a barbeque with loved ones through the haze of pina colada

Harmzie, Max, Roomie and I go way back to our university days, when we were just 4 crazy engineering students. And now, after a wedding, numerous martini nights, a young hottie bartender, a walkathon, another wedding, 5 kids, and 2 blogs later, we're still making memories.
Thankfully, we have digital cameras to help us remember these memories when we're too drunk to do it on our own.

I hope you enjoy the pictures of our evening at Harmzie and Max's. I'm rather hungover and maybe a little drunky still -- yes, with my last drink at 10pm last night -- so my captions may not be entirely spot on. I wish me luck. Thank you.

Here we are enjoying Max's pulled pork barbeque.

In clockwise order around the table, starting at 1 o'clock: Max, Roomie, Stewie, Lam, Mini, Pepper, Norah, Harmzie, and the empty chair beside her is mine.

I was told that Max's pulled porked was Carolina style -- so we were thinking of you Country Girl by way of that reverse stalking thing Harmzie and I like to do. :)


See how Harmzie lovingly presents her drink? I like to call this photo "My precious."

The evening started off with a pina colada. This is NOT a pina colada.
This lovely Orangina-esque delight was a during-dinner drink. It did not make me as drunk as the pre-dinner pina colada did. And it was oh-so-tasty.

I can see why Harmzie loves it. She told me what was in it, but I was too drunk to remember.



Now, I present the Max's Meat portion of this photo collection. Harmzie suggested the name. Really. It was ALL HER. :)

Photo 1: "Max cutting his meat".
Photo 2: "Roomie eating Max's meat".
Photo 3: "Max eating his own meat".

After dinner, the kids did this...

And later, Mini and Pepper yoinked Lam's drink and did this...

... while the big people drank this (mmm... blender drinks...)...

But not the little cars -- those were Stewie's. To play with -- not to drink.

And for the grand finale, Harmzie and me resplendent in our awesomeness in the photo entitled "She's Touching My Butt"...

Yeah, we're lucky. We have kinky friends we love. You should get some too. They totally rock!

PSAs: because you won't like me when I'm stabby.

PSA #1: Don't make fun of blogging.
Just because the word "blog" sounds funny doesn't make it a joke. And if it is joke to you, it's not to me, so show a little respect.
I blog about my life, so making fun of blogging is pretty darn close to making fun of my life.
Okay, so you don't know how blogs "work" -- it's not hard. Just bite the bullet and try, you neo-luddite! Gah!

PSA #2: I teach my kids manners -- you should teach yours manners too...
... so that I will gladly invite them over again without fear of them...
(1) swearing at and threatening to kill my son - even as a joke
(2) destroying my house because they're not allowed to destroy their own
(3) going into areas of my house where they are NOT allowed
(4) hurting themselves because they're running around and screaming too bloody loudly for them to hear any danger warnings.

PSA #3: I am what I tweet -- I tweet what I am.
I don't lie on Twitter. I don't make stuff up just to entertain my followers.
I will not have untruths attached to the name on my profile, because it's my real name and the one I use on the blogs I write for (please forgive the danglies). It's called integrity.
If I happen to tweet something that "doesn't sound like me", then you probably don't know me as well as you think you do... or my husband has once again hijacked my laptop.

PSA #4: Don't ask me how my parents are doing.
Unlike many filipino families, I don't have a relationship with my parents. I don't expect you to understand -- I just expect you to respect it, and DO NOT TRY TO FIX IT. You know nothing of my past with my parents. And they won't tell you the truth, because it will make them look bad.
They're retired, and have plenty of time to spare, yet they've never made an effort to see me or their own grandchildren. Every attempt on my part for a get-together has been shot down by them. My mother would rather go to the casino, and my father doesn't care that he hasn't even met Mini. Yeah, I'm done with them.

