Butterfly Kisses

I'll Miss You Cous...

2012-01-30T15:29:00.000+08:00

Last week, my family lost a special girl. It was so sudden, so unexpected, and I guess that's why it hurts more.

Sheilah was my aunt's 2nd child. We weren't as close as other cousins were, but I still remember her as the little girl playing with all of her siblings. She was very quiet, very poised and very loving. I only saw her during family gatherings like our grandma's party or Christmas parties. And the last time we had a long talk was before she was planning to leave for Singapore and she wanted to ask for some tips about the place, as I worked there for a couple of years before, too. But she was very mature and ready for the move, so I knew she would be fine.

She was supposed to come home for her wedding last December 18th, and I was really looking forward to seeing her in her beautiful gown. She even got my boy to be one of her ring bearers. But a few weeks before she was about to come home, she got really sick, and never recovered.

She was a good friend, a loyal fiance, but I knew her best as a loving sister and daughter. From her friends, I also gather that she had a strong faith in God. She definitely left a void in our hearts.

We'll miss you Sheilah Marie. Rest in peace and watch over us while you enjoy God's Heaven.

Happiness with...my latest beauty finds

2012-01-27T13:37:00.000+08:00

I seldom blog about my beauty discoveries as I'm fairly new with my love affair with make-up. But these two items below are really amazing and are worth writing home about!

First is Body Shop's Extra Virgin Mineral Compact Foundation in Natural Vanilla (202). I'm already on my second compact. It comes with a synthetic brush for application. It's very creamy in consistency, easy to apply and very natural in finish. No chalky appearance here. Coverage is sheer to medium, so I'm able to cover the redness (rosacea) in my skin. Best of all, I didn't break out in this. Package says it has SPF 15, but I still apply sunscreen below this to be sure. Staying power is also good. It can last the whole day for me, with just some application of pressed powder in the middle of the day.

Body Shop's Compact Foundation

Now this second one is my latest find...and it's pure L-O-V-E. I've never heard of this brand before, but while walking around Powerplant Mall, I passed by The Beauty Bar and saw their new window poster on Koh Gen Doh. I'm a very curious person, so off I went to scour the internet and do a little research on the brand. It's actually a Japanese brand and you can visit their website here. The science behind the foundation is the use of deep sea waters which include minerals and nutrients that are easily absorbed by the skin. You can read more about it here.

Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation

After reading all the glowing reviews on the Aqua Foundation, I took the plunge and splurged on this holy bottle. It's Php 2750 at The Beauty Bar, which really sounds so indulgent, but I just couldn't resist. There's only 4 shades available at the moment, and I picked BE-1 for my skin tone. It comes in a beautiful glass pump bottle, which I really like. Coverage for the Aqua Foundation is sheer to light. But by golly, it's like my skin but sooo much better! I get a dewy, glowy, but not oily finish when I wear this. It also feels very lightweight on my skin. Staying power is good, it can last me the whole day with very minimal touch ups/powdering. Mind you, I have oily and sensitive skin. Since I've only had this for a couple of week, I'm not sure yet if it will break me out. But so far, so good.

After this experience, I'm looking at trying out their Cleansing Water as a makeup remover as I've read some good reviews on it as well.

Have a great weekend!

Happiness is...at Shangri-la Boracay

2012-01-27T12:13:00.000+08:00

Our arrival at the docks, via Shangri-la's own speedboats

our room

the beautiful beach

relaxing at the gardens

reception area, getting ready to leave

at the docks, getting ready to leave

What a beautiful place to relax and unwind...till next time!

School of Success

2012-01-26T16:58:00.000+08:00

Happiness...with Juju Cleanse

2012-01-26T15:19:00.000+08:00

You’ve probably heard a lot about different kinds ofcleanses that you can do for your body, such as the Master Cleanse and theliver flush. But I wasn’t ready to takethe plunge to do these drastic flushes as I wasn’t sure what the effects of theseare to my body. But as I was reading throughmy blog roll, I read about some people who had gone through Juju Cleanse, orshort for just juice. This piqued myinterest as it made more sense to me to cleanse my system by drinking healthyjuices, rather than either starving myself or drinking some nasty stuff toclean my system.

I was then forwarded to Juju Cleanse’s website here andstarted doing my research on it. You canread on all the benefits of going through a juice cleanse on their site, andalso on what to expect while on thecleanse. After having some of myqueries answered by the very accommodating owner Kat, and since it was the NewYear, I decided that it’s a good way to start a healthier habit and committedmyself to a Level 1, 3-day Cleanse.

I get six (6) 500-ml bottles of juices delivered daily to myhouse on the previous day that I will be doing the cleanse. All the instructions were also included, oncethe bottles were delivered at my doorstep, and it came in a pretty chic cooleras well. You have to keep them wellrefrigerated, and drink one bottle of Juju at every 2.5 hours interval. Everything was easy to understand and all youhad to do was drink up!

Overall, I was very happy with my first cleansingexperience. Although I missed the act ofchewing itself, I was never hungry during the 3 days I was on it. And the juices were really yummy! I am used to drinking vegetable juices and Ifind that the juices they provided were very refreshing and filling. I was worried at first about getting weak or dizzy because I suffer from anemia, but I didn't feel any of those at all. Kat did assure me that their juices were very rich in iron, so I guess I was still getting the recommended daily requirement of vitamins and nutrients. The only downside is you need tobe close to the bathroom at all times. Iprobably got some curious glances in the office when I had to run to the toiletso many times on my 2^nd day of the cleanse, haha!

It’s been a week after my cleanse, and I do notice that myskin is clearer and I think I’ve become more conscious of the food that Itake. It’s not because I would like tolose some weight (but that’s always a bonus), but because I’d like to give mybody a break and make sure that I give it the care that it deserves.

So would I do it again? Yes, yes, yes! I like the idea ofhaving fresh organic vegetable juices delivered daily to my doorstep. Plus, their service was great! Although I probably won't be doing it till the 2^ndhalf of the year na, because it’s not cheap ha. And I can probably move up to Level 2 the next time.

Have a great day!

Happiness is...at home

2012-01-23T21:31:00.001+08:00

On a lazy Saturday morning...

Yes, I do let them watch cartoons on TV once in a while... :)

Happiness is...at Enchanted Kingdom

2012-01-12T05:25:00.003+08:00

Photos taken on December 24, 2011.

Happiness Is...

2012-01-02T12:35:00.001+08:00

Happy New Year everyone! Wishing you a great 2012!

Repost: Paulina Porizkova: Aging

2011-12-16T15:53:00.001+08:00

This was beautifully written by the still beautiful supermodel Paulina Porizkova. Enjoy!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paulina-porizkova/aging_b_771127.html

******************************************************************************

Old age is the revenge of the ugly ones is a French proverb; one that I first heard at the very advanced age of 15 upon my arrival in Paris. I had spent five years in the ugly bin at school in Sweden, and had only recently been upgraded to beautiful. My ego was still fragile and my mind still pumped full of highbrow arty self-education and nerdy jokes, which is how one gets by when one is ugly. Which of course, I promptly realized, is exactly what will pay off as one ages: beauty fades, but a mind constantly energized will shine even brighter with age. I immediately took the proverb as my own personal motto and patted myself on the back with satisfaction. I will continue to be intelligent, I vowed, no matter how beautiful I become. And then, at, like, the old age of 35, I'll be an incredibly smart and kinda attractive old lady.

In interviews I gave at the wise age of 17 and 18, I pontificated about the beauty of age and wisdom, and blabber on about how I look forward to my first wrinkle. What an idiot I was.

My first recognition of age setting in was exactly on my 36th birthday. I have no idea why, on this day of all days, I looked in the mirror and realized my face no longer looked young. I didn't look bad: only, the freshness had somehow disappeared. I immediately became hyper-conscious of my looks and went out and bought the most expensive cream on the market. (For your information, it did nothing.) And I began the battle of acceptance, something I have to do now almost every time I face a mirror.

"Oh sure, Miss Supermodel, it must be hard for you," you may think, pityingly. (I have also heard it spoken aloud more than once, although, oddly enough, the tone wasn't so much pitying as sarcastic.) "You have always been more beautiful than the average," the conversation goes, "so it goes without saying, you still are. At least, in your age category." Hm, I know it's a compliment, so why do I not fluff up with delight?

Maybe because nothing ages as poorly as a beautiful woman's ego.

When you're used to one sort of treatment, it's really hard to get demoted, even if that new treatment is still better than the average. Boohoo. I know. My life is sucks. Now, I don't actually know the exact cut-off age where beautiful ceases and "must have-once-been-beautiful" begins. It's true it's not forty-five. I can still get attention when I try really hard, even if it's greatly reduced. But would I ever have dreamed that I would miss the time I couldn't walk past a construction site unmolested? These days when someone whistles at me, it's mostly a bike messenger about to mow me down.

Having been confident with the way my looks affected others, I was used to using them as extra cash. True, this worked mostly with the male population, but that little extra I could get out of them -- as I begged them not to give poor-little-me a ticket, or keep that door open just a second longer or try just a little harder to find an empty seat on that plane -- I took for granted.

Like everything else in life, there is always payback and it's a bitch. Beauty, unlike the rest of the gifts handed out at birth, does not require dedication, patience and hard work to pay off. But it's also the only gift that does NOT keep on giving. It usually blossoms at an age where you're least equipped to handle its benefits and rewards and instead take it all for granted, and by the time you start understanding the value of it, it slowly trickles away. How's that for revenge of the ugly ones?

To me, to let yourself age means that you're comfortable with who you are. Yes, sorry, I do believe that all the little shots here and there, and the pulling of skin here and there and the removal of fat here and there, means you still have something to prove; you're still not comfortable in your skin. The beauty of age was supposed to be about the wisdom acquired and with it, an acceptance and celebration of who you are. Now all we want for people to see is that we have not yet attained that wisdom. Aging has become something to fight, not something to accept. Aging is a matter of control and control of matter.

We can call injections of foreign stuff under our skin "having nothing done" since it doesn't actually involve surgery. So what if Botox makes you look like a poorly dubbed movie, or worse, human sock puppet where there is no match-up between what you say and how you feel, and you're turning all your family and friends slightly Asperger-ish.

What if you chose the fillers instead? Then you can proudly say "no Botox here" and forget to mention the rest of the stuff that now inhabits your epidermis. The problem there seems to be that the minute you fix those frown lines, your forehead looks tremendously wrinkled. And the moment you fix that, your eyes are so hollowed, you need just a touch of extra cheekbone. And suddenly, you look really great as long as you don't move a single facial muscle. Because once you do, a single twitch will reveal a whole landscape of matter under your skin that really shouldn't be there. So you may use a little Botox to fix that and... And grey is much easier to blend with blonde and... Before you know it, you have joined the cult of the Scandinavian Stepfords. The members of this clan, like the once hairy-brunette-Italian Madonna and the once freckled-redhead Aussie Nicole Kidman now resemble no one as much as the blonde American Barbara Walters, who could, in turn, not only be their mother but also the sister of Linda Evans. They are all now high-cheek-boned, smooth-skinned Scandinavian blondes. But only one of them started out that way.

Now, let me state once and for all that I am not against plastic surgery. In many cases, it is something that can so vastly improve the quality of life it actually saves it. And even in the more frivolous cases, I do not have a problem with a woman who chooses a teensy bit of this or that to make herself feel better, as long as she admits to it. Nothing galls me as much as age-defying celebrities who achieve their looks by "healthy food and yoga." I know this is bullshit. You may not. But I can guarantee we will both feel bad about the way we look, the way we have let ourselves go, when Michelle Pfeiffer and Demi Moore look not a day over 30.

I recently saw a comment posted on to one of the blogs I had written by a woman who stated that my problem is that I'm obviously jealous of these women I criticize, because they are not only beautiful but successful, something I'm clearly not. That gave me pause. Am I just jealous? Is my entire creative output completely reliant on this baser of emotions? It's true I'm trying to find a new place in the world that would rather I had just shut up and stayed beautiful (dying young is a terrific way to achieve this, by the way), which makes me a tad resentful. It's also true I'm still very insecure and want attention and universal love and have not a friggin' clue on how to achieve it. And likewise, it is true that I am jealous, and envious, and covetous of things I don't have. Which are, or is, rather--surprise, surprise--not an unlined forehead or puffy lips, nor a hot career, but confidence. True confidence: the kind that should come with age and that I keep glimpsing off in the distance, the kind I tell myself I would have developed already had I relied on wit rather than looks.

I keep a list of my "heroines," the women who have dared to age, and I'm always stupidly grateful to see these women highlighted in the media. I just found out that Jamie Lee Curtis, one of the women on my list, and Madonna are the same age. Looking at photos of them side by side is a revelation. One looks no older than 30, hard-edged, determined and hungry. The other looks like she's old enough to be her mother, but radiant, confident and content.
I already know I'm too vain and too insecure to follow her footsteps. This is what and whom I'm jealous of.

But even as I struggle with the choices -- age, age a little, age not at all -- I realize I'm blessed to even be in the position to age. To age is a privilege, not a birthright, even though most of us in the civilized world seem to forget this. This choice of "not-aging" is actually reserved for well-off women with lots of time and money. I've met a lot of these women at parties and social gatherings, and they were all lovely, gracious, generous and often way smarter than me. So when I asked them all who they would elect as their symbol of graceful aging, the overwhelmingly popular choice, Madonna, was disheartening. With all the choices we have, with all those beautiful and strong and powerful women in their 40 and 50's (Oprah? Arianna Huffington? Kathryn Bigelow? Christiane Amanpour? And although I hate to include her, Sarah Palin?), the choice was the one woman who has elected to NOT age. Of course, the kicker is: artificial youth takes lot maintenance. Maintenance takes a lot of time.

