Spills and Spiels

my cup runneth over — it just has to spill somewhere

Advent Calendar November 26, 2011

Filed under: Events,Sam Times — Lyra @ 5:12 pm
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It’s 38 days before Christmas and everything is a-whirl — well, not so much here in Vietnam.  But in our household, we try as much as we can to make this season special for Sam.  I grew up in a home with lots of Christmas traditions and I hope to pass some of those to my son but living far away from the rest of my family makes it difficult.  Hence, we need to come up with our own traditions.

I remember we’d spend Christmas Eve with my maternal grandparents while Mom and Dad would play Santa and make sure that the gifts were well in place in our Christmas socks at home.  We’d play games with our cousins all night long before the clock strikes midnight.  Then, we’d hug, kiss, and drink champagne/wine (when I was old enough) to celebrate Jesus’ birth.  My yaya (nanny) would serve hot chocolate and we’d feast on my grandma’s Noche Buena.  When we get home after the celebration, we’d be happily going through the pile of gifts Santa has brought us and sleep till the wee hours reveling in our gifts!  I had the best childhood ever!

Since Sam won’t be surrounded by a lot of relatives, he will be surrounded by a lot of friends.  And luckily this year, my mom, sister, brother, and grandma will be visiting us for the holidays!  So it’s gonna be one terrific Christmas!

Inspired by fellow N@wie, Ricci, I decided to start creating an Advent Calendar too for Sam where he’d get one gift a day till Christmas.    Nothing expensive.  Just his usual goodies which he can share to his friends.

This is the base calendar without the loot bags:

Starting to put on the loot bags… actually I’m still missing 5.  I ran out of ideas what to give Sam.

The finished product should look like this:

Some of the items are too big for the bags so I just placed a piece of paper describing what the gift is.

Now, if I can only think of 5 more things to put in!

 

4691, 4692, and 4693 November 29, 2010

Filed under: Events,Walk the Talk — Lyra @ 11:44 pm
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For our first ever run-slash-walk-marathon, we were given the number 4691, 92, and 93.  Manuel got pretty jealous when he saw Sam’s and my numbers plastered on our fridge door of our 1st run together — so he decided to join us on the Terry Fox Run even if he had to miss work.

The run started pretty late at past 8am but it was the miracle of miracles that the sun wasn’t that hot (you’d know what I mean if you live in Saigon) and the sky was mostly cloudy.

Truth be told, the marathon became a march really as people didn’t really run except for the runners up in front.  Our friend Japs, finished the 5k in 28 minutes while we poor souls had to navigate the crowded streets with participants who were just there to enjoy a morning stroll.

We ended up making our own roads — walking over gardens and using the sidewalks as long as we can get ahead of the pack.  We had to carry Sam’s stroller over the hedges just so we can trudge along faster.  It was muchos fun though. :)

We finished a little bit over an hour as opposed to our other friends who finished a half an hour later.  I guess they didn’t try overtaking the crowd.

It was also fun (Ria and I) to take pictures of odd things you see in a marathon!  There was a girl in a dress; a women in slip-on sandals with socks (UGH!); a couple of girls in: jacket, jeans, huge bags, and patent shoes; and a couple of old women in their stockinged (yup they had stockings!) feet walking the rest of the race.

Sam who we woke up early for the race, needless to say, was in a bad mood.  He just hated getting up for such things.  So he had his game face on with a huge scowl for the greater part of the race.  I think he got tired of his look that he just thought it would be better to zonk out — which he did.  He woke up in a good mood an hour after the race and after we’ve already consumed breakfast number 2.

It was a fun day and I’m glad that Terry Fox Run attracted a lot of participants and I hope that all those participants translate to MONEY!  Let’s just all hope that the money does indeed go to cancer research!

 

Terry Fox Run November 7, 2010

Filed under: Events,Walk the Talk — Lyra @ 3:40 am
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Terry Fox Run

“Do you run?” Karen asked.

“No.  I walk,”  I replied.  ”I push my son in the stroller while we do the ‘run’”.

This was my conversation with my officemate the other day while she was reading through the mail I sent about the Terry Fox Run happening on next month.

