more than the usual lunch. That day, it consisted of: Spaghetti Carbonara, Chicken Flambe, Roast beef, creamy brocolli and cauliflower, steamed fish fillet, pork asado AND chocolate cake and Rocky road ice cream.

May 8 (Thursday):
Today is the twins' birthday and Rod arrived in the early morning from the States. Zhar planned for them to have breakfast. More details of this in Ate's blog. Suffice it to say, I had one major meal. Skipped lunch because we would be having dinner at Choi that night.

Mommy Nonie arrived today too for an overnight before she'd depart for SanFo the next day.

In Choi, we had hotpot, fish and tofu hotpot (yum!), rich man's fried rice, hakaw, siao long pao, sio mai, beef with pepper, birthday noodles for the birthday boy, roasted duck, fried taro duck, eggplant with minced meat (not yummy this one). For enders, I had white almond puree while the rest had taho. Stuffed was the word to describe us after dinner.

May 9 (Friday):
Brought Mom to Mamou for lunch and had the following: Batac Bolognese spaghetti, Roasted slab of steak with red steak rice and creamed spinach, cuban spiced pork and chicken with white steak rice. It may sound like a little but they came portions good for sharing. Their iced tea was flavored with anise for that bit of 'spice'. Good meal with Malou Fores adding that personal touch.

Dinner was here in LV for Rod's surprise party catered by Las Paellas. On the buffet spread were: Paella Valenciana, Roast pork, grilled blue marlin, thinly sliced roasted angus steak, vietnamese spring rolls, baked macaroni, calamares, canonigo and fresh fruit mix plus cakes coming from Rod's friends. Loved the mocha cake from Hizon's brought by Keri.

That was my week. Happy birthday to the twins Randy and Rodney! Happy Birthday to Father Benny! And belated Happy happy to Japing! (last week).

To sum up my week in one word: burrrpppppp!!!!

Round Up for Week (April 26-May 2)

Since I'm not always in the mood to write and yet I want to keep (or at least try) to keep my blog updated, I'll be doing bullet points of my week's highlights per day. I call this the Round Up for the Week. At least since my memory is regressing (blame it on the epidural, as Lai would fondly say), these entries will help me remember. So I hope my memory won't get so bad that I won't even remember I have a blog. Hehe... (Boydee kind of joke when he's busog)

April 26 (Saturday)
Attended JV's son 's baptism where Boydee stood as one of the 25 Ninongs and that's not counting the 23 Ninangs. This is a highlight NOT because I saw Richard Gomez and Susan Roces during the baptism, but because of 2 things:
1. The Plaza Miranda ham with pan de sal and fresh corned beef with brussel sprouts!!! Oooh, I am literally salivating now and I am looking for an excuse to have a party in La Vista so we can order from them. Their ham is deliciously pink and very lean. They have a variety of sauces you can choose to 'glaze' your ham with. I chose the traditional honey glaze, but there were wasabi flavored sauce, garlic sauce, and 2 or 3 more. Ate this with the soft, yellowish pan de sal, and I was in ham heaven.
The corned beef was tender and flavorful. For me, this was a healthier option instead of the canned corned beef. I've been looking for a resto here that served fresh corned beef because I was missing this one from Eddie's Log Cabin and Cebu Country Club. Now, I've finally found it. Thanks to the baptism! :) hehe...
2. The centerpiece - I am NEVER one to take home centerpieces or decor from weddings and children's parties. The only thing I had ever brought home that wasn't a giveaway or a lootbag were balloons for Miggy then and now for Bric. But I broke my record that day. I couldn't resist asking Rhina's permission if I could bring home this cute ferris wheel of a centerpiece, despite Boydee's embarrassment. But once I had put Bric's pictures on it, I totally think he felt it was soo worth it! Hahaha...

April 27 (Sunday)
Mass in Holy Family at 11am; lunch at Il Pirata. Love their parma ham something. Japa devoured the osso buco. Had DQ dessert with the kids! :) Walked in LV with Boydee and Bric but had to cut the route short because Bric was getting restless and I suddenly had the urge to poo.

April 28 (Monday)
Nothing much going on except that this is the day Boydee made an account in Face Book simply to play Who's Got the Biggest Brain. This is the "IT" game for the Dizons now. Of course, I'd have to brag... my Love currently has the biggest brain with 3079 points with Japa and Rondic not far behind. Emphasis is on the word "currently" because all of them are breathing down each other's necks for the number one spot. I am by the sidelines cheering Love on :) As they say, behind every successful man is a woman. Behind the man with the biggest brain is his coach of a wife. Hahaha... Just kidding :)

April 29 (Tuesday)
My much awaited concert date was tonight. Boydee and I first knew of the singing group, Angelos, when they sang during the Silver Anniversary of Ninong Cecilio and sweet Auntie Irene. This is our version of Il Divo with F4 looks. Can they sing!!! Lea Salonga, who was a guest, gave them a standing ovation. After their performance, they announced that they had a concert on April 29, so Boydee and I marked our calendars.

