One Day to Go!

It's the last day of the year! Busy, busy day for everyone, I suppose, with all the preparation for the last festive dinner of the year - media noche!

Paul and I have a number of to do's for the day, as well. Earlier, we cleaned our room as we want to start the year clutter-free. :) It's our break time now, he's watching TV while I'm glued on the internet, blogging and surfing for more baby stuff. I just saw some cute nursery pictures at the Baby Company website and fell in love with the Cars-themed nursery! Will have a separate post on that later.

After lunch, we will start the media noche preparation. We are in charge of desserts. We will make two tiramisu flavors -- mango and oreo. Can't wait to eat those, it's my final cheat day! Haha Starting tomorrow, I'll be a good, good expectant mom. No more pigging out, no more chocolates and of course, cut down on carbs! Good luck to me!

After doing the tiramisu, we will arrange the stuff we bought for our baby. Yup, we did some baby stuff shopping yesterday, in preparation for my coming delivery. It could put a dent on your wallet, haha, but shopping for baby stuff is really fun! I had to stop Paul and Nanay from buying a lot of things. I reminded them that we should get the essentials first, the rest we can buy later. Plus, I might get gifts during the baby shower. *wink * wink*

Ooops, it's lunch time already. Bilis ng oras! Bye for now. :)

By the way, tomorrow's date will be 1-1-11. Cool, no?

Happy New Year! :)

2010: My Year in Facebook Status

There's this recent app in Facebook called "My Year in Status" that lets you generate a collage of your statuses for the year. I joined the bandwagon and did my own:



It's nice looking back at my previous shout outs, most of which are marriage and food-related. Haha Go ahead, create your own collage and have fun reminiscing! :)

Goodbye, 2010... Hello, 2011!

Two days to go and another year will be closing... How time flies! So, how was your 2010?

Mine was full of milestones. This year, I got married (to my one true love, naks!), got a new job (was transferred to another business unit), got pregnant (honeymoon baby!) and lived away from my parents (albeit temporarily, with my husband, Paul). 2010 was indeed a year of major transitions for me. Sure, there have been bumps along the way (that's inevitable), but all in all, I can say that it has been a good year. Great, even.


Photo credit: http://www.maxgladwell.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/New-Year-in.jpg 


As the new year draws closer, I thank God for all the blessings He has showered me and my family. 2011 will surely be a year of more milestones for me and Paul, as we will be having our little bundle of joy some time in February. I pray for continued guidance, good health and more blessings for me and my loved ones in the coming year.

Happy New Year, everyone! :)

Random Sweetness

My husband surprised me with a dozen white roses the other day. How sweet and random of him! I had no clue he was going to me these beautiful blooms...



Pic taken by me... Macro! :)


He gave me this bouquet last Saturday. It really came as a surprise. That day, we spent more than half of the day apart - he attended the Christening of his good friend's son (he was a ninong) and I stayed at home because it was our family Christmas lunch (which is usually on the 26th because that's when my bro, Ronald, and his family visits Bulacan during the holidays).

That same day was also his college barkada's Christmas get together. So after the Christening, he went straight to Trinoma to join his friends. I followed a bit later to catch up with them, too. When I arrived at Trinoma to meet them, I saw him holding the bouquet, and my first thought was, "it must be Prescy's or one of the girls' (at pinahawak lang sa kanya haha). But when I approached, he smiled and gave the bouquet to me. I asked, "para saan 'to?" and he said, "Wala lang."  Ain't he sweet? :) Love him to bits.

Here's a pic of us in Trinoma (taken by Mareng Michi)

My birthday's coming up!

I'm turning a year older on Friday, yay! I need to post my birthday wishlist. I actually have a combined birthday and Christmas wishlist. :) Hope I could post that today so my family and friends can still have time to look and buy! Haha

What You Are by Jewel

Sharing a song by Jewel... Such a beautiful, beautiful piece. I was touched when I first heard this the other night. The song was used in one of the segments of the recent Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. I couldn't stop playing it in my head after that.

