story telling

[caption id="attachment_273" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="storytelling with the Grade 1 boys"][/caption]

I’m still high from last Thursday’s story telling session. It was the grade 1 boy's Linggo ng Wika celebration and I was invited to share a legend. I was already informed a few weeks ago through a letter but I haven't had the time to talk to Ms. Pablo. I can simply call her and back out since I have no experience in storytelling at all but I didn't. I went to the GS library to look for an alamat that they might like. Among the Moderno Series of Lampara Books I saw are:

• Alamat ng niyog
• Alamat ng mangga
• Alamat ng ampalaya
• Alamat ng butiki
• Alamat ng papaya
• Alamat ng pating

I borrowed a few and browse through them. I was already contemplating on getting the shark story but I was still undecided.

Sofi's 2nd birthday

It was Sofi's 2nd bday last Friday.  Since I still have to report to work, Jaims and I decided to celebrate her birthday the following day.  We have agreed before that we won't have a special party for her 2nd birthday.  more than the lack of money, we felt that living and leading a simple life is one of the values that we want to instill on her...and yeah the lack of funds is a major reason too...hehehe!  God must have love me soo much that he decided to whisper to our Accounting department to release our salaries earlier.

 After work, I went straight to Robinson's Galleria to buy ingredients and balloons for her home party.  Mama said I just need to buy the sauce and noodles because she already bought the ground pork at the market that morn.  I decided to get her a gift also.  The sketch and erase thingy that works like the magic slate we used to have before.  Jaims fetched me and when we got home, I gave Sofi her gift at once.  I had it wrapped in RG so when she saw me with the box she got so excited she kept saying WOW!

The next day, we woke up at 8 so I can finish my laundry before our mini party begins.  I knew from her schedule that Sofi will sleep by 11AM, so that's when I started pumping air to her balloons.  I never knew blowing air to balloons can be so hard.  I popped 3 while pumping air and a lot followed even when I wasn't touching them.  From the official count of 23, i ended with 10 balloons by the time the party started.

When i was finished with the balloons, I prepared her dress and went back to our room to check on her.  I brought her down and I felt so happy hearing how amazed she was that there were balloons all over our sala.  When she saw her dress she was coaxing me to change her clothes already.  Again, she got so excited that she kept on saying "thank you, mommy! thank you, daddy!"

We left her for a while to buy her cake.  I was planning to buy her a cake at red Ribbon to avoid the hassle of going to Goldilocks but when I got there, I was caught surprised by the price. A small rectangular cake costs 699.00 as compared to Goldilock's 299.00.  The kuripot me decided to just go to Goldilocks.  i got her the 8x12 chocolate cake.  When we got home Sofi saw the box and she was chanting "botday ni Sofi, botdey ni Sofi" repeatedly.  We took several pictures of her blowing her birthday candles.  Honestly, i made her practice a few days before her birthday.  I took a white candle and asked her to blow it.  I knew that on her birthday she'll make it.

We had cake, spaghetti, chicken lollipop, lumpiang shanghai, softdrinks and ice cream.  We invited her Tita (jaims' sister) but they weren't able to come.  her Ninang analyn dropped by to greet her also. So technically it was just us who where present during her birthday.  But she was happy.  I knew from her reaction, her face, her perkiness that she appreciated our little effort to celebrate her special day.  And at that instant I felt like I'm celebrating my own birthday -- her happinness is one great gift.

friday the 13th, valentines, et al

When i woke up this morning, i felt a dark cloud atop my head.  It's one of those days when you don't feel like working anymore BUT you still have to. So you snooze the alarm for like a hundred times and you literally drag yourself out of the bed.  I kept telling myself, "one more day."

It took me 20 minutes to finally able to go down and prepare my coffee and breakfast.  Another 10 to start chomping the food.  I didn't notice I was staring blankly at the customers.  I was up until 1 AM last night.  I remember asking Dadi if he can get us some McDo stuff at 10PM.  He said he'll take Barney for a wash first before buying.  I surfed while waiting for him. At 11PM, he was still out. At 11:30 I stopped surfing and lay down in bed.  I went down to check on him, just in case he couldn't get in.  But he wasn't home yet.  He got back at 12MN and I was already asleep. He woke me up just to give me my cheeseburger and fries.  I'd like to think it was sweet but nah...

I left home at 7:45 to try to catch my 8:30 schedule.  When the jeepney going to meralco stopped at DECS, several folks got in with rose bouquets.  Which reminded me that tomorrow's Valentine's Day.  I couldn't help but smile.  If God sent those angels to take the jeep, I think  he just wanted to make me smile and perk me up.

