BACK ON LINE FINALLY!!!

Not having an operational computer is like not having a lifeline outside this house. Damn. My monitor looks so ugly right now. It's one of those that looked really cool 20 years ago. It's over a foot thick and the screen is actually a bit curved like our first TV in CMU. It's got those two holes on each side to connect speakers which would look like-monitor with ears-if they're on.


There's hardly any writing space on my desk and the screen is right up my face. It's so weird when you're so used to a flat screen monitor then going back to this old ugly looking thing.

Anyway Telstra's given us a new modem too, so now, there is no need to switch on and off the ultra ancient antique modem a hundred times before it switches on for real. This one's a push-it-once and off you go surfing modem.


My God. I gotta get me another toy soon.

Anyway, I am thinking of getting my self this lovely, pretty, nice and cute -translated to optimum processing powers notebook. I'll have a look in Melbourne, the shopping capital of Australia. See if I can afford one.
Oh my. Almost that time. One more week and we're off to this grand holiday we've been anticipating for almost a year (now). Still no savings. BUGGER again.

Never mind.

Hey I'm back. I'm back. I'm back. I'm so glad to be back.

BUGGER!!!!!

Desk Top PC bugged down...
Lap Top has virus...
Modem broken...
Jashkah's DVD player not working...
Vacuum missing the top bit....
TV buggered too...

BLOODY HELL!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JASHKAH

My son is 'now officially a teenager', as he pointed out to me so often on the days preceding...

WTH

I always say, it does not matter, he's still my son and he's still a minor. To that, he would always resign to the fact that I still have the last words.

To be honest, it pains me to think that he's now finally stepping into the threshold of adulthood. Pain, may be too much of a word, sad, perhaps? But then again, I'm not. I am in fact glad that he's turned out to be who he is today. It gladdens me to see that I have brought him up well in spite of all the pains that we've been through together during his younger years. The emotion is too complex to convey.

It's more of a dejected feeling not being able to go shower with him anymore, not being able to carry him anymore, not being able to kiss him when I'm dropping him off to school, not being able to tease him any time of the day...all the things that we do together when he was a baby.

My baby's no longer a baby!!!!

Now, the activities have changed. We no longer build Lego castles and trucks, we no longer watch Bananas in Pajamas. No more book readings. Instead, we now download songs together, search for sites in the internet, Listen to the same music, watch movies together, tell jokes and secrets. We now play and compete against each other on video games. Things have indeed changed.

Sometimes I'd ask, is he growing up so fast or am I growing old too soon ? He's catching up so quickly. So many things he knows that I don't. Talks about artists I've never heard of. He's even got a Mums-Not-Allowed Blog site!!! I did not know he's got a site at Bebo's!!! When I saw it the other day, I got so excited, then he said, "Mum, I feel so violated. That is my private life...:

WTF!

I did not get upset or anything. I want him to develop his own drive at his own will and pace. He was right. That was his site. The same way that this is my site. I told him I'm not going to change anything in his Bebo profile, I just wanna see. So he showed me his blog, but then I found my self suggesting this and that here and there... Then I realised, if he does that, then he's no longer expressing himself. He will be expressing my ideas. So I backed off and let him be.
Guess what I found in his site.

THIS!

OMG! Yes OMG!

But hey, that's his way of expressing his artistic self. Scary, but what's a mum to do?

I think I am still in a denial state....Denial of I don't know what. I was hoping I'd still see Winnie The Pooh, Mulan and Nemo amongst his site's bling blings. Instead, I found girls comments and stuffs...and the above!

Oh dear...

Well, Jashkah, You might not know how much we love you. You will only understand the intensity once you are a parent yourself. But right now, I want you to enjoy your life. Study well and be the best person that you can be. Having said that, I do not mean Awards and Honors, they come second. If they do come, then they're mere bonuses in life. What I mean with 'the best person you can be' is be a good man. Respect others, and always think before you do something or before you make decisions. If they are bound to hurt others, then think if it is for the greater good. If not, then it's not worth doing nor is it worth the time of your thought. If you follow the golden rule, then everything will fall into place.

We're only here to provide you the support that you need. But you will have to carve your own way through in the society. How you behave and treat others will determine how you will be treated and what you're going to be, so be mindful of your actions.

I do believe in you, as did all your grade school teachers who have often told me how polite you were and how mature you behaved. I hope you will carry on with these values forever. I am so proud of you my son. I will forever be thankful to God for having blessed me with a son that you are.

Happy Happy birthday Jashkah. Enjoy your new phone, even though Ikki thinks it's his goody.

There is more to come ...The Gold Coast & Melbourne holiday!!!
All for you my teen age baby.

My pledge to you: For as long as we are here, we will continue to protect you and support you in your every endeavour.

I love you so much...

"Don't wait to make your son a great man-make him a great boy."- Unknown

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR ARF ARF

Today is my nephew's birthday, two days short of my son's birth date. I have yet to meet this little man, but from what I've been told, he is such an angel. My Mum's so besotted with him. When he left CDO a little while back, my mum actually fell ill. She's seen him back again in Manila just recently, and I think, that really made her feel better.

