Does It Hurt?

Yeah! Just right there! Not my fault, Cookie thinks I'm a mommy blogger who kicks ass and so be it! But in all honesty and humility, I love the way she reads me inspite my constant rants in this blog. Here's what she said:

Analyse who is a new mother once again. She makes living the expat life look so easy. Never mind that she has a toddler and a newborn baby to care for, not to mention the kick ass job she has. The way it seems, her life is one that anyone would love to live.

Hey, she even thinks that anyone would love to live my life! Would you? So, ok. Here is what it would be like:

8:00am - breakfast

8:30am - breastfeeding

... after breastfeeding, everything would depend on Kyla's mood. During best times, chores would include Kyla's bath, quick shower for me, hand wash some delicate clothes of Kyla, plurk, blog when I can (fyi, this entry has been started 2 days ago, with Kyla in my arms all the time) and read some blog. During bad times, it would mean calming Kyla the whole time.

... breastfeed Kyla before going to school

11:30am - fetch Louna from school

... prepare something for lunch (or most of the time, heat prepared food in the oven)

12:00pm - lunch

... play with Louna after lunch. Breastfeed Kyla before going to school (or sometimes I do it while having lunch)

13:30pm - bring Louna to school

... nap, breastfeed, prepare something for lunch for the next day (when I can), do some household chores.

16:30pm - fetch Louna from school

... deal with the 2 kids while waiting for Frenchguy. Manage jealousy. Spend time with Louna when Kyla is calm. Breastfeed. Frenchguy prepares dinner and bathes Louna.

8:00pm - dinner

8:45pm - prepare Louna to bed (includes reading a story)

9:00pm - bedtime for Louna

... watch TV when we can. Most of the time, Kyla is a bit agitated during this time.

10:00pm - bedtime. Breastfeed Kyla till she sleeps.

3:00am or earlier - breasfeed Kyla.

5:30am or around that time - breasfeed Kyla.

... and another long day starts. Ready?

PS: Dirty diapers have to be changed when needed. Pictures must be taken at all opportunities.

Preggy Pix

Feng once tagged me to post a preggy picture of mine to which I replied no because I post my monthly preggy photo and development at the other blog. I have my pictures all over both blogs. Doing the tag would be one picture too much.

Then after two weeks of vacation, my colleagues were surprised not only to see me back at work but also because the bump had taken ample proportion. I already gained 14 kg from the start of pregnancy. But what amazes them the most is the fact that the enormous 14-kg weight gain is concentrated on only one point - my belly. My back view has remained unchanged (well, at least that's what they said).

Since I only see my front and side views, I asked Frenchguy to take a picture of me this morning. So what do ya think?

Breast Cancer Awareness

Help spread the awareness on the Breast Cancer Awareness month of June. Please help convey the importance of regular examination and early detection of breast cancer in order to catch this disease when it first erupts, maximizing the chance of survival and recovery.

These are the some information/symptoms that I’ve got upon searching the net regarding Breast Cancer.

• A change in how the breast or nipple feels
• A lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm area
• Nipple tenderness
• A change in how the breast or nipple looks
• A change in the size or shape of the breast
• A nipple turned inward into the breast
• The skin of the breast, areola, or nipple may be scaly, red, or swollen. It may have ridges or pitting so that it looks like the skin of an orange.
• Nipple discharge (fluid)
• Early breast cancer usually does not cause pain. Still, a woman should see her health care provider about breast pain or any other symptom that does not go away. Most often, these symptoms are not due to cancer. Other health problems may also cause them. Any woman with these symptoms should tell her doctor so that problems can be diagnosed and treated as early as possible.

Source: MedicineNet.com

Help spread awareness. You can help the lives of many women by spreading the word about The Breast Cancer Site. If The Breast Cancer Site receives 8 million clicks on the pink button in June, their premier sponsor -Bare Necessities- will donate $10,000 for more free mammograms. CLICK the pink button today!

Please click. Or better yet, do the tag for the whole world to know ;). My nanny's mom has been diagnosed with breast cancer just recently and though we're not related, it was just too painful to learn such bad news.

8 Facts About Louna

Deye just tagged Louna to reveal 8 facts about her. I think these two girls know each other pretty well, not physically, but through their respective blogs. But we will nevertheless join the fun. Here we go:

1. She slept through the night at 3 weeks old. Mellow and easy. She would then wake up with an angel smile.

2. She was never a cry-baby. She would throw tantrums every now and then but not the typical toddler who would cry out loud, kicking and biting all people around him, throwing toys at his parents and all those full action drama. She's the kind who would sulk for minutes. If you try to approach her, she would suddenly turn limp voluntarily and we end up finding our daughter lying on the floor. Not a sound. Not a look. Her I-dont-exist attitude. Then, after several minutes and after saying us sorry to her, and her sorry to us, everything goes back to normal. She only cries when she's being scolded and she knows that she did something bad.

