Archive for January, 2010

I am used to go out with my 4-year old but last Sunday I was forced to go to Subic alone with her. My in-laws were still home so hubby needs to be with them. It was easier than I thought but it needs lots of preparation.

Travel to Subic is 4 hours so my questions were:

1. What if she needs to pee?
2. Who will look after our baggages?
3. What if she vomits?

I’ve had my share of apprehensions but we NEED to leave for Subic by hook or by crook. Otherwise Jade would kill me. So here’s what I did:

1. Travel very early in the morning or at night. On our case, we need to be in Subic by lunch time so we chose the 6am bus schedule. During this time of the day the kids are still sleepy, the longer they sleep during the entire travel, the better.

2. Travel light. We only carried one bag and a paper bag for our pasalubong.

3. Bring food and water for the two of you. This is very important because you no longer need to go down and buy food and water. It is safe and you’ll save a lot.

4. Sleeping kids means no vomiting. My little girl don’t get dizzy easily and that I’m thankful of. But in case your child is not used to riding buses and has chances of vomiting, let her sleep during the travel AND bring barf bags just in case she really needs to *gwark!*.

5. Let them pee BEFORE riding the bus. It’s better if they’re still on her nappies but with bigger kids, you just need to let them pee before traveling.

6. Bring a few toys. A coloring book and crayons. I refuse to let kids use high tech toys such as PSP, DS, etc while travelling because of Number 7 below.

7. AND please, do not sleep. For your own safety and the safety of your things, DO NOT EVER SLEEP. I am saying this because the not so good people will take advantage of your situation. Moms who travel alone with their kids are great targets for the mean guys.

So whether you are just backpacking or booked anywhere ala breckenridge, these handy tips will surely help you.

I am still in denial. I can’t believe that in a few months I’ll be turning 30. The figure is eating me!

I feel that I haven’t accomplished anything at 30. Here we go again. But I have no right to complain, right? I have a beautiful family, an ideal job (at least for me!), and for crying out loud I have gorgeous friends who are always there!

Despite all these, I still wish I was able to accomplish certain things before reaching 30. I have decided to share with you my secret wishlist, so it’s no longer “secret” the moment I publish this post.

1. Meeting Piolo. He’s numero uno on my list! Let me remind you again that I am not just a “fan”. I am in love with him and my husband understands that. LOL!

2. Owning a brand new car. Enough said.

3. A visit to Japan. I’ve been wanting to visit Japan and have a ski vacation there. This wish started when I watched Oshin back in 1980s.

So there. Read more of these wishes on my dream blog in tumblr. Haven’t got the chance to publish it yet. But I will…soon.

How do you manage your time work at home mommies?

Last year’s schedule was easier to manage, really. I am finding myself more and more tied to Kelly, my laptop because I juggle so many online tasks which includes paid blogging and my regular online work on top of the social networking sites maintenance. It makes me feel guilty that sometimes I have to share the household chores with hubby. I couldn’t even complete the simplest tasks like cleaning the granite tile in the kitchen and fixing the garbage! I bet things will be harder this June because the little girl will already go to school so as early as now I am fixing my schedule – a schedule fair enough for the three of us.

Time management is the solution, right? and less social networking sites.

If there is one thing you would notice in Metro Manila, Quezon City and nearby areas handled by MMDA, it is the color pink. Pink is everywhere. From pink footbridges, pink lines, pink fences and pink walls, pink male urinals, pink posts and more. And if you think that the Pink Craze is now over because Bayani Fernando is no longer handling MMDA, you’re wrong. In fact, the Metro Manila Development Authority is brewing up something for women – the Pink Urinals for Women.

The male urinals are considered eyesores in the Metro because it is unclean and unmaintained. I am not really expecting that MMDA will provide and maintain Toto toilets for the whole metro but I just hope that anyone who uses the urinal is responsible enough to clean up after every use. MMDA general manager Roberto Nacianceno on the other hand, says that they will ensure MMDA aides will thoroughly clean the urinals. And unlike the open male urinals, the one for the females is closed and has water supply inside. The final design is yet to be released. Ano kaya itsura?

