Inconsiderate People

Sigh, today was not so good day for me... Its not just about being physically stressed but more of the emotional stress that I went through. its weird how some people coud affect our feelings even if we don't really know them.. I just hate inconsiderate people and for me today its a lady driver of a 770 bus. here's a short summary,

julian and i woke up early this morning to go catch our bus to his doctor's appointment all the way in Cesar Chavez which is around a bus, 13 train stops and another bus ride away from where we live. anyway, i loaded our tap card (its like an atm card that's reloadable to put in the fare) for a day pass which was $5 -- it was supposed to be good for al our traveling needs for the day. but lo and behold, when i validated the thing on the machines found at the station, it said that $1.25 has been deducted SO my day pass wasn't $5 anymore therefore instead of unlimited public transporation use, i'll be limited to just 4 including the one going away from the red line station. there was a customer service desk with some personnel there so i approached them, told them waht happened and showed them my receipts. there were nice enough to give me a strip pf paper which was mta's anyway with punches of the day's date and that it was for a day pass. they told me that i shouldn't have a problem then. so off me & julian went to the doctor's. unfotunately, they couldn't see him much earlier than 2 but since i have to work at 3, i called james and we agreed to meet at the universal city station so he could take julian back to his appointment since he'll be off to work by 12 anyway and i could then go to work. julian and i waited for the 770 bus at the stop to union station once again. the bus finally came 10 mins after BUT when i showed the driver the paper that was given to me for my fare, she said that it's "trash to me" and proceeded to throw the thhing in her plastic bag. i tried explaining to her the whole thing and that i didn't really have any other money but the fare that i paid for the DAY PASS... i also asked her if i could have the paper back so that i may talk to the customer service desk of the mta at the union station. she arrogantly told me that she shouldn't be even be letting me on the bus, that again "its trash to me" (the paper ticket) and that i could get her bus number and badge number. i was so upset that time and was really close to tears -- i mean, its now as if i'm trying to evade paying fare or whatever, i have the receipts to prove it and how could i have gotten that mta punched paper even if it weren't given by somebody from their company. i can't believe how people can be so inconsiderate -- even not for me but to think that i was with julian and that lady didn't even care how we could go home or something. anyway, of course i got the bus' number and the lady's badge number and made sure that i REPORTED her when i got to the customer service -- i'm a pretty tolerant person but i really think that people who work closely supposedly with and for other people should at least have a heart and a little compassion for others. the lady who took my complaint was really nice and she even gave me and julian some tokens in replacement of the fare we paid but pretty much never got to use.

thank you to the kind customer service people at the office and to the lady bus driver, i wish when my compalint for you comes up, may it make you treat your passengers next time more kindly. i bet that your job can be stressful driving a bus all day, dealing with people all day but its the job that you chose and your passengers shouldn't be the ones suffering because of whatever it is you're feeling.

i really strongly believe that if just treat each other with compassion and respect, the world will be so much nicer to live in -- don't you think?

First Day of School

julian & i went to our first mommy & class today at the LA VAlley College Family Resource Center. the classes are every Monday at 10-11am. we got up pretty early this morning pretty excited about julian meeting new friends & being able to attend some sort of classes especically simce it has always been just me & him together for most part of the day eversince he was born. so anyway, he decided that he was going to wear his new hand-me down hawaiian shirt from Ms. Malky and that he was going to bring his batman backpack with him... we caught the bus arounf 930 & then just walked a tiny bit afterwards to the place.

there were mostly adults today, the mommies, teachers & students... he met some new friends, Jordan, Jaden, Elaine & Monty... julian mainly engaged in parallel play (just playing alongside the other kid/s), i guess he's just so used to playing by himself but as expected, he was still very friendly to everyone, saying hi & waving at them. the teacher commended that julian has a pretty advanced language development for he would answer and talk combining words to from a sentence :) it was pretty funny when the teacher, ms grace was trying to engage julian in a conversation by asking him what the different animals were saying while he was playing with the animal figurines -- for example, the tiger says roar -- anyway, julian loves watching cartoons now and i think it was pretty evident when he answered his teacher, "he talks a lot!" when she asked what does he think the jaguar was saying... hehehe :P

julian was a tiny bit shy though to join the group singing because instead of joining the big circle, he went to the art table and told everyone, "I need to paint" and then looking down to just concentrate on his paper...

