SMiLE with ME

Strawberries, Jello, & Whipped Cream

2012-01-26T09:39:00.000+07:00

Every year I wait to dig into this mouth-watering dessert by Au Bon Pain.

Top it with a little whipped-cream and you're all set to go. Light, healthy, and delicious :)

And of course it would be perfect if I get to eat it with my good friend Dollie, because she loves it just as much as I do.

Weekend Flood Getaway

2012-01-26T09:32:00.002+07:00

This has been my draft for a good number of months now and so I decided to post it up anways instead of deleting it. All these pictures were taken during the time when most of Bangkok was panicking from the possibility of being inundated by the waters. Our family literally packed up everything on the first floor and lifted it up to the second floor, locked up our house, and went to Chonburi where we stayed at Elna's apartment. I actually have lots of pictures of us packing, and traveling, and camping out in Elna's one room apartment, but this here is all I managed to upload onto blogger. Who knows where the other pictures are right now :p

These pictures here are mainly taken on our day trip to Central in Chonburi. It was my mom's birthday so we celebrated it at Sizzlers and did some shopping :)

Spice Up Your Life

2011-11-13T12:22:00.001+07:00

These are some spices I've been using for my baking experiments with YouTube over the past month of flooding holidays. I thought it looked so colorful and it made me happy just to think of the wonderful tastes and aromas that these spices give :)

Bird's Nest

2011-11-09T10:23:00.001+07:00

About once or twice a year, there are these two birds (I'm not sure what kind), that always comes to the back of our house and builds a nest on one of our clothes lines.

It is so amazing to watch as the nest slowly takes form little by little everyday. The mommy bird decorates the nest with blue colored string for special touch, and if you take a look inside you'll see a cushion of soft feathers for warmth and comfort. If you watch, you'll see the daddy bird fly in first, make lots of noise to chase whoever is around away, and once the coast is clear, you'll see the mommy bird zoom in and take over with the next building.

All of us in the house like to take a peek from behind the screen of our back door to catch glimpses of the yellow and black feathered birds. They are tiny birds with small pointy beaks. I'm tempted to say they are humming birds, but I'm really not sure.

We were lucky last year to see one of the baby birds take off on its first flight. It was scared at first, but with a little coaxing from mommy and dadday it finally flew away on its own.

Now the nest is empty and has actually fallen of the clothesline with only a tiny tip left hanging, but I'm waiting for the birds to come back and build their nest once again.

Morning Breakfast

2011-11-09T08:53:00.003+07:00

Good morning! It's half way through the week and so far there is no sign of water around here yet. Most schools, including mine, are still on holiday which has been extended (again!!!) until November 20.

Since I'm on holidays with no where to rush off to in the morning, I decided to prepare some breakfast for Richmond and my mom. Unlike me, they've been hard at work.

Here's a peak into today's breakfast :)

Orange, red, and green. Fresh and tasty vegetables :)
Cream cheese, sour cream, and cottage cheese.
The best vegetable dip in the world!

Warm, toasted, whole wheat bread. Perfect for a delicious sandwich.

A hot cup of coffee for that early morning kick!

You can put all three ingredients together and you're ready to bite into your filling and healthy breakfast. Don't feel like having a sandwich? Scrap it out and just dig into your dip with your freshly cut vegetables for something just as good!

Hope you enjoyed the sights and the taste :) More food pictures coming your way.

Fresh Goodies from Chiangmai

2011-11-07T12:32:00.001+07:00

I walked into the kitchen this morning to the sight of some fresh goodies on the counter which our helper, 'P Bang, brought from her province.

I was so excited to see the humongous egg plants and bitter gourds, and of course my favorite, oh so delicious, avocados!!!

Right now my mind is trying to think up of simple dishes I can make with these ingredients. Let's see if my thinking becomes actual food dishes. Haha!

Youtube here I come!

Sometimes

2011-09-26T16:27:00.001+07:00

Sometimes in life things don't make you smile. Instead it makes you jealous, angry, sad, scared, doubtful, and even makes you cry. Such is life.

BUT, I am reminded that “... blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence.

So, I consciously choose to trust Him. Though I sometimes forget, I will keep trusting Him over, and over, and over again.

Haircuts

2011-09-26T16:23:00.002+07:00

I love salary day! Hahaha... anyways, moving on :)

Today Richmond, Cat, Schubert, Sharon and I went to Bangkapi to get some haircuts. Richmond drove there for the first time and I must say he did very well!

Concentrating

Here are some shots at the barber shop.

Amonch and Schubert's before & after shots.

Close up shots. Doesn't Schubert look so cute?!

Aunty Haysh, Schubert, and Mommy Cat with her cut fringe. Too bad I didn't take a picture of Sharon.

All smiles for all you people out there!

Happy new week!

Teacher Hazel

2011-09-24T22:18:00.002+07:00

School this year has been hectic to say the least! This is my third year of being a full-time teacher and though at times things get crazy and I feel super exhausted, I'm still enjoying it! I'm loving my homeroom class and all my kids :)

For the past two years I have been teaching 3 sections of Language Arts, but this year I am also teaching one section of Life Science. I also happen to be part of the school's Social Committee and the Middle School Sponsor for the Student Council. To top it off I am also tutoring 9 kids after school!

Here are some random pictures of school.

My kids playing a game on nouns.

Teaching Life Science. This was the easiest lesson. The very first lesson. Now it's getting anything but easy! I'm learning it all over again.

With my girls from after-school tutoring.

Me at the end of the day... Zzzzz

On the Passenger's Seat

2011-09-24T21:57:00.001+07:00

This evening hubby and I went for a date at Burger King, Marketplace, Thonglor. It was extra special coz I was the passenger this time and not the driver :)

As some of you know, Richmond passed his driving exam and now has his very own driver's license. It's like a dream come true for me because I don't always have to be the one driving now :) I love having my own personal chauffeur. Hehe.

Tomorrow we're going to venture out a little further and drive to The Mall Bangkapi to get a haircut.

Congratulations again Hubby!

Random picture of Richmond and Vincent :)

Wai Kru Day

2011-09-15T18:18:00.002+07:00

Many times I ask myself if I'm really made for teaching. I wonder if I do really make some kind of positive influence on my students and a lot of times I doubt myself.

But today, even for just a short moment, I felt loved and appreciated for what I do and it reminded me that though I may not always see it, I must have done something good for my students to remember me and give me hugs, flowers, and show their respects. It was a humbling experience.

This blog post would not be complete if I myself did not the time to thank all my teachers who have taught me through the years. Each of you have helped mold me in big and small ways to make me who I am today. Thank you!!!

A big salute to all teachers out there for what you do!

Shopping for Others

2011-07-14T09:08:00.001+07:00

What?! Shopping for someone else? Yes, you heard right. This morning I'm on a mission to complete my shopping list for others. Well, at least half of it for today.

What am I doing that for? It's because in a little more than two days I will be going to visit the Philippines. I will be going back for the first time in 11 years! It will be a very short trip but gotta prepare! So today I'm on the hunt for pasalubongs! Haha! If you're Filipino then you know exactly what I'm talking about.

So for today it's Union Mall, Platinum and Jusco. Ready or not, here I come!

Day Trip to Hua Hin

2011-07-14T08:58:00.001+07:00

Last Tuesday the EIS Social Committee headed over to Hua Hin to check out different resorts to see what were some of the possible places where we could hold our yearly retreat.

So at 7am in the morning a small group of us hopped into the school van and made our way through Bangkok traffic, over the river, not too sad to leave the city behind us.

You would have thought that all we were out to do was check it hotels, but it was more than that. We was more like a drinking, eating, and walking adventure.

Every resort we went to always welcomed us with a drink. We had all sorts of colorful drinks--orange, red, blue, yellow. Some even welcomed us with a cold face towel which was very refreshing! And then there were those that treated us extra special! :).

At one place they served us with a delicious lunch. Then at the next place we had some coffee and tea together with several plates of cookies and tarts. Yum!

But the best of all was our last stop! It was a perfect way to end a day with lots of walking. We were treated to dinner at a poolside with the best food ever! Take a look at what I had :)

I had sautéed mushrooms with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, fish and chips with tartar sauce, sticky rice and mangoes, and a drink called Lemongrass Sling.

Jealous!? I would be. Hehe. It was one heck if a tiring day but also special and memorable.

Waking Up to a Water World

2011-07-01T07:36:00.001+07:00

It rained cats and dogs last night and when I woke up and looked out my window, it was water world...again.

I always get excited when something like this happens, especially when I was kid. I guess it was because a flood in the compound meant no school and I could run around and play in the water, ride my bike and make a fountain of water come up behind me, and catch fishes that had swam out of the "klong" on to the roads.

The last time this happened was during my parents 30th Wedding Anniversary. Except I think it's worse this time because even the road beside our house was covered in water.

It was funny too because the window at the head of our bed was wide open and as the rain was falling and the wind was blowing it got onto my arm just when I was having a dream about a meeting with monster and I thought the rain on my arm was the monster's saliva. Hehe :)

As for now the waters are subsiding and I should be getting to work some time soon. Good morning everyone!

Goodies :)

2011-06-30T20:24:00.001+07:00

I arrived home to find Sonya already at the house. She brought us a whole bunch of goodies!

This here is a wall clock from Indonesia given by Sonya. So colorful and cute!

And also lots of goodies from my sister. Thank you, thank you, thank you :)

Stuck in Traffic

2011-06-30T20:04:00.001+07:00

Being stuck in traffic is definitely not something you would necessarily smile about. I'm currently on the way home, stuck in heavy traffic, and the rain is definitely not helping things at all.

I'm hearing on the radio that some parts of the city is experiencing some flooding.

On a happier note, I'm stuck on traffic because I just came from a major shopping sale at Queen Sirikit Convention Center.

The place was swarming with people!!!

