CAMPI's first international motor show

i am a bit back logged, so please bear with me =)

anyhoo, a few weeks ago, we (daddy, me, bea and yaya) went to the world trade center in manila to go to Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. or CAMPI's first international motor show. we arrived at about 5pm and boy, was the line long! it took us about 20 minutes before we were able to get in. hubby was really excited about this particular car show since it promised to be the biggest and best car show ever!

the ticket price was 50 pesos. when we got in, i first noticed how big the place was! sure there were a lot of people milling about, but it was not crowded, unlike other car shows we've gone to before in megamall. it was properly lit and ventilated too.

we first went to the honda stage where we found asimo, the humaniod robot performing. it was really amazing to watch it move, its movements were very fluid and coordinated... very human-like! it even walked up and down the stairs, danced, played with a ball and balanced itself on an inclined platform! needless to say the kids loved its performance, too bad bea still couldn't appreciate the show.

after watching asimo, we started going around the hall to look at the different vehicles that they had on display. mostly, they were new commercial cars, which was ok with me since i can't really appreciate vintage and american muscle cars. i let hubby hover from one car to another, but bea kept on asking for him so he had no choice but to take bea with him as he examined the cars. bea really takes after her dad for she seemed to have a genuine interest in cars, for one, she is not satisfied with just looking from the outside, she just got to go in and touch the interiors. she would even pull daddy towards at a certain car of her choice! ahh! like father like daughter i guess!as the two of them went about their business, i was happily clicking away! =)

i couldn't pass up the chance to have my pic taken with my "need for speed" car of choice - a mitsu eclipse.

after more than an hour of ogling at the new cars, we were really tired so we went off to blue wave and had dinner at chowking.

saying hubby and bea had fun that night would be the understatement of the year!

it was great to have another fun, exhausting bonding family time!

why are women wearing perfumes that smell like flowers? men don't like flowers. i've been wearing a great scent. it's called New Car Interior! - Rita Rudner

hehe funny, but i can relate... seriously... *wink*

bonding moments with lolo

bea now has a daily routine with her lolo... every morning, after drinking her meds (30 mins is needed from the time she drank her meds to the time she eats breakfast, for the meds to work), lolo brings her to church (few footsteps away from our house). they go there to pray, to ask for God's healing power to heal our little bea of her feeding problems. lolo resty introduces her to the different saints, mama mary, papa joseph and to Papa Jesus on the cross. earlier this week, they came home with bea proudly carrying a beautiful white rose. when asked where they got it, lolo said thay took it from mama mary's vase (?!?!?) good thing the priest didn't see them do it! =)

my close encounter with bad guys

last week, hubby and i went on a movie date. we watched bourne ultimatum. what was supposed to be a happy night turned out to be a terrible one.

our date started fine, hubby and i ordered 2 burritos to go and planned on eating inside the cinema. when we got in, the cinema was not at all full, in fact, we were the only ones sitting on our row. i was seating by the aisle and hubby by my side of course. anyway, i was holding my bag on my lap, but when we were about to eat, i passed on my bag to my husband and he placed it on the empty seat on his right. it took us only a few minutes to eat our burritos, after which i asked for my bag back. hubby was surprised to see that the bag was in a different position than when he left it just a few minutes before. when he gave me my bag, he asked me to check its contents, i did.... my wallet was still inside, but my 2 cellphones were gone! my personal cellphone was a SE P990i and my other phone was a nokia 1110 which i use for my "loading" (prepaid reloading for smart and globe) sideline, it still had about P900 worth of load. my heart was already beating fast! we hoped that the phones just fell on the floor, so using hubby's phone we called the phones but BOTH were turned off already! that was when we knew we've been robbed, and the worse thing was it happened right under our noses! it happened so fast, i mean the bag was separated from me for only a few minutes!

hubby immediately looked at the row behind us and saw only an old man there, he asked the man but he said he didn't notice anything, and that no one was sitting there with him. this puzzled me since i am sure i saw and heard a couple sitting directly behind us before the movie started! hubby then reported the incident to the security but they refused to search the old man! they just logged our complaint and asked for our contact number... so far no news from them.