Continue reading here.

Tag: Recent Movie the Family Enjoyed

Lovelyn started a family-oriented tag which is pretty interesting because you get a good and personalized review of kid-friendly films. And that's all I need for now. I start to run out of film ideas and this sure would help me out.

My family has been overly indulging into Dora the Explorer, Noddy (Oui-Oui), Tom and Jerry and Finding Nemo. Louna would normally start with Dora, then minutes later, she would take our DVD case and would look for Noddy, and so on and so forth. She still has a limited concentration span so we never finished a whole film in one day.

Louna wiping the tears of Little Star, then seconds later, she's already asking for Oui-Oui

We've been introducing english DVDs to Louna for her to be able to capture and learn the English language early on in life. I have other girly DVDs like Cinderella or the Little Mermaid but she's not into the princess thing yet. She would prefer to see the car of Noddy bumping into a dog, or Swiper following Dora and Boots all the time or even Tom and Jerry chasing each other.

I have a Tagalog Song DVD which I would surely show to Louna later on. Who knows, she might learn to sing Sampung mga Daliri and Bahay Kubo, right?

So now I'm asking these kids to ask their mom to do the tag: Basti and Mimi, Annika and Deye. Syempre yung mga ka-age ng anak ko, lol.

Rules Of This Tag:

1. Link back the person who tagged you and write what was the movie his/her family enjoyed watching recently.

2. Now your turn to tell about the movie your family had just watched.

3. Tell something about the movie and spoilers are accepted (hehehee).

4. Lastly, write anything that has something to do with movies: Trivia, your top choice or favorites and why, your family's story about your favorite motion pictures, the first film you watched with your husband, any traditional film the family 's been keeping etc...etc...

5. (Ooopps, I almost forgot) Copy and paste the rules of this meme on your blog and pass the tag to as many friends, bloggers and movie lovers you want. Don't forget to tell them they're tagged and leave a comment here if you're done with the task.

Sunset / Sunrise Tag

Life has been too busy lately, I have a hard time coping up. Blogfriends know that blogging is not in my priority list so when life gets in the way, blogging is set aside. Lately, as a way of getting away from reality, I have been indulging myself with our old pictures - trying to add colors to them thru Photoshop. Photography is a hobby I want myself to get addicted into. I don't have a top of the line camera nor the professionalism that goes with it. I only have eyes attentive to beauty, and that I think, is already a good start.

MegaMom tagged me to share sunset or sunrise pictures to which I am willing to oblige with gusto. Now, if you could allow yourself some constructive criticisms, that would be highly appreciated. Just be careful tho, you have an affair with an un-professional camera mom.

Sunset at the Chambord Castle, France

The inside architecture of the castle is loaded with what seemed to be the works of art of Leonardo da Vinci. One of the favorites is the spectacular double-helix staircase which is very ingenious. The two helixes ascend the three floors without ever meeting, avoiding the possible meetings of the King's wife and his mistresses. Galing no.

Grand Canyon

Taking a sunset picture in this legendary site was quite an event. Professional photographers and tourists alike crowded the place to capture what that particular sunset had to offer. I had loads of pictures but this one became my favorite. Trust me, the Grand Canyon is just at the background, lol.

Baywatching at Venice Beach, LA

I was a fan of David Hasselhoff, what else. It was a lazy afternoon at the beach and this cabin became a model for my sunset picture.

Fishing Cabin, La Vendée

Typical fishing cabin in the west of France, La Vendée area. Love this picture.

Bangka

At my hometown in the Philippines. Here is where I spent most of my childhood. Funny it may seem but I live just a few kilometers from the beach but I don't know how to swim.

Marseille, France

Hmm, mas malaki pala ang araw sa France kesa sa Pinas, what do ya think? lol!

Father and Child

Christmas last year. After a grand feast with the family, the two Frenchies asked for a quick dip at the beach. It was a quiet and relaxing family getaway. There was almost nobody at the beach. Look at how sweet my mag-ama were..

Awards, Tags and Whatnots

During my 3 consecutive blogging years, I have been noticing that the more I keep myself silent, the more I receive fabulous awards from blogger friends. Is that a sign that these friends prefer when I’m not talking about my nonsense life? Or is it to say that even during my absence – read: dealing with my busy life, they still think of me? Uhum, I personally prefer to think of the latter.

Want to know more about the awards? Visit Rachel, Feng and Mitch, my fellow PMN mommies for details!

And oh, MegaMom hinted it right and wanted to see what makes me real busy. She wants evidence that I’m indeed busy and wants a peek of my workplace. Ok. Here it is. No cleaning or arranging whatsoever. See the whiteboard on the left? It has already witnessed a lot of brainstorming and starts to be not-so-white.. board, lol. My laptop is of course, my best buddy. The old telephone (yes, it’s old!) gives me direct access to our plants worldwide. And the heater right next to the not-so-comfortable chair helps me beat this early winter we are experiencing right now (yes, the thermometer already displayed freezing degrees!).