They had clothes, shoes, bags, and lots of makeup for sale!!!

These are just two pictures I managed to take. Surprisingly I didn't get anything much. I think I must have been overwhelmed. All I got was some seaweed snacks, a bottle of my favorite nail polish remover, and hand gel. Stuff my mom would call "kaya" or junk. Hehe :)

Well, so much for shopping...hopefully I won't be too overwhelmed next time.

*Note to self: Don't blog when riding in a taxi...it'll make you want to puke and give you a headache.

My Cute Smartcard

2011-06-30T14:10:00.001+07:00

I have a smartcard at school used for buying stuff at the snack bar an cafeteria. It's also supposed to be my work I.D card but I never went to upgrade it to one. So, all along I've been using I plain white one that now looks brown because it's all scratched an dirty.

But just today I gave my smartcard make over. I scratched out the nearly rotten sticker with my name printed on it and decorated it with cute Winnie the Pooh stickers. I also got a post it note and wrote my name on it. To top it off, I put the card in a protective plastic covering.

Thanks to my friends in the business office that gave me the idea and to my cousin, Cat, for the cute stickers :)

Photo Apps

2011-06-29T23:49:00.001+07:00

Yesterday I downloaded 2 photo apps onto my iPod touch. I've been browsing the app store quite a bit lately and finding many interesting things.

Anyways, the two apps I downloaded were Instagram and Photosplit. I played around with them and this is what I got.

I'm excited to take more pictures and see what other stuff I can come up with :)

Beep

2011-06-29T14:25:00.002+07:00

It's lunch time at my work place for the summer and I'm in the middle of a blackout. Work in the business office is at a standstill which is very different from most days when students and parents flock here to pay for next year's registration. All around me I can hear the beeping sound of everyone's UPS machine which is keeping our computers up and running.

I'm not at all worried because I'm keeping myself entertained with my Smurf game here on my iPod touch. Here, take a look at my Smurf village

Walka Walka

2011-06-23T21:45:00.001+07:00

Just had a two mile workout!!! Feelin so good :)

I'm planning to keep this up throughout the summer together with my hubby.

It's time for better living!

iPod Blog

2011-06-19T21:28:00.001+07:00

I'm doing something different with my blog entry today. It's going to be my first time to post an entry from my iPod touch.

Actually, I've been doing many new things since Richmond and I were given an iPod touch as a gift. I've been using TalkBox and FaceTime to keep in touch with my sister and I'm really liking it!

Not only that, I can take a photo and upload it right into my blog post! How cool is that?! Here's a photo of me right now :)

Time to blog away :)

Summer

2011-06-18T20:15:00.003+07:00

It's finally summer break for me :)

And I have a strong feeling that blogging is in the air :)

My summer of 2011 started off with a very special event...my parents 30th wedding anniversary which happened on June 5. It was like planning for a third wedding :) It trulywas a once in a lifetime experience. As my dad would say, "One of the happiest moment of our life." I am soooooo glad my sister and I, together with Bayu and Richmond, were able to plan out such an event. Despite the heavy downpour and flooding that morning, we were blessed with the support of so many family and friends who so willing helped us out. Without them it would not have been possible. Praise and glory be to God! He has been good and faithful!

Time spent with family after the anniversary celebration was very much cherished and enjoyed. Bayu cooked his chicken for us and led out in family worships and I had a wonderful time with my sister putting on makeup and dressing up, eating out and shopping, and just wonderful sister time!!! I was luck because I was able to have a few days off before starting my summer work.

I love you Sis!

Now, I'm back to work and I'm really happy that I'm able to work in the office this summer. Though I enjoy teaching, I'm very thankful for the break. I'm definitely loving my summer job!

Coming up next month is my visit to the Philippines with my hubby Richmond. It's going to be my first time to visit Richmond's side of the family and meet his other two sisters and it's finally going to be my return visit after last being there 11 years ago!!!

Well that's all for now...and I hope to be back with more updates...at least for the summer :)

wEIRD wEATHER

2011-03-30T12:52:00.002+07:00

Lately, the weather has been acting pretty weird. Usually, this is the hottest time of the year, but these past few weeks have been cloudly, gloomy, rainy, and cold.

About 2-3 weeks ago the weather dropped sharply and the people of Bangkok got to enjoy really, really cook weather. From my classroom on the 5th floor of the Middle School Building, the chilling wind was blowing so strongly that my students didn't even want to stay outside because inside the classroom was warmer than being outside. Then, with just a blink of an eye, the weather turned hot and humid again.

It stayed uncomfortably hot for a bit and then on Wednesday last week, at 6am in the morning, the sky just opened up it started pouring cats and dogs!!! It took me 20 mintes to get to work, and it usually takes 2 minutes. The "soi" was flooded and full of traffic. I later read in the news the it poured down so heavily that the city of Bangkok almost came to a stand still because of flooded roads and broken traffic lights.

Ever since then it's been kind of gloomy and cloudy. And then just yesterday the weather has become really, really cool again. So we here in Bangkok are once again enjoying the cool weather, giving us the oppotunities to take out and use our scarves and jackets, but at the same time people up in the northeast are suffering from drought, while people in the south are suffering from heaving rain and flooding.

Well, I better enjoy this weather as much as I can because for all I know, tomorrow might just turn into a typical hot and humid day.

Banana Success!

2011-03-27T22:40:00.004+07:00

I baked banana bread for the 2nd time today. The first time I did it, the banana bread turned out to wet. This time I made some adjustments and it turned out beautifully! I'm so excited and happy about it! Hahahaha!

Yummy!

Thanks to Assistant Chef Mond for his assistance! =) Joop, joop!

Wan Kerd = Birth Day

2011-03-12T08:12:00.014+07:00

I got to blow to birthday cakes this year. Both took my be surprise.

The first was at Amy & Roy's place when a group of us friends got together on a Saturday night to eat and hangout. I not only got to blow a the cake along, but I shared it with Sharon whose birthday is a few days before mine. As we were watching a movie, the lights went off and came the lighted candles with everyone singing "Happy Birthday".

This is how the cake looked like with the lights turned on. Amy baked this beautiful cake. It tasted as good as it looked. If you will notice, the cookies have our names on it. I thought that was so cute =) Thank you everyone for such a thoughtful surprise!

The second time I blew my birthday cake was at Sizzlers. Richmond had reserved a place for us at Sizzler Ekamai. He made me a membership card so that I could enjoy my very own free combination platter plus salad bar, and he ordered me a delicious S&P cake.

Thanks Babe! I love you!

Then after Sizzlers, I dropped by to visit Schubert because he said he had something to give me. He made me a special Birthday card, which he did all by himself, and also a beautiful pink bag (thanks to Mommy Cat) which I really, really love!!!

Sabbath Morning

2011-03-12T07:53:00.002+07:00

I woke up this morning to the realization that it was Sabbath morning and I was so relieved and happy...

...no rushing to get up and prepare for work.

...no papers to check, essays to read, notebooks to grade, lessons to plan, portfolios to prepare, tests and exams to make...nothing to do with work and school.

...no need to discipline any students, manage any classroom, make repeated announcements that make you feel like a tape recorder...none of that.

Instead, I started my day the way I should, but most of the time don't...

I meditated on some uplifting and inspiring music of my wonderful God...

I prayed for and encouraged someone who I know really needed it...

I pondered on God's promise for me...

And I prayed again...casting my cares upon Him for He cares for me.

Now, my heart feels lighter and I feel stronger =)

Happy Sabbath!

I Am Number 1

2011-02-21T12:54:00.002+07:00

So, over the weekend I drove deep into the mountains for a camping trip and now that I'm back in the city there are 2 surprises that make me so proud...

First, I found out that my niece, Weanne Myrrh Estrade, topped her Nursing Board Exams in the Philippines. How awesome is that!?

And second, just this morning my nephew, Schubert Chulkasate Quiza, got 1st place for the EIS Primary Talent Show. This is his first talent show and I am so proud of him!!!

Weanne and Schubert, we are happy to share in your success. Glory to God!

Peace & Quiet

2011-02-16T12:10:00.002+07:00

It's lunch break...

I chased my kids out of the classroom...

Locked the door...

Switched off the lights...

Aaahhhh.....

Peace...

Quiet...

Bliss...

*smile*

SMS Lovers

2011-02-16T11:52:00.011+07:00

I have a promotion package with 1-2-Call called "SMS Lover". It's a package for people who love to send lots of text messages. For only 119 baht per month you can send up to 500 text messages.

I first got this monthly package when Richmond and I started dating. We started texting each other so much that we were spending quite a lot of money, especially when one text message costs 2-3 baht. So, we were both so thrilled when this SMS Lover package came out. We right away applied for this package, which at that time, cost only 99 baht per month with unlimited text messaging.

I remember how my heart would skip a beat whenever I heard my phone vibrate. I would quickly take out my phone and there I would see "1 text message: Amonch". That brought a smile to my face everytime, and it still does even up till now. There were several times that I actually finished up my 500 text messages quota because we were texting back and forth so often. How I wish I still had all those love messages that were sent to me. They were so romantic. Hahahaha! Most, if not all, of the messages are gone now because I've switched phones and was not able to save all the messages to my sim card.

One thing I love about this package is that even if I run out of money, I can still get in with people by text messages. All I need to do is fill in 150-200 baht per month. From that amount 119 baht will be cut off for the SMS Lover package and the rest I use for calling up people. If that ever runs out, I know I'll have up to 500 text messages to use until the end of the month.

Now, why the heck is Hazel writing about this, you maybe wondering. It's because for about 3 months now, I have not been renewing my monthly SMS Lover package and so I was switched to some other promotion. The same case went for Richmond. Because of it we have not been texting each other at all. I only text when I really need to or make a call when it's urgent. Then last week Richmond said that we should change back to our old SMS package. So yesterday, I went ahead and had it reactived. Now, Richmond and I are "SMS Lovers" once again =)

I love it, because as of this morning I've already received 3 messages from my hubby, the first one being...

