dear santa

dear santa,

i want a nerf gun. a different bakugan. like i don't know. i want a different hotwheel. i want a light sabre. they light up and they are from star wars.

i have been good a little bit. i am four years old. i help mama and clean up my toys.

rhett

tied to forever

tied to forever
(to all my friends who believe)

who is to say that
he will be there once more
captivating my soul
and whispering sweet
nothings.

it was not too long ago
when we lock eyes
and knew there is
nobody except us
tied to forever.

the journey keeps us
separate
the wind is blowing
in our direction
taking it's course.

never doubting for
a split second
you will be around
to once again
kiss the soul.

tied to forever
in our highs
and insanity
i could not ask
for more inspiration.

in nothingness
in craziness
in confusion
you came
you always do.

a step
a smile
a start
a whisper
am home.

-duchesne
11/27/2009
san diego

halloween 2009

happy halloween. this was our first halloween in our new home in chula vista, ca. the decor in the neighborhood were very creative and colorful.



i thought this was so cute, colorful and wholesome. reminded me of casper.



our friend leonore and steven joined us. steven was in rhett's montessori school. steven always beats rhett in the wii game. i had to assure rhett it was because he had plenty of practice. rhett is very competitive and does not like to lose. wii is in his daddy's christmas wishlist for him.



rhett and rich are my two loves (and sometimes headaches). rhett wanted his dad to be a pirate. he had no pirate costume ready so he improvised. he got a shirt from his wardrobe, a pair of pants from his navy uniforms with suspenders, rhett's disney pirate hat, and rhett's legoland telescope. and oh he borrowed my black long wig and tied it in a ponytail. he walked barefooted during the trick or treating. at times, he would freeze and look thru the telescope pretending to gaze afar for some island. rhett: "why is daddy not wearing a shoe?" duchesne: "because he is a pirate!" rhett: "but pirates wear one shoe and a hook at the other foot."



steven decided he was a batman for the night. rhett wanted to be a transformer this year. the character's name is bumblebee. it comes with a mask. we went looking at halloween catalogs and ended getting them at a local halloween store. this costume is very pricey that is only worn once. it is an exciting time though for all of us.



i was a wicked witch. the decision was based on value and how it looks on. we had fun this year and is grateful for steven and leonore who joined us. we cannot wait for next year as we get more bold with our characters.

scootering usa

rhett's new ride is a scooter geared for 4-6 years old. pricey at $75 which he will use only for a year or two. i do appreciate the fact that it is very light and well made.

i saw this ad in the family magazine of san diego and as always what caught my attention was the fun colors. he has been riding it inside the house.

http://www.kickboardusa.com/




sometimes, he likes to scooter outdoors. and he would say - something is missing mama! (the helmet). he catches himself. i am proud of him for wearing his helmet and making sure i wear mine too, of course, to make the experience a family affair i bought two extra adult scooters.

i got two gently used ones at a thrift shop and has been practicing my balance.




i had asked rhett to do some poses and he obliged. he has been so goofy lately that it shows in his photos. i don't even have to say anything. and might i add he likes to take pictures as well.

Sidewinder

I have not been blogging in my blog site. I would like to get a laptop (wireless) that I can use while in bed and type away or anywhere. They have mini laptop in Costco for $300+ but I wonder if they have good memory and are wireless. Does not say anything in the description.

I am now officially a T-ball mom and a stage mother. I told myself I will just watch Rhett during T-ball practice and let him be. So for that one hour I sit in the bench and keep busy with my cell phone calls, sort out coupons, review my planner, etc.







That did NOT last… pretty soon I was yelling at the top of my voice to “catch the ball Rhett catch the ball!” And “go to the first base!”

I had to say something. He was just sitting there stroking the green grass or standing on daze. Nobody was telling our boy what specifically to do. He has no idea what to do. This is his first exposure to the game.

Sure there are volunteer parents who stand by the bases. I just don’t see them provide personal attention as they do their own child. Just an opinion.



Today I will get Rhett gray pants for his uniform. Tomorrow will be his first game in Miramar Marine base field. I am excited and ready to go with our folding chairs and visibly losing my voice to euphoria.

