Mel and the New Normal

I'm taking 5 minutes off my crazy week to present to you one of the best. Ideas. Ever. (Well, for a napper like me anyways.) Now you guys know what to get me for Christmas. (photos taken from http://www.likecool.com/Ostrich_Pillow_allows_you_to_take_a_nap_anywhere--Gadget--Gear.html )

A few months back, I saw someone in my FB post about Honey Truffle with Brie. I googled it, and it sounded delicious. Then I forgot about it because we got so busy. Monday, I was surprised to find this on our dinner table. Heavenly goodness in a pot. Thank you Mortel family! What a generous and delicious Christmas gift! (Uh, awkward question, do you have a tracker on my laptop? Haha!) Tried it with leftover brie in our ref, and it was mind-blowing. When the brie ran out, tried it with just plain Eden cheese. Then when that ran out, just started eating it with cookies... you get the picture. Grateful to have tried it. Merry Christmas indeed!

Since they opened, J and I loved HMR for its great cheapy finds for business and home. When their head office opened in SM Supermarket at Sucat, we went for a visit (this was around June). We were dealing with our problems with Kat then, but had to chek out HMR for new equipment. In front of HMR was a restaurant called Tasty Tucker. The first few times we went to HMR we were reluctant to trythe restaurant, even though it looked really nice and was always full of HMR staff. I am assuming here that Tasty Tucker is owned by HMR as well, with their employees in mind as there are no nearby restaurants or malls for them. Tasty Tucker actually has an interesting mix of rice meals and european food. They have scones, gelato, cheesecakes, and at the same time, affordable filipino rice meals sich as bistek! I have yet to try a dish Idid't like. We spent many a days here before I gave birth, partly because it was a safe place free from familiar faces (we didn't like seeing people duri...

I've been coming to Tagaytay Highlands for years, but for some reason, I've never visited their Animal Farm. Usually the kids go while we have merienda at the Sports Club. Last month, J and I enjoyed an overnight stay at the Spa, just the two of us since the kids had school. (I mentioned this in a previous post). We decided to check out this Animal farm since it seemed like we were the only ones in the whole Highlands that day. I was really surprised! I've gone to several farms with the kids, and I assumed that this was a teeny zoo with maybe 10 animals. But this Zoo had a lot of healthy animals! It was clean, pretty, and safe. Sharing some shots so that you know what to expect when you bring your kids. You only have to pay P125 maintenance fee per head to enter. The caretakers are very kind and will entertain all your questions.

Since learning how to drive, J and I love eating at bonjour of Total. The staff are kind and polite, and the food is good and well-priced. We often go there for our breakfast and coffee when we're on the go. They now have this promo where you buy their Nescafe Allegria tumbler (therefore joining the Bonjour club) for only P185 and you get 15 free cappucinno refills! I can't tell you how happy that promo makes me feel. Haha! Tried it today, sulit!

If you follow me on twitter or on BBM, chances are, you've seen me post about this last week. In the middle of a big party, amongst 6 parties for Party Time and 4 for Saibachi (yes, it was a really hectic but successful day!) my mom calls me. Since I knew it would be hell day, I expected it to be an event problem. "Hello, Mom?" "Chamy (my nickname at home), Mika took a picture of a ghost in her room!" I thought I hear her wrong since the sound system in the venue was really loud, so I went out of Ramon Magsaysay to hear her better. My mom was hanging out with the kids at home while J and I were supervising events. "Ma, what did you say?" "Mika took a picture of a mumu in her room!" "Which room ma, upstairs or downstairs?" (As if this was relevant!) "Upstairs, her room! And the ghost was smiling at her, you can see her teeth! And she had eyeglasses! She was on the wall! She kinda looks like me.. or lola. But it...

Sitting down now in Las Paellas, one of my suki restaurants. I am blogging away to pass the time while getting over my nausea. Pregnant you say? Definitely not (and you can trust me on that.) Christmas is making me nauseous. Yesterday, while buying fabric in Southmall, I had to sit down in the shoes section for a good half hour. Literally, between two racks of shoes. My ears were ringing, and for some reason I just wanted to start crying in the middle of the mall. Yes, there were a lot of people and lines were long, but I am very much used to that because of my work. It was the Christmas songs and decor that got to me. Anxiety attack? Not sure, but I was ready to hurl on the floor. I stayed in my car and recovered before driving home drained. Now in Festival mall, hearing Christmas songs made me want to throw up again. I never realized I could be so literal when I say "this song makes me want to throw up." I told J last night that I hated this season this year, with suc...