Well, if you’re expecting a stylish office French-style, really sorry to disappoint you guys. But engineers generally do dirty jobs in dirty workplaces. Oppps. That’s not a general rule, by the way. That’s probably just me.

Whatnots. Well, nothing. I’m just.. well, smiling less and less. Hmmm, that’s what Frenchguy told me. And he’s probably right. I don’t know. Probably yes. Ewan. Winter na kasi.

I will be going to Bangkok next month (or later) and he thought a little stop-over in the Philippines would do me good. I could bring Louna with me, ask somebody from my family to do babysitting in Bangkok while I work, then go home with them to the Philippines for a little pre-Christmas holiday. That would be a lot of organization to do but..

Why not? Bibili ako ng maraming smiles sa Pinas, promise. (that is, kung matutuloy ako syempre).

Busy Working Mom

Life has been sooooo busy and complicated since my last stint in the Philippines. At times like these, either I cope up or I break down. I was actually coping up till my health said stop. I felt sick, contaminated Louna.. then Frenchguy (who just left this morning for Boston to contaminate in turn his colleagues hehe). Life’s great!

At times like these, as usual, blogging becomes my least priority. I haven’t been bloghopping lately so I didn’t notice that somebody named Francine wanted a peek of my desk. Well, there’s no surprise, I always put a picture of my daughter for my wallpaper. I just can’t get enough of her. Icons displayed are the strict minimum, I hate messy workstations.

A good surprise for this week (or is that last week?) is that Gracita, for I don’t know what reason, named me as one of her favourite reads - on two categories! Well, she just declared that she loves my blog and what I write are nice matters. Oh, she’s always been a suki I guess. I even proclaimed her as Louna’s fan club manager because she’s read every detail of Ma Crèche Privée. Ask her about Louna’s latest development and you’ll get the answer hehe. We probably love to read each others blog because we both talk about our very ordinary life, nothing else. Ain’t that boring?

Well, I think all of my fave reads already got this award so I won’t name all of you guys. My list is not exhaustive. I’ve always been meaning to update my blogroll but hmmm, no time. What I could say is that, aside from my list, I’m becoming addicted to the PMN site and the sexy moms behind it.

Oh by the way, you might want to read about my take on mixed couples and their adventure in nurturing their kid. Read here.

High School Life

I was again Tagged - by Mitch. She's starting to be my Tag suki :D and I'm willingly playing along. This même suddenly reminded me of fond memories of my favourite episode during my younger years.

1. Who was your best friend? I was actually part of a group of 5 girls who promised to be Ninangs to our first-born child. Since they had their kids earlier than me, I was the Ninang to their eldest child and Louna was left without nobody to be called Ninang from my group of best friends.

2. Did you play any sports? A what? What’s that?

3. What kind of car did you drive? During HS? Nah. I only knew bicycles and tricycles then.

4. It’s Friday night. Where were you? At home most of the time. Or watching a film in one of my bestfriends house. What I love are Saturdays where a surprise visit of jeepneys and tricycles loaded with HS classmates embark in our place to take me away with them – destination – beach. It’s not necessarily in a resort. Most of the time, we squat in a private vacant lot where we spend the whole day chatting and eating. Ah, I miss this moment.

5. Were you a party animal? Sort of. Expect to see me in most of the parties organized by our group.

6. Were you considered a flirt? Not at all. You could actually see me hanging out with male barkadas most of the time.. but we call each other P’re (pare).

7. Were you in the band, orchestra or choir? Nope.

8. Were you a nerd? Nah. I was an average student from 1st to 3rd year, then started to aspire for the top 10 during my 4th year. If ever this counts, I was the Math genius of the batch.

9. Were you ever suspended or expelled? Never.

10. Can you sing the fight song? Ngek, what’s this?

11. Who was your favorite teacher? My Math teacher for obvious reasons. She’s using class cards to ask her students to go to the board and solve a problem. It was exciting and at the same time, nerve wrecking.

12. What was your school mascot? Nada.

13. Did you go to the Prom? Syempre.

14. If you could go back, would you? I would really love to.

15. What do you remember most about graduation? I wasn’t happy with the results. In fact, they considered our grades from 1st year to 4th year, took percentages from each then added some points for extracurricular activities. From a 3rd placer (during my 4th year), I ended up without nothing during the graduation rites.

16. Where were you on Senior Skip Day? Ano yun? Wala yata nyan sa probinsya namin.

17. Did you have a job during your senior year? Wala po.

18. Where did you go most often for lunch? Home.

19. Have you gained weight since then? Hmmm, I think so. But the last time I saw my classmates (Dec 2006), everybody agreed that I haven’t changed.

