Limitless Bra

Don't mind the face.  They could have gotten a better-looking model.  Right?

British company Tesco has launched an innovative bra Limitless Bra under Diamond Boutique brand. It’s unique because you can wear it in more than twenty ways and with any clothes on.
This pioneering lingerie created by Frank Lampard took more than one year to design. The bra consists of several parts, including two cups and a selection of straps, giving a woman the opportunity to create her own style of bra.
Magic bra costs €16, sizes available: 32-38 A-D.

source

Celebrity Birkins

Please don't ask me the size, leather type, hardware type, or even the color.
This is just a couple of photos I grabbed from a website.

Victoria Beckham owns 40 (or more) Hermes bags. Wow!

Here is Brooke Burke using a black Hermes Birkin in a size I don't like.

And here is a photo of the girl from the block with a pink Birkin peeking out the corner of the image.

She quotes, "Everything else comes after family."

Quite a defensive statement for a semi has-been.

Wala lang...

Gisele Bundchen + Water Birth

On Vogue.com, an editorial for Gisele Bundchen who recently gave birth to her first-born states this:

Benjamin was born at home, in warm water in a deep bathtub that overlooks the Charles River. "I wanted to experience the transformation," says Gisele. A midwife friend of hers came in from Brazil as did her mother; her husband was there too. Gisele meditated through the birth. "It was the most amazing experience of my life, feeling him come through my body. And once he was born, I never felt so empowered as looking at him and thinking, Oh, my God, we did it together!"

Could she be talking about water birth? Oh, I never would have the courage to do that.  Never! Even if I would be under a hypnotic trance, no!

But on this statement, I couldn't agree with her more,

"I don't trust anyone else with Benjamin."

First-time mom syndrome.

link

Natalia Vodianova

I've been living under a rock.

It's probably because I never bought anything Kamiseta (sky-high prices for a local brand) so I never paid attention to their billboards or in-store posters.

Natalia Vodianova, I don't pay too much attention to models now.  Their names have become so hard to pronounce and there have been so many faces each and every season.

So while aimlessly browsing the net, I saw this photo

I fancied her top.  Fine, the jeans too.  So on I went to read...

A few more pictures and it dawned on me...
She's the current model for Kamiseta.  Hmm, ever wondered why Kamiseta picks international faces? Why do they have to do that?

Finding out more information about her, I was surprised/shocked/flabbergasted that she has not one BUT THREE(!!!) kids! And she's 27 years old already!

Wow!

Three kids!
Ok, given that there's a lot of Photoshop, color grading, and makeup done here, 
you have got to admit, she does not look like a mother AT ALL!!

I wonder what she does to stay so waif-thin..

Enlarged Pores: Causes and Solutions

I've disclosed a lot of time in this blog that I don't have the perfect facial skin.  It's not bad BUT it's not perfect.  It could look better only if I had the time and financial means to splurge my face with OBAGI and/or Belo services.

None of those invasive procedures.  Maybe oxygen mask or some other revolutionary technology that coulf give my face a really smooth finish, no need for makeup, not that I use makeup often.

When you see celebrities, isn't it that their skin are literally glowing?
They really stand out from the crowd, not too much with their pretty faces but because of the skin.

Am I the only one that notices that?

They are really glowing.  But before I worry about that glowing skin, I also wanna do something about my pores.

Fine, they are not super enlarged pores but you see them if you look closely.

I stumbled on this article the other day:

One of the most common problems with face skin is enlarged pores. Even the most expensive facial care cosmetics can’t fight this skin defect. What makes it worse, enlarged pores are beneficial environment for different bacteria. Oily and mixed types of skin are characterized by enlarged pores. Unfortunately, the type of skin you have depends on your genes and you can do nothing about it. Neither can you get rid of enlarged pores for good, but you can use temporary solutions for it. Later on, you will have to support the positive effect when needed.

What Makes Pores Dirty

The top tip is to keep your face skin and pores clean. The following factors contribute to dirty pores:

• disorders of internal secretion glands,
• hormone fluctuations,
• stress,
• taking some medicine,
• weakened immune system.

Skin Peeling to Narrow Pores

Skin peelings (surface and medium-depth) can help clean and narrow the pores. Chemical peel effect is based on removing a few surface layers of skin by means of chemical solutions. Peeling is intended to stimulate derma by removing the outer layers of the epidermis.

Enzyme Peel (Surface Peel)

Enzyme Peel is surface peel. Peel formula usually include such ferments as papain, bromelain and trypsin. The effect of enzyme peel is as mild as ultrasonic peel.

TCA Peel

TCA peel (using trichloracetic acid) falls into medium-depth peel category. It is effective for the correction of atrophic postinflammatory defects in patients with acne. It is quite aggressive treatment with 2-3 weeks recovery period.

Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy is the quickest and most comfortable treatment against enlarged pores. Cryotherapy skin pigmentation problems. The treatment can help against withered skin and fine wrinkles. helps resolve inflammatory infiltration of acnes, reduce oil production caused by oily seborrhea and lighten the skin for people who have

Best Way to Treat Enlarged Pores

You can’t get rid of enlarged pores by one visit to beauty salon. What you need is quite a long treatment. You have to combine professional treatment with daily facial care at home. All-round treatment is what can ensure a positive effect.

Source

Garage Door + Morning Sun

Seriously running out of ideas to post.  But for the love of $$moolah$$, let me maximize my domain's worth.  Just give me a chance to continue to stay home with my babies.