Open House at Emmaus

this is the big school that rhett spoke so much in pre-primary. "i want to go to the big school mama!". so he finally did. he was proud to be in the "big school" like he's finally grown. the "big school" is emmaus today christian montessori (etcm). his home for almost two years. located in the linda vista area in san diego.




ms. keturah has known rhett since pre-primary. she was his music resource instructor and remains still. you can hear ms. keturah sing to the lovely children even in the playground. she reminds me of "the sound of music." her passion for music is strongly felt. she also treats the young ones with admirable ease like her own.

ms marielle (rhett's first teacher in the "big school")

ms nicole

rhett bought the other day at home mongo sprouts that he planted. this is a project they do at school that has taught him an awareness for living things such as plants. he takes great pride in caring for them and watering them.



we went to his open house on a sunday and he was happy to oblige me in his second home away from home. rhett toured me around his classroom and started at the drinking fountain.

cut and paste. he just luvs to do this activity.

this is his classmate - shreya. a pretty sharp witty indian girl who told me what rhett's up to when i am not around. rhett wasn't too keen on the news. shreya has this cute sunday dress. they manage to show me one of their favorite activities - coloring and cutting.



their morning routine starts with this calendar that is a wealth of information. they learn about the day, weather.

a very unfinished entry that i will get to when "it" hits me. but the press is waiting so off u go.

Wine and Whine at Temecula, CA on February 14

last year, i figured i will go out valentine's day february 14 either before/after v-day to beat the crowd, parking, waiting lines and pricey menus. i am not whining... just being reasonable about the whole irk potential.



a v-day lunch invite in wilson creek winery in temecula, ca came my way this year through a tempting invite from the wilson family (not related to the owners-ha!). who can say no to such wonderful company and a relaxing afternoon.

www.wilsoncreekwinery.com

it would have been nice to have my two babies (rich&rhett). however, they have other plans in the evening for some motocross show at the qualcomm stadium. pure male bonding.






we had a four course meal at the restaurant that was visually enticing and yummy as well. matthew (age 2) was happy with his kid's meal (chicken tenders). that always helps. happy children.





we sampled several drinks and the best so far was the almond champagne. lovelyn's husband - john enjoyed the red wine. lovelyn is no wino but did sip a bit. the presentation of the food was so pretty. our cameras were kept busy.




we met the owners (gerry&rosie wilson) who were gracious enough to welcome us to their restaurant and narrated how they started the winery by accident on their way to retirement. they hail from minnesota. so there was a mutual connection since my husband rich comes from the same state. i had to segue my favorite quiz: what is minnesota's state drink? (milk). gerry kept hammering me with the state bird. i think that was his fun quiz. don't ask me the answer (lovelyn reminded me - mosquito).

well, if u read the couples bio you would be inspired by their retirement adventure that brought this family business. read on businessweek:

http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/oct2004/sb20041028_6026.htm

i discovered a new fave champagne made by the winery called almond champagne available at their store, online, bevmo, etc. i buy mine at costco which is reasonably inexpensive at $8.99. it has a sweet taste with a bubbly aftertaste. i get giggly with just the thought of it. it is THAT good!





we checkout the gift shop and wine tasting room. very pack. tasting fee is $10 and you get to keep the logo wine glass for souvenir. btw, we got to keep ours too from the restaurant. and yes, i have to mention that our waiter made sure the ladies got a rose for this love day.





this lovely day would not have been possible without a shout out to the ladies in corona and los angeles who were so cool and initiated the invite - tammy, gigie and riz. cheers!

in one word

In One Word (up)

Where is your cell phone?.......purse
Your hair? ..........black
Your father? ........Naga
Your favorite thing? .......rhett
Your dream last night?......none
Your favorite drink? ...........cocoa
Your dream/goal? ...........peace
The room you are in? .....bedroom
Your fear? .........claustrophobic
Where do you want to be in 6 years?.....happyland
Muffins? .............banana
One of your wish list items?.........laptop
Where you grew up? ...........naga
The last thing you did? .......concert
What are you wearing?.......silk
Your TV?...........sony
Your pets? ....... cat
Your computer? ......gateway
Your life? .........exciting
Your mood? ........hormonal
Missing someone? .......rich
Your car? .......suv
Favorite store?.....target
Your summer......outdoors
Your favorite color....black
Last time you laughed ....today
Last time you cried....yesterday
why......heartbroken

Another Mental Masturbatory Exercise

1. Do you like blue cheese?
yes

2. Have you ever been drunk? and doing what??
yes. the most was a drink called zombie(sweet, deceiving and deadly drink) from tia maria mexican restaurant in manila (greenhills) with my cousins and friends. i rolled the vehicle window down and was yelling. just being obnoxious. my cousins were so embarassed. they put me under the shower once home.

