Welcome to Ryken's Clubhouse

What's Sulit, Mama?

2012-01-30T15:54:00.000+08:00

the next Bench model :)

We are loyal customers of 'Cuts for Tots' SM The Block. We were assigned to Kuya William, Ryken's 1st barber here. We chose this haircut because it is presko and it fits his looks. Hay, big boy na ang anak ko. Ang ama, bumili pa ng Bear Necessities Extra Gentle Styling Gel for Kids para raw maaayusan ang anak niya kapag may lakad. :) Tamang-tama pa, Nido Jr. ang milk ni Ryken. Yun nga lang, hindi niya kilala kung sino si Bimby, hehe.. :)

Ryken's 2nd Birthday Weekend: Mommy Milkshake Marathon

2012-01-27T10:38:00.003+08:00

The Mommy Milkshake Marathon (MMM) was held last August 14, 2011 at Bonifacio Global City (BGC). It's a yearly activity organized by Mommy Mundo to celebrate World Breastfeeding Month. We chose to join the run to cap off Ryken's birthday weekend. :)

Our Macau Holiday (October 2011): Day 2 (Senado Square, St. Paul Ruins, Camoes Garden, Macau Tower-Skywalk X, Macau Airport)

2012-01-25T13:42:00.010+08:00

I did a lot of research prior to our trip and most of the info I got came from the Macau Thread of PinoyExchange (PEx). Thanks to commoner and rap_sd6 who created the thread and to all the PExers who contributed. :)

We were a party of 5 adults and 1 kid (a senior at 62yrs, then 29, 26, 25, and 18 yrs old, and a 2yr-old-kid). The promo tickets were bought in February 2011 (tagal ng paghihintay, hehe).

OCTOBER 31, 2011, Monday (Senado Square, St. Paul Ruins, Camoes Garden, Macau Tower-Skywalk X, Macau Airport: MACAU - CLARK)
It's the last day of our holiday. :) The little boy woke up late again and we were able to leave Hotel Sintra at 12:30pm. I advised the front desk that we will be a bit late 'coz they might charge us for late check-out. After leaving our baggage with the concierge, we walked to Senado Square.

natuwa ang bata sa upuan

checking-out

our baggage at the concierge

Hotel Sintra lobby

rickshaw :)

Senado Square was just near Hotel Sintra and there were green directional signs on the street dedicated to tourists that you can follow.

the directional signs

I didn't expect Senado Square to be small. It looked big in pictures and movies. We went inside St. Dominic's Church to pray.

the famous landmark where Aga and Angelica met, hehe.. :)

St. Dominic's Church

the altar

thank you, Lord, for all Your blessings :)

Our Macau Holiday (October 2011): Day 1 (Macau Ferry Terminal, Cotai Strip: City of Dreams, Hard Rock, Venetian)

2012-01-24T17:58:00.005+08:00

*(this portion on the ferry ride was copied from Day 4 of our HK Holiday)

Upon arriving the Hong Kong Ferry Terminal (which was around 5:00PM), I quickly went to the NWFF booth and bought tickets for the Kowloon-Macau 5:30PM trip (HKD166 each). Ryken should have a ticket even if he's only two years old (but this wasn't checked when we boarded, sayang!). The terminal is similar to the Batangas Port :) Hubby and my brother went to 7-Eleven to use up the remaining credits of our octopus cards and they bought Yakult, water, and some biscuits.

After a few minutes, I heard boarding announcements in Chinese and it was a bit inaudible because of the noise of passengers in the terminal. I was aware that we have to board at least 10 minutes before departure time. It was around 5:25PM already and when I listened again to the announcement (now in English), it was already the last call for boarding!! We ran from the pre-departure area all the way to the ferry as I saw some Chinese also running. Haha! Another Amazing Race episode in our holiday. :)

The fastcraft was huge and roomy and it was bigger than our local Supercat. There were only a few passengers and the ferry left on the dot. We sat at the middle part of the ferry. The trip was smooth except for some portions where I almost felt like I would vomit (blame it on the Yakult I drank earlier, har!). My sister-in-law who was a first-timer on a ferry got seasick and she forgot to bring Bonamine. My mom hails from Victoria, Oriental Mindoro so we're used to riding fastcrafts and ro-ro ferries. Even Ryken wasn't troubled by the waves but when we were near the Macau Ferry Terminal, he cried a bit and slept on my lap. Baka nahilo na rin.

