What Mama has to say

Mama's New Home

2005-05-09T09:43:00.000+08:00

I'm saying goodbye to Blogger, my home for the last 9 months.

Say hello to my new home. Marikit na ako!

Thanks to Tin for the wonderful Mother's Day gift :) Mwah mwah!

Friends, F(P)era and Fun

2005-05-06T14:49:00.000+08:00

It is said that good things come in 3's, and this week, I had my share of these 3 good things:

A Perfect Wedding Gown for the Perfect Bride

At the beginning of the week, I received an email from my dear friend M, which contains pictures of her in the different wedding gowns she tried over the weekend. Her final choice is a classic ivory (non-beaded and non-embroidered) bustier gown. So as not to ruin the surprise, I won't be posting the picture here. But she sure looks very beautiful in it. She said she almost cried when she saw herself in the mirror. I bet I would have too had I been there with her. I am so glad that her wedding preparations are finally getting underway. And with the wedding gown decision finally made, I am sure the others will just as easily follow suit.

Getting My Effort's Worth

My boss cornered me at lunch time sometime this week, and handed me a letter containing my Pay Determination for the year. That, folks, for short, is my salary increase for the year. It's the first time I'm getting a salary increase in this company (as I have only become a regular employee late last year), and according to those who have been in the company much longer, this year's increase is a lot better. It does look good in the gross amount, but I'm not so sure how much will be left, after the corresponding taxes. Nonetheless, it feels good that all the work I've put in gets recognized. It's also pro-rated from the 1st of April, so my next pay is going to look very good, at least :)

Fun While Learning

I attended a 4-day training on our company's very own Project Development and Execution Methodology. The participants were grouped into 4 teams with 4 members each. Aside from learning the ropes and all the nitty-gritty details of the methodology, we were made to compete against each other in the race to get the top prize. Each phase was ended with a game, ala-Jeopardy, and it was so much fun bullying each other. The class also participated actively in the discussions, sometimes too actively--dami side-comments! We all came out of the training with new knowledge, and as for our team, we managed to get the top prize, and I'm going home with an extra 250 pesos in my pocket. Heehee.

I am glad to be able to end this week on a happy note. I hope yours was as happy. Here's to an enjoyable weekend!

To whine...

2005-04-29T11:45:00.000+08:00

...Is all I feel like doing now. I'm feeling very low today. And just for today, let me tell you how much I am disappointed with President GMA. This entry in Katie's blog said it all for me.

I hope I'll feel better come tomorrow morning. And yeah, salamat nga pala sa 3-day weekend, Madame President!

The Culprit

2005-04-27T08:44:00.000+08:00

Happy Birthday to my dear Mommy, the reason why Bruks and Brukikay (a.k.a. Me and my Mini-Me) were born in this world. May you have more happiness, more health and more blessings in this life.

Goodbye Doesn't Mean Forever

2005-04-25T08:23:00.000+08:00

Through the years, I've seen friends leave and have left friends behind for a lot of different reasons. It's a fact that as we age, we tend to see people come in and go out of our lives. There are those who permanently leave our lives. But there are still a lot who stay in touch, who, despite the distance, make their presence felt in our lives.

So long

Last week, I said goodbye to my dear friend Larah, who went off to the US, to undertake a new journey in her career. I will sorely miss our eating sprees (I told her I'll go on a diet while she's away) where we go on our endless laughing and whining at our lives. I will miss this person who shouts my name 10 meters away to ask me to get up for our bathroom breaks. I will miss the way she blows me a kiss, usually on Friday afternoons, or whenever she feels like it. More than anything else, I'll just miss having her around, even when there's nothing to talk about.

How long she'll be gone, or how long till I'll see her again, I am not certain. But I have faith in our friendship, and for now, that's enough to hold on to.

Welcome home

Around the same time last week, I had lunch with my friend Karen (and her hubby), who finally came to visit from Sydney after 3 long years. Despite the change in the physical appreance, she's still the same warm and cheerful person I know. She may look very sophisticated now, but she still talks in this cute little way that I have grown so fond of. It brought back good old memories of the almost 2 years we worked together, both fresh out of the university. She was witness to my colorful personal past, and cheered me on when I made my career jump into IT.

So much has happened in each of our lives since we said goodbye. She's happily settled into her married life in Sydney, while I have a young family of my own. We many not be as frequently in touch as ideally we should be, but I belive that true friendhip, like ours, remains even though we don't get to talk that often. I miss her more now. We vowed to see each other again soon--I'd surely like to see the place she now calls home.

A Mid-Week Gimik

2005-04-21T10:39:00.000+08:00

Last night, I had an impromptu gimik with hubby, his client and the wife of the client. There was a lot of confusion before we got settled in for the night, due to repeated change of plans, courtesy of hubby (who said women are the only ones who are malabo?).

Finally, hubby decided on having dinner and a few drinks at Trellis in Market! Market!. Knowing that I wouldn't like the feel and aftertaste of beer the morning after, I passed on the drinks and just delightfully feasted on sisig. In between bottles of beer and pulutan, the 4 of us talked about work, our kid/s and family life in general. It's always nice to get to know people we work with on a more intimate level. However, there are also clients who become too close and too friendly-user (a play with the term user-friendly), who casually ask whatever favors (like, borrow money on a pay-as-you-can terms), which if not obliged with, will be detrimental to the business relationship. Hmm...ok I should not talk further about that, enough of that side comment. Mabait ako, sa blog at least. Heehee.

Before we called it a night, my cousin in law and her date joined us in Trelllis. Her date is a practising doctor (ENT) and incidentally, hubby has another terrible episode of colds. And what do you know, there was an instant consultation right there and then. Free pa (nagalit pa kunyari sa mga friendly-user)! And even more amusing was that he wrote the prescription at the back of the restaurant bill. Valid pala yun. So next time you see a doctor in the mall or in a restaurant, go and corner him! Hahaha

It was indeed a nice evening, hanging out al-fresco in Trellis on a breezy summer night. I guess I had way too much of sisig though, because when I woke up this morning, my tastebuds felt weird, like i still taste all the fats in my mouth. Worse, the mere thought of sisig makes me want to throw up. And guess what? I'm scheduled to have a lunch get-together today at Trellis again. Aaacckk!

What It Takes To Be A Girl

2005-04-20T14:19:00.000+08:00

Due to Mike's subtle hinting, I am here typing away to give you my dear readers something to read. Honestly, I haven't been inspired to write in the past days, apart from being too busy at work.

Anyway, today I decided to give myself a break and went to Hugo's right here in our office building to have my hair 'fixed'. You see, I've decided to grow my hair to medium length, but in the process, it has to go thru the bad-hair-months stage. So I went there just to have it trimmed a bit in different spots. But while discussing my hair-plans with my stylist, and after knowing that the hair relax that I intended to do next month is actually the same as the hair rebond--which I don't want to do because my Papa's not rich (hehe) and I feel that flat hair will just emphasize my round face--we finally settled for a hair spa.

The result: my hair feels softer and more manageable. And with the not-so-measly amount it cost me, I hope the effects will last for some time. I sensed a bit of disappointment in hubby's voice when he heard how much I paid for it, but I hope when he looks at me later, he'll forget all about it. Heehee.

A Happy 31st Birthday

2005-04-12T12:39:00.000+08:00

Birthday Treats

My birthday officially started when midnight struck. I woke up some minutes before 12mn and realised that hubby wasn't home yet from his badminton game. I was starting to feel pissed because he might be actually missing the chance to be the first one to greet me on my birthday--and I'm such a sucker for this, it's important to me that he'd be the first one. He finally called me 5 minutes before 12, started to sing happy birthday, and sulkingly I said, "You're not yet here". He said he's already in the subdivision and was delayed looking for a small candle. He proceeded telling me that my birthday cake this time is a piece of North Park siopao asado, my favorite ;). He finally arrived when midnight struck, and true enough, he was the first one to greet me on my 31st birthday. Buti na lang, umabot sya.

The next day, my birthday celebration took off via a lunch treat at Tempura Misono Buffet in Hyatt Regency Manila. Hubby and I feasted on maki rolls, sushi, tempura and misono. I'm not sure anymore how many trips we made back to the buffet, but it was a day to just splurge and be merry, after all it's my birthday! As a gift from the restaurant, we had a cup each of ice cream. The green tea flavor was quite nice, but the red bean one was, well, "lasang hopia". Heehee.

After lunch we went to the Palacio Arsobispado, hoping to have the Princess's baptismal certificate annotated. However, we were told the the office is closed for the rest of the afternoon as there is a funeral mass for the Pope in Luneta that same afternoon.

We then made our way to Pan Pacific Hotel to our favorite massage and foot reflexology place--Regent Foot Spa. The place, as I heard, initially only offered foot reflexology services, but eventually ventured into other reflexology services. During the first time I went here last year, I immediately liked the body massage service and vowed to go back. For a price of 600 pesos, I got a 1 hour and 15 minute foot and whole body massage, plus endless supply of hot chinese tea. Let me clarify though that ambience-wise, this is not your typical spa place. The hallways are dimly-lit, that you'll think it's some sleazy girly bar. Well, most of the customers are Japanese businessmen, but rest assured, the place is clean. Each room has 2 lazy boys and a TV set. The oil they use is just baby oil and this mint-smelling lotion, efficascent-smell wafts throughout the room. Guests are asked to change into generic button-up polo shirts and gym shorts--both for male and female (male guests are not allowed to be shirt-less). However basic the facilities maybe, they give the best massage service out of all that I have tried. Having a massage here always makes me want to come back for more. And I definitely will.

In the evening, we brought Max's fried chicken, pancit canton (what's a birthday without pancit) and lumpia to take home.

These welcomed me when I reached home.

The cute card is from my friend Ces from Perth and the gift (the wrapping is so nice that I took my time before I finally opened it), Chocolate for a Woman's Courage, is from dear Tin.

Fast forward to Monday, I was welcomed by this gift from my friend Larah, on my desk at work.

The card read "hope this brings you closer to Him", and I immediately knew it's a Holy Bible. Yey, one more wish off my list!

I am quite excited about this year. I don't know...But I just feel that this year has a lot of good things in store for me. Yes, I am 31 and loving it (to borrow the title of my previous post).

Wedding at the Park

Last saturday, we attended my hubby's friend's wedding at Paco Park. Hubby became an instant candle sponsor, as the one who's supposed to do it didn't make it. The priest-celebrant was an old teacher/friend of hubby at Don Bosco Makati, and we had a good time catching up with him and updating him on our married life. Let these pictures tell the rest of the story.

Have a good week everyone!

I'm 31 and loving it!

2005-04-11T17:05:00.000+08:00

Let me start off my birthday (belated) blog with a post listing all the things that I want to achieve for the rest of my lifetime here on earth. I got the inspiration for this post from a story written by John Goddard in Chicken Soup for the Soul. He wrote his "My Life List" when he was 15 years old, which contained 127 things he wanted to achieve in his life.

I would like to share with you my own My Life List. I think it will be an ongoing endeavor on my part to update this list--for additions or better, for an item successfully achieved.

1. Build my dream house (in the city)
2. Buy a rest house in the province
3. Work abroad at least one more time (Singapore maybe)
4. Have another baby
5. Travel around Europe and takes lots of photos (especially in the Vatican)
6. Learn how to swim
7. Engage in a sport that I can be passionate about
8. Learn and master all types of ballroom dancing
9. Play honest-to-goodness basketball
10. Design my own webpage (and for other people)
11. Go up the Statue of Liberty
12. Ride a yellow cab in New York
13. Master photography
14. Sit on top of the Grand Canyons
15. Have a picture with Piolo Pascual
16. Climb up the Sydney Harbour Bridge
17. Learn to snorkel
18. Snorkel at the Great Barrier Reef
19. Go on a relief mission for calamity victims
20. Sponsor a kid (not a relative) thru school
21. Go to Palawan
22. Go to Camiguin
23. Go to the tip of Aurora Province, where the Pacific Ocean touches the land
24. Sunbathe in Hawaii
25. Visit Beijing and the Great Wall of China
26. Go up the Petronas Towers
27. And up that building in Taiwan
28. Get a special tour inside the US Air Force One airplane (I have yet to figure out how)
29. Have a TV and DVD set all to myself
30. Meet Manny Pacquiao
31. Watch a U2 concert
32. Sing with a band in front a crowd
33. Do a Da Vinci Code tour
34. Learn a new language
35. Take an Asian cruise
36. Appear in a print or TV ad (paging Anne and Dez - pwede ako labandera!) -- partially accomplished when our wedding pic appeared in Merlene Marcelo's ad for a bridal magazine
37. Have a personal weight trainer
38. Go to Disneyland, US and HK (even when I am old and gray, magpapakuha ako with Mickey Mouse)
39. Watch a play in Broadway, NY
40. Visit Vigan and Pagudpud
41. Take a Carribean cruise (memories of Love Affair)
42. Have a second car (I want an Altis!)
43. Get married again in church--to the same man

On another note, I celebrated my birthday with a date with my hubby last Friday, details of which will be elaborated here when I have time.

Thanks to all my friends, online and otherwise, who took the time out to greet me on my special day.

Ano ako, hilo?

2005-04-04T09:19:00.000+08:00

I received this text message last week:

from 09282292317: SMART PADALA: U won a nokia 7610 from our network. To claim your prize please call toll free no. 09282292317. DTI NCR permit #2838 series of 2005. God bless.

To which i replied: YEAH, RIGHT!

About a month ago, my hubby received the same message on his phone, and I don't know what came over him (he probably got so focused on the first sentence of the message), he actually called the number. Luckily, he was told to call back, and he had a chance to call the Smart Customer Service to verify the message. According to Smart, they don't have such promotions and messages coming from Smart would be from 4-digit numbers.

Sorry for these scammers, I am not THAT gullible. And as for hubby, he may have been not prudent enough initially, but I know that if ever he would be asked to deposit money to a certain account in exchange for the phone, he'd be wise enough to back out altogether.

So if any of you Smart (or maybe even Globe) users receive a similar message, reply back with a sarcastic remark, such as that indicated in the title of this entry.

The nerve!!!

John Paul II, We Love You

2005-04-04T07:24:00.000+08:00

A lot has been said, but I just want to have a say in my own way...

Thank you, Pope, for touching each of our lives with your greatness and with your humility.

Our generation has been very blessed to have known such man.

Baguio Vacation - March 23-26,2005

2005-03-30T22:06:00.000+08:00

I wouldn't pass this opportunity to blog about our family vacation at Baguio City, while my memory still serves me right. These 4 days with hubby and the Princess were truly wonderful. Read on...

Day 1

We left Manila at a quarter before 7 in the morning. Driving on the new North Luzon Tollway was a breeze. The increase in the toll fare was definitely worth it. We enjoyed the drive mostly due to the Princess's endless chatter. Slightly delayed by a minor incident (read: the Princess threw up due to motion sickness), we finally made it to the City of Pines at past 12 noon. Before checking in at our rented apartelle, we had lunch first at the Session Road at some forgettable Chinese restaurant.

