TOPAZ HORIZON

A month ago today, I was packing for our first trip abroad as a family. We went to Bali, Indonesia, for the wedding of one of Vince's best friends, Jukka.

This is us at the airport on a really rainy, very early morning. Vince and I are sleepy but excited. Vito is excited. Period!

Vito just learned to walk so, while Vince filled out immigration forms, Vito wandered about. He was just amazed at the huge space. He just had to explore it!

Hi Vito! Hi Vince! I love those two boys to bits! They wore matching shirts. So cute and preppy!

Vito and the smile that can melt any heart. Such a cutie pie!

His first international flight! So excited! We didn't have a problem at all. Was really scared he'd be one of those babies that cry and cry on the plane. Thank goodness he was just happy all the time!

This is us in Singapore. It's Vito's first bus ride, too. Later on, when we took the train from one terminal to another, Vito had his first train ride, too. Many firsts!

Still at Singapore. You can tell that someone's pretty pumped. Just lookit that silly face! Meanwhile, my arms were dying at this point!

By the way, my son's kind of a little flirt. Every time he sees pretty girls, he unleashes his charm. And it's pretty lethal, his charm. I let him loose on the plane aisle. Seemed like an okay thing to do since I could hear oohs and aahs and gurgles of adoration. When he came back to us, however, Vito seemed upset about something. Someone stole a kiss!

At Bali finally! Where the flowers grow in thick clusters...

Where the clime is hot and makes everyone, like this fat dog, lazy...

And this cute baby, too! Look at his wrinkly-nose yawn (he got that from his father). Must be the fresh air. Vito ain't used to it. I like that I didn't have to put on makeup and brush my hair. Such freedom from the city!

There's the little punk, ready for his swim! That's his porn star trunks. I love his porn star trunks!

Our villa was swarming with mosquitoes so we all slept under dreamy nets that kinda didn't work since Vito still woke up with red dots all over him. I was so freaked out! Vito's first mosquito bites! Even though I slathered him with insect repellent, those pesky bugs still got to him.

One more thing that freaked me out? The many many many statues of their gods. Devil worship! Sorry, that's the Born Again in me talking. Vince kept rolling his eyes at me and laughing at my Born-Again-ness. Well, even if I weren't Born Again, they are pretty scary. Look at Vito. I rest my case!

Next post: The romantic sunset wedding!

Off to Philippine Fashion Week in May! Wearing Bench tank, Zara skirt, Sapato Manila heels, Liz Claiborne necklace and Kate Spade bag

At Enterprise, on my way to Sunlife to file a claim, I met these yummy colorful creatures. They were promoting a raffle--vote for the M&M color you want and you get a chance to win $1,000 shopping money!

I voted for Green because she's described as "smart, strong and sexy." Hey, sounds like me! Teehee. If you want to join, click here. I hope I win, though! Good luck to us all!

Here I am at Sunlife again, this time to claim tickets to Varekai! I joined their contest on the last day and won! Am I lucky or what? Thing is I'd already bought tickets. So I gave my prize to my in-laws and watched Varekai on the second night. You all know what happened to us that Thursday night!

And this was Vito the morning after the Varekai show. We bought that hat, so enamored were we with the show. We're enamored with our baby boy, too!

My favorite section in Vanity Fair is the Proust Questionnaire. I think it's great they choose old people to answer it. Yes, old! Old people have seen and experienced a lot so I always get amazed and inspired by their frankness and wisdom.

Me at 34. Some say old, some say young.

Now, at 34, I'm not old. Well, depends on who you ask. I had a laser facial last week and someone Tweeted me, "Do you recommend that facial on me?" And I Tweeted back, "It's best for those in their mid-30s and above." And she replied, "Ugh, that's old!"

Anyway, I want to answer the Proust Questionnaire every year, just to see if my answers will change. I imagine that as I grow older, the answers will change. I hope not, though! I want to believe that at 34, I know myself. But life is always surprising!

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Cuddling in bed with my husband Vince and son Vito.




What is your greatest fear?
Losing Vince and Vito.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Laziness.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?
That abominable combination of laziness, arrogance, insecurity and, strangely enough, entitlement to the fruits of others' labor!

