Now 16, Forever Sweet

Today, Alphonse turns sixteen.

It never ceases to amaze me when I look at him, now almost grown up. He stands three inches taller than me, fits into men’s clothing, and sports a slightly disheveled moustache which matches the smattering of hair in his armpits. Everywhere I look, I no longer see a trace of the baby or the child he once was. All I see is a man.

The truth is, I miss my baby. I miss the sweetness of his breath in the morning. I miss the softness of his unblemished skin. I miss being able to carry  him in the crook of my arm to sing him to sleep.

 I miss the way he fits in the side of my body when he curls up in bed with me.

I miss his chubby cheeks and his round, heavy body. I miss the hibernating porkchop and his pouty lips.

I miss his childlike smile, the one that erases all my fears away. 

But even as I miss those mementoes of his childhood, I marvel at who he has become today. Almost a man, but not quite. Loud, quirky, opinionated, determined. Headstrong and bullish. Sweet and trusting. 

It has been a long journey from then to now. There were many days of pain and heartache, and of grief and despair, but for each one of those miserable days, our lives were blessed a millionfold by what we have learned living with and loving him. Alphonse has taught us patience and tolerance, forgiveness and acceptance, gratitude and surrender. Most of all, he has taught us how to love without hope or thought of reciprocity. We love him because we do, and not because of anything he does to make us love him. It’s as simple as that.

Happy birthday, our dear sweet child, our Alphonse.  Papa, Mama, and Kuya Alex love you so much.

~0~

While on the subject of birthday celebrations, this blog also turns a year older this month. Happy 3rd birthday to Okasaneko Chronicles!

In 2007, when I started blogging, I was lucky to get even just ten people a day to read my blog. Three years later, despite the lack of promotion (I’ve never really been very big at that) and the freedom to express myself, those numbers have multiplied exponentially. In this little corner of the Internet I call Kittymama’s home, I have made many friends. I have also become part of a larger community of people I would never have met were it not for this wonderful experience. Thank you to all those who have come, visited, read, lingered, commented, returned, or even just glanced at the pages of my life. I am humbled by your kindness and love.

The Okasaneko Chronicles’ 3rd Blog Birthday Giveaway starts today so please be sure to leave a comment in this blog post to join. You can read the mechanics here for the full details on the giveaway. Many, many thanks to all those who have helped make this giveaway a reality: Sanrio Gift Gate Philippines, Ban Kee Trading, Inc., BusinessWorld/HerWord.com, Autism Society Philippines, The Fairy Godmother, and Alphie (who is none other than Alphonse, the birthday boy who wishes to share his birthday blessings with his Mama).

 

D-6 and Counting

Late yesterday afternoon, I received three email messages confirming the pick-up places for the giveaways. Woohoo! This was all coming along so well, I thought to myself as I half-ran, half-skipped all the way to the bathroom to get ready.  I wanted to do at least one pick-up last night and depending on the state of traffic, maybe add another one. When Alphonse saw me getting ready, he started flashing his dizzyingly gorgeous smiles at me, which was a very convincing plea to bring him along.

I was excited but control freak that I really am, I had this script planned in my head already. I would bring along Alphonse, and with his dad taking our picture, he and I would pose with some store personnel in the act of receiving the donated gift items. More bloggable moments, I figured.  Our first stop would be the Sanrio Store at SM North EDSA Annex, where Ms. Isabel Lopez, marketing manager of Gift Gate- Sanrio Philippines (Great Gifts sales & Licensing International Corp.) had sent the giveways for pick-up. If traffic cooperated, maybe we’d have time to drop by Toytown Eastwood Mall where Mr. Joseph de Leon of Ban Kee Trading, exclusive distributor of Sylvanian Families in the country, had dropped off the SF giveaways.