it is just so infuriating when i think about the fact that we were just sitting a couple of inches from the crooks who robbed us! the nerve! they must've taken my phones by tilting the seat from under, since hubby and the people sitting at the back would have noticed it if they took the phone by going over the backrest. grrr!!!!

now, i'm missing my pda/phone... sadly i can't afford to buy another... huhuhu...

plus i am also worried since everything about my life is in that phone: birthdays, contact numbers, sss/tin, account numbers, credit card numbers, everything!

here's my pic with my phone when i first got it... see how happy i was...

so long "p.nine". (yep, it had a name!)

photohunt:: happy

today's photohunt word is happy... here's my take on it...

a happy moment for mom and daughter goofing in front of the camera.

a happy exchange between dad and daughter...

simply happy being together on a lazy sunday morning.

and last but not the least...our van's name is "hapi" from the word happy... because of its bright sunny... and happy color!

friday feast

Appetizer
Say there’s a book written about your life. Who would you want to narrate the audio version?

Julia Stiles. I like her as an artist, and i like her personality. her voice is very distinct too. for me, her voice alone exudes so much character and freedom.

Soup
Take the letters from your favorite kind of nut and write a sentence. (Example: Perhaps every avenue needs understanding today.)

Cook a single hen every wednesday.

Salad

If you could go back in time and spend one week in another decade, which decade would you choose?

i heard the 70's was fun, flower power and all that. =) i was born in the 70's but i was not aware of anything really since i was just a baby at that time. actually living then as an adult woul've been great and "informative".

Main Course
Name a song that brings back memories for you.

ebony and ivory. i remember hearing this song over and over in our school service as a kid. it was probably the driver's fave song at that time. i was in kindergarten. ahhh, happy, simple, carefree days.

Dessert
Do you prefer to wash your hands in cold water or warm water?

i prefer warm water, since i get cold easily, besides i find it hard to rinse off the soap in really cold water =)

difficult night with bea

we were up till 2am. we are having a difficult time with bea. she's now back to her old ways. spitting her milk and keeping her food in her mouth for the longest time without swallowing. last month she made great improvements, she started eating solid food again. i had to go leave for a week to take care of her... the gastro pedia told us to stop force feeding her milk so she can learn that eating and drinking milk is a pleasurable experience... but now, she is still drinking almost nothing. she eats so little too. the vomitting is very minimal, and for that we are really grateful.

i just don't know what to do with her anymore. she soooo... underweight. at 18 months, she is 8.7 kgs...

we're just trusting the Lord and we're taking it one day at a time...

blogvertise your business!

for the past few months, i have been so enamored with the net... thanks to our broadband connection. i also discovered the joys of blogging. it has given me the chance to share my thoughts about certain things, plus it is also a good way to stay in touch of family and friends.

speaking of friends, most of my friends are now trying their luck by starting their own businesses, and we all know what businesses need, a good marketing strategy to keep their business up and about. the internet is a very good way to advertise! i mean, almost everybody surfs the net, moms, dads, students, yuppies... everyone. whatever products or services that enterprenuers have to offer can be given a proper marketing exposure through the net.

i am thinking of introducing my friends to blogvertise, it will give their businesses the much needed buzz and exposure, plus it will lead to more links to their websites. hmm... i'm sure my their businesses will succeed... with enough research, adequate business know-how and the help of marketing tools like blogvertise.

friday's feast

this is my first time to join the feast... i know it's not friday anymore, but better late than never.

come taste my grub!

Appetizer
Describe your laundry routine. Do you have a certain day when you do it all, or do you just wash whatever you need for the next day?

i do our laundry every saturday morning. i soak the whites friday night, then wash them all the next morning. i wash only for hubby and me since our nanny washes our little girl's clothes a couple of times during the week.

Soup
In your opinion, what age will you be when you’ll consider yourself to truly be old?

i can't give a number, i believe you are as old as you feel. there are days when at 30 i feel so old already, there are also times when i'm as giddy as a school girl. it depends really.

Salad
What is one of your goals? Is it short-term, long-term, or both?

have a house of our own, hopefully in canada. live peacefully with my family. i really hope my little girl grows up healthy and happy and eating normally.

