A Day with My Little Picasso

Here I am, back again after an itchy experience with another masterpiece from my little lady. I don't know if it is just me being biased as her mom and number one fan, but I love the way she draws. There is something about her work that strikes me as 'so Picasso'.

When she was a little younger , I always encouraged her to spend time doing art, read her books, and write her thoughts or stories in her diary. Given other activities to keep her busy and let her creative juices flowing, she spends just enough time for TV (thank heavens I was able to teach her how to survive without it!).

She made this drawing yesterday, and for the first time in months I have seen her make art from start to finish, again. She actually begged me to stay and watch her finish making her new princess.

"Mom, please don't work in the computer. Stay here and watch me, pleasssse!"

I realized that I have not been much around lately to see her work on something. I usually see her artworks either half done or already finished when I get home from the office. It has become a habit for me to check her sketch pads for new creations whenever I can, and I am amazed by the fact that she is becoming more prolific as the days go by.

So I stayed. Never mind if I am still agonizing over my allergy or that I have 300 EntreCards to drop and more than a dozen of emails to read. This moment is far more important than all my petty concerns and tasks combined.

My baby asked me to spend time with her. What could be more important than that?

Sometimes when we get too busy making a living, we tend to forget to spend time with the very people that make our lives worth living. We miss a lot and regret it later after time has passed us by.

It is quite funny that it took an itchy worm to make me stay home that day which eventually led us to spend quality time together. Which reminds me, I finally found a reason to be grateful about that unfortunate event.

*scratch* *scratch* :)

Related Post/s:
Art by My Little Picasso

An Itchy Story

"Higad" by mykogracie

I'm on leave today due to the itchy fact that I caught a terrible kind of allergy from the shirt that I put on yesterday when I came home from work.

A shirt that causes allergy?

Oh yeah, a shirt with a small 'HIGAD' inside clutching on its side seam! Higad (Filipino term) belongs to the Euproctis family. They are woolly caterpillars that transmute into butterflies. They give the itchiest kind of allergy in a matter of seconds. A perfect example is shown in the above photo. Cute, huh?

How did it get into my shirt in the first place?

We have a big Acacia tree (yup, the kind you see in horror films where the White lady and Tikbalang reside) at the back of our house. Our clothes are being hanged in the roof garden very near the Acacia tree where the furry insects are. So whenever the wind blows, some of them accidentally falls into the hanged clothes, and in this unfortunate case, into mine.

Although my shirt was ironed, the insect was still tucked inside. The moment I put it on, I immediately felt the itch spreading in my arms, neck, chest and back . It gave me crazy goosebumps that I had to literally jump into the shower where I soaped the areas three times!

No amount of rubbing took it away. It was indescribably itchy and I still got the big red patches everywhere; the biggest of which was on my left shoulder. As a quick antidote, I rubbed Calamansi (Philippine lemon) juice all over. They say that the acid works well by dissolving the minute itchy particles that got stucked in the skin. There were two choices, actually - Vinegar and Calamansi. I chose the latter for obvious reasons.

Applying Calamine lotion and taking antihistamines can also help relieve the allergy. In case these items are not readily available, you can always use the kitchen remedy.

It did lessen the itchy feeling, but the patches stayed. Until now, there are still red spots and a reason to scratch here and there every now and then. I just hope it does not leave an ugly mark! Arghh.

Oh, what an awful experience. I am just thankful that the itchy worm did not land on my little lady's clothes.

So tell me, do you have a similar experience? Or did I get you scratching there for a while? :P

20 Questions and a Test

20 Questions Tag

Raine passed on to me these long overdue tags. Thanks, girl!

Here are the Rules for this tag :

Remove one (1) question from below and add in your personal question, make it a total of 20 questions, then tag eight (8) people on your list. List them out at the end of this post.

1. At what age do/did you wish to marry?

NOW! Hahaha!

2. What was your happiest moment when you were a child?

Weekend lunch outs with my family at a favorite Chinese restaurant.

3. Where is the place that you want to go the most?

Paris!

4. Which part of you do you hate the most?

Hmm, that's hard. I love every inch of me. :)

5. When you encounter a sad moment, what do you do?

I cry while I contemplate; then I try to think of things to be grateful about. That usually lifts my spirits up instantly.

