I Am Tiramisu

2013-05-07T02:32:00.000-07:00

This year, we purposely went to Bacolod one day earlier than everyone else. We wanted to explore the city. Six years of going to the city and we knew there were treasures we have yet to discover. Here's one of them:

The Ruins, Talisay

Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson, a sugar baron, had this mansion built after his wife Maria Braga died while pregnant with their 11th child.

The mansion was deliberately burned down by the Filipino guerrillas to prevent the Japanese army from making it into a fortress.

The best time for a visit should be towards late afternoon. Dusk paints an even more dramatic picture of the ruins...

2013-05-07T02:16:00.000-07:00

Summer began as soon as the kids got off from school. It's that year once again, when we take a road trip to Bacolod. My has 2 years made a great difference! The trip actually became shorter as the roads had been fixed. Now 4 lanes instead of the old 2. The trees are in bloom too!!! Glorious glorious trees!!!

So what's the first stop when in Bacolod?

Calea, of course!!!

Next stop, The Negros Showroom. We get all our pasalubongs here. And some for our own household.

The visit wouldn't be complete if we don't get to eat at Bob's. Our all-time fave in the city...

At Virgie's...

See how majestic the trees are! No filter used!

2013-04-09T23:52:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed on the previous entry my husband was not at our kid's graduation. Here's why. He was on a very important business trip. Business took 3 weeks in Europe. Let me share with you his photos...

In the south of Rome...

Amalfi Coast

Owners of the luxury restaurant Il Principe

Three weeks and he started to look Italian... hehehe

Venice

Water at 6 euro, wine 4 euro. So water takes center stage

Yes last leg of the trip was Rome. Another entry...

2013-04-09T23:35:00.003-07:00

Finally Im back in front of my computer, not working. It had been quite a frenzy, a happy frenzy the past few months. You have to forgive me for having neglected my blog.

First off, when March comes in this country, it is graduation month. My little girl graduated from Kindergarten!!!

Congratulations my love...

2013-01-09T14:50:00.000-08:00

Got this?

Come January 18 Cebu, wave that Swedish House Mafia at the gates and you get 50% discount off Lifedance Cebu tickets!!!

It just gets more amazing...

See you all in Cebu!!!

2013-01-09T14:46:00.000-08:00

7 days everyone!!! How do we even sleep?!!

Check out the website here.. http://lifedancecebu.com/

2013-01-03T20:57:00.000-08:00

See you January 18, 2013 at the Boardwalk...

Lifedance Sinulog 2013 Cebu!!!

2013-01-03T20:47:00.000-08:00

Are you ready Philippines?

All roads lead to Cebu City for Lifedance Cebu Sinulog 2013 !!!

Price off party was held at the I.T. Park and as expected it was a blast of a party!!!

Have you got your tickets already?

Save the date ladies and gentlemen... it's happening,

January 18, 2013 at the Boardwalk!!!

Check out the official Facebook page here.

2012-11-18T17:36:00.002-08:00

Then there's the lightweight beanie of earthy tones for little girl. We love it's simplicity. It was faster to make too.

2012-11-18T17:33:00.002-08:00

The kids' beret. Took them a very long time to decide what beanie/beret/hat they wanted me to make. Finally they chose the classic French beret. We opted for black. It is cozy inside. Made with Red Heart yarn.

It looked too blank, being black. With my kids' personalities, the beret's seemed to disappear so we took my mother's vintage pearl/crystal brooches to accessorize...

Very lovely indeed. You can make your own beret with this free pattern from Crochet Geek. You can also find written instructions on her youtube page. Thank you Teresa!