After lunch, we met up with a relative who accompanied us to Brentwood Apartelle, our home for the next 4 days. We got a one-bedroom unit with a complete kitchen and hot and cold bath for a very affordable price of 1,300 pesos per day. Not bad eh? After unpacking our stuff from the car, we rested for a while then headed to the Baguio City Market to shop for our dinner and visited the Pink Sisters Convent. And soon enough, picture-taking started!

Dinner was made by hubby--he accidentally burnt the rice but he compensated for it with his really yummy sauteed vegetables (brocolli, chicharo, mushroom, young corn, tomatoes and onion). Hubby isn't a veggie-eater by nature, but being in Baguio made him one. Boy am I so proud of him! All three of us slept promptly right after dinner, to reserve our energies for the next day's activities.

Day 2

I woke up to the noise coming from the kitchen, as hubby was busily preparing breakfast of Vigan longganisa and fried rice. I, on the other hand, was the resident yaya and had to prepare the Princess's things for the day. As expected, the little princess was having a splendid time sleeping in the very cool weather, that we had to forcefully wake her up (on her first trip to Baguio 2 years ago, she slept for more than 12 hours straight!)

Our first stop for the day was The Mansion. We took pictures at the usual spots, and while doing that, we saw the Presidential convoy preparing to drive out of the compound. I even saw the presidential car (plate number 1) and thought it was the President and got my camera ready, but we found out a bit later that the President wasn't due till after lunch and the convoy was to pick her up from the airport. We took our time walking and taking pictures around the park outside the Mansion. It wasn't too crowded and we were able to enjoy the sights. We then proceeded next to the Mines View Park where we snacked on banana cue and grilled corn, and bought some pasalubong for our yayas left back home. We also made a stop over, supposedly, at the Good Shepherd Convent, but ended up staying a bit longer for more photo opportunitites.

Next stop was at the Camp John Hay, which happens to be my favorite "pasyalan" spot in Baguio City. The camp has improved a lot since the last time I went there 2 years ago. It's cleaner now, with newer tourist facilities and it's much like the CJH of the old days (when the Americans still managed it). We first stopped for snack # 2 at the Choco-l'ate de Batirol, where hubby and I had a cup each of our much-anticipated native chocolate (their specialty) and a stick of barbecue (sarap din ito!) for the princess. Then we roamed around the Historical Cove. The tour includes the Ampitheater (one of my favorite places in the camp) and a tour of the General's Quarters (this area was just recently opened to the public). The General's Quarters is old but very well maintained, and contained well chosen furniture. The house was just huge, it was like a living maze. The balcony surrounds the whole house, that you can actually access the balcony from each room of the house. One could really surmise that the Generals who used to be stationed here lived a really good and comfortable life. Hubby says the rooms are a bit eerie though, but personally, if I'd be given a chance to stay in this house for free, I won't really mind. We took more pictures around the ampitheater, with its beautiful garden then had late lunch at Dencio's at the Mile Hi Center.

Our next and last stop for the day was at the Philippine Military Academy. This place wasn't crowded too. We took our time taking pictures and viewing the majestic landscapes. The Princess enjoyed her time climbing stairs and running around the gardens. It was almost nightfall when we headed back home, where, again we had home-cooked dinner of vegetables and longganisa.

Day 3

We decided to spend our last full day (and Good Friday) in the city by visiting churches and other religious sites. However, we first drove up farther north to the Green Valley area and to the Radar area. Hubby wanted to reach the radar itself (the highest point in the city) but chickened out because the road condition wasn't too good, and besides, he wasn't sure if Vito can drive through that. Afterwards, we made a quick visit to the Burnham park, just to see if there was anything new, and had lunch (for free) at a relative's place.

We spent the afternoon visiting the Lourdes Grotto, the Baguio Cathedral and St. Joseph's Church. They were all full of people doing the vigil for the Stations of the Cross. Despite the supposedly solemn and quiet observance of Good Friday, the city looked very busy that day.

Hubby wouldn't let the trip end without taking the Princess for horse-back riding. It took him weeks to convince her actually. The Princess kept saying that she doesn't want to ride a horse. So hubby was left with no option but, "Idaan na lang sa bilis". And true enough, she didn't have the chance to complain anymore. And what do you know, she actually enjoyed the ride (unmindful of the poo-smell), nagpakipot lang pala.

Hubby craved for Bibingka late in the afternoon, so we went back to CJH at the Choco-l'ate de Batirol. He was really intent on having his Bibingka even if we had to wait for almost an hour for our order. Meanwhile, we enjoyed sipping our freshly made native chocolate drinks and just enjoyed the cool breeze blowing on our faces.

So as not to disappoint the Princess, who looked forward to the Baguio trip because we promised her we'd go to SM, we spent our last evening of our vacation at SM City Baguio. Praises to Henry Sy!!! The mall is just amazing! One won't even notice that it's standing on a hill, with its seemingly solid structure. Its open-air design provides the mall with natural airconditioning. It was particulary cold that evening, that we finally were able to put on our jackets. We bought some silver jewelry at Ibay's and then had our dinner at Sizzling Plate. By this time, I was already feeling sad that our vacation was almost ending.

Day 4

As we were already leaving for Manila, we just spent the whole morning packing our stuff. We were stunned at how our bags have multiplied in just a few days, for we were bringing home loads of vegetables, strawberries and other native Baguio goodies, and of course, dirty and even wet laundry.

We chose to have our last meal at Choco-l'ate de Batirol. We initially ordered just the barbecue and a plate of sisig. However, one of the servers there convinced hubby to buy a bottle of "taba ng talangka". Bad decision--I ended up eating more than 1 cup of rice. I know I should still be doing sacrifice as it's not yet Easter, but I'm just human, what can I do. Hiks hiks hiks....

The drive back to Manila was just as smooth. We made a quick stop over to my family's house in QC to hand them our pasalubongs, then we finally reached home late in the evening.

I tremendously enjoyed every minute of our simple yet fun vacation. Having spent 4 quality days with my hubby and the Princess was worth all the trouble and all the exhaustion. Actually, I didn't mind it, not at all. This is one vacation that will forever remain in my fondest memories. I am smiling now, just thinking about it.

For more pictures, proceed here (albums G, H, I, J and K). Notice that hubby and I don't have a lot of shots together. Hindi pa kasi marunong mag-camera si Princess, and we also forgot to bring our tripod ;)

I'm back but not really back

2005-03-29T13:14:00.000+08:00

Yes, I'm back from my long holiday leave. It was tiring, and yet, so much fun. I will write more about this later as work beckons.

But let me tell you now that my Princess has started with play school yesterday! And she's having a terrific time. She doesn't even want to come home after school. Heehee.

I hope you all enjoyed your holiday break! Happy Easter!

Ready to go

2005-03-22T15:35:00.000+08:00

We're all packed and raring to go up north to one of my favorite vacation places. Hmmmm....I can almost smell the pine scent!

Baguio City here we come!!!

Will catch up with you soon, people. I'm outta here...

The Weekend that Was

2005-03-21T13:27:00.000+08:00

SATURDAY

I haven't been to a graduation ceremony in a very long time. After the traffic and the difficulty to find a parking slot, I made it just in time for my brother's turn to be called on stage to receive his diploma. And I must say it's so touching to be right there, to witness my "first" baby's rite of passage into the "real world".

Pictures here taken after the rites and during dinner at Blue Bay.

SUNDAY

While the rest of the country is glued on their TV sets watching Pacquiao's fight (won't bother with the sad details), I, together with hubby, the Princess, the hubby's cousin and his wife, and our couple-friend from Belgium were on a road trip east of Manila.

Marikina City

First stop was the Marikina Riverbanks Mall to see the World's Largest Pair of Shoes. It was big alright...And made of real leather! We excitedly took turns having our pictures taken with a Guinness record holder. Then we realised our tourist-friends from Belgium didn't bother at all. It became so obvious right away how Pinoy we are--how we'd pose for pictures at every opportunity--hahaha, you'll find out more later. I was disappointed though not to see too many choices in the shoe stores. I think we had to go to the town proper for that. But nobody among us knew how to, so we just decided to roam around for a while around the mall. Then after buying a couple of stuff at Mossimo (on sale!) we decided to head up to Antipolo.

Vieux Chalet

We took the road that goes to Hinulugang Taktak, and in some obscure little village there, we found this old and charming Swiss restaurant. It's actually a residence of a Swiss and his Filipina wife, the living and balcony areas of which were converted into a dining area for guests. The food is pricey (for example, almost 400 pesos for a bowl of soup for 3 persons), but very deliciously cooked--Smoked Salmon with bread, Vegetable Soup, Fresh Salad with vinaigrette (excellent), Fettuccine Padilla, Fish Fillet with white wine sauce (recommended!), and Smoked Pork Chop with cream sauce. Our Belgian guests commented that it came very close to how Swiss food really tastes like. As an added treat, the house had some interesting and quaint ornaments for one's viewing pleasure, as well as a lovely top-view of the city. It was a truly beautiful way of spending Sunday lunch--warm conversations, good food and a serene ambiance.

Pinto Art Gallery

We spent the rest of the afternoon discovering this beautiful place. Aside from the gallery itself, the place had other surprises in store. For 20 pesos per person, we were allowed to roam around the private property behind the gallery. There we found an antique house, a little chapel and endless sprawling gardens with a pool, lots of trees, ponds and a cozy little hut. This is where Julius Babao and Christine Bersola had their wedding reception (although we were told that it's not really a venue for rent, but Julius is a friend of the owner of the property). We were totally astounded with the beauty of the place. And of course, that meant more photo opportunities for us!!!

Before heading home, we made a side-trip to the famous Antipolo Church and bought pasalubong for people back home.

Sundays would normally mean rest days for our family, but we didn't regret having spent this particular Sunday on this road trip. Though tiring, we enjoyed every bit of it. And it feels good to know that there are still a lot of beautiful places to be discovered in our country, and that we don't even have to go very far.

Good news, please!?!?!

2005-03-18T14:28:00.000+08:00

With all the bad news that's plaguing our country in the past days--the jailbreak in Camp Bagong Diwa, the food poisoning in Bohol and Tarlac, and the typhoon in the South (among others)--I think we need a respite...

Go Manny Pacquiao! The whole country is rooting and praying for you!!!

Bits and Pieces

2005-03-17T10:59:00.000+08:00

Pictures

Here are some "wala lang" pictures we took while practising with the new digicam (click the thumbnails for larger view):

The Princess

The Princess with Mama and Papa

Nina

I heard Nina's (the so-called "Soul Siren" daw) version of Love Moves in Mysterious Ways. I just have to say "wala sya sa kalingkingan ni Julia Fordham". Her version was a total waste!

I am totally not impressed with Nina's voice, and I really wonder why she became a popular recording artist. Her voice doesn't have a distinct quality to it--it just sounds like any other female singer in most of the live bands that play in different bars. In fact, her voice is only good for slow ditties, and not much else.

Yet Another New Skin

Here's a more improved (and original) version of my previous skin--made by no other than my good friend, Tin (sino pa ba magtya-tyaga sakin?)!!! SUPER THANKS, as always. Promote na promote ka na talaga sa blog ko ha ;)

The "Gifted" Child

2005-03-16T09:52:00.000+08:00

I just received an advanced Birthday and Wedding Anniversary gift from hubby. Check IT out!

There's a brief of history behind this gift...

As some of you may know, I'm one blogger who doesn't own a digital camera. That's why a lot of the pictures you see here are old. Or else, I just get the pictures from other people.

Both hubby and I used to be convinced that analog cameras are better over digital cameras--for reasons such as picture quality and the element of suspense that comes with waiting for the film to be developed. We didn't see the need for purchasing a digital camera...But as for me, I started to feel it's necessity when I started blogging. As for hubby, he started to feel embarassed bringing out our Nikon analog camera during parties when everybody else have digital cameras. Talk about peer pressure.

Last Saturday, we happened to look around the BPI Appliance Installment Madness at Glorietta, and there we found the right one for us. But we didn't want to be the impulsive buyers that we sometimes are, so we decided to wait and weigh it out. We have other obligations (car amortization, insurance premiums) to think about and there's always the fear of "not having enough left for the future". And as much as I really want to have one, I don't want to put the pressure on hubby. After all, I have lived and can definitely live without owning one and again, as I've mentioned before, I'm not a high-maintenance kind of girl.

Days passed and we never really talked about it. We'd just kid each other about it from time to time (O may digicam na ba tayo pagpunta sa Baguio next week?!?!).

I was holed up in training for the past 2 days and seldom heard from him during the day. He mentioned going to Glorietta again yesterday to "look" at the camera--but he said it was out of stock already and would only be available on friday. Ok, I thought to myself, maybe he's still thinking about it. On our way home, he was smiling a lot and acting weird and saying funny stuff like, "Ang swerte swerte mo talaga sakin (kapal noh!)". Actually, to miss badminton on a Tuesday night was strange already--but he said he had a headache. Although I had a hunch already that something was up, I don't want to preempt him and I don't want to assume anything. Besides, I love surprises. heehee.

And so finally, when we reached home, he made me close my eyes (uto-uto) and handed me a Sony sports bag, with my gift inside, my new Sony Cybershot Digicam!!! Yahoo!

And the proud papa had to play with it first...So sorry, no sample pictures yet. We'll break it in on Sunday on a trip to Antipolo and will definitely use it to the max on our trip to Baguio during the Holy Week.

Happy Birthday to me!

Fit To Work

2005-03-11T14:00:00.000+08:00

I'm back from a 3-day "forced" medical leave. The clinic that performed our annual P.E. had a finding and recommended that I go on leave until further examined by the specialist who deals with the disease that they suspect I have.

Ok, as a background, I did have that disease and was treated 8 YEARS AGO. But that disease, despite being treated, leaves a permanent mark (kinda like a scar from a bruise). So I figured, that is actually what they saw. But as company policy goes--no clearance, no work.

I spent the last couple of days trying to do "mama and wifey" stuff at home. I cooked some meals. I played a lot with my daughter and took walks with her. It was fun while it lasted. At the same time, I was worried as well about the possibility of being sick again. Though I don't feel sick, there's a possiblity that I have it, but it wasn't just symptomatic.

So to put a conclusion to this story, this morning, the specialist gave me a medical clearance and found me to be FIT TO WORK. I can't be any happier (had I been positively sick, I would have gone a month-long leave--where the heck would I get those leave days?!?!). And hubby was as happy with the news that he had to give me a peck in the middle of the waiting area of the clinic. Heehee.

Thank God! And thanks to my prayer brigade--my hubby, my family (especially my mom who, despite our usual differences, has always prayed for my health and safety) and my friends.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Prelude to a Happy Day

2005-03-08T09:19:00.000+08:00

March 8 is a special day for me. This particular day of the year always gets me all hyped up and excited, and at the same time, it also makes me relive memories of the past year.

WHY?!?!

A month from now, I'll be celebrating my 31st birthday!!!

Okay, now that gives you guys a month to prepare your greetings and gifts :D Yahoo!

The Crush (Part 2)

2005-03-07T09:18:00.000+08:00

Read THIS first.

Friday night in 19 East, after Pido with Take One managed to put me into an incurable drowsiness, hubby and I decided to take a stroll and view that oh-so-good-looking Porsche in the parking area. But before we managed to do that, my eyes were diverted to another oh-so-good-looking sight. Let's call him Crush #2.

