Random Thoughts

That's my Andie.

She's 2 years and 3 months now but I feel like she's already 3. She makes us laugh most of the time even if she doesn't intend to. She grew up to be a charming little girl. She looks up to her Ate so much that she copies her. Whatever the Ate does, she copies. And she loves doing it I tell you!

Lately, Andie loves to play with dolls.

She takes care of her dolls or stuffed toys. She feeds them, let them go to sleep, hug them tight. Sometimes, she can't even go out of the house without bringing her "little friends". There was a week when she was bringing this toy dog and can't even sleep without it. She looks for it in the middle of the night and yes, she wakes me up just to look for it! I know it sounds really funny how much she gets attached to her toys.

Andie is not yet potty trained at her age but she knows if she needs to go to the bathroom. She tells us if she wants to make #1 and #2. So, I'm (really) hoping that she would finally give up her diapers. I think it will be very soon.

I don't think she's ready for school this year. She's still a baby, I can see. But will enroll her in a couple of short classes to let her familiarize with the concept of going to school. I can't wait for her to meet new friends and playmates!

She's moody sometimes when it comes to food. She eats chicken, pork, beef, carrots, and sayote. She is still picky and doesn't like soup that much. I'm hoping that this will change as she grows up.

She's still clingy too. But I'm so loving it becaue I know that in a few months time, she will be independent already like her Ate. I can see that my Baby Andie is growing up too fast now. As much as I would like to freeze time and make her stay that way, every child grows up. So for now, I will make the most out of my time with them because the time spent with my little girls are really priceless!

Ever since I was a kid, I've always loved to travel. Explore other countries and seek adventure. I guess that is because my family just love to go out of town when I was younger. We also loved to try new things. That is why I want to try rock climbing one of these days. We, as a family already tied the zip line last year. A couple of years ago, we also tried white water rafting. So now, I'm wondering if rock climbing should be our next target.

I've read a lot about rock climbing ever since I got this idea. It's quite an adventure. I've read that you need rock climbing holds to make your climb comfortable and reliable. I guess climbing holds are a necessity. That's why I was so glad I found www.rockonholds.com which offers good quality and affordable too. I love it that they are offering these climbing holds at a discount! Other companies are over charging climbing holds but not at RockOnHolds.com. But it doesn't mean the quality is compromised, in fact, it has great quality and holds strongly. For $30 you can already get 10 pcs of bolts. What's nice about this is that you can purchase online. I love purchasing online since transactions are a breeze. You can just input credit card or paypal.

There are a lot of things that I need to prepare for this ultimate adventure. My family is actually excited and they have assigned me to do more research on this one. It's going to be a major adventure and hopefully in 2 to 3 years we will be able to experience it. Working out and being fit should also be our goal before the "big day". We have to be strong and healthy to get ready for it. Oh, I can't wait for this!

Ate A has grown up after all those months.

She has totally loved Baby A and treat her as a little sister now. Before she sees Baby A as her competition but now, she sees Baby A as someone she should take care of. Such a responsible Ate. Making sure that Baby A is fine. She worries for Baby A too. Although there are times that she yells at Baby A if she has done something wrong, I guess she got that from me. Ooopps!


I would say she learned a lot from school too. Needs to practice writing small letters more though. But the Lola taught her to count 10's up to 100. She learns fast, I noticed. She still loves crafts and even prepared VDay cards for the Grandparents. She loved making those cards and I had a great time helping her. She draws a lot of stuff everyday. So what I did, I bought a folder so I could compile all her artworks. She was so thankful I bought her this folder. Now she is inspired to do more artworks. She is a very appreciative little girl. I hope and pray that she will stay that way in the years to come.


She's turning 5 in a couple of weeks and she's very excited that at last, she is finally growing up! You see, she was a little worried one time because all her friends were having their birthdays so she asked me, how come her birthday was still too far. She thought that she is not growing up at all. LOL! Kids are really something!

Here's our conversation one time when I got home from work...

Ate A: Mama, you know what, my classmate ... Said that I'm his girlfriend.
Me: Huwaaat!?
Ate A: I'm his girlfriend!
Me: Why did he say that!??
Ate A: Because I'm his friend and I'm a girl
Me: Owwkaaay!!!

