Peace Party

In celebration of my reconciliation with Lloyd, i invited friends who were instrumental in bringing lloyd and I back to each others arms. Big, big thanks to friendship angel and tina, and purefriends brian and limmuel, for being in the middle of the situation. Mabuhay kayo! Patrick and Grace also came to celebrate with us.

Feasted on brown derby yummylicious pancit malabon, delectable peachy peachy, barbeque, and a very very special "I Lurve You" cake that i personally bought for meeh mahal. Lloyd once again teary-eyed, kept on kissing and hugging me, kahit in front of everybody *uy kilig*uy kilig kilig* =)

Groaned, lusted, and laughed over Shadow Boxer (ano ba yun? puro maniacs yata andun, nagso-solo flight pa!) Patrick, Grace, and Brian left pre-maturely they had to sleep early, had dawn schedules. Shifted dvd to tv to catch American Idol, isa lang yung na-typan ko, the girl who sang and played her guitar, forgot her name. Shempre nadala kami ng American Idol mood, so nag-videoke kami, infairness ganda boses ni tina, i ruined several songs, and angel was not in the mood to sing (bakit kaya? hmmm). Since walang maka-line of 8 na score sa magic sing, na-irita na yata ang mga anak ko sa mga boses namin, kaya they set the dvd to Alvin and the Chipmunks. They would rather listen to the chipmunks sing kesa sa amin, ehehehe. All of us enjoyed the film ... cute, cute ng mgnyea chipmunks na yan! My kids jumped, rolled, giggled, and laughed their hearts out. And my little lanz, binantay-sarado si angel, consistently checking on her if she was still in-tune with the film.

Here's my favorite part of the film, cuuuuutttteeee!

LSGH Family day

So so proud of my boy genius, Lanz.

Saturday, feb 23 all Kinder 1 students of Lasalle Greenhills, together with their families marched to St. Benilde Gym to celebrate their first ever family day in school. I went there by myself as my kids got there earlier (hmmmm, bakit nga ba kami magkahiwalay dumating? bakit nga ba dalawang sasakyan pa ang dala? family day ba kamo??).

The gym was soooo colorful. They chose the carnival parade as this year's theme, and boy a carnival it was! Jugglers, acrobats, magicians cum balloon twisters walking around giving their loot, backdrops of merry-go-round with elephants in bright shiny costumes, and buntings accented by glossy balloons, wow! carnival carnivalan nga!

The highlight of the event is th dance number of the kids. Of course, my Lanz outshone everybody as he danced his heart away. Galing galing ng anak ko. Lexi who was at the front row of spectators cheered for her kuya and followed the dance steps also.

Wondering where their dad is? He is spying on me, hehehe. He was secretly filming me, yihiii!
But we still didnt reconcile. He made a pass on me, texted me but i found all the efforts inadequate.

Anyways, the best part of this is my kids enjoyed. Lalo na loot bags, pano ba naman 4 medium sized paper bags ang give-aways. Talk about loot.

True Colors

I sooooo miss my kids ...

The Little Prince: On Flowers & Stars

Making the most of my ostracism, I decided to read The Little Prince by Antoine Saint Exupery again. First read it in highschool yata and since i still have this void feeling, i got on to reading it all over. His story on the flowers and stars speak my needs & thoughts.


"For millions of years flowers have been producing thorns. For millions of years sheep have been eating them all the same. And it's not serious, trying to understand why flowers go to such trouble produce thorns that are good for nothing? It's not important, the war between the sheep and the flowers?... Suppose I happen to know a unique flower, one that exists nowhere in the world except on my planet, one that a little sheep can wipe out in a single bite one morning, just like that, even without realizing what he's doing - that isn't important? If someone loves a flower of which just one example exists among all the millions and millions of stars, that's enough to make him happy when he looks at the stars. He tells himself, 'My flower's up there somewhere...' But if the sheep eats the flower, then for him it's as if, suddenly, all the stars went out. And that isn't important?'"

---

"You're lovely, but you're empty," he went on. "One couldn't die for you. Of course an ordinary passerby would think my rose looked just like you. But my rose, all on her own, is more important than you altogether, since she's the one I've watered. Since she's the one I put under glass. Since she's the one I sheltered behind a screen. Since she's the one for whom I killed the caterpillars (except for two or three for butterflies). Since she's the one I listened to when she complained, or when she boasted, or even sometimes when she said nothing at all. Since she's my rose."

---

"People where you live," the little prince said, "grow five thousand roses in one garden... yet they don't find what they're looking for..."

"They don't find it," I answered.

