So there's this boy.

Camera trick - or treat

Nothing like the right props. Recently I told my co-moms the quickest way to look ten, no make that twenty, years younger in pictures was to grab a toddler or baby-in-a-stroller and pose with it like you were once again starry eyed and twenty five at the brink of total womanhood - after having given birth to junior and looking forward to number two. It works sometimes, but not if you're particularly stressed and with no makeup on, in which case you'd come out looking like the proud grandma. It has happened to me. AND the quickest way to look old (or your actual age) is to wear leggings and a long shirt, and pose with your real life 21-year old daughter and 18-year old son, thus giving away your forty or fifty something years of age even if you declare to the whole world that you gave birth at the age of ten. Recently I found out in one of those never ending cocktail parties where the SFDVs* are herded like cows from one venue to the next (honestly! I saw the very same faces last Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday!) - that if you wedge yourself in between two elderly looking been-to-a-million-cocktail parties type of people, your face actually brightens and you look young, fresh, and nubile again. Like this:

No, I will not identify these poor victims of mine. They are actually famous and very very nice. So, enough.

* same faces different venue

On a different note, I always thought I had this addiction

to LBDs (little black dresses). My wardrobe is filled with LBDs like they were some sort of uniform. It's the most practical thing! So WHY did I end up wearing a BBD? (big black dress, what else) It's the most hideous thing and I actually look .... fat! Steph was also wearing one, but in her case she looks smart.

Sigh...what's a blog without pictures? So, until I can save for a brand new cam, I will not be updating as regularly as the past two years. I rely now on photos sent to me by friends of course -- like these, from our Massimo Dutti event held two weeks ago. (Click on this link for Larry's account of that chica eve. ahem, with special mention of yours truly of course.) That's me with Allyana - daughter of friends Liezl and Albert. And below with Carla of M magazine, balikbayan Rosalie and my best friend Ginny.

I'm still here.

Well if there are two unproductive things that occupy my time now - for the benefit of all those cyber voyeurs who still visit this space and are wondering what I've been up to during the few minutes (!!) of spare time I have at the end of each day -- it's....

http://www.facebook.com/people/Malu-Francisco/604266171

where I have 401 friends and still counting..

and

http://www.volvooceanracegame.org/home.php

where I have 4 friends but who are actually one and the same person (who owns 4 boats), and that's it. I 'own' a boat named Antipolo.

Some very interesting things have happened to me personally over the past three months, but until I decide to convert this into a private blog with access to no one but moi, my lips are sealed. No photos, no names, no stories, no sex videos (JOKE!)

Valentine's thru the years

This evening is probably going to be the last of its kind.  I must prepare for Valentine's Day 2010 onwards when I will be by myself and my kids realize it's much more exciting to have a non-relative as your 'Valentine'.   Ever since I became a mother some 22 years ago, I have always been my children's valentine date. They've given me home-made hearts and cards and little tokens,  and we've spent countless Valentine evenings just ordering in -- mostly PIZZA by tradition, and watching TV.  On certain years we've had a male adult guest of mine over (a.k.a. suitor, beau, manliligaw, MU), partaking of the Valentine pizza with my children. (We've always been a packaged deal, you know.) Last year was the last time the three of us were complete - plus one guest, John the Aussie.  There was another year we had Mon the Tisoy.  This year - tonight - there were just two of us -- me and my 18-year old son Luis, as Nikki, 21, finally had her own Valentine gimmick.  And no male adult guest this year, I guess the 'packaged deal' was just too much, huh. Luis and I started the evening off by eating choriburger in Metro Walk, then, after buying 4 DVDs, we settled down infront of the TV  and watched Slum Dog Millionaire.  We will probably have to watch one or two more movies to keep us awake till 2am, when we can go pick up Nikki at the Fort.   

Sigh..This time next year both of them will probably have their own non-mother,                         

non-sibling Valentine's.  Wonder how many dvds I should buy then.

The valentine pic by the way is of my OFFICE family... for some reason I couldn't get my two children to pose in red with me. wonder why. I guess that's the start. sigh.