Julia at the museum

Julia at the museum
Originally uploaded by Pixel Me Silly.

So cool. Closest thing I'll get to seeing my work on a museum.

Baby Talk

Julia's first conversation piece:

Pam: San pumunta si Daddy?
Julia: Owpis...
Pam: Ano ginagawa ni Daddy sa Office?
Julia: It...
Pam: Ano eat ni Daddy sa office?
Julia: Korn
Pam: Ano pa eat ni Daddy?
Julia: Sup (soup)

Puso ng saging burgers

Only P50 in your pocket and have 5 mouths to feed?

Try this recipe, courtesy of Lola Mamang.

Puso ng saging burgers

1 puso ng Saging, P25 at Fernando's Supermarket (cheaper sa palengke)
3 Eggs, P6
About a cup of flour, P7.50 a pack
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil, optional kung meron ka sa bahay

Peel one by one the outer petals of the puso ng saging (how konyo) and take the flowers found behind each petal, remove the... anu ba tawag dun... anther (kung kumakain kayo ng nectar ng bugamvilla nung bata ka, yun ay yung hinihila). Mince it. Halfway into the puso, check if its soft enough so you can just mince everything up.

Place in a large bowl and mix with the eggs, flour, salt & pepper. I used to put a good portion of ground pork, but forget that for now. Add a little olive oil. You'll then get a good pasty mixture that you can make into small pancakes.

In a frying pan, heat oil to medium, and cook puso pancakes as if they were your ordinary burger. Serve hot(Must, only tastes good if freshly cooked).

D' Adventures of Alexa & Audrey

I've been busy lately...

Liver update

Blood extraction. It's been sort of a regular ritual for me. However this time instead of a creatinine count, I'm having a SGPT test to check my liver condition.

Painful? The only pain I felt was from my backpocket (P350!).

Laing for five

I'm on my second week of low protein, low salt, semi vegan, semi junk food diet. This morning I had ginisang sitaw and rice for breakfast, ginataang puso ng saging for lunch, and two small packs of Boy Bawang and a bar of Gardenia chocolate buns for meryenda.

For dinner, I decided to treat myself by making Laing, a Bicolano delicacy mainly made up of dried taro/gabi leaves in coconut milk or gata.

Here's the ingredients:
- 1 supot of dried laing leaves (I bought 2 plastic bags at StarMall Las Pinas)
- 2 gratted coconuts (or you can buy those unsweatened tetra packs, about 3)
- 1 head garlic, minced
- 2 small red onion, minced
- Lots of luya, maybe mince one which is the size of your hand
- 2 pieces siling pangsigang
- 1 small pack hibi (maliliit na hipon)
- 3 tablespoons oil
- About 5 strips of pork with lots of fat (just for taste)

Instructions:
Heat pan and place meat. Add a small amount of water to extract fat. If the water dries up and konti lang lumabas na mantika, add a little oil and and make gisa(hhwhatttt? Sorry nakalimutan ko english nito eh.. ah Sauté pala, hehehe) the bawang, sibuyas and luya.

While this is happening, ask your Lola to place the coconut meat in a deep bowl, pour in a cup of hot water, then have her extract the gata by making piga(like a pigsa) the meat till her kili-kili becomes red.

[pic ni Lola]

Note: if you don't have a Lola to help you, too bad ;P.

When the onion caramelizes or becomes transparent, add gata. When it simmers add the hibi, sili, laing leaves and pour gata ng nyog into pot. Let it simmer with frequent stirs para hindi masunog ilalim.

By this time my Mother arrived and tasted it (Mother:"Pweh! Walang lasa!"). She suggested I add more ingredients:

- Alamang
- a small amount of Magi Meaty Seasoning (Nyahahaha, secret weapon!)

Add alamang in small portions to taste. Be carefull not to put too much though. The laing should be ready when the oil starts to come out.

I didn't taste it anymore as there's no point (it was already 8PM), and I had already made a mess in the kitchen, much to my Lola's chagrin (Lola: "ANOOHH BAAAHH!! ISA LANG NELUTO MO ANG KALAT-KALAT MOOHHH, 'LIS DYAN!!).

Over diner, I found out that the laing is OK.

