Friday, May 2, 2008
public holiday thursday
Yesterday was Ascension Day and Labor Day holiday here . We spent our afternoon in Chateau de Prangins that housed the Swiss National Museum for Western Switzerland. No picture taking was allowed inside so we only got to pose outside and only 3 photos were "postable" :). After the trip to the museum we went to the beautiful Tulip Festival in Morges, where the tulips are now in full bloom... below is MY shot, click here for more postcard-perfect photos :). Labels: holidays, swiss life, trips |
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
holy week
| we spent our holy week out of town in the italian region of switzerland, canton ticino. it was there that i found, from the internet, a holy week tradition from back home. the small town of mendrisio holds this tradition every holy week on maundy thursday featuring the passion of Christ and on good friday's religious and liturgical characters' procession. as far as i can remember, this is the first time i was able to watch the procession live, i only got to watch it on tv back home. it was quite an experience, even when there were lots of people, the moment the procession started, everything went quiet and solemn. i can only admire the participants of the procession because it was freezing cold that night, the temperature was no higher than 2 degrees celsius and it was windy. some were even barefoot and wore very light clothing yet they all went on with the show - so to speak. it was worse the next night, on their good friday procession because it was drizzling. it feels great spending 4 relaxing days as a family and being able to attend the easter vigil mass on saturday, it was 2 hours and started at 9pm (another first for me!). i'm so glad our last minute trip went well - we practically decided to go for it in the morning so i was busy packing up until 1pm, had no time for lunch as we targeted to leave at 2pm. we had our lunch in the car that day! i'll be posting more photos from the neighboring towns we visited soon. until our next adventure! :) Labels: holidays, photos, swiss life, travel |
Friday, March 7, 2008
together now
| it's exactly 1 month and 1 week now since the boys moved to their own room and their own beds. the baby cot is still there, we haven't found time (and storage space) to pack it up yet but we're hoping to wrap it up soon-ish (the -ish thing i picked-up from AI7 contestant Danny - I enjoy watching him too bad he got voted off this week, he reminds me of a childstar back home in the Phils.)! anyways, we re-arranged their room so the two beds will stay together in one corner, we don't have a bed guard/barrier/fence that's why simon will need to stay near the wall and franco on the other bed with the hope that because he is bigger now, he will not be falling off the bed while sleeping. so far, he's managed only two falls since (my poor baby!). here's how they're enjoying their beds, there would be a lot of times come morning, franco is already in simon's territory and the little one is near the foot of the bed. they seem to still be playing even in their sleep! i couldn't find a decent angle so bear with me on the shots :) by the way, we did try to convince franco to move to that room before, but he kept coming back to our bed in the middle of the night. and it wasn't easy because he moves a lot in his sleep, would kick our faces, keep moving towards my direction so i would be on the edge of the bed, and i am a light sleeper, sooo..... it was only when he had company that he finally settled to sleep on his own bed, but not without a time or two that he would again go to our bed in the middle of the night... hopefully, he will graduate from that habit soon! :) Labels: at home, kids, swiss life, the boys |
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
pogi...
