Plastic fantastic

Aside from Zee learning how to lie on her chest on her own, we learned that she has a fascination for plastic.

I think she likes the sound of the plastic crumpling into her hands. She gets angry when we take away the plastic bag from her. We’re just careful that she doesn’t put it on her face or chew it.

Because of this habit of hers, I started looking for possible Christmas gifts we could give her — stuff that’s pretty noisy but still safe for babies.

I found one at Toys ‘R’ Us in Galleria, it’s called the Infantino Loopapalooza Toy. Here’s how it looks like:

The big round ones that look like colorful petals sound like plastic when you crumple or squeeze it in your hands. The perfect gift for Zee!

As for hubby and me, our attention was shifted to this Nerf Vulcan:

Pretty expensive for Php3,000. But it looks like fun.

A day of gratitude

Would just like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the following, from the bottom of my heart:

My family, who’s always the first to greet;

My husband, for the gift which he’d still have to buy (LOL!);

The DWH Launch Team (thanks, KC, for the Moleskine), ex-Launcher Djong, and also new mommy Shina from SEM;

Former classmates Rocha, Shiella, Cla and Pink;

V Amihans A!, Cai, Carly, Dexter, Marlon;

Bastards Zeth (thanks for calling — again), Mike, and Pol;

Former colleagues Red, Jing, Spagg, and my former boss, Jasper;

and Tomadors Russell, Roschi, Sonny, Michicoo, Tren, Wilson, Hiyas, and Lea.

Thank you for remembering.

Back to normal?

After a month of staying with my in-laws in Novaliches, hubby, Zee, and I are back in Pasig.

I got to see my parents’ house, which was greatly affected by typhoon Ondoy. The walls and ceilings were already fixed. The master’s bedroom has been arranged to accommodate Zee during weekdays while we’re at work. No more puddles of water on the street, no filthy smell of mud and flood. Basically everything is almost back to normal.

Almost.

It was kinda weird being back at our apartment (which is just minutes away from my parents’ home). I can sleep on the bed more comfortably. I can leave for work when the sun is already up and still come on time. I won’t have to be picky about buses when riding to work. And no more morning videos on board, like Unang Hirit or movies like Speed (no sh-t, there’s a bomb on the bus!).

I’m adjusting to getting back on my old habits.

Oh well, things aren’t normal yet, but they will be. Soon.

Lady Ms. Blogger

I’m no longer a “Ms.” but I think I still look one anyways. LOL!

Anyhoo, thanks to sis Jenie for this award. I would also like to pass this on to all the bloggers who continue to drop by, most especially to the following:

Mrs. Kolca (I know hindi ka na nagta-tag, but you still deserve this one )
Nicquee
twopenneth
mizhelle

If you want to grab this tag and share it to others, please do so.

Vote Efren Peñaflorida as the CNN Hero for 2009

Either my Internet is too damn slow, or the CNN website is to heavy for my laptop to handle. But that’s impossible…

Anyways, it’s been in the news for some months now, but it’s only today that I got to check out Efren Peñaflorida’s story on the CNN Heroes site (I’m such a slacker). His is a very inspiring story, being poor and terrorized by gangs when he was young and now bringing education to the kids who need it most — those in the slums.

Let’s all vote for Efren Peñaflorida and show the world that Filipinos can also be heroes.

Post-traumatic stress

I may have been denying it, but I think I am experiencing this.

My sister said it must have been the result of my birthing experience and the damaging events of Ondoy three months after Zee was born.

Hubby said it’s just a small thing, no issue should be drawn out of it. If my husband starts to look somewhere, you can blame it on me.

My sister said that to get past this, I should get back to my old routine. She suggested I do the things I did before I gave birth, probably buy myself new clothes and stuff, and also have a makeover. It may help, she said.

I guess I better start now, before relationships get strained.

Going sticker happy for a Starbucks planner

Today marks the first live appearance of the Starbucks 2010 planner. Live because it has been blogged days before at Dessert Comes First (I don’t know if it’s the first to blog about it, but I saw it here first). But on this day, you can actually see and feel it when you go over the counter of any Starbucks branch in Manila.

The 2010 planner comes in three different covers. See for yourself here:

The Starbucks 2010 Planners

The first one shows the coffee plant, the second the grinding of the beans, and the third one has seems to have a shot of espresso. They all have a bookmark, too, like last year’s (but unlike in 2009, the end of this year’s bookmark has a silver coffee bean). What differentiates each design, aside from the cover photo, are the textures of the outside, which range from rough to velvety.

And of course, with the arrival of the 2010 planners come the special flavors. Making their comeback are Dark Cherry Mocha, Toffee Nut Latte, and Peppermint Mocha. Yes, I can indulge in them now!

