Akira and Everything nice

Bayad muna bago baba - toddler edition

2012-02-27T13:15:00.000+08:00

Unfortunately, "bayad muna bago baba" (a signage which can be found mostly in jeepneys) doesn't apply when these two are together when we are doing groceries. Lalo na pag kasama ang grandparents. So, instead of having to deal with two meltdowns, we give in to their small requests but not all the time though.

Can you guess what the Little One is looking for?!

There yah go.. Found it!

Sip! Sip! Sip!

I'm just thankful that they are perfectly fine by sitting on the grocery cart instead of walking and running around. Because if not, there might be more unnecessary purchases.

Cooking for Dummies: Wake up, wake up!

2012-02-24T16:33:00.002+08:00

In Tagalog, Gising Gising. I first tasted Gising Gising from Abe's at The Fort. Since then, I fell in love with the viand. So I asked dear hubby if he can prepare one for me.

Here's how he did it.

Ingredients include:

1 small pack of Ginisa flavor mix

1 pack Gata

Ajinomoto

salt

pepper

4 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)

1/2 half white onion (chopped)

1 pc Chicken breast (sliced into 5 small pieces)

1/4 kilo Bagiuo beans (approximately 10-15 pcs)

Procedure:

1. Saute the garlic and the onions in a pan or preferably in a medium sized wok until they are fragrant but not browned.
2. Add the chicken breast.
3. Add 1 pack of Ginisa flavor mix, a pinch of pepper and Ajinomoto. Mix until the chicken turns white
4. Add the "gata" (mixed with 1 and a half cup of water). Simmer for 2 minutes or until almost all the milk evaporates.

5. Remove the Chicken and then grind using an Osterizer blender
6. Put back the "grinded" chicken into the pan.
7. Add the Baguio beans. Cook until it becomes tender but not overcooked
8. Serve with a smile.

I'm lucky to be married to a guy who knows that the best way to a woman's heart is through her stomach and not the other way around. Hahaha

That's not your daddy

2012-02-22T14:37:00.000+08:00

I was browsing through Yes! magazine the other day while Akira was using the Ipad and the hubby was sleeping. But even before I could flip the next page, she stopped my hand, pointed out the current page and asked, "Was that Daddy? Was that Daddy?"

I was speechless for a few seconds. Hindi ko alam kung magagalit or matatawa ako (although my reaction was more of the latter). "Noo! Anak, that's not your daddy", I said. I turned my back and ~~smiled~~ laughed. Funny because, at a young age, she was able to associate Boy Abunda from her Daddy because 1.) They are both bald, and 2.) And they both wear eyeglasses. Period.

Which made me think: If only I bought Ok! instead, baka ma-associate niya pa si hubby with either Vin Diesel, Bruce Willis or Jason Statham, dba? Or malayo. Kasi malayo nmn talga! But Boy Abunda? No Way!!!

Akira says what? part 2

2012-02-20T08:00:00.008+08:00

Her giddy picture above never fails to put a smile on my face.Every.Single.Time. But wait! Wait, till you hear her talk. Not only will you smile, you might even laugh & fart --- oops.

Akira's tummy was aching last week. "Mommy, it really really hoirts", she said. (Slang kung slang)

I was reprimanding her for not putting back her toys on the basket and before I could even finish, she blurted out "na se-stress ako, mommy". Talk about added stress for mommy.

Since she was exposed to some candies and chocolates (thanks to Tita\Ninangs and some relatives - Akira's teeth is about to get cavities). Akira knows "MnM's, Skittles and.. Neps"! Patay. When I corrected her and asked her a few times to repeat the word, "nips", she said "Whatevs." (Whatevs is a short for Whatever. Ok, she got it from me. Will try to edit the words I use next time, promise!)

While brushing her teeth, I told her, "Dapat magbrush ng teeth para hindi magkaron ng?" "Catibies!" loud and proud, she answered.

After taking Zoiron, I tried Tiki-tiki as recommended by other mommy friends. I told Akira that she will be taking a new vitamin from then on and told her what the name was. So, when I asked her, "Akira, what's the name of your new vitamin?. "Teki teki!", she said.

