Hitting Three with One

Last Saturday, my daughter and I attended the Krispy Kreme event, we dropped by Fully Booked and I met up with a high school friend at ArAma Cafe, Serendra, a restaurant she partly owns which serves organic food. I will be sharing more about this place in my succeeding posts.

Now the details.

A few days ago, Chats, a good friend from Filipino Mom Blog forwarded to us an invite from the organizer of Krispy Kreme's Chocolate Karnival. It got my interest because the doughnut company's billboard along EDSA have long caught my attention. If I may share, their billboards with their featured products always perk up the consumer in me. I have shared a few months back their snowmen doughnuts which my husband loved which we also first saw in their billboard. That's the power of outdoor advertising, at least that's the effect on us.

What was more encouraging about the event was that guests can bring kids along. This should be fun. I asked my daughter if she wants to go with me. She said yes knowing that it will be at Bonifacio High Street where her favorite building full of books is located. We dropped by Fully Booked after the event. Plus she's going see P again, Chats' daughter, who is about her age. Boredom is out of the question.

We caught the event half way. The place was still jampacked with guests. I wanted so much to take pictures but it was not just possible because the store was full of people, young and old, playing games, eating and taking pictures.

I have lifted the picture below from the Chocolate Karnival site. One dozen of chocolate glazed can be claimed after finishing the four games and naming their mascots. The kids definitely enjoyed playing. Thanks to Chats (and P) for my two boxes. I shared them with the people in my shop. Next time I will try chocolate glazed kreme filled.

I am not fond of fancy doughnuts (or any fancy food for that matter) but I am a chocolate lover. I would say too doughnuts are best eaten when hot and with coffee on the side. Microwave and oven toasters come in handy at home. :)

My daughter played 'shoot the doughnut' and enjoyed some drinks. Like me, she's not really fond of big crowds in a cramped place. Who would want that anyway. But I'm glad to note she enjoyed being there. I did not hear a single complain.

There are two major reasons launches interest me. I believe in the product/service. I know I am part of their target market - which means either I am already a user or I can be convinced to be a client and I have the capacity to purchase/avail of the products/services being launched or offered. A great bonus of course is my friends will be there too. I take the opportunity to bond with them.

True enough, two mommies I have not seen for quite a time attended too - Feng and Jane. We missed Cess and Wenchie though. I guess the last time I was with my Filipino Mom Blog friends was last December on our holiday get-together held at Wench's house.



Me, Feng, Jane, Chats with daughter V, Julie with her son J
Thanks to Chats again for forwarding to me our group picture. :)

I hope you had a fun-filled weekend too! And may this week be more productive for all of us.

***More snapshots at WS.

Almost Ten Years Ago.....

Shoes! I have a lot of shoes. I guess most women do. I wear shoes depending on the role we I am playing at a given moment. If I'm at work, mostly high heels. If I am going to the grocery - slip on or flats. If we're going to the beach, I just wear flip-flops. Etcetera.

(Sapatos! Marami akong sapatos. Sa tingin ko halos lahat ng kababaihan ay maraming sapatos. Ang suot naming sapatos ay depende kung ano ang role na ginagampanan namin sa naturingang pagkakataon. Kung ako ay nasa opisina, madalas high heels. Kung ako ay maggo-grocery - slip on or flats. Kung ako ay nasa beach, tsinelas naman. At marami pang iba.)

I wanted to take a picture of the latest shoes I bought but my camera is not functioning. The lens is stuck because it fell on the floor. I really hope it will get fixed the soonest. I always need a camera. I am having separation anxiety.

(Gusto ko sanang ibahagi ang pinakahuling sapatos na binili ko ngunit nasira ang lens ng aking camera. Nahulog kasi sa sahig. Sana lang magawa ito agad. Ako ay nakakaramdam na ng separation anxiety sa aking camera na madalas kong daladala kahit sa opisina.)

For today's Litratong Pinoy, I'm reposting the yellow Sesame Street shoes my daughter wore during her first birthday. I am quite sentimental when it comes to my daughter. Most of her things when she was still a baby are still kept in one of the closets. I gave away some but most are still with us especially the "firsts".

(Para sa Litratong Pinoy, muli kong ibabahagi ang sapatos ng aking anak noon s'ya ay nagcelebrate ng kanyang unang taon. Medyo sentimental ako pagdating sa aking anak. Halos lahat ng kanyang kagamitan noong s'ya ay sanggol pa lamang ay nakatabi pa. May mga ipinamigay na ako ngunjit karamihan ay itinabi ko lalo na 'yung mga ginamit n'ya sa mga unang pagkakataon.)


