Defying Gravity

Watched Shrek III. And um, didn't quite like it. I kept waiting for the big scene ala "I Need A Hero" from Shrek II and it never came. It was actually ok, but maybe the whole Shrek thing is getting a bit old already. They should stop making sequels before people really consider it a flop.

Made 2 trips to Trinoma this weekend. That mall is really beginning to grow on me. Probably even more so when there are more stores in it (Yay, 2 Krispy Kreme stores in 1 mall. Yum, yum.) It's so surreal to be in there and know that I am like 10 minutes away from the house.

Had quite the fun time buying school supplies for Chloe! It reminded me so much of the days back at ISM when you just paid for the plastic envelope that had all the school supplies in it back at the elementary school bookstore. However, now, there's just so many choices! I had to get Chloe's opinion on the design of the notebook, the design of the plastic envelope, etc. because I really wanted to make sure it was something she'd like. But I'm so excited about school.

Remember how I mentioned Chloe went to summer school for like 2 weeks? Anyway, while she was playing with the kids, she pointed out to me that 2 and 2 kids had shoes just like hers. I bought Chloe P99 pink crocs from SM (I cannot cannot stomach putting out P1,500 for a fad shoe... maybe when I'm fabulously wealthy). Naturally, there are other parents who do with batting an eyelash. Chloe was just so jazzed that they all had the same shoe and I'm thinking to myself, "Chloe stop pointing it out, you're wearing knock-offs!" Hee, hee. I didn't think we'd be getting into this phase that soon. Dang.

Cole just keeps growing and growing. I'm seeing on a daily basis just how different it is to have a baby boy. Cole is the evermoving creature... doesn't sit still, tries to wake up his sister with his yelling in the morning, and eats like there's no tomorrow. And he's just so dog-gone pleasant! Always smiling. Chloe was quite the happy baby, but Cole, wow, he's just so happy. And I'm so glad. He's starting to cruise the crib (meaning, walk all around it holding on to the railing). So it's just a matter of time before he decides to walk without us holding him. Scary.

Darn, these kids of mine are growing up faster than I thought...

Hey I wanna say congratulations to our dear friends Jon and Sheila who just had their little baby boy! And a big baby boy he is, too! Welcome to this not-so-little club we call parenthood!

So many thoughts, too little time…

On the American Idol Finale: I have to agree with Rony on this one, it was a sleeper. Last year was much more interesting for me in terms of the show numbers and all. Plus of course, when Elliot was in the top three, AI gave the differences in percentage so you KNEW it was a close fight. This year, heck, you knew Jordin won it right after Blake sang that “This is my Now” song. (Eeew, by the way. I must say I prefer “Do I Make You Proud” anyday). I’ve read a lot of people say he sounded “uncomfortable”, which is so the correct word for it.

On DVDs: In the past couple of weeks, I have watched Dreamgirls, Because I said So, The Guardian, Music & Lyrics and lastly Inang Yaya (yes, yes I bought a pinoy DVD!). I get to watch these DVDs while pumping milk for Cole as it takes a good 30 minutes minimum to get a decent amount. All the movies were great, but I particularly liked Dreamgirls and Music & Lyrics. Dreamgirls was great and I am now much more impressed by Beyonce than I ever was before. That “Listen” song is a tough one to sing vocally and emotionally, I think, and I think it’s great you can hear the build-up in her emotions from beginning to end. Jennifer Hudson was wow, just as everyone says she is.

Now I absolutely loved “Music and Lyrics.” I was laughing right at the beginning when I saw that 80s video of Hugh Grant. Naturally, the movie was cheesy in that chick-flick kind of way, but dang, right on! I love Hugh Grant and the fact that they got him to sing and sound half decent is something. Did I say I love Hugh Grant? Oh yeah, I said that already. “All I wanna do is find a way back into love…”

On Trinoma: Ayala finally opened the Trinoma mall last weekend which is right across SM North Edsa. Yay, us north folk finally have our own Glorietta! Not too many stores open, but so far, I like it. Parking is a real bitch though, confusing as hell. But still am glad to have another mall option. You can never have too many malls. Hahaha!

