Ace Water Spa

Finally, I got to experience hydrotherapy massage at Ace Water Spa. Went there this afternoon with my bestest friend Cel.

Ace Water Spa has 25 massage systems, 9 heated pools and 1 cold pool. We started with the massage systems first. My favorite is the Hydro-bouyancy massage. It's a jet-driven water from the wall and bubbling water from the bottom together creates buoyancy that supports the body. Next was the lazy river. We've spent quite some time here as it was very relaxing. Cel & I had some nice chikahan here. Then there was the lap pool and we swam here for a while.

Last but definitely not the least, the hot herbal pools. We started with the 36 degree mint pool for 3 mins and then went for a cold shower for a minute (We just used the shower instead of the cold pool since it was too cold) Then we moved on to the 38 degree jasmine pool for another 3 minutes then another cold shower. Finally, went to the 40 degree lavender pool (hot! hot! hot!) This was really hot but still felt relaxing.

I really enjoyed this place and we will definitely go back! Too bad, cameras are not allowed inside so we were not able to take pictures. We just had one at the entrance gate :)

Ride all you can

After dinner, we went to an arcade in SM fairview and Jared had the time of his life... :)

Gerry's Grill

We had dinner at Gerry's last Saturday with my in-laws. We had sisig, inihaw na pusit, inihaw na tuna belly, and dinakdakan. The dinakdakan and sisig came first. Dinakdakan is an Ilocano version of sisig which was on the creamy side. The sisig is cooked just the way I like it. Served with kalamansi and topped with crunchy chicharon. This is one of the best-sellers of Gerry's.

The inihaw na pusit and inihaw na tuna belly came last. And this is why I was not able to take a picture of them since I was already busy eating. Anyway, the inihaw na pusit is cooked just right not tough or rubbery. The inihaw na tuna belly is really good! Jared had some of this and he liked it.

Since Jared can't eat the most of the food we ordered, mama bought him his favorite KFC mashed potato (without the gravy).

Comfort Habits

Comfort habits are things that older babies and toddlers do in order to comfort or soothe themselves, such as thumb or finger sucking, using a pacifier or carrying a favorite blanket. In Jared’s case, it is thumbsucking.

I have read in some parenting books and magazines that thumbsucking is part of a baby’s life and that we should let it come naturally and not prevent the baby from doing it. And that time will come when this will pass and will no longer be a problem.

He started this habit when he was 2 or 3 months and we just let him then. But now that he’s already 16 months, we are really bothered because he has not yet been able to get rid of this habit. He does it when he’s bored or when he’s not doing anything and when he goes to sleep. His dentist told us to try to control this habit or divert his attention when he starts to suck his thumb. She also told us that it may also develop protruding teeth or pick up an infection while sucking his thumb. I got some tips from a parenting website on how to deal with habitual thumbsuckers, here they are:

1. Dont make your child feel conscious about sucking her thumb.
2. Dont nag your child.
3. Dont worry about it. Your child will pick up on your concern, which will in turn cause her to worry.
4. Try to distract her with a toy when she begins to suck her thumb. But do it as subtly as possible or she will catch on.
5. You can try bribing or rewarding an older child for not sucking her thumb.
6. Corrective measures such as restraints, elbow mitts, bad-tasting substances painted on the fingers, etc. usually backfire. Pulling the child's thumb out of his mouth will only serve to make him rebel against this restraint and encourage him to continue the habit.
7. Encourage the child to give up the habit in a friendly, non-judgemental manner.

We will try to do some of these things and I hope he will then eventually stop it.

Pampers World Tour Event

We went to Trinoma after Jared’s dental visit. Since we still have to wait for more than an hour before we can have our lunch, we decided to try and join the pampers event at the Trinoma Activity Center.

Pampers World is a global event that aims to help parents experience the stages of development through their baby’s eyes. The tour consists of the 3 stages of development: New Baby, Active Baby, and Easy Ups. The first room is all about the New Baby stage. It has 2 giant cribs and 2 blurred mirrors where participants can try to experience what a baby feels and sees in their early days.

The second is the Active Baby Stage. We were not able to listen to the speaker because we were so busy taking pictures (bad, bad, bad..)

I got to try the giant walker while Ryan got to walk with the giant mommy. Cool! :)

Third and last stage is the Easy Ups stage or the toddlers stage. There are grown-up stuffs here like shoes, clothes, pen and paper because these are usually the things that toddlers like to try on to.

We got some freebies at the end of the tour and were able to take a pic with Pampa, the baby elephant mascot.

After the tour, we went to Aveneto Pizzeria and had lunch. We were all soooo hungry.

First Dental Visit

We went to PDCP (Pediatric Dentistry Center Philippines) last Saturday for Jared’s first dental check-up. When we arrived at the building, one staff immediately led us to the play room. Here, the kids can play or watch a kiddie video while waiting for their turn.

His pedia dentist is Dra. Fina Gupit-Lopez. She's good and pretty too. First, we did the knee-to-knee position. Jared was placed on my lap with his head on the dentist’s knees and his legs around my waist. She then counted Jared's teeth and checked if there are cavities or other oral health problems. At this time, Jared was crying out loud and was exerting all his effort to escape.

Next was the fluoride varnish application. Fluoride Varnish is a sticky yellowish protective coating that is painted over the teeth to prevent dental caries in children and adults. The dentist then applied a thin layer to all the teeth’s surfaces. She also told us not to give Jared any food or drink for 2 hours so that the varnish will not be washed out.

