Baby Ticker

Just want to post this here so we can see how baby is progressing :-) Again, thanks to everyone who wished us well.

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The Greatest Gift

JJ and I celebrated our first year anniversary last December 28, 2007. It is also the same day that we received the greatest Christmas/Anniv gift that a couple can get. We’re pregnant J

Two home pregnancy tests yielded positive results on the day of our anniversary. We kept it to ourselves first and agreed to tell our families and friends after my check-up, which I had scheduled the next day.

My check-up the next day confirmed that I was 6 weeks pregnant. Our baby already has a heartbeat ( a good sign according to our doctor J ). Given that our baby is just a teeny weeny .34 cm, seeing the heartbeat was amazing. We are so thrilled!

My EDD is on August 24, 2008. Please pray for our health and a safe delivery J

Hongkong Experience

JJ and I availed PAL’s Great Getaway (50% off on Mabuhay Miles requirement for certain routes) promo last December 2-5. Our destination? Hongkong J

It was my first time to visit the country but JJ’s been there once when he was 8 or 9. We initially thought of getting a land tour package but since a number of JJ’s officemates have been there in the last few months, we decided to do away with the package and plan the tour ourselves. And we were glad we did J

After booking the flights, the next step was to look for place to stay. We were initially scouting for three-star hotels and we were almost sold in spending US$80 a night for the room. Good thing Prec and Christie recommended the hostel they stayed in, Dragon Hostel. We immediately checked the website and hearing good things from the two girls, we inquired for room availability via email. Sadly, they were booked for the dates we mentioned. We continued our search and found another hostel, Dragon Inn Ah Shan Hostel, in the same building as Dragon Hostel. Luckily, they have a room available for us. We booked it by paying the downpayment online. The room was small (just enough space for a double bed and a bathroom but for US$ 30/ night, it was a great deal) but really clean. The room is air-conditioned, they have hot and cold shower in the bathroom and there is a ref in the hall where you can store food. If you’re planning to tour HK the whole day and just sleep and shower in your room, then this is the best deal.

JJ and I had our itinerary planned before leaving. We already searched the net on how to go around HK, where to dine, where to shop, how to get to the hotspots. We also bought HK dollars here in Manila for convenience but we were glad we had that task done here as the rates are better. (Check out Czarina’s money changer in Glorietta 1, second floor). For extra money, we just brought a little cash in US$ and credit cards. Since JJ and I are bent on going around via public transportation, we also asked JJ’s officemates about the Octopus card. We also found information about the card online. The Octopus card is a card that is used in the MTR, buses, some stores and restaurants.

We took the first flight out of Manila for us to go around HK on Day 1. Sayang kasi yung araw if we will arrive in the afternoon. Upon arriving, we immediately purchased on-loan Octopus cards from the information booth at the airport (Cost is HK$ 150 where $100 is usable and the $50 serves as a deposit. The deposit will be given back to you less $7 handling fee upon returning the card). We used the card to pay for the bus fare from the Airport to our hostel in Mongkok area.

Day 1. We went to the shopping areas in Mongkok. We visited the electronic goodies shops, some outlet stores. We also went inside toy shops to check out Transformers stuff for my hubby’s collection. Cameras are much cheaper in the area. We were also able to buy perfumes (again at a cheaper price) at Sasa, a shop selling make-ups and other beauty and grooming products. We also went to the Tsim Sha Tsui (TST) area. We went to Ocean Terminal to check out the Toys R Us store in the mall. The view of Central HK from the Ocean Terminal is really nice. After dinner, we went to the Cultural Center to watch the Symphony of Lights show.

Day2. Ocean Park day J First thing we did upon arriving at the place was to check out the schedule of the shows so we can plan our day around it. The shows were okay though I find the dolphin show at Subic’s Ocean Adventure better than the one at the Ocean Park. My husband and I had fun with the rides (though I was surprised to realize that I was braver than him when it comes to trying out the scary-looking ones J). The only sad thing about traveling as a couple and opting not to bring a tripod is the lack of opportunities to have pictures together. We were always asking for other people to take our pictures and luckily, everyone we asked readily agreedJ (but then again, a lightweight tripod is one more thing to buy before our next trip). Ocean Park closes at 6PM so we were able to squeeze in a tour at the Victoria Peak after. We had dinner at the Peak and took pictures. It was cold up there L but the trip was well worth it. One tip for Ocean Park (and Disneyland for this matter): though the brochure says that food/drinks are not allowed, they don’t really stop you from bringing it in. JJ and I didn’t even bring water because we thought that they were strictly enforcing the said rule (ala-Splash Island) but they were not naman pala. It will be wise to bring in water and some snack items like cookies or chips if you want to save money J For breakfast, JJ and I bought bread from bakeries inside the MTR stations. Then we usually buy drinks and snack items from 7-11 (na mejo nagkalat dun. As in parang every street meron).