That night, Boydee and I along with Mom, Ate Rona, Rondic and Lai converged in CPK, Greenhills for dinner then proceeded to Teatrino for the Angelos concert. Charo Yu, the group's gracious and accommodating manager showed us to our seats but then we opted for the balcony - our own private box! Hehehe... As usual, we were wow'ed by the group when they sang together. Beverly Salviejo provided comic relief. I could hear Lai laughing her heart out :) She's one talented singer-comedienne. We're considering getting them for Dad and Mom's Ruby. The Angelos, not Beverly, although Rondic immensely enjoyed her spiels and suggested in jest of getting her instead.

April 30 (Wednesday)
Office day for me while Mom, Ate and Lai brought our kids to Tatang to have their measurements taken for the Ruby Anniversary.
2 meetings in the office: Mona and Andrew Q. for work and Ruby, respectively.

Bric now knows how to nod his head to mean 'yes'. Hehe...

May 1 (Thursday)
Labor Day, meaning Holiday. This is one of the few holidays GMA didn't move for that long weekend, domestic tourism pitch.

Did some cleaning - sent 2 boxes from our room to the attic. Bric's overgrown clothes filled up a whole large plastic organizer. Baby Tyler will have a lot of hand me downs from his cousins! :)

Our sink pipe leaked and we found out it was because it cracked. Good thing Jess was here to fix it. But not after my big bag of paper and plastic bags were soaked. Sharlyn had to hang them to dry.

That afternoon, we (myself with Melinda and Elma) went to Farmer's market to buy seafood and meat for Bric and the house. Despite the smell, I enjoy going to the market. It's fun to look for what's fresh and think of what to do with it. Melinda cooks a variety of dishes but I still long for the food in Mabolo like the tanghon, chinese lumpia, bihon soup and the longanisa from Ramos market.

That night, we had steamed pampano, manila clams with black bean sauce, sauteed spinach in garlic, and spaghetti vongole while Bric had fish head soup with fresh noodles. All fresh from the market :)

May 2 (Friday)
2 meetings again today. One with Aida, one of our sales agent who's either a poor manager of money, or who's really unlucky with her staff. This is giving her the benefit of the doubt. I hope she'll manage to fulfill her obligations. Second, second presentation of our existing ad agency who offers personalized service but sorely wanting in the creative and copy department. This one's up for evaluation with one start-up company as its main rival. Judgment day on Monday, perhaps.

Then, we attended the Ruby of Tito Joy and Tita Bambi Ramos. There's always something sweet and endearing watching an old couple still holding hands and dancing, swaying slowly to the music even after 40 years. I wish Boydee and I will still be up and active 40, 50 years from now and loving each other more and inspiring people with our love and through our families. To the Ruby couple, happy anniversary!!! To their kids who prepared for the party, congratulations!

That was my week in a nutshell.

Bric's Bag of Tricks (April 2008)

Bric is now 1 year, 4 months and 9 days old. I totally believe that when nearing the one year old mark, babies become like a sponge, absorbing and assimilitating, observing and imitating everything (or almost) they see and hear. It's amazing how Bric has learned so much already. Sometimes, I am just so surprised and amused with his antics and actions. It's soo endearing. I wish I could capture these moments on video but they happen so spontaneously, there isn't enough time.

Of late, these are his bag of tricks and developments:
- Knows and calls us by our names:
-Daddy Boydee - "Dee"; Mommy Bangbang - "Babam"; Ama - Ama (he got this right!); Lolo Boy - "Dodo", or "Dodo Bon"; Mamalyn - "Mama"or "In"; Mama Rona - "Mama"; Daddy Rondic - "Dic"; not quite sure how he calls Japa and Lai :)
- Yaya Mila - "Yaya"; Yaya Sharlyn - "Yaya" or "Ning" because Yaya Mila calls her "Neneng"; Sinny - "Ni"; Lovelyn - "Dabdab"; Mirafe - "Pe"; Melinda - "Da", Lolo Willie - "Wiwi", Pulido - "Bo" for Kalbo... etc... :)
- Vocabulary for the moment - "bobot" for big bird; "ming" for swimming; "dob" for dog, "bips" for fish; "ayts" for ice
- can make the sign of the cross by putting his hand on his hand and tap tapping til he says "Men" for Amen and clasps his hands together
- "Yes Sir" salutes by raising his hand to his head
- dances to almost any song!!! :)
- kisses... yehay!!!
- when I say "Love you" to him; he says "Mwah!" - Awww... my heart melts each time he does this! :)

Caffeine Overload

We had a working lunch today - Boydee, Japa, Ate Rona, Lai and myself - while discussing about the columbarium management company we're setting up. Since I didn't have dessert, I asked Bang-boy for coffee. Somehow, Bang's coffee more often than not makes me hyper and restless. Today, its effect was negative. Somehow, caffeine doubles up whatever I might be feeling that day.

