Dinner with Friends

I was still in bed sleeping when Tita C called. Didn't really want to wake up but well, it was Tita C. She was throwing a little dinner get-together, she said, and asked if I wanted to come. Of course, I could come!

Dinner was delicious! There was Lamb Paella, Chicken Galantina, and Chicken Pastel. I was told that there was also soup and salad but I didn't have time for those; I wanted to get to the main event right away. Afterwards, there were all sorts of desserts: the yummy Mango Torte from San Lorenzo, an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen, and my new favorite, Torta delos Reyes, this super scrumptious chocolate sans rival from Aristocrat. Heaven!

But it wouldn't have been that good a dinner without pleasant company, and there was a whole coterie of friends and acquaintances to get each and everyone eating and laughing at the same time. It helped as well that one of my favorite couples, P and C, was there. It was fun bumping into them especially after our little holiday in Palawan where all we did was sleep and eat, practically.





Here's P. We're at the Badjao Seafood Restaurant. She made it a point to take me there because I missed this eating experience on my last trip.





P's partner C, feeling like a rock star always :)





The seafood platter with crab, shrimps, squid, fish, and a seafood lumpia that was so yummy. Kill me now!





Crabs and lobsters! I remember that there was a table full of Koreans, playing cards, eating shrimps, and drinking San Miguel. I wish I knew how to speak Korean; I wanted to understand all the jokes!





The remains of the day...





The happy couple

Pause

Long day yesterday! I was so exhausted when I got home that I just flopped myself in bed, and fell instantly asleep. It didn't matter that there was pizza outside; sleep was the more delicious alternative.

At one of my pit stops, I was able to catch up a bit with one of my favorite photographers A. Seeing how frazzled I must have looked, he said, "You didn't think you'd be this busy when you went freelance, right?" And really, I didn't. I thought I'd be writing a novel, playing with Baby S, and sleeping the days away. Wrong, wrong! Mwahahaha

And so, in the course of the day, I resolved to find some time for me. So here I am making faces at a changing room. Yes, passed by a store, saw the sale sign, and started trying stuff.

It was a very nice pause :)

Little Wings

With her mom sick and her Lula busy as a bee, Baby S had to stay indoors for most of the week. She was still quite the happy babe but I could see that she was getting a bit antsy. And so, with a little bit of time in between deadlines, I took Baby S out on a little excursion to the mall. It was still drizzling; a walk in the park was out of the question.




Here is the happy camper so glad to be out and about. When we told her we were going out, she got her shoes immediately. Look at that smile!!





Baby S loves her spag. Yes, she eats on her own now, even though it can get a little messy. Actually, it gets super messy!





OK, confession: We gave her a bit of ice cream (Sorry, Mom!!) and she was just licking and licking that spoon!!





K is so big now. Here, he found time amidst his busy weekend schedule (there's always a party or some practice that he absolutely has to go to!!) to go walking with me and Baby S.





Found these wings at the department store and fell in love with them immediately, Baby S looks so cute wearing them.





Bye!

Sleepless

When your child gets sick, it doesn't matter whether he is two or 20 you still get all antsy. My eldest daughter E is now camped out in my room. Last night, I hardly got any sleep. Not only was E running a fever, she was also experiencing chills. I dumped blanket after blanket on her, and still she was shivering like crazy. Finally, I just grabbed her in my arms and gave her a big warm embrace. I'd like to think that worked.

Today, we are almost out of blankets, I am almost out of shirts, and my room does not smell nice at all but E is better. That's all that matters.

I just hope that tonight I could get some sleep :)

There's Always Something

Went on an overnighter yesterday; a storm was headed towards the Philippines around the same time but I wasn't worried. The typhoon wasn't going to hit Manila. Besides, my eldest daughter was already on her semestral break, which means she'll be home for the next few weeks or so.

But when you're a mom, there will always be something. While K was around three, he placed a pillowcase over his head, mistook the stair landing for the bedroom door, and fell down the stairs; we went to the ER immediately. When S and K were around seven and nine, K put a plastic bead in S's left ear while the two were roughhousing; we hied off to the EENT pronto. But of course, it's not always a medical emergency. Too many times I've gotten phone calls or messages telling me that one child or another needed some fruit or vegetable, a scouting shirt, a formal theme notebook, or a costume for school the next day.

And so yesterday, while the wind was whistling a merry tune, I got a text from E saying she was running a fever. This basically meant the end of what I thought would be a stress-free day away from the kids. Today, I hurried home to see my eldest in bed, looking all sick and lonely. Despite the fact that E is already 20, it's still mommy who has to take care of her, make sure she eats, drinks her medicine, and gives her a sponge bath: the same things that I've done countless times in the 20 years that we've been together.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

Forget Me Not

For days now, one of my bestest friends, Dr. A, has been bugging me about the Silver yearbook. Honestly, I do not know how we are going to pull this one off. I am told that half of our batchmates are now living abroad, making followups a bit tricky. But then, this is the Internet age, and so I'm hoping that we can gmail our way through this project.

Last August, I opened a gmail account where our batchmates can send me their photos and stuff. August came and went followed by an incredibly hectic September. Before long, it was October, and that's when A started bugging me. Have our batchmates sent their photos? How many? Are the photos any good? I could not reply. For the life of me, I could not remember the magic password!! Mwahahaha Holy crap!! I have these people mailing me their photos and I could not access my inbox because I have forgotten the password!!

I did not want to message gmail to ask for a change of password. No! I told myself that surely I can remember one crappy password! Definitely! I just have to sit down and think about it. And so one furious morning, I listed down all the possible passwords I may have thought of, including favorite teachers and long-forgotten crushes. Nothing worked. I was doomed! So I did the next best thing, asked gmail to let me change the password.