Hi everyone! I see that you have been visiting during my blogging absence (hello Lara!), and I apologize for the lack of entries. If this was a marathon, we are on our last kilometer for the year, and await our 1 day rest (December 24) with bated breath. Then we're back to work on December 25 in preparation for December 26-30 events. In case you're wondering how our children deal with this, I think they're pretty much fine with the arrangement, as for the most part of the year, we get to be the ones to pick them up from school and bring them to tutors and lessons. So they understand the situation, though honestly it's Josh's exams in Zobel and I would prefer to help him with studying. Instead, he has 2 private tutors and Enopi taking care of him while J and I "work hard for the money". (Insert chicken dance here). Thank goodness his tutors are patient and good, they are helping him catch up because he's behind on reading, writing, and knows ZERO Filipi...

Last week, while watching Scam City on National Geographic, they flashed the commercial for this week's Scam City. Featured country? BANGKOK! Justin and I high-fived each other in glee. See, we got scammed in Bangkok, and had to jump off a partially moving tuktuk to escape being taken to another jewelry/suit store. Ahhhh, memories. We were excited to see it featured on TV. So we waited, and waited and waited. And what happened?? They featured another city instead! Buenos Aires!! Noooo!! National Geographic, how could you do this to us?? Tease us then last minute, just, leave us hanging? We waited the whole week for this! Perhaps showing Bangkok in NG Asia was too close for comfort and they had to pull it out. But, argh!! Photo taken from: http://www.awesomedl.com/2012/11/scam-city-season-1-episode-6-bangkok.html Download of episode available there as well I checked online if by any chance, it was uploaded in Youtube, and luckily it was!! Hallelujah! Before heading on ...

A few weeks ago, I was saddened to read that another mommy lost her baby. Mommy MJ lost her son at 32 weeks, while he was still inside her. Her friend told her that she could donate the milk to babies in need, and though mourning, she posted in the Human Milk for Human Babies - Philippines page that she was willing to donate. MiAnn of Babymama pitched in and offered to lend her a pump for this, and Mommy Zel offered to lend her a pump as well. Though I am sad for her and her family's sudden loss, I am so happy that she has stepped forward and decided to help other moms. I'm sure it helps her. She's from the same industry as I am (kiddie parties) so I know that work can be hectic, but she continues to donate until now. Wonderful!! I feel the exact same way! My current thoughts now are focused on helping other families and babies. There are several reasons why donating milk is so important. This deserves a separate entry, but I read one good example this afte...

In-teressss-tingggg. For the first time ever in the Philippines, you can get a new phone, EVEN if you are still locked on to your current plan. If you're drooling over the upcoming Iphone 5 and you JUST a) renewed your 2 year plan  (like me) or b) got a brand-new plan just a few months ago, you can still get the new Iphone 5 at a discounted price (though it will be cheaper, of course, to get a brand new line). What's even better is, if you're curious, no need to dial their hotline or line up at the nearest branch. Find out the price yourself on their RESET CALCULATOR. Try it here. I believe it's pretty accurate. http://www.globe.com.ph/iphone5-reset-calculator Honestly, it's a NO for me to buy the new Iphone 5 this way since it's still expensive to add-on, but for those interested to upgrade their phone, it's not a bad idea. You can sell your current phone and just add a few thousands to get the newest Iphone. For instance, for me, it would be add...

When I experience a really good restaurant, I tend to tell my friends about it over and over and over again, until it's nakakainis na! Sometimes, I forget that I already told a particular group about it, and then rave about the restaurant for another round! Perhaps another reason why I need a blog, as an outlet for my raves. I'm always exhilarated by inexpensive good finds. Borgo Cafe in BF is a restaurant that I have been insisting to all my friends to visit. It is a small restaurant in BF Homes, along Aguirre Avenue. It's a hop and skip away from our favorite massage place, Ruyifang. If you're familiar with BF Homes, it's right across South Diner. J and I have been there several times, but it's only this time that I remembered to take pictures of the food so I could write about it.  What initially lured J and I was the P499 Steak-All-You-Can Anniversary promo that they had. When I got there though and saw the big servings the other customers were havi...

