the latest update

The much-awaited Eraserheads Reunion Concert is no longer free! In accordance to the law, DOH prohibited Marlboro/Philip Morris in sponsoring the event. Radiohead Media Solutions, Inc. handles the promotion now. Tickets are available at Ticketworld starting today and are priced at P800 (General Admission) and P1300 (Patron).

Same time. Same place.

This is actually a good news. I don't mind paying for the concert. It's better that way. At least may sistema na at may karapatan ka magdemand if something "unacceptable" came up. Eh pag libre, naku wala kang karapatang magreklamo!

But then, I'd rather be in Boracay! I'll be in "hibernation mode" starting tomorrow. I will be leaving in the morning and I'm trying all my best to pack light.

Wooohooo!

mallōs scented flip-flops

Jenn Dessert Mocca (Berry Scent)

Image from Mallōs

Does scented flip-flop ring a bell? If it sounds alien to you, don't worry you're not alone. In my search of a perfect swimwear online, I stumbled across this website who designs scented flip flops with fragrances of berry, blossom, candy and dew. I know, right? I dropped by at SPF store in Town with two objectives: to hopefully find a swimwear on sale and to smell Mallōs myself. And true enough, it made scents! They smelled so yummy you want to gobble them up. Reminded me of my younger years when I swallowed an eraser because it smelled like strawberry. Hehe. I didn't try them though because I'd no plans of buying them in the first place. Just a curios cat.

I wonder how they come up with that idea. Is it made to provide solution for smelly feet or mainly for aesthetic reasons? Hmm...

boracay countdown

In 7 days, we'll be gallivanting around the Boracay Island. Wooohooo! After much deliberation, we've decided to stay at The Tides Hotel. In fact, we've booked their Exceptional Room just an hour ago. OMG. Dizizit I am so excited! The room looks very posh. Lovely.

The Exceptional Room
Image from The Tides Hotel Boracay
---

And just when I thought everything's going perfect, I got an email from Cebu Pacific saying that my departure time to Manila has been moved an hour late. The thing is, they wanted me to confirm without explaining the reason behind the change. I asked them why it was moved but no one even bothered to return my email. What the?! Now, that's customer service. I'll give them a ring tomorrow and they better come up with a good excuse or else... Erm, I don't know maybe I'll scream until their ears bleed? All I'm asking is a simple explanation that's it. No run around please.

On the lighter note, I had Mj downloaded the Hed Kandi Beach House 81 for me (it's ridiculous to download anything with my Smartbro-ken connection). I love the tracks in this compilation!! I can't contain my excitement despite the crappy news.

Eeeeeeek I can't sleep!!!

rosaries for hannah

(L) Hannah at 11 months; (R) Hannah at 10 months, hooked up to a respirator.
Photos from Hannah Ysabelle's Bassinet

http://hannahysabelle.multiply.com/

In the spirit of prosperity the lucky number eight brings, please make a place in your heart for HANNAH YSABELLE, a little angel who is born with a CONGENITAL CENTRAL HYPOVENTILATION SYNDROME (CCHS). CCHS is a rare and a lifetime condition where the central nervous system fails to control breathing while asleep. Hannah actually doesn't breathe at all when asleep.

When Hannah's barely a month old, the doctors had to put a tube on her throat that had to be attached to a ventilator/respirator to keep her breathing. After almost 9 months in the hospital, she finally went home with the same hole in her neck and a mechanical ventilator that her Mom and Dad rented for her. The rental costs an arm and a leg but they have no other option.

As a Mom, my heart aches at the sight of babies who suffer from any illnesses. But watching Hannah from the sidelines, amazed at how good she's holding up, awed by her bravery and her strength to fight back, I realized that she doesn't need our pity much less our tears. What she needs is prayers and any other help we can offer.

It would be really nice for Hannah to experience life outside home and do things other babies can do. So, Hannah's Mom and a friend is in a mission to raise a fund for her own portable respirator by selling exquisite handcrafted rosaries. If it's not too much to ask, let's help make Hannah's life a little easier. Please buy one of the rosaries and offer a prayer for her family.

