Project 365: Jan. 31, 2011 (day031): Battered Bumblebee

I can't say much about my picture for today. I was thinking of which thing at home I could use for today's shot, when Zion passed by and started brandishing poor Bumblebee. Why poor Bumblebee? Zion definitely loves his toy robot. He loves it too much that he plays with the robot almost everyday. It has only been 2 months since Zion got Bumblebee as a Christmas gift, but from the scratches on the robot's face and body, it looks like Bumblebee has been with him for 2 years! Poor robot! I hope to see him intact (Bumblebee, that is) for another 2 months.

Project 365: Jan. 30, 2011 (day030): Beri Blueberry Cheesecake

Thank God Zion's condition is already improving. Well, at least his fever had subsided and his appetite is slowly going back to normal, which means his throat's not painful as yesterday. Nonetheless, I still make sure that no / less sweets for him today. As a result, I had a hard time eating this blueberry cheesecake which we bought from Banapple. I had to put Zion to bed first before I could actually eat my slice of cake. Anyway, the blueberry cheesecake was a good break from the chocolate-based cakes/pies we usually buy from Banapple. The cheese and cream layer was not that sweet, as compared to its Red Ribbon counterpart. And the ample blueberry toppings was really good. Perhaps next time, I would try their other cheesecakes. Then again, I could go back to my favorite banoffee pie. :-)

Project 365: Jan. 29, 2011 (day029) : On Drugs

I had to take Zion to the doctor today. He was complaining about his painful throat and he was having a high fever (reached as much as 40 deg) early morning. We had to take him to his pedia as he was unable to eat breakfast, and had only soup for lunch. Fortunately, according to his pedia, he was only having sore throat. He was given antibiotic for his sore throat, paracetamol for his fever, and mefenamic acid in syrup for the pain he's having. As his mom, I am hoping he'll get better soon.

Project 365: Jan. 28. 2011 (day028): A Whole Lotta Kisses

As I've mentioned in my most recent post before this, (i.e. Mickey's Magic Glass), my aunt from the US arrived a few days ago. Being the thoughtful aunt that she is, she brought a little something for everybody. To me and my brother, she brought a whole (read: BIG) pack of Kisses Chocolates. Two things my aunt does not know, (1) I am currently on a diet and (2) I soooo love Kisses chocolates. Diet and my love for Kisses chocolates... hmmm.. may not be the perfect combination. But I guess 1 or 2 pcs in a day won't really hurt. Besides, I still manage to maintain my No-Rice-At-Night diet.. Tsk.. tsk.. Excuses.. excuses.. All for the Kisses! :-)

Project 365: Jan. 27, 2011 (day027): Mickey's Magic Glass

I found my Zion playing with this glass. It was a pasalubong from my aunt who arrived from the US last Tuesday. It's a blue plastic glass with Mickey Mouse as design. Under the glass is a small button that, when pressed, lights up the glass. The more the bottom part gets pressed. the more it lights up. It really got me interested the first time I saw it. Well.. it brings out the little kid in me.. Tee hee! :-)

Project 365: Jan. 26,2011 (day026): Back to Bread

As I go back to my normal routine, it's time to go back to my No-Rice-At-Night Diet. Due to our Cebu trip, I took two days off from this diet. And now I'm back in Manila, it's also time to go back to my bread diet. I was able to successfully do it for the past 21 days, trying to eat 1 or 2 slices of bread at night instead of my usual 1-1.5 cups of rice. I was fortunate enough to lose 2.5 lbs after trying it for about 10days (considering that I only have minimal exercise and workout). I must admit that it was difficult at first, especially if we have sinigang or nilaga as our viand at night. But I guess after the first week, my body slowly gets accustomed to the habit. No longer do I stare at the rice bowl sadly during dinner. Iam contented with having bread at night. I am hoping that I will be able to maintain this healthy habit. I am also hoping that after this, I will also be able to reduce my lunch time rice intake. Good luck to me. So help me God! :-)

Project 365: Jan.25, 2011 (day025): Ukelele

I am glad that my son enjoyed the pasalubong from Cebu I got for him. It was toy ukelele. Cebu is definitely known for it's high-quality guitars. But since the bigger (and more pricey) guitars were a bit inconvenient and impractical to take home as a souvenir gift for my 4-year old Zion, I just decided to bring home a "replica" of the original. Luckily, he enjoyed the ukelele. He feels like a rockstar while strumming the strings of his uke.