"Good morning Babe! I love you =)"

And now, I can reply him right back with...

"Hehe, love u. Love your txts. Miss it =)"

Text messaging has been a big part of our relationship, and doing it feels just right. I think I'm going to be sticking with this SMS Lover thing for a long time yet.

I Am Loved

2011-02-15T18:07:00.007+07:00

So, real Valentine's Day came along and I was so happy that I got some inspiration to make another unique card for my hubby. Inspiration finally struck sometime in the afternoon when I actually got my hands working instead of just thinking about what I should do.

For those of you who may not know, I love to make my own inspired cards for my hubby, whether it be for his birthday, for Valentine's Day, for our anniversary, for Christmas, or any special occasion or sometimes even when there is no special occasion and inspiration just seems to take over.

Over the years we've been together I've made him several unique cards for various occassions which I am quite proud of and which Richmond still keeps in his collection even today. Well here's what I made for him for Valentine's Day this year. Pretty cute if I may say so myself.

On the front of the card I drew a rose and wrote a greeting with the best of my artistic abilities....hehehe =P
When you flip the card open the word LOVE pops up together with some big kissable lips and a picture of two of both our faces stuck onto some bodies. I also wrote a simple poem for him (another thing I like to do when inspiration strikes)
At the bottom i glued a girls head and drew a little body and then I wrote my message in the speech bubble, so it looks like a girl (me) speaking.
Then taped the sides with pink colored tape and stuck a red papered rose in between the card (it got cut off in the picture)

Hubby lovin' his card

I also received a surprise when I opened my mini laptop to find a red envelope hidden in between. It was a cute little card with a special love message written inside =) Very heart-melting.

I always love how Richmond designs his written messages

Asides from that I also received some love gifts from my students. I really love the Kit-Kat chocolate which I have been craving for alot recently =)

Au Bon Pain

2011-02-11T19:26:00.003+07:00

Richmond and I love to eat at Au Bon Pain. While we were still dating, there was this time when we would go to here every 25th of the month to celebrate our monthsary.

Today, Richmond and I went there and ordered our all time favorite bread, salad, dessert and drinks.

We each got a salad. Garden salad with Balsamic dressing for me (my all time favorite) and Tuna salad for Richmond with Italian Lite dressing
ABP Beef Steak and Fresh Mozarella, Tomatoes & Pesto...half each =)
Jello with fresh strawberries topped with whipped cream (they only have this around December to February each year when strawberries are in season)
And of course iced lemon tea

Bon Apetit!

E.I.S. V.A.L.E.T.I.N.E.S.

2011-02-11T10:13:00.013+07:00

Here at EIS we're celebrating Valentines Day before anyone else in the world.

It's been a tradition here at our school that the Junior class of each year will take pre-orders of chocolates, flowers, teddy bears, lollipops, etc., and deliever it to anyone in school on Valentines Day.

Well, I just found out yesterday that the Junior's Valentines Day was moved from the real day, Monday, February 14, to today. I had planned to give my students a test today so that on Monday they'd have free time to enjoy their gifts. That's obviously not happening anymore. So today my students are enjoying their gifts, but having to do their Language Arts test as well.

So today, as I stepped of the lift onto the 5th floor of the Middle School building, a beautiful and familiar sight greeted my eyes. The hall was filled with lots and lots of red balloons. I quickly took out my celphone and took some quick snapshots to capture the moment.

My student, Tiger, asking me to take his photo.

Juniors coming to make their delivery to my homeroom class.

A little something I gave out to my kids...1 Ferrero chocolate each!

So to all of you who managed to reach the bottom of this blog entry, HAPPY pre-VALENTINES to all of you!!! Let's spread the love!

____________

Ps. As I finished writing this blog, one of the Juniors just came in and delivered a beautiful red rose just for me =) Given to me by one of my students from last year.

Richmond's former student, Albert, giving him a balloon.

Some of my lovely girls after their dance performance.

New Look, Old Look

2011-02-10T20:57:00.003+07:00

It's been a little more than 2 years since I started this blog, and this is the first time I've done any major changes to it. It's quite funny really, because now as I'm looking at my old template, I'm noticing that the color theme is still quite the same. Minus the blue, pink and white is still the main color of my back ground, and the title of my blog is still yellow. Hahaha! I guess it shows that I'm not that adventurous when it comes to changes. I'm always careful and don't take big risky leaps, but instead I take slow careful ones.

It was through the suggestion of my sister, that I took a snapshot of my blog before I changed anything. That way I'll be able to see and keep track how my blog designs have changed through the years...something that she wasn't able to do.

Old look...

New look...

Blogger has made it much easier to play around with the design of your template, which I'm sure will encourage me to change my designs more frequently. I already have some ideas for if I ever design to make some changes, but that'll be for some other time =)

Mr. Mickey & Mrs. Minnie Are Going to Camp

2011-02-10T19:42:00.009+07:00

As mentioned in my previous blog entry about my last camping trip, my same group of friends are planning another outing. This time though, I will not be forgetting mine and Richmond's eating utensils.

As you can see in the pictures below, I bought some oh so cute bowls, cups, spoons and forks. The bowls will be used for suki and porride and can also be used as plates if need be. The cups will be for our hot milo. And of course our spoons and forks for eating.

There were a few Walt Disney designs that I could have chosen from like Hello Kitty, Winnie the Pooh, and Walt Disney Princesses, but I decided to go with Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse.

Micky Mouse for Richmond

Minnie Mouse for me

Aren't they so cute!!?? =)

So yeah, I'm getting more and more excited for our next camping trip. Richmond and I have been so excited that we even went to check out some tents that were on sale in The Mall. We're not sure if we're going to get one or not because this will probably be the last camp out we have until cooler weather comes by again towards the end of the year. Either way, we still have next week to decide if we're really going to get one and whether our pockets will allow us to or not =)

I love camping trips! Can't wait =)

Romantic Dinner

2011-02-09T16:54:00.007+07:00

The other night for dinner, Richmond and I went to Alma Tum. It's this little open garden restaurant located right in Pridi Banomyong 37. It's a very chill place where you can enjoy Thai food in a relaxing atmosphere. We didn't plan to go eat there, but decided to go there at the last minute to satisfy our growling tummies.

Upon arriving at the place I felt very romantic....if you can feel such a thing =) The lights, the atmosphere, and the music was just perfect. We found ourselves a little corner and ordered our food.

Of course while waiting we had to take some pictures =)

While waiting for our food to arrive we enjoyed the cool breeze, listened to the rustling of the leaves above us, the soft chatter and laughter of the other guests, the music, and of course each other's company. It didn't feel like we were just going out to eat dinner...instead it felt like we were on a special date =)

Here are pictures of the typical Thai food we ordered--fried scrambled egg with tomatoes and onions, Thai som tum (papaya salad), and beef steak with spicy sauce. Yummy! Oh, definitely can't forget the sticky rice!

After our tummies had been filled to the max, we didn't want to leave just yet, so we chatted away as the seconds and minutes passed by. Before we knew it an hour and a half had passed! Time sure does fly when you are enjoying yourself.

What started out as something simple, like going out to quickly eat some dinner, turned out into something that, I felt, was special and memorable. That's definitely something to smile about!

Camping Trip

2011-02-08T17:49:00.004+07:00

Two weekends ago, on January 29-30, 2011, a group of us went camping at Kang Krachan National Park. It was really exciting because I hadn't been on a camping trip for 5 years and I was looking forward to sleeping in a tent and enjoying a the cool weather. If I remember correctly there was a total of 3 pickups and 3 cars on this trip. Richmond and I rode with Jad and Cat together with Schubert and Vincent.

We left Bangkok at 6am in the morning and arrived at our camp site before noon. The way up to the camp site was exciting since the roads were not paved, it was very rocky and bumpy, and we were in a "fog of dust". The picture below shows us with all our tents set up and ready to sleep in.

Richmond posing for the camera.

Our chef, Yui, prepared delicious food for all of us. We had sticky rice and fried chicken for lunch, mango with fish sauce for an afternoon snack, suki for supper, toasted bread for a late night snack, and porridge and milo for breakfast. Every meal was truly enjoyable and it cost only 200 baht per person!

As expected, the weather was cool, and taking a shower was enjoyable to say the least. We had to quickly take showers because we heard that the water would run out by early evening...which it did. Our blankets which I had prepared kept us warm as we slept through the night, but my only mistake was I did not bring a jacket for Richmond which was totally uncool. My poor hubby had a hard time keeping warm. I am not making that mistake on our next camping trip that's for sure!

Early Sunday morning, we traveled up the mountain for another hour to catch the sunrise and to see the fog and clouds below us. It was exciting crossing some small streams and going up and down steep slopes. We took many beautiful and funny pictures!

We also went to visit a bridge hanging over a damn where a famous Thai movie was taken there. After that a bunch of people went river rafting while some of us, like myself, stayed behind, and got our feet wet in the cool water.

Though our trip was so short, it was definitely fun-packed! We had so much fun that we are now planning another trip for the long weekend that is approaching on March 18-20, 2011. This time we are going to Khao Laam National Park in Kanchanburi. I'm really looking forward to this trip and hopefully will be able to update you with more pictures on this camping trip.

New Scents

2011-02-08T17:01:00.005+07:00

Towards the end of last year, 2010, I became a member of Oriental Princess, a Thai make-up brand, and I have totally fallen in love with them. They have beauty products all the way from body, to hair, to face. Their products are really good and come at affordable prices. I have been using a whole bunch of their products and I have no complaints.

Just lately, I bought some body spray from Oriental Princess, which I saw a review of on youtube. It was quite interesting to see other people's thoughts on Oriental Princess, especially from someone who is a foreigner.

