Simply Belle

I have been busy these days working OT, reason why I haven’t updated my blog for a while. A while ago, upon arriving home, I saw Tepsie had been playing with Mango a lot, and this was one particular trick that Mango liked to do. “Freeze that pose, let me get my camera!” I said. Of course, he didn’t hold still. Tepsie had to do take 2 for the photo shoot. Gotcha!

For some reasons, the only person who can make Mango do this trick is Tepsie. I tried it only to get bitten. It hurts when he bites. Ouch! Lexie tried it, too, but often times Mango just flew out of her hands.

Perhaps, we don’t have gentle hands like Tepsie.

By the way, Mango has been with us for 13 years. Not exactly sure, how old he is. And he still likes to perch on top of my monitor.

The moment he saw Tepsie pouring liquid soap in an empty container, he immediately flew on top of her head and raptly watched her. Look how inquisitive he was! He probably thought it was something he could nibble on.

15 Comments »

Zherwin said that the best time to photograph sunset is within half an hour before and after sunset. For some reasons though, our afternoon walk or evening walk, for that matter, is always too late for the perfect sunset photography. It is because we try to wait until the sun is no longer intense for a leisurely walk and by then it is too late for picture taking.

Yesterday, however, we drove to the park instead of walking so we might have gotten there in perfect timing for the sunset. Of course, everyday is a learning experience for me and am sure in time I will get better. But for now, enjoy the pictures that I managed to capture.

15 Comments »

Two days ago, I parked my vehicle outside Safeway store to deliver a parcel. I probably spent 2 minutes or so inside waiting for a signature from the designated clerk.

Then I came back to my vehicle, and as I was finishing what I was doing, a gentleman appeared from out of nowhere and handed me this beautiful rose. He said, “I am a retired postal employee; this rose is for you,” and hurriedly left the scene.

Me: Wait! What is your name and where are you from?

Gentleman: My name is Dennis C and I am from G, AZ., moving up here shortly.

Me: Welcome to our neighborhood.

Gentleman: Thank you.

Wow, that was a nice gesture from a nice gentleman on such a beautiful and warm day. It surely made my day. “But how I am going to keep it from wilting when I still have more than 5 hours ahead of me before I head home?” I asked myself. Coincidentally, I carried an extra bottle of water that day and without hesitation, submerged the stem in an attempt to try to prolong the life of this beautiful rose. I could easily find water should I become thirsty, I thought. I set it in a position that would prevent the bottle from tipping over. Of course, unavoidable things happened. I accidentally knocked the bottle over but managed to grab it quickly. Ohhh, the things I did just to save this rose.

Question for you: Has a stranger ever handed you a rose or something?

10 Comments »

Last Wednesday, we fetched Tepsie at the airport. We drove the van to Phoenix the second time since the last tire-blow-out episode. I insisted that we drive the other car because I didn’t feel safe in the van after the last incident but my husband thought that the truck was too cramped for us four, so was Lexie’s car. Therefore, we had no other choice but to drive the van.

I was praying hard that nothing would happen on our drive to and from Phoenix. My husband was driving cautiously a little below the speed limit. Fortunately, we made it to the Valley safe and unharmed. We deliberately drove to the airport half an hour late for Tepsie’s scheduled arrival so we didn’t have to wait long for her. It turned out that the plane arrived half an hour early so she waited in the baggage claim area for some time, worried that something bad might have happened on us.

When she saw Lexie and me coming, she was so happy and excited.

From the airport, we went to order some food for Tepsie at Best of Hongkong Dining in Phoenix. She was insanely hungry!

Then we proceeded home. We were going downhill on Beeline Highway driving at a speed below the speed limit, and all three of us tuned in to music, when I heard a big thump. Oh my, I couldn’t believe it was happening again. We had another tire blowout and this time it was the front tire. I was terrified and in disbelief! Our van started careening from side to side. My husband yelled, “Hang on! Hang on! There was a big drop off to our left, I thought for a moment, we would end up down the ravine, but my husband managed to maneuver the vehicle to the shoulder. And lucky, there weren’t any cars close to us when this happened or there could have been a collision.

