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Saturday, 31 May 2008

a day on my own




aaah bliss, i just had my current favorite breakfast, toasted bagel with butter, fried eggs and creamy coffee. i know i'm not supposed to have fried eggs because of the presence of salmonella which is a risk in pregnancy but hubby made sure that the egg yolk is totally cooked and coffee because of caffeine but according to health standards, 3 cups a day or less is acceptable but i only  have coffee now once a week and i share a cup with my husband, who right now is out helping a friend build their own decking in the garden and then he's going to play basketball with the boys straight after. so, that would mean i'll be alone all day with my own thoughts with nothing to do (i'm still not back doing household chores). my doctor told me to take it easy until my pregnancy has progressed further along. i'm actually 13 weeks now, just a couple of days into my second trimester. but i guess, i could stretch it a little bit. this is a very good excuse of not doing those mundane household chores.
having said that, i'm not really totally alone, in the real sense of the word because i have my little baby inside me to keep me company. i had my second scan yesterday and it was great to see our baby again. this time, fully formed with arms and legs compared to the first one we had 6 weeks ago when we could hardly see him/her inside the tiny sac. it was the most beautiful experience seeing our formed baby for the first time. the arms were moving all the time, i'm sure he/she was trying to wave at her parents.
i'm starting to enjoy my pregnancy now. i'm not showing yet but if i'm wearing my pajama bottoms, my hubby and i can definitely see a bulge there and when i'm lying down, i can see a tiny bump protruding but still not obvious to people around us. my symptoms have eased off now a bit. i'm not as tired as before. the queasiness has started to fade away and i'm not as sleepy as before though i still get the odd backaches and headaches. but i'm still hungry all the time.
i didn't have weird cravings at all. thank goodness i was only craving for normal foods. on my 7th week when i started having my symptoms, i was queasy all the time, so i was always wanting to eat hot and spicy indian foods like samosa and curry,mexican like fajitas and nachos with hot and spicy dip and we were always at nando's restaurant, a portuguese restaurant which serves hot and spicy barbecued chicken with hot and spicy rice and hot and spicy dip that comes with it. oh i just loved hot and spicy.then came my 8th week when i was hungry all the time. every two hours on the dot, i have to eat and biscuits or bread is not good enough. i had to have rice and if not, pancakes. they tend to make me feel full for longer. so even late in the afternoon, i was having pancakes with chocolate Nutella spread. then came the time when i always wanted to eat scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam with a cup of tea (decaf!) with milk. the only difficult thing was when i started to have cravings for filipino foods. the nearest filipino restaurant is in central london which is half an hour's ride by train. so when i craved for pancit, i had to make it. when i craved tinolang manok, i had to make it and when i craved for caldereta, i had to make it but i cheated using Mama Cita's ready mix powder.one time i craved for siopao,specifically goldilocks and grand majestic. got a frozen one from the chinese store in town, microwaved it. not good but that did the trick.onother time i craved for lechon and God is really good because a few days after, someone invited us to a party and right in the corner of their dining room was a 49 kgs lechon on the table. it was heaven. the skin was very crunchy and the meat very tasty.just like a cebu lechon would taste(thanks jun and razel).one other time, i wanted to eat pinakbet so much and that evening our friend Uly phoned my husband to go to his house, bring a container coz he made a lot of pinakbet. how great is that! i just hope i won't be craving for jollibee spaghetti soon. i have been craving for casava cake now and i'm going to bake it this weekend. after all, i already had the recipe from my online friend Dana's food blog.
how could this tiny being inside me influence my everyday life. i could not even stand my husband's perfume anymore. i used to like the versace blue jeans scent on him but smelling it now  seems to stir my guts. i'm a scented candle lover, but now they are tucked in the corner of the house because the scent just makes me sick and don't even get me started on fried fish and fried chicken.ewww!
but i'm quite past those symptoms now and despite the hassles and the nuisance, i consider them good because those symptoms only meant that my baby is really a reality, making his/her presence known to me by way of these symptoms. if it means having a baby at the end of it all, then bring it on.

Friday, 14 March 2008

starbucks cinnamon dolce latte

aarrgh, just when i have temporarily forgotten some of my caffeine cravings, here comes starbucks inviting me to taste their new cinnamon dolce latte on the  house. i've always loved their mocha frapuccino but since i've tried their hazelnut latte, i was hooked. that was during the winter but now it's spring, i thought of sticking with the hazelnut latte. it's been months though since i had my last starbucks fix and haven't had some cravings. but yesterday, this invite came through our door for a free cinnamon dolce latte for me to try on any of their branches. well, who am i to say no?

