Excited

Yes, yes.....I can barely contain my excitement. It's taking me a lot of effort to just sit here and wait, but I really couldn't focus on anything else. Although I know I shouldn't expect so much (they said it would be in limited quantities), my hopes went up when they said stores would be open until midnight for that. And they said, too, stores would open early on Saturday for more. So, I guess even the "limited quantities" would last a while. Let's wait and see.....


Update: Nope. I thought wrong. We came home empty-handed. I will now have to satisfy myself with the fact that it's been already ordered and it's just waiting there until it gets home to me. I am now also a month's car payment poorer. Oh, well....

Tagged: You Rock!

Yette did a tag on her blog and included me as one of the people who rock her world. I am quite touched; although we were together in college, we belonged to different cliques. Not to say that we didn't speak to each other, we did, and I recall we did a great job being business managers of the class. But now, finding ourselves in a totally different direction as most of our friends, I am glad that we got to bond over family and kids. And, if anything, I am very happy that amongst everyone, I find you in the same domestic situation as I. Seeing that you made the same decisions as I did only reinforces my belief that I wasn't wrong when I chose my family over a career. Your kids may be younger than mine, but the devotion I see in you is enough to put you in the top of my book. You are one supermom yourself, and you rock my world!

And now, I hope to pass it on to 5 other women bloggers who I believe, in some way or another, has rocked my world. Rock on, ladies!

• Big Momma - you still amaze me with your passion for life. I know being in your situation is tough, and I admire that you do not deny that. I love that you are not afraid to be honest with us, and I love that you do not give up. Ysa is growing to be a fine lady, I know that in time, she will see deeper and understand what you are made of. She will be a smart, courageous woman because of the strength you impart on her. Know that even when some people do not appreciate you, we do. Know that a diamond is just a rock, tempered by the pressures around it. In your own way, you are a jewel; in your time, you will shine. And I know, it won't be long.

• Karen - I have always looked up to you with how you have raised Alec to be the smart boy that he is now. I am sure it is a challenge to keep up with his desire to learn, and I admire you with how you handle it. Good luck with your current undertakings. I hope, whatever you plan for, you achieve.

• Melisse - a fellow SAHM with 3 kids to boot. Although I haven't personally met her or her kids, I have no doubt her kids are smart, and it is very evident that they're very charming. Her tales of giving birth to her babies still amaze me until now. I have known her from our Parenting E-group to be a level-headed, very resourceful, and well-spoken person. Rock on!
  

• MommyChi - I have only known you recently, but I am a big fan of your blog. You sound like a very strong, persevering woman. I know it's hard to leave family behind, but you take that sacrifice to give them the best. I hope in due time, you can bring your husband and daughter with you. And good luck with the upcoming baby.
  

• Tini - I have probably known you the longest, but I must say, there is still more for me to learn about you. We went to the same highschool, been around the same people, but our (mis)adventures have been very different. I am very happy for you, you have a very beautiful family. I may not know much, but I do know, your experiences have made you the kind of person that you are now. If the ends justify the means, then by all means, be yourself and be happy.

Thank you, ladies, for the opportunity. It was hard to choose just 5, but I should say, it was worth it.

You don't have to pass it on, if you don't feel like doing it. You still rock!

Bone-tired

The running around the past few days is now taking it's toll on me. Although I was able to accomplish stuff that needed to be done for the day, I definitely felt tired. So much so that I also fell asleep when I laid down beside A while I was coaxing her to take a nap. What woke me up was a phone call letting me know that the hectic schedules are not over yet. Well, at least not for a couple more days. I really have no problem dealing with it, it's just I'm also feeling a bit under the weather. I surmise I really haven't been able to adjust to the sudden changes of the weather from our last trip. We went home with itchy throats, which by now, has progressed to stuffy noses and forceful sneezes. The good thing is that, unless something else comes up, everything should be in place by July 3. So, yeah.....Happy 4th of July to me! (And, really, I do not mind the bustle.....sana lang pumayat ako. Hehe.)

And speaking of the 4th of July, I really haven't thought about it before, but I should have had the good sense to look for wherever there would be fireworks. The girls would have fun watching it. I found out that one of the nearby schools would have a fireworks spectacle, but I'm still having second thoughts because hubby wouldn't be here then. I have no idea how crowded it's going to be, so I really don't want to take chances with the girls. Maybe if I can find out if there is a limit on the attendees, or if there would be good seating, I could take them there. We'll see.....

