I Won Another Book - Anthony DeStefano's "I Just Can't Take It Anymore!"

I got a notice from the post office about a parcel I had to claim -- it took me a week and a half to claim it. Actually, my mom did it for me. I have to be better at expressing milk. I should definitely always have some in the freezer. Since I work at home, this is not something I'm very diligent about.

Going back to the parcel, it was the book I won from Chin chin's giveaway contest. Written by Anthony DeStefano (author of popular children's story book "Little Star"), the book's titled "I Just Can't Take It Anymore!" and is incidentally something I've been uttering a lot lately during my dramaqueen moments. I saw the excerpts (it's a series of cute, often funny pictures accompanying a serious message -- it gets the gravity of the point across, but in a more fun way) and they appealed to me, so I really was excited to read the book. Since it's literally page after page of cute pictures, Marguerite (and even Cameron) enjoyed leafing through it. I love it and is a blessing in more ways than one, so thanks Chin chin and Anthony DeStefano for my copy! :)

  

Just Cuz I Can't Fall Asleep

I've been up since 10 last night (I napped from 8:30 to then). It's now 5am. I have to report for work at 9. Why didn't I just continue sleeping when I was sleepy? Hmph.

News. I had a papsmear before Christmas. I forgot to get the results. Anyway, I thought the results would be fine. My OB-GYN said the color was very clear. So, I was too confident. Turns out I had moderate inflammation and needed medication.

Other news. Cameron had his 5th month well-baby visit last Saturday and baby boy is fine. In fact, he's above the 95th percentile when it comes to length, and in the 50th to 75th percentile for weight. Our pedi, the nurse, Mark and I all agreed that he's a handsome boy. :D

Bourne Legacy and a Lot of Hot Air...

Like I said in a previous post, my family spent last weekend in Clark. It was Cameron's first trip out of town and I think it went pretty well. Then again, the travel took just about 2-3 hours one-way (probably shouldn't be more than 2, but getting out of the city contributed a lot to it). We booked a hotel room with a kitchen so that we didn't have to eat out for every meal (eating out - now, that's stressful). Let it be put on record that Mark is pissed with the Bourne Legacy people (they were shooting in the city market - a street over from where we live, and no, I didn't even try to catch a glimpse of Matt Damon or Rachel Wiesz... side rant: I grew up reading Robert Ludlum because my dad is a fan - first book: Icarus Agenda, back in 5th grade - I was too young for it, but I wanted to read a grown-up book because I was pretentious like that... oh right, the rant... I don't cotton to the idea of Matt Damon being Jason Bourne. I don't know. Matt Damon... with him, it'll always be the '80s and he's this kid actor... yeah, anyway, that wasn't really a rant... back to Mark's issue) he wanted to get grapes as a car snack (it's just something you pop in your mouth, how convenient is that!) but, no, the market was closed to the public because of the shooting. He could have gone to the supermarket - we have 2, both also just a street over, but nooooooooo, Mark does not buy fruits from the supermarket if he can help it. Anyway, moving on to our actual trip. It was thrilling to see para-gliders and hang gliders and skydivers and hot air balloons... from outside the actual airfield. You can tell from the pictures that we didn't go inside the actual fair grounds. The ticket line was enough to discourage me. The crowd was another thing. We just joined many others who opted to just park their cars outside the airfield and we actually had a better view of the exhibitions. We were also more comfortable either sitting in our cars or outside them in folding chairs or on picnic blankets. The aerial exhibitions were what we were after anyway. Maybe when the kids are bigger and would appreciate the museums, etc. we'll brave the lines and crowds -- or not. I really won't tolerate crowds if I have a choice.


Update: Mark has just told me that Matt Damon isn't doing this Bourne installment, so that just goes to prove how unconcerned I was/am with all the shooting hoopla that happened... I don't know who Jeremy Renner is, and when I tried to google him, the first key phrase that dropped down was "jeremy renner gay"... anyway...

Happy Birthday, Dear Aya!

To celebrate Aya's first birthday, which falls on Valentine's Day, her parents invited their family and friends to participate in a bit of random revelry - a sort of life-embracing gesture, an act of love...

First, a cake (you'll probably have to click to see)

 

and a flower (I think this one could actually pass for a marguerite, hee)

and a balloon (that one actually says Cameron Balloons, but by the time I pointed it out to Mark, it  had already turned)

actually, balloonS

We were in Clark for the Hot Air Balloon Festival. We already saw the Friday dusk balloon rise, but thought we'd be too tired if we went for the dawn rise the following day too - and, you know, it would basically just be the same thing we'd already seen, AND there would be the much bigger crowd to deal with as well - but after much vacillating on my part in the wee hours of Saturday morning, I decided to wake Mark up. We  packed a picnic breakfast and carried that and our sleeping kids to the car.

