oh, yes! oh, yes! it's springtime! (at last!!!)

waking up from long hibernation during the loooong winter. seems very timely to start blogging again :)

today we were out and about since lunch time. it's the bratislava open doors day, a.k.a. bratislava for all. it's the day(s) when you can go to museums and different bratislava attractions for free. there are also some free rides, including historical transport vehicles. 

this year, we were able to ride the historical bus to zelezna studnicka. just by chance. originally we planned to take the tour train to the castle, spend some time at the playground, and take the historical trolley bus back to town. but, the wait was long and the historical bus 33 was right there and about to go.  so, what do we do?

we went all the way to the ski lifts. it was about 20 minutes hike from the last stop. the ride wasn't free though, only tomorrow it will be. no wonder there were no queues. but at 4€/pax (children up to 6 are free) two-way is reasonable enough. so we went up and back. 

on the way back, no more hiking. we were just in time. we caught the normal bus, but we didn't have tickets. good thing it was just 3 stops and no checker. :D we also didn't wait too long for the real free ride back to town.

andy fell asleep at last while still in the bus. so we decided to just walk to eurovea for dinner. kolkovna was fully booked, so we ended up in mercado. it was not a cheap dinner, but i think it was a good ending to a good family day out in the city. 

we didn't get too much of the free stuff that the city was offering. but it was a good, hassle-free day that everyone enjoyed. :)

T.I.R.E.D. but...

i wanted to post this on FB but seemed too long for a status. so then i just decided to write a little bit more and put it on my blog. it needed an update anyways, after almost half a year. :D

--oo0oo--

lately, TIRED has become my favorite word. wasn't even able to cook proper lunch nor dinner for hubby. it has always been a problem for me to think about what to cook given the short pocket of time that i have and the varied appetite of my customers (namely the piglets and hubby); moreso now that hubby is on a special diet after the operation.  sigh!

on a positive note, we've got good progress on alex's family tree school project. and i feel really proud about it.  we've known about this project for a longer time. from the very start, i knew exactly what we would do. but then, things got busy.  there were cakes to bake, parties to organize, hubby's operation, and andy's birthday celebrations, etc., etc.  

today, at last, i decided to start the ball rolling. since the morning i was working on it.  it was so frustrating. i had the idea, but executing it was a different matter. add to that that piglets keep wanting my attention. the whole day's schedule was just getting in the way.  but then after dinner, i finally got it! eureka! 

i cannot remember putting so much time and effort to my school projects like this.  and it's really kinda fun.   just a little more tweaking and then it's done. oh wait, we still need to practice her presentation. oh well, at least we'll get to see her presentation this time.  very much looking forward to it!

excited much?! :D

brought the kids late to kg. i was still driving when i got a call so i wasn't able to pickup. later i got a call from my friend that there's a delivery guy waiting for me. so i called back the guy and asked him to wait for me. and so he did. 

i was in a hurry. thinking it was the kid's house for the garden, i ran to him asked him to go to the garage. he must be thinking i'm nuts because then he showed me a much smaller box than i imagined. and then i read the word "kvety" which mean flowers. i felt so silly!!! :))) later on i realized that the house order was already cancelled :D 

thank you daddy!!! muah! i love you! this time you got the colors right! it's perfect! ;) 

and thank you to all my friends and family who greeted me and is about to greet me. you all made an impact in my life whether big or small. each and every touch made me who i am today. thank you LORD!

surprise baby shower honoring

had a good day today. was at a surprise baby shower honoring for a friend who is also temporarily leaving bratislava to deliver the baby in philippines.  as surprises go, we were the ones who were caught off guard when the honoree walked in on us still not done with the decorations.

i've always been thankful for the friends i've met here in bts.  however, i'm not sure if i just tried to play it cool this whole time or what.  but surprise! surprise! i started shedding tears while reading my prayer blessing.  i almost choked on my words.  i guess they've touched our lives so much that my emotions got the better of me.  they are not just friends. they are our family here in this far off place.

thank you LORD for this day. and thank you for the people you've sent our way. we love you all!

andy and karol

16-month old andy and 9-month old karol

swinging at the aupark playground

my little pirates

today karol and alex have carnival in kindergarten.  in slovak tradition, a carnival is where kids dress up in character. today the biglets are dressed as pirates.  however, due to the cold weather, i didn't get to see them in their full costume and face paint.  i did their face paint but they had to dress in kindergarten.  i could only imagine how they are based on our dress rehearsals. :D

philippines vacation

at dinner, daddy told me that alex was crying in kindergarten.  so i asked alex why, and her story goes something like this...

alex told her friends in kindergarten that she will be going to philippines for a long time.  now one of her friends was crying and telling everyone that alex will not be coming back.  so alex was crying with her friend, saying that she doesn't want to go for a long time.  i was surprised, because ever since we mentioned the vacation she's been too excited.  she asks me from time to time if we can go already.  and when she finally understood that we will be going after christmas, she began waiting for christmas.  so i asked her why she doesn't want to stay longer in philippines. her reply was, "but i only want to go to philippines to eat fried banana, cheese whiz, and stuff like that that we don't have here." 

