Bedroom Changes

Just two weeks ago we had cabinets installed in our room, to replace the brown cabinet we had. Though it looked too plain and modern, I kind of liked it as it meets the "modern classical" theme I had in mind.



What is missing though is a nice chair for our little study. Right now we use a chair from our balcony, and it still looks quite ok, noh? But we plan to get something nicer. Here are our options (images from Dexterton.com):


Victoria Ghost Chair

Louis Ghost Chair


Mademoiselle Chair

I'm kinda feeling the Mademoiselle, but when hubby sees the price tag of this, maybe he'll choose what we recently opted: have a custom-made chair:



Next that i'm looking forward to... our living area. We "reonavted" our blank wall behind out TV, so now it will be wall-mounted, and a "floating" cabinet will replace our old one. Hope it turns out well!

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On To Better Pics

Just to shake off the accident scenario off my mind, here are cute little pics of my dearest angel...


Senyorita talaga in her own sofa! hahahaha.



Preparing for bath. I had a similar pic of me when I was a bebe, and my Dad carried me like this too.



Eanna loves making faces when she is in front of the camera!

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Aksidente!

I was in shock when while all of us were staying in the living room, Eanna ran towards us but instead slipped and she hit her left chin in the hard corner of our sofa's base. Immediately blood gushed out of her mouth. I had an adrenaline rush and so i took the child, asked for cold water and towelette and tried to wipe off the blood. But it just kept gushing, and dear eanna kep crying. Husband was like a headless chicken and he was panicking like crazy.

After what seemed like five minutes, she was pointing towards her bottles, so I thought she wanted water and gave her a bottle. She tasted, and took it out becasue what she wanted was milk. When I gave her milk, she was immediately pacified. The bleeding stopped too.

After this, it just dawned on me what happened. I was crying because I never wanted to see eanna's blood. That was a scary sight... blood gushing out of her mouth immediately after she hit the sofa

Her wound is now healing a bit, but she has this nasty gash in her chin. Her lower lip is swollen, but she's still a happy girl as she always is.



Pardon her look but she just woke up, but with her usual loveable cheerful smile 9a bit distorted though, her wound is still painful, I guess).

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The Final Set

Date: March 7, 2009
Venue: SM Mall of Asia
Ticket prices: PhP 300 - 3,000

This time, we will watch!

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Her Shirt, Among Others

I totally love Eanna's shirt... hehehehe...



She really is such a big girl now. Knows what she wants, knows how she gets it. Hahaha.

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Jobs in healthcare

Does anyone know of jobs in health care, specifically jobs for nurses? Hubby's niece passed the license exams for Nurses, but is unable to find a job right away. Actually, she's targetting job opportunities in other countries (England, Canada) but the placement fees of agencies here are just too much. Hubby's uncle suggested Bahrain but she's quiote uneasy about it. There is however news that nurses in japan are needed, but hubby is not quite keen on that either. Hmmm. If only there are enough opposrtunities here at home, she would have gladly worked here. But, nada nada...

Oh well. Maybe I should ask my Aunt in Canada too. Maybe she knows of companies or institutions that accept direct hiring. Doesn't harm trying, right?

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The Beauty of my Passport

I just totally love my Passport... my external hard drive, that is!



I'm glad I bought this one even if at first I was a bit hesitant to do so. Initially we wanted to get a laptop but then hubby backed out because he suddenly trsnaformed into Mr. Scrooge, hahahaha. So instead we got this lovely gadget. At least this serves as an "extension" of my office laptop, and if ever we ge to get a new one for home use, we don't need one with a huge laptop memory (although that's still dieal). I know, the concern with laptops is that its memory cannot be upgraded (or can it be now?). So this little gadget of mine "adds" memory. Nice noh? Plus, it's a good backup too. You know, just in case my computer crashes. Heheheh.

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Don't Speak

I can't speak right now. My throat hurts like crazy everytime I open my mouth to speak or even to just swallow. And I thought I was well already.

*Sigh*

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After the Holidays

... comes remorse... Remorse because of the huge amount of food taken guiltlessly during this merry time of the year. Then complain why there's a big bulge in the middle, batwings in the arms, and gell-o thighs.