So, the more time you chase -- the more time you waste.

For the record, Paulina Porizkova diligently uses day creams with SPF 30, rain or shine. (Olay proX, Dr Denese tinted, or Patricia Wexler) She also uses the Clairisonic every night, followed by Patricia Wexler's intensive deep wrinkle treatment. She has had one Thermage treatment about three years ago when she could afford it. The before and after photos still look identical. She also had two Fraxel treatments on the secondary laugh lines next to her mouth, also about three or four years ago. Those lines never went away, but also haven't gotten any deeper. Her verdict is that she can't see any difference, but the minute she has a spare $ 7.000.00 with which to wipe her butt, she'll do them again.

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas...

2011-11-29T16:57:00.000+08:00

Taken at Ayala Triangle Gardens...beautiful lights...

Our Christmas tree this year

Before these two start grabbing the ornaments :)

First Day of School

2011-11-29T16:39:00.001+08:00

This was taken last November 8th. It was Kenji's first day of school. It was also his 2nd birthday. Another milestone for my baby boy. Enjoy school, my love.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-25T10:06:00.001+08:00

It's Thanksgiving Day for our American neighbors. Even if this isn't a holiday for us here in the Philippines, I think it's still nice to remember all the wonderful things that has happened to us this year. These are some of the things that I am very grateful for:

My 2 boys, who are growing up too fast in my opinion. You both bring so much joy and love into our lives. Everyday, I thank God for blessing me with you and showing me what life is really all about.
My husband, my soul mate, my love, my partner. I can't ask for anything more from a partner in life.
My family, dad, mom and my brothers, who are always very supportive of my decisions. They've always allowed me to grow up, make mistakes, but still remain patient and loving, no matter what.
My grandparents, especially Kongkong, who is currently battling cancer. I hope and pray that he's able to continue to enjoy life with Ama for a few more years.
My friends, who are always there to lend a helping hand and to just share a coffee and stories with. Girl friends are really one of God's greatest gift to women!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Funny

2011-11-18T11:19:00.000+08:00

I thought this was so hilarious AND true! (source unknown)

Repost: A Sister’s Eulogy for Steve Jobs

2011-11-02T12:19:00.001+08:00

The New York Times

By MONA SIMPSON

Published: October 30, 2011

REPRINTS

I grew up as an only child, with a single mother. Because we were poor and because I knew my father had emigrated from Syria, I imagined he looked like Omar Sharif. I hoped he would be rich and kind and would come into our lives (and our not yet furnished apartment) and help us. Later, after I’d met my father, I tried to believe he’d changed his number and left no forwarding address because he was an idealistic revolutionary, plotting a new world for the Arab people.

Even as a feminist, my whole life I’d been waiting for a man to love, who could love me. For decades, I’d thought that man would be my father. When I was 25, I met that man and he was my brother.

By then, I lived in New York, where I was trying to write my first novel. I had a job at a small magazine in an office the size of a closet, with three other aspiring writers. When one day a lawyer called me — me, the middle-class girl from California who hassled the boss to buy us health insurance — and said his client was rich and famous and was my long-lost brother, the young editors went wild. This was 1985 and we worked at a cutting-edge literary magazine, but I’d fallen into the plot of a Dickens novel and really, we all loved those best. The lawyer refused to tell me my brother’s name and my colleagues started a betting pool. The leading candidate: John Travolta. I secretly hoped for a literary descendant of Henry James — someone more talented than I, someone brilliant without even trying.

When I met Steve, he was a guy my age in jeans, Arab- or Jewish-looking and handsomer than Omar Sharif.

We took a long walk — something, it happened, that we both liked to do. I don’t remember much of what we said that first day, only that he felt like someone I’d pick to be a friend. He explained that he worked in computers.

I didn’t know much about computers. I still worked on a manual Olivetti typewriter.

I told Steve I’d recently considered my first purchase of a computer: something called the Cromemco.

Steve told me it was a good thing I’d waited. He said he was making something that was going to be insanely beautiful.

I want to tell you a few things I learned from Steve, during three distinct periods, over the 27 years I knew him. They’re not periods of years, but of states of being. His full life. His illness. His dying.

Steve worked at what he loved. He worked really hard. Every day.

That’s incredibly simple, but true.

He was the opposite of absent-minded.

He was never embarrassed about working hard, even if the results were failures. If someone as smart as Steve wasn’t ashamed to admit trying, maybe I didn’t have to be.

When he got kicked out of Apple, things were painful. He told me about a dinner at which 500 Silicon Valley leaders met the then-sitting president. Steve hadn’t been invited.

He was hurt but he still went to work at Next. Every single day.

Novelty was not Steve’s highest value. Beauty was.

For an innovator, Steve was remarkably loyal. If he loved a shirt, he’d order 10 or 100 of them. In the Palo Alto house, there are probably enough black cotton turtlenecks for everyone in this church.

He didn’t favor trends or gimmicks. He liked people his own age.

His philosophy of aesthetics reminds me of a quote that went something like this: “Fashion is what seems beautiful now but looks ugly later; art can be ugly at first but it becomes beautiful later.”

Steve always aspired to make beautiful later.

He was willing to be misunderstood.

Uninvited to the ball, he drove the third or fourth iteration of his same black sports car to Next, where he and his team were quietly inventing the platform on which Tim Berners-Lee would write the program for the World Wide Web.

Steve was like a girl in the amount of time he spent talking about love. Love was his supreme virtue, his god of gods. He tracked and worried about the romantic lives of the people working with him.

Whenever he saw a man he thought a woman might find dashing, he called out, “Hey are you single? Do you wanna come to dinner with my sister?”

I remember when he phoned the day he met Laurene. “There’s this beautiful woman and she’s really smart and she has this dog and I’m going to marry her.”

When Reed was born, he began gushing and never stopped. He was a physical dad, with each of his children. He fretted over Lisa’s boyfriends and Erin’s travel and skirt lengths and Eve’s safety around the horses she adored.

None of us who attended Reed’s graduation party will ever forget the scene of Reed and Steve slow dancing.

His abiding love for Laurene sustained him. He believed that love happened all the time, everywhere. In that most important way, Steve was never ironic, never cynical, never pessimistic. I try to learn from that, still.

Steve had been successful at a young age, and he felt that had isolated him. Most of the choices he made from the time I knew him were designed to dissolve the walls around him. A middle-class boy from Los Altos, he fell in love with a middle-class girl from New Jersey. It was important to both of them to raise Lisa, Reed, Erin and Eve as grounded, normal children. Their house didn’t intimidate with art or polish; in fact, for many of the first years I knew Steve and Lo together, dinner was served on the grass, and sometimes consisted of just one vegetable. Lots of that one vegetable. But one. Broccoli. In season. Simply prepared. With just the right, recently snipped, herb.

Even as a young millionaire, Steve always picked me up at the airport. He’d be standing there in his jeans.

When a family member called him at work, his secretary Linetta answered, “Your dad’s in a meeting. Would you like me to interrupt him?”

When Reed insisted on dressing up as a witch every Halloween, Steve, Laurene, Erin and Eve all went wiccan.

They once embarked on a kitchen remodel; it took years. They cooked on a hotplate in the garage. The Pixar building, under construction during the same period, finished in half the time. And that was it for the Palo Alto house. The bathrooms stayed old. But — and this was a crucial distinction — it had been a great house to start with; Steve saw to that.

This is not to say that he didn’t enjoy his success: he enjoyed his success a lot, just minus a few zeros. He told me how much he loved going to the Palo Alto bike store and gleefully realizing he could afford to buy the best bike there.

And he did.

Steve was humble. Steve liked to keep learning.

Once, he told me if he’d grown up differently, he might have become a mathematician. He spoke reverently about colleges and loved walking around the Stanford campus. In the last year of his life, he studied a book of paintings by Mark Rothko, an artist he hadn’t known about before, thinking of what could inspire people on the walls of a future Apple campus.

Steve cultivated whimsy. What other C.E.O. knows the history of English and Chinese tea roses and has a favorite David Austin rose?

He had surprises tucked in all his pockets. I’ll venture that Laurene will discover treats — songs he loved, a poem he cut out and put in a drawer — even after 20 years of an exceptionally close marriage. I spoke to him every other day or so, but when I opened The New York Times and saw a feature on the company’s patents, I was still surprised and delighted to see a sketch for a perfect staircase.

With his four children, with his wife, with all of us, Steve had a lot of fun.

He treasured happiness.

Then, Steve became ill and we watched his life compress into a smaller circle. Once, he’d loved walking through Paris. He’d discovered a small handmade soba shop in Kyoto. He downhill skied gracefully. He cross-country skied clumsily. No more.

Eventually, even ordinary pleasures, like a good peach, no longer appealed to him.

Yet, what amazed me, and what I learned from his illness, was how much was still left after so much had been taken away.

I remember my brother learning to walk again, with a chair. After his liver transplant, once a day he would get up on legs that seemed too thin to bear him, arms pitched to the chair back. He’d push that chair down the Memphis hospital corridor towards the nursing station and then he’d sit down on the chair, rest, turn around and walk back again. He counted his steps and, each day, pressed a little farther.

Laurene got down on her knees and looked into his eyes.

“You can do this, Steve,” she said. His eyes widened. His lips pressed into each other.

He tried. He always, always tried, and always with love at the core of that effort. He was an intensely emotional man.

I realized during that terrifying time that Steve was not enduring the pain for himself. He set destinations: his son Reed’s graduation from high school, his daughter Erin’s trip to Kyoto, the launching of a boat he was building on which he planned to take his family around the world and where he hoped he and Laurene would someday retire.

Even ill, his taste, his discrimination and his judgment held. He went through 67 nurses before finding kindred spirits and then he completely trusted the three who stayed with him to the end. Tracy. Arturo. Elham.

One time when Steve had contracted a tenacious pneumonia his doctor forbid everything — even ice. We were in a standard I.C.U. unit. Steve, who generally disliked cutting in line or dropping his own name, confessed that this once, he’d like to be treated a little specially.

I told him: Steve, this is special treatment.

He leaned over to me, and said: “I want it to be a little more special.”

Intubated, when he couldn’t talk, he asked for a notepad. He sketched devices to hold an iPad in a hospital bed. He designed new fluid monitors and x-ray equipment. He redrew that not-quite-special-enough hospital unit. And every time his wife walked into the room, I watched his smile remake itself on his face.

For the really big, big things, you have to trust me, he wrote on his sketchpad. He looked up. You have to.

By that, he meant that we should disobey the doctors and give him a piece of ice.

None of us knows for certain how long we’ll be here. On Steve’s better days, even in the last year, he embarked upon projects and elicited promises from his friends at Apple to finish them. Some boat builders in the Netherlands have a gorgeous stainless steel hull ready to be covered with the finishing wood. His three daughters remain unmarried, his two youngest still girls, and he’d wanted to walk them down the aisle as he’d walked me the day of my wedding.

We all — in the end — die in medias res. In the middle of a story. Of many stories.

I suppose it’s not quite accurate to call the death of someone who lived with cancer for years unexpected, but Steve’s death was unexpected for us.

What I learned from my brother’s death was that character is essential: What he was, was how he died.

Tuesday morning, he called me to ask me to hurry up to Palo Alto. His tone was affectionate, dear, loving, but like someone whose luggage was already strapped onto the vehicle, who was already on the beginning of his journey, even as he was sorry, truly deeply sorry, to be leaving us.

He started his farewell and I stopped him. I said, “Wait. I’m coming. I’m in a taxi to the airport. I’ll be there.”

“I’m telling you now because I’m afraid you won’t make it on time, honey.”

When I arrived, he and his Laurene were joking together like partners who’d lived and worked together every day of their lives. He looked into his children’s eyes as if he couldn’t unlock his gaze.

Until about 2 in the afternoon, his wife could rouse him, to talk to his friends from Apple.

Then, after awhile, it was clear that he would no longer wake to us.

His breathing changed. It became severe, deliberate, purposeful. I could feel him counting his steps again, pushing farther than before.

This is what I learned: he was working at this, too. Death didn’t happen to Steve, he achieved it.

He told me, when he was saying goodbye and telling me he was sorry, so sorry we wouldn’t be able to be old together as we’d always planned, that he was going to a better place.

Dr. Fischer gave him a 50/50 chance of making it through the night.

He made it through the night, Laurene next to him on the bed sometimes jerked up when there was a longer pause between his breaths. She and I looked at each other, then he would heave a deep breath and begin again.

This had to be done. Even now, he had a stern, still handsome profile, the profile of an absolutist, a romantic. His breath indicated an arduous journey, some steep path, altitude.

He seemed to be climbing.

But with that will, that work ethic, that strength, there was also sweet Steve’s capacity for wonderment, the artist’s belief in the ideal, the still more beautiful later.

Steve’s final words, hours earlier, were monosyllables, repeated three times.

Before embarking, he’d looked at his sister Patty, then for a long time at his children, then at his life’s partner, Laurene, and then over their shoulders past them.

Steve’s final words were:

OH WOW. OH WOW. OH WOW.

Mona Simpson is a novelist and a professor of English at the University of California, Los Angeles. She delivered this eulogy for her brother, Steve Jobs, on Oct. 16 at his memorial service at the Memorial Church of Stanford University.

Do You Know What Drowning Really Looks Like?

2011-09-07T11:22:00.000+08:00

A Repost from http://drbenkim.com/signs-of-drowning.htm

Note from Ben Kim: Many thanks to Mario Vittone for graciously giving me permission to share this valuable article with our readership. Please read through Mario's article below and consider sharing this information with family and friends.

Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning

By Mario Vittone

The new captain jumped from the deck, fully dressed, and sprinted through the water. A former lifeguard, he kept his eyes on his victim as he headed straight for the couple swimming between their anchored sportfisher and the beach. "I think he thinks you're drowning," the husband said to his wife. They had been splashing each other and she had screamed but now they were just standing, neck-deep on the sand bar. "We're fine, what is he doing?" she asked, a little annoyed. "We're fine!" the husband yelled, waving him off, but his captain kept swimming hard. "Move!" he barked as he sprinted between the stunned owners. Directly behind them, not ten feet away, their nine-year-old daughter was drowning. Safely above the surface in the arms of the captain, she burst into tears, "Daddy!"

How did this captain know - from fifty feet away - what the father couldn't recognize from just ten? Drowning is not the violent, splashing, call for help that most people expect. The captain was trained to recognize drowning by experts and years of experience. The father, on the other hand, had learned what drowning looks like by watching television. If you spend time on or near the water (hint: that’s all of us) then you should make sure that you and your crew know what to look for whenever people enter the water. Until she cried a tearful, "Daddy," she hadn't made a sound. As a former Coast Guard rescue swimmer, I wasn’t surprised at all by this story. Drowning is almost always a deceptively quiet event. The waving, splashing, and yelling that dramatic conditioning (television) prepares us to look for, is rarely seen in real life.

The Instinctive Drowning Response - so named by Francesco A. Pia, Ph.D., is what people do to avoid actual or perceived suffocation in the water. And it does not look like most people expect. There is very little splashing, no waving, and no yelling or calls for help of any kind. To get an idea of just how quiet and undramatic from the surface drowning can be, consider this: It is the number two cause of accidental death in children, age 15 and under (just behind vehicle accidents) - of the approximately 750 children who will drown next year, about 375 of them will do so within 25 yards of a parent or other adult. In ten percent of those drownings, the adult will actually watch them do it, having no idea it is happening (source: CDC). Drowning does not look like drowning - Dr. Pia, in an article in the Coast Guard's On Scene Magazine, described the instinctive drowning response like this:

Except in rare circumstances, drowning people are physiologically unable to call out for help. The respiratory system was designed for breathing. Speech is the secondary or overlaid function. Breathing must be fulfilled before speech occurs.
Drowning people's mouths alternately sink below and reappear above the surface of the water. The mouths of drowning people are not above the surface of the water long enough for them to exhale, inhale, and call out for help. When drowning people's mouths are above the surface, they exhale and inhale quickly as their mouths start to sink below the surface of the water.
Drowning people cannot wave for help. Nature instinctively forces them to extend their arms laterally and press down on the water's surface. Pressing down on the surface of the water permits drowning people to leverage their bodies so they can lift their mouths out of the water to breathe.
Throughout the Instinctive Drowning Response, drowning people cannot voluntarily control their arm movements. Physiologically, drowning people who are struggling on the surface of the water cannot stop drowning and perform voluntary movements such as waving for help, moving toward a rescuer, or reaching out for a piece of rescue equipment.
From beginning to end of the Instinctive Drowning Response people's bodies remain upright in the water, with no evidence of a supporting kick. Unless rescued by a trained lifeguard, these drowning people can only struggle on the surface of the water from 20 to 60 seconds before submersion occurs.
(Source: On Scene Magazine: Fall 2006 (page 14))

This doesn't mean that a person that is yelling for help and thrashing isn't in real trouble - they are experiencing aquatic distress. Not always present before the instinctive drowning response, aquatic distress doesn't last long - but unlike true drowning, these victims can still assist in their own rescue. They can grab lifelines, throw rings, etc.

Look for these other signs of drowning when persons are in the water:

Head low in the water, mouth at water level
Head tilted back with mouth open
Eyes glassy and empty, unable to focus
Eyes closed
Hair over forehead or eyes
Not using legs - Vertical
Hyperventilating or gasping
Trying to swim in a particular direction but not making headway
Trying to roll over on the back
Appear to be climbing an invisible ladder

So if a crew member falls overboard and everything looks OK, don't be too sure. Sometimes the most common indication that someone is drowning is that they don't look like they're drowning. They may just look like they are treading water and looking up at the deck. One way to be sure? Ask them, "Are you alright?" If they can answer at all, they probably are. If they return a blank stare, you may have less than 30 seconds to get to them. And parents: children playing in the water make noise. When they get quiet, you get to them and find out why.

(See a video of the Instinctive Drowning Response)

About the Author

A native of Bowie, Maryland, Mario Vittone joined the Navy in 1983. After almost two years of avionics training, he was assigned as ship’s company on the USS Coral Sea, a WWII era aircraft carrier, where he spent five years as an airborne RADAR technician. Joining the Coast Guard in 1991 he was assigned as permanent party at Training Center Cape May before transferring to the Cutter Point Franklin as a helmsman and small boat coxswain. He graduated from Helicopter Rescue Swimmer School in 1994 and began his career as a rescue swimmer with two tours at Air Station Elizabeth City, one at Air Station New Orleans, then finally as an instructor and course developer at the Aviation Technical Training Center in Elizabeth City, NC

Mario is one of the services leading experts on immersion hypothermia, drowning, sea survival, and safety at sea. His writing has appeared in Yachting Magazine, SaltWater Sportsman, MotorBoating Magazine, Lifelines, On-Scene, and Reader’s Digest. He has lectured extensively to business leaders, educators, and the military on team motivation, performance, innovation, mission focus, and generational diversity. In 2007, he was named as the Coast Guard Active Duty Enlisted Person of the Year and was named as the 2009 recipient of the Alex Haley Award for Journalism.

You can visit Mario's website by clicking here: MarioVittone.com

Shanghai 2011

2011-09-02T23:04:00.000+08:00

Hubby had to take a short trip to Shanghai last August 16-18th for some business and he invited me to tag along for the trip. What a sweet husband! And when I go to Shanghai with hubby, you can be sure that the food we eat will definitely be good. Here are some photos that I took from our quick trip.

Took the Maglev from the airport to our hotel:

See how fast it can go!

Dinner on our first night was at a Taiwanese restaurant that only served set menus. The food was beautifully presented and quite delicious. Hubby and I ordered different items from the menu so we could taste more variety, but I only took photos of the interesting ones. I was also too full to take note of everything that we ate :)

the salad

the soup

the steak

the dessert

Plus another dessert!

The next day, after watching the Shanghai Acrobatic Show, we went to look for a small restaurant that was featured in Shanghai's City Weekend Magazine. Apparently it serves one of the best ramens in town.

The place is called Kota's Kitchen. The place was really small and out of the way, but was packed even at 10pm.

While waiting for our food to arrive, we were served some fresh vegetables with dipping sauce and cold towels to freshen up.

The place was decorated with Beatles posters and only played Beatles music.

And here's the special ramen.

The soup was really rich, noodles were cooked just right and it was really filling. But i enjoyed their Yakitori sticks (grilled meats) more.

On our final day, we wanted to try getting into the China Pavilion at the Expo Grounds, but the line up was still really long. So here we are outside taking another shot of what we saw last year:

For our final lunch before leaving for the airport, we stopped by a Hongkong restaurant along the road and was surprised by how big and how packed the place was. It probably can seat about 300 people and there was still a line-up at the entrance. Good thing we came in before the lunch crowd started arriving.

Fried rice with abalone sauce - really yummy!

Interesting way of serving Iced Milk Tea. The ice is only placed inside the bucket, this way the drink will not be diluted as the ice melts. Really authentic milk tea, loved it!

Fried chicken with vegetables

Another shot of the delicious fried rice. I can still taste it in my mind...

Thanks hubby for letting me tag along on this trip. It was great to spend some "alone" time with you and catch up with each other. Love you!

Ama and Kongkong

2011-08-23T09:26:00.000+08:00

Found a couple of photos of my Kongkong and Ama in my hard-drive and thought I should post them. These were taken several years ago when both of them were still healthy and able to travel. First was taken at our house in Richmond, while the second was just taken from one of our family gatherings. Seventy years together and still counting, what a great feat! I'm so happy that we grew up having them in our lives and I'm glad that my boys are still able to meet them and know what great grandparents are. We love you Ama and Kongkong!

It's a Party!

2011-07-27T15:08:00.003+08:00

My family celebrated an important milestone last Saturday, July 23, 2011. We celebrated my grandpa and grandma's 70th wedding anniversary and also their 90th and 86th birthdays. 70 years together, can you imagine? Because of this important event, everyone was asked to attend the party and all my family and relatives from abroad were able to fly in. What a grand reunion we had!

We hired Kimberly Evangelista to be our event host, and I think the guests had a blast. The food was good, the venue was decorated festively, the cake was ginormous, and we handed out some nice prizes during the trivia game, wherein guests had to answer some questions about Ama and Kongkong. Ina prepared a nice AVP of Kongkong and Ama's old photos. Donald also performed a number (he sang L-O-V-E), and a few of the grandkids and great grandkids serenaded the guests with Bruno Mars' "Just The Way You Are" with matching choreography! I was so proud of them!

We also hired a photo booth (snapphotobooth.multiply.com) for guests to take photos as their mementos of the event. Here are a couple of me and the kids...I didn't know even their yayas joined in on the fun! hehe....

say cheeessse!

my parent's grandkids with their yayas :)

Happy anniversary Ama and Kongkong, we all love you very much!

ANGELINA FOR LOUIS VUITTON

2011-07-19T11:33:00.003+08:00

A single journey can change the course of a life.
A journey can help you realize what’s important.
A journey can be a great adventure.
A journey can help you find yourself.
A journey can make you question your assumptions.
A journey can inspire you.

-Advice for the journey from the world’s greatest travelers

Beautiful...

Gratitude Journal - July 4, 2011

2011-07-04T16:28:00.000+08:00

Gosh, half the year has gone by! And I'm going to be another year older before this month ends...where did the time go?

Anyway, today I am thankful:

for the food at Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao (restaurant at V-Mall). My sons especially love their Xiao Long Bao, with the thin skin and not so oily soup inside. Also love their hand-pulled noodles.
that my "kuliti" (stye in English daw) is almost healing. The sucker finally popped the other night and lots of good stuff started oozing out of it. At least it doesn't hurt that bad anymore. Just hope it doesn't leave a bad scar on my eyelid.
that Rod and I were able to watch the show "The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber" at the CCP last Thursday. Even though I wasn't a fan, my husband was...and it was a great way to spend a date night with him!

Have a great day!

I Got a Boy - From Chicken Soup for the Soul: New Moms

2011-06-28T13:51:00.000+08:00

I Got a Boy

By Stacey Tucker

Boy, n.: a noise with dirt on it.
~Not Your Average Dictionary

When I got pregnant it was exciting, but scary. I was thirty-three at the time. For most of my twenties, I didn't think I wanted children. But as I aged, I realized I did want a child. So, after three years of marriage, we were ready to try. Throughout the early weeks of pregnancy, I focused on my physical changes. I managed the nausea and weight gain and mood swings pretty well. There was also one thing I knew for sure: I wanted a girl.

Being a girl was all I knew. I am an only child and was always a girly girl. Before I got pregnant and through my early weeks of pregnancy, I did as much positive thinking and law of attraction work that one person can do. I was preparing for my girl. My mother had died in 2004, and I was ready to name my daughter Alexandra after my mother. We had it all set.

Twenty weeks of pregnancy finally arrived. Ultrasound wand on the belly, the technician gave me the news: "It's a boy!" I was in shock. As soon as I started to breathe again, I burst into tears. A boy. I couldn't believe it. The possibility of having a boy honestly never entered my mind. I cried all the way home from the doctor's office and all that night. What was I going to do with a boy? I hate sports and dirt.

Fast forward to Jackson's birth. When the nurse handed that little bundle to me, I thought I had never seen such perfection. All I wanted to do was take care of this little boy and love him with my whole being. I felt so ashamed of myself for thinking even for a second that I wanted a girl instead of this amazing creature looking at me with his giant blue eyes. I cried tears of happiness and tears of sadness simultaneously. My son was truly a lesson from God. He knew a boy would be good for me. Girls I knew, but boys?

Oh, what a world I have discovered and grown to appreciate. Every day with my son is a lesson for me on stepping outside my comfort zone. Instead of sitting in a chair at the beach, I am chasing a boy who is chasing seagulls. Instead of getting my nails painted, I am getting my face painted to support our favorite sports team. Instead of playing with dolls, I am playing with trucks. I have made peace with dirt, dead things, living things, mystery liquids and chocolate milk on the sofa. I have learned that getting jumped on, stepped on, kicked by flailing limbs and head butts are all forms of "wrestling." I have had to get in shape to keep up with my toddler and change my wardrobe to accommodate impromptu batting practice and tackle football in the yard. I have learned not to wear flip-flops in the woods.

My son has taught me how to remain in the present moment, no daydreaming on the job. My son has taught me how to laugh at myself and at everyday experiences. Rolling down a hill can actually be fun, and water guns on a hot day can be refreshing. My son has taught me how to be more open -- open to love someone else and open to love myself. He is my perpetual lesson in absolute faith in our own perfection. I am supposed to be the teacher in this relationship, but I seem to be learning something new every day. One thing I know for sure: I am so thankful I got a boy.

The Proust Questionnaire - Follow Up

2011-06-27T14:17:00.000+08:00

According to the questionnaire, my answers are most similar to the following celebrities:

Eleanor Lambert - 93.48%
Ray Charles - 81.16%
Julie Andrews - 68.50%
Sidney Poitier - 53.61%

Interesting....

The Proust Questionnaire

2011-06-27T14:08:00.006+08:00

The Proust Questionnaire is a questionnaire about one's personality. Its name and modern popularity as a form of interview is owed to the responses given by the French writer Marcel Proust. Proust answered the questionnaire several times in his life, always with enthusiasm.

