I Need a Shrink!

One click. That's all it takes to make my mommy-blog (mlog!--yes, you read it here first!!!) public. I can't do it. I've hovered on the button one too many times but I can't click it. It scares the bejesus out of me. Same with Friendster. I have pics to show, but when I get to the upload page, I cower. I feel uneasy. Obviously, I have issues. I hope someday to overcome this fear.

But don't get me Dr. Phil. I want Dr. Paul.

David got me hooked on a new HBO series, In Treatment. It's a talkie, so it looks really boring. But once you watch and listen, it really gets to you. Somewhere, trophies for a Golden Globe and an Emmy are being crafted for Gabriel Byrne.

Seven! Seven! Seven! Seven! Seven! Seven!.....7!

Funny how, after seven years of marriage, I still learn something new about my husband. Like this weekend. We went on a roadtrip and decided to stop by a Filipino food store. I got the staples: pan de sal, sinigang mix, bihon, sotanghon, atbp(!). Then I saw, in a glass enclosure, three rows of piping-hot siopao. Row 1 was chicken; Row 2, pork; and Row 3, dog meat. (I kid, it was a combo). Not knowing which flavor to get, I ran back to the car to ask him what he wanted. He came back to me with this: I DON'T EAT SIOPAO. Who doesn't like siopao!!!

This year, we didn't go on a vacation as is our anniversary tradition. We were going to take the little boy to a car show; instead, we brought the car show home. Check out our new baby...

Chop Chop!

I heart my new Santoku knife. It slices and dices meats and veggies like buttah.
Funny how I used to be all about techno gadgets. Now it's kitchen and houseware. I don't remember the last time I used my iPod, but I can tell you I use my One-Touch can opener at least twice a week.

Tomorrow, I'm making beef stew so I can play with my new toy some more.

Hardy Har-Har

Too swamped to write! In the meantime, here's a picture to make you laugh. Took this almost over two years ago (with a disposable camera!). The owner's gotta be Filipino.

Snow Storm

Took several pics of a nasty/beautiful snow storm that we had a couple of days ago. Most of the pictures came out dark. But who has time for Photoshop? Not me. So here's one, au naturel.

The rest are here.

Idiot Box

It's been almost two years since I've watched live primetime TV. We record a few shows (House, CSI, Sarah Connor Chronicles, 30 Rock, etc.) but we have yet to watch them.

Surprisingly enough, I don't miss the shows at all. The moniker does make sense. TV does nothing to improve one's well-being. I actually regret wasting all those hours glued to the tube when I could have done something more worthwhile, like pick up a good book.

Thankfully, I haven't turned into a boob yet. At least I don't think so! But more on that next time.

To My Sweetie

Thank you for your love that keeps on growing.



Happy Valentine's Day, my boo. I love you.

"Free" Time

I swear, I'm not being lazy. I was really swamped these past three weeks. I had two back-to-back projects on tight deadlines. So any "free" time I had, I spent working. I finished the second project this afternoon, so here I am tonight, writing whatever pops into my head.

How about this: A typical day in the life of JZ.

6 am: I wake up. More like, David wakes me as best he could. Then we drive to the train station.

7 am: Breakfast.

8 am: Reading time/play time.

10 am: Jakob's nap time. "Free" time. Work, work, work.

12:30 pm: Lunch.

2 pm: Playgym.

4 pm: Jakob's second nap time (if I'm lucky). More "free" time. Work/clean/work.

5 pm: Cook dinner.

6 pm: Pick up David at the train station.

7 pm: Dinner.

9 pm: Jakob goes to bed.

9:30 pm: Work/Surf/email/blog.

11:30 pm: Clean up.

12:30 am: Bed time.

And somewhere in the middle, I manage to make phone calls, do the dishes, take a shower, pay the bills. So you see, I'm not that busy at all. I have all the time in the world!

Bye, Heath

Such a waste. So young and talented. Such a waste.

Cuckoo

You know what the problem is with hands-free/bluetooth cellphone devices? You can't tell the crazy from the sane. One day, you're walking behind somebody muttering to herself and you think, this woman's cuckoo. Then you realize she's got a Jabra plugged in to her ear and is actually in a conversation. Another day, you're seated across from somebody, again muttering, and you think, ah he's just on his cellphone. Then he gets up and you realize he's not plugged up! Cuckoo...

New Year, New Me?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

So one of my resolutions this year is to be more transparent. You all know how I'm always so quiet--rarely updating my blog; rarely commenting on yours. I have this weird trepidation about sharing my personal life for everyone to see. Can anyone give me the phobia name for that? Whatever the name is, I hope to change that this year.

I realize that with the help of a good glass of red, I'm able to express my thoughts better and with more confidence. Does that make me a lush? Not yet, and if so, that'll be for next year's resolution.

Among the things I'd like to do are a.) reveal my secret mommy-blog; b.) add a few pics of my family on friendster (at least as private photos--baby steps); c.) touch-base with friends more frequently; d.) tell more people about this blog.

I have 11-plus months to go and I'll be damned if it takes me that long to accomplish these goals. So if you see that I'm slacking, feel free to give me a good smack on the forehead. Or a little nudge and say, "Where's the mommy-blog you promised?" or "Why don't you write about such and such?" Anything.

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SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO KK MASLOG-LEVIS: So sorry I forgot to greet you on your birthday. Happy belated birthday and I look forward to seeing pics soon!

I Need Glasses

I've needed glasses since three years ago. I've just been in denial about it. Recently, I caught myself squinting a few times at the TV, mostly to check scores. (I'm a sports nut, didn't you know?) Today, I squinted so hard, my eyes were almost shut, and I STILL couldn't see the scores! Time to face the music. And the eye chart.