"And yet what they're looking for could be found in a single rose, or a little water..."

"Of course," I answered.

And the little prince added, "But eyes are blind. You have to look with the heart."

---

"People have stars, but they aren't the same. For travelers, the stars are guides. For other people, they're nothing but tiny lights. And for still others, for scholars, they're problems. For my businessman, they were gold. But all those stars are silent stars. You, though, you'll have stars like nobody else."

"What do you mean?"

"When you look up at the sky at night, since I'll be living on one of them, since I'll be laughing on one of them, for you, it'll be as if all the stars are laughing. You'll have stars that can laugh!"

And he laughed again.

"And when you're consoled (everyone is eventually consoled), you'll be glad you've known me. You'll always be my friend. You'll feel like laughing with me. And you'll open your windows sometimes just for the fun of it... And your friends will be amazed to see you laughing while you're looking up at the sky. Then you'll tell them, 'Yes, it's the stars. They always make me laugh!"

---

High

Tagaktay with Tintay

Still ranting over crushed pagkatao, stepped-on persona, and crippled personhood??? hehehe pinatulan ko yung parinig ni mama to get celibate, the maid whom she's been wanting to get the services of for the longest time. Asked wokas to join my trip to cold tagaytay. Angel has work. Jouh has dad. Tintoy is a bum, hayun! Sakto!

Two damsels in distress, isang pack-up queen at isang restless lass under excruciating silent treatment, perfect combination diba?!, proceeded with the plan. Our flight up to the highlands was very heated, heto yung panahon na parang sasabog yung kotse sa init ng ulo namin ni tintoy. We exchanged our "the-moment-of-flare" stories. Mas gwabeh yung akin may physical struggling, kay tintoy mental torment yung nangyari.

Heniweis, we got to the coffeehouse, the place where celia the maid lives, at 3pm. And it was like a Wish ko Lang Moment. Ka-touch! She was practically crying when she welcomed me, telling me that she has been praying for this moment that one of us in the family will go to her and hire her services. Kakatuwa! Ibig sabihin we are the answer to her prayers =)

After meeting up with celia, tina and I decided to try out the new restaurant we passed by the roundabout, Tootsies! The place is a mix of country and victorian styles, very nice, warm, and really homey. We ordered for the house specialty, chicken pork adobo pandesal coupled with pesto and shrimp pasta. HINDI masarap! As tina puts it, nothing fabulous! Saka yung pesto and shrimp pasta, dapat pesto pasta na lang nilagay nila sa menu dahil isang pirasong hipon lang na pinutol-putol ng maliit ang kasama, disappointing talaga and mind you, ang mahal dun ha. Not worth your good bucks.

Over our snacks, tina and I exchanged intellectual stands, emotional feats, and experiencial churvaness. Here are some of the most outstanding na nagpa-usok ng tenga namin:

-- We are TROPHY girlfriends. Proud na proud silang maging partner tayo dahil may breeding tayo at desente. Ang mga hinayupak, pagkatapos mong hawaan ng modo at matinong asta, pagkatapos makaranas ng decent taste, better lifestyle biglang lilingon sa iba at ibang hitad na ang makikinabang sa lahat ng inayos ayos mo sa kanya grrrrr... na pagkatapos tumino ang buhay nila nang dahil sayo, magaastang parang akala mo kung sino at ikaw pa ang tatapak tapakan. How dare them! Hoy, alam nyo ang pinanggalingan nyo, and your background will be in your shadows forever. Kaya wag kayong magmamalaki! Iba na lang... ang palakihin ;)

-- Proven and tested, kung papaano i-treat ng lalaki ang mommy nya, ganung-ganun ang trato nya din sayo. Heto one big slap for me. If you see your partner take his mother for granted. Do not make the slightest effort to make her feel special. At times, yells at her and despises her ... then you better back off. Chances are yuyurakan nya lang ang pagkatao mo to the extent na masusuklam ka na sa kanya dahil you would feel na receiver lang ang role nya sa relationship nyo. Hihigupin nya lang ang lahat ng feelings mo, love, care, concern tapos ikaw maghihintay ka sa wala dahil HINDI NYA NAIISIP na SELF-CENTERED sha. Tapos sa bandang dulo ikaw pa ang masama, you'll be tagged as impatient ... bakit hindi ka na lang daw manahimik at makuntento sa mga ginagawa nya. Tapos hangagang sa one day mare-realize mo na CONTROL FREAK pala sha ... na nagawa ka na nyang de-susi at doormat ... wala kang say, hindi ka na dapat mag-isip, mahalin mo lang dapat sha at sundin ng sundin. Put------ diba!!!! Dapat ang inasawa mo eh isang dalagang bukid, hindi yung babaeng may pinag-aralan ... sa exclusive school pumasok, student leader, presidential awardee, at proven achiever. Ganyan talaga. Sad but true.

