Random Cuteness No.2 (Christmas Edition)

Here's another list of some random cute stuff I found on the internet and I am officially declaring that they're on my wishlist this Christmas... and forever more. (Deep.)

Strawberry Santas! Fruity yummy Vitamin C goodness with the right touch of whip cream. Creativity at its finest. Sigh. Sheer holiday cheer.

Hey waiter, there's a yellow submarine in my tea....... Hell yeah?? Super awesome timing for the cold climate this Christmas hello?!!?! I don't actually drink tea but this thing makes me want to. Tea like, everyday.

Pandas floating in noodle soup. I SWEAR, I'VE HAD THIS BEFORE, I just don't remember what brand it was. It was delicious and I bet it still is. Hot noodles + cold Yuletide morning breeze = blissss.

Cupcake Bonnets to keep Iaine warm and cute all night on Christmas eve. I can just imagine... Too adorable for words!

A classic: Double Stuf Oreo cookies. You would think they taste just like any other Oreo cookie but noooooo. You'd be wrong! These nomnoms are heaven. I would be so HAPPY to receive a truckload of these on Christmas and be grateful for the rest of my life. And by the way Santa Claus--milk or no milk, these gems are delicious.

And lastly... Ta-dah! A sewing machine. When I saw ndtitanlady's YouTube pillow and keychain creations, *PING* an idea! She also made a giant tampon plushie too (I'm dead serious). I've decided to put this at the number one spot in Christmas wish list (the sewing machine not the tampon). Doesn't need to be exactly this one which is super adorable, portable, and girly but I would definitely be stoked to own my very own machine for beginners and learn how to sew. I've been following a few blogs and vlogs of very creative people who sew for fun and others eventually make a living out of it, and it's insipiring to see their masterpieces transformed out of the simplest, plainest sheets of fabric. I'm not after the money, I want this to be a new hobby. Who knows? Maybe someday I'll be making Iaine's clothes myself. I mean I know the basics of sewing like repairing torn clothes and stuff like that, a few manual stitches here and there, but to actually create something out of nothing is what I really wanna do.

Project Runway, here I come.

Wait for iiiiit...

Aaaand...

BAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

10 Months Old!

Guess who's reached the double digit mark?...

IAINE!

She turned 10 months old last December 6th and as usual, we held a simple celebration here at home. Pammi (shoutout to a fellow Bumpie heyy) complimented me on that and said it was nice that we do that every month (or something like that). Such a nice gal. Anyway, it is! It's a Filipino thing. We celebrate a baby's month birthdays before she turns a year old. Well my little party was a success and my most favorite part was I got to taste my favorite cake again. Dulce de Leche by Red Ribbon FTW!

Now for some quick updates...

One. I finally got a reservation! The party venue isn't too far from home but to get there it's more convenient to bring a private car. The function hall looks classy and it's super spacious.

Two. I'm still working. Underpaid of course! Because the Philippine's big ass government doesn't give a crap about nurses (no pun intended? LOL) I love my job but to tell you frankly, it sucks. I'm thinking of diving into another sea of opportunities where the fish are... But I'll cross the bridge when I get there.

I'm feelin so metaphorical right now.

Three. We've hired a nanny! Which is great, because Jai and I are working parents. I trust her because my MIL recommended her and she's worked as a housemaid here before. So far she's doing a good job and she's giving me absolutely no reasons to worry.

Four. I'm tired. All the time. I don't know. Do I need to take vitamins like I breathe oxygen? I don't know. I just can't handle too much stress. (A shoutout to family members, holllaaaaa LMAO)

Five. I absolutely LOVE thrift stores. Today I went downtown and spent an entire hour just looking for stuff in one. I mean the place was packed and I was sweaty and tired but I have to say it was worth it. I'm still amazed at how much stuff I could buy at such low prices.

Six. Iaine is constantly pulling my hair, screaming in my ear, pulling my bra straps and snapping them back against my skin (that last part she discovered on her own I swear). But she's an adorable, beautiful baby whose eyes can make anyone's heart melt like a strawberry/choco fudge cake ice cream on hot summer sand. So I just keep still and let her beat me up to her heart's content. Come onnnn she's just a kid, go buy yourself a big bag of humor. :P

Seven. YAY FOR FOUR TEETH! More pearly whites are rearing their not-ugly heads which means more drool, screams, and MORE SCREAMS! Good ol' mommyhood fun! (And yes, I stretched out her pretty lips for y'all to see; she didn't seem to mind.)

