the little children

saw this group of kids one morning while jan and i were buying our daily serving of taho.

they look so cute: holding hands with their partners so they won't get lost. listening to teacher's instructions while walking.

they may be little but they are great! all children are :)

QT

call it quality time
call it multi-tasking

this is us video chatting
this is us checking out our phone apps
this is us umaarte

cut! hehehe

baging

i love it how keyla plays with my hair.

yup, i know my hair is dirty.

and she shouldn't play with it

'cause she'll put her hands in her mouth later.

but she'll grow up soon

by then she'll be less fascinated with small, silly stuff.

life my hair!

keep the fascination alive, baby girl!

you'll grow up soon :(

attentive

i love it how keyla listens to every word i say when i talk to her.

as if she understands

as if she digests and processes the words

as if she's ready to fight the world equipped with what she was just taught

as if!

grow up to be a good listener, baby girl!

grow up to be a good learner, baby girl!

not so much with the academics, but with things that really matter in life :)

lechon?

i love it how keyla wraps her legs around the arm of the person feeding her.

we have no idea why she does that.

"you are not going anywhere! i need my dede!"

baby, don't do that so much... you look like a lechon.

but a very cute lechon! :)))

hold me now

i love it that keyla now knows how to hold her bottle (sometimes).

she now knows that if she kept the bottle still, it will give her what she wants.

she has these pink bottle handles and those are so useful!

sometimes, she accidentally pulls the bottle out of her mouth.

and she attempts to bring it back.

only, the bottle goes straight to her nose or to her eyes!

almost there, baby girl!

you are growing too fast.

love ko to

we were so happy with don m's birthday surprise party at kbox that we didn't want the night to end. as in! we were possessed - not with evil spirits. we were intoxicated - not with alcohol. we were high - not with drugs. nothing worldly, only good company and laughter. and it was enough to keep us happy for how many hours.

from kallang, we wanted to do something different and bold. take note: it was past 10pm then. we thought of going to the night safari, sentosa beach bars, or sentosa bonfire, or go to a cozy hotel and have coffee and lots of talk. we ended up going to fort canning park! we didn't find any tambay spots there but, believe it or not, we hiked at fort canning part at the wee hours of the night! we didn't have anything but our funny remarks. wala kaming napala. we kept on searching for this bar but we didn't find it. in the end, nauwi rin kami sa...

kallang leisure park where there's mc do 24 hrs! sinapian talaga?

so there we were, we ordered coffee and chocolate drinks courtesy of don m.

here's my choco cup! i love how it smiled back at me. it almost hurt me to consume the happy face... but that's life. he had to go.

and a thousand and one fries! masarap bagong luto.

we stayed there until around 5am! we were just telling stories, funny ones and serious ones. i will never understand why we always choose to "stay together" for soooo long every time we meet. misteryong malupit... bizarre... pero masaya kami :) all the time!

kbox parteh parteh ni marco

noong lumipas na kaarawan ni don marco (sya kasi ang pinakamayaman sa aming samahan), naisip naming sorpresahin sya ng salu-salong may kantahan. bakit kamo? dahil mahilig syang kumanta. yun lang hehe. naisip din naming maging sporty sporty tulad ng swimming, bowling, dahil mahilig din sya dyan. pero pilay si mike kaya kantahang walang patid ang nagwagi. di na rin kailangan mag-abalang magluto dahil may kainang wantusawa! so solved na ang mga chikiting.

magaling si anne. nadala nya si marco sa kbox sa kallang leisure park. sa kabila ng pagsusungit ng matandang, mayamang, matagal pang mamatay na si don m, nasorpresa naman sya :)

heto't masdan ang sampol sampol ng mga pagkain galing sa buffet. ok na. masarap naman at nakakabusog. maki lang ang napicturan ko pero kumpleto naman mula pampagana hanggang disyerto (wow disyerto ang tagalog ng dessert? hahaha nabuhangin lang). busog ang lahat sa pagkain at inumin.

'di lang sa pagkain busog ang mga bagets, pati sa kantahan. ay! wag ka, walang nota at letrang pinalagpas. sulit na sulit ang bayad namin! ayos kasi may mga opm! galing talaga. enjoy. patok ang lady gaga songs lalo kay mike!

so... happy ang lahat! sayang hindi nakapunta yung iba pero masaya pa rin naman :) sa sobrang saya, mistulang buntis ako sa picture. asus!

maligayang bati, don m! iba ka!

australian tea

my favorite dev manager was here last week with his wife. they had a holiday in australia and on their way home to switzerland, they dropped by sunny singapore. i was really excited to see them because his soul is one of the gentlest souls i've ever met. i call him "marco the great".

he never raises his voice no matter how ugly the project situation may be. "we do our best" - this is what he always says and i love that line. it invites no further arguments or questions. he values and respects every member of the team and so he unknowingly and indirectly earns respect as well.

when i had to move to a different project, i was devastated because i love this project in the same way that i love working with the team members... but nothing is ever permanent.

marco and his wife, bea, are so perfect as a couple. they have been married for so long but they are still being mistaken as honeymooners :) how lovely. bea doesn't know that much english. during our dinner, marco was bea's translator. how sweet. :) if i could, i'll get them as ninong and ninang hahaha!

was a good night. they had many stories to tell from their australia adventures, cultural differences, and a lot more other wonderful stuff. that plus this australian tea as keepsakes. wonderful couple. lovely souls.

back on track

i was so tamad today so i decided to go for a quick run para mabuhay naman ang dugo. i haven't done this for sooooo long.

