the up button is getting me down

The elevators in my very old office building serve different floors. But the Up buttons control all 5 elevators rather than say, just the one that stops on my floor. So when one elevator opens at the ground floor, the Up button lights of all 5 elevators turn off. 

I guess the assumption is that that one elevator is sufficient to serve the ground floor riders. But in the morning, there are 5 long lines of people at the ground floor waiting to go up to one of the 24 floors in our building.

So the people at the front of the lines at the other elevators need to be alert. They need to press the Up button as soon as the elevator that just stopped at the ground floor moves up. Because if the Up buttons stay unlit and an elevator skips the ground floor, the person at the front of the line will get dagger looks from everyone behind him.

But what gets me in a panic is when my elevator is neck-in-neck with another elevator. When that other elevator stops at the ground floor and people are piling in, my elevator from the basement ends up skipping the ground floor. So I have to wait all over again for my elevator to go up to the 24th floor and back down while hoping the other elevators don't pass the ground floor just a few seconds again before my elevator. So imagine my panic when people are piling in so slowly into the other elevator while I see my elevator inching up... B4... B3... B2... B1... Get in, people!!... 

And the tricky thing is that you need to wait for the right time - for the other elevator to start moving up - before pressing the Up button. If you press it too early, the other elevator's door re-opens and it ends up stopping at the ground floor even longer! Gah!!!

Who would have thought an Up button could make me feel so down?

Photo is of a postcard I got from a cool art shop in Vietnam.

Click here for more of my elevator woes.

Today, I am unloving...

... the hubby's and my poor family vake planning skills. The last time we went on a family vake to the States was during the Christmas season. We scheduled our theme park trip between Christmas & New Year and it was our worst decision ever! Waiting time at the line of each attraction was at least an hour, 15 minutes. And the park streets were so filled with people that we couldn't scoot to each attraction. We had to inch our way slowly with the throng. 

We ended up splitting up just so the kids could experience as many rides as they could. Noah and I rode It's A Small World while Isabella and the hubby rode the Matterhorn.

Photo ops were close to impossible - unless we wanted a photo of the attraction with a mob of people we didn't know. So our best one of Cinderella's castle was one that skimmed the top of the crowd's heads and captured just the upper part of the castle.

I would have thought we'd learned our lesson after that awful trip to Disneyland. But we didn't. We recently booked a family trip to the States in April and turns out, our days in Disneyland & Universal Studios will fall during Spring Break. Aaaagggghhhh!

We're hoping it won't be as bad as our December trip. Maybe we can go around the park together as a family this time. But I expect we will again end up with photos of just the top of the castle.

With our vake planning skills, maybe the only way we can get a photo of the bottom part of the castle is if we build one ourselves. :(

Sigh. Today, I am unloving... our poor family vacation scheduling skills. 

Photos are my own and from annnniegirl.

Click here for another theme park wish of mine.

my trusty elf

I don't know why I put off putting up our Christmas tree for so long (as you might remember from here and here). Turns out I have an eager assistant to help me.

Though I could argue Noah was more of the boss than the assistant. He insisted on putting the trimmimgs before the lights because I still needed our handyman's help on the latter (half of every set wouldn't light up). He insisted on starting with our Disney ornaments - the one battle I won that day. And insisted he put the star before we were done with the trimmimgs.

Yes, my trusty elf was uber eager! I found myself trying to slow down my excited assistant throughout the process. And he eventually finished off with hanging our Disney ornaments - to his delight! 

They (Rapunzel, Lady & the Tramp and Chip & Dale) have got their backs turned (and some balls of the same color & size are too close together for my liking) but it doesn't matter. The important thing is Noah loved every minute of it!

Photos are all my own.

Click here for a previous post on our Disney trimmings.

special occasion profile pics

I love special occasions. I don't necessarily decorate the house on every occasion (except of course for Christmas). But I realized this Halloween that I do "decorate" my FB page.

That photo above is my Halloween profile pic this year. And this one was last year's Halloween (Fall?) profile pic...

This was my New Year profile pic...

And my Dragon Chinese New Year display photo: with Mushu the dragon from Disney's Mulan!

Hmmm... I don't have Christmas profile pics yet. Worst-case, maybe this photo with a minion can work. 

Can he pass for Santa's elf?

Oh, what the heck! I've still got the Halloween spirit so will be keeping my Frankenweenie profile pic for a while. Hopefully, by the time Christmas rolls around, I'll have a more Christmassy display pic. Haha! If only decorating the house for Christmas were as easy as changing a profile pic...