These are the 2 scents that I bought...

Icy Cool (blue)

Forever Bright (pink)

I really love both the scents, but decided to use Icy Cool, as I will be giving the other one to my sister.

So to any of you ladies who wanna give Oriental Princess a try, I say, "Go for it"!

I'm Screwed!

2011-02-08T16:21:00.005+07:00

Owning a car and taking care of one is not easy. You have make sure you pay your taxes and car insurance, you have to fill her up with gas and oil regularly, you have to make sure she doesn't run out of water, engine oil, or brake oil, and you gotta make sure she's fully charged, clean, shiny, and smelling good. If she's sick you need to take care to the "hospital" to have her checked-up and fixed. Sometimes this costs 100 baht....sometimes it costs 10,000 baht! Your responsibilities to your car are endless.

Of course there are the joys of convenience too. You don't have to walk to places but can enjoy a faster trip with air condition that is pollution free. Going to work is easier, going to the Mall, Emporium, Jusco, Big C is easier, and I've explored more places since owning a car. Every Saturday morning when it's time to go to church my mom always thanks the Lord for our car because she doesn't have to walk to church in the humid heat and wearing her high-heeled shoes on rocks.

Anyways...

This past weekend as I was driving my car I noticed that it was a little difficult to control the steering wheel. It seemed to have a mind of its own and somehow the car would always veer to the left.

With me being no car expert, I diagnosed that it probably had to do with the steering wheel alignment. So, on Monday I consulted with my cousin about it and told me what shop to go to and what I should say. After school, as I headed to the car, the front left wheel caught my attention. It kind of looked flat, but I couldn't really tell because it was quite dark. But upon closer inspection, I confirmed that it was definitely out of air. I then realized that the reason my car was always veering to the left was not because of the steering wheel's alignment but because of the flat tire. So what I did instead was to the Shell gas station to pump air into my wheel. The lady at the gas station who helped said that the air in the wheel was only 10 from a normal 30. And to think I had been driving like that all weekend!!! Anyways, with my wheels all set I felt good that I had solved my problem of the flat tire.

But not so fast...

Today after school, I checked the wheels again just to make sure everything was okay and guess what I found? The wheel was flat again!!! This time I knew something was not right. There must be a reason why the air is leaking out so quickly. So instead of heading home I went to the shop where they patch up wheels and told the guy to check the front left tire for me....

And lo and behold...this is what the guy pulled out from the wheel!!! It was a huge screwdriver!

I am thankful that the tire is all patched up and as good as new, and hopefully the flat tire problem is solved for good. Don't want to be seeing any screwdrivers for a very loooooong time.

Hi-de-ho

2011-02-02T17:04:00.004+07:00

People are starting to update their blogs which makes me want to update mine as well. Quite a few things have been happening like my parents moving house and finally going on a camping trip which i haven't done in more in 5 years!

So for now this is my update. Hehehe. More details coming soon.

Tomorrow is no school for me because of Chinese New Year celebrations. I don't know what I'll be doing yet, but hopefully lots of relaxing, good food, and some blogging.

Happy CNY to all the peeps out there!

IKEA

2011-01-02T22:01:00.005+07:00

Today, after Richmond and I finished helping Lerie with class preparations for the whole afternoon, we dropped by a place called IKEA. I first heard of this place from my sister about 2 years ago and have been wanting to go there since then. I finally got the chance to go there today and it was lots of fun. It's a great place to get stuff for your home, office, or even classroom. Looking at all the stuff there made me wish that I could have my own place and decorate from scratch. Guess I'll keep on wishing on that for now =)

Anyways, the main point of this blog is what we ate when we were there. We had these $1 hot dogs and drinks.

It's interesting because you don't sit down and eat but instead you just stand and kinda quickly much on your food and gulp down your drinks.

They also had these huge containers of tomato ketchup, mustard, and chilli sauce. It's kinda like milking the cow, not to get milk, but to get ketchup. Hehehe! I thought that was very unique.

Asides from the food, we did buy a few small things like pencil holders, a neck-tie hanger organizer, some colored markers, and some flower decorations. If I didn't have limited space in my luggage I would have surely loved to get more stuff.

Shopping

2011-01-01T22:11:00.003+07:00

Shopping is FUN!

Especially when it's with your Sister, Mom, or Girlfriends.

Platinum, Na Ram, The Mall, Zara, Forever XXI, MNG, Watsons, online and so much more!!!

Hahaha! Phew!

Sometimes it's more window shopping than buying.

Then you come across something you love and just have to get.

You walk, and walk, and walk, and even when you're tired you still WALK!

The energy keeps coming even when your feet are ready to give up.

Time just seems to fly...

But do you know what's the best part of shopping?

It's when you arrive back home with your shopping bags and unpack all the goodies you bought.

It's time for you to get that good second look and "ooh" and "aah" over everything.

You remove it from the package, you model it, you try it on...

Now, that's the best part =)

Happy New Year 2011

2010-12-31T21:47:00.003+07:00

It's currently 10:47 pm here in Singapore. A little more than an hour away to greet the coming new year. It's quiet here with my parents and Bayu already in bed. It's now Lerie, Richmond and I here in the living room all on our laptops.

We're just gonna have a little quiet celebration together with some simply delicious food which I've been preparing. Here's what's on the menu:

Fruit salad (with lots of peaches just the way I love it)
Salsa with Nacho chips (another one of my faves)
Roasted garlic (something I'm experimenting with for the first time)
Country Loaf Walnut Bread (to be eaten with the roasted garlic)

I'm actually getting a little hungry!

So to everyone out there, where ever you are, do have a wonderful New Year!!! God bless!!!

@ Home

2010-12-20T09:02:00.002+07:00

It's funny...

It's a Monday morning...

We're on holidays...

We're all here in the living room...

Mom's watching pinoychannel.tv and checking her email...

Bayu is on facebook...

Lerie is on facebook...

Richmond is on facebook...

I'm on facebook...

And we're all commenting and liking each other's posts...

We're tagging each other in pictures...

We're blogging...

All without saying a word...

All in his/her own world...

Yet still together...

Finally...

The spell is broken...

Someone asks a question...

We get up...

And look for food...

Crunch, crunch, crunching on a bag of chips...

It's funny really... =)

Happy Holidays

2010-12-19T21:54:00.007+07:00

Holidays have officially started for me and it is definitely a happy time!

It seems like I've been on holiday for two weeks already, every since my sister Lerie came back. A week after she arrived Bayu came, and NOW we have Jyn, Rj, Elle, and Steffi back in town! NEXT we're having some relatives from the Philippines arriving for a visit this Tuesday and then on Thursday Ronel and Joy will be arriving!

I am soooooo happy that my sister is back home with me. I've missed her sooooo much and I haven't felt so "sister happy" in such a long time. Usually we email each other and chat with each other on Skype but now we get to chit chat face to face, do make up together, dress up together, eat together, go shopping together, laugh together and plan all sorts of things together. It has been so much fun!!!

I also did a lot of singing over the past two weekends. One weekend the Musical Language had our Christmas Concert which was held on a Sabbath afternoon, and the week after that we joined the BIC Christmas program and we had another concert at in the evening at the house of an acquaintance of our choir conductor. The the Sunday morning after that we went to sing at the International Church of Bangkok on Sathorn Road. It was tiring, but I had a lot of fun singing and getting into the spirit of Christmas.

My past weeks have also been busy with teaching, test and exam preparations and lots of checking. I gave several different exams and now I'm having to grade all of it, therefore I'm still in the process of finishing up my grades. I've got until this Wednesday. Yikes!!! Also, last Friday was my class Christmas party. We put up a Christmas tree and some decorations. The students brought some food and drinks and we played some games together. There was also a gift exchange with the boys and the girls and then after that was movie time in my classroom. I was glad for the day to be over since I had not been feeling well and had a terrible sore throat. My throat is feeling much better now, so praise God for that.

Another thing I cannot fail to mention is the wonderful change in weather. I woke up on Thursday morning to a cool breeze blowing in through the window and the lovely weather has decided to stay a little longer too. I hope it won't go away too soon.

This weekend has been the best so far. I met up with friends and family who were back for the holidays during SML, we hung out with friends at Sugaroma in the afternoon, we had friends come to our house and eat, we went to a birthday party, we had delicious home-cooked food, and topped that off with delicious Thai food.

I'm still excited with all that's happened and what's going to happen this week. I hope that all of you out there are also having a great time with your family and friends. May you all have a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year. God's blessings be upon you all!!!

Happy Holidays!!!

A Poem for the Holidays 2010

2010-12-08T09:41:00.008+07:00

Hazel is my given name

Haz, Haze, Haysh all mean the same

I am a daughter, a sister, a wife

This is my blessed life

Maam Hazel is what I'm called at school

I think that's actually pretty cool

I speak, I sing, I plan, I act

This is just a given fact

Haysh Mahal is what my hubby calls me

His love and care I always see

His warm, big hands I love to hold

I have found my treasured gold

I feel so joyful this holiday season

And it's for a very good reason

It's coz my friends and family are here

All the people that I hold dear

So let's sing, and dance, and laugh, and be merry

Let's enjoy the breeze that's so cool and airy

Oh, how I love the Christmas Holidays

It's such a lovely time to sing and play

The Little Mermaid

2010-12-02T19:40:00.004+07:00

Today, when I logged onto my facebook, I noticed that many people had changed the profile picture to cartoons. Then I noticed this on some people's status...

"Change your facebook profile picture to a cartoon character from your childhood and invite your friends to do the same. Until Monday there should be no human faces on facebook, but an invasion of memories. This is to support the advocate of children against violence."

I didn't need to take long think of my favorite cartoon when I was a little girl because it could be no other than Princess Ariel in the cartoon "The Little Mermaid".

