Almost Flooded

Thank God that the weather is fine now. It has been raining a lot last week and many parts of the city has been flooded. Our house is near the river and at about 2:30 am we saw that the river water has risen fast. And since we've already experienced our house to be flooded by the river water earlier this year, we all decided to evacuate our house at around 3am. It was better to be on a safe place especially we have children with us. We stayed at our Aunt's place and our friend's place the following day.

I saw the river nearly overflowed but we're thankful that it didn't flood. The sun also rose the following day and caused the river water to subside and go back to it's normal level.

Now with the climate change and unpredictable weather, my Mom is thinking to move away from the river and settle somewhere else. We're looking for cheaper options to build a new house for her, whether a manufactured home or anything that's cheap. Hopefully, this plan could push through.

Hugs and Kisses

My Li'l boy likes to give hug and kiss especially to his cousin, Zane. Here are the photos that I took that catches his 'kissing moments' with li'l cute Zane and Kuya Z boy. I have other photos with his kissing his Ate Tricia but it's with the other computer. I'll upload them next time.

Kisses first before riding their bouncy 'moose' and horsey

Another kiss

A kiss for Kuya Z

A tight hug for Zane.. 'please don't squeeze her too much!'

Food Wish List Granted

If you remember from my previous post, I made a Food Wish List for me to savor while I'm here in my hometown. Some of it have already been 'checked'. And today, I just had the Chicken Joy from Jollibee. Yum! I just love Jollibee's Chicken Joy especially if it's dipped with so much of the delicious gravy.

I'm looking forward for to savor those food that are still unchecked in my wish list. Hmmm.. I think I'll really gain so much of weight when I go back to Malaysia that even the best fat burner won't work.

New Hair Cut For My Kids

Today is a " Hair Cut" Day. We went out as a family to have our kids hair cut. My li'l girl actually wants her hair to be long but then, she still doesn't know how to take care of her hair so, we decided to have it cut to make her look neater. She really protested on having a hair cut but I was finally able to convince her.

Our li'l boy on the other hand, seems to have had a 'phobia' on hair cuts. He was okay to have his hair cut during the past months, but he kinda got scared after one 'scary' looking, unfriendly barber cut his hair in Malaysia. So, that's the history of their hair cuts and here is the story of our Hair Cut Day:

Lyle:


This was just a start of his protest of having his hair cut. After this 'sad face', a loud cry followed plus the struggle to go down from the high chair. I wasn't able to take a picture of the 'struggle' anymore since I was already so busy trying to calm him down.

Then, I thought of an idea to calm him down.. " Balloon!!". There's a balloon shop beside the saloon so I asked Hubby to buy for him one.


The balloon trick worked! Lyle calmed down and his attention was diverted to the balloon. The barber on the other hand was talking to him and asking about his balloon.


So, there it is! A Barber, A Boy and a Balloon!

Tricia:

My girl on the other hand was fine throughout her hair cut. She sat like a lady and was smiling the whole time as the hair dresser was talking to her.Tricia must have felt like a grown up having her hair cut by someone that's not her Mom..heheh!

So, this is my kids' new haircut. Thanks to Salon de France for their hair .. They have good and gentle barbers and hairdressers too.

Philhealth and SSS

I would just like to post about my experience in which our government's Philhealth and Social Security System has helped me during the time I delivered my 2nd child in Thailand.

Even though I'm no longer working for anyone in the Philippines but I still continued to pay my SSS fees as a self employed worker. And together with this I also continued on paying my quarterly fees of 400 pesos per quarter for Philhealth.

Before I delivered my 2nd child in Thailand, I submitted some forms from both Government agencies complied all their requirements after my delivery. All the forms and requirements are found online and so they were just easy to comply. But I had to mail my filled out forms and hospital bills and receipts by registered mail. My mom was the one who processed all my papers in the Philippines.

