just for S&Gs

New York Minute

2011-11-27T09:56:00.000-05:00

I woke up one morning realizing that it has been a while since I’ve had a good telephone conversation. Work phone conversations excluded. I am referring to the hour-long conversation about everything, anything, and most of the time – about nothing. Where the conversation starts with “hey, what’s up?” then evolves to reminiscing, then to future dreams and plans, and without realizing it, the conversation had gone full circle.

It has been a while since I’ve been involved in one of those crazy, chaotic conference calls where our phone’s three-way calling feature was fully-utilized. Conversation nowadays has been dwindled down to forwarded e-mails and one-line messages and comments.

Has life been really that hectic for all of us that we can no longer spare a few moments to do those kinds of communication? Or has social network sites, emails, and SMS killed our ability and the need to do so? How did we end up reducing our lives into a New York Minute?

Back Off!

2011-08-03T09:45:00.001-04:00

Dear Tailgater,

What is your problem? If I am going 70 mph on a 55 mph road, why do you think I will speed up more if you start getting close to my bumper? Why would you assume as well that I will move out of your way? Just to prove how stupid and wrong you are for tailgating me, here's a few taps on my break which will also bring me down to the actual speed limit. Lucky you though that you only need to suffer my annoying break lights for just a minute or two since my turn is coming right up.

In the future, if you want to drive at a break neck speed, go change lanes and just overtake me. I would not mind that at all.

Have a great day!

Sincerely,
The Car in Front of You

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

2011-07-25T17:06:00.001-04:00

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith is a new favorite of mine.

I came across this book while I was perusing the shelves of the Lexington Public Library. The book was first published in 1943, and the story was set between 1900 and 1917. Yet the story of the Nolan's, I feel, transcends time.

Betty Smith's narration flowed smoothly at every page, and it invoked very strong emotions from the readers.

Seriously, if you have not read this book. DO SO NOW!

Reposting

2011-07-24T22:42:00.001-04:00

I was going through some old entries and came across this one from July 2008.
That was a great trip! :)

"Where is your tetoooot?!?!"

Edited/Directed by: J.E. Taylor
Location: St. Augustine, FL
Dates: July 3-6, 2008

Washed Away

2011-07-24T15:49:00.001-04:00

For the past few weeks, I have thought about things to write on this blog.
I came up with life questions, comments about the most recent novel I've read, and how I felt after watching the last HP movie.
Yet, the best I can add here was a video of my daughter playing the piano.
Granted my life do revolve around the child, but I do want to put something on this blog that you can actually read.
Here's the problem - all those good ideas, the excellent compositions I've had ...well they were all while I was in the shower.
As the water washes away the shampoo off my hair - so did the words.
Down the drain it went.
Unlike the hair strands that always gathers on the drain protector, the words just got washed away.

Ode to Joy

2011-07-24T09:50:00.002-04:00

Music to my Ears

2011-06-30T20:09:00.001-04:00

Today, Emma made her piano debut.
Her piano teacher invited Emma to join her other students in their Summer performance at a nursing home.
In lieu of doing an actual recital, Ms. Dian takes her students to Taylor Manor and they perform for its residents.

Emma started her piano lessons in December.
She wanted violin, but we told her that if she can stick with piano, then we will reconsider violin.
So far, despite her complaints about practicing, she did say that she enjoys the piano and looks forward to her weekly lesson.

Apparently, the kid has good rhythm and "counts well."
She's no child protege, but even when she was barely practicing, her piano teacher said that she's actually good. Which is a bit shocking and makes us wonder if she really is ours.

One more awesome part of this performance is that she (and all the students) got to play their piece on a Baby Grand!

So without further ado. I now introduce you to the first public piano performance of Miss E J T.

Celery

2010-12-29T11:21:00.000-05:00

Performed by: Emma

The Monkey and the Banana

2010-12-29T10:20:00.001-05:00

Story by: Emma
Narrated by: Abbie
Starring: Jay and Emma

Sachey, chantey!

2010-12-01T21:05:00.001-05:00

11272010532
Originally uploaded by Abbie67

"You better work, cover girl,
work it girl, give us a twirl..." -RuPaul

Halloween 2010 (Vancouver)

2010-11-05T09:56:00.001-04:00

The Cat's Meow!

Hula Hoop

2010-10-23T12:21:00.001-04:00

On March 2009, I took a picture of Emma hula hooping. She can barely do it at that time but from the picture she looked like a pro. See below.

Last night, was a big shocker for me. We went to the YMCA Fall Fest and they have a hula hoop room. So we went in and when she started hula hooping, my jaw dropped! Last night was the first time I've seen her after March 2009 actually use a hula hoop.

Gotcha!

2010-08-16T20:15:00.000-04:00

Here's another conversation with the monkey...

Emma: Mom, uhm every time I eat the popcorn, it uhm makes my lips uhm...
Me: Go drink water.
Emma: but I already finished my water.
Me: You have more in your blue cup.
Emma: I already had a lot of water! (she was starting to get whiny here)
Jay: Then drink some more!
Emma: I don't want any water! I want some juice! Can I have my second juice now?
Jay: Who said you can have 2 juices anyway? Didn't you drink one when you were in school?
Emma: Yeah, but I...
Me: Did you have some when you got home?
Emma: Uhm...I forgot.
Me: Well, do I need to ask your grandma? Maybe she'll remember.
Emma: Daad I want some milk!

It...The Thing...The What

2010-07-15T13:31:00.000-04:00

As much as I love the Filipino language, some aspects of it can just really get annoying.
Perhaps not the language itself, but how we Filipinos use it.
A good example is my most recent phone conversation with my Mother.

Mom: Alam mo yung bagong computer namin, merong kasamang "All-In-One" printer.
You know that new computer we got came with an "All-In-One" printer.

Mom: Eh kailangan daw i-activate yung ano at kailangan daw sa office. Tinatawagan nya kanina para i-activate yung ano.
They need to activate IT and it has to be done at the office. He was calling the company to activate it.

Me: What is it that needs to be activated?

Mom: Yung ano nga...basta yung ano kailangan daw i-activate pa. Sabi ko intayin na lang pag dating nyo.
IT has to be activated. I told him to just wait until you get here.

Me: Ano nga yung "ano" at "yun" that needs to be activated?
What is this thing or it

For the next minute or two, she kept on repeating the same sentence and I kept on asking her what is it that she's referring to.

I finally gave up. I told her I have to get back at work and that as far as I know, nothing needs to be activated.

But do you see where IT can get very frustrating???

Allergy Report 2010

2010-07-15T12:30:00.000-04:00

Emma had her every-other-year visit with the allergy doctor.

Peanut skin test is DEFINITELY positive.
As you can see in the photo.

Shellfish is still positive, but not as bad as the peanut. According to the allergist, if she accidentaly eat or get exposed to them she may not even have a reaction at all.

Finally, the tree nuts and sesame seed. Two years ago her blood test came out negative. The result of today's skin test is.. :drum roll: NEGATIVE! Yay!

So, I asked the doctor if I can spread Nutella on her toast now. He said no. Until we do an oral challenge in a control setting (which will not be until 2012 - or if I switch allergist...), I am not to feed her any tree nuts. The negative result just means one less thing to worry about when it comes to accidental exposure or ingestion.

Oh well. I'm still a bit peeved that the peanut thing looks worse than last time. Also, I cannot believe that she still cannot eat crabs and lobster. On the flip side, apparently her peanut allergy is only just for peanuts and does not include other members of the legume family. So YAY for that.

A Future Beach Bum?

2010-07-09T20:39:00.000-04:00

Emma saw a preview of "Phineas and Ferb" where the family went to Hawaii.
It was followed by a Magic Kingdom commercial.
As the mother of an almost 6 year old little girl who watches a lot of Disney channel shows,
Disney World ads make me nervous. I'm always holding my breath and expecting the question,
"Can we go there Mom?"
So the commercial was finally over.
"Shark Boy and Lava Girl" was back on the screen.
She turned around to look at me and what came out of her mouth was...

"Mom, can we go to Hawaii?"
"Hawaii?"
"Yes, Hawaii!"
"Why Hawaii? Why not Disney World?"
"Coz I love the beach!"

HA! Beat that Disney World! My daughter prefer the beach over you! *blew a raspberry*

Friends

2010-06-30T19:15:00.005-04:00

“Show me who your friends are and I’ll show you who you are.”
I firmly believe in that old adage.
Who I have as friends is a reflection of me and how good a judge of character I am.
So far I have been lucky for developing a tight bond with some wonderful people.
People that I can be proud of...that even my Mommy can be proud of.

These people came at various stages of my so called life.
Some came when I was only a child and had kept in touch through the years despite the distance.
Then there are the ones that I once knew just in passing.
Through the wonders of technology, we were able to established a connection with each other.
If you see us now, it will be hard for anyone to imagine that we only knew of each other by name or reputation, once upon a time.
The others though fairly new in comparison, they too have formed a special niche in my life.
These people are the ones who - got drunk with me for fun or to help ease the pain of a broken heart;
gave me the Advil and water to cure the hangover;
the first pair of ears who listens to my daily bitching; and
offers to help bitch slap someone if ever the need arises because I’m just too “nice” to do it myself.

As I child I’ve always thought that a person could only have one best friend and that having more than one is a form of betrayal to the first one who earned the title.
As I got older, I have met people (mentioned above) who are worthy to fall in the BFF category.
I still feel weird if I even think of labeling someone as such, but I’m slowly getting over it.
You know why?
It’s because the closest friends I have right now are just the bestest besties a woman can ever have!

No, it is not best friend day or week.
I was in the shower one morning and out of the blue - the words just started running in my head.
Now that it's all written down, I think it sounded much better when I was under the shower.

Of course, you cannot be in a reflective mood without a theme song!
For this one it happens to be "A Friend" by Keno.
I am not sure if he was the original artist, but his version was very popular back in the late 80s.
I don’t have the actual song (with music and all) to post, but here are the words to my background music.

A Friend
I've still been searching
And long have I waited
For someone to like me as me
To laugh with
To cry with
To be just beside with

A friend that's who I need
To fight with
Make up with
To know that you need them
Believing that they need you, too
To walk hand in hand with
To argue to talk with
A friend that's who I need

And even though
I make mistakes
And never do anything right
A smile, a hug
Can change all that
And everything will be alright

Someone who'll share all
my dreams and ambitions
Someone who'll love me as me
I need this person
Someone to rely on
A friend that's who I need

A friend that's who I need

I’m glad to say that I have ALL that and more with all my best friends.
So Friends – Thank you!
I'm so blessed.