Since Akira has memorized some of the nursery rhymes, I decided to introduce her to new ones. Here's how our Fill in the blanks went:
Mommy: A your
Akira: dow-able
Mommy: B you're so
Akira: Bweetiful
Mommy: C you're so
Akira: Cute
Mommy: and full of
Akira: Fwends!

"The Gift of an Ordinary Day" by Katrina Kenison

2012-02-18T00:16:00.009+08:00

Make sure to grab a box of Kleenex before watching the video. For sure, it will make you cry till the very end.

..."Because any moment now, you're gonna be hugging a daughter who's turned into a woman" is one of the lines that struck me most. Like Daphne said, it was a SPOT on. And I couldn't agree more with every word that Katrina Kenison said because 'twas straight from a Mother's heart.

Post-Valentines

2012-02-16T12:19:00.001+08:00

Hubby's shift was 4pm - 1am yesterday. But because he had meetings and call conferences to attend to, he came home around 7:30am today. When I opened the door after a few knocks, (yes, he lost his duplicate keys), he handed me these:

mini cuppy cakes

and choco flavored roses at the backgroud

But it wasn't for me. Supplies! Supplies! It's for Akira.

Hokey!

What's with Men and Valentines?

2012-02-15T00:03:00.003+08:00

I can't help but laugh out loud right now. The scenario which happened a few hours ago just kept on repeating at the back of my head. But because sharing is caring, I'll tell you why.

Akira and I went to my parent's house because the Inlaws of my brother and my dad's sister arrived. But before I make kwento about SIL's chikka, commercial muna.

Binati ko si SIL.

Me: Uy.. May cake daw kayo ni Ivy (my brother's girlfriend), buti pa kyo (insert: bitterness much)

SIL: Narinig ko kasi si CJ na bibilhan niya daw si Ivy ng Strawberry cake from Red Ribbon kaya I asked JR for a cake na lng kasi wla daw cyang money to buy me flowers.

Me: Aaaah

Shempre, the most anticipated question was asked (pwede ba nmng hindi?).

SIL: Si Khan, anu bigay sayo?

Me: This Valentines day mismo? Wala. Pero binili niya ako ng shoes last Sunday, diba? Kaya ayun, sapatos nlng daw muna kainin ko

She smiled. Parang cya pa ang nahiya saken sa sagot ko.

Moving on, she asked..

SIL: Nakwento na ba sayo ni mama?

Me: Ang alin?

SIL: Tinanong niya kasi si Dad this morning ng..

Mom: Anu sa Tagalog ang I love you?

Dad: Walang Tagalog yun, I love you lng. (Gorsh, I can imagine Dad answered that with a straight face and a monotonous tone)

Mom: Meron.. Napanood ko kasi sa TV kanina, kay Mareng Winnie ( o diba, close?). Tanungin mo daw ang taong mahal mo kung anu ang Tagalog ng "I Love you". Shempre ang isasagot nila "Mahal kita", tpos sagutin mo sila ng "mahal din kita".

And then there was silence. May dumaang anghel or was it?

Me: Ah.. Anung sagot ni Dad?

SIL: Walang sagot si Dad, reaction lng.

Me: Anu? (knowing Dad, I already have an idea but still asked what his reaction was)

SIL: Edi, ayun, mukhang na badtrip. Nainis lng kay Mama.

Both: hahahaha. Kawawa nmn si Mama (sabay pa kmi).

We're mean, I know. But that's how we show love for our parents.

PS.

I take back when I said that hubby is the most unromatic person I know. Because before him, there is Dad.

My Valentine's Grinch tale

2012-02-14T16:11:00.005+08:00

For the past 5 years, we haven't been celebrating Valentine's day. And that is why for the past years, I have never received flowers nor a bouquet of roses except for that one flower my husband (then boyfriend) ~~stole~~ picked from the Neighbors' garden. He gives me gifts though without any occasion except for Valentines day alone. And no matter how many times I tell him to buy me chocolates instead of flowers (but I was secretly wanting to have flowers, too), I never, EVER, get one.

