MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Merry Christmas everyone!

First Phone Ever

Was about to log off but I remembered that I need to blog about my first phone ever. No, I've had a phone since 2nd year high school (Phillips Fizz pa nun!) but that was really a family phone that they let me take to school since they wanted to make sure I was safe each time I had to take the bus alone all the wya home to Laguna. I've also had a few phones since then but they were all hand-me-downs from my sister who happens to like changing phones and getting a newer model every few years. It's not that I've been completely broke for more than a decade to buy a new phone but I've always taken pride in being practical. This time though Silas' phone (3310 pa po), which I've been borrowing for a month now just won''t cooperate with my cheapness anymore "forcing" me to allow Mark to buy me my first ever truly new phone.

I absolutely love my new phone (Nokia 7310). It's pink, has a mirror surface, and has all the basic stuff I need in my phone (text messaging, a calculator, calendar, alarm clock, and notes). It also has some extra stuff but though I like them I just need my basics. The plus factor is the cam since I can now take pics of Sam anytime anywhere. Its also really good for me that its a new model since it can last me another 5 years or maybe more unless Sam manages to learn to start dunking stuff in the toilet bowl (in which case I'd be glad to have a phone messed up just to see my son a big enough boy to get in silly troubles).

Thanks Mark. You do know when to push me to stop being too cheap. Hehe. I love your Crhistmas gift! Tons better than the electronic toothbrush (though I did like that too! Hehe.) ^_^

Thinking about it though I still haven't ever bought my own phone yet. Maybe before I turn 40 I would but myself a new one...or maybe I can just keep on waiting for Mark to get tired of my phones breaking down and letting him buy me one for a gift. That's what husbands are for afterall, right? :p

Quick Post

My poor negelected blog needs a little attention but I don't feel like writing a long post right now so here's a few things that I should (but am not sure I would) blog about in greater length.

• Our short Bicol vacation - Mark missed the flight, Sam and I had loads of fun, our stay was extended to a week because we missed the flight home. I love Mark's nephews and nieces!
• Bagwis reunion - Again it was fun. Glad Jas made it. Stayed up too late and missed the Divisoria shopping with my Uncle the next day.
• Christmas shopping - Haven't done any of it yet. Started writing the list tonight. Decided I WON'T wrap gifts this Christmas or if I do will use olf magazines/newspapers and a pretty ribbon instead. I encourage everyone to do this. Not only will it help our environment (generate less waste - REUSE!) but it will also help cut your shopping cost.
• Christmas dilemma - I like it that we have lots of options on what to do and with whom to celebrate this holiday season with but I also hate it because it is hard to decide! That's one of the main adjustments you need to make when you get married. ^_^
• Self - Still struggling with lots of things but determined to beat it no matter how long it takes. If Britney Spears can make a comeback why can't I? Hehe.
• Sam - Got spoilt with all the vacations to relatives. He's starting to spit his veggies out now and loves to make this cute crying face to get what he wants. Absolutely adorable but buckling down on discipline again.

Am sure I forgot so many other things. Hoepfully though it won't take me two months to come up with a post again.

Attention LB Peeps

Am blogging at 10493 (Connections) right now. Am feeling REALLY nostalgic and felt the urge to go online here (besides the fact that only very few of the net shops here in LB open this early. The last time I went online here was when I was a freshman or sophomore in college. That was looong ago. The connections much faster and their PCs are also faster but things are a bit eeky with everything discolored and a bit sticky. Nevertheless just being here makes me feel a bit weepy and happy and sad all at the same time. Much has changed and also remained the same. I miss being young and just a bit less complicated... But then again things aren't really that complicated now it's just a matter of how we take things. I miss the college LB days. I miss all of you that made LB even more special (or at least tolerable during the extended years...hehe) for me.

LB GIMMICK!!!

New Blood Old Blog

I wanted to start this blog about kids with special needs. The topic, being so dear to my heart, got me all confused becaue I just couldn't decide how to approach it, what to do, where to start. In short, it's been more than a year since I last updated it. However, I have decided to just go ahead and let it take shape on it's own. 

If anyone wants to help please feel free to lend your advice, skill (web design and writers), time, and even just links and clicks (I want to start getting real traffic there). As of now it's almost empty. I will be getting a real domain (paging Ate) within the week. Will be posting about again the next time there's any real significant change. In the meantime blogging about it here might help me get a bit more motivated.

Sam's Little Steps Towards Success

This makes it all worth it....

Look, I got new AFOs and orthopedic shoes!

I can stand!

...and do so with a huge smile on my face!!!

Tito Paul is funny...

...kaya sasabunutan ko sya.

At the end of the day what makes it worth it is not just Sam's ability to walk but his desire to walk and the smiles that comes with it. Now he loooves to stand when playing with us. Still not for long periods but long enough to tire US out. Oh, and he loves "singing" with me as well.

Sam at the Beach

This post is a couple of weeks late but I still want to show some Sam pics. We stayed at Tamarraw Beach Resort, which is not the popular choice to stay in Galera, making it perfect for us. The beach was quiet, the resort staff discreet, the place clean, the rooms big, and facilities really good for the price. Am glad my Ate and Jerry found that place. Am sure Sam enjoyed it too.

