swimming in apple's thoughts

my birthday

2006-07-17T19:33:00.000-07:00

It's a month-long celebration of sorts. *wink* Happy Birthday to me! :D

Exactly a week before my actual birthday, good friends (Tito Mon, Tita Nelda, and Lawrence) gave me a very pleasant surprise in Bellevue :D I had a bit of errands to do after our badminton game that caused me to be late for our lunch. I almost didn't make it but they insisted that I get there asap, fly if need be. Haha!

Running up the spiral staircase. Trying to catch my breath. Getting there just in the nick of time before the buffet was cleared, my beautiful cake was there. It was a lovely surprise. A week early, but a wonderful surprise nonetheless. :D The four of us ate food enough for an army :grin: mwehehe! It was an afternoon of good company, endless conversation, and celebration.

Then just a day before my actual birthday, the family planned to have lunch in Tagaytay. Just so my sister can join us since she's staying at the dorm. But then plans had to be rescheduled since my little niece, Gaby, was rushed to the hospital that day. :( I was so worried. But she got through it and was a bit amused, I think, with her diaper clad hand that seemed bigger to her than her other hand. :grin: It seemed she enjoyed her stay in the hospital some of the time. Everyone visited her day in and day out. With little gifts for her or chocolates (her favorite!) :D The whole family was just excited and relieved to see her back home, healthy and on her way to full recovery. And so our family lunch was scheduled for the next Sunday.

That Sunday came. And went. But our lunch had to be postponed again for the next week. This time Josh was in the hospital. Sick :( poor little kids. You really know he's not feeling well because nothing would appeal to his taste. Not even his all-time favorite Xtra Big Pancit Canton with Calamansi. :( I'd just as soon give up any kind of celebration as long as my niece and nephew were in good health. But resilient Josh, he pulled through. He is now okay and is continuously trying to outwit his Mom in giving him pansit canton most of the time :grin: Hehe!

The Day. Val took the day off from work. It's Val's National Holiday, my Dad jokes :D The day was so special in its simplicity. We played badminton with my group the whole morning after having breakfast at home. Then we had lunch at home and rested a bit before visiting Gaby in the hospital. Then he surprised me with his gift. Which took most of the day. Despite my firm objections, he wanted to give me a new phone. Claiming that my old one was just about to conk out anytime now. Well, it is conking out. Literally. There are times when I can't text at all. Or it just turns off by itself. But I loved that phone. He gave that to me a few years ago. And it's one of the best phones I've used. He gets really praning when I don't text back right away. he worries too much. And so the solution: a new phone. *sigh* It's not practical. With all our expenses now :( but he can be really stubborn at times.. =S And it is a beautiful phone :grin: Thanks, lovey! Mmmmmwah! *hug*

I noticed that everyone else was more excited about my birthday than I was :) I feel old :pout: Brittle. Achy. Ancient. Old. *sigh* I didn't even know my birthday was coming up until Mom succinctly pointed it out :) Val, Mom, Dad, and Yaya were psyched on planning a little thingie for me. Anything. As long as I said yes to a little dinner to celebrate my birthday. Sooo sweet. I feel so loved. :D

And so the day was set. They wouldn't take no for an answer. :) A simple dinner get together of a few friends. It would be on the Friday after the day. I just invited a few friends over. I wanted to keep it simple and intimate. Just my badminton friends. My best friends since Grade School. My closest college friends, the juicy kids. And a few other friends. My Mom insisted on cooking a loooot of food. Knowing how our family loooves to eat, this would just be maintaining the normalcy in our home. Hahaha! Yaya derives much pleasure in feeding us. So she was in on the cooking, too. Daddy and Val were the self-appointed official taste-testers of the day. Hehe! Mom wasn't feeling too well that day. And I know that she's been so tired from work for the past days. But she still stood firm on cooking for the gathering. I have the best Mom ever :D They even set up a centerpiece for the buffet! :D

Yaya did her famous Caldereta. Mom made Tinola (for Val - it's his favorite :grin:). They also cooked chicken, Menudo, Lechon Kawali, and Stir-Fried Beef with Broccoli. By demand, I cooked my Putanesca. For dessert, we had fruit salad made by Mom and Yaya, my infamous carrot cake, and two cakes from Conti's (Yaya bought for me the gigantic Banana Cream and Val got the also gigantic Mango Mambo - yum!). Although I told them we already had enough dessert, they both just waved off my protests and got the cakes just the same :D