But really, I haven’t really gone to marathons.   In this day and age where marathons happen left and right, and almost every weekend — well at least in Manila, I haven’t participated in one.

The running fever didn’t really caught on with me especially since I worked 5 days a week before and lived in the suburbs.  Just getting out of bed during the weekend is a major effort.  What more to train and join a marathon that starts even before the chicken signals daybreak?

If you’ve known me for a while, you’d know that I used to work in Manila that takes like 2 to 3 hours commute one way to work.  So multiply that by 2 and you’d get an idea how long I travel on a daily basis.  I actually lose one day of my life with just commuting — time that can be better spent with family, relaxing, or maybe training for marathons. ;)  I desperately wanted to have my evening walks or jogs in our expansive neighborhood.  Tierra Nevada in Cavite was built for families that wants to wind down during the weekend and enjoy the clean, fresh air.

Now you ask, why didn’t I simply move to a home nearer my work or find work nearer my home?

The answer to the former is — my husband works in Cavite.  And being the breadwinner in the family I wanted to prioritize his travel time.  Furthermore, we got a good deal on our house (bought from friends who moved to Singapore).   On the latter question, there simply was (or maybe still is) a shortage of jobs for a person such as I with a chopseuy for a resume.

Moving to Vietnam is a welcome reprieve from the hustle and bustle of Manila life.  The stress of traveling to and from work was getting to me.  It was only here in Ho Chi Minh City that I was able to breathe again.  A couple of months back, I was able to jog (errr walk) around our apartment complex almost everyday.  I loved it.

Needless to say, I stopped for a couple of months due to circumstances that would just seem too defensive to you.  ;)  And so let’s just say, I stopped.  Period.  And now, here comes Terry Fox Run.  The run is happening on November 28 at  Phu My Hung (starting from Crescent Mall).  Registration starts at 7 am.  I know I wouldn’t be competing with the time and all because I would be with my son and husband — but it would be nice to be at least prepped up for it.

And besides, it’s for a good cause.  Check out www.TerryFoxRun.org.

My family health history includes cancer as one of the foremost causes in death.  The more recent examples are my maternal lola who died of brain cancer and my uncle died of lung cancer.  It doesn’t bode well for me as my dad had colon cancer.  Storming the heavens with prayers coupled with proper healthcare, helped dad beat the C.

And so the Terry Fox Run is dear and near to my heart.

Prepped up or not, I’m running.  Or walking.

See you on the 28th!

————-
Check out the poster for details on where to get the registration forms.  You can also register during the event at 100,000 VND per participant.  Souvenir shirts and  hats are sold for 100,000 VND each.  All money that will be raised will be funded for cancer research.  By the way, I can send you the registration forms if you like (English and Vietnamese forms).  You can fill em out and save time when registering during the event.

 

Mommy Finds March 7, 2010

Filed under: Events,Spills — Lyra @ 9:33 pm
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Next 9 Slings and Diapers

So here it is, my personal project!  Jen Tan of Next9.org has been good enough to help me out in this endeavor.

I’m selling my favorite baby ring slings and Tushy Wushy Diapers.  Details can be found in Mommy Finds multiply site catering to Vietnam clients only.  If you are in the Philippines, check out next9.org.

If you are in Vietnam and you happen to stumble upon this site, please, please spread the word.  Download the poster (photo at the left) and forward to people you might know who might be interested.

Aside from the slings and diapers, I’m also selling Indigo Baby’s Boncho (breastfeeding poncho/nursing cover), Jar of Hope first aid gel, and Shoo Fly Don’t Bother Me insect repellent.

:)

 

Happy Birthday Lolo Cesar! February 19, 2010

Filed under: Events,Sous Chef (Sus! Chef daw!) — Lyra @ 2:28 pm
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Lolo Cesar and Manuel

My father-in-law spent 10 days with us.  And what a wonderful vacation that was!  Especially for me since I could focus on housework and my FB (just kidding) while Lolo Cesar spends time with Sam.  Every morning, we’d walk Manuel to his shuttle stop then Sam and Lolo would walk around Sky Garden or play in the playground.  They’d go out in the afternoon too when the sun has started to go down and its cooler to watch the people playing tennis.

