Singled Out

I saw an article from the CNN Website, talking about being single and how people around you, hound or nag you for it. Perplexed reactions toward your seemingly charming personality and still not getting any? Oh yes, the circumstances of being in your 30s or 40s and not quite living up to the normal timelines of family life or even a dating schedule to adjust to.

So the article says, when somebody approaches you with those "How can you still be single??" .... answer them with "It just hasn't happened yet."

I am not one to obsess over my single status. That is maybe why I haven't attracted any "male specie". Men I think have a capacity to sense if they're not needed. Like seeing a slightly shut door. Like the sign "Shhh...Quiet Please." Like other independent women out there, I don't do it intentionally. So I ponder what things can I do to NOT exude that I don't need a man?

Sadly, dating or wanting to date...is a game. And if we want some action, like it or not, we need to play it. Look below for some valuable nuggets of  wisdom from a woman who was too lazy to do them....(LOL)

PLAY DUMB SOMETIMES. Don't act like you know everything. Ask for help. Ask for directions. Ask for assistance. If Men know you can wing it, then what would they be there for? Without looking like a total "needy" woman-person, sprinkle your persona with "not knowing" some things. Men love to feel knowledgeable and be able to help a damsel in distress - well sort of.

FLATTER THEN FLIRT. Learn to give out compliments. Acknowledge their little work stories of triumph. Notice his new hair, his nice outfit or how the stubbles fit his face. This works best for new acquaintances of course, but if you're fancying  your long-time drinking buddy - then that will probably work too. He may see you in a different light, and not just "one of the boys".

DON'T BE A SMUG, SMILE! Some women act like the world is their enemy. Stop complaining about the food, stop noticing the funny that girl walks, or maybe just stop being too opinionated? Right that is difficult right? Especially when we've spent our entire lives observing how life is and how people who dress or act funny becomes irritating to the eye. But for a while, be positive. Say something nice! Don't frown at things. Smile! Laugh about it instead. Negative words are a big turn off. A pleaser is a big turn on. 

DRESS UP! Dress like you want to attract a man. Wear something that shows a bit of skin. Make it short or show off your cleavage a bit. But if you don't have time to make that dramatic change, wear some luscious pink lips, NOT red, cause it comes off too strong and aggressive.


CHUCK YOUR CELL OUT. Seeing you with your 2-3 mobile phones during dinner signals them - "You are all work, work work." This makes men think you won't have time for anything else. Turn down your cellphone on silent while in a social setting and really talk to people. This shows how you're open to good conversation and possible "connection" without any distractions.

Does this help in any way?? Let me know. I think it helped me too. Like talking to myself and giving myself a bit of spanking, for being too self-abosrbed. 


While it hasn't happened yet, it doesn't hurt to imbibe some positive undertones of needing a man once in a while, to let the universe know you are ready for that somebody. What do you think girls? :)

When i see this

my favorite shot
Originally uploaded by banjgirl

to my untrained eye, i have captured it perfectly well.
it reminds me of what i once promised myself.
maybe this year, i can take as many pictures of things and people that move me, that intrigues me, that saddens me or better still, that gladdens me.

TALKIN' THE TALK (Nina mania entry, Nov. 2008)

As nurturing parents, we were taught to talk to our big bellies and have them listen to classical music, para matalino ang anak. I did the whole pregnancy routine with so much vigor - i now realize, i end up with a really talkative and inquisitive daughter. Not that i'm complaining but - boy, you could appreciate a bit of silence once in a while? Hehe. So i constantly warn "would-be" mom friends of mine, SLEEEEEP as much as you can, coz you will be having more sleepless nights after the baby's out.

Plus, you will never hear the end of the 'whys' and 'hows' and 'you know whats' from your growing kiddo. Just like what Nina did once, one quiet lazy morning.

