Madd World

Today is Ally’s fourth birthday.  It seems like only yesterday when she was born.  I remember being discharged from the hospital on Labor Day—which, coincidentally,  was a good thing since there were a lot of births on that day.  In honor of her birthday, I will share some insights about her.

First of all, she is extremely vain.  Her hair has to be styled in a certain way or you will never be able to hear the end of it.  When she wears a dress, she always asks if her dress is folded when she stands up—sometimes when you sit, the hem at the back tends to fold.  She loves wearing dresses.  Her day is made when she can put on a dress in the morning.

She is such a princess—and I mean it literally.  She wears a tiara around the house the whole day—she’ll even wear it when we go out.  Cheryl helped her vanity even more by buying her a scepter. 

She is also very sweet.  There are times when she will come running, looking for me or Vic and she will just give us a kiss and a hug.  She usually does this several times a
day.

She is a very pretty baby, if I do say so myself.  Her smile and her laugh can light up a whole room.

She is very strong-willed.  She knows what she wants and will not settle for anything less.  This drives Gabby nuts!  It is always a battle of the wills between the two of them. They are like cats and dogs.

Speaking of dogs, Ally loves Bailey (our beagle).

HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY, ALESSANDRA!!!

Until next time.  Take care.

We went back to the Philippines in June because of the death of my father-in-law.  He died after a battle with liver cancer.  The last time that we were there was 10 years ago for the wedding of my sister.

I saw a lot of changes in terms of building development but, it struck me how life, for the people, was pretty much the same.  It’s almost like time stood still for the people there.  The only physical difference that attested to the passing of time were the new cars, cell phones which everyone has, and the new buildings.  The way of life for the masses has not changed.  The signs of poverty and hardship can still be seen all around. 

I wish there was a way to help all these people to improve their standard of living.  The life in the Philippines is a classic situation of "the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer".  It is a never ending cycle that needs to be broken. 

This was our first visit to the Philippines with our children.  I tried to make them understand how fortunate they were in comparison to others.  I failed in my attempt to teach them that.  They were more concerned about all the animals (cats, dogs, cows, horses, birds…) that they saw.  The living situation of the people there was of no interest to them.   

Maybe, they are still too young to be taught that lesson but, I still had to try anyway.  You can never be too young to learn how to show compassion for your fellow human being.  I realize that I am truly blessed with the life that I currently have
and I am very  grateful for it.  Nothing can make you appreciate all that you have more than seeing human suffering and hardship face-to-face.

Happy Birthday, NIco!

Until next time.  Take care.

Brandon Routh

Who says that guys are the only ones who can ogle the opposite sex?  We,
females, are just as entitled to enjoy the "views".  Like the song says, you
can always look at the menu but, you just can’t eat…  : )  There are a
few particular males that make my temperature soar.  The first, and
foremost, is Brandon Routh aka Superman.  He is a HOTTIE!   He is
absolutely gorgeous and looks great in tights!    :  )  Not many men can
get away with that!

Martin Nievera

The next two are Filipinos.  I adore Martin Nievera.  He is a great
performer and heaven on the eyes.  I have been to several of his
concerts and have, actually, kissed him–only on the cheek.   = (   At the
time I was with Vic and Martin had Joyce Jimenez with him.  (I’m sure you pinoy
boys know who she is.)  To even things out, Vic got to shake
Joyce’s hand.  If you guys are curious, Joyce is even prettier in real
life than she is in pictures.  Okay, back to Martin now.  His concerts
are awesome.  I always lose my voice after his concerts.  He is very
witty and has a wonderful sense of humor.  I would love to see him
perform in Vegas but, I would need to find someone to watch my kids for
a few days.  Any volunteers?

Aga Mulach

The last, but not the least, is Aga Mulach.  I just love him to death.   He is also known as the "crush ng bayan".  He has major "kilig" factor.   The funny thing is that
Vic’s family says he looks like Aga.  I know that they are biased but, I
truly do not see the resemblance.  : )   (Sorry, Vic.)    What do you
think?

So there you have it, the three other men in my life.  Until next time. Take care.

