BaSKeTBeRRieS BLueS

christmas regalo

2007-12-26T10:41:00.000-06:00

arend's wish was an emergency cart toy...
pong had "doc arend" custom made on his surgeon scrubs and found it in online catalog.

his other wish was a smart cycle...
i got this from walmart in november and hid it in his papa's trunk

a special gift arend made for me in school...
an angel arend tree ornament...the best gift

a thomas toy box pong wanted him to have for all the toys he's got!

my wish for my self was a nintendo ds and this is what i got...from pong.
so much better. i love it!

r.i.p.

2007-12-26T09:51:00.000-06:00

my pet for 10 years. was given to me by a family friend from kileen texas when we went for a party 10 years ago. she was more than a year old then. she was my baby until arend came along. she slept with us, in between my legs usually until i got preggy... i hated her smell, it made me gag. then when arend was born, she was so jealous and hated arend. she would bark as she hears him make even just the tiniest noise. i always send her out of our room but wound scratch the door all night. arend was so lonely when he saw her not moving and just would look when u call her name. she was fine all day until i came home. it was fast, thank goodness she did'nt suffer. i think she died of tumor or cancer since she grew a huge tumor on one of her breast right after pong left. i noticed it when i gave her a bath. then it grew so fast into as big as my thumb. it did'nt seen to hurt her thou.
i'll surely miss you lala. i don't think i'll have another pet. not this time i suppose.
rest in peace.
lala
born 1995 or 1996
died dec 12, 2007

jollibee,totally nude and helicopter ride...

2007-11-10T20:55:00.000-06:00

vegas trip was great. 5 days of non-stop fun with my batchmates from nursing school more than a decade ago. this trip was supposedly with my hubby and baby but unfortunately i was the only one that went. i convinced my cousin dhi to come with me. i got the non-stop flight to
vegas. i bought 'the other boleyn girl' book in attempt to read on the flight. but i got a terrible headache. my flight and dhi's we got there almost the same time. i was picked up by joy, the host, my dear classmate and groupmate and goodfriend in an amg ml 350. swanky! she checked me in caesars palace but took us to old vegas for the light show the to jollibee prior. man! after more than seven years. taste just like what it taste years ago. yummy.

we hit the totally nude...it was for da boys. it was my first time. i've been to strip bars with man and woman but this is different. fun!

one of the highlights of my trip was the aerial ride to lake mead and hoover dam.
i'm trying to overcome my fear of heights. i would do it again and again.

(disregard the dates. these shot's from epoy's cam. goof ball did'nt adjust the date)

i have more vegas stories but i gotta to catch up with my show that i recorded while i was on my trip.
later.

marly's b-day party

2007-10-27T20:43:00.001-05:00

orange day

2007-10-25T21:12:00.000-05:00

it's raining. arend wore his rain boots and had fun jumping on paddles.
learning color orange and they made jack-o-lanterns in school today.

curling tongue

2007-10-23T19:16:00.000-05:00

i love this outfit on him. he looks like a little man.

black day

2007-10-18T21:39:00.001-05:00

learning the color black and painting bats in school today.

fire prevention day

2007-10-17T20:09:00.000-05:00

yesterday was fire prevention day at arend's school.
this is 3 and 4 years old class combined to listen to the fire fighters.

purple blankie

2007-10-11T19:25:00.000-05:00

after missing school of being sick last tuesday. arend thinks he can rest and take a nap in school. he insist in taking his pillow and blankie with him. his blue blankie which he refers to his purple blankie is his security. we don't leave it behind if we know we will be gone overnight or else everyone will not have a goodnight rest. we brought it but it stayed in the car.

he was wearing his shoes with skull. just perfect for halloween. coming out of the room, he has his project of creepy spiders with him. *cute
i was surprise to see him second in line. he's always the last one.

first thursday of october

2007-10-04T21:12:00.000-05:00

october already!

2007-10-02T16:27:00.000-05:00

2007-09-30T19:28:00.000-05:00

i had a good night...woke up in a beautiful day.
our second day, after breakfast.
arend and jastin went out to feed lightning.
poor pony, he's been neglected :(

we'll see you again next year lightning.
he's gonna be boarding again this winter.

we enjoyed the newly landscaped playground and pavilion.
i planned to have my bday party here. maybe next year.

looks so beautiful now...

the whole family spending time at the next door homemade icecream shop.
the cheesecake, actually...

every flavor taste yummy...

we then walked down main street
oh so laid-back...so relaxing...

then, fishing at the pier

like he knows what he's doing :)

we ate lunch at saigon's before leaving...
next week is oyster festival. i'm working. aww:(
after that festivities, the stores and restos in the island are closing and will re-open by march.
i can't wait to go back here again...

island get-away

2007-09-29T20:35:00.000-05:00

my aunt just got back from a 2 week florida trip then carribean cruise.
oh how i wanna be away from home but i just cannot afford a cruise at this time. so i called her up last week, knowing that i will be off this weekend. i told her i wanna go to chincoteague...
as soon as i heard an ok from her. i called my sissy-in-law and planned a weekend get-away to the island.
just less than 3 hours drive pass the longest bridge...chesapeake bay bridge...
and we are here :))

i was at the front desk and i was told that i got 4 connecting rooms. yay!
nice to have an aunt who owns hotels. (*wink)
i choose the room where we stayed with mama last year. the hotel and rooms are newly renovated. all furnitures are new but they kept the cabin interior...which is what i love in this hotel.

the weather is so beautiful. 70's today...
we went inside the island's national wildlife refuge and went straight to the beach.

gorgeous beach. cold water. but arend had fun!

went inside the educational center. just to have something to do.

arend being nosy*

then headed back to the hotel to say hello to lightning

just goofing around the property...

the poolside...

then when tita arrived later on. she said that there was a fair.
free :)) entrance, games and food...

and face painting...he asked to be a panda...

he looked like a rat... at least jastin asked to be a dog. :(

our room at night.

and the property... they already hung halloween stuff

night is so peaceful here.

good nite.

blue day

2007-09-27T20:07:00.000-05:00

learning the color blue today...

he also brought his blue toucan puppet

2007-09-26T20:28:00.000-05:00

i had an easy and relaxed day. i attended the planetree retreat. i was away from work and home, into this beautiful ford's colony place in williamsburg. oh how i wish i live around this place.
here's some of the house's i passed by...

clubhouse patio and golf course...

the snacks were served non-stop all day and the lunch was superb. a smorgasbord of delectable cuisine. i wish i had taken a shot.
i learned interesting points about planetree. their mission makes so much sense to me now.
the facilitator of the retreat shared us this story... it's amazing!

The Goose Story

********************************

Next Fall, when you see geese heading south for the winter,
flying along in V
formation, you might consider what
science has discovered as to why they fly
that way:

As each bird flaps its wings, it
creates an uplift for the bird immediately following it. By flying in the
V formation, the whole flock adds as least 71% greater flying range than if each
bird flew on its own.

People who share a common
direction and sense of community can get where they are going more quickly and
easily because they are traveling on the thrusts of one
another.

When a goose falls out of formation,
it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone and quickly
gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in
front of it

If we have as much
sense as a goose we will stay in formation with those who are headed the same
way we are.

When the head goose gets tired,
it rotates back in the wing and another goose flies
point.

It is sensible to take turns doing
demanding jobs--with people as well as with geese flying
south.

Geese honk from behind to encourage
those up front to keep up their speed.

What do we
say when we "honk from behind"?

Finally, and
this is important, when a goose gets sick or is wounded by gunshots and falls
out of formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to
lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen goose until it is able
to fly or until it dies, and only then do they launch out on their own or with
another formation to try to catch up with their group.