Vanity Fair magazine has an interactive version of this questionnaire and I decided to take it, to compare my answers to various luminaries. Here goes my answers:

1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Sitting on the beach, with my 3 favorite boys, sipping a tall glass of iced coffee.

2. What is your greatest fear?
Losing my boys, can't imagine my life without them.

3. Which historical figure do you most identify with?
None really.

4. Which living figure do you admire most?
My mom.

5. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Laziness and my fear of confrontations.

6. What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Arrogance and sense of entitlement. Feeling that you know EVERYTHING, when in fact you know nothing. And feeling that you deserve and are entitled to other people's achievements and happiness, when you did nothing to earn it.

7. What is your greatest extravagance?
Maybe having my hair straightened once a year. The time, the effort, the cost, all for vanity!

8. On what occasion do you lie?
When I know that telling the truth would hurt someone. And sometimes I lie by omission.

9. What do you dislike most about your appearance?
I am most conscious about my bulging tummy with its flab and ugly stretch marks.

10. When and where were you happiest?
I thought I was happiest on my wedding day. But now, I am happy when I am at home with my family.

11. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I probably wished I was in a different job.

12. If you could change one thing about your family, what would it be?
I would probably hope that we all lived in the same country, instead of being so far apart.

13. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Giving birth to my two boys. I hope I can raise them to be good and honorable gentlemen. That will be an even greater achievement.

14. If you died and came back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
I hope it won't happen! I don't want to come back as an inanimate object!

15. What is your most treasured possession?
My collection of family photos, the probably my wedding and engagement rings.

16. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Regret. Dying and not being able to do what you are suppose to do.

17. Who are you heroes in real life?
My parents and grandparents. For their wisdom.

18. What is it that you most dislike?
Crawling, slimy, slippery creatures! Eyyewww!

19. How would you like to die?
Peacefully, in my sleep. Nothing violent and bloody please.

20. What is your motto?
"So in all that you do, in all of your life, I wish you the strength and the grace to make the choices which will allow you and your neighbor to become the best of whoever you are."

Quote of the Day

2011-06-23T09:58:00.002+08:00

" Let go of what you think life should be so you can experience the life you have."

~ Rhonda Britten

The Obamas

2011-06-22T09:35:00.000+08:00

This is cute...wish our president were more like him...

Gratitude Journal - June 17, 2011

2011-06-17T15:31:00.001+08:00

Today, I am thankful for my two brothers, who have been with me since...forever! Haha...I'm the eldest so it feels like I've had them with me my whole life. Even though we all live in three different countries now, I still feel close to them and we manage to keep in touch as often as possible. We've been through a lot together - first loves, first heartaches, new schools, new homes, new friends, new places to visit, new experiences, etc. But we've managed to enjoy the ride and turned out okay :)

They used to tease me a lot, since I was the only girl, but having them has toughened me up and made me competitive. They also pushed me to keep up with them and being an only girl has not stopped me from trying out some of the "manly" things that they do. I think living with them has also prepared me now in how I relate to my two sons. I learned that boys are just as sensitive and emotional as girls are. And they are also just as loving and malambing as girls are. So thanks bros, for being a part of my life, and for being a part of me. I love you both very much!

this was taken on my wedding day in 2006

A Beautiful Letter of a Father to His Children

2011-06-14T09:21:00.002+08:00

Found this is my inbox today, forwarded by my Ninang to me. Thought it was a nice way to start the day:

**********************************************************************************************************

The following is a beautiful letter written by a father to his children. The words are actually applicable to all of us, young or old, parents or grandparents. We can all learn something out of it for sure and use this in guiding and teaching our children.

Dear Children,

I am writing this to you because of 3 reasons. Life, fortune and mishaps are unpredictable and nobody knows how long I'll live. Some words are better said early. I am your father, and if I don't tell you these, no one else will. What is written is my own personal bitter experiences that perhaps could save you a lot of unnecessary heartaches.

Remember the following as you go through life...

1. Do not bear grudge towards those who are not good to you. No one has the responsibility of treating you well, except your mother and I. To those who are good to you, you have to treasure it and be thankful, and ALSO you have to be cautious, because, everyone has a motive for every move. When a person is good to you, it does not mean he really likes you. You have to be careful, don't hastily regard him as a real friend.

2. No one is indispensable, nothing in the world that you must possess. Once you understand this idea, it would be easier for you to go through life when people around you don't want you anymore, or when you lose what/who you love most.

3. Life is short. When you waste your life today, tomorrow you would find that life is leaving you. The earlier you treasure your life, the better you enjoy life.

4. Love is but a transient feeling, and this feeling would fade with time and with one's mood. If your so called loved one leaves you, be patient, time will wash away your aches and sadness. Don't over exaggerate the beauty and sweetness of love, and don't over exaggerate the sadness of falling out of love.

5. A lot of successful people did not receive a good education, that does not mean that you can be successful by not studying hard! Whatever knowledge you gain is your weapon in life. One can go from rags to riches, but one has to start from some rags!

6. I do not expect you to financially support me when I am old, either would I financially support your whole life. My responsibility as a supporter ends when you are grown up. After that, you decide whether you want to travel in a public transport or in your limousine, whether rich or poor.

7. You honor your words, but don't expect others to be so. You can be good to people, but don't expect people to be good to you. If you don't understand this, you would end up with unnecessary troubles.

8. I have bought lotteries for umpteen years, but I never strike any prize. That shows if you want to be rich, you have to work hard! There is no free lunch!

9. No matter how much time I have with you, let's treasure the time we have together. We do not know if we would meet again in our next life.

Your Dad

Gratitude Journal - June 13, 2011

2011-06-13T13:38:00.001+08:00

Today, I am thankful:

that my allergies are gone for today! My eyes got swollen a couple of days ago after lying down on a "lint-y" blanket and I looked hideous! Even Joshua told me "Mommy you're pangit." Seriously, I looked like Quasimodo :P
for the Soondubu jjigae (soft tofu stew) that I had for lunch last Saturday at Kaya. I learned eating this Korean food from a friend...love the spiciness of the broth, together with the softness of the tofu.
that I had "alone time" last Saturday afternoon. I was able to run some errands and was finally able to find that elusive Dinosaur book for Joshua. He loved it!
for my son Kenji, who has no qualms about singing and dancing in front of us. He's such a charmer...and a joy.

Have a great day!

Sung-Bong Choi - Korea's Got Talent

2011-06-09T16:39:00.000+08:00

Here's a hopeful tale, hope he succeeds...

Quote of the Day

2011-06-07T09:57:00.000+08:00

"How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these."

~ George Washington Carver

Gratitude Journal - June 6, 2011

2011-06-06T15:31:00.003+08:00

Today, I am thankful for:

a great Saturday spent with my favorite boys. We had our family portrait taken at the Picture Company - Rockwell with the little ones wearing their spiffy formal attires, and had a photo framed for hubby for Father's Day. Will post some of the photos when I get them this week.
the chance also to take the boys to Salcedo Park last Saturday night after dinner. With the dry weather these days, it's good to take advantage of this opportunity for them to run around, enjoy the slide, and work those muscles.
my son Joshua, who was able to take a dip in the pool and show off his kicking skills.
my son Kenji, who's saying more and more words everyday. You just crack me up baby!
Biogesic - one pills solves my killer headache away! :P

Gratitude Journal - June 2, 2011

2011-06-02T14:38:00.000+08:00

Today, I thank God for:

good friends, who I can share stories with about my (mis)adventures to mommy-hood and growing up, friends who don't judge because I'm never perfect, and friends who give good and sound advice about the important and the mundane.
my Grande Starbucks Dark Mocha Frap. Have you tasted this? It's coffee, dark cocoa and chocolate bits blended together...heavenly yum!
my daily dose of www.fashionpulis.com. This site is addictive! Reading through the readers' comments and smart clues just makes my day complete...it's like solving a puzzle but funny as well.

Have a good day!

Gratitude Journal - May 31, 2011

2011-05-31T16:08:00.000+08:00

Today, I am thankful for:

my wonderful dinner last night with my husband at Chef Jessie's, Rockwell. We had their set menu which includes a refreshing endive salad, ratatouille, dalandan sorbet, chicken roll with mushrooms and salmon belly with mashed potatoes, a sinful slice of rich chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and chamomile tea to finish off the meal. Heavenly!
my Nyx Wear Everyday Lipgloss Palette which I also got from Digital Traincase. The color payoff is better than a lipgloss and it's not sticky at all.
my new flats from Anthology, which I got at 40% off from AVA.ph, yey! I got the Paradiso flats, which was a collaboration between Anthology and Xeng Zulueta, in Hibiscus (orange). So comfy! I think this is my 3rd pair of Anthology flats, and they're all worth it.

Paradiso in Hibiscus

Have a great day!

Gratitude Journal - May 30, 2011

2011-05-30T12:59:00.000+08:00

Today, I am grateful:

for old friends, who've been there to witness and share in my growth and transformation.
for new friends, who add interest to my life
that my son Joshua is all better now, no more fever... yey!
and for a wonderful weekend spent with family and loved ones. If the world ended today, I wouldn't have changed a thing about how I spent my day yesterday...enjoying good food with the company of people I love the most.

Have a great day!

Happy 36th Birthday Rod!

2011-05-27T17:19:00.000+08:00

Happy birthday dear! I wish you good health, much love and great success in the years to come.

I thank God that I get to wake up every morning and see your face beside me.
I thank God because without you, we wouldn't have our two sons in our lives.
I thank God because he gave me a husband, who is patient, kind, generous, thoughtful and oh so handsome!
I thank God that he gave you to me, to be my partner, my friend, my companion and my soul mate for life.

Love you very much!

Gratitude Journal - May 26, 2011

2011-05-26T14:01:00.000+08:00

Today, I thank God for:

the quiet time I got this morning. Since hubby had to wake up early for an early morning meeting, I had no choice but to get up as well. And since I had time on my hands, I could take my time in getting ready for work and play with putting on my makeup! The boys were asleep rin, so it was pretty quiet this morning. They woke up just right before I was about to leave for work.
my lovely NYX lipgloss in "Soap Opera Queen", which I got from Digital Traincase yesterday.

my perfect free Starbucks Tall Mocha Frap made by Dara. None of the crap I got yesterday...whee! ***caffeine dripping into my system ***

my newly straightened (Xtenso) hair, which I had done last Saturday at Piandre. Saves me a lot of time when drying it and getting ready in the morning.

my two happy boys, who can't stop roaring like tigers and lions. They love watching the Jungle Book on TV these days.

Gratitude Journal - May 25, 2011

2011-05-25T13:01:00.003+08:00

Today, I thank God for:

my mom, who's always there to give us love and support, whenever we need it.
my dad's strength, while he continues his battle with his heart problems.
my husband, who continues to believe in my abilities and in what I can do.
my Nokia N8, who's been my handy constant companion since my husband got it for me early this year :)
my unconditional love towards my two sons, because it teaches me that I can be patient, loving and selfless towards everyone and everything.

P.S. I got a bad Extra Coffee Caramel Frapp from Starbucks today coz the barista was new. Had it changed the first time coz it was "mapait", but this 2nd one still tastes off (too sweet naman). Didn't want to complain na kasi baka duraan pa yung drink ko, but just feel like I didn't get my money's worth. Oh well, bukas nalang ulit...But if it's the same barista, I won't buy nalang.

Gratitude Journal - May 24, 2011

2011-05-24T10:41:00.003+08:00

Today, I am thankful to God for:

my husband, who took all of us to Gloria Maris last night for some late-night dimsum. And the boys loved the shrimp rice roll!
my sweet Joshua, who kissed me last night and told me "I'm so happy to see you, Mommy!"
my cute Kenji, who gave me a sweet kiss this morning when he woke up.
my yummy FREE Starbucks Tall Extra Coffee Caramel Frappuccino - thanks HSBC!
my nice Sigma kabuki make-up face brushes that I recently got. ♥♥♥

Gratitude Journal - May 23, 2011

2011-05-23T11:58:00.000+08:00

Five things that I am grateful for today.

Thank you God for:

my little boy Joshua, who told me last night before going to sleep, "I love you, Mommy!"
my little Kenji, who was so cute this morning, while sitting on the toilet and telling me "bye, bye!"
my thoughtful and handsome husband, who works so hard everyday to provide for the family, while also taking care of everybody else around him.
my yaya at home, who takes care of my boys while I'm at work.
my maid, who cooks great meals everyday for the family. Coz I hate to cook!

Poem: Facing the Future

2011-05-23T11:22:00.000+08:00

Facing the Future
by Mattie Stepanek

Every journey begins
With but a small step.
And every day is a chance
For a new, small step
In the right direction.
Just follow your Heartsong.

Brain Farts - May 20, 2011

2011-05-20T11:56:00.000+08:00

Lately, I've been feeling very restless at work. I think it's the feeling of doing routine things day in and and day out and not having new challenges to face. It's the feeling of boredom and not wanting to face whatever stuff I have on my table everyday. Sometimes I also feel guilty when I have to leave for work every morning and when I kiss boy boys goodbye, my eldest would tell me, "Can you not go to work today and stay home with me and Shioti?" ***sniff, sniff*** But as of the moment, our arrangement does not allow me to stay at home and be a full-time mom. I don't think I am also made to be a domestic wife. So off to work I go everyday, even if it is with great reluctance.

While surfing the net, I saw this post-it note on one of the pages that I visit:

Well said! God really does speak to us everyday. We just need to open our minds and accept what the world has to offer. I may not be a very religious person, nor a very spiritual one, but I still believe that there is a higher being out there, watching us, working for us.

