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I distinctly remember school intramural when I was still in grade school and high school.  There were tons of games to participate in.  I remember the chits that we used in order to pay for stuff and for food inside the school.  And I very well remember the love knot booth.  Those were indeed fun and memorable days in school. So when the kids had their first intramural, I kind of felt nostalgic about it.  They had a field demonstration and danced to the tune of "Treasure" by Bruno Mars.  Modern dance ha.  When I was in Stella, we would dance depending on the theme we were assigned to.  I remember dancing Filipino dances.  The rest is a bit blurry.  The one thing I would never forget though is the Chinese dance.  Hehehe.  So I guess times have indeed changed.  But I have feeling, the tradition still continues at Stella. I have a video clip of the dance but I can't seem to upload it using my phone.  So here pics wh...

Love indeed comes in the most unexpected of time and in the most unexpected of circumstances.  Who would have thought we'd both end up in each other's arms.  The five years we had together was not perfect but I would never trade it for anything else.  Every laughter and every tear, every conversation and fight were all worth it. To my knight in shining armour, to the father of my children, to my best friend and to the person I love eternally, happy 5th anniversary +Dante Valenzuela Jr. !

I've been doing yoga for quite some time now (but I do it at home lang) and I was looking for some changes to my exercise routine.  I wanted another exercise that would help me tone down, but does not require me to lift weights or anything.  Some of my friends recommended crossfit.  There's a new studio infront of Belisario Heights.  Much as I wanted to, I cannot see myself doing push-ups (hahaha!).  Swear.  When I looked at my friend's pictures doing crossfit, feeling ko I would collapse doing the routine.  What I was really anticipating for was the pole dance studio which was set to open last September.  I thought it was a nice exercise, no lifting of weights, it's sexy, and my husband likes it (he's actually the once telling me to enroll).  It didn't open by then, I had to wait for another month.  It finally opened last October 28.  Weeeee!  But of course, before enrolling my friends and I scheduled a trial class.  Pr...

Two weekends ago, we had an impromptu decision to go on a staycation.  And as usual, here in Davao, nothing beats Park Inn.  You can call for a reservation (in my case, I texted a good friend of mine who works there).  The rate is affordable, the rooms are nice, the food is superb and best of all, it's a walking distance to SM Lanang, just in case you need to buy something (in my case again, I forgot to bring diapers). My only complain was how cold the pool was.  Last summer, the pool was a bit warm.  But despite this, we had fun.  So here are some pics which I took when we were there. Muni-muni by the pool. The youngest who braved the very cold pool.  And the husband who had no choice but to accompany him. The eldest who said the pool was very cold.  He would swim and then get out of the pool to wrap himself in a towel.  After a few minutes, he would swim again. My loves!  All three of them. Farewell shot at th...

It's been a while since I last wrote.  My schedule and my plans have been quite hectic lately.  I opened my own office (yehey!) and I realized that opening one is not easy.  I'll write about it soon. I vowed from the very beginning that I would always find time to be with the kids.  I also vowed to take them to places, not just malls, but places where they can learn and experience something new.  So last Sunday, after watching Cloudy and the Meatballs II, we went up to the SM Discovery Learning Center.  I felt a bit excited since I remembered visiting the planetarium in Manila when I was younger.  The price is honestly not cheap, its Php250.00 for a day pass at the activity area with 1 planetarium show.  However, since the planetarium was still being repaired, the entrance was pegged at Php100.00.  I had to ask why the planetarium was not working since it just opened recently.  The lady at the counter said that the projector was bein...

Yesterday, the twins had their first ever Buwan ng Wika  celebration.  Another step, another milestone.  They danced Mamang Sorbetero .  They practiced every night since last week, ever since they discovered that the song can be found on YouTube.  The Kinder 1 students all looked so cute in their Filipiniana outfit- the boys in camisa de chino , red pants and red tubao and the girls in their floral skirts and kimono.  Here's a picture of them in their Filipiniana attire. Cute little kids.. Now I'm writing to tell you that my youngest has a crush.  Another step, another milestone.  I don't know what he means by crush since they're still 4.  But a lot of people are telling me that kids nowadays start having crushes at a very early age.  I had my first crush at age 9, when I was in Grade 3.  And my son is still 4 and at K1.  I guess he is now learning to appreciate the beauty of the opposite sex.  Hahaha. But the th...

During the last week of July, we finally moved out of our house.  Our family wanted to have the house renovated.  You see, we have been living there for the past thirty (30) years.  I was three (3) years old when we transferred there.  My brother was still then a new born baby.  So our house has finally succumbed to ordinary wear and tear.  Lol! :P It was with a sad heart that we finally bade it goodbye, albeit temporarily. I didn't realize moving house is such an EFFORT.  How does one decide what things to let go and what things to hold on to?  How does one make her life fit into three (3) huge sando bags?  (Or was it 4?). After one (1) day of packing and another day of moving in to the new house, we were totally exhausted.  The kids were excited though.  They were so excited to move in to a new house. Eventually, after all the hustle and bustle of moving in, my husband and I got sick.  And we're still recuperating as of now...