It's been almost ten years..... (Halos sampung taon na ang nakararaan.....)


***See more pictures of shoes at Litratong Pinoy .

Watching Kimora

I was channel surfing and I chanced upon Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane at Lifestyle Network. This is the first time I was able to watch it with interest. I usually let the television run while the show's on and not really mind what's going on while I'm doing something else. Oh, what a waste of electricity. Either that or I change channels.

It was half-way when I saw it tonight. I have always liked women who are effortlessly cool, stylish, witty, straightforward, with a natural sense of humor. Watching Kimora, she's all that.

The episode was around middle of last year. It walks us through Kimora's life with her VP for retail trying to create a fabulous visual display for her designs for JC Penny. As instructed she wants it screaming Kimora, Fabulosity (her brand). The VP sure had a hard time getting Kimora's approval. She did not like JC Penny's plain racks.

I handled the Operations Department of a retail company and generally, a concessionaire's request which goes beyond the standards the company implements merits a long discussion. Kimora did just that. She found her signage small and questioned why the other line has two. "Can I have the same?" Haha. It did not show if she insisted. But if she did, the whole planogram could have been affected.

As this is happening, Kimora's best friend pushed her to exercise since her jeans do not fit anymore. Boy, this is the part I can relate so well. She was funny while doing the training and keeping herself from eating too much food. As Kimora said, two things she hates, exercise and dieting.

I love exercising but I hate dieting. I am trying though but there are lapses. A tuna sandwich here, an oatmeal cookie there, skimmed milk but...a cup of white rice and chicken with all its skin devoured gets in the course at times. There goes the calories.

Losing weight is 30% exercise, 70% dieting. How do I make sense now? I bought the South Beach Diet book a few years ago but really, I have not prepared any of the recommended dishes. To date, I have lost 12 pounds. I need 30 more pounds to lose. I lose, I gain back, I lose, I gain back, the cycle continues. There will be another post on my commitment to stick to my diet.

My two colleagues bravely hired a personal trainer and a nutritionist. Wow, the results are great! I can do with a nutritionist but one thing that prevents me from getting a personal trainer is the torture that goes with every session of training. No pain, no gain. Oh boy. Crossing my fingers.

Back to Kimora. She is a doting mom! I love that. They all went to a restaurant and she pointed out to the kids the drinks are all organic. As a matter of fact they tried wheat grass juice. It was really green. I thought the kids won't be able to drink them but Kimora nudged them sweetly. She cheered on them. She seems to be a soccer mom when with her kids.

The episode ended with Kimora raving at the visual display of her line of clothing for JC Penny. The color pink and animal prints to cover plain racks did the trick. She also thanked her trainer for teaching her the basics. She will continue exercising on her own.

I had a fun time watching this show. Everything in a life of a working mother. Well, she's a mogul. There's friendship, there's business, there's health and wellness and of course, bonding with children.

Hannah in Yellow

The reason why my daughter is so quiet is her full concentration in painting or coloring Hannah Montana all yellow. It's a 3D poster sent by my sister to her. I was looking for something yellow in her room. And there I saw her with Hannah sporting yellow hair and jacket.


I asked her to please sit properly. Slouching is bad for the back. It will also make her tired more easily. I asked her to continue doing her craft on her study table.


She really did not want to be disturbed. She doesn't even want to pose for my camera. She got up alright, but on the floor, still using her bed as her table. *scratches head*


Sometimes I don't know what is it with children that they do not want to listen right away. I was a child once. I should understand. Sometimes, as parents, we should know also when to let them be and let the children have some quiet time for themselves.

***See more Yellows at Photo Hunt. I will be going around photo entries tonight when I get back home.

Bonding with Cousins

My daughter loves being with her cousins. We live quite far from each other so she really gets excited if she knows she will be visiting them at their places or if they will spend the day in our house. Birthday celebrations and the holiday season when the clan organizes a get-together are very much anticipated. It means a whole day of laughter and fun with the cousins.

One favorite cousin is six years older than her while the other is five years her senior. They get along very well in spite of the age difference. They are buddies! They generally know and like the same bands, the same Disney shows, hairstyle, outfits, what-have-you. The list is long actually. They are all artistically inclined and are very computer savvy.

It makes me wonder sometimes if there is a gap still exists among the different age brackets in Generation Y or the Millenials.

J sleeps over in our house. This summer I will be arranging another sleep over. And I am thinking of an in-house spa service. An all girls pajama party. I will be at their beck and call. I will pamper their toes and give them a good massage. I am excited about that. :) Here's a picture of my daughter, the youngest (and the smallest in the picture) with her cousins.


