In Love With Minnie Mouse

"Tis Mimi Mouse! Tis Mimi Mouse!", my 2 year old boy says. That actually means, " Kiss Minnie Mouse. During our Disneyland trip, I think my li'l boy's highlight for the trip would be taking a photo with Minnie mouse, hugging and kissing her. After our photo session, he really cried hard and wanted to just be with her. We had to forcefully take him away from the kiosk.

He stopped crying when we were already going to a different part of the park and let him just walk all by himself. But as 'clever' as he is, he started running back to where Mickey Mouse and Minnie mouse were and cried, 'Mimi Mouse! Mimi Mouse!'.. LOL! I had to run after the love struck boy and get him back to where we were going. ;)

* All photos to follow soon.. my netbook has a virus and we can't slot in our borrowed SD card ( with all our photos) inside.

Back To Normal

This is not good, I think I'm back to my normal weight. You see, I've lost a bit of weight a few weeks ago but then due to my being on a holiday mode, I ate a lot of curry and Ice cream when we were in Klang and now, I'm eating a lot of Filipino food here for our holiday. So, I think I've already gained back those weight that I lost.

But then, I'm still not in the mood to be on a diet or much less do exercise even with a Kettlebell. Sigh!!..I think I'll just have to think about these things after our so called holiday. As for now, I'll enjoy what I'm eating.. Hmm.. what shall I eat after this? LOL!

"Pinay Ka?"

I can't count how many Filipinos we've already met here in HK. Since the time we came out from the airport to our 2nd day here. We met them on the streets in groups or in the malls. My Hubby is always excited to see my fellow kababayans. And since he knows that I'm quite shy to start a conversation, he usually start it for me and there goes several minutes of chit chat, some telling us about their experiences here.

I still have to search in the internet how many Filipinos are living here in HK, but I'm sure there must be a LOT since we could see them everywhere. .. and as my Hubby would start the Filipino joke, ' You can find Filipinos everywhere, even on the moon".. you want to know why?

On Being Content and Debt Management

I was reading Airasia's in flight magazine when one article caught my attention. It tells of a man's ( who's a Filipino-American) who volunteered at Gawad Kalinga's program for the slum children for 6 months. Since he was raised in the US, he has never seen the reality of the poverty experienced by many of the Filipino people. His eyes were only opened during his volunteer work. But during his stay he has observed one thing common to the Filipinos in spite of their poverty - we are happy people.

When I read about this article, I can't help but agree with him. We meet a lot of our fellow Filipinos who barely has food to eat but one can still smile and be content. Even looking at the pictures during the recent flood, I can't help but notice some people wading through the waters but still with smile on their faces. I know we can even still crack a joke during our most difficult times.

I'm not sure if these people have debts or not or if they have approached a non profit debt management company. But what is one of the main keys of being happy? I think we just have to be contented with what we have and not to think of what we don't have. This, I always remind myself that God has given me so much and I don't have to sulk and be sad if I have one unanswered prayer. Let us be content of what God has given us , neither looking to the left nor to the right. And then, we would be grateful, happy and content.

Thursday 13 - Excited

Hi everyone! It's my first time to join in this meme and I hope I'm doing it right.

Here is my list of 13s - 13 Things That I'm Excited for in the coming days and months.

I'm Excited ...

1).. to go to Hong Kong Disneyland with kids tomorrow.
2)... to go to Ocean Park on Sunday.
3) .. to attend my li'l girl's recognition day in Kindergarten. ( it's her first time in school)
4) ... to go visit our family in the Philippines this November.
5)... to go back to Thailand in December.
6)... to start homeschooling my li'l girl.
7)... to look for a new house ( to rent) in Thailand.
8) .. to eat my favorite Filipino delicacies.
9) .. to eat my favorite Thai food... though I'm not excited to gain weight from too much of food..;)
10).. . meet my adorable nephews and nieces in the Philippines.
12).. for Christmas
13).. the coming New Year!!

For more 13 Thursday Entries, please click here:

My 1st Blooper in Hong Kong

We had a very pleasant trip from Kuala Lumpur to Hong Kong. We traveled for about an hour to my cousin's apartment and was quite impressed with how clean and orderly HK is. I also expected the place to be crowded and busy but it was not that busy as what I expected.

