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Donating Breastmilk

Being a breastfeeding/breastpumping mom - I've had my fair share of highs and lows.  Good thing is that I have a supportive family, supportive friends and supportive (online) strangers who lift me up and give me advice on breastfeeding/breastpumping.  My Kailee is nearing her 10th month mark and STILL I am giving her my breastmilk! Freezer Stash To pay it forward - I have been donating my frozen breastmilk to friends and strangers in need.  Since I have a good supply - I share to those in need.  Its just my way to support lactating mothers - help them when they need it.  You see, breastfeeding/breastpumping is not easy - its really hardwork!  One may say its FREE but you have to be healthy, nourished with good food and is hydrated at ALL times!  And being well fed - well, that's not cheap! Storing and collecting breastmilk too is not cheap.  You'd have to have ample refrigerator and freezer space.  You'll need storage bags, storage containers and etc.  You need

Human Nature Baby Care Giveaway!!

Ever since I gave birth - its all about the baby now...  Hurry and Join!! :) Click the link below to see their FB page Human Nature Baby Care Giveaway!!

Chef Boy the Kusina Master

I like watching cooking shows. When I was younger, I remember getting up early on a Saturday morning to watch 'Cooking it up with Nora'.  I used to play with my then only girl cousin - a cooking show!  Since she had those Little Tikes kitchen set - we would pretend being hosts to a cooking show.  This I think helped with my fascination with the culinary arts.  I pursued this fascination by enrolling in Sylvia Reynonso-Gala's kiddie cooking classes.  I wanted to further my studies when I was in Senior year BUT there wasn't a college degree in culinary arts.  It was only recently that culinary art schools were put up that gave you a bonafide diploma on cooking. You see, I have this idea in my head.  That being a chef is a title to be earned and not learned.  That one does not need a diploma that proves he or she is a chef.  I look up more to those cooks who earned their being called a chef.  Rachel Ray always said that she is not a chef but is a cook - and I understan

Irene's Quezo de Bola Cheesecake

Cheesecake was the first thing that I learned to make - a lot of.  It was easy and most everyone likes cheesecake.  My cheesecake was really simple - I got the recipe from my ICA HS Home Economics class - it was a no bake recipe.  You can say I impressed quite a number of people with it - hehehe... To tell you the truth - Cheesecake is not something I really really like.  I appreciate it but its not my favorite. That is UNTIL - Irene's Quezo de Bola Cheesecake! She gifted me and my Panget one for Christmas and it was D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!  The mix of sweetness and  tartness of the quezo de bola was WONDERFUL!  It was actually love at first taste - my Panget said it was really good and sinful (the cheesy-ness is loooooooooove!)  We decided to keep half of the cheesecake for the next day - but while watching TV - I couldn't stop thinking about the cheesecake!  I finally gave in and took the half out of the ref and ate it all.  Imagine - it was haunting my mind the whole tim

BPI's Holiday Sale Ticket Giveaway!!

I'm giving away fifty (50) tickets! . To automatically win entries kindly do the following: 1)  Share the message below (with URL) to any social networking site: "Didi is giving away FREE tickets to BPI's Big Holiday Sale! http://candishhh.blogspot.com/2011/12/bpis-holiday-sale-ticket-giveaway.html " 2)   Leave a comment with your email address (so I can contact you) 3)  One ticket per comment - a maximum of two (2) tickets per person! Deadline for entries is December 14, 2011 at 12:00noon.  I will follow the time stamp on your comments. Remember that this is a first come first serve basis!!

Christmas Solicitation FAIL!

It's that time of the year again, when companies give out and receive solicitation from other companies! I've heard and read all sorts of solicitations.  Some were nice but some were, my gosh - out of this world!  Take for example this certain letter.  This was shared to me by a friend - I omitted the name of the company and certain details.  Look at what they're asking! Goodness gracious! Fine, they're straight to the point - but man, to ask for certain gadgets and things?  Aren't these people materialistic?!  Tsk.. Tsk..

My BLENDTEC is here!!!

The long wait is OVER!! My Blendtec blender is finally here!! :) This has been on my wishlist since 2007!  I finally bit the bug and got one!! YEHEY!! This is one powerful blender - a commercial blender actually that Starbucks and CBTL uses!  They even have a site to let the world know of how powerful their blenders are - here's the site Will It Blend ?  They've blended to smithereens matchbox cars to iPods and even an iPad!  Check out the videos!! Go!! I think I'll be going on a blending frenzy!!  ( I feel like a Starbucks barista, opening and closing the cover!  Hihi !!) Anyone want to join me? 

