TOP 5 IN 05

OMG! This will be my last post for 2005. Well what can I say about 2005. It was indeed a wonderful year for us. With the arrival of our Li'l Princess, it was surely THE most unforgettable year. Being a first time Mom in a foreign non-english country, it wasn't a bumpy ride at all and I had a good time being a SaHm. I miss Bangkok as always and would like to come back there with Rein and hubby.

This will be the first time for both me and hubby to spend New Year's Eve away from home. We totally miss the raucous Filipino way of celebrating this event. We witnessed an hour ago the celebrations on Sydney harbour covered live by CNN. It was very nice and hubby was acting like a kid, looking out for fireworks outside our window. Unfortunately here in Tokyo, there are none. He has his own ritual of lighting fireworks for the whole family back home, this year though will be a very quiet one.

HAVE A BLESSED 2006!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DEAREST HUSBAND!

May your life continue to grow and change beautifully through the years. We love you so much!

Credits:
Papers by Ashley Olson {recolored}
Staples by 3S
Tied Ribbon by SP {recolored}
Fonts used ALOT!

Christmas Gifts

Credits:
TDC
Fonts used Hootie and Century Gothic

1st Christmas

Credits:
Paper by Ashley Olson
Doodle Swirls by dde
Flower by sbb

ZZZZZzzzzzzzz...

Journaling:
You slept around 11 pm on Christmas Eve which is very unusual. You were so tired the whole day and we tried to wake you up at 12 midnight for our gift opening and “Noche Buena”. You were so happy when you saw that we were opening your big gift. You were trying hard to keep your eyes open and stay awake. We put you to bed but then you woke up again and played with your new toy.

Credits:
Scrapartist and Robin

Hubbyand Baby Rein

Credits:
Papers by Scrapmommies
Stitched Boxes by Scrap Girls
Doddle Christmas Gift by Scrap Artist

Advance Happy Birthday Yen!

Credits:
SP and 2peas

Last night @ 7:04

I was teaching Rein how to walk, and I can see that she really tried. She made 2 to 3 steps at 7:04 pm. I was so excited that I called her papa. She's been walking but with the help of a stroller or anything that she can hold on to. I've been teaching her how to walk without any help and luckily she did inside our room. The floor is made of "Japanese Tatami" so I didn't have to worry about her getting hurt.

With this, we celebrated it. Hubby went home with KFC Chicken and bought our favorite Godiva Belgian Dark Chocolate Ice Cream. Rein tried to lick the ice cream and I was letting her taste it as a reward. Hehehe

You make me so.....

A day without laughter is a day wasted.

"Simbang Gabi" A Filipino Tradition

Simbang Gabi or Midnight Mass started last December 16. It has been a Filipino tradition to attend the pre-dawn mass for nine days ("novena") before the birth of Christ. It is believed that if you complete the mass, your wish will be granted. Not really sure if it's a hoax. I haven't done a nine days straight "simbang gabi" in my entire life. But still my wishes came true. Our church had the most beautiful lanterns. Since I studied in a Catholic School, there is a church just beside it. December was considered to be the busiest time in School. Contests in lantern making was one of the big events.

In the church, choirs were singing christmas songs and the atmosphere was so inviting. There were people selling "bibingka" (rice cake) and puto-bumbong with hot tea. I miss those things, it's good that I can buy bibingka at Shell Magallanes when we get to Manila.

Christmas in the Philippines is extra special.

Hungry?

Getting hungry with this photo that I took. Yummy!

The Linz Family Finally Made It

It was a heart stopping finale for the Amazing Race Family Edition. Our bets were The Linzes and the Bransens. It was the first time that our pick from the start won the race. They deserved to win and I really admired the camaraderie of these siblings, not to mention the cuteness of Alex. They never quarreled during the race and it was like they were just having fun. They did not point fingers or blamed a family member if a wrong decision was made. It was really a team effort.

The ending was very creative. We had no clue that the North & Central America puzzle road block was the last hurdle leading to the finish. Nick Linz battled Wally Bransen in one of the most heart pounding, winner-take-all challenge ever in the Amazing Race.

