Lavender & Coffee Stains

Dear Me,

Like every book-loving person out there, I not only have overflowing bookshelves and towering book piles scattered all over the place but also a legion of lists of books I want to read, own and collect. I have them listed in a database then I got bored and moved on. And because the desire and the restlessness of liking a book and yet it is not available makes the urge to have it in my hands all the more exciting and frustrating at the same time. The wishlist started with just five books and I didn't even know how many they were. I even lost a number of them because I had them scribbled in a tissue paper from a coffee shop, noted them in a grocery receipt, typed them in the notes tab from my pda and worst of them all, jotted in the palm of my hand.

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It's where I list all the books I desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming.

My book wishlist does not only comprise my books-to-covet but also includes the books-I-want-to-covet for my two-year old reader. As much as I am a self-confessed book-lover, children's books are not my forte. But when Miguel started holding and flipping the pages of my paperbacks and hardcovers, I realized that I might need to start liking and reading the books meant for his age. After all, I want him to grow up enjoying every book that comes his way.

With that, here's my wishlist:



Although this book is more appropriate for ages 4-6 years old, I think there's no harm in reading this to him and explaining about the ill effects of throwing trash in the ocean. He practically knows what trash is and what this body of water is like. I think he will love pointing the beautiful creatures in the ocean.

I Can Save the Ocean:
The Little Green Monster Cleans Up the Beach

authored by Alison Inches and
illustrated by Viviana Garofoli

published on March 9, 2010 by Simon & Schuster

hardcover, 24 pages

children's book
Book Synopsis:

Max the Little Green Monster is a cute, furry green monster that loves the outdoors, especially the beach! But Max and his friends don't like cleaning up after themselves and after a picnic on the shore, they leave a big mess behind and go scuba diving. While Max is excited to meet lots of new ocean-swimming friends from crabs to colorful fishes to ink-squirting squids, when he learns how his carelessness and littering may have harmed the beautiful ocean, the Little Green Monster goes on a quest to clean and protect the beach and finds out what it means to be environmentally green.

Kids can join Max the Little Green Monster's journey to environmental awareness and learn tips on how they can become little green monsters themselves. The interior pages of this book will be printed on 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper that's FSC-certified.

Knowing Frances Mayes was an accident. Thanks to her book-turned-movie with the same title (Under The Tuscan Sun), I would not have hunted and read the book sooner and discovered that both were equally beautifully written. If not for the movie (which I loved, by the way), I would not have known the joy of reading her other works. For that, I have to thank my hubby most of all, for bringing this movie into my attention.

I cannot get enough of Mayes' chronicles about Tuscany and her enchanting experiences there. I am truly envious.

Every Day In Tuscany: Seasons Of An Italian Life

authored by Frances Mayes

published on March 9, 2010 by Broadway Books

hardcover, 320 pages

travel memoir
Book Synopsis:

In this sequel to her New York Times bestsellers Under the Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany, the celebrated "bard of Tuscany" (New York Times) lyrically chronicles her continuing, two decades-long love affair with Tuscany's people, art, cuisine, and lifestyle.

Frances Mayes offers her readers a deeply personal memoir of her present-day life in Tuscany, encompassing both the changes she has experienced since Under the Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany appeared, and sensuous, evocative reflections on the timeless beauty and vivid pleasures of Italian life. Among the themes Mayes explores are how her experience of Tuscany dramatically expanded when she renovated and became a part-time resident of a 13th century house with a stone roof in the mountains above Cortona, how life in the mountains introduced her to a "wilder" side of Tuscany—and with it a lively engagement with Tuscany's mountain people. Throughout, she reveals the concrete joys of life in her adopted hill town, with particular attention to life in the piazza, the art of Luca Signorelli (Renaissance painter from Cortona), and the pastoral pleasures of feasting from her garden. Moving always toward a deeper engagement, Mayes writes of Tuscan icons that have become for her storehouses of memory, of crucible moments from which bigger ideas emerged, and of the writing life she has enjoyed in the room where Under the Tuscan Sun began.