Traitor!

2010-06-15T15:35:00.000-04:00

After eating a very big late lunch at Neely's in Memphis, we decided to head down to the river front area for some photo op. During the drive down my Mom kept on looking at the picture that we took before entering Graceland. I told her that in the picture we were almost the same width. The comment made my Mom lament about how much weight she's gained in the past few years. Not to be left out, Emma asked if she can see the picture. While she was looking at it I asked her who is bigger, me or Mama Mia.

Emma looked at me, then to my Mom, then back to the picture and then she said, "you are still bigger than her Mom" to which my Mom said, "oh Emma I love you so much!"

RIP - Johnny Baby

2010-05-14T09:48:00.001-04:00

manila09 382
Originally uploaded by Abbie67

Juan Chua Samson
(AUG 29, 1929 - MAY 14, 2010)

He has always been "Tito John" to me because he didn't want being called Grandpa/Lolo. I remember how he always had friends over to play mahjong or pusoy (porker) with. He had a very entrepreneurial spirit and catered to the vices of the masses by selling beer and cigarettes at his home. He raised chickens in our yard so he'll never have to buy eggs or chicken. He was opinionated and stubborn, and very independent. Johnny Baby left behind 6 daughters and 1 son, and a slew of grandchildren and great grandchildren.

May you rest in peace, Tito John. You are in God's hands now and will be seeing Mamang, Auntie Beng, and my Dad again. Please hug them for us.

(Picture was taken in April/May 2009 during our Philippine visit.)

Wii Fit Challenge

2010-05-05T16:57:00.000-04:00

I received a Wii console as a graduation present from four of my great friends.
I received the console April 15 and by April 18, I have bought the Wii Fit Plus.
So far this is what the Wii and the Wii Fit Plus have told me about myself -
1) I'm Obese
2) I'm Unbalance, and
3) My body is 10+ years older than my real age.
My challenge now is to turn those three things to my favor.
Wish me luck!

Mission Accomplished!

2010-04-27T09:21:00.002-04:00

Graduation2010
Originally uploaded by Abbie67

After years and years - I finally can say I'm DONE! I now have a BS degree that I can claim. I know some will say "what's the big deal?" To me it just is. Getting my bachelor's degree was a fulfillment of a promised made. A promised I made not just to myself, but more importantly to my Dad.

Almost 19 years ago I made the choice to leave the comfort of home and the financial support of my parents. Without their financial support going to college full-time was out of the question. Fortunately, I have a very awesome support system here in the U.S. Thanks to ALL of my Dad's sisters, my maternal grandparents (Nanay and Tatay, my Mom's sister help - I was able to start my college education. Their continued support helped me achieve my goal.

It was a very slow and long process - but I did it. So let me give the awesome people in my life a shout out!

THANK YOU and MUCH LOVE to my Mom and Dad, my step-dad, ALL of my Aunts and Uncles, to Nanay and Tatay, my MiL, and of course to Jay and Emma.

Great appreciation goes to my awesome friends as well. You all know who you are!

Not to sound cheesy - you guys are really the wind beneath my wings.

Vision

2010-03-05T14:22:00.001-05:00

Emma's vision on how she can transform herself to Selena Gomez. She wasn't particular with how her hair should look, but definitely she described her clothes to the T.

In honor of the Oscar's

2010-03-03T20:55:00.000-05:00

Since March 7 is Oscar's night, Emma's YMCA after-school program is doing a Hollywood party on Friday. So last night Emma told me who she'll dress up as on Friday.

Emma: Mom, I'm going to dress up as Selena Gomez on Friday!
Me: Huh? Why? How are you going to dress up as her?
Emma: Well...I'll use my own hair, since we have the same color. Then [pause]...Mom can I wear my black sweater?
Me: Sure. What are you going to wear with the sweater?
Emma: Do I have a black skirt? I can wear a black skirt...Mom can we find me a black skirt once we get to Target?
Me: I guess you can.
Jay (to Emma): Thank God you didn't pick HANNAH MONTANA!

I concur.

A Funny Thing Happened on our Way to the "Y"

2010-01-19T14:55:00.003-05:00

Emma and I had the following conversation last Saturday while we were driving towards the YMCA for her swim class...

Emma: Mom, Dad and I have decided that we are moving to New York!
Me: Really? When is this move going to happen?
Emma: I guess we have to plan that.
Me: Can I come?
Emma: Yesssss.
Me: How about Grandma?
Emma: [long pause] Well....she owns the house so she can stay here!

Another School Update

2010-01-13T17:14:00.004-05:00

I received another email from Emma's teacher.

This is what she has to say today...

======================

subject:)

5:01 PM (12 minutes ago)

Hi Abigail,

Emma came in this morning and told me about losing her tooth. When switching out book baskets, I found a book called "Norman Fools the Tooth Fairy". I put it aside for Emma to look at during the day. Emma wanted to read it aloud to the class. Here are some pics-I thought you would enjoy seeing how confident she is! :) And while she didn't get a chance to finish it today (it's a long book), she did a great job-it's a HARD book. I sure am going to miss her next year!

Take care,

Robin

==================================

Here is one of the picture her teacher mentioned in her email. I posted all of them in my Flickr site. I am really just all warm and fuzzy inside right now...

I <3 It!

2010-01-12T08:44:00.003-05:00

Below is an email I received from Emma's teacher.
What a great way to start my morning! :)
===================================
subject: You will love this! :)
sent: 4:39 PM (16 hours ago)

Hi Abigail,
I just wanted to let you know you would have been so proud of Emma this afternoon. Since we've been talking about the solar system, she wanted to sing her song she knew about the solar system. This afternoon she got up and sang it infront of everyone-twice! :) So proud of her-she is coming out of her shell more and more each day. LOVE her and so proud of her. Thought you would like to know.

Take care,
Robin

p.s. Her hair cut is too darling for words! :)

The Little Mermaid

2009-12-21T13:27:00.002-05:00

Last Saturday night, Jay and I took Emma to watch her first play.
The Lexington Children's Theatre adapted the Hans Christian Andersen version of "The Little Mermaid." There were only 2 characters in the show that lasted about 40 minutes. Flotsam and Jetsam narrated the sad tale of the Little Mermaid.
There were some laugh out loud moments particularly during the first 20 minutes of the show. Jay and I kept on glancing at Emma to check her reaction.

Emma was very attentive and laughed at the right moments.
What we noticed though was that she was stifling her laughter!
When we got in the car our conversation went like this...

Me: What do you think of the play?
E: G-O-O-D.
Me: Why were you trying to hide when you were laughing?
E: Coz the guy (the one who introduced the show and told the audience the house rules) said we cannot talk during the play.
Me: Well yes, you can't talk but you can laugh out loud when something is funny.
silence

E: Mom, did he forgot to tell us we can do that?

Christmas Letter

2009-12-06T20:03:00.005-05:00

Emma's class recently learned about the Christmas customs in Italy. One of the things their class was asked to do was to write a letter to their parents promising to be good. This was Emma's letter to us.

Rough translation:

12-2-09

Dear Dad and Mom
(I still can't believe Jay managed to get top billing this time!)

Next year I'll be good in keep clean my bed. Next year I will fee[d] my fish. I will pick up my toys. You'll feel excited of me.

Love,

Emma T. (She always add the T now since there's another Emma in her class.)

Happy Birthday

2009-12-06T19:54:00.004-05:00

Dear Dad,

Happy Birthday to you.
We would have celebrated your 59th birthday today but unfortunately God decided to take you before you can even see your 45th.
I guess it is true, the good ones are always the first to go.
Oh well, happy birthday anyway.
We love you and we misses you a lot.

Love,
Your Family Here on Earth

Halloween 2009

2009-10-31T22:04:00.002-04:00

Well, we survived another night of trick-or-treating. As always, we dressed Emma up to what Jay and I think was different from the other girls her age. She was supposed to be a rock/punk princess, but the tiara was not working well with the faux-hawk. So we ditched the tiara, kept the faux-hawk and voila - an anti-Hannah Montana and anti-princesses costume was born. As you can see, she already knows how to do the power stance. By the time we got back to our friend's house Jay was ready to show her the Pete Townshend guitar bashing move. Unfortunately, by that time she was too tired and only cared about inspecting her loot.

Overall, it was a fun night for her and for us. Best part of all - her costume only cost me $1.75 and that was for the pink hairspray. Everything else that she was wearing were clothes she already owned.

Homesick

2009-10-07T14:32:00.001-04:00

Homesick.

That’s the best word to describe how I feel right after reading my friend’s blog entry (read it here) about 3 of the memorable sermons he heard while he was in high school.I can relate to what he said. I too grew up where first Friday mass attendance was a must. Unlike him though, I can’t remember any of the sermons I’ve heard.

The rushing of emotions that I felt after reading his blog was not stemming from my high school experiences. It was actually from the first time I attended the 11:00 AM service at Marble Collegiate Church in NYC.

The months leading to our first service at Marble (and departure from NYC) had been very stressful and trying months for me and my family. As I sat in the pew that morning, an over powering feeling came over. My chest started constricting and my eyes welled up with unshed tears. I’m not sure if it was Dr. Arthur Caliandro’s sermon that Sunday or the fact that I was actually in church for the first time in months (my guess is it’s all of it) – but I really just got all choked up and somewhat relieved and hopeful. It took a whole lot of will power for me to not start sobbing when the choir started singing “On Eagles Wings.”

The few times we attended service at Marble were the best services I’ve ever been to in my life. They are maybe really that good or it was just that Marble came into mine (and Jay’s) life at the time when we needed it the most. It’s been a while since I’ve been moved that way but just thinking about it now, I can’t help but start tearing up again.

I am homesick.
Homesick for a place that’s 750 miles away from here.
Homesick for a place that made me feel good and whole.
…
…
5 points for NYC.

5 Years Old

2009-09-26T22:30:00.001-04:00

EmmaIsFive 060
Originally uploaded by Abbie67

Emma officially turned 5 last September 24.
We celebrated her birthday twice - 1 on the 24th with just me, Jay and Grandmama, and today (26th) with her friends.

