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  <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:applewonders</id>
  <title>A Happy Wife is a Happy Life</title>
  <subtitle>His money is my money and my money is MY money.</subtitle>
  <author>
    <name>Nila Zael</name>
  </author>
  <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/"/>
  <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/data/atom"/>
  <updated>2009-12-03T05:45:17Z</updated>
  <lj:journal userid="15176103" username="applewonders" type="personal"/>
  <link rel="service.feed" type="application/x.atom+xml" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/data/atom" title="A Happy Wife is a Happy Life"/>
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  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:applewonders:38788</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/38788.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=38788"/>
    <title>My dearest Good Boy</title>
    <published>2009-12-03T05:40:58Z</published>
    <updated>2009-12-03T05:45:17Z</updated>
    <category term="bien"/>
    <category term="photos"/>
    <content type="html">&lt;center&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2610/4154197459_08986f5852.jpg"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2667/4154199681_8f130d8b7e.jpg"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Is my crazy sister still out there?"&lt;/center&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:applewonders:38549</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/38549.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=38549"/>
    <title>See what happens when you blog about cheating?</title>
    <published>2009-12-02T15:34:01Z</published>
    <updated>2009-12-02T15:34:30Z</updated>
    <category term="dream"/>
    <content type="html">You end up dreaming about having an affair with BJ Penn!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;No, we did not "get it on" in my dream.  But I have to admit, it was a very nice, sweet (although strange), and mellow dream.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In my dream I was running around an airport for some reason, I was crying.  Either my plane had left me or someone in the plane had left me.  Who knows.  All I know is that I was running around looking for someone and everything was in slow motion.  You know, romance movie style.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And then I spotted my old best friend in the crowd, her name is Ana, too (she is the Banana I was referring to when people decided to award me with the nickname Apple).  I cried to her so much I thought my chest was going to explode.  And then she brought me downtown to a new restaurant that had just opened.  When we sat down at our table, there was already someone sitting there, but we took it anyway.  It was a man.  He was masculine, baby face, and he just kept on smiling at me.  And then out of nowhere I said, &lt;i&gt;"Oh my God.  I've been trying to figure out for the last half hour who you were and it just occurred to me that you are BJ Penn!"&lt;/i&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He thought that was amusing and had a good laugh.  Then he called me cute.  Skip to a few episodes, we were walking down a street somewhere and he fessed up that he was already married, but cannot let me go.  I told him that I was already engaged with kids and he just gave me that saddest look.  He hugged me and I hugged him back.  At one point I think he crushed my back.  Dude is hella strong even in my dreams.  Following that he said he still had two weeks left in the city and he wanted everyday to be with me.  I said ok and squeezed his hands really tight.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And then we ended up at a George Lopez show.  I sat next to George Lopez (because he liked to be a part of the audience to his own show? I dunno).  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The End.</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:applewonders:38384</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/38384.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=38384"/>
    <title>I caved.</title>
    <published>2009-12-01T20:27:41Z</published>
    <updated>2009-12-01T23:11:51Z</updated>
    <category term="twitter"/>
    <content type="html">&amp;raquo; &lt;a href="http://twitter.com/nilazael"&gt;twitter.com/nilazael&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I've been contemplating for the longest time whether I needed another outlet to release my wise words in.  I said there's no need, I already have FB.  But then I saw that Ellen (Degeneres) was on Twitter and I said hayl yeah! I was convinced.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So there ya have it.  Ellen made me do it.  Now follow me? I hate being a noob.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Oh and, first person who can guess what 'nilazael' is gets something nice in the mail from me.</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:applewonders:38031</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/38031.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=38031"/>
    <title>The word "work" makes me sad</title>
    <published>2009-11-30T21:36:59Z</published>
    <updated>2009-11-30T21:36:59Z</updated>
    <category term="christmas"/>
    <content type="html">I know that Jun said I don't have to go back to work for as long as I want.  Well, our deal is that when Bien starts kindergarten that is when I can go back.  That's FIVE years from now.  But I'd be lying if I said we are not struggling right now.  I don't know.  Maybe it's the Christmas holidays getting to me.  Jun has 20 nieces and nephews (make that 21 next year) on his side alone and I have about 10.  So yeh, every year Christmas is not fun for me at all.  Around November is when I can start to feel my stress level go up. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I wish we could just give one gift for each family instead of each child.  I know that sounds selfish, especially for the children, but c'mon. THIRTYFREAKINONE gifts and that's just for the kids is a bit much for a one-income family.    &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ugh.  Even venting about it makes my head hurt.  I'm going to go lay down.</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:applewonders:37825</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/37825.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=37825"/>