With more on the pleasures of life at Bramasole, the delights and challenges of living in Italy day-to-day and favorite recipes, Every Day in Tuscany is a passionate andinviting account of the richness and complexity of Italian life.

I always have a thing for crime fiction with suspense and thrill to boot. Because of this, I am always in the look-out for new authors (at least for me) to excite me. The synopsis seemed interesting enough for me to include this in my wishlist.

The Dante Killings: A Thriller

authored by David Hewson

published on April 27, 2010 by Random House

paperback, 544 pages

police procedural thriller
Book Synopsis:

On a warm, golden evening in Rome, celebrities and paparazzi gather at the Villa Borghese as a legendary director premieres his long-anticipated film version of Dante’s Inferno. But minutes later the scene is chaos: A man lies dead, the film’s star is missing, and a priceless relic has vanished.

As the premiere shifts locations—from Rome to San Francisco—detective Nic Costa finds himself on U.S. shores for the first time, charged with protecting a trove of rare Italian artworks and artifacts, as well as an American film actress, Maggie Flavier. When a killer indeed strikes, and with Flavier in danger, Costa races to unravel the chilling clues that connect Dante’s nine circles of Hell to the shattering revelations of Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo. But he may be too late. For a cunning plot is closing in around Costa, guided by a poet’s ancient vision of sin and punishment and a killer’s genius for terror.

Dear Me,

I'm not really big on having so much framed photos displayed in the house. I have foregone such ideas because I know that I have digital copies and I can look and be sentimental anytime I feel like doing so.

When hubby flew overseas to grab a nice working opportunity, I had a change of heart. The sadness was so overwhelming that I needed something to hold on to. That was when the photos came into the picture, so to speak.

The following days, I found myself searching for recent snapshots for developing as well as shopping for photo frames. The photos I selected were not that fabulous but each and every photo depicted the love we all have for each other and the happiness we shared when those images were taken. The frames I bought were not that grand, too, for I preferred simplicity. I wanted to be enamored by the paper with the image rather than the shiny metal or fragile glass that framed it.




I am planning to put up more frames but it is kinda dangerous because Miguel loves to "explore" and throw balls around the house. Accidents are not far from happening if I just set them all up in one place. Maybe when he's a year older, I'll have a stand or counter for those frames.

For now, I'll just content myself in looking at the ones that I have. :)

Dear Me,

I am supposed to post this in my book blog over at Bookish Adventures. But it's hard to manage more than one blog when you're trying to be consistent in blogging regularly in just one blog. *hmm* Did I just make sense in that statement? *hmm*

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read.

* Open to a random page.

* Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.

* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
(make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The new author who is enthralling me with his book right now is Joel Rosenberg.



Here's my chosen teasers:

"But what intrigued Costello most was that Allegro explained that he believed the Copper Scroll was no legend. He believed that it was real and fully expected the treasures to one day be found."


~ page 246, The Copper Scroll

Dear Me,

The availability and the growing market of electronics has somehow taken over the way kids these days spend their day. Reading books has taken a backseat over electronic games, cellphones, dvd players, etc. For me, it's a cause for alarm for I want my little boy to grow with a passion for books and reading. I do not want him to be controlled nor dominated by electronic gadgets that are at his disposal. Instead, I would instill in him the passion for reading.



A child opening a book and looking over its contents is bringing himself to a world of imagination and great possibilities. With the guidance of the parents, kids will go to great lengths when it comes to skills and success.

Hubby and I had introduced an array of board books as well as picture books to Miguel when he was still in the infant stages.

Now that he is a 2-year old naughty (hehehe) but adorable boy, I am continuing what we have started. Starting young is what's best for them to acquire the attachment, passion and understanding.

I have set up a reading routine for both of us. I now read to him in the late afternoon when he's done watching Barney or Blues' Clues or Dora the Explorer or even finished playing with his toys . I make sure that the tv is off or that I have no other immediate activities needing my time-to-time attention. I choose the afternoons because during this time, it's peacefully quiet around the house and the neighborhood. The calm ambiance helps ward off the distractions that will lure him to drop the book and start clamoring for toys or Boots or BJ or Roary.

