Welcome summer!

I know that summer's officially here because I woke up to find Anissa still asleep. The school year came to an end for her yesterday and today is the first day of summer vacation for her. As a child, I always looked forward to the summer months. Not just because I'd be away from school work for two months but mostly, I was excited about all the planned family trips. In college, it was getting together with my friends for impromptu out-of-town jaunts and weekends away from home (but at that age I remember still having a tough time asking permission to go out). Since I had kids though, it's been all about them --- planning their summer activities, outings with other family members and my friends who have kids, too.

I've already gotten the girls and myself some new swimsuits and a few new summer outfits and I'm off to the grocery this weekend or early next week to get all the necessities for our trip next week.

First stop this year will be Subic. This has been my family's Holy Week tradition for years now. Most people would rather stay home and skip the chaos along either SLEX or NLEX but not us! We usually leave on Holy Wednesday right before midnight or very very early on Holy Thursday. We are lucky to have a place there, away from the maddening crowd. I just take the kids to the Yacht Club everyday to go swimming and hang out. The rest of the time is spent chilling out (aka eating and sleeping like pigs), watching DVDs and playing with the kids at home. This is the time I get to experience DF's cooking which I truly miss!

Our next stop would have been Bora from April 6-10 but DF decided to forego that plan for now to go to Baguio instead. I really would've preferred going to the beach, especially to Bora which I haven't seen in 2 years. It would have been Sabine's first time but I'm sure we'll all enjoy Baguio just the same. She'll have her first horsie ride in stinky Wright Park haha! But I'll continue to champion Bora until my Dad gets sick of me and gives in hehehe! Just looking at the photo I posted along with this entry is making my heart ache. I miss Bora terribly.

I'm going to plan more trips after this, definitely with the barkada and their kids, either to Calatagan or Nasugbu where we've all spent numerous memorable summer weekends.

Hope you all have a fun and busy summer as well! Stay safe, everyone!

P.S. Despite the fact that I love summer, I've always hated the heat and humidity that come with it. It's been obvious since last Monday that the weather has started to change. That means our electricity bill is going to give us major headaches again pretty soon. Oh well...

Join the fight against global warming!

LETS FIGHT GLOBAL WARMING!

On 29 March 2008 the Philippines will join countries around the world as we literally "turn the lights out" for Earth Hour - an event that will fuel awareness on climate change and prove that when the people of the world work together, they can make a difference in the fight against global warming.

Earth Hour will take place throughout the Philippines from 8 to 9 in the evening on Saturday night, 29 March 2008.

WWF invites you to participate by shutting off lights for 60 minutes, organizing your own "lights-out" event or by forwarding this mail to your friends, workmates and family.

Airborne to refund consumers

I just wrote about AIRBORNE being a trusted remedy and was surprised to find out this morning from a friend (who's also an Airborne fan) that the makers are facing a huge lawsuit in the US.

At first I thought it was discovered to contain harmful ingredients. But from what I've read so far, that doesn't seem to be the case. They're being held responsible for false claims, that is, for being a "cold buster".

There are a lot of reactions from AIRBORNE users saying it has worked for them each time and I honestly feel the same way. If there's nothing harmful about it, I'm going to keep taking it everytime I feel a cold coming on. I just hope this investigation they're conducting doesn't yield disturbing results in the future.

Read the full article HERE.

Now I know why my headache won't go away

I'm still up after having slept through most of the afternoon and as a sort of "tradition", I'm watching the Bb. Pilipinas Pageant Question and Answer portion I can't believe that five girls have been interviewed so far and none of them have given decent responses. Just some examples:

Judge : If you were to become a leader, who would you like to be? (or something to that effect)Candidate : If I were to become a LEETHER, I would like to be ... (5 second pause) Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (sidenote: at this point, the crowd in Araneta Coliseum starts to "boo" her). Because she is our current president of the PEELEEPINS and I'm also a SK Chairman. At 17 yrs old I already serve the people of the PEELEEPINS...