I’m not a very vain person but when I know I’d be posing for pictures, I try to look better than I normally do. (The script in my head demanded for that, too.) Rummaging through my Kitty-inspired clothing, I fancied upon this super comfy gray Kitty shirt from Torrid, matched it with some black leggings, and finished the outfit off with my Hello Kitty Crocs McCall. Sorry for the creases in the shirt, folks. By the time I thought to take the pictures, Alphonse had been sitting on my lap for a while.

Kittymama in leggings- who knew?

In love with my Kitty Crocs

Traffic, as usual, was bad last night, so poof! I moved the second destination to another date. We would have gone back home were it not for Alphonse, who was so excited to be out again that he was literally squealing in glee. But nothing in the script, it seemed, was going to go as planned. The ride to SM North EDSA which normally takes just fifteen minutes stretched to an hour last night. Alphonse was in such a great mood, though,  that we didn’t worry too much about him getting bored. I prepped him with the plan again and elicited a pinky promise from him to behave very well.

I think he meant to keep his promise, really, he did. From the fourth level where we were parked down to the upper ground floor where the Sanrio Store is located, Alphonse held our hands and walked calmly, all the while flashing his silly grins. When we reached the store, I made him pose for a picture before we went in to get the giveaways. He smiled shyly, stood still for all of three seconds, and bolted away! I managed to click the shutter once before he ran straight to the Pizza Hut kiosk across the floor! I almost dropped the camera as we started running after him but he was determined and fast. I thought I was going to have a heart attack. Poof! Another planned moment gone in a few seconds.

The good news is that even without the camera documenting our every move, I did receive the Sanrio giveaways. I am very grateful to Ms. Isabel Lopez and the Gift Gate family for their gifts, which we will raffle off to three lucky readers of this blog. Inside each of the bags is a charming yet functional Hello Kitty star card case/coin purse in canvas, a 35th Anniversary plastic file folder to organize your documents, a Hello Kitty magnet sheet (I’m a sucker for magnets, heehee), a mini-memo pad which is perfect for stashing in your bag, and a unique sticker sheet featuring all the official designs of Hello Kitty from 1974 to 2008. This is a great gift any Hello Kitty fan would love to have and it’s FREE!!! What could be better than that?  

I’m getting ready to publish the mechanics of the contest so please be sure to watch out for it. The contest will start on November 3 and end on November 14. I will pick the winners via this cool raffle drum on loan to me by the very kind folks at BusinessWorld.

Thanks for staying tune, friends! I will take more pictures of the giveaways as I receive them and post them up too. I hope these whet your appetite for The OC 3rd Blog Birthday Giveway. See you soon!

Countdown to November

As November approaches, Alphonse senses something special is coming up and acts giddy and excited. It doesn’t hurt that another long break is overdue, what with the All Saints’ Day/All Souls’ Day holidays coinciding with most schools’ semestral break. Despite Alphonse’s lack of knowledge and concern about dates, he gets a lot of cues from the people around him and instinctively anticipates the coming days.

I can’t help but feel giddy as well. The OC (short for Okasaneko Chronicles, but funny how it simply dawned on me now that another form of OC is perfectly apt for me- obssessive compulsive, heehee) 3rd Blog Birthday Giveaways will be starting on November 3  and all the people I’ve asked for support has responded very favorably. Even HerWord.com, BusinessWorld’s e-zine for women, is sending a gift for giveaway! Yippee!  The mechanics will be up very soon so please watch out this week for more news on the giveaway.

To get Alphonse prepped for his birthday road trip, we started him on short trips again. His behavior looks very promising. He has been very well behaved on our short trips and save for some minor shouting (he does love his verbal stims), there have been no major problems with grabbing or running away. Two weeks ago, at the grocery store, Alphonse wanted to ride the shopping cart the way he used to when he was a small child. I can’t help but smile when I remember how he took off his size 8 shoes and tried to lift one leg to put inside the large shopping cart. He’s almost five feet five inches now so the sight of him inside one can’t be considered cute anymore. Good thing he’s very pliable these days and we were able to convince him to walk with us instead.