Which living person do you most admire?
Right now, I admire Gwyneth Paltrow for her achievements in her field, her constant evolution, her love for her family and friends, and her style. But I admire anyone who makes their own dreams come true.

What is your greatest extravagance?
Generosity.

What is your current state of mind?
Overwhelmed!

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Virginity.

On what occasion do you lie?
When telling the truth will hurt the person unnecessarily.

What is the quality you most like in a man?
Quiet authority. Not a lot of men have this, sadly.

What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Unconditional love.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Actually, very, and ten thousand years.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My husband and my son.

When and where were you happiest?
My wedding in 2007 was fun. But now? It's every time I'm cuddling with Vince and Vito. That's every day. I'm a lucky girl.




Which talent would you most like to have?
To dance really well!

What is your favorite occupation?
Mine.

What is your most marked characteristic?
Passion.

What do you most value in your friends?
Their insistence that I am worth loving.

Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Samwise Gamgee.

Who are your heroes in real life?
The generous people, like my husband, my in-laws, my mother, my friends.

What is that you most dislike?
Cowardice.



What is your greatest regret?
Ignoring my mother when she was alive.

How would you like to die?
Quietly, when my son already has his own family, love and happiness. Yes, I can leave this life then.

What is your motto?
"The brave may not live forever, but cowards never live at all."

Summer is definitely over because today I dusted off the leather jacket and checked twice if I brought my umbrella. I don't mourn the end of summer because I've always been a rainy kind of gal, the fatter the raindrops, the louder the thunder, the better. Of course, it's best with a really thick book!

But I can't say I didn't enjoy the sun this year, especially since we have a little boy now. And, oh, how he loved our trip to Shangri-la Mactan!

We went there with Vito's entire Sales family (thanks, Mom and Dad!) and swam and ate and slept to our hearts' content. I won't show the photos of Vito's cousins here since they're all of school age but since Vito is too young to protest, let me show off my handsome boy's pics!

Vince shows Vito the jumbo jet we're about to board.

It's Vito's first plane ticket!

Vito's first plane ride was a smooth flight.

The baby was absolutely delighted with the huge bed! He kept exploring it. Vince, I guess we need a bigger bed!

See how excited he is?!

The little guy inspects the big garden. "Green, Mama! What is all that green?!"

Vito's first beach encounter!

He hated the sand. He's like me!

Poor darling was so upset whenever his feet touched the sand! Mama had to comfort him.

Good thing the pool was a success!

Where did you go this summer?

Was looking through my computer's folders and found a lot of forgotten pics or some I put on my mommy blog instead but you didn't get to see. Here are 10 pics (in chronological order):

Oct 28, 2009. Jane Kingsu-Cheng of My Style Kit and Forever 21. This was at an Estee Lauder event at Chef Laudico's Bistro. I've seen Jane before when she was still a magazine editor but I've never actually met her. Then we "met" through our blogs so when we actually physically saw each other again, we just had to say hi! And that was the start of a beautiful friendship. Jane was one of my "mommies" when I was pregnant and afraid. Thanks, Jane!

Dec 30, 2009. Our Rock Band was spankin' brand new and Vince's brother and his kids came over to check it out. Since the boys would rather play the instruments, I was the designated singer. I miss my red hair!

May 15, 2010. The day the iPad arrived. Lookit how happy the Third World Nerd is! His expression reminds me of the first time he held Vito in his arms! If you want to know the fantastic story of how we got our iPad, click here and here. It is quite a tale!

June 30, 2010. Kat's birthday party! Kat left for New York City early last year to study fashion merchandising. But in June, she flew back to Manila for a rendezvous with her boyfriend, who threw her a surprise birthday party. So here we are, Nikki, Leslie, Nic and Kat. That was a fun night. I was 7 months pregnant. I can't believe my arms were thinner back then! I'm so fat now!


Nov 29, 2010. My pink Christmas tree. Ain't it a beaut?

Jan 26, 2011. Vito at 5 months old, wearing a Cheshire Cat shirt with a glow-in-the-dark grin. Yes, we like cool and funny t-shirts! This was taken at dawn. Yes, even now at 9 months old, he still wakes up at 5am! When will I ever sleep for 10 hours again? Even 8 hours? Never? Thought so.

