not a meme for the weekend. really, it's not. sorta.

Okay, audience participation time. Just do the following steps, and post your resulting sentence in the comments. I ended up with:

"I yelled at a snowman in line at the bank because Big Bird said to and he's my leader."

Okay, now you...

Step 1: Pick the month you were born:
January-------I kicked
February------I loved
March----------I karate chopped
April------------I licked
May------------I jumped on
June-----------I smelled
July------------I did the Macarena With
August--------I had lunch with
September----I danced with
October-------I sang to
November-----I yelled at
December-----I ran over

Step 2: Pick the day (number) you were born on:
1-------a birdbath
2-------a monster
3-------a phone
4-------a fork
5-------a snowman
6-------a gangster
7-------my mobile phone
8-------my dog
9-------my best friends' boyfriend
10------my neighbor
11------my science teacher
12------a banana
13------a fireman
14------a stuffed animal
15------a goat
16------a pickle
17------your mom
18------a spoon
19------a smurf
20------a baseball bat
21------a ninja
22------Chuck Norris
23------a noodle
24------a squirrel
25------a football player
26------my sister
27------my brother
28------an iPod
29------a surfer
30------a homeless guy
31------a llama

Step 3: What is the last number of the year you were born:
1--------- In my car
2 ---------On your car
3 --------In a hole
4 ---------Under your bed
5 ---------Riding a Motorcycle
6 ---------Sliding down a hill
7 ---------In an elevator
8----------At the dinner table
9 -------- In line at the bank
0 -------- in your bathroom

Step 4: Pick the color of shirt you are wearing:
White--------because I'm cool like that
Black---------because that's how I roll.
Pink----------because I'm NOT crazy.
Red----------because the voices told me to.
Blue----------because I'm sexy and I do what I want
Green--------because I think I need some serious help.
Purple--------because I'm AWESOME!
Gray---------because Big Bird said to and he's my leader.
Yellow--------because someone offered me 1,000,000 d ollars
Orange------because my family thinks I'm stupid anyway.
Brown---------because I can.
Other--------because I'm a Ninja!
None---------because I can't control myself!

Step 5: Now post the sentence in the comments!

don't say I don't watch out for my peeps... yeah, you guys

I have been picking up a fresh pineapple every time I do a grocery run. We LUV 'em!

I cut up the pineapple into bite-sized pieces and have them available in the fridge for, you know, whatever.

We've sampled pineapple from all over the world -- not by actually traveling to other places all over the world. (However we did visit a pineapple plantation when we lived in Hawai'i.) We do all of our worldly tropical fruit shopping at Sobey's and Safeway. (My MIL always pronounces it "Safeways", and I seriously almost spelled it with the 's'.)

Anyway, of the small number we've sampled, Roomie and I agree that the ones from Hawai'i are the sweetest and tastiest. Totally unbiased opinion. (Lordy, I still miss Hawai'i.)

However, there's something you need to know: No matter from where your pineapple originates, you must inspect them before you buy them. Seriously. You just never know what kind of exotic fauna you'll unwittingly introduce into your home.

Look at what we took home last week...

Buyer beware!

PS - The pineapple was from Hawai'i, and may have picked up the spider passing through Puerto de Pipe-Cleaner. Just saying.

potluck, pals, and pillow fights

I'm still recovering from Saturday's 14th Annual Girls Only Potluck, aka "GOP", aka The Big "OMG-I-Gained-5-Pounds-In-One-Night" Binge of 2009, or as the boys like to call it, The Night Our Hot Wives Get Together & Have a Pillow Fight.

Silly boys.

Actually, they got it just slightly wrong -- we really get together to eat and take pictures of each others' boobage regions. Case in point, the above picture of Shelly's bosom as she proudly models the 10th Anniversary GOP shirt, designed by our lovely and talented hostess Monique. :)

Every year, we invade Monique's home, taking over her kitchen, stove, fridge, and deck (to chill the booze of course). We eat. We talk. We eat some more. I watch my friends get drunk (and laugh hysterically at them). Eat again.
Oh, and we take a group picture.

Here's us trying to arrange ourselves for the shot. It's not easy. There's a lot of us. And after eating all that food, I'm truly impressed that we all fit within the frame.

Yes, it's blurry. No, I didn't get knocked at the last minute by a drunken friend. Not even by LRM, the lush. ;)
No, I blurred on purpose to protect identities -- I think some of them are on some witness protection program or something, and the rest are on the lam from the law. Don't let their cuteness fool you. The little preggers in blue is particularly suspicious.

Anyway, where was I?... invade, eat, talk, eat, drink, eat, picture... oh, yeah, and laugh. We do a LOT of laughing. See? Here's our hottie-hot-hot-hot hostess laughing.