Backgrounder. She has this habit of talking in mid-sentence (First thing when she wakes up) and right away to me, assuming MY brain cells are already wide awake as hers are. Somehow, kids Jeanina's age just have to get your attention, in REM stage or not. A loud statement blurted out, way before you could lift your eyelids

Latest funny incident happened yesterday morning. Super early morning setting. I squint my eyes but still sleepy ( just to check on the cute critter beside me)...then there she goes, she looks up as sleepily as I was and says with all readiness, "You know mom, teacher angie says papers and pencils are made out of trees." WOW trivia in the morning?? Really now. And trying to rouse from my slumber and utter a mommy word of acknowledgement, "oh yeah that's right babe!" under my breath and smiles to her. Pagtingin ko, natulog ulit??? (She went back to sleep??!!)

WAAHHH, natawa ako promise (that made me laugh). My tornado kid has a storm brewing in her brain, even in her sleep i guess? many LOLs.

Rewind

God has it been 3 months?? How do i recover this blog from all that? I don't even know if anybody reads me anymore. Lol. But as a writer, i will write anyway. Wherever my insanely full-of-thoughts brain cells and keyboard-tapping fingers take me...

Since the last time i wrote here....

.....i already thought of setting up a business or changing careers once, twice, twenty times over...and ended up taking up an insurance licensure exam, out of curiosity and desperation to find my place in the "scorching" 2009 sun. I have reviewed, passed the exam last dec and as i speak, have not actively done anything to pursue that (for now).

..... i decided to ease myself out from our casting business, and to focus just on myself and Nina.

.....christmas had been fun and now gone. Nina got the bike of her dreams (although it was pink, she loved it all the same) from moi.

.....christmas shopped on a shoe string budget. well okay okay, i spent more than i expected AGAIN. but hey i just can't resist christmas. and i loooove the holiday rush.

.... i have successfully participated in a very fulfilling christmas outreach endeavor with college bedan peers and friends last december. I have had sleepless nights pouring over iMovie video creations for it, but it was all worth it. 500 families and 200 kids served. Check!

.... i was voted president for this coming year's outreach. great honor indeed.

.... reported for 2 ad agencies for temp work. and no solid full-time offer as of today.

.... had my car fixed twice and had car wash, maybe thrice? yep, i can be THAT lazy, or should i say busy mommy? or whatever!

.... i have had the odd moments of cooking a few "new" recipes in my humble little kitchen. my next target: julia child's, beef bourguignon :) inspired by the movie.

.... i have finished writing projects here and there. collected checks small and slightly big. awaiting, the "enormous" one that has eluded me, last year. LOL. but hope floats!! so i'm holding on tight for a project OR job to whisk me away from my uncertain future.

..... i have cried myself to sleep several times, especially on those days when nothing was just happening.

..... i experienced having to pray so deeply, maybe God thought I was vying for an oscar-nomination for best drama queen. hahaha.

..... i realized the material things were just "superficial" manifestations of what life is all about, but never THE goal of life itself. It's sad how oftentimes, people measure each other by things they have rather than the things they "positively" made each other feel. I choose the latter.

..... i have gone through the replays of my life, my loves and my losses, and bottomline, it doesn't help to do those needless flashbacks. As Suzie Orman said yesterday, "Look at what you HAVE and not at what you HAD". Good job suzie! :) So I'm never looking back. EVER. okay maybe I'll slack off, a minute or two then i'll snap out of it.

..... i realized how Nina loves my company so much, her face lights up every time she comes in from school to see me in the same "computer" spot in our living room, for days.

..... i have rediscovered an online chat friendship that has lasted for more than 5 years now. And amazingly, we're still going strong.

..... i have started growing plants indoors, straight from mama rose's garden. For a fengshui kind of effect. So far this year, I'm doing relatively better. I'm sure it's not just the plants right?

..... mama rose has celebrated her 90th bday last Jan. 16. With video tribute and t-shirt design from me! :) i was crying a hundred times, all throughout the edit, as usual.

..... has swam just twice. walked a lot the past 2 weeks to makati, for an 8-day temp job. that was just about it for my exercise regimen for 3 months!

Whew, it was a roller coaster ride wasn't it?

