Lunch at Bistro Selera

My sister celebrated her birthday last Sunday and we made a reservation for lunch at Yakimix. We didn't go to Abreeza right away, though, because we had a couple of errands to do at SM Lanang.

However, after staying in SM for a while, we decided na nakakatamad na to have to go to Abreeza to eat (then back again to SM for groceries). So we cancelled our reservation at Yakimix and decided to just eat at Vikings.

However ulit, when we went to Vikings (it was just around 10), there were already several people in line. We asked the staff if there's an available table, and he said wala na. Everyone without a reservation is waitlisted and for a table pa talaga outside.

No thanks!

So we went to look for another restaurant since my sister and I were already hungry (#boa). Long story short, we decided to try Bistro Selera.

Since we were there early, they were actually still closed when we got there. The waiter immediately flipped the Closed sign upon noticing us though!

Click here to read Bistro Selera review.

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My Off-Price Show Shopping FInds

Last Sunday was the last day of the Off-Price Show. Actually, I didn't know that it was. I kind of know that it's happening at SM again but I sort of ignored it because I wasn't very impressed with last year's Off-Price Show.

But my father insisted to go because he still regrets not buying the pair of Crocs slip-ons he saw last year. Thinking that Crocs is still a vendor this year, we went to the Off-Price Show.

But before that.

Forme dress, department store belt, Gibi shoes, Coach bag

So fat. Boo.

I like visiting malls at this time of the year because they're already so Christmas-y! After joining my family hear the mass at SM Lanang, we enjoyed looking at their decorations and Lego's Christmas village(s).

After the photo ops, we finally went to SMX for the Off-Price Show.

Kuripot Finds from Sunday

Aside from the "injury" Yuri had gotten (which has now totally healed by the way! Praise God!), my weekend was also a weekend of shopping.

Kuripot shopping that is!

To be honest, my priority last Sunday was to buy Yuri some new shorts and jeans. Kasi...

Tumaba sya!

Finally! Hahaha. Some of you may already know that Yuri has always been on the slim side, and though he grows taller, since I buy long clothes (to accommodate his lanky frame), he barely outgrows them. Some of his clothes he's worn since he wasn't even 1!

Now, a couple of weekends ago, I noticed that one of his jeans didn't fit him around the waist anymore. They used to be long pants, but Yuri now uses them as clam-diggers. This time, I the Velcro (in lieu of the zipper) can't stay closed!

But since the outfit looked cute, di ko na binihisan. Di naman halata.

Breastfeeding Uncovered in Davao City

Image from Wikipedia

I believe in breastfeeding, plain and simple. I hate antagonizing moms who formula-feed, mainly because I'm not in their shoes, but I'm really very very thankful that I am able to breastfeed my son. Yuri's already 2 years and 4 months now, but we're still breastfeeding! He's addicted to it; he just can't stop hehe.

(You can read my post about extended breastfeeding here.)

I've seen the benefits, too. More than the monetary savings, I think I attribute Yuri's good social and communicative skills to breastfeeding. Of course, that's just one aspect of it, but I'd like to think the close contact between us helps!

All obstacles removed, I really hope all mothers should breastfeed. What better way to celebrate the Breastfeeding Month of August then to come together as a community to listen and learn from the Breastfeeding Guru, Dr Jack Newman, himself?

BREASTFEEDING UNCOVERED 2014: MISSION POSSIBLE (DAVAO)

Date: August 11, 2014

Time: 8:00am – 4:00pm

Venue: SMX Convention Center, SM Lanang Premier, Davao City

Speaker: Dr. Jack Newman

Lunch at Banana Leaf Asian Restaurant

So yesterday, we found ourselves at SM Lanang Premier again. I know; we're such creatures of habit.

Anyway, after looking for volleyball shoes for my sister (any suggestions?) as well as new shoes for Yuri (he went another size up! again!), we got hungry and looked for a new place to eat.

Dear baby, you're so magastos.

Despite being in SM Lanang almost every week, we have barely tried all the restaurants. You see, we don't want to venture out from the aircon hehe (except for the Sky Garden). Aside from Vikings and Hukad, we have never really tried eating at restaurants at the Fountain Court.

But this particular Sunday was different. We needed to try out a different restaurant because the old folks were on a special diet. So we hopped from one restaurant to another. Unfortunately, none served dishes that they could eat!

We almost gave up and planned to go to Seagreen Cafe way across town when we came to Banana Leaf Asian Cafe. They have Hainanese Chicken! Yay!

Our Sunday in Photos (Plus SmileBrilliant Giveaway Winner!)

Yesterday, Sunday, was Araw ng Dabaw. We don't usually join the city's festivities mainly because there are a lot of people on the streets and it would be too hot. However, we usually go to malls because, well, the sales are there!

I was especially anxious to go to SM Lanang yesterday because I know there would be a Davao Gourmet Collective. I really, really, really wanted to buy Davao-made chocolates, whichever company would be exhibiting there.