Two major milestones happened as Emma reached her 5th birthday. First was starting kindergarten, and second - knowing how to read (YAY!!!). I am so glad to see that our bedtime ritual paid off early!

WIth both happening at the same time, I realized just how fast my little girl is growing up. It seems like it was just yesterday, I was laying in the hospital waiting for her to come out.

I know that growing is inevitable, but it is just really hard to swallow the fact that she is getting older (so do I). I sometimes tell her to not grow up too fast. Of course, she always gives me a funny look when I say that.

To my dearest little girl, my world, my everything - Happy 5th Birthday.

emma jumps

2009-08-02T18:44:00.001-04:00

emma jumps
Originally uploaded by Abbie67

This was taken last Friday during Emma's last day at swim class. Her instructor took her and the other 2 girls in their class and made them jump off the diving board. Video is crappy because I was using my phone.

Emma Rides a Bike

2009-07-26T23:25:00.006-04:00

Took a video of Emma and Jay riding their bikes around the parking lot near the house. The day before this video was taken, Emma took a nasty spill and vowed never to ride her bike again. It took a lot of coaxing but she finally agreed to try it again. She became overly cautious though. The child will not go over the speed of a snail!

Emma and Kaleb

2009-07-26T23:10:00.007-04:00

Here's a video of Emma and Kaleb from June 27.

Last night...

2009-07-24T09:15:00.001-04:00

Last night I dreamed that I was dead.
In my dream the afterlife was a series of subway rides.
Each line has their specific destination, making frequents stop at different subway stations. Everyone knows where they should go.
I felt like I knew which train to ride and the station to get off too, but I was jumping from one platform to another, obviously in search of something or someone.

I was searching for Dad.
I am dead.
I am amongst the dead.
Dad died almost 14 years ago.
So where was he?

In my dream someone told me that the trains are only for the newly dead.
I had to leave the station to find the ones that passed before me.
So I did.

I found a long hallway.
At the end of that hallway was a door.
I knocked.
A man opened the door.
He looked like he just woke up.
I think he was God.

I asked for my Dad.
He said that he summoned him already.
A few seconds passed and the door opened again.
There he was, my Dad.

He looked exactly the way he was when I was a child.
Round, robust, and with a paunch belly.
I was so happy to see him.
He smiled and gave me a great big hug.

I was sitting with him, talking to him, laughing with him, and yet I feel like I was looking at him and myself through a camera lens.
Our image started to get smaller and smaller.
As if I was zooming out, just like the in the movies.

Then I woke up.
I wanted to go back to sleep.
I wanted to capture that moment again.
I wanted more time with Dad.
But alas, that moment was gone.

I miss him so much.
It hurts.

more BTE

2009-06-27T13:11:00.007-04:00

Pardon if the recording is a bit crappy.
My camera is not really the best to use for video recording.
This is BTE performing their song "Misunderstood" from their 2001 Closer CD.

(You'll probably get to see a good 1 minute of the song. Apparently, that's all this site will allow.)

BTE 2009

2009-06-27T12:49:00.005-04:00

Last night, Jay and I went to see Better than Ezra in Louisville. I was ecstatic to finally see them live again! Since I don't know when I'll see them again, I made sure that I had MY picture taken with Kevin Griffin. As you can see, my persistence paid off - as always.

The band was just as good as I remember. They performed a few songs from their new album Paper Empire, plus the usual fan faves.

It was fun to pick out who were truly are BTE fans. The fans know ALL the songs by heart and have seen the band multiple times. BTE may not have airtime with MTV or VH1, but they sure do have many faithful followers.

Tale According to Grandma

2009-04-14T10:08:00.001-04:00

Emma and Grandma were in the basement one afternoon.
Grandma was reading her book and Emma was busy painting in her playroom.
Grandma looked up from her book and saw Emma flicking/flinging the paintbrush.

Grandma: Emma, what are you doing?
Emma: I’m painting grandma.
Grandma: Why are you doing that with your paintbrush? You’ll get paint all over your playroom.
Emma: But I’m painting like (mumbles a name)!

At this point Grandma could not understand the name that Emma gave her. She did say it sounded like “Olock” which led us to believe that Emma was referring to Jackson Pollock.

HAPPY EASTER

2009-04-12T14:58:00.003-04:00

We had a mini-Easter egg hunt in the backyard.
Jay said the eggs came rom the "Easter Monkey."
Which confused Emma a bit.
She forgot all about it when she took the task of finding the eggs.

By the way,the Easter Monkey only gave 6 eggs.
That's why it was just a mini-egg hunt.
Pardon the outfit too, she put those clothes all by herself.

Happy to Perform

2009-03-07T20:19:00.003-05:00

Here's another performance by Emma.
When the kid is in the mood, you just have to go with the flow.
So hear she is.

50 Books - 2/7 Update

2009-02-07T08:47:00.003-05:00

Last night Emma and I read -

That's 11 books read, 39 to go.

============

In other news...

Emma crawled in bed with me at 7 AM this morning.

I had the TV on VH1's morning music videos,

but was not really watching coz I was still half-asleep.

A video came on and we had the following conversation:

EJ: Mom isn't that girl on Disney channel?

Me: Is she? I don't know.

EJ: Yeah, that's Taylor SWISH mom!

Me: Huh?

EJ: Taylor Swish!

The video that was playing

"Love Story" by Taylor Swift.

Reading Project

2009-02-04T13:18:00.003-05:00

Last September, the Lexington Public Library came out with a list of "50 Books to Read in Kindergarten." A week or so ago (yes it took me that long to catch up...) I picked-up one of the free posters and started a reading project with Emma. Our goal is to read all 50 books before she even starts Kindergarten. The list was very helpful since we have read almost all of Marc Brown's "Arthur" books and it is a very daunting task choosing a book of the hundreds on the shelf.

Below is the list of the said books. The ones in bold are the ones we've read so far, the italicize titles are the ones we are about to read. As you can see, we have a long way to go!

The 50 Books

The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen/Jerry Pinkney
Hi! Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold
I Ain't Gonna Paint No More by Karen Beaumont
Book! Book! Book! by Deborah Bruss/Tiphanie Beeke
A Splendid Friend Indeed by Suzanne Bloom
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow
The Neighborhood Mother Goose by Nina Crews
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
Strega Nona: an Old Tale by Tomie de Paola
Snowballs by Lois Ehlert
Bark, George by Jules Feiffer
In the Small, Small Pond by Denise Fleming
Hattie and the Fox by Mem Fox
Corduroy by Don Freeman
How Are You Peeling? Foods With Moods by Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers
Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag
Three Billy Goats Gruff by Paul Galdone
Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
Bedtime for Frances by Russell Hoban
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
The Wolf's Chicken Stew by Keiko Kasza
The Snowy Dayby Ezra Jack Keats
Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock by Eric Kimmel
Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester
Swimmy by Leo Lionni
Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel
Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
I Stink! by Kate and Jim McMullan
Goldilocks and the Three Bears by James Marshall
Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik
The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper/Loren Long
The Complete Adventures of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
Mother, Mother I Want Another by Maria Polushkin Robbins/Jon Goodell
The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant
Down the Road by Alex Schertle
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
Spicy Hot Colors by Sherry Shahan
Gregory, the Terrible Eater by Mitchell Sharmat
Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw
Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
Pete's a Pizza by William Steig
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly by Sims Taback
My Kindergarten by Rosemary Wells
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems
King Bidgood's in the Bathtub by Don and Audrey Wood
How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? by Jane Yolen
Harry, the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion

Winter 2009

2009-02-04T08:35:00.006-05:00

Last week we had a major ice storm here in LexKy. Power went out in our area Wednesday at about 3:30 AM. The first 24 hours of no heat was not too bad because of residual heat. Not being able to cook or heat food was actually harder.

Our power came back on the next day around 6 PM. We were the few fortunate ones around here. There are still some areas who are still in the dark. Our street was still very slick since snow plowers does not clean up side streets, country roads, and subdivisions. Trying to get to a main road was a pain in the you-know-where.

The temperature went up over the weekend and slowly started melting the ice. Start rejoicing right?

WRONG!
Mother Nature just dumped snow on us last night! Today's temperature of 15F will be of little help to us.

I do love winter and snow! It's the ice that I can't stand and driving through all that crap. I'll take the cold anyday, just no more ICE please. Better yet, give me SPRING....NOW!!!

Habla Ingles?

2009-01-26T12:39:00.005-05:00

Emma and I were at the Lexington Public Library yesterday.
She was playing with this little girl who was about
the same age as her. The little girl was cute and very blonde.

They have been playing kitchen for a good ten minutes
when Emma came up to me to gave me a plate of the pretend food.
While we were talking, the little girl came up to us.

She said, "Hey, do you speak English?"
No answer from Emma who was busy feeding me.

Little girl asked again, "Do you speak English?"
I assumed Emma did not hear her so I said,
"Emma your friend is asking you a question."

The little girl for the 3rd time asked, "Do you speak English?"
Emma turned around with a slightly annoyed look on her face answered, "Yes."

Later that night...

After I read to her she wanted to talk about our upcoming trip to Manila.
She wanted details.
How are we going to get there.
How big is the airplane?
Which airport?
How are we going to get to Mama Rose's house?
Where will sleep?
Do they have toys there that she can play with.
What will she eat.

Then this...
Em: Mom, do they speak English in Manila?
Me: What do you think?
Silence
Em: You do speak Filipino and English.
...

Emma at age 4 just gave an inductive fallacy example.
At least I think that's what she did.
I have to review my fallacies.
Anyway...yay for Emma!

An Emma Shout-Out

2009-01-19T16:05:00.011-05:00

Emma's been pestering me the past few days to put her friends names on a website. I really don't understand what exactly she wanted me to do, so I made her tell me all the names of her classmates and typed them as she was watching. She also wanted to print it out buy since I don't have a printer, I will just post their names here.

Here is a list of Emma's Pre-K class under Mrs. Bodart and Mrs. Emnett: Annica, Lilly Beth, Justin, Steven, Maverick, Anna Maria, Owen, Brynn, Jacob, Andrew K., Andrew M., Sam, Laura, Kyndall, Nathan, Caroline, Brandon, Ella, Josh, and Evan.

