My Dad’s Latest, uh… Thing

From my favorite site, the Wikipedia:

Bougainvillea (pron.: /ˌbuːɡɨnˈvɪliə/)^[2] is a genus of flowering plants native to South America from Brazil west to Perú and south to southern Argentina (Chubut Province). They are thorny, woody vines growing anywhere from 1 to 12 metres (3 ft 3 in to 39 ft 4 in) tall, scrambling over other plants with their spiky thorns. The thorns are tipped with a black, waxy substance. They are evergreen where rainfall occurs all year, or deciduous if there is a dry season. The leaves are alternate, simple ovate-acuminate, 4–13 cm long and 2–6 cm broad. The actual flower of the plant is small and generally white, but each cluster of three flowers is surrounded by three or six bracts with the bright colours associated with the plant, including pink, magenta, purple, red, orange, white, or yellow. Bougainvillea glabra is sometimes referred to as “paper flower” because the bracts are thin and papery.

My dad has moved on, from flatware to bougainvilleas. He asked me to take pictures of his plants in front of his house. His goal: to grow lots more to rival the cherry blossoms of Japan.

Better than coffee

I was about a couple of seconds away from snoring on my feet when I got home, but was jolted into wakefulness as if someone dowsed me with a bucket of espresso when I saw that the wedge hi-top sneakers I ordered from The Shoe Goddess arrived! My two month-long wait is finally over. Thanks, Shoe Goddess!

I tried them on, did a retouch of my makeup, and dragged my less than enthusiastic hubby outside to take pictures of me in the rain. Weren’t you just complaining about your lack of sleep? He asked, maybe hoping that reminding me of it could make me revert to lethargy so he could get out of whatever I was about to make him do. Nope, this is better than coffee! I said cheerfully, hence the title. Duh.

His half-hearted, two minute photo shoot resulted to about 50 shots of me in various smirks, wonky smiles, lip puckers gone wrong, and scowls which were directed at the reluctant photographer — take my picture this way! Not that way! Don’t make me look like I have short legs! That’s my bad angle!… — that almost all found their rightful place in the Trash Bin except for the ones below. I was tempted to delete these as well but it would have been such a waste of hubby’s grudging effort. Plus, I’d end up with nothing to post.

The wedges in the sneakers I first ordered from the Shoe Goddess were more obvious so I like this pair better. I was hoping that the color was darker though. I didn’t realize they’d be so light. So now I have to figure out how to wear them with jeans without looking like a Seinfeld wannabe or to wear them with a pair of shorts without looking like an ageing Spice Girl fan who has not moved on.

I cropped this from one of my scowling photos:

… and here’s me doing a bow-legged Quasimodo showing off the roots of my hair. Still a bad angle. What a total waste of eyeliner.

So, did I nail the Seinfeld look or what?

P.S. That jacket was one of my best buys this January. It’s a Zara TRF which I just got for Php1,200 at the SM Surplus Store. Great for the cool weather this month and great for casual Fridays at the office where it’s always wintry and freezing.

It’s the Little Creature’s 15th month out of the womb

No, no, no!!!!

Aaaghh!

Not there!

Wait!

Stop!

Double Aaaghh!!!

— are all that he can hear from us adults these days.

This is his usual response:

Christmas Vacation Days 3 and 4: Whiterock Waterpark

Day 1. December 28

It’s summer in December at the Whiterock Waterpark and Beach Hotel

I never knew anyone could enjoy swimming this much.

Wheeeheeheehee!

At the Wave Pool

He didn’t want to leave the water anymore

At the kiddie play pool

Day 2. December 29

He didn’t know what to do about the sand. He must have associated it with the kitty litter and must have thought he was in one giant litter box!

He hated it as first but has turned hyperactive once more once he had gotten over it.

Of course we didn’t forget to bring his all time favorite toys: the pail and the dipper.

Baby Beach Bum

I didn’t want to get sunburned of course.

And we’re off to the Duty Free shops! Mommy and Baby Outfit for the rest of the day

Subic Whiterock Waterpark and Beach Hotel. Said the site:

Imagine a place…

• Imagine a place where the air is fresh and clean
• Imagine a place where you can lay on the beach and enjoy the sun and sea
• Imagine a place where a full service beach resort and a waterpark come together
• Imagine a place where the hotel has over 175 rooms, suites and villas
  to meet your accomodation needs in a seven hectare park-like environment
• Imagine a place where musicians serenade you as you dine
• Imagine a place where you and your special someone,
  family or friends can go for fun and bonding all day, all night
• Imagine a place where your company can go for team building and seminars
• Imagine one place for ALL OF THIS and you have imagined

Well, the facilities were nice. We enjoyed the breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffets, and the Little Creature enjoyed being serenaded!