If you are among those people who were touched by Hannah, you may visit her online store here (or go to the link above) to check more photos and stories of her and see what a beautiful baby she is and how she deserves to live a happy life like everybody else. She is God's little warrior but she needs more prayers and help from people with good heart to help her stay and fight the battle.

the mummy 3: tomb of uh-oh

It was disappointing to learn that Rachel Weisz pulled out from The Mummy 3. Some say she dumps it for Sin City 2 while others claim it's all because of bad script. Nevertheless, we went to watch it.

As expected, it didn't WOW any of us. First off all, it's weird to see Evy in Maria Bello's face. Second of all, I didn't buy the Father and Son crap. Anuba! Brendan Fraser doesn't look like a Father to a 27 year old son at all. Make-up didn't help to make him older, hello? Parang there's no effort to really cover his younger features. It was a bit freaky watching their Father and Son moment. Naman! They looked like drinking buddies for crying out loud. Ay nako. It's a dismay. There's too much computer graphics going on. Jet Li's role was a mess. Michelle Yeoh was a bit ho-hum. The Yetis made me double check to see if I'm on the right theater. Hay. Some parts were funny. I actually loved the fighting scene between Emperor Han(Li) and Zi Juan (Yeoh) and Rick's (Fraser) wisecracks still made me laugh but sad to say it was as poor as the second movie. Hell! It wasn't even a Mummy movie.

It's a pain to see how bad the third installment went. Buti na lang I had Moroccan Mint Tea (twice!) to compensate the torture.

sunny side up

At the farm

This is how our morning usually started. We get up early to keep track of the egg inventory. At kung may oras pa, we go to this small karinderia and eat goto and tokwa't baboy as breakfast. How simple can life be?

Our tasty breakfast!

hello boracay!

"The soul has an absolute, unforgiving need for regular excursions into enchantment. It requires them like the body needs food and the mind needs thought."

--Thomas Moore, 1996

Image from www.scubadivephilippines.com

Boracay with friends on the 30th... Woohoooooo! Mommy's making time for herself. She can't make it to the Eraserheads' concert but not a biggie. This Mommy would rather have a tan!

the moroccan mint delight

What could be the perfect way to end a long day? A steaming cup of Moroccan Mint Tea. Hmm...

Friday, I went to this training at Madrigal Business Park which started at 9 am and ended at 4 pm. It's been raining all day and the whole time I've been dreaming of a nice hot cup of tea. Thank god Atong picked me up early or I have to walk in the rain to Town Center to slake the thirst.

*Sigh* Pure bliss.

food trip ni hamypoopi

The other night I was thinking of Hamy and all the smorgasbord places she's been to. After much thought, I came up with this list:

1. Yellow Cab Tagaytay
2. CPK Alabang
3. Gloria Maris Alabang
4. Gloria Maris Rockwell
5. Chowking Petron SLEX
   
6. Greenwich SM Molino
7. Don Henricos Filinvest
8. Tomy Roma's ATC
9. Leslie's Tagaytay
10. Super Bowl MOA
11. Pancake House ATC
12. King Bee, Gen. Trias
    
13. David's Tea House, Salitran
    
14. Super Bowl Blue Wave
    
15. Sonya's Garden
16. LZM Silang
    
17. Orchard
    
18. Ponggo's Grill at Magdaragat
19. Pizza Hut Eastwood
20. ATC Food Court
21. Yellow Cab Macapagal
22. North Park ATC
23. Kenny Rogers SM Bacoor
24. KFC Rockwell
25. KFC SM Molino
26. Kaya Korean Resto Rockwell
27. RSM Tagaytay
28. Balinsasayaw Silang
29. Sbarro Filinvest
30. Mongolian Quick-Stop Filinvest
31. Coffee Bean ATC
32. Shakey's Rockwell
33. Seafood Island Market! Market!
    