Enjoying the rocking boat.

Playing in the sand with Kuya Silas and ate Myla.

Sand!

Sun, sand and sam. What more do I need to make me happy?

Lifeguard tower. Too high and too far from the water to go and rescue anyone.

View from the lifeguard tower.

Offline and Happier

I rarely go online now and am really happy about it. I guess it is just right considering I was a technophobe way back in high school. It was only really because of my sister and Mark that I ended up liking computers. I still do enjoy the convenience the internet bring and still sometimes play silly games like DinerDash and Bookworm Adventure but now I spend more time doing things I originally liked and have found that I still really like a lot - snuggling with Sam, meeting friends, educating people about something I believe in, figuring out ways to give clients the best possible solution, listening to music, sleeping on the MRT, and eating out with Mark even if sa jollyjeep lang.

Sorry blog. I love you but I don't expect to be paying that much attention to you again in the near future. I am learning to explore life outside the net again and am finding that it is indeed more fulfilling.

I Told You So

Here's how my day went

6:00 am - Woke up, gave sam his milk, changed Sam's diapers, back to sleep
6:30 am - Tried to wake Mark up, failed to do so
7:30 am - Tried to wake Mark up, failed to do so but apparently he woke up on his own after I fell asleep
8:00 am - Woke up, Mark telling me something, tried to shut out the noise
8:30 am - Got up, turned on the PC, discovered there was no internet connection, tidied up the bed a bit
8:45 am - loaded the washing machine, swept the floor, tidied up the messy sala/dining room a bit
9:00 am - fed Sam cereal
9:30 am - house got flooded, had to clean up the floor and dry everything that got wet, thankfully Mark's Papa was there to help me
10:00 am - bathed Sam
10:30 am - took a shower
10:45 am - hung up the clean clothes to dry
11:00 am - left for Sam's team therapy
11:15 am - walked to SM to meet Kuya Dowy, realised that the number we had in Nokia meant a looong waiting time; withdrew money
11:45 am - ate some fries at Wendy's
12:00 nn - waitedgot the missing pieces from the clothes rack we bought at SM; checked the queue...still too long
12:30 pm - picked up Sam at Little Camp; Teacher Con was late as usual..still not done
1:00 pm - got home from little Camp; scurried to get the dry clothes and hang up new ones, gave Sam his lunch (left the feeding to Kuya Dowy after initiating it), hurriedly ate my lunch
1:30 pm - left again to go back to Nokia
2:00 pm - got the phone
2:15 pm - got my residence certificate (sedula);
2:30 pm - called BIR to confirm I have no record; gave Kuya Dowy his phone; grabbed my papers
3:00 pm - arrived at BIR main office; explained I needed a TIN number and for what reason and was told I couldn't get one until I got a certificate of employment (strange since I am not employed and needed it to take the insurance licensure exam on Saturday)
3:20 pm - went to BIR verifications office; still no record
4:15 pm - arrived at Lepanto Building; was directed to the insurance main office
4:30 pm - arrived at Enterprise Building; was told that BIR had it all wrong and all I needed to do was explain that I was applying as an agent and not an employee and that I just needed it to take the exam; waits for exam permit form to show to BIR
5:00 pm - arrived at BIR in the Atrium; will not be accommodated because it was already 5pm; was told I was given the wrong form but still needed certification from the employer; getting really frustrated because the people there couldn't understand simple logic...I HAD NO EMPLOYER! I just needed it for an exam so I can be hired as an agent! The BIR person finally understood and told me I actually need to go to go BACK to Quezon City but a different office this time to ask for another (3rd form). Not sure if he's right this time. Left really frustrated and hyperventillating.
5:30 pm - arrived at Greenbelt; told myself not to call a certain person to vent; I did and what I get is an I understand but I told you so...
5:45 pm - walking to MRT fighting the tears; I couldn't breathe; I end up crying as I walk but it's ok nobody noticed everyone was in too much of a hurry
6:00 pm - had to get it off my chest
6:17 pm - finished this blog post; going home to Sam

Barack Obama Social Media Round-Up by Dan

Great read on the Obama win and the social media connection. Do read the original and complete post by Dan O' Connor.

Now that Barack Obama is the presumptive Democratic Party presidential nominee, a new convential wisdom has taken hold in the American political commentariat: it was social media wot won it for Barack. To wit, it was the Obama campaign’s superior leveraging of the tools and processes of social media communications which allowed him to overcome the original convential wisdom of the primary season, namely that Hillary Rodham Clinton was the inevitable victor

But a little caution might become us in the Social Media industry here....for all the clamor over Obama’s social media advantage, people still had to want to get on his bandwagon, and that desire was inspired by his message, his old-school political message of change.

People voted for Obama not because he had a better Facebook page, or because his staffers twittered more sweetly, but because the Knowledge (the message of change) he was offering voters was more Useful, Desirable, Open and Shareable than Clinton’s. But only just - KUDOS to the both of them.

Obama Mania

• Obama has clinched the democratic nomination.
• I'm happy.
• You can read Obama's victory speech here.
  
