Not-So-Picture-Perfect Moment

Mai-share ko lang something that happened last night. Waging-wagi kasi eh.

When we got home from work, Mama asked the Hubby to scan her ID picture for her US Visa renewal. Ganun na pala ngayon, you have to attach the picture in the online form.

So ayun. Kaso andami naman palang eklavu. Crop dito-crop doon. Reject ang picture. Size must be bigger daw. Eh di adjust-adjust the resolution. Too big naman daw. When the picture finally fit into the required size, poor illumination naman daw. So kaka talaga! They must have spent a good 2 hours trying to adjust the picture.

Then when I thought it wouldn’t be possible that the scanned picture will be accepted because of the poor quality no matter what 'magic' we do, I said, “di ba pwedeng humingi ng softcopy nyan sa Great Image?”.

That’s the only time Mama said she was given a CD together with the printed picture.

Wapak na wapak! We gave Mama the dagger look and all of us burst into laughter.

The image in the CD took us only seconds to be uploaded in the form. Ganun kadali! As in naka-format na sha for the specifications ng US Visa Application Form. Cool huh!?

Akalain mo that we they spent almost 2 hours when it was just as easy as a mouse-click.

Mama added pa, “Kaya pala! Nagtaka pa ako kung bakit ako binigyan ng CD!”.

Bwahahahaha! I so love Mama! ^_^

Sigh!

I have a problem.

Naks, kaloka ang intro ko, akala mo naman life and death situation. Hindi naman. Maglalabas lang ng saloobin. ^_^

Ganito kasi yun, we’ve found a nearby toddler school from the house where I wanted to send Amber sana for summer class. She keeps on saying that she loves school kasi so I just thought of giving it a try, anyways, she’s turning 3 in June na naman.

Kaso ang problema, we are yaya-less again since pinauwi ko na si teenager-temporary-yaya kasi my MIL couldn’t stand taking care of Amber and the yaya. Hehe! Para lang kasi kaming may pinasusweldong bakasyonista sa bahay. So kaka!

Buti na nga lang hindi pa nakakahalata si MIL dear who I really really love, na she has became the stand-in yaya since then. All her out-of-the-house activities have been put to halt. Naku, what will I do if she finally realizes that?!? Baka bigla ako hiritang mag-resign. Shempre hindi naman pwede ano?! Life is difficult nowadays.

Haaay, so we’re back to square one. Hanap ulit ng yaya. Minsan, gusto ko na karerin ang pagtatayo ng yaya academy or yaya recruitment agency. Mukhang patok na patok sa dami ng nangangailangan ng yaya!

Jollibee Floats

Have you tried the famous bee’s (who is Jabibi according to Amber) new floats?

I was so excited to try both the chocolate and coffee floats when I first saw that giant billboard they have on Alabang viaduct. I was kinda torn on which to try first but the Hubby told me to go for the chocolate float since I’m not much of a coffee drinker.

It tasted like chocolait that was diluted in 75% ice! Sad.

So the next time, I tried the coffee float and I surprisingly liked it! It has the right coffee blend for me, not too strong. The ice cream added creaminess. The chocolate syrup, although not much, gave my drink that mocha-flavor.

I love it!

Here’s my 4^th coffee float in a span of 1 week.

Uhm, no. I still don’t like coffee. But a refreshing drink, kahit pa coffee sha will surely appeal to me nowadays. Sobrang init naman kasi, parang nilalagnat lagi ang Pilipinas. 

The Real Strawberry

Amber’s first taste of fresh strawberry happened during our last Baguio getaway.

She didn’t want to eat it at first and thought it was just one of the toys. Her Tita Kate kasi gave her a crocheted strawberry keychain before.

Verdict? She loved it! I just hope she wouldn’t make it her favorite fruit of the season. Okay na ko sa mango and guava, at least those can be bought from any nearby talipapas. ^_^

This is how she looked like when finally she realized it was a real strawberry!
Oh! By the way, the berry was gone in a jiffy!

Traffic Lights

In an intersection...

Amber: Red means Stop! Green means Go!

Mommy: Eh ano yung Yellow?

Amber: GO FASTER!

Her Daddy flashed his THAT’S-MY-GIRL grin.

Tsk! Tsk!

You are never to drive, young girl! Ever!

...Or maybe not until you learn that the 
Yellow Light is supposed to signal you to GRADUALLY STOP.

Amber’s Take on Magnum

Good news for me! Amber doesn’t like Magnum that much. She prefers to have her ice cream on a cone than on stick! More Magnum for me! Yay!

Here, she only posed with seeming interest for the ice cream bar but after I took her picture, she handed it back to me.

Echosera no? Parang yung mga endorser lang na hindi naman talaga ginagamit yung product na ini-endorse? Hahaha!

Isdaan Sa Gerona, Tarlac

Pardon my late posting of this. Di pala napindot ang 'publish' button, ahahay! We went there finally, on our way home from Baguio on Easter Sunday. 