Let me describe him to you. He was wearing a cute cap, a cute football shirt, cute pair of short pants...well, I actually didn't bother checking the rest of him because his face was THAT handsome, it just captivated me. Kikay Jojo immediately put on a sweet smile (and twinkling eyes to match). My right hand automatically made its way to meet his when we were introduced. My smile didn't fade for even a second. And gad, that smile of his, it's so infectious. It makes him much more adorable and charming--I wish I could just squeeze him tightly right there and then.

You might be wondering by now where hubby was all this time....He was just right there beside me when all these was happening. Crush #2 is another one of hubby's highschool friends, who we incidentally bumped into that night. And girls, this one is SINGLE and very much AVAILABLE. And on our way back to our friends after our quick chat with him, I couldn't help but scream silently in delight, "Bebeh ang gwapo naman nun!!!". I couldn't stop raving about him for the rest of the night. As for hubby, he acknowledged and accepted defeat that night. Heehee.

It was Crush #2, not the Porsche, and definitely not Pido who made my night that night. Oh such a sweet memory!

Tama na ang kahibangan, baka tadyakan na ako ni Hubby! Heeheehee.

Cotton Candy, Anyone?

2005-03-04T16:42:00.000+08:00

It's a Friday, and people usually get crazy here in the office. Here are a few photos we took just a few minutes ago:

Julie's and Hevn's Pretty Mommas

Hot Mommas in Action (naghaharutan, as useless!)

With me is my dear friend Larah, who also happens to be an officemate and one of the Princess's ninangs. And we just thought it would be nice to have pictures in our colorful (and yummy) outfits today.

I just have to write about this

2005-03-03T13:10:00.000+08:00

It's only now when I have "matured" that I get to appreciate the beauty of the words written into songs. When I was younger, I only liked songs for their melodies, that's why I didn't fancy rock music due to the lack of it--but later on realized that there's so much poetry in rock songs.

A few days ago, I heard "Paglisan" by Color It Red over the radio (after a long time). I was so taken and amazed at the same time with the exquisite words in this song--words that have formed this beautiful poetry, which I will share here:

Kung ang buhay ay isang umagang nakangiti
At ikaw ay ang lupang sinusuyo ng bituin
Di mo man silip ang langit
Di mo man silip ito'y nandirito pa rin
Kung ang lahat ay may katapusan
Itong paglalakbay ay makakarating din sa paroroonan
At sa `yong paglisan Ang tanging pabaon ko
Ay pag-ibig
Hmmm

Sa pagbuhos ng ulan Sa haplos ng hangin
Alaala mo ay nakaukit sa pisngi ng langit
Di man umihip ang hangin ahhh
Di man umihip ika'y nandirito pa rin
Kung ang lahat ay may katapusan
Itong paglalakbay ay makakarating din sa paroroonan
At sa `yong paglisan Ang tanging pabaon ko
Ay pag-ibig
Ay pag-ibig
Ay pag-ibig
Ooh ooh ooh ooh

To complement the beautiful words, this song also has a sweet enchanting melody.

P.S. U2 and Sting are two more artists whose poetry I truly admire.

P.S. Ayuz! Naka-lusot ako ng 1 post na may lyrics :P

My New Humble Abode

2005-03-02T09:54:00.000+08:00

Yes, you haven't been mistaken. You're looking at my blog, with its new, soft yet mature look.

I wish to give credit to my dear friend Tin for making this happen (for all the late night and for putting up with my whims). Dear, I am truly very happy (redundant na yung adjectives ko ha!) with how it turned out. Thanks a bunch!

If you would notice, the posts on the main page is limited to two. So if you want to view my older posts, please just go to the Archives link. I also would probably need to fill up the bottom parts with more information links.

Welcome and enjoy your stay!

Ang haba ng hair ko!

2005-02-24T16:42:00.000+08:00

Allow me please....When I am too delighted, I lose the "prim and proper" side of myself and a lash out into a "kikay".

Last night, I was finally able to cook this chicken recipe which I got from Toni's blog. While I was still cooking it, I asked hubby to taste the broth. After about two sips, he said, "Hmmm...Masarap. Hanap ka pa ng recipes, may talent ka". He said it ala-Boy Abunda in Star Circle Quest (he could be a Simon Cowell who won't mince words when he criticizes what I do).

That wasn't the end of it.

Today, both of us brought some to work for our lunch. When I called him up after lunch to ask him how it was, this is what he said..."Bebeh, lam mo, kidding aside, no joke, promise, masarap yung luto mo." Plus, he sounded like he was smiling from ear to ear when he was saying that.

Kinikilig ako. Pumapalakpak ang tenga ko. Feeling ko ang ganda ganda ko!!!! I swear! Hay nako, lumalabas ang pagka-bakla ko. And don't tell me I didn't warn you.

Now, I could finally say with authority, "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

Parteeeehhhhh!!!

2005-02-22T10:52:00.000+08:00

My social life went kaputz since I became a mama. Actually, I've lied low long before I became a mother, when I was based in Indonesia and didn't have my friends to gimik with. And of course, I've somewhat "aged" and admittedly, I don't know what's happening in the gimik scene nowadays. My social life is pretty much limited now to friends' parties (read: EATING and some DRINKING in the house) and a night out once in a blue moon.

Our company's R&R (rest and recreation) Committee holds parties and activities the whole year round, and I decided to attend this year's R&R Launch Party--it's like the coming out party of the year's committee members. It was held last Saturday at the National Sports Grill in Greenbelt 1. My verdict? I have to say I don't regret at all coming to this party. Despite the power outage that, of all nights, occurred that night, it didn't dampen the spirits of everyone in the party. NSG tried as much to make us as convenient as possible, providing industrial fans around the place. The R&R members also saw to it that we were all comfortable. The food was served at 730 pm (as scheduled)--I don't really fancy the food in NSG, but I think you should try the fries!

The program started at 8 pm (on the dot again) with a dance number from the R&R members. Despite the not-so-good choice in song (Chocola-te), we all enjoyed cajoling and teasing our respective teammates who were up on the stage, making a fool out of themselves. This was followed by a performance of our Chorale, some games and a raffle draw. I had counted on winning in the raffle this time, but there were only 3 prizes (unlike in the Christmas party where there were more than 20) and probably around 300 names in the fishbowl. So as you may have guessed, my name wasn't called.

The highlight of the evening, and one of the main reasons why I went to the party, was the band--TRUE FAITH!!! True Faith was a big hit in the early 90's, and though it may not be very visible these days, it still is a band to watch. And true enough, I wasn't at all disappointed. The 1-hour-and-a-half performance was full-packed. The repertoire was well chosen--originals, classic OPMs (mixed with their originals), new wave, alternative rock and much more. And even if Medwin mistakenly referred to our company as a "call center" (to which we all violently disagreed), the crowd just loved them. Everybody was dancing with everybody--people who barely know each other and get to interact only via emails and phone calls.

I think that having events such as the one last Saturday really help in providing "work-life balance" (as the company would like to term it) for the employees, especially for our night-shift people (who I guess have very dry social lives because of their work schedule). Moreso, I believe it helps foster goodwill among the different teams in the company and helps us get through all the work (read:slavery) that we have to do together--and still be a whole team in the end.

Again, I must reiterate, it was truly a great launch party. I enjoyed every minute of that night. Great band, good company...and need I say that free beer was overflowing?

Here's a snapshot from the party--Me "the only rose" and some of my teammates "the thorns":

Welcome home, Vito!

2005-02-17T08:10:00.000+08:00

Yup, he's back home after 3 weeks at the car-hospital!!! Though I have so much to say still about the service quality of Citimotors, I am nonetheless very happy that Vito is back with us.

Here are a few pictures of Vito from yesterday.

Isn't he a beauty?

PS (February 28, 2005): Shown in MUB (Magandang Umaga Bayan) this morning, Mitsubishi Adventure was declared the top AUV for 2004!!! Congratulations Vito!

Noisy Wives All (Soon-to-be)

2005-02-16T12:58:00.000+08:00

I belong to a group (of friends), which, aside from the usual commonalities that bond friends together, are a particularly NOISY bunch of girls. So much so that whenever we get together, physically (as some of us are based abroad) or on the phone, our throats will definitely tire out from talking and laughing loudly. Everyone of us just seems to have something to say all at the same time, which explains why we have to shout most of the time.

Anyway, I just want to congratulate the last single girl in our group for her engagement (finally -- hehehe, peace dear!). And here's the gorgeous Luminar ring that she now proudly wears on her finger:

Congratulations to my dear friend M, and her fiance. And dearie, when J says "I do", don't reply back, "Are you sure?", ok?

Sweet Comic Valentine

2005-02-14T13:54:00.001+08:00

"Ito and munting alay ko sayo. Ang mahal nito, tulad ng pagmamahal ko sayo. Nawa'y magtagal ang ating pagmamahalan hanggang sa dulo ng walang hanggan."

That message came with the box of 3 beautiful peach roses that hubby sent to me. More than the flowers though, the message touched me more--both my heart and my funny bones ;)

Now you all know...My hubby is sweet, funny, and most of all, a certified corny guy.

Make Love, Not War...

2005-02-14T08:41:00.000+08:00

...And I know, that sounds cliche-ish, but do hear me out.

I've been contemplating on doing something somewhat drastic for the last few days. No, drastic is probably not the appropriate word....Maybe "contradictory". Yes, that is the better term. I've been thinking of doing something "contradictory" to what I've firmly believed in for the last two years.

And once again, at 30 years of age, I think I've grown up yet another time. And I've finally grown out of the loathing that has consumed me for quite a time.

Half of me actually wishes that I'd come face-to-face with the object of these feelings, to have a chance to say even a brief "Hello". And the other half of me wishes that this person turns out to be really nice.

Last night, I actually had that chance. But as fate would have it, we didn't cross paths. I guess, it wasn't meant to be yet. And as a wise friend would say, closure doesn't necessarily have to be something physical. It can just be a state of mind.

And with that, I greet all of you dear readers a Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Musical Tag

2005-02-10T07:15:00.000+08:00

I was tagged by Emi.

Read on...

Random 10
1. I Love You Song - Barney the Dinosaur
2. Pride - U2
3. What Might Have Been - Lou Pardini
4. Heya - Outkast
5. Happy (NOT the Abs-cbn jingle)
6. Inseparable - Jasmine Trias version in AI
7. Spongebob Squarepants Theme
8. In The Club (Yo, it's your birthday!)
9. Take This Love - Sergio Mendes
10. Flip Fantasia

1. What is the total amount of music files on your computer?
335 MB, according to the Properties--and I don't listen to them a lot

2. The last CD you bought is:
Back to the 80's 2 CD compilation (yeah, i'm a true-blue 80's kid)

3. What it the last song you listened to before this message?
The Gift - version of Piolo Pascual (got this music file from Emi -- We love you Piolo!!!) WALANG KOKONTRA!

4. 5 songs that you listen to a lot of mean a lot to you
All My Life - sung by hubby at our wedding
Lullabye (and Goodnight) - I "hum" this to my daughter when she's afraid or having a rough night
Dancing Queen - this reminds me of my pre-hot mama days when I would drink and dance the night away
Love Moves In Mysterious Ways - our music for our first dance as man and wife
Twinkle Little Star - the very first song that my daughter got to sing completely and by heart

5. Who are you going to pass this stick to? (3 persons and why)
Kei - I want to know what "kids" (and an aspiring doctor) listen to these days.
Dez - She hasn't failed to surprise me with the different facets of her personality. I'd like to know what makes a dynamic person like her groove.
Tin - She's been my friend for the longest time, but I actually don't know what kind of music she likes.

Withdrawal Symptoms

2005-02-09T16:18:00.000+08:00

My eyes are watery from too much yawning.
My head's insides are swaying.
My eyesight is a bit foggy and I'm having a headache trying to focus.
I can't get any work done well.
I feel lazy and uncoordinated.
I am totally disoriented.

Today and for the next 40 days, I'll be going without coffee.

Wish me luck!

Take A Look At Me Now

2005-02-07T07:51:00.000+08:00

Some four or so months ago, I asked Joey Alarilla, the editor-in-chief of inq7.net's Website for the Interactive Youth (youth daw o!), to feature me in the YOU Blog Addict column.

And finally, here is the feature on my blog.

Thanks Joey! And guess what, i got more than a hundred hits on my site hence. Happy happy me!

Talk about Love

2005-02-04T13:22:00.000+08:00

The sermon at the first friday mass this morning mainly talked about love, this month being the month of Valentine.

Here are a few snippets of learnings that I got -- yes, I do listen to homilies!

1. Love with your heart and not your mind. That is why the symbol for Valentine is the heart and not the brain (Jojo: kadiri naman kung brain).

2. There was a young wife who encountered a road accident while driving her husband's two-day old car. She was frantically crying, not only because of what happened to the car, but moreso, she was scared of her husband's reaction (Jojo: I would be!). SOP requires that she and the other party show the car registrations for the police report, so as she opened the glove compartment, she saw a note in her husband's handwriting. It says, "Honey, I love you, not the car". (Jojo: My male colleague says it's a cheesy story, but, I was kilig!).

3. There was a little boy who thought of giving his father a Christmas gift. So he got a box, and day in and day out, he would pass by the box and drop his gifts. A few days before Christmas, he finally wrapped his gift with a fancy wrapper and ribbon, and put it under the Christmas tree. His father would excitedly look at the gift each time he passed by the tree. Finally on Christmas eve, he carefully tore open his gift, and to his shock, he found an empty box. With his utter disappointment, he scolded his son, telling him that he shouldn't give empty boxes as gifts. The boy cried and cried, while he endured his father's anger. But when the father finally finished shouting at his son, the little boy asked him a question...

"Dad, do you love me?"

To which the father replied, "Of course I love you, you're my son".

To which the little boy said, "If you really love me dad, then you would see that the box I gave you was full of my hugs and my kisses and all the love that I stored there, each day that I passed by that box".

When you love someone, you would only see the beautiful and the good in that person.

Have a happy month of hearts!!!

Another mayabang post...

2005-02-03T13:28:00.000+08:00

A Christmas gift I belatedly sent to an online friend finally made its way to her hands (or should I say neck?).

Here's a picture of Pazette, showing off the leather necklace that I gave her.

I'm glad that I caught her taste. And it feels good that my little present is appreciated.

And yes Pazette, it does look good on you ;)

And now we pause for some words from the Princess

2005-01-31T14:32:00.000+08:00

Just a few "words of wisdom" from the Princess over the weekend...

Scenario 1:
Fighting over my attention has been a long standing battle between hubby and princess. When either one starts talking to me about some matter, for sure, the other one will ensue with a question of his/her own. Just to set things straight, my hubby asked the Princess once and for all this question:

"Sino ba una nakilala ni Mama? Papa or Julie?"

To which the ever-maldita little girl replied, matter-of-factly, "Julie".

And so the battle continues...