Yes, she's blurry too. I can't tell you her secret -- she might not invite me again next year if I do, and I'm not *that* foolish. The grub is truly blackmail-worthy.

As usual, I ate too frickin' much. The food was delicious! And it all started with the tuna sashimi appetizer. It's no secret that raw fish is never safe when Harmzie and I are in the vicinity -- we polished off the sashimi when no one was looking.... hehehe. We're such sneaky sneakersons.

See? Empty plate. (To continue the Boob Pics theme, that's Harmzie's in the background.)

And of course, the FoodFest just took off from there. The broccoli bake, the couscous, the salads, the stuffed mushrooms, the meatballs! AHHHHHHH!!!

Here's a picture of the food after dinner. No, I didn't take one before. Are you kidding me? I was too busy eating.

But the author of my healthy-eating downfall was truly the almond/cashew/macadamia nut brittle. It's there in the picture to the very left.
I barely managed to tear myself away. But I did, thank heavens.
Lucky too, because none of my friends would've been any help -- they were all too drunk.

Thanks to Monique for another successful pillow fight -- I mean, GOP. Can't wait for #15!

recipe: oven-baked chicken wings

When she was scanning through the pictures on our camera, Mini found this one and exclaimed, "Chickens?! Mommy takes pictures of silly chickens."

I explained to her that I took it so I could share a chicken recipe on my blog. She maintained that the chickens -- and now Mommy too -- were still silly.

Anyway. If you are what you eat, my son would be one huge chicken -- with some pasta, rice, and an apple here and there.
Before you get all judgy-judge judgester on me, I've done everything with the exception of shoving vegetables down my son's gullet to get him to eat green stuff. But he won't -- for now. He plans to eat them when he's in Grade 2. I think I actually got it in writing somewhere.

Anyway, where was I? Oh, yeah, silly chickens.

Because it's about the only thing my kid will eat, I prefer to make my own healthier chicken wings/nuggets. But I couldn't find a simple oven recipe online. REALLY. Very disappointing. So, I came up with one myself. Here you are, Internets -- enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

15-20 chicken drummettes/wings (need not be of the silly chicken variety)
4 egg whites
4 tablespoons flour (wheat or rice)
1 tablespoon ground pepper/spices (you can get creative with this)
olive oil in a spray bottle
a bar of dark chocolate

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 385F.

- Mix flour and spices in one bowl. In another bowl, lightly beat the egg whites.
- Spray cookie sheet with olive oil.
- Put all chicken pieces in the egg whites, and schmoosh around until all pieces are coated.
- One by one, take a piece of chicken, and dip into flour/spice mixture to LIGHTLY coat it. Shake off any excess and put it on the cookie sheet, making sure the pieces don't touch.
- Once all pieces are on the sheet, you may add one very light spray of olive oil over all. The chicken police won't come after you if you don't, so don't stress about this step.
- The chocolate? It's just nice to nibble on some chocolate while you cook.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

The end. Oh, wait -- dip in whatever. Ranch dressing's good. Now, the end.

but we all know what Nenette *really* needs...

You're probably tired of all these. Yes, so am I. So, this will be my last Facebook meme.

Actually, before this one, I thought I was done. Tapos. Finito. Over and out.
But then Sara sent this to me, and I had to do it. Why? Because I was curious, and I didn't have to do any thinking -- okay, *mainly* because I didn't have to do any thinking.

Here's what I was told to do: Google “[your first name] needs” and share 10 results.

Unfortunately, "Nenette needs" turned up NOTHING!!!

They suggested "Nanette needs", so I decided to go for it because it's pretty funny...

Nanette needs...

1. to come back and bitch slap her with a REAL truthful and honest post.

2. more caffeine!

3. to start pimpin you out to some of the Jackson Hole women! [wtf?]

4. the money so she can back her crooked, scheming, 'fiance' Larry broadway show, in which she is to play the leading part.

5. no help.

6. to bite some chumps.

7. some licks.

8. some pillow case lovin' eh?

9. a huge "THANKS" for picking up me up at the airport.

And my fave...

10. to travel Across America Kicking Dumb boys in their Junk.

Why are so many of these so angry and perverted? Go and do this and see if yours is too.

week 6: A 'plan'? "I don't even have a 'pl'!"*

Ah, Pheebs, you and me both. Until now.

This past week was the 6th week of my 2009 Bikini Project, and I suddenly realized, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL I'M DOING!

It happened on Wednesday when I was writing my post about my first because she's having her second. I started to reminisce about how crappy I felt when I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, then later how great I felt and how my weight-gain stabilized at 35lbs thanks to the low-carb diet my ob/gyn put me on.

I swear, you could've heard the Jeopardy theme playing (the bonus round one)...