Christmas Vacation Day 2 Manila Ocean Park

The Little Creature’s vacay Day 2, December 24.

It was quite crowded when we went to the Manila Ocean Park. This was expected since it was the Christmas Season.

We just went to the Oceanarium which was I think P400/head. The shows and the other exhibits seemed pricey.

The Oceanarium is home to 10,000 marine life species indigenous to the Philippines and Southeast Asia.

In the 25 meter-long walkway tunnel

“Little fish, big fish swimming in the water… come back here and give me my Little Creature”

I am sure I remembered my Biology correctly. Those two fishies behind us in the picture below, a shark and most likely a remora, have a bio relationship known as commensalism wherein the remora uses the shark as its transport and protection while the shark couldn’t care less. Someone, who’s mouth shot off faster than the speed of his neurons and had me ROFLMFAO, exclaimed “It’s breastfeeding!” (Mmm… gourmet shark dairy, yum.) Who said this? Well, there were just three of us around, I know I didn’t and the Little Creature couldn’t speak yet, so…

More fishies.  Ooooh, said the Little Creature once more. I’m glad he’s a curious little thing and not a scaredy cat at all.

The view in the elevator

The view outside. Very nice.

Jellyfishin’

All in all a good day.  Idon’t recall seeing a lot of those info boards or tags about the animals. I think there should be more of that.

The Manila Ocean Park can’t compare to the the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the HK Ocean Park but I’m glad we have an Ocean Park in the country. It is a good way for children to learn. At least kiddie field trippers now have more options to go to. Back in the old, old days, we just went to the Mongol Pencil Factory, the Coca Cola Bottlers Company and many other dilapidated parks.

Now, even if the Little Creature has not fully comprehended what he’s seen that day, I’m sure he was able to appreciate the sites and sounds and colors of his surroundings. Anyway, it was such a treat for us to see his curious little face looking around, soaking up all the things about him.

Next stop: more water. This time outdoors at the White Rock Beach Resort in Subic.

Christmas Vacation Day 1: Ark Avilon Zoo

 

I finally had some time to sort the pictures of our Christmas vacation, and boy there are really a lot. The Little Creature had a very busy vacation. Since it was a long vacation for both hubby and me, we took advantage of our time together and whisked the little crit away and off to as many local sites we could go to. Plus, it was his second Christmas on earth but it was like his first because by then, we could actually interact and “converse” with him.  During his real first Christmas, he just stared blankly at us most of the time.

December 23. Our first stop was the Ark Avilon Zoo. Located in Frontera Verde, Ortigas Avenue, near Tiendesitas, the mini zoo is the only interactive indoor zoo in the country. It resembles Noah’s Ark and is home to exotic animals like the white tiger, the jaguar, the sun bear, the Philippine serpent-eagle, lion, tiger, and many more (Wikipedia). It resembles Noah’s Ark because the zoo is thus shaped although it seems that many of the animals did not have their hunnybunnies with them. Weren’t they supposed to be in pairs? I did think the concept was cool and different. The entrance fee is P300 which seemed pricey for a mini zoo. But the facilities seemed well-maintained and the animals healthy, so I guess that’s fine with me.

My parents have a lot of pet birds so baby Tristan is used to them. He thought it was ok to just go ahead and grab at the Macaw while Duhddy looked on, worried about his ear.

That’s Jenny the Orangutan, not mommy.

Oooh, a turtle’s tummy!

Ewww, rodents!

A giant rodent!

More birds…

The White Tiger

Nice wallpaper

Is that a sloth? I can’t be sure but I sure would like to take it easy and sloth around like it.

Dear baby wants to grab at the snake, too. As is his habit, he even squeezed a part of it between his fingers.

Neigh, neigh.

Nyahhh!

Funny faces

xxx

Photos taken from Duhddy’s IPhone hence the low res. Too bad. More fish to come on Day 2 of The Little Creature’s Christmascapades at the Ocean Park.

Boardwalk Empire

Because I think Steve Buscemi is a great actor (those globulous eyes could look so benevolent in one second and really weird/creepy the next)…because I am loving The Boardwalk Empire with the rest of the great cast… because I am wowed by the setting (visually stunning, said the critics, and oh-so lavish, and I absolutely concur)… because I am fascinated by the plot and the jazzy scores… and last but not the least, because I love the 20s fashion, although in this case it’s the men’s wardrobe that’s catching my eye…

I’m jumping on the bandwagon to Boardwalk in my “Nucky Thompson” wingtips.