Yesterday was another holiday because of the local barangay elections. Taking advantage of another free day, we decided to start Alphonse’s day with a visit to Granny Flower’s ossuary (Granny Flower is A’s mom).

Then it was off to  my Mom and Dad’s house for a visit. We didn’t stay too long, though. We wanted to give him an hour or two at the mall before it was overrun with people.  We also wanted to tire him out by walking the stretch of the SM North EDSA Sky Garden’s 400-meter covered walk way.

Alphonse was met with a lot of curious stares as his dad and big brother held his hands while walking. He didn’t seem to mind the gawking; in fact, he had a ready smile for everyone he crossed paths with.

He fell in love with this overgrown pumpkin decoration and sat down and fiddled with it before we could entice him to walk again. He even laid down a few seconds on the grass right beside it.

But we made sure to keep our promise of afternoon merienda (snack). Food is always a highlight of any trip for him and he loves Ineng’s succulent pork barbecue on a stick. He had one while sitting, another one while walking back to the car, and a third one inside the car. When we got home, he ate two more! This boy can definitely eat!

It doesn’t take much to make him happy, as you can see.  We didn’t even have to spend for anything other than food. At yet, at the end of the day,  you can tell by his smiles and kisses that he absolutely loves these mini-dates. Here’s crossing our fingers he’ll love our birthday surprise for him!

Sanrio and YKL Promotion

On October 15, 2010, Friday, Sanrio Philippines launches its newest partnership and promotion with YKL Color, the Philippines’ exclusive distributor of Fujifilm digital products. For a limited time only (until supplies last, that is), a free Hello Kitty camera case and a 2GB SD card will be given free with purchase of a Finepix Z700 EXR or a Finepix Z33 WP from the following branches of Fujifilm Digital Imaging (FDI) shops: SM Fairview, SM Manila, SM Mall of Asia, SM Megamall, SM North Edsa Annex and Southgate Mall.

The promotion also includes a free 4R (4″x6″) print for every purchase of PhP1000 at selected Gift Gate branches (Gift Gate SM Mega Mall/Gift Gate Trinoma/Gift Gate Greenhills/Gift Gate Robinsons Ermita/Gift Gate Alabang Town Center).  This promotion runs from October 15 to November 15, 2010.

I like promotions that offer extra products or services, particularly when Sanrio Philippines gets in the picture. (Remember BreadTalk? That was one yummy tie-up that I loved! Nom nom nom nom nom. ) Being a Sony camera fan myself, I find myself oddly drooling at the thought of a really cute camera case (free! Hello Kitty!) for the Fujifilm Finepix. If you’re on the lookout for a new digital camera, consider Fujifilm’s Finepix models and give it a try. I like the Z700 and its good reviews on the Net make it an instant favorite.  

The free print promo is not new but is always a welcome treat. If you can get a free print for buying things you normally would buy even without freebies, then that is simply a lot of sweet icing on the cake.  (Notice how I like metaphors that involve cake?)

Now, if I can only get them to clean up their horrible ad. ”Are you vouge* or the adventurous**?” simply smacks of bad spelling and wrong grammar. For a country that prides itself on having English as our second language, it makes me wince to look at it. Please, Sanrio Philippines and YKL Color! Take this down and change this before it’s too late!

Then again, perhaps, I should be more forgiving of bad English; it’s not as if we Filipinos have a monopoly of it. Need proof? Go to Engrish.com or Engrish.com on Facebook  and try happy***!  :-)

~0~

* wrong spelling, should be vogue

** should be “or adventurous” or “are you adventurous”

***” Try happy” was Engrish.com’s status message in Facebook on October 1, 2010. It could mean “try to be happy”or simply “be happy.” Whatever.

Update on BreadTalk + Sanrio

I received an e-mail reply today to my inquiry from Ms. Cathy Albano, Marketing Assistant of BreadTalk and here is what she wrote:

All Sanrio whole cakes are priced at P800 and size is 8-inch diameter. We usually take orders in advance so that we can prepare the cakes in time for pick-up at any of the following cake stores: Glorietta 4, Robinsons Place, SM Mall of Asia, Rockwell, Megamall, Landmark TriNoma, Alabang Town Center and Gateway.