D is already excited for this weekend. We made a deal that we are not having a party anymore, but she can choose where or what we'll be doing. Plus we'd have dinner somewhere where the flatware is not plastic; her choice, too. So, she said, she wants to go Build-A-Bear. She had been asking about that since the start of the year, I think. It was funny. A was thinking that since it's D's birthday, she won't be coming. She was already sulking, so I had to tell her that she'd be coming and she can get her own bear, too. As for dinner, she hasn't quite decided yet. Her first choices, though, were the ones she had free meals to (their school gave gift certificates to some food places in the area, kind of like a going-away gift). I had to stifle a laugh when I told her it's her birthday, I really won't mind paying for her food! =D But, really, she's just excited to use up the certificates because it has her name on it. You know....the kind of excitement one gets when using a new credit card for the first time? Yikes. I fear the day.

Roller Coaster

SO-SO: It has been a LOOOOONG day for me. We have been up early since A has school. Her school has a daycare program, so they practically run the whole-year round. Mornings are scheduled to be "school-like;" I really didn't have to keep her in it while D has her summer break, but I thought, it might be good for her, too, to be in a kind of summer program. I might look for something for D, too, once she tires out of her summer break.

GOOD: I have mentioned before that we have newly-relocated friends, they were housed in a company-paid temporary residence for a month. Since the month is almost over, they had to look for a place to stay. They have practically eliminated everything in their list of choices. It was pretty hard, too, since one of their conditions was that they wanted to get separate units in close proximity to each other, of course in a nice neighborhood at a reasonable rate. We decided to help them out, and we have been practically scouring the neighborhood since this weekend. We were able to find one for one of the couples yesterday, and today, we found another one! Yay! The lady we talked with today was really nice, too. She did a quick check and made a decision right then and there. She didn't have them make a deposit, too, she just said they need to give the rent and deposit when they get the keys on their move-in date and to make sure that the utilities are transferred to their name by then. She said she won't even charge them the last few days of the month anymore even if they move in before July 1st.

BAD: We bought drive-thru on the way back, and by accident, 2 large cups of rootbeer spilled inside the car. It wouldn't have been so bad if the lids did not come off, but everything was on the carpet, ice and all.

GOOD: While we were able to wipe most of it off before it seeped through, the mats were still soaked. I had the mats washed, and it is again spotless!

BAD: My computer made funny noises last night. No, not sitcom-boingggg-funny, but something-is-wrong-I-hope-it's-not-my-hard-drive funny. It just started as a faint whirring sound, but by 9PM last night, it was so loud, I thought aliens were coming to get us. Whatever.

DRAW: So I brought it to the Genius Bar to have them look at it, and something is definitely wrong with the fan (bad), but since I have AppleCare, repairs are covered (good). However, the parts needed are not available (they do the repairs in store) and had to be ordered (bad), so I have to leave my computer with them for about 3 - 5 days (bad). At least, for sure, it wasn't my hard drive that was problematic (good, good).

FUNNY: While waiting for the paperwork to get done, I asked the Genius guy if he'd know whether they take reservations for the iPhone, which is coming out (parang bakla ano?) this Friday. He said no. They'd even be closing early and reopen only at 6PM. It would be on a first come, first served basis. When I said it looks like there's going to be a throng of people waiting outside for the reopening, he said, there's actually a kid and his mom camping already outside. It was funny-weird. The boy looked to be around 11, and on the wall, he pasted a sheet of paper torn from a notebook. It said, "iDAY!!! I AM WAITING FOR THIS! #1 in line!" with a big sketch of the iPhone. I wanted to take pictures but I was too embarrassed to ask. I did try to drive past a couple of times, but I couldn't get a clear view. There was a construction area in the middle of the road nearby, so I was worried too that if I stop too long, I might get a citation, so I gave up.