If we have the sense of a goose, we will stand by each
other like that.

sty

2007-09-25T19:44:00.000-05:00

when pong was away before, he shared his room in what he describes like a trailer house.
when i asked him where he sleeps this time. he said "kulungan ng baboy".
walls and rooms divided by plywood. sort of like a restroom cubicle.
he took pics...
his humble abode for few months...

foggy

2007-09-25T19:35:00.000-05:00

time square after dark

2007-09-22T18:45:00.001-05:00

after a whole day of walking down manhattan island...
i was so tired, i almost said...let's just go...but,
it's the moment i've been waiting for to discover...
a whole new world of life and lights in times square begins,
as the day ends.

p.diddy's enormous image as seen as we were driving...

the famous "virgin" music store

"mtv" studio

a huge "toysRus" store with a ferry's wheel inside

a floor monitor screen inside "virgin's". cool*

share time

2007-09-20T19:44:00.000-05:00

my assignment for his papa is
to take a picture of him every school day.
so he won't miss out.
here it is...

we are on the second week of school already.

today is arend's time to share and he brought his lantern...
i asked him what he said about the lantern?
he replied "to light my path at night"...
*so cute*

2007-09-19T20:35:00.000-05:00

why do i feel so tired?

my september schedule is just f*cked-up!
i have been working almost everyday and running errands.
non-stop since pong left.
it's coming back to me now, how hard it is when he's away.
i don't feel okey.

i hate this b*tch at work. the other job i'm taking about. the new manager is a devil. she refuses to staff the unit with 2. i work there the other week with 6 sick patients by myself. she instructed to call for help from med surg unit as needed. those poor nurses don't even have time to pee. they have sicker patients. for surgery, crazy brain injuries in posey bed. and she expects them to help me. shunga shunga pala sya eh! ba't kaya di sya magtrabaho sa floor ng makita nya.
nakaka-bwisit! i had this gigantic patient. a 3 hundred pounds dead weight that can't even lift her hundred pounds extremities. she expect me to give her a bed bath, turn and dress her up. who'll be watching my other patients. syempre, do i have a choice?... my back was killing me for a week after that.
it's not f*cking worth-it. it's just not.
then she called me to her office to tell me that my pay rate was more than what i'm suppose to. she asked me to sign a contract to work more hours if not...she'll decrease my pay. i REFUSED to.
gagah talaga! tinakot pa ako. sino bang gustong magpakamatay. sa kanya nalang.
tsaka hindi naman sya nag-hire sakin at nag offer ng rate.
pucha, nakaka-gigil. aghhhh! gusto kong pag-sasaksakin ng ballpen!

why does life gets more complicated as you get older? more troubles, heartache, problems, pain...

leave britney spears alone!

2007-09-12T22:39:00.000-05:00

saw this on showbiz tonight...chris crocker's cry on you tube...
more than 3 million hits.
the comments are cracking me up :P

pre-k

2007-09-11T21:55:00.000-05:00

arend starts school...
his first day today, syempre meron picture-taking.
on the way out, with my red 'kipling' backpack...pamana from me.
mas matanda pa sa kanya. it's his favorite. he doesn't leave home without it.
and his school bag. the marc jacobs makulit bag. they require a tote bag in school.
backpack is to hassle for the techers when they have to put in stuff for them to take home.
i thought of getting one for him when we were in new york.
my lil'boy sportin' a designer bag for pre-k. hay!

shot in front of the school...

he was the last one to come out. i think he's the biggest...
not the tallest.
that's miss tammy in denim shorts...
and miss june in black shirt.

he survived the first day. better yet, i survived!!!
i was so worried but he did not even cling on me. he was so prepared. good prep weeks ago really helped. he looked so tired when i picked him up after school. he said "mah! i want milk and a looooooooooong nap." (so cute*)
i still cannot believe my lil' boy in school already.
bilis ng panahon.

harold and kumar part two

2007-09-10T21:49:00.000-05:00

dred and i when we were in jersey
on our quest to satisfy our craving for...

white castle hamburgers...
a freaking crave case *hiya

yum

shoe sale

2007-09-07T19:03:00.000-05:00

so much for being depress.
i was looking for a good pair of jeans when we drove to richmond last saturday.
and to my surprise (whohlah!*) shoe sale.

buy me shoes...
make me happy...

i'm good for next summer. yay!

to fight bad guys

2007-09-07T14:41:00.000-05:00

this month's been so busy for me. talking about this month...i mean august. i thought it was still august. how i wish it's still august. my gosh! it's not august.
let me start this post from today going back to mid-august...my last post. i guess. do someone really cares? whatever.
oh well. today's suppose to be a busy day for me at work but my fave supervisor, julia. thinking of me being all stressed out for my husband leaving. she asked if i wanna go home at 11am. ofcourse i would love to go home. so there i was driving from work to pick up arend. i dropped him of this morning at 630am. he was so cooperative. he didn't give me a hard time. my mom in law and sissy in law are just the best. thank god they are nearby. i miss my mom. bakit ba sya kinuha agad ni lord? last time pong was deployed. i didn't have any problem. she was here. i miss her so much. she took care of me and arend. that was during her remission. at her best after her chemo. she was bald when pong left and her hair grew back when pong got back. she went home to philippines to relax and visit my brother. she thought she was cancer free. cancer sucks! hirap ng wala ang nanay. dammit, i miss her so much.

oh my gosh. her birthday is coming up...next week. we went to vegas for her reunion last year for her birthday. she was so excited and happy.

there she was...talagang sugalera! hahaha!
ayaw paawat!

last night, pong left again. as i was telling arend that his papa's gonna be gone for few months. he right away answered, 'to fight bad guys'. i asked my family who told him that. i am clueless where he learned that concept. pong was busy packing and running errands for last few days and up to last night he still wasn't prepared. i'm certain he's not excited to leave. nobody is. by the way, we still had time to squeeze in arend's school meeting and orientation last night before he left. golly, he's gonna miss arend's first day of school. he's gonna miss half of this school year. he'll be back for the valentines party which we'll probably miss since we're planning on going home to philippines when he gets back next year. we need to bond again as family.
our summer was pretty good. we did a trip to pennsylvania to the hershey park then to sesame place. after that we went to new york. (more stories later on...)
looking forward to pong's coming home...i miss you pah!

off to war again...

2007-08-10T09:05:00.000-05:00

i am pissed!!! ugh*
few more days, pong is leaving again for a long time.
i am not upset that he's leaving. (of course i am, who am i kidding)
i know that this is what he signed up for.
but i am pissed that he'll be gone to miss his son's first day in school,
the up-coming holidays - halloween,thanksgiving,xmas and new year.
waaaah!

under the sun

2007-08-07T20:44:00.000-05:00

waters at york town ...

sailboat passin' by...

playing sand

beautiful view

ben & jerry's

yummy choc'lait

new face of louis vuitton

2007-08-05T21:53:00.000-05:00

mikhail gorbachev

follow your heart

2007-08-04T19:10:00.000-05:00

my dearest bro checkin' his flight...
going to land of uncertainty.
leaving behind all the opportunities of living the american dream.
i guess we are not like before no more.
we follow what our heart desires.
never mind the promise.
the long awaited moment of having you close.
it's true i will never understand.
i feel that you are still my baby brother,
but time flew so fast.
i wish you all the happiness. a good and peaceful life.
i love you.

old pics

2007-07-28T20:01:00.000-05:00

high-school days
sarah,elena,
me and dayang.

derekkkkkkkk!

2007-07-26T15:31:00.000-05:00

you're so yummy *slurp

thanks tupe for the pix!

comes in three

2007-07-26T00:51:00.000-05:00

we have reached our quota. ok!

my mama in december

uncle edmund in june

lola ibay in july

rest in peace. our hearts are filled with wonderful
memories of joyful times together. we love you...

riders

2007-07-05T22:11:00.000-05:00

after work riders...
pong on the big bike

me and arend on the small one

richmond trip

2007-07-02T12:43:00.000-05:00

a short trip to richmond last friday.
arend got so excited to see his favorite part of this place...

the fountain...he had a good time :)

Stony Point Fashion Park

my favorite place...and there's the featured bag...

neverfull

they have the street GM on display...
felt so sorry for myself that i can NOT afford...
i'm heartbroken. (pic from the internet)

but my sis-in-law went home happy:)

her first vuitton. i introduced her to louis.
she promised she'll start collecting too...
good choice (with my help. *ehem!) for her first louis...
Illovo PM in damier canvas
and Damier Azur Pochette Clés in azur...

random pics

2007-06-26T18:42:00.000-05:00

make me happy...take me shopping!

mine and tita's shopping bags...

shopping at southpark in charlotte nc
and i went home very very happy :)

pictures from may and june files...

brrr

cape hatteras lighthouse

upscale exxon

hairdo by tio deng

business center at a hotel in rocky mount nc

rest in peace uncle edmund

my new plates...

shiela and jeproks

sungit. sobra!

longanisa and dilis. yummy!