20. What did you do after graduation? I was accepted in MIT and I settled with my dream school.

21. What year did you graduate? 1993.

22. Who was your Senior Prom Date? He was not actually a date. He was my designated escort and he happened to be my bestfriend-turned-suitor-whom-I-haven’t-talked-to-since-then.

23. Are you going/did you go to your 10 year reunion? There was no 10 year reunion for our batch, simply because most of us are out of the country and it’s quite impossible to organize one. Now we’re talking about the 15th year reunion and I hope it will push through. Otherwise, we have a group-email as a means to keep up with each other.

Tagged: What were you thinking?

I got tagged by KK:

What Were You Thinking when you first met your current main squeeze? (husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, significant other, sex partner, WHATEVER!)

Quite irritated. I don't know what has gotten in his mind but he decided to call me Monalisa from the first meeting.

A little background. Frenchguy and I met inside the premises of our Philippine production site end of 1999. It was during the start-up of the company. I was the 4th person hired in our department and Frenchguy was there to supervise the installation of the machines. My boss didn't formally introduce me to him so I didn't really care who he was. The very first meeting was at the stairs leading to the workshop. He introduced himself to me so I did the same. He called me Monalisa. Grrrr.

The rest is history.

And what was HE thinking when he first saw me?

He thought I was beautiful. Walang aangal. I was the only girl in the department at that time. :D

So now, I'd like to tag Haze and Francine.

The Face Behind The Blog

There's no secret. Browse a little bit more and you'll see pictures of her and her daughter posted on most of the entries. This blog started August of 2004. It talks about the author's observations, her views, her life.. no wonder, it's HER blog. Barely a year later, March 2005 to be exact, a big milestone dawned on her. Came with it is the creation of another blog - Ma Crèche Privée - literally translated to My Private Nursery, which tackles her daughter's life, from in vitro to today. It's her way to communicate her child's development to families and friends all over the globe.

The woman behind the blog is a first-time mom and a career woman rolled into one - in short, a SAHM wannabe. She's blogging from France and she's dreaming of winning the EuroMillion (lotto) to be able to stop working - but without betting a single euro. While waiting for that big jackpot, she's working her a** out as a Chemical Process Engineer in a French-owned multinational company where she's given free air tickets to solve machine and process problems in their production sites worldwide.


The woman who tagged me - Francine. She's a newbie in the French environment and she's adapting quite well. She's at the moment preparing for a big event and realizing all the more the difference between her culture and the new culture she's trying to embrace. Feel free to check her page.

And here's the instruction to this meme :

1st step - Post a short blog article that includes a photograph (or a series of photos) showing the face behind your blog. If you already showed a photo somewhere on your site (such as in your about page), then make your post more interesting and choose a photo that’s not currently online.

2nd step - Include links to other people that have displayed a photo, or include their photos in your post, adding a reference.

3rd step - Tag as many others as you like in your post to spread the meme.

4th step - If you link back to me here and send an email I’ll be sure to include links back to you. Each person tagged should create their own post and repeat the process.

I'd Love to Tag:

Auee - Same reason as Francine, i don't think I already 'saw' you.
Mitch - I always see you 'blurred'.
ScroochChronicles - I'd like to know you too.
Feng - You're tagged!

I Rock, My Mom Too

And what about that? After blogging and bloghopping at a slower pace lately due to inevitable everyday errands, Mitch still thinks I rock. Thank you, thank you. I'm not prepared for this. I'm speechless.

Still from Mitch, I was tagged on 10 Random Facts about my Mom. In fact, I could list a lot more than that, but OK, I'll limit myself to 10.

1. She's a proud Mom. And she's got all the right to be one. She's raised 6 kids (with my Dad of course) with two meager salaries of elementary school teachers. With the expensive education in the Philippines (add to that the boarding house, telephone, water, electricity fees and the monthly allowances), she's obliged to follow a strict financial scheme. They are insurance agents and rice farmers on the side. And by the way, she was obliged to sell a beach lot which she bought when she was still single - for our precious education.

2. When she starts to brag, she brags. She would start with 'Yung panganay ko... yung pangalawa naman... yung pangatlo.. yada yada yada.' She would normally talk about her kids and their achievements. No wonder, we are her pride. And of course, when we are with her and she starts to brag, nagtatago na kami. Ang yabang ni Ma-Dear e.

3. She's equally proud of her grandkids. She's got 4 from 4 of her children, and obviously, she wants more.

4. She helped for the education of her youngest sister-in-law. My Dad is the oldest child in the family and with that, the salary of my Mom became a part of the family money. Inspite of that, she still feels indebted to my Dad's family by the fact that our house is built on their ancestral land. By the way, that youngest SIL just gave them a Toyota Revo as a gift this year. Not bad. Good deeds pay off.

