Rafael's Blog

A Thousand Miles

2011-06-23T10:54:00.000-07:00

After days of anticipation, it finally came in a pretty 4 ft x 3 ft box. I didn't have to do much to put it together. A few screws here and there and it was ready to roll.

Exactly a year ago today, I purchased my first road bicycle. I hadn't really planned for it but it wasn't an impulse buy either. It just occurred to me that we live in an area where other people go out of their way to drive to get a decent bike ride and here I am not taking advantage of it. It's not outrageously expensive like other road bikes but I told myself, I could only consider this purchase worth it if I ride 1000 miles total for the entire year. A tall order for a beginner cyclist like me and weighing like I do, it was an impossibility.

Today, an entire year after I first put it together, the odometer says 1004 miles and my skin almost burned brown. For hardcore cyclists, this may not be much but for a certified couch potato like me, it is 1004 miles more than I rode last year. I wouldn't say I am in top shape but I feel so much healthier than I was the same time last year and I'm glad I made the right decision.

Memorial Day

2011-05-31T22:43:00.000-07:00

Memorial day was our rest day. It's tail end of the long weekend so we figured we'd just stay home and relax before the work week starts. I was planning on going on my usual bike ride when I thought of taking Rafael along with me. We've only used his bike seat less than a dozen times and I thought, before he outgrows it, I should probably take him for a few more rides. His first bike ride was over a year ago and he seemed to small then. Check out how tiny he was then.

I had to shorten the ride to routes that are safer for kids. We headed for Kennedy Grove but the gate was closed so we had to pass through another opening which was a dirt trail. Rafael loved it. A break from his usual routine. We parked by the playground and he rushed to the swing which luckily had a vacant one amid the sea of kids playing.

Didn't bring a camera as it was an impromptu ride but Angel took a few photos when we got home.

Legoland

2011-05-29T23:10:00.000-07:00

Rafael's love for trains will probably never change. Sometimes, we actually think, in the future, his job will have something to do with trains. Recently however, we introduced him to beginner Legos and he absolutely loves them. Though he gets frustrated when he fails to build something that he wants, the fact that he's starting to build, is for us, a great start. So a few weeks back, when we attended a wedding of one of Angel's good friends, we thought of taking Rafael to Legoland. It's funny how we used to live not too far from Carlsbad (where Legoland is) and never really went. Now we have to go out of our way (almost 700 miles out of our way) to see it.

A few snaps from Legoland:

Happy Anniversary

2011-05-28T18:49:00.000-07:00

Weng is Angel's good friend in SFC back in LA. Today, Weng and her husband Rommel are celebrating their 5th wedding anniversary. Here are some photos when we went to visit them 2 months ago.

Anniversary

2011-05-27T22:53:00.000-07:00

The month of May is no doubt the busiest month in terms of dates to remember. There's Mother's day, my birthday, and our anniversary. This year is our 4th. The day of our anniversary was bittersweet, however. Though we were happy to celebrate it, it was also the day we visited our CFC household head, Bro Alex at the hospital. He and his wife are like parents to us. It was uplifting to see Sis Christy upbeat and it was great to meet most of their kids.

We didn't really plan on going out to anywhere fancy anymore as we have an upcoming trip but we figured we should at least eat out. We ended up going to Red Lobster and managed to have our photo taken.

Snail

2011-05-15T19:11:00.000-07:00

Rafael and I were hanging out the patio one day when we saw a snail on concrete floor. It's not often we see a snail up close and with its head extended and visible. I rushed in to get the point-and-shoot camera to take a few snaps.

Davis

2011-05-01T01:15:00.001-07:00

It's our second trip to Davis in the last few weeks. We craved for sushi from Fuji restaurant. Davis' downtown also has a nice feel to it. A lot of people commute using a bicycle.

Easter

2011-05-01T00:57:00.000-07:00

Bil's Move

2011-04-10T16:32:00.000-07:00

It's been months since my last post and so many things have happened since. Not to say I stopped taking photos but I stopped downloading them. It has just been a chore for me lately to sit down save the photos to my hard drive.

For the latest lowdown - Bil just purchased a new place and it's been the family's pit stop lately. Olinda all of a sudden is a thing of the past. We're all happy and excited for her. We can't wait to see when she's all fixed up the place.

One tired mover

The moving and cleaning crew

Bil's New Crib

2011-03-18T17:13:00.000-07:00

Took photos of Bil's new crib. Will need some work still but very promising and has a lot of potential. We're helping her move in the next few weeks.

Paulo's Birthday

2011-01-09T14:59:00.000-08:00

We had originally planned to take Paulo out to lunch at Bucca de Beppo in downtown San Francisco for a change. The past few gatherings have always been held here at home so we thought we'd celebrate Paulo's birthday someplace else. Pau, however had something different in mind. Something more special. He suggested that we check out the food trucks located by Valencia in San Francisco. Edwin also suggested we go on a mini treasure hunt of Banksy's street art. We only managed to find 3 of them.

First we hit China Town.

Saw this store selling LP's in Market St.

Finally found the food trucks located by Valencia. There were 4 different ones. The Filipino one was by far the most popular.

Paulo in front of a Marijuana Dispensary located just beside the food trucks.

It might as well have been called Ke-Tama

Another one of Banksy's in Mission St.

A closer look.

This one is by the more crowded part of Mission

We drove past this SFPD Bomb Squad in traffic

In search of another one of Banksy's but couldn't find it.

We went out to dinner at night when Angel got back from work

Labor of Love

2010-12-20T23:07:00.000-08:00

After days of sweet labor, mostly by Angel, our tree looks pretty darn nice. It surely rivals Abu Dhabi's $11M Christmas Tree Overload for a fraction of the cost.

Fall in El Sobrante

2010-12-06T22:54:00.000-08:00

Working from home affords me the time to walk around the house to take a breather. Oftentimes, it helps me solve work problems when I take my mind off them even just for a few minutes.

Looking out to the yard one day, I noticed how pretty the fall season can be. So I took out my camera to take a few snaps.

Our First Tree

2010-12-05T22:09:00.000-08:00

In the 3 years that Angel and I have been married, we've never gotten a fresh Christmas tree for our home. Aside from our limited space, we normally spent Christmas with family that we didn't find a need to decorate much. This year is different. It still floors us to think that we're actually here in the bay area. We used to drive or fly just to spend Christmas with family but now, they're all just a few minutes drive away.

Back to the tree. A week after thanksgiving, we set out to get our first fresh Christmas tree. Angel, Rafael, Paolo and I drove to Pinole to pick out the perfect one for our humble home. It didn't take us long. We picked one that was a little over 6 feet high. I was prepared to get dirty to carry the tree all the way to the parking and mount to the car's roof. But no. They actually do everything for you now. They even tie it up themselves. How convenient.

His eyes says a lot. "If you know what's good for you, don't lay a hand on my tree."

Paolo and I were ready to get our hands dirty

"Let's get this over with.."

We borrowed Rafael's corner...this is his spot when he's not in his best behavior..

Rafael insists on helping out...

Tahoe

2010-11-29T22:06:00.000-08:00

Weather in Lake Tahoe was forecasted to rain and snow. Since it was our only free time to drive up there before work week starts, we decided to push through with the day trip. We wanted to take Paolo and Rafael to see snow for the first time. The forecast was spot on. Heavy rain and snow greeted us on our way up. Traffic halted to a stop due to cars putting on their tire chains. There were strict signs of turning back cars without 4WD or tire chains. It was white all around. Temps dropped to 28 degrees.

Rafael of course didn't care. When we stopped at The Sierra, one of the popular ski resorts, he was ecstatic to touch and walk on snow for the first time. He lied down, rolled over, slid...all in half an hour at the Sierra. We wanted to stay longer but knew that it would take a while for us to drive back.

Some snaps:

Thanksgiving Dinner

2010-11-28T21:59:00.000-08:00

We hosted Thanksgiving Dinner. Bil and Bet came over. Angel's friend, Myra spent the night. It was a simple dinner we prepared. Angel made some pasta with crab and I made roast beef using Benjie's recipe. Bil and Bet brought pancit and salad while Myra brought her signature leche flan.

Turkey Hat

2010-11-27T21:52:00.000-08:00

I picked up Rafael from school one day (a few days before Thanksgiving) and he wouldn't let go of a turkey hat they made. He insisted on putting it on and didn't want his head to be covered by his jacket hood for fear of ruining this work of art. It was battle to ask him to take if off before going to bed.

