How Do You Measure Success

Last Friday during lunch, my colleagues (coz I didn't say much) Mark and Joy talked about their kids who all went to the same schools and were somewhere within the age groups. Mark was concerned about his eldest son whom he perceives as a dreamer. The boy enjoys playig with phone apps and is into game programming. I don't really see any reason why he's concerned about it since I can see that his kids are very passionate on what they do, be it in sports or on mobile applications. Joy's kids are quite busy with school activities and she certainly has a lot of interesting stories to share on her teenage kids. I did butt in to share how my son who's still in kindie has now learned how to keep something from us. My son did not admit to playing in the sad pit one Thurdsday afternoon despite the fact that by the time hubby picked him up from school, his clothes were all changed. He did not admit to playing in the sand pit. In fact, he highlighted other things that he did in school. But when we asked him differently, he did admit to doing that. It's a milestone and something that is actually quite concerning for me as a parent.

So my boss talked about the importance of networking, having good grades and i guess, just trying to be such a multi-tasker. I did see all of those in my older sisters but i do think that though i wasn't anywhere like them... the bibo and academically superior sort, I think I turned out ok, close enough to their level of success.  But how do you measure success?

I do recall the excitement in my sibling's eyes whenever I told them about the places that I've been to and the adventures that I've had. They were most surprised when I told them about our intention to move here to NZ. And all the more when we started to realize that goal.

I'm not the type who get star struck with just being around celebrities -- 4 years at Jewelmer certainly made me callous to the glitter and glamour of the socialite world. I'm still clueless about cars though I always wished that I'd have a chauffeur to take me wherever I wanted. Here in Auckland it seems like that idea is non-existing since people prefer to drive on their own, which I guess gives them a certain degree of freedom. I like being able to travel for leisure and then go back to some place that's familiar and what I can call as home. I like the feeling of having a choice and not be bogged down by work or nationality or just by being female. My idea of success is not regretting your life choices, being able to help others one way or the other, having a zest for life, keeping a good set of friends and having close ties with family. At the end of the day, I think these are the things that you'd like to look back to with friends, family or strangers. It's about looking back and saying, yep, I did good and I'm quite happy with what I did.

So how many of you out there still measure success with worldly titles and possessions? If that is all that pleases you then I guess you are successful indeed. So long as you're genuinely happy about it.

Returning to One Tree Hill

At dahil maaraw this weekend, we brought the kids to One Tree Hill yesterday. 40 mins bus ride lang and siguro 15 mins walk papuntang entrance ng One Tree Hill Domain. Dun merong mga sheep at lamb na grazing freely. At mag-ingat pag sa damuhan instead na sa sidewalk ka dadaan. Daming bomb!! Since both hubby and I have been up the hill already on separate occasions, we decided to skip going back up there even if the objective was just to stretch our muscles. Nothing insteresting for us kasi and tanghaling tapat, wala kang masisilungan dun. If the weather change, baka ginawin pa ang mga kids.

Sa paahan ng domain is Cornwall Park. Meron din palang mga cow dun. Di ko alam saan natutunan nina Max and Rose yung pag-clap ng hand to try to get the attention of the cows, and chicken na pakalat kalat. Maganda lakaran yung Century Walk, taas ng mga puno at puro daffodils sa tabi ng daan. Tumambay kami dun sa tabi, ganda ng bermuda against tall trees. Malawak rin kasi yung tatakbuhan ng mga bata dun so ayun, we let them run around and play with a ball. Kung tutuusin, almost 2 hours lang kami andun pero dahil nap time, nakatulog na si Rose while si Max, started complaining na pagod na raw (kakatakbo siguro). So we got home soonafter. Tulog sa bus ang mga kids. Ganda ng place at masarap siyang balikan. Ok dun mag picninc at mag chillax lang. If the kids get older, we can bring them inside the Star Dome observatory. Dun din maraming cherry blossom trees so i look forward to seeing them bloom.

When It Rains, There's Hail

I keep hearing about the "typical Auckland weather." This weekend has been just like that. The day starts a bit gloomy, with some drizzle, then the sun shows up for a while. And that's long enough to encourage you to hang your laundry outside. Come noon, the rains creeps in again, but subtly. Then the sun's up again. Then it gets really dark with more rain slashing through everything. It was unfortunate that I was carrying some heavy grocery bags while walking back to the house. I was already in our block, the wind blew off my hood, my cap felt soaking wet and in less than five minutes away from the driveway, I felt little stones hitting me... there's hail!

