Cuddle Time

What to do on a rainy night? Cuddle with Papa :) I shot these photos using my cellphone camera. These photos are priceless. I just love taking photos of Brandon and Trixie. I'm already content just by looking at them together.

My big little girl

One busy Wednesday morning, I was surprised to see this tower outside our bedroom. Only Trixie and I were upstairs and it wasn't me who built it. So it could only be Trixie. We usually play blocks with Trixie but she likes destroying more than building, so it was really a pleasant surprise for me to see this work of art. (Check out Trixie the Builder video to see for yourself.)  She amazes me these days.  Babies really, really grow and learn fast.  Here are some of the things that caught my breath away these past two weeks...

1.  Whenever I cough, she gives me a pat on the back. 
2.  She likes kiwi, mangosteen, romaine lettuce, hard-boiled egg whites only and sauteed onions.
3.  She loves to doodle on paper by drawing small lines (holding the pen properly), but last week, she started to connect the lines and form them into endless v's or w's.  Just this morning, she learned to draw circles and told me they were eggs and/or balls. 
4.  She now counts 1 to 5 audibly.
5.  She is now into folding paper, but before, she just crumples and throws them in the trashcan.
6.  She loves playing pictionary with Brandon.
7.  She tells me she misses her a-ma, kongkong and a-i.
8.  She sometimes asks for hot tea (diluted with plenty of water) after meals.
9.  Once when her ball rolled below the table, she took a railroad track from her train set and used it to retrieve the ball.  She got the ball then put the railroad track back to its place.
10.  She sings the birthday song quite often, and one time, I found her humming.
11.  At every meal, she takes it upon herself to put rice on our plates plus whatever dish we have.  She doesn't forget to ask for water too to fill our glasses.
12.  She insists on a specific hairdo- all her bangs tied up together sort of like a... uhmm... a shih tzu... Just imagine the struggle we have because I always try to convince her to have another hairdo.  But guess who always gets her way...  See the photo on the right to see what I mean.

Trixie the Builder (October 2007)

I am so happy I was able to capture this special moment on video, where Trixie built and destroyed her own little tower. Mind you, one of the boxes was quite heavy--- see how she struggled lifting and placing this box on the tower.

While waiting in the car...

This was a very good photo op while Brandon and Trixie were waiting for me in the car. :)

This one's for Gatch

I made fruit cheesecakes for Gatch's Auntie's birthday (and a sampler set for Clovy). Gatch, I hope your aunt will love these. I also got your aunt some Ecuadorian roses which were really lovely. Gatch, ok ba? :)

Century Park Hotel

Rating:	★
Category:	Other

I would have given this hotel a no-star rating. We slept at this hotel after my bro-in-law's wedding, to our dismay. The room aisles smelled heavily of smoke because the rooms on our floor were occupied by nasty people who smoked in their rooms while leaving their doors open. We had a huge share of unwanted secondhand smoke. We complained to the front desk but they were not able to solve the problem. The room interiors were bad enough coupled with the bad service of the hotel, so I will never, ever stay at this hotel again. A few days after our stay there, I suffered a very bad sore throat and cough. Trixie got sick too. So I repeat, never, ever again.

Trixie got sick...

After her successful stint as a flower girl, Trixie got sick with colds and cough (Want to know why? Check out my review of Century Park Hotel). Brandon candidly took these photos using natural light in our backyard and Trixie never looked so cute, so I couldn't resist posting these. She still smiled even though she's sick... awww....

Flower girl Trixie :)

I am so proud to say that last October 28, Trixie became an adorable flower girl at her Uncle Bryan's wedding. Hand in hand, we walked down the aisle. No crying, no fussing. I was really happy and proud; she was such a good girl. One compromise I made with Trixie - wearing her Crocs with the gown! We are still waiting for the pictures/ video at the church from the photographer, but for now, here are some moments before the wedding.