Bil's Birthday

2010-11-22T21:26:00.000-08:00

Bil's birthday was a special event that we planned days ahead. Ed came up with the idea of serving Mexican food for a change. Problem was, none of us have done it before. Sure we've all eaten something Mexican but hosting a gathering with Mex food is a whole different story. The internet of course was a valuable resource.

Angel and Ed painstakingly made different kinds of salsa. She also made some guacamole. I marinated the beef flap meat with a mixture of olive oil, silantro, lime, orange, and chili to make a carne asada. The meat though was cut too thick so it took a while to grill.

Some photos:

Scarf

2010-11-19T21:05:00.000-08:00

One Saturday morning, before leaving home, Angel thought of putting her scarf around Rafael as the color matched his shirt. It turned out quite nice so we decided to do an impromptu photo shoot of Rafael. Here are some photos Angel and I took of him. Of course, he was just one willing subject.

Halloween

2010-10-31T11:25:00.000-07:00

This is Rafael's 2nd trick or treat and first here in the bay area. Finally, he's able to spend time with cousin Jenna. First we had the customary Sunday brunch. Jenna was already in her cute snow white costume complete with a shiny red hair band and equally shiny red shoes. Snow white needed someone to watch over her so enter Scooby Doo.

Gra'ma

2010-10-29T12:04:00.000-07:00

We all drove to the airport to send off Benjie and Gra'ma. Benjie is going back to Italy while Gra'ma is flying to Manila to visit her sister, Tita Nene. Here is a quick snap Angel took of Gra'ma and Rafael.

Miscellaneous

2010-10-29T11:54:00.000-07:00

As I downloaded photos from the camera, I noticed some of the photos have remained in the camera for months now but are begging to be posted. So I'm posting a few of them.

Joey's Birthday

2010-10-17T12:16:00.000-07:00

We drove about an hour and a half to Rancho Cordova, near Sacramento to attend Joey's surprise birthday party. The place was packed when we got there. Lights were dimmed and we waited a couple of minutes for Joey to come home from playing tennis. Finally, as he opened the door, lights were turned on and everyone yelled SUPRISE to the tune of Hawaii-Five-O soundtrack as Joey turned Five O.

Here are some snaps with Angel's friends with Rafael.

Rafael with Sofia and EZ

Ninang Mai's Birthday

2010-10-13T23:44:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, we celebrated Ninang Mai's birthday at our house. It's been a while since I last saw my Ninang so it was not only her birthday celebration but also a chance for us to see her.

I had a lot of fun playing with my cousin Jenna. We ate lots of food and the donuts, oh so good! I couldn't get enough of them. But Mommy and Daddy said I could only have 1 whole piece.

Below are some photos Daddy and Mommy took:

Mom's Birthday Part 2

2010-10-02T18:18:00.000-07:00

Today we again celebrated Grama's birthday. We drove to downtown SF at a place called Maykadeh, a Persian restaurant near China town. I had grilled chicken while the rest had kubideh. It's one of the best Persian food we tried.

Grama's Birthday

2010-10-02T18:06:00.001-07:00

Gra'ma celebrated her 76th birthday recently and we celebrated it with a simple dinner and dessert. I didn't get a chance to take photos at the restaurant. When the food came, we all dug in that we forgot to take out our cameras.

Angel got ube macapuno cake from nearby Red Ribbon. It wasn't as good as we expected it. A few weeks back, we tried their ube macapuno roll and we loved it. The cake didn't turn out as good.

Here are some photos taken at Benjie's lighthouse where Betty stays.

First Day

2010-09-19T13:09:00.001-07:00

We were up early. Angel got ready for work while I changed Rafael's clothes. It was Rafael's first day in day care. Somehow, Angel and I felt as though it was our first day in school. A mix of excitement and anxiety.

After weeks of trying to decide which day care to take him to, we finally came to a decision late last week. We were impressed by his teacher-to-be, Monica and her school. We also like the mix of the kids' ages. So last week, we went again for a visit with Rafael. He was expectedly hesitant at first. It took him a few minutes to warm up. Kids have somehow a natural sense of trying to feel out their environment. You could tell how he was hesitant to touch any of the toys around him.

Misc Gab and Raf Photos

2010-09-19T12:59:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos I took of Gabby and Rafael. Neighbours will probably miss the frequent shrieking sounds of these two when Gabby leaves.

Tilden Park Video

2010-09-19T11:55:00.000-07:00

Here's a 5 minute video of the train ride yesterday.

Tilden Park

2010-09-18T19:37:00.000-07:00

Today, Angel thought of a good idea to take the kids to Tilden Park for a short steam train ride. Tilden is almost just a stone throw away from the house. Weather this morning was a bit cloudy and glum. It almost looked like it was going to rain. After breakfast, we all got to Tilden by 1 pm. The place was almost empty (due to the weather I guess). The instant we got there, we could hear the train's whistle from afar. When the kids saw the train pass us by, they were in awe and got very excited.

Sprinkler

2010-09-04T22:26:00.000-07:00

A few days the past week, the temps were up in the 90's. To relieve us from the heat, Rafael and I would play in the yard while the sprinkler is on. This for Rafael, is the highlight of his day. He just loves playing with water. The other day however, though it has cooled down, we decided to get soaked anyway. It was windy and a bit chilly so I had Rafael wear a raincoat to keep him from getting any kind of cold. Here are some snaps:

More Rafael and Gab Photos

2010-09-04T22:06:00.001-07:00

Here are more photos from the other camera. The kids were awake and out early playing. We fixed up the tent again for Gabby and Rafael. You could see the joy in their faces. They're both not used to having playmates around so you could imagine the shrieking sounds of them running around.

Cousin Gabby

2010-09-04T19:08:00.000-07:00

Last night, cousin Gabby finally arrived with his Mom, Kuya Paolo and Tita Betty. We have been prepping for Gabby's arrival for days now. Rafael was looking forward to seeing him. Here are just some quick snaps and clips today:

Rafael and Sam

2010-09-03T20:20:00.000-07:00

Rafael met a new friend today. His name is Sam. He's the 5 year old son of Angel's coworker Sharon. They met up at Hercules' Refugio park to picnic, feed the ducks and play. Sharon made some cool Mickey Mouse pancakes too.

Reyes Visit Part 1

2010-08-09T23:23:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that it's been more than a month already since my last post. Not that there's nothing going on. In fact, there's so much happening that I haven't had time to download photos I've taken. But the past weekend definitely deserves to be posted.

The past weekend, we had the pleasure of seeing good friends from Socal. Mike and Lyndee together with their adorable daughter and our goddaughter Annika, came over for the weekend. She's grown so fast and surprised us with her antics. She sings and speaks really well.

On Saturday, we went to the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. We've heard a lot of good things about it that we decided to save it til the Reyes' visit. We were not disappointed. The place had almost limitless exhibits that one short day is not enough to see everything. A totally awesome place to see for just about anyone

Here are some photos:

Just before we left the house

Golden Gate Park on our way to the Academy of Sciences

Check out how serious Rafael is while Annika is making faces...

China Town

2010-06-26T18:55:00.001-07:00

The weather was perfect. Sunny with a cool breeze. We met up with Ed at Emeryville and we took one car to San Francisco's version of China Town located just literally a block away from Ed's office.

The effects of the recession did not spare this restaurant which had been here since 1864 but recently closed.

The famous Transamerica Pyramid.

The old US Mint in San Francisco

Mom of some Chinese kid

A better shot of Banksy's art.
Gra'ma seriously contemplating what to buy...

Interior of the Old Saint Mary's Cathedral. Destroyed by the 1906 earthquake, it was once the tallest structure in San Francisco.
The exterior of the church with some tourists fresh off the boat.
How can you go wrong with $1.99 shirts? Actually you can. A few stores down is a store that sells shirts for $1.88.

Something about this photo worried me for a second =)

Rafael wanted to jump into this cable car. His excitement of seeing a real cable car shows on the side of his face.

Hole-in-the-wall dim sum place. Siomai and pork BBQ bread was good!! Strolling with Ninong Edwin.

If you ever looked for directions in Google maps and provided with almost-real-time photos of a location, vehicles like this one, provide the dynamic content but for a different website http://www.teleatlas.com/ . Mounted on the van are multiple cameras.
Ok, if there ever was a doubt about the value of this China Town trip, this haircut easily dispels it. Haircut for $5!!!! Rafael and I got one. And just to let y'all know, our haircut didn't look anything like a $5 haircut. Looked like $3. Kidding. You wouldn't know the difference with a $2o haircut.
We were impressed at how behaved Rafael was.

