MORE STUDYING

I finally finished the previous module and all I can say is - AT LAST! It took ages for me to get that one done. I suppose with all the things happening around here, with unexpected visitors, etc., I just lost focus and didn't follow my schedule. I'm happy to say that I got a 96% in my previous exam. I'm really happy with that. I already received the next set of study materials a few days ago and with it a really thick textbook. I already browsed through the first assignment and it talks about the nervous system and the parts of the brain that affects psychology and things like that. I guess this is will be like a review for me because I already took this in college. Hopefully, I will be through the first assignment in no time. The key word is: hopefully.

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2

Well it just ended. And I loved it. The songs were not as memorable as the first one, but I still loved it. I think Disney makes a lot of nice shows for the kids. Anyway, I still liked the Troy-Gabriella romance thing. I think it was cute and light and Zac and Vanessa really do have that on-screen chemistry that (I'm sure) kids love. Sharpei (Ashley Tisdale), Ryan (Lucas Grabeel) and Chad (Corbin Bleu) were also okay. Love their acting. Funny yet not overly done. There were more exposures for Taylor (Gabriella's friend) and Kelsi (the pianist) and that was okay. I just think that there were a lot of subplots to this movie unlike the first one. In High School Musical, it was just fitting in school (for Gabriella) and Troy winning the basketball championship and of course, Sharpey and Ryan starring in their own show. But in the Part 2 of this sequel, there are summer jobs, scholarships, breaking up and getting to know oneself. But don't get me wrong. I still loved it. I still can't say at this time which one I like more because I missed the first few minutes of the movie (due to some unforeseen circumstances). So until I watch this movie again, I can't say for sure. But I am definitely a Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale fan. I think they are great!

P.S. Troy is cuter in this latest flick. =D

BRIGHT YELLOW

I took this photo in Baguio (at PMA) while we were waiting for a taxi. I was bored waiting so I decided to take photos of the surroundings. I love the flowers in Baguio. They are all pretty and colorful and lush. I think the cool climate helps a lot.

TOMORROW

One more day and it's High School Musical 2!! I'm so excited! I really enjoyed the first one and I found the story very entertaining. I loved the songs and the cast. It was just a really feel-good movie (it's Disney, remember?). Anyway, I hope this second one would be okay. Some people liked it some didn't. I think I'm going to like it.

One more day to go!

.....

My dad woke me up this morning. I was still in deep sleep when I heard my cellphone ring. I had to answer it right away because my boys were still asleep. Anyway, he just wanted to know if Ruther was coming home for the holidays because if he wasn't then they're going to purchase tickets for me and the boys so we could go home to Zamboanga. Well, I really hated to burst his bubble but I had to tell him that we were going to spend the holidays here because Ruther would be spending December with us. But I told my dad that we could go back to Zamboanga in the summer. I guess they miss the boys a lot already.

BEEN THINKING

I thought about it last night and I decided to get another carpenter for my needs. When I spoke to Olan, the carpenter who came the other day, he said that if Mama was in a rush to have the house done he could ask his friend (who is also another carpenter) to come and help. Mama declined saying it would be too expensive to pay him (P400/day) and his helper (P350/day) everyday plus shell out another P400/day for that carpenter. Since Mama does not plan on getting that guy, I might as well hire him. I was going to talk to Olan yesterday about his friend but he didn't come saying he'll start work on Monday instead. So that means, I have to wait until Monday to find out if I can hire this guy. Sigh.

.....

One of the workers here had a look on why water keeps coming into the boys' room. I don't know if Mama put him up to it because Papa woke me up this morning to show the worker the areas where the rain water gets in. It's actually through the cracks in the wall. So I suppose he'll have to remedy that. I'm going to tell Mama later that I'm going to pay her back for the materials used for repairing/fixing the leak problem. Of course, I don't want her to think that I'm taking advantage of her even if this is her house, right?

GOOD NIGHT SUN

I wonder why we hardly ever say "good night sun" when the sun goes down? Is it because it sounds improper to say "night" while the sun still lights the sky with sunset colors? I love sunsets. I think it's the most beautiful and magical time of the day.

Good night sun!

TENNESSEE FOOTBALL

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Tennessee football

WOOLGATHERING

The boys and I went out of the house today for some fun. I also didn't want to stay home because I was still a bit frustrated about yesterday. Anyway, at the mall, the boys played in the bouncy castle and that was fun for them. Then we bought some ice cream after and Ethan made a mess. I bought a bag of cotton candy for myself. Yup, there's nothing like a sugar fix to make you forget your problems for a while. Then we went to the arcade and Nikki played the race game. After that, we went inside hypermart and we bought some things for my room upstairs like curtains and such. I also looked around for a settee for our room. I think it would be nice by the window. But I'm actually wondering if I should get that or the recliner that Ruther wants so much. I guess I'll have to think that one through. Anyway, the boys played in the playcenter for kids inside the hypermart and one boy (he was around 8 years old) was holding the seesaw for no one (in other words, he doesn't want the other kids to play with it even if he's not sitting on it) and I was in no mood for his selfishness and told him crisply that if he's not going to play with it he might as well let my son play with the seesaw and I plopped Nikki on it without further ado. That put him in his place and the other kids had fun playing with Nikki and Ethan. I just hate kids like that boy! Makes my blood boil. Grrr.