Thanks to Torrentspy and especially to the person who uploaded it. We wouldn't be able to watch it if not for them. We look forward to AR 9 on February '06. It'll sure be another winner.

A Trip down Memory Lane

"Slumbook", as it was often called when we were in Elementary and High School, was one of my favorite past times. I can't recall how many I've bought and personally made. The last time I saw a slumbook, I was laughing out loud seeing those pages with questions from mostly about my love life. My male friends in High School would say it's "baduy" to have it but they would fill-up and would browse the pages and look for their crushes or first loves. I remember asking my crush to fill it up to find out who his crush was. Ohhh!!! Those were the days. I haven't seen so much of these so I thought I'll give it a try. {Giggles}

NAME: Beth
NICKNAME: Bethchay, Chay
LOCATION: Tokyo
BIRTHDAY: October
BIRTHPLACE: Manila
HOBBIES: Scrapbooking, Photography, Cooking, Malling, Reading, Strolling, Surfing the net
SPORTS: Volleyball
BOOKS: Shopaholic Series, Living, Loving and Learning
MUSIC: Cool Brazilian & Smooth Jazz, R&B, Pop
MOVIE: Comedy, Love Story, Thriller and Adventure
SINGER/BANDS: EWF, James Taylor, Norah Jones, Stan Getz, David Benoit, Chuck Mangione, Julia Fordham
MOVIE IDOLS: Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford, Sean Connery
T.V PROGRAM: Amazing Race, Desperate Housewives, Lost
FAVE HANG-OUT: Mall and Starbucks
FAVE OUTFIT: Casual Jean and shirt, Sneaker
FOOD: Filipino, Thai, Chinese, Japanese and Mexican
DRINKS: Cosmopolitan, Bailey's Banana Colada, Tequila Body Slammer/Sunrise
PERFUME: Stella Mc Cartney, Gucci Envy Me, Bvlgari, Chanel Chance
COLOGNE: Strawberries and Champagne by Victoria Secret, Gummy Bear by Bench
COLOR: Red, Blue, Black and White
LIKES: Sincere, Honest, Kind and Sweet
DISLIKES: Credit Grabber, Copycat, Pretentious and User-friendly
FRIENDS/BUDDIES: alot.
MOTTO: What is beauty if the brain is empty

HEART TO HEART.....

DESCRIBE YOURSELF: Simple and Sociable
WHAT IS LOVE?: Love is not selfish. Love is not Blind
WHO IS YOUR CRUSH: Whew! Archie
HAVE U EVER BEEN IN LOVE: Yes!
BOYFRIEND/GF'S NAME: hehehehe
R U ENGAGED: Yep. June 16, 2001
HOW DID U MEET: Hmmm...
R U COMPATIBLE WITH EACH OTHER: of course
IN WHAT WAY: We're soulmates.
WHAT'S UR FIRST GIFT TO HIM/HER?: Gray RL Polo Shirt
HIS/HER QUALITIES THAT U LIKE BEST: Simple and Smart
GOAL IN LIFE: To teach my baby the true value and essence of life. To continuously find happiness in and out. To be the best mom that I could be.
MOST EMBARRASSING EXPERIENCE: When I vomited after the G-Max reverse bungy jump in Singapore with hubby's dude and wife.

MOST UNFORGETTABLE MOMENT:
DATE: Secret...
PLACE: Tagaytay
PERSON: Hubby

GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT IN LIFE: My Family. Being married to the most wonderful man and having a jolly baby. Having enjoyed my bachelorette life and work.

GREATEST DREAM: To travel the world with my family.

