It’s the first of July and we are officially “moved in”. Yey! Our new apartment is smaller than our previous ones but it’s panalo in terms of location and amenities. Also, three of our family friends live in the same community so I’m pretty excited about that! Just this past week, we haven’t had dinner by our lonely threesome at all! We’re always eating with friends. Sarap!

Unfortunately, we still don’t have cable TV and internet (not until next week!) so the rabbit antenna’s out and I am here relying humbly on the free wi-fi of my generous neighbor, hehe.

We did go shopping at Ikea last weekend. If you could only see our home, it’s like a showcase area for cheap Ikea furniture, haha! At least, if any of you suddenly drops by for a visit, you know that you won’t be sitting on (or eating off!) the floor.

As Ty Pennington would say: “welcome home P* family, welcome home”.

*P as in MrsPartygirl, MrPartyboy, and MsPartygirl Jr. *wink*

Update #2: Hot Off The Grill

I would have loved to have pictures with this entry. However, at that time, I haven’t yet figured out where I packed my camera’s battery charger as my camera was dead. Kawawa. I’ll update this entry once I am able to mooch off copies of our pictures from our friends who did bring fully-charged cameras with them, hehe!

Friday night, we and our friends had a poolside bbq - our first of, I’m sure, many weekend get togethers. Of course, Ninna had fun swimming with her friends, Hubby had fun making chika with the guys, while I was chatting up a storm with the girls.

Since the bbq was an impromptu thing (the invitation came at 5:30pm!), we weren’t really able to prepare anything. All we had that night were pork bbq (two kinds: one that we marinated ourselves and one that was marinated by Costco, haha!), baby back ribs, red hotdogs (on sticks), burgers (with buns, tomatoes, lettuce, mayo, and cheese), chips, rice, beer, and iced tea. Kulang na kulang sa preparation (di ba Mother Macky?).

Basta, all I know is that, here in Atlanta, we won’t go hungry for food and for great company. Lip-smacking good.

Update #3: TKO

Since we still didn’t have cable (let alone PPV), we managed to congregate in the living room of one of our friends who did - even if we had to drive all the way up north to Alpharetta for it.

By now, I’m sure everybody knows about Manny’s win over Diaz. I have never really seen Manny perform as effin good as he effin did last Saturday. The effer was just effin good! Even his English has effin improved! (Oops. Now I am even mooching off Diaz’s effin speech, hehe!)

I am just so proud to be an effin Pinoy right now.

Update #4

Hubby and I have been inquiring and viewing pre-K schools left and right, in the hopes of finding the one that will be the best fit for our Ninna.

Here in GA, the government funds certain schools for pre-K, which makes it affordable for most families to send their kids to preschool. However, the slots are very limited and are easily filled-up so, for people like us who just moved to GA, I guess there’s no way to mooch off the educational system at this time, haha!

From what we know so far, some private pre-K schools charge as much as $220-$300 per week! That’s not a typo, friends, that really is how much they charge per week. Ulk. I can already see my purse dreams drifting away… priorities, priorities.

Anyway, we have limited our choices to a couple of Catholic preschools nearby. And Baptist. And Presbyterian. I’ll make a separate entry for our school-hunting soon, hopefully, with pictures. Wish us luck!

That’s enough mooching for now. Perhaps next time, the updates won’t be so shameless anymore.

Or not.

~~~

Hey guys, how was your weekend?

It all started this morning, very early morning, as in six AM, when the fire alarm went off in our building. Hubby and I jumped out of bed in a panic, checked everywhere for smoke or fire and, finding none, ended up thinking that maybe the fire was from another area of the building and perhaps even on its way.

I grabbed the only two things important to me at that time: Ninna and a bra. Nyek.

So anyway, the fire fighters came and turned off the alarm after about thirty ear-splitting minutes. That darn alarm was so darn shrilly, every wiiih-wiiih-wiiih and ehh-ehh-ehh just bored right into my skull. Imagine a car alarm going off right beside you, magnified twenty times.

We thought that was the end of it, right? Noooo. About an hour later, just as hubby left for work, just when I was able to squelch down the adrenaline rush that coursed through my veins …. the alarm went off again.

Eh-eh-eh-eh. Wiiih-wiiih-wiiih. Eh-eh-eh-eh. Wiiih-wiiih-wiiih. Oh Lord.

Since I was alone with Ninna, I just prayed that it was still a false alarm and that I wouldn’t have to lug our boxes of stuff outside by myself. I also hoped that John and Sheng, our “foster home” owners, had renters insurance because, save for their family photos, I wouldn’t know what stuff of theirs I’d bring out as well.

Anyway, the alarm finally stopped as I am writing this. And even though my head is still throbbing in different places, between a blazing inferno and a headache, I’d go for the one a simple Advil can put out.