February has just started. Hopefully i get to write something "valentine-worthy" soon? Let's see. Now if only I can urge my butt off my couch today. LOL.

Happy Friday!

My Bedtime Buddy

Now, it's my daughter. But when i was her age, i had my favorite Raggedy Ann.

I had to search for a photo to show her it's not as scary as the Ventriloquist doll in one horror film. In fact, she liked Raggedy Ann to bits. I wonder if there's one available in our malls yet?

My Raggedy Ann became all too frumpy and worn out to keep for her. Time to buy a new one for her then.

:)

Off to the mall I go....

When tired mommy wakes up....

I am greeted by a cutesie morning reply to my note, the night before.



The adorable author.


Love this moody girl to bits! :)

Getting my groove back

I AM DRINKING AGAIN! :) Oh yes....I say this, on a happy note.

"Amber droplets of delightful intoxication...
balancing a single mom's equilibrium. " (ahhh, lovely)

I bet that sounds pretty queer doesn't it? But if you've been a bar-hopping night creature person like myself, who guzzles down more than 5 bottles without counting AND asphyxiates her lungs 1 pack of cigs by day, then another at night.... then I am sure you know how THIS feels! After the past 2 months of recuperating from an intense acid reflux doctor advised me with certain diet no-nos like spicy & fatty foods, coffee, smoking, alcohol (big NOOO). I took the meds, ate well. My 2 months felt cleansingly pure...and healthy. It did me good especially that it silenced my acid-vomiting bouts , which was bothersome to the point I excused myself from a big presentation to puke out some acid. (ewww) It was not cute at all.

So fast forward to now, I'm back. Better and more "normal". I slowly eased into my drinking 3 wks ago at a really chill place called mogwai, the ambience was enough to urge me back to the this beer spin. So i took it slow and drank 3 bottles. The conversation was great, the intoxication buzzed my head mighty fine. And I have had a few swigs a few times a week since then. 

I love the feeling it gives me. It's an overall sense of balance I urgently needed. It's not that I wasn't happy at home with Nina, but we are never just parents. We are all individuals who need to "breathe" sometimes and relax. Our previous selves which should never be forgotten. 

My alcoholic groove is a part of who I really am. This is a part of me that I cannot part with easily. Back to the days of my swingin' single life, where it took me through my lowest of lows and greatest highs. The experience of course, paired with the company of chosen friends (or uhm BFs), amped with intriguing conversation and lots and lots of laughable moments (and ok, a sprinkle of wreckless behavior) that I will never regret...but rather cherish forever.

This golden drip of tipsiness will remain in my system for eternity. The aftermath of relaxing is enough to give me more vigor and enthusiasm to do what needs doing... and take care of what's important in life. Yep, our children.

KAMPAI!
Cheers!  :)
TAGAY!

THINKING Green : Paper journals

I love scribbling on paper. And these latter years, I've taken to sketching as a breather. It seems all my love of these things have rubbed off on Jeanina.

Every night now, she hounds me for paper.

So an idea struck me, I recycled all the huge, heavy, unused scrapbooks (gifted to me) and made them into hand-made paper journals for nina and me. This recycling bit has been bugging me nowadays, especially upon stumbling upon this great helpful DIY site that fills up my braincells - especially when free time abound in my freelance life, nowadays.

Now the finished product. Re-used an old gift ribbon to bind the pages.

Still with blank covers, but just experimented with different methods of binding for the 2 others. 

As for Jeanina's cover design, she has her own kiddie scribbles on it now. She yelped at the sight of the 2 journals (ribboned and handsewn) I made purposely for her.

Somehow, this is how one would look like complete. This one is mine. :) 

Awaiting my pen's menacing ideas, brilliant storyline or awkward doodles, perhaps? :)

Changing menus

I'm tired of Pinoy food. I mean I love it, and I've grown accustomed to all the adobos and sinigangs of this 3rd world...but there comes a time (when I have so much downtime, especially LIKE NOW!), I notice how our everyday menu can be so repetitive and should I say, predictable fare.

