chokies from sweecherland

lolo was in town last week. he's one sweet lolo. he came bearing wonderful choco presents from sweecherland. the chocolates came from our inay and lolo.

such sweet colleagues! such sweet chocos! :)

project 365 - day 26 - bahaghari!

for the sake of the beauty of the rainbow in this picture, i'm pretending i'm in a good mood at this moment.

we were off to another house viewing earlier today when we spotted this beautiful rainbow. it was drizzling and we were walking near pasir ris mrt when we saw it. the last time i saw a rainbow was around a year ago. so rarely does a rainbow appear that i sometimes think it's a mythical thing :) whenever i see one, i still imagine that there's a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. and i imagine rainbow brite riding a pony and finding the pot of gold. only, the pot of gold is a cartoon too. it follows since rainbow brite is a cartoon hehehe.

btw, the house viewing didn't go well. getting tired of the house-hunting routine. hope we find a good place soon.

there goes my balat-kayo happy post. i hope i did a good job. good night.

project 365 - day 25 - earth hour (not)

there's no earth hour on this nook of the earth :( look at all those lights!

we were very eager to participate in the earth hour. 8pm -> we had dinner at home. 8:30 -> we turned off all the lights and headed to the pool area. and this is what we saw :( all lights were ablaze! there were a number of units with no lights but we're not sure if they participated or if the owners were just away from home.

i love how manila participates so dramatically for this event. i remember seeing a lot of videos from last year where the filipinos creatively showed their support! mall parking lots were lined with candles - so nice! today, i saw a friend's tweet saying there were fire dancers inside SM southmall to entertain the people in the darkness! how lovely!

i wish people here have that eagerness too. i wish we "celebrate" a weekly or even a daily earth hour! imagine all the quiet hours you could spend with your loved ones! well, our hour wasn't wisely spent today because we didn't really talk. kuya was playing with keyla. april, tita, and i were having quality time with our cellphones. blah.

in the following little gestures, maybe i somehow ease mommy nature's pain:

• as much as i can, i try to avoid using straw in drinking. i learned this trick from daphne osena and i agree. we don't really need straw :)
• say no to plastic bags when purchasing small items. i have eco bags but i haven't been faithful in bringing and using them. overall, i am still dependent on plastic bags but i try to decline whenever possible.
• reuse resealable plastic bags

omg, that's it! just 3? aww. i'm still guilty of not being very vigilant and conservative in terms of energy and water consumption. :(

PS: this could pass for an earth hour picture. :)

project 365 - day 24 - pakikay

this pic was taken last night while we were watching american idol. keyla's so funny. if she sees you wearing her clip, she'll snatch it from you. if she sees you wearing her shades, she'll take it from you. she ended up wearing everthing!

she's learning so many things now! she can stand for about half a minute, she can walk 2 steps so far. then she realizes she's not holding on to anything, gets scared, and sits down. oh, and that pa-bubbles-gamit-laway thing is so kadiri but because it's keyla, it's the cutest thing hahaha!

you rock, keyla!

project 365 - day 23 - ewness

ok, so i'm cheating on my project 365. i'm not posting on some days and i'm double posting today. hehe.

but i really, really have to show this one 'cause it's so kadiri. i found tons of dirt inside my keyboard at the office. i always see some dirt inside but i never knew there was this much dirt! and it's not even all of it! i frantically shook my keyboard and all the dirt and hair started to fall. i stopped shaking after a few minutes because i looked too weird doing it.

where did all the dirt come from? i doubt those strands of hair are mine because the last time i checked, my hair length > 6 inches. hehehe. there are food stuff, dust, and who knows what in there! yak. maybe tomorrow i'll do the shake thing again. good luck to me! goodbye to the dirt!

project 365 - day 22 - amber, purple, and blue

on our way to our house viewing earlier today:

the sky was captivating!

the photo didn't give justice to the majestic scene

the way i see it...