So instead of complaining about what I don't have, I should focus on what I have. And be grateful for what things can be.

Have a great day!

Wedding

2011-05-18T11:00:00.000+08:00

Attended my sister in law's wedding last Sunday at Mary the Queen Parish and we all got dressed up for the special occasion. I really loved my look / outfit for the day. Too bad I wasn't able to get better pictures since we were all so busy attending to the guests and my sister's needs.

hair and makeup - done by Rhian of Piandre. Loved how it stayed put till the late hours.

my lovely gown

by Frankie de Leon - so sexy!

Joshua was a ring bearer so his outfit was provided by the bridal party...but little Kenji's outfit was a gift from my bestfriend Cheryl. Thanks Auntie Cheryl for the cute outfit! They looked so grown-up, yet still so cute!

my handsome boys

SO CUTE!!!

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T11:11:00.002+08:00

My Gift

This is what I got yesterday at Powerplant Mall as a gift to myself. I think I truly deserve it! haha. It's a charm pendant from the newly opened store of Thomas Sabo. They display a wide array of charm pendants for you to choose. I picked the charm holder plus these 4 pendants - the letters "J" and "K" for my sons' initials, the sneakers for my husband and the red heart locket for me. The cross pendant and chain are my own. So cute, right?

To all the moms in the world, a Happy Mothers Day!

Repost: Kent Nerburn on Marriage

2011-04-30T09:55:00.003+08:00

Posted By Dr. Ben Kim on Mar 14, 2005

Emotional Health and Well-Being

The following is an excerpt on marriage from Letters to My Son: A Father's Wisdom on Manhood, Life, and Love , by Kent Nerburn. Many thanks to Mr. Nerburn for graciously encouraging us to share his thoughts with our guests.

***

Sometimes marriage seems easier to understand for what it cuts out of our lives than for what it makes possible within our lives. When I was younger this fear immobilized me. I did not want to make a mistake. I saw my friends getting married from reasons of social acceptability, or sexual fervor, or just because they thought it was the logical thing to do. Then I watched as they and their partners became embittered and petty in their dealings with each other. I looked at older couples and saw, at best, mutual toleration. I imagined a lifetime of loveless nights and bickering days and could not imagine subjecting myself or someone else to such a fate. On rare occasions, I would see old couples who somehow seemed to flow in each other’s presence. They seemed really in love, not just dependent upon each other and tolerant of each other’s foibles. It was an astounding sight, and it seemed impossible. How, I asked myself, can they have survived so many years of sameness, so much irritation at the other’s habits? What keeps love alive in them, when most of us seem unable to even stay together, much less love each other?

The central secret seems to be in choosing well. There is something to the claim of fundamental compatibility. Good people can create a bad relationship, even though they both dearly want the relationship to succeed. It is important to find someone with whom you can create a good relationship from the outset. Unfortunately, it is hard to see clearly in the early stages of a relationship. Sexual attraction blinds you to the thousands of little things by which relationships eventually survive or fail. You need to find a way to see beyond this initial overwhelming physical fascination. Some people choose to involve themselves sexually and ride out the most heated period of sexual attraction in order to see what is on the other side. This can work, but it can also leave a trail of wounded hearts. Others deny the sexual altogether in an attempt to get to know each other apart from their sexuality. But they cannot see clearly, because the presence of unfulfilled sexual desire looms so large that it keeps them from having any normal perception of what life would be like together. Truly fortunate partners manage to become longtime friends before they realize they are attracted to each other. They get to know each other’s laughs, passions, sadnesses, and fears. They see each other at their worst and at their best. They share time together before they get swept up into the entangling intimacy of their sexuality.

Laughter is one clue to compatibility. It tells you how much you will enjoy each other’s company over the long term. If your laughter together is good and healthy, and not at the expense of others, then you have a healthy relationship to the world. Laughter is the child of surprise. If you can make each other laugh, you can always surprise each other. If you can always surprise each other, you can always keep the world around you new. Beware of a relationship in which there is no laughter. Even the most intimate relationships based only on seriousness have a tendency to turn dour. Over time, sharing a common serious viewpoint on the world tends to turn you against those who do not share the same viewpoint, and your relationship can become based on being critical together.

Look for a partner who deals with the world in a way you respect. When two people first get together, they tend to see their relationship as existing only in the space between the two of them. They find each other endlessly fascinating, and the overwhelming power of the emotions they are sharing blinds them to the outside world. As the relationship ages and grows, the outside world becomes important again. If your partner treats people or circumstances in a way you can’t accept, you will inevitably come to grief. If you do not respect the way you each deal with the world around you, eventually, the two of you will not respect each other.

Look also at how your partner confronts the mysteries of life. We live on the cusp of poetry and practicality, and the real life of the heart resides within the poetic. If one of you is deeply affected by the mystery of the unseen in life and relationships, while the other is drawn only to the literal and practical, you must take care that the distance does not become an unbridgeable chasm that leaves you each feeling isolated and misunderstood.

Take the time to choose a partner carefully and well. Then the real miracle of marriage can take place in your life. Miracle is a powerful word, and I choose it carefully. But there is a miracle in marriage – the miracle of transformation. Transformation is one of the most common events of nature. The seed becomes the flower. The cocoon becomes the butterfly. Winter becomes spring and love becomes a child. Marriage is a transformation we choose to make. Our love is planted like a seed, and in time it begins to flower. We cannot know the flower that will bloom, but we can be sure that a bloom will come. If we have chosen carefully and wisely, the bloom will be good. If we have chosen poorly or for the wrong reason, or we do not tend our marriage with care, then the bloom will be flawed.

If you believe in your heart that you have found someone with whom you are able to grow, if you have sufficient faith that you can resist the endless attraction of the road not taken and the partner not chosen, if you have the strength to embrace the cycles and seasons that your love will experience, then you may be ready to seek the miracle that marriage offers. If not, then wait. The easy grace of a marriage well made is worth your patience.

Repost: Six Questions to Ponder in Choosing a Life Partner

2011-04-30T09:53:00.003+08:00

Posted By Dr. Ben Kim on Apr 27, 2011
Emotional Health and Well-Being

I've long felt that choosing a life partner should be a subject that is thoroughly discussed sometime in high school and perhaps even in university. It amazes me that so little time, if any, is given to considering this topic on a meaningful level in school.

Near as I can tell, it's probably the single most important decision that all of us can make.

My take is that most people who get married in modern society don't have the foresight and life experience needed to make the best possible choice.

I'm sure that some people do think things out to a degree that would make Dr. Phil and Oprah proud, but from my little spot on the planet, it looks like most of us, myself included, rely mainly on our instincts to choose the one person we want to be with forever.

And why wouldn't we? Society teaches us that love is what matters. Love is the only thing that matters, right? And what is love? Isn't it that special feeling that occupies your thoracic cavity and makes you feel blissfully alive?

Well, here are some thoughts that I would like my loved ones to consider in choosing a life partner:

Do you like him?

To me, it's not about if you love him. It's if you actually like him.

The challenge is in knowing if what you are feeling is genuine like as opposed to fool's like, which I think is really just a symptom of being intoxicated with lust (which I don't have anything against - I just wouldn't recommend choosing a life partner with fool's like being a primary source of fuel to maintain a healthy relationship).

How do you know if you genuinely like and admire him? Ask yourself if you would want your child or future child to marry someone like him. And in answering this question, think about how he consistently behaves, not what he says.

As most of us know, feelings of "being in love" come and go. I wouldn't want to rely on such feelings to keep my life partnership healthy and intact. Much better, I think, to have a foundation of genuine like in place. Because ultimately, we want to spend our time with those we genuinely like, no?

Why do you like her?

Being drop dead gorgeous, having a trust fund, and taking good care of you are all weak reasons to like someone. They belong in the what she can do for me category, which includes the need-to-have-a-trophy-partner-by-my-side-so-that-I-feel-less-like-the-troll-that-lives-deep-within-me reason. Not a very solid foundation.

She can make you laugh your socks off? You admire the way she treats others, especially in instances when she is unaware that you are aware of what she is doing? She inspires you to strengthen your character? You respect her work ethic? Here and there, she blows you away with her thoughts? Now we're talking about some power fuel to sustain feelings of respect, genuine like, and even adoration for a lifetime.

Do you have the same basic attitudes and beliefs about religion?

Specifically, do both of you have about the same tolerance level for other people's beliefs? If not, think carefully about how this might affect the way that you feel about raising your children together.

Speaking of children...

Do both of you have similar feelings on having or not having children? If both of you want to have children, do you have a good inkling of what type of parent your partner would make?

Are you relatively clear on how much time you would like to spend with parents, siblings, relatives, and friends on both sides of your family?

If you're the type that would absolutely love having your parents in their golden years living next door or at least in the same town, I would suggest making this perfectly clear and asking your potential life partner to give this careful consideration and letting you know how it sits with him or her.

I imagine that very few life experiences can create more sorrow than not being able to spend time with your loved ones or, on the other side of the coin, being forced to spend time with people who make it clear through their behavior that they don't cherish you.

Do you have similar money values?

What do both of you like to spend your money on? Do you spend the bulk of your money on things or experiences? How much do you spend on items and experiences that aren't essential to your survival? How much do you like to save?

***

Those are the big ones for me. They're the issues that rise above the inevitable squabbles that accompany all life partnerships and float around in potential deal-breaker territory.

To be clear, if you just don't like who the other person is (not as obvious as you'd think or hope in the honeymoon phase), if you don't really laugh together, if you don't have the same basic attitudes about religion, having children, raising children, other family members, close friends, and money, you have one or more deal-breakers staring you in the face.

And people who genuinely care for you won't want to hear "but I love him." Because they'll be able to see what you can't see in the moment; that what you're feeling isn't real love; it's something else. Something very different from love that will probably make you want to punch yourself in the face a few times every day for the rest of your life beginning in the near future.

Okay, I'm getting carried away, but hopefully, my thoughts on this topic are clear. And for sure, they're just my thoughts, things that I hope my loved ones consider before they choose to get married, should they decide that marriage is for them.

Earlier this morning, I asked those who follow our facebook page to share their tips on choosing a life partner. Choose your best friend, choose someone you respect, be super careful - these are the recurring pieces of advice that I see in the many responses. Please feel free to browse through them and even add your own here:

What would you share with your child, grandchild, nephew, or niece about choosing a life partner?

Hope this collection of thoughts on choosing a life partner is useful to someone out there.

From Tina Fey - Bossypants

2011-04-20T10:12:00.005+08:00

"The Mother's Prayer for its Daughter" by Tina Fey

First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.

May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the the Beauty.

When the Crystal Meth is offered,

May she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half

And stick with Beer.

Guide her, protect her

When crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the nearby subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock N’ Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.

Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance.

Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes

And not have to wear high heels.

What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.

May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.

Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen.

Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long,

For Childhood is short -- a Tiger Flower blooming

Magenta for one day --

And Adulthood is long and Dry-Humping in Cars will wait.

O Lord, break the Internet forever,

That she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers

And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.

And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister,

Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends,

For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.

And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord,

That I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 a.m., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back.

“My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck.

“My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental note to call me. And she will forget.

But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.

Amen.

Courage

2011-04-18T16:11:00.002+08:00

I was looking through Oprah's website, and their show about a little boy named Clayton who was Tortured by His Own Family: The 6-Year-Old Chained in a Closet really hit me. With two little boys at home, I wonder how people can treat their own children this way. One reader posted this comment and I thought it really was fitting.

"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow." ~ Mary Anne Radmacher

God bless Clayton for his courage, and God bless all those people who helped and saved him that he's now grown up to be a good man, despite all the adversities he had to face before he was 6 years old.

Shu Uemura Haul

2011-04-15T16:23:00.002+08:00

Dropped by Powerplant Mall yesterday and walked into the Shu Uemura store just to browse. The lady there really knows how to do a sale! Got the following items with no intention of buying anything whatsoever. And I had to do a gulp when I handed her my credit card. Haha!

Limited Edition Sakura Underbase Mousse in Beige

Eyebrow Pencil Hard Formula

Eybrow Manicure

I've used the first two items today, and so far I'm loving them. ♥ The mousse has really made me less oily today, considering that it's sweltering hot outside right now. And I love the brow pencil and how natural it looks on me. Haven't figured out how to use the eyebrow manicure yet. Let's see how it goes the next few days.

Have a great day!

Motherlode - In Praise of Pink Polish

2011-04-15T16:04:00.000+08:00

I honestly don't see what the big deal is about boys wanting to play with "girly" stuff. Living in the Philippines, where it is culturally more conservative, or as what people would like to appear to others, there is still this stigma that boys who choose to play with dolls and who wear pink will turn out gay. I'm surprised by the reaction I get when I say that I want to buy dolls to play with my boys, since we usually get toy cars and trucks as gifts from friends and family.

I just don't believe it that girly toys will make boys gays, and manly toys will make girls lesbians. It's just not possible. I grew up with 2 boys and played with their guns and trucks and what-nots, and I'm still as girly as they get. Read the article below and see what you think.

*********************************************************************************************************
April 14, 2011, 1:03 PM
By LISA BELKIN

My inbox makes it clear that you want a chance to discuss boys and pink nail polish, aka “How a Photo of a Mom Spending Time with Her Son Fed the Culture Wars.”

For those who have not been following it, a quick recap by the writer Katie Phillips on the Web site Forbeswoman.com:

In an online promotional photo entitled ‘Saturday with Jenna,’ J. Crew President and Executive Creative Director Jenna Lyons poses playfully with her five-year-old son Beckett. The picture, meant to depict carefree weekend leisure and feature ‘off-duty’ fashion staples, shows Jenna and Beckett, laughing and cheerful, with a jar of crayons and a bottle of pink nail polish on a table beside them – the same shade of Essie polish that’s featured prominently on Beckett’s toes. The caption below reads: “Lucky for me, I ended up with a boy whose favorite color is pink. Toenail painting is way more fun in neon.”