you see, fried bananas are really a big thing for her.  :))

the family that prays together...

our family prays before every meal.  sometimes, when the biglets are too hungry, they come running to the table and asks if they can start eating already. my standard reply is to wait until we have said our prayer.  it worked for some time and then the biglets became smarter.

now instead of asking if they can eat first.  they just go on and pray by themselves so that they can eat ahead.  so one time, i told alex that we should wait until everyone is at the table because "the family that prays together, stays together."  

now karol, having very little self control would run to the table and tell me that he wants to eat already.  then he would start doing the sign of the cross, bring his hands together and then say, "i prayed already!" and then start eating.  (note: he still doesn't know the prayer.)  alex, not wanting to be outsmarted, told karol, "karol, the family that doesn't pray together will not stay together. so you should wait if you want to stay with the family."

kite festival @ schloss hof

sunday: after church we went to eurovea for lunch and then went straight to schloss hof for the kite festival.

we didn't bring our own kite, so we had to buy one on site and it wasn't cheap. eventhough we had to also pay for entrance to the castle grounds, it was well worth it. the kids had fun. alex had a chance to really fly the kite. as for karol... well, he held it for two minutes and entertained himself with other things like riding a parked golf car hehehe. andy on the other hand explored on her own by crawling from our base to until we caught up with her. we bring her back and then she starts off again.

when it was almost time to go home, the wind started getting crazy and brought our kite down over the very tall bushes. took some time to untangle it. daddy had to carry me on his shoulders so i could work on untangling it. in the end, we managed to save the dearly expensive kite. after taking some pix we drove thru macdonald's and went back home.

now all piglets are asleep. what a great sunday! :)

bless all the whole world

bed time for the biglets (i.e., alex and karol) is always "interesting." they already have a pretty regular routine. am i being redundant? :D anyways after dinner, there's bath time, fairy tale time, story reading time, and praying time. bath time can really be fun... or NOT!

daddy, gives them bath or shower, depending on what the biglets like, or what daddy is feeling up to. sometimes, there would even be a contest (read: fight) on who will go first. but usual order is andy, karol and alex. youngest to oldest. it's also a question whether they would want to watch the local fairy tales on tv called "vecernicek" before or after bath . it's a never ending negotiation really. it's all a matter of timing, but these biglets argue a lot, that sometimes they would even miss it in lieu of not listening.

watching the fairy tales are not enough. they would still ask daddy to read them a story or two. again, arguments follow whether one or two stories, who will choose the story, short or long story, etc., etc.... sigh! just thinking about it makes my head spin. but when at last daddy decides that they deserve to be read a story, they would still keep asking for more than agreed. it's funny and exhausting at the same time. you really have to pack a lot of patience with these two.

lastly, there's prayer time. alex had memorized the prayer. karol on the other hand usually says just the last words of each line. and sometimes, when we forget to make them pray, karol would get up from bed again, come to us to the living room and say, "i want you to help me to pray." it's kinda sweet, eventhough we know he's just using every excuse to get out of bed. anyways, at the end of the prayer we taught them to pray "bless ___" (each one of us) and at the end they say "bless all the whole world" (sic).

alex had long learned how to improvise. sometimes, when she's in the mood, she blesses a very long list of people. the usual favorites are their grand parents. however, karol was still too young, the last time we went home to philippines, to fully remember my parents. so one time, daddy told me this story when he was helping both biglets to pray together. on the part where they have to bless everyone, karol didn't mention my parents. alex, always helpful, told karol... "karol, if you bless inay, she will give you fried banana!"

august 2011

august album updated and completed. :) separate albums created for the high tatras trip, that's why there's not so many for this month. but this one includes a trip to cerveny kamen, issy's bday party and the FAB pool party. here are also last few pix of lola viela before she went back to ph.

High Tatras Day - Popradske Pleso

Day 4: The tram station is just a stone throw away from our hotel. So, we took the tram from Strbske Pleso to Popradske Pleso, which is just one stop away. Then we hiked what seemed like forever to Popradske Pleso. the road was asphalted, but was winding and steep on most parts. We reached our destination just in time for lunch. It was very tiring but the view was really stunning. The kids had a little time to "rest" in the small playground. The hike down was much better and luckily caught the tram back to the hotel.

High Tatras - Skalnate Pleso

Day 3: Rode the cable car up to Skalnate Pleso. Sadly, we didn't get tickets for the cable car to Lomnicky Stit. Took a walk around the lake, which again, Karol didn't care much for. The kids, enjoyed the playground after lunch. The biglets, myself and Lola took the ski lifts to Lomnicke Sedlo. It was quite cold and windy at the top. And just as we were about to start hiking, the rain started. So we decided to go back down instead.