2007-04-29T13:41:00.000-05:00

doc in the making...*i wish*

newbie

2007-04-17T18:16:00.000-05:00

i'm officially a new employee.
my first day, monday. orientation at the hampton roads branch...
it's such an amazingly huge place but this is not where i'm gonna be working.
i'm excited!

easter blues

2007-04-17T18:12:00.000-05:00

ba-bye papa...

black saturday

2007-04-07T20:34:00.000-05:00

our black saturday is all white...

new job

2007-04-05T21:20:00.000-05:00

my morning started early today. after a long while (5 weeks to be exact) of getting away from not calling the HR from this new rehab place. i did finally returned back their phone calls and headed up for initial interview. the director was very pleased of my resume and did'nt even asked me a lot of non-sense questions and was just very specific that they wanted me as full-timer. i can only do few hours a week to begin with. that is for me to see how the place is. she offered the position right away and we went straight to HR. she left me there and was sure i was going to accept the offer. the offer was awful. i almost choked up to death. literally! i was so embarrased since i was obviously disgusted with the offer. my materalistic self couldn't hide it. all i had to say was. "i'm going home and i'll think about it."
so i did and called HR right away. i was contemplating on how to negotiate my salary as i was driving home. but as she answered the phone. she was like... "linda" (the director) got after her for not even asking how much i make as fulltime. and i just blurted that i demand (never thought i could do that. *i'm so surprised with my self. i need a pat on the back...lol) not less than what i make as fulltime. so she made phone calls.
i did accept the position but i'm still not happy with the pay. it's 10 bucks less than what i make in texas. i guess the pay here is not as competitive compare to other states but at least it's more than my pay as fulltime. (too bad...you can't win all the time)
pong will be leaving on easter. i'll be busy somehow, something to look forward to...

this is the place i'll be working at
(i hope it works out)

Busch Gardens -europe-

2007-04-02T13:28:00.000-05:00

spent april fools day in "europe"... *wishful thinking

beach day...

2007-03-29T15:13:00.000-06:00

water wasn't quite ready yet...

not a plastic bag

2007-03-23T20:45:00.000-06:00

WHAAAHHHHHH....
i want this bag...

apparently...people are getting crazy just to get their hands on one...

2007-03-19T13:31:00.000-06:00

we were so craving for japanese food and ended up eating roast duck, garlic fried lobster, veggie fried noodles and fried rice at jade villa. this place has so yummy authentic home cook chinese food. the other table had "suso" with "gata", it looked so delish. i wanna try that next time. they also have dimsum cart on the weekends.

pong and arend playing around while eating his mini corndogs while chillin' at the mall

i am missing pong already and he hasn't left yet. he's gone in two weeks for eight weeks. *sobbing. by the way, i am not leaving for the reunion in las vegas. i will just try to go in october. we also have a high-school reunion coming up at the end of this month in philippines. everyone's excited. my laptop screen was full as i was viewing my YM high-school friends last night all talking at once online then with a 3-way phone patch on the other. it was insane!!! i slept like 2 am already, my head was pounding when i woke up.
gotta go, i have lots of things to do today.

lazy saturday

2007-03-18T12:45:00.000-06:00

it's just so weird that the weather was good the other day and how the freak temperature dropped to a snowy saturday. we decided to spend the day indoors. we drove to the other side of the peninsula and went shopping. a much needed change of wardrobe. of course my colors are still in mourning but i found some cute pieces from H&M. so bad we don't have this store over there where we lived. it's affordable, i love it. i first discovered H&M when we were in germany in 2003. they had a lot of nice stuff even then. i still can't believe thou that they don't have nice malls here. i am so missing san antonio this time. i saw a lot of girls wearing fake louis vuittons, not a single one wearing the real thing. its' so freaking insane. i get so affected and upset. ahhh!

the mall view from the third

from the second

pong went shoe crazy and i got 2 pairs for arend

petting farm

2007-03-15T15:41:00.000-06:00

75 degrees outside, partly cloudy. just to nice of a day to spend indoors.
so we went to a petting farm.

meet the residents...

yup! not the one in blue.

i'm beat!

2007-03-12T06:22:00.000-06:00

i am so tired. a 12 hours shift 3 days in a row is killing me. i am not up for this anymore. i am getting old. hahaha! anyway, arend is a 24/7 job and he's just so energetic. which i'm glad! even a little cold and stomach flu is not slowing him down. oh! i love this little man so much. he's my life. i gotta make it up to him. so many days that i felt so down and the winter weather is just making me more down. spring is coming... the allergen's just killing me too. hahaha! virginia weather is freaking crazy. well! i gotta blame it on something!

this up coming reunion of us is driving me crazy. it's gonna be in vegas. my schedule is just too hectic that day. pong is leaving for schooling on that day. oh! i don't know. what am i gonna do. it's just freaking crazy. i wanna go! i'm so excited and this might never happen anymore, ever! i don't wanna miss this chance. agh!
thank goodness i'm off today but i gotta work 2 more days then i'll be off for a while.
i have few more days to think it over... i mean the reunion.

here's a vintage group shot during our grad day...
almost a decade and a half. and i was about 40 lbs lighter.

2007-03-08T09:25:00.000-06:00

my friend from san antonio emailed me:

Hola
How have u been and what have u been up to?
its been a long time since we heard from u.
Liz and I were just thinking about u and how much we miss working with u.
Please come back. well every thing here is ok .
just working like always.
keep in contact don't be a stranger.
bye

here's my response:

HOLA!
we're still here. my mom passed dec. before christmas and i am still feeling down.
goodthing my bro and cousin are here-keeps my mind-off a bit,keeps me sane.
and arend's been a handful as well. hehehe. he's 3! time flies, he was just 1 year old few months ago.hehehe.
miss you guys there. miss san antonio. i was thinking about how i hated that place since it's always hot and places to go to are far apart. well guess what! it's freezing cold here.
and i'm a mall rat. they have macy's and penny's but definitely no la cantera mall.
whah! i miss that freaking mall! it was just 5 minutes away from our place. here the decent mall is an hour away. and the nieman marcus and saks are like 3 hours away. i feel like i live in a deserted place. but anyways, our family always hangs out. what i've always wanted. we cook and eat a lot and drink. i'm gonna be following britney and lindsay lo in rehab. i'm may and i'm an alcoholic!!!
regards to all the people out there.miss you all.
regards to Liz. is she still practicing her english?
you guys are so much fun to work with. regards to my friend leonel too.
know what! where i work they don't hire guys, can you imagine how boring that is.
there are no good looking "manny"-like latino's here. whah!
i miss our 3 o'clock am hang outs to get margarita and nacho's right there at taco cabana in front of silverado's.
ok that's it! let me pack my bags and i'm coming back. hehehe!!!
love you guys.

2007-03-07T10:48:00.000-06:00

i wanna go to VEGAS!

2007-03-07T10:22:00.000-06:00

yesterday at work. i admitted a patient with spinal cord injury. it's been a long time, maybe more than 2 years that i have'nt taken care of one. last job i had, we did not accept spinal cord injuries. we most likely had general debility and orthopedics. our rehab place was not skilled for this sort. anyway, this particular patient had sensation just a little above the nipple line, with tracheostomy and on oxygen and needing to be suctioned so many times, peg tube, colostomy bag, foley, contractures to upper extremities and foot drop. he's been in the hospital for so many months and developed a huge ulcer on his butt that they even did a graft. he was such a mess, and needy, so scared to be alone due to the experience of losing his call light and could not find it. with limited movements, only can lift shoulder without fine motor movements of his hands and fingers and can move head slightly. similar to "superman" reeves. if his trach plugs up and without speaking valve, he could'nt even call for help. i feel sorry for him and this kind of injuries. his parents are in the 70's, he should'nt be in this place if he's not going home. just wasting his rehab time, so much effort and money spent for nothing.
what's the point? nothing really!

depresserrrrrrr... than ever!

2007-02-28T01:16:00.000-06:00

i am just so disheartened....more than ever in this lifetime. it's not even funny!
i wish there's a word for it...

miss you so much mah...

2007-02-12T08:32:00.000-06:00

my latest big purchase!

2007-02-08T09:56:00.000-06:00

for years we have been wishing to be stationed here in virginia. the timing was good because my mom had the chance to be close to family. it helped us a lot during that time, for her and arend and just the whole aspect of family being here. this time mom is gone, i have a big house with such emptiness. i miss her noise, her tv on all the time watching her judges in court at day time, game knb, wowowee, then back to judges in the afternoon, the nanny and golden girls usually at night until she falls asleep. i miss her pancit and pinakbet which i never learn how to cook her style. i miss calling her on her cel phone when i'm somewhere and just wanting to tell her about something, chismis or just a girl talk. i miss talking to you. at times i try to think that she's just abroad with my step dad. i miss her voice.
i miss you so much mah!
i am so glad we had a chance to spend all this time together thou. after so many years we've been apart. i feel so bad that deng didn't have this chance but it's kind of good for him since he said that he just thinks that she's just abroad.
so much pain, such a heartache, with no cure.

three years young

2007-02-07T06:34:00.000-06:00

arend's cake.
he picked this one although it didn't match the theme!

my fireman son!

awaiting his guest...

random pics

2007-01-24T23:46:00.000-06:00

uncle jack's 7 grand chandelier...
(ka-ching!) i would spend it for a birkin bag, or couple of chanels...

at jen and darren's wedding party...

arend and bon bon sharing thoughts

amazed with the mirror ball

the newly wed's ride

debut of my speedy damier azur...
right beside auntie's monogram hudson (envy*)

auntie's pretty tree

arend on m&m's jammies waiting to welcome
new year in a hotel lobby in rocky mount n.c.

d.c.

