Love love this song :)
Watch the video here...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PWfB4lurT4
Will you count me in?
I've been awake for a while now
You got me feelin like a child now
'Cause every time I see your bubbly face
I get the tinglies in a silly place
It starts in my toes
And I crinkle my nose
Wherever it goes
I always know
That you make me smile
Please stay for a while now
Just take your time
Wherever you go
The rain is falling on my window pane
But we are hiding in a safer place
Under covers staying dry and warm
You give me feelings that I adore
It starts in my toes
Make me crinkle my nose
Wherever it goes
I always know
That you make me smile
Please stay for a while now
Just take your time
Wherever you go
What am I gonna say
When you make me feel this way
I just mmmmm
And it starts in my toes
Makes me crinkle my nose
Wherever it goes
I always know
That you make me smile
Please stay for a while now
Just take your time
Wherever you go
I've been asleep for a while now
You tuck me in just like a child now
'Cause every time you hold me in your arms
I'm comfortable enough to feel your warmth
And it starts in my soul
And I lose all control
When you kiss my nose
The feelin' shows
'cause you make me smile baby
Just take your time now
Holdin' me tight
Wherever wherever wherever you go
Wherever wherever wherever you go
wherever you go
I always know
'Cause you make me smile
Even just for a while
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
"Feed me..."
When you're pregnant, your actions, temperament and especially your diet are being influenced (consciously or unconsciously) by your pea in the pod. :)
For me, I really didn't have a bad craving unlike other preggy moms. I practically can eat or will eat anything edible hehehe (except for those that my OB told me not too) So I guess Baby J didn't have an influence on the type of food I'd eat.
But talking about the frequency when to eat...now that's a different story.
Early in my pregnancy, I would require munching every 2 hours. I would even wake up at the wee hours of the morning, 2am and then 4am and then 6am, feeling hungry and having the need to munch on something, anything.
I would usually eat a slice of bread, a few crackers or maybe a bowl of cereal. Well it would all depend on what's available and within reach.
I'd feel so sleepy but the same time sooo hungry. It's like your body is telling you "Go back to sleep..." but there's a voice whispering in your ear "Feed me..." So I would end up having no choice but to follow my stomach :)
Then on the later part of the 2nd trimester, the two hour intervals became 4 hours...whew! No more waking up in the middle of the night but mind you, there's got to be food if I asked for it. Because if not...bad mood! ahahahha
Now that I'm on my 3rd trimester, it's easier now. I don't feel hungry as much as before and still no particular cravings. Oh and this is my food schedule now :)
For me, I really didn't have a bad craving unlike other preggy moms. I practically can eat or will eat anything edible hehehe (except for those that my OB told me not too) So I guess Baby J didn't have an influence on the type of food I'd eat.
But talking about the frequency when to eat...now that's a different story.
Early in my pregnancy, I would require munching every 2 hours. I would even wake up at the wee hours of the morning, 2am and then 4am and then 6am, feeling hungry and having the need to munch on something, anything.
I would usually eat a slice of bread, a few crackers or maybe a bowl of cereal. Well it would all depend on what's available and within reach.
I'd feel so sleepy but the same time sooo hungry. It's like your body is telling you "Go back to sleep..." but there's a voice whispering in your ear "Feed me..." So I would end up having no choice but to follow my stomach :)
Then on the later part of the 2nd trimester, the two hour intervals became 4 hours...whew! No more waking up in the middle of the night but mind you, there's got to be food if I asked for it. Because if not...bad mood! ahahahha
Now that I'm on my 3rd trimester, it's easier now. I don't feel hungry as much as before and still no particular cravings. Oh and this is my food schedule now :)
- 9:30AM-10AM - wake up and grab breakfast
- 12nn - Lunch
- 3PM-4PM - merienda
- 7PM - dinner
- 10:30PM - midnight snack
- 1AM - no food just wiwi break :)
- 5AM - light snack (cracker, 1 slice of bread or pandesal)
* Well I mentioned that I didn't have a real craving during this pregnancy right. Oh I just remembered that during the 1st trimester I craved for Chili's mashed potatoes. But that was just a short stint but I really could finish the whole serving all by myself. :) Then just last month, I craved for pineapples which I NEVER and HATED eating before but then tasted oh so yummy. :) Now, I'm back to having no cravings, just make sure there's food when I ask for it! hahaha
Monday, November 26, 2007
Our dreams...
At 34 weeks, Ric and I are getting anxious and excited with the upcoming arrival of our baby :)
Well Ric is still in Hanoi and his flight will still be on the 28th of December and my estimated due date is January 8 of next year. Hopefully everything goes well and as scheduled so that Ric wouldn't have to miss Baby J's birth in case he decides to come out early (Oh no! Wait for daddy, baby.) :)
The other night, Ric and I had this conversation about what we dream for Baby J to be when he grows up.
Well being the sporty type, Ric immediately said that he dreams or would like Baby J to excel in ofcourse...basketball. "Just like Kobe" he said. So I told him, ok let's enrol him to the Milo Best Training Camp as soon as possible heheheh
We finished our conversation and said our goodnights but I wasn't able to tell Ric my dreams for Baby J. Hmmm...a successful doctor, lawyer, engineer, businessman or maybe a famous star, performer, athlete, artist...so many good things...so many dreams...