• Clinton is trying to gain political leverage by not immediately withdrawing from the race and stressing that she had 18 million people vote for her.
• McCain's speech paled in comparison to Obama's. He must be shaking in his boots.
  
• I can't believe Obama's character...He won but he didn't make it all about him.
• I don't think I've respected anyone (at least I can't remember anyone right now since I'm still in Obama mania mode) as much as I respect him.
  
• I seriously need (sige na nga want pala to) an Obama mama shirt...for Sam and for me. Mark would love to have one but not the mama kind.

Obama Baby shirt from Sandbox Threads

Post-argument blog post: Chopped up thoughts on marriage

Mark and I got into a heated discussion tonight about corruption, change of heart, and actions. It is an important issue but one that I think shouldn't be important enough in one's life to end up unintentionally hurting your partner's feelings. As a matter of fact I don't think there's anything important enough in this life that should make you raise your voice at someone you love. Not that I'm saying that there are things that are not important enough to be angry over but that even in anger we should learn not to hurt each other.

My problem with becoming upset is that after a few days I almost always can't even remember what I was upset about but I sure remember the feeling. I need to learn to flush out the negativity in me quick....I should learn to remember the facts better and forget the feelings a bit. Someone needs to understand that I don't remember facts that much but that the way I feel/felt is a fact.

Nobody's perfect. We each have room for improvement. Nobody's too imperfect that they can not find it in themselves to change.

Marriage is a big part of this dance of life and even with two left feet I'm resolved to learn the moves and someday be able to dance without stepping on my husband's toes or having him step on mine (super bigat pa naman...ang sakit!).

Oma Marina’s Haven of Rest

That is what my mom decided to name her new blog. After months of planning to get a new blog I was finally able to convince my mom and find the time as well to set up a new blog for her. Since she knows zilch about blogging I guess I'll end up typing stuff for her. It'll be quite a problem logistically speaking since she's in LB and I'm in QC. She's pretty excited about it though so I'm excited for her too. She's really makulit and OC about what should be posted though so we'll see what happens.

I'm pretty proud of mommy because she's willing to try to learn something new. She's already planning to do a post on my grandma, Jerry, lots of post about God, her blind right eye, her newly diagnosed sickness (spondylitis something...yes it's related to Nikki's ankylosing spondylitis), and lots of other stuff. I think blogging will be good for her. She just needs to get an internet connection and for me to set the screen resolution on the PC at home really low so she'll be able to type and read.

Friendships drop by her blog and leave a comment ha para ma-encourage naman cya.... My dad keeps on teasing her and smirking but I think he's just envious yet still a little scared to try it out. Next time they come to visit I'll have a pig or motorcycle template ready for my dad to encourage him to try it out.

Here's to grown ups daring to dive into the "scary" world of the internet...

And here's to me learning how to deal with and appreciate my parents better. Hay...someday I hope to be a good daughter :p

Oh btw don't expect to find any deep dark secrets of mine there because I get to moderate EVERYTHING my mom posts!!! Hehe. I told her she can post anything about my sis but can only post nice things about me... Unfair!

Marriage Makes for Great Sayings

I recently read an email in my uncle's inbox. I wasn't snooping around...he asked me to open his email for him since he hasn't been going to work due to his heart condition. Anyway this funny email caught my eye. Picked out the ones I found to be most amusing but not too offending (haha...kaka offend pag natatamaan!). I wonder what Mark has to say to this....No darling you don't need to reply to that because you might get in trouble...just let me wondering :p

Funny (unfortunately many times true) marriage sayings:

After marriage, husband and wife become two sides of a coin; they just can't face each other, but still they stay together. - Hemant Joshi

By all means marry. If you get a good wife, you'll be happy. If you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher. - Socrates

Woman inspires us to great things, and prevents us from achieving them. - Dumas (Hoy ha! Bad to...blaming other people for your own failings.)

The great question... which I have not been able to answer... is, "What does a woman want? - Sigmund Freud (neither have I been able to answer this! Tell me people what do I want?)

I had some words with my wife, and she had some paragraphs with me. - Anonymous (Not so true with us anymore. I tend to shut up and mope when I'm hurt or mad.)

"I don't worry about terrorism. I was married for two years." - Sam Kinison (LOL!!!)

"There's a way of transferring funds that is even faster than electronic banking. It's called marriage." - James Holt McGavran

"I've had bad luck with both my wives. The first one left me, and the second one didn't." - Patrick Murray

Two secrets to keep your marriage brimming
1. Whenever you're wrong, admit it,
2. Whenever you're right, shut up.
- Nash (Hear! Hear!)

The most effective way to remember your wife's birthday is to forget it once... - Anonymous (Ummm....am the one guilty of this.)