Kids really are something, right!? LOL!

Last month, Hubby and I decided to have ourselves checked through a series of medical tests. I had my cholesterol, blood sugar, triglycerides, and uric acid checked. Hubby also had a couple of tests. A followup of cholesterol and uric. We did it early in the morning around 8AM because we needed to do fasting. I'm glad we did have those tests because now I know that my cholesterol is not normal anymore. Although my blood sugar is ok, thank God, but triglycerides and uric acid are not normal unfortunately. So, now we need to be on a diet and stay focus on living in a healthy lifestyle.

Medical tests are really important in our lives. That's why there are companies who require certain tests to be able to accept an applicant. A Drug Test is one way. Part of the application process is for the job applicant to pass such test to make sure he is drug free and healthy too. I've read that you can now take a drug test through Medithek by registering online. They have other tests too such alcohol tests, nicotine test, oral drug tests, hair drug test and more. Tests which I haven't known it existed until now. Quite interesting really. Very beneficial for companies who are looking for people who will work for them and want to make sure that they are drug free.

Well, my little girls that is...

And I hope they stay that way for the rest of their lives.

Well, yes they fight MOST of the time and grabbed each other's toys but at the end of the day, they look for each other and kiss each other good night. This is usually the time when I thank the Lord for giving them each other. I know that in the years to come, they will just be there for each other no matter what happens. I know because I have a sister too! We fought and fought when I was still living with my parents but now that we don't see each other everyday, we've been closer than ever. We are sisters after all!

Happiness is...

1. Drinking Coffee before starting my day
2. Greenwich Overload Pizza (Yum!)
3. The little girls are getting better after having fever for days
4. Watched Shutter Island with Hubby
5. Serenitea's Hokkaido
6. Quick chat with my Mom
7. Watching the little girls sing and dance
8. Preparing for Ate A's simple party at her school
9. Judith McNaught's PERFECT!
10. Online friends :)

To know how this started and credits of the header, click here.

That's my goal for this year actually. So here are a couple of ways to do to get rid of my wrinkles...

- Put an anti wrinkle cream on my face to make it firm and young.
- I vowed to drink lots of water
- Eat healthy by eating lots of fruits and vegetables
- As much as I can, I would like to sleep at least 8 hours a night

It is actually easy for me to write about these things but it's really hard to put into action. I need to push myself to make sure that I'm on the right track. There are times that I'm tempted to eat french fries and burgers but hopefully in the next few months I get to focused and stay on the right track.

Hey check this out. When I was younger, I would always prioritized shopping during our travels, but look what I found out today...

Your Travel Type is Cultural

Your perfect trip is enriching, nourishing, and taste expanding. You're looking to take in the best of what a region has to offer. You especially love the arts and history. Of course, no vacation would be complete without some amazing shopping and dining. And to top off the full experience, you'd love to stay in a historic or five star hotel!

I guess things change as the years go by... (*grin*)

Another place that is worth going back - Ugu Bigyan's Workshop. Again, I can't quite find the words to describe the place but all I can think of is that the place is so nice for photo opps! I've read a lot about this place and I'm glad we went there. It was definitely unforgettable!

We sent them a text message a week before our lunch (this is a must you see so they can prepare). They didn't ask for downpayment anymore which was surprising and made me love them more. Our reservation was hassle-free! We arrived on time around 12NN. The only thing I noticed is that when we arrived, we didn't know where to go and who to ask regarding our reservation. Everyone was just walking around exploring the place. So that was what we exactly did too. We had fun taking photos of ourselves, thanks to the tripod.

Finally I asked the one assigned in the shop who to talk to regarding our lunch. They said that we had to wait for half an hour before they will serve our food. Good, since we wanted to explore the place more.

When the food arrived, we were both so excited (and hungry too!). It was served in batches, first the pako salad, then the appertizer that comes with mussels, calamares were then served, soup with shellfish, fried fish, and then the baby back ribs. It was a looot, I tell you. I even wanted to buy food storage if I could so I could bring some left overs home but well, I guess I couldn't do that in a middle of a province. Maybe next time when we get back, I'd be more prepared. We were so full but we couldn't passed on to the dessert.