Red cups let's us be MERRY!

One of my favorite Christmas thingies are seeing those red cups from Starbucks.  They make me feel giddy and excited about Christmas!  Its that time of the year where one of my favorite drinks - the Toffee Nut Latte becomes available!  This year - Starbucks is introducing a newbie - the Cranberry White Chocolate Mocha!  For those who like their White Chocolate Mocha - here's a Christmas beverage with a twist!  I was skeptical at first, but then I thought - its quite impossible for the guys at Starbucks to launch a drink that is not like-able!  It  was love at first sip - the goodness of the White chocolate mocha with a tang of cranberry sugar!  It was really good!  (So for this year - I have a second option - the Cranberry White Chocolate Mocha!)  So this Christmas - expect to see the Toffee Nut Latte, the Peppermint Mocha, and the Cranberry White Chocolate Mocha!! Of course, with these Christmas beverages - comes the Christmas Food that is uniquely Starbucks!  We were lu

Let's be MERRY at Starbucks!

Its that time of the year again!  The red cups and of course - the Starbucks Planners! Here's a sneak peak on what's instore for you guys from Starbucks! This year Starbucks is launching seven different covers for their planners!  Its made from engineered wood and is very much in tune with their Shared Planet campaign.  It's very nice to know that these planners were made with much consideration to our environment!  There are several covers to choose from ranging from lightest to darkest (Poplar, Bamboo, Cherry, Spruce, and Oak)

The Momme Planner

I'm an old fashioned kind of gal when it comes to taking down notes because I like holding a pen and the feel of paper.  In this day and age where your cellphone can double as your notepad - I still rely on my trusty steno notebook and my collection of pens to remind me of things to do and appointments.  Grabbed from Momme Planner's FB Page

Goodfellas Kamuning

Grabbed from GoodFellas' FB page  My Panget's brother has been raving about this burger place near their office in Kamuning.  He's been telling me about it since last year - that it was really good and the price was not so bad.  So finally, last night - we got to try it!  And I have to say - I am impressed.

I was a COW in Hong Kong!

I am officially a COW.  Why?  Well, because while on vacation in HK – I was still able to pump and bring home a whopping – 250+ ounces of milk!  Can you believe it?  I was honestly in disbelief!  I even counted it thrice – just to be sure I got the figures correctly.    Image borrowed from THIS site I tell you, it was really a LOT of hard work!  Imagine, while on vacation – I still had to wake up in the wee hours of the night just to pump.  I had to cut short shopping trips so I can pump.  My Panget had to lug around a trolley that contained my pump, bottles and a cooler!  That was everyday – for five (5) days.  Even while at the airport – we were still lugging it around.  I am proud to say that I was able to pump in the following areas:             a)  Airport Lounge             b)  Nursing/Babysitting Rooms             c)  Fitting Rooms             d)  On the Bus             e)  On an Airplane             f)   In the bathroom I had to be ‘cowboy’, good

Unilab Ideas Positive: Vote NOW!

Unilab is an industry leader and I am happy that they launched a campaign for college students to come up with their best health related community project.  Health is wealth as they say - and everyone agrees that is TRUE!  So UNILAB came up with this project to help jumpstart the winning campaign by giving the winner P250,000.00 as seed money!  Isn't that the best?  Now the ideas won't just be on paper - but the ideas can literally come to life!! For more details on the project visit Unilab Ideas Positive! Unilab received more than 60 entries and now they've narrowed it down to eleven (11) finalists!  Now, here's what you can do to help - you can vote for the BEST campaign and help that particular campaign win the seed money!  From the eleven (11) entries - it will be narrowed down to five (5) entries - and there will be three (3) winners out of the five entries!  Here's how: Visit www.UnilabIdeasPositive.com Click the "Videos" tab Like their F

Philippine Travel Mart!!