Then it finally hit me.

LOW CARB!


OMG, how in the world did I ever forget about my insulin resistance? And when did I stop low-carbing?

I'm not sure how to answer those questions, but I do know that going veg did not help.
Many -- if not all -- plant-based protein sources have hidden carbs. To stay low-carb, I had to count those too. And in the end, I had to admit that I was not about to spend every day counting carbs in everything I ate.

As a meat-eating low-carber, I could eat a certain amount of carbs per meal and pad the rest of my meal with chicken/fish/eggs until I was sated -- MUCH EASIER because the carb count of meat is near zero.

And we all know that the simpler a plan is, the better the chances of sticking to it. The less I have to think about details, the better.

So, on Thursday, I reintroduced meat into my diet, focusing on chicken and fish/seafood... and yes, some pork.

And my results after going low-carb meat?

1: A 3-pound weight-loss... in just 3 days -- very common occurance for me as soon as I go low carb.
2: A feeling of satiety everyday.
3: No more feeling puffy.
4: An overall feeling of well-being -- euphoric even. Apparently, I don't need drugs -- just meat.

It wasn't until I remembered an "old" plan that I realized I didn't have any plan at all.

But now I have one:
A) Low carb meat
B) 3 meals per day
C) 1-day mini-fast per week (see week 4 for more info on this.)

When I hit Maintenance, I'm thinking of doing only veg 1-2 days/week, but we'll see. I may start doing that sooner or maybe later. I still have to observe the impact this will have on my cycles, which improved when I went pesca-veg.

But for now, I'm just pleased that I finally have a plan I can stick to.

* - Phoebe Buffay, Friends, Episode 104: The One with George Stephanopoulos

what's mine is mine and what's mine is their's too

[Update - February 18, 2009: In response to the weekend's furor, Facebook has decided to go back to their previous Terms of Service. They will be developing a new TOS, this time with the input of their users. For information on what this will mean to you as a user of FB and have your say, check out the newly-created Facebook Bill of Rights and Responsibilities group.]

Are you planning on putting your kids pictures on Facebook today? Well, STOP RIGHT NOW!!!

Don't do it... unless you want Facebook to own rights to it forever.

Yes, just like the Motrin kerfuffle of a while back, there was another BIG kerfuffle over the weekend, this one having to do with Facebook's NEW Terms of Service.

In a nutshell, as of February 4, 2009, everything we put on our profiles, pictures of our families, notes we post, personal information, etc., etc. is free for Facebook to keep and use, even if we decide to remove that stuff and close our accounts.

As soon as I found out about it, I went and removed all my blog posts and my blog feed from FB (to prevent future posts from getting ported over), but it's too late anyway, because I removed it AFTER February 4.
On my blog, my posts are protected by the Creative Commons Licence but as soon as it hits Facebook, that protection vanishes.

Yes, folks, Facebooks owns rights to my article about my teaching my kid not to fart at the dinner table -- in addition to all of my other stuff, of course.

Now, Facebook's reasoning behind this change is, for example, if you send a message to a friend, copies of it must be made to your friend and to your own "sent" box. FB needs the rights to make these copies so that, if you ever leave Facebook, your friend's copy wouldn't be erased.

Okay, that makes sense for messages -- but not for EVERYTHING ELSE.

I don't send my profile information to anyone. I put it in one spot, where it should be protected by my privacy settings. It should not appear anywhere else -- Facebook DOES NOT NEED to have rights to this stuff.

Facebook's response to the kerfuffle is to claim that nothing is different really -- although I'm sure they didn't hired a $10,000+ lawyer to do nothing to their new Terms of Service.

"Just trust us," they say. Riiiiiiight.

Ummm. No thanks. From now on, my Facebook profile will be getting only the fluffy stuff. If they want to own my dry skin complaints, fine. They're not getting any more blog posts or pictures from me.

If you want to follow the latest, there are a few Facebook groups you can join. The image above is from the group I've linked to.
Also, if you have a Twitter account, just search with hash tag #facebookTOS for the newest developments (warning: signal-to-noise is pretty crappy).

By joining these, you'll get the newest articles coming out... I did. :)

47 MORE THINGS you need to know before you decide to continue being my friend

Yet another FB meme. You'd think that I'd learned my lesson and do this here first -- since I've set my blog to autopost on FB. I guess I'm just not that bright... or just really slow on the uptake.
Anyway, since I've been feeling a mite under the weather, I decided to post this here for my readers who've shown some good sense and not friended me on FB. (I'm less 'lunatic' here on my blog. :D )

I'm tagging you. Go do this now. Happy Riel Day!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
My mother's story keeps changing... one time, she said she named me after an actress... she later said she named me after my grandfather, Tatay Nonong... methinks she really needs to get her story straight.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Yesterday, during an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition -- damn you, Ty Pennington, and your doing-good-ness!

