Happy second quarter of the year! Happy Easter! :)

Where did you spend the looong weekend?

I used to always go somewhere, wherever, however, come holy week and come summer. For a few years, my restless feet hardly, if never, ever stayed in the Metro on summer weekends. I was always somewhere, if not packing and unpacking coming from somewhere. Climbing some mountain, camping in some hidden cove, frolicking in some "undiscovered" powdery white sand, joining some adventure race up North, racing the dragonboat in the big bay, riding some rickety bus or carpooling with friends to wherever unbeaten track we may end up (either planned or spontaneous).

It helped a lot that as part of the academe, I did not have to worry about Monday or Friday work days. Summer was synonymous to paid breaks and rakets or paid extra curricular projects. And of course, travels. I took long weekends as I pleased and went wherever my not-so-deep pockets afforded me to take.

Oh to be young, single, and [responsibly] carefree.

Now holy weeks and long weekends are for recharging, staycations in posh hotels OR just good ol' staying at home with my guys, away from the horrific The Great Manila Exodus scenarios.

I do miss just a little bit and only fleetingly those hey days. That season of adventure and wandering befitting an outdoorsy lass in her young 20s. But that's just it. No, I don't get glassy eyed wishing I could rewind time and embark on those adventures again. I had my fill back in the days (like that was so long ago, hah!), and I started rather early. No regrets, no pining to live those days again, no feeling that I missed out on anything. 

That was a done chapter, and in as much as I will ever fondly look back and be grateful that I got to write those delightful, colorful, and vivid pages in my book, my new season of "adventure" and wander has evolved and has taken a new, higher form.
 
My new 'hey days' are at my fingertips, my new adventure is the now and the here. It is being with my two boys, creating new forms of colorful, wonderful and delightful memories together, wherever, however. Heck, everyday is an adventure. Everywhere can be an adventure. :)


This year's mini-break was rather memorable even though we only stayed put in the Metro. Here, let me share a few snapshots that offer just a glimpse and don't do justice to our awesome mini-break:


We were able to squeeze in some decent training time over the long weekend! Woot!



We had picnic under the trees, ran in the grass, cruised up and down slopes in the Sunken Garden, walked around the Acad Oval. Thirdy had a terrific time and felt at home in momma and Dad's playground slash beloved University slash second home - UP Diliman.

Even the streets in our neighborhood were not spared from the merrymaking:


Why do you have to end, long weekend? Good luck to jumping back to the ever-at-full-force daily grind. :)

Tagaytay weekends are so overrated.

Said no one who wanted a little bit of R&R or food trip while escaping the unforgiving Manila heat.

It's been quite a while since the husband and I drove to Tagaytay to chill, just the two of us. These days, we always travel with and spend our weekends with the little guy. But we figured a little quiet time and away time for half the day (we were only gone for 6 hours, actually) won't hurt, and in fact would be beneficial to all of us, including the little guy. (It was, very.)

Parents, couples, after all, still need time together and time away from everything (yes, tell that to me more often, to me who cannot peel myself away from our little guy and me who often come rushing home feeling guilty after a date night).

Yesterday's road trip slash date with the hubby was a much needed respite. Very refreshing.

Oh, those rolling fog at noon. Thank God there was no horrendous traffic.

We left for brunch, and save for a minor bottleneck caused by a minor truck mishap, had a very smooth drive. While Manila was gloomy yet very humid, Tagaytay was cold (23 degrees versus Manila's 33 degrees), foggy, balmy, soothing. Buckets of rain -- huuuge pellets of them -- started pouring just as we were about to head back home after brunch and after my roadside shopping. Mighty refreshing, all in all.

Always a good place to dine in. :)

For brunch, we picked our usual jaunt - Breakfast at Antonio's. This is one of our top favorites in the city, perhaps second favorite, next to its 'mother resto,' Antonio's. The comfort Western breakfast meals made from fresh ingredients and the cozy interiors are always spot on. Discovered too that their freshly baked breads-to-go, although priced higher, are just divine.