I admit, it wasn’t really the food that enticed me to go there but the picture-worthy statues of whatever. So I wasn’t really expecting anything from the food except that it will fill my, that time, growling stomach. ^_^

The ambiance of the restaurant is so festive. You will already hear the loud music inside the resto from the parking lot. 

After about 15 minutes of waiting, we were led to a Nipa hut surrounded by water swarmed with Coi fishes. The Nipa is small enough to house a table and benches on either sides, that is good for 4 persons. I got a little nervous with Amber began walking on the edges of the Nipa while she looked at the fish. The water daw is 6-9 feet deep.

We weren’t wowed by the food. The Hubby said that they put so much effort into prettifying the place that they have neglected the food.

2 of the dishes we ordered (Halabos na Hipon and Crispy Pata, a well-loved Filipino dish) were not available that time to our dismay.

Amber is pretending to be a dog in the pictures. ;-/

The Plain Bulalo Soup was already cold. L

The Sweet and Sour Lapu-lapu was okay for me because I like that they cooked it extra-crispy. The others didn’t like it that much. Kanya-kanya preferences lang siguro.

The Juicy Spareribs was what brought all of us in agreement that it was the best dish that we had there! Yun nga lang, I wasn’t able to take its picture because it came in late. Ubos na nga yung rice eh. Papak-papak na lang.

We had 2 orders of Melon Juice in pitcher that costs P277 each pitcher. Mahal no?

In fairness, I've heard good things about them. Maybe the staff were a little stressed out that's why the service didn't turn out well. According to our service attendant, it was particularly crowded that day. But then, it still isn't an acceptable excuse. Palulusutin ko na lang so that my mood will not be affected, baka pumangit pa ako sa pictures! Hahaha!

Pabilisan kami kumain because the sun is starting to set na and I’m so atat na to go around and take pictures.

Amber wanted to bring the penguins home.

Some super heroes were there! 

Uy, kelangan natin ng extrang gripo sa bahay di ba?

Lacoste was there, too.

It really looked like a fishing village from this point of view. Nice no?

Rubbing elbows with the Obamas. Hubby was star-struck!

There you go! I wonder how it is there in their branch in Calauan, Laguna. Hmmm, I might want to go there too. ^_^

Crispy Tokwa (Revisited)

I never liked tofu when I was a child. I find the texture weird and the smell repugnant. In fact, I cannot remember when I began eating tofu. Basta na lang isang araw, kumakain na ko and we, the tofu and I, are already getting along just fine.

During the Lenten season, I wandered in the kitchen once again and made Crispy Tokwa, which recipe you can find here.

This time, I was able to capture the preparation in photos na blurred. ^_^

Tofu slices, All-Purpose Flour, Egg and Bread Crumbs.

Dip in Sweet and Chili or Teriyaki Sauce.

Happy tokwa-eating!

Back To Basics

The Hubby saw these clay toys in Bulacan and bought a set for Amber.

The little girl was ecstatic upon seeing it and immediately played luto-lutuan putting the clay fruits inside each pot.

I predicted that the toys will not last another day in the hands of a playful toddler. But I was wrong, Amber was very careful in handling them. She has been treating them well so far.

So when we went to Baguio and saw these mini-clay vases, we also bought her one...

Ayan, may clay toys na sha. Something my playmates and I used to play with when we were kids. I’m glad they’re still around for my own kid to enjoy.

Instant Summer Get-Away

Since it was our wedding anniversary last Friday, I insisted on we decided to have a road trip to Tarlac the next day to have lunch at the famous Isdaan Restaurant. I wanted to go there ever since I saw Annie’s blog about the place. ^_^

The Hubby said we can stretch our trip to Our Lady of Manaoag Church. Mama half-seriously suggested that why not we go up all the way to Baguio at dawn and come back the same day and have dinner at Isdaan on our way back. 

Silence. 

She made the suggestion at 10 in the evening and everybody seemed to think that she is just playing us around. After a long pause, everybody rushed into packing their own bags. We left the house at 1AM.

Sabi nga nila, mas natutuloy yung mga biglaang lakad, walang plano-plano. We have proven that right many times! ^_^

We reached Baguio at 5AM. The original plan to spend just the entire day there became an overnight get-away. Mama said she will book a room if there is an available room at the first nearest hotel that we stop at. Surprisingly, there was an available room at the Hotel Veniz but we had to come back at 2PM to check-in.

So, ikot-ikot muna ng Baguio. We went to Mine’s View Park...

Had picture with St. Bernard...

...and Petra.

Then to Good Shepherd to buy lots of Ube Jam and take pictures.

Then to Pink Sisters where we went inside the convent to pray and afterwards, take pictures outside.

Then to Camp John Hay to kill more time enjoy the cool climate and take more pictures. ^_^

Amber watched the ‘ENTZ’ (or LENGGAM, however way you want to pronounce it).

Then we went to have our lunch at the Ayala Techno-something inside CJH. The flowers were all nice so we indulged ourselves with more pictures. ^_^

When we finally checked in at the hotel, we were all beat. We spent the entire afternoon sleeping.