I couldn't find the official music video online, so this embedded file from YouTube is just more on audio. There's just a picture of Jewel while the song is being played. :)



What You Are

I'm driving around town
Kinda bored with the windows rolled down
See a girl on the bus stop bench
Dressed to draw attention

Hoping everyone will stare
If she don't stand out she thinks she'll disappear
Wish I could hold her, tell her, show her
What she wants is already there

A star is a star
It doesn't have to try to shine
Water will fall
A bird just knows how to fly

You don't have to tell a flower how to bloom
Or light how to fill up a room
You already are what you are
And what you are is beautiful

Heard a story the other day
Took place at the local VA
A father talking to his dying son
This was his conversation

"It's not supposed to be like this
You can't go first I can't handle it"
The boy said "Dad now don't you cry,
Remember when I was a child what you used to tell me when I'd ask why?"

(You'd say) Gravity is gravity
It doesn't try to pull you down
Stone is stone
It can't help but hold its ground

The wind just blows, though you can't see
It's everywhere like I'll always be
You already are what you are
And what you are is strong enough

Look in the mirror
Now that's another story to tell
I give love to others
But I give myself hell

I'd have to tell myself
"In every scene there's a perfect plan"
Everything I hoped to be
I already am

A flower is a flower
It doesn't have to try to bloom
And light is light
Just knows how to fill a room

And dark is dark
So the stars have a place to shine
The tide goes out
So it can come back another time

Goodbye makes a love so sweet
And love is love so it can teach us
We already are what we are
And what we are is beautiful

And strong enough
And good enough
And bright enough

Happy Thanksgiving!

It’s thanksgiving!

This holiday is not really celebrated here in the Philippines. Nonetheless, I would like to greet everyone a happy thanksgiving day! Special shout outs to my cousins in the US – Ate Jean, Sheila, Bachie, Ate Mimi, Mayou, Kuya Norman and the kids.

We should all be thankful for the blessings we receive not just on thanksgiving, but every day of our lives. Me, I’m thankful for my family, friends, my career (? hehe), my husband and of course, our little bundle of joy, Joaquin Miguel (whom we will all see on February next year!).

What are you thankful for?

We're having a boy!

I had a 3D ultrasound today at In My Womb Glorietta (The Link) branch and...

IT'S A BOY! :)

Paul and I actually wanted our panganay to be a boy so we were really happy. But of course, if God had given us a girl, we would be equally happy and grateful. Will post photos soon. :)

I also want to rave about our ultrasound experience. Paul and I were looking for an affordable 3D ultrasound and lucky us, we found In My Womb through the internet.


Photo credit: IMW's FB page


And lucky us again, they have ongoing promos! They offer these Christmas promo packages from November 16 to December 31, 2010:

  1. FB3D with Gender Determination P1,500
      - 3D session
      - 5 B/W pictures
      - 5 Colored pictures
      - Fetal Biometry Report
  
  2. 3D4D Christmas Package P3,000
      - 3D4D session
      - 5 B/W pictures
      - CD of 3D pictures
      - DVD of 4D pictures (audio-video edited)
      - Fetal Biometry Report

We got package #1 and it was super sulit! The 3D session was done thoroughly, as in we spent about an hour for the whole session. The people there were really nice, especially the doctor (Dra. Agdamag). We did not feel like it's a promo package, yung tipong minamadali kase discounted. The doctor patiently waited for the baby to be in a good position so we could get good shots. :)
 
Amazing what technology can do these days, we actually saw our baby's face clearly! He kinda looks like his dad. Joaquin Miguel (yup, that's our boy's name) has Paul's lips and nose. It was so touching seeing him like that, clear, moving... There were instances when he smiled and opened his mouth. All throughout the session, I was beaming with happiness and pride -- that's our baby right there! Hay, sarap ng pakiramdam. :)

Sale, Sale, Sale!

Holiday Season = Sale Season!

Last week, I posted details of the Big and Small Company Warehouse Sale. The past couple of days, I learned about two others that you guys might be interested to check out. Details below...

Retail Specialist, Inc. Sale
Up to 70% off
Brands: Naturalizer, Florsheim, Bossini
Date: November 17-20, 2010
Time: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Address: RSI Warehouse 2295 Jannov Bldg., Pasong Tamo Extension, Makati City (if you're coming from EDSA/Alphaland, Jannov Bldg. is on the left side of the road, before Unionbank and 7-11, across Saachi House)

Rima Sale
See the photo below for complete details.
Note: just click the photo if you want to see its original size and read the texts better.