Day 3. Disneyland. Though the rides are much tamer than Ocean Park’s, I had a grander time here. Do not miss these shows: Festival of the Lion King and The Golden Mickeys. We also enjoyed the Space Mountain ride, the Stitch Encounter and Autopia. Sadly, we lost like a hundred shots taken from this day of our trip. The camera’s memory card just gave up on me. Good thing we were able to save the remaining pictures in our PC before the memory card completely conked out. (At least we have a reason to come back :0 ).

Day 4. Causeway Bay. Our flight was scheduled at 6PM but we have to check out by 11AM. We checked out by 9AM and just left our stuff at the hostel’s office. (The hostel staff are really nice though we usually use sign language to understand each other :D ). After breakfast, we went to Causeway Bay and discovered that there are more places to shop there J We had lunch in the area (we were looking for a dimsum place as we are yet to eat siu mai and siu bao but no such luck, one more reason to go back :D) and then went back to Kowloon Island via ferry. After getting our stuff from the hostel, we sadly took the bus again to the airport. Hay, vacation over na J

The Past Three Weeks

Several things happened in the past three weeks. November 1 - the whole family (with my two nephews in tow) went to Pampanga. Visiting my grandparents' graves in the cemetery has been a tradition in my family since I was a few years old. It is also a time when my dad and uncles catch up as it usually is a reunion of some sort. Pic on the right taken on our way to Pampanga. Hay, ang guguwapo ng mga pamangkin ko :-)

My dad celebrated his 50th birthday last November 3. It was a fun fun day because a lot of our relatives celebrated with us. We had to set up tables outside the house (we can't really fit 10 tables in our humble abode) and kudos to Queensland Catering for the yummy food and great service. To my daddypops, happy happy birthday and many, many more to come!

My dear friend Vangie's baby boy, Hari James, had his dedication last November 4, 2007. Trip down the memory lane again as memorable scenes from high school kept popping on my mind. To my inaanak, Hari, I wish you good health always :-) I hope you grow up to be a good kid like me and your mom :D

And of course, I just had to have a picture with the proud momma :-)

Me and JJ: 10 months of marriage and a few (?) pounds later......

Chie's Birthday Weekend

Just turned 27 last Friday (weird because I feel no different when I was just 18!). My birthday started with a 5AM call from my husband JJ (who was on the 10PM-6AM shift), an early breakfast at a hotel in Dumaguete and an 8:15AM flight to Manila. My day ended with an exam in Calculus (this exam ruined my day but that will be another story). I didn't really get to celebrate my birthday on the 26th but I knew this was going to happen due to my scheduled midterms (6-9PM, so tell me, what else could I have lined up for the day after the exam?). Even so, I was elated with the number of people who remembered my birthday this year. I was really touched that even friends from abroad (yes, chi donato, that is you :-) ) and friends I haven't seen for quite some time sent me birthday greetings. Nakakatuwa :-) It just made me feel special. My Mom (even if I wasn't there in our house in Muntinlupa) prepared noodles (for long life) and cake for my special day. My in-laws also made pancit and chicken at home, which JJ and I feasted on when I got home from La Salle.

It was also my Lola Ima's birthday who would have been 81 years old if she were alive (I specially miss her on my birthdays as we usually celebrate together). Oh well, at least she's with my Gramps now.

On the 27th, JJ and I prepared my bday lunch. We had Penne in Marinara Sauce, Mojo Potatoes, Vegetable Salad, Roasted Chicken, Pork Belly and Black Gulaman. I got the Marinara sauce and the mojo potatoes recipes online. Everyone was telling us that the sauce tasted like Sbarro's red sauce (JJ's really good in adding spices and making the stuff I cook taste much, much better) :-) We bought the roasted chicken and the pork belly from Shopwise (Yummy! and beats having to roast the chicken yourself). We had dinner at my parent's house with the same food that we prepared for lunch.