3. Do you own a gun?
no

4. What flavor of Kool Aid was your favorite?
not applicable.

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments?
no.

6. What do you think of hot dogs?
i like the street vendor hotdogs. like polish ones. or perhaps at the movies.

7. Favorite Christmas movie?
cannot recall.

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning?
starbucks tall hot chocolate, no whip cream, hazelnut (and no cup sleeve either)

9. Can you do push ups?
yes but not with the correct position (i cheat and used to this in the navy)

10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry?
silver or pearl earring classic pieces.

11. Favorite hobby?
blogging

12. Do you have A.D.D.?
no.

13. What's your favorite shoe?
my 4 inches red satin black white house black market shoe.

14. Middle name?
Chung.

15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment?
1. i need to get dress
2. i need to remove my makeup
3. the bed is so inviting to crawl in

16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink?
1. water
2. starbucks hot chocolate
3. mcdonald's coke soda

17. Current worry?
you mean challenges. making it on time to work and school with a toddler and loads of luggages

18. Current hate right now?
nada. hate is such a strong word. what about dislike. still nada.

20. How did you bring in the New Year?
friend invite had white elephant exchange and watching time square ball drop on tv and champagne cheers (kids had apple cider).

21. Where would you like to go?
europe (paris, spain, venice, prague, etc.), indonesia, india, etc. and yes the spa.

22. Name three people who will complete this?
liz g., crystal and audra (they did)

23. Do you own slippers?
yes.

24. What color shirt are you wearing right now?
none. imagine that.

25. Do you like sleeping on Satin sheets?
bearable. it is sensual but can get hot.

26. Can you whistle?
yes.

27. Favorite color?
black.

28. Would you be a pirate?
no. perhaps a gypsy.

29. What songs do you sing in the shower?
i hum.

30. Favorite Girl's Name?
india.

31. Favorite boy's name?
rich and rhett.

32. What's in your pocket right now?
not applicable.

33. Last thing that made you laugh?
vicky cristina barcelona dvd. (scarlet johannson, javier bardem, penelope cruz. woody allen movie)

34. Best bed sheets as a child?
not applicable.

35. Worst injury you've ever had as a child?
ring worm infection around navel.

36. Do you love where you live?
yes-prime area location with great amenities and fast service to my maintenance requests.

38. Who is your loudest friend?
my mom. she is hard of hearing that is why.

39. How many dogs do you have?
none.

40. Does someone have a crush on you?
yes.

41. What is your favorite book?
awaken the giant within: how to take immediate control of your mental, emotional, physical and financial destiny by anthony robbins

42. What is your favorite candy?
dove and lindt chocolate

43. Favorite Sports Team?
none. they have to pay me to endorse them (hah!)

44. What song do you want played at your funeral?
i will think of something sometime...

Rhett's Classroom Observation

this leona lewis ("better in time") song is overpowering. tone it down duchesne. need some rhythm so here we go...


i vowed that i wanted to be a part of rhett's weekdays. his other world when he is in the "big school" at the montessori managed by sister rachel and sister maureen (sisters of charity). so off i go and made an appointment to visit for an hour. i didn't want to do it the whole day coz i am pretty sure it will be a distraction to rhett.

hit replay leona! youtube is such a blessing.

and sure enough he was pretty quiet during this visit. well, the teachers at school always tells me he is very well behaved and has moderate temperament. (oh yeah, please come to our home - huh!?).



his class is a huge class with thankfully three montessori instructors (ms. mariele, ms. zulema and ms. nicole). rhett belongs to ms. mariele when they are broken down in smaller groups. she calls the kids - ms mariele's friends.