A few weeks back, the grand famille went to my sister's house so the kids can test run this new inflatable pool bought by my brother-in-law.



I don't always go to their house because even if it's near our house, it feels so far.  Don't get me wrong, there are in fact a lot of good projects in their area.  DMCI is really doing well with land developments.

Oh, Mahogany Place, when will you ever be ours??

So anyway, when I saw her newly-renovated house, I couldn't help but tell her to check out Garage Door Repair in San Diego.

Her house is always a mess.  No matter how much renovations are done, something's really wrong.  She now made an effort to actually join a leading home magazine in their makeover contest.  I tell you, her house, since she transferred there in 2003 (still single then) up to this day, it still looks like they just moved in.  It's total chaos.

That's another reason why I don't always go there.  Too much stuff everywhere plus the kids' toys combined plus the kids' noises.  And mosquitoes at night.  They're huge!

So after that dip in that inflatable pool we transferred to the clubhouse where Monica and Mateo didn't have too much fun, which still leaves me clueless.  You see, my kids are water fanatics.  They are at peace when in water.  One of the reasons I'm thankful that it was never a challenge to give them a bath.  Jinx aside.

The next day, Monica vomited.
So much for pool fun.
To think we only stayed for 15 minutes in the pool.

She probably failed to spit out the water.  My little Monica who previously had amoebiasis.
Thankfully though, that was just one vomiting episode.

We'll just come back there maybe when ze husband comes home.

Print

Flickr and Multiply, why do I even sign up to this sites to name a couple?
I have so many photos, that's why.

Lots and lots.
I've got several thousands uploaded already but I'm not yet even halfway done.

When ze husband gifted me with a dslr, I planned on printing all the photos worthy.
But when I have thousands to filter, it's just terribly hard to choose which ones to save on a flash drive and print.

But, l and behold, online printing service, makes  life so much easier.  Recently, Multiply partnered with Digiprint of LBC.   Although I'm not too convinced with their technology.

Back in college, yes, they made a lot of money from my digital photos.
Now I'm too picky and hesitant to have them process my precious photos.  I'm scared my money will go to waste after several years.

I'm also thinking maybe I should just get archive-quality printing but I know that's expensivo.

Chelsea Serendra + Friends For Life

Chelsea never disappoints (at least for me).

Love the food.
Love the location.
Love the serving.
Love the servants.
Love the place's design.

Please pardon me for my extremely simple descriptions.
Whoever said I was a food blogger??  Hahahaha!!

A couple of weeks ago, I met up with my friends for life.  That's not really our barkada name.
Oh believe me when I say I never affiliated myself with a single barkada.

Yes I've had my steady and constant group of friends but I personally never referred to them as barkada.  I was afraid I might jinx it.

But don't get me wrong.  I love my friends dearly.  Ask them.  They will give same answers as if it's scripted.  I'm not bragging but only goes to show I value my friends and our friendship.

Aaaanyway....

My two friends, we met during high school.
Wearing green is Letlet.  Oh, we've come a loooong way.  My soul sister.
The one in the middle is Joebelle.  We've shared several experiences and we're both mothers.  My kumare but not really.

It's sad that we don't see each other regularly.  But we know the bond is there.

A couple of weeks ago, I met up with these lovely ladies for a dinner in Chelsea.

I wouldn't say the food was costly because I enjoyed every single bite and we were so stuffed.  We weren't able to finish the food, Joebelle just gave it to her driver.  Oh yeah, she leveled up already. Hahahaha!!!

During dinner, we talked about Letlet's upcoming wedding, marital issues--mostly happy, kids, and of course, gossip.  What's a fun dinner without gossip and making fun of those who treated us wrong, right? (Oh, I forgot to ask about Painted Hermit Crab Shells, saw some of those from the last ExpoKid in Rockwell. I think I wanna buy one for the kids.)

Like how many from high school actually thought we were gonna fail in life? Well, look at you now.
How many of those wannabe's judged us and would go the extent of trying (in vain) to wreck our happy and tight friendship?  Look at you now.

Yes, we think we're playful in every sense of the word.  We are perky especially when we're together.  We have the same interests. We have our secrets.

And it may seem ironic but BOYS never really interest us.  We weren't the type who would keep on crushing on every single guy from every batch.  That's just not us.
They were the ones who got interested.  Hahaha.  That part, I'm just kidding.  We wouldn't really know.  We were/are just minding our own little happy world.

Man, I miss those bones.

Joebelle and I go a long way back since sophomore year in high school. We were classmates and though I admit I never thought we'd ever be friends, her being very maarte.  But who am I to complain when I know for a fact I have my own kaartehan.

We got along really quickly and were instantly partners in crime.  She has nothing to hide from me.  We can read each other's minds.  I can't really say that the two of us are more playful than Letlet--she has her own way of being more playful.  Labo..

How do I explain it?  Well, we have our own ways and actions that make us playful.  We may be perfectly in sync but we never lost each other's identity.
 I think that's very important.

We both have our own kids now.

And I'm very proud of what kind of a mother Joebellte turned out to be.
Really.

Does it really need to be such a short post for Joebelle?

Karmic Sisters

Letlet and I.  Oh, Lolita!
How did we become friends?
Our friendship started during sophomore year too but we weren't classmates.  She belonged to the first pilot class and Joebelle and I were in the second pilot.  I can't pinpoint how we became friends.