The night was fun. We were laughing and goofing around. Friends meeting other friends. A little bit of wine. "best brand" *wink wink* hehe! Soon everyone piled out and went home. But a couple of friends insisted on still dropping by. So the night ended in the morning. And we were tired. But happy. And I was touched. And grateful. And blessed. With a great family, a devoted beau, and good friends, what more can anyone ask for? Nothing more, I guess. :D

Finally! Our family lunch happened. My sister felt so bad she couldn't go home for the party. So we really looked forward to going out as a whole family. We had lunch at A Veneto. We didn't eat breakfast in preparation for the binge that was about to take place. hahaha! It's always great getting together with my parents, brothers and sisters. Of course, Yaya was there and the little chikitings, Gaby and Joshua. Boy, did we eat a lot! Then we went to town center to pasyal the kids. And I thought the day was over because everyone was tired yet happy. We were still a bit full from the food we had for lunch.. So it was a bit of a surprise that my Dad insisted on still having dinner out. This was too much of a celebration! But, if you know our family, you wouldn't be surprised that it takes quite a bit of will power to resist food. And so we had another fiesta in North Park. Hahaha! I think the food we ate for the day could've lasted for a week in a normal household. :grin: But then again, nothing beats our family assemblies. :D

Thank you, Lord, for all the blessings.

missing in action

2006-06-19T18:47:00.000-07:00

I haven't been back to the gym for so long... I miss working out. :( But now that school is out, I'm back! Yipee! :D

Now that I'm back naman, my other friend is missing in action. I just thought she missed a couple of classes because of her busy schedule. Yun pala she's preggy! :D *clap clap clap* :D What great news to hear. Almost three months on the way. :D Surprisingly, her cutie kulit 2 year old daughter is taking it pretty well, she says. Hehe!

How exciting for her... :D

greatest daddy in the world

2006-06-18T07:32:00.000-07:00

To my Daddykins... You inspire me to be the greatest person possible. You give such corny jokes but manage to make me laugh so hard. You take away my fears and create a cocoon of comfort and safety. You constantly show us how much you love us in big and little ways. Always unconditional. You have such faith and confidence in us that we think we can do anything. You work so hard in being a great father, and yet make it look so effortless. You bend us when we need bending. You push us when we need pushing. Someday, somehow, today and for always, we'd like to try to give you back what you've given us.

Thank you. We love you so much. :hug:

HaPpY 7th BiRtHdAy JoShUa!

2006-06-17T06:27:00.000-07:00

It's my little boy bugoy's birthday. Everyone is excited. He's turning 7. Oooh! Big day for the big boy *grin* He's been so psyched now for days that he can hardly eat or sleep. All he talks about is his big party. Hehehe! You'd think it was THE event of the season :D He's invited everyone possible from his former classmates to his present classmates to his busmates. Sooo cute! :D

The day was packed with fun. We had a loooot of food. Of course, this is mandatory since our family loooves to eat :D hehehe! We had outrageous games that included the children and their mommies and/or daddies. There was an awesome exhibition by the international yoyo champion (my bro got so nervous with one of the stunts when he was asked to assist the yoyo man hahaha). There was a b-ball shoot out contest. There was 'Manong' who did a great job of doing caricatures for the parents and children. We had glitter tattoos done (oh, this one i loved so much! *tee-hee!*). And the prizes were to-die-for. :D Even I wanted to get some. But of course, my sis-in-law said I was way too old to get the give aways and loot bags. Hehehe! ;-)
Sayang! :)

Everyone came in their favorite sports attire. Cool! The kids came as soccer players, basketball players, some were cheerleaders, others were in baseball player costumes. There was even a kid in a karate costume. There were so many athletes around I can hardly mention them all. :) The party was a blast! It was held in Kingswood Condominium Clubhouse Tower A in Makati. Check out our pictures if you have time. Click here to see more of the fun :D oh, and click here to see our cool caricatures :D

missing him...