We also read before bedtime. He would pick up the books he like from his bookshelf and bring them in the bedroom. I am slowly trying to make bedtime-reading a normal part of our day. I still have to establish a going-in-the-bedroom time. We have an irregular schedule when it comes to that but we are working on it. :)

To make reading more personal for him, I let him sit on my lap while he holds the book. I guide him through the pages and read to him with sounds and actions (if needed). He would sometimes mimic and we would both laugh with each other. I also read the book with my fingers in the words so the process of "memory retain or recognition" (or whatever it is called) will do its own work.

As mentioned, I allow him to choose the book he likes for me to read. In that way, I know that he will be interested to listen. But there are times that his attention will wander or his interest will wane. Normally, I would feel sad about it that I might not be doing things correctly. And then I realize, he is just a 2-year old boy who wants to do his own thing and I should not pressure him to read or else, I just defeated the purpose of having him discover and learn the love for reading. When I see that he's not interested anymore or he would wander elsewhere, I still continue reading to him in a voice pitch that he can hear. Sometimes, he ignores me but there are also instances that he comes back and we finish a book or two. He loves to be the one to say "The End." Hehehe.

Make sure that your kids see you reading books, too. I usually read in the evenings, bedtime actually. As a bibliophile myself, I have books anywhere in the house (except for the toilet...hehehe). I noticed that when I started opening a paperback, he would tell me that he needed to go out of the room and with that, I would hear the door banging as he rushed out. In a few seconds, I would hear him hollering for me to open the door because he could not do it himself because "madaming dala" or in English, he's carrying a lot of books. Once settled in the bed, he would also read solo - recognizing letters or numbers, shapes and colors, things or animals. I encourage him all the more by praising him for being so good in reading.

Another realization hit me. I need to provide ample space for Miguel's books in my shelves in the bedroom, too. I believe in the power of subtle influencing. Partnered with a reading routine, a house full of books plus someone he always sees holding a book to read, I am absolutely certain that Miguel's attitude towards reading will be more favorable than I expect it to be.



A child's reading development starts at home and continuously honed at school. It is best that as parents, we should take the upper hand to gear our kids to the path where they will discover the magical world of books and reading.

Dear Me,

There are times when you're hearing nice music over the air waves that you feel like capturing those songs in your heart. It is either you can relate to it or simply, you love the meaning behind the lines. It can also be that you are a great fan of the artist or merely, the music suits your current mood.

I was watching one of my favorite tv series, CSI Miami when I heard this song:

UNSTOPPABLE
by Rascal Flatts

Yeah yeah yeah..
Hey

So, so you made a lot of mistakes
Walked down the road a little sideways
Cracked a brick when you hit the wall
Yeah, you've had a pocket full of regrets
Pull you down faster than a sunset
Hey, it happens to us all

When the cold hard rain just won't quit
And you can't see your way out of it

CHORUS
You find your faith has been lost and shaken
You take back what's been taken
Get on your knees and dig down deep
You can do what you think is impossible
Keep on believing, don't give in
It'll come and make you whole again
It always will, it always does
Love is unstoppable

Love, it weather any storm
Bring you back to being born again
oh, it's a helping hand when you need it most
A lighthouse shinning on the coast
That never goes dim

When your heart is full of doubt
And you think that there's no way out

CHORUS
You find your faith has been lost and shaken
You take back what's been taken
Get on your knees and dig down deep
You can do what you think is impossible
Keep on believing, don't give in
It'll come and make you whole again
It always will, it always does
Love is unstoppable

Like a river keeps on rolling
Like the north wind blowing
Don't it feel good knowing
Yeah

CHORUS
You find your faith has been lost and shaken
You take back what's been taken
Get on your knees and dig down deep
You can do what you think is impossible
Keep on believing, don't give in
It'll come and make you whole again
It always will, it always does
Love is unstoppable

Love is unstoppable
So you made a lot of mistakes
Walked down the road a little sideways
Love, love is unstoppable

My adjectives: country, ballad, powerful, moving.

Cheers to my first Music Monday participation!


Come and join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the actual post link here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge. Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.

Dear Me,

I should have written this a long time ago. But mommy and wifey duties first to my family.