time went so fast though and before you know it, our first day of school was over... julian told his teacher that he'll be coming back next week though so that's good... it seems like he really enjoyed himself.

to top our first day of school, julian & i met daddy at Midori sushi for our long-awaited, long-postponed EAT-ALL-YOU-CAN Sushi lunch... it was mmm-mmm-mmm delish! what's nice too is that while we were walking towards my work, my bakery manager called to request me to take the day off today instead of my wednesday since he really needs me to close that day... so instead of working, mommy & julian just went for a treat at baskin&robbins -- daddy wasn't there because he had to meet his boss quickly for a little meeting...

all i can say is that it was a pretty GREAT day! :)

julian's bday bbq

i got an email today from one of our good friends annie & she sent some pictures taken last saturday which was julian's bday bbq. it was just a simple get together of friends & loved-ones to celebrate julian's turning 2 years! we had a simple fare of hotdogs, burgers, potato salad & cake & ice cream (i even made the cake & cupcakes myself :) it was really nice that a lot of people came to celebrate with us. and it seems like people enjoyed themselves which is very important... julian was oh so happy being with his friends. he kept on laughing out loud when it was his turn to strike the pinata... it actually was so heavy that it broke from the string where it was hanging even before we got to the hitting part & julian's grandma ended up shaking the pinata for no one was able to break it. maya, who's james' officemate was our entertainment for the kids with her clown costume & tricks, facepainting & tattoo printing. there were some mishaps along the way like me running to the store at the last minute for gas & ice and the grill bursting into flames but all in all it was a successful fun-filled day. julian was down before the party was completely over but he got to blow his candle already by then & have a piece of his cake... we opened his wonderful presents sunday... thank you so much to all those who came & celebrated with us. we love you all so much!

1 more day!!!

one more day & my baby julian will be 2years old already... waaahhhhh!!!! actually, it feels kind of bittersweet kasi of course i'm happy that my baby's growing but at the same time, i'm a little bit sad for the same reason. hindi na baby si baby. but then again, i'm mommy so i'm entitled to him being my baby FOREVER... hehehe. julian has just grown so much.
right now, he
* pretty much recognizes all the letters of the alphabet both upper & lower case letters
* sings & dances along with the music he hears on the radio or tv -- so funny kasi last sunday he was belting out a song with the radio ala american idol :); he took his grandma's hands too to dance to the tune of another song & just started dancing with her & then, after awhile went through her legs ala dancing with the stars :)
* plays the guitar & piano
* can say quite a lot of words now & puts 2-3 words together
* he runs a lot & is pretty good in climbing the apparatuses at the playground designed for kids much older than he is (think 5-12 years of age)

sigh, marami pa & of course, he's still a very helpful boy to mommy & daddy... he never forgets to grab the sponge or the 'bu' (broom) whenever we're trying to clean up. nauutusan na rin...

to our baby julian, hope you continue to grow up to be the already handsome & good boy that you are. and of course, WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

Happy To Be Back!!!

i'm so happy to be back! back to blogging i mean :) nakakamiss rin pala mag-blog escpecially if you have things to write down & no way to access your blog kasi your internet service is encountering some problems just like what happened mga 1-2 weeks ago.

