These days, I've been in my reading mode. Here are the books that I've read this month:
Shopaholic series bySophie Kinsella:
*Confessions of a Shopaholic *Shopaholic takes Manhattan *Shopaholic Ties the Knot *Shopaholic and Sister *Shopaholic and Baby
I love Becky Bloomwood, the protagonist... I can relate to her though I'm not as shopaholic than she is. I enjoyed Shopaholic and Baby the most... maybe because I'm a yummy mummy like her too! ;)
Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella
It's funny, I enjoyed reading this. Sophie Kinsella's humor really humors me!!! I remember bursting with laughs as I read the book. Sophie Kinsella is definitely one of my favorite authors now.
The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Gosh, It's one of the most interesting books I've ever read. I am recommending this book to all of you... you all must read this! :) You'll miss half of your life if you don't read this!
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Captivating! Story took place in Afghanistan, then and now. Definitely one of my favorite books now. It's sad, but wonderful story. I've read how Afghanistan lost it's glory. This book is very touching. I am reading , as of this moment, A Thousand Splendid Suns by the same author, a story of 2 Afghan women.
This month, Zachary and I celebrated our birthdays (2nd & 27th). I'm thankful for having this cute and sweet kid, although sometimes "makulit"! Though I think it's really often for a 2 yr. old to be like that (remember, terrible twos!) He talks a lot but we don't undertstand all of what he's saying... He's bilingual, so french and english get mixed up always (thanks to me)... I can't talk tagalog to him, I really tried... but I just can't... It's a shame to admit that I am not used to speak tagalog anymore. I still know tagalog, ofcourse, I won't forget it, it's my tongue that is not responding to it that well. I don't have somebody I can speak tagalog with here in France, and I don't call often to the Philippines... so after 5 1/2 yrs of not practicing it, tagalog doesn't come out naturally as before.
In April, I will finally sign up to a driving school. This has been long overdue! I promise I'll do it this coming month (and go to the dentist too).
I just want to share this recipe of cinnamon rolls. I got addicted to cinnamon rolls because of IKEA :) They have cinnamon rolls in their restaurant and everytime we go there to eat, I always end up taking home some of their Kanelbulle. I used to hate cinnamon when I was young (I really feel so old these days... I can't even remember my age anymore!) So anyway, I tried this recipe I found on the internet. This was the 2nd time I tried making my own cinnamon rolls, the first time was a disaster, they were hard as biscuits! This time, I got it good and I can't stop eating them! Too bad for my diet ...
Happy holidays everyone! :) I hope you all have a wonderful christmas. We spent our christmas with Raphaël's family. Zachary was very happy to spend it with his cousins, Louise and Clément. We arrived at my inlaws the night before christmas and had lobsters for dinner! Yummy! :) We left our shoes by the christmas tree (they really put shoes and not just stockings here!) and found our christmas presents beside them the next day! Zachary got toys from everybody :) He played a lot with Louise, her 3 year-old (almost) cousin. This is the very first time that they played together, because before they were just really ignoring each other :)
Hi! It's been quite a while since my last post here. I was just being too lazy to blog, really. Anyway, here I am, let me update you of the news about me :)
I am trying a new diet this time! Haha! So last attempt of south beach didn't really work to me since Raphaël left me alone to do it!!! This time I am trying a new one called Sonoma diet (californian diet). I started it 2 weeks ago, but right now, I felt like I'm not really following it anymore. I'm still dieting but I'm just following what I feel like eating... and I'm lucky! I don't crave for anything anymore since I've started with sonoma. Even if there are bars of snickers and twix and chips infront of me, I don't like to eat them anymore :) I'm not eating anything fat and sweet, just mainly salads, eggs, shrimps, fat free yoghurt and complete cereals. So far, I've lost 2.5 kgs already in just 2 weeks. I'm just happy and still continuing up to my target weight.