Photo credit: Mikiehl Tordecilla's FB page


Happy shopping! :)

Baby Names

Even before Paul and I got married, we already thought of names for our future kids. :) We decided to use the first letters of our second names - J and M, from Sarah Jane and Paul Michael, respectively. Here's what we came up with:

Joaquin Miguel
- For our baby boy! I just love the sound of this combination. We chose Joaquin for no special reason, we just like the name. Miguel, on the other hand, is quite special and particularly picked. It is the Spanish for Michael, which is Paul's second name.
- Etymology: Joaquin is of Hebrew origin, meaning "God will establish." Michael is also of Hebrew origin, meaning "who is like God".

Julia Maria
- This is, of course, for our little girl. Julia is from my mother's name, Julieta. Maria sounds pure, we really like it. It's also from the name of Paul's aunt and also my maternal grandmother.
- Etymology: Julia is of Latin origin, meaning "youthful". Maria is of Latin origin as well, meaning "star of the sea".

If we're going to have more than two kids, we have names for them, too -- Julian Miguel for boy and Julia Miranda for girl. :)

A Dose of Summer Sunshine

Guys, do check out my bestfriend Ese's blog - Summer Sunshine. She posts some really cool and interesting stuff, from weddings to make up to baby stuff, etc... Basically anything under the sun. :) And of course, you'll read a lot about Summer, her pretty little girl (and my inaanak).

So go ahead, get your dose of Summer Sunshine! :)

99 days to go!

Wow, how time flies! My pregnancy ticker says "99 days to go" before our little bundle of joy comes out! Yehey, I'm so excited! And I'm sure my husband is, too. :)

Today, I'm entering my 26th week, which means I'm on the last leg of the second trimester. I really hope our baby's going to be okay despite my week-long cough and colds. I've been on medication since Monday and so far, I'm seeing the improvements. The diagnosis was acute upper respiratory tract infection and I was given antibiotics. I was also advised to use a nebulizer to ease my breathing. At first, I was hesitant to take the meds, but I trust my OB, I know she would not prescribe anything that will cause harm to our baby. Tomorrow will be my follow up check up. Hope the infection will be totally gone by then.
 
Oh, baby, daddy and mommy are so excited to be with you. See you in 99 days! :)

Nursery Love

Just want to share some photos of beautiful, dreamy nurseries I found on the net. I dream of providing a wonderful nursery for our little one, too. :)

Cool, crisp design for a boy
Photo credit: home-designing.com



Fit for a princess
Photo credit: modern-luxury-interior-design.blogspot.com



Fit for a princess, too
Photo credit: projectnursery.com



Now, the following photos are of my two favorites designs, one is for a baby boy, the other for a baby girl. I hope someday, our baby could have a nursery like either of these two. :)

For the boy... I'm loving the simplicity of the colors. I particularly like the combination of beige/cream and blue. And I also love the cute, little stuffed toy animals on the couch!
Photo credit: projectnursery.com

For the girl... La-la-love lavender! It's so easy on the eyes, so refreshing to look at! I also like the somewhat minimalist feel of the room. And the chandelier - it adds just the right touch of elegance to this simply but exquisitely designed nursery. Photo credit: projectnursery.com

Big & Small Company Warehouse Sale

It's shopping time for the baby! Yey! Got this info from Billie (and she got it from N@Wie)... :)

Big & Small Company Warehouse Sale
Up to 70% off
Brands: Orange Juice, Spin and Havin a Baby


Photo credit: everythinginbudget.blogspot.com


I'm excited! Will drop by this sale (and drag Paul with me, of course!). It's just near our office - one jeepney ride away. Yey! If ever, it'll be the first shopping time for baby!

Home cooking rocks!

Home cooking rocks! I love this site. Been hooked for months, taking note of recipes/tips. And boy, there are a lot of them - soups, main dishes, desserts, drinks, small bites, breakfast, specials... Everything's here!

This food blog is being maintained by Mrs. Connie Veneracion, a mother, wife, lawyer and writer, among other things. She's not a chef, according to her. But she definitely loves cooking! She describes her blog as being about the meals she cooks for her family. She also shares personal observation on restaurants and information about Filipino delicacies and other food products available locally.

