The long wait...

September 15, 2010, 8:40am, my wife is in delivery room. She didn't felt anything yet but she had some blood or something sticky fluid that came out of her. We called the doctor and instructed us to go to the hospital and go directly to the delivery room. They have my wife on a fetal monitor for 20 minutes. I hope everything is OK and may she have a safe delivery.

Xavi is kicking mommy

My wife is 6 months pregnant already and I could feel my baby kicking. Feeling him kick is a great feeling (maybe he will be a soccer player, hehehe).  A feeling that you couldn't explain. I'm actually scared because it's our first baby but I'm also excited because finally we are having a baby.

We wont have anybody to guide or help us in taking care of our baby. It's just gonna be us because we don't have our parents here to help us. I would like to think of it as an adventure or I'll just charge it to experience and hopefully we could get it right. Anyway, if I really need help, I could call our parents back home. I have also been reading a book to prepare myself. I hope everything I've read could help me to become a good parent.

Well, that's it for now.

My visit to Canada

Niagara Falls was awesome. The view from our Hotel was great (unfortunately it rained). If it wasn't from the rain I could have taking more photos of it. Our hotel experience was just fair. Our hotel suite had a busted microwave and the cable did die for a few minutes. If it wasn't for the view, the hotel experience would have been bad. Our breakfast was good, Nada (our server) was great.

The Maid of the Mist ride was a treat, but of course you have to get wet. I didn't use my Nikon D90 when we took the ride. I was too afraid that it will destroy my DLSR. A friend of mine took some photos with his point-and-shoot which came handy.

Meeting my brother was great. I last saw him since September 2007, when I left for US. Mika and Kira are all big. I met his new born son Javi. Leany gave Hazel her used maternity pants (thanks for that). 

Seeing Toronto from was a great experience specially for me who is afraid of heights. My wife even had her picture taken from the glass floor.

Well, I guess that's it for now about my Canada experience.

It's a boy!

It's a boy! The doctor said when we asked him during the fetal anatomy scan yesterday. The baby is also healthy and well. To hear the doctor say the baby is healthy and well was good enough for me and the gender of the baby was just a bonus. As the ultrasound was done by the doctor, I could see my baby moving his hands. It was open and with complete fingers. The doctor tried to scan the face but he can't get a clear view because the baby was covering it with his hands and he's moving a lot.

The doctor did a great job explaining everything we need to know about our baby. He was funny and energitic. I was really comfortable and very confident that we have enough information to know about my baby, thanks to the staff in SonoScan in Forest Hills, New York.

Well, that's it for now. Time to shop for the baby's stuff.

By the way, I'm naming my baby "Xavi".

Excited for tomorrow...i hope it's a boy...

I had a dream a last week that I was playing with a little girl, so, I'm lowering my expectation that it will be a boy. But people say that dreams are always the opposite of what will happen. A lot of our friends are saying it's a boy because of my wife's tummy is kinda pointed in shape. Whatever will be the result of the anatomy scan tommorow.

I will gladly accept it. I will update this tommorow...got to go back to work

Nikon D90...at last....

Last Monday my Nikon D90 finally arrived.

Nikon D90 is a little heavy than my old Nikon D60. The settings of the camera is great, I made my adjustments easily. Maybe because I'm used to Nikon settings. I first used a Nikon D100 which was owned by my brother. I used to practice with it until I bought my own DSLR. My first DSLR was the Nikon D60. The Nikon D60 was great, specially for a person who was practicing and trying to learn more about photography as a beginner. It helped me a lot understand what is Shutter Speed, Aperture, ISO and all the basics I need to learn on photography.

When I got my Nikon D90 last monday (thanks to B&H for their fast delivery). I was so excited to try my hands on a D90 that I forgot to took pictures with it while opening it. I also ordered a Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 lens, Lowepro Flipside 200 and a Sunpak tripod. The Tamron lens was great. It was sharp and really great for low light, but, It does have a slow focus sometimes. I love the bag and the tripod fits well on the bag and it's light.

So, far, I'm loving my D90. I can't wait to shoot with it on the weekend...if the weather let me...

Byebye D60...Hello D90!!!

I sold my Nikon D60 plus kit lens (18-55mm zoom lens) to my sister in law. The camera has only 5039 shutter count, which is not much for a used camera. It has no scratch and other problems on the camera. It looks new and feels like new. 

It's a good camera for people who wants to in start digital photography. It has nice menu layout, very simple and easy to navigate on the menu. A Nikon D60 is kinda similar to a Nikon D40. I think it has the same body but different processor and pixel size. 