PHILTOA Invites Everyone to Visit the 22nd Philippine Travel Mart Looking for a great vacation spot? If you’re a travel enthusiast or you’re just in the mood to have a weekend getaway with your loved ones, you should definitely visit the 22nd Philippine Travel Mart (PTM) this September. Not only will it be held in a bigger venue at the SMX Convention Center in SM Mall of Asia on September 2-4, it will also feature even more tour and travel packages to the most beautiful places in the country such. The annual event is organized by the Philippine Tour Operators Association (PHILTOA) and is supported by the Department of Tourism. Hundreds of exhibitors will be present at the PTM to offer tour packages that cater to the different travel preferences of companies and individuals. “We’re always looking to make the experience at the Philippine Travel Mart better and more engaging,” says Cesar Cruz, PHILTOA president. “Aside from wanting a bigger venue so that we could accommodate mor

My Kailee

She's turning five months on Monday! Time flies!!

Breastfeeding Mama!

"Welcome to the Milk Mama Diaries Carnival (July). For this month, we join the National Nutrition Council - Department of Health in celebrating Nutrition Month with the theme "Isulong ang Breastfeeding - Tama, Sapat at EKsklusibo!" Participants will share their experiences in promoting breastfeeding or their tips on how breastfeeding should be promoted. Please scroll down to the end of this post and check out the other carnival participants." When I got pregnant, I knew instantly that I would be breastfeeding my baby.  My mom found it odd that I decided to breastfeed - this was because I grew up formula fed.  My twin brother and I were given formula since birth, there was no attempt whatsoever to breastfeed.  In fact my mom recounted that she was given medicine to stop the milk production.  My pedia, Dr. Joy Ty-Sy said that during my mom's time (when she had us) it was the boom of formulas, that it was the trend that time.  I grew up with formula, my c

Winners! Roxy/Quicksilver & Kickers Cash Coupons!

Thank you for everyone who joined! Here are the winners!!  CONGRATULATIONS to: Kickers Cash Coupon: brenda . coronel @ yahoo.com jamira1009 @ yahoo.com Roxy/Quicksilver Cash Coupon: karl_chan32 @ yahoo.com randiej . joanne @gmail.com erfraliga @gmail.com charmabulous @yahoo.com ayzee27(at)yahoo(dot)com brcastronuevo @ hotmail . com maarja(underscore)yasmina(at)yahoo(dot)com abieiverson @yahoo.com fritz.tentativa-at-gmail-dot-com katz_chan @yahoo.com I will be sending you guys an email on how to claim these coupons.. Thanks again for joining!! :)

Contest Alert! Kickers, Roxy & Quicksilver GCs!

Guess what?!! I am giving away Cash Coupons worth P500.00 each!      Two (2) coupons from Kickers      Ten (10) coupons from Roxy/Quicksilver There will be a total of twelve (12) winners - each winner will get one (1) coupon. Here's how to join: 1.  Leave a comment on this blogpost with the following info: a)  Which Cash Coupon you want (Kickers! or Roxy/Quicksilver!) b)  Name (your nickname will suffice) c)  Your (valid) email address Contest will run from today until July 15, 2011 at 11:59PM.  Since I will be using Random.org to pick out the winners, you can leave as many comments as you want!  I will announce the winners on July 16, 2011. *These cash coupons CAN be used in Cebu!!  Good luck and THANKS for joining!!

Skin Asthma: Update!

Being a first time mom, I experienced high levels of stress when I found out that my baby girl has skin asthma otherwise known as eczema.  My pedia, Dr. Joy Ty-Sy advised me to bathe my baby every other day and gave me a skincare regimen to follow that consisted of moisturizing and moisturizing.  In all honesty, I was quite uncomfortable with the taking a bath every other day - even if reading articles online seconded her advise.  I wished that I would get to read an article that says otherwise - but there was none.  To tell you the truth, I didn't follow the 'taking a bath' advise - but the moisturizing part, I did - to the dot. Yaya and I followed the moisturizing part for about a week or two, what convinced me to seek a second opinion was when we noticed that K's scalp was red and scaly.  Yaya suggested we see a pedia-derma, so that once and for all - we'd know if the scaly scalp and body rashes were food related or just skin asthma.  I took her advise to heart

Skin Asthma

Yesterday was a stressful day.  I had to take Baby K to the doctor to check out the dry patches in her skin.  It has been days that we have been putting on petroleum jelly on her but it doesn't seem to work.  I have been updating the doctor and telling her that the patches are still dry - she told me to bring K over to her clinic. Last week, we have been noticing that the dry patches have a round shape.  I just dismissed it as dry patches - my mom suspected that it might be ringworm, but kept quiet.  When yaya told me that she suspects it was ringworm, my mom blurted out and told me 'I told you it was ringworm!'  This irked me so much because she never said ringworm!  She just said 'round'!  I was irked because she told me that I didn't listen to her - I mean, how will I associate round with ringworm right?  Oh, well - I just told her to tell me specifically what she was suspecting because if she drops hints, how was I supposed to know what's on her min

Contest ALERT: YUMMY Eats Tickets!!

