#55. I love rainy days but I don't like lightning and thunder. (I guess that's 3 facts right there but what the hell...)

Karma...

I've been trying to cleanse my being and I would want to think that I am doing a great job. I saw this list and I think the thing I've been lacking in is watching my attitude. I can come off as a know-it-all or a snob...or both. Does that mean that karma will still come after me and ruin a few days in my life?

25 Things To Do Before You Turn 25

(Grabbed from Kizia's blog)

1. Have a really good one-night stand with a gorgeous guy. (This won't happen even if I want it to happen... Not that I want it to happen.)
2. Do an illegal drug.
3. Live in another country. (Nope. Not now, not ever.)
4. Travel on the cheap.
5. Confront a fear.
6. Have sex with the lights on.
7. Splurge on an awesome pair of jeans. (I am not the type to splurge on clothes.)
8. Apologize to someone you wear mean to in middle school.
9. Make a real guy friend who is really just a friend.
10. Get a job working with food or clothes. (I would love to do this. We'll see if I make it before I turn 25 next year.)
11. Figure out what kind of wine you actually like.
12. Take a roadtrip with your friends.
13. Try an exotic food you can’t pronounce. (I've tried eating exotic food but all their names I can pronounce so...)
14. Go to a college football game and go all out. (If college/barangay basketball game is accepted then I will strike this out, too)
15. See a Broadway show. (Would definitely love to watch one. Kahit di nako 25.)
16. Go 24-hours media free.
17. Skinny dip. (This doesn't sound hygienic. Maybe someday, if I decide to own a house with a pool. Yes, I don't want a pool in my backyard.)
18. Give back to the community.
19. Learn to do your own taxes and how to manage your money.
20. Take your parents out to a nice dinner.
21. Start a blog about your life and update it regularly.
22. Go to a Pride Parade.
23. Go to Vegas and let go. (There's no chance in heaven that I will get to do this before I turn 25 but I will definitely do this before I die.)
24. Learn to drive a manual car.
25. Donate blood. (I can't donate blood even if I wanted to. Effin' anemia.)

My Sexy Revolution Starts Now

After I gave birth to my very pretty baby, I started looking for ways to lose weight. Yes, I lost 10 lbs. from breastfeeding but it got stagnant after that. A year after I gave birth, the total weight loss I had was just 20lbs. I wanted to lose 10 more so I can top my 2010, pre-pregnancy body but alas! After all the breastfeeding, running (once a month; not much, I know, but that's an achievement considering I don't exercise at all before I got post-pregnancy fats) and dieting, I think that I've now reached the plateau of my weight (and fats) loss.

I don't know what to do anymore. I wanted to run everyday but I have every excuse in the book to not do it. I may sound like a walking contradiction now, saying that I want to lose weight and the post-pregnancy fat but have all these excuses but the bottom line is I just want to achieve all of these hassle and worry-free. I have to admit that getting a non-invasive surgery to get rid of all these fats has been a constant thought in my head but being a mom, I have different priorities when it comes to expenses now. I cannot afford to lose another peso for my nonsense so I'd have to deal with it.

If given the chance, though, I would love to get these post-pregnancy flab on my belly and tighten all the loose skin I have everywhere...and I have a LOT. The tummy area, the side of the tummy, my arms, my thighs, my cheeks, my chin...everywhere! Actually, now that I think about it, the cheeks can stay but everything else should go.

After I get rid of all of those unwanted fats and flabs, I would want to keep everything that way by watching what I eat. I love to eat, I have to admit but it so isn't worth it especially when I see myself wearing my favorite pair of jeans. So if I were given the chance to lose all the fats, I would sure love to know what to do to maintain . I don't trust (most of what's) in the Internet anymore so I'd really want to be able to consult an expert.

If you need proof that I am desperate to lose fats and weight, here is a set of a before-and-after photos that I swear are both me:

So, this is me before I got pregnant. I swear, this is me. My arms were super skinny then and my legs aren't that big but they were big to start with so this will do. I wasn't sleeping. I was working. Just in case you wanted to know.