I was amazed that the country is using the Smart Card for everything: to pay for the Buses, Trains, and even to enter some apartments. I was too amazed by the new things around me that I was not able to observe how we entered the apartment. When it was evening, my Hubby and I decided to go down to let the kids play in the playground. So, we went down by ourselves from the 34th floor bringing my cousin's Villa Smart Card so we can enter back the apartment.

The kids really enjoyed their time at the playground while my Hubby and I enjoyed the cool weather as we looked at all the high rise buildings and the 'mini-park' inside the Villa. When it was time to enter the Apartment, I took out my cousin's smart card and only then wondered where to 'swipe' it so that the ground floor door would open for us. I saw a small white box at the side of the reception counter and read something like ' sensor' and I then tried to 'swipe' the smart card above it... nothing happened.. Then, I tried to 'swipe' the card underneath it..and something happened, something white splurted out from the box! I got startled for a while and only then I realized that it's a hand sanitizer cream!?? So that box was actually a hand sanitizer dispenser!! Hahahah!!

We were already laughing and only then my Hubby found out that the Smart reader machine was just at the left side of the main door!

Until now, I still can't stop being amused and smile everytime I remember that embarrassing moment. At least with this blooper, I can laugh, smile and look younger. As some people say, laughter is better than the best wrinkle cream. :)

Yummy Sunday- Mini Burgers

These are the mini burgers we made for my li'l boy's birthday. One thing that I like here in Malaysia is that beef patties are soo cheap! You can get a dozen patties for as low as 4.00- 5.00 Malaysian Ringgit ( that's about 60 Pesos). Cheese slices are cheaper too ( compared to Thailand).

Anyways, do you know who enjoyed these mini burgers most? My li'l girl. after the party, she just ate and ate the left over burgers. I think she ate about 4 in one sitting, plus ate more the day after.

For more Yummy Sunday entries, please click on the badge below.

Repair Needed

Wheel Alignment, oil leakage, hard clutch and gear and etc. those are just some of the things that are needed to be done for our car. Hopefully, we can send our car to the shop ( which also sells Mopar parts) do all these needed repairs before we go back to Thailand. And hopefully, there won't be any other major repairs ( and expenses!) needed anymore. But I think this is quite normal for an old car, I mean, our car must be about 20 years old already and I think his peak performance has already passed 2 decades ago. Hmm.. is it time for a new car? That's all in God's beautiful time.

"My Own Country"

Today was the last day of our li'l girl in her kindergarten. Our family will be going for a holiday for 2 weeks and by the time we come back, it's already going to be her Recognition day in school. And then, we travel again to Philippines and finally to Thailand.

So, she was telling us that she said already good bye to all her classmates and told them that she's " going to her own country". When she said, ".... my own country", I was very proud that Tricia really considers herself to be a Filipino since she was born there. Then, to confirm my thoughts and to let my Hubby hear that our li'l girl is proud to be Pinoy :), I asked, " Where's your own Country?". I was surprised with her reply when she said, " Thailand! Thailand is our home, right?". Hahahah!! Tsk..tsk..tsk.. and I thought she meant the Philippines is her own country. But nevertheless, I'm still glad that she understands that Thailand is our HOME even if we are not born there nor have Thai citizenship, but it's the country which we are called to serve. I'm just proud of my li'l girl.

Off to Klang and HK

Now, I'm excited.. Everything has been packed and I'm just now relaxing and writing some posts. We're off to Klang tomorrow and I'm excited to see the Rangels. We're also attending a wedding in the evening. Then, on Tuesday we're off to Hong Kong! All I could say is "Thank You Lord!". I've never dreamed of going to Hong Kong but everything just seemed to be in perfect order. A few months ago, we got the zero fare promotion from Airasia, then we have a cousin who's living there and therefore we have a place to stay for a few days and lastly, we have a bit of extra funds to spend for Disneyland and to go to other attractions in Hong Kong. I truly thank God for this opportunity to have a real holiday and even for relatives and family who's helping us to have this break. I would say that this vacation that we have is better than any las vegas vacation deal because it's very cheap and affordable. Thank you Lord!