***More sharing of bonding with siblings/cousins at Mommy Journey.

TEN, The Evening News

I watched TEN, The Evening News last Wednesday night for the second time since it aired last August 2008. I was channel surfing and thought of keeping it for a while at TV5. At both instances I caught them mid-way. They were talking about signed t-shirts that some viewers supposedly won. Later on, the lady host read a comment from their Facebook account about the case of "Nicole". Am I watching news or a late night talk show giving away t-shirts and reading viewers' feedback?

Obviously, TEN is not your usual straight news reporting. The way it impresses me is it's a magazine show where they give a summary of the day's major headlines in Taglish (Tagalog and English). They rank the news from ten to one - one being their top story. Reminds me of E!'s The Daily Ten and The Buzz's Tough Ten.

There is a segment called Sidetracked host by Jove Francisco. He reads messages of their viewers from TEN's forum, email and Facebook account. The three hosts then react and discuss issues based on the message for about two to three minutes.

I was surprised with one of the hosts' remark about the news, "Nicole recanted her story". The comment was about hoping the government will declare "Nicole" persona non-grata. And then last night, the word "sl*t" was mentioned (not exactly referring to anyone) as part of the comment, again about the "Nicole" case.

Hearing a comment on persona non grata made me think it was a slip of the tongue. But last night's comment means that the show encourages no-holds barred comments from the hosts. Should news be taken at face value? Isn't it that anchors are not supposed to give their own opinions in news reporting? But then, it's a talk show where anchors give their points of view.

TEN gives a countdown of the top ten news for the day as laid back as possible. This one is a welcome respite. (But Bandila mellowed down in news delivery and tried loosening up without dropping its news reporting style.) No exaggerated tone of voice, none of the smug attitude some anchors are wont to do. (I just don't know what to call remarks I've mentioned above.) It's fast and easy. Like you are watching MYX, only they are about current events. By the way, there is always room for improvement for the field reporters. Their speaking voice need to be steady and pleasant. Their projection need to improve also. I want to believe they will earn more confidence when in front of the camera in due time.

The anchors wear trendy clothes. Think jeans and sneakers, slip ons and jackets. If I remember it correctly, Martin Andanar was wearing a light orange (or maybe light brown) sneakers...and skinny jeans. Cheri Mercado has a beautiful face. I like her even when she was still a part of ABS CBN. She speaks well, projects a very pleasant demeanor. She carries conversation well. But she needs a stylist.

The set is like a cozy lounge in a bar where you have a few drinks with your friends and talk about your career, your general plans in life. Nothing rowdy. Just a nice sofa, with warm lighting and colorful murals. Maybe a little bossa nova as background music.

If Bandila has Rico Blanco, TEN has Lourd de Veyra's Astro for their soundtrack. At least that was what I heard the first time I tuned in. The other night though, it was Away by Bolshoi which they played in the closing credits. I don't know why.

I appreciate the fact that the staff behind TEN tries to reach out to the youth, the Gen Y. What better way to do that but conquer the world wide web. They have accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Multiply, Blogspot, and YouTube. They hosted a blogging event and they answer queries on their forum. I wonder if that's really Cheri Mercado answering. I guess so. With the line up of programs at TV5, I think it is following Studio 23's positioning - Kabarkada Mo.

My hope is that these acts of reaching out will greatly help in increasing awareness on current events. It is not just about being popular, or being friends or buddies with the youth and earn a legion of Team TEN. Let it be more engaging to the youth without losing the news' substance. Y Speak is a good example of getting the youth involved in sharing their points of view about current or other relevant issues.

In fairness, from what I read, the show has added some segments to capture the interests of their market. Looking at the list, they have Conrado de Quiros and Lourd De Veyra. TV Patrol has Marc Logan, TEN has Lourd? They inject humor but Lourd's is more of a social commentary as he is known for. I have watched a portion of Word of the Lourd in YouTube. I had a big grin after seeing it. If you know of Lourd's works, then that's what you will get here.

Whenever I am apprehensive about something I tell myself maybe I am not their target market. I may be missing the point. Like TEN. I have mixed emotions about it. But I am totally interested with de Quiros and Lourd's segments. For this I will be watching T.E.N. at least for one week straight (or five nights straight) and see what they have to offer. I am also looking forward to their feature on young Filipinos who make a difference. Having said all these, I will still stick with my usual evening news (though I don't watch regularly really). I will just probably wait for the portions that interest me at TEN.