2012-10-31T19:51:00.003-07:00

So here's what happened. About 2 weeks ago, some crazy cousins flew in from the US. This was lunch planned for the longest time. And dimsum was non-negotiable. They always... always have to have dimsum everytime they come home. Before they came, I was exchanging messages with one of them from Florida. He asked if I wanted his extra iPad case. I said, sure, why not. Only problem is, I DON'T have an iPad. Ahihihi. Remember my wish list? ahihihi. He didn't reply after that message. They came. We had lunch. Towards the end he pulls out a brand new iPad CASE and said, "oh, here's the case I promised." I went like, "huh? Ohhh, you didn't get my last message... (frowny face at the same time angry bird face, hahaha). "I don't have an iPad..." I didn't even notice him get something from his backpack, he said, "Oh, you DON'T HAVE THIS???" ---holding up a box, iPad 3, WHITE! In a box. It was blurry. All I remembered is that I shouted, screamed and cried. HAHAHAHAHA! Then I took the box, shook it and checked the yellow post-it crazy cousin put on top. Yep, it's got MY NAME on it! HAHAHAHAHA it was crazy. Crazy cousins! But I love them. We always had been close. This was totally unexpected. AND I LOVE IT! HAHAHAHAHAH. So there. I went to lunch one morning and got an iPad 3. Of course, they didn't take it easy on the teasings, but oh, you guys can tease me all you want!!! See my little girl's smile? She knew how completely bowled over I was...

And oh, I cut my hair. Again.

It was easy to show the hairdresser the photo I had of Halle Berry on the ipad. ahihhihi

Thank You Boss.

2012-10-31T19:37:00.001-07:00

I simply could not NOT make the mug jackets... I just crocheted away!!!

Used different stitches I learned for each jacket...

And for my man...

2012-10-31T19:31:00.000-07:00

Some more of my projects...

Floral motif coasters in pastel...

A bikini top for a friend

More coasters I made from scrap yarns

More practice motifs

My kids' wallet

Kids' fingerless gloves

A market bag for a friend, this time with crystals

2012-10-31T19:14:00.001-07:00

I'm back. Much apologies for the month-long absence. I didnt know where to start so let me just share with you the photos of what I had been up to the past month.

Remember I took up a new hobby?

Crochet.

That's what's been happening in this household. Among other things.

As usual I captured the moments with the wall in our laundry area as the background. The light there is superb at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. And that's when the kids get home from school.

The headbands...

A very beautiful market bag, pattern courtesy of Lauren of Daisy Cottage Designs. Please check out her blog here. I even copied the exact colors. My girls love their bags! Thank you Lauren.

Big sis wanted the flower. Little sis opted for a multi colored ribbon.

And her headband. She wasn't going make it easy for me, she wanted hearts in pink. It was my first time to construct a headband from different pieces. Lovely isn't it?

Thank You Boss!

Thank You for guidance.

Thank You for beautiful creations.

Thank You for the courage and inspirations.

2012-09-25T18:42:00.000-07:00

HO! HO! HO!

It's definitely that time of the year once again.

All together now:

"W-I-S-H L-I-S-T!"

Let's start now shall we? Please note that this year I have clearly cut down the list to half. Ahihihi... sign of maturity? hahaha I would hope so. Santa? Please? Pretty please?

Wish list means, I wish. I can't buy due to non-existent budget, therefore feel free to give me any on the list. hahahahahar!!!

1. There's no going around about it, but I want this:

Nikkor 85mm 1.4 ! Enough said.

(Photo credits: Ken Rockwell)

2. If rumors are true... the iPad Mini.

Retails at $250-350 (the lowest-end model). I never wished for an iPad. Solely because of it's size. I got my trust ipod touch and it's size and function suits me fine. It's just like having an extra thick hanky in the bag. I wished on a tablet of another brand... coz of it's 7-inch size. But I really want an Apple. VIOLA!!! So an Apple I shall wish to have: (for size comparison, a regular iPad is on the left and the iPad mini on the right). Perfect for my small messenger bags).

These pictures appeared on a Chinese blog. Apparently it's a photo of how the iPad mini will look like although nothing is yet confirmed as of press time. Rumored release date is October 10. Hope it's true. Hope I'd get hit with an iPad mini on my head, I wouldn't mind the bruises. hahaha. Isn't it perfect?

