TOPAZ HORIZON

Disorder	Your Score
Major Depression:	Very Slight
Dysthymia:	Very Slight
Bipolar Disorder:	Very Slight
Cyclothymia:	Very Slight
Seasonal Affective Disorder:	Very Slight
Postpartum Depression:	N/A
Take the Depression Test

Got this test from RanRan's blog. Like her, I am a very happy, well-adjusted person. But that can just be me deluding myself, you know?

I also sometimes think my steroids and asthma medication make me hyper and chirpy--why? Well, during summer or when I'm anywhere that has fresh air and I don't need my asthma meds, I'm usually subdued! (Well, my test results do indicate that I have a "very slight" chance of getting depressed. So there's still a chance, even if it's very slight!)

Vince thinks my asthma meds are like uppers. Chuckle, chuckle. He does have a point there; when I'm not pumped with the meds, I'm really quiet! So is my happiness because of asthma meds?

Nah, I'm happy because I have a wonderful man who loves me, a beautiful home, a fun job, few but fantastic friends, magnificent women who inspire me, adorable wabbits to dote on and my books. But even without those (and yes, there was a long time I didn't have any of those!), I've always been a glass-half-full person and I truly believe that's all because of my faith in God and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Because of God's sovereignity, I never lose hope and I never feel that all is lost. Because of Jesus, I never feel alone. And that is why I am happy!

I know that all the women in my Magnificent Women Series are members of my family. Well, God gave me fab women in my family and then He decided that I needed friends. This is where Mariel enters the picture.

Mariel is my angel. I never thought we'd be friends--first, because I wasn't friendly and, second, because she seemed to like food too much. She sat beside me at work and she was always happy and chipper, greeting me every morning with, "Hi, neighbor!" in that bright sweet manner of hers. She'd also always offer me snacks which I'd refuse because I don't like eating when I'm working! Finally, I began eating with her and talking with her and I discovered over sushi and chocolates and pasta that right before me is one shining soul, so bright that God must've lit her from within. I was just so focused on myself that I was blind to the wonderful woman right in front of me!

I love Mariel because she's good. Period. Yes, she's funny and smart and generous and lovable and honest and candid. But what I really love about her is she's a good person with a kind heart and a gentle soul. This is a harsh world we live in and when you meet a good person, it's insanely refreshing.

Mariel is insanely refreshing.

We also talk about everything under the sun--from discussing beauty products, fashion finds and entertaining at home to what we really want in life and the complexity of relationships. We even talk about stuff that aren't under the sun, like what heaven must be like. That was a lovely discussion, by the way! Now that she's about to get married, I can't wait to talk to her about married life--from happy stuff like decorating the house (and choosing between porcelain or stone sinks can merit an entire day of ruminations!) and sharing recipes to the more serious matters like handling money as a couple, fighting fair with the hubby and how to have great sex with the hubby, too!

Dear Neighbor, thank you for the friendship. I am lucky to have met you and even luckier to have shared meals with you. I know I have become a better person since the day you became my friend. You have inspired me with how you love people unconditionally. Because of you, I learned how to forgive my Papa and focus on what he's done for me instead of what he failed to do because I saw how you just accepted people into your life simply because they're there. So I stopped pushing people away, stopped being choosy with who I talk to and be friends with, stopped being a snob because of you. You are beautiful in every possible way and I want to be as beautiful as you. Love ya!


Be inspired by my Neighbor, too! Check out her wonderful blog, NY Minute Now, right now!

Magnificent Woman 1: Jacqui
Magnificent Woman 2: Rose
Magnificent Women 3: Lizelle, Anj and Reza
Magnificent Woman 4: Mom

Let me tell you about my mother-in-law. While most people complain about their in-laws, I have the miracle that is Mommy Digna. She is the sixth woman on my Magnificent Women Series but she is certainly very very important! It isn't hard to love her because she's like a female replica of Vince!

Mommy Di is the kind of woman who just absorbs everything you give her--your worries, your pain, your helpless flailings in the face of life's blows. Then she will do everything she can to help you out. Whether we need a recipe or curtains or help with where to buy car accessories and dehumidifiers to the really really big problems, Mommy Di will find an answer to our every need.

And it's not like she isn't busy already--she's not one of those rich housewives who spend their retirement traveling the world, shopping and pinching young men's butts; Mommy Di devotes her days to caring for her husband, her children, her grandchildren, her siblings, her friends... and still she'll find time to call me and Vince and ask in that adorable halting way of hers if we want to have lunch out.

While she looks soft and vulnerable, she isn't--she is fierce and strong and we know she will defend us from whatever threatens us. Nothing's too big for Mommy Di and she has proven to me that a woman's strength is in her femininity and in her family.Mom, thank you for welcoming me into your family and for loving me. So thank you for the lunches, dinners, vacations, food (especially the caldereta!), gifts... but thank you most of all for loving me like your daughter. Every time I fall in love with Vince because of how wonderful a man he is, I remember that he is what he is because of how you raised him. Thank you super duper for Vince--the best gift ever!!!


