Life in a flash

This existence of ours is as transient as autumn clouds. To watch the birth and death of beings is like looking at the movements of a dance. A lifetime is a flash of lightning in the sky. Rushing by, like a torrent down a steep mountain.

~ Buddha

J told me about the recent car accident that Rene Saguisag was in. His wife died on the spot, when a big truck crashed into their vehicle a couple of days ago in Makati. Mr. Saguisag's condition is now stable but he continues to stay at the ICU.

Mrs. Saguisag was a breast cancer survivor, but lost her life in a senseless vehicular accident. You just never know when life is going to end for you eh? That is why we should always live each day to its fullest. Carpe diem!

Beyond Excitement

I just checked our vacation ticker and found out that we have just 7 months left before our holiday to the Philippines commences. Wow! The last time I checked it was 9 months still. Has it only been two months? I thought it was more!

I guess I am just too excited about this trip. I reckon J is too. We are so looking forward to that much needed break. Taking care of Erin combined with household chores can be so overwhelming at times. We need to re-energize! Manila here we come! :)

Apocalypto

J and I recently watched Mel Gibson's Apocalypto this morning. And I must say, amid all the blood and gore that the movie showcased, I actually liked the story a lot! :)

Jaguar Paw (played by Rudy Youngblood) running for his life

Here is synopsis of the film from IMDB:

Set in the Mayan civilization, when a man's idyllic presence is brutally disrupted by a violent invading force, he is taken on a perilous journey to a world ruled by fear and oppression where a harrowing end awaits him. Through a twist of fate and spurred by the power of his love for his woman and his family he will make a desperate break to return home and to ultimately save his way of life.

Gibson sure has this thing with violent films eh? Remember Braveheart? I loved that one too, by the way.

Surprise foiled!

I was planning to get J something for Christmas. I figured the only way I could do that was to buy his gift online. A couple of weeks back he has been reporting to his office much earlier than the usual so I reckon I could receive the package myself and manage to hide it away from him until the holidays in December.

Unfortunately, this week, he's been going to the office at a later time. And my worst fear of him receiving the package himself came true this morning! I thought he was going to leave it alone as it was addressed to me. But I heard him start to rip open the box and when I got there, it was too late. He thought it was still from our relatives from the States so he decided to open it, even though he saw that it came from a different address. I guess he somehow knew it was for him, which was why he just had to see it for himself. Argh!

So, what was in the box, you ask? I got him a MaxScratch. You see, he is a constant back-scratcher and sometimes, especially if he can't reach it, he asks me to do it for him. When I'm not there, he grabs anything (from steel rulers to rolled-up catalogues) to reach that itchy spot that he is just dying to scratch. I couldn't see any decent ones in the shops so eBay was the only way to go.

Oh well... there goes my surprise. I may have to think of another one soon, even if J insists that there is no need for it anymore. The problem still remains though -- how to secretly get it into the house without him knowing it.

Scattergories Meme

Got this from Kat. I thought it was going to be easy. But it turns out, I had to google a few to help me out on some of the questions. :P

Instructions:
Use the first letter of your name to answer each of the following. They have to be real places, names, things ... nothing made up! Try to use different answers if the person who nominated you has the same first initial. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

What is your name? Leah
4-letter word: Love!
Vehicle: Lexus
City: London
Boy Name: Leo
Girl Name: Lauren
Alcoholic drink: love potion # 9
Occupation: librarian, locksmith
Something you wear: locket, lip gloss
Celebrity: Lindsay Lohan
Food: lemon, lettuce, leche flan, lollies
Something found in a bathroom: lotion, lavender soap
Reason for Being Late: late in waking up
Cartoon Character: Linus and Lucy (from Peanuts)
Something You Shout: "Let's eat!"

Alright, your turn! :)

Feast 162

Appetizer
How are you today?
Tired. I wish I can catch up on my sleep. Erin is really a handful.

Soup
Name 3 television shows you watch on a regular basis.
It's reality TV season here so my top 3 shows right now are: Australian Idol, Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You can Dance.

Salad
What’s the scariest weather situation you’ve experienced?
This happened 7 years ago. I was coming home from work and when I was about to get down from the jeep in Baclaran, the rain started to pour heavily & the wind was blowing really hard. Unfortunately, I did not have my umbrella with me at that time. And alam nyo naman sa Manila, konteng ulan lang, baha na. I ran for cover and the only place I could find was under a big umbrella owned by one of the vendors. I couldn't get a ride as well because all the jeepneys were full. In short, I was stuck, not to mention I was also soaked to the skin! Di lang yun, when I finally managed to get a ride, super traffic naman. Igot home at around 9pm already and I left my place of work at 4:30 pm pa. My mom was worried sick! Buti di ako nagkasakit after nun. Since then, I have vowed never to leave the house without my umbrella.

Main Course
If you could wake up tomorrow morning in another country, where would you want to be?
Definitely, the Philippines. Where else?

Dessert
What do you usually wear to sleep?
I am mostly in my PJs, especially on cold nights. In the summer, I wear tank tops and boxer shorts.

19 things to say to your children

I got this in my inbox the other day. I'll definitely keep this in mind!

1. I love you! There is nothing that will make me stop loving you. Nothing you could do or say or think will ever change that.

2. You are amazing! I look at you with wonder! Not just at what you can do, but who you are. There is no one like you. No one!