"Blow Birthday Cake"

My son just had his birthday party yesterday and I could see that he was really so happy with it. When I ask him if he enjoyed his party, he would excitedly exclaim " Yes!". Then, I would ask him what he did in his party and he would say, " Blu Bi de Kek! Phoo!" which actually means ' Blow birthday cake" and he would also re enact how he blew his cake.

Oh, I find it so adorable, especially coming from a 2 year old who's still learning how to talk. So precious!
'

The Move

As mentioned on one of my previous posts, we will be moving in a new house once we get back to Thailand. I'm quite excited yet anxious about the move to our new house. We're praying that we will be able to find a nice and comfortable house that will also be accessible to the city center. We're not so keen on staying in apartments ( maybe unless it's like Baltimore apartments) since we want more space for our kids to go around.

Oh, two more months to go and we'll be back to Thailand.. wow! time flies so fast!

The Simple Woman's Daybook 1

This is my first entry for The Simple Woman's Daybook, I find this meme quite interesting and would want to try it myself. I hope I could do this every week.

FOR TODAY
(October 18 2009)...
Outside my window... dark
I am thinking... of our trip next week
I am thankful for... my boy's fun birthday party yesterday
I am wearing... my sleeping clothes
I am creating... posts for my other blogs
I am going... to the dentist tomorrow
I am reading... Marriage Takes More Than Love
I am hoping... everything will be fine for our trip next week
I am hearing... Tamil TV show from the background
Around the house... in -laws and friends
One of my favorite things... chocolates and coffee
A few plans for the rest of the week:
Go to the dentist,
spend the weekend in Klang,
Have my saree blouse sewn.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing..



To join this meme, please click HERE:

They're Back!

For a few weeks, my pimples have cleared off and I've seen a lot of improvements on my face. But then I got a bit lazy and failed to regularly apply my toner and cream plus the fact that I always sleep late. So, now they're back - my pimples that is. And once again, I need to get back to my regular facial treatment routine and apply acne treatments . I hope this time I will continue to follow on with and and not get lazy again.

Yummy Sunday - Cute Dessert

Welcome to my Yummy Sunday entry! Today, I'll be featuring one of the Thai delicacies brought by my friend from Hatyai for my li'l boy's 2nd birthday party. I really like this Thai dessert because I find it so cute and artistic. This is just actually made of cassava flour ( if I'm not mistaken), glazed and painted with edible food colors. It comes in different fruit and vegetable designs from mini eggplants to mini mangoosteens. It has a sweet taste and taste like what we have in the Phililippines called 'linusak'.

For more Yummy entries, please click on the badge below:

The 65 Pesos Sunglasses

I've been wearing this very cheap glasses for many months now. I only bought it for 65 Pesos in the Philippines. Surprisingly, it has lasted for many months even with my boy continually meddling it. These sunglasses have fallen so many times and been touched and stretched by my li'l boy. But until now it's still in a good condition. It's like I'm just waiting for it to be broken so I could buy myself a new pair.

I actually bought a very nice, good quality and more expensive sunglasses a few months back. But sad to say, I left it at the women's toilet and of course, when I came back, it wasn't there anymore. So, after that incident, I told myself not to buy expensive sunglasses anymore. So, that explains by 65 pesos sunglasses.

Anyways, if you're into buying designer sunglasses, I've found a site that offers up to 70% discount on brands such as Channel or Dolce and Gabbana Sunglasses. This site has a wide array of brands to choose from. And if they don't have the specific brand that you want, they would specially order one for you. Hmm.. sounds like a great online store for me.

I might want to check out on new sunglasses once the one I have now is already broken.

Cannot Speak Toothache

Oh, my tooth is so painful! It has been aching since dinner time and because of it, I was not able to eat my dinner at our relatives house. It's Deepavali today and our relatives invited us for dinner. But then, I was not able to enjoy the evening anymore because of this terrible toothache. Tsk..tskk..tskk

I already took medicine and gargle with salt and warm water. The pain is much tolerable now but from time to time the pain comes. Haaay.. I just pray that this would soon go away. I will surely visit the dentist this Monday.

Rare Coins

Have you ever seen a coin like that from the photo above? I'm sure you haven't yet because that coin is one of the gold rare coins in the world. Only the serious coin collectors could have easily identified such a coin, the date it was made, its rarity and its value.

