Saudi Sexpat Stories: Tales from the Kingdom

Needed a major dose of cheering up as I have unfortunately fallen prey to some nasty bug again - yes, I guess I must’ve unwittingly “imported” some ”pesteng ahems” with me when I flew in from the kingdom  I distinctly remember how dear hubby was plagued with exactly the same symptoms (swollen throat, painful ears, difficulty swallowing - the works!) shortly before we left… (*sigh*)

What better way to do this than by finally doing my long overdue “cutesie-pie” sparkly friend tag from LP buddy, Jeanny…

Guess close to nothing beats a “care bear” in spreading some love and wellness around, right?

Well… a care bear, some doctor-prescribed pills, and steaming servings of this…

Hmmm…am really feeling much, much better now! :D  Thanks again, Jeanny!

To keep the “sparkly” caring, sharing and wellness going, I’m tagging Weng, Meeya, Thess and Nell.  Shine on, guys! :) 

A lot of you must’ve already heard about this game show… but nah… am not going to talk about it here! Gotcha!

Actually, if you are indeed smarter than a 5th grader, then you should have no problems with my blog. :) Why so? Because, the results of my “blog readability test” just came in and it says:

Thanks, Tin, for this “easy-peesy” tag! (I know - told you this was queued at #3 for my to-do list but since it was so simple, it practically jumped the queue by itself! Hahaha!).

For the “chosen ones”, here are the simple rules:

1. Check out your Blog Readability Test here then post it.
2. (OPTIONAL) Stop asking yourself regarding the results of the test
3. Add your blog from the list together with the results.
4. Tag as many friends you like.

Keith, Rina and Dang, why don’t you guys give it a shot?

I suppose Thesserie wanted to speed up my recovery process (after the dreaded UTI episode early this month) by sending me this fun tag. The meme is about revealing your “big screen or boob tube HDs” (hidden desires, or “artista crushes” in simple terms - as if you didn’t know!) to the rest of the blogging world.  Don’t get me wrong, though, this is an entirely WHOLESOME tag so I made sure not to reveal too much… hehehe

First, the ground rules: Although I leave it to you as to how you intend to present your ”revelations”, please make sure to incorporate these two rules into your blog:

1. Post pictures (We all want to see what the “hotness” is all about!); and
2. Keep the linky link alive! (TIP:  highlight the text which has links, right click and choose View Selection Source and just copy the HTML). Link the post where you wrote about the topic so women can find more drool-worthy men (you might need to publish and then edit the entry first, though).

Okay, now let’s get down to business… At the risk of the “scarlet letter” being emblazoned on all my articles of clothing after my jealous sensitive hubby reads this, may I present to you (drumroll please) - MY PERSONAL PICKS.  Ladies, feel free to take a J-A-B at ‘em too!

J - JENSEN ACKLES.  I first caught sight of Jensen in the hit series, “Supernatural”, and have been a fan of his character ever since - street smart (sometimes callous) yet ever charming.  That he just absolutely adores his brother and would do anything to protect him is also one of the endearing traits of his character, Dean Winchester. Get a load of this…

A-AMERICAN IDOL HOST, RYAN SEACREST. I’ve always found good conversational skills, wry wit and a cool sense of humor very attractive in a guy… From the countless AI episodes I’ve watched, I guess Ryan Seacrest fits the bill and definitely gets my vote for having these traits!

B - BEN AFFLECK. After the “controversial” Ben and Jimmy video Meeya posted recently, I actually had second thoughts about including Ben in my final list - hahaha! Form eventually won over substance in this case though… thus, Ben is in the final cut.  After all, how can you not include someone who, despite being such a big star, can still make a fool of himself and enjoy it!

That’s about it! Hope a lot of my (cyber)gal pals didn’t get a major dose of eye strain from the free eye candy I just gave away here. 