So to welcome a menu change, I decided to go dinner without rice for a change. I whipped up a sumptuous lasagna dish - in just one hour tops! Take note: I baked this only with my oven toaster, which is even greater. Surprisngly it was oh so simple! Thanks to a helpful videojug site i found online. 

For nina, the plateful of lasgana went with a Le Ceour hotdog half-sandwich (bought from Shang Mall earlier in the day). Nina's enjoyment was enough encouragement for me.


Mine, I partnered with my favorite Le Ceour garlice bread (buy 1 take 1, no less!) 

Domestic diva is on the prowl....(well for a few hours that is)... my potato gratin experiment wasn't bad either :)

Hmm...what next....?

My Daily Grind

Why is the dictionary important?

Why doesn't it snow here in the Philippines?

Why is Pres. Marcos a bad president?

How does Mama Rose (her great, great grandma) get so old?

Why do we always get the old things of Ninong (my older brother)? (Haha! This was a very interesting observation from her but it is quite true. Had to laugh at this, but explained "saving money" to her on a more serious note)

Did you choose me as your baby?

How did you get pregnant with me?

Why do Americans sometimes live here in the Philippines?

Why do we need to study?

What does God look like?

Why do people drink beer?

What does Ireland look like?

Why do we wake up, sleep again, then wake up and sleep again?  (I had a more difficult time with this than the "pregnant" question, more because it was introspective in nature. OMG if i get more of these, on a bad day, even I have to ask this question myself hehe.)

Oh yes, all from my 6 year old's restless mind. Endless brain teasers. Practically EVERYDAY. I bet so many parents can relate to this. Much harder for single parents though. When these hit you unexpectedly - other times I find it so cute, other times it's nerve-wracking (pregnant question) or just exasperating, this i admit. 

If i don't get to answer some "Challenger" questions, she irritatingly quips, "I thought you knew everything!". Smart aleck. Lol.

Come to think of it, maybe i overdid the classical music in the tummy bit. :)  But on the other hand, Jeanina may well be the most interesting GF conversation i could ever have in the future. The two of us guzzling down a few pints while viewing the sunset in Spain or Egypt. Not bad at all. 

Just bring on the questions, babe! 

It just hit me

Just when i am pondering on another full time job-searching saga. I get this... in my mailbox.



People whose employment detour was simply a way to see themselves differently. A familiar feeling that is close to my heart right now. This is just wonderful. Inspiring. 

My story differs in a small way though. I wasn't laid off. I voluntarily stepped out of the time-consuming and frenzied world of mainstream advertising, as a choice. A single mother's choice to be precise.

It came to a point where I asked myself, is it worth spending one more day getting the flak from a thankless boss instead of seeing my child awake when I come home at night? Then I think. I am working FOR her, but in my busyness I lose precious moments I should spend WITH her. What's the freaking point of that?!!

I remember how many cringed at my decision, even without a fallback in sight. Armed only with my solitary conviction, my head up high and a bigger smile even - i was liberated from all the "what-you-should-have-done" or "what-is-the-smarter-choice". I was a free person!

As the movie aptly said, for the first time in my life, I was a blank page. It was exciting to rediscover how I can scribble my life over...or maybe, sort of rewrite how I imagine it to be from hereon.

Right now, after 5 years or so of freelancing as advertising copywriter I discovered different sides of me and little achievements that amazes me:

- I have started a casting agency/talent agency business with my close cousin. (going on 2-3 years now)
- I can spend more time with Jeanina - morning, noon and nighttime.
- I have bought my first car and switched to my second one, just this year.
- I have been a stylist, a producer and writer all rolled into one!
- I am buying that CANON Digicam this year (when all blessings come my way) and probably be the photographer i really wanted to be.
- My boardroom is the coffee shop, or alright, my bedroom!
- I discovered I can draw! I'm on my third sketchpad now.
- I have had 5 blogs - but has decided to cut down to just 3.
- I tried selling real estate (not as a broker). Have yet to get that big break.
- I discovered I CAN cook!


