A Day in the Life

June - The Start of Classes

It has come to this. My two kids are now in school. Has time flown by so quickly that it was only a few years ago that my two kids came out of me?? It's still unbelievable and highly surprising that when I think about it, it was like yesterday that I'm cradling my babies in my arms, having a lot of sleepless nights, washing endless bottles of milk and making regular trips to the pediatrician.

Now, this June, Dana will be in First Grade while Dylan will be starting Preschool. I have no qualms about Dana starting a new year in school only that it surprised me to find out that she'll be spending a half day in school and bringing her own packed lunch. I remember distinctly when I was in Grade I, my classes didn't take up a half day. Get this, she needs 13 notebooks for all her classes and she has 10 workbooks which she needs to lug to school everyday - whew! talk about pressure! hahaha

Dylan, on the other hand, makes me nervous. Though I know he's used to being left with a teacher since that's what happens during his speech therapy. I have no idea how he'll handle nursery and being in a class by himself. Fortunately, over the summer, he was able to get used to a classroom setting when I enrolled him in a preschool near us. He was received well in Little Sofie and he blossomed there! So when he started regular classes, it was a cinch for him. They also had 2 hours of classes from Monday to Friday and it's great that they only had 6 students to a class which meant that the teacher will be able to track the students' progress with ease and since he also spent some time there during the summer, the teachers already have a soft spot for him.

In the first picture, Dylan is wearing his formal daily uniform which they wear Monday to Wednesday. On Thursdays, they can wear civilian clothing and on Fridays, they wear their P.E. Uniform as you can see from the 2nd picture.

Another highlight in Dylan's school life is having additional free sessions in his Speech Therapy classes. He was fortunate to have been selected to receive additional free therapy from Speech Pathology interns from the University of the Philippines. Though it meant an additional hour every week for a year, it's still a huge benefit because it means that his progress will be quicker. And the "free" price tag is unbeatable! LOL

Health Issues Galore!

Sometimes things happen all at once and you just wish that they wouldn't. For instance, this May there are a lot of expenses brought by education. You have school supplies and uniforms not to mention the tuition for the three kids. You really have to keep track of the expenses if you want to be able to eat three times a day! LOL

On top of that, we were scheduled to visit the kids' pediatrician for their regularly vaccinations and check-up. It's tough having to bring them together because you can just imagine how much their visit costs LOL But then, when you think about it, you'll still pay for the medicines because you don't want anything bad to happen to them.

But wait, there's more!! Dylan was also scheduled for a visit to his child development specialist to evaluate whether he's improved from his speech therapy the past few months. Each visit costs P2000 for like an hour of evaluation!! Good Grief!! But that's the price you have to pay for you to know about your child's development.. The good news though is that Dylan has definitely shown signs of improvement but he still needs to continue with his therapy for articulation drills. His vocabulary has increased but his motor skills still need some work. He has been told to practice buttoning his shirts. The funny thing is that he rarely wears shirts that need to be buttoned hence the missing skill! LOL

His enrollment in summer preschool certainly paid off. We decided to enroll him in summer school because Teacher Amy (his speech pathologist) noticed some attention deficiency. To me, it wasn't a big deal because aren't kids easily bored anyway? LOL But still, we figured that getting him accclimated in a school setting might change his behavior regarding sitting still and paying attention. It certainly helped that his teacher was very patient and knew how to take care of him. It was also training ground for him entering preschool.

Patrick wasn't also immune to all these health concerns. During the 2nd week of May, he complained about his foot hurting and he suspected gout as he has seen with some of his friends. He ended up buying a cane to help him move about and the kids were teasing him about being like Dr. House :D After taking some painkillers, the pain subsided. But it returned with a vengeance and we ended up going to the UST ER after his office. We stayed there until around 3AM and still not knowing for certain that it was gout. He was prescribed some painkillers, had some blood work and urinalysis done too. It was kind of sad that while we were there in the ER, someone died and it was like watching something on TV when everyone was in a flurry of activity to resuscitate the patient. I could feel the pain of the loved ones who were left behind.

Funny enough, with all these health issues, I got a call from a health provider saying I can claim a discount card for their medical services, especially for lab work. I immediately dragged Patrick with me to claim it LOL because at least the next time that someone is sick, at least there's some discount card I can use to lessen the expenses LOL

Taking care of Stanley

The thing about having a 2nd hand car is the maintenance. It needs more maintenance than new cars but when you don't have enough money to pay for a spanking brand new car then you have to live with the quirks and minor repairs of your 2nd hand car. This is a lesson I'm learning with Stanley, our beloved Subaru Legacy.

