Seek and you shall find

I have been searching far and wide for clogs. 

(L-R) A person I don't recognize, Ashlee Simpson, Alexa Chung, Rachel Bilson, random model at the Chanel S/S 2010 runway

 

Mary Kate Olsen

I had one of these in the early 90s. But knowing how much I like to throw away things, those are probably rotting away in some landfill by now. In real life, I can only wear these on weekends, which is also the time when I am always carrying Malik. So as much as I would love to wear these sky-high versions of the footwear -

Again, Chanel S/S 2010

- I can't. I can only wear sensible shoes now, like these peep-toe clogs from swedish hasbeens. Love.

swedish hasbeens Peep Toe Super High (3.5") in nude

swedish hasbeens Peep Toe High (2.8") in red

SJP in swedish hasbeens

Nice, but these cost close to PhP10K a pair (the super highs go for around USD240 at endless.com). Naman. Why on earth would anyone want to spend that much on shoes? Eeek.

Thankfully, I saw the pair below at "macy's" in Greenhills. They're almost clogs right? 

I'm (almost) getting the one in burnt orange.

I tried a pair in burnt orange (bottom). They're not very comfortable and they run about a size too small, but I'm just so lusting after clogs right now that I'd be happy to end up with these...UNLESS someone out there can direct me to a place where I can get my CLOG-fix. Anyone? Please?

I'll pass

(Continued...)

The second, and to some of my friends the more exciting, event happening today is the screening of the movie Eclipse worldwide. This installment in the Twilight saga is, in my opinion, the most entertaining of the series. If a day had more than 24 hours in it, I could have finished reading the book in one sitting.

Nonetheless, I think I suffered enough having watched Kristen Stewart's and Robert Pattinson's horrendous acting in Twilight and New Moon. I thus made the decision to skip Eclipse in theaters this time around. I can do a lot more with two hours of my time. 

If you're still interested, which I know Mel and Grace are, the schedule of screenings is here.  

You really want to see her bat her eyelashes one million times? Again? You sure? Okay.

And she's gone

There are two exciting things happening today. One is the inauguration of President-elect Noynoy Aquino as 15th President of the Republic. While Pao is at the Quirino Grandstand attending the festivities personally, I will be watching the event like everyone else - in the comforts of my living room with Malik on my lap.

I'm especially interested in President Aquino's speech, but I would have to tune in and out until Charice Pempengco is done singing the national anthem. That would be interesting really. Unfortunately, I can only handle so much, i.e. the sight of GMA, this early in the morning. Teehee

All the best, Mr. President!

To be continued...

News Flash

President-elect Noynoy Aquino just announced the members of his Cabinet. Click here.

ProP 7.0 - The Teeth

Proud Parent Update - Malik's front teeth, four of them to be exact, are simultaneously beginning to break through his gums. Ate Bear discovered the little rascals on the night of Malik's 7th month birthday.

No wonder he's been drooling like a water fountain and putting everything under the high heavens into his mouth. This is also probably the reason why we've been getting a lot less sleep lately (Yes, it's possible to get even less sleep than the already little sleep that I've been getting). Malik is so restless at night. I sometimes think he's having night terrors already.

Anyway, I've been trying to take photos of Malik's pearly whites, to no avail. Can you see them here? Hmmm.

Open mouth. Harharhar.

We have not been adviced to give Malik over the counter medicines, or to apply topical treatments to his gums. I read that giving him something cold and hard to chew on would give him soothing relief while teething. So for now we are settling for teethers with cold gels like this one.

Fisher Price Penguin Teether

Malik likes to chew on the teether but doesn't know how to hold it yet. Good thing Mommy's around to help!

Yey.

I also just got a Nuby Nibbler for Malik. I'm thinking we could use it so he can chew on ice chips and frozen carrot. We'll take that out for a spin later.

The Nibbler

Running Away

I got all excited last night, just thinking about running again today. I couldn't find my gym bag, and with it, the running "gear" that I hurriedly acquired during my running frenzy last year. Fortunately, I found my running shoes squeezed in between Malik's unused baby bags. I took them to work today in a recycled paper bag.