As expected, the Gender Police have emerged from their dark caves in flocks and a national debate has ensued about the “correct” way to raise children, as well as the importance of honoring one’s biologically assigned gender.

Erin Brown of the right-leaning Cultural Media Institute has called the advertisement “blatant propaganda celebrating transgendered children” in an article that claims Beckett has been exploited for the sake of identity-politics. The choice of the word “celebrating” is an interesting one. I’ll address that later.

Dr. Keith Ablow, Fox News contributor, wrote this offensive piece about how “our culture is being encouraged to abandon all trappings of gender identity” in favor of a more “homogenized” model; the effects of which, Dr. Ablow admits, remain to be seen. He doesn’t hesitate to theorize on the potential outcome of such a liberal approach to child rearing, throwing around offhand comments about “Prozac” and “psychotherapy,” doling out judgments as swiftly as he claims psychiatrists prescribe drugs.
Other voices rose up too, praising J. Crew for blasting through gender stereotypes, and chastising Dr. Ablow and Ms. Brown. Change.org created an online petition to “Thank J. Crew for its heartwarming” ad, and last I checked it had over 7,500 electronic signatures.

And Jon Stewart offered up his own summary last night.

Time to add your thoughts.

Does painting a boy’s toes pink somehow “make” him gay, or transgendered? Is his mother irresponsibly exposing him to ridicule by “celebrating” his love of pink and polish? Or is the problem that there’s not enough celebration out there of kids in all their varieties, and is this a step in the right direction?

Steve Jobs - You've Got to Find What You Love

2011-04-13T15:11:00.000+08:00

This is the Commencement address by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, delivered on June 12, 2005.

Happy 3rd Birthday Joshua!

2011-04-12T11:46:00.001+08:00

Happy 3rd Birthday Joshua!

I can't believe you are no longer "almost three", but really three years old today. It seems like yesterday when Daddy and Mommy brought you home from the hospital and I had no idea on how to take care of you. I had to rely on yaya, Ama and Doctor Joy's help to get me through the anxieties and uncertainties of caring for you. You were so tiny then, that you could fit snuggly in my arm. And we would take naps together in the afternoon that first month so that I could recover my strength after labor, and you could grow up to be bigger and stronger. But the truth is, I just watched you sleep. Coz I couldn't get over the fact that this little miracle is finally here with me.

With all the "firsts" that you went through this year, Daddy and Mommy couldn't be prouder! You can now go to the bathroom by yourself, brush your teeth, put on your pants by yourself, comb your hair and talk non-stop! When we started school last year, you cried and cried coz you were so scared of us leaving you. But now, you really love school and found your confidence. You've also gained new friends and new people who love you. But don't grow up too fast, ok? I don't want you driving cars anytime soon.

Happy birthday my little ray of sunshine. Stay as sweet, joyful and loving as you are. More wonderful years to come. Mommy and Daddy love you very much!

Kids Say the Darnest Things

2011-03-23T13:07:00.000+08:00

Joshua walked into my room this morning and saw me getting ready for work. Here's our conversation:

Joshua: Good morning Mommy!

Mommy: Good morning Ahiya! Did you have a good night's sleep?

Joshua: Yes. (looking at me put on my makeup). Mommy you're a girl and I'm a boy.

Mommy: That's right. Why do you say mommy is a girl?

Joshua: You're a girl coz you have long hair and nice shoes!

Hahaha...maybe I should get him nicer shoes too? Have a good day!

Repost: Earthquake Survival Kit

2011-03-22T10:19:00.001+08:00

Here's a repost from http://welovejenni.blogspot.com/:

ESSENTIALS

* Water - one gallon per person, per day
* First aid kit
* Extra medication
* Extra pair of glasses or contacts
* Battery operated radio plus extra batteries
* Flashlight plus extra batteries
* Blankets

FOOD

* Canned or other non-perishable foods (they may not be on your usual menu, but they'll keep bodies fueled)
* Pet food (if applicable)
* Can opener/Swiss army knife
* Camping stove or grill (optional)

Stock instant coffee or tea drinks (1 year), canned puddings (1 year), whipped topping mixes, hard candies in cans and such snacks as dried fruit, nuts, pretzels, chips and ready-to-eat popcorn (check pull dates). They deliver some nutrition and will help morale.

HYGIENE

* Toilet paper
* Zipper seal bags for waste disposal
* Soap
* Shampoo
* Alcohol
* Toothbrush and toothpaste
* Feminine hygiene supplies
* Baby wipes
* Underwear

FIRST AID KIT

The Red Cross recommends that all first aid kits for a family of four include the following:
* 2 absorbent compress dressings (5 x 9 inches)
* 25 adhesive bandages (assorted sizes)
* 1 adhesive cloth tape (10 yards x 1 inch)
* 5 antibiotic ointment packets (approximately 1 gram)
* 5 antiseptic wipe packets
* 2 packets of aspirin (81 mg each)
* 1 blanket (space blanket)
* 1 breathing barrier (with one-way valve)
* 1 instant cold compress
* 2 pair of nonlatex gloves (size: large)
* 2 hydrocortisone ointment packets (approximately 1 gram each)
* Scissors
* 1 roller bandage (3 inches wide)
* 1 roller bandage (4 inches wide)
* 5 sterile gauze pads (3 x 3 inches)
* 5 sterile gauze pads (4 x 4 inches)
* Oral thermometer (non-mercury/nonglass)
* 2 triangular bandages
* Tweezers
* First aid instruction booklet

Store your survival kits in your hallway or backyard. If you live in a building, your car trunk is a handy place for these bulky items. If you think there is a possibility that your carpark might be affected by the earthquake, store it at a friend's backyard.

Experts recommend that you make three identical emergency kits. Store one kit at home, one at your workplace and one in your car. That way, your chances are good of having a kit handy after a quake.

These supplies are no help if you can't get to them. Make sure every household member knows where they are.

FOR BABIES/KIDS

Baby Food: Buy some packets of instant formula food that needs not mix with water. Keep a track of their expiry date and replace them with new ones periodically.

Diapers: The number of diapers needed depends upon the age and habit of your kid. However, as a rule of thumb you should at least keep 20 disposable diapers and 4 cloth ones. Cloth diapers can be washed and reused in case you run short of disposable ones.

Clothes: Store at least 10 pair of clothes for your baby in the 72 hour kit. This is tricky as babies grow rapidly. It can be managed by circulating the clothes with new ones of larger size from time to time.

Comfort Toys: Every child has a toy or blanket that he/she loves. Try grabbing them in emergency as this will help to keep your child calm during emergencies. If this is not possible, keep a toy that will comfort the child in absence of his/her favorite item.

Medicines: Medicines for infants are different from those of an adult and is a must-include item in a 72 hour kit. Babies can fall sick anytime and medicines present in the kit are the only savior then.

An important thing to remember is that toddlers grow rapidly. Therefore, you will always need to periodically check your 72 hour emergency kit and keep things that are appropriate for your child's age and development stage.

I have so much storage containers and bags at home that I'm going to finally put them to good use! As experts suggested, I'll be keeping a kit at our home, cars, and offices.

My mantra: Prepare for the worst then live your life

New bag purchases

2011-03-18T18:58:00.000+08:00

Lately, I've been obsessed with looking at bags and actually purchasing them. So far, I've purchased these and loving them:

Longchamp Roseau Croc in Ebony

Michael Kors Austin Nylon Shoulder Bag

Diane Von Furstenburg Tote

Longchamp Coup de Pinceau - small

I should really reel in my purchases or I might be shocked with my credit card bill!

Tod's Spring / Summer Collection 2011

2011-03-18T13:25:00.001+08:00

After my recent trip from Dubai, my eyes were opened to the wonderful world of luxe items...from shoes to bags to clothing. I was able to go into a Tod's store and their leather goods were to die for! Here are a few items from their Spring and Summer Collection.

Strappy Sandals

Tod's Tote Bags

Petite Tote Bags

Suede Ballerina Flats

Summer Cuffs

Iconic D-Bag

I would love to be able to buy all of them, but since I have two boys to raise at home, I would love to get the Tod's signature tote, given the chance (and by the husband), hehe. So nice right? And their leather is buttery soft. Wish I could get my hands on them!

I realized that I'm not very fond of loud brand names shouting out from whatever item I am holding. I prefer understated elegance and the quality of the brand will speak for itself.

Enough lemming already, have to get back to work. Have a good one.

The BRIT Awards 2011 - Adele sings Someone Like You

2011-03-14T12:58:00.002+08:00

What a great voice!

ADELE Performs "Someone Like You" at Home for MSN Music

2011-03-11T13:41:00.001+08:00

Another one of Adele's songs...

ADELE - 'Make You Feel My Love'

2011-03-11T13:38:00.001+08:00

I LOVE Adele's voice...the adult, raspy quality to it...so soothing to listen to. Here's one of her more popular songs. Enjoy.

PGT - Marcelito Moy - March 5, 2011

2011-03-09T17:38:00.001+08:00

Repost: When it rains, it's four!

2011-03-02T17:38:00.001+08:00

Read this aloud, mwahahaha!
*****************************************************************************************

When it rains, it's four!
I just had to share...

We've been friends for a long time ago. We come from the same almamother. Actually, our paths crossed one time on another. But it's only now that I gave him a second look. I realized that beauty is in the eyes. The pulp bits of my heart went fast, really fast. Cute pala siya. And then, he came over with me.

He said, *"I hope you don't mine. Can I get your number?"*

Nag-worry ako. What if he doesn't give it back? He explained naman na it's so we could keep intact daw.

Sabi ko, *"Connect me if i'm wrong but are you asking me ouch?"

*"The!?!!??". ..* ang sarcastic na sagot nya. ** Aba! The verb! Parang siya pa ang galit! Persona ingrata!!! Ang kapal niya! I cried buckles of tears.Na-guilty yata siya. Sabi niya, isipin mo na lang na this is a blessing in this guy. Irregardless daw of his feelings, we should go ouch na rin.

Now, we're so in love. Mute and epidemic na ang past. Thanks God we swallowed our fried. Kasi, I'm 33 na and I'm running our time. After 2weeks, he plopped the question. *"Will you marriage me?"* I'm in a state of shocked. Kasi when it rains, it's four! This is true good to be true. So siyempre, I said yes. Love is a many splendor.

Pero nung inaayos ko na ang aming kasal, everything swell to pieces.Nag-di-dinner kami noon nang biglang sa harap ng aming table, may babaeng humirit ng, *"Well, well, well. Look do we have here."* What the fuss! The nerd ng babaeng yon! She said they were still on. So I told her, whatever is that, cut me some slacks! I didn't want this to get our hand kaya I had to sip it in the bud. She accused me of steeling her boyfriend. As is!!! I don't want to portrait the role of the other woman. Gosh, tell me to the marines! I told her, *"please, mine you own business!"* Who would believe her anyway?

Dahil it's not my problem anymore but her problem anymore, tumigil na rin siya ng panggugulo. Everything is coming up daisies. I'm so happy. Even my boyfriend said like twice. He's so supportive. Sabi niya, *"Look at is this way. She's our of our lives."

Kaya advise ko sa inyo - take the risk. You can never can tell. Just burn the bridge when you get there. Life is shorts and I'm sure you have a few tricks up your sleeves. If you make a mistake, we'll just pray for the internal and external repose of your soul. I second emotion.

How Did You Know - Gary Valenciano

2011-03-01T14:56:00.006+08:00

One of my favorite love songs from Gary V. I even used this for our wedding coz I think it evokes the sentiments that I had at that moment. Beautifully written.

*************************************************************************************************************

I remember so well

The day that you came into my life

You asked for my name

You had the most beautiful smile

My life started to change

I'd wake up each day feeling alright

With you right by my side

Makes me feel things will work out just fine

How did you know

I needed someone like you in my life

That there's an empty space in my heart

You came at the right time in my life

I'll never forget

How you brought the sun to shine in my life

And took all the worries and fears that I had

I guess what I'm really trying to say

It's not everyday that someone like you comes my way

No words can express how much

I love you.

How did you know

I needed someone like you in my life

That there's an empty space in my heart

You came at the right time in my life

I'll never forget

How you brought the sun to shine in my life

And took all the worries and fears that I had

I guess what I'm really trying to say

It's not everyday that someone like you comes my way

No words can express how much

I love you.

Repost: An Open Letter To My Son’s College Choices

2011-03-01T12:16:00.001+08:00

From http://alwaysmomof4.wordpress.com

We are playing the waiting game at my house. Merrick has applied to the colleges of his choice and is now waiting to hear back from them. One of the schools he applied to asked for a letter of recommendation from the parents. They wanted the perspective of the person/people who would talk of the early years and personality of the applicant. When I read their request I cried. I was being asked to weigh in and support my son’s application and frankly there are days when I don’t know how I’ll let him go. Sometimes even the thought of Merrick going off to school makes me physically ill, but at the same time I want what’s best for my son. I will not be a hinderance to his dreams. I realized that the only way I would be able to write a letter of recommendation, is to ask a request of all the schools. Below is my open letter to all of them.

Dear College of my son’s choice,

My son Merrick has applied to your school and is hopeful that he will be accepted. You invited parents to write letters of recommendation for their child. Your request is based on the fact that most students when applying concentrate on the ages of 14-17 and parents can give a long-range look and perspective on the applicant. I’m quite willing to write a letter for my child. I appreciate the wisdom and sensitivity in your request. Before I do so however, I have a request of my own. Please watch over my child. He is eager to leave home and enter the world of academia and freedom that college allows. I watch his anticipation and enthusiasm and am confronted with my own mixture of excitement and apprehension.