I fell in love with Ariel, Flounder, Sebastion and the handsome Prince from the very first time I watched this cartoon. I loved the songs and remembered all of them by heart!!! I never, ever got bored of watching "The Little Mermaid".

Oh, how I hated Ursula and her evil electric eels, and how angry I was with King Triton for destroying all of Ariel's human treasures that were kept in her secret hideaway cave. Oh, how my heart was filled with dreamy love hoping, that just like Ariel, my Prince Charming would fall in love with me, take me off with his little boat into the sunset and kiss me, and finally ask me to marry him.

Well, I'm not a little girl anymore, I never was a princess like Ariel, my Prince Charming didn't take me off in his little boat and row my out into the sunset and kiss me (although my Prince Charming did ask me to marry him), but even until now when I remember "The Little Mermaid", I still feel that little girls happy excitement in me and I'm brought back through the years and feel just like a little girl again. Definitely something to smile about!

E.I.S Sports Day 2010

2010-12-02T18:12:00.012+07:00

Currently, my hubby and I are at home suffering from aching muscles from today's faculty & staff tug-of-war between the different colored houses. This year, the 4 colored houses include purple, pink, blue, and orange. I was in the blue house and my hubby was put in purple. We all got our sports day t-shirts with the following quote printed on the back. I took the back of my hubby's shirt.

Our sports day was a total of two days with today being the second day. Asides from enjoying the loud cheering, watching the parade and cheering for the different sports we also had to do our "teacherly" duties which was to be at our assigned post to supervise the different sports activities. Down below you can see Richmond, Sharon, and I getting the students organized and ready for they tug-of-war. I took care of making sure that the rope was always in the middle before each game. I did alot of shouting too! I didn't realize how tired I was until I went home and slept for 12 hours straight!

Asides from that we wandered around the campus eating free, give-away sample yogurts which were very delicious, bought friend mama from the seniors, and took some pictures along the way.

Here we meet the ever active Schubert who just pulled out a tooth, and the sweet and lovely Abbie who both happened to be in blue house just like me!

Then on the track & field Richmond a bunch of his sweet 3rd graders came rushing up to his side so I made them take some pictures.

Then I also took some panoramic views from my Samsung camera. I was hoping the pictures would come out bigger than this when uploaded them, but this is as big as they would get. So, if you want a clearer picture just click on them.

Asides from the aching muscles, it was a good 2 days. I have yet to find out who are the overall winners and who won the cheering competition this morning. But everyone did a great job and I am proud of the EIS family---students, faculty, staff, SC, parents and all!

Techie

2010-11-28T22:00:00.002+07:00

My hubby is such a "techie" man. He just loves working with computers and all its gadgets. He get's so excited and engrossed in what he's doing and I can see he's really happy about it. Just like right now, he's fixing he's cleaning and upgrading our two CPU's. One that my parents use in the house and one that we use at the apartment.

This weekend he's been really busy with all his "techie" stuff. First on Saturday afternoon, he installed and formatted Reynold's new CPU--new motherboard, RAM, and a 1 terrabyte hard disk. As he was preparing his working table I could feel the excitement and energy going through him. Hehehehe. It's so nice to see him excited and eager to do what he loves.

Then this morning, we accompanied Shireen to get her laptop and this whole afternoon he's been working on installing her operating system. But that's not all. He also got himself some goodies. A new motherboard and 4 gigabytes of RAM. It's now 9:53 pm and he's still busy putting everything together.

Hehehe, he doesn't know that I'm watching him and blogging about him at the same time.

Love you my "techie" man.

Le Chateau Shawarma

2010-11-28T20:31:00.007+07:00

Last Friday, my hubby and I decided to eat street-side noodles at the front of our school like, but then at the last second we decided to have some shawarma at this small little shop that opened right across from the street-side noodle shop. It is right at the entrance of the Le Chateau Mansion. If you are familiar with the area where I live and work (Sukhumvit 71) then you will know what I'm talking about.

Once you arrive at the place you have the option to side outside or sit inside where it's cooler. We opted to sit inside.

We ordered 2 beef shawarmas and 1 chicken shawarma and while waiting for our order we helped ourself to some drinks--Sprite for Richmond and lemon soda Schweppes for myself. When our order arrived, I was quite surprised by their generous servings. It was both delicious and filling and the same time. And for a cheap price too!

At the end of our meal, when we were ready to pay, the lady there also told us that they have a vegetarian dish of hummus and falafel. We also got their flier which has a list of their menu, their address and their number.

So people, if your are in and around the Sukhumvit 71 area, drop by and have a taste. You won't be disappointed. I am definitely going back there again.

Mom & Son Conversation

2010-11-23T21:15:00.004+07:00

During Thanksgiving Dinner...

Baby Brother: (happily eating his mashed potatoes with his hands and licking his fingers)

Mommy Gwen: Brother!!! Don't use your hands. Use your spoon and fork. (hands Baby Brother a spoon and fork)

Baby Brother: No! No! No!

Mommy Gwen: Your hands are dirty you're going to get sick.

Baby Brother: No!!! (gathers up the spoon and fork and hands it back to Mommy Gwen) I eat and die! (happily continues eating)

What's Been Up and Around

2010-11-23T19:28:00.022+07:00

Though it seems, at times, that life is all about checking papers, lesson planning, and juggling your teaching schedule...

...there are also lots of other things that happen that make you smile. Things that bring you out of your busy schedule and help you stop for a moment to "smell the roses" and enjoy the people and things around you.

Last Sunday night was Loy Kratong celebrations here in Thailand. We had our traditional gathering around the "klong" and everyone and anyone, usually the compound kids, who had a "kratong" to float would come. This year Richmond and I didn't have our own "kratong" to float but we did get to watch the kids float theirs. One thing nice this year, there was a platform built on the side of the "klong" which made it easier to put the "kratong" in the water.

Then on Monday night, November 22, 2010, Richmond and I went to SC Park Hotel where we got married 11 months ago. Our wedding coordinator from the hotel called me up on afternoon to personally invite us to celebrate their 14th year anniversary as well as their "new look". We arrived right on time despite the traffic and had our names registered.

Right before entering the Dhepleela Grand Ballroom, we paused to take a picture at the booth where there was an imaginary car and we were driving off into the sunset. The party was well underway with the emcee already giving away the first 11 prizes which were tour packages around Thailand. We were to hungry to pay any attention to what he was saying and dug right into the food. It was a cocktail buffet so we had to stand and eat and juggle our food and drinks with our hands. While enjoying our food we were entertained with some music. I was also handed a beautiful white rose from my hubby =)

We were hoping to win the grand prize lucky draw which was a 5 night, 4 day trip to the Maldives, but of course luck wasn't enough. Instead, luck flew over our heads and the couple standing right behind us got it. Hehehe!!! Nevertheless, we enjoyed the food, the music, and each other's company and went back to have our honeymoon in our humble abode instead. Hehehe =)

Here are some pictures taken at the "new lobby".

It look very simple and elegant.

Then just this evening, we had the EIS annual Thanksgiving dinner. It was lots of fun. We got to color, cut and paste to make decorate our handmade head decorations. We enjoyed a delicious meal--turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, dinner rolls, salad, pumpkin pie, ice-cream and lots more!!! We had great company at our table. Definitely the best meal of the year! Lot's to be thankful for.

Amidst all this, our community was also saddened to hear about the death of Mrs. Gouge in a car accident last week and we are keeping Mr. Gouge in our prayers as he is still in a coma and is in critical. Let's continue to keep him in our prayers.

No matter what are circumstance whether in be rain or shine, smiles or frowns, rich or poor, happy or sad let us remember to continually keep our eyes to the One who gives us strength--our God who is the author and finisher of our faith.

Tick-Tock

2010-11-17T21:54:00.003+07:00

Copied this up from an earlier post. Just getting more and more excited that's all =D

MySpace-Countdowns

My sister is my BESTEST friend and I am so thrilled that she's going to be coming here for the holidays in just 17 more days!!! I've missed her so much and can't wait to chit-chat with her, eat with her, laugh with her, go shopping with her, and talk about make-up with her.

Miss you and love you Sister!

Sooooooooooooooooooon!!!!

Lots of Fishes & a Turtle

2010-11-14T11:50:00.007+07:00

On Saturday afternoon Richmond and I decided to put our expired bread to good use and go feed the fishes in the pond of the Mission campus. We had actually done this before but I didn't take any pictures. This time though I was prepared with my camera and took some snap shots of our little adventure.

On our way we met Kaiya and Sierra and we invited them to come along and feed the fishes with us. They of course happily obliged.

As we were throwing bread into the pond and watching the fishes nibble on it, we were surprised to see a turtle slowly come up to the surface. How the two girls squealed with delight!

After our bread ran out we took a "ladies only" picture. Here we are with our beautiful, happy smiles!

Everyone say "cheeeessee"!

Everyone say "fiiiissshhh"!

Thank you God for the simple things in life that we can enjoy!

"Feelin Good"

2010-11-14T11:34:00.002+07:00

"It's a new day! It's a new life! For me...and I'm feeling good!"

I first saw Michael Buble sing this song when I went for dinner one Friday evening at Auntie Rosa's house and she turned on the concert HIT MAN by David Foster & Friends.

I really, really loooooove this song.

Listen and enjoy!

Enjoying Filipino Food!

2010-11-14T09:20:00.006+07:00

This weekend has been delicious!!! I enjoyed so much good food. And not just any kind of good food but one that comes from my home country (by blood) Philippines. While enjoying the tastes of all the delicious food, I just realized that it's been ages since I had any good Filipino dishes. It truly has been a great treat!

For Saturday lunch, Richmond and I were invited to Welmer's place. It was kind of a house-warming event where all the members in the singing group were invited. I was so hungry and the food was so delicious that I had two plates of everything.

