THE daily chronicle SHOW

after weeks of some challenging technical difficulties, saturday stakeout is back! winter is almost over, i have compiled some three favorites to wrap up the season!

* ROCK AND ROLL T-SHIRTS : they’re cool-looking. they’re comfortably cotton. they’re not plain, nor overly ornamented. just a few rhinestones to keep the interest going. yvette mandell’s t-shirts are hip and distinct. perfect over jeans or track pants.

* BRIGHT FLATS : miu miu’s sequined flats are just divine even with the dirtiest, old pair of jeans! worn with a plain white shirt and you’re just as perfect to go to a cocktail party! it also looks cool with a skirt or cut-offs!

* PARIS COMBO : i am obssessed with smooth, soulful elegant music. this band has that frenchy sound of the old era that’s upbeat in tempo. their music is infused with classic theatrical sound mixed with swing and jazz. you can listen to the paris combo sound here.

i can’t wait now for the bright hues of spring and the scent of fresh flowers and grass. i’m longing for the splatter of rain for the drought out plants - and with that comes the peek of sunshine. for spring, it’s a whole new beginning! have a great weekend folks!

january is my birthday month. i waited all my life to reach 35. it’s nothing out of the ordinary, but still another year added to a life well lived.

let me share my 35 milestones in life :

1. born in 1971 to a teacher and banker who were originally from negros and migrated to iloilo to study and eventually settled

2. i was part of the first ever nursery class for central philippine university

3. i got into first grade early. i started nursery school basically under-age

4. was in the honor roll only in fourth grade

5. developed lifetime friendships in grade school

6. graduated in elementary school with honors

7. passed the UP entrance exam for high school

8. had a grand 4 years in UP

9. had first ever serious boyfriend in high school

10. joined the high school basketball team. only to quit due to weight loss

11. more friendships blossomed in high school still ongoing for decades

12. my mother and older sister left for the states in 1983

13. graduated in high school with loads of perpetual memories and kinships

14. passed UPCAT for B.S. Biology major

15. decided to take up Physical Therapy instead and moved to Cebu to study

16. due to missing my family, i moved back home and took up B.S. Nursing

17. accepted God as my personal Lord and Saviour

18. our memorable family vacation in baguio and manila in the late 80s

19. our unforgettable boracay family vacation in the early 90s

20. graduated in nursing school in 1992

21. passed the nursing boards shortly after

22. passed CGFNS right after the boards

23. joining PAL in 1993

24. living in manila with no boundaries and limits

25. living in cebu the second time without the verge of restrains

26. first flight to Hawaii with the PAL cabin crew

27. joining my family in the States in 1995

28. mini high school reunion in chicago

29. first nursing job in 1996

30. meeting my future husband in a fundraising event of our church

31. buying my first car in 1996

32. getting married in 2000

33. working for MD Anderson Cancer Center in 2001

34. trip to Maui with the hubby in 2004

35. giving up my nursing research career to join my husband in his practice

whew! there are so much more…..i can’t wait now to be forty!

with both major holidays falling on a weekend, much more gatherings were planned and maximized. for us, nothing was spared. here are our highlights that new year’s weekend :

~ the usual friends and family gathered in our place saturday evening for dinner before midnight strikes. it was also the celebration for loven’s and lilith’s birthday. december 30th for loven and january 1st for lilith. we served grilled steaks, broiled fat lobsters, sweet yams and sauteed asparagus. my sister lilith brought crispy noodles with seafood sauce and loven’s mom prepared pancit canton (for long life) and shrimp with green peas. for dessert, we had tiramisu, fruit salad and chocolate-dipped strawberries. everyone didn’t stay long, for they wanted to have somebody at their house before midnight!

~ ben and i just watched the huge waterford-laden crystal ball drop on tv, clutching champagne-filled flutes and welcomed the new year with a festive mood!

~ attending mass for the first sunday of the new year, surely made our hearts light!

~ new year’s day lunch was spent at joy’s, as loven grilled his famous barbecue pork and chicken. his friends from work also joined us and a mahjong table was laid out for a quick mahjong game! for those that didn’t quite know the game, the island dvd was played!

~ late sunday evening, we received a call from ben’s relatives that they have been anticipating for us to come join them for their new year’s dinner. however late, ben and i joined them to taste some black-eyed peas for some good-luck and lamb chops for some weight-gainer delights!

~ day after new year’s was a non-working holiday for our office. most of our friends were back at work, so we both just chilled out, had some late breakfast and did some driving around and ate more left-overs!

what a fun weekend indeed! too bad, our home pc connection is still acting up, couldn’t upload pics! boohoo!