It was definitely an unforgettable lunch! The place was unforgettable too! I highly recommend this to friends who want to go out of town just to try good food. And hopefully I can bring my Mom here before she leaves again to the US.

Wow, I'm glad I passed this test!

You Are Joyful

You have quite a bit of joy in your life. Sometimes you just stop and realize how beautiful your life is. You know those moments where everything is peaceful and perfect? Well, you have a few of those - and you could use more of them. Try to get rid of as much stress and noise as possible in your life. True joy comes from true simplicity. Also, try to develop an attitude of gratitude in your life. It's a lot easier to be joyful when you're thankful.

I actually make sure that I thank the Lord for all His blessings in my life. In this way, I get to be grateful and joyful everyday.

For the past few weeks, I would always come across a nice article about health and how we should value it so that we could live our lives to the fullest. I love articles such as these especially now that Hubby and I vowed to be healthy. We vowed to eat healthy, do exercises, avoid people who put us down by being negative and we would drink supplements that would make us strong such as hgh human growth hormone. You see life is short to focus on negative stuff so we want everything to be positive. We want both to stay strong especially for the kids who are very much dependent on us. Life is also short to stress ourselves with people who just can't be happy for us. If we let ourselves affect with those people, it won't be healthy for us anymore. We are starting now. Not tomorrow, not next week, but only TODAY. I really hope that after this, we would be stronger and won't catch sickness quickly just as the weather changes these days. I'm crossing my fingers on this.

After settling down at Casa San Pablo, we were able to take a nap for a few minutes and then we prepared for our lunch at Jay's Kinabuhayan Cafe. I knew what to expect already for our lunch, but honestly, I was still surprised and amazed by what I saw and experienced. The place was well, I couldn't described it exactly, it was rustic and old in a good way.

I've read that the cafe is located at the foot of Mt. Banahaw but actually, it was in the middle of a town before the foot of Mt. Banahaw. You would be surprised that a place like Jay's actually exists in the town of Dolores. We opted to have lunch at Kubli Springs which was a good decision since the experience was really unforgettable! Although we had to pay P150 more, it was definitely worth it!

Ralph, Jay's assistant brought us to Lake Gunaw first before heading to Kubli. This is also Jay's property which he will be developing in the near future. He has plans of developing a resort here, which I can't wait to see! An infinity pool overlooking Lake Gunaw would be a beautiful site to see.

We arrived Kubli Springs just a few minutes after checking out Lake Gunaw. We were all excited to explore the place. It was a refreshing place and very much new to Hubby. For me, since I grew up in the province, it was something that I truly missed - fresh air, spring water (that we can even drink), sitting on huge stones, and the sun!!! It felt like home.

We expected Jay to arrive with our lunch after a few minutes but unfortunately we had to wait until 2:30PM for our lunch. We didn't bring snacks or anything so I was really starving. Close to hallucinating actually and almost having tantrums, asking Hubby to call Jay and check on him. HA! I almost ate the flowers! You see, I'm one of those people who can't get hungry because I would be acidic and it won't be a good thing for my tummy. That's why when Jay arrived, I was close to hugging him! LOL!

Well, the food was definitely worth the wait! Hubby ate a whole lot, he would need a couple of mens fat burner because he almost couldn't breathe after our lunch. LOL! We were supposed to be on a diet but since it was our Anniversary trip, we had a reason to binge. Thanks to those fat burner for men, Hubby will get her weight again in no time.

When I say, the food was delicious is an understatement. You just have to try it to believe me...

Pako Salad, Mushroom Risotto, Eggplant Parmigiana, and Vegetable Lasagna definitely made me HAPPY and FULL!

After lunch, we stayed for a couple of hours while Jay told us stories and laughed our hearts out. Then we went back to the cafe to have the best coffee and suman I've ever tasted. Jay can truly do wonders when it comes to food. I'm definitely going back there one of these days.

Happiness is...