We finished our meeting and I proceeded to do some office stuff. Had a quick meeting with cousin Fritz to discuss about Sister Cel's vault inventory. Then it was back to work for me. My office table now is in such a messy state. Too much work this time. Isn't it funny how sometimes there's no work to be done, and all of a sudden, they all come and all at the same time. Pressure, pressure... plus the frustration of having to deal with inefficient people and the effects in the whole system thereof. Sigh... Hopefully, my pep talk and a few meetings can somehow improve the whole scheme of things, even if just a little.

Caffeine made me 'mataray' today. Or at least, that's how I feel because here I am feeling guilty again. It's hard to be an angel especially when I want to get things done. It isn't something that's 'for the sake of', but rather, it's driven out of passion. Sometimes, you just wish everyone had the same work ethics as a few of our staff. But then, it's reality that all men weren't created the same. For us, it's our duty and responsibility to at least lead them towards efficiency and dedication, although the latter is a little hard to teach. I just thank God that despite a few who make work a little harder, there are still a handful that make the job so much easier. So now, instead of being frustrated at those who test my patience especially during caffeine loaded days, I look at the brighter side and think of the people who give their heart to their work.

Moral lesson for the day: Don't drink too much coffee... especially Bang's even if it really, really tastes good, when there's a lot of work to be done to avoid collateral damage. :)

Bric Floated!!!

This afternoon, after a full lunch, I wanted to move around just to shed off a few calories. I was thinking of walking outside to buy sweet corn for tonight's dinner. Before I was about to go out, I played with Bric. Then decided to take him for a swim. Melchor bought the corn for us. Hehe...

Bric changed into his trunks and we put on his floating vest. We dropped by our room to show Daddy Boydee while I changed to my swimsuit. I urged Boydee to at least watch Bric in the pool because it isn't often Boydee's here when Bric and I take a dip. I told Boydee he doesn't even have to swim, just watch. He said he'll follow. I took his word for it.

Bric and I went inside the pool. His floaters went up to his face. It was too big for him but he didn't mind. He kept on giggling and smiling. After a while, I decided to switch his vest to arm floaters. So Yaya Mila and I took his vest off and put on his Pooh arm floats. He loved it. It was then that we saw Daddy Boydee come up wearing his board shorts. Daddy was joining us!!! Yehay!!! I was sooo happy!!!

We played around in the water and Boydee held him. When I did one lap, he let go of Bric. And to my delight, he floated!!! On his own, and he was still smiling!!! He would spit the water out of his mouth or cough. But he was treading water and kicking and giggling and smiling and laughing. Oh what joy I felt! I was soo excited and proud! So was Yaya. She couldn't contain her excitement and took A LOT of pictures!

So today is a milestone for Bric. Our baby can float on his own without fear! My! Maybe I'll enroll him in swimming class. :)

Happy Easter

Just finished 'celebrating' easter with the family. Our Easter Egg Hunt started at 3:30pm. This year was different. Instead of the eggs all hidden in the garden and with a particular color assigned to each kid, Japa made it scavenger hunt style. That way, the kids had to work together. They still had assigned colors but they had to help each other. First was the sample egg with clues inside that would lead to the next 'eggciting' destination which was the garden. Other venues were the nursery, the living room, movie room, game room, chapel and swimming pool. The hunt left the kids temporarily eggshausted! Hehe... But the lootbags Lai, Rejy and I prepared were so well worth the effort (I think!). I, for one, enjoyed playing with Bric's toys. And I'm sure Yaya Mila and Yaya Sharlyn will have a field day eating Bric's candies. Hehehe... Rejy set up the photo corner and we had our usual pictorials before and after the hunt.