Then last night she also mentioned that she misses her "far, far, away friends." She meant the people whose picture appears below.

Well that's it. By the way, when she said she missed her "far, far, away friends" she was actually sobbing a bit. She followed her statement with, "when am I going to see them again?"

Unfortunately, I don't have an answer yet.

2009

2009-01-12T21:47:00.002-05:00

2009 is the year of the Ox.
Just like the ox, may we endure any hardships we encounter this year with
patient and without complaint, and work tirelessly to overcome them.
May this year bring more great blessings to all of us.

Happy New Year everyone!!!
(Better late than never!)

Early Christmas Present

2008-12-21T18:00:00.003-05:00

I received an early Christmas present from the Court Administrator of Fayette county.
It was in letter form and it's telling me that I've been selected.
I've been selected (and summoned) to appear at the Circuit Court on Jan. 29.
Failure to comply may result in a fine or jail time.

I am actually surprised that it took them this long to call me.
When I first moved to New York, I received a summon less than 3 months after I changed my license. Fortunately, I was not a U.S. citizen yet. The second summon came 11 months after I got sworn in, but since the dates that I have to show up was a week after leaving NYC.

So...yay! Merry Christmas to me!

Post-Thanksgiving Rhyme

2008-12-08T20:25:00.002-05:00

I heard Emma do this rhyme around Thanksgiving.
As mentioned in an earlier post...it's a slow night, and
obviously I am in a major procrastination mode.

So, here's another Emma video for your pleasure.
It's a Thanksgiving rhyme with a little Who thrown at the end.

Slow Night

2008-12-08T20:02:00.005-05:00

I should be studying but instead I recorded another impromptu peformance by Emma.
Let's see if you can guess what she's trying to sing here.

Figured it out yet?
Here's a clue - the version Emma is trying to do is the Joey Ramone version that he recorded before he died.
Leave a comment if you know what it is.

My Lips

2008-11-29T12:11:00.001-05:00

My Lips
Originally uploaded by Abbie67

I finally got around to uploading pictures from Emma's camera. Click on my Flickr site for more of her best shots.

Identity

2008-11-22T08:42:00.010-05:00

"Hey Emma's Mom..."
That's how I've been called lately.
I have been reduced to being just Emma's Mom.

I'm not complaining, I love being Emma's Mom.
It's just really been more noticeable now since Emma
actually have friends.
All of a sudden, I am no longer me.
I am just an extension of my child.

Is this a generational thing or is it societal?
Laziness perhaps? Or did we just stop caring?

Growing up I've always called my friends parents as Tita (Aunt)
and Tito (Uncle), Mama, or Aling (Mrs.) (insert mother's name),
and Mang (Mr.) (insert father's name).
That's just how I was taught to call adults outside the family.
I don't ever recall referring to any of them as "So-and-so's Mom/Dad."

I have been trying to teach Emma the same thing.
The rule of thumb is, close friends are referred to as Tita or Tito.
Acquaintances gets the Ms/Mrs or Mr. treatment.

Of course, as I am finding out too, everything that we try
to reinforce at home, tends to stay at home.
Just like a couple of Sundays ago.
Emma asked me, "why were you talking to Sam's mom?"
Me: "You mean Ms. Peggy?"
Emma: "That's her name????"

What Famous Leader Are You?

2008-11-10T09:03:00.000-05:00

I called it before I even took the test!!!

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

I VOTED!

2008-11-05T07:58:00.007-05:00

Yes, that’s what I did yesterday and I have the sticker to prove it!

It was my first Presidential election since becoming an American citizen and I was very excited to exercise that right. Actually, it’s my first time to vote, period!

Up to the last minute I was agonizing as to who I want to vote for. I was not really leaning heavily towards any specific candidate, and like any Americans, had big doubts about them.

When I finally did hit that button, I was not really over the moon, nor do I regret the choice I made. I was just glad that it was over and that I actually did it!

Halloween 2008

2008-11-01T09:28:00.006-04:00

For halloween this year, Emma's costume was the old hag who gave Snow White the poisoned apple. I forgot to bring the wig for her costume, so she just ended up as the girl in black cloak carrying bad apples...

Thanks to Lourra and Chris for inviting us to their home and their neighborhood. Emma's trick or treat loot was better this time around. She also enjoyed it more too since she did it with Maverick, her friend/classmate.

Also, a HUGE thank you to MYRA for the beautiful cloak! That's two years in a row that MY made Emma's costume.

I actually tried it when it first came in the mail and I was seriously considered using it for myself! Emma won't let me borrow it though.

So far Emma had been a "Darling Little Devil" (2005), a broom riding ballerina (2006), "Little Dead Riding Hood" (2007), and of course the person that offered Snow White a poisoned apple. I can't wait for next year!

Greatest Show on Earth

2008-09-28T20:07:00.011-04:00

Today Emma watched the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey
circus for the first time.
As mentioned in my earlier blog, this was part
of her "fours old" birthday extravaganza.
In true Emma form, as soon as Jay told her that she was
getting a surprise, she won't stop asking us what it was.

We finally arrived at Rupp Arena and even with the big
RB&B trailers out in the open, she had no clue what was
in store for her. Seriously, clueless!
We got inside, found our seats, passed by gazillion souvenir booths...and nothing.
Okay, granted that she can't read yet and really has not seen
advertisement for the circus...but it was just funny how everything
kind of just went over her little head.

The show started and she just sat there quietly.
I hooted and hollered.
Clapped, laughed, and yelled "marshmallow."
Emma? She just stared.
As we Filipinos like to say..."deadma!"
No reaction.
Nada.

Jay leaned over to her and said, "it's the circus Emma."
We were taking turns pointing out stuff to her.
Twenty minutes in the show, she started clapping along.
Finally, we had a pulse!!!

Then the tigers were brought in.
You can see in her big brown eyes that she's
a little bit scared of the whole act.
She reacted well with the clowns and some of the acrobats,
but there were some that scared her a bit too.
During intermission, she complained that she was hungry.
The second part of the show, more complaining.
"I'm hungry."
"Is it over yet?"
"When is it going to be over?"
"Can we go to Mcdonalds?"
"It's hurting my ears."
Finally it was over.

On our way to the car we were asking her if she liked the circus.
She said, "no."
She said that the animals scared her because they were acting "funny."
She did like the clowns and the zebras.
She was scared for someone coz she fell (she actually jumped).
Of course later on she said she liked everything.

Then while I was putting her to bed she asked,
"why do they have animals at the circus?"
I was taken aback by her question.
I don't really know the answer, so I just sort of skirted around it.
Hmmmmm....
So why do they put animals in the show?

By the way, the tickets were pretty inexpensive.
We were in the $24 seats and it hada great view of the whole thing.
Someone gave me a 50% coupon, so we only paid $12 for ours.
Where they'll kill you is in the merchandising!

Souvenir programs = $20
Cotton Candy with RBB&B "Dr. Seuss" looking hat = $12
Twirling light thingies = $22
Snow Cones in souvenir cups = $15
Lemonade in souvenir cups = $9
Calming down a high in sugar toddler = Priceless!

Luckily, Emma did not ask for any of them.
She was actually quite content to eat the $3 (yeah still $$$) pretzel and the $3 bottled water we got from the arena vendor.

Will post pictures later.
With the digicam dead, I have to go low-tech in the photography section.

If you have forgotten how that goes, it's like this -
step 1: take the pictures
step 2: wait for the film to rewind
step 3: remove film from camera
step 4: take the used film to a developing center
step 5: pick-up photos after an hour
(if you asked for a picture CD do step 6; if not, do step 7)
step 6: upload digital version of the photos
step 7: scan photos and then do step 6.

R.I.P.

2008-09-25T07:53:00.005-04:00

Four years ago they both came into our lives.

They were both given to us by wonderful and

generous people we dearly love.

They have captured a lot of events and Emma firsts.

How sad that on the same week they both bade us farewell.

To our Canon PowerShot A310 and our JVC videocam- THANK YOU.
Thank you for 4 wonderful years, even though you both decided to die
during Emma's 4th birthday celebration week.
We have enjoyed your company and really appreciated everything you've done.

Now that they are both on their way to the great electronic shelf in the sky,
we have to go back taking pictures like the old days.
You know, use a film and have them developed.
All I need know is remember where we stored our good ol' Canon ELPh.

Emma's 4 Years Old Today

2008-09-24T10:37:00.001-04:00

Emma's Birthday Weekend
Originally uploaded by Abbie67

Happy Birthday to my Little Princess!!!

She's been looking forward to her "fours-old" birthday.
Looking at every toy at Target and Toys R Us and telling which one she wants as a gift. My little smart monkey likes to point out that the toys she's demanding that we buy are suitable for her age ("it has my number Mommy!" (4+ on the box)). She also made sure that I remembered to get the cupcakes for school.

At 6:00 AM this morning she said, "Mom it's morning. Time to wake up. Today's my birthday too! You need to say happy birthday to me!"
When she got up and saw that her grandma was in the kitchen, she reminded her as well.

We started celebrating her birthday last Saturday when the Lolas and Lolo were in town visiting. We'll have another celebration tonight, and on Sunday Jay and I are taking her to see Barnum & Bailey Circus (shhhh she does not know about it yet...).

Sux that her birthday is in the middle of the week. We have to do multiple celebrations like this! :)

ATL 2008

2008-09-05T07:36:00.005-04:00

Last weekend, my family and I met up with friends in Hotlanta.
This is how it went down -

Friday
8 AM - JoEl & MaiT arrived at ATL
8 PM - We arrived at MyT's residence

Saturday @ 12:30 AM
Met at the Waffle House for late night snack.
TGM & family drove in from St. Aug.
JoEl & MaiT returned from their John Mayer concert.
MaiT was in 7th heaven after watching John Mayer perform live.

The whole trip to the Waffle House reminded me of those times I've eaten at IHOP after a night of dancing and drinking. Only this time, most of us were just tired from the trip.