Main Course
Name something unbelievable you’ve seen or read lately.

On average, 100 people choke to death on ballpoint pens every year. i mean, really?!

Dessert
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how happy are you today?

a 4... it's not a very good day for me today. i think my mood is reflecting the weather, gloomy.

movie::: vacancy

i have watched a lot of movies since my last post under movie mania... i just wasn't able to post any review/comments about any of them yet. yep, i'm backlogged. =)

anyway, vacancy stars actors luke wilson and kate beckinsale and is directed by hungarian nimrod antal. i was excpecting much from this movie considering it is a suspense thriller and i really like both of its lead actors, however it turned out to be such a disappointment. at one point i really wanted to walk out of the theater, hubby just stopped me.

it is a story of a separated couple driving late at night to go to a family thing. the had to come together since they haven't told the news of their separation to their families yet, they have to go to the occasion pretending that their were still together. while on their way, their car break down in the middle of nowhere and are forced to check in a dingy motel to wait for a mechanic in the morning. honestly, i think it was a stupid decision to go ahead and check in the motel when the hotel manager obviously had something up his sleeve, but that;s just me.

anyway they do check in, david (luke wilson) decided to watch the videos available by the tv set. it turned out to be snuff films taken inside their rooms. he looked around and discovered several hidden cameras. it dawned on them that if they don't move soon, they will be starring in their own snuff film too. and so starts amy(kate beckinsale) and david's long night...

i just don't like movies that deals with snuff films. i remember my reaction to nicolas cage's 8mm. i felt pretty much the same here. my heart was palpitating and i just wanted to stop watching. the bad guys were really vicious and had no qualms at all about torturing and killing their victims... all for the purpose of dark entertainment.

of course there's also the cheesy ending., i mean i love a happy ending, but a realistic one please.

kate was still pretty, in whatever situation she is in, luke is also ok. he showed strength and leadership which are not often his strong points in his other movies.

what did i think about the movie? let's just say that i was relieved when the movie was finally over, and i have no intentions of watching it again in video.

photohunt ::: two

two fools in love.... this pic was taken when we celebrated our sixth anniversary this year.



check out my post about it here

oplan: one movie a month

hubby and i made a pact, we are going to try to limit our movie dates to once a month. right now we watch once a week, sometimes even twice... but we are going to change that. as part of our cost cutting...we plan to choose the best movie for the month and watch that... the rest, we are going to have to wait for the video to be released. being movie buffs, this is going to be a CHALLENGE.

good luck to us!!! =)

a walk in the park

last saturday afternoon, we were scheduled to return the vcd's we borrowed at aca. we decided to bring bea along... she is so lakwatsera now, like her parents. whenever she hears her daddy start the van, she panics... she tries to walk to the van to make sure that she gets to go too! anyway, we stopped by the evolution park in front of S'Mall. bea shrieked when she saw the cement cows, she started saying "mmmmm" (moooo) while pointing at each one of them. =) good thing the park wasn't that crowded... except for that one kid who was friendly with bea at first, but then started pulling her arm when he got too excited. grrr...










after the photo op, we were supposed to go home already but bea freaked when she saw a jollibee sign. daddy and i just couldn't resist, so we stopped by the burger joint for some snack.
good thing bea is now eating small amounts of solid food again. she can now enjoy the delights of eating out.





bea ate some spaghetti and burger, and drank some juice... although feeding her still takes sooo long, we are still grateful for her improvement. at least her food aversion seems to be getting cured; (thank God!) however her milk aversion is still causing trouble for her( she's still terribly underweight and small for her age).

by the time we got home, it was dark already, and lolo and yaya were a bit worried. hehehe...

time spent at the park and resto gave the 3 of us the opportunity to bond as a family. fun fun fun!

que horror... it's a blood bath!

last friday, hubby borrowed some videos for us to watch over the weekend. i told him my request: final destination 3 (we watched the first 2 parts) and monster house. hubby apparently got into the horror/suspense mood and went ahead and borrowed lots of horror movies...

