kookie in my coffee pug

vivo sólo la vida como no hay mañana

2011-08-09T08:54:00.004+08:00

i am just living life like there is no tomorrow...but tomorrow i will be back...

soon again...

trying to come back

2010-07-26T09:33:00.006+08:00

it's been just a while since my last update. 'a while' means a few hundred years if you are a cullen.

but for me, it means more than a year actually. yeah, a lot of things happened. i made new friends and built hurdles to some. we learned to scuba dive and

introduced it to my sis and her son. had another pug, tyra black (jacob's sis). kookie laid four puggies and three died. read a few books, went to boracay, dove in dahwin, duka, manta and sipalay. climb bukidnon twice, took a few thousand pictures, ended a business, and eyeing another.

abandoned my multiply, friendster and

cmuans dot ning account, then made facebook permanent account... and well...it was such a fun year, all in all.

since october, i've been here and there. there means cagayan de oro to take care of some business.

every month i go home to cdo and i am quite able to manage my time with my family well enough. thank god.

so really, nothing much happened. except that i

am doing a construction... that i will post next...

bacolenia

2009-09-20T14:37:00.007+08:00

yup, i know...it's been half a year since my last post. i feel so sad about having a blog and not being able to maintain it. but am all ok. not really busy, just into some stage in life (maturity, i guess and i will post those life stages this week). but for now i am so compelled to post something nice and wonderful. well, actually something like ZERO DEGREES AND FALLING.

this is a very promising alternative rock band from down under i tell you, specially for the filipinos. ZDAF formed their hard working band in 2005 and since then they have gone into the mainstream of canberra's music scene. check this out:

the lead singer is ferdie (short for ferdinand) whose brother's name is bongbong (the drummer). does it ring a bell? i guess their dad is a fan of the former philippine president marcos. well, their family name is LOUIS and their mum is a certified pure illongga who's family is living in sum-ag.

in 1999, when i went to visit my sis in darwin, australia...i've met ferdie and another bro, murray and their sis rachel. they were my sis' hubby's nephew with three more siblings back in their home in tasmania. all so good looking. they were both teenagers at that time. aside from the common "g'day mate" greeting, ferdie taught me another slang that goes "how's it gawwn mate?" one time i was about to make my sis' porkroast and i can't reach for the turbo broiler, i was so glad ferdie dropped by and cuz he is 6-foot- something he just reached it simply and handed it to me.

and now they are so famous down under. i love their songs. it's the kind that gen X and my generation could get along well. my sis and i are their number one filipino fans!!! WAY TO GO GUYS!!!

the ruins, bacolod city

2009-03-04T10:08:00.015+08:00

i have always asked why most of the streets in my country were named after people and wanted to know who they are...

last sunday we woke up early to send off our unico hijo, scott, on his first ever on-board training. we usually wake up very late on a sunday, so after sending off our son we were left with no plans the whole morning. driving back home, we saw this sign that says THE RUINS. we just suddenly turned left and thru the sign and my oh my... how clueless have we been... for almost two years living in this city only now did we unearth this part of bacolod city's history. not to mention that we were living just closeby, a couple kilometers perhaps. we only had our cellphone cameras with us so i used my sunglasses lens for a better old school effect. have a look:

this mansion was built as an inspiration after the death of his portugese wife in the early 1900s whom the owner, the sugar baron named don mariano ledesma lacson met in macau. this residential structure is of italianate architecture and was the largest at that time. but it has met its fate during the WWII when USAFFE burned down the mansion to prevent the japanese forces from inhabiting it and probably make it as their headquarters.

these days, it has become a cafe where people could dine and relax with its breathtaking view and sprawling gardens. it also has a mini-18-whole golfcourse which the don has made at that time.

lacson street in bacolod is the most famous street cuz it is the mainstreet of the city and in october, for a week, it will transform as an al fresco cafe and the site of the mardi gras during the MASSKARA festival. so i take to it that this must be the guy, or his dad's dad perhaps that was

named after Lacson street...

and so the tale of my family's "ruins" is a different story. here is a photo of our most embarassing thermo bottle. the one that travelled with us during many summer vacations. supposed to be ruined, forgotten, and left gone. older than our big brother. embarassing cuz everytime family visitors come by, we have to use it to serve coffee. and it is just very old, faded and hideous!!!
but when my mum retired and moved in the city, shockingly, they still have that old, loyal thermos with them. over the years, when we visit them, on the first breakfast we would all chorus "until now it's still alive!?!?what the..." of course it is alive, because the newer versions of thermoses and its copycats doesn't last long. when my kiddo was still a baby, it took only less than a year that his thermos broke. but this...this old, ragged, dark gray and red thermos is still alive and willing to serve even my son's offspring...and now it still shines...the mighty old embarassing thermos was there when i visited my folks last february, dutifully serving my hot coffee with BOB'S CAFE dinner rolls...now part of my family's heirloom. and bros and sis!!!doncha even evah think of it!!! it has now become an antique in its own right. a priceless possesion of mum and dad...it will live to tell a story...and connect the past to future generations...

that german friend...

2009-01-12T08:29:00.011+08:00

remember that german friend i was talking about? ahhh... he was again talking about pinoys taking off their shirts in the middle of the streets showing off their big, fat tummy. that while he was in thailand and cambodia, no one ever was doing that thing AT ALL...well, he's got a point there. but he should just really leave things as it is in my country cuz he is a foreigner and he might bump on some abusayop, for sure he will be abducted!!! anyways, in fairness to him, he is really a hunk. great 6-pack abs, very athletic, and hey, he is single... my friends say he was cute before...hmmm...i think he still is...

but that is not what am up to... i just would like to say to those who are madly inlove with TWILIGHT... this german friend of mine bought for me the first three books @ $50 US only!!! all i needed was to text him to find me those books and he was more than willing to look it up for me. hahaha...see... grouchy people cannot be summed up by their burst of temper. they can be really good, too!!!
so sis,eat your heart out!!! i've got the third book ECLIPSE!!!

update: jan 20

kookie cuddled beside, the aussie open on tv, love me again now showing, so much things to do and plan, no housegirl of all the time... how perfect can that be??? with three thick books to go...

but anyway, i managed to tread until the part where edward takes bella to their baseball game...

&&& come visit this blog in a few days if you wanna see a photo of this german guy...

update: jan.25
photo added

feels so good

2008-12-11T08:52:00.004+08:00

if i backtrack 20 years down my music memory lane now, i would find myself listening to some deep purple, van halen, bonjovi, seals and crofts, rick springfield, etc etc...but one of those would surely be chuck mangione's FEEL SO GOOD . but this song cannot even substantiate how...that i feel so good now...

i feel so good being a filipino. i feel so good that manny paquiao just became the world's finest fighter. even though i am not related to him, i feel so good that for one thing, the word FILIPINO would add up a meaning to just being a "maid". and i feel so good that pacman's roots also came from BUKIDNON, the place where i was born and raised. [a generic of western samar and zamboanga del norte]

when i checked on yahoo (not even clicking on the sports link) pacman was the headline. something that any filipino can be proud of. not somekind of a philippine headline that says GMA CONTINUES TO STRUGGLE WITH...BLAH BLAH BLAH...

not only did pacman win the fight and became the world's finest fighter...but also won it from the golden boy of boxing, oscar de la joya. the boy that made boxing popular even to hollywood celebs. the boy that i knew the name besides ali...that i am one guilty ass for not knowing a single filipino boxer back in those days...

i feel so good, too, that some of our expat friends show a sense of pride and a part of them now (even just one % of their body fats) says... "i feel good i am here in the philippines."

i have one german friend who cursed the smell of dried fish, although i am not a fan of dried fish, part of my heart was crushed hearing it from him. i felt that if you are a foreigner, you shouldn't curse a long time food tradition of that land, on that land. but this german friend of mine got stucked in thailand airport during the protesters revolt last week. and he was back the other night and he said, "after a week of thai food, it makes me want to puke...oh i miss filipino food!"

well, hearing it from him...i feel so good being pinoy! just a simple thing that makes you feel good.

malatan-og falls, don salvador benedicto, negros oriental

2008-11-05T08:46:00.012+08:00

on all saint's day, our tennis group went trekking to a nearby falls. or so it seems near. on my first month here in negros island, we travelled from cebu to bacolod and made a stop at a viewing deck of malatan-og falls. it was so spectacular, so breath taking. i never thought i would really get near this falls in the future. well then, i just did.

the terrain was so tricky that if you'd miss a single step, you'd find yourself careening on the cliff. i don't think people pass those tracks everyday for there was not a trace. one could get lost without a guide. and our guides were kids, same kids selling us peanuts and banana chips at the overview.

i was not ready nor was i geared to do that trekking. i don't think anyone of us was, but ANDRE. he was our leader for that expedition (the perfect example of 'age is just in the mind,don't let it creep down your body')... i was only wearing flipflops and in muddy tracks, i slipped and slide and it was so difficult to go down and uphill. i just remember when i was a kid, we used to just run on these kind of trails...

how to get there:by bus, jeepney, or car

travel time: 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes from bacolod city

from the viewing deck, on foot: 45 minutes (aprox)

tagged !

2008-09-06T18:24:00.010+08:00

i've been meaning to take on this tag few weeks ago but i went rafting with my tennis friends in cagayan de oro. i am so honored to have been tagged by adore lepug .
and to pay it forward, i would like to tag falcon 116 , a certified pugger like me! sis, you had better take this on...

Rules: Obey the Pug, answer the following, and pass on!

1) How did you first learn about Pugs?

The first time i saw a pug is from the movie MIB. But i really didn’t pay attention to it cuz i thought it was mechanical or an alien and such a vicious creature, cute though.

2) What made you get a Pug?

my hubby and scott went out to shop for a guitar and so i tagged along. But of course i went to shops where my foot fits and body squeezes...then they called me in such haste i wondered what they have to show me... a nice guitar that plays by itself and would have you thinking that it’s you playing??? oh no! It’s the alien from MIB!!! The alien then, we learned was a pug whose name was WALLY. Wally and i had this instant connection. I was inseparable to him already. While my hubby and son was busy looking for a guitar at the shop next door, i was busy negotiating with the owner from my mobile phone. Then viola! We took wally home. We had no idea he was gonna be our most loyal family member. He was the apple of everyone’s eyes. so cherished. So loved like one of my own... he made our home so happy.

3) Most memorable moment with your Pug (s).

So many memorable moments but one is so hilarious i still giggle alone as i recount what had happened one December morning in the year 2004. I’ll never forget this cuz this was also the date when my sister and my nephew jashkah from oz came for a holiday with us.
We were playing badminton outside the house and wally was with us on his leash. Then a man passed by on his horse with bundles of fire woods on his lap. Imagine a man riding a horse full of fire wood sitting on his lap... wally loves to chase big animals and for some unknown reasons he was off his leash! And went straight to kiss the horses’ long, tough leg! And a horses’ instinct was to raise its two feet and stomp and kick on the attacker. Wally, fortunately being so small wasn’t pulverized by the horses' wild reaction. But the guy on the horse went tumbling down, landed his bum on the ground and heaps of fire wood followed and landed on the poor guy’s head. We all watched awestruck, wally might get hit with the kicking and stomping. And at the same time we wanted to laugh cuz the man looked really funny but he was blazing mad!!! Oh boy what a scene!!!

4) What is the most important thing Pugs (or dogs) have taught you?

I have learned that i shouldn’t take my pet’s admiration [of me] as conclusive evidence that i am a good and wonderful person, although it has taught me to become one.

5) Best Thing You Ever Did For Your Pugs….aside from loving them, keeping them healthy & happy, and giving them a great life.

Wally was my total inspiration to have started this blog. Although kookie is my base, wally was the brainchild. Through this blog, i have met strangers who became my blogger friends and we got to share all things 'bout dogs and pugs and how to take care of them. I am now active against cruelty to animals... and i have given wally a decent funeral and grave at our yard.

6) Post your answers on why you “Adore Le Pug” on your blog and link to the blog who tagged you (or their blog post).

I adore my pug cuz it keeps me so grounded...it’s the most loyal being in this whole wide world. As my sister says; put your pet and husband in the trunk of your car and after an hour let them out. Your hubby will surely meet you with his fist landing on your face...but your pet will be so glad to see you back with wagging tail...

7) Tag 5 or more other bloggers.

i tag all pet lovers...most specially puggers who happens to come by.

*rafting @cdo river
*second pix, wally, my first puggy & chicken, my mum's cat
*third pix, wally's grave

a take @ macro

2008-08-12T07:33:00.018+08:00

hybernating again? nope...just slightly engulfed reading john grisham's THE BROKER, another really good read which took me a month to finish while tackling a bunch of other homely stuff and making a few important decisions in life. whatever that means...

i woke up early this morning and cracked a few eggs, cooked hot dog in a special way (slit it, steam it, and pour evoo) for my three "guys". none for me, although brekky is my favorite time of loading carbs and fats...i have long dropped it in my routine. actually, i was so happy to find from a nearby store a weet-bix! the high-fiber, low-fat cereal..

then my usual fix: stare on my pc all day and i remembered to blog. it has been a month since my last post. i have so much to log that i don't know how to start.

first up: went home to visit my folks last june and reunited with the ever bubly arf. we were all so ecstatic to see him again...my bro came home for a holiday and we stayed @ chali. he had this paparazzi-like dslr which i was able to lay my hands on. we shoot a few thousand photos. amazing now how we take thousands of shots and not pay for every one of them to develop.