my very good friend jhoey who's a flight stewardess at emirates got to come here in LA for a visit last week til this Tuesday & i am just so happy & thankful to her & to the Lord for giving me the opportunity to spend some precious time with her during her visit. last nov 13 which was a thursday, julian & i visited jhoey at her tita's house in van nuys... we stayed there the whole afternoon talking & playing with the kids that her tita takes care of at their family daycare. julian had a lot of fun playing choo-choo (thomas trains) with coy-coy, evan, andy, & kenzie. and of course, there wasn't even an ounce of difficulty for me, jhoey or tita trying to convince julian to eat with his new friends... actually he was the only one who would automatically ask for 'more' servings of mashed potatoes, rice, ground beef & pot roast & f course mandarin oranges & he really ate so well for his age kasi he can eat by himself :) siyempre proud mama... hehehe. late afternoon jhoey, julian & i were dropped off at the fashion square near hazeltine & riverside for some more bonding time for mommy & tita jhoey & shopping for jhoey's friends. before we left for home, we had some picture taken in front of the christmas tree display right smack in the middle of the mall :) it was around 10pm already when we got home... james didn't mind though, he's just happy that i was able to spend time with my good friend :) (love you & thank you diddy!!!) sayang friendship was not able to come kasi she was nursing an asthma attack then but come Monday, the 17th. jhoey, friendship, julian & i went out for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory down in sherman oaks mall & of course, before we head for home, it would't be complete without us having to take tons of picture right in front of the colorful christmas tree adorned with mickey & other disney characters :)

jhoey's now back in dubai at work but hopefully real soon she can be back here again for more wonderful dinner/s & bonding kwentuhan :)

Preggy Tag

Another tag from Twin! Thanks so much Twin -- sobrang I enjoy being 'IT' :) have to still learn how to link though...

Moms Who Played Along: Mai / Yen /Eds / Vannie / Fun.Fierce.Fab / Bojoy / bonz / Pinaymama / Sheng / Carol / Cee / Jacque / cOncON / Rhea / You

Preggy Facts:

1. Who did you first inform about your pregnancy and how?
My husband James of course. Right after I got the 'yes' from peeing on the stick I told him... He was happy... Me, I was both happy & nervous :)

2. Maximum weight?
Ahhh... I really couldn't remember kasi yan yung mga bagay na hindi na dapat inaalala... hehehe... As far as I can remember though around 165!

3. Cravings?
I ate everything but I CRAVED for sushi... we wanted to be safe kasi so we tried to avoid eating anything raw during my pregnancy -- poor James for he had to suffer with me na NO SUSHI for 9 months!

4. Aversions?
Yes. Amoy ng perfume... I didn't spray even yung bath & body na body splash when I was pregnant.

5. Morning Sickness?
My morning sickness was actually during the late afternoons til the next morning up until I would have to get up & go to work -- it lasted during my first trimester.


D Day Facts:

1. Number of Kids/Deliveries?
One

2. NSD or CS?
NSD

3. Girl or Boy?
Boy

4. AOG (age of gestation) on Birth?
40 weeks

5. How long in labor?
I would say almost 24 hours kasi I started having labor pains late Sunday afternoon but tried to bear it until almost midnight before surrendering & telling James that I don't think I can last 'til 7am the next morning (scheduled na kasi ako for induction) -- anyway, at the hospital, 7 or 8 cm na ko -- buti na lang umabot pa ko for Epidural -- yahoo!!! Julian decided to finally come out 5:33pm Monday (Dec 4)


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Share your pregnancy and birthing story Ms Tin!

Blog Award

Thank you to my Twin... (www.naprhea.blogspot.com) -- sobrang ngayon lang ako nabigyan ng award lalo na for blogging... hehehe... Pasensiya na at hanggang ngayon eh hindi pa rin ako marunong mag-link :(

Rules of this award are:

1. Put the logo on your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Add links to those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs

Sigh, kinda pathetic but unfortunately i don't really know that many people who blog so I can't even come up with 7 names... for sure though if this award didn't come from my twin, she'll be the first on the list. For being the very best twin anyone can ever have & for being the best at everything she has heart into :)

Jhoey - for being a great confidant & for following your dreams & seeing the world
Josh - for being there with the group even when it was super late at night or super early in the morning
Moncheeks - for being a good listener & for having that great talent of writing so well
Ms Tin - my fave Citi interviewer & great friend, not just a boss... btw, i love your scrapbook/s