Magnificent Woman 1: Jacqui
Magnificent Woman 2: Rose
Magnificent Women 3: Lizelle, Anj and Reza

Guests/Performers: Denise Laurel, Maja Salvador, All Stars, Young JV, Marcus Davis, Jay-R, Kris Lawrence, Carla & Nikki Guevarra, Salamin, Kjwan, Kaye Abad, Archipelago, Pupil, Imago, Severo, JP David, Akafellas, Saab Magalona, Top Junk, Techy Romantics, Sessionroad, Dingdong Dantes, The Pin-UpGirls, Caren Mangaran, Baron Geisler, Dice&K-9/Mobbstarr, Hi-C, Stick Figgas and more!

Hosted by Sarah Meier, Mo Twister, Grace Lee
and Mojo Jojo.

Tickets are sold through Ticket World and at the Music Museum gate (P300, P500, P700). Buy your tickets now and make Mio's cancer go away with very loud music! And you get something fab in return, too: a night of dancing, jumping and singing loudly--you'd have expended so much energy, you'd feel like you just consumed the best weight loss supplements! So attend the concert, have fun, see some stars, dance the night away and raise money for Mio's chemo!

If you're not the musical kind, just shop for beauty products for Mio's benefit here!

Busy, busy, busy with...

1. organizing inventory of items for sale to raise funds for Mio's chemotherapy. Check latest batch of products here and make sure to buy! It's for a good cause!

2. events! Anlene Milk launched new endorser Charlene Gonzales last Tuesday and a bone scan told me I am at moderate risk of getting osteoporosis. So I'll need to eat more green leafy veggies and fish (I'm lactose-intolerant so no Anlene for me!) and get more sunlight and exercise.

Then last night, Ayala Malls launched their Greenology cause--the Filipino Zone in Greenbelt 5 will be selling dresses, gowns, tops, skirts and breeches plus shoes, bags and accessories made of environment-friendly materials. The sale is only until the end of September.

While that's cool, what I found more interesting was the fact that all Ayala Malls are now using green technology in their buildings. There are now green roofs (gardens on roofs not only add greenery and help absorb CO2 in the city's air, they also help keep buildings cooler, lessening the need for airconditioning). There's even the ice-cooling technology I've seen in other countries where buildings make ice at night; then during the day, the melting ice water is used to cool buildings. It's amazing!

3. organizing a baby shower for Joanna, who is due in a couple of weeks!

4. Galady, who is actually feeling better. Yey! I guess there are good days and there are bad days. I'll just have to thank God there are still more good days for my baby girl!

5. and, last but certainly the most time-consuming, the magazine. Aside from editing and approving pages, I promoted OK! mag on radio and on web TV, which means this week was dress-up and makeup week and I really find spending time in front of the mirror a huge chore!

That's all! Will be back with better tidbits soon! Enjoy your Friday!

This is a video right after Christmas 2007. Our pet rabbit Galady got jealous of a stuffed toy I got as a gift!


Well, it seems Galady Wabbit has suffered a stroke. Her left leg is paralyzed--she doesn't even feel me tapping it or pinching it. She will or perhaps already has had another stroke because she's losing the rest of her left side. She is deteriorating rapidly and life has drastically changed for all of us here at Casa Kuneho.

Since Galady can't get up, she pees and poops all over herself. It's an awful mess, I tell you, and it's causing horrible urine burns. Today, as I was giving her her bath, huge clumps of hair fell off her entire left side and I burst into tears. After all we've gone through, seeing all that hair on my hand was the worst.

Oh well. The good part of that is it's so much easier to dry her off. No need for the blowdryer, which she hates. And it's easier to apply the antibacterial cream!

Here's Galady the night she came home seven-and-a-half years ago. Isn't she a darling? Anyway, I am happy to say that the situation has improved (yes!) because we stumbled upon the site of a fellow disabled-rabbit owner, who wrote that she used those raised plastic beds with holes--meant for disabled dogs. This has been the best advice since now Galady doesn't have to soak in her pee and the kitty litter underneath the plastic beds absorb everything--even the smell.

It's also solved the problem of Galady and Matilda's longing for each other. In the past weeks, Galady had to remain locked up in her cage. But with the plastic beds on one corner of the laundry room, Matilda can now visit and cuddle. Both wabbits are happy!

Vince and me, too! Still, I cry a lot these days. And, if you've noticed, I can't blog as often. Life with a disabled rabbit is much much different; for example, we've had to check on her constantly. It's a good thing the office is just across the street! So we've quickly adjusted so it's all good!

Right now, I'm sprawled on the floor beside Galady. She's in her cage tonight, with the top removed (see here). The netbook is in front of me and I'm trying to catch up with my blog-hopping. We're both listening to Taylor Swift. Unlike Kanye, we both like Taylor Swift a lot--Galady's ears always go up high when Taylor's singing.