My excitement did not wear off until I felt zombie-ish this morning. You know, people, when you're taking care of a 7 month-old, you have to wake up at least 3x at night to give the baby milk or gently pat his bum. This means I've never really had a good night's sleep since giving birth. My body has adjusted of course, but only to the point that I am able to function at the office. I don't know if the energy that I've managed to store is enough to help me plod through the ULTRA oval...for one...whole...hour. Aack.

Anyway, it's raining, which oddly gave me this sun-shiney feeling. If the rains continue, I'll have a legitimate excuse to go straight home and skip exercising. I can just play with Malik, watch TV Patrol, and eat a slice of sans rival to prepare me (and my thighs) for yet another night of baby-rearing.

YES! Indeed

Sorry for the absence of posts. I've been busy reading the July 2010 issue of YES! Magazine, and you guys all know why. Lloydie is on the cover! Ohemgeee -

To the folks at YES!, thanks so much. You have no idea how big a deal this is for John Lloyd Cruz fans like (sige na nga) myself! Lloydie is usually a very private celebrity. He's achieved a certain degree of confidence in his skills as an actor that he's realized there really isn't a need for him to be in the news all the time. So unlike say, Kris Aquino, Lloydie generally keeps to himself, does very little talk / noontime shows, and basically only shows up for the ocassional but very well-thought of movies and teleseryes. 

With July's issue of YES!, however, we get to see so many beautiful photos of JLC -

 "Bakit ngayon ka laaannngg....dumating sa buhay ko?"

- and the house that he built for him and his family in Antipolo.

My house in a parallel universe, where I am Mrs. John Lloyd Cruz.

[Nangangarap lang, Husband. ;)]

The piece is super well-written in the usual YES! fashion. YES! traces Lloydie's slow rise to stardom, including those events in his personal life that have shaped him to who he is today - a guy who knows the difference between a "weekender" and a "tote" bag! My gad!

We are made privy to how he was discovered at a mall in the early 90s, some aspects of his relationship with Liz Uy (whom the article says is spoken of almost with "reverence" by John Lloyd Cruz), his 5-year stint in the weekend series Tabing Ilog, and the pivotal pairing with Bea Alonzo in the early 2000s.

I feel I know John Lloyd now more than ever. The only disappointing thing about the article is the absence of any photo or at the very least a description of John Lloyd's new bedroom. *Giggle* But I can let that go because Lloydie is already giving so much to his fans by allowing us to take a look at his life away from the limelight. (Nagm-mountain bike ang lolo mo. Let's have a go at this sport, dali!)

Thank you thank you YES! and Thank you John Lloyd. Ang pogi mo talaga! Mabuhay!

Grab a copy now. You'll love it. Promise.

ProP 6.2 - So Many Skills, So Little Time

Proud Parent Update - Oh my. I've been meaning to update you on Malik's progress for the longest time. I just haven't found the time to do so. Now I realize Malik's turning 7 months old in a few hours. To make up for lost time, I will tell this story more in photos than words. Ready? Lez gow.

Malik has learned to do so many things this month. He's on all fours most of the time rather than just on his tummy. Although he isn't crawling yet, he can get from point A to B by propelling himself forward like this -  

Malik's sudden activity is basically the reason why we had to put up our bed rail. Tsk.
  

Malik's also learned to hold his milk bottle. Sometimes, he misses his target. Sometimes, he's right on. Here's a photo of the rare moments falling under the latter category. Yey, Malik!

Baby boy's also gotten a lot more interactive when it comes to people and his toys. He's acquired some control over his hands and fingers now, so he's able to grab for things and (almost always) put them in his mouth.

 

He likes to try new things, including drinking off a glass.

Not yet, Honey.

When he's sleepy, I observe he likes to scratch against the bed sheet like this.

It's so easy to make him laugh.

Malik can't sit up on his own yet, but once he's set, he's able to remain seated without toppling over.

Lately, we've began pulling him up to standing position. He enjoys it, although I think we'll post photos of that on ProP 7.0. That begins tomorrow! Ang bilis!

