Iya's 1st Korean BBQ!

I guess the title says it all ;-) Today is our first night in Astoria Plaza (Pasig) after 3 days in my bro's condo. Its our first time to be in this part of Metro Manila (we usually stay in Makati CBD) and thus we're unfamiliar on where to eat, what to do, etc, etc in this area. Luckily for us, there was a Korean BBQ eatery in front the Astoria, a MiniStop (that serves Pinoy hot meals) on the side, and a Red Ribbon nearby. We won't go hungry for sure ;-)

For tonight, as you might have surmised, we had dinner in the Korean BBQ eatery. Labsie and I last ate in this type of resto way back in 2007. We had so much fun grilling stuff + making our own lettuce rolls then. And tonight was no different :-) Our Iya, who is normally very active, sat through the entire meal! A miracle we say! My guess is she found the food very colorful (brown grilled pork, green lettuce, orange sweet potato, red sauces, yellow steamed egg) and can't wait to put it in her mouth, hehe! :-) All in all, we had an awesome and very satisfying family dinner. Til the next Korean BBQ cookout!Ü

Vacay 2011 is on! :)

Its 330pm on my phone- that means in 30 minutes we're off to Manila! Yesiree, it's that time of the year again- our annual vacation! Woohoo! ^__^ If you're a follower of this blog, you already know why we go on vacay during October. If you're new here, these are the reasons: October is when we celebrate our wedding anniversary, our couple anniversary, and Labsie's birthday. Three special occasions deserves 10 days of vacay! :-)

remembering 9/11 -- 10 years later

It's mid-morning of September 11 in my part of the world now. In less than 12hrs, it will be the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 US attacks. 10yrs ago, as the first plane hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York, I was studying for a Zoology exam scheduled the next day. I was a 20yr old BS Biology student in UPMin then. When the second plane hit, I knew something was up and stopped studying. I texted my Zoology teacher in jest if she could cancel the exam (hi Dr U / Z!) as something momentous (albeit horrific) is happening. Of course she replied, no, the exam couldn't be cancelled. Boohoo! But that didn't deter me from watching history unfold on live TV for the next several hours. Needless to say, I didn't get to sleep that night-- NY time is 12hrs behind our time, we watched the 9/11 attacks on our late-night news.

The next day, I was groggy when I took my Zoology exam. I can't even remember if I passed or failed that exam. But the memory of watching the 9/11 US attacks live on TV was forever burned in my memory. The memory of seeing the planes crash into the towers, the memory of people jumping out of the towers, of the people running away from the collapsing towers, the memory of the burning Pentagon building, the memory of the frantic voices from the heroic United 93 flight-- all these are burned in my memory. I know no one personally who was hurt in the 9/11 US attacks (my aunt in law resides in Woodside, NY though) but I was changed, and I knew the attacks will forever change our world, not just the United States of America. Here's my favorite insight on how 9/11 changed our lives by Martin Levenson:

Horrible and tragic events, with so many lives lost needlessly, on 9-11 and since.  But for me, the greatest tragedy is that a once proud nation, fiercely protective of its peoples' rights and liberties, has seen fit to suspend and abrogate those rights in so many ways, and that its people, now living in a culture of fear both real and imagined, have accepted this so meekly.  "Sweet land of liberty", indeed. The events pictured in this collection have cost the US so much, not only in lives and money, but in heart and soul, and I grieve for that more than anything else. 

For more pictures of the 9/11 US attacks, check out The Atlantic's 3-part photo series (click the links):
--THE WEEK BEFORE (photos from all around the world, a week prior 9/11)
--THE DAY OF THE ATTACKS
--THE DECADE SINCE (relevant photos after 9/11/2001 til 9/2011)

DIY edible fingerpaint :)

Aside from music, Iya also loves the visual aspect of arts. I already bought her washable markers for coloring stuff and making art but it didn't seem enough for her. I thought maybe Iya needed to 'get down and dirty' to truly enjoy the art experience. And so this fine Sunday morn, I made her edible fingerpaint ^__^ If dipping her fingers into bright colors won't make her shout with glee, I'll go back to my medical career and forget being a mom. LOL!Ü

Anyway, here's how you make edible fingerpaint:

1. Mix 1cup flour with COLD water (variable amount, just add little by little). Mix until there's no more lumps.

2. Slowly add HOT water to the flour mixture until desired consistency is achieved. If you want it more runny, add more water and vice versa.