Here are the reviews:
- Pam: "Lasang laing nga! Pero hindi masarap.."
- Mother: "OK sya(sabay inom ng tubig)"
- Lola: "Hmmph, ang kalat-kalat mo magluto!"
- Yaya: "Masarap kuya(Good girl, me increase ka sakin next month)"

Gay for a day

[Post originally created April 12, 2006]

Tomorrow Pam goes back to work after her 1 month maternity leave. Why just one month? Well, it is supposed to be 3, but she just had 3 months off last year (with Julia) and she's a bit guilty that she's taking long a leave again.

For all those not in the loop, a little over a year after Julia was born last March, we had our second AND a third daughters. That means three kids in two years(syet, world record?!?)-- I know, someone should cut off my testacles, but what can I do (kalabit kasi ng kalabit eh, buwahahahahaha!).

Anyway, before she goes back to work, she said she had to be "beautiful" and needed her hair relaxed and feet pedicured ("baka sabihin nila na-losyang na ako!").

"Do you want your feet done as well?- Pam

Hmmm.. interesting. I've never had a pedicure before. Despite being an avid runner and a mountaineer, I've always had nice feet although they do sometimes smell(yummy) and my big toes are bigger than normal(They have excess thick skin on the insides-- a mutant adaptation after years of climbing). The other defect is the right pinky, where the cuticle has almost grown over the actual nail (enjoying your dinner so far? Hehehe).

"Won't I look gay or DOM?" I suddenly see images of me with manicured nails and matching gold rings and necklaces.

"Has that been a problem? Just don't have them put acetone."- Pam

Good point. Below are pictures of my first ever pedicure.



Honestly it's scary with all that tinkering with the small knives. Fortunately Edel my pedicurist(who looked like Sexbomb dancer Rachel Panganiban), is very good. It felt pleasureable, just like having your feet scratched or your pimples popped.

Tadaa.



Don't they look great with my Haviologs?

Cool baby

Photo of Julia I took last Saturday.



Ain't she cool? :)

Liver problems(Oh-oh)

I just got my results from my recent annual check-up, and everything's OK (urine, stool) except for my SGPT, which was almost double the normal values.

I wasn't too concerned at first (I thought it had something to do with having just one kidney), until Dr. Sarao, a scion of the famous family that produced the best Philippine jeepneys said "Boy, you have some damage in your liver"

NOTE: Definition of SGPT
Serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase, an enzyme that is normally present in liver and heart cells. SGPT is released into blood when the liver or heart are damaged. The blood SGPT levels are thus elevated with liver damage (for example, from viral hepatitis) or with an insult to the heart (for example, from a heart attack). Some medications can also raise SGPT levels. Also called alanine aminotransferase (ALT).

Liver damage? Eckkk!!! Is it due to my years of eating adobo(with matching rice with adobo grease and bagoong)?

Well fortunately the Doc said this isn't that serious and is reversable. He asked me to take Essentiale Caps (ang sosyal ng name) once a day which aids in liver regeneration. Also, I'm trying to cut down on meat (I'm in my low salt-low protein-lots of water diet in preparation for my creatinine exam next month), that should help.



Nothing like a good before and after photo to scare you shitless back to health.

Liver problems(Oh-oh)

I just got my results from my recent annual check-up, and everything's OK (urine, stool) except for my SGPT, which was almost double the normal values.

I wasn't too concerned at first (I thought it had something to do with having just one kidney), until Dr. Sarao, a scion of the famous family that produced the best Philippine jeepneys said "Boy, you have some damage in your liver"

NOTE: Definition of SGPT
Serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase, an enzyme that is normally present in liver and heart cells. SGPT is released into blood when the liver or heart are damaged. The blood SGPT levels are thus elevated with liver damage (for example, from viral hepatitis) or with an insult to the heart (for example, from a heart attack). Some medications can also raise SGPT levels. Also called alanine aminotransferase (ALT).

Liver damage? Eckkk!!! Is it due to my years of eating adobo(with matching rice with adobo grease and bagoong)?

Well fortunately the Doc said this isn't that serious and is reversable. He asked me to take Essentiale Caps (ang sosyal ng name) once a day which aids in liver regeneration. Also, I'm trying to cut down on meat (I'm in my low salt-low protein-lots of water diet in preparation for my creatinine exam next month), that should help.



Nothing like a good before and after photo to scare you shitless back to health.