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Yes, and it's a good thing too -- I don't think I can change it now... it's on all my stuff.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
bacon... yes, BACON, the gateway meat... the spoiler of all my good intentions sticking to pescaterianism.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
If you mean the little loud people, who look like Roomie and me, running around here and making a mess, then yes.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Yes, I am pretty awesome.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM?
Pfft, it's merely a tool for the unwashed masses.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Yes, all 15 of them.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Do you jump off high places and hope to be saved by an elastic tied to your leg? Huh?

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Frosted Flakes... They're Grrr...Awesome!

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
How do you untie zip-up boots?

12. FAVORITE LOCAL RESTAURANT?
Wasabi Bistro... okay, actually, any place that will serve me sushi is my favourite restaurant.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
green tea gelato... yes, it's not ice cream, but I don't know if I really have a favourite... alright fine, mint chocolate chip

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Their crotches... there, I said it... I look at your crotch first... Just kidding. Hair. I notice your hair first. And that's the hair ON YOUR HEAD.

15. RED OR PINK?
Why do you limit my colour choices? I like RED.

16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
My perpetually dry skin... I'm always needing to slather.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
Long distance family... they're far away, and never come over to sample my banana muffins. Isn't that horrible? And rude? Yes, they are horribly rude. And they shun my banana muffins. I no longer miss them.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST?
Yes, I want everyone else to expose themselves like I am. It's quite liberating.

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
Brown yoga pants and invisible shoes.

20. LAST THING YOU WATCHED ON YOUTUBE?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rW6M8D41ZWU

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
My daughter's demands that I smell her feet. Yeah, she has no respect for the laptop situation. I will smell her feet when I'm good and ready.

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Magenta. No, sparkly magenta. Yeah.

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
My kids' heads, banana muffins, garlic frying in butter

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
My sister... and she was sitting in her car in front of my house. Her first words: "Are you all awake yet?" It was 11:30am. Weirdo.

25. Do you know the person who sent this to you?
That "build like a Mack truck" cousin of mine... he's so endearing ;)

26. WHAT SPORTS DO YOU LIKE TO WATCH?
Monster truck rallies... kidding... men's hula kahiko competition... woohoo!

27. HAIR COLOR?
black with some brown and grey mixed in places... it's in a period of transition, so I'll have to get back to you in a few years for a final answer.

28. EYE COLOR?
brown/black... with white on the ball part

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
WHAT???... oh, wait, that's hearing-aids... yes, I wear contacts.

30. FAVORITE FOOD?
sushi... and it should also be everyone else's favourite food.

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
happy endings... will also accept "scary movie with happy ending"

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
Princess Bride... it was the kids' first time watching it... Mini kept getting confused but Lam loved it.

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
Brown, but not as brown as my pants... it is although darker than the brown sweater I'm wearing. Roomie once said he doesn't trust people who wear all brown. Okay, *please* tell me he's weirder than me.

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Summer... but cooler and with less mosquitoes... kinda like Spring.

35. HUGS OR KISSES?
Both... in abundance... from my little family.

36. FAVORITE DESSERT?
Pavlova... with blueberries, strawberries, and egg-white for protein, it's quite healthy... really... no, really...

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
They will remain nameless. They have reps to protect.

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
See #37.

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
A Room with a View by EM Forster and the IKEA 2008 catalogue... it's still a book, you know.

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
A picture of Brad Pitt naked... unfortunately, my mouse pad is also invisible...

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
The last thing I saw before I dozed off was an informercial for TurboJam... they were just too perky for so late at night.

42. FAVORITE SOUNDS?
My family laughing, my kids singing, either of my kids saying "I love you, Mama", my husband saying "Don't cook, let's order in", a really good dance tune, any of my girlfriends saying "hey, let's go for sushi"...

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Beatles

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Cancun... in hurricane season... you just don't get hurricanes at home.

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
Pineapple cutting... hula dancing... fingernail growing...

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Manila

47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
See #37.

nothing says 'I love you' like men in fig leaf underpants

I don't think you could call Roomie's and my courtship conventional. He didn't woo me. Oh, he'd "WOO!!!" at me a lot, but flowers and poems? Nope. And that's just peachy with me.

Valentine's Day has never meant anything significant to us. (Are we weird? I don't know. We're weird, aren't we?... sigh... anyway...)

What has meant more are the things that we've shared in the almost-17 years since the night we declared each other boyfriend-girlfriend, I attacked him from across the car in my parents driveway, and he stopped kissing me long enough to kick me out of his Volare. What a prude, eh?!