But nowadays many people don't just collect these coins as a hobby but they do it as an investment. This is indeed a different trade that would require you to have an expert coin dealer for you to be successful. I'm not so knowledgeable on this topic but you can visit a site that can deals with this trade in a wider scope.

The Chinese Girl

A few months ago, we used to see her near our house and just wave "Hi!" to her her. She is so cute, fair with short, shiny black hair. She's our Chinese girl neighbor who is as tall and as old as Tricia. She's often seen cycling just inside their gate every afternoons and Tricia would casually go to her and say "Hello!".

Then early this week, we gave her an invitation to attend Lyle's kiddie party. And from then on, she regularly visits Tricia in our house. She's Chinese and doesn'nt speak much English. But even with their communication barrier, they could still play and 'talk' to each other. She feels so 'at home' here that she would even eat with Tricia and sleep beside her for afternoon naps.

Then just tonight, she came to the house again. It was already almost 8 pm when she came. She helped out in putting all the goodies in the goodie bag for Lyle's birthday tomorrow and was just on the bed with Tricia. And since it was almost late, we were wondering whether her parents are looking for her. Her Aunty came and talked to her in Chinese. It seems she wants her to go back but she refuses to go back home. But as Tricia 'interprets' it, the Aunty is permitting her to sleep in the house for tonight ( hehe!). Of course, Tricia must be excited to have a friend to sleep over. Her Chinese friend was already in her PJs too and brought her milk with her. But after half an hour, her mommy came and asked her to go back home. She really refused to go back and even cried. It seems she really wants to stay behind and sleep with Tricia.

So, that's Tricia's new friend. She's also quite a lonely child since she doesn't have any siblings. That must explain why she likes to come here often and of course Tricia's also so happy with it.

Our Ride

Thank God that our car is finally in a good condition now. We haven't had any problems with it for more than a month already and I'm just thankful. Whew!! I think it really pays to always have cars regularly checked and repaired especially when funny noises are starting to get heard. It's sometimes difficult to shell out some funds for car sometimes expensive car repairs but at the end, it's still worth it. Using a car to travel around is truly a necessity especially in this part of the world where there's not much of public transport available.

And speaking of cars, you might want upgrade the look and performance of your car by getting a turbocharger. Do you have a VW? Then check out this site that provides vw turbo .

Lyle's Birthday Dinner

Our family with Ammachi and Ninang Litlit

Since our boy's birthday party (children's party) will only be held this Saturday, our family just had a simple dinner for him this evening.

We went out with Lyle's Ammachi ( Grandma) and Ninang Litlit, sang a happy birthday song for him as he blew his candle on his ice cream and his Ammachi prayed for him.

Here are the photos:

Lyle's Birthday Ice Cream with candles

Family Photo

Amma with the snubby celebrant

More photos and update to come after this Saturday's Children's party.

Getting Organized

How I long to be organized again. I could remember that before the kids came, I was more organized and we were able to accomplish more things. Imagine, as early as the 2nd week of November we already started making our hand made Christmas cards and started to mail them at the 1st week of December.

I could remember those cards that we made. We even printed out our own address labels. And just now I saw a site that offers beautiful address labels. Anyways, before I think about sending Christmas cards for this year, I have to finish organizing my li'l girl's mini library, put some name labels on it and cover the books with plastic covers.

Happy Birthday to my Li'l Guy!

I can't believe how fast he has grown from a tiny, li'l baby to a big, chubby and ever so active boy! Our li'l Lyle just truly gives joy to our hearts. He is a born 'comedian' as he has the natural ability to amuse us with his cute dance moves, his antics and sweetness. He is also tough at times as he is so big and strong that his big sister and cousins would end up running away from him, from his ever so tight hugs ( ouch!) and kisses that soon become mini bites! ( Amma, Lyle boy bit me!!). Nevertheless, he is ever so sweet and charming giving us a thousand kisses each day and a millions of hugs and " I love you's". haaayyy..

My Li'l boy is now two years old and I thank God for giving us this very precious gift. Truly, I will treasure this gift and do my best to nurture him and train him the way he should go according to God's ways and purposes in his life.

Happy 2nd Birthday Jedaiah Lyle !! Appa, Amma and Ate Tricia loves you so soo much!!