Although he promised to take me to lunch at the Eiffel Tower one day, someday (there's no harm in dreaming. If you want to dream, dream BIG), my husband is the most unromantic person I know. If there's a Grinch who stole Christmas, you may call me a Scrooge before, after or during Valentines day. I have to give credit to the husband because I became one because of him.

Read on and you be the judge.

Feb 13: Husband is on a night shift. Before going to work..

Me: Wag kang uuwi ng wlang flowers or wlang chocolates tomorrow ha?

Hubby: Wala nmn kasi akong madadaanan kasi 6 ng umaga uwi ko. Hindi nlng ako uuwi?

Me: Fine. Wag kang umuwi.

Feb 14: While having hotdogs and eggs for Lunch..

Me: Nakakainis magFB ngyon.

Hubby: Bkit?

Me: Puro kasi flowers ang nkikita ko.

Silence..

Me: Wala ka ba talagang balak akong bigyan ng flowers?

Hubby: Wala.

Me: Bakit?

Hubby: Kasi Valentines!

Me: Bwisit!

While husband is ironing his office clothes..

Hubby: Gusto mo ng chocolates?

Me: Yes, super want. And I want it now and not tomorrow

Hubby: Bkit ngyon?

Me: Kasi hindi na Valentines bukas?!

Hubby: O sige, ganito. Kunin mo yung ATM, pumunta ka ng SM, bili kang maraming chocolates na gusto mo.

Me: Ewan ko sayo! Maghanap ka ng maglalaba ng damit mo. Ikaw ndin maglinis ng buong bahay dahil kayo ni Akira ang nagkakalat.

Hubby: Sure ka, kami lng ang nagkakalat?

Me: Oo, at since ikaw lng din naman ang nagluluto at nagpplantsa, might as well ikaw ndin maglaba at maglinis.

After he took a bath while getting ready for work:

Hubby: Hindi ka kasi marunong maghintay, bibili naman kita. Anu gusto mong chocolates?

Me: Patchi!

Hubby: San ako bibili nyan?

Me: Problema mo na yun.

Hubby: Sa dinadami ng trabaho ko pati ba yun pproblemahin ko pa?

Me: Edi sana hindi kna nagtanong.

So there, Scrooge or Grinch I am. But don't worry, I'll be back to regular programming after Valentine's day.

For documentation sake, today, February 14, I dressed up my little one and took a picture of her. Please don't mind the clock because I always manually set it up to skip this day of the year.

I took this photo to remind myself that it doesn't matter whether it's Valentines day or not. This little girl alone is enough proof of the love my husband and I share for each other.

Happy Valentine's day to all Scrooges like me.

To my blogger friends, Jo and Michi, Happy Anniversary.

The Sending off Lunch

2012-02-13T22:40:00.001+08:00

The whole Family (minus my other brother) had a sending off lunch last Sunday since my youngest brother, JR, will be leaving the country and work as a Seaman. He finally got his visa last week and was assigned to leave for Tokyo this coming February 18. How fast time flies! It was just like yesterday when he got married before I did, had a daughter and then 2 years later, had a son. From the four of us, he was quite the spoiled brat. He always get what he wants (until now, sometimes). But soon after he had kids, I saw him changed from the little brat boy I once knew to a responsible father. Finally, after spending 6 years in College and a few months of being a bum, he got his first job. It's payback time, brother! :)

Suddenly, sadness strikes. Surely, we will miss him because we wouldn't have anyone else to tease as "our idiot brother" who laughs last every time a joke is said. LOL.

Your kids,

your family,

and your niece who giggles every time she sees you,

will miss you!

And even though we weren't as close as hands and feet, given a chance to choose a brother in my next life, I will always pick you, Nuthead! :) Always take care of yourself. We're just a Skype away.

Children of the same family, the same blood, with the same first associations and habits, have some means of enjoyment in their power, which no subsequent connections can supply...
-Jane Austen

Sweet wishes

2012-02-08T16:51:00.001+08:00

If this doesn't make you drool, I guess this two would.

TimTam in Honeycomb & Double Choc Caramel

Shoes, you say?

2012-02-07T22:54:00.000+08:00

One is enough.
Two is too much.
Three? No! Having 3 or more shoes can't kill a person. Because if it does, then Mrs. M should be dead by now.