FUNNY: I rented Reno 911: Miami a couple of days ago. I find the TV show senseless and lewd, but while the movie was still quite senseless and lewd, it was actually funny. It was good, too, in the sense that they did not spoil the fun with dragging moments. It was nonstop laughter for me.
It must be true, that laughter is the best medicine. I have been running around the whole day, but sitting for a couple of hours to watch Reno 911 and I don't feel as tired. Bukas kaya, ano naman?

Plunger Plumber

Tonight, the sink went crazy. I was doing the dishes when I noticed that the water in the sink was going up. I am sure I didn't plug the drain up, so something was definitely wrong. After I finished washing the dishes, I was left with a sink half-filled with murky dishwater, and really, no promise of water going down the drain. So, I tried switching the disposal on, hoping that the grinders clear up whatever is blocking the pipes. Sure, the water went down on that side of the sink, but the water level on the other side went up. It didn't even go all the way down. It just went down a few inches and swirled around and around like a toilet eternally in flush-mode. And when I turned off the disposal, the water went back up.

Since it has already happened before, hubby equipped the kitchen sink with a plunger. Confident that would solve the problem, I plunged. No luck. Maybe the other side? No luck either. What made it worse was that I couldn't effectively seal the other drain. I could seal one side with the plug (frustratingly, this is the side that dumps directly on the pipes and the one I would have loved to have plunged), but the disposal, I couldn't, so what I plunged from one side only bubbled up on the other.

What to do? What to do? I couldn't exactly call my landlady at this time of the night. She wouldn't be able to do anything about it either. I can call her tomorrow to have the plumbers come, but until tomorrow, we'd be stuck with a murky-water sink. Hubby is out for the week. I can't use Drano. Although the package on the can of WD-40 at home claims to "solve all your problems," I doubt it can do anything about a clogged sink. Maybe I should wait to see if the water level goes down?

So I leave it alone for 15 mins, I come back and nothing's changed. I tried what I did before then switched on the disposal. The water went down some. And then some. And then some more. Then the water started spinning. And still it kept on going down some more. And then the water was almost gone. I turned the hot water on, hoping that helps flush the clog out some more, partly afraid to turn the disposal off and see the water rising again. But when the water continued flowing down the drain, I reluctantly turned the disposal, then the water off.

Since I really didn't do anything different the second time, I refuse to believe that I actually did anything to solve the problem. Now, the question......hindi kaya niloloko ako ng lababo?

Turning 8

D still continues to amaze me. Well, most times, I just see her as stubborn, but I guess that stubbornness works for her sometimes, too. I have been wanting for her to learn how to swim, however, our schedules since 3 years ago, especially in the summers, has been really hectic we still haven't found the time for her to. The few times we found ourselves in a pool, we tried teaching D how to float, hoping at least, she'd find confidence in the water. All our attempts were in vain. She was just too cautious to just trust us that we wouldn't let her be harmed. But she surprised me a year ago when I saw her trying to do it by herself. She was in the shallow end of the pool, just going back and forth, trying to float. Today, we were in the pool at a friend's place, and she surprised me again with her attempts at swimming. It was quite funny to look at, honestly, and the swimming she was doing was ineffective in that she really wasn't moving much. But hey, we all have to start somewhere, and for something she learned to do on her own, it shouldn't be too bad.

It just makes me think of how much she has grown, how much she's learning on her own. I mean, sure, she's almost 8, but who says milestones end when babies walk, run and talk or learn their A-B-Cs? I consider it a big milestone when we removed her bike's training wheels and she learned to ride it by herself. For the longest time, we left the training wheels on because every time we took it off and tried teaching her, she just got more frustrated (by us talking all the time, I don't know). The last time we took it off, she was determined. She went out in the yard every afternoon, learning to ride her bike without the trainers. And then there was the roller skates. She wanted one, I didn't. I was afraid that she'd just hurt herself. She was determined she could do it. And she did. By herself. She was so happy, she was all red in the face -- although looking back, she could've just been hot from all the running around. School is a breeze for her. I probably cannot name anyone who loves school more than she does. I have braced myself all these years, telling myself I have to be firm when I need to tell her, "No, you are not sick. You can go to school. Go get dressed now." On the contrary, I have had to force her through tears (hers) to stay home because she is too sick. I can still remember that day when I picked her up and she was so excited because she found the multiplication seatwork easier that the subtraction ones which had stumped her for so long. Last December, she said she was already behind because she had a hard time with her timed seatworks. A few weeks before school ended, she brought home a small medal for finishing all the timed seatworks. According to her, not everybody got one.