Well I realized that no matter what Baby J decides to be when he grows up, all we can do as parents is to guide, encourage and support him.
Then it came to me that I should've told him that my real dream for Baby J is... to be just like him...to be just like his dad.
Well Ric is still in Hanoi and his flight will still be on the 28th of December and my estimated due date is January 8 of next year. Hopefully everything goes well and as scheduled so that Ric wouldn't have to miss Baby J's birth in case he decides to come out early (Oh no! Wait for daddy, baby.) :)
The other night, Ric and I had this conversation about what we dream for Baby J to be when he grows up.
Well being the sporty type, Ric immediately said that he dreams or would like Baby J to excel in ofcourse...basketball. "Just like Kobe" he said. So I told him, ok let's enrol him to the Milo Best Training Camp as soon as possible heheheh
We finished our conversation and said our goodnights but I wasn't able to tell Ric my dreams for Baby J. Hmmm...a successful doctor, lawyer, engineer, businessman or maybe a famous star, performer, athlete, artist...so many good things...so many dreams...
Well I realized that no matter what Baby J decides to be when he grows up, all we can do as parents is to guide, encourage and support him.
Then it came to me that I should've told him that my real dream for Baby J is... to be just like him...to be just like his dad.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Tried and Tested Recipes
Here in Hanoi, I was able to experiment again with different recipes and create new dishes for me and my honey. It's amazing that everything is all in the web! You just have to read the instructions carefully and the rest is up to you. So here are some of the home cooked meals that we've tried and enjoyed.
Latina's Adobo
*My honey's all time favorite!
Ingredients:
pork belly (preferable the ones with alternating fat and meat)
cooking oil
onion (chopped)
garlic (pressed)
soy sauce
vinegar
pepper
sugar
boiled egg (optional)
laurel leaf (optional)
- Boil the pork belly first for about 15 minutes in water. Wash, drain and set aside.
- In a pan, heat some oil, then add the onion.
- When it becomes transparent, add the pork belly and fry until it turns brown on the edges.
- Add the soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, sugar, pepper
* The ratio of soy sauce and vinegar is 1:1. Remember to wait for the vinegar to boil before stirring or else it make the dish taste sour.
- add the boiled eggs and laurel
- leave for 20-30 minutes or until the pork gets tender
- adjust the seasonings according to your taste
Halaan (clams) and Malunggay Soup
*Remember to soak the clams in SALT water for maybe...half a day. Just so to make sure that they expelled all the sand in their systems :)
* A healthy alternative compared to the fried ones. Just go easy on the soy sauce.
http://www.pinoycook.net/cooking-food/filipino/steamed-tilapia/
Butter Garlic Shrimp (Dampa Style)
- marinate the shrimps in either Sprite or 7-up for 15-30 minutes (para mawala yung lansa)
- saute garlic in butter, pag medyo ok na, add the shrimp
- pag medyo reddish/orangey na, add knorr ginisa mix, sugar, 2 tsp. of the sprite/7up marinade, para di sya dry, mix ulit.
yung seasonings, i-adjust niyo na lang according to your preference.
- you may add chili powder or sweet chilli sauce para medyo spicy.
* from http://www.femalenetwork.com/girltalk/index.php/topic,73461.60.html
Adobong Kangkong
*The ever famous kangkong comes alive with a lemon twist
http://www.recipehound.com/Recipes/3851.html
Pork Tongkatsu
*I never thought this dish would be so easy to make.
http://www.kitchencow.com/2006/12/05/bento-cheerer-upper/
Chicken Fillet with Oyster Sauce (Fried Rice Topping)
*You can also use shrimps for this one.
http://www.pinoycook.net/cooking-food/pinoy-cook-originals/chicken-and-rice/
Latina's Adobo
*My honey's all time favorite!
Ingredients:
pork belly (preferable the ones with alternating fat and meat)
cooking oil
onion (chopped)
garlic (pressed)
soy sauce
vinegar
pepper
sugar
boiled egg (optional)
laurel leaf (optional)
- Boil the pork belly first for about 15 minutes in water. Wash, drain and set aside.
- In a pan, heat some oil, then add the onion.
- When it becomes transparent, add the pork belly and fry until it turns brown on the edges.
- Add the soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, sugar, pepper
* The ratio of soy sauce and vinegar is 1:1. Remember to wait for the vinegar to boil before stirring or else it make the dish taste sour.
- add the boiled eggs and laurel
- leave for 20-30 minutes or until the pork gets tender
- adjust the seasonings according to your taste
Halaan (clams) and Malunggay Soup
*Remember to soak the clams in SALT water for maybe...half a day. Just so to make sure that they expelled all the sand in their systems :)
http://www.pinoycook.net/cooking-food/filipino/halaan-clams-and-malunggay-soup/
Steamed Tilapia* A healthy alternative compared to the fried ones. Just go easy on the soy sauce.
http://www.pinoycook.net/cooking-food/filipino/steamed-tilapia/
Butter Garlic Shrimp (Dampa Style)
- marinate the shrimps in either Sprite or 7-up for 15-30 minutes (para mawala yung lansa)
- saute garlic in butter, pag medyo ok na, add the shrimp
- pag medyo reddish/orangey na, add knorr ginisa mix, sugar, 2 tsp. of the sprite/7up marinade, para di sya dry, mix ulit.
yung seasonings, i-adjust niyo na lang according to your preference.
