Ayala Sojourn

Halloween Costume

2011-10-24T18:58:00.000-07:00

I finally purchased the little one's Halloween costume. This year, she'll go as this:

With a matcing headband with a couple of sparkly balls on the end (we'll see if she'll keep it on while trick or treating).

We really wanted her to go as this:

But we ran out of time as we planned on making it (try finding a shirt with stripes of that color). Juan was going to sew the shirt and I was just going to buy a pair of denim jumpers and red sneakers; but with the travelling we'd been doing we just ran out of time. Perhaps next year.

We've been teaching her how to say "Trick or Treat" but with little success. I think it's still quite a mouthful for my little one who's still in the single word utterance phase.

Costa Rica

2011-10-23T22:30:00.000-07:00

Juan had the privelege of doing some business in Costa Rica this past week and Mimi and I had the honor of joining him. It was a fun trip altogether, except that October is smack dab in the middle of the monsoon season and it just rained all week long. Regardless, we at least go to do a few things and enjoyed our selves.

Day 1 (2 & 3) - A Bust!

We arrived on Saturday night, the 15th, late, from two 5-hour plane rides; so we were all pooped. We managed to get up and have breakfast on Sunday, went back to our room, put Wall-E on the wall (it pays to travel with a business man, he brings his cool gadgets such as his projector), and within 10 mins we were all passed out; and it wasn't even the baby's nap time yet! We proceeded to do this for the next two days:

Wake up
Get cleaned up and ready for the day
Have breakfast
Head back to room and nap
Wake up
Have a super late lunch
Walk around for a little bit
Have a late dinner
Back to room to get bathed/showered
Sleep

Yeah, not super exciting, but that's what we did for almost 3 days until Juan had to go to work on Tuesday.

Romina and daddy on day 2 - a bit drizzly, a bit frizzed out, but doing okay

The view from our balcony at the Double Tree Cariari

Before I end this post, let me tell you a little something about Costa Rica if you ever decide to visit one day. It's a beautiful tropical paradise (and I didn't even get to go on all the AWESOME tours), the people are just so amazing, and the food is spectacular. But be prepared to shell out some major cash - this country is expensive!!!

The exchange rate rocks! $1 = 500 colones; except that the inflation rate is so high in the country that everything costs just too much. Case in point, we decided to go to the local grocery store to purchase some milk for the baby, a loaf of bread, mayo & mustard, plastic ware, napkins, an extra sippy cup, some grapes, pears, and plums - total cost $50. Yikes!

Juan's colleague, Don Luis, told us that folks in Costa Rica would go to Miami (which is a 2 hour flight) and spend 2-3 days to go shopping. It's still cheaper for Costa Ricans to go to the US and buy clothes here than it is to buy it in Costa Rica.

Oh well, to each his own I guess.

Anniversary Weekend

2011-09-24T23:00:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I didn't post about my wonderful 10 year wedding anniversary weekend.

This year marked our 10th wedding anniversary. At the tender age of 23 (yes, I think it's tender looking back at it wistfully) Juan and I married on June 15, 2001. A provincial girl from the islands had to travel thousands of miles over the ocean to meet her one and only in the desert of eastern Washington. Everything about Juan felt right and I'm so every happy that I made the right decision and not live with "what if..." and just went with my intuition.

Fast forward 10 years and here we both are, ten years older and wiser, somewhat rotund (but I just attribute it to a good life), fulfilled, content, and parents to a very happy child (and hopefully to one more in the future). We cannot be any happier.

So to celebrate we decided to take a low key and mellow weekend trip. We left the baby with Grandma and Grandpa and headed south to Huntington Beach, CA. It was the best trip ever!

We stayed at the Shorebreak Hotel right on the beach. It was smack dab in the middle of the action and it was so conveniently located to dining and people watching. We lazed around for three glorious days; I slept in (which I hadn't been able to do since I had the baby), stayed up late, took naps, ate whenever and whatever, and just enjoyed the precious quiet time with each other. We of course sat at the beach for a couple of hours and watched the surfers and took in some sun; decided against getting wet - we were just too lazy.

I couldn't think of any better way to celebrate this milestone. I didn't think I would still be so madly in love with someone after more than a decade of being together; but it's amazing when you meet your soul mate. In fact, I came across his love letters to me when we were still dating. It reminded me so much of why he is the love of my life. So charming, so funny, so passionate, and abandons all inhibitions when we're together. I cannot imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone.

To you my love, I look forward to growing old and to continue to hold hands when we walk.

My Island Life, Part 3 - Growing Up Filipino

2011-09-09T22:18:00.000-07:00

I came across some more pictures of our (my brother's and my) childhood growing up in the PI. Being two of the only 3 caucasians in school - both grade school and high school - I got teased for being white/pale. I remember being called "half-cooked" (translation is so poor but it's the closest I can get) quite a bit; and so abhorred being called "tisay", which is a derivation of "mestiza", a Spanish word that literally means mixed blood, but in this case of Spanish stock - because I was so fair. I just hated being singled out for being tisay and I was called this by adults when I was growing up.

Anyway, here's a small glimpse of our childhood:

My brother Jake with my dad when Jake was probably a couple years old or so.

With some of the neighborhood kids all lined up for a picture. As you can see, so mestizo. Don't ask me why he's wearing a rosary as a necklace; we were, after all, Catholics. And we always wore flip flops when we were at home. We only wore shoes to school, church, or if we're going out for a function or shopping in Manila.

I remember when we were children, I grew up with a dozen or so of my cousins and we all lived next to each other. It's common courtesy when you go visiting to always remove and leave your flip flops at the front door; it's very rude to walk in a home with your shoes/flip flops. Anway, when we all get called home, it's a mad rush at the doorway! A gang load of children scurrying trying to find their flip flops and run home. Sometimes we go home with mis-matched flip flops or with someone else's altogether.

Ummm...not sure why he's wearing a batman outfit around Christmas time. We grew up with fake Christmas trees, pines are still hard to come by and you have to pay top dollar (literally) if you want a live one. We also always dreamed of snow, it was one of those things that any child could just only read about; unless your family is wealthy enough to take you abroad and experience a white Christmas. I didn't experience my first encounter with snow until I was 19 when I moved here to the US.

Some grade school performance of some sort. Again, being mestiza, I was singled out most of the time to be the lead of a group or the head of a procession. I hated it!

Jake during some boy scout function. Check out the teacher's outfit - it's got the scout logo printed all over it.

Me when I was in "nursery school", which I think is pre-school here in the US. Jake and I went to Christian schools all our lives (except for Jake when he went to Uni). I distinctly remember being taught Mandarin in this school and my best friend Emily was Chinese who went on frequent trips to Hong Kong and always had the coolest stuff.

Jake and I later on as adults. I never drove, so he always obligingly agreed to "chauffer" me around most of the time. Especially during my college career. He wanted to check out all the hot chicks at my university. It was a win-win situation for all I cared.

Object Attachment

2011-08-30T00:13:00.000-07:00

Well, not really; but it's still sad to say good bye.

I was in an automobile accident this weekend. I'm okay, but my poor little Rav4 isn't.

I was heading to the Beaverton farmer's market this past Saturday and I was so excited since I hadn't gone at all this year. I told Juan that I didn't want to bring Romina with me since I didn't want to struggle with a stroller and a couple of shopping bags full of produce. In addition, street parking by the market is a nightmare and the Rav4, being a short wheel base, is just so slick to get in and out of tight spots.

But most importantly, we had the rear facing car seat in this car and I was just so glad I dindn't even needed to bring Mimi or she would have been seriously injured with all the impact and glass everywhere. I just shudder at the thought!

Besides, it just really annoys me to no end that some families decide to make a full outing to the farmer's market. I don't mean to be a hater, but now that I have my own child, I so will not bring her to a place where some people actually do some serious shopping (moi included), and I take my produce shopping seriously! So people, if you want to bring your yacht of a stroller to the tight packed farmer's market and expect every other person to make way for you, well you won't be getting it from me!

I digress.

Anyway, so I was just less than 3 miles from the market and at 8:15 on Saturday morning, traffic on Canyon Road was kinda slow; I thought "Hmm...weird". When I was crossing Cedar Hills I noticed that a cop was directing traffic from Farmington Road onto Canyon, which again I thought odd.

When I stole a glance at the cop directing traffic and returned my gaze ahead of me, the mini van in front abruptly came to a stop; so I was forced to step on my brakes. I will admit I was following a little closely, but I just really wanted to get to the market already. Before I knew it I was rammed from behind and all I heard was glass shattering and a hard slam.

Long story short, a Ford Ranger rear ended me which caused my entire rear windshield to shatter, damaged the entire back gate and my feelings and pride wounded. The kicker: the guy who hit me works for an auto body shop. I drove home that morning without going to the market and just a little bit more sad because my car's so damaged.

Said body shop assessed the damage today and considered the car totaled (wihch Juan and I already knew going into this), so we now need to purchase another vehicle.

So I'm just sad that we now have to say good bye to a good little car that served us so well these past 8 years or so. It took us to California and back, El Paso Texas and back, North Central Washington and back, Idaho and back, and hundreds of trips to the Tri Cities Washington. It was a good car and I hope it gets recycled well.

The High Cost of Sanity

2011-07-24T21:32:00.000-07:00

In my sleep deprived mind I find myself sometimes more eloquent than I really need to be. Maybe because I don't feel any inhibitions with the use of words, or maybe I just don't really mind if my diction is poor or if I'm verbose. Anyway, the past 24 - 36 hours may have been the worst that I've gone through as a parent.

Never mind the first time home with baby and baby didn't latch right away and couldn't nurse; or the every 2-hour feedings for the first week or so; or the fact that baby just doesn't care what time of day it is, if she's going to sleep or not sleep mum and dad just don't really matter. They're all a walk in the park!

When Mimi turned 13 months I got a brief taste of heaven. She consistently slept 10 hours a day (sometimes a few hours more), was a total angel to put down, and hardly fussed. Well, they were a sweet 4 months.

Something happened yesterday and I have just given up on making sense out of it. Some would say "Oh! She's just teething!", some would say "She's just going through a phase, she'll get over it" Whatever it is, I hope damned well it's passed. Because if I'm to live a sane life, one with a harmonious home and strong marriage, this had really better passed.

She decided yesterday that she was not going to nap. Twice we tried to put her down and she resisted. So I figured, fine, she just will skip a nap for the day, no kid died from skipping a nap. We visited a friend in the afternoon, which entailed a 45 min drive, so she put in 30 mins of nap time. Fine, whatever.

Then came bed time.

She actually went down with very little fuss, considering she didn't nap, that was to be expected. Well, 1:30 am rolls around and she starts crying. Within the span of an hour I got up 5 times to try to get her back to sleep. Nothing. At past 2:30 am hubby took his turn, he tried albeit most poorly and with quite disastrous results. So mummy decides a ride down HW 26 should do the trick. We've done it once, she passed out before we even reached the on ramp to the highway, this should work.

At 3:20 am as we were well on our way past Troutdale, she was still wide eyed. WTF!! I figured, okay, we'll go all the way to Multnomah Falls, that should do the trick. Hah! Mum's a sucker! So all the way to Hood River we went. When one is driving before the break of dawn one can ruminate like it's no one's business; and I will tell you this, it's not healthy! Ruminate in the bathroom when you're doing business, or when you're waiting for the light to turn green, but not on a 2 hour drive. You can work yourself up to hypertension.