• the hitcher - yuck! watching this movie made my heart palpitate, showed how inhuman man can be! lots of point blank killing.
• hostel - showed the bad side of humanity again, a certain business in amsterdam allowed people to experience how it is to kill someone, at whatever manner they fancy, for a price. bloody movie
• the hills have eyes (unrated) - good story, very violent though, more blood.
• final destination 3 - not as good as the previous ones, the first installment is still my fave. it was more about the story, unlike this movie which relied more on the shock factor of the violent deaths of the characters. of course... again more blood.
• monster house - at last, a wholesome movie. well made, funny. i just loved the character voiced by jon heder!

save for monster house, it was a very violent batch. hubby seemed ok with them. when i told him i wanted to watch a horror movie, i meant i wanted the the usual creepy ghost stories that we both love, not the blood and gore that we watched last weekend! oh well.

never again.

an unexpected visit

yesterday, unexpected but very welcome visitors dropped by our house. sis in law cecille with my niece trish came to drop off something, too bad bea has just fallen asleep at that time, the cousins weren't able to meet and greet each other. =)

my, my, my... little trish is not so little anymore!

Look young...longer!

What a catchy title huh? Who doesn't want to look and feel young forever? When I was in my early 20's, I used to read a lot of articles about taking good care of the skin, as prevention for wrinkles, crow’s feet, dark spots etc. that will surely come with age… I never really took them to heart, after all I was still young. My skin was still taut and wrinkle free. Now I’m in my 30’s, and I’m forcing myself to come to terms with the fact that we are all aging by the minute, by the second. It is a fact of life. It is also evidenced by the dull face that peers back at me in the bathroom mirror every morning. There is no procrastinating with age. We’ll get old as sure as the sun rises and sets. We can’t do anything about it really except to try to age as gracefully as possible. Here’s how:

• Start a skincare routine. Regular washing of the face before going to bed is not considered as a routine! It involves a process, a series of steps. If you haven’t been cleansing, toning and moisturizing, better start now.
• Use a sun block. Yeah-yeah, I know you’ve heard it all before, ultraviolet rays and stuff right? It is often said because it is true. Our ozone layer is getting thinner at a rapid pace, it is not capable of protecting us from the harsh rays of the sun anymore, we need help. When going out, apply sun block on your face and other exposed parts of your body.
• Be conscious of what you eat. Garbage in, pimply and dull skin out. Try to stay away from fatty foods and alcohol. Load up on leaf veggies and fresh fruits. Foods rich in B complex vitamins will help give you a youthful glow.
• Quit smoking. Not only is smoking bad for your health, it is bad for your skin as well. It causes skin to dry up, not to mention the pucker marks that can worsen with age.
• Have enough sleep. Take in at least 8 hours of snooze so that skins cells can regenerate and undergo repair. Also, night sleep is irreplaceable.
• Smile. No amount of make up can beautify a frowning face. A frown not only uses up more muscles, It also causes ugly frown lines. So smile, even if you feel like there is nothing to smile about… if you look hard enough, I’m sure you’ll find something.

It is a mistake to regard old age as a downhill grade toward dissolution. The reverse is true. As one grows older, one climbs with surprising strides - Sands

Photo Hunt : Row

this is my first time to join photohunt... here's my entry...

we went to the car show in the world trade center, manila... we were met with these rows of people waiting in line to get inside, four rows actually... it took us twenty minutes before we got in but the show turned out to be worth our while. =)





tags: PhotoHunt

when it rains, it pours...

i remember a few days back, the catholic church called on everyone to pray for rains. the water levels in our dams have gone down to critical levels, and we desperately need to replenish our supply. like i said in my previous posts, God is a God of perfect timing.. last tuesday afternoon we experienced a downpour which lasted till wednesday. it rained so hard that classes had to be suspended, and there were even flooded areas around the metro.

ask and you shall receive. God is so faithful to His promises..

how to make a spoiled brat

They are everywhere. In shoe shops, the restaurants, in public transportations, in churches, but mostly, they lurk in packs… in toy shops. Who hasn’t heard the wailings of a kid demanding from their parent the latest doll (“I don’t care that I have 25 of those already mom!”) or remote controlled whatever. I personally hate it when they unleash their secret weapon, “the tantrum”: sitting on the floor, feet splayed on the ground, arms flailing, howling like you’ve just hit them on the head with a big bat, while the poor red-faced parents, heads hung low, are silently hoping the ground opens up and eat them. Yep, you’ve seen them. They’re everywhere, the spoiled brats.