(Photo credit from the chinese blog)

3. Macbook.

Enought said. (Oh, wait... I just need to say, this would be the perfect partner for my photography). Ahihihi

4. YARNS!!!

Lots and lots of yarns! Why is there shortage of good yarns in this city? And if you do find one, why is it expensive? P 475 a piece. For me, that's expensive. Oh well...

(My own photo of the yarns)

5. Crochet hooks.

Isn't this just too cool? I could yarn a day away! Ehem... while you're at it... you may include the clay I can put on the handle for comfort. hahahahaha! Shameless, ain't I?

6. And last but not the least:

I wish for world peace and good will to all men!

I, thank you.

Have you got your wish list done yet?

2012-09-22T04:51:00.001-07:00

All photos herein were taken by friend Anna, the doctor.

Mayon Volcano. A big part of this trip. Good thing we started out early. The majestic volcano was in its glorious self...

(Please excuse my flip flops. My cheap but nicer looking sandals broke on the 1st day remember?)

A bittersweet trip for me. Did I tell you this was our first time travelling together? When Peachy mentioned Mayon Volcano, I just couldn't and didn't want to say no. I had to go back. Older and more mature. I only wished my father was still alive to hear my story. God bless his soul.

Last time I was in Legaspi City was in the 1970's with my parents. Great timing as the volcano erupted that very week. Specifically 2 days before we were to fly out of the city. It frightened me out of my wits. But the adults were excited to see the red glowing lava roll that her majesty Mayon volcano. I just wanted to go home. To make things more scary? The airport faces the volcano!!! It would be a 10-hour drive to Manila, in case, disaster strikes and we'd be forced to take to the road and I knew those high flying lava rocks will reach us!!! Ahihihihi... a little girl's imagination gone wild. Too much tv even at an early age.

But now, I'm back. Happy to remember my trip with my parents. It brought tears to my eyes. That's why I insisted I had my photo taken like so. That's exactly how I posed for my father's camera many many years ago.

Anna

2012-09-07T23:23:00.001-07:00

The day we left Caramoan. Photo op with our trusty ate Gina. That space behind us is the dining area and the door is our bedroom.

At the Caramoan port we can see Mayon Volcano in Legazpi City, our next destination. It's spewing smoke. You can pretty much tell that by afternoon, it would be covered and not ideal for any more photo ops.

Best seat in the house, er, boat. No. 7, smack right in the middle. Pretty much covered us from the splashes from the sea during the 2-hour ride back to Sabang, Naga City. Yep, that's Peachy, checking the photos...

The day we got to Legazpi City (we headed straight from Sabang, Naga), it was cloudy. As predicted, the volcano was already covered. It was Ibalong Festival, we got stuck for more than hour in traffic. We weren't able to get thru to the center of the city we opted for an inn near the airport.

Yeah, those are our backpacks. Definitely not hitting the 7-kilo limit anymore we had to scramble to buy luggage allowances before our flight the next day.

We took the same taxi going to Legaspi City

A photo I got from Doc Anna's Instagram. Hehehe, with permission of course. We had dinner at a grill house next day, too bad we forgot to take photos of our delicious food. We had the famous Bicol Express. Afterall, we were in Bicol. This was tea/coffee time before we headed back to our hotel. It was 5 minutes away but it was a rainy night we had a little difficulty getting a ride.

So the next day we headed out early in the morning. Around 7a.m.

2012-09-06T20:48:00.000-07:00

Allow me to share to you the beauty of Caramoan Islands

Peachy did the steep rocky climb and was rewarded with a beautiful view of the lagoon. (But she wasn't allowed to swim there, it was muddy).

2012-09-03T20:17:00.000-07:00

First, I would like to heartfully thank my friends, Peachy and Anna for taking really really good photos. Some I'm using on my blog (credited accordingly under each photo).

It really didn't take long for us to plan the trip. There wasn't even the moments of whether to go or not. It was just a matter of how to get those low airfares. And yes we did!!! And so it was off to Naga City, Caramoan and Legazpi City for us!!!

One message on the Facebook wall of a fellow photographer, Peachy, based in Great Britain was all it took. Together with doctor/photographer friend, Anna (yep our pediatrician) and I, the three of us were set to go (booked our tickets few months earlier).