**then my hubby went to macau and bought me a cute red sony cybershot t300. (what a big irony to the nikkon). have a look at the photos which i all took with both cams and at first glance, tell me which was taken with a d40x and with a cybershot. i just love macros...

**then my loyal n73 is just about to die. selling it now for a few grands and i do have two buyers on the line for 150usd. because i now have a much better blogging digicam, i am eyeing for a windows mobile phone. particularly samsung i780. i do like the samsung f480(well advertised in the olympics) and definitely faster than iphone but... it's much on infotainment. no windows. i also don't like iphone cuz of it's obvious drawbacks. most iphone users are salivating for the samsung f480 and omnia now. it has a much better speed.

**then roger federer kissed his #1 world ranking which he held for 4 1/2 years goodbye. i feel so sorry for him but am just equally happy for rafa to be the new #1 now. i do wish he'll be able to hold on to his rank for as along as federer did. it will all be so exciting for the tennis world. the sport is getting so popular like football. the tennis stars were indeed a big name during the olympics. and i am still federah forevah!

** then my sis had a really good break in oz. job well done sis!!! and my big bro just changed his terrano to an fj cruiser.(well, this would sound good if you are in ph. but nope, he lives in dubai, the place where you could see feraris and porches parked side by side)...hmmm...my other big nurse bro just had a cute son sebastian...

and me? am just changing my phone. hehe...

**ahhh! our Red Roaster will be opening soon! watchout! we'll be giving away cellphones...cellophanepono!!!

**as for kookie: she didn't turn me into a granma just yet. my bad!!!

[green photos are part of my go green project.

&&& first pix of arf taken by my bro with a d300.no permission from the mum hehe. ok lang ...cute keu si arf ba?]

so the grass is just for cows huh...

2008-07-08T06:51:00.023+08:00

a few decades after the 1966 wimbledon championships, some spanish tennis players claimed that the grass is for cows--on a no win-situation but now. being a good tennis fan (and a bad tennis player) the match between rafa and federer during 2008 wimbledon finals was an epic, i should say it is the best tennis match in my life by far. the clay-grass divide has ended!!!

this year's wimbledon was so memorable. with the chinese cinderella , zheng jie beating ivanovich in two sets and came close to beating serena, jankovic beaten by a thai, tanasugarn, sharapova beaten by a fellow eva, williams beaten by the older williams, and here's safin coming back from the dead,...etc etc...and to top it all, the men's final was indeed the best way to end the championships!

i have heard of borg and mcenroe and jimmy connors from my dad, but i wasn't of tennis age and interest at that time. satellite tv was not available at that time, too. all i remember was us kids running to our neighbor's house and watch wonder woman and six million dollar man outside the window. and if we run a bit faster we would be lucky to take the front floor seat in my neighbor's house. and when we did own a tv set, i remember someone would climb up the roof of our house to keep the antenna from changing direction. ha ha. funny to think now. anyway, i have digressed, so going back to the grass...

that the grass is just for cows, it is also for RAFA! now it is an addition to rafa's arena, clay being first. where he gave the number one tennis player in the world a dismantling upset of 6-3, 6-2, 6-0 during the french open few weeks prior. and here now, during the wimbledon finals.

my hubby and i and a few tennis friends got invited to watch wimbledon at our "neighbor's" house...oppps just kidding, not neighbor, at another friend's house where we watched the finals on a giant tv. thanks to manu and champa for the overflow of desserts and nice wine.

it was like watching a soap opera but the difference here is that there were two protagonist and no antagonist. oh yeah, the antagonist was the umpire who warned rafa of the 20-second time limit before serving. man, it's the finals! why warn now for just a few more sec? it was such a compelling match...we all felt that the second best, the number two in the world rafa would win but we wanted federer to win one more time. this is his territory. this is where he is invincible! but the drama kept on rolling. he lost the first two sets and he was in serious trouble. and there was a rain delay... must have helped him, though. he managed to pull off the third and fourth set. but the number one in the world of tennis faltered on the final set. he broke serve and stayed there. 6-4, 6-4, 6-7,6-7,9-7... oh my. this is definitely not the end of him. he was still strong though less offensive on that match. but still he managed to put rafa on the edge. and i was on the edge of my seat, too.

i love both guys. i have so much respect for them. fed is so classy arriving in his private jet. but the most talked-about cardigan for me was mediocre. no big deal. (i can sleep on my mum's cardigan) it's that white leather bag that disturbed me. but then he is swiss[made]. what can you say? the swiss are known to be makers of the best things in life. rafa, on the left hand, suited well with his pirate look. simple and down-to-earth and that's really what he is. even if rafa grabs his bum before every serve, i learned to get used to it. that is just one of his strange ways. but both have quality in the game, good character, win or loss, on and off court.
federer was magnificent in his defeat and the crowd's applause was deafening, i was sad to see roger's fading aura but my heart is for him. as simple and respectful as nadal is, he paid tribute to federer and calls him still the #1. this is what true sportsmen are made of... bravo guys!!! but i guess they both have to thank SAFIN, too, for getting novak early on in the championships. novak is also one hell of a gun, capable of firing till the end.

well, they say that the most constant thing on earth is change. yes. i do agree. but there are times i don't embrace change with open arms. just like changing xp to vista...it took me a while to accept but now i would never ever even think of going back to xp...see the change? but in rafa and roger's case...gut feeling...they'll meet again and be there for a long time...along with cocky novak...

so...i guess the spanish were right. THE GRASS IS JUST FOR COWS. i could see a BULL grazing on it now! bravo to RAFA!!! i so like you, too!!!

*pix taken from the net

*2nd to the last pix, rafa with secret gf

*all through the championships, kookie was content on haggling her bone.

boracay

2008-05-22T11:51:00.011+08:00

there is this land right on the heart of my country called BORACAY. located at the western tip of panay in visayas island. long been renowned for its superb beaches and relaxed atmosphere. an island destination of tourists from all walks of life the world over.

no dress code! just informal. you'd be tempted to walk barefoot and tread the fine almost-baby-powder white sand where the mode of transportation is FEET.

night life can be wild and noisy tropical style, specially during the peak season which fall on holy week in march or april.
it has more than 10 diving sites around the island, 3.5 kilometers of balmy white sand washed by crystal clear turquoise water. so if you are looking for an all-in-one holiday destination, come to boracay. by plane, it's just an hour away
from manila.

boracay is a place where you can forget the word "cellphone". unless your cellphone is your only camera, that is.

business seems to be booming in this palm-studded butterfly-shaped island. western union and atm machines are available. restaurants and hotels are everywhere. shangri-la villas is under construction along with a hundred others. before long, this island will become overly crowded!!!

this has been my second visit but still i couldn't get enough. and of course i wouldn't leave without getting a henna tattoo...someday i will come back to this island that i call--- the nearest planet from earth!!!

go rafa go!!!

2008-04-28T10:09:00.010+08:00

i didn't have the exact schedule of the monte carlo masters finals

with nadal against federer.

so i waited til midnight reading this book by deborah rodriguez, THE KABUL BEAUTY SCHOOL.

the first chapter is so suspenseful and yet colorful and funny. it brings us to the life of afghan women. there is this girl roshanna, matched with an afghan man who is an engineer in amsterdam. her mom-in-law-to-be was so sure there was no whiff of scandal about roshanna, the pretty, hardworking girl. but roshanna had this mystery lest her mom-in-law and hubby-to-be would find out she isn't a virgin anymore. so on their first night, several times roshanna's mom came out crying, waving a spotless white hanky. it signifies either the woman is not virgin or nothing happened. roshanna just wouldn't simply let it happen cuz she was so nervous to face the deadly truth...that she isn't pure anymore having cheated to all her in-laws. so her american friend talked to her alone and got the hanky and clipped her own fingers to bleed and smeared it on the white cloth. she told roshanna to hide it until they are "done"... and the next thing, while everyone was outside eagerly waiting for the "result", roshanna's mom came out joyful that the hanky was now bloody and shouted "virgin! virgin!"

i fell asleep and the match between nadal and federer passed me by.

then in the morning when i woke up...i found kookie by my throw pillow, a red spot on it! and i looked every where there were traces of blood!!! and i shouted wow!!!virgin!virgin! awww...i mean, she should go out and date now! hmmm...

then i learned nadal won the monte carlo title for the fourth straight time breaking a record from way back 1911. i like both guys federer and nadal really. good attitude, so much wit and power. and after the game they are so friendly. compared to novak diokovic who is so haughty...

although i love roger federer, i want rafa to win the french open!!!

hotel la kollaros

2008-04-12T23:33:00.019+08:00

[world's biggest pair of shoes, riverbanks mall, marikina city .guiness certified]

it's summer all over again and being in a tropical country, it is excruciatingly hot. here in bacolod, we have a power sharing everyday. that means an hour or two of brownouts. i don't know exactly if there is low supply of power or increased usage. anyhow, we still get by. some folks hit the beach. some of my friends will go to singapore. we plan on going to BORA in May when the peak season is just about to settle down.

well, as for us. we did start our summer break with a big holiday visit to my folks. my mum, like i said was a traveller and my dad was the follower. but sad to say when we visited them i cannot believe seeing my mum limping, my energetic, workaholic mum! limping? oh lord! no way!

anyways, after having gone with them to get checked by a doc and making sure they are on track, scott and i head for the concrete jungle for the next leg of our break, our metropolitan holiday! manila here we come! and by all the getaways, we went fishing...errr again...@ the manila ocean park where i came face to face with nemo.

we enjoyed every single day of that whole week in manila. we were blessed to have stayed in a greek hotel, hotel la kollaros. it is indeed a great personalized hotel with wifi connection, a plasma tv, a bar of 1900s select wines, and a fridge full of swiss chocolates all for free! a wake up call for breakfast by this cute kiddo, nikos also comes very timely at 7:30am. the food was great with sweet potatoes and all!!!and redhorse at night...

plus a standby car and driver 24/7. who ever get to stay in a hotel with a good transpo slash driver slash generousity all in one? well, only us! eat your heart out sis!

so i would like to take this opportunity to THANK the staff and manager slash owner of hotel la kollaros for all the kindness, hospitality, generosity, et cetera etcetera. scott and i enjoyed our stay with you guys!!! bless you all...

but then it was not a mission totally accomplished. we didn't see arf. we miss arf so bad!!!

bar and fridge full of swiss chocolates hmmm yummy/the hotel heirs/the suite

gone fishing II

2008-03-08T12:53:00.024+08:00

so again, i conquered another place called General Santos City, nicknamed as the "Tuna Capital of the Philippines" on the southernmost part of my country. it's economy is primarily agro-industrial due to its rich soil, good rainfall and typhoon-free climate. the area is the largest producer of corn, coconuts, copra, pineapples, asparagus and rice. it also produces other high value crops such as potatoes, vegetables, cut flowers, and exotic fruits like durian. yeah, the one that smells like hell but tastes like heaven. [debatable]

but this is the best part: gensan accounts for the largest total daily fish landings in the country and is the leading producer of sashimi grade tuna. locals boast that fish and seafood do not come fresher than in their city. [which i wouldn't agree] the coastal area is a rich fishing ground. it provides good trade access to major foreign markets like Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, Pacific Islands, Japan, Hongkong, Middle East, Continental Europe and the United States.

so we went to catch the tuna activity early in the morning @ their port but unfortunately we were not allowed to go down the car nor take pictures...hmmm well...i did manage to catch a few actions huh... these are like 150 to 250kg tunas @ $6.50 per kilogram.

gensan is also home to the former world IBF super bantamweight and WBC flyweight champ manny "pacman" paquiao. that's his house right there.

anyways, we came to this place cuz we got invited to play tennis. for me, that wasn't really my purpose. it was to revisit this famous place again after 21 years, during the edsa revolution. i was here to play table tennis. thanks to our overly hospitable host, dodong sun who introduced us to "blow job". also to jun rosales and the guys of b-meg!!!bravo to you guys!!! you were all so good hey!!! beyond expectation!!!

to get there by plane would take a few hours. the trip bored me so i read "the god of small things" and would you believe the flight stewardess served me this capuccino?>

update: the most boring of all the books i've ever read. but am treading on...

update: pacman is now officially the wbc super featherweight champion OF THE

WORLD! in my opinion, that fight against juan manuel marquez was by far his toughest! but it does have an aftermath...so many questions linger even among filipinos. but as for me, he won that match no questions...with flying colors for the philippines. long live PACMAN!

and one more thing, PACMAN will join KOBE and TIGER in one explosive commercial for a sports gear company. guess what...NIKE no less!

kookie on mars

2008-02-22T08:25:00.011+08:00

It’s quite a while I’ve been hibernating. And while I was, I sent kookie to mars and she became the first pug ever to be on mars. I was disappointed that she didn’t conceive. Probably, she was too busy and stressed with her very fast and high profile lifestyle now. Need to wait a few more months for her next period. Again, I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

Nothing much happened, except that my best nephew of the year, arf, will now be very far away from us. Arf is the ever entertaining kiddo and always full of surprises. He instantly became the apple of our eyes. So long arf. [hu hu hu] we will so miss you...my cutipie...hope to see you again soon!!!

kookie says: mum, i've licked arf's hands and it tasted so yummy!!! we also played huggie huggie in your room...hehehehe...am gonna miss him so...