Italian flag in North Beach.

This was purely a coincidence. Check out that lady behind Rafael.

Chicken feet!!

no idea what this is but sure looks nasty!
Chicharon!!
122 years old!
This building easily stood out.

Monterey Part 3

2010-06-26T18:22:00.001-07:00

Though our trip to Monterey was mainly to take Rafael to the Aquarium, it seemed that the highlight of the trip was something we didn't expect.

We had an early dinner (around 5 pm) on Sunday at a Mexican restaurant near the hotel which by the way, we would highly recommend. It's called Lopez Restaurante Y Cantina. I just happened to read it in one of the reviews of the hotel in tripadvisor.com.

I had the usual steak carne asada which was ok. Not bad but ok.

What Angel ordered however, was the best Mexican dish I've ever tried. It's called Chile Relleno - green pepper stuffed with cheese (4 kinds), egg, and potato. Yummy is all I can say.

No, the meal was not the highlight of our trip.

Just as we finished dinner, we chatted with the waitress who was very nice and accomodating. She mentioned this really big park called Dennis the Menace Park not too far from the restaurant. We wanted to take Rafael somewhere to release his pent-up energy. So we drove down about a mile and saw this huge playground. Near the entrance stood this big train. A real train which turns out was donated by the Southern Pacific Company to the city. Whoever thought we would see something like it on this trip! Rafael of course was ecstatic.

While we were on the train, he kept saying: "Wow nice! Wow cool!".

Dad's Day

2010-06-19T20:22:00.000-07:00

This is my 3rd year being a Dad but it still feels weird when people greet me. What's cool about it is you receive gifts you otherwise do not expect to get.

Angel thought about hosting a small get-together instead of going out for lunch or dinner. This way, both families and friends get to celebrate it with us. Papa, Mama, Jenny and Jenna came over. Bil and Olga of course were here. Bam and Joanne also came to celebrate this day with us.

Monterey Part 2

2010-06-17T22:46:00.000-07:00

The drive from Santa Cruz to Monterey took about 40 minutes - leisurely driving.

We arrived in Monterey an hour before check in time so we decided to head to Cannery Row and get something to drink on this warm, warm Saturday. We wanted some ice cream but ended up getting some really good Peets iced coffee and some fresh fruits for Rafael. One of the good ones I tasted in a while.

We got a good deal on this hotel considering that the weekend was sold out due to the upcoming US Open. It's a nice hotel by Munras and Fremont. One thing we were surprised to find out was majority of the hotels in Monterey do not have airconditioning. I was actually looking forward to just spend the late afternoon to cool off in the hotel but instead was greeted by a ceiling fan but with some cool breeze coming in.

We grabbed breakfast early the following day so we could be at the Aquarium by 10 AM. Denny's was located conveniently just outside the hotel.

Parking wasn't too difficult before 10AM. Rafael wasn't in the very best mood as he probably wasn't ready to get up yet although he went to bed early. His mood improved when we got inside the aquarium.

Le Champion

2010-06-17T22:28:00.000-07:00

I couldn't bear watching them lose. Not again. Not on this 7th game. Everytime I took a peek, someone from the Celtics would score and extend the lead even further. I would ocassionally cheat and check the score from Yahoo Sports. 64 All. How did that happen? I was almost sure they'd give up just like the other 3 games they lost. Then it happened. The Lakers made plays after plays. Artest makes a BIG three. Pau scores on an impossible undergoal stab then grabs a key offensive rebound. The Lakers go up by 5. But the Celtics wouldn't give up. Rondo makes one of the few 3 point shots he's attempted in the series to cut the lead down to 2. What a time to come! But the Lakers wouldn't be denied. Sasha makes 2 crucial free throws and Rondo misses on his last attempt. Odom grabs the rebound and throws a long pass to a waiting Kobe who dribbles it until time expires.

Congratulations first goes to the Celtics, who despite playing against a hostile crowd, led most of the way, playing smart and patient basketball. To the Lakers, congratulations for keeping your composure. Every single one who played, really made a difference. When everyone expected Kobe to lift up the team, it was instead the entire team who got Kobe's back.

Photo courtesy of Yahoo! Sports

Monterey - Part 1

2010-06-14T22:10:00.000-07:00

I picked them up early Friday morning. It was a trip that I had long planned and anticipated. Finally, on a nice sunny morning in May of 2005, Angel, her friend Myra and I drove to San Francisco through the 101 then to PCH. First we passed Paso Robles, then drove by Cumbria, then Hearst Castle in San Simeon. As we approached, Carmel, we had been driving for over 9 hours total but seemed like we just left. We stopped by Pebble Beach, Pacific Grove, then the Cannery Row in Monterey.

That was how I always remembered Monterey until this weekend's trip with Angel and Rafael. This was supposed to be our 3rd anniversary celebration but didn't happen as we wanted to avoid the Memorial Day weekend rush.

We left around 930 AM. The drive was nice. The temp had just started to heat up. We dropped off Gra'ma at Ed's in Fremont. Spent a few minutes for Rafael to stretch and appreciate Ed's pieces of bird houses. He also took out a nice remote-controlled Mini Cooper that he was going to hand down to his godson, Raffy. Then we headed off to our mini weekend trip to Monterey. We thought it would be a good idea for Rafael to see the Monterey Bay Aquarium after his Tita Betty had told him about it about early this year

Getting into CA 17 was slow. It seemed that we weren't the only ones headed to the Pacific Coast Highway on a late Saturday morning. It didn't last long however as we were in Santa Cruz after 45 minutes.

First stop was lunch at a place called Cole's BBQ in Santa Cruz which I had read about. It had decent Yelp reviews and are in business for about 30 years already. They must be doing something right.

I ordered their popular tri-tip sandwich while Angel tried there pork BBQ ribs. Though I would've wanted the ribs to be a little more tender, the BBQ sauce was good and tasty. The tri-tip was just the way I wanted it.

Bam and Joanne

2010-06-05T23:49:00.000-07:00

Last night, we were invited to Bam and Joanne's lovely home for happy hour. As we got off the car, the smell of something really good greeted us. We weren't disappointed. The artichoke dip was tasty as well as the grilled shrimp. The pesto pasta was a treat! We also got a taste of some German beer as well as a shot of a heavenly espresso.

Rafael took an impromptu shower from the backyard's sprinkler. Twice. I didn't realize that my daily preaching of conserving water (whenever he flushes the toliet twice in a row), is actually sinking in that he decided to just take a shower while the grass was getting theirs.

Thanks Bam and Joanne for the awesome food and awesome time!

Did you notice Rafael's stash?

Tet'ul

2010-06-04T23:22:00.000-07:00

For days he said this word which we had no idea what it meant. In the few months since he started to utter words, we had somehow developed an ear for baby talk and usually we could tell right away what he means. But "tet'ul" was just beyond us. Whenever we would ask him what it means, he would just laugh.

Then it happened, he said it again and just like before, he laughed when we asked. Then the words he said next just floored us. First he said: "fish". Then he said: "dofin". Ok dolphin. Then he said: "tetul". TURTLE!!! I was like: "did that just happen?". Did he really say fish and dolphin so we could tell what he means by tet'ul? Ok so maybe that was a fluke but I gotta admit, I felt like he had just gotten a medal in school or a trophy in basketball! But then again, maybe we were just really slow =)

Weekends

2010-06-03T22:12:00.000-07:00

One of the really nice things about moving here is that we get to spend time with both our families often. It used to take a lot of planning and scheduling just to drive up here or for them to drive down. Now, all it takes is one simple email to plan a weekend.

This was one of those weekends. Bil came over early to install her tent for Rafael. The moment it was completely set up, Rafael brought all his toys from inside the house to the tent as if he was actually going to move out and live in the tent.

It was actually pretty warm inside so Gra'ma loved it even more.

A nice one taken by Angel

After lunch, we got into talking about this artist that Ed had read about. His name is Banksy, a graffiti artist believed to have been born in England. He is not just some graffiti artist in that his work is usually satirical though not spoken but through his art. What makes him interesting is that, no one really knows how he looks like. He travels all over the world and picks important locations and spots where he does his art.

A few weeks ago, San Francisco was graced by his presence with a couple of his graffiti spotted around downtown SF. So after our big burger lunch, we all decided to check them out.

The first two are in Mission

By Valencia in Chinatown

If ever you're in downtown, you can check out the locations in this youtube video. One was actually painted over already by the owner of the property (if he only knew the value of his property now!).

We all then drove to Ghirardelli as we craved for some really good ice cream. Weather was chilly but hey, who can resist their dark chocolate or coffee ice cream?