There was beef soup with taro, string beans, and huge green chillies. A vegetable dish known as "pinakbit" with bitter gourd. Then raw fish mixed with vinegar, raddish and onions. There was also chicken adobo which I wasn't able to take a picture of because I was busy eating it. Hahaha!

And of course colorful, delicious fruits!

Then this morning I enjoyed another delicious feast for breakfast.

This past week we had some visitors who stayed over at my parent's place and they brought a whole bunch of goodies from the Philippines with them. We got espasol, hopia, vegemeat, pancit canton, chips, cheese, cassava cake, suman, and bangus.

So this morning, my mom cooked some vegemeat and bangus (milk fish), fried some vegetables and vegetapa, heated some suman and cassava cake, and took out cinnamon rolls and hopia which was topped off with mom delicious milo/dxn coffee hot drink. Yummy!

Lerz and Bayu, mom's saving most of the vegemeat and bangus for when you come. This is just a foretaste (for us) and a foresee (for you). Hehehehe!

Happy & Hyper

2010-11-11T20:10:00.005+07:00

I'm feeling so happy and hyper right now.

This afternoon I finally finished my last two research papers for my Knowledge & Morality class at Ramkamhaeng University. I had one 10 page paper that was due last week about the Leadership Secrets of Genghis Khan and I only finished it today. And then the last paper, which was 15 pages, was about knowledge and morality and whether or not they coexist. That paper was due last Tuesday and I finished it last night with just a few polishes that I added in this morning.

I feel so light and care free!

I feel so bouncy and can't I stop smiling!

Hahahaha!

What a wonderful day!

What a wonderful evening!

Bye bye Ramkhamhaeng!

So long, farewell...

Meet the Parents

2010-11-07T21:48:00.005+07:00

As a teacher, the first Student-Parent-Teacher (SPT) Conference is always an exciting event. Last year, my first year as a homeroom teacher, I was not able to attend the SPT Conference because I was sick with the flu and was being tested for H1N1. So asides from the SPT Conference that just passed by last October 29, 2010 I've only had one other one which was during the 3rd quarter last school year 2009-2010.

So this year, with a bit of experience already in my pocket, I got my schedule arranged a few days early, and as my students came with their parents I marked of their names one by one.

I also rearranged the tables in my classroom and grouped them by 4 so that if more than one student came at the same time they could sit and wait for me while they checked out the documents in their packet.

Next, I decorated the desks in the middle of the classroom with a vase of yellow flowers and put the students packets and other important document on it for easy access.

I also displayed some of the student's work. This was their 1st quarter project where they students had to pair up and re-tell the Chinese folk tale of "The Dragon's Pearl". They summarized the story and retold it in their own words and drew out 10 major scenes to go along with their story. The ones on display are the best ones.

All in all it was a successful day. Out of my 19 students, 18 of them showed up. It was a happy day for some and not such a happy one for others. There were happy parents, concerned parents, funny parents, crying parents, proud parents, and disappointed parents. And afterwards, I heard there were students who got rewarded for their good grades and those who were stripped off all their gadgets so that the only thing they had left to do was to read their textbook. As one of my students said, "Maam, my father took away EVERYTHING that I have and now I only have my books to read". Hahaha! Happy 2nd quarter everyone!

Vanity

2010-11-07T21:32:00.004+07:00

Last night I was saving a file for my dad on his USB and found these beautiful pictures of myself. Hahahaha! I don't remember ever taking these pictures or how long ago they were taken but I'm definitely liking the pictures =p

Discovery

2010-11-07T21:14:00.002+07:00

One day after school last week, my hungry stomach let me to the EIS "back school" to get me something to eat. While ordering my snack of french fries and chicken nuggets I saw a student holing an interesting looking drink. I asked him what the drink was and he pointed me to a picture that said "Ovaltine Phu Kao Fai" (translation: Ovaltine Volcano). It's actually been around for quite a while, but I just didn't know about it. Anyways, it looked really yummy so I ordered one for myself and shared it on the way home with my hubby, Richmond. It turned out that we both found it delicious and sharing one drink between the two of us wasn't enough. Hahaha! Guess next time I'll know that I need to order two instead of one.

Ovaltine Volcano

A big cup of iced Ovaltine milk topped with
powdered Ovaltineand condensed milk.

Have You Seen Nel Nel?

2010-10-31T19:07:00.005+07:00

Nel Vincent Gentepanan, known to many of us as Nel Nel, is one of my little brothers. Well he used to be little, but now he's way bigger than me. Hehehe =) I knew him since he was a little boy, all red and wrinkly, when he first came home from the hospital. We were neighbours for years, and years, and years where I got to see him grow, and grow and grow. Once a little baby and now a young handsome man. Exceptionally handsome now because he got a new haircut. Not the normal, long, straight hair we always see him with, but with a haircut that sure makes him look cute! Hahahha! I just had to take his pictures and show you all. Especially those of you living outside the Land of Smiles. Here it is!

Birthday Mom

2010-10-31T17:56:00.006+07:00

Last October 28th was a special day. And in our family, when it's a special day, we usually have a special mission. And this special mission was to have a little surprise for my Mom's birthday. So on the evening of October 27th Richmond and I started putting the pieces together.

Earlier in the day I had printed out the banner and all we had to do at home was to put together the birthday banner. So out came the scissors, glue, and scotch-tape and this is what we got. We stuck it at the back of the piano where she would be sure to see when she came down in the morning.

Next, we also prepared a birthday card. Dad, Bayu, Lerie, Richmond and I each wrote our own little message for Mom. At first there was no yellow ribbon that was tied at the top of the card. The reason I put it there was because I wanted to put the money in the card, but the money would stay if I put up the cards. I thought and thought about what I could do and this is what I came up with. As you can see the money is folded and position in between the ribbon.

It was funny to later learn that after my dad had seen us put up the banner and written in the birthday card he went straight upstairs to where my mom was sleeping and told her, "Gie, don't go downstairs because there is a surprise for you". Ngek! So much for surprises. Hahaha!

If you're reading this Mom, we all want you to know that we love you very much and you are the most wonderful mom to us!!! Happy Birthday again! =)

Winter's Breeze

2010-10-31T17:38:00.004+07:00

Winter's Breeze

The cool winter breeze

Blows through my window

The curtains quietly rustle

I see them gently flow

The feel of the passing breeze

That cools my lifted face

Brings back treasured memories

I would never wish to erase

With each breeze that blows by

A message of hope it brings

The holidays are soon coming

Let's joyfully dance and sing

With this thought in mind

Comes a big, happy smile

I deeply breathe in the cool air

And pray that it stays a long while

~Hazel~

That Feeling Again!

2010-10-29T22:47:00.005+07:00

Do you feel it? Do you smell it? It's Christmas in the air!

The above statement was my shout out on facebook this morning. I woke up to the cool weather this morning, the breeze blowing in my face, and that special smell I always get at this time of the year.

About 2 years ago at around this time, I also posted a blog very similar to what I'm posting now.

I love this time of the year! I hope this weather stays around for a loooooong time!

Hang in there everyone! The holidays are almost here! Can't wait!

Tick-Tock

2010-10-27T20:41:00.002+07:00

MySpace-Countdowns

The Upper Room and a Wedding Shower

2010-10-27T13:54:00.007+07:00

On October 13, 2010 a group of about 15 girls gather at Sugaroma to throw a surprise wedding shower for Nok. Many of you may not know this, but there is a room on the 2nd floor of Sugaroma where you can have special gatherings. The room is small, cute, colorful, and very cozy looking. It was a perfect place to hold Nok's wedding shower.

We assigned people to do different games, Annet took care of the decorations, Terra took care of the music, Sharon was our official photographer, and Amy had the most important job of making sure our bride-to-be showed up.

Earlier that week, Dollie and I went to book the place and made special arrangements for the food, drinks and cake. Our menu consisted of apple iced tea and mixed berry iced tea, salad with Italian dressing and soya sauce dressing, garlic break, spicy baked macaroni with eggplant and mushrooms, and carrot cake, strawberry short cake and chocolate mousse.

It truly was a blessed and fun-filled evening. The food was delicious and the company was great! Thank you God for girlfriends!

My Classroom

2010-10-27T12:34:00.009+07:00

Just this year, our school's Middle School building was finally approved and ready to move in. The classroom was brand new and the walls were bare, so I got to arrange the room and decorate it any way I wanted to.

My classroom number is 352 (Building 5, 5th floor, 2nd room) and is the homeroom class Grade 7C students. I have a total of 19 boys and girls in my homeroom class.

1. This is my own little teacher's corner.
2. View of the front of the class.

3. View of the back of the class with the decorated bulletin boards.

4. View of the side of the classroom.

5. Bulletin boards up close (thanks to the help of my hubby Richmond).

6. Some rules we live by =)

Note: The dark brown tables you see in the pictures are the old tables that we used to have. We now have brand new light cream tables which really brigtens up the class. I have not taken any pictures that I can post up here.

R.I.P

2010-10-27T12:20:00.002+07:00

The world renowned octupus, Paul, remembered for his accurate predictions during the past World Cup 2010, is now resting in peace.

In the Mood

2010-10-27T12:07:00.002+07:00

What can I say...I'm in the mood for blogging =)

Catching up with myself and posting it up online is inspiring.

A year from now I know I'll not regret putting this off longer than I've already have.

Everything on this blog will only serve to put a SMILE on my face.

Rejoice in the Lord always!

Smile with me =)

Makeover (Part 2)

2010-10-27T11:28:00.003+07:00

Here's is the continuation of pictures from the previous post which was about the major makeover that has happened and is still happening at The Mall Ramkhamhaeng.

1. The check out counters at the supermarket have also been moved and upgraded.

2. There are now more counters and they are located at the side where the cakes and pudding used to be sold.

3. This is what you see when you first enter the door from the parking lot.

4. Notice the the stalls for selling food are all new, clean, and well organized.

The renovations are still underway so I'm pretty sure there will be more changes to look out for.

