Pregnant Pauses

New Label

2010-01-03T00:24:00.004+08:00

Upon spotting one of my bras lying on the bed, my impish toddler suddenly exclaimed:

"Mommy, you forgot to wear your booby belt!"

BWAHAHA!

Resolution

2009-12-31T18:01:00.005+08:00

"Resolve to make at least one person happy every day, and then in ten years you may have made three thousand, six hundred and fifty persons happy, or brightened a small town by your contribution to the fund of general enjoyment."

- Sydney Smith

Movie Magic

2009-12-28T03:37:00.005+08:00

"Sometimes your life boils down to one insane move."

-Jake Sully, Avatar

Farewell to Cuteness

2009-12-27T00:14:00.004+08:00

My 4-year old's teacher told him he was so cute and pinched his cheeks.

His indignant reply: "I'm not cute... I'm not a baby! I'm a big boy... I'm handsome!"

BWAHAHAHA!

Metamorphosis

2009-06-06T18:59:00.010+08:00

It was early morning in our hotel room in Beijing and it was freezing cold.

I was preparing a warm bath for our four year-old son, so I proceeded to remove his pajamas and underwear.

After a few seconds, my son gives a squeal and his already very round eyes got even rounder.

Worried, I asked him what the matter was.

He immediately pointed to his protruding little penis and bluted out: "Look, Mommy! My turtle turned into a giraffe!"

I tried valiantly to keep a straight face, but it was impossible. I almost fell to the floor laughing.

I have never looked at a turtle or giraffe the same way since.

People Power Lives On

2009-08-07T14:16:00.035+08:00

There it was, weaving its way through the crowded city, a startingly simple truck carrying the simple coffin of a simple woman who in her own simple way succeeded in summoning the people's power to unite and fight to regain our country's freedom from dictatorship through peace and prayer.

Even the heavens seemed to be in mourning as the wet drizzles from the sky mingled with the yellow confetti showers falling from the skyscrapers of Makati. Everyone left their office buildings and sacrificed their lunch hour to wait outside for a glimpse of President Cory Aquino's casket.

She always had the gift of bringing together Filipinos from all walks of life, and there they all were... reuniting of their own free will, paying their respects, shedding tears for her, flashing the famous L sign for LABAN and reliving the moments of the 1986 EDSA revolution when we rallied to her cause and stopped soldiers and tanks with nothing but rosaries to shield us.

She strove so long and so hard for peace. Though the entire nation is saddened by her loss, our hearts are also rejoicing with the certainty that Tita Cory is now finally permanently at peace in the arms of the Lord together with her husband Ninoy.

Thank you. We will never forget you.

A National Treasure

2009-08-01T11:14:00.011+08:00

“I don't have any formula for ousting a dictator or building democracy. All I can suggest is to forget about yourself and just think of your people. It's always the people who make things happen.” - President Corazon Aquino

Rest in peace, President Cory. You will always be a cherished part of our country's history.

Burn

2009-07-27T15:51:00.015+08:00

"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live mad to talk mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing but burn burn burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes 'awww!' "

- Jack Kerouac (On the Road)

So be mad. Be passionate. Be extraordinary. Be the shameless star of your own life.

Promise.... I'll be right there burning with you.

Aisles of Paradise

2009-07-07T17:58:00.019+08:00

"I have always imagined that Paradise will be some kind of library." - Jorge Luis Borges

I usually try to avoid entering bookstores because once I'm in I have a bitch of a time finding my way out.

I love bookstores. I love scouring the aisles in search of a good find. I love the feel and smell of a new page turned. I love unearthing a new title that I just know my son, my husband or I will enjoy devouring.

If I had tons of money, I would certainly put up my very own bookstore.

And I would make sure I visit this one located in Maastricht, Holland for inspiration. The store is called Selexyz and it is installed in an old Dominican church, with the coffee shop nestled right at the altar.

Hallelujah!

Gone Too Soon

2009-06-27T00:52:00.006+08:00

"If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with." - Michael Jackson

Thank you for rocking our world.

Rest in peace.

Falling

2009-06-24T19:39:00.005+08:00

"Forget love - I'd rather fall in chocolate!"

- Sandra J. Dykes

The Perfect All-Occasion Cards

2009-06-04T19:20:00.014+08:00

BWAHAHAHA!

Turtle Family

2008-11-27T09:49:00.011+08:00

My son has never before exhibited a great fondness for stuffed toys. Gifts of the fluffy kind simply serve as displays on exhibit at his bedroom, to be glanced over from time to time, maybe even patted or held briefly on a few occasions, but never really seriously considered as major objects of affection.

I was thus more than mildly surprised when, on a recent trip to the department store, my toddler gravitated towards the toy section and excitedly grabbed a stuffed turtle from one of the shelves.

It was Crush (...or was it his son Squirt? I honestly can't tell the difference...) from "Finding Nemo." His big eyes lit up with pleasure as he held the toy next to him. He even brought the cute and cuddly green thing next to his face and gave it a kiss on the cheek.

