Last post for 2006

This is gonna be my last post for 2006. Just want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year!

credits: lhowell botanicals,evak falala bonus,angie briggs flower

oprah's christmas party

Di ako mahilig sa Oprah ah. Nalipat ko lang ng channel. Pagkakita ko nga sabi ko, anu ba yun, umiiyak na naman si Oprah. Di ko nga pinanood baka maiyak ako eh hihi.

Actually, nagbigay siya ng christmas party sa mga bata sa Africa na naulila dahil sa aids. Tuwang tuwa sila, halos mapunit ang mga bibig sa ngiti. Yung isang babae nga, nakatanggap ng complete wardrobe na mga baduy na blouse saka palda. Pero grabe ang saya nya, akala mo binigyan ng one million. Tapos yung mga bata, meron ding mga damit, soccer ball at baby dolls. Mukhang hihimatayin na nga sila sa saya.

Ayan, pinanood ko na din tuloy. At naiyak ako. Sana isang araw makagawa din ako ng ganun.

another sleepless night. what's new?

I thought they were exaggerating when mothers say that they haven't slept for months.Yet here I am, telling everyone how I haven't slept for 14 months. I have an occassional 1-3 hr naps but never more. Four hours of uninterrupted sleep is a blessing while five hours straight is a dream that will never come true.

I'm overreacting, I know. But last night was one of those nights when I thought I'm gonna lose my mind. I was dizzy the whole afternoon and looking forward to a couple of hours of sleep. Sandy usually sleeps around 10:30-11:30PM but she was drooling at 8:50PM last night so I thought I'm getting my long overdue rest. However, no matter how tired or light-headed I am, I can't seem to fall asleep. Just when I was about to close my eyes at 12am, she moved and nursed for a couple of minutes. Then at exactly 1:50am, she woke up. I knew there was no way she'll go back to sleep when she started babbling, singing and finally removed her mouth to look at her pooh pillow so she can talk to him. After two hours of nursing-playing, she cried and started pulling me up, her signal for 'let's get out of the bed NOW'! So we moved from the bed to her playmat and there she played with her imaginary friends. Sherwin was sleeping in the other room while this is happening (I so envy him). After 20 minutes of playing, Sandy went to my computer and "caressed" the space between the chair and my monitor. I told myself not to freak out because she could just be trying to reach out for the monitor but couldn't. At the exact time that I noticed that her hand looked like it was actually touching something, she ran to me so fast hugging me tight. I was on the floor and she was trying her best to hold tight while looking at the computer area from time to time. That's the time I decided to wake up Sherwin. I'm scared. Awoooooh. I'm losing my mind. Maybe.

She slept around 6AM finally. You'd think I'll start sleeping then but it was still a bit dark that time and my mind was still on whoever it was that was sitting on my computer chair.

working(?) from home

A lot of my online friends are telling me how lucky I am that I work from home. Then, I came across Mich's entry and decided to list down the pros and cons of telecommuting.

PROS:
1. You don't have to wake up early so you can sleep really late
2. No need to travel, commute and mingle with weirdos who keeps on "accidentally" brushing your thigh or resting their heads on your shoulder
3. No need to plan what clothes to wear
4. You can brush your teeth / take a bath whenever you want to.
5. Take a nap every hour / sleep in the afternoons
6. Play with your kid, watch tv while working, do some household chores
7. Less expensive because you don't have to pay extra for gas, cab fare, lunch and new clothes

CONS: (in my opinion ha)
1. I miss conversing with other people (nonsense chit-chats or serious discussions)
2. I don't get to dress up
3. I get easily distracted: tv, books, playtime, online chats, phone calls w/ friends and digiscrapping (LOL)
4. Related to #4. I find it hard to focus especially if I need to study a new program or come up with a design for a new site. It's very different working in an office where you can look at your computer and tell yourself "here's your deadline, start working!" When you're at home, there's just so much freedom that I always find myself saying "I'll [insert distraction here] for now and work on that later".
5. Having all the time to rest, I find that I'm always tired.
6. It's hot!! You just can't turn on the aircon the whole day.

Working from home is definitely not for everyone. I read somewhere that to be able to deliver efficiently, you need to set a schedule and do your usual morning routine. You should also dress up as if you're going out and have your own office where no one can enter unless instructed to do so. (I work inside our bedroom wearing my sleepwear with Sandy playing beside me on the playmat.)

It's really fun and amazing if you can work it out. However, there are times that I feel like I'm losing a part of myself. This feeling could've been brought about by something else so I don't know if I should blame it on my current work setup. At the end of the day, nothing beats watching your little girl's milestone and mischief. So I guess, yeah...I'm still lucky after all.

Happy Birthday Mi Amor!