2007-01-22T15:37:00.000-06:00

been about 10 years since i first saw d.c. and for dred and deng, it's their first. they commented that " this is how they imagine 'states'!"
as we were driving around. it started snowing...
it's so beautiful...

part of the... white house

arend trying to get a taste of the snow...

washington monument

inside the smithsonian

hope diamond with my image

looks like a lost kid!

driving back home...

my gawd! Holiday's over already?

2007-01-05T21:50:00.000-06:00

soooo many things have happened. i cannot believe it. i am not over christmas, i do not have a gift yet for my little boy. i thought i was getting ahead when i put up my christmas decors right after thanksgiving. i was fooling myself. anyway, my mom wanted to see lots of christmas lights and decors. christmas cards are still here and unsent. i bought them early too so mama can send her cards to philippines. it does'nt really matter now.
my brother's here from philippines, arrived nov.29. after a very long wait and suffering, lots of prayers and tears and disappointments, more from my mom's part. he slept with my mom that night. the next day we took mom to the ER. after all exams and lab test, treated her and was admitted. we never left her side. she passed away the next day, dec 1. happy that she saw her son, her prayers and wish were granted. peaceful she was, thank goodness she did'nt have so much pain.
my bro shocked, never thought it would end for her. and for me, aware and knew what's going to happen does not prepare me of death.
i am still in the state of...what happened? is she really gone? she's just in bed taking a nap, she'll call in a little bit.
i cry when i'm driving realizing that i cannot call her to tell her something. her voicemail that used to pick up her calls does'nt exist anymore. i miss her voice, her kakulitan, our little tsismisan.
her funeral was solemn. step dad was able to make it, good friends and relatives were here.
very busy up until now.
my step dad's family came by from dubai and canada unannounced and uninvited for christmas. they called the same day and said "we are coming...in about an hour" ...crazy but it was okey. i wish we had more time to prepare to accomodate them. we had prior engagements and job to attend to and did'nt have the chance to take some days off.
jenny's (arend's god-mom) wedding before new years eve in maryland was a success. oh yea! open bar all night. next day we drove 5 hours for new year spent in north carolina with my family and then drove back home expecting more guest.
tomorrow, my step dad's flying to new york and meet his family before he goes back home to dubai. my bro and cousin here and started working as well.
i never had a chance to mourn, as i said. i sometimes think that she's just in her room taking a nap. it hurts to realize that she's gone for real. i miss her so much.

miss you mah. love you!

cold

2006-11-26T06:34:00.000-06:00

weather here is weird. cold and gloomy, rainy and icy. makes me feel tired and depress. although the house starting to feel like home, feels warmer but we are still waiting for blinds and drapes to be installed. i was able to open up few more boxes from the garage and put up the x-mas decors from what i had from texas. arend loves to look at the lights from my fake tree (i thought about getting a real one) and the x-mas village that her lola gave him before. it's nice, inspite of the weather, makes me feel a bit cheery.

outside view from the front porch

foggy view of outside a bit later this morning

family room

dinning room

thanksgiving dinner-pinoy style

2006-11-24T01:56:00.000-06:00

thanksgiving day. i am very thankful for a lot of things. most importantly is that my mom gets to spend this day with us. and thankful that we have food on our table...

bake turkey, macaroni salad (good sub for potato salad), roast beef wih mushroom sauce, fried turkey (ofcourse just having bake is not enough! ), stuffing (extender) ,green bean caserole, brocolli with rice and cheese,ham (pinoy style, soaked in pineapple juice!), palabok (don't ask why) ,mash potatoes (made from scratch) and sweet potatoes. not shown are fruit salad, pecan pie, bilo-bilo (i don't know another name for that!)

just looking at the food makes me wanna take a nap already!

louis...oh louis!

2006-11-07T15:38:00.000-06:00

i have been in love with this bag ever since frank...my fave associate from lv showed me pictures of this before i left texas. he said coming out in september...and so i asked the lv associate (filipina pa man din!) from lv shop in vegas when we were there if it's available.... a damier azur collection. she said, we don't have one coming out and we have list of up-coming collections for fall and winter. where have you seen it? (she said while browsing at their list!) parang irita pa sya! anyway, i looked so raggedy and tired that day after all that walking on the strip, my hair all messed up with the wind. i was wearing a freaking ugly flats (but comfortable). i said never mind, but i felt pahiya!

we travelled friday night an hour and a half to get to a louis store. this city we live in is so conservative i tell you. anyways, i got my azur in a speedy 25. the seleya mm which is my first choice is as big as my cabas piano and not a long handle to carry on my shoulder. it's nice to be carrying it on the arm. the speedy 30 i have already in the monogram. also got a pocket organizer in damier ebony.

trick or treat...smell my feet...

2006-11-01T22:19:00.000-06:00

my lil' dino...

sin city

2006-10-31T00:36:00.000-06:00

updating...
snaps from our 3 day (including flight, not enough time to enjoy...) stay in vegas last month. the trip was unplanned since i was so hesitant to take my mom in her condition. but hey! it was her b-day wish. she went for her high-school class reunion. while she was having fun, pong and i explored the sin city.

gotta have this shot of this famous landmark

we did not waste time...

escalators are curved...so cool!

largest chocolate fountain.
yummy!

uh! when do i get to ride in one?

i did not go broke from slots
but i did when i went inside m&m's...
every little thing is irresistably cute.

one million dollar up-close!

dinner at mona mi gabi with the magnificent
view of the water dance from belagio
their steak was yum!

2006-10-31T00:24:00.000-06:00

i switched to blogger beta. suppose to be better. hopefully it's easy to use. i'm not a tech'y kind'o gurl!

i miss blogging!

2006-10-29T04:17:00.000-06:00

after a long while, i'm back on-line. it's hard to live without internet. it's like detached to the whole world. i have access from work but it's so much different when u have ur own.
well, so many stuff happened. but the most exciting one is that we have settled. we moved to our new house about a week now (yea baby!) and sold the one from texas. thank goodness, we are still lucky since the real estate market is not so good and slow...tsk tsk!
love it here in east coast, it is beautiful. get to experience the change of weather, trees change of color. then everybody getting sick from the cold weather (ok! that's not fun!).
now it's almost november, we were not ready for trick or treat and i'm working anyway.
i still have tons of boxes in the garage which i don't know when i'll get a chance to open yet. gotta go back to sleep. till next time.

bad hair day

2006-09-02T23:59:00.000-05:00

i survived my whole week of orientation at that new place. my first day was general orientation. we get to meet the administration staff, missions and goals, policy and regulations and a whole bunch of paper works. lunch was on them with the manager. food was great but i had to watch my bites since i sat with the bosses. second day was more on nursing stuff. tour of the whole hospital, equipments and bunch of important paper works i need to learn how to fill up. third day was meeting more people that i'll be working with. training with them then test. my thursday was spent working on the floor with my preceptor. friday was not an ordinary day. it was a mess! the hurricane ernesto is a hurricane to remember. i left for work at 6:20am, actually a bit earlier than usual. on the way, the only way i know to work was blocked because of the flooding from all night rain. i called my sis in law to ask for another way to work. * oh yea, she works at that place as well. and gave me another option. that was barricaded by police cars. it was impossible to pass thru that way. unfamiliar with the place i tried to call my supervisor 3 times with no luck. at 7 am, i was no where close to work. i parked in a vacant parking lot and made phone calls. the wind was getting wild at that time, it was rocking my truck like a rocking chair. i was panicking! i tried calling my supervisor and the director picked up the phone. she met me during orientation and after i introduced my self over the phone she said "welcome to virginia!" she gave me directions to work but i was hoping she would just send me back home. i made it to work but the street in front of the hospital does not exist. it was part of james river. the waves were wild and wind was just blowing like crazy. well! i survived and i'm here and of course, lunch for the staff was on them once again.

party's over!