... na ako! heheheh...  i suddenly had the urge to have a haircut yesterday... and it had to be yesterday!  so, without any appointment and without knowing that most of the salons here are closed on mondays, i went out to the nearest salons and three of which were closed! so i went across the road to the commercial centre and had my hair done there... the boys were with me, by the way! so it wasn't a very relaxing visit, good thing the hairdresser was accommodating and it was when we were finishing up that simon got a bit cranky and it was because he was already sleepy - and he doesn't just go to sleep when sleepy while out of the house. what did the trick were the gummy candies, cereals and smarties... kept them busy for a good hour! i also packed a bag of toys... anything to get that haircut i couldn't wait to have done.  i was tempted to get the katie holmes 'do, but i chickened-out! i don't think i can maintain the bangs and i thought i'd look trying hard and pa-cute! so, i got this instead... bagay ba?   ... and hubby said he's got a new wife, because i haven't had above the shoulder hair since 1999, i think!   Labels: ala lang, at home, mom et dad, swiss life |
Monday, February 25, 2008
four times four meme
thanks madame Haydee, for tagging me, this is very interesting! made me thinking! hehhehe :) 4 Jobs I've Had (the last four ones) been an accountant all my life (except for those part-time and summer jobs during college), maybe i'll just state the positions I've held :) - Financial Planning Analyst, Aristocrat Technologies, Australia - Business Analyst, Nokia Australia - Business Analyst, Nokia Philippines - AP Accountant, Caltex Shared Services Center, Philippines 4 Movies Watched Over and Over - My Best Friend's Wedding - The Wedding Singer - Pirates of the Carribean - Cars (courtesy of my eldest son) 4 Shows I watch ( right now... ) - CSI - Grey's Anatomy - Dr. House, M.D. - American Idol 4 Favorite Things To Eat - Caldereta - Lechon Paksiw - Pandan Chicken - Penang Beef 4 Places I Would Rather Be (i should say i'd like to visit, because i'm happy to be here or basically anywhere for as long as i'm with the kids and hubby - can't agree more with Haydee!) - Maldives - Palawan - Paris (again) - Rome 4 Things I Look Forward To This Year - learning to play the piano - Franco's going to the local school - an overseas trip (visit the U.S., hopefully!) - spring and summer! :) Labels: ala lang, at home, meme, swiss life |
replacements
| we will soon embark in a new challenge. this...  will be replaced by this...  while this...  will have to give way to this...  wish us luck!!!  Labels: at home, news, swiss life |
Friday, February 22, 2008
winter fashion sale :p
this posting is quite late, but anyway... we got back from our pinas holiday just in time for what's left of the winter sale season here. so here are some of the goodies i got for the boys... and mind you, kuya franco insisted on taking his picture :) this set i got from a store that had a buy 1-take-5 promo  ... the little one doesn't seem to care of what's happening, he is just too busy with his truck!  while these ski suits i got 50% off...  ... but i'm not quite sure if the boys will still fit in those suits next season. oh, well! at least i'm happy with the bargains i got! Labels: ala lang, at home, swiss life, the boys |
Monday, February 11, 2008
francis' birthday
 a sort-of last minute decision birthday party... thanks to the el bimbo for the photos since we were just really busy to think about taking photos during that day!  to a dear husband and father, francis, happy, happy birthday! we  love you so much!   hoping you enjoyed your kare-kare, roast chicken, palabok, bbq spare ribs, veggies and prawns, buco pandan, leche flan and of course the cake (buti nagkasya pa lahat ng candles! hehehe) ... i didn't realize how tired i was with all the preparation until i was able to have dessert and sit down! the effort was all worth it! :) Labels: at home, family, friends, holidays, swiss life |
Sunday, December 16, 2007
home-baked christmas goodies
 my very own, home-baked "darn good dates bars" :p made 15 boxes of these goodies and feedback was all good... so far! :) Merry Christmas!  Labels: christmas, holidays, swiss life |
Monday, December 10, 2007
a singing star in the making....
| you raise me up - by francroban :p with the lyrics of his own... and it goes a little something like this... "you raise me up, so i can come the mountain... you raise me up, to walk mmm...mmm... tusibi (?)... i am strong, when i am dandan soldier... you raise me up, tomorrow i can be." and oh, his lyrics changes everytime he sings the song :) but he does have a good singing voice, don't you think so? may potential, kita nyo naman, kinukulot pa ang ending ng number nya! :) Labels: at home, swiss life, talents, the boys |
Monday, November 19, 2007
the two weekends that passed
| two weeks have passed since my last entry, my lazy bones are just getting the best of me, because of the early snowfall here (record in 55 yrs!) - but it snowed around 3x here down in vevey, while i'm assuming almost everyday in places in a bit higher altitude in the last two weeks. besides, it's just so nice to stay in bed and keep warm - after all the chores are done. so, where were we in the weekends of the freezing weather? well, of course we have to keep safe, keep warm and stay... in our jackets! :p apparently, the cold weather got us in the mood to go out to explore and play. :) last, last weekend, we spent the day in the old town of fribourg. we just went around town, to see their old Cathedral de Saint Nicholas, the drive entering the old town was just amazing, the whole town looked like a painting, the gloomy skies set the mood, too! here's a shot from the bridge, the kids are in the car since it was just too cold! more photos here. After the strolling, we went to where we really planned to be, an overnight MER. :)   Labels: at home, holidays, swiss life |
Saturday, November 3, 2007
chestnuts roasting...