The camera-whoring didn’t end there. The next day, we stopped at the very same spot where we often take pictures when we are about to enter Marcos Hi-way. The view was just amazing that even if we already have so many pictures taken at the very same mark, we still made that stop and clicked away!

Holy Week 2012

Every Maundy Thursday, we go to the Divine Mercy Shrine in Bulacan for the Station of the Cross. This is a tradition that we started 4 years ago.

The first time we went there, I had this very huge belly! I was 6 months pregnant then. The second time, we had an infant in tow. Good thing we went there very early. By the time that the sun is at its merciless, we were on our way home. ^_^

This year, I decided not to bring Amber with us. It was a good decision because we were stuck in a heavy traffic in NLEX and got there more than an hour late than the usual plan. It was already scorching hot by the time we started. Besides, the tot doesn’t want to be disturbed in her sleep. She makes this growling sound every time we try to wake her up early. L

I didn’t take photos of each station for this blog, thinking that we already have each station in our picture files from the years before. Sadly, I couldn’t find those files anymore. Good thing I had this momentary itch to catch some photos from that day.
   

This is the entrance to the Istasyon ng Krus sa Bukid

Divine Mercy's Stations of the Cross are depicted by life-sized statues. All 15 stations, including the Resurrection of Jesus Christ are carefully arranged around the church's spacious backyard, each about 10-15 steps apart.

After contemplating on Christ's sufferings and death, people line up to freshen themselves with the cold water that comes from this fountain. I have always liked these wooden benches! ^_^ 

I Got A Tattoo!

Okay dear, I won't object from you being a tattoo artist for now and maybe when you grow up if you still want to...

Amber said she drew a face.

...but please don’t make Mommy model for you anymore ha. Now lang pwede. 

A Yaya Story (Venting Out A Very Very Long Sigh)

Remember how hyped up I was when we finally found a yaya? It was short-lived. After a month and 11 days-off (imagine that!?), she went AWOL. All I got from her after another unscheduled day-off was a text message saying that she couldn’t come back anymore.

I’m so sorry if I still have to rant about this but I just need to. It’s totally fine with me if you skip this post, promise. ^_^ 

She even implied that my daughter, the primary reason why we took her in, is difficult to handle. WTF?!?! After a month? She expects everything to fall on her lap? My husband even noticed and commented several times that he didn’t see any efforts from her to come close to the child. Now she’s telling me that my daughter is difficult?!? Something I have never heard from anyone around us, not even the neighbors who Amber always house-raids. Okay, maybe they wouldn’t tell it to my face but come on, I'm reasonable enough to admit it if it’s the fact. 

In her text message, she said that she will just go back to get her things when she already has the money to pay me her advances. How convenient!

Ang akin lang naman, she could have spoken to me. Pinalusot ko na nga yung minsan na nagdadahilan sha para i-extend yung day-off nya. Although of course, I made her feel that I didn’t buy the crap she told me pero I let it go. Sana man lang nagpaalam ng maayos at hindi kami iniwan sa ere. Hay naku! Bakit, akala ba nya, kakandaduhan ko sha sa kwarto nya pag nagpaalam sha?

Kahit galit na galit ako, I just replied to her “ok”. End of it. I looked cool and calm afterwards pero sa totoo lang nawindang ako ng todo. Aba, san ako hahanap ng yaya in 2 days time? That happened in Easter Sunday. Kaloka no? Literal atang sumakit ang bangs ko!

Yesterday, only Mama looked after Amber. First time sila naiwan na sila lang. I kept on checking them and Mama never complained of anything. Setting her being the grandmother aside, she said she was able to give Amber a bath, changed her nappies without any resistance from the kid. She just played. She went to Mama when she needed her milk, when she wanted to eat. She even drank the vitamins I prepared for her before I left.

Is that difficult? O baka ayaw lang talaga sa kanya nung bata.

In a way, it’s better na rin. Kung hindi naman sha masaya sa ginagawa nya, mas ok na nga na umalis sha. It’s the way she left and her reasons that really irritated me.

And since I cannot leave all the baby-sitting to Mama (shempre, my life din naman sha), and all interested applicants are still very much employed and needs to give their notice pa, I bit the bullet and took a 15-year old but very experienced baby-sitter, who mothered her siblings since they were only 2 months old and she was 7, with me last night. She is Nanay’s neighbor. Summer kasi and she wants to earn some money before the school year begins.

Naku, dear DSWD, it’s just like a vacation for her. It’s not really child labor, I swear! She will just sit and play with Amber. Saka her mother gave consent naman. Y^_^Y

I told Ate Sandra that she can stay with us for a minimum of 1 month even if we have already the new yaya onboard so she can be assured of her 1 month allowance (which is like a full yaya pay).

To my heart’s gladness, she and Amber instantly became friends. Amber almost did not want to leave Sandra’s room last night. And Sandra looked as if she adored Amber already (yeah, there I go again, giving a judgment way too early).  

Well, I hope everything goes well... and the new yaya comes in before the summer ends. L