My Favorite Things for 2005

{These are my favorite things for the year 2005}

1. Diamond Earrings
2. Origins Incredible Spreadable Scrub
3. Gucci bag with Whipstitched Strap
4. What to expect, when your expecting and What to expect the first year
5. Stella Mc Cartney Perfume
6. Strawberry Lip Gloss from Body Shop
7. Coach Soho Mini Signature Bag
8. IBM Notebook
9. Gucci Envy Me
10. Body Shop Moisture Cream
11. Koboshi Pork Ramen
12. Pepperonni Pizza at Shakey's
13. Truffles and Belgian Chocolate Ice Cream from Godiva
14. Digital Scrapbook
15. Steak with french Onions at Sizzler
16. Bvlgari Omnia Crystalline Perfume {White}
17. Authentic Chinese Resto near our place
18. Che-ttos Crunchy
19. Gucci wallet with Signature Piston Closure
20. Bench Gummy Bear Cologne
21. Victoria Secret Strawberries and Champagne
22. Naturalizer Slip-on
23. Sr. Pedro {Chicken}
24. North Park
25. French Fries from Jollibee {Molino}

The 12 days of Christmas

The 12 days of Christmas starts today. In my younger years this was the start of our "Munito-Munita" {exchange gift for something blue, soft, kikay, weird, sweet, etc. Blue Magic was our favorite place to buy stuff for exchange gift as they had a lot.

This time, I'll do it with Rein but something different. I'll give her something starting today until the 25th. Exciting isn't? Have to tell hubby to join me. This is Rein's first Christmas and I want it to be memorable especially now that we will celebrate it just the three of us. It would be more meaningful and solemn.

Lyrics of The twelve days of Christmas

On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me A partridge in a pear tree.

On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the third day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Seven swans a-swimming, Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Eight maids a-milking, Seven swans a-swimming, Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Nine ladies dancing, Eight maids a-milking, Seven swans a-swimming, Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Ten lords a-leaping, Nine ladies dancing, Eight maids a-milking, Seven swans a-swimming, Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Eleven pipers piping, Ten lords a-leaping, Nine ladies dancing, Eight maids a-milking, Seven swans a-swimming, Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Twelve drummers drumming, Eleven pipers piping, Ten lords a-leaping, Nine ladies dancing, Eight maids a-milking, Seven swans a-swimming, Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree!

Religious symbolism of The Twelve Days of Christmas

1 True Love refers to God

2 Turtle Doves refers to the Old and New Testaments

3 French Hens refers to Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues

4 Calling Birds refers to the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists

5 Golden Rings refers to the first Five Books of the Old Testament, the "Pentateuch", which gives the history of man's fall from grace.

6 Geese A-laying refers to the six days of creation

7 Swans A-swimming refers to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments

8 Maids A-milking refers to the eight beatitudes

9 Ladies Dancing refers to the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit

10 Lords A-leaping refers to the ten commandments

11 Pipers Piping refers to the eleven faithful apostles

12 Drummers Drumming refers to the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed

My Li'l Shopper

{For Jan's Color Challenge}

Last Saturday we went to Shinjuku and bought some clothes for Rein at Mitsukoshi. She was irritated when we were trying some clothes on her, I don't know if she doesn't like to shop but I guess she didn't like the idea of putting so much clothes on her. Before I feed her at the 2nd floor, we let her walk with the stroller. She just loved it and wouldn't stop unless there are people watching and smiling at her.

Credits:
Soft Sherbet by Heather Roselli
Fonts: Saeculum and Century Gothic
MISC: Alpha by Robin and Sara (recolored). Safety Pin by Scrapfx. Straight Stich by Ronna Penner

Faces of Christmas

This is one of the few personalized Christmas cards I've created for family and friends. Really had a hard time taking shots of her, as she wants to remove her cap all the time.

My Wishlist

My family and friends have been asking what I really want for Christmas and I would say: anything. Hubby's full of surprises BUT I don't think I'll find another Louis Vuitton wallet or Gucci bag hidden in his closet. *wink*

Here is my list.

1. I'm more interested in online shopping for digital scrapbook kits. I've seen a lot of kits at Digichick, DDE, Shabby Shoppe, Scrap Girls, SBB, Scrapartist, CG Essentials, Modscraps, 2peas and a lot MORE.

2. Books for Digital Scrapper.

3. Whole day Massage. I can only get this when we get to Manila as the price of massage here is soo expensive from 4,000 Yen to 60,000. They charge for 15 mins to 60 mins.

