WE have a Walnut! :)

Oh, and why am I suddenly posting maternity clothes? Because..... as it turns out, Art & I have a less-than-four week old walnut on my tummy! :D

How did I know? Because I felt pregnant even before I missed my period. Much-too-frequent voiding, excessive laziness, even more sensitive olfactory senses, tasting all the sodium in food and hating it, and too much eating.

Actually, I still haven't even missed a single day of my period yet at this very moment because I'm due on the 9th. But because of all the symptoms, I took a home urine pregnancy exam two nights ago, and the results showed me 2 lines on the control and test portions of the kit, which was supposed to mean positive. I showed it to my mom, and she was like, "No way! It's too early to say if you are pregnant, so you're probably not."

But I wanted to know, so I went to Ciudad Medical and took a blood exam, and it came out positive again. So I decided to see an Ob-Gyne, who looked at me, like "Huh? It's too early into the pregnancy if you are." I showed her my results and she did a transvaginal ultrasound, which showed a little walnut. :) Yey! But since it's too early on to the pregnancy or whatnot, the doctor advised to wait another two weeks for another ultrasound to see if there's a heartbeat and to know if the embryo has been implanted on the right site of the uterus.

It's way to early for us to celebrate, so all we can do now is hope for the best and pray that the little walnut is going to be Kaden's new playmate in 9 months! :)

Please please please.

All Black Maternity Style?

Hmmm..... Do I even have that much black outfits in my wardrobe, and in big sizes? I don't seem to keen on shopping maternity clothes. So, Ukay here I come. :)

My Bridal Shower!

I haven't been able to blog much before and immediately after the wedding because there were LOTS of things that needed taking care of. I want to start posting about the events that took place before, during, and after (if I don't get lazy).

Three nights prior to the wedding, my sweet cousin, Ymae threw me a surprise bridal shower! Well, it was a not-so-surprise but still-a-surprise shower party. 

First, I didn't know my cousin would throw it for me, since my grandma told me a month before that my mom was gonna throw me a shower party [which my mom vehemently denied]. 

Second, my grandma also informed me that the Bath & Body Works giveaways for the "shower" have already been bought [but she took it back later on, too late :)].

Third, because I didn't know Ymae was arriving that day. She told me she was arriving the next day. Although people "slipped" a couple of times that day that she's already in Zamboanga. "Ay, hindi pala!"

Fourth, Someone once left stickers saying "Mariben's Shower" lying somewhere in our house. Someone must have realized it because it disappeared after about 15 minutes. :)

Fifth, I thought they were driving me away from the house that day so that they can start decorating our house for the party (such a feeler). So I was genuinely surprised when we got to the SPA and I found out the shower was being held there. 

Sixth, I was surprised that there were no male strippers, at all. Hahahah. 

Thank you, Ymae for the wonderful shower party! I loved how you and Ching decorated the Spa! I am so glad that grandma refused to lend you her underwear otherwise it would have filled up the entire wall.  ;) 

Thank you for all the fun games! I know you loved the planning part of this, you are a born party planner! Hey, let's just open up and events planning business! Heheh. But really, I would have welcomed male stripperS, too. Okay, even just one would have been great! Heheheh! 

Thank you, because you gave me a chance to touch base with some of my friends whom I haven't been able to talk to for quite some time since I was too busy with the Wplanning. :(

Thank you, because I received A LOT of presents during the party. LOTS and lots of lingerie! 

Thank you, for the body scrub after the party. Although I almost panicked when I saw I grew rashes on my chest and shoulder. Thankfully, it disappeared after a few minutes! 

Thank you, thank you! Oh, and did I ever tell you I love you?! I'm lucky to have such a wonderful and sweet cousin. 

You are the exception to my previous "emotionally engaged" blog. 

Lastly, there WILL BE male strippers in your bachelorette party. Even if our parents & grandparent (singular) will be there. ;)

Excited for September! :)

Being the adult ADD that I self-diagnosed myself with, I am always too busy preoccupying myself with matters that should be at the bottom of my priority list. At this point, I should be busy reading nursing related books because I have a whole lot of back logs and prepare myself for review classes. I mean, one should never go to review classes unprepared and simply count on the classes itself as saving grace for the nursing boards exams, right? But being consistent with my "condition" [for lack of a better term], what am I doing? Reading totally unrelated books- making a mental list of more books that I want to own, downloading movies that I missed [there's a LOT], downloading albums [for my next ipod], picking out makeup on sephora [which I can't even afford right now], being excited over returning television series this spring, among many others. 

Ah, those network series, they are very effective stress busters for me, and I just cannot wait until my favorites are back and ready for download. 

Gossip Girl (CW) on September 1st, 2008. 

I missed S & B, and seeing little Jenny mature so fast. Btw, Did you know that she was the little girl in The 

Grinch? 

I missed Nate & Dan, although I still think that Dan's dad-Rufus is much hotter. :p And, I'm still rooting for Rufus Humphrey & Lily van der Woodsen to end up together. xoxo

One Tree Hill (CW) on September 1st, 2008

Which one of the three girls accepted Lucas' invitation to elope? How will the Scott's and Tree Hill deal with Dan's death?