I do remember we were introduced and hit it off right away.  I knew she'd be my good friend the moment I met her.  I felt it. Honest.
I initially thought we would get along since I noticed that she was familiar with anything branded.  And her sense of style, I sorta liked.  She wasn't baduy back then.  And we sorta "understood" each other since we both had cellphones back then.  We won't think of each other as a show-off.  We knew the importance of it.
....
Gosh, she deserves a different post.
So I'm gonna stop right here and make a mental note to dedicate a post for her.

It's been over 10 years and we're still together.
Just the three of us but it's all good.

Cheers to spending special moments together! Mostly in spirit.  Hahahaha!!

Love my lovely ladies.

The Father's Son + Inutak Recipe

Can you even guess what he's eating? 

That's INUTAK.  It's some sort of kakanin, a ricecake variant.  Inutak is made of rice and coconut milk and takes a lot of patience to make.  I'm not too fond of eating this.  It's too sweet for me.

This is best paired with dirty ice cream.  Inutak is already sweet and tasty that if you mix it with commercialized ice cream, you won't appreciate its taste anymore.

Best served when hot, it practically melts when mixed with dirty ice cream.  This is expensive ha.  If I remember it right, a square foot pan of inutak is approximately Php 800. 
Oh, if only I can find a photo from one of Monica's or Mateo's party.  We usually serve it since it's sorta considered native. 

Just last week, I was surprised that Mateo actually ate this.

If you're interested to tryit, here's a recipe I found online [source]

Ingredients:

• Sugar (about 1 kilo)
• Coconut milk (extract from 5 coconuts/niyog) – you can buy canned coconut milk from Oriental or Filipino stores
• Galapong (mixed of 3 cups of rice and 2 cups of malagkit rice) – you can replace with Glutinous rice flour available in Oriental or Filipino stores
• Vanilla (about ½ tsp)
• Coloring is optional
• Water

Procedure:

• Mix together sugar, ½ of coconut milk with water, galapong and vanilla. Add food color (optional).  Set aside the other ½ pure coconut milk for the topping
• Put in a thick pan, medium fire. Continue stirring until cooked
• Prepare lanera, brush with a bit of cooking oil
• Put cooked galapong in the lanera.  Press flat down.
• Top with the other ½ of PURE COCONUT milk (don’t add water)
• Bake until toppings are golden brown

Monica, The Chatterbox

Holding a flower from a birthday cake, she was probably looking at someone to have a smile like this.




It's been so long since the last time I posted about Monica's lines. There's just been too much, I found it hard to keep up.

↳ "Awesome, mommy. Wow!"
       Please don't ask me where she learned that.  I have no idea.
↳ "Mommy, I love my brother very much.  See, I kissed him.  I love Mateo veeeery, veeery MUCH!!"
↳ "I love you mommy. A lot."
↳ "When making pancakes, you need 2 eggs, butter, water, pancake."
       Didn't teach her.  She just sees it everytime we mix the batter.  It's her favorite.  She can eat 10 regular-sized pancakes.
↳ "Mommy, only my cousins have daddy. Me, I don't have a daddy."
       Saddest line Monica has ever told me.  Of course I explained to her that her daddy is different.  She told me this right before going to sleep.  The time when LOML would rub her back to put her to sleep.
↳  Asked her "Do you want to wear your Crocs or rubber shoes?  To which, she answered "How about Nike?"


Oh, there's a lot more.  I feel bad for not being able to log it here.
Shux.

Sleeping Babies

They're supposed to be beside each other.  But I still can't figure out how Monica reached that place.

Looking at our photos, this reminds me I have to buy another Uratex foam.  We already have this queen-sized bed strictly for kids and the single mattress that we use is too soft already, our backs ache everytime we wake up.

We have to have two beds.  Placing the kids in a different room is a no-no for us.  Well aside from it being not too feasible given our situation, we strictly practice co-sleeping with kids.

Ze husband and I have a mutual and unnegotiable rule when it comes to sleeping.
We have to sleep beside each other. 

The whole day, we are too preoccupied in taking care of our kids.  We are very hands-on.  Really, our yaya is so lucky to have us.  When LOML is here, the yaya does nothing except wash the clothes and attend to the kids while LOML and I take a bath together.  That's an unspoken and unplanned rule since we got married.  Even when we go out, which is practically everyday, we rarely bring the yaya along.

We make sure that once the kids are tucked in their bed, we get to spend our alone and quiet time together on our own bed.  We waste time talking about anything and sometimes we are glued to our own laptops and web surf together; sometimes we even view the same site on different laptops. Crazy.

While writing this, I suddenly remember one conversation we had years before getting married which was brought up a few days before our wedding day.

We sort of agreed that once we get married, we will use a single mattress for as long as we can.  We liked the idea of being really close together during sleep and anytime we want to just stay there for hours.

We even thought, it would work best if we'd have a fight, we would have no choice but to feel each other and end up discussing the problem and soften up.  Hahahaha!!

Yes, we're mushy like that.  He's kalbo, scruffy, and tough but he's got a sensitive spot.  LOVE!!!

We fall asleep cuddling each other, that's how it is ever since.


Oh wait, why am I talking as if ze husband is coming home??

It's just March and he won't be home until June!

Three more months.....

Chikiting Patrol

My Chikitings

Sometimes I call them bagets, sometimes chikitings.  I really don't have a specific term of endearment for each of them.

At times, though, I'd say love or baby girl/boy.  I'm really not into those stuff.

Hello, LOML, we don't even refer to each other as hun, honey or whatnot.

