Playground Politics

There's this wonderful play area that we go to regularly. I love it coz it's very safe, far away from the road,well kept, has a clean bathroom, lots of tress, benches & picnic table ,it has a big tent that covers the whole play area to keep dry from the rain & a big parking lot.

Since the beginning of summer vacation we go there almost everyday. I observed that everyday there are different groups of parents & kids that gather around on the picnic table. For instance I noticed that every Thursday afternoon , a group of Indian moms are there, on Wednesday Japanese & maybe Hispanic groups on Tuesday. So everyday we see different nationalities & I've yet to see any Filipino group. For what reason I don't know .I started to wonder because I've feeling left out more & more whenever my kids had to share the play area w/ these kids & since we don't belong to their group we are outsiders , or at least that's how I see my daughter gets treated . It hurts for a parent to see their child struggles to fit in .Instead of just going there & have fun , she has to assess first if she can play w/ whatever group of kids who's there at that day of the week.

Being an outsider to the group is just one of the problem that I see. Another one is those moms or parents who go there to chit-chat or read or talk on their cellphones. In other words, they stop paying attention to their kids ones they sit their butts on the benches , enjoying the sun & whatever that occupies their thoughts. On the other hands, their kids are bullying my kids & I had to stand there & make sure my kids don't get hurt or get into an accident because some kids can't behave in a public play area.

Maybe one day I'm gonna get into a fight with some parent but I'm ready for that coz I wont let my kids get pushed around. I don't judge people & I believe we all care deeply about our kids but we should also never forget to be considerate of others & as a parents our number one role is to guide them & if our kids are doing something bad, we can't just ignore it because we are too busy chatting up w/ our friends etch etch..

I think we will still keep going to that park no matter what coz it's for everyone & anyone. I just have to be more vigilant in watching my own kids and maybe someday there'll be a Filipino group in that park that will welcome us.

Her Favorite Tree

Down The Slide

House Is Coming Back!!

I've been so anxious to know when is the next season gonna start. September 25th is Season 4 of my favorite t.v. drama show House MD. It's gonna be so exciting coz there'll be new casts ( I wonder I wonder who they gonna be ?)

Congratulation for the 4th Emmy Award nomination. You totally deserves it.

My Favorite House-isms:

"Go up his rear and get a smear. Which reminds me, kinda feel like a bagel."
- Lines in the Sand

Foreman: "I had a date last night. She screamed too. You think we should spend a hundred thousand dollars testing her?"
House: "Of course not. This isn't a veterinary hospital. Zing!"
- Lines in the Sand

"You get married at twenty, you're going to be shocked who you're living with at thirty."
- Fools For Love

"It's probably her mom. I bet she's huge. She is from the Midwest. Since when do you eat beets?"
- Que Sera Sera

"Quick, what's the status? I gotta get back to our sleeper before he goes looking for the orgasmatron."
- Son of Coma Guy

"Okay, fine. I'll father your child. But first you gotta write me a Vicodin prescription. Just so I can get through the foreplay."
- Whac-A-Mole

"Good thing you failed to become a mom because you suck at it!"
- Finding Judas

"Arrogance has to be earned. Tell me what you've done to earn yours."
- The Jerk

"Happens often in high anxiety situation, especially to women. Now it sounds sexist, but science says you're weak and soft. What can I do?"
- Airborne


"No, Cameron had concerns. Chase just agreed with her because he didn't want to lose his all access pass to her love rug."
- Fetal Position

"If you're considering grabbing my ass, don't start anything you can't finish."
- Half Wit

"Could have left the scarf at home and just told him you'd be wearing a look of desperation."
- Insensitive

House MD : Fox.com

Mommy Love To Watch Sports Too

Yankees sweeps the Boston Red Sox & it just made my day. Such contrast to the game against the Detroit Tigers on Monday where they lost 16-0 .What a heartbreak that was.It's like everything that could go wrong went wrong such as late schedule ,rain delay etch etch. The game didn't end till 3:30 am ( e.t.) wow , now that's unheard of.

