They say November is the month when most of the babies were born. Want to know why? It’s because it’s exactly nine months after February, the love month!

So after greeting Fedhz, it should come as no surprise that another blogger friend is celebrating her birthday.

Happy Birthday to the author of Niko’s blog and Lover Mushroom. Niko, we wish all the happiness to a sweet woman like you and we hope you get everything you would ever want in life.

Yes, I really need a daily schedule. It’s hard to make one and it’s even UNBELIEVABLY harder to stick to it! But I have to stay positive and hope that I can do it. As long as I’m alive I can still change, right? LOL

So this is the schedule that I just made. I’m really keeping my fingers crossed that I will stick to this one.

AM

6 – 7           ——–       Morning time with Z

7:00 – 8:00 ———   Me Time

8 – 10:00 ———   Work Time

10:00 – 12 ———    Family Time

12 – 1        ———-    Power Nap

1 – 2          ———    Reading Time with Z

2 – 5         ———     Nap Time for Z while I finish my work

5 – 6        ———      Outdoors

6 – 7       ———       Dinner

7 – 8      ———        Study Time

8 – 9     ———       Time with S before he goes to work

9 – 11  ———        Me time

Okay, so if before I wake up as early as 4am I figured that’s not the best thing to do. I need to sleep as late as I can so that I will have more energy to do important things in the morning. In short, I need to reserve my energy and not waste it on unnecessary things like browsing the net. So I will wake up the same time as Z so we can spend a good morning together. I have also inserted short “me time” in between because I want to be realistic. I would use that time to go online.

If I don’t have my transcription work then I would use those “Work Time” to update my blogs and manage my Online Furniture Shop.

How about you do you have a schedule?

Today is a very special day as one of my blogger friend celebrates her birthday!

To Fedhz, whom I met at here, who is the beautiful mother of Yz, and whose blog I read from cover-to-cover when I first chanced upon it because it’s so interesting (shocks, stalker!) may you have an unbelievably happy birthday and be successful in all your endeavors! Happy Birthday!

I really need a schedule! A simple but effective schedule. It seems all I do nowadays is work and once it’s finished I can’t do anything anymore. Time really flies fast.

Not too long ago I remember I was so busy because I work at home plus do all the chores. I was so unbelievably tired then. Now, I have my helper with me but I still feel tired and unproductive. I know a lot of time is wasted and I really feel bad. I need to focus and stick to a schedule. I should spend time for my husband, my kid, myself, and my work. Balance is the key, they say but sadly that’s what I don’t have.

I was wondering what could motivate me to stick to a schedule. Last weekend I was at National Bookstore and I chanced upon  the Belle de Jour Planner that’s so popular nowadays. It caught my attention right away, the cover was simply beautiful but when I looked inside it took my breath away. It got all kinds of trackers and planners  that I badly needed. I felt it was made especially for me. I looked at the price tag right away. It costs P500.  I didn’t buy it.  Yes, I’m stingy too. LOL

So imagine my surprise when I chanced upon Jennie’s blog and found out she was giving away exactly that – a Belle de Jour 2010 Power Planner for free! It’s just what a work-at-home mom like me needs to motivate her to stick with a schedule once and for all.

Anyway, if you want this too you can head over to here to join. All you have to do is post about this contest and leave a comment. Yes, it’s that simple so come on and join.

… that’s in my wishlist for Z’s birthday.

I was sitting as usual with the laptop in front of me when S casually mentioned, “Why don’t we go to Hongkong Disneyland for Z’s birthday?” and my first thought was, “Are you out of your mind?” If you still don’t know, both my husband and I are absolute homebodies and we like to stay home all the time. We have never taken out-of-town trips unless it’s with Z’s lolo just because we’re too stingy and too lazy to plan one. Vacation for us is a trip to the mall and to the nearest mall at that! LOL

I immediately put that idea out of my mind but when you are alone and have nothing to do the craziest ideas come to you. So against my will, I typed the words “Hongkong Disneyland” and researched and that was the beginning of an obsession.