Anyway, Roomie was smart enough to realize that the way to my heart was to make me laugh -- oh, and to be a brilliant scientist-guy, of course.

After all these years together, we have the code words, inside jokes, and special familiarity where just one word will send us into fits of hysteria, driving our kids to look at us like we've gone nuts... again and again and again...

Anyway, a few weeks ago, Roomie said one word* that took me WAY BACK to the day he called me into the bedroom and showed me the following. And I knew I was his, hook-line-and-sinker. Check it out...





* - YATTA!!!

mini-me strikes again

Mini-Me is essentially me without The Filter.

What's The Filter?

It's the thing that tells us to think before we act -- you know, the thing that on occasion saves adults from being arrested or institutionalized.
Let's face it, filter-free kids are cute and fun. Filter-free adults? Potentially weird and creepy.

Anyway, my care-free, filter-free daughter often just does and says whatever pops into her cute little brain. She also has a tendency to pull up her shirt and giggle -- in the privacy of our home, thank heavens, but still!

Yesterday, the kids were sitting, chatting, and giggling in the diningroom. From my perch in the kitchen, I overheard...

Mini: "Hey, Lam, look at my GIANT NIPPLE!"

Rushing over, I saw...


I laughed until my gut hurt.

Many thanks to Mini for recreating the moment so her proud Mama could capture her daughter's filter-free-ness and share it with the world. I love you, funny girl! :)

about my first because she's having her second

Congratulations, dear Myrtle!!! :)

She announced on Saturday -- her birthday -- that she has Bun #2 in the oven, so I'm officially allowed to congratulate her and talk/blog/mention it without fear of being shunned, disowned, and/or pelted by sushi -- not that Myrtle would ever do that to anyone, nor would I complain because, hey, FREE SUSHI!

To celebrate, I'm doing a baby-related Facebook meme (yes, there's ANOTHER ONE making its rounds). This one's about my First Born, my Lam, very early on, when he was just baby Lam.

If you want to do this too, please go ahead. Just let me know so I can come and see yours!

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? Yes. I charted my temperature, ate right, took my prenatal vitamins prior -- hey, I was in training!

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? For a year and a half.

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? "Oh, FINALLY! All that sex was getting tiresome!"

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? And deprive the world of my phenomenal off-spring?! Hell no!

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 31

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? Period was late -- Pee'd on a stick. You know, same ol', same ol'.

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? The guy who was in the shower at the time -- luckily, that guy was Roomie.

8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? No. There are so few REAL good surprises in the world, so why ruin it? But my instincts at first were screaming BOY -- Then Roomie used his Powers of Convincing to fool me into thinking it was a girl. I'm so foolie sometimes.

9. DUE DATE? July 5 - which would've been my Tatay Nonong's 93rd birthday (he's my paternal grandfather)

10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? Oh, yeah! As in "It's Morning Somewhere" Sickness... 24/7 for the first 3 months. At 8 weeks, I went on a girls' weekend in Toronto with my girlfriends Myrtle and Sly -- in the morning, we all barfed: me because I was preg, and them because they, well, they were very lushy. ;)

11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? mango

12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? my parents, the smell of a running dishwasher, the smell of Roomie's bicycle tires in the livingroom, the fact that I couldn't eat ANY SUSHI!

13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? Boy

14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? Nope

15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? 35

16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? Yup, 2 of 'em! One from my Village of friends, and the other hosted by my family. Lots of loot.

17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? Kinda.

18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? Yes - Gestational Diabetes at 32 weeks -- no chocolate cake and pasta for the rest of the pregnancy -- had to poke my finger everday to test my blood sugar. I was surprised that the GD would be done as soon as I birthed the placenta! -- I demanded a chocolate cake in my first post-partum meal. :)

19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? St. Boniface General Hospital - but, because I was induced, I didn't get one of those cushy birthing rooms that look like a hotel suite. Bummer.

20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? 21 Hours -- after I was induced.

21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? Roomie

22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? Roomie and my sister were my labour coaches -- although Roomie kept falling asleep while he was counting my pushing. Seriously, he was standing up and kept dozing off! "1.. 2.. 3.. 4.. 5........" annoyed wife-in-labour shakes his hand "oh, 6.. 7.. 8.. 9.. 10"

23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? Natural

24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? A very nice epidural that only made my left butt-cheek numb (I was labouring on my left side) -- but it did give me a chance to not be such a pain to my husband and sister that they were able to sleep.

27. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 7 lbs. 2 oz.

28. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN? June 29

30. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? L.A.M.

31. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? 6 years and 8 months -- brilliant, cute, and awesome, of course. :)

week 5: sometimes numbers aggravate me

... especially when they are on a scale, and the damn needle won't budge.