Granted that so far, most of the repairs have been minor, like buffing up his paint or replacing his wheels. These minor repairs can still cost you an arm and a leg! LOL The only major repair we've had so far was when his CV joints got busted and we were practically crawling from Pampanga to Manila.. but still, in other cars, their wheels would've just rolled off. Other repairs include aesthetic things like a new sound system (we got the Sony Xplod thingy), grilles and garnishing (yeah, a car term!) and headlights.

One maintenance schedule that we follow is the oil change. Unfortunately, when we had most of Stanley's oil changed last time, Ondoy arrived at our doorstep. Stanley was flooded. Goodbye to all that oil!! It's only now that we're able to finally change his oil, after months of saving up. We went to Speedlab along Quezon Avenue in Quezon City which was owned by Patrick's co-worker. I can sense the difference as soon as we got in and went on our way home. Stanley was practically purring like a cat :)

The next item on our maintenance schedule was the repair of Stanley's aircon. This was looked at by my uncle who owns a car-aircon shop earlier. They made stop-gap measures to keep the car cool. But over the summer, the heat was just too strong that even at the highest setting, Stanley couldn't keep us cool. What's worse, there was a leak somewhere and Stanley's dripping water!!

Patrick thought Stanley's condenser and one other part that I fail to remember now need to be replaced. We took Stanley to Fusion R along E. Rodriguez since they're well-known to Subaru owners for supplying good quality 2nd-hand but original Subaru parts. Turns out, the condenser wasn't the problem but the tubes and fittings needed to be replaced. There was a lot of detail that I didn't understand but all in all it was like I bought a room airconditioner for the price of all those repairs. The bottom line, Stanley was breathing cool, cold air again and that was what's important.

I think next on the agenda will be the replacement of the glass tint. We need to get the tint with more heat-rejection because it gets really hot. If any of you have suggestions as to what tint we should get, feel free to leave a comment :)

Of Moms and Mother's Day

May is usually a hectic month because it's the month before the start of classes in June. It's usually filled with school-related activities like enrollment, buying of school uniforms and school supplies. Not only will you spend time on such but you also need a ton of money to achieve all these LOL

It's funny that while we're going around town buying shoes, socks, bags, paper, notebooks and all that stuff, I can't help but feel nostalgic and a tad lonely because I remember that I used to do all these things with my mom. We used to brave the throngs of people in National Bookstore which only had a few stores then and most would crowd them especially nearing the opening of classes. Mom always brought a Tiger Balm because I would definitely feel nauseous and dizzy because of all the people! LOL

It's nice that Mother's Day is held in May because this is the time that moms really feel close to their kids, not that they're not every day but you get my drift, right? :D There's a lot of bonding that goes into choosing your stuff that you'll be using for a whole year. There's a lot of discussion and debate about buying cheap versus expensive brands. There's a poignant feeling knowing that your little girl is really growing up and sooner, rather than later, she'll be a teenager...

We spent Mother's Day at Robinson's Otis which is only 5 minutes away from our house. Why there you ask? Because they have Mongolian Quick Stop which is one of our favorite restaurants LOL They offer eat all you can Mongolian Barbecue and everything tastes good. You really can forget about dieting when you're eating there! LOL

Celebrating Mother's Day doesn't have to be grand or lavish.. To me, having your family close to you and thinking about you on this day is enough. Having dinner together and enjoying the day is just icing on the cake :)

Speaking of Mother's Day, it won't be complete without a trip to the cemetery. Both Patrick and I have lost our moms and I also can't visit my mother's own grave so a trip to Loyola is like going to visit my mom too. It's always hard for me being there but at the same time it gives me some sense of comfort when confronted with their graves. I do wish I can visit my own mother's grave, that's all I want..

Happy Mother's Day!

Checking things off on the wishlist :)

Do any of you maintain a wish list - a list of things that you really wish for regardless of how crazy some of them are? I have maintained a wish list since 2000 and it's fun to look at the list and see how it grows and see how fast I was able to achieve some of them. Actually, some things took too long but still, in the end I was still able to check it off hahaha

Some of the things I have on my list which I've been fortunate to acquire over time include a TV, a PS2, a new computer, an effective sound system, a facial (can't seem to remove it hahaha), a massage, the renovation of my room, replacement of the windows at home and a lot more. It just makes me happy that things get checked off and there's room for more wishes :)

The latest wish that got checked off was the treatment of the warts on my face. Yes, uggh, I agree with you. For the longest time, I keep seeing them on my face and I know that I have to go for treatment but I just never found the time nor the money to actually pursue it until now. I finally met with a dermatologist, Dr. Jaz, and she got rid of them (not just on my face but on my neck and chest and back!) Some people will find it painful, really painful but my tolerance for pain is high so it was a walk in the park for me hahahaha It was through electrocautery and you need 1-2 weeks for the wounds to heal. But after that, there's a new me - a fresher, younger looking me!! It's not cheap though, you need to really save up for it :) I took pictures but I'd rather you don't throw up while reading this post so I didn't include any here LOL

If I had one thing removed from my wish list, Patrick also had one wish granted. His was totally awesome. He got to ride in one of the Subaru cars that the legendary Russ Swift used in his exhibition stunts at the 2010 Manila International Auto Show. I'm still fixing the videos to upload so check back later for them.