Laurel Neighborhood Party

i just woke up from taking a nap after a fun day today attending our neighborhood party which was held conveniently on the street right in front of our house :) earlier today, julian & i bought some cupcakes at the supermarket so that we have something to share... on our way back home, those who were in charge were already setting up the tents, tables & chairs & once we stepped into the house, julian kept on pointing to his daddy what was happening right in front of our doorstep. needless to say that james, julian & i came to the party almost exactly at 1pm which is the very start & of course, we were one of the last ones to leave helping out put away stuff. the party was really nice. it was nice to see some of the neighbors that we already know, like mama gina, erin, mako & erin & mako's daughter sena & of course meeting new ones as well. there were lots of free food -- hotdogs, burgers, cake/s, fresh fruit cut-ups, salads and most importantly, there were nice activities for the kids. julian just LOVED the reptiles that were brought in by the animal guy & julian was just so relaxed with a little smile on his face when he touched frogs, lizards & even a boa which was around 8 feet long! he actually wanted to join the little boys to hold the boa altogether but he didn't really have anything to hold onto the boa that's why he just touched it right on its head, not just once but 3 times :) he even had a corn snake placed on his shoulders and neck too! julian loved painting his pet rocks -- one he even created with 3 eyes & he also love putting the pasta into a string for a necklace which he wore after he finished making it. a number of times i placed julian on top of our neighbor's tree along with the other neigborhood kids & boy, did he loved that... he enjoyed sitting on the trunk & just listening & watching the other kids climb & play around him. the party ended at 5 & though we didn't get to win a prize at the raffle, being at the party was enough prize in itself :) oh, we got to bring home the little cardboard 70's buggy that they had at the party... its big enough to take pictures in (of course i took julian's picture on it.. hehehe) & james & i are planning to use it for julian's bday in december...

My babies' trip to the DENTIST

we barely got home a few minutes ago. we went to Dr Hunanian for julian & james' destist appointment. our appointment was at 430 for james & 500 for julian but due to a little disorganization at the office, we were seen a little bit later than that. julian got a little bit freaked out by the big, bright lights and the big patient's chair at the clinic that the dentist did his routine check-up for him when julian was screaming his head off... i don't think he would've been able to get him to open up his mouth otherwise :) james got his x-rays & had a tooth extracted which he says went pretty well... they did the extraction quite faster than what we're accustomed to although he said that one of the injections that they gave him, the one aimed on top of his mouth was a killer -- it made his whole body tremble. julian actually got upset when his daddy was getting injection in preparation for the tooth extraction, he started weeping & trying to go to his daddy fearing that the dentist was hurting his dad. it was sweet... i had to take him out though as to not further traumatize him or something close to that.

the dentist i guess was just a little bit too much for julian -- no matter how much i tried to prepare him a few days ago by trying to look at his teeth and explaining to him that when we see the dentist, he will check if julian is taking care of his teeth good, for when we went out of the clinic into the waiting room, julian just fell right asleep into my arms...

james has to go back in 2 weeks time or so for a root canal & hopefully soon i can get my teeth laser cleaned -- i doubt it though since the dentist said that my teeth cleaning would cost like a whopping $1000. i would just rather save up to go home once allowed to & have my cousin who's a dentist clean my teeth - i'll get to see my family AND have my teeth cleaned AND for sure have some money to spare :)

Labor Day weekend/Luau Party

we just came home a little while ago from spending a nice weekend at our friend's in san marino valley. it's the labor day weekend so james & of course pretty much all those who work didn't have any work today. we started our nice weekend last saturday by going to a luau party at ralphy's in-laws. james, julian & i tried to look our hawaiian best... it reminded me of my twin's bday celebration for her daughter andy and how i still very much wish that james, julian & i were able to attend that one too. anyway, after around 2 hours or traveling from the amtrak station in union station all the way to san marino, we just made a quick stop to ralphy's house so that the 3 of us can change into our party clothes before heading off to the party itself. the party was really nice... we even had leis placed on our necks, a tiki bar was in place, lots of other pretty hawaiian decorations were in place too. there was even this little picture board of a surfer & his lady where you can place your head/s and have a cute photo souvenir taken.




