Beard Waxing

Two words...

NEVER AGAIN!!!

Photography Workshops for the Family (by Blow-Up Babies)

Learn photography from the pros!

Blow-Up Babies, the country's first and only full-production photography* studio, is conducting the following photography workshops at the massive Fully Booked store in Bonifacio High Street, Fort Bonifacio:

KIDS SHOOT THINGS: Basic Photography For Kids
4 sessions - Nov. 10, Nov. 17, Nov. 24, and Dec. 1 (Saturdays, 1:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.)

P2,500 per head

NEW ANGLES OF VIEW: A Studio Lighting Workshop for Adults

4 sessions - Nov. 13, Nov. 20, Nov. 27, and Dec. 4 (Tuesdays, 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.)

P3,500 per head

If you love taking photos of your kids/nieces/nephews/siblings/godkids, or if you have kids who love using digital cameras, don't let this rare opportunity pass you by! Call Blow-Up Babies at 909-7998 or 909-7999 for more details.

If you know of friends or relatives who may be interested in this, please feel free to copy this text so you can email them. Happy halloween!

* "Full-production photography" -- such a scary and complicated term! Actually, it just means “the works.” Everything from lighting to props to costumes to make-up and even digital post-production work from Blow-Up Babies' secret laboratories are served up to suit your tastes. The folks from Blow-Up Babies pride themselves in being not just any click-and-shoot studio. They take serious time and effort in immortalizing you, your kids, and even your pets!

'I wanna be a security guard.'

Last week, Chloe proudly told us that when her preschool teacher asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up, she said she wanted to be a security guard.

With a little bit of concern, Angel and I asked why.

"So I can help people."

She raises her arms, waves her hands back and forth, and then adds, "You know, park."

Cole turns 1!

Happy birthday, kiddo!

Come ride the WHAT?!

Where ideas, idioms, and idiots collide....

Chloe's Interesting 'Suggestion' - Part Two

Chloe was with my Tita Terreh and Tita Rochie yesterday afternoon when they passed by the Del Monte Avenue branch of Jollibee.

Almost immediately, she noticed that the multi-level play/activity area of this particular branch was bigger than that of the branch she and Kimmy go to weekly.

She tells my aunt, "Lola Terreh, I have a suggestion...."

:-)

Chloe's Interesting 'Suggestion'

My Tita Terreh picks up Chloe and her cousin Kimmy everyday from school. Chloe is done by 10:30 a.m. (although she usually stays at least ten minutes more to play with her classmates), while Kimmy is out by 11:00 a.m.

Every Thursday, they visit Jollibee for their weekly fastfood-and-playtime combo.

Yesterday (Wednesday), as soon as Chloe entered the car, she said, "Lola Terreh, I have a suggestion. Let's change the day we go to Jollibee."

Tita Terreh was a little curious why Chloe would offer a "suggestion" like that. She found out the real motive when Chloe continued with:

"Let's make it today."

Talk about scheming! I think next week it'll be Tuesday. :-)

Who's Green?

A few weeks back, Chloe had one of her worst tantrums ever when she said some really nasty things to her lola (my mom). Mom tried to be really patient with her but eventually got so angry that she had to shout back at Chloe. It was only after this did Chloe start crying/apologizing to my mom (she never knew Mom could get that furious).

Not wanting a recurrence of that episode, Mom had a serious discussion with Chloe recently.

"Chloe, be a good girl all the time, okay? Don't get me mad, because if you do, you won't like me."

"Why?"

"Because I'll turn green."

After a short pause, Chloe says, "How come when I said those awful things to you before, I didn't see you turn green?"

:-)

The Tale of the Allergist and Total Effects

More than a week ago, I had a bad cough and a really sore throat. I went to my dad’s ear-nose-throat doctor who diagnosed me with pharyngitis and prescribed Augmentin. Three days after I drank the antibiotic, I started getting this awful rash on my upper body.

I didn’t want to go back to the first doctor (his clinic was so far, plus he didn’t accept health cards), so I decided to go to Capitol Medical Center and visit the ENT specialist I went to before. Angel tagged along.

After examining me, the doctor prescribed a new antibiotic and said I can visit a dermatologist if I wanted to get consultation on the rash. Since the consultation was free, why not? I went back to the Maxicare office and was told the dermatologist was in that same clinic. I went in and saw a lady doctor who happened to be an allergist as well.

She was a pretty strong-willed woman. She took a look at my rash, then took a look at the three-item prescription from the ENT I just consulted with. She had this stern look when she told me, “If I were you, I won’t take this (puts an ‘x’ on medicine #1) and this (puts an ‘x’ on medicine #3). You know what, can I change this prescription altogether?”

I was caught unawares, but I said okay. Angel liked her feistiness, and told me she might as well get advice on how to deal with her recent acne breakout (she has a health card, too). The doc tells Angel, “We can make those pimples go away, but you have to be a good girl.”

A good girl? For a moment it seemed as if she were talking to a teenager.

“No chocolates. No coffee. No Coke or Pepsi (although other sodas are okay). No oily food.”

She starts prescribing a couple of medicines when I butt in, “Can she continue using her moisturizer?”

With a very accusatory face, she says, “I knew it! I suspected you were using something on your face. What is it?” When Angel told her she used Total Effects, we got a hilarious reply: “Ayan! Hence, the TOTAL EFFECT.”

An entertaining doctor she is. :-)

Grifter

Anyone ever heard of Grifter from Image comics? An amazing marksman with both firearms and thrown weapons, he was exposed to the Gen-factor which gave him the powers of telekinesis, telepathy, and accelerated healing. He was given “Coda” training by his girlfriend, Zealot, and this training honed his senses so that he can detect the presence of living beings near him and it made him highly resistant to interrogations and mind-altering drugs. Unlike most other superheroes, Grifter doesn’t have a costume made of spandex.

So why am I boring you with this stuff? Thanks to the creators of Grifter, I got the idea of naming one of my kids after him. More than a decade later, I got the chance. Not that I want him to be a con man, assassin, vigilante, or anything like that, but I thought he had a really cool name – Cole Cash.

He turns ten months old today. Angel and I have two more months to save up for his party. J

Murder/Death

Straight from Chloe’s mouth:

“Tita Mirzi said she’ll kill someone because her feet hurt.”
“Uncle Rony said he’s gonna die because he has no more energy left.”

What surprised me was the accuracy of these statements uttered the morning after we arrived from Hong Kong. Our friend Mirzi was infuriated by the last-minute gate change at the Hong Kong airport which forced us to walk all the way back to where we came from (understandably, of course, since she had a pinched nerve on one foot). Rony, on the other hand, was exhausted because he had to bring us around HK for three straight days (plus he’s not really fond of our procrastination, hence the stress buildup).

Kids do say the darnedest things. :-)