On pregnant yayas: Chloe’s yaya told us she was pregnant months ago. Guy told her he wanted to have kids. Yaya believed him. Yaya then told him she was pregnant. Guy runs faster than you can say “I told you so”. Yaya tells other maid she didn’t know you could get pregnant doing it once. Sigh. Now she’s almost 6 months, bitchy and moody as hell, getting kinda lazy and apparently expected us to be the one to run her to the hospital when she gave birth. (She had a whole plan hatched, she would tell other maid, who would tell the driver, who would tell us, etc) Woweee, talk about nervy. She also expects everyone to give her handouts. Sigh. This may sound really bad, but I don’t like helping people who won’t help themselves. And while I totally understand how pregnancy makes you moody, it should never be the blanket excuse for every little thing. More on preggy yaya as the months roll on…

On anniversaries: Louie and I celebrate six years of wedded bliss tomorrow… I don’t think we look half bad after two kids…



Louie, Chloe, Cole and I head to Hong Kong in a month (thanks to Cebu Pacific and P1 fares). Am truly excited and a little worried about dragging TWO kids into a theme park. Mirzi’s coming along so hopefully it won’t be so scary. But yay, pictures galore. Get a load of Cole’s passport picture…




Hong Kong, here we come!

Being a parent in this day and age ain’t easy. And it ain’t cheap. There’s medicines, doctor’s fees, toys, and general stuff you need for a kid. And then, there’s school.

Now I went to International School Manila. So I know what it is to have a parent spend a truckload of money for education. I have a pretty good idea how much my parents spent to have 3 kids attend school there from Grade 1 to Grade 12 (note, we’ve got Middle School so there’s really a Grade 6, 7 and 8 before High School.) I know how much they spent because I was the one dropping off the checks at the cashier’s office every quarter. And it was not small money. For that, I am forever grateful to my parents for giving me the chance to grow up in such a wonderful, culture-filled environment.

Tuition nowadays here in Manila is quite… interesting. And it’s so hard to make a judgment about schools when there are so many… just in Quezon City alone! Chloe attended the Cradle of Joy Learning Center from January to April 2007 – it was a month to month type of thing that allowed us to gauge whether or not Chloe was ready for school. Once school stopped, we noticed she was quite moody and a bit of a brat. (Note, she was quite well behaved the time when there was school.) So I’m thinking, she’s bored. Summer class here we come!

After checking out not-a-few preschools, I opted to enroll her for 2 weeks at Raya School for 1 and a half hours daily of Storytelling and Art. The fees were quite reasonable, so off we went.

Now here is the clincher with the school – it’s very nationalistic and aims to promote love of country. So naturally, that means language too. I’d all but forgotten that when on the first day, the teacher read a story in English and then was chatting with the children in Filipino! Actually a lot of the moms were really concerned (as was I) since apparently none of us had bothered to ask about the medium of instruction. Moms panicking!!!

I watched as the kids listened intently AND answered questions even when asked in Filipino. Chloe raised her hand to give her opinion on something. And then I thought to myself, “Hey, this ain’t bad.”

It’s hard to admit being an elitist. I think all of us moms want our kids to speak in perfect English (I guess, it’s our colonial mentality.) Then again, I grew up speaking English practically all the time. So it’s not that I think it’s better, it’s just what I’m used to. But thinking about it more, now that Chloe thinks and speaks in English, wouldn’t it be great if she could do the same in Filipino? After all, we are living in the Philippines… and I’d much prefer Chloe to learn Filipino in a classroom rather than from the maids.

Here’s what I don’t want… Taglish. I’d much prefer to have her speak in straight Filipino or in straight English. She can mix ‘em when she’s older… when she knows how to manipulate language really really well.

At Raya, half the class is conducted in English. After snacks, everything is in Filipino. The kids learn about the love of country, love of the national language, national heroes, etc. I think the great thing is, a kid can learn about the Philippines and love his country without having to make the tough choice between English or Filipino. After all, learning both only enriches a child’s life experience and as a parent, that’s all you can ever hope for.