Scenario 2:
My hubby cannot display affection for me, without the Princess trying to stop him. Whenever my husband tries to hug me or hold me while we lie in bed, surely, our daughter would storm right into our bed and try to take away hubby's hands off me. In the past, she would often say, "No, Papa, no!"....Or, "Don't, Papa, don't"...Even, "Stop it, Papa!". Last saturday night, during our usual bantering in bed, my hubby gave me a smack on the lips. Without batting an eyelash, the Princess blurted out, "No kiss, mama, papa!". You can probably imagine, that caught us dumbfounded, and after we realized what she just said, we all burst into laughter.

And so the Princess wins again...

Scenario 3:
I have a company town hall meeting to attend on Thursday. For the first time in recent weeks, I will be coming home late. So I figured, I'd better prepare my daughter for this. So yesterday, as she was busily playing and messing up the whole room, I tried to call her attention.

"Baby, I have something to tell you."

To which she said, "Something."

I tried again..."No, baby, I have something to tell you." Again she said, "Something."

This went on for, like, five times more, until I finally gave up.

So much for prepping her up...

What A Great Way To Start The Day!

2005-01-31T08:53:00.000+08:00

It's one thing to be mentioned in another blogger's entry. But it's even more thrilling if your picture finds its way in that entry.

Ok, ok...I'm really really vain. And this post elates me to no end (I'm there in the first picture). Hehehehe.

Thanks Tin!

Have a good day everyone!

Pleasant Encounter

2005-01-24T15:51:00.000+08:00

I received this text message from my hubby just a few minutes ago:

"Bebeh, silipin mo ko. Nasa may daan ako ng Bosch".

He had informed me earlier that he has a client call at Bosch. I've told him before that I can see the Zuellig loop from our office building, and that I can particularly see the Bosch office from our pantry.

So curiously, I went to the pantry, and tried to look for him. I sent him a message to ask him what he was wearing (I left ahead of him this morning). He answered, "Pink".

I didn't have to search long, I instantly found a guy standing outside the Bosch building, in pink, carrying a blue body bag. So I phoned him to confirm if it was him, wearing a pink shirt, standing close to a white van. A motorcycle passed by, and both of us even simultaneously said, "May motor na dumaan". Aliw! I could see that it was really him, with the way he was moving and standing (he has this habit of moving a lot when he's talking on the phone), though I could not really see his face from where I was standing, 38 floors up.

He's just so sweet. He even thought of making his "proximity" known to me, and so creatively at that. Kinikilig ako!

Cook na rin si Mama

2005-01-20T16:08:00.000+08:00

Ok, it's not my first time to cook at home. Some of you may have already read my post months back about my trysts at the kitchen (unfortunately, I cannot link my archived posts--can anybody help me with this?!?!). Anyway, recently, my daughter has been taking into beef mami noodles, spaghetti, and the like. The only ones that are readily available at home are the instant ones. Though they taste really good, we all know too well that they're not healthy. And so, mama came to the rescue!

Let's call the dish "Corned Beef Pasta in Red Sauce"--for lack of a more creative term. It's not an original recipe, actually. My hubby had his first taste of corned beef pasta when a friend from the badminton club brought some at the court. Since then, he's been asking my MIL to cook it at home. However, it's been months since the last time we had it--my MIL hasn't been doing much cooking since she had her eye surgery. And I've also been wanting to try it myself. So last night, after shopping, my hubby specifically requested that I cook it for him when we get home.

I used the following ingredients for the sauce:

2 medium-sized cans of Argentina Corned Beef (the brand of the corned beef doesn't matter, but since it will just be the "sahog" of the sauce, it's ok to use the cheaper alternatives)
1 1/2 liters of Del Monte Spaghetti Sauce (any variant will do)
half a glass of water
salt, pepper (and sugar--if you want the taste to be more Pinoy) to taste

Saute the corned beef with garlic. When it's done, just pour in the spaghetti sauce and let it simmer. Add some water to make the sauce less thicker. Add in the salt, peper and sugar according to your preferred taste.

Prepare the noodles as well. We normally use Angel Hair Pasta. Kids (and kids at heart--like my hubby) love it, because they don't have to chew so much.

And so there, the whole household dug in to my dish. Hubby says he wanted onions in it, but I purposely didn't put any because it might not sit well with my daughter's taste. The Princess also excitedly ate mama's dish. She had seconds (seconds for kids would be equivalent to about 2 spoons--haha), and kept asking for more, but it was more a case of 'takaw-mata' for she didn't finish it all (it was already past 8pm and she had her dinner already). She probably just wanted to show her 'appreciation' for mama's efforts at cooking ;)

Using corned beef, instead of ground beef, is more convenient for you need not blend and mix it with anything else. Though I don't claim that this dish is healthy, but I believe it's the lesser evil.

Emi suggested that I use the curly and colorful type of pasta to make it more appealing to the Princess. I'll probably try that next time.

When I was in Jakarta, I also tried corned beef with cream of mushroom soup and made it into a white sauce. Hmmm, I think that would be my next in my agenda.

What i need to figure out now is how to make beef mami broth, without having to use beef bullion cubes, or maybe just some of it, to come up with a home-made beef mami noodle soup. A MOM NEEDS HELP!

Joining the bandwagon

2005-01-19T16:27:00.000+08:00

100 Things about Myself (I got this from Emi, Kei and Mike)

1. I'm currently doing this in a training class, while waiting for our lunch to arrive.
2. And I hope to finish it before the day ends.
3. Btw, you may call me Jo, Jojo, Honeyjo, Mamajo or Jojers. Bebeh is how my hubby calls me. But please, never call me Aurora. That is only reserved for legal authorities, and if you're a total stranger.
4. And as what my blog title says, yes, I'm a mama to Julianne Dominique, a.k.a. Brukikay, Princess or Julie Potpot.
5. And also Chris'/Topet's 'misis'.
6. We got married in May of ~~2002~~ 2003 (how come I always get the year wrong), and I had the Princess in July 2002. No need to do the math.
7. Hubby and I met at my client's office where he used to work.
8. I was doing an SAP implementation at that company.
9. I've been working as an SAP FICO Consultant/Specialist for almost 6 years now.
10.This job has brought me to interesting places and allowed me to meet interesting people. My favorite are the Sonics (har har har).
11.I'm just on the 11th, geez.
12.Prior to doing SAP, I was an accountant for a multinational bank.
13.I graduated from THE University of the Philippines with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Accountancy.
14.I'm also a CPA board-passer.
15.My license is 'paso'. I haven't had the chance to renew it since it expired. (too lazy)
16.Because I actually don't like accounting, and just took the course to become a licensed professional (haha, i assumed right away that I would pass).
17.I initially took up Business Economics, but got confused with all the graphs.
18.The highlight of my university years was 'almost' bumping into Richard Gomez in AS. He was still a new and hot item during that time.
19.Oh, and he did become a classmate in Nat Sci 1. A lot of gays used to sit in that class just to watch him.
20.Training class resumes.
21.Singit lang ito. The trainor is installing a mouse to her laptop.
22.Now where was i?
23.Ok...I worked for 2 years in that bank.
24.I received my 'calling' to move into IT after working with the boys of the IT department of the bank.
25.My first IT company trained me for this job. That company has since moved into web development.
26.I made a lot of good friends in the 20 months that i worked there. I'm still friends with a lot of them, and some of them have become godparents to my daughter.
27.I then moved to Jakarta, Indonesia. I was moving a lot within SEA during my stint in that company.
28.Though living in Jakarta was challenging, I cherish the experiences I had while living on my own.
29.I made only a few Indonesian friends, and was basically on my own most of the time.
30.On my last year of stay there, i joined a catholic community, where I met a lot of Filipinos.
31.I managed to survive the loneliness because of the community.
32.After three years of being based in Jakarta, I decided to move back to Manila.
33.And by God's grace, I also got an offer to work for the shared services center of a global corporation.
34.I'm still working for that company, 15 months after.
35.Exercise muna daw kami.
36.Right now, gusto kong gupitan ng buhok ang trainor namin. Buhaghag na, hindi pa pantay pantay.
37.I can recommend her to Edhill. My new favorite stylist from Hugo's RCBC Plaza.
38.I was sporting long hair for most of my life. The longest it got was during the time of my wedding.
39.I don't have good hair texture, and my hair strands are really thick.
40.So I decided to cut it really short in December 2003.
41.Hubby is fond of long haired women. In fact, most of his former girlfriends had long hair. But with me he changed his mind (dapat lang!).
42.I'm in the process of growing my hair again, but this time, it will up to my neck only.
43.My daughter's got the most beautiful hair I've ever seen, honestly.
44.And the rest of her is beautiful as well.
45.I'm a kikay girl, but she's definitely MORE kikay than I ever was and ever will!
46.I face the computer all day, but I still make it a point to be fully made and well-dressed. If just to satisfy my vanity.
47.And of course, I might have one of those 'spontaneous moments', as Pazette calls them.
48.I used to be a jacket-girl. But this year, I've decided to be more of a woman and use shawls instead.
49.Today I'm wearing my old-rose colored shawl, a Christmas gift from Tin.
50.I have 5 shawls currently, and I plan to buy (or receive?!?!) more.
51.I love to shop, but I shop wisely, and I love the bargain stuff!
52.My current favorite shopping place is SM Makati. A lot of my posts have mentioned SM one way or another.
53.In fact, I'm going there again after work today.
54.I can't believe I'm just halfway throught this!
55.I can see that I have a lot of emails to answer tomorrow.
56.Including some from my 2 'favorite' clients.
57.But last Christmas, I found out that they do appreciate what I do for them. I received gifts from them.
58.I have to listen to the training again. Macros!
59.My goal this year is to be able to travel outside the Philippines.
60.Although, i'd probably cry buckets of tears while saying goodbye to my hubby and my Princess.
61.I've told my boss that I don't want to be away from my family for an extended period of time.
62.I can't imagine going through the pain of loneliness again. Just thinking about it now is making me cry.
63.So the best arrangement would be a project that would be based in Manila, but will have occassional business travels.
64.Isn't it great to be able to travel for free!?!?!?
65.However, I don't think we'd be able to make trips to Palawan or Boracay this year.
66.We've made purchases and investments in the last few months that have eaten up most of our savings.
67.Hopefully, the bonus will be good. We could still probably make a domestic travel even late in the year.
68.February 14 this year falls on a ~~Tuesday~~Monday. ~~Tuesday is my hubby's badminton day.~~*I must have been looking at the 2006 calendar.
69.Though I've never really made a big deal of Valentine's day, since we've been together, we haven't missed out on a V-day date.
70.I'm not sure if he's planning on anything for this year's V-day. I don't know if subconsciously I'm expecting something. hehehe
71.I'm eating a really fattening chocolate croissant from Starbucks now.
72.Speaking of starbucks, I need my dose of coffee every working day. Without it, I'd feel lousy for the rest of the day.
73.I drink any kind, as long as it's not instant! Barako type from Puerto Galera is the best one I've had so far in my whole lifetime.
74.I prefer coffee with Fresh milk, rather than with creamer. Evaporated milk would be better.
75.Yey! One-fourth na lang.
76.I've got an hour more on this training, and to finish this post.
77.Aside from work, my time in the office is occupied with chatting, checking emails and writing in my blog.
78.I was reunited with my love for writing through this blog. Not that I'm super good at it.
79.Internet is one of the greatest inventions in my lifetime, I think.
80.I get to keep in touch with my friends and family from anywhere in the world, real time.
81.However since I've started using a computer, and using it during most of my waking hours, I don't know how to write in long-hand anymore. My hands easily get tired when i try.
82.But my dream job is to be a part-time cashier, in a 7-11 store that I own.
83.I don't want to be a slave of the corporate world for long, and would rather spend more time with my daughter and other future kids.
84.We're planning for a second baby later this year.
85.But that is still subject to further discussion--depends on a lot of factors.
86.Though I'm aware of the fact that I'm turning 31 this year, and my genes may not be in their best condition anymore.
87.I'm feeling sleepy now. It happens to me a couple of times in a day, though I don't actually fall asleep in the office.
88.I do love to sleep in my bed though. Getting up in the morning takes a lot of effort.
89.I invested on expensive bedsheets and pillows when I was in Jakarta. I bought the ones that are very conducive to sleeping. I brought them home with me.
90.I could not have less than 6 hours of sleep, or else i'd be cranky. More than 8 hours is preferable.
91.Most of the time, I'd fall asleep ahead of my daughter. But I am a light sleeper and would be up at her slightest whimper.
92.I would be up whenever my hubby arrives home from his badminton games. And though I may feel so drowsy, I try my best to listen to his stories of how lost this game or how he was able to beat his opponents.
93.I also play badminton, but not as much as he does. In fact, I haven't played for more than 2 months already.
94.I'm not athletic by nature. Again, i'd rather sleep.
95.That's why I have lots of unwanted bulges here and there.
96.The lightest i ever got to was 100 lbs. on my freshman year in the university, then 116 lbs. when I was employed by this company. My pre-employment medical records will show such.
97.Now, don't even ask.
98.I also love to eat, next to sleeping.
99.But then again, I'm still a hot mama, after all.
100.And with that, I end this list. Yep, finally ;)

The Makings of an "Artista"

2005-01-18T14:16:00.000+08:00

CHARACTERS: a 2 y/0 girl and her mother and father

SITUATION: The 2 y/o girl is eating a chocolate candy, while her mother watches over her. The father is on his knees, cleaning the floor.

Daughter: Choko choko...hmmm..sarap sarap.

The mother looks on, smiling.

Daughter: Papa, papa! Sabay kain Choko choko!

Papa: Later baby, papa's hands are dirty.

Daughter: Choko choko...hmmm...yum yum!

AUTHOR'S NOTE: The scene above was NOT taken straight out of a TV commercial for Choko Choko*. This was a real-life scene from a day in the life of the Santos Family. I think my Princess is an aspiring TV talent!

She had a VTR done on her when she was barely a year old. She actually was called for an audition, but the talent was required to be a Wyeth user (which she wasn't). Now, she might have to wait till her two front teeth grow back.

*Choko Choko is a local brand of chocolate. It's packaged in thin plastic strips, and the way to eat it is to sip it from the plastic, much like eating ice candy, only, smaller. And true to what my daughter says, it's really sarap-sarap and yum yum! I recommend it even for adults. It sells at P18.50 for a 20-piece pack at the grocery. Or P1.00 each at your favorite sari-sari store.

I'm thinking of giving up driving altogether...

2005-01-17T07:46:00.000+08:00

Just because I was a relaxed driver.
Just because I had a child with me and had to drive carefully.
Just because I was in a residential (and need I say a highly populated squatters' area) where I expected ALL drivers to drive with prudence and caution.
And just because I trusted that ALL drivers are decent and respectful enough to slow down for turning cars.

Our three-month old Vito suffered a major damage to its left exterior when a high speed tricycle lost control and collided with it. The suspect (that's how the police termed it in the report) fled the scene, and nobody came to claim the abandoned tricycle. Oh, and need I say that the tricycle was not registered, and the driver was reportedly DRUNK and UNLICENSED.

And yes, I was probably stupid to assume that each driver is like me. And yes, quite forgetful also. I forgot two main SOP's of driving in Manila:

1. Matino ka mang driver, hindi lahat ng driver ay kasing tino mo. Mas marami pa ring bastos at balasubas na driver.
2. At kaya nga sila naging tricycle (at isama na natin ang jeepney) driver, kasi yun lang ang kaya ng utak nila.