Whew! The list made me realized that she's been very gala. By the way, I let her try different tastes and textures with the general rule of "too much is bad". If the food is too salty or sweet for my taste, then it is a big no-no for her. Some foods may not be as nutritious as home-cooked meals but at least I'm not feeding her junk foods. Now, does it make me a bad Mommy? Hehe. Funny, she's never been to Mcdonalds and Jollibee -- that is if take-out meals don't count.

when eve meets adam

Haha! Panalo.

mamma mia!

20 year old Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is preparing to marry her boyfriend Sky(Dominic Cooper) at her mother's hotel on an island in Greece. She seemingly has it all; a carefree life, loving boyfriend and happy friends but one thing has been missing all her life; a father.

Her only wish now is to be given away by her dad at her wedding. By reading her mother's diary she discovers that she has three possible fathers. Sophie then secretly invites all three men in a desperate bid to discover which of them is her father before the wedding bells start to chime!

But not all goes to plan, old loves are re-kindled, new loves are formed and Sophie risks everything to discover the true identity of her father.

- Image and synopsis from IMDB

Seen this movie with Mj dear last Friday. I didn't know it's musical kasi we didn't plan to watch it naman talaga. So when the movie started and Sophie (Seyfried) began to sing "Honey, Honey" by ABBA with her two bestfriends as chuwariwaps, naloka ako nasabi ko na lng "Ay, ba't kumanta". Hehe.

I loved the movie kahit na at first I found it cheesy. It was so fun! The songs and the casts were great but sadly the story line came up short. It has a very interesting plot but they didn't execute the idea very well. The movie didn't even reveal who the real Father was. If not with all the singing and dancing of ABBA music, it will be a very boring movie. Pero OMG. It made me realized how I love ABBA! When I was still little, Daddy had this ABBA collections that he keep on playing over and over and over until halos makabisado na namin every song lyrics. So tell me, how can I not love ABBA?

One of the things that made the movie awesome was having Meryl Streep to play the lead role, Donna. She's amazing! I didn't know she could sing and dance. She has the grace of a jazz dancer despite her age. Amanda Seyfried has a sweet angelic voice and a very nice face. Oh how I loved her wedding dress! Sam, Donna's first love and one of the three possible Fathers was played by Pierce Brosnan. He's good but he look strained and uncertained when singing. The rest of the characters were great. Donna's two crazy bestfriends were really funny.

Hay. I want to go to Greece and have a small hotel on a beautiful remote island. Haha! Wish. I score this movie 3.5 stars with 5 as the highest. Fun and nostalgic.

eraserheads for one-night only

My taste in music evolves over time but my ears sometimes crave the familiar homegrown beat of Eheads. Each time I hear their music, I feel nostalgic. Memories of my great high school years flood my mind -- those times when lahat ng kababawan masaya. Sobrang hinayang ako when they disbanded in 2002. So when I heard about the Eheads concert reunion I got excited but I was also full of doubts na baka naman isang malaking joke lang to. Rumor has it that Marlboro paid each former band members a whooping P10M to pull together a 45-minute set on August 30 at CCP Open Grounds. I figured this reunion will happen but not in the near future and whoa P10M talaga each? Some said it's only around P2.5M daw. Then came this news that Ely Buendia was not open to the idea of a reunion yet. I decided to just wait and see.

And the wait is over. The Eheads reunion was finally confirmed by PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal). You may read the full details here. Yay! They will certainly make some Pinoys happy. So let's all be merry and register in The Red List for a free ticket but you must be 18 years old and above to get through. Anyhoo, mas marami nman talagang fans ang Eheads much older than that. Ano? Tara!

play center fun

Fun Ranch

The dynamic duo, Amerie and Deirdre had their first play center adventure last weekend. We dropped A&D off with the Angels [our dear yayas] at Fun Ranch, Westgate and let them play for an hour, enough time for Mommies to have uninterrupted shopping at Town Center. So convenient! Since Hamypoopi started walking, she'd rather walk than sit in the stroller (most of the time) when we're in the mall. It's so hard to keep her still! She wanted to touch everything she sees and to my horror cram every big or little object within reach into her mouth! Kaloka.