wow pati pag jog may picture :p

so nice the afternoon skies :) these lovely sights one won't see on a treadmill :)

i'm not getting any younger. i know i owe my body so much for not exercising for a very long time. too much work :( if only i could make a dedication to jog for at least 30 mins a day, it would be perfect. the more stressed you are at work, the more you need to exercise!

note: after this run, i bought ruffles cheddar and sour cream and regular coke and i devoured on them! what a life! :) life's little rewards. ah, eh... hello? :) how lame.

keyla's first habanyas

during our first singapore trip (dec 2006), we asked cecil what she wants for pasalubong. she excitedly exclaimed, "habanyas ate!" mommy and i were clueless and speechless for a few minutes until we finally figured out she was referring to havaianas!

wow chochal! from then on, we also call havaianas "habanyas". and no, we didn't get her havaianas for pasalubong :p

lookie look! here is keyla's first pair of habanyas! so cute! it's still a bit big for her and it's not as if she could walk already! so it's just a porma pair. hahaha!

leche flan frenzy

last weekend, we attended 2 birthday partehs and our toka was leche flan. i only have 3 lyaneras so to make 9 leche flans, i had to make 3 batches. boy, i was so tired. i will not be in the mood to make leche flan in the next 20 years! i just found this recipe on the internet. nothing fancy but i think it's pwede na :) super daling gawin. 3 batches - ibang storya yan harharhar!

10 egg yolks

1 can condensed milk

1 big can evaporated milk

for the caramel:

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup water

1. to make the caramel, combine water and sugar. bring to a boil until it caramelizes.

2. pour the caramel into lyaneras.

lesson learned: i feel this is a better technique --> instead of adding water and caramelizing in a pot, use only sugar. put in lyaneras and "burn" the sugar by putting the lyaneras over fire - this one's faster! i'll do this next time :)

3. mix the egg yolks, condensed milk, evaporated milk. beat until well blended. pour into the lyanera with caramel. steam for about 20 minutes. you'll know it's done if you pierce it with a knife and the knife comes out clean!

my lola floring (bless her) used katya to filter any impurities but i haven't tried this yet - thus all the impurities! hahaha!

and finally!!!!! here's the finished product:

acheche! walang pic :) hehehe. well, you know what a leche flan looks like :p that's all folks!

breakfast meal

yummy breakfast one weekend. ikea hotdog and fried rice (c/o tita) and cadburry choco drink.

effective si teh

last week, i've seen a lot of twitter posts mentioning angel aquino's superb acting on magkaribal. i searched for the episode online and she was great indeed! parang sya ang favorite ko sa magkaribal hehe ;) kahit hindi ako nanonood ng magkaribal (idol lang ang pinapanood ko), like ko sya!

toma tayo!

last friday, we had that fine hoegaarden beer. today, i found some milk in the ref and so i'm in my wholesome mode today. cold glass of melk. :) and now i'm getting sleepy.

tao everywhere

IT fair na naman! look at all these people! crowded na naman sa suntec kanina. good for them at may pangbili sila :) hehehe.

this was at the city hall escalator. see that crowd? ano kayang bibilhin nila pagdating nila sa IT fair? i took this pic and totally forgot that my phone has a flash now. dyahe! nag flash sa harap ng madlang people. as if they care naman e no? :) ummm, parang ang subject ko ay ang curly hair ni ate. pasensya.

sizzling sizzler

jan and i were having a late lunch at kfc last week. in the middle of an umaatikabong chika, i accidentally glanced at this resto, sizzler, just across kfc. i told her that we should try to eat there one friday. apparently, marco recommended this to her and it's A-ok daw.

friday's here! susme parang pang date naman ang ambiance hahaha! the lunch meals include the salad buffet, soft serve buffet (we assumed this is all about ice cream!), and drinks. i ordered sirloin steak. while waiting for our meal, we tried the salad buffet. my my! it was superb! so many choices! i didn't get too much to save some room for my tipak ng karne. i didn't take a pic of my salad plate. it didn't look as appealing as it tasted. :p

i know i'm not a fan of sirloin but i wasn't in the mood for fish today. it was the only thing that looked good. this time around, it didn't taste as appealing as it seemed. hahaha! so-so. remind me never to take sirloin again. the gravy was groovy though. groovy gravy :) baked potato was fine, but a bit too buttery.

i spotted these lucky me pancit canton look-alike pasta. i've been craving for lucky me for the longest time so i thought i'll have it with my dessert. impostor! it didn't taste anything like lucky me at all :)) it tasted like sesame oil (lang). eek. at least dessert was lovely too. :) this is choco ice cream with sprinklers on top, with yoghurt ice cream at the bottom. hehe. love love :)

mental note: next time, don't get a main course. the salad is hearty enough! tastes even better :) healthier pa. san ka pa? o ha?!

combo breakfast meal

it's almost the time of the month. kasabay ng pagwiweird ng mood ko ay ang pagwiweird din ng panlasa ko. to add flavor to my usual taho breakfast, i pigged on these heavenly ruffles cheddar and sour cream chips. whoever invented this flavor is a genius. it's the best i've tasted! perfect combination with my tahoe!

trinkets

well, not really :)

look at these lovely "toys" :)

1. the red giraffe was a christmas present from the kind-hearted dev boys at work. bless them. imagine, they don't event celebrate christmas and yet they gave me and jan christmas presents! i can't remember if we named the twin giraffes amal and amor. hehe.

2. the plant was given by janise when i was low-spirited. for this reason, i named it hope. yup, i hate how it is associated with the belo girl but i can't think of a name that would better describe it. it gave me hope. yesterday, i saw a yellow leaf and i plucked it. i called it white hair. hehe. one day, i'll have my first white hair. i won't pluck it. i promise.