PSA #5: Yes, I drink booze.
I always have -- I always will. See that picture? This is me drunk. Yes, I'm a cute and loving drunk. I just drink very rarely. Usually at social gatherings only. And a VERY small amount.
Depending on numerous variables, a drink can either make me feel fine or make me feel like I've just ingested poison. And there's no way to predict how I'll feel ahead of time.
So, oftentimes, I just don't drink.
However, if the mood strikes, I will have a plum wine, a nice red, a gin and tonic, or even a cosmo. And when I do, I am not "caving", being weak, or breaking any rules.
And I accept the painful consequences with a great deal of self-loathing.


Yet another concept I stole from the super-fly Ali, because I so want to be her, but because I'm a small dark-haired filipina, and not a small blond non-filipina, I'll just copy her brilliant post ideas instead.

maybe I should buy cereal more often...

... because look at the prize I got at the bottom of my newest box of Cheerios...


As you can see, it's similar to the kind of trap Mini came up with last December. She was so proud the cat took the bait she'd set up.

Mittens didn't seem to care. It's just another cave for her to sleep in.

it's been 9 years? already?! wow!

It feels like just yesterday that I dragged Roomie kicking and screaming in his bare feet (really!) to the altar at Leo Mol Sculpture Garden to vow to love and honour me forever and ever. As if he really had a choice -- I'm just too lovable to resist.
But no, it's been 9 years. In fact, it's been 17 years since we started dating. And look at us, we're still like a couple of teenagers. Actually, my friend Sue said that, and I have to agree.

Now, as a tribute to my Roomie and our 9th Wedding Anniversary, I present the 9 Point Roomie & Nen Retrospective (I know, lame, but I couldn't think of a better name)...

Anyway, here we go:

1: The Meeting - Fall 1987
It was during my 1st year Frosh Week in the University of Manitoba's Engineering Program. See this picture? In the Engineering building on the far left. You only see the corner. Yeah, there.
I don't remember meeting Roomie. He was in 2nd year. He says he doesn't remember meeting me either. I think he was drunk.
Well, actually, I thought he was crazy, and I avoided him throughout 1st term. Freak. We became friends 4 years later.

2: The Dating - Spring 1992
It was 3am when we declared our like for each other. In his car. On my parents' driveway. I kissed him. He kicked me out of his car.
Two weeks later, we went on our first date. Yeah, we are very non-linear. We went to Basil's in the Village. It closed down years later, so I don't have a picture of the place. But here's a picture of the place we went on our 2nd date: Alycia's on McGregor. Mmmm... perogies...

3: The Moving In Together - Summer 1995
I moved into an apartment in Roomie's building (see picture - he was on the 15th floor). Not his. Another apartment. Or as Harmzie put it, I rented an apartment for my cat and spent most of my time at Roomie's. When his lease ended, he was too lazy to find a new apartment for himself, so he moved in with me. It was an easy move -- an elevator ride to the 8th floor. He officially became Roomie. I couldn't get rid of him after that.

4: The Traveling - 1996 to 1998
After moving to different apartments throughout the city, we decided we were ready for something bigger: moving to a different land mass. So, we decided to live in Hawai'i (our building shouldbe in the lower lefthand corner). Yeah, brilliant decision. Then we moved to Vancouver. Another brilliant decision. Home to Winnipeg? The best decision. :)

5: The Infamous Naked Proposal - Spring 1999
I wasn't sure if Roomie was ever going to ask, so I took matters into my own hands. With this ring. And naked. He seemed really confused. Me? Shy and almost embarrassed, but if I was going to do it, I wanted to do it memorably. And I wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer.

6: The Wedding - Spring 2000
Non-church + non-priest + non-500-guests + non-20-bridesmaids = non-filipino wedding. Roomie's BIL was our JP, and the boys wore barongs. It was a wedding in the park with lots of trees and dimes. Yeah, we threw dimes at our guests. There was lots of booze and boob talk. And 80s music. It was perfect.

7: The New-to-Us House - Spring 2002
With a baby on the way, we decided to buy a house. We walked into this one, and we felt at home. Actually, I looked at the kitchen/familyroom addition, said "I'm home", and Roomie wisely said, "Yes, dear." You do not disagree with a 6-month pregnant woman.