I know -- I know -- POUNDS mean absolutely nothing. It's the bodyfat I should be focusing on. And I am. It's just that I like getting my feedback from the numbers on the scale. I guess I'm still rather engineer-y that way.

Okay, so the freakin' needle hasn't moved, but I've noticed enough changes that I know I'm gaining more lean muscle, losing fat, and making significant progress...

1: My jeans are fitting better. Yeah, I know I said that last week, but I like saying it: "My jeans are fitting better." There.

2: Sleeves don't feel as tight on my arms.

3: My BRA is looser. Not around the torso, but the cup.
No surprise. This is one of the first places that shrinks when I lose fat. No, I'm not worried -- I've got more than enough boobage to handle a little deflation.

4: My muscles respond better, stronger, faster (cue Six-Million-Dollar Man theme) without soreness the next day.

Especially when it came to shifting my weight, catching the kids, and balancing myself, walking to and from school yesterday on our city-wide ice rink.

Seriously, I felt like Lara Croft or Wonder Woman or the Cat in the Hat, balancing the cake, the ship, and the fish in the pot (before he came tumbling down).

See? That's me.

random things about my girlie-girl...

It's Mini's turn -- for the illness and for a tribute. :)
She's not feverish, but she's lethargic, mucus-y, and burning through tissues like her brother burns through McDonald's french fries.

My little Miss-Clever-4yo is an absolute angel -- so loving and so caring. Here are more things about this awesome girl, I'm sure you'd love to know...

1: Mini taught herself math. She had just turned 4 when she came up to me, fingers up, and said, "Mama, 1 plus 3 is 4!" And it's only improved since her brother started quizzing her on a near-daily basis.

2: When Mini is sick, she refuses to blow her nose. She will wait for it to dribble out then wipe it up.

3: Four of her stuffed animals: (1) Queenie, (2) Mermaid, (3) Cute, (4) Love.

4: Mini has the highest score in the family on Mario Party 7. She's reached "Brutal" level.



5: Once, Mini cried at the dinner table because there was NO broccoli.

6: Mini has her own blog. It's by invitation only. Yeah, she's THAT cool.

7: Mini will only come with me for coffee with my girlfriends if I bring my laptop. Otherwise, she will not want to go with me -- in other words, I am not allowed to go.

8: Mini is my garden helper. Oh, no, that's not right -- it's really HER garden, and I'm allowed to help her tend it.

9: Mini has natural grace, coordination, and the makings of an awesome dancer. She fast-forwards to the dancing segments of Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses and dances along.

10: Mini is the reason why we bolted our bookshelves into the wall studs. She is a climber. Like a cat, she'll get on anything to be higher. Even a little bit. Even if it's just onto the wheels of the dolley the new dishwasher was sitting on. See?


Yeah, I don't get it either...

it's totally sweeping the nation

I can predict quite accurately how disease will sweep through my household:

Stage 1:
Lam catches it from school, gets sick, and brings it home. (Roomie may, 5% of the time, bring the pestilence home if his students are sick -- but yeah, 5% of the time.)
Stage 2: (2-3 days later)
I catch it -- I always do.
Stage 3: (4 days - 1 week later)
Mini -- if she will get sick at all -- will now catch it.
Stage 4:
At this point, if Roomie wasn't the origin, he will get it from any of us -- if he is in fact destined to get it.

Anyway, right now, we're at Stage 3. Lam is doing better and he's at school, but Mini and I aren't doing too well.

Meh, aside from feeling like crap (and having to bring Lam to and from school), we really don't mind. Mini gets to play video games, all day, uninterrupted by her brother, and I can watch the CSI:NY Marathon on SpikeTV.



Yeah, I'm hooked on CSI:NY. Sure, it's graphic, but it really does appeal to the geek in me -- I love the use of science to solve a puzzle. I also watch CSI and CSI:Miami, but my favourite is CSI:NY. Eddie Cahill and Carmine Giovinazzo are definitely easy on the eyes, but you know who really does it for me?

GARY SINISE.
He's not conventionally handsome, nowhere near pretty-boy, and not rugged and scruffy like the men on my List. Actually, he's not easy to categorize.

But he sizzles on screen.

I don't think it's like Ed Harris using The Force on Ali. Because I KNOW who uses The Force on me: that evil hottie-hot hotster Ed Quinn, who, whenever I take him off my List, I'm compelled to put him back on again -- near the top, I might add -- because I see him for like two freaking seconds on Eureka, and I'm hooked!
And he plays a total pompous jerk too. But he's a pompous scientist-guy jerk. I know! How can I stay mad at him? He's a scientist-guy!!!

[Updated 09/02/06: I can't believe I'd forgotten that Ed Quinn was actually on CSI:NY! Even as Stella's scary psycho boyfriend, he was hot -- not scientist-guy hot, but still HAWT!]