A week ago, I got my slipcased set of the Twilight saga. I asked for Raph to buy it for my Fete (you know, the so-called "name day" here) since he still don't know what present to give me. We ordered it on Amazon US even if there's Amazon France but the price is really interesting to import it from the US (45 euros, shipping included rather than 65 euros if I buy it here!) Since it came from the US, I waited 2 weeks to get it rather than two days. I almost lost the parcel coz the mailman just left it downstairs rather than handing it to me personally!!! I was lucky our neighbors were honest for not stealing it!!! Anyway, I didn't read it right away, I waited the next day before hitting the first pages... and then I just can't stop! That book was crazy! I've spent 5 days reading the books, all four of them, whenever I can (whenever Zach permits me to read!). Until now, I still have Edward Cullen hangover LOL! The first tome Twilight is the best, I really liked it a lot, my favorite of all 4. It made my bones melt and reverted me back to my teens! Haha! The 2nd book was ok, though it was kind of dragging in the middle since I was terribly missing Edward in the story! I hate Jacob Black! I was very bored reading Bella's life without Edward. The 3rd book was nice, since Edward is back in it :) But I really hated Bella at the end (don't want to post spoilers, I think I've said enough of already!) The 4th and last book was longggg.... and I still hate Jacob Black!! LOL!!! I hate to read him. I was glad to be back to reading Bella again in the 3rd part. The end was not as I expected it to be, but it's still a good ending anyway :). Now it's been 2 days since I finished the saga, and I feel like I'm still in it. I've seen the movie too! I watched it just after I've read the first book. Since I saw the trailer before I read the books, I have Robert Pattinson already in my mind for Edward. The movie was nice. I don't really like Bella in the movie. I think it's the way she talks.. anyway, I enjoyed the film. Can't wait to watch New Moon!
He is Raphaël's newest nephew, son of Edouard (Raph's bro) and Céline. Clément was born last saturday, November 8, at 2:59 am, weighing 4.230 kg (9.31 lbs)!!! A big baby isn't he? Raph and I just saw him this morning in the hospital and he's very cute. He cried a big but he stopped by himself after 2 minutes. Congratulations again to his pround parents! Hope you liked our gift :)
Here in France, they celebrate their saint's day, or name day... like today, November 5, is St. Zachary's day! :) It's like a 2nd birthday here. You can get greeting cards, wishes and gifts! Since I arrived in France, I celebrate my name day every October 20, St. Line's day (they don't have St. Lynnette!!!) I find it very cool to have a name day. There's another day in the year when people think about you more :)
Almost everybody knows that I am a Kavana fan. He's a british pop singer back in the late 90's, Anthony Kavanagh (his real name) was the singer behind Crazy Chance, MFEO, I can make you feel good, Special kind of something and Will you wait for me. After some year of absence, I finally found him again on the internet. I've been trying to get news of him long ago but since there's another "Anthony Kavanagh" out there (a canadian/french comedian), it was not easy at all. A year ago, he participated in a tv contest, genre American Idol meets broadway, called "Grease is the word". They are searching for the next Danny and Sandy to play in a Grease musical. Too bad this show is just shown in the UK, so I just watched some videos in youtube to see Kavana singing again. Unfortunately, he didn't win the Danny part, but he came as a runner up! He's still as good as before :) I just bought his latest album "Special Kind Of Something: The Best Of ...Kavana". I wish this time he won't leave the scene anymore.
We went to the circus last saturday, Le Cirque Pinder , the most famous circus in France. Le Cirque Pinder started on year 1854! I think this is my first time to go to a real circus :) hehehe We got free pass courtesy of Edouard (Merci encore!). Our seats are just 1 meter from the scene, the most expensive seats (45 € per seat!) The show lasted for 1h30. When we took our seats, I didn't really like the smell LOL! On the scene, there were things (I don't know how to call them) that absorb the poop and pee of animals. It smelled disgusting at first, but I got used to it after a while. I guess the smell sticked on me too, that I didn't feel any difference after hehehe. Zachary was sitting on his stroller eating popcorn almost the whole time! He wasn't scared of the animals. The only thing that scared him was the clown! I loved the animal shows: camels, horses, llamas, dogs, donkey, tigers, lions, and the two amazing elephants! I was a bit disappointed because there was not the magic show of Sophie Edelstein. Other than the animals, there were like 7 acrobatic shows. They did amazing stunts but I prefer to watch magic :)
This is the latest LO I've made. I would love to scrapbook again, I just can't find the time anymore. Zachary's growing up and he needs me to be there for him always. He is phasing out one of his naps, the morning one. So the only time I'm able to do some chores is when he's napping in the afternoon. Another thing is that I can't work anymore on the dining table because Zachary can now climb on the chairs and touch everything that's on the table. Really a hassle when you don't have a work place. Maybe I can try to have a small place in our bedroom, where I can work. I just have to have time for that too!