Before I go, here’s the “Linky Link”: 1. Aggie 2. Thea 3. Litzie 4. Joy 5. Jane 6.Jesse 7. Shiela 8. Kap Vanidosa Marie 9. Vanidosa Marie 10. Thesserie 11. Pinky … just add yours next

Rina, Tin, Linnor, Grey and Leweiss - consider yourselves tagged!

Nell tagged me with this one a couple of weeks ago.  Again, wanting to end this blogging month on a positive note, I decided to complete this tag today, the last day of May… how’s that for psyching oneself? June is just around the corner - keep those positive vibes coming!

Here are the simple instructions: Link to the person who tagged you and then post the rules on your blog. Answer the questions and tag seven (7) random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs. Let these random people know that they are tagged by leaving comments on their blog. And last, let your tagger know when your entry is up.

A period of time in your life when you felt protected. I guess this would be during my wedding day.  The realization of having Keith ”officially” by my side come hell or high water was indeed very comforting and made me feel very safe and protected.

A period of time in your life when you felt unprotected. Hmmm…. probably when my brother and I were left in Manila to handle our household affairs pretty much by ourselves (since our parents and our two younger siblings had to relocate abroad due to our dad’s expat career).  It just felt so overwhelming to suddenly have to think about responsibilities you never even imagined before - house repairs, bickering househelp, relatives asking for financial assistance… name it, we probably had to hack it! Looking back, though, I believe this experience was a very good training ground for us for our eventual “leap” into married life.

The first time you discovered power.  This came early on for me as I was the “panganay” (eldest) in our family - eldest child, eldest apo (grandchild) on the mother side and eldest granddaughter on the paternal side! Though I enjoyed being the “ate” and all the intrinsic “perks” that went with it, I also realized that with this “position of influence” also came greater responsibility.

A person whose life has affected you the most. I have always looked up to my father for taking the “straight and narrow” and for having succeeded - both in the paths of his family life and in his professional career.  His dedication and hard work coupled with a genuine compassion for those in need are traits I will always strive to achieve in my own life.  Throw in his firm belief in God’s providence and crazy sense of humor and the resulting “blend” is nearly perfect!

A book that has affected you the most. “The Gift of Acabar” by Og Mandino for its very philosophical yet real take on life. 

A piece of music or song that affected you the most. I am not much of a musical person but I have always been partial to “old” songs (think Michael Buble, people!) and to inspirational songs with “touching” (aka senti) lyrics.

A movie or film that affected you the most. “Awakenings” starring Robert Di Nero.  It tells of how a mentally ill patient was able to “reclaim” some semblance of normalcy (life as we know it) after being treated with an experimental drug only to fall into the same darkness and despair he was once in after the drug was not able to sustain its “miraculous effects”.   Having an uncle who has practically been institutionalized because of bipolar disorder, I can very well share in the hope this film has sparked - that, eventually, a permanent cure may be found for all the people (and their families) suffering because of this disease.

Well, whaddyaknow? I made it through!

I hope Nell doesn’t mind if I put a certain twist to his tag - instead of “naming” seven specific people, I’m inviting all those who love Michael Buble songs to do this tag as well.

Here’s to a  ”jolly June” ahead!

Or… “Your Baby’s Favorite Toy(s)” - another fun tag I got from “Mega-Marikit Mom”, Tin.

Here are the rules:

Post a photo of your baby with her first ever favorite/comfort toy. Write some details of your fondest memory of your baby and her toy.  This will make a good memento when your baby grows up!

Before passing this on to six (or more) mommies, don’t forget to add the link to your site/s at the end of the page. Surely, many moms (and dads!) would love to see those wonderful posts of yours! ;) 

I unfortunately wasn’t able to take any photos of Marga with her favorite toy when she was much younger. Call me a “narcissist mom” but most of Marga’s baby shots are either “solos” or those with me or hubby only - hahaha!

Anyway, I put up these two “newer” pics of Marga during her usual playtime at home.

“She doesn’t want to drink mimi!”, she says. 

