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Saturday, June 18, 2016

36 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Sherwin

My husband is a very private person. He has uncompromising standards when it comes to the details of his life that he is willing to share. He maintains a VIP security access list for all his stories. Because it is his birthday, I want to make him feel uncomfortable in the same way that surprise birthday cakes and blowing candles in public make both of us squirm in places where the extroverts' sun don't shine. Of course, this is only second to the fact that I think he is the most exquisite human being alive, he should be featured in Reddit's AMA. I sure do hope that Reddit reference prevents him from disowning me tomorrow.

Disclaimers: this is a mix of funny, yucky and cheesy trivia. He may or may not disagree with everything in the list. Also, I have given birth twice (CS Delivery) so where my memory fails me, feel free to register your disdain. Most important of all - if you are also a private person who feels that this is an inappropriate birthday gift, or if you are someone who makes remarks like "cheesy-ness overload" then stop reading and move on with your life.

36 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Sherwin

#01. His grandma named him after the "Boysen" of yesteryears. Yes, my friends. "Sherwin" was a popular brand of paint back then.
#02. He didn't speak "Tagalog" until he was almost four. His parents figured it will be safer for him if he knew how to converse in Filipino after he wandered a little too far away from home and the neighbors had a rough time understanding where he lived and how to bring him back to his house.

#03. Collier's Encyclopedia and American History: favorite books when he was a little boy.


#04. His mom taught him how to play the piano. She told me that he's a gifted kid (he could play by ear) who just lost his interest in the instrument as he got older. Last year, I heard him say he wanted to learn how to play the piano again. I giggle seeing him play "Twinkle, Twinkle, Star" in our kids' toy piano. I may just die of giggling when he starts playing songs for me. His mom will be thrilled. Of him playing the piano again not of me dying from giggling, ok?

#05. He had his first and only brother during his freshman year in high school. He had no playmates until he went to school. Except for that short amount of time when his cousins stayed in their house. He loved his cousins dearly. Their adventures make him LOL to this day (like when they etched their Bioman names in his mom's precious narra dining table).



#06. His story, not mine: he had a crush on me on the first day of high school, 1993. He still remembers what I was wearing that day. My story: I had a crush on him on the first day of high school, 1993. I still remember what I was wearing that day.




















#07. In senior high, his classmates named him: Sherman, The Sexiest Man Alive

#08. His high school barkada is called "Fatal Dizazterz." It's a group of lovesick guys with a million young lady-problems in their heartbreak repertoire. I hope I spelled the "band name" right.

#09. Rajesh Koothrappali (Big Bang Theory) is not the first guy who tracked the menstrual cycle of his girl friends. Sherwin accidentally confessed that he was documenting mine long before we kissed for the first time. Pure geekery. I just loved the guy even more after this revelation.




















#10. In his first job, hubby and team wrote all the copies and ads for Eastwood City - hotels, condos, restaurants, everything about that developing community back then. They also screened models in bikinis. That part of his job did not amuse me at all.

#11. He really is a man of few words. He was sleeping when I found out that I was pregnant with Potling. I had to wake him up. He said "talaga?" and closed his eyes again. Of course he made it up to me/us the next day.

#12. When it was Sopling's turn to say hello for the first time through a pregnancy test kit, I ran from the bathroom to our bedroom to show him the red lines. He said: hindi nga? Again, a man of few words.
















#13. Oh but he talks too much when he's drunk. In one of our first few trips to Puerto Galera, he yelled at noisy Koreans in a karaoke bar near where we were having our quiet drinking session. "Ang iingay niyo magsi-uwi nga kayo sa bansa niyo!"

#14. Also, no matter how drunk he is, he answers my questions. I asked him a question about powerbutt girls in their office. I asked for the name of the girl with the best butt. I got a straightforward answer. Loud and clear. Because he was cooperative, helpless and half awake, this went on and on and on, until I built a complete and comprehensive list of queens for all body parts.