And after a few months, I was reimbursed by Philhealth and received 24T pesos ( I had Ceasarian operation) while SSS gave me around 8T pesos as maternity benefit. Cool huh? So, if you're a Filipino who's based abroad ( with Philhealth) and get hospitalized, Philhealth will be able to reimburse part of our hospitalization bills. If you're an SSS member and delivers outside the Philippines, you too will get Maternity benefit.

It's nice to have these benefits and health plans like Blue Cross Blue Shield NC because they will really be handy in times of need.

Typhoon "Urduja"

It's been raining here in our hometown since last night. It's good though that the rain is not that heavy but it's just continuous. This rain must haven been caused by the typhoon which is at the Eastern part of Northern Mindanao and parts of the Visayas Areas. The following cities and provinces has a storm signal No. 1 as of this time; Leyte, southern Leyte, eastern Samar and western Samar in the Visayas and Surigao del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Siargao, and Dinagat Islands in Mindanao.

I hope and pray that this typhoon won't cause major damages. This is the time when motorist need to stay away from the mountains as landslides might occur. If traveling is not avoidable especially at night, it would be best for their transportation to be in a good condition and have good lights like xenon lights .

Be safe everyone!

The Meaning of Pasalubong

Pasalubong is the Filipino term which is a present or gift from someone arriving from a trip. The presents or treats must be bought from the place where that someone visited.

Pasalubong is somehow linked to our culture. It's like a must for us to bring something for our families and friends when we go back home. So, when you're in the airport it's quite common to find homecoming overseas Filipino workers with big and excess baggages. I'm pretty sure that most of the things in the bags are 'pasalubong' for their families and friends.

Colombia is famous for their coffee, France is famous for their wines, Cuba is famous for their cigars online , Japan is famous for their electonic gadgets so on and so forth. But I guess the pasalubong that most Filipinos would love are clothes, accessories and electronic gadgets.

Meet Superman Jr.

Meet Superman Jr. with a big tummy

This is the new Superman Jr. with a big tummy, li'l Lyle. His Superman costume was a hand me down from his cousin Z. The amusing thing about this outfit is that Z boy wore this when he was already 4 years old but now our li'l boy is only 2 years old and the outfit fits him already! That's how big our boy is and that's why we have to monitor his food and milk intake.

What happened to Superman?? It's either he's defeated by his enemies or was just too sleepy to fight.

On the other hand, strong men can still lbring baskets while swing on the hammock.. heheh!

Eh- Plane!!

My li'l boy loves to ride the airplane now that he's two years old. I remember during the time we traveled to the Philippines 2 weeks ago. We had to board 3 airplanes , from Penang to Kuala Lumpur, then to Manila and lastly to Cagayan de Oro. Our flight started from the evening until the next morning. And every time we ride the plane, our li'l boy gets so excited, he claps his hand and exclaim with glee, " Eh- plane!! Eh-plane!!" while my hubby and I were already so tired and just couldn't wait to arrive home.

Anyways, writing this makes me realize how blessed our kids are. I for one only get to have my first plane ride at the age of 16 years old. Those were the days when plane rides were so expensive. Now, we have budget fares like the 1 peso promo from Cebu Pacific or Zero Air fare promo from Air Asia. With all the taxes and other fees, the total cost will still be affordable. They also have options to select you seats, upgrade your baggage or get travel insurance ( with insurance quote ).

Christmas Shopping

It's already the Christmas Season here in the Philippines. Wherever we turn we're reminded that Christmas is just around the corner. But sad to say that we won't be staying here for Christmas since we have to be back to Thailand by December 15. But at least we get the feel and 'taste' of Philippines' Christmas before we go back to Malaysia and Thailand.

I'm sure a lot of people must also be busy doing their Christmas shopping now. I'm not sure if there are on going "Sale" in the city but it would be nice if there would be one while we're still here. No, we won't be doing our Christmas shopping but it's nice to 'window shop' during the sale season. Who knows, we get to see some super cheap items that would be worth to buy. The only thing that I don't like when shopping during the 'sale' season is the the malls and shops are usually crowded and the lines to the cashier are so long even if they already use Symbol LS2208 barcode scanner.