Now, I absolutely hate when I do this what you call “internet window shopping.” To date, I have spent countless of wasted hours trying to research how we can get there the cheapest way. In my mind I don’t know how many times I have planned our trip only to cancel it again and again. Yes, I’m just in front of the laptop while I’m doing it and no I’m not going crazy.

Unfortunately, my Hongkong Disneyland obsession came a bit late for Z’s birthday (January) and we won’t be able to make it. I have learned though some valuable things from my research and we have to do a lot of things first before it will come into fruition.

First, we have to have our travel fund set aside so that when the cheap fares or the cheap packages come along we would be ready to grab it.

Second, of course we we have to process our passport.  Until now we still don’t have one.  Well, what can you expect from a couple who never traveled? hehe

Third, we have to apply for a credit card. Yes, we still don’t have one but this was not our fault. S applied for one but it was lost in the mail so he just had it cancelled. Why do we need this? No, we won’t charge our trip to credit but in order to take advantage of the cheap airfare we have to have a credit card to be able to book a flight online particularly at the Cebu Pacific website. They offered a cheap flight to Hongkong last October,  P1,300 per person from Manila to Hongkong one-way trip, but I missed it just because we don’t have a credit card.

Fourth, we have to keep our eyes and ears open. The discounts come in at the last minute and we have to be ready and available when that time comes.

That’s it, our action plan for our dream trip to Hongkong Disneyland. I don’t know when we will be able to go maybe sometime in the middle of 2010 or even 2011 but we’ll keep our fingers crossed that it will one day come true.

So last night while watching TV Patrol World I was shocked to see that they really have pictures that confirm that Manny Pacquiao and Krista Ranillo were in  Baguio together.  Before this the only evidence circulating around was that video of Manny and a mysterious woman while leaving the taping of Jimmy Kimmel Live.  At one point I thought to myself maybe we are all imagining the affair and they are really innocent but now, it’s even harder for them to deny what’s going on between them.

Here is the video from YouTube about the Manny Pacquiao and Krista Ranillo pictures in Baguio.

Oh, food! This has been my constant source of headache long ago when Z was just a toddler. I just resigned from my job. Around that time I stopped Z’s bottle feeding and encouraged him to eat normal food. That was a very difficult period for me as a mommy. Z would take two hours to finish his food.  Yes, you heard me right – two really long hours! He would put them in his mouth but then he wouldn’t eat it, it’s like he’s storing it there. It was a cycle of encouraging him, cajoling him, and then when I had enough putting him on time out. Many times I found myself wanting to cry and giving up. I couldn’t understand why he didn’t want to eat his food and I had no one to talk to because our relatives live far away.

But now I’m so glad that period is over! Z is eating normal food and by himself. He eats everything that’s served on the table except camote tops! LOL Although he’s still not eating the quantity I really want him to eat I have to be satisfied when he said he’s already full or else I’ll go crazy trying to make him finish his food.

So what’s Z’s favorite? Here it is!

Zyke's Favorite Food

No, it’s not the spaghetti but the french fries! You see, it’s a trick that I discovered on my quest to getting Z to eat. I make him look forward to every meal by serving his favorite food with it. Z doesn’t like spaghetti that much so what did I do I told him he can eat his favorite fries together with his spaghetti. He needed to “alternate” eating spaghetti and fries. Alternate – I love that word! It has saved me a lot of headaches and gray hair. Z loves that word to. You should try it to and see how it works on your little one. Z’s favorite alternates are mainly fruits so it’s a YUMMY victory with me! LOL

In my quest to increase the variety of meals that me and my family eat, I’m going to try to cook Pork Embutido. I have tried to cook this twice in the past but it was not such a huge hit so I’m going to try this recipe from Del Monte.

I’m going to try it step-by-step and see if it will taste delicious. Well, not me entirely but with the help of my helper. Okay, I admit it she will try it step-by-step and I will supervise. I have long given up on my cooking!

Well, tune in if it’s a success or not. I have a few recipes that I will try to and which I hope will be a mainstay in our family’s meal.