I can sit here, with a good book and a nice cup of coffee, all day. :)

Food is always good here.

We also took our sweet time to stop and smell (and buy!) the flowers. I was looking for some bonsai but went home with a huge chili plant and pots of colorful marigolds instead. I am so enamored with my new flowering plants, which will hopefully thrive in our boring garage like they do in Tagaytay. LOL.

Pit stop.

Stop and smell them flowers.

We also made a pit stop to buy my usual simple "luxuries" -- fresh fruits and lettuce (which were still planted in small improvised pots to prolong their freshness). I usually hoard freshly picked fruits and veggies, especially when they are much cheaper than in the grocery, and this was no exception. Worth mentioning too were the buko pie and blueberry cheese tarts from Rowena's, the icing on the cake that was this lovely Sunday date and road trip.

Mmmm. Greens.

QQTTs, or what we used to call as our "quiet quality time together" are both a luxury and necessity these days. Glad and kilig that the day -- and good ol' Tagaytay -- did not disappoint. :) Happy thoughts to last throughout another week of daily grind, eh. ;)

Almost noon and it looks COLD, riiiiight? We're all bundled up, and he's only wearing one layer of top and botton!

It’s starting to get warm, although admittedly it’s still quite cold and breezy here, on summer-in-March-in-the-Philippines standards.

I used to believe I am not quite a winter person (as if I’ve seen more than enough winters to come to that conclusion, har har), primarily because I am, or used to be, a beach person. My ‘regular programming’ mode just seems to get impaired whenever the temps drop. I almost literally cannot move and think rationally when it’s too cold and all I can think of is sleep, sleep, sleep, and hibernate wrapped in fluffy white duvets!

I have to admit though that coming to Tokyo just as the winter was ending (still too cold, I tell you) was quite a treat. For one, I thoroughly enjoyed layering and parading about in my coats and boots and winter garb, oh lovely stuff that don’t stand a chance of seeing the day here in my tropical home. My oily skin too was at its finest, dewy and glowing, thanks to the arctic coldness that seemed to freeze my oil glands, too. No sweat, no oil momma! Very conducive for running and working out -- and for walking around with a heavy toddler in tow. I literally didn't break a sweat, considering I walked kilometers upon kilometers while carrying my heavy little guy.

If you ask my husband and my little guy though, they’d probably tell you their different stances on the cold. They’d probably tell you they love the freezing temps, with no abandon, to the hilt. My husband is a cold junkie. He embraces the cold and refuses to wear thick, weighty coats even if it’s freezing. My little guy, we realized was just like that too. I meant other than the tell-tale sign of profusely sweating in our cold airconditioned room and peeling himself off the blanket while I'm all cuddly cold and wrapped up.

The only time I remember he happily wore his gloves (because it was really, really freezing then). Not for too long, though. LOL.

Imagine running around in 6 degrees temp with just one layer of clothes? My mind just can’t wrap around the thought! Granted, it was a pair of thermal top and pants he was wearing, but my golly, I had to wear three layers that time! And so did most of the Japanese folks we saw outside that time.

My little guy just flat out refused to wear gloves even though his hands were freezing. He never got to use his bonnet -- to think I bought us identical Zara kids bonnet so he’d be more inclined to match Momma’s “hat.” Hah! He evaded wearing his coat. The struggle (on our side, the parents) to wrap him back in his winter outer wear whenever we were coming out of an establishment was oh so real. I feared his hands would turn blue, or his ears would fall off from frost bite. But the little guy was a happy trooper, sans Momma’s coats regalia, and freezing temps be damned. Whew.

I guess we have to take him to more winter trips then. :) I myself am starting to get charmed with the chilly (chilly enough to don two layers plus a chic coat, and maybe knee-high boots) but not-too-glacial weather and fancy travelling to the ‘colder hemispheres’ some more soon. :)

To more travels with you, my loves. :)

Konnichiwa! Ohayo!