Catching Up

2010-06-02T21:58:00.000-07:00

The month of May was the busiest I've been in a loong while thus, the few posts. Though I haven't stopped taking photos, downloading them is another story.

There were a few times last month when I just needed a brief break from work and would step out of the office to play with Rafael. It breaks my heart whenever he knocks on the door asking me to play with him but the fact is, our situation now is far, far better than when we were in Carmesi. At least now, I am physically home eventhough I don't get to play with him much.

These were taken on one of my brief breaks while playing with him:

This is the part when he was doing his sit-ups. He learned this from Tita Bil.

Birthday and Mother's Day

2010-05-26T23:40:00.000-07:00

This post is old news but I decided to post it anyway for it would be a waste to just archive these photos without the family seeing them. These were from Mother's Day which incidentally fell on my birthday too. It was held in Vallejo where Olga and Bil, as usual, served some very good food. For our part, Mom made seafood pasta and her yummy fruit salad. Mama Maru, brought BBQ from the best BBQ place in town, Fil-Am. This place is a hole-in-the wall with mostly just to-go BBQ chicken or pork but is just packed with people especially on weekends.

Lunch started as soon as everyone arrived. Kumiko, Bil's coworker brought some delectable cupcakes which was a hit.

Olga served oysters which was easily a favorite.

Papa Joey gave Rafael this remote-controlled monster truck. Rafael literally dropped everything when he saw it. But I think the adults enjoyed it more =).

Abastillas Family

2010-05-06T23:31:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I got a surprise text from an old friend. I've known Mark since high school. We lived not too far from each other in Loyola Heights in Quezon City so we often carpooled to work as well after college. When I moved to CA, I would occassionally get a call from him as he travels to the U.S.for his work at Northwest Airlines.

He texted me that he's in town with his wife Hellene and their two kids Yanna and Chloe. I invited them over for lunch here at home. It's been a while since I've seen their kids. They seem all grown up. Yanna is turning 9 and Chloe is 7.

Rafael seemed shy the first time they saw them. Noon is usually his naptime so he wasn't his accomodating self. He started to warm up when I told him to show Yanna and Chloe his toys. He was eager to show off his new Diesel Engine train. They also brought out their new McDonald's kit and they instantly hit it off.

To the Abastillases, thanks for coming over. Rafael sure had a fun time. He even remembers Yanna and Chloe up to now.

Chloe and Yanna.

Mark and family with Rafael and I.

No Thanks!

2010-05-05T22:57:00.000-07:00

"Ayaw eat. Ayaw Daddy. Ayaw take a bath". Rafael has developed this habit of saying "ayaw" (tagalog word for "I don't like") to, well, things or people he does not want at a particular time. We used to think this was ok. At least he's able to express his dislike and we can react or respond better to his needs. We realized however that this doesn't sit well with people to whom he expresses his dislike to. Sometimes, I feel bad when he says "ayaw Daddy" though i know he doesn't mean that he hates my guts (but that could very well be a possibility) but just prefers to be with his Mom at certain times. So today, on our way home from the BART station where we picked up Angel, he again said: "ayaw Mommy". That is when Angel told him in her usual calm voice that it is not good to say "ayaw" but he could just say "No thanks", instead. At least he'll still be able to express his dislike but in a less negative-sounding tone.

On a more positive note, another habit that he's picked up is that he loves to be tucked before he takes a nap or goes to bed at night. He also loves to press his back against your chest (which means you have to be lying down in bed with him) while his hand lightly touches your ear. Whenever he does this, I in turn, cannot resist planting my nose in his neck or nape to tickle him until he can no longer take it. So tonight, as I tucked him to bed and did his ritual, I planted my nose deep into his neck to which he laughed so hard and said: "No thanks!"

Biking

2010-05-02T22:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was exactly our 2nd month of being here in Northern CA and we are loving it. This past weekend's weather must've been the nicest of all weekends that we've been here. It's too bad Angel was in L.A. and couldn't enjoy the weekend with us.

Ed came over with his bike. I dusted off Rafael's rear bike seat after months of just being kept in the garage. We started off riding towards the entrance of the Kennedy Grove Park along Olinda but the entrance is actually closed on weekends. So we headed back and turned right on Castro Ranch heading uphill towards Pinole Valley. It wasn't an easy climb to say the least. Having thick tires didn't help but mostly, it was because we're out of shape. Rafael wasn't too thrilled either. We left just shortly after noon and that is usually his naptime. We stopped at the peak of Castro Ranch just before you head down to Pinole Valley. I knew that if we went down that path that we would need to come back up which we weren't ready for.

The ride back was a lot easier. We were rewarded with a nice downhill path. I could feel the nice cool wind on my face. Rafael must've liked it too as we realized he fell asleep on his seat. Overall, it was a good workout for us and hopefully the start of a few more rides this summer.

Just before we left, I took a few snaps of our future rider

We stopped just before you head down to Pinole Valley. I rode down this path a few weeks ago and the ride back up was not easy. I had to stop a few times.

When we came back home, Rafael woke up and wasn't in a very good mood. When this happens, I usually ask him about his toy trains and his mood just ligthens up. Ninong Edwin asked him to name his toy trains and he gladly obliged.

Diesel engine

Gordon

Henry

The photos were taken with Grandma's $100 Nikon Coolpix using its macro feature. The camera takes very decent photos!

Afterwards, Ed suggested we drive around to explore the area. We drove further South of San Pablo Dam Road towards Orinda. We saw signs pointing to Tilden Park and we curiously took it. We were not disappointed. The narrow road takes you to the park hidden inconspicuously behind old trees. We were surprised to see a good number of cars parked. It's a perfect place to hike, bike or to picnic. Reading more about it now, I'm surprised that Tilden Regional Park is actually a part of Berkeley already.

Toby

2010-04-14T23:03:00.000-07:00

Sometimes my days are filled with things I need to do that I forget to slow down and really observe the changes in Rafael. He just surprises us with things that he observes and remembers. Since he was about over a year old and more so now, he adores Thomas and Friends. He also loves Lightning McQueen of Cars the movie.

I usually let him in my office around 5:30 pm, as I am just wrapping up with work. He brings his seat over and I let him watch Youtube clips of Thomas and Friends from my laptop. Last week, while watching a clip, I noticed a character I wasn't familiar with. I know most of the characters (seeing and hearing them 2x a day, it just sticks) but this one character I didn't know and I asked him who it was expecting that he wouldn't know either. He said: "Toby!". The character's name is Toby. Then I continued to ask him the names of the other characters being shown. Then he said: "Percy, Emily, James, Gordon.." and so on! How amazing is that?

I must've been really occupied the past few months that I haven't really "listened" to him. I 've got to do a better job of being aware of his progress. Otherwise, I won't see it coming one day when he'll say: "Dad, meet my girlfriend".

Toby:

photo courtesy of: www.trainsontime.co.uk

Surplus

2010-04-13T21:55:00.000-07:00

According to Wikipedia, the Spanish name El Sobrante translates to 'leftover', 'remainder', 'extra' or 'surplus' in English. As we explore the city more, we're finding out that it is nothing like its English translation. Just a stone's throw away is the Kennedy Grove Regional Recreation Area - a popular destination for hikers, day campers and of course picnickers. We are also just a 5-minute drive from the San Pablo Reservoir where fishing, boating and conoeing are allowed. Even just driving through the San Pablo Dam road is already a treat in itself.

Hopefully, this is where we will permanently raise our family. We look forward to exploring the area some more especially now that we are in the midst of spring!

Here's a photo totally unrelated to the post. Something I dug out of our archive of photos taken last month.

Alcatraz Part II

2010-04-11T18:26:00.001-07:00

I broke down this trip into two posts as there are way too many photos. These are mostly of the interior of the main prison.

We were handed our audio devices as we entered the prison hall. It contains a recording of former prison guards and inmates' experience on the island. It was chilling to imagine what went on back then. Despite the island's reputation of being the most secure in the country at that time, it didn't keep some of the inmates from attempting to escape. It makes us want to watch movies made about it.

Photo of a former prison guard :=)

The officers social hall

The Officers' quarters located just below the main prison hall

This is the communal shower area

A guard sleeping on his job

One of the cells

Redundant window bars

Can you imagine the conversations that went on in this area?

A nice view of the city from one of the yards

The main prison control room.

One of the cells where an inmate together with 2 others escaped. They managed to get the vent cover off and masked it with a cardboard. They climbed up from the vent to the roof. They made a makeshift raft out of a raincoat. They were never found so no one really knows if they were successful

This was taken by Angel. A view of the island's guard tower.

