So schön ist Wien Matinee

In February, I joined a contest sponsored by the city government with the theme "So schoen ist Wien" (Vienna is beautiful). Last month, I received an invitation to attend a matinee where Austrian President Heinz Fischer and Vienna Mayor Michael Haüpl themselves were guests. The event was held at the Wiener Stadthalle (trade hall/center) Halle F. I along with other participants attended and this is also where I met a japanese painter I wrote about on my other blog.

The F concert hall is one of the biggest in the trade center. Located just behind the Lugner City Mall, one station away from the Westbahnhof, Vienna' main train hub. Also, hubby passes by this hall to his former office.

The first thing I noticed was a logo canopy/tent just by the entrance. They were giving out pieces of paper that I thought was part of the program...it was actually propaganda against the government building high-rise buildings in areas that would destroy significant cultural mementos.

The inside is laden with traditional trade show flooring, (ground floor) black tiles and the center aisle covered with red trade show carpet. There are wood stairs both left and right leading to the concert hall. There were logo mats placed just before the entrance, the Vienna City logo that is. The concert hall can hold upto 2,500 people so it was full-packed then considering that the President himself would attend. I think the event was in line with his campaign for presidency which he won last April 25th.

The 2-hour program was not without humor, as the popular stage actor/host carried himself well both in addressing the public and interviewing the prominent people. Ballad songs of a popular group were also heard in between (I've written about this over my other blog so I won't emphasize.)

Of course, we were given a chance to take photos of the politicians and our photos displayed outside. There was a buffet afterwards and I only got myself a muffin. ;)

(Some politicians and other prominent names in Austria with First Lady Margit Fischer - in terno with the president- as they look at Viennese Mayor Michael Haüpl)

One of the best-known events that are held in the Wiener Stadthalle is the "BA-CA Tennis Trophy", an annual tennis competition that attracts tennis enthusiasts from all of Austria.

When it rains...

It's raining cats and dogs! Just when the sun has started shining brightly, cold winds came and the sky went gray.

This time of the year calls not just for rain boots and coats but for umbrellas, outdoor rugs and lots of rags to dry off the wet floor...

On the positive, this is one of those very few moments that my two boys get along well...when we go out in the rain, the umbrella keeps them in harmony with each other. :) Though I really like it that way, with the rain being optional...

Pamilya/Family, Estranghero/Stranger

"...love one another; just as I have loved YOU...By this all will know that YOU are my disciples, if YOU have love among yourselves." - John 13:34-35


Kumikilala sa iisang Ama kaya naman kahit nagkakaiba ang lahi, kulay o salita ng bawat isa ay makikita pa rin ang pagkakaisa.

(Dawty with 2 Japanese sisters)

(From the Philippines, Mexico, Nigeria, Romania and the US).

Kaya naman kahit ako ay nag-iisa rito hindi ko naman nararamdaman talaga iyon dahil malaki ang pamilya ko at  hindi ako isang estranghero pag sila ang kasama ko. Happy LP!

Kid's eczema

Atopic dermatitis or eczema, is a common problem in infants and children. Both my boys have it when they were younger and I would apply certain kinds of gels and lotions to help with the dryness. Eczema, per definition from medical websites, usually begins between two and six months of age with very dry and sensitive skin that will then become red and extremely itchy. I remember that my youngest had some on the forehead, cheeks and scalp and a few on his trunk, creases of the elbows, knees, and wrists.

Some of the more common household name for the Lotions and Gels are Eucerin, Nivea, Cethaphil Moisturizing Cream, or Lubriderm, should be used every day.

I'm pretty sure there are other kinds    of   eczema relief out there, I'm just glad that the boys' skin got better.

Allergies

To help prevent kids having eczema, it is vital for them to undergo an allergy test. By avoiding things that are known to trigger your child's eczema, it will be easier. These may include certain foods (cow's milk, eggs, peanut butter, fish), wool fibers and clothes, rough or tight fitting clothing, dry air, sweating, getting too hot or too cold (avoid hot or cold water), harsh soaps or chemicals, and stress. For my older boy, he has allergy with cat hair, soja, birch tree and dust...which is not particularly easy as dust is all around, reason why he is the thinnest among the three. The little boy on the other hand has allergies with egg whites so he stopped drinking milk since age 2 and he switched to soja milk. (Ironic, how one can have soja and the other cannot.)

Bathing

Bathing and eczema seem to contradict each other :) , but many people think the practice of limiting baths is old school or old fashioned. Many experts now recommend a daily bath for kids with eczema with the use of special oil that helps moisturize the skin.