We went to Planete Sauvage last saturday. It's not so far from where we live but it was our first time to go there. I found discounted tickets on the internet :) The normal price for an adult is 18 € and I just paid 7.50 € per person! Quite a catch! Planet Sauvage is a zoo but not just like any ordinary zoo. It's like a safari, well, almost! You enter the park with your car, and the animals are just there waiting for you! :) There are 16 mini-parks inside, divided by gates to segregate the animals. A 10 km safari trail will show you almost 150 species from 5 continents. It was my very first time to touch a zebra! Zachary was laughing so much everytime an animal will put his head inside the car. They also offer overnight camping in bivouacs just like in a real african safari. I wish we could try it but its so expensive, 150 per adult! We were very happy with our safari adventure :) I hope next safari that we will do will be a real one... in Botswana, Kenya or Tanzanie, I wish!
Last wednesday, we drove ourselves to Cuneo, Italy! Cuneo is a provincial capital in western Italy. We left Les Orres at 11 AM, we passed the same route of Tour de France 2008 (Embrun-Cuneo), which took us 5 hours to reach the destination (including stop overs : lunch and picture taking). It's funny coz we don't speak italian at all! LOL :) We passed the Italian border,the Col Agnel, located at 2,744 meters above sea level. We stopped there for a minute to take pictures, then head down to Italy. At Pontechianale, we had our lunch. Good thing there was a girl who can speak french to take our orders. It still amazes me to think that people there doesn't speak french, knowing that we're just a few kilometers from France! We arrived at Cuneo at 4 PM, went to the Galimberti Square, visit the old shops around and ate some gelato (italian ice cream). Their ice cream was delicious! Really! And cheap compared to the price of ice cream here in France. I ate 2 scoops of gelato twice! After the holiday, I will be doing southbeach diet again for sure!
Entering Italy Col Agnel: altitude- 2,744 M ciao! at the italian side gelato after shopping in a supermarket
Cuneo- Galimberti Square
We left Cuneo at around 6:30 PM and ate in a pizzeria in Vinadio on our way home. Pizza were great! and CHEAP! I had a pizza with frankfurts in it for only 5 €. Cappucinno was good too! The only thing I didn't like was that they make you pay for using their fork and knife! Bizarre ano? We passed another col, the Col de Vars which is 2,108 above sea level. It was almost mignight when we got back home. The mountain route was less scary coz we just see the road and not the cliffs :)
Les Orres Les Mélèzes d'Or (ski resort) Zach et moi swimming Patou's escapade!
We're 1800 m above sea level right now! :) Last saturday, we arrived here in Les Orres for a week of vacation. Located in Alpes du Sud (south east of France), it is chiefly known for it's ski resort. But since it's summer, there's no snow here. The landscape is beautiful. Mountains are everywhere. It's cold outside. We didn't do anything yesterday besides swimming in the resort's pool. Water was at 30° but it's not hot enough for me! It feel's good to be in holiday, finally!
Last weekend, we went in Versailles which is not so far from Paris. We slept for a night at my sister-in-law's parents (Encore un grand MERCI à la famille QUELO!!!) We first went to the Castle of Versailles, where the ancient king of France, Louis IV lived. It'w magnificent! We didn't visit the inside of the castle coz we arrived late and there are too many people. We just strolled in the immense garden. They were having a spactacle for the night, they had to close the park earlier than usual. Our 2-hour stay in the garden didn't permit us to see all of it. Anyway, next time we're planning to rent a golf cart to facilitate our visit!!!