    <title>To cheat or not to cheat? That is NOT what you should be asking yourselves!</title>
    <published>2009-11-29T06:00:07Z</published>
    <updated>2009-11-29T15:49:44Z</updated>
    <category term="cheating"/>
    <content type="html">So why do successful men cheat? &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ok, fine.  Women cheat, too.  I am well aware of that.  But it's just that much more fun to talk about the men who do it.  Eh?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So yes, tell me.  Manny Pacquiao is rumoured to be having (or have had) an affair with a sexy Filipina actress.  He's been linked to another sexy actress before, but &lt;i&gt;I think&lt;/i&gt; this time the rumour is true.  Yeh yeh, I have no right to accuse.  But I just think that he (and his supposed mistress) could have handled the media a lot better.  Answering &lt;i&gt;"No comment."&lt;/i&gt; and smiling is not what I would call handling the situation.  It's called fueling the fire. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kobe Bryant.  We all know how that turned out.  Stupid girl.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Then here's Tiger Woods.  Really??? I am appalled! I've always thought that he was the type of man &lt;b&gt;I'd&lt;/b&gt; like to marry.  He looked like could be a very good father and husband.  A family man I'd say.  But I guess I was wrong.  Secretly, I'm glad his wife beat his SUV with his golf clubs.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So do ALL men with money and power cheat? I would like to meet AT LEAST one successful man out there who is loyal to one woman and one woman only.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If any of you know of one, have him email me.  K, thanks.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;EDIT:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My Tiger Woods rumour reaction at its best.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="http://i43.tinypic.com/mtsa2t.jpg"&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:applewonders:37456</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/37456.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=37456"/>
    <title>Note to self: Learn to make sure first before smacking a stranger behind the neck</title>
    <published>2009-11-26T00:05:13Z</published>
    <updated>2009-12-01T22:37:01Z</updated>
    <category term="embarrassing moment"/>
    <content type="html">A recap of my FB status: &lt;i&gt;"...is reliving her most embarrassing moment from last night. Why these things always happen to me at Shoppers I will never know. (&amp;gt;_&amp;lt;)"&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Bien got his 6 months shots yesterday afternoon and we decided to eat dinner at Smitty's afterwards.  After dinner I remembered that Bien was out of rice cereal so we stopped at Shoppers Drug Mart.  It was a quick errand so I left Jun and the kids in the truck.  Went in, grabbed the cereal, and made my way to the cashier.  On my way to the cashier I saw Jun at the lotto ticket booth without the kids! I was livid and quickly walked up behind him, smacked him behind the neck, and yelled, "YOU LEFT THE KIDS IN THE CAR?!?!?!"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When he turned around it was someone else!!! The guy looked at me and I really thought he was going to beat my ass down, but before he could I started to apologize in the speed of a machine gun.  I kept on repeating myself, "I'm sooooooooo sorry! Sorry...sorry...sorry! I thought you were my boyfriend..." I think I even kissed his hand while I said sorry.  And now that I think about it...ew.  Why did I do that? &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But it's over now.  That was last night.  And like I said, Shoppers should have an "Idiot of the Month" picture hanging behind their counter.  I could most definitely be Miss November.</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:applewonders:36919</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/36919.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=36919"/>
    <title>What you get when you ignore your child</title>
    <published>2009-11-20T23:37:38Z</published>
    <updated>2009-12-01T23:03:06Z</updated>
    <category term="cheina"/>
    <content type="html">Jun has a habit of ignoring Chei when she is telling him something.  She'll stand there asking for something and it's as if she's talking to a brick wall.  And so he learned a good lesson today.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font color="red"&gt;"Daddy, can you get me apple juice?"&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font color="blue"&gt;"..."&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font color="red"&gt;"Daddy, please?"&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font color="blue"&gt;[ happily scrolling through his laptop ]&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font color="red"&gt;"Daddy?"&lt;br /&gt;"Dad?"&lt;br /&gt;"Da?..."&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font color="red"&gt;"Daddy! Apple juice please???"&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font color="blue"&gt;[ ... ]&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font color="red"&gt;[ sigh ]&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font color="red"&gt;"HEY BIG BOY!"&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font color="blue"&gt;"What'dyou call me?"&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That got his attention.</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:applewonders:36757</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/36757.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=36757"/>