These are some of Akira's shoes. Those that no longer fit her not-so-little-toes anymore are either kept or given away.

PS.

I still have high hopes that I could find a matching pair like hers.

Sunday at MOA

2012-02-07T02:03:00.000+08:00

Unlike other families who are adventurous enough to brave the traffic during weekends, ours isn't. The farthest mall that we've gone to on a weekend is Market! Market!, the mid is MOA or ATC while the nearest is SM Bacoor (which is a 5min drive from the house or a 10minute walk). We'd rather go to malls on a weekday where there is much less traffic and much less people.

I would love to go to Makati or maybe at the QC area but by just thinking of the traffic makes me get tired even if we are still at home. So, it's a big no no for me.

Last weekend, we went to MOA.

We were able to catch a glimpse of the lovely sunset, thus; the golden effect.

It's been a while since we last ate at Shabu Shabu.

For Parents with impatient toddlers who keeps on banging bowls using Chopsticks while waiting for your order, Shabu-Shabu might not be the best option when dining out.

Akira & I left the resto leaving the hubby alone just so she could get a sight of this. MOA's eye.

After settling the bill, Hubby followed us. He took a shot using the miniature effect of the cam.

At Pink box, the curious little one checking out small ribbons.

But realized later on that it's more fun to play hide and seek

We dropped by Hobbes and Landes but couldn't leave the store right away since Akira was glued to a wooden toy with Strawberry ice creams. To convince her to get out of the store, I told her we will just buy the real thing.

Minus the strawberries but plus crepes and Hazelnuts.

After having dessert, we dropped by Muji. For me, almost everything there is overpriced. Like this bike which costs P6,999.75. Or maybe I was just used at how products are fairly priced at SM Department store. They got it all for you :)

Even though Akira had some more energy left, I didn't. We left MOA past 9pm.

And decided to call it a night.

A joy to shoot with

2012-02-06T23:58:00.000+08:00

Hubby's new toy, that is.

Hubby wanted a new camera as his post-birthday gift. February 2, eleven days after his birthday, he got what he wanted.

Can you guess which one he got?

Clue: Read the review below and guess what? We saved a whopping $300!
I am no camera expert nor a photographer to write a review so i'll leave everything to them. We bought ours at Kimstore, the trusted online store where we also bought our first Bridge camera.

We are still in the process of learning and I guess everyone starts from there. So, without further adieu, I'll let you take a peek of the shots we took the first 4 days of the cam.

Feb 2, 2012:

Attempt to Shallow dept of field

Feb 3, 2012:

Grainy B&W

Feb 4, 2012

Soft B&W

Feb 5, 2012

Macro

After looking at the shots above, it makes me want to ask hubby to have a camera like his. Hahaha!

Some rules kids won't learn in school

2012-02-03T00:06:00.000+08:00

Thought of sharing this to moms and dads out there.

Some rules kids won't learn in school

By Charles J. Sykes

Printed in San Diego Union Tribune

September 19, 1996

Unfortunately, there are some things that children should be learning in school, but don't. Not all of them have to do with academics. As a modest back-to-school offering, here are some basic rules that may not have found their way into the standard curriculum.

Rule No. 1: Life is not fair. Get used to it. The average teen-ager uses the phrase, "It's not fair" 8.6 times a day. You got it from your parents, who said it so often you decided they must be the most idealistic generation ever. When they started hearing it from their own kids, they realized Rule No. 1.

Rule No. 2: The real world won't care as much about your self-esteem as much as your school does. It'll expect you to accomplish something before you feel good about yourself. This may come as a shock. Usually, when inflated self-esteem meets reality, kids complain it's not fair. (See Rule No. 1)

Rule No. 3: Sorry, you won't make $40,000 a year right out of high school. And you won't be a vice president or have a car phone either. You may even have to wear a uniform that doesn't have a Gap label.

Rule No. 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait 'til you get a boss. He doesn't have tenure, so he tends to be a bit edgier. When you screw up, he's not going to ask you how you feel about it.

Rule No. 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grand-parents had a different word of burger flipping. They called it opportunity. They weren't embarrassed making minimum wage either. They would have been embarrassed to sit around talking about Kurt Cobain all weekend.