I am still fatigued on a high from our trip to Tokyo. We packed our coats and gloves and scarves, temporarily bid sunny Manila and our home and work and our yaya goodbye. For six days, we waded our toes in still-winter-but-almost-spring heart of Japan and thoroughly enjoyed it.

We made new memories, bonded day in and out, explored parts of ourselves and of our dynamics in a way that we don't get to when in the comforts of our home. It was a milestone moment for our little family and for me. As a mom, as a wife.

Truth be told, the trip was pretty exhausting for me. We had no yaya, my baby (err, toddler now) did not want to have anything to do with the stroller most of the time (and I had to walk kilometers upon kilometers carrying him), I ran around a lot with him, not to mention that the little guy is now at that stage wherein he is pretty assertive with his likes and dislikes, which are often in conflict with our itinerary. :) A day was devoted for the hsuband running the Tokyo Marathon too, so I didn't think it was wise to tire him much.

But my golly, I was truly beaten tired by the end of the trip! Don't get me wrong, this was what I wanted; I could not even begin to imagine going away for a night and leaving my baby alone. And, all exhaustion aside, I really did enjoy the whole trip. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. But only after I take a week of rest, please. Ha ha!

I will share more intimate stories of our wonderful Japan adventure in my upcoming post/s. We are currently on staycation in (where else!) Solaire for the weekend, the perfect segue (or bridge-gap?) from our lovely vacation to reality. Yep, we haven't even unpacked our luggages yet and we had to start packing again yesterday. I don't mind though. Consider myself charging up for my upcoming posts. ;)

Happy new year! Happy Valentine's day! Gong Xi Fa Cai! Kung Hei Fat Choi! :)

I know. It's been THAT long already. I am going to fill you in -- and make up for that lost time, but some other time, pretty please. And this, this procrastination, is why I make for a terrible blogger wannabe Suffice to say all is great, and has always been, over here. :)

My little family is embarking on our first overseas adventure together. Just the three of us. Sans a maid or a nanny. Yay and whoa! For the most part, I am really excited about this trip, but I also cannot just sweep off under the rug that part of me that gets wary and anxious thinking about how exhausting this trip may turn out. Let's see how my street smarts and my very athletic stamina hold up. :P

I gotta catch a wink now, we leave for the airport just before daybreak tomorrow. This is it! It's going to be awesome! :)

Q: What happens when Thirdy accidentally hits Momma while horsing around and Momma feigns pain although it does not hurt one bit?

A: Thirdy spends a good few minutes hugging Momma, patting her gently, caressing her hair lovingly, consoling her, kissing her, hugging her here and patting her there again while saying
"Sorry po, Momma. Sorry po, Momma!" and
"I love you po Momma!"

Warmest Christmas from my family to yours! :)

I've always looked forward to Christmas since I was a kid up to my growing up and adult years. But, as they say, Christmas is a lot more fun and meaningful once you have your own little family or little kiddos.

My heart beams seeing him wide-eyed in wonder and appreciation of all the lights and the glitz and the colors of Christmas. He even loves opening gifts! And it seems he has mastered the art of hopping into social gatherings aka parties, reunions, and the seemingly long staycations we have this season. Adaming lakad ng bagets, and he sure does get all fired up at the mere mention of "aalis tayo!"

But on top of that, I'm betting he is most thrilled that he sees a lot of Momma (I am on a rather long leave, woot!) and Dad these days. :) That is also the highlight of my holidays 2014, being able to spend as much time with the little guy, the dear hubby, as well as the rest of the family. :)

 Sharing some Christmas and pre-Christmas photos of the little kiddo. :) Happy holidays, you guys!

His biggest gifts so far. Thanks, Lolo and Lola!

Loving his new ride.

Balloon world. Just don't burst on me, pretty please?

Momma and Dad's christmas gift. :)

He just had to inspect each and every gift on the tree! ;-)