Lately, I've been finding time to write about anything that pops up. So today, I'm blogging about things I have discovered and learned about taking care of my first-born.

Here's my list:

• Learn to ask and question everything about your child. Be in charge of your child's health and safety.
  
  
• Follow the recommended vaccination schedule for your kids.
  
  
• Breastfeed for at least six months.
  
  
• Let babies sleep. Don't wake them up for when the time comes to sleep, they'll be up all night.
  
  
• Allow your babies to be accustomed to everyday noise at home.
  
  
• Don't shelter your kids too much. Sometimes, they need germs to build immunity.
  
  
• Make sure that when you prepare something hot, the kids are not too close; or the hot stuff is far from their reach.
  
  
• When taking a dip even just in an inflatable pool, never leave them unattended to avoids accidents.
  
  
• Never take in too many chores so as not to be cranky the whole day. Remember, fatigue causes a sour mood and more often than not, kids are the direct receptor of your anger.
  
  
• Boost their confidence by acknowledging how good they are.
  
  
• Encourage them to talk to you about everything.
  
  
• Spend more time with them by doing things together.

These are just some of the things that come to mind. Being a mom entails learning a lot from advice and experiences. It is best to be conscious, more aware of things about and around your children. It also helps if you follow your instinct and be able to foresee things that concern them.

After all, mothers know best. :)

Dear Me,

I just took this online quiz courtesy of Hyundai microsite. Take the Quiz and Get a Chance to Win your Dream Summer Getaway! as its opener sounds enticing enough for me to click the link.

The questions posted merely try to assess someone's personality and lifestyle complementing Hyundai's array of automobiles.

To participate and have a chance to win a dream summer vacation, answer some personal questions here.

The grand prize:

3D/2N accommodations at the Shangri-La Boracay
and airfare for 2.

I am fairly pleased with the result of my quiz. *beams*

Edgy. Feisty. Fierce. These are what you are. You're fearless, nothing tires you - you're always ready to push your limits. Stress? Not a problem - you thrive in it! A dose of speed and challenge gets you pumped up for the day. And for a weekend escapade, extreme is how you like it spent.


Genesis Coupe
The untamed you needs exhilaration from a high-performance car like the Genesis Coupe. It's got an intimidating build that never goes unnoticed, much like your bold personal style. And with a 3.8-liter Lambda DOHC V6 engine that unleashes a ferocious 303-horsepower, the road is at your command, affording you the thrill that only daredevils like you can handle.

This promo runs from March 24 to May 23, 2010. Check out the mechanics for more information. Also, visit the virtual showroom for Hyundai's latest models.

Dear Me,

If you're a follower of Dr. Temperance Brennan and Special Agent Seeley Booth, you were shocked, too, upon viewing their 100th episode in Bones last week. I was. I never thought that they even came close face-to-face, confronting their "attraction" for each other. Actually, I thought it was more incredible that Booth would even be "more in touch" with his feelings for Tempe.



It was an awesome episode for me. If Bones started with both Tempe and Booth absolutely, romantically tied up with each other, I didn't think I would even reach past Season 5. Keeping their potential romanticism for each other at bay amidst identifying human remains and finding murderers truly contributed to my pleasure of viewing them. Their cute gestures and funny teasings and their growing friendship reminded me how fun it was to have a male friend in your life.

Days ago, I saw Bones' 101th episode and their latest team-up brought them to Tempe's alma mater. Concurrently, they also attended Tempe's high school class reunion where she was perceived as creepy; thus, the Morticia name-calling. Going undercover as a married couple, Tempe asked Booth to dance with her, which Booth said no but finally said yes when he saw her disappointment. It was funny because it was a slow-dance and supposed to hold each other closer but he kinda stood there, holding her a little on arm's length. Booth remarked that they should give room for the holy spirit between them. Nice punch line!

I went softie, too, when Tempe claimed that she now knew how it felt to attend a prom, a prom she never went to. And that was the cue - Booth held her close.

Capping the episode, which was totally hilarious, was when Tempe danced her favorite dance, The Electric Slide. I was hoping to find a video but none had been uploaded yet.