-- okay na na minahal mo sha ... sumunod ka sa lahat ng gusto nya ... kaso tinatrato ka namang parang katulong, tauhan nya ... na HINDI NA LAHAT NG BAGAY NA NANGYAYARI SA LOOB NG BAHAY NYO EH "DAPAT" MONG MALAMAN ... unconsciously, i hope so, ginawa ka na nyang mayordoma with favors ... ang mga taong hindi dapat alam ang nangyayari sa loob ng bahay ay mga slave na questionable pa ang pagkatao ... KAPAG ASAWA KA, "DAPAT" ALAM MO ANG LAHAT!!! household, home nyo yun eh.

-- Kapag mahal mo ang isang tao, HINDI MO ITATAGO! kailangan, putulan ang buhok mo sa harap para makita mo nang malinaw ang lahat. Hindi yung itatago mo na nga ang noo at mata mo, pati girlfriend mo iatatago mo pa ... ano ka ba? cave man??? sorry ...

-- Last point ... a nagger is a woman triggered okay gels ... nanay na ko ... i need to be clear of everything ... as in all details ... you'll understand when your time comes ...


Konti lang yan folks ... because tina and I outdid angel sa pagtaltal ... as in non-stop raving and ranting the whole time ... whew! kapagod! pero this trip i love ... i was refreshed and a bit loosened.

Happy Valentines Week!

Monday

Prepping up valentines celebration and my little bro's prom. Busied myself with phone inquiries to hotels in makati. As expected fully booked na ang mga hotels for the 14th. Fortunately, I was able to get a two-bedroom deluxe suite at the Ascott hotel (historically known as Oakwood hotel).


Tuesday

Pre-valentines lunch date with meeh husband at the Peninsula Manila. We arrived 30 minutes before their final call so we did not end feeling the "just-from-the-buffet" bloat. Splurged on japanese food, chicken, fish, and yummy yummy cheesecakes (pastries and chocolates at the pen are a must). As I was enjoying my food, can't help but eavesdrop on the lawyers insider scoop about the zte deal and the lozada testimonies. Won't detail anything here, baka may accidentally may mapunta dito na kung sino, makulong pako or ipatawag sa senate hehehe. On our way out, there was a press conference being held at the ground floor. Naku! ano ba to? magkakagulo na naman yata sa Pilipinas. Politicians, armed men, patrol cars all over the place. (geez!)


Wednesday

DVD day with the Wokas. Prepared lloyd's favorite buffalo wings for lunch and special chicken fingers for dinner. Happy because they loved mi labore amore (huh?). Watched Stardust and films of Eugene Valdez, angee's favorite. Sus ang hitad, tawa ng tawa gusto na talagang mag-asawa hehe. Sobrang tawa ng tawa grabe! Tina arrived in time to do commentaries and criticisms on the movie Paano kita Iibigin ... tins, asshole talaga mga lalaki ... and the whole congregation said, amen! Sayang wala si jouh.



Thursday

Valentines Day MISMO. Started my day at Dangwa. Got Renan a bouquet of dozen fresh roses for his girlfriend and another dozen for Lanz for him to give to the 'special women' in his life. Want to teach him the importance of valentine's day na kahit tumanda na sha, he would still make his wife, important someones, feel special. (How I wish I would also feel really special) Kakatuwa sa dangwa! Parang lahat ng tao in-lurve, grabeh! (haayyyy). Highschool boys, guys in corporate attire, mamang ano na naka-dirty havana slippers, lolos, goon-looking guys, decent gay-looking guys ... and other forms of the male species ... giving their creative juices to the masterpieces that they were trying to form out of the beautiful flowers surrounding them. Grabeh! Was so happy to witness their heart-struck eyes welling with love. Ramdam na ramdam ko yung love and sweetness that emanates from their actions, aura, words, and their determinism to come up with the best looking bouquet. Haaayyyy! Ang sweet, sweet nila. So, so, soooooo lucky ng mga babae sa buhay nila. Literally, naging berde ako sa inggit. Bakit bako nasa gitna ng mga ito?? =(


Heniweis, when i got home Lanz was all smiles. Told him 'Lanz, bought flowers for you to give ms. ces.' "Finally!" he answered. Heto cute. On his way to his school bus, as he was meeting up with his tomboy bus helper, he went back to get another rose, 'mom i need one more ... for avel! She's also a girl! With a high-pitched tone yan ah. That made me proud, obviously, the seed of thoughtfulness has already settled in his heart.