amber - like a glowing fire, the sun mightily displays its last moments of splendor

purple - somewhere in between of day and night, not loud, not serene

blue - the night finally winning the battle, not exactly dark, more of peaceful

so much drama in one spot!

amazing to think that despite the chaos all over the world

there are still moments when you can hold your breath and be still

so the world is ending as others negatively see it

forget about everything and just marvel at life's little miracles

live life to the fullest everyday! (talking to self)

who knows, the pessimists are right, but you can't go wrong if you appreciate the tiniest wonders everyday

xox love love xox

project 365 - day 21 - a love worth giving

jan is one of the most generous persons i know. she's currently reading "a love worth giving" by max lucado. she raves about it everyday. since she likes it so much, she bought another copy and gave it to me. awww. i haven't started reading it yet but i'm excited!

at the back of the book, it says: "loving people isn't easy" -- indeed! i could think of a couple of acquaintances now and i could say that i don't love them. i may even hate them at times. :)) or let's just say i find it difficult to like them. they may feel the same way about me, for all i know! hahaha! it's more of an "internal" dislike because i usually try my best to not show it.

oh, the hubby thing is another issue. i am still guilty of sleeping with unresolved grudges. while mike forgives so easily, i feel i need x number of hours before i feel ok and say, "ok, we're ok." until then, don't talk to me, i won't talk to you, i will keep on insisting that nothing is wrong even if you ask - which is bad. i know. but i find it really hard. as in. i'm not saying it's right. i just find it hard to be ok when i'm not ok. i'll learn the art of fixing-what-needs-to-be-fixed-before-the-day-ends. i promise i'll practice.

reading the book soon! thanks to jan for the gift of good vibes! i'm a bad girl and i want to be a better person. hahaha!

project 365 - day 20 - move it

ok, it's not a magic wand. it's kuya's new toy and nakiki-toy ako. :) it's ps move and it does make you move! on the tv reflection, kuya's holding the pink wand i'm holding the blue one. i'm not a fan of gaming gadgets but i've tried wii once or twice and it's great! turns out, ps move is ps's wii. haha. labo.

we tried the table tennis game and it's hilarious, fun, and lively! i know we looked like fools because we have a glass wall and people outside could actually see us and all our damoves. but who cares?! it's 100% fun and 100% workout plus ipit sa ugat and punit sa maskels na bonus! san ka pa?

kuya also tried the archery game. ok, hindi ko kakayanin itong game na 'to. kakaiba sya hahaha. you hold 2 wands and monstra monstra ang moves ng archery. yes, even when you pick up the arrows from your backpack, i-mo-move mo. too funny!

we agreed to play every night :) let's see how long this gaga-ness will last. hahaha.

project 365 - day 19 - now what?

ok, so i now have my exercise mat. interested in trying yoga.

ok, so i now have a book about making earrings. borrowed it from the library. and sunshine taught me where to buy the epektos.

ok, so i also really, really want to try knitting. and sunshine also taught me where to buy the knitting stuff.

now what?

project 365 - day 18 - slumber!

the baby girl in deep sleep! i love it how she sleeps this way. dapa kung dapa! pati muka nakadapa susme. pano na ang ilong? :p

sleep peacefully, dear baby! mwah!

project 365 - day 17 - yours and mine

this is how my towel rack will look like in a few more weeks.

naks.

parang pang may-asawa na a.

thanks to ate a for the gift. i just washed them :)

for now, balik cabinet muna kayo, dear towels.

babush.

meme na.

project 365 - day 16 - tweets to @God

dear God,

please be advised that i created you a twitter account #manual_nga_lang

your timeline is the fancy glass bowl #candle_holder_from_ikea

last night, i sent you 5 tweets #pls_see_inside_bowl

wow! you have 4 new tweets! #pls_see_outside_bowl

love,

me

project 365 - day 15 - hanggang sa muli, donya guada

i've been working overseas for almost 4 years now. i don't know why we still cry each time we say goodbye. mike said that the setting in their house is very different when somebody has to leave. it's very casual, like they'll see each other again after a few hours. for the camachos, it's drama rama sa hapon.