Dec 10 was Sherwin's 31st birthday. We celebrated by having dinner at Je Suis Gourmand at the Fort. Food was great. We had air-dried bacon with arugula salad, braised lamb shank and roasted veal. I forgot the exact names of the dishes so please bear with me. The place has a cozy atmosphere, softly lighted dining area and the noise level is low that you can hear each other without raising your voice. Most of the diners are foreigners and I noticed that almost all of the tables have more wine glasses than food. It made me wish that I could have 1 or 2 glasses as well. I'm still breastfeeding so my quota is about 1 glass of alcohol per day and I reached that already by ordering Heineken (how sophisticated, I know! lol) The night was very pleasant and I'd love to come back there again. Of course, dining out is always spectacular with Sherwin. ;) We both have a passion for good food (who doesn't?) and I just love watching him taste dish after dish. It could almost make my night complete. Yes, ALMOST because there's still dessert to look forward to. We had rhum and banana creme brulee and caramel souffle. It was divine! I just love sweets. In fact, next time, I'll order creme brulee again and dark chocolate souffle just for myself. Then we'll just get the assorted cold cuts and cheese and hopefully, 2-3 glasses of wine. Hayy sarap.

Happy Birthday bebi ko! Wishing to have all your dreams come true will be shooting for the moon. But I hope the day will come that you can give a speech just like William Parish (Meet Joe Black) and tell the world that you have everything that you need.

Kung anik anik lang

Nov25- Sandy's Shopping Day!
Sherwin and I had to go to the doctor to have my wrist checked so we let Sandy go to the mall with my mom-in-law. However, the line at the doctor's office was sooo long that we decided to go to Glorietta and meet with Sherwin's mom. We went straight to Zara and thought that they left already when suddenly, I heard Sandy's squeals. She was standing in front of the dressing room's mirror wearing her new cute pink boots, checkered skirt and pink shirt. She looked so grown up with her "pilit" pigtails. Then as soon as she saw me, she shouted Mamaaaa so loud as if we haven't seen each other for months. Well, I admit that I shrieked as well LOL. She looked so adorable!

We had dinner with friends the next day. Since my no-dairy diet is almost over, I asked Sherwin to cook some pasta with his famous alfredo sauce. I wasn't sure if it was because I haven't tasted anything cheesy or creamy for the past 12 months but I had a food-gasm when I sampled it. Mama-mia! It was the best dish I've ever tasted in a year. I was feeling a bit guilty leaving Sandy at home so when my mom-in-law asked us if she can take Sandy shopping (again!), I immediately said yes. When they left, I tried to calm myself that everything will be okay. Of course, her yaya is with her but super kulit talaga si Sandy and I can't help but think of all the accidents that might happen while I'm not with her. That was the first time that she went out without me. She didn't even looked back to say goodbye to mommy. Anyway, dinner was a success and I was finally able to watch Cliff & Lorna's wedding. We played pusoy dos and memory game using french words. Another adult night for me, yay! We made plans of having a christmas party the next weekend.

When we got home, Sandy was lying face down on the bed. Bagsak! She went to church after malling kasi hehe. Tindi.

Dec 02 - Christmas Party
It was great seeing old friends again. We weren't able to have a christmas party last year because I was busy taking care of Sandy (she was only 3 months old then). As usual, si Sandy aka Ms. Pasikat eh nangulit ng nangulit. My godson Nathan was there so she had a playmate.

Nate is really a sweet kid. When they arrived, his mom left him on the bed with Sandy. He just sat there playing with Sandy's laptop, ball and cards. Si Sandy? Ayun, kailangan bantayan ng dalawang tao dahil nagaakyat baba sa kama. Letmaku talaga! Just take a look at the photos to see for yourself.

[click to enlarge]

Nakakaaliw panoorin na may kalaro si Sandy. Kahit dumodoble ang tindi ng kalikutan nya, halata na super saya siya kasi may friend siya. She even memorized some of our friends' names.

We gave Cristina, a soon-to-be mommy, a surprise baby shower party as well. We wish you a safe and easy labor!

We exchanged gifts afterwards and played poker. The lovely Niña (Tukne's wife) cooked a super creamy spaghetti while the rest of us ordered cooked food. (katamaran) Sandy ate a lot of pork BBQ and breaded chicken (yiikes!). Hindi maawat kasi eh. Now that she knows the word "moh!" (more), she won't stop saying it until you give her a portion of whatever you're eating. Mana sa ama hehe.

More photos of Sandy (with mommy)
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Sandy's Christmas Calendar

Yipee! I'm done with Sandy's calendar. Thanks to Alpha for telling me about shabbyshoppe's calendar.

I'm so excited to give it to our parents. Just not sure how to bundle it.

Ups and downs

Long time no post! Been very tired lately due to lack of sleep and too much stress. I'm currently studying Openlaszlo so I can start some serious skinning on our app. Nakakatamad magbasa ng mga overview overview. I wanna jump directly to the design part. Ang sakit pa ng right wrist ko dahil sa mouse. Hayyy! I often find myself dying to have a break and get some expensive coffee while having nonsense chit-chat with my girlfriends. But I work from home so I usually end up playing peek-a-boo with Sandy while drinking nescafe :D.

Anyway, I'll make sure to post our most recent activities tomorrow. Here's a preview for now.

Letmaku talaga.

Sandy's Outfit

Here's what I want Sandy to wear for Christmas.