I will be buying a new DSLR, A Nikon D90. It's a more advance camera than the D60. I would consider it a prosumer camera, because, I know a lot of photographers in the Philippines use this camera to shoot weddings. It's much cheaper than the D300s but the photo quality, they say, is the same with the D300s or to the much cheaper D5000.    It shoots videos in HD too, just like the D5000, but limited to 5 minutes only. I will also buy a new lens (Glass for most photo enthusiast here) which is the Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 which is good for low light because of its high aperture. 

I guess that's it for to day...I will update this when I got a hold on my Nikon D90.

12 Weeks in My Wife's Tummy

Excited Dad? Yes, I am.

Last friday, we went to the doctor to have my wife do her screen test. The screen test will determine if the baby has defects like down syndrome and others. Fortunately, the doctor said basing on the ultrasound the baby is OK but we still have to wait for the blood test. Hopefully, all is well and the baby is healthy.

First Picture of my baby..

8 weeks and 4 Days old in Mama's tummy

I can't believe it. Seven Months from now I'm going to be a dad. I'm excited and at the same time I'm afraid. Afraid because I'm going to be a dad for the first time and I don't know what to do. I know I'm good at kids and I love them but I'm talking about me being a dad. I'm afraid of the What If's of being a dad, "What if I can't give my baby anything he/she needs?", "What if he/she will get sick" and all the what if's of being a parent. Excited because I will finally have a child that I could love and take care of. 

When I was younger I promised to myself thatI will be a good dad like my father or even better. I will be the best dad that my baby will ever have. Now, in seven months my time will come to fulfill all my promise. See you soon.... 

New York!

Today a friend visited us here in New York City. It was a cold day again but still we have to give our friend a tour. It was a short tour of the city because she came here around 3pm. We just went to St. Patrick's Cathedral, Rockeffeler Center and Time Square. For dinner, we stopped by at Jollibee and ate Chicken Joy and Spaghetti (I know, you'll probably say "Jollibee of all the restaurant in New York..sa Jollibee pa jud"). For a pinoy who is not from New York (for she is from Delaware), you would really love to visit Jollibee and Red Ribbon.

It's good to see old friends, specially if you've not seen them for a long time.

 

*Some of the pictures are not taken today, i used my old pictures (St. Patricks, Rockefeller center and Times Square).

*My wife and Lendie on the last picture. Taken in Chase Bank Center near Radio City.

Chocolate Muron experiment

The past days, my aunt asked me if I know how to cook chocolate muron. I told her I don't but my wife's lola knows. So, I called Lola Laling and asked her how to make it.


Chocolate Muron is a delicacy Leyte, Philippines (some say Samar). It's what we usually give to our friends in Cebu as pasalubong from Leyte.




Here's how I made my version of Chocolate Muron.

Ingredient:


1 1/2 Cup of Rice Flour.
1 1/2 Cup of Glutinous Rice Flour
2 Cans of Coconut Milk
10 pieces of Tableya
1 1/2 Cup White Sugar
1/4 - 1/2 Cup of Butter/ Margarine
Finely Chops into tiny pieces Peanuts


Wrapper: 


Banana Leaf


Procedure:


1. Mix the Rice Flour and Glutinous Rice flour while it is dry.
2. Cook the dry mixture with the coconut milk. ( if the mixture is a little dry just add a little water like 1/2 cup of water)
3. Always stir the mixture until it is kinda sticky.
4. Add the Margarine/ Butter and stir it until it is properly mixed.
5. Add Sugar and mix it properly.
6. Divide the mixture into two. 
7. Set the 1st Half at the side and Add the melted tableya/chocolate on the other half of the mixture until it is properly     
     mixed.
8. Now, You will have 2 side. The White Half and The Brown Half. It is ready to wrap.
9. After Wrapping, Steam it for 30-45 mins.
10. Let it cool down before eating. It makes 15-20 pcs. (If you like to make more just double the ingredients.)


Wrapping


I didn't wrap it like the way they usually wrap it. I just place the two together and roll it in the banana leaf, fold the ends and placed it on the steamer.

My Mom's retirement photomontage.

Pregnant

My wife took this test pack just a day before her menstruation cycle.

Finally, my wife is pregnant after 3 years of marriage.

We are so excited that we tried 2 brands of Pregnancy Test packs just to make sure of the result.

All the test results says positive.

Photoshop Mobile for Iphone

If you wish to have a better photo using your Iphone. Then you need this Photoshop Mobile for Iphone. It's a great apps for Iphone. You can edit your photo's with it like Cropping your picture, Adjust the Exposure and other stuff. Most of all it is free.

http://mobile.photoshop.com/iphone/