3. Separate the mixture into different containers and add food coloring to each. I used my mom's Wilton stash and the colors are absolutely brilliant! :)

4. Now you're ready to fingerpaint with your toddler! Remember that it will be messy so just relax and let the good times roll, hehe!Ü

Birthday Challenge Day 10

DAY 10: MY BEST FRIEND!

Make that best friendS! ^__^ That's them below -- Labsie, my one and only boyfriend and now hubby, Chin (left) and Jinky (right). We're in my wedding reception here, nearly 3 years ago! My, how time flies.. Now, Labsie and I have 16-month old Iya, Chin and Man-Man have 6-month old Ysha, and Jinky and Madz have an upcoming baby boy this September ^__^

Birthday Challenge Day 8 & 9

DAY 8: SOMETHING I LOVE ABOUT MYSELF :)

Generally, I love me! Hehe! I'm not someone who pities herself or wishes I'm somebody else ~ more rich, more beautiful, more smart, more whatever. I am contented and happy the way I am ^__^ That's why, if you ask me what's one thing I love about myself, I can't give you a single answer.. Coz I love ALL OF ME! Imperfections and shortcomings included :)

Ilihan Mountain Cliff in Camiguin (C) 2006

DAY 9: SOMETHING I HATE ABOUT MYSELF :(

I love all of me but that doesn't mean there's nothing I hate about myself. Does that sound contradictory? I suppose it does but then we all have a love/hate relationship with ourselves at one time or another, hehe! And the one thing I hate about myself is that I'm a (relaxed type) procrastinator. I have lots of to-do things that are finished half-way. Now that I'll be turning 30, I'll really really try to abolish this horrendous habit of mine :(

Birthday Challenge Day 6 & 7

DAY 6: A SONG THAT MAKES ME CRY

I can't think of any song that makes me cry these days. However, when I was in my teens (hormones!!), I often shed a tear or two when I hear romantic ballads. Hehe! Love songs about waiting for love, being in love, breaking up, etc, etc always leaves me in tears. I most especially like 95.5 WRock's Sunday program when they play classic and popular love songs.. Sigh, I miss those simple days when all I did was listen to music while reading a book :)

DAY 7: MY CRUSH

Only one crush?? Can it be crushes?? Hehe! But then this post will never be finished as I have TONS of crushes! ;-) Anyhoo, my fave right now is BRANDON ROUTH, he of Superman Returns fame ^__^ But I love him more in the TV show Chuck (as Agent Daniel Shaw in season 3) and movie Dylan Dog -- both of which he has scenes where he was topless and wet!! Waahh!! I was literally drooling with Labsie giving me the evil eye, LOL! Below is a Brandon Routh wallpaper (click to enlarge) for you to ogle, hehe! ;-) If you want more pictures of this super handsome guy, you can go to his unofficial Facebook page HERE and official FB page HERE. Oh right, you can follow him on Twitter too. For Brandon's topless photos, click HERE. Don't blame me if you'll get addicted to him! Hahaha!

is it July already??

DANG! That means its been a month since I mobile photo blogged! Blame my nearly 4-year old SE k800i, it's so unstable (and frequently lost coz Iya kept hiding it, LOL) that I can't post my photo blog posts without it suddenly turning off T__T Really have to buy a new phone, haayy!

Anyhoo, July is my birth month and this year I'm turning the big 3-0! WOW! For the longest time, my age has been 18 years old as I feel the 20s are nothing but an intermission between 18 and 30 ~ the ages that I consider important to my life :) If you frequent my wedding blog, I started the 30-day Birthday Challenge there to celebrate my 30th birthday. Below are the links of the previous Birthday Challenge posts. Thanks again to Wilkin for coming up with a 30-Day Challenge. Days 6-25 will be hosted here. Enjoy! ^__^

>> it's JULY!

>> Birthday Challenge Day 1

>> Birthday Challenge Day 2

>> Birthday Challenge Day 3

>> Birthday Challenge Day 4
>> Birthday Challenge Day 5