#15. He has an admirable, refined and intelligent taste for music and musicality. He has all the genre and eras covered. In one of our playful battles over the Winamp territory, he asked me to please change my playlist because he's not in the mood for "you and your sad songs." How are The Carpenters sadder than his Bach? :P

To be continued... Do you have a question about Sherwin? Maybe I can include some answers in the next post.

This One Is Just For Me

I'm pretty confident that my favorite store's staff posted this for me. And me, ALONE.

And that our "closeness" is temporarily on hold until store renovation is complete. I miss you, guys.


Friday, June 17, 2016

KIA Mommas Love Me

KIA Mommas means "Know It All Mothers." They like me very much.

I live by one simple rule when it comes to sharing opinions or giving advice: WAIT TO BE ASKED. Maybe this is the reason why I find it very disrespectful and offensive when KIA Mommas capitalize on every opportunity to tell me what to do. Don't get me wrong. I believe in the value of having mentors. I have lots and lots of people that I run to for help, advice and inspiration. They come in different shapes and sizes, age ranges, locations and disciplines. I know when and how to ask for help. There is is only one place in my system for unsolicited advice. Scientists call it The Excretory System.

More often than not, I try and give these Class A Mothers the benefit of the doubt. They just care too much. They want to help. But then it all goes back to my personal yardstick of caring words and behaviors. If someone I care about shares that he/she is experiencing challenges, I would empathize and ask how the person is doing. I would offer a listening ear and a helping hand with a big disclaimer: only if you want to...

I want to put a list of sample behaviors and words that I experienced from KIA Mommas. But this blog, unfortunately, is accessible to a lot of them. They would know they just landed on one of my posts. And unlike them, I am sensitive to causing anyone pain and shame, especially in public. So let this post be as cryptic as it can possibly get. Now that I've said everything there is to my "bullying" experiences from these supposedly better mothers, I am just going to dedicate a statement from this article to all the KIA Mommas in my real and cyber life.

"I seriously cannot understand these women for the life of me.  I mean, let’s be honest.  None of us really knows what the hell we’re doing with this whole parenting gig, do we?  Aren’t we all just making this crap up as we go along?  I can’t imagine having the audacity to tell another mom that what I’m doing is better than what she is doing. Quite frankly, what works for me is not necessarily gonna work for her.  And don’t we get beaten up enough by our own kids on a daily basis?  Do we really need to beat each other up too?  I say different strokes for different folks.  Let’s be glad we’re not all exactly alike and support each other instead.  Plus, that way we can be on the lookout for the stubborn “know it all” mom and take that bitch down as a united front!"


Thursday, June 16, 2016

First Phone Conversation With TNLO

TNLO (The New Little One) turned 2 last April. Sobrang daldal ng batang ito (puwera usog, sabi nga ng mga mas matatanda sa amin). In Q2 of this year, he started stringing two/three-word sentences (syet, very therapist speak). Parang may maliit na matanda kaming kasama. Laging may comment. Ang tawag ko sa kanya "dulo-dulo boy" kasi paborito niyang manggaya ng dulo ng lahat ng maririnig niya.

Madalas na kaming "nag-uusap" ni TNLO sa telepono pero one-way lang ang vocals. Siya, tatangu-tango lang sa kabilang linya. Kaya gulat na gulat ako nung Lunes. May sumasagot na sa akin. Ito ang aming nakakakilig na usapan.
TNLO: Elow?
Ako: Anong gawa mo?
TNLO: Dito lang ako.
Ako: Si Popot nasan.
TNLO: Dun upo. Popot, maya na lang! (pinapagalitan ang Ate TLO niya kasi nangungulit)
Ako: Si Dadda nasan?
TNLO: Luto.
Ako: Anong gagawin mo pagkatapos mo kumain?
TNLO: Dede.
Ako: Tapos?
TNLO: Toothbrush.
Ako: Tapos?
TNLO: Tulog lang.
Tapos binitawan na ang telepono. Sabi ng Ate J niya, "uy usap pa raw kayo ni mommy mo."