I’ve chanced upon an article saying that nowadays, busy moms are only preparing on average 9 variants of meals for their family. It made me reflect right away on the meals that I have been serving my family (or actually, the meals that I ask my helper to prepare for us. hehe). Am I guilty of this? Let’s find out.

So if you visit our apartment chances are these meals are what you’ll find on our table:

1. hotdog and eggs

2. ginataang kalabasa

3. fried chicken with vegetable side dish (a mix of cabbage and carrots)

4. pork tonkatsu with vegetable side dish

5. sinigang

6. corned beef

7. pansit bihon

8. maling

9. mongo guisado

10. fried fish

11. champorado

12. oatmeal

13. adobo

14. pork nilaga

15. pancakes

16. spaghetti

17. nuggets, tocino, longanisa

Yehey, I made it to 17 meals! But now that I think about it only 17 meals that my family eats for 365 days a year? That sounds awfully – few! We do eat other foods not included in the list but believe me those are only served far and between and in fact, I can only remember a handful other recipes that didn’t make it the list.

I know I have a lot of excuses like how S and Z makes it difficult for me to serve something new since they would likely groan when they see something unfamiliar on the table but something has to change here. That’s why tomorrow I would try to serve something new courtesy of the Del Monte Recipes that I have chanced about.

What about you? How many different types of  meals do you serve your family? Do you make the cut or are you worst than me? LOL

I finally did it and launched my Online Furniture Store. See I told you having a car really changed us. Despite undergoing a procedure that made me want to hide my face the rest of my life (see here and here) the very next day we drove off to Caloocan to visit my dad’s store and took some photos of furniture that we will be selling online. As of now, it’s nothing much just pictures and I haven’t really done anything to market it but I’m so glad I have taken this baby step and at least it’s in the internet already.  I would be featuring some furniture in this blog from time to time but eventually I would like to buy its very own domain.

I have the prices already and if you are interested you can just email me at lorenzfurniture@gmail.com and I will send you a list of prices. If you want to order a furniture we deliver within Metro Manila and neighboring provinces but with a fee, of course.  We accept credit Cards – Amex, Visa, MasterCard, BDO but for installment basis we only accept BDO. I hope I can convince my dad to accept Paypal money in the future but as of now that’s still not available.

So there, I hope you take the time to check out my furniture store .  Again, we deliver within Metro Manila and neighboring provinces.  Have fun shopping!

So by this time you may have already heard about the supposedly Manny Pacquiao-Krista Ranillo affair. I have also done my research by reading several entries posted in different blogs and I have compiled here the things I found out.

I think it started with Christy Fermin’s blind item. To summarize, someone went to Manny’s hotel to pick up some donations he pledged I think for the Ondoy typhoon victims. This person noticed that someone a starlet was also in that same hotel room (Krista) and she was supposedly waving at the person as if wanting to be noticed. This person said that Manny was already uncomfortable and was trying to hide the girl but the girl kept on waving and wanted to be seen.

Then of course, there were those sightings of Manny and Krista together. One is the Hongkong trip where they supposedly met. Krista has already confirmed this but she said they only met accidentally and Manny invited them afterwards to join him but they refused. They also boarded the same plane going home but Manny was in the business class while Krista and her friend was seated in the economy class.

There were also rumors that Krista was in Baguio when Pacquiao was training there and they were sweet and didn’t care who would see them but I think there was no comment from both parties.

The succeeding events I think could be considered fact because there are a lot of eyewitnesses on this one. Krista and her family flew to Las Vegas to watch the Pacquiao-Cotto match. But before that, do you remember Manny’s guest appearance at Jimmy Kimmel Live? Here is a video of Manny and a girl on the way to the studio for his guest appearance at the said show. He was with a girl in the front seat and the girl was covering her face with her hands. Whether or not it’s Krista or not I have a hunch but I can’t be 100% sure. You see for yourself and decide.

This happened before Pacquiao’s match. Krista and family have said to have flown to Las Vegas which was supported by several witnesses. I do hope Krista’s father, Mat Ranillo III speak up fast about what’s really happening.  He has kept his silence too long and I think people are already thinking that he approves what is happening (or is turning a blind eye).