[arf and tonio d'great]

we are the champions...

2007-11-27T08:25:00.000+08:00

i must have woken up on the right side of the bed today because i felt like blogging. ha ha. am just so excited to share this candid shot that i took. last weekend, our tennis club had a 3-day friendly tournament and my hubby played in the men's B category, and i also played in the ladies category and we are both beginners. we were luckily paired to the best players and so we were dragged to become one of the champions. we felt that we cannot take pride in being called a champion cuz it was not a 50/50 effort. but then we could say we did our level best. and we did end up at a local paper.
but that is not really what i wanna blog about...

one day we were giggling about a woman wearing a tennis skirt whose sweat outlined her g-string. and a friend of mine said she has the audacity to wear one cuz she's got the right...and that if you have it, flaunt it!!! then on the last night of our tournament just before dinner, this friend of mine took off her shoes and i was able to see this scene from behind. i mean her behind...hmmm. am so eating my heart out!!! i cannot even wear a skirt or a pair of shorts cuz i have these ugly varicose legs and so many round scars all over not to mention my chicken legs...then i caught on my mobile cam again another of our girlfriends on that same night wearing exactly the same tongs but white color. then i showed the picture to her but she grabbed my phone and deleted her nice bum photo. it was just so bizarre that i caught two of those in a span of one hour. i am just so entertained, i cannot imagine...

oh btw, we are the champions is a song by queen that we usually sing during college when we win even just one game to make our opponents crazy. and it has no connection to this post. heheh...
i placed our trophies on the throne, an important place in the house.
this is the thinking area...no disturbance...

it's not every year that you see yourself in the local paper. thanks to my partner marsha maniego. that was one great game marsh. you go girl!!!
andre de hertogh and manu gidwani, men's c champions! you did break some young legs guys.
congratulations!!!

second photo without permission but i know my friend is game!

fried green bananas

2007-10-19T08:46:00.012+08:00

it's been a long time that i put my blog on the backseat. so much has happened during the past five months. i've gone to visit my folks three times (each time of that broke my heart to see my mum cry when we leave), my best nephew of the year, ARF, got hospitalized twice, my other best nephew, jashkah, will be in high school, my son is in college, we all have aged gracefully...even i mourned the death of my ever loyal hp laptop that has also aged and served its purpose well (eyeing for a better, lighter one. any suggestion?).

this change of my life i see and think is for the better. our lives has been fast paced not for so much work but more on the lighter side of life. we get to play tennis four or more times in a week. i could say, at this early, that we have been so blessed in this new place where we moved. it was beyond belief, i was crying buckets not wanting to move out of cdo. but here, we were welcomed with a brand new tennis circle of friends and they are just so amazing people. not because they are well-to-do in life but because they are of such low-profile attitude. well, some...

*i met this very respectable power bol-anon couple who just seem to have every good thing in life... good aura, energy, looks, height, love, nice family, lots of happy kids, and so much power in the game (both of them). they have quite maintained tough muscles, too...i call them the all-around pair who, am sure, will do an ironman someday!!!
*then there's this really funny, could crack up a green joke at anytime, a bit nasty woman who, in her mid 30s could still wear an xs size!!! and whose hubby is a sweet tooth. this is the couple whom i call very organic, and a good pair in tennis (though not invincible anymore).
*and then there is this "special" friend, who could be cocky sometimes and so fond of coaching anyone "lucky" enough to become her partner. predictably unpredictable!!!a bonus is that her husband, of all people... is kookie's clinic vet slash owner , the best in the whole of bacolod city, i should say. the time we didn't have contacts and kookie had high fever, my hubby browsed the phonebook looking for some vet. it was this vet who entertained us through cellphone calls and even texted to ask for my beloved puggy's condition a day later. what a great contrast this couple are...
*then another one, a very unassuming couple whom i call the young guns of center court. they do mountain biking and goes to the gym. and they don't seem to feel guilty when they eat so when the wife opens a pack of chocolate, i had better steer away. i miss the wife now, she is such a good person, great character and so cheerful. they don't play that often anymore.
* also another couple who i think owns half of the indian ocean, and they play really awesome at the net. although i've never seen them play together as a couple. the wife is soft spoken and there is something mysteriously nice about her. i like her aura and i like being around her. she keeps us gurls "grounded" haha. her hubby is such an admirable man, doesn't look his age, so straight forward, humorous, and he has this wit i really like in a man. he easily adjust to any situation like a caumoflage.
*then another couple whose wife doesn't play but very much with us on trips. we love her that we thought we could bring her to one of the thousand places to see before we die, it turned out that we were her students. her hubby is really good in tennis, good physique, fit and trim and would like to go back to the navy at his age ha ha.
*then another couple who are so down-to-earth, sassy woman and plays tough, whose dad we met at the wake of her mum, a trully trully amazing person. we will never forget the time we spoke with him just at one time, my hub and i enjoyed so much. we salute you sir. you have one great legacy!!!
*there is also this german couple whom i will never forget their exact words after the first time we played...he said " it's very boring to play with you..." ugh!!! er...i'll do better next time...
*and yes, there is this other cheeky german guy who i call "the call center" of the tennis court cuz he is always on his mobile phone. but he is the hunkiest of all the guys...hmmm... he was such a snob though. but later on when i got to know him better he was ok and funny, too. so straight forward and speaks his mind with audacity...
*there are still lots i could go on... the court has become a coincidental rendezvouz of the bisaya folks which has helped us get a loadown of the new dialect we have to face. and i don't need to describe them cuz we are just as colorful as the rainbow. however, i would like to note that one of the guys reeeeeeeeeeeally love extreme sport adventure!!! whatever...

there's just one thing very diffirent in their customs though. when we enrolled scott in la consolacion college, i noticed teenagers kissing their friends when they greet each other. so when i made friends at the tennis court, i felt reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaally awkward when we greet and kiss. poor me. unacustomed as i am. it was such a very uncomfortable situation. back home, we only kiss our mum and dad, brothers and sis, relatives, and super mega close long-time friends only. i just thought that kissing as a form of greeting could be hypocrisy more often than not. what if we make a friend who is not "kissable"??? bypass him/her during the greeting period? ha ha...until now i am still painstakingly trying to master that art!!! there are times, though, that it comes natural for those who has become close to me...even to those whom i consider my friends, i still am so partial . deep inside me, i know and feel some are not for real and couldn't be trusted. sometimes i would like to think that i could rewind and...oh swell...

to top it all, kookie is now an expectant mum. so i have to keep my fingers crossed and take a break...no, just a coffee break. and hey...would you believe starbucks now serves fried green bananas? i love them!!! no no...don't believe! that's my fried green bananas at home in cdo. one of my favorites!!!

kookie says:

mum, where's that fried green banana? that's my favorite, too!

hmmm...these are all empty...

the last frontier

2007-09-08T14:23:00.000+08:00

this is kookie's dad's palawan adventure

a few weeks ago, my hub went to this exotic islands situated in the western border of the Philippines on a business trip. An hour's travel by plane from manila, puerto princesa city, palawan is a tropical island paradise with it's unspoiled beaches, world-class diving sites, lush virgin forest, endemic flora and fauna, ah well...on and on...

palawan is also home to one of the world's famous diving spots which is called the tubbataha reefs. the city's bays abound with magical underwater coral garden reefs, home to fascinating marine life. palawan is considered as the country's last ecological frontier and the locals take pride in it's name. the people are generally warm and friendly and makes your stay a lasting experience.

puerto princesa today has gained the recognition and honor as the country's cleanest and greenest city under the leadership of Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn.

kookie's dad getting ready for a sidetrip

dos palmas, where gracia burnham got abducted by some bandits

getting into the world's longest navigable underground river @ a length of 8.2km

underground river

opps...i think i see jack sparrow

simply palawan

as told to me by kookie's dad

mambucal resort

2007-07-23T09:58:00.000+08:00

as our stay in this new place progressed, the mess almost done, internet connection purely by luck, we took a breather. surprisingly to another volcanic wonder which is way too close to our place at less than an hour drive. the place is called MAMBUCAL right at the northwestern foot of the active Mt. Canlaon (2465m asl). this place has continued to awe me and i am a tourist in my own country.

just around the place they have these hundreds of mini hills sprawled that looks exactly like the famous chocolate hills of bohol

they also have a miniature rice terraces like the 2000 year-old banaue rice terraces

another one is this amazing waterfall that just sprouted out of a cliff, no river

hot pool where temperature is controlled from a mixture of the sulfuric hot spring

boating lagoon

i call this the smoking rock cuz smoke is coming out of it only i wasn't able to capture a clear shot

i tried to climb the seven falls alone and shunned away the tourist guides as i know i will be climbing up to the first falls only. but there is this wise kiddo who secretly went ahead and met me along the way and presented himself as my guide.

my "unprofessional" guide zoren who keeps talking like a proffesional. i gave him some cadbury and potato chips and a bit of school money for the whole week. the more he talked non-stop.

my extra hot coffee at the sulfuric hot spring where the temperature ranges from 90 to 100c

the heart of mambucal

as my hub and i were taking shots at these boiling mud i saw our shadows and remembered nabeel's little heart. i made a bigger, hotter, and boiling heart.

sad to say that two days after i took this shot, we heard from the local news that a man fell into this boiling mud area and burnt himself badly.

kookie, missing in action...

2007-07-10T05:54:00.000+08:00

and so we conquered a new place called BACOLOD CITY, the sugar capital of the philippines...but not quite. not yet. we havent even seen the tip of the iceberg. so many places to go and so many food to try. that will be for later. scott says, "it's sugarcane left and right, mum!"

there is so much work to do. i got this permanent job at the kitchen, and doing some interior designing in this newly renovated place we are going to call home for the next few years. moving is not an easy thing to do. we packed our stuff in just half a day. that's all 16 years of conjugal property in a box...our pieces of lands, carabaos, goats, and chickens put in to one big tv box.

i miss blogging. i miss visiting my favorite blogs. i have been out of circulation for more than a month but hey...am still alive. except that we have the worst internet connection of all. after all these mess, i'd surely be back on track.

anyways...the trip alone was one big adventure. it was an 18-hour boat ride. kookie was not allowed to stay with us in the suite room of the vessel. instead she was placed together with a thousand chicks i got so worried she might get bird flu. ahh choo!!! what do we call it then? pug flu? so i moved her to some other place, this time with the fighting cocks. awww... she met her match.

anyway, we left kookie at the economy section with a few passengers but i let her out of her carrier and put her on her leash so she'd be comfier. we put her to sleep and left late. and in the middle of the night as we are comfortable in our suite with thick blankets and good music...outside was storming and thundering we never had a clue from our deep exhausted sleep...

in the morning my hubby went for coffee and straight to kookie but...found only the leash and the collar!...no kookie at the tip! he said he honestly didn't worry for kookie, he worried for me. what would happen to me if kookie went over board or what...

anyway...to make a long story short, some of the ship's crew went to him and informed him that during the storm kookie went ballistic and broke free from her collar and just went running around no one can ever catch her. there was chaos in the economy section all the passengers participated in trying to corner kookie. but to no avail.

i was wondering why no one ever informed us when all the guys there knew kookie's got a very caring owner. we went to visit kookie a hundred times before we retired. we even had a few drinks there.

then the guys showed my hub where kookie was...there in one bed, cuddled, snoring, and deeply entangled with the rythm of the waves. some kids gave her a blanket. ohhh...i went to thank those kids for their kindness and they asked me what creature kookie is...hmmm. how 'bout an allien? and so that was kookie's misadventure in the ship...

and oh! we found kookie a boyfriend. a huge black pug named elvis.
he is so cute and adorable. in a month or so, they'll have a union and kookie will soon lay black pups! i can't wait to become a mum again...opppps!!! a granma? ha. ha.

one last look

2007-05-27T10:29:00.000+08:00

here's a little volcanic island near my place that my family frequent when we get together. it is called camiguin. the locals would take pride in telling you that camiguin means "come again". rich in natural resources, which include sulfur deposits, geothermal energy, agricultural lands and fishing grounds. it is said to be "Born of Fire" with its seven active volcanoes. this amazing island is one of the top tourist destinations in the philippines. it has also one of the best diving spots in the country and is believed to be my country's most beautiful island paradise.

camiguin island is an all-in-one tourist destination. if you go round the island you can make it in a day with just 238 sq. kilometers in land area. it has a variety of destinations you can choose from. but as this trip is my family's fourth trip back here (mine 6th), we just went to our favorite spots as time is of the essence.

if you wanna go mountain climbing, mt. hibuk-hibuk at 1250 meters above sea level will enchant you. at the summit, you will find a lake and steam outlets where you can also have a panoramic view of the entire island.(1st pix)

my son scott, saw this beautiful blue star fish at the white island

the white island is an uninhabited sandbar and constantly changes its form depending on the tides and weather condition. it has a magnificent view of mount hibuk-hibuk. just a 10-minute banka (wooden small boat) ride from where we stayed.

can you read it???

some freaky shots at *ardent hot spring (night time). can you see the glare?

