Inspiration of the week - PASSION

PASSION:

Many things will catch your eye, but

only a few will catch your heart...

PURSUE THOSE.

~ Anonymous ~

Our New Toy

At syempre, di kami papatalo ni Marlon. Bumili rin kami ng new toy nung Saturday :P


Elmo TMX




Nakakaloko 'to! Hahahaha!!!

Caitlin's (not so) New Toy

Caitlin's not so new toy (1 month old na)... Pasalubong ni Papa Rommie from the US.


Blue's Clues - Chika Chika Boom Boom



It sings and it dances! (just ignore Caitlin talking in the background... hehehe!)

Ang kikay na si Caitlin

Ang bata-bata pa ng anak ko, kikay na!

Last night, lumapit sa akin si Caitlin. Humingi ng cotton ball. So binigyan ko naman. After that, inabot sa akin ang cologne nya at pinapalagyan yung cotton ball. Eh di nilagyan ko naman.

Aba! Dinampi-dampi sa mukha nya ang cotton ball na may cologne... parang naglalagay ng toner. Hahaha!

At hindi pa nagtatapos dyan ang kwento...

Humingi pa sya sa akin ng lotion. So nilagyan ko ng small amount sa kamay nya. Pagkatapos nya ipahid sa arms nya, humingi uli. Para naman daw sa legs nya. Hahaha!

Ang kikay talaga!

Valentine's Day

These arrived at the office today...

Inspitation of the Week

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude
on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than the facts.

It is more important than the past, than education, than
money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes,
than what other people think or say or do. It is more important
than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break
a company...a church...a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day
regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.
We cannot change our pasts, we cannot change the fact

that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change

the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the

one string we have, and that is our attitude.

I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens and

90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you -

we are in charge of our attitudes.


-- CHARLES SWINDOLL

Caitlin Anecdote #1

A couple of weeks ago, dumaan si Ate J (a cousin) sa house namin. Nung paalis na sya, hinatid sya ng mom ko sa gate. Naiwan si Caitlin and ang dad ko sa loob ng bahay.

For some reason, natagalan ang mom ko sa labas (read: nakipag-usap pa sa kapitbahay).

Habang nasa labas ang mom ko, tanong ng tanong si Caitlin, "San Mama Sit? San Mama Sit?". After some time, nalimutan na nya yata ang mom ko at tumigil na sya sa pagtatanong.

Finally, pumasok na uli sa bahay ang mom ko. Si Caitlin, biglang tumigil maglaro. Humarap sa mom ko, nakapamewang, sabay sabi ng "San ka galing?!"

Hahahaha!!!

~*~*~*~
Caitlin Anecdote #2

Scene: Mama Sit on the phone; Caitlin (playing), Papa Maning and myself in the living room

Mama Sit (to Papa Maning): Ano nga pala uli yung brand ng payong ni Joseph?
Papa Maning: "Umbra" yata
Mama Sit (to Papa Maning): Hindi, hindi "Umbra".
Papa Maning (jokingly): Eh di, "Umbrella"!
Mama Sit (to Papa Maning): Ano? ano?
Caitlin (to Mama Sit): Umbrella daw!!!

~*~*~*~
Caitlin Anecdote #3

Last week, dumaan si Tita L sa bahay para humiram ng dvds.

Habang inaayos ng mom ko yung dvds na hinihiram, pinapanood sya ni Caitlin. Tinitingnan ang bawat dvd na nilalagay ng mom ko sa supot.

Nung inabot na ng mom ko yung bag ng dvds kay Tita L, lumapit si Caitlin sa kanya... sabay tanong ng, "Ano yan?!".

Hahaha!!! Concerned yata si Caitlin na baka naisama sa pinahiram yung Hi-5, Elmo's World, at The Backyardigans dvds nya!


~*~*~*~

Caitlin Anecdote #4



Naglalaro si Caitlin ng dollhouse nya. Yung dollhouse nya, may kasama na dolls - Mommy, Daddy, and baby. Yung Daddy, naka-green na shirt.




*image from Fisher Price.


Nagkataon, that day, green na shirt din ang suot ni Marlon.


Caitlin (giving the Daddy doll to Marlon): Peho, peho (pareho, pareho)
Marlon: Very good!
Me: Sige, give mo kay Daddy lahat ng color green (na furniture).


Eh di binigay naman ni Caitlin lahat ng color green na furniture kay daddy nya. Ang galing!


Me: Wow, very good! So, anong color yan (expecting that Caitlin will say "green")
Caitlin: PINK!
Caitlin: (sabay tawa) GREEN!


Nyahahaha!!! Marunong na sya mang-asar!