Apparently, this was the reason Jinkee refused to fly to Las Vegas to watch the match but changed her mind at the last minute.  Last Sunday in The Buzz, Kris Aquino texted Jinkee I think to get her reaction about the rumors and Kris said Jinkee’s reply was a bombshell. It was so controversial that she didn’t divulge it to the public but instead let Boy Abunda and Ruffa Guttierez, her co-hosts in the Buzz, read Jinkee’s text. Boy, upon reading the message, was also shocked.

And if that’s not proof enough that something bad is happening between the couple, and which we can all deduce that it’s linked to the supposedly Manny Pacquiao-Krista Ranillo affair, Jinkee burst into tears at the thanksgiving mass after Manny’s fight.

It’s heartbreaking to watch indeed and I know it’s humiliating for Jinkee for all the world to know what she is going through.

If the Manny Pacquiao-Krista Ranillo affair is true I hope Manny comes to his senses fast enough before his family breaks apart.

If you read Part 1 you should know that I’m still okay and my face is not really disfigured but  was subjected to eletrocauterization to remove some warts.

So going back to my story, S was really brave to proceed with the procedure even after seeing my face.  A little less than fifteen minutes later and he was finished. I was instantly envious when I saw his face. He looked less horrible – a lot less!

Well, I just comforted myself with the fact that this was only temporary. I refused to be down but bravely still showed my face to other people – except for my acquaintances! I wouldn’t care about the people I see in the mall or other public places, after all I will only see them once in my life. LOL

So anyway, today is day 10 after my electrocauterization. Unfortunately, I still have a long way to go for my face to return back to normal. *sigh* But once the wounds and the scabs disappear I’m planning to celebrate by going out with my friends!

Peh, is in front of the line as she has just given birth and has been wondering why I still haven’t even visited her when we live so close together. Sorry Peh, I just couldn’t put my face and your beautiful daughter in the same room together. That would have been unforgivable! LOL Next, I will be meeting with friends whom I have come to know from S’s office – wives of some of his colleagues and we would spend a day just hanging out and be just GIRLS!  Of course, husbands are banned from our outing. And lastly, if her schedule would allow it I would be meeting Kerslyn who has been a faithful commenter in my blog. Sis, I know I don’t comment a lot but bad habits are really hard to break. Nevertheless, I can’t thank you enough for constantly visiting my blog and leaving your thoughts behind. ^^

Whew, sounds a lot of activity for the usually homebody like me but after having been “limited” because of my present condition all I want to do now is go out and have some fun!

Yes, by now we have our own car which I will blog about later and we have no excuse not to go out anymore. We’re both homebodies and would find every excuse not to go out of the house. We’re just content being in front of the PC everyday that’s how boring we both are. But thanks to my dad who gave me his old car about three weeks ago we have been going out of the house more than the usual. Now we love going out so much even if it meant having our face butchered. Okay, before you panic I don’t mean that literally of course but judging from what I see in the mirror every day it comes fairly close.
Here’s what happened. Last Saturday, we visited the derma for our really overdue warts removal treatment. We had those in our body removed a year ago for free (thanks Medicard) but for the face we have to pay the fee so that’s also a reason why it took this long. Fortunately for S he has only few warts on his face but I have numerous little ones. So if you have no idea how warts are being removed well, you’re in for a shock. The process is called Electrocauterization and it’s described by Wikipedia as,

Electrocauterization is the process of destroying tissue using heat conduction from a metal probe heated by electric current (much like a soldering iron). The procedure is used to stop bleeding from small vessels (larger vessels being ligated) or for cutting through soft tissue. Unlike electrocautery, electrosurgery is based on generation of heat inside tissue, using electric current passing through the tissue itself.

In short, the warts are burned by a small metal probe with electricity passing on it. The good news is they apply anesthesia before doing that but I was still so nervous when they were actually doing the procedure because some of the warts are near my eyes. And who wouldn’t be nervous, I can smell the burning of my skin! I had to take deep breaths to calm my self down.