the food was really great & i really enjoyed the pinacolada -- woohoo. there was even hat making for the little kids wherein they were given hat/s made out of paperbags & they were given lots of foam stickers & markers to decorate it... julian loved it :) julian was having such a good time hanging out mostly with his dad and the other guys there & showing them how he does the 'maroma' or tumbling. he even chooses to do it mostly on the concrete florr instead of the grass. the party was a whole lot of fun -- i had to try like 5 or more times to make julian go to sleep before succeeding to do so. we were one of the last ones to leave -- going back to ralphy's place before finally dozing off in our assigned sleeping places around 3am or so...




sunday & monday were mainly all about playing with the kids (julian, crystal, isabella & isaiah), watching cartoons with them & catching up with ralphy & his brother oscar who came to visit that weekend too. it was a nice relaxing weekend & we can't wait to go back there again soon :)

ps
thank you to oscar & his little girl crystal for giving us a ride back home... & to ralphy, gina & their family, thank you for inviting us to a great luau party & for your hospitality.

Zen Zoe's

today is 1st Zoe's bday & she had a fun-filled japanese themed bday bash at their house in studio city. james, julian, aunt yolanda & i came in a little bit because we kind of lost our way & couldn't find their street -- it suddenly disappears & appears somewhere else - hehehe- anyway, we had chicken teriyaki, some rice, lychees, pickled cucumbers, sliced oranges, ice cream & raspberry cake -- everything was really yummy. there was even a haiku reading & a friend of Zoe's dad played the flute. julian was tripping on the flute big-time... he just loves music so much. he met some new friends too like Sebastian, Brandon (i think) & his twin who both had the loveliest curls & one little girl & her brother. (wow, i am getting so bad trying to remember names now - tsk, tsk, tsk) julian just loved playig with Zoe's playhouse & her little car too. the little girl he was playing with, 0aside from Zoe, ithink her name was Leah even placed water in the car's compartment much like a real car... hehehe. it was a really nice bday & everyone had fun. to Zoe, her mom & dad, Tamir & Sherry, thank you so much for inviting us :)

julian's fave toy

A tag from Twinpeaks!

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Here are the rules:

Post a photo of your baby with her/his first ever favorite/comfort toy. Write some details of your fondest memory of your baby and her toy. This will make a good moment when your baby grows up! Lastly, don’t forget to add the link to your website’s at the end of the page. I’m sure many moms would love to see your sites, too!

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julian's first ever toy was a little pooh bear rattle which was given to him by his uncle jeff & aunt krystal when they came to visit us at the white memorial when julian was born. he loved shaking pooh & taking little bites of him :) he also had a little toy letter rings he again loved to chew on. and his little exersaucer that provided him with tons of stimulation & fun. another thing too, he loves to play with this little can of tomato paste he found in our food cabinet -- sounds pretty weird but i guess its the size of the can -- it fits just perfectly in his little hands :) up until to this day, he still has that can of tomato paste... among other things though, julian loves to play with a lot of things now -- he loves playing with his tools and tinkering as well as riding on his bikes, trikes & wagon -- you should have seen the look on his face when his grandma got a new bike delivered! he was so ecstatic that it came in a whole bunch of pieces thinking that he'll be the one to put it all together. they let him hang while the bike was being put together playing with real nuts & bolts & screwdriver/s and other tools. he also loves his blocks, choo choo train/s especially his thomas the engine train, his daddy's bike helmet, bike pump, our cellphones & phones that aren't necessarily working -- right now he sometimes even hands me a phone while he holds on to another one & talks to me through the phone even if we're face to face already. he also has his favorite doll/s mr. monkey, scoundrel (the puppy), curious george, bob the builder, grandma's doll suzy whom he treats like a real baby -- gently all the time & mr. giraffe who has the same bday as he does & who plays music for him -- that and a whole lot more :)