I could go on and on. Eight years of stories and memories. Eight years of funny quotes. But I am sure, there will be more. I am looking forward to it.

"Sige, 'tol"

Roughly translated, "OK, bro'," which is usually how J ends his calls. It wouldn't have been too funny if the kids didn't pick this up.

The other night, J was tinkering with his new phone. His old unit was sitting on the table; we really didn't mind that A was playing around with it. It didn't have a working SIM card loaded, so we weren't worried about her making expensive long distance calls by accident. I knew she was pretending to be talking on the phone when she left the living room to go to D's room.

After a while, D went to the living room laughing out loud. A was following her, all the while looking sheepish. As per D's story, A went over to her and said, "D, Amber wants to talk to you...(then back to the phone) Sige, 'tol."

Funnier still, at least for me, was that D used to do the same when she was around A's age. There was even a time, she would call J's friends "'pare" because that was how J calls them. It's amazing how much you can learn about yourself watching your kids play. I've learned to change my approach on different things after I've seen them imitate me while they're at play. I must admit, it hasn't always been good. I have seen myself in A when she "preaches" to her dolls with her hands on her waist. Or when D pretends to be "mom" and gets all crazy because one of the dolls didn't finish it's "food."

But then again, there must be something with that specific age. Long before I had D, we had my niece B stay with us for a month. She was around 3 at that time, too. Around the same period, one of my dad's friends always dropped by the house. Common sight was that the friend, Ninong P would knock at the gate, my dad, upon seeing Ninong P, would raise an arm in a wave and say, "O, 'pare!" while walking towards the gate to open it. One weekend, we brought B with us to hear mass. It was a small chapel, my dad was very active with the church then and we personally knew the priest. My dad was friends with the people organizing the mass, too, so while waiting for the priest to arrive, they were just talking. After a while, someone alerted us to the arriving priest, "Andyan na yung pari." Everyone stood up to get things ready, while little B walked over to where the priest would be coming in, waved her little arms and said, "O, 'pare!"

Picture perfect?

Nope, these weren't the novelty pacifiers. These were lollipops. I don't know if it was more fun sucking at the candies or making faces for the camera.

We wouldn't have found her if she didn't scream when she sensed we were coming in the bedroom.

Light and darkness. And slow camera shutters.

We were in the zoo....she was the walrus.

Acrobat

The proper way to eat spaghetti

They look like angels when they're sleeping, don't they?

Cooling off in the summertime. Wala kaming pool, e.

Anak ni Godzilla

Shake it, baby. Ganyan itsura ng busy sa Wii.

Present!

Yep. We've been away. School has closed for the summer already, and so, we took advantage of our self-declared long weekend to visit relatives and friends up north. Since school ended on a Thursday, we left that Friday to avoid other travelers on their way to their summer destinations - we hoped everybody would wait for the weekend to go places.

The drive usually takes us around 4 - 5 hours to our first destination, counting in a couple of stops to rest, fill the car up, and change drivers. It was different this time. After we changed drivers, we noticed that the freeway was clogged. All the cars were just stopped. We didn't have any idea how long the congestion was (everything was stopped for as far as we can see, and it was pretty far since the freeway was running in pretty much a straight line) or how long it would take before the traffic clears. So, we attempted to make a detour around our regular route which took the drive about an hour longer. We didn't try to find out what happened or whether it would be faster if we just stayed with the traffic; we were quite happy with the detour. If for anything, it was a different scenery than what we were used to taking the same route every time.

