Hermit Crab Shell | Bloom moved to his new hermit crab shell!

When I bought Bloom, Pia's hermit crab pet, I also bought an extra hermit crab shell. I was told by the Lucky Hermit staff that in about two months, Bloom will move to the new shell.

But a week after, Pia told me that I have to buy a bigger shell because Bloom already moved to the other hermit crab shell.

I bought this hermit crab shell last week from Lucky Hermits - MOA for P100.

My little princess is enjoying her new pet! I'm thinking of buying a 10-gallon aquarium for her Bloom and perhaps, another hermit crab and lots of hermit crab shells.

Hermit Crab Pet

Bloom, the hermit crab and Pia, my little princess

My little princess saw the Lucky Hermits stand that sells hermit crab pets and accessories at Mall of Asia yesterday night. Since then, she never stopped talking about it and whenever there's an opportunity, she would tell me and her mom that she like to have a hermit crab pet. I bought her one today and she was really happy.

According to Lucky Hermits staff, hermit crab life span is about ten to fifteen years. I never knew is actually lives that long. All the while I thought it's just a throwaway pet. Let's see how long Bloom lives. That's the name Pia gave her new pet.

Bloom and his future hermit crab shell

I was told that in about two months, the hermit crab I bought will look for another hermit crab shell. Thus, I bought an extra shell in anticipation. It would be interesting to watch a hermit crab move to a new and bigger crab shell.

Do you have a hermit crab pet, too? Please share some hermit crab care tips.

Christmas Shopping Using Google Money!

When Pia was here in Manila last week during their school sem break, we went to Toy Kingdom to buy a birthday gift for her classmate. It was that time when I finally saw an actual Zhu Zhu pets (hamster toy for kids).



I'm thinking of buyung a Zhu Zhu pet set for Pia as Christmas gift.

It's now 55 days before Christmas! Next week, I'll start buying Christmas gifts for friends and relatives. I actually allocated some Google money for this purpose. ;-)

My Adsense income is getting better and better. But of course, it's not that much as compared to Manny Pacquiao's income, not counting his income from Pacquiao vs Margarito fight. LOL

Manila Zoo Revisited

Pia and I visited Manila Zoo again yesterday. If I remember it right, it's her third visit. She was only three years old when she first went there. That was three years ago.



Although there are some improvements in Manila Zoo, it is still in a sorry state as a whole. That's partly because of the zoo visitors' lack of discipline. For example, there's a wishing pond there with lots of garbage. You get my drift.



One improvement I saw is Kinder Zoo corner inside the Manila Zoo premises, where you can take unlimited pictures with a huge snake, baby crocodile and different kind of birds. There's also a mini zip line and wall climbing area for kids.



To enter the Kinder Zoo, you need to pay another P40 entrance fee and additional P75 if you want to try their zip line and wall climbing. That's on top of the P40 you need to pay to enter the zoo. I could be wrong but I smell some irregularities there.



Another new activity to try at Manila Zoo is the horseback riding. It will cost you only P60.



I'm not sure what this guy is doing with the crocodile but he sure became an instant attraction for the zoo visitors.

To see more pictures of our Manila Zoo visit yesterday, you may go to my Multiply Account.

Pictures: 2009 Disney on Ice at Araneta Coliseum

Using my simple point-and-shoot digital camera, here are some pictures I've taken tonight during the 2009 Disney on Ice presentation at Araneta Coliseum.

Goofy with the gang on a jungle cruise

Donald Duck and Minnie Mouse


Pia got a new Disney on Ice toy

Pia and Setsu all smiles

Dinner at Dencio's after the show

Pia really enjoyed the show and I'd say the Google money I've spent is worth it. More 2009 Disney on Ice pictures at my multiply account.

Coin bank for Daniel

For quite a time now, I have been maintaining a coin bank, where I drop P10-coin every time I have one. And whenever Pia is in Makati for her vacation, that's the time that we open the coin bank, count the coins together and then go to the bank to deposit the accumulated coins to her savings account.



When I learned about Daniel (a 5 months old baby who needs to undergo a liver transplant) few moths ago, I told Pia about his condition and we agreed that we will deposit half of the savings to Daniel's account to help on his operation.

The last news I heard about Daniel is that the operation is scheduled early next year and that they are still short for the P3M needed for the operation to be done at a hospital in Taiwan.

Pia is now here in Makati for her Christmas vacation and we have already opened the coin bank. But a day before we're scheduled to make the deposit to Daniel's bank account, I received an SMS from my friend Niko. She said Daniel is gone. Pia was really sad when I told her about it.

We deposited the coins just the same to Daniel's account hoping it will at least help for the funeral expenses.

Farewell, Daniel...

Pia Won Math and Science Quiz Bee

During the Education Week Celebration last week at Pia's school, she participated in the Quiz Bee for Spelling, Math and Science. She lost in the Spelling but she was the Champion both in Science and Math! She brought home two medals!