Bye, HK! (view from the ferry)

Macau Friendship Bridge (view from the ferry)

as we approached the Macau Ferry Terminal

We were able to exit the ferry terminal at around past 7pm. The trip lasted for 1hour and 10minutes and immigration was a breeze. Don't forget to get Macau maps at the Tourism office which is by the entrance door of the terminal. After customs, look for the sign that says Exit to Hotel Shuttle Buses and upon exit, turn left. The shuttle of Hotel Sintra (small red van) is in the same stop as that of Grand Emperor Hotel (their bus is purple in color with a number 88 on the body). We met a Filipino there who was holding a sign of a hotel (can't recall which one) and we chatted a bit. It took a while for the Sintra shuttle to arrive. Its first stop is Grand Lisboa then 2nd stop is Hotel Sintra.

our hotel room

finally, some breathing space! hehe..

naka-peace sign kami ('di nga lang nakita)

I booked two standard non-smoking rooms directly at Hotel Sintra's website and they replied promptly to my reservation. You don't have to pay for anything but they request for credit card details to secure your booking. There's also a deposit of MOP1,000.00 per room upon arrival which is refundable upon check-out. We got two standard rooms and one of us was a sneak-in. They weren't strict at all but of course, we did it discreetly. My hubby fetched my brother who waited in the lobby while we were all fixing our things in the room. The security guard on duty at that time was a Filipino who was a new OFW in Macau (isang buwan pa lang siya roon).

Our Hong Kong Holiday (October 2011): Day 4 (Victoria Harbour, Nan Lian Garden, Ferry Terminal: Kowloon-Macau)

2012-01-20T17:01:00.006+08:00

I did a lot of research prior to our trip and most of the info I got came from the Hong Kong Thread of PinoyExchange (PEx). Thanks to commoner who created the thread and to all the PExers who contributed. :)

We were a party of 5 adults and 1 kid (a senior at 62yrs, then 29, 26, 25, and 18 yrs old, and a 2yr-old-kid). The promo tickets were bought in February 2011 (tagal ng paghihintay, hehe).

OCTOBER 30, 2011, Sunday (Victoria Harbour & Nan Lian Garden / Kowloon-Macau)
We woke up early today (even the little boy) to attend the 8:45AM English mass at Rosary Church. We checked-out early from Golden Crown Guesthouse and left our luggage at the front desk. However, when we were about to leave for the mass, Ryken pooped (and it's the first time he did it since we arrived in HK. Thank you, Lord!) so I looked for another chapel that had a later schedule. I found St. Peter's Church at Mariner's Club which had an English mass at 10:00AM. It was just near Golden Crown but when we arrived there, the doors were already closed because the chapel was full. We chanced upon a Filipina named Ate Mel, who told us that chapels in HK are very small so they easily fill up. We chatted for a while and we told her that we were going to Victoria Harbour and she offered to accompany us there.

with Ate Mel, Filipina in HK

the Clock Tower

newlyweds we met (simple lang daw ang kasal dito per Ate Mel)

fountain at 1881 Heritage Hotel

at Victoria Harbour

on a walkalator inside the MTR station

We saw the Hong Kong Museum of Art and Space Museum near the harbor. We skipped Avenue of Stars because it was really hot (near noontime already). Tambay muna kami sa Starbucks sa Museum of Art and had snacks. I bought Starbucks City Mugs there, of course, for my collection (got Hong Kong, China, and Macau). :)

Next stop was Nan Lian Garden near Diamond Hill MTR Station. I loved how the garden contrasted with the high-rise buildings. It was like merging the ancient period with the modern times. The place was so quiet and relaxing and admission is free! :) Ryken actually pooped again here and I was so thankful that there's a diaper-changing area in the restroom. It was also well-maintained and clean.