I am pretty sure he'll turn out to be just as artistic and as talented as his Dad. Apparently, he's already exhibiting cheeky behavior towards girls...Another one of his Dad's traits.
Anyway Arf Arf, I'm sure you'll turn out a good man too...Again, Just like your Dad.

Though I haven't seen you yet, I really really miss you already. One of these days, I'll come visit you. Hopefully when you're still as cute as these photos.

Happy birthday baby!!!

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY

We may feel unappreciated sometimes, but remember, we are the strongest of all humanity, so unappreciation is but a minute fragment of our ail. We were made mothers because we were chosen to oversee the pathway of the most important beings in this world, our sons and daughters.

We were given the painstaking duty to protect and care for the most vulnerable, guide the ones who have gone astray, don contentment even when our own personal desires are queued far behind.

We are survivors, but we are also molders. To us, was bestowed the greatest responsibility there ever can be. So be proud that we were entrusted to become MOTHERS. Wear it with pride, but do it with caution.

To all the mums in the world, Happy mothers day.

Specially to my wonder mum who, throughout the years have paved the way to better our lives, values and characters. Thank you for constantly being there for us. I love you Mum.

Please read below an email that one of my friends sent me, one that holds real meaning of what a mother really is. Further down is another email that holds real logic of what mothers are... enjoy.

Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you've had a baby. Somebody doesn't know that once you're a Mother, 'normal' is history.
Somebody said you can't love the second child as much as you love the first.
Somebody doesn't have two or more children.

Somebody said the hardest part of being a Mother is labor and delivery.
Somebody never watched her 'baby' get on a bus for the first day of kindergarten or on a plane headed for military 'boot camp.'
Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her child gets married.

Somebody doesn't know that marriage adds a new son or daughter-in-law to a Mother's heartstrings.

Somebody said a Mother's job is done when her last child leaves home.

Somebody never had grandchildren.
Somebody said your Mother knows you love her, so you don't need to tell her.

Somebody isn't a Mother.

Peter invited his mother for dinner, during the course of the meal; his mother couldn't help but notice how lovely Peter's flat mate, Joanne, was. She had long been suspicious of a relationship between the two, and this only made her more curious. Over the course of the evening, while watching the two interact, she started to wonder if there was more between Peter and his flat mate than met the eye. Reading his mum's thoughts, Peter volunteered, I know what you must be thinking, but I assure you, Joanne & I are just flat mates'.

About a week later, Joanne came to Peter saying, 'Ever since your mother came to dinner, I've been unable to find the frying pan, you don't suppose she took it do you? 'Well I doubt it, but I'll e-mail her just to be sure' said Peter. So he sat down and wrote:

DEAR MOTHER,


I'M NOT SAYING THAT YOU 'DID' TAKE THE FRYING PAN FROM MY HOUSE. I'M NOT SAYING THAT YOU 'DID NOT' TAKE THE FRYING PAN. BUT THE FACT REMAINS THAT IT HAS BEEN MISSING EVER SINCE YOU WERE HERE FOR DINNER.

LOVE,
PETER


Several days later, Peter received an email from his mother which read:

DEAR SON,

I'M NOT SAYING THAT YOU 'DO' SLEEP WITH JOANNE, AND I'M NOT SAYING THAT YOU 'DO NOT' SLEEP WITH JOANNE. BUT THE FACT REMAINS THAT IF SHE WAS SLEEPING IN HER OWN BED, SHE WOULD HAVE FOUND THE F**KING FRYING PAN BY NOW.

LOVE,
MUM



Lesson of the day, NEVER LIE TO YOUR MOTHER

OUTBACK CAMPING AMONGST THE WILDLIFE

As mentioned in my earlier post, we did go camping over the weekend. The Northern Territory offers a vast camping area that stretches to about 480,000 sq.km. from the Queensland border to Western Australia. Though the land is far more bigger than the whole of Philippines, the population is just a fraction compared. With over 215,000 inhabitants, it is no wonder that this land continues to thrive and draw in tourists in awe of such pristine sceneries.

The camp stuffs...imagine the Gold Coast Stuffs???

We have chosen to camp out at the Tumbling Waters this year. We usually go to Gun Point, but due to lack of facilities out there, we decided to explore a better developed camping ground recommended by Mr David Plews who's visited the place a few times before (...and who was so kind to offer me their cabin bathroom the first night because there was a huge frog in the toilet bowl in public bathroom-Thanks!!!). It would not have been a good site if i do a poo poo and see my poo poo alive and moving!!!

Cabin of the Plews

Anyway, I cooked ensaymada with ube Saturday morning just before we left for the camp. Kuya Boy, who was having a bit of 'Retirement Tension Glitches' (...Must be that Viagra!) was not well enough to do a long drive, so he reluctantly got my husband to drive his brand new ute and I had to drive our Toyota Ute. Ate Luz came with me so we had some girly-girly talks on the way, which made the drive a little bit less painful. Before we even noticed, we were already there!