I still haven't had the privilege of doing any grocery shopping in the "new" supermarket, but it should be interesting because I'm pretty sure I'll be walking around trying look for what I want to get rather than just walking straight to where I know the things I want will be.

Change...that's the only sure thing in this life. Embrace it =) Enjoy =)

Makeover (Part 1)

2010-10-27T10:57:00.007+07:00

The other day Richmond and I, together with Mom and Dad, went to The Mall Ramkhamhaeng. For those of you who may not know, this place is like our family mall. It's where we go to shop for clothes, to buy groceries, to eat food, and to hang out. This mall has been part of me since I was a kid and I know this place like the back of my hand. All I have to do is close my eyes and I can imagine where everything is.

Well to my surprise, when I walked into the mall from the parking lot, I was momentarily disoriented because everything had changed. The first floor of The Mall Ramkhamhaeng had a major makeover, especially the back part where the supermarket and food stalls were. I managed to take a few pictures before one of the security personnel came and stopped me.

So for those of you who remember this mall, you'll be in for a big change when you come back. Here are some of the pictures.

My first few shots were of the extension of the supermarket.

1. This is where the sales in front of the supermarket always used to be.

It's now part of the supermarket.

2. This is on the other side where Lacoste used to be.
It is now the entrance to and part of the super market.

3. This is a the front angle of the new entrance to the supermarket.

4. Another shot of the same thing.

Now, I a few other pictures to show but it is not allowing me to upload anymore picture, so I'm going to be continuing this blog on another post.

Good-byes & Wedding Bells

2010-10-25T13:16:00.006+07:00

In the wee hours of Sunday, October 24, 2010, Richmond and I with a group of friends, went to the airport to send of our dear friend Nok. This was our last group photo shot before she went in throught immigration. Although it is sad to see friends leave, I am happy for Nok, because even though she is leaving us here, she is going to go and marry the love her of her life, Ryan, this November 7, 2010.

Till we meet again =)

Can't wait till December

2010-10-20T22:18:00.006+07:00

I love Decembers...holidays, reunions, food, family trips,Christmas lights, Christmas songs, cool weather, no school, the list goes on...and on...and on...=)

Here are a few things to look forward to this Christmas holiday...

1. December 5 - Lerie arrives Bangkok

2. December 11 - Bayu arrives Bangkok

3. December 17 - Last day of school

4. December 18 - Special Sabbath lunch celebration with family for Lerie/Bayu (2 years) & Hazel/Richmond (1 year) anniversaries.

5. December 19-21 - Family trip to Arunwit Resort, Muaklek, Saraburi

6. December 20 - 1st year anniversary of married life! =)

7. December 21 - 2nd year anniversary of married life! =)

8. December 27 - January 9 - Richmond and I fly back to Singapore with Lerie and Bayu and hopefully with Mom and Dad.

9. Meeting up with dear friends - Jyn, Joy, RJ, Elle, Megan?

Ending this entry with my favorite Christmas song. Enjoy!!!

MelVan Jokes

2010-10-20T21:38:00.004+07:00

After passing through immigration @ Changi Airport, Singapore.

Mom: (looks at tv screen and sees "final call" for flight back to bkk. starts to panic.) Ai Daddy, it's final call na. Takbo tayo (translation-let's run)!

Mom/Dad: (start running)

Mom: Daddy, I'm tired. You be the one to run ahead.

Dad: Ok. (starts running ahead)

...2 minutes later, Mom sees Dad waiting for her up ahead...

Mom: Oh Dad, what are you doing here? I told you to run ahead.

Dad: (sheepish grin) Where is it I'm supposed to go Gie?

Vongacious Hairbands!!!

2009-06-29T14:35:00.002+07:00

Have you looked around lately and noticed that people have these hair clips and hair bands with huge flowers/ribbons on them? Well that craze has come right into the office here at EIS. I just couldn't resist and bought 4 of the hair bands. I just couldn't resist the good deal...only 15 baht each!!! Check them out!

Literally a Fruit Cake

2009-05-18T15:37:00.003+07:00

Today is my boss' birthday and the office staff had a special birthday lunch for her . What I loved the most was the fruit cake. Hehehe! Not what I expected, but I thought it was really cool!

Romantic Curls with Lesasha's Curling Iron

2009-05-18T07:27:00.006+07:00

Last week I decided to invest money to buy a new Lesasha curling iron. I was inspired to get a curling iron of my own after watching Michelle Phan's "Romantic Curls Tutorial" on Youtube.

Here is the Lesasha curling iron I bought and am using

right at this very moment. I love it and do not regret buying it at all.

Here is how my romantic curls turned out.

Mom & Daughter Photo Shoot

2009-05-17T11:46:00.003+07:00

After my mom & I got dressed up and put on our makeup, we decided to do a mini photo shoot right here in the house with the with the Acer Orbicam on the laptop. Hehehe! =) After which we are going to go out, do a little shopping, and then meet up with some visitors.

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-12T10:42:00.009+07:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!!!

I never seem to remember Mother's Day in the month of May.

I usually consider Mother's Day to be on August 12 since people here in

Thailand celebrate Mother's day on the same day as the Queen's Birthday.

But all is good!!!It just means more excuses to go have some

Swensens Ice-cream to celebrate.

Love you Mom!!!

My beautiful mom enjoying her mocha almond fudge, macadamia, brownie Swensens icecream!!!

Narak! =)

2009-05-12T10:33:00.002+07:00

The Aftermath

2009-05-12T09:51:00.007+07:00

After weeks of enduring torturous heat day in and day out, the strong rains finally fell, and not only cooled the earth, but totally immersed it in water! Amazingly, I didn't hear a thing during the night and was a little confused to hear my mom complaining about our flooded toilet, because that only happens when it rains really hard, which can also mean that we stay up the whole night with buckets in hand to keep the water out of our house. As soon as I opened the door I was greeted with a lovel sight! WATER!!!!

Notice the water reaches right up to our door.

Saved by 1 millimeter from the floods.

Wading through the flood to get to work on time.

The flood tipped our grabage bin over. Eeeew!

More water!

Finally reached the car. Even the car park was flooded!

Monthong's New Look

2009-05-12T09:27:00.007+07:00

So whaddaya gotta say? Attractive? Hot? Sexah? Hahaha! You gotta believe it. That's how Monthong looks with all her fur shaved off.

Schubert upon arriving back to Bangkok from a week long Songkran break in Chiangrai..."Mommy, mommy!!!! What happened to Monthong?! I don't like it!!!"

Eating with Schubert

2009-05-12T08:09:00.005+07:00

Many of my happy thoughts with my nephew Schubert is that of us eating together. When he was a lot younger and a lot smaller that he is now, he loved to eat bagels, freshly baked from Au Bon Pain. And even to this day he loves. Here he is "snacking" on some bagels topped with cream cheese.

Not only do we eat "farang" food, but we munch on Thai food as well. Here we are eating look chin (meat balls) on sticks. The most delicious ones can be bought at the "back school" of EIS and out front at Cat's place. Here is Schubert posing and me behind my camera phone.

And of course, SWEETS! Who could resist that? Here is Schubert and his chocolate cone. Yummmy!

A Woman

2009-04-20T22:26:00.003+07:00

"A woman is like a rose, if you treat her right, she'll bloom.

If you don't, she'll wilt."

--Fireproof

Now Reading...

2009-04-20T22:15:00.003+07:00

Been alternating between 2 books lately...

Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Robert Kiyosaki
Disappointment with God - Philip Yancey

Singapore in a Capsule

2009-04-20T21:24:00.005+07:00

Dates:
April 10 - 19, 2009

Airline:
Tiger Airways

People:
Mom, Dad & Richmond

Visited:
Lerie & Bayu

Stayed at:
Clementi

First Impressions:
Clean & green, perfectly trimmed trees, high-rise buildings everywhere, expensive taxi fares, no traffic, beautiful country

Main Mode of Transportation:
MRT, Public Bus, Walk, walk, walk, walk....

Places visited:
Ballestier SDA Church, Cold Storage, Vivo City, hawker centers, Candy Empire, Sentosa Island, Fair Price, Clark Quay, Marina Bay, Lucky Plaza, Thai Embassy on Orchard Road, Science Museum, Plaza Singapura, Johor Baru

Food:
Mr. Bean soy ice-cream, prata, fish tofu cheese, malaysian style manga, purple rice ice-cream, turkish pistachio ice-cream, New Zealand Ice-cream, Indo food at Pondok Jawa Tiimur and Ayam Penyet Ria, Mom's cooking, Korean kimchi noodles, Mi Goreng, canned peaches, Ranch Doritos, Cheetos

Extraordinary happenings:
I got engaged! Happened on April 13, 2009 on Sentosa Island. Found my ring in a cup of strawberry ice-cream. Wedding bells on the way!

What I liked the most:
Fresh air, lots of greenery, great company, seeing new places, tasting new food, lost to time, cheap canned peaches

What I didn't like:
Too much walking, slow elevator, immigration, turbulence, saying good-bye

Pictures:
Facebook =) One album out, another one on the way.
OR
See some pics on Lerie's blog.

What matters:
Priceless quality time with my family and the people I love.

Memorable experience:
Helping Lerie out with the Adventurers on Saturday afternoon =) Love the kids! I felt like a kid again.

Flip side:
Seeing Lerie in her role as a pastor's wife. Amazing! I salute you!

Last words:
Thank you Bayu & Lerie. Thank you God!

I am blessed!

Zeroes

2009-04-20T21:09:00.003+07:00

Away with the old Countdown clocks. Out with new ones really soon =)

MySpace Countdowns

MySpace Countdowns

MySpace Countdowns

Storm Clouds

2009-04-09T21:55:00.002+07:00

This afternoon at around 5pm, dark stormy clouds hovered over Carrefour while I was waiting for my mom to do her shopping. It was quite a sight! Not to mention the strong winds!