Photos are all my own.  

cartoon character makeovers

Yes, the old cartoon characters we grew up with have been given a makeover! The new ones are all thinner than the original plump, round versions.

Some even say the new Rainbow Brite has a thinner face and fuller, more red lips.

And the new Strawberry Shortcake has, longer hair, larger eyes and fewer freckles!

Some people have been appalled by the change and how it affects how little girls view beauty. To be honest, this could be a chicken-or-egg kind of situation. I asked Isabella and she says she likes the new ones better. So it could be that the makeovers are such because this generation's taste has changed remarkably from ours. It could also be that Isabella's taste (and as they say, view of beauty) has already been shaped by Manga or the scrawny characters of Cartoon Network (very different from the round, chubby ones of Disney Junior, which I personally love and watch even when Noah is not around. My faves are Doc McStuffins, Handy Manny, Special Agent Oso and Word World.). I'm not really sure which came first, which affected what. One thing I do know is that there is one character that Isabella, Noah and I agree is incredibly cute...

Yes, we all agree Puss is so cute in his big-droopy-eyed sick-puppy look!

Photos from here, here, here, here, here and here.

a mother's Toy Story

Noah had been pining for Toy Story toys for quite a while. "I want Boody (he meant Woody, but this was over 2 years ago, so he couldn't make the "W" sound yet), Buzz Lightyear, Green Dinosaur, Mr. Potato Head, the princess - the pink one." Toy Story 3 hadn't shown yet, so they weren't available in Manila toy stores yet. So on a US trip that year, I made it a point to buy him Woody and Buzz even if they were too big and bulky to bring home. But the sheer delight on Noah's face when he saw his pasalubong was well worth my close-to-filled luggage (and the unbought bags & shoes that could have taken Woody & Buzz' place in my trolley).

Then he wanted to bring them to bed that night. They were HUGE compared to the usual action figures or cars that ended up under my back in the middle of the night. But I couldn't say no to sleeping with both of them - because it was sooooo adorable how he couldn't pick one over the other. After all, he was so attached to them that he wrote his name on their feet like Andy did in Toy Story.

Then a few days later, he came to me with a ripped Woody. His shirt got torn and stuffing was spilling out. My heart sank - thinking of how many toy stores I went to to find them, of how many packing configurations I tried so they would occupy the least space in my luggage, of how short-lived the delight was from this toy he had been asking for for months. So I channeled the home ec A+ student in me and stitched Woody up. When I returned sewed-up-Woody to Noah, he squealed, "Thank you Mommy!" 

Yes, a mother endures quite a few things to give her child a toy: a toy-filled luggage, a bad back & sleepless nights, and dismay at broken toys. But all this doesn't matter... as long as the toy gives her child happiness and delightful childhood memories he will keep with him long after the toys are gone.

Photo of Noah is my own - a page from one of his 2009 scrapbooks.

Click here for the of-dots-&-things version of this post.

Today, I am unloving...

Last Friday, I went shopping for Noah's big school bag since he starts Grade 1 tomorrow. So more accurately, last Friday, not today, I was unloving... the school bag options I had before me.

I came from the Grade 1 orientation that morning and they recommended the big, rectangular trolley bags versus the backpack-looking ones with a trolley. This was because it could both fit the 7 long plastic envelopes which held the materials (books, notebooks, etc.) for each subject, and pulling them out & packing them away would be easier for the kids with the rectangular bag (If you don't know which bag I mean, check out this post from mymomfriday here where she dissects the anatomy of a trolley schoolbag.).

First, I was unloving... that there were no non-cartoon-character designs like the prints above from Dwell Studio (incidentally, it's home/table end-of-season sale time at Rustan's from June 1 to July 31). I would have loved for Noah's bag to have cute elephants and giraffes (Maybe two of each animal for an apt Noah's Ark theme?). Or a print with generic (vs. branded like Disney Cars) cars, trucks, bikes and airplanes like the one above.

Then, I found out how much the trolley bags were and I, not only unloved it, but loathed it. Almost P4,000!!! Unbelievable! Just a little more and you'll be able to buy an old model of Samsonite luggage! It just seemed excessive for a school bag! 

Surprisingly, each character (Justice League vs. Disney Cars vs. Batman vs. Ben 10 for boys) was made by a different manufacturer. So there was an eager salesman ready with his salestalk with every character trolley I inspected. Since every one of them were priced anywhere from P3,000 to P4,000. I ended up listening to each salesman's spiel and decided what to buy based on who gave the best reasons to buy their trolley. Every salesman talked about:

1. what could fit into the bag (legal size folders),
2. what could be placed in each compartment (like extra clothes in this pocket or pencil case & crayons in that pocket),
3. a raincoat for the bag,
4. a free lunch box, and
5. six spinner wheels (Yes, even more than my Samsonite! Seriously!).