3. the silver/gold thing pinned on the wall is a doll made by one of the dev boys. he made it out of chocolate wrappers. cute :) such a waste to throw it away so i pinned it :) nice no? i haven't named it yet. maybe i'll name it guoya guinto. :)

hanky story number two

this one's from mikey too. let me relay why it's all crumpled and why it's on a tissue paper.

here in sg, people use tissue packs to "reserve" or "save" tables in food courts. apparently, as you will learn later, they don't consider hankies as valid "reservations"!

jan and i went to food republic for lunch one day and we luckily found one free table. we reserved it using my hanky and off we went to buy our food. after a few minutes, we were devastated to find that our table was occupied. what's worse is, my hanky's gone! war mode, jan said, "we left a hanky to reserve this table." the local girl was a warrior herself :p "but there's no hanky here!"

enough said, we walked away and looked for a new table. i was determined to get my hanky back! we waited for auntie table-cleaner and asked her if she saw my hanky by any chance. she said her colleague found it and kept it. she looked for him (an uncle) and presto, he returned my hanky. he got the hanky from his pocket and handed it to me. me = extremely happy.

however, i didn't know what happened to my hanky from the time i left it on the table to the time it was handed back to me. i didn't intend to use it anymore for that day so i turned it inside-out and planned to just keep it in my bag. hola hola hola! when i opened it, something wet and slimy was there! wasn't that much though. hahaha! uncle must have colds :p

if it's just a regular hanky, i would have thrown it, but it isn't and it's a gift. so i just wrapped it in a tissue paper. aha, and now it's all clean and washed up! enough said. wet and slimy.

hoegaarden night

last night, kuya asked if we wanted beer. i have a mild headache and figured that it will be a good way to conclude the night. pampahimbing-tulog! so i said yes. they got back with 2 packs of beer and some chips.

the bottle says hoegaarden. it was good! beer minus the bitterness. in fact it somehow tastes like juice :p kuya said lakas-tama daw itong beer na ito. hmmm, mukang totoo kasi at one point, i was surprised to see that the bottle was leaning towards me. hahaha! lakas-tama nga.

we were drinking while chatting online with wawin. i just had 2 bottles and a lot of chips. it was a fine night. i almost twittered "intoxicated with love, good stories, good company, and two bottles of hoegaarden." but the post didn't make it. i died before i managed to post :p

fruity and milky

i like my orange juice with milk! 2 parts juice, 1 part milk, and it's all perfect. that's my glass of wonder drink. there's a reflection on the mirror. and that's me on the pink shirt! this shot's extra special because it's the first time i've known that my phone camera has a flash! wow! naaliw ang bata!

our little bumble bee/angel

look how big she's grown! :)

she's becoming a darling more and more each day. :)

she has tantalizing eyes and a promise of a unibrow. :)

it's not very evident, but she has massive legs! come here, crispy pata! :)

she loves to smile (when she's in the mood) like there's no tomorrow. :)

as if she has teeth to be proud of! :)

and a mighty laughter too! :)

at the end of a day that went all wrong, a mere keyla-power-hug could make it all perfect. :)

aah, this is a bathing suit. hopefully, she can use it soon. :)

i love this girl!

hanky story number one

my favorite hanky
a gift from mikey
i love the smiley

i wish i could always wear a smile as lovely as this... badly need one specially today.

yumyum

lunch @ bakerzin

ham, cheese, mushroom pizza = yumyum X 100
pumpkin soup = yumyum X 0
salad = yumyum X 2
mango iced tea = sugar X 100

ang pinakamasarap na siopao sa balat ng lupa

there's a tiny stall just outside suntec tower 5, near the body shop exit. i can't remember the name; i think they have a variety of local delights and I LOVE THEIR CHAR SIEW PAO!!! kuya tried their fried bee hoon but he said that it wasn't that good.

but the char siew pao! i! tell! you! it's the best! there was a point in my life when i had 2 char siew paos every morning. as in every morning! it's just a mini pao so if you get one, super bitin talaga. the dough is very good while it's hot, once it gets cold though, ay olats na. the char siew filling is just heaven! sweet, salty, soft, tasty! everything good packed perfectly in a small package!

here's yesterday morning's treat. i wanted to take a picture while it's still full but i just couldn't wait. i'm that hungry.

judo!

the yog fever is here! hindi naman ako mahilig sa sports pero nang magyaya sina jan at marco, syempre game naman ako. pero, i admit, i just went para maki-usi. :p there were a couple of events held in suntec. i think there's boxing (hmmm common na. sinong hindi pa nakakita ng boxing?), there's handball (weh tila pasahan lang ito ng bola), and there's judo. ayan, mukang bago sa paningin at pandinig. judo tayo!

look at these giant flags. so nice!

hindi ko maipaliwanag kung matutuwa ba ako or maiiyak sa mga napanood ko. nandyang hinablot ang kwelyo, inararo, binalibag, pinatid, initsa ang kalaban. brutal! hahaha! sobrang discipline talga ang kailangan kung hindi, baka nagkapikunan at nagkapitikan na ng tenga. so physical! salamat sa print-outs ni marco ng mechanics ng game at medyo nakarelate kami.

here are the girl medalists. i think belgium got the gold.

and here are the boy medalists. japan got the gold.

pasensya na, hind ko rin maipaliwanag kung tao ba o langgam ang gusto kong ipakita dito :p masyadong maliit. walang zoom.

gusto sana naming magpa picture sa mga athletes pero nagcecelebrate pa sila ng victory. in the meantime, may batang big boy na nag-aabang dun sa bleachers. athlete sya sabi ng lanyard nya. ayan, magkapicture man lang kami, nagpa picture na rin kami sa kanya. we learned that he's from belgium and a gold medal for cycling! wow!!! see those balloons? those are very nice clappers and we took them home. naputok nga lang yung isa hehe.