    <title>Mean Moms are Good Moms with Good Kids</title>
    <published>2009-11-19T19:08:06Z</published>
    <updated>2009-11-19T20:13:55Z</updated>
    <content type="html">I just dropped Chei off to school and on my way back to my car, I came across a mom struggling with her child.  The little girl was screaming on the top of her lungs, "I don't care if we're late! I wanna go home NOW!!!" I walked slowly towards my car, but really, I wanted to stay there and watch how the mom was going to handle the situation.  The mom was knelt down so she was face to face with the child and I could barely hear her voice because she was so soft toned.  Meanwhile, the little girl was throwing a major hissy fit.  And then she yelled again and said, "No mom! I'm not going in there!!! I want to go home and watch tv!!!!" &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So I just stood there wondering what was going to happen next.  The mom was still knelt down and talking to her child as if she was putting her to sleep.  I swear, I could see her mouth moving, but I couldn't hear her and I was only about 10 feet away.  Next thing you know, BAM! The child smacks her own mother across the face! And I thought, oh shit.  You're going to get it now.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nope.  The mother STILL knelt down talking to the little girl like a bird while the little girl is ripping off her gloves, her jacket, her boots and chucking it across the pavement.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I thought, Wow.  Seriously.  If that was me I would have dragged her ass back to our house so I could beat some respect into her.  Dude.  No kid of mine will ever smack me right across the face and get away with it! &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Thank God I've never had to think about beating my own kid though.  Cheina really is a good girl and knows her boundaries.  When she's misbehaving all I have to do is give her "The Stare of Death" and she sits right back down and shuts up.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I remember being a kid though and would get the beatings from my mom, my older brother, and my teachers.  Ha! Not that I was a bad kid, but back in the Philippines if a child stepped out of line even just a little bit...there's a meter stick coming for your ass! &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;With Chei, when she's really pushing it and just doesn't want to listen I smack both her hands and send her to the washroom with the lights off.  That's pretty much the toughest I've had to get around here.  She hates that, but it's usually enough to get her to think twice about her actions from there on.</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:applewonders:36382</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/36382.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=36382"/>
    <title>My Tuesday Confession</title>
    <published>2009-11-18T00:55:53Z</published>
    <updated>2009-11-18T00:55:53Z</updated>
    <category term="tuesday confessions"/>
    <content type="html">I think parents who have toddlers/little kids with rotten (as in black and wasted away) teeth are irresponsible.  Like, how do you let it get THAT bad?!</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:applewonders:36147</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/36147.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=36147"/>
    <title>I am a Liar</title>
    <published>2009-11-17T04:41:55Z</published>
    <updated>2009-11-17T04:42:21Z</updated>
    <category term="family"/>
    <category term="random"/>
    <category term="kids"/>
    <content type="html">I said that I would not get myself or my family vaccinated from the H1N1 virus, but I totally ate up my words today.  I feel bad and have to correct myself over at &lt;span class='ljuser ljuser-name_asian_beauty' lj:user='asian_beauty' style='white-space: nowrap;'&gt;&lt;a href='http://community.livejournal.com/asian_beauty/profile'&gt;&lt;img src='http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif' alt='[info]' width='16' height='16' style='vertical-align: bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href='http://community.livejournal.com/asian_beauty/'&gt;&lt;b&gt;asian_beauty&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt; because I told the girls there that I felt against it.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I changed my mind after weighing out the pros and cons, benefits and disadvantages of not getting it.  In the end, I realized that I would be putting so much more at risk if I didn't get it for us.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So today we did.  And now my arm is sore as a mutha.  I'm really hoping that none of us get a bad reaction.  Bien fell asleep right after his shot and I am already expecting a sleepless night tonight.  I'm probably not even going to bother with sleeping tonight.  I know that once he wakes up, he will start to feel something.  Let's just hope that I am wrong and that he sleeps it off until the morning comes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Oh and today my little guy is exactly 6 months old! Yay! I can't believe 6 whole months have passed already.  In just another 6 months he will be 1 year old.  And next thing you know I'm sending him off to his first day of school just like his big sister.  Wow.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I have so many things to look forward to.  But one things for sure, I don't want to grow old.  Not that I am afraid of aging, but because when I get old it means so will my children.  They will eventually have careers and families of their own.  And next thing you know, it's just me and Jun all alone in our house.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;.::sigh::.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I don't want to think about it anymore.  It's just going to depress me.</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:applewonders:36031</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/36031.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=36031"/>