You know what I did before I married? Anything I wanted to. - Henny Youngman

A good wife always forgives her husband when she's wrong. - Milton Berle (Oh I AM a good wife after all. ^_^)

Social Spark

My sister told me to try SocialSpark and I finally did this morning, while waiting for Mark to get dressed and ready for their trek/swim at Batangas. I had no idea what it was about but since it said "social" then I though it'd be a good opportunity to widen my social network online without resorting to joining/answering endless memes. So far here's what I've found out about it:

1. People there are really active - Someone already messaged me and added me as friend within a few minutes of signing up.
2. I can actually earn money through it - It looks a bit like PPP but with more emphasis on the social aspect.
3. Editing the profile page is both easy and hard - It's really easy to add and crop my pic (unlike lots of websites I've joined before!) but since I am pretty fickle at times (as Mark can attest to) I had a hard time thinking about my blog description so I'll end up with something more than "My personal blog." The good thing about it is that I ended up with something that I could at last replace the depressing sentence at the top of my blog. I don't even remember the negative words there before....a really good thing!
4. The public profile page is nice - In terms of layout it's pretty intuitive. It highlights the basic info about me yet still manages to pack in all the other features (which I need to explore) without making it look messy.
5. I need to wait for the ITK - I have absolutely no idea what it is but I'm sure I chose the code that says claim+ITK. Since it has something to do with my blog stats I'm guessing I didn't do anything wrong but just like when I signed up for Google Analytics I need to wait a bit.

So far my profile page is looking pretty lonesome. If you have a Social Spark account do add me as friend. I just hope I don't get hooked up with it as I did for a few weeks with Facebook...I need to work!

Learning from Sacha

This is all about a blog I love to read and I think is worth sharing. If you don't know Sacha Chua (and I admit I don't know much about her beyond the fact that she went to the same high school I did, she's a genius, she's cute, and speaks in this cute little voice) I think you really should get to know her through her blog. It's funny how I still think of her as this high school kid in uniform so that I feel like she has wisdom beyond her years. I guess she does have wisdom beyond her years though since people a lot older than her (like moi...) will learn a lot or at least be reminded of what they've learned before by reading her thoughts. The blog is full of the kind of practical idealism that I've been wanting to imbibe. Been wanting to write something really deep but heck I'll just link to the latest fave posts from her.

An all exclusive Sacha Chua painting (got to love her sketches!)

Relentless improvement and a focus on the positive - Will the 3/3/1 help make our marriage work better? Hmmm... Should talk this over with Mark to find out. For bosses (paging Kuya Ariel!) this is something you should check out, might work for your team. ^_^
The only way to fight the darkness is to blaze even brighter with light - This says it all.
It’s not just for you - it helps other people remember the steps, too! - Maybe I wouldn't think I suck so bad at dancing if I had a such a great dance teacher. Oh wait...I never did take dance lessons!

Pics with the Kids

As promised here are some pics of the kids . Not exactly at home in these pics but with my sister and Jerry at Eastwood.

Sam imagining the food he'll be seeing on the plate. Yum!

(L-R) Jerry, me, Sam (playing peek-a-boo behind the menu),
Gemmalyn, Silas, Gio

Resting a bit and having dessert before heading home.

Three stooges.

Silas, Gio, Sam and Nana

Blogger's Ability to Post Date Entries

Testing Blogger's newest feature....

wrote this post May 18 08:04

will publish this May 18 20:04.

Glad Blogger has this feature

Amado = Find of the Century

I now qualify for the award of "Find of the Century". Guess who I've spotted? Obvious naman sa title....Amado. Yes Amado Villavicencio. Nope I didn't see him in person but he viewed my profile on Friendster and am now just waiting for him to approve my invite. Need proof? Here's the link to Amado's profile and his pic.

Hey Mads you trying to win Motormouth? ;-)

Joining the PPP Bandwagon

After years and years of resisting the PPP (payperpost) pull I have finally joined the bandwagon. Andrea dn my sister are the mainly the ones who've convinced me that it's profitable enough to join. I promise my dear subscribers though that I wouldn't be flooding this blog with pitchy posts. Will of course be posting more frequently though I'll refrain from posting more than once a day. For those who have been blogging long enough to have a pretty decent page rank I suggest that you also take this opportunity to earn more money. Don't worry about getting spammy. If you have a deep aversion for it you'll probably be able to strike the proper balance between earning enough money and the number of posts. Besides with a good page rank you'll get offers to post stuff for even up to $80 or more making too frequent posts unnecessary.

And guys if you catch me becoming too commercial for your taste please do tell me. Don't want my friends to stop reading my blog just to earn stuff! If you're my friend though you wouldn't mind me trying to make an extra buck. :p

An Extraordinary Experience at X/O Philippines

I've been trying to put off this post till I get some pics to go with it but since I can't find anything about X/O Philippines on the net except for this one Inquirer article I'm posting anyway. If you want to see the food then just visit the place yourself. Sorry!