8: The Birth of Lam - Summer 2002
Me: "Honey, I'm ready for the epidural now." Roomie: "Do you want to think about it first?" "I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT IT FOR 2 HOURS!" And then I ripped his head off. Ten hours after that -- 21 hours in total -- and after Roomie fell asleep while counting my pushes, we had our little Lam. We were in love.

9: The Birth of Mini - Summer 2004
Roomie on the cell phone: "Hello." Me at home: "Every 20 minutes." "OMG! Okay, I'll be right home!" Eleven and a half hours later, a meconium scare, and a healthy, happy first feeding, we were cuddling our new baby girl. Yup, in love, again.

This retrospective covers the adventures of our first 22 years together. Here's to another 22 years!

Happy 9th Wedding Anniversary, Sweetheart! I love you!

poll: what are your must-see movies of summer 2009?

On Sunday, I watched a movie. A movie staring these people...



OMG... isn't he hot?! I KNOW!!! The dark. The brooding. The intensity. The pointy ears.
You know I'm talking Spock, right? Oh, don't tell me you're surprised -- you know that I love me my scientist-guys.

Roomie had already seen Star Trek twice -- once with his old buddies and again with Lam -- so I decided to watch the flick by myself. Yep, *alone*. I didn't bother calling anyone to come with me.
Watching a movie alone is a rare treat. Really. I used to do this once in a while when I was single. I'd do it more often if I could, but I often find myself with a tall, cute, scruffy man wanting to tag along. No complaints -- as I said, he's cute.

Now that I've seen Monsters vs. Aliens and Star Trek, my dream of seeing as many of 2009's Summer Blockbusters is well underway. Other movies I'd like to see are:

• Angels & Demons - I watched its predecessor, The Da Vinci Code, alone. As a non-practicing Catholic daughter of pseudo religious fanatics, I found myself squirming in my seat a lot. Meh, you can never have too much "burning in hell" kinda fun, I say!

• X-Men Origins: Wolverine - With Hugh Jackman, Ryan Reynolds, Taylor Kitsch, and Liev Schreiber on screen, I'd be happy watching this movie with the sound off. That's what I told Ali, and I've never been more serious in my life.

• Terminator Salvation - I've seen the other 3. I'd like to see how it ends. I still think they should've gotten Arnie to reprise his role, and have him say something like "See? I told you I'd be back."

• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - Despite my deep loathing of Shai LaBeouf, I've loved the Transformers forever. I even watched Beasties, solely for its nerdy computer animation awesomeness, of course.

• Year One - I saw the preview for this movie when I watched Star Trek. Jack Black makes me laugh out loud. And maybe snort once in a while. I cannot drink a beverage while watching his movies. I will just choke otherwise.

How about you? Which of this summer's offerings will you be watching? Head over to the new poll on the sidebar, and chose all the flicks that will have you lining up at the box office.

my plants kicked me in the bum while my daughter danced...

Behold! My front yard garden. Ain't it splendiferous in all its awesomosity?! (Thanks, Country Girl! ;D)

Go on. Click on the picture for a better look. Really, it's worth it, if I do say so myself.

Thanks to the *ALL DAY EXTRAVAGANZA* of dividing and transplanting of plants, and redesigning of the flowerbeds, I...

• didn't have to spend more than $19.50 on new plants (bought at my kids' school fundraising).
  
• only had to buy $4.00 of top soil.
  
• have a fuller, better-looking garden rather than just a lawn.
  
• now have sore arms, sore legs, and an aching back.
  

Yeah, that last one was a testament to how OUT OF SHAPE I am. Remember the 2lbs/week I lost? Yeah, well, I got sick and gained most of it back. I'm one of those crazy people whose appetite goes up when I'm sick. Unreal, eh?!
I lay around, blow my nose, cough, and moan... and eat. And I crave mostly bready things. Yup, sick and carby. That's me.

Anyway, I've been wanting to dig my fingers in the soil and get dirt under my nails for months, since this...