The three of us; S, Tepsie, and me came out of the vehicle and stood dumbfounded at the sight of the vehicle. “This is not supposed to happen again,” I remarked. We just had a tire blowout three weeks ago. Were the tires installed in our van defective? Something is wrong. At that instant, my husband thought of suing the company. Hey, my whole family could have been killed, why not?

My husband started changing the tire with lots of help from Tepsie, while I was flagging some kind of colorful cloth to caution the motorists to slow down. Our car barely fit the shoulder of the highway. It did the trick! Most motorists got the message and moved to the left lane to give us more room. Suddenly, a guy driving a slow moving van stopped and offered help. Although we already got everything under control, we accepted his offer and let him help us. He hauled the wrecked tire into the back of our vehicle. Once he noticed that he was not needed anymore, he got in his car and continued on his journey. We thanked him for his act of kindness.

The following day, we brought the van to the dealer, and demanded a set of upgraded tires from a different brand. They didn’t give us a hard time and agreed to our wishes as if they knew what was going on. We also asked that we are compensated for the damages our van sustained. Unfortunately, this will take a little time and will require heaps of paperwork.

Fortunately, our four tires are brand new again; unfortunately, I have to drive the van around town in such an embarrassing condition for who knows how long. People will probably think that I am some kind of reckless driver. Yesterday, I showed the damages to a friend of mine at work. She was shocked to see it! I explained to her what happened. She suggested that I look the cooper tire up on the internet because she thought that there might be a lawsuit against them. Brilliant idea!

I didn’t realize there were lawsuits after lawsuits against Cooper Tires. http://www.onlinelawyersource.com/cooper_tires/problems.html

16 Comments »

Earlier, I switched my Saturday day off to Monday so I could come with Lexie to her college orientation. It was an overnight affair so that meant we had to take two cars, one for Lexie and one for us. The night before, we were discussing on who would ride with Lexie. Tepsie and I agreed that Daddy should sit next to Lexie, but Daddy insisted that Tepsie should ride with Lexie. Hehe, where do I fit in? Then I blurted out, “It is Daddy’s job to orient Lexie to her first drive ever on the fast lane.” He then gave his assent, though not quite eagerly. Why? Perhaps he is afraid of Lexie’s driving??

We were supposed to leave at 6:30 AM but we didn’t get out of the house until 6:45 AM and we still had to gas up the car. So, we actually got on the road at almost 7 AM for her 8:30 Am orientation. She drove ahead of us, under close scrutiny of her daddy, while Tepsie and I were right behind her in the different car. It was a 2-hour drive and I knew for sure that we were running behind.

Nevertheless, she was doing great, driving at a speed of 55 to 60 miles an hour. Her daddy advised her against overtaking slower vehicles. So, for the first hour, we were stuck behind slow folks. Oh well, better safe than sorry. Once the slower vehicles moved out of our way, driving became a breeze. It was as if we owned the road. She made it there 15 minutes late.

We quickly registered her, got the key to her room, and checked-in with the orientation staff. Then, we proceeded to her room to drop off her bags before heading to the first orientation event. On the way up, she met her twin friends from the same high school. Oh boy, she was happy to have stumbled upon them. The moment we arrived in her room, I immediately made the bed while she was checking out the closet, the bathroom, etc. I probably made her bed in 2 minutes.

We headed down right away as her friends were waiting for her downstairs. After their reunion, we went our separate ways.

Tepsie wanted to do some shopping for trendy clothes. “Shopping?” I asked myself. We just shopped not too long ago, and I am not ready for another shopping trip so soon. Ahh, what the heck, bahala na…hehe.

We entered Dillards first. Tepsie noticed some upscale shoes on sale. She tried on several pairs and found this cute one for $8, marked down from $70. Nice huh?