“Mimi” is Marga’s term for milk.  Here, you see her trying (in vain) to bottle feed her little doggie.  Around her are her other Littlest Pet Shop (LPS) toys. I just love her facial expression in this shot - classic “reklamadora” - like me!

She soon tires of her LPS pals and turns her attention to these two other “playmates”…

I just looove Bear-Bear and Kapo!

“Bear-Bear” is a hand-me-down Funshine Care Bear from one of her kuyas while “Kapo” (the pink monkey) was given to Marga when she was born by one of my mom’s dear friends, Tita Dolly Rodriguez.  At her age, Marga is already doing “pretend play” where she becomes the “mommy” while her stuffed toys become her “babies”.  It’s amazing to see her doing this kind of imaginative play since I get to observe her doing all the “mommy stuff” I do - like giving milk, putting a blankie (blanket) over her toys and telling me to shush because her “babies” are sleeping - cute! Just proves that kids her age are absolute SPONGES!

I’m sure a lot of us parents share this secret wish: if only these moments could last forever… (*sigh!*)

Lastly, as I don’t know enough moms with little kids and babies, I’m making this an “open” tag - meaning, any one who reads this post and gets the “urge” to do this tag can do so (c’mon, don’t be shy, guys… we’re definitely looking forward to seeing your posts on your own kids’ fave toys soon!)

Till then, enjoy those precious play times while they last!

They say motherhood is oftentimes a thankless job.  Truth be told, I find myself agreeing with this many times…  

Yet, in the face of mounting chores and a seemingly endless “to do” list, it does feel great to be “recognized” for all my “mommy efforts” even for just one day in a year.  For this year, though, I pleasantly discovered that the surprises in store for me were not limited to just Mom’s Day itself but to the days before and after it as well - whaddyaknow! Talk about going “all out”, huh?

Of course, I have my loving hubby and three adorable “gremlins” to thank (as well as the loads of dear, thoughtful well-wishers who didn’t forget me) for celebrating MY DAY(s) with all the pomp and circumstance it is due.  Guys, it was simply marvelous! I loved it and I LOVE YOU!

Without further ado, I give you ”THE JUICE” … My apologies as this is admittedly a “picture-heavy” post…

MOM’S DAY EVE: As I was about to resume folding the newly-laundered clothes, this box made a welcome appearance

What can I say? Definitely a “maka-BAG-BAG damdaming” moment!

Plus a handmade card from the kiddos…

With a heartfelt “invitation-style” text (feeling “royalty” - hahaha!)

MOM’s DAY: Rafa made me yet another card…

With his own sweet message 

Another highlight: I didn’t have to cook - hurray! Checked out the new French resto in nearby Al-Khobar - La Boucherie

The ambience was cool and so was the service (courtesy of an “all kabayan” service staff!)… but, alas, the food left much to be desired. We all enjoyed the evening, nonetheless… Bon appetit!

Only Rafa seemed all too happy with his orders - he was the only one to “hit the jackpot” from entree to dessert

This was yummy - three scoops of Haagen Dasz ice cream with a dollop of cream and chocolate syrup.  Before you react, Keith and I shared this, okay? Hahaha!

Our “three reasons” for the season

Of course, as many girls will say, what’s a bag without shoes, right? Snagged two comfy ballet flats from Scholl’s - me happy indeed!

POST-MOM’s DAY: Such a wonderful treat - my first-ever blog award! Yipee! Thanks so much, Tin!

Incidentally, since my post-mom’s treat is also a tag, I pass this “Five-Star Blog Award” on to my long-time blogging buddy, Nell, as well as to my NFFs (that’s new-found (blogging) friends) Mommy Ba and Brother Utoy.  All you have to do is answer the simple question: “Who or what influenced you to start blogging?”  Easy-peesy, right? Find the link to my answer here.

That’s about it! If you’ve reached this point - thanks very much for your patience. 

Let’s all spread some sunshine, everyone!