During the early part of our relationship, we used Dude.  But then Finding Nemo got too well-accepted by everyone and every single person I know (and hear strangers too) started using Dude.  So we stopped.  Sometimes, we still tend to use it, out of the blue.

We used to call each other Baby but only if one of us is making pa-cute.  It's just not us.  We don't really act like the baby of the other.  Eeep!

Then we tried Babe.  It was working well.  But then Anne Curtis and Sam Milby used it in one of the teleseryes, I forgot the title, it's the one with Bea and John Lloyd.

So we scratched that.  People might think we're following a trend.

Next was Love. I knoooow!!!! Baduy to the highest level!! But then very few people use this, well, I don't hear it too much, so that's why we sorta agreed to use it.  But again, we only use it super rare.

But wait! Why am I even talking about that??  That should be for another post.  

I'm the queen of wandering thoughts.  My mind is more noisy than my mouth.  This usually happens to me when ze husband is not around because I have nobody to talk to.  Just this blog and several notebooks/organizers/journals.  

When he's here we'd talk for hours on no end.  We forget to sleep but not the deed. Hahahahaha!!!! 

Oh... kay!! There I go again.

The topic:
My kiddos.

I love taking pictures of them while sleeping--they're just so adorable, at least for me! Yes, adorable while sleeping but gone wild when awake. Hahahaha!!!

Seriously, I prefer them rowdy than calm and sick.  No way!

Even if 90% of the time I have no place to sleep, since they occupy the whole queen-sized bed, I still love them.

Just look at how Monica hugs her brother.  Sometimes it's the other way around.  I especially love it when they have the same sleeping position.  I feel like I have TWINS! Hahahaha!!!

Online Games

Lately, I find myself browsing through starfall games and wish I have all the time in the world to waste with all those addicting games. They are all very attractive to my eyes and all seem exciting.

I'm not fond of playing Facebook games as I think they are too lax (just guessing), I want games that put me under time pressure.

Such as Plants vs. Zombies which I'm proud to say, I was able to finish it already.  You can just imagine how elated I was to see this in the App Store.  I may seem like a big spender but I'm hesitant about buying this, more or less Php 140.

I must admit, I'm having a hard time controlling myself. 
Who knows, I might even end up buying this once I'm done with this article.

My Pearly Whites

Most people may not believe it but I'm really thankful that my LOML and I share the same hobbies, sentiments, views, and interests.

Ever since we started hanging out (as friends) we discovered our similarities and that's what brought us closer together.

We had a few differences but because we've been together for almost a decade, we've grown to love each other's interests.

An example, there was a time, a very long time ago, when super-flared pants were so in, I think they were called elephant pants?  How I hated those!  One time, he wore that and we were just friends back then.

I told him never to wear those again because it doesn't flatter anyone!  He didn't agree at first and we talked about it with lots of laughter and teasing.  In the end, I won and I never saw him wear those silly elephants again.

I can go on and on about all the things we both like and hate....

Aaaaanyway...

One thing, we are both obsessed about: TEETH

We're very particular with our toothpaste, toothbrush, mouthwash.  And tongue cleaning too.

It's funny.  Every single time I send him off in the airport, his parting speech would always include:

I love you.

Lagi kang mag iingat.

Easy on the kids.

Magpakabait.

Always bathe the kids twice a day and never forget to brush their teeth.

Hahahaha!!! Promise! Honest!

Even when he's away already and we're texting or he'd call me up, he would always mention the kids' teeth.  Funny and cute.

I'm far from being perfect.  I dont have the perfect set of teeth.

Yes, my mouth is virgin from retainers and braces.
As for ze husband, well, he is blessed to have perfectly aligned teeth.

I've always thought of getting braces but I'm scared that I might choose the wrong dentist. Unless I hire someone from Dentist, Cedar Park TX.  I'm scared that I will lose a couple of teeth to give way for my other teeth to align themselves.  I'm scared that the feeling will be different once I resume my other oral activities. 

Oh yes, think whatever you wanna think, most likely, those are my concerns too. Hahahaha!!!

And oh, I don't think now is the perfect time to get braces.  I will have teeth extracted and my kids are still in the stage of being carried. 

That's just dangerous and I might end up spending more.

Hmm.. decisions, decisions...

Skin and Makeup

I will never forget.  I was in junior college.

On one of the many ocassions my friends and I hang out in the mall (a stone's throw away from our school), we'd either go to Rustan's or just Glorietta.  Greenbelt is just a little bit too far.  Our lunch break lasted only for an hour and a half.  But on one semester, we had a 3-hour break, oh, that was pure bliss with my Fab Five.

Aaanyway...

We were in Rustan's to check out some clothes (as what we always do) but we decided to pass by the ground floor first since the three (of 5) of us wanted to check out Philippe Charriol for a specific solid bangle.

Once done there, we went straight to the escalator and of course that would mean we'd have to pass by the Shue Uemura space.

Beautiful makeup starts with beautiful skin.

This sort of changed my attitude towards makeup.  Being a girl, I've always loved buying makeup even if I don't really end up using them. God knows how much money I've spent wasted buying various brands just to try them out.   I'm too lazy to spend an extra 30-45 minutes on my face when I know I could do without it.

That reasoning and because of that quote from Shu Uemura. 

I know I do not have the perfect skin.  My facial skin is far from those of celebrities.  Not kutis-artista at all.  I may not have pimples (thank GOD!) but I know my skin could look better in makeup if it goes to derma regularly.

Yes, I want to have a kutis-artista skin, who doesn't??

I want a skin with NO visible pores.  I want an even skin tone.