I just realized this when hubby took a tender picture of Eanna and I earlier this morning, and saw a triple chin, a salbabida, and thighs that took the place of my arms. And I thought I got thin because of me getting sick for a week! (Sorry, will not post that dang picture. Too embarrassing.)

Oh well, it's my resolution anyway to shed a few lbs by exercising and modifying my food and food intake. I will not yet resort to diet pills (instead, take those hearbal stuff medicines), but I just might if these unwanted fats don't disappear.

Huhuhu. At 5'3, I currently weigh around 111 lbs, 4 lbs short of the ideal weight. But, why do I feel and look like I weigh so much more? Nope, I don't plan to go back to my 90-pounder self, that just won't work. Perhaps 105? or 100?

Wow, I've changed eh. I used to not care about weight. I even cry because I wanted to gain weight. Well, reminder to all... BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR!

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Flipping Out

Last night, for the first time, I got to watch Flipping Out in the Lifestyle Network. The show is about Jeff, who buys houses, makes them look good, then sells them. It's funny how crazy this guy is, and how he deals with his work and all. perfectionist, you can say that! What made me flip out was last night's show, when his supposed "guard" in the house where he's staying (and selling) couldn't find his cat, Monkey (funny name hahahaha). They finally found him inside a cabinet covered by the stacks of bottled water. Jeff totally flipped out on that fact. Then Monkey got some allergies, and he ordered his assistant to send the cat to the veterinary clinic to have an acupuncture. Heheheh, acupuncture for cats... crazy. He's so into his pets, he has those amazing pet beds inside his room.

Anyway, I kinda liked this show. Probably the shows are way behind already, but still, it's still worth following. He's really crazy, but funny. Hehehehe.

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Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz

I got this from Liv's blog...

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are a Katharine!

You are a Katharine -- "I am happy and open to new things"

Katharines are energetic, lively, and optimistic. They want to contribute to the world.

How to Get Along with Me

• * Give me companionship, affection, and freedom.


• * Engage with me in stimulating conversation and laughter.


• * Appreciate my grand visions and listen to my stories.


• * Don't try to change my style. Accept me the way I am.


• * Be responsible for youself. I dislike clingy or needy people.


• * Don't tell me what to do.

What I Like About Being a Katharine

• * being optimistic and not letting life's troubles get me down


• * being spontaneous and free-spirited


• * being outspoken and outrageous. It's part of the fun.


• * being generous and trying to make the world a better place


• * having the guts to take risks and to try exciting adventures


• * having such varied interests and abilities

What's Hard About Being a Katharine

• * not having enough time to do all the things I want


• * not completing things I start


• * not being able to profit from the benefits that come from specializing; not making a commitment to a career


• * having a tendency to be ungrounded; getting lost in plans or fantasies


• * feeling confined when I'm in a one-to-one relationship

Katharines as Children Often

• * are action oriented and adventuresome


• * drum up excitement


• * prefer being with other children to being alone


• * finesse their way around adults


• * dream of the freedom they'll have when they grow up

Katharines as Parents

• * are often enthusiastic and generous


• * want their children to be exposed to many adventures in life


• * may be too busy with their own activities to be attentive

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

Somehow this is me... but I think this is MORE me.

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are an Ingrid!

You are an Ingrid -- "I am unique"

Ingrids have sensitive feelings and are warm and perceptive.

How to Get Along with Me

• * Give me plenty of compliments. They mean a lot to me.


• * Be a supportive friend or partner. Help me to learn to love and value myself.


• * Respect me for my special gifts of intuition and vision.


• * Though I don't always want to be cheered up when I'm feeling melancholy, I sometimes like to have someone lighten me up a little.


• * Don't tell me I'm too sensitive or that I'm overreacting!

What I Like About Being an Ingrid

• * my ability to find meaning in life and to experience feeling at a deep level


• * my ability to establish warm connections with people


• * admiring what is noble, truthful, and beautiful in life


• * my creativity, intuition, and sense of humor


• * being unique and being seen as unique by others


• * having aesthetic sensibilities


• * being able to easily pick up the feelings of people around me

What's Hard About Being an Ingrid

• * experiencing dark moods of emptiness and despair


• * feelings of self-hatred and shame; believing I don't deserve to be loved


• * feeling guilty when I disappoint people


• * feeling hurt or attacked when someone misundertands me


• * expecting too much from myself and life


• * fearing being abandoned


• * obsessing over resentments


• * longing for what I don't have

Ingrids as Children Often

• * have active imaginations: play creatively alone or organize playmates in original games


• * are very sensitive


• * feel that they don't fit in


• * believe they are missing something that other people have


• * attach themselves to idealized teachers, heroes, artists, etc.