Inspiration of the Week

In the middle of every difficulty comes opportunity.
~ Albert Einstein

I switched!

to the new version of Blogger, that is.

Moments and Memories

Got this from a friend's blog...

If you are reading this, if your eyes are passing over this right now, even if we don't speak often, please post a comment with a memory of you and me. It can be anything you want, either good or bad. I promise not to come after you with a sharpened pencil either way.

When you're finished, post this little paragraph on your blog and be surprised (or mortified) about what people remember about you.

Comment away! :)

November 2006

November updates...

Nov1 - All Saints' Day... a non-working holiday. Hubby and I went to Las Pinas to visit his Dad's grave. It was sort of a mini reunion na rin kasi most of his relatives were there. We didn't bring our little girl along since it's hard to commute with a toddler in tow. We decided not to bring the car dahil alam din naman naming mahirap ang parking. Besides, marami ring tao sa cemetery. We headed home around 3pm to avoid traffic.

Nov 3 - It was an important day for SPL. Today, it was officially announced that Oracle has acquired our company. More on this on another post.

Nov 7 - Today marks the 1st death anniversary of our beloved Tita Cristina. I can't believe it's already been a year since she passed away. I miss her dearly. But I know, she is now happy and at peace in heaven.

Nov 13 - Met up with Abi and had lunch with her at TGIF, Glorietta. It's been a while since we last saw each other. She's inviting me to her wedding on the 26th :)

Nov 18 - Nagpa-blood chemistry ako a few days back. Now that I have the results, I went to my doctor to have the results interpreted. Medyo nag-worry ako kasi mataas yung cholesterol ko. When she saw the results, she told me that I've nothing really to worry about. She explained that the high cholesterol value reflected my total body cholesterol. Sabi pa nya, if I look at the breakdown, my cholesterol values are still within normal limits. But still, it doesn't mean that I don't have to watch my diet (hehehe...). Ang hirap pa naman mag-diet, especially with the Holidays fast approaching! Pinapabalik pa naman nya ako for check-up after the holidays. Patay na! Hahaha!!!

After the visit to the doctor, we had lunch at Gateway Mall then bought my wedding gift to Abi. Naku, nakakatawa si Caitlin! Sigaw ng sigaw sa sobrang excitement nya! Nakakahiya tuloy sa mga tao. Baka akalain nila, di namin pinapasyal si little girl. Anyways, after buying the wedding gift, nag-ikot-ikot muna kami. Ayun, nakabili ako ng 2 pairs of sandals. Si Caitlin din, nabilhan ko ng sandals. Ang saya! :)

Nov 25 - Caitlin's 1st visit to the dentist. Since the family wanted to go malling at the Mall of Asia, don na rin kami nagpa-dentist. I was getting worried na kasi of the stains on Caitlin's teeth. Actually, mas worried ako na baka nasisira na yung teeth nya. Mahirap na kung masira ang teeth nya kasi it's the only set she'll have for 5-6 years, at least, before her permanent teeth comes out. Kawawa naman kung mabungal sya agad.

Anyway, we went to DentAsia at the 2nd level of the South Mall of MOA. Akala ko, ok lang si little girl kasi she was playing and walking around while waiting for our turn. When it was finally our turn, I took little girl and have her sit on my lap while I sit on the dentist's chair. Ayun! Umiyak na! Akala mo, inaapi. She cried for "Ma Tit" (Mama Sit). So punta naman si Lola and kinarga sya. Si Mama Sit naman ang umupo sa chair. Aba, sa akin naman nagpakarga! Naku, di kami matatapos nito!

Para lang matapos na, hinawakan ko na yung head ni Caitlin para masilip ng dentist yung teeth nya (kahit na umiiyak pa rin sya). Sa wakas, nakita rin! Sabi ng dentist, may stains lahat ng teeth ni little girl. Akala ko nung una, yung 2 front teeth lang nya. Sabi pa ng dentist, baka daw may antibiotics akong nainom while I was preggy with Caitlin that caused the stains. Ang kaso, wala naman akong maalala. All I remember was taking Amoxicillin pero that was it. Sabi naman ng dentist, kung Amoxicillin lang, ok lang daw yon. It shouldn't cause the stains. Wala naman daw sira ang teeth ni little girl. Stains lang talaga. Hintayin na lang daw namin tumubo yung permanent teeth. Yun nga lang, there is still a possibility that the permanent teeth will also have stains. Hay!

The dentist told me that if the stains really bother me, she can have Caitlin's teeth laminated. Papastahan daw nya (no drilling involved) para ma-cover yung stains then ilalaminate. The thing is, if little girl is not cooperative, she'll have to be sedated. Nyay! Ayaw ko naman yon. I can still live with the stains. As long as walang sira ang teeth ni little girl, ok lang sa akin. When she's older, we'll probably consider it. But for now, hindi na muna. We'll just visit the dentist often to make sure na healthy pa rin ang teeth nya.