I recently tried Diamond Peel. Just to satisfy my sisters' urges.  I didn't like it.  So now I'm left with 6 more sessions and I'm not even sure if I can still do it.

Poor me doesn't have a single idea where and how to start to improve my skin...

Anti-Wrinkle Pill. Would You?

L'Oreal partnered with Nestle in formulating the "miracle" anti-wrinkle pill known as Inneov Fermete.



I know for a fact that I should start creating a beauty regimen since I am in my mid-20s. Ugh!  But I can't seem to find a good one.  My face is very picky when it comes to products.  And I do dream of going to Belo for facials and whatever NON-INVASIVE treatments I can get.

But that's very far from happening right now.

Aaanyway...

This pill,

According to scientists, a small red pill called Inneov Fermete actively prevents wrinkles from appearing on the skin, nurturing the body with special antioxidants and lycopene that is naturally found in tomatoes. When taking on a daily basis, the risk of facial wrinkles is reduced to statistical discrepancy.

Maybe it's just me, but as I've mentioned in my fainting post, I'm no pill popper.  I'm scared about anything that I take in, even birth control pills.

I'm not a going green fanatic but I don't like having too many chemicals in my body.

Would you take this?

Whatever Happened to Mariah Carey??

What happened to her???

She may not be a performer but I definitely love her songs.  And I would love to watch her in concert AGAIN.

She really doesn't have to show her boobies the whole time.  She looks very "matronic" here.

Photo from: Style

Rogue

So the Oscars just recently concluded and how I wish to have been qualified to win ticket to one of the most prestigious awards.

Just to share, I saw this very generous website.  They have several contests going on and to join, all you have to do is sign up in the community and follow a few rules.  Now what one has to do is to wait for the results and you could win a personalized FLIP video, a personalized G-Shock watch, cap and a personalized pair of headphones.

Wow!

Aside from contests, it's also a great resource for movies, tv shows, music.  They've even got a feature on Steve Aoki!!!

Most definitely, I will be hopping on the IAMROGUE website every so often.





This post is sponsored by IAMROGUE.com/contests

Just Saying....

Because I'm a generally happy person, I like this bandage dress, again by Herve Leger.

Nobody Does It Better

When it comes to bandage dress, nobody does it better than Herve Leger.



I think about this all the time.  That even if the time comes when my husband starts earning  half a mill a month (yes, that's possible), I still don't see myself wearing clothes worth more than a thousand dollars.  A few hundreds maybe, but NOT thousands.  I think that's just too much for clothes.

I am not the biggest fan of bazaars and Greenhills but I also do not find buying majorly expensive clothes justifiable.  Yes, I go to bazaars and I even force myself to buy a shirt or two.  Note on the word, force.  But I can never seem to hand my money to the seller.  

While it MIGHT be true that they are overruns or "brought in by FAs", I don't believe in those.  To me, they are all fakes.

All those AEs, A&F, GAPs, OLD NAVYs, ROXYs, RIP CURLs, BILLABONGs found in those areas.  It's just too much.  I see them everywhere, I wanna rest my eyes. :p

Now don't get me wrong, I'm no fashion stylist.  That's just my opinion and this is my space aka diary.  Disagree?  Get a domain and get a life.

Aaaanyway...

While I don't see myself wearing clothes more than Php 50,000 except if its a very special gown, I love looking at really expensive clothes.  I just like being the know with the current trends. And appreciating the design.  I even have a Flickr folder for all the clothes I love.



Herve Leger does it best.  The way the dress fits hugs the body perfectly, nothing like I've ever seen in other brands.

The price of that Airbrushed Bandage Dress is a whopping $1590!!!  But it's really a beauty.

---Insert Title Here---

A comment I received this morning.

Ok, no matter how the question is delivered, I will answer it.
I cannot hear you talk and I do not know you so I will not judge you.

PEACE TO ALL!


First off, we are not rich. 

Sometimes I ask myself that question too.  And at times I am amazed how we get to amass the few things that we have.  And honestly, we know they are not investments.  We have yet to get those.  We have to.

To answer your question:

We have a business of our own.  That business fed us when he was on vacation for 10 months the last time.  That business gave us enough profit for us to eat wherever and whenever we want, to buy us a FEW of the things the kids wanted. And the things we wanted.

Whatever we get to buy now, we know we won't be able to do the same once the kids start schooling and that's by 2011.  Although I plan to send my little girl to playschool by June.

And by choice and for health reasons, we stay with my mother (seaman's wife too) so we save on house utilities.  Although I have a yaya, spend on our own food, and at times give something to my mother.

If you want to know what our business is, it has something to do with stuffed toys and illegal drugs. Hahahaha!!!

Seriously, yes we have a small business.

Crazy For Apples, Macs, And i's

It's been YEARS since my love affair with Apple began.

Ever since they tried ressurecting the brand by releasing the very colorful iBook model, I knew I will forever be in love with the brand.

Who can ever forget this very bold design? At a time when laptops were all black and had "standard" shapes.  I knew I was too young but I still bravely asked my father if he could buy me an iBook.  Besides, when I told him I wanted a telescope, I never thought he'd actually buy TWO!  So I never got it. Poor me.

Then Apple left the scene yet again.

In 2001, Apple released what was gonna be a leader in portable media player. The iPod.

The first gen not compatible with Windows.  Making me lust some more.  That only means, once I have it, the parents will be obliged to buy me an iBook. Hahahaha.

