year 1

a year has passed.we have experienced a lot this year.we are continuously learning each day.we aim to continue to love, accept, and piss off each other :pwe are thankful for the bountiful meals that we have eah day.we are thankful for the fruitful talks, and sometimes, the absence of it.a lot of things are uncertain. unstable. one thing remains constant - we are here to stay, and, as mama says, to always have each other.portraits and gifts...

for these and more

- for the delicious pochero that filled my tummy tonight. the warm soup seemed to have the power to heal me from the inside. replenishing.- for the steady job that provides for us. we may not have all the luxuries in the world, but in these trying times, as long as we do not get hungry, we are in a better state.- for the little girl who drives us crazy. she may be learning new things each day, but it's more for my benefit when i watch her learn. for the priceless hugs and kisses that magically melt the worries away. so powerful.- for the husband...

gardener

nakakaaliw ang panlasangpinoy.com. i'd spend saturday mornings just browsing through their youtube videos. parang ang dali dali lang magluto! i love how they demo even the most complicated recipes in less than 10 minutes. not a drag!i saw this hardinera recipe and tried it out last, last week. it's something new. the name is catchy too :) it's like embutido / morcon / afritada in a lyanera... or in a garden jejeje.the recipe calls for pork...

overheard

guy 1: you're rude!guy 2: f#*@! you tell the truth and it's rud...

muni-muni

- you can't go wrong with being too much appreciative.- a little thanks will also do.- no matter how angry you get, contain it. there are creative and unhurtful ways of releasing.- yes, you can quit, and you can quit now.- when you cough, it's great to have a hagod on your back.- when there's an opportunity, grab it. you don't get it everyday.- you are not building a sari-sari store. don't hoard.- share.- if it's for your own good, you can't be mad (sometimes).- sometimes "don't settle" just won't work. you really have to settle, and it's just...

sweet treats

some 15 years ago, mami and i marvelled at watching heny sison bake on tv. she did it all in a breeze - mixing, folding, decorating, ikaw na ang magaling! :)) i just wanted to watch her then. i never thought that i would try baking!last year, april convinced kuya that we need an oven and an electric mixer. april and i have had an on and off relationship with baking. sometimes tsamba, sometimes it's just a plain disaster. there was a meringue...

wiwi

i had a dream last night... well, make that this early morning. papa and mami were there. we were taking mami to a job interview. somewhere along the way, we had a pit stop (read: wiwi stop) at a posh building. i saw a vacant cubicle, but there was a suspicious looking plastic bag on the floor. so i thought it wouldn't be safe to use this cubicle for wiwi purposes... but i really, really had to go...then i woke up. poof! and felt the urgency to go to the toilet to wiwi. thank God! i could just imagine what could have happened if i didn't...

ang bigo at ang wagi

last night, mike requested for pancakes for saturday breakfast. "kaya lang wala na tayong pancake mix," he said.i told him that my lola used to make pancakes from scratch, and that i can do it too! all i have to do is look for a recipe online. the internet will never fail you.i found this: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/good-old-fashioned-pancakes/detail.aspxit looked promising and super easy. however, i thought it would be wise to use just half...

vetsin frenzy

it's a mike-and-me time for two weeks. kuya, april, keyla, and tita are in manila. the house seems so empty without the little girl laughing and shrieking and running around. we thought it would be super sad, but i think it's not that bad. we miss keyla terribly though.well, it's always dinner for two! last night, we decided to go to chinatown for a dinner out. maiba lang :) we saw some hawker type stalls and we chose this stall that sold...

it's my birthday!

august 17, 2011 - i am 31. what changed since my last birthday?my pants don't fit me anymorei am more health (and weight) conscious nowi am now marriedi have graduated from the LDR sectormy teeth are becoming sungki - wisdom teeth extraction side-effects (yata)wrinkleshome addressand what things were unchanged?my heightoh, i still don't have white hair!employermy passport - which i should renew this yearmy surname - which i should legally change...

quasi tourists

for the 46th national day celebration, there's an electronics fair at suntec. we heard that 1) they are selling items for $46. items = washing machine, tv, camera, etc. 2) people started queueing since friday night for the opening at 11am on saturday. really, the things people do for a sale :) i would do the same if i had all the time in the world :)so sunday, we decided to make uzi at the fair. some facts: 1) atm, we don't really need something...

swim like a whale, eat like a whale

in an effort to trim down our tummies, we are on our 3rd week of jogging and we have been faithful to our program c/o the 5k runner app. highly recommended. not that our tummies have already toned down, but the app showcases interval training and kuya says it's an effective program. maganda raw na ginugulat ang bady mo at hindi yung consistent run lang. run-walk-run-walk ang drama. i also noticed that my knees hurt kung todo run lang. you know,...

OLOPS

i like having vivid dreams. when i wake up, i'm reminded of good things. sometimes good, sometimes bad, but it's always good to be reminded. a few nights ago, i had a dream about this: the dream was: i found my HS teacher praying the novena. it was very vivid - she was holding the blue novena booklet and i interrupted her prayer to discuss about the thesis.and the memories that rushed through when i woke up were incredible...my first commuting-all-by-myself...

a day at the park

we went to the pasir ris park today.the plan: stroll as one big happy family - kuya, april, keyla, tita, mike, me. naks! keyla to play on the playground. caths and mike to do 30 min walk/run. pasir ris park is a hidden gem. it's not that crowded like east coast park is. the place is clean and big. children could play, the whole family or barkada could do ihaw ihaw. lovers could stroll. others even go fishing, camping, biking. the park...

scented

it's a wonderful feeling coming home to a house that smells nice. it's a challenge for our house though as the windows are always open -it's hard to contain and maintain the scents.the room odor's a bit easier to conquer! we used to hoard keep a number of bottles of scented oil from body shop. these are the types you dilute with water and use in a burner. smells good, really. we liked strawberry, pomegranate. i found lavender and tea tree scents...

rektikano

i am married to a man who's very highspirited when it comes to basketball. during the nba games, he requested that we subscribe to the sports channel. he looked for basketball playmates here so he could shoot some hoops. luckily, there's a bb court near our block. there's a filipino community (a big one) and they share the same passion in basketball. all good :) i love seeing the glow on his face everytime he goes home from a game. sweaty,...

peranakan museum

last, last friday, i took a day off from work to accompany mike in the submission of the formalities of his long term pass. we were done by around 10am so we decided to go to the peranakan museum.but before we went to the museum, we feasted on the pinakamasarap na pancit sa balat ng lupa. the stall is located at the suntec foodcourt and good to see there's a kuya pinoy staff at the store. he may have added a few strands of pancit on our plate....