The opportunities ahead are endless for many of us in this same predicament. My thought bubbles suddenly pop out....
Disney Pixar can still get me! I will meet Brad Pitt for a script reading! I am getting that bungalow house and big garden i always wanted! I will scriptwrite my own short film entry!

If this vid is a sign of greater things to come, then so be it. Who am I to complain??

:) 

Why I think I'm undate-able

What a term?? UN-DATE-ABLE...to make me more understood. Although I need it, and i sometimes yearn for a big chunk of warm body to snuggle up to - there are just some things about me that I "assume" make me not fit for dating, not just yet... but hopefully things will change soon. 

Let me count them, to make me even feel sorrier for myself. Haha. Kidding. Some are my own thoughts, some are unsolicited observations of close friends, as to why i don't  "attract" guys who would want to approach me.

1.  I look too busy, all the time. Even at a social setting, clients tend to call me and I text away while I try my hardest to be the social butterfly that I really am. While a new girl in the group asked a good guy friend of mine out on a salon trip for the guys' haircut, I curiously ask "why don't we go on haricuts together" or something like that. He replied simply, "Well you're always busy, arent you?". Big R. Realization. Pitfalls of single momminess, we have to earn our keep and say yes to clients and answer their calls. Ofcourse, there should be a time for leisure too. When at a party I remind myself, PUT DOWN THE PHONE BARBIE. lol.

2. I have opinions on every topic. In other words, people find me too brash or straightforward when I point out my thoughts on things. But what was I to do? I am really like that. I tried keeping quiet for a while... the night became boring! I can't do the "shy"...one-word reaction bit by the more serene girls. I can never just yes, I have my own opinion and i will air it. Not always disagreeingly though. I have been made to OWN the stage! Haha. so the guy needs to live with that, and love that about me.

3. My life is not an open book. Getting to know me, my life story and the real me - takes a really, really deep digging up about. I am not who you think I am. My desires go deeper than my exterior actions. My ex-boyfriends can attest to that. All the good, fuzzy and mysterious things about me - only they know. For new guys to get to REALLY know me, has to try harder and act like a police interrogator. I don't mind being probed. I love conversation , and I like knowing people to their core. If a new guys approaches me with a very personal question, but with the sincere vibe of knowing me beyond what the eye can see? Then he has successfully entered chapter one of my life's colorful, unending saga.

4. My charm goes, when my waistline goes. If i looked like the big girl on hairspray, and had a great sense of humor - i'm the clown. If i looked like Kate Hudson (or even the silhouette of hers) and act clumsy-funny -i'm the sexy, hot mama. So which boat should I be in? Case closed.

5. I should go out more. I work too much, okay maybe 70% of the time. I go out, for work. I dine out, for work. I talk on the phone, for work. Things have to change around here. Now as I'm writing this, I know that.

6. Intimidation Smictzhon. I have heard this too many times before. Maybe he's intimidated by you. So what, should I not walk with my chin up high? Or should I slump my back farther, to not look like much of a confident career woman? This i cannot figure out myself.

7. I act like I don't need a man. I do things on my own. I don't ask help from guy friends. I act like my life is well-planned (but it's not), complete (but still getting there) and no space for a man. Ergo, (like my best HS friend says) men sense that energy. If I act too independent, it tells them I am okay by my lonesome. I need more work on this part.

Do these sound familiar? I would really want to try and date soon. Apart from the very untraditional dating rituals nowadays, I may have a long warm-up phase before my dating life gets a much-needed jumpstart. 

Any suggestions on being a more dateable moi?