This is me, a month ago. I have no (good) words to describe this photo so I am moving on now...

Anyway, this Sexy Solutions ad looks really, really tempting (partly because Georgina Wilson is my girl crush):

but as I've previously said, the entire budget goes to the baby. I am not complaining, though. I just wish I have a few thousand pesos to spare to get some work done to my body...

Okay, Georgina's body is seriously distracting me from finishing this post so I'm just stopping now.

The life of a home-based writer...

The downside of being a home-based writer (or a home-based worker, at that) is when laziness strikes you, you can't help but succumb to it. I mean, you're already at home, lying on the bed. Next thing you know, you're waking up from a 3-hour nap.

My NBI Clearance Renewal Experience.

Click meh!

My NBI clearance renewal experience last Wednesday was partly frustrating but I've learned a lot while I was there. Mostly, not to talk to call center agents who look freaky and talk loudly as if everyone needs to hear what they're talking about.

(You can read about it here by clicking the Read More link or you can read it from my mommy blog and read other mommy-related posts there.)

New look.

Blog's got a new look! I love how simple it looks although I'm not really an orange person but that's the only color that seem to compliment my newly-installed banner so I figured, "What the hell?" and just went on to use the color orange, anyway. I have the same problem here as in my mommy blog: I don't know how to center align the banner.

All in all, though, I love the fresh, new look that's summer-y (I know I'm late for summer but it doesn't matter). It's easier to look at. I think.

Edit: I lost the Nuffnang ad above the banner and now, I forgot how to put it back there. Great.

Tsss... Catholics.

I am a Catholic. I am not at all religious but I am spiritual in my own way. I believe in God, the Father Almighty and all those stuff that are mentioned in the Apostle's Creed. I am proud to be one...except when other Catholics start shoving their beliefs down people's throats.

Actually, I am annoyed by people who shove their beliefs down people's throats, whether or not they are Catholics.

I don't even like watching American Idol.

I don't watch American Idol but this particular episode got me intrigued because she sang an Aerosmith song in front of Steven Tyler and that is always interesting. Anyway, I forgot how great Mariah Carey was in the 90s until I heard this song again. I used to love her before, when she wasn't all-boobed (and nosed) up yet.

Bloggers x Giveaways plus all random things inside my head since last night.

1. I've finally given up on becoming a blogger who gets sponsorship and free stuff from online fashion stores. I realized that to be able to become one, I'd have to dress the way bloggers do and I don't dress that way. I am too chubby to wear corsets and bodycon skirts and I love wearing big t-shirts over shorts and a pair of sneakers EVERYDAY. On the mommy blog, well, I do not know what to do exactly so I cannot jumpstart it and start calling myself an actual blogger so to those kind enough who can help me build my mommy blog, I will be very grateful for any help or comment or suggestion or criticism.
2. After watching Pinoy Big Brother last night, I've realized that I am not someone who needs someone to back me up or make me kampi in whatever battle that I needed to fight. This goes back to fourth year high school when I remembered how I stopped caring about making everyone in our class believe that I was not the person they think I was. I fought for a very close friend then, not caring if I was butting heads with someone from the biggest barx in our batch. It doesn't even matter if she's palengkera and all. I just needed to protect my friend. When they started to come after me, I didn't ask for my friends' help. I knew that I can handle their shallowness. I mean, what's the biggest thing that we can fight about back in high school, right?
3. I hate, hate, hate having people tell me what to do. My mom and I had a heated discussion about it last night over midnight snack and she keeps on pointing out that I SHOULD listen to her and I keep on telling her that she couldn't impose it on me. I mean, what if I didn't want to listen to what she's saying, right? Anyway, I assured her that I listen to her but I think her definition of "listening" is for me to shut up and not contradict her or offer her some other perspective on the issue.
4. I get annoyed really easily when I have had too much to eat and when I don't get enough sleep. I need to start working out, really.

Zoobic Safari Getaway

Click the photo for full story.