Here's my little boy with his "baha" pants. I think the outfit is very summer-y; the only thing missing is a pair of open sandals! That's my sister sporting the peace sign.

Me and my widow's peak

Upon arriving at SM Lanang, I made a beeline to the atrium and looked for the Davao Gourmet Collective. Lo and behold, there was none. I thought it was held in another location in the mall so I asked the ladies over at the information booth.

Me: Miss, may Davao Gourmet Collective today?
Miss: Ha?
Me: Davao Gourmet Collective? Saan?
Miss (turns to the other miss): Collective daw?
Other miss shrugs
Miss: Wala man ma'am

Imagine my despair (yes, despair talaga!) when I heard that. All week long, I've been waiting for Sunday to arrive just so I can buy chocolates. Tapos wala daw? I'm sure there was a collective because I follow SM on Instagram. How could this be?! Chos!

Anyway, we were really hungry because we didn't have lunch yet. It was already 3:30 in the afternoon. Due to hunger, we decided to just go to Giligan's to eat comfort food. No time to pick new restaurants! I also knew I wanted to eat sisig because I was stressed about the DGC. Hehehe.

Garlic Chicken

Pork Sisig

Gambas

Everything we ordered was yummy, and that was not just because we were very hungry. The gambas was especially delicious, while the sisig was crunchy and very chicharon-like. Sinfully delicious. Even the little boy was enjoying himself:

Yuri Speaks Phrases and Other Stories

Good morning! Monday na naman ulit. Thankfully, I had a good weekend. This past weekend was a double whammy because Saturday was my parents' anniversary (31st?) while Sunday was Yuri's 22nd month.

Did I just say Yuri was already 22 months old? Oh wow how fast does time fly?

Like what I mentioned a few weeks ago, I already stopped tracking words. He's learning in a steady stream and I'm pretty sure he know around 200 words already. Nice one, late walker! Hee hee #justkiddingaround

But what he did lately is speak in phrases. Actually, here's a piece of advice to new moms: they won't be recognizable phrases at first. They're just a string of two words spoken separately. They're not spoken in a flowing manner like how we adults do it - at least in my experience. I didn't think Yuri was speaking in phrases at first, but as he repeated them, I realized the words made sense and were used as a pair. Eureka!

Here are some of the phrases I remember Yuri saying:

- kuwin apay (kunin tinapay)
- abas tayo (labas tayo)
- kuwin tubig (kunin tubig)
- ebe tayo (Time for bed - the book - tayo)
- tati pis (cookie please)
- dede tayo (dede tayo!)

If you think toddlers saying words are cute, wait until they speak in phrases. Absolutely adorbs!

Last Saturday, I read Abreeza's Instagram post about Gonuts Donuts' buy 6 take 6 promo for only P216. Of course, the kuripot in me couldn't resist. So that afternoon, we had a variety of sinful donuts! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take a photo of all the donuts. Here's a poor shot I managed to take:

My mom also made spaghetti. Yum! No photos, though. So much for dieting!

(The kids - my sister and my son - and I were at home the whole Saturday. Mama and Papa were in Cafe Laguna in Abreeza. Did they have an anniversary date? Hmm)

Then on Sunday, we heard mass (we regularly go to SM's mass now). Although belief-wise I consider myself a Born Again Christian, because I'm still living under my parents' roof, I wholeheartedly adopted some Catholic practices like going to mass and doing the sign of the cross during mealtime prayers. Remember: Honor your mother and father. But that's beside the point.

Anyway, last Sunday, I genuinely enjoyed the service because the priest's homily was very Biblical and Gospel-focused. I like how he preached about Jesus as "the one" and how we only need to accept that the Work was already done at the Cross for salvation. He also called for repentance not to make way for the Lord as in the time of John the Baptist but repentance because the Kingdom is already at hand. Finally, he called for us to be "Credible Christians." He clarified that he did not mean "credible Catholics" but "credible Christians" as in "credible believers of Jesus."

And I was like, wow, this is my kind of priest!

The Last Sunday of 2013

Wow, I can't believe I just wrote that. From this day on, there would no longer be 2013 weekends. Gee does time fly fast!

So how did my last weekend of 2013 go? Well, aside from meeting up with 2 of Yuri's ninangs, nothing much! Yesterday, we went to SM Lanang Premier as usual. We planned to attend mass there; however, we were late. Boohoo. (I attend the mass because my parents are Catholic and I want to obey them.) By the way, here's Yuri's OOTD:

SM and a lot of stores (like Cotton On and Forever 21) were on clearance sale. However, I wasn't interested in buying clothes at all. Really! Maybe it's because I'm too lazy to check out the sales. Maybe it's because I haven't truly worked for almost a week now (I'm on a no work - no pay scheme). Or maybe because I'm just not interested!

I also didn't buy anything for Yuri because he has still a lot of unused toys and unread books from Christmas! So, sorry, next time na siguro tayo magkakaron ng fab finds heehee.