On his birthday, the three generations of Dacios, Lolo Cesar, Manuel, and Sam spent a good part of the morning in the pool.  Then for lunch, we had spaghetti, tempura, and roti.

It was also fil’s last day in HCMC.  So after hearing mass (Ash Wednesday), we ate dinner at Au Parc just a few meters away from the church.  FIL and I both ordered kebabs (his is beef, mine was lamb) while Manuel ate Chicken with Couscous.  The waiter kept Sam with an endless supply of bread sticks while the pretty owner gave Sam a chocolate cookie.

The food in Au Parc is a bit pricey but the ambiance, the sumptuous meal, and the service is well worth every dong.

By 9pm, we were off to the xang bay (airport) and waited till Lolo Cesar could check in before we headed home.

Happy Birthday Lolo Cesar!  See you soon!

Sam munching on a breadstick

Table for Two

Manuel's Choice

Lolo Cesar's Beef Kebab

My Shish Kebab

Sam and Lolo before Check In

Goodbye Viet Nam! (Last shot before the camera died)

 

Ash Wednesday February 19, 2010

Filed under: Events,Spills — Lyra @ 11:35 am
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Ash Wednesday Mass at the Notre Dame Cathedral

Last Wednesday on the day of Lolo Cesar’s birthday, we also went to church for the Ash Wednesday Mass at 6pm.  Is it just me or did Lent start really early this year?  It’s just February!

We reached district 1 a little early so we still caught the tail end of the 5:00 pm Mass.  The mass was well-attended that churchgoers even spilled into the streets.

Most of the Filipinos I know attended mass at the Pastoral Center in Ton Duc Thang St. where the priest is a Filipino.  Maybe we should have attended that instead because the mass in Notre Dame was in Vietnamese.

They also put ash in a different way here.  Instead of putting it on the forehead, they put the ash near the hairline which is not visible anymore.  Some got ash on their hair.  It was really weird.  Is it unfashionable to wear a cross on the forehead?  Hmmm…

The front of Notre Dame Church was littered with vendors selling balloons, coffee, and street food.  Small chairs and tables were placed around the courtyard.

Balloon and Toy Vendor

Coffee Tables

Cuttlefish

 

A Superblessed Night January 7, 2010

Filed under: Events — Lyra @ 3:55 pm
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Rubbing elbows with Bo Sanchez

Before I knew about Bo Sanchez, I was a Kerygma fan.  I didn’t know he was the man behind the Catholic magazine.  When I began reading it, I found it weird that God’s word that are profound and deep in the Bible can be translated to something I could understand and relate to my life.

I am a big fan of the Bible but I too am a fan of people who can bring me much closer to God through their ministry.  And so there is Bro. Bo Sanchez.

After Kerygma, I got hooked with his books and writings.  I admit I haven’t been buying all his books but I am a big fan of his works.

Let me tell you something.  Before Christmas, I borrowed a Bo book from Manuel’s officemate.  And would you believe on the day that I returned the book just this week, I received a message of Bo coming to Saigon for a night of worship and talk.  Now, if that isn’t divine intervention, I dunno what is.

That talk was tonight.  It truly was a wonderful night full of stories from other speakers and music too.  I love going to gatherings like tonight.  I wish I were back home so I could join the Feast every Sunday.

Since Bo was here already, nagpapa-picture na ko at nagpa-sign ng libro.  ;)

What a blessed night it was!

 

Chúc Mừng Nǎm Mới! January 1, 2010

Filed under: Events,Spills — Lyra @ 4:20 pm
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Sam and Daddy in Lion City

Happy new year everyone!

Thoughts are swirling in my head causing a bottle neck in the area before the words are formed and are spitted onscreen. :P  Except for that line of course.  Hehe.

2009 has been…I dunno…a mash of colors?

Bright colors penetrated my 2009 sky as I finally retired from work (really now?) onto SAHM-hood, moved to Vietnam (a new experience!), celebrated my son’s 1st birthday, and went for a trip to HK.  Those were wonderful events!