In my excitement, I pushed myself with some wild and crazy digging, dividing, and hauling of big bags of dirt. I would've also used some of our compost, but Roomie snags all of it for his veggie garden out back. Maybe if I make with a striptease, a forbidden dance, or maybe a sandwich, he'd spare me some. So, yeah, sore and achy.

Anyway, here are a few close-ups. I divvied up the bergenia, primula, and my son's purple plant that I don't remember the name of. You'll notice some allium, snow-in-summer, tulips, lamb's ears, creeping thyme, sedum, and maybe the creeping jenny. Sadly, the coleus already looks crappy and wilted. We'll see if it bounces back along with Mini's liatris -- fingers crossed.



And speaking of darling Mini, here she is dancing around Mommy. She spent most of that afternoon outside, visiting the neighbourhood kids, riding her bike, and making rock soup. Mmm... rock soup...

Okay, tell me, is Mini's pose in this shot reminicent of the Sasquatch pose? Roomie was the one who made the connection... sigh... I really don't want to say he's right, but...

why I'm sticking to 2...

I was going to write a post yesterday about how annoyed I am at The Space Channel for airing Stargate: Atlantis from Sunday to Wednesday each week. Seriously, WEDNESDAY?! Who's the brainiac who thought of that one? Now, what do I watch from 1pm to 2pm on Thursday and Friday?! I wouldn't mind if the show they aired in its place was Supernatural or Smallville reruns, but nope, they air a show I've never heard of. And if I've never heard of it, it's crap. It's a proven fact.
Anyway, yeah, I was going to write that. I didn't say it was going to be a long post. Or a particularly juicy one. So, it's a good thing I didn't write it.

Instead, I volunteered for Mini's Nursery/Kindergarten class trip to Fort Whyte, a nature centre in the south end of the city. Yes, folks, I was... offline. I hear your collective gasp. Oh, dear, whatever for, Nenette? Because I knew this would be another memory Mini and I could share in the future. Because it meant so much to her that Mommy volunteer -- she may have even wanted to show me off a bit. And well, I needed to be reminded once again why I decided to stop at 2 children.

Holy hannah, it felt like a low-grade sustained freak-out. My nerves were on edge... trying to keep my group of 4 kids together instead of running in 4 different directions... trying to answer all their questions at once... and OMG, trying to keep them from toppling off of the maze of rickety floating docks and swimming with the turtles!

But on the totally up-side, it was a sunny warm day, the bugs weren't biting, and no kids barfed on the bus going to or coming from the nature centre. Success -- and that's based on the whole no-barf thing alone!

Meanwhile, Lam had a "Snow Day" and spent the day at work with Roomie. There, he listened to his father's 2-hour AC Circuits lecture, which he said he enjoyed. Truth be told, I think Roomie paid him to say that with the french fry lunch, a video game (albeit, used), and the kites they bought afterward.
You see, I've taken AC Circuits. Fun and enjoyment aren't words I'd use. The words "brainmelting", "mindnumbing" and "sticking a fork in my eye would've been more fun" are far more applicable.

wordless - #3

in sickness and season finales

I was sick all weekend with a nasty cold. And to make matters worse, I was also menstrual and crampy as all hell! -- because we all know that cramps come from hell. As I said in twitter, Karma has finally caught up, and I'm finally having to pay for all this hottiness and gorgeocity.

And while the rest of my family did some gardening, bike riding, and looking all cute and funky like this...



... I was laid out on the loveseat under a blanket with remote in hand, laptop on lap, and Firefly in DVD player.

If I hadn't felt like crap, it would've been a fabulous, relaxing, uneventful weekend. You know, the kind where you have no kids' parties, no weddings, or no emergency home repairs. Where you order in and don't touch the stove. The kind of weekend where your beloved partner keeps the crazy younglings -- like our cute little Disruptor above -- from talking incessantly AT YOU so you can have 2 minutes to finish a thought.