The last time my sister and I went out and watched a movie/concert together (U2 3D was great btw) we ate at Banana Leaf. The food at Banana Leaf was NOT spectacular nor the service great. We were doubly disappointed after riding the escalator up The Block at SM and saw the cool ambiance of X/O Philippines and wished we'd dined there instead. Anyway a couple of weeks back Mark, Jamuel, Gemma, I and Sam decided to eat out and it truly was an extraordinary experience for me for several reasons:

• The place was really nice. I looooved the chairs...at least on the outside part. The whole ambiance was pretty nice.
• The service was ok. The people were nice and though they didn't have the best service it was passable for a small and new restaurant.
• The food was truly extraordinary. I absolutely loved their take on the kare-kare. Kare-kare is almost always good but usually all you can say about it is that it is good. Their kare-kare was really innovative. All the ingredients was cooked and served separately with the bowl of sauce on the side. Some of the veggies were fried while some were simply either blanched or steamed (not sure which). The pork was the best part with the ribs roasted and spiced with slat and some other stuff I do not know what. It was delicious. The rest of the food was equally good although the tapa tips was a bit too tasty, I guess it was a bit overpowering though only because we didn't eat it with the bread and the buts, which it was supposed to go with (we ordered the appetizer last...LOL). The Bicol express would also satisfy any true Bicolano although you'd better be careful with the sigarilyas (winged beans) because as Jamu found out too late some of the sigarilyas were actually very hot green peppers.
• And last but not the least, the most extraordinary part of the meal for me was that the leg of the chair I was sitting on broke and I fell in slow motion... It wasn't too embarrassing since there was only one other table with people but it still made me lose my appetite...but only for a few minutes. No, I'm not yet that heavy but the leg was already ready to give. We ended up having one free dessert (yummy buko pandan) but as my sister pointed out I ended up spending more for the BENGAY I needed to ease the muscle pain the next day. Hmmm. Should have asked for BENGAY instead of dessert. If anyone asks me though I'm willing to go back to try their other dishes though I fell flat on my butt and all that, which says a lot about how much I enjoyed the food.
  

I Love Having 3 Kids

They're quite a handful and I have to countdown several times a day to get them to do what I want but I'm loving having 3 boys at home (5 if you count Mark and Jamuel). Sam seems to be having a grand time with all the kuyas (titos in truth) showering him attention as well and has been picking up on Silas' and Gio's fights so that he likes to scream and throw mini-tantrums every now and then. Since he's too well behaved I'm actually happy that he can now communicate his unhappiness. Mark and I are also love seeing Sam's cute face scrunch up when he's about to cry after being scolded a little. Haha. Ang sarap magpaiyak ng bata. It's all we can do to resist toying with his emotions. Truthfully we would if it wouldn't have a long lasting negative effect on Sam. But that is not a good thing so we refrain from doing it. Plus we're pretty sure his lolo and lolas will give us hell if they find out. Bad bad parents! I now understand why Luz and her sibs love to make her niece cry. ^_^

Will be posting pics of the three kids together once my sister uploads yesterdays pics.

We Heart Tito Lito

My Tito Lito just had an angiogram which showed the doctor that he has 5 clogged veins/arteries. He needs to have an angioplasty as soon as possible but they're still going out of the hospital to raise money. They only need a deposit of 100K to be admitted at the Heart Center although they need around 1M to cover the entire operation. BTW they do have a health card but it's already maxed out. If you can help, or know of anyone who can, please do contact me.

Tito Lito is Silas' true dad. All my close friends know about their weird family set up between us and the Carpios. Silas is counted as a real bunso of both families. Tito Lito is one of the kindest and mild tempered person in the whole world. He's so nice that he always gets teased as being "under the saya." I've NEVER heard him raise his voice in his whole life except when he's announcing something on the mike during church services though I have seen him irritated several times. I don't want to spill all their family anecdotes over the internet but suffice to say that when he gets mad he just keeps quiet and after a few minutes comes back with eggplants from the veggies section of the grocery and tells my Tita Ni, "Heto love oh...kumuha na ako ng talong."

Right now the two kids are staying with me. They're having a grand time but Gio, who's going to high school understand what this means more than Silas does. I know his mom doesn't want to burden him but I had to tell him not to ask for his money with his mom because I know how little they have right now. He's lying down on the bed right now pretending to be asleep but I know he's trying to be brave not only because his dad is sick but because he knows this probably means he won't be able to go back to his old school come June. I'm proud that he's starting to understand how it is to be responsible and how he can help his parents by not being a crybaby at the same time it breaks my heart to seem him at this point which will help define him as an emerging adult. It sucks to grow up sometimes.

Please please please God let him be alright.

Cool Beans!!!

Warning: Last paragraph contains a little spoiler so just read the first one if you haven't watched it yet.

I saw Speed Racer last night and I enjoyed it immensely. The plot isn't something that would make you think but the effects and the humor was absolutely great. The characters were pretty well developed too with each having a special endearing quality I couldn't pick a favorite character. I also loved loved loved the weird surreal setting from the too colorful neighborhoods to the awesome costume (or non-costume yet costumey clothes) and make-up. The sudden flashbacks also added to the effective story telling and managed to keep from feeling too complicated. Actually that is one thing I loved about the movie - it's definitely uncomplicated yet rich enough to grip your attention. If you want to take your little brothers/sisters to a movie this year I suggest you take them to this one. No corny singing cartoons here (though I love corny singing cartoons) just plain clean fun with far from plain graphics.