And so, we arrived at J and L's place in Gilroy around dinnertime. We went out for dinner, and while we were lingering over the food, the kids were doing something that L couldn't tell what. I was seated across the table from L, and the kids were behind me, playing, since they were already finished with their food. L was looking on, curious at them, and so I turned to check. D and A were standing facing each other, one would be jogging or jumping in place, the other would have both hands in fists, one fist on top of the other and shaking it as if they were holding on to something. Then they would laugh and switch "duties". It took me a couple of minutes to figure it out.....they were pretending they were playing Wii, and one of them is the character the other one is playing. Now, really.....how creative and funny is that? They were having a lot of fun, too, they didn't mind that we were just taking our time with our food. After dinner, we just headed back to their place, watched a little TV before heading off to bed. D was a little emotional, we thought it was funny. Since we were sleeping over, we were sleeping in 2 beds in the same room. A wanted to sleep with me, but I told her she should sleep with D. I was still talking with A about bed assignments when I glanced over to D who was silently crying. Then she said, "I feel like A doesn't like me." I guess A felt sorry for D, she didn't hesitate when I told her to go console D. She gave D a hug and she said she'd sleep next to her. No more fuss. I should note that D is much older than A. They fight over petty stuff all the time, but I am really glad that they are very sweet with each other most times.

We left a little later after lunch the following day and drove on to SF. We were surprised that they were preparing a lot of food, we thought they were having a party....so much food that we would forget how it was to be hungry for the next couple of days. *lol*

Anyway, I haven't really given it much thought before since we were quite used to it, but it was somehow funny (or odd) that we drove some 300 miles to Gilroy, and the weather was practically the same as to where we came from, and an hour's drive further, it was crazy cold. Not that we didn't like the cold, it was pleasant to have in the middle of summer, it was just kinda weird.

Sunday, we met up with friends, and again, it was mostly around food. It was really nice seeing all of them again, though. That part, I don't mind. Funny thing, hubby nicked the car's metal spokes on the curb outside Y and R's house. There must be something about him, new cars and the curbs in DC. I am not saying that without basis. The first time a similar incident happened, it was when the minivan was about a couple of months old....and yes, in DC. This time, it's his 6-month-old car (which by the way, happened to be sandwiched in a traffic accident within a week of having the car plates put in, and the windshield cracked a couple of weeks after) on it's first time in DC. So, imagine how I was snickering when he was saying under his breath, "I hate DC..." Although I generally think his car is probably jinxed somehow. Knock on wood.

Monday, we drove back to Gilroy and just spent the day hanging out. We were driving home the next day, so we decided to take it slow. We left early on Tuesday since we did not want to get caught in traffic, and there were a few things that we still wanted to get done once we got home. The drive back was uneventful, other than it was hot. The girls just slept most of the way, I was quite surprised.

And since we were quite tired already by late afternoon, I decided to just fry some fish for dinner. A was insisting she wants to help out in the kitchen. I told her I was ok since it was just the fish that I needed to get cooking....so, she was playing with the fish, poking it in the eye and near the mouth. She was saying, too, that it wasn't real fish, it was food fish. I had to explain that it is still fish, only it's already dead because we were going to eat it. After I fried it, she said, "Now, THAT is real fish." I really don't know what goes on in this child's mind. During dinner, she again raised the topic of The Fish.

She asked: "Do fish live in the ocean?" D said yes, J said, "There might be fish where there is water. OK, let's think about bodies of water where fish can live." D said, "River, lake, sea." A said, "Swimming pool." J rephrased, "OK, where can we find fish?" A said, "In my mouth." We were dumbfounded. Maybe we were all looking weird at her, she continued, "Well, I AM eating fish. There's fish in my mouth, see?"

Talkative

When I was in preschool, my dad used to tell me that they gave me the "Most Active" award only because I was really talkative. Now, I don't really know if that was based on a direct feedback from my teachers, but I did get that award consistently while I was attending that preschool. Having said that, I wasn't really surprised when D started talking well before she could walk. By the time she was 2, she was talking nonstop. And by nonstop, I mean, she'd be talking even when there's nobody to talk to. She'd be talking to herself, talking to her toys, and even sometimes, doing monologues or "announcing" everything she's doing even if nobody is listening.

When we had A, I thought it would be different. She was still babbling on her first birthday. When she turned 2, although I can understand what she's trying to say, nobody outside the family did. But I thought wrong. As soon as she found her words and learned how to say them correctly, it would be valid to say she's right behind her sister's ways. Now that she's almost 4, she's talking nonstop, too. Over a year later than her sister did, but evident that she's on her way.

Anyway, in a house where there's always someone talking, it can be quite hard to have some quiet....not that I don't like listening to their small talk, but I do have my days. I sometimes take advantage of them asking for something to ask for something in return. One time, D was asking if she can have a piece of candy, and I said yes, if she can keep herself from speaking for 15 minutes. And so, began our game. (She did get her candy, too.)