Saturday from 11:00 AM until the wee hours of the morning
- we ate
- we laughed
- we ate
- we laughed
- we took pictures
- we played tongits
- we ate
- we laughed
and right after dinner... we karaoke'd...so...
(from this point on - everything was videotaped!)
- we sang
- we danced
- we drank Margarita & Mojito
- we took pictures
- we laughed
- we sang
- we danced
- we drank Margarita & Mojito
- someone kept on hitting the floor
- someone dropped their pants
- someone kept on spilling people's precious drinks
- and we laughed, danced, and sang some more

By 3:00 AM...well you can make your own conclusion on the kind of state everyone was in (except TGM because he was the D.D.)

Sunday - AM
Woke up with almost no voice and a pounding headache.
Apparently, everyone's head was pounding (except TGM).
JoEl told us she had a few sessions with the Porcelain god.
Even with the lack of sleep and the pounding headache that won't go away, we still managed to go to the mall to do a bit of shopping.

Sunday - 5 PM until ....
Repeat Saturday night activities minus the Margarita and Mojito.

Monday morning
Brunch at MyT's house.
A little advanced "Happy Birthday" celebration for MaiT, MyT, & Emma.
More picture taking

By Noon - TGM & fam left.
1:00 PM - MyT, MaiT, and I all went to the airport to see JoEl leave.

MaiT ended up staying since her flight was CXL due to Gustav.
We ended up staying since JET's stomach is still bothering him.

From the airport, we went straight to the mall (H&M!!!).
That night, MyT, Mait, and I played tongits, and had a photo shoot.
(See my Flickr account for photos)

Tuesday @ 10:00 AM
MaiT and I finally left MyT's home.
MaiT back to BFM to get ready for her LAX flight and then eventually back to MNL for her.
We started our drive back to LEX.

Thank you MyT & family for the accommodation and the yummy food that your Mader made for us. Truly Pinoy (and Southern) hospitality at its best!!!

My family and I had so much fun.
We are so blessed that we have such wonderful and fun friends.
Until we all meet again.

Just Horrible!

2008-08-22T10:22:00.003-04:00

My friend Ty recently wrote on his site a conversation that took place between him and his son Tyler. Click here to read all about it.

A few days ago, Emma and I were having our own little conversation and it went something like this…

Emma: Mommy are we going to the car shower after Dad comes home?
[Translation: Car shower = car wash]

Me: Yup!

Emma: Then we going to McDonalds to get me a Sundae?

Me: We’ll see.

Emma: [whining] but we have to!

Me: Hey, guess what?

Emma: What Mommy?

Me: I’m going to be a teacher in your Sunday School?

Emma: [eyes bulging] You WHAAAT???

Me: Yeah! Cool huh? I will be with the 3 y.o.

Emma had this unexplainable look on her face.

Scene 2 – in the car, on our way to the car shower

Emma: Daddy!!! Mommy’s going to teach my church school!

Daddy: Yes, I know.

Emma: Isn’t that HORRIBLE?!?!?!

Pre-K (4)

2008-08-13T13:35:00.004-04:00

Today, Emma started her Pre-K (4) school.
I have to make sure I mention 4 because she attended pre-k classes last year but it was for 3 y.o.

She is not only in a different class, but a totally different school as well.

We decided to move her to a school closer to home so we don't have to waste gas, time, and money driving downtown to pick her up. Plus, her old school's tuition was so high compared to this new school.

Her first day of school outfit was chosen by Emma herself.

She calls it her "I APPLE New York" city shirt.

Somnambulist

2008-07-28T09:42:00.003-04:00

One night last week -
I crawled under the cover with my book,
and read until I can't keep my eyes open.

A few pages later, I closed my book.
Turned off my bedside lamp, and I slept.
The time -somewhere between 10:30 and 11:30 PM.

I suddenly woke up.
I opened my eyes and the room was pitch black.
My head felt woozy.
My body was a bit sore.
The bed felt slightly strange to me.
Then I realized that I was in Emma's room,
and had been asleep on Emma's bed.

I got up dazed and confused.
I glanced up at the clock and it read 2:00.
Walked back to our bedroom and went back to sleep.

How I got to Emma's room, I have no clue.
Usually Emma will try to jump in on our bed,
and I take her back to her own bed.
Sometimes, she'll let me go back to my room,
but most of the time I end up sleeping with her.

I usually remember when that happens,
but that one night last week - nothing.

Nada.
Zip.
Blank.

It was (and still is) a bit scary,
not being able to remember the how and why.
I know that it happens a lot to other people, just not to me.
I still have the heebie-jeebies just thinking about it.

I'm in a BAND!

2008-07-22T12:34:00.004-04:00

My friend Ty posted it first on his site, then Maitz followed.
I like to do what they do...so I did it.

-----

1. Go here. The first random Wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.
2. Go here. The last four words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.
3. Go here.Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.
4. Go here.The first ten links you end up in (minus the .coms) are your 10 song titles.

----------
Here are my results -

Band Name: 860s BC
Album Title: for excellence, not perfection
Album Cover: Click here

Song Titles:

One Ring Zero
DP Review
The Inquirer
Jaundiced Eye
Smart Projects
Plan-it-X
WMUA
Urban Geek-o-Sphere
Warning Signs
This Boy is Toast

Coolness!

Who's the Mama?

2008-07-19T10:47:00.003-04:00

Jay and I picked Emma up from her Vacation Bible School yesterday.
We were standing by the door waiting for Emma, when her teacher approached Jay and handed him Emma's stuff. They started talking on how sweet and quiet Emma has been and how she's looking forward to seeing her in class in the fall.

I've been waiting all week to meet the VBS teacher since I knew that she is going to be Emma's teacher in the fall.
So, I interrupted their conversation and introduced myself.

Me: Hi Mrs. B. I'm Emma's Mom. It's so nice to finally meet you.
Teacher: Oh, hi! It's nice to meet you too!
[recovering from her surprise]
Teacher: Emma's a doll! She's so cute and sweet...etc, etc.
[pause]
Teacher: I've only been seeing Emma's dad here. The first time I met them, I thought Emma was adopted! Now I know where Emma got her looks from!
Me: Yes, thank God for that!
[laughter]

A few minutes later, we got into the car...

Jay: Jesus Moses Ellis! WTF? Adopted????

Civilization

2008-07-15T11:03:00.004-04:00

FINALLY! Lexington now has a -

WOOHOOOO!!! Oh yeah! Civilization meter just went up a notch.

Can be next?

Just the thought of it, makes me salivate!

What's that Phase again?

2008-07-11T08:42:00.008-04:00

Last weekend Jay, Emma, and I met up with our friends in St. Augustine, FL.
Like our ATL meet-up, we had a blast!
Of course a fun trip is not going to be complete without 'incidents.'
One of the funny/embarrassing moment involves Tyler & Emma.

There we were on that hot Saturday afternoon, cross legged on the Martell's living room floor and concentrating on our game of Tongits. When we heard this yell from the 2nd floor of the house...

Tyler: Daddy?!?!?!
Tyrone: Yes, Tyler?
Tyler: Emma has a vag---!
Tyrone: (Click here for his reaction.)

Oh, but that was not the end of that story.
Yesterday, Tyrone sent us this email -

From: Tyrone
Sent: Thursday, July 10, 2008 12:53 PM
To: Margarita
Cc: My; Abigail; Jojo

OKAY OKAY!!QUICKLY BEFORE I FORGET!!!(ABBIE LISTEN!!) --last night..during dinner...

Mommy: Tyler, do you miss our friends?
Tyler: Yeah.
Mommy: Do you miss Emma and Jake?
(Silence)
Tyler: You know what? When our visitors were here, Emma watches me when I pee.
(Silence)
"Daddy massages his head in pain."
--AND THAT"S THAT!!TRUE STORY!!!--

OR you can click here for his reaction.

Part 3 - the saga continues...

Last night, while Jay and I were working on the video (below), I decided to have a talk with Emma.

Me: Emma? I need to talk to you.
Emma: Yeah?
Me: Did you watch Tyler use the potty?
Emma: No.
Me: Did he watch you use the potty?
Emma: No, but Jake did! He went inside the potty with me!
(as my friend TY said, "And that's that! True Story!!!)

In Memory of TETOTs (2008)

2008-07-10T18:27:00.004-04:00

"Where is your tetoooot?!?!"

Edited/Directed by: J.E. Taylor
Location: St. Augustine, FL
Dates: July 3-6, 2008

"A Journey into my Colon" by D. Barry

2008-07-02T08:55:00.007-04:00

This is from newshound Dave Barry's colonoscopy journal:

... I called my friend Andy Sable, a gastroenterologist, to make an appointment for a colonoscopy. A few days later, in his office, Andy showed me a color diagram of the colon, a lengthy organ that appears to go all over the place, at one point passingbriefly through Minneapolis . Then Andy explained the colonoscopy procedure to me in a thorough, reassuring and patient manner. I nodded thoughtfully, but I didn't really hear anything he said, because my brain was shrieking, quote, 'HE'S GOING TO STICK A TUBE 17,000 FEET UP YOUR BEHIND!'
I left Andy's office with some written instructions, and a prescription for a product called 'MoviPrep,' which comes in a box large enough to hold a microwave oven. I will discuss MoviPrep in detail later; for now suffice it to say that we must never allow it to fall into the hands of America 's enemies.
I spent the next several days productively sitting around being nervous. Then, on the day before my colonoscopy, I began my preparation. In accordance with my instructions, I didn't eat any solid food that day; all I had was chicken broth, which is basically water, only with less flavor. Then, in the evening, I took the MoviPrep. Yo u mix two packets of powder together in a one-liter plastic jug, then you fill it with lukewarm water. (For those unfamiliar with the metric system, a liter is about 32 gallons.) Then you have to drink the whole jug. This takes about an hour, because MoviPrep tastes and here I am being kind - like a mixture of goat spit and urinal cleanser, with just a hint of lemon.
The instructions for MoviPrep, clearly written by somebody with a great sense of humor, state that after you drink it, 'a loose watery bowel movement may result.' This is kind of like saying that after you jump off your roof, you may experience contact with the ground.
MoviPrep is a nuclear laxative. I don't want to be too graphic, here,but: Have you ever seen a space-shuttle launch? This is pretty much the MoviPrep experience, with you as the shuttle. There are times when you wish the commode had a seat belt. You spend several hours pretty much confined to the bathroom, spurting violently. You eliminate everything. And then, when you figure you must be totally empty, you have to drink another liter of MoviPrep, at which point, as far as I can tell, your bowels travel into the future and start eliminating food that you have not even eaten yet.
After an action-packed evening, I finally got to sleep. The next morning my wife drove me to the clinic. I was very nervous. Not only was I worried about the procedure, but I had been experiencing occasional return bouts of MoviPrep spurtage. I was thinking, 'What if I spurt on Andy? 'How do youapologize to a friend for something like that? Flowers would not be enough.
At the clinic I had to sign many forms acknowledging that I understood and totally agreed with whatever the heck the forms said. Then they led me to a room full of other colonoscopy people, where I went inside a little curtained space and took off my clothes and put on one of those hospital garments designed by sadist perverts, the kind that, when you put it on, makes you feel even more naked than when you are actually naked.
Then a nurse named Eddie put a little needle in a vein in my left hand. Ordinarily I would have fainted, but Eddie was very good, and I was already lying down. Eddie also told me that some people put vodka in their MoviPrep. At first I was ticked off that I hadn't thought of this, but then I pondered what would happen if you got yourself too tipsy to make it to the bathroom, so you were staggering around in full Fire Hose Mode. You would have no choice but to burn your house.
When everything was ready, Eddie wheeled me into the procedure room, where Andy was waiting with a nurse and an anesthesiologist. I did not see the 17,000-foot tube, but I knew Andy had it hidden around there somewhere. I was seriously nervous at this point. An dy had me roll over on my left side, and the anesthesiologist began hooking something up to the needle in my hand. There was music playing in the room, and I realized that the song was 'Dancing Queen' by ABBA I remarked to Andy that, of all the songs that could b playing during this particular procedure, 'Dancing Queen' has to be the least appropriate. 'You want me to turn it up?' said Andy, from somewhere behind me. 'Ha ha,' I said. And then it was time, the moment I had been dreading for more than a decade. If you are squeamish, prepare yourself, because I am going to tell you, in explicit detail, exactly what it was like.
I have no idea. Really. I slept through it. One moment, ABBA was yelling 'Dancing Queen, Feel the beat of the tambourine,' and the next moment, I was back in the other room, waking up in a very mellow mood. Andy was looking down at me and asking me how I felt. I felt excellent. I felt even more excellent when Andy told me that It was all over, and that my colon had passed with flying colors. I have never been prouder of an internal organ.

ABOUT THE WRITER
Dave Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning humor columnist for the Miami Herald.
For the complete article, click here.

------------------------------------------------
I wish I read this article before I had mine (two days after my birthday), it would have been a big help with my anxiety. I am nowhere near 50, but since my Dad died of colon cancer, my PCP (past and present) said that I needed to get screened now.

I was dreading the MoviePrep (or something similar), and was quite surprised when my instructions came in the mail and the only thing I was required to take were Mylanta Gas tablets and Magnesium Phosphate, and of course, I was told to starve myself the day before the procedure.

Chewing Mylanta Gas tablets was not bad at all. Neither was the first bottle of Magnesium Phosphate. Taking the second bottle was H-E-L-L. With the stomach churning and violent spurting, trying to down that second bottle without throwing up was just too much. At that point, I actually would rather have the all day (and night) long spurting than to take that awful drink! But without one, you can't have the other!

I was so happy that my appointment was actually moved from 11:30 AM to 6:30 AM. I was at the center by 6 AM, and was out there by, probably 8 AM. I don't remember much of anything after I was given the 'happy shot.' Jay said that when I finally came to, the first thing I asked was "I'm not dying?" and I followed that question with, "I want to go to IHOP."

Overall, the preparation was the worst part of getting a colonoscopy. I was so happy when the doctor said that the next time I have to do it is in 2013. By the way, Jay still owes me a trip to IHOP!

About the Video

2008-06-29T23:30:00.004-04:00

The video posted below was my first attempt in using Window's Movie Maker.
Since I was in a bit of a rush to make the video,
I did not have the time to proof it.
So please pardon any errors (like "It is Finish" instead of "It is Finished!").
I would have corrected them but I'm ready to crash.
I am not even sure if this post will make any sense when I read it tomorrow.

Oh well, just scroll down and enjoy!

Background music by:
Dan Zanes & Friends
Green Acres theme

Kaleb's Birthday Celebration

2008-06-29T23:23:00.001-04:00

Target and Me

2008-06-26T08:34:00.005-04:00

Last night Emma and I were wandering aimlessly around Target.
We’ve already gone up and down the toy aisle, twice,
when she finally decided to move to the book aisle.
After 10 minutes or so of browsing,
I heard this big ‘thunk’ in my cart.

Me: Emma what did you just put in my cart?
Emma: My Bible.

I picked up the book and saw that it was one of
those abridged Bible stories for children.

Emma: I gotta have my Bible Mommy. I just have to!
Me: [text messaging my friend Ty] “Emma just put a Children’s Bible in my cart, what the hell?????” [Ty’s response: “Wtf?”]

Emma: [interrupting my text messaging activity] Can we get it Mommy? Can we? Can we? You can read it to me tonight and I can read it to Grandma. Pleaaase Mommy, pleeeaaase!

Okay, so tell me, how do you say “no” to a request like that?
I just have to say “Yes” out of fear.
Fear that if I say “No” God will strike me down on the spot,
leaving a gaping hole in the middle of the book aisle at Target.
I can see the headline now, “Woman a Lightning Target!”

----------------------------------------------------------------

In a totally unrelated news…

A couple of days ago I excitedly started messaging my brother and sis-in-law with birthday wishes for my nephew Kaleb. When I went home for lunch, I excitedly told Jay that Kaleb turns 1 that day.

At about 3:00 PM that day, I logged in on MySpace to post a comment on one of Kaleb’s photo to wish him on his especial day, when it finally hit me.

“OMFG today is June 24, not 25th!!!”

Allday long, I really thought that it was June 25th!
What sucks was I’ve been writing “June 24” ALL freaking morning!!!

Here’s another one for you.
This morning, I told my colleague here at work that a certain
student is “a very stubborn young man.”

YOUNG MAN!
I referred to another human being as a “YOUNG MAN.”
I actually used those words...YOUNG MAN

What is WRONG WITH ME????

breathe in....breathe out...shoooooooooo

Summer 2008 Casualty

2008-06-11T09:12:00.011-04:00

This is what happens when you toil under the sun without applying sunscreen first.

It's not pretty and it hurts like h-e-l-l.

This reminds me of that Buz Luhrmann's song "Everyone's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)"

If I could offer you one tip for the future,

sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the (Read the rest of the lyrics here.)

BTW, there is nothing erotic or kinky about this picture.

It's just plain...uhm...funny and painful!!!

Let this be a lesson to y'all fair skinned humans.

Happy Birthday to Me

2008-06-09T19:23:00.002-04:00

I celebrated my birthday last Saturday.
I would like to say "Thank you" to those who
remembered to greet me, either by phone, text, email,
via facebook, friendster, and myspace.

Thank you to the DenOfBuNnIeS for the gorgeous flowers.
Thank you Shawie for the yummy choc-covered-strawberries.

Another year older!

Brain Fuel

2008-05-25T20:36:00.002-04:00

Brain Fuel
Originally uploaded by Abbie67

More photos by Emma.
This was taken using Emma's VTech Kidizoom camera.
To view more just go to my Flickr site.

Then...Now

2008-05-15T22:46:00.006-04:00

This was in June 2007.

This was April 2008.

May Crowning - part 2

2008-05-11T19:56:00.004-04:00

Well, here are two pictures from Emma's very first May Crowning.
Unfortunately, I didn't get a clear shot of her putting the flowers down, it just felt a bit weird taking a picture when no one else was doing it.

The picture on the left was taken while she was waiting for the
rest of her Sunday school class to finish.
The picture on the right was before we crossed the street to go to Mass.

Parish: Mary Queen of the Holy Rosary, Lexington KY

May Crowning

2008-05-10T09:15:00.008-04:00

Emma's Sunday School class is scheduled to participate
in the May Crowning event on Sunday. The class was asked to
bring a flower or two, real or not, on Sunday.

May Crowning for those of you who are unfamiliar with it,
is a Catholic tradition that happens around the month of May.
Children of all ages offer flowers to the statue of the Virgin Mary.
One of these children will have a crown made of flowers to be
placed on Mary's head.

Flashback to my childhood:
After my grandparents moved to Meralco Village in Taytay (Rizal),
I started joining my Dollar Street friends in the festivities.
Unlike the Catholic tradition here in the U.S., where it's only for
one day, back home we were doing flower offerings everyday
at 6 PM during the whole month of May.
This tradition is called Flores de Mayo.

Prior to us going to the little chapel, we go from house to house
to gather the fresh flowers that we were going to offer.
Sometimes we procure them from overhanging branches
that were encroaching the sidewalks leading to the chapel.

Our little basket of flowers usually contains common
garden variety flowers like Gumamela (aka Hibiscus), Santan,
Yellow Bells, Roses, and if we are lucky, a few Sampaguitas.

So there were were, with our basket of flowers, in our
simple white dresses, we all lined up to put the flowers
in Mary's altar. After we have offered the flowers
and sang a few hymns, the organizers or sponsors
will then give us biscuits and juice.
The month of May closes with a procession called the Santacruzan.

When my friends and I got too old to be in the actual nightly
flower offering, we ended up volunteering to help out or we
chaperoned the smaller children and helped them with their
flower baskets.

Fastforward to present time:
Now, I have a daughter who will be doing it for the first time.
I am passing down a somewhat different, and yet
still in many ways a time honored tradition.
The timing of this could not be perfect, because Sunday
is MOTHER'S DAY.

To all the Mommies out there...
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Playlist

2008-05-07T09:45:00.005-04:00

Last Monday, as I was driving Emma home from school,
I was playing the CD that contains three of her current favorite songs.
She always make sure that I play the songs in this order "Dan Zane,
then Yugyog Mo, and then Mater."

Explanation of the playlist.
Dan Zanes, is the artist Dan Zanes that does hip and
cool children's song. The actual song that we play in the
car is called Father Goose.

"Yugyog Mo" - It's Iyugyog Mo from Willie Revillame's CD. My
Mom taught her this song last March together with Sayaw Darling
and Happy Birthday To You.

"Mater" - Rascall Flatt's version of "Life is a Highway."
Mater because of the movie "Cars."