I never got to have it.  My father is allergic to Mac.  He hated how "elitist" the system was and still is.  It was hard to find "pirated" copies of programs.

I'm a music slave so I can't let go of this dream to have an iPod.
Wow, ang lalim lang ng pangarap.








So the second and fifth generation went by and I never got to get one. Sheesh.

I still want one until now.  I want to satisfy my want.  But that's not very responsible of me, is it? Having 2 almost-school aged toddlers.  Basta, by hook or by crook as what my mother always says.

By 2006, I was gifted with a Nano by my other benefactor.  It wasn't what I wanted but I was grateful.  It's still with us and we have no plans of letting go of it.

By the same year, my father who was allergic to anything Apple came home with a 5th gen iPod.  He ate his words! Tsk, tsk, tsk.

And he vowed iPod will only be his Mac gadget.  Ok.  He was impressed with its click wheel (who isn't?), the capacity, how easy it was to use, and the software/system.

In Christmas 2007, the LOML (Love Of My Life) brought me to tears

He gifted me with a Macbook. At that time, I really just wanted a Mac.  Anything as long as it was a Mac laptop.  Everyone in the family, especially my father (who was bitter), discouraged me from owning a Mac.  Thing is, I KNOW WHAT I WANT. 

When I received the laptop, I thought I was done.  I told myself, I got what I wanted already.  This should be enough.

When iPhone was launched, I wanted it too.  Hello, how many posts did I dedicate just for the iPhone?
We were supposed to buy it but backed out to wait for a newer release.

Again, the family kept telling me a lot of people are selling their iPhones as fast as they decided to buy one.  In Greenhills, you see a lot of pre-owned iPhones--eew.  Mostly black since those are 8gb are a little cheaper.

Ze husband and I kept discussing that a lot of people sell their iPhones because they're really not Apple users.  I think, for you to appreciate the iPhone, you have to be a Mac user (and a fanatic, kidding).  And they need constant internet access, not to mention a credit card.  Some people refuse to buy apps to add features to a bare iPhone.  Aaanyway..

By 2009, I got an iPhone 3G.  Bad trip that I was two weeks advanced when the 3GS came out. Haay..

Now, the mere thought of going back to Nokia is disheartening.  I don't think I can ever go back to Nokia. 

I admit I do LOVE how Nokia is so easy to use especially in terms of texting.  But other than that, none.  And yes I do MISS Nokia a lot.

Then we bought the kids their iPod touch which I'm thinking of replacing for one with a bigger capacity.  Or maybe one for myself.  That is something we have to talk about.

Have I mentioned here that one of the musts in our future home is a Mac desktop aside from the laptops?
Yes, that's right. Fine, we're gadget slaves. We're enjoying it.

IT IS A REQUIREMENT.  That's a mutual decision. 

Then there's the iPad.  Scrap the iPod touch for me.  I'd settle with the iPad.

But my ultimate want of the moment has to be a 15" Macbook Pro.

For purposes of portability and convenience, I want only the 15" model.  I'm not aiming for the 17", hello, I'm not a video editor or a musician by profession.

This is a serious promise.

Once I get that 15" Macbook Pro, I'm done!  No more laptops for me.
But we still have to get that Mac desktop and iPad.

Why did I even torture myself by wrting this article?
Hmm..  for some inspiration. And to attract the positive energies. Hahaha


Now, if you have a business and thinking of a name to make sure your business will click, just affix the letter i in any word.

Just like that plastic ware endorsed by Judy Ann Santos, iBox.  What???
I swear I saw a bibingka stan and it's iBibingka.
Then there are other products, iMood, iSpeaker, iSound, iHome..

Everything i!  Can't they think of a better name?  They're all hoping to cash in on that i.

Oh well...

Fainting Syncope, Passing Out

So what causes people to faint?

Wait, did you know that SYNCOPE is actually the medical term for fainting or passing out?

Looking at my right knee now, I don't see any bruise. Considering I hit the fender (?) real hard.


The family told me I turned pale all of a sudden.  The moment I leaned on Yaya Fe, I went white.  My lips turned white.

In the clinic, the nurse told me there are several factors what caused me to faint:

• hunger
• lack of sleep
• exhaustion
• lack of vitamins especially iron

Hunger - my last meal was dinner the night before.  I slept at 11ish and woke up 6am  Drank a lot of water at work and a few nuts. I always do that.  Ha! To think when I went home and changed clothes, I told myself I was getting thin (yehey!) since my clothes felt loose.

Lack of sleep - I could stay awake for loooong hours.  Could it really be the cause?

Exhaustion - Probably.  Woke up at 6am. Got off work at 11am.  Walked home really quickly plus it was extra humid today.  When I got home I rushed to change clothes, dressed my kids up, rode the car and entertained the rest of the kids in the car.

Lack of vitamins - this has the fattest chance of being the culprit.  I'm no pill-popper.  In fact, I hate medicines.  Especially the big ones.  I can't even down a Biogesic.  So you could just imagine how taxing it was for me to take my 3(!) pre-natal vitamins for 18 months!!  I've always wanted to take IRON but they 're just TOO HUGE!!!! I'm (not actively) looking for a particular brand of iron in capsule form.  None in Watson's.  Not sure about Mercury Drug. 

PLUS I am breastfeeding (until now!!! I want so much to wean already!) and It's first red letter day for me.


What's intriguing was this..

The guard who helped in carrying me mentioned to my Mother Goose that his wife once hit her knee too and she passed out too.

Hmm... something worht considering.
Too bad I can't find anything online.