- you may add chili powder or sweet chilli sauce para medyo spicy.
* from http://www.femalenetwork.com/girltalk/index.php/topic,73461.60.html
Adobong Kangkong
*The ever famous kangkong comes alive with a lemon twist
http://www.recipehound.com/Recipes/3851.html
Pork Tongkatsu
*I never thought this dish would be so easy to make.
http://www.kitchencow.com/2006/12/05/bento-cheerer-upper/
Chicken Fillet with Oyster Sauce (Fried Rice Topping)
*You can also use shrimps for this one.
http://www.pinoycook.net/cooking-food/pinoy-cook-originals/chicken-and-rice/
Friday, September 21, 2007
Baby's 24th week checkup
September 18, 2007
Today is our 24th week checkup with Vietnamese OB, Dra. Nguyen Thi Tan Sinh. We were supposed to go and see her last month but she was out of the country. We found out that she attended a doctor's conference in Greece. Wow!
Dra. Sinh was recommended to us by Dra. Helen Ng. We've heard and read that she's the best OB here in Hanoi!
"Dr. Nguyen Thi Tan Sinh: Gynecologist and Obstetrician (Vietnamese)Dr. Sinh is one of Vietnam's leading specialists in women's health issues, trained in France, Vietnam and Australia. She combines a busy practice with writing research articles on gynecology and obstetrics for publication in both French and Vietnamese medical journals. Dr. Sinh headed up the Gynecological and Obstetrics Department at the Vietnam International Hospital for three years, before joining the Hanoi Family Medical Practice in 2000. She speaks fluent English, French and Vietnamese."
Text from: http://www.vietnammedicalpractice.com/our_doctors/hanoi.html
With her credentials, it's understandable why she can charge $30 for foreigners. Ouch!
Our appointment was scheduled at 4PM. Ric just worked at home and we left around 3:15PM. We got there too early and the clinic was still closed so we just waited at another clinic just beside Dra. Sinh's clinic. It was a pediatric clinic and the nurses looked ok except that they were wearing slippers! hahaha Uniquely Vietnam!
They started talking to us in Viet and I couldn't understand a word that they were saying. After many repetitions and hand gestures, they were asking us if we were Koreans. We said no, from the Philippines. I can't count how many times people here taught we were Koreans!
First impression of Dra. Sinh, she was very accomodating and answered all our questions. She can converse well and was also excited for our coming baby.
Our checkup went well, baby is well and also mommy :) She had a machine to check the urine and the result was ready in minutes. Everything was normal :) I now weigh 130 lbs! Kinda scary huh? I was 116 lbs before I got pregnant. But I know I need to gain weight for our baby.
Also one thing that made our visit to Dra. Sinh memorable was that she used a fetoscope instead of a doppler to check our baby's heartbeat. It's our first time to see one of those and it was so cool! We didn't know that a thing like that existed!
Now time to celebrate! We went to Quan An Ngon for dinner, well an early dinner! :) We ordered Vietnamese pancake, crab in tamarind sauce and rice. But we were not yet satisfied, especially me, so we ordered a bowl of Pho Bun Hue. Then for dessert we each ordered Che. Che is like their version of our halo halo and ginatan. Yummy!
It was a great day! Spent the whole day with my husband, healthy baby and mommy and ended with a good dinner!
Today is our 24th week checkup with Vietnamese OB, Dra. Nguyen Thi Tan Sinh. We were supposed to go and see her last month but she was out of the country. We found out that she attended a doctor's conference in Greece. Wow!
Dra. Sinh was recommended to us by Dra. Helen Ng. We've heard and read that she's the best OB here in Hanoi!
"Dr. Nguyen Thi Tan Sinh: Gynecologist and Obstetrician (Vietnamese)Dr. Sinh is one of Vietnam's leading specialists in women's health issues, trained in France, Vietnam and Australia. She combines a busy practice with writing research articles on gynecology and obstetrics for publication in both French and Vietnamese medical journals. Dr. Sinh headed up the Gynecological and Obstetrics Department at the Vietnam International Hospital for three years, before joining the Hanoi Family Medical Practice in 2000. She speaks fluent English, French and Vietnamese."
Text from: http://www.vietnammedicalpractice.com/our_doctors/hanoi.html
With her credentials, it's understandable why she can charge $30 for foreigners. Ouch!
Our appointment was scheduled at 4PM. Ric just worked at home and we left around 3:15PM. We got there too early and the clinic was still closed so we just waited at another clinic just beside Dra. Sinh's clinic. It was a pediatric clinic and the nurses looked ok except that they were wearing slippers! hahaha Uniquely Vietnam!
