Merci Beaucoup

A big thank you to everyone who voted for my little darling at the Pinoy Smile Contest of Momi Christine. She finished number 7 by the end of the month and though she didn't get first place, it still felt like a winning streak seeing the number of votes increased each day of November.

I'd specially would like to thank Momma Bams and Mommi Seiko for posting Thea's banner in their respective blogsites. A big big thank you from the bottom of D'Darly's heart. Muah.

6 Ws

Who...

Is easy to love? Someone that is so caring and loving
Do you just wanna smack? I have her in mind, but id rather not mention it
Do you trust? My hubby
Do you talk to when you're alone? God

What...

Dangerous things do you do while driving? Eat my sandwich, comb my hair, search for my access card in my bag
Are you allergic to? dust
Is Satan's last name? Lucifer
Is the freakiest thing in your house?... banana hammock

When...

Is it time to turn over a new leaf? anytime
Will you be all that you can be? I hope soon
Is enough enough? When it feels like its enough
Do you go to the dark side? never

Where...

Are your pants? On me
Is your last will and testament? In my head
Is your junk food stash? in the book shelf
Is Carmen Sandiego? Duh, who cares!

Why...

Was the Lone Ranger alone? To live up to his name Lone Ranger
Was The Scarlet Letter scarlet? It wouldn’t be called scarlet letter if its not scarlet is it?
Are musicians sexy and plumbers not? Musical instruments are much much sexier than plumbing tools
Are there no seat belts on school buses? Hmmm, that’s a wonder to me too

Would you...

Swim the English Channel for a doughnut and coffee? If not that, what? Hahaha, im not that shallow. Try a million pounds and id give you a serious answer.
Forgive someone who deliberately hurt you? Maybe, if he truly and sincerely asks for my forgiveness
Rather believe a lie if it hurt you less than the truth? Nope, truth may hurt but it would set me free
You still be alive if you were sucked out of an airplane window? In the movies, I bet Id still be

Disney Princess meets Sesame Street

This was supposed to be my last week's entry to Pixel Bug Weekend, but blogger has been playing up on me the whole week so this kwento got shelved for sometime. I hope id still be able to remember and jot down every exciting detail of our family gimik last weekend.

Anyways, i took a long weekend off from work following the UAE National Day since id like to spend more time with the kiddo, and take advantage of all the activities in and around Dubai. We've read from the paper that Dubai Festival City is running the show Disney Princesses so off we all (including momsy and popsy) went to see it. The whole gang of Disney Princesses and their respective Prince Charmings are all there grooving and dancing to their popular theme songs, and the kids- young and old- loved every bit of the program. Thea, however, did not really showed as much enthusiasm as other kids watching it, except for the part where the monkey of Alladin showed up, and the bit of Beauty and her Beast. Perhaps because Disney is not her thing yet and she's not yet familiar to these characters.

The hall was packed by the time we got to the place and so we were just standing up for the whole duration of the show. Poor daddy had to carry Thea in his shoulders just so the kiddo can see the stage from where we're standing. It was still worth the time and effort, although there was a moment when i almost lost my temper because some people are just inconsiderate and selfish- never minding there other audience trying to enjoy the show.

Our next stop that weekend is the Sharjah Water Festival in Al Majaz Park to see the Sesame Street characters in action. We saw Elmo, Cookie Monster, Grover, Zoe, Ernie and Bert perform live, singing and dancing to the popular tunes of Sesame Street. Now this is a show that Thea really loved and Ive never seen her enjoy a program as much as this one. She looked like a teenager head banging and screaming to a boy band group in concert. It was a lot of fun watching her groove and bop, and i feel proud because she's so responsive and full of life compared to the other kids in the theatre. One of the attendants there was so amused with her that she gave her a privilege ticket to meet and greet the mascots in person- this is something given only to VIPs. Unfortunately, parents weren't allowed to accompany the child so i wasn't able to capture it in snaps, and could only see it from afar (i had to fight with the guard just to a have a peek of my daughter beaming with so much delight seeing the characters up close). Darly was able to video her (from his phone) while she boogie to the songs of Sesame Street, she likes to watch it every now and then and whenever she does, she mumbles something as if raving on a great day she had that weekend.

Can't Post!

I haven't been able to post anything lately- well, actually since i couldn't upload any pictures, i lost the will to post. Thanks to blogger which has been playing up on me for a week now, ive past a lot of kwentos already.

I hope this week you'd (blogger.com) let me upload pictures with such ease, that i don't have to waste 15-20 minutes just waiting for the pictures to upload and then later on find out there's network error, grrrrrr........