Needless to say, she did fall asleep somewhere between Cascade Locks and Hood River, maybe around a little before 4:00 am, and at 5:30 am we pulled up our driveway with little miss moppet all passed out; until 7:45am.

I don't have a moral to this story nor is there even a silver lining to it all. It just really begs the question: why do people have children at all?

Adios Chupi!

2011-07-13T21:24:00.000-07:00

Now that Mimi's finally growing teeth (and a whole bunch at the same time too), we've decided it's time she quits the chupi (aka pacifier).

It's been exactly two weeks since we've quit giving Romina the chupi and it wasn't as tough as I tought it would be. She struggled the first few nights, waking up a couple times or so throughout the night knowing that she was missing something terribly. She eventually settled in nicely, but the putting her to sleep part got rough.

Before making her quit cold turkey, I would give her her sippy cup of milk, read to her while she's drifting off, give her her chupi (she multi-tasked: drink her milk with one hand while holding her chupi w/ the other whenever she's ready for it), kiss her goodnight, turn off her lamp, then leave her room quietly. It worked like a charm. She always fell asleep.

Now it's a little bit of a debacle.

She always whines and cries when I leave her room. Of course, only daddy can calm her down; and she always calms down and goes to sleep for him.

Anway, each night is getting better.

We're off to the next adventure.

$hi+ Comes in Spades (or Something Like it)

2011-07-08T21:44:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: If you don't like cuss words, you may want to skip this post.

I can't recall what how the actual saying goes, but it truly felt like shit this week.

It all started with me contracting some kind of viral infection. It was something between a cold and a flu but just awful. It hit me Friday night last week and had a 48 hour turnaround time. In the middle of this shitty maelstrom my husband had to get on my ass for the worst kind of shit too (no need to go into details - this kind of laundry does not get aired in public). I went to immediate care on Saturday after a boxing in the ears by said hubby and that's when I was told I was fighting an infection of the viral kind.

By the end of the holiday weekend I was feeling better. Then rolled Thursday morning. All of a sudden I got the worst bout of nausea ever. I didn't even get nausea during my pregnancy. I puked a few times that morning, and of course nothing because there was nothing to give up. Bloody hell! Went to my GP and it's the stomach flu.

WTF???

Stayed home all day yesterday feeling like I was sailing the roiling Sydney harbor again, and stayed home today too. Good thing I did.

Juan tweaked his back this afternoon just from stretching in his office chair here at home. He managed to hobble to the bed (less than a 10' walk) to lay down but just his (really our) luck he couldn't get up. So I had to call the ambulance (I must admit I was a little nervous, I had never dialed 911 before in my life). The fire department first came, ministered to Juan real quick, then the ambulance, then off to Tuality in Hillsboro we went.

After some valium and some awesome goofy shit from Juan while knocked out - he was waving his hands, mumbling, and even said "Sookie!" in that hot guttural Bill-like tone (if you watch True Blood, you know what I'm talking about) - the doctor sent us home with a prescription for vicodin and some muscle relaxant. It was determined that it could be a bulging disc but we have to wait 48 hours to truly know.

Anyway, hubby's hobbling and can't really move too much, my stomach's still in knots, and I'm ready for this to be all over.

Good thing the baby's doing great and finally over the pacifier.

What a dumpy ass week!

A Requiem for My Sanity

2011-06-23T23:31:00.000-07:00

Dear Tangled,

You have messed with my mind. I fell in love with you when I first saw you in the theater last year. I thought "Oh! How wonderful! I must purchase you for my daughter when you get released". Have I rued that day.

Please don't be upset. You're a wonderful movie. Very well written, catchy songs one can sing with, and a plot so entertaining that a toddler could fall in love with.

But that was the beginning of my ruin. I acquired you with no thought to my, or my husband's, sanity. You have since addled my brain, turned my eardrums to mush, and like a well trained monkey, I can repeat your lines without even any prompting.

So as I sit here and ponder with melancholy how I wound up in this inferno, I will hold foerver this image you have made possible. A child so beholden, so rapt in awe, that no sooner a line is uttered or a tune is played, I wonder if it's even possible that you can be malevolent.

So to my fellow parents or to you who ponder parenthood, be forewarned. You too will experience this agony (or you may be the exact opposite). I will recede into myself and think happy thoughts and of happy places until one day I may regain my balance.

Lovingly,
Judy

PS - Oh shit! I forgot, we plan to have a nother child. I guess I might as well prop my ass next to my kids and just suck it up.

No Longer a Baby

2011-06-23T23:16:00.000-07:00

Our return from Sydney ushered in very big changes in Casa Ayala. Juan decided that our baby was no longer a baby and that she was a toddler. Hence, there was no need for a crib and baby gates (which did go bye-bye).

Well, let me back up a little. A few weeks before our big trip abroad, Juan wanted to convert her crib straight to a toddler bed and I resisted. I just wasn't quite ready for her to be in a bed yet. SHE'S STILL MY BABY!!

Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! I need to get over it. But she's my child and I am still in love with this quasi baby phase. But I had to relent because Juan was of course correct. It was time to move forward.

So we compromised. We went from this......

To this......

To finally this....

And we now have mornings that wind up like this....

Yes, she's fallen out of bed a couple of times but I think she's figuring out the mechanics of it.

So there's our little one, no longer a babe but the beginnings of a child.

Sydney - Day 4

2011-06-23T23:04:00.000-07:00

Finally! I know! I know! I've been remiss (I'll go into another post on why). Anyway, Syndey - Day 4 ....

So, the last day in Sydney was spent by me enjoying a couple of hours at the spa while Juan participated in the company sponsored Amazing Race. The morning gave me enough time to go shop for gifts to bring home and to just unwind a little after 3 full days of fun fun fun.

The main event of the trip was the gala dinner at the Sydney Opera House. Wow! There are just no words to describe it. I, of course, gussied up for the night. It's not every night one gets to dine at such a world renowned venue. I put on my high high heels, my short black dress, and had my hair and face done (although I wasn't too thrilled with how my face turned out).

Our "formal" photo taken in front of the opera house

Seated for dinner - pardon the finger but it was the best indoor photo of us

The evening was capped off by a surprise performance by an artist. The organizers did a wonderful job of keeping it hush hush because we were all a-twitter with speculations. They did not disappoint.

It was a private performance by Jennifer Hudson!!!

Okay, I wasn't a big fan of hers; but after that evening I was super impressed. This woman can sing. Now I have to watch Dream Girls.

Our sojourn in Sydney was just simply amazing! The city was dazzling, the friends we met with and made were just the best, and it was an experience truly to stay with us for the rest of our lives. It was a bittersweet departure but we were both looking forward to coming home to our little one.

We look forward to going back again soon.

Sydney - Day 3

2011-05-22T23:16:00.000-07:00

Day 3 started out overcast and cold so we were concerned that our planned activity for the day would wind up being horrible. Oh were we gladly wrong. We signed up to do a regatta today and I really did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did.

We partnered up with five of Juan's colleague's to form a team to participate in a sailing regatta. We sailed a performance Beneteau and Sydney yacht with a master skipper. Our skipper, Martin, was excellent! Only a couple of years ago he participated in a world sailing competition that lasted 10 months. So I knew we were in excellent hands.

This yacht was only 40 feet long and had only 2 sails - the main sail and the head sail. I volunteered to man the main sail with Juan helping me and two of Juan's colleague's manned the head sails while another volunteered to steer. It was such a blast!! We competed with four other similar yachts to sail around Sydney harbor. We were very lucky because we experienced great winds today whereas yesterday was very calm.

We fared okay in the competition but the most important thing of all we had fun! Now I see why people fall in love with sailing. I don't know if it's completely for me (as I'm writing this post I can still feel like I'm in a boat - I haven't quite got my land legs back).

At the beginning of the regatta with one of the yachts passing us

One of our competitors trailing behind us

We're all trying to round the light house

Juan helping me bring in the main sail - he's cranking the handle as I pull in the rope

It was a gorgeous day to go sailing

Sydney - Day 2

2011-05-22T22:57:00.000-07:00

Day 2 in Sydney began with a kayaking trip. I've paddled before (on a dragon boat and a 2 person outrigger canoe) but not on a tandem kayak so I was a little hesitant. It turned out to be a wonderful trip!

We started at The Spit, more specifically at the bottom of The Spit Bridge, and paddled around the bay towards Grotto Point and Middle Head. It took about a couple of hours to paddle to these locations and about 2/3 of the way we stopped at Balmoral Beach for some tea. What a nice little respite and I was introduced to one of the most wonderful Australian delights Tim Tam. I think I ate half a package of these wonderful cookies. I'm definitely buying a whole bunch to take home. After our tea break we rounded up our trip around Middle Harbour and headed back to The Spit.

When we were docking our kayaks we saw a fairy penguin right next to our docked kayaks just happily swimming about hunting for fish. I think that was the highlight of our trip for the day.

The view from up the hill at The Spit before reaching the bridge and our destination

Our group heading out of Middle Head

A cormorant happily perched on a rock

The Grotto - an old WW2 naval outpost to look out for Japanes submarines torpedoing ships at the harbor

Our tea break at Balmoral Beach (that's Juan with his back to me taking a video clip)

One of the numerous million dollar homes at the harbor

Sydney - Day 1

2011-05-22T22:28:00.000-07:00

Juan and I are here in Sydney enjoying some much needed R&R. After leaving our much beloved Romina at Abuelo & Abuela's (with tons of tears from mummy), we arrived in Sydney on Saturday, May 21st. Being south of the equator this time of the year is Australia's fall. It's absolutley gorgeous!! It's nice and balmy and we're walking around with light jackets or sweaters for the most part.

Anyway, on our day of arrival we signed up to do a harbor cruise in the afternoon. A couple of hours crusing around Sydney harbor is a good way to sort of unwind after a long plane ride (15 1/2 hours from Vancouver, BC). Needless to say, the views are just breathtaking. I will just let the pictures do the talking.

Awaiting our ship for the harbor cruise

Sydney Harbor Bridge

The majestic Sydney Opera House

A beautiful day for sailing

The view from our room at the Four Seasons taken at dawn

We're Still Here

2011-05-06T21:42:00.000-07:00

I have been so remiss and I have no decent excuse except that I've just been so lazy. I figured it's high time I at least posted an update on what the Ayalas have been up to. So here goes:

Romina
Our little one is just trucking along. She is now 15 months old and is still a peanut (only 18.4 lbs and 23 1/2" high). She's been walking like a pro since 10 1/2 mos, ambles along like it's nobody's business and is now learning to "trot". She finally belts out belly laughs, is still a voracious eater (and absolutely loves ALL fruits), still nurses once a day, no longer drinks milk from a bottle, consistently sleeps 10 hours a night (although sometimes she will pull in 13 hour nights), does sign language in Spanish pretty decent (food, milk, more, water) - except for please which is in English, doesn't say a word yet but points at things and goes "huh", knows what a phone is and actually puts it up against her ear, eats with a spoon and fork very well (yaay!), still loves baths, loves the dogs, enjoys daycare immensely, loves her touch and feel books, is obssessed with the movie Tangled (but doesn't watch any other programs - odd), tries to put her socks or shoes on but can't seem to figure out why it just won't go on, love bubbles, has now 3 teeth (finally!), loves taking daddy's cash out of his wallet (and surprising enough, knows which is the $1 and the $100 bills), loves to go outside and sneaks out on us as much as she can, climbs like a monkey, can finally give kisses (albeit open mouthed), loves technology (just like daddy) - keep the iPad away or she'll never let it go, realized she has a will and exerts it, can be a mighty pill, and just has mummy and daddy completely enchanted.

