Image hosting by PhotobucketImage hosting by PhotobucketImage hosting by PhotobucketImage hosting by Photobucket

 

 

 

                            


 
A work in progress

Saturday, August 26, 2006

Little girl na ang baby namin

Dear Tricia,

Ang bilis talaga ng araw. Akalain mo, isang taon ka na? Parang kelan lang takot pa kami na buhatin ka kasi parang ang lambot-lambot mo, ngayon hinahatak mo na ang mga damit namin para alalayan kang maglakad. Hirap na din kami ngayon na kargahin ka kasi ang bigat mo na. Nakakalungkot lang minsan kasi baka paggising namin bukas, independent ka na at hindi mo na kami kailangan.

Ngayon pa lang, nakikitaan ka na namin ng pagiging smart. Ang galing mong manggaya ng mga nakikita mo. Walang nagturo sa'yo nung gesture na ginagawa ni Kris Aquino sa Deal or No deal pero ginulat mo kami isang araw, noong nagtatanong si Kris ng "Is it a deal? or no deal?", sumasagot ka ng "no deal" gesture. Ang bilis mong matuto! Natuto kang uminom sa straw na ikaw lang tapos ilang beses ka lang tinuruan nina Mommy at Daddy magmano saka mag-flying kiss, marunong ka na agad. Kanina lang, kwento ng Mommy mo, umiyak ka daw sa barberya noong nagpagupit ang Daddy mo tapos nakita mong pinapalo-palo ang likod at balikat niya. Akala mo siguro sinasaktan si Daddy ano? Minamasahe lang siya Tricia. Kaya sa susunod na sumama ka sa barberya at makita mo ulit yon, hindi ka na dapat umiyak ha.

Mukhang mauubusan din kami ng sagot kapag nag-umpisa ka nang magsalita kasi ngayon pa lang, ang daldal mo na. Napaka-curious mo din sa paligid mo. Kapag may nakita ka, gusto mong lapitan agad at imbestigahan. Hurricane Tricia din ang tawag ko sa'yo ngayon kasi talaga namang lahat ng madaanan at makita mo, kinakalikot mo at itinatapon. Pero nitong mga nakaraang araw, napapansin namin na yung mga kinakalikot mo, isinosoli mo din sa kung saan mo nakuha. Para talagang marunong ka nang mag-isip. Saka napakalikot at napakakulit mo na din! Masakit na ang buong katawan namin sa kakasunod sa iyo, ikaw parang hindi pa din nababawasan ang energy.

Hindi pa din nagbabago yung pagiging happy baby mo. Yun ang gustong-gusto namin sa iyo kahit noong baby ka pa lang. Hindi ka halos umiiyak, maliban na lang kung gutom o basa ka. Kaya lang madalas kong nakikita ngayon na kumukunot ang noo mo. Hmp! Mana ka talaga sa Daddy mo! Sana naman Tricia, hindi mo dalhin yan maski sa paglaki mo. Mas masaya kapag nakangiti ka lang palagi.

Sa mga nakikita namin sa'yo, mas lalo kaming na-eengganyong magtrabaho ng mabuti para mapalaki ka namin ng maayos at maibigay lahat ng mga pangangailangan mo. Sana lang, huwag kang lumaking spoiled brat. Bawal ang maging brat ha, ako ang unang magagalit sa iyo kapag naging brat ka. Huwag mo ding papansinin muna yung mga little boys na ngumingiti at humahawak sa iyo ha.

Maraming salamat sa pagbibigay kulay sa aming mundo. At kahit pa pagurin mo kami sa pag-aalaga sa'yo, magtitiyaga kami. Ipagdasal din natin palagi kay Lord na sana lagi kang healthy at happy. Magpakabait ka lagi ha at huwag matigas ang ulo. Saka pakiusap lang, huwag mo namang bilisan ang paglaki!

Mahal kita!


Love,
Mama


Posted by nikki:: 8/26/2006 12:59:00 AM
|

---------------oOo---------------

 

Friday, August 11, 2006

Books

Let's have a break muna from my Malaysia experience. Here's a tag from Doc Emer

Books that changed your life?