No,she doesn't have an online math tutor,in case you're wondering. :-) She gets her math help from her great grandmother, who is a retired public school teacher.

Pia is currently enrolled in Prep School. Next school year, she will be in elementary school and soon, she she will be encountering more complex math problems. Eventually, she will be needing more math help.

Have you guys tried online math tutoring for your kids? How was it? Will you recommend it?

Math is Pia's favorite subject and she's really good at it. Hopefully, she won't lost the interest and eventually join the Philippine Math Olympiad. That will really make me a proud daddy! :-)

I found Nemo!

When I saw this Nemo stuffed toy being displayed in one those stores at Coastal Mall, I thought of Pia and decided to buy one. 'Finding Nemo' is one of her favorite movies.

The sales lady initially priced it at P580 but I was able to get it for only P400. :-)




If you have kids who also like Nemo, this will be a great Christmas gift. But if your kids are into hamster, Zhu Zhu Pets would be perfect.

We're going to watch 2009 Disney on Ice!

We're going to watch 2009 Disney on Ice - Disney Adventure!

To avail of the 2009 Disney on Ice Promo, we used a BPI Credit Card in buying our Disney on Ice tickets. That entitled us to a 12% discount!

Unfortunately, there were no longer seats available for Patron VIP and Lower Box VIP for the show schedule that we prefer. We settled for Lower Box Reserved Seating costing P1,100 each.

Pia will surely enjoy this show.

IF you're planning to watch 2009 Disney on Ice, too, I suggest you reserve your tickets now.

She's growing so fast...

Time flies and it flies really fast. It seems like just yesterday when I wrote this article. Pia was just less than a year old that time and I was so worried about the future awaiting her.

Here's a couple of Pia's pictures I took yesterday when I visited her in Pangasinan.

with her favorite Baby Bop

Playing with my ASUS EEE PC. :-)

Pia is really growing up so fast. I wish I could spend more time with her. Hayy...

I'm on YouTube, too!

Through the years, I've accumulated plenty of Pia's video I captured through my phone. I thought of uploading them to my YouTube channel. This one was taken when we went to Manila Ocean Park last year.

These are raw videos so please pardon me for poor quality. I'm not a video editing expert. But please feel free to subscribe to my YouTube Channel. hehe!

The world always looks brighter from behind a smile

Seeing Pia smile like this makes me forget that I'm tired from a five-hour travel and still lacks sleep.

It's First Quarter Grading Period Honors' Day at Pia's school today and she's in the Honors' List! She made me a real proud daddy! More pictures here.

Zhu Zhu Pets Funhouse Set Available at Amazon!

ZhuZhu Pets - Funhouse Set with Hamster will be available at Amazon.Com on Sept 1, 2009 for only $29.99. You can pre-order now!

I'm planning to get one but for Pia but I have a bad experience with buying stuff online. I bought an adapter/charger for my ASUS EEEPC two months ago but the item was lost in transit according to the seller.

Anyway, I think I'll just have to wait until zhu zhu pets become available at the local stores.

Zhu Zhu Pets | Hamster Toys For Kids

Pia will surely love this zhu zhu pets. I'll buy her one if the price is reasonable. :-)

Last year, I bought 2 pairs of hamsters for Pia but the pets did not last long. I bought another pair but but same thing happened. She's been requesting for me to buy another pair since then. Pia really loves pets, she has a dachshund dog and a pair of African love birds.



Zhu Zhu Pets are battery operated hamsters and actually move like a real hamster! I'm not sure though if it's already available in the Philippines. According to the Zhu Zhu official website, zhu zhu pets are being sold at Walmart, Toys R Us and Amazon.com.

Since this new kids toy is just new, some people refer to these hamsters as Zu Zu Pets, ZuZu Pets or Zoo Zoo pets. For more information about Zhu Zhu Pets, visit www.zhuzhupets.com

A Letter from Sophia

Pia gave me this letter few weeks ago.


Using a bond paper, she improvised a greeting card by folding it and drawing a heart, bird, flower and a tree.

And then she wrote this inside the card:

"Daddy I love you! Mwah!"


Ok, she misspelled the word love . But just the same, I think the message is clear: Pia loves me!

Isn't she sweet?!

You're the 1, Goldilocks!

Pia is a picky eater and it's always a struggle convincing her to eat more during meal times. She's been like that since she started eating solid foods. When she was younger, we even tried giving her heraclene, with the hope of improving her appetite, but without luck.



There are only few occasions wherein she would really eat with zest and one of them is when we're at Goldilocks.

The first time Pia eat at Goldilocks was when we went to CSI Dagupan to buy some groceries few years ago. We passed by a Goldilocks branch and I told Pia that when her mom and I were still in college, it's one of our favorites. She then requested to eat there and the rest is history. Now every time we go to CSI Dagupan, we're eating at Goldilocks almost always. She loves Goldilocks' dinuguan and meat balls the most.

You're the 1 Goldilocks because you're part of our lives then and now.

Panglao Island vacation with Pia!