3. It's all right to cry. People cry for all kinds of reasons: when they are hurt, sad, glad, or worried; when they are angry, afraid, or lonely. Big people cry too. I do.

4. You've made a mistake. That was wrong. People make mistakes. I do. Is it something we can fix? What can we do? It's all over. You can start fresh. I know you are sorry. I forgive you.

5. You did the right thing. That was scary or hard. Even though it wasn't easy, you did it. I am proud of you; you should be too.

6. I'm sorry. Forgive me. I made a mistake.

7. You can change your mind. It's good to decide, but it is also fine to change.

8. What a great idea! You were really thinking! How did you come up with that? Tell me more. Your mind is clever!

9. That was kind. You did something helpful and thoughtful for that person. That must make you feel good inside. Thank you!

10. I have a surprise for you. It's not your birthday. It's for no reason at all. Just a surprise, a little one, but a surprise.

11. I can wait. We have time. You don't have to hurry this time.

12. What would you like to do? It's your turn to pick. You have great ideas. It's important to follow your special interests.

13. Tell me about it. I'd like to hear more. And then what happened? I'll listen.

14. I'm right here. I won't leave without saying good-bye. I am watching you. I am listening to you.

15. Please and Thank You. These are important words. If I forget to use them, will you remind me?

16. I missed you. I think about you when we are not together!

17. Just try. A little bit. One taste, one step. You might like it. Let's see. I'll help you if you need it. I think you can do it.

18. I'll help you. I heard you call me, here I am. How can I help you? If we both work together, we can get this done. I know you can do it by yourself, but I'm glad to help since you asked.

19. What do you wish for? Even if it's not yet time for birthday candles and we don't have a wishbone, it's still fun to hear about what you wish for, hope for, and dream about.

-- Author Unknown

10 Things I've Been Putting Off

1. Organising Erin's stuff - The little girl has accumulated loads of stuff over the months and I have yet to sort them all out into these categories: to put away in boxes (for future use [?]), to give away, and to use ASAP.
2. Read my books - I still have tons of books to read. I just can't seem to find the time to read these days. :(
3. Clean! - I'm such a neat freak so it bothers me a lot when things are a mess. As much as I would want to partake in the cleaning duties in our home, sadly these days, most of them are delegated to J.
4. Do some gardening - Before Erin was born, J and I regularly did some gardening on weekends. He was (still is) in charge of weeding while I trimmed the bushes and trees. We find the activity therapeutic.
5. Going home to Manila - Understandably, with Erin being so young, we won't be able to come home to Manila for the holidays. We're postponing our trip to next year, after she turns a year older.
6. Pamper myself at a salon or spa - I'm doing this when we get to Manila. I think I just sooooo deserve it. I'm getting the works! :P
7. Go shopping alone - I'm saving up for this one. I can't wait to shop with my lone self. It's been awhile. I think I can maximize this one when we're in Manila.
8. Sleep at least 8 hours - This, of course, is unintentional and is totally dependent on Erin.
9. Taking my driver's examination - I still don't have my learner's license. I actually flunked the exam when I took it last year and was so traumatized (it ain't easy, plus it's so expensive!) by it that I have not tried to take it again. I know I need to seriously put in more effort when I review for the test so that I can drive our car if the need arises.
10. Get fully accredited in my profession - I still need to complete the second part of the board's assessment which requires me to go on supervised work. It'll take me six months to complete it if I work fulltime. It's a no-can-do situation right now because I have to take care Erin first.

Wow, I didn't realise there's so much that I've been putting off. Until Erin's grown up a bit, I think I won't be crossing out much from this list any time soon. How about you? What is on your list?

What the?!

I haven't been a fan of beauty pageants of late but this one got my attention when they featured it on Rove last Sunday. You have got to watch this.

Ano daw? I couldn't get her point. Can you? She was going around in circles the whole time.

Alright, let's give her the benefit of the doubt. I suppose she must have been terribly nervous at the time, hence, the fumble. I mean I, for one, personally hate speaking in front of a huge crowd. I know lots of people do. But candidates in this type of competition surely must have had enough practice to have that presence of mind. Then again, in Miss South Carolina's case, maybe not. :P

I guess the kicker here is that inspite of making that boo-boo on international TV, she still managed to bag third place in the pageant. Imagine that! Now I reckon it's the judges who do not have the 'presence of mind.' Pun definitely intended. :D

I could be the 'biggest loser'!

Want to lose weight fast? These are the things that I would suggest you to do:

Live overseas.

Get pregnant and have fussy baby.

Make sure to breastfeed, if possible 100% of the time.

By fussy baby I mean no decent sleep, continuous for at least six months.

Don't forget to do all the household chores as well.

It worked for me! :P I am now down to 50 kilos which is even less than my pre-pregnancy weight (I was 54 Kilos when we found out we were expecting Erin.) so I can fit into my old jeans once again. By the way, 50 Kilos was my weight when I was a fresh college graduate. And no matter how much food I eat now, I can't seem to put on any weight back on.

The sad part about all this is that my wedding ring keeps falling off from my ring finger especially when my hands are wet. I have to wear it now on my middle finger to keep it from slipping off and eventually losing it. Sometimes, I just leave it to J when I'm about to take a shower for safe-keeping. Occasionally I forget to get the ring back from him and he has two wedding rings on his hand! :)

Alright, wanna try out my weight loss program? Let me know if it works out the same way for you as it did for me. Good luck! ;)