Juan and Judy (aka daddy & mummy)
Daddy's still busy with work and is still loving it. Mummy's busy with her part-time work and is still loving it. Getting ready to go for a one week trip to Australia - minus said enchanting child. Mummy's not gonna know what to do with herself (drink till she's numb?). Mummy has terribly fallen behind on her chores so was forced to hire a house keeper to come once a week - what a sanity saver; now if the laundry would just do itself. Daddy's been walking a lot and has lost 5+ lbs in 4 weeks; or according to endomondo he's burned 8 burgers. Mummy thinks daddy's starting to look very hot again (not that he didn't before, just more). Will shoot for baby #2 after Australia trip. Is looking forward to a Philippine Christmas this year.

Punk-E and Bud-E (the pets)
The dogs are doing okay except Bud-E, our boy dog, has cancer. We found out a few months ago and it was heartbreaking. It's metastasized mast cell cancer and we're looking at somewhere between 3-6 months; but I think our Bud-E dog may just hang in there and prove us wrong. He's still happy, running around, is adamant about mealt times, and just loves being with us. You can't even tell he's sick! Punk-E still punks Bud-E around but she does adore him. They're awesome and we're glad for the time we have with them.

That's the news from Casa de Ayala. Will try to post diligently again here soon, I promise. Until then, happy spring!

My Island Life - The Old Kano

2011-03-17T20:25:00.000-07:00

I came across some photos of my dad I took home w/ me the year he passed away. Most of the pictures were of him in his garden (what we called the farm). But before I go into the photos let me go into the etymology of "The Old Kano".

"Kano" is the shortened form of the word "Amerikano", which is what the Filipinos use to refer to Americans, specifically men (the Tagalog dialect [the predominant dialect in the Philippines] is heavily influenced by Spanish, thus most words take on a feminine and masculine form). I believe my dad picked up this moniker - Kano - when we were still living in Manila, before my parents moved us to the province. The "Old" part was appended not too long after. Therefore, our farm was called "The Old Kano's Farm".

Now the Philippine public transportation system is mostly made up of private enterprises and there are really no city owned buses in the provinces. So there are no designated bus stops and really no standards. So when people want to get off their bus or jeepney (I'll post on the jeepney separately) people would just yell "Para" (Spanish for stop) where they want to get off and the vehicle pulls slightly off the side of the road and the passenger disemabrks. I'm bringing this train home, don't worry. This sounds a little self serving and that's not my intention at all, I just want to show you how a simple name can be a part of local living, but since the farm is right on the highway and is very visible, when people pay for their bus/jeepney fare they say they're getting of at Old Kano's, or when the bus conductor asks them where they would like to get off, they say at Old Kano's. Everyone in our little barrio used it as a landmark.

Okay, now to the farm.

Since it rains so much in the PI (short for Philippine Islands, and I will use it from here on out) - 7 feet in one year one time my dad measured it w/ a very inaccurate rain gauge - we built green houses. It looked like it housed some pole beans in the middle, some hibiscus, some begonias, and whatever else he had in there.

My dad loved flowers (he even used to talk to them. As a matter of fact he talked to all his plants), and he especially favored gumamelas - the Tagalog word for hibiscus. He would graft on different colors in one bush and he prided himself in this. He sold it like it was hot potatoes. I never really did like hibiscus, maybe because we had them everywhere.

My dad and a bag of red radishes. If you notice in these pictures he's always walking around w/ his garden hoe. It doubles as his walking stick. His shoes, he used to call them bunny hoppers, were never really grippy and it can get muddy like it's nobody's business, so his garden hoe would help him trudge around the garden.

Ah! And his beautiful peppers. There must have been 20-30 lbs worth on this round table. They were part of his show stopper and the chefs could not get enough of them. He had yellow, red, purple, green, orange, bananas, habaneros, jalapenos - you name it he had it.

Oh! The things he could grow. No one, for the longest time, could get fresh rosemary - it all had to be imported from Australia or New Zealand. He did it! And the herbs. It was herb nirvana: basil (Italian and Thai), marjoram (my favorite of all), thyme (English & creeping), mint, tarragon, coriander, dill, chervil, parsley (curly & flat), chives, and oregano (Italian and the local kind) just to name a few. I had the most unfortunate job during the summer to tend to the basil rows (we're talking about a dozen or sow rows that are 15 feet long per row - at least I think they were) - I had to trim the flowers off or they would all mature and seed, or we would not be able to harvest the leaves. But one thing I did love is at the end of the tropical day, I smelled of basil.

My Island Life - Part 1

2011-03-15T23:23:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if you all six followers know that I was born and raised in the Philippines - well, maybe the two who I went to Uni with. But yes, I am a product of island living and I was so thrilled when I came across some photos of my childhood home.

My parents acquired a little property in a province called Cavite south of Manila, the capital. The house used to belong to a physician, that much I know. But it was a two bedroom, one bathroom home that at one point in time housed about 8 people or so.

And yes, that's a goat taking a dump in front of the house.

The house of course is no longer there, my dad built around and over it - that's for another post if I find pictures (or I may have to steal some from my mom when I go back hom for Christmas).

Along with this house came a little "guest house", a "bahay kubo" - a nipa (palm fronds) hut that is the basic Filipino architectural type of home constructed mostly of bamboo and coconut lumber. Tha main house - photo above - has a nipa hut roof over the bedrooms as you can see on the right hand side of the house.

It's very nice and cool in the warm tropical summers and kinda cold in the cool tropical winters (well, sorta, but another post on that later). There is an operable window in the middle (it's not too obvious) that is propped open with a piece of finished 2x4 or something similar.

This is photo is taken from the side of the main house looking at the shed next to the guest house.

All the brush was cleared later on and we kept geese and turkeys penned on this side of the house. I hated them, these fowl beings were mean. I remember when I was 7 or 8 after school I was playing next to the fowls and they were just free roaming and one goose decided he/she had it for me and started chasing me honking and flapping its wings. When you're that age and small everything looked huge. I of course made the fatal mistake of running and screaming and next thing you know, the sucker pecked my butt. It really didn't hurt but it stung a little bit. Goose bills, if you don't know, have little sharp ridges like teeth and they can get you.

My dad grew tons of vegetables. That's what he did when he retired from the US army. This little hobby turned out to be the business that would sustain our family. These plots of turnips and cabbages (and I don't know what else, the photo's grainy) were the beginnings of our livelihood.

My dad has long passed but my mom still has the farm and it is now up for sale. It's bittersweet but it's time for her to retire and enjoy her young senior life.

Anyway, that's a simple tast of my island life. I think I have a few more pictures. As soon as I dig them up I'll post again.

Stalker Love

2011-03-12T20:30:00.000-08:00

It seems my daughter has caught the attention of one of the little boys in her class. Adam will be 2 this month and is a big boy, and very handsome too. He's so fun and loves all the little kids in the class. However, it seems that he loves my little one more than the other kids.

Every time we arrive in school, Adam comes barging forward and loves to give Romina tons of lovins. I mean TONS of lovins. As soon as Romina sees him come her way she clings on to me for dear life and starts crying.

So, on Friday when we got to school, Adam right away gives Romina the biggest hug; except that Romina is way shorter than him so he winds up giving her a massive hug around her neck and smothers her face on his chest and picks her up. Wow! That's a lot of lovin'.

Apparently, the teachers in her class have come to refer to Adam's affection as "stalker love". He checks to see if the teachers are looking and if they are not paying attention, he'll start hugging and kissing Romina. In fact, they say that he just follows her pretty much most of the time. And they say that Romina now has gotten to the point where she'll let him caress her face and doesn't mind it anymore.

I gotta keep an eye on that little boy there.

The Toughest Job in the World

2011-03-04T19:46:00.000-08:00

I so truly appreciate my mom and all the mums and dads all over the world. Being a parent is the toughest job, that I think, is out there; at least the toughest job I've ever had so far.

For starters, your employer, i.e. your child, is quite demanding. I've had a demanding boss or two in my lifetime, but if I don't meet this little one's demand, I pay for it with no sleep. I can deal with dickwads any day, but a non-sleeping child is a totally different matter.

I have had my share of burning midnight oil, more than I could really care to remember; but when the child is ill or suffering from some odd ill and ache, it's a whole new ball of wax. I never realized how much I have in me until I count how many hours of sleep (or lack thereof) the morning after. Running on fumes - hah! I scoff at that.

Being a mum is such a great responsibility that every time I say something or do something I know that in one way or another it's going to mold the way this little one will think and act. Sure, I choose to be crass and tactless at times (or sometimes I don't choose to be, it just happens that I am sometimes) but now, I have to be truly careful about my decisions as it will help set an example for her. I don't want to raise little miss perfect (how annoying would that be?) but I also don't want her to turn out to be so misguided and jaded.

When she was only 2 weeks old and I was nursing her one night, I all of a sudden had such a great fear that I started stroking her hair and whispering in her ear telling her how I would like for her life to be perfect. It'so daunting and so challenging to raise a little one.

I admire all the mums that have come before and set the way for us, this generation, to raise the future - yes, that's what we're doing, we're raising the future. To you single parents, parents with multiples, parents with traveling spouses, and parents who just feel like you're at your wits end, we have the toughest job in the world, but I would never ever trade it for anything either.

How to Use a Spoon

2011-02-24T22:28:00.000-08:00

We're teaching Romina how to use a spoon. She's learning at school too so we thought we need to reinforce the use of utensils at home.

This was the first instance and it looks like she wore her food more than she ate it.

But she's getting the idea. She's now learning how to use the fork too and can somewhat stab a piece of food and put it in her mouth. She's also getting a little less messier.

I can't wait for her to truly feed herself. That would be heaven! Then mealtimes won't take twice as long.

I Knew What I Signed Up For. . .

2011-02-23T23:39:00.000-08:00

. . .But it doesn't mean I have to like it.

See that image above? These 3, including my hubby who's not in the photo, are the most important person and animals in my life (and of course she has to hog the other dog bed so the two share one just to avoid arguing w/ her). With that being said, I must also add that they're all a lot of work. Like I said, I knew what I signed up for.

Anyway, our boy dog, Bud-E (the dog in the middle of the trio in the photo), was neutered just two weekends ago. All went well, except that his scortal sac was seeping fluids and blood. So, as concerned parents (Yes, he is our child. In fact, our first well before Romina came along; 9 years to be exact.) we called the vet, took him in, and found out he had fluid dysplasia (I think that's what Juan said) - just google it if you're curious - and had to have surgery the following day. This was just this Sunday. So poor Bud-E had to have his scrotum removed to prevent further issues.