6. What are you afraid to lose the most?

My loved ones.

7. If you win $1 million, what would you do?

Donate to charity, give each family member a share, invest, save, shop, and travel abroad.

8. What do you love the most about last year (2007)?

Something that I've been waiting for so long finally happened. It was an answered prayer.

9. List out 3 good points of the person who tagged you:

Friendly, sensible and very nice! :)

10. How do you cope with boredom?

I sing (a lot!), draw/sketch, go shopping, play in Timezone with the little lady, or watch DVDs at home.

11. Till now, what is the moment that you regret the most?

No regrets. I wouldn't have things any other way because I learned a lot from my mistakes.

12. What type of person do you hate the most?

Someone dishonest, envious and pretentious.

13. What is your ambition?

To become a millionare! If only I know how?

14. If you had one wish, what would you wish for?

The best state of health for my family, especially my dad.

15. How did you celebrate New Year?

With a simple family get together.

16. What has been the craziest thing you've ever done in your whole life?

Too many to mention. Lol! I remember sleeping in Luneta once, when I was a student activist in college.

17. What do you look forward to in 2008?

To finally meet my 'ever after', in case I haven't met him yet. ;P

18. If your life is a song, what title best fits it?

Oh yeah, Gloria Gaynor's "I will Survive"!

19. What is your inspiration in life?

My family, most especially my little lady.

20. Which world would you want to live in - Love without Money or Money without Love?

I go for love even without money, because I can't imagine living my life without love. It will be too unbearable. (Thank you, Miss Philippines! Bow.. hehehe)

Lakbayan Meme

My Lakbayan grade is C-!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.

I'm not really surprised about getting a C! I have not seen much of the Philippines yet. The farthest I've been is in Samar. It's been my dream to visit all the beautiful places here first, before I (hopefully!) visit the ones abroad.

So how much of the Philippines have you travelled? Add your links here:

1) mind bubbles, 2) may 3) VANITY KIT 4) SOMETHING PURPLE 5.) A DETOUR 6) Big Eyed Gal 7) The Chronic Shopper 8) My Inner Thoughts Revealed 9.) DeCaFFeiNaTed 10.) BaReFooTeD Me 11.) Your link here

I'm sharing both tags with my friends Girlie, Bang, Liza, Hailey, Redel, Wena, Jade and Diwata.

A Quickie!

Given the fact that I am not quite fit to blog right now, I will just leave a quick post about a few updates on this two-month old baby that I am really happy about.

I noticed that my Alexa traffic rank updated today from 574,984 to 470,966! (I hope this is not a glitch!) Considering that a new blog starts from oblivion with a rank of 29,000,000++, for a two-month old, it is cool to be in the 400-500k bracket. Also, my Technorati has increased to 224 with a rank of 29,889, and so did my Blog Juice to 2.5 (not really updated, as my Alexa in the equation is still at 574,984). My blog worth now amounts to a whopping $107,262.60. How I wish I could encash it and buy a pink MacBook Air or something, huh? :P

Have you checked your stats lately? I suggest you download the Alexa Toolbar here to monitor your ranking and also to view instantly, the traffic rank of each site that you visit. I read somewhere that the more Alexa Toolbar users that visit your site, the better ranking you get.

Before I end this post, I would like to thank everyone who spares some of their time each day to visit me here. To my friends who linked me in their blogs, tagged me and did my tags as well, thank you.

The same goes to my wonderful advertisers in Project Wonderful and EntreCard. Owners of great blogs, and artists who offer great products and cool comics/cartoon pages as well. Please check them out, they are worth the visit!

Now that I have gotten that off my chest, I can hit the sack. Take care everyone and have a great day! :)


P.S. Artwork courtesy of the Little Lady.

Summer at McDonald's

The unbelievably hot and humid summer of 2008 will soon bid its farewell. It was fun, but it is also quite a relief to see and feel the rain shower these past few days, giving us cooler weather and a more comfortable good night’s sleep.

Speaking of summer, the little lady had another memorable summer experience this year. She wanted to take singing and painting lessons, but I was not able to find a school that offers the said courses near our area. So instead, I enrolled her in the McDonald’s Summer Kiddie Crew program near my office, just like I did last year.