Oh and I have to say Christina Ricci looks absolutely beautiful in this movie. The bangs suit her. Emile Hirsch was also definitely cute though I'd say that I wish the original Rex (Scott Porter) didn't have to transform to Matthew Fox.

Movie trivia: The whole setting is CG. The cool car Speed was racing wasn't there. Everything was shot in front of a green screen.

Sisterly Love

Quick plug everyone.

Please visit my sister's relatively new blog Dreamwalker. She's really excited about building up her blog so go ahead and subscribe and link to her blog. She updates a lot more frequently than I do so you'll find lots of interesting anecdotes. Am pretty sure she'll get around to fixing her layout and stuff faster than I did (haha it took me years and stopped tweaking stuff before I even finished!).

Family pic time so that those who doesn't know her will (ripped pic from her blog)...Oh wait. My sister and I are missing! Oh well. That's Mom, Dad, Silas, Mark (carrying Sam), and Jerry at Trinoma. I guess we've been displaced by our hubbies from the family pic.


Here's the two of us at Manila Ocean Park on Good Friday. Deliberately picked this one kasi lumba lumba kami pareho!!! Haha. Who's who?

The husband (& wife) tag

Saw this on Andrea's blog and though I was in the middle of an article I had to pause and answer the questions. Am not tagging anyone but if you do want to answer go ahead. Just make sure you leave a comment so I can go visit your blog to check on your answers. ^_^

1. How long did you date?
I think we officially started dating when we were already together. It's hard pinpointing when we did start "dating" because we've been good friends for so long so we were always together. Feel free to give me an estimate if you remember it at all Mark.

2. How old is he?
Twenty seven

3. Who eats more?
Mark...I still blame him for influencing my bad eating habits (in terms of portion "non-control").

4. Who said “I love you” first?
I honestly can't remember. I'm so bad at this! But I do remember that I told him that I liked him first. Talk about aggressive. In fairness to me it was meant to make him stop giving me the special treatment and ended up having my feelings reciprocated a few days later. :P

5. Who is taller?
Mark.

6. Who sings better?
Definitely me. Yabang or pagduduhagi sa asawa? Take it as you wish. ^_^

7. Who is smarter?
Andrea spelled it out pretty well when she said that "I guess it’s safe to say that I’m glad I married someone who’s at least as smart as me." Seriously though Mark and I have different smarts. He's the geeky textbook and techie type. I'm the geeky bookworm (fiction only please...) who loves puzzles.

8. Whose temper is worse?
Generally mine but when he blows up I think his is.

9. Who does the laundry?
The washing machine. Maybe I shoul start naming our appliances like my sister does so I can give a name in answer to questions like this...

10. Who does the dishes?
Gemmalyn again. I sometimes do it at lunch or after supper if I feel like it or I think Gemmalyn had a tiring day.

11. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?
Whoever feels like it.

12. Who pays the bills?
Both.

13. Who cooks dinner?
Me.

14. Who drives when you are together?
Dad, Kuya Dowy, taxi driver, bus driver at tricycle driver. Hehe.

15. Who is more stubborn?
Both.

16. Who kissed who first?
Mark kissed me. I just smiled.

17. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong?
It depends.

18. Whose parents do you see the most?
Used to be mine but this year with Mark's parents going back and forth here and the province it seems that I see his parents more.

19. Who proposed?
Sam? :p

20. Who is more sensitive?
A big ME.

21. Who has more friends?
I think I do even though we have a lot of friends in common.

22. Who has more siblings?
Mark.

23. Who wears the pants in the family?
Check the meaning of the word uxorious. Joke lang. Mark is not "ander da saya" although some people thought he was going to be. I guess the person who wears the pants in our family is whoever is in the right frame of mind for the moment.

Darn Baby Toys

I am feeling a bit frustrated with the kind of toys available on the market not because they suck but because they don't fit Sam. Sam's therapist asked us to buy a doorway jumper or a jumperoo for him but I encountered several problems:

1. They are not available in the Philippines.
2. Sam is over the maximum height for all the models I've seen. He's 93cm and the max is around 85cm.
3. Sam is almost over the maximum weight 25 lbs. He's 24 point something pounds.
4. Shipping rates are expensive.

Now if there was something available here it wouldn't be too bad because we can try it out to see if he can still use it though he's a bit too big for them already. But I don't want to buy something he won't end up using! Argh.

Days like this Sam's special needs hit me. I hate it that I can't figure out which category I should look at when shopping for "prescribed" toys since his body size is appropriate for his age but his skill fall under the infant section. Ah... Life with Prader Willi Syndrome...at least I can't say that it's boring.

Anyone here knows someone in the Philippines who supplies these toys? Please contact me!!!

