Spring Time at the Beach

Although it just turned spring it's still quite cold. Last weekend, however, the sun came out and it was warming up to almost summer temperatures. We decided to be spontaneous and packed the kids up for a morning at the beach!



It turned out to be a great day. The calm waters and the clear blue skies was the perfect recipe to shake off the winter blues. The water was still freezing cold but the kids didn't seem to mind as they screamed in delight every time they jumped into the water. There was hardly any wind and the day was a wonderful 27ºC warm so after the beach we decided to stick around and let the kids play at the nearby playground. We had a late lunch of fish and chips at the kiosk in front of the playground to cap our spontaneous beach excursion.



At least we got to enjoy that day because today's weather has gone back to gloomy and rainy!

School Liturgy

Last week our girl brought home a note from her teacher telling us about a school function that they were going to have. Normally they would have weekly school liturgies or even masses and this time it was our girl's class' turn to host it. We were pleasantly surprised that she was picked to read the gospel in front of the whole school. It was nice to know that our child was doing well enough in school to be given this chance.

This morning they had the liturgy and the wife and I and our boy went to the school to attend. It was a simple ceremony as normally our parish priest, who would usually celebrate mass, was on leave. The kids did a few songs and some children did the opening prayers then our little girl stood up to do her reading. She took the mike in hand and started reading. She did wonderfully. She didn't miss any words and read clearly and slowly just like we practised.

We were so proud to see her becoming so confident and independent. I think she even impressed a few people today. This event reminds me of times when I used to read the gospel in the Holy Child Hospital chapel when I was growing up!

Right now, she's beside me writing about her day. In fact, I'll copy down what she wrote (including the colours!) and let her tell you how she did.

Today I had a liturgy. I felt a little nervous. But, I just read. I did not feel nervous after. I felt normal.

This what she read out today.

Gospel: Luke 11:9-13

So I say to you: ask, and it will be given to you; search and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened. What father here would give his child a stone when they ask for bread? Or give them a snake instead of a fish? If you then know how to give your children what they need, just imagine the goodness of what Our God can give to those who ask.

All in all, a good day and another proud parenting moment... :)

Spring is in the Air

Finally, winter comes to an end and the gardens around us begin to look alive with colours. What is surprising though is that some of these blooms belong to our very own garden! I must admit, since we moved to this house more than 3 years ago, we never really bothered to take care of the garden apart from hiring somone to mow the lawn every 6 weeks or so. A couple of months ago, we took an interest in it by taking out a lot of weeds and planting a few herbs and flowers in pots. There was one pot that the kids got involved in by planting seeds for flowers called anemones. And now, almost 3 months later we are enjoying the fruits of our labor .... they have started to bloom! I think I am the one most excited about this development, after all I have been regularly watering and watching them with great anticipation. Here are some photos of the flowers in bloom at our garden:



Now that there are a few blooms in the garden, what do we do with them? How can I make them last a bit longer? Bianca gave me a great idea this morning at the markets. She saw a shallow glass bowl and suggested we cut the flowers and make them float inside ... what a great idea!

Kid Funnies Part 15

It's not always that our kids get along with each other. They do have their own share of fights and little squabbles. Like today, we were loading the kids in the car and they got into a fight over some toy they each wanted but didn't share. The girl cried first and the boy followed suit.

They were both bawling in the back seat and we tried to make them share the toy but they both wanted it their own way. So, in frustration, I told them that I wouldn't be starting the car until they both quieted down.

I took some tissues and gave them one each. The boy reached for one, wiped his face and promptly said, "I'm happy now!". We all burst out laughing, including the girl through her erstwhile tears.

Smart Questions

Lately, we've been getting a lot of smart questions from the little girl ... here's a few we got recently:

#1
B. Mommy, why do you love me?
M: I love you because you're my daughter.

#2
B: Mommy, why did you choose me to be your baby?
M: I think God chose you to be our baby, and somehow put you into my tummy.
B: But why did God choose me to be the first baby, and not Nico?
M: Maybe God knew you would be a good big sister to Nico.

#3
B: Mommy, you make a lot of things by yourself (as she was eating my home baked pudding) , did you make me ?
M: No, I did not make you all by myself ... Daddy helped too. Actually, God made you for me and your Daddy.
B: Wow, God made a lot of things didn't he .... but who made God?
M: That's a very interesting question! Maybe God has been there all along.