This reminds me of this:

heehee

But seriously, as a commuter, would you use the MMDA urinals?

My mother in law brought a lot of mangoes last weekend so instead of letting them rot, I’ve searched for recipes that I could make using the super sweet mangoes. Voila! Mango Cupcakes with Mango Buttercream Frosting. This is one easy recipe, I assure you.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Sift all the ingredients into a bowl and set aside. In another bowl, beat together until well-mixed:

1 1/2 cups mango puree (at least 3 ripe mangoes)
1/3 cup oil
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with a whisk just until you have a smooth batter. It is important not to overmix or overbeat so do not use a mixer.

Equally pour the batter among 12 cups of a standard sized muffin pan lined with cupcake liners.

Pre-heat your oven in 350-degree F and bake for about 27 minutes.

Mango Buttercream Frosting:

2 sticks butter
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup mango puree

Cream the butter until its fluffy. Add half of the sugar, vanilla extract and mango puree. Now mix in the remaining sugar. Beat until thoroughly mixed.

Cool the cupcakes first before frosting.

I’ve been baking a lot lately and a friend even asked me if I want to change careers. I said “no” of course! Baking is just a hobby and I am far from being a pro.

How about you, what have you baked or cooked lately?

Oftentimes, it is better to travel by bus than driving to far places. It is more relaxing and way cheaper than driving our own cars.

Last Sunday, we traveled all the way from Cavite to Subic, Zambales to go swimming and visit Ocean Adventure. It was Jade’s treat for Yona.  One of the unique gifts for her, actually. She got Havaianas from Bea, too!

Moving on, here are some tips on how you can go to Ocean Adventure without the hassle of driving all the way from Manila:

1. Ride a bus to Olongapo via Victory or Saulog liner. Leave at 6:00am so you’ll reach Olongapo at 10am. Bus fare is below P200 if you are coming from Cubao. We came from Bacoor, Cavite so we paid P238.

2. Upon reaching Olongapo, ride a yellow jeep to SBMA gate. Fare is P7.00.

3. Go inside the gate and look for the Ocean Adventure shuttle. It leaves at exactly 10:35am (and it’s FREE!) so DO NOT BE LATE otherwise you need to take a cab for P350. Its a long ride from the SBMA gate to Ocean Adventure but you’ll love the scenery and expect to see monkeys along the way.

Tipid Travel Tip: Eat in the nearby fast food chains BEFORE riding the shuttle. The food inside the park is outrageously priced and you cannot bring in food.

4. You will be given a schedule sheet upon entry so just follow the schedule and enjoy! There are so many things to do in the park like watching dolphin and sea lion shows, photo and beach encounters and more.

5. The shuttle going back to SBMA gate leaves at 3:00PM so ensure that you are already outside before that time.

6. Ride the yellow jeep again to the Victory Liner terminal or if you are courageous enough, walk to the Saulog Liner terminal behind the first mall you see outside the SBMA gate.

Tipid Travel Tip: Have dinner at nearby fast food chains BEFORE riding the bus. It is safer and cheaper than eating in bus terminals.

Ticket Prices to Ocean Adventure are as follows:

P500 – Adults

P420 – Children

Toddlers below 30 inches and babies – FREE

Tipid Travel Tip: If you know someone from Olongapo, Subic and Bataan, have them purchase your tickets to get 50% off. Promo is until March 18, 2010 only!

Who says that you need to spend much? I hope this tips have helped you.

Seeing popular and not-so-popular people running for a position in the government in God-forsaken places before the elections is a very common sight here in the Philippines. They would hug and kiss babies, shake hands with everyone, smile and show concern to the less privileged. This is until the election day. After that, goodbye. Whether or not they win, you won’t hear of them or see their shadows anymore until they run again after 3 years. That’s how they are, traditional politicians.

