Being crafty
I have been in my crafty mood lately. Since my first creative swap was a success (I somehow forgot to take photos for that), the second one is quite a challenge. So I have been in a tinkering attitude lately. I wanted to start knitting again and was hoping to make a pidge (buttoned) scarf. Sinta and Odette definitely inspired me to start knitting again.

The last time I knitted was in high school for a scarf project. Thanks to the internet I was able to re-learn the “how to” of starting to knit.

Here’s what I’ve started.

And here’s the finished product. I decided that this first knitting project to be for my daughter. I will attempt the pidge scarf next time.

With the 2nd exchange of the creative swap, I decided to make key chains and book marks.

I hope my craft swap partner will like these.

Some crafty loot
And today, I got a nice surprise in the mail. I got my swap loot from the creative swap.

Caryn of Sari-saring Kulay gifted me with these pretty earrings. The beads are made of clay which Caryn made herself. i love all of them. the blue ones are for my daughter and she loves them too. Her ears are not yet pierced but after seeing these earrings, she is convinced she wants them pierced now. I am hoping she will go through this time.

And I got this pretty charm i will be putting on my cell phone. The twisted beads are detachable so I might used it as a bag accesory.

And then there’s some coffee and tea. Looking forward to having them soon.

I love the card, the beads and the box too. Thanks Caryn.

**When you click on the photos it will bring you to my flickr page. You can view the largerr size there.

It was a cold and windy day. There were snow flakes and wet snow. Thousands of people gathered and lined-up along the streets of Toronto and waited anxiously for Santa’s arrival. And yeah, despite the weather and the long wait….everyone was cheery and happy , feeling the spirit of Christmas in the air.

There were decorated and colourful floats upon floats.

There were fancy characters.

There were marching bands.

There were clowns.

And then there was Santa

Santa Claus Parade 2008 021, originally uploaded by pomdla.

Hey, I even had the chance to meet again with Angelo. Check out his blog, he even has photos of me there. Thanks Angelo. It was nice to see you again.

All in all it was a fun day.

Its that time of that year again and Santa is coming to town. Over the last 3 years , my family and I go to Oshawa to watch the nightime Santa Parade. Oshawa is closer to home, so its easier for us to watch it there. Plus the night time effect with all the lights and colours is pretty spectacular.

This year though, we have decided to go to the downtown Toronto Parade happening on Novemeber 16 . The 104th Santa Claus Parade starts at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday. The parade runs from the corner of Bloor and Christie Sts., runs east along Bloor to Avenue Rd., south to Queen St., then east to Yonge St. From Yonge, the parade heads south to to Front St., turning east on Front and ends at the corner of Front and Church Sts. Global TV will broadcast the parade on Sunday, Nov. 16 from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

This parade is known to be the largest production of its kind in North America. The 1st ever Santa Claus Parade was originally launched in 1905 it was a ‘one-man show’ – Santa himself.

Year by year more floats were introduced and personnel added until it became one of the largest productions of its kind in North America. The parade has a delayed telecast shown all over the world. So, if you are not in and around Toronto and missed this parade. Check it out on TV. Maybe you’ll even see me waving to you. lol.

I promise to post photos.

I’ve been tagged by Rachel to do this meaningful tag. It’s a meme highlighting the threat of breast cancer and how important it is to practice early detection procedures like self breast examination.

* One in eight women or 12.6% of all women will get breast cancer in her lifetime.
* Breast cancer risk increases with age and every woman is at risk.
* Every 13 minutes a woman dies of breast cancer.
* Seventy-seven percent of women with breast cancer are over 50.
* Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women between the ages of 15 and 54, and the second cause of cancer death in women 55 to 74.
* Risks for breast cancer include a family history, atypical hyperplasia, early menstruation (before age 12), late menopause (after age 55), current use or use in the last ten years of oral contraceptives, and daily consumption of alcohol.
* Early detection of breast cancer, through monthly breast self-exam and particularly yearly mammography after age 40, offers the best chance for survival.
Facts taken from Women’s Health

And now here is the tag and the rules:

1. Put the logo in your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who shared it with you.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs
4. Add your link to the list of participants below
5. Leave a message for your nominee on their blog.

PINK Sisterhood

1- Fara 2- Massy 3- N.O.Y 4- Mariuca 5- A Great Pleasure 6- LadyJava 7- Kim 8- Pink Thoughts 9- Turn-u-Off 10- Roxiticus Desperate Housewives 11- STAY AT HOME MOM 12- Fida Abbott 13- Also Mommy 14- Janice Ng 15- Juliana’s Site 16- The Painted Veil 17- Heart of Rachel 18- Mga Muni-muni 19- YOU

I would like to tag:
1. Odette
2. Jo
3. Gina
4. Maiylah
5. Gypsy
6. Sinta
7. Caryn

Remember the pumpkins we picked from the pumpkin farm a week or so ago?