Swimming is allowed too, but to prevent your child's skin from drying out immediately, shower or bathe to wash off chlorine and other chemicals and apply a moisturizer to help prevent .

Just remember to be patient. This is a chronic disease that usually improves and then comes back, but with therapy you can prevent it from happening again.

IKEA revisited

Having some days off proved useful for hunting kitchen cabinets and appliances. I also had time doing some floorplans and designing using a free online software. I don't plan on changing ours but looking at IKEA's and other kitchen design websites is simply inspiring. ;) Especially since most of our stuff were bought from IKEA.

I can't remember when was the last time I visited IKEA...not only do I enjoy it there, the kids are awed at the displays and we enjoy the food too! Especially their Köttbular with lingonberry and potatoes. I'd post the recipe of this dish soon, I wasn't able to find the photo of my homemade version, though this can be bought from IKEA as well including the sauce.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to find the mixer that I want when we went. So off we went home and I resorted online. Browsing about led me to a widerange kitchen and dining products buying guide, shopwiki. Like it's other pages, the guide is a treasureful of resources.

Advice on buying pots and pans per usage, care, which size to use are carefully detailed. From the featured photos, I identified some alike to mine. I'd be embarrased to admit though that I sometimes use the frying pan and sauté pan alternately. :D

I've been wanting to buy a blender since but seeing this food processor makes me think. Blenders are often seen behind coffee shops or bars. They can be used to purée, blend, and grind. As for the foodprocessor, it excels at slicing, shredding, chopping, and pureeing fruits and vegetables, grating cheese,grinding stale bread into crumbs, cutting butter into pastry crust, and kneading bread dough. The shopwiki page additionally gave recipes for great blends you can do at home. I'm still choosing which is better to have though.

So if you are in search of kitchen gadgets for your own kitchen or for gifts, unleash the kitchen-ista in you and visit the shopwiki guide on toasters and ovens, kitchen appliances, slow cookers, dining sets, microwave and ovens and more. (I love their cookbooks too!)

Topic-hopping

It’s one of those lazy days that I kept browsing and browsing the net as though there aren’t other things I need to do. It’s a hop to the other topic kind of browsing. From Michael Jackson to vitiligo to his kids, from propofol to other stuff he was taking to a list of controlled drugs. From sleeping pills to diet pills to apidexin and risks of taking diet pills. It’s an endless jump and the only time I would stop reading is when there’s a need for the toilet.

Online yellow pages

Time and again, we are reminded that the Internet is a very powerful and convenient tool. Most of us moms who used to work 9-5 are now at home doing some write-ups of products and get paid for doing so. When I was starting out  as a blogger, I have literally swept the web for every free web directory and submitted my blogs to each of them. I remember then how being wife to a graphic artist who regularly designs websites inclined me to choose design over SEO. My blog looks so much colorful compared to the simplistic layout of web directories.

When submitting my urls, it is inevitable to browse the directory itself and this made me realize that such directories are very good tools in providing information especially when looking for certain topics. They are basically a big catalog of websites. By submitting your url to a web directory, you are joining a number of other sites that tackle topics related to your blog. This can help boost your  blog's search engine visibility too.  How? By backlinks...Search engines have robots to find/crawl websites and add them to the search engine's database. Directories are manually run, editors find or receive websites and screen them for quality and relevance before adding them to the directory's database. The human review process is the main factor between a web directory and a search engine.

There are many categories in web directories. There's the health and fitness, the home and garden, travel games, there's even a business web directory which is certainly more convenient and easy to browse rather than yellow pages. True, web directories are like online yellow pages, you get the information you need about certain topics by just a click of the mouse.

Sisterhood Award

I can't remember when was the last time I received and passed an award :D

This special award comes from Mommy Tanya, like me a mother of 3. She has witty and creative kids...I would read their stories with a smile plastered on my face that makes my little boy ask "what's funny mom?"

Thanks Mommy Tanya, I definitely feel you, being a mom sandwiched between 3 kids, home work, blogging and hubby. ;) despite, you're never in a pickle, stay pretty!

And now it is my turn to pass it on. Here are the rules:
1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate up to 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

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Most of  you  have received this award already but I hope you don't mind me giving it again.