    <title>This deserves a post</title>
    <published>2009-11-14T05:50:20Z</published>
    <updated>2009-11-14T05:50:20Z</updated>
    <category term="weight"/>
    <content type="html">We went out to get some dinner and in a rush I grabbed a pair of jeans in my closet which I thought were my maternity jeans (yes, I'm still wearing them).  So without even realizing it I put on my size 2 &amp;mdash; YES, size TWO &amp;mdash; jeans from The Gap and fit into them! Woofreakinhoo! &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You guys have no idea how happy that makes me! I ran outside of the house jumping around like a kangaroo in my size TWO jeans.  I can't believe it.  I eat like a cow and drink at least one iced coffee a day which most likely has 5000 calories in it and I still managed to lose weight.  That my friend is amazing.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;/end of bragging.</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:applewonders:35766</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/35766.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=35766"/>
    <title>Yahooooo! We have poop!</title>
    <published>2009-11-12T21:10:02Z</published>
    <updated>2009-11-12T21:10:02Z</updated>
    <category term="bien"/>
    <content type="html">I have never been so happy to smell poop! Bien has been constipated for the past 3 days and thus, cranky.  He is sitting quietly in his bouncy chair and I can smell THAT funky smell.  I'm looking at him right now and he just flashed me a smile.  LOL.  I think he's saying, "It's time, Ma."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Aight, I'm going to go change my little guy.  And I'm hoping it's a BIG one!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Never thought I'd ever catch myself saying that about poop.</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:applewonders:35427</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/35427.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=35427"/>
    <title>Theme Week</title>
    <published>2009-11-11T03:28:42Z</published>
    <updated>2009-11-11T03:34:54Z</updated>
    <category term="tuesday confessions"/>
    <lj:music>Kasalanan Nga Ba - Gretchen Espina</lj:music>
    <content type="html">I submitted this idea to &lt;span class='ljuser ljuser-name_asian_beauty' lj:user='asian_beauty' style='white-space: nowrap;'&gt;&lt;a href='http://community.livejournal.com/asian_beauty/profile'&gt;&lt;img src='http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif' alt='[info]' width='16' height='16' style='vertical-align: bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href='http://community.livejournal.com/asian_beauty/'&gt;&lt;b&gt;asian_beauty&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt; and decided I'd like to use it for my own journal as well.  You guys can comment with your answers if you want! &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And since today is Tuesday, it would have to be "Tuesday Confessions" day!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So, my confession for today is...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I haven't shaved my legs in so long that Jun's legs are jealous of mine.  Seriously.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What's your Tuesday Confession? Tell me!</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:applewonders:35186</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/35186.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=35186"/>
    <title>HAPPY THANKSGIVING! (To my Canadian friends)</title>
    <published>2009-10-11T19:59:21Z</published>
    <updated>2009-11-11T02:22:22Z</updated>
    <category term="photos"/>
    <content type="html">Just popped in quickly to greet you guys a Happy Thanksgiving! &lt;br /&gt;I'm thankful for everything that I have and that is including you people! &lt;br /&gt;Enjoy!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;Oh and here's a treat from Mama A:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3515/3981940342_d4514061d6.jpg"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2499/3981192601_82fee0c398.jpg"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"And you couldn't have at least changed the blanket before snapping that thing at me, hey Ma?"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Heehee.  Don't mind the Dora blanket.  He's just borrowing from big sister, Chei.&lt;/center&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:applewonders:34777</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/34777.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=34777"/>
    <title>Photo: Baby Bien @ 3 months</title>
    <published>2009-09-03T05:55:55Z</published>
    <updated>2009-12-03T05:43:31Z</updated>
    <category term="photos"/>
    <category term="baby"/>