1. Olive Oil Potato Chips - it's healthy!
2. Chocolate Cake from Conti's
3. VDay dinner date with Hubby last Saturday
4. Watched Tangled with Hubby and the little girls
5. Dinner with Mom and sister at our place to celebrate the VDay
6. Resolved crystal report issues
7. Japanese ice cream from BIL
8. Watching the little girls dance :)
9. VDay Card and chocolates from Alex
10. Blogging

To know how this started and credits of the header, click here.

I knew that there is something in San Pablo, Laguna that we should explore. But I just can't find the time to go there. And besides, I needed to wait for a special occassion to have a reason to go there. It was our 6th anniversary last month and since we just had a major travel last December, we opted to stay within Manila and only for 1 night. We checked in at Casa San Pablo at San Pablo, Laguna.

A bed and breakfast place tucked in the middle of the city. I was surprised actually that it was in the middle of the city. But when we were inside the compound, it was totally different from outside. It was so peaceful and serene. A perfect place to relax and unwind.


We missed the kids as soon as we arrived at the place. We thought that the kids would love Casa San Pablo because the lawn was huuuge, they would have loved to play there. And these too...


Good thing, it was just a 2 hour drive to Manila so we can go back anytime with the kids in tow.

The food was great and sumptious. I feel like I gained 10lbs after staying at Casa San Pablo. It's ok since we got what we wanted - a well-deserved vacation away from stress and negative people. (*grin*)

When I was a kid, I remember I attended a concert. My parents actually brought me to a concert. I forgot the band already but what I couldn't forget is when it was time to go home and there were a lot of people aiming for the door that we almost had a stampede. I guess that started my fear of being crushed by a lot of people. I became scared of closed in spaces. I'm not exactly a claustrophobic but there are times that I would panic when in very enclosed spaces.

I guess things would be different if the organizers have prepared for situations such as these. They could have done something like a crowd control for an organized exit. If there were barricades setup for the people, it wouldn't be that crazy. Even a velvet rope would work in this kind of crowd.

I guess the most important thing is that events such as concerts or any political events, it should be secured and safe for the people. I've read that the best way is to put stanchions. There are retractable belts too that were developed to make people secure even in banks. The nice thing about these belts is that you can print anything you like.

Yesterday was a special day since we decided to watch Tangled to celebrate the V Day. It was Ate A's second movie after Toy Story 3 and Baby A's first movie!

The magically long-haired Rapunzel has spent her entire life in a tower, but now that a runaway thief has stumbled upon her, she is about to discover the world for the first time, and who she really is.

Both the girls were so excited! They were so behaved the entire movie. Although Baby A slept afterwards, she was so looking forward to it and ate popcorn to her heart's content. The movie was funny and romantic (in a not so chessy way) so I've checked Ate A's reaction, and I can see that she was smiling during the "kilig" scenes. I asked her if she liked the movie and asked which is one was her favorite, she said, "The entire movie!". I asked her if she cried during the sad scenes, she said no, "There were just a little bit of tears..." LOL! This made me realized that she really can understand a movie after all.

After the movie, we heard mass and then off we went to dinner at Max's. I'm so glad we made an instant decision to have the girls watched the movie. They really had fun and I can see that they love the movie to bits! Looking forward to the DVD so we could watch again and again and again and again... (*grin*)

This is the kind of Saturday that I always look forward to. Nothing to do but spend time with kids, do a little bit of errands and surf the internet. Since I promised my Mom to look for Apartments for Rent in Tampa FL I've checked a couple of sites this morning. I saw a couple of nice apartments online that my Mom would love. She is planning to move to Florida since she can't take the cold weather anymore. But she is still thinking about it. She's going back to the US in the next few weeks and she's preparing herself for long months of not seeing us. It's sad but she has started a life there already and would stay there for good.

I've tried staying in the US for 9 months in a Residence Inn. I was only 23 and it felt like it was freedom to me, being able to live alone and away from my parents for the first time. I've wished I've stayed in an apartment in Florida since the weather in Florida is perfect for me. The apartments in Tampa would be perfect too! A grand apartment and a car would have been the things that would make me stay there permanently. But well, I guess I'm meant to stay here. (*grin*)

Anyway, I'm done with my apartment hunting thanks to the internet, now I'm off to help the kids work on their Valentine cards for the Lolos and Lolas! Happy Saturday everyone!