in the end, nakapagpapicture din kami sa mga medalists ng judo. pero wala sa phone ko hehehe, nasa kanila.

finally, we had dinner at tuktuk with anne. (sarap talaga sa tuktuk mura pa :) )

eight donuts, mochabella, toni

toni is my "other half" in sto. nino. she is 2 years younger than i am but we are always on the same wavelength. we are both paulinians but we met each other via the lectors and commentators group in sto. nino. we simply jive :)

she worked here in sg for 2 years but due to some complications at home, she opted to give up her job and just simply be home. i met her last friday. i didn't know that she was leaving for good :(

we met at tampi and had 8 donuts, mochabella hot coffee, and endless chikas. the donuts were perfect! we ordered 6 assorted flavors and got 2 plain donuts for free. i loved it! the crust was so soft and was sooo delicious. the coffee was almost perfect. it was delicious. only, it made me palpitate until the next day :p

the chika was the best part of it. i could say that, in our own ways, we are both sinners and saints :p don't ask why :p

singapore is lovelier the second time around

about three years ago, i learned that rp is here in sg. she is my second cousin. we weren't really close back in manila and we only see each other during lamays of our dearly departed relatives (sumalangit nawa).

i met her once here in sg when i learned that she's moving to macau to break free from a really, really bad employer. we had croissants and coffee and a load of not so good stories. employers and love life - hmmm seldom would you hear pleasant stories about these topics :p

rp's a toughie. she still had a very positive aura and she gave back only good deeds even if the world threw lemons at her back then. she's very calm, composed, and mahinhin. a genuine filipina inside and out.

a few days ago, i received an fb message from her. she asked me if we could meet when she visits sg again, this time for holidays.

this time around, we had good dinner at tuktuk, courtesy of rp. lovely dinner! thanks, rp! along with the good food were great stories that are not even close to the horror stories we had 3 years ago. the mood was light. she was surprised to learn that it will be my birthday the next day just as i was surprised to know that it will be her birthday on the 23rd. a double celebration!

this time around, she's off to see the wonders of singapore and the neighboring countries. this time around, singapore is lovelier for her. this time around, everything's all right!

3 decades

i owe myself a record of this...

i'm 30!!!!!!! i turned 30 four days ago. while others may look at it like a ticking bomb that's ready to blow up any minute, i felt like it's one of the sweetest moments in my life. no, i didn't have a bonggang-bonggang party. i didn't go anywhere extravagant. i didn't receive expensive gifts. nothing fancy. nothing worldly. nothing superficial.

two weeks before my birthday, i felt like i was a gumamela that lost 2 of its petals. mommy and wawin left for manila. what was left was a gumamela with 3 precious petals - kuya, april, keylabachoy. still it's a wonderful gumamela.

one week before my birthday, i was elated for 5 precious days: spent with my soon-to-be asawa. eventually he had to leave and i felt alone again.

a few days before my birthday, i'm worrying about a lot of things. i guess i was born to worry.

i don't know what hit me. on the eve of my birthday, i just felt so happy and loved and blessed! i have never felt so content in my life and it's the best birthday gift i've ever received - happiness.

i wanted to take the day off on my birthday. i can't. i just worked from home so i can be off by 5pm and hear mass. there was a burning desire in me to hear mass. during the past years, i felt very lazy to hear mass on my birthday. this year was different. i wanted to really have a date with the Lord, see Him face to face and simply say, "Dear bro, thank You for the gift of life. thank you for giving me all that i need and more. i haven't even asked and here You are, sketching the most perfect blue print that is my life."

i could have died when i was 14. my life could have just ended then if my purpose here on earth is done. i was blessed with 16 more years and all the beautiful moments overshadow the trivial, painful ones.

here are the highlights of my 30th year of existence:

• being far away again from mommy and erwin made me realize that love CAN and DOES exist despite the distance.
• mommy gave me a pair of dangling pearl earrings - one that i could use everyday and i love it!
• i had a sneak preview of what it would be like having your partner close to you. as i said, this is mike's best visit so far. so peaceful!
• mike gave me 3 blouses and, beat this, 6 hankies! which he picked himself! he normally would have asked tita to pick his gifts for me (or for anybody).
• i got to blow my birthday eve blueberry-cheesecake-birthday-cake that's specially delivered by kuya, april, keylabachoy.
• my ubs family gave me an oh so touching card that contained messages from people that i don't treat as co-workers but friends.
• facebook and sms greetings - i treat them seriously! i feel it's something you could read on days you are low. it's a reminder that you are somehow remembered once a year!
• i felt a hunger to meet the Lord and speak with Him!
• i was at peace!

so yes, it was all perfect! happy birthday! literally! yahoo!

pangtanggal ng puting-ulo

i think i have the most severe case of whiteheads. they're stubbornly and ceaselessly growing on my nose, chin, and middle of eyebrows area. i just hate them. to remove them, i use tweezers, i pinch my skin, i use my nails. argh. no wonder it only gets worse.

i found this rubbery thing in daiso. no words needed, the pictures on the label strongly suggest that this product is used to remove whiteheads. you know how it is with japanese labels :p the picture isn't that clear but there are tiny bristles on the surface that can be used to scrape the whiteheads. it's really good because the bristles are so soft.

i wonder if it's not harmful. i hope! and i'm so sleepy now...

so far

august 11. exactly 4 months to go. jitters. so what's up? i think we're doing fine :) what do we have so far? i think we've booked almost all the suppliers. we just have to put effort big time on the details. sheesh.