My favorite team bounced back & defeated their arch rival Boston Red Sox in three straight game and now tied with the Mariners for the wild card.I pray that the yanks will continue to play great so they could reach the play off!!

Jeter & A-Rod

** Can't wait for the NFL season to start. I'm just beginning to understand this game coz it's a bit confusing but DH is very patient explaining to me everything I need to know about this game Go COLTS!!

**I think every filipino is a big fan of Basketball. I am excited for our home team the Portland Trail Blazers. I think they will have a better chance this season after acquiring the number 1 draft pick Greg Oden. Good Luck Blazers!!!

** Of course I also keep track of Golf & I'm always & forever be a fan of Tiger woods. Congrats on winning The PGA Championship. I think he will be the sportsman of the year.

**I've missed the tennis world coz after Sampras retired I felt like there's no more excitement for this game but how wrong was I. I got a chance to watch Federrer play the other day & I think I'll be watching more of him now.

Girly Stuff

Some girls likes clothes.
Some girls like purses or wallets.
Some girls like shoes.
Some likes cellphones or any latest gadgets.
But girls like me.....we like skin care products & make ups.

I don't use them all but I just like looking at them coz I love the colors & the smell.I love eye shadows & mascara. If you do it right , it really brightens your face & makes you look so much younger. I love lipsticks & lip gloss too. Mac lip gloss & Estee Lauder lipstick are the ones you will always find in my purse. When going out at night , I have to have foundation on coz the reflection of lights makes my face so smooth of flawless but if we are just going out to the park
during the day , I like to dub a little bit of lose powder & some blush to make me look refreshed.

My holy grail of skin care

Women over 30 should use moisturizers more often. Too kick it up another notch I use facial serum before moisturizer & it just make so much difference & you can see & feel the result almost instantly.

Don't forget to clean your face. In the morning I use Neutrogena Pore Refining® Cleanser . Be careful when rinsing coz it stings in the eye but it really does feels so clean & my pores became a lot smaller . When I have make up on I use Olay Facial Cleanser. I love this product coz it's like 4-in-1 . Make up remover,toner,cleanser & moisturizer.

Next time , we'll talk about hair products.

Ciao!!

Not Much Of A Bitch After All

...And all along I thought I was......

You are 83% Bittch!

I can't believe it! Your almost a full bittch! I know you just sit there and think of ways to be a bittch! How Pathetic is that! You must be awful lonely! Cruelty hurts! Bittch!

How much of a B*tch Are you?
Create MySpace Quizzes

Remembering My Childhood Idol

Only a Filipino would know who she was. She was a superstar & a darling to everybody.
I was only a child myself when she became famous . At 6pm everyday we would gather in front of our old black & white t.v. to watch her drama show " Anna Liza". Her face was so angelic that even w/ the old TV set w/ no color you could feel her emotions & I'd cry when she cry . People say that I look like her & I'd get embarrassed when they tease me that I was imitating her but deep inside I was secretly smiling whenever I get compared to my favorite movie star .

Everything was going well w/ her career & even starting a new album when she pass away. It was a really sad day. I think the whole country mourned for her. I cried so much because I was only 10 & I don't understand how she died & I could go to see her funeral.
Yesterday I saw her face on the news & my childhood memory came rushing back to me.
I swear I'd still have goose-bumps even just talking about her. She is really special & up until now I am still a big fan . God Bless your soul Julie .

Julie Vega

Food Critique ~ Chinese Food In America

I've wanted to write about this topic a long time ago but it kept slippin' off of my mind but last Sunday was the last straw . I was just sick & tired of getting the same nasty crap they so called Chinese food here. I been to many Chinese restaurant & none of them serves authentic dish. Even the most expensive one didn't even came close. My DH knows the look on my face when I see the food in front of me & I just could just tell without even taking a tiny bite that it's gonna taste awful . I guess he kinda have a respect for my expertise *wink* in this world renowned food coz you get that when you've lived in China for over 5 years . Okay 'nough about me .So here are some pics of the food that I'm talking about.