After that, they gave one free toy to Jared. He can choose from the box but since he was not in the mood, I just picked one and gave it to him. Then the dentist discussed about proper oral hygiene and other related things. She also said that Jared has healthy teeth and that she's very happy about it. We will go back after 6 months for another fluoride varnish application.

Fish & Co. Seafood in a Pan

My Uncle Ben and his family from Cebu came here in Manila yesterday. We met up with them and had dinner in Fish & Co. at Greenbelt 3.
While we were busy looking at the menu, Jared was also busy playing in the kiddie area of the restaurant.

We started with the yummy Pasta & Shrimp Salad. These are shrimps & chilled spaghetti in sesame mayonnaise. Then the Seafood Platter for 2 which is actually good for 3-4, I think. It’s a platter of seasonal fish, calamari, prawns & mussels in creamy garlic & lemon butter sauce. Then the Grilled Porkchop Basilico which I did not like as the meat was kind of stiff. We also had the Grilled Chicken Peri-Peri which is just okay, the Grilled Seasonal Fish (Cream Dory fish) and last but not the least, The Best Fish & Chips in Town – fried, topped with lemon butter & served with chips. For the drinks, I loved the bottomless Strawberry Lemonade which unfortunately was not the one I ordered. I just had a sip on Ryan’s drink. It’s not for sharing so I made sure no one’s looking.. *wink* Too bad, I was not able to take pictures of the dishes.
All in all, food was good but I think the prices were too expensive than they deserved to be. Almost all of the dishes cost at least 400 and yet the serving is just good for 1-2. Good thing my mom was the one who paid the bill. :) Thanks mommy!

Bulalo Republic

On our way to Gapan last weekend, Arlene, my sister suggested that we have lunch at Bulalo Republic. It was along DRT Highway in Baliuag, Bulacan. She said that it was featured in Rated K before. What amazed us here are the waiters that were dressed as Meralco linemen, priest, policemen, SWAT officers. There are also other female staffs that were dressed as Girl Scout and nurse. The cooks were all dressed as correctional inmates while the kitchen area is decorated like a jail. Btw, the priest is the one that served us :)

We ate at the main dining hall but you can also dine in the individual huts if your group is larger than 8 people.

We had to try bulalo, of course. There are several dishes of Bulalo. We ordered Nilaga and Kare-kare. We all liked the Kare-kare, in fact it was the first dish that was finished off. There are other dishes aside from Bulalo. We also tried the Lapulapu in sweet and sour sauce and it's good!

What I really liked about this resto is that the dishes that are served here are MSG-free. I hope all the other restaurants make an effort to remove or avoid MSG in their menus.

My toddler ate a kisses chocolate wrapper

Last Saturday, we were eating Hershey’s chocolate kisses. We didn’t notice that my toddler, Jared, was also eating, not the chocolate but the wrapper. His nanny caught him chewing it and he wouldn’t let us get it out of his mouth. Ryan forced him to open his mouth then I tried to get it but suddenly we heard him swallow, and then it’s gone. We checked how much did he eat and I think it’s around ¼ of the wrapper of a single Hershey’s kiss. We texted his doctor immediately but for some reason we got no reply. Maybe there’s a problem with the signal since we were in Nueva Ecija at that time. Anyway, we just decided to check his diaper for 2 consecutive days to see if he will pass it in his stool. If not, we’ll bring him to the doctor.

Luckily, just a while ago, we checked his stool and it was there. Thank God!

Manila Ocean Park

I have read several articles on people's visits to the Manila Ocean Park. Even though there are lots of not so good comments about the place, we still want to see the place, so off we went and experience it ourselves.


We planned to go early morning to avoid the crowd, but with a toddler in tow, it’s not an easy feat. Luckily, we arrived early enough to park easily and jump in line to the entrance.

The first part of the tour is called AGOS (FLOW), which is an open area with plants and a waterfall. Jared was so amazed and just kept staring at the waterfalls. The touch pool is also located here wherein we’re able to touch the starfish and sea cucumber. I just don’t know why there are some sharks included in that pool, are they ok to be touched?


The second part is the BAHURA (REEF). The species I remembered here are the Japanese spider crab and Nemo, the clownfish.


The third part is the LAOT (FISHING GROUND) where the giant grouper, Lapulapu is located. My mom kept on saying that it would be so good if she can cook one of the Lapulapu with sweet and sour sauce. Seems like she's already thinking of lunch at that time.

The fourth part is the BUHAY NA KARAGATAN (THE LIVING OCEAN). I must say that the highlight of the tour is the tunnel. It’s a thick glass tunnel underneath the huge aquarium. It's big but it was not as big as what I expected. And because of so many people here, we were not able to take a decent picture.


The remaining sections are the KALALIMAN (DEEP), STINGRAY TANK and the SHARK TANK.


So what do I think about the Manila Ocean Park? It’s a nice place to experience a variety of marine species but I’m still craving for more. There are other sea creatures which they can add like turtles, squids and dolphins. I want to see dolphins! We actually overheard someone said “yun na yun?” ..same as to what we thought when we reached the exit door.

Finally!

WOW. I can't believe I am now starting a blog. I have long been a blog lurker, and now at long last, I have mustered up the courage to put up an online journal. I'm so dumb when it comes to these things. Though I'm not really sure what hit me to start this, as I am the kind of person who likes keeping to myself and never liked being put on the fore-front to be criticized or something like that.. or maybe I'm just in "inggit" mode to all my friends who have their own blogs =) Hopefully, I'll be able to maintain this and post regularly.