For a related read and a more comprehensive answer, click here

First Time Faint

In my 25 years of existence, today was the first time I ever fainted.  Ever.

It was scary.  Well, not really. I got scared for my chikitings.
I didn't have my own yaya--she was on a day-off.

Straight from my 7-11am work, I went with my family to Megamall since my niece had to go to the dentist.  We never go to Megamall--too far, too crowded, not my ideal place.  But just for the sake of fun, I went with them.  We were dropped off in that area across San Miguel property, that part between the mall entrance and the grocery. 

Monica went down ahead of me.  Mateo being the kulit boy that he was, refused to let me go out first without him.  So as what we always do, I carry him while I go down from a pretty high SUV.  On the way down, I bumped my right knee on that part of the vehicle where it is curved right on top of the tire wheel.

It was a strong one and I felt I was gonna pee and I buried my face on the seat out of pain.  I couldn't comfort my knee so well since I was carrying Mateo and the other yayas were busy taking down the strollers and holding the other kids.

Pressured by the traffic that we might be causing and the other two kids still at the rear seat, I forced myself to stand straight and tried to ignore the pain that made me really weak.

While carrying Mateo, I settled Monica on the stroller and buckled her seatbelt.  When I started to push her, still in the same area, it was a challenge.  Maclarens are light and I can push it single-handedly.  Something was wrong with me.

The longer I tried to stand up and push the stroller with Mateo on my other arm, the harder it was for me.  I felt like my heart wasn't pumping enough oxygen.  It was HARD for me to breathe.  I didn't really feel dizzy.  But I was getting worried for myself.

Now, I'm never really the type who babies pain and sickness, I always make it sure to fight it sometimes to the point of maxing myself out bordering to feeling invincible.   When I gave birth (both) via C-section, 3 weeks after, I was jumping to shed off the ugly excess pounds.

But I was feeling too weak already, I stopped and called one of the yayas and I leaned on her.  Then all of a sudden, I felt myself drop my weight on her but I knew I was conscious.

Take note that I only walked a few steps away from the vehicle.  Like 8 steps away.

Fighting it, I was holding on to Monica's ponytail holder coz I was thinking I had to fix her hair.  But it was getting harder and harder for me to fight it.

In an instant, I let myself go and stood there unconscious (as told to me by my family).  The whole time, I felt like I was moving REALLY fast, like riding in an ambulance, I saw images moving past me.  No, I'm not over reacting.

It felt like it's been a long time, I felt I was being guided to sit then I heard my babies cry.  Forced my eyes to open to find them.  But I couldn't.  I heard my mom say
"Yung bag, yung bag. Istorbo yung bag." 
Then the guards say
"san nyo po gusto, ospital o clinic?" 
Heard my sister say,
"ospital na."
I knew I said
"ayoko." 

The moment I was unconscious up to the time with the guards happened in under 2 minutes.

Then I heard more of my babies' cries still with my eyes closed and unable to move.  I was FIGHTING it again.  I was forcing myself to stand up.

I felt me move, they were carrying me while I was sitting on a chair.

Then we stopped, one guard left saying he just ate and didn't want to help in carrying me.  I wanted so much to grunt on him. 

As I was being carried (NOT wheeled, weird), I saw we were going down a flight of stairs.

WOW!!! I wanted to stand up and and just walk.  Bahala na if I will be hanging on to the railings, I couldn't imagine myself falling off my chair and roll down the staircase.  Wow talaga.

Once we got to the MAJOR basement of SM, I was already slowly springing back to consciouness but still unable to move.  They brought me to the bed.

A good 3 minutes and I was back to myself.

But my hands, my hands! I couldn't move them!  I looked at them and they looked like an epileptic's hands, like that who had a stroke.  I swear!

I checked my feet, I can move them.  Then I thought of the kids, forced myself to sit up and psyched my hands to move.

The nurses didn't want to let me go.  But I knew I felt better.

So I walked out of that clinic with my sister and bumped into the rest of the group looking for the clinic.

Miss You Like Crazy. Non-Spoiler and MP3 Download

I loved the movie. I can rave about it over and over.  I must say, though that nothing beats One More Chance in terms of the much I've cried.  I was literally sobbing with that movie.  It reached a point when it was so hard for me to hold back the tears.

With Miss You Like Crazy, I couldn't count the times I cried.  It seemed like when I started crying, it went on for every scene after that scene in a Malaysian park.  It must be the movie's storyline or John Lloyd is really good but the most time I cried, he didn't have to say anything.  He just had to close his eyes for me to feel the emotion.

I get very emotional in movies (and in real life). Hahaha. Disclaimer!

Let's just say that I didn't regret using my free movie passes from Citibank.  Given the chance, I'd watch it again--> in the big screen!

Just in case you are looking for it, here is the link to download Erik Santos' version of the theme song.

FileDropper Free File Hosting

It's a challenge to find Aiza Seguerra's version though.

Ok, so I still can't believe my sister chose it as her ringtone. 

Jeffrey Evans, the app creator denies that the name was derived from the famous golfer.

He claims that malicious and incriminating SMS are all the rage right now.  It's so easy to get caught on your mobile.  Did you even know that everytime you connect your iPhone, it creates a backup file to be able to restore it if needed.  Restore includes all text messages and calls made.  So delete, delete, delete before you sync.

Anyway the objective of TigerText is to delete the messages right after reading it.
Both parties must have TigerText app installed and configure the settings for auto-delete.

I'm thinking, if you have nothing to hide, why use this app?