As to the flavor, here is a selection for you to choose from:

· chocolate chiffon filled with chocolate ganache or

· vanilla chiffon with your choice of filling: strawberry or mango

I made a follow-up inquiry on the lead time for orders and once I get my reply, I am definitely decided on my anniversary cake.

If you have inquiries or would like to order any of these beautiful Sanrio cakes, you may email breadtalk+sanrio@breadtalk.com.ph.

More Than Just Breads at BreadTalk

If you’re a carbohydrate fiend like me, then you know that BreadTalk has some of the yummiest sweet and savory breads and cakes in the market.  Now, BreadTalk Philippines ties up with Sanrio to produce the sweetest looking cakes in all of cakedom! And just in time for a coming anniversary too! :-)

You can see the cakes here at BreadTalk Philippines’official website, but I just couldn’t wait to show you these beauties! Hello Kitty is obviously my choice for an anniversary cake; it truly is a gorgeous piece of cake art  (hint!hint!). But as the pictures below show us, they are all just as beautiful. GiftGate Philippines (in their Multiply site) answered my query for prices (PhP800/cake) but they also advised me to email the site directly for order instructions. I tried to find BreadTalk’s store numbers online but none of those I found were right. This week, I guess I will be heading off to the branch nearest me to inquire. And if all else fails, I will try the email on BreadTalk Philippines’s site to order.  

Happy eating!

  

Guess Who Has Come to Sylvania?

Dedicated to P-Angel and Joanna and our common fascination for Hello Kitty and Sylvanian Families. With special thanks to sis Allen for the lovely Sylvanian-sized kitties.

Two caravans pulled up near the edge of Sylvanian City. Sylvania has its share of tourists and visitors each year so this wasn’t totally out of the ordinary. And yet, the Badger Police Force seemed on the edge and tensed that particular day.

“It must be someone special,” they whispered in hushed tones. “The police don’t come out for ordinary visitors,” others said. But who could it be?

A large crowd gathered near the caravans, eager to see the new arrivals. The police kept people at bay, wanting to control the inflow of more critters. 

“Mama! I see her! I see her!” a little rabbit baby shrieked.

“Who? Who do you see?” the parents asked in confusion.

“There she is! Do you see the ribbon?” Shelley Keats shouted back. 

“It’s  HELLO KITTY,” the girls screamed in unison. “And DEAR DANIEL!!!”

“Hello, everyone,” Kitty and Daniel said. “We’re very pleased to visit your town and we hope to stay here for a while. Thank you for coming out to welcome us. We appreciate it! Arigatō gozai masu.”

Who would have thought Hello Kitty and Dear Daniel would find their way to this small town?

More exciting times are ahead, I tell you.

 

Dress Me Up Before You Go-Go

Boohoo! I haven’t been able to locate my camera’s program CD. I’ve been looking for a few days now and I can’t find it in any of the logical hiding places around the room. It’s not in the closets, not underneath the bed, not in the camera bag, not in dresser, and not in the bedside table. I’m sure it’s just here somewhere; problem is, I can’t remember where I kept it or even where I saw it last. These senior moments have been happening more often now, as we move things around in an effort to hide things from Alphonse’s curious eyes and prying hands.  Instead of having a fixed place for our things, we play “musical spaces” (our version of “musical chairs”) with them. Just last week, it took us three days to locate the ear thermometer. By the time we found it stashed underneath A’s old shirts (this was where one of the nannies hid it but forgot about it until three days later), we no longer needed it. Alphonse’s fever was all gone.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that unless I can get the picture utility program in this laptop, many of my personal pictures will have to wait for when the desktop computer comes home. Consequently, many of my stories will simply be retelling of things I have found while surfing the Net. Have I looked for an online download of my program? Well, duh, of course I have but I haven’t met with success yet. So, as I give this desperate search mission a final chance, I guess I’ll have to content myself with sharing the things I have found interesting  on the Net.