Project 365: Jan.24, 2011 (day024): Air TV

On our flight back to Manila last Monday, we were fortunate enough to ride a Boeing 747 plane from Philippine Airlines. I think there were a lot of people onboard the plane as the crowds built up on the waiting area as early as 4:45PM (our flight to Manila was scheduled at 5:35PM). The plane's features include individual "television"/monitors installed in each of the seat. At first, I thought it was only used during the long international flights wherein several movies are shown during the trip. It was only in this flight that I've learned that the "television" have games installed in them. I remember being able to play Bejewelled, Bookworm, and even Sudoku onboard! I hope I get to ride these kinds of plane if ever I will be going on an international trip. :-)

Project 365: Jan. 23, 2011 (day023): Circles in Your Mind

On our second day in Cebu, we were able to visit a lot of tourist spots. I was a bit sad because we were not able to visit the beaches of Cebu, but I guess the local attractions in the city were as amazing as their water counterparts. One of these land attractions is TOPS located at the town of Lahug in Cebu City. I guess it is one of the highest places in Cebu, as it gives a very good view of Cebu City, the island of Mactan, and Olango. Within the place is a "shaded picnic area" wherein visitors can stay in case it rains or when the sun gets too hot. Because of its circular shape and its stone-built walls, the area is a very good spot for a photoshoot. On this area alone, my brother and I were able to take at least 20 different shots. Above is a sample of those shots we took. :-)

Project 365: Jan.22, 2011 (day022): The Lamp

It was our first day in Cebu today. As we haven't slept much due to our early flight, we decided to stay in the hotel, rest, get a massage, and have our dinner in the hotel as well. While having our dinner, this lamp caught my attention. It has been some time since I last saw a lamp like this. Seldom do we see these kinds of lamp in Manila. During our entire dinner, I was staring at the lamp. Nice vintage item. Hopefully, I find more interesting photo subjects tomorrow on our city tour of Cebu. :-)

Project 365: Jan.21, 2011 (day021): Baby Toothbrush

Zion was able to visit his dentist today. Aside from getting his dental records, he also had his routine check-up and prophylaxis (not sure about the spelling but this is the procedure wherein the dentist cleans the patient's teeth). Since his dentist is a close family friend, he was given a freebie before leaving the clinic - a small or "baby" toothbrush. It was given as a reward because Zion behaved well while he was being examined.

Project 365:Jan.20, 2011 (day020): Review Time

I had to go home early today to help Zion in his review. Tomorrow, he will be having his 3rd Quarter assessment exam. It will cover Math, Reading, and Science. While preparing his reviewers, I can't believe that 4-year old nursery kids like him are already having examinations in Math, Reading, and Science. His reading exams will cover words that begin with consonants from D to P, while his Science subject covers places where animals live (i.e. land, water, air, and both land and water), as well as animal coverings - hair, feather, scales. His Math exams will cover counting and identifying numbers 6-10 and the dreaded patterns. At their young age, I am amazed that they are taught sequences and patterns. Good luck to my dear Zion! Hope he gets perfect scores again. :-)

Project 365: Jan. 19, 2011 (day019): The Notebook

While doing the grocery about 2-3 weeks ago, I happened to pass by the stationery section and saw this pile of notebooks with fancy design covers. I really had no use for a new notebook, but the cute design and colors on this notebook surely got my attention. Last Saturday, as I was preparing for my basic-photography class, I was looking for a notebook in case I need to take down some important lectures. I found this notebook lying on my desk. At first, I was quite hesitant to use it. Sayang naman kasi. But the heck! It was meant for note-taking so sige na nga! :-)