What about you? Are you preparing for the holidays?

Yummy Sunday: Salad

This is Taki Wacky Chicken Salad ( I'm not sure if I got the name right) from Bigby's cafe. I got to know about this dish from one of the blogs I've visited several months ago. So, when we went to Bigby's for lunch yesterday, I ordered this food out of curiosity.

Even if I'm not a salad or vegetable lover, I would say that this dish is yummy. It's not a plain vegetable salad but the diced cheese, grapes, diced mango and diced toasted bread added to its delicious taste. I would love to order this again if ever we go back to Bigby's.

For more yummy sunday entries, visit Bogie for Perfectly Blended.

Big, Booming Business

We've just arrived from our day out with my sis family. We went out to buy some DVDs and other stuff. On the way back, we went to the main branch of one of the leading handphone stores here in the city. I was amazed by how his handphone business has boomed and extended to other goods in just a few years in the business. His shop building is already so huge and branches of his shops are like in every corner of the city.

The owner of this shop was actually a classmate of my brother in high school. So, you can imagine that he has already attained great success at a very young age. He must only be in his early forties now. I'm not sure if he has hired a business plan consultant or not for his business but whatever strategies he is doing for his business must be right because it is indeed a complete success.

Off to Iligan

I'm excited! We're going to Iligan this coming Monday. I have a cousin who's a dentist and her clinic is in Iligan. I really need to have my teeth checked by her ( Thanks San!) as I've already been experiencing pain for the past weeks.

We might also go to one Iligan's famous Timogo pools. Yipee! I'm sure our kids will enjoy this trip. My hubby will also be driving my cousin's car since her driver's license has already expired. I'm a bit nervous for Hubby because he's used to drive at the left side of the road. But Hubby's quite confident though because he has been riding the motorbike here.

Speaking of driving and trips, you might want to get your own auto auto insurance quotes.

Mommy Moments : Yummy!

It's been quite awhile since I joined the Mommy Moment's meme and I'm glad to be back. This week's theme is Yummy which will show our kids favorite food or eating experience.

For my li'l girl's photo, she's eating the Indian Banana leaf rice here. Banana leaf rice is a South Indian food that is served with an assortment of vegetables, curried meat or fish, pickles, and/or papadum. My li'l girl loves to eat with her hands even if I find it a bit messy for her. Anyways, Banana leaf rice is such a great Indian meal and you must try sometime if you visit Malaysia or India. I can't wait to have one when we get back to Malaysia.




For my li'l boy's photo, he is enjoying his birthday party here and eating on his own. He likes Nuggets .. but on the other hand, he actually loves all kinds of food. That must explain why he is chubby.. :)

For more Mommy Moments Entries, please visit Chris by clicking the badge above.

34 Days Before Christmas

It's another 34 days before Christmas! It may still seem faraway for some but then if you're here in the Philippines, you can already see all the shops and malls lavishly adorned with Christmas decorations. It's such a pity that we won't be celebrating Christmas and New Year here. We've been asked by our friends and relatives whether we're here to celebrate Christmas and New year, but sad to say we'll be going back on December 10.

Anyways, I also have to make some preparations for our upcoming Christmas celebration. We plan to send some cards for our family and friends. A few years ago, I made some handmade personalised christmas cards but this time, I guess I'll have to stick to buying Christmas cards since I don't have the time to make our cards anymore.

What about you? Have you started planning your Christmas Celebration?

Two Movie Dates in A Week

This is a breakthrough! My Hubby and I had 2 movie dates in a week! Going out for a date or for a movie with Hubby are rare these days since we don't have anyone to take care of our li'l ones. But thanks to my Mom and sis who are very willing to take care of our li'l ones just for Hubby and I to have our dates. I'm excited because there will be more dates to come for the coming weeks while we're here! Yippee! I need to plan for other activities as well since I guess we've had enough movies for now.