Rule No. 6: It's not your parents' fault. If you screw up, you are responsible. This is the flip side of "It's my life," and "You're not the boss of me," and other eloquent proclamations of your generation. When you

turn 18, it's on your dime. Don't whine about it, or you'll sound like a baby boomer.

Rule No. 7: Before you were born your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way paying your bills, cleaning up your room and listening to you tell them how idealistic you are. And by the way, before

you save the rain forest from the blood-sucking parasites of your parents' generation, try delousing the closet in your bedroom.

Rule No. 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers. Life hasn't. In some schools, they'll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. Failing grades have been abolished and class

valedictorians scrapped, lest anyone's feelings be hurt. Effort is as important as results. This, of course, bears not the slightest resemblance to anything in real life. (See Rule No. 1, Rule No. 2 and Rule No. 4)

Rule No. 9: Life is not divided into semesters, and you don't get summers off. Not even Easter break. They expect you to show up every day. For eight hours. And you don't get a new life every 10 weeks. It just goes on and on. While we're at it, very few jobs are interesting in fostering your self-expression or helping you find yourself. Fewer still lead to self-realization. (See Rule No. 1 and Rule No. 2.)

Rule No. 10: Television is not real life. Your life is not a sitcom. Yourproblems will not all be solved in 30 minutes, minus time for commercials. In real life, people actually have to leave the coffee shop to go to jobs.

Your friends will not be as perky or pliable as Jennifer Aniston.

Rule No. 11: Be nice to nerds. You may end up working for them. We all could.

Rule No. 12: Smoking does not make you look cool. It makes you look moronic. Next time you're out cruising, watch an 11-year-old with a butt in his mouth. That's what you look like to anyone over 20. Ditto for "expressing yourself" with purple hair and/or pierced body parts.

Rule No. 13: You are not immortal. (See Rule No. 12.) If you are under the impression that living fast, dying young and leaving a beautiful corpse is romantic, you obviously haven't seen one of your peers at room temperature lately.

Rule No. 14: Enjoy this while you can. Sure parents are a pain, school's a bother, and life is depressing. But someday you'll realize how wonderful it was to be a kid. Maybe you should start now.

You're welcome.

Why is she crying?

2012-02-01T18:11:00.001+08:00

Cliche as it may sound, time flies so fast. Look at my not so little girl in her pajamas. Either it shrunk or she just grew a few inches taller. Makes me not want to blink.

It was just like yesterday when all she wanted was my milk. Now her food choices varies. And that goes even with cheese.

From the three cheese above, her top choice is Milkana. Papak kung papak. We use Eden as "palaman sa tinapay" while Cheezee is better when mixed with either Khan's spaghetti, Kaldereta or Tortang talong. It adds a twist of flavour and texture to his dishes. Nevertheless, my little mouse munches them all once she sees them in the fridge. And we allow her to do so because Cheese is one of the most nutritionally complete food.

Now, back to the question. Why is she crying? It's because there's no more cheese in the fridge. Time for a little trip to the Grocery. See yah all in a while!

New Walkers

2012-02-01T00:24:00.000+08:00

I've got not just one, nor 2, but 3 new shoes.
Thank you, Tita-Ninang Ysa.

Mommy's up to the challenge to find a matching shoes like mine.

Your favorite inaanak,
-Akira

Ysa's last dinner in Pinas

2012-01-30T16:02:00.001+08:00

For Ysa's last day, we went to Greenhills to shop. We were supposed to eat at Dampa but mom suggested that we drop by Macapagal na lang to buy some seafoods so she can cook it for dinner.

Warning: Not appropriate for viewing especially if you have an empty stomach.

Baked Tahong

Crabs

Buttered Shrimps

Baked Mac oozing with cheese

All accompanied with Coke. Rapsa!

Swimming the Old Skul way

2012-01-28T17:51:00.000+08:00

I remember when we were still small, my grandparents, Nanay and Tatay, used to bring us to Cuyab during vacation. That is why I was surprised when my Dad asked if we wanted to go and bring Ysa to Cuyab. Harharhar! Instead of going to other private pools, Cuyab ang trip ni dad. Actually, Mom, Dad and Nanay goes to Cuyab almost twice a month for their monthly massage. And until now, I still don't find the logic of going all the way there to have a massage and then going back home. Read: Travel time + gas + toll = Masakit sa bulsa + Masakit sa katawan. I have suggested a few times that there is a home service spa that we know that they could call para less hassle. But.they.never.listened.