Project 365: Jan. 18, 2011 (day018): Bad Pajamas

We were at the mall (SM Hypermart) last weekend to shop for our usual grocery items. Since I finished ahead of my mom, I had the chance to visit the kids section where a couple of kiddie clothes are on sale. I noticed that there were pajamas on sale - 3 pairs of pajamas pants for about 230 pesos. Hmmm.. Not bad, knowing that the fabric was similar to fleece material. I got one set and paid at the counter. This evening, I asked Zion to wear one of the 3 pairs, and noticed that it had the design above. I am not sure who the cartoon character was, but the caption was definitely eye-catching - "Born to be Bad". Well.. If you'll ask me, as a mom, a little naughtiness is tolerable (Zion falls under this category, anyway). But I hope he won't live up to the design of his pajamas - "Born to be Bad".. :-D

Project 365: Jan. 17, 2011 (day017): Comfort Corner

During those moments when I get angry at him, my son Zion runs to one corner of our bed - the Comfort Corner. This is the corner wherein I or his nanny stacks all his pillows and stuff toys after he wakes up in the morning or from his afternoon naps. Whenever I get angry at him, he runs to this corner, hugs one of his pillows or stuff toys while sobbing. And as his mom, once I see him snugged and snobbing in this corner, my anger and infuriation slowly slips away, as my "mommy side" takes over.

Project 365: Jan.16, 2011 (day016): Of Chips and Coffee

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon. I was able to finish Zion's reviewers just in time for his exam next week. I was also able to finish my other weekend chores - grocery, attend the basic photography workshop, check the laundry, fix the room. And since I was not doing anything, I decided to take a short afternoon snack. It was a weird snack craving - coffee and chips. Got curious with the Banoffee Blast-flavored coffee from Nescafe. Fortunately, it tasted good - usual coffee with a tinge of banana flavor. The potato chips were my usual favorite. Nice way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon! :-)

Project 365: Jan.15, 2011 (day015): Photography Lessons

Last Saturday, I was able to attend the Basic Digital Photography classes by Sir Nicolay. The session was light yet very informative. We were only 5 in the group, which makes the session more "personal", as we were able to ask Sir James a lot of questions, and he was able to explain the answers better. For a photo hobbyist like me, I appreciate the way he conducted the class. He explained basic photography terms such as ISO, shutter speed, and aperture in a non-technical way, in a way an ordinary person would understand. He was also generous in giving tips and advice on photography - what makes a good photo, advice on buying cameras and accessories, etc. Hopefully, if my schedule permits, I would enroll in his other classes. :-)

Project 365: Jan.14,2011 (day014): Choices and Crayons

About a few minutes ago, after eating dinner, I helped my 4-year old son with his homework. It involved coloring. I brought out his set of crayons and noticed that there were those colors that are very much used, and those that were obviously untouched. I asked my son's "opinion" as to why he thinks there are those colors that were untouched. I asked him if those colors were ugly or too dark (though I know 2 of the untouched colors were shades of orange). He simply answered, "panget yung colors na yan para sa akin..." (i.e. to me, those colors were ugly / not appealing). Nice to know that my son is starting to have his own choices. It is nice to know that at his young age, he knows what he likes and not. :-)

Project 365: Jan.13,2011 (day013): Green Halo

On my way home from work, I decided to drop by the Cubao eXpo in Cubao. This used to be the Marikina Shoe Expo, where lots of shops sell Marikina-made shoes. Today, there are still those shops that sells shoes. But aside from the old shoe arcade, new shops selling various products have also opened in the area. There are also a lot of restos and bars that cater to the younger crowd. One of these restos is the Green Halo. A friend once introduced this resto to me. She introduced this resto as an organic cafe. Having said that, I thought, I might not find the menu interesting because of the mostly vegetarian menu (okay, I admit I am more of a carnivore). But after trying out their Pesto Pasta and French Toast, I began to love this place. I am not really a pesto fan, but I certainly love Green Halo's rendition of the said dish. The French Toast with all the chocolate syrup on top, is very sinful, yet very comforting to tired office workers like me. The nice thing was their food items are reasonably priced. The cozy ambience inside the place was also very conducive to bonding with family and friends. If you find yourself in the busy area of Cubao, try dropping by the Green Halo. :-)