2006-08-28T20:39:00.000-05:00

today i start with my new job. after a long *3 months unexpected or rather unplanned vacation, i am a working girl once again. it's about darn time! our accounts drained, and pockets are sucked dry. woohoo! a good excuse to stay away from shopping malls. thank goodness i have a kind aunt that is adopting us for the meantime. that's us 3 plus my mom and the dog too! free lodging, food and everything even arend's milk. now where can you find somebody like that. halleluia!

2006-08-27T00:23:00.000-05:00

a month has passed we are alive and kicking here in the state for lovers. survived the trip (twice...that is!) updates and more pics to follow.

anyways, here's a last look of our house...

and a first look of our future(?)house...*cross my fingers

florida stop-over

2006-08-26T23:53:00.000-05:00

after a long drive and getting ready for another long trip is a nice relaxing stop-over in florida. magnificent view from the room by the villa we checked in.
sawgrass marriott resort and beach club

the journey begins

2006-07-27T02:15:00.000-05:00

i am ecstatic. it's 2am here in SA and i'm still awake. eventhou i am worn out with all the packing of our left over stuff that we need to travel with and then cleaning the house. i could not sleep. last minute things i need to do and i still have to do it when i wake up since i am here updating my blog. pa-the-tic! well, it will take sometime before i get to update.
i'll be missing my blog.
n'ways,
bye san antonio.
i'll be missing the lone star state.
i'll be missing my first house. (teary eyed*)
oh yea! it's hitting me now.
i gotta go before i weep so hard and be waking up my boys.

emptiness

2006-07-25T15:21:00.000-05:00

it's finally sinking in...we are leaving this town.
all our stuff is packed and movers are here. this is the second day.

my baby looking thru the window, unable to let go of his bikes and toys.

i can't believe we have all this stuff or i should say...junk. almost 20 wardrobe boxes from 3 walk in closets. and yet everytime i go out there's no perfect outfit to wear.

my boys are tucked in one corner and taking a nap.
pobre-sito!

this move is taking years. we have 3 guys, seems like they're in their 60's. i wanted to help them carry stuff but it's a liability issue.
n'ways! i'm exhausted from watching them. this is hardwork and they do it everyday. they sure look pretty healthy for their age.
(gotta go) i'm craving for nicotine.

sunday brunch

2006-07-23T19:48:00.000-05:00

last sunday in san antonio. it has to be memorable.
last time we went to da vinci gelato, we saw this italian resto that offers sunday brunch.
reggiano's pacifico restaurant at stone oak pkwy. the food was delicious! the waitstaff commented that my entree was a bad experience! refering to my empty, almost licked, clean plate. um!um!

i had the yummy veal picatta

arend had the waffle with banana and caramel sauce with smoked apple wood bacon
i helped him with his serving.

and this is what pong had and he also enjoyed it!

the run away

2006-07-19T17:08:00.000-05:00

last night after cooking ginisang shrimp with soysauce and just having the first few bites. we got a call from the realtor asking if it's ok, that somebody wants to view the house between 7:30 and 8:30. i looked at the clock at it was 7:09 (unexpected! in my mind i was like..."what? they even come this late?" we wanna sell so of course it's ok. no choice!) we we're tidying up here and there while cracking up since pong's boss was just telling him about that time the they were in the middle of dinner and they got a call. they have to pack up and leave and eat in the car. it's just funny coz we pinoy's have to cook and you can smell it all over the house. thank gudness i did'nt fry fish or cooked with fish sauce or baggoong. i sprayed the whole house with my fave scent 'warm vanilla sugar' fragrance spray. we were out of the house by 7:30 and was tempted to just park close by and spy who's wanting to view the house. but we did'nt. we drove to get desert instead even thou we did'nt get to finish dinner.

da vinci gelato & caffe

i had cappucino and coffee gelato, arend had cookies & cream gelato and pong ordered tiramisu cake and cappucino. i was so into my desert. it was delectable! by the time i realized i wanted to taste pong's tiramisu, it was all gone.
anyway, the gelato is to die for!

vast amount of mouth-watering gelato (slurp*)
(shot taken from my cel cam)

guess where we're heading next time we get another viewer.
oh yea!

just venting

2006-07-18T01:34:00.000-05:00

i forgot to mention that when i was shopping this weekend, i have seen a lot of shoppers with fake LV. my gudness! nag-kalat sila. i am not an expert with LV's but i read and do my little research. i can not believe that i can spot fakes from real ones now. a frequent trips to the LV boutiques and keen observation is the key. im'ma take pictures the next time and this will be my dialogue..."ah miss, can i take a picture of your purse. i am doing a catalogue of a good LV replicas." ay! the nerve.

few of the real designer purses i saw that i found cute and lusting to have:

a little cutie around 7-8 years old with her dad sporting a mini pochette accessoires
(price $215) this is what i gave my mommy-in-law last christmas

seen a middle age mexican with this in red
lucille PM TST (price $860)

and a sexy blonde with her daddy or sugar. you don't see this often. in fact i can never detect a real audra (price 1,340) from a fake one but she was in saks trying on a channel dress and yes she bought it.

not exactly this bag but a brown fendi spy. a low profiled teenager wearing a plain looking white shirt,demin shorts and flip-flops eating pizza and her spy bag was on the floor. i just wanted to pick it up and place it neatly on her table. damn! i'm having a purse envy.
this particular spy leather pleated bag priced at $3,300

there you go, i just wanted to get it out of my system.
soree.

blue wears prada

2006-07-17T18:11:00.000-05:00

i woke up this morning with a migraine headache. what a bummer! thank gudness to the exsistence of exedrin for migraine. who ever created that medication is my hero. all who suffers migraine knows that a quick relief is heaven!

i am bored!
this waiting is just killing me. i am saying this again and again until i am out of here. oh my!

by the way, yesterday we went to northstar mall. it houses my favorite store. snaps below. i am just taking the opportunity of snappng sights of san antonio, my hometown(or city that is) for almost a decade. too bad we don't have a picture with the cowboy boots, a san antonio landmark which is just close to saks. i was able to take a picture of our friends when they visited from dubai (actually their honeymoon) last year around christmas time. i think it's the best time since they decorate the boots with christmas lights. looks a lot better in person.

there they are...cuddling. (so sweet)

saks, entrance from the mall

this area during christmas time is decorated with gigantic christmas tree and santa sits in front taking pictures with the boys and girls and listening to their christmas wishes. i longed even before arend was born, to have a picture of my baby taken with this santa. he's the most handsome santa i have ever seen, looks real! well! arend never had a picture with him. aside from me being so cheap (smirk*), the line of parents and kids awating to have their picture taken is a mile long with all kinds of kids with their pretty dresses and mini suits, some with santa or elves costume all grumpy, howling, and crying while in-line. now com'mon, i cannot tolerate that.
he's got a picture with the christmas tree anyways...

entrance from the parking lot

and from saks, i scored my first ever...PradaaaaaaH!
i know it's prada. and i don't feel deserving! and it's a hobo type which i'm not personally fond of but its navy blue (indoors it looks black) which means i can use it with jeans, since i am not an office gurl. it doesn't look matronic either (trust me!). i don't need another purse especially now that i am unemployed. and for gudness, i don't go out so where am i gonna use this bag? right! but think of investment, just incase i still end up being a bum until all my savings vanish. i can pawn my purses (i only have few). prada is so pricey for me. seems more expensive than LV for the simple looking purses that they usually come out with. i mean simple coz' there are no logos screaming designer like monogram LV,Gucci, and so on. the only good thing is that they put their season's collections on sale, unlike LV. for a stingy gurl like me, how could i resist a half price prada. original price was almost $1400 and was marked down to nearly a grand. but i was stunned to see the purse on a '50% off the lowest ticketed price' rack. i can't believe my eyes so i asked the sales associate (she's filipina) to check the price for me, then i could not believe my ears. she even told me not to let go of the purse. i was in cloud nine. some other gurls shopping heard me asked the price and i can see thru my peripheral vision that they were gawking at me, or maybe the bag. it was the only prada on sale with it were marc jacobs and d&g. the sales lady gave me her card and informed me that she can ship some purses for me to VA, tax free. don't know how that works but it's nice to know. take note, i am not doing any purse shopping anytime soon.

reminds me, i have to see that movie.
nite. nite.