Me
B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L
a not too interested Zachary
Raph & Me
This garden is BIG, It's crazy!!!
The real reason why we went in Versailles is that, Raphaël will drive a Lamborghini Gallardo!!! Yey!! hehe It was my birthday gift for him. The track is located near Versailles. We went to the track the next day. There were lots of people! The activities were being handled by Pilotage Passion. Edouard, Raph's brother, were with us to film. It was my job to take pictures :) We waited so long there! Raphaël's briefing didn't started right away, and it lasted for almost an hour! Zachary was crying, coz he missed his afternoon nap. He wasn't able to sleep coz of the cars' noise! At the end of his turn, Raphaël was very happy :) His dream came true: to drive a Lamborghini Gallardo, which is according to him, his very dream car! :) He's a bit disappointed though coz it didn't last for so long.... BITIN DAW! lol At 7 P.M., we left the track and drove home. After 5 hours, we're back at our place... really tired of our weekend. Luckily, Raph doesn't have to go to work the next day :)
This coming friday, July 4, a new season of the french version of Survivor will be shown. Koh- Lanta will be having their 8 season and they shot it in the Philippines, AGAIN! Last year it was in Palawan. This time it will be in Caramoan, Camarines Sur. I personally am not familiar with the island, in fact, I've never heard of it before. I searched on the internet about this island, and found out that it's really beautiful. I know there are lots of amazing places in the Philippines, but it's just so hard to visit them all. (Transportation is such a hassle in the Philippines, thanks to the 7,107 islands we have! hehe) Next time we go back to Pinas, We'll try to go to Caramoan. I saw some affordable promo packages in Caramoan Island's Blog.
Happy father's day to all the dads, most specially to my Tatay and to Zach's dad, Raphaël. This morning, Zach and I gave our gift to Raph. We gave him 1.5 kg of candies! :) Zach cannot even carry it by himself so he just hold on to the bag while I was carrying it in front of him. Raphaël was so happy (Candy is his weakness!).
I used a Pamper's paper bag to put 1.5 Kg of candies inside.
While we were watching football on TV last night (EURO 2008: France vs. Netherlands), I decided to divert in scrapbooking. Halfway through the game, I saw that the dutch team will probably win, so to save myself from shouting and getting frustrated watching the game, I went scrapbooking :) I made 2 LOs of my birthday pictures.
Voila! Here's where I do my scrapbookin :) I really wish to have my own room/corner/space to scrapbook but because we don't have much space (we just have 70 m²!), I'm contented in occupying our dining table from time to time. You can see also my 4 layer plastic drawer that Raphaël bought me last week. I really needed this, you just can't imagine what I was doing before, where I was keeping all these stuffs! I made it sure that this drawer can contain my 30x30 papers. The wheels are very useful since I'm just squatting this place, I can move around my drawer in a second :)
Today, I finally got myself scrapbooking again :) I just received Raphaël's mother's day gift (Mother's day here in France was last week, May 25). Actually, he let me shop for what I want, he just paid them hehe :) I ordered my goodies at Scrapmalin, as usual, plus I ordered EK Success' Cutter Bee Piercing Bugs on Ebay :)
And here are the 2 Los I made today.
I'm not happy with my first LO. It's my first time to use Distress Ink! I have no idea how it works! :) I'm still trying! I don't know why I used the forest green paper! It sucks! and so are the stickers! I think I'll change them.
This one's OK. It's about Printemps (Spring). I bought the DDDesign 7 cut outs long ago! This layout is 100% french :)
Kamusta ka na? Galeng Naman!!! You are living in France? That is my Fiance Editha's dream country to live in! She would love to live in France, but No pera! hehehehe
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gelato after shopping in a supermarket
I'm not happy with my first LO. It's my first time to use Distress Ink! I have no idea how it works! :) I'm still trying! I don't know why I used the forest green paper! It sucks! and so are the stickers! I think I'll change them.
This one's OK. It's about Printemps (Spring). I bought the DDDesign 7 cut outs long ago! This layout is 100% french :)