Alcatraz Part I

2010-04-10T19:44:00.000-07:00

We've all seen a movie about it at least once in our lives. I must've passed it at least more than a dozen times. It was just always something we see whenever we're at the SF Pier or when we drive through the Bay Bridge. But most of us have never been to it.

Today, we finally made that short boat trip from Pier 33 to the famous Alcatraz. Our
scheduled trip was at 10:30 AM. We were there an hour early to avoid hitting any traffic. Had some nice hot Peets coffee and some doughnuts while the rest munched on hotdogs.

Rafael obviously was happy to be out. He always seems to enjoy whenever we go someplace - any place. Especially today when he actually was in a real boat.

We passed this tree on our way to Pier 33

The view of the city as the boat left the Pier

A nice of view of the island as we approached it

Nothing

2010-04-06T23:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I got off work before sundown. Though the temperature was a bit chilly, I knew Rafael would love to just run around the yard. He absolutely loves being chased around. Whenever I take my lunch break and check on him and Gra'ma at the yard, he would say: "habol". So yesterday, I used the few minutes before sundown to play with him and at the same time had my camera with me. After a few minutes he called his mommy to join the chase. Here are some snaps:

Easter

2010-04-05T21:33:00.001-07:00

Due to the forecasted rainy weather last Sunday, we decided to celebrate Easter early. It was Rafael's first easter egg hunt. Angel and I bought a few eggs at Target. We placed them in different locations at the yard where we know he goes often.

First we had a sumptuous lunch of steamed lobster (courtesy of Edwin) and sinigang. Bil brought Olga's pineapple upside down cake. After lunch, we all went out to the yard to start Rafael's Easter egg hunt.

This is the first egg he found. Of course we had to guide him in the right direction.

He had a bag instead of a basket

His 2nd egg of the day

He couldn't wait to open the eggs so Ninong offered to open it for him..

counting his loot

Softbox

2010-04-02T13:17:00.001-07:00

I've been playing around with the softbox I got over the weekend. Here are some photos I took making use of the softbox. These may look like passport photos but it's the quality of the light that I'm actually after.

April Fools

2010-04-02T13:08:00.000-07:00

Some photos on April Fools. Bil spent the afternoon with us. They drove to Hercules to get a box of the sinful silvanas.

Marin County

2010-04-02T00:29:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday, a craigslist ad brought us to the scenic Marin County. Just last week I was in search for a softbox that I could play around with here at home. I didn't want to break the bank so I searched for a used one in Craigslist. I lucked out when I saw a 28" Apollo Westcott for a very reasonable price. So there we were on Sunday, Angel and Rafael in tow, in Corte Madera, a city about 20 miles from El Sobrante across the bay. We met up at the Corte Madera Town Center. I wasn't disappointed. Aside from the softbox, I also brought home 2 umbrella brackets and a photoflex white umbrella for a whopping 15 bucks. The guy, a skateboard photographer, was shedding his gear in favor of natural-light photography. He also moved from Socal 2 years ago.

Before heading home, we couldn't resist to drive up the hills of Marin to get a good view of the spectacular Golden Gate bridge.

The Richmond Bridge through the 580 freeway which connects the East Bay to Marin. I always thought I knew all the bridges around San Francisco.

Just before you get off the bridge is a view of the famous San Quentin Prison. If you ever watch Crime TV, this houses a lot of the more serious criminals in the US.

Miscellaneous

2010-03-26T12:33:00.001-07:00

I've slacked off once again in posting updates and photos. I rarely have idle time these days plus the fact that the "office" is not fully-operational yet. I've hooked the ones that will allow me to work from day 1 - the internet, my office PC. I've hooked up the printer and network hard drive. Just today, I finally connected my external hard drive and monitor to my personal laptop. Not that it's complicated but just never got around to it. Still have bags and boxes lying around the office.

After almost 3 weeks of being here, the office still looks like a mess. So I will say that this is the "before" photos. In a couple of weeks I'll post "after" photos.

Meanwhile, I'm posting miscellaneous photos - photos taken in the past few months that we never posted.

These were from the weekend of the move. We were supposed to drive up on a Saturday but we were rained out so we decided to stay and wait for the weather to improve. The Schmidts came over and brought some lunch and their magic mic.

In this photo you can see Rafael and Darlyn playing while Chip was busting his lungs out for a rendition of an unknown song. Unknown because I forgot what it was.

These are photos taken a few weekends ago when we drove to South SF to meet up with Rafael's Papa Joey, Mama Maru, Tito Anthony, Tita Jenny and cousin Jenna.

Some photos of the magnificent Bay Bridge

You can see the Coit Tower and partially blocked view of the Golden Gate bridge

At Max's Restaurant with Mama Maru

Some playtime with cousin Jenna..

Film Processed

2010-03-11T19:15:00.000-08:00

A couple of posts ago, I mentioned how I borrowed a Canon Rebel Film camera. It's not that I have a lot of time in my hands to pursue a different area of photography. For one thing, I would like to acquire the discipline film shooters have when clicking that shutter. Digital cameras give us instant gratification but on the other hand, makes us reckless, trigger-happy photographers.

So I used up 3 rolls of 24-shot Kodak film I got from Target for about $6.00. One thing readily apparent was, the habit of being trigger-happy was still there until my second roll. I even paused to check behind the camera forgetting there's no LCD to show me how I did with the last shot.

The 3 rolls sat in my bag for a good 3 months. Finally yesterday, I remembered to drop them off at Walgreen's to have them processed. The lady asked me if I wanted the photos in the CD as well for 3.99 (each roll). I declined thinking that we have a gigantic All-in-one HP to do the high quality scanning for me. Wrong. The photos look awful when scanned with a regular scanner. A film scanner (which Walgreens probably uses when they sell the CD version) would probably do a way better job of scanning the photos.

Anyway, just to demonstrate what I mean, here are 4 photos scanned from our HP scanner. Trust me, the photos look way cleaner than these. Provided that our monitors probably are so finely-defined that every pixel of imperfection is magnified, the photos shouldn't look this grainy. All these straight from the scanner without any post-processing. Just minor cropping:

both photos taken in the playground by Carmesi in RSM

Was gonna crop and post it as 2 separate photos but has a collage look so i am just posting as is.

Rafael's 2nd Birthday Celebration

2010-03-07T23:32:00.000-08:00

Close family and friends came to join us to celebrate Rafael's 2nd birthday. Rolan and Ate Mai drove all the way from Stockton while Papa, Mama, Anthony, Jenny and Jenna, from South San Francisco. Bil came from nearby Vallejo while Carl (Angel's friend) and husband Joey are from Sacramento.

This was also a celebration of our recent move so we asked Fr Jimmy, the parish priest from the nearby St. Calistus, to bless our temporary home. He said a few prayers then blessed us, the occupants as well as the home itself.

We're here!

2010-03-05T23:11:00.000-08:00

After much anticipation, we're finally here in Northern California in the small city called El Sobrante - around 20 miles east of the bay. Where is that, you ask. I hadn't heard about this place myself until we came to look for a place to rent. We fell in love with the house the first time we saw it. The house itself isn't too big but has a sizeable yard for Rafael to wander around.

We had planned to leave as early as Saturday but the forecast of heavy rain made us decide to delay it until Sunday. It's my first time to be driving a 16 foot truck that I didn't want to risk driving in those conditions at the dreaded Grapevine. Sunday was nice and sunny so we loaded the remaining stuff we had into my car and Angel's car. Still we had a few stuff left which we decided to just leave behind.

The drive was initially stressful for me as I was being extra-careful. I had, what must've been a 3000 lb load to transport at 60-70 mph for 450 miles. After several hours of driving, it felt like driving my own car already. Overall, it took us a little more than 7 hours from Carmesi to El Sobrante.

So here we are on our 5th day here and it is shaping up to be a home - our home for God knows how long.

Last Wednesday, we had a quiet dinner with myself, Angel, Gra'ma, Bil and Olga to celebrate Rafael's 2nd birthday. Tomorrow however, we will be celebrating it with a few more close family and friends.

Here are some more taken today while he took his new bike out for a spin:

We're Moving!

2010-02-23T19:26:00.000-08:00

It was over a year ago, one evening when Angel and I asked ourselves: "what if we move to San Francisco?". I don't remember exactly what my state of mind was but I just remember resenting the frequent boiling temps at summertime. That's not enough reason to move is it? But as the months passed, events started unfolding that led us to seriously consider this move. The thought of being closer to family excited us. We discerned hard without putting too much pressure on ourselves. I remember Angel saying, if it's HIS will, everything will be easy.