Okay, so you're probably thinking, so what? Well, here's the "so what?" in this melodrama I call my life:

Bud-E's got tons of stitches and has a cone collar and won't have stitches removed till next weekend.
Juan's leaving out of town for close to two weeks straight - including two weekends!
Romina's still fighting this nasty flu/cold bug, is teething some more, and has now developed a terrible diaper rash and screams bloody murder every time she pees (which means I have to change her diaper to ease the burning).
I have to figure out what to do with Bud-E when I go to work next week since he can't be left alone yet.
And poor Punk-E, she's not getting much lovin' the way things are going around here.

That being said, being wife, mother, professional, and home maker is something that I can't even wrap my sleep addled brain around right now.

I so aspire to a boring life!

Got Tooth?

2011-02-16T20:57:00.000-08:00

Yes!!! Finally!

After months of anticipation, a tooth has finally errupted. Gosh! With all the crud that Romina's got, at least this is a silver lining.

Of course, I can't take a picture of it because every time I try to pry her mouth open and pull the bottom lip back, she sticks her tongue out. Go figure!

Why Daycare Why?

2011-02-15T20:30:00.000-08:00

When all we want is to have fun!!!

We've only been in daycare for a month and a half and since that time Romina's had:

The flu
The flu
A cold
An ear infection
A cold
An eye infection
An ear infection

All in that order.

Last night was the worst. Baby slept for 6 hours at first, woke up at 2:30 AM, was in and out of sleep for 2 hours, went back to sleep at 4:30 AM, then proceeded to wake up every hour for 3 hours. Needless to say, mummy only had 2 - 2 hour stretches of sleep.

At the pediatrician today, the doctor told me that I should expect her to continue to catch all possible iteration of any bug possible for the next 5 years. Yes you read that right - 5 years. Apparently, her immune system will, by then, get robust that by kidnergarten, she'll be laughing at all the other kids getting sick while she plays in the playground in the rain.

Oh, what a thing to aspire to. The question is, will I make it out alive before then?

A Lesson in Buying Toys

2011-02-11T17:34:00.000-08:00

As new parents, Juan and I still have such notions and ideas of buying just the right toy for Romina for each occassion. We have a little kitchen, a music table, talking/singing books, etc. etc. etc. We hope that with each toy we buy our child is stimulated in the hopes that she'll be the next Marie Curie or Jane Austen.

Hah!

I think I've pretty much learned my lesson quick. I won't be buying her too many toys in the near future if the simplest of home appliance or grocery item fulfills the need.

Thinking the hamper is a fun place to climb in.

The dishwasher is a very big hit. I can only do dishes when she's in bed.

Needless to say, the tupperware drawer has a child safety lock in it.

Need I say more?

A Simple Pat in the Butt

2011-02-09T21:36:00.001-08:00

That's what we finally figured out it was.

24 Hours Before:

I picked up Romina at school yesterday afternoon and her teacher, a little uncomfortably, asked me if we spanked Romina at home. I replied that we give her a gentle slap on the hands when she gets into the dogs bowls and I asked why.

The teacher said that during the day Romina was caught straddling a baby (she's about 6 mos old) who was upset and crying and who was on her tummy, spanking her butt and trying to remove the baby's pants to spank it. I was of course shocked!! The teachers were laughing as they were telling me this and that I should'nt be too alarmed.

As they repeated the story I started feeling a little chagrined and I was telling them that we don't spank my child at home like that. Then one of the teachers pointed out that when any of the babies are upset and crying, she picks them up, holds them close and pats them gently on the butt. Aha! Light bulbs started going off and we figured Romina was trying to calm the baby.

I was still perturbed of course when we got home; but sure enough, Romina found one of her baby dolls, picked it up and was patting - well, more like slapping really - her baby on the butt. She proceeded to do the same thing with her other baby doll when she got done with the other one. Well what do you know!

Whew! I thought I was going to have CPS called on me. But the "Mummy! Look at the fat lady!" moment has now begun.

A note about spanking in Casa de Ayala

Juan and I agreed, even before we had our child, that we were going to spank our child - only when it is warranted. We don't strictly adhere to the belief that if you spare the rod you spoil the child. I also firmly believe that a parent should never ever spank a child out of anger, it definitely sends out the wrong message and energy.

However, we do believe that there are times when simple admonishments will not discipline a child. There will come a point that Romina will need to learn the consequences of her actions and that she will have to be disciplined. Sure, there are many critics out there that will argue the point, and I say more power to you in disciplining YOUR child.

Juan and I were both spanked, not beaten, and in each instance, when all have calmed down, my parent(s) always sat me down and explained to me why I was spanked. I didn't grow up to beat other children, I didn't grow up resorting to fisticuffs, and I didn't grow up having hatred and anger issues. I did learn that I didn't like to be spanked and most important of all, I learned that if I was going to contemplate on doing anything bad, I MAY get a spanking.

So for those of you who don't agree with this, well, you can write your own blog then.

Romina's First Birthday Party (and My First as a Parent)

2011-01-30T20:22:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd throw a no-frills first birthday for my first born. I figured, she's one, she really won't remember any of it, so why fuss? I think I was successful in keeping it no fuss but very fun.

I decided I didn't want a big birthday cake and I love cupcakes so I threw a cupcake party! Baking the cupcakes (we approximated I baked over 200 mini cupcakes: chocolate, lemon, red velvet, vanilla, and carrot cake) was half the fun, frosting half of them was gratifying (even though my pink buttercream kinda melted).

We had wonderful friends and family over. Romina had a good 'ol time. Thank goodness that's over and I don't have to plan another one for another 359 days.

Photo courtesy of Lori Buffington

To You on Your Day

2011-01-26T21:40:00.000-08:00

My Dearest Darling Romina

You just turned one my beloved and I look at you with bittersweet longing. Bittersweet because you move one year forward to discovering your little self and a slight bit of independence. Longing because I cannot wait for the coming days, months, and years when we discover together who you are and who you will become.

Beside your father, the love of my life, you are the next best thing life could have offered me. My heart runneth over with so much joy and love when you cling to me, when you smile at me, even when you throw me a little fit. It is all you. It is all you.

Your sense of wonder and bewilderment at your surroundings and the people around you give me hope that you will embrace all that the world has to offer you. Your little streak of independence offers me a glimpse of who you will be as a woman. And your tantrums give me the devilish delight that the man who will one day make you a proud wife will have to deal with a strong willed (and perhaps impulsive) woman. You will celebrate your being you. And I will look forward to it.

You will know of the bitterness of heart break, the desire to be wanted, the angst of not knowing; but you will also learn of your own strength and will to overcome all challenges thrown at you.

Because through each step of the way, through each encounter, your father and I, your loving parents, will be there to watch you, to nod our head should you look our way, to hold your hand when you reach out to us, to tell you if you're wrong whether you like it or not, and to support you regardless of the outcome.

We will forever love you, our dearest darling Romina. You may have just turned one, but the world is already yours.

French Fry Fiend

2010-12-16T12:36:00.000-08:00

She looooves french fries (what kid doesn't?). I do too. But I will never eat my fries like she does.

My Beautiful Bed Head

2010-12-15T09:14:00.000-08:00

Unlike most babies, Romina didn't start rolling onto her belly to sleep until the past couple of months. She used to lie still with her arms up (like in surrender) and sleep like that for hours.

Then she woke up from her midday nap one day looking like this.

She'd get the bed head every time she would turn her head from side to side while sleeping on her tummy. It just cracks me up every time she smiles through her chupi (paci in Spanish) with her hair all askance.

Busted!!

2010-12-14T12:03:00.000-08:00

It just came out of nowhere and caught us by surprise. First we heard pitter patter of feet, but we couldn't find her. So we followed the sound and here's where we found her.

It definitely prompted us to buy a couple of baby gates.

Next challenge: teaching her how to climb back down stairs - safely.

A Dairy Delirium

2010-11-17T20:49:00.000-08:00

I never used to love ice cream. I had always wondered how my dad could like it so much. Now my child has shown a predilection for this dairy wonder (and now so have I).

A somewhat drunken look - I get this way too when I've had a couple of bowls of ice cream

I couldn't pry the cone from her death grip so I just gave up

Halloween 2010

2010-11-15T20:19:00.000-08:00

Photo courtesy of Chris & Roxy Miller

Growing up in the tropics and in the province didn't allow my brother and I to truly experience Halloween. Of course we knew what trick or treating was, thanks to my American father; but I didn't get to actually do it until I was 19 (my first and last time).

So as a parent, I was a little apprehensive on how to go about this entire trick or treat business. Thank goodness that my husband was all into the spirit. I was really hesitant at first to dress up for Halloween.

My thought ws "WHY? WHAT'S THE POINT?!" Until Juan, of course the voice of reason, pointed out that this season isn't for us but for Romina. So that when she gets older she can look at silly pictures of her parents hamming it up with their BFFs and realizing that no matter at what age, you're never too old to have fun.

For those who are curious, we were:

Romina - a spider

Judy - Pink Ladies from the movie Grease

Juan - 80's workout dude in a fat suit

Grandma - a jailbird

Roxy - a she-viking (hear her roar!)

Maiya - a skunk

Chris (photo taker) - as himself

Multnomah Falls - 23 Years Later

2010-11-12T20:45:00.000-08:00

The first time we came to the United States was in the summer of 1987. My brother and I had to miss the first month of school since in the Philippines our school year started in June (which is right after the beginning of the monsoon season) and ended in March (our tropical summer).

We didn't mind since we got to go on a big plane ride and see our American family. Needless to say, we were awestruck and culture shocked (I'll go into another post on that later).

The entire month we were here, we traveled practically the entire west coast. From visiting my lola, my mom's mother, in California; heading up to Oregon to see my cousins in Lebanon; then up to the State of Washington visiting a whole host of family from one end of the state to the other.

On our trip to Oregon, my dad took us to Multnomah Falls. My brother and I had not, until then, seen a falls up close and personal; only in photos and movies. Wow! What a vista! I wish I had some of those photos here in the US w/ me now, it was such an amazing trip.

Of course, since I moved here to Oregon 10 years ago, I've visited Multnomah Falls a few times. Now that my mom is here with me for a few months, she had expressed her desire to see the falls. So sometime mid September, on a very beautiful and crisp fall morning, we drove east to the falls.

The look on my mom's face was priceless. As we were walking up the summit my mom and I tried to remember that first trip and then it hit us both, it had been 23 years since we both were there at the falls together; and to top it all off, we had a new little one to share this moment with us.

It was quite untenable.

Little Tasmanian Devil

2010-11-10T20:09:00.000-08:00

When Romina started becoming ambulatory in her walker baby proofing the kitchen drawers was the last thing on our minds.

We were just so proud and happy that she's begun her ascent from helpless infant to a mobile toddler (and no, I do not rue stating that - unlike other mothers, I do not mind my child being mobile; how else am I going to get my exercise?).

Well, as she found out the wonders that one kitchen drawer holds, she would relentlessly open it and dig in.

Incidentally, the drawer she favored the most was the one containing all her feeding implements. I'm not OCD but I also despise having to dig through bowls/spoons/cups/etc/etc/etc when I'm in a rush to feed a screaming child.