donya guada stayed here for 2 months to take care of the baby girl. the original plan was wawin and donya guada will be here for only a month and somebody will replace them in taking care of keyla. as nobody else could go here by the time they had to go, donya guada had to extend her stay for another month. wawin went home just in time for his birthday. donya guada and i sent him off and we both cried like we won't see each other again.

our days are extra crazy when donya guada is around. we talk about everything grand and silly. her laughter is contagious. we gossip. we look at FB posts. she cooks very well - and she recycles food so good it doesn't even taste like tira-tira. she has the best diskarte in town. when we get home, she tells us her yaya tales in an oh-so-animated manner. she is the best.

this is a picture of us in our last hawker lunch today. see her hair is all white now. she said she won't dye her hair anymore so people would stop commenting, "para mo lang anak si keyla" on her FB. hehehe.

sa paglisan ni donya guada, bumaha na naman ang mga luha. 'di ko na alam kung bakit ganun pa rin kami ka-emotional. si kuya man, lumuha rin daw sa airport. kaya nga ba't hindi na ako sumama sa airport. magmumuka lang akong batang inagawan ng lobo :(

at upang hindi ko masyadong maramdaman ang lungkot paglisan nila, inalagaan ko si keyla, naglinis ako ng bahay nang bonggang bongga. nagluto ako ng paksiw. nagluto ako ng pesang isda. nagluto ako ng manok na pang chicken sandwich. nakalimutan kong malungkot ako. nakatulong.

ngayong bago ako matulog, humupa na ang adrenaline. napagod ako. masakit na ang likod ko kakatrabaho. naalala ko na namang malungkot ako dahil umuwi na si donya guada. minessage ko sya sa FB. sinabi kong regret kong hindi ko sya hinug ng mas matagal dahil matagal na naman kaming hindi magkikita. hay. ang tahimik ng bahay. umuwi na si donya guada.

project 365 - day 14 - one little candle

lighting a little candle for the earth... if earth is our mother, she would be a battered, abused, torn, old woman. she has cared for all the races throughout the ages and we just go on pretending that she can sustain us forever.

lighting a little candle for all the victims in japan: dead or alive. those who survived need a great deal of strength to start over again. those who died are probably still lost souls. i wouldn't know for certain though.

project 365 - day 13 - pambayad

during our honeymoon in boracay, mike borrowed his papa's digicam - a sony w370. i could tell my father-in-law (sometimes it still feels weird to say that i have a father-in-law and a mother-in-law now) fancies the cam so much as it has a panorama shot, and a high pixel pixel chuva.

so the unthinkable happens during the honeymoon - we broke the camera! wow! how do you break a camera during your honeymoon? simple: take it by the poolside, don't bring a tripod. instead, put it carelessly on a beach table, set the timer, run, and pose like crazy. voila! the camera will fall lens first. it's like suicide and you fall head first. no escaping death that way. we both stared in shock and the first image that flashed in my mind was papa's face and how happy he is when moments are captured by THAT camera. i am a firm believer of miracles and so we still tried to turn it on. uh oh. lens won't retract.

ok, miracles are out of the question. maybe we could try luck? yup, we resorted to luck and looked for a camera repair shop in boracay. luck leaned on our side as we saw a shop and they guaranteed that they can make it work. it was a mere taste test of luck because when we got back the next day, they told us the bad news that they can't fix it.

with heavy hearts, we tried to delay the revelation of the bad news. christmas passed and we were using my own digicam to take pictures. papa wasn't suspicious so all was well. we were the most unfortunate newly weds, i should say. even the sony service center can't help that much. the lens will have to be replaced and the cost is almost the same when you buy a new unit.

we finally had to break the news on the eve of new year. we can't keep on carrying this burden forever. we chose to tell mama. mike said we could leave the pacifying-papa part to mama. mama is ever gracious and took the news well. no questions asked, no scolding, just love :)

up to this day, we never asked mama how she told papa. we just left her with the promise of replacing the camera as soon as we can. and today is the historical day of the IT show. the moment i've been waiting for :) sweet.