Yesterday, while Yona and I were on our way to SM  (a mall near our place), I noticed a lot of people building temporary houses using scrap materials like plywood, rusty metal sheets, and plastic. They were not there the night before! Obviously they’re the Hakot Crowd, transferred from God-knows-where by whoever it is that supports them so they can vote for a certain candidate on May 2010!

I also noticed that a few municipal trucks were there giving out food and water from a truck with ukf7003axx. They also installed portable toilets for them. I was later informed by the driver that these people will be fed breakfast, lunch and dinner until the election day. Sigh.

I hope that the Hakot Crowd will realize that they are just being used by these traditional politicians and I am hoping too, that they can do something to improve their lives and not just wait for the the government (or non-government organizations) to give them temporary help and food.

The change should start from themselves. For their kids. For their future.

I work hard every day and before, my form of relaxation was playing games on Facebook until I noticed how competitive I was getting and how it ates up my time. I found  myself cramming at the end of each week so I promised not to play with those kind of games anymore.

Recently, I treat myself from time to time by playing usual games such as Wedding Dash 2 and Zuma. With these, I don’t have to compete with the houses, farms, restaurants and posse of my friends but I compete with myself instead.

So if ever you see me online and playing games, it’s not me but Yona playing on her Acer Aspire.

Planning to quit this addiction? I bet you can! It takes discipline, lots of it. You have it within you so I know that you can do it, too!

I used to sell online, both in Multiply and eBay. My online business went on for about 3 years when I decided to stop because I need to focus more on my online job and I felt that I can no longer address the demands of my customers. I maintained 3 online stores back then and it was really hard especially to a work at home mom like me.

This year, I am planning to sell again, but this time with OLX. Its a website where you will get classified ads of all sorts. Posting an ad is really easy, just choose your location, the category and sub-category of the item you are selling, and post the details of your items. It is recommended that you describe your item in detail and include all the necessary information such as your mode of payment, email, phone number so your buyers no longer have to ask numerous questions from you and for them to know that you are a legitimate seller as well.

This is just a start, I will be posting more items next time and I might shop there too! I am searching for car parts by searching Cars Philippines, and I noticed that there were a lot of better buys in OLX than in other online shops.

If you want to sell or buy something online, try OLX and get various results from baby products listings to Events Manila. It’s easy and most of all, it’s FREE!

I am more than pleased with the way ABS-CBN handles their soap operas now.

The stories are all top notch and will really leave you glued to the tube until the end. After the breath taking ending of Dahil May Isang Ikaw here comes Kung Tayo’y Magkakalayo, to be aired on January 18, Monday.

Kung Tayo’y Magkakalayo is a story that will defy the laws of love…

Just like recent the network’s recent soap operas, this one has an unpredictable plot, a high-caliber cast, and three-renowned TV directors.

The cast of Kung Tayo’y Magkakalayo  includes Gabby Concepcion as Steve, Kris Aquino as Celine, Albert Martinez as Frank, Jacklyn Jose as Astrud, Gina Pareño as Petulah, Maricar Reyes as Selina, Gloria Romero as Barbara, Maxene Eigenmann as Alicia, Kim Chiu as Gwen, Gerald Anderson as Robbie, and Coco Martin as Ringgo.

Inspired by the people’s acceptance of Tayong Dalawa, directors Erick Salud, Trina Dayrit and Dondon Santos were challenged to do another soap opera comparable to Tayong Dalawa and with that Kung Tayo’y Magkakalayo was born.

‘Kung Tayo’y Magkakalayo’ is shaped by three soap opera genres namely; action, family drama, and love story, drawing a yarn on how an individual’s love for another is put to the test and how destiny can entirely re-arrange one’s life.

Witness the clashing of the best and primed actors in the country in one of the grandest teleseryes this year, Kung Tayo’y Magkakalayo, premiering on January 18.

For more updates visit http://kungtayomagkakalayo.multiply.com and www.abs-cbn.com