For Mother's Day, we decided to go on an adventure and our chosen stop is the Zoobic Safari. Story is on Supermommy Chronicles (formerly All About Jellybean).

PS. Parang news story yung post e...

Mother's Day Weekend

For this year's Mother's Day weekend, we decided to go to Zoobic Safari because we were feeling adventurous. "We" consisted of my side of the family plus Daddy Bryan.

There are 4 parts to the Zoobic Safari adventure. The first one is the orientation. Each family and friend groups are going to be part of tour groups. Our group consisted of a group of old people, a group of college kids and another family with far more members than us.

This is our tour guide, D'Art.

The first part of the tour is what I call the generic tour. Generic because all kinds of animals were part of that tour. There were mammals, birds and reptiles (okay, maybe not all because there weren't any amphibians and fish there). We went to see the birds (Bird Walk) and Brianna was so fond of the part when we were allowed to feed the lovebirds (P10 per handful of bird feeds). She didn't want to leave when our tour group needed to go. The birds were interesting and some of them are not caged so they are flying over us which is different from the usual caged birds we see in Manila zoos.

Next, we went to Dear Deer where some other mammals were located. That was the place where I realized that I am afraid of animals. You wanna know how much? When Brianna and I entered the petting zoo - and I wanna emphasize that it's a PETTING ZOO with BABY goats (How do you call them again?) - I freaked out when they all came towards us. It's so embarrassing because my daughter keeps on pulling me towards the animals while I pull away.

This is the part where that camel have just approached my back and nudged me with its nose. I think I muffled a little scream when it did in front of our tour group which makes it all the more embarrassing but it's all good.

This is where I realized that I am afraid of goats.

The last part is the Serpentarium. I am not posting any photos of snakes or lizards because even just the thought of them gives me the creeps.

Second leg of the Zoobic Safari adventure is the one with the tigers. The first part is entering the Zoobic Cave and the Forbidden Cave. The Zoobic Cave is just a cave where the stuffed animals are displayed. Tigers, lions, beavers and other kinds of animals can be seen there. The second part is the Tiger Safari Ride. This is the part that's familiar with everyone: Your group rides a jeepney that goes into the part of the park where the tigers roam freely.

While waiting for our turn in the Tiger Safari Ride

Inside the jeepney. I don't know why we weren't looking.

Feeding the tiger. I forgot his name but what I cannot forget is how huge he is and how expensive the chicken is (P200/whole chicken to feed to the tiger).

Last part of the second leg is the Close Encounter. This is where you walk, literally, 3 feet away from tigers and lions. They're enclosed in cages, don't worry. What you have to worry about, though, is that when they peed on you, you're gonna have to deal with the stench for 3 days. You'd know when they're about to pee, anyway: When their tails rise up. I don't have pictures because the place was too dark and the battery of the digicam has died on me by that time.

The third and last leg of the Zoobic Safari tour is the Savannah-Aeta's Trail-Croco Loco tour. The Savannah is a drive by tour where wild boars and ostriches run freely.

The Aeta's Trail is a part of the tour where the Aetas perform for the 'tourists'. There are three parts to their performance. The first one is the Dance of the Birds (Sayaw ng mga Ibon). The second one is the Dance of the Monkey (Sayaw ng mga Unggoy) and the last one is the Warrior's Dance (Sayaw ng Mandirigma). I don't have photos of the dances because by this part of the tour, the only cameras running were the iPod and the Blackberry's and they couldn't take a decent enough photo (because of the shutter speed).

We then went up the mountain where there were souvenirs that the Aetas made and there was a place where you can try archery, Aeta style for P10/arrow shot. My brother tried it but he couldn't hit the bull's eye after 3 tries so he just let it go.

And the last part of the whole Zoobic Safari experience is the Croco Loco. That is where you feed the crocodiles while they lay on their pool. There were a lot of crocodiles and they all looked hungry. You can feed them meat that costs P50 a piece.

This is how calm they were when we first got to the place.

This is the riot that happened when food started dangling from the bridge.