Recent Cravings!

2009-04-09T21:15:00.002+07:00

Two things I've been craving for alot lately.
One dish I can get in Thailand whenever I want =)
The other I can only imagine =(

One of my favorite noodles--Tom Yum Yentafo Noodles

Mangoes that I only get in Malaysia.
Green sour mangoes with soy sauce, chilli vinegar,
& powdered chinese plum.

I'm hungry now!

Sub Attack

2009-04-09T08:02:00.004+07:00

As of yesterday morning?

Subs needed= 3

As of yesterday afternoon?

Subs needed=6

As of this morning?

Subs needed = 7

As of now?

Subs present=6

Subs on the way=1

*******

I will not panic.

I will remain calm.

I will not stress.

I will remain calm.

I'm praying for small miracles.

And I'm finding small miracles.

What can I Say?

God is good...all the time.

All the time...God is good.

What's Been Up, Down, & Around

2009-04-07T19:49:00.003+07:00

Finally, some inspiration to do some blogging. Don't ask me why, but I just got online today, logged onto my blogger account, and here I am. =)

Random updates since my last post...

Birthday celebration at Spazzo, Grand Hyatt Erawan. Thanks to Shireen and Dolly who planned everything. Richmond showed up with my surprise cake, had my first slow dance, and got my very own Spazzo boat thingie--drinks, strawberries, grapes and all!!! Still waiting to get a hold of some pictures.
Was super busy for about a week and a half giving my students the "other half" of their final exam. Mock interviews!!! I don't know who had more fun. The teachers, a.k.a the "interviewers". Or the students, a.k.a. the "applicants". Some students laughed, some students cried, some were exceptional, some you strained to hear, others were just plain funny. The students loved, although they were under lots of pressure. It's been one of the best things I've done this year. Thanks to Shireen & Paps and our occasional guests Shane and Jj.
Before heading of to EARCOS I had to complete my grades for the 3rd quarter and organize substitutes for about 20 of our teachers. INSANE is the word! This does not include the other hundred and one things I had to do. And after I got back, I still had back work to catch up with. I'm still recovering till today. Still got 2 more things I need to do.
After having so much fun with my lessons last quarter, I'm struggling to make this quarter as exciting. Still trying to figure something out. How can I make it interesting, practical and useful for my kids?
I'm reading Rich Dad, Poor Dad. A book on financial literacy. Brought to my attention by Richmond.
Was kidnapped by Shireen one Friday afternoon to the Erawan Tea Room. Great place! Gonna bring my sister there when she comes over for some one-on-one sister quality time.
Desperately wants to go shopping but doesn't have the $$$.
Went to the JuniorSenior Prom at Grand Sheraton Sukhumvit last Sunday night. Great food! Favorites were the pomelo fruit salad and the ice-cream with chocolate fudge, chocolate chips, and my favorite, chocolate rice crisps!
Went to Nitnara & Ekkaphop's house-warming potluck. Was asked to translate for the house-blessing ceremony. Enjoyed authentic Thai northern dishes!!! Yummmy!
Missed out on Maile's birthday celebration. Happy Birthday again Maile!
Oh yeah, can't forget this one. Got to eat fresh, green, sour mangoes Malaysian style--soy sauce, chilli-vinegar, and powered preseved Chinese plum. Not to mention, nasi lamak, mee goreng, satay, kit chi, avocado juice and lots more!
Now, just waiting for this week to be over with and for Songkran break to finally arrive! =)

Countdowns...3...2...1...

2009-04-07T19:24:00.002+07:00

Two of my countdown clocks have reached 000:00:00:00

My Birthday
Trip to Sabah, Malaysia for Teacher's EARCOS Conferences

And now, at this very moment it's 003:00:42:21 till I fly to Singapore! Exactly 3 days, 42 minutes and 21 seconds to go! So excited!!!

My mom has been packing and unpacking for the past 3 weeks, Richmond is doing his washing so he'll have fresh new clothes to bring along, my dad has no clue what's happening--he has full and complete trust in my mom, and I'm procrastinating as usual. I'll probably do something about it on Thursday night. =)

3 more sleeps, 3 more work days, 3 more classes and I'm outta here! Woohooooo!

Perspectives

2009-04-07T19:18:00.002+07:00

We all view life with different perspectives. It's like wearing a pair of colored sunglasses and seeing everything in that particular color, be it yellow, pink, green, blue or gray. Or its like looking at a glass with water in it. Is it half full or half empty? It's really all up to you.

So what do you see here? Is this man a wicked man? Or is he a good man? That's up to you to decide. Tell me what you think...

*************************

He is a young man yet experienced in vice and wickedness he is never found in opposing the works of iniquity he takes delight in the downfall of his neighbors he never rejoices in the prosperity of his fellow creatures he is always ready to assist in destroying the peace for society he takes no pleasure on serving the Lord he is diligent in sowing discord among his friends and acquaintances he takes no pride in laboring to promote the key of Christianity he has not been negligent in endeavoring to tear down the church he makes no effort to subdue his evil passions he strives hard to build up Satan’s kingdom he lends no aid to the support of the gospel among heathen he contributes largely to the devil he will never go to heaven he must go where he will receive his just reward

Hailstones??!!

2009-04-07T19:12:00.003+07:00

It rained tiny hailstones today. O_o
Hailstones? In Bangkok?
Yup, you gotta believe it.
Who would have thought!

A Walk to Remember

2009-04-03T21:10:00.001+07:00

Today I, Auntie Haysh, left my office in a rush to go pick up Schubert from school. Lolo Lek wasn’t around, Uncle Boboy wasn’t around, so it was Auntie Haysh to the rescue. Yipee yay! =)

Our plan was to walk over to my house and meet Mommy Cat there but upon arriving home I found out that I didn’t have the house key. Parents were out and our helper wasn’t around either, so Schubert and I had to turn around re-trace our steps and go to Schubert’s house instead. It was quite a long walk, not to mention super hot and humid! It must have been quite a journey for a little boy because once Schubert got home and sat down, we had this little conversation:

Schubert: I think my bones hurt.
Me: Your bones hurt? Why?
Schubert: I think I walked too much.

Heheheh! =)
Good night and Happy Sabbath everyone!

Food at Sharon's Birthday

2009-03-04T10:28:00.012+07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHARON!
FUJI = YUMMY FOOD = BIG SMILES = FUN

eLLE. mAILE. rENEE. mEGAN

sHARON. dOLLY. lAURA. rICHMOND. hAZEL

dRINKS!

gREEN tEA. cOCONUT. lEMON.

fOOD, fOOD, fOOD!!!

dOLLY & sHARON

literally digging into their food.

mORE fOOD! =)

tHE eND.

All about Schubert

2009-03-04T09:51:00.012+07:00

Schubert is back in town! Like a tornado, he blew everyone he met of their feet. His cute smile, his chubby cheeks, his screech and laughter, his rough hair, his perfected "thai wai" and the fact he's grown so much since everyone last say him, had everyone ooh-ing and the aah-ing non-stop. Schubert definitely makes me SMILE!!!

He's here now in real person and I get to hug him tight whenever I want!

First day back in Bangkok.

Schubert visits our house and excitedly puts on
Lolo Mel's helmet to scare Mommy Cat!

Schubert reading his Magic School Bus book in the car
on the way to the Mall Ramkhamhaeng.

Waiting for his free spiderman toy from McDonalds.

Auntie Haysh and Schubert!

Chilling out with

Lola Phoebe, Lola Vangie, & Lolo Mel.

Reunited with Uncle Amonch!!!

Schubert and Spiderman!

New Discoveries @ Sugaroma

2009-03-04T07:51:00.008+07:00

Ok, so I know I go to Sugaroma on a regualr basis, but I always seem to discover new desserts when I go there, which actually isn't all that new. But anyways here are a few pictures of "new" desserts for you to crave for =)

1. The Chocolate Bomb 2. Renee enjoying her dessert

1. Shireen's New York Strawberry Cheescake 2. Another view. Hungry yet?

Game of Tag

2009-02-26T16:56:00.004+07:00

Up for another "tag you" game? Well you're tagged =) This one is a cool and fun one!

Here's what you do:

1 - Go to "wikipedia." Hit “random... Read More... Read More” or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to "Random quotations" or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.

3 - Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days” or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 - Use photoshop or similar to put it all together.

Shimona did it. Amy did it. And here's what I got!!!

ps. please ignore the typo

25th

2009-02-25T21:16:00.003+07:00

The 25th of every month is one special day that stands out.
You are probably wondering what I'm talking about.

Some of you might think it's because its pay day.
Others may say it's just because she's happy and gay.

The first statement is true, and the second is too.
But the truth of the matter lies in her boo.

The 25th of every month is his and her monthsary.
Not just a day to celebrate because she got her salary.

Twenty-eight months ago was when she said "yes".
That word took his breath away and left him speechless.

And now the 25th of each month, a celebration it has been.
He treats her out special and makes her feel like a queen.

And so on this special day, this she wants him to know.
He's set her heart and her life aglow.
_____________

HAPPY MONTHSARY
to my
Monchie Monch =)

Especially for RJ

2009-02-24T20:56:00.003+07:00

So last night, under the time pressure that RJ's dad was leaving to the Philippines soon (tonight to be exact), a bunch of us girls were in and out of Dolly's room working on "RJ's Project". It was fun, it was colorful, and it required us to use our creative juices.

So RJ, here's some pictures for you to see and let you know how much hard work and love we put into your special graduation present. It is priceless because you cannot buy it anywhere. Hehehe...

We love you and we are all proud of you. And just so you know, Megan did most of the hardwork. Hope you like it and let us know what you think. We miss you.

P.S. Ate Lerie is not here and was not able to write in the book, but we have something special for you from the both of us, Bayu, Richmond and also my parents.