Finally, the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back was when I found my little Tasmanian Devil in her walker with all of the goodies she pulled from her drawer strewn all about and drug around w/ her walker.

Notice the two bottles in addition to the blanket she's drug through the floor.

Another bottle and some spoons, with a few along the way that she dropped out of boredom.

The poor little one just couldn't hang from all of her rummaging (yes, that is her car seat; we went for a quick ride and she was out like a light in seconds).

What Would Your Answers Be?

2010-11-08T21:35:00.000-08:00

I love James Lipton and I love Inside the Actors Studio. My favorite segment of the show is when he asks his version of the Proust Questionnaire. All this time, I have pondered what my answers would be if these questions were ever posed to me. So, here is my shot at it. Maybe you could give it a try too.

1. What is your favorite word?

Kismet

2. What is your least favorite word?

Asshole

3. What turns you on?

A French kiss

4. What turns you off?

Halitosis

5. What sound or noise do you love?

Juan's unbridled laughter and Romina's uncontrolled giggles

6. What sound or noise do you hate?

A child sobbing

7. What is your favorite curse word?

F$#k

8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

A virologist

9. What profession would you not like to do?

An executioner

10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

Your dad is waiting for you with drinks and the library is always open

Degustating Summer

2010-11-08T20:45:00.000-08:00

One of the things I love about summer is homemade burgers hot off the grill. This year Juan has perfected our homemade burger patties (equal portions of ground chuck and prime NY steak, chopped up peppercorn bacon fried to a crisp, some chipotle tabasco sauce, salt, and pepper - YUM!!).

By this time, Romina was already well into consuming solid food and was starting to forsake the mushy baby kind. As the picture below well proves.

Perhaps just a bite of daddy's burger?

Of course she didn't get any at all and showed such displeasure

So she settled for her shoe instead

Romina Afton Ayala daily post November 3rd 2010

2010-11-08T09:17:00.000-08:00

Juan's been taking daily videos of Romina for a couple of months or so now and has been posting it on youtube for our family and friends to view. Just quick 1 min videos to keep our family updated on what's been going on with her.

Anyway, this one is my favorite thus far.

Lulu and Romina's Playdate

2010-11-07T20:07:00.000-08:00

I'm playing catch up with my blog so this post is about a playdate from September. Regardless, the babies were too funny together.

Our good friends Peter and Kara came over for a luncheon and the babies played for a little bit. Lulu, who was just a little over 6 months at the time, was already a pro at crawling and climbing.

Here is Lulu hitching a ride on Romina's walker. This ended in disaster, Romina ran over her precious little toes when she backed up (I know!! My daughter is a bully!). Needless to say, that was the end of that ride.

After a few minutes of tears everyone settled down and is all happy. But as you can see, Romina's got a mischievous look and just couldn't wait to get her hands on little Lulu.

What's Up!

2010-11-03T20:35:00.001-07:00

Wow! It's been months since I last posted. Just so much going on: crawling/walking kid, a few more sleepless nights, trips out of town, swim class, etc. etc. etc.

I promise I will do better and will be posting photos and stories again soon.

I So Can Do It On My Own!

2010-08-28T21:17:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess she can. She's getting good at it now and can slowly tip the glass to get more water. Now we can't drink anything with her in our arms, otherwise she grabs everything out of our hands.

Her New Favorite Dish

2010-08-21T21:11:00.001-07:00

Cherries, her new favorite dish. She's like a little bird. Her mouth is already open before we can even get another spoonful to feed her.

Swimming Class

2010-08-21T21:03:00.001-07:00

We decided to enroll Romina in swimming classes at our local rec center. She's the youngest in her class, all her swimming buddies are over 1 year old. She takes to the water very well and does not cry when she gets dunked in. Needless to say we have lots of fun.

Learning to grab a toy while learning how to float (we usually swim without a life jacket, the instructor decided to teach the kiddies how to swim with one)

After the class when we got home, she just had her dinner

A Bloody Mess

2010-08-19T14:36:00.000-07:00

Talk about making my heart drop!

Juan decided to take her outside for a few minutes on Sunday evening; my mom and I were busy making dinner. When he came in he was all hush hush and I caught the words "clean her up quick" quietly. As soon as I turned from the stove, this was what I saw. I immediately screamed at Juan "What did you do to my daugther?!" I thought she had a massive bloody nose or something.

Juan's such a little devil. His lips slowly curled up to a devilish smile and I then noticed the the little seed on her chin. Duh! Blackberries. Juan fed her some. Apparently I had tears in my eyes when I was screaming at Juan that my baby was hurt. Jeez!

A Successful Trip to Dairy Queen

2010-08-09T17:50:00.000-07:00

No, she didn't have any ice cream (well, maybe just a little bit to taste - which she loved of course!). But she wouldn't settle down and I was not going to have my blizzard in peace until I gave her my spoon. She wanted to have some ice cream so bad, or at least what mummy was eating.

She pooped out on the way home.

6 Months and What a Deal!

2010-08-05T18:09:00.000-07:00

Romina had her 6 month appointment on Monday and got 3 shots. She did very well, whined and cried once and was hunky dory. Since she already had her shots my mom and I thought we could get her ears pierced afterwards. If she did so well with her shots, she cried alligator tears when her ears were pierced. But the payoff was awesome. Ears are great and all is good.

Belated Happy Mother's Day to Me

2010-07-11T22:44:00.000-07:00

I have the best hubby ever. He's such a good provider for us, he's involved in Romina's care, and is a truly devoted husband. For mother's day, Juan surprised me with a ring commemorating Romina's birth. So we went to this wonderful jewelry store in downtown, Equinox Jewelers, and we designed the ring together.

It's perfect! The stones are garnets (January's birth stone) and Romina's initials and birthdate are inscribed within. It's truly the perfect mother's day gift from the perfect husband. Thank you my love!

Blueberry the Superfruit

2010-07-11T12:17:00.000-07:00

Oh blueberry, you truly are a superfruit. Not only have you reduced my daughter to a 13lb ball of delight and wonder, you have also helped her from becoming less of an "occassional pooper" (i.e., one who only went every 4-6 days) to practically a daily one. Thank you superfruit, now my baby is no longer a gila monster.

Pool Time Fun

2010-07-10T20:45:00.000-07:00

Romina and I are so fortunate to have such wonderful friends whom we can hang out with and enjoy summer time fun at their neighborhood pool. Aunty Kara, Uncle Peter, and beautiful little Lulu invited us over for lunch today and to hang out at the pool and have the babies enjoy the water.

Pre-swimming activity - Lulu checking out Romina's mouth

Romina practicing her back float whilst daddy supports her in the underarms with a few fingers

103 degF and Still Chillin'

2010-06-28T22:03:00.000-07:00

Holy crap!!! Who the heck can put up w/ this kind of temperature? It was 103 in Lodi, CA yesterday and I'm so glad my poor baby didn't melt. I was dying but she was mostly hunky dory.

She hardly nursed most of our time in Lodi and just slept enough to get her rest; so needless to say, Romina was so exhausted by the time we were on our way home to Portland today. Thank goodness the flight from Sacramento is only 1 1/2 hours short. She's passed out in blissfull slumber as I write this.

Con Bisabuela Evelia Ayala

Trying to cool off in the shade of a tree

It was so hot we had to take her top off

Finally starting to cool off and feeling peachy keen

At dinner that evening and feeling chill w/ daddy and trying to look cool

First Airplane Ride

2010-06-28T21:53:00.001-07:00

Juan had work in San Francisco just this past week and we took the opportunity to go as a family so his family in California can meet Romina.

I was so anxious about the airplane ride, not so sure how she was going to do. She actually did very well. She whined a little bit on the flight to California but I nursed her on the ascent and descent and she did good. She actually screamed a little on the flight home today - but it was mostly out of exhaustion (will post on that separately).

Just after the ascent on our flight to San Francisco. All calm and quiet.

At the Sacramento airport this morning. I think she may become a seasoned traveler like her daddy.

No Photos, Only Reflections

2010-06-01T22:01:00.000-07:00

Yup, no photos for this post, only some reflections.

Daddy's not home tonight; he's in San Francisco tonight until Thursday. So, it's Romina, me, and the dogs. Romina and I will share the bed the next couple of nights - I'm too much a coward to sleep alone now.

Here's hoping that Romina continues to sleep 5 1/2 hour stretches at night (and hopefully longer as the nights go on).

I'm also now way addicted to crossword puzzles. Damn you words! Damn you! Now I can't get any chores done.

Okay, that's it for this post. Until next time. . . .

Superfly

2010-05-26T08:44:00.000-07:00

When we were at the baby consignment store picking up another bumbo (yes, another one - we just can't get enough of 'em) I found these uber cool shades. I just had to pick them up. Besides, summer is upon us.

A Pro Sitter

2010-05-25T07:18:00.000-07:00

Today I am 4 months old. Today, I sit up on my own with very little help from my mummy.

But I have been a pro at sitting supported - as long as I have a toy or I get bored and I decide to fall over.

Diaper Bag Starter Kit

2010-05-24T21:59:00.000-07:00

This is Jemps. She's a friend from college in the Philippines. She's expecting her first child.

This is Jennifer. She's a dear friend. She's a crafting goddess.

As a gift to Jemps in anticipation of her new baby, I asked Jenn to sew me a diaper bag and some zipper pouches. They turned out fabulously!

I've already stuffed them with the diaper bag essentials and I can't wait to send it to Jemps. Jenn set me on the straight path to a diaper bag, otherwise I would be one of those mums who do not know any better and has stuffed everything and the kitchen sink in the bag. So I look to pay it forward and hope Jemps finds it very practical and useful.

The Girl Who Fell From the Sky

2010-05-23T11:30:00.000-07:00

Heidi Durrow has done a fantastic job of telling the story of a young girl who grapples with her own identity and a very horrific accident.

The Girl Who Fell From the Sky is a compelling story of a girl named Rachel whose life pivots around her unique features as the daughter of a biracial couple, she is half Dane and half Black American. She survived a very tragic and horrifying accident which forces her to live with her grandmother and aunt in Portland, Oregon.

As the story progresses, Durrow introduces us to the people and moments in Rachel's life that will impress upon her the importance of sense of self being, belonging, and self acceptance. We see Rachel's character flourish from a young girl who survived an accident and experiences racism for the first time, to a teen who deals with the need to be her own individual and to understand her past and her parents' absence.

I found myself engaged with the story and the characters immediately. Durrow manages to gain the reader's empathy by bringing the characters' flaws and frailties forward without diminishing the weight each one brings to the story. The reason behind the tragedy being withheld until later on in the story was effective; it allowed the reader to focus the development of the characters, the plot, and the subtle nuances of race relations and awareness. The story's ability to push the plot forward without making race as an agressive issue is very effective as well as it draws the reader ahead and allows the opportunity to make one's conculsions and opinions.

Allow this book to let you glimpse what it's like to be caught between the spectrum of two races and the exigency of such a situation the characters are placed. Do not tax yourself with overanalyzing the race issue brought forth by this book, I think that would be misplaced. Instead immerse yourself, as the reader, in the characters' abilities and inabilities to grapple with their burdens. It's not a very heavy plot, but it's very relevant and truly worth the time to read.