First, Angel inquired about possible career opportunities in SF. She made one phone call to a friend and was instantly told that yes, they needed an associate dentist! That was the easy part. Now I had to decide if I should risk quitting my job at this difficult time. One day, it occurred to me however to ask my boss if he would allow me to work remotely. Although it was a longshot, I just had to ask. Not even 10 minutes into the meeting, my boss said he doesn't have a problem with me working remotely! I was almost into tears as I honestly did not expect it.

By December, Angel committed to her future employer that she would be starting no later than the middle of March. Problem was, we had an upcoming 3-week trip to the Philippines in January and that meant, we only had a few weeks in February to actually find a place in San Francisco! But like everything else that happened, we are just so, so blessed that this property fell into our laps by way of my sister Bil. Bil's friend Ding, happened to be renting out a house with an office (just what we'relo oking for) and the renters are scheduled to move out by March 1st. A week after we came back from the Manila, we flew to SF to see the place and we absolutely love it!

Today is Feb 23rd, Tuesday. In a few days, we are leaving our beloved OC and moving on. It certainly is an exciting time for our young family. We would've never thought we would ever move in just over a year. It seemed such a big step then. But I truly believe that this was not just our plan but HIS plan for us.

Again, what's a post without a photo?

Highs and Lows - Philippine Trip

2010-01-29T22:03:00.000-08:00

As we speak, we are recovering from a case of jet lag from our recent trip. It's funny how Rafael, didn't seem to mind the trip at all. He's been sleeping and waking up normally since we arrived. For Angel and I, we were up until 5 this morning.

On the plane ride back, I thought about writing about the good and the bad things related to our going Philippine vacation - and this from my own perspective of course.

Good (not necessarily in this order)

Seeing family and friends after almost 9 years
Wedding Anniversary Celebration
LZM Restaurant in Tagaytay
Ridiculously cheap body massage rates
Ridiculously cheap foot massage rates
SCTEX (Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway) - a new freeway that cuts trips to Subic or Baguio by more than an hour or two
Pancake House - corned beef hash still tastes the same although serving size seems smaller
Via Mare - hasn't changed a bit
JT's Manukan - Tasty bacolod chicken inasal owned by Filipino Actor Joel Torre
Hot Springs in Pansol Laguna
Serendra
Greenbelt - Very nice architecture and landscape although I wouldn't shop there...
Taguig GK Village
Lechon - need I say more?
Max's Restaurant
Ateneo Basketball League - played a game and didn't help much but definitely had a blast.
TAWSILOG - Tawilis, sinangag at itlog
Pansol laguna

Bad

17-Hour Flight from LAX to MNL
Heat - Temps felt like they were in the high 80's
Driving in Manila with a stick shift is a bad, bad idea
Drivers' habits just haven't changed. There's no such thing as a lane.
Pickpockets in Megamall
Jeeps still stopping at the corner of EDSA and Santolan to pick up passengers causing a monstrous a traffic jam in EDSA.
Motorcycles swarming the roads of Manila

Clearly, the good outweighed the bad. It will still remain one of my favorite vacation destination.

To all the families and friends who took care of us, a million thanks.

What's a post without photos so here are a few photos of Rafael and his cousins:

Our Last Day

2010-01-26T05:15:00.000-08:00

Today is our last day here in Manila and what better way to spend it than see for ourselves an actual GK Village through the guidance of our friends Junie Romero and Carlo Cecilio. Junie moved here from California as a full-time volunteer for Singles for Christ.

GK or Gawad Kalinga means to give care. Here's a more detailed info from Wiki:
Gawad Kalinga

We met up with Carlo and Junie in Taguig (almost just on the other side of Market, Market near the C-5) where about 5 GK villages now stand. First was the Poveda GK Village - a small but neatly-built apartment-type units.

We were first shown a Sibol classroom. As soon as the kids saw us, they each came up to take our hand and placed in their forehead - a Filipino tradition as a means to show respect to their elders.

We were shown a model unit designed by Carmi Martin (a well-known Filipina actress). We were really impressed with how the space was maximized.

A short walk from the Poveda GK Village was the Phil-Am Friendship GK Village - a slightly bigger lot with more units.

Next stop was the GK Taguig Multi-purpose hall. It is a newly-constructed building that will house a GK Sibol Classroom and where various GK Village events can be conducted.

The sibol classroom in the multi-purpose hall

Angel with our host Junie

A 5-minute walk from the multi-purpose hall was the Jack 'n Jill GK Village - named after the popular snack Jack n Jill.

We caught some kids playing in the village and they gladly posed for some photos

Here's a photo I took of the Jack n Jill village from the main road. You could see the stark contrast between the GK Village and the non-GK Village on the right (though the jeepney is partly covering it).

Last stop was the GK Zonta International Village which is still under construction.

Lina, one of the beneficaries helped show Jack n Jill village and the Zonta Int'l Village.

The lead-builders posed for a photo with us. The guy on my left works as a Security Guard at night and during the day, helps build the Zonta village.

Overall, it was an eye-opener for us who for years only saw photos of villages but today we were actually able to speak with the beneficiaries and you could almost feel the pride in them for having their own home.

Just as we said our goodbyes, Lina said: "Huwag po kayong magsasawa".

Rafael and Gabby

2010-01-22T05:36:00.000-08:00

I've lagged behind with my postings. My apologies to the one or two people reading Rafael's blog. One of them for sure is Gra'ma Munti.

I haven't really had time to download all the photos we've been taking so I'll just leave you with a few photos and this short video of Rafael and Gabby just going crazy behind the dining room curtain.

I spent time with Gabby one morning and he's grown more comfortable with me and even comes to me often now. Like Rafael, he likes those who play with him often. We'll surely miss him when we leave.

Wedding Slideshow

2010-01-20T20:09:00.000-08:00

We just came back from a trip to Pansol Laguna. We haven't done much updating of the blog since as we're exhausted from all the running around.

With some downtime this AM, I created this simple slideshow of Papa Joey and Mama Maru's 40th Wedding Anniversary using a free software called Microsoft Photostory. Wish it was easy to put it on a DVD disc and give away to family but I don't have the means right now. Angel picked the background music. Quality of photos have considerably been reduced by the slideshow software.

Wedding

2010-01-16T18:14:00.000-08:00

This is a quick post of yesterday's wedding anniversary of Papa Joey and Mama Maru held at the Pinaglabanan church in San Juan where they were originally married 40 years ago. Reception was held at Max's restaurant in Quezon City where they also had their wedding reception. I'll write more about it in the coming days as we're on our way out now. Meantime, enjoy the photos. Rafael looked dapper in his tiny barong.

Videos

2010-01-13T23:42:00.000-08:00

These are short clips of Rafael while we were at Shoemart. Angel was busy shopping for his barong while we strolled around the store. He chanced upon a stack of toy jeepneys in the filipiniana section of the store

Philippines: Day 3 to 6

2010-01-13T18:58:00.000-08:00

Ok I intended for these posts to be a daily or every other day thing but I found that this is almost impossible to do. We've been coming home late the past few nights that turning on the PC is not an option anymore. Though some of these photos were taken a few days too late, I'll post them anyway.

Last Sunday, Eva and Franc took us to Tagaytay - an hour and a half drive from Manila. Tagaytay, as I remember it, has always been associated with an awesome view of the Taal Lake from the Picnic Grove or a drive is never complete without stopping by the famous Mushroom Burger. But today, it has changed so much that it lost its "out-of-town" appeal (at least for me). A string of "big city" establishments have opened branches there. There's Starbucks, Jollibee, Chowking, McDonald's, etc. All it needs now is a Shoemart to complete its destruction.

We first drove to Tagaytay Highlands - a memmbership golf and country club with time-share type condominiums and houses. I used to frequent the highlands back in the late 90's for a project (installation and training of an accounting system) of which I was a part of. It has gotten a bit old and worn-out but pretty just the same. Afterwards, we drove back towards the rotonda and beyond to have dinner at a place called LZM - an unassuming restaurant located on a 2nd floor of one of the newer buildings. This ranks up there as a new favorite of mine. The bulalo, chicharon bulaklak, daing na bangus and inihaw na liempo are to die for. This is how I'll remember Tagaytay from now on - superb food at LZM restaurant (only).