    <content type="html">I know, I know.  Waaaaaaaay overdue.  But I'm sure you all can sympathize with me on this one...I'm still sleepless at night and pretty much running on 3 hours of sleep &amp;mdash; daily.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;At 2 months he was doing soooooo good.  He pretty much had a set routine, which he did all on his own.  Bath time at 7pm, bottle at 8pm, bedtime at 9-10pm, early morning bottle at 3am, and up for the day at 8am.  And then his 2 month appointment came, got his shots...and then downhill from there.  I'm telling you.  The doctor broke my baby! Since then he has never been the same.  And at 3.5 months he's one messed up baby.  He just recently mastered rolling over from tummy to back and they say that for every developmental milestone comes one fussy baby.  Yup.  Couldn't be anymore true with this little guy! During the day he's just too busy to eat.  The other day he went on &lt;b&gt;SIX&lt;/b&gt; hours without feeding! Despite my efforts in trying to get him to take at least a few ounces, he only managed to chow down on 2 ozs.  And that's pretty much how he's like during the day.  2 ozs here and there.  But once bedtime hits, THAAAAAAAT'S when he wants to eat! His last bottle for the night before the A.M feed is anywhere from 10-15 ozs! And then he'll wake up every 2 hours from there to eat again until the sun comes up, I guess trying to make up for what he didn't take during the day.  But you know what else is funny? Once he opens his eyes at 8am there's no taking that bottle.  He stretches then starts cooing and kicking and smiling and turning his head left and right as if the room is spinning.  *Sigh* I'm sooooooooooooo tired.  Some nights I don't even bother going down to sleep because I get even more tired when I have to turn myself off and on like that.  So I just stay up and wait for when Jun can take over in the morning.  Thank goodness he's working nights for the meantime, so handing Bien over to him in the morning doesn't make me feel so guilty.  But despite that, I still only get 3-5 hours of sleep within 24 hours.  I guess as a mother, even with very little sleep, I feel like my son needs ME to care for him...cuz Dad sucks at times.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I've been reading a few Baby Info blogs and articles on this whole baby developmental milestones and how they affect baby (yeh, you'd think that by already having a 5 yr old I would know my stuff) and I'm learning so much I never knew! Pretty interesting things out there.  And apparently...I'm doomed for the next few months of Bien's life.  Man.  Looks like this year is going to be a toughy.  But hey, at least I know my baby's healthy and reaching these milestones at the appropriate times.  I can't complain.  Well ok.  I can.  I just need a wee bit more sleep.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So anyway, I know you guys haven't seen a picture of him since he was...well.  Born.  Sorry! Here ya go =D&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a name="cutid1"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2454/3883708350_455d44ca5d.jpg"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2515/3882956599_acf4d75093.jpg"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That giraffe is the famous teething toy, "Sophie".  &lt;br /&gt;And boy does she get more than what she signed up for! &lt;br /&gt;Bien chews on that thing like there's no tomorrow.&lt;/center&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:applewonders:34249</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/34249.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=34249"/>
    <title>She's FINALLY Comin' Around</title>
    <published>2009-08-18T06:59:23Z</published>
    <updated>2009-11-11T02:34:42Z</updated>
    <category term="baby"/>
    <content type="html">I went in to kiss Chei goodnight, but before walking in I heard her praying to Cheezus (Jesus).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;"Cheezus, I think I'm beginning to really like baby brother.  Can you make sure that the bad guys don't take him away? And can you also make sure that he always has milk? Because if there's no more milk...I think he'll be very sad.  And hungry.  I asked Mommy if I could give him some of my corn if there's no more milk and she said no, brother needs to grow some teeth first or else he will get choke.  Cheezus, even though brother cries a lot...I know you don't like it when kids cry, do you think you can tell Santa to give him a present for Christmas anyway? Because if he sees &lt;i&gt;MY&lt;/i&gt; present he'll get jealous and I don't want him to get jealous.  Or if you want, you can tell Santa not to give me a present this year so brother doesn't see it.  I can wait until next year when I can teach him not to cry so much so that Santa will like him.  Is that a deal? But make sure I get &lt;b&gt;TWO&lt;/b&gt; presents, ok? Thank you.  Amen."&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;God I love this kid.</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:applewonders:33797</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/33797.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=33797"/>
    <title>I miss...</title>
    <published>2009-08-11T04:19:14Z</published>
    <updated>2009-08-11T04:19:14Z</updated>
    <category term="random"/>
    <content type="html">I miss sleeping.  I miss cleaning the house to no end.  I miss driving around with no time limits.  I miss hugging Chei at night while we sleep.  I miss shaving my legs.  I miss going on the computer whenever I want.  I miss shopping.  I miss smelling like a woman and not puke.  I miss not planning my days.  I miss my non-saggy stomach.  I miss Jun.</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:applewonders:33518</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/33518.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=33518"/>
    <title>Social &amp; Wedding Updates</title>
    <published>2009-07-28T08:13:41Z</published>
    <updated>2009-07-28T08:14:40Z</updated>
    <category term="wedding"/>