2006-06-06T07:16:00.000-07:00

It's been almost a week now since my last day in school. I kinda miss it na. Going all the way to school and riding shotgun to and from with my sweetums. I guess this is what I miss most. Our time together. Although, I should tell you that most of the time I'm dozing off in the car. Hahaha! :crazy: It's quite a challenge doing everything - work, school, preps, etc. - at the same time. It was the summer term so everything was crammed into the one and a half months of school. Whew! It's a wonder I still have my sanity. But then again, maybe I lost it a long time ago. Mwehehe!

My Dad borrowed my car today since his car is number coding. And the big sweetie that my Daddy is, he filled the tank full! :grin: This made me think of the days we really needed the gas. School is so far and petroleum prices have been rocketing :( I really do have the best Daddy in the world!

omg!

2006-05-30T08:22:00.000-07:00

Oh my! My test was sooo hard! I think I'm going to get sick :( It's technically the last day of school and I'm all jell-o-ey because of that exam. :sigh:

nail-biting

2006-05-29T09:20:00.000-07:00

. . . . .

Oh boy, there's so much to read. how do you prepare for an exam like this? =S it's so nerve-wracking! Breathe in... Breathe out...

=S

2006-05-29T06:13:00.000-07:00

For some reason I woke up jumpy and on edge today. =S maybe because it's finals week? Or maybe because I haven't slept properly for weeks now? Or maybe it's because the workload is overwhelming.

Hmm.. It's probably a combination of all those things. I've always eaten stress for breakfast before. It's always been a part of my life. I thrive on pressure. But now, it's introduced itself to me with a whole new meaning attached to it. *sigh*

I just hope it doesn't get the better of me.

argh!

2006-05-28T08:33:00.000-07:00

I let my sister drive my car on our way to the spa. And barely out of our gate, she nicks my car! Argh! ~x( the side mirror folded backwards :sad:

Good thing we went to the spa. Just what I needed, some R&R. :sigh:

just another day in the periodicals

2006-05-23T18:56:00.000-07:00

I'm so tired. I've been working on this paper for days now. But, to my estimation, it's still going blindly. My conceptual framework's still questionable. I'm glad Dr. G helped me work out a few quirks. But still, I feel lost. *sigh*

Surrounded by books and journals. They are all around me. Looks like I'm a mainstay in this part of campus. They seem to look at me with recognition, wondering if I'm moving forward with all these books and papers in front of me. *sigh*

My back hurts. I'm so tired. And yet I can't stop.

mom's day today

2006-05-14T04:43:00.000-07:00

Moms are the greatest. They are selfless and caring. Always ready to help you with anything, anytime. They carry most of your burden and would carry even more if they could. My Mom is everyone's Mom. She gives her love so freely that you can't help but be humbled by her passion and capacity for loving.

Sure, we have our days. But she always pulls through when it matters the most. She's recently lost her own mother (God rest her soul). And I know it must have been painful for her to endure. If only I could take away even half of what she's going through.. :sad: It breaks my heart to see her in so much pain. :( and knowing it is not enough. Yet, there's nothing we can do. For a long time now, she's been a devoted daughter to Lola. Never complaining. Never asking for anything in return. Lola's been through so much. My own Mom even more. All we can do is love her back.

Today is special. Our family dedicates this day to our Moms and Grandmothers who have been with us unconditionally through the years. The Lord has blessed us greatly with such powerful, passionate, and committed women. I only hope to accomplish evenhalf as much as they have in their lifetimes, or even more.

Now that my Mom has grandchildren of her own, she's more content and joyful than ever. She always says that there is no greater blessing than having children of your own. But now that she has her grandchildren to enjoy, she never knew a greater joy in her heart.

Happy Mother's Day, Mommy.

Happy Mother's Day, Lola.

Happy Mother's Day, Yaya. She's been with us even before I was born. She's taken care of all of us all these years. She's truly part of our family. Part of our lives. Another blessing from above. I don't know how live could be otherwise.

Grandmothers Are Mothers Who Are Grand

Grandmothers are mothers who are grand,

Restoring the sense that our most precious things

Are those that do not change much over time.

No love of childhood is more sublime,

Demanding little, giving on demand,

More inclined than most to grant the wings

On which we fly off to enchanted lands.

Though grandmothers must serve as second mothers,

Helping out with young and restless hearts,

Each has all the patience wisdom brings,

Remembering our passions more than others,

Soothing us with old and well-honed arts.

