I used to be a party animal and can stay up during the wee hours of the morning partying or just spending a drinking spree with my buddies. But things really change when I go married and gave birth to my daughter.

Both hubby and I rarely get the chance to go out as we both want to always be at home to stay with Bela. But we do get together sometimes with some of our friends and since most of them are already married like us with kids, our topic is always about parenting.

Just like last weekend, we attended two parties (both are advance Christmas party celebration). They are my friends that I met online and who are moms like me. Of course, aside from our usual topic about our sideline, we discuss a lot about parenting, about being a wife and being a mom. That is why I love to meet up with them every now and then because they share the same interest as mine – which is on how we can be an effective mom and wife. They are the people that I can talk to just about anything about my life as a mother and a wife I and have no fears that I will bore them to death. LOL. Every time we are together, time passed by just like that as we just go on and on and on in with all our stories

Cebu Pacific is my Internet home page in the office so every morning that I open my Internet, I always get a glimpse of what is their current promotions.

Last Wednesday, the first thing I noticed when I opened my Internet was the on going promo of Cebu Pacific. I have made posts on my blog before about how much I wanted to go to Cebu and so I tried checking how much is the airfare. And would you believe that it will only cost us P4,300 for a round trip ticket for all three of us? I checked and the last time I availed of their promo, it cost us P2800 for round trip domestic ticket.

I am so tempted to make a booking right then and there but I figured I have to check with hubby first and of course I have to check our budget. Hubby gave me the go signal to book a flight as his birthday present for me.

So now where to go? I really wanted to go to Cebu and stay at Shangri-La Mactan but their room rates are so expensive. It will cost us P25,000 for three days and two nights of stay. Hubby and I have both been to Cebu several times but not together and if we will not be staying at Shnagri-La Mactan, I don’t think there are other places that we can visit there that we haven’t tried. So I tried checking out Pearl Farm in Davao. Their rates are definitely much affordable as compared to Shangri-La and most of my friends advised me to go to Davao instead since there are other places in Davao that we can visit like the Eagle farm (which I think Bela will really love).

So after three days of contemplating and researching, I was glad that the dates that I want still offer promo rates and so yesterday, I booked our flight for Davao. So if I want to wear sexy swimwear for our upcoming vacation this January, I better start exercising to trim down the excess bulges that I have in my tummy.

I can’t believe that it is already the middle of October and before I know it, it would be just a few days away before Christmas and just like last year, hubby and I would be cramming again to buy presents for all our relatives, friends and god children.

Our weekends are still booked and I don’t know when we can start with our Christmas shopping but I would like to start my list with Bela’s classmates and teachers at Toddlers Unlimited and her cousins:

1. Bela’s teachers at Toddlers Unlimited – I’m thinking of giving them Spa gift certificate or cakes from Cheesecake, etc
2. Bela’s classmates – Bela received a nice Puppy in a pocket bracelet from Sophia during our advance Christmas party last Saturday and I’m thinking of buying the same thing for her classmates.
3. Bela’s cousin Gelo – Howell wanted to give her wooden toys which we saw at Toys R’ Us
4. Ara and Shane – Kikay kits
5. Ken – Howell wanted to give her one of those remote control helicopters
6. Aliah – She loves reading Nancy Drew book so we might give her a few books to add to her collection
7. Jego – Any Toy Story items

Now I only have to wish that I would finally have the time one of these weekends to start shopping before the peak season for Christmas starts.

When Howell left for the US last June, he declined a number of bookings since he won’t be here in Manila during the event. When he came back from his training, business became slow and there are times that we won’t receive any bookings in a month.

But looks like November is a good month for Howell’s sideline as he already booked two events this November – a birthday party and baptism. Then he has another wedding this coming December. It looks like he will be busy starting next month which is just in time for the coming expenses this Christmas season. LOL.

Last Saturday was the advance Christmas party of the Twitter gang. It was held at Citadel Inn in Makati and was organized by Katie (aka Joy. Thanks sis for organizing this).

We really had a blast – we had a lot of food, good chat, we even have our exchange gifts and the kids really had a riot. Thanks to Kuya Joaqui, Asher, and Sandy for all the gifts. Bela love all of them. And to Litzie, thank you, thank you for my book. I love it!