Michelle of  Hits and Mrs. (Whom we fondly call dompy, loving mom to Zee.)
Ms. Ebie of Main Ingredient. (Loving mom to  another Zee!)
Stef of Septembercharm. (This is her 3rd time...)
Aprille of Nicethoughtsnthrills. (A doting mom to 3.)
Carver of Carver's Sight or is that Site? (One of the more experienced mom out there.)
Girlie of Just another mom blog. (Not just because she's my older sister.)
Bambi of Azumi, My Kawaii Prinsesa's Story (Isla Fisher look-alike mom to Anzu!)
Anna of Maekawa Life (The blog of "that" little sister that I never had...)

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Though I don't give importance to mother's day (origin-related matters), this award is a coincidence. :D Borrowing a friend's status; "Today aint even that special because for me, everyday is mother's day and my momz already knows that."

Friends' Weekend

Weekend was a bonding getaway for hubby and dawty and dawty's friend, AD. I was at home with the boys so credit goes to hubby for the pics. ;)

They went to the Wasserpark again...I was told by AD's dad that they would go as far as the Praterstern when biking. (It takes more than half an hour ride with the train from our place to the Prater.) So I guess the hubby was a bit cautious because he has two girls in tow.

Dawty and AD have been friends since pre-school, so that spans about 3 years now. AD lives at the building opposite school so there are chances that dawty gets to visit her and I pick her there. They get along well since both of them do not have sisters but have 2 brothers (only AD's are both older than her). I often see notes from AD telling dawty how thankful she is to have a little sister in her. Sweet!

Since the Wasserpark has a big playground, the hubby let them play while he took some photos of the area and of the two as well. He also treated them to their favorite ice cream afterwards...AD with bubblegum, hazelnut and chocolate and dawty with vanilla and strawberry!

---Enjoy your week!---

Join us!

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Bob Ong's take on your vote

I am not a voter...by choice and by belief. I must admit though that the upcoming election has affected my views of voting in my home country. As always, politics there is laughable as a comedy show. Imagine a former president imprisoned for corruption running again for the seat of presidency. There's a real estate tycoon who obviously doesn't care about the well-being of the people, he only wants to be President for his own interest.

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Ok, I'm not there but I read the news, I read feedbacks, for someone outside looking in, I can clearly see who has done best for the good of the people.

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Another funny thing is the attitude of voters, many said "I wanted to vote for him, but he won't win..." Lol. Elections are not lotteries, just because your bet won mean you won a million pesos, looking at it, you actually lose because you didn't vote for your bet...nakakatawa talaga isipin, na kaya mo iboboto ang isang tao ay para lang masabing nanalo ang manok mo...tsk tsk!

Below is Bob Ong's take on voting for your personal choice and not the choice to hinder another's win...haaays....this is for those who said that I wanted to vote for Gordon but he won't win...uggh scrap the surveys please!

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Meron kang dalawang uri ng boto: Ang una ay ang "boto ng konsensya". Ito ay para sa pinunong kinilatis mo, pinag-aralang maigi, pinaniniwalaan, at inaasahang may magagawa para sa bayan. Ang ikalawang uri ay ang "boto ng diskarte". Ito ay para sa kandidatong iboboto mo na lang para hindi manalo ang ayaw mo.

Para sa akin, mas matatanggap kong pamunuan ni Kiko Matsing ang bansa ko nang nagampanan ko nang tama ang tungkulin ko sa bayan bilang botante, kumpara sa makapagluklok ako ng ibang pinuno na resulta ng pagtalikod ko sa obligasyong bumoto nang tama. Dahil sa sandaling talikuran ko ang tama--sa ngalan ng diskarte--ay binibigyan ko na rin ng lisensya ang mga pinuno ng bayan ko na kumilos base sa diskarte, kapalit ng tama.

Ang boto ng konsensya ay base sa pag-asa. Ang boto ng diskarte ay base sa takot.

Ang bayan ng mga botante ng diskarte ay walang maaasahang pamunuan ng konsensya. Ang mga mamamayang kuntento na sa "pangalawang tama" ay mapagkakalooban ng pinunong ganoon din ang pamamalakad. Ang bansang hindi natututo, habambuhay na lang bibigyan ng leksyon.

Ini-endorso ko ang pagboto nang tama. Pwedeng matalo ang kandidato mo, pwedeng mangulelat. Pero mararamdaman mo lang ang kalayaan mo bilang tao at kapangyarihan mo bilang mamamayan sa Ika-sampu ng Mayo pagnasabi mo sa sarili mong "Napagkalooban ako ng karapatang pumili ng pinuno ng bayan ko, at nakaboto ako base sa sarili kong desisyon at ayon sa konsensya ko."