• church - all booked but we need to start to collect the church requirements soon. we'll have the interview on november 11 so i have to be home by then. the complication is: it's still to early for the wedding so i have to be back here for a few weeks then go back to manila again after a few weeks.
• reception - all booked. we need to pay more attention to the detailing: food tasting, decors, crew meals, final quotation. i probably won't put too much effort on the decors. we'll use the default decors on the venue and i'll leave it on their hands.
• photographer and videographer - prenup done. nothing fancy, i think. i wish we became a bit more creative but i guess i just don't have creative juices in me :p we need to finalize the songs for the avps, select prenup photos, and let them know about our preferred photographers.
• gowns/suit - measurement done except for 1 BM and 2 FGs. designs are also finalized and execution will start next week. mikey's suit is all good too, just need to collect after the alteration.
• shoes - my gown supplier requires 5-inch during the ceremony. they have a supplier and i will get my shoes from them. i'm still thinking if i'll change to a different pair for the reception. mikey's shoes are all good, bought when he was here.
• flowers - i didn't splurge on this one. i just booked during the last bridal fair in manila. chosen flowers are all good. i just want a bouquet of pink tulips, it's that simple :) mike just needs to send them the signed contract to "seal the deal".
• lights and sounds - booked via our venue supplier. they have a preferred lights and sounds vendor so we got them.
• priest - fr. alfred is my favorite parish priest from sto. nino. he already knows that we will get him for our wedding priest. i just hope that he remembers :p
• church choir - mikey's colleagues at work will sing for the wedding ceremony at church. we started with the song list but we have a few more missing pieces - bridal march song?
• ps and ss favors - for ps, we're planning to get wines and chocolates but we haven't booked yet. for ss, no idea.
• guest favors - we'll have the photo booth c/o our photographer.
• hmua - my gown supplier recommended her friend. we'll have a trial makeup on november and hopefully, i can book too.
• hotel for the wedding preparations - argh... we still don't know which one we'll get.
• otd/emcee - we had our first meeting last june. i'm wishing they could be a bit more hands on, but i don't mind as long as they'll be close to perfect on the wedding day. we still need to see a video of their emcee, btw.

whew. i feel it's a big production number. if i were to be asked, i want a super simple one lang sana :) in reality, all we really need to do is ask for His blessings and share the special day with the special people in our lives. that's all that matters :)

now, we're almost done. if only we could get enough funds to pay for these all hahaha!

perfect visit

this is a very unique visit for mikey. initially, he wanted to be here on my birthday. since there is the national day holiday on aug. 9, we opted for the 4th to 9th of august.

as i said on my first post, we were too lazy to go out! here are the highlights of his visit:

• thursday night - arrival. i met him at the airport, we had a good chicken rice dinner and went home.
• friday night - dinner with ubs people. this is the first time he's meeting them. he was touched at the gesture that my friends were eager to meet him too. after dinner, we went to don M's for a few rounds of wii. was perfect :)
• saturday - suit and rings and purnada sky park. please see previous post :) aah, it's also worth mentioning that we had a back massage that night. back massage or back kayod? was so painful!! as in hindi kami makabangon the next day sa sakit ng likod namin! susme!
• sunday - mass and ikea. church time was perfect :) instead of sky park, we went to ikea. it was perfect as well! ah eh, can i just mention that we also made tanggal the whiteheads of isa't isa? hahaha! so that's our idea of fun :p and lots of hilata! must be the painful massage! we also made tambay at the hawker center to watch football with the manongs hahaha! enjoy!
• monday - bye bye time :(

i seem so excited sa kwento. yes i am. pagpasensyahan na po, minsan lang ako magkaron ng bf stories hehehe. ano namang maikwento ko kung magkalayo kami at puro text at tawag at chat lang ang ginagawa namin :p

football sa hawkeran

last lazy sunday, nagawi kami ni mikey sa hawker dito sa may baba ng tahanan namin. we were still full from our ikea gluttony session so we just munched on these lovely pratas. i had cheese prata, he had onions and egg. yumey!

here was our midnight snack:

tamang-tama, a football game was being shown on tv. i didn't know which teams played. i didn't know the rules of the game. nakiki-excite lang ako kapag nagtatakbuhan ang mga pogi. hahaha! here are the giant fans, este, here's the game:

at heto ang mga repapips namin hahaha! susme. mga lolo at mga kuya nagsi-inom ng beer habang nanonood ng game. lab it! sayang kung hindi lang under medication si mikey, makikiinom sana kami :p

marina bay sands - sky park (NOT!)

mikey was here. was. argh i hate that word. why can't i always say "mikey is here" argh.

i think this is his most silly visit. silly in an oh so nice way. silly because we were so lazy to go out. the best that we could do was attempt to go the new sleek sky park at marina bay sands. we had a perfect plan, in this order:

1. check out his suit in domanchi.

2. have his wedding ring resized and at the same time our names engraved on both rings.

3. go to the sky park at sunset and have tons of pictures. we were ready for pure awe and amazement at the beautiful sunset.

somehow, we can't proceed with the suit first because we were running out of time for the sunset. so we arranged the rings first then rushed to marina bay sands. there's a free shuttle from suntec so it was perfect.

when we got there, wow. pangmayaman ang lugar! roaaaarrr! parang puro kashing kashing ang naririnig ko! yahoo! pero wala naman kaming kashing kashing. pupunta lang talaga kami sa sky park. hehehe. when we got to the queue, susmeyo, gahaba ng pila! we won't make it to our dream sunset for sure. that's when we decided to just go back the next day. we were pretty determined to see that sunset!

so we took the shuttle going back to suntec. boy, oh boy! it was our bingo bonanza day! we had a 1-hour trip from marina bay sands to suntec! i wasn't sure if the 1-hour duration was normal. at first we were having a good time because it was a sight-seeing trip on the side. but 1 hour? was too much :p bingo talaga!

here's a consolation: we were successful with the suit stuff! suit and shoes were perfect for him! :) i'll get the suit after 2 weeks after the alterations are done.

next day came. again, we had a perfect plan:

1. go to marina bay sands to purchase tickets for the sky park.