For only 500 pesos (almost $12), enrollees are entitled to the following:

1. - Tour around the store and its facilities
2. - Kiddie Crew uniform – McDonald’s cap and shirt
3. - Kiddie Crew ID – automatically entitles the bearer to a 10% discount if he/she holds his/her party at McDonald’s within the 1 year period. The bearer also gets an extra free toy whenever he/she buys a Happy Meal.
4. - Food/Snacks for 5 days
5. - 3 sets of arts and crafts activities (bag, jewelry box and pen holder)
6. - Ticket for the grand culminating activity at Star City (with freebies and lots of fun activities)

Great deal, isn't it? I am happy with their program, that is why I am sharing it with you. You might want to include this in your kids/nephews/nieces activity list next year.

During the mini graduation day for all 4 batches, McDonald’s gave out awards and recognition to the participants and surprisingly, the little lady got 3!

Best Kiddie Crew, Best in Counter and Customers’ Choice award

She was really ecstatic when she received those awards. This is definitely one for the books; another memorable experience down in memory lane! :D

Related Posts:

McDonald’s Kiddie Crew Workshop 2011

McDonald’s Summer Kiddie Crew Workshop 2010 

First Love at McDonald's 

Birthday Fairy 

Once Upon a Halloween 

Kissable Japanese Me!

Kissable Tag

I got this totally different and long overdue tag from Diwatang Byaning. Thanks girl, this is fun! But I hope I don't get indecent proposals from this! hahaha! :D

"Kissable” Tag Procedure:

1. Post a picture of yourself wearing your favorite colored lipstick.
2. Tag two or more bloggers.
3. And don’t forget to link the blogger who tagged you!

What is my Japanese Name?

Another long overdue tag from my friends, Pinaymama and Raine. Thanks for sharing this meme with me.

I've always wanted to know my Japanese name. My grandfather was half Japanese, his middle name is Tsukakoshi. So I guess that makes me semi-Japanese, huh? :)

For the instructions, add your name on the list and simply spell out your name using the given Japanese letter- translations below. Tag six of your friends and inform them of the tag. Have fun.

TRANSLATION:

A - ka -----G - ji -----M - rin -----S - ari----- Y - fu

B - tu -----H - ri -----N - to ------T - chi -----Z - zi

C - mi----- I - ki -----O - mo -----U - do

D - te----- J - zu -----P - no ------V - ru

E - ku-----K - me ----Q - ke ------W - mei

F - lu-----L - ta ------R - shi ------X - na


1. OSWALD - moarimeikatate (sounds like american and states har....har...har...)

2. JUNELLE - zudotokutataku (Thank God I’m a Filipino! sounds like sadako. nyay! hehehe)

3. JACQUELINE - zukamikedokutakitoku (Ayay!! Unsaman ni perti mang taasa..wa ko kasabot nyahahaha)

4. LIRA LUZ - takishika taduzi ( sounds like a title of an anime show) it's cute!

5. JESIE VIOL - zukuarikiku rukimota ( hmmm...I like my real name even better, lol!, pastilan og nahapon ko, kalooy gid nako!)

6. LERMA - takushirinka ( I’ll use this name if I’m in Japan!)

7. ELLAINE- Kutatakakitoku (Hala! Nagkalisod ko ug litok ani! Naunsa!)

8. MARICHU- Rinkashikimirido (Na unswa nah! Doremifasolatido!)

9. RAINE - Shikakitoku ( Mine is simpler and easier to pronounce.. cute! ^-^ )

10. KAREN CLAIRE - mekashikuto mitakakishiku (No thanks! It's like me-kuto! I think I'm better off with my my English name! Not until they revise this translation. LOL)

I want to share both fun memes with: Lorelie, Shimumsy, Vannie and Ruby.

I Signed Up for PPP!

Finally, I am now an official PayPerPost Postie!

I have been meaning to write my very first blog post as a PPP Postie, but it took a while before I submitted my blog and had it approved due to its very young age. I tried submitting it yesterday (May 14) and received a fast response as the approval email arrived in just a couple of hours!

Whenever I go blog hopping, I always see the PPP badge and the various sponsored reviews my friends write for its advertisers. When I heard a lot of raves and positive feedbacks from my friends about it, I signed up right away.