No need to panic, guys! I got all your wonderful photographs and we're now processing everything! And for insurance, I told A the password--just so I have a backup in case I forget, again!

And while I'm looking at all these photographs, just a quick trip down memory lane...




I was so skinny back then. That's me in the yellow shirt mwahahahaha We're singing some Christmas song, I think.





Bivouac in Tanay; I don't remember sleeping because we always had those all-nighter kuwentuhan





When going to school was so much FUN!!!

So Pretty!

I've been wanting to write about this beautiful line of handcrafted furniture for months. I first saw Daphne's furniture project at the shoot for Good Housekeeping Philippines' October issue and instantly fell in love. I love the details, the muted colors, and the way each piece seemed to have a retro-modern feel to it. More than that, I love that they are made by the hands of craftsmen with painstaking intricacy.





I do not know furniture terms but notice the white circular shapes on the gray frame: delight!





Reminds me of a vanity table we used to have at home





I don't think this chaise lounge is part of the collection but I took a photo nonetheless.





The blueness of the bureau looks positively lived-in: perfect

The Daphne line by Daphne Osena Paez is now available at Rustan's Makati :)

Pretty

I am a sucker for flowers so, thank you!

Unexpected Pleasures

My drive-by assignments are generally exhausting. I take the first flight to the destination, which means that I hardly get any sleep the night before; and then I take the last flight out, which means I hardly have time to recover before I get on to my next day's schedule. Sometimes, however, they can bring unexpected pleasures.

This time around, I get to meet up with a dear friend. L and I went to high school together and share countless precious memories. Today, L lives in Cebu with her husband J and their three handsome sons. Because of our incredibly early flight, I asked L if I could crash at her place just so I could grab a few hours of sleep. Yes, folks, I go to this sunshiny place with all these wonderful beaches and all I could think of is sleep: that's how important grabbing a few hours of shuteye is to me.

But of course, that's not the only thing that we did in Cebu. I had the pleasure of catching up with L as she went about her everyday routine, first picking up her youngest son, J, from school then going off to lunch at the IT Park. I love this place in Lahug. It feels so much like Alabang that I felt right at home. Of course, the fact that L and I traded a thousand stories helped.

Though I didn't get to go to the beach, I still felt sunshiny all over :) Thanks, L, for the wonderful day!




I love this photo of L. She looks so much like the confident, on-the-go mom.





Her youngest son J is such a charmer. He warms up to people almost immediately.





We feasted on pork belly and pizza at Mooon.





Here we are hanging out at Starbucks, again at the IT Park.





And here we are ten pounds earlier! Had to do a shopping story years ago; L and I went all over Cebu looking at baskets and guitars.

Everybody's Near Me

My bed is the universe. I am sitting in one corner, writing, editing, trying to catch my deadlines. E is lying on another, reading a dozen or so magazines, most of which are about making money: lots of it! Baby S climbs onto the bed, and starts pounding on my keys. K follows, lies on the bed for a minute, plays with Baby S, stands up. F comes in, slaps K on the back, grabs Baby S, and starts a laughing game with her. Before long, F, K, and S are guffawing like crazy! Bwahahaha Bwahahaha Bwahaha

And while all this is going on, Ella and Louis are going cheek to cheek, warbling about April in Paris, and longing for the nearness of you. This is my universe.

Happiness

I was trying to sleep. I am on the first flight out to Cebu later, which means I have to be at the airport by three in the morning, which means I have to be up by two. And so, I wanted to sleep. That was around seven in the evening. Problem was Baby S kept running into my room calling loudly, "Lula! Lula! Lula!"

That's how I would usually wake up in the mornings, actually, with the sound of Baby S shouting, "Lula! Lula! Lula!" She would climb into my bed, and give me a hug. We'd then play a bit (I've taught her how to use a roll of wrapping paper like a light saber!) or she'd make a mess out of my bracelets and necklaces.

It was two years ago when my Ob-Gyne surprised us with the news that there was a baby coming our way. And though that piece of news was met with surprise and of course, loads of drama, it all turned out for the best. Today, Baby S lights up our day, every single day. Happiness!




Baby S in her favorite chair, which she calls Mamouse (Mickey Mouse!)





The happiness that wakes me up in the mornings





With her Tito K, my youngest





Mommy would get mad. Yes, that's chocolate!

The Beach Beckons

It rained all night last night. And as the rains pitter-pattered down the roof, I longed for the easy sunshiny life of Puerto Princesa. I've been working non-stop since coming back, something which I am supremely grateful for. Still, I cannot help but compare the gloomy vibe of Manila these days with the bright sky of Palawan: withdrawal symptoms!

Truth be told, it was the first vacation that I didn't want to go home from. I am usually excited to be back home after three days away. When one time I had to be away for five days, I was crying on the third night, wishing I had my kids with me. This time though, I dragged my feet to the airport. Perhaps it's because I really had a nice time, or maybe it's because my kids are all grown up and leading interesting lives of their own, or maybe it's because I was just tired and needed a couple more days off. Whatever!

Yes, I am back home but I can still taste the sun and the sand.




Take me to sunshine!





Discovered Pandan island





Swimming with little fishes





Met E, who swam out from the sea carrying a net of the ocean's bounty, which was to be his barkada's lunch





E and his friends generously shared what they had with us: here a sea urchin





From the net to the pot to simmer and stew





And now, here is the ngara-ngara cooked to perfection; it tasted like mussels but with thicker flesh





It was a perfect day!