Just a few hours ago, after watching the horrifying Pacquiao fight ( I say horrifying because for a moment there I thought he was dead), J and I headed over to Larcy's Cupcakes for merienda and talk about the fight. We had passed by the store several times and knew it had opened yesterday, so we decided to drop by since we were curious about the cupcakes. The design of the frontage of the store was really nice and cute, so we wanted to check out what was inside and the different offerings. Meals Menu, Iced Latte, Larcy's Outdoor Signage They were pretty much still on a soft openingbut I was impressed with the interiors of the store. Usually some of the stores in BF are always "works-in-progress" mode, meaning they open, they they keep adding on furniture, menus, etc later on. But Larcy's opened and they had beautiful boxes, elegant water bottles with their logos, personalized merchandise such as shirts that you can buy. They were pretty much set up alrea...

Madam, I couldn't have said it better. There is no better way to sumarize the last 5 years of my life. This article, which includes Tessa Prieto, Lisa Macuja, Anne Gonzalez and Lisa Gokongwei, is really interesting. The question was -- Can you have it all? Their common answer-- no. BUT family should come first. Original article from Smartparenting Philippines. A definitely good read for any mom out there who tries to do everything themselves! 

Ever since I saw Daphne Osena post a photo of her reminder bracelets last year, I've been searching online where to have them made. I found simple rope bracelets available in Cotton On Singapore and Hong Kong, which I wore for a while but their knots untangle quite quickly. Rope Bracelet from Cotton On I found out in another blog that these were actually available locally in the Bead Shop! As soon as I found out about this, I dragged J straight to SM Southmall (the nearest branch) and bought several for me and my friends. Photo Taken from The Bead Shop's Facebook Page At this time, J and I had known about Kat's CDH for about a month. My close friend Pia hds been watching over her mom in Asian, who was undergoing monitoring for cancer. So for us, I bought bracelets that said Inspire, Influence, Heal, Travel, Hope, Love, Pray, Supermom, etc. (Yes, I went crazy!) What I regularly wear, until now, is Inspire. It remains my favorite to this day. You can have any me...

J and i are big fana of The Purple Oven. As the supplier of Starbucks for pastries, and Total Bonjour cafes, they are a reliable source of tasty delights. We visited their Sta. Rosa branch in Solenad 2 a couple of months back with the kids, and picked up some goodies on the way home from Highlands. Our favorites are the chocolate macadamia cookies (available in Starbucks as well, but in larger sizes) and this chocolate bar similar to revel bars. Do not expect to be able to sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee here. They only have 1 small table, and it's more of a take-out store. For Christmas they have special purple boxes available that are really cute! Prices aren't cheap at the Purple Oven but the taste is always reliable. To find this store at Solenad 2, look for Toastbox, it's somewhere behind it.

I've been told a couple of times by doctors who pick-up the milk that mine has high fat-content. The first few times I laughed about it because I thought it was a reflection of my diet. But after a few more times of being told this, I got curious about how exactly this fat content is produced, and if it really is more beneficial for the babies I donate to. You can tell the fat content because of the creamy part on top when the milk is refrigerated or frozen. The cream and watery part separate, but sometimes, mine just stays almost completely white or yellow. Which means, a lot of fat! Don't get shocked when you see this happen, it doesn't mean the milk is spoiled or anything (spoiled milk has a sour smell). It's a little bit complicated, and my understanding of the whole thing could be wrong, but I hope I can explain it as simply as I can. As you can see, it's pretty solid white    Does the diet affect the AMOUN...

Often times breastfeeding moms forget to take the necessary vitamins since they're so tired or distracted.  However, taking of calcium is so so important. Your body depletes your calcium stores during pregnancy, and  some more during breastfeeding. I personally take Calcium Carbonate (Calci-Aid) by Bayer because I prefer gel capsules over tablets. The recommended dose is 1000mg, but if you're a young mom (14-18 years old) the recommended dose is 1,300 since you are also still building your bones. Calci-Aid is 500mg per capsule, so I take two a day. You can get calcium from a well-rounded diet, but I don't take chances since with out schedule, I don't get to monitor my vitamin intake. Since I don't drink cow's milk (since some of the babies I donate to are allergic to the protein of cow's milk), taking calcium supplements are important everyday. I've heard of some moms who suddenly feel weak, like their bones hurt, and their doctors tell them it's...