At the rate she's been asking me these kind of questions, I may soon run out of credible answers!

Library Days

I've always loved libraries. In elementary school I've looked forward to library days and I can almost even remember the first book I've checked out. Unfortunately, public libraries are non-existent in the Philippines and after elementary school the only way I could read new books was if we acquired them ourselves. Our parents did right by us by getting as many books as they could. We had encyclopaedias, surplus American school textbooks, and the occasional new books from National Book Store. When I reached teenage years I probably read all the books in our household from cover to cover.

One of the happy surprises I've found about living in Australia has been the availability of free libraries to its residents. It was here that I realised what a public library should be. Our local library isn't just a place to borrow books but one can also borrow up to date magazines and periodicals, CD's, DVD's and even sports equipment for free. You can even book time for free internet as well. Heck, our library even carries the latest graphic novels! It's a terrific place and one that's influenced my kids heavily when it comes to them reading early.

One thing I love about our library is the online book catalogue and reservation system. I spend my time at home on the net just browsing through and reserving books online. Then, I just pop down to the library to pick them up at a designated spot when the books are ready. Because our city shares the books throughout its library system, I don't have to wait for a book to be available just at my local library. The online catalogue searches throughout the several libraries in my city council area and brings it all into my local library down the road when they're available.

Our family has spent many an afternoon at the local library just browsing and borrowing books to take home. The kids love visiting and we'd come home with a bag full of kids books which they'd read before their bedtime. They already have their own library cards and are always keen to use them when they get the chance. I'm glad to have been able to impart my love of reading to our kids and I hope it helps them out later in life.

Austraila 2- Kuwait 0

The new look Australian Soccerroos debuted tonight with a rousing 2 nil victory over Kuwait.  Goals courtesty of Sasho Petrovski and Adelaide's own Travis Dodd.  It was a nail biting moment there as the 2 goals actually came in the last 15 minutes of the match.  Australia now has qualified for the Asian Cup championships next July.   

A little bit of history here but this is the first time Australia is in the Asian confederation and the Asian Cup finals.  It's always been part of the Oceanic Confederation which has not provided more skilled opponents.  With being part of Asia, Australia will have a chance to compete with high caliber teams like China, Japan and Korea on a regular basis.

The Matilda's have made an impressive debut and now it's the men's team's turn to show us what they're made of.  Mind you, this Soccerro's team that brough us to the Asian Cup is a totally different team from a month ago in the World Cup Championships.  Most of those guys are playing in Europe and were unable to play for this game.  This new team is composed mainly of local A-Leauge players.  They had a tetative start in tonight's game but they quickly gelled togethr as the game wore on.  Kuwait's goalkeeper was kept on his toes for most of the match and stopped quite a few shots in the first half.  In the end Australia just wore down the defense and produced a great result.

There was supposed to be another game scheduled against Lebanon here in Adelaide but because of the war over there, Lebanon's pulled out of the Asian Cup so they cancelled the match.  Too bad, we already bought tickets for it.  So I guess I'd have to be content with watching the Australian team on TV for the moment.

Am I sounding too much like a football junkie? :)

Weekend Furniture Assembling

We spent the better part of the weekend IKEA-fying our house some more. We were finally able to get the kids their beds and a few more pieces of furniture. The thing with IKEA is that one of the reasons they are cheap(ish) is that they sell all, well, most of their furniture with some assembly required. A few people get turned off by that and sometimes get intimidated by the thought of putting things together. The wife and I sort of enjoy that sort of thing. We were able to put a list together and came back from IKEA with 2 beds, a tall storage shelf, a bookcase, a dining table and 4 chairs and a large comfy chair with a footstool.

Yeah, looks like a lot and it sort of shows. Although I have to admit that it's not as expensive as it sounds when it came to the checkout. The hard part is putting it all together because all those pieces came flat packed and needed assembling.


It's a good thing that the kids were eager to help as well. The wife already put together the chair and bookshelf a few days ago so we only had the beds, the dining table and the tall storage shelf to worry about this weekend. We started putting the furniture together and they were quite the helpers, getting us the instructions or getting the parts together. They even had a hand in turning the allen key which is sometimes the only tool you need to put IKEA furniture together. We got the shelf together in little time and it turned out to be the tallest piece of furniture in our house so manouvering it around was a bit tricky.