Mr. Sun was shining down on us

Finally, we hit the beach. After so many swimming pool weekends, a day trip to Nasugbu Batangas was a welcome respite. Good thing, me and my Highschool GFs are all on the same page - low-budget but high-intensity fun weekend was what we wanted. And that's what we got. Look at Nina's face here...all geared up, sandied up and smiling from ear to ear.Day trip at Munting Buhangin, Nasugbu Batangas. It was a great getaway find for family and like us, group of great friends. You get the same sand as Punta Fuego with lesser strain on the pocket. Plus a very affordable "cottage" rate, where you can grill to your heart's delight and bring your own food. (with no extra charge)

Seeing our kids together, sharing food and chit-chat was all we really need, what I badly wanted. I, for one, dipped into the cool batangas waters...wonderful. Just to say "nag-beach ako." Hehe. 

Taking in the great view. Feeling the wind against your face. Savoring the sand between your toes. Being in the comfort of your friends' company. Letting Nina explore the world some more. This is what summer is all about. 
Overnight at Casa Beltran, in Tagaytay. Ok, i just coined the name alright. It's a great friend's family house in Tagaytay, that our barkada has had the privilege of spending some fun moments in. Cottage-like resort house, with an expansive garden in front with playground and a backyard that extends so far, they've some vegetation which we enjoyed eating while there. Sarap diba?? We just love this place. (Thanks super Marn) Just mastering the "art of doing nothing"... we eat, update each other, sit around, click away, laugh a lot, chismis so much.

Til the next...

Mothers rule!

For a change, I'd like to post some funny quotes about us, Mommies, or "super women" as i'd prefer to call each and every woman I know who will go through hell and high water for their families.

I'm sure one or two passages would strike a familiar chord in you, so just have fun reading them!

"I want my children to have all the things I couldn't afford. Then I want to move in with them." ~ Phyllis Diller

"The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found." ~ Calvin Trillin

"A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie." ~ Tenneva Jordan

"A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie." ~ Tenneva Jordan

"Working mothers are guinea pigs in a scientific experiment to show that sleep is not necessary to human life." ~ Author Unknown

"My mother had a great deal of trouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it." ~ Mark Twain

"The phrase "working mother" is redundant." ~Jane Sellman

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch."
— Jack Nicholson

"My mom said the only reason men are alive is for lawn care and vehicle maintenance."
— Tim Allen

My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.
"I brought you into this world and I can take you out."

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. "
- Elizabeth Stone


The last quote, definitely resonates how Jeanina has been to me, way way before she came out of me. Despite the string of complexities my journey has brought into my life, I wouldn't have it any other way. I am a mother because of her and it's the greatest & craziest feeling in the whole wide world.

Nuff of the intrposection now! Hehe.
Kudos to my Mom and all my Mom friends!
Love you All! Mwah!

We should admit, we keep the world tidy and clean...or else, we'd be walking on mess and dirtied cotton swabs all around us. hehe, just saying!

HAPPY MOTHER's DAY!

Smarty pants on the prowl

She always does these kinds of things. She utters a word or MORE, to clear something up, to disagree with me, to explain what she knows versus what I know. In my past blogs, esp in facebook notes I have somehow painted a picture of how my little lovebug amuses me every single day. And she's just 6! Oh god, when she gets to her teens, i hope it's still amusing. Or i might just ground her for "talking back" at mom. Ha! I win!

Yesterday night was another "quotable" incident. We were plopped on our sofa, doing the lazy tv watching bit on a holiday (it was fun!) while we chat ourselves (on the side) forever :) 

Then we catch Spiderman 3 on HBO. She was excited and so am I! We love Spidey! I get a hearty laugh over Jameson. The effects are great. Sandman is a sad character and so is Harry dying in the end. (ok this is not a review, i should remind myself haha) 

Anyways, as Harry was dying after an action-spasmed moment with Sandman and Venom. When he heaved his last breath, with MJ and Spidey in tears. I was filled with true emotion and said, "Oh god he died??" (I have this habit of forgetting details in action movies i've already watched) Nina faces me, with a rational tone just like a teacher lecturing her students, she says, "No, mom. He sacrificed his life to save the people and to save the city from evil." Woah, i was shocked. Laughed my head afterwards. 

Nice rephrasing babe. I forgot, yes heroes do sacrifice their lives for the good of many. Thanks for the reminder and a good wake-up call from my emotional shock stupor.