i pooted

2006-07-16T02:03:00.000-05:00

it's so funny coz for the last 2 days, we have been cooking outside. since we don't want potential buyers to come and view the house and smell unpleasant smelling pinoy foods. so we grilled (outside) marinated beef ribs with toyomansi yesterday and today is liempo marinated with garlic and salt. um,um,um! forget about dieting now.
i have to cook food at night so to get rid of the smell by daytime. i made leche flan and chicken adobo for tomorrow. the smell of soy sauce and vinegar is just repulsive. yuk! more like frying or maybe worst. it reeks and sticks to the your clothes. thank goodness we don't have curtains and heavy upholsteries. another thing is that i have to make bed every morning, not that i don't make bed but i have to hide extra pillows we use and my favorite palengke blanket (100 pesos each and i have all colors, hehe) out of sight and then place the bed cover. the tubs, shower and toilet bowl and sink has to be sparkling. no dirty dishes, we have been actually using disposable plates and utensils. less work for me.
we already have a date for the packing and shipping of all out stuff. it's gonna be chaos!

here is arend after shower liking lolo's gift...his own robe
it took him awhile before deciding to put on his pajamas

today was nordstrom's first day of thier anniversary sale
too bad i did'nt get anything from there. well...a snapshot!

tourneau...where i'm gonna get my dream watch
(dreaming*)

arend enjoyin' the view and his animal crackers from the ralph lauren's associate
i got him 4 cute shirts and a sweater for only 150 bucks! lots of good stuff on sale.

on the background is lacoste and burberry. i bought a trench coat from burberry, my pre-winter gift for myself. cost as much as LV alma but it's so beautiful and worth-it. i'm gonna take pics when i get it on thursday, they have to make adjustments with the sleeves. it's perfect for my first winter in virginia. i'm thrilled.

cartoon network's ad...i pooted.
anyone knows what it means? ask your kids...
it's so cute. check it out...

and again, more pics of my bahay
view from the front door...

and the back of the house and patio

sorry, i can't show the closets and third bedroom. i don't wanna scare ya'all!

my bahay for sale

2006-07-14T14:30:00.000-05:00

it's finally on the market right now. it's sad but we did'nt ask for much. we just wanna get it out of our hair. i'm posting shots from my cam. welcome to my home. yup! my home but not for long... hopefully, not too long.
i have uploaded too much pictures and if the page looks all crooked and funny and out of line. please refresh your page for better viewing.
pasok po!

hall way getting in the house

dining room to the right

upstairs living room

slash office room

two views of the second bedroom

second bathroom

backyard

2006-07-14T14:00:00.000-05:00

looking up with my model lala

view from second floor

three views of our love nest

masters bath

2006-07-14T13:14:00.000-05:00

family room

view from the breakfast room

powder room

kitchen with fridge included with the price

and smooth top oven and dishwasher all included
(can you imagine taking that out?)

breakfast room with french door opening to backyard patio

being housewife is not fun!

2006-07-13T02:21:00.000-05:00

i usually start my day at 11 am. this is a new routine that i developed since i quit my job. instead of sleeping all day and working all night. brunch is usually fruits and pancakes, cereal and milk. then play with arend while watching kids show. lessons in between depending on his mood. exercise and playing outside is not an option with a midday temperature that's usually 3 digits, no way! (i already spent sometime at the beach and pool and too much sun is not good for me. i'm gonna make it up to him when we move.) so we snack and prepare or cook food instead. just today i realize that i have gained weight, again!!! i did not intend to weigh but i saw the scale looking so lonely and needing attention. ugh! being at home and jobless is not good. oh my!
and oh yea! we're still here in texas. taking longer than we thought. i can't wait to get out of here.

[arend's crib]

later today we're signing papers with the realtor and will place the house on the market. i feel sad. i'll be missing this house. i should'nt since i knew from the start that this will not be our permanent place to live in but so many memories with my mom and arend's first year. start of new life in a different place is always scary but i am excited to be close with family. maybe with the new job, i don't know. i loved my last job. i wish it'll be the same.

going back to my weight. it's hard to loose and even harder when you're not trying. i need a regimen. i have gained four pounds every year since we got married. we are married for a decade. f*ck! (that was for the weight not the marriage) i hate taking pics of my self. i can see all those love handles and double chin. i hate looking at my self in the mirror. i need lipo. a tummy tuck or maybe a gastric bypass.

i need to get going. get out of here and settle down and get a job. i have so many things i need to do. i wanna spend all my time with my mom and she can spend time with arend as well. seems thou that she is ok despite of the pain and sometimes nausea and vomiting. she is actually in atlantic city doing slots in one of the casinos right at this time. go mama! go mama! win some big bucks!

my sweet boys are sleeping soundly. i better join them now. sweet dreams. i'mma deal with my weight tomorrow. goodluck! to me that is.

time has passed...

2006-06-23T21:07:00.000-05:00

i am still in a daze. it was just may 11 and we were on-board swa to virginia. my mom was'nt feeling so well then. but she managed to fly and arrive. she was so pale and feeling so faintly so i took her to the nearest military hospital. after all consultation and test were made, and time passed, actually days. she was told that her pancreatic tumor is getting worst. no more chemo for her and was placed on hospice. i had to decide to stay there and quit my job. yup! i'm am actually a bum! pong applied for transfer and from all these time and waiting...i'm back here at home just to pack my stuff. my mom's with her sis and besides from feeling lofty with all the morphine she's on. she's hanging there.

2006-06-23T20:28:00.000-05:00

here's month of may activities in random pictures with a teeny data. oh yeah! we had fun too...

arend aboard swa to virginia

with cousin justin during his thomas the train birthday party!

love this shot of oliver and arend playing...

my pretty sis-in-law with her baby marly's cristening

walking by the beach in north carolina's
the waves, the water is icy...

i know* he's gotta have the wet suit!

to those who remembered

2006-05-08T07:23:00.000-05:00

my birthday was spent being useful, i had to celebrate it at work. i choose to because i wanted to be off weekend and i have to because of my up-coming vacation. anyways, my boss (not that i call her boss because i wanted to but bec she's up there, you know) calling me and threatened me about my vacation time. she's known to be telling everybody that "you are replaceable!" what the f..ck? she can't do that? can she? uh! i cannot stand her. she needs to be put on her place. she's replaceable as well. remember what happened to carlos? (my boss, for me and to many, he still is even thou he was ask to leave...bless his heart! her superior that gave her a chance in that position) her position has gotten to her head. ugh! she upsets me. i don't like her eversince. i just try and stay out of her way. i hate her. i hate her. i hate her. 'nuff said!

going back to 'my bday' topic. my first caller was jen, then the emails and greetings in friendster from lyn, dayang, don, dhi, tita mag and tita mila. my bestfriend nova from philippines called me. my bro, my dad. i got a cake from my patients family (that was so sweet, i can't believe it) all the people i worked with that day.tomisha even got me a present, gurl! i love her! i didn't get any card but thank's so much to those who greeted me, thanks for remembering. i love you all!

weekend getaway

2006-04-26T12:22:00.000-05:00

this weekend was supposedly a trip to las vegas to attend a friend's wedding, but unfortunately we did'nt make it. we decided to go out of town just so we don't waste out few days off. it was pretty good to consider that we only spent a fraction of what's suppose to be an airfare and hotel for 4 in las vegas compare to gas money and hotel, and a good q.t.
friday morning we packed our stuff and head on. first stop...houston.
after eating peking duck at our fave china town restaurant, our hotel awaits us...

renaissance houston hotel greenway plaza
(above pic from marriot.com)

view from our room is grand

arend enjoying a chat with his imaginary phone buddy "john"

posing outside of the hotel before going to...where else???

the galleria.
houston trip is not complete without a stroll at the galleria. but i did'nt buy any purses this time. i manage to get some shoes and jeans thou.

boardwalk

2006-04-26T11:55:00.000-05:00

the next day - saturday was a short drive to kemah. i cannot believe that this place exist. all these years we've been driving to houston.(tsk.tsk.) its an amusing place not just for kids.

the crab house

our table's by the deck over looking the neighbor resto...joe's crab house

and the waters...

train ride took us around the park...

after all that walking and a dizzy ride on the merry go around. we called it a day.

galveston island

2006-04-26T11:27:00.000-05:00

sunday we checked out and drove to galveston island.
not a long drive at all.passed by the old beautiful city road...

the beach was packed from the beach party this weekend. thank goodness we came by and almost the party's over. we checked in at out hotel,
the hotel galvez - wyndham historic hotel

A sparkling vision of Victorian elegance rising from
the sand and surf, the Hotel Galvez -
A Wyndham Historic Hotel in Galveston, Texas,
was known as the "Queen of the Gulf" on the day
she opened in 1911.