The beds took most of our time and enegry. The pieces were heavy so it required a bit of lifting. This time it needed more than an allen key but good thing I had a cordless drill to help me out when it came to screwing in the support struts. I started out just using the screwdriver but found it too hard so I used the drill on the second bed and was able to finish quicker. So without too many mistakes on my part, we were able to finally give the kids their own beds after months of sleeping on mattresses on the floor. Needless to say that they stress tested them right away by using the beds as tramopolines!


Because we still had to get rid of our old dining set, we held off on assembling the new dining table and chairs for now. Good thing too as I am now too tired to do any more assembling for a while.

IKEA furniture is only as sturdy as how you assemble them and I hope we were able to do a good enough job for these pieces to keep together for a while.

Japanese Tonkatsu

Japanese Tonkatsu
Originally uploaded by chazzvid.

Another cooking post. Tonkatsu is easy to make as long as you got the right Japanese breadcrumbs. Pair it with instant miso soup, sliced cabbage with dressing it's almost an authentic Japanese meal. Don't forget the secret ingredient...

Of Siblings and Technology

For the first time, I've finally got all my siblings on voice and video together on the net. My brother is back living in our hometown of Dumaguete and only the other day was able to get his broadband hooked up. We wasted no time in getting the technology to work for us. I called my other siblings in Texas and I hosted a three way Skype conversation on the iMac and we all got on a webcam chat through Yahoo Messenger.

It's great seeing them again in one place. The last time we were all in a room together was more than a couple of years ago. Miss you all guys, I'll catch you online really soon.

Adelaide Elder Park

The other day, the sun came out after so long so I took advantage of it and took a walk on my lunch break. My office is only a short walk to Elder Park, which is just to the north of the city bounded by the River Torrens and Adelaide's Festival Centre. I just strolled around and took pictures with the camera phone.

Many office denizens take advantage of the park during lunch breaks. Some jog along the river, others bike. Most just take their lunch on the grass and take up the scenery. Adelaide's pretty well planned so parks like this are all over the city to break up the urban sprawl so to speak. Anyway, hopefully winter's coming to an end soon and we get to go out and enjoy the sun more often.

Hmmm... ( Gourmet Glaze ) Doughnuts

Gourmet Glaze and Bean Bar
Originally uploaded by chazzvid.

Gourment Glaze is Adelaide's answer to Krispy Kreme. It tastes very similar although it's a bit more filling than the airy Krispy Kremes. The shop just opened up this week at the City Cross Arcade and we just brought home a dozen of the normal glazed doughnuts. The girl loved them and downed 2 in one sitting. Our boy on the other hand took one bite and declared "Don't Like It!" Oh well, more for me then, hehehe.

Women's Asian Cup Finals Recap

Geez, I guess I've become a convert to women's soccer! ;) Not just me, I guess but the whole family too. We were all excited about the finals, the kids even more so. We were at the stadium one hour before kickoff but already it was filling up fast with fans. We waited a bit for our friends to join us and found seats near the end of the stands. First thing I noticed was the huge contingent of Chinese fans streaming in and we were smack dab in the middle of them. It was a good thing I had us wear our Australia caps and made sure we didn't wear any red or otherwise we would have been easily confused as part of the Chinese cheering section. In fact, we got a few bewildered looks from many of the Chinese fans around us when we'd suddenly shout "Oi, Oi, Oi!" or "GO AUSTRALIA!". They were probably thinking of us as traitors because we looked Chinese! :D

Anyway, we shouted with the best of them at the cold and windy Hindmarsh stadium, and when Australia kicked goals in the first half, we were up in our seats. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be for us that night as China came roaring back in the second half. Hindmarsh Stadium was a sea of red as the Chinese fans got into the act and drowned out the Aussie cheers. In fact, I think there were probably more people cheering for China than Australia. It was a shame because with a game that was as evenly matched as that one was, the fans would have made all the difference. Don't get me wrong, the Matildas had plenty of good support from the many Australian fans in the stands but the Chinese were just so overwhelming, both in their players and their cheering sections that it made the fightback all that hard.

It would have been great if the final game been more widely publicised. Australian fans could have filled up most of the place but as it stood, it seems that football, especially Women's football still had a long way to go. Nevertheless, it was great fun and the family had a blast. As for the quality of the football, needless to say it was excellent and it was one of the best matches I've seen. To go into penalties in a championship game is exciting and it was just inexperience that got us in the end.