Because, you know, thinking can be really awesome sometimes... like this weekend, but I won't talk about those thoughts right now. We're going to need a whole new post for that.

Instead I will talk about my homework, which I did during rare spurts of energy. Since I can't volunteer for Lam's class anymore because of this bloody totally-awesome blogging thing, they've got me cutting things up. If you read Harmzie's post about our kids' student led conferences, you'll recognize the name in this picture. Their teacher had the pages of their New Pork City citizen book laminated, and my job was to trim off the extra plastic to those and to the pie shapes you see in the upper right corner.
Apparently, they're doing fractions soon.

Now, the Supernatural, Smallville, and Fringe season finales -- OMG! So did ya watch them? Holy crap!

I don't think I should ever meet Jared Padeleki in person. Seriously, look at this picture. I will pin him down and lick his face. Just saying.
Okay, anyway, our hottie hot boys were doing their dark and brooding, which we all adore. But OMG, I loved the whole "so that's what Ruby was up to!" I kinda feel like I should've known that but, nope, I totally didn't.
Now that Lilith's been offed, and the Big Bad Boy's been released, next season sounds mighty promising.

I'm glad Smallville's been renewed for another season because that finale was weak. I'm talking "hot smoldering date with dinner, dancing, drinks, then getting to his place and finding he forgot to get condoms" kind of weak. If burying Doomsday was all it took to off him, they could've done that a long time ago and moved on to getting Clark and Lois making crazy monkey-lovin'. And where was the earth-shattering battle? Not even 5 minutes. Clark's shirt was barely torn, which was a HUGE disappointment.
As for Clark turning his back on Chloe at the end, when she is totally alone with Lois somewhere in the future and Jimmy dead? WRONG! He'd never do that. And ZOD?! Don't drop the ball on this one next season, people.

Doesn't Olivia look sah-weet in this picture? And Walter looks so young. But Peter looks like he's got a broom handle shoved up his butt. Speaking of Peter, OMG, our Peter isn't really our Peter! Holy cow! Throughout the season, there was a ton of hints that things weren't right. Memories didn't jive. And Peter didn't remember any of the experiments Walter did on him. Now my question is: when did Walter fetch this Peter to replace the other deceased Peter?
Leonard Nimoy as Belly. Nice. I like that because I'm a Trek fan. But the big "Holy Crap!" was seeing the WTC towers as the way to demonstrate that Olivia was indeed in an alternate reality. Ballsy and brilliant move. No words needed. It was there, in your face, daring you to admit the truth or admit that you were either high or drunk.

Now, I've got a summer of waiting for new season. Whatever will I do to keep me occupied?

an invitation: eye candy in seattle

You have such fabulous taste -- you read this blog.

I dig that.

So, I invite you to a sweet and slick art party in Seattle.

The artist is none other than Mark Banaag of markbanaagart.com. He is also my cousin.

Wanna come along? Go here to RSVP. Go. GO NOW!!!

mama loves friends, firefly & her super-groovy family

Hold on to your hats, folks, for this is my Mother's Day post. Before you get all judgy judgerson on me for being so late, I'll have you know I was busy writing my latest article for the Canada Moms Blog on my non-love of camping.

Okay, anyway, Mother's Day...
The first words I heard that morning came from my little Mini saying "Happy Mother's Day, Mama" in her sleepy little voice without Daddy reminding her. OMG, what an awesome start to my day!

The awesomeness continued when my wee-ones harassed Daddy -- instead of their lounging-on-the-couch-with-cup-o'-green-tea-watching-Fringe-and-Supernatural-and-Smallville Mommy -- for stuff like juice, food, and treats.

Oh yes! And while they showered their dad with "bring us stuff" duties, they showered me with hugs, kisses, and these...



DVDs, a beauiful plant holder made by a creative little artist, and a special story written by a special author. And I was just expecting chocolate! Woohoo!

The DVDs were the BIG surprise, because when I told Roomie, "I'd love to have Friends Season 1", I wrongly assumed he was thinking of math or sandwiches and NOT listening to me.