I am always in constant search for extra income opportunities and I am glad I stumbled upon PPP. There are a lot of paid to opportunities out there and I had my share of joining a couple of fly-by-night programs before that are just too good to be true - the kind that disappears when you already reach payout!

So in this day and age, it is valuable to find honest programs that do pay, like PPP. Bloggers from all over the world have been making a good amount of extra income from posting opportunities for quite sometime now, which makes me wish I started blogging earlier.

Anyways looking on the bright side, the good thing now is that I can look forward to earning a little more extra while doing what I enjoy most, which is blogging. It is seldom that we get to do what we love and get paid for it at the same time, right?

As for my future earnings from PPP, I think I’d like to keep it in the little lady’s bank account. Her 7^th birthday is just around the corner so I better save up for her party. :)

The Best Mom in the World

It was too tempting to write my own Mothers Day post last Sunday, but I thought I’d save it for now. After all, everyday is Mothers' Day! Don’t you agree?

Let me start off by saying that when I was young, I was more of a daddy’s girl.

My Dad was a military officer in the Philippine Army. Contrary to the general notion of soldiers being stiff and very strict in every way, I am lucky my dad is a pleasant exception. He might be such to his subordinates, while in uniform, but to his family, he is the kindest dad in the world.

My mom on the other hand, was the family disciplinarian. I remember studying my lessons with her and crying when I don’t get the answers right. I kept making mistakes not because I don’t know my lessons, but due to the fact that 1. I was afraid of her, and 2. I am more focused on praying that my dad comes home that very moment. Why? Dad always saves the day and when he comes home, I’ll be free and everything is great!

I never understood why she had to be strict when I was younger. Whenever she raises her voice and gets angry, I would ask myself if she loved me less.

Only now that I became a mother that I realized that the love and uncertainties of a mother for her children are bigger than life itself; that she will do everything she thinks is best for their welfare by all means, no matter what the cost.

Mom did what she had to do to raise me and my sister well. She wanted to mold us into good and responsible individuals, that even if it meant some sacrifice on her part, she inadvertently had to hurt our feelings along the way to achieve that. She disciplined and instilled values in us the best way she knew how, to shield us from the greater pains of the world.

If only a mother can protect her child from every kind of pain and cruelty in this world, she would. But since that is only possible to a certain extent, the best thing that she could do is to prepare her child to face the world head-on, equip him/her with faith, independence, good values and principles, wisdom and courage to stand up for what he/she believes in. I understand now that mom did all that for us.

Early in life, my parents taught us the importance of integrity and having an untainted name. My dad left the service because he was being pushed to take part and join the rotten system in the military - something that he could not stomach; hence he tendered his early retirement.

Another valuable virtue that we learned from our mom is to be generous; to give until it hurts. She is in fact, the most charitable person I’ve known. For years she has dedicated a big part of her life doing charity work and being active in church.

She just turned 60 years old last January, and yet I still see her as the most beautiful woman in the world. No amount of aging will change how beautiful I perceive her to be.

For me, she will always be the life of the party, the best dancer, the greatest cook, the budget queen of all times, the super party organizer, the most creative in-house designer... But above all that, she is the kindest, most loving mother one could ever have. She is all good things rolled into one!

Dearest Mom, I may not be a perfect daughter, but please know that the love I have for you is immeasurable and perfect beyond words, in the only way I know how, completely and forever.

Thank you for bringing me into this world and bringing out the best in me. I love you very much and I am so proud of you!

Happy Mother's Day!

Make Money with Bloggerwave

Have you heard about the new wave that hit the blogosphere lately? It’s Bloggerwave!

This company is aiming to be Europe’s biggest advertising media on blogs, thus giving us bloggers, a great opportunity to make money by doing what we already love to do – blogging!

If you’d like to catch this wave and earn extra on the side, then don’t delay, check it out now and join the fun at Bloggerwave!

Happy Mothers Day!

Hailey and Bang got me tagged. Thanks! I would like to pass it on to all wonderful mothers in the blogosphere.