beach view from our room is spectacular

the pool was fun and hot tub was soothing

we ate dinner and scoped the island and shoped for goodies that night

a walk by the dirty beach (smirk*) before driving back home

this little vacation by the beach is a preview for out trip next month to nags head. hoping that the water will be clean for swimming.
ciao

gloomy days

2006-04-19T01:23:00.000-05:00

summer time, vacation and my coming up birthday supposedly cheering me up but seems like bleak days are approaching. my outlook of summer has'nt change, i still suffer from summer s.a.d.
but that is not really the point. mom's chemo treatment is almost over for this course and the big question mark is...what's next???
what's next is the painful truth that her days are counted. dr kost still sticking with his word "10-12 months to live" based on his knowledge and experience with medicine and oncology. her cancer count is going down but the tumors are the same. she has a new big tumor right close the vaginal opening that was'nt there before that's causing her to bleed continously but very little where she can still do normal day to day stuff that she needs to do.
my mom's just taking it one day at a time. i see her teary eyes often that she tries to hide. i do the same but she always tells me not to cry coz it makes her loose her strength. what is really left there to do? (i always ask her) except of course be with family and loveones. my step dad is far from possible to come to the states. my brother hopefully will get his chance and that's what she prays for everynite.
no one wants to die but we all go there. she is accepting it little by little. the last time i ask her what she wants she replied that she's not gonna die yet. but today she is more specific and detailed.
what can i do? i don't know. do i hug her and kiss her? i don't remember ever doing that. i grew up knowing she was always away working. like what all single parents do, struggle to live and send their kids to school and be away to work so she can buy us what we want. she would be gone for a year or two and come back and leave again. i remember those days where i cry myself to sleep thinking and missing her. i gave her heartaches, i still do. growing with aunts and my grandma made me a different person. so cold and ungrateful. i don't know how,but i did.
she tried with her short stays during her vacation to express her love. i don't blame her, she had to do and go and be away. it was for us her kids, her love. i just wish situation was different. but hey, there's no perfect life. it did'nt make me a bad person, and i love her and thank her for all that. but i don't show it with hugs and kisses.
i remember how happy i was when she got here 2 years ago. i was thinking all this life we were always apart and finally she's living with me, wow wee! we get to do girly stuff together, shop,manicure and spas. no material things can beat my happiness being with her. but now she's sick. i wish we could do more fun stuff together but either way, i'm always here.
life is just so unfair.

idle mode

2006-04-10T23:31:00.000-05:00

i'm just feeling sluggish today. feel so worthless and drained.
the more i sleep the more i feel washed out.
i woke up at 10, ate breakfast then watched the chronicles of narnia
with arend. i was more interested than he is. after, went back to sleep then woke up - went to the gameroom and layed on the sofa and fell asleep again. got up since pong came home early. cooked dinner and ate at 5. arend fell from the dining room chair (he's fine, no scratch) while we were eating supper. he won't stop moving around and does'nt wanna be up on his high chair (typical toddler) i wish i had all his energy.
after dinner, took shower watch tv and booked plane tickets for pong's aunt and uncle's trip to virginia in may. thank god that's over with and all i have to worry is for our trip and tickets.
can't wait to get out of texas for a little bit.

something to look forward to... i managed to get some discounted tickets
(hope seating's okay :0) this wednesday for
~ disney on ice ~ the incredibles ~

early birthday present

2006-04-10T00:38:00.000-05:00

happy birthday to me.
happy birthday to me.
happy birthday, happy birthday
happy birthday to me.

no it's not yet my birthday and this is a no surprise gift.
i dragged my sweetie to nieman marcus at the shops. i did'nt see frank but the lady was so nice to assist me with my purchase. i requested it to be wrapped, she glanced at me, smiled and said "sure!". i know in her mind she's wondering, "what the???"
but hey, it's my gift ... to my self. thank you.

i know! slap me on the hands. but i'm gonna have to blame a very convincing
bag addict (you know who you are). this is not totally my fault.

tada! monogram speedy
(i have to take pictures with the plastic on handles to prove that original louis vuitton sometimes comes with...*nuff said)

i loves this bag ever since, but my loving sweetie comments that he sees his mom on me
(she has a vintage fendi with same size and style.)
"com'on!" i said and blah blah blah...blah blah blah
eventually tsk*... i got it!

sure the perforated speedy in fushia was dazzling

and the fushia baggy gm. yum yum!

but soooooo pricey. each bag costing my monthly mortgage plus car payment.
nice, but no thanks.

the rest of my weekend's a drag. i had to do this whole day class, free lunch but nothing exciting. except for this hottie that sat in front of me. worked with him almost 2 years now and he still looks yummy. wait till i get a shot of his six pack. double yummy.

stupid bluetooth moment and disney mobile

2006-04-06T10:56:00.000-05:00

ever had an encounter with a person that you thought was talking to you then you start talking back and you come to realize that the other ear not visible to you has a bluetooth?
what's with this people running around with their bluetooth on anyway, and they think they look cool where in fact they look like a freaking robot or buzz lightyear. ugh! they look stupid. i hate it. i know i have one but i never used it.
ok, so here goes my story... i went to the grocery store and at the feminine section while picking some pantyliners. i stopped and checked out the feminine washes at the same isle and then this lady stood looking at the same direction i was looking at. and then said 'so what do you suggest?' so i started pointing at some bottles and she was like "o yea!, umhum!, ok, what else?" then continued going on and on on talking even thou i stop pointing. so as i glanced at her. i realize that she was just staring at the items and not even looking to where i was pointing. i realized that she was on her bluetooth. i don't even think that she knew i was suggesting stuff from pointing on the items. i was so embarrased and just tried to get the hell out of there as fast as i can.

on the other hand, (still about phones) disney mobile markets 10-15 year olds and parents. cool features include gps technology in where parents can map location of kids from their phone or pc. able to set up monthly spending limits and what times and days the kid can make phone calls. other thing is when the parent calls (family manager), and you are on the line talking to somebody, it drops that call and lets thru the family manager.
pretty cool eh!

ba'-beeeee!

2006-04-03T22:00:00.000-05:00

my weekend spent at work listening to this all nightlong confused patient hollering her kids name sounded like ba'-beeeeee. it reminded us of whitney houston's drug den. imagining whitney calling out bobbi's name while high on coke or crack. up to now that name,
i still hear at the back of my head. damn!

(pic courtesy of gawker)

bonus eh!

2006-03-31T13:29:00.000-06:00

last night was a going away party of pong's co-worker at cha-cho's. karaoke night (miss those reeves days where we go straight from work for thursdays karaoke nights) and the best margarita's in town. never drink more than two top shelf rita's if you don't wanna have a dwi. got an 8:30 early call (oh no she did'nt just wake me from my sleep) from my coordinator today. my yearly eval was up and i got an outstanding (yea right!) performance. yup! i had her repeat that. can't believe. 95% overall performance and it comes with a $300 bonus. i even said, " are you sure i get a bonus??? " she said...yes yes yes BUT...(ok! here comes the but...) since you took 2 pay periods of vacation last year, you will only get lump sum of $276 (still good...{imagining of what i can buy with this bonus} aha!). ok i forgive her for waking me up early, she even said that i don't have to go and sign any papers this morning (my appointment with her at 10am which is like 45 min drive one way). she just made my day.
i gotta work this weekend. ok! i'm going back to sleep.

summer vacation

2006-03-29T11:39:00.000-06:00

this time of year starts summer vacation in the phil. march is graduation month. oohrah! to the new grads. to new college grads, welcome to the world of unemployment (sigh*). i remember the days, the long lonely days of unemployment in the province that is. just don't know what to do as the days goes by. just bumming around the house, doing some cross-stitching, strollin' sa palengke, get manicure and pedicure or hair cut, eat halo-halo in the afternoon with my friend or my cousin. sometimes go to clark or manila to window shop (no money then to go shopping'). but those were the good old days. i miss those days. at this time of my life. you can't just waste time. in fact, not enough time for anything.

ron's mom passed on thursday. which i only learned from cris saturday, while on our way to houston. got hold of veronica sunday morning. she sounded so hurt and sad, (of course that's her mom, i can just imagine her crying everynite). had a chance to go to the viewing monday. weather was gloomy and damp. traffic was so bad. viewing was in a small little town ~ castroville. burial was tuesday but i could'nt make it because of mom's chemo.
yesterday's chemo was fast but my mom complained of her spotting for few days now so dr kost examined her after chemo. he found a tumor behind the vaginal opening which is approx. golf size. he was certain that this was'nt there before. mom was'nt surprise and actually commented that "let my new tumor meet my colon and pancreatic tumor, and say hi to each other." then laughed. it's not funny but i'm glad that she's accepting the fact that she will not get cured, cancer will be there no matter what.