Run, Ryken, Run! :)

Our Hong Kong Holiday (October 2011): Day 3 (Ocean Park Hong Kong, Tsim Sha Tsui)

2012-01-20T11:08:00.010+08:00

We were a party of 5 adults and 1 kid (a senior at 62yrs, then 29, 26, 25, and 18 yrs old, and a 2yr-old-kid). The promo tickets were bought in February 2011 (tagal ng paghihintay, hehe).

OCTOBER 29, 2011, Saturday (Ocean Park HK & TST)
The HK Thread of PEx would advise to never do Disneyland and Ocean Park on two consecutive days. In our case however, we had no choice but to do it since we only had about three days to spend in Hong Kong (excluding travel time).

Ryken woke up late again so we were able to leave Golden Crown at around noon. We first went to Mirador Mansion to exchange money at Wing Hoi (1US $ = 7.75 HKD, lower than last October 27) then we looked around to shop for souvenirs. We found the Cinderford stall owned by two sisters (one was named Alice) and bought several pasalubongs there. :)

Here's the pricelist of the souvenirs:
-Hongkong printed shirts (varied designs and magandang uri ng tela): 5 white color for 100HKD then 4 black color for 100HKD
-HK magnets (yung parang 3d ba na painted): 8pcs for 100HKD
-round compact mirrors and round-shaped bag holders: 6pcs for 100HKD
-wallets for ladies (yung pahaba na kasya nang buo ang bills): 5pcs for 100HKD
-HK baseball caps: 5pcs for 100HKD
-assorted keychains: 6pcs for 50HKD

ang mga nag-hoard :)

careful, baby, wala tayong pambayad diyan

Ni hao ma :)

Ryken likes this little umbrella (but we didn't buy this, hehe)

After shopping, we went back to Golden Crown to deposit our loot and to buy our discounted Ocean Park tickets (HKD240.00 each). Sayang nga kasi it was only HKD220.00 when we arrived pero nag-increase ang Golden Crown on this same day (October 29). 'Di kasi ako agad bumili, oh well. We ate lunch at KFC near the hostel. We ordered the KFC Variety Bucket na may 4 original and 4 flava crava (a bit spicy bbq) chicken, 2 mushroom rice, 2 chicken a la king rice, 4 egg tarts, criss-cut fries, 1 box of hotshots(9pcs), 4pcs hot wings, 4 softdrinks then we had additional two sofdrinks, one chicken a la king rice and one mushroom rice for HKD 191.80. Mura na rin. :) They don't serve gravy, you have to pay additional pa so di na kami nag-gravy, haha! Beside KFC is Hoixe Cake Shop (recommended by fellow PExer, delisyus) which is similar to Bread Talk and we bought bread, egg tart, and cake (total of HKD57.50 yung orders namin) for baon to Ocean Park.

sign of Hoixe Cake Shop

daming customers

masarap ang bread and cakes nila :)

We took the MTR to Admiralty and rode Bus 629 to Ocean Park. I think we arrived the park at around 4pm already and we had a problem with our baon because they weren't allowed by the park attendants! I read from other blogs that we could bring our own food. :( We went outside again and since we cannot eat them all at once (we bought a lot, hehe), we just hid them inside our bags. Buti nakalusot :D

Our Hong Kong Holiday (October 2011): Day 2 (Hong Kong Disneyland)

2012-01-19T14:40:00.015+08:00

We were a party of 5 adults and 1 kid (a senior at 62yrs, then 29, 26, 25, and 18 yrs old, and a 2yr-old-kid). The promo tickets were bought in February 2011 (tagal ng paghihintay, hehe).

OCTOBER 28, 2011, Friday (HK Disneyland)
Today was Ryken's day! Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is his favorite show (it's the theme of his 2nd birthday) so we were all sure that he would be delighted to see the Clubhouse gang in person. :)

The little boy woke up late (around 10:00am) so we were able to leave Golden Crown at noon. I didn't wake him up and let him rest else he might get cranky. We ate breakfast at the hostel. We brought 3-in-1 coffee (Nescafe Sweet 'N Mild and Original Flavor), Nissin Mini Seafood Cup Noodles (which was a mistake because HK is a noodle country! argh.), buns, and peanut butter. Solb na kami :) We bought mineral water from a nearby convenience store and just refilled the bottle in the hostel since there's free purified water in the lobby. We also brought this as baon 'coz as I read from other blogs / trip reports, mineral water / softdrink is expensive in Disneyland.