I have to read that book yet but Tuesdays with Morrie and The Five Peolpe You Meet in Heaven both by Mitch Albom made an impact in my life.


Books you have read more than once?

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks, The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan


Books you would want on a desert island?

All books by Nicholas Sparks


One book that made you laugh?

I can't remember any.


One book that made you cry?

I have read lots of books that made me cry but one book that really made a lasting impression is P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern (so sweet!)

Trivia: Cecelia Ahern wrote her 1st novel, P.S. I Love You at the age of 21 and she is the daughter of Ireland's Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern. Cecelia is also the sister-in-law of Nicky Byrne of Westlife.


One book you wish you had written?

Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone a.k.a. Book 1 of the Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling because I would be a millionaire by now had I written it. hahahaha!


One book you wish had never been written?

The Hundred Secret Senses
by Amy Tan. Nalito ako kasi Olivia is telling a story at the moment then in the next paragraph, you're reading about a ghost na pala.


One book you are currently reading?

Pediatric Advanced Life Support from the American Heart Association

I HAVE to read this because I will be going on training 2 weeks from now and I NEED to pass (again) the exam.


One book you have been meaning to read?

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez


Ayan, gusto ko na tuloy pumunta ng bookstore bukas na bukas din!

Posted by nikki:: 8/11/2006 10:42:00 PM
|

---------------oOo---------------

 

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Miri, Malaysia Part 2

I got well acquainted with the malls in Miri because malling became part of our everyday life while we were there. My aunt and cousin are both certified shopaholics! Contrary to what my father said, Miri boasts of four malls (although not as big as our malls here), 1 department store and plenty of small shops selling an assortment of goods. Clothes, shoes, bags and accesories are quite pricey in Malaysia. Much to my dismay, I found out too that prices in West Malaysia are several dollars more expensive than those in East Malaysia. The saleslady said that this is because they pay more taxes in the East. Unfair if you ask me. I guess if you are earning Malaysian Ringgit, the prices and the difference in the prices won't be much but for a tourist like me, one can't help but do the math before buying anything. On my 3rd day there, I changed the left button shortcut of my cellphone from contacts to calculator. We were lucky that there were lots of sales (they even had a midnight sale at one of the stores) the time we were there. I had such a great time going patiently through rack after rack and come up with great finds at only half the price. As proof, our suitcases were bulging to the seams. Lucky for us, we did not exceed our baggage limit; we hand carried some of our loot that's why. I was also on a mission while there - I have to find my most wanted book at the moment which I told you about in my previous post. Sadly, I only found two bookstores that carried English titles. If books here in the Philippines are out-dated, even more so in Miri. For example, they are only now putting on sale Harry Potter Book 6. I don't know if this is also the case in Kuala Lumpur though. Books are expensive there too, English novels are priced at RM35, roughly Php525. Nevertheless, I brought home 2 novels both bought on sale at half the price. Lacking at the malls are the specialty boutiques that can be found in our malls here. I only saw one Giordano shop (very small and shabby at that) at one of the malls. But this is compensated by the original Swiss watches and French/Italian leather bags. My aunt and I were practically drooling over an original Balenciaga bag at one of the stores, too expensive for us. I got introduced to a lot of local brands of shoes, bags, clothes, etc. and I must say, our local products are better in terms of quality and style. The stores also carried lots of cheap China/Taiwan and Korea products.

One routine I missed while in Miri is the weekly trip to the grocery store. Grocery shopping is a weekly family affair for us here in the Philippines but in Miri, we seldom cooked (except for breakfast and most of the time lunch) because we always ate in restaurants even for merienda. We only had to rush in and out of the grocery store if we needed eggs, laundry soap, butter, coffee or iced tea. Even through the rush, I still noticed some Filipino products there like Cloud 9 chocolates, Maggi noodles, Blue Skies and Eskinol. The first two products are being manufactured in Malaysia already. I was also able to go to their palengke. The two palengkes we went to are so clean and doesn't even look like a market place from afar. Both were open air, with stainless steel tables where the sellers can display their goods and with tile flooring. I also learned that not all stalls are open throughout the day so if are late going there, chances are, you will not be able to buy all the things in your list.