Chinese Pork bbq ( Cha Su ). Looks OK but it's so dry you'd think you're chewing on styrofoam.

This is how it should look like & I bet this one's are tender,juicy & tasty like it should be .

DH ordered his favorite general Tao's chicken . I didn't want to spoil his appetite but I sure felt like I'm gonna go into a cardiac arrest just by looking at it.It has so much breading & oil. I wanna make sure that my guess was right so I tasted it & sure enough it was loaded w/ sugar & batter & the fried rice , gees, lord only knows how long that rice have been kept in the fridge before it ended up in the wok.


1.5 star for this one Gen Tao's Doesn't Have Too Much Batter


Chinese food , the real one , are not only tasty & delicious but also healthy & nutritional.
I'm not giving up just yet. I'm sure somewhere out there I'll find a restaurant that serves
good ( maybe even close to original) Chinese food.

Happy Eating !!!

Ito Ang English

We' ve been friends for a long time ago. We come from the same almamother.
Actually, our paths crossed one time on another. But it's only nowthat I gave him a second look. I realized that beauty is in the eyes. The pulpbits of my heart went fast, really fast.
Cute pala siya. And then, hecame over with me.He said, "I hope you don't mine.
Can I get your number?"Nag-worry ako. What if he doesn't give it back? He explained naman na it's so we could keep intact daw. Sabi ko, "Connect me if i'm wrong but are youasking me ouch?""The!?!!??". .. ang sarcastic na sagot nya.Aba! The verb! Parang siya pa ang galit! Persona ingrata!!! Ang kapal niya! I cried buckles of tears.Na-guilty yata siya.
Sabi niya, isipin mo na lang na this is a blessing inthe sky. Irregardless daw of his feelings, we should go ouch na rin.Now, we're so in love. Mute and epidemic na ang past.
Thanks God we swallowed our fried. Kasi, I'm 33 na and I'm running our time.
After 2weeks, he plopped the question. "Will you marriage me?" I'm in a state ofshocked.
Kasi mantakin mo, when it rains, it's four! This is true good to be true. So siyempre, I said yes. Love is a many splendor.Pero nung inaayos ko na ang aming kasal, everything swell to pieces.Nag-di-dinner kami noon nang biglang sa harap ng aming table, may babaenghumirit ng, "Well, well, well. Look do we have here." What the fuss! Thenerd ng babaeng yon! She said they were still on. So I told her, whateveris that, cut me some slacks! I didn't want this to get our hand kaya I had to sip it in the bud. She accused me of steeling her boyfriend. As is!!! Idon't want to portrait the role of the other woman. Gosh, tell me to themarines! I told her, "please, mine you own business!" Who would believe her anyway?Dahil it's not my problem anymore but her problem anymore, tumigil na rinsiya ng panggugulo. Everything is coming up daisies. I'm so happy. Even myboyfriend said liketwice. He's so supportive. Sabi niya, "Look at is this way. She's our of our lives."Kaya advise ko sa inyo - take the risk. You can never can tell. Just burnthe bridge when you get there. Life is shorts. If you make a mistake,we'll just pray for the internal and external repose of your soul. I second emotion.

The Favorites, Have-You-Evers.. and Last Times! Oh, the variety!