We all woke up this
morning at 5:20 to
watch a celestial wonder. A total
lunar eclipse. As a child, lunar
eclipses have always brought out a feeling of apprehension in me. It could be because of the moon’s association
with werewolves, vampires, bats and the like. It could also be a result of too much reading and an over active
imagination. A full moon by itself is a
wonder to behold. When you factor in the
shadow brought about by an eclipse, it sends shivers down my spine. 

The complexity of
modern science never ceases to amaze me. Astrologers can pin point the times and dates of eclipses way in
advance. I read a news article that said
the next lunar eclipse will happen six months form now—if you really want to
know, it will be on the night of February 20-21. They even came up with this timetable:

Eclipse timetable for Aug. 28

It is all so accurate and precise. It just boggles my
scientifically challenged mind. : )

Regardless of
technology, I am glad that Gabby and Ally, both, woke up that early to see it all
happen. Thankfully, my dread of eclipses
had not rubbed off on them.

Until next
time. Take care.

Like
my brother and sister, I am a bargain shopper. We are a family of cheapskates. =)
We owe it all to our parents who taught us how to be frugal. We actually enjoy shopping—in fact, we
really love it. We just like to beat the
system and get the most bang for our buck. It is standard practice for us to head straight for the clearance
racks. There are times when we get
pleasantly surprised by what they have there especially when the stores are
getting ready to turn over their inventory. You should try taking a look sometime. 

Outlet
shopping is a favorite of ours. Before
we leave, we go on-line to get all the coupons.  I am known among my family and friends to be
really lucky at finding incredible deals. While I was in Texas, Cheryl and I went outlet
shopping. I needed to find a school backpack
with wheels for Gabby. (I would normally
not mention the store but in this case I will and you will understand why in a
moment.)  I have a new favorite
store—Bass.  I really love this
store!  I was able to buy a really nice,
brand spanking new backpack with wheels for Gabby for—get this—ONE CENT!  I kid you not.  I wish I had the receipt to show you. Cheryl can vouch for me. Apparently, it was a discontinued item and
they needed to liquidate it.  Don’t you
just love outlets?!  That same day, we
went to another store, this time a high-end home décor store. The clearance rack was on sale with an
additional 75% off the clearance price. Needless to say, we found more good deals for just a few cents. These were really nice, new bathroom
accessories. We were in shopping
heaven. We were really happy with all
the really nice bargains that we found that day. Vic couldn’t even complain about my shopping
expenses for that day—and that is saying a lot!

If
you find that impressive, I can top it. Now, this is where I truly excel. I am one of those people that some of you despise when it comes time
to check out at the grocery store. : )  I
love cutting coupons! I get them from
the newspaper, magazines, the mail and any other place that they are available
at. What I particularly like are the
weeks that these big chain grocery stores have triple coupon events. This is when they triple the face value of a
coupon whose value is 99 cents or less. Let’s say that my coupon is 75 cents. The total amount taken off the item is $2.25. There are times when an item becomes practically
free when the coupon is tripled. Just
this past week was triple coupon week at a grocery chain.  My total shopping bill was over $165—after
all my coupons were scanned I paid $92. I had a total savings of over $70. That made my day! I got such a
high from all the savings! 

I
really don’t consider myself a cheapskate. I’m just a smart shopper. Contrary
to the impression that I may be giving you, I don’t always buy things at a
bargain—much to Vic’s dismay. If there is something that I really want, I
get it whether it’s on sale or not. I
also believe in the saying that “you get what you pay for”. Good quality items come at a price which makes
it worth the purchase. There are times
when quality cannot be compromised.  But it is always nice not to have to pay the full price.  = )

I
keep all my coupons organized systematically. You will find most of them in my purse—which is why I need a big
bag (in addition to the coupons I need all my mommy paraphernalia). You should ask me to see the inside
of my bag when we meet. Even my children
have picked up on this habit of mine. Whenever
they see a coupon they make it a point to give it to me—yes, Ally too. This is a lesson in practicality.  Hopefully, this will be one of the many things
that they bring with them into adulthood. It will
be one of my many legacies which I want to leave with my children. 

Until
next time. Take care.

Yesterday as I was trying to find old friends and relatives I remembered a poem that I studied in college—The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost.

   Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

   And sorry I could not travel both

   And be one traveler, long I stood

   And looked down one as far as I could

   To where it bent in the undergrowth;

   

   Then took the other, as just as fair,

   And having perhaps the better claim,

   Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

   Though as for that the passing there

   Had worn them really about the same,

   

   And both that morning equally lay

   In leaves no step had trodden black.

   Oh, I kept the first for another day!

   Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

   I doubted if I should ever come back.

   

   I shall be telling this with a sigh

   Somewhere ages and ages hence:

   Two roads diverged in a wood, and I–

   I took the one less traveled by,

   And that has made all the difference

As I reminisce about the past, I wonder what would have happened if I took the other path when I was at that crossroad of life.  How different would my life have been?  God only knows the answer to that.  At my age, I am not as young as I used to be and teenagers think that I am old.  (Remember how when we were about 16, we considered 30-year-olds old?)  As I reevaluate my life to see if I could have made better choices, I realize that I have some regrets.  The "what ifs" will always remain  that way.  The lessons in life are valuable and cannot be bought.  Hopefully, the younger generation will try to listen and learn from our life experiences.  Maybe, if they do, they can spare themselves the pain of having to learn from their mistakes.  This, though, is highly unlikely.  I don’t know about you but, when I was young, I used to laugh at the advise given by my "elders".  In retrospect, I find that they were right after all–but not all of the time.  = )  I guess that part of being young is the right to make the mistakes and learn from it.

I think that we all have regrets in this journey of life.  Some big and some small.  We just have to live with it and learn from it.  I took the path less traveled by and it has made all the difference.

Until next time.  Take care.

Wow!  I’m really enjoying this.  I never thought that it would be this interesting to create something like this.  It took me a while to set up everything.  It was just a process of trial and error until I finally got my page to look like I want it to.  So, what do you guys think of it?  There are still some fine adjustments that I need to make before I will be totally satisfied. 

I spent most of my day working on this.  I also had lots of fun trying to find people that I have lost touch with through the years.  Hopefully, they will remember me and add me to their friend list.

Before I forget.  Happy Birthday, Nonoy (my brother-in-law, Vic’s brother)!  Today is his birthday.

Until next time.  Take care.

Welcome to my "Madd World".  I will be using this blog as a means to keep my family and friends updated on the events in our lives. 

Gabby, Ally and I spent about two weeks in Texas. While Vic and Bailey (our beagle–I wanted to name him Snoopy) were lonely boys without us to entertain them.  We stayed in Houston with Cheryl (my sis) and Conrad, for the most part.  Ray (my brother) and his fiancee, Amy came over one weekend and we followed them to San Antonio.  Ray will be leaving the Air Force at the end of the month and Amy has finished her PhD in Molecular Medicine in May.  They will both be moving to San Diego at the end of the month.  Our family is very proud of the both of them.  They both have promising careers waiting for them in San Diego.  Their wedding is scheduled for October 2008–sorry guys, I forget the exact date. : )  Ally is very excited because she gets to be a flower girl–complete with a flowing gown and tiara.  She says that she is getting married, too. 

A new school year will be starting in two weeks.  Gabby will be in the fourth grade!  Where has all that time gone!  Vic mentioned to me, about a month ago, that Gabby has reached the half way point in living in with us.  By American standards, kids move out when they reach 18.  Gabby will be 10 in January.  Many of you have known Gabby since she was a baby–even if it was just through pictures.  Now the baby is a young lady.  Hard to believe, isn’t it?

The other baby, Ally, will be 4 at the end of the week (Aug 31).  Even she is not a baby anymore.  She is a big kid now.  She enjoys wasting water while she washes her hands by herself.  I don’t have any plans yet for her birthday.  All that I know is that she has a never-ending wish list for her birthday gifts.  Oh, and she wants a birthday cake with a crown on it—she is in a princess stage.

Happy Birthday Conrad!  His birthday is on Aug 26.  He shares his birthday with Daddylo (my father-in-law)—may he rest in peace.  Happy Birthday Nico (my nephew)!  His b-day is on Aug 30.

Until next time.  Take care.