Well, keeping my fingers crossed. So, how are y'all folks!

Can't Sleep

1. Would it be hard to kiss the last person you kissed? Nope, loves kissing her (my daughter) all the time

2. When is it hard to kiss someone? When they’ve got bad breath

3. You're trapped in a room with your most recent ex for three days, what do you do? Catch up with him

4. Does it matter to you if your significant other smokes? Yes, good thing he doesn’t

5. Have you ever regretted letting someone go? No, cliché’ may it sound I believe in the saying “set him free, if he comes back then he’s forever yours, if not, something better and more beautiful will be given to you”.

6. Where would you go if you were butt naked and locked out of your house? Somewhere warm, perhaps the garden shed

7. Do you want to please everyone? Ive got that habit unfortunately

8. Have you ever been called heartless? never

9. Someone calls you at 3:00 AM, who do you expect it to be? A close friend

10. Does it matter if your significant other drinks? Nope, so long as its not overdrinking

11. Could you go the rest of your life without doing drugs? Op kors

12. Which is better, amazing eyes or an amazing smile? Amazing smile

13. Do you want to get married and have children one day? Already am and lovin it

14. Are you easy to get along with? Super, Im a Libran

15. Do you ever want to go to sleep and not wake up? Sometimes when Im too knacked

16. Are you shorter than your Mom? nope

17. Describe your life currently in one word: stable

18. Are you on medication for anything? Not now

19. Who would you allow to read your thoughts for one day? Edward Cullen

20. Are there things in your life that you will never be able to get over? Let’s just say the pain is no longer there but definitely left a mark that will remind me forever

21. If you woke up naked next to the last person you kissed, what would your reaction be? Embarrassed (imagine your little tot staring shocked, hahaha)

MM- So you think you can Dance

This week's theme are all about talented kids. Im sure you'd agree with me when i say all parents believe that their respective kids are uber talented and feel so proud whenever their children display extraordinary abilities. During chitchats with colleagues and friends, we always make "bida" of our bebe's flaunt of giftedness and hail them as if we are big celebrity fans.

Well, such is the case with me and my over to the top talented daughter. Every single person in the office (i mean our department) knows that my Thea is a dancer, i made it sure they're all aware of this fact, lol. That's how proud i am of my li'l girl.

She's only 21 months but the dance moves she parades are just amazing and takes my breath away of much pride. It is my dream for her to become a ballerina someday- but from the looks of it, she'd be into jazz/street dance. Whenever she hears music playing anywhere, automatically her body beats and bops.

Even her popsy (that's lolo) couldn't keep up with her boogies. Check it out ;)

See what i mean?

For more of similar mommy ravings, join us here.

GT- Let's Talk About Birthdays

Alrighty. I was born on October 20, 1979- well at least that's what my Birth Certificate says, but since time immemorial i've been celebrating my birthday on the 21st. Besides, even my mom was (and still is) convinced that she popped me out on the 21st, and not the 20th. How and when the confusion started? Well, just before my 18th birthday, we applied for a CTC of my birth certificate for my passport application, my folks gave me a hongkong trip for a gift, instead of the usual debut party. And voila, it reflects 20/10/1979 as my DOB. Just imagine the difficulty we had to go through applying for passport because all my other documents reflects 21/10/1979 as my DOB whilst it contradicts the info on my birth certificate.

The upside of that is having 2 birthdays, longer period of celebration, however, doesn't always mean more gifts, lol.

So what's your story? Share it here at Girls Talk.

I just love trivias and funny facts, and so im sharing these STRANGE BIRTHDAY FACTS with y'all. Happy Thursday and as always We Girls Rule.

* Since your last birthday 31,536,000 seconds have passed.
* In the past year your hair will most likely have grown 12 cm and your nail about 4 cm.
* Since your last birthday you will have had about 1,460 dreams.
* World population has grown by around 76,570,430 since your last birthday. In the time it takes you to read this another five babies will have been born.
* More people celebrate their birthdays in August than in any other month (about 9% of all people). The two other months that rate high for birthdays are July and September.
* The most famous rendition of "Happy Birthday" is when Marilyn Monroe sang to "Happy Birthday, Mr President" to President John F. Kennedy at Madison Square Garden on 19 May 1962.
* Paul McCartney's Birth Certificate was auctioned in March 1997, for US $84,146. It is believed to be the world's most expensive Birth Certificate.
* The Sultan of Brunei hosted the world's most expensive Birthday Party to celebrate his 50th Birthday on 13 July, 1996. The cost was a whopping US $27.2 million. Three concerts featuring Michael Jackson costs US $16 million of the total amounts.
* Anne Frank's world famous diary was given to her as a present for her 13th birthday.
* William Shakespeare's died on his 52nd birthday.