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thanks twin for the tag & whoever gets to read this, if you have a child, what's his/her favorite toy? :)

sushi

james & i LOVE sushi! and after having cravings for an eat all you can sushi date for almost a month and a half, we finally gave in to our desires & had a little of our favorite sushi at our favorite place, Hama in Little Tokyo in downtown LA. we went there after spending a few hours at the Japanese American Museum with julian where they had their summer event at the courtyard. we missed the arts & crafts (it only ran until 5pm) but we got to see some of the exhibits inside the museum which was free admission for the day, got to watch a cool magic act & watch some hula dancers. it was pretty cool... we also went to the little garden that they had which was really very pretty & relaxing. julian was following this cute little girl at the courtyard & a little boy grew a liking to my little one, very happy to see julian running around & having fun -- the little boy kept on touching julian in the arm :) anyway, back to our sushi treat, we had tuna, salmon, spicy tuna rolls & of course, we can't NOT have UNI!!! even julian liked his salmon skin sushi roll & of course, he just loves his pickled ginger. he was even playing peek-a-boo with the lady servers & the sushi chef... mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm... sushi is so yummy! i really had fun today & james & i can't wait for our eat all you can sushi date :)

julian's new radio flyer

james' auntie gloria & uncle gary came for a visit this afternoon. and along with them was lady, their lovely cocker spaniel & a huge new radio flyer (wagon) for julian. julian was a little bit shy at first just wanting me to carry him while looking at the wagon & not touching it at all... just looking at it with excitement & amazement in his eyes that the huge toy was really his. it even had his name & birthday painted on the front & the back of his new ride. after a few minutes of just looking, julian went dwon from my arms & started inspecting his wagon, got inside the house to get his giraffe, curious george & homey to take them for a ride. he was so happy with his toy he even gave uncle gary a high five :) james took him for a ride in the sidestreets & after a few rounds, julian made james jump in the wagon with him & let me, mommy take them for a ride... hehehe... it was really nice. thank you uncle gary & auntie gloria. back in the house we had some chicken oreintal salad & some strawberry/peach shortcake (yum, yum) to celebrate auntie gloria's & sari's (she came a little later) bday which they celebrated last july 24. anyway, back to the radio flyer, julian has already asked me again around 6pm to take him for a wagon ride... we took bucknell street & then back here through radford... i have a feeling there will be plenty more rides for me & james as well to take him not just on his stroller now but on his new wagon from his aunt & uncle... and as big as it really is, it will definitely be enjoyed with for quite awhile :)

Take 'Toos'

Thanks to my Twin for this tag :)
{Start Copy}

What's your shoe size? Are your feet the same size as your mom's feet? How about your sister's feet? Can you borrow shoes from each other?

Post a picture of your latest shoe buy.

Tag the number of women of your shoe size, i.e. size 5 = tag 5 friends. Don't forget to drop a line in this blog when you're done. :)
Jenny and Belle
SAHMdom and Beyond
Jacque
The Happy Family (Rhea)
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My shoe size is between 9-10 but most of the time 10.
My mom's shoe size is around 6 1/2.
My sisters' -- I have two -- Ate Mayette has 7-8 & Ate Che is around 6 1/2 to 7.

I always had the biggest shoe size among the girls in our family & pati sa barkada... I think it really has something to do with the fact that my papa was usually the one who helped me buy my shoes & my shoes were always a size bigger dapat so that hindi bunched up yung toes ko. And since there's room for my feet to grow, it grew & it grew... hehehe... and of course, I having the biggest footsies, I was not able & still am not able to borrow my mom's, or my sisters' shoes :)

Being a stay at home mom, I don't really see the need to buy shoes... wala naman kasi akong masyadong pinupuntahan -- and for anyone who really knows me, I'm a flip-flops kind of girl. But last july 12, we had to attend a sweet sixteen party so I had to get myself some formal shoes to go with my dress. I found my buy at the local goodwill store & it cost me around $2-$2.50 only because the day me & julian went there, all their shoes were 50% off. So there, being the cheapskate that I am, goodwill/second hand bought ang aking most recently bought shoes :) its mainly black strappy, suede with heels sandals...