• * become antiauthoritarian or rebellious when criticized or not understood


• * feel lonely or abandoned (perhaps as a result of a death or their parents' divorce)

Ingrids as Parents

• * help their children become who they really are


• * support their children's creativity and originality


• * are good at helping their children get in touch with their feelings


• * are sometimes overly critical or overly protective


• * are usually very good with children if not too self-absorbed

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

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Not Enough?

There are times when I feel that I'm not doing good as a Mom, that I'm not taking care of my little angel as much as I wanted to. That I am not as patient as I should be. That I am not as affectionate as I thought I was. I always think of this whenever I see my baby playing all by herself. I see her figure, I see how curious she is with the potatoes and the garlic and the onions (yes, she loves holding them and playing with them... chef in the making?), I see her "talk" to herself. I feel that I fail as Mom whenever she gets my finger, pulls me to go with her somewhere, but I tell her "Eanna, Mama is tired right now, go to Papa first." I go with her anyway, which makes my eyes teary-eyed because she brings me to her room, points at her horsey-horse, asking me to carry her so she can ride at her favorite toy.

She is such an active tot that at times I can't keep up with her. She doesn't seem like her age (1 year 4 months) because she already knows what she wants (more of what she DOESN'T WANT), and has a mind of her own. She doesn't like to be fed, she only eats what she wants. And when I do get a tiny opportunity to feed her, she takes the food out of her mouth, checks it out, then takes it back in. When we go out, she likes to look at things, likes to go inside shops she finds intersting (yes, even if I won't go inside, she would), picks her favorite loot in the department store, then head towards the cashier, tries to put her loot in the counter as if she'd pay for it. She doesn't even like other people holding our things (she cried when she saw my sister borrow my bag, and cried when she saw that our maintenance staff helped me carry our grocery bags - while she was crying she was holding on to the bags!). She runs like crazy, dances like crazy (her favorite song is Forever by Chris Brown), and sings like crazy (especially during Mass).

It makes me depressed to think I may not be a Mommy material. I have long wished to become a Mom, and I'm so happy that I have a gorgeous little human being/angel/goddess God has blessed me with. But I feel so inadequate. I feel that I should be doing more. I love my baby so much, and yet I don't know what's wrong with me.

Maybe I'm just burned out because of a lot of things, mainly because of work. Maybe my depression is back and so I couldn't function well. But I fully know my priorities. Eanna. Enrique. Probably in that order (hahaha). *Sigh*

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Week-long Sickness

First was the bebe. Poor little angel had fever, cough, and cold. She had to drink three medicines, which was hard for her, as well as for us. She resisted drinking, which made her cry everytime, and made these moments really stressful for us. At least now she's feeling much better. But her vaccine schedule was moved to a later day when she is fully well.

Stressful days and long sleepless nights then took a toll on me. I got sick for some time, then went back to work. After one day, I had a relapse, which was much worse. I had high fever, chilkls, and even "deleryo." Poor husband had to take care of his two girls.

Now I'm feeling much better, but hubby is showing signs of sickness now. He had a fever last night. Oh my. At least I have some little strength to take care of him.

This wasn't a good week. But I'm still thankful that our little baby is recovering quite well, and that nothing worse has happened to her.

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Planners and my Favorite Gift

This year I've got myself two planners:



1. Belle de Jour - My personal one to keep track of what I've done, been doing, and will do. Got an expense tracker every month, monthly tips, and even menstrual cycle tracker. Has some pages on dreams, goals, and so much more. Plus, discount coupons. Love this planner,

2. World Recipes Planner - got this from Rustan's Fresh! I had to complete them stickers everytime I do our groceries. This is a first for me, you know, to complete stickers to get a free planner. I'm using this to plan our meals and keep track of the menu for the week. Love this too.