*ardent hot spring is a mineral pool with its water coming from the dormant mt. hibuk-hibuk volcano. this is the usual place where we spend the night but at that time it was *"snowing camille" and we got two babies with us so we found another place to stay. it turned out to be the gateway to the white island (this black beach).

*katibawasan falls, a 70m waterfall will invite you for a chill and so with a couple cold springs.

vina and arvin ros

*the ruins of a century old church

hey bing, no need to bring bottles!!!

*camille tree similar to cotton with its cotton-like pollens i call it snowing camille

scott behind the cam

there is so much to this island i could go on and on...but most of all i should say that the place is world class but cheap to stay. and the people are friendly.

just one last look at this amazing island for this year that is.
and once again i will leave my foot prints in the sand...

.

moving...

2007-05-20T21:00:00.000+08:00

we are on the process of moving my exact "blogspot address"...

*the road trains of australia moves freight throughout the north using these huge vehicles. some have up to three trailers or "dogs" and are up to 45 meters long.
well, we will be cruising by sea...

philippine election 2007

2007-05-14T20:30:00.001+08:00

the Kookie Co. endorses

juan miguel zubiri

for senator!!!

the difference...

2007-05-08T20:34:00.000+08:00

i got up early one morning
and rushed right into the day;
i had so much to accomplish
that i didn't have time to pray.

problems just tumbled about me,
and heavier came each task.
"why doesn't God help me?" i wondered.
He answered, "you didn't ask."

i wanted to see joy and beauty,
but the day toiled on, gray and bleak;
i wondered why God didn't show me.
He said, "but you didn't seek."

i tried to come into God's presence;
i used all the keys at the lock.
God gently and lovingly chided,
"my child, you didn't knock."

i woke up early this morning,
and paused before entering the day;
i had so much to accomplish
that i had to take time to pray.

-anon

name game

2007-05-01T17:09:00.000+08:00

these cute pups needed a cute name and i was kinda guilty for temporarily naming them after two of my cute blogger friends. (guess who...heheh)

now i need your help... please give them a cute, fair name...

these two cutiepies are my mum's pet's pups. cathy

laid six pups and all of them survived. however they are badly stricken with mange so i helped out my mum by adopting these two. and it's been a while they have stayed with me. to date, they had been given complete vaccine and dewormers as well as
necessary meds for their mange.

once the mange will totally go, they'll be ready for sale or adoption to selected homes.
they have been toilet trained and that means they will call you by your "name" whenever
they wanted to go. very lovely creatures with the finest of character you'll trully be
happy to have them. so now i need to name them since they are growing fast with no name.

update: thanks all for the name. meet

FLUFFY snow & TAFFY mussy

* crossed from chihuahua slash shih tzu slash dacshund slash who knows what else

**both are female

meet my new baby...

2007-04-25T20:52:00.000+08:00

opppsss...not this. cuz this is kookie and she is a witch. that i love so much.

and not this. cuz this is sammygirl. so busy playing mobile games.

nor this. cuz this is a *little girl in the mall who got my attention. she was so cute with a fake tattoo on her cheek. she is the first subject snapped with my baby...

THIS IS WHAT AM TALKING ABOUT...

and so meet my new and latest baby. the nokia N73 music edition.

pros: this is one good cellphone. definitely an all-in-one phone. a digital camera with 3mp carl zeiss lens, an mp3 player, takes an mp4 format video, and best of all it is a 3g phone that comes with a 2GB mini sd. don't mind so much 'bout the 3g feature...it is a cellphone!!! it has an added music key unlike the original N73. very compact and black.

the screen is large enough to open an office document so you'd have the feel of a bit of pda features. it can do multitasking like write or edit sms or take pictures and listen to music at the same time.

cons: the phone is so lagging. though some techies say it is usual with 3g phones. if you are using sms often, the keypad is too small and flat. and when you hit clear button, there is a tendency that you'd let the phone slip your hand. and for the cam, the shutter speed...ahh swell. the heck do i know about shutter speed. well, another thing... taking pictures while the bluetooth is activated is not a good idea as the phone may hang. i've experiencedit twice already. and it's
available only in black.

all in all, i love this phone cuz this is my birthday present. thanks my bay. you are so nice,
eat your heartout...heheh. initially the sony ericsson k800i was my top choice.
goodbye to my most loyal motorola razr v3. it was so handy and snugs in a handbag or the
pocket well. it got sold for a real good price.

well, here are other pix i snapped on that first moment of navigating my n73.

the beautiful sunset at a mall parking and a hallmark card that's not selling like hotcake anymore due to the email era.

*tatoo girl pix with permission from the mum
**blogger is crazy these days...

rafting see dee ohh!!

2007-04-15T10:38:00.000+08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVjT9oGNtC8

white water rafting has been the most promoted adventure of my city's tourism. but have not really been well promoted locally, i believe. cagayan de oro folks knew that rafting is there somewhere but really doesn't have a clue...

so now that we are on the verge of moving away from this city (but to a place near boracay) my hub, scott, and i decided to give it a try. and it turned out to be one great adventure. we can not imagine we tried this only now. we vowed to do it again before summer's over. the site was just like within our own backyard. heheh...

well, the ride to the site was just 20-30 minutes away from my house. we left the car at the end point and rode the jeepney top loaded with our rafts down a very steep road to the river. the best part of the ride was that it didn't take ages. and we didn't have to endure rough, dusty roads for long. the start point was very near the city and it has an awesome view of the river.

we were four rafts alltogether and we were 8 in our raft (overloaded with 5 big guys). thanks to our team they are just so wacky and fun to be with. [top photo] clockwise from left sylvain, richard, george, my hub, me, scott, simon and thanks to our ever conversant guide at the rear GLENN . all of us were strangers to the rest but when the rapids came to a close we had just one voice that goes... whoooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaahh!!!

white water action

side trips

crossing the river at the cavern,

graduation rock

scott jumped off graduation rock. this is his first time to jump that high you could see some awkward action splashhhhhh....brave yeayyy... bravo!!!

from our pix above, you could see who the adventurer is, who is scared, who is seriously funny, and who just go with the flow.

for the three of us, it cost us a little less than a hundred dollars inclusive of photos and video plus a good yummy lunch of grilled tuna, chicken bbq, prawns, and drinks. and special thanks to all the red rafts guides specially glenn, bryan, poco, and cernan who took our awesome photos and video. to all of you guys, it's been a wonderful adventure. see yah

click pix to enlarge

2007-04-14T09:41:00.000+08:00

kookie says: hmmm my mum just got so grumpy. she's tried uploading their rafting adventure photos and video gazillion times but blogger has got some trouble...

happy easter

2007-04-08T07:53:00.000+08:00

on easter sunday kids wake up with the excitement of thinking that the easter bunny has left them eggs hidden in the yard that goes with a few goodies. the kids hunt for the eggs and the one who finds the most eggs gets a price. but this has not been a custom in my country. to some family it may be true. generally, children don't find them in yards. if they want colored eggs and some goodies...they go and buy them in the malls.

the easter bunny is a rabbit-spirit. long ago, he was called the "easter hare." hares and rabbits have frequent multiple births so they became a symbol of fertility. the custom of an easter egg hunt began because children believed that hares laid eggs in the grass. the romans believed that "all life comes from an egg." christians consider eggs to be "the seed of life" and so they are symbolic of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

but the meaning of many different customs observed during easter sunday have been buried with time. the word "easter" is named after eastre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring. a festival was held in her honor. people celebrate Easter Sunday as the day that Jesus was resurrected.

kookie says: mum! eureka!!!

the long weekend

2007-04-06T07:56:00.000+08:00

today is good friday and in my largely catholic country it is a big holy day and a long weekend at that. people celebrate the holiday according to their beliefs and their religious denominations. christians commemorate Good Friday as the day that Jesus Christ died.

some believers go to church and do sacrifices like doing the station of the cross in the mountains under the heat of the summer sun. not to mention the influx of locals and tourists you cannot even move freely on the road and walk shoulder to shoulder with strangers.

some go to extremes like reenacting the passion of Christ. nailing oneself to the cross with real big nails. have themselves beaten with real wired ropes. some do it for experience, some for attention, some had been doing it for years with a cause.

some people flock the beaches of boracay, palawan, cebu, bohol, davao and other parts of the country as we have 7107 islands. in my place, cagayan de oro, most people go to camiguin island or the nearby beaches. well, for us...yesterday my hub, scott, and i went white water rafting. well, sad we still don't have the pix and video so i'll wait for it to come and share it to promote my city in my little corner of the blog world.

as for me... if you think sacrificing can get you free, then sacrifice all your life. not just for a day. i believe it would be hypocrisy if you only do good today and sure to go back to your usual self tomorrow. i believe in Christ as it is told in the holy bible. the things that i cannot do or fail to do that are written in the commandments of God will be my sins. i take the bible as my road map in my spiritual life. i should be reading it more though...

well, we don't have action today...just stayed home over hanged from our rafting experience yesterday. just watching a marathon of my favorite tv program SEVENTH HEAVEN.
.

law and disorder

2007-04-02T08:19:00.000+08:00

These are excerpts from a book called

Disorder in the American Courts

and are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and now published by court reporters who had the torment of staying calm while these exchanges were actually taking place.

_____________________________

ATTORNEY: What is your date of birth?
WITNESS: July 18th.
ATTORNEY: What year?
WITNESS: Every year.
________________________________________________

ATTORNEY: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
WITNESS: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.
________________________________________________

ATTORNEY: Are you sexually active?
WITNESS: No, I just lie there.
________________________________________________

ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep,
he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam? ________________________________________________

ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the twenty-year-old, how old is he?
WITNESS: Uh, he's twenty-one.
________________________________________________

ATTORNEY: Were you present when your picture was taken?
WITNESS: Would you repeat the question? ________________________________________________

ATTORNEY: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And what were you doing at that time?
WITNESS: Uh....
________________________________________________

ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?
WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard.
ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female? ________________________________________________

ATTORNEY: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice
which I sent to your attorney?
WITNESS: No, this is how I dress when I go to work.
________________________________________________

ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
WITNESS: Oral.
________________________________________________

And the best for last...

ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY: But could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.

.

eye in the sky

2007-03-30T09:37:00.000+08:00

this photo is very rare and can happen only every three thousand years. not very many photographers can capture this. but known to have been enhanced digitally.

it is believed to have made miracles and changed many people's lives. they call it "GOD'S EYE"

well, this indeed is an awesome phenomenon and just one of God's amazing creations.

but for me, this is not God's eye for His eye is much more powerful and intense and we can see it everywhere if we just have a closer look...

this is the HELIX NEBULA also known as NGC 7293 taken with the CFHT located atop a
dormant volcano in hawaii on august 28, 2000. the original photo of the so called God's eye.

every picture tells a story...

2007-03-27T10:36:00.000+08:00

and here the story is that :

someone lost this car to someone

someone will laugh at this sign even if he is alone

it's campaign season in ph

someone graduated

but often the story is that...
someone didn't know how to use a camera properly

etcetera etcetera

sun dried toh-mah-tos

2007-03-22T10:07:00.000+08:00

it's been days i haven't blogged and all i do is roam around blogger and leave comments without a trace. i have even come around blogs that are totally nasty. oh boy there are lots of them!!! and i leave a uniform comment like: "god will comment on this blog later"...and giggle off to another blog...

well, i got bored and nothin to do so i did some cooking. i learned that the secret of pizza is really not the mozarella. do you know what it is? it's that little herb called basil. without basil, pizza will not taste like pizza. and we've got lots of it growing like grass. it is also perfect with any tomato based dish.

so today i cooked this vegeroni pasta with herb and garlic and lots of sun dried tomatoes...tomatoes! tomatoes! i love tomatoes!!! say it with the italian twang and it is really fun...which brought me back to the story of the old italian farmer that goes...

once upon a long ago

an old Italian man lived alone in the country. He wanted to dig his tomato garden but it was a very hard work as the ground was dry. His only son, Vincenzo, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament.