Well, after all that's said and done, the Matildas did the country and themselves proud for that incredible performance yesterday. It was their debut in the Asian Confederation and it was an impressive debut to say the least. Now, Australia have the opportunity to mix it up with the best of Women's football on a regular basis and we will be all the better for it. After spending years dominating the Oceanic Confederation smashing smaller teams like New Guinea and American Samoa, the Matildas and the Soccerroos will now face the best that Asia have to offer and will no doubt improve their skills as they go on.

The Matildas stand 15th in the world in team rankings and to have gone out and played North Korea ( 8th ) and China ( 9th ) to virtual standstills speaks volumes about our team's skills and strengths. In the end, it was experience that proved the decisive factor and with the Matildas, being a very young team, can only improve on that from here on out.

Let's not forget, Australia is into the Women's World Cup next year in Beijing and we can expect big things from them. GO MATILDAS!

--------------------

Australia 2 - China 2

But Australia lose 4 to 2 on penalties! Can you believe that? China came back at the half to level the score. After a scoreless extra time the Chinese goalie stopped 2 kicks to bring China the Asian Cup. Good on the Matildas for fighting on the way they did. I'm dissapointed that the australian fans weren't in force considering this was a match on home soil. To me it felt like I was in Beijing with all the Chinese fans in the stadium.

At The Half

Australia leads 2 to zero.

Australia scores!

At the 30th minute

At the Asian Cup Finals!

Australia takes the field.

City Shots

Last weekend we went out and had a yum-cha lunch in Chinatown. It's what we'd call dimsum in the Philippines. We went to church in the middle of the city which was just a short walk away from the Central Market and Gouger street which is basically the heart of Adelaide's Chinatown.

On the way back to the car, we stopped to take pictures in front of one of Adelaide's newest buildings, the Commonwealth Court Building in Victoria Square. It has caused a bit of controversy before because it's modern and angular looks was a radical departure from the staid colonial style government buildings that surrounded Victoria Square. At any rate, it's there now and although I'm not partial to it, I think Adelaide can do with more modern and non-traditional architecture. Besides, a lot of new things and styles always come with some resistance.

Matildas in the Asian Cup Finals

The Matildas have made it to the Finals! Better yet, they also qualified for the 2007 Women's World Cup!

They won over Japan 2 - nil yesterday and will expect either North Korea or China in the final game this Sunday. Not sure who they'll be up against but we're sure to be there to watch!

(image from Sydney Morning Herald)

UPDATE:
Australia will face China in the finals on Sunday. China won over DPR Korea in a match mired in controversy. Apparently, the North Koreans got angry at the referee for disallowing a late goal that would have sent the match to extra time. A melee ensued and the whole affair degenerated into bottle throwing between the Chinese fans and the North Korea players. The officials had to be escorted out of the stadium for security.

It's unfortunate that the women's game had to have this bad publicity. I just hope the final game is a good and clean one.

Thirty Two

Did you know that the number thirty-two ...

• is the smallest number n with exactly 7 solutions to the equation φ(x) = n.
• is the atomic number of germanium
• is the freezing point of water at sea level in degrees Fahrenheit
• is the number of variations in Bach's Goldberg variations
• is the number of completed, numbered piano sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven
• is the number of teeth of a full set of teeth in an adult human, including wisdom teeth
• is the size of a databus in bits: 32-bit
• In chess, the total number of black squares on the board, the total number of white squares, and the total number of pieces (black and white) at the beginning of the game
• in 32 BC the Roman Senate declares war upon Marc Antony and Cleopatra
• is the age of Jesus Christ when he was crucified

and thirty two is also how old I am today.

I share my birthday today with Lynda Carter ( Wonderwoman ), Anna Paquin ( Rogue of the X-men), Summer Glau ( River Tam of Firefly), Eric Szmanda ( Greg of CSI ) and Jennifer Lopez ( of the Big Butt ) :D

Thanks to Wikipedia for the information and my friend Doms for the idea.

Australia 0 - DPR Korea 0

I went to see the DPR Korea ( that's North Korea ) and Matildas game last night with a friend. It was a night game and although the wife and kids would have wanted to go, we decided it would have been too late and cold for them. So, it was a boys night out of sorts as my friend and I took in our first night sports match.