By the way, the dentist didn't charge us at all! :)

After the visit to the dentist, we took Caitlin to Toy Kingdom. Parang nasa heaven na naman ang anak ko! Ikot ng ikot... di malaman kung anong toy ang unang dadamputin. With matching shouts of excitement pa yon ha! Nakakatuwa syang panoorin.



After MOA, punta naman kami sa bazaar at the World Trade Center. Ang daming magandang items. I was able to buy a bag for myself and 3 sets of clothes for Caitlin. Marami ring nabili ang mom ko. Pero mostly pambahay and food. Sayang lang di namin naikot lahat kasi we have to be at Eastwood by 6pm. Kasali kasi si Joseph sa Battle of the Bands (inter-school - ADMU, UP, and DLSU).

We left WTC a little after 4pm to make it to Eastwood City by 6pm. Di naman masyadong ma-traffic so we got there on time.

The event was organized by 3 student business organizations (1 from each school; can't remember lang the names of the orgs). There were 6 bands that performed during the competion: 1 from UP, 1 from DLSU and 4 from ADMU. Each band had to play 2 songs - a christmas song and an original composition.

My brother's band didn't win. Pero ok lang. We were so proud of him! Kahit si Caitlin, clap ng clap habang nagpe-perform ang Tito Joseph nya. Nakakatawa nga sya kasi pag ibang bands ang tumutugtog, sinasabi nya, "ingay! ingay!" (with her hands covering her ears) o kaya "uwi na!". Hahaha! Di naman sya biased no?! Hehehe... Pero di talaga namin akalain na ang galing-galing nyang tumugtog ng drums! To think, wala kaming drums sa bahay. Basta, ang galing galing! Proud Ate talaga ako! Woohoo!

[picture/video]

Nov 26 - Marlon and I attended Abi and Tito's wedding. It was at Sanctuario de San Jose in Greenhills and the reception at Trader's Hotel, Manila. It was a beautiful wedding. Though honestly, I had mixed emotions. Don't get me wrong. I am very much happy for Abi and Tito. It's just that I was used to seeing Abi with her ex (no offense to Abi, Tito and Cynch). Though they parted years ago, I guess, di lang ako sanay.

To Abi and Tito, Congratulations and Best Wishes!

October 2006

Now for October...

Oct 6 - My cousin's Erwin and Tintin's wedding. The ceremony was held at St. James in Ayala, Alabang. Reception followed at The Palms. It was the first wedding in Erwin's family.


Caitlin, pretty in her yellow dress


St. James


Caitlin, with cousin Kyle before the ceremony


with Caitlin


My cousin, Erwin, with his parents


Tintin, the bride


Me, doing the 1st Reading and Responsorial Psalm


At the reception


Mama Sit and Papa Maning with their apo

Oct 7 - We have been expecting a balikbayan box from the US (from Dad's siblings) for months. It finally arrived. Si little girl, nakisali sa paghalungkat ng box! Enjoy na enjoy sya! At take note, alam nya kung para sa kanya yung item na dinampot nya. Hehehe :P



Oct 10 - My cousin, Chiqui, gave birth to a bouncing baby girl, Cristina Isabelle. So cute!



Oct 11 - Our 3rd wedding anniversary. We took a day off from work, just had lunch at Mall of Asia then watched a movie at Gateway Mall. It was just a simple celebration, just the two of us (di kasama si bulinggit). Masaya na kami na magkasama kami the whole day.

Oct 12 - I was still on leave from work so I took the opportunity to scout for pre-schools in our area. I know, it's too early to send Caitlin to school (at 1 1/2 yo). I just wanted to have an idea how much it would cost us to send her to one.

First school we went to was Britesparks International School along Katipunan Avenue in White Plains. The school didn't make a good impression on me.

Firstly because we had an appointment with the school's directress and she wasn't there. She completely forgot about our appointment. One of the teachers had to call her. The teacher then told us that the directress was on her way. While we were waiting, no one in her staff even had the courtesy of entertaining us. After 45 minutes of waiting, we left without telling any of the staff.

Secondly, I found the kids very "magulo" and misbehaved. There was a boy who kept bullying the other kids (he takes off every one's shoes and socks). Di man lang pagsabihan nung nagbabantay sa kanila. Then, I also overheard a parent telling another parent that she was forced to enrol her child in another class (mandarin class) just so she can be at peace knowing that her child isn't bullied while waiting for her to pick her up.

The second school we went to was FMP Loyola. When I saw their site at the internet, their school reminded me of the pre-school I went to. So, I said to myself, I have to check it out.