~~~

A few weeks ago, I watched a show (I can’t remember if its 20/20 or Dateline or something else) where they did an experiment about fire alarms and children. Based on this, they learned that 100% of the children tested (twelve years old and below) did not wake up to the sound of a fire alarm.

You can now count my Ninna in the statistic. My girl just slept right through the alarms - and the sirens of the fire engines, and the frantic to-and-fro-ing of our neighbors, and her panicky parents.

Needless to say, Ninna will be sleeping with us, in our room, from now on.

~~~

What’s ominous was, a day before we signed our lease to move into this building, I was reading through the tenant reviews of this apartment. One thing that stuck to me was this comment:

“…and don’t get me started about those fire alarms.”

Hmmm. So this is what he meant. Ay yay yay.

I better stock up on Advils then. And some ear plugs (for me and hubby at least).

When we left Kentucky, I was sad about leaving the cool, quiet life we had there. Lexington and Louisville opened my eyes to the side of America that spelled: a good place to be. It was where hubby, Ninna, and I first found our independence, first faced our fears of going at it alone, and first built the bones of the kind of family we were destined to be. It was where we experienced perfect beautiful seasons, gracious American hospitality, go Big Blue and Smarty Jones, where hubby and I officially became a couple for Christ, authentic KFC, first-world medical services, and where I passed my first US driver’s exam. As it were, that same license was the one I used to drive away from the place we first called home. First home.

And then we moved on and forward.

When we left Charlotte, I was heartbroken. If asked to look back, I would say that Charlotte takes the top spot as the happiest place we’ve ever lived in - not because NC is better than any state, not really - mainly because Charlotte was where we forged an extended family made of the bestest friends we would ever make on this extended journey. Having them around made being away from Pinas so much easier, more than just bearable. However, it also meant that saying goodbye became unbearable, too, twice over. But then, you could never easily erase something that’s deeply etched in the roots of the heart. Now, it seems wherever we travel, anywhere on this continent, we have a friend waiting for us - a piece of my heart gluing itself back.

And then we moved on and forward.

When we left Houston, I did so with mixed feelings. I know I said that whenever we moved out we seemed to move up - and Houston was definitely up. After living the sleepy, country life, we were suddenly thrust into this city where everything was bigger. For the first time we had more Filipino restaurants and bakeries than we can count, we were finally living near a relative, beaches, oh the beaches, Tex-Mex yum, Ninna almost becoming an olympic gymnast, and good friends of mine (not hubby’s, as it was mostly the case before) were only an hour or two hours drive away. I couldn’t really picture myself and my family making Houston our end zone. Yet, I couldn’t picture my life living somewhere else and losing the chance to have all of the above. It all became moot, though, when the decision was taken out of our hands.

And then we moved on and forward.

When we left Miami, I did so with a long, drawn-out sigh. It was almost a year of me, hubby, and Ninna again, very much like how we were in KY but with more humidity. It was lonely in some spaces but South Florida more than made up for it. The place has a heartbeat of its own and it will beat for you whether you choose it or not. It’s also a warm, gooey melting pot and we’re lucky to have had the chance to take part in it. With its beautiful beaches, sunny weather, ocean drives, and seafood, it embraced us in a way that when you close your eyes, it almost smells, feels, and tastes like Pilipinas (with less the cuban flair, that is). There are still so many things, places, and flavors we haven’t experienced that it’s such a shame to leave so soon. But we have to. We always have to.

And now we have moved forward again.

What could be the memories I would make of Atlanta? Right off the bat, Ninna will go to the “small school” here for the first time. A lot of our Charlotte friends are here as well so it’s a reconnection of sorts that has actually already started from the very first day we arrived from our 13 hour drive. Hubby will work on a new, more sustainable, project and, perhaps, we could also get to experience at least three of the four seasons again.

Every time we pack and unpack, drive miles and miles, search for an apartment, find the nearest filipino/asian store, find the nearest church, find a pedia, etc etc, the feeling is always so familiar. It is what we have been doing for the past four years and we know what to do like clockwork. And yet, despite the circumstances not changing, it is always different. It’s tiring, yes, and I wouldn’t recommend this lifestyle to anyone as it could be really frustrating at times, not to mention full of unknowns. Call us adventurous, or call us hopeless. However, it’s precisely the difference, the unknowns, the silent geyser of hope, and the promise of adventure that keeps us going.

And going. And going.

And staying for a while.

Bye, warm sunny beaches.

A new journey awaits us.

Hasta Luego.

For posterity.