It was five years ago when I first learned about Panglao Island. I think it's through one of those Wow Philippines campaigns by then Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon. I remember telling Setsu that we will visit Panglao Island in two years time and setting up a piggy bank intended for 5 and 10 peso coins I'll save for that purpose. I even labeled the piggy bank Wow Panglao. I can't remember what happend to that piggy bank but one thing is certain, it didn't serve it's purpose.



But just the same, we were able to visit Panglao Island recently and stayed there for three days and two nights. This trip is actually my gift to Pia for receiving the Most Outstanding Achiever award during their moving up ceremony.

Pia's first flight
We took the Cebu Pacific flight to Tagbilaran City and Zest Air on our return. Fortunately, there were no delays and any untoward incidents, like that of Rujohn's. Pia enjoyed the flight and I'm no longer worried about our next travel this coming June. we're planning to go to Hong Kong!

Bohol Countryside Tour
When we arrived at Tagbilaran Airport around 7.30 am, our driver/guide was already there waiting for us. He is so accommodating and flexible that we really enjoyed the Bohol countryside tour. If you are planning to visit Bohol and needs transfer arrangement or wants to have a countryside tour, too, I highly recommend Dodong. You may contact him at mobile no. 0917-3040253.

Baclayon Church - a 16th century stone church with lost of religious relics. This church is considered as one of the oldest stone churches in the Philippines.

We climbed one of the chocolate hills and feast our eyes on the breathtaking view of haycock hills, considered one of the wonders of the world. More pictures here: Chocolate Hills Philippines.

Butterfly Conservation Center - This is so far the best butterfly garden I have seen so far. Highly recommended for children.

Tarsier Sanctuary - see the smallest primate in the world in a sanctuary along the Loboc River.

Floating Restuarant at Loboc River - buffet lunch while taking a leisurely cruise in Loboc River for P300/head

We were supposed to visit more destinations but there was a heavy rain shortly after our lunch so we just decided to go to Panglao Island and check in at Hayahay Resort, were we reserve a room for two nights.


You can't complain about Hayahay Resort's rooms beacuase they are really great. However, they don't have their own swimming pool, which Pia prefers. Fortunately, there are resorts nearby with swimming pool which we were able to use with just a minimal fee.

The following day, we woke up early for the scheduled island hopping, which includes dolphin watching, snorkeling at Balicasag Island and swimming at Virgin Island. Unfortunately, Pia didn't enjoy the island hopping that much. She is uberly worried that our boat might sink. She even requested that we pray more than a couple of times. But overall, Pia enjoyed our Panglao Island vacation very much!

Pia's Moving Up Ceremony

I went to Pangasinan yesterday to attend Pia's Moving Up Ceremony. Yes, there is such a thing complete with toga and all. During my time, I went straight to elementary school so this is new to me. :-)

She's now finished with kindergarten class and is eligible for Preparatory class next school year. Considering that she'll be turning 6 years old this July, she can actually enroll in Grade 1 - Elementary. I think she'll be better off if I enroll her in preparatory class first. What do you guys think?

She got two medals, one for being the Most Outstanding Achiever (1st Honor) and the other one for being the Most Attentive (whatever that means). Heraclene has nothing to do with it. It must be the milk. Uhm... sige na nga, mana-mana lang yan! LOL

More Pia's Moving Up Ceremony pictures later.

I'm back!

The month of March is almost over and I just realized that for the first quarter of 2009, this is just my 2nd entry for this blog. Boy was I really busy with work. But before my 2 avid readers totally ditch this blog from their reading lists, I figured I have to update this blog somehow. I also don't want Entrecard to kick this blog out of the program for being inactive. hehe!

So here are some updates.

Pia got sick 1st week of March and was almost confined due to diarrhea. And just last week, she complained of head ache, stomach ache and had on and off fever. Got her tested for dengue and fortunately it was negative. But she's ok now. School is almost over and we're planning a summer trip to Bohol.

I visited my Alma Mater on March 15, 2009 for our Annual Alumni Homecoming. As you may already know, I'm a proud graduate of the Sisters of Mary School. It always feels good to be back to a place you consider your home.



An officemate offered free accommodation at a beach resort in Subic owned by her cousin. And so to Subic off we go. We also went to Zoobic Safari and had a close encounter with tigers. Will write about it if I find time. Pictures are here.



I bought a new domain name for my NZ Immigration blog. I hope to double my adsense income with the addition of this new blog. With the current global financial crisis, the more it is important to have additional income streams. :-)

Pictures: Barney Birthday Celebration at Mall of Asia (MOA)

Here are some of the pictures I've taken during Barney's birthday celebration at Mall of Asia last Saturday.

BJ, Riff, Barney and Baby Bop playing with magic musical fun machine

Those with VIP Tickets were given the chance to have a picture with Barney and freinds

More pictures here. These pictures were taken using my Sony Ericson P1i. I'll update my multiply album as soon as I've downloaded picures from Setsu's camera.