Got this tag from my fave Lone Star state-based cuz-in-law, Munchkin Mommy (aka Weng).

Here are the simple rules: Link to the person that tagged you. Post the rules on your blog. Share six unimportant things/habits/quirks about your self. Tag six (6) random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs. Let them know that they are tagged by leaving comments in their blog. Let your tagger know when your entry is up.

As I was thinking of some of my innate weird ways, I found it interesting that almost all of them started with the letter P – now if that ain’t another “weird wonder” ! So, without further ado, may I present …. Pinky’s “P” Quirks!  Enjoy!

1.      “Pagpag Queen”: In Filipino, “pagpag” means to shake the dust off something by giving it a good healthy whack using another object.  For me, I just refuse to turn in without giving our mattress and pillows a good “pagpag”.  In my mind, this should take out not only the dust that may have accumulated during the day but also should “shake up” (and hopefully dislodge!) any bedbugs that may want to slumber away with us.  To sleep tight, I make sure the bedbugs don’t bite so I religiously do my “pagpag”.

2.      Pera: This translates to “money” in English.  Must be the ex-banker in me but I absolutely abhor old, torn (they call it “mutilated notes” in banking jargon) bills! Aside from wanting my bills new and crisp (parang pambigay sa inaanak tuwing Pasko – hehehe), they have to be arranged by denomination (from biggest to smallest) in my billfold – with all the faces in front, of course!

3.      “Pers in, Pers out” (First In, First Out): This refers to the way I want my clothes arranged in the cabinet.  The newly laundered ones go to the bottom of the folded pile with the “older” ones stacked above them.  This way, I get to efficiently “rotate” the use of my clothes and this also ensures that they won’t look shabby and worn too soon because of frequent “wash-and-wear”.

4.     “Praning”: This is Pinoy slang for being paranoid and this is usually how I describe myself everytime anyone gets sick or experiences unusual bodily discomfort in the family.  Got this from my mom who in turn got it from her mom… Yes, folks, the “fear of sickness gene” is alive and well in our family!  They say that the first step to a cure is acknowledging that you have the disease.  I am hopeful that by accepting that I have this “debilitating attitude” (and with God’s help, of course), I would be free of this fear very, very soon!

5.     Prick it, baby! : I must’ve been a dermatologist in my past life since I cannot stand the sight of anything out of the ordinary popping out or growing on my (or my husband’s… or kids’…) skin.  Yup, I just have to take the @#?!! thing out and how!  Hubby has always expressed “disdain” for this bad habit  and exploits my fear of developing a serious infection to deter me from “giving in” to this inclination (I do listen to him most of the time…).

6.     Puchero: In our family, we cook this without tomato sauce and eat it like a salad – with salt and pepper to taste and mayonnaise as dressing! Keith has admittedly found this weird the first time he encountered it but is now happily a fan!

Yes, mission accomplished - yipee!

I’m tagging my online buddies Jeanny, Buge, Dang, Dragon Lady, Sushi and Julie.  Have a go at it, ladies! It’s fun – promise!!!

This was admittedly a difficult tag for me to do.  You see, I am really “musically declined”.  When I hear music, what I focus on is the lyrics and what message it imparts - which is why I very rarely remember the melody of a song unless I hear it over and over.

Good thing hubby was guilty kind enough to throw me a lifeline by suggesting that I do songs by the one and only “Material Girl”… Britney Spears! Hahaha! Gotcha there!

Kidding aside, I stuck with Madonna’s songs since, apart from them being numerous, they are the ones which ring a familiar bell in my tone-deaf head!  So, with instructions to choose one band/artist and use the titles of their songs to answer the questions, here goes nothing…

To Keith: Khalas! (”Done” in Arabic)

Are you a boy or a girl?               Angel

How old are you?                        Ain’t No Big Deal. Secret.

Describe yourself.                      Cry Baby. True Blue. Lucky Star.

How’s life?                                       Amazing. Bittersweet.