Eight. MORE PLAYTIME! It's getting harder and HARDER to leave the house each day because as Iaine grows, it's more fun to play with her and just stay home with her. Playtime is my most favorite part of the day--item number SIX included! I've never had this much fun in my life with anyone else in the world. I even skipped work just to bond with her all day. My career has been too demanding lately so I make sure I make it up to the super awesome rockstar baby. She's totally my Elixir of Life!

Nine. Christmas day's next week for chrissakes! (Gahhh I need to stop with the references alreadyyy.) I'm pretty excited cos it's Iaine's first Christmas ever ever everrrr and I'm thinking of ways to make it super special. And oh btw I absolutely love the cold. I mean I have the lowest cold tolerance ever but shivering in the cold is better than sweating profusely under the high noon sun. Making my melanin thingamajiggies active and stuff. Except when it's summertime and the beach is all I ever wanna be at. LOL.

Ten. I'm running out of things to say. Bye for now! God I missed blogging. :)

Random Cuteness No.1

I'm off work today. Usually that's a good thing except when I'm bored as heck.

Earlier today I asked my mom if Iaine and I could tag along but she told me she was just going to the bank and run some other financial related errands. So I decided to stay home with Iaine and we've been stuck here all day.

Sleeping baby = me time. I checked my Facebook, played Car Town, Cafe Life, Cafe World, Bar World, read some news and some pop culture stuff.

Then I came across these thingamagigies overloading with cuteness. It's in my list of completely unnecessary things brimming with gumdrops and happy thoughts.

Rainbow necklace with dove

In my own perspective I prefer to interpret the rainbow as the dove's flight trail. Although some people may think the dove is excreting the rainbow. Don't read too much into everything, people! It's a happy symbol and I'm dying to get one. I could wear it with almost every outfit. Sheer rainbow daintiness.

Glee cupcakes

These guys sing so well I just wanna bite their heads off.

iPod Speaker Puffs

These things made me think about my sister. She owns an iPod touch and she's crazy over puffy things. Especially if they come in pink.

Harry Potter Nimbus necklace

It's not because The Deathly Hallows P1 has just been released. I've been a Harry Potter fan for years long before any die-hard Twilight fans knew Robert Pattinson ever existed (who played the part of Cedric Diggory, killed in Book 4: Goblet of Fire). Enough about glitter boy, this necklace looks mysterious and grungy, and screams real HP fan incoming, y'all got nothin on this!

Domo mouse

Gnarly, dude! The square brown monster who needs dental assistance is apparently trapped inside a computer mouse surfing to his heart's content for all eternity. I really want this! Sooo far out!

Pi necklace

Pure genius! Forgive me for posting 3 kinds of necklaces, but this one I reallllly had to show you. I'm sure my husband would be amazed by this one too.

Told ya.

So the list ends here for now. Expect more random cuteness once another boring day comes along. Ciao!

This Is It

I am absolutely thrilled!

February 6, 2011 is coming! Iaine's birthday is only 2 months and 2 weeks away to be exact so we've already started the preparations. Just last week, I went on a road trip with my family and we spent an entire day at a mall. Shopping, haggling, walking, more walking, hands full with heavyweight shopping bags, but everything was worth it. For weeks I've been waiting for that day to push through because that mall is one of the most popular places in Manila to buy stuff for wholesale. We all had great day and I went home with tons of party stuff, satisfied. The bonus: the husband was impressed with my shopping taste.

You have no idea how much my husband and I are excited about this party. We already have ideas for Iaine's photo shoot, party decorations, parlor games, party favors, cake, invitations, and of course, OUTFITS! Although I can't tell the public what the theme is yet. It's all very hush hush right now. We don't want morons stealing our ideas. Just like before and always. Haha.

Jai and I have been researching a lot about the theme we've chosen to stick with so we're really putting effort into making the party the way we want it. I finally hired a caterer yesterday because we kinda know her personally and she seems easy to do business with. We've been texting and messaging each other on Facebook for days, and then this week we're gonna meet up for the contract signing. I'm also calling dibs on the party venue and a photo/videographer this weekend before anyone else tries to get her hands on them for Feb 6th.

We want to make sure everything is going according to plan because a well-prepared and thought out party is a successful party.

I think we'll be expecting about a hundred and fifty people so we're very careful about what we want and what we actually need. Budget is a very important factor to consider for any occasion. We want an awesome party for Iaine without being impractical. We just want the party to look how it's supposed to look and we want our guests to have fun, enjoy Iaine's first birthday, and never forget that day. First birthdays only come once, ya know?

We're trying to settle the reservations as early as possible 'cause Christmas is just around the corner and there's not gonna be much time for us to settle things after this month. The early bird catches the worm, as they all say.