The stunt he was involved in was Russ Swift driving the car on it's side, on two wheels alone!! I was afraid for Patrick but I was also excited for him :D I knew what a privilege it was to be part of the stunt.

Just to let you know, I had my ECT (electrocautery treatment) the day before the show. I didn't really want to go because my face was yucky (really bad like I had chicken pox or something!) but I didn't want to miss Patrick's moment so I soldiered on hehehe

Here are some pictures of the kids at the show:

Torrado-Jose Nuptials, April 7th 2010

Believe it or not, we've been invited to another wedding!! hahaha Our frocks are really worth it now hahahha

This time my cousin Francis and his fiancee Macole are getting married at the Sto. Domingo Church and having their reception at the Fernwood Garden in QC. Last Sunday, we were able to catch up with our relatives from the Paypon side because they're here to attend the wedding. We also found out that Den will be a proxy bridesmaid to replace one who got a scheduling conflict. To prepare for the event, Den had a dress fitting (fortunately, the dress shop was near Dylan's school so it was easy to go to) on Monday. We were worried that they wouldn't be able to repair the dress on time but they pulled through :)

We all went to Hot Nails Spa (our spa of choice!) for some foot pampering :) We timed it well so that Den would know what color her dress will be to coordinate the color of her nail polish as well. The next day, we all went to Torre Venezia where the kin were billeted. Den needed to spend the night there in order to be bright and early the next day. Preparations for the actual wedding will take a long time so it's better that she be there as soon as possible. We had dinner together with Tita Letty, Josh, Mar and Alyssa at Gerry's Grill.

On the day of the wedding, we (minus Patrick who was coming from the office) went straight to Sto. Domingo. It was a solemn but touching ceremony. What is it about weddings that really brings people to tears?! :D The bride, Macole, looked beautiful and Francis looked excited ;) These are the pictures taken immediately after the ceremony, outside the church. Don't they all look n ice? :D

The drive to Fernwood Garden was short. Patrick got caught in traffic on his way from the office so we were a little behind.

Upon arriving, we took pictures, of course! :D

We got to our seats and we waiting for the bridal entourage's entrance. It was really cool and cheery :) We just took the time to take pictures of most everyone we know :)

Family (L) and Philip and Den (R)

Ate Mel and Dylan (L), Daddy and Dana (R)

Tita Cora and Tito Angel (L), Tita Letty and Josh (R)

Tito Ping and Tita Beth (L) and Tita Ofel (R)

This time, we were able to take a picture of the huge swans and koi in the ponds. Dylan kept calling out, "Farmville" hahahaha

After the ceremony, more pictures taken with the family.

Easter Sunday Celebration

Happy Easter everyone!

After a restful vacation in Subic and being cooped up in the house for the remaining Holy Days, it was time to get out of the house for Easter woohoo.. !!!

The plan was to watch the movie, Clash of the Titans. The kids have seen the original movie, with its clay animation and loved it and so they were as eager to watch the movie as we were. However, when we got to the cinemas, the lines were so long and it seemed that it was everyone's idea to watch the same movie all at the same time LOL It was even funnier that while waiting and pondering what to do, we often heard comments like, "What IS Clash of the Titans?" People were puzzled why it was such a big deal hahaha

So rather than subject ourselves to the long lines for the movie, we chose to watch instead the animated film, How to Train Your Dragon. It was such a great movie! It was fast-paced and as usual the animation was superb! I really enjoyed Toothless hahahaha He's like a huge Pokemon! hahaha there's so much character in him :) Dylan of course liked the big dragon which they had to fight in the end because it looked like a dinosaur :)

After the movie, the kids took advantage of the free face painting being offered by the mall. Dylan had a spider and web drawn onto him while Dana had the glittery fairy/butterfly face paint.

After, we went to the Paypon gathering in North Susana because our relatives from New Jersey and Calayan Island are here in Manila to celebrate Francis and Macole's wedding on the 7th. Den it seemed was going to be a proxy bridesmaid at the wedding :)

Holy Week Vacation

March 30 - April 01

The busy and hectic lives of people have certainly changed the way the Holy Week is commemorated. Take our family for instance, we hardly have any days for vacation because of Patrick's schedule which often includes weekends especially during the summer when there are a lot of car-related activities going on. The Holy Week is the only holiday time when you can take longer with your vacation instead of just the usual weekend. Of course, you have to file your leave applications beforehand and at the earliest possible time.