From that moment on, he absolutely refused to let go of Crush/Squirt. The cashier had to resort to cutting the price tag off for scanning because my son adamantly refused to hand over his precious find lest it disappear from him forever.

I was hugely amused to see how much he loved his new toy.

As soon as we arrived back at our condo, my litte boy suddenly looked for his real pet turtle, which he received a few months back as a present from his Uncle. He asked his Daddy to take it out of the aquarium and set it down on the floor. When the live turtle was on the floor, our three year-old got his stuffed pet Crush/Squirt and put him down beside it. A few seconds later, my husband and I were flabbergasted to see our son plop down on the floor as well.

Before we could say anything, our wonder kid looked up at us with a big grin on his impish face and said: "Look, we're the same! All turtles....we're family!"

And so that is how we found ourselves with a happy family of turtles living at our home.

i carry your heart

2008-11-13T23:09:00.010+08:00

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in

my heart) i am never without it(anywhere

i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done

by only me is your doing, my darling)

i fear

no fate(for you are my fate, my sweet)i want

no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)

and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant

and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows

higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)

and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

- ee cummings

Who do you carry in your heart? =)

Retrospective

2008-11-10T00:21:00.009+08:00

Tried uploading my photos at yearbookyourself.com.

And TAH-DAH....these were the results generated....

Don't think I can't hear you laughing your ass off!

BWAHAHAHA!

Okay, now YOU do it! Then share the outcome...so it can be my turn to laugh.

BWAHAHAHA!

Fabulous Photo Fun

2008-09-03T03:19:00.015+08:00

Fooling around with photos has never been this entertaining!

You can try applying the special effects on your pictures at photofunia.com. Enjoy!!!

Checking In

2008-08-19T00:19:00.005+08:00

Just when I am feeling a tad uninspired to blog more often, this surprise suddenly arrives for me by mail....

Thank you, Google Adsense! Nothing beats your form of motivation. Haha!

Now, excuse me while I go shopping!

McDreamy's Bride

2008-07-09T21:38:00.002+08:00

Finally. The seemingly improbable happened.

I got hitched to McDreamy.

Woohoo!

A Farewell to Summer

2008-05-27T16:52:00.042+08:00

"Summer afternoon - summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language."

- Henry James

"In summer, the song sings itself."

- William Carlos Williams

"The summer night is like a perfection of thought."

- Wallace Stevens

"Then followed that beautiful season...Summer...

Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light;

And the landscape lay as if new

Created in all the freshness of childhood."

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

"Most persons do not see the sun. At least they have a very superficial seeing. The sun illuminates only the eye of the man, but shines into the eye and heart of the child. The lover of nature is he whose inward and outward senses are still truly adjusted to each other; who has retained the spirit of infancy even into the era of manhood."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"What greater thing is there for human souls than to feel that they are joined for life - to be with each other in silent unspeakable memories."

- George Eliot

"There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart."

- Celia Thaxter

"A life without love is like a year without summer."

- Swedish Proverb

"When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses."

- Joyce Brothers

"Enjoy yourself. It's later than you think."

- Chinese Proverb

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time."

- John Lubbock

"I question not if thrushes sing,

If roses load the air;

Beyond my heart I need not reach

When all is summer there."

-John Vance Cheney

"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer."

- Albert Camus

"To see the Summer Sky

Is Poetry, though never in a Book it lie -

True Poems flee."

- Emily Dickinson

"Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with the world."

- Ada Louise Huxtable

"Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it."

-Russel Baker

Birthday Tribute

2008-04-18T10:52:00.017+08:00

A mushy missive to the man of the hour...

Dearest Allan,

Despite my occasional loud bursts of protests, whiny complaints and demanding questions of why, how and what now, please know that, in the deepest recesses of my heart and soul, I am always on your side -- rooting for you, believing in you, praying for you, trusting you, loving you every step of the way.

My darling, you simply cannot imagine how proud I am of you.

At 38, you have achieved what many only dream of. Slowly but surely, you grew to become the great man I always knew you would be from the moment I met you.

You have managed to conquer the odds and build a successful, rewarding career that has gifted our family with stability, comfort and freedom. You have proven that life is what you make of it -- that hard work, perseverance, patience, focus, optimism, faith and kindness can transform obstacles into victories, change daunting improbabilities into endless possiblity, and create stunning miracles out of ordinary happenings.

You have truly inspired and moved me to think differently, to focus on the good, to give in order to get back. And for this, I am extremely grateful. Now, I am joyfully convinced that all setbacks are temporary; they happen for a reason, and even help sweeten the feeling of fulfillment in the end.

So THANK YOU - for all that you do and all that you are.

You are an amazing husband, a devoted father, and the perfect best friend.

Happy Birthday, my honey!!!

I love you and I always will.

Your loony muse,

Irene

Reminiscing Rio

2008-04-11T21:22:00.014+08:00

"Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand
Just like that river twisting through a dustly land
And when she shines she really shows you all she can
Oh Rio, Rio dance across the Rio Grande..."