At the end of the tour, Certificates of Survival were handed out to the groups. All in all, it was a great experience. For a 500-peso entrance fee (P550 if you are going to ride the tram), it was worth the fun and enjoyment we all experienced. What's more important is Brianna had the time of her life. She was screaming the entire time and she was knocked out come dinner time. It's a really great place to bring your family to for an adventurous good time and for me, that was the best way to celebrate my second mother's day.

Kat Valdez's Summer Accessories Overload Giveaway

I am not really a fashionable mom but I would love to think that I take good care of myself and the way I present myself to people. This summer has been especially hard for me for the simple reason that I still haven't toned my body. I lost the weight, alright, but the flabs have been squatting on my tummy and that is the reason why I can't flaunt my body still. So, to show everyone I am beach-ready, I just dress up in summer-y clothes and that includes accessorizing.

Kat Valdez, a fashion blogger is actually giving away some accessories from Pinkest Blue, Sugar Kissed and LovetoshopUK and it would be great if I got me some of those bracelets and neck pieces. After all, this is the only way I can show my summer spirit (as of now).

These pieces are up for grabs (photos borrowed from Kat Valdez's post):

You can still join her giveaway but it closes May 12th so get there now to get a chance to win these prizes!

Shallow post of the day.

I want to go back to my first year college body.
I want to have soft, manageable and wavy hair.
I want to be a girly girl, like those bloggers I read everyday.
I want to have a lot of money because becoming a girly girl is expensive.

Nanny Problems

Our nanny has been with us for almost 6 months now and ever since week 1, I've noticed some really problematic behavior that I cannot confront her with because of her inferiority complex. Well, you see, she cannot read and she cannot write. Yes, you would think that in this day and age, these kind of people doesn't exist anymore but they do...

Anyway, here are some of her problematic behaviors:

1. She cries. All the time. I might be strict and I usually use a high tone of voice whenever I talk but that is not the reason why she cries. Actually, she cries when we all laugh at the same time and she cries when it's time for dinner and...well, she just cries all the time. It's becoming really annoying that I pretend to not notice her when she is crying because I might just end up screaming at her.
2. She is really forgetful. I don't know why this is the case but she really is. I would always tell her to bring a towel because Brianna tend to sweat a lot. I'd always tell her to bring Brianna's anti-mosquito band. I'd always tell her to refrain from carrying Brianna all the time (since we wanted her to walk). I don't know if that's being forgetful or she just doesn't care. I mean, if it's that much important to you, you won't forget.
3. She always tells someone that she's going to leave. If she wanted to leave, she should just tell it to my face.
4. She always borrows/asks for money and stuff from people in our house and from our neighbors. She would borrow money from my mom or she'd ask for chips from the store next door. I don't know why she does it. She asks stuff from me, too, and I would occasionally give her things but not all the time because I wouldn't want to encourage this annoying behavior.

I'm sorry if I sound so mean and rude for a "blogger" but I couldn't help myself. I am a mom who wants the best for my baby. I have only one solution to this problem of a nanny but I cannot, for the life of me, fire her because, well, she's the one person who her family turns to when it comes to money.

Somebody. Help?

Finally!

After one year and three months (and three months of that were spent worrying and being all paranoid), my baby is finally walking! I was so worried about Brianna walking but she finally does it on her own now.

Actually, the thing that I am worried about is the fact that I cannot, for the life of me, teach Brianna how to walk. I mean, how do you actually do that? Right? How do you teach someone to walk? At that time, my babydaddy gave me this video material that they shot in one of the PSI seminars during their anniversary and that video made me understand how children - especially small ones - can actually teach themselves with what they need to learn. There is no need for me to force her to learn whatever it is she needs to learn. I just need to support her while she learns stuff on her own.

So now, I am the happiest mommy, going around following her, getting things out of her way and out of her reach. This is going to be really challenging and not to mention, it will help me lose more weight. Yay for walking baby!

What were your experiences when your baby started walking? Please do tell. Tips will be highly appreciated, too!