We actually watched 2012 the other day. It's indeed a great movie that is best watched in the big screen because of the superba special effects. Then, this afternoon, we watched " This is it!". I'm not a Michael Jackson fan but my Hubby grew up liking Michael Jackson. What was special while watching the movie was that we were the only ones in the movie house for about 30 minutes. It was like the movie was exclusively shown for us! LOL! And then after several minutes, another couple came. But it was still cool to be in a big movie house with only 4 people in it.

Next date will hopefully this Sunday, when Lyle will be 'borrowed' by his Kuya Jun Jun and Ate Aiza. Hopefully, he will happily go with them for the afternoon. :)

Things To Do In Cagayan de Oro

I've been procrastinating again. We're supposed to draft out our 1 month plan here in our hometown, schedule our days like when to meet our friends, list out the places to go and things to do. But we haven't done anything yet and if we delay a bit longer, we'll just be surprised that the month has already passed without us accomplishing much. I guess I'm still on a 'holiday' mode and just want to spend much time home relaxing and not doing anything much just like being on a mexico vacation deals.

2012

We're going to watch 2012 in the theater later IF our li'l boy will cooperate and be willing to be left behind with his elder sis, Granny, Mamay and cousins. Oh, I just hope he will be okay. It has been quite a long time since my Hubby and I went out for a date.

I'm also looking forward to watch the 2012 movie. I've heard from friends that it's one great movie. I'll tell you about this movie later IF , we get a chance to watch it. :)

My Food 'Wish List'

It's our 3rd day here in the Philippines and I could say we've rested very well after our travel. We didn't go out and 'explore' the city much yet as we find it more enjoyable and relaxing to stay at home, chat with family members and hear the sound of the river. :)

But next week will be different, I have some food 'wish list' that I want to savor before going back to Malaysia/Thailand so, I better start fast. :)

Here are some of my food wish list.

• Buko Halo at Jo's Chicken Inato
• Yellow Cab pizza
• Any meal from Bigby's Cafe
• I want to try out the cakes from Candy's
• Chicken from Dear Manok
• Cakes and lasagna from Red Ribbon
• lasagna and choco moist by my sis Laureen
• Coffee from Coffee Works
• Vjandep Pastels
• Jollibbe Chicken and burger
• and a lot more

Hahaha! I'm not sure if I would be able to savor all these food from my wish list but if I do, I'm sure that I'm going to have some weight problems and increased belly fat too. LOL!!

Home Sweet Home - Philippines

Yes, we're all back in the Philippines now. Yipee! I'm still a bit tired from our overnight flights from Penang to Kuala Lumpur to Manila and finally Cagayan de Oro City. But when we arrived here we were just so happy to see our family.

So, now I could hear again the rushing of the river, feel the soft night breeze from the outside ... it's just so nice to be back. And as my daughter always says ever since she arrived, ' Can we just stay here and never to go anywhere again?' :) if only..........

Packed and Ready To Fly!!

The day has come when we will be going back to the Philippines for a short visit. All our clothes have been packed again ( after unpacking them just 5 days ago from our HK Trip). We didn't bring much clothes (especially tuxedo shirts) because our bags are just filled with bulky stuff to bring for family. :)

Now, we're just waiting for the time for us to drive to Penang and from there fly to Kuala Lumpur then fly to Manila and finally fly Cagayan de Oro City. Whew!! It'll be a long day and night of traveling but I'm just glad to go back home.. home sweet home to the place I was born and grew up.... :)

Yummy Sunday - Disney Meal

When we went to Disneyland in Hong Kong last week, we bought our dinner at one of their shops. I was so amused by their plate which also has the Mickey Mouse ears as the design. Cute!



I can't remember the exact name of these dishes it had a Chinese sounding name, but I had chicken with rice and my Hubby had fish and rice. It was quite tasty and filling too as the serving is generous. I won't mention the cost of this meal ( in pesos) anymore because it's indeed a simple meal that's 'painful on the pocket' even if it's one of the cheapest meal that we could find there. hehehe!

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

And if I can have 2 seconds of your time, please vote for my photo, 'jesu_d' here in Parent Thots . Voting period ends in November 10. Thanks so much!!