At 2pm, ate joan, lexi miel, and I boarded the train to go to Ascott Hotel where my moms entourage have already checked-in. And of course my little girl being her first time to train-ride was wide-eyed, and suplada also. She was so taray with the kids beside her. Snapping at one baby, telling her "No, no shouting baby!" She hugged herself, practically getting hold of both her arms and shoulders just so her skin wouldn't rub at any of the kids' bodies. Hay sus no, kanino kaya nagmana ito? hehehe

When we got to Ascott, Mama was in the master's bedroom, renan and his classmates were in the other room, and boyc was watching tv on the couch and all of them greeted us with a very satisfied grin. Ganda ganda ng room namin and the whole hotel, sariwang sariwa pa ang Ascott compared to other five star hotels here in the metro. Basta two-thumbs up sa akin ang Ascott. We ate the bread talk stuff that I bought while lexi opened all the doors that she can open, closets, safe, bathrooms, laundry room, kitchen cabinets, basta she just happily and excitedly loitered around. 5 pm more of renan's classmates arrived. They started preparing and getting dressed for their prom at the Intercontinental Hotel just a stone's-throw away from Ascott. We were so kilig, lalo na si mama, when renan was finally all dressed. And wow, what a stage family we are! Lahat gusto pa-picture with renan, hehehe. Pano binata na si bunsuy! =)

We went to the maxx when meg, mama, and I still went to intercon to watch renan's prom (kakahiya!). Buti na lang, there was a gallery of parents also watching the event. Uso na talaga stage parents ngayon. So "in" kami =). Renan sat next to his girlfriend??? na anak ng mataray na teacher ko nung grade 5. Acted as ate photographer, squeezed my big self amidst the limited and prohibited spot where people can take pics. Renan kept on looking for us, particularly mama. What I like about my bro, he is very expressive and vocal of his love for our mom. He consistenly texts, private message, and verbally tell mama how much he loves her. I know deep in my heart that he is going to be a good husband because he really loves and takes care of our mama. Not only that, pati sa akin and kay meg he expresses his gratitude and love for us also. Thanks to our mom for planting the seed of God and the seed of Love in our hearts. I hope I can do the same with my kids. Anyways, all in all okay naman prom ni renan, its just that i found it unfair na not everybody was able to participate in the cotillion. Buti na lang Renan was part of it. Kawawa yung iba kasi the cotillion is the highlight of all proms, and the others were mere spectators. Tsk tsk tsk. Good thing gwapo bro ko. After Renan's dance, the tres marias went back to Ascott. Lloyd, Lanz, and ate Jinky were already there. And my little Lanz was like one little monkey who kept on jumping on the bed! Lanz's smile was from ear to ear, a hard to please boy, smiling and all pleased. Good, good... masaya ang anak ko. Supposed to eat out but decided to just stay in the room to maximize room rent (medyo ouchy din kasi sa bulsa ni mama) and celebrate valentines there with all-time favorite mcdo. After dinner, jinky, Lloyd and I headed for home while my kids, mama, meg, boyc, joan, and renan's gang spent the night there. As they related wala silang tulog because so many classmates of renan who were checked in other hotels kept on popping in the room. Hanggang 3 am, madami visitors. So masaya talaga.
I didnt get much sleep either. Trangkaso na ito, i told myself when my cough and colds inhibited me of a good night's sleep. So at 4 am, I started preparing food stuff and cooking implements that id be bringing to Ascott. Woke up jinky and we then proceeded to the seaside market in baclaran where i bought more than a couple of kilos of prawns. I also bought this very huge prawn for Lloyd as my valentines gift for him. So we were in front of the hotel room at 5:45 am. After 15 minutes of waiting and ringing the doorbell, joan finally opened the door. Kakatulog-tulog lang pala nila. I then got to work in the kitchen. Steamed the prawns and instructed joan to cook the sisig, and jinky to steam / fry the cheesedogs. After all these, i started setting the table fine dining style (gusto ko kasi gamitin lahat ng stuff na nandun sa room, hehe). As always, I have enjoyed setting the table and putting the kitchen and the dining table look appetizing and exciting. Talaga, eating together has always brought happiness to our family. In short, eating is bonding, or the other way around, bonding is eating, basta kain. We are a happy family of eaters (hehehe). Katuwa, because everybody enjoyed everything that was laid on the table. Saarraapp! As mama kept on saying, 'the good life, the good life'.