So, the troop went. We didn't have a choice.

L-R: Ysa, Moi, Akira, Danish, JR, Daijan

Nanay (with Ate Rachel) having a massage

Akira & Daniesha

SIL & Daijan

Akira & I

As expected, we were all dead tired the time we got home.

Hangin' @ The Cliff

2012-01-27T18:05:00.000+08:00

About two weeks ago, Ysa, my cousin who now resides from the Land down under, took a short vacation here. And just like any other family in the Philippines with balikbayan relatives, we took her to Tagaytay. At The Cliff to be exact. Here are a few pictures we took from my mobile.

Caption says: Minors should be supervised by responsible adults at all times.

There was a small pond with about four fishes (and one dying) in the area. Here's the little girl who gave her last piece of fries to the dying fish.

And the one who cried because she wants to swim with them.

Glad that her Tita/Ninangs were there to cheer her up

While we were trying to pacify her, hubby took a few photos of Akira's cousins:

Daijan

Daniesha

We went back to the resto as soon as we confirmed that there were seats already available.

We ordered Mare Pesto, New York Pizza, Fettuccine alla Carbonarra, Spaghetti Vongole e Gamberetti, Eggplant Parmigiana, Spaghetti Bolognese, Spaghetti and Chicken Combo, and some Curly Fries. For the drinks, the oldies tried the Taragon tea while the younger ones settled for their tall Iced Tea. Sorry, but we were not able to take pictures of the food. The only pictures we were able to take were these:

Condiment: Olive oil + Soy sauce

The placemat

As soon as the food arrived, everyone stopped talking and savored every bite as if it were our last meal for the day. Haha. The food was fantastic! Although I think that the serving was quite small.

After eating, we took a stroll around the area and took some more photos.

The Majestic Taal as per SIL

The kids and kid at heart

Akira & Daniesha pretending to buy something

Akira and the groovy Lolo

The mommy and the baby

My brother taking care of the baby while my SIL was texting. LOL

Sana hindi putol ang paa nmin :)

Ysa & I

Mi Familia

There ya go. Some pictures are still with Ysa.. waiting to be uploaded. We miss you, ys!

The looooong weekend!

2012-01-26T00:24:00.000+08:00

Hello Everyone!

How was your long weekend? We spent ours at our second home, Lipa, Batangas. Unfortunately, I only have 1 picture to show. We spent our time mostly eating and sleeping. Hahaha. Here's a rundown of how we spent the weekend:

Saturday

We left the house at around 12:30pm and arrived at Lipa 3:30pm. There was no traffic but since I was craving for Lechon for the longest time (no, I'm not pregnant), we dropped by Hecky's Lechon and ate inside the car. When we arrived at Lipa, we ate again while Akira took an afternoon nap. Mame cooked Sinigang na Isda for dinner. Yum!

Sunday

It was a spur of the moment idea to go to Nuvali. After having brunch, Akira and I took a bath and then everyone followed. We left the house almost 1:30 and arrived at Sta. Rosa around 2pm. Hello Cancer from the sun! So, we decided to go to Paseo de Roxas for some shopping before heading to Nuvali. We bought Akira an Adidas beanie with an ear flap on the side and a scarf on the other.

Bili na kayo ng DBD DBD

We left Paseo de Roxas around 5pm and arrived at Nuvali in 5minutes. It could have been less than 3 minutes if not for the parking. Everyone was hungry so we ate at Seafood Island and ordered for their sumptuous "Grand Binalot". It is located at Solenad 2 where there are outlet stores like those in Paseo de Roxas. Had we known this earlier, we would have not dropped by Paseo de Roxas instead.

