My 25th Birthday

We we're planning to go to Tagaytay for my birthday this year. Take some pictures at People's Park and eat some burgers at Mushroom Burger. Unfortunately, the weather told us that it's not a good idea to go there. So, we settled for the nearest establishment....Festival, Alabang. There are so many people having Christmas rush. Good thing, we're done with our Christmas shopping. We first went to Starbucks for a coffee treat, but since I'm pregnant I just had a Chocolate cream frap. Then we had a fulfilling dinner at Giligan's, wherein we ordered foods that are good for four (that is, including Zach in this count :) ). As expected, we didn't finish all the food, so we had to bring them home. We always enjoy eating sisig there (the best sisig ever!).

After eating like we have never eaten for one day, we decided to take a stroll at the mall to digest some foods inside our big tummies. Nothing much happened after that, because we just walked and bought a book for Zoe. She's so cute to look at everytime we go to a bookstore. I'm just glad we introduced her to books at an early age.

Now that I'm 25, I can't help feeling old. At 25, I will have two children, wow! I have a girl, and I will have a boy on April. I feel so content and happy! Next year, I will be celebrating my 26th birthday with Zach and Zoe by my side, of course my hubby will be there. :)

Yey! I'm done with wrapping Christmas presents!

Just finished wrapping our Christmas presents. Whew! I have extra abaca wrappers and some ribbons, so I decided to use them for this year's gifts. It looks like I'm giving away wedding invitations, don't you think? Anyway, I do hope the people who'll receive these presents will be happy with the presentation and with what's inside. I'm so excited to give these nicely-wrapped presents!

Top 5 Gifts to Give My Daughter this Christmas

Today is December 17, 20008 and we are only 8 days away from Christmas. Are you still thinking about what to give to your daughter? Well, I am. My three-year old is asking for so many things this Christmas, and I don't know which one to choose. So I made a list of the the top 5 gifts that I can wrap for her this season. Here it goes...

Top 5 Gifts to give my daughter this Christmas:

1. Barbie My House
This is number one on my list because she has a lot of Barbie dolls already, and since I saw her playing with her cousin's doll house the other day I thought it would be nice if she will get one for herself this Christmas. I saw several pictures of this set and I can say that the accessories are great! A must-have for every girl!

2. Littlest Pet Shop Tail Waggin Fitness Club Playset
This comes number two on my list because I saw her face when she has seen the commercial on TV. I saw her face light up every time the ad is repeated. This playset comes with cute puppies that she can play with, without the hassles of pet poop messing around the house.

3. Barbie Diamond Castle doll
My daughter loves the latest Barbie movie, "The Diamond Castle". Barbie plays the role of Liana and her friend Teresa plays the role of Alexa. Both characters are available already, and if you buy them together you'd be amazed because the sing together.

4. Bratz designed by
If your daughter is a fan of Bratz, this would be a nice present for her. You can choose from the dolls designed by Cloe, Yasmin, Jade and Sasha. Each comes with funky and stylish clothes that your child can play with.

5. Polly Pocket Fashion Frenzy Super Set
This set comes in 62 pieces. Not advisable to give to very small children, for the pieces are very small. It would be perfect for your pre-schooler because the set has 7 small dolls and several outfits that they could try on.

There you go. The list is for girls only, but if you have a boy, there are so many toys available online that you can choose from.

Enjoy searching for the perfect gift to your child. Happy holidays!

Zoe's Bratz World Tour 2008

We were lucky enough to have a free ticket for the Bratz World Tour 2008. How did we get this? Last month, we went to a toy convention in Makati, and Zoe got to see his Ninong there. (Thanks, Mike!) He gave Zoe money to buy some toys. Since another relative gave her money the other week, we just add them up to be able to buy one Bratz doll. Zoe's been begging us to buy her one since she saw her cousin's Bratz doll... and we found ourselves inside Toy Kingdom looking at those dolls. Personally, I don't like them because of their pouty lips and the head is so unproportioned! But my daughter wants to have one (this is her first, by the way), so we bought her a Cloe doll from the Costume Party series. We got a free ticket for the Bratz World Tour when we paid for the doll.