Dear Vincenzo, I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won't be able to plant my tomato garden this year. I am getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here, my troubles would be over. I know you would dig the garden for me. Love, Papa

A few days later he received a letter from his son.

Dear Papa, I'd do anything for you Papa, except dig up that garden. That's where I buried the bodies. Love, Vinnie

At 4 am the next morning, FBI and local police arrived and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left. The same day the old man received another letter from his son.

Dear Papa, Go ahead and plant the tomatoes now. That's the best I could do under the circumstances.

***

yeah yeah i know you've heard that story...just laugh with me and click comments, i serve hot coffee there.

.

not a beer ad

2007-03-15T11:18:00.000+08:00

this is not a beer commercial nor a cigarette ad.
this is a humanity campaign to HELP save our children's future by keeping them safe in our homes drinking milk instead of having booze somewhere.
by seeing this... they will know how stupid and pathetic they will look like when they drink and get drunk and fall down ...

[kookie was not harmed nor forced in doing this photo shoot. she cooperated well to help save even just one teenager.
however, she demanded a large amount for her talent fee]

.

a dear blogger friend...

2007-03-14T00:46:00.000+08:00

to carol with all my love and prayers...

few days ago carol visited my blog and left a comment telling me that she has a pug, too.
the name is beatie and she is a 3-year-old cutie pug. and so i was ecstatic to know about her. because carol is the first blogger that came by my blog who owns a pug. am happy cuz we could share the same thread which is the love of pugs and all in this wonderful world of free blogs. and so i asked if she could send me her pug's photo which thankfully she did.

these days carol didn't have a new post. she emailed me that she hasn't been feeling well. but i still kept checking on her blog. a while ago i read an editor's note that says she is not in good shape. i feel sad and if sharing her pain would ever make her feel a little better and lighter...

i have learned through experience that the the power of prayer is very strong specially when it comes from the bottom of other people or from a stranger's heart. if your eyes and mind can read this post then maybe you can give a heart & a little prayer to a blogger friend, carol...i know she'll be back blogging soon!!!

she has a wonderful work of poetry that dates back some 20 years. you can check her musings from down under @

aussiecorner.wordpress.com

get well soon my friend.

here are a few pix of her adorable pug, beatie:

jayne and beatie

[these photos, with permission to blog from carol]

and yes, i am back. the waters didn't have fish...see yah!

kookie says: g'day beatie. nice to see you here!!!

gone fishing

2007-03-08T20:14:00.000+08:00

this fish is called sweet lips.

it has a really big pouting lips, hence the name.
and my small lips became really big!!!

i'll be gone for a while but i'll be back soonest...

here is a very interesting read about the amish culture by david yoder

amish deception

my exact blogspot address

2007-03-07T07:54:00.000+08:00

you know how women hate wires? well, i really do...so i go totally wireless in my home using broadband connection at 400 mbps (whatever that means, it's not bad), a router, and a wireless mouse which, btw i wanna brag about... uhuh...

this is how my "blogspot" look...

home

home away from home, zamboanga

and my brand new laptop named kookie

& so meet
my kookie
who loves my coffee
that goes with a cookie in my mug...
she's a pug...

.

mi unico hijo, scottie

2007-03-06T08:49:00.000+08:00

today i woke up on a sombre mood. i must have waken up on the wrong side of the bed...oh not really. it's more than just that. today is my son, scott's birthday. am not sad because he is older and i get much older...oh no, i take my age gracefully and liken it to wine...sweeter, stronger as it age...uhuhhh...

well, the other week while i was home away from home(2 homes actually),my son did things that is so out of this world. our world that is... i.e.:

he was supposed to be home early. he failed that every single day.
he brought his friends over and did stuff that stirred our next-door neighbors. foul.
his dad rang him and he said, "dad please don't disturb me, am in the middle of my classes" but later on we learned he cut half-day of that "class".
we found a pawn ticket in his pocket pawning a casio calculator.(he later admitted that it is not his calcu but his friend's. as to why the ticket was in his pocket is still questionable.)
i was called by the prefect of students to arrange his punishment for being tardy oftentimes. he was told to let me come to school for a meeting with the prefect. message never reached me until the time i was away...
and to top it all...he drove our car loaded with friends. these are 15-year old bunch of kids who, for sure doesn't have the required number of hours driving experience and naturally without a driver's license!!!
he sent sms to my housegirl and told her to lie if i ever called. his whole sms was forwarded to me by my housegirl that caused us to panic it goes: "ate,(respect for older girl) i got the car, no worries. if my mum would ring u up, just tell her i left my phone. don't tell her anything more. he he."

so all the while his phone kept ringing. but i got one over him. i used my friend's phone and sent him sms playing cute: " skattee(his friends call him that) how r u? u r such a snob!!!" and waited a while...no answer...no money load!!! so i rang him up still using my friend's number...alas!!!he answered his phone...and bingo!!!
i have only God to rely on moments he is away from us. and thank God nothing serious happened.

i am sombre because whatever our son does it reflects on us as parents. we have to keep him grounded for two weeks until now... his birthday and his finals as he is graduating high school this march. no birthday treats or present. that's just one of his punishments.

here are a few of his first-day-of school pix:

but then i must say that scott is generally a goodkid. so far he passed all his subjects. he still show us that he cares about our feelings and he did apologize to us with the promise that what he did these past few weeks will never happen again. he took his punishment and made an effort to be home just a couple hours after school.
what is sad is that, as a mum, i knew he was so looking forward to his birthday and spend it with his friends and eat out just like how he celebrated his birthdays years before. well, it is just not happening today...and it pains me to make him unhappy on his 16th birthday.

we love you so dearly son...we just want what is best for you...we have to guide you until you are
full fledged and ready to fly on your own...

johanna rose says: alles gute zum geburtstag scott!!!, sei brav!
happy birthday scott!!!be good!

kookie says: bleeeeeeeeee!!!na na na na na na...
happy birthday kuya scott...shape up man! behave like a 16-year old now...will yah?

chasing the sunset

2007-03-04T15:50:00.000+08:00

yesterday, after picking up a few groceries i passed thru this roundabout with lush royal palms and beautiful fountain...

the sun was sinking down

so i stopped to take a few shots from my phone

and it was gone in 60 seconds

as i got home, on the opposite side
the moon was slowly rising...
ain't it dramatic?

i will do an update of this chaand later. i'll catch it again

kookie says: did you know that the sun is a star, like all the other stars you see in the night? it is a typical, medium-size star but because the sun is much closer to earth than any other star, we can see it in great detail. the diameter of the sun is 864,000 miles. that's more than 100 times earth's diameter and 28 times earth's gravity. hmmm...how hot is it???

EBB

2007-03-03T08:41:00.000+08:00

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.

I love thee to the level of everyday's

Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.

I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;

I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.

I love thee with the passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints!---I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life!---and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death.

this is one poetry that is ever present in my life. and i wouldn't forget the names elizabeth barrett browning & henry wadsworth longfellow's i shot an arrow into the air...it fell to earth i knew not where...i hope i can find a copy of this... i guess my grade school class memorized these names till this day. our english teacher let us deliver this piece in front of the class almost in perfection.
then in high school...all four years. in college it's back again...but the meaning i truly felt only now that i have married...now is the time i can really say...LET ME COUNT THE WAYS...and it is just countless...

the Holiday is a feel good movie...great watch...

ten different bed positions

2007-03-01T07:39:00.000+08:00

"dear God,

so far today, i am doing alright.

i have not gossiped, lost my temper, been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish or self-indulgent. i have not whined, complained, cursed,or eaten any chocolate. i have charged nothing on my credit card.

but i will be getting out of bed in a minute, and i think i will really need your help then."

kookie

wally

wally and chicken(my mum's cat)

kookie

CO2 in our coke

2007-02-28T08:59:00.000+08:00

this is how a cryogenic tanker look

weeks ago i was in the western tip of mindanao called ZAMBOANGA. on our way there we passed by the site where a CO2 tanker blew off. initial reports said it was a work of the terrorist and so our government was all so shaken up. the place was a very small village and the media was there to cover.

then the next report was that it was an LPG lorry that had blown off . had it been an LPG lorry it would have caused much more damage. my hub works in an LPG company and he said the LPG could blast at several kilometers radius. ohhh that's frightening.

well, it was a cryogenic tanker hauling CO2 from cagayan de oro city (my hometown) to coca cola co. in zamboanga city, some 530 kilometers. if you notice when you shake a softdrink it will have those tiny bubbles...well that is CO2. if you place a tube of mentos to your coke it will make a rocket. that's also co2 in the works with whatever ingredient mixed with mentos that makes it rocket.

a tanker full of CO2, when agitated may not be as harmful actually. but what happened is that as the tanker negotiated a couple kilometers winding downhill road the tanker's brakes malfunctioned. the more u apply brakes the more heat it would cause and could blow up the whole brake system. and so it failed.

the truck helper then jumped out of the truck(saved but badly bruised and told his story) and the driver decided to smash the tanker on the hillside. the impact made the CO2 cause pressure and the relief valve of the tanker was supposed to work... but it failed. the driver got jammed so local folks rushed to help and during that split second...it would have made a loud hissing sound but the sound it made was a really big bang that spelled DEATH. as told by the locals...

it caused so much damage that a passing bus full of passengers, men, women, and children blew up, too, and other motorist near by. it was carnage all over... folks never recovered the victims as whole. they have to go find body parts at more than a hundred meter radius ...would you say rest in pieces...but there were survivors, too.

my pix are no good taken from a motorola phone inside the car. but i think it can tell a story...i wasn't even able to go out of the car as the place stunk so bad. that was a week later.

(above) start of 2km downhill

scraped-up hill where the tanker driver smashed

what left of the trees@
the exact site where not even a single bolt or any piece of the tanker can be found.
it's chassis went over the hill and the engine above the hill.

the passenger bus that passed by at that exact time and place...
of all the time and place that it could have been but here...

a piece of torn clothing

aftermath...love ones lost, memories remain.
two kids trying to scavenge but found really nothing, zero. but the smell...

and so days later this was in front of me... kind of makes me feel...

ahhh, am just being paranoid.

wysiwyg

2007-02-27T07:15:00.000+08:00

i would like to make notice of this "soldier in arms".

yes, what you see is what you get...a lot can be said about this picture of a soldier giving comfort to the child in need of one. i guess it is vice versa, too. the child gave him a comforting warmth. the feel of "home" away from home.

thank you to this soldier who took time and share his heart to this child...had this soldier done something wrong then he'll be all over the news. he has done a great deed to this child...he goes unnoticed.

and bravo to the man behind the cam...he captured one of nature's true beauty.

comfort of your sleep

embraced by enemy's arms
and now beat as one

when asians eat...

2007-02-24T18:32:00.000+08:00

the typical filipino meal consist of rice, meat and vegies. well ,that's for those two-income or for even a single-income family.

and for the larger part of us, some will have very irregular meals. sometimes lucky if they can have two meals or one... some would just eat rice and salt, barehands...and there are those who cannot even buy rice on a regular basis.

asians love noodles and some eat it with rice.
hey, count me out as i am going easy on carbs.

noodles, specially when cooked mongolian style is my favorite...hhmmm yummy...
the guys always love fish soups. the head of the fish ,that is. poor fish...hate it...

when pinoys throw out parties, the food on the table would be enough to feed the hungry earth...

but we never forget to count our blessing...

my folks and their friends in oz: boy, lydia, my dad, mum, luz(standing), my sis yeng, and the ever glowing catrina (cute cute mo talaga).

can you see what i see?

2007-02-24T11:20:00.000+08:00

i like this photo so much that it says a thousand words. about mumhood. about caring. about happiness. about protection. about innocense. about beauty that is more than skin-deep. and down the line...

but most of all -- i like the smile...

click to enlarge photo

kookie is now a lady

2007-02-18T13:00:00.000+08:00

zamboanga is a faraway place, some 530 kilometers away from my home. and i am in this beautiful place right now leaving kookie with my house girl. i am very lucky to have a house girl, lotlot, who loves kookie so much. she trains kookie to act like a girl but to no avail. in fact i have gotten jealous over their bonding at times.

well, two days ago lotlot sent me an sms telling me, "ate, dalaga na si kookie." OMG! to my heart's delight... i am so ecstatic to learn about it...and over dinner at a friend's house i broke the news to everyone that kookie is now a lady...well, in unison...they were laughing out loud and said, "get her ligated!!!"

hhhmmmm... my hub and i, as strict as we can be, decided to let this stage pass by. and wait for kookie to date at the right time. i must carefully select who she should date...i feel sorry for AGENT T as he has no papers (january post: kookie turns half a year old).

as of now, kookie is still too young at seven months old. she still doesn't know how to act her age. if before she acted like she is a cat leaping on beds, well, now i thought she is a witch. she leaped up to the top of our dresser...omg!(see pix) can an ordinary toy or small breed dog do that??? i guess not...and one time she went ballistic she stood on top of our fan. how on earth can this creature be a good mother?

hhhmmm... i'll keep my fingers crossed...

this is not german engineering

2007-02-16T14:24:00.000+08:00

i've been staring at my 'pute all day and almost cried when the connection got cut off but thank god it came back again and so it is my "new job" to go around blogger and i came across this from another blogger...this is truly amazing and i've read this before but i kinda just let it pass. but here's a video of the whole process. so...

if you are making 10 cents a day, maybe u wanna click this and get a real job...

really amazing

a weird romantic valentine

2007-02-15T08:05:00.000+08:00

fancy dinners in candlelight
champagne sparkles the night
red roses and chocolates spruced
but not mine because...

took me to a mountain
with greens a-rollin'
overlooking the shore
but my mind was in galore...

the palms danced
as the wind bounced
the sun slowly sinking under
but my mind was down under...

a chopper hovered above
your cellphone vived
a bomb threat around
but my mind was out of bound...

we had pizza under the stars
"learn to be still" played in the car
a black dog showed up, indeed i was still
but my mind was in for the kill...

i love silence!
but not deafening silence!
it would have been perfect!
but my mind was in defect...

but then...all so bizarre...