So I thought the procedure was the worst part of it but I was in for a shock when I looked at the mirror. I had so many wounds that it literally covered both of my cheeks! I had no idea it was that many. Instantly, the question I had in my mind was what if it leaves scars all over my face? I had to remind myself that this was not the first time I had to go through that procedure and no ugly scars were left on my body the first time. S was shocked too when he saw what happened to my face. He was next in line to have his removed and he got scared when he saw my face.

To be continued…

You know what comes close to being given a car as a gift? It’s having Charter Digital in your own home?  I am a TV and movie buff and when I learned that with Charter Digital you can access On Demand free of charge I knew I have to have that too.

With Charter Digital you can choose from 6,000 movies and shows to watch and at your own convenience at that! Yes, that’s absolutely right! No more rushing home or wasting time waiting just to watch your favorite TV shows. Imagine getting that plus being able to watch your favorite shows like Heroes, 30 Rock, The Office free!

I admit, ever since we had our internet connection I have been watching less and less of TV. It’s because with the internet everything is right there when you want it. Now that they have done it on TV I might leave my laptop sooner than the usual just to be able to watch all the shows I love.

Z would, no doubt, love this too. He can watch his all time favorite show, Spongebob, whenever he feels like watching it. Or when I need a little peace and quiet I can just put Spongebob on to entertain him.

You can learn more at charter.net/ondemand and can get updates and fun extras on Charter’s Facebook page.

We just got a break from all the typhoons this Undas weekend but now Tropical Depression Tino is on it’s way to the Philippines. A tropical depression is not yet a typhoon but one of its beginning stages. It is characterized by an organized system of clouds and thunderstorms. Unlike the much stronger typhoon, the tropical depression doesn’t have the characteristic “eye” and spiral shape but it’s still a low pressure area and thus is called, a depression.

As of 2 am of November 3, 2009 here is PAGASA’s update on Tropical Depression Tino.

At 2:00 a.m., today, Tropical Depression “TINO” was estimated based on satellite and surface data at 150 kms East Northeast of Casiguran, Aurora (17.0°N, 123.5°E) with maximum winds of 55 kph near the center. It is forecast to move West Southwest at 11 kph.

Here is the satellite image of Tropical Depression Tina also from PAGASA:

Satellite Image Tropical Depression Tino

Probable Path of Tropical Depression Tino

Tropical Depression Tino is located 150 kms East Northeast of Casiguran, Aurora as of 4 am of November 3rd, with a maximum sustained winds of 55 kph near center, and is expected to move at West Southwest at 11 kph.

It’s probable path, still according to PAGASA, is as follows:

Wednesday morning:
in the vicinity of Baguio City
Thursday morning:
200 kms West of Dagupan City
Friday morning:
460 kms West Southwest of Dagupan City

These areas are now in Public Storm Signal No. 1:

Isabela
Mt Province
Ifugao
Benguet
Nueva Vizcaya
Quirino
La Union
Pangasinan
Nueva Ecija
Aurora

For more updates on Tropical Depression Tino you can visit PAGASA’s website.

A few weeks ago we attended a birthday party at Saisaki, Dad’s, and Kamayan. It was the longest birthday party we’ve ever attended. If a Jollibee or McDonald’s party last two hours long this party went on for, I think, four hours! It was complete with a magician and a personal appearance of not one, but two mascots – Mickey and Minnie Mouse. The fun just went on and on for the kid. Z, who’s normally shy had to overcome his shyness because the host just gives away too many goodies that he didn’t want to miss out. If he normally didn’t want to have his face painted, well he tried it here for the first time.

Daddy, Z, and Lightning McQueen

If before he didn’t want to sit in front with the other children, he tried it here too! Hurray for Z!

Z and Lord Renz

By the way, the kid seated besides him Z’s tito and my younger brother.  But if there’s one thing that Z didn’t do was dance to the music of Nobody.

Oh, how I wish we could afford a party like that for Z. It’s a party not just for the kids but the adults loved it as well. With the sumptuous lechon de leche included in the buffet, who wouldn’t love it? Nopictures of the buffet though because our camera’s battery died on us.

I would love a party like this for Z. Maybe not today but when we get rich in the future!

Click here for more updates on Bagyong Santi (Typhoon Mirinae).