So, that's how we got Zoe's ticket. Then, December 6 comes, and Zoe's just too excited to get to SM Mall of Asia. Even if it's time for her nap, she tried so hard to stay awake. When we get there, we're given a number for the hair and make up part, so we have to wait for a while. She played with the available dolls in the play area to avoid boredom while waiting. When our number was called, she was so eager to have her hair and make up done that I didn't have to convince her to sit there. She kept on looking at the mirror while the stylist works her magic on her. After the hair and make up part, we went to look for a costume for the pictorial. Most of the clothes are black, white, and dark pink. Just by looking at their colors and sizes, I can tell that they won't look good at Zoe. Fortunately, a girl who just had her picture taken passed by, and then I saw the perfect outfit for Zoe! A golden dress for a goddess! After looking for a dress for quite a while, we finally saw the outfit that would really look good on her (in terms of size and color). So, Zoe tried it on and it looked so fantastic on her! The hair and make up is done, the perfect costume is found, now it's time for the pictorial. As she walked on the stage, I could tell that she's too sleepy to do this picture taking. I asked her to smile, but she did this when the photographer has taken her picture already. As a result, her printed photo shows a girl who's not so happy with her looks. (It's as if her mommy forced her to do it!) Luckily, I was able to take some photos using my camera right before she got very sleepy. I was also able to take one photo of her on stage, but it's quite blurry (from excessive shaking, I guess). I edited two of her photos, and I came up with the photo above. (Thank you, mutsie, for your very nice banner brushes:-))

Zoe got to watch High School Musical 3!

Zoe watched the latest installment to High School Musical. We watched the first screening on its first day in cinemas! How excited is that?!

She might be sad and sleepy on this picture, but I can say that she enjoyed watching the movie. She got so "kilig" when it's a scene of Troy and Gabriella. I'm not so sure if I should be alarmed by this or not. She's 3 years old and she's aware about the boy-girl attraction. Well, I can not tell her that it is bad, because it isn't. Media really plays a powerful role in a child's development. I guess the best thing that I can do is to guide her and explain things to her as she sees them on TV or in the ads. Parental Guidance is indeed recommended.

Water Lilies....what about them?

I've been playing with photoshop the other day, and this is the result I got. I did not have available pictures to edit at that time, so I just chose one that's in my laptop... so lazy to turn on the router... :)

I really love these new brushes that I've got from Brusheezy. They're so nice! It brings out the girl in me...haha! I was planning to use the same color combination that I've seen in the website, but then Zoe got in the way. She wanted to use various colors which explains the resulting design. Anyway, it's not bad though, right?

Toy Crazy Zoe

The pictures above were taken two weeks ago when we watched Narnia. As usual, my husband went inside a toy store. While waiting, Zoe noticed the toys at the display window. Every time we go to this store, she's always saying "Mommy, can you buy me those pink accessories for my Barbie dolls?" Then I will say, "May be next time, baby."

Bon Voyage Lelyn!

Today is the day that our friend, Glen Lelyn Quan, is going to leave for Japan. She will work there and who knows when she'll be going back to the Philippines?!

I will miss her, and I know that most of our friends will miss her, too. This girl is someone you can always count on. Behind her demure way of showing her feminism is a very strong personality that is influential to everybody she meets. I know that the Japanese people who'll get to know her will notice that, too.

Go Lel! Make your mark in Japan, but do not forget to go back home every six months? or every year?

Just keep us posted:)

Astral Dreamy ZOE

I made this photo last month using the Astral Flora brushes from brusheezy.

I got so excited about this set of brushes that I did not think of a better way of using them.

I will practice on this one.

To achieve the coloration used in my photo, please follow these steps (made by luciferous-glow):

1: Make a layer with a black background.
2: Make a new layer that is blank.
3: On this blank layer use the brushes in white.
4: Make a new layer, set the blending mode to Overlay.
5: Using soft round brushes of different sizes and colors, paint into this layer and you will the color show up over the flora brushes on the layer beneath.

To make the colors brighter, duplicate or copy the layer with the bright colors, or set the blending mode to Hard Light.

Pretty in Yellow

Look at how big you've grown already. You're now posing for the camera and giving your most demure smile. You are so pretty in your yellow dress.