~~~

To my hubby, my daddy, to tatay, to my brother and brothers-in-law, and to my daddy friends and the rest of the dads in my huge family, belated happy father’s day to all of you. I hope you Mister Machos enjoyed your day-off yesterday, hehe! God bless you all.

~~~

And to my Father and King, this one is for you.

~ Beautiful by MercyMe

From the top of the world I will sing
Of the joy that flows from my glorious King
And in my heart
Oh I can see
Your loving arms coming down to me
And by Your blood that washed over me
By Your grace that came down to kiss me
You have cleaned my heart and my soul
For Your glory You made me
Made me beautiful
Giver of grace, filler of souls, anointed One
bring Your healing upon us
Giver of grace, filler of souls, anointed One
coming soon again

Emails like these, for example:

Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:50:18 -1000
From: StaciHooker@wifespeaks.com
To: ***@plusnet.pl
Subject: Highly secure 256bit order processing

~~~

Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:50:13 +0500
From: MargoAldrich@wifespeaks.com
To: ***@ise.fhg.de
Subject: No Pumps! No Surgery! No Exercises!

~~~

Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:51:23 +0800
From: MaritzaRock@wifespeaks.com
To: ***@plusnet.pl
Subject: Very discrete shipping and billing

~~~

Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:49:32 -0900
From: JeanineMetz@wifespeaks.com
To: ***@plusnet.pl
Subject: What to look for when purchasing a replica watch

~~~

Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:51:03 -0800
From: SheenaStapleton@wifespeaks.com
To: ***@plusnet.pl
Subject: Jaeger-LeCoultre replica watch Luxury isnt a sin

~~~

Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2008 01:49:28 +0400
From: GabrielleBryson@wifespeaks.com
To: ***@simplusnet.pl
Subject: Most reliable replica from Patek Philippe …

~~~

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2008 02:47:49 -0100
From: LilyStern@wifespeaks.com
To: ***@saatchi.pl
Subject: All Your Breast Enlargement Info From Top Breast Enlargement Sites.

There were about two hundred of these that were sent back to me.

Dear friends, I’m really sorry if our effort to spam you wasn’t as successful as we have wanted it to be. Apparently, some of you had really good spamblockers. Yay for you, I know, but pretty bad for our luxury watch and breast enlargement businesses.

NOT!!

I don’t even know who these people are!

Hay naku.

Yesterday was a pretty bizarre day for me. You can just imagine how I felt when these spam emails arrived at my inbox. Apparently, someone had used the wifespeaks.com domain, created unauthorized email accounts, and then used these to send spam to hundreds or probably thousands of people.

When I called my domain registrar, I was informed that this MO is called “spoofing” and they took the necessary steps to block any more “entrepreneurs” from using any of my domains. I was assured that this was not a hack and that my domain accounts and settings are still secure. It’s just that these are one of the many risks inherent in owning domains, not unlike identity theft.

It just left me feeling violated and bewildered and angry.

Wifespeaks is a legitimate blogsite that marks as its niche, the discussion of issues relating to wifehood, parenting, and marriage. These past three years, we have been striving to build our blog’s credibility and we believe, somehow, we were able to achieve that. To see its name reduced to this, it just makes me seethe.

The ladies of WifeSpeaks do not sell any of these products. The ladies of WifeSpeaks do not and will not stoop to this kind of marketing strategy if they will ever engage in any business. And the ladies of WifeSpeaks value your space, even if it is just your inbox. Spam us if you like, but we will never ever spam you.

So please, if you do receive any email using the wifespeaks.com domain, please disregard them. They are in no way affiliated or associated with us. I also apologize for this, if you had been affected in any way. I hope this will not change your impression of our site, your support means a lot to us.

~~~

And of course, if you’re not interested in losing weight without surgery and exercise, we won’t mind if you don’t reply to our email offer.

Grrrrrr.