I was pretty excited. Ok, that's the understatement of the year. My feeling went beyond excitement. This would be my first time to travel with girlfriends. And fellow photographers at that!

We pretty much had to hit the 7-kilo limit on our handcarried baggages as we got our tickets via seat sale. So we opted for backpacking. It should make us more mobile and fast. Doc Anna and I took the early flight from Mactan, Cebu. We were just gonna bum around Ninoy Aquino International Airport until our flight to Naga City at lunch time. But decided to bump ourselves on an earlier flight to make it to Caramoan Island the same day. Peachy, who flew in from GB, met us at the check-in counter. It was a pretty good 1-hour flight to Naga City. Luckily we found a driver cool enough to speed us to Sabang port where we'll be taking the boat to Caramoan. Kudos to Naga City, the road to the port was smooth, not a crack in sight. Lush and green everywhere. Love the sights!!!

There are several ways to reach Sabang port. We opted to get a taxi, it was faster for us. One can take a bus too. You will have to get to the bus station from the airport though which would mean going to the city proper.

We weren't so lucky though as the 12noon boat already left an hour early. We had to wait until 2pm for the last trip. Yep, that's my brand new slippers over there. Original Havanas mind you, ahehehe. My P120 rubber slippers broke. I had to make a bee line to the nearest store, which was a few steps away actually. Cost me P60, but the print is cool!!! I did tell you we were backpacking right? The story of the black tote will be a different entry.

Finally Caramoan!!! The weather was very very good despite of a very different forecast by the bureau.

Peachy booked us at Residencia de Salvacion. It is called as such because it is located at Barangay Salvacion. Approximately 5-minute ride from the port. Manong Carlo met us with a big tricycle. It was cool. And once again, all roads were concrete and smooth.

The place was such a pleasant welcome for us. Clean, quiet and very pleasing in general. They had several rooms for us to choose. We got the one with the big beds on the floor. Love it! Clean and flowing water from the shower. Well-kept bathroom. LCD tv in the room ladies and gentlemen! Ehem, with cable!!! Yey!

Every morning I'd wake up to this view outside my window. Clean fresh air. Breakfast would be waiting for us. We didn't have the time to take advantage of the living room with the karaoke though. But don't you just love the design?

Dinner was at Anacleto's. The best sisig we've ever tasted!!! Too bad we forgot to take a photo of it. Sisig is a popular dish in the Philippines made of parts of a pig's head. It is spicy and fatty. But then again a visit to Camarines Sur would not be complete without you eating sisig. Take our word for it. If you have other preference in your drinks aside from Coke, I suggest you bring it. Coke seems to dominate the place.

Us with our trusty Manong Carlo. I suggest to tell them your desired itinerary and schedules as soon as you land so they can arrange everything, including the food you need to take with you and the transportation. Ask them what time you need to be moving out. They will fix everything according to your wants and needs. And in our case, whims.

Our island hopping tour was scheduled the next day. Will have more on it on my next entry.

2012-09-01T21:17:00.000-07:00

Where I went.

Reason why I had been very quiet the past week. Went on a trip with a couple girlfriends, which meant endless pre-trip preparations for the household!

Putting my backpack together (the 3 of us backpacked) was a breeze. Putting together schedules for my household was more tricky. Thus the silence the week before I left, ahihihi.

Flew to Naga City, Camarines Sur, the final destination being the Caramoan Islands. It was spectacular!!!

These photos were taken by my friend, Peachy at Caramoan.

Will be sharing our itinerary soon. It was a wonderful trip, taxi, boat, plane rides and all. Four days of fun!

2012-08-22T03:07:00.000-07:00

High school was a billion years ago. That's how long I have not held a crochet hook. But finally I marched to the store to buy me some yarns and hooks! Thanks to my good photographer friend, Marmi, I have started to 'yarn over and pull thru...' again! Ahihihi...

I love it! Although I have to learn everything all over again, I believe I'm better with the tension now than I was a month ago. Took some patience. Learning every stitch. I'm loving my new hobby!