Happy 38th

UAE is celebrating its 38th founding anniversary today and all the locals here are celebrating it with utmost pride and reverence. Unlike some of us Filipinos, the Emiratis are very proud of their heritage and their independence- and it reflects in their ordinary gestures such as the passionate waving of their flag, displaying it in their cars, hanging it in their villas and celebrating their national day with a bang and style.

Allow me to share just a little bit of history to y'all:

UAE before its foundation in 1971- is composed of trucial states (sheikdoms) which were each protected by the British Crown. These states are independent from each other and followed the traditional Arab monarchy, where each one has got its own Sheikh for a ruler. When petroleum was discovered in 1958, commercial exploitation began and these rulers headed by Sheikh Zayed decided and announced the federation of the 6 Trucial States (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah and Umm-Al-Quwain) that intended its full independence from British rule. United Kingdom accordingly withdrew its treaty from the states, and UAE finally became independent on 2 December, 1971.

Sounds like an easy foundation, but the transition has been very difficult for these states- for instance, since they have all become accustomed to having their own sheiks, now all 6 states (eventually 7, Ras Al Khaimah joining the gang) will have one ruler. Adaptation of political and economical policies is another challenge that they all have to face being a one nation, but after 38 years- they proved to be capable and now has become one of the prosperous nation in the world (well, despite of the negative stories we now hear in the news).

Anyways, on a lighter note, our office management gave all its staff this mini cake (chocolate if you must know) to celebrate the national day; and since its soo cute and yummy, Im sharing it all to you :)

My Thea

This week's theme on With Love Wednesday are about Kids. Since this meme is all about our loves- who else would i feature but my own bebe, the love of my life.

Meet Althea, my 21 months old tot who made our lives much more beautiful and significant since her birth on February 28, 2008. There is not a single day that we don't thank the Lord for giving us the best gift we could ever ask for. One of life's mystery, God's perfect miracle.

I got inspired by Momi Kero (since she shared a poem about having a son) to share this favorite song of mine. It brings tears to my eyes whenever i hear this one.

In My Daughter's Eyes

Martina McBride

In my daughter's eyes I am a hero
I am strong and wise and I know no fear
But the truth is plain to see
She was sent to rescue me
I see who I wanna be
In my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes everyone is equal
Darkness turns to light and the
world is at peace
This miracle God gave to me gives me
strength when I am weak
I find reason to believe
In my daughter's eyes

And when she wraps her hand
around my finger
Oh it puts a smile in my heart
Everything becomes a little clearer
I realize what life is all about

It's hangin' on when your heart
has had enough
It's giving more when you feel like giving up
I've seen the light
It's in my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes I can see the future
A reflection of who I am and what will be
Though she'll grow and someday leave
Maybe raise a family
When I'm gone I hope you see how happy
she made me
For I'll be there
In my daughter's eyes

Join us and share about your loves here.

Best Gifts

Having trouble selecting that perfect gift for someone? A friend shared with me a few suggestions:

• The gift of listening. No interrupting, no planning your response. Just listening.
• The gift of affection. Being generous with appropriate hugs, kisses, and pats on the back.
• The gift of laughter. Sharing funny stories and jokes. Your gift will say, “I love to laugh with you.”
• The gift of a written note. Expressing in a brief, handwritten note your appreciation or affection.
• The gift of a compliment. Sincerely saying, “You look great today” or “You are special” can bring a smile.

Christmas, the season of giving is fast approaching- hope you'd all consider these best gifts.

PBW- My New Moon Experience

Twice lucky...... that's me.

My weekend has been a very exciting one because (although we are a week late in this part of the world), New Moon is finally out in the cinemas. Of course, being big fans of the franchise- we were first in line in the theatres on the first day of its showing. When i say we, that's with 6 other Twimoms of UAE, and when i said first in line that meant the very first show on the very first day. Imagine a room full of teenagers giggling over Edward; and then us silly laughing on the same vampire- cheesy i know, but still a lot of fun nevertheless. We were hysteric when we got out of the cinema, we found out we were the oldest gang in the crowd- since most of them are highschool kids, hehe.