Last month, my sister celebrated her 29th birthday and she invited us to have dinner at John and Yoko. It was our first time so we were all very excited since I've read about good reviews about the restaurant. My sister made reservations a couple of days before. She said that reservations is a must in this restaurant. She was right I guess because the place was full!

The Birthday Girl with the Girls

We had a wonderful dinner! Although we had a hard time feeding the kids since the place was small and the kids wanted to walk around every now and then. I guess the restaurant wasn't too kid friendly in my opinion. It was a nice date place that Hubby and I would definitely consider again one of these days.

To my dear sister, Happy Birthday again and thank you so much for the wonderful dinner at John and Yoko. Busoooog! (*wink*)

After our Quezon trip (which I will be posting in the next couple of days), I vowed to visit more of the beautiful cities in the Philippines. One of these is the Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. That's why I'm contemplating on getting this package...

For P5,500.00 per person in 3 Days and 2 Nights you can get the following:

* Roundtrip (Manila-Laoag-Vigan-Pagudpud-Manila) van/bus transfers
* 1night accommodation in Laoag (Group Sharing min of 6pax in a room)
* 1night accommodation in Pagudpud (Group Sharing min of 6pax in a room)
* Daily breakfast catered by the hotel/resort
* 6 sets of meals from the local restaurants for 3days
* Service of Driver, Tour Guide and Coordinator
* Toll Fees, Entrance Fees
* Vigan, Laoag, Pagudpud Tour


Not bad right? I almost prepared our stuff and our hiking backpacks for this trip and then head out to Ilocos but things are so different now considering the little girls who will be left behind. I have to find a baby sitter for them! Oh well, maybe next time, we will be able to avail of this kind of opportunity.

If you are interestd though, call La-ab Adventure at +632 482-6934 or +63935-9480031. You can also e-mail them at reservation@laabadventure.com.

is purchasing the security cameras that we wanted for years now. Ever since we transferred to our home 3 years ago, Hubby has been insisting of buying security cameras. I didn't see the need until now. Since we wanted to know what's happening in the area when we're out, our next goal would be to get IP cameras which will be installed around the house. There will be cameras that will be installed also outside for security purposes.

We're looking at the half of the year to get this done. There are a lot of available security cameras online so we need to make sure we get good deals. It's part of our project but the budget is still unknown. Meaning we haven't set aside a budget for this yet so hopefully we can get online sales or a pretty good packages for the cameras.

Happiness is...

1. Booked for our grand reunion in Mindanao. Thanks to Cebu Pacific's 50% promo.
2. Reserved for our dinner date pretty soon (*grin*)
3. Narnia 1 and 2. The kids' loved it too!
4. Snacks from MIL since Monday
5. Started exercising since Monday. It felt really good!
6. Elisa's baptism last Sunday
7. Plans, plans, plans for the summer!
8. A good night sleep
9. Old photos make me smile
10. The Apology

To know how this started and credits of the header, click here.

Looking for something to do over the weekend? Here's a suggestion: Check out the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Clark, Pampangga.

The Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta is an annual event that occurs between January and February at the Omni Aviation Complex in Clark Field, Angeles City, Pampanga. It features multicolored hot air balloons with more than a hundred balloon pilots from around the world. This three to four day hot air balloon event is the biggest aviation sports event in the Philippines.

If I knew about this earlier, I could have suggested this to Hubby, who is currently planning our VDate. Oh well, maybe next year.

Another goal for this year is to fix our finances and focus on the more important things such as the kids' tuition fees, mortgage, and our emergency funds. So we looked into debt consolidation and see if this would work for us. It consolidates debts which are usually unsecured and turn it into a low monthly payment. Which is a pretty good choice. At least with this you know that you will be able to pay for it eventually. You may be able to finish paying after so many years but at least you are sure that you will pay off your debt thanks to consolidation.

I looked for companies that would do this and came across http://www.anewhorizon.org. I love that they also provide provide counseling services and financial education programs to individuals and families. You see it's not just lending people money, but it's all about fixing their view of their financial status. It's how they handle money and budgeting that they need to focused on. It is a national, non-profit credit counseling organization that also provides debt consolidation for you.