But one salesman's spiel stood out - the Lightning McQueen one - because he talked about:

1. the durable plastic material of the cover & the sturdy board material of the bag's sides - strong enough for the child to sit on the bag,
2. the rivets that were lined with a waterproof material because, he said, kids spilling liquids on the bag was unavoidable,
3. the rubber material of the straps' clasps which prevents them from breaking off or pinching a kid's fingers (he would bend the clasps to show it wouldn't break and gave me a tip that a peeking white line signaled plastic),
4. rubber reinforcement on the back of the bag that is aligned with the trolley bars so banging of the bag's back on stair-steps will not lead to the trolley bars getting stuck or destroyed, and finally,
5. the lining of the free lunchbox was thermal to keep food hot. 

So Noah will be going to school tomorrow with a Disney Cars 2 trolley bag. Based on the salestalk, it seemed like it was the best one at the store. But I would have loved better-looking non-character prints or a much lower price. So today, I am unloving... the school bag trolley options in SM last Friday.

Photo from the Facebook page here of Quirks Marketing, distributor of Dwell Studio in the Philippines.

Click here for previous posts from the Today, I Am Unloving series. Click here for the non-schoolbag bag I also bought last Friday. 

talking pet peeve

I recently realized I don't really enjoy movies with talking animals. I don't mind talking dwarfs like Smurfs or even Gnomeo & Juliet. Or talking muppets like Kermit & Gonzo. I even adore talking cars like Lightning McQueen & Mater and talking toys like Woody & Buzz. But talking animals - not so much. I watched Happy Feet, Ice Age and Madagascar primarily for the kids but I didn't really care for them very much. It's worse when the animals are dressed in human clothes.

So imagine how much I was silently kicking and screaming when we watched Alvin & the Chipmunks 3 in the movie house about a month ago. Especially since I hadn't watched neither Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol nor Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, which were both showing right next door.

I don't really know when this strange aversion to talking animals started. Come to think of it, I much preferred Lion King on Broadway versus the animated movie. And I wonder if it's because people played the animals' parts in the theater version? Though I do remember liking Shirt Tales a lot when I was growing up. And they were talking animals in human shirts! Now isn't this bizarre?

What about you? Do you like movies with talking animals? Or are you also praying there won't be a 4th insertion to the Alvin & the Chipmunks series? Do you also watch movies you don't particularly care for because your kids want to? Do you end up watching more kiddie movies in the moviehouse while blockbusters get relegated to screening via DVD?

Photo from heritage.

   

my impossible wishlist

After writing that post on my excessive wishlist, I got to thinking about an impossible wishlist...

1. To watch a Friends episode live. When we went on the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in Burbank, California two years ago, we went inside the Two and a Half Men studio. Filming the show wasn't scheduled that day but we got to sit where a live audience would and right in front of us was the set of Charlie's house. It hit me then how sad it was that I would never get a chance to watch the filming of a Friends show. Good thing the Friends Central Perk set was part of the WB Tour so I at least got to see it up close. 
2. To taste Trattoria Uno's Zuppa Marinara again. When I was growing up, there were very few mall choices. One of them was Ali Mall and they had this quaint little Italian restaurant there with patrons' graffiti all over the walls. We ate there all the time. They had freshly-baked bread and the best Seafood Marinara soup! If I am not mistaken, it was owned by the Aranetas and in later years, would sometimes be closed because the chefs were busy with a private party of the Araneta family. I remember going there in later years and Zuppa Marinara was no longer on their menu but the chef would gladly cook me and my mom our favorite tomato soup! But a few years ago, Trattoria Uno closed down. And tasting their Zuppa Marinara again sadly lands on my impossible wishlist. Sigh.  
3. To munch on Jack & Jill Barbecue Curls again. I haven't found anyone who remembers Jack & Jill  Barbecue Curls because only Chiz Curls survived the test of time. People remember Munchees (which I wasn't a fan of) but nobody remembers the Barbecue Curls packed in a red and yellow foil pouch. I remember loving it when I was a kid. But to be honest, decades later, I have a very faint recollection of it's actual taste. So I'd sure love to try it again! A snack I do remember so well - that I can almost taste it - is the original Planters Cheese Curls that came in big cardboard canisters. I remember they brought out the "selfish" in me. When my friends were over at my house, I'd hide my big can and offer everything we had to eat at home - except for my salty, cheesy Planters Cheese Curls. Now sometimes, a Cheetos Crunchy would start out tasting like my old Planters, but the flavor at the end will be quite different. And don't be fooled by the Cheese Curls you might spot nowadays in a blue canister and yellow lid (even those that use the Planters brand), they are so NOT the same. The Cheese Balls versions are pretty close to the original. But the Cheese Curls are never like the original.
4. To see a photo of my old toy creations. When my brother and I were little, we would make pretend horses using side tables as the body (with a pillow so it would be soft to sit on), our mom's belts as reins & stirrups, and our teddy bears as our horses' heads. I also remember building various things out of Lego... Like a dog with an open slit as his mouth. The flat hole led to his belly so we pretended the "smooth flat two" Lego pieces were dogfood. The memories are so clear in my head but it would be great to have a photo as a souvenir.