4. Hair Spa. I want my hair done. Since we got here last May, I still got this long layered-hair style. I haven't done anything for my hair except for the hot oil which I do on my own.

5. Refill of my Shu Uemura Foundation. 4 to 5 more use then it's done.

6. Perfume. I love Perfumes. Although I still have some unused bottles, I can't resist on having a new one. I've seen a few of my favorites.

7. Foot Spa. A must! My feet deserve a relaxing treat. It looks tired.

8. Burberry Messenger Bag.

10. Pressure Cooker. I need to find a replacement since the one that I have is no longer useable.

These are just a few things that I would love to get for Christmas. GC is accepted for Spa, just kidding. Hubby's not asking me what I want for Christmas incase he wonders here is the list :D

Ipod Nano 2 Ipod Nono

I had a nite-out with Rein in lieu of her 11 months celebration yesterday. It should have been the three of us but hubby had a party to attend. We planned to go to Shibuya but Rein slept in the afternoon around 3pm and woke up past 5. I decided to go somewhere near our place. I already bought her Santa Costume at Toys R Us and some chips. Had a light snack at McDonald's and then shopped around. I decided to have dinner at Denny's. They served sumptuous shrimp and broccoli salad with tartar sauce, pasta with lots of mushrooms and a chocolate ice cream which is sooo yummy. Anyways, I end up ordering a pasta with eggplant, "yuck!" for some people, but it tasted good. That was my first time to have pasta with eggplant.

Hubby texted me and he had quite a story to tell. I told him to discus it with me when he gets home. He fetched us at the mall where Rein was practicing walking with her stroller.

He told me this is what happened...

We had our group's end-of-year party last night at a restaurant near Tamachi JR station. The food was okay, we were served with crabs, sushi, shrimp and squid. But the best part was the ham! I was surprised that they served meat, a good one at that. And as always, in a Japanese after work dinner there was a lot of booze.

The main event of the evening was not the speeches that several people made about jobs well done, etc. but a Bingo game! Sounds corny? The first prize was an ipod Nano!! Yup, the ultra thin version of AAPL's (ooopppsss...that's Apple Computers for the uninitiated) latest gizmo. I know that the ipod video would have been better but the manager was a bit stingy.


The game started and quickly a couple of people already had "puro" as we call it in Manila. They needed only one number to win. They were asked to stand to heighten the excitement for both nearly winners and nearly losers. Knowing my luck with such games, I didn't even bother getting excited. But after a few more numbers were called, I suddenly found myself standing as well. By this time there were about 10 people waiting for their respective lucky number.

I needed "O 62" to win and it did not register right away when the number was called. Them I remeber telling myself "say BINGO, BINGO" and so I did. People initially clapped their hands but then realized that a Gaijin had won. Knowing Japanese patriotism, I sensed that they were not genuinely pleased by the result. But then another person shouted BINGO. It was the group's manager and he said our team leader's card also won! Then there were cat-calls and people saying the result was rigged..hahaha.

Our team leader, sensing that his win was controversial, handed me the ipod. But the rule is that in case of a tie, the winner will be decided by a rock-paper-scissors challenge. The people urged him to challenge me and I gamely obliged. The bad news was that I am not really the best bato-bato-piks player in the world. In fact my odds of winning against my wife is 1/5. But what the heck, I'm happy just being a winner. So as luck would have it, or the lack of it, I lost and our team leader got the prize.