But how are they made? It is not so hard to turn little bundles of joy into little monsters. Here’s how:

Bribe them, buy their love. In our society where both parents are often working, we are constantly beset with guilt: guilt that we often leave our children to caregivers or grandparents, guilt that we are not there to witness their milestones in life, guilt that there are times when we are not there for them. So how do we compensate? We shower them with expensive gifts, treat them to any toy of their choice, we give in to just about anything they ask for, after all we owe them. Here’s a newsflash, kids are extremely intelligent creatures, believe me they will catch up on what you’re doing. They will try to stir every situation to their advantage, they know that mommy and daddy will eventually give in.

Ignore the work that they’ve done. Not letting the kids know that you appreciate the extra effort they made to make their beds or bring the dishes to the sink will surely nurture the little brat in them. After all, whether they do good today or just slack off, it will all be the same with mommy and daddy. Slacking is much easier.

Be a bad example. How do we act in front of our kids? Do we also act hard to please and demanding? Do we give more importance to the monetary value of the gifts we receive, rather than the thoughtfulness of the giver? Do we constantly berate our household help for the littlest things? Perfect!

Be inconsistent. When trying to discipline our children, we often unleash a torrent of threats: don’t watch tv on a school night or you’ll be grounded for a week; if you hit your sister one more time I will not give you any cookies; if you don’t pass all your subjects this quarter you won’t be allowed to leave the house forever! And when the set rules are not met, we don’t follow through on our threats. Again, kids are really intelligent, after a while they realize that by saying that they are really, really, really, really, really sorry (plus a sad puppy look to boot), you eventually let them off the hook.

Ok, I’ve given you so guys some guidelines on how to make a spoiled brat, now go on and check on your little ones and see how far along they are in making their way into being the next spoiled brat in your neighborhood. Good luck! (you’ll be needing it!)

happy monthsary hunny!

happy 176th monthsary hunny!!!

i'm still as happy and in love with you as i was more than 14 years ago!

this was one of our fave songs on our wedding:

Love Of My Life

I am amazed

When i look at you

I see you smiling back at me

It's like all my dreams come true

I am afraid

If i lost you by

lI'd fall through the cracks And lose me track

in this crazy lonely world

Sometimes it's so hard to believe

When the nights can be so long

And gave me the strength

And kept me holding on

You are the love of my life

And I'm so glad you found me

You are the love of my life

Baby put your arms around me

I guess this is how it feels

When you finally find something real

My angel in the night

You are my love

The love of my life

Now here you are

With midnight closing in

You take my hand as our shadows dance

With moonlite on you skin

I look in your eyes

I'm lost inside your kiss

I think if i'd never met you

About all the things i'd missed

sometimes it's so hard to believe

when a love can be so strong

and faith gave me the strength

and kept me holding on

You are the love of my life

And I'm so glad you found me

You are the love of my life

Baby put your arms around me

I guess this is how it feels

When you finally find something real

My angel in the night

You are my love

The love of my life

my love affair with books

i love books! i do, i simply love books! my cabinet is a mini library. i am happiest when i am in a bookstore... any bookstore! i'd go through the aisles, stopping every so often when a title catches my attention, then move on to the next aisle. i'd feel sad whenever i visit and then leave without a purchase, so what if i have a growing pile of unread books at the back of my cabinet... i have got to buy me a book!

looking back, i wonder when this love affair started. my parents weren't so much into books, but they did love to read the newspaper, my dad even had an affinity with crossword puzzles. my fondness for books probably dates back when i was still a little girl and we barely had any books of our own. sure, we had the whole encyclopedia britannica set, but we didn't have story books around. good thing i had an aunt who was a teacher, another aunt who is also a book-lover, plus four cousins of different ages... and rummaging through their bookcases satiated my need for books. back then, i remember being excited weeks before the start of classes, because first, i am sure we'd make that important trip to national bookstore in Cubao to buy our school supplies, and second, i know we will be getting a new set of books! so what if most of them will be hand me downs from either my sister or my cousins, they're still books with new adventures and wondrous tales to tell. needless to say.. i've gone through most of them even before classes officially started.