Project 365: Jan.12, 2011 (day012): Ninong & I

Due to our "uncommon" family setup, Zion has two daddy figures here at home - my Dad (his grandfather) and my brother (his uncle). Incidentally, my brother is also his Ninong (i.e. godfather). Since their age brackets are much closer, Zion gets his dose of antics from mostly from my brother. And though they get along well, when Zion gets rowdy and out-of-control, it is only my brother who can make him sit still and behave. My brother and I do not always see eye to eye, but I am always thankful to him for being a good uncle and even father-figure to Zion. :-)

Project 365: Jan. 11, 2011 (day011): Penoy Perstaymer

As we were heading home today, we dropped by our suking eatery to buy our favorite pancit. While waiting for our order, my cousin bought 1 piece balot and 1 piece penoy. Curiosity got the better of me, so I asked my cousin to buy another penoy. I am an avid balot eater since I was a kid, though eating the sisiw was not really my favorite. However, it is my first time to try penoy. At home, after I ate some pancit, I closely examined the penoy. Hmm.. The penoy is marked with an "X" to differentiate it from the balot. I then cracked the egg.. Hmm.. No sabaw (liquid contents).. I then noticed that the penoy is similar to the typical hard-boiled chicken egg. The albumen (white part) tastes like that of the chicken egg, but the yolk (yellow part), tastes like the yellow part of the balut. Hmm.. Tastes good. Hmm.. I am thinking that I should go for penoy rather than balut.. At least no sisiw will be thrown... :-)

Project 365: Jan. 10, 2011 (day010): Got Your Back Spongebob

Monday has always been a tough day for almost everyone here at home (with my Dad as an exemption being the steadfast workaholic that he is). It seems that we have that "weekend hangover", wishing we can extend the weekend even by a few hours. My Zion is no exemption. Waking him up for his morning bath and breakfast is a tedious task. Telling him that he will go to school adds up to the challenge. As we adults get creative in our threats to get him out of bed, Zion gets even more creative with his excuses to stay in bed (e.g. asks for more milk, tells us that his towel and uniform got lost, tells us that it is still Saturday, tells us that they have no school). But one thing that can surely wake him up is threatening him that his prized Spongebob-backpack will be thrown out of the house. Threaten him with this, and you'll get him up and awake in no time. :-)

Project 365: Jan. 09,2011 (day009): Light It Up

We spent Sunday morning at the Quezon Memorial Circle. Zion was trying to ride his bicycle, while I tried to take a few pictures of him and the nearby surroundings. While looking around, I chanced upon this vintage-looking lamp post. Well, I know it is not that old, but it definitely resembles the older, vintage-loooking lamps located at Luneta Park and Fort Santiago. I was just wondering how the lamp looks like when lighted. Will try to drop by QMC on an early evening to see how it looks. :-)

Project365: Jan.08, 2011 (day008): Little Photographer

When I was able to finally buy a DSLR camera, I was thinking that my old, shutterlag-stricken point-and-shoot camera will seldom be used. Perhaps only during those occassions when it is inconvenient to bring the DSLR. But these thoughts vanished, when I saw my 4-year old son Zion, taking (wild and sometimes blurred) shots using the old camera. He would ask me to buy the 2 AA batteries and borrow the camera. I let him take those pictures, as long as an adult watches over him and the camera. Start him young in photography. At least, I know my old camera will not rust inside the drawer. Somebody found interest in it. :-)

Project 365: Jan. 07, 2011 (day007): Sweet Prize

To break the monotony of not doing anything at work, my officemates and I decided to enlist ourselves in the softskills training provided by our Training Department. Under normal circumstances (defined as hectic days with tight deadlines), we would usually pass up on these training courses. But since we are quite tired of surfing the net (as we are also running out of websites to visit), we made use of this free time by attending the Effective Business Writing softskills training. It's a 2-day training which kicked off today, and will last until Monday. I must say that I had a great time today. The training facilitator was able to get everyone's participation by introducing games and activities which were both fun and educational. To make things better and more exciting, she offered prizes to the game winners and those who were able to recite in class. I was lucky enough to catch a small Toblerone bar by just attempting to rephrase a sentence. Nice! :-)