2009 dimmed a bit too due to a lot of tragedy and mishaps I care not to elaborate for obvious reasons.  And though it was filled with uncertainties and sadness, you can’t help but be amazed that God has been faithful.

What I love about the new year is that you can start all over again.  I know, I know that you can make changes everyday — but iba pa rin pag start ng year.  It’s like a blank canvas waiting to be painted on or a blank notebook waiting to be written on.  There’s just a feeling that you can make everything anew!

And today, our small family made the 1st day of the new year count. :)  We had a good time and played at Red Box, ate a fine dinner at Lion City, and watched a movie (Sam’s 1st movie ever!).  Sam didn’t fuss so much watching Alvin and the Chipmunks the Squeakel.  Watching The Proposal doesn’t count as Sam’s 1st movie since when we got in, he promptly went to sleep for two hours. :D

I was thinking of what project to do for every day of the year to make every day special and meaningful — I can’t think of any, but I pray and hope that I can make every day count.

Hello 2010!  It’s going to be a blessed year!

 

Happy Holidays December 27, 2009

Filed under: Events — Lyra @ 7:39 am

Christmas Mass at Notre Dame Cathedral

A week before Christmas I heard myself ranting to my hubby about how sad this Christmas will be for us since we are not surrounded with our family.  Since we got married, we have been spending our Christmases with my side of the family and New Year with my in-laws.  Just being around family makes the season meaningful and happy.  Really, it’s not the presents nor the food.  It’s always have been about family and celebrating the birth of our Savior.

Manuel simply told me that I’ll get used to it but lo and behold, a day before Christmas, he was ranting to me how different this Christmas would be for us.  Errr… I think I already said that. :P

To make things special, we started our Christmas Holidays in Long Hai Beach Resort in Vung Tau for 3 days and 2 nights (December 22-24, 2009).  Yes, we went to the beach.  Unlike in Pinas, the weather in Saigon is really summery.  It’s been hot since November and though it would cool down in the evenings, the feeling isn’t Christmassy at all.

Vung Tau is a good 3 hours drive from Ho Chi Minh City and we spent 3 wonderful days surrounded by sun, sea, and surf.  It could get pretty hot in the mid-mornings but dang, the wind would really pick up there.  It was soooo cold that on our first time to swim in the pool, Sam spent a total of 10 minutes only.  He was shaking crazy.

Since, it wasn’t a weekend vacation, there weren’t many people around — actually, we were the only guests. ;)  So we had the whole staff on our beck and call.  Our cottage was near the restaurant and out front we can see the pool and the beach.  The front wall of our cottage was made of glass so you could see outside.  You can actually fall asleep to the lawiswis ng hangin at hampas ng alon sa mga bato.  Naks!

It was a relaxing 3 days and I could sleep on our bed for hours without thinking what to cook for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  And I could finally watch cable since there was no Playhouse Disney there.  And would you believe were able to catch an episode of Dyesebel starring Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes dubbed in Vietnamese?  Hehehe.

The 23rd is a special day for all of us since it was our wedding anniversary and Sam turned 16 months too.  All in all, we had great fun just being lazy and just being around each other.

On the 24th, we headed back to Saigon and had Christmas Eve dinner at the Thai restaurant, Nathalie’s.  After dinner, we headed out to Paragon so hubby could check it out.  I got him his wallet there finally!  We had fun watching the other people take photos by the tree and other Christmas knick-knacks.

We spent the hours leading to Christmas outside Building 1F with the Deiticio and Batara families.  The kids played around while we oldies, just talked of how we missed Christmas in Pinas.  We also spent an hour chatting with my in-laws through YM.  By midnight, we had our small noche buena — just us two since Sam fell asleep. ;)

On Christmas day, we went to the 5 pm Christmas Mass in Vietnamese.  It was odd not understanding a word but the melodic chants of the Viets were sure something.  Again with the Bataras and Deticios, we walked from the Notre Dame Cathedral down Dong Khoi St. to the floating restaurant.  Dong Khoi St. was gussied up in light and colors.  It was a long but entertaining walk with photo ops every block or so.  Hehe.

