Missing Daddy. . .

*Photos and onsite AVP by Mimi and Karl (www.mimiandkarl.com)

The background music was supposed to be "Falling" by Tyrone Wells (love the song! Thanks Mimi for choosing this song!) but You Tube unfortunately blocked it from the video. Hmph! Oh well . . .

My friend X (her name really starts with X!) watched our wedding AVP and told me that if I get annoyed with hubby, I should just watch it again. . . just to see how in-love hubby is with me! Hahaha! (X, you're really a friend!) She is just kidding ofcourse, heehee. But seriously, watching this video always brings me back to the joy and beauty of that day.

Well, my friend, I'm watching this again not because hubby and I had a spat but because I miss him. . . SO MUCH! *this is where some dramatic love song should be playing* Hahaha!

He is thousands of miles away from us. . . *sigh*. . . .this Long Distance Relationship (will be reserving this for another entry) is really challenging, especially now that we have the Little One. Okay, I'll stop na or else I won't be able to finish this because I'm about to cry . . . . again.

Daddy, sending you hugs and kisses from me and the Little One.

We love you and we can't wait to see you again!

"Smart Responses to Stupid Hirits" - Cosmo Philippines Sept 05 issue

I've never been thin in my life. . . well except during the latter part of my Senior year in highschool. To prepare for our graduation, I went on a diet and only ate crackers, apple or tuna sandwich. And yes, I did loose some weight . . . only to gain them back years after, haha!

People would tell me. . ."You know you're pretty. . .BUT you're chubby" or "you'll be prettier if you loose more weight". One person even asked me if I had hormonal problems because I gained weight! Aaaaarrggh! Can I be excused and be a biyatch sometimes?! heehee.

But being the nice person that I am, I learned to bite my tongue (but wishing that I can come up with something smart to say!).

I'm sure we have all encountered situations (like those listed below) in our lives where we meet insensitive people (aka mga taklesa!). So I hope the article below will help us in the future. . . if the need arises, haha! (I'm bracing myself because after giving birth and having gained some more . . . you wouldn't know what to hear next . . . but this time, I'll be ready! Haha!)

Below is a re-post of an entry which I wrote a couple of years ago for my old blog regarding this topic.

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I just want to share with you an article ("Smart Responses to Stupid Hirits") I read from an old Cosmo magazine (Sept 05 issue) I've seen during my spring cleaning. . . . I'm sure we all have encountered a tactless person in our lives! Some people just don't believe in the mantra, "if you don't have anything nice to say, just don't say anything at all"! I don't know how you handle it but in my case, well, I just handle it with a smile. . .I really wish I can be b****y sometimes! hahaha!!!

Here you go. . . .The "hirits" are in bold letters.

LOVE LESSONS

"O ba't wala ka pang boyfriend?" - Eh ba't ikaw meron pa rin? Tsk, tsk, tsk (with a very sad, disapproving face)

"So when are you getting married? - "After you"

"Hah? Why'd you break up?" - "His loss. He decided to give up the only thing good about him"

"Ba't siya? You can definitely do better" - "Oo nga, you're right. So how do you survive with (name of person's bf/husband)? Any tips?"

"You're always together. Nagiging magkamukha na kayo" - "Whew, buti na lang may itsura siya!"

ALL IN A DAY'S WORK

You know, you look like (some so-unattractive person) - "Oo nga eh, buti na lang new and improved version"

"That's what you do for a living?" - "Inggit ka?" or "Yup, it's so fun to be shallow talaga!"

"With that salary?! How in the world can you survive?" - "Why? Can't you survive with yours?"

"Is this what you call a report/proposal?" - "It's actually based on your astounding, expert example"

"I knew you couldn't do it" - "I know you couldn't either"

TOO FEELING CLOSE FOR COMFORT

"Alam mo, papayat/pataba/paputi/paitim ka nga!" - "Atleast pretty, di ba?" or "Tara, sabay tayo!"

"Uy, di kita nakilala. Anong nangyari sa iyo?" - choose among the three!

- "Ikaw, parehong-pareho pa rin" / "Eto, gumanda" / "Excuse me, do I know you?"

"You should try my derma/acne soap/breath freshener - parang you need it" - "I'm scared, mukhang hindi effective eh"

DURING EVERYDAY ENCOUNTERS

"Ma'm bili na kayo, may double XL po kami" - "Ay sayang, medium lang ako eh" or "Buti merong size mo"

"Miss, ano? Bibili ba kayo?" (impatient sales person) - "Bakit? Naiinip ka na?"

"Hey! I love your new pants/top, but parang kulang ka talaga sa butt/boobs" - "Thanks, hirap kasi to have a model's body eh"

"Ganda nyan ah. I have one exactly like it." - "Does it look good on you too?"

Mommy's Day Out

I had to run some errands today . . .in the mall! Well, i consider buying a gift an errand! Heehee. As I mentioned in my previous blog, I went to SM (one of my "happy places") today. Got to do some retail therapy as well. . .there is a Sale which is going on in our SM Branch from August 26-28. I'm so happy that my sister (aka my shopping buddy) and I found some really good bargains for the Little One.

One of the blogs I'm following, Mommy Fleur of The Family girl (super funny lady!) blogs about her shopping finds which I really find interesting and helpful! I thought this is a good blog entry for today.