I also always love the choice of songs for this show. I can't wait to get new ideas on what to download.

Prison Break (Fox) on Septermber 1st, 2008

Granted, Michael Scofield is hot, but right now, he is becoming too overrated, and for some reason, Lincoln Burrows is starting to seem more appealing to me. 

Is it true that Dra. Sara Tancredi isn't dead afterall? So what was with the chopped off head of hers [which was really gross, btw] shown to the viewers last season? What happens to Fernando Sucre now? And why is Whistler working with Mahone?

Heroes (NBC) on September 22nd, 2008

New heroes, new villains, oh yes! :) I love this show and I'm so glad it's airing soon. Although I'd personally prefer that they get into the life stories of the existing heroes rather than keep adding more and more characters to the show. Among all the heroes, I missed Hiro Nakamura & Peter Petrelli the most. I hope that in this season we will all find out what Mama Petrelli's power is. 

I know my husband is beyond excited! :)

Lipstick Jungle (NBC) on September 24th, 2008

Honestly, I just really want to see Kirby Atwood again. He is just too hot for words [in my opinion]. Im curious at how Nico Reiley can successfully stay away from his hotness and save her marriage. I like Victory Ford's quirky character, so it'll be nice to see her again. However, I'm a bit bored with Wendy Healy so I hope th

ey come up with something to add more life to her character. 

Grey's Anatomy (ABC) on September 25th, 2008

Is Meredith & Derek getting back together, and if yes, is it going to be for good this time? Maybe not, since there's always next season for that. What happens to Callie & Erica? Is Izzie & George really gonna work? Is the rumor that someone is getting pregnant this season true? I miss the lines. This is the show that started my addiction into the world of network series. I adore everything- the characters, the story line, the music, of course I just said it, it lines. 

Chuck (NBC) on September 29th, 2008

I missed this feel good tv series. I wonder what Chuck Bartowski is gonna be up to next, and if his "relationship" with Sarah Walker is going anywhere at all. Is Major John Casey really on his side? Hmm... not so much interest on the story line. It's just a nice to watch show, relaxing and funny and I can't wait to start watching again. 

Private Practice (ABC) on October 1st, 2008

Dirty Sexy Money (ABC) on October 1st, 2008

Samantha Who (ABC) on October 6th, 2008

So many shows, so little time! :) and time I should be spending doing MORE important things. Sad to say, I AM a junkie, so there's no stopping me now. With my husband gone, I now have something to look forward to! I'm excitedly counting down to September for these shows to finally air again. :)

Current Mood: Giddy, Excited, & Impatient

Why Every Mac User Should Have AppleCare

Finally, I got my Macbook back today. YEY! I didn't realize how bad I really missed it until I held it once again after weeks of its absence [which almost seemed like forever to me]. 

I want to say thank you to the three people who made it possible: To Rj, who kindly took it to Power Mac to have it diagnosed & repaired, and who later picked it up amidst the very bad weather & awful traffic; To Eric, who graciously agreed to pick it up from Rj's dorm and brought it to Prince Plaze II at such a short notice and at a very inconvenient time for him; and last but not the least, to Ryan, who safely hand carried the macbook all the way from Manila and back into my longing arms [or lap, for that matter :p]. 

I sent it in because I noticed that the battery was no longer charging. It happened after I started becoming too lazy to even just shut down the laptop, instead, I just fold the topcase to close it whenever I'm done using it for the day. I know I could have avoided the battery problem if I weren't so lazy. Thank goodness we had purchased an AppleCare Protection Plan with the Macbook. 

An AppleCare PP extends the support coverage a Mac to another three years from the basic one year hardware support you get upon purchasing it. At the time of purchase, it almost seemed that we will never really need to use the extended support, but why chance it? Paying roughly 8,000 php in addition to the laptop's price tag for extended support you may not really use seemed a bit hefty at that time, but the potential benefits easily outweighed the cons. Thankfully, I just proved that buying it was indeed a very wise decision and it feels great to reap the benefits of that wiseness now. :) An AppleCare is actually worth every peso, and more. 

The technicians at Power Mac in GB3 diagnosed the battery problem, and then found a crack on the top case, as well as discoloration on the bezel and decided to go ahead and change all the parts without even questioned where, why, or how it happened. Imagine my delight upon opening the packaging of my Macbook and saw that it actually looked good as new! I didn't know there was a crack anywhere on my laptop since it never fell, but the discoloration came from the time Kaden decided he wanted to play with his crayons and color my white laptop pink & green when it was only a week old. Art & I tried our best to remove the crayon marks and in the end the discoloration was actually hardly noticeable, so you cannot imagine my delight that they replaced it. Best of all, every part they replaced on my Mac was for free! 

This is what I would have paid if I didn't own an AppleCare PP:

But, because I have AppleCare, this is what I paid:

I just love being a Mac user! Aside from never having to bother with anti-viruses and all the spyware crap, I love their OS [even if it took me a while to get used to it], and how cool is the @mac email address?!? I just know that i want to forever be a Mac user. Although Art complains about having very limited (and only original) games to choose from, I know he, too, adores his Mac as much as I do mine. If worse comes to worse, you can always opt to install Windows Vista on our Mac so you can switch from Leopard to Vista at any time you deem it necessary. Is there anything cooler than that?!? :) I just hope that soon, yahoo messenger for mac will come up with a way for us mac users to be able to photo share with the pc based users. 