Wish me luck!

9 Months Old!

Surprise, surprise! The super baby has turned 9 months old on November 6th. And I'm having less time to write...

Iaine celebrated her month birthday in a Vietnamese national outfit. Jai and I bought it way back in Vietnam and it's a shame we didn't get her a Korean or Chinese outfit too. So anyway Iaine had a little party at my husbands' relatives' place. It was a Saturday so my husband was home but unfortunately I was at work, thinking about all the spaghetti I could have devoured instead of a measly piece of cold banana bread. I could have been listening to my baby's giggles and singing happy birthday instead of counting babies' heartbeats.. fussy inconsolable babies who weren't mine. But the 'party' went great and I learned from my husband that Iaine wasn't difficult to deal with. For me that's a huge relief, being absent and everything. All this work is for her future. Being a working mom is hard but love is in sacrifice.. and that's what I always need to keep in mind.

And since we're on the topic of work, I was assigned at the IMCU (Nursery) in the past 2 weeks and I have to say I had a fairly easier time compared to the other areas of the hospital. The routine was simpler.

But starting this week I'll be working as a ward nurse again. I kept wishing for another special area but nooooo. They just HAD to take me back there. I prefer being a special area nurse, honestly. But whatever. As long as I got work, that's fine.

Wish me luck! Ohhh dreaded 4th main, here I come. X[

PS.

Congrats to Manny Pacquiao for another win. Iaine is with you all the way!

And happy birthday to my sister Lindsay. Love you!

8 months old -- AND MORE!

I've been gone a long time I know, so in case you've been wondering what happened to me, well.. Work happened!

Jai and I are back to work and so far things are going great. He works in an office 5 days a week in Taguig and he's home on weekends. As for me, I just finished my 1st month in a new workplace-- St. Patrick's Hospital Medical Center. I didn't think I would enjoy working this much as a nurse. The hospital admins run a fair system when it comes to job promotions and the staff are friendly. Unlike others... ;)

trust me, i'm a doctor

And what's more is that Iaine turned 8 months old on October 6th, and in a matter of days she'll be 9 months! I didn't get to write about that because the husband and I were busy preparing for a few days vacation in.....

Vietnam!

NAIA 3 (airport in PH), about to get on the plane to VN

It was a gift from my parents. Jai's birthday was on September 26 and mine's October 8th. The dates aren't far apart so my parents thought it would be nice to take us to VN as our birthday celebration. We left on the evening of my birthday and got there around 2am. We flew back here in PH on October 12th. Jai and I had a blast! My parents are simply the best.

I could have written more if I updated this blog sooner but things are just crazy right now. There's a lot of events lined up and writing blog posts has become a chore. But anyway, I'm back, and that's what matters.

So to you dear reader, thanks for reading. Love love!

7 Months Old!

Whaddayaknow?! My little girl turned 7 months old last Monday! I couldn't believe it. I remember just staring at her in bed the night before and feeling incredibly thankful to have her, wondering what good thing I did to deserve such a beautiful, healthy, well behaved baby girl.

September 6th was a day full of extremes. The hubs and I left the house at 3:30am to go get my board certificates and complete my application requirements. I was so sweaty and exhausted by noon and I didn't think I would make it out of there alive. But I did thank goodness, and we got home around 3pm. Just in time for my baby's 7th month birthday party!

My MIL and SIL set up a hotdog party at my husband's relatives' place and it was the perfect time to dress Iaine up in a super girl costume! We bought it weeks before just for the occasion. Great timing too, cos the "party" was extra special. There wasn't any cake though or else we would be late. But it didn't matter-- it was a fun afternoon and the food was delish!

Cheers to a super 7th month!

Beer tower, hollaaaaa. Haha, it's juice. :P

30 TRUTHS - Forgive Myself

I have to forgive myself not only for me, but for the soul of the person who I still love so dearly. I don't know if he's already up there with our Creator, or if his soul is still restless because of this guilt I've always carried in my heavy heart. He was my grandfather, Lolo Benito, and I took him for granted when he was still well, before I saw him lying motionless in his hospital bed at home, paralyzed, helpless. The only movements I saw last were the tears rolling down his cheeks.

I can't explain how bad I still feel about not being there for him more. I have huge regrets of not doing enough for him when he was still alive, but everyday I still think about how I could have made life so much better for my lonely grandfather. I am in tears right now while I'm typing all this, because losing him to that stroke was so hard, and it still is.

This was his 72nd birthday. He died at 76.

It's been two years without him.. but I still love him so very much.