Cutty

The end of the month is just approaching but my kids are already tired of dressing up and asking for candies.  Hehehe. School was out since last Thursday.  On the day before that, Javi dressed up in traditional Korean costume.  This costume was "photo-finished."  Renting was too expensive.  Buying was not an option because I can no longer find one.    We asked my mother's nurse, who is a seamstress on the side, to make one four days prior to the school parade.  It turned out well.    Johann's attire was Hawaiian-inspired, courtesy of Landmark. On Thursday, they came as Woody, Buzz and Dora at Vic's office Trick or Treat.  It was better this year since they had a chance to nap before they roamed around the office buildings.  We've used Woody and Buzz in the past, but, this is the only time the costumes fit them well.  Bettina's costume was fuss-free.  It's a good thing she has Dora's backpack. Then, las...

I made it home in record time, 13mins to be exact.  Getting inside the house was another story.  It took me 15 minutes to wake the helper. I forgot my keys to the house, you see.  She forgot to turn off the phone. I had to resort to yelling their names using my barely-there voice.  Didn't work.  I hosed the windows from ground floor.  It didn't work either.  I ended up giving myself a shower instead.  Making the dogs bark didn't work too.  I found a plastic container to throw to the window.  That woke her up. Hay naku, award kami pareho.  Siyempre di ko mapagalitan kasi wala nga kong boses.

I was hoping that somebody had already invented a device that makes two individual strollers seem like  double strollers. Why is this a concern to me? For our upcoming trip, I don't think we'll be bringing a yaya. In addition to that, we already have three strollers and we don't want to purchase another one. Since it'll be just Vic and me tending to the kids full-time, I'd like us to be more mobile, with our hands free for other things.  Besides, I think Javi and Bettina would rather sit than walk all the time. With some carefully chosen words, I found what I needed in Google.  There are two available in the market.  Here's something from Prince Lionheart.  Amazon sells this at $13.49. Here's the one from Munchkin.  This costs around $9, shipping not included. Both come in threes, to be attached at the top and bottom frames.   I am just not sure which is more sturdy. Luckily, I don't have to purchase these from Amazon....

It looks like our trip to Korea isn't pushing through.  I was expecting it.  My SIL's back problem makes her unable to take long flights.  I am not too disappointed with the situation.  I like shopping in Hong Kong and my kids get to visit Disney again.  I'm sure they'll go gaga over Toy Story Land.  I'm happy as long as there's H&M and a hotel along Canton Road. Johann, on the other hand, was quite disappointed because he wont get to see the snow.  They're studying South Korea in school right now.  He was quite excited to see the place in person.  Oh well. Javi doesn't mind, as usual.  As long as there's Toys FOR Us, he'll be happy.  We just have to pack lots of chicken nuggets. I hope Bettina can still wear her winter clothes and boots.  They are currently crossing the Pacific Ocean.  My winter clothes wont go to waste either.  There's still Sapporo for THREE. As for Vic, I wonder what toy he'll get this...

I've always wanted to know what the fuss was about. I always see long lines in their donut shops. I heard theirs were similar to Krispy Kreme, only less sweet. I also heard that previous KK loyalists became J Co converts. Yes, I heard a lot more. So, when our KK favorites weren't available, we hied down to this newcomer. The shop was quite pleasant. It had lots of places to sit. It was adequately lit. I just had a hard time locating what I need from the menu board. Too many pictures distracted me. I was 6th in line.  But, it took them forever to attend to me.  The servers were going back and forth, causing traffic behind the counter.  By 11AM, some of the variants were no longer available.  I suppose they opened at 10AM.  How is that even acceptable? Their assembly line wasn't working properly.  At the rate people were purchasing by the boxes, one person doing the assembly simply wont cut it. I wanted to say, "Hello lang, did you even ...

They were dispensing Ventolin like crazy yesterday.  At least half of the drugstore's customers were asking for a nebule or a capsule.  I hope they don't run out. All the boys in my family are sick with asthma or really bad cough.  We thought Vic needed to be admitted to the hospital.  Javi has been coughing and had just recovered from fever.  Johann's had just begun. I love the cool breeze brought by the frequent rain showers.  I am just not loving the effect it has on my family's health.

One of the things I haven't done in the past is make my own Kare-kare.  I found it too intimidating.  Grinding peanuts for the sauce and preparing the numerous ingredients are just too much for one dish.  We usually order from Barrio Fiesta or ask Vic's Tita to make for us.  But visits from Vic's Tita and visits to Barrio are quite seldom these days. When I found this prepared mix in the grocery, I just had to try it out.  It only called for 5 major ingredients:  ox tail, pechay, string beans, eggplants.  It seemed pretty easy.  I just had to tenderize the meat.  Saute it then add the sauce and veggies.  I enhanced the flavor with Barrio Fiesta's peanut butter, some sugar, salt and pepper.  I served it with Barrio's bagoong.  What came out was not the same as the one they serve it restaurants.  But it was good enough. Last night was a first for me.  It will definitely not be the last.

A collection agency called me about my outstanding balance for a terminated phone line.  I was surprised to get the call because I remember paying for the entire bill. To clear things up, I called up Globe Customer Service because there was no use arguing with a third party service provider.   It was only then that I found out about my over-payment.  Apparently, I over-paid P3000 for that account.  Since I can't get a refund, I've made arrangements for the excess to be transferred to my existing phone line.  Ang galing talaga. He really makes everything right.  He finds a way to make it all right.  If I didn't get the call, I wouldn't have known about it.