Some days, we'd just be making fun of each other and so hubby would "host" contests like that. There was another time when D would be coaching hubby while he was playing a video game. Hubby responded by telling her she can play next if she can be quiet until his play ended. She did keep quiet, but it didn't mean she stopped coaching. It was really funny.....she couldn't open her mouth but she was jumping up and down, making signs to describe the clues, much like playing charades. However, these games didn't quite work with A, being only 3 and not really understanding the rules of the "game."

So a few nights ago, I heard hubby talking with her. They were playing together, and then I heard hubby say, "Pag quiet ka ng 5 minutes, bibigay ko 'to sa 'yo." (If you can be quiet for 5 minutes, I'll give this to you.) There was quiet and then hubby burst out laughing. Intrigued, I asked why. He said, "Sabi ko, quiet siya ng 5 minutes, pumikit. Matutulog na yata." (I said, she has to be quiet for 5 minutes, [she] closed her eyes. Maybe [she's] going to sleep.) True enough, she was there with her eyes closed, pretending to be asleep but smiling. Still it was hilarious that even without saying, she admits that she can't stay awake and not talk. And, no, contrary to what she thinks, she talks in her sleep.

Tagged: Weird

MommyChi tagged me on a list of weird things about myself. I should say, I am not too weird -- ABA! in my opinion, normal naman ako! (Haha!) But sige, in the spirit of fun (if there is such a thing) I shall try.....

1. I have an uncanny ability to ruin surprises. Yep. Not that I dislike surprises, but somehow, I discover them before they were meant to be revealed. Most recent was my last birthday: the hubby had a surprise gift that he was trying to keep from me (surprise nga, ano ba?). I cannot remember why, but I did something that forced him to reveal his gifts 3 full days ahead of my birthday. And, no....I wasn't threatening him that I was going shopping. *lol*
   
   
2. I find stuff about people by accident. Aside from surprises, I find some secrets come to me without my bidding. One of my HS bestfriends was always wondering why I would be calling her just when she would be breaking up or getting back together with her then boyfriend. Whatever the case, I would always be calling at the perfect time when she has chika. And I really do find dirt by accident. Such as the case of the lying officemate, and the extent of lies that he was parading around. Of course, I did a little research AFTER I got curious, but what sparked that curiosity was pure accident. (And I only did the research to confirm my hunches. I wouldn't want to say anything that would turn out to be false, would I?)
   
   
3. I play with my kids' classmates. And I think they think I am their classmate, too.
   
   
4. I don't like people touching my things.
   
   
5. I like to keep the house such that I know exactly where everything is, I don't need to go get up to look for stuff. And I mean, EXACTLY. As in, I can direct anyone over the phone to get what I need and it would be right there.
   
   
6. I am a sucker for horror movies. So much, that I actually did a horror movie marathon a few years back while hubby was away. And I watch alone. I still watch at least 1 horror movie each week, and I think I've gotten to the point that I have even watched the sleazy, low-budget horror movie wannabes. I think I have seen almost all horror movie formulas, some of them are kinda predictable already. Still, the scariest for me was the original Japanese Pulse.....I was so friggin' scared, I didn't even get to see the end of the movie. Oh, yeah, I did....after I fast forwarded past the part that got me scared. Haha!
   
   
7. I don't like my hands clammy. I will go wash my hands every 5 minutes if that is what it takes, but I hate it when my palms get all sticky and wet.
   
   
8. I get all OC over my 'toys'. Yep, keep your dirty hands off my stuff. The hubby used to kid me that I should put Saran wrap around my ipod. I almost did.
   
   
9. I think sometimes, my daughters think I am just a big kid.

Nothing else comes to mind right now, but when I get crazy, something might come up. Now, I'm tagging Melisse, and Mhay; but only if you haven't done it yet and feel like doing it.