Dinner was Kamayan with an all Filipino menu consisting of JT's manok and liempo, Melinda's prawns sauteed in garlic, palabok and lechon sponsored by Tito Rey. Halo Halo was the only dessert for that night. When all the guests left, and the tables cleared, the kids, or was it Tita Zhar proposed to play sack race. All kids joined and the 'adults' did cameos. At first, the kids were grouped in 2 teams of threes. Then, Zhar and Lai challenged the winner. I had no choice but to join since it was women vs the kids. Embarrassingly, we lost. Couldn't believe how slow I was! Lai was fast but mid way she couldn't resist the urge to pee. That's the result of having 4 kids. Hahaha... Go figure! :) Zhar, well, Zhar didn't finish because she kept complaining that the sack wouldn't fit her. So much so that she actually fell! Hahaha... It was a fun 'first round'. The next round, our men challenged the kids. It was Rod, Rondic and Japa. My hubby sat beside Dad and kept him company. The men won. Third round, it was adults vs kids. We won!!! Whew... We, the women, redeemed ourselves. There were many rounds thereafter but it was just kids. We grown ups were too tired already. It's just great how our kids have so much energy!!! The momentum waned when Mommy Lai asked the kids to help look for her missing gem from her shoe. She promised to reward P50 to the kid who'd find it. None of the small kids could find it in the garden. By that time, all the action of the running races caught up with the kids so they decided to rest. I found Mommy Lai's Nine West gem in the living room floor. So I earned P50 for tonight. hahaha... After a while, it was home bound for the Gavinos and Dizons and Carbonells.

Now, Boydee and I are in our room waiting for Mom and Ate Rona to arrive from their brief France trip. Today was a fun day. It's supposed to be the biggest celebration of the Catholic Calendar but the preparation and the hype isn't as big as Christmas. But it doesn't matter. What's important is what happens inside each of us. For kids, Easter is cool because of the Easter egg hunt and the prizes. My Dad used to hide eggs in the garden too and we'd get P100 for each egg we'd find. As I grew up, I learned more about the significance of Easter. It is Jesus' resurrection. Today is the day Jesus conquered death and sin and rose to heaven. With His sacrifice, we are saved. We have hope of going to heaven, of living forever. Today, we rejoice and celebrate Christ's resurrection and our salvation. Today, we thank Jesus for making that ultimate sacrifice of giving up His life to save us from eternal damnation. We better make His sacrifice worth it by doing our part too. Happy Easter everyone!

Scraps, finally!

After a pretty extensive hiatus from digiscrapping, I've finally returned to creatively keeping memories through these scraps.

Some are old pictures of Bric, some new ones. Kits are freebies from ikeagoddess' finds. I have to thank all these wonderful designers who give their beautiful kits so generously. Their kits alone inspire me to scrap again. Well, here's what I've done so far.

BRIC'S 1ST EASTER
Credits: Kit: Shabby Princess' Promise Collection

BLADES OF GRASS
Papers: Landscapes by Fran
Kathy by CanDesigns
Elements: Flower doodles by SJWright
Sun and clouds by Foxy Designs
Chick and Tulip by Coralee Evans
Bird by Spring Caprice by Cinnamon Designs

CHILD OF NATURE
Credits: Just for You by New Life Dreams


BABY: GOD'S BLESSING
Credits: Scraplift from Miam Miam by Gwadatiti
Papers: Bluish by Fei Fei's Stuff

WE GOTTA WEAR SHADES
Credits: Papers: A Work in Progress by Vicki Parker
Polkadots Papers by D'nia Stella Acauan
Circle Tags from Jump Kit by Digitreats
Hand Cut Paper Alpha by Lili
Template 014 by MadeByMitzie

ON LOLO BOY'S LAP
Credits: Relax kit by Summer Driggs
Template 101 from Templates N More by Trish Heffner

So far, these are what I have. :) Hope I can scrap some more this Holy Week. It's Thursday night and we just went to 7 churches for the Bisita Iglesia and had early dinner at Gloria Maris Hotpot. Burp...

Precious Moments

There are those moments when you are just happy with the world... and content with your life. Moments when your heart is just exploding with overwhelming joy; or instances you want to capture in your mind and heart forever. Priceless moments. And yet they don't even cost a thing.

These moments are what makes life worthwhile. Moments like:
- an unexpected wet kiss from my darling hubby. Even after 3 years of marriage, this one still doesn't fail to give me butterflies in my tummy.
- Bric hanging on to me while taking our first shower together since he was a few months old. This happened today and he wasn't scared of the water drops anymore. In fact, he loved it!
- swimming or water time with Bric in the pool!
- my hiking sessions around La Vista with my party of 3 or 4 namely Yayas Mila and/or Sharlyn, Melchor, Rod or Oca... and of course, Bric on his stroller or in our arms.
- morning cuddling sessions with Boydee underneath the comforter. This is rated PG :) Just hugs and more hugs with a shower of butterfly kisses. :)
- Jesus time. There are times when even if the world outside is noisy, it is silent within me and it's just me and Jesus. There aren't even words in my thoughts. Just feelings in my heart which I know Jesus "reads". It's like lifting to Him my heart and knowing He knows what's in it.
- 'connections' with my family, individually or collectively - with Mommy Nonie, Ahia Jojo and Dhia Louie. Even if we talk on the phone, it's still different not being with them physically so I am just thankful that when we're together, the bond somehow is still there, or if not, we're rekindling them and building new memories especially with Ahia and his family whom we've missed for a couple of years.
- Daddy Boy's 'thank you's'
- Daddy Boy's big, big smile when he sees Bric. His face literally lights up and I'm just so thankful that our son is so loved by his Lolo Boy and that Bric can make him happy.
- bonding sessions with our family (the Dizons) who are like barkada: the sisterhood, the brotherhood, the parenthood... and all of us together!