*** to be continued


Posted by nikki:: 8/10/2006 01:46:00 AM
|

---------------oOo---------------

 

Friday, August 04, 2006

Miri, Malaysia Part 1

I am now winding down my visit here in East Malaysia and although I am literally counting the days till our flight back home, I will be sorry to leave. Coming here, I didn’t know what to expect. My father’s memories of this place back when he was still working here wasn’t very encouraging (or maybe he just didn’t want me to go because he knows he’s going to miss me). He said the place was primitive, primitive equating to no malls and bookstores. Looking down from the window seat of the plane as we were about to land, I was greeted by a myriad of lights. Right there and then, I knew I will have fun.

The Miri Airport is small but new, clean and not very busy. Only a handful of people was there waiting to meet relatives and friends not like at our airports in the Philippines. The weather too was nice. We went to eat at a place which locals call “the waterfront” because it is in front of a body of water. The food there is delicious and fresh. Malaysians especially the Malaysian Chinese are so fond of eating out so that everywhere you go, restaurants/eateries can be found dotting the roads some even setting out tables on the side of the road. No danger of getting hit by cars though because roads and sidewalks are wide. Traffic too is almost non-existent in Miri. Drivers are very disciplined (although I have seen a couple of young drivers who beat the red light and do unauthorized U turns). I have yet to hear a car horn blowing along the road. I had a chance to drive last week and it was a novelty for me to see drivers give way to others.

I am not an adventurous eater, I only eat what looks familiar to me and eat only when I am reassured that the food is not spicy. Malaysia is also home to lots of Indians so spice is part of their diet, hence it couldn’t be avoided that I eat some too. I am glad I did. Their mee (pancit) is soooo yummy even though spicy! Our favorite snack is called roti canai (looks like lumpia wrapper) dipped in curry. I drew the line on curry though so I ate roti telur (roti canai with egg); but only for a few times, roti canai even without curry is very tasteful. I got introduced to three drinks too – lian teh (it’s a local concoction of boiled leaves but tastes sweet), sincau (black gulaman for us but ours tastes sweeter) and barley (plain barley, not the “made into beer” barley). All three tastes good; even now, I am missing lian teh already. My all time favorite dish is panggang (grilled fish with alamang), too spicy for me but its worth all the spice. The only vegetable I ate is the sautéed baby kaylan (not too sure of the spelling). There is also one exotic (at least it is for me) food that I ate here – fern flower (don't know the local name, sorry). You know the fern used for bouquets and flower arrangements? It is grown in some parts of Miri and the flowers (yes, there is a flower) of the fern are sold for food. We ate the sautéed dish and it tastes like cauliflower. An interesting dessert I ate is called kojak which is a mix of fruits, vegetables and squid in a peanut based sauce. It looked yucky from a far but wait till you taste it, it’s the sauce that made the trick I think. I was also able to eat the famous satay and some of their local kakanins. I would never trade our bibingka though for any of their colorful kakanins.


***to be continued

This post was written last July 28,2006


Posted by nikki:: 8/04/2006 02:46:00 PM
|

---------------oOo---------------

 

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Back from the land of black gold

It's back to the real world for me. The flight back yesterday was so bumpy because of the weather and until now, I haven't recovered from it yet. We left Miri yesterday morning amidst dark clouds (a first since we arrived there), arrived in Kota Kinabalu in pouring rain and was welcomed home with a drizzle. I had fun in Miri. The place was a refreshing change from the pollution and traffic of Manila. If only I can stay longer.

The first thing I did after the kwentuhan with my family was go online. I missed the internet!!! I have 135 emails in my inbox. I just went through it quickly, read the most important ones but wasn't able to reply to any because by then my head was throbbing. But I promise to reply to everyone as soon as I can.

To everyone who wished me well... JO, ATE ANN, MAM KIWIPINAY, KNEEKO, KAREN (miss you!), KA URO and all those who left messages ... AHIA KENJI, ELLE and PATRICE (will email you later friend) thank you very much.

More kwentos later...


Posted by nikki:: 8/01/2006 01:56:00 AM
|

---------------oOo---------------