From time to time, we'd take our kids on a road trip just so that they can see what's outside their lives in the city.  Yes, my kids are city kids who loves malls, play houses, playgrounds, and movie houses.  So to give them a bit of a variety, we take them on a road trip. Last weekend, we attended the Oath Taking of the local officials in Magsaysay, Davao del Sur.  Although Magsaysay was not very far, we did not want to stress out the kids.  So we decided to travel to Digos on Saturday, spend the night there and then travel to Magsaysay on Sunday.  We were booked at Arnaldo's.  My mom chose Arnaldo's because it had a pool.  But we were quite dismayed since it was dirty.  No matter how much the kids wanted to swim, we had to say a firm "No."  It was not an option. We went to Puregold to pick up my mom.  Then we went to Gaisano and the kids discovered a play area, more like a mini Zoofari in Digos.  And then we ate at Chowking. ...

I am an obsessive-compulsive person, so I generally like to label things.  I love to label books, notebooks, pens, anything which I own.  When I was younger, I'd write my name using pentel pens.  And then I discovered those stickers which we order from somewhere- those gold and silver ones.  Do you have those too?  But when I reached college, I'd have those sticker labels printed on a computer shop with either flowers or Winnie the Pooh as the design.  I guess I'd have to admit, I loved Winnie the Pooh a lot back then. And then of course, I found no need to label things. I stopped going to school (hahaha!).  I'd need occasional labeling, but I find that writing my name is easier.  And then came the twins' venture into a real school.  Guess what happened next- labeling galore! I had their names printed on stickers from local computer shops.  We've had designs from Transformers and Nemo.  It's nice that you can play around with th...

It's one of those days when I kinda feel so stressed out.  For one, we don't have a yaya.  Although we have this one yaya, I feel like she doesn't want to do the chores assigned to her.  Second, I bring the kids to the school and bring them back home.  Third, I have to work.  So I wake up early, sterilize the feeding bottles.  Squeeze in yoga or running (if time permits).  Wake up the kids.  Fix the room.  Prepare their food.  Give them a bath.  Prepare myself for work. Attend a hearing. Go home at lunch.  Bring them to school.  Pick them up.  Go back to the office.  I am so stressed out about my schedule.  Don't ask me how I managed so far, all I know is that I have to manage everything.  And so far, I have.  However, this schedule is taking a toll on me. While at my lowest this morning, someone sent me a message of how much she admired how I have managed everything and how, despite my schedule,...

If you've been reading my blog, you would have read my blog post on make-up.  But in case you have not, you can click this .  I try to mix and match local products with imported ones, but I honestly find the imported ones better.  Most of what I use I order from the internet, from Digital Traincase and from Carefreeshopper . I get my MAC lipsticks from instagram user shopfromtheusa. So when MAC released its Haley Williams collections, I ordered the lipstick- Sounds Like Noise.  I was hesitant at first since it looked so orange to me, but I kinda like the fact that it's limited edition and that it looked kinda nice.  When I received the package, I fell in love with the color.  It was so orange!  Take a look and tell me if you love it too. Pciture taken from from  https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2RZTTOXQEvF3dUrX1tCgMTidKz8bii6jxG6yGAcLYCfgdJH3CI4435XK4X06UALJ835WQqEgAitnnP_b0c68s1T00oN3SbXDWAOKsvlXp4NeHdFK5UhVLqwop...

This year, we did not have a summer vacation.  Sad right?  I guess we were all so busy and we're saving up for the house renovation, so no trip which involved riding airplanes. However, despite this minor setback, summer still meant time to bask in the sun.  It's that time of the year when we don't hide from the sun.  So in lieu of a summer vacation, we opted for short staycations at hotels or resorts in Davao City. Last week we've been to Park Inn at SM Lanang.  My good friend is part of the Sales Team there.  We were able to book a room at their gift certificate rate at Php3,200.  Their gift certificate book and buy promo is until June 2013 only, so I guess if you want to have a last summer hurray, it's good to get one now.  The room rate includes breakfast buffet (heavenly breakfast!) for 2 at the RBG.  The room is big enough to accommodate 3 adults and 2 kids. We were booked in a room with a kingsize bed.  And oh, the sofa conver...

Pool Area.  Park Inn. I grew up believing that family takes precedence over anything and everything.  Family first.  That has been my principle, and that is the principle I want my kids to learn and remember.  I am thankful that my husband also believes in this principle. As with the majority of parents out there, my husband and I are both working parents.  Hence, it's a bit tricky when it comes to sticking with this principle.  But through the years, we have managed to abide by this principle.  He's out with his friends, I am at home with the twins.  When I am out with my friends, he is at home with the kids.  When they have to visit the pediatrician, we both go with them unless one of us needs to be somewhere.  We both scoured Davao for a school to send them to.  We interviewed schools and sat together with school heads.  We pick them up together, unless again one of us needs to be somewhere else.  Our lives h...