It was really nice being able to put faces behind the names. Howell, Bela and I really had fun and it was really nice meeting all of you. Till our next meeting.

(I really haven’t sorted all of the pictures. I just selected a few for my weekend snapshot entry but I promise to post more stories and pictures soon).

I have a lot of amazing conversations with my two year old daughter. I have blog about some of those conversations here, here and here.

Sometimes my husband and I are really amazed at how a two year old can have thinking like my daughter. Since my husband and I are both working, my daughter is left alone with our nanny most of the time. So we just let Bela watch educational shows on TV and DVDs so at least she can learn something even though my husband and I are not around. I know it is really not a good habit but I think she learn most of her vocabulary from the shows that she usually watch.

You Are a Banana

You are mellow, easy going, and a total softie on the inside. People find it really easy to get along with you. You suit most tastes. And while you're very sweet, you're not boring or ordinary. You have an attraction to the exotic, and you could show up anywhere... doing almost anything! You are spirited, energetic, and a total kick to be around. You're also quite funny. Your sense of humor is on the goofy side, and it fits you well.

What Type of Fruit Are You?

My colleague just got back from her training in Ottawa. She stayed there for two weeks and she was able to visit other cities in Canada like Vancouver. She met wit her friend in Vancouver who works as a flight attendant.

My colleague was surprised that with the current economic recession, a lot are having problems looking for a job but she found out from her friend that airline industry need a lot of qualified flight attendant that is why she decided to have a Flight Attendant Career.

Her friend used to work as a nurse but then she decided to switch careers and she decided to attend a Flight Attendant School and her friend is really happy with her decision. Being a flight attendant opened a lot of new doors for her and it gave her the opportunity to travel also. She also gets to mingle with people of different culture which she really finds interesting since she really get to learn a lot. She is really happy with the career switch that she did and she feels that this will be her last career.

My mom is always having high blood pressure these past few days. We just accompanied her last week for a check up and her doctor required her to undergo various laboratory exams to check her condition. We have been monitoring her since we are afraid that the constant rise in her blood pressure will lead to more serious illness like stroke. That is really one thing that we don’t want to happen to our mother so I and my siblings have been really vigilant and have been monitoring our mother’s condition.

So far, the results of her laboratory exam are all normal. Her doctor said that she just requires rest and she is just stressed out that is why she is always having high blood pressure.

The problem is this condition runs in our family. Almost all of my mother’s siblings have the same condition as her and so there is a big chance that I might get the same condition too. I have been reading the C'elle website and I learned that there is now a technology where women can collect and preserve stem cells found in menstrual fluid each month which can be processed and preserved and can later be turn into potential cellular therapies that can cure disease like heart disease and stroke. I have been reading the C'elle Client Testimonial and a lot of women are considering this technology as there way to prevent life threatening disease.

This is really something that I would definitely consider.

LoudLaunch - Compensating bloggers for their unbiased opinions, reviews, and analysis.

Finally, online again. Hubby and I are both on holiday last Monday so it was a long weekend for us. I already have a lot of activities lined up but I guess I can’t do anything if I got sick.

I woke up Saturday morning and I feel that my coughs and colds are back and my right eye is a bit aching. We had a busy day as we went to Museo Pambata, had lunch at Blue bay Restaurant, and had a pictorial of Bela which we will use for her invitation. The nanny is off so it was just me, Howell and Bela.

The next day, my right eye is already swollen and if I try to open it, I can feel a throbbing pain like the veins in my eye are so strained and tired. (Probably it is because I am in front of the compute almost 24/7.) So what better things to do if you can’t even open your eye? Of course, sleep. So I just sleep the whole day.

The next day I am much feeling ok (although I am so pissed with what my nanny did – but that is a different story. I will make a separate post about that) and we were even able to accompany Bela at school and attend her PTC.

Is Macau the new Las Vegas?