Manny Pacquiao on Jimmy Kimmel Singing... Again!

Ok, I don't watch TV that much. Well, make that, rare in a major way.

But can somebody tell me why is he on Jimmy Kimmel show again?

Last year, it was "Sometimes When We Tuts" and having Krista Ranillo on the passenger seat of his Benz SLK.

Now it's "Nothing's Gonna Chands My Love For You"

Are they just making fun of him?  Or am I just too indifferent with Pacquiao and boxing in general?

Louis Majesty, The Waves, and Ze Husband

March 1, I got a surprise text from ze husband saying they've arrived in Spain.  Blame me for not asking exactly where.  But Spain is not too big of a country, if I'm not mistaken.

By March 3, Thursday, LOML (as in Love Of My Life, hahahaha!!) complained that their stupid Ukrainian Captain is insisting to leave for Lithuania already despite warnings of waves as high as 5 meters.  Really, do they really have to be pro-management or pa-bibo even if their lives will be in danger?

Why are officers like that?  Don't they have their own families?  How come they are willing to sacrifice their lives just for them to be praised by the management? Oh, I don't know. Am I missing out on something here?

Later that day, the port authorities refused to let the ships leave the area.

By March 4, saw a report on AOL about a cruise ship being hit by "abnormally high" waves in SPAIN!!!

Photo grabbed from AOL



So I texted LOML about it.  Later that day, I got a text they got out of the breakwater already.  I felt scared.  The cruise ship is way bigger than any bulk or cargo ship. 

Oh, I can't wait for him to retire.  We seriously don't have plans of him being a Captain.  We just want to send the kids to school, graduate, have our own stable business, then spend the rest of our lives together.

Potty Talk

Before I could even read up on potty training, my little Monica started potty training on her own and I didn't even need to use a potty putter. I guess I'm just fortunate to have a daughter like her.  I understand that girls are harder to potty train.  Well, the little girl trained herself, yes, herself, to start using the potty right after she turned two years old. 

I actually have a post about that, June 2008, I think.

Now, Mateo, that's a totally different story.  He keeps my hands full.  He's quite special and I'd like to think of it that way instead of being negative about it.  I'd like to think that his personality is totally opposite of Monica's. He probably got the snobbish attitude from me and ze husband. The tantrums, I think ze husband and I can be blamed for that too.

So I wonder why ze husband and I are still together. Hahaha.

At 1 and a half, I still can't seem to watch out for cues when he is about to pee or poop.  He does tell me when he has poop, though.  As for pee, it's just hard.  The times I witness him pee, I don't notice any consistent actions he does before the deed.

I don't know, could it still be too early? Although I don't pressure him.  I just let him un-diapered for a few hours to study his actions.

Let's see how long it will take us..

Wedding is In

I am currently surrounded with people who are:

• planning to get married
• about to get married, or
• just married

What does that mean?
Well, aside from receiving wedding invitations, it only means I have to prepare our budget to buy wedding presents. 

Now let's see, what do we often give in weddings? Certainly we don't buy photo albums or photo frames. Hahaha.  We like giving dinnerware, bedsheets and pillows.  Often overlooked by some guests that the couple needs pillows too!

Aside from budget, I'm starting to realize that my current age is everyone's ideal age to get hitched.
And here I am with two kids already. No regrets, though!

I'm really abnormal. Hehehe.

Another realization that needs attention is our wedding album!
Wow! We're approaching our 4th year together and our album is still non-existent.

I guess it's really like that when real life takes over, huh?
I wonder when we can ever find the time to choose the pictures and clips?

Oh well. Here's to wishing our friends the best of luck!

I Missed This

Blame it on procrastination.
It was my fault why it took me two weeks before I could update this.

So let's quit the lame excuses and get it on.

First off, I want to share these sites that probably most people won't appreciate.
But I really just like bookmarking sites that seem useful to me and makes my life easier.  Even if I don't really get to visit them after I bookmark them. Hahaha.

I'm obsessed with knowing the latest in music just like I did back in college.  And I do admit, it's hard to keep up now especially when our house is filled with Playhouse Disney, Barney, and Dora.  Impossible.
Aside from AOL, this is where I get to listen to FM even if my kids are busy loving the noise made by the TV.
Almost complete list of the FM stations in Manila.  I only listen to two stations ever since. Magic 89.9 and Wave 89.1 which played a big role in my college years. LINK.  I know, those stations provide live streaming right, I still prefer this site.

This feeds the OC-ness in me.  I'm starting a new leaf with my iTunes library which I share with ze husband.  Believe me when I say we have the same taste.  The only time it differs is when he's onboard and familiarity (which breeds liking) with other music genres is present.  It goes back to normal once he comes home.

OK... so.. going back. 
This site lets you know the artist, the album, and the year of the song.  All you have to is upload the music.  LINK

Years ago, when mobile phones didn't have memory cards, I created .wav ringtones every night. I made sure nobody had the same ringtone as mine.  I only shared them with ze boyfriend and a few of my friends.  Nokia 7650 brings back a lot of memories. And I am straying away from the topic again.

So I found this site which makes me feel nostalgic and takes away a few moments of my time when I should be working.
LINK
All I have to do is upload the mp3, cut it where I want the audio to start and end. Then I download it. So easy.  Back then, I had to keep looking for trial versions of MP3 Splitters.  Trials kept expiring so I had to keep on looking for some more.  But this is online! No need to download any software.



So there are my current web finds which are really useless to most people. Hahaha..