And yes, you can quote me on that last statement!

Breaking News

2005-01-14T11:26:00.000+08:00

I don't know which is sicker, the details of Michael Jackson's alleged molestation of young boys, or the gathering of 3 million signatures by FPJ's supporters to convince his widow to lead the opposition.

For more details (and should you want to ruin the rest of your day), read these and more at www.inq7.net.

Dating Game

2005-01-13T09:49:00.000+08:00

These days, with all the domestic matters we have to take care of, time alone as a couple is a precious rarity between hubby and myself. Though we live at my in-law's home, hubby and I are very hands-on with all the work that's going on at the house, because, one, my in-laws are old already, and two, we own the idea after all. Coupled with being "helper"-less, we had our hands full for about a month now. You can say that we were romantically deprived for quite sometime.

One "rare" opportunity came last Saturday evening. The hubby asked me out on a movie date! He took me to watch Ocean's 12 (great movie, btw)--and guess where? Drumroll please....SM Bicutan! Now hear this: We used free movie passes (we still have about six currently). But in fairness, hubby upgraded our seats and paid extra for the Deluxe section, and he bought me a bucket of popcorn. I texted a few friends that night to share with them that hubby took me out on a movie date. I was just so kilig!

Then again, last night, we had to buy paints, supplies for the workers and the househelp, groceries, and some new furnishings for the house (will feature this here when the project is finished). We finished our shopping fifteen minutes before closing time and we haven't had dinner yet. We had a slight dillemma as our "truck" (term coined by Tin for AUV's) was parked at the bridgeway connecting the Parksquare parking area and SM Makati. We were concerned that we might be locked out of SM, and have to go seven stories up to get to our car (if we pass through Parksquare). And so, we finally decided to eat at the stalls just outside the SM Supermarket. Yes, in all my glamorous office get up (ok, semi-glamorous), hubby and I munched on dimsum, on our feet (Commonly thought to be better for digestion--hehe, but men of science say otherwise). The funny thing is, we spent about a total of 10k pesos on all our purchases last night, and we only spent about a hundred pesos per person on our dinner.

Looking back, how we used to spend our dates years ago has transformed dramatically. While we used to eat a lot at expensive restaurants, now we are quite happy just being together, even if it's just at Mc Donalds (we had another semi-date on Monday night at McDo MCS after buying DVDs--the acronyms are intentional, to be partly disguised--and while waiting for the car coding to be lifted). I kid him a lot that he has stopped "impressing" me after we had gotten married. But nonetheless, I don't mind, as long as we get to have our "couple" time. I was never a "high-maintenance" girl, anyway. And we still do dine at expensive restaurants, on special occassions, or at some spontaneous moments when we just crave for something in particular.

After all, I believe that love exists in the unlikeliest of places!

Domestic Developments

2005-01-11T10:45:00.000+08:00

Househelp

My daughter's yaya (nanny) of more than two years decided to pack her bags and go home for good. Hubby and I spent most of the holidays (approximately three weeks) alternating as the sitter for the Princess. We had to forego some social engagements as well because of this. The good thing about it is that we both got to spend so much time with our daughter again. She would be with us wherever we went.

After three weeks of searching, we found two househelpers, both referred by the helpers of a good friend. We had already planned, even before the former yaya left, to employ another househelper to do the all-around cleaning of the house. Anyway, the two girls we got are both from the same town in Masbate (Bicol province), and even went to the same school there, though they don't personally know each other and just met each other when I hired them. So far, I find them both very kind, quiet and respectful people. They seem to be very hardworking as well. On the other hand, I believe that my hubby and I are good employers--we rarely get mad--as long as they do their job well. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll have a good and lasting relationship with them.

House Restoration/Renovation

Subsequently, after deciding to hire a second helper, I broached a house improvement idea to my hubby. We have a spare area at the back of our house, which used to be the cooking area and is also being used as a "batalan" (in Philippine provinces, this is the area where you take a bath and is separate from the main house). I told my hubby that we can utilize this area and convert it into the maids' quarters and then improve the "batalan" area and make it into a separate shower/bath area. Without much ado, the hubby got in touch with a local contractor and had estimates made. It became a semi-full blown project, with house repainting (outdoor portion only) and indoor floor tiling included.

I, of course, had a hand in deciding what paint colors and which tile designs to use. We chose Boysen's Bone Ivory for the house walls and stone pillars, and Sammy Brown for the gate and fences. With our limited budget, we just decided to get vinyl tiles for our flooring. We're getting a parquet design for the bedrooms, and a beige-flecked off white color for the living and dining areas.

Yesterday, the first coating for the walls was made. Even in the barely finished stage, I noticed that the new color gave our house a cheerier and brighter ambience. The house used to be painted in White and the fences and gate in Green (as in Maryknoll Sisters Green). New houses being built in Manila or being repainted are more into the Beige, Ivory, Creme shades. With our new paint, our house is getting a brand-new look. This morning, I compared it to a neighbor's house whose walls are in White and gate in Maryknoll Green. The neighbor's house looked pretty dull compared to ours. And the hubby couldn't agree more. He gave me a thumbs-up for making good choices for the paint colors.

The house is still in disarray, and we've got probably two more weeks before the project is finished. But I know the wait will be worth while. I can't wait to see our house looking sparklingly new!

Older but Wiser (and more sensitive daw)

2005-01-10T07:37:00.000+08:00

I cannot even find the right words that will give justice to how wonderful you are.

You have been a source of strength for me and other countless friends.
You have never been afraid to speak your mind and heart and be true to yourself and to the people you love.
You have courageously expressed (and acted upon) your life's passions, without ever forgetting your values.
You have shown me the way to be more loving and generous to people who have lesser blessings than we have.

And though we're miles apart, through the years, you've never failed to show how much of a friend you are.

Happy Birthday Tin!

May the Lord continue to bless you with health, bounty and happiness. Know that I am so grateful for you. I am truly blessed to have you as a friend. I love you.

photo swapped from Tin's smugmug

Indispose

2005-01-07T15:51:00.000+08:00

I'm nursing a terrible case of stiff neck. I didn't mind it too much when I woke up in the morning, but upon arriving here in the office, I realized that I couldn't look up at my monitor, without cringing in pain. So I've made two trips to our office clinic and lied down for a total of two hours, hoping that the pain would go away. I also smell like "lola" now, with loads of bengay applied on my neck, and four Salonpas medicated plasters splattered all over the right side of my neck.

And now, this song rings in my head:

If you see me walking down the street
And I start to cry, each time we meet
Walk on by....Walk on by...
Make believe that you don't see a tear
So let me weep, in private coz each time I see you
I break down and cry....
Walk on by...Walk on by...

Yes, my friend, if you see me tonight, and if I don't bother to look at you, don't take it personally. You know why. Just walk on by.

And no, I don't have the other symptoms of meningococcemia, so don't be afraid.

Just Woke Up from a Dream

2005-01-06T16:52:00.000+08:00

This is one new year that I am not particularly looking forward to, in terms of my job. Okay, that sounds grim...I'll rephrase it. This is one January that I am not particularly looking forward to. January means that it's year-end/month-end closing again, and for us working in helpdesk support jobs, this is one of the most dreaded months of the year. Plus, it means going back to my long-standing issues at work, which I have managed (a.k.a. forced myself) to forget over the holidays.

And my friends, that's why I'm not so inspired to write anything interesting these days. Much as I want to, I know that work would arrive anytime and dampen my mood to write. I envy my blogger friends Tin, Pazette, Toni, CG and Dez who were able to document their holidays, or Mike who simply can write about anything under the sun (pun-intended...hahaha).

I'll just look forward to Chinese New Year. Yey, vacation ang mga customers namin!

Huling Hirit sa 2004

2004-12-30T15:57:00.000+08:00

I spent the past 30 minutes trying to recall the name of this guy I fell briefly in love (and crazily, I must add) with late in year 2000. For the life of me, I can't remember even his first name. Weird thing is that I do remember his middle name.

It amazes me how time does heal all the pain...and how time makes one forget--even names!

And, it does help if you've been pregnant and your funny hormones made you forget those details.

I'd probably still try to recall his name in the next few hours to come. If you're reading this, please do tell me your name. That's all I ask. No impostors please.

Looking Back at The Year That Was

2004-12-30T11:55:00.001+08:00

You may have seen this in other blogs that you visit, and you're probably tired already of bloggers talking about their blessings for the year. Nevertheless, I want to talk about mine as well. It hasn't been an all-happy year, but I think it is but fitting to give thanks for all the blessings I (and my loved ones) received this year, and say goodbye and good riddance to the not so nice things that happened.

Spending one great (and complete) year with my husband and my Princess. Finally, I am back home for good.
A job that I enjoy, and my eventual regularization with the company, that paved the way for me to stay here in Manila with my family. Even though I may rant about work at times, I AM INDEED very thankful for my job.
My old friends who I was reunited with, especially at work, and for the new friends I've made. Their presence makes working here more tolerable. Hehehe.
My daughter's continued good health, and her growing talent and wit.
My husband's good fortune at work, though he complains sometimes for the lack of time. But as I keep on telling him, if there's no work, there would be no money.
Our new car, Vito, which has been functioning quite well since we got him. And though we had to say goodbye to Thart (who has been with my hubby for the last 8 years), we don't regret our decision. We're happier and we're more comfortable.
Friendster for bringing me in touch with friends from way back.
This BLOG! For giving me the venue to be able to write again. I started blogging because I felt I didn't know how to write anymore. As an added bonus, I gained many new friends because of this. And though I haven't met most of you yet, know that I am truly grateful for your daily visits, and always looking forward to hear from you and your posts. I do hope we could all meet in person someday (soon!).
Friends who have stayed, even though we are miles away from each other. This year, I learned how to appreciate my friends better. I hope we can have more opportunities to get together next year.
For the babies that came (and more to come next year). Parties and reunions are much more fun now with them around.
My good health. And I hope I'll be able to continue to take care of myself more and avoid being dumbicated.
My cousin-in-law, Kuya Yogie, who is always ready to listen and to lend a helping hand. You are such a blessing to our family. And thank you for loving me like your own sister.
My original family, for always being there, and for continually loving (and spoiling) my Princess.
My husband's faithful and undying love, and the love of my child for me.
The usuals--food to eat everyday, money for buying necessities, for shopping, for saving and for sharing with others.

For all these, and other countless more blessings, I bid goodbye to 2004, and welcome year 2005 with open arms. I must say, I'm ready to take on the new year, with all it's challenges and triumphs.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL

And last but not the least, thanks to the Lord Almighty for making all these possible.

An Ex's New Year's Resolutions

2004-12-29T08:53:00.000+08:00

My friend Sweetie (not her real name) and I got to talking about Ex's--not about certain people in particular, but about our experiences and other peoples' experiences on being an Ex. One thing led to another, and we decided to come up with this list of "What Not To Do If You're An Ex". Read on and see if you can relate. Feel free to share your own experiences as well.

If you're the HEARTBREAKER:

Don't text or call just to ask "How are you?" or "I miss you" if you have no intention of going back.
Don't continue using sweet endearments when you call ! -- aba, nananadya ka ba???
Don't text or call on special occasions to greet her/him, or if you can't help it, don't wait for the clock to strike at 12 midnight to make sure you're the first one to greet! -- tama bang puyatin mo sya kakaisip what that meant????
Don't send back gifts or cards (unless he/she asks you to). You're rubbing it in.
Don't flaunt the "kapalit" immediately after the break up. Baka magpakamatay ang ex mo, kunsensya mo pa.
When he/she finds a new partner, don't try to befriend his/her new S.O. He/She has more important things than be friends with you anyway.
Don't play with his/her feelings by suggesting a trial reconciliation because you're bored and have nothing else to do. Don't take advantage of a wounded (but hoping) heart--magkakandarapa sigurado sayo yun.

If you're the AGGRIEVED one:

Don't answer his/her calls and text messages, unless you're masochistic. Start a hobby, like cross-stitch*.
Don't hold your breath when he/she slips and calls you "baby/sweetie/honey". At that moment, think of something really important...like cross stitching!
Don't sit for hours just waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiting for him/her to text or call u on special occasions. Be busy so you won't notice. Cross-stitch.
Don't hold on to things that will remind you of your ex. BURN them baby, BURN. And get on with your cross-stitch project.
Don't lose sleep over whether he or she is going to come back. Go find yourself a new fling, boylet/girlet, or even a serious new love. If all else fails, entertain your thoughts with something else, like continue your cross-stitch project.
Don't even suggest to your new partner that he/she gets to know your ex, as if you're going to be one happy family?!?! Just do a more interesting couple-thing, like cross-stitch.
Don't run after your ex, just because she's suddenly "free" again, and especially if she's in a playful mood. You're in for a major heartbreak. Remember, she broke up with you and remember the pain she caused you. Better yet, finish your cross-stitch project.

*Cross-stitching is common hobby between Sweetie and myself. However we seldom get to complete a project. It has become a private joke among our group of friends that whenever one is heartbroken or on a long bed-rest leave or simply bored, our immediate suggestion would be to take up a cross-stitch project.

What Friendster Did for Me

2004-12-28T10:15:00.000+08:00

Before I got hooked to blogging, there was Friendster. I lived for those days when I would log on and see a testimonial waiting for my approval. I even had to "coerce" people to write their testimonials for me, while some were totally unexpected.

As I look back on the year that is about to end, I thought it would be nice to revisit all my testimonials and express my gratitude to the people who made them for me--for making me laugh, for making me cry and most of all, for making me feel good about who I am.

For the hilarious, witty and sometimes "laglagan" write-ups, thanks to the boys--Alvin, Alex, Albert, Bey & Dun. Reading your pieces remind me of the good ol' crazy times. The same goes to the Boy Bastos Duo of Nonoy and Joel.

For the heartwarming and touching write-ups, my sincerest thanks go to my dearest girl friends--Jeanne, Marix, Tin, Larah, Erika, Emi and Viv.

Thanks too to old friends from far away, Donna and Dewi. Yes, I do miss our chats.

I was so moved as well to receive testimonials from new friends Zeds, Migs, Vincent and Ruby.

My appreciation, likewise, to old friends from the distant and not-so-distant past--Beng, Ermee and Anne. Thanks for reminding me of nice memories of times with you.

Even though we may not see each other or talk to each other that often, thanks to you all for keeping in touch through Friendster.

And though I may not be as avid of Friendster now, I will still accept testimonials. Ahem-ahem!

The Aftermath

2004-12-27T13:07:00.000+08:00

Today is a National Holiday in the Philippines, but the "dakilang manggagawa" in me decided to volunteer for today's skeletal work. I however regret doing so as I have not had the chance to have a real rest after the busy holidays. So anyway, to cheer me up a little, I decided to do my year-end cleaning today which consisted of two important activities: filing and throwing. With all that done, I threw away more papers than those that I filed. It just goes to show how much junk I've managed to pile up in the last few months.

I am also currently doing my Gifts Received List which lists down all the gifts I got this Christmas. I will publish that later on, after I have received ALL my gifts...HINT HINT HINT!