Yummy Sunday - Khaw Phat Kai

If you're not into spicy food and you go to Thailand, you can survive by just eating Khaw Phat Kai or the Thai Fried Rice Chicken. Wherever you go, whether a small street hawker or a fancy Thai restaurant, you would be amazed that their Fried Rice would surely be yummy.

So this is my Yummy Sunday entry for today , Thai Fried Rice Chicken and of course a bottle of Thai Coke..but don't worry, the Thai Coke is not spicy..it just taste like a normal coke..heheh!

For more Yummy Sunday Entries please click the badge below.

Mommy Moments: Special Trip

My kids had a lot of special trips for this year, but I guess the most 'special' was their trip to Myanmar. It was our first time in that country and even if it was not a vacation, we went there to hold a VBS training, but our kids truly had a good time and felt at home.

It is really true that kids can adopt well with the environment and any situation, and I was just so blessed that they were okay and happy during our 7 days stay in Yangon, Myanmar.

Tricia chasing after the birds.

With her new found Burmese Friend, Rajah

Lyle playing with a boy named David.. and Lyle looks more like Goliath coz he looks so big.

Lyle playing with the kids with Sandalwood cream on their faces. That's how a typical Burmese kid goes out. The cream keeps them cool.

Tricia and Lyle at the hotel lobby.

Tricia playing at St. Gabriel Church, a very old church in Yangon.

And finally, when it was time to go back home.. the kids were so tired that they just dozed off in the plane.


For more Mommy Moments Entries, please click the badge below.

Happy Birthday Granny!!

Tricia and Lyle would want to greet their Granny a happy 69th birthday. So, here they are singing Granny's Happy Birthday Song.

Sorry if the song doesn't seem to lively and upbeat, it's because the singers just woke up and I think they were still a bit sleepy..hehehe!!

Happy Birthday, Granny!!! From Tricia and Lyle

Nail It

I admit I don't have the most beautiful nails. I don't know what happened to them but it just became unsightly. So, this reminds me to buy a good nail polish to beautify them.

I've also just been to a site that explains the causes of discolored unsightly nails. And I've also read about a product called Zeta clear and zetaclear reviews .

I just hope I would be able to find a real solution for this unsightly nails aside from hiding it from the nail polish. It would be good to just have nice, healthy nails again. I better look for some good products for them.

365 Ways To Say 'I Care'

The following post is my entry for Janet's I care Blog Contest. Click on the badge to see more entries.

Caring for someone is our outward expression of "love". And when it comes to expressions we could never run out of ideas to say , " I care for you" for our family and friends.

Here are some ideas that we've tried for others and some people did to us to show us that they care.

For Friends

- Visit them when they're not well, when they're lonely or just to tell them that they're in your thoughts.
- Pray for them when they visit you in the house or when you go to their house.
- Buy something for them or for their little ones.
- Bake a Cake or cookies when they invite you to their house.
- Call them
- Offer to babysit their kids
- Buy them a meal
- Remember their birthdays and anniversaries and do something special.
- Commit to pray for them regularly.
- Bring flowers if your friend just gave birth or admitted in the hospital.
- Bring your friends' children out and buy for them something.
- Say sorry when you've done wrong.
- Keep your friend's secret a SECRET.
- Don't talk bad behind their backs.
- Accept them the way they are.

For Families

- Never lose communication with them.
- Buy them groceries.
- Bring the kids out for ice cream and Jollibee.
- Don't let them pay the money they borrowed from you..LOL!! ( My favorite..thanks to my Sis and Mom)
- Offer to wash the dishes, wash their clothes or baby sit their kids
- Take time to talk and listen to them for hours.
- Bring them out for dinner.
- Surprise them with a birthday cake and presents at 12mn on their birthdays.
- Make a big banner to welcome them home or for an occasion.
- Always pray for them.
- Never mind the telephone bills, call them and talk to them without limits.
- Offer to organize their kids' birthday parties.
- Give them surprise birthday parties.
- Always be there when in times of need.

For your Spouse:

- Leave love notes, poems in your spouse's wallet.
- Send him an e-card on normal days.
- Call just to say you Miss him.
- Give him a Body Spa, facial or massage.
- Set a romantic candlelight dinner.
- Pray for your spouse ( with your spouse) thanking God for his/her life and all the other needs.
- Take time to talk and LISTEN.
- Appreciate him, even the little things that he does.
- Give him surprises now and then.
- Read a book with him.
- Go on a date.
( for more creative ideas.. click my previous post on 365 ways to say " I Love You".)