Emcee (Paolo Bediones) : How do you feel about winning most of the special awards tonight?Candidate : Oh I really feel OVERWARMED by all the awards given to me...ANO DAWWWW??? BAKA MAINIT ANG SPOTLIGHTS SA ARANETA?

Emcee (Paolo Bediones) : You're in the semi-finals...how do you feel right now?Candidate : I'm so thankful for being here! I'd like to thank the judges for MAKING ME TO THE CUT...CUT THE B.S. PLEAAAASE!

Emcee : You feel a lot of pressure right now? Candidate : No I don't feel a lot of pressure right now.Emcee: Good for you, please choose a name of a judge.Judge : What role did your family play in your becoming a contestant of the Bb. Pilipinas?Candidate : Well my family's role is very important because THEY'RE ARE...uh...THEY WAS...HAHAHAHA I'm so sorry! My PAMILY...uh my FAMILY...hee hee hee! I'm so sorry! I told you that I don't feel any pressure...hee hee hee...pero eto ako...ha ha ha! Okay...okay...my family's role is very important to me. Thank you! ... NO PRESSURE DAW YAN ANAK NG...!!!

Ayoko na ituloy ito sumasakit lang lalo ang ulo ko...baka matuloy pa itong trangkaso ko. Pambihira, wala bang matinong screening committee ang Bb. Pilipinas??? My gasssss!!!

Mother Mother I am sick

In the past 3 weeks, there were times when I seriously felt like I was going to get sick. The girls were coughing for a while and I thought that the virus had finally caught up with me. But thanks to my trusted companion, AIRBORNE, I was able to regain my strength almost immediately and dodge the virus completely.Today though, I woke up after sleeping straight for about 10 hours, something I have not done in a very long time. I didn't even do it on purpose, it seemed my body went on sleep/rest mode on its own. I was shocked when I looked at the clock to see what time it was and when I stood up to go to the bathroom, I felt dizzy and sick! I don't know if I should blame last night's gimmick. But I didn't go home too late and I slept almost right away after taking a shower. I guess I've just been tired lately. As soon as I had the strength to go downstairs, I immediately got myself a glass of water and turned to AIRBORNE again. I've had 3 glasses since then and I'm feeling much better now, although still not my usual self. If you haven't discovered AIRBORNE yet, then it's time you tried it. Unfortunately, I think the only store that carries it locally is True Value. And as expected, the retail price is quite ridiculous compared to the $4.99 you have to shell out for the box you see in the picture I posted here. Thank God for online ordering and relatives in the US, I always have access to it! Take care everyone and don't get sick. The weather is still really weird.

Teakwood heaven is right in Mandaluyong

Right beside the Regalong Pambahay Outlet Store is another place where you can find really beautiful home furniture made of Teak wood. Everything is imported from Indonesia, where Teak is supposedly more plentiful. I learned from googling that Teak wood is really expensive because it has a natural oil which prevents it from aging the way other types of wood do. It's also this oil that keeps termites away. Great, right?

The store's name is KOMODO

One of my favorite pieces in the store is this coffee table with drawersI think it was priced at over 20K

I've always wanted a desk just like this. I didn't look at the price because I didn't want to be disappointed but I'm pretty sure this was somewhere between 15K and 25K

I can imagine this book case in one corner of my bedroom

A really functional footbench with drawers (that's DH on the bed hehehe)

This 4-seater table was more than 20K and the chairs, almost 8K eachI'll have to wish hard to fill my entire house with Teak wood furniture hehehe. One piece a month maybe? Hmmm...that's a thought!

Outlet shopping

In the States, this is what I love most. I hope more and more brands put up outlet stores here (I know there are already a few in Sta. Rosa, Laguna). One of the stores I like going back to is the Regalong Pambahay Outlet Store in Mandaluyong, along Pioneer Street. DH and I went there again recently to look around during our spare time.

The place is huge, like a warehouse but nicer

Endless shelves of home decor

They have a section that's black and white. See those Victorian picture frames? They're so pretty! Too bad they'll look out of place in my house.