Finding a ride to work was kinda hard today.  When I got to Meralco the place was already jammed.  A few taxi passed by but I ignored them thinking it's still early to get one. At 8:10, I still couldn't get a ride and Taxi's were hard to find.  One empty jeepney passed by but I was too damned lazy to run and squeeze myself in.   Finally, I was able to get a taxi at 8:15.  He was able to bring me to school on time but he said he didn't have any change for my P100 bill.  yeah right... i have no time left to argue and he only gave me P15.00 :(

3 more hours...

Christmas (with the Mendoza's)

As far as i can remember, all 28 Christmas(es) I've had are spent in Pangasinan; from the time we barely can talk until now that I have daughter of my own who barely can talk, too. I remember my parents struggling to load us in a provincial bus since going home before is as difficult as it is now during the holidays. Everyone wanted to get inside the bus that even if the bus was still trying to park people were already trying to get in. We didn't have a car back then and the only way Papa and Mama can reserve seats was by dropping us one by one (we are 5) through the window.

Basically, the practice became a tradition. We go home on the 24th, cook lunch (as we always get there by lunchtime), we sleep (while papa and mama go to the market and grocery), we cook dinner, prepare the salad for the noche buena, eat again, cook again for the noche buena, rest a little then attend the Christmas Mass. Apparently, Christmas masses were always the same, although we have changed churches in the past years. We used to hear mass at St. John Cathedral but in my several years of attending mass there i was always so sure I can never be seated. It was only 3 or four Christmasses ago that we started attending mass at St. Therese of the Child Jesus. Masses are not really celebrated inside the Church but in a nearby gym owned by the school beside the Church.

The place can turn pretty crowded as the mass progresses. the mass starts as the lector reads the long list of mass offerers and petitioners -- from passing board exams to those who wanted to find jobs. I wonder why they wanted to tell the world what their petitions are. I think God knows what our hearts desire the most. Instead of reading the Gospel, they usually have a Christmas program depicting Mary and Joseph's journey towards parenthood. It never changes. I wish they can change the concept maybe instead of role playing they can have a film showing, or quiz bee show...imagine the possibilities. heheh...

Anyway, my little angel slept on our way to the church and woke up at the start of the program. She was cranky and I think she hated the fact that she woke up at the middle of her deep sleep and she can't even go around since the place was packed. I had to urge jaims to leave the gym as I couldn't breathe. We stayed outside.

We got home a few minutes before 12. we have spaghetti noodles with tuna mushroom sauce and meat sauce, fruit salad (made this one), cdo ham (courtesy of XSPA), leche flan, tasty and coke. I forgot to take pictures since i was too sleepy and tired to even join them for the noche buena. i wanted to use Sofi as an excuse so i could sleep but I got some scoldings from the man of the house. At 1am, Sofi and I were ready to call it a day.

Merry Christmas everyone!
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Fruit salad

ingredients
Fruit Cocktail
Red apples
Del Monte Fruit Cocktail
Nestle Cream
Condensed Milk
Cheese

instructions
Drain the fruit cocktail from its juice. Set aside the juice. Cut red apple slices (bite size) and drop them in the fruit cocktail juice. Apples must be dip in liquid to avoid discoloration. Dice cheese. Mix everything together. Add Nestle Cream and a few spoonfuls of Condensed Milk. Bring out the fruity taste by adding more cream instead of condensed milk. Place in chiller and serve cold.

Holiday Rush

christmas shopping seemed to consume everyone's time and patience lately; and going home has been terribly difficult. While traffic along Ortigas Ave. is not new to me, since I have to pass Xavier, ICA, LSGH and St. Paul (Meralco Ave.), I dread passing here when Christmas is fast approaching. It means going through extra traffic congestion because Ortigas Ave./Meralco Ave is sprinkled with malls -- Greenhills Shopping Center, Robinson's Galleria, SM Megamall and Shangri-la and Starmall at the far end.

Since Jaims will be home the entire day Monday, I asked permission if I could have a taste of Christmas Rush. He agreed and I dropped by Galleria after work. I wasn't brave enough to go to Megamall; not even my fat gift checque can push me to go there. I already have a list of recipients so thinking what to give was my only problem. I ended my shopping stint at 7:30pm but there's still a lot waiting to be crossed out from my list. I'll do that next week but I have to prepare myself to a more busy mall atmosphere.

When I got home that day, there was a load of feeding bottles waiting to be washed. I was supposed to wash the bottles every other day to ensure that Sofi will have something to used. And to top that, I also forgot to buy her milk. Stupid mommy! Anyways, Jaims bought milk while I wash the bottles.

I ended the day at 1am after wrapping some of the gifts. There's a few more left but I'll do that after the break.