So after a full breakfast, with the prompting of lanz, and ginising nya pa si lexi ha, we all went to the swimming pool area. Lanz, Lexi, and tita Meg enjoyed the two jacuzzis and the huge, cold pool, while mama & I relaxed on the comfortable, bright yellow and white striped beach chair. Had fun just by watching my kids enjoyed the pool, played dugong-dugong, posed for pics, and splish-splshed the water.



After an hour, we went back up to the room to start preparing for check-out. Joan was in her element. Talagang she is very happy and efficient in doing stuff like this. Wala shang pinatawad, ultimo tissue na may tatak ng Ascott, di nakalusot. We were rushing to get out of makati, trying to avoid the big rally thats going to transpire in a couple hours. Last pictorial session and at 1145 we were off.




Friday

Checked-out from Ascott. Was down with the FLU. Rested and kept everything low.

Sigh!

I miss blogging. Been very busy. Down with the FLU. Still recuperating.

Sniff Sniff

Low energies since monday. La familia lagman are all down with cough and colds. Talk about the disadvantage of centralized airconditioning. Streptoccocus pneumoniae and staphilloccocus aureus viruses easily and happily jumped from one prey to another. Now all our immune systems are hard at work.

I have stopped giving my kids over-the-counter cough syrups, decongestants, suppressants, lalo na anti-histamines because there have been findings that these over-the-counter drugs cause life-threatening and really fatal effects on kids. Matter of fact, cough and colds are viral, air borne which our body's immune system can battle. We just have to let the virus and our immune system run their natural course. Virus settles in our body, our immune system attacks and battles them. This takes awhile since viruses nowadays are much stronger than before. It used to be a 3-day battle now it takes 10 to 14 days for our body to defeat the enemies.
We just have to help our immune system by drinking lots and lots of fluids. Drinking those meds do not attack the problem, just the symptoms.

Still, water and rest are the best problem solvers for cough and colds. For my kids and lloyd, vitamin C twice a day as add on to their regimen.

My DNA test Results

*snatched from friendship angel =)

You are an Encouraging Leader.

personalDNA

about you

You are a Leader

Your solid grounding in the practicalities of life, along with your self-assuredness and your willingness to appreciate new things make you a LEADER.

You're in touch with what is going on around you and adept at remaining down-to-earth and logical.

Although you're detail-oriented, this doesn't mean that you lose the big picture.

You tend to find beauty in form and efficiency, as opposed to finding it in broad-based, abstract concepts.

Never one to pass on an adventure, you're consistently seeking and finding new things, even in your immediate surroundings.

Because of this eagerness to pursue new experiences, you've learned a lot; your attention to detail means that you gain a great deal from your adventures.

The intellectual curiosity that drives you leads you to seek out causes of and reasons behind things.

Your confidence gives you the potential to take your general awareness and channel it into leadership.

You're not set on one way of doing things, and you often have the skills and persistence to find innovative ways of facing challenges.

You are well-attuned to your talents, and can deal with most problems that you face.

You're not afraid to let your emotions guide you, and you're generally considerate of others' feelings as well.

You have a strong sense of style and value your personal presentation - friends may even seek your style advice from time to time.

If you want to be different:

There's more to life than the practical - take some time to daydream and explore the aesthetic sides of things.

how you relate to others

You are Encouraging

Your outgoing nature, understanding of others, and directness make you ENCOURAGING.

You want others to do well for themselves, and you generally believe in their abilities.

You often know what's good for people because of your caring nature and your worldview.

When you care about someone, you don't keep it to yourself: you are good at letting people know that you're thinking of them.

Because you trust people, you take violations of that trust very seriously.

You thrive in social situations, and even though you know who you like and who you don't like, you can interact well with many different types of people.

You have a healthy respect for people who have earned what they have, and you strive to be similar to successful others.

You are a loyal friend and a good listener.

If you want to be different:

Sometimes, in the course of being encouraging, you can be a bit judgmental—this can make it more difficult for others to follow your advice.

While you are an expert at getting the most out of the world and taking advantage of many experiences, you might gain some insight by taking the time to be alone, reflect on things, or just observe the goings-on in the world.