Holiday Preparations

What's your holiday preparation? Have you started decorating your home with christmas decors and stuff? Have you started buying your gifts and stuff?

As for our family, we can't do our holiday preparations yet. It seems that that there are still so many things that will take place ( travel, house move and etc.) because we could sit down and think about the coming holidays.

But I do know of a few people who has already started their Christmas shopping and planning their Christmas menu. I admire them for they must truly be very organized folks. I wonder if they would also be interested in changing their usual eye glasses for holiday fun eyeglasses to complete their Christmas preparation. I've heard of the new arrivals of the 8$ prescription Zenni eyeglasses. Here is a sample of the fun glasses I'm talking about.

Please Vote For My Photo

Hi! I would like to make a request from you. Please vote for the photo that I've submitted in a contest at Parent Thots. I'm doing this contest for my li'l ones. You see the contest prize is a very nice and educational toy from Disney that my kids would truly love.

To vote: just click this link from Parent Thots and look for the photo named 'jesu_d' ( the last photo) and click vote. It'll just take a few seconds of your time to do this. Thank You so much and I truly appreciate your time.

Barbeque Night

It was a fun filled night. Our Anneh and Akka's family came over and we all had barbeque at the porch. Our emcee for the night was li'l Tricia who was 'assigned' the people who should do the opening prayer, the worship song and the like.

We had lots of food and coke!! think I've indulged myself too much and even had two rounds of rice and a lot of meat. Tsk..tsk.. What to do, I've been having good appetite lately that I think appetite suppressants would be helpful for me not to over eat.

Anyways, it's alway fun to have barbeque, hopefully we could do this more often. :)

I Won the Handy Manny Give Away

The towel and bath gel.. image taken from another blog since my camera is broken

Yes! I won the Handy Manny giveaway. I posted about joining this contest last September and I wasn't really sure if I won it or not since I didn't receive any calls or email about it.

But when we arrived home yesterday ( after being away for almost 2 weeks) I was surprised to receive two packages from Singapore. We have some friends from Singapore and I thought that the package must come from them. When I saw the contents of the package were Bath Towel and Body Gel, I was still puzzled. It was only when I opened it and saw the big Handy Manny image in the towel and the Flicker bath gel that it occurred to me that I won the Handy Manny give away! Hahaha! It's such a blessing!

I was jumping with joy and excitedly gave the prize to my li'l girl. And guess what, I received 2 packages which means that I won the contest twice ( on different days). So, we gave the other set to Tricia's cousin Timo, who was also so happy.

Wow! Wow! Wow! Winning contests and giveaways has now motivated me more to join more contests...

The Victoria Harbor

This is the Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong. You could see Hong Kong Island's famous company buildings like Samsung, AIG, Bank of America, Lippo, Conrad and others from this location. We went to the harbour in the afternoon and planned to stay until 8 o'clock at night to watch the 'light show' but our kids were already cranky so, we just stayed at until sunset.

The view of Hong Kong's skyline was indeed stunning. I'll post more photos in my travel blog, www.fromasiaandbeyond.com later.

Mommy Moments- Let's Pretend

This week's theme for Mommy Moments is Let's Pretend.

Well, I have Wonderwoman as my daughter and Superman as my son and of course that makes me the Super Mom! :)

I just love this photo. My li'l girl was just 3 years old at this time and I like how she looked like the real wonderwoman with her curly hair. :)


Well, my son doesn't have a superman costume yet but writing about this now, makes me want to buy for him one. Anyways, here is a photo of him pretending to fly but I guess he flies more like an airplane than superman. :)

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Lovely Weather

I'm loving the weather here in Hong Kong. It's very cold but the coolness is very comfortable. As of now, the temperature is 16 degrees Celsius and it's only autumn. I wonder how cold it can get when it's winter.

Even with this weather, I already have to force myself to get up go to the walk in bath maybe when it gets too cold I may end up not getting up at all. LOL!

As my daughter once asked, when she felt so cold in Cameron Highlands, "Can somebody please turn off the aircon?".