Trip to Chiba

Yesterday we went to Chiba to visit my relatives. Chiba is about 45 minutes ride via rapid train. They fetched us at the station. My cousin from Manila arrived last Friday so it was a get-together with my 2 aunties and relatives. My cousin loves to cook and when we got there she prepared Sinigang na Baka and Mechado, both are Filipino dishes. She cooks well. The whole day was filled with chit-chatting and lots of eating. Rein was busy mingling with her 2 cousins {both boys}. They had so much planned for the day and the next day, they wanted us to sleepover but we just can't.

Around 9pm we dined at a Ramen House, the best in their place. It was yummy but I still prefer the one that we have here in Tokyo. We left a bit late, Rein was sleeping already. One of my cousins dropped us off in our place. Rein woke up and I gave her dinner. Hubby was tired too, they slept before midnight.

As for me, well, I scrapped until 5 am. Yep! I got 2 LOs for Bella Gypsy and posted it at the following sites TDC, SBB and Scrapgirls.

CTM for Bella Gypsy Designs

Got an email from Lena and Tabatha and I'm so happy to announce that I am part of their Creative Team. I've just added a new blinkie on my signature and here in my blog. If you wish to see their kits you may find it at ACOT {A Cherry on Top}.

New Addition:

Have a great day!

Weekend foodtrip

Weekend is the only time for our family to bond more. Last Saturday we had brunch at Shakey's Pizza Parlor {Hubby's favorite}. They offer an all-you-can-eat Salad, Pasta, Mojos and Pizza buffet for only JPY960 each and they have THE most delectable food. We arrived at around 12 and left past 2pm. Rein was sleeping when we were having our brunch and woke up with poop in her nappy. We had to go to the mall across the street to change her diapers. After that we decided to go to Sunstreet where I bought some food at the grocery while Rein played with her Papa. We rented several DVDs at Tsutaya, I think we got 4. Hubby finally watched the latest (and last) installment of the Star Wars epic.

Yesterday, we went to Tokyo Dome and finally bought tickets for the inaugural World Baseball Classic. We were hoping to see the annual MLB All-Stars battling the Japan All-Stars but due to this new competition (dubbed as the World Cup of Baseball) they did not hold that exhibition tournament. We will be watching the final game for Pool A featuring Japan vs. Korea. At first I was hesitant to join hubby since I really would like to see the MLB players on my 1st live baseball game but decided to go in the end since it may be a while before that happens. We had an early dinner at Akihabara where the sumptuous Star Doner Kebab is located. It's soo yummy!!! We had 3 beef kebabs, each!! It's a bit pricey compared to Bangkok where one can buy a kebab for only 60 Baht. Here it's 500 Yen for a regular sized kebab and I can definitely say that even though it is 4 times more expensive than the one in Bangkok, it is 8 times more delicious. It was worth it. We then watched Bewitched starring Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell. We haven’t been to the movie house since Rein arrived, got a lot of cathing up to do.

V-day Celeb

We celebrated V-day at Bella Bella, an Italian Restaurant. Their lasagna is to die for, it's so yummy and has Panceta on it. We also love the carbonara and foccacia bread with cheese. I planned to celebrate it at Tokyo Dome but since it's a weekday we opted for some place near our home. We left a little early so Rein could play while we wait for Papa to arrive. While waiting for him, we bought our gifts at Eddie Bauer, one from me and one from Rein. Hubby was surprised when he saw the gift, I got mine when I woke up in the morning, he didn't want me to wake up but I told him that I need to do my laundry. I found his li'l something for me on the computer table. So sweet of him!

What I miss about V-day is going to a concert. When I was still single, V-day is one of my most awaited event of the year. I could go to 3 concerts like feb 12-14 and still crave for more. Mostly foreign concerts but I was able to watch some local artists/bands.

Whew! I can't go to bed right now, I have to wait for my laundry. :(

SWEET DREAMS LO

Would just like to share, my LO was chosen as "Spotlight of the Day" on RUSquare.blogspot.com

It made my day. I'm so honored.

Here's it is:
SPOTLIGHT

:)

HVD to all!!!

Credit:
Hearts desire by TDC {This kit rocks!}

To the man I love so dearly

Journaling reads:

Let me tell you why I fell in love with you...
because you were the man I had always dreamed of,
because you were not at all what I expected,
because I looked into your eyes and saw my soul's companion.

I fell in love with you because I heard your voice and knew I'd found my heart's desire,
because you could make me laugh and kiss away my tears,
because you were strong and didn't need to prove it.

I fell in love with you because you were wise beyond your years,
but would always be a little boy,
because I wanted to understand you, but you would always remain a mystery.

I fell in love with you in one moment...
I married you because I needed a lifetime to tell you why

Credit:

Hearts desire by TDC

~HVD~

A little something from our li'l one.