We have been monitoring the news and I’m getting scared by the minute. According to PAGASA, Bagyong Santi is going hit Rizal and NCR directly. With the ground still saturated and the dams still full of water from the previous storms I know that this puts us in a dangerous position. At this point, any normal typhoon can bring flooding to the Metro but this is no ordinary typhoon. Some are even comparing it to Milenyo and I distinctly remember Milenyo. That was really one of the scariest typhoons I experienced.

This is the satellite image released by wunderground.com as of 3am today.

Satellite Image of Bagyong Santi (Mirinae)

I’m no expert but that certainly looks big and ominous, isn’t it? I just hope Bagyong Santi (Mirinae) passes by as quickly as possible to avoid more damage to us. It certainly won’t be missed by anyone here.

Click here for more updates on Bagyong Santi (Typhoon Mirinae).

Bagyong Santi |Typhoon Santi | Typhoon Mirinae Update: Click here for the latest update.

So now it’s official, Typhoon Mirinae has entered the Philippine area of responsibility as of last night and is now called Bagyong Santi.  Here’s what I got from PAGASA’s website:

At 4:00 p.m. today, the center of Typhoon (MIRINAE) was located based on satellite and surface data at 1,390 km East of Central Luzon (16.2°N, 136.7°E) with maximum sustained winds of 120 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 150 kph. It is forecast to move West at 22 kph.

I know all we care about is whether we get affected or not so here is the map of Santi’s probable path, also from PAGASA:

Bagyong Santi

According to PAGASA’s website, as of October 28th, 10 pm Santi is already at 1,210 East of Casiguran, Aurora and is moving West at 24 kph. It has a maximum sustained winds of 140 kph near the center and gustiness of 170 kph and will make a landfall at Casiguran, Aurora possibly on Friday evening

Thursday evening:
710 km East of Casiguran, Aurora
Friday evening:
250 km East of Casiguran, Aurora
Saturday evening:
50 km East of Dagupan City or
30 km South of Baguio City

Now, for those of you wondering if Santi will cause flooding again I found this. Right now it says that Metro Manila sub-basin is in Normal Condition. If you click “Normal Condition” in their website it will lead you to more details, see below:

METRO MANILA SUB-BASIN

Hydrological Forecast

Issued at 6:00 AM, 28 October 2009

(Valid Until the next issuance at 6:00 am tomorrow)

Observed Rainfall:

NO SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF RAIN WAS RECORDED OVER THE SUB-BASIN DURING THE PAST 24 HOURS.

Forecast Rainfall:

ISOLATED RAINSHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO PREVAIL WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

Expected Hydrological Response:

RIVER WATER LEVELS WITHIN THE AREA TO REMAIN IN NORMAL CONDITION WITHIN THE FORECAST PERIOD.

As you can see this will be updated every 6 am everyday.

How I wish they don’t have to update it and it will remain in normal condition throughout! But since it looks like Santi shows no signs of disappearing I have only one wish. Please, let Bagyong Santi be just like the rest of the other typhoons in the past – normal.

Typhoon Mirinae (Santi)
Oh no, I had a gut feeling a storm would hit us this Halloween and I was right. As of 2 am today, PAGASA has already issued a weather advisory regarding Typhoon Mirinae, which will be called Santi once it hits the Philippines.

At 2:00 a.m. today, the center of Tropical Storm {0921} with an international name of “MIRINAE” was estimated based on satellite and surface data at 1,640 km East of Northern Luzon (16.0°N, 139.8°E) with maximum sustained winds of 85 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 100 kph. It is forecast to move West Northwest at 28 kph.

If the above doesn’t make sense to you, maybe the picture below will.

Typhoon Santi's Probably Path

I’m no weather expert but that map of Santi’s probable path looks like it will hit Metro Manila this weekend. I knew I shouldn’t have bought the ticket for Jollibee’s Halloween Party this Saturday! That’s P150 down the drain. Anyway, forget that ticket I know people in Manila are scared and also paranoid because Ondoy just left us devastated a month ago. But maybe there’s still hope. This typhoon might have been named Santi for a reason. Let’s just pray to Bro it will be as kind as Santino. LOL!