    <content type="html">So with all the misunderstanding with this whole 10.10.10 thing I've finally (yep, still all ME doing all the deciding as Jun is pretty much useless with this kind of stuff) decided to bump our wedding date to September 10, 2011.  Haha...yes, 09.10.11.  And yes Hersh! I'm still a nerd for choosing that date! I guess it's for the best because we are STILL house hunting and I am STILL overweight.  So this gives me plenty of time to lose the weight and hopefully find a house.  As for the social...still deciding on that.  But will most likely be in 2011 as well.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And thus, I can slack off just a little bit and not worry so much with the preparations.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Just thought I'd update you LJ peeps.  Goodnight.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ps - I miss LJ =(</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:applewonders:33086</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/33086.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=33086"/>
    <title>What the EFF?!?!</title>
    <published>2009-06-30T00:05:55Z</published>
    <updated>2009-06-30T00:06:42Z</updated>
    <category term="boobs"/>
    <content type="html">I stepped out of the house quickly to Motherhood Maternity to buy a few bras that actually fit as I am getting tired of wearing sleep bras all the time and guess what! My bra size is 34F!!!!!!! &lt;b&gt;&lt;u&gt;34F&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/u&gt;! I had to get the girl to check my size again and again as I didn't believe her, to the point where I think she was getting annoyed with me.  Holy bageezus! I went from 34B to 34F! I am not amused.  I feel like a cow.  And in a sense, I am like one...milk and all.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ew.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yeh, just thought I'd share.</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:applewonders:32944</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/32944.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=32944"/>
    <title>Sleep? What's that?</title>
    <published>2009-06-29T05:28:49Z</published>
    <updated>2009-10-31T02:48:34Z</updated>
    <category term="wedding"/>
    <category term="baby"/>
    <content type="html">First let me apologize for the lack of comments and updates.  Just thought I'd check in and let you guys know that I'm in fact still alive.  Haven't been getting much sleep especially now that Bien has reached six weeks and is going through a growth spurt.  He's been feeding almost every hour this past week! I am just about to lose my mind with this little guy.  What gives me strength are his coos and smiles when the sun rises and he takes his morning poop...I swear, it's like he gave me back an extra five hours of sleep! &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The other night I woke up feeling hungry so being in my usual zombified state, I went into the kitchen and dug up some left overs in the fridge.  I swear, I must've been SUPER tired because when I opened the microwave door after heating up the plate of food only to find it NOT there I really thought I was losing it.  I was like WTF??? My food did a disappearing act right in front of me! Did the microwave eat my chicken??? Lol.  And then I looked at my right hand and there it was.  Hahaha! I punched in the timer and waited a whole two minutes in front of the microwave with the plate in my hand the whole entire time! I had to laugh at myself after I realized what I just did.  So there I was laughing like some psycho at 3:30 in the morning in front of the microwave oven with a plate of cold chicken in my hand.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So apart from being deprived of sleep, everything is okay.  I really can't wait until Bien starts sleeping longer than 2-3 hours at a time.  Because of this I'm breaking out like crazy! I have pimples sprouting everywhere on my face.  I hate this.  I want my clear skin back!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Oh and an update on the dilemma with my wedding date...let's just say that I've got to be the biggest douche in the world for the things I said about her.  I really should have been paying closer attention because she had a legitimate reason for what she did.  Her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and is said to be in the late stage of the cancer.  At her mother's request, she has to get married before they fly her off to the Philippines where she wants her body to be buried which is before Christmas of 2010.  Gosh, I would not have blamed her if she wanted to give me a slap in the face.  But to be fair, the misunderstanding could've been avoided had she just told me herself instead of other people telling me.  But honestly, I don't even care about the misunderstanding.  I feel like shit for how I confronted her.  I called her a worthless friend when all along she was suffering enough inside.  I could never ever wish death on anyone's mother regardless of the reason.  So right now, I'm just trying to be there for her as much as I can even though I'm not getting any sleep myself.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Anyway, I don't really have much time to update on here, but you can most certainly catch me on Facebook as I usually do a 'log-in-and-out' on there to check my messages.  If you can read this post, you are welcome to add me.  My email is xxx@gmail.com.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Later!</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:applewonders:32651</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/32651.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=32651"/>
    <title>Pissed</title>
    <published>2009-06-05T00:14:13Z</published>
    <updated>2009-06-05T00:14:40Z</updated>
    <category term="rant"/>