Contest Alert!  Contest Alert! Thanks to Yummy & Frannywanny, I'm giving away five (5) tickets to YUMMY EATS!!   Here's how to win: a)  Leave the following details on the comment section:      Your name/nickname      A valid email address (so I can contact you) Since I have five (5) tickets to give away, I'll pick FIVE people with the MOST number of comments!  So please leave the same name and email address so I can count ALL of your entries!! Contest will run from today until May 19, 2011 at 11:59PM (all entries after that time stamp will be disqualified and immediately deleted) Good Luck!

My Kailee

Here's a glimpse of what makes me smile every single day Meet my darling Kailee...

Contest ALERT: J&J Baby Bedtime Goodies!

To celebrate the one month of my baby girl tomorrow - let me have a pa-contest! I will be giving away these two J&J Baby Bedtime goodies!  To join - simply follow the instructions below: (leave these details at the comment section) 1)  Mention a well wish for my Kailee (i.e Happy 1st Month Kailee!, etc.) 2)  Your valid email address 3)  Contest is for Metro Manila residents only BUT if you're from elsewhere and is willing to shoulder the shipping costs - join away!! :) Its that simple, you can join as many times you want! The winner will be picked using Random.org Contest will start today and end on Monday - April 11, 2010 at 11:59PM! Entries received AFTER the cut off will not be included in the raffle!! Thanks everyone!! :)

Why I've been away...

You guessed right - I just gave birth last week to a beautiful baby girl, and that's why I've been out of the loop.  The journey has been unbelievable, I still can't believe that I'm a mom now, I still feel the same, I still think the same - the only difference is that, I have a new love - my Baby K.   I sleep less now because I breastfeed, but I don't mind - it's good for her, and anything good for her - I will do.  I can't believe I am saying these things.  But seriously having a baby really changes you - one way or another.  I've never seen my Panget so attentive to anyone (well he was with me on our wedding day!) as he is with K.  He loves touching her, smelling her and he talks to her every so often!  He's soooooo in love with her!  And it makes me so happy to see him like that! Going back - I actually didn't know I was already in labor, when I was.  So here goes my birthing story!  I am warning you, I may give too much informatio

I'm in LOVE with a girl!

I'm soooooo in love with my newly born daughter, K. Welcome to the world K! We LOVE you!! :)

The Club's SURPRISE!!

 A few weeks before I got married, I was too stressed to recognize that I was in a for a surprise bridal shower .  My Panget led me to Chili's Greenhills for dinner and I was a zombie that time - so when I was lead to a table with people already seated I was confused!  It was only after a few seconds that I recognized that it was Fran, Paul, Jane and Chris!  Then I thought to myself - why were they there?  What were they doing in Chili's?  It was only then that it hit me - they were hosting me a surprise bridal shower!  Hahahaha..  I can't imagine what was going on in their heads as I looked at them confused!  Hahaha...  Last week - Fran initiated a dinner, she said that it would be a 'before they leave for a trip' dinner and that it was going to be held in Cerchio in nearby Tomas Morato - and that I SHOULD go because it was just nearby!  I had to say yes - I wanted to see them before they fly off to the land of green money and I thought, it might be my last dinn

Fisher Butter Toffee Peanuts

I have been obsessing about Fisher Nuts since I tasted them en route to Seoul, Korea . Since I was pregnant, I asked the flight attendants for more peanuts - and they gave me a LOT of the Fisher Honey Roasted nuts!  And I have to say, after tasting the Fisher brand - there was no turning back!  All other brands - were no comparison at all!  When I got back to Manila, my limited stash was depleting - and this prompted me to try and contact Fisher US to ask if they have a local distributor here in Manila or in nearby countries.  I was prepared to have friends buy it for me!  I sent an email and after a few weeks - I received a 'tweet' from Fisher Nuts.  They sent me a direct message saying that they have a distributor in our country - they supplied me with the name of the company and the number. Of course, eager beaver me - I had to call immediately to ask.  I looked for the person who's name was sent in together with the number in the direct message of Fisher - unfor

Shakey's: If it's WRONG it's FREE!