Rules : 1. Just choose any mothers day graphics from zwani to greet the mommies you know. 2. Add your blog to the list. Feel free to add all your other blogs. 3. Tag other mommies.

bloggerhappy | berryscrappy | A Sweet Taste of Life | Me,Myself+2 | Confessions of a Supermodel Wannabe | Fun.Fierce.Fabulous | When Silence Speaks | Everything About Deye | Etc Atbp |Hailey’s Domain Hailey’s Beats and Bits, Sweetbites by Bang, DeCaFFeiNaTeD, BaReFooTeD Me

I got this World's Greatest Mom Award from Wena. Thanks for this special award! I'm also passing this on to my mommy friends and to all great mommies out there! Hope you have a great day celebrating Mothers Day today!

Happy Birthday to Me!

How time really flies! I guess it is no surprise as to who is going to blow the cake and pig out on ice cream later, huh? :)

So here I am again, basking in the magnificence of being another year older. I made a mental note that I am going to blog about this day, hence this post.

Birthdays have always been special to me. My mom loves to throw parties, that is why as kids, my sister and I were lucky to celebrate our birthday parties every single year. We always look forward to our special day because of the excitement of those yearly celebrations.

Creating Memories

I have fond memories of my childhood birthdays. My dad and I always go to Joni’s Cubao (the only source of delicious cakes that time) to buy my cake with a princess figurine on top, while mom cooks her specialty dishes at home.

Apart from the fun parties I had, I also remember my sister and I fell on a side street canal on my 10^th birthday. She was driving our bike then and I was the unlucky passenger. We went home all grimy and smelly a few hours before my party! On my 11^th birthday on the other hand, my mom cut my hair super short ala-Demi Moore (like in the movie ‘Ghost’). Oh, I can still recall hating that haircut for almost a year!

Moving forward, when I turned eighteen, I did not have a grand debutante party because a very close uncle that time was diagnosed with lung cancer. I did not feel it was appropriate to party in that situation. He died a week after my birthday. To date, I still consider it the saddest birthday I ever had.

Although it was not really a big deal for me not being able to celebrate my 18^th birthday donning a beautiful gown and dancing the waltz with a handsome escort like most girls did, my mom, in an effort to somehow make up for that, threw small parties at home every year.

Now that I have child of my own, I appreciate more the effort that my parents put into creating each and every happy experience, the best way they can.

I realize the value of building happy childhood memories, as it gave me a sense of importance, security, and a feeling of being loved and cared for which I carried all the way to adulthood.

I believe it is an investment that spans a lifetime of benefits.

A Time to be Grateful

Today is another great opportunity to remember the things that I am grateful for. Another day to reflect on how I am blessed beyond what I deserve, how I am surrounded with so much love, and how lucky I am to recognize what God is immensely bestowing upon me.

While writing this, I am crying, laughing and singing. All this reminiscing is making me twice emotional today. It is even raining! Oh, maybe because of the singing, you might say. But nah. It always rains every May 10^th of every year. I think it is God’s way of telling me that He remembered my birthday, and a way of blessing this day as well. Rain is also associated with a downpour of blessings, so I therefore claim this bountiful shower into my life with open arms and an open heart.

Happy ? Birthday!

They say you are only as old as how you feel, while others associate age with looks. With the flourishing beauty industry, it is not all about numbers anymore. For them, face value is what matters the most.

I have not done any cosmetic surgery or enhancement and I hope I would not need to in the next few years, at least. Oh well, I wish I never have to, ever.

But of course, when gravity takes its toll, at some point there will definitely be sagging. And when our body takes its natural course, there will be graying, aching, and memory gap – the whole aging degenerating thing. Right now, I can say I am doing a little effort to delay the process by taking supplements, keeping my sun exposure to a minimum, moisturizing, and keeping a positive outlook all the time.

So how old am I again?

Before I answer that, who’s up for some melt-in-the-mouth-makes-you-forget lasagna? :D

P.S. Maybe I can throw in 500 ECs to the one who can guess my exact age. What do you think?

Look of the Year

Are you young and beautiful? Are you up to the challenge of winning US$10,000 or be discovered by an agency for a possible modeling career?

If you have been dreaming and meaning to show the world that you have what it takes to be on the spotlight, then come and join Look of the Year now!

Look of the Year is inviting both male and female ages 14 and up from all over the world, to participate in its online beauty contest. It is very easy to join! All you have to do is to send in your best photos and you are on your way to being discovered as one of this year's lucky winners.

For more information and details, please visit the contest's official website at http://www.lookoftheyear.com.