I have four hours to kill before my duty today ends. Work is light. The office is quiet, except for the occassional chatter. I have yet to decide if I want to start on those pending/"to be carried over to 2004" issues.

So anyways, for you who are still in the holiday mood, MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A JOYFUL NEW YEAR!

For those of you who are working today, like myself, just think of the extra pay or extra leave you'll get in exchange for being a good employee. Nawa'y ipagpatayo tayo ng rebulto!

Rubbing Elbows with the Rich and Famous

2004-12-22T15:45:00.000+08:00

Last Saturday was the wedding of one of the most beautiful couples I've laid eyes on, Alex and Lea.

It was also the largest wedding reception I've ever been to, with more than 500 guests invited. I know this maybe common for some people already, but I don't really consider myself as belonging to the "alta-sosyedad" (high society).

However, at this wedding party, I came close to being one. I found myself in the company of the Marcoses--Bongbong, Irene and Madam Imelda (as she was referred to during the introductions). At one point at the church, I even stood half-a-meter away from the former First Lady, and boy, I was star-strucked. I must say, she never fails to capture the attention of people wherever she goes. Her presence is still very powerful and commanding. No wonder, she was one of the most loved AND most notorious first ladies ever. Irene on the other hand looked elegantly pretty. She looked not more than 35 years old, and always had that ready charming smile. It wasn't until the exchanging of "Peace Be With You" that I saw Gov. Bongbong. I won't waste any words...Crush ko sya!

At the reception hall of the Fiesta Pavilion of the Manila Hotel, we were about a feet away from Imelda again. This time, my friend Larah and I took extra effort to have a good look at her shoes, just to finally put to rest all the clamor and brouhaha over Imelda's shoe collection. She was wearing a sling back, low-heeled silver pair (btw, she was wearing something in her signature blue color). Our verdict: It wasn't that special--maybe it's true what she said that she only gets her collection from Marikina. Larah was as star-strucked as I was that she wanted to sneak away with a picture of Imelda on her cellphone. Too bad, we couldn't position ourselves as close as possible to have a good shot.

Anyways, we had a good time at the wedding. We had loads of goodies that we were able to bring home--cookies from the hotel, the wedding favors (a candle molded in a glass), plus a special gift from the couple--we took home the table decorations which consisted of a bride & groom statue (ala-Lladro), ceramic bells and a fish bowl with tea light.

I may not have pictures of the Marcoses, but I've got these.

That night, we came this close to royalty. Ain't my king so dashing?!?! heheh (pagbigyan nyo na ako, Pasko naman!)

Picture of the Day

2004-12-17T11:59:00.000+08:00

I was browsing through some pictures in my personal folders and found this one of my "inaanak". This is Rafael Pio, son of my best friend, Jonet. He was three months and a half when this picture was taken. I actually saw him last Sunday, but too bad we didn't have a camera.

Isn't he just sooooooo adorable? Geez, I think I want one just like him. Heheheh.

B*tch Day

2004-12-17T08:43:00.000+08:00

Today, my dear co-worker, ka-iskolar ng bayan, and fellow lucky wife is celebrating her 30th Birthday. And she's celebrating with style in the tropical paradise called Boracay (ka-inggit!).

Emi, my favorite betch (TM Chona Mae Banaag), I wish you more happiness, more love, more $$$$, and yes, lots of fun when you conquer the SOX global world next year.

Love yah! Mmmmwwwaaaaahhhhh!

Feeling It...Loving It!

2004-12-16T13:59:00.000+08:00

I'm finally feeling "Christmas-y". After four trips to the mall, buying scores of gifts and spending Php xx,xxx.xx (and counting) of hard-earned money, I'm now getting into the holiday mood. As proof, I'm feeling extremely lazy at work, despite all the load that I know I will have to "carry over" to next year. Plus, I'm just raring to go home and continue wrapping presents. I must be feeling really excited about Christmas, coz I've been staying up late in the past days wrapping gifts--normally i'm in bed by nine in the evening!

And today, I created simple gift tags thru Excel, and printed them in the office colored-printer (see, I'm not really in the working mood, and would rather do non-work related stuff).

These are actually for the M&M packs that hubby and I are giving out to the people from our badminton group.

Just a few budget-friendly shopping tips for the holidays:

1. For toys, go to Kidz Station. They have character (Incredibles, Pooh, PPG, Toy Story) toys worth below 100 pesos. And if your total purchase is above 300 pesos, you get to have free gift wrapping service. Best time to go would be early evening after work.

2. For other affordable gift ideas, check out SM Makati, living up to it's tag line--We've Got It All For You. I've raved about how the newly renovated Makati branch turned out to be more spacious and shopper-friendly. And it's not as crowded as its counterpart in Megamall. Yesterday, I went there and my shopping experience was a breeze, considering it was the 15th of the month. Even hubby was satisfied and didn't seem impatient at all. And while you're there, check out their home section. I got a lot of new ideas for my home decorating activity scheduled next year!

3. For gift-wrappers, try to have someone buy them at Divisoria. The thick and glossy ones are only priced at 2.80 pesos per piece. We were fortunate that a messenger from the hubby's office goes to Divi on a regular basis.

4. This one's from my hubby. Wine and other alcoholic beverages are a lot cheaper in Price Smart.

5. If no gift idea comes to mind, food items are always a good resort, especially chocolates. Rustan's supermarket has packaged food items (chocolates, tarts, fruit cakes and other baked items), complete with colored boxes, bows and gift tags.

I hope this list helps you with your last minute shopping. Christmas is just nine days away! Good luck!

Now Showing: Mamasan

2004-12-14T13:11:00.000+08:00

These pictures were taken at our cast party in Mandarin Hotel after the premiere night of my movie, where I star for the first time in the lead role.

The following are my pictures with my leading men:

My girls and their favorite customers:

And the rest of the cast and crew:

I hope you all catch my movie. It's now showing in your favorite theaters....

NOT!

The pictures above were actually taken during our company Christmas Part at the Mandarin.

But it pays to have the "cameraman" as a good friend ;)

Steps and Tricks in Potty Training

2004-12-13T15:34:00.000+08:00

1. Convince your toddler to sit on the potty. Put the potty in plain view so that your toddler will have the impression that "doing it" in the potty is a routine thing to do. As an example, bring her with you to the toilet when you do # 1 or # 2.

Result: Not effective. She only cried and whimpered and totally avoided seeing the potty.

2. Out of the blue, take out your toddler's diapers and let her just be in her underwear.

Result: Not effective. She forced herself not to pee or poo, until she cried in pain and started shivering. Syempre, maaawa ka naman, pasusuutin mo ulit ng diaper.

3. One morning, while changing into fresh clothes, entertain your toddler by letting her watch TV. Let her go around naked first. Then after some minutes, just ask her to wear her underwear. And when she does, don't tease her about it.

Result: At first, she squirmed a lot, seemingly feeling uncomfortable. But after some time, she got used to peeing without her diapers on. You'd only have to clean after her all the time.

4. After about a week of not letting your toddler wear diapers, take out the potty again. Then slowly, when you see that she's about to start poo-ing, gently ask her to sit on the potty. After she's done, give her words of appreciation and encouragement for a job well done.

That, my friends, is how my little Princess, went about her potty training. Finally, at two years, four months and eighteen days old, she did it on the potty. Good girl!

What It's All About

2004-12-10T09:55:00.000+08:00

Most of you may have read, heard, and watched the miraculous rescue of 4 more survivors under a building in Quezon Province, 11 days after they were trapped underneath the rubble and mud.

I was feeling kinda low for most of the past week--You would probably have guessed by the lack of posts here in my blog. I didn't feel any holiday spirit at all, no matter how I tried. I was drowning in too much work at the office. I even started with my long overdue Christmas shopping just to get myself into the season, but, as I told one friend, "I don't feel that floating feeling that comes with Christmas". I was bracing myself for a dull and lackluster Christmas.

But yesterday's events in Quezon changed my view of Christmas--that this season is about Miracles, the act of Giving, and Faith in the Lord.

And as I read, heard, and watched, I felt a sense of awe overcome me and I cried. God hasn't failed us, not even in the worst circumstances.

A Good Find In The News

2004-12-02T16:02:00.000+08:00

Check out this article at Inq7.net. It's an amusing piece that talks about work-related stress and how to avoid it by preparing Slow Food, as opposed to Fast Food. The writer wrote it with a lot of wit, humor and ingenuity--to think he's only presenting a recipe!

Read on...

Meanwhile, for those of you who are in the Philippines, especially in the Luzon Area, please be extra careful and prepared for the super typhoon that's coming our way. May God bless all of us.

Eat your heart out, Cinderella!

2004-12-01T08:41:00.000+08:00

Liliw, Laguna - Every woman's dream come true and each man's wallet's nightmare. I spent the 3rd day of my long weekend traveling to this far flung town, to fulfill my ultimate fantasy--SHOE-SHOPPING GALORE!!! This place for shoe-bargain hunting was referred to us by a friend, and some two weeks ago, we planned on spending the holiday for a day's trip to Liliw. Despite the non-stop rains brought by typhoon Winnie, hubby, the Princess and myself gamely trooped towards the South. It took about two hours (without traffic) from Paranaque City. We had to drive through endless rows of fields and mountains and trees. But actually, it was a welcome respite from the city sights. After Calamba, the rest of the drive was through the very rural areas of Laguna already, that you'd even wonder if there is really a place for shopping in the midst of this countryside. Upon reaching Liliw, and upon a turn in one small street, there it was, my heaven! The whole street was lined with "footwear stores", as they term it. Parking was available near the sidewalk only, so I guess on non-stormy weekends, it would be difficult to find one. Then you have to go the rest of the way on foot. I've never seen so many sandals and slip ons (and some closed shoes) in my life--not even in SM. We thought all the while that we'd just spend an hour there, but with the volume of stores and shoe styles that are available, I ended up spending four whole hours in this heaven-on-earth. I only paused for a 10-minute merienda. Although not all styles were nice, there were a lot that were really pretty. As each store rack is really fully lined up, including the floors, you need to have a pretty clear and quick eyesight to scan through everything, and patience to wade through. The best part of it all was the price--on the average, the prices were cheaper by 50 to 70 percent than the prices in Manila. I happily hopped from one store to another, umbrella in tow, unmindful of my hunger and the rains. Even as the hubby and the Princess decided to eat at a nearby carinderia and leave me by myself, I was just too ecstatic to notice that they've been gone for an hour already (bad Mama). At the end of the day, after some frustration due to some styles that were not available in my size, I spent around 2,500 pesos on 7 pairs for myself, 2 bags for myself, 3 pairs for the Princess, 1 pair for the hubby, 2 pairs for MIL, 1 pair for Yaya and 1 pair for my cousin in law (CIL)--Yes, na-frustrate pa ako ng lagay na yan. I probably would have bought more if it were not for the typhoon. And we were told that there are two more streets of footwear stores in the area. Everybody I've told about it is so envious of my discovery. In fact, we're planning to break-in CIL's new baby via a trip to Liliw. I just can't wait!

Sidelights:
The Princess eagerly went with us, because we told her we're going to SM. She fell asleep in the car when we reached Alabang. Upon waking up when we were somewhere past Calauan, immediately she asked, "Punta SM?". I told her yes, we're going to SHOE-mart. I think she enjoyed the trip too. At one point, while looking at all the shoes, she said "Dami, dami, dami, dami!". Ah, the makings of a true-blue shopping addict!

The Magic is Here

2004-11-26T10:49:00.000+08:00

Anchor's Away
Originally uploaded by josantos0510.

Yesterday, I felt like a kid again, albeit, for five hours only.

We had our team bonding activity in the magical world of Enchanted Kingdom. For one day, we let our hair down and decided to have fun. We screamed and shouted on top of our lungs at every ride. We unabashedly posed for pictures in every corner of the park, as if it's the first time we've been there. We binged on junk food and forgot about our diet. We shopped to our hearts' delight (charged to the company, *clap* *clap*) for toys and souvenirs.

But alas, though our hearts are willing, I guess our real age finally caught up with us. We were all tired to the bone by the time we went home, wishing that today, we could all just take the day off.

But thanks to the magic of EK, I think all of us went home with renewed spirits of camaraderie and friendship. Thanks too to our company for graciously sponsoring this activity. *wink* *wink*

Off the list!

2004-11-23T15:25:00.000+08:00

MyPlant
Originally uploaded by josantos0510.

What you're seeing here is the first item deleted from my Wish List.

I've long wanted to have a plant in my cubicle--I heard that to rest one's weary eyes, one should look at something green, nature-green to be exact-- but I didn't know what would be an appropriate indoor plant. Till one day, in the ladies' room of our office, a vase was put up with stalks of leaves in water. Then that's how I finally got the idea of what i wanted. SInce I wasn't so sold on the idea of a plant planted in soil, this was the perfect choice for me. Then after some inquiries, what do you know, I found out that I can actually get some stalks for free! These were actually just left overs from an arrangement that were ordered during our office blessing. So last friday, I finally got hold of a transparent vase from Landmark, and voila!

I don't know much about plants and it's the first time I'm taking care of one. So wish me luck!

Interesting finds over the weekend

2004-11-22T11:28:00.000+08:00

Book Sale corner at Food Choices Greenbelt -- I found a number of interesting and cheap books (in good condition). They've got Tom Clancy novels, including a number of the Net Force series for as low as 80 pesos. They also have the Reader's Digest hardbound 4-book compilation (I didn't know this existed until last Friday), where. say, one John Grisham novel is combined with three other novels of lesser known authors, only for 125 pesos (can you imagine buying 4 novels at that price?!?!).

Dencio's in Capitol Hills Golf Club -- It's on top of a hill with a nice overlooking view (don't ask me I haven't figured out the particular location that's in view). It was raining when we went there, so we did not get a table near the view. But it surely is a nice place to chill out. And since it's located in a residential area, the place is more private and cozy.

Max Brenner's Chocolate Fondue -- If you have 380 pesos to splurge, treat yourself (and your date) to this delectable dessert. This fondue consists of strawberries, bananas, marshmallows and broas to dip into rich chocolate sauce. You can also choose from regular, white or dark chocolate dips.

Taguig City -- If it's not the Fort Bonifacio area of Taguig, don't even think about going there unless you have something important (like a matter of life or death) to do there. Their streets are mostly single-lane for each way, and the most amusing thing is, they're marked as national roads!

my message board is back....

2004-11-22T09:04:00.000+08:00

....And sorry to tagboard, I've switched to cbox. I discovered it in the blog of bullish1974 (Hi Mike, hope you don't mind ;)).

It's got more smilies and a choice of colors for the message board.

So here's hoping that it won't #$%^ up like tag board.

Have a good week everyone!

And here it is...

2004-11-19T14:10:00.000+08:00

Yes, it's still me, but with a new and improved personalised look.

Again, many thanks to my co-basher-slash-bitch Emi who painstakingly edited the Princess' photo.

And special thanks to my dear friend Tin for bearing with me. Pero dearie you really proved this time na mas O.C. ka pa rin keysa sakin. And yes, Verdana does look good ;) Congratulations, I think you're on your way to a career alternative.