Little Way

Therese's relics just left our country. She was here for 58 days travelling all over Luzon and Visayas, performing miracles, touching hearts, inspiring lives and renewing faith. To those whose lives she has affected, her relics may have left us but her spirit, her miracles and most especially her teachings will have definitely stayed.

I may not have been as attached to her Pilgrim Relics as the entourage was especially the likes of Mario, Allan and Oel, but in her own little way, she has reached out to me. I do not cry tears of joy because of enlightenment, nor tears of sadness because of her departure. What I have is a quiet, humble joy. Joy at understanding her little way to spiritual childhood and at the renewal of her doctrine of the little way.

LOVE. The past few days, especially when we were busy with the preparations of the relics' farewell, I would find myself doing 'manual' labor like making flaglets, staying up late at night for some last minute stuff, braving the dust and pollution at the shrine (due to construction) and going up and down the stairs in heels just to make sure everything went well and errands had been done. Ate Rona and Elizza had their share of crunch time as they painstakingly 'designed' the photo exhibit of the Philippine tour of the Relics. Boydee and Japa went beyond the call of duty just to ensure the success of the relics visit. Our staff worked hard, doing overtime, handling tempers of bosses who were tense and stressed of the job ahead. But we all pulled through and with smiling, happy faces. That's because Therese was working her way in us. We did it out of love - for her, for each other, for our company, for our work.

I adopted a work mantra some time last year: If it's worth doing, then it's worth doing well. Through St. Therese's teaching, I have added an 'ad lib' of this mantra. "And doing it out of LOVE."

Any little thing that you do out of love is "like a petal, a flower that you offer to the Lord," this is what St. Therese's Mom, Zelie, instilled in her. I will try my best to offer petals to God by doing things out of love. I hope I will not stray nor forget this resolve.

Sacrifice and Suffering. When I was in elementary, our Christian Education teacher told us about St. Therese's teaching: that of offering your suffering to the Lord. She said, if we had a tummy ache, for instance, to offer it to Jesus if we love Him. At that time, I couldn't understand why I would want to offer or give or pass on to Jesus my tummy ache, but I did it anyway because I loved Him. I was thinking what kind of gift am I giving Jesus and if there were a lot of people who had tummy aches and offered it to Jesus, how tough it must be for Jesus to be suffering for us. Would it mean that Jesus would forever have some kind of ache?!

For years, that's how I thought. Give your tummy ache to Jesus so it will go away. Give your head ache to Jesus. Offer it to the Lord. Would you believe that it is only now that I fully grasp the concept of "offering" our suffering to the Lord?!? (blush blush).

To offer it to the Lord isn't to give it to Him. It is to embrace the suffering that our aches and pain entail and give to Jesus our sacrifice for bearing the pain. We take and endure the pain and dedicate it for our petition - be it for conversion of sinners, salvation of souls, healing of a loved one, or peace in the family. The pain will not go away but it will have made the suffering worth it.

Anything done out of love is an offering to the Lord. Love. It is the most important thing of all.

God doesn't call all of us to be heroes, martyrs or missionaries. He has different plans for all of us. Our universal calling is to love.

Therese said, 'My vocation is LOVE.' So is ours. Any simple thing, done out of love. That is her little way. To love God with abandonment like a child totally dependent on his parent. To use every opportunity to praise God. To be humble, to be little, to be selfless.

This is her path to God. It may sound simple but it is hard. There will be temptations. It will be a struggle. But I will try to live her teachings.

St. Therese may not have performed a great miracle in my life. But she showed me, taught me, made me realize the child-like, relatively do-able and accessible way towards going to heaven. This young girl who became famous only after her death; who was proclaimed Doctor or an Authority of the church even when she didn't earn a degree in her life; whose life story and teachings reached the whole world even if she was a cloistered nun from 15 years old til her death at 24. She taught me this.

More than a hundred years after her death, she is still very much alive, working her miracles in our lives. Thank you St. Therese for visiting us and sharing your Little way.

Bric's Bag of Tricks

Bric is now One year and Three months old. He's growing up to be a big, happy, talkative, curious, smart, healthy and lovable boy! There's hardly a dull moment with him. He is just so full of energy. I am also very impressed at how fast he can pick up on things. Just for my remembrance (and his too), I'll be constantly updating my blog for the latest things Bric has learned and does.

