Snapping away

It was Pista ng Batang Pasig, and the Camera Girl was tasked to shoot some pics for the official documentation.

Here are some of the amateur-ish snap shots I took courtesyof my GE A735:

The banner says it all

Nervous eh?

Look left, look right, look....where????

The strokes from a future Picasso

Great contrast details...

I'm impressed!

Young artist at work

Filipiniana theme?

Awww..... :-)

Fans watch the next Juan Luna or Manuel Baldemor perhaps?

Photo ops muna

Hihihihi ;-)

Do you snore?

Well, do you, or at least someone that you know?

The last grandson in the family, Enrique just turned three years old last November, and for a boy who has just entered nursery, having him go through the knife was the farthest thing on our minds.

Until doctors confirmed our precious little boy had sleep apnea.

Ever since he was a little over six months, his parents and yaya had noticed that he keeps on snoring a little too loud, in fact, even louder than his grannies or daddy. We just dismissed it as something adorably peculiar --- a small boy 'roaring' like a mini-me of his papa or uncle both of whom we endlessly tease for their not-so-cute and oftentimes funny nocturnal habit.

Fast forward to when he was two years old.

While most kids would happily hop about and run and scream and wreak all kinds and sorts of cutesy kiddie antics, our small one wouldn't even budge. He would just tickle, laugh and play with us for a while, then he'd retreat to his quiet corner by the wall and rest. He would frequently pant for breath, and complain that he's tired. In malls and even in church where children are notorious for their unstoppable hyper ways, our Enrique would always request for the stroller --- a rarity for toddlers raring to walk and run and jump --- or settle for daddy or mommy's loving arms and shoulders. We thought that he's just shy, or that he's just a sickly little boy, easily worn out from playing and doing the things we normally expect of kids.

One night, my brother and sister-in-law dropped by the house. We discussed about The Medical City Hospital's Sleep Center, and before I knew it, doctors were wheeling Enrique to the operating room.

The verdict?

He had an elarged throat that was blocking his breathing; thus, the throaty, scary snore. Plus, he had to have his adenoids scraped so he could breathe better.

For six days our small boy was confined, crying and whining about his condition. We couldn't help but cry softly as he lay there helpless and begging to be taken home.

Here's the small boy as he was recovering from his operation:

Living on a bottle of milk. After his operation, Enrique was prohibited from eating solid food for a week, and had to be fed milk all the time.

Tatoo? The small boy shows me where the doctors put a mark on his arm for the skin test.

Tired and sleepy. The small one lacked sleep all week.

If you or a loved snores, please go and see a doctor immediately. Enrique's heart stops beating five (5) times for every minute when he was not yet operated on. Doctors were very happy that they removed his throat finally, since that would mean he'll get better quality of sleep after the operation, which will greatly affect his growth and development.

More Doggies!

If only I could have one..... ;-(

Doggie Decors

Sleeping Angel

I don't know if I'll ever have the chance to take care or even hold a puppy in my lifetime. With all the allergies I have, adopting a doggie is out of the question. So I did the next best thing: I bought puppy ceramics courtesy of Papemelroti. Look at what I got:

Two doggies holding half hearts which only they could form into one!

The she-doggie

The he-doggie

Sideways

Sideways

The closest I can get to taking care of real puppies.

Aren't they the cutest desktop decors?

Convert

I'll have to "blame" Mr. M for this.

Constant conversations with Mr. M. about dogs suddenly proselytized me into the world of these wonderful four-legged creatures. I suddenly found myself wanting to have and cuddle cute little puppies! Too bad, because of my severe allergy to fur, dog / cat hair, dust, and other particles, not to mention the fact that none from this family would want a canine within our backyard, I just have to content myself with these pics :

Belat!!! Hehehehe

Can I have one of these?

Adorable white beauties

Hahahaha!!! This cutie gets a cameo appearance at a couple's engagement shoot

Awwww :-)

She looks fierce but still cute.

I want to bring you home!

Talk about getting kissed in the cheek!
Doggie plays with the baby.

Seryoso masyado

Nice wedding detail ---- a bride and groom pug (or bulldog?)

Are you sad?

I guess I'm happy to have been converted into a dog lover ;-)

From Scribbling Angel to the new Kitchen Princess

I've always wanted to learn how to cook but our househelp Aning is just too impatient to teach me how to. So when her brother announced his marriage plans for Saturday, May 9, I immediately grabbed the opportunity to whip up meals for one week ---- solo! Yes, nobody was there to coach me as I boiled, pan-grilled, sauteed and fried all week!

Day one was a breeze. I just practically boiled water and the sinigang mix and came up with sigang na bangus. The next night, I was high because I cooked chicken afritada (chicken happens to be my favorite). My mom and brother asked me to cook another sinigang dish, and so voila, I prepared sinigang na manok. I did the marketing last Saturday, and when I came home, I immediately prepared sigang na baka for lunch (sigang is a regular stape in this household) and chicken curry for dinner. Mom developed allergies and was not allowed to eat fish or seafoods for one week, and so I just prepared bistek na tagalog yesterday. And oh, tonight I'm cooking pinakbet. Whew!

This whole episode of cooking on my own was a revelation. First, I found cooking to be a therapeutic, enjoyable activity. I loved every single bit of the experience! In fact, I'm so excited now to see the finishing touches of our current house renovation so that I can finally use the new gas range my mom bought last last week. Second, it isn't scary at all to cook, as it had been for me in the past. Years ago, when ate and I were boiling beef in the pressure cooker, the whole thing just suddenly exploded. The next time we peeked at what the scene after all the screaming and running, all the cubed beef pieces were hanging from the ceiling! Third, I found out that I am also a bit adventurous when it comes to preparing gastronomic delights. To add some twist to the bistek tagalog, I marinated the sirloin in pineapple chunks syrup, and later on included the marinade in the mixture. We had a fun time discussing over dinner the merits of mixing and matching ingredients to spice up classic dishes. Maybe next time I should post some of the dishes that have been well-received by my family.

Well, what do you know? My classmate Enchie maintains a blogspot exclusively for her own dishes. The Scribbling Angel might soon be a Kitchen Princess :-)