When his older brother Jordan went off to Amherst College, his dad and I could not have been prouder. Jordan chose a school that was the perfect fit for him. We watched him attenuate to college life with vigor and ease. He entered his sophomore year excited to have a single room, ready to pursue a major in Political Science and looking forward to the future. I often joked with him that I was living vicariously through him as he talked of studying abroad either in Costa Rica or London. His future seemed boundless. Seemed. When we received the news that Jordan had been killed in a car accident just 20 miles from his college campus shock and sorrow took hold of us, the grip of which I still feel today.

Now it is time for another of my children to fulfill their dreams and goals. Merrick has worked so hard to be an attractive candidate for your college. A finer student, scholar, and most importantly compassionate human being you won’t find. As he readies himself to, “be on his own,” I try and ready my heart to give the world another one of my children. Merrick comes to you an eager vessel of learning. He also comes bearing the weight of sorrow that losing his big brother and best friend brings. So, I’m finding a way, no matter how hard it is, to continue trusting that the world is a giving, safe place for my children. As unwieldy and irrational my plea is I ask you to remember it. When you see my son walking through campus, treat him with care as he fulfills his dreams and honors the legacy of his brother.

Sincerely,

Always Mom of Four

Repost: Ayala Alabang requires prescription for condoms

2011-02-25T10:04:00.000+08:00

HOW STUPID CAN YOU GET? What should the doctor put on the prescription for condoms? Anyway, here's the news from ABS-CBN news:

By Jojo Malig, abs-cbnNEWS.com

Posted at 02/24/2011 6:45 PM | Updated as of 02/24/2011 7:31 PM

MANILA, Philippines – Barangay Ayala Alabang in Muntinlupa City is now requiring people who buy condoms to present a doctor’s prescription.

In a barangay ordinance last January 3, village officials said condoms and other contraceptives cause abortions.

The ordinance also bars teachers, reproductive health advocates, and social workers from holding sex education activities in the barangay without prior consultation with parents of students.

Local officials also banned advertisement of all forms of contraceptives in the village.

Those who approved the ordinance were barangay chairman Alfred Xerez-Burgos, Jr.; kagawads Joanna Caluglug, Alice Bacani, Maria Carmen Reyes, Ma. Soledad Tugade, Mariano Manas Jr., Apolinario delos Santos III, Giancarlo Nazario; and Sangguniang Kabataan chairman Juan Enrico Parfan.

They said “contraceptive pills, hormonal contraceptives, and the IUD may kill children and injure the health of women who use them.”

Village officials also believe that contraceptives “undermine the solidarity of families by promoting premarital sex, giving rise to more fatherless children, more single mothers, more poverty, and more abortions.”

The resolution also claims that condoms are “unconstitutional” because “they promote and sanction immoral sexual congresses among the unmarried and especially among the young, thereby contradicting the Constitutional injunction that the State ‘shall promote and protect … the physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual and social well-being of the youth.”

Aside from asking people to present a prescription before they are allowed to buy condoms in Ayala Alabang, pharmacists are required by the ordinance to record the following data in a book for “abortives and anti-conceptionals":

- Number and date of the prescription;

- Name and address of the physician;

- Name, quantity and manufacturer of the drug;

- Name and address of the purchaser;

- Date of filling the prescription; and

- Signature of the pharmacist filling the prescription.

Those who will violate the ordinance can be fined up to P500 or jailed for up to 4 months.

Village officials said foreigners who will violate the measure should also be deported.

Muntinlupa City officials have yet to comment on the ordinance.

New Western Cuisine - Gastronomy Sans Border

2011-02-22T16:59:00.001+08:00

My brother is a part owner and head of a food magazine in China called New Western Cuisine. It is a monthly bilingual magazine (English and Chinese) that features various chefs and recipes from different parts of the world. The photos inside are just beautiful and makes you want to eat all of them! The Magazine is geared towards professional chefs and the catering / restaurant business.

My brother recently sent me a file of testimonials from various readers of their magazines and I would like the share them here. I'm proud of you bro! Keep up the good and work more power to you and your creative team.

“New Western Cuisine” magazine embodies the definition of “New” in concepts,
trends, techniques, and artistry. May the newness of the publication unfold and shine
on its readers. – 大董 Dadong

When I think of how the East and West demonstrate flavors profiling in forms of their
respective cuisines, my mind immediately turns to “New Western Cuisine” magazine.
No other publication provides such a broad understanding and appreciation of
diversified cuisines and cultures. It has been our privilege to host Richard Xu of “New
Western Cuisine” on our Hyde Park, N.Y. campus here at the Culinary Institute of
America where he delivered a lecture with a food journalism class. Our students and
faculty were extremely impressed with the quality and depth of the content of the
magazine celebrating gastronomy of the East and West. - James H. Heisey, Exec.
Director of Development, The Culinary Institute of America, New York

“New Western Cuisine” magazine is a masterpiece of culinary ingenuity! With
Interesting articles and beautiful photos, this publication stimulates the senses and
inspires global cuisine into every reader’s home. It is a joy to see the adaptability of
Canadian cuisine into the Asian market, and vise versa. The fusion of east and west
gets the imagination racing, and the taste buds salivating! - Adrienne Grosweiner,
Senior Market Development Advisor, Business Development, Agriculture,
Government of New Brunswick, Canada

I really enjoy reading “New Western Cuisine” magazine. To date it is the best
food and professional magazine available in Asia. – Jeffrey Powell, Restaurant
Consultant, Buzz Culinary Concepts, Beijing

“New Western Cuisine” magazine is “Like a breath of fresh air” each month as I
am yet once more impressed by the beauty and elegance of each cover photo. The
amazing collage of colors, tastes, textures, style, culinary excellence, travel, luxury
and a wide variety of articles that educate “from A to Z:. “New Western Cuisine”
magazine is my favorite magazine in the world. It helps me stay in touch with the
heart and soul of everything that is China – past, present and future. - Fred Tibbitts,
Jr., Chairman & CEO, Fred Tibbitts and Associates, New York/Bangkok

“New Western Cuisine” is one of the best cuisine magazines in China. It strives to
uphold excellence in food service and culinary creativity. As a loyal reader of “New
Western Cuisine”, I am deeply impressed by the professional and in-depth reports
on Chinese and Western style cuisine, food and wine recommendations, and the
promotion of global culinary trends, etc. I am sure that “New Western Cuisine” will
continue to introduce the latest culinary trends to the Chinese people. Our best wishes
to “New Western Cuisine” for a most successful year ahead. - Chua Kian Hwa，
General Manager of China，Singapore Airlines

The Philippine Embassy in Beijing is very pleased to be associated with “New
Western Cuisine” as one of its friends. We extend our best wishes to the very strong
team behind this prestigious bilingual publication, and we acknowledge their creative
drive to bring to gastronome and the inexperienced palate alike all that is fine in
haute cuisine and regional cooking. This elegant publication as a Philippine Invested
enterprise, is a source of pride for Filipinos, as it manifests the refine and creative
spirit of the Filipino entrepreneur. - Evangeline Ong, First Secretary & Consul,
Philippine Embassy, Beijing

“New Western Cuisine” is a very special and beautiful magazine nourishing
positively the world of gastronomy and sharing with sophisticated Chinese food
enthusiasts. As high quality premium mineral waters worldwide, S. Pellegrino and
Acqua Pana want to say thank you to Richard Xu for the beautiful and outstanding
work. Best of congratulations and great future. - Clement Vachon, International
Relations, Events & Communication Manager, Gruppo San Pellegrino, Milan,
Italy

“New Western Cuisine”, a friend of Spanish food and wine in China. Since the
beginning, the magazine has been delighting lovers of great cuisine and wine with
its stylish presentation and interesting contents. Keep up the good work. - Alberto
Alonzo Diaz, Commercial Counselor, Economic and Commercial office of Spain
in Beijing

As a gourmet food magazine, “New Western Cuisine” is always willing to offer more
choices and new ideas to us. They give us a real opportunity to make new contacts
in the food industry and enhance our import product range. - Javier Ignacio Soria-
Torres, Chief Representative, IVEX, Trade Development & Promotions Agency
for the Region of Valencia, Spain

To the best F&B magazine in China, all the greetings to you from a gastronomic
loko!! Thanks for your support Richard!! Marco Sacco, Two-Star Michelin Chef

“New Western Cuisine” has been a bridge between the international culinary stage
and China for years. It has carved a niche for itself and is the only magazine of this
caliber in china, promoting international cuisine, presenting delicious and special
products, introducing people working in the culinary and hospitality arenas and
featuring the latest trends from all over the world. I salute Richard and his team for
their professionalism and dedication. On behalf of the Slovak Tourist Board, I wish
them every success in the years ahead. - Maria Boyd, China Consultant, Slovakia
Tourism Board

Fresh reporting and exquisite photography are just some of the ingredients that
make “New Western Cuisine” one of the best in their field! - Martina Groenegres,
General Manager, Lufthansa German Airlines, Beijing

“New Western Cuisine” magazine had brought wine scene to the next level. -
Rahman Lal, International Wine Sommelier; Director of Food & Beverage,
Sheraton Shanghai, Hongqiao

Dear “New Western Cuisine” and “NWC” friends: Best wishes for a sparkling Year
of the Rabbit and congratulations for the enthusiasm in discovering Italian food and
wine with us! - Alessandro Gerbino, Deputy Trade Commissioner, Italian Trade
Commission

I am offered an eye-opening escape every time I open an issue of “New Western
Cuisine” magazine. The magazine never fails to deliver. Each glossy, vibrant page
is filled with breathtaking photography and up-to-the-minute information, evoking
an intimate feeling that transports my imagination and leaves me in anticipation of
what the next page will have in store. By celebrating the best in lifestyle and cultural
affluence, “New Western Cuisine” magazine is what I look forward to throughout the
year. - Suzanne Strassburger, President, Strassburger Meats, USA

I look forward to getting every issue even when I’m not in it! Cheers! - William
Bolton, American Chef Entrepreneur

In year 2011, we look forward to more exciting contents from “New Western
Cuisine”. - Catherine Etchart, Managing Director, Sopexa Beijing

“New Western Cuisine” is more than a magazine. It is a celebration of tasteful
culinary. - Richard Lim, Marketing Manager, Philippine Airlines (Beijing)

I believe those who love the theaters will also love “New Western Cuisine” magazine.
Just as the culinary creations of chefs and my stage production both provide
pleasure to the senses, “New Western Cuisine” has delivered the fusion of art and
gastronomy in a sophisticated and wonderful way. When my appetite is low, all I
need is to go over the magazine and my senses are nourished. As “New Western
Cuisine” magazine prospers, may it serve as a unifying stage for both culinary and
the performing arts. - 关皓月、戏笑堂堂主 Guan Haoyue,Theater Director,
Xixiaotang Theater

With its sophistication, gastronomy becomes a blessing to humanity. In its artistry, the
world finds harmony. - 徐龙 Xu Long, Executive Chef, Great Hall of the People,
PRC

The “New Western Cuisine” is one of a kind publication for China food connoisseurs
and a fantastic source of new ideas and information for its readers. I am personally
very impressed by the level of professionalism and commitment to delivering the best
results that the “New Western Cuisine” team has demonstrated month after month,
article by article. Each month it is a pleasure to receive the magazine and learn more
about what is going on in the Chinese culinary scene! - Sara Vettori, Business
Development Manager for International Brands - Nestle Waters China

Congratulations on the wonderful work you and your team are doing in the magazine
– introducing innovative western cuisine and fusing it with contemporary Chinese
cuisine! Great stuff! - Vlad Reyes, GM, DoubleTree by Hilton Beijing; Bailli,
Bailliage de Pekin/Bailli Delegue, Bailliage National de Chine - Chaine des
Rotisseurs

“New Western Cuisine” is not just a magazine; its great pictures, well written
articles clear described recipes and huge variety, it is becoming a collector item. The
magazine inspires professionals, publish new ideas and combinations how to use fine
food, or turn simple items in to an excellent dish. I feel the magazine achieved to
build the bridge between Chefs, Masters and commis. It builds bridges between the
Western, Middle-east and Asian cuisines. I do recommend “New western Cuisine”
to all professionals and those who want to become one. This high-class magazine
captured the attention of the masters of Connoisseurs. Congratulation to the great
and creative work put together in each one issue of “New Western Cuisine” - Beat
Müller, Conseiller Gastronomique , Vice Conseiller Culinaire Du Bailliage
National de Chine; creator of Swiss-Bread (Beijing)

Train - Marry Me

2011-02-01T13:13:00.003+08:00

Forever can never be long enough for me
Feel like I've had long enough with you
Forget the world now we won't let them see
But there's one thing left to do

Now that the weight has lifted
Love has surely shifted my way
Marry Me
Today and every day
Marry Me
If I ever get the nerve to say
Hello in this cafe
Say you will
Mm-hmm
Say you will
Mm-hmm

Together can never be close enough for me
Feel like I am close enough to you
You wear white and I'll wear out the words I love
And you're beautiful
Now that the wait is over
And love and has finally shown her my way
Marry me
Today and every day
Marry me
If I ever get the nerve to say hello in this cafe
Say you will
Mm-hmm
Say you will
Mm-hmm

Promise me
You'll always be
Happy by my side
I promise to
Sing to you
When all the music dies

And marry me
Today and everyday
Marry me
If I ever get the nerve to say hello in this cafe
Say you will
Mm-hmm
Say you will
Marry me
Mm-hmm

No One Falls In Love By Choice

2011-02-01T11:05:00.000+08:00

No one falls in love by choice, it is by chance.
No one stays in love by chance, it is by work.
No one falls out of love by chance, it is by choice.