now that i am a mom, i ponder how will i pass this love for books on to my daughter. i would love for her to reap the rewards of being a well-read individual. ( i was never able to put it to good use, i'm hoping she'll fare better). at her age though, she only appreciates picture books, and these keep her interested only for a short while, but this will not stop me. i will keep on trying to introduce her to the immensely entertaining and informative world of books, at her own pace.

a house without books is like a house without windows. no man has the right to bring up children without surrounding them with books. children learn to read being in the presence of books - Horace Mann

the beginning

hmmm. how did our love story start? i first laid my eyes on future hubby in a quiant little chapel in our place. i saw this tall guy who was with his family, hearing mass. i was in my second year high school, and so was he. i will soon find out that we had more things in common. we were actually school mates and our rooms were actually next to each other! (looking back i wonder why i never saw him before) from then on, he was offically my crush. this went on for a year. when i was in third year, our school opened it COCC program for the C.A.T.. together with a friend i joined. and surprise! there he was, a junior officer and my superior. hmmm. (years later he said that he also noticed me at that time because of my height. although at that time he didn't let on) our whole third year of high school was quite uneventful. it was during the summer of that year that things got a bit better.

The CAT program had a summer training program, if we wanted to become officers we had to attend this gruelling training (boy, we sure took things seriously!) since we lived near each other, together with our 2 other friends, we would go to school and come back home together. and then as they say... "nadevelop" yihee!

Fourth yr highschool, medyo love team na kami. but of course, wala pa naman ligawang nagaganap, puro tuksuhan lang. being the naive girl that i am, feeling ko ako lang ang may crush sa kanya, until one day a common friend (thanks cristine!) told me that he admitted to her that he likes me. hehehe kilig to the bones syempre! then we had our first date, (shakey's molave, wala na ngayon), then 10 days after i turned sweet sixteen, we were offically a couple ( to the delight of our growing number of fans) hay, that was 15 years ago! but as they say, time flies when you're having fun!

cutie little shoes

little pink kikay shoes courtesy of her daddy... *wink*

we kept these 'coz for the longest time they were too big for her, and when we did try it earlier, they fit!

we had to comfort ourselves after a bad movie

span >we watched ouija in blue wave marquinton. we decided to watch this movie because

a) i have slowly but surely turned into a juday fan (hehehe... ever since watching KKK, i loved her!)

b) i also love iza calzado( she's great in this movie, the only saving grace for me) and

c) it's a scary movie. (hubby and i just love scary movies!)

too bad the movie is such a disappointment! sure the cinematograpy was ok, camiguin is beautiful... the musical score was so-so. the most disappointing part of this movie is the fact that almost every scary part has been shown in other movies i've seen before. i already know when the ghost will appear and where they will appear. the crawling on walls, "the sadako walk", "emily rose pose", the hiding under the blanket... almost everything! the music, which is supposed to help build up the suspense didn't help at all. i wasn't scared even a little bit.... blah blah blah... in other words.. for us, it wasn't worth watching.

this was how we looked like when we got out of the movie house:

when we got out we were so disappointed with our movie, we had to comfort ourselves... so we went to timezone hehehe. we went in those videoke booths and let out all our pent up anger, and sang ala-piolo, sam, savage garden, britney, madonna, lea etc as in mayanig-yanig ang booth! hehehe.

then by the time we were done with our mini concer, we have already worked up an appetite and ate at hotshots...i ordered the kamikaze burger. 1/4lb patty with cheese and wasabi spread. hot and yummy! hunny had a burger deluxe plus a junior burger (medyo nabitin!)

well ok, the only good thing we got out of watching ouija is that it allowed hubby and me to spend a fun saturday night bonding and having quality time together... a very much appreciated break for the both of us!

ps: hubby read somewhere that ouija will have a sequel... uh,puh-leeez!