Friends, you may notice that your old comments are already gone. I'm now using haloscan and i believe it doesn't allow the migration of the old comments.

I also decided not to put the tagboard back (not yet at least) because it's not loading anyway. It's been down for the past three days.

Ok, enough blogging for the day...Work awaits!

Updates before the weekend

2004-11-19T09:12:00.000+08:00

I'm waiting for my new blogskin to be done, that's why I'm too giddy and excited and I can't seem to write about anything right now. Let me just extend a big hug of gratitude to Tin who is helping me with the skin, and to Emi who helped me with the picture. Oh and yes, I will do something also--I'll be the one to put in the codes and what have you--hehehe, just so you know that I'm not totally clueless with HTML ;)

Other things I'm doing right now:

1. Reading Angels & Demons, the book that was actually written before The Da Vinci Code. I played only two games last night and spent the rest of the time (yes, while inside the badminton court) reading the book.

2. Work...Work....WORK!#$%^&* (But, I'm so fortunate to have a boss who appreciates everything I do--Ahem!)

So anyways, have a good weekend Sweetkins!

Flower Girl

2004-11-16T13:19:00.000+08:00

This picture will grace my new skin--If I get around to doing it ;)

My Co-Parent

2004-11-12T09:57:00.000+08:00

I just heard from my friend G, that her 1 y/o baby was rushed to the hospital this morning, after vomiting all-night long. And while her baby is in the hospital, she had to return to the office this morning (she works in the night shift) to fix the Philhealth documents. I could imagine that while she’s doing that, she must be worried sick as well about the condition of her baby. Much as she wants to be beside him, she also needs to arrange for these documentation. G is a single mother, by choice at that, and though her parents and siblings are surely with her through this, I’m sure that as the lone parent of the child, this must be a tough burden for her to handle.

I would have been a single mother myself. Actually, I started out as one. I had even conditioned myself well enough, that I was really prepared to take on the role. I knew I could do it, and looking back, had my hubby and I not been married, I know I could still do it. It would be tough, but I know I could make it.

In those few months that I was a single parent to our daughter, I remember having some periods of depression (post partum maybe). I was physically tired of taking care of the baby, with no yaya to help me, and consequently, my spirits were down. At that time, I remember wishing there was somebody who would share the responsibility with me.

Fast forward to the present…After hearing of G’s plight, I feel suddenly so appreciative of my hubby’s presence. And though I don’t discount the capabilities of a single-parent, I’m just grateful that I have someone to share child-rearing with. It was especially true when I was still working abroad. The hubby dutifully took all the responsibilities of a parent—bringing her to her check ups, buying her stuff (clothes, groceries, toys) and even arranging for her first birthday party. I keep on telling myself, I probably wouldn’t feel as confident to leave my baby had my hubby not been around. Even now, I would often tell him that one of us should always be with our daughter, that only one of us should be away at a time. So given a choice that I can bring him with me when I travel for work (on long term assignments), I’d probably not do it. And now that we’re together, I am equally thankful that I have somebody to share my worries, my joys, and my pains with.

Somebody who will scold our daughter when she gets too naughty and she won’t listen to me
Somebody who will rush to the drug store to buy medicine when Julie gets sick in the middle of the night or buy her diapers when they ran out
Somebody who will play with her when I am sick
Somebody who will hold her other hand while we walk in the mall
Somebody who can tell her about boys, with more “authority” than I do
Somebody who will cry with me when it’s her time to leave us (if she decides to study or work abroad)
Somebody who will walk her down the aisle, an experience I was not blessed with, when it’s time to give her away

For all these and more, I’m glad that I have the hubby, my co-parent, right beside me, to go through all these with me.

25 Ways to Bond With Your Child

2004-11-08T13:02:00.000+08:00

I woke up yesterday with catarrh running down my nose. I dismissed it to be just the usual allergy I normally have every morning. But it persisted the whole day, and I don’t recall how I got it or if I ever got exposed to someone who has it (this morning though, my friend Larah told me I might have gotten it from her). However it didn’t stop me from having a blast while playing nanny, playmate and super-mom to Her Royal Highness Princess Julianne. Yaya went on a day off and I took the opportunity to bond with my daughter. Activities started after her mid-day nap:

1. Tied her hair
2. Changed her diapers, and changed into a fresh clothes
3. Did puzzles together
4. Picked up puzzle pieces strewn all over the floor
5. Picked up books strewn all over the floor
6. Picked up more stuff (pens, drawing papers, toys, coloring books, crayons) strewn all over the floor
7. Tried to search for missing puzzle piece
8. Horsed around the room, literally
9. Watched a Sly action flick on HBO (see, I don’t mind her watching Hollywood action flicks—but please, none of those Tagalog ones)
10.Fed her a Gonuts Donut for merienda
11.Dressed her up to go to relative’s place
12.Tried to tie her hair neatly (this is NOT among my specialties)
13.Upon returning home, repeated activities 3 to 8.
14.Brushed her teeth and washed her face
15.Tied her hair once more
16.See number 13
17.Finally, I was able to convince her to go to bed
18.Changed her into her jammies
19.Applied bedtime lotion on her (hoping it would work to make her feel relaxed and sedated—hahaha)
20.Made a bottle of milk
21.Which she didn’t like (“Ayaw bago dede!)
22.Which I transferred into another bottle
23.Tried to coax her into falling asleep
24.Instead, I watched and listened to her talk and narrate all her little-world stories
25.Until I (yes, you read it right) fell asleep

I still have colds and I feel like a zombie (side story: I took no-drowse cold medication. Sleep is a most preferred way to combat colds that’s why cold medicines make one sleepy. But since I have to work today, I can’t have that option. Thus, I took the no-drowse medication. True enough, I’m not sleepy at all, but I feel like my head is floating. Whew!), but I had a wonderfully happy day yesterday anyway. I can’t wait for Yaya’s next day off.

My Morning Pals

2004-11-04T08:15:00.000+08:00

Heard at the Morning Rush:

The difference between Murder and Homicide is that the former is premeditated while the other is not. However, both constitute (wow, I love that word) the act of killing.

It's been over five years that I've been listening (on and off though) to Chico and Delamar's morning program. And I must say I haven't grown tired of them. Although I'm not an official "rusher"--as what they call their avid fans--I am one of their biggest fans. I remember that when I was still with my second job in SSIP, most of my colleagues and I would listen to the program in our respective cars, and would even send text messages to each other whenever we hear something really funny, especially on the Top 10 segment. Then we'd still talk a bit about it upon reaching the office.

What makes them click, I think, is their very natural rapport with each other. They've become good friends through the years, and hang out together even after work. Theirs is a perfect example of a "he/she can finish a sentence for me" kind of friendship.

I hope they stay on for more years--Oh, did i say I listen to hear them talk, and not because of the music--to tell us more, to make us laugh more. And I hope they don't get married, I think that will ruin everything =P

My Shitty-Day Story

2004-11-03T11:53:00.000+08:00

Addendum: I decided to put *s on some words here. Who knows people who know people who know Amo might be reading this.

I consider myself to be a fairly nice person. In fact, I would normally extend my assistance to friends or relatives or colleagues for simple tasks such as making phone calls or booking appointments and the like.

I’ve been going to weekly one-hour badminton training sessions for the past three months (and I won’t go into detail of how much I’ve improved since the start, if I did at all—hehehe). And since then, I’ve also invited a couple of people to join me. One of them is the hubby’s ****** (and sometimes with his girlfriend), who we shall refer to here as Amo (Tagalog word for “Boss”) . After our first session of training together, I took it upon myself to schedule another session for him and his girlfriend for the following week, as an act of helpfulness. I recall doing the same for him for a couple more times. Till one time, I decided not to volunteer to do it for him, and since he has not asked me to, I left it at that. I already forgot what transpired but he found out that I didn’t book a session for him, and in a sulking manner, he told me, “Jo naman, isabay mo naman ako pag nag-bu-book ka”. So in short, I went back to being my nicey nicey self, FOR HIM.

Yesterday, our trainer sent me an SMS to confirm if Amo is indeed attending his training session scheduled for last night, which I have scheduled for Amo since a week ago. So I immediately relayed the message to Amo . He replied saying, in an unaplogetic manner (in more or less these words), “Hindi ako pwede mamaya, walang driver si mommy”. Right away, I fumed mad, in the vernacular, “nagpanting ang tenga ko”. I sooooo wanted to text him and vent out my anger at him. But since I don’t want to cause any trouble with my hubby’s *********, I instead called my hubby and told him bluntly, “Pagsabihan mo yang ****** mo ha. Hindi nya ako sekretarya!”. The hubby assured me that he’ll take care of it, and that I should stop volunteering (read: spoonfeeding) to help Amo.

It frustrates me that some people are so inconsiderate. Had I not asked him, he wouldn’t even tell me that he wouldn’t show up at the appointed time. He didn’t even have the initiative to just send me a short message to request me to tell our trainer that he can’t make it. And it’s my name that’s up there on the board of the badminton court, so I had to be the one to haggle with the court management to allow me to cancel the slot, HIS SLOT. It’s also embarrassing that I had to belatedly cancel with our trainer, FOR HIM (it’s just good that he’s super nice to me).

I reiterate, I’m a nice person, and I don’t mind helping people. But don’t ever abuse my kindness. Show up when you’re supposed to, and be considerate enough to advise people when you can’t. And when I help you, I don’t need you to thank me for it. Just know how to be decent person.

The Name Game

2004-10-27T15:51:00.002+08:00

I’ve always been particular about the spelling or writing of people’s names, especially my own. I’ve written something about names before, but here I’d like to concentrate on my name.

My birth certificate indicates my first name as Aurora Maria.

I remember that when I was in grade school, I would write my name, for convenience, as Aurora Ma. Madiin ako magsulat, and therefore, I would tire easily when writing my long name. My mother noticed this, and she corrected me, and I remember her saying that “Maria” is different from “Ma.”. Such that I should use whatever is in my birth certificate because that is the correct one. And since then that’s what I have done. People would also so often make the mistake (even my own friends) of putting the second name ahead of the other, as the usual case for a name with a Maria is to put Maria ahead of the second name, to read as Maria Aurora. When that happens, I would almost immediately correct the person who made the mistake.

By virtue of birth, my family name is Lazaro. So after getting married, my middle initial is L.

And just today I realized, that when people make the mistake of writing my name to look as:

Aurora Ma. L. Santos

If read aloud, and hurriedly at that….Nyarks!

The week that was

2004-10-25T10:42:00.000+08:00

October 20, 2004

Birth of Vito. ‘nuff said

October 21, 2004

I had dinner with two of my good friends, Viv and Tin at Oody’s in Greenbelt. It was in time for Tin’s short vacation in Manila, enroute from US and before going back home to Singapore. I won’t divulge here some of the juicy stuff that we talked about over dinner—gossip about former colleagues, comparing notes about husbands, and dealing with in-laws. Sufficing to say, our voices were all hoarse after three of hours of non-stop conversation. Spending time with girl friends is tops on my list. As I told them via SMS after we parted ways, I wish we could escape from our husbands and kids more often.

A bonus treat from the night was our chance meeting with another friend, Dun, who excitedly introduced his girl, Pat, to Viv and Tin.

October 22, 2004

Another gimik with the Princess. We shopped more clothes for her—I can’t seem to get enough of those cute and affordable stuff at SM Makati. Btw, it has already opened it’s newly renovated floors, providing more space for shoppers. We also bought more fish at Bio-Research to add to our aquarium. Afterwards, we met up with the hubby’s cousins for dinner at Café Bola in Greenbelt. I had this really sumptuous pasta with tomatoes, danggit flakes and kesong puti. Yummy…Will definitely go back for that. The Princess was all too happy to have been able to mingle with the adults again. Sa Greenbelt pa!

October 24, 2004

We attended the baptism of Rafael Pio at Sanctuario de San Antonio, and I had the honor of being asked to be one of her godmothers. It was another reunion with my highschool barkada. Marion’s gang was incomplete as she didn’t bring Gabe and Sophie in tow—Too bad, I would have loved to make “gigil” (hug real tight) of those two tabaching-ching kids of hers. Pio was very well-behaved and if he did cry, he did it very meekly, almost quietly. Daddy Red and Mommy Jonet looked really blissful—though Daddy was a bit harassed in the beginning because it was difficult to find parking in the church. The hubby was tasked to shoot the video of the ceremony (he had RSI from holding the cam for 21 long minutes!--teehee). At the reception, I saw more highschool friends, some of whom I haven’t seen in a really long time. Food at the reception was plentiful, and very delicious too. The Princess, was also well behaved and ate her food without too much coaxing from Yaya. For her prize, we allowed her to play around with the other kids. It’s so amazing to see her try to mingle and socialize with the older kids. She’s really growing up.

After the party, we went to Yonex Badminton to catch the last two games of the Xtreme Dream Team at the National Inter-Club Platinum Badminton Cup. Our team played well, but we didn’t make it to the cross over. Sidelight of the event: The Princess acquired my habit while watching badminton matches—eating non-stop!

Before finally calling it a day, we went to our priest-friend’s parish to have Vito blessed. Father Ariel generously poured the Holy Water over Vito…and over everyone of us. The princess was so surprised being sprinkled with Holy Water that she started wailing and crying. Father thought she was scared of his balding head. Hahaha.

It was such a tiring day, and the hubby was declared the over-all winner as he fell asleep shortly after 6pm. I came in second at 730pm. And I found out that the Princess came in the last place, having fallen asleep at 815pm.

Today, I am re-energized, and raring to battle in yet another hectic work-week. Ciao!

This Boy

2004-10-21T10:58:00.000+08:00

Please welcome our new baby boy, Vito.

Born to Papa, Mama and Princess on the 20th of October 2004 at a quarter before six in the evening.

His color is of a healthy red orange. His body is robust and burly. He glides smoothly and runs swiftly.

Papa is just so proud of him and loves him to pieces. He stayed out at the garage till almost eleven last night just to gaze at him, and woke up at four this morning to give him his first bath. After bringing me to the office, he took Vito to the shop so that they could choose some clothes and accessories for him.

I’m just so happy to have him in our lives.

P.S.
Vito means “life” in Italian. We wanted a name that is not only nice sounding, but meaningful as well.

Waiting in anticipation (tick...tick...tick...)

2004-10-20T14:24:00.000+08:00

Less than two hours to go…

This is the first big purchase we’ve ever made, coming in second is our wedding (of which we’re left with wedding rings, photos, and a wedding gown I won’t get to use again—hahaha).

And for a mid-income earner like myself and my hubby, having one under own own name , well it’s under the bank’s name first for the first five years, and more so, paying it with our own hard-earned money, is such a wonderful feat.

Having been involved actively in the selection process, and after repeatedly hounding our agent, finally getting HIM is a fulfillment of our dreams and hard work.

So wish us luck…for the rest of years ahead.

She's back!!!