Dad insisted on eating out tonight even though Mom just preferred to stay home and play with her apos. We finally decided on Don Henrico's. After stuffing ourselves to the brim with pizza, pasta, and chicken, we went home for a sing-along showdown. Bwahahaha! :D It was so funny because everyone wanted to be videoke king/queen. :D Di na paawat si Dico at si Val. Imagine! Of all people! Hahaha! He stuck it out really well with my brother. We all love to sing. But we love to have fun together even more. Good thing our neighbors are quite understanding. Mwehehe! :D

tagaytay

2005-10-16T10:29:00.000-07:00

October 15-16, 2005

It's Julie's birthday in a few days. But she decided to celebrate days early to be with her closest friends. This get together has been two years in the making, she says. It's so hard to get everyone together. Childhood friends and Med friends. Anna and I have shared a friendship with her for most of our lives. Yohann and Vida are her closest med friends.

It was such an adventure (despite my nervousness). Her plan was to pick us up from our houses coming from the hospital, drive up to Tagaytay, find a hotel, eat dinner in Sanctuario, and have a grand time at the hotel. That was all there was to her master plan. Oh boy!

I was so nervous about not having ready accomodations. I've never travelled to a place without a room for sure. Never. I don't think I'll do that again (unless absolutely necessary). I like being sure of where to stay. But it was fun. The people were nice and friendly. It was kinda awkward at first blending two groups. But after a while we all relaxed and just enjoyed each other's company :D

Estancia Estates is huge! We were surprised at how big the estate is. It even had an indoor and an outdoor pool. Too bad the upkeep of some parts weren't too good. But our room was nice. It even had a veranda :) We stayed there for most of the night. Staying in the room wasn't a problem. It was going there that was. Well, it wasn't really a problem. I shouldn't say that. I think I'll use the word challenge. What a challenge! It was so far from the entrance. What a treck! We were trying to catch our breath. It was worse going back to the car. It was an uphill battle. My weekly workout did not prepare me for this. My legs felt so heavy walking up the hilly path. Haha! It tells me that it's time to up the workout regimen. Haha!

We had dinner in Sanctuario. That was the only sure plan we had going there. The place is beautiful. Not your typical Tagaytay bulalohan place. It's a fusion of angels and native and new age. They had cozy seats and hang out areas for big or small groups. And the the food is good! I saw a rating by the show F. And they were right. I tried one of their specialty coffees after the filling meal. The Pahinumis was great. I'll definitely come back. :D

We had fun hanging out at the room. There was so much laughter it made our head hurt :D Haha! Bonding was inevitable. Yohann and I now have a new addage: When the rooster i h----, the chicken f--. Bwahahaha! That was fun. Too bad we had to leave early the next day. I had to wake up early since I had a long Sunday ahead of me :( No choice but to cut the fun a little earlier than we would've wanted.

Click here if you wanna see the rest of our pictures. :D

rosary

2005-10-14T10:25:00.000-07:00

Another day with the Mommies. Not for a game of badminton, but for a prayer or two. We had a hearty lunch at Jenny's house and rosary towards the end. Nothing but fun and laughter in between :)

2005-10-12T10:35:00.000-07:00

Hay! Home from the concert. So happy :D Had a wonderful time. Ito ang tatak Buble :D heehee!

Michael Buble-World Tour 2005

2005-10-12T10:30:00.000-07:00

12 October 2005 Wednesday

Val is so sweet. He wanted to surprise me :) I talked to him over the phone three days ago and all he said was keep my Wednesday free. I didn't know what that meant. Were we gonna watch a movie? Were we going out on a really romantic date? I did not have any idea. But of course curiosity had the better of me. :D *tee-hee!* I asked him. But he wouldn't spill. So clever little me asked him leading questions :D Until of course he broke down and exasperately told me. Haha! He's always trying to surprise me. My darling. But I always catch him before his surprise materializes. Hehe! Mission: Impossible. [on cue: Mission Impossible theme] :D He gets so frustrated because he hasn't a clue at all every time I plan a surprise for him. Heehee! :D

Oh my! Was he cute or what?! *grin* He not only has a voice that can croon his way out of just about anything, he also has a sense of humor (albeit dour at times). He sure can turn on that charm. The concert was so entertaining. I had so much fun! Thank you, beh! My favorite part was when he ran around the whole coliseum, jumping over fences and stairs, just to give everyone a chance to shoot pictures of him. Man! I felt so bad leaving my camera at home :( Nevertheless, it was great. Too bad it ended too soon. The concert ran for about an hour and a half with an encore of only two songs. But then again, we went home happily singing his tunes. Humming the notes on the parts where we don't know the lyrics :D Hehe!