After that, the boys and I had a bit of snack. Nikki wanted a hotdog on stick and I settled for some squid balls. Yummy! We went around for a while then headed for home at around 4 past. When we got home, Nikki asked if we could go to the nearby playground and I agreed. I figured, Sushi needed the exercise anyway. So we changed and went to the playground. There were a lot of kids there and Sushi was a celebrity. Kids were running after her and I must say, she did not enjoy her playground time today. One little boy kept tugging her ears and poking her eyes despite my admonitions. Poor Sushi. We did not stay long there because it was getting dark and I was worried about mosquitoes (in the Philippines, at around 530pm onwards, mosquitoes are sure to be flitting around looking for bare flesh). Also, I felt sorry for Sushi who was being hounded and I decided to finally rescue her. Oh well, we'll try to go back another time.

Anyway, it was nice going out of the house. It cleared my head a bit and made yesterday almost a haze. I'm still trying to come up with ideas to fix the problem and when I do think of something I'll keep everyone posted.

JOHN RUSKIN SAID...

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing,

wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating;

there is really no such thing as bad weather,

only different kinds of good weather.

FAST ASLEEP

Shhhh! The bunny is sleeping! Doesn't Sushi look cute? I had to creep up to her to take this photo. I thought she was going to wake up when the camera clicked but apparently, Sushi is a sound sleeper. She could even sleep through Ethan's yells. =D

Sooo cute!

IT'S RAINING

It's raining again. Wonderful rain to cool the night. It's already 2am but I can't find it in me to be sleepy because of the wonderful coolness. Ruther said that a typhoon is expected in Japan in a few days' time. I'm not sure if the Philippines is also expecting one. Hopefully not. Too much damage is bad. A storm is out of the question (those poor kids stranded really get to me) but a little rain would be refreshing.

.....

I told Ruther this the other day: "You know, I just realized that when we were in Japan, the boys and I never got to play in the rain." Which is true. I felt a bit sad about that. Maybe because I was scared that the boys would get sick in a foreign place, or maybe it just never entered my head, but I realized, I SHOULD have let them play in the rain even once. Sigh. Too late now. God-willing we could still do that next time. I'm sure the boys will have a blast!

AT LAST - BUT NOT

Finally, the carpenter came today. I was really excited about it because I thought he would start making the closet and cabinets in Ruther's and my room. Initially, I asked Mama to help me find a carpenter I could hire so I could have the closets made and then I could start fixing up the room. I also wanted to have Russell's old cabinets repaired, repainted and hung in the boys' bedroom for additional storage. Anyway, all these thoughts and plans made me quite excited when the carpenter came today. Then, only to find out that Mama wanted to have the kitchen cabinets and shelves done first!! I was like - didn't I ask you to help me look for a carpenter for myself? I mean, so now I'm at the back of the line again? If you still don't understand my consternation, let me explain.

Last July 31, Mama allowed a bunch of workers to go home to the province after 7 months of work in the house. They wanted to go home because they thought that the construction was taking too long already. Mama agreed and also because she said she was already low on funds. But still wanting to finish the house little by little, she hired 5 people to try to finish the work that was left here which are: smoothening the walls, painting, cementing the garage floor, staining and varnishing of the wood mouldings, electricals, and a whole lot more. Anyway, when Mama hired these new batch of workers, I understood that the cabinets in my room will be done in the final stages (in other words, will be one of the really last things to be done here). I agreed because I know that making the house beautiful is definitely more important. But (and this is a big BUT) Papa and Russell have been asking me to start fixing Ruther's and my stuff in the house. Now I won't deny that Ruther and I have a lot of things but I just don't want to move things around temporarily. I might misplace some things or lose track of them or not know where they are later on. I would rather leave them where they are. But again, that cannot be because some of them are in the middle of the living room or family room and the rooms look messy indeed. So, the only resolution to this is finding the right place for Ruther's and my stuff. And how? By having the closets and cabinets made and letting me have access to the attic (a big enough space above our bedroom ceiling). And so, I asked Mama to help me find a carpenter so that I could finally fix our things and at the same time, make our room functional. She agreed. But today, my bubble burst. Now, I have to wait again until whatever she wants done gets done. This is really frustrating for me. I mean, I have never complained this whole time that my room never gets done, is always overlooked and is always rushed. The painting of the walls in our room was so horrible that it needs to be redone. I wholeheartedly agreed to postpone the further fixing up of Ruther's and my room but now that I am trying to get things moving, I feel like I was pushed aside. Never mind that I have been sleeping in the boys room since June. Never mind if my clothes are in the luggage still because I don't have a closet in the boy's room. Never mind that my things are mostly in boxes and not within reach. Never mind if we have some difficulty with our lessons because of the mess around us. So yes, I DO feel like I'm being stepped on and not only that, I feel once more that I am being taken for granted. It was after all, MY idea to hire that carpenter. It was MY plan to have the closets and the cabinets and shelves done in my room. I really feel hurt. Not only because I was not given importance, but because I feel once more that I am only an in-law in this house.

