I Give Them Toys But...

My kids have a little quirk--they don't play with toys.

Don't get me wrong, they have loads of toys. In fact, I have banished several toys they got from last Christmas to the attic. Many of them are still untouched and wrapped. Along with them are other old toys that I have confiscated. My kids seem to have forgotten about them.

These days, instead of toys, they play with a lot of other stuff--empty paper towel rolls, bottle caps, loose microwaveable containers, strings, and other odds and ends scavenged during trips. The Ben 10 Happy Meal toys of Kuya and Kowi's PowerPuff dolls are starting to gather dust.

We've sailed the seven seas looking for pirate treasure, gone camping in the deep woods and joined the Queen's grand parade while eating Kowi's "mini strawberry" soup all from the comfort of our house.

I'm glad I have pretty imaginative (and very cheap) kids. I'm wondering how I can ask people to give money to my kids instead of toys this Christmas. Haha.

No More Janina

It's official: Controvertial beauty queen Janina San Miguel gave up her crown as the reigning Binibining Pilipinas World and her slot in the Miss World 2008 pageant. The Binibining Pilipinas Charities has confirmed that Janina resigned due to personal reasons and the death of her grandfather.

This gives 1st runner-up Danielle Castaño the opportunity to represent the country in Johannesburg this December. I certainly hope she's better than Janina at the Q&A portion.

Although I was sad for Janina when she became the country's laughingstock, I was shocked that she won a title at all. Yes, her answer was filled with lots of hahas and ahms, the P and F interchange was prominent, subject-verb agreement disagreed and, frankly, she didn't utter a single coherent sentence in English. Why did she win?

Why didn't she just request for an interpreter? European and Latin American candidates do it all the time. Although it might be weird to ask for a Filipino-English interpreter in your own country's pageant. Hmm...

Better still, she could've just the answered the question in Filipino. What's wrong with that?

Cats In Hats

Kuya had their Mufti Day at school last Friday. The theme this month was to come as their favorite literary character.

He initially wanted to wear his Spiderman costume. But from last year's experience, most boys came in assuper heroes and most girls were fairies and princesses. In last year's class alone they had 5 Supermen, 3 Flash(es?), several Batmen and 1 Green Lantern. I wanted Kuya to wear something unique and easily recognizable.

I asked him to name a book that we read during bedtime and choose a character from there. A lightbulb went on and he decided to go as the Cat in the Hat. Not a bad choice. It was unique and something that we could make together.

We bought red and white felt paper and construction paper to make the hat, a red ribbon, black shirt and pants, white gloves and penciled-on whiskers and viola--our version of Cat in the Hat. We had fun making it, although Kuya had a bit too much by taping all the discarded paper together and finishing a whole roll of scotchtape!

We made two hats. Of course, Kowi had to have one--just like her Kuya.

Watching The Wanders

We had the opportunity to watch the Wanders at PACGOR Casino last Wednesday night. We didn't expect a lot of people for the show but a long queue had already formed by 8pm. All the seats were occupied and people were already sitting in the middle aisles just to watch. The show started promptly at 8:30.

Kuya and Kowi were excited to see acrobats. And they weren't disappointed. It was really a feast for the senses. Kowi fell asleep halfway through the program. But she got to see La Vie En Rose and loved it. Kuya was rolling with laughter at the Wander's rendition of Stomp. A bunch of guys in black and neon masks beating the drums under black light was his favorite part of the program.

Cameras aren't allowed inside the casino. So we had the official photographer take our picture as a souvenir. This was around 10 pm, after the show. My eyes look a bit puffy. It was almost past my bedtime, too.

You can still catch the Wanders every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at the PAGCOR Grand Theater, Airport Casino. Apparently they'll be performing until the end of the year. Tickets are available at Ticket World.

This is not a sponsored post. Too bad. Haha. Hopefully, Hubby can watch this when he returns next month. His sister is an understudy for one of the singers. But she wasn't there last Wednesday.

And She's Off

My sister is flying in an airplane and jetting off as I am typing. She finally got her Norwegian visa two weeks ago and now she is off to Norway via Amsterdam.

For the past few weekends, we have been going around town buying things for her trip. We scoured the local vintage shops for bubble jackets, long-sleeved shirts, anything thick to keep her warm for the coming winter months. We hit the jackpot after only two weeks of hunting with a soft brown bubble jacket with faux fur trim hood which we got for a steal at Php 150.00!

Of course, with every mall hit, we'd eat like crazy. Takuyaki balls, siomai, rice toppings, baked zitti. She has also been eating grilled bangus consistently. My budget has been somewhat strained because of our escapades since I have two kids in tow. And Kuya eats a full meal on his own, sometimes with mandatory dessert.

A couple of months ago my sister was at the crossroads of either going to the U.S. or Norway. Although it was the road less traveled, I suggested that she try it out in Norway. She can always opt to go to the U.S. any time she wishes. My reason was that Tina, her best friend, and her family are there to take good care of her. Yes, we do have relatives in the States, but I've seen how Tina and her family treats my sister. She will be staying with her second family, so it's still home away from here.

The sad part is, aside from her being gone for a few years, is that we won't be able to go to Norway whenever we feel like it unlike in the States. One good thing, though, is that I might be able to lose a couple of pounds with her gone.

I'll miss you, little sister. No more weekend food trips and storming the buy 1-take 1 vintage shops. I know you're in good hands, but yes, I'm still crying. See you in the little box soon.

I Smell Like Grass--And I Likey

The first time I used cologne was in high school. I was very fond of using JBC regular scent (Johnson's Baby Cologne) and I thought that there was no other smell quite like it. Very light and quite nice for every day use. Then I discovered Angel's Breath. I love that scent. Although other "Angel's" have sprouted, I think that Angel's Breath is still the best smelling of all.

In high school senior year, I was using Denenes and used to buy it in really big bottles. I would just transfer small amounts into my atomizer for my bag. I remember my Ninang Mildred even took home my atomizer becasue she loved that smell so much. There were also times when I used Nenuco and Para Mi Bebe, but I would always return to JBC after a while.

I discovered Gap Grass in the mid 1990s when a friend gave me a little metal canister as a gift for my birthday. I sooo love the smell. Not "matronly" floral and not "sweet sixteen sweet." It was just right for any occasion. But somehow I never got a refill. Apparently I was the only one who wanted to smell like my mom's lawn.

And now Bench has it's own version, Grass Cucumber Cedarwood. I am sooo loving it. Just bought my second bottle and I'm not getting tired the scent at all. I absolutely love smelling like freshly cut, wet grass. And the fact that it's only Php 160.00 ($3.50) doesn't hurt a bit.