Today, as I surfed my Multiply account, I was drawn to a contact’s pre-order page for Hello Kitty plushes. I haven’t gotten any new dolls lately (the last one is the most recent 35th anniversary Hello Kitty Build-A-Bear) but I do enjoy looking at albums of new arrivals. This, however, was what caught my attention. Did you know that you could own a Hello Kitty Dress Me Doll that comes in its own case? I didn’t even know that until today.

I would have preferred it if my own Dress Me dolls (I have three of them) came in cases. This way, I would not worry about keeping them clean and dust-free. The Dress Me dolls tend to get dirtier than BAB dolls, I’ve noticed, so I don’t play with them as often. The case also works as a wonderful storage for the doll’s clothes and shoes, and having them all in one place helps keep things tidy.

At PhP6899, however, this is a little too steep for me. The doll retails for only US$14; here in the country, most online sellers peg them from PhP1350 to around PhP1500. Add the value of the dress, say roughly another thousand bucks, and the value of the case, and I still don’t think PhP6899 is worth it. I do understand, however, that prices from where this doll and case come from may be highly inflated, thus, the corresponding increase in the cost for this item.

Still, were I awash with dough at this moment (not the edible one, silly), I probably would not have second thoughts about this. If you’re interested and would love to own this, head on to Smay168Fashion Onine Boutique. I love Hello Kitty Dress Me dolls and this seems like a perfect way to package it- doll and handy case in one so get one if you can afford it.

And while we’re at it, check out these outfits currently available at Sanrio.com.  Just think of these cool outfits hanging in that equally cool case and it just about makes me squeak in delight.  The clothes sell for US$20 at the Sanrio site. I think I’ll wait till the local Gift Gate carries these before I bust the Kitty bank again, though. :-) 

In the meantime, I’m bringing out my dolls for a spell. Enjoy these Dress Me dolls, folks!

Kitty Kitty Bo Bitty

I didn’t get around to posting this before, and now that I have some free time on my hands, I thought I’d introduce you to the newest member of our family, Kitty Bee (as in Kitty B or Kitty Brown). She arrived via US Postal Service on October 7 this year, but I’ve listed her birthdate as September 20 on her Build A Bear birth certificate because she was an anniversary gift. A found her online and brought her home (well, technically, he didn’t because she traveled all the way from the US). I had known she was coming but I didn’t expect her to come home to me in a yummy Sun Chips box!

This was how she looked online, as advertised by her first mommy. A checked Build A Bear’s online store then but at the time of his search, Tropical Kitty was no longer available. So, he searched for sites that still carried this kind of doll, and although he paid a premium for her, he was happy to do so for me. Alas! A month later, BAB’s online store restocked with these babies! Ah well…. (Click thumbnails to see full size.)

And this is how she looks like now.

I’ve been having so much fun with my newest baby; she is sooo cuddly and cute! Morever, she’s so much easier to dress. She fits in small-sized infants’ clothes and by a stroke of good fortune,  Sanrio carries licensed baby wear here in the country. I was able to get her an assortment of clothes at Gift Gate’s latest sale.

Of course, this introduction will not be complete without the requisite fashion show:

Here she is in nightclothes, in fashion wear (see inset picture of how it looks in the back), in a flirty dress with ruffles at the hem, in a pink skirt and blouse, in sports wear, in Sesame Street jammies, and even a poodle skirt and knitted sweater! Isn’t she the cutest thing? 

Of course, little Kitty White (my Dress Me Kitty) will always be my baby, and she gets in her share of the clothing action too. Here they are in matching clothes.

A is now on the lookout for the first edition Kitty Build A Bear doll. With rumors flying fast that there might be a new Christmas BAB Kitty, I’m on the net everyday waiting for announcements. I can’t wait to adopt more Kitty children- they do make my days happier!