They started talking to us in Viet and I couldn't understand a word that they were saying. After many repetitions and hand gestures, they were asking us if we were Koreans. We said no, from the Philippines. I can't count how many times people here taught we were Koreans!
First impression of Dra. Sinh, she was very accomodating and answered all our questions. She can converse well and was also excited for our coming baby.
Our checkup went well, baby is well and also mommy :) She had a machine to check the urine and the result was ready in minutes. Everything was normal :) I now weigh 130 lbs! Kinda scary huh? I was 116 lbs before I got pregnant. But I know I need to gain weight for our baby.
Also one thing that made our visit to Dra. Sinh memorable was that she used a fetoscope instead of a doppler to check our baby's heartbeat. It's our first time to see one of those and it was so cool! We didn't know that a thing like that existed!
Now time to celebrate! We went to Quan An Ngon for dinner, well an early dinner! :) We ordered Vietnamese pancake, crab in tamarind sauce and rice. But we were not yet satisfied, especially me, so we ordered a bowl of Pho Bun Hue. Then for dessert we each ordered Che. Che is like their version of our halo halo and ginatan. Yummy! It was a great day! Spent the whole day with my husband, healthy baby and mommy and ended with a good dinner!
Last weekend
I'm a week late again. Oh well as they say...better late than never. hehehe
Last Friday, Sept 14.
Ric and I had dinner at our ever favorite porridge place with our Singaporean friend, Edmund. He's back here in Hanoi for meetings and would also attend a wedding of one of his engineers in Saigon.
After dinner, we went to the night market and I was able to buy 4 kitty cat pouches. But I think these are over runs of those being sold in Vincom and is originally made from Japan. Because the ones being sold at the night market was way much cheaper and also you have to double or triple check the quality. Some have stitching and zipper problems and a few small stains here and there. Then we walked a few blocks to buy some DVDs.
We saw a lot of foreigners/backpackers having Bia Hoi (draft beer) on the street. This was an amazing sight for me because I had this impression that they would be in a nice and cozy cafe instead. But they were sitting on the plastic blue chairs, having their drinks and some even chit chatting with the locals.
Damn that yellow light!....
When we got home, I checked the pouches again and I saw some damages on two of my purchases! Grrrrr! Oh well, I'll know better next time.
Saturday, Sept 15.
We invited Edmund to come over to our place for lunch. Ric and I cooked pork adobo (thank you Mama Sita), Vietnamese spring rolls and vegetables from the market.
Then we watched Bourne Ultimatum on DVD.
Luckily for dinner, Edmund invited us to eat at Little Hanoi, his treat! So we went, no second thoughts! :) Dinner was great and as usual the place was packed by travellers and I think we were the only Asians there. After eating, we went again to the kitty stall and I bought more this time and we made sue to really checked the product. Then we went again to the DVD place cause Edmund needs to buy a couple more movies and complilations. Singapore doesn't have pirated DVDs ny the way, that's why he's hoarding!
Sunday, Sept 16.
Just a lazy Sunday for the Simbols :) Our time to just rest and relax!
Last Friday, Sept 14.
Ric and I had dinner at our ever favorite porridge place with our Singaporean friend, Edmund. He's back here in Hanoi for meetings and would also attend a wedding of one of his engineers in Saigon.
After dinner, we went to the night market and I was able to buy 4 kitty cat pouches. But I think these are over runs of those being sold in Vincom and is originally made from Japan. Because the ones being sold at the night market was way much cheaper and also you have to double or triple check the quality. Some have stitching and zipper problems and a few small stains here and there. Then we walked a few blocks to buy some DVDs.
We saw a lot of foreigners/backpackers having Bia Hoi (draft beer) on the street. This was an amazing sight for me because I had this impression that they would be in a nice and cozy cafe instead. But they were sitting on the plastic blue chairs, having their drinks and some even chit chatting with the locals.
Damn that yellow light!....
When we got home, I checked the pouches again and I saw some damages on two of my purchases! Grrrrr! Oh well, I'll know better next time.
Saturday, Sept 15.
We invited Edmund to come over to our place for lunch. Ric and I cooked pork adobo (thank you Mama Sita), Vietnamese spring rolls and vegetables from the market.
Then we watched Bourne Ultimatum on DVD.
Luckily for dinner, Edmund invited us to eat at Little Hanoi, his treat! So we went, no second thoughts! :) Dinner was great and as usual the place was packed by travellers and I think we were the only Asians there. After eating, we went again to the kitty stall and I bought more this time and we made sue to really checked the product. Then we went again to the DVD place cause Edmund needs to buy a couple more movies and complilations. Singapore doesn't have pirated DVDs ny the way, that's why he's hoarding!
Sunday, Sept 16.
Just a lazy Sunday for the Simbols :) Our time to just rest and relax!
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Hot Mamas!
Being pregnant doesn't mean you can let go of yourself. A pregnant woman can be as sexy as ever! So to all you pregnant women out there....no to frump! :) This is our time to shine!
picture from: Parents.com
picture from: Parents.com
I'm back!