We went there without an appointment and the directress gladly entertained us. She even gave us a tour of the school. The kids were very behaved and well-mannered. All were smiling. I guess, the school (as a whole - including the directress, teachers, staff, and children) made a good impression on me.

We are not yet decided if we will send our little girl to FMP Loyola. But it will definitely be one of our choices.

As for the cost (tuition and fees), we now have a pretty good idea :)

Oct 15 - Boat-box anecdote.

Pinaglalaruan ni Caitlin yung box nung Disney Princess Ride-on toy nya. The box was big enough for her to get in. So while playing, sabi ko, "ano yan? car, plane, boat, spaceship?". I was trying to let her use her imagination. Kaso, di ako pinansin ng anak ko. Tuloy-tuloy sya sa paglalaro. So finally, sabi ko, "sige, sakay ka na sa car mo (referring to the box)". Sinagot ako ni little girl, "di, bot (boat)!". Nyahahaha!!! Sino ba naman kasi may sabi na car yon?! :P

Oct 16 - Caitlin's "unofficial" first haircut... "unofficial" kasi mom ko lang ang nag-gupit sa kanya at na-trim lang yung buhok nya.



Oct 22 - Pasyal lang sa MOA with the whole family. First time nila, second namin ni Marlon. Dinala namin si Caitlin sa Toy Kingdom. Naku! Feeling nya yata nasa heaven sya! Di malaman kung ano ang unang toy na dadamputin. Nahilo ako sa kakasunod sa kanya dahil ikot sya ng ikot. Di mapakali!

Yan ang updates ko for October. November updates, coming up!

September 2006

Yes, I'm back! Back from months of "not blogging". So now, here I am to give an update of the months that were.

Let me start with September (next post na lang yung October). Hehehe! Here goes...


Sep 3 - Ninong Noel bought Caitlin a Disney Princess Ride-on Car She loved it from the instant that she saw it at the Toy Section in Rustan's.



Sep 5 - Mom's birthday. We just celebrated it at home... just family. We had cake, spaghetti and chicken.



Sep 8 - Caitlin can diffentiate between a watch and a clock :)

Sep 9 - Tagaytay trip. It was Caitlin's first trip outside of Metro Manila. Actually, it's already her second trip (the first was to Los Banos, Laguna) but we consider this her first kasi ito talaga yung "pasyal" trip. The trip to Los Banos a few months back was to visit an aunt.


I'm ready!


with Daddy, Mommy and Mommy Obeth


with Tito Bong and Tita Beth


"Tito Joseph, ang laki nung gumamela!"


Ninong Noel and Tita Waw


with Papa Maning and Mama Sit


Enjoy ako!


At Dencio's, with Mommy and Daddy


"Ang laki talaga ng gumamela!"


"One more pic please"


with Mommy and Daddy uli


At Caleruega

Sep 14 - SPL's 17th Anniversary. We had the celebration at the 15th floor of our office building. The newbies gave a presentation showcasing their talents in singing, dancing, etc. SPeciaL Awards were also given. The service awardees (including myself) were given awards/tokens.



Sep 20-23 - Caitlin was confined at the hospital (again). This is the second time this year. The first time was due to amoebiasis. This time, she was diagnosed with dyspepsia.

On the night of the 19th, she vomitted around 6 times. She kept on letting out everything, even water. Worried that she might dehydrate, we took her to her pedia first thing the following morning. The pedia also wanted to monitor her so she had Caitlin admitted.

We stayed at the hospital for around 4 days. The doctors couldn't find anything wrong with her. Finally, she was diagnosed with dyspepsia.





Sep 28 - Typhoon Milenyo (aka Tropical Storm Xangsane) struck Metro Manila. Classes were suspended at all levels. Even offices/businesses closed for the day. Below are some pictures* of the storm's aftermath.


*pictures are not of the author's

I just thank God that our house was not damaged and that no one from our families, relatives and friends were severely affected by the storm.

That's it for the month of September. October happenings coming up...

Sari-Sari

ang bilis ng panahon! 5 years na ako dito sa SPL... service awardee na ako. hehehe... may awarding sa september 14 during SPL's Anniversary celebration.




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Birthday ni Mommy yesterday. We celebrated it at home... just family. We had cake, spaghetti and chicken.

Akala ni Caitlin, sya ang may birthday. She started clapping and dancing when we were singing "Happy Birthday". She even blew the candle on the cake with my Mom :)

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Hay naku! P50 to $1 na lang ang exchange rate. Bumaba na naman sweldo namin. Waaaahhhh!!!
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My cousin (2nd degree), Arvin Tolentino, was inducted as acting Vice Mayor of Pasay City.
Read related article here.