TNLO: Ikaw na lang.
(ayaw na akong kausapin, si Ate J na lang daw makipag-usap sa akin)

Ang brusko diba? Medyo nasosobrahan ako sa kilig sa batang ito pero kailangan na namin siyang turuan gumamit ng "opo" at "ate/kuya" at huwag ituro ang mga guard para sabihing "guard ka!" nang paulit-ulit.

Three different images found online, digital magic is mine.

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

How to get a FREE Spotify Premium Account

Sorry for the unnecessary palpitations I may have caused. I do have a tip but I doubt that it will work because this is totally beyond your control. Here it is: You need to be blessed to have someone who treats you like family, to the point that she will add you and your husband to her Spotify premium family plan. :D See, not easy. And don't even think about being "user-friendly" because that is just too low and cruel.

Well, I just needed a post to send belated thanks to dear Ms. A. Thank you!

















Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Tarot Reading For The Road

You probably think I've gone cuckoo with all these posts about tarot readings. I promise this is going to be the last tarot cards post around my current career adventure. Because my goodness, I really need to calm down and let everything flow. I have been anxious, excited, scared, thrilled (in no particular order) since April 26. I've had so many sleepless days/nights and bland, unhappy meals. Please continue to send light, prayers and your super powers my way. I promise that the next post about this journey will be about closure (hopefully a happy one).

Previous Posts:
Tarot Reading for a Special Day
Free Online Tarot Reading
All images ares from Horoscope.Com but digital magic is mine.




Weekly Menu: June 12-18, 2016

Mailagay nga ang Weekly Menu sa blog para sa mga kagaya ko na kailangang magluto every day. Ang chaka na talaga ng handwriting ko. FYI, health reasons.




Monday, June 13, 2016

Kids Are Home!

I'm writing this on a Sunday. Nag-scheduled posting lang ako kasi nakikinita ko na, baka mahirap nang mag-blog sa mga darating na araw. Dahil... dan dan dan daaaannnn... Uuwi na ang mga bata! Pagkatapos ng isang taon na weekends lang kami magkakasama, dito na ulit sa aming munting bahay kubo titira, kasama namin.

Halos isang taon silang nakatira sa bahay namin sa Tatalon, kasama ang lolo, lola, mga tito, tita at pinsan. Ang sabi kasi ng Developmental Pediatrician ni TLO, malaki ang maitutulong sa kanya ng maraming batang kasama. Totoo naman, nag-iba ang confidence at personality ni TLO mula noong isang barkada sila nila TNLO (The New Little One) at mga pinsan nila. Naaawa lang ako sa malungkot nilang paghihiwalay. Sigurado mami-miss nila ang isa't-isa. Kaya dapat, regular pa rin kaming dadalaw.

Excited na kami ni Sir_Ko. Pero siyempre may kaba rin. Adjustment ulit ito sa pang-araw araw na buhay. Ako, kailangan ko na ulit mag-luto everyday. Si Sir_Ko, mas dadami na ang labahin niya. At marami pang iba. Tataas na ulit ang weekly grocery expenses, ang bayarin sa kuryente at tubig. Siksikan na naman kaming apat sa kama hanggang kaya na nung dalawang bagets na matulog sa kuwarto nila. Ang lahat ng ito ay worth it. Totally, worth it.

Eto na yon, RAKENROL!!!

Paboritong pekatyur ko ito. Kuha ng kapatid ko habang kinakabayo ng magpipinsan yung lolo nila (ulo na lang ni Papa ang kita dito).








Sunday, June 12, 2016

Tarot Readings - For A Special Day

These were my cards from last Thursday, a big "deciding" day for my career goal this year. I was thrilled to see the readings. I gave it my best shot, I just hope that lady luck is on my side. Nuff said. Please pray for me.

P.S. If the readings are true, I will share the stories behind these cards next week.