Walk on the Boardwalk

They’re not in the same color as Nucky’s wingtips in the opening credits but they will do for now.

Nucky Thompson’s brogues (pic not an original from me)

None of the cast members seem yummy Vitamin As for the eyes and I am not going to drool over them (like what I did during the Prisonbreak Season 1 and 2 spells) but Steve Buscemi is almost… uhm… ehrrr… handsome and dapper — no there’s nothing wrong with my eyes but his talent and those suits are really distracting — like David Niven handsome and dapper. Yup, the acting skills and those very detailed tailored vintage suits of the rest of the cast really do something to upgrade their coolness levels!

Gollum in suits? My precious… my precious… (pics borrowed from so many sites I could not remember anymore. sorry)

I will now stop my useless rambling (examples: “likey!”, “nice!”, “wow!”, “I want one of those!”, “I wish I lived during the 20s”) about the costumes and the show anymore and I am just going to lead my readers to the following better written posts:

Nucky Thompson’s Eveningwear by BAMF Style

Boardwalk Empire Costumes Bring 1920s Roaring Back by Millie Deel

 

 

2012 Fash Trends I don’t get

Maybe it is because I’m not really into trends…or maybe it is just because I’m not fashion forward. The avant garde and the bold devotees of such styles might scoff at my less than daring tastes but well, the wheels (and reels, hence the movie imageries) in my head are turning and these are my takes on the trends of 2012. Now in theaters near you.

Movie 1. Feel like seeing a Comic Book adaptation? How about some superhero stuff? It’s a bird, it’s a plane, oh, wow, it’s THE Mullet. In an elevator on one fine day, I became aware that I was with the Lady in the Mullet skirt when whoosh, she went past me and alighted, leaving the maxi part of her skirt floating and trailing behind her, making her look like some typical superheroine. Only, it’s her bottom half that was caped. If the elevator doors had closed a second too soon, our office which has about 1400 gabfesters, would have had something to snicker about during lunchtime.

Movie 2.  (Still on the mullet skirt) How about some Gothic Romance/Thriller? At parties or at bars, one may blame alcohol or low lighting for the double take at the Lady in the Mullet Skirt as she walks past you. Is that a maxi dress? But… but… wasn’t she just wearing a mini?!?!? The severe cut and opening in front that’s so in right now just makes me think of a fashion police turned axe murderer slashing at a fashion victim but ending up hacking the front of the skirt instead.

Certainly, some young Hollywood celebrities could pull it off but when I see a fellow mere human wearing such a thing, it just makes me think that the clothing is unfinished. Maybe if the asymmetry is a little more subtle, I’d get it.

Movie 3. I’m feeling a little sci-fi/dark comedy. Enter the Stepford Wives in HD Peplums.  I gave up trying to find a dress for our corporate Christmas party because in all the shops I browsed in — the dresses, the skirts, the blouses, the jackets — every piece of clothing had peplum. A few of the stores even sold detachable peplums. I am sure most of us at one time or another found herself/himself wearing the same thing as another person but witnessing a cluster of ladies in very noticeable peplum dresses during our Christmas Party reminded me of the Stepford Wives.  I might have considered wearing a peplum pencil skirt to work for a vintage-secretary look once…  if only they weren’t everywhere.  

Movie 4. The Revenge of the Nerds: The Return in 3D.  Why would people want to hide their pretty eyes behind those huge plastic framed glasses, some of these even with neon earhooks or whatchamacallits? I hated wearing glasses in elementary and high school — I wore pink ones and then maroon ones. I got teased as Miss Tapia, both in school and at home — and I swore that I will never, ever, ever, ever wear such hideous things again… except maybe inside a theater, watching a movie in 3D.

Movie 5. It’s B Movie time again– The Attack of the Flying Mustaches! I thought it was cute to find a mustache pendant once especially since it reminded me of Hercule Poirot. But now they’re everywhere! Some pendants and some prints on the clothing look more like leeches than mustaches. The white ones remind me of Colonel Sanders. Let’s hope this gets shaved off from the list of trends this year.

Movie 6. Clippity-clop, clippity- clop, it’s Mr. Tumnus from “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe”. It could be Seabiscuit, too. Oh, wait, it’s just the heel-less shoes which remind me of hooves. A pair of jodhpurs and an equestrian hat would make the equine look complete. Aside from looking like one could easily lose one’s balance in them, the total look seems off balance and is confusing to the eyes. Where is the sexy line that goes from the leg and down to the stiletto?