2. go to asian civilization museum.

3. go back to sky park for the sunset.

at dahil nga silly kami, ayun hindi na rin natuloy :p nauwi kami sa ikea :))))) i think we were pretty contented with the good company. no pasyals necessary. echos keso! na tunay!

oh, oh, oh!!! mind you! i have a souvenir photo in marina bay sands!!!! here it is! toinks! toilet!

drama rama

last june 12, 2009, wawin arrived here in singapore to try to look for a job. it wasn't easy for him in manila. full of hope, he left everything he had, including erikaforever, to join the workforce here.

it wasn't easy as well. he came at a time when companies are hiring only PRs, citizens, or experienced mechanical engineers. the trend continued for a year until his long term social visit pass expired.

he had no choice but to go back to manila last thursday.

wawin is keyla's best friend. wawin does a mere nod and keyla does a super give na give na smile na parang wala nang bukas. it's just uncle wawin who can do this. when keyla cries and no one can make her stop, uncle wawin carries her and she magically calms down.

the scene last thursday was really heartbreaking. wawin said goodbye to keyla with a last nod and we all broke into tears.

today is a different story. for the whole year, i shared this room with wawin. i cleaned the room today, moved wawin's bed to the other room, and tidied up everything that used to be his. for the first time in so many years, i felt so alone and empty. the room seems too big now. too big and too quiet. well, it's not like wawin is loud hehehe but the absence is just too deafening. i cried like a little child (and why do i sound like a girl who was just dumped by her bf? hehehe).

why can't things be easy for everybody? why do people have to be apart? as i've said a thousand times, i believe in the capability of wawin. if you ask him for help to do something, he does it so well. why can't he have the good break that he deserves? :( whatever God's reasons are, i'm sure wawin is being molded into perfection. someday, we'll all be together... until then, we humbly accept God's plans. thank you for the wonderful year that you gave us, dear Father.

bulung-bulong

my lola ading, mami's inay is turning 88 (or 89?) this december. everybody is bedazzled by lola's good health. she outlived most of her nephews and nieces! i sometimes think i will, ehem, go to heaven (or hell?) ahead of her! she's that strong. her body is sure mighty but her brain is even mightier. she has a lending business and she knows where every cent goes. she's simply amazing.

about two weeks ago, we received the most unfortunate news that lola slipped and broke her leg. we were all anxious. everybody knows that breaking a bone in old age spells disaster. at first, we were having second thoughts if we'll allow her to undergo operation. will her body be strong enough to surpass the operation? my doctor cousin highly recommended the operation. he said that it, if untreated, will be extremely painful for lola. surely, she won't be able to take the pain if she didn't have the operation.

my lola is mighty in all sense, true. she is also mightily stubborn! apparently, she doesn't want to have the operation. she wailed and made a bad scene at the hospital when she learned about the operation. she used all the authority in her system so she can have it her way and go home. tiklop ang lahat kay lola. she said she'd rather go to a manghihilot.

my cousin said that it will do more harm than good - as in malalamog ang baling buto. the manghihilot ensured that the affected area will not be touched and he only needs to whisper prayers. bulung-bulong.

lola can manage to sit now. my cousin suspects that the pain reliever is working at its finest that's why things seem tolerable at the moment. i sure hope lola will be saved by her tremendous faith and that she will live a hundred more years to tell her wonderful tale.

"yey! buhay ka pa!"

yan ang sabi ni mikey sa akin nung sabado ng umaga. kung bakit nya nasabi yan, heto ang kwento...

friday afternoon, sad ako sa work. kung bakit ako sad, ibang kwento yan. deserve nyan ang isa pang bukod na post. feeling ko todo-buhos ang emosyon sa topic na yun.

so friday afternoon, sa gitna ng pagda-drama ko sa office, bandang 6:00 pm, bigla akong nahilo. gustong-gusto ko nang umuwi pero may tinatapos lang ako nang onti. nakatingin ako sa monitor tapos biglang umikot ang paningin ko. medyo may pressure sa batok, manaka-nakang pagsakit ng ulo. akala ko heart attack, umubo ako. lalo akong nahilo. relax nang konti pero pinilit ko pa ring tapusin ang trabaho.

nakiramdam, tumayo, naglakad papuntang MRT, lumulutang ang pakiramdam. halu-halo na ang naramdaman ko: hilo, pagod, lungkot, nasusuka, takot na baka mahimatay. nakausap ko si kuya at nabanggit kong nahihilo ako. naisip ko, kung magtaxi ako, lalo akong mahihilo. bakit hindi e jeprox mag drive ang mga manong dito. so pinilit kong makauwi sakay ng MRT. little did i know na tumatawag pala si kuya at di ko naririnig dahil wa ako care. ang focus ko lang ay makauwi nang may malay.

pagdating ko ng bahay, pati sina mami takot na takot na pala dahil di ako macontact. pagdating ni kuya, galit na galit at di raw ako macontact di na raw nila alam kung ano nang nangyari sakin. kung bakit nagalit si kuya, heto ang kwento...

thursday night, may officemate syang nakaramdam ng same symptoms ng sa akin + pamamanhid ng ulo. nag excuse sa meeting si officemate dahil na nahihilo at nasusuka. the next morning, hindi na nakapasok si officemate dahil hindi na sya nagising :-S in short, na-dead sya.

so sugod kami sa clinic dito na malapit sa bahay. hindi ko alam kung clinic ba yun o manghuhula.