Oh How the Baby Sleeps

2010-05-17T21:22:00.000-07:00

She fought and fought going down for a nap and when she finally succumbed she didn't care how she slept.

How to Hold a Bottle According to Romina

2010-05-17T21:18:00.000-07:00

A few days ago Romina decided she was a big girl and was going to hold her bottle on her own. How cool we thought. But she's decided this was how she was going to do it. The picture says it all.

Next Top Chef

2010-05-17T21:15:00.000-07:00

Maybe, maybe not. It's never too soon to get her started. Or she could wind up just being like the Swedish Chef.

Catching a Minute (or Two)

2010-05-05T08:24:00.000-07:00

While Romina's still asleep (I know!! I can't believe it!) I figured I can post a couple of things and catch up. Let's see, what have we been up to. . . .

We're still trying to get the sleeping thing figured out. We have our good days and we have our bad. For this week, so far so good. But I'm not holding my breath.

We finally finished painting her nursery, but no furniture yet. We're really in no rush, but we're getting to the point now where she's starting to need her space so off to Ikea we go this weekend. I'm really excited. I'll post pictures of her furnished room once we have it set up.

We went for another visit to the Tri-Cities a couple of weekends ago for her Abuela's birthday.

She's finally getting along w/ her grandparents - letting Abuelita hold her yet she's still not quite sure of Abuelito.

Then the following weekend we had the wonderful Gallos over for dinner. We met Edgar and Wendy at our prenatal class at Good Sam. Their most adorable and beautiful daughter Lily was born only two days after Romina - we were so fortunate to even see Wendy the day she arrived at the hospital, her room being only two doors down mine at the ward when I gave birth. We hope to see more of this wonderful family.

Grocery trips are a challenge at times. She abhors her car seat yet it never fails to put her to sleep (or I should say the car does) whenever we go on trips. This is usually the look I get when I put her in.

Despite this look, she can smile and has now shown a propensity for giggles and laughter. She usually likes to do it when she's nursing - maybe mummy looks funny from that angle? I hope to capture a video of her laughing one of these days. Like the sasquatch, it is quite elusive - we know it exists but we can never catch it.

On our down time, which is not too often, we get to hang out w/ BFF Roxy - our dearest friend and neighbor - and her daughter Maiya who is exactly 6 months older than Romina (6 mo and 1 day actually). On a free afternoon (Juan called saying he was going to have dinner with a colleague from the UK) we decided to go visit Auntie Roxy and share our awesome dinner rolls (it was too late to not bake 'em).

Anyway, she does this thing now with her hands where she puts her fists together as if she's praying. Auntie Roxy told me to take a picture while I still can as they quickly grow out of this phase. So here she is on Auntie Roxy's counter - minus the awesome dinner rolls - looking defiant.

I have many favorite moments of my day w/ Romina:

Her smiles whenever she wakes up from a good night's sleep (even bad nights for mommy) or when she wakes up from her naps. She always smiles when she sees me and she's about to be picked up and hugged.

Nursing is one of my favorite parts of the day. Yes, for you non-mommies it may not make sense; but it's actually quite tranquil and fulfilling. Besides, what other way can we bond with our child?

Bath time is so much fun. She loves the water and just sits there and lets herself be lathered up and washed.

And finally, I learned my lesson: don't let daddy comb her hair after a bath. She gets a ghettofabulous hairstyle that won't go away until mummy washes her hair again or gets it wet and mops it down.

Sonata for Miriam

2010-04-15T23:13:00.000-07:00

A poignant novel about a man who is dealing about the tragic loss of his daughter while finally uncovering the truth about his heritage and parents past. The book's prose was semi Proustian in the sense that the main character, Adam - an aging musician in search for his past and release from his grief over the loss of his daugther Miriam - details his thoughts and emotions in each event with clarity and evokes the past with sights and sounds.

The book's pace lags somewhat close to the end when the object of Adam's love, Cecilia - the mother of his deceased daughter - begins her soliloquies. I felt somewhat let down with this part of the book since the pacing was well underway in exploring Adam's heritage further. It took away from the main plot. The reader is somewhat spared from too much slogging through Cecilia's thoughts by closing her soliloquies after three or so chapters.

The book is brief, the characters are few but each carry weight in the pacing of the novel, and the bittersweet ending makes for a moving tale. It's a good novel, but the lukewarm ending made for a very brief experience. I say read it, but don't let it be the first book you reach for if you're looking for something more sentimental.

A First - Giggles!

2010-04-15T23:06:00.000-07:00

Wow! We had one of our firsts with Romina today - she giggled!! I was getting ready to go to grocery shopping and she was sitting on her daddy's lap. I was talking to her and asked her some inane question to which Juan took her head and sorta shook it for her as a negative response to my question. This silly action caused Romina to give a big smile so I told Juan to do it again and this time I laughed. In the middle of my guffaw she squealed a giggle. What a surprise! Juan and I were so caught in the moment all we could do was laugh. What a treat! I can't wait for more giggles and laughs.

Babies Babies Babies

2010-04-13T23:07:00.000-07:00

When we were expecting, Juan and I took a birthing class at Good Sam; a 10 week course to help us get prepared and informed. Throughout those 10 weeks, we met the coolest and funnest couples. It was a great class and at the end of the course, we decided to have a type of reunion to catch up and get to meet each other's babies. So, that's what we did two weeks ago at the Lucky Lab.

Everyone had a good pregnancy and good delivery, a couple of C-sections, but all in all everyone had healthy beautiful babies. And the best part of the course - we made new friends.

Talking Back to Your Parents

2010-04-06T18:48:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to get a video clip of Romina talking for the past couple of days now (she's been cooing for the past month) and I finally got the chance tonight. I apologize about the loud tv in the background, I didn't want to stop recording just in case she did something else or babbled some more.

Her Fearful Symmetry

2010-04-06T10:55:00.000-07:00

So, I had been reading this book by Audrey Niffeneger titled "Her Fearful Symmetry". Niffeneger is also the author of the book, now movie, "The Time Traveller's Wife"; which I have not read and probably will not. I figured I'd share my thoughts on this book.

So, a quick overview of the plot: It's the story of twin girls in their early twenties who inherited a flat from their recently deceased aunt in London. The aunt bequeathed the flat and all its belongings to the twins with the caveat that they reside in it for a full year and that their mother (who happens to be a twin of the deceased aunt) never set foot in the flat. The twins encounter their new neighbors - a middle aged gentleman who suffers from OCD and creates crossword puzzles for a newspaper, and their aunt's lover who is working on his thesis. Anyway, the mystery of the plot revovles around why their mom and her twin sister - their aunt - had not spoken for decades, why the aunt leaves the flat to the twins, and who their neighbors are. To cap it all off, the deceased aunt is haunting their flat.

Okay, so it was very promising at first. I was hooked on to the "why did mom and aunt not talk for decades" plot line, the development of the characters of the twin girls was strong, the author has done an excellent job of establishing the timeline, the setting, and the supporting characters. Then somehow, I got to the half point of the book and I started getting bored. Mainly because it started turning into some fantastical scenario. The twins, and the aunt's lover, started communicating with their aunt's ghost. To cap it all off, one of the twins - which, by the way, both of them have some sort of emotional baggage that gets tedious throughout the book - hatches a plan to have her aunt pull her spirit out of her body (I've already forgotten the reason why, but again, I plead "emotional baggage").

It was at this point that the plot became predictable to me, which it turned out to be what I expected. I guess I should've paid more attention to the synopsis on the flap jacket. This book, which started out as a promising mystery cum ghost story, turned out to be some fantasy story not worth finishing - which I did'nt.

So, if you're a fan of Audrey Niffeneger, please do go and read the book and tell me your thoughts. I may just be inspired by your opinion to finish this book; otherwise, if you're browsign the aisle of your local library or bookshop, you may want to skip this one for now and if you do want a good mystery/ghost story, I would recommend you read "Promise Not to Tell" by Jennifer McMahon.

Bumbo Bath

2010-04-01T21:42:00.001-07:00

So my mom's been with me for well over 2 1/2 months now and since Romina's been able to bathe, my mom and I tag team her like so.

I prop Romina up while my mom washes her all over.

But my mommy leaves tomorrow and I had been at a loss to figure out how to bathe my child singlehandedly in the sink (see previous post why I don't use a baby tub). I had been agonizing about this because I don't want to have an accident in the sink, then an "A-ha!" moment hit me when we were having dinner with some friends last weekend.

A bumbo bath!!!

The bumbo is a perfect snug fit in the sink, she gets enough water in the bumbo that she feels warm, she has water flowing on her to keep her occupied, and I keep her stable and firm for me to wash. It's the perfect solution to a little dilemma. Thanks Bumbo!!

Finally! A Time to Post

2010-03-26T10:28:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a while, but that's what happens when you have an infant who does not care about an adult's schedule or desire to have one.

Since last I posted, we've pretty much been home bodies except for a couple of big trips out of town. About three weeks ago, we went to the Tri-Cities so Romina can finally meet her Ammann and Ayala families.

As I've claimed in the past, I'm a very poor photographer since I like to visit and yak a lot. So, unfortunately, I don't have any photos of the Ammann visit. I do, however, have some photos of the Ayala visit. Well, some, they're all of Romina being given a bath - for the first time - by both her Filipino and Mexican grandmas. How cool is that?

Abuelita Yolanda and Lola Juliet giving her her first bath together

And her lovely backside

One thing about this daughter of mine and baths, she hates the little baby tub - she squeals and whines and cries; but bathe her in the sink and she's as happy as a clam.

We also went to visit my siblings in Coeur d'Alene, ID. My mom had not seen them since my wedding, 8 1/2 years ago; so it was a nice little reunion. Romina got to meet her Aunt Linda and Uncle Fritz, and all her cousins, and her "Oba" Yaeko. Yaeko is my sister's and brother's mom (from my dad's first marriage) and Yaeko is an awesome little Okinawan lady. Oba is Okinawan for grandma.

With Auntie Linda and 2nd cousin Julia (who did not want to share her Grandma Linda with Romina, thus the unhappy face)

Then the following weekend, we went to Seattle to visit with some of my favorite cousins, the Walvatne girls and Jack. My cousins Linda, Bonnie, Joanne, and Linda's daughters Merilee and Tara were such wonderful hostesses. Linda and her husband Greg gave us their bed for the night; actually, they gave us their house for the night and they slept in their camper. They are the coolest.

The only photo we took unfortunately was a poor one, but here it is anyway.

Merilee, on the left, is holding Bonnie's (to the right) grandson Hudson, while Bonnie is holding Romina. I know, bad photo, but at least I have one.

Besides those trips, we've just been hanging out in the house having fun playing dress up with Romina. One of my nieces, Valerie, made Romina some cool flower head bands and hair clips. So every chance I get, I try to match the flowers with her outfits. I never thought I would make my daughter so "girly-girl", but I'm so weak!!

The most adorable headband

And the cutest little clip with a pursed lip to boot.

Romina is now 2 months old, but for the past 3-4 weeks (or maybe even earlier, I can't remember now - Juan's been my memory keeper) she's been able to pretty much hold herself up. She can sit on her own propped up against a pillow or on the bumbo, and she can hold her own weight if you support her by the underarms. She's been able to hold her head up even before she turned 1 month old. She's very alert and follows sounds and movement.

