Family Field Trip to Nuvali

For the past weeks, our family has been beset with sickness, yet again.  Dana was recommended to stay home for 5 days because of possible bronchitis.  It was funny because I was watching Dylan more closely because he was the sickly one and it turned out that Dana was getting sicker.  Patrick was also told to rest for a week because of severe asthma.  In the middle of all that, I also got sick from exhaustion and colds.

So, since Dana was asked to stay home, she missed going on her field trip.  Though it was better than missing the exams.  She, in fact, still went to school during those days that she was sick.  It's such a hassle to take special exams and by then she'd probably be feeling woozy from medication and her body is not up to speed so it'll really affect her performance.

When everyone was feeling better, I suggested that we take a trip to Nuvali since that's where Dana's field trip was so even though she missed it, she'll still be able to experience what her classmates did.  After all, it's only a short drive away and it'll be good for all of us to breathe some fresh air :)

We had lunch first at Rose and Grace Restaurant which is famous for their Bulalo (stewed beef bone marrow).  Naturally we ordered that and what's great is that it comes with refillable soup which Den loves hahaha We also ordered Lechon Kawali and Beef Steak :) Carnivores aren't we? ;) Combine that with 7 or 8 cups of rice and a tower of Nestea Iced Tea and you'd have rolled us to get to Nuvali which was just across the street LOL

Here are a few pictures while we were there :)

After that hefty lunch, we went straight to Nuvali.  Our first stop was the fish feeding station where you can buy fish pellets for P15/pack and feed them straight to the huge koi in the man-made lake :)  Dylan found it fascinating although he was a bit leery of the fish jumping to get at the food :) Though it looks like the fish are crowded, they're not.  They actually have the run of the lake.  It's just that this is where they flock because this is where most people stop and feed them :)

We spent some time taking pictures around the place while waiting for our boat ride.

We also spent some time in Conti's eating strawberry and blueberry cheesecake while waiting for our boarding time.  The place was jam-packed for the weekend and it was perfect timing that we got our seats so fast :)

After gulping down our cakes and drinks, it was time to board :) Donning our life jackets, we excitedly but quietly boarded the boat.  For a minute there I worried that one of us might be sick considering we just had a snack hehehe

Dana, Den and Mel

Dylan and Me

One of the fountains on the lake

Daddy and Dylan

 After 10 minutes going around the lake, Dylan got a little wet from the fountain and nobody puked (eww!) we're back on land and taking some time to take pictures again, this time at Pig Out.

All in all, it was a good day trip.  The kids had fun and there were a lot of reminiscing along the drive back to Manila ;)

Jaws: A mean great white of a Subaru :)

Over the weekend, we were thrilled when Patrick brought with him "Jaws" the great white Subaru Outback from Motor Image which he had to test drive as part of his duties for Top Gear Philippines.  As usual, the car can hardly fit in our cramped garage which he had to share with a Mitsubishi Lancer and a Honda Civic (both of which are my cousin's cars).  Seeing it in the dark only gives you a glimmer of its size, just like a Great White.  It's huge, it's sleek.  You wonder how it'll perform on the road. We found that out the day after when we took it for a spin along Metro Manila's busy roads.


 First, we went to SM Megamall, to visit the Asus Service Center where we're supposed to pick up the laptop battery of Den's Asus shell netbook.  After a month of waiting, we found out we ordered the wrong battery! LOL My mistake! Becoming senile at my tender age hahaha

It's really cool that Jaws is slightly smaller than an SUV but bigger than a regular car because it fit snuggly into the parking lot at Megamall.  That's a big deal because on a weekend, you'll probably wait a long time to get to a parking space.  And if you're a big ol' SUV, you're limited to parking in the middle areas where there are no pipes to hinder you.

With nothing else to do in Megamall, we drove straight to Shopwise in Cubao to do our grocery shopping.  You ask why in Shopwise when there's already a supermarket in Megamall?  Well, it's simple.  The goods that we want aren't there!  It's a pain to go around the supermarket only to find that they don't sell the brand that you're looking for.  So, it's off to Shopwise for us :) Anyway, the kids don't mind the change in venue because as you can see form the pictures they're very comfortable.  You just have to be patient with them asking for a cup of drink to put in the cupholders hahaha

After buying the necessary (and not so necessary) stuff we drove from Quezon City to San Juan where we had dinner at Charlie's Grind and Grill near Greenhills.  The kids love their hotdogs, while Patrick and I are fans of their buffalo chicken wings and Black Angus burgers with fries :)









DAY 2

Since Patrick was able to test drive in the city, he wanted to test Jaws' powers on the highway and so off we went (just the two of us this time) to Tagaytay.  Along the way, Patrick decided that we'd go "house hunting" (like we had any money ) and check out the residential developments along Daang Hari.  He said that since we had this awesome car, they'd (sales agents) probably entertain us more since we appear to be loaded hahahaha  We only had time to visit one project and that's Ponticelli.  Their houses were huge and expensive (something in the range of Ph3Mn upwards).  I liked their designs but I wanted bigger lots.  It felt cramped to me seeing houses too close to each other and the roads can only accommodate 2 very narrow lanes.  I did appreciate the agent's spiel.. He wasn't they hard sell type and was simply showing us the different layouts available.  