Mini Fruit Cheesecakes

Inspired by Gatch's request for me to come up with an impressive dessert, I made mini cheesecakes with assorted fruits- kiwis, mangoes, grapes and blueberries. Strawberries would be great too (next time). These baby cheesecakes were my gifts to Mela at her wedding shower.

Xin Tian Di

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Restaurants
Cuisine:	Chinese
Location:	Crowne Plaza Hotel, Ortigas

Trixie and I celebrated our birthdays with family there and everyone was really happy with the food (especially the kids). Xin Tian Di serves really good Chinese dimsum with bottomless iced tea or hot tea. They steam/ cook only upon order so everything is fresh and hot. I especially liked their seafood noodle soup, hakaw, taro puff, spareribs, buchi, custard... the list never ends. It's also a plus that we were put in a very comfy, nicely designed private room (see photo), and the service was impeccable. Truly one of the best buffet fares in Manila. I will definitely go back.

Prawn Pomodorro

I just love pasta.  Here's my recipe for pomodorro- this one's light yet flavorful.  The sauteed prawns are optional.

Ingredients:
Cooked pasta (I prefer Angel Hair)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Minced garlic, about 1 tablespoon, depending on the quantity of prawns
Sliced garlic, the more the better
Shelled and deveined prawns (Please leave the tails intact for presentation)
Chopped fresh, ripe tomatoes
Sliced olives or mushrooms (optional)
Del Monte Spaghetti Sauce, Italian Style
Freshly grated parmesan cheese
Paprika (optional)
Salt and pepper

Procedure:
Season prawns with salt, pepper and paprika.  In a large pan, add olive oil and saute prawns in minced garlic until pink and tender.  Do not overcook.  Remove prawns from pan and set aside.
Using the same pan, add lots of olive oil and saute garlic until aromatic.  (It's important that you add a big amount of olive oil, about a half cup, because the pasta should not be dry.)  Do not cook until brown so as not to make it bitter.  Add chopped tomatoes and saute until half-cooked only.  Tomatoes should remain firm.  Add olives.
Add the cooked pasta; toss it so as to be completely coated by the olive oil.  Add about 1/4 cup Del Monte Spaghetti sauce for a bit of color.  If the pasta appears dry at this point, you may add more olive oil or spaghetti sauce.
Lastly, add parmesan cheese and toss again until the cheese melts and disappears.
Put pasta in a big bowl and garnish with cooked prawns.  Enjoy!

Tip:  Store left-over pasta in a sealed bowl.  It actually tastes better the following day when the garlic becomes more flavorful.

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Meet Leann Grace

This was our visit to Mary's house to see Leann. But as you can see, there are more photos of Trixie than Leann :)

Fun times with Jennie

Here are photos of our lunch out with Jennie and the "early Christmas dinner" at our place. Look how tan Jennie is!!!

Trixie wore the gown!!!

Well, this is the final fitting, not yet the big day, but I'm so so so happy and relieved (isn't it obvious in my smile?) that Trixie opened the box and initiated wearing the gown. She loved the dress! Hopefully, she will wear this again next, next week. We'll see...

It's Red Velvet Once More

I think I'm in love with Red Velvet. I made a batch yesterday with a better recipe (from dianasdesserts.com), and Brandon and I are officially hooked. I still used the same milk frosting and these cupcakes taste even better the day after. (Stew, you were right!) I think I'll bake another batch tomorrow...

I am officially 29.

I just turned 29.  No doubt about it.  I calculated my age, 2007 minus 1978 using the calculator to be really sure, coz when people ask my age, I tend to be stuck on age 26 for some reason.  Life gets a new perspective at my age and whenever a year would pass, I am haunted by the idea that sooner, my age will be out of the calendar already.  I was wondering how my birthday would turn out, and now that it's over, I can say that I had one of the best birthdays ever. 