** I don't really know too many friends of mine who get to read my blog so I guess I'm tagging Jhoes, Monch, Josh. Farz, & Ms Tin -- sorry to my twin if hindi ko fully nagawa yung tag...

julian's 'toos'

i was reading my bestfriend honey's family blog yesterday about her daughter's recent obsession... her toos. at first i thought she was just like julian who a little while ago discovered that magic markers aren't just for paper alone but that you can have a lot more fun drawing on yourself :) honey was actually talking about andie's shoes... in our case though, julian's 'toos' are actually tattoos that he draws on his tummy & arms, and legs and so on... he draws his 'toos' with his magic markers -- it's good that i bought him washable markers... hehehe. about a few months ago, i was still oh so sleepy and julian happened to wake up way before we did. to my surprise, both my arms were covered with 'toos' too when i finally got to open my eyes :) he even tried to give me & him matching 'toos' on our right arms one time by using both blue markers and when his 'ady (james) came home, he did the same thing for him too... this time he both gave them green marker tattoos on their left arms... its a lot of fun watching him take interest in writing & drawing -- he keeps on darwing O's nowadays -- even if sometimes, mommy has to scrub the walls because his markers found its way through them while mommy's not looking...

it's luke's birthday @ traveltown

today is finally luke's birthday at traveltown in griffith park. james, julian & i and even aunt yolanda had been looking forward to going to this museum & celebrating with our friends for luke's birthday since rob, his dad told us about his birthday when we went to the LA Zoo last april... so you have an idea how much anticipation has built up... hehehe. the party was at 130pm & though julian hasn't taken a nap that day, he had a blast at the traveltown which is a museum of trains... there were the real trains, a trolley that we went a ride on too bust most of all, julian loved the modeltrains.




its funny because he kept on returning to it like 5 or 6 times during our whole trip to the museum. he didn't even notice when i left his side to kind of get some air from the cramped room where the trains were. that's how engrossed he was. he would scramble from one part of the display glass to another trying to get a bigger, better glimpse of the moving train/s. there were other little kids there too & it was just so nice to watch them interact with one another. julian even made choo choo sounds when the trains are passing right in front of him :) we had packed lunches of good ol' ham or roastbeef or turkey sandwiches, yummy yummy cookies, apples & chips... the kids had their own too... they had pb&j & apple slices & chips too. the kids had a blast too playing with their own little train town set up just for luke's little friends. they even had a bean toss in a little thomas the engine board. it was nice seeing our friends & seeing how their little ones has grown. julian just loves playing with them. julian's took two trolley rides... one with me & james & the second one was with his grandma... the second round-up of his second trolley ride was the last for our little one this time for he just finally couldn't keep his eyes open anymore... he was pooped. pooped from all the fun & excitement :) he was able to have the delicious cupcake train cake & got his own little goodybags & own thomas the engine toy train before he zonked out. he was so out of it that i was even able to put him down in the grassy area of the place without him waking up. before you know it, it was time for us to head on home. happy happy 3rd birthday again luke & to rob & mary, it was a great party. thanks so much for inviting us! i'm looking forward to taking another trip to traveltown with my babies soon... it was a blast!!!

Getting to see my Ate Judy again... and Kuya Omi... and Regina :)

last tuesday, july 29, james, julian & i went to hollywood & highland late in the afternoon yo meet up with my ate judy, kuya omi & their daughter, regina. it has been awhile since i last saw them... kuya & regi i last saw almost 3 years ago & ate judy when james & i wed in vegas. i remember when i was back in jersey, i usually go to their house & go with kuya whenever he needed to bring any of the kiddos to summer camp or anywhere else. it was really nice to see them again... it was the first time for all of them to meet julian & the first time for james to meet kuya omi. we just fetched them at the quality inn where they were staying & we went back to the highland center to have some dinner at CPK. it was really nice catching up with them, even if it was just for a little while. we all had fun & julian had the most fun trying to pet the little stuffed green dog at victoria's secret & trying to climb the stairs & going down the elevator with his daddy around 10 times or more... hehehe. i would've loved to take some pictures, but they didn't really feel like it... i really hope that regi gets into a CA college so that we'll get to see them more often next time :)