I love how she comprehensively shares every meal she cooks. Each post includes a complete recipe of the dish and oh-so-beautifully taken photos! Here are samples of her mouth-watering meals:

Beef, sausage and potato soup

 

Shrimp and brocolli stir fry



Salisbury steak

Bacon, cream and cheese fettuccine

Chocolate brownie cake

Watermelon smoothie

She is truly an inspiration. A couple of things I learned form her blog: (1) You don't have to be a chef to be able to cook mouth-watering dishes and (2) You don't have to spend huge amounts of moolah to cook gourmet-type dishes. As her blog's tagline goes, "Cook more, spend less". Love it!

Photo credits: All photos are from homecookingrocks.com.

Little Women on Dec. 5 - Let's watch!

Hi, friends!

For its traditional December holiday production, Repertory Philippines is staging the family musical, Little Women. Based on the novel by American author Louisa May Alcott, this musical tells the joyous and heartwarming story of the March family - how they overcome challenges and gain love and unity in the process.
 

 
“This is a wonderful story that’s appropriate for the holiday season,” says director Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo. “Audiences will see how the March sisters depend on each other as a family and how they cope as their father is away serving the American Civil War,” she says.

“They’re a fun bunch: brash aspiring writer Jo, romantic Meg, pretentious Amy, and kind-hearted Beth. Audiences will surely be able to relate to these four little women.”

Little Women will be staged at Rep’s home for the past several years: Onstage Theater in Greenbelt 1 Mall in Makati City.

“We’re at a convenient location for families or friends. There are many things they can do before or after watching our shows, like shopping, dining out, visiting the nearby Ayala Museum or even simply enjoying the outdoor garden spaces.”

Little Women has been adapted into at least four anime (Japanese animation) versions and has been made into film versions with Katherine Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor. The latest Academy Award-nominated adaptation was done in the mid-90's starring Winona Ryder, Kirsten Dunst, Claire Danes, Susan Sarandon and Christian Bale.

Gerard Salonga conducts the FILharmoniKA orchestra. New York City-based Joey Mendoza handles set design while Tuxqs Rutaquio does costume design and John Batalla does lighting design.

Please come and watch the December 5, 2010 (Sunday, 8PM) show! Prices are at Php1,000, Php800, Php600 and 500. For ticket inquiries, please call or text Sarah at 0917 867 5986 or Marge at 0917 884 9037 or Anj at 0917 882 8552.

You may also send queries/reservation through e-mail at littlewomenmanila@gmail.com.

Hope to see you on the December 5 show! Thanks! :)

2011 Starbucks Planner

I've been a BDJ Power Planner user for the past three years (2008 to 2010). For next year, I'm sort of having seconds thoughts on getting BDJ again, mainly because of the price. So, just like my bestfriend, Ese, I have my eyes set on  the 2011 Starbucks Planner! There are three covers to choose from. I fell in love with the Maroon Velvet Fabric (go, UP! Hehe). Here's a look at them:


Cool Clean Stainless Steel, Maroon Velvet Fabric and Stained Dark Wood Panels
Photo credit: spot.ph


To get the planners, we all know the drill. You collect a specific number of stickers and voila, you get your own planner. Plus, a donation goes to SparkHope, Starbucks' childhood program in partnership with UNICEF. So, it's for a good cause.

Promo details:
Number of stickers to collect -- 17 (9 for Christmas drinks, 8 for regular drinks)
Collection of stickers -- November 3, 2010 to January 5, 2011
Redemption of planners -- until March 6, 2011

Since I'm pregnant and can't drink coffee, I enlisted the cooperation of my husband (hehe) in completing the stickers! He will get all the Christmas drink stickers, while I will collect for the regular drinks (I can order non-coffee based fraps, anyway). I'm kinda sad because I can't have my favorite Christmas drink, Peppermint Mocha Frap! Oh well, next year will be my time. :)

Pasalubong!

Paul arrived last September 4 from an almost 2-month project assignment in Singapore. I was so happy to see him! And being the spoiler that he is, he brought me pasalubong... It was so sweet of him to have bought me stuff despite the fact that he was kinda on a tight budget (his salary was directly deposited to his PH payroll, hence, he didn't have much cash when he was in SG), plus his luggage wasn't that big. Oh, but I love everything he brought! From kiddie stuff like a humongous Piglet and Disney items (a keepsake box and a Stitch notebook set) to sporty stuff (walking shoes) to chic stuff (a lady bag) -- I love 'em all! Haha Giddy like a school girl. :)

I'm sharing here some photos of my two favorite pasalubongs. First is the Buckle Up Charles & Keith bag. I love its color, camel. Paul said he chose this over the black one because he thought the black bag looked so usual. And I agree, I saw the black version in the Charles & Keith SM North Edsa branch, and I must say, the one he got me looks better. Simple but has a touch of elegance.
 