doc: hi, how are you feeling today?

me: around 6pm, i felt dizzy, light-headed. with occasional headaches, with discomfort at the nape, and with feelings of nausea.

doc: aha!

me: [natuwa dahil parang may conclusion na agad si doc]

doc: do you have colds?

me: very mild, cough mild too.

doc: aha! you have common colds! i will give you medicine for colds!

me: no, no, no. i've had this cough and colds for two weeks now but it's the first time i'm feeling dizzy.

doc: that's right. maybe you just have sensitive nose.

me: [stunned that he isn't even getting my BP. and where did that common colds come from? what is the cause of my hilo attack?] but i still feel dizzy at the moment.

doc: that's ok, that's a side-effect of the colds. do you want lozenges for your cough?

me: no

walangjo. tawag ako sa pinsan kong doctor. mas may sense ang hatol nya. mukang benign positional vertigo raw. na may konting duda kung buntis ako mwehehehe! para maka sure na vertigo nga, magpatingin daw ako sa neurologist after din na ma-rule out ang issue ko sa nanlalabo kong mata.

natakot din si mikey sa kwentong na-dead na officemate. saturday morning, 7am, ang aga ng text. "gising ka na?" hehehe tinawagan ko... "bat ang aga mo nagising?" ang bungad nya, "yey! buhay ka pa!" hahahaha! indeed!

ps: sa wednesday, makukuha ko na ang bago kong eyeglasses. tingnan natin kung mata nga. sana.

ps2: the last time na nahilo ako nang ganito ay college pa sa pilipinas. walang nakitang mali si doc sa akin. sabi nya, kailangan kong bumalik para sa ibang test dahil na alarm sya sa biglang pagbagsak ng timbang ko. "may dahilan ang pagbagsak ng timbang mo" hindi na ako bumalik sa takot matuklasan ang dahilan na yun. hahaha!

six dresses

in less than three weeks, we'll have our prenuptial pictorials. jitters. excitement. anxiety. i admit, i love smiling for the lenses. it's the pow-sing-pow-sing that scares the crap out of me. i am ms. conscious. waaah! i hope the photographers could stir some magic in us so the poses will appear cool and natural-looking.

we'll push through with our beach pictorial no matter what happens. there are some complications at the moment and we are trying to sort them out so our sun-sand-sea setting could materialize. our photographers don't cater to prenup pictorials on weekends but our only available days are sat and sun. we'll push through no matter what :-S

if i were to be asked:

• i want us to SMILE, laugh even, in ALL shots. i want a generally happy theme :)
• i don't want serious shots. i don't want shots with angst. it's just not for me! i swear, i will look constipated! i think mike could pull it off, but not me :-S so dear mr. photographer, don't make us do those mowdel poses. ex: having a blank, expressionless face and looking at the horizon. please, no :-S
• no seductive shots. again, not for me. can't. hahaha.
• but i like shots with butterfly kisses :-* if only it will look natural ;-)

ok, so what to wear? april and i went to chinatown this afternoon to look for dresses for the shoot. initially, what i had in mind were:

a. tube-top, long beach dress

b. white, short dress

c. rompers - something like this, but i like white, tube-top or sleeveless, katya material maybe?

i found a :) one pink and one purple

i found b :) it's this dainty, white dress with strap. i'm thinking of removing the strap.

i will find c in the following days :)

here is a. please excuse the mess, and the payatotness:

in the end, i bought 6 dresses :) 3 for the prenups, 3 for whatever. hehe. as if i really wear them! :))

cat [sms to mami]: ma, magkano nga ulit yung patahi ng barong kay maxim?

mami [sms to cat]: tila P1200. 'di ko sigurado. itanong mo kay cecil.

cat [sms to mami]: oks ty mwah. talagang "tila" hehehe

mami [di na sumagot]...

hala naman mami, parang sa mga florante't laura ko pa narinig yung salitang yun :-S

happy birthday to me!

i took a screenshot of one of the most beautiful coincidences. the time is a numeric representation of my birthday. 8:17 - aug:17. haha babaw. it's a wonder because it almost always happens. when i glance at my phone to either check if i have messages or look at the time, it's 8:17 :)

birthdays are the sweetest days and it feels great to be reminded of your wonderful existence. life may suck at times but on your birthday, you are licensed to celebrate triumphantly because you surpassed the obstacles and you had a fair share of glorious days. maybe i should keep track of the number of times i am reminded of it. :) HBD in advance!

disgusting

what is the usual breakfast for me?

• burger king $2.95 meal - croissant with egg and cheese + hot milk tea - aka tinapay palaman itlog at keso + tsaa. kapag friday, pwedeng i-upgrade sa croissanwich meal nila. ito ay may halong karne: ham or bacon.
• bean curd with grass jelly - aka taho with gulaman
• 2 char siew pao - aka siopao palaman mala asado
• hard boiled egg with soy sauce + rice - aka nilagang itlog, sawsaw toyo, ulam kanin (weekends lang)

ayan. madampian lang ang labi't sikmura ko ng mga kakaning yan sa umaga e masaya na ang diwa ko. hindi ako malakas kumain pero kapag nasarapan ako sa pagkain e very vocal ako. bawat kagat, sasabihin kong, "sarap!"

hindi ako madalas magsisi sa mga bagay na nagawa ko na dahil wala nang magagawa. natapos na'ng lahat bakit magmumukmok pa? pero kahapon, ang ginawa kong ito ang pinakamalaki ko na atang kamalian sa tanang buhay ko, at pagsisisihan ko ito habang nabubuhay ako. dahil maling-mali.