At 1 year and 3 months, Bric:
- can get his diapers from the drawer so that he can change
- can get his shoes so that he can wear it
- knows how to "love"; he leans on you in a lambing manner
- waves Hi and Bye on his own. He waves to animate and inanimate persons, statues and posters with people.
- points at his ouchy if he has any and when we ask him to
- knows his nose
- loves to ride in his stroller and go walking around the village with Mommy
- looooves the water and swimming with Mommy
- calls "Dada" everytime he sees Daddy in pictures
- knows how to call Melinda "Da" and Mirafe "Pe"
- sits still and behaves well when he sits on Lolo Boy's lap while Lolo is on his wheelchair
- mimics us
- knows the animals dog, horse, cow, cat, bird, duck, pig and sheep
- doesn't cry during vaccinations and blood samples
- still knows 'nam nam' for eat and 'nana' for banana
- says 'no more' when things get 'lost' with matching twisting of hands
- likes Barney and music and songs
- loves to dance
- made a walk like Lolo Boy's walk (on his own!!!)
- loves to clap and be applauded (actually solicits applause!)
- pats himself when asked 'who's guapo?'
- pronounces dog 'doog'
- moves his forefinger when we say 'no' or 'hala ka'
- favorite words "nam nam", "baby", "mam"
- favorite food: pancit or any kind of noodle

Out Where the Action Is

We just got home from the Welcome Mass of the Miraculous Pilgrim Relics of St. Therese at her Shrine in Manlunas. Before that, we joined the Procession starting from the Barangay Hall towards her shrine.

It was well attended and joining it gave me an insight of the Filipino culture. We walked ahead of the Therese mobile with the Wang wangs, the Talulot Winners contingent with their festive drum beating and the pick up of GMA's Jessica Soho Reports (no, Jessica wasn't there, only her crew).

As we were walking, we distributed white and yellow flaglets to represent the colors of the Catholic Church. This was so that when the relics pass, the people would wave at her as a sign of our warm welcome.

As a group of children passed by me, I gave one of them a flaglet. All of a sudden, like piranhas eating their prey, my flaglets vanished in a second as the rest of the kids grabbed them from my grasp. A girl, perhaps around 10 years old, belonging to their group, asked if I had any more. I told her I had none anymore. She then curiously asked me what was happening. I told her the relics of St. Therese had arrived. She gave out a grin and said, "Oh I thought there was a fire!"

I guess we Filipinos always go where the action is. Just like a band of blind mice, we go where the tide takes us not knowing exactly where we're headed.

We also more than always are curious if there's anything happening. I remember when I was a kid. A factory that was several blocks away from the house was on fire. As if there was anything I could do to stop the fire, I still went out of our gate just to see what was going on.

Lastly, we are a festive people. If there is the slightest reason to go out and dance, we would. With the coming of the relics, people were out on the streets. They were standing with their candles and flaglets. The kids were shouting Viva St. Therese. The people were dancing to the beat of the talulot drummers. A group of kids even followed the GMA pick up just shouting, "GMA, GMA" (not the president, but the tv station).

It is all these characteristics and more that make our people unique; and make planning a procession easier. You just know our kababayans will not hesitate to stop what they're doing when they sense a commotion or a parade and come out in the streets. What more the coming of a great Saint as St. Therese?

Brainless Activities

The title should've read 'Brainless Activities but Enriching Nonetheless' but it would've been too long. I'm talking about what I do when I come home from work and stare in front of the computer. By then, Bric's already asleep and Boydee's already into his game, all attention on his PC.

Since I don't like lying on the bed by my lonesome, I try to extend my sleeping hours to coincide with Boydee's. Sometimes, it works; most times, I still end up going to bed ahead of him.

Ever since Ate Rona introduced this kuripot-digiscrapper's dream site 'scrapping with ikeagoddess', I've replaced playing Bejeweled 2 with downloading freebies found in this site. This is one of those brainless activities, a past time used to do exactly that - pass the time, but after all the downloading is done, I get folders of new kits and templates to work with when I'm in the mood for some 'brain-ful' activities.

Patience is needed though especially since downloading can be s-l-o-w because of the internet connection. But otherwise, it's a great past time when my brain is too drained from working or thinking; or if I find the allowable scrapping time is too bitin.

Dowloading songs from Limewire is also one of those activities; and surfing the web. Less brain activity is needed but it's still an enriching activity.

It's a great way to pass the time. For now, I am going to bed since my DH has decided to call it a night too!

Mom Shalene's Predicament

Once over a meal here in La Vista, Mom was getting worried about Dad's condition. It was one of Dad's lazier and weaker moments. Scared he might have problems with his swallowing again which might lead to pneumonia again, she encouraged him to exercise his throat muscle.