  



It comes with a detachable shoulder strap, too.



 My second fave item is the Nike waffle racer shoes. Paul said he bought this because the waffle edition sort of has a special place in my heart. It was the first pair of Nike shoes I ever owned -- I remember, it was in 2004, I was in Bacolod City for a work assignment. I dropped by a Nike store and saw a pair of maroon rubber shoes. It was love at first sight. I fitted the pair and it was oh so comfy. It was on sale, so another plus. I loved it so much, I wore it almost everyday. Also, I didn't have much shoes then, so my waffles got worn out eventually. Anyway, enough of the reminiscing... Here is my new waffle pair, not exactly the same as my first pair, but waffles nonetheless. :)

Love the maroon and pink combination (my old pair was in maroon and mint green)

Swoosh

Thanks, Dy, for the pasalubong! :)

Photo credits: All shots of the Charles & Keith bag are from charleskeith.com. Nike shoes photos are taken by me.

I love you, Sabado!

Can't wait for Saturday!!! Paul's coming home from Singapore. He's been away for almost two months! I missed him, sobra!

Mr. Antukin :)

Well, aside from the excitement of seeing him again, I have a second reason for anticipating Saturday. Hehe My very own iPhone is also arriving!

Photo credit: itechnews.net

It's actually a gift from my brother, Nel, who's based in Perth, Australia. He and his wife, Trix, are in Singapore for a 5-day vacation and he met up with Paul last Sunday to give the phone, so he won't be spending for the shipment costs if he sends it from Perth to Manila. I'm so excited! The unit is actually a hand-me-down, Nel's been using it for more than a year, I think. He's renewing his line this September and will get an iPhone 4, so the old model's gonna be mine. Even though it's just a hand-me-down, it's going to be special to me because it's an iPhone, for crying out loud. :) And more than that, it would have a sentimental value because it would somehow make me feel more connected to Nel. You see, I (and the rest of the family) haven't seen him for like 13 years. Hopefully, he could go visit home this Christmas. We miss him so much.

Aside from the iPhone, I'm also giddy like a school girl for the other pasalubong I'll be getting. Paul said he bought a Charles & Keith bag for me (yay!), a really big Piglet stuffed toy and a pair of Nike shoes. Paul's homecoming is more than enough for me, but the material gifts that come with him won't hurt, of course. Haha :) Can't wait! Four days to go!

Boholandia

Today, I dream of Bohol. The pristine, white sand beaches of Panglao, the magnificent marine life, the fresh air and laid back feel of Tagbilaran City, the beautiful countryside... Aaah. I had told myself before that if I would get rich, I would buy a house in Bohol (among other favorite places - Baguio, Palawan, Tagaytay) so I would be close to the all the wonders it offers.

Well, I'm not even close to being rich, hehe, so for now, I'll make do with seasonal trips to this beautiful place. Here are some pictures from my recent trip to Bohol (our honeymoon last May):

View from our balcony... Hay, it's so nice waking up to this every morning. :)

At our balcony

Chilling and having snacks by the beach...

Foodidoo: the resort's lasagna is to die for! And the pizza, too!

Watching the sunrise... Marveling at the beauty of God's creations...

Balicasag Island, a popular snorkeling/diving spot

Snorkeling at Balicasag Island

Yummy lunch after a tiring yet fun snorkeling: inihaw galore + sinigang na tuna panga (not pictured)

At the Blood Compact Site

Tarsier, the world's smallest primate

Man-made forest

Chocolate Hills in Carmen, Bohol

As sweet as chocolate ;)

Let's see, will it taste like chocolate? ;)

Hanging bridge

Cruise with buffet lunch along Loboc River

Loboc River - so clean, so calm...

View of Loboc Church from the river

Loboc Church facade

Baclayon Church Bell Tower

Feeling pre-nup? :)

Can't wait til our next trip to Boholandia. :)