Then I browsed around and saw this pair for 75% off. I thought I could give this to my SIL who asked for a pair of shoes. Not bad eh? I got it for $15, marked down from $100.

Tepsie continued shopping in the next store and found this cute dress for only $20. First, she tried on the blue one and then the white one, but for some reason, this black dress looked the best on her. Simply elegant!

This last one is actually the most expensive one amongst her purchases: $23. She liked the color, design, and the fitting. It is good for casual wear.

Tepsie proudly showed all her purchases to Daddy who was waiting at the lobby of the mall. She paid for everything with her own hard-earned money.

Lexie came home today safe and sound. Thank God!

9 Comments »

Took this picture when we walked along the lake at twilight.
Yesterday late afternoon, my daughter S and I took advantage of the free concert at the park. The very popular local band, Junction 87, with its mix of classic, country, and a little rock and roll was performing, which I have yet to watch. Daughter A was not able to join us as she got invited to a birthday party. Said, she would look for us in the park if she chose to come home early. Of course, she didn’t make it.

We took folding chairs, the camera, of course, and extra clothes in case it got too cold. I noticed it wasn’t as crowded as the last week’s concert when Buddy Holly look alike, Mike Randall, inspired the crowd with ’50’s rock. The first question I asked my husband, who accompanied me that time, was ” Is he Buddy Holly?” From afar, there was a big resemblance especially with his black-rimmed glasses characteristic of the famous singer.

Anyway, S and I sat there for a while while I was taking pictures here and there. Half an hour later, when the sun faded over the horizon, we both agreed to pack and take a relaxing walk around the area instead. I would have better visibility of the crowd, and the horizon this way than sitting on the chair watching. I guess it is one way of saying that the music was not our cup of tea but it sounded good! The crowd was loving them.

Here are the pictures that I took at the concert. As you can see, the grass is a little bit on a greenish brown side. Well, for one thing, we haven’t had a trace of rain in a long while since March which is typical of Arizona. Hopefully, we’ll expect rain around July when the summer monsoon is due to arrive.

This bull dog was part of the crowd, too.

17 Comments »

Lexie and I have been walking along the lake lately. We usually circle the lake two to three times; one circle is equivalent to one mile. I normally don’t take the camera when I go for a walk because the kind I have is huge and heavy, which can be a drag. This afternoon, I opted to take my camera with my sights set on photographing Lexie and some interesting scenes in the park. I have never really captured good photos of my daughter because she disliked being photographed in the past. Now, at least, she is accommodating. Hallelujah!

The lake and the park are so beautiful and are just perfect for a leisurely tranquil walk. Even the goose was having fun, and didn’t mind being snapped. I remember one time, when a goose took a fancy of my husband. The goose tried pulling my husband’s trousers as if he was trying to lead S out into the water. And every time we tried to come around or near my husband, the goose chased us away with his long neck stretched out, honking and hissing. When my husband tried to get away from him (goose) by walking around the lake, he took a short cut across the water and intercepted my husband. It was so bizarre! From that experience, Lexie made sure she kept her distance from the silly goose.

Overall, it was a lovely afternoon and I am sure we are going to have more of this walk comes this summer with my two lovely girls and my husband.

15 Comments »

flowers in my garden

Chats @http://imomonline.net/and Grey Mom @ http://greymom.wordpress.com/ tagged me for 6 weird things about myself. Sorry it took so long to comply for it took me a while to enumerate all 6 of them. I was going to settle for 5 but I thought I would ask my husband for help. Here goes:

• I exercise late at night. I start at 10:30 PM and sometimes it goes until midnight when everybody is sound asleep. Ambience is set to a dim lighting so I will not disturb my husband. Lately though, I haven’t been exercising as often as I used to out of pure laziness

• I use my toe to pick everything off the floor. My husband gets a kick out of it. He thinks I belong to the monkey family. Perhaps, he is right. All I need is the tail to look like one…hehehe. Kidding aside, my toes have amazing grip and are very quick in picking up things. Must be from the experience I got from traversing the slippery uphill trail barefoot when I was a child hauling food for my family.