Why We Hesitate to Buy a TV

When I was flatting, I've only seen four digital channels in my flat mate's 40 inch LCD TV. They didn't have Sky unlike my friend from the city.

Months have passed and somehow, we're fine with watching the six o'clock news on the laptop while having dinner. The kids got their mobile devices that keep them entertained. They watch cartoons and movies in my laptop. There's also TVNZ On Demand which features episodes of various TV shows that they've recently broadcasted.

Nowadays, TV is not your only source of information and entertainment. I think this is the time where people have no excuse of not knowing what's going on in the world since almost everyone's got access to the internet. And mobile devices have become mainstream that it strongly competes with traditional media for people's time. That's a huge change compared with maybe 10years ago?

A couple of weeks back, I raised the idea to hubby about finally getting a TV. So we browsed through PriceMe and has Googled our way through product reviews. At least now we know which store offers the best price for TV. When asked why I now think that we need a TV? I just told hubby that it's just so we can watch our movies on a bigger screen. I guess that wasn't convincing enough so we both ended up still hesitant. Maybe we'll just wait for Boxing Day as we need to focus our finances on more important things.

The Cinema

Here's a late post. It's been sitting in my draft for a month and now that I have the time, I'm pretty excited to share how he managed our movie date while making sure that the kids are being looked after.

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Finally, a worry-free weekend. Hubby and I decided to do tag on watching World War Z. I watched the late afternoon slot, paid $17 and was directed to cinema 2. Hubby paid $20 for the same movie scheduled at 7pm at cinema 9. He wasn't sure what the difference was, something about the theater. It was a treat and a break from watching over the kids. It was another cold and wet weekend so we didn't bother visiting the playground that day. We made the kids watch Pinocchio at home for the first time then my son started going on and on about blue whale, tunnel, and "nokio".

We watched at The Event Cinema at St. Luke's Mall. There were only a few screening schedules for the day (3 to 4 i think since it was a weekend). The queue for paying for tickets is the same for getting drinks and snacks. There's a dedicated lane for online purchasers and it was a very short line. As soon as you mention the movie that you're watching and the screening schedule of your choice, they automatically offer food and drinks. I think they were surprised that I didn't get any whereas almost everyone who were in front of me did order food.

Seat number is already provided upon ticket purchase. People munched on their snacks before the movie started. It was the second movie that I've watched and so far, I haven't encountered any annoying movie-goer. There was no reminder about turning off mobile devices and fortunately, I haven't heard any ringtone throughout the movie. It's been a decent crowd and I really enjoyed it.

Rich Carrot Cake

I lose sleep by going through the ingredients, texture and flavor of these yummy cakes and pastries that I like trying out at cafes. This time I make sure that I at least try to imitate these goodness with the help of the internet.

I tried this recipe for my daughter's birthday cake and I was surprised how well it turned out: http://www.foodinaminute.co.nz/Recipes/Carrot-Cake

I'm no baker so while pouring a cup and a half of canola oil into the mix, I couldn't help but think how fatty this recipe is. I skimmed through other recipes and the volume of oil is pretty much the same across. The icing was too much and i found it a bit too sweet. Next time I'll reduce the quantity in half as we don't really need that much icing. I also noticed how it gets to set after a few hours. I think the room temperature is great. It was 11 to 15 degrees Celsius this morning. That was the time when I made the cake. I had to microwave the butter and cream cheese for a few seconds as I left those overnight on the table. Temperature dropped to 7 last night. I had to beat by hand and it wasn't easy.

At least I got the right smoothness of the icing, and the cake was rich and moist. I actually loved the result but it might be psychological because every bite reminded me of the cup and a half of oil that i had to put in. I need to watch my serving portions.

Next time, I'll figure out how they make those open pumpkin pies. I know it has spinach, cashew and I'm not sure what those red (beetroot?) textured things are. It's my recent favorite at Domain Deli. Sushi to Go's $5 lunch packs is great with this. Looking forward to my next kitchen adventure.

Winter Weekends

I just bought some ingredients for a carrot cake recipe that I found online. I also got a wooden tea cup set, some balloons, candles, and a set of clothes for my daughter. She'll be two tomorrow. Forecast for tomorrow: Cloudy periods, odd light shower. Southerly breezes. I was really hoping that it would be sunny so we can go out for a picnic just like what we did last Sunday. But will see.