5. She never knew her parents. They died when she was still young. So her eldest brother raised her. But this eldest brother married a very strict wife who obliged her to work all the time except on Good Friday. And yes, she feels indebted to this SIL too.

6. She's an utang-na-loob slave and I don't know how to move her out of that.

7. Loving Mom as she is, she never wanted her children to be morally indebted to anybody. Not even to her. She doesn't want her children suffer because of utang-na-loob. She never obliged us to send her monthly remittances - she just doesn't like the idea. To those who don't understand her concept, she just shrugs her shoulders and say 'Pinaghirapan naman ng mga anak ko kung ano man ang meron sila ngayon. Dapat lang na para sa kanila na yun.'

8. She is the 'Mommy' to all her children's friends and all her co-teachers. My ex even continued calling her 'mommy' even after we parted ways.

9. She waves her hand to everybody when she's out to go to the market. She knows almost everybody in our little town. They even tease her to run for Mayor of the town to which she answers 'Naku, ngayon at retired na ako, I will dedicate my time to my children and their kids.'

10. She's 64 years old and enjoying her retirement with my Dad (who is 7 years her senior). They still do farming and work as part-time insurance agents. They consider that work as their sole social outlet.

As you noticed, it was hard for me to dissociate my Mom from my Dad. They are partners, through good and bad times.

I'm Back

With a vengeance! Francine just tagged me. This girl wanted to know how vain I am and contrary to what I thought I am, I still have a shy of vanity on my bones. I thought I was close to negative. Well.

You Are 19% Vain

You don't have a vain bone in your body - almost as a matter of principal. You demand to be judged on who you are, not what you look like.

How Vain Are You?

Francine, summarizing that supposed-to-be 19% of vanity gave me a real hard time. Here's my list:

1. I have 4 different shades of eye shadows that I rarely use.
2. I have 3 eyeliners which I used once. They're now collecting dusts on my dresser.
3. I use mascara everyday since probably a year now. Not that I'd like to have that Betty Boop look. Wala lang.
4. I normally wear shirts and jeans. The very rare time that I wear skirts and high-heeled shoes at work, I have all the eyes focused on me, men and women alike - ready to blame me if it rains!
5. But honestly, I love to see myself dressed with a lot of taste and feminity. Ang hirap lang i-assume hehe. It's just not me.
6. I just had what it feels like a one-year-shopping-spree with my recent trips to the US and Asia. Not that I'm vain, mas mura kasi dun hehe.
7. I normally wear those clothes being displayed on shop windows. Not because they're the latest trend, it's simply because I hate shopping and the easiest way to finish shopping is to ask the saleslady if they have my size.
8. I was driving an old pawis-steering car before we changed to our car now. And honestly, who cares.
9. Ok, this is vain. I sometimes buy trendy clothes for me and Louna but I make sure I don't pay that much. There's being vain and being practical at the same time, right?
10. I hate to see my bulgy tummy so I do belly exercises, like once a month hehe. Sorry, you have business with a lazy gurl here. And me thinks being vain and lazy at the same time are simply not compatible.

Oh by the way, I'd like to know your honest opinion. Do I look/sound vain? I find that 19% vain description of me so cute hehe.

Updates coming next..

I'm busy. I'm not.

I am feeling a little boredom infiltrating my office walls lately. It's stressing me out to know that I'm being paid to do nothing. Though I know that my work's nature is quite cyclic, depending on what project I work on, still the idea stresses me out. Just when I thought I should talk to my boss to ask for more short-term jobs (because I'll be busy on the second semester - in Dijon, fortunately), mental telepathy worked rather fast and saw him coming in with a contagious smile.

Bonjour.
Bonjour.

Ca va?
Ca va.

So there. After several exchanges of what's up and what's new, he asked me if I could assist our American plant on a week-long-or-longer job next month, probably mid-May.

Errr. I'm actually working on my schedule as I'm planning to go to Bangkok, then to Manila sometime end of May.

Conflict. Now I'm wondering if I really have a problem with time management or is it simply because schedules are quite unpredictable at work that I find schedules overlapping on my calendar at times. When I was in Bangkok end of last year, I was actually supposed to go to Milan at the same time. I asked another colleague to do the job instead. The Milan job, just like the upcoming US job, was a last-minute plan. And oh, boss just reminded me that I need to go to Milan before summer vacation starts (July-August).

It's either I stay put in Dijon, or I have to hop from one country to another, not even care about jetlag.

What makes the schedule more complicated is that there are a lot of long weekends in May and we already planned some getaways. Labor day will be Prague. Ascension day will be a birthday celebration of Frenchguy's childhood friend. In the menu are wild water activities mixed with a mountain hike and a via ferrata which I wanted to try. To top it all, Frenchguy just organized a wild-water-activity weekend on the first week of June.