It's been over a month since I last posted here. So many things has changed already I don't know where to start. Well the biggest change I guess is that finally I'm with my Ric in Hanoi! The Simbols are together again :) I'm telling you it's really hard to be far away from your husband and being pregnant at the same time. But that torturous month is over and now everything is great! Praise GOD! :)
Oh also, we are expecting a BOY! Happy! Happy!
Now how to start?...I think it would be better for me to just list down the memorable things that happened.
Manila:
August 12, 2007, 8:30PM - Ric is home!
I can't explain how happy I am to see him after a month of chatting, webcam and Skype. Finally the Simbols are together again! :)
August 13, 2007, 4:00PM - Check up with Dra. Betty Yap- IT'S A BOY! :)
I pushed for an ultrasound despite my doctor's hesitation because I don't want to be travelling and not seeing if all is ok with my baby. Praise God everything was normal, the baby is doing good and....it's a BOY! :) Everyone was shocked because majority taught that it would be a girl. Well the Chinese calendar was wrong and also my manghuhula. But for me and Ric, as long as the baby is normal and healthy, a boy or a girl is just fine.
Also I was able to get the doctor's clearance to travel! Yahoo!
August 13- 15, 2007 - Lunches and dinners with friends
After being a "hermit" for a couple of months, it's nice to see and catch up with friends that we will surely miss.
August 16, 2007 - Cancelled flight HCM to Hanoi
I guess this was a blessing in disguise. The fact that there's a typhoon, we were not yet finished packing and the thought of leaving our families really haven't sink in yet.
There was no clear reason why Vietnam Airlines cancelled the flight but we just moved our departure date to Saturday, August 18. More time to spend with our loved ones :)
We also had dinner with my family at Oki Oki in Trinorma. Sad that we were not able to take some pictures.
August 18, 2007 - Flight to Hanoi
The weather was still bad. It's been raining for the past couple of days. But finally we are now ready to go. Ric and I woke up at 3AM because our flight was scheduled 7:30AM. My MIL and FIL drove us to the airport. To our surprise, the NAIA 3 was packed! Super packed! Despite the long lines, Ric and I are excited to be finally together on this trip and with our baby :)
2:30PM - Hanoi
It was all rain in Manila but all sun in Vietnam! My first glimpse of the motorbike city.
We were a bit tired from the trip so we just had a late lunch at My Way restaurant at the ground floor. Then called KFC for dinner. Yes there's KFC here! hehehe
August 25, 2007 - Robot Dai Chien (Transformers)
To celebrate my 1st week in Hanoi, Ric and I went to Vincom towers and finally watched Transformers. We missed it Manila because I was hospitalized and was on bed rest. Good thing it was currently showing here.
Ric soooo loved the movie! :) I was also amazed that their theater looks and feels the same as watching a movie in Greenbelt.
*Also had dinner with Edmund, one of Ric's co worker. Edmund's family came for a visit in Hanoi so we had porridge and fried sandwich. Yum! We also received our first baby clothes gift from them :)
August 29, 2007 - Great great news!
Ric and I went to an ultrasound clinic with one of his office mate, Gam. She was also 4 months pregnant and we are scheduled to have a 4D scan. To our surprise the 4D scan here just cost P500! Can you believe that! While in Manila it would cost you P3k up. Well Gam said that it was because the clinic was government owned that's why it's cheap.
It's confirmed...we're expecting a baby BOY! Looking at the 4D image, our baby got the shape of Ric's face :) We are so happy! Funny though during the first shot our baby was sucking his whole hand! Then the doctor said I think your baby is hungry then asked me if I was also feeling hungry, I said yes. It's such a wonderful experience to have a glimpse of our baby. Such a wonderful miracle! :)
September 1, 2007 - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Went to Vincom again to watch a movie. Better late than never! :)
September 4, 2007 - A day with Edmund (lah!)
Edmund invited us to go to Dong Xuan market over lunch because he'll buy his pasalubong there. This was his last day in Hanoi and he'll fly back to Singapore tomorrow. Finally! :) He has been here the same time as Ric. But he is just here on a project basis and would just go back and forth Hanoi-Singapore if needed. Dong Xuan market is like our 168 mall in Divisoria!
After he treated us for lunch at Fortuna Hotel...Singaporean food! :)
For dinner, we also met up again with Edmund, Lop and Pink and Nikko. Had Cha Ca (grilled catfish). It was just so so for me. I'm not really a catfish person. Then had Che for dessert. Che is like their version of our halo halo and ginatan combined. Dessert was good though :) Tummy is full! Thanks Edmund (lah)!
September 8, 2007 - Hoan Kiem day
Went to Citibank in Hoan Kiem to withdraw some money because we ran out of Dong already. Then we went to Roi Nouc Thang Long ,the Water Puppet Theater, but it was packed with tourist. So we just walked around Hoan Kiem Lake and took some pictures.
Oh also, we are expecting a BOY! Happy! Happy!
Now how to start?...I think it would be better for me to just list down the memorable things that happened.
Manila:
August 12, 2007, 8:30PM - Ric is home!