Tagaytay for a few hours after work, Arranged by my mom and 2 uncles. THAT is how cool my family is. Thankful for the slow-mo movement of everything (it's very different when we're here with the kids.)

Hahaha!! I'm one of those people who get high blood at bad drivers and bad parkers. This Facebook page is really funny! If you're one of the cars in the photos, don't take it seriously, just park better next time! Taken from the FB's cover page!  https://www.facebook.com/ParaKangGagoMagPark (English translation, more or less --- You Park Like an Idiot).

The most common misconceptions about BabyKat's short life are: 1) She died while I was still carrying her; 2) She was unresponsive when I gave birth to her; 3) She did not live long enough for us to see her. As I was still required to stay in bed for the first few hours due to the my CS operation, J was able to capture photos and videos of her, and would show it to me. I was sadly not able to see her during this particular time, when she was still super active and feisty. The nurses had to tie her arm down to keep her from moving so much (her organs might get damaged from all that pushing and pulling). By the time I saw her, one of her lungs had already given way, and she was under heavy anesthesia already. They had to actually give her shots to calm her down, as all her movement was making her heart race. These images and thoughts still keep me awake at night. Was she moving around so much because she was looking for me? Was she scared? How much pain was she in? She never eve...

If you're a Woodrose parent, there's one thing you can be sure of. You will be attending A LOT of school activities! The difference with Woodrose and other schools is that you are encouraged/forced (hehe!) to be very hands-on with your children's activities. No proxy system here, you HAVE to be there (and trust me, you will regret missing these things). We have missed several events because our work is so heavy on weekends, so we try our best to attend all the weekday activities, even for just a dew hours. Below are photos of M during her girl scout inauguration and the Woodrose Family Day last Friday. At times, you'll be overwhelmed because there's just so many invitations and activities to attend to. But looking back through the photos of my kids (J used to go to Rosemont), I'm grateful that we were able to see what they were doing in school. So even if you miss out on some of the activities, there's a still a lot you can go to. On Family Day, you can...

Ahhhh. For the first time, I've felt the perk of having a particular credit card. We were strolling inside MOA a couple of weeks back, and came across this display, with an onsite printer. You needed to have P1,500 (?) worth of Shell Receipts to have your photo taken inside this awesome Ferrari car I was disappointed because the kids were so excited and I didn't have any receipts with me. Then they said, you can also have your picture taken with it if you have a Shell Card. Homygash! We have one! Grown men were having their photos taken with this. I don't blame them! Needless to say, our kids were thrilled. They each took home a 4R shot. When I got the picture I realized that the guys taking the photos were my suppliers, and they told me I could have my photo taken, sila na bahala. Hahaha. At least may backup plan pala if ever. Thanks Shell for the uber-cool display!

I've been wanting to blog about this for a week or so, but I didn't have the time. I just feel so... passionate about this mall. It's MIND BLOWING. It's beautiful.  It reminds me of our travels in Bangkok and Singapore. What is this fabulous mall? LUCKY CHINATOWN MALL in Divisoria!! BreadTalk, Super nice food court, Chinese Lanterns, Chatime?? Huwat?? My picture collages don't do justice. Let me explain why I love this mall so much.

Earlier this evening, I was feeling a little sad (I know, I'm so emo, you can probably tell from this blog).   It really came out of nowhere -- I was working on payslips with Itunes on my Mac, and the song "We are Young" (the Glee version) came on, and it reminded me of last Christmas, when I was driving alone in my car and the song was playing, and I thought I could possibly be pregnant. See, almost everything is a trigger for me, haha. Anyways, the song got all me sad and quiet, and I went to lie down for a while. J noticed the sudden change, left the room, and came back with the 2 kids. And 2 puppies. Then had the kids climb on top of me on the bed. Then dumped the puppies on my head. (My husband, thru almost 15 years of being together, knows what distracts me). Alas, the puppy and kids dumping was not enough tonight (and the fur was making my cough worse), and the kids were eventually called off by their yaya for dinner. J took the puppies down and invited me to vis...