You mean everything to me

My husband gave me a set of brushes and patterns today. I tried it out and here's what I've done for tonight. This photo was one of the first shots I took using my new camera. I really love Photoshop and my new gadget!

Zoe's first trip to Binan Marketplace

As I've said yesterday, I won't be going to DLSC for my interview. Instead, Zoe and Mommy went to Binan to buy some more stuffs for her birthday on Saturday.

She really loves gel shoes, so we bought a pair of white gel shoes for her. She's so delighted with her new shoes! :)

My first certain decision for this year

I am scheduled for an interview at De La Salle Canlubang today. A girl from DLSC sent me a text message last Friday regarding my interview. I thought that I want to come, so I asked her to move it since I have an afternoon class today. But then, I decided not to go tomorrow (she moved it to Tuesday). I've sent her an email about my application withdrawal.

I am certain about this decision.

Spending our afternoon at NAIA

Kuya Eniel went back to Dubai today. Zoe and I went with my parents to bring him to the airport.

Due to delayed arrival of Ninong Darwin, I told them that we will not go with them anymore. But they want Zoe to be there, and when I asked her if she wanted to come, she said yes. So, do I have any choice? I said okay... and as a result, we spent the whole afternoon at the airport, but it's okay. At least, my daughter had a chance to bond with my niece and cousins.

Bonding between Zoe and Mommy the whole day

JE went home late last night. Actually, he arrived at 2:oo this morning.

Natural scenario happened. Zoe and I spent the whole day together playing. My husband was sleepy for most part of the day, but it's okay. I expect that. I guess that's part of the package. When we agreed that Friday night is his beer night, I should expect this kind of result.

The disturbing part of the day is when we had an argument on working abroad. He mentioned something such as what will happen to his comics when he goes to other country. Honestly speaking, I don't want that. I can not bear to live a day without seeing him and hugging him before I go to sleep. I just wish that we'll always be together in raising our child and future children.

Just don't tell it to her....

I didn't go to DLSU today. I spent the whole day with Zoe. I was planning to leave her at Nanay's place in the morning, but she won't let me go, so I let her sleep first (afternoon nap). She's knocked out by 2:00 PM.

I went to our house to surf the net.

I had a chat with the wife of my brother-in-law. She told me about how she's hurting. How their situation is really causing her much pain. I wish I can tell her everything I know..... but I don't want to be the one to break their marriage.

My PIZZA Day!

Nothing much happened this day. I went to my Orglab class and then we went home. But before that, there is the highlight of my day. We ate a YELLOWCAB pizza! (yummy!) We got a 14" New York's Finest pizza.

JE and I always enjoy eating at this pizza parlor. The aroma and delectable taste is really excellent!
We were so full by the time we had 7 slices (JE ate 4, and I had 3). Our stomachs were not able to handle the last one, so we just brought it home.

You know what's funny when we arrived at our house? There's pizza waiting for us! The husband of my sister-in-law brought home some from Pizza Hut. It's quite unusual for a day. Two pizza treats!

I declare this day a PIZZA Day! :)

Why only now have I done this trick?!

JE's so exhausted from yesterday's trip. He was not able to wake up early for his work, so he just declared it a half day work.

My day is fine, nothing grand happened today. I've discovered one thing in my job though. That is, I can finish the papers to be checked while the students are doing their experiment. That way, I will not have any papers to bring home. :)

Trip to Chinabank without extra money

It's JA's 4th birthday today. JE and I went to see them at Chinabank Quezon City. Actually, we're supposed to meet them at Trinoma, but since they're still at the bank when we arrived at the said mall, Kristin asked us if we can just go to Chinabank so our time won't be wasted. We don't have extra money, so we were quite hesitant to go there. Good thing, our money in our wallets were enough for the taxi fare (back & forth)! :)

KC and JA are so cute!

Will you please listen first?!

The start of my week is fine, but my Monday class is not so enjoyable. I like the class, but most of them don't want to listen in my discussion. They're so eager to start to finish the lab session early. I guess it's better if I don't do a pre-lab discussion anymore. But if I don't do that, they won't know what to do.