Venetian and Wynn, Macau

Venetian and Wynn, Las Vegas

Last 2002, the Chinese government broke the gambling monopoly of the casino tycoon Stanley Ho and allow entry of the big hotel magnate from Las Vegas immediately invested big bucks in establishing their hotel chains in Macau like the Venetian Macao and Wynn Macau. Also from Las Vegas owner Las Vegas Sands Corp., are another dozen or so deluxe hotels in the immediate vicinity with recognizable names like Four Seasons, St. Regis, Raffles, Sheraton, among others each with its own Casino, boutiques and restaurants. Inter Continental, Mandarin Oriental and W plan to open their branch here as well.

Since Macau is just a ferry away from Hong Kong, and with a number of airlines that fly to Hong Kong at cheap rates, indeed a lot of tourist fleet to Macau to experience what Las Vegas has to offer. We will have a day tour in Macau on our trip to Hong Kong this coming November and the Venetian Macao is in our itinerary. Of course who would want to miss riding the authentic Venetian gondolas while a gondoliers serenade you? That would really be romantic. And we might try our luck at the casino too. They say as of 2006 Macau surpassed Las Vegas gambling revenue by 30% when it earned US $ 6.5 billion against the US $ 5 million Las Vegas earnings.

So if you really want to have a taste of Las Vegas, fly to Macau and for sure you will have lots of fun visiting the city, enjoying its night life and trying your luck in any of the Las Vegas casinos.

I still have a lot of things to do (like I need to look for HDMI cable that we will need for our office renovations) but I want to share this information first.

I got this leaflet when we went to Museo Pambata yesterday. Mommies might want to attend this event with your kids.

Children’s Artfest
Theme: Arts for Peace
October 26, 2008
9 am – 6 PM
Museo Pambata grounds

Activities:
- art exhibitions
- children’s bazaar
- poetry reading
- workshops (Ethnic Dance and Music, Baybayin, Shadow Puppetry, Mural Painting, Arts and Crafts, Creative Writing)
- live performance

Admission Fee: P200
For more information, call 523-1797 to 98, 536-0595
Email: info@museopambata.org

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree!! The hubby is already excited to put up our Christmas tree. He has been telling Bela about it and he is planning to put it up during our next free weekend (which I don’t know when will happen). But it looks like we need to do some cleaning first as we have to keep some of our furniture and Bela’s toys in storage first to make room for our Christmas tree.

But everything is ready. We have the decorations that we bought last year and is still in perfect condition. We will use the same decoration and color motif again this year to save some money. We got some led light bulbs from my mom too. I am sure my daughter will be all excited in helping her dad put up our tree. I will definitely have a post about it once our tree is up with some pictures too.

My husband has been very busy these past few weeks that it is only this weekend that he was able to work on the layout for Bela’s invitation. It is always his task to do the layout every time Bela has a party. (Or maybe, he has no choice but to do it since he knows that I will really bug him to do it.) But we really started late for the preparations this year because we really have no plans of having a party for Bela. But I guess, who can stop a mom who is totally addicted to party preparations to have a party for her only daughter? LOL. But I promised hubby that it will really be a small and simple party (since we only have a limited budget this year because we really did not save up for this party). And I am glad that I was able to keep my promise to hubby.

So for a preview, here are the layouts for Bela’s invitation that hubby has been doing.

Last week I got cough and colds and it is good that I only have to take some medications and rest and I got a little better (although even if I did not get better, I still have no choice but to go to work).

Then I have to work during the weekends to finish a lot of pending tasks and I always end up sleeping late. The result: I have a lot of pimples popping out on my face and hopefully they will stop to come out and I don’t have to use acne treatments to cure it.

And this morning when I woke up, my eyes feel irritated. I thought the irritation will go away after some time but up to know I can feel some disturbing pain and I don’t know what cause it. I look like a pirate as my right eye looks smaller than my left eye.

I wonder what virus will next hit me. I just wish that I will be in tip top shape before the week ends as we have two parties in line to attend this weekend and I can’t afford to miss it as I really want to meet up and have some fun with my fellow bloggers.

It’s almost the Christmas season once again. If you check out the malls, they now have Christmas decorations and you can hear Christmas carols being played almost everywhere.

If you are thinking of a great gift for your loved ones this Christmas, you might consider buying them gadgets like the latest model of cell phones, or a high end laptop or PSP and Nintendo game consoles. You can find all of them at our cell phone store in Greenhills.