Wait a minute, I was talking about Gary Sinise. (See?! Ed Quinn and his damn Force!) Gary's Detective Mac Taylor is so strong and take-charge, yet so, yes, scientist-guy. And that episode where he's running around the building, soaking wet, gun in hand, rockin' that black t-shirt, and chasing the bad guys, it's almost like Ed who?

Almost.

Anyway, I'm going to stop now, because I feel like I'm cheating on my pretend boyfriend Gerard Butler.

haven in the long cold winter and dental sedation -- of course...

We have a lot of bunnies running around our neighbourhood -- even in the winter.

It's not easy out there in the cold, and lately the wind just picks up without warning.
So, during one of their Saturdays out shoveling, Roomie and Mini decided to make a small quinzhee in our yard for them to take shelter. With a few carrots inside. It's facing toward the house so it's protected from the wind, and so we can see it from our big picture window.

As you can see, right behind it close to the sidewalk is an inukshuk made of snow blocks.

Father and daughter wanted the bunny to be sure he/she would know where to go for a nice carrot snack and a place to hangout.

Because, remember, bunnies are clever.

Frankly, I think Mini had other plans.

In other news...

The kids had dental appointments yesterday. They don't mind going to see their dentist. Seriously! It's not just me trying to tell you my kids are angels -- even though they TOTALLY are.

No, their dentist lures them with various non-sugar treats:
(1) a toy train that drives around the office and examination rooms,
(2) Disney movies to watch while they wait,
(3) new toothbrushes, stickers, and a trinket they get to pick themselves.

And a new addition: a Playstation in the the waiting room. Wah-hoo!!!

I KNOW!!! All I got in my dentist's waiting room when I was a kid were a bunch of old Reader's Digests!

Anyway, no problems, no cavities for either of them, but Lam is getting quite impatient. He's still waiting for his 4 top front teeth! His dentist said they should show up very soon -- within the next 6 months by the looks of the tooth buds in his gums.

How'd he get this way?

Four years ago, he had to have the baby teeth surgically removed -- they'd come in early, were weak, and eroded down to near the gum line.
To avoid any abscess and damage to his permanent teeth, the damaged teeth were removed. Because he was 2, we opted for the general anesthetic rather than the other option, which was -- get this -- sedating and strapping to a board!

If it happened now? Well, the sedating (and NOT strapping onto a board) would be a viable option, because he's older and would understand what was going on.
And afterward, he'd be all funny like this...


stuff I thought you knew about me but actually didn't

Okay, so after being tagged a bajillion times (okay, it was only 3, but I like saying bajillion -- makes me feel famous -- like Madonna) with the 25 things meme that's sweeping the nation (aka Facebook), I decided "Alright, already!" and did mine.

I really didn't think I had any new info to share, since I have this blog, and, you know, I don't know how to hold back. (Because I apparently don't consider talking about my "womanly cycles" TMI.)

So, I couldn't help but go "hm" when some of my blog-reading FB friends said, "Hey, I didn't know that about you!"

Now, who am I to turn down a free post situation?! I'm reposting my 25 Things here on my blog for my readers who haven't friended me on Facebook.

Check it out...

1. I hate talking on the phone. If you call me, you will be speaking to my machine. I will then call you back and talk to *your* machine. On second thought, just email me.

2. I would prefer NOT to be called "Candy" anymore. I have decided that it will be my stripper name -- you know, just like Clark Kent's stripper name is Superman... oh no, wait...

3. As a child, I was busy almost every night with some lesson or other: swimming, hula dance, ice-skating, organ, piano, tae kwon do. All work and no play makes Nen a highly-skilled, exhausted, young girl.

4. I know all the words to the Spiderman Theme from the 60s, and I sing it to my kids upon request, much to the amusement of the people at Canadian Tire last March.

5. I don't drink alcohol anymore, with the exception of a glass of egg nog at the Harmzie Christmas party each year. That stuff is evil good. I just have to stand beside the bowl and get drunk on the fumes.

6. I used to play bass guitar in a new wave rock group called The Contrast. We were also considering calling the band Tragic Element, Mots Nouveau, and The Algonquins. We weren't really serious about the last one. Or were we?

7. I've had 3 boyfriends. Ever. In this lifetime. No, not at the same time. I married the last one.

8. In university, a classmate stood on his chair, and, in front of the lecture hall full of students, declared me the most beautiful woman in the world he'd ever seen. No, that isn't the reason why I married him. I also don't remember this happening.

9. Despite -- or maybe, because of -- having religiously devout parents, playing organ at church (under duress I might add), and attending Catholic elementary school (St. Edward's School) and high school (St. Mary's Academy), I don't go to church or follow any organized religion any longer.