2005-10-12T10:09:00.000-07:00

There's Val and I watching the show from the upper box :D

the one where the man sings

2005-10-12T10:00:00.001-07:00

This may not look much, but somewhere in this picture is Michael Buble singing and melting every girl's heart in the coliseum (including mine of course *grin*)

2005-10-10T04:37:00.000-07:00

misty

2005-10-10T04:34:00.000-07:00

I was amazed that the camera caught the vapor all around :)

ang kulit!

2005-10-10T03:56:00.000-07:00

smile

2005-10-10T03:53:00.000-07:00

bunso

2005-10-10T03:37:00.000-07:00

October 7, 2005 Friday

I am the youngest in the group. Their 'baby,' so to speak. :) We play badminton every Tuesdays and Thursdays (er, actually, they play Tuesdays and Thursdays. I, on the other hand, play whenever work permits me *smile*). And play they do seriously, I might add.

We love to eat. There is a picnic of sorts every time we play. From cassava cakes to suman to homemade pancit to ensaymadas to softdrinks to fast food to donuts. :D Name it, we've most probably had it :D I think we play badminton mainly so we can eat as much as we can, and not so much to lose weight. Hahaha! Everyone is takaw! :D

They give each other sound advice. They are supportive, encouraging, and funny. And I mean funny! :D

When we got together in Tita Annie's house last Friday, I thought that we would just eat (again) and have a few laughs. But as it turns out, we got to eat and pray the rosary! We get everything out of this group -- physical, emotional, mental, and even spiritual growth. How lucky can one get? :)

Too bad I had to leave early. Had to rush to a meeting..

home-cooked meal

2005-10-02T22:33:00.000-07:00

October 1, 2005 Saturday
A good friend, Paolo, has graciously invited us to his home and offered to cook for us. Of course, we were game. Food! :D

We had a seafood feast that was complemented with endless conversation, sweet wine, good music, and good friends. The perfect combo. :)

I make a mean carrot cake with frosting. I made a batch just for the evening's occasion. It was wiped out within minutes. *grin* Should've brought two pans :)

Cassandra

2005-09-22T09:17:00.000-07:00

September 18, 2005 Sunday

A good friend from college, Cielo, and her husband, Rupee, had a baby girl about a month ago. I am honored to stand as Ninang in her Baptismal Ceremony at Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine. She was such a nice little baby. Just sleeping the whole time. Peaceful and sound in the arms of her father as she was welcomed into the Christian world by a very funny Father Pascual :)

Bigan!

2005-09-22T06:58:00.000-07:00

Thank God for

I dedicate this small portion of my blog to a good friend. Despite his long day, he was so patient today in helping me fix my blog. I must say, he has a knack for teaching techno-challenged people like me :D What a life saver! He had me jumping up and down and clapping my hands with glee by the time we finally got the program to work :D

I shall let him remain anonymous to maintain his shroud of mystery. ;) Besides, he's quite shy and very down to earth. Hehe! :D

Thank you, Psy!

Scary!

2005-09-21T23:11:00.000-07:00

Josh is sooo funny! His antics are side splitting! This is one of my favorite pictures of him. I always have that small feeling of surprise everytime I see it... :D

my favorite little man

2005-09-21T22:29:00.000-07:00

He's the bugoy in my life. Forever wrapping me around his stubby little finger :) Sometimes I think he knows that he can get away with just about anything. :D

We share the same love for chocolate and cakes. We have long conversations about spiders, dinosaurs, and the ways of life. We have the coolest and super funnest sleepovers :) Joshua, the little chap, is my nephew. :D

Newbie

2005-09-21T22:24:00.000-07:00

Arrgh! I've decided to switch blogs. My old one was too hard to manage. Hay! It's so hard when you're not computer savvy. :( Oh well. I try.. :)