Anyway, Patrick and I have decided we're going to go to Subic during the Holy Week and spend 3D/2Ns there in celebration of the kids' birthdays and Dana's excellent performance in school. Unfortunately, we left it too late for scheduling and we ended up reserving for Holy Tuesday up to Holy Thursday. It was still fine and it was actually better because Subic wasn't going to be so cluttered with people and by the time that we're going home, that was the time when people will be arriving so we'll be against the traffic.

Our first stop during the trip was having brunch at Delifrance along the North Luzon Expressway. We haven't really tried any of their dishes but we're a fan of their baked products. The store was airy and cozy and the food was great!

It was smooth sailing going to Subic via the fast and smooth Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX). We made it in such a short time. You can however observe that there were many people heading to Subic because of the number of vehicles that were traveling at the same speed as us hahhaha After checking in at our favorite Subic Bayfront Hotel, we all changed into our swim attire and headed for the pool. In our excitement, we forgot the cameras so we don't have any pictures hahahaha

We timed it well though because we finished swimming with just enough time to spare to head to Meat Plus Cafe so that Den will have a chance to try their great steaks (it's Den's first time to be with us in Subic). We were all famished and ended up eating so fast we didn't have time to take pictures (gluttons!) hahahaha

With a huge dinner in our stomachs, we needed to walk all of it off so we headed to the beach. The kids were running around and building sandcastles even though they can't make the sand stick LOL

The next morning after our buffet breakfast at the hotel's Japanese/Korean Restaurant, we climbed into Stanley in search of a beach to swim in. We kinda new where to go because we've already scouted some of them in our previous trips.

We didn't go to Camayan because we knew they're fully booked so naturally there'd be a lot of people on the beach. We headed to All Hands and true enough the beach was packed. Dungaree beach was relatively peaceful so that's where we stayed. The beach was clean, the huts were comfortable.

We had lunch there and we all had a blast. The water was warm, the beach wasn't rocky. With the kids' floaties, they were able to swim freely which they loved. The sand got too hot though and Dylan got a little scared when we tried walking across it the first time to get to the beach from our hut. We had to run and when our feet touched the water he was all smiles again! :P

We spent the whole afternoon there and we had so much fun. We're going back for sure!

We came back dinner time and we had hotpot at the hotel's restaurant. We just love eating there hahaha We just spent the rest of the night in our room watching cable TV hahaha (a luxury we can't afford!)

The next day, going home, we stopped at the duty free shops where I was able to buy 2 pairs of Land's End jeans that fit me so well and they were so cheap - only P250 each!! Den was able to buy for herself a pair of jeans too :)

It was a great and relaxing vacation :)

Patrick's Trip to Bangkok, Thailand

March 24-27, 2010

Patrick and I have often argued that his job, though he loves it, has a lot of downsides. For one, the pay sucks and if you have a family it really can't sustain you. Sometimes, the work also spills over during family time when on the weekends we have to troop to car events and such because he has to cover them for the magazine or for the website.

However, he loves it and I mean really loves it so what are we to do? With it's downsides, it does have a lot of perks. He gets a lot of freebies from the events that he attends, like free gasoline, free motor oil, lots of T-shirts, discounts on car services and he gets to test drive cars that normally he wouldn't able to drive let alone, touch LOL Also, we can't deny he gets free out of town trips like his stay in Cebu (which we would've loved to be with him) and this time, his trip to Bangkok, Thailand.

At first, we thought he wouldn't be able to make it because he only just applied for his passport and it was taking a long time to process. It turned out that the DFA (Dept. of Foreign Affairs) was moving it's passport processing department to a new and more modern building. But in the end, he was able to go :)

When he told me what his first impression of Bangkok was, I laughed, because he said it's very much like Manila except that it has more fly-overs hahaha Oh and before I forget, the reason why he's in Bangkok was because of the 2010 Bangkok International Motor Show which he had to cover. He really was astounded by the sheer number of cars and people at the event. It was like nothing he has ever seen before and he was just amazed at the effort the organizers put in.

Though he didn't really have a chance to go around the city, he did see some interesting sites :) Like, this Porsche "service" station by the side of the road. And, the great monuments that are easily seen from the many highways in the city. I was a bit scared for him though when I heard that people were rallying on the street. Having lived near the Malacanang Palace here in Manila, I was exposed to a lot of coup d'etats and I know how dangerous things like rallies and protests can be. Oh and he said these pink taxis would do MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando proud! LOL

Anyway, nothing bad happened and he really liked where he was billeted during his stay there. He was given accommodations at the Jasmine Executive Suites Hotel and he marveled at how big the room was :) He also enjoyed the buffet breakfasts every morning :)