It was nearly sunset when we finished our super late lunch so we opted not to drop by the fishes. Besides that the area is a bit crowded, I bet that a lot of people will witness a meltdown once we tell Akira that it's time to go home. So, as planned, we headed straight to the Tiangges. Sadly, there are only a few good finds available. Or it could be because the cheapskate in me has won again. Seriously, I wouldn't buy a cute pair of leggings for the little one for 150 if I can buy it for Php 50.00 at Market2!

And the highlight of the day is: (drum rolls please!)

From SLEX (Sta. Rosa exit) to ACtex to STAR Tollway, Akira, who was sleepy already, cried her lungs out. It's not exxag but she had 10-12 second pauses naman every after 5 mins. She kept on saying "Mommy, let's go home na!". My goodness, anak! What do you want us to do? Fly? At that very moment, I wished Fay of Okay ka Fairy ko was there so that we could be home with a snap of a finger. Good thing there was no traffic or else we are all deaf by this time.

Monday

We woke up a little later than usual and slept again after we had lunch. Pig ang peg nating family. Tita Rhiza did some groceries by herself while we were all sleeping. When afternoon came, we took a walk inside the Airbase pero hindi pa nakakalayo, the little girl blurted "Mommy let's go home na". She had rashes because of the weather so we had no choice :(. Sarap pa nmn magstroll dun. The hubby cooked fish fillet and Kani fry with gata on top for dinner. And of course, pwede ba nmn mawala ang coke? :)

Tuesday

The part everyone hates most --- going home and going back to reality. It's hot and mainit sa balat, and no more free aircon everywhere we go,, errr cold air, I mean.
And what's a trip to Batangas without dropping by Palengke? Hehehe. Before heading home, we dropped by the palengke and Mame bought heaps of suman while we waited in the car :(. And to end our supppper looong and carbo & fat loading weekend, we had Crispy Pata for lunch! yaikes!

How about you, how did you spend your long weekend?

Sit, stay & lie down

2012-01-20T01:33:00.000+08:00

is what Akira did while patiently waiting for her turn to be checked by her Pedia.

I hope you can include her in your prayers so she could recover faster. She had a few episodes of LBM since Monday :(

How many Baby Grasshoppers can you find?

2012-01-13T17:09:00.000+08:00

Game starts now!

Baby grasshoppers taken 1.12.12

Of all the things to forget, why did I not remember to buy an insect spray the other day? (will buy one tomorrow, promise!). So, for 2 nights, we've been sleeping without lights on. And the only light opened in the apartment was the one outside. I'm lucky to have guard, a safe yet effective insects repellent that takes care of us through the night. No insect bites in the morning for me and the little one.

Anywoot, do you have any idea why it's like raining grasshoppers in our place? Could it be because of the weather?

Positive Vibes

2012-01-11T23:38:00.000+08:00

Today, January 11, 2012, I finally get to breathe again. I know this shouldn't be in this blog since this isn't anything about Akira nor something nice but I guess this is worth sharing in case something like this happens to you.

Imagine my horror of after having no work (read: ~~BUM~~ fulltime housewife) for almost 2 years and 4months, I received an email from my previous company. According to them, based on the findings of their Internal Quality Assurance Audit, it was found out that the SSS benefit afforded to me during my employment with them has not been cleared by the Social Security System (SSS) due to the non-submission of the following documents:

1. Certified True Copy of Operating Room Records (including Histopath, Discharge Summary)

2. Certified True Copy of Child's Birth Certificate

3. Photocopy of SSS ID or any 2 valid ID's

4. Signed SSS Maternity Reimbursement Form 2

Non-submission of the above document/s and consequently the non-clearance by SSS of such benefit will result in Ex-Company demanding the recovery of such SSS benefit/s from me for the amount of Php 30,000.00 considering that Ex-Company advanced this benefit in my favor.

My God! How in the world did that happen? I almost fell from the computer chair after reading it. My knees are even shaking right now while trying to recall the turnaround of events. I knew I had submitted those requirements.

After reading the letter several times, I tried to forward it to hubby's office email address but it kept bouncing back. So, I told him the news thru chat. He was devastated, as expected. "We just paid them a freakin' thirty-two thousand last year for some overdrawn on your payroll (which by the way, was also their fault) and now they wanted us to pay P30,000.00 again? What the f*** is that?", he said. He blamed me for being forgetful and thought that it was a neglect on my part. He forgot that I asked him to send those documents since I cannot leave Akira at that time until he recalled that he had a hard time looking for the station of my colleague who helped me forward those requirements to HR.

