Friday Music: Adele

I've been obsessed with Adele for months now. Her album 21 is perfection. I could listen to it over and over again. Her music feels like home; something you'll want to return to. It's a perfect blend of angst, heartbreak and bittersweet memories. She stands out in a world of bland popular music dished out by equally bland singers hiding their blandness in sexy outfits and outrageous gimmicks.

Here's what I call music. Adele's exquisite rendition of Someone Like You right in her home. Have a beautiful Friday!

All About Chicken

I cooked chicken afritada for the first time yesterday and DH proclaimed it to be my best dish yet. He says the same thing about most of my cooking, but it still sounds sweet to this culinary wannabe. It's chicken in tomato-based sauce, mixed with vegetables: potatoes, carrots, green peas, bell peppers & a helping of hotdogs. Even hubby's niece said I should make it again!

There's nothing more fulfilling than being able to feed your loved ones with good old home-cooked meals. I'm an amateur cook, but I'm learning fast. Gourmet meals....you don't seem to be so impossible to prepare, after all. Wait 'til I get my bearings. :)

Chicken Afritada (a Filipino dish)

My Weekend in Pictures

I attended my first Quinceneara last Saturday. It was DH's niece's held at a ballroom in San Antonio. It was a lot of fun, with the better part of the night spent dancing along to a medley of mexican music. Not that DH and I did. Hehe...We had fun watching. One day we'll summon enough guts to just dance and not worry about our two left feet. Riiiight. 

Anyhow, I found out that a Quinceneara is similar to the the debutante ball that we hold in the Philippines. The major difference is that the coming out party for girls there is at age 18 and here it's at age 15. I can't help imagining my Tala's own Quinceneara & debutante ball! It's still so far away, but a mom can dream.

DH saw a lot of friends and relatives that he has not seen in along while so he was more than happy to catch up with them. Prior to being stationed in Texas in 2009 as a navy recruiter, he was based in Japan for 6 years, and more than 10 years in San Diego. So he was only able to come home to Texas once a year during that period. His relatives in Fort Worth are inviting us to spend a weekend with them so we'll see if we'll be able to squeeze that in before I pop out Tala. We're thinking maybe this coming Memorial weekend.

Back to the birthday girl, she looked so pretty in her blue gown. Her parents of course were beaming with pride and happiness. Her court of girls wore this cute white knee-length tube-top gown with tutu-like skirt. I was told that usually, there's a church ceremony preceding the Quinceneara, but I'm not sure if Marissa (the birthday girl) did the church thing. One of the highlights of the night was her and her court's cute dance presentation along mexican, r&b, and rap music. 

Here are some snapshots:

with our cutie nephew Leelen

with family and friends

the celebrant's sister

the pretty birthday girl with her escorts

the celebrant with her parents

the happy sponsors

DH with sister and nephew

with her hubby and youngest

can hardly tell that I'm 7 months preggo in this pic

we're both in our 7th month, same due date as July 13

with my niece Sabrinna, looking so pretty in pink

they're dancing to a medley of mexican and rap music

brother-in-law and sister-in-law tearing it up at the dance floor

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms and the dads and everyone else who also double-duty as moms. May the love that you give your children be given back to you a hundred-fold. 

Here is a photo of me and my mom taken at my church wedding on Dec. 6, 2008. DH and I flew to Japan two days after our wedding and I haven't been back to the Philippines since. Needless to say, I miss my mom so much. I wish she could be there to hold my hand when I give birth. I will just have to wait until we get to go home for a short vacation hopefully this Christmas. And then the plan is she would stay with us for half a year here in the states when Tala turns six months so I can go back to school. That way, Tala will be at least a year old before we have to leave her at daycare. 

I love you, 'Nay. Thank you for everything. I carry with me all the love, lessons, and wisdom that you so patiently instilled in me. You're my number one role model. There's no one in this world that I look up to more than you. I could only hope to be half as good a mom as you are to me and my siblings, but I'll certainly try.

I Want Bangs

I want something new for the month of May. Nothing expensive or radical or hard. I just want a new hairstyle! I'm thinking of having fringe bangs like Rose Byrne in this pic.

She looks so darn pretty! Now where to find a good hairstylist?