humor time

And now for some crazy wisdom

coffee break #6

This week's coffee break tackles about how one make ends meet with the soaring prices of commodities.

What is your budgeting secret?

Yay! I think hubby and i fall short on this haha. But since the baby arrived (that was four months ago) we made it a priority to save. When the paycheck arrives and before paying any bills, hubby drop us off to National Bank of Dubai to deposit. Our savings is divided into three: for Andre's education, and for a house, and a car when we go home to the Philippines.

As for our groceries, we do eat simply. We prefer steamed or sauteed vegetables. It is easy to prepare and healthy too. Perhaps, if we can no longer afford to buy rice, we will have potatoes and arabic bread. Or pasta. We both enjoy lamb chops which can be very expensive so we buy the meat and grill at home. Just rub it with salt, pepper and grill it along with lemon and onion and presto, it is not much different dining al fresco at the Palm Grill. If we must throw parties, we always opt for restaurants that offer buffet. We can invite as many people as we like and I know ahead how much it costs and how much more to spend for party favors.

For our clothes, i scour the shopping malls for S-A-L-E. You can buy polo shirt or dresses for as low as 35 dirham on high street stores like Zara, Mango, Debenhams, and H&M. I do the laundry on washing machine so we need cloth of good quality. Carrefour too and Hyperpanda offers great clothes of the season at a much cheaper price. As for Andre, his clothes, toys, and the rest of his stuff like like swing and walker mostly came from our friends. Also, I breastfeed him exclusively so we save much that way.

But here is one thing i learned from hubby. It is nice to save when you are capable of, but do not forget to help others too. Because when you do, you will never ran out of things to share. Giving means receiving further graces. Save a little for ourselves but do not forget to share your blessing to other people.

To sum up all of that means 1. Know your priority. 2 Learn your favorite recipe. 3. Give to receive.

If you wish to join coffee break, head on to Jan's Bits and Pieces. Thanks again for the visit!

weekend snapshot # 9

It is officially countdown time before the summer heat comes along and sweeps everyone in Dubai indoors for months. With the limited number of days for outdoor activities, we grabbed the chance last weekend to bring our three-month-old Andre to Creek Park.

Andre enjoying his airplane ride.

Violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and so are you.

Don't we all love spring?

Enjoy the rest of the week everyone and thank you so much for the visit. Till next weekend!!!

Random Qs

Q: Do you use microwave a lot?
A: Hubby and i both decide never to buy microwave. But we receive one Palson as Christmas gift last December so now it comes handy on two occasions. First when re-heating meals and second when I sterilize my breast pump and Andre's milk bottles. Except for popcorn, i never cook anything on the microwave nor use the grill feature. I still prefer the macaroni & cheese on the stove top.

Q: What section of the newspaper you read first?
A: I scan the front page then head on to the letters section of 7days.

Q: Chinua Achebe - whose even heard of him?
A: I read his book Things Fall Apart. It's a story of one man's life in his village and the tribe he belongs to. Yep, i cried on some parts of it too.

Q: Pepsi or Coke?
A: I am not a big soda drinker. If i must, i'll have coke zero.

Q: Summer is here, what is your favorite fruit shake?
A: Mango, avocado, and berry shakes

humor time

Happy Sunday everyone! Humor time here on m baby blog. I got this from hubby and I want to share it with you....

Guts and Balls

Just in case you were wondering... .....this should clear up any questions.. . .........

We've all heard about people having guts or balls. But do you really know the difference between them? In an effort to keep you informed:

GUTS - is arriving home late after a night out with the guys, being met by your wife with a broom, and having the guts to ask: 'Are you still cleaning, or are you flying somewhere?'

BALLS - is coming home late after a night out with the guys, smelling of perfume and beer, lipstick on your collar, slapping your wife on the butt and having the balls to say: 'You're next.'

I hope this clears up any confusion. Medically speaking, there is no difference in the outcome, since both ultimately result in death.

10 minutes to a happy, healthy you!

We now continue our quick fixes. City life is very stressful and we might just get a surprise relief from these clippings.

26. Pop a pen lengthways between your teeth for five minutes.
You'll look a little daft but it turns your mouth into a smiley shape, which boosts your mood. In studies, people find jokes funnier after pen popping.

27. Call your mother / father and tell you love him/her.
Life is too short for regrets - let those who you care about know how you feel.

28. Do the seven minute chill-out
Spending seven-minutes a day breathing slowly, taking fewer than ten breaths per minute, is a major relaxant.

29. Do a five minute dust each day
Dusting will cut your risk of asthma in half. To pick up dust particles quickly and efficiently, damp dust rather than dry dust.

30. Spend 20 seconds stretching your neck
Simply pulling your chin in towards your neck, holding for ten seconds and repeating once more will stop any end-of-the-day aches.

Till next entry!

yum, yum

Time for a little food meme.