• I move my feet like a windshield wiper on warm nights to cool my feet off. I learned this nasty habit from my older brother. It drives my husband crazy, of course, so I keep it down to a minimum, or I do it when he is not around.

• My husband thinks that it is weird of me leaving the soap water in the sink overnight after I finish washing dishes. He loathes the idea of having to plunge his hands into the dirty water or sewer water as he calls it the following day when he has to use the sink. Well, the reason why I don’t drain the water right away is because I may have to wash more dishes later in the night, instead of starting a fresh soap water which is not economical. Problem is, I usually indeliberately leave it in the sink overnight!

• My mouth never runs idled…i nibble all day at work. NUTS, fruits, crackers, or whatever my hands can grab onto. Yesterday, i feasted on sweet cheeries while doing my job. hehehe, I just have to make sure there aren’t any tiny bits of food stuck in between my teeth when i smile to my customers.

• I share clothes with my teenagers and vice versa as long as it is okay with my them. If they say it looks good on me, then I leave it on. My younger daughter says just because you are a mom doesn’t mean you have to wear mom clothes. Atta girl!

I am tagging Dimpz, Eden, Maping, Elyani, K, and Joy Joy. Sorry, I haven’t quite mastered the art of linking yet but you know who you are.

18 Comments »

Tina tagged me for seven songs I am currently listening. For the last months, I have only been listening to my daughter’s original songs, and my husband and my younger daughter can vouch for its veracity. For me, nothing sounds better than hearing your children sing. It it very soothing and helps me unwind after a hard day’s work.

I don’t know how to transfer her songs to youtube so for now, I will direct you to her site: http://www.myspace.com/diveintoblue

At the Edge is my favorite and was recorded by some guy in Stanford U. She is going to cut a CD this summer and I am not sure if these two songs, “Just Like Me” and “Truth’s Failing” will be included. She has a few more songs (3) that I listen on a daily basis but I can’t it possibly share them with you right now because I don’t have a clue on how to post them here. She will be home in a week and will ask her for help. Tina, thanks for the tag. Smarie, thanks for the instuctions on linking.

9 Comments »

Just for fun, I asked Rachel (sorry, don’t know how to link the blog yet, str, help please!) to interview me with 5 questions.

1. Name one of life’s simple treasures: My garden is one of my life’s simple treasures. I enjoy going to the garden the moment I get home from work and get my hands dirty instead of wearing gloves. It sweeps my tiredness away and it revitalizes me.
2. Fill in the blank: Happiness is a matter of: Choice. Happiness is in our hands. We have total control of it. When we wake up in the morning, we have a choice of whether to be miserable at work or to be nice and happy. Of course, I choose the latter. We only live once, why mope about something we can’t do anything about.
3. Do you believe in miracles? If you do, have you personally experienced a miracle (big or small) that you would like to share? On our trip to the Philippines four years ago, I did something that I wouldn’t normally do. I packed the small green flotation for the first time. Had my husband known that I stuffed it in our suitcase, he would have asked me to leave it home. Little did I know that the flotation would save him from drowning. Now, he wants me to get rid of it.
4. Share a random pet peeve: It grosses me out when I see someone picking his nose in public and then he/she fork it over…eeekkk!! What a turn off!!
5. Name something that gives you a natural high: Excitement definitely gives me a natural high. When I took the test in the postal service 7 years ago, I wasn’t expecting a good score because it was a hard one. Lo and behold, I got a 100%. My husband said it was amazing the fact that I was having a lot of trouble with my memory. I had never been excited like that. I proved that I wasn’t so stupid after all.

Interview Rules:
1. Leave me a comment saying “Interview me.”

2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.

3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.

4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.

5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

15 Comments »