Where do you live?                         La Isla Bonita. Borderline (of KSA and Bahrain!).  

What’s your favorite song?          Live to Tell.

Describe your love life.              Fever.  Crazy For You. Till Death Do Us Part.

What are you?                           Beautiful Stranger.

What kind of music do you like?    Into the Groove.

How are you feeling?                    Keep it Together. Over and Over. Survival.

A few words of wisdom.             Express Yourself. Open Your Heart. You’ll See.

…equals 8! As in eight random things about each of our three children! 

Got a bit flustered with this tag, admittedly, as 24 random things seemed to be quite a lot! Anyway, Tita Weng and Abby, we’re taking our best shot here…  

A bit of a disclaimer is in order as well: I DID NOT PEEK AT KEITH’S ENTRY – PROMISE!!!  

Read ‘em and weep!

 LUIGI 

1. His arms are double-jointed.  This means that when he raises them in a “V” fashion, instead of them going straight up, they tend to tilt outward at an angle.
2. He is a born dancer! We noticed that he could move to music as early as 5 months old and he’s been groovin’ ever since…   In fact, during the past two plays he joined in our community before we left for the Kingdom (which were both staged at the Insular Life Theater in Alabang), their dance coach, a professional, multi-awarded dancer, even commented on how natural he moves when he dances. 
3. He loves drawing in his spare time.  He already won quite a few awards for it as well when he was still in La Salle.  Guess he got this from Ninong Pippo and Ninang Rina!
4.  He is very affectionate and thoughtful.  He is not at all “stingy” with his hugs and kisses.  And when he sometimes realizes that he has done wrong, he even writes me a letter to tell me how sorry he is.
5. Like a true-blue “panganay” (takes one to know one!), he can be bossy, “magulang” and “alaskador” at times that Keith and I make it a point to curb these “tendencies” more often than not…
6. Like cousin Abby, the travel bug has bitten him earlier than most people.  Thus far, he has been to seven countries and to various major local destinations around the Philippines as well.
7. He is very good at the computer.  I am amazed to find him able to understand complicated pc jargon and programs and to come up with his own research materials (with minor tweaking here and there from me when needed ) for his projects at school.
8. He has a more western palate than his siblings.  He can very well survive on bread, soup and pasta and has a decidedly blander preference in food flavors as well.

 RAFA 

1. He was the only baby we weren’t able to bring home from the hospital when I checked out.  Since he had a minor blood infection (sepsis), he had to stay on for another two weeks before we were able to finally bring him home.  What’s more, he had broncho-pneumonia two weeks after we brought him home so he spent his first month at the hospital again (*sigh!*).
2. He was fascinated with mermaids as a toddler.  I really don’t know which character influenced him more – The Little Mermaid or Marina!
3. He had his first haircut at 7 months! Since he was the only one born with a full head of hair, we had to nip his locks earlier on too as he was becoming too “jeprox-looking” for our taste – hahaha!
4. He is more sensitive than his siblings and more prone to “self-pity” especially when he’s sick (hmmm…reminds me of someone… hahaha!).
5. Same as his kuya, he has been to more places than most people his age or even those older than him. 
6. He is extremely pigeon-breasted such that you can actually form a pool of water on the spot directly under his ribs when he is lying down in the tub.
7. He sleeps with his eyes almost half-open – it’s downright “creepy” at times!
8. He can outlast anyone in a gabfest – he can be super talkative when he gets comfortable with the people he’s with… In fact, when he was a toddler, instead of the usual bottle of milk to help him sleep, he used to blab himself to sleep!