I want a mirror this big hahaha!

And a lounger just like this for those lazy moments

This is their Clearance sectionIf you pay in cash, you get 20% off the tag priceCredit card purchases are subject to a 15% discount

Jin, this is all your fault!

Hehehe Could this be about something else?

My cupcake craving finally came to an end (or did it?) yesterday.DH texted to let me know he was in Greenhills with DB in the afternoon to buy something and I had a great idea! I asked him to please please drop by Goodies and Sweets before going home to get a box of cupcakes. I begged him not to forget because I was honestly going nuts just thinking of cupcakes!

He really made my day!
It definitely made my CSI New York marathon a lot more enjoyable!!!

Thank you, Hon!

For coffee lovers like me

Coffee with a twist!

I love the idea but I don't know if I can handle the spike (I've stayed away from alcohol for a very long time). I hope they don't overdo it because I really would like to try these out.
Just click on the photos to find out more about Delifrance's promo that will run from March 3-7

Dang this sweet tooth!

It's almost 2am and I'm still craving for something sweet. There's sugar-free Ensaimadas and Chocolate Roll in the fridge but I'm in the mood for something else ... CUPCAKES! I don't know what started this crazy love for cupcakes but it's there and I can't deny it!

I came across an article on Karen's Kitchen and now I'm really really sorry I had to look at all those photos! See for yourselves just how tempting these are...

Banana Chocolate Chip with Peanut Butter Icing



Lemon Strawberry Tea with Strawberry Icing



Carrot and Zucchini with Cream Cheese Icing

Cupcakes @ P50 each, Samplers in dozens also available



Cafe Au Lait Mousse Crunch, P650 8-inch



BEST SELLER : Chocolate Ganache (looks sooo rich!), P600



How smart is this? - Mixed Blueberry and Strawberry Cheesecake, P700



Frozen Brazo : Green Tea, P330



Frozen Brazo : Strawberry, P360



Frozen Brazo : Manila Vanilla, P350

Now don't I just hate myself even more? I'll be going to bed with a growling tummy!
Find out more about Karen's Kitchen HERE

I will be trying her out very, very soon!

Photo credit : Shopcrazy.com.ph

This is the start of my weekend?

I came to work extra early today in anticipation of the traffic due to the planned rally on Ayala Avenue. True enough, the OB Vans and press vehicles were already lined along Paseo de Roxas as early as 8am.

Upon settling down in my work area, I was told that my laptop would have to go to the IT people for re-configuration. It would take around 3 hours to do it and for the first time I seriously felt paralyzed. No laptop for 3 hours? That meant no email, no internet. I was stuck with my files and all my pending paperwork which I had to manually write down in my notebook.

Thank God there's a Starbucks that's a stone's throw away from the office. I went there to get me a Grande Cafe Mocha and when I returned to my work area, my boss' secretary was kind enough to offer me the day's issue of Wall Street Journal to read.

So I finally got my laptop back after the looooooooooooooooong wait. But I remembered I had to go downstairs and get money from the ATM so off I went. I keyed in my PIN once...wrong pin. A second time...wrong pin. What the??? One last time I keyed it in and guess what...the machine swallowed my card Great!!! It's the weekend and I don't have access to my money? STRIKE TWO!

I let go of that incident because I couldn't do anything about it anyway. But as they say..."bad luck" comes in threes, right? I was planning on leaving the office earlier than usual to avoid getting caught in the traffic due to the rally. I set a meeting in Ortigas Center in the afternoon but it was too late when I found out that the rally was to take place at 2pm! I thought it was going to be at 4pm just like the last one. At 1pm this is how the corner of Ayala and Paseo looked like from my boss' corner office window...


Good thing I was able to move the time of my meeting and the person was still available to sit down with me. By 3:30 I was out of the office and took the back route. Longer but definitely the wiser choice.

And that...is how my weekend started. Oh but there is a 4th incident that kinda surprised me but that is a different, more complicated and extremely more frustrating story which I would rather just deal with in silence.

Hope you guys have a great weekend!