Hot Air Balloon Fiesta

February 9, 2008, we drove to Clarkfield Pampanga for the 12th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. We were up at 3 am and got to the site at 5am. Dami na ng tao when we got there, mostly photographers because they had to have their "spots". But the south wind was really really strong, making it very difficult for the entire event to transpire (hay). Hot Air Balloon Flights, skydiving, synchronized aeroplane churvaness, paragliding ... all of these activities require the "just" blow of the wind and we did not get it. The wind did not cooperate. Damn the wind! At around 8 am, the organizers aborted the sky activities as it is prompted danger to the exhibitors. The only wind "toy" that enjoyed the strong blows were the kites. So everybody enjoyed the kites.


It is Lanz's first time to fly a kite that's why he is very, very, very happy. And for a first timer, ang galing nya ha. He was able to maneuver and keep the kite flying. I tried flying the kite, and hello, tinangay ng hangin sa kamay ko! Kahiya! My shame reached its peak when lexi flew the kite. Ang galing din niya, well, at least tumagal sa ere yung kite so much longer kesa nung ako yung nag-handle. Galing ng mga anak ko, di baleng loser mommy sa kite-flying basta my kids have done great okay yun =).






Hindi ko kilala tong mamang to. Tuwang tuwa lang ako sa store nya. Pinaka-mabentang store dun sa event. Sold out kites nya, hot air balloon toys, and colorful pinwheels.




When the sun was high up already, we decided to have our lunch and hit the shopping malls in Clark. First stop was mcdonalds. Jampacked! And yung mga crew yata dun eh hindi sanay sa madaming tao, slow motion ang service! grabe!
Chicken, chicken, chicken,pancakes for them, fillet-o-fish for me. We then jumped to puregold. Chocolate, chocolates, and more chocolates inside the cart. Bad to! Finally, we went to oriental (my favorite!). Still swarmed with shoppers and wala pang five minutes, dami ko na nahakot cutie cutie peejays! Addict talaga ako ng pyjamas, dunno why. Bakit nga kaya? hmmmmm. Anyways, also bought clothes for my kids and shempre pjs for them (wawa lloyd, nothing nice for men eh). Also bought Lanz's give-aways for lsgh's family day.

All in all, masaya kami. Super enjoy ang mga bata, and that's what matters the most.

"Mean" Test Results

You Are 18% Evil

You are good. So good, that you make evil people squirm. Just remember, you may need to turn to the dark side to get what you want!

Kung Hei Fat ... ty Liver! =(

Last night Lloyd and I attended a Chinese New Year's Party cum Birthday celeb at Golden Fortune restaurant in Binondo. Parties should be fun, enjoyable, and supposed to be filled with merriment. I felt otherwise. I was sat next to a person who also has liver problems, and guess what, his stories scared the hell out of me. He related that he was under coma for 6 months, vegetable status for three months, and was literally, physically dead that his son had to carry him around (lunok!). Luckily he has a very patient, very caring and very loving wife who walked with him through wellness (sigh). Although its forever that his liver is gonna have some abnormalities, at least his physique is better. He now can work, move, and generally go about his life independently.

I know I have a fatty liver and that's it. I still don't know the real score because ultrasound is the only thing I have. I have to do my labs. I am sooooo scared to death but I know my Father will see me through (hay).

Lexi's Nursery Rhymes

Everyday lexi and I have singing episodes.Most of the time we sing acapella, other times with accompaniment, youtube! Here are some of lexi's favorites... i bet magfe-feeling bata na naman kayo =)

Happy Birthday Limmuel!

Yesterday, february 4, we threw in a simple party for our dear operations manager, sir limmuel aguado, and what a party it turned out to be ... we ended it at 3 am in malate!

Around 430 pm, limmuel's well wishers started filling up our house. Angel and brian were the first ones to arrive. Lawrence, Patrick, Grace, Icko, Mikka were next. The first family which included Janice and Janelle came in at around 8 pm. And finally Edwin, who came in solo.

The buffet table offered sumptuous dishes that include spagidetti, crispy fry chicken, enihaw na babi, tacus, lechung manuk, and yummy yummy rocky road cake na may kisses sa loob. Pero ang pinaka main dish is, guess what? este guess who pala? hmmmmm ... si angel at si brian! hehehe

Shempre everybody, as in, lahat... walang magpapalusot, in-observe, pinag-usapan, pinag-debatihan ... ang unang pagtatagpo ng dalawa. But all these happened discreetly ha, di nga yata nila alam na sine-simplehan sila ng mga usisero't usisera inside the room. Napansin ng lahat ang medyo bulung-bulungan nila( asus), ang pag-bigay ni brian ng cake at tubig (asus), at ang mga pangyayaring hindi na kayang imutawi ng mga salita, alam nyo yun, parang may pink electric current na kumo-konnect sa mga taong magka-connect (hahaha! anu ba tu pinagsasasabi ko?).