 MARGA 

1. She can’t sleep without asking to touch my tummy (I know, this can be quite embarrassing for me in public places – i.e., on flights – especially when I’d much rather keep the “viewing” of my “ampalaya-textured” tummy private!).  I noticed she started to be this way after she was weaned from breastfeeding.
2. She was the only one whom I breastfed for the longest time (one year) compared to her older brothers whom I both fed for a month at the most (since I was still working then).
3. She’s a certified “kikay”.  She loves her blings (earrings, bracelets, necklaces – name it, she loves ‘em all!), bags (Tita Meeya, na-influence mo via cyberspace?? ) and body “treatments” (at such an early age, she’s already asking me to put lotion and creams on her!).
4. She has an amazing vocabulary and above-average verbal skills for her age! Considering that she’s only barely two, she can already converse intelligibly with us and can make us understand what she wants and needs.
5. She loves watching the Cinderella DVDs ad nauseum! She even has a pet name for this Disney princess, “Inda” (close sila ‘no?).
6. She is headstrong and driven and won’t stop (pestering us) until she gets what she wants! At times, Keith and I are driven to “insanity” with her “kakulitan”!
7. A true-blue travel bug she is, too! Starting to travel early (at two months), she has so far been to four countries already and she isn’t even two!
8. She seems to be musically-inclined.  Her repertoire is diverse, mind you… from “Tomorrow” (Annie) to “Sherry Baby” (Jersey Boys) to “You are the Music in Me” (High School Musical) – she just loves listening and singing-along. A Charice or Ramiele in the making? Laking tuwa ng tatay niya, if ever! Hahaha!

 Yey - I’m finished!  If you made it this far…congratulations too!

That’s me! Roughly translated in Tagalog, it means “ang babaeng taya” - hehehe

Inspired by Meeya who created a separate blog for all her tags and memes, I decided to do it too on a smaller scale - to create a separate category for all the tags and memes I receive - thus, “The It Girl”! (Nice name, if I may say so myself… ).

Anyway, moving on to business, here are two fun tags I received from Nell which will hopefully let you have a greater peek at who I am.  Claire, Meann, Leweiss and Ann - consider yourselves tagged! Again, no worries if you simply can’t - it’s all in the name of fun naman

Here goes… read ‘em and weep! Nell dear, this one’s for you

TAG 1: The rule’s quite simple, just copy the following entire list of questions and change all the answers so that they apply to you. Then tag and pass it along to other blogging friends.

1. What is your occupation?  Full-time “domestic dive” aka SAHMMY (stay-at-home mommy) aka Super Inday

2. What color are your socks right now? Since am just usually homebound, my feet are  “al fresco” most of the time J

3. What are you listening to right now? Lauds 4 by Arnel dC Aquino, SJ

4. What was the last thing that you ate? Chicken Alfredo with Corn on the Cob (Did I just hear my gall bladder yell “ENOUGH!!”?)

5. Can you drive a stick shift? Yup, but as with the automatic, I still need tons of practice

6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Pink

7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Hubby, as always…

8. Do you like the person who sent this to you?  Of course – or else I wouldn’t have spent time doing this tag

9. Favorite drink?  Green tea with honey (very good for digestion, they say)

10. What is your favorite sport to watch? Badminton

11. Have you ever dyed your hair? Yes, have to camouflage my prematurely-greying top L

12. Pets? I am not exactly a pet person – sorry…

13. Favorite food?  Desserts – mostly cakes, pastries and ice cream!

14. Last movie you watched?  “Enchanted” – it was very entertaining J

15. Favorite day of the year?  Any day that hubby and I can have some alone time together to just talk and unwind

16. What do you do to vent anger?  Rant, rave and cry1

7. What was your favorite toy as a child?  The Yamaha Portasound mini-keyboard I got from my parents for my 11^th birthday

18. What is your favorite, fall or spring?  Fall – sweater weather is just perfect! Can’t really stand spring as I am prone to allergies with all the pollen flying around…

19. Hugs or kisses?  Hugs

20. What kind of pie?  Pecan – a la mode!

21. Do you want your friends to email you back?  Yes, like Nell, was raised to reply to correspondence and phone calls

22. Who is most likely to respond?  Don’t have a clue…

23. Who is least likely to respond?  Pass again – it’s rude to finger-point (hahaha!)

24. Living arrangements?  In hubby’s company-paid flat (though we got to choose which and where).  We are having our house in Manila rented out as we continue living our “desert adventures”.