    <content type="html">A close friend of mine had just announced that she, too is getting married on October 10, 2010.  This is the same friend who was one of the first to know when I had chosen that date for our wedding.  She hasn't told me herself yet, or if she even has any plans in telling me at all.  I had to hear it through a mutual friend.  How sad is that?!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;How is that supposed to work? We pretty much have the same circle of friends, so when that day comes people are supposed to choose whose wedding is more worthy of attending??? It's going to be so unfair to all of them.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So as usual, I'll be the one to bend backwards and step aside.  I'll let her have the date.  I will either have to move up the wedding day to a sooner date (which at this point looks impossible seeing that we're still house hunting) or postpone it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Bitch is gonna have some serious explaining to do.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Note to self: Friends don't steal eachother's wedding dates.</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:applewonders:32317</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/32317.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=32317"/>
    <title>Introducing...</title>
    <published>2009-05-22T22:54:40Z</published>
    <updated>2009-10-31T02:49:38Z</updated>
    <category term="bein"/>
    <content type="html">He's finally heeeeeeeeere! First, I know you guys must be wondering what's up with his name.  I know that in my previous post we were going to name him 'Lorenzo Bryson' and we had our minds set on calling him Bryson.  But while Mommy was busy surfing the net during labour (see last post) she got bored and checked out babynames.com to see if the name "Bryson" existed and if it had a meaning.  Well, it just so happens that 'Bien' was also listed under the letter "B" and I fell madly in love with the name and its meaning.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Apparently 'Bien' is a Spanish-Filipino name which means "good".  And it also has a meaning in Vietnamese which is "ocean/sea".  The name fits perfectly because he's been nothing but a good little angel since he has arrived into this world.  And the Vietnamese meaning is such a coincidence (or perhaps fate?) because as a child I grew up near the ocean and have grown to love the sea.  I love beaches, I love staring at the water, I love being around it...just like how I love staring and being around Bien.  Asides to that, he's still L.BO!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He is five days old now and the public health nurse said he's already overweight 0_o.  Lol.  Nothing bad or wrong with that, just that he is rapidly gaining weight for someone his age.  Maybe that's because he's already drinking four ounces of breast milk! I'm not joking.  I honestly thought that I had some sort of freak baby in my hands over here because I don't ever remember Chei drinking this much when she was a newborn.  But apparently it's normal for some babies.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I am breastfeeding via pump and bottle.  I tried doing straight breast, but that didn't work out too well.  I'd go into details, but I'd rather you keep your dinner down.  I wanted to soooooooooo badly breastfeed, but after the third day it was just too painful for me to the point where I would literally grit my teeth and force myself from crying! But in the end I let out a long cry because I honestly wanted to continue breastfeeding.  I gave up too easily with Chei when she was a baby.  I think I lasted three months before I finally gave up on breastfeeding with her, and even then I often cheated with a bottle of formula until I decided to just give in and bottle feed her.  This time around, I really want it to be different.  I want all the benefits of breastfeeding for Bien.  I'm not saying that Chei was not worth it, but seeing that she is my first child...you just learn these things.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So although I am not breastfeeding straight from the breast I am happy that he's still getting breast milk.  Thank God for the inventors of breast pumps! It sucks that I have to pump like every 3-4 hours, but I don't care.  I'm doing it for him.  And he's worth every effort.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Man, I can't believe how attached I am to him already.  It's the greatest feeling in the world having him near me.  And I thought I wasn't going to like him! Haha.  Pathetic I know.  But I really wanted a little sister for Chei.  But now I don't care.  He's so precious.  I love staring at him.  I'm greedy, too.  I don't let Jun or other people get too close to him.  Lol.  My sister's told me to stop hogging him.  Too bad, he's mine.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Anyway, thanks for all the kind comments in my last posts guys! Oh and the birthday wishes, too! I can't believe Bien's birthday is only two days before mine, which is awesome.  When he's much older, he can take Mommy out to a dinner date =)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a name="cutid1"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2435/3554563589_5b7d871f2f.jpg"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lorenzo Bien Oduca&lt;br /&gt;Born May 16, 2009&lt;br /&gt;6 lbs 9 oz / 20 inches&lt;/center&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:applewonders:32118</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/32118.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=32118"/>
    <title>Labour?</title>
    <published>2009-05-15T11:13:35Z</published>
    <updated>2009-05-15T11:26:07Z</updated>
    <category term="pregnancy"/>