What's a post without photos so here are a few:

Philippines - Day 1 and 2

2010-01-09T07:07:00.000-08:00

It's Rafael's first time to travel to the Philippines and also a first for Angel and I in almost 9 long years. It's a trip that has been planned more than a year ago and we were naturally excited. Gra'ma, Tita Bil, Tita Benjie and Tita Mich were at home to send us off.

It started with a few mishaps. The total travel time was a grueling 17-hour flight from LAX to MNL with a 45-min refueling stop in Guam. Apparently, due to a full flight and flying against a headwind contributed to the length of the flight. Rafael was cranky for good reason.

Once the plane started to descend to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, all the exhaustion and stress from the trip dissipated. When we got out of the airport, we could feel and smell the once-familiar air of Manila. We almost couldn't believe we were back. After all, it's been a long while. For Rafael, the dream of being in a vehicle without a car seat has finally come true. His eyes were in awe with the jeepneys, the pedicabs, and everything else that he could see from his new vantage point.

Today is our second day and it's all been wisely-spent with family. Below are some photos from today's trip to the zoo for Rafael and his cousins, EJ and JV.

He didn't want to get off this Lego jeep.

Our gracious hosts - the Manuels

A rare family photo

The sistahs

The much-anticipated meeting between Rafael and cousin Gabby didn't materialize as Rafael was asleep from the time Franc and Eva picked us up til morning

My high school friends, Arthur, Momoy, and Mark

Christmas 2009

2009-12-28T00:49:00.000-08:00

We left Torrance late Wednesday afternoon. By the time we got to the 405 and the 10, traffic just crawled. It wasn't too bad however. I had expected to be delayed for hours but overall, the traffic just added an hour more or less to our trip. We arrived in San Francisco at around 11 PM. We spent the night at Papa and Mama's place in South Francisco. Temps were in the low 40's but quite manageable. Rafael was his usual self a few minutes after we had arrived. Running around and playing with Mama Maru.

The day after, we all drove to Stockton early to get a headstart. Ate Mai and Rolan again generously hosted this year's Christmas get-together. Traffic was light. We got to Stockton shortly around noontime. Photos and videos from Christmas eve will be posted soon as it is in the other camera.

We left Stockton early to then drive to Vallejo. A few minutes after we arrived, people started to trickle in. Ed and Ma arrived with Benjie and Betty. Bil came back from picking up food. Rafael was happy chasing around Olga's two pet dogs Nico and Lica. Below are photos from Vallejo.

Off to SFO

2009-12-22T22:21:00.000-08:00

The last few weeks have got to be the busiest we've been throughout the year. So many things are going on at the same time! Tomorrow we are driving up to San Francisco to visit family. Then in a couple of weeks we're flying to the Philippines for a much needed vacation! Woohoo! So in the middle of packing stuff for the move, we're packing stuff for the trip to MNL and packing stuff for the short trip to SFO. It's an exciting kind of stress (if there's such a thing). Our place looks like a textile warehouse with a few toys scattered here and there. I've got my cam packed so no photos again for today. Wish us luck and Merry Christmas and a blessed new year to y'all!

Film

2009-12-20T23:04:00.000-08:00

This will be the first ever post without photos or videos. That's not to say I didn't take any the last couple of days. In fact, I've just made a pact with myself to take at least one photo each day of Rafael and maybe make a collage out of it sometime in the future.

The reason I have no photos to post is that the camera I used is a film camera. I've recently been inspired by a photographer who's known to use a digital camera since she started but recently is experimenting on film. I was able to borrow a seldom-used a Canon Rebel 2000 35mm camera. Bought a 3-pack 24-shot film. I'm on my 3rd roll and should be able to use it up within the week. Hopefully, I'll have it all printed before our trip to SF on Wednesday. Until then, it will all be text that you'll see here.

We can't wait to go on our short trip to see family.

Gymboree

2009-12-13T21:24:00.001-08:00

We attended Annika's 3rd birthday last week at Gymboree in Yorba Linda. The place was rented out for the entire party. To say that Rafael had a blast, would be an understatement. In fact, when it was time to go, we had to convince him that the party was over. Here's a short clip:

Chill-axing

2009-12-13T20:36:00.000-08:00

2 posts in one sitting. While downloading photos taken from the SD800, I figured I should download the videos taken as well. This one video we took about a month ago. While Angel and I were in the kitchen, Rafael seemed quiet in the bedroom. Whenever he's quite, he's usually busy with something and oftentimes it's messing around with just about anything. One time, he was quiet for a few minutes and when I went to check on him, he was about to take a bite out of the bathing soap which he probably liked the smell of.

Back to this video. When Angel went to check on him, he was sitting on my computer chair looking as if he was tired and just relaxing to his favorite Thomas and Friends episode.

Early Spring Cleaning

2009-12-13T19:30:00.000-08:00

Though it's still a couple of months before the move, we've used the few weekends we have to sort out stuff. This is more difficult than it sounds. I personally have stuff that I've held on to just because. Stuff I haven't used in years. But today we made some difficult decisions - letting go of things we hardly use. I must say, we did a decent job of emptying a couple of bins which we could use to store stuff we use more often. Though we're still a long way before everything is boxed up and labelled, I'm confident we won't be rushing when the day finally comes.

Rafael of course did not want to just sit in the corner and do nothing. He had to do some fixing of his own. At times, he'd make a mess of what we've already organized but I'm sure to him, he's doing his share and that's what matters.

Took some snaps while we were all in the garage the entire day sorting stuff out.

he does look like he's ready to roll..

he saw these colorful leis and wanted to play with them

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-28T08:59:00.000-08:00

Carmesi is fully-booked for the entire thanksgiving weekend. Bil, Olga, Betty and Mom arrived Wednesday night from San Francisco while Angel picked up Eva from LAX on Wednesday night as well. Not surpisingly, Rafael was in a cheerful mood. Eventhough it was clear that he was ready to go to bed, he was fighting it. He also got a surprise present from Tita Bil. A nice toy school bus which he recognized to be in one of his books.

As usual, he didn't want to leave Tita Bil's side. That's the reason why most of the following photos are just of him and Tita Bil.

Thursday, most of us just slept in. Angel and I went to mass at the nearby church. We had some killer longganiza Eva brought from the Philippines. Afterwards, they all went for a long walk to the grocery and the lake. Overall, it was a restful day. At dusk, I started heating up the grill. We had pork liempo marinated in vinegar, pepper and garlic. Angel also a bought a squid, then stuffed with tomatoes and onions marinated in soy sauce and vinegar.

Bil and Olga brought some rellenong bangus and sisig.

Before digging in, we took some photos of the crew:

It's just amazing how much Rafael's grown since last thanksgiving. Check out last year's thanksgiving post. Today, he can utter some words already and understands most instructions.

Marriage Enrichment Retreat

2009-11-09T22:50:00.000-08:00

Woke up really early on Saturday to attend the Marriage Enrichment Retreat. Normally conducted in the confines an out-of-town retreat house for an entire weekend, this one was conducted at nearby Yorba Linda and allowed us to take Rafael along with us. We were initially hesitant to join as those watching the kids may have a difficult time taking care of Rafael since he's under 2 and has more needs than the senior kids. It turns out that he was well-behaved for the most part and the Kids Watch didn't have any complaints.

All in all, it was a very fruitful weekend. We heard speakers talk about their marriages (one couple will be celebrating their 47th!). A total of 12 couples attended the retreat. Though they discouraged us from checking on the kids, we would sneak out from time to time to check on Rafael but he didn't even notice we weren't around!

Some photos:

with Ferdie and Sonia

while Mike and Lyndee were sharing, Rafael went up to them...

The entire batch

the entire batch plus the service team

with Mike and Lyndee

After the retreat, we all went to the 12:15 mass. Rafael, however, didn't feel like going as he was restless. Took him out for a walk...here are photos taken just outside the church..

he does this when you point the camera close to his face...

the prune juice is working...

Halloween 2009

2009-10-31T22:16:00.000-07:00

We waited til the last minute (about 4 days ago) before we got Rafael a costume. We did attempt to get him one last weekend but it seemed like Halloween is one occassion, a lot of parents go out early to get their kids the most unique outfit to wear on Halloween. Almost every store we went to, the costumes were almost sold out that the leftovers were mostly for the older kids. So Angel called me at work one afternoon saying she found Sesame Street's Elmo that had Rafael's size! When Angel got home, we tried it on Rafael and the size is perfect! Problem was he didn't want to take it off! He relented but not after a loud cry.