We accept trade ins of your old cell phone units to the latest model that you want. We sell brand new and second hand phones, laptops, PSP, Nintendo DS and even accessories for all your gadgets. We also offer cell phone repair, we unlocked cell phones and we also install games to your PSP and Nintendo game consoles.

So just contact me for all your gadget needs.

I never had a talent when it comes to making me look good. I don’t put make on; I usually just tie my hair or let it the way it is without even blow drying it. I am a low maintenance type of person when it comes to that area and so my sister and my mom feels that I really don’t have a future if I want to be in the beauty industry.

But not my cousin. She is doing make up for weddings as her sideline now and she is really good at what she does. That is why she is really considering studying in any of the beauty schools in illinois since her parents live there. She is working as an accountant right now but she feels that fashion and beauty industry is really her passion as she really feels happy and contented every time she finishes her make-up work of art.

I guess she will really succeed if ever she plans to pursue her plan in moving to Illinois. And besides her family is all living there now so it serves her two purpose if she moves there – she will be able to live with her family and at the same time she will be able to do what she loves doing.

My aunts and my uncles (who are Bela’s lolos and lolas) kept on saying that Bela looks like Boo (the kid from the movie Monster Inc). And so one day my uncle got bored and he played with Bela’s picture and this is what he come up with:


Hmm, this looks like a good theme for Bela’s 4th birthday party. LOL.

Thanks to Kathy for this. Much appreciated sis.


I am passing this to Nice, Kitts, Vannie and Pheng.

It is a good thing though that I just took a day off from work (even if I got really pissed since we were not able to go to Bela’s field trip which is the real purpose of my vacation leave. You can read the whole story here). At least I will be able to get some rest for one whole day.

Since Wednesday I was not feeling well. I feel like my joints are all aching. I went home last Tuesday without an umbrella and it was raining so I think, that is where I got my colds. But I just take my medicine and sleep early and I was feeling a lot better come Thursday. And I was really glad that it did not develop into flu, otherwise I might look like I am taking diet pills again if I loose weight because I am sick. And I don’t want to get the flu virus too because I am sure that Bela might get it from me too.

So now I am enjoying my time at home. At least I will have one extra day to rest and recuperate.

Remember I made a post here before about the good deal being offered to us by a Toyota car agent? She called me this time and she said that they are extending their promo up to the end of this month so we can still avail it if we are really interested.

We really need a second car because:

1. Bela is using our car three times a week and so Howell and I have to commute to and from work every Monday, Wednesday and Friday
2. I can’t think of any other reason why we need a second car.

So what are the reasons now why we should not buy a second car:

1. I don’t think we have the budget for a second car.
2. We need to build carports for our two cars and there is no space in our place for that
3. With the ever increasing price of gasoline, it is cheaper to commute than to bring a car

So I guess, that answers my question. As much as the offer is really irresistible, I think it is a big NO for a second car at the moment.

Another PC crashed yesterday. I initially thought that it is just a software problem and I just have to re-install Windows XP but I was wrong since it is the hard disk that failed. Good thing though, we informed all our users to save all their files to their shared network drive. We employ the best data protection solutions for all our servers. It makes full back up everyday, every week and every quarter. This means that all data of users are protected that even if their hard disk fails, they will be assured that they won’t loose any data. This is an important factor since all our users’ data are critical and it is very important that they won’t loose anything. That is why the company invested in good back up solutions and we never had problem ever since our network was set up because of this.

I was one of those Filipinos who went to EDSA to join People Power 2. I believed then that Gloria Arroyo is what the Filipino people truly needs. She is someone who can clean up the corruption in our government and save the Philippines from poverty. But I guess I was wrong. She and her family have been accused (and I guessed have been proven) of being involved in corrupting the funds of the government. They say that PGMA is just lucky since the military is with her side so no matter how major the issues are being linked to her and her family, she is still in position. But I have long lost my trust in our government and as sad as it may sound, I don’t find any hope for our government.

And then she granted executive clemency to Claudio Teehankee. They are saying that they followed the process. But if they truly followed the process and they have a clear conscience, then why did they do it clandestinely. Even the Hultman family was not informed that Teehankee will be released soon. And they even hide the release (or should I say Teehankee’s escape) from the media.