Developmental Milestones

* Says "ma-ma" and "Papa" discriminately
* Understands "no"
* Claps hands {Rein's way}
* Waves bye-bye {Rein's way}
* Voluntarily lets objects go
* Shakes head "no"
* Has fun opening and closing cabinet doors
* Crawls very fast
* "Cruises" furniture
* Identifies self in mirror and giggles {vain Rein }


11 Facts at 11 Months

1. Walks with adult help
2. Says "ma-ma" and " pa-pa"
3. "Dances" to music esp. if it's Sesame Street or GKNB
3. Interested in books and may identify some things {our books and newspaper}
4. May understand some simple commands {she tries to help me with the laundry, like giving the hanger}
5. Fearful of strangers
6. Prefers to push, pull and dump items {loves to push the chair and stroller forward}
7. Pulls off hat and soc! ks {she's annoy with socks and hat}
8. Understands use of certain objects
9. Tests parental responses to behavior {esp. when she's holding the internet box}
10.Extends arms or legs when getting dressed
11. Giggles and imitates the way we laugh

Credit:

Robin {SweetNSassy Design}

Rein is officially 11 months today!

And the clock strikes 12 midnight. Rein is officially 11 months and 1 minute old. Still awake and moving the chair of her Papa. She loves to move the chair like it is her walker. I wish that the person residing one flight down wouldn't mind the noise.

What's new?

Finally, I was able to change the look of my site. I promised i won't change it unless I'm 80% done with Rein's birthday preps. Yesterday, Mye of Adworks emailed me the final design for the invites . It was already finished last week but since their DSL was down, she was not able to send it to me. It was fixed only yesterday afternoon. She emailed me the design right away and we are ok with it.

We're almost done with her party preps, only a few more nitty-gritty stuff on the prizes are left. I'll try to get some items here but I'll go to divi for sure.

Christmas here is not really a big deal, although malls are adapting it for marketing purposes. It's good that Xmas day falls on a Sunday or else hubby would have to go to work.

Christmas Kiss

My entry for Jan's Color Challenge {Digi Chick}
Credits:
Papers by Sara Carling {Digi Chick}
Dotted Swirl by Rhonna Farrer
Font used Al Charisma

Wide awake and Sunday Bonding

We wanted to sleep early last night coz we planned to attend mass. Rein slept around 10pm but woke up before midnight, we tried to put her back to sleep but she was so lively and wanted to play, she was up until 2am. She was playing inside our room, humming and saying something. I was so sleepy that I forced her to go to bed and turned off the light.

Here comes Sunday. It was raining today and we actually planned to go to Shibuya to buy some extra winter clothes for us. Since it's raining, it would be harder for us to bring Rein outside considering the cold weather. We decided to stay home and just bond with each other with this weather.

We had bacon, eggs and garlic fried rice for brunch. It was hubby's favorite breakfast. Bacon here tastes really good with very little fat. Just tonight I went to the grocery since I realized we didn't have canola oil and bought some pork for our pork steak tomorrow. It was so cold outside, I was wearing 3 clothes already but there's still a pang of coldness inside.

The day just passed by. Tomorrow is another day.

What's happening?

Last night, an earthquake with magnitude 6.5 hit Tokyo (center was NEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU) I'm getting used to earthquakes here, thank God it didn't go over than 6.5

Wow! Been busy scrapping and still got a lot of work to do. I'm not done with Rein's ABC Book that I wanted to give to my in-laws when we get to Manila. I am still thinking of changing some of it. I am loving the challenges on the scrap site. It helps me improve my layouts and harness my artistry.

Today we went back to Gonohashi Kids Clinic for our second flu shot. I was hoping to see Rein's doctor (the one who speaks english) but he was not there. I have a lot of questions regarding her vaccines. I'll just give him a call early next week.

We need to buy another laptop. Hubby's busy with the financial side, reading and browsing the net, looking for a good deal. Our investment is getting better and we are hoping to make another one early next year. While he's busy with the financial side, I'm busy with my digital scrapbook album for Rein and first birthday Party.

Not much right now, we had dinner AGAIN at the chinese Resto. I'm so addicted to Chinese food right now, looks like I was deprived for 6 months. We were there last night :D Getting heavier!

Papa's Favorite (2 versions)

Classic Look
Credits:
Shabby Princess
Doddles by dde

One of our favorite Photos.

Credits:
Papers by dde and 3S
Flowers and beads by 3S

Grandpa's Kiss

Credits:
Papers are Freebies from ABC Challenge at sbb
Photo corner by dde. Flower doddle by Angie Briggs