Mickey train

We arrived Hong Kong Disneyland at around 1pm and we were able to enter the park at around 2pm since we had a looong photo session before entering (excited tourists! hehe..).

love this pic

see the pumpkins? :)

It was Halloween and Disney was decorated for the occasion. We rented a stroller for Ryken so it would be easier for him to move around. The stroller had a name tag so it won't get mixed up with the others. Rental fee is HKD60.00 but there's a deposit of HKD100.00 (if I remember correctly) which will be given back to you when you return the stroller.

the Mickey Mouse pose

Sleeping Beauty's Castle

Our Hong Kong Holiday (October 2011): Day 1 (Tsim Sha Tsui, Victoria Peak)

2012-01-18T11:40:00.018+08:00

We were a party of 5 adults and 1 kid (a senior at 62yrs, then 29, 26, 25, and 18 yrs old, and a 2yr-old-kid). The promo tickets were bought in February 2011 (tagal ng paghihintay, hehe).

OCTOBER 27, 2011, Thursday (Diosdado Macapagal International Airport: CLARK-HONG KONG, Tsim Sha Tsui, Victoria Peak)

the kid is excited! :)

checking-in

at the tarmac

inside the plane

We took the 7:05am flight in Clark. We brought our own vehicle and left it at DMIA's carpark. Mukhang safe naman kasi gated and guarded siya (at nasa loob ng former military base, hehe). Umpisa pa lang ng biyahe nakakapagod na kasi maaga kaming nagising para sa flight. We traveled for an hour from Meycauayan, Bulacan to Clark. Toll fee was Php45.00 at Meycauayan exit then in Angeles, Php153.00. In the airport, we paid Php1,620.00 travel tax for each adult then for Ryken, Php1,010.00 (reduced tax rate of Php810.00 + Php200.00 processing fee). Terminal fee in DMIA was Php600.00 for each passenger (no discount for seniors or kids).

Lahat ng kinatatakutan ko sa immigration officers (IOs), walang nangyari. I just wrote my position title (records officer) and walang hinanap na papel or company IDs. Hindi rin hinanapan mga kasama ko, probably since nakita nilang family kaming magtravel. Tinanong lang kung kaninong anak yung bata (sa akin!), kung ilang days kami at kelan ang balik. I just showed the IO our return ticket when she asked when we’ll come back.

We also bought food inside the plane dahil sa maaga nga kaming nagising at nagutom na rin kami. Over sa mahal! Mineral water was Php50.00, hot choco was Php80.00, cafe mocha was Php80.00 also and ham and cheese croissant was Php100.00. Nakakaloka!

at the tube upon arrival at HKIA

with the captain and my sis-in-law na first-timer sa plane

On time ang CebPac, galing! And we landed 25minutes earlier than scheduled so around 8:30am nasa HK na kami. Haba ng pila sa immigration. Nainis pa yung HK IO sa amin kasi yung mom ko and sis-in-law humiwalay sa amin ng pila tapos nung nakitang mauuna kami, lumipat sila sa line namin (magkatabi lang kasi yung pila). Hindi pala gusto ng mga IOs na ganun palipat-lipat so he told us to separate. Kaso di namin naintindihan kung ano ang gusto niyang mangyari kasi nga alam ko dapat sama-sama sa immigration officer kung family na nagtravel so sabi na lang n’ya “Oh, don’t bother!” tapos kinuha na lahat ng passports namin. Then kinausap na in Chinese yung katabi nya, siguro para magrant. Hahaha! :)

hala takbo!

first-timers sa HK

Ang tagal namin sa loob ng airport kasi picture-picture pa and I can’t find the China Travel Service (CTS) booth. ‘Di ko na kasi nareview uli yung video ni pretty sa pinoyexchange HK thread. Nasa dulo pala sa right yun.

the CTS Booth in HKIA

Upon exiting customs, foreign exchange, etc., derecho lang pala hanggang dulo, nasa right side puro travel agencies. Dalawa ang booths ng CTS pero isa lang yung nag-entertain sa akin that time, yung A04 booth.