After dinner and two dvds ( shooters and rush hour 3), hindi pa rin mapakali ang mga boys so they decided to go to malate for some billiards. Brian had to head home na because 6 am ang shift nya (bye angel). Boys went to Fats billiard churva and us girls indulged ourselves in special halu-halo and sotanghon pansit at aristocrat. Kwentuhan, kwentuhan, yakititak, yakititak.

1 am na at tila wala pa ring balak magsi-uwi ang mga addictus sa billiards, so punta na rin kami dun ni angel. Shempre hindi ako naka-tiis, nag-billiards na din ako while angel kept herself a virgin sa larangan ng bilyar. Enjoy naman, madami ako na-shoot yey!

3 am, sa wakas natapos na ang tumbukan nila. Lloyd and lawrence emerged as the champs ... limmuel and edwin, loser! loser! loser! hehehe Uwian na! Happy Birthday Limmuel!

What Age Do You Act?

You Act Like You Are 29 Years Old You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel like an adult, and you're optimistic about life.
You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences.

You're still figuring out your place in the world and how you want your life to shape up.
The world is full of possibilities, and you can't wait to explore many of them.


*Got nervous of the results, baka kasi lumabas im acting age 15, ... bratty, ego-centric, ambitious bitch. Buti na lang hindi. whew!

Joey Samson

Last saturday, i insisted on joining my mom and my siblings in meeting with joey samson, a now very famous fashion designer. We needed him to make a very trendy suit for renan's junior-senior prom at the intercon on february 14. Joey used to make gowns and corporate attires for me, my mom, and meg. Come to think of it, all of our gowns pala sha gumawa. Back then assistant palang sha ni danilo franco who created clothes for showbiz people and politicians. Now joey has clearly made his name, big and bold, in the fashion scene. He now dresses lucy torres-gomez, pia guanio, kris aquino, richard gutierrez, all the bench models, and almost everybody in the A-list community. He is also a favorite of fashion magazines, lalo na MEGA magazine, always catch his name there. His style kasi is wearable haute couture, classic, vintage, na may accents and twists. This is what lucy torres has to say bout him,

I like Joey because his clothes are cut well, the finishing is clean, and although he is known for his asymmetric, androgynous look, I always ask him to concoct his take on a feminine dress and the result is always nostalgic and old-world—still girly but not sugary sweet.

Despite all these blinding prestige, fame, and shempre money, bait pa rin sha. First name basis pa rin kami and he addresses my mom with respect pa din. Not to mention the huge discount he gave us grabe!

Sa totoo lang, mahal pa din pero pag si bunsoy talaga, "name it, you have it" ang labanan hehehe

Teach your Body to Burn Fats on its Own

* Found this very realistic and easy to do.

Wouldn’t you just love it if your body decided to burn fat and calories on its own?

It can:
1. Exercise in short, intense bursts (interval training) for effective fat burning after exercise.
2. Increase the amount of resistance/strength/weight training you do, to build more lean muscle. Muscle is ‘metabolically active’ and burns more calories than other body tissue even when you’re not moving.
And of course, for best results:
3. Chill on the amount of food you are eating.

Technically:
1. Our bodies are built to survive, so when you exercise for long periods of time (often and consistently) your body thinks it needs to hold on to fat for energy. Doing short (12-15 minute), intense exercise sessions builds strength and burns calories, but not fat, so it “feels safe” using fat stores for energy after exercise.
2. Resistance training (using extra weight) helps build lean muscle mass (and strong bones), and muscle burns more calories than fat.
3. If you are obsessing over things like fat grams and not eating a nutritious diet, your body will reserve energy (store fat) to survive.

Realistically:
1. Varying your exercise is the most effective and efficient way to stay lean and healthy. You must do some longer exercise to build cardiovascular endurance, burn lots of calories, and yes, even burn fat during exercise - your body will not click in to “save” mode unless you exercise for long periods of time, regularly and often.
2. You must do resistance training in order to build muscle and strong bones.
3. Nobody wants to exercise more - and we don’t want to train our bodies to need more exercise to stay fit. So exercise efficiently – two short, very intense (relative to your level of fitness) training sessions weekly, like a 15-minute fast run/walk or fast cycling sprint intervals, and two moderately long, moderately intense sessions (30-45 minutes) of strong walking, cycling, or yoga, with one long day (60-90 minutes) of a moderately paced walk/hike. That’s a great five-day/week training schedule.
4. Instead of adding more days to your workout schedule, add a weighted vest to your training.
5. Eat moderately - stop counting fat grams and calories and look at how much food is on your plate! And eat more nutritiously by eating foods that are natural and unprocessed.