25. When was the last time you cried?  A week ago – had a “Mommy Meltdown” episode

26. What is on the floor of your closet?  We actually have drawers at the bottom of our closets for “intimate apparel”

27. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending this to?  Claire

28. The friend you have known the shortest amount of time that you are sending this to?  Ann 

29. Favorite smell? Baby Powder

30. What inspires you?  “Senti” music, a good book, a thought-provoking film

31. What are you afraid of? Death or sickness in the family

32. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? Cheese Burgers (and make it double, please!)

33. Favorite car? I like the look of a red, shiny BMW sedan – am not too familiar with the exact models…

34. Favorite cat breed? Don’t know much about cats…sorry

35. Number of keys on your key ring? Three

36. How many years at your current job?  Two. Previous to this, I worked in a bank for 12 years (oops, gave away my age again!).

37. Favorite day of the week? Thursday – it’s the start of the weekend here and I don’t have to cook!

38. How many provinces have you lived in?  None back home.  On second thought, they do call where we’re currently staying in as the “Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia”… so I guess my answer should be one. J

39. How many countries have you been to?  Eighteen.

TAG 2: Here are the rules: Remove one (1) question from below, and add in your personal question (mine’s in blue below), make it a total of 20 questions, then tag people in your list.

1. At what age do you wish to marry?  When I was younger, I wanted to marry at 21 or 22 but ended up actually doing it a day after my 25^th birthday.

2. What color do you like most? It’s actually a toss-up between yellow and pink.

3. Have you ever shoplifted?  Never (and I don’t intend to do it ever – lalo na dito – baka putulan pa ako ng kamay – scary!!!).

4. Where is the place that you want to go the most?  There’s admittedly still a lot in my “travel wish list” – Greece, Spain, Morocco and Israel, to name a few…

5. Which part of you that you hate the most?  My tummy downwards – never really shed off all the excess pounds from my 3 pregnancies and numerous foodie binges!

6. When you encounter a sad moment, what would you do?  Crying usually gets the sadness out of my system pretty quickly.

7. What are you afraid to lose the most?  Family

8. If you win $1 million, what would you do?  Travel, diversify our investment portfolio and set aside nest eggs for retirement and for each of our children (kasya kaya for all these?).

9. What did you love the most last year (2007)?  Getting the chance to visit Australia with the whole family and with the kids’ lolo and lolas and spending our 10^th year anniversary in El Nido.

10. List out 3 good points of the person who tagged you:  Very forgiving, great with words and pictures, and a joy to interact with J

11. What is your new year’s resolution for your better half? That he commits to an exercise program, healthy eating and weight loss soon.

12. Which type of person do you hate the most?  Those who are lazy and who rely on other people to provide for their basic needs

13. What is your ambition? To be able to raise our children in a more open, Christian and “balanced” environment

14. If you had one wish what would you wish for?  Good health always.

15. How did you celebrate new year? Shuttled between the two sides of our family – eve at hubby’s side and day at my side.

16. Name one of your body part your hubby or boyfriend tells you he adores: Keith says he loves my soft tummy (I honestly don’t know why! Or he’s just saying it so that I won’t think pricey “tummy tuck” thoughts – hahaha!). 

17. It is already 2008, do you have a new year’s resolution?  To try and stick to my exercise and diet regimen and to also grow more spiritually.

18. What do you look forward to in 2008? Our trip to Egypt and hopefully, favorable news on better opportunities for the family.

19. What were your accomplishments last year?  Hmmm…I think I’m getting into the groove of my “DD-ness” quite well J

20. Are you in favor of surgery to enhance your appearance?  I honestly was averse to any form of cosmetic surgery earlier on yet now that the flabs and wrinkles are becoming more evident (even with all the creams and exercise!), I’m beginning to wonder how far a little nip-tuck would go…