Anyway, I'll go now. I badly need a bath--I smell like rabbit pee and I think I have rabbit poop flecks stuck everywhere because Galady always flails about when I lower her into the basin of warm soapy water.

It's all good. I know it's disgusting but it's proof she's still alive and I wouldn't have it any other way.

In the first two posts on My Magnificent Women Series, I told you about my sisters Jacqui and Rose. I have truly been blessed with the most wonderful sisters because Lizelle, Anj and Reza have shown me the utmost kindness and acceptance.

Lizelle always offers me help and advice from housekeeping to managing little girls. She's also shown me how big a mother's heart can be and how it can swallow up every hurt and disappointment and make them all a joy. She's even shown me that it can welcome in even kids that aren't its own--that's how generous Lizelle's heart is.

Anj has shown me friendship and how fun that can be and we'd giggle over the most ridiculous things, making me realize that a woman may be self-sacrificing most times but that doesn't make her a soulless creature.

And then there's Reza, tenderhearted and kind and gentle. She's so capable and trustworthy--if it weren't for her, I wouldn't have gotten married in a nice church! Nothing ever seems to faze this remarkable woman and yet one mention of my poor nieces and her heart breaks for them.

I also want to add that if it weren't for my sisters-in-law, I wouldn't have had my gorgeous wedding! I never wanted to get married, you see, so I really had no clear idea of what I wanted for my wedding. Then Vince and I suddenly wanted to get wed and Lizelle, Anj and Reza (plus a few of my friends!) were the ones who took care of most everything. I had a wedding beautiful beyond my wildest dreams (well, I didn't have any!) and I do want to thank my sisters for all the work they put in, even though I didn't ask.

Dear Lizelle, Anj and Reza, thank you for welcoming me into the Sales family. I've always been a little in awe of you because you're all such fabulous achievers and homemakers at the same time. You've shown me that family is always top priority and that though wifehood and motherhood come with their own trials and travails, they can be fun, too! I guess I'll have to confess that by observing you and how you live your lives, I have come to want to be like you--women who are walking examples of kindness, generosity and love.


Magnificent Woman 1: Jacqui
Magnificent Woman 2: Rose

I'd like to thank Leyda DC, Jenny S, Rorie C, Lana C and Carmina S for donating cash and to the many ladies and one gent who bought products to raise funds for Mio's chemotherapy (if you want to buy beauty products, click here!).

Anyway, I'll be posting more products on my beauty blog this week as we need to raise more funds. If you wish to donate, you can send your gifts to my PayPal email address: prettypeddler@yahoo.com.ph. You can also deposit your gifts to this account: Charisse F. Espinar, BDO-SM City, Savings Acct # 0670 385 018. Charisse is Mio's godmother.

God bless you for your generosity!

I'll get to my Magnificent Women Series soonest. I've purposely refrained from writing more serious stuff and have been distracting myself recently with shallowness because there's real sadness pervading the house this past week. My baby, Galadriel Rabbit, is very very sick. And we're afraid this is it.
Galady is 7 years old and 6 months. That's very old in rabbit years. She's really slow and mellow now, although she always gets excited and greedy whenever there's food around. Just last June, I posted about her and Matilda. She looked like this:
Still healthy and happy, tolerating Matilda's naughtiness. But I've noticed over August that Galady would usually just stay in one place now, napping, but once she sees me with food, up she goes to greet me. Last weekend, however, my sweet Galady suddenly didn't get up anymore. She'd hobble about but she'd quickly get exhausted. She's also lost a huge amount of weight in a few days. Galady now looks like this:
Only Matilda, food, Vince and me seem to wake her from her stupor. Most of the time, she just lies quietly, unmoving, gently lapping at her water bowl. I've moved her back to her cage so she can be more comfy and to keep her from Matilda's roughhousing. She enjoys being hand-fed and me singing lullabyes to her, especially "Ugoy ng Duyan," her favorite. Then she sighs and closes her eyes and I cry quietly while she sleeps.
My heart is breaking slowly and then it heals and jumps for joy when I wake in the morning and see those huge ears up and those big brown eyes alert. Yet... It won't be long now, I guess. I'm just really having a hard time saying good-bye to my baby girl.

Saw this quirky fun dress on eBay:The seller said it's an Anna Sui. If you click on the photo, you can just barely make out ANNA SUI on the black label.

When I googled it, however, another eBay seller was selling it--the identical dress!--as a Marc Jacobs.
Ack! What is it really? I need to know before I bid! And I want to bid on the right one! Or is this another case of the ladybug dress?

UPDATE: Gorgeous fashion writer Leona told me it's actually a Lanvin from the Spring 08 collection! Oh my! Guess I'm not getting this one, then. Thanks, Leona!