We did buy a lot of food: some to eat and some to prepare for New Year's Eve. I will need to do some serious dieting next year. Aja!

One highlight of our Sunday, though, was meeting Jollibee - again. I could not count the times we have seen and taken a picture with the orange mascot, but I guess we're not stopping soon. While we were eating, Jollibee appeared and Yuri could seriously not stay seated. He was wriggling in his high chair and was even motioning for Jollibee to go near him using his hands. How very Pinoy. Hahaha!

Another problem was that I forgot to bring the camera. Good thing my mom let me borrow her phone. Thanks, Ma!

The Weekend Before Christmas in Photos

Good morning! Two days nalang, Christmas na! Have you completed your Christmas shopping already? Me, I'm almost done. Just one more gift, but that would be given after Christmas so no pressure here. Meanwhile, it's already 1pm but the weather is still so cool. I love it! On the other hand, my body is so sore. Overexhausted! Fatigued! But it's okay. I love the Christmas season!

To be honest, I'm too tired to spew out words for a proper blog, so I'll just let the photos do the talking.

Days before Christmas, Mama still keeps on adding Santa Clauses and snowmen to her growing collection. :-)

I love this little house and the little Santas! (There are six of them.)

I have also finished wrapping all my gifts. Achievement unlocked! Yay!

Our little Christmas tree - now with presents (although none of them is mine!)

This year was the first time Yuri has ever gone out carolling. You see, my Mama is one of the subdivision's officers, and one of the projects every Christmas is the carolling to raise funds for the partey. :D

(Sorry for the dark photo; my sister didn't want to tinker with the camera's settings because we were already left behind. Meanwhile, if you look closely, you will see Yuri smiling hehe.)

We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year!

An Italian neighbor of ours got out her laptop so that her sister (I assume),

who was on Skype (I assume), could see and hear us sing Christmas songs. :D

I love walking in the evening.

I "crush" this house!

Sunday Fun-and-Fab Finds: On Feeding Stuff, Board Books, and Lang Leav

Hi! How was your weekend? Mine got unintentionally extended through Monday because our yaya announced at the last minute that she's going home yesterday for her birthday. Ooookay. Good thing my job has a flexible schedule.

Anyway, I feel like it's Monday now. Yesterday, I posted a pre-drafted post about my our plans for Yuri's preschool. Today, let me tell you how my real weekend (read: Sunday) went. My sister's birthday was last Saturday (yes, my mother's and my sister's birthdays are exactly 1 week apart, and because we had birthday dinner last Saturday, we went for a simple birthday lunch last Sunday). I have several fun-and-fab finds! First, here's Yuri's simple OOTD!

Oh no, I forgot the shirt's brand, and I'm too lazy to go upstairs to look at it!

Pants - Baby Mossimo

Suspenders - SM Department Store

Shoes - Children's Place

Aaaand here's an outtake. The little boy can't resist getting his shoes! He wants to wear them na!

It's also getting more and more difficult to take Yuri's picture. He's always a blur!

And here's what I wore. Nothing special!

The acrobatics that I have to deal with every single day!

Job: What do you want for Christmas?

Me: A tummy tuck.

Little gentleman in suspenders

Don't be fooled with this photo. He was still for only about a nanosecond!

After church, we ate lunch in Abreeza, and we met Jollibee again!

Look at the pure delight on Yuri's face!

And Yuri test-drove cars, too.

This looks okaaay.

Hmmm. *thinking deeply*

Oh. Sino ka?! Charot. We're making friends here.

And Yuri test-drives another car. This time, it's an open Jeep.

This is good, too. Oh decisions, decisions.

We went to SM Lanang Premier afterward and saw the Davao Collective Gourmet again.

Dinner at Vikings

Warning: Photo overload ahead :-)

After months of its opening, I finally get to try Viking's! It was my mom's birthday last Saturday, and we were supposed to have a Saturday night dinner. However, the place was already fully booked, so we moved our reservation to Sunday night.

It's Monday morning now and I'm still too pooped to write! At least, it was morning when I began writing this post. That was before we had a poop accident here (Yuri's, of course) and I had to take a bath and found out I had to re-upload all the photos. Grrsssk.

Anyway I was sooo tired last night! We didn't even stay late, but mothers of toddlers would know. Since I'm still so tired, I'll let the photos and the captions do the talking:

Yuri's OOTD.  He was supposed to wear his long-sleeved Elmo shirt from my preloved loot here, but the weather last Sunday evening turned out to be hot and humid! You can even see the sun in the photos at home.

 Choosing which books to bring

 I just realized I was still wearing pambahay slippers here. Oops!

 Seated and waiting

 I'm happy to say Vikings has a lot of divider plates for toddlers and children! I found their plates cute. I wonder where they got it!

Munching on some "appetizers" while waiting for the others to finish "looting"

Potato chips, garlic sauce, cheesy lasagna

 Not my plate :P