February Love Affair

Everybody does this every first day of the month ~ greeting it energetically and welcoming the day with a bang! I might do as well.

Hello, February!

It's already the beginning of the month of hearts and I bet most of you are already excited celebrating Valentine's Day. 

As for me, February is special because two of our lovely daughters, Gabie and Mika, are born on this love month. Gabie is turning 18 on the 26th while Mika will be 15 this coming February 4. Can you imagine that??? I can't either. They grow up so fast! We planned something to celebrate their birthdays as a family together and will be sharing our experience in my later blog posts. So, stay tuned.

Coffee Adventures: Bo's Coffee

I love coffee! I am a certified coffee drinker. I belong to an elite group of coffee-fanatics and coffee-maniacs, which we call simply as coffeesaurus.

I love the smell of coffee anytime of the day. Next to bookstores, coffee shops are my favorite places to spend time to read a book, think, plan, organize and prepare my day, or simply chat with friends and talk about anything that interests us.

I've been to several coffee shops already here in the Metro (aside from the famous Starbucks, of course). So, I've decided to share my coffee experiences and adventures that will also showcase the shops interior and of course their variants of coffee and different food choices that goes well with their famous blends.

My Tootsie Roll

Tootsie roll!

What memories do you have with these chocolates? >*.*< 

Photo taken by BlackBerry Passport Factory Unlocked Cellphone, 32GB, Black  Edited via BeFunky Photo Editor & Collage Maker  

Carved Soap Flowers from Thailand

Thank you to Dr. Jae for this unique souvenir from Thailand. :)

At first, I did not know what to make out of the wooden orb with a stencil drawing of the famous icon of Thailand - the elephant. My colleague told me that it is a soap.

Me: What? Seriously?? 

Liz: Oo! Buksan mo para makita mo yung sabon. 

(Oo nga naman..may sabon bang kahoy??? Duh?!)

So I opened the orb and lo and behold! A beautiful carnation flower was inside the mysterious wooden orb.

Me: Ohhhhh! Sabon ba talaga to? Parang ang baho naman...Sorry, I don't like the smell. It's like a combination of moth balls and citronella concoctions.

Beautifully Carved by Thais

I googled the said souvenir item hoping to be enlightened by its beautiful creation. What I learned from Oddity Central was that this craftmanship originated in the villages around Chiang Rai and just started out as a hobby when the locals were not working in the rice fields. They mastered it over time and the rest is history. Genius eh?!

What really striked me most (aside from the smell) was the detail on how every petals of the flowers were skillfully carved out. And the wooden orb is also a beauty!

I also found out that you can order these lovelies online: Wholesalers of Thai Soap Flowers

Oh well, I am thankful and contented with just one. :)

Other varieties (What is left of Dr. Jae's pasalubongs to all of us)

Photos taken by my Blackberry Passport

Our Sunday at Harbour Square

Sunset at Harbor Square

Wow! It has been ages since my last post. I was so busy with work that I never really visited my blogs and get to update them religiously.

Well, I'd like to revive my blogging habits by posting our latest adventure. Last Sunday, April 12th, we decided to take a break from our hectic professional lives and went to Harbor Square.

We dined at our favorite Filipino restaurant, Dencio's, and ordered some ice cold beers, meals, and talked about life, work, children, at marami pang iba. :)

Most of the shots here were taken by Mika and she has a keen eye for details. (She used my Blackberry Passport)

The View

The rays of the setting sun adds glamour to our shot. Thank you Mika!

My #SuperMarvelBaby

#Echoserangbata looking around and trying to digest everything that is taking place around her.

Say Hi! Miggy! #SuperMarvelBaby

Hinde naman masyado malaki ang mga mata nyo no?!

Lovely faces of my two lovely daughters.

When Miggy Got Sick

Last Tuesday, June 10, 2014, I brought Miggy to the hospital for check-up. He had constant diarrhea and bouts of vomiting since Saturday, June 7, 2014. I got scared he might fall into dehydration and will need intravenous therapy. Well, my gut feeling was confirmed when the doctor told me that he is already in moderate dehydration. 

IV insertion was an ordeal for my little boy. He got a total of 14 unsuccessful IV insertion attempts but they just could not found any good vein. Once they're in, the site would just bulge and infiltration happens. We resorted to oral rehydration, Pedialyte, to replenish lost electrolytes. His other medications include Erceflora and Immuzinc.

We got discharged yesterday and he was diagnosed with Acute Gastroenteritis with Moderate Dehydration. Right now, he's feeding properly and sleeping a lot. Maybe because he is still recuperating from dehydration.

Ate Gabs and Ate Mika already cried with him while the doctors are trying to get an IV inserted.

You haven't seen the rest of needle marks here, but he's so tired that he doze off to sleep after each insertion.

Drinking Pedialyte (apple flavor) while Tatay is trying to calm him down.

Ang makulit na Maxime! (Mam malaki po ang problema ng sasakyan nyo. Walang makina e.#echoserangbata)

First Day High

Today is the first day of school and Mika is about to embark to a whole new schooling experience. In preparation for this big day, my husband and I woke up at 5AM, cooked her baon (seared liempo and rice), and made her breakfast (Energen drink).

Personally, I am quite nervous because everything will be new for her. New school, new teachers, new classmates, and she's not yet comfortable in speaking Tagalog. Plus, she gets to commute too in going home since her dismissal time is very early for her Tatay to pick her up. We instructed her how to ride the jeepney and even told her what to say to the driver. Hayyyyy....the whole day I can't get my mind straight thinking of her day at school and her plight of riding the jeepney for the first time all by herself.

At the end of the day, she reported that she gained new friends and she was able to introduce herself in class. I'm glad and thankful that she made it through the first day. I hope that all is well for her throughout the schoolyear.