Saturday, 1 March 2008

Shopaholic goes Disney




2008 must be my best year when it comes to my favorites. two of them are going into film. the first being Sex and the City which is going to be released in spring and there is even better news. despite the fact that it hasn't been released yet, the producers are already talking of a sequel. isn't that enough to celebrate with a cosmopolitan or a manhattan, perhaps?
another favorite of mine that is going on film is the Shopaholic series of books by Sophie Kinsella. she's a london born writer who lives just a stones throw from me. well, i'm exaggerating. she lives in hemel hemsted which is a few minutes by train from us. her books were introduced to me by my Irish friend and colleague Imelda. she gave me the Shopaholic and Baby and from there i was hooked. it was so hilarious that i was literally crying with laughter. i also relate with the main character (which woman doesn't), Becky Bloomwood, because she loves to shop thus the title of the books. after reading Shopaholic and Baby, i ordered online from amazon.co.uk right away the first of the series which is The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic and it didn't disappoint. in fact, i'm giving it 10 stars if there's such a thing.i am yet to order and read Shopaholic Ties the Knot and Shopaholic Abroad, unless someone out there gets it for me as a gift, a belated Christmas gift.
another exciting aspect about this is that according to the author's website, the film is going to be released by disney (how great is that!), to be produced by Jerry Bruckheimer (even greater! he's the producer of pirates of the carribean and the CSI tv series) and to be directed by PJ Hogan, the director of My Bestfriend's Wedding! with all these credentials, i'm sure it's going to be the best chick lit film ever. and if that's not enough, Isla Fisher is going to play Becky! i mean she was hilarious in the Wedding Crashers. i'm sure she will give justice to the character of Becky. she's a great actress.now, i wonder who's going to play Brandon?

Thursday, 7 February 2008

Confessions of a Shopaholic -behind the scenes




i am so glad that they have actually started shooting my other much awaited movie of the year (the other one is sex and the city movie). Isla Fisher really fits the role of Rebecca Bloomwood to a T.  below are some of the behind the scenes photos.


images: fadedyouthblog and socialite's life

Wednesday, 6 February 2008

delivered today




  •  i ordered four books online (amazon.co.uk) and they were delivered today
>Shopaholic Abroad/Shopaholic Ties the Knot -i have loved this series since it was introduced to me by a friend. this is a very good read and very funny. i can't wait for the movie version which is to be starred in by isla fisher titled "confessions of a shopaholic"
>Happily Ever After,the Drew Barrymore story - i have always been a fan of drew since her E.T. days and i'm quite interested in her wild child days to the day that she became one of the most admired and succesful actresses of our time.
>Harper's Bazaar, great style -  i love fashion. i think that sums up why i bought this book.
i can't wait to start reading...

Friday, 11 January 2008

Starbucks card




for us starbucks lovers, there's a new convenient way of paying for our starbucks addiction in the form of this starbucks card. it works just like a prepaid card where all you have to do is load it instore or online and voila, everytime you go to your nearest branch all you have to do is present it to pay for you purchase. you have to keep tab of your balance though or else you risk getting embarassed paying with it when it's empty.
i learned about it when i was in their bond street branch in central london and i saw the card displayed on the shelf. i asked and the barista told me how it works. i loved the idea because i really hate bringing cash with me. i always use my mastercard or ATM debit card to pay for my purchases from groceries to cinema tickets to train tickets and even as little as buying newspapers. they are so handy and i don't have to waste my time counting all the loose change. it's just so inconvenient that not all starbucks stores accept cards. well, not yet. so that makes this starbucks card an instant hit with me. i got one right away and had it loaded with the minimum amount of £5. so everytime i have my frapuccino craving, i can always get one even if i don't have change with me or worse, if they don't accept mastercards.
        talking about my mocha frapuccino cravings, i have found an alternative to it now that winter is here. i mean, i still love it but i don't really want to have a cold drink when it's freezing. i'm just too glad that i discovered starbucks new hazelnut latte. it's my current favorite now. i never really liked capuccinos as an alternative to frapuccinos but this milky coffee concoction called latte is just the perfect substitute for me and i love especially the hazelnut flavored ones. if i can have it everyday i will do so but sadly i have to keep an eye on my caffeine intake.

Friday, 14 December 2007

Heidi Klum for accesorize

Blog EntryHeidi Klum for AccessorizeDec 14, '07 1:34 PM
for everyone
great news for heidi klum fans (like me). she has teamed up with accessorize and has designed some wonderful accessories for them. i'm loving the cocktail ring collection which is in fashion right now, although i have read somewhere that cocktail rings are here to stay. i love how these oversized funky rings would jazz up an outfit. just a simple skinny jeans, white fitted shirt, ballet pumps and an oversized cocktail ring and you're good to go. i have only bought a couple so far but i hope my little collection will grow in time. i just looove accessories and Accessorize for that matter. i don't have to spend a fortune just to get the must-have accessory this season.