It's Official

On Friday morning, July 13th, I pledged my Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America. I am now officially an American citizen. It took us six years to get to this point. I'm so glad it's over. No more paperwork, interviews, and proving to the government that we are, in fact, legitimately--and happily--married. Next up, voter's registration.

Hurray!!!!!!

Reminisence

Remember those days when your biggest problem was how to get past the school guard at the gate because:

a. you forgot your ID;
b. you were not wearing white socks;
c. you were not wearing socks; or,
d. you were wearing sneakers instead of black school shoes?

Oh, how simple life was back then.

What's in a Name?

My full name is Jade Sheryl--not Jade, not Jadesheryl, and not Jade-Sheryl. Americans seem to have a hard time accepting this fact. "It's like Mary Jane," I tell them, "or Billy Bob." They still don't get it. (In America, if you're given two names, the second name automatically becomes your middle name.) Ever since I arrived here six years ago, it's been a constant struggle to set things straight, especially when it comes to paperwork. My husband keeps telling me to give up the fight, not worth the aggravation, he says. But I can't. I was born with that name, and I'll fight to keep it. The battle:

Credit Cards. The credit-card invitations I get in the mail have either of the three iterations I've mentioned above. If I'm interested, I call them up and say, "I'll sign up for your card if you can fix my name." Their response is either it's "too long" or "we can't fit two words." WTF! (I acquiesced once because the deal they gave me was too good to pass up. They printed my name as Jade S. Y. Z---.)

License. When I got my Learner's Permit, same response (too long...no two words). So my name came out as Jade,Sheryl. Then, when I applied for my driver's license, the rude woman behind the desk made me choose between Jade or Jadesheryl. "See here miss, the computer won't accept the spacebar." Fucker. I chose the former.

Citizenship. Now this is tricky. When I got my green card, both names were printed correctly. When I applied for citizenship by mail, some clerk (probably caffeine-deprived) typed in my name as Jake Sheryl. I sent them a letter to correct my name, and when their acknowledgement came back, they addressed me only as Jade. Now I don't know if that's what my citizenship card's going to say. I'll have to wait and see.

So for all the people in the world with a Samuel, a Kay, a Renan, a Rose, I hope you're not having as hard a time as I am. The Beths, Aldwyns and Teds are the lucky ones.

My Movie List

Below is a list of movies that I can watch anytime, over and over again. I say that because whenever I channel-surf, any one of these movies always makes me take my thumb off the remote. These are the movies that make David say, "You're watching that again?!"

Before I give you the list, a little disclaimer:
1. This is NOT a list of my favorite movies.
2. These are NOT all good movies. In fact, some of them are awfully bad, yet I can't help but watch them.
3. This is NOT a final list. I may add titles from time to time.

So here goes....

-American President
-Before Sunrise (added 2/8)
-Before Sunset (added 2/8)
-Birdcage
-Christmas Story
-Christopher Guest Movies (Best in Show, Waiting for Guffman, Mighty Wind)
-Coming to America
-E.T.
-Ferris Bueller's Day Off
-Harry Potter - all four
-Home Alone
-Kill Bill - Vols. 1 & 2
-Lord of the Rings - all three
-Love Actually
-Madagascar
-Matrix - all three
-Monsters, Inc.
-Mr. & Mrs. Smith
-My Cousin Vinny (added 8/13)
-Napoleon Dynamite
-O Brother, Where Art Thou?
-Office Space
-Other Sister
-Others
-Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (added 9/24)
-Rat Race
-Signs
-Sixth Sense
-Uncle Buck
-What's Eating Gilbert Grape

Season's Greetings!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! (Kay wala man koy lingaw.)

I AM THE PERSON OF THE YEAR!

Time Magazine awarded the Person of the Year to ME (and YOU).

At first I thought it was a stupid idea, a cop out. But now I realize, heck yeah I deserve to be Person of the Year. Why not? Bloggers, Friendster and MySpace page owners, YouTube video uploaders--we, the ordinary people, certainly made our voices heard this year.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF US!

Bayabas, anyone?

So I did my weekly grocery shopping today, and guess what I saw? Guavas. I was about to bag a handful when I saw the sticker price: $1.99 EACH! A fruit that I used to pick off a tree for FREE when I was a kid was going to cost me almost two dollars apop? It just didn't sit right with me to pay that much so I put everything back.

So to my friends in the Philippines, here's my Christmas wish: padal-i ko'g bayabas, bi?

Giving Happy Thanks

Whew! It's 10:42 in the evening, our guests have left, and my baby boy is in bed fast asleep. Our Thanksgiving dinner is over. Last year, we hosted Christmas dinner, this year it's our turn to do Thanksgiving. I started cooking at 8:30 am and didn't finish until 5 pm.

It was one helluva dinner! Here's my menu:

Appetizers:
-Spice-Mulled Apple Cider
-Edamame
-Cocktail Shrimp
-Peach Galettes
-Crackers with Smoked Gouda and Port Wine Cheddar Cheeses
-Papadum Chips flavored with Yogurt and Dill
-Grapes

Main Course:
-One mean 12-pound roasted turkey!
-Hickory Smoked Ham
-Giblets Gravy
-Stuffing
-Mashed Potatoes
-Mashed Yams
-Cranberry Relish
-Green Beans in Lemon Butter Sauce with Almonds

Dessert:
-Coconut Custard Pie
-Upside Down Pineapple Cake

Yes, I am super tired, but that's okay. Everyone liked the food and had a great time. Plus, I'm getting a nice foot rub from my hubby as I'm writing this.

Need I tell you what I'm thankful for?

Finally--here are some pictures from tonight.

Before dinner

Our annual Thanksgiving tradition.

After dinner