Fisher-Price Jumperoo

E&I Bungee Jumper

Pursuit of Happyness...Getting There

Me is the getting happy. ^_^

I saw the ending of Pursuit of Happyness in HBO again the other night. Reflecting on our life the past several years I realise that these days I've been getting a bit closer and closer to this thing we all pursue - happiness. I recall the times when my family was really down. The time I had to sell yema and peanuts to my classmates in college just so I can have jeepney fare to get home. I recall the times when I hid from my friends because I didn't want to go out knowing that I can't eat out with them (ililibre ako for sure and ayaw ko nahihiya na ako). I remember the times when Mark and I had to go to PCSO to ask for money because we couldn't get out of the hospital. I recall the times when we went to Robinsons and we couldn't buy even one single candy because all we had was money for Sam's milk formula and diapers. I remember the times I felt there was no hope and everything was bleak. I remember feeling alone thinking I our marriage wouldn't last. I remember all the times I hurt myself because the hurt inside was just too much. I remember it all now but with more peace than I have had in a long time.

Yes. Things are getting better but more important than that I am getting better. If you feel hopeless all the time and can't seem to get past the bleakness of life maybe you need help like I did, like I still do. Getting help for depression doesn't mean being weak. It doesn't mean you're crazy. It just means that finally you're stepping up to the plate to battle the thing inside you that is keeping you from being your best. It means finding ways to make it a little easier to battle the outside circumstances you can't control. It means not letting a stupid hormonal imbalance dictate your life and telling yourself that you and those around you will not be a victim of this terrible thing anymore.

Yes. I had/have depression. Yes. I went to a doctor. Yes. I am taking meds. I am not ashamed of it anymore because it no longer has a stranglehold on me.

If this speaks to you I hope you get help too. The pursuit of happiness need not be impossible. I never realised before that I can ever feel this way again...

Know Thy Self

Saw my sister's personality result from her blog...so I took it too. So far I'm happy with the results. I feel myself coming back. There was a time I felt so lost when several aspects of my personality had flipped. Now, as the test reflects, I'm starting to be myself again....at least the self that I liked.



Oh...and if you compare my personality to my sister's we are the exact opposite of each other. LOL. ^_^ It does explain though why I rely on her so much whenever I fall apart. Not that I cling to her but that deep within me I know she's there to pick up the pieces when I can't hold it together. Poor , poor, sister. She's a protector pala! Lucky you if she loves you but if not then...wala lang.

Jada and Sam Pics

Ate Abi, Aijo and Jada went back to Australia last Saturday evening. Earlier that morning we were able to coax Jada and Sam into posing for some pictures. To see all the pics go to Mark's Picasa web album.

We are the ones we've been waiting for...

Na...nananana...nananana...

I can't help it. Call it joining the bandwagon but still he gives me hope and as he says " there has never been anything false about hope."

I am not American but I am campaigning for Barack Obama.




Btw Sam can now say "O-ba" and "Ba-ma" but not the whole thing. Since he still can't say anything other than syllables right now this is a huge thing. We're crossing our fingers that OBAMA will be his first word. If that happens you can be sure he'll be another Obama baby on YouTube.

Lesson Learned from Kung Fu Kids

While typing a post about technology and the environment I heard someone in Kung Fu Kids (Gemmalyn and Sam, who are a few feet away from me are watching the show.) say,

"Ang alam ko lang ang taong bagong in-love tawa ng tawa at laging kinikilig. Ang taong matagal ng in-love away ng away pero lagi pa rin magkasama. Siguro kasi mahal talga nila ang isa't isa."

Hehe.

When you were a kid what did you "know" about being in love and did experience prove you right?

I Attract Geeks

Taking quizzes on Facebook to while away the time till Mark gets home or till I feel sleepy. Took a quiz about the type of people that are attracted to me and I attract.... GEEKS! Figures...I definitely married one. Haha!

Your stunning intellect and love of sci-fi and video games allures the geeks like nothing else. Maybe it is the sparkle in your eye that makes them want to text you, who knows. Geeks make good partners, but tend to be arguementative. If you are a TRUE geek magnet, you will know if that was spelled correctly, and actually care. If it is a bad-boy/bad-girl you are seeking, you are barking up the wrong tree, unless they are just 'bad' behind a PS2 console.

Oh me oh my. No wonder I didn't get my bad boy. :p

LOL.

Yesterday's Miracle

Yesterday turned out to be one of the best days our family had in years. It didn't start out great it didn't end up great either but all the negative aspects doesn't hold a candle to the huge miracle we saw first-hand. SAM TOOK HIS FIRST (assisted) STEPS. Considering the fact that we have a really hard time even getting him to kneel or stand it was totally amazing to see him move his legs in a weird-looking but definitely real small steps with minimal assistance (the therapist was just holding him up by the head).

I almost had no hope of seeing Sam walk within the year but maybe he will. Paul Beelen (a paediatric rehab specialist) is a miracle worker. A single session with him will burn your pockets but what you get in return is priceless. I'll see if Mark can cut the videos we took and share the ones where Sam moved his legs.

Other noticeable improvements that I might not have reported to all my friends lately include:

• Sam feeding himself lunch/dinner using his hands. It's REALLY messy though.
• Sam's one-eyed peek-a-boo. He can't resist peeking so he covers only one eye!
• Sam's ability to kneel from a sitting position with minimal assistance (but only if you know how to prompt him and if he knows he can't manipulate you into thinking he's too weak for it ^_^)
• Sam's ability to keep the quadruped position (all fours) for more than 15 minutes completely unassisted.