High Tatras - Mala Studena Dolina

Day 2: We took the funicular cable car from Stary Smokovec to Hrebienok. Then from there, we followed the trail to the small water falls. Kids walked by themselves, except for Andy of course. :D It's the second time that Alex walked this trail. Karol was here before on a back carrier 2 years ago. He didn't care much for walking this time. But we made it with just a bit of crying in the river. Walked back and had lunch in Hrebienok, and back to Stary Smokovec via cable car. Finished off the trip with a cake and coffee (chocolate for me) at the local cake shop.

High Tatras - Strbske Pleso

Day 1: Arrived mid-afternoon just in time to check-in to our hotel. Dropped our bags, unpacked and went straight to go boating in Strbske Pleso.

it's just the beginning...

to buy or not to buy a house/land?
kittsee or bratislava?
to renovate or build a new house?
to sell the apartment or get a mortgage?

these were just a few questions we've been trying to answer. after a long time of waiting and decision making, we finally found and bought a house in kittsee. the house is very old but the land is quite big. in less than two hours after viewing it, we decided to buy it. luckily our loan was approved, and after a couple of months or so we got the keys to our future home.

we've visited the site several times, but only to show it to family and friends. the house needs a lot of work. today was the first time we actually started working on it. we planned to clean it up a bit and have the experts have a look.

the idea is to first make it livable as a summer house with a little bit of re-painting here and there, and some... then slowly start the renovations in 5 or 10 years from now, depending on the budget. :D it's a long time to go, but we, and by that i mean i, could already picture our dream home.

in the morning we started cleaning. mostly, it involved throwing out the things the previous owner left behind plus a little bit of sweeping and dusting. it was at least a start and it felt good.

in the evening, we met with hubby's uncle who is actually a contractor. i was really excited with this meeting. we wanted him to have a look at the place and give us ideas as to what we can or cannot do with the place. being the expert that he is, he had lots of ideas and suggestions, but sadly, not the kind that we've expected. he told us that it's just his initial assessment and it's just brainstorming. in spite of this, i know that what he told is also realistic. so realistic in fact that i felt like my dream house suddenly collapsed. :(

sigh! what a tiring day! we will be meeting again in two days. i don't know if anything will change. but for now, we'll first focus on our short term goal and clean up the place, try to make it homey for the summer months, and let the kids enjoy the enormous lawn.

bus 66

in the morning, i was driving the biglets to kindergarten. we were waiting for the traffic lights to turn green when i saw bus 66 pulling away from the stop ahead of us. seeing the back of the bus instantly brought back fond memories from 2004.

the hotel we used to stay in is just two bus stops away. it's the very same bus we used to ride to go to work. most often than not, we have to run just to catch the bus. otherwise, we'll all be late if we wait for the next one.

one time, just as we were turning from the corner, we saw our bus pulling away. then everyone (imagine ten, if not more, asians) started running and flailing their arms like crazy to call on to the driver. it must have been a sight for these slovaks who are not so used to seeing asians, much more a flock of them. anyways, surprisingly, the driver stopped to let us in.

everyone was scrambling to get in when i suddenly got a phone call. it was matej! turned out he was driving by on his way to work. he saw us and told me he could give me a ride. i was already halfway up the bus but he insisted i stay, so i did. i could still see the look of surprise on my friends' faces when the bus finally pulled away. yes, the open-mouthed kind of look! :))

the car arrived just a few moments before the bus. i didn't have time to explain to anyone but when everyone saw us HHWW to office, everyone understood. i couldn't see them behind me, but i felt like all eyes were on us and could feel the blood rushing to my face. we just started dating back then, and some of my colleagues didn't even know it until then.

i don't know why i suddenly got so nostalgic. could have been the corrs singing, or that hubby is away for a week. but one thing i'm sure about, that was one kilig moment i will not forget. :)

of tummy's and sweets

you know something is wrong when your daughter (a.k.a. alex) tells you, while looking at your tummy, "mommy, you look like you're going to have another baby!" :O

then about a couple of weeks after that...

alex: mommy, do you already have an idea?
mommy: idea about what?
alex: a name! a name for your next baby!

waaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!! i had this problem for a long time when people mistake me of being pregnant, having a big tummy. but coming from my daughter!!!?! golly!

--o0o--

i just woke up and alex asked me what is my favorite sweet thing. i didn't even think about it, just thought it should be cakes... cheese cake of course! then i realized she already made a poll and is already about to give me the results as follows:

"yours and daddy's favorite sweet thing is cheese cake. lola's is chocolate cake. karol's is green lollipop, mine is pink candy and andy's is RICE."

we really found it so funny that daddy, told me at once to publish it.

i understand where alex is coming from. andy usually eats and finishes her meals ahead of everyone. so when it's time for everyone else to eat, she looks pitiful and left out and starts complaining/demanding. the only way to satisfy her is to give her the only thing she likes -- RICE!!! :)

how much of philippines have i seen (C-)

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schonbrunn gardens and imperial zoo

revisiting schonbrunn. this time, we spent most of the time in the zoo. had to run from one end to another just to catch the feeding time of the pandas. luckily we caught them and met with the bernardos. they went home shortly after the meet and we continued on to see the rest of the animals. what a tiring day! but we made the most out of it.