Well here’s what they look like right now!

Why Carve Pumpkins?

The story of the Jack o’Lantern comes from Irish folklore. Jack was a crafty farmer who tricked the Devil into climbing a tall tree. When the Devil reached the highest branch, Jack carved a large cross in the trunk, making it impossible for the Devil to climb down. In exchange for help getting out of the tree, the Devil promised never to tempt Jack with evil again. When Jack died, he was turned away from Heaven for his sins and turned away from Hell because of his trickery. Condemned to wander the Earth without rest, Jack carved out one of his turnips, took an ember from the devil, and used it for a lantern to light his way. He became known as “Jack of the Lantern.”

What to do with the seeds.
Roasted pumpkin seeds have a nutty flavor and are packed with protein and fiber. Pumpkin seeds are delicious toasted and salted, but they’re even better flavored with sweet and savory spices.

How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds

1. Rinse pumpkin seeds under cold water and pick out the pulp and strings. (This is easiest just after you’ve removed the seeds from the pumpkin, before the pulp has dried.)
2. Place the pumpkin seeds in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet, stirring to coat. If you prefer, omit the oil and coat with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Sprinkle with salt and bake at 325 degrees F until toasted, about 25 minutes, checking and stirring after 10 minutes.
4. Let cool and store in an air-tight container.

I cant believe it’s been a year! Whoa, it seemed like it was only yesterday my sweet Piolo was performing on stage for my birthday. Time flies …really!

This time around he graced my coffee table with this Pictorial Biography …Believing.
Thanks Annamanila!. I really appreciate it.

It’s been read and stared at from cover to cover already. And I think I’ll do more browsing for the days to come. Yes, I think one of Papa P’s photos disappeared coz I stared too much…he!he!

The weather has been quirky these days. We’ve had +25 on Thanksgiving to -1 just yesterday. Well, one thing is for sure….winter is on its way. That’s what autumn symbolizes anyway. Thanks to digital photography and I am able to capture the changes of the seasons and that is why I love fall the most.

The colours of fall simply amazes me. There are just too many hues and variants of orange, red, yellow, brown and green. It is just a feast to the eyes. The colours dont tire me. Its just so vibrant and alive.

We were at the farm last weekend and enjoyed the sunshine and the outdoor activities. We’ve been to Whittamores Farm before but every year, they have changes that makes the experience worth revisiting. There was the tree house, the corn maze, the playground, pony rides, slides and blow-up jumping thingys, hayrides, and the pumpkin canon.

Ofcourse, we were there to get our pumpkins to carve for halloween. It was hard to make a decision on which to pick but after a long deliberation, here’s what we ended up bringing home. I will show the finished Jack-o-lanterns in another post.

Thank you Marie for this tag.

Here’s the rule:

Click copy/paste, type in your answers and tag four people in your lists! Don’t forget to change my answers to the questions with that of yours.

1. Four places I go over and over

Beach, Shopping mall, work, home

2. Four people who e-mails me regularly

Ferdie, Lhay, Liz, 680 news

3. Four of my favorite places to eat?

Makimono, East Side Mario’s, Bamiyan , Cusina Manila

4. Four places you’d rather be?

Philippines, the Carribean, Paris, The Rockies

5. Four TV shows I could watch over and over.

HGTV (Home and Garden Television), Oprah, TFC, ER

6. Four lucky winners ( of this tag..)

Gina, Odette, Haze and Rachel

Gina was so excited about getting tickets for the Main Event concert, she had to share her excitement with me. It was so contagious, I caught the excitement fever and passed it on to my sister and cousin as well. And so for the second time around, Gina and I met once again. This time in a concert venue. Gina and Tony were a delight to see again. Despite the hassles of downtown driving and being unable to be there for our dinner rendezvous, we managed to catch each other a few minutes before the show started and agreed to meet later for an after-show review , chit-chat and nourishment. All in all, meet plus the concert – rating is 5 out 5.

Lani Misalucha and Regine Velasquez were really great. I enjoyed the performances tremendously. This is the first time I’ve seen Lani perform and I am impressed. Regine as usual is amazing. Her voice is beautiful.

Here are some video clips from the show. Will post photos of our EB later.

Lani Misalucha

Regine Velasquez