* * *

kookie says: bwahahahahaha...i know that place...overlooking the pacific ocean, with lush green palms, neatly trimmed grass and hedges, in the middle of a thousand graves that is...the place is called zamboanga memorial gardens...
nice dad...cool dad...good for mum...i bet she was hahahappy.

happy valentine's day ALL

2007-02-14T09:16:00.000+08:00

i'll share with you "my notebook"...the story of two young loves torn between family, status in life, distance and ... well watch it please...

go get a copy

kookie says: nope, am not endorsing tostitos...this is what my mum stuffed me to stay put beside her while watching
her fave The Notebook...we watched it together 17 times...
with tears flowin' like a river... hmmm mum...more tostitos please!!!!!hurry!!!!!!!!

.

please...

2007-02-11T08:27:00.000+08:00

don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful.

***

photo in memory of wally

-- ann landers

kookie says: EXACTLY!!! havaianas sunday everyone...err...havanice...

soon to grace dubai skyline

2007-02-07T11:51:00.000+08:00

unlike kookie, i have fear of heights but i love looking at skylines and skyscrapers specially on a moonlit night from the ocean view. wow, fantastic... but that brings a bad memory of 9-11 as new york's skyline was one of the best in the world. now it still looks pretty awesome though but for those familiar with the twin towers as it stood right on that very spot... it is like it lost two front teeth.

dubai has the highest hotel in the world which is the burj al arab and soon... dubai will be home to the tallest building in the world. the burj dubai at 800m when completed. however it's final height is being kept a secret to woo away competition and in spite of labor controversy it now stands at 110 stories, about 412m at a rate of seven days per floor. this height will beat the current title holder which is Taipei 101 in taiwan as well as numerous other prospects...aside from it's interiors to be decorated by giorgio armani, it will also house his first hotel occupying the lower 37 floors of the burj. great!!! soon the dubai skyline will be changed forever...

last december, i had the rare opportunity of looking on it under its construction at several hundred feet. opps, nope... i haven't been to dubai... though i wish i could go there someday just for a vacation. heheh...and nope... not the real time google earth. that would be crazy expensive...

my brother was in a room at dusit, dubai and he showed me the burj from a simple web cam...and that was it. i know the day won't come that i'll set foot in that building. but the day will come that i'll set foot outside of it looking at the dubai skyline...my wish!

my google earth pix of the Palm Islands, Dubai

and Burj Al Arab Hotel, Dubai

@night my fave building in the www illuminates...

ryanna camile

they say that when you are in dubai, you'll be amazed to see buildings mushrooming everywhere. almost everyday a new building would rise.

on the other hand, there has been a great number of filipinos working in dubai from blue to white collar jobs and they are known to be the happy, gentle people of dubai.

here are a few links to a website i would like to share to you and if you are a filipino not in dubai... i guess your heart would melt...

http://www.7days.ae/en/2007/01/17/women-were-jealous-of-praise-for-the-filipinos.html

http://www.7days.ae/en/2007/01/15/praise-of-filipinos-is-very-deserved.html

http://www.7days.ae/en/2007/01/14/filipinos-the-nicest-people-ive-met.html

http://www.7days.ae/en/2007/01/19/happy-to-grin-and-bear-it.html#continueStory

kookie says: mum...dubai me, err...do buy me those nice thingies in dubai...i heard that in Dubai city itself, goods are also duty free and the shopping can be completed in a more relaxed manner. For the whole of March there is an annual shopping festival where the objective is, you guessed it, to shop as much as you can. waaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

albert once said...

2007-02-04T08:11:00.000+08:00

" Gravity cannot be held responsible for people falling in love."

kookie says: oh goodness...this is high!!!
please... i wanna faint...easy to jump up but scary to jump down...help! help!!!

ahhhh mum???... if i jump and fall to the ground...is that what you call gravity?
do you think it has something to do with love??? ohh swell...of course it's got something to do with love...cuz i wanna run to you mum. wait up!!! i don't wanna be away from you...

hush... puppies are sleeping

2007-01-31T08:09:00.001+08:00

when my folks left for aus last december, they left behind two pets...chicken the cat and cathy the bitch. well, cathy was few weeks preggy that time and yesterday when i visited their house cathy had little pups. all six of them...very healthy and cute, white with black spots and black with white spots.

a neighbor, riza, thanks to her... has adopted cathy for now and transfered her to her house next door. but today, i am sending my housegirl to mum's house to help out also. these pups need extra care specially in their first two weeks. they need to be fed well, be able to suck milk well in order to survive.

cathy and chicken were inseparable that chicken was crying out loud by the gate calling cathy to come out. chicken cannot get in also cuz of other unfriendly dogs inside the house...i never thought that cats and dogs would cry out for each other.

few days before cathy's expected delivery riza has to get her so she can take extra care of her and that would be easy to watch over. and got her all ready and set to let out her pups...normal, yes. she made ready a box and laid a rag on it. and on 29th jan, 2007 cathy gave birth to these cutie pies...

$ this pups will be up for grabs at 3k each after two months $

sire: edie (small breed)

this is chicken

tribute to our mum's powers

2007-01-27T06:32:00.001+08:00

happy 66th birthday mum
we love you so dearly

our mum is different from all the other mums in the www (whole wide world). she gave birth to all four of us in a normal way. almost every year within four years and seven years later after my birth she had another baby. she was already working her bum off even before she met my dad.

after her regular work she worked another extra hour...and when she gets home from all the work, another job has to get finished and that is to take care of our meals. not to mention that she doesn't pay attention to how loud and annoying we were. she keeps her cool and i can't remember a serious spanking from her...my dad sits around, smokes and have a cup of coffee holding the newspaper and waiting to be called for mealtime to savour mum's yummy dish. and if we annoy him, the newspaper would be properly set down and unbuckles his.........ahhhhhh...ummmm....heheh... yes, my dad spoke to us with a belt on one hand. to him... spare the rod and spoil the child... he spoke 150 words and my mum speaks 1500 words per minute...maybe because she had to repeat it often cuz we all don't get it at once...so that is a pretty good balance from both our parents...noh?...ouch!!!

i can just recall the times when she taught me angel of god... i was the youngest at that time and both my older brothers would play and they don't want me in...i would go to the room and smell...oh rather...sniff sniff sniff on her house clothes like it has the most expensive perfume in this www. i'll hug it and just be my security against my big brothers. and how...when i grew older i never liked her smell anymore. i would never even allow her to sleep with me in my room. oh my god. it is not that i don't love my mum anymore. and how now...i feel sorry cuz at times i want to sleep in my son's room and i am shut...oh, the cycle of life...

it is the changes of childhood...when i turned into a teenager i thought i knew everything and i thought i can live without her... but my mum...when she sees that i rebel in some way she'd use plan B. if it doesn't work she'd use plan C (now this would include books, mags, news). specially when i went out into the world and have relationships with the opposite sex. even with my friends she is very careful and overly concerned. oh god how i hate it...i see that mum is omnipresent. and i hated that. but as years continue on... it all made sense now...so i am stronger and so well-equipped to handle the matter cuz my mum taught me so... and how now...it has become easier to tackle life...through thick or thin...and my mum is still there...ever with open arms...always on the rescue...and sometimes her extra kindness even abused...

when we become mums ourselves we kind of embrace motherhood exactly just like how our mums used to...our basic. we are lucky though, cuz whatever flaws they had we learned from it and correct it as we make our own family... and in totality, now the generation continues...and passes it to our children. exactly how they brought us up...the food, the values, the morals, the character formation, and down the line...our mums are our first teachers. whatever becomes of us is a reflection of them...and now i am sorry that i didn't make a good reflection...but at any rate they produced law-abiding citizens. jejeh...

as the years go by, my mum just turned 66 years old. she retired last year, all forty years in government service and head of office at that... all her persuasions didn't go to waste...at all...

we love her so dearly and thank her so much for being just our mum...we have learned and absolutely still learning from all her lessons...

my mum is the traveller and my dad, the follower. she has travelled half way across the world... zip lined through two continents...swamed the beaches with crocodiles... gone fishing with the sharks and barramundis... and most of all she is a picture of a mother who is God fearing...on the go... healthy... workaholic... tech savvy... and never let a goodtime pass her by... tell me, what woman at 66 owns a PDA and a notebook? that's our mum!!!

so now i think it is agreeable that my mum is different from all the other mums in this www. she is traditional but welcomes the flow of modernity and the advancement of life... she is AsuperwoMum to me...and that is her name in my phonebook and YM...yeah, indeed she is a...SUPERWOMUM with super powers...

thank you mum and thank you GOD for the gift of having a MUM.

here are just a few of her pix:

all four seasons charms (70s), but dune taking the shot

mum with tita erms

my sis and i never had a clue mum would do this!!!

@ dakak with grandsons jash and scott
* * * * * *

read on mum...

Though not always near me I feel her strength holding up mine.Distance, Longing, pain and regrets.Given up so many times butShe kept my soul alive.The only woman who would lay down her life for mine,Yet I’ve hurt her ineffably one time, the second the third…Nonetheless exonerated my transgressions without reservation.Accepted and respected my decisions though filled with so much blur.She made me learn my lesson but by no means looked at my flaws.Strong as a diamond, but yielding to us her dearest.Given us better value as she gets hurt at any given time, This woman’s bestowed us wings yet sheltered us from painExposed us to errors just enough to embed to us morals.Never faltered, Never gave up, I wish her strength is mine.Blamed, hurt, abusedShe kept her chin up high.Knowing too well what’s best for us and what’s nay.Waited for time to make us understand.Now is my time.How I understand her nowThat’s why I am so proud she is my mine.Showed us decency, morals, values and perseverance.My mum is who I am now, and I wish I will be who she is now.The very epitome of an eloquent woman.Mum, you are mine to love, mine to respect, mine to cherish and mine to thank.

- by YENG

( cheryl johanna marie )

* * * * * *

kookie says: mum... you forgot to mention granma's cooking specialties...the best cheese roll, brownies, coffee cake, cookies, fruitcake and all the dishes she makes so special for you guys...

mark twain once said...

2007-01-24T19:42:00.000+08:00

" if you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man."

photo in memory of wally

coffee break . . .

2007-01-21T13:07:00.000+08:00

make mine white please

A man and his wife were having an argument about who should brew the coffee each morning. The wife said, "You should do it, because you get up first, and then we don't have to wait as long to get our coffee."

The husband said, " You are in charge of cooking around here and you should do it, because that is your job, and I can just wait for my coffee."

Wife replies, "No, you should do it, and besides, it is in the Bible that the man should do the coffee."

Husband replies, "I can't believe that, show me."

So she fetched the Bible, and opened the New Testament and showed him at the top of several pages, that it indeed says . . . ? ? ?

kookie asks: please click the comments and tell me what the bible say about brewing cuz i cannot find it. i need help here...

dogs are not our whole life...

2007-01-18T13:55:00.000+08:00

but they make our lives whole.

-- Roger Caras

how time flies...

2007-01-16T14:03:00.000+08:00

(here's something emailed2me)

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO WERE BORN IN THE
1930's 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's !!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried us.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking .

As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.

Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we weren't overweight because......

WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem .

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms..........WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays,
made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just yelled for them!

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

This generation has produced some of the best risk!-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned

HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL! And YOU are one of them!

CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated our lives for our own good.

and while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave their parents were.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!

well , here are a few before and after pix of these cute kiddos (not guilty to some of the above or say...all of the above). please help me upgrade by sending before and after pix of your kids.

before
11 years later

ivy arallar, what a sweet little one (aus)

before

12 years later

JJ and christoph on a holiday to ph. 3 and 2 YOJJ , christoph, and john (12 years later)christoph@13JJ @12

***

central mindanao uni

2007-01-15T08:41:00.000+08:00

the century old stairs in my uni, from the college of forestry to the main library.

as grade school kids, we used to pass by this concrete stairs twice daily and ran up and down the elevated sidelines. one who falls off will have to go back from the start, otherwise will have no chance of winning. the last one to reach the school is a crab!!!