Believe me I zone out counting even at a coffee shop waiting for my kids from school. Lovely, really...

Well I finally got 'tired' of the squares and squares I was making for practice I decided to have my first project. A hat for Barbie! It bowled the kids over! They wanted more.

Here's my second project:

A simple throw blanket for the kids. They love the color. Yarns are very limited in this city. Now I wish I hoarded while in Manila. Well, one thing's for sure now, this is gonna take up much of my budget whenever I travel...

Here's for my third project: Pink wallets for the girls. It was more challenging for me coz of the smaller thread and all. But it was fun. Especially when the little kiddos screamed in excited as I gave them the finished product.

I'm not so sure if I should be doing this already but ambition is getting the better of me. Next project: a market bag.

Like the Barbie hat, I made a Barbie market bag with my white 'practice' thread. I just actually wanted to see how things would work out. I still get stumped from time to time but I'm just too excited.

Now if only I could find a good yarn in this city.

I got inspired by my friend Marmi's market bag. I stumbled up MendMyHeart in Instagram and drooled over her orangey market bag. Another search on Google and came upon this beautiful blog about crochet and crafts. It's just lovely!!!

If you're into crafts and crochet do check out this blog.

2012-08-11T19:11:00.003-07:00

Finally!!! I say, it's about time... 711 shops open in Cebu! It's all over town. In every major nook and corner and I love it! Cebuanos love it! So excuse the long lines but 711 is very very new here. What's more special about some branches is that they have dining areas. Yep, 711 has truly addressed this city's needs. They're there when you need to pull out a quick cup of coffee or deli sandwich. They're there too if you have the extra hour to spare before your next class or meeting. Friends can actually linger...

2012-08-10T22:14:00.000-07:00

After all the health issues in the family I made sure we make it to the strictly formal affair lined up that weekend. I figured it would energize me. Some "me" time with the husband. Would allow me to get out from the sweat pants and into that long dress (thanks to the big mall who had a big sale that week...).

But don't get me wrong, Im not one to be spending a whole hour or more in front of the mirror just to put on make up. For one thing it now only takes me 20 minutes to do my hair ( if I shampoo the night before and condition on the hour...).

I have always been proud of my 7.5-minute make up. Ahihi (so is my husband, seriously). Doesn't take much really. What I have in my arsenal is just as simple. Must of them gifts, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to afford them.

The 7.5-minute make up. For my formal affair.

Two days prior I have already cleaned my face. A simple DIY facial at home, nothing complicated really. This would give any redness the chance to disappear two days later. Dark circles under the eyes are my worst enemies. Took me years and a lot of searching on the net what other ladies are wearing. And what I could afford. Two years ago a friend of mine from New York got me All About Eyes by Clinique. Luckily it works good for me. Lessens the puffiness and moisturizes the eyebags. I didnt have to look far for the cover up as I got the more affordable BB cream specifically for eyes by Garnier. But then of course knowing me, one must not presume I use it for my eyes alone. ahihihi.. works good for the eyebrow and nostril areas, corners of the mouth and under the lower lip, where shadows always form. I usually use my brushes to apply. I love the MAC brushes. But lately Ive been favoring dubbing the cover ups with my fingers. It absorbs and blends better that way.

One treasured possession is the Sheer Cashmere foundation by L'Oreal. It's matte and blends well. But only apply it in certain areas which need attention. To set everything I love Covergirl's Trublend Mineral Loose Powder, applied with my Kabuki brush by Everbelena.

Sometimes I like to play with colors as I have demonstrated in old entries of the blog but not during formal affairs. So I stick with the basics. You know the highlight on the middle of the lid and dark contours on the side of the lid routine.... I used to do a lot of winged-tip eyeliners but lately I've been favoring the more circular one. Wherein I just follow my natural curve of the lid up to the tip. I first saw it on Jinky Pacquiao on her controversial cover. No kidding. I said, "wow! Those eyes are not photoshopped. They're remarkably made up and lined! So I decided I like that..."