The Favorites, Have-You-Evers.. and Last Times! Oh, the variety!
What is your favorite..
gum:	Trident
restaurant:	Tokyo Tokyo
drink:	Diet green tea
season:	winter
type of weather:	not too hot
emotion:	when I'm excited
thing to do on a half day:	chores
late-night activity:	blogging ..lols
sport:	baseball & basketball
city:	Portland & New York
store:	Nordstrom
When was the last time you..
cried:	monday
played a sport:	centuries ago
laughed:	a few minutes ago
hugged someone:	this morning
kissed someone:	this morning
felt depressed:	a while ago.
felt elated:	can't remember
felt overworked:	all the time
faked sick:	never
lied:	secret
What was the last..
word you said:	stop playing w/ the water
thing you ate:	PB&J
song you listened to:	A Beautiful Mind Soundtract
thing you drank:	coffee , strong
place you went to:	the park
movie you saw:	Superbad
movie you rented:	can't remember
concert you attended:	Side A concert
Who was the last person you..
hugged:	My kids
cried over:	my sister
kissed:	my kids
danced with:	my kids
shared a secret with:	my husband
had a sleepover with:	not in a while
called:	my husband
went to a movie with:	my husband
saw:	my kids
were angry with:	my kids
couldn't take your eyes off of:	my husband
obsessed over:	my husband
Have you ever..
danced in the rain:	yeah when I was 5
kissed someone:	oh yeah
done drugs:	never
drank alcohol:	yeah
slept around:	no no no
partied 'til the sun came up:	yeah
had a movie marathon:	oh yeah
gone too far on a dare:	nope not yet
spun until you were immensely dizzy:	not since I was 7
taken a survey quite like this before:	a few weeks ago
Take this survey Find more surveys Bzoink - The Original Survey Site

I am tagging Tess, Lanie, Sarah, In-in,Geri,Bless,Kim,Pham,Anna,Sandy,Rhebs,Gilda & Vanessa

Clutter Solution

Space is always a problem when you live in an apartment & your stuff just keeps piling up & no where to go So here is my solution to one of our clutter problem in the house. We found this metal shelves at Target & I was so pleased that w/ such cheap cost a problem was solved. I was amaze at how much space we've saved & now there's more floor area for my kids to play .I wish we have thought about this long time ago.The plastic bins are also inexpensive & you can label them & organize so you don't have to look for missing parts & pieces.

For moms like me who gets attached to their kids toys & stuf , this is a great solution or you can always stop by Salvation Army or Goodwill. I have a few more boxes like this around the house & on closets & storage room .Another great thing about this is it teaches kids how to be more organized.

This Was Before . Got Tired Of Looking For A Toy

Chicken Pamesan

Chicken Pamesan

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted
1/2 bunch fresh basil leaves
2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, drained and hand-crushed
Pinch sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 11/2 pounds)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon water
1 cup dried bread crumbs
1 (8-ounce) ball fresh buffalo mozzarella, water drained
Freshly grated Parmesan
1 pound spaghetti pasta, cooked al dente

Coat a saute pan with olive oil and place over medium heat. When the oil gets hazy, add the onions, garlic, and bay leaves; cook and stir for 5 minutes until fragrant and soft. Add the olives and some hand-torn basil. Carefully add the tomatoes (nothing splashes like tomatoes), cook and stir until the liquid is cooked down and the sauce is thick, about 15 minutes; season with sugar, salt and pepper. Lower the heat, cover, and keep warm.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Get the ingredients together for the chicken so you have a little assembly line. Put the chicken breasts side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them. Pound the chicken breasts with a flat meat mallet, until they are about 1/2-inch thick. Put the flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. In a wide bowl, combine the eggs and water, beat until frothy. Put the bread crumbs on a plate, season with salt and pepper.

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high flame in a large oven-proof skillet. Lightly dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, and then dip them in the egg wash to coat completely, letting the excess drip off, then dredge in the bread crumbs. When the oil is nice and hot, add the cutlets and fry for 4 minutes on each side until golden and crusty, turning once.

Ladle the tomato-olive sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with mozzarella, Parmesan, and basil. Bake the Chicken Parmesan for 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Serve hot with spaghetti.

My first time & it turned A-OK!!

Crunchy & Chewy Cheese Topping,Tender & Juicy Chicken

Courtesy Of : Food Network.om

Crab Mentality

It's been a long couple of months of waiting for the result of the nursing board exam & it finally came Sunday morning. Of the 64,909 takers, who included first-timers, repeaters and voluntary "re takers," 31,275 — or 48% — passed the exam .

My sister didn't make it . I was sad for her & I could only imagine how she felt.We were talking at yahoo messenger that same night & I was trying to be strong & encouraging for her & although I was in tears while typing on the keyboard, I know that I have to make sure that she understand that it is not over for her , that there is another chance. She can take the exam in December again & that is only like 4 months away . Her spirits were so low & I could sense only a hint of hope from her. She's ready to throw the towel & walk away. How I wish I could be there so I could hold her & assure her that everything is gonna be alright.