CMU oh CMU... how i miss you...

a few steps to the stairs is a water reservoir just right beside our school...imagine these big guys runing around here...now they visited the site to reminisce and take a shot.

em-em, benben, lando, and my big bro bong...nice shot guys!!!

* * * * *

congratulations to danny santiago for passing the nurses board...

here's the link to the nurses board exam result. download the pdf:

http://www.esnips.com/doc/bc104cb2-e0e2-416e-a2e9-996e1ee82b8f/nurse011407

One Question IQ Test

2007-01-10T08:59:00.000+08:00

Here's a one-question IQ Test to help you decide how you should spend the rest of your day...
There is a mute who wants to buy atoothbrush. By imitating the action of brushing one's teeth, he successfully expresses himself to the shopkeeper and the purchase is done. Now if there is a blind man who wishes to buy a hammer, how should he express himself? Think about it first before scrolling down for the answer...

kookie says: ohhhhh shuttttt... He opens his mouth and says, "I would like to buy a hammer." If you got this wrong - please turn off your computer and call it a day. I've got mum's shutting down right now...

kookie turns half a year old

2007-01-09T08:16:00.000+08:00

happy half-year birthday puggy

my mum bought kookie a cake when she turned three months old
scott's hiding from the cam

kookie's been with us for four months since we got her at two months old. she was barely a couple of kilos that time and now she has bloated to almost six kilos.

for a recap, she may have turned into a beauty but she still is a tomboy deep inside. anything bitable inside the house she has already demolished. to name a few: my rug in the room, drawer handles, tips of her porta carrier, tips of our chairs, and worse of all the rug under our dining table. our dish and hand towels, if she could jump to it would be all over the floor. she finished off her stuffed toys,her pillow, & scott's hug pillow. in addition, we have to always keep our bedroom doors closed so she won't go up on our beds. my bed is more than a couple feet high but she can jump up on it like she is a cat. and she would just go ballistic if she finds her target, this time my hug pillow.

one day, a neighbor from across the block named atoy , brought his pug over. his name's agent T after frank the pug in MIB. agent T is 3 years old and atoy(just as good looking as his pug), brought him over to get to know kookie and perhaps someday have a union together. well, that pug meeting turned out to be really entertaining.
agent T became overly shy and it was kookie who tried to kiss him and calm him down. chase him wherever he goes... kookie...she has the audacity to ride on his bum. OMG! she was the one salivating.
i thought this should've been the male's character when confronted by the female. ok then, perhaps it is home court advantage...but agent T, being a really big pug was just by his master...bowing his head and finding kookie sooooooooo annoying. hmmmmmmm...ain't he a fag...???

now i am wondering if she would ever get preggy or be capable of nursing her pups. she might have a difficult pregnancy or whatever...i just really thought what a tomboy kookie is. on the other hand, that would be a plus factor for being strong and full of energy. well, i'll keep my fingers crossed on that...

here are the pix:

decoding da vincci

2007-01-01T14:52:00.000+08:00

da vincci a.k.a. ikki

"here's the long awaited photos of our baby, IKKI.
We've protected his privacy from the paparazzi since we got him from Dubbo, New South Wales. I, his mum, took, edited and hand picked the super uptimum quality of his pictures available, to ensure a classy portfolio.
He eats bloody anything...even cockroaches!!!!That's how classy he is!"

--by YENG, ikki's mum

the sexy da vincci

with oozing sex appeal

his bed with all his toys

he loves playing in the yard with the sprinkler on

jashkah has finally found a good buddy to sleep with

kookie says: hmmm... this is my brother in australia? i think he is uglier... but my mum says "the uglier, the better"

wish list for 2007

2007-01-01T12:10:00.000+08:00

i love to bring a camera with me all the time but to bring a cellphone and a digital camera would stuff up my bag.
a good phone with a cybershot cam all-in-one? my wish!!! multum in parvo...

maybe the price of this thing would go down before the year ends.haha...
i think this sony ericsson k800i comes handy for bloggers.

happy new year 2007

2007-01-01T10:02:00.000+08:00

this was the last two of our fireworks display at 12 midnight lastnight...it was so amazing that we were underneath all these lights...have a happy new year everyone...godblesha!!!

a smile on my face

2006-12-31T14:05:00.000+08:00

justine, sammygirl, and natalie...kookie's dad side couz

The day before christmas i took my hubby’s youngest nieces to the mall. I sent a text message to one of the girl’s mum so they’d be ready when I pick them up. When I got there, the girls didn’t have a clue…I learned that my text message wasn’t received. So I told them to dress up cuz am taking them to the mall and they were just so excited. Sam and justine dressed up in a snap and I called the other mum to have Natalie ready cuz we’d come by in a minute to pick her up. I wasn’t sure of the way to natalie’s house so I asked the girls if they knew the way. They said, “yes!” but they both pointed in different directions. So it took us a while to get to natalie’s house. By the time we got there nat was waiting by the road…then off we went. All three girls were so excited and so noisy inside the car.

In the mall I told them to get three things they really love to have and show it to me. If I say ok…they can have it. I was so nervous they might get the expensive ones. Well, they really know what to get. They took me to the Barbie doll section and I said it’s quite expensive so if they really want it they can have only one. They picked up my hint and they started rolling around in circles. Touching things and leaving it. I was smiling to my self looking at them getting so excited and didn't know what to get. Justine was the first one to show me her first choice and it was a crown and a sceptre. And the two girls followed her lead. And they got wallets, hankies, and cute thingies. They were just so happy and contented to what they got. But actually, what they got were inexpensive stuff, just girly girl stuff.

They had the biggest smiles in their faces and I cannot understand what they were saying. I had every girl’s stuff packed for each of them. they were so proud bringing what they have personally handpicked. Then they took me to some amusement…they asked if they could ride the bumble bee. and off they flew away. Waving every time they passed by me. After the ride we went for a snack of fries and ice cream then we went to my house to pick up scott. On the way I asked them if they were happy and I got a resounding “YES! Thank you auntie!” for a reply.

they met kookie for the first time and became friends instantly but I have to get the girls home before late. They didn’t have enough time to play. It just touched me so much how you can make a child really happy with smiles so big.

I was thinking of the kids in an orphanage, what if someone just took them shopping…what would their expression and feelings be???

here are the pix:

blogger problem

2006-12-30T09:42:00.000+08:00

what is wrong with blogger??? billions and billions of blue blistering barnacles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

have a merry christmas

2006-12-26T12:21:00.000+08:00

my christmas lights and decors have ran old and i just can't afford to buy new ones. they are so expensive and it's just what i don't badly need...maybe i'll wait for january to come and for sure i'll get it at 50% or more discount in next year's preparation. call me crazy but i'm not hahaha.

anyway, here is what i rummaged from old stuff in my mum's house...our loyal friend which died following the introduction of the 24-hour power in bukidnon during the mid 70s after years and years of service when we were still young... our vintage steel iron. my priceless collection.

kookie's grannies on the first league of their outback adventure

2006-12-20T07:57:00.000+08:00

last monday, i sent off my mum and dad to cdo airport as the first league of their journey on their australian holiday starts. i was lucky enough to be able to hang around with them in the aiport lounge. thanks to my hubby's cousin who works in the airport, anabelle, for letting me in.
i took some pictures of them together. they have grown old but gold... how time flies...

long time ago they cannot go on vacation without us kids along them...all those baon stuff, thermo bottles for our milk all intact. not to mention rice and adobo and hard boiled eggs as our bringalong, anytime meal. (and btw, that thermo bottle is still alive and very much of use in their little new home in villa flora).
my mum is the traveller and my dad is the follower.
as of now, they are in manila with my brother's wife and kid, vina and arvin ros. they'll leave for darwin on friday morning...
bon voyage mum and dad.
here are the pix:

kookie says: i hope my grampa won't get lost...and in case he will... auntie yeng, grandpa is wearing his favorite kc shirt, a baseball cap, and a backpack. please report to airport security.

this post will be progressive

christmas shopping

2006-12-19T11:14:00.000+08:00

when we were younger, all four of us kids ( err...correction...three of us rather cuz my sis was still a baby) experienced alternately going into a tiring, 4-hour journey on unpaved highways into the city with our dad. the trip now would take only half the number of hours as before. and we all migrated to this city called cagayan de oro several years back.

my folks owned this little bookshop in the place where we grew up in a university town. we are so blessed to have both parents working for the government and the bookshop was a bonus plus the first model of the toyota tamaraw as my family's transport business. (click the comments and you'll know why that business didn't prosper. now i know who the culprit is.ha hah!)
if i remember it correctly, my dad would do some replenishing of the store twice a month and each of us kids will take turns going with him to the city. but i guess i had the most turn cuz i was gullible and easy to please. the first thing we do when we get into the city is to have lunch and check into a waray kinda hotel and the most boring part is when my dad would purchase the stuff for the bookshop. this would take hours and hours of waiting with all this stacks of papers towering in front of me...but the reward after the waiting would be to take me "shopping". for years and years, this was my concept of shopping. to have this long wait before doing the real shopping. so i have associated it with the waiting period before doing the real stuff. and by the time my dad would take me to the "mall" i am too tired and my skin is filthy and only excitement would open my eyes. well, the shopping means to buy me new clothes or clothes for my brothers and sister and some goodies. but i also have this vivid memory of having us go to the sewer to have our tailor-made denims. hmmm...strange. and when happy emporium got burned down that little tailoring got burned down, too, and all our precious denims went down to ashes. i'll never forget that time...but we were still kids and that made the difference that shopping is a fun thing to do. and whatever goes with it even if we are often told "we don't have enough money for that thing...blahblahblah" i didn't mind so long as i go shopping like a kid happy, lost in wonderland.

last november was my dad's 69th birthday and he is old and moves cheerfully this time. my mum and i took him shopping in preparation to their australian holiday (my next post)... and i guess maybe this time the feeling is reversed. maybe, just maybe, he was excited as i was when i was a kid but tired of the waiting period that my mum and i kept going into shop after shop and he was just marching behind us wherever we go. how ironic life can be.
we had several things to buy for him and my sister and her family in australia. it lasted for weeks until two days ago.
so many people were already shopping for christmas presents you'll never know there is a crisis going on in the philippines. when i was a kid, i was eager to wait no matter what... this time the thing that would kill me was the waiting in queue to the cashier.

this Christmas, i'd be doing my shopping in s.m. mall. not only do they have well organized stuff, very new and complete thingies for kids, a 10-minute drive from our house minus the traffic, a multi-level parking with security guards, but also because i admire the man behind this empire, henry sy. i have read a bit of his biography and he is so admirable and such a family man...

because of limited budget (as always), the only presents i would buy are for the kids in kauswagan. these are my hubby's little nephews and nieces and there are i guess seven of them. it is so good to give to kids because whatever you give them, they would be so happy and thankful and the looks in their faces would be worth millions in return. and to the four youngest girls, i'll bring them to the mall myself just to have fun, hand pick their very own present and eat ice cream, whatever fancies them. i guess it is the best way to connect to them. the girls names are sammygirl, natalie, justine, and dianne.

grocery shopping is a different thing to do and i love to do it with my family or anyone else. but for other stuffs and if i have something to buy i prefer to go shopping alone but if i don't have a plan to buy anything or have no money... i'd be happy to tag along 'cause ... I LOVE SHOPPING!!!

kookie says: ahhhh swell... this would mean i'll be home alone again...hmmm...nice shopping folks and don't ya forget my mallows .

another postpak for kookie

2006-12-14T08:26:00.000+08:00

yesterday we got another postpak for kookie. she was sniffing on it like there's somethin' yummy or stinky inside...

and what's inside? a puppy housebreaking kit. for her little poopsy and weewee.

this consist of weewee mats and a bottle of odoriferous solution that really really stink.

arvin says: i don't need wee wee mats. my mum buys me nappies all the time...

vanvan says: me too, i use pampers...

arroz ala valenciana for the weekend...anyone?

2006-12-08T09:35:00.000+08:00

Arroz ala Valenciana is a delicious meal of rice, chicken, olives, onions, peppers, saffron, and other wonderful things. This is typical of the kinds of dishes Nicaraguan people cook in their homes. But i'll have the pinoy yummier version of it. try this at home....