There was more people this time around supporting the Matildas. Kick-off was at 7PM and the people were streaming into the stadium when we arrived. Later, I found out that about 4000 people were watching that match. Four thousand vocal and excited fans cheering for both the home team and the visitors.

We seated ourselves right behind the Australian players dugout and settled into what promised to be an exciting event considering that DPR Korea were the reigning Asian Cup champions. Most expected this game to be the Matilda's toughest test yet in the tournament.

The first half started with Australia dominating ball possession early but the Koreans proved to be dangerous when their strikers broke off to get a couple of clear opportunities to score. They were only too unlucky as a shot hit the crossbar and another went wide.

The crowd was into it for the most part with the cheering section doing their best to egg the Aussies on. The second half was a defensive game with no real scoring chances. Although it was exciting to see spurts of action, the Matildas couldn't seem to break the strong Korean defence as their defenders were able to converge on any Aussie finding her way near the goal. The Koreans, on the other hand, had the better scoring chances and were able to make real threats on Australia's goal. The last minute proved to be the only real chance the Matildas had at scoring when substitute forward Thea Slatyer found forward Lisa De Vana in the 90th minute to produce a neat overhead kick that got the ball over the Korea goalkeeper's outstretched fingers but hit over the net instead. The shot missed the goal by inches!

The match ended in a goalless draw and methinks these two teams might even see each other in the finals.



------------

This was one of my first forays into actual live sports viewing and it was funny to hear the cheers the fans made up. There was the obligatory "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi". There was "C'mon Aussie, C'mon," and there were the more funny/mean-spirited ones like:

"C'mon Matlidas, You can beat these boys!"

and

"Seventeen's ( # 17 for DPRK ) a hermaphrodite! Doo-dah, doo-dah! ( sung to Camptown Races )"

my favourite though was:

"C'mon girls, you can beat Nerds FC!"

And if you've watched the TV show you'd know the reference.

It was also interesting to note how disciplined the Korean team was. In the post match cool down, I can see the Matildas doing their post match stretches and such while the Koreans were doing this whole co-ordinated group thing where they walked up and down the field in their bare feet and doing group exercises etc. I wonder if this is a normal practice for some football teams or if it's a North Korea thing?

Kid Funnies Part 14

We were having dinner in front of the TV and the Simpsons was on. It's mostly re-runs but it's always entertaining. Anyway, we gave the kids a bit of chocolate for dessert. The boy took a look at the bowl of M&M's and he exclaimed, "Hmmmm... Excellent!" in the same way that Monty Burns would do it. It was so spontaneous and cute that the wife and I burst out laughing.

Football Fever: 2006 Women's Asian Cup

I have to admit that watching the Socceroos, Australia's National Football team, in the World Cup gave me a whole new appreciation for soccer. So when I learned that the AFC Women's Asian Cup was to be held in Adelaide, I didn't hesitate and got the family tickets to watch the opening games down at Adelaide's Hindmarsh Stadium. The Australian Women's football team, the Matildas were making their debut in the Asian Football Confederation and were slated to face South Korea to what promised to be a good match up.

Tickets were dirt cheap and whether because soccer ( or football ) is not popular Down Under or because it's a women's match I don't know. Although, at only $5 a ticket for free seating ( and kids under 12 free ) I wasn't about to complain. When I told the kids we were going to see the Matildas play, our girl could hardly contain herself. She was so excited that all week she was counting down the days to the match. She even made up her own sign to wave during the game.

As game day arrived, the forecast called for for cold and rain so we made sure the kids were all bundled up before we went to see the game. After a couple of wrong turns we got to the stadium in the middle of the first match between Myanmar and Thailand. The stadium was largely empty and we found seats next to the pitch and tried to settle in. Thailand handily beat Myanmar 2 to 1 on the opening game and as the Matildas and the Korean team warmed up on the grounds, we moved higher up in the stands to get a better view. As the second game between Australia and Korea was starting up, the people started streaming in as well.

The crowd was already getting excited and were already shouting out the old Aussie cheers. There was a vocal group of Korean supporters complete with drums but the Aussie cheering section wasn't half bad as they belted out the old "Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi, Oi Oi". Watching a live soccer match in Australia for the first time, I found the atmosphere to be fantastic. The crowd was a bit sedate at first but soon got into the game. The supporters were slowly getting behind the teams despite the cold and I can see our kids getting into it as well. Sure it's not the World Cup but as the Australian National Anthem played and the whole stadium began to sing I can't help but feel what it must have felt like for all those Australians who watched the Socceroos play in Germany.