Good luck!

I Won 2,500 ECs!

Internet Business Guide already announced the Hochstadt.com's Party Contest winners!

I was surprised to see my name on the winners list:

"KCee won 2,500ec from Larry Brauner of Online Social Networking."

Coooool! If you joined this contest, please visit Marcus' post. Your name might be on the lucky list too. I saw familiar names, so check it out now!

Congratulations everyone! :D

The Little Entrepreneur

One fine day, I overheard the little lady bugging her grandfather to build a cart for her. She knew she can count on my dad, the great handyman, to build and fix things easily.

After a while, she came running to me and proudly announced:

“Mom, I’m going to be a vendor!”

“What?!” (Of all careers, my daughter wants to become a vendor?)

“Yes, I’m going to sell the accessories I made and put it in a cart. I will sell them to our neighbors!”

With a chuckle, I gave her a big hug. At her age, she should be thinking more on how to spend the day playing and watching cartoons. But business?! I might have passed on to her my enterprising genes or probably the constant talk of doing business with my sister has somehow rubbed on to her.

Though surprised, I was happy and proud to find a budding entrepreneur in the household.

She showed me the items and they already have price tags. They were bead bracelets and necklaces that she created using my old beads and strings. So that’s what she’s been busy about all day.

Although they were pretty enough to sell, I can’t let her go from house to house around the neighborhood pushing a wooden cart! But since I do not want to nip her dream in the bud, after words of appreciation and encouragement, I tried to divert her attention to another project.

It seemed to have worked well, as she did not bother my dad anymore about the cart, or me, about peddling her stuff to the neighborhood.

Until one afternoon when she came rushing to me, catching her breath and incredibly excited. I wondered, what was the excitement all about?

She made her first sale!

Apparently, my aunt went to a neighbor’s house and the little lady tagged along and brought her items for sale. She sold her stuff to our neighbor’s granddaughter, another 6 year old, who was there at that time. She was beaming as she sold 2 bracelets that day.

Inside, I felt a little guilty. Though I was supportive, a little part of me was not convinced that she will be able to sell her creations. She believed so much in her goal, and it happened. Unconsciously, she knew ‘The Secret’ and it worked for her.

This story may seem mediocre to some, but I learned a valuable lesson from her that day. She taught me how to believe again like a child, with all of my heart - in my dreams, goals and plans. But most importantly, in myself.

As we grow older, we tend to forget having absolute faith in what we can accomplish. We constantly doubt our capabilities and let a lot of reasons get in the way of believing that we can make great dreams happen.

It only took a child to remind me of that. And I feel lucky enough.

Arigato Gozaimasu!

Thank you Hailey and Crissy for tagging me!

Your Travel Personality Is: The Bonder

For you, travel is less about where you're going - but who you're going with. It's no fun to experience an amazing city or a beautiful beach without your friends. In fact, it doesn't really matter where you go... because you and your friends always figure out how to have fun!

What's Your Travel Personality?

The first foreign language I have always wanted to learn is Nihonggo. Why? My grandfather (mother side) is half Japanese, which makes me 1/8 Japanese? :)

Anyhow, this test tells me that I should learn French instead. I never thought I'm a Parisian at heart. :)

You Should Learn French

C'est super! You appreciate the finer things in life... wine, art, cheese, love affairs. You are definitely a Parisian at heart. You just need your tongue to catch up...

What Language Should You Learn?

I'm tagging Lourdz, Sheila, and CC. Arigato gozaimasu! Er, merci beaucoup! :D

My Entrecard Gratitude List

It is the 1st of May! And what better way to start the month, than by posting my own gratitude list to recognize the top droppers on my Entrecard during the last 30 days!

60 Were Enough	29
Pixelated Thoughts	27
Aerten Art	26
Absolutely Mom's	26
Sonnie's Porch	25
Urutora no Hi	25
On The Bricks	25
ahkong.net	24
Is a mans world	24
Scramories	24

I would like to thank each and every blogger who spares a little time each day to visit and 'drop' by here. I really appreciate it!

I feel great today (notice the exclamation points?)! I don't know if it is due to the fact that it rained (as it always does every May 1st of every year), PGMA's announcement of the 10% salary increase, or maybe because it is barely 9 days away before my birthday?! *hint* :D