These days, it's a must to really look into your financial status and think twice in purchasing major items or even before eating out in a restaurant. I guess that's what happens when you have two kids who are going to school in the next school year.

Since we missed Janice on our first 2010 Christmas get together, we met again last month to give out gifts and continue the chickahan and spent literally the whole day together. Joy and kids were the first one to arrive and joined us for lunch. Then the Elerias came a couple of hours after and then finally Janice around 6:30PM. We were able to catch up since we haven't really done this for months! Good thing all our schedules finally met and agreed on the same date.

I loved it when kids bonded and had a great time too!



Until our next meet up again ladies! Hopefully during the summer! (*wink*)

I had a couple of blood tests last month unfortunately, my cholesterol, uric acid, and triglicyrides are high. Hubby got negative results too. So both Hubby and I are aiming a healhty lifestyle this year. I know I've been aiming that goal for the past 3 years now but this time, it's not to lose weight but to make sure that we are healthy.

I came across Vitamin D3 that looks promising when it comes to aiming for a healthy lifestyle. It's made of protein and it's glutten free. I've read that it's natural too. But will have to confirm that at QFac.com. This website has all the details about Vitamin D3 and offers other supplements such as fish oil, antioxidants, detox, fat loss and more. I've been in QFac.com for hours now reading all about their products.

I just hope that we stick to the plan of being healthy for the rest of the year. I value our health so much because I know that when we get sick, it would affect everything in our lives - our family, our jobs, and our relationships. Which I'm definitely sure I don't want to happen.

Now, our next goal is to have an exercise routine that would fit into our lifestyle. Any suggestions?

Here's a little bit of good news for Moms out there! The Big & Small Group is having a sale until the 28th of February, 2011!

Start your 2011 shopping for your little ones right with the Big and Small Group Sale. Starting today (january 6) until Febuary 28, enjoy up to 50% off on selected Big&Small, Spin, Orange Juice and HAB Maternity items at Big&Small Metro Manila and Pampanga Stores.

Big&Small Co. is the pioneer brand of classic, colorful children's apparel in the philippines. The Big&Small Co.'s famiy includes SPIN (for boys), Orange Juice (for 'tween girls) and H.A.B. Maternity & More (formerly Havin' a Baby)

I'm definitely going to check this out very, very soon!

I know I've mentioned a couple of months ago that we're aiming to have a couple of home renovations this year. So I'm looking for contractors that can work on a short project. It's not going to be so grand but we will prioritized the more important part of the house such as the leaks on our bedroom and adding curtains in the bathroom. We are considering on getting a tarp. There are a lot of options such as canvas tarp, clear tarp, or poly tarp. But when I saw the custom tarps, we will probably consider these instead. This will work on us since they will customized the tarps according to the measurement of where we will put it. It will be in the balcony and I'm pretty sure that the measurement of our balcony does not have the standard measurement.

I can't wait to start the renovation! We've been staying in our house for almost 4 years now and I think it's time to start it. You see, when the house was constructed, there were areas in the house that were not finished yet because we didn't have enough funds. We still don't have enough funds now but little by little we will have it fixed in no time!

We were hesitant in pushing through our plan of going to the Marina Bay area. But my Mom was persistent telling us that it is a must to see that place. She was right. It turned out, this is our most favorite place in Singapore. The structures were amazing.

Half a day is not enough to explore this part of Singapore. I fell in love with this place. I was even thinking of giving up what I got here at home and look for a couple of sales jobs there so I can stay there for good. Work in one of the successful countries in Asia. I think that would be possible since my brother is already there. But will have to consult Hubby about it.

When I go back to Singapore, I will definitely explore Marina Bay area again and hopefully we get to visit it at night.

Happiness is...

1. Weekend getaway at Laguna and Quezon
2. 6th Anniversary (*grin*)
3. God's Blessings!
4. Coffee
5. Household at our place last Friday
6. Good friends
7. Food trip at Kinabuhayan Cafe
8. Beautiful Kubli Springs
9. Good food at Casa San Pablo
10. Ugu Bigyan's hearty lunch!

To know how this started and credits of the header, click here.