For your Kids:

- Pray with them
- Play with them.
- Make cards for them.
- Give them cute and little surprises.
- Let them have tea parties.
- Make their birthdays very special.
- Read to them stories.
- Listen to their endless tales.
- 'Attack' them with hugs, kisses and tickles.
- Create lasting memories with them.
- Go on trips.
- Tell them of their birth stories.
- Have daily devotions with them.

Oh.. the ideas are just endless...

When we love and care for someone, we will always be on the look out to show and express our feelings for them, that's why we will never run out of ideas.

Writing all these now, somehow reminds me to continually work on ways to express to my friends, family, Hubby and kids.. that I truly care for them.

Thank Jan!

Tuesday Couch Potatoes- Fantasy Movies

"The Neverending Story" is the very first movie that I've seen as a child in the Big Screen. Even if I already forgot the scenes and the plot of the story but I could not forget the excitement and the thrill that I felt as it was my first time to be in the movie house at that time.

Wolfgang Petersen's The NeverEnding Story is an adaptation of the fantasy novel by Michael Ende. The story begins as a troubled and bullied boy named Bastian finds refuge in the pages of a magical book in which he follows the adventures of a brave young man, Atreyu, on a quest to save Fantasia from a mysterious force called The Nothing. The boy slowly realizes that it is up to him to become part of the story and save Fantasia by giving the Empress a new name.

For more Tuesday Couch Potatoes Entries, please click the badge below:

Beauty Rest

I've been sleeping very late for many nights now. I guess it's time for me to sleep and take my beauty rest. I know that sleeping early can really have a lot of advantages, no dark circles around the eyes, clearer skin and fresher look. And of course, sleeping late gives the exact opposite.

I know that a lot of ladies really take their beauty regime so seriously. They sleep early, they eat the right kind of food, do their regular exercise, regular hair and facial treatment. Some go to the extend of doing their laser hair removal in chicago . There is this place called Lakeview dermatology which is a leading dermatology clinic in the Chicago area specializing in laser acne treatment, hair removal treatment, liposuction, Restylane treatment and other skin care treatments. And of course, all of these ladies' hard work and seriousness in beauty pay off because they would truly look beautiful.

But as for me, I'm not that so serious in my beauty regime, if only I don't have break outs on my face, I would rather sleep straight and won't bother putting all those toners and moisturizing lotions on my face, but I have to.

So, now, for a change, let me have some beauty rest and wake up fresher and brighter tomorrow for a change.

Yummy Sunday- Thai Food

During our Homestay Experience on our travel in North Thailand, we were treated by our hosts with a very delicious, authentic Northern Thai Dinner. What made it more special was the traditional Thai instrumental background music that we had while dining.

Our table setting

Yummy!

Our Entertainment

For more Yummy Sunday entries, please click on the badge below.

Photos Lost

A few weeks ago, I accidentally deleted my SD card with our precious photos in it. I panicked for awhile but I remembered that I could download some free programs for me to recover my lost files. Then, I found rapid share. I was amazed by a number of free programs for me to use. The search results were overwhelming.

Now, there's also a site called Rapidshare Search . It's a search engine for rapidshare that is continuously updated. So, next time you want to download some files, you might want to try this.

Mommy Moment's: Music and Me

This week's theme for Mommy Moments is Music and Me. When I was browsing through the photos, it was only then that I realized that my li'l boy has 'played' a number of musical instruments. But I really think he's musically inclined and maybe will become a future drummer..:)

Lyle trying out a traditional Filipino Musical instrument. Photo taken from Camiguin Island.

Lyle with his chinese drum given by my Hubby's elementary school teacher. This drum came all the way from China given to her by her grand father.

Lyle's first drum lessons from the church drummer in Taiping, Malaysia

Lyle and Tricia's first piano recital at their Tata's house..LOL! look at how Lyle's 'seriously' playing

Tricia trying our a traditional Thai instrument called ' Kim'

Tricia with the Filipino Instrument.

Come join the fun! Just click on the badge below to see other Mommy entries!