I can't explain how happy I am to see him after a month of chatting, webcam and Skype. Finally the Simbols are together again! :)
August 13, 2007, 4:00PM - Check up with Dra. Betty Yap- IT'S A BOY! :)
I pushed for an ultrasound despite my doctor's hesitation because I don't want to be travelling and not seeing if all is ok with my baby. Praise God everything was normal, the baby is doing good and....it's a BOY! :) Everyone was shocked because majority taught that it would be a girl. Well the Chinese calendar was wrong and also my manghuhula. But for me and Ric, as long as the baby is normal and healthy, a boy or a girl is just fine.
Also I was able to get the doctor's clearance to travel! Yahoo!
August 13- 15, 2007 - Lunches and dinners with friends
After being a "hermit" for a couple of months, it's nice to see and catch up with friends that we will surely miss.
August 16, 2007 - Cancelled flight HCM to Hanoi
I guess this was a blessing in disguise. The fact that there's a typhoon, we were not yet finished packing and the thought of leaving our families really haven't sink in yet.
There was no clear reason why Vietnam Airlines cancelled the flight but we just moved our departure date to Saturday, August 18. More time to spend with our loved ones :)
We also had dinner with my family at Oki Oki in Trinorma. Sad that we were not able to take some pictures.
August 18, 2007 - Flight to Hanoi
The weather was still bad. It's been raining for the past couple of days. But finally we are now ready to go. Ric and I woke up at 3AM because our flight was scheduled 7:30AM. My MIL and FIL drove us to the airport. To our surprise, the NAIA 3 was packed! Super packed! Despite the long lines, Ric and I are excited to be finally together on this trip and with our baby :)
2:30PM - Hanoi
It was all rain in Manila but all sun in Vietnam! My first glimpse of the motorbike city.We were a bit tired from the trip so we just had a late lunch at My Way restaurant at the ground floor. Then called KFC for dinner. Yes there's KFC here! hehehe
August 19, 2007 - Little Hanoi Restaurant and Big C
HOT! HOT! HOT! Had lunch at the infamous restaurant. I noticed that there were a lot of backpackers here. Oh well, those who are up for adventure are welcome to come.
Also I learned my lesson, never go to Big C (grocery) on a Sunday! Riot! I was so harassed!
August 20, 2007 - The Lonely Planet to the rescue
My first time to meet the maid (Lien) who speak and understand little English. Thanks to hand gestures and the book the Leah gave us at least I was able to communicate a little.
HOT! HOT! HOT! Had lunch at the infamous restaurant. I noticed that there were a lot of backpackers here. Oh well, those who are up for adventure are welcome to come.
Also I learned my lesson, never go to Big C (grocery) on a Sunday! Riot! I was so harassed!
August 20, 2007 - The Lonely Planet to the rescue
My first time to meet the maid (Lien) who speak and understand little English. Thanks to hand gestures and the book the Leah gave us at least I was able to communicate a little.
August 25, 2007 - Robot Dai Chien (Transformers)
To celebrate my 1st week in Hanoi, Ric and I went to Vincom towers and finally watched Transformers. We missed it Manila because I was hospitalized and was on bed rest. Good thing it was currently showing here.
Ric soooo loved the movie! :) I was also amazed that their theater looks and feels the same as watching a movie in Greenbelt.
*Also had dinner with Edmund, one of Ric's co worker. Edmund's family came for a visit in Hanoi so we had porridge and fried sandwich. Yum! We also received our first baby clothes gift from them :)
August 29, 2007 - Great great news!
Ric and I went to an ultrasound clinic with one of his office mate, Gam. She was also 4 months pregnant and we are scheduled to have a 4D scan. To our surprise the 4D scan here just cost P500! Can you believe that! While in Manila it would cost you P3k up. Well Gam said that it was because the clinic was government owned that's why it's cheap.
It's confirmed...we're expecting a baby BOY! Looking at the 4D image, our baby got the shape of Ric's face :) We are so happy! Funny though during the first shot our baby was sucking his whole hand! Then the doctor said I think your baby is hungry then asked me if I was also feeling hungry, I said yes. It's such a wonderful experience to have a glimpse of our baby. Such a wonderful miracle! :)
September 1, 2007 - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Went to Vincom again to watch a movie. Better late than never! :)
September 4, 2007 - A day with Edmund (lah!)
Edmund invited us to go to Dong Xuan market over lunch because he'll buy his pasalubong there. This was his last day in Hanoi and he'll fly back to Singapore tomorrow. Finally! :) He has been here the same time as Ric. But he is just here on a project basis and would just go back and forth Hanoi-Singapore if needed. Dong Xuan market is like our 168 mall in Divisoria!
After he treated us for lunch at Fortuna Hotel...Singaporean food! :)
For dinner, we also met up again with Edmund, Lop and Pink and Nikko. Had Cha Ca (grilled catfish). It was just so so for me. I'm not really a catfish person. Then had Che for dessert. Che is like their version of our halo halo and ginatan combined. Dessert was good though :) Tummy is full! Thanks Edmund (lah)!