Credit:
Hearts Desire by TDC

Thai food dinner

Yesterday, I prepared 3 dishes of Thai food: Pork Belly with chinese kale, minced pork with holy basil and Chicken green curry. Whew! Not to mention the Pinoy style spaghetti for the 2 kiddos, Rein and Al-Al. It's quite hard to prepare Thai food, it's good that all ingredients are readily available in some Asian stores. It was our first time to host a dinner in Tokyo. I couldn't imagine hosting for more than 10 people with limited space.

Hubby likes the minced pork, of course, he loved it... he's my husband. Anyways, we had so much fun when we were having dinner. Yen and her son came late afternoon and I still had 1 dish left to cook so we couldn't talk so much. Rein had a good time with Al-Al and she was following him all the time. Both of them slept around 10PM. We were chit-chatting while watching news in Filipino and I forgot to serve the dessert.

I learned to cook Thai food when we lived in Thailand for almost 3 years and through some experiments from other friends. But, I still miss the authentic Thai food.

~Heart's Desire~

Hearts Desire Kit from the new designers at THE DIGICHICK. This is FREE if you join the chat on Friday {Feb. 10, 2006}@ 9pm EST. For more info:

http://www.thedigichick.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/9501/cat/500/ppuser/1

Steelers won the Superbowl

Hubby's happy that his team won the Superbowl. I don't have a favorite team but I wanted the Seahawks to win since this is their debut in the Superbowl. We weren't able to watch the game live since Gaora sports does not have the rights to the live broadcast. They are scheduled to show it on Saturday afternoon. I bet hubby would have taken the morning off from work if they showed it live. He normally does this every Superbowl Sunday.

This is the last season of "The Bus" Jerome Bettis, one of hubby's favorite RBs. He's the reason why hubby likes the Steelers. He said this guy is the real deal. He was amazed by The Bus' brut strength, able to break multiple tackles most of the time, his asthma notwithstanding! A future Hall of Famer indeed.

On the defensive side of things, hubby likes Troy Polamalu. He's a very hard working Safety, and talk about that big hair :) He's like a hyperactive kid once the offense snaps the football. He indeed is a big factor in the Steel curtain defense.

Oh well, I have about a month and a half of undivided attention from hubby before he is again taken away from me by the world of Sports ;) F1 season starts mid-March and then MLB by April, then the Asian 9-ball tour, then the World Cup, then the World Pool championships, then back to the NFL.....hehehe good thing he's not much into the NBA.

As for me, I'm continuously improving on my digiscrapping and am planning to start reading hubby's Investment education stuff. He said it's not much Math anyway so better give it a try...

Rein's pedia appointment & first visit to the dentist

We visited Rein's pedia yesterday for her Measles vaccine. And also to check her skin since we noticed some rashes on her legs. Her back had some red spots and we didn't know yet if it's an allergy or chicken pox. I'm soo happy that her pedia is really good in english and he doesn't have any problems explaining things to me. He's very accomodating and would entertain any questions I have. I remember asking him about a toothbrush brand and a derma doctor for my hubby's skin problem. Even if my questions can be answered by common sense, he would still answer them. And every time I call him and asked some questions, I don't have to give him the details of who I am, he knows us already. Anyways, Rein was given the shot and some meds for the insect bite. Thank God, it's not chicken pox. She doesn't have the vaccine yet for that.

After her pedia visit, we had lunch near the place for her dentist appointment{HOKENJO} and came back before 2PM. People there knew that we couldn't speak nor write Japanese. So I asked the Manager at the 2nd floor if she could help us translate and answer all the questions since all forms are written in Japanese. She was soo helpful and stayed with us until Rein's check-up and she was explaining to me what the doctor was saying. I couldn't thank her enough. She told me to call her in the office if i need some help with regard to government papers.

Rein has some stain on her right tooth. They also taught me how to brush her teeth and to buy an extra toothbrush so she could hold on to it. I also asked them to use sealants for protection against plaque. It's not covered by our insurance so I paid 640 yen. Rein was crying the whole time coz she was sleepy.

This is quite long already, hehehe...But wait, I forgot to mention that we had a wonderful winter Friday night with Earth, Wind & Fire! We were surprised to see them about to perform on a Sports channel of all places. There was this Ice Skating show where the skaters were dancing to the tune of live EWF music. They played most of the songs we love: Reasons, Boogie Wonderland, September, That's the way of the world, etc. We won't get tired of listening to EWF. We're really hoping to see them live in concert here in Tokyo!! It was a blast!!!

Creative Team Member

I received an email from Mari last Monday and I was shocked to see my name on her team. Tuesday came and i got an email from Cristy and Sarah. Yippee!!!!

I'm soo happy to be part of the creative team of the following fabulous designers {in Alphabetical Order}.

1. Sarah Jones {sells at Digichick, SOTB, Digital Freebies}
2. Marie Koegelenberg {sells at Digichick)
3. Christy Sturm-Butternug Squash Designs {sells at motherhood-unscripted}

I'm getting excited to be working with you guys. Your kits are absolutely fantastic.