We enjoyed our dinner but had to leave by 9pm before the boat left the docks since Sam was becoming a handful.  It was waaaay past his bedtime and he was really giving us a hard time.  We left the Bataras and Deticios on the boat and we headed home.

Before we turned in for the night, Nix, Melvin, and Ashley dropped by and brought us a poinsettia-designed fruitcake.  It’s still in the fridge because it’s too pretty to eat!  Hehe.

The holidays isn’t over yet and I’m pretty excited about the new year.  How are we going to spend it this time?  No idea.  Maybe, we’ll just wing it like we did Christmas. :D

It was a quiet a celebration but it wasn’t without joy.  I hope you guys had a wonderful Christmas too!

 

Eheads Rules! March 8, 2009

Filed under: Events — Lyra @ 4:36 pm
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Eheads did not disappoint in their Final Set Concert last night. The highlights of my night as an Eheads fan are:

cool stage

cool stage

  • Getting to MOA at 3 pm for the 8 pm show to be assured of a parking space!
  • Taking Raimund Marasigan’s photo at Team Manila shop in MOA while hubby and I were buying our Eheads concert shirts.
  • Me getting Eheads Manila shirt emblazoned on a green shirt at Team Manila — after all the fuss over Raimund (hehe!). Hubby got the drum set design in brown. I was irked at the saleslady who kept telling me there were no sizes for girls anymore when another attendant at the back was giving out girl sizes!
  • Hubby getting a haircut at Headway Salon — buti na lang kasi kung hindi he would have sweated like a pig during the concert sa dami ng tao! Mia and I got our brows threaded. Hehe. Vanity muna.
  • Meeting up with friends at Starbucks inside MOA. We even saw Jula and her fiancé, Francis. Too bad we didn’t get to wait for Charmaine.
  • Getting in at the concert grounds at Silver-A (as budget allowed) at 6 pm…and the place was starting to fill up quickly. Our group, composed of Mia, Emer, Odette, Mayze, Ice, Bry, Donald, Miko and Theta were firmly situated in front one of the projectors. We stood our ground for as long as we can before the crowd started pressing against our circle. LOL.
  • It was a looooong wait. They showed Eheads interviews by 8 pm. The real concert began at 8:30 pm.
  • Eheads first song was Magasin. They never used this song before for any of their concerts as their first song.
  • Marcus sang Huwag Mo Nang Itanong in reggae. He sounded really funny. Puro adlib. Puro ‘di ko sasabihin sa yo’.
  • Marcus used his Hello Kitty guitar at one point of the concert.
  • Raimund sang three songs, Insomnia, Alcohol and Slow — songs that Ely couldn’t belt out anymore. But it was all good. You’ve got to love Raimund and his eyeliner guyliner. Ely was texting on stage while waiting to play his guitar parts.
  • The 5th guy in Eheads who did drums and triangle wore a black shirt with the words EXTRA. Hehe.
  • On the second set Ely was sitting on a couch.
  • Ely sang Kailan alone with only the piano playing. That was sweet but he called out “Love You Too Pare!” spoiling the moment.
  • A short tribute for Francis M was given by Eheads when they sang SuperProxy. The crowd chanted “Francis!” before they sang.
  • Eheads performed Kaleidoscope.
  • Ely burned their Sticker Happy piano….
  • After they sang Huling El Bimbo complete with pyrotechnics and confetti
  • Ely threw his shoes to the fans.
  • Fans filed out after Huling El Bimbo but as our group was nearing the exit, Ely came back! Buti na lang we stopped over the water station.
  • They sang Ligaya, Sembreak, and Toyang for their encore.
  • Raimund threw his drum sticks to the crowd.
  • Walang group hug pero may akbayang naganap.
  • Ely’s favorite comment throughout the concert was “Sing!” when urging the crowd to sing with them. Parang teacher.
  • Marcus looked like Freddie Aguilar sporting his long hair na parang Pepe Smith na rin.
  • The ever baby-faced Buddy was so cute — Odette swooned.
  • Raimund was simply wild.
  • Ely is pogi. Period.
  • From my count, 29 songs were performed.

After the concert, we all headed to Hooters for dinner.

Our own Circus Cover

Our own Circus Cover

 

 
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