At 12:13am today, I got a text greeting  from my former student in La Salle and I was touched and surprised.  The text read "How can I forget your birthday, eh your class was the one thing I looked forward to during my ccs days."  I soon found out that my former student is doing well and she is graduating this week.  My heart leaped for joy.  Talk about throwing a starfish.  During the day, I got wonderful greetings from dear friends and it felt really good to be remembered.  I was surprised that my store employees also texted me their greetings and they even chipped in to give me a birthday cake.  I was really touched by that gesture. :)  To end the day, we just had a simple dinner of my favorite dishes with parents (no cooking or baking for me) and of course, lots of fun and giggles from Trixie who gave me the best birthday gift ever- a long nice sleep with no fussing or crying!

I officially end my birthday with a thankful heart for a most meaningful day and a truly blessed life from God.  I am surrounded by dear family and friends.  I have Brandon forever and my little Trixie who is truly a reward from God.  :)

Red Velvet Glory

Inspired by Clovy (my certified cupcake lover in NY), I made red velvet cupcakes today. I haven't really tasted a red velvet cake before nor have I seen one, but after much research on various sites and books, I no longer hesitated and decided on the Red Velvet 1 recipe found in allrecipes.com. So here are my red, sexy cupcakes with creamy milk frosting (I actually tried the cream cheese frosting, but this cooked flour and milk frosting tastes so much better). As always, the photos were taken by Brandon :) If you want more info on Red Velvet Cakes, check out the "So Naughty, So Nice" article in http://www.nytimes.com, under Dining and Wine section.

How can I get her to wear this gown again???

Next month, my little princess will be having her first stint as a flower girl at Brandon's brother's wedding.  I guess it's always a mother's dream to see her kids become part of any wedding entourage--- all dressed-up and looking cute, but it just dawned on me that it will be a most stressful time too because of these two major factors: One, will Trixie walk down the aisle?  If not, I have to accept the fact that I might walk with her or worse, carry her down the aisle. Two, will Trixie even want to wear the gown? Luckily for the gown fitting, Trixie agreed to wear the gown only because we were watching Annie at that time and Annie happened to be wearing a long night gown.  So I paused the movie and pointed out what Annie was wearing, and so she was convinced to wear the dress.  After just a few minutes (while Brandon was speed-clicking on the camera), Trixie started to whine about the dress and cried for me to remove it quickly... so there!  How can I convince her to wear the gown again???  And if she won't wear the gown, do I still let her walk down the aisle...wearing her favorite shirt and shorts???

Lino's Homecoming Dinner

We had a warm, pleasant dinner at our house last week, celebrating Kris's birthday and Lino's homecoming from Palawan. :) We transformed our guest room (also Trixie's future room) into a private function room.

Sleepy Trixie and Friends

One of Trixie's routines before going to bed is putting her friends to sleep. (Brandon taught her to do that.) Here's what usually happens...

Meet my baby cheesecakes

I baked these baby cheesecakes for my aunt's birthday dinner party instead of the regular big round cake, in mini rounds and hearts. I just topped them with whipped cream and a bite-size oreo. This way, everyone would willingly take a piece without a sense of guilt, plus they are so cute and dainty! I just love baking them. Also meet my Oreo cookie monster!!!

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

I've been keeping a pack of Vietnamese Rice Paper for a very long time already and so I decided to finally put it to good use and make Fried Spring Rolls. It came as a surprise that it's so easy to wrap spring rolls using Vietnamese rice paper--- all you need to do is to take one piece of paper and soak it in water with a bit of sugar (the sugar caramelizes the paper during frying) until soft, and use it to wrap any filling. It tastes so much better too compared to the regular lumpia wrapper because it's crispy on the outside with a chewy consistency inside, like a fried dumpling. Trixie had so much fun in the kitchen too!

What I love about HK

Here are some photos of my favorite things in Hong Kong, taken from our recent trip.

Are you still my baby?