At Auckland Domain

A light shower doesn't seem to bother folks here. It took a while for us to get used to it. And whenever the sun's up, everyone seems to be outside, at the playground or at the park. We do the same anyway since it's good to finally let the kids go run around and burn their endless energy under the sun after being kept indoors for a while. We just dress them warm as it's still cold anyway.

Whenever we go to the park, we bring fruits, crackers, sandwiches and nibbles. It's not practical to bring rice and other saucy dishes as it will get cold easily, and they can be a bit messy. I guess the menu could be be different if there were just adults and no toddlers are involved. The kids forget about being hungry but if you ask them to sit for a picnic, they'd welcome the idea and probably realize that they're hungry too. I love weekends!

My Troubles with Playgrounds

Whenever we'd go out, I'm always in charge of looking after our older kid, who's a very active, easily distracted and a very playful toddler. He's almost quite the opposite from our daughter who pretty much just keeps to herself and stays put.

So we try to bring them to the playground as much as we can, and if the weather permits it.The thing with playgrounds is that it's a public place and kids are of varying ages. It's good exposure for them as they learn how to take turns, how not to push and stretch the possibilities of play with the handles, slides and bars and everything else that's in the playground. But it comes with a lot of risks as well so I do my best to keep a watchful eye and be at a safe distance.

Max saw a girl about a year older than him who went sliding head/ arms first. He followed suit soon after. Then he saw some bigger kids who were climbing the walls of the main play pen. I wasn't pleased and has advised strongly against it. Recently i did catch my son making attempts to do the same. During our first few visits in the playground, he ran straight through the swings where two kids were swinging very high. They saw him but couldn't do anything about it as they were flying up in the air. They apologized and i said it's alright as no harm was done. When he gets bored, he'd start chasing the birds that are flocking in the area. Then he'd run outside the half-full gate towards the exercise machines. He especially likes the cycling machine even if he was just half the size for it.

At the Rocket Park, the rocket itself is a big steel structure surrounded by a steel platform. He enjoys running around the platform even if it's wet and slippery. There can be a lot of kids near his age but sometimes, bigger kids would flock the place making it difficult for him to get a chance on the bars or on those swivels. Fortunately most of the parents who're there are quite tolerant with my son. But it can still be quite stressful to see him running aimlessly around or through small kids. Hay!

Going to the Beach

It's Sunday and hubby asked what I wanted to do. I told him I just want to go to the beach. After 2 weeks of rain, this weekend has been clear and sunny and everyone seems to be itching to go out in the sun. Plus, the kids were excited to wear their new gum boots. After breakfast, we headed to Coyle Park at Point Chevallier. Hubby discovered this Park that has a big playground with the beach just across. It was just a short bus ride barely 10 minutes and maybe another 10 minutes of walking. There was a group of teens in their wet suits and they seems to be in training as they've done a couple of runs/ dash across the beach and into the water and back. There were young families like us who just enjoyed the sun and sand. My kids literally enjoyed splashing in the water. We stayed there for about 3 hours, long enough to make memories as my son kept talking about how much fun he had that morning at the "river"!

I told my hubby the other day that our kids are so lucky since we moved here in Auckland. The place is like one big playground as all things and events are family friendly. On our way to the mall yesterday, as we walked along the creek, we stopped to watch some ducks swim across the water. It was such a treat for the kids to see these birds. My daughter would keep saying"quack quack". And whenever we'd come across a dog, she'd say "ruff ruff" as if calling the dog. And mind you, these are big dogs and I've seen one that even looks like a wolf! My son would say, "dun, let's go up the mountain" as some of the parks/ roads here are quite hilly. Just like the foot path from the beach.

I was pretty pleased with what we have achieved this morning despite not having a car yet.

Food for Thought

Swiss Soya and Linseed loaves from Freya are actually good. My son loves it and he eats it by itself. I actually never imagined ourselves having sandwhiches for a meal with ham/ sausages, scrambled egg, a cut of lettuce leaves from our small patch and tomato slices.

Hubby brought several packets of sinigang mix with him so we have the convenience of making sinigang whenever we feel like it. And by experimentation we discovered that salmon and shrimps with some tomatoes and spinach is a great twist. It tasted like something from Via Mare. Yum!