I wonder if TV5 will think of creating a show like Jon Stewart's The Daily Show or The Colbert Report. Now that would be really interesting.

Physical Education: Swimming

Before this very hectic finals week, my daughter's grade level were given a preview of their physical education class for the next school year. Everyone was excited because they are going for a swim!

Their section was given one day a week in the last two weeks to spend an hour and a half at the school's swimming pool. I was there because my daughter left her goggles at home so I dropped by the school to hand it to her with a camera in tow. I lingered for a while to take a few pictures.

Ninety nine percent of the class already know how to swim. There was only one girl they have to coax so she will join her classmates in the pool. Reluctantly she went into the pool and after a few minutes I already see her having fun learning the basics of swimming.

For parents whose children will have their first swimming lessons or those not yet familiar with the area, I strongly suggest to have an ocular of the pool, the shower and dressing area. It's advisable also to talk with the adviser and the instructor about the safety measures being implemented by the school in the pool area. If there is no orientation being conducted for the parents, request for one or ask to have a walk through of how the basic swimming lessons will run. This should give the parent peace of mind. Discuss with them also your child's skills level in swimming or confidence level when in the water.

My daughter loves to swim. She can stay in the water for hours on end. We are looking forward to more swimming get-away this summer. There is not much preparation I did for my daughter's swimming class. This is the same pool when she had her first swimming lessons at age four. She has been having swimming lessons since then.


Some of the students in the class wanted to stay longer and skip lunch. Of course that was not possible, they have to eat, dress up and prepare to go home. They have to observe the schedule given to them. Well, I had fun watching the kids have a good time in the pool.

On Being Friends with Fellow Mothers at the School

I have always been attending my daughter's school activities - intramurals, scout investiture, programs, and of course, her graduation from preparatory school and recognition day throughout her school years. I take a leave from work if I have to. I can count on my fingers the time that I was not there to witness her dance, sing or recite a poem. I am always present during meetings involving school administrators, teachers and parents. I am present in school parties and get-together.

What I missed during the first few years of my daughter at school is forming a bond with the other parents or mothers of her classmates. I usually meet them during Parent-Teachers Conference or if I pick up my daughter from school whenever I am on leave. But those only take a few minutes of informal greetings and quick talks about our children.

I had mixed emotions for a particular set of mothers of my daughter's classmates. They are nice and accommodating but there were times I felt they mind everything, every little thing that happens in our children's class. Sometimes I find those "concerns" trivial. Also, more than their children, they are pressured of who gets what grade, of the one point that their children missed or could have answered correctly had the teacher been considerate. There was a time even the amount one parent spends for a costume was brought up.

But I have learned to go beyond these. Instead of branding their positions, their conversations trivial, I tried to see what learning I could get. There could be small but important areas I overlook which could be beneficial to my daughter's learning and my relationship with the teachers.

I am glad constantly meeting them on occasions I have mentioned and doing some effort on my part to keep in touch with them prove to be a satisfying experience. We share passionately anything about our children. I enjoy talking to them and hearing their stories quite familiar with mine when we help our children review for their examinations.

For a working mother like me, it pays to have even a few friends among fellow mothers in the class. We get to exchange notes when there are concerns about the school or our children's class. We call each other if there are some reminders written in our children's school diaries which seem unclear. We have someone to call when our children missed school. There is always someone patient enough to dictate assignments and at times, even photocopy the lessons even if we did not request for them.

I may not still be as close with them as they are with each other but I am already comfortable sitting with them at the waiting area whenever I could. I spend time with them when I go to my daughter's school. I don't hurry myself and my daughter anymore. It feels good that a lot of times now we also talk about things other than school. Just recently we shared different ways of preparing fried rice. I learned how to spice it up more so my daughter will look forward to having a newly concocted fried rice. These little things matter to me and they are little things which builds a better relationship with my fellow mothers at school.

School is almost over. I know at this time we are all busy with helping our children review for their final examinations. I am thankful that this school year my relationship with my fellow mothers is more productive and rewarding.

Spaceman

The picture of my daughter below was taken in front of T.G.I. Friday's. If you are familiar with Friday's, they use all sorts of vintage knick knacks on their walls. There are old telephones (rotary dials), baseball bats, vinyl records, posters of popular music artists back in the 60s and 70s, etcetera. They are fun to look at. They make you remember the good old days, back when life was simpler perhaps.

Now I don't know why there is a spaceman outside. It sure is a good photo opportunity for me. And this is my entry for today's photo hunt theme - space, stretched a bit. :) Happy weekend!