i bought a different model, w510. i really, really think that it's a good deal at 199 SGD. freebies include 2 mem sticks, a mini tripod, a cam case, an extra battery. what more can we ask for? life is sweet. dear papa, your camera is coming soon. with the panorama and the high pixel pixel chuva. yay! oh, and sorry for the broken cam... it broke during our honeymoon.

project 365 - day 11 - 17th

view from the pantry on the 17th floor. i don't know what's in that pantry that makes me feel gloomy. must be the tinted glass walls... must be the heights... must be the far-far-away and up-up-there aura. must be the anap people na naninitsit kapag nagkakatuwaan at nagkakatawanan kayo sa pantry.

we heard some news last week that we'll be deported back to the 6th floor. something to look forward to! :) i can't wait!

project 365 - day 10 - my mood today

project 365 - day 9 - pampabyowti ng balat

today is gala day with the mommy, with the brother, with the sis-in-law, and with the baby. it's time to say goodbye to the mommy next week so we bought some pasalubongs. isama na rin natin ang pagbili ng mga pansariling pangkolorete.

i labeled the pic for easier illustration. may ganyan?!

sa larangan ng makeup, i'm a loser. hahaha! i'm not sure why, but when i've had a few attempts of applying eye makeup, my brothers said i looked like an aswang. totally absurd. i follow the online tutorials as best as i can, i swear! but i still end up looking like an egyptian. lipstick? they make my lips makunat and i end up having dark and cracked lips.

so i end up applying only the following: face powder, cheek blusher, and lip balm (sometimes). at bago pa man ako makasakay ng bus, most likely e nabura ko na ng panyo ko because i always feel i have too much makeup on.

oh well. halos mag-iisang taon na ang luma kong mekup. old powder is maybelline - i think the shade is too light for my skin color. old blush is revlon - i think the shade is too pinkish for my skin color. but i use them anyway... sayang naman. hetonga't malapit nang maubos. goodie :)

the new powder is... ehem, pigeon baby powder hahaha. i know, i know... but i just love the cute powder case :) the new blush is some shade from body shop. wow ang specific :))) i tried them on when we got home. e ano bang masasabi ko? parang ok naman hahaha ewan ko lang sa paningin ng iba.

bonus treat: kodomo lotion powder. kakaintriga what this is so we bought it. when i tried it tonight, it felt so right. naks. lotion sya pero once it dried, it felt like you applied baby powder on your skin! love it! i love the powder scent too!

notice how i say pampabyowti ng balat (lang). all of these are superficial. it can only temporarily improve the appearance somehow. i wish there are internal beautifiers too! wouldn't it be nice? :)

project 365 - day 8 - baby babble

the little girl watches her baby babble video. her parents borrowed the dvd from the library yesterday. i could tell she loves it. she's very attentive but she doesn't make attempts to repeat the babbles that she hears. not yet. take your time, little girl. :) she also smiles shyly when she sees something she likes.

she's a big girl now. take your time, little girl. i love you! :)

project 365 - day 7 - sunshine

friday is lunch out day! we went to lau pa sat today and i got me this yummy corned beef meal at tapa king. i had an interesting learning today.

auntie: how you want egg ah? sunshine? well done?

me: huh? yes, auntie sunshine well done.

auntie: so how? sunshine? well done?

me: yes.

wow! kung masasandok lang siguro ako ni auntie ng sandok nya, sinandok na nya ako. fine. she pointed at sunny-side-up egg.

auntie: like this ah?

me: aaah! yes yes! sunshine!

so sunshine = sunny-side up!

so well-done = sunny-side up na ini-scramble ang yolk!

we learn new things everyday. sometimes you learn it the easy way, sometimes being hit by a sandok is the price. learning isn't cheap.

here it is, my corned beef meal with my sunshine egg :) love it!