Hmm. Do you still follow? Well, I know it's quite complicated and I'm afraid I have to sacrifice his friend's birthday to keep up with the schedule. Poor Frenchguy might not be able to ride his kayak because of me. Nobody to babysit Louna.

I'm in the process of negotiation and who knows, I could fit in all the schedules and sing 'We did it' in the end.

Tagged

Princess and SassyMom, both of Pinoy Moms Network, tagged me to list 7 songs I'm addicted into at the moment. It's been long months I haven't received any même on this blog, and this one came wrong timing - simply because I'm not into music at the moment. It's spring and I feel like playing badminton all the time (Louna serves as the net. She loves staying in the middle). After the match (with Frenchguy), it's bath/play, dinner and bedtime for Louna. Then it's telly or blog/surf time for me. No time for music.

Well, ok. I'm not as boring as that. Here's my list:
- I'm the Map and We did it. Themesongs from Dora the Explorer. I'm repeating I'm the map in my head while writing this.
- My toes, my kness, my shoulder, my head. Repeat it 3x. With actions please.
- Tape tape petite main, vole vole petit oiseau, tourne tourne petit moulin, nage nage petit poisson. Again, with actions.
- Itsy bitsy spider during giggly playtime.
- I tune in to RFM on my 12 minute-drive to go to work so that gives me a list of non-mommy songs. You gave me something by James Morrison is one of my current faves.
- And finally, Gardien de Nuit by Francis Cabrel. It's just way too cool that I use it as my ringtone.

Whew. That tag was cool. I just forgot about my hectic schedule within 5 minutes!

Life's Simple Pleasures

Nao asked me to list the Top 10 of my life's simple pleasures. Aussitôt dit, aussitôt fait. You name it, you got it.

1. An afternoon nap with Louna, preferably on a hammock - I start dreaming of being a SAHM so we could do it everytime we want. If you give me even around 80% of my salary, enough to pay my monthly amortization for the house and some pocket money, I won't think twice, I sure will give that a shot.
2. A look from her trying to get my attention - yes, this little princess starts to have her own trick to charm everyone.
3. Playing with her and watching her grow (especially while she's sleeping) - add to that the sweet little smile she generously gives when she wakes up.
4. Sitting on frenchguy's lap - I'm actually her original bébé!
5. Arriving at the summit (during a mountain hike) - what a pleasure to reach the goal inspite of the difficulties.
My Little Geisha
6. A walk in the park - after a day's work, this sure changes the atmosphere.
7. A smile from a stranger - Throw me a smile, it doesn't cost a cent, ya know.
8. A phonecall or an email from family and friends - it's always a pleasure. Tho it seems that I'm receiving less and less..or is it because I communicate less and less because of tight schedules of being a working mom?
9. Receiving pictures from my niece and nephews - these tiny monsters (and their parents) are lazy farts. I still should beg them before they send me one. Well, they don't realize what homesickness means.
10. When somebody who hadn't seen me for quite a time tells me that I gained weight - That would surely make my day ;)

Weird Tag

When I saw Ka Uro's message that I was tagged to enumerate my 5 weird habits, the first thing that crossed my mind was 'Do I have one?' Well, you see, I'm a boring old fart. I do things like everybody else does. Standard. I don't break rules.

Ok, well, as I was strolling with Bébé around the park / lake near our place yesterday, I was actually thinking about the tag. I was obsessed by the question actually. There must be something. I cannot be that standard, naman. Standard = Boring. Yoko nga.

So, here's my list. Most of them actually fall on my 'Bad Habit' category (pinaganda ko lang, that reads katamaran in tagalog hehe), but heck, I should come up with something.

Weird Habit Number 1: I hate to shop. Well, this will normally fall on the 'Good Habit' category for guys. But for gals, they just find it weird. Or they just couldn't understand why I get severe headache when I shop. Dami kayang choices, di ba nakakasakit ng ulo yun?

Weird Habit Number 2: Frenchguy is my personal cook. Not that I hate cooking, I simply don't love it. And when he's not around, my microwave oven does the works.

PS to fellow mamans: While breastfeeding, I do make extra effort. Yep, I cook healthy foods. Weird!

Weird Habit Number 3: Frenchguy does the cleaning. Not that I hate cleaning, I simply don't love it (Part II). I hate it when it's messy tho, so to avoid cleaning, di na lang po ako nagkakalat.

Weird Habit Number 4: Frenchguy does the laundry. Not that I hate or love doing it, di ko lang feel. En revanche, I do the ironing. Weird no.

Weird Habit Number 5: I prefer looking at girls rather than boys. Basta, ganun. Nope, I'm not lesbian!

Now, I'm tagging Linnor, Haze, Makis, Kala and Sassafras. Just curious to know their weird side too..

I was tagged!