So today was the day. Picked up Angel from work and rushed to Arcadia where the Kids for Christ workshop was held. After the workshop was the Halloween costume parade. The parade had already started when we got there so we hurriedly put on Elmo. Temps were in the high 80's but he didn't mind. In fact, he liked it so much. He was the last in line because he was late. A lady stuck a number up his chest. It turns out that it wasn't just a costume parade but a costume contest. So when Rafael's turn came up, people cheered him on (even people we didn't even know). I guess being the youngest and the last kid at the parade, he got a lot of attention. We carried him out to the playground and attempted to take off his costume as it was furry and warm but he didn't want to when all of a sudden, we heard that the first prize for the 0-3 year old category was won by number 69. When I looked at Rafael's number it was 69! I couldn't believe it! It's the first time in my life that I or someone close to me had actually won anything! Anyhow, these are the few photos we were able to take from where we were. We weren't prepared as our main concern was that he make it to the parade.

giving Gracie a hug

with Tita Anna...

with Tito Andy...

..having fun at the playground after the parade...

a nice photo of Rafael hitting the slide captured by Angel...

Cousins

2009-10-21T22:13:00.000-07:00

The morning before Anthony, Jenny and Jenna left for San Francisco, Angel captured some really cute photos of cousins Rafael and Jenna. As you know, taking photos of toddlers is not easy but with the help of Anthony and Jen, Angel caught some candid photos of the two. Here they are and enjoy. It made me smile seeing these photos.

These last 2 are my favorites

Disneyland 2009

2009-10-20T23:37:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, Jenny and family arrived from San Francisco to spend a few days with us. It has been a while since we last saw them. Their adorable daughter Jenna has grown and can actually utter a lot of words already. It didn't take Rafael and Jenna long to warm up to each other.

We got to Disneyland at about 1 PM. As usual, it was packed with people. Weather was warm with an occassional cool breeze.

Going to Disneyland won't be complete without the first photo taken in front of Mickey's house..

Pumpkins everywhere

The Bulanadis

Some Japanese toddler walking around sipping air

the vintage truck caught his attention immediately when he saw it. so we took a short trip on it.

at the carousel with Mom

Jenna having fun...she wanted to go again after the ride was over...

t'was a beautiful Sunday....the park packed with people..

facade of the Small World

SWB - Sistahs with babies...

Toontown

Photo op with Goofy

Rafael getting some special attention from Goofy

We had to be in the picture too

FDTT- Fire Department Toon Town. The 2 Firefighters ready to go...

Jenna at Minnie's backyard...

Rafael enjoying the water from the fountain...

Jenna showing off her new bracelet

With Mommy at the Main St Square

Lost

high-fivin' cousins

it got cooler before dark...

The Street Party!! This year's parade is different from the other times that I've seen it. This year was more hip and fun! They even invited people over to dance with the party crew and the characters...

Some nice slow-sync photos

He loved running around....

Long Beach Marathon - Rafael's First

2009-10-11T21:32:00.001-07:00

For the last 5 years, Angel and I have always made it to the Long Beach Marathon whether as runners or just plain supporters of the GK Hero's Run. It was actually during training for our first marathon that our relationship blossomed. Last year, was the only year we didn't make it due to previous commitments and we almost didn't make it today. This year marks the 5th year anniversary of the GK Hero's Run and what better reason to celebrate it than take part in it but this time with the 3rd runner in the family, Rafael.

Traffic was unusually light heading into Long Beach. It didn't take us that long to get parking and close to the starting line at that.

The mood was festive as usual. The sea of runners at the starting line.

Since the full and half marathon runners start an hour and a half earlier, most people were already in the starting line by the time we arrived. We managed to take a few snaps of the GK Runners before they left.

Rafael had a blast running around before the start of the 5K

The 5K Bib.

Heading into the 2nd mile. It was no picnic, I tell you.

Mommy with Rafael approaching the 3rd mile...

Mike and I with Annika and Rafael

Almost to the finish line

Annika and Rafael running towards the finish line..

The sight of Bubba Shrimp and Forrest Gump made Rafael and Annika run even faster towards the finish..

almost to the finish... can you see the smile from Rafael's face from this angle?

whew!!! finally made it..Annika and Rafael giving Bubba Shrimp a hug as Forrest Gump looks on..

He didn't want to let go of Bubba...

Mike, Lyndee and Annika at the finish...

Angel, Rafael and I...he had his eyes set on Bubba the entire time...

Rafael showing off his first medal...for not falling asleep the entire time in the stroller..

Annika showing off her medal as well...

Rafael with Mommy...

The GK Hero's Run booth..

The KFC Coords...with their K's.

Typhoon Ondoy is our Hurricane Katrina

2009-09-28T22:25:00.000-07:00

Today, I received an email from a friend regarding the worst typhoon that has hit the Philippines 4 days ago. Though we have limited the topics posted on this blog to photography and a few personal topics, I feel that this recent natural disaster needs to reach the broadest audience possible as literally thousands of families' survival are at stake as we speak. To the few readers of this blog, we appeal for your support. Please feel free to forward this post to relatives, friends and coworkers.

Below is the exact email from Jam Bonoan and further down are some photos from the recent days:

Dear friends,

The situation in Metro Manila and the 23 other provinces affected by Typhoon Ondoy is grim. Even as the fourth day since the flash flood dawns, many are still on their rooftops waiting to be rescued. Entire families are still unaccounted for. No one has an idea of the actual number of fatalities but the government estimate is expected to rise sharply as the receding waters reveal heartbreaking images. Make-shift evacuation centers which house more than a hundred thousand people are desperately low on medical supplies and relief goods. While rescue efforts are still ongoing, the aftermath of such a disaster can be just as dire and life-threatening for survivors. Government and aid institutions, already overwhelmed with refugee challenges, expect other health issues including the outbreak of infections and other diseases.

Typhoon Ondoy is our country's Hurricane Katrina. Our fellow Filipinos urgently NEED OUR HELP so let's open our hearts and GIVE WHAT WE CAN.

Your generosity can save lives. Please give to your preferred or trusted institutions. Here are some options to consider:

To donate to the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC), please visit their website at http://www.redcross.org.ph/Site/PNRC/wtd.aspx, for instructions.

For those who prefer to donate online via credit card, you can also give to the typhoon victims through a tax-deductible donation to the Ayala Foundation-USA website at http://www.af-usa.org/donate_now_form.asp. In the "donation for" option, you can choose to donate to the PNRC or to the Ayala USA Typhoon Relief Fund.

Online credit card donations are also welcomed through the Xavier School's fund for Typhoon Ondoy victims at https://www.myayala.com/sjph/. Just specify intention by typing "xs4ondoy" after "I would like to donate to.." option.

Another option is to send a check to the Philippine Jesuit Foundation: 236 West 27th Street, Ninth Floor, New York, NY 10001. Specify that funds are for the Typhoon Ondoy victims. Your donations through the PJF are also tax deductible.

Thank you very much for your generosity.

Please feel free to cut/paste/edit and forward this message to your friends. Your personal request can make a difference.

Sincerely,

Jam Bonoan

Sneak Peek: Alicia and Carlos

2009-09-16T23:20:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we covered Alicia and Carlos' wedding at the Wayfarer's Chapel in Palos Verdes. I've always wanted to shoot a wedding here. The architecture of the chapel is so unique and the location itself is facing the spectacular view of the Pacific. It was actually designed by Lloyd Wright, son of the prominent architect Frank Lloyd Wright. More importantly, this was actually the site of my first date with Angel. Click on the link below for the sneak peek:

Alicia and Carlos Sneak Peek

First Bike Ride with Rafael

2009-09-14T11:09:00.000-07:00

So we finally settled on a rear seat for now. We figured, the bike trailer is so bulky and frankly, we don't have space to store it. It also is quite a chore to load up that we figured it will just be an excuse for us not to go out and ride. We got the Bell Cocoon which is quite popular. It can carry a load of up to 40 lbs. By our estimate, we have about a year or so before he outgrows it. Last Thursday, we took it out for a spin. We parked at a baseball park in Lake Forest where a bike trail goes through.

More Labor Day Photos

2009-09-14T10:41:00.000-07:00

It's already a week after labor day and I still haven't posted photos taken that weekend. These are photos taken last Monday at the picnic at the RSM beach. We were invited by the Schmidts to a labor day picnic. We were lucky to still get a spot - a nice shaded table and bench at 11 AM. I guess people partied hard the night before. In the afternoon, the beach was packed. We had pizza(s), pasta and some fruits courtesy of the Schmidts. Overall it was a fun picnic especially for the kids..

The view of the beach from our spot