You know what they say, "Once you go Mac, you never go back!"  :p 

Lovin' ToyWatch!

I might be a little too late into the ToyWatch craze, but then, so what?! I read about the watch sometime last year, but even then, it was already a little bit late, being that it was introduced mid 2006 and featured by Instyle, People, & Lucky magazine among many others.

I've always liked big watches, I even like wearing men's watches most of the time. :) Although, now that we're in austerity (again!), I'm steering clear of shopping for a little while. Gotta make small sacrifices here and there in order to achieve long term gains, right? [Art will be so proud to read this.]

What's so special about these toywatches anyway? Aside from it taking the world by storm, it's a luxury style plastic watch that's reminiscent of a Rolex or Audemar Piguet, but only cheaper! It's designed by Marco Marvilla, an italian wristwatch designer from the US. It's got a wide range of designs to choose from that it's just so difficult to narrow down your choice to only one toywatch. It's been seen on the wrists of hollywood stars such as Oprah, Madonna, Keira Knightly, among many others.

Here are my current favorites:



Gold Chrono Collection - Brown

$275









Neon Plasteramic - Pink

$195










All Black Classic Collection - Black

$275









Twin Collection - White

$375









Luxury Plasteramic - White

$375






*sigh. :)

I was given an Anne Klein plastic chrono last month, and it reminds me so much of the ToyWatch Crystal collection.

Tara Reid's Crystal vs. My AK Acrylic

They look so similar that I think I really can do without a toywatch for now. ;)

Kaden Goes To Toddler School!

In our interest of improving Kaden's social skills, we decided to go visit preschools around Zamboanga City to inquire about available options for kids his age, at the end of the day, Art & I decided to enroll Kaden in Hansel & Gretel.

Kaden went to class right away the very next day but he was without a uniform for the first two days. :( On the third day, he finally got his uniform and he proudly wore it very handsomely. He loved his uniform! He couldn't stop smiling when we first dressed up in it. He refused to take off his jacket even when he was already sweating profusely.

I was worried about Kaden because he can get pretty impatient easily and has quite a problem sitting still, so I was amazed at how well behaved he turned out to be in class. I was afraid he would refuse to be left alone in the classroom but I was so wrong. As soon as he sat amongst his classmates, he completely forgot about us. On his first day, he instantly felt at home even without his uniform. He willingly joined them in the singing and dancing and he looked like he was having so much fun. The next morning, he was the one saying "Lets go to school, lets go!!!" with a huge smile on his face. I've never seen him so excited! and I'm so happy for him. I proudly show his picture wearing his uniform to friends wherever I go. Hahah.

Time flies so fast. Kaden's turning 3 on September. Next thing I know, Kaden will be in nursery already, then college! :) I love watching him grow up. He is such an adorable and lovable baby. He is very smart and I'm not only saying that because he's my son. Most of the time, I get awed by things he would say to me and how he reacts in situations. Obviously, I am so proud to be his mom. I really wish I can give him a younger brother or sister soon. :)

Our Onsite AVP by Jason Magbanua

For those who attended our wedding, you've surely watched the onsite AVP prepared by Jason Magbanua's team just before we called it a night. For those who don't know Jason, you can visit his blog and see just how brilliant he is at his craft. :)

For those who don't know it yet, I am a HUGE Jason Magbanua fan. I have been idolizing him even before he became one of the 25 most influential videographers in the world [for two years in a row, mind you]. I have been an avid reader of his blog eversince I came across his name, while looking for videos of Claudine Barretto & Raymart Santiago's wedding. His videos have always moved me, most of the time even to tears!

I'm glad though that there wasn't much drama on our own onsite AVP, just that feeling of being deliriously happy after having watched it, and I love love love the feeling the video gives me. Art teases me about watching the avp everyday since our wedding, but I notice he always watches it with me [from beginning to end] It's actually sweet how he gives me this huge kiss coupled with a really big smile after every time we watch it. :)

Would you believe we actually moved our wedding day to a week later just so we could have Jason Magbanua to cover our wedding? It's one of the best wedding related decisions we've ever made. :) I gave Jason a giant hug after watching the avp during our wedding and told him what a dream come true it is for me to have him do our AVP. I just can't help but be awed by the man!

For those who complain that the AVP won't play on my multiply site, you may check out the video of Jason's creative genius on his blog, and see just what I mean about him. I'm still awed by the fact that he has posted our wedding AVP on his blog, after the many years that I have been a follower of his blog. It's just so awesome to finally see our names there!

He's one of the really talented people who makes me proud to say I'm Filipino. His work is simply world class. He's truly the best, and as much as many have tried to imitate his style, none have successfully surpassed his greatness. :)

Now with Art gone and me missing him badly, I think I'll be watching the AVP more than I used to. Tsk tsk.