Kalapastanganan sa sariling dangal ang pagboto sa taong iba sa tunay mong pinaniniwalaan--dahil man ito sa may tumutok ng baril sa ulo mo, may bumili ng iyong boto, o mag-isa pong piniling iboto na lang kung sinuman ang tingin mong mananalo.

Hindi nasasayang ang boto sa mga talunang kandidato. Nasasayang ito sa mga talunang botante.

Kung iboboto mo ang boto na ayon sa desisyon ng iba, sino pa ang boboto ng ayon sa desisyon mo?

http://sibobpo.multiply.com/journal/item/9/Hindi_sino_kundi_kanino_ang_iboboto_mo

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Some of the popular comments I read:

"Gusto kong maging kagaya ng Subic at Marikina ang Pilipinas kaya Gordon-Bayani ako!" (I totally agree.)

"Sa Lunes malalaman kung ilan talaga ang tanga sa Pilipinas! (Referring to those who would vote for the ex-president.)

"Botohan na sa Lunes. Tandaan, iboto ang kandidatong tingin mo eh magiging maayos na Presidente. Hindi dahil sa favorite color mo." (What's this color game?)

"I don't think, therefore I am for Noynoy." (Lol. lol.lol)

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And an  honest to goodness harsh comment from me, those who think not because of affinity, popularity but of credibility would vote for the right one, they will vote for Gordon. Period.

Motherly advice

Random thoughts on parenthood and child rearing.

“Be obedient to your parents,” and “honor your father and your mother.”—Ephesians 6:1, 2 .
“Do not despise your mother just because she has grown old.” Proverbs 23:22

Before being parents to our children, we are children to our own parents. The advice above is one that  I keep even now, it is after all, the first command with a promise...‘That it may go well with you and you may endure a long time on the earth,’ continues the proverb.

At this age, obeying our parents or the elderly seem to be be an out of trend thing, sadly. Times have changed and if you observe closely, children are much more hard-headed than we once were. :) So even at our age, honoring our parents is still a timely advice. This is so because when our kids see we respect our own parents, it will be a good example for them...and we both will benefit later on.

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“Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. How happy is the man whose quiver is filled with them!” (Psalm 127:4, 5, An American Translation)

The value of an arrow is determined by how well it is aimed as it leaves the bow. An arrow must be aimed with care and skill so that it will hit the target. In like manner, it is vital that, as parents, you wisely and prayerfully ponder on the kind of start in life you will give your child. Will he or she on leaving your care become a balanced and mature adult, respected by others and an honor to God? How many more years do you have to learn the outcome? I have about 10 and I fervently hope when the time comes I can proudly say, I did it right!

...

Children too need to feel appreciated. Not that parents should shower them with empty flattery, but they should commend their children’s praiseworthy qualities and the genuine good that they do. Wise parents likewise find ways to express appreciation for each child’s unique qualities, abilities, and accomplishments. At the same time, they try not to emphasize accomplishments so much that their children constantly feel driven to perform. They do not want their children to grow up exasperated or downhearted.—Ephesians 6:4; Colossians 3:21.

Spend Time With Your Kids

The Bible says: “As apples of gold in silver carvings is a word spoken at the right time for it.” (Proverbs 25:11) As this scripture makes clear, timing is often the key. We need to learn to read between the lines...and be a shoulder the children could lean on...

You'd think that I'm a lazy person, that I do not want to work and I leave all the money-raising to hubby...

Let's analyze, say I go to work from 9-5...little boy would be at the daycare until 3 while my 2 older kids would be in school from 8 to 12 (sometimes 1). They would  then go to the the after-school institution (Hort) to eat lunch,do some homework, play and at times have field trips. The hort is open until 5:30 in the afternoon so there would be 30 minutes to go rushing and pick them up...how about the little boy? Oh, we just had to pay a babysitter to pick him up and stay with him at home for 2-3 hours more.

What about dinner? If you pay the babysitter extra bucks then maybe she can cook and iron the clothes too and clean the house as well...so where would my paycheck go anyway? lol.

Point is, I do not need to sacrifice my time to work long hours then pay for a babysitter and helper when I can do home work myself. True, we never get paid for doing the things we do at home...working moms seem to be tougher than us staying at home...but at the end of the day, I can proudly say "today, I cooked sinigang that the kids enjoyed so well!"

I know, my time will come, when my kids grow a bit bigger, when they can go home from school on their own, when they're allowed to have house keys, I will have my own time. For the mean time, I'm a stay at home mom and I will stay to be one until the right time comes.