But I guess, PGMA’s government never did anything that exercise moral judgment anyways so the sudden release of convicted murderer from prison is something that we should not be shocked about. Well, that is just my two cents.

That is how I will describe my day today. I took a day off from work since I want to accompany Bela for her filed trip. They will be going to Go Nuts Donuts and Cold Rock at the Fort where they will get to see how a donut and ice cream is made.

I woke up early, took a bath and I am all dress up and I am even wearing my MBT shoes when all along I thought my dad is ready already. He will be the one driving for us since Howell can’t take a day off from work. But when it is already 9 AM my mom told me that my dad does not want Bela to attend the filed trip since she still has colds and it is raining. Darn, so we don’t have a driver. I know my dad just is just thinking of the welfare of my daughter but I still got really pissed since I took a day off from work only to find out that we can’t the attend field trip anyways. I just feel like I wasted my vacation leave (and I don’t have much vacation leave left). I tried looking for someone who can drive us and it is already 9:30 AM when my mom found a driver but I think we won’t make it on time since the assembly time is at 10 AM. So I decided that we should just stay at home.

Oh well, the best thing though is that I can spend the rest of the day at home, just chilling and relaxing with my daughter.

My daughter is really difficult to feed. She consumes more milk than solids. She will be turning three years old this coming November and so I really feel worried. I tried everything from rice to mashed potato to pasta and even egg nog recipes but it still did not increase her appetite. She is really one picky eater. Sometimes she will just eat rice without any viands. She will spit the viands no matter how small it is if she feels it on her tongue.

We went to her pediatrician last week and consulted her about our problem with our daughter. She assured me that it is just okay as long as she still drinks her milk since Bela’s weight is just okay for her height and age. She even jokingly asked me what Bela’s milk brand is and when I told her that it is Enfagrow, she said that it is okay as long as the milk is not made in China. LOL.

I was watching the news last night and they featured the ship that sunk a few months ago which led to the death of hundreds of passengers and crew members. They interviewed families of the victims and aside from the lost of their beloved family members all of them are having a hard time filling for claims from the shipping company. One of the crew members who died was a father to three children and this leaves a bigger burden to his family as his family depends n him to provide for their basic needs.

I think families of victims should file a maritime lawsuit so they can get help in filling claims from the shipping company. I know the money that they will be getting will not compensate for the lost of their loved ones but at least it will help them start their new life.

I was asked by Jan:


I love my name and I am very thankful to my parents since they gave me a name that I will like. So when I got pregnant, we really spend a lot of time in thinking what good name we will give our daughter. I even did some research online and bought a book about baby names. You can read more about the meaning of our daughter’s name here.

So sometimes it really made me think why some parents are giving their kids weird and funny names. But I can only think of one name that I can remember which I find really funny. We have a neighbor whom he named his son General because their surname is Ramos. So the name of his son is General Ramos which he said is after General Fidel V. Ramos. LOL.

I so envy the girlfriend of my brother. She sent me an instant message yesterday and she is asking me if I can buy her an LV bag when we go to Hong Kong this coming November. She will just give me the money before we leave together with the model number of the bag that she wants. And what made me even more envious is that she is considering buying two LV bags. Darn, she is rich. LOL. But the best part of this is I can walk inside an LV store and bring home an LV bag with me. At least I get to hold an authentic LV bag (pathetic. LOL)

She told me that since she is really working really hard, she decided to give herself a gift this Christmas, thus she is purchasing two LV bags. This really made me think since I am working hard too, I think I deserve a Christmas present for myself too. My wish list:

1. An LV bag
2. A jewelry
3. Or an out of town vacation

I just wish I will find the budget to fulfill my list. :-)

I just got an SMS from the car agent of my brother. She said that she got my number from my father who informed her that we are considering buying a new car as well.

Her offer:
1. She will give us a discount (I think around P10,000)
2. Free window tint
3. Free one year auto insurance
4. Free back sensor
5. She can give us longer payment scheme so we will have lighter monthly amortization

She is encouraging us to buy one ASAP as a new model of Innova will be released this month which will increase the price of older models of Innova.