Q: Do you dress up your ice cream? Or do you like it plain and simple?

A: I am certified ice cream addict. I can eat them in their pure vanilla or simply chocolate state. But i like them dressed up too. Hubby bought me a sinful Baskin & Robbin ice cream cake for my birthday and he only had one slice. I devoured the rest. So i guess i want my ice cream also with little cakes. I like them too with marshmallow, almonds, cookies, strawberry or chocolate syrup, fresh fruits, chocolate chips, peanut butter, but most of all, i want a vanilla ice cream with dash of good ol' brandy.

Q: Name your five favorite fruits.

A. Pineapple only from Pinas, Mango, Strawberry, Grapes, and Lanzones. Too bad the last one is not available here in the UAE.

Q: Peach....or pear?

A. Definitely peach. It tastes better and i really enjoy eating peach-mango pie. I like the peach color too hihi

Q: How do you like your carrots?

A. I can eat my carrots raw, or half cooked. I also like carrot cake. I will have to try carrot juice next time we go out.

Thank you to mylotDigest for the feed. Feel free to snag these, ladies!

how swiiiift!

As i closed my yahoo mail, i quickly scanned the next page and saw a name Taylor Swift winning the Video of the Year Award for the recent Country Music Awards. I am not a big fan of country music. I can only endure Dixie Chicks and Simon & Gafunkel but my husband loves this genre so i went to check the video. And what a nice surprise! Not only is Taylor Swift young and very, very pretty but she has a great voice and she wrote an/or co-wrote all of the songs in her album. I really admire artists who perform their own material. So I am posting this award winning video for my husband. I know hubby will be thrilled to learn the new people on country music.

coffee break #5

We are talking health this week on coffee break.

How committed are you to health and fitness?

Yay! My hubby is super disciplined on everything including what he eats. He eats anything and everything in moderation. Just don't hand him any junk food because they taste poison to him haha. As for me, I am a junk and fast food addict. I guess things just change for me when we got married and got pregnant. I had to eat vegetables, lots of fruits and everything healthy for my baby. Of course, i also want to live long enough to see my grand children so sweets and french fries (and anything else that feed the cancer cells) can reach my mouth only on weekends. Plus, alcohol maybe has got to go because a recent US study published says there is a huge link on alcohol consumption and breast cancer. I am still not drinking though because i am breastfeeding Andre but boy, i have looked forward to a drinking binge with my friends. I guess that plan has got to go. I have a family to take care of and i got two new bathing suits waiting on my closet.

Ciao everyone and thank you for dropping by. Visit Jan's Bits and Pieces if you wish to join our weekly Coffee Break.

beers and sushi

Good morning everyone!

We had an interesting dinner last night at Renaissance Hotel with hubby's fellow mistah,Villedo. He is currently assigned in Afghanistan and had a connecting flight here in Dubai going to London for a vacation. We met him around 9 p.m. so he and hubby had about couple of hours to chat and reminisce their days in the Philippine Military Academy. Billedo is now based in the Carribean Islands but his work takes him to countries all over the world. Earlier in his job, he worked with the famous English singer-song writer James Blunt in Kosovo ( yep, James Blunt is a former officer of Life Guards, a unit of the British Army).

After several plates of sushi, lobsters, and bottles of beer, we headed back to Dubai Grand Hotel because the flight to London is at 2 a.m.. Though tired , sleep deprived (with only the Red Bull to keep him going), and still has lots of deadline to beat , I know hubby had a great grand time.

Photo op with our Carribean visitor (Renaissance Dubai Hotel)

Thank you also to the Spice Island staff of Renaissance Dubai Hotel for reminding us the credit card we left on the table. It was completely forgotten with all the excitement and the stories. Our visitor was extremely thankful since it has no credit limit hihi. Thank you again for making his brief stay in Dubai a marvelous experience.

coffee break #4

Coffee break this week is about horror flicks.

What are your top three scariest movies?

Unfortunately, i do not like horror movies. The only stuff i watch with ghosts are Ghostbusters, Casper The Friendly Ghost, and the immortal Demi Moore flick, Ghost. Only these, because it would not bother me if Patrick Swayze or Casper will follow me all through my bedroom haha. Really, i have such crazy imagination that even attending wakes keep me up all night. Its like when i close my eyes, I still see the coffin and the person inside. Yay.

So I do not have any favorite scary movie but i do know what a horror movie is for the chickens. Take a look ...

If you wish to join Coffee Break, check out Jan's Bits and Pieces. Thank you and enjoy the rest of the week!

taggie, taggie

Finally! A chance to do tag! I snagged this from Jan

10 Recent Things That Made Me Happy



1. my small talk with Andreas
2. watching Milan Fashion Week on FTV
3. our bank statement. not much but at least we are trying to save regularly
4. playing and singing with Andre
5. my new online friends
6. that i am back to blogging. i miss writing soo much!
7. my new sundress
8. weekend road trip
9. entertaining friends
10. family trip to Ikea and Festival City

Andreas updates

How time fly fast. My Andre is three months and two weeks old today. And as days go by, he is becoming more and more fun to be with. Here are some of his activities these days.