After that, we headed straight to Tagaytay planning on having lunch there.  On the SLEX, I knew Patrick was fiddling with the controls because car-newbie that I am, I can sense some changes in the engine.  When I asked Patrick what he was fiddling around with, he gave me this mischievous smile and said, "Cruise Control" ;) It was a novelty to him to be able to finally, actually get the chance to drive a car with Cruise Control hahaha and he loved it! :) Oh and I can't forget that little button called the SI-Drive (Subaru Intelligent Drive) that shifts your engine's mode from Intelligent, to Sport to Sport Sharp :D There's also the Sportshift thing that lets you shift control from automatic to manual.  Oh and since I was only a passenger I loved the fact that I can customize the position of my seat in so many ways as to give me comfort while driving. :)

Anyway, after lunch, we headed back to Manila, met up with Den and Philip at the Asus Service Center in Megamall to finally get the correct laptop battery.  From there, we went to the Samsung Mobile Phones sale at the Market, Market in Fort Bonifacio where Den and Ate Mel (through me) bought their Samsung mobile phones.We bought Krispy Kreme Donuts to take home for the kids and then we had a late dinner at Chic-Boy.

While at Chic-Boy, there was a couple beside our table who when they were finished with their food, moved to a different table (now at the back of us).  We were all wondering what they're up to when we overheard their conversation.  They were talking about Jaws who was parked directly in front of us and can easily be seen from inside the restaurant.  The guy was really amped about Jaws' size, apparently it's the first time that he's seen a Subaru Outback.  Even his girlfriend/wife liked Jaws and if they knew that we were the ones driving Jaws they'd probably ask to have their picture taken with him hahaha

So that's kinda long (I can get chatty, sorry!).

Visiting Wingman and their Buffalo Wings

August 4, 2010

One great advantage of having your very own vehicle is having the freedom to go where you want, when you want.  Ever since we got Stanley we've been able to go to places we normally wouldn't be able to visit.  It's fun when you can do as you please. 

That's why when Patrick heard through the grapevine that there's a restaurant that's got great-tasting buffalo chicken wings, talk about stars in your eyes :) We took the kids and went to Wingman, along Malugay Street in Makati.  

Here's a look at their menu:

Quesadillas

Chicken Wings

Fish n Chips

Corn Puppies (small corndogs)

I didn't really know what to expect when we went there.  As far as I know, we were just going to eat hahaha So, since we're eating buffalo wings, my personal reference was Charlie's.  We only tried the mild sauce but it was already very spicy for my taste but for Patrick it was good. :) I would have liked to have more meat on my chicken too hahaha The Fish N Chips was a little too overcooked.  The quesadillas were a hit, especially with the kids.  Though they were excited about corn puppies (they love corndogs) I guess the corn puppies weren't that appetizing to look at hehehe 

I have to admit, I wasn't too fond of the food.  I guess it's seasoned to mix well with alcoholic drinks which they serve.  The staff was very courteous and pleasant though so that's a good point.  I think the owners were there too and they made us feel welcome :)

Meet-up with Friends in Clark

July 24, 2010

Funny how Facebook can really bring people together.  I have been using Facebook (with all its simple applications) before it was even popular.  Most of the people I know used Friendster but for some reason, I steered clear of it.  Now, since there is a staggering number of people connected to one another on Facebook it surprised me that it took a long time for me to connect with my former officemates.  It's funny too that I got connected with them primarily through my favorite ManiPedi salon, Hotnails Spa LOL

(L-R):Dana, Me, Dylan, Jeff, Lily, Martin and Mang Rudy

 (Patrick was taking the picture)

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I got caught up with my former officemates - Martin, Jerry, John, Lily (she's one of my first friends on FB too) and a few others.  Martin then extended an invitation to treat us at one of his favorite restaurants in Clark, Angeles, Pampanga, C' Italian Dining.  Patrick already had the privilege of eating here during the coverage of one of his events and he swore that it's the best Italian food he's ever had :) So, naturally I also wanted to try it out.  Of course, Martin always posted pictures of the dishes he orders whenever he eats there so that always sets my mouth watering hahaha It was good timing though that Lily was also headed for some R and R time with her family and so we also decided to spend the weekend in Clark.

While in Clark, we couldn't pass up the opportunity of trying another of it's famous restaurants, Zapata's.  We're fans of Mexican food so we were all excited to try it out, although Dylan conked out from sheer trip exhaustion while we were there.  Here's a sampling of our orders:

Tacos and Iced Tea

Combo Platter for Patrick - Tacos, chili, bean soup

Bean soup

The Top Favorite: Quesadillas

It was weird though that from the outside you probably would think twice about going into the restaurant.  For one, it was like totally closed-off when you're coming in from the street.  But once you overcome your initial fear or doubt, and you step into the foyer, you'll be welcomed by the yellow and quaint interiors, the pleasant staff and the over-all charm of the place.