If you have a special child you will understand why we consider these seemingly trivial things a really big deal.

I remember something I saw on TV lately. They said that people said that people viewed the survival of a very ill baby to be a miracle but the truth is that we who have children with special needs know that the true miracle is that there are thousands of babies born everyday that are completely healthy and without defect. We are thankful for our miracle boy but I just want to remind all of you who are parents to never forget the miracle you have and be thankful for it.

Have a good day and I hope you see a little miracle in your life today!

2 Minutes

I prayed. It was just a couple of minutes but still it made me believe again even if just a little bit.

God give me faith.

Work

Everyday I open my Google Reader to read through this. Guess what I do for a living?

Valentines Day at Neopets

I love Neopets even if all I ever do there these days are play Roodoku, check the Neopian stockmarket, and feed my pets or check them in to the Neolodge.

Its Valentine's Day at Neopets!!!

Valentines Day

This day is going pretty well. Mark and I have no plans at all since he is in the office rushing some project. It started out pretty well though with Mark greeting me before we went to bed last night (madaling araw pala) and this morning before he left for work. Considering how we often forget to celebrate occasions I actually feel good about this one. Even with Mark busy I feel like this time he just really needs to work but would rather spend some time with me and Sam. That feels good. Besides we get to save money. Hehe. In this case it really is the thought that counts. I love you Mark!

I am also getting a little bit better about waking up and haven't been spending the entire day in bed. My energy levels are slowly increasing and I don't feel really hopeless. I really do hope this lasts. I hate going back to the deep dark pit of depression. It's inexplicably horrible.

On another note I have decided to start sending a forwarded text messages now and then. My ninang/tita El sent me a very encouraging message the other night and it made me feel good. It made me remember one of my conversations with another mommy friend. After not seeing each other for months she thanked me for sending her inspirational messages about once or twice a month. She said that they usually arrived at a time when she felt really low and discouraged but she never replied because during those times she just didn't know how to tell her troubles. It's kind of funny since I almost never reply to Ava or Armi (two of the most frequent people to forward text messages to me). I always say na kuripot lang ako sa text but the truth is I too don't know what to say. My point is I realize that as long as I don't end up spamming people I should pass those forwarded messages or come up with my own inspirational quotes since you never know who needs it that day. It's also a good way to let people know that you think about them now and then.

I'm just rambling.

Happy valentines everyone!

Bullet Points

Ack! I posted on the other blog by mistake but I made it!!! Two minutes to spare. Phew..Even with blogging procrastination is something I have to battle with. Anyway here's my first Feb post.

Holiday Recap

• Best Noche Buena in a long time. I will post about our Balagtasclan reunion and the mini-party mom set-up for the kids who were going around next time.
• Great time during New Year too. Spent it with Mark's parents and brother's family in Pacita. This also warrants it's own post complete with pictures.

2008 Enters

• Regrets: I didn't get to download a 2008 background for my old phone like I did last year. I loved the corny 2007 background.
• Goals: Get a little more fit (am at my heaviest weight ever). Lose some girth. Work on my mental state. Become responsible at work. Have a more structured day for me and Sam. Go on real dates with Mark. Start praying and reading the Bible again.
• Issues: Possibility of having an actual office job (part-time).
  
• Pressing questions on my mind: Which scenario do I actually fear? Am I escaping the fact that I'm a failure as a mom if I work or that I'm a failure as a career girl?
  
• Mood: Existentialist mode (which simply means I'm confused). Help! :p

Latest Highlights of My Life

• The holidays
• Sleepover of Ninong Ian's latest luurve and our get-together with BEDMI minus Ian and Mart (plus Cha of course).
• Mark's Mama and me finally opening up to each other about how we felt about me and Mark getting married at first.
• Sam's pa-cute/beautiful eyes mode and other new skills.

Wants

• The next book to the series I am reading.
• Ceramic iron (for my short hair).
• New clothes. Yay!
• Washing machine.
• Oven.
• House decors (Ref magnets whee!)

Characteristics to Cultivate

• Optimism
• Perseverance
• Discipline
• Courage
  

I guess this post turned out to be more eclectic than I intended to but there's just so much going on in my mind and I don't really have time for anything other than bullet points.

Here's to me posting more frequently!!!

P.S. Thanks to everyone who sent gifts to Sam. Wasn't able to say thank you to anyone really. How embarrassing! We (hehe kasama kami sa nag enjoy sa toys) loved them all!!!

2007 Recap

It's just a few minutes before February and I feel the NEED to blog before January ends. Anyway with just a few minutes to to type away here are some of my thoughts and some events in my life.

2007 Recap

• Good in terms of Mark's career move.
• Very good in terms of Sam's improvement health-wise.
• Very good in terms of opportunities opening up to me.
• Very bad in terms of me making the most out of opportunities.
• Very good in terms of starting to have an even better relationship with Mark.
• Very good in terms of finding a good helper.
• Very good in terms of me taking more steps to be closer to my mom and dad.
• Very good in terms of me taking more concrete steps to get my head get screwed back in place. Pretty poor in terms of making significant progress in that regard.

Need to post!!! More by Feb 1! OC!