Anyways, i was fortunate to be able to watch the movie twice- one with my girlfriends, and then one with my family later that day. My stepdad was able to get us free VIP tickets to the Open Air Cinema in Media City so picture me thrilled, ecstatic and happy twice. Watching the movie, seeing and enjoying Edward Cullen under the stars over a sumptous dinner and relaxing drink, holding hands with hubby- What more can you ask for?

With my mom

So how was your weekend? Share it here at Pixel Bug Weekend.

Tell Me About Yourself Meme

1. When is your birthday? 20/10/1979
2. Where were you born? Manila
3. Where do you live now? Dubai, UAE
4. What is your heritage? Filipino
5. Tell us about a weakness. Compulsive shopping
6. What's a goal that you'd like to achieve? Save a lot, build my dreamhouse and retire by 40
7. What is the most overused internet phrase? LOL (laugh out loud)
8. What was your first thought this morning? Am I preggy
9. When do you usually go to bed? Between 12mn to 1 AM
10. Do you smoke? If not, did you ever? nope
11. Do you like your current relationship status? Very much
12. Do you (or did you) get along with your parents? yep
13. How often do you drink alcohol? During parties or special night outs only
14. Have you ever tried drugs (that weren't prescribed)? nope
15. Have you ever gone skinny dipping? If yes, do tell. Nope, but would love to try it at one point in my life.
16. If given the choice, how would you like to die? In my sleep, so im still poised
17. What did you want to be when you grew up? Travel Researcher
18. Have you ever been dumped? nope
19. What's on your pizza? Pepperoni and cheese
20. Have you ever shoplifted? nope

With Love Wednesday- Darly and I

Thanks Jona for inviting me to join your very first meme. I love talking about my loves and my family, and this is an amazing way of doing that.

This week's theme is about Love for Life where we'll share a photo/s of our forever partner,hubby, sweetheart, honey, honeybee, babe, darling, sweet pea, pangga, kuchiku whatever we call him/her.

For all of you who didn't know, Darly is the term of endearment hubby and I refer to each other. Its our short and non-cheesy version of Darling, hehe. We wanted a unique and cute term; so from Tart, Tartee, Schatz, it finally evolved to Darly. Everyone in our family has been so used with this name, so all of them refer to each one of us as Darly (either me or hubby) eversince.

Over the years, as our relationship grow stronger and sweeter, Darly has been everything to me (from lover, provider, comforter, fan- most of all my best friend). I couldn't thank God enough for giving me a wonderful guy for a hubby. He is my love for life- the answer to all of my prayers!

Join us here for more of love filled Wednesdays.

Bummed

Late reaction i know, but its a big bummer that New Moon is only released here in UAE a week after the whole world has seen it.

Now loads of reviews and movie clips are available everywhere in the blogosphere- and it just spoils my excitement. As much as i want to avoid them, i just can't!!!

1 more day of waiting and I get to see my fave couple- Bella and Edward.
See yah there TwiMums!

Oprah said Goodbye!

I felt so sad when i heard the news that Oprah called it quits with her daily talkshow. Since the beginning of time pa yata, our TV has always been tuned to Oprah show everyday and im sure everyone agrees that she is already a household name all over the world. I practically grew up watching her program, learned and been moved a lot by her meaningful features and her O's Book Club has inspired dramatically my love for reading. Sigh ;(

Although they've still got one more season to run and Oprah promised a final season that will knock our socks off, im still disheartened because every episode will be one step closer to the show's final chapter. I wonder who will have the final interview by the Queen of daytime programming!

Well, one thing is for sure- Television will never be the same again after 2011.

MM- Yummy Moments

One thing about my daughter is she's never fussy with foods that we give her. Ever since she started taking solids, giving her packed food like Gerber has been a no no in our house. I rather get up early in the morning to prepare her food before i go to work, rather than feed her processed artificial foods.

At 21 months old, she's able to eat foods like dininding, sauteed ampalaya, egg fried rice, arrozcaldo, pasta, and many more.... Eating vegetables and fruits are a normal part of her everyday diet and as much as possible we try to avoid noshing her with junk foods such as french fries, ice cream, chips, chocolates and foods alike.

I just hope that she will not change her preference once she gets a little bit bigger and hope to heavens that she'll never ever be choosy with her diet.

Check out a few pictures ive dug of Thea's "Yummy Moments".

Mashed potato with brocolli for lunch

Fruit for snack

Luscious chicken drumstick for entree'

Delicious hands for desert :)

And...............Ice anyone?

Join us here, for more of fun and exciting Mommy kwentos.