I understand why she's feeling that it's the end of the road for her.I blame those people that surrounds her ( not my parents but related to us) who were telling her even before the test result came out that she should just find a job as a care giver in other countries. I was so mad at these people that I wanted to pick up the phone & just scream at their faces. How dare them crush my sister's dream!!! How could you possibly tell a young lady that she will never become what she'd hope for!!! How can these people act like they know what's best for my sister!!! They were feeding her w/ falls information telling her that she will have a better chance if she in the middle east ( were there is WAR!! ) or in Japan. I had to show her this article to convince her that it's not true .
This is a classic example of Crab Mentality : describes a way of thinking best described by the phrase "if I can't have it, neither can you." The metaphor refers to a pot of crabs in which one tries to escape over the side, but is relentlessly pulled down by the others in the pot
They are jealous because they know that my sister have a bright future ahead of her & that she will have all the things that others will never in their life time.

I'd like to think that I have persuaded her enough & that she will continue her bout & that she will this failure as a lesson that will make her stronger & smarter the next time around.

I Am But A Small World

School season is coming soon .
I made a list of supplies that they need to bring
and put away some old books,papers,art works to make room for the new ones.
I am actually quiet excited for them just like I was when I was their age.
The smell of new crisp note book,crayons of different colors , erasers , pens, new school bags...ahhh I still remember.
Princess must have asked a million times when we are going to go shopping for their school stuff but we decided that we wont buy till the last minute coz I know how kids are having very little control of themselves when they see brand new boxes of crayons & colored papers .So shopping is scheduled not until before Labor Day. We will do clothes shopping as well coz I'm sure there will be plenty of sales during that holiday.

While putting away boxes of old kids stuff from school , I thought I'd share some of my favorite creation of my daughter.

I guess by then a pill would have been invented to make people live over hundreds of years

She made lots of pics like this. I just don't know what's w/ the glasses?

She did this a week ago.I guess we need to work more on spelling :)

Some More Pics Of My Two Chikitings

The Face Behind The Blog

I was reading Geri's blog (coz I was awol for so long :) ) about herself & I saw my name at the bottom of the post. I've been tagged!!! Turns out Sarah tagged me too...(thanks guys , it's nice to have special mention in your pages ) so here I go.

The Face Behind The Blog
That's me 31 years ago ( you do the math ).The first of 3 kids. My sister Madel who just graduated from nursing school (big applause for her coz she's the 1st in the fam to get a degree ) & my baby brother Mark , still at school hoping to find his way too. My mother says she wanted to name me " Evangeline" coz it sounded religious but my lolo ( my father's dad ) wanted to call me "Melody" . I thank him for that , god bless his soul , because I love my name & it even became more fitting coz later on I became a professional singer. On my cousin's 18th birthday , I sang the song " I Will Always Love You" & I danced w/ my lolo....that was the first & the last time he heard me sing.
My personality can be very conflicting .It's a mix of how I was brought up & the lifestyle & culture that I am living now.Still the big part of me remains a true filipina , mahiyain,mayumi (daw)& respectful to others and experiencing many other culture & traditions made me more open minded & appreciative of other people.Maybe being a Gemini has something to do w/ who & what I am. I can be very adventurous & do some outrageous stuff but then I'm the first one to cry at any sad silly story , books , movie or even a strangers tale OR the first to scream while watching a horror movie.


When I was growing up I wanted to be a flight stewardess ( now we say flight attendant) coz I dreamed about travelling the whole world . Unknowingly , fate was leading me to a different direction & slowly I am discovering that I have a knack for singing . It was that time when karaoke machine was getting popular & everybody knows that when I get a hold of the mic , they'll just have to listen & wait in line . I also realized that I enjoy cooking a lot & how much I love to hear people's raving about how delicious the meals that I made for them so I told myself that if I don't become a singer then I'm gonna be a chef.