So these are the sale goodies we found today . . .

Gingersnaps shirt - Php300 (regular price is usually around Php500) - love the ribbon detail in this shirt

Miss cupcake shirt - Php250 (not sure of the regular price though)

Crib Couture - Php200 - not on sale but I found the shirt cute because yes, the Little One is my dream come true =)

And my most favorite of all (not on sale). . . export overruns of a famous US brand (baby G*P). These cotton leggings are really nice and super comfy! Went to the Brand's website and saw leggings similar to what I got and are priced at US$13-15. I got mine for Php 150 each! Woohoo! Winnnner!

Don't you just love scoring good deals?!! =)

Happy Shopping!

WHAT IF?!!!

People often say that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder," and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realizing that you are the beholder. This empowers us to find beauty in places where others have not dared to look, including inside ourselves.

- Salma Hayek

I was in SM earlier today and saw this poster. . . . you see. . . I'm a PLUS-SIZE (body acceptance was never an issue for me) . . . so WHAT IF?!!!

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

I know though that hubby will be supportive =)

Wala lang. . . . *laughing at myself* . . . I still don't have the guts, I wish I did though!

My "Sort of Homemade Cooking" Series: Thai Green Curry

I love curry . . . any kind of curry . . be it in Japanese, Indian or Thai cuisine. I was at the supermarket (being in the supermarket is just pure therapeutic for me!) and found these instant mixes by Asian Gourmet Food. I'm a fan of instant mix (heehee). . . if you're craving for something that you only order in restaurants and don't have the time to cook (or too lazy to cook from scratch), instant mixes are the answer! I've been disappointed with using cooking mixes in the past but I'm sooo glad to have found a mix that is close to the real thing . . . . I'm so happy with the Asian Home Gourmet line! (Feeling endorser, haha! Note: I am not being paid to write this ha!)

I tried the Green curry and it didn't disappoint! I'm not good in taking food pictures but trust me, it tastes better than it looks in my photo. =) Hopefully the other mixes I bought (Yang Chow fried rice, Kung Pao Chili Stir Fry and Chili Ginger Garlic Stir Fry) would live up to my expectation (fingers crossed!).

P.S. Just in case you're wondering where I bought these goodies, I got them at SM Supermarket. Happy eating!

The "Kite Poem"

I have an entry which I was supposed to work on tonight but I thought of sharing with you this poem which I saw in one of the blogs (MimmaBenz) I was reading. The blogger, Benz Rana has a daughter named Kite. I don't know Benz personally but everybody who is a member of the E-groups, Weddings at Work (W@W) and Newlyweds at Work (N@W) know her. I joined both groups and being a member of these groups have helped me a lot during my wedding preps (W@W group) and being part of the N@W Group helps me with any concerns I have as a wife and a newbie mom. Thank you to Benz and Abet (Benz' hubby) for starting both groups! You are lifesavers! =)

I'm a newbie mom whose adventure to Parenthood just started. Reading this poem gave me an essence on how Parenthood will be. I found this poem so touching. I hope you like it as much as I did.

I didn't find the title of this poem so only for this blog entry, I'm calling it, "The Kite Poem" and was written by Emma Bombeck.

"I see children as kite. You spend a lifetime trying to get them off the ground. You run with them until you’re both breathless… they crash… they hit the roof… you patch and comfort, adjust and teach. You watch them lifted by the wind and assure them that someday they’ll fly. Finally they are airborne: they need more string and you keep letting it out.

But with each twish of the ball of twine, there is a sadness that goes with joy. The kite become more distant, and you know it won’t be long before that beautiful creature will snap the lifeline that binds you together and will soar as it is meant to soar, free and alone.

Only then do you know that you did your job."

Who is Zola?

I am sure most of you would conclude that Zola is our baby. . . well, she's not. "Zola" was one of our choices for our baby's name (or should I say, hubby's top choice!). He wanted a unique name for her princess. Unique nga naman ang "Zola"! But I wanted a name which is a "girly" name PLUS it should mean something like "God is good", "blesssing", "a gift from God" or a name that means "thankful or full of gratitude" because this is exactly how I feel about our baby.

Yes, I want kids but I wasn't sure if I was ready physically, (I thought I need to loose some--okay, sige na nga-lots of! --weight to get pregnant), psychologically (labor pains and epidural!), emotionally (would I be a good mom?) and financially (since I'm not working anymore). I was in no rush to have kids. . .and to think I'm in my late 30s! haha!

I wasn't praying for any kids. . ."not yet" anyway. . .but when I got pregnant, I knew she came at the right time in our lives. Because God gave her to us without us asking for this gift. This is the reason why I want her name to have a special meaning.

I found the name "Janina" which means "God is gracious" . . . "Janina" fits the bill. . . a girly name plus it has a special meaning, problem solved! By the way, we finalized our baby's name a few days before I was scheduled for my CS operation. Talk about being ready! haha! Thank you honey for liking the name "Janina" and thank you for thinking of her second name. . . "Louise", love it!

Because I appreciate hubby's effort to help me look for our baby's name and because I know how much he likes the name Zola. . .I thought of naming my blog, "Zola's Mom" . . . the name which didn't make it. . . but could have been our princess' name.