5. To be one of those names in the credits of Disney's Beauty and the Beast or Toy Story. When I first watched Belle, I was so in awe of her expressions & actions - how her eyebrows furrowed, how her eyes widened with emotion, how her hair would fall down her face and she would brush it off. She seemed like a real person! I was also captivated by the very realistic majestic ballroom. And to this day, I love the songs! As the credits rolled down, I remember wishing my name was one of those many names. It would have been great to be a part of such a grand project. It was, after all, the first ever animated film to be nominated in the Academy Awards for Best Picture. I would have also loved to be part of the Toy Story production team. The first-ever animated film in CGI with three-dimensional characters... and toys I grew up with as the characters! That would have been awesome! Oh and just so it's clear, this wishlist item is not only impossible because the movies were made a long time ago, but more because I have no idea how animated films are made! I don't even know how to use Photoshop! It's just really fun to dream of being part of such a Creative Team.

Oddly, I thought thinking up this impossible wishlist would make me sad. But dreaming up the possibility of these impossible wishes was actually quite enjoyable! 

Friends photo is my own and the Beauty & the Beast animated gif is from annnniegirl.

Click here and here for previous posts that show my addiction to Friends. Click here for another nostalgic post on Ali Mall and other old malls.   

my fantasy dentist

I've been needing a root canal for over a year now. But I haven't had the courage to schedule it because I am terrified of the pain.

If only this dentist on Main Street of Hongkong Disneyland really existed... 

Photos are my own.

Click here and here for previous posts on our recent trip to Hongkong Disneyland. 

my fantasy of an empty theme park

Wouldn't it be great to have Disneyland's Main Street - or any theme park for that matter - all to yourself like this? So your photos will not have more people you don't know than you know?

We went to Hongkong Disneyland last week for Noah's 7th birthday. And it wasn't very crowded. Waiting time at each attraction was anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes. Not bad. But getting a photo of the sights without strangers in the picture was still quite challenging.

Family member - 1. Strangers - 4. And this display was not even a big one. Try getting a photo of Sleeping Beauty's Castle with just your family.

What more trying to get a photo of just the attractions - no family member or stranger - for your blog? I so wanted to take photos of the newly-opened Toy Story Land for my blog. I had planned to take attraction-only photos for anonymity (I'm still shy) and so unsightly crowds of strangers are out of the picture. But so many people were trying to get their turn at a photo op that when a kid leaves, another would always get there before I was able to take a shot of just the attraction.

Turns out, even these official photos from Hongkong Disneyland features the crowds.

I guess it showcases the perspective more accurately - how people look like they've been shrunk to the size of toys: really small ones, like Sarge and those tiny toy soldiers. While the toys in Toy Story Land are big, the place isn't. There are basically just three rides: Slinky Dog Spin, a kiddie rollercoaster ride (or caterpillar ride as we call it here in the Philippines) where Slink chases his tail around and around.

Toy Soldier Parachute Drop, a parachute training drill that vertically drops riders from high above.

And RC Racer where RC speeds back and forth on a soaring U-shaped track (ala Enchanted Kingdom's Anchors Away ride).

This ride we skipped, so we just faked it on this giant RC photo op display (Oh, I am still shy. But I didn't get that attraction-only photo of RC that I wanted. So am hoping we won't be recognized with our mouths open so wide.).

The last attraction is the Barrel of Fun. The queue is right beside these giant domino & checkers pieces with some monkeys from the Barrel.

And inside the gigantic Barrel of Monkeys, you meet either Woody or Jessie (In case you're wondering, Buzz still makes his appearance in Tomorrowland).

I wanted a Jessie-only photo but as with all the other attractions, that was impossible. An empty theme park may just be a fantasy, but I'm glad that birthday-boy Noah had his fill of big smiles, roars of laughter and delightful fun!

Photos from here and my own.

Click here for another post on our recent trip to Hongkong Disneyland.