~ a repost from http://thehousecat.blogspot.com

Dilbert - January 30, 2011

2011-02-01T11:02:00.002+08:00

I'm pretty sure most of us are guilty of this sometimes :D

Quote of the Day from Emily Griffin

2011-01-25T15:28:00.003+08:00

Here is a beautiful quote from one of the books that I just finished reading the other day:

"Love is the sum of the choices we make, the strength of our commitments and the ties that bind us together."

~ Emily Griffin, Love The One You're With

AMEN.

Funny! - Health worker demonstrates safe sex

2011-01-25T09:52:00.002+08:00

iNewsbreak | January 21, 2011 |

Angeles City, Philippines - From being identified in the 2003 IHBSS as the number one site for HIV infection, Angeles City is no longer in the top three despite being the "entertainment capital of the Philippines."

The secret: strict monitoring of those involved in the "entertainment" industry and creativity. Here, a local health worker demonstrates a technique on how to get around the usually difficult negotiation process between clients and sex workers over condom use. --- Video taken by Ana Santos for Newsbreak

The video is part of a SPECIAL REPORT series by Ana Santos produced under the Maggie de Pano Fund for Investigative Reporting on Health. The Fund, which is managed by Newsbreak, is funded through a grant from Macare Medicals, Inc.

Confidence - Dilbert.com Blog

2011-01-19T09:40:00.000+08:00

Confidence is a good thing, right? Everyone wants confidence. It makes you more attractive to others. It helps your performance. It makes you feel good about yourself. It allows you to set high goals. It's good stuff.

It's also an illusion.

The reality is that there are only two conditions you can be in. You can either have an accurate view of your own abilities or an inaccurate view. Confidence is similar to will power in the sense that neither of them exists and yet society is quite certain they do.

Will power isn't a real thing because humans simply act based on the greatest impulse in their brains at the moment. The guy who can best resists eating cupcakes is the one who enjoys them the least, or is the least hungry. Will power never enters into the equation. It is a rationalization after the fact.

Confidence and will power feel as if they are real things because we have words to describe them, and we usually agree when the words apply. That's why the illusion is so persistent. If the words didn't exist, I don't think the illusions would be so troublesome.

I came to this view of because people insist on viewing my various behaviors through the framework of confidence. When I have a realistic view of my ability to do some particular task well, I am labeled confident, as opposed to simply accurate. When I predict that I would be below average at some particular task, based on years of knowing myself, I am labeled unconfident when in fact I am simply right or wrong. Where does confidence come in?

Suppose a drug existed that could give you the sensation of confidence independent of your actual ability to perform tasks. Would that be a good thing? Actually, we know the answer to that question because the drug is alcohol and it kills 37,000 people per year in automobiles alone, just in the United States.

But what about the self-fulfilling nature of confidence, you ask? Doesn't the feeling of confidence sometimes make you perform better? A confident public speaker, for example, is a better speaker. A confident quarterback will make better decisions, and so on.

I would argue that in some cases your performance can be enhanced by generating in yourself just the right amount of illusion about your own performance. A quarterback might imagine himself able to throw the perfect pass 100% of the time in order to succeed half of the time. He would be using confidence as a useful illusion because it keeps his energy in balance after some bad misses.

Generating a temporary illusion of confidence in yourself can be a good thing so long as you are aware of what you're doing. The quarterback needs to understand that he's just using a trick to pump up his performance. Otherwise he'd feel like a failure for completing only half of his passes.

Confidence is an illusion, but a useful one.

Spanair -Unexpected luggage

2011-01-07T15:47:00.001+08:00

Heartwarming! :)

Chocolate Fire

2010-12-28T17:39:00.000+08:00

Last Christmas Day, Rod took me and his family to visit Chocolate Fire at Salcedo Village right after dinner for coffee and desserts. They had a wide array of chocolates on display, but they didn't allow photos to be taken. Good thing Pam was able to sneak a few photos of Joshua looking at the display of various cakes and you can see on his face the pure unadulterated joy in seeing them. How I wish sometimes that we could go back to this time, when things were so simple, so uncomplicated and so un-jaded that the sight of chocolates could bring us to do a happy dance.

Mommy I want this cake!

And that one too!

Excited....

Yum...so many chocolate cakes to choose from...

Happy dance....

It's a joy to see all these things again through my kid's eyes.

Pregnancy Journal - Part II (KENJI)

2010-12-25T12:52:00.009+08:00

My Pre-Kenji Life: Before I had Kenji, I already had an 8 month old at home. We really didn't plan on when we would be having our 2nd child, but we just knew that we were going to have them close in age. I felt like I wasn't really getting any younger so the next few years would be crucial in our decision on how many kids we want to have.

The First Inkling: Rod and I went to Indonesia to attend his friend's wedding in Surabaya in February 2009. And after the wedding, we decided to stop by Bali, since we've been hearing a lot of good stuff about it. It was also a chance for me to travel again, after a long while, since I really wasn't allowed to travel while I was pregnant with Joshua. And it was our chance to take some time together, just the two of us. Since I have a very long and irregular cycle, I really didn't think that I could get pregnant so fast and easily. But when March 2009 came around and I still didn't get my period, I just knew I was pregnant. I took several pregnancy tests since the first few came out negative. But I still had a feeling that I was pregnant even if the tests said otherwise. So after a week of waiting for the tests to catch up with what I knew, my pregnancy was confirmed.

Picking a Name: This time around, my pregnancy was a lot easier on my body. I guess it was because I already knew what to expect, so I wasn't as stressed or worried about it. I ate what I wanted, did what I wanted and just relaxed. I also had Joshua at home already so I really didn't have that much time to worry.

At first I thought I was going to have a girl, because everyone was complimenting me about my "special pregnancy glow". And I did agree that I looked better this time. But for some reason, at the back of my mind, I also had the thought that this was going to be another boy. We picked out the name "Kenji" because I heard a father calling his son this name at the airport and I really loved it. When i checked the meaning of the name, our minds were made up because Kenji meant "intelligent 2nd son", which is quite appropriate. The middle name "Lee" is my mother's maiden name.

The First Trimester: By the time I visited my OB's clinic and had my first TV ultrasound, I was also around 8 weeks pregnant and given a November 6, 2009 due date. This ironically was also Rod and my official engagement date. The first three months were quite similar with what I went through with Joshua. Aside from a few bouts of morning sickness, everything was textbook and normal with my pregnancy. I tried to get as much sleep as possible because I felt so tired everyday and I had to stay away from the kitchen. Strong scents and tastes made me queasy so I ate very bland food like hard boiled egg with rice,and I didn't like the sight of dark / black food.

The Second Trimester: When I entered my 2nd Trimester, I did worry a bit that I might have the same problems as my previous pregnancy with Joshua and having to be put on bed rest. But thankfully, everything went smoothly and my routine stayed the same. By the 6th month, it was confirmed that we were having another baby boy. It was so clear on the ultrasound, the technician didn't even hesitate. Here's a 4d photo of Kenji while in my womb. Amazing how clear images are today right?

The Third Trimester: By this time, I really felt like I needed a break. I really expected to give birth earlier than my due date because that's what happened the first time around, but Kenji really had a mind of his own. As my due date drew nearer, he was no where near ready to come out. My tummy was really getting big and he was getting heavier everyday. I because clumsy and so ungraceful. I also ate a lot this time coz I was constantly hungry, and I wanted big honking steaks to boot! I also craved sweets and my cousin was laughing at me coz I think I ate almost every 2 hours in the office.

But this was also the time that Typhoon Ondoy hit the country. My cousin and I were stranded in the office that fateful Saturday because we saw that even Buendia was flooded. We were lucky that we were able to reach home safely by 5pm, with no traffic and flooding along the way. Rod was out of the country that time and I had to drive myself to and from work everyday. He got stranded in Hongkong that day, so Josh and I stayed at my mom's place since they had electricity, while our house was completely dark. Thank God we survived Ondoy.

My Changing Body: Although my tummy was really big this time around, I also gained the recommended amount of weight, like about 25-30 lbs. the whole 9 months. This time I had really bad stretch marks in my tummy as Kenji really grew and grew inside of me, but I still seem to have really good hair and nails. By time time I hit my 39th week, I was miserable and just wanted to give birth. But imagine my disappointment when I had my doctor's visit on November 7th, and my OB told me that my cervix was still closed and not even 1cm dilated.

My Labour Experience: So imagine my surprise when I woke up at 4am November 8th already in full-fledge active labour! I woke up to go to the bathroom and I felt like my back was aching and I kept on feeling contractions. At first I thought this couldn't be coz I wasn't even 1 cm dilated the previous day. But I woke Rod up and told him that we needed to get to the hospital. By 6am, I was in the delivery room, being prepped since the resident doctor told me that I was about to give birth and 8cm dilated! She told me not to push at all as I might just give birth right there and then. Good thing my OB lived nearby and was able to be there in time. After 20 minutes of pushing, we welcomed Kenji Lee Uy Chua into my arms at 7:20am. He was born 8 lbs, 1oz , 51 cm long. All the nurses were telling me how big my baby boy was. I was just so happy that he's finally in my arms, and not inside of me kicking and stretching my tummy even more! And my Rod was with me again the whole time, taking pictures and making sure that we were okay.

God, the abuse our bodies take during our pregnancies. But it truly is a labour of love...and all worth it when we have our healthy babies finally in our arms.

Joshua's first haircut - Oct 24, 2010

2010-12-25T11:57:00.000+08:00

I've always cut Joshua's hair since he was a baby. Just bought a hair clipper at SM Appliances and gave him a nice clean buzz cut. But since he started going to school, I decided to grow his hair out and slowly move into bringing him to a real barber shop. At first I was the one who trimmed the sides of his hair, but when it started becoming "malikot" and I couldn't get a straight cut, his dad and I finally brought him to Cuts 4 Tots at Greenhills V-mall for his first official haircut. It wasn't as traumatic as I was expecting it to be, and he came out with a great cut!

Before we left from home.

Distracting him with a Thomas the Train movie on TV.

Prepping.... he chose to ride a car and it's time for a cut!

Hmmm... should I worry mom?

Snip, snip, snip....buzz, buzz, buzz.....

Ta-dah! Love the new cut!

Cheers!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-22T11:34:00.001+08:00

Merry Christmas everyone! With all the parties, gifts, extended vacations and gatherings we have to go to, we sometimes forget to greet each other. So have a Merry Christmas and hope the new year brings more joy, love and peace. Cheers!

Butterfly Kisses

I'll Miss You Cous...

Happiness with...my latest beauty finds

Happiness is...at Shangri-la Boracay

School of Success

Happiness...with Juju Cleanse

Happiness is...at home

Happiness is...at Enchanted Kingdom

Happiness Is...

Repost: Paulina Porizkova: Aging

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas...

First Day of School

Happy Thanksgiving!

Funny

Repost: A Sister’s Eulogy for Steve Jobs

The New York Times

By MONA SIMPSON

Published: October 30, 2011

Do You Know What Drowning Really Looks Like?

Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning

Shanghai 2011

Ama and Kongkong

It's a Party!

ANGELINA FOR LOUIS VUITTON

Gratitude Journal - July 4, 2011

I Got a Boy - From Chicken Soup for the Soul: New Moms

I Got a Boy

The Proust Questionnaire - Follow Up

The Proust Questionnaire

Quote of the Day

The Obamas

Gratitude Journal - June 17, 2011

A Beautiful Letter of a Father to His Children

Gratitude Journal - June 13, 2011

Sung-Bong Choi - Korea's Got Talent

Quote of the Day

Gratitude Journal - June 6, 2011

Gratitude Journal - June 2, 2011

Gratitude Journal - May 31, 2011

Gratitude Journal - May 30, 2011

Happy 36th Birthday Rod!

Gratitude Journal - May 26, 2011

Gratitude Journal - May 25, 2011

Gratitude Journal - May 24, 2011

Gratitude Journal - May 23, 2011

Poem: Facing the Future

Brain Farts - May 20, 2011

Wedding

Happy Mother's Day!

Repost: Kent Nerburn on Marriage

Repost: Six Questions to Ponder in Choosing a Life Partner

Posted By Dr. Ben Kim on Apr 27, 2011 Emotional Health and Well-Being

Do you like him?

Why do you like her?

Do you have the same basic attitudes and beliefs about religion?

Speaking of children...

Are you relatively clear on how much time you would like to spend with parents, siblings, relatives, and friends on both sides of your family?

Do you have similar money values?

From Tina Fey - Bossypants

Courage

Shu Uemura Haul

Motherlode - In Praise of Pink Polish

Steve Jobs - You've Got to Find What You Love

Happy 3rd Birthday Joshua!

Kids Say the Darnest Things

Repost: Earthquake Survival Kit

New bag purchases

Tod's Spring / Summer Collection 2011

The BRIT Awards 2011 - Adele sings Someone Like You

ADELE Performs "Someone Like You" at Home for MSN Music

ADELE - 'Make You Feel My Love'

PGT - Marcelito Moy - March 5, 2011

Repost: When it rains, it's four!

How Did You Know - Gary Valenciano

Repost: An Open Letter To My Son’s College Choices

Repost: Ayala Alabang requires prescription for condoms

New Western Cuisine - Gastronomy Sans Border

Train - Marry Me

No One Falls In Love By Choice

Dilbert - January 30, 2011

Posted By Dr. Ben Kim on Apr 27, 2011
Emotional Health and Well-Being