We got to the camp site tired but safe and sound. First impression? Looks like a Western Refugee Camp. That was my first thought with all the tents and the little cabins erected everywhere. The site was awesome! It felt like a kid arriving in a lolly store. You look to your left and you want to go that way, but then when you look towards the right, it looks better and you decide to go there, only to find out what's ahead is more breathtaking.

Inside the Crocs cage

As soon as Jashkah got out of the car, he went straight to the Croc feeding site, which was just right in front of out tent. We were literally sleeping right next to the crocodiles. But they are all fenced up and it felt quite safe.

The boys next door


Crocs all fenced up right in front of our tents.

We then started setting up our tents without any problems...Except Allan. God knows what he's gone through with that bloody tent, only to find out it was not a tent after all!!! Mona and Xander were about to sleep in our tent while Allan and my husband were to sleep in that I-don't-know-wotcha-call-it, when they realised it was not a tent... It became the cause of so much laughter throughout the weekend camp.

Setting up the camp site.

Our tent with the air mattress, courtesy of the Aralars

Alan, Tent ba yan? Sigurado ka?

We originally planned an overnight stay, but ended up staying there for two nights because the kids were having so much fun, and so were the adults. The kids went bush walking, swimming, playing table tennis, feeding the crocs, fishing, gathering woods for the camp fire and chasing Xander and the peacocks. Next time, we'll bring the kid's bikes. There were endless activities that one would need to stay there for a week to be able to do all of them. It was really a good way to take the kids away from computers and video games because the place did not render them bored and whiny. Jashkah also brought his guitar, which uncle Ed played constantly. The atmosphere was really that when you're in the province.

..Oh, don't worry, we did not leave Ikki that long. My husband along with three others had to come back to the city to buy some more supplies. So he came back home and fed my poor, sad puggie. We wanted to take Ikki with us, but pets are not allowed in any wildlife parks because they attract unnecessary attention from other wildlife.

The peacock residents.

Table Tennis hall was just right next to our tents.

Night Chats

Jashkah playing with a fire wood.

The endless kainan, hagikhikan at kwentohan

Deck Chair Cinema

Every Saturday and Wednesday, they have outdoor movies at 7:30 PM. So the first night, the kids walked all the way in darkness to the cinema grounds from our campsite. I don't know what they watched, but it was a kids movie. All movie viewers sat on the grass under a star studded nightline. It was very reminiscent of my childhood when we had to walk in dark streets all the way to the front of the CMU administration building just to watch a movie.

The Camp Chef

Catch of the Day-caught by Alan

Of course, it won't be called camping if there was no cooking. Rest assured, the food was endless. Ed continuously cooked from dawn to dusk. Nilagang baka, fried fish, aros caldo kilawing baboy at tokwa and Ginataan (binignit) were amongst the menu during the two days that we were in the bush, not to mention the pre-cooked-in-Darwin food. The neighboring campers must've wondered why the cooking never stopped.

The nights were really cold. Jashkah sniffled so badly the first night because he did not bring anything to cover his head from the moisture. So I gave him my cap the second night. When we talk in the morning, we see smoke coming out of our mouths. But that did not stop us from having fun, in fact we enjoyed the experience more. All our laughters echoed throughout the whole camp. We in fact got into trouble with the campers next to us because we were so noisy.

Holy Shmokin Alan!!!

One of the ladies from accross our tents stormed into one of our night giggling sessions and said, "Last night was bad enough, and now it's gotten worst...Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah....Can you please tone it down a bit? We're just trying to sleep...", to which Ed replied sarcastically, "Ssssuuuuurrrree." But she went on and on and on, so Ed added, "NNoooo Wwwwooorriiieess". That must've irritated her more because our giggling just got worst, though sounding more suppressed, the giggles just got so bad.

The bitch from hell in the Heaven's Resort

Kids next door.

Like all other ventures, this journey was bound to come to an end. We left the camp Monday, around 11:00Am. Not sad, but relieved that we have survived two nights out in the bush without any major dramas. There were already talks about going back this coming July or August long weekend. I'm not an outdoor person. I usually prefer staying home and be cosy on the bed with a book. But this time, I am glad I got out and explored one of of the many unsullied places hidden in the Northern Territory.

On our way back, we stopped by at Berry Springs, one of the famous and well visited swimming places near Darwin. Unfortunately it was closed due to we dont know why.... So we were unable to go swimming... We instead went straight to The Chua' s Residence where we had our lunch. Talagang ayaw pa ring mag hiwalayan.

It was a journey I am glad I took. The place was grand and isolated, but our friends made it feel very much like home. Same group of friends are coming with us to the Gold Coast and Melbourne next month. So I guess it's going to be just as fun.

We got in trouble sa tawanan namin, God bless us when we're all occupying the same floor sa isang hotel/apartment sa Gold Coast...Baka ma kick out kami!

Anyway, watch out for more adventures ng mga Tralala Down South...That's next month na!!! Kids, save up kayo....

Driving back to Darwin

Berry Springs