Nap Time Rocks!

Mia the techie

“M-I-A dot com!”

-mia, when she saw mommy on her laptop, surfing away.

like i said, i swear i don’t know where she gets her vocabulary sometimes.

“it’s windy!”

-mia, one time we were outside and the wind was, well, blowing.

it’s just so vast — for a three year old.

so sabi ko nga kay Mia, since she already knows how to count to 14, all basic shapes, can recognize almost all letters (and spell her name), and scribble, wag na siya mag-preschool. go straight to grade 1 nalang. hehe.

temper rehab tip #2…

…when you discover a little shortcut that has actually been there all along. and it cuts your time spent in traffic.

i’m beginning my temper rehab and these are my tips. let’s look at the bright side, shall we?

and do share yours!

perfect moment 1…

…when the coffee you’re drinking is just the right temp. it was scalding hot and you wait for it to cool down. finally, you’re rewarded for the patience.

too many times we miss those great (albeit simple) moments that make our day. stop and smell the flowers, sabi nga. it’s my way of temper rehab.

my birthday girl

My dearest Mia,

You’re turning 3, about an hour from now! Yey! Such an accomplishment by such a little person and I’m so proud of you. For now, let’s celebrate His goodness to us, for another year you’ll be delighting us with your antics.

You’ve been telling me that you’re a big girl now. To me, you’ll always be my baby. =)

I love you so much!

Mia’s birthday checklist

it’s not much, just a small dinner party on Friday. for adults. hehe. Mia only has 2 baby friends (and those are her 2nd cousins too) eh.

• birthday ice cream cake c/o DQ
• pizza c/o Domino’s
• homemade lasagna c/o cousin L
• garden salad c/o mom
• balloons, leftover from 2 years ago
• ice cream?
• guests?
• balloon air pump, of course the balloons will be for the babies
• did i forget anything?

a pre-christmas monologue

merry christmas, self. what would you like for christmas?

i haven’t really thought about it.

right.

ah, yes i have. i want an EF 50 1.8 II.

that’s pretty ok. it’s within budget, i think.

of course it is. and a notebook. one without any lines in it.

sure. where do you buy one?

i don’t know. fully booked?

but that’s expensive stuff. wag na, iba nalang. sketchpad ayaw mo? those don’t have lines in them. malaki pa.

you’re such a killjoy. cheapskate.

hey.

fine, how about a calvin and hobbes collector’s edition book?

heeey.

fiiiine. Odd and The Frost Giants will do.

ok.

ok then.

nifty sites

ever had to search for stuff online such as what route to take going somewhere or what transportation mode to take? or what gift to give your bookworm friend or which restaurant serves vegetarian food and accepts credit cards?

i have. and i’m sharing some of the pretty useful sites i’ve come across:

• Munchpunch (food) – what differentiates this from other online directories is the menu that you can find per restaurant (if available of course, but most have it) and the average budget per meal. there’s also a tab for looking up caterers. writing reviews are also quick and easy, plus the site loads faster

• ParaSaTabi (travel/transpo)- galing. if you ever needed to go to Ayala Ave. in Makati from Cubao, go look it up and you can choose from 44 different routes to get there

• Lucky Marias (gift suggestions/accessories) – polymer rules! need nifty little trinkets shaped like a starbucks frappe drink as bracelet charms?

• Fully Booked (event venues) – no, no, this isn’t just because I love FB. but i also find that their Bonifacio High Street branch also has venues for mini-movie screenings, meetings, and sales launches. that is, if your budget is in the P30k and above range.

• Powertips at The Podium (event venues) – this saved my behind big time, when we had to hold a meeting outside the office at such short notice. the staff who assisted me was really very helpful and considerate (i was short of b**ching then because the Ayala triangle then was going to be closed to traffic and it was hard to book a venue at that time). the place has one big conference room (classroom type) and several other smaller ones that can be used as training rooms. every table row had their own sockets, and believe me for laptop junkies like we are that’s such a plus; and free wifi access. oh and did i mention it’s inside the mall?

• Yugatech (technology)- now who hasn’t heard about this one? i found good reviews for a cellphone i planned to buy. pretty good reviews for anything tech related.

• POBox.ph (online shopping) – sure you can pay for purchases via Paypal now wherever it is in the world, but not all US merchants ship to the Philippines. POBox solves that problem (check out their website for details) by letting you address deliveries to their delivery point and when they’ve gathered enough stuff to fill a scheduled shipment, they send it home. it’s just a bit pricey, but you be the judge.

this list too, i’ll update from time to time. for questions, leave me a message!

Free Wifi Hotspots in Manila

well, at least where I’ve been.

• Gloria Jeans Shopwise (Araneta Center, Cubao QC) – EYP provided, you just need to register, but I got 24 hours free so what the heck
• Gateway Mall (Cubao QC) – take your pick: Starbucks (there are 2), Coffee Bean and Tealeaf, or Figaro. the only downside is that per router, only about 20 users can access the internet, and there are only 2 routers
• Starbucks Julia Vargas (Home Depot, Ortigas Center, Pasig)
• Fraser Place Makati (Valero St.) – it’s a full-service residential hotel but access is limited to LAN
• Robinsons Galleria (Ortigas Center, Pasig) – yes, the entire mall
• Blenz Coffee – SM Cyberzone building (if i’m not mistaken, near Savory Chicken) beside SM MOA, free wifi access and the staff provides the network key
• Pizza Hut @ The Fort (beside Jollibee along Rizal Drive) – network key-provided, but unless your laptop runs on everlasting battery power it’s really just good for lunch stay
• SM Malls – all major malls now have complimentary wifi. finally. but so far I’ve only been able to try out Megamall, Marikina and North Edsa. works so far and it’s fast.

i’ll update as I go along (i can’t remember all). but if you have comments/suggestions/questions, do let me know.

nov 1

i always look forward to family get togethers. there’s none quirkier than my relatives, none more dysfunctional. lovably dysfunctional, that is.

and they’re never shy. grown up,

or not.

i feel so amateur looking at my photos and then looking at random Interesting Flickr photos. grabe, when will I be that good?

anyway, still practicing for now. be my model? =)

there’s a fountain

in the middle of the street.

oh Manila, Manila. you are one unique city. i love your character, smokey old Manila. but i will not live within your confines; i will stay away from you whenever i can.

but for now, since it’s december and it’s shopping season, i will let you lure me back one more time.

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Canon EOS | sRGB 1/200 sec. | F/11 | 34mm | ISO 400 |102309