One of these exercises is to vocalize, or shout loud enough to feel a pull on your throat. Dad wouldn't do it. Mom turned her attention to Rod, Zhar and me since we were at the dinner table at that time. Nurses Mike and Eldon hovered over Dad and sweet talked him to at least try to vocalize. Finally, Dad gave in and gave out a loud 'Aahhh'.

Mom stopped talking to us and turned to him and said, "Sweetheart! Yan! Sige, one more time." Dad, for his part, turned towards her and immediately creased his brows with an irritated look directed right at her.

It's a great thing that Mom is already an expert at handling Dad and his mood swings. She calmly said to Dad that she won't make him kulit na lang.

Although it was a moment made light by Mom's humor and good nature, it could very well have been a cause for hurt and self pity for Mom. But she's much better than that. I know, though, that it can be very frustrating at times. I know that inside, she may also have her moments of getting hurt. So I salute her for her strength, courage and positive outlook. I also want to console her with this:

When I find Dad by his lonesome (well, with Mike and Eldon), I try to make small talk, just to try to put a smile on his face. Being so lousy at small talk, I really don't know what to talk about. I remember during the times when Dad was a little more agile and alert, we'd talk about family. So usually, now, I talk about the past, his past. And of course, being the romantic that I am, I always go back to Dad and Mom's love story, their early stories with their kids, their wedding. And that would always, always bring a smile to Dad's face. He would also start to talk a little more.

So, Mom, even if Dad creases his eyebrows at you a little more often these days, please know that when you're not looking, you're really the reason for making him smile.

Ang Mamatay Ng Dahil Sa 'Yo

Watched Rielle's play in Assumption (where she was simply GREAT as the Little Prince) this afternoon and as school programs go, the start of the show is always marked by the singing of our national anthem.

Our red-blue and white flag peeked out of the side door and the music of Lupang Hinirang began. As I stood there with my right hand over my heart singing the song, this feeling of sadness swept over me.

I felt sorry for the state our country is in. I feel disgusted at our leaders occupying the highest posts in our land. How can I be proud to sing of our country when we have the likes of GMA, FG, Ben Abalos and Mike Defensor as our so-called caretakers? When the so-called truth is twisted to cover lies and robbery? When the likes of Jun Lozada who show love for his adopted homeland are condemned for exposing corruption? How can I pledge loyalty to a country whose AFP and PNP leaders serve and protect the highest bidder and not the common people and whose loyalty is for sale? How can people who call themselves Filipinos, who proudly call on the name of God and their Catholic faith, lie in front of everyone just to save the skin of the principal that they serve? How many souls will be sold to the devil just to dispute the truth and protect the erring powers that be?

As I was beginning to get teary eyed, I stopped myself. The flag and our song have withstood the tests of time. It stands, not just for the Philippines now or the leaders of today. It stands for our forefathers who fought against colonialism, tyranny, oppression and suppression of our freedom. Our flag and song stands for our country, and its people in general, not just of a chosen few. GMA is but a tiny speck of our country being the current leader. But she isn't the Philippines. She doesn't stand for the flag nor our song.

Gloria and her minions are the dominant ones now but they won't be there forever. Just like our heroes, they will be a thing of the past. But unlike our heroes whose lives will always be an inspiration to the future generations, our leaders of today will be an example of how power corrupts and how power can be abused. That perhaps is how Gloria will want to be remembered.

Our flag will stand and for as long as there is a thing called time, there will always be change and with that comes hope. I know things will only get better IF we just pray. I do not see myself standing in the streets of Makati asking GMA to resign. I will be the silent majority, but my prayers to God to save our country won't be silent. It is because of my love and pride of my Flag, my anthem, my being Filipino that pushes me to pray for our beloved Philippines and hope for better things to come. I will do my own part in making it happen.

I sang the final verses of the song a little more loudly. I sang for our country, its history, the land where I call home.

Relieving Trip to the Doctor

Our baby has been sick since Saturday night and just yesterday, his fever went up to 39.1C. Now that got me freaked out. I couldn't think well enough to make our agenda for our meeting with our staff. When I called Mila after a few hours, his fever had subsided but was still higher than normal.

After researching on the internet about dengue symptoms and soliciting comfort from my sisters, Ate Rona and Elizza, I finally decided to focus on getting some work done. I invited Lai to sit in with the Commissions Staff meeting to know and evaluate the workflow. I guess she got kinda bored, I'd see her turning her ballpen around her fingers... and a blank notebook in front of her. Hehehe... Nevertheless, I have to thank her for bearing with me. Hehehe... But I think we accomplished something. :)

When I got home, played with Bric for a while and then he was off to sleep.