Movie 7.  Hmmm… now brain is too lazy to come up with a movie for this. All I can say is that The Fascinators and the Lolita hats were not around when I needed them four or five years ago for a party but now, like the Flying Mustaches, they’re everywhere. It is not fascinating to see them being worn like usual everyday hair accessories. I think the trend started sometime in 2010 so I hope people can get over it soon.

The collar necklace I do get a little bit. It looks nice when worn with a simple blouse or shirt. But with a tube? Playboy Bunny, is that you?

Yucky artwork by Alias M. (I haven’t seen a mustache belt, but you’ll never know, there’s always some mustache thing happening out there)

There’s one thing I do get: hidden wedge sneakers! It is still a little difficult to find a pair in the malls which makes me glad because there aren’t many sporting the sneaky wedge look in the country yet.

P.S. I also do get the ombre hair — a little bit.

Whatchathink?

And The Liebster Award Goes To…

I graciously accept, of course!

Here is my long overdue response to Mommy Sha and Riah’s nominations. Thank you so much for the nominations, beautiful ladies!

To quote them, “the Liebster Award is given to blogs that have less than 200 followers as a way to show appreciation and support to fellow bloggers, as well as to spread the word about new blogs.” 

But before one gets to accept the award, there are certain conditions to be met. As Dr. Hannibal Lecter told Clarice Starling, “Quid pro quo. Yes or no?” (I couldn’t resist the creepy reference).

First:  Post 11 things about yourself. Just the thing to start off my 2013.

I used to be such an athlete. I used to swim, platform dive, scuba dive, run, do bikram yoga, dance, played badminton, row, fence, do timid taekwondo kicks – I say timid because a zombie could sink his teeth on my foot before I could bring him down so I will just shoot him – and yes I could shoot with a calibre .45 and an M16 rifle. I was kinda good at it, I guess. I used to join Fun Shoots when I used to work in the Defense Department. Even trained for a short while for the women’s team. But I never did excel in any of these activities. I think some of these were just excuses to hang out with my college friends and coworker friends.

I used to read romance novels that my friends and I bought in Book Sale which had buxom females with torn flowy blouses and windblown hair on the covers swooning shamelessly in half-naked Fabio’s arms. My best friends and I made fake book covers for them and huddled in one corner of wherever to giggle nervously and be scandalized by the naughty excerpts. They were the most forbidden, most shocking things we’ve stumbled upon.

I was asleep when I fell in love with opera arias. In my dream, I could hear the most beautiful music and the most exquisite voice and I thought I was in heaven. I thought I was listening to gold, if gold was not solid but something aural. I woke up to the voice of Kiri Te Kanawa singing an aria from Puccini’s Madame Butterfly about waiting, hoping, and loving, I know that now. But back then, I was mystified to wake up in tears because I couldn’t even understand the Italian lyrics. My aunt who was my roomie then but was out on a trip, had set her stereo as an alarm to go off at a certain time and must have forgotten to turn off the recurring alarm so it turned on at three or four in the morning.

I like dreaming about being chased by bad, ugly people or monsters or dinosaurs. They make me feel like a heroine in a B movie. I say B movie because I don’t see Steven Spielberg or Peter Jackson around.

Speaking of dreams, I dream in color, I dream about food a lot and I can even taste the food.

I used to play the piano. I could still play if I want to but I will never be the virtuoso as my parents had hoped. My parents made my sister and me take lessons from my aunt who was a music teacher. I must have liked it at first, to be able to tolerate the lessons for so many years but I lost interest somewhere along the way. To get back at my parents whenever they would make us play for house guests, I would bang on the keys like a screwball musician and play super-mega fortissimo those parts that were supposed to be played pianissimo. It was spiteful, I know, and pointless. All it did was emphasize how bad I was at it. Progress, as I got older, dwindled. I stayed in third level from grade school until college until I just stopped altogether. Sometimes, I even have nightmares about it, like missing a lesson or being scolded by my aunt.

I couldn’t care less about my birthday. There are moments when I forget my birthday on my birthday. It is not because I have an issue with that ageing thing but it is because I just don’t see anything special about it. Everyone has it. What’s unique about that?

I love skeleton and vintage keys. Most of my accessories are skeleton key pendants but I have no significant memory  in relation to these keys. I just love them.

I have Ningas Kugon mentality (starting some project or something with enthusiasm and then not being able to finish it) hence the many short-lived interests above. That is why I surprise myself with this blog. I am still able to sustain my interest in it.