Back to my story...
So there we were driving along Broadway.
We just finished singing Father Goose.
The Iyugyog Mo medley just started.
We got to the chorus and I can hear Emma singing along.
I started singing along with her.
Then I heard Emma say, "Can you stop singing please?"

Me: huh?
Emma: Stop singing.
Me: Why?
Emma: Coz I can sing it all by myself!

Translation: Your off-key singing is messin' me up!

In the News Today

2008-05-06T09:34:00.003-04:00

SCHOOL SET TO EXPAND
The most Rev. Ronald Gainer, Lexington’s Roman Catholic bishop, sprinkled holy water during his blessing of the site for an addition and renovation at Sts. Peter and Paul School on Short Street in Lexington. The public groundbreaking was Monday.

Source: Lexington Herald-Leader
Date: May 06, 2008

Parent-Teacher Conference

2008-04-30T10:39:00.003-04:00

Last April 25, Jay and I had our 2nd Parent-Teacher Conference.
Emma's teacher said that Emma is doing great.
She knows her letters, the sounds they make, and can even
name things that starts with each letter.
She even can sort of write her name now.
She knows her numbers too.

Outside Playtime: Emma run and shrieks like a banshee.
As soon as she steps inside the building, quiet as a mouse.
Not a bad thing right?
She definitely knows when and where to use her indoor and outdoor voice.

Here's the problem.
She's been around her teacher and classmates
3x a week, 3 1/2 hours a day, for the last 7 months,
and she still barely talks to her teacher!
Her teacher has to ask her to repeat what she's saying
because she whispers or mumbles them.

Emma may look a lot like me, but she is the opposite of me.
At least when it comes to her current behavior.
Ever since I started Kindergarten, my teachers biggest
complain was that I TALK TOO MUCH.
"Abigail's doing well in class Mrs. Samson, but she's very talkative."
Talk about getting an earful from my Mom when we got home.

I know she's only 3 (going 4) and that she'll probably snap out of it.
Unfortunately, her timidity is just not with her teacher,
it's with other people that's not me, Jay, or her Grandma.
Actually the whole timidity works great around strangers.
Not so great around family and friends though.

Jay and I would like to think that she's just really
like to do things her way, in her own terms, and in her own pace.
So for now, we just have to wait what the next school year will bring.

Communing with Mother Nature

2008-04-22T21:25:00.010-04:00

Emma and I tried to commune with Mother Nature.
Together with Emma's Ninang Mina,
we spent a few days in Gatlinburg, TN.

Gatlinburg is adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountains
National Park. The resort that we stayed in was actually
in the foothills of the same mountains. So you see,
we were really surrounded by nature.

Of course, as soon as we arrived at the resort,
my throat, and head and nose were stuffed up.
If you've ever had a cold and flown or drove where
the elevation drastically change, you most likely
know and can feel my pain.

The little head cold did not stop me from doing
our planned activities. We had dinner at Pigeon Forge,
rode the Emma-friendly rides in Dollywood, shopped at
Tanger Outlet Mall, and drove the 11-mile scenic loop of Cades Cove.

I don't know if it was my stuffy head or the ringing ears,
or even just being around a 3 year old, but every activity
that we did just exhausted me to the max!

I used to be able to stay inside a theme park from
opening until closing AND ride everything that I can
possibly ride. At Dollywood - after 9 Emma-friendly rides,
I was begging to go home. That's only after 5 lame hours.

Tanger Outlet - my friend Jojo will be very disappointed
with this one, less than 3 hours, 6 stores, and that's including lunch.
Out of the 6 stores, 4 were mostly for Emma-store.

What did I learn from this trip?

1) I am now very Emma-centric.
I've known this since her conception, but it did not
really hit me hard until after I rode the flying elephant
and the VeggieTales rollercoaster with her. Also
that little shopping I did - none for me...all for her.

2) Too much nature is not for me.
It's not for Emma either. Getting sick upon
arrival was not just a coincidence!

3) I'm O-L-D.
Still in denial about this one. I'm sticking with
#2 as the primary reason for my exhaustion.

Will post pictures soon.
Most of our pictures were in Ninang Mina's camera.

Long overdue

2008-04-08T08:11:00.004-04:00

This is for my friend Nikki.
I have been trying to find the right words to use,
nay, the right approach for this post.

Unfortunately, I was never good in creative writing.
So, I therefore conclude that a more direct approach is more appropriate.
No sugar coating, no flattery,
just the truth and nothing but the truth.

Nikki was right!
She really knows her stuff well...too well.
I've known her since 2nd grade,
and she's seldom wrong on certain things.
Specifically on things that she has first hand knowledge of.
I never should have doubted her knowledge and wisdom.

Nikki's right.
I was wrong.
I am tucking my tails in between my legs.
Hiding my horns beneath my hair.

There, I've said it!
I have made my public admission.
It is done.

Monkish-blue-whatever

2008-04-07T12:14:00.008-04:00

Emma was eating M&Ms as I was about to return

to work after eating my lunch.

She got up from the couch and placed the bowl

of M&Ms on the table so she can give me a kiss & a hug.

I looked at the bowl, and all I saw were BLUE M&Ms.

Either Emma just loves them blue M&Ms,

or she was actually eating them by color.

Last night I told Emma to pick-out her clothes for school.
I picked out the skirt, but she said she wanted her
blue Mickey (or was it Minnie) shirt to wear with the skirt.

This morning as we were trying to get her dressed
(she woke up grumpy). She wanted her Daddy to help her.
She said it was her Daddy's job to get her dressed.
My job was everything else related to getting her dressed and fixing her hair.
I pulled a pair of socks in her drawer (white),
but her Highness did not like the white socks.
She said that she wanted her Mickey socks.

First pair that I saw were Minnie and it was pink.
I told her it won't match her outfit.
She got up, walked over to the drawer and
pulled out the BLUE Mickey socks, showed them to me
and said, "See! It matches my shirt!"

The only thing missing from that statement was a big "duuhh!"

Horse Park

2008-04-06T21:55:00.004-04:00

Last Saturday, Emma, Jay and I went to the Kentucky Horse Park.
The park was hosting the National Intercollegiate
Polo Championship match. According to the announcement
they had in the Friday paper, they were doing some children's
activities prior to the match.

One of the advertised activity was a place where children can
be up close and pet a pony. Since it was a free event,
Jay and I said, "why not?"

The pre-match events were suppose to start at 3:00 PM
and the Women's Final was scheduled for 5:00 PM.
We got there at exactly 3:00, and boy what a disappointment!

There was NOTHING.
Aside from the First Aid truck with a fuzzy mascot and
a simulated ride, nothing else was happening.
N-O-T-H-I-N-G

We ended up walking to a nearby paddock where they were
having the Bluegrass Open Mounted Games.
Emma was not interested to watch that at all.
All she wanted to do was pet a darn horse.

On our way out of the park, we managed to find
a paddock where two horses were grazing.
Emma got her wish.
On top of that she also managed to step on horse poop.

OMFG! The stench!!!
I have cleaned everything.
I also washed her shoes.
Even after washing it and drying it, it was still smelly.
So now, it's in the basement wrapped in Bounce dryer sheet.

If anyone knows how to get rid of the stench...
leave me a message!!!

Other than that, got pictures on my Flickr site.
Sorry, no actual poop picture was taken.

Photos by Emma

2008-04-06T21:14:00.005-04:00

Emma received a VTtech Kidizoom camera from
her Lola Evie last month. Since then she's been trying to
figure out how to use it. Taking random pictures whenever
she's in the mood. Below are just some of the photos she
took that did not end up in the trash.

Just click on the picture to get a better view.
My favorite is the one of her shoes and the coffee mug.

London Calling

2008-03-13T09:52:00.001-04:00

You Belong in London

You belong in London, but you belong in many cities... Hong Kong, San Francisco, Sidney. You fit in almost anywhere.

And London is diverse and international enough to satisfy many of your tastes. From curry to Shakespeare, London (almost) has it all!

What European City Do You Belong In?

Wedding Bells

2008-03-13T07:57:00.010-04:00

On the 7th day of March 2008, my brother Raymond Samson (aka Monchie) and Katie Hust tied the knot.

The wedding was small and very intimate. It was held at the Henderson County Clerk's Office, and was witnessed by their family and closest friends.

The short ceremony was followed by dinner at the Mandarin House.

To Monchie and Katie -

CONGRATULATIONS!

Goodluck and all the best to you both.

We love you!

To Katie - welcome to the family!

Oh and by the way, NO RETURN - NO EXCHANGE!

Adorable

2008-02-16T12:34:00.005-05:00

Mini-Monchie can sleep wherever, however, and whenever.
Just like his Daddy.
Thank you Katie for updating your MySpace profile with Kaleb's pics.
Can't wait to see him again!

"He who sings well..."

2008-02-16T11:08:00.005-05:00

According to St. Augustine, "He who sings well, prays twice."
I have to do a lot of extra praying since I can't sing well,
but Lord knows I try!

Emma loves to sing.
Her repertoir, as one can expect from a three year old,
is very limited. The only two songs she can really sing
from start to finish is her "ABC," and "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."

Last Sunday, I finally went to church with Emma.
She had Sunday school that morning, so I decided to give
the Church-Emma combo another chance.
On our way to church school, I told her of our plans
and instructed her on the proper behavior in church.

Ten minutes to 11:00, we entered the church's vestibule.
Her first question was, "where the choir?"
(She remembered the term from our last failed attempt.)
We took our seat and I reminded her again about the rules.

Mass started promptly at 11:00 a.m.
The congregation stood up, and Emma did too.
She did the sign of the cross when prompted.
Actually more like she said the words out loud,
but did not do the hand part.
She sat down when we all sat.
I was thinking, "Wow! Perfect!!!"

Observant as always, she picked up on the relationship
between the opened hymn book and singing.
Next song, she took a hymn book, opened it, and
when the song started, so was her singing.
Right on cue.

So there she was with an open hymn book.
Singing - "ABC" and then "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."
Her voice gradually increasing in volume.
Working up to that moment where she can sing her little heart out.

That's when I told her to STOP.

Question

2008-02-11T08:52:00.001-05:00

Emma's question of the month -

"Are you happy?"

A simple and very innocent question from a child.

A hard question for an adult to answer.

"This is how we do it..."

