[Zei the MOM] Babypalooza!!

Tomorrow marks my maiden attempt at bazaar-ing. :) Will be one of the mommy vendors at the Babypalooza Bazaar tomorrow 9am-5pm at the Walter Hogan Conference Center at Ateneo. Will be selling mostly Zia's pre-loved stuff which are in mint condition since she used most of them once or twice only. Feeling both excited and nervous. Really hope I get some sort of profit, kahit small lang. :) 

I love how bazaars are evolving - like there are special bazaars like Babypalooza that provide moms a venue to sell their preloved stuff (others will be selling brand new stuff too). Hopefully lots of people drop by. :)

[Zei the charmed one] These two

These two are the reasons why I have a skip on my step each and every day, a smile on my face and an optimistic outlook in life. Because I have them - my husband and our daughter, Zia, I feel I have everything. :)

And because Christmas is just around the corner, I can't help but feel so giddy to be spending it with my favorite people in the world. :)

So to my husband and baby girl, thank you for being my happiness. Always. :)

Hope everyone's enjoying the last few weekends before Christmas!! :)

[Zei the charmed one] My take on weekends

This will be a quick post. I'd just like to share with you guys my simple take on weekends. I think weekends were made to make us feel how blessed we are. If on weekdays our life is all about work, the little stresses in between, some whining and asking and everything you could think about that doesn't involve the calm and relaxation that weekend brings, weekends give us that needed break to clear our minds and bring us back to the basics - the essentials - Family, love, fun and faith life. So there, I'm thankful for weekends -- but then again, I should feel blessed everyday and not just on weekends. :) You guys should too. :)

[Zei the MOM] Halloween Highlight

I've never been fond of Halloween... until this year. You see, to me, Halloween was just a marker that my favorite holiday -- Christmas, was just around the corner. But this year, because of our sweetheart, who manages to be more adorable by the day, Halloween has become a legit holiday for me. :) It's actually not Zia's first Halloween, although she was too little last year, we dressed her up as a caterpillar and a ladybug, but she seemed cranky and uninterested. Fast forward to this year, she more than obliged to have us dress her up. She went trick-or-treating like a pro despite being a first timer. Add to that, she knows how to walk on her own already and she likes clutching on to anything, so it wasn't difficult to get her to walk around and ask for treats. :) No tricks for this little girl. :) So here are some photos of our little Halloween Highlight, also known as Zia. :)

(L-R) Zia sporting her Batgirl costume for trick-or-treat at her cousin's place; Zia delighting  her audience as a Starbucks barista while trick-or-treating at my office 

Zia's jack-o-lantern bib bought online

Our baby girl - as bat-cheeks. Hehe. :) 

This is just the first of many Halloweens our sweetheart. We still have a lot of years to decide her costume for her until she chooses to be a sexy devil or a sexy pirate, which I saw teens don this Halloween - until then, we shall stay away from those and stick to the cutesy ones. :)

Hope you had your own Halloween fun and hope you also had time to spend with your family and loved ones for All Souls and Saints Day.

[Zei the foodie] Wishing for a jolly jeep renaissance

I love watching Eat St. in Lifestyle network whenever I catch it after work, never mind that the show always leaves me hungry and wishing I could be transported to the streets of San Francisco, California and New York to get a bite of all the yummy and interesting food they feature.

The show features the food truck invasion in the US wherein different cuisines from all parts of the world are sold by food trucks - food so yummy, the goers sometimes line up for quite some time just to buy these hunger busters that they say could easily rival food from fine dining restaurants. 

Watching Eat St. has made me wish for a revamp of our very own Jolly Jeep. I worked in Makati for 2 and a half years before and I used to buy lunch and merienda from these Jolly Jeeps, but I truly believe in my heart of hearts that these fast food on wheels could take their game a notch higher. Wishing that someday maybe the best Greek Gyro, Mexican Taco, New York Cheesecake or other what-have-yous could be bought from our very own Jolly Jeeps and just like in the US, eating in the streets might never be the same again.

Just thinking out loud. :)

This post has gotten me hoping to cap off this weekend with yummy food. =p 

[Zei on Career & Passion] Bangkok Files Part 1

I'm lucky to have a job that allows me to go to different places. My most recent out of the country trip for work took me to Thailand for the first time. =) And as a first timer, here are some of the things I think one should do when in Bangkok:

Photo collage made using www.photovisi.com / All photos were taken by me

1) Shop, shop, shop - I didn't do much of this since I was out on official business, but if I had the time and extra money, I'd shop to my heart's content. Platinum Mall is filled with lots of trendy and cheap clothes while Siam Paragon has the upscale shops for your designer fix.

2) Eat Mango with Sticky Rice - It's super yummy. It's like our native suman, but sweeter and more sticky with sweet yummy mango and rice crispies on top. =)

3) Have Tom Yum - Yup, there's nothing better than eating Tom Yum in its country of origin. Yum! Indeed.

4) Ride the tuktuk - This one is just for the experience I guess, since they charge differently especially if they notice you're not a local.

5) Visit a temple - I didn't get to visit the old and big temples since I was in the city, but I was lucky to chance upon this holy place in the middle of the city while walking. The temples were small, but grand none the less.

6) Ride the Skytrain - It's the easiest way to get around Bangkok, I think, since traffic is bad when you take a cab.

7) Go to Terminal 21 - For a unique shopping experience, this new mall, Terminal 21 is a great destination. Though the stuff sold are a bit pricier, the ambiance is worth taking the trip. It's designed like an airport and each floor is designed like a different country or city. Every floor transports you to a different place - from London, US, Japan to Rome and Paris.

So there, that's just my bit from my trip to Bangkok. Would love to go back for leisure soon. =)

[Zei the MOM] Sweet & Nautical for our sweetheart!

This is a late post, but blog-worthy none the less. =) Just sharing with you our Zia's 1st birthday blowout in pictures. Yep, will let these captured wonders speak for themselves. =)

{The Setup} - styling by Pink Tie

{Food & Table setup} - by VS&F

{The wonderful guests - big, small, young and young at heart}

{Our happy family}

{The celebrant}

And just like that, our baby girl is now a year old. And I shall end this photo blog with a line from our video message for our daughter which we showed during her celebration - 'we may not be the perfect parents, but we promise to love you, our Zia, every second of everyday, the best way we can and the best way we know how to. =)

Have a wonderful wonderful weekend everyone!

All photos by Owi of The Stork Studio.