Trixie my darling daughter is turning one year and ten months next week and everyday, she is changing into this independent, very decisive and curious little girl.  She learns so quickly that Brandon and I are careful to be real role models for her, but sometimes, we just don't know where she gets her tricks.  Just a few weeks ago, Trixie had this fascination of going up and down the stairs anytime she feels like it (too much energy for such a small frame!).  To think that some months back, she suffered terrible bruises from a very bad fall (which made my heart practically ache) and I still couldn't forget how hard she cried because of the shock and pain.  Now, she's a real climber that she doesn't want anyone holding her hand anymore, and she's at it many, many, many times each day.  She goes up and down the stairs not only in our house, but also in Valenzuela and in my uncle's house in Talayan.  Well, aside from her physical development, she's now a real talker (just watch her video "trixie on the phone" in this site and you'll know what I mean).  Last night, she uttered her first "sentence" as a request for me to carry her instead of her dad.  I was already in bed and being the little angel that she was, she quietly sat beside me, looked intently into my eyes and said, "Mama popo, no na papa."  Talk about mixing English, Chinese and Filipino in one utterance!  (Haha, I'll work on her grammar next time!)  Obviously, I gave in to her request because aside from the fact that I love hugging her and loving her, that sweet "sentence" actually did it.  I'm glad that she now knows how to express what she needs and wants more effectively, making her a happier baby--- less frustrations for her and smoother days for me.  I read in a book once that every night when you tuck your baby to bed, you are actually saying good-bye to this baby because tomorrow, she will be brand new--- with new learnings and developments.  Well tomorrow, I'm sure Trix will be learning a whole lot more and I'm anticipating many pleasant surprises just watching her.  For now, she is still my baby, but not for long...

Baby Coleman

I recently bought plenty of coolers for a new biz and decided to have a little fun with the stickers. The result--- Baby Coleman, haha!

Bubble Bath

When we got back from HK last month, Trixie hated taking a bath so imagine the misery we had to go through each day. But now, she's a changed baby! She's now back to loving long baths and her new favorite-- bubbles. I'm not so keen on taking nude photos of Trixie now that she's growing, but these shots are so fun and irresistible!

Peek-a-boo! (July 2007)

Trixie loves to play hide and seek. I just love seeing her laughing and giggling.

Trixie on the phone (July 2007)

At one year and eight months, Trix sure takes after her parents who both love to chat on the phone!

I can walk! (October 2006)

This video was taken a few days after Trixie learned to walk all by herself. I can still remember the day after her birthday- she suddenly had the urge to go down the bed at 10:30pm and she just walked across the room all by herself to my amazement! It's as if she knew how to walk all along but just decided to do it when she turned one. I love this video :) This sure is a keeper.

Sun and Sand in Boracay (March 2007)

These Boracay moments never fail to lift my spirits :) As you can see, from sun up to sun down, my girl had loads of beach fun! This trip was also the perfect time for Trixie and Sophie to bond as cousins. I sure wish we could go to Boracay every summer...

Our Trip to HK (June 2007)

We went to HK last June for work and leisure :) Brandon went to the tradeshow and I took up Chinese Desserts lessons. In between, we did loads of shopping, dining and fun sightseeing for Trixie. Check out Trixie's photos and see how she adored cherries!

I just lost a friend...

I just lost a very good college friend two days ago to cancer and I'm grieving... There's really an emptiness in my heart right now and no matter how busy or preoccupied I am, there's an indescribable sadness that the tears just flow spontaneously. I never even had the chance to see her and let her know how much I treasure our friendship. I never got the chance to say good-bye... All I can do now is to ask God to tell my dear friend Gaye that I'll miss her forever and that I'm sorry for not being with her through all the pain and sufferings. Lord, tell Gaye that she is such a sweet soul and I love her truly. I will never forget our fun college days when she used to call me "ba-mas" for "babaeng maskulado" or our sleepovers and late movies. Lord, bless my friend Gaye and please embrace her for me. Love you, my dear friend.