What we noticed about the meat here, whether it's beef or pork is that it's clean and not rubbery. Malambot ang karne nila and kapag pinakuluan mo, kakaunti yung secretion ng blood. So kapag nilaga, hindi kailangan umabot ng 1 hour para lang lumambot ang karne. Yun nga lang, bihira ang liempo. Mostly are lean meat. Di pa kami nakasubok ng lamb but that seems to be common. Pwede rin kaya iyun alernative ng beef or pork?

For snack, happy na ang kids sa crackers or fruit like yung matabang na saging (Dole) na parang hybrid na wala talagang lasa! I grew up na parating may saging sa bahay. May tanim din na mga saging sa probinsya namin. Paborito ko ang lakatan but meron din kaming latundan, senyorita at saba.

During summer, hubby brought home some ice cream delights on  a stick. Just like the popular Magnum, NZ got it's own designer flavors - Kapiti. One flavor that I tried has white chocolate coating with raspberry swirls in creamy vanilla. For me, lasang pang matanda iyun not the usual chocolate flavored ice cream. Sarap! We've also tried Whittaker Creamy Milk Chocolate. It has a tv commercial wherein it was being endorsed by Nigella kaya napabili tuloy kami. Masarap!

I think there are so many flavors and options that we have yet to discover. Right now, doon pa rin kami sa familiar na taste, Asian flair. But I'm sure later on, we'd get to know and appreciate more flavors that are common to here. Auckland's mix of migrants gives you that diversity on food and flavors.

Feels Like Home Again

@ Rocket Park, Mount Albert

@ the harbor downtown

Since the arrival of my husband and kids last January, things took a 360 degree turn as I'm now back to my old self again. I've got the kids to keep me busy and since they arrived, we've been into parks, fairs and then eventually, got my son into Kindie. Like what Alan said, it's all coming together. There were so many unknowns for us since last year but now things are all falling into place.

Mt. Albert Neighborhood

View of the neighborhood

From Mt. Albert Domain

Dog exercise area

Exit/ Entrance of Mt. Albert Domain

Summit Drive goes up to Mt. Albert Domain, and Kitenui is just across

The school's got a farm! And this is just behind our street.

Found this a couple of paces from our place, quite handy to send mail

Mt. Albert Aquatic Center, just next to Mt. Albert Grammar School

Apricot Muffins

Today's walk somehow ended up at the supermarket.

Too many biscuits

I noticed the aisle of biscuits seemed endless. And on my right were a couple of other snacks, including dried apricots. I thought I'd sample some and use it for my muffins. So when I got home I put these ingredients together to see if this second attempt on baking muffins would be better. I put together some flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, egg, butter, milk and vanilla then the dried apricots. I lowered the heat this time then popped them in the pre-heated oven. It smelled sweet and not burned this time. I tried one and it's actually good.
 

Preparing the batter

Spooning the batter in the silicon mold

Not too pretty but actually tastes good

One Night of Wonder

Britomart at night

Quay Street along the harbor

Crossing Queen Street

There really isn't much people here in Auckland even if it's already the biggest city (population-wise) in New Zealand. And seeing the city to be alive on New Year's Eve is perhaps the busiest that it can get apart from hosting the rugby cup. The crowd still follow traffic rules (at least most people do) and the only thing that people get concerned about here is that not a lot of young Kiwis can handle their alcohol.

December Holidays Amidst Strangers

Canapes

Christmas eve with backpackers from Manila at a Pinoy's house in Te Atatu Peninsula

Somewhere at Te Atatu peninsula, still within Auckland, four young Pinoy families got together at a new home to celebrate Christmas. I never thought I'd still be alone during the December holidays. So, I just tagged along kind folks who opened their doors to me to keep me occupied on what's usually such a busy and memorable evening with my family.

Waiting for the fireworks at the Auckland harbor with Pinoy families

Whereas on New Year's Eve, I spent the night at the city to see the fireworks. What surprised me was that people flocked towards the harbor at just about the same time to see the fireworks that barely lasted for 10 minutes. And soon after, everyone left almost at the same time going back to their homes or to party venues.

Sky City becomes a living torch

As with everything that I've experienced here in Auckland, nothing went over the top. I'm so used to seeing pyrotechnics shows that I felt that the supposedly "biggest" fireworks display was really nothing compared to the regular fireworks at Enchanted Kingdom, not even close to ones that are done during weekends at the Mall of Asia.