Life was hard , my parents both worked at a shoe factory & barely made enough money.Yet , they didn't fail to teach me how to be a good person, they taught me respect , honesty, hard work , & discipline. At an early age, I understood that I would have to work twice as hard as the next person if I wanted to achieve success in life. I became more serious with school & my studies ..even got some award at school and dreamed of becoming a doctor. Some people weren't as optomistic as me. Someone told me that I cannot be a flight attendant coz I will fail the minimum height requirements . I accepted that & focus my head on becoming a doctor, then somebody told me that we were too poor to be able to afford even just the registration fee . They were right again. I only made to graduate high school . I was so heart broken. Reality bites & the truth sucked!!! There's nothing like the feeling of your dreams being crushed. I let myself morned my heartaches for a while then I decided that I can't surrender!!
So I kicked myself up & got back in the race.

At 16,most young girls are busy with school, friends or whatever teenagers supposed to be doing. Not me, I was out there looking for my place in the world. I rediscovered my first love , singing . I signed up for every auditioned I could find & practiced every song that I was assigned to me. I had nothing , not even a microphone of my own . I had this old notebook where I wrote all the lyrics & all the melody recorded in my brain. All I had was my talent & determination & after 6 months , I had my first paid gig & not only that , it was at a five star hotel in Singapore. Not bad for a neophyte . I joined several bands after that & I travelled in some of the best cities in Asia . My dream of seeing the whole world was slowly coming true & what's best was that I was getting paid to do it.

2002 , in Hongkong , one fated night , I met my future partner in life.That feeling when you met somebody & you just knew it "like magic" & even though I knew then that it's going to be a tough decision for both of us being of different origin & nationalities, I felt the magic & it was all it took. It was hard , really hard .The paper work,visa applications, the waiting , long distance romance , long distance call , yahoo messenger, chikka ..you name it , anything to make the waiting bareable. It took over 2 years before me & Grant finally got together. Totally worth the wait.

So far life has been good. I am blessed w/ a wonderful & loving husband that understands me more than anybody in the world. He makes me laugh & gives me support & always there whenever I need him.Then there's our two precious little ones. Princess, like her name says , is the most smartest girl ,sweet & caring & very strong willed ( just like her mom).She likes drawing,painting & singing & facinated about insects & dinosaurs & likes climbing trees. Shinjo is our little man. The most curious one of all.His eyers brightens up at every little things that he sees.It's like the whole world is full of magic for him.
They are now my life , my world & I devote my whole time to them.

Someday I'm gonna sing again or perhaps enrol at a culinary school & finally get a diploma.Myabe open up my own restaurant or travel & see the rest of the world. These are my future plans & who knows? Anything can happen but now I know that everything is possible if you try & never give up.

That's the gist of my so called life. It's very colorful & lively just like meh :)
I am tagging In-In, Vanessa , Lanie & Gilda.

I'm Baaaackk!!!

Holy guacamole!!! I am begging blogger.com to phu-lease not mess up my page anymore.

I don't know how many times I had to revise my blog & it really takes a serious amount of time to get everything right , of course number 1 it has to be pretty :) & number 2 , that I could put all my nick-knacks & pics on the side bar. I had a few interesting topics that I wanted to post but I couldn't because my blog was all F-ed up!!!! (end rant!))


UPDATE:
My Weight : Still the same ( boo-hoooo) . Can't blame nothing but myself...and my bad genes.I didn't do enough. I know the right nutrition, the right work outs even have the equipments that I need. What's missing???? m o t i v a t i o n. It's even harder now that the kids are on vacation & I have no reason to get out of the house except maybe every other day to take the kids to the park or on the weekends to do grocery shopping. I know that diet alone wont do the trick.....my body needs to be physically active coz that's how it was programmed since I was a kid . I was used to walking a couple of miles to get to the palengke & buy fresh fish & vegetables for dinner or washing 2 big loads of laundry by hands or washing the wooden floor while kneeling . Now everything is so easy , so convenient , everything is automated & hardly needs any efforts. That's why I'm gaining weight ..coz I am eating more nutritious food & not exerting enough sweat.