Prawns in Sweet Chili Sauce

Ingredients:
- Lots of prawns, enough to feed the folks at home (here that's about half the population of Nigeria).
- Sweet chili sauce (enough to cover yourself and the prawns)
- Flour (Ditto, aint this fun?!?)
- Drinking water
- Salt & pepper
- 1 head Garlic (minced)
- 1 head Onion (minced)
- Oil (1 vat)

Instructions:
Mix flour, salt & pepper, half of onion & garlic, and add enough water to make a smooth, snotty (sorry) consistency. Add and cover prawns with mixture, then add spoon for texture. Set aside.



In a pan, heat 1 vat of oil, then remove about 95% of it because I was just kidding (you only need about a cup, he-heee). Fry prawns until golden. Set aside (Jeez this recipe takes too long!)



In the same pan, stir fry remaining onion and garlic until onion becomes transparent. Pour sweet chili sauce in pan, and then add cooked prawns. Stir prawns until covered in gooey-ectoplasm like sauce.



Serve hot with rice, preferably while wearing a dress if you’re a guy (Why are you the one cooking??).



Note: Suck the head, its not only delish, it also keeps you young (you die young!).

Goodbye Judy

Goodbye Judy.



Hello Julia's extreme all-terrain, all condition tandem roadster(Hala, may wang-wang yan mind you).



I've accepted the bitter truth that I'm not riding my mountainbike anytime soon, except buying softdrinks at our neighbor's. With the babies taking most of our remaining free time, it's difficult, nay, impossible to squeeze in my weekend bike trips.

I'm crying as I type right now. I love my bike. My bike's cool. It has an all-Shimano LX groupset. It's fork is a Judy Rockshox. It's shiny. It's red. It has a good plush seat anatomically designed to keep my fertility intact (no doubt that's true).

But as a firm believer of the saying "If you love me, let me go", I've decided to sell it. Mountainbikes are ment to spin up mountains and crash down ravines, not as a trophy in a dark corner.

If anybody out there wants to bid on my bike, you can see more photos at my garage.

One instant pool party

Syet, ang ineeeeetttttt....

We could be at the beach right now, in Bohol, Boracay.. Heck, maski Matabungkay papatulan ko(me pumupunta pa ba sa Matabungkay?).

Then again circumstances won't allow it. So for now, we do the next best thing:

Recipe for one (1) instand pool party:
- Get a rubber pool (beach ball optional).
- A garden hose
- Lots of water
- Space to sunbathe


Tada!!





See more photos of these at Where's Julia

Summer na!

I just saw ABS-CBN's TV summer plug, and it reminded me of this photo.



Last January 3, while walking back to our room from Cocomangas, me and Pam chanced upon these group of local kids playing on the beach, ala-John Cena of WWE shouting "You can't see me!" while waving their hands over their face. I asked if they want a photo (of course they obliged!).

Sigh.. Next year when the kids are 2 and 1 years, Bora here we come!

Lexi the Poop

Lexi pooped last night, and boy did she let out a shitload of poop, you'd think an adult did the stinker.

She had poop in her diapers, on her diapers, on their crib, on her sheets, on her feet, on her hands, and on her cheeks. Good thing we didn't name her Winnie or she'd be Winnie the Poop.

Things to to do between 9AM to 11AM

Mainit ang ulo ni boss(either natalo sa isang milyon-milyon na bid, or hinde naka-score kagabi)... must pretend to be busy...

Things to to do between 9AM to 11AM:
- mag check ng email
- mag check ng mga blog (Ella's stories really crack me up, hehehehe)
- mag isip ng mga pangalan ng dance group ko ("Dangerous Moves", "The Crazy Katz", "The Punkers")
- mag CR ng limang beses between 9-11AM
- Create my own South Park character (Syempre puyat)

- Create a South Park character version of Pam (hahaha, puyat di..zzzzzzzzz)



Sigh, so much to do, so little time....

Movies that define your teenage life

I just woke up, it's 12NN, and I was trying to catch up on sleep. The twins were at their usual little-monster selves last night trying to keep things "happening." I caught Pam watching Sharon Cuneta and Gabby Concepcion's P.S. I love you, and managed a glimpse of the scene where Sharon is groping Gabby's face in a stupid game where you are blindfolded and asked to catch and identify someone amid a giggling and shrieking crowd (of course ang magpapahuli lang dito eh yung may crush o ka-love team mo. This game reminds me of the Marriage Booth sa mga school fair dati, na ipapahuli ka ng crush mo para ikasal kuno kayo. Btw., di ako na-mamarriage booth dati kasi inde naman ako heart throb, kaya sa Jail Booth lagi bagsak ko).