Great offer? But unfortunately we can’t buy a new car until we are finish with our second housing loan which will not happen until February 2009. So even though the offer is irresistible, we have to hold off our car purchase for now as we might not be able to afford the monthly amortization with our current budget. And I think Howell is having second thoughts too in buying a second car as he wants to prioritize the renovation of our house in Bulacan.

This coming Friday, we will be attending the house warming of the new condo unit of my dear friend. She moved in last June but we will only be able to see her new pad for the first time this coming Friday.

My friend is very happy as finally, she now owns her own condo unit. Since college, she is just renting an apartment since their house is very far from the city. And when she started working, she still continued renting as she still can’t afford to buy her own pad that time. And so she is really excited because all her hard work has paid off and she was now able to buy her own pad.

She is really that excited that as soon as she receives the move in notice from the building administrator, she immediately contacted a Moving Company to help her move all her stuff from her apartment to her new unit. Good thing she got a recommendation from the office of the moving company that the office used when we moved offices and so she did not encounter any problems when she moved. The moving company that she hired was so reliable that she was able to move her 10 years worth of stuff hassle free. She even has some of her old stuff (which she can’t dispose due to sentimental reasons) kept for storage. So all of this - packing, storing, moving and unpacking, was done by the moving company. All my friend did was sit back and waited for the time that she can move in to her new pad.

I’m sure it will be a riot this Friday. All of us will be there and we are as excited as my friend to see her new condo unit.

Do you want to see what Bela will be wearing for their Halloween program at school?

Prim emailed me the designed that she made for Bela and I was thrilled when I saw it. It really looks sexy and I know it will be something that Bela will like to wear. Plus she can also wear it for her birthday party (as suggested by my good friend Peachy. Thanks sis) since she will be having a Madagascar theme.

You can view the design here.

1.) Have you ever purchased an item of clothing and intentionally worn it with tags on it so that you could return it the next day?
Haven’t done that.

2.) Would you rather be late to the party, or the first person to arrive? Why?
I would rather be late for the party.

3.) When do you usually begin your Christmas shopping?
When I was still single, I used to start shopping as early as September. But I got very busy and it is really difficult to do shopping with a toddler in tow so O always end up doing a Christmas shopping rush.

4.) What three cancelled TV shows do you wish they’d bring back?
I rarely watch TV nowadays but if there is one TV show I would like to bring back, it would be Sex and the City.

5.) What do you have in your vehicle's glove compartment?
Tissue, CDs

6.) Have you ever donated blood?
I haven’t done that.

7.) Have you ever kissed or dated someone elses significant other? What happened?
I don’t dare do that.

8.) Have you ever mistaken one product for another while in the bathroom and didn't notice until after you used it? (EXAMPLE: Washing your hair with liquid body soap, slathering hand soap on your legs instead of lotion after a shower, et cetera)
I sometimes used my conditioner thinking that it is a shampoo and I will only notice it when no matter how I try, it is not making lather.

9.) Would you/Have you ever dated someone who had a criminal record?
Nope.

My husband has been talking about his desire for our second baby. He wants a baby boy, that is. He knows that I am still not ready for a second baby and I have been asking him if we can postpone it till next year. I know Bela will be turning three this year but I don’t know what it is in me that is stopping my desire for our second child. Maybe it is because I got traumatized with Bela. Most of you know that she has a congenital heart disease when I gave birth to her and it was so painful and traumatizing on my part when I found out about it as a first time mom. Maybe, that fear is still here and I am scared that the same thing will happen to our second child. But I know that God is good and with prayers everything will be ok which is what happened to our dear Bela since it was confirmed a year ago that the hole in heart is now closed.

I promised my husband that we will start to try for our second baby next year. He is all excited already and he even promises me that he will give his toy collection to our next child if it is a baby boy (which is really a hard thing for him to do since he loves his toy collection). He even started to look for activities that he and our baby boy (We’re praying for this) can do together. He can already imagine the two of them playing baseball together or soccer or basketball. He even showed me his batting gloves and he demonstrated how he would play with our baby boy. (That is how excited he is to have a baby boy).

I know my husband really can’t wait to have his baby boy. But for me, it doesn’t matter if it is a boy or a girl again for our second baby. My only prayer is that God will give us a healthy baby.