And as for Firefly, he's my Roomie. He read the post. He knows that Nathan Fillion would be the perfect appetizer. Lip smackin', covered-in-honey-and-berries kind of appetizer, all drippy and gooey. Yum.

Dang these hot dudes for making me digress again! Anyway...

For lunch, Roomie and the kids dropped me off at Sushi-Ya for some mommy-time-alone sushi lunch on their way to see Gramma.

Where I ate the awesome Flower Roll you see here.
And a huge sashimi boat you don't see here because I'd forgotten the camera at home.

Afterward, I walked over to Starbucks for a Mocha Frap and some twilaxin'.

Back at home, after some gardening in the frontyard, I was treated to an all-girls' picnic for dinner by my sweet little girl. Yeah, all-in-all, awesome.

Okay, NOW, I'm ready to put this year's Mother's Day to bed.

Night-night, Mom's Day... see ya next year! :)

welcome to nerdville. population: me...

When one laptop isn't enough...


At least both my hands are on one laptop. If I had a hand on each, my nerd quotient would've been through the roof.

Hey, where's my cup of green tea?...

too busy to get in trouble. obviously.

I've been...

• scrambling to meet deadlines
  
• singing out loud to songs I love
  
• loving poached eggs with salsa for breakfast
  
• knitting a blanket of rainbow hue for my beautiful little girl
  
• shrinking by 2 pounds every week
  
• playing 'Gramma' to Mini's baby
  
• anticipating bright green foliage and delicate red blooms
  
• dreaming of pretty sandals
  
• struggling with extremes of hormone-induced emotions
  
• clearing superfluous crap off my flash drive
  
• photographing my handsome little footballer
  
• losing my pants
  
• crushing on muscled mutant men
  
• loving the new plants I bought for my kids' school fundraising
  
• drowning in Mini's homemade crafts and artwork
  
• enjoying monthlies with sushi and girlfriends
  
• jonesing for dim sum
  
• waiting to paint walls white
  
• watching and reading (yes, again)
  
• twittering too much for far too long
• smelling freshly baked cookies
  
• looking forward to something awesome
  
• fantasizing about loft spaces and rooftop gardens
  
• planning to move more furniture
  
• laughing hysterically at stickdudes
  
• sloshing around in sparkly rain boots
  
• enjoying the fact that the fluffy white stuff outside this window has finally made way for spring...
  

(List Inspired by Life Begins at 30 and Hula Seventy)

2009 Blogger Friendship Award

My longtime online buddy and fellow-Scorpie, Kyooty, gave me this sexy ol' award! Thanks so much!!!

Now, it's my turn to share the love with these 8 fabulously awesome, rockin' nominees -- in alphabetical order:

1. AndreAnna - Diary of a Modern Matriarch
2. Harmzie - Harmzie's Way
3. Luc - Luc's Pictures
4. Mark - markbanaag.art
5. MusingWoman - In Three Words
6. Prairie Chicken - Here on the Prairies
7. Quel - Daily*Quel
8. Su - Vively Online

Rules:
1. Take your award here.
2. Put the logo on your post.
3. Link the person who awarded you.
4. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
5. Add links to those blogs on yours.
6. Leave a message for your nominees on their blog.

Okay, now you guys -- Go on and share the love.

like fire for cat food.

I've said on many occasions that being with Roomie eliminated the need for tv. He's a walking, talking sitcom. And now he has 2 little co-stars.

The other day, as I settled my sick self on the livingroom couch under a blanket with my throat-soothing cup of green tea, the following conversation ensued in the kitchen...

Roomie: "Why is there cat food spilled on the floor?"

Lam: "Mini pulled the dish away from the cat while she was still eating."

Me (yelling from my pirch): "Mini, don't take food away from the cat while she's eating, okay?! It's not a nice thing to do!"

Mini: "Okay, Momma!"

Roomie: "You only take away the thing the cat's eating if she's eating things like poison."

Lam: "Or if there's a fire."

Mini: "Or if she's eating fire."

Right.

Wait, what?