The baby on the bumbo and watching tv and daddy being a ham.

Romina in her first dress courtesy of her cousin Atosha, and standing on her own legs with a little support from momma.

Sitting pretty propped up by a pillow.

Yikes! I guess it was too good to be true.

Milk Coma

2010-02-16T15:44:00.000-08:00

Romina tends to go into a milk coma once she's had her fill from nursing. What does a milk coma look like?

It looks like this.

And this.

Aahh!!! To sleep like a baby.

Auntie Jen and Amelia Comes to Visit

2010-02-16T15:41:00.001-08:00

Auntie Jen and Amelia finally came to visit Romina. Here's Amelia holding Romina.

A Perfect Fit For Daddy

2010-02-16T15:38:00.000-08:00

I thought this was too cute. Plus, take a look at her folded foot - isn't that crazy!

A Gift From Texas

2010-02-16T15:30:00.001-08:00

Juan's cousin from Texas, Elizabeth, sent Romina some cool presents: a pair of crocheted beanies and a pair of crocheted booties; along with some other cool schwag.

Romina protesting at first.

Romina finally acquiescing.

The cool little shoes that refused to stay on.

This is Why I Love My Life!

2010-01-30T19:11:00.000-08:00

I will never ever trade this for anything in the world. He's the best! She's the best!

We Have Been Waiting for You

2010-01-30T15:00:00.000-08:00

We knew this time would come.

With much anticipation and lots of patience you finally decided to grace us with your precious little person.

We now look forward to sharing with you this life that we have made for ourselves;

and soon you'll blossom and give us even greater meaning of why it is we do the things we do.

So on this day your birthday, Romina Afton Ayala, you become now the center of our universe.

You will show us who we really are as persons and our capacity for love and patience.

We look forward to this new journey.

We look forward to the lessons you will teach us.

Most of all, we look forward to being your parents.

Tuesday Evening Soliloquy

2010-01-05T17:32:00.000-08:00

Really, more like a Tuesday evening musing, but I am long overdue for a post anyway.

Unemployment kinda sucks - I miss my colleagues and the money - but boy do I love sleeping in (when I actually do wind up sleeping at all).

I'm 2 1/2 weeks away from having the baby. Drats!!! Where did the time go?

Edema in the feet and hands, a pea sized bladder, 4 hours of sleep a night, massive hunger - hmmm....pregnancy's really not that bad - except for these last 2 1/2 weeks.

It could be the hormones, but I sure do love me my daily fix of the Golden Girls. Gotta love those old biddies. Maybe we'll finally name Peggidy "Sophia" after the snarky old little white haired lady.

Chores! Chores! Chores! They're like gremlins - don't feed after midnight and don't get wet or you'll never see the end of them.

Roomba rocks!!!

My god! Pinwheels are the greatest culinary invention since, I don't know, chocolate? Screw dingdongs! I love me some pinwheels.

Every food commercial just looks all so good right now. Hmm....what to have for dinner?

What’s In a Name?

2009-10-06T10:42:00.000-07:00

So now that we’re getting a little closer to this little one’s arrival, we’re getting the “have you picked a name out yet?” question. We're still kicking around some names and haven’t settled on a particular one yet. Besides, even if we did we wouldn’t share. You ask why?

I am ashamed to say that I am so culpable of this act and am changing my ways and many out there are still the same. I have realized that when people talk about their unborn child’s name, others will start assigning characteristics and attitude to the name based on someone they knew.

For example, if I say we’re naming her Janey, someone will pipe up and say “Oh! Janey was such a slut in my high school!” My response, and pardon my French: “Who f$#%ing cares about your Janey, this child isn’t even born yet!!!”

So, one of my colleagues here at work said that his brother had a placeholder name for his children before they were born; and I thought “what a good idea!!”

So for now, I’m calling this little one Peggidy Sue Price (thanks Auntie Sarah for giving her two middle names, now it’s complete). I will go into her placeholder name’s etymology in another post. But for now Peggidy it is.

Now try to come up with some attitude to go with Peggidy, I dare you!

You think you’re doing okay and along comes this….

2009-09-28T07:45:00.001-07:00

Photo courtesy of Xinhua/AFP Photo

I just learned on Saturday night that the Philippines was hit by a powerful typhoon (that’s a hurricane for those of you who are not sure what that is) last week and it rained a month’s worth in 6 hours; i.e. roughly 15 inches in 6 hours. This is in a country that gets a few feet worth a year.
Of course I needed to find out how my family is doing and I’m just so grateful that they (we) don’t live in the capital and live in a province much higher in sea level. They’re doing fine and are coping. But I’m sorry to hear about my friends and acquaintances that didn’t fare as well.

I just received an e-mail from one of my college best friends who said that one of our dearest friends’ parents pretty much lost a majority of their belongings and their car but are doing okay.

The last time something of this magnitude happened to the Philippines was roughly 20 years ago. Not a statistic to be proud of, but as a “third world nation” (who knows what that means now adays), the PI has had landslides that claimed ~600 lives, typhoons that batter regions and leave hundreds to thousands homeless on an annual basis, a volcanic eruption that practically wiped out an entire province, need I say more.

One can philosophize about the brevity of life and one can ruminate about human nature; but until it happens to us or to anyone close to us, it becomes a life defining moment and causes one to pause and ponder how ephemeral it can all be.

Our Little Baby Girl

2009-08-30T10:17:00.001-07:00

Well, here she is. Of course, the radiologist had to qualify the announcement with "I don't see any boy parts, so it's very likely it's a girl".

Juan and I are not too worried about that. All that matters is she's healthy and normal.

No names yet, probably not for a while.

Top left: foot; bottom left: profile; bottom right: fist; top right: face.

My First Weepy Moment

2009-08-29T12:14:00.000-07:00

I've been told that I will start crying on demand while pregnant. I wasn't sure what to expect. At 19 weeks, I got my first taste this morning watching a show.

Flashback a few months ago. Juan and I were watching a movie at a theater, can't recall what we were watching; but isn't it always the case when we remember the trailers beforehand. When we saw the trailer for Where the Wild Things Are, I have never seen my husband so excited for a movie adaptation of a children's book. After the movie I asked him why. It was apparently his favorite children's book.

Flash forward to a few months later and we saw the trailer again on tv. Again, Juan's excitement was so evident. So I told him I'd buy him the book. But he said he didn't want a new one; he wants an old one that has torn pages, possibly a stained cover or page, and received much love from a child - I'm already weeping as I'm writing this. I don't know why, but it tugs at my heartstrings.

So I was watching a trailer show on tv which played the trailer for this movie and I was weeping uncontrollably. Now I'm on the quest to find a much loved and much used Where the Wild Things Are. And hopefully, when we find it, we can add to the love and use with Juan and our child.

I want an enchilada!!!

2009-08-12T09:28:00.000-07:00

No more DingDongs for me, I now want some enchiladas! This bites!!!

(not my own, but you get the picture)

Dying for DingDongs

2009-08-10T20:40:00.001-07:00

So, for the past few weeks I've been craving DingDongs on and off. For my Filipino friends who don't know what a DingDong is, it's this mass produced cake like "thing" that's made of chocolate with a chocolate ganache - supposedly - shell and an uber sweet cream filling. It has a shelf life of about 500 years or so. And it hearkens back to my childhood days. And being 4 months pregnant, it seems my child is making me want some.

Sad to say, I was perusing the sweet section of the bread aisle at Fred Meyer's last night and was in deep despair. "How can they not have a single f$&!ing DingDong?" was what I was asking myself. There's just no hope! So I had to settle for a box of HoHos. For those of you who don't know what that is and do not partake of Hostess' delightful store of time capsule like yummies; well, it's just like a DingDong but instead, it's a rolled cake with a creamy filling. Hmmm.....

Well, it's not like a DingDong but it'll do for now. Until the next craving. :(

I need a holiday from my holiday!

2009-06-26T07:12:00.000-07:00

It’s been a couple of weeks and I’m still beat. I’m no longer jet lagged but my digestion has finally come back to normal. I’m an avid carnivore, but after eating meat for EVERY meal for two weeks and having dinner at 10 PM every night was just too much! When we got back from South America on Sunday the 14th, on our way home from the airport, I asked Juan to swing by Panda Express. I bought $30 worth of food. I needed variety! I needed good old American junk food! Orange chicken is bliss! I’m so glad to be back! Now, if I can just come up with an excuse to have another holiday….a staycation is what I’m thinking of.

PS - I'll post pictures of my brother Jake's visit sometime next week.

Buenos Aires Day 4 - Ponza

2009-06-12T08:54:00.000-07:00

After four days in BA, I found my favorite restaurant of all, Ponza. It's a small Italian restaurant and it's just superb. The second night Juan and I dined there, we were, unfortunately, the only patrons in the restaurant. The upside to this, freebies! The staff were so happy to see us again, that we got a dish of some homemade fettucinne with a light tomato base and squid on the house. I don't care much for seafood pasta, but this was the best.

Finally, our main course arrived, a simple dish of linguine with parmesan cheese, served in the hollowed parmesan wheel. It is the best I have ever had! My hats off to the Austrian chef, he truly made this a meal not to forget!!

To cap off the meal, we each got a free shot of limoncello, a nice subtle and sweet lemon liquer. This is BA dining at its best. Great simple food with tons of flavor, good drinks, and warm wonderful service.

Buenos Aires Day 4 - La Recoleta

2009-06-12T08:51:00.000-07:00

A visit to Buenos Aires would not be complete without walking the Recolata area. La Recoleta is renowned for its Parisian like streets with massive buildings you think someone took a piece out of Paris and placed it in the middle of Buenos Aires. Enjoy the photos.

Buenos Aires Day 4 - El Ateneo

2009-06-12T08:46:00.000-07:00

Being a bibliophile, the moment and read about El Ateneo I knew I had to go see it. El Ateneo is a bookstore well known in Buenos Aires, not just because of the extensive selection of books (which is mostly in spanish of course), but because of it's history and architecture. It was originally a theater Teatro Gran Splendid in the late 1800s, then a cinema in the late 1920, then finally a bookstore in 2000. It truly is a phenomenal bookstore. The theater chairs were all removed and replaced with bookshelves, the main screen area was converted to a cafe, and the original theater boxes were kept intact. It was just impressive.

Lori B - I was thinking about you the whole time I was perusing the shleves and admiring the bookstore. You would have loved it!

Buenos Aires Day 4 - Belgrano Neighborhood

2009-06-12T08:29:00.001-07:00

One of Juan's colleagues here in Buenos Aires, Sebastian, offered to take us on a quick tour of the Belgrano neighborhood, one of those gems you wouldn't think to visit since it's off the beaten tourist track. It's a very nice neighborhood with tons of shops, parillas, sorveterias (ice cream shops), and beautiful homes.

As a matter of fact, there is a stretch of magnificent homes in one street in this neighborhood that Sebastian took us, I call it embassy row. I think we passed by half a dozen embassies at least with just amazing architecture. Here's the Pakistani embassy below.

One thing that we also noticed, and confirmed by Sebastian, is that the Argentines do not raze down old buildings, they preserve them and turn them into something else. One mall he took us to was an old horse barn/stables. Instead of tearing down the building to make way for a new mall, the developer decided to just use the stalls as shop space and the main aisle for the barn as an area for a cafe.