Typhoon Mirinae (Santi), you’re definitely not welcome here! boo!

Hi, everyone! I hope you take notice because what I’m going to blog about is really worth your time and effort. I have been blogging for more than a year but this is the first time I have joined a contest this big. How big? To the tune of $200! Yes, that’s how much you can win by joining Fedhz’ Blogversary/Bday Contest! And the best news of all, it isn’t really hard to win at all.
You can head over here to check out the mechanics yourself. The best part about this contest (aside from the insanely huge prize) is the fact that you can win not just by some random stroke of luck but by a little creativity and effort on your part. That means that the more effort you put in the contest the better your chances at winning. I don’t know about you but my for me that’s a lot better than just crossing your fingers and wishing you would win.
So what are you waiting for? Join Fedhz’ Blogversary/Bday Contest and get a chance to win these prizes:

1st prize: $200

2nd prize: $50

3rd Prize: $20

And if you decide to join, do make me favor and make me your referral. After all, I need all the points I can get.

Halloween is just around the corner! I almost forgot about it because I was busy keeping track of the storms casually passing by our country. It didn’t occur to me that Z will get to experience trick or treating this year because I just assumed that there would be another storm on October 31st.
But anyway, whether there’ll be a storm or not it seems Z would really get to experience a Halloween party for the second time. We were at Jollibee this afternoon, just Z and I. S was sleeping and while he slept we crept out and went to the nearest Jollibee. It was almost 4 pm and we couldn’t have picked a better time to go out. It was breezy outside and it was such a good day to walk. In fact, it was such a nice day to walk that we walked half the way to Jollibee. When we got there we ordered Z’s usual food – chicken, fries, and coke. As you all know, there is no such value meal at any fastfood that have those three but try as we hard to explain it to Z it seems he couldn’t get it or doesn’t want to accept it. So whenever we eat out, one of us (either me or S) has to order a burger meal so that Z can have his fries.
So we were there and we actually had fun eating out just the two of us. It’s rare that we go out without his dad – wait, I think this was the first time we went out to eat. So when it was time for us to go I casually glanced at the counter and noticed their Halloween design. It turned out they would have a Halloween party on Oct. 31st and anybody can join as long as you’re willing to pay P150. Chicken meal and loot bag is already included plus of course, the most important thing of all – Jollibee’s personal appearance. I’m sure Z would love his Halloween experience for 2009. I’m sure the P150.00 will be worth it once I see Z’s face light up when he sees that adorable bee mascot.

When Z was about two years old, I was obsessed with choosing the right infant formula for him. During our weekly grocery shopping I would stay for several minutes in the milk section reading the nutritional information on the milk cans and comparing each and everyone. I was determined to buy the best milk formula that offered the highest nutritional content even though it’s price is so expensive that it’s already equivalent to half a week of the family’s meal budget. But I didn’t care how expensive it was, I had to buy my son the best.
Now, two years later I can say I am a bit wiser when it comes to shopping for milk. I know how labels can be misleading and it makes more sense to feed my son fruits and vegetables so he can get the required nutrients. For his milk needs, I usually buy the cheapest at the supermarket and that is usually the store brand formula. Although I am now saving a lot, I know that I still get the best value for my money because milk, no matter how heavily it was marketed or promoted which leads to it’s higher cost, it’s still just milk. My son would not benefit more if it’s more expensive and our family wouldn’t benefit either. I make sure he gets all the nutrition he needs by giving him a balanced diet which include not just milk but also fruits, vegetables, and meat.

Finally, we have our electricity back! We thought we couldn’t survive a few days without electricity but we did – yey! The heat and the boredom was the hardest, not to mention the fact that we have to go to the market every day to buy our food needs because we can’t store food anymore without the refrigerator.  Z survived the heat at night by sleeping at the sala where there is enough ventilation. He refused to sleep in our room because our bed is already too small for the three of us so he and Ate Bam slept in our extra queen sized foam. Hopefully, the storm episode is now behind us and I can buy Bunk Beds so Z can have his very own bed.