So now, super love ko na ang mga play centers. Kaya naman when we went to Town this Saturday, we tried naman Dave's Fun House, the one beside Rustan's. It was a little different with Fun Ranch but I liked it best. At Dave's, kids can do a lot of imaginative play. They have a mini hospital complete with toys where kids can pretend to be a doctor, a nurse or a patient. They have Little Tikes cars and a gasoline station where kids can stop and pretend to fill up and they also have what looks like a supermarket with grocery carts and cute stuff to buy. Tweens can play video games, too and a lot more other things to do. Of course not all were enjoyed by Hamy. She's too young to appreciate most of them but it gave her plenty of time to hone her social skills. She looked happy and mukhang bitin pa nga after the one-hour session. Oh and as far as the security goes, it's the best by far. Aside from filling out a form, they had my thumbprint scanned 5 times which were removed from their file when I scanned my thumb back to get Hamy out of the play area. No one can get her out but my powerful thumbprint. Cool, huh?

One valuable lesson learned: Never ever go without a pair of socks -- for kids and adults alike. Not unless you're willing to shed P50-P120 a pair. Ouchy.

The Piano Mat

Town Center

Admission Fee:

Fun Ranch Westgate, Alabang
Weekdays: P150/hr ; Adult/Yaya - Free! ; Unlimited Play - P300
Weekends: P175/hr; Adult/Yaya - P125 ; Unlimited Play - P350

Dave's Fun House, Alabang Town Center
Weekdays: P150/hr ; Adult/Yaya - Free!
Weekends: P175/hr; Adult/Yaya - Free!

high buhay

Saturday, we went to Rockwell to watch Hancock and much to our surprise, there was no traffic in EDSA. Rarely in my life I see EDSA traffic-free. Tsk. Must be the result of the ever increasing prices of oil. Every weekend na lang may increase! And I heard on the news that it may jump up to as much as P70 t0 P80 per liter in the not too distant future. Horrible. Now, motorists would rather stay home or commute. Many lives were changed over the weekend.

In my all honest opinion, with all the rallies and protests, ousting GMA at this point will not help. Don't get me wrong, okay? I am not pro-Gloria but blaming it all on her is not fair. Come on! We all know that oil price hike is a global issue. It's a slap in the face to us and I understand that the government should at least do something to cushion the blow but must we put all blame on GMA? According to the law of supply and demand, the price is determined by a balance between the production and the product demand. The increased fuel consumption in US, China and India [high demand] caused shortage [low supply] thus contributed to the rise in oil prices. In simple words, these countries used too much oil than expected and other countries suffered the consequences. So kung sisihan na lang, we should point our fingers at these countries, right? In basic economics, the solution to a price hike is to cut down the demand or add more supply. In theory, if we lessen oil consumption or produce more oil, either way will cut the prices. I wish it were that simple. Anyway, even if the oil price hike has been resolved, we still have to deal with poverty, the irresponsible media, the corrupted officials, the value-added tax, the global warming and yeah the Oust-Gloria campaign. Hay buhay.

Ayoko na mag-isip. Let's all move to another planet.

friday night telly madness

I seldom watch late night shows since I became a Mommy. After a long day with Hamy, I'd rather stay in our room and sleep early or surf the net. But with Sam Milby on "Maalala Mo Kaya" that's something I can't pass up, can I? I swear his acting is getting better and better. Not that I'm a fan or something. I just watched almost every movie he's acted in, added him on My Space, downloaded some of his songs and went with my friend to Victory Chapel in Galeria just to see him in flesh. Haha! Okay, maybe I'm a bit of a fan but for the record, those were the days when I still found him as a hunk with tremendous talent. But now that I'm a parent, I want him for a son. Geez. I am getting older. Anway, going back to MMK, it was a Father's Day episode and yes it was replayed. Sam gave justice to the character he portrayed -- a son who found his Father who he never seen since birth. He searched his Father as a promise to his Mother who died of cancer. His overwhelming feeling to be accepted and to be loved by his Father outweighs the truth that his Father abandoned him and his Mother. He also met a half Brother who struggles to forgive their Father for so many things and the conflicts went from there. Actually, lahat ng casts were good especially the Father role played by Miguel Vera. I am not iyakin but sad shows or movies really make me cry. It has a happy ending and thank goodness no one has died or got sick to earn forgiveness... you know, the typical pinoy story line. Hehe. Loved it!