Project 365: Jan. 06, 2011 (day006): The Real Thing

I have always believed that the real thing is always the best, no matter what its natural deformities or imperfections are. For me, as long as it is in its natural form, real beauty always stands out. This is my personal reflection for my photo today. I found this flower at our center table at home. At first glance, I thought it was a real one. I also thought it was somehow pretty. Since I'm quite near-sighted, I had to give it a closer look. It was only then that I found out that it was made of foam and plastic. Sadly, I got turned-off. Pretty as it may look, nothing compares to the real thing. :-(

Project 365: Jan. 05, 2011 (day005) - In Your Eyes

If there is one thing I love about the physical attributes of my son, it would definitely be his pair of eyes and eyelashes. Eversince he was an infant, I've already noticed that his pair of eyes and eyelashes is something every girl would want. Unfortunately, those sweet pair of eyes and those curly eyelashes are owned by my son, a boy. Tee hee! :-) Oh well.. I guess my mom and I would just ogle everytime my 4-year old bats his eyelashes. With those eyes and eyelashes, who needs mascara? :-)

Project365: Jan.04, 2011 (day004): pAKing Lot

I was watching my son at play today. He was busy with all his small toy cars. At first he was busy moving the cars, as if they were running on the expressway, free from traffic. Next, he lined up his cars, "bumper-to-bumper" style. He then told me that his cars were stuck in "tafik" (i.e. my son's bulol-version of the word traffic). Finally, he arranged his cars side-by-side. Now this ignited my curiosity as I am not sure if he knows the technical term for the place where cars are parked. To my surprise and utmost amusement, he answered that his cars are now in the "PAKING lot". This is, of course, my son's bulol-version of the word "paRking lot". ;-)

Project 365: Jan.03, 2011 (day003) - Blowin' Bubbles

My son Zion has one favorite toy here at home. Since I don't know the "technical term" for this toy, I call it the "bubble maker", because that's what it does - create bubbles from the soapy liquid inside a bright green bottle. Sometimes I enjoy watching Zion blow those bubbles. It brings back memories of my own childhood. Well it was quite crude then. We had to pick gumamela flowers, pound these flowers, and mix it with powdered detergent soap and water. For the round "mold", my childhood buddies and I would usually get some piece from our walis tingting (i.e. broom), turn one of the ends to form a circle for our bubbles. Kids of today are lucky. No need for all these preparations. They can just ask their moms/dads to buy it from the malls.

Project 365: Jan. 02, 2011 (day002) - Zion's Tail

For the day2 entry of my Project 365 endeavor, I am featuring again my son Zion. I must admit that he (Zion) helps a lot in this project. As I've told a buddy, hindi ka mauubusan ng possible shots para sa Project 365 kapag may kasama kang bata sa bahay. For today, I just noticed that my son's "tail" is quite long. This "tail" has been his natural hair ever since he was born. We just ask the barber to do a little trimming if we notice that it is getting frizzy. If we have time, we usually braid this tail. But if we are in a hurry, we just tie it to come up with a ponytail.

Project 365: Jan 01, 2011 (day001) - Macho Baby

Now I know, I should have started at exactly January 01, 2011. But as the old saying goes, "better late than never". As I have mentioned in my previous blog entry, I am reviving this blog, and one of my "goals" this year is to come up with my own Project 365, or the one-photo-a-day project.

To start of, my first post for the year was taken on the morning of Jan. 01, 2011. The maskulado boy in the picture is my 4-year old son Zion. He is a very willing subject when I want to do test shots with my camera. Expect to see more of him in my Project 365 endeavor. :-)

Blog Revival 2011

Happy New Year everyone! I will be reviving this blog for the nth time! Tee hee! :-) I checked my list of posts and found out that my last post was last July 2010.

For 2011, I have some plans for this blog. Aside from my usual rants and raves, I will be using this blog for a new project - Project 365. A photography-related project wherein I will be posting pictures of various impacts - from the simple, mundane, to the weird and wackos. Well, I should be able to post it on a daily basis. Well, for the first week of January, my shots are still complete (from January 1-5; will take pics later for January6). But I have to find time to post these pics in this blog. Well! Goodluck to me! Expect about 6 or 7 posts this coming weekend! Hehe! :-)

I guess, this is all for now. I'm still thinking of what other stuff to put in this blog. I'll just surprise you, my readers. :-)