My Lab results are in: I HAVE A FATTY LIVER!

Fatty Liver

The Liver
The liver is the largest organ in the body. It is found high in the right upper abdomen, behind the ribs. It is a very complex organ and has many functions. They include:

• Storing energy in the form of sugar (glucose)
• Storing vitamins, iron, and other minerals
• Making proteins, including blood clotting factors, to keep the body healthy and help it grow
• Processing worn out red blood cells
• Making bile which is needed for food digestion
• Metabolizing or breaking down many medications and alcohol
• Killing germs that enter the body through the intestine

The liver shoulders a heavy workload for the body and almost never complains. It even has a remarkable power to regenerate itself. Still it should not be taken for granted. Certain conditions that develop, such as fatty liver and steatohepatitis, may be signs of liver injury that can lead to permanent liver damage.

What is Fatty Liver?
Fatty liver is just what its name suggests: the build-up of fat in the liver cells. Although this is not a normal condition, fat in the liver usually causes no damage by itself. However, on some occasions it can be a sign that other more harmful conditions are at work. Fatty liver may be associated with or may lead to inflammation of the liver. This can cause scarring and hardening of the liver. When scarring becomes extensive, it is called cirrhosis, and this is a very serious condition. Therefore, it is important that a physician thoroughly examine a patient with fat in the liver.

Cause
It would seem logical that eating fatty foods would cause a fatty liver, but this is not the case. The liver does play an important role in the metabolism or breakdown of fats. Something goes wrong in this process of metabolism, but it is still not known what does cause fat to build-up in the liver. It is known that fat accumulates in the liver with a number of conditions. The most common is obesity. Fatty liver is also associated with diabetes mellitus, high blood triglycerides, and the heavy use of alcohol. It may occur with certain illnesses such as tuberculosis and malnutrition, intestinal bypass surgery for obesity, excess vitamin A in the body, or the use of certain drugs such as valproic acid (trade names: Depakene/Depakote) and corticosteroids (cortisone, prednisone). Sometimes fatty liver occurs as a complication of pregnancy.

Symptoms and Diagnosis
There are usually no symptoms that are noticeable to the patient. In fact, fatty liver is frequently uncovered during a routine physical examination. There may be a rise in certain liver enzymes found in the blood, and sometimes the liver is slightly enlarged. Fatty liver may also be discovered while the physician is evaluating a patient for other illnesses. For example, an ultrasound exam of the abdomen done for other reasons may show fat in the liver. To be certain of a diagnosis of fatty liver, the physician may recommend a liver biopsy. Under local anesthesia, a slender needle is inserted through the right lower chest. A small piece of liver tissue is taken out with the needle and examined under a microscope.

What is Steatohepatitis?
The term hepatitis means inflammation of and damage to the liver cells. Steato (pronounced stee-at´-toe) refers to fat. Therefore, steatohepatitis is inflammation of the liver related to fat accumulation. Heavy alcohol use can lead to fatty liver and inflammation, usually called alcoholic hepatitis. Steatohepatitis resembles alcoholic hepatitis, but it can and does occur in people who seldom or never drink alcohol. In this instance, it is often called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis or NASH. Both alcoholic hepatitis and steatohepatitis can lead to serious liver damage and cirrhosis.

Studies have shown that many people who are significantly overweight have developed, or will develop, steatohepatitis. It can also occur with rapid weight loss. Steatohepatitis has been connected to estrogen hormones in some women. In the case of diabetes mellitus, researchers believe steatohepatitis may develop only in those patients whose diabetes is not properly controlled.

Treatment
In most instances, treatment of fatty liver and steatohepatitis requires control of the underlying conditions. This may include reduction of high blood triglycerides, good control of diabetes, or not drinking alcohol. In some cases, surgical reversal of intestinal bypass for obesity is required.

Since being overweight is by far the most critical factor, weight loss is the key to ridding the liver of fat. This is especially necessary if damage to the liver is occurring, and early signs of scarring are present on biopsy. High blood triglycerides and diabetes are also worse with obesity. So, when steatohepatitis is present with these conditions, people gain even greater benefits from losing weight. Losing weight can be difficult. However, it must be done because the alternative may be eventual cirrhosis and the need for a liver transplant.

Currently, studies are underway on certain drugs such as Actigall. This drug appears to reduce liver damage in cases of steatohepatitis. At this time, however, it is not certain how helpful these drugs will be. To repeat the point, losing weight is by far the most important treatment.