ps. thank you to kuya omi for julian's pitures... baliktad, dapat ako yung may pictures niyo nila ate :)

btw, CA was hit by a pretty strong earthquake today, around 5.4 in magnitude... i didn't really feel it though because julian & i were outside walking towards the house from our little trip to ventura blvd (ritz camera) & ralphs early this morning. james called on the cell right when it happened to check on us, i had just opened the front door then & he asked me if i felt it, i anwered, 'felt what?'... hehehe... windang na naman ako... i was really sweet of my baby to check on us :)

oh, and julian was able to finish two of his animal puzzles al by himself... he really never ceases to amaze me... he never cease to amaze US :)

WAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!

ITS OFFICIAL. i can finally give up, or rather should give up all hope in retrieving the pictures in one of the xD memory cards that we have... julian & i went to Ritz camera last friday to try our last resort -- this being trying a program that the camera store had for getting pictures that might have been accidentally erased or something (reminds me of CSI almost where they get the computer's hard drive and though programs have been deleted or so, they're still able to retrieve it) anyway, the thing costs $40 plus tax but i figured, if they can give us back the 6 months worth of our family's memories, that's just pennies to pay... the lady said that it normally took a couple of days, so me & julian left the store with a renewed sense of hope (mine mostly) & i was getting quite excited BUT unfortunately, my hope bubble was burst saturday morning. it was burst by a voicemail left by a Ritz lady telling me that they got my memory card back from their lab but unfortunately, they weren't able to get back any images :( they'll refund the whole things though (woopee... NOT!!! i just want our pictures!!! -- sorry about that) so i guess that's it, just like that, all the pictures i've taken being a mamarazzi to my boys, all those pictures are all gone... i just hope my memory will not fail in storing & keeping those memories alive in my brain...

lost pictures... lost memories?

one of our camera's memory card/s went berserk and just decided to let me reformat the thing before i was able to save the 6 months worth of pictures & memories at that in our laptop or even in a disk. i happened awhile back already but i'm still bummed as ever & i'm still hoping that maybe the guys at the real camera place like Ritz or something will be able to do something for me. some of the memories that were in there were when Julian & i went to the grove & to hollywood walk with my niece & nephew Christy & Jojo, our family going to the LA Zoo last april 11 with our friend Rob & his daughter Leilani ( I especially miss the pictures of Julian & Leilani where Julian wears the bucket where the food was placed as a hat while we were having our lunch), going to the cherry blossom festival in april held at little tokyo where julian colored a cool fish lantern, our Easter Sunday (march 23) pictures were there too - from our trip to the Carousel at the Griffith Park all the way to Julian enjoying his easter treats placed on the basket he made the day before (it was made from construction paper & he even scribbled his name on it), also there were the pictures from my trip with Julian to the Firestation in Sepulveda during their openhouse last May 10 -- pictures of him on firetrucks, him wearing a firerescuer's hat, atop bulldozers, helicopter, wave runner, & him with Sparky, there were the pictures of when James friend Ralphy stayed over for a visit, and of course, there were the pictures taken of me & James & of course our friends during Sean & Yvette's wedding last May 25. *Sigh* and as always, there were the random pictures i love taking of Julian while his playing, taking a bath or just whatever...





I have a number of pictures, 3 to be exact that luckily I was able to print before the thing with the memory card happened & our friend Rob was nice to send us some pictures from our Zoo trip. I know that lost pictures doesn't necessarily mean lost memories, I guess it's just the visual person & paparazzi in me that wants to capture as much as I can on film... to help me remember when my memory fails me. I still love taking pictures & I don't think I ever will get tired of trying to take snapshots of any event in our lives as much as I can, now though I try to make sure I upload it in the laptop & Sutterfly too right away & I'll be making back-ups in disks too soon... hahaha... & of course, I'm still keeping my fingers crossed & still hoping that those pictures are still there in the memory card somewhere just waiting to be retrieved! :)