10. I am the only filipino I know who doesn't LOVE Karaoke. There. I said it.

11. I wish I hadn't gone back to Engineering after 1st year.

12. I wish I'd moved out of my parents' house WAY before the age of 23. I tried when I was 21, but they wouldn't let me.

13. In the Philippines, I had a pet chicken named Manok that my grandmother gave me. It died when I gave it a bath and left it out in the hot sun to dry. I was 2yo.

14. I will live in an eco-home that we build ourselves, be it slowly reno by reno or by complete tear-down and re-build.

15. I went on 2 honeymoons: (1) the typical tropical honeymoon in Cancun, and (2) the "geek" honeymoon at the dinosaur museum in Drumheller. (2) was my favourite.

16. I love hanging out at coffee shops with my kids and just chatting. They are crazy fun and have some great ideas.

17. Some people think my first celebrity crush was Scott Baio. Ha! Wrong! It was Donny Osmond. Because, you know, he was a little bit rock 'n' roll.

18. I would eat sashimi and pavlova everyday, if possible.

19. The words guaranteed to make me cry: "I love you, Mama." Seriously. Total blubbering idiot.

20. When I lived in Hawai'i, my apartment faced a lagoon, which we had to stroll through to get to the grocery store and mall. Of course the lagoon was filled with crazy tropical ducks. Man, they were nuts.

21. My thumbs are different from each other. One is just slightly longer than the other. Ask me to show you next time you see me. It means I'm clever, hot, and can make a mean banana muffin. It's true, you know.

22. I can't drink regular milk anymore because, after drinking soymilk all this time, cow milk tastes too much like "cow".

23. As corny as it sounds, my husband really is my best friend.

24. My favourite day is spent here at home -- hubby, kids and me in our pajamas -- relaxing.

25. I'm a pescatarian. That means "vegetarian who eats fish"... oh, wait, no, it means "SEXY vegetarian who eats fish". There, that's better.

week 4: another one bites the dust

That's the song that really got me into Queen. It's that bass. Gets me every time.

Whoa, hold on a minute. My son just said fushizzle. Fushizzle?! Are you freakin' kidding me?! He's 6, for pete's sake. Fushizzle?
He's on the family room computer playing Cardjitsu on Club Penguin against his sister, who's on the dining room computer. (And I'm typing this on my laptop in the livingroom -- Yeah, this place is geek heaven.)
Anyway, fushizzle.

Damn. I have to go and make sure he doesn't shizzle his dizzle. OMGWTFBBQ! Hang on.

Okay, I'm back. Where was I?

Oh yeah, another one bites the dust. Or should I say... another pound bites the dust.

I was back on track again last week. The water retention, cravings, and lethargy -- a distant memory. And I was ready to start experimenting again!

As many of you know, I do a ridiculous amount of research on health and fitness, so much that I tend to get stuck at the "research and planning" stage and never advance to the actual "implementing" stage. A remnant of my software design engineering days? Perhaps.
(And because of this, my husband often dismisses any kind of fitness advice I give him, citing my lack of firsthand results as reason to believe I'm a raving lunatic never to be believed. Damn his logic.)

Anyway, needless to say, during the downtime/maintenance/stare-at-my-pretend-boyfriend period of week 3, I did even MORE research, which meant week 4 was my week to implement my findings...

What I did:
1: Continued my alternating tabata/resistance training and interval training workouts -- except I did them in the morning before breakfast but after a glass of water.
2: Ate high protein breakfasts of an egg white omelette and a protein shake.
3: Stuck to 3 meals/day instead of the "recommended" 5-6. (I really started gaining weight when I started doing the frequent meals thing.)
4: Did a once-a-week mini-fast on Wednesday - A mini-fast (a fast which last less than 24 hours no more than twice a week) increases GH serum, regulates the release of fat stores, and will NOT slow metabolism.
5: Continued to avoid sugar... no Treat Day for me!

What happened:
1: Loss of one pound - which I'm thinking is just fat; no loss of muscle.
2: A noticeable loosening of my jeans - and these are my fat winter jeans that were tight at New Year's.
3: The softening of the fat on my face and midsection - they've lost that dense feeling; more mushy now.
4: No sore muscles - time to step up the intensity of my resistance training.

I still haven't purchased calipers to measure my bodyfat accurately, and I'm still terrified to pull out the measuring tape. Soon. I'll be brave eventually.

Total Pounds Lost: 4 (16-ish more to go!)

Now, one of my goals is to wear a bikini by July, so, with that goal looking more and more attainable, I decided to start looking at bikinis online. These are from Nordstrom.com. The burgundy's my favourite! Inspiring, non?! :)