I know that a restaurant has made its mark on us when the kids request us to return :) Can't wait to go back :)

Some July Highlights

It's tempting to simply create a blog post about every little thing that happens to you and simply upload it on the Net.  I try not to do that because for some reason, I'm reminded of that scene in Percy Jackson:  The Lightning Thief movie where they're floating on the River Styx on the way to Hades and there around them are floating debris that represent people's discarded desires, hopes and dreams.  I don't want to litter the net with seemingly insignificant trivia about my life which some of you may not even particularly care about hahahaha


So here's a condensed version of what to me are significant moments in July :)1) My best friend, Kat, called!! It's been such a long time since we chatted on the phone and this time, I think we broke our own record.  We were on the phone for almost 7 hours!!!!!!! 7 hours!!!!! If that's not a cause to celebrate I don't know what is! hahahahaha

2) Stanley gets a huge gash resulting from a negligent car wash handler.  

It goes without saying that Patrick is meticulous when dealing with anything for Stanley.  He really loves the car and so do we.  As part of Stanley's regimen, Patrick takes him to 2onetwo Autocare just beside Charlie's Grind and Grill (and Charlie's is a whole separate post!) in Kapitolyo, Pasig, usually after work for car washing and waxing.  Imagine his consternation and anger when he discovered a long (longer than the Top Gear Magazine), deep (up to the primer) gash on the left-hand passenger side of the car!! What it looks like is a gash made by the rotary polishing buffer which in inexperienced hands can really wreak havoc! When Patrick spoke with the supervisor and the "attendant", they claimed it was there all along which really drove Patrick mad as any one can imagine.  First, that's the driver's side so how can Patrick possibly miss it every day that he drives the car? To cut a long story short, they never acknowledged their mistake and didn't even offer any restitution.  boo to them!! Also, Patrick also mentioned that the attendant was probably a neophyte since he put the same rotary buffer under his armpit while it was still on, hence shredding his shirt and ending up bruising and scratching himself.  This "mistake" cost us at least P5k to repair, including the cost of the cleaning and waxing "service".  Patrick vowed never to go back and patronize them again... 


3) Ate Mel started her baking class in Dana's school.  For about 2 weeks, Ate Mel participated in baking classes in Dana's school for free! It was fun for her and even more so for us because we got to taste whatever she baked in the class.. but you know after a while, you kinda don't want to see another baked goodie ever LOL


4) Stanley is officially mine - Patrick and I finalized the registration for Stanley after months of delay hahaha I am now the official owner of Stanley wohoo!

Mangoes vs. Mongos

Okay, this is a brave thing that I'm doing - putting my stupidity on the Net. LOL You'll find out in a moment LOL

To give a brief background, you all are aware that Dana just started speaking Tagalog when she started in Kindergarten so naturally, she's not as adept at speaking or reading or writing it as her classmates.  So then when I checked her assignment notebook when she reached the house, I saw she'd written that they needed to prepare 10 mango seeds, soil and a small pot.  From this list, I kinda deduced that they'll be doing some planting but what made me wonder was why 10 mango seeds?? It was so out of the ordinary that I even sent Ate Mel (our babysitter) to ask the teacher where to buy the mango seeds and the even more baffling answer was "in the market".  

I have been going to the market for as long as I can remember and I can't for the life of me think of one instance where mango seeds were on sale there.  So, there I was racking my brain in search of where to buy mango seeds and even went so far as to search the Internet to see if the Manila Seedling Bank was offering mango seeds for sale LOL  In the end, I had to resort to desperate measures!

I asked Ate Mel to buy 10 pieces of Indian mangoes (which were fortunately still available in every corner of the street).  I ended up eating 7-8 of those mangoes while I forced Ate Mel to eat the remaining two.  It's funny now that I'm writing it but it wasn't so funny when you're actually eating them! LOL

So at last, Dana will not go to school empty handed! I was so happy and relieved even though you can't imagine what the state of my tummy was hahaha

Imagine my surprise when Dana returned from school.  I immediately asked her how their school planting session went.  She told me, rather affectedly, that she brought the wrong seeds!! Her classmates brought MONGGO seeds!!! I almost fainted when I heard that!  It was so ridiculously funny and yet so irritatingly frustrating that "monggo" didn't even cross my mind when I was thinking of seeds.  On hindsight, I kinda remembered planting monggo seeds as a science experiment but for the life of me, it didn't connect in my brain! 

What happened was that Dana read "mango" instead of "mongo" on the board and that the teacher didn't correct what she'd written assuming probably that the kids knew what mongo was.  Dana didn't know what a mongo was because I don't cook it and we don't eat it hehehe

All that fuss for a mongo seed! That's why they needed 10 of them because they're small! LOL

Funny moment that I just wanted to share and one I'm not likely to forget in a long time LOL  Hope it made you laugh hahahhaa

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!