    <content type="html">I woke up about 20 minutes ago after feeling something wet on the bed.  Little guy here has been moving and tumbling around in my stomach all night, perhaps celebrating his arrival? I am 90 percent sure my water has broken and that I did not just have an accident on the bed at the age of 24.  Well, 25 really since my birthday is up in three days.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So this is what it's like to have your water break on you.  I've always thought that once your water breaks you automatically freak out due to the pains of contractions that follow immediately.  That's what they always show you on tv, right? The woman pauses in shock and hangs on to her dear belly as if she's going to tumble backwards, and then she says, "I think my water just broke..." followed by some screams and heavy, unrealistic breathing.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My water never did break when I was pregnant with Chei.  They had to break it for me in the hospital when I went into labour.  So this is another new experience for me.  I can still feel some trickling down there as I type.  I feel like I'm peeing all over myself, but I know I'm not.  I'm not in any pain as of yet, but I can feel a lot of pressure on my cervix as if an alien is trying to escape out of me.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I read that when your water breaks it does not necessarily mean you'll start feeling contractions right away.  Some women don't go into actual labour until a week after! Man, that would suck if it happened to me.  I don't want to be walking around and leaking for a whole week!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So anyway...just thought I'd blog about this wonderful experience before I disappear for a little bit.  I'm sure that by the time I get back here to la-la land, little L.Bo has finally made his arrival.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Wish me luck guys! But what I really want is a short labour and short hospital stay.  So if you can wish that for me, that would be nice, too.  I don't care about the pain, as long as I don't have to endure it for that long and that I can be home on the same day to cater to Chei asap.  She's not used to being without me or her dad for a long period of time, so I really am hoping that all goes well and that there won't be any complications to hold us hostage in the hospital longer than necessary.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Later guys!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ooooh, and if you can wish for my rapid weightloss after having baby that would be fabulous, too!</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:applewonders:31556</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/31556.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=31556"/>
    <title>ONTD: Most Likely The Most Funniest Comment Ever</title>
    <published>2009-05-08T02:32:00Z</published>
    <updated>2009-05-08T02:44:20Z</updated>
    <category term="celebrity"/>
    <content type="html">I love it when ONTD comes up with epic posts.  Such as these ones of singer &lt;a href="http://www.lovecassie.com/"&gt;Cassie Ventura&lt;/a&gt;.  Earlier today &lt;a href="http://community.livejournal.com/ohnotheydidnt/34922173.html?"&gt;these&lt;/a&gt; (NSFW) were leaked and not long after another "version" was released.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I don't know why I'm not so "wowed" by these photos.  But in all honesty, as a woman, I really thought she'd have more class than that.  But who knows, maybe it's for publicity.  I mean, let's face it...she isn't anywhere near platinum status.  And her most recent image isn't exactly flattering on her.  I know she's trying to be &lt;i&gt;edgy&lt;/i&gt; with that new hairstyle, but it's not making the cut.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="http://cdn.buzznet.com/media-cdn/jj1/headlines/2009/04/cassie-ventura-shaved-head.jpg"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So here's my "Best Comment of the Year" by a member of ONTD.  I laughed so hard when I read it, I swear a little pee came out.  Lol &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a name="cutid1"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3301/3511212255_f4cc424223_o.jpg" border="1"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3604/3512023304_14a0d93a7b_o.jpg" border="1"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;EDIT: Oh boy.  The &lt;a href="http://community.livejournal.com/ohnotheydidnt/34951153.html?page=27#comments"&gt;uncensored version&lt;/a&gt; just came out.  Click at your own risk.</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:applewonders:31296</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/31296.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://applewonders.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=31296"/>
    <title>Facebook &amp; People Who Have Some Nerve</title>
    <published>2009-05-05T07:39:16Z</published>
    <updated>2009-05-05T07:40:39Z</updated>
    <category term="vent"/>
    <content type="html">I get annoyed when random people whom I've never even heard of request to be added as a "friend".  I find it even more annoying when people who were NEVER my friend request to be added.  You know right off the bat they just wanna creep.  But you know what gets to me the most? People who know damn well they stabbed you deep in the back in the past and request to be added after the fact.  You'd have to be one hell of a thick-ass faced bitch to have the nerve.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There.  I got it out of my system.  This type of behavior is totally out of the norm for me.  Must be the pregnancy hormones.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;i&gt;* Just finished cleaning out my friends list on FB and realized I had some ex-friends who are disguised as my bff's listed in there.  At first I hesitated to click that [X] box (aka DELETE) thinking we might have a chance to salvage our friendship...but honestly, there's no chance.  I don't need people in my life who don't know what it means to be a friend.  I deleted those whom I really don't know and have just added them back to be nice, people who live in the same city that 'pretend' to know me, and people who post nothing but drama in their status updates.  I kept those who are my LJ friends, old school mates who were actually nice to me, and of course, REAL friends and family.&lt;/i&gt;</content>
  </entry>
</feed>
