Cutty

My son's yaya of nearly two years decided to leave our household. She asked permission to leave three months ago. I sensed that she was not fit to take care of a hyper-active toddler so I allowed her to. She doesn't have the patience to deal with that. Despite her numerous offenses, I have grown attached to her. Tonight, she said goodbye to my little boy. He had no idea that he wont be seeing his best friend in a long time. We'll be okay for now. I just hope he wont be a handful for us. I also hope that he wont look for her.

For someone like me, who has just given birth, it is extremely difficult to lose the weight I gained due to pregnancy. It is even more difficult to trim my problem areas. I know I shouldn’t be in a hurry. It took me nine months to gain all of it. I know that the added pounds will not be lost easily. I am so glad to be born in this day and age. We are lucky to have advancements in technology and medicine that were not available then. Because of a medical procedure known as Liposuction, it is now easier for people to lose weight and feel good about themselves. Also known as Lipoplasty, this cosmetic surgery removes fat from one’s problem areas. This takes place through small incisions where a small tube is used to suction the fat tissue. Areas targeted by Lipo are the buttocks, abdomen, thighs and backs of the arms. A typical procedure draws out less than 10 lbs per session. But, like any other surgical procedure, it comes with risks and requires abstaining from physical activ...

Due to my recent trip , we were forced to move our anniversary celebration to the weekend following my arrival. That way, we weren't pressed for time. That way, we can enjoy our celebration even more. On the actual day of our anniversary, a Wednesday, we just had to be content with a meal from Paseo Uno. On that weekend, Vic made arrangements for an overnight stay in Mandarin. I was very timely because we had to use up our hotel vouchers which are expiring tomorrow. Upon check-in, we were informed that we had to stay for two nights to avail of the complimentary stay. It caused a minor logistical problem, which was really not an issue. We decided to just bring the kids with us on the following night. Our celebration started with dinner at Tin Hau. Again, compliments of our hotel membership. Our dinner was nothing special. The service was actually very unsatisfactory. We waited nearly an hour for appetizers and soup. The lady seated across our table stood up and complai...

I found the time to upload pictures from my recent trip. These are just random shots to give you a taste of what took place in Tokyo. ---------------------- This is where I stayed, room 457. It is the smallest room I've paid to stay in. At least, I can still stretch out my arms without bumping into anything. The facilities are for communal use, by the way. I was so excited to try this when I found this at the convenience store. I wonder if this is available in Manila. This is where we rehearsed at the Olympic Center. As you can see, the room has sound-proof walls. We can also view Mt. Fuji from this room. Here is a typical street in Tokyo, with a Y99 store. This store sold edible stuff. The Y100 store beside it sold knick-knacks. Our second rehearsal was held here. Here are some ACS members waiting for the rehearsal to commence. Picture-taking is the group's favorite past-time. The THREE conductors. You'd notice that the Japanese conductor is so hip. I wish I go...

This day is the most important day of our trip.  All other itineraries and plans are put on-hold.  I had to be physically and musically prepared for the concert in the afternoon. We began our day in a very inspiring way.  We heard mass at the St. Francis Catholic Center.  There were several Filipinos, Westerners and a few Japs present in the mass.  It was unbelievably simple.  There was no music at all.  I found it incredibly ironic that a choir present in a music-less celebration.  I was itching to sing, and I am not alone in that feeling.   Before the final blessing, newcomers to the congregation were requested to introduce themselves.  Our group was represented by our conductor.  He shared that we will be having a concert in the afternoon, together with two other choirs.  The priest, then, apologized for the "silent" mass.  He relayed that the music director was in the Philippines for a short vacation.  He also asked us to sing the final song, since we are already there.  ...

I failed to mention in my previous post that we're staying at the National Olympic Youth Center in Shibuya . It was initially built in the 1960s to house the athletes in the Olympic games. Now, it functions as a youth hostel. It has facilities to cater to everyone who would need it for seminars or cultural activities. The nearest train station is Sangubashi , which is only two stops away from the famous Shinjuku station (Times Square). ------------------------------ Despite sleeping late last night and despite my lack of sleep two nights ago, I woke up as soon as my alarm sounded. I anticipated that several people will be lining up to use the toilet and bath when I decided to I get up at 6am. It seemed that I was one of the few awake people that morning. After tending to some personal stuff, I proceeded to the lounge to catch up on some emails, hence the Facebook status. Breakfast this morning was salmon, Tamago and bread. Miso is served 3x a day. By now, we've fig...

This day started really early. I didn't get to sleep last night since Johann was acting up. I think he sensed that I had to leave for a few days. He was extra clingy. He always wanted to hug me and sleep beside me. So packing for this trip was a challenge. I decided to put him to bed first so I can do something productive. I had to wake up at 3am to pack for the trip. -------------- We arrived at the Narita International airport at around 3PM. I am glad that my phone works here. I can easily get in touch with the people back home. I've already made several calls and sent quite a number of text messages so I'll be sure to allow quite a big budget for my phone bill this month. I also had a chance to visit Times Square after dinner last night. It had a very Manhattan-like feel, only much cleaner. I love the lights and the dainty shops that are on sale. Every thing in the Shinjuku area is fast-paced. As tourists, we can easily get lost in the subway system. It wa...