Also had the chance to see my nephew Miguel again. He sure have grown a lot since I last saw him about two weeks ago. He has chubby cheeks now and he loves to talk :-) Pic below was taken while Miggy was napping. Maybe we'll have our little one when I celebrate my 28th bday next year. Maybe, hopefully :-)

The New Formula 1 World Champion

All eyes were on the Brazilian Grand Prix last Sunday (my eyes were glued to the tube too, I ignored the fact that it was starting at 12 Midnight RP time and that I had work the next day. But come on, some things are worth staying up late for). It is the last race of the Formula 1 Season with this last race setting the stage for the final battle for the Driver’s Championship – but wait, it gets better. Three (3) drivers will battle it out for 71 laps. Lewis Hamilton, the rookie sensation leading the points; his teammate, Double World Champion Fernando Alonso is 4 points adrift and the last contender, Kimi Raikkonen who’s been a runner-up three times (twice to Schumi and once to Alonso) is 7 points below Lewis.

Pre-race, it was a little disheartening for a Kimi-fan like me. In Formula 1, 7 points is really something short of a miracle. In this setting, for Kimi to win the World Championship, he has to win the race – Hamilton should place no higher than 6^th place and Alonso should place no higher than 3^rd. Or, Kimi can place second – Hamilton shouldn’t score higher than a point and Alonso should place no higher than 5^th. Impossible right? Think again.

If anything, the last race proved that one cannot really predict what’s gonna happen with 22 cars in the starting grid. Kimi started 3^rd with Lewis and Massa up ahead. Before the first lap ended, Kimi was on second with Lewis down to 7^th place. Lewis and Fernando were kinda slugging it out since the last half of the season and it was no surprise that they went wheel to wheel on the first corner. Lewis ran wide and that move cost him several places down the line. Seven laps later, the camera focused on a sloooowww Lewis (initially thought of as a gearbox problem but post-race interviews stated that Lewis admitted to pushing the start-sequence button). 40 seconds later he was delegated to 18^th place. In their defence, Mclaren did everything they could to help Lewis win the Championship. But things did not work for them at this race.

Alonso, on the other hand, admitted to just not having the pace to match the prancing horse’s cars when the Ferrari’s started to push. He was a distant third at the end of the race.

Now, just how did Kimi win the race with Massa, in an equal car, leading? Partly, they worked as a team as can be seen from the beautiful synchronized start that they had which pushed Lewis to third place and moved Raikkonen up to second in the first lap. The rest is just Kimi’s sheer pace. After the first pit stop, Massa still came out ahead of Kimi. But on the second stint, Kimi stayed on for two laps after Massa pitted and clocked in a series of fast laps. With this, he came out less than two seconds ahead of Massa to take the race lead. And the rest is history. After the Brazilian GP victory, Kimi was crowned as the World Champion as Lewis was classified 7^th place, one lap down.

Looking back at the season, this result seems so unlikely coming from Japan given that he trails Lewis by 17 points with just two races remaining. In the last 3 races, he scored 26 points compared to Lewis’ 12 points. I guess one shouldn’t really give up until all is said and done.

The races are over for the 2007 season but the drama is yet to end for this controversial season. Post-race, BMW and Williams (they finished 4^th, 5^th and 6^th) were found to have irregularities in their fuel’s temperatures. The FIA held on to the race classification as they concluded that there is insufficient evidence to punish the two teams. Mclaren, seeing this as a chance to win Hamilton the title, filed an appeal. The FIA is yet to announce when the decision on Mclaren’s appeal will be announced.

Whatever happens, I still think that Kimi deserves the title having won the most number of races in the season. I just find it ironic that Kimi went to Ferrari because of Mclaren’s unreliability and that same unreliability probably handed him the World Title.

Back to School

Another new adventure. Yes, you read it right. I am a student again. My poor husband! Wala pa one year na married, may pinapaaral na agad J Honestly, after we got married I thought grad studies is something that I will not be able to pursue. One surprising thing is that my husband even encouraged me to do it. Basta enroll na lang daw ako because it will be more difficult for me to pursue this when we have babies na. So, that is what I did.

I am now enrolled at DLSU, taking up Financial Engineering. Under the diploma program muna ako then I plan to either continue to MS or apply for MBA naman. (Ask me again what my plans are in a few months J).

I have two critique papers to submit every week so I have to minimize my weekend activities ( Miss ko na mag-swimming!!! Waaaahhhh L) Last week, I spent 4 hours writing a two-pager critique! Talk about lack of practice. It’s been a while since I last wrote a critique rin kasi. Next week naman I’d be the reporter and super hirap hanapin nung paper for my report. Hay, o well. Part of being a student again I guess.

Anyways, that’s it for now. Hubby’s birthday is next week. Wonder what to get him? Any suggestion?