Oh Please

I'm sorry. I can't help it. Charice Pempengco just annoys me to pieces. I'm sure a lot of people find her talented. And thanks to Oprah, she's got a very promising international career ahead of her. But no matter what she does, she just can't win me over to her camp. I guess it's the smirk or...I don't know. There's just something amiss with this person. Take a look at these photos. *Cringe* 

Anyway, Charice will be joining Glee next season. I am (or 'was,' we'll see) a fan of the TV series. Although I initially wanted to slap Rachel silly, she kind of grew on me as the season progressed. I'm hoping I'll feel the same way about Charice. In any case, her appearance in the show should be interesting. We all know the kid can sing, but can she act? Dandan-dan-dan.

Photo Credits: iheartcharice (Yes, there are people who love her. For what reason, I don't know.) and charicemania.

Safety First

We finally got around to buying a Secure Top Bed Rail for our little one.

I can't tell you the story behind the super duper significance of this bed rail. I don't even want to think about it anymore. What is important is: (1) We now have it installed at the foot of our bed, (2) Malik is safe, and (3) Malik will be safe co-sleeping with us from now on. 

Thank goodness.

May I react?

Okay. So John Lloyd Cruz confeeermed over the weekend that he and Shaina Magdayao are really dating. Watch this clip from Sunday's The Buzz.





First off, Lloydie honey, "Yes, it's us." isn't exactly the English equivalent of "Oo, kami na."


Secondly, I was happiest when John Lloyd was dating Liz Uy because she was The Liz Uy, Fashion Editor of Preview Magazine, Stylist to the Stars, unreachable and yet still very adorable. Liz and John Lloyd were my local version of Barbie and Ken. When Lloydie was with Liz, it was like someone you love leaving you for a more gracious woman who smells nice. It was fine. But John Lloyd and Shaina - well, that would be like someone you love leaving you for ... uhm. You know what I mean.


But whatever, you all know I just wish John Lloyd all the happiness in the world. When he's happy, I'm happy. As for Shaina: Girl, naglevel-up ka na talaga!

Interested? Read more about it here and here.

Ralph Lopart

We received news on Sunday that Malik looks like a certain "Mr. Lopart." I Googled the fellow of course. Turns out, Mr. Leonard Francis Lopart is the single middle-aged man who owns the candy store beside Handy Manny's shop. This is what he looks like -

On the other hand, we always thought Malik looked a little like Ralph Wiggum.

What do you think? Mr. Lopart? or Ralph? Haha

Happy Daddy's Day, Daddy!

We celebrated Pao's first Father's Day as a bona fide father this year! Woohoo! It was a fun-filled Sunday, packed with a lot of activities centered on dad and son, with mom happily watching (and only occasionally stage-mothering) in the background.

We went to my sister's place to have lunch with Lolo Doc. He is after all, also one of the greatest fathers in the world. Hello Lolo. 

Lolo Doc and Kuya Gabby

After lunch, we headed to our mall of choice to attend Sunday service. We got there pretty early, so we took the opportunity to buy the very critical bed rail for Malik. [More on this later] We strolled for about an hour, looking for a nice gift for Malik's cousin Mae. Ladi-da - 

Here are photos of Malachi literally looking up to his dad at the mall -

And then Malik attended Sunday service with us for the first time. Malik was a very good boy. He felt sleepy during praise and worship, which was good. No one noticed that I was actually rocking a baby boy to sleep because we were all singing. Sneaky. 

When Malik woke up, he sat still on my lap, just listening to the pastor and playing with his shoe lace. Ladi-da -

He got cranky towards the end only because he was hungry already. Here he is attempting to drink milk on his own. Teehee -

Almost there, anak. =)

Dinner was at Duri, where we took the mandatory "picture picture" with Daddy and Mommy.

All in all, a very fun day in honor of a very fun dad. Three cheers for daddy Paolo! Yipee!

Malik: "You're the coolest, Daddy.

You're like a Jedi Knight and I am your Jedi Youngling!Warharhar"