I just came from my costume fitting. It is not ready yet. As in, di pa siya nasisimulan. Aabot kaya? I need to go back tomorrow or Wednesday for the final fitting. In the meantime, I am waiting inside a coffee shop along Morato, availing of the free wifi. I am just hanging out here till it's time to go to rehearsals. Aliw naman yun free wifi. I'd just have to spend a minimum of P30 to avail of three hours of net surfing. I already put it to good use. I've reviewed several pieces, with the help of YouTube. Thank God for those innovations. Learning music is easier for non-sight-readers like me. -------------------- The kids had their monthly pedia appointment today. As usual, Johann refused to be put on the weighing scale. He didn't want to be laid on the table because he knows what comes next. Javi was very well-behaved. It's also good to know that he gained more than 1kg in a month's time. If only we know how Johann's developing. I brought them...

I am scheduled to leave again. I arrived from the province last Tuesday. My grandmother was finally laid to rest last Monday. It was attended by family and her sisters-in-profession. I will dedicate a separate post about this. If all goes well with the visa application, I will be off to the land of the Yukis next week. The ACS is slated to perform in a choral festival along with groups representing Japan and Singapore. Since I got back from HK and the province, I've been occupied with securing documents for the visa application. For some reason, they require birth certificates that are less than a year old. Eto pa, it needs to be submitted tonight. Under some other circumstance, I would have used Teleserve once again. So, this morning, I had to rush to NSO to get a new copy. Serbilis Center nga naman. The document was released by lunch time. I was also able to squeeze in some time to go to the bank for the bank certificate. I hope all goes well. Otherwise, all this troub...

This is the last day of our trip. We decided to have breakfast in our room that morning. It would give us more time to prepare for our departure that day. We had lots of left-over bread from last night. It went down well with jerky from Bee Cheng Hiang. Our first stop was LV. Unfortunately, it was still closed at 10AM. We decided to hit the nearest outlet of Bee Cheng Hiang again to replenish the stock that we finished off. We got extra to bring home with us. Hopefully, LV would be open by then already. We had to wait some more. It was so silly, people scampered around the main entrance as the doors were about to open. I was one of those silly people. I did not want to wait in line since we do have time. We needed to go back to the hotel to finish packing by 1145 so we can check out by 12. The LV boutique along Canton Road stood out in its metallic "Damier" walls. It shone brightly in broad daylight. I was amazed to see that the store had three levels. All level...

By this time, I haven't gotten myself anything of value. All I've gotten on the first day were pasalubong items for the people back home. This day was solely for shopping. I hoped to squeeze in some time for outlet shopping in Citygate. That morning, after breakfast, Vic, Vic's dad, Johann and I went to Mongkok to get Vic his new toy. He has this sudden interest in photography so our current point-and-shoot camera would not suffice. He's been scouting for one with a good price back in Manila so he knows if HK offers a better price. He indeed got a better one from Broadway, complete with a memory stick, tripod and bag. With his craving for an SLR satisfied already, we are off to my hunt for great bargains. Since it was only my second time in HK, I did not know where to go. Besides, the place where we can go to is limited to stroller-friendly areas. The shops in Mongkok were filled with items for winter so I didn't end up with a lot of pieces. I got several ...

After a good night's rest, we were off to breakfast outside the hotel. We decided to leave the stroller in the room. We should've decided otherwise since the nearest Cafe de Coral was located at the other end of the mall. The day has barely begun and Vic was already exhausted. He carried Johann all the way to the cafe. The HK city tour has changed since the last time I was there. We went to Victoria Harbor to have our pictures taken for our souvenir plates. Of course, no trip would be complete without a stop at our fave coffee shop. The tour also had other stops at a jewelry outlet and a "pasalubong" shop (where Johann left behind his very own pasalubong). Let us not forget the most important part of this tour... By this time, Johann is already showing signs of exhaustion. He hasn't slept a wink the whole morning. He wanted to get up from his stroller. He refused to put on his hood. I was just about to give up. Smiling for the picture above was a good ...

Vic and I survived 4 days in Hong Kong with Johann, without the yaya in tow. I was hopeful that the little boy wouldn't be a handful. However, traveling with his cousins excited him to no end. Riding the plane for the first time made Johann giddy. He kept on playing with tray table and kept on kicking the seat in front of us. The flight to HK was so full but we were fortunate enough to have a vacant seat next to us. It was initially occupied but the flight attendant transferred the occupant to give us more room. Vic and I were so thankful. We were fortunate enough to stay at the Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel in the posh area of TST. The most luxurious shops are just an elevator-ride away. Just imagine the temptation to spend thousands of dollars in one of these shops. After leaving our luggage at the hotel for safe-keeping, we proceeded to the nearby mall for lunch. Since the place is beside Toys R Us, we just had to make a stop. We ended up getting too many for us to carry....