driving back from castroville monday, rick from reeves called me (left message on my voicemail) and offering me my job back. joy must have given him my cel no. ( dammit* i never give my cel no. to people from work...it's a NO NO) he learned about my boss carlos leaving a.r.u. and since rick knows that he was the reason i transfered over there and now that he's gone, (he thinks) i might consider going back to reeves (which i considered really!) so when i spoke to him, asking why and ofcourse the pay??? (my thick face, ingrate, mukhang pera)...the PaYolla is very important. hellooooo! after telling me the amount, he then added...'not much ha!' (damn! he knows me...tsk tsk*) then i said, nah it's ok and i really don't care about the pay (yea right!) but i'm going on vacation in may for a month. (then added...) but if you really really need one right now, " my previous boss (i know he heard about it already coz' i told joy about it and it's like anouncing it on national tv...i actually called gertrude from nights and confirmed that joy told everybody! ) is looking for a staff position not administrative and had put in application." i added more marinate on his abilities and presonality which i assured him 100%. i hope he calls him. as for me, i don't know. just go with the flow.

i uploaded some pics of arend while lola's having her chemo sessions

march 28 ~ at the hospital's patio gave me an actual
cheeze smile. love this photo, he looks big in this pix

march 21 ~ watching video while munchin' in oreo thin
crisp at the oncology waiting area

march 7 ~ 3rd floor's clinic waiting area listening to
shakira's

feb 28 ~ oncology waiting room

road trip

2006-03-25T23:06:00.000-06:00

trip to houston today. yay! i think of shopping when i think of houston. on the way, arends dvd player was'nt working (piece of sh*t). so we stopped by sears and got him a new one. this time it's a cheap brand -mintek. but smart idea to get a service plan this time, so there goes my 160 bucks money for shopping. just can't imagine a 3 hour drive of him restless. i don't care(ok!) how many times the pediatricians warn me about tv addiction among kids. this is my first weekend off for more than a month. i deserve peace and quiet relaxing trip, and it was. thank goodness. ate lunch at sihn sihn in bellaire, peking duck *yum!

at the galleria, i stopped by channel, ysl, nieman marcus, saks, gucci and lv. feels like paradise.
i decided to get the lv berlingot (braging) key and change holder designed by takashi murakami, mastermind for LV's funky creations. it's so cute, i had to let go of my old monogram key holder.

in the store as i was checkin' out the inside, trying it with my key in it and everything. i took out the care instructions and tags in it then just handed it back to the sales lady. i paid and she handed the bag to me. on the way out i decided to check the bag and i noticed that she (that b*tch) just covered with tissue paper without even giving me a dust cover. went back and asked for one. then again after i left the store. i noticed she did'nt put back the care instructions and tags inside. so went back again unfortunately they got rid of it but i insisted that i want all that. (she pulled one out from another berlingot ) com'on $240 + tax, sh*t! i want all that. not that i'm gonna put it in the dust cover everytime i turn off my engine and read the care instruction book every nite before i go to sleep. but hey! i want all that! all that suppose to come with it. with frank (my fave lv associate), he would be boxing that thing (even thou it's for me and i paid for it) so i would go home and open the box, look surpise and feel like i just recieved a precious gift and feel special.
the rest of the day just spent watching ice skaters then more window shopping. on the way back we stopped by sihn sihn again for hot soup and peppered dungenous crabs. uh! sarap*

rules and policy

2006-03-24T15:11:00.000-06:00

no cel phone, personal calls and drinks
at the work station!
(YuP!) and i was freezing!

1st day of spring

2006-03-20T18:12:00.000-06:00

at work last night and as we were all at the staff lounge eating our dinner. ( i had pork friend rice and wonton soup...yummy* ) this security guard that always hangs out and talks to me ( even with all pretentions that i am busy -- like trying not to look at him while continously writing, or computer charting, or pretending that i need to call somebody and pick up the phone and say excuse me i need to make a phone call. ) came up and warned us that there's a severe storm heading our way in few hours. so we all decided to take turns to move our car off the roof top of the garage which where we all park all the time. and sure enough after few hours, we could hear thunder and see lightning falshing thru the windows. it was a good half hour thunder storm.
what's good with this severe weather, after severe storm comes severe sunshine. oh yea!
but i slept all day!

weather forecast from mysa.com
BUNDLE UP... The first night of spring will feel very winter like tonight. Expect overnight lows in the lower to mid 40s for the next several mornings with afternoon temperatures a little cooler too with highs in the mid to upper 60s this week. Hope you have a great evening
---- Bill Taylor

humid

2006-03-17T05:42:00.000-06:00

felt so tired and lazy last night to blog.
pong came home early and we went out to eat lunch at an indian buffet.
it's been awhile, i was craving for tandoori chicken. i was stuff (belch*).
i ate like there's no tomorrow (damn! i feel like throwing -up).
then it was humid and i'm getting a migraine. i asked him that we take a walk.
so we went to this new underconstruction subdivision close to our house and decided to browse at the new model homes. i did'nt have my cam but i took pics from my cel.

outside the 2 story's that we really like

the bedrooms

kitchen and dining mostly are open spaces

living spaces

before we went to sleep. pong was asking me..."what if we buy a new house?"
(yea! what if?)

updating wish list...

2006-03-15T13:30:00.000-06:00

i had put my self on the waiting list for the pochette accessoires monogram perforated in fushia last week when i was at the LV store in neiman marcus. they called me yesterday, it's already available.

but i change my mind even days before they called me.
i am more in love with the goyard st.louis junior tote.

only available online from barney's. there's a goyard stores in nyc and miami. otherwise it's only available overseas. i wish i can fly tomorrow to paris and shop there.

i'm still at the "convincing stage"... (convincing my beloved sweetheart to buy this for me) pong is just very supportive with what i want to buy. he kept telling me to go inside the goyard store when we were in paris but i refused. it's a very simple purse but goyard was founded in 1853, is the oldest trunk manufacturer in business today. their history is custom luggage for european society and royalty. ( i know, i'm not royalty and not european either)

anywho, i saw a lady yesterday at the lily's filipino restaurant, carrying this trendy louis vuitton demin baggy gm. i never imagine it would look so fabulous! it looks so chic on her! (drooling*) make's me think (again! ) if i should get one. by the way, i was informed by frank (my favorite louis vuitton associate) that the demin lv is going to stay in the lv collection. as a matter of fact, a pink denim collection is coming out in few months. i'm already hallucinating over how this would look in person. (i'm getting sick thinking about it ....or maybe i'm getting sick thinking how can a pretentious bitch like me can afford purses this expensive...wait, i gotta throw-up) whew! ok. maybe i win the mega millions or mega lotto or even the pick 3, so i can afford this obsession over expensive unnecessary things in life. gotta go check my lotto tickets.

my kalbu!

2006-03-14T21:50:00.000-06:00

after bloodworks and gettin my mom her new ID from bamc to lackland. we took arend for a refreshing new hair do. he behaved from the start. he was actually so excited and he asked for it. we have been planning this for weeks now.
i love it! he looks so cute and fresh.

gone shopping...(again!)

2006-03-09T22:42:00.000-06:00

i woke up still on a shopping mood. this time at la cantera. first stop
stride rite. had arend fitted since we did'nt get a chance yesterday since arend was sleeping on this stroller. the sales associate insisted that he needs to be standing on the shoe fitter.

i also bought four pairs of shoes. mine were on sale, of course! arend's shoes are more pricey and he only wears it less than 3 months everytime i buy him shoes. pong insist on getting him good shoes because he is flat-footed. i can be cheap with clothes but he has to have a good shoe. which i very much agree.

i love...SaKs !

2006-03-08T19:55:00.000-06:00

since the shops at la cantera opened last year. we have been going there more than going to nordstar mall. but today, i felt like strolling there since it's been chilly outside, a covered (meaning with roof) shopping mall would be better. spent the whole day just shopping around, trying on spring clothes... was modeling in front of my mom and arend. there was bunch of good deals for the spring. (i love SALE)
at saks, i bought arend some kiehl's baby stuff.
i figured out we give it a try since pong loves using this product.

as for me, i bought a marc jacobs tote
it was on sale.

i'm exhausted!