Warped Zone

Road Trip

We spent yesterday driving our new friends around. Since they were all fairly new, (E had been here the longest, and even then, mostly working, so he still wasn't very familiar with the town. Also, most of them are new drivers; they really had no way to go around.) and since it was a pretty slow day for us anyway, we decided to take them sightseeing. It was OK, the girls had fun. The drive was tiring, what with the sun shining too brightly (and us driving towards the west), but we are still hooked on joy rides and long drives to let that small inconvenience ruin the trip for us. Of course, another inconvenience, at least for me, was that they still needed some "breaking-in" to the pace of life here. I was a bit annoyed that they only started getting ready when we arrived to pick them up when we gave them a heads-up two hours, and again, half an hour of us arriving to their place. Of course, we meant that they have to be ready when we came, so it was kind of incomprehensible for me that we were waiting for almost another half-hour before we saw them ready to go. But, yeah...I have to just understand that they're new, and that hopefully, after they adjust, they'd be more prompt.

First stop: Hollywood sign. We found this dog park atop Lake Hollywood Estates, which is pretty much the closest one can get to the Hollywood sign, and since then, this has been a main stopover when we have friends visiting. The girls love it for the play area they have. We love it because it is seldom crowded. Our friends love it for the picturesque view of the sign. We stayed for a couple of minutes before driving down the other side of the mountain on our way to Hollywood Blvd.

We cruised down Hollywood Blvd, passing by the Kodak and Chinese Theaters. I was telling the hubby we should do a walking tour sometime, but as usual, the reply was, "Sige, pag walang masyadong tao." (Sure, when there's not too many people [around].) Maybe if I bug him long enough, we'd be doing that walking tour one of these days. Haha!

On we went along Santa Monica Blvd, going all the way past Rodeo Dr. in Beverly Hills until we reached the coastline. We merged onto Highway 1, which we intended to take north to Malibu. But upon seeing the beach, we (at least hubby and I) were awed at the sight, we just had to stop, if only for a few minutes. The girls were screaming for the beach as we were at the parking lot. After taking pictures and dipping our feet in the water, we continued on our way.


After passing Malibu, we detoured at Malibu Canyon Rd to get to Highway 101 to get home. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that the road across the mountains was very scenic. It was very relaxing to be detached from the bustling city even if for a short while. It was a good 20-30 minutes of curvy roads, but it was definitely worth it.

We ended the day tired and hungry; I am still somehow a bit sore all over. No regrets, though, that we took the trip. It is always good to know you don't have to go very far for a change of scenery, and right where I am, it is quite easy to do just that.

Kikay

No, on the contrary, I am not. I still wonder why my little girls are kikay. I am, in fact, the least bit of a girly-girl. I actually have a guy friend who is more kikay (kikoy?) than I am, but he says that is because he is metrosexual. I still wonder why my girls like wearing dresses, when in fact, when I was younger I despised the dresses my mom made us wear. I love shoes, but most of them are sneakers. I don't own a pair of formal shoes, much less, anything with heels. The only one I had, I wore to my wedding and if only they'd let me, I would have worn slippers. And even at that, I didn't even keep it on the whole time. My friends were laughing at me because before the event was over, I was already barefoot, and I almost that pair (not that it would have been a loss since I got rid of that pair the day after). So, imagine my surprise when I went shoe-shopping with my daughter. She picked out a pair which she said she liked (for me), and I almost died when it turned out to be the pinkest, sparkliest stilettos with heels so high and pointy I was afraid it would be branded an assault weapon. The only accessories I know of are for my toys. I won't spend too much for clothes, but it doesn't take a lot for me to spend on gadgets (and with much consideration, too).

And so, yesterday, I was talking with a new friend, and I was faced again with how un-kikay I am. I found out that they spent more than 2 hours at the mall but they were only able to go inside only 2 shops. They intended to go sightseeing/malling (they just recently moved), but they ended up shopping inside just 1 store. So really, they didn't see much of the place. I couldn't help thinking, I am glad I wasn't there with them. One was because the store they went to wasn't exactly where I go, and another thing is that I like getting my shopping done quick. I usually stay out of the clothes shops as much as I can, and when I need to, I get things done as fast as I can. In and out, as much as possible. When I shop for clothes for the girls, I try to get everything done in one visit. If I stay longer than an hour, you can bet I got everything I needed in that trip.