ano kamo'ng pagkakamali ang nagawa ko? bumili ako ng chicken sandwich sa dome. "for a change," ang sabi ko. for a change mo muka mo! hahaha. shongit ng lasa!

unang-una, ang tinapay, parang mumurahing wheat bread lang na may expiration date na today-1 pero naisip mong pwede pa yan kaya kinain mo pa rin. sabi kasi ng nanay mo, pwede pa ring kainin yun.

pangalawa ang lechugas, mas lanta pa sa gulay na inabot na ng dapit-hapon sa talipapa.

pangatlo, ang chicken spread, may sapi! di ko alam kung anong ibang lasa ang sumapi sa kanya. definitely, hindi sya chicken. di ko nga sure kung spread sya e.

inubos ko pa rin. haha pagkatapos pintasan to infinity level. weh gutom ako. pero masama sa loob ko ang pagkakaubos ko. hindi nya binigyan ng hustisya ang essence ng pagiging chicken sandwich. di na mauulit. paalam.

music and noise

when we were in switzerland, janise introduced me to one of her good friends, jake. jake went all the way to switzerland to visit janise. talk about good friendship. :) on the topic of wonderful relationships, i remember when my best friends thecx and michie visited me in ohio last 2005. it's so heart-warming to see your good friends after a number of years and realize that nothing has changed despite the time and distance.

going back to jake, he's here in SG to visit janise again. janise asked if i wanted to join their pagtatagpo in clark quay. go! initially, i suggested a nice bbq/swimming in our place. another option was videoke. apparently jake didn't find these appealing at all. hahaha! how i've grown to be so manang over the years! oh well. clark quay it is.

i wanted to dress up. when was the last time i went clubbing? i looked inside my closet but i can't find a good dress. i settled with a black sleeveless blouse. i felt too bare. i changed again and snuggled into my favorite pink shirt. who goes to clark quay on a saturday and wears a shirt and jeans. uhm me? now i realize that my comfort level in trying out different styles in clothing is indirectly proportional to the number of years i stay alive. in all fairness to me and my confidence, i did wear a little makeup :) couldn't guarantee that i looked at my finest, but at least i tried :)

we didn't go clubbing after all. we just had 1 round of drinks, walked around clark quay so the visitors could get a glimpse of SG nightlife. as if i am familiar with it :p we got hungry and ate these wonderful shawarmas in one of the stalls. i just loved it! i had lamb shawarma and it is to die for. i promise.

where we were seated, the speakers were in full outrage. since i didn't know the songs, i assumed they are all from the latest charts. i was a bit embarrassed to see inang yaya (jake's yaya who was with him) swaying with the music and recognizing the songs, even naming them! how old am i?!? hahaha!

and then it hit me... that what other people (or generations) consider as music, i now find as noise. hahaha! to each his own. :))

so what do i now consider as music? stuff that other people might think as noise: laughter, stories, and chika. baduy much? hahaha!

bye bye bye

i just said goodbye and the other person doesn't know that i did. :p

goodbye to all the chikas.

goodbye to all the laughter.

goodbye to all the senseless questions, and to all the honest answers.

goodbye to all the trips to what-if-land.

goodbye to the mind-clearing opinions, solicited or not.

goodbye to no pretentions and to no filtering.

goodbye to trash talks and to sugar-coated ones.

goodbye to all the ego trips.

it's for the best.

trust me :)

bye bye bye

the cutest little girl

isn't she the coolest? :p

keyla just celebrated her 1st month of existence last week. i love it how she rocks our world now. ah eh, super iyakin lang talaga ng batang ito hahaha! the only things that could pacify her are: milk, more milk, karga, more karga. hahaha! could you believe a pacifier's purpose of pacifying babies is defeated with this little girl's antics?

i am certain that i won't mind cradling her for hours. even if she wails and wails and wails and wails, i won't get tired of taking care of her. just look at those eyes staring back at you. it melts all the negative things away. had a bad day? just hold her and smell her and talk to her. she won't respond or answer back, true, but just feeling her presence is like watching a thousand miracles right before your eyes.

i am confident that she'll be a very good person while april and kuya are in charge of molding her. :)

as i write this, i am a bit sad. i feel that i'll be sick and i can't get near her. i pray i'll get well soon. i can't get enough of this baby girl, keyla.

my hair is cheap

i didn't know this pic was sent. anyway, here's the story behind this pic: i find it funny that my hair is so cheap. i'm not hiyang to mamahaling shampoo hehe. i tried crab tree once, but my hair became stiff. fine hindi talaga sosyal ang buhok ko.

i'm a big fan of st. ive's shampoo and conditioner. it's relatively cheap and my hair is so lambot when i use it. the problem is, i can't find it in "normal" groceries. kuya bought it from mustafa. i don't want to go to mustafa. period.

i just had a hair rebond. the parlorista (or is it parloristo?), keno, urged me to buy a 70 SGD loreal shampoo and conditioner. i was urged. hehehe. so there, i'm now using a mamahaling shampoo/conditioner. my hair is unwell. see? my hair is not sosyal!

i also tried a kao shampoo. this one's also chipipay! grabe. i remember we have this brand in the philippines and it's caled kao biore, or something like that. my hair's so lambot din with this product! grabe. i'm so cheap nakakaloka!

so back to the pic: a few nights ago, kuya and i were at fairprice buying groceries. this brand caught my attention kasi naman pare, around 4 SGD lang silang dalawa! as in shampoo + conditioner at 4 SGD! what's scary is walang literature sa label kung ano-anong meron syang sangkap. i bought it anyway. my hair is cheap so it won't complain. i tried it once. so far, so good.

i love it how my hair is so cheap-o! i would love to be back to mustafa, though. i'd hoard tons of st. ive's. at least i know what's in it. haha!