February 6, 2012

Metro Home & Entertaining has two “scoop” homes in its current issue: the dream home built by the reclusive, little known but internationally successful designer Renato Vidal and the remarkable new home of the famous but very private broadcast journalist Ces Drilon.

This issue will be out in the stands on Feb 10. Urban Zone viewers will recognize one of the “scoop” homes. I featured it my show last year. It was also a popular post in this blog. I had to protect the identity of the owner for privacy reasons.

Get this issue, and you’ll know who the owner is. And you’ll see more of that fantastic place.

Guess who…

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February 6, 2012

We didn’t have a party for her. But I wanted this day to be special. I did this last night – just pulled up some photos from Flickr, printed them on bond paper and hung them on a string. When she woke up, she was so happy! Her prayer tonight, “Dear Papa Jesus. Thank you for my family. From the time I woke up, I felt the love from them. And also my friends and my teachers.”

Darling Sophia,

Has it already been 9 years? Or only 9 years? It’s like you were just born yesterday. I still see you as that precious little newborn that I just gave birth to. But I feel like I’ve known you my entire life.

Everything about you is wonderful. Your gentle soul. Your passion for the earth. Your intense curiosity about the world around you. The “Peace Club” you established. Your sensitivity towards your friends. Your non-stop questions. Your interest in science and art. Your coolness about rock concerts and broadway musicals. That you love Taylor Swift and you’re over Michael Jackson. That you read a bit of the classics like Anne of Green Gables and enjoy popular series like Geronimo Stilton and Magic Tree House. That you like age-appropriate magazines like Total Girl and that you create your own books and “magazines” with your sisters. That you don’t know local celebrities and remain unaffected by that world. That you are determined to be a good ice skater and you never give up on what you want.

I am proud of everything you are and everything you do. I am excited about the gazillion things you want to become when you grow up. And I am touched by your humility – that you never want to show off. But it’s time you share your talent.

You’re a good girl. Please stay a good girl. We have four more years before you become a teenager. Walk me through it. Don’t sprint. Hold my hand, always.

Happy birthday, Sophia. Don’t grow up too fast, Little One.

Mom.

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February 5, 2012

ABBA is big in our family. I grew up listening to their songs (also Bonney M). Lily’s favourite song from the time she was a toddler is Dancing Queen. She is our own little dancing queen. When she was just three years old (turning 4), my mom took her to see Mamma Mia at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto. It was the perfect experience for three generations of ABBA-loving women. My mom, me and my two older daughters. Though it wasn’t their first time to see live theatre or a musical, it was their first time to watch in a real Western theatre, or as Lily called it “feeter”.

This was Mamma Mia in Toronto where we had the ultimate grandmother-mother-daughter event in 2010.

Last year, whenever Lily would see billboards of Mamma Mia in the Skyway, she would ask if we were watching it again. I couldn’t promise. The tickets were very expensive. She found out Katy Perry was in town but she said she’d rather see Mamma Mia. I tried to get tickets, but for the good seats I wanted, it would have cost P26,000 for four tickets. Eeeps! So I gave it up.

Last week I got a call from Winnie of ABS-CBN Production. She said we were invited to the Gala Night. I managed to squeeze in a third ticket – so it was me, Soph and Lily again. Stella is still too small.

The CCP was glorious that night. All photos are from my iPhone 4.

Full house!

Click “More…”

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February 4, 2012

Congratulations Catherine C. of Iloilo! You won the Daphne Linens raffle.

Thank you everyone! We got almost 600 entries including readers from Egypt, Russia, Australia, and many other countries.

Until the next raffle….

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February 3, 2012

My state of mind is mush. Just to give you an idea of what goes on in a day for me, yesterday I did this — I did design and admin stuff for furniture, I met an old friend who will work with me on a video project, then I did jewellery stuff, then I had my hair blown out, and I rushed to a photoshoot. I don’t think I’ve ever been this busy. Hands-on busy.

Lately I’ve been committing stupid social crimes – like forgetting about a party I helped plan (Christmas with the Air Force brats). I was already in my sleepwear when I remembered. Still, I made it. Once, I double-booked and had to make it to both events. Dreadful. Then last Saturday, the unthinkable happened. I thought I was being good by preparing myself to go early but we ended up in the wrong hotel… at the other side of town! It was my friend Tito Villanueva’s 50th birthday party.

We went to the wrong hotel! This is the lobby of the Hyatt.

Where the hotel’s front desk desperately tried to find Tito ‘s birthday dinner party for me. We were very hungry at this point too. For some reason, I had the restaurant Lili in the  back of my mind. Never mind that Tito sent beautiful paper invites. Silly me.

Click “More…” to see how this turned out.

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