The past 2 nights, I'd bring him on our bed in between Boydee and myself while he's fast asleep. Last night, I cradled him in my arms, both of us lying down.

Today was the visit to Tita Doc. Findings after CBC platelet count: it's not dengue (whew!). He's got a lot of phlegm inside that's probably causing the fever. He is now on antibiotics.

Met Ate at the doctor since Rainey had stiff neck. Poor girl! After the doctor, we dropped Bric home and proceeded to buy medicine at Mercury and grocery shopping at Rustan's.

Had a massage by Mang Romy and feeling kinda rejuvenated and sleepy at the same time. So, while waiting for sleep to conquer me, I'm downloading songs of my childhood from limewire and updating (sort of) my blog. :)

Powerpuff Girls

This day started and semi ended with the Sisterhood doing official work. Yup... you read it. The three of us girls went from the site to the MVC office all in the name of work. Of course, we never miss out on the lunch break which today was CPK, the occasional office of Ate Rona and Lai.

We all woke up at varying times within the hour of 7 to 8am. Then, I picked Ate then Lai then off we went to the Site Office. Meeting, meeting, meeting for Treasury flow. There were times our brains weren't absorbing anything anymore but fortunately, we accomplished what we set out to do. Hopefully we ironed out the kinks especially where the site is concerned.

Then it was time for lunch to recharge our energies and brain cells. We had Waldorf Salad, 5 cheese pizza, Creamy Garlic shrimp spaghetti (this was yummeeee!!!) and Portobello Mushroom Ravioli. I think we overcharged our batteries... we were all kinda sleepy after. Hehehe...

At 2pm, we were in our office. This time around, our queen mother joined us :) Again, meeting, meeting, meeting. Miraculously, we were done by 5:30pm. All of us went home together again with Manuel.

So ends another episode of the Powerpuff girls. Hehehehe... It's three times the fun when we're three-gether. So even if we're doing heavy thinking work, we never fail to insert fun, laughter and ka-kengkoyan. What's more, we still get things done. Right sisterhood?

More episodes to come... perhaps Stella and Zhar would be able to join us! Looking forward to it! :)

No Shame

Jun Lozada, star witness to the NBN-ZTE deal, has been on TV since he came back from Hong Kong and ever since he decided to tell the truth to the public, he has become an overnight star. He is the modern day David fighting the corrupt, power-hungry, money-driven Goliath that is the Arroyo government.

His credibility is being destroyed by the very people he used to work with and whose reputation he initially tried to protect. What lies they can concoct about him, I believe in his sincerity and the truth that he is saying.

Here is a man plucked out from obscurity but became high profile because he was caught in the crossfire of people who wanted to milk this country dry just to enrich their pockets. When is enough money and power enough? Now, FG, no stranger to controversy, has involved innocent, well meaning, sincere civil servants, country -loving individuals hoping they will be motivated and swayed by the weapons and temptations such as 'greed', 'power', 'influence', 'stature', 'money' and 'fame'. The 'tempted' get tempted and sell their soul; if they say no, their life and their name are destroyed.

When will the seemingly decent people like Ignacio Bunye, Romy Neri stop telling lies to cover up for this government? When will the other people who are supposedly in service start serving the people, the common good instead of serving just the President or the First Gentlemen? When will the wheels of justice turn for those who are in the echelons of selfish power?

For now, I sit and wait til 2010 and pray we will be given a better choice for a leader. I pray that our nation will still have hope through its leaders. I pray the future leaders will be strong enough to stop the bureaucracy and the corruption instead of joining the fray. I pray there will be more Jun Lozadas who will speak up and expose the evils of this government, not for political motives but simply because they want the truth out and want change. And lastly, I pray for Jun Lozada, for his protection and the safety of his family. His act, his sacrifice shouldn't be ridiculed or put under scrutiny. Rather, it should be lauded and hopefully it will inspire. May his tribe increase!

My Lenten Sacrifice

Lent came early this year with Ash Wednesday falling on February 6. Father Benny in his homily said Lent should be a time of prayer, sacrifice and giving.

I've decided to give up pork and beef. In addition to that, I will try to get on the treadmill at least 3 times a week. These 'sacrifices' are kinda selfish in motive because they'll also help me lose weight. But as St. Therese said, any little thing if done with love is already an offering to Jesus.

Temptations may abound but with God as motivation, I'll really really try not to give in.

As for charity, I'm looking for a Mother Teresa center here that helps the less fortunate children. Mother Teresa because it was she who enlightened Boydee when we were undecided on River's fate. Hope someone can give me leads as to where to find that center.

It's 40 more days to go but my sacrifice is nothing compared to what Jesus had to go through. Maybe I'll add more daily offerings as much as I can. All for Jesus. All for the conversion of sinners and the salvation of souls.