Arroz ala Valenciana (rice Casserole)

Ingredients:

1 sml Chicken fryer; cut up in 2 inch pieces
1/2 lb Pork/beef; cutup in 1 inch pieces and 1/4 inch thick
2 ea Links of Chinese sausage (be sure it's not made of star&stac meat)
1 small pack raisins
2 ea Garlic cloves; chopped
2 lg Ripe tomatoes (optional)
2 ea capsicum; sliced
1 c Green peas
2 c sticky rice, boiled in water, coconut milk & 1chicken cube
1/8 block butter
1/4 c Black olives; sliced
1 ts Salt

Instructions:

Place chicken and pork in frying pan and cook. Season with salt and pepper until slightly brown. In a deep saucepan fry garlic, onions (and tomatoes) in butter in the order given. Add the chicken, pork and sausage. Stir and cover meat until done. Add water if necessary. Add sliced capsicum, peas and olives. When meat and vegetables are done, remove some of the stock from meat and set aside. Add cooked rice to meat and mix thoroughly. Add remaining stock and season to taste. Cook on low heat until mixture becomes quite dry. Serve on platter and garnish top with sliced hard boiled eggs, stuffed olives, capsicum cubes and sprigs of parsley leaves.

kookie says: hmmm...slurp slurp slurp...i am so waiting...

if you were...

2006-12-05T09:00:00.000+08:00

An English professor wrote the words:

" A woman without her man is nothing "

on the chalkboard and asked his students to punctuate it correctly.

All the males in the class wrote:

" A woman, without her man, is nothing."

now, if you were to punctuate it (male/female) what would you do? please click on comments to let me know your answer. thanks.

kookie says: ahhh swelllllll... without me, you will not have a smile on your face, just right now.

the black pug

2006-11-28T20:31:00.000+08:00

In 1877 black was considered a "new" colour in the breed. There has always been debate as to the actual origin of Lady Brassey's black Pugs, but she certainly exhibited some black ones at the Maidstone Show in 1886. One of these was Jack Spratt, who may possibly have been acquired by Lady Brassey on her short trip to China.
However, although black was then claimed as a new colour, we know from the paintings of William Hogarth that blacks existed before then. Hogarth's House of Cards, pained in 1730, depicts a black Pug. A hundred years later, Queen Victoria owned a black one that was marked with white. The latter, though, may have been brought into England , perhaps as a gift to the
Queen from China.
It has been said that black Pugs has been bred for many years earlier in England, but because they had been bred from fawns and apricots they were considered mutations and thus destroyed at birth. It is also possible, however, that such 'blacks' were not true blacks (ebonies), but instead were smuts, so were not considered attractive.
Black pugs today are considered acceptable and desirable.

[ from the book PUG by Juliette Cunliffe
black pug photo taken from the Best photographs of 2005 as voted by Worldwide Organization Zelep] whatever that means

strutts like giselle bundchen

2006-11-24T19:07:00.000+08:00

oh my goodness! what a cute outfit for kookie. i never knew she'd look as beautiful as this. indeed she has transformed into a beauty. all the while i thought she was a tomboy. but i was wrong...so wrong. look at her, isn't she lovely?
i didn't even have a hardtime taking her photos. kookie cooperated well and she strutts her stuff like an expert. she even enjoyed her photo shoot. what a showoff...

kookie says: oh, it's not a goodie. but thank you so much to ikki's mum and jashkah, the sender of the postpack. how did you know my size?

my mum was so overjoyed and her heart leaped a hundred feet above sea level seeing me so cute. so, move over miss bundchen. i can strutt and pose better ya know...

a postpak for kookie

2006-11-24T18:38:00.000+08:00

this afternoon i got a postpak from australia and it's for kookie. this is an early christmas present and thank God it came ahead of time. otherwise it would have gotten lost in the mountain of mails this holiday season.

kookie says: hmmm. lickin' good. am sure this is a goodie...let's have a look inside.

the tv commercial

2006-11-20T23:30:00.000+08:00

i have seen this tv hog supplement commercial that's cute

and funny. i thought of applying it on kookie and she would

look excellent in it had it been a pug commercial.

i wish i could download the song and have it played here.

anyway, the lyrics goes like this:

samtang bata pa

sa kasagbutan

mag ginukuray

mag dula sa ulan

kay kanus-a lang

sila bata

kookie says: mum, are you trying to make me into a lechon pug this christmas?

amazing

2006-11-19T08:02:00.000+08:00

here's some stuff i got from metacafe that i wanna share with you:

AMAZING...DON'T MISS THE LAST ONE

Coca-Cola was originally green.

The most common name in the world is Mohammed.

The name of all the continents end with the same letter that they startwith ?

The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.

TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters only onone row of the keyboard.

Women blink nearly twice as much as men!!

You can't kill yourself by holding your breath.

It is impossible to lick your elbow.

People say "Bless you" when you sneeze because when you sneeze, your heartstops for a millisecond.

It is physically impossible for pigs to look up into the sky.

The "sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick" is said to be the toughest tongue twister in the English language.

If you sneeze too hard, you can fracture a rib.

If you try to suppress a sneeze, you can rupture a blood vessel in your head or neck and die.

Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history.
Spades - King David /Clubs - Alexander the Great /Hearts - Charlemagne /Diamonds - Julius Caesar.

If a statue of a person in the park on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of naturalcauses.

What do bullet proof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers and laserprinters all have in common?Ans. - All invented by women.
A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out.

A snail can sleep for three years.

All polar bears are left handed.

American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first-class.

Butterflies taste with their feet.

Elephants are the only animals that can't jump.

In the last 4000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.

On average, people fear spiders more than they do death.

Shakespeare invented the word 'assassination' and 'bump'.
‘Stewardesses’ is the longest word typed with only the left hand.

The ant always falls over on its right side when intoxicated.

The electric chair was invented by a dentist.

The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the body to squirt blood 30 feet.

Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats could have over a million descendants.

Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times.

The cigarette lighter was invented before the match.

Most lipstick contains fish scales.

Like fingerprints, everyone's tongue print is different.

And finally 99% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow!~!!!

kookie says: mum...don't believe 100% of that stuff. although the last part is right that 99% of the people who read this will lick their elbow, kuya scott licked his elbow... and he did reach it with his tongue. i can do it, too. peanuts!!!

da vincci decoded

2006-11-14T14:42:00.000+08:00

coming up soon from down under...

and to the top end!!!

[sorry, this page is under construction due to the mum's misplaced usb cable and bluetooth. or probably the mum is still too busy enjoying da vincci's first weeks at their home.]

photo in memory of wally

arvin ros hanging out with celebs

2006-11-12T23:09:00.000+08:00

john loyd, gardo, karyl, tonton, and sweet mum vina

kookie says...hanging out with celebs? me, i look like a celebrity even when i sleep and i know you are saying..."ohhhhh cute cute mo talaga."

coming up posts for the weekend

2006-11-10T07:06:00.001+08:00

* the coming of da vincci a.k.a. ikki

* arvin ros hangs out with abs cbn celebrities (not a hooey)

kookie says: hhhmmmmm. someone's stealing the spotlight from me. something fishy goin' on...

but my mum told me she'll write about my first real adventure to the beach where i had an accident. this pix is one of it. havalook at the background. see? i really went to the beach!!! in fact am on the baywatch tower.

tik tak tik tak

2006-11-08T22:51:00.000+08:00

please welcome the latest addition to our family from down undah!!!

internet pix of ikki at dubbo,NSW where jashkah searched him

kookie asks: mum??? what's that strange looking creature doin' up there? what does "latest addition" mean?
am i not the latest addition?

once upon a long ago

2006-11-07T17:20:00.000+08:00

well, as promised i will post pix of kookie's aunts and uncles with their kids. so here goes kookie's pedigree...dressed as holloween victims...

this are very old pix and i find it fun.
tips: if you don't have a scanner, all you need to do is go to your local internet cafe and have your pix scanned and sent to your email address. congest the pix. it cost only P15.00 a page.

this page will be upgraded as i gather more fun pix from a long time ago.

yesterday was my sis' (above)birthday.guess how

old she is now. she's barely a year old in this pix.

who's this little genius?

2006-11-07T17:00:00.000+08:00

ryanna camille, what a sweet girl...and smart,too.

2006-11-07T16:07:00.000+08:00

arvin ros, the cutie

2006-11-07T15:50:00.000+08:00

our tennis import, jashkah

2006-11-07T15:46:00.000+08:00

ros, scott, jashkah with chicken, nikos

2006-11-07T14:59:00.000+08:00

clockwise from left: arvin ros, nikos, internet pug, reb

in relevance to holloween...

2006-10-30T07:13:00.000+08:00

watch out for my next post...

kookie's uncles and aunties and their kids.

bwaaaaaaaaaaa hahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

another one of kookie's cousins

2006-10-28T08:00:00.000+08:00

this little kiddo

...is NIKOS

he is a 3-year old cutie.

future image model of kiddie commercials.

talent: can sing the national anthem...backwards...
that is.

but hey, he hates the paparazzi.

kookie says... hmmm... i am a supermodel in my own right, too.
my mum says that all the time.

pacquiao in the making

2006-10-25T08:08:00.000+08:00

part of jashkah's training is getting burried in dakak sand.

...and studies first before the fight.

kookie says: as for me, part of my training is sleeping.

spaghetti boy...kookie's first cuzin

2006-10-24T20:48:00.000+08:00

kookie says...this cuzin, jashkah, i have yet to meet.
hmmm, i wonder if he can beat me eating that spaghetti

kicks like ronaldinho

2006-10-18T09:30:00.000+08:00

yesterday my son, scott, shouted at kookie. i told him to have a lot of patience cuz she is just a little puppy. at times we can't help but compare her to our late wally who is so house trained and plays his antics at a very good time. he has never bitten any of our furniture, foot wears, area rug, and i could go on and on...in short, all he gave us were happy moments. he never gave us a headache.

this little one, at two months old... has finished the sides of our basket, torn our rug, eaten our fresh flowers, harassed her toys and on and on.

she loves to keep biting on something but her favorites are our gourmet fingers, toes, and shoes. regardless of the smell and cost, yes.

so when i went downtown i looked for something friendly and wouldn't get destroyed easily. i found this ping pong ball disguised as a pink soccer ball. when i got back home i showed it to her and her eyes fired up at exactly the same roundness as the ball. i thought maybe she thought it was a goodie she could savour with all of her large, slightly undershot mouth and incisors sharp as a butcher's knife.

but when i let the ball bounce she instinctly had this kicking ability flow like ronaldinho...she bends it like beckham... she head butts it like zidane.

hmmm is she really a tomboy? boy oh boy!

a good snooze after her "world cup" debut

the prayer

2006-10-12T06:52:00.000+08:00

my friend gemma amor from new zealand sent this email to me a few days ago and i thought it might also be of interest to you...

This Pastor has guts!! interesting prayer given in Kansas at the opening session of their Senate. It seems prayer still upsets somepeople!!When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard:

"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says,
'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost ourspiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn and called it choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building selfesteem.
We have abused power and called it politics.
We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sinand set us free. Amen!"

The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest. In 6 short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding negatively. The church is now receiving international requests for copies of this prayer from India, Africa and Korea. Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, "TheRest of the Story," and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired. With the Lord's help! , may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called "onenationunder God."

kookie's mum's mum and dad with kuya scott

2006-10-10T19:38:00.000+08:00

kookie says... "this guy look familiar...

...is my grampa related to osama?"

sweet sixteen

2006-10-06T08:17:00.000+08:00

was sixteen when we met
your "hi" still lingers in my ears
you said, "i like you"
and i just smiled

has time passed us by?
we had a troubled start
cola added to our life
craving crunch big bang,
nature's milk thank god
thirteen is our luck

the number goes on
and sixteen here i come
happy sweet sixteenth
anniversary baby
i sure got you on my mind

kookie says..."whaaaaateverrrrr"

my kookie, my second puggy

2006-10-06T07:53:00.000+08:00

kookie is the name of my almost three-month old girl pug. we got her from a petshop. a number one no-no in getting a pug based on my research. she was born in july 09, 2006 bred by miss jessica m. elio of sire edel of deepwaters (fawn) and dam celest's frankfurter candy (fawn black mask). kookie's real name is alliah of jez brilliant boon. she's got heaps of champs in her lineage but i don't understand all this lineage stuff in one piece of paper.
she's not even adorable. she's very thin and had some sort of skin problem on her forehead and she has a pot belly. her eyes seemed to be crossed and bulging. her tongue is always sticking out even when she sleeps. my brother said she is malnourished. i have called in the vet three times in her first week at home.

in fact, i have considered getting another pug that would fit the pug breed standard. for five months of careful selection and doing my homework on how to select the finest, in a spur-of-the-moment God knows what happened...my hubby bought me "this" pug.

as days went by, kookie displayed a sassy character and she is just beginning to turn out to be a tomboy. hmmm. let's see what happens next...

but one thing sure, i truly truly thank my hubby for giving me this baby which i will never have gotten had i went alone with my search. cuz i realized i was looking for the perfect one and it's just nowhere to be found.

we will love this latest addition to our family as we dearly loved our late walberto a.k.a wally. i will post photos of her as she transform into a beauty. and in my coming posts i will share her adventures and misadventures...

as of now, am still getting to the what's-this-clicky-thing for...