Dear Me,

I have been wanting to do some food-tripping lately. I'm not sure if my cravings are due to the summer season we are having right now.

Anyway, when I saw this week's PhotoHunt theme, I jumped at the chance of featuring my flavor of the week. :)



This week's theme: COVERED

.
Doesn't this look uber-yummy to you? It's our favorite banana-mango choco crepe COVERED with vanilla ice cream! It was supposed to be "topped" with ice cream but my little boy wanted us to take a photograph of him with this delicious dessert. It took a number of clicks before he decided that snapping shots was over. :)


Want to join the Saturday fun? Participate and grab the code here!

To view this week's participants, check here.

View more Saturday Photohunters!

Dear Me,

I'm being contemplative and nostalgic at the same time. I have been so overly-stressed out physically and emotionally. I am longing for a quiet moment in a tranquil place.

While mulling about an idea of having a getaway with my little boy (have to bring him with me), my daydreaming brought me to cherished once-upon-a-times.


my trekking shoes atop a (almost) mountain peak;
it felt good to be up there
I realized that the usual, common and mundane things that we sometimes or always do, may not totally be nothing. In fact, the plain reminiscing painted a happy smile in my mind, if not in my face.

The good, smallest things that we usually take for granted - cool summer evenings, spectacular view of the sun rising in the horizon, hot mug of coffee in a chilly morning, hearing Bon Jovi over the air waves, reading a good book while sipping a favorite frappuccino, listening to a two-year old as he tries to communicate with you, etc. - are in truth, is what makes life sweet and interesting.

I think it is high time that we start to appreciate the simplest of things. After all, simplicity breeds great happiness.

Dear Me,

A thought just occurred to me. At what age should kids/toddlers be disciplined? Disciplines that entail do(s) and don't(s) that concern them as they grow up.

I have a two-year old and like any other first-time mothers out there, I want him to grow up with a care in the world.

Having to discipline him does not mean exercising military control. Oh, just simple ways that he can understand and learn. I don't want him growing up so aloof around me.

Right now, I'm teaching him to be responsible in gathering his toys and putting all of them in his toy chest everytime he's done playing for the day. The same thing goes for his books; that he has to put them all back in his bookshelf.



Luckily, he tidies them all up as I have designated it to be: before taking a bath, whenever we leave the house to go malling and before retiring to bed at night. But when he's being stubborn and doesn't want to clean up his mess despite my limited power of calm persuasion (hehehe), I resort to "telling lies" like someone or something will get his toys and that it will forever be gone. The tactic works but I'm not sure if it's a good idea.

I haven't thought of anything yet and although I have books about parenting (which I haven't gotten around to reading), I would prefer practical tips based on real experiences of other mothers out there.

Dear Me,

I've always loved KFC. My first love was their coleslaw. Next in line was their chicken. And now, their Creamy Tomato Pasta Bowl!



KFC's 100 Ways is a Daily Tips Application on
how to make your relationships fresh and exciting.

Enjoy this even more with KFC's Creamy Tomato Pasta Bowl!

Get a chance to win KFC Creamy Tomato Pasta Bowl GCs daily!

Mechanics:

1. Become a fan of the KFC 100 Ways Application and use it regularly – post them on your wall, make your own, and send them to your friends.
   
   
2. The more you use the application, the closer you get to win Creamy Tomato Pasta Bowl GCs!
   
   
3. Every day, there will be six (6) winners of 5 pieces Creamy Tomato Pasta Bowl GCs each.
   
   
4. The promo duration is for one month, from April 5 - May 6, 2010.
   
   
5. Winners will be announced DAILY on the KFC Pasta Bowl Fan Page.
   
   
6. Winners will also receive a notification Facebook Message on how to claim their prize.
   
   
7. To claim the GCs, simply reply to the FB Message with your name, cellphone number, and email address. Print out the FB Message thread and bring it along with your ID to Mediacom Office, 7F Lepanto Bldg, 8747 Paseo de Roxas, Makati City.
   
   
8. Prizes are transferable but not convertible to cash.
   
   
9. Winners can win more than once.
   
   
10. After the promo period, the KFC 100 Ways App can still be used but no more prizes shall be given away.