Kaso ang init sa Pinas! :P Pero ang cute no? Kagigil!!! Her lola promised her a pair of boots from Zara so I'm keeping my fingers crossed na sana may kasamang outfit hehe. Wais!

God's little angels

I was eating lunch while watching Oprah while crying.

I rarely watch her show but nothing was on so there was nothing I can do but watch. The feature was about sex trafficking. They showed a bunch of little girls, around 7-10 years old from Cambodia and India. They are prostitutes. And did I mention that they are LITTLE girls? One scene that made me cry was the hidden camera segment.

u're-going-2-hell-pimp: you want big girl, small girl?
f*ckd up @$$h0le: ermm..you have small...small girl?
u're-going-2-hell-pimp: yes, yes we have small girl!!!! they will do all sex!!!

I was expecting 12-14 year-old girls (which already sickens me) but the 2 girls who came out are just barely 6 to 7 yrs old. They looked so little, and sweet and seem oblivious to what's about to happen. The younger girl looked a bit like my Sandy and my heart went out to her. I lost my appetite and there was a huge lump in my throat. If I remember correctly, it costs $10 for an oral sex and these little girls get 20-30 customers a day.

These girls should be playing outside. They should be in school, studying and getting ready for the big world. Instead, they are being eaten alive.

I wish I can do something about it. I really do.

November 16, 2003

Four years ago, we were talking about a friend when you suddenly took my hand and with your i-mean-business face, asked me to marry you. I still remember it like it was only yesterday. I was shocked and thought you were joking. I mean, who makes marriage proposals in a fire exit? Only you, my love. And I won't change a thing.

Happy third year anniversary Bebi! You're still the best thing that ever happened to me ;)

Sandy's November Update

Sandy:
Loves to pray. Kahit anong uri ng rebulto dinadasalan nya hehe. Magagalit pa yan pag di mo sya sinabayan mag-sign of the cross.

Is getting better at walking. Hurray! Wala naman tigil ngayon. I'm having a hard time nursing her because she wants to stop in the middle of her feeding just so
she can get out of the bed and play on the floor.

Lovess attention. Hindi pwedeng walang nanonood pag may ginagawa siya. She calls mama and papa every 5 seconds and we have to stop whatever we're doing just so we can see her play doctor doctor, put on a makeshift bracelet, clean her nose, take a bath, etc.

Loves to play ball. Puts her pillow on top of her head

Screams/squeals a lot. It's really funny (most of the time)

Calls her papa whenever she sees someone playing basketball, football, billiards on TV then raises her arms to squeal and cheer. Kaaliw!

Knows how to put her baby Ha (doll) to sleep by rocking her and singing to her

Sings alleluiah with arms raised.

Talks to someone on the phone. Kawawa nga kausap nya kasi lagi siyang sumisigaw. "Hewo? Haaaa? Burugudunstuytugudunstuy!"

Babbles a LOT.
no
de - no
dede - milk
babah-byebye
hi
hewo - hello
baba -down
momo-no more
la- wala
lolo cesa - lolo cesar
tita
tito
nana - ninang
nono - ninong

And last but not the least, she says "dukurukurukutukalakkulakuk" when she wants to tell a story, explain something.

Aye, she's walking.

Lately, I've been worried that Sandy is taking too long to walk on her own. We rarely allow her to crawl on the floor (my bad) because I'm scared that she might hit her head or whatever. One weekend, we got Sandy a playmat so we can encourage her to walk. It was a good decision on our part. She loved the idea of being on her own and started crawling for the first 30 minutes. I had no idea she can crawl that fast! Then she stood up on her own and started walking slowly to get her doll. I was trying very hard not to touch her. Finally, I can watch TV while she's playing lol.

Below are her most recent pictures syempre pwede bang makalimutan. :)

Sandy loves to say Hi!




Riding in her car


Taking pictures


This is her favorite past time before she goes to sleep.


Ang kulet ng tawa

Sandy Daldalera

What's New?
1. She received a brainy baby flash cards as a gift. We started teaching her 6 items at a time and now she can already identify half of the box. Isn't that amazing? She even tries to repeat some of the words.

girl - grr, grl
balloons - bah!
tiger - arrrr (roaring sound)
elephant - huuu (elephant sound)
umbrella - ameya
butterfly - baplay
ice cream - can't repeat the words but she moves her arms like a 'kalembang' then hums the selecta tune.
violin - she moves her fingers on top of the strings
star - sttt
fish - shhh
sun - ssnn
clouds - kah!
cat - kkkkk, sometimes ka-h
crayons - krr

2. She looks at my keyboard to press the keys, then looks at the monitor to see what happens. She even talks while she types.

3. She doesn't tip toe that much anymore and can stand and walk a few steps already. She does it on top of the bed though and not on the floor. LOL.

4. Less tantrums, more playing (watches barney, reads her books and flash cards, talks to her stuffed toys, plays doctor doctor)

5. She can get out of the bed by sliding backwards, smiling smugly while doing it.

I recently bought a basket where I can put all of Sandy's stuffed toys. They were scattered everywhere that I can't even find a decent place to lie down. When Sandy saw all of her toys inside, she wanted to play inside too.