I love styles with just a touch of goth, whether it’s fashion or novels or tv shows. This began when my high school friends and I were lured into Anne Rice’s world of Vampires and the Mayfair Witches back when Bella Swan was just a baby.

I have a tattered security pillow from my mom and which I’ve been using since birth. I get mildly nutty when the Little Creature touches it and I grow belligerently nutty whenever hubby makes the mistake of coming into contact with it.

***

Second: Answer 11 questions asked by the person who nominated you. For me, I received 2 nominations = 2 different sets of questions =22 pennies for my thoughts = whew:

From Mommy Sha:

What is your proudest moment as a mother/wife? Everyday is a proud mommy moment for me. I never cease to wonder how that chunky monkey got out of me.

List the things you can never leave at home. Sunscreen, tinted moisturizer, foundation, Benefit Brows A-go-go, Maxicare Card, Cellphone

What is the wildest thing you ever did? Get a tattoo.

What is the greatest lesson that you learned in your entire life? Admit mistakes, don’t dwell on mistakes but learn from them and move forward (or blame someone else. Kidding!). Not learning from mistakes is the biggest mistake.

What is your favorite TV show? And why?  Lots – Dexter, Six Feet Under, The Office, 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, and the latest addition to my list, The Community. 

What is the most embarrassing moment of your life? Singing The Prayer in front of an audience of about 500 and most likely singing it badly. I can’t believe how deluded and overly ambitious I was.

Why blogging? To practice writing, to challenge me to think (although I know a lot of my posts are nonsensical and pointless), to help me remember memories, to vent, to open up, to meet people.See post: Three Years of Blogging

Who are your inspirations in blogging? All the bloggers that I follow, especially mommy bloggers who are such multi-taskers.

What is the secret of successful career? I guess just being plain happy about what you are doing and not measuring your life against others’.

What are the things you miss when you have become a mom/wife? Spontaneous decisions and having no plans like suddenly going on a weekend getaway without having to think of what my baby is going to eat over the weekend.

Who is your favorite blogger? See #8 🙂

From Riah:

What one thing you miss about being a kid? I miss 2: first, having a lot of grandparents around and second, having great skin which I didn’t realize I had back then.

If you could go into any fictional world, which one would you choose? The Walking Dead. I’m going to raid all the military bases, hoard their arsenal and zap all those zombies to pieces then go home in some safe installation in time to feed the baby. In this fictional world, I am as hot as Alice of Resident Evil and I need no sleep, bath or rest.

What is the most number of blankets you’ve ever had on your bed? 4

What is your favorite hobby? These days, it is watching TV series.

If you were given $1,000,000 to give to a cause, which cause would it be? Orphanage to help abandoned kids and babies.

What’s your favorite scripture? I wish I could say the Bible but I’m not really a devout Catholic although I do believe in God.

What makes you smile? People who smile at me

Who is a person that you admire and why? Jennifer Lopez. Aside from the obvious fact that she’s gorgeous and multi-talented, she seems like the most hardworking famous person I know of.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? Still in my own country but in a nicer, more posh home.

If you could change one thing about anything what would it be? My funds! I want it larger!

What are you most thankful for at this moment? My life 

***

Third: Nominate 11 bloggers, notify them about the nomination and ask them to answer 11 new questions.

To bloggers and friends

Happy Blue Thoughts

Jakie and the Beadstalk

The Bading Mother Diaries

New Toronto Mom

Learn From Mom

Our Little Rock

Elskenewman

Mile High Mommy Diaries

Touring Kitty

The World According to Sylvia Garza

A Reckless Pursuit

I would genuinely love to hear your thoughts on the following questions:

What makes you YOU?

If you could give an advice to a baby, what would it be?

What do you sometimes pretend you understand that you really don’t?

What have you done that you are not proud of?

What do most people envy about you?

When you look into the past, what do you miss the most?

What are the changes you want to make in your life in the next twelve months?

What big lesson could people learn from your life?

What is something you changed your mind about when you grew older?

What have you given up on?

If your life had absolutely no limits and you could have it all and do whatever you wanted, what would you choose to have and what would you choose to do?

***

Fourth: Upload the image of the Award on your blog (This may go first but I choose to do it last to signify the completion of the conditions)

Yehey! I have two images of the award! The first one is from MommySha:

The second one is from Riah:

Again, Danke Schon to MommySha and Riah. Ich liebe the award!

And happy new year to all! Aren’t we glad that the world didn’t end thirteen days ago?