So baduy. I asked Pam "Bakit mo pinapanood yan?"

"Anu ka ba, that's one of the movies in the 80's that defined every teenager's life." (Note: Pam and I are in our early 30s).


P.S. I Love you? Define my teenage life?

Never!!

Below are some of the movies that shaped Tuny's life, as I see it today.

Robot Jox(1990). Starring Gary Graham and Anne Marie Johnson(Who??). Natatandaan ko ito because of the great special effects (mala-Bioman/robot in karton suits pa nga lang noon), at naholdap ako nun sa Recto paglabas ko sa sinehan kasama ang best friend kong si Joel(Syet! Nakuha yung matagal kong inawitan na diver's watch!).

Karate Kid(1984). Immortal. Starring Ralph Macchio(asan na kaya ito) and Elisabeth Shue in her pre-sexy star days(Thanks Pam, hindi ko natandaan yun ah!). Sino ba naman ang mag-aakalang matutuo ka ng kick-ass karate moves sa pamamagitan ng paglinis ng kotse at paliligo sa dagat (Wax on, wax off, wax on, wax off. The Crane--Hee-yah!!).

Mac & Me(1988). ~~I had a feeling, all by myself, being so different, from everyone else~~ (Natural, alien ka ba namang dumapo sa Earth, kung di ka ba naiba sa lahat). This was voted pala as one of the worst movies of the century (I'm hurt...)

Ninja Kids(1986). J.C. Bonin rules! Dito ako natutong maghubad ng t-shirt at ilagay sa ulo ko ala-Ninja, at magtatakbong hubad sa Sampaloc na may hawak na patpat(Kasama ko manood nito ay yung magandang katulong ni Tita Uling sa Manuela Mall sa Las Pinas -yeba!).

Bagets(1984). Sino ba naman ang hindi makakalimot sa kakaibang intro at ending nito, na ginagaya noon sa lahat ng production number sa school ala Dating Doon-- From sa banggaan ni William Martinez at Raymond Lauchengco, hanggang sa moonwalk ni Aga Muhlach! Sadly ako palagi si Herbert Bautista dito kasi ako ang pinaka pangit at patpatin noon sa class.

Superman(1978). ~~Tantarararan-dandandan, tantarararan, Superman! ~~ (ay wala palang lyrics ito). Keanu has nothing on Christopher Reeves!

The American Ninja(1985). Starring Michael Dudikoff. Natatandaan nyo yung scene na nakikipagbugbugan sya sa mga sundalo? Na sa huli ay tatalian niya yung mata nya bago sya magpapapukpok sa ulo sa isang negro, sabay ilag? (Cool... Sadly sa pelikula lang nagagawa ito, at ilang beses din ako nagkabukol noon).

Teen Wolf(1985). Starring
the then teen everyone wants to be, Michael J. Fox. Sayang inde ako pinayagan ng tatay ko na magsurf sa ibabaw ng hatchback namin.

Thriller(1983). Kung akala mo MTV lang ito, you're wrong! Pinanood ko dati ito sa recto. Starring Michael Jackson(of course) and directed by John Landis, isa pa ito sa mga ginagaya sa school production numbers (Yung zombie dance). Natatandaan ko pang sinayaw ito ng Octoarts Dancers sa Student Canteen (siyempre inaaral ko yung moves at sinasabayan ko!).



Hayy, ang sarap talaga nang buhay ng bata. Sige na magtitimpla pa ako ng gatas ni Julia.
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[Afterthough: Napansin mo ba nung bata ka, pag hindi ka pinayagan ng nanay mo manood ng sine or kulang ang baon mo, sasabihin mo lang na "hihintay ko na lang ito sa TV." Funny enough parang sandali lang nasa TV na nga ang pelikulang iyon... ]

Click: Wonder Baby

We're proud parents of a very "special" baby.









This is Julia at 3 months, enjoying Michael Chrichton's Prey and Sydney Sheldon's If Tommorow Comes. She gave up on nursery rhymes at 2.