they started in circle time where they discussed the weather, year, day. such as "today is tuesday, february 17, 2009; the season is winter and the weather is partly cloudy". they do group read aloud and also translate them in spanish.




rhett's class mix is almost like an international school with filipinos, chinese, vietnamese, mexican, italian and other hybrid students.

they then segue to classroom assignments for the day. they feel special when they are chosen. and also, jealous if not. why does giovanna got selected again? so the instructor has to justify and you know kids have tons of whys. so the one sentence becomes a parade of more lines. they have tasks like greeter, child of the day, lunch helper, librarian, playground helper and plant care helper.

it was wet outdoors so am sure the playground helper will really not be busy that day. plant care is really cool coz rhett himself volunteers at home to water his mommy lily's (grandma) plants.

everybody stands for the pledge of allegiance with their hands across the chest. rhett being quiet again. see what i mean by distraction?





they all breakdown to three small groups with the three instructors. at this time, the instructor provide simple direction on what they are supposed to do. rhett was listening up to this point and then decided to hangout with his buddies - salvatore and peter.



he was supposed to get his own activity from the center and do it. he was really distracted by now. by me. by the momma. ms. keturah (music resource stand in for ms. mariele) had to redirect him several times to stay on task. he did the building blocks that stacks and becomes a tower. this teaches him sorting, logic, classification, and fine motor skills. montessori philosophy is learning by doing. very tactile.



mason who is from the other group wisely tells rhett that he is not supposed to do the activity by himself. i have never heard of such. so i brought this wise coaching to ms. keturah's attention who flatly denied of such blah. mason was told to go back to his own group and rhett was allowed to build the tower on his own. mason is now blacklisted in my black book. i have become a stage mother.



the class have snacks served on the round table. they are free to choose two types of the veges. healthy healthy healthy variety.

leona lewis is giving up on me. do i have to hit "replay" multitude times. somebody get me a leona lewis cd pllleaaasssse!




this was a very productive day with my unico hijo who was very proud to show me their mini american standard trio potties. he felt special and valued. it was like letting me in his secret world. now if we can get daddy to go!

my first lani misalucha concert (encore!)

lani misalucha with arnel pineda (of journey)
feb 8(sun)@6pm jenny craig pavilion
university of san diego
5998 alcala park
san diego 92110

http://www.lanimisalucha.com/

there is this cd that was given to me a few years ago with songs by lani misalucha. a local filipino talent with a powerful voice that reminded me of celine dion. i must admit that i have not heard of lani at that time though i was impressed by the range of her voice.

she has performed in san diego in the past and i missed those opportunities. this time when it came and even without my concert buddy (sunday is family day for her) i proceeded to go.

the tickets were pricey ($61.50/$81.50/$101.50) but almost all is in san diego. a big change from the east coast. i got the tickets from badua travel in mira mesa where the owner happens to be the front act of the concert - amy badua.







she sings like dulce. deep voice but quite sultry. when i spoke to her she said that she used to sing full time but her travel agency has gotten more busy.

http://amybadua.com/myblog/






another performer was ashley robles. it looks like she is popular among the filipino crowd and is a budding artist. in 1998 she signed her first record contract with first avenue records (UK) and later release her first recording, “God’s With Us”, under sony/epic records. in 2000, she signed a recording contract with RCA Records in NY. she has done a duet with ne-yo and writes/produces her own song. very petite, sexy and attractive singer that comes with new generation appeal.



lani performed at 110% performance peak level. can't complain with the way she delivered her pieces with such gusto. she can hit those notes. what i enjoyed most was her sense of humor that appealed to market a-z. i would go back for just the laughs.




she did a fantastic imitation of renditions from famous american singers like beyonce, britney, tina, etc. she did her italian opera song that i hardly understood but hey there was a filipino comic version. how's that for originality?





arnel pineda of journey is a true definition of big things come in small packages. you would wonder where that powerful voice is coming from. he is a natural rock artist. he makes it so easy. hard to imagine he had to wait 25 years to get discovered in you tube and made it to the international scene.

it makes me so proud to watch filipino talents with very down to earth attitude. sharing their gift and people gravitating to the beat.