P.S. (Paid blogging is helpful by the way...) ;)

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Share your thoughts!

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For the baby boo

Gather the girls for giggles and games using stylish baby shower invitations! With many designs to choose from," chic baby shower invitations prove that pregnancy is posh as ever. From classically elegant boy baby shower invitation designs to fun and fashionable girl baby shower invitations, our collection of designer baby shower invitations offers the perfect party invites for a modern mom-to-be like you.

The street of a thousand blossoms (Litratong Pinoy)

Ganito sila noong nagsimula ang tagsibol, ganito naman ngayong malapit ng magsimula ang tag-araw.

Paborito ko talaga ang mga bulaklak na ito, lagi kong inaabangan ang kanilang pagtubo. Araw-araw ito ang tumatambad sa akin kapag naglalakad papunta sa eskwelahan ng mga bata. Tahimik sa lugar na ito, mangilan-ngilan lang ang naglalakad sa tuwing ako ay nagkukuha ng litrato kaya naman hindi ako nahihiyang maglabas ng camera. :D

Ang mga puno ng cherry na ito ay hindi namumunga, gaya nga ng naisulat ko noon, ang tanging silbi nila ay ang magpaganda so no need mamunga. ;)

Malamang ay ito na ang huling beses na makakapaglitrato ako sa mga sakura dahil umuulan na at kahapon nga dinaanan pa ng lawn mower ang mga bulaklak na nahulog sa damuhan...mabuti na lang kaninang umaga ay may mga nalaglag na uli, siyempre pa me pagkakataon na naman para magkuha...eto nga ang isa.

Marami pang ibang bulaklak doon sa kalsada, tamang tawaging "kalsada ng sanlibong bulaklak." Mayroon ding mga puno na hindi ko kilala kaya naman nagulat ako ng nilapitan ko kanina, ang mga bulaklak na ito ay sinlaki ng kuko kaya hindi ko napansin agad ang kanilang ganda. Mukha silang maliliit na rosas hindi ba? Hindi ko alam kung ano ang punong ito, ikakatuwa ko pong malaman mula sa inyo.

Eto naman ay crab apple blossoms. Sa unang tingin ay kamukha din sila ng mga plum blossoms at ng isang uri ng cherry blossoms, ang pinagkaiba lang ay ang matingkad na kulay rosa. Itinanong ko sa isang matandang nagdadaan kung ano ito at sinabi nga nya na isang uri ng mansanas ang puno. Sa malayo ay hindi kaagad mapapansin ang mga bulaklak nito dahil nga masyadong matingkad ang kulay ay masakit sa mata, sa malapitan naman ay maganda pala.

Siyempre pa hindi pahuhuli ang mga tulips...lila at puti lamang ang nagkaroon ako ng pagkakataong makuhanan...sayang andami pa naman sanang ibang kulay...kung hindi lang ako allergic sa pollen at ibang puno araw-araw akong lalabas para mag-litrato...haays ironic naman, gustong gusto ko ang mga bulaklak pero dahil sa kanila kaya 3 linggo na kaming may sakit.

Hindi ko na ipopost iyong mga litrato ng mga bata na namumutpot ng bulaklak, pakitingnan na lang sa ibabang post, salamat po!

Anyway, happy LP po sa inyong lahat!

Green Weekend

Two posts below you saw my youngest's photos during a shoot this weekend. Here now are some of the shots I did of his sister and older brother. Here you can see the little boy picking lawn daisies...he does that a lot and would hold all in his hand and give them to me later on. He still needs to learn how to pluck correctly though, even if I teach how to pluck including the stem he would only pick the flower itself...

Daughter was enjoying the cherry blossoms on the ground, we were all happy that the sun has been shining gleefully, we can now go out with shortsleeves at the middle of the day.

In the afternoon we went biking again and ended up in a park with hilly landscapes along a green carpented ground. There was a pond below the hill and there weren't fishes rather tadpoles much to the kids' delight. :D

This is also the first time I got the chance to take photos of flowing water...one the I had wanted to do for the longest time...I have enough stock photos now.

---Enjoy your week!---

Join us!

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Black

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(Gondola, Venice, Italy)

Yesterday was blue, today is black. I'm loving color themes.

Venice, a wondrous city of fairest carving, reflected in gleaming waters swirled to new patterning by every passing gondola...as one feminist wrote.

“A wondrous city of fairest carving, reflected in gleaming waters swirled to new patterning by every passing gondola.”