September 8, 2007 - Hoan Kiem day
Went to Citibank in Hoan Kiem to withdraw some money because we ran out of Dong already. Then we went to Roi Nouc Thang Long ,the Water Puppet Theater, but it was packed with tourist. So we just walked around Hoan Kiem Lake and took some pictures. 
Then we went to Bookworm in Ngo Van So "the only English bookshop in Hanoi" as it is said in their card. The place sells second hand English books and we were able to purchase Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for only P800, hardbound! Not bad!
Then we had dinner at Koto- Know One, Teach One.
I ordered their ravioli which was not that cooked then Ric ordered rice noodle with something something :) We got their at 7PM and then had a buy 1 take 1 promo for drinks until 7:30PM. Yehey!
September 9, 2007 - Lunch with the Pinoys
We were invited to a despedida lunch by Dra. Helen Ng. I wasn't really feeling well because of this heartburn so I wasn't really in the mood to socialize and all. Met the other Pinoys here in Hanoi and also their foreigner friends who are now part of their group.
Well this wasn't a good day since Ric and I had an argument about going and not going to the party. What the heck! But we were able to patch things up later in the afternoon. Arguing is just a waste of time and energy and Ric will be leaving for Saigon tomorrow so we should make the most of our day right? Right!
September 10, 2007 - Home alone
Ric left for Saigon and will be back on Wednesday. Sleepless nights again for me :(
*Had dinner with the Pinoys. Girlie invited me to join them. I decided to go since she also lives here in in the same building. I met some new Pinoys again and got to chit chat with them. Some of them are English teachers here. Hmmm....that gave me an idea since I had experience already teaching Koreans. Maybe next year :)
September 12, 2007 - Bi is back!
Yehey! Ric is home :) Guess what his pasalubong for me?....Jollibee! Chicken joy, spaghetti and hamburger. He hand carried it and took great care of it on the plane from Saigon to Hanoi. Thanks so much baby! Our dinner tasted and felt like home! :)
Now I'm updated with my entries! :) Hope you enjoyed reading. Till then...
Then we had dinner at Koto- Know One, Teach One.
I ordered their ravioli which was not that cooked then Ric ordered rice noodle with something something :) We got their at 7PM and then had a buy 1 take 1 promo for drinks until 7:30PM. Yehey!
September 9, 2007 - Lunch with the Pinoys
We were invited to a despedida lunch by Dra. Helen Ng. I wasn't really feeling well because of this heartburn so I wasn't really in the mood to socialize and all. Met the other Pinoys here in Hanoi and also their foreigner friends who are now part of their group.
Well this wasn't a good day since Ric and I had an argument about going and not going to the party. What the heck! But we were able to patch things up later in the afternoon. Arguing is just a waste of time and energy and Ric will be leaving for Saigon tomorrow so we should make the most of our day right? Right!
September 10, 2007 - Home alone
Ric left for Saigon and will be back on Wednesday. Sleepless nights again for me :(
*Had dinner with the Pinoys. Girlie invited me to join them. I decided to go since she also lives here in in the same building. I met some new Pinoys again and got to chit chat with them. Some of them are English teachers here. Hmmm....that gave me an idea since I had experience already teaching Koreans. Maybe next year :)
September 12, 2007 - Bi is back!
Yehey! Ric is home :) Guess what his pasalubong for me?....Jollibee! Chicken joy, spaghetti and hamburger. He hand carried it and took great care of it on the plane from Saigon to Hanoi. Thanks so much baby! Our dinner tasted and felt like home! :)
Now I'm updated with my entries! :) Hope you enjoyed reading. Till then...
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Preggy Tops
SM North Edsa 3 Day Sale...Is this music to my ears?
I was finally able to pursuade my Kuya Sani (on his birthday) to be my driver and to accompany me to go shopping. He just came back from his 5 day vacation in HK but wasn't able to buy me nice maternity clothes there. Hmmm..maybe that's why he agreed...
We left the house at 12:30PM and when we got there, there was already a long line of cars going to the parking area. I kept on saying to my kuya "Sabi sayo dapat inagahan natin!"
Luckily we immediately found a parking space near the entrance of the main building.
Now the challenge begins...
I already made a list of stores and things to buy so that we can plan our route inside the mall. Because I was really expecting a lot of people and I don't want to feel harassed.
We proceeded to the department store and we were able to spot nice baby doll tops that can also be worn by preggy moms (lucky us!). I tried maybe 6 tops but I was only ableto buy 2. I was already feeling a little bit tired from all the standing and walking. At the back of my mind, I was again worried that I might be harming my baby from all this walking. I even whispered a prayer to the Lord to take care of us.
Next stop, maternity section and lingerie. I badly needed to buy bigger size underwear cause my butt is growing together with my tummy (nooooooo.....!). I just got 1 set from SO-EN (tagtipid) then checked for maternity clothes. I wasn't able to find anything nice there. They had ribbons and floral printed tops...calling fashion police! hahahha
Then we went to the top floor because I wanted to go to Dimensione to look for the bean bag for our moon cake festival prize. I was feeling tired and my back and leg muscles were starting to ache. I told my brother that we should get something to drink and eat first. There were food kioks along the way so I ordered an avocado shake and for my brother, apple lychee. Then we ordred two waffles to eat. We then looked for a spot to sit down to eat and the same time for me to rest. After around 30 minutes, the challenge continues....