It’s now Wednesday,  two days after Bagyong Ondoy left. I am at my husband’s office somewhere in Eastwood. Here, life is normal. People are wearing nice clean clothes, plenty of moving vehicles are on the road, the buildings have electricity and internet, and most important of all there are plenty of food everywhere.

But from where we came from the scene couldn’t be so different. When we left our apartment, our jeans were rolled up to escape the muddy road that we had to walk on, the houses we passed by were dark because there was no electricity, damaged furniture and appliances on huge piles outside, people are walking with no slippers, cars were covered with mud and parked seemingly abandoned by the road, the sound of rescue helicopters were a normal sight.

Yes, we were in the midst of the disaster that was Ondoy. But unlike the others who suffered unbelievable damage we only lost our doorbell and out water motor to pump our water. It’s because we live in the third floor. It’s sometimes inconvenient but we couldn’t be any more grateful than we are right now to be living where we are currently living. I had a good feeling the first time I saw our current apartment. Never mind that it has a narrow passageway and doesn’t have a garage of its own. It was comfortable inside and now, it saved us from the huge flood that left almost all of Metro Manila underwater for two days. I have only gratitude in my heart because we were all at home safe and sound the time it happened. It was S’s restday, no school for Z, and it was Bam’s sem break. We really had no worries at first. We were confident the water will not reach us. S and I were talking if floods ever reach the second floor of a building much less the third floor. I kept racking my brain for videos of flood waters that I have watched on TV from the past. All I kept seeing was in the floods the roof of the houses were still visible (I presumed those were one-story houses) so I was at first confident we will be safe. Then by 5 pm the water kept on rising and S kept on saying how fast it was rising and that just a few inches more it will totally submerge the first floor. It was still raining non-stop with no sign of weakening. Then I suddenly remembered that I have seen on TV people hanging on for their dear life on top of trees. Why were they hanging on trees I thought and then it hit me, it’s because all of their houses were already underwater – the roof and all! That was when I became really scared.
Anyway, we all knew what happened after that. It stopped raining about 8 pm and the water receded the next day. We had no electricity for 11 days but we came out unscathed.

Last weekend was spent at Trinoma. It was the second time we went there. S has a voice workshop somewhere in QC so he dropped us off at the mall to pass the time.

Burger King

Lunch was at Burger King. We ordered hamburgers for us, the one that came with a  free sundae. Everything was great and even Z was in the mood to pose for some pictures.

Me and My Baby

Daddy

As you can see we were quite happy and enjoyed eating there well, until I saw a hair inside my burger. It’s gross, I know and we called their attention and they had it replaced sure but I lost my appetite after that. So now, Burger King is crossed out on our list whenever we ask, “Where are we going to eat for lunch?”

After lunch we wanted to go to SM North before S leaves us but it was such a long walk that we decided to go to Landmark instead which is conveniently inside Trinoma. As soon as S left we went to check out toys. Didn’t buy him any at first because he has so many toys already! I think we must have spent an hour and a half  just looking at the toys. Then realizing that I have to shop for my things I told Z it was his time to accompany me. Good boy Z didn’t whine that much as long as he found a chair to sit on while I try on shoes and clothes. Poor guy attendant, I had to send him back five times before I was able to decide what shoes I want.

Then it was time to meet S at our meeting place. We saw monsters walking around and teasing people which made Z’s eyes grow wide. But even my eyes grew big when I saw a 14 feet man walking on stilts. He must have been this tall and he was walking amongst a sea of people.

I think he was this tall

I was thinking maybe it wasn’t that safe to do that with that many people around him people. I should know I had some experience riding on a stilt myself when I was a little girl so I am an expert. The only difference was mine was this tall.

My version of stilts

Sure enough as if proving my point, a little girl ran after him and pushed him. My heart almost jumped out of my body and I was one of the people who shouted in shock. Fortunately for him (and for my heart) he was able to regain his balance just in time.

So that was the end of an “uneventful” day for us. S came back and declared we go back to the toy store to get his precious one the toy he deserved for being a good boy. We rode a taxi going home and its battery died on us on the way.