After a dose of MMK, I went from crying to laughing with the Bubble Gang Show. They spoofed this Buscopan commercial and it was really funny! I had a good laugh at "Sumbong Sumbong kay Bonggang Bong Bong" portion and the Moymoy Palaboy's "Order Taker" nearly made me choke from laughing my cheek hurts. So, this is how my Friday night went -- at home happily glued to the TV.

Moymoy Palaboy's Order Taker

betamax

Wala pa nung myx wala pa nung MTV
Wala pa nung internet
Wala pa nung ipod at mp3
Wala pa nung cable
Wala pa nung cellphone
Wala pa ring cd or dvd
Meron lang betamax

- betamax by sandwich -

Wow. This has got to be one of the most nostalgic songs ever. Reminds me of the old times when life was much more simple. The music vid brought me back to my childhood years when street games [and playing Nintendo] were among the few fun things . Now, with the advent of internet games, psp, wii, xbox, etc., ang dami ng choices. Tsk. Dati brick game lang masaya na. Anyway, some part of the song was pertaining to a much older time 'di ko ma-gets lahat. So, this goes to say I was not born on the same year as the singer or the composer, okay? Hehe.

This song is everywhere but if you haven't heard it, you may want to check the music video here and connect. If you ask me, simplicity is all it takes. But in today's world, a life without internet and/or cellphone disconnects you from the world. Nah! A modern life can never be simple, right? Oh well. Ipagpatuloy ang daloy ng alon.

today marks the world ufo day

I didn't have the faintest idea about this until I read an article that World UFO Day is celebrated each year on July 2nd which is apparently the same day the Roswell Incident happened. I am not a UFO aficionado but the thought that there might be extraterrestrial life out there was too engrossing to pass up. After all, the universe is vast and really there can be other entity created other than us.

Today is also the very same day Amelia Earhart disappeared during her attempt to be the first woman to fly around the world. Her body was never found and some people have suggested that she was abducted by aliens. Okay, I just made the last part up hehe. Pero what if she really got abducted and then reappeared a hundred years after, have not aged physically and came with a super human power? Haha! What's this The 4400? Kalerka. One thing's for sure, there's more to universe than meets the eye.

Happy World UFO Day!ü

the "oomph" factor

Oh Lala!

Atong and I glammed Camerie up for a shoot. Actually, wala lang talaga kami magawa. Hehe. Since the weather was great and I was in the trigger happy mood, Atong came up with this idea to treat Camy to a photo shoot.

The subject was very photogenic and promising so I had no problem getting the right angle. Haha! Feel na feel ang pagging photographer. So there.

the sexy back

our hamster finally walks

At one year and one month Hamy finally stood and began to walk confidently. Ambilis ng pangyayari. We were watching the TV and then she got up and all of a sudden decided to walk. She went to our room and then slammed open the door like a cowboy in the swing doors of the Wild West saloon! Grabe I was so shocked I forgot to grab a camera. Tsk. Sayang I didn't capture the moment. I don't know what got into her but whatever it is, Dada and I were definitely happy and proud that she has achieved another milestone in life. More to go anak!

Came from a stroll with bestfriend Barney.

chinese long noodles

We dined out at Gloria Maris Alabang for a tri-celebration: Father's day and sibs Gigi and Niña's birthday. Unfortunately, we did not enjoy the food that much. With the loooong wait due to the 1 waiter to 20 customer ratio, who would? Ay terible. When the foods were served we were so hungry we could eat the waiter. Buti na lang hakaw and chicken feet were served a little early probably to keep us sane. Hay. I guess it would've been better if we watched Kung Fu Panda and binged on cheeseburger instead. We all had one conclusion after the unpleasant experience... enough of Chinese food!

Our version of the "Three [Famished] Monkeys".

Our little hungry hamster.