CTS Pricelist:

Disneyland (Adult) HKD340.00

Disneyland with 3-in-1 Dining Coupon (Adult) HKD413.00

the booth where you buy Octopus cards at HKIA

CURRENCY EXCHANGE AT AIRPORT: 1USD = 7.08HKD

My sister-in-law had to exchange 100USD in the airport kasi wala pa siyang baong HKD. Kami naman we bought HKD in Czarina a few days before our flight and exchange was 1HKD = 5.62Php. We also bought octopus cards for our easy travel around Hong Kong.

Ryken's 2nd Birthday: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

2012-01-12T12:31:00.006+08:00

(This is a super duper late post. His birthday is August 12)

My dearest son's birthday fell on a Friday so it was easy to invite guests to the celebration. We had two gatherings: a lunch get-together in the office with godparents and officemates then dinner at our apartment with relatives.

For lunch, we had inihaw na bangus from Bangusan at Roces Avenue, pinakbet and igado (cooked by my mom-in-law), lettuce-pineapple-quail egg salad, and bacon-wrapped crabsticks.


with godparents and officemates (ubos na food!)

with Ninong Astro (di siya nakasama sa group pic)

My mother-in-law cooked most of the dishes for the family dinner (so thankful to her 'coz she's a good cook!). We had igado, pinakbet, steamed bangus in soy sauce with tomato, and pansit bihon/canton. Then my yaya cooked spaghetti (just a small batch), lumpiang shanghai (made by the househelp of my in-laws), and hotdogs-on-stick. I also ordered crispy pata from my officemate (we love the taste because the pata is steamed with herbs), then my cousin bought ice cream for dessert.

the buffet table

As for the cake, I baked it myself. :) It's a chocolate cake (recipe from www.joyofbaking.com) and I covered it with marshmallow fondant (which was a bit soft and sticky that some parts broke apart but I was able to cover them with star shapes). Not bad for a first-timer in making fondant icing but I hope to perfect it in time. It was a bit tedious though. I wanted the cake to have a train but the figure I made looked more like a car so I just made a street and then added my brother's Pluto squeeze toy since it matches the color scheme of the cake (parang underwater nga ang colors, hehe).

blowing the birthday candle

I chose the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme because it's Ryken's favorite. He has two DVDs of that show and he never tires watching them. :) For the decor, I bought balloons from Lollipop Balloons in E. Rodriguez (just the size10 and some Mickey-shaped balloons that turned out to be bear balloons 'coz I can't inflate the ears properly). I made balloonderitas and attached them to the stairs and put the bear balloons on sticks and placed them on the tables.

the birthday boy tapping the balloonderitas one by one

Pencil Doodles on the Study Table

2011-09-26T16:58:00.003+08:00

Last Thursday night, I was preparing the table for dinner when I suddenly noticed some marks on Ryken's study table.

the-table-turned-paper

the left side, ang may pinakamatinding scribble

Nabinyagan na ni Ryken ang kanyang study table. What's amazing is, there are marks on all sides!


the center part (the one in front of you when you're seated)


the right side


and the back side (when you're seated)

It seems that Ryken did this while his Yaya Angie was busy preparing and cooking dinner. Kaya pala sabi ni Yaya, ang tahimik daw ng bata, hehe.

Yaya Angie tried to remove the pencil marks by scrubbing the table with a wet rag but she wasn't successful. I thought of using a pencil eraser (the one on top of pencils) and thankfully, it worked! However, if you look closely at the table, there are still visible albeit lighter marks.

Mukhang nakakaintindi rin naman si Ryken dahil tumulong sa aking magbura ng mga sulat niya, hehe..

here I am busy erasing the pencil marks

I look forward to more surprises from you, dear Ryken! :)

On Turning Two

2011-07-14T10:25:00.002+08:00

In a few weeks, my baby popot will turn two years old!! Exciting!
I am so proud that Ryken's growing as an ever curious, smart, energetic, and happy toddler!

He explores imaginative play.

his crayon as a lotion bottle

teddy bear on his wagon


here his teddy bear rides his bike

toys inside the tent first

going in

nasan na ang toys? hehe..