As the game got underway, so did the rain. The seats where we were was exposed so we decided to move even higher in the stands where there was at least a roof. So we climbed a few flights of stairs all the way up to the top deck. It was a way up but we had a full view of the field and got up there just in time to see Korea opening up the scoring with an own goal! It was an exciting first half and Australia dominated play with several shots on goal and when the second half started, they still continued the pressure. The kids were cheering their hearts out cheering "Go Matildas!" ( the boy shouts, "Go Ma-ta-tildas!" ) every chance they could.

It was getting colder already and after the Matildas broke the Korean defense with a second brilliant goal about about 10 minutes into the second half, we decided to go home before the cold gets the better of us and the kids. I also figured as well that at 2 nil, the Koreans probably won't be able to get back in the game. So despite the Aussie team ahead, we had to shout our last cheers and find our way outside to the car.

We stopped for dinner in Chinatown and as we got home, we found out on the news that Australia rolled over Korea 4 to 0. That's a promising start to the Asian Cup.

UPDATE:

The Matildas beat Myanmar yesterday 2 - 0. However, North Korea began their campaign with a 9 - 0 demolition of Thailand. I think the North Korea / Australia match this Saturday would be a great one to watch.

Going Bananas

The price of bananas have skyrocketed a few months back due to natural calamities. What used to be around $3 a kilo can now command a price of around $14 a kilo .... its crazy! Gone are the days that bananas was a regular product in our shopping trolley. It was easy enough to put in the kid's lunchbox for school. And when there were some leftover, there was always the option of making those banana loaves with choc-chip bits. And it looks like prices will remain this way until about Decemer.

It been almost a month now since we had them. One time I did give in to my cravings, I got about 6 pieces and another shopper approached us and asked "Did you win the lotto?", ha ha ha.

Thankfully, we found a cheaper alternative --- dried banana chips! They cost about $6 a kilo, and it brings back memories of snacks we used to eat on a hot summer day back home. I did not like it much when I was a kid, but now we are addicted to it. Funny thing was, the sign on the supermarket shelf said it was a product from the Philippines. No wonder it tasted so familiar.

2006 Women's Asian Cup

We're at the first game of the 2006 women's Asian Cup today in Adelaide's Hindmarsh stadium. It's cold, wet and we're freezing but the Australian Matildas are up one goal at the half so it's all good!

Parenting in Australia

Since this is a parenting blog, I might as well write something about this topic. And to be specific, the difference of parenting here in Australia as opposed to parenting in Manila.

One major difference is that there are no maids or yayas at all. I have heard of stories where maids and yayas in Manila impose working conditions and sometimes just leave you without much notice. This is especially hard if the child is really attached to the yaya. Having helpers around does have an advantage: this will give you more time for things to pamper yourself like watching a movie or having a pleasant meal without any interruptions. But then you get to miss out on things like having the satisfaction of cooking meals and getting praises for them, getting the kids involved in house chores like sorting out clean socks and treat it as part of a game, and most especially bedtime routines that include reading books and lots of cuddling.

There are a few families here who have the best of both worlds: that are quite fortunate to have close friends and relatives around to help you out with anything around the house as you take care of the children. They even have the chance to go out on "dates" as a couple. Sadly, we are not one of them. When our firstborn came, we were on our own. Hubby took a week off from work, but that was the time I was in the hospital recovering from the birth. By the time we took home the baby, we had a week to get ready a move to another apartment!

The first few weeks were not easy as we were both sleep deprived with no experience at all to back us up during these trying times. Staying at home for the first few months alone with a baby meant I would stay in my pyjamas all day until hubby came home from work. Lots of times I would panic in not knowing how to calm the crying baby, but eventually I got to know my baby well enough to see the cues myself (e.g. when she was hungry, sleepy, bored, etc.). This especially came in handy when our son was born 3 years later.

I must admit, there are good days and bad days. There are days that you feel so proud of the kids' knowledge and achievements as you can see from our previous posts. But there are days you just want to lock yourself in a room and take time-out from the kids. There are lots times I feel guilty .... for not having enough time to bond with kids due to loads of housework, ... for not keeping the house in order, ... for not taking care of my mental health by choosing to stop work and stay with the kids until they go to school. At these times, I just put things in perspective and consider ourselves lucky to have our basic needs met: we have a happy and healthy family. And thats really all that matters, right?