April 14, 2011. With fellow mommies Paola Loot (with her sweetie pie Sjofn) and Martine De Luna, who has a son named Vito too and is the author of Dainty Mom. We tried Plana Forma. The super fit woman at the right was our instructor. I gave up after just one session. It is hard! Martine continued the torture.

April 24, 2011. At Bonifacio High Street. Vito played with a puppy right after this shot. Vito loves dogs and rabbits. Loves them. Totally shrieks with delight when he sees anything furry. I know I haven't updated about my rabbit Matilda forever but yes, she's still alive and fatter and cuter. Which drives Vito insane--he's always so excited when he sees Matilda, grabs at her and shrieks. Matilda does not like this one bit. She doesn't like Vito at all. Sigh. I wonder if this is what will happen if we have another kid...

May 7, 2011. At Rustan's Makati, where I always shop for Vito's stuff. Vince shops at Mothercare. Yes, we have different baby stuff haunts! We bought him three pairs of shoes this day. Porma shoes only since I prefer he learn to walk barefoot. He's standing on his own now, by the way! My goodness, where did the time go?

Looking at these photos, they only feel like yesterday and yet also a lifetime ago. Sigh.

Yesterday, Vince and I took Vito house hunting. After all, we really don't need to look for a new home since we already live in a fabulous apartment with west-east-south views and fantastic location. The only problem with our place is it's in a high-rise and a little boy needs big wide spaces to run around in and conquer. So since this is for Vito, it's actually Vito's house we were looking for!

The first place we went to was Kapitolyo, which is our home's backyard. We liked that it has the same conveniences of our place (in the middle of everything!) but we didn't like the security. Or the feeling of lack thereof. So that leaves us with the two other choices:

NEAR BUT FEELS CROWDED
Mahogany Place 3 is a DMCI project about 5 minutes from Bonifacio Global City. The benefit of living there is that it's near BGC, near St. Luke's Global (I'm a bit of a hypochondriac), near Makati CBD, near good schools.

Even though it's near everything, it doesn't feel like it's in the city. DMCI acquired the vast Acacia Estates and turned it into a residential development that has a resort-like feel. And I'm not quoting a press kit here. That's how we really felt! Security is tight. There's even an electric perimeter fence surrounding the entire development! The amenities are superb, the roads are wide and beautifully paved, there are clubhouses, commercial playgrounds, swimming pools and more.

Little boxes on the hillside

Tiny kitchen and dining area

And that's all there is to the living room!

Three bedrooms, one of which is decorated like a boudoir

A walk-in closet makes up for the teensy-weensy bathroom.

So here's the catch: Mahogany Place 3 is lined with townhouses and duplexes, narrow buildings that stretch upwards. The land may be wide open but the houses feel, I dunno, I feel hemmed in. Vince says they remind him of London. He spent a few of his growing up years there and he said it was fine. We'll see.

FAR BUT FEELS SPACIOUS
Ametta is a community development by Ayala Land or Alveo. It's gorgeous there! The townhouses are designed so that they feel open and airy. There's plenty of light pouring in through big windows into spacious rooms. There are parks and pools, pocket gardens and playgrounds, and wide streets perfect for a little boy with a bicycle!

Blessed space!

Construction is done well.

Side view of the house we really liked

Big kitchen with lots of counter space

Spacious master's bedroom with walk-in closet and own bath

Two bedrooms, one for the princess...

... one for the prince!

The problem with Ametta is its location. It almost feels like there's no rhyme and reason for its location. It's like someone built a beautiful village and dropped it in the middle of nowhere. The nearest schools, malls, shopping centers, hospitals are a good half hour away. Plus, it's in Pasig and during Ondoy, that area was flooded for a week. To combat this, Alveo built the community on land raised a full storey high and is currently improving the drainage system of the entire area--the streets around the village are all dug up right now. That's reassuring. And yet... scary still!

Vince and Vito and I had fun!

So we're still thinking about Mahogany Place. If only the houses were built like Ametta and had a location like Mahogany's! That would've been perfect. Oh well! The search continues!