My brother told me that he wanted to go to the Block. Fine! I said there's only one store I'd like to see...MANGO! hehehe
MANGO...up to 70% OFF....Halleluiah!
My brother left me in the store while he did his business. I started to check the racks and the sale items, I think I got around 10 tops and 2 bottoms for me to try. Well out of the dozen, I was only able to buy 1 top (cheapskate!)
I had a flashback of my Mango days...how I splurge in every of their season sale....haaaayyy....
But NO! I had to stop myself cause I'm not earning anymore and I am dependent to my husband and ofcourse have to keep in mind the coming baby. No more splurging!
So that's it...3 day sale and 3 tops....not bad.
Oh by the way, today I realized that being pregnant has its advantages. I needed to go to the bathroom and was surprised to see a long line, like the ladies were already outside the restroom. When I was approaching the line, one of the maintenance crew said to me, "Ma'am dito na lang po kayo." Then he opened the handicapped restroom. I was surprised and relieved and I thanked him immediately. Well what do you know...being pregnant truly has its perks!
I was finally able to pursuade my Kuya Sani (on his birthday) to be my driver and to accompany me to go shopping. He just came back from his 5 day vacation in HK but wasn't able to buy me nice maternity clothes there. Hmmm..maybe that's why he agreed...
We left the house at 12:30PM and when we got there, there was already a long line of cars going to the parking area. I kept on saying to my kuya "Sabi sayo dapat inagahan natin!"
Luckily we immediately found a parking space near the entrance of the main building.
Now the challenge begins...
I already made a list of stores and things to buy so that we can plan our route inside the mall. Because I was really expecting a lot of people and I don't want to feel harassed.
We proceeded to the department store and we were able to spot nice baby doll tops that can also be worn by preggy moms (lucky us!). I tried maybe 6 tops but I was only ableto buy 2. I was already feeling a little bit tired from all the standing and walking. At the back of my mind, I was again worried that I might be harming my baby from all this walking. I even whispered a prayer to the Lord to take care of us.
Next stop, maternity section and lingerie. I badly needed to buy bigger size underwear cause my butt is growing together with my tummy (nooooooo.....!). I just got 1 set from SO-EN (tagtipid) then checked for maternity clothes. I wasn't able to find anything nice there. They had ribbons and floral printed tops...calling fashion police! hahahha
Then we went to the top floor because I wanted to go to Dimensione to look for the bean bag for our moon cake festival prize. I was feeling tired and my back and leg muscles were starting to ache. I told my brother that we should get something to drink and eat first. There were food kioks along the way so I ordered an avocado shake and for my brother, apple lychee. Then we ordred two waffles to eat. We then looked for a spot to sit down to eat and the same time for me to rest. After around 30 minutes, the challenge continues....
My brother told me that he wanted to go to the Block. Fine! I said there's only one store I'd like to see...MANGO! hehehe
MANGO...up to 70% OFF....Halleluiah!
My brother left me in the store while he did his business. I started to check the racks and the sale items, I think I got around 10 tops and 2 bottoms for me to try. Well out of the dozen, I was only able to buy 1 top (cheapskate!)
I had a flashback of my Mango days...how I splurge in every of their season sale....haaaayyy....
But NO! I had to stop myself cause I'm not earning anymore and I am dependent to my husband and ofcourse have to keep in mind the coming baby. No more splurging!
So that's it...3 day sale and 3 tops....not bad.
Oh by the way, today I realized that being pregnant has its advantages. I needed to go to the bathroom and was surprised to see a long line, like the ladies were already outside the restroom. When I was approaching the line, one of the maintenance crew said to me, "Ma'am dito na lang po kayo." Then he opened the handicapped restroom. I was surprised and relieved and I thanked him immediately. Well what do you know...being pregnant truly has its perks!
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Preggy Jeans
Finally I bought my 1st maternity jeans at Gingersnaps last July 29.
Went to SM Fairview with my mom and ate Meeh and the driver. Tried looking for cheaper kinds inside SM department store but couldn't find any to my liking.
So I just opted to buy one in Gingersnaps. I was actually eyeing the slim/skinny jeans but my mom and ate were "kontra bulate"!
Mom: "Wag kang bibili ng masikip kasi palaki kana hindi paliit."
Ate: "Baka itong month mo lang yan magamit, next month hindi na kasya."
Me: "Pero maganda! Parang ang liit ng legs at pwet ko!"
Sales Lady: "Ma'am, parehong maganda."
(Ofcourse she wanted me to buy 2! Ha!)
Well with much thought and consideration I finally bought the normal jeans. I bought it in size 4 so that I can still use it even in my full term. (I hope :) ) Anyways the damage...P1199.75.
When I got home, I was still thinking of the slim jeans but I guess my ate and mom we're right. Buying it would be so impractical. It would look good now but I'm sure I'll be so uncomfortable later on.
Oh well...the lesson...."Mother's and Ate's knows best!" hahahahha
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