DOLPHIN

I have always loved dolphins. I think they are magnificent creatures. To me, they symbolize friendship, grace, intelligence and fun. Ruther took this photo in Japan. I think this is a very dramatic picture of a wonderful animal.

OBESITY

I was reading some news articles in the 'net a few minutes ago when I was in the Health news and I was alarmed at all the news about obesity. It was not only in the US but even New Zealand wants to fight this and the Dutch are worried about their obese kids. This is really alarming probably because it shows how much eating habits have changed over the years and also because obesity is linked to fatal medical conditions like strokes, heart attacks and diabetes. Yes, this is really worrisome. Even I am worried about my weight (and always have been). It really is no joke for someone like me (who has a slow metabolism by the way) to try to lose the pounds I gained during my pregnancies. Aside from it gets more difficult to lose weight as we age, it's pretty hard to have a regular exercise regimen when your daily activities revolve around 2 boys. Anyway, I still am hoping that I will someday go back to normal weight (I'm a few pounds off the chart). When that happens, I'll truly be happy and content.

Well maybe until I get rid of my somewhat jelly belly.

Oh well.

.....

And now for the many news articles about obesity...

One Dutch child in five obese by 2015

Fat toddlers at risk for iron deficiency

N.Zealand eyes labels to fight obesity

Chic postcode, less obesity: study

Miss. ranked fattest state in nation

Obesity Rate in U.S. Still Climbing

Epidemic obesity hurting US health, economy: report

I MISS YOU STEVE!

I have always loved watching the Discovery Channel, National Geographic and Animal Planet because I have always been interested in Nature. When I first saw Steve in a Crocodile Hunter episode, he was hilarious. But several episodes later, I realized, not only was he full of humor, he also loved animals, he loved life and he loved his family. He was a great man and when I heard about his death last year I was very very sad. I am happy that Animal Planet continues to honor him by airing his shows. I just love watching him and his zest for life. I really and honestly miss him. One day, I hope to visit Australia Zoo and see the place that he built out of love. I hope many will follow in your footsteps, Steve.

Having said all these, I think this article deserves a place here.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070904/en_afp/australiapeopleenvironmentirwin
Australia marks 'crocodile hunter' Irwin's death

SYDNEY (AFP) - Australia marked the first anniversary of the death of environmentalist and television "crocodile hunter" Steve Irwin in a low-key manner with his family commemorating privately, reports said Tuesday.

But tributes flowed for the way his widow Terri and daughter Bindi, 9, have conducted themselves since Irwin was killed by a stingray barb that pierced his chest during filming on Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

Bindi Irwin has become a media star in her own right since her father's death, promoting his causes, speaking at events to commemorate him and starring in her own television programs. The couple also had a three-year-old son, Bob.

"Behind the positive faces they have shown the world since that dreadful day, there can be no doubt there is still deep sorrow and lasting pain," Sydney's Daily Telegraph said in an editorial.

"So too for those who respected and admired Irwin for his boundless enthusiasm for life, his determination to make every second of it worthwhile.

"They will have their own thoughts to content themselves with, their own sadness."

Irwin, who was 44 when he died, became world-famous for his daring stunts with dangerous animals but he was also an environmentalist who put much of the money he made towards promoting related causes.

He also ran a zoo with is wife in northeastern Queensland state. The Australia Zoo continues to be open to visitors.

Irwin's death prompted a national outpouring of grief, with tributes flowing in from all sections of society, including Prime Minister John Howard, who described Irwin as a "wonderful and colourful son" of Australia.

A public celebration of Irwin's life is to be held on September 15.

CHARLES R. SWINDOLL SAID...

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.

NIKKI IS IN WORKING MOM MAG!

I was really happy when I found out today that Nikki's photo was featured in this month's Working Mom Magazine!! I actually forgot all about sending his photo because it was months ago. This morning, when I woke up and checked my email (I always expect a little message from Ruther) Ruther told me about Nikki's photo in the mag! Apparently, an officemate saw Nikki and told Ruther about it and so, Ruther delivered the good news to me. It was such a nice surprise because I really wasn't expecting it and also because they only picked SEVEN photos - and Nikki was one of the seven!! So anyway, we rushed to SM Sucat and I got 3 copies of the magazine. One I'll be giving to my mom (who is excited to see it), the other one I'll use/read and the third one, I'll be giving to Nikki when he's bigger so he'll see himself in the magazine. Soooo cool! Can't wait to show the rest of the family! =D

Here's the full page. Nikki's photo was taken at Fuji TV Building at Odaiba. It was a fun family day for us. =D Hopefully, Ethan will have his photo featured in the mag as well and be another family celebrity! =D

GLASS

This is Cinderella's pumpkin coach made out of glass. Truly an amzaing work of art, isn't it? When you look at it closely, you will be amazed at the worksmanship and the detailing. I wonder how long it took to make this? I actually forgot how much it costs but I'm guessing loads! Isn't it beautiful?

Photo taken in Japan.