1. He can now roll over on one side.

(when he goes to the office for an overtime)

2. For more than a month now, he can sleep straight for 6-7 hours
3. He can bring his both hands together and sometimes he just stares at them in amazement
4. He now grasp a rattle and a teether. Yep, he is finally playing!

5. But his thumb sucking is more frequent these days

6. When he sleeps, he likes soft music.
7. He squeals in delight when he hears Barney songs
8. He smiles when we play his nursery rhymes.
9. He enjoys kicking vigorously on his gym set
10. He smiles at anybody who gives attention to him.
11. He enjoys it when we let him stand up.
12. He answers back in his own coos, oohs, and aahs when we talk to him
13. He now able to put his arms around your neck...more like a little hug

At Mamzar Beach Park

14. I think he now recognizes me because he gives a smile when i enter the room
15. He loves his airplane ride with Daddy.

Let's play pretend

Yep, he is adorable more than ever. We love you, baby! Stay healthy and Thank you for being so cooperative. Mwaah, mwaah, mwaah!

10 minutes to a happy you!

Whew! A lot has happened but I am not forgetting my clippings so we continue.

21. Take 10 minutes to do something meraki
This Greek word means doing something from the soul, that's creative or motivated by love - something happiness researchers say gives you ultimate joy. Try making a card instead of buying one or giving your partner a quick shoulder massage.

22. Try a three-minute inversion
An upside down yoga pose boosts blood flow to your brain which energises you and also "stimulates hormones in the head leading to a sense of well-being."

23. It only takes ten minutes to have Botox
Yes, it tackles your wrinkles which make you feel good in itself. The theory is that if you can't frown, you're less likely to feel down as changing facial expression can alter the brain's interpretation of emotional experience. If Botox is a step too far, try massaging along your eyebrows at regular intervals to ease away frown lines.

24. Piston breathe for two minutes
To do this breathe in, then exhale forcefully through your nose in short powerful pulses five to seven times. It instantly revitalises you as it sends a rush of oxygen to the brain.

25. Stretch your feet for three minutes
If you've been wearing flip flops or your ballet flats to death, the bottom of your feet now hurts. You need to put the ankle of your achy feet on your opposite knee and pull your toes towards you. Hold for ten seconds and release then repeat for ten time. Do this three times each day and the pain will stop.

Thanks everyone for your continued interest. Previous entries are filed under Get Happy.

coffee break #3

We all have our own graduation songs in High School. Those that give us goosebumps whenever we hear it on the radio. That particular song that leaves us reminiscing about those not so recent past. And this week's coffee break leaves you with this simple question:

What was your High School

Graduation song?

We were Batch '97 of Batanes National High School - Main. Our graduation song is the Will of the Wind by Jim Photoglo. I think everybody my age knows this song because it was really popular back then and many people find it inspirational. Anyway, I found a video so everyone, sing your heart out!

I also want to take this chance to post hubby's high school graduation song. They were Batch 91 of St. Joseph School in Kiangan, Ifugao. His classmates posted the lyrics on his friendster. And i want to share it to everybody too because i think it is also very inspiring. Sorry about the title because hubby too does not know what the title is. Here it goes...

Life is more than just a game that people play

It's not an ordinary trip for two

But there is something more to it, a world of wonders never end

all you have to do is open up yourself to it...

Life is more than just a game that people have to play

CHORUS:
YES! dreams become reality ,it's true...
when you build a world of individuality
together we can all begin to build a world a family
where each one gives and each man's free...

Alas! at times they make us do the things we'd rather not

there motivations have all gone away

but then my friends remember that, a world for those who dream

and all it takes to build it now is going against the stream...

If you wish to join coffee break, head on to Jan's Bits and Pieces. Thanks everyone for the visit!

Andre's Christening

And finally it was done.

We first scheduled the christening celebration on April 3. But hubby's department has a dinner function so we moved it one week earlier to March 27. We barely had one week to prepare but i think the celebration was a blast. All of the expected visitors came, some even brought along their other sets of friends and four couples brought their complete family!! We really had a great time.

The food and the lovely Red Table reception was well appreciated by the guests. Kids enjoyed the fountain and the aquarium. There was enough space for everybody including a space for little Margharet to practice her walk hihi. But of course, it was the church ceremony which was the most important so i share these pictures. Enjoy everyone!

Anointing of the oil

Baptism with water

The baptism light

"Christened with faith
Blessed with God's love."

CEASAR ANDREAS SALENDAB PINKIHAN
March 27, 2008