Zoe's so happy with the goodies that I've bought for her birthday party.

Fun, fun, fun Sunday

My family had a very fun Sunday! JE didn't leave the house today, and this is true for the rest of the week. He's being true to his promise that we'll go home together from Monday to Thursday and he'll schedule his beer session with friends every Friday night.

Today's been a total bonding day for JE and Zoe.

Swimming at Palms Country Club

We went swimming at Palms today. It's after lunch, and the sun is really up high when the kids had fun at the pool. Though that is the case, my Zoe still enjoyed the activity.

My favorite shopping place and the triple birthday dinner

I went to Divisoria to buy cheap goodies for Zoe's birthday. I've bought stuffs that are contained in two large plastic bags! I really like it when I go there, because they have very cheap things!

I also attended a dinner with my college friends. It's for JB, Steph, and Shar's birthday. I think I can say that I had fun.

Should I try this tutorial job? It's really far from our place......

I've sent an email to ACTS today. It contains my explanation on why I did not make it to the scheduled exam and interview yesterday. I got a reply after a few hours. They still want me to try the job. The managing director is telling me that this thing is for the summer and since I will not have teaching load during this time, this job will help me to get through summer financially. Should I try it? Hmmm....

ACTS Exam or World Chicken.... I chose the latter, haha! :)

I went to Ortigas and planned to take the ACTS application exam. I was late for it, so I decided not to take it. Instead, I met up with JE and we had lunch together at the food court. Guess what we had for lunch?! We ate the super yummy chicken from the World Chicken! :)

What a relief!

I thought Sir P is saying something not good about me, but as I've learned, he just said that the part time cannot use J310 anymore. Whew! I thought it's much more than that! What a relief!

Now, I need to do the revisions in my proposal, need to finish it tonight.

If you can't say something nice, just shut your mouth.

I finally finished my proposal! Sir P. said something not nice about me today. Though I didn't hear my friend exactly say it, but by his words, I know this senior of mine did say something that I don't want to hear.

Pregnant or not?!

This is my last day to work on my proposal.

Everyone in the department thinks that I'm pregnant. I know that I'm not, but their worrying makes me confused. I need to take another pregnancy test. The last time I did it, I bent the strip so I'm not sure if its positive or not.

Need to wind up my clock...

This day is about to end, but I haven't done a paragraph in my proposal. Why do I find it hard to finish it? I have all the research materials, but my heart is not in it. I think I have to wind up my clock to focus more on the task at hand.

Note: I made two designs for my scrapbooking hobby :)

The clock is ticking....what am I waiting for?

Time is running out. I have to get started on my proposal. Dr. Guidote is counting on me. Why do I keep on postponing it? I said I'll work on it last week, but I haven't even written a word about it. I need to keep my focus. I want to finish my MS this summer.

Teary-eyed after watching Mona Lisa Smile

I know it's a bit late to write a short review on Mona Lisa Smile, but it's better late than never, right?

As 2008 starts, my husband and I agreed to have a movie night every Saturday night. We'll buy our favorite VCDs every week for the movie night. We'll just get the cheap ones, so naturally it would be an old movie.

Since he'll be having his high school reunion on a Saturday night, we decided to do our movie night on Friday. He volunteered to pick the movie, and when he went home, he has a Mona Lisa Smile VCD on his hand.

Honestly speaking, I didn't like to watch it at first, but since he chose the movie, I decided to give it a try. I was not mistaken by my decision to watch it. It's a good movie. It's about Katherine Ann Watson, a teacher whose role is played by Julia Roberts, and she wanted to make a difference in the lives of 50's Wellesley girls. She's a terrific and free-thinking art professor who taught the students to enjoy life. Being an emotional watcher that I am, I became teary-eyed when the movie ended. I particularly liked the part where the students made paintings for Ms. Watson. This scene showed that the students finally learned how to appreciate their professor's way of teaching them to live their lives to the fullest, to be happy and do what you really want. I dedicate this movie to all the teachers who are true to their profession and who are aware of their critical role in shaping the lives of their students.

Also included in the movie are Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Ginnifer Goodwin.

This is our first movie in our Weekend night movie series. I give Mona Lisa Smile four out of five stars.