And now, my favorite gift....




Mario Batali Enameled Cast Iron Deep Skillet

Of course it came from dear hubby! I initially wanted to get a Le Creuset (sold in Bacchus, Powerplant Mall) but chickened out at the last minute. Hello, 17k for a dutch oven? I don't think so! Not now, at least.

Can't wait to use this little (actually, big and heavy) baby.

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Resolutions, Resolutions

Though I called in sick today due to my sever cold yesterday, I'm still trying to keep my busy, checking on my office mails and at the same time doing some wifey and mommy and vannie tasks here at home. Now, I have some spare time to sit back and jot down my New Year's resolutions. Naks!

Well, I hardly made resolutions for years now but maybe it is an opportune time for me to do so, and see if at the end of the year, I've kept some (or all, hahahaha).

Here goes:

1. Keep myself fit - eating healthily and exercising. For weeks months now, I've been eating non-stop real unhealthy food. Crabfat.... hello! Plus, hubby gave up on dragging me to go to the gym in our condo. I've grown quite a bit in my middle portion, so maybe it is about time for me to really focus on this and try to eat the right food (guilty food... maybe once in a while) and jiggle my booteh and arms.

2. Spring clean the house and keep only the essentials. My Grandma loves receiving old stuff from me, and I'm sure she'll be happy with the big lot I'm sending to her. Gotta get me some shipping boxes because these are a lot, and they have to be shipped to the province.

3. Don't sweat the small stuff. I am such a worry-wart, maybe I should realx a little bit more this year.

4. Like my work, but don't love it. My colleagues already called me a workaholic, and I myself think I'm beginning to be just that. I know, it's good to be dedicated and I am, really. But if I can't sleep at night thinking about the work I need to do, and keep on pondering about work during weekends and while with my family... No-no-no.

5. Be a more responsible Mom and a more loving wife. I am both, but maybe I can put these two roles up a notch or two.

6. Save money. I kept on splurging last year. Since we are in a global economic crisis right now, it might be wise to purchase the necessary and scrimp a little on luxury. Yeah right. Hahahaha.

7. Be connected to a chritable institution or to an "environment" movement. I was before, in my teens, but the organization "closed shop." I ought to check on existing movements and charities and see where I fit.

All for now, but if I can think of more, I'll blog about them too.

Wish me luck!

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Happy New Year!

Happy new year to all!

I know, I know, I have been very lazy in updating my blog and this latest post will do no justice to what happened to our family during the holidays. Hahaha. Still a lazy blogger now, so my post will be short and sweet.

Anyway, I think I have gained a million pounds this week alone, thanks to the numerous dinners we had - either we hosted them or others. Just last night I had a seafood themed party with my in-laws here at home, and boy, that was just amazing. The other night was Mexican theme, for my family - love the tacos and chili con carne. The other night, hubby and I had dinner buffet at Heat in Edsa Shangri-la. And more parties... but these were just the most memorable for us. Hehehehe. Love the food.

The gifts... hmmm. People were probably saving (including us)... but we managed to maximize our budget and was proud of the little presents we gave. I was half-expecting my family to give me some gym-related or sports gifts as they knew that one of my New Year's resolutions is to lose some fat and jiggle in my arms and booteh... but I guess they didn't have that much faith in me on that aspect. Nyahahaha. Instead they gave me cosmetics stuff. Oh well. Hahahah. Dear hubby told me to buy the Le Creuset enameled cast iron that I weanted but I'm still uneasy about it. I can't justify right now spending 15k on one dutch oven. Nyaiks. Will probably opt for Mario Batalli's.

Anyway, later (if I get in the mood again) I plan to make a list of my New Year's resolutions, including a summary on the year that was (a good one!), but right now I gotta go make my family some dinner.

Happy holidays friends!

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Brrr....

Let me just say that it's getting colder right now, and it is expected that the following weeks will be even colder. Nyaiks. I have a problem with bathing when it comes to cold days. We have gotten a heater for the bathroom but sometimes I feel that the water is still not hot enough. I don't know if getting a tankless water heater will help, but I really really dislike taking cold showers especially early in the morning (6:30 am... hello!). Oh well, I gotta make do with what we've got.

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