Naamoy ko na yata ang IPhone 2.0? *sniff sniff*

~~~

UPDATE: The apple store is now up.

Dilemma: black, silver or white?

Poofy, green-haired Floridians vs. knee-socked, purple-haired Texans, haha!

Who would have thought that despite the distance, Weng and I could still jam together? Galeng!

Not that I’m making any excuses for my poor performance but, Weng, this is the reason why I couldn’t concentrate on our game - I was taking pictures, haha! Multi-tasking: rakista na, paparazzi pa!

We tried playing everything from Face-Off to Battle, and probably played Pat Benatar’s Hit Me With Your Best Shot more than half a dozen times because the song (as well as the matching Midori characters) were both Abby’s and Ninna’s favorites.

I also learned a few GH tips and tricks from Weng’s hubby, Dondi, which I eventually used to win against my hubby, haha! Panalo ang Star Power!

Of course, Weng rocked! Iyak na lang kami, haha!

Pero seriously, the experience is truly nothing to cry about because Ninna (my back-up singer) and I enjoyed the game immensely especially since we played it with really good friends whom we miss very very much. Thanks Dondi, Weng, and Abby, for the awesome afternoon. Until our next battle, at sasali na daw si hubby, hehe!

A shout-out to whoever invented wi-fi playing, thank you!! You rock!!

So, ehem ehem, any challengers out there?

I did it. Today.

Honestly, I love Ninna with long hair. She looks so girly and so prim that I personally really find it a shame to trim it off.

Taken in March and featured HERE.

Taken last month and featured HERE.

However, since we’ve been going to beach and waterpark a lot, I guess all that heat and chlorine and salt must have taken a toll and I recently found some dry, split ends on Ninna’s hair. Besides, it has been pretty hot here (at times 100F or more) that I decided it would be a good idea to cut one or two inches off of her hair for presko’s sake, too.

Ninna’s last haircut in January 2007 at a kids salon in Greenhills (yes, in Pilipinas pa).

And since it has been a while since her last hair cut, I guess it was really time to give the tutchangs an opportunity to catch up with the rest of the feathers.

And me to finally cross a milestone of my own.

Channeling my inner Ricky Reyes, your lola took the plunge.

Behold my guinea pig hapless victim lovely model, hair wet and prepped, wrapped in her Dora towel, in our makeshift salon - our banyo (easier to sweep the mess off kasi).

She didn’t need a lot of convincing. I just told her that I would cut her hair so she can look pretty for Papa. She readily agreed.

I was only supposed to take an inch or two off of her hair. I must have miscalculated, because I ended up cutting about 3-4 inches, yikes.

And because I’m so sentimental, I took a few locks and put in a small ziplock bag. This one will go with my other Ninna’s hair mementos/collection.

The finished product:

Pwede na di ba? I dare not show you how it looks in the back, though, haha!

Our savings: $25 if done by a professional. Trauma from an ugly cut by a professional. Restraining order for Mama in case she beats up the professional for the ugly cut. Ninna’s ear. Ergo, pwede na talaga. At least, even if my cut turned out ugly, no one will dare beat me up, yes?

And there you go.

Now, will a kind soul teach me how to layer?

Btw, Ninna would like to thank her friends Kuya Jed and Drix for the Toys R Us gift card they sent her for her recent birthday. Finally, nagamit din! We used it to pay for the guitar, yey! Thank you!!!

Anyway, we were supposed to get the Wii Fit but it was sold out. The universe, I think, is conspiring to keep me from being sexy hehe.

What else.

Journey’s CD/DVD Revelation is coming out tomorrow exclusively at Wal-Mart. Also, you may also want to read Arnel’s six-page interview in GQ (naks GQ!), thanks to K for the heads up. I’ll leave it at that because my blog is slowly turning out into an Arnel Pineda fan blog (not that it’s far from the truth).

Tomorrow also is my sister, Ron’s, birthday. The day after her birthday, she leaves for Singapore to embark on a new journey of her own. Save for some short trips here and there, she’s never really left the country for the long-term on her own before. As the big sister, I can’t help but feel more than a little apprehensive for her. Totoo, I can’t help it. Kung pwede lang sana, I would hold her hand in mine and cross that bridge with her.

However, my sis is a toughie (not to mention oldie na!) and I know that this new chapter in her life is what’s best for her and her career. She doesn’t need my shadow anymore - Lord knows, I’ve loomed over her life enough. She’ll do this, she’ll be great, and she’ll be beautiful.

Good luck, Ron! Happy birthday and I love you very very much.

Winnie and Winnie.

To end this hodgepodge of mini kwentos, let me leave you with this nice little hirit from my genius of a daughter. I hope it will perk up your dreary day. It did mine.

Ninna (sitting on the bed while I’m dressing her up): Mama, let’s play the “who is” game?
Mee (payag, anything to make her sit still): Ok.
Ninna: Who is on the bed?
Mee: You are! Ok, who has no t-shirt and is bold?
Ninna (raises her hand): I am! Ok. Who has red pants with pockets?
Mee: I do! Who has kili-kilis?
Ninna (raises both hands): I do!
Mee: How about me? I have kilikilis too?
Ninna: You’re right mama, we both have kili-kilis.
Mee: How about Papa?
Ninna: He doesn’t have kili-kilis, he has feathers under there!