I enjoy eating pizzas, thus my Panget decided to get the Shakey’s Pizzanatic card. This card has served its purpose because since I got pregnant, we have ordered a bunch of pizzas. The branch that served us usually was the one located in Quezon Avenue, but for our last order – it was the Waltermart Munoz that served us. Shakey’s has this thing – if it’s late, it’s FREE! The time frame was 45 minutes, quite long if you think about it because we’re so used to the 30 minutes or less thing but then again – I gave it a chance. So my Panget and I ordered, the hotline person I spoke to told me to synchronize our time – and I did. I also gave specific instructions to have my pizza cut into squares and to prepare change for a bigger bill. These instructions I repeated, so that the person on the other end will remember and take note of. After the order, my Panget and I waited. And we waited – on the 40th minute, I gave the hotline a call informing them that the pizza hasn’t arrived ye

FOR SALE: The SAK Sakroots Bag!!

The SAK Sakroots Bag! Brand new with tags!! Here's the link: http://didishop.multiply.com/photos/album/2

Little Darth Vader

When I have a son - I'd dress him up like the kid in the video - a little Darth Vader for Halloween!! This was sent by my Panget - and I found it super duper cute!! :)

Shi Lin's Xiao Long Bao - BEST (In MNL) so far!!

I heard of this Chinese restaurant from my future brother in law - he said that they also serve Xiao Long Bao.  So yesterday - after doing some baby shopping, my friend Selene suggested we go to Shi Lin at the Podium for an early dinner. I honestly did not know where it was - its has been a while since I was at the Podium, so I was wondering where it was.  The restaurant was located on the same floor as Toy Kingdom.  When you first see it - you'll notice that the entrance is quite narrow and that there's a show window where the cooks are making the Xiao Long Baos manually.  This reminded me of Din Tai Fung, one of my favorite restaurants abroad.  I was skeptical, I thought - I'm sure the skin of the Xiao Long Bao will be thick, and I said to myself 'No restaurant can copy the thin skin of DTF!' So when we sat down - I immediately ordered the Xiao Long Bao - I was excited to see and taste this restarant's version of the XLB.  The menu looked familiar too - t

FOR SALE: Guess Hobo Bag!

Guess Hobo Bag - Brand New with Tags!! Link to the actual site: http://didishop.multiply.com/photos/album/1

MOUSE Alert! RAT Alert!

My Panget and I usually have lunch at my mom's every Saturday.  So today, after lunch - we were all in the living room minding our own businesses, me and my Panget were busy with our internet surfing, my mom was watching her Koreanovela and the dogs, well - they were a bit pre-occupied with something. Jenna and Hapee were running back and forth near one of the cabinets.  My mom noticed this but we didn't mind, we thought they were just playing.  And then I blurted ' Baka may daga !' (There might a mouse!)  And so my mom checked it out - and true enough, THERE WAS!! The mouse was stuck in a series of wires, my mom said that it was the mouse's strategy to get stuck - so that we won't notice it!  This got the attention of my Panget and my brother - they each looked and agreed that the mouse - wasn't actually a mouse, but a rat!  It was big, big enough in their standards.  But the rat wasn't moving, my mom said it looked dead but then when I asked our dr

The Real Thing Diner

Everyone, for me at one point in their lives collected something.  I for one am still into collecting ballpens.  I still surf the net in search for that perfect ballpoint pen and dream that someday, I will get to own one and maybe develop one for everyone to use! When I was still in High School, my friend Kath was into collecting those Coca Cola polar bear dolls.  She was so happy when she received a Coke polar bear from a suitor!  Little did I know that there are avid Coke collectors out there. The Real Thing diner is representative of an avid collector of Coca Cola items and turning this hobby into a business!  Honestly, I like the idea of a diner - it brings me back to the time where I read Archie comics - they always hung out in the Soda Shop.  How I wish there was something similar here in Manila. The Real Thing diner offers food with a bit of a twist, they've incorporated sodas into their meals - which is really good because it makes the restaurant more authentic and mo