Below's Mommy and Julia sharing a light moment (I think there's something wrong in this picture).

Nakautot ka na?

Location: Perpetual Hospital, Las Pinas
Current Mood: Still drowsy (and a bit gassy)

Pam was rolled in this morning from the recovery room. First thing I noticed (aside about her catheter) was how small her tummy was. Honestly, I don't remember the last time i saw her that "slim". Note that it was only last year that we gave birth to our panganay Julia, making it a two year-long pregnancy. I think this was a record of sorts, adding the fact that we have 3 babies in 2 years(Maybe I should check the Guiness Book of World Records). I asked her how she was, and she gave me a nasty stare (I have a 6-inch incision in my belly, and you're asking me if I'm OK?).

Well she was up and about that same day-- brave girl I married! I think if men were the ones giving birth, I would have chosen celibacy (Tule nga lang nanginginig na ako sa takot, panganganak pa!). Her doctor insisted that she try to move around as much as she can para mautot na sya. An hour later a nurse came in with her meds, and asked non-challantly if nauutot na sya. That evening the care giver who came in to change her napkins (mental note: no sweet & sour pork for dinner) also asked if na-utot na sya. She then asked if she was nautot na. Even the nice hospital janitress joined the fray and asked:

Nautot na po kayo?

Maybe you're asking: What's with this fart fetish? Why was the entire hospital staff suddenly obsessed with Pam's fart? Did it turn sweet after the c-section?(Mam, utot mo ang bango.. at kulay orange!).

Well as funny or repulsive as it sounds, doctors do look forward to seeing (or hearing) their patients break gas after an operation. As explained to me by my nephrology doctor after my kidney donation, passing gas is a good sign that indicates your digestive system is working normally after a major operation.

Well apparently Pam was well enough the next day to say (and proudly at that!)"Oo, nautot na ako".



********


Some fart facts
- Farts are created mostly by E. coli.
- On the average a fart is composed of about 59% nitrogen, 21% hydrogen, 9% carbon dioxide, 7% methane, and 4% oxygen. Less than 1% is what makes them stink.
- The temperature of a fart at time of creation is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Farts have been clocked at a speed of 10 feet per second.
- A person produces about half a liter of farts a day.
- Although they won't admit it, women fart as much as men.
- Termites are the largest producers of farts.
- Farts are flammable.
- The word "fart" comes from the Old English "feortan" (meaning "to break wind").
- Excess gas in the intestinal is medically termed "flatulence."
- More but utterly useless (but funny) fart facts at http://www.heptune.com/farts.html

You can also make music with the Farting Nun Organ

Yipeee! (The twins are out!)

---------------------------------------------------------
Date: March 24
Time: 5AM
Location: Perpetual Hospital, Las Pinas
Current Mood: Drowsy but ecstatic
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Yahoo! Yipee! Yadda-yadda-yadda! U-ki-ni-na-nat-tuyen! (Sorry, baka may Pangalatok dito,hehehe)

Attention: The twins are out! The twins are out! The twins are out! Yes, I'm a father all over again.



First to come was "Alexa" (Code name: "Baby Rola A"). I wanted to name her after another famous Hollywood movie star (After naming our panganay "Julia" ala Julia Roberts). Pam however put her foot down a week ago and said she wanted "Alexa" for no apparent reason other than it sounded "sossy" (Eh gusto ko eh!). To all unmarried men out there, never, never argue with a woman with a bowling ball under her skirt-- it's too painful, hahaha. "Alexa Sophia" btw weighed in at 5.4 pounds.



Next up was "Audrey" (Code name: "Baby Rola B"). Fortunately after the Alexa incident, Pam was compassionate enough to allow me to name the second one, and Audrey was my choice (for Audrey Hepburn.. oh deh-ba!). I wanted to add a second name "Nike" after the greek goddess of victory, kaso Pam said I should stop while I'm ahead ("You're enjoying too much freedom Tuny, down boy"). Audrey Isabella weighed in at 4.12 pounds.



That's Julia above visiting mommy and the twins.

So we have Julia (Roberts), Audrey (Hepburn) and Alexa (The Great? De Rossi? Hehe)... Sorry Pam, couldn't help it.

Oh yeah bebeh, things can only get better in my fishbowl.