2008-02-08T08:28:00.000-05:00

More like this is how we used to carry Emma around in her stroller when we were living in NYC. FUN huh?
I definitely DO NOT miss this part!!!

I saw this picture in a magazine.
The woman road tested strollers that were supposed to be geared towards "urban dwellers" and then wrote the pros and cons of each stroller she tested. The prices ranged from $150 to $1100.

Emma had a travel system stroller, and when she was old enough to sit unassisted, we started using the umbrella stroller. The travel system was too heavy for subway use, so we used it around the neighborhood (grocery, laundry, CVS, long walks...) The umbrella stroller was more subway friendly but hard to maneuver with one hand. Neither stroller cost over $200.

Correction - the umbrella stroller was less than $100. I don't know how much the travel system cost since it was a gift from the grandparents.

Jay used the combination of Baby Bjorn and stroller when travelling. I opted for the "carry her and the stroller up the stairs" option. Sometimes I get lucky and some nice stranger (or visiting friends) will help me carry the stroller up and down the subway steps. Talk about working up a sweat!

Oh yeah...the good ol' days.
I wonder if Jay got misty eyed when he read the article.
**Note to self - ask Jay.**

Leaky Faucet

2008-02-01T10:11:00.000-05:00

Emma's sick.
Her nose has been running like crazy since last week.
When I got home last night, she felt a little warm.
I checked her temp and it was 100.2 F.
Three hours later, it was 102.6 F.
That second time I checked, she was already zonked out.

I went to the bathroom and wet her little towel.
Put a bit of alcohol on it, then placed it on her forehead.
[Why? I don't have the scientific reason to back-up that action.
I just know that I have seen my Mom and Lola do it all the
time when someone has a fever. She's lucky I didn't make her
take a "Datu Puti" bath.]

Ten minutes later she woke up and she removed the towel.
I tried putting it back and she kept on saying "no."
We went back and forth for a few minutes.
Then she got up to use the potty.

While she was doing her business, I was explaining to her
why I need to put the wet towel over her forehead.
This is what she said,

"No. I don't want that on my head. You don't put things like that on people's head!
You just don't!"

Then she pulled her jammies up and walked off.

Birthday, Piercing, Etc...

2008-01-22T07:40:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Jan. 21 was Jay's 43rd birthday.
Yes, Jay is 16 years older than me.
We all know that I am ONLY 27 years old!

Four years ago last Sunday (Jan. 20),
Jay and I found out that we were having a baby.
That same embryo that was growing inside me four years ago
finally got her ears pierced last Saturday.

She also reminded me to buy her Daddy a birthday cake,
and then helped me bake and decorate the cake,
eat the left over M&Ms, and lick the spatula.

Speaking of piercing...

I was planning to get her ears pierced last Christmas
but ,1) I was too chicken to do it, and 2) Emma kept saying "no."
Until I asked her again and reminded her that
her BFF Ella has pierced ears.

I received different reactions to this whole
ear piercing event.
One half said "Finally!"
Then there's the other half who thinks it's just silly,
and that it just shows how people were raised differently.
(That was actually said in a way that did not sit well with me.)

Is it really just silly?
Should I have waited until she's old enough to want it?

But waiting for me just does not feel right.
In fact, I feel like I have neglected this part of motherhood.
I know some of you will think it's weird but look at MY facts.

1) As far as I can remember, I've always worn earrings.
2) Almost every female that I know of had their ears pierced at
an early age. Some in fact, even before they leave the hospital.
3) I have not heard any one of them ever regretting or even
blaming their mothers for doing it.
4) My Dad, who has strict rules on things did NOT even object
to getting my ears pierce as a child.

Ear piercing is second nature to us!
It’s like a rite of passage.
It is another way for mothers and daughters to bond.
The easiest way to end gender assumptions.
I can even say its tradition.

But to call it silly?
I feel like my whole existence and beliefs just got trivialized.

SILLY MY FOOT!

More Conversation w/ Emma

2008-01-14T14:13:00.000-05:00

The first two happened while we were visiting my Mom.

I.
Mom: "Emma pulutin mo mga laruan mo."
Translation: "Emma pick-up your toys."
Emma: (tugging my pants) "What she saying Mommy?"

II.
Emma: "I want soup crackers Mommy."
Me: "No soup crackers."
Emma: "I want chips."
Me: "No chips either."
Emma: (looking exasperated) "What house is this?"

III.
This one took place this morning as I was driving Emma home from school.

Emma: "Where's Daddy?"
Me: "Daddy's at work."
Emma: "What's Daddy working for?"
It took me awhile to understand this question, but this goes back to
what her grandma told her about why I work.
Me: "Daddy is working to have money."
Emma: "For me?"
Me: "Yes, because you like to go to Target."
Emma: "Can I go to Target with my Daddy?"
Me: "Ask your Daddy later."
Emma: "I want to go to Target with my Daddy."
Me: "You taking me with you?"
Emma: "Yes. Me, Daddy, and you - Mommy will go to Target."
Me: "How about Grandma?"
After a few seconds of silence.
Emma: "Grandma can go with us to Target, but she likes Wal-Mart."

- THE END -

2008 - so far

2008-01-14T08:05:00.000-05:00

It has been said that whatever it is you are doing when the New Year begins, that is what you'll be doing that rest of the year.
I guess, Emma and I will be doing a whole lot of sleeping this 2008.

Jay on the other hand, will be doing a lot of TV watching.
He actually stayed up to watch the ball drop at Times Square
and it made him cry.
He said that he cried because he just realized where he is living now.
Poor guy.

New Year's Day -
Jay and I watched our very first movie of the year - Sweeney Todd.
I just fell in love with JD all over again!
Kudos to Tim Burton.
I believe this is the best movie he had ever directed.
His masterpiece!
The movie was very dark and really bloody.
The acting were superb.
JD, Sacha Baron Cohen, and the rest
of the Harry Potter cast were just amazing!

By the way, if you look at Sweeney Todd closely, doesn't he look
like he can be the offspring of Tim Burton and Edward Scissorhands?
But instead of having scissors for hands, Todd has "friends...precious friends."

I also bought the soundtrack for Sweeney Todd,
and believe it or not - Emma likes it!
Except for track 1. She thinks it's too scary.

Well, there you go.
The first 14 days of my 2008.
Not much has happened, but that's not really a bad thing.

Happy New Year y'all!

A conversation with Emma

2007-12-07T13:00:00.000-05:00

A compilation of random conversations with Emma.

Me: Emma, want to help me clean your room?
Emma: Uhmm...no thank you!

Well at least she's polite!

---------------------------------------------
One night during dinner, Jay, Grandma and I were discussing something
when all of a sudden Emma piped in -

Stop talking!!!
---------------------------------------------
Emma and I were in her bedroom.
She was busy playing while I was watching TV.

Emma then stood up from her study table,
walked towards the bed and started talking to me.

I was only half listening to what she said, when
she climbed on top of me, grabbed my face with
her two little chubby hands and moved my head
so I'm actually looking at her, then she said,

"Honey, look at me honey."

The Letter "D"

2007-12-07T12:15:00.000-05:00

Last week Emma’s teacher announced that they would
be doing a “Letter of the Week” theme.
This week was the letter “D.”

Today on our way home from school,
I asked Emma (as a sort of review) what the letter of the day was.
Our conversation went like this –

Me: Emma, what was today’s letter?
Emma: D!
Me: What sound does the letter D make?
Emma: ba-ba-ba…
Me: Are you sure?
[silence]
Emma: da-da-da
Me: Very good! What word starts with the letter D?
Emma: Doll!
Me: vg! What else?
Emma: Dog!
Me: Great! Okay, another word that starts with D is “daddy.”
Emma: No! It does not start with the letter D.
Me: Yes it does. Da-da-da…Daddy.
Emma: No, daddy starts with the letter J!

I Want Candy..NOT

2007-11-01T10:32:00.000-04:00

We survived Emma’s first Trick or Treat adventure.
Trying to hide the candies from her was a bit tough,
she was just really too smart now to be fooled.

After removing the following treats -

Reese’s Cups
3 Musketeers
Kisses Almonds
Milky Way
Atomic Fireball
Bubble Yum

Jay and I decided to let her try what was left in the Jack-O-Lantern bucket.
We were very surprised and happy with the result.

Emma’s little taste test went like this –

Emma: [grabbing the bucket of Dum Dums] I’m gonna eat it!

Unwraps the brown lollipop and licked it.
Emma: Mmmmm chocolate! I like it.
Licks the Dum-Dum again.
Emma: Mommy, I don’t want it!
Me: Put it in the kitchen trash.

Emma runs to the kitchen.
Back in the bedroom, she pulls out another Dum-dum.

Emma: Pink! I love pink!
Licks the pink Dum-Dum.
Emma: I don’t want it!
Runs to the kitchen to dumps the pink Dum-Dum.

Then she tried the blue, yellow, green, etc.
Every color she pulls out, she takes a lick and then she dumps it.

She did the same thing with the Tootsie Roll and the Twizzlers.
She took a bite and then she spits them back out.

Oh yeah, life is good!

Halloween 2007

2007-10-31T21:31:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween!

Tonight, Emma went trick or treating for the first time.

She's been practicing for weeks now how to say "trick or treat,"

but when she finally got the chance to say it...zipped...nada!

I ended up doing the all the talking.

She did not get a lot of treats, since we did not really do a lot of houses.

By the time we took out the chocs and candies that may contain

or contains tree nuts and peanuts -

there was really nothing left for her to enjoy.

Though she really did enjoy handing out the treats to the "kiddies."

Well, here's my Little Red Riding Hood aka Little Dead Riding Hood.

Thanks to my friend Myra for making Emma's cape.

Three

2007-10-03T23:03:00.000-04:00

Last September 24, Emma turned three years old.

The Sunday before her birthday, Emma had a cyber party.

Webcams were hooked up and conference calling were utilized.

On behalf of Emma, Jay and I would like to say thank you-

t0 my co-worker Judy for baking the cupcakes;

to those who sent her presents; and

and to those who attended the cyber party

Lisa (Emma's Aunt), Maita (heard but not seen),

Jojo (with her own cupcakes!), Tyrone & Tyler,

and Myra & Jake.

You made the crazy idea possible.

Without you guys, I would be the only one singing (acapella)

the birthday song (thanks Ty for the music).