More smarty pants episodes to come....

Little Miss Different

I get her bottles of poster color. She just mixes them all together. I get her clay. She molds the most grotesque elephant with a yellow tusk. I buy her paper. She paints on a saucer. She is that cooky and different!  

She is unconventional as can be. But hopefully (fingers & toes crossed) in all the good ways. Come to think of it, she is growing up adapting my "kind" of thinking.  Somehow always going against the grain, unintentionally. Not liking what's commonly popular. Everybody loves britney. I have always hated her. Everybody loves coffee at Starbucks. I just need the free wifi. People throw away boxes, trinkets and ribbons. I keep them, for future "art" projects. Everybody's wearing plaid this year. I will NOT be caught wearing them. 

So Nina and I are different in our own ways. She was born on different circumstances to start with (no thanks to my unconventional ways, which i hope she doesn't go for). But that was how my journey went. Loved deeply. Suffered painstakingly. Now, living independently as can be! I'm putting all the stops to make sure we glide on smoothly on our journey together. With little bumps and bruises at some turns.

Hoping for the most part, that Nina and I, giddily whistle all the way to wherever our different "selves" take us. London perhaps?:)

"We take the road less travelled, and that makes all the difference"

- Robert Frost

A Really Good Friday

My birthday fell spot on during holy week. So we defied what normal strict Catholics would do, and opted for a different route.

Sofitel was the place. 36 is the birthday number. 3 kids, 3 adults, 1 Grandma and a Yaya spelt a cool relaxing day and night by the bay. Endlessly munching on "sneaked-in" chips and drinks versus the uber expensive P195 coke on the menu. Everything was a-ok, despite my 'leaving my digicam' at home fiasco...grrr. Saved by my sister in law's cam (have yet to get copies) and my cellphone's cam...all is well on my birthday date!

The swimming pool area is breath-taking....

The kids had a grand time....

While we had a relaxing time (for some parts, hehe)....

My Seafood dinner treat at "Cazuela", a pretty hidden restaurant near the hotel, was a surprising Grandma discovery. The Hefty Menu: (no photos, too bad) Chili crabs, Shrimps in Garlic Sauce, 15pc Tempura Shrimp (large ones, yum!), Halaan Soup, Grilled Tuna Belly. Thinking about makes my mouth water, a-gain! (Ulit ulit, hehe) Funny incident: The 2 Kids > Nina and Diego, slept halfway through dinnertime thanks to the whole day swimming, twister playing and running around. But was alive and kicking again once we got hotel-home. Whoa re energized!

For the good friday deed, tucked into our comfy hotel beds and comforters, we all (yes, even the kids) tuned in and watched CNN's feature on facts behind Jesus' Crucifixion and Life. Very insightful and intriguing. I appreciated we had that time to switch on Holy week mode suddenly.

Quick confession though, bro and i coincidentally had San Mig light and Strong Ice in hand while imbibing those Jesus facts. oops! Just a few swigs to complete our little b-day shindig.

Cheers! Happy birthday to me :)

The delinquent phase is over

Adorable faces like these.....

need more blog space. Pronto. :)

Onto a new campus

Nina did it! She passed her Grade 1 entrance exam. In my sometimes "in limbo" self, I absent-mindedly missed calling last Friday when there was a NOTE to remind us, parent/s. So the heck, I called this am. And indeed it was good news and a great way to start my "where do i go, what do i do" usual morning routine.

Great just great! Now, we have an interview on the 27th at St Paul. I gotta figure out though, how to wake Jeanina REALLY early for school. Imagine 730am , at school already? Hmm... Any suggestions moms?

For now, should quit worrying and start enjoying the summer with my little critter...

Stillness

You pulled away so far... so fast. Without looking back. Ever again.

And there was this stillness - an illusion of peace. That eventually evolves into the purest sense of peace one's heart can ever feel.

Like nothing happened, like no harm was done to us all. For now, i appreciate this stillness that stays with me and comforts me.