He loves balloons of any color, shape, size.

with smiley

Under The Table

2011-06-23T11:31:00.002+08:00

Ryken has this habit of going under the table when he needs to poopoo. His aunt (hubby's sister) used to do it, too, when she was little. When he grew older, however, he seemed to enjoy doing it while playing "habulan" with his papa.

Maybe next time he'll fancy going on top of the table or the chair, hehe..

Breaking China (1st Casualty: Corelle Plate)

2011-06-01T17:02:00.001+08:00

This is the first plate that Ryken broke.

We were eating dinner last night. He was standing on his chair and toying with his yaya's food and plate. Then.. the plate fell on the floor and broke.

It's a Corelle plate with a nice flower border design. It was a wedding gift from my Ninang Beng.

Well, the good thing was Ryken was not hurt. I gave him a bit of scolding though. But I think he didn't fully understand what happened. We will just be more careful next time.

Ryken's 1st Chinese Costume

2011-05-30T16:35:00.001+08:00

This terno was bought by his Ninang K and Ninong Oliver in Beijing last January.

welcome to the temple, hehehe..

Ryken seemed to like it. :)

his "pout your lips" pose

Ni hao ma. :D

Toddler Passport Application at DFA Aseana on a Saturday

2011-05-27T13:19:00.004+08:00

Just wanted to share my experience in applying for my then 19-month-old son's passport last March 26, 2011 at DFA Aseana. Siya lang ang kinuhanan ko since yung passports naming mag-asawa will expire in 2013 pa.

I scheduled the appointment online last January. Since I usually wake up late on a Saturday, I got the latest schedule which is 11:30am. We almost did not make it, hehe. We arrived DFA at 11:50am and parked at the vacant lot just across the office. The guard allowed both me and hubby to enter even if si Ryken lang ang may appointment. We went first to the appointment verification counter then to the waiting area for document verification. Pagpasok nga namin sa loob, saktong sinarado na ang gate. :)

Wow, ang daming tao!! We were 2nd to the last in line. All the while I thought we can pay for the regular processing worth Php950.00. Yun pala, if your appointment is on a Saturday, you will pay Php1,200.00 dahil special schedule na raw yun at considered overtime for the employees. Ngek! Nalaman ko kasi yun nung malapit na kami sa unahan ng line. Kung nalaman ko lang agad, sana pala umakyat na kami sa 2nd floor since I am a government employee and I can use the courtesy lane. Hindi naman kasi kami nagmamadaling kumuha ng passport. Though mabilis namang gumalaw ang pila dahil maraming counters ang bukas.

The officer at the document verification window got Ryken's application and orig birth certificate, a xerox copy of our marriage certificate, and the photocopy of my passport. I signed the Affidavit of Consent to Travel sa application kasi so it was the copy of my passport that they attached to the form. I prepared all the supporting documents, orig with xerox copies, kaya kita agad ng officer and he just returned to me the copies na hindi na kailangan.

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Love-Hate Relationship with Water

2011-05-27T12:37:00.007+08:00

Ryken likes bathing in a pail or batya.

He's not fond of the beach or the swimming pool.

His first beach encounter was in Puerto Galera at 6 1/2 months old.

His next beach experience was in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte at 7 1/2 months old.

He never liked it.

Read more >>

Bye-Bye, Ate Male (Marie)

2011-05-26T16:32:00.003+08:00

Last May 14, Ryken's yaya, Ate Angie, and her daughter, Anamarie, left for their home in Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro. It's just a vacation for our yaya but for Marie, she has decided to stay there again after spending a year with us. She was my mom's companion in Tandang Sora since we now live in Meycauayan. My mom enrolled her in a public high school near our place and she went there as a 2nd year student for SY 2010-2011. It proved difficult for her because she had to adjust to the teaching style here and the additional expenses, too, which were very different from her school in Mindoro. I always assisted her with her assignments and projects. She contributed a lot to the preparations for Ryken's 1st birthday celebration. She was a big help to my mom, and she took good care of my pet dog, Batsing.

Ryken fondly calls her "Ate Male" and he considers her as his playmate. Marie loves kids and I really saw how affectionate she was with Ryken.

We will surely miss you, Ate Male! Take care and see you again. :)