September is the month that I'm waiting for . Both kids will be at school & I will be a lot busier plus the I will finally have the time "just for me" . I can do my work out w/out constant interruptions ( ahhh...I can't hardly wait ).

My Kids : I can't believe I now have a 1st grader!!!! I am partly excited & partly scared.It means she will be on her own longer...w/out mom & dad to watch over her. She told me she was scared ...she doesn't know why she's afraid but I don't want to make her feeling worse so I assured her that every thing's gonna be ok & that it's should be a lot of fun. I hope she didn't sense the fear in my voice. I want her to be brave & to know that mommy & daddy will always be there for her.

Shinjo is also starting preschool & he will go 4X's a week . His teacher says that he will be joining the Lunch Bunch & she promised that it's gonna be a lot of fun because the kids are older & bigger & they would be a better model for our son . We are expecting him to improve his social skills & to develop his level of play. It should be very interesting & lots of fun for Shinjo.


Entertainment: Me & my husband are both movie buffs but we can't always go to the cinema to watch the latest movies so our solution is to bring the cinema to our house . DH assembled our home entertainment system & it's just awesome esp w/ the surround sound & HD quality picture. All we have to do is wait till the kids are in bed & we could watch all kinds of movies that we want & thanks to Netflix huge lists of movie titles our weekends is never boring .


Here are a few of great movies that we've seen recently that I highly recommend:

1. Hot Fuzz - you'll pee your pants laughing
2.The Last King Of Scotland - a bit gory but it's also a real story about Idi Amin
3.The Good Shepherd - we luv Matt Damon & yeah the movie is ofcouse great.
4.Deja Vu - never seen a movie of Denzel that I didn't like
5.Blood Diamond - great performance from Leo..i wonder why he hasn't won any awards yet.
6. Breach - another true story
7.The Pursuit of Happyness - I cried on this one. Will & his son is so good in this movie.
8.Children Of Men - very interesting...makes you wonder "what if?"
9.Stranger Than Fiction - Will Ferrel is so good in this one. He even made me cry.
10. The Departed - Matt & Leo plus Martin Scorsese.....you gotta see this one.
11. 300 - Great effects..great story...one of my top ten all time favorite.
12.Casino Royale - jam packed action...


I'm sure there's more but these are all I can remember for now. When I can sneak some time to watch a romance movie I would choose The Phantom Of the Opera & Sleepless In Seattle .
Still on the topic of entertainment...I got hooked on watching Law & Order SVU and I have seen all the episodes ( yup..all of them ) from Season 1 till 7 & I'm just waiting for the Season 8 dvd to come out. Right now & finishing the Law & Order :Criminal Intent. I think the psychological aspects of the show is what fascinates me esp Det. Goren & his understanding of human behavior .


What else did we do ??
We went to the beach & boy did I looked like the most obvious foreigner & not because of my color but my lack of knowledge about Oregon water......damn it was cold!!!! I'm like " so are supposed to just stare at the water coz I ain't going in that freezing ice cold water!!" I was so disappointed & acted like a 6 year old girl pouting coz I couldn't swim in the nice beach. It was 98 degrees for christ sake but unless you wanted to get hypothermia then go a head & dive . Inspite of the water being unbearably cold, Cannon Beach on the top ten of the best family friendly beaches in the nation.

The Oregon International Airshow was held at the Hillsboro Airport & we had the chance to witness the great performances from the Blue Angels & some other planes . DH is a great fan of fighter planes & once dreamed of becoming a pilot himself. It was a fun weekend events for us & the kids really enjoyed watching the planes do their acrobatic skills up in the sky.


Okay....that's all for now. I'll leave you w/ some pics of my sweet little angles .

Such a brave boy. He didn't mind the bone-chilling cold water.

She's was getting ready to build her sand castle

Enjoying a nice sunny day at the park



Mommy finally agreed to have her pic taken.


My angels