Now, the hubby was telling me last night.....I should take my new friends to the outlets to get some real shopping done. I am okay with that, but I was thinking, maybe I should take them to a smaller group of outlets....somewhere that I couldn't really lose them. Although on second thought, maybe I should leave it to their hubbies to bring them there. *lol*

Star Wars

Star Wars is now celebrating it's 30th year. It's funny (kinda) how it has created a whole new population of followers of all ages. Who would have thought that something that was first released in my childhood would be something new and updated for my kids to enjoy in the present? Of course, I still think that it is mostly a matter of marketing (that part, I hate) -- I have no doubt people have made a lot of money out of it already -- but I have to admit that it is quite easy to appreciate everything about it. Or maybe, we just are a bunch of suckers. =)

Ok, so I've said it: We are Star Wars geeks. Which is why we have been to several Star Wars events, some of which were from earlier this year. I think J is still a bit annoyed because I failed to mention the big celebration in LA. My bad. I should have known he'd wanted to go. We did start the year with Star Wars when Mr. Lucas marshalled the Rose Parade, anyhoo.


No, there wasn't an invasion. This was the 501st legion, three platoons of stormtroopers gracing the 2007 Rose Parade to welcome the new year....



as well as the Grambling Marching band dressed as Imperial Officers playing, but only of course, the Imperial March, also known as Darth Vader's Theme.



Nothing more appropriate when you have Mr. Vader marching after you, no? And yeah...the goosebumps! (Forgive me, I am such a dork).



Moving on.....my little Vader girls, posing at the souvenir shop of the Star Wars exhibit in CA Science Center in April. They just had to try that on. I wonder why?



Bet you didn't know Yoda has a car.










Obi Wan, too. (I wasn't able to get a clear shot of the interior of this car, but his steering wheel and hand brake lever was modified to look like the hilt of a lightsaber. Coolness.)


And The Millenium Falcon. I am just not so sure it can go to hyperspeed. (These cars, I believe, can actually still run. These were on display outside the museum -- owned and maintained by fanatics and "loaned" to the exhibit voluntarily. In fact, from what we've heard, the exhibit "guests" were actually just volunteers in their Star Wars gear.)


And how can you say no to these? You never know when an Imperial army would be coming to raid your fridge. Nobody better than a bunch of Jedis (and a Wookie and a stormtrooper) to watch guard, eh?

And just last month, the post office released limited-edition commemorative envelopes and stamps. I wonder if anybody would actually use these. I know I won't. The stamps are actually priced regularly, and the envelopes can be used for express mail (although, I don't send those), but if anybody did and I get stuff like these in the mail, it would probably stay with all my other "collector" stuff. Who knows; maybe in 20 years it would be worth a lot.

Random sampling

This amused me no end. And I thought this only happens in the Philippines. Nothing really looks out of place, but if you look closer, the signpost on the side states: "The selling of merchandise in this area is prohibited by law." Sure.

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Cars was on HBO (I think) a few weekends ago. I got curious, and living near Route 66, prompted me to do some research on the movie. We found that the Cozy Cone was actually based on a real chain of motels along Route 66.....and one was actually located only 40 miles from where we lived. We drove by just to get some pictures -- the girls were so happy....they were looking for Sally when we got there!


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Ha! Somebody loves strawberries.











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I have never been very creative with Legos, so imagine my amusement that my girls can make creations that actually resemble something. They definitely didn't get it from me!

Baby Shower

Yesterday saw us going to a friend's baby shower. On the way there, almost-8 y.o. Miss D asked us what a baby shower is for. After explaining to her briefly, 3-y.o. Little Miss A piped in with a, "E, para saan yung baby powder?" (What is baby powder for?) I should say, I was left speechless. I was quite sure she was pulling my leg! Kids!

First time

Ok. So, I have been online for quite sometime now. I usually just peek into blogs, always thinking I couldn't probably keep up writing like most of them do. I guess, now, this proves me wrong. Everyday, I find myself having random thoughts brought about what I've seen, read, or heard; and I thought.....if I don't run out of stuff to read, then I won't run out of stuff to write about! What's even going to be pretty cool (at least, for me), is that it would be fun to look back at what I've posted a couple of years from now and reminisce what had been.

I need to mention my friend Yette, as it is mostly in her blog that I had put in a lot of comments, always in the positive, mind you, and which prompted me to reconsider that I probably should get my own. *lol*