And like the other past years, you get a sticker when you order a drink from Starbucks. Yup, the sticker collecting phase is back. Nine stickers are allotted for the Holiday flavors, eight for the regular ones.

I’ve never had a chance to complete collecting the stickers for the Starbucks planner. And my pregnancy made me miss those special flavors last year. So this year, I’ll try collecting all the stickers and get my first ever planner. I bought a small Peppermint Mocha, which earned me two stickers (the one is free when you order today, Nov. 4). I paired my drink with a slice of Chocolate Toffee Nut Cake. Hmm, yummy, but I think I prefer the Peppermint Mocha as a frap, though.

So my quest for 15 more stickers is on. That’s about some Php2,000 to spend for a Starbucks planner. Unless the person who designed the planners gives me one as a Christmas present. Haha!

Anu baaah?!

#1: Minsan nawi-weirdo-han ako sa mga pasahero sa jeep na pipiliing (o pipiliting) umupo sa estribo tapos ipapaabot ang bayad sa mga nakaupo sa gitna. Sa siyudad sa kung saan ako nakatira pansamantala, laganap ang kaugaliang ito.

Naalala ko tuloy ang ate ko. Nung minsan kasing gumala kami sa Greenhills, sumakay kami ng jeep pauwi. Nagkataong may nakaupo na sa magkabilang estribo. Naupo kami sa likod ng driver. Walang tao sa pagitan namin at nung mga nasa estribo (yes, apat lang kami). Tapos yung babae sa dulo, inabot niya yung bayad niya ng hindi gumagalaw sa upuan niya. Si ate, hindi pinansin yung babae. Katwiran niya sa ‘kin, “Uupo-upo sila sa dulo tapos tayo pa ang mage-effort na mag-abot ng bayad nila sa driver, ayoko nga. Wag mo ngang iabot.”

Mabait akong kapatid, kaya sumunod na lang ako. Napilitan tuloy yung babae sa may estribo na mag-slide sa upuan papalapit sa amin. Nu’ng halos half a foot away na siya mula sa ‘min, saka namin inabot ang bayad niya sa driver.

#2: Napanood ko yung MTV-esque commercial ni Noynoy Aquino. Kasama ang mga sikat na artista. Siyempre, kasama ang kapatid na si Kris. Hindi ko alam kung ano’ng gustong iparating ng commercial. Walang malinaw na plataporma. Sabagay, hindi pa naman campaign period. Paunang bugso lang siguro ito.

Ang sigurado ako, sa dami ng artistang willing gumastos para sa kanya, di siya mamromroblema sa budget pang ads.

Reposted: What’s going on at DSWD warehouses?

Was just bloghopping when I stumbled on this repost of sis Shie from Gangbadoy’s blog about the non-moving donations for Ondoy and Pepeng victims. Most of them were from international donors… and were just found sitting inside the DSWD warehouse.

After minutes of research, I found the original post from ellaganda.com. It has elicited much reaction from her readers, as well as getting her into the news, such as in CNET Asia.

As one of Typhoon Ondoy’s victims, I can’t help but feel upset over the lack of assistance from government agencies such as the DSWD. It has been exactly a month after the tragedy, yet we and a lot of other families are still in the process of getting our lives back on track. What’s with the hold up on those donations? Where else would you use it anyway?

The rule of “get first dibs” don’t apply here.

And the excuse of not having volunteers? Isn’t that so lame, when we have seen people from the private sector lending their hand to these victims. Heck, our neighboring mini-mart is more charitable than you are.

Pati ba naman sa donations, dadayain n’yo ang mga Pilipino?

This act (or non-act, if there is a term for it) can be summed up in one word: sakim.

At malupit ang balik ng karma sa taong sakim.

Tag: What Does Your Birthdate Mean?

Got this from Shie. Well, technically she didn’t tag me specifically — she said she was tagging everyone on her bloglist. And I got curious about what my birthdate means. So there.

To find out what your date of birth means, go to this Blogthings page, enter your birthdate, and voila! Results are in!

I was born on November 19, and here are my results:

You Are a Lone Wolf

You are resilient, and no doubt your resilience has already been tested. You’ve had some difficult experiences in your life, but you are wise from them. Having had to grow up quickly, you tend to discount the advice of others. You tend to be a loner, having learned that the only person you can depend on is yourself. Your strength: Well developed stability and confidence Your weakness: Suspicion of others Your power color: Eggplant Your power symbol: Spade Your power month: October

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Blogthings: Discover the Parts of Your Personality that Have Been Hiding

Interesting, it’s pretty accurate… if you know me. LOL! Resilience, difficult experiences — yup, I’ve had them. Loner, I’d say so. And ooh, it’s my power month. Wonder what else is in store for me…

I’m not tagging anyone in particular, but if you’re curious about what your birthday says about you, go ahead and try it.