I was tagged, again??? Eherm, these blogfriends obviously want to know more about their blogfriends..mga tsismosa ba hehe. But since I generally write about me, my life and my points of view, it's just so easy to get to know me. So in case you haven't noticed or known yet, I'm generally a pro-environmentalist, a nature lover, ano fa nga ba, a proud Chemical Gingineer, a soon-to-be but already-super-duper-excited mom, inloved with my frenchguy, a struggling pinay in the wine capital of the world, a serious buff at work and a babaeng bakla all rolled into one..

I guess it would be interesting to read this and this to have a glimpse of me. Pero teka, you're asking 3 things you don't know yet? Hmmm, esep esep...So, vakletang Mildred, here you go baby:

THREE THINGS ABOUT ME THAT YOU DON'T KNOW YET:

1. I only work when I'm being paid. I hate household chores. As in! I hate cooking. As in ulit! So who does all those dirty jobs at home? Of course, my fave houseboy - frenchguy (the only thing I do with gusto is ironing and cleaning the toilet and bath hehe). And how do I survive when he's out of the country? Di po ako nagkakalat, that way, I won't have anything to clean up. I have stocks of ready-to-cook stuffs and a number of telephone numbers for express delivery hehe.

Oh well, I have to change this bad habit, especially now that I'll be a maman!

2. I can't sleep without my pillow. Mawala na si frenchguy sa tabi ko, wag lang ang unan ko hehe..so imagine our bed, surrounded by pillows. And that's for anytime and anywhere, be it on camping, on the plane (I ask the stewardess for extra pillows), on vacation (kasama namin pillow ko sa lahat ng bakasyon, nasa likod lagi ng car hehe).

Magbiro ka na sa lasing, wag lang sa bagong gising!

3. The number 12 signifies a lot to me. If I have to play lotto, for sure, I have this number on the list. It's my birth date, our anniversary date, and my rank on our batch of graduating class. Di po kami 12 lang sa buong batch, mas marami naman po dyan, 13 kami nun nyehehe...joke lang. We were more than 100, so it might not mean anything to you, but still, I was proud of it. Ang yabang ko nun hehe...

Er, do I have to tag somebody else? Don't want to designate anybody...just answer it folks if you think you haven't bared everything on your blog ;)

The Four Aces

Uso yata ang tagging ngayon...

Agring, here's my 4 aces, don't know if it's the winning lot, but if I were with my friends playing tong its, sigurado, makakapitik na naman ako ng ilong/tenga nito hehe...

APAT NA PINAKADAKILANG PILIPINO:
1. Dr. Jose Rizal - sige nga, sino pa ang gustong magpabaril sa luneta?
2. Ninoy Aquino - kung hindi dahil sa kanya, malamang under martial law pa rin tayo, nanay ko po!
3. My Dad - sipag nyan, kung hindi dahil sa kanya, wala ako sa kinalalagyan ko ngayon.
4. My Mom - partner in crime ni daddy, sya yung wonderful lady behind every success of my dad and all of her kids.

APAT NA PILIPINONG HINAHANGAAN MO SA ANUMANG LARANGAN:
1. My Dad - for obvious reasons
2. My Mom - for obvious reasons
3. Ate Clarice - my sis, kahit di ako ganun ka-showy, I guess she knows how i appreciate her a lot.
4. Ate Carmen - yung kapitbahay namin, she's just so real, a natural kind-hearted individual who gives without expecting anything in return. sana lahat ng tao tulad nya.

APAT NA MAGAGANDANG LUGAR SA PILIPINAS NA NARATING MO:
1. Palawan
2. Hundred Islands
3. Anilao
4. Puerto Galera

APAT NA LUGAR SA PILIPINAS NA GUSTO MONG MAPUNTAHAN
1. Bohol
2. Boracay
3. Ilocos
4. Cebu

APAT NA BAGAY NA PAG-NAKIKITA MO NAALALA MO ANG PILIPINAS:
1. My old pictures
2. Mango
3. Knorr Sinigang Mix
4. Kangkong

APAT NA PUTAHENG PILIPINONG PABORITO MO:
1. Pinakbet
2. Adobong Pusit
3. Paksiw na Tilapia or Bangus
4. Daing na Bangus for breakfast

APAT NA SALITANG PILIPINO NA KAILANGAN MO NG TALASALITAAN PAG IYONG NARINIG:
1. Ngek, ano ibig sabihin nito?