Photo Credit: Google It's summer!  And summer for me always means the beach.  So far, we've been to Paradise and had gone island hopping since summer started.  And we're still planning our beach trips. Do your kids love the water?  My kids do!  They are water babies! This was a term coined by a British pool mate of theirs who were amazed on how they love the water so much, even if they were still less than a year old. I think they took after me.  But going to the beach meant some minor problems for us (but a major problem for the kids). When the twins were a bit younger, they were not comfortable with the sand.  This was our first problem.  Of course, the beach means sand, sand, sand! However, they did not like the sand.  It was, as they say, "Yucky!" (hehehe).  Eventually, they began to like the sand and play with it.  We bring toys for making sand castles.  But up until today, they have this "no sand  on my slip...

I'm going to admit, I am going gaga over make-up lately.  I credit this to my good friend  +Jasmin Caballero  who reignited my love affair with make-up.  I used to like applying make-up when I had all the time in the world to do it (aka before motherhood).  But when I had kids and I am running late for a hearing, a class or a meeting, I had no choice but to just use face powder, blush and concealer.  The lesser application, the better. So what reignited this love affair?  It all started with the Mac Archie Collection- specifically, with the lipstick.  When I bought the Betty Oh Oh Oh (I ordered from Carefree Shopper ), I just started falling in love with make-up once again.  My good friend is a make-up junkie (admit it +Jasmin Caballero!).  So I had to ask her all sorts of questions to start building up my make-up collection.  She ordered me a Vichy Corrective Foundation and Ben Nye Luxury Powder from Digital Traincase . ...

I carried you for exactly 34 weeks, 6 weeks short of being full term.  My pregnancy was difficult.  I was taking the bar exams, a stressful activity, while I was pregnant with you.  I learned I was pregnant with twins when I was already 5 months with you.  I was on bed rest from 6 months onwards.  I had to make sure we would all be okay (Mama is too small to carry twin babies).  Nevertheless, every ounce of pain and difficulty was all worth it.  Bringing both of you into this world is something that I never imagined in my wildest dreams (I only dreamed about having one baby at time).  I consider it an honor and a privilege being your mother.  Know that whatever happens, Mama will always be here.  Happy 4th birthday baby boys (Oh, you're not babies anymore!).  I will always love you.

At court this morning, I learned another friend of mine is pregnant at 7 weeks.  I've been having a lot of friends getting pregnant lately.  It's always a cause for celebration whenever I hear the words, "I'm pregnant!" and I get excited too, in the same way my friends get excited.  However, I always have a nagging feeling inside of me because normally I am questioned.  "What about you, when do you plan on getting pregnant?" My first pregnancy was planned, although my husband and I were not yet married then.  At 28, I believed it was high time for me to get pregnant.  And so, this planned pregnancy of mine resulted to twin babies (who are now of course toddlers).  That twin pregnancy of mine is actually the cause of all my apprehensions.  You see, I did not have a difficult pregnancy, except in the latter stages when I had to be on bed rest from 6 months onwards.  But whenever I remember what occurred during the twins' first year- taking c...

I grew up being forced to eat breakfast.  I didn't understand the fuss about eating breakfast back then.  But I am very thankful that I grew up being forced to eat breakfast and I am thankful for having a family that understands the concept of breakfast.  I would remember a glass of lukewarm Milo on my side of the dining table.  I would have rice and any viand cooked and served on the table.  I do not remember eating bread for breakfast alone.  I would remember, though, eating rice and then having bread thereafter.  Power breakfast ang drama! Time and time again, I have often read the importance of eating breakfast.  Breakfast should be one fit for a king.  That means madami .  I remember reading somewhere that breakfast is what sustains you the whole day.  You may skip lunch or dinner, but never breakfast.  In my case, I never skip the three, even if I am on a diet.  Ask my friends, they know how much I love eating. N...

When I was younger, I vowed never to spank my kids nor to subject them to any physical punishment.  I just didn't think it would work.  I would see my friends being physically subjected to violence and I saw how they eventually rebelled against their parents. I knew this would only work if my husband-to-be would also agree on me on this point.  So I was very thankful when my husband  +Dante Valenzuela Jr.   also had the same view point as mine.  No spanking, no physical violence, no shouting (although this happens sometimes). Of course, when they were still young it was difficult to discipline them.  You cannot expect a 1 or 2 year old child to understand.  However, when they turned 3, it's easier for them to understand their mistakes and it's easier to make them understand. So how do we discipline them right now?  Whenever my kids do something wrong, I talk to them and point out what they did wrong.  I tell them calmly. Shouting d...

March.  I always equate March with graduation.  It's the end of the semester for some students, but for some students, it's the end of their college life. The end of a semester is routinary for students but the last semester of one's college life is a significant event.  It's the end of college life, a start of a new chapter in one's voyage.  I think the most significant thing that happened in the last year of my college life was my thesis defense.  My topic was "Habermas:  The Universality of Norms."  Writing the thesis for one whole year was tedious.  I had classes and would go home to squeeze in time to write.  I had to read tons of books just to be able to conduct my research.  Defending it was also tedious.  But in all honesty, it was all worth it.  Defending it in front of a panel was the most difficult thing I ever had to in college (I was defending and my panelists were eating. Lol :P).  I broke down and...