Duran Duran played this song as their final encore in their concert Thursday night.

Consequently, it has permeated the inner recesses of my brain so that I continue to sing it over and over again like a broken record. Which is quite a feat, really, given that I have practically lost all command of my vocal chords since yelling myself silly throughout their entire two-hour show.

Duran Duran is one of my all-time favorite eighties' bands.

I loved them before....

And, after finally seeing them peform live, I love them even more now....

Nostalgia overwhelmed me as the amazingly talented English musicians played their fabulously familiar tunes, and the huge Araneta Coliseum crowd collectively shrieked and danced along.

After the twenty or so years that have passed, the group undeniably sounded better than ever.

I saw many familiar faces in the excited audience - some I knew from way back in high school and college.

Flashbacks of prom nights, awkward dates, die-hard crushes, puppy loves, crazy parties, spasmodic bursts of teenage rebellion and sentimental friendships enveloped my being and spurred me to scream my lungs out even harder to the soundtracks that were my life.

I was lost, then found, in the contagious mood of frenetic reminiscence.

I felt old.

And I felt young.

Generally, I felt greater than I had in quite a while.

"Her name is Rio she don't need to understand
And I might find her if I'm looking like I can
Rio, Rio hear them shout across the land
From mountains in the north down to the Rio Grande..."

Beanie Baby

2008-04-08T14:38:00.015+08:00

My son loves to dress up, but in his own way.

At three, he seems to have already developed his own sense of fashion. Depending on his mood, he carefully chooses his own outfit from his hat down to his shoes. And, more often than not, his sartorial flair involves dramatic costuming.

Each day our toddler traipses off to school, his teachers are always in for a surprise. They never know when to expect a firefighter, gladiator, cowboy, pirate, or even Bob the Builder to stride proudly into the classroom.

The problem arises when our picky dresser has to wear something that does not catch his fancy. He throws a tantrum and unceremoniously yanks on his undesired piece of clothing until we, the tired, hapless parents, eventually give in and remove the offending piece.

A few weeks back, we were faced with a dilemma when our family had to attend a formal wedding. How in the world were we going to make our headstrong son last more than five minutes in a long-sleeved collared shirt and tie???

I could not help but worry during the entire ride to the venue. I kept trying to sweet-talk him by telling him how handsome he would look wearing the ensemble hanging by our car window, but he would merely shake his head vigorously at me in response.

When we finally arrived at the event, I valiantly attempted to get our boy into the shirt and tie. Just as I predicted and dreaded, he immediately started wailing and pulling hard at his necktie and shirt buttons.

My husband quickly advised me to stop creating a scene and simply let our son go in casually attired. I knew I was losing the accoutrement battle. In the distance, I could see all the little children prancing around in their formalwear.

Out of desperation, I cried out: "MR. BEAN!"

Suddenly, our young bugger completely ceased fidgeting and stood perfectly still. He looked at me, albeit suspiciously, and said, "Mr. Bean?"

And I, latching on at the burst of hope, reiterated, "Yes! Mr. Bean! You're Mr. Bean!"

Lo and behold, a miracle occured. Our hyper nipper slowly took in his garb. Soon after, his previously distressed face broke into a pleased smile. He grabbed my hand and practically pulled me to the gathering.

He ended up contentedly wearing his Mr. Bean "costume" the whole evening. As an added bonus, all the guests we came across enthused that our lad looked so handsome in his get-up.

Whew!

Thank you for saving the day, Mr. Bean!

Welcoming Summer

2008-04-05T18:01:00.007+08:00

You know it's really summer when you wake up in a resort one sunny morning to the sight of your smiling toddler suited in a snug silly outfit, slathered in sunblock lotion, shod in rubber thong slippers, singing his merry way to the pool.

The heat is definitely on and this loony mommy is finding herself enjoying every bit of it with her playful child.

Woohoo!

Model Child

2007-11-29T11:00:00.000+08:00

After his not so short-lived fame as the taxi cab and billboard baby of Kimberly Clark's Joy Tissue, our little man Niccolo is at it again.

This time, he strikes poses for Avon.

Thankfully, the photographer in charge of the shoot was his own father. The voluntary talent motivator, on the other hand, was his loony stage mother who became even loonier while trying to squeeze an acceptable expression out of the extraordinarily mischievous and hyper subject.

The results are the spreads below which came out in the two November Avon catalogs....

Woohoo!

First Lesson

2007-10-26T15:58:00.000+08:00

I never tire of reading this piece, which a good friend shared with me way back in high school.

I thought you might like it, too.

FIRST LESSON

Lie back, daughter, let your head

be tipped back in the cup of my hand.

Gently, and I will hold you.

Spread your arms wide, lie out on a stream

and look high at the gulls.

A dead man's float is face down.

You will dive and swim soon enough

where this tide water ebbs to sea.

Daughter, believe me,

when you tire on the long trash

to your island, lie up and survive.

As you float now, where I held you

and let go, remember when fear

cramps your heart what I told you:

Lie gently wide to the light year stars,

lie back, and the sea will hold you.