At the end of the day, the experience of looking after the kids on our own has brought us parents closer to each other, making a good team in relying on each other, deciding what we know is best for the kids, and sticking to them when needed. There were a couple of times that we were questioned by other people for some of these decisions, but we find comfort in the knowledge that it comes from our first hand-experience in raising our children.

Testing the K800i Camera

The K800i takes great photos. Well, at least better photos than my old camera phone. Of course, it can't replace our own digital camera but I like the fact that I can take this phone anywhere and still get half decent shots.

Here are recent shots of the kids at the park.

Herb Garden

We had this recent bout of gardenitis. Over these past few weeks we've been puttering about clearing out weeds, trimming bushes, planting new plants. We've even planted ourselves a little herb garden. Well, not exactly a garden but a nice big pot of parsley and coriander. This way, we can have fresh herbs whenever we need them. That is, if they survive our attempt at gardening!

My New Phone: SE K800i

I picked up the new Sony Ericsson phone the other day. The K800i boasts a 3.2 megapixel camera and comes with tons of other features like an FM radio, larger and better screen, MP3 player and it's 3G as well. I'm liking this phone very much! 
I'm just getting used to all the new features on the phone so this post won't be a full review as such. Besides there's probably more of that on the intermets already.
Oh, one more thing. This baby has automatic blogger support. I can take a picture and post it on this blog right away. In fact, that's how i'm writing this now. Sweet! :)

A Superman Returns Movie Date

I've got to say, I was impressed. I had high hopes for the movie and it delivered for me big time.

But, let me begin at the beginning. I took another day off today to enjoy the day with the wife. It's been a while since we've gone on a date together and Superman Returns was a perfect movie to take her out to. Our daughter was at school and it was my son's day at daycare so we had the day to ourselves. We do this occasionally, taking time off from being full time parents and just enjoying each others company for a day. We don't generally do much except watch movies and eat out.

We decided to watch the movie at the Norwood Cinemas. After dropping off the kids, we drove to the Norwood shops and to have some coffee and a bit of breakfast. Norwood is a nice suburb just adjacent Adelaide with upscale shops and restaurants. It was great to enjoy a leisurely breakfast and have an adult conversation over the morning papers. I know this is what a few out there take for granted but it's a decent break for us.

After breakfast, we took in the early showing of the movie and were lucky enough to grab discounted movie tickets as well. ( For those in Australia, Coca-cola has a promo where you bring in 3 labels of any coke product and you get tickets for 5 dollars. It's not well known so I'm spreading the word. :) ).

At any rate, on to the movie. ( Caution: may contain spoilers! ) Like I said, I was impressed. Bryan Singer hit all the right notes with his version of Superman. His love of comic books and the history around Superman showed. From the keeping of the classic Superman theme by John Williams to the addition of the iconic scene that appeared in the cover of Action Comics #1, with Superman hoisting the car over his head.

Brandon Routh was an excellent choice, I have to say. It must have been the costume or the physique but at times he had that Christopher Reeve look about him. Reeve took Superman the character as his own ever since he made the first movie in 1978 and for me, every time I think of Superman I picture him in my mind. Routh has definitely took the elements that made Reeve's Superman work, the cheeky grin, the self assured swagger as Supes and the bumbling elements of Clark and he's made Superman his own. He's not Christopher Reeve and that's all good.

The plane rescue sequence was one of the best action sequences I've seen in recent times. It was heart thumping and breathtaking and I was glad we watched the movie in the big screen. That sequence in in itself was worth the price of admission. I was sort of let down that none of the action set pieces after that seemed to approach the same level.

And the big question: Superman's son? Well, all I can say, it's been done before in a few graphic novels and comic books so it's not new. However, if there is going to be a sequel, I kind of feel bad that Brandon Routh would have to share billing with a super kid, if they wanted to tie up that plot point. I think Routh deserves to have a sequel by himself as Superman. He may be on the road to typecasting but it's going to be a fantastic ride.

Anyway, it was an enjoyable flick and the wife and I were humming the Superman theme as we went out the cinema. People may have their gripes but as far as superhero movies go, it's probably not as good as Batman Begins but then, it's infinitely better than Daredevil.