APAT NA KANTANG PILIPINONG GUSTO MONG MARINIG:
1. Mga kanta ni Ely Buendia
2. Mga kanta ng Side A
3. Say that you love me by Martin Nievera
4. Mga kanta ng Freestyle

APAT NA MATATAMIS NA SALITANG O KATAGANG PILIPINO:
1. Mahal
2. Labs
3. Darleng (gamit kadalasan ng mga tindera sa palengke)
4. Jokla (hehe)

APAT NA APELYIDO NA PAG IYONG NARINIG NAKAKATIYAK KANG SILA AY PINOY:
1. Laquindanum (ilokano yan hehe)
2. Moselina (di yan italiano, di rin espanyol, tagalog syempre hehe)
3. de la Cruz (lalo na kung ang pangalan ay Juan)
4. Susa (di Susi or Suso ha)

APAT NA PANGALANG PINOY NA AYAW MONG IPANGALAN SA IYONG ANAK:
1. Luningning
2. Liwanag
3. Halina
4. Habagat

APAT NA LARONG PILIPINO NA NALARO MO NA NG BATA KA PA:
1. Langit Lupa
2. Jackstone
3. Shatong
4. Patintero

APAT NA BAGAY NA AYAW MO SA PILIPINAS:
1. Big gap between the rich and the poor, too much imbalance
2. Almost everything is expensive, as if everything is based on the salary of the rich people and those working abroad
3. Too high cost of education and less employment opportunity after college
4. Payabangan palagi, puro naman utang

APAT NA BAGAY NA GUSTO MO SA PILIPINAS:
1. Andun lahat ng family and friends ko.
2. We could still smile inspite of all the problems surrounding us.
3. Temperature ng dagat, pwedeng dive kaagad, unlike dito.
4. Pwedeng magprito ng tuyo na walang maaasar na kapitbahay.

APAT NA BAGAY NA GAGAWIN MO KUNG IKAW ANG PANGULO NG PILIPINAS:
1. Patalsikin lahat ng nakaupo sa gobyerno at palitan ng mga blogfriends ko, hehe. of course yung mga conscientious at me malasakit talaga sa bayan at medyo me background sa economy.
2. Invite more investors to create jobs for the madlang people and at the same time, encourage job and profit generating businesses - something which will create value.
3. Clean the Philippines to incite local and foreign tourists in visiting our 7,001 islands. (from basura and terrorism - you want independence? go and get it bros and leave the other surviving filipinos alone! common tao na lang lagi ang biktima!)
4. Teka, iboto nyo muna kaya ako!

APAT NA ALAS NA AKING NAPILING TAGAYAN:
Sorry na lang, I'll keep my aces, aba, winning cards ko to, bat ko naman ipapasa hehe... makapitik na nga ng tenga..

The Evolution of Man: Explained!

Experiment #1: The Evolution of Man

1. Tadpole
2. Frog
3. Prince Charming
4. Royal Pain

Objective: A kikay blogfriend of mine, Bel requested yours truly to dissect this latest discovery about the somewhat evolution of man. The purpose of which is to better understand and justify their behaviour.

Observations:
1. Up to stage 2, they followed a normal evolution.
2. Stage 3 shows an extraordinary transformation. After hours of research, it has been found that a princess was behind this drastic change. The poor frog catched the attention of a beautiful kind-hearted princess who decided to adopt him. According to legend, after an innocent kiss, the ugly frog became a stunning prince charming...
3. The legend was of course, dissected and redissected to be able to understand this amazing phenomenon. Here are some explainations:
3a. In modern days, the kiss was actually just a representation of the great efforts done by the princess to make her man palatable - a prince charming at that! Efforts include (the list was long, i just included a portion of it):
3ai. cooking for him
3aii. dressing him up (choosing the right colors, design, etc), this includes ironing too.
3aiii. doing the grocery for him
3aiv. encouraging him when he's down, teaching him to believe in himself
3av. teaching him good manners and right conduct
4. The evolution was almost perfect, except that at stage 4, an irreversible reaction to a certain virus has attacked the prince - he wanted to be the king of the world.

Conclusion: A frog is still a frog. (hehe, t'aime bébé).

Suggestion: When he reaches stage 4, find another frog .. or better yet, when you find a frog, make a good adobo out of it ... kokak!

Book Même

I thought I could get away with this one, but Sweetie Bokski just tagged me. Okidoki, I'm a bit of a bookwork too anyway...

What's in a book?

When i was a kid, it's more of a fascination for me to find amazing discoveries thru a book. Now, it's more of a secret door for me to escape the real world and play different roles thru different personages.

Number of books on the shelves:

Not a lot. I normally pass my books on to my friends. Now that I read books written in French, I send some interesting lots to my mexican friend (former classmate in french language course)...the rests, I'm planning to sell them at the bookstore, or give them at the municipal library. I don't like keeping them on the shelves, aalikabukin lang.Those that I own or bought:
All the books on my shelf.

Last few books that I bought:

2 books by Dan Brown, 3 books by Robert Ludlum, 3 books by Tom Clancy and one by John Grisham.

Book that I'm reading now:

Nothing. I'm reading magazines about pregnancy, parenting, baby nurturing stuffs and the like...

Last few books read:

I just finished Le Secret Halidon by Robert Ludlum. Thinking about starting another one once on maternity leave.