So here we are in our jammies and our bed hair (mine was quickly combed through with fingers and messily bunned up), watching the balloons and a beautiful sunrise...

Marguerite in the sunshine...

 

BIRTHDAY GREETINGS FROM THE GOZES, AYA DEAR! <3 <3 <3

Happy to Have These Pics... and Check out the Afterthought

Hello. My blogging momentum has taken a little dip for the time being as I've been so busy and got even busier recently doing overtime to make up for missing last Friday (my aunt was visiting from the States) and this coming Friday (we're going out of town). Still incredibly busy, but I just had to share these pics from our company Christmas party last year (I just got to see them). Anyway, I'm so glad I got copies of these since I hardly have any pics from that night (Marguerite got to take home a printed copy of a photo booth shot of her and the other kids at the party, and Mark got to take a few pics of the baby, and that's about it...).

Johan Sy, a colleague of ours, took these. I'm not sure if I recall right, but I think he specializes in children's portraits. He's definitely great with kids from what I observed that night. Anyway, Marguerite's are particularly beautiful as you can see. And I love the shot of her kissing her baby brother! Precious! You can see some more of Johan's work here: http://studiyo.wordpress.com/

While I'm at it, I might as well share this recent (as in just a few minutes ago) exchange between Marguerite and myself.

Marguerite: Yesterday I got to see the most famous movie ever!

Me, curiously: Which movie is that?

Marguerite, with awe in her voice: Tinkerbell and the Lost Treasure.

Me, getting increasingly amazed as the exchange progressed (first, I wasn't aware that M knew the word "famous" and that that movie was considered - by her anyway - famous...): Oh, really? How did you like it?

Marguerite: It brought tears to my eyes.

What the...? I don't think I expressed myself similarly at 5. That definitely didn't come from Mark either, unless he was chattier and more melodramatic as a kid...

As Fun as an Impeachment

It's impeachment season once again and I'm really trying not to tune in as I still have work during those hours, but I told my mom to let me know when something exciting goes on, hee. I don't want to talk politics, but just for the record, I'm actually against this impeachment, as opposed to the one that happened a decade ago (I was definitely for that one). It has nothing to do with the fact that my cousin is one of Chief Justice Corona's defense lawyers (clue: uh, it's not retired Chief Justice Serafin Cuevas). Anyway, impeachment trials can be very entertaining if you prefer to ignore the implications it actually has, and this one has already had some fun parts (basically when the prosecution is bumbling around). We really can't help but be reminded of the events that unfolded 10 years ago. In the words of a certain Latino penguin (I'm not sure which one), I feel like reminiscin'. Just as much as the previous impeachment had me going around saying stuff like sub poena duces tecum (I took up Latin - a requirement for European Languages majors, so I know the right way to pronounce it, but I preferred to ape the worst ways in which this phrase was mangled at that time) and Mr. Specker (I'm so sorry, to those who cannot relate, lol), I'm now calling my mom, the Honorable Lady from Marikina or my husband, the Distinguished Gentleman from Quezon City. Many of the characters now also played roles in the last impeachment and I can't help but notice what a big difference 10 years makes. Basically, everybody's so much older. The lead counsel for the defense is an octogenarian; so is the Senate President, and so is Sen. Joker Arroyo (incidentally, 3 of the best legal minds in that venue). I wonder how this one will end. Anyway...

To the Pool

Marguerite’s set to have swimming lessons, probably sometime before summer officially starts. She’ll take them at the nearby sports complex (incidentally where I also learned how to swim, but I was much older than she is now). She’s fascinated by water and often pretends now that she’s swimming under the sea (Look, Mom! I can brief underwater!) because, if you didn’t know already, she’s a mermaid (on top of being Plum Pudding and Rapunzel). Remember her Halloween costume last year? She actually wanted to dress her brother up as Urchin (from the Little Mermaid) so they could both be merpeople. Anyway, as you may or may not know, we’re deciding on what kind of dwelling to invest in. Condo units usually mean we’d have easy access to a swimming pool, but I’m not sure I’m that fond of living in a building - waiting for elevators, parking several stories below in a common parking lot (your slot in which you have to pay for separately), no room for homesteading… Anyway, here’s an idea that’s easier thought out than carried out. How about we buy land on which we gradually build our small home and then have a pool put in? It sounds so easy, lol. What do we know about maintaining pools anyway? I’m pretty clueless, but I’m pretty sure it’s not just a hole you fill up with water, hee. There’s drainage and filter and general pool supply, etc. Of course, there’s always the community pool. The idea of not having to take a trip, no matter how short, to get to the pool is just appealing, I guess. However, if I could really have my choice, I'd prefer a natural stream or brook over a pool any day. Of course, over here, I wouldn't trust natural bodies of water to be safe and clean, so we don't really have a choice when it comes to swimming.