 ... in the oven. and it tastes as good as the ones from the street vendors and stalls in the malls. yummy! but there's just one thing missing - that hypnotizing and tantalyzing aroma that, everytime - as in everytime it reaches my nostrils will automatically take me to the stall to buy 300 grams worth of it, so share with the family, of course! it's not cheap, mind you... so, when someone sent me an email on how to cook it at home, the same day i went to the groceries and bought 400 grams of it. it is just sooo easy - so i'm sharing the method of cooking with you guys, as well... here goes: "Preheat your oven to 210 C. Make a cut across the round side of each to keep them from exploding, and arrange them either on a rack or on a cookie sheet. Roast them until the skins have pulled back from the cuts and the nutmeats have softened (exactly how long will depend upon the chestnuts, but at least 15-20 minutes). Remove the nuts from the oven, make a mound of them in an old towel, wrap them up, squeeze them hard -- they should crackle -- and let them sit for a few minutes." enjoy it while it's hot (but not too hot, of course!) - only a little over 7 weeks to go 'til christmas! Labels: holidays, in the kitchen, swiss life |
Friday, November 2, 2007
costume night
 since DH is not at all into the halloween hype, precisely because of the origin of the celebration, i decided to just dress up the boys in costumes just so when the trick-or-treaters knock and ask for goodies Franco won't feel out of place - especially since he will be the one to hand over the candies. well, i did actually manage to convince DH to go to chillon castle where there was a programme called "la nuit de la crypte" where children are invited to be in their costumes and tour the old castle, and there were story telling, magic shows, etc....a little bit creepy because of the venue, but that's actually the whole point of it! but apparently, we were really not meant to go there, since DH has a meeting at 5:30 for an hour and he got home at 7pm which was already too late. so, here's the pirate and mickey mouse on halloween... but i think next time, i'll dress them up as angels instead. of course, the PA should be in the picture, as well! Labels: scrapping, swiss life, the boys |
Thursday, November 1, 2007
birthday cake number three
 , i was requested to do two more birthday cakes, the second one i made was another chocolate cake but was a round one, i wasn't able to take a picture, i forgot about that! and the latest is this one, a vanilla and chocolate layered cake. i managed to take photos of the cake sans the decors yet, while it was sitting on the fridge. i made the cake from flour to icing, but i can't take credit for the decor because i was not really confident on doing that yet. the finishing touches were done by calvin's big sis and her friends... so here's my latest masterpiece, for calvin's 2nd birthday!  ... despite the challenge of having almost zero sense of taste due to bad colds, i was able to pull it off! hubby had to be my taste tester (which wasn't very reassuring, actually! :p) here's the finished product:  and the verdict? - parang propeyshunal (daw)!!! yahoo! :p - of course that was hubby's opinion, but that's the most honest (or biased ba?) one i can get! hehehehe Labels: friends, in the kitchen, swiss life |
Friday, October 26, 2007
an open air museum
 sometimes, last minute trips are the best way to go. last friday, friends who had nothing planned on the weekend gamely agreed to join us on a day trip to ballenberg - an open air museum that featured switzerland as it once was, more than 100 years ago - the houses, mostly. it's amazing how different the architecture of buildings each canton had. it also featured "men at work", making lumber - trimming the trunks to make planks, among others. the day was great except for one factor - it was freezing cold and we were not-so dressed up for the occasion. i think temperature was around 3 degrees, it would have been fine if it wasn't so windy! but all in all, it was fun! we spent the whole day at the exhibit and took shelter inside the charming houses. we then capped the day with a very hot and spicy indian dinner in Interlaken. you can check out our photos here  the whole day was not enough for a by-foot expedition and freezing weather, so by 4pm we decided to leave - the place was just huge at 660,000sqm, we missed the alpine region of the exposition, which i think is really nice. maybe we can go there another day, but that will probably be next year already since the museum is closed from 1st november until 31st of march every year - necessarily, at wintertime. here's the map of the place, so the next time we come there we will be going thru the East Entrance Brienzwiler to see the Alpine, The Valais, Bernese Oberland and Ticino regions.  Labels: friends, swiss life, trips |