We then had a nice lunch at a nearby Asian restaurant. Nothing fancy, just some Pad Thai, Singapore Noodles and Penang Beef Curry but it was yummy. After lunch, we walked around some of the shops along Norwood. I wasn't planning on it but I was able to pick myself up a new toy, but that's another blog post. :)



We didn't stay out long as it was close to 3PM and our daughter would be coming out of school any minute. As we drove back to pick her up, we still had that Superman theme still running in our heads, and for sure we'd be picking Superman Returns on DVD when it gets released.

Our Little Socceroo ?

The past few days here have been raining and cold, so Nico and I have contented ourselves staying indoors until the time we pick up Bianca from school. Suddenly, the sun came out today and I just could not resist going outside, even if it was to hang loads of laundry. Strangely, Nico did not was to join me in the backyard. Maybe it was still too cold for him. After all, the sun was out but it was still quite cool and windy 16ºC outside. He preferred to stay in the living room watching kids' videos. I thought he'd he tired of them by now!

So I took decisive action to get him out of his pyjamas and bundle him up well to go for a short ride in the car. On the way out, he decided to bring a big ball, a tiny pocket sized ball, his Elmo toy and his backpack. As I was in no mood to convince him to leave something behind, I just loaded them all in the car. When we got to the park, the playground was closed ... what a bummer! Good thing he had the balls. I took out the bigger ball and he proceeded to the small ramp with the ball in the park and rolled it down. After this, he went chasing for the ball again and repeated the same thing over and over again. It was quite fun just to watch him move around, laughing each time the ball rolled down.

After a few minutes he decided to kick the ball to me, and I kicked it back ofcourse. After a few minutes of this, I was actually taken back to the days as a child when I used to kick the ball around with my brothers back home. I started off kicking the ball with the front of my foot, and then later on with the side of the foot as most soccer players do. It was here that I noticed he was really getting good at kicking the ball back at me. He would say 'Kick to Mommy' and I would respond with 'Kick to Nico'. And then suddenly he said, 'kick around' as he did kick the ball around the place by himself without passing it on to me ... kinda like dribbling I suppose. Maybe he was watching too much World Cup footages on TV with his Dad ?! I was surprised! I've never seem him do this before, with some skill at that. Now I'm no authority on soccer myself, but the fact that he did that all by himself was something to behold!

Could it be just discovered one of his talents or interests? Maybe it was just a fluke or his way of beating the winter blues. Will find out more in the next few weeks.

Test shot from k800i

New camera phone with blogger support. Nice.

City Art

Rundle Mall is Adelaide's foremost shopping street/district. It's usually a busy place where people converge. It has tons of shops and cafés and where a lot of street performers sometimes go to strut their stuff. We were walking through the mall when we saw this group of artists create some lovely chalk drawings on the street. Although they were copying the drawings from other materials, the detail they created using ordinary chalk was amazing.

Foggy Day in Adelaide

Foggy Day in Adelaide
Originally uploaded by chazzvid.

Adelaide is still in the middle of winter and getting my girl to school every morning means a cold walk to the bus stop. I took this shot on one of Adelaide's typical cold foggy mornings.

Busy Weekend

We had a busy time yesterday.  As a celebration of sorts for my wife's birthday we invited some friends over to our place for some lunch yesterday.

The day started early enough as my friend and I went to get some fresh sea food.  He went to pick me up from our house in the morning and I jokingly said to my wife that it was a boys day out. We stopped by to pick up a new acquaintance who has only recently moved to Australia. I thought it was a good idea to show them to Adelaide's sea food market as they had been looking for a place to buy fresh fish for a while now. We

After we picked up some fresh sea food, we stopped by to pick our new friend's daughter as his wife was ready to go to worn and we went back to our house for lunch. My wife was preparing a lunch of pancit palabok so I got some fresh prawns and squid from the seafood market for ingredients for the palabok

Pretty soon were joined by my friend's wife and daughter and we had ourselves a full house. It was a fine lunch with our friends and our kids had fun playing with the two other children. The families had a good time together that, as per usual, they stayed for dinner.  Our wives cooked lumpia shanghai and also went out and bought some dinuguan and caldereta from the Filipino store and we had an instant feast at dinner.

And what did the men do?   We stayed in all afternoon and watched several episodes of Firefly... what can I say, we were lazy... :)