25days after Akira was born, I remember having a hunch to have 2 photocopies of each page of the Hospital bill and having all copies certified by the Hospital. Although the hubby was quite hesitant about my idea at that time, I'm glad I followed my intuition. Unlike others, I am quite OC when it comes to filling documents. I want to have another copy just in case.

Fast forward to December 29, I searched my Documents folder. Low and behold, I only have one Certified true copy of the Hospital records and even the SSS MAT Form 2. I replied to the email they sent and told them that all documents were indeed forwarded to she who must not be named 4 weeks after I gave birth. They asked who she was and even asked me for a confirmation email, which was another what the f*** moment. Yes, I did receive a confirmation email but it was stored in my office laptop to which I surrendered when I resigned. I searched and searched. I found a hard copy of an email I sent to our HR Rep inquiring about the forms I needed to accomplish prior to and after giving birth. Our then HR Rep answered me with a forwarded email from she who must not be named regarding those forms. So, why in the hell do they not know her? Is she from another planet?

To make the long story short, I forwarded again the documents to them and crossed my fingers and legs, too, and hoped that they would take care of it this time. This incident alone produced a few wrinkles on my face, some white hairs and even sleepless nights. Thank God it's over.

For expecting mommies out there, here are the forms that you need to accomplish:
Prior to giving birth:

Phil Health Claim Form 1 (To be submitted at the Hospital upon confinement)

Request for Philhealth Certificate of Contribution from your Company 2 weeks prior to date of delivery (To be submitted at the Hospital upon confinement)

Request for Philhealth Member Data record from your Company (To be submitted at the Hospital upon confinement)

SSS Maternity Reimbursement Form 1

After giving birth:
SSS Maternity Reimbursement Form 2
Certified True Copy of Baby's Birth Certificate
if CS: Certified True Copy of Record of Operation ( if CS)
if Miscarriage: Certified True Copy of the following:
-D&C Report and Surgical Memorandum
-Histopath report
-Obstetric history

Presents

2012-01-11T01:42:00.000+08:00

There were many gifts that Akira received last Christmas from family and friends. Thanks ya'll. To her Ninangs, thank you for remembering. And to her Ninongs, it is never too late to give your gifts to the little one. Haha!

Here are some of my favorites:

Kimono's for Akira - What the mom wants

My sister-in-law sent a package from Japan last November and we received it just in time for Christmas. Funny because most of the items were for me and Akira. Khan even joked, "Are you the sister?", because he only received one thing - a belt. LOL!

Scooter - What the Daddy wants

A few days before Christmas, we checked out some bikes at Toy Kingdom that the little one was interested in. But we went home with a Scooter instead. "Bakit mo binili niyan si Akira? ang mahal mahal! Bike nlng dapat binili mo, that was what she wanted", I told the hubby. "Bakit ba it's for Akira naman. Wala kasi ako niyan nung bata ako", he answered. Ayun nmn pala, siya nmn pla tlaga ang may gusto. If I only knew, ATV would have been a better choice. Para pwede kaming tatlo. *wink*

Piano - What Akira wants

Aside from cash and a few more gifts from the Grandparents, Akira also got her wish. I guess it's obvious from her smile what she liked best.

No bake Butterscotch cake

2012-01-10T01:47:00.000+08:00

de-Microwave lng.
FYI: Butterscotch was baked.. err.. Microwaved at night; hence, the blurry pics.

Ingredients used:

Step 1: Melt the butter

Step 2: Beat 2 eggs with the butter

Step 3: Grate 1/3 of the cheese

Step 4: Mix ingredients all together (Butter, Eggs, Cheese, Butterscotch powder & Cashew nuts)

Step 5: Pour the batter evenly to the greased pan.

Step 6: Set the Microwave to Mid-high for a good 6mins

Step 7: Let it cool. Sprinkle some Cashew nuts on top.

Freshly baked Butterscotch consumed within 5mins

It doesn't only taste yummy, it smells yummy too!