Buenos Aires Day 3 - El Caminito

2009-06-12T08:24:00.000-07:00

Our guide suggested visiting the El Caminito Barrio, supposed birthplace of the tango. Well, it is the epitome of a tourist trap. It's a small barrio, but a little rough, with "tango bars" hawkers trying to get you to sit and watch a tango performance. It really quite ruined the atmosphere for Juan and me just because these guys are very aggressive. So, we just decided to walk around the little barrio, pop into a couple of souvenir shops (very expensive souvenirs - they truly fleece the stupid tourists, which in this case, included us), and just head out. Quite a forgettable excursion for us.

Buenos Aires Day 3 - Oui Oui

2009-06-12T08:20:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note on Oui Oui, a nice little French cafe in the Palermo Hollywood district. The place is quaint and offers good French pastries and a nice lunch menu. But I think their lemonade is the best I've ever had - they mix the lemonade with some mint leaves in a blender. Yum!

Buenos Aires Day 2 - A Bust

2009-06-12T08:19:00.000-07:00

We decided to take it easy for day 2. We walked more than 5 miles the day before and the HUGE dinner at La Cabrera made us into two very hurting units.

Buenos Aires Day 1 - La Cabrera

2009-06-07T20:49:00.000-07:00

La Cabrera

We decided to cap off the day with dinner at La Cabrera in Palermo Soho, one of BA's best parillas or steak house. No porteno would be caught dead dining at 8PM, besides, restaurants usually don't start serving dinner till about 10PM anyway. So, this was a very late dinner for us. Of course we ordered the fame bife de chorizo, a sirloin steak that tests one's gustatory fortitude.

As Juan and I are truly inexperienced tourists, we did not realize how food is served in this establishment. We ordered so much food that we thought we were only ordering our steaks and a side of potatoes. Our meal came with so many little side dishes we were quite abashed as we were dining. Did I mention we were eating a "chunk" of meat? Juan ordered the 500g (14 oz) bife de chorizo, and I ordered the 1/2 order (7 oz), and were we shocked. Did I mention we were eating a "chunk" of meat? Thank god we had a lenghty walk back to our hotel, it helped with the digestion.

Despite this gustatory challenge, the price was quite a pleasant surprise. For all this food, it cost us A$174.75, which roughly amounts to US$40. This was the best cheap meal we've had so far. And we still have 3 more days in BA.

Buenos Aires Day 1 - Puerto Madero/Fortabat Museum

2009-06-07T20:36:00.000-07:00

Puerto Madero and Fortabat Museum

After lunch at Los Inmortales, we headed east to Puerto Madero, BAs youngest barrio. Here you will find a marriage of old BA with modern BA. One will find classic European style buildings face to face with modern skyscrapers. The Puerto Madero docks is home to a couple of classic ships that one can board.

Juan and I came across this cool pedestrian bridge on our way to the Fortabat Museum in Puerto Madero.

Fortabat Museum houses the private collection of Argentina's wealthiest woman, Dona Amalia Fortabat. The museum houses modern and impressionist paintings, with an Andy Warhol portrait of Amalia Fortabat, a couple of Dalis, a few Rodins, and other modern pieces. It's a cheap visit (we figured the tickets only cost us US$5 each, and the visit is fairly quick).

Buenos Aires Day 1 - Los Inmortales

2009-06-07T20:25:00.000-07:00

Los Inmortales

So after some more walking we started getting hungry for lunch and decided to stop at Los Inmortales by Avenida Corrientes. So, this was quite an experience. Not just the dining per se - the pizza was spectacular - but the fact that you just get a different kind of service altogether. I don't even have words to describe it; I think the closest I can come is confused efficiency. Our server was quite busy and quite confused with our orders yet was so efficient that we had to forgive him this faux pas.

Buenos Aires Day 1 - Palacio Barolo

2009-06-07T20:18:00.000-07:00

Palacio Barolo

Just a subway ride from Cafe Tortoni is Palacio Barolo. A note on the subway before I go into the Palacio. The subway cars are made up of original wood carriages, it has such low lighting it gives you the feeling you're in a Victorian mystery novel. Anyway, we thought to check out Palacio Barolo, an edifice that was built by an Italian immigrant millionaire in the early 1900s. Don Barolo comissioned an Italian architect to design the building for him, and both were apparently such great fans of Dante Alighieri's Inferno that the architect infused the entire building's interior with an homage to the inferno.

Here's the kicker, we made the visit on a Saturday and the Palacio was closed so we couldn't check the cool interior. So, we're coming back this week to check it out.

Buenos Aires Day 1 - Cafe Tortoni

2009-06-07T20:10:00.000-07:00

Cafe Tortoni

Juan and I had been walking for over an hour already from Plaza de Mayo so we decided to take a break at Cafe Tortoni, BA's oldest and most storied coffeehouse. According to the 3PD article by Matt Chesterton, it's famous for having writers such as Federico Garcia Lorca and Jorge Luis Borges freqent the cafe. So, of course, we decided to have the staple cafe con leche for Juan and a cafe suisa for me (the cafe con leche is way too strong for my liking) and a churro for each of us.

Due to the cafe's popularity, it's been overrun by tourists (like us) taking photos left and right and admiring all the memorabilia within.

Buenos Aires Day 1 - Plaza De Mayo

2009-06-07T19:50:00.000-07:00

Plaza de Mayo

We decided to check out Plaza de Mayo first, which was founded in 1580. We first started with the Metropolitan Cathedral. The exterior is so unassuming that you think you're looking at some public agency building, until you enter. This cathedral houses the mausoleum of Argentina's "George Washington", General San Martin.

You can also see Casa Rosada from Plaza de Mayo. Casa Rosada is the chief executive's office building. We decided not to check the interior as we had a full day still ahead of us.

You can also view El Cabildo from the plaza, which is their town hall. Apparently, the Argentine 1810 revolution was plotted in this whitewashed building.

Buenos Aires, Aregntina

2009-06-07T19:39:00.000-07:00

I think Buenos Aires (BA for short) is now my favorite city in the world (which my experience in world travel is VERY limited by the way). I fell in love with the city the moment we arrived in the Palermo Hollywood district.

So, before I begin with a narration of our sojourn here in BA, Juan came across an article in United's Hemisphere's Magazine, 3 Perfect Days by Matt Chesterton. We were so lucky to find this article as we're taking our cues from it. Based on his recommendation we booked a room at the Home Hotel, which is a boutique property (I'm still trying to figure out what "boutique hotel" really is); and I must say, this has got to be the best little hotel I have ever stayed in. It's quite a small establishment but with world class amenities and service. The staff is also comprised of thirty-something adults - I don't think I've come across anyone who's over 40 yet.

Anyway, I find that the Palermo Hollywood district is akin to Portland's Pearl District. It's quite hip with a lot of lofts, apartments, and boutique hotels. However, you will not find a single high rise in the entire Palermo district (both Hollywood and Soho). It's also a gastronome's heaven. There is literally a restaurant/parilla and club in every corner of the street. The dining is so amazing that I don't think Juan and I have ever dined so fine until we came to BA.

Corcovado/Christ the Redemeer

2009-06-07T19:19:00.000-07:00

Corcovado/Christ the Redeemer

Corcovado, which is a portion of a national park in Rio de Janeiro, is home to the world famous Christ the Redeemer statue. It was such an amazing day, the weather was perfect, but the cariocas (Rio natives) would tell you otherwise. It's the beginning of South America's winter and the coldest it got in Rio was about 70 degF. It was funny seeing people in coats and scarves. But anyway, the views were just simply stunning.

We truly enjoyed our dining experience in Rio. Close to our hotel is a big mall, we decided to check it out and see what we could find for dining. We were quite surprised with our find. The "food court" is nothing what Americans are familiar with. Sure, you'll have your token fast food joint (in this case, there was only a handful), but they have fine restaurants in their food court and these outnumber your fast food restaurants. We decided to have dinner at La Mole and it took our breath away. We weren't expecting such a spread from a "food court" dining establishment. Plus you can't beat the price either. Needless to say, it was such a treat.

The picture's a little small, but that's just the obligatory "bread" before the meal, it doesn't even include the appetizer which was a plate of carpaccio - thinly sliced ham of some sort with an aoili to die for. Also, Juan fell in love with a local soda called guarana, which is an extract from a Brazilian berry of the same name. You think Red Bull has some caffeine, this will not only give you wings, you also get the effects of having a rocket attached to your back.

Brazil Club Med

2009-06-07T19:10:00.000-07:00

Club Med Rio das Pedras, Brazil

Juan and I were in Club Med for three days last week for Autodesk's One Team Brazil event (Juan had to hold a training session for the local resellers in the region). I was very fortunate to be able to come with him and enjoy Club Med. The food was phenomenal! Although the sun was a little shy the entire time we were there, except for our departure day - go figure.

Ayala Sojourn: Ayala Update

2009-06-07T19:09:00.000-07:00

Ayala Sojourn: Ayala Update

http://picasaweb.google.com/judyammann

Ayala Update

2009-06-07T18:06:00.001-07:00

It's been so long it would behoove me not to give an update of what's been going on with the Ayalas since I last posted in November of 2008. So, here's what's been going on:

September - Soule Wedding

Juan and I were honored to be invited to Katie and Brendan's wedding. It was probably one of the coolest weddings we've attended thus far. We wish Katie and Brendan the best!

October Philippine Trip

Juan and I experienced a few deaths of very close family members in the fall of 2008. We lost Juan's paternal grandfather, Abuelito Carlos, in September; then a month later I lost my last living grandparent in October, my mother's mother Rose; then finally, I lost my oldest aunt in the Ammann family in November, Aunt Liz. It was quite a journey those three months. The only silver lining with these events is that it brings us closer to our families and I cherish those.

Amelia Visits for Halloween

Jason's daughter, Amelia, came to trick or treat at the office in her adorable lady bug outfit. The cutest little bug ever!

Andres Family Las Vegas Trip

One of my best friends, Tricia, came to visit the United States (her first trip ever) with her husband and two children. I was very fortunate to see her in Las Vegas during New Year's Eve.

A Moment in History

2008-11-05T09:53:00.001-08:00

I have never questioned my heritage – I am an American Filipino. Growing up as the only white kid in school for 10 years (well, the other white kid since my brother and I went to the same school), I have never seen myself as “white” or “American”. I was just a pale colored kid who got teased because of it. But my father made sure we never forgot that we were Americans.

Last night truly defined what being “American” was for me. I now know what it is to hold your head high with pride because you are a citizen of this nation. To be a part of a diverse society that recognizes all beliefs, all cultural heritages, all faith based systems. I do not view my president-elect as black or African-American. My president is simply put, an American.

I am proud to be an American, just as I am proud to be Filipino. And I am grateful for this opportunity to truly share my heritage, my culture, with the rest of the world.

Travel Weary

2008-10-16T04:50:00.000-07:00

I've been gone for close to two weeks now and my hunger for home is increasing. I've been meaning to post too, but just too many things going on. I'll be States-side by Saturday, so hopefully, by Sunday, I can post all my photos and blog again.