All About Jellybean to Supermommy Chronicles

Say goodbye to ol' All About Jellybean (you will be missed!) and say hello to Supermommy Chronicles!

I had a change of heart just yesterday because as I stared at my mommy blog, I figured that most of what is in here is about Brianna (naturally) but there are some posts that pertain to how I am feeling or what I would love to do as a mom. So I figured that the blog name (and URL) All About Jellybean didn't really capture the entirety of the blog (I've been doing some studying on URLs, blog names and what nots for work) and that is the only reason I changed the name.

I've changed the look of the blog just for the sake of having a different look for the new name. I will probably revert it back to its old layout after a few weeks. I find this new look cluttered.

Anyway, welcome to my new and improved mommy blog!

Life Peg (as of the moment)

Last May 3, Bianca Gonzalez liked my tweet and she actually took the time to reply to me:

I actually just started following her on Twitter last month. I had her account in my Guilty Pleasures list for a long time at first but then I got inspired by how dedicated she is to her work, to her family and to her boyfriend that I developed some kind of fanaticism for her. Not the Kean Cipriano kind of fanaticism (we all know how erotic that can get) but the kind that you actually want to do something about your life just because you see how much she works hard on balancing hers. I mean, how can you not be a fan? She's pretty and she's great at what she does (host, writer, editor-in-chief among others) and to top it all off, she voices out her opinions without getting into fights because of it (I would really want to learn how to do this).

I also started following her because my timeline has been invaded by negative people that I need some ray of sunshine in there or else I might get sucked into the negativity oblivion everyone seem to be in these days.

#54. I get this warm feeling inside when a random person follows my blog.

I sometimes wish I were an artista.

Or a fashion blogger or something. I am currently obsessed with shopping and I don't like it because money don't just fall on trees. I would love for clothing companies to supply me with clothes and shoes and bags and accessories that I won't probably use after that one time I used them.

This just proves I spend a lot of time online, reading blogs and tweets (and chismis).

Edit: Winning giveaways and promos would be great, too!

Dream Interpretation

So I couldn't take it. I searched for the interpretation of my dream and I found out that a dream where someone is trying to kill you means you are insecure over something and it is eating you up inside. As for me, it might be my physical appearance (I need to lose 10 more pounds and I should start toning my body) or my hair that looks like a tumbleweed that I am having a hard time taming. Whatever it is, I need to resolve it so I'd stop dreaming the same dream again. Mainit kaya pakiramdam nung bala.

Tamad blogging.

It's been a while since my last entry so I feel obligated to post something here even if I don't really have something to blog about.

So what have I been doing these past few weeks? Well, to be perfectly honest, I've been slacking on work. I start working at around 10-ish instead of 9am and I do some online window shopping, Pinoy blind item reading and tweeting in between. I end work at exactly 5pm instead of my usual 2pm clock out because of this plus some other distractions (e.g. yosi break, there's-something-good-on-TV break, HIMYM break, etc.).

Last weekend, we were in Clark again for some R&R and a mommy emergency that challenged my skills in people handling, in thinking on my feet and most especially, my sanity (blog post about it soon...hopefully).

And oh! Last night, I dreamt about that dream I keep on having where there's a hooded guy who massacres the whole parish where I used to serve before. He shoots me on my back while I was on a fetal position with his last 3 bullets every time and I would wake up for, like, 0.9 seconds and fall back to sleep again only to find myself hearing the story behind why the hooded guy wanted to kill me (a girl who I made okray when we were 6 wanted me dead so she hired a gunman to find me but he got obsessed on killing people that he shoots everyone he sees in the place where he thought I was). All this while, I have a female sidekick who actually dies of a disease and I keep on looking for the cure even if she lay dead on her bed. Weird, I know, but I don't want to know what the interpretation of my dream is because I always dream about this. As in always.

So, there. That's what's up. In case somebody wanted to know....

Last na pala! Bianca Gonzalez replied to me on Twitter. She's one of the Pinays I look up to now because her dedication to her work and to life is just inspiring. Anyway, more on that later. I need to start working. It's 10AM.