Gigi, my friend from Singapore gifted me with my now every-reliable color palette. I use them all the time. By Etude House.

Like I said, I always go for the more affordable stuff so I buy my stash at the Face Shop. Eyeliner, eyebrow pencil, the works...

It's a no brainer thing. I just go over some tutorials on Youtube and Im done. hehehe Seriously, 7.5 minutes. That quick. That easy...

2012-07-22T18:57:00.000-07:00

I am still here. Had just been very very quiet the past month. Life offline demanded my undivided attention.

It had been a frenzied month. School is still very new for my 2nd grader, new lessons, more complicated.

It just got most complicated.

One Monday afternoon as I picked my 2nd grader up from school a close mom friend could only utter two words: Chicken Pox!

Several classmates have called in absent that Monday as they have suddenly been diagnosed with the disease over the weekend. Instinct was to take a peek inside my daughter's shirt.

Well kiddo, looks like we're calling in sick for the next 14 days...

Unluckily, little girl has not been spared. But luckily, she has had her vaccine. Lesions are minimal. No fever or the slightest discomfort. Itchiness lasted less than day after I put on the calamine lotion. So glad it's pink, it helped cheered little girl up. And so drastic rearrangements had to be done around the household. Helpers, my 5-year-old and hubby take the master bedroom (but only after every sheet has been changed and every nook sprayed). While sick little girl and I took over the helpers' bedroom. Yep favorite pillows, blankets, toys and books were immediately transferred to its home for the next 2 weeks. I didnt want to risk the health of the helpers so I did everything from taking the meals up and down. Washing her etc etc. Except when I really needed to go out and work.

Work had been booked months before and I never want to back down from any commitment as they were also banking on the success of their event on my photography services. I am lucky to have very understanding and sensible children, as young as they are.

Of course there is my 5-year-old. She may have been very sensible about the whole situation but yet I felt I have neglected her a bit the past week. Finally as the weekend came about I took her on a date. A buffet dinner date. We liked to call it our fancy shmancy hotel date. Ahihihihi...

I badly needed some drink after. She got her iced tea (we indulge her sometimes) and enjoyed our moment together immensely. We were just hugging and smooching the whole time.

In the middle of it all hubby also needed to go on a weeklong business trip.

Yet another assignment for me so you can imagine the frenzy in the whole household. Much as we want to do it all perfectly sometimes something just have to give. A mother can only stretch herself so much. We try hard to be there for our children 100%. But it is not always a bad thing if we come short of any expectation. Balance. When balance is impossible. Sometimes we also need the help of our children. Help them understand what has to be. Give your best.... But remember it is alright to have little compromises. Much as I would want to be with my children always as a stay at home mom, reality dictates I need to earn a living whenever I can...as long as nothing utterly major is compromised.

Towards the 2nd week, I gave my little girl a shampoo and some pampering, salon style. She loved it! with the water bucket, big towels and a chair she felt like a princess. And princess-y is her curly locks after!!!

I am aware of some parents who are wary about vaccines. Well we are not. We make sure our children get their vaccines. As evidenced by the past weeks, a vaccine ( in this case the Varicella Vaccination) is not a guarantee one is 100% immune from the disease but it helps in preventing the deadly complications. My daughter's lesions were minimal. Itchiness was minimal. She did not have fever or dizziness or the irritability that results from all symptoms. In my opinion, the vaccine was worth sparing my child all that.

Yes I am still afraid for my 5-year-old. She has not have had chicken pox yet. We have yet to see the coming days. We may have seen the rashes on my elder daughter the instant they appeared but it only meant she had been able to spread the virus already 48 hours prior. And who knows who she had been in contact with.

Parents, we should consult a physician once we suspect our child has the symptoms. There is an incubation period ( the time our child has come in contact with an infected person and the time chicken pox is evident in our child) of 14 to 16 days. And before we send them back to school, having a physician giving them the clear signal would be best... for the good our own children and that of other people.

For more information please visit : Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Thank You Boss for guidance.

Thank You for strength.

Thank You for love and family.

2012-07-07T19:27:00.000-07:00