2004-10-19T08:58:00.000+08:00

A truly breathtaking sight welcomed me as I entered our office pantry this morning. Our espresso machine is back!!! You would probably wonder why this excites me. I’m a coffee addict, and I’m very particular about the taste of my coffee. Our espresso machine has been indisposed for the past two weeks, and I had to endure the very bad taste of poorly brewed coffee. Starbucks was a definite no-no because I could not afford 500 pesos per week on coffee (no way Jose, I don’t even spend on lunch!). And I’d rather take water than drink instant coffee—instant coffee is only for out-of-town trips.

I’m now drinking my freshly grounded coffee…Ahhh….Can anything be better than this?

Now I can heave a sigh of relief.

I love what this says about me =)

2004-10-13T16:47:00.000+08:00

Your Icecream Flavour is...Chocolate!

You are the all time favorite, chocolate! Turning white kids black since the 1800s. Staining carpets, car seats, and bed sheets for centuries. One thing is for sure, you will never go out of style. You can't go wrong with chocolate!

What is your Icecream Flavour?

Find out at Go Quiz

Credits to Tina's blog

So Long...THART

2004-10-12T13:27:00.000+08:00

Today the hubby said goodbye to his old flame...His beloved '92 GTI Lancer, who he lovingly calls THART (despite my violent objections). THART has served him well and has been a good ally for the last seven years.

THART has also been a good buddy to me this past year. I did fall in love with that car and I'm sad that we had to let go of her. I didn't even get to say goodbye properly, as the buyer wanted to have her right away.

I just hope that whoever gets to own THART will take care of her, as much as the hubby took good care of her.

Now, take a look at our new baby. We're having her next week. More updates then.

And now we pause for another announcement

2004-10-11T11:14:00.000+08:00

~~CAR FOR SALE~~
~~Please read the details on my sideboard.~~

SOLD!

Another one in the bag

2004-10-11T07:30:00.000+08:00

I just want to congratulate my hubby and Dr. Steve for being the Men's Doubles champs at the Life Management Cup held yesterday at South Smash.

Watching the two of you battle and win all your games was all worth the eight hour wait. You two make a great doubles partners.

And, thanks for the tapsilog treat!

Good luck in the Adidas tourney.

Rebuttal to the Triangle of Life

2004-10-11T06:58:00.000+08:00

In my inbox today is an email sent by our organization's GM, citing the official stand of the company on the theory called "Triangle of Life". This is in response to the huge swarm of response to the earthquake last month, wherein another email, unofficial that is, circulated within the organization regarding the claims of a certain Doug Copp that the best safety procedure during the earthquake is the principle of Triangle of Life.

Here's what the rebuttal says:

According to the American Red Cross, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in conjunction with the State of California Office of Emergency Services, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the National Disaster Education Council, and many, many other authoritative sources, the best action to take during an earthquake is to “drop, cover, and hold on.” Specifically, this means to get down on the floor or ground, get under cover such as a sturdy table or desk, and hold on to that furniture so that you remain under it and protected from debris that falls from above. If no desk or table is available, sit on the floor with your back to a wall (avoiding glass, such as windows, as best you can), bring up your knees, drop your head and cover your neck and head with your arms. Do not attempt to enter or exit a building until all shaking has stopped.

An article was circulated recently concerning an alternate approach to earthquake safety called “triangle of life.” The concept behind this approach is that it is safer to be in a “void” space – between large pieces of furniture – than underneath them. The person who developed this concept and is quoted repeatedly in the article has extremely questionable credentials and has used inaccurate data extensively in his quest to publicize his ideas. His claims have led to a lawsuit and now even a proposed investigation for his having possibly defrauded the 9/11 victim’s fund.

Back to Doug Copp, it may interest you to read articles from ABQjournal and Shortnews.com that dispute his credibility.

Moral of the story? Don't believe every email you read. Check and verify.

Di Na Ako ang Lab ni Papa

2004-10-08T16:55:00.000+08:00

Earlier, I sent a text message to my hubby suggesting that we bring the Princess for a haircut later during our fortnightly family gimik. I called him just now to ask their whereabouts. We got to talk about the haircut.

Hubby: Ayoko pa sya pagupitan.

Me: Eh mahaba na. Pag naka-pigtail, ang haba na.

Hubby: Gusto ko sa kanya mahaba buhok.

Me: Eh bakit ako ayaw mo mahaba buhok ko?

Hubby: Eh si Julie manipis ang buhok. Ikaw pangit ang buhok mo

Me: Ganon?

Hubby: Ikaw pag mahaba buhok mo para kang si Simba.

Line went dead...

Straight From the Babe's Mouth

2004-10-08T10:08:00.000+08:00

This morning, while Yaya was changing the Princess' nappies, the precocious child said:

"Baby...Brother....Want."

Wala na yata akong takas.

My Military Connection

2004-10-07T11:08:00.000+08:00

I was supposed to write this really long story about why I took the day off yesterday and what happened to us at the badminton court on Tuesday night. But no, I think you’ll all be bored by that.

So let me just tell you, briefly (I will try!!!), what happened that night, until the wee hours of the morning after.

Characters:

AA – victim
MG – suspect
AM – negotiator

A kleptomaniac struck at Badminton Xtreme, the poor victim being my cousin in law, AA, who lost his XDA, his wallet containing around 7,000 pesos, and, worst of all, his wedding ring (worth xx,xxx.xx). The suspect, MG, was not a regular player with our group, but rather a walk-in who didn’t have a group to play with that night. MG introduced himself to the hubby and befriended him, and he was seated very near AA’s bag. To MG’s misfortune, another player in our group knows him from the naval base, and so we found out his real name, and also discovered that he is already notorious for petty thefts, even victimizing his own friends. Since he had already left the court when the theft was discovered, we made several calls to our contacts in the military—AA’s group used to play at the Villamor Airbase, so our connections abound. One of our informants pinpointed that MG used to hang around at Commodore M’s house. The heavens must have been smiling down at us, Commodore M is my uncle!!! So I immediately called my cousin (the commodore’s son), AM, and we all proceeded to his house to discuss the problem. He confirmed that indeed, MG has been a suspect in so many petty thefts among his group of friends, his basketball teammates and in other badminton courts. There is even one complaint that has already been filed with the police. AM called up his friends who filed that complaint and asked them to come to over to his house. They told us all the gory details of what MG does and suggested that we file the complaint as well. None of them has been able to retrieve their lost items though and according to them, MG, who hides under his father’s position (a colonel), has vehemently denied the accusations. But nonetheless, they recommended that we formally file our complaint so that all our cases will collaborate against him. And so we went to the police station inside Fort Bonifacio. The lone ranger there probably had nothing else to do, so he really took time in interviewing AA and the rest of the guys who went with us. It was already past 12 midnight and by this time, my cellphone has long been dead. It was already almost 2 am when the police interview finally finished (for posterity’s sake, I took a picture of my first visit at the police station).

And so we drove home, empty and frustrated. Feeling bored, I decided to try to turn my phone on. Immediately, I received a text message, from AM, time stamped at 1230 am. He said that he sent a text message to MG to ask him to please return the items he stole. And immediately after, I received another text message from AM, time stamped at 130 am, saying that MG left the XDA and wedding ring at his porch. And so we rushed back to AM’s house and there he told us what happened while we were at the police station. He said that he had a long talk with MG over the phone. AM confronted MG, telling him that he is being suspected of taking AA’s belongings. At first he denied the allegations, but he was dumbfounded when AM told him that one of the players in our group identified him. And what did it for us was the words AM used, “Pare, di ka ba nahihiya sa akin, tinalo mo pati pinsan ko!”. And being a good negotiator that AM was, MG agreed to return the XDA (which was of no use to him anyway as it has been blocked already) and the wedding ring, leaving it at AM’s porch. Reportedly, he has also left his house for fear of being accosted by the police. Thankful as we all were, we asked AM to further try to ask for at least the driver’s license back. WE all went home, at almost 3 am, feeling somewhat relieved and grateful for our good fortune. It pays to have connections =).

As of yesterday afternoon, AM was also able to retrieve the wallet, with all cards intact, but of course the money is gone. AA doesn’t care about the money anymore and in fact, he is willing to refer a good psychiatrist for MG. AA has a good heart for him still.

Now you may ask why MG agreed to return the items thru AM, while he strongly denies his other friends’ allegations against him. There’s only one answer to that…AM is a Commodore’s son. MG is ONLY a Colonel’s son. End of story.

An amusing sight

2004-10-07T08:20:00.000+08:00

Seen along EDSA-Pasay....

Inserted between the numerous tarpaulin streamers of SMART welcoming Jasmine Trias (I love her smiling eyes!), another person tries to steal the show:

Welcome Home Jasmine
(big portrait photo)
Mayor Peewee Trinidad

Check it out! It's such a funny sight.

PS Baka mag-reklamo ang mga tiga-Pasay...Ginamit ang kaban ng bayan para magpagawa ng tarpaulin streamer na ang katuwa-tuwang mukha lang ng mayor nila ang nakalagay.

The Letter H

2004-10-05T17:00:00.000+08:00

I find it irritating when names are inserted inappropriately with the letter “h”. I’m not sure how this originated in the Pinoy culture, but I surely find it in bad taste. It’s like desecrating one’s name. Here are a few examples:

Jho or JhoJho (inulit pa!) – referring to me, written on the lunch pack i order

Thess – my cousin intentionally inserted it in her nickname, but honestly, Teresa looks good to me (which is her name in her birth certificate)

Bhoy – how do you pronounce this? Buh-hoy?

Thom – short for Thomas, as some of my officemates would like to address our American boss (if I were him, I would be totally pissed)

Jhon, Nhoy, Rhoy, Mhike…The list could go on and on.

There should be a bill in Congress, to prohibit the indiscriminate inserting of the letter H in names or to fine people for advertently “murdering” other people’s names.

On the contrary, the hubby’s name is Christopher, and yes, the 2 H’s should really be there. It irks me when people, for the sake of convenience, drop it off. Or when people try to be cute and spell his name with a K for Kristoper. Geez…Is there anything more jologs than that?

Valentine Babies

2004-10-05T16:27:00.000+08:00

...Because the people I'll mention below were conceived sometime around the month of February. The hubby and I have lots of relatives who are celebrating their birth anniversaries this month. I was even kidding him that it could be possible that our next baby will be conceived in February, as our timeline of implementation (NAKS, so I.T.!) starts in December. Anyway, here is our birthday roll:

My relatives:

1 - My Dad (God bless his soul!)
5 - pretty cousin Lorie and nephew Paulo
10 - Ate Luz and little Nina
11 - Tita Tessie
13 - cousin Anne
~~plus 2 more pamangkins, Juancho and Nina, whose exact birth days I can't recall anymore. Sowee sweetkins~~

Hubby's relatives:

8 - twins Tita Connie and Tita Aida
10 - Ninong Jess
14 - ever beautiful Tita Enn
16 - ever generous cousin Kristelle
18 - cousin Reynold
20 - cousin Brian

Happy Birthday to you all!!! You have our best wishes for more health, happiness and money!!!

...And then there's sadness

2004-10-04T16:05:00.000+08:00

I cannot fathom how a mother feels, knowing that she’s on the brink of death. I could not imagine how I would comfort my young child while telling her that I would soon be gone. I don’t know how I could come to terms with the fact that I would move on and leave my child motherless.

These are my thoughts, after hearing news that Rio Diaz, has succumbed to her 6-year battle with cancer.

God bless her soul. And may He bless the loved ones left behind.

Happy Monday!

2004-10-04T06:58:00.000+08:00

Things are looking up today. I finally got off my procastination spell last Friday and was able to start with the CATT scripts for the Upgrade Project. I'm feeling very positive today that I could get on with the rest of the work I have to do for the project.

It's also very nice to be welcomed by emails and blog comments after a weekend hiatus. And I'd like to thank you all one by one:

Emi - You still owe me from your own regularization last Feb. Quits tayo! =)

Ate Dalsa - I'm not sure who's older between the 2 of us--hehe--but Kei calls you Ate, so I might as well. Surely, your Pablo is a looker himself. Let's hook them together!

Mike - Thanks! Good luck with your project as well.

Chris - When is it your turn to make an announcement?

Kei - Dearie, many thanks! Have I said that meeting you last week was the highlight of the 1st half of my week? Hope to see you soon!

I had a whole day headache (or was it migraine) yesterday. Even my bestfriend, the Advil, proved to be ineffective. As a last resort, I had to put on White Flower oil (and smelled like a "lola"). The Princess was all hyper and bubbly, and I really tried painstakingly to be a lively and energetic playmate. But alas, my headache got the better of me. But I do remember, while I was drifting in and out of sleep, she would come to me and would give me a kiss. She did that many times. What a really sweet girl!

I still feel a bit heady this morning, but then again, my spirits are very high. I just know that I'll surely get through this day, and with flying colors at that!

Gift from Above

2004-10-01T09:04:00.000+08:00

Today, October 1, 2004, marks my first day as a regular employee with the company, after being a contractor for a year. It’s an answered prayer, not only for me, but for my family as well. It has a provided us a more stable perspective of the near future.

More importantly, today also marks what would have been my Dad’s 59th birth anniversary. Words are not enough to express my gratitude to him for being a great dad. He was all that a good Dad should be. I miss him a lot.

And he’s still being a dad, 8 years after he passed a way. Though today is his birthday, he was the one who gave me a gift. He must have whispered my prayers to the rest of the angels in heaven.

I love you Dad. Happy Birthday!

On Ring Tones

2004-09-30T15:54:00.000+08:00

Ok, I just can’t resist writing another one…And postponing my more important tasks.

A person’s cellphone ring tone describes or characterizes her (I’m using “her” because I’m a woman, ok!). It speaks a lot about what the person is like, more specifically, on the kind of music she likes and her taste in life, in general.

I’d like to tell you about the ring tones I hear around the office. Most of us put our phones on silent mode while at work, so that we won’t have to be bothered by the continuous beeping and ringing. But there are those who still do keep them on, and I’d like to make fun of them here (I’m sooooo baaaaadddd!):

How Did You Know
The owner of the phone is our external consultant who is a mother of a 4th year high school student. Yes, I did watch the movie from which that theme was taken, but I wouldn’t be caught dead with that ring tone on my phone--eeeww! Btw, she’s also wearing braces, yes, at her age. Nagmumurang kamatis na nanay--trying to be Jologs like her daughter, probably.

Batman Theme (tananananan…Batman!)
The owner of the phone is our SOX auditor. In between scolding and bitching about “us”, the auditees, she endlessly talks on the phone with her brokers about her numerous investments. Errrr, I can’t seem to make a connection here. I’m not sure what the Batman Theme is for. She’s single and probably wants to be taken. Ah…Baka crush nya si Bruce Wayne.

Pamela-Wan
This one is my favorite of all. The owner holds one of the most high profile jobs in the company. She travels in and out of the country, week in and week out, to exciting destinations like South Africa. I used to envy her position and thought she was one classy lady. Hearing her ring tone gave me a good laugh. Well, she could just be promoting the Pinoy music culture to the countries she visits.

For my closing remarks, let me tell you about an ex-colleague who was from Malaysia. I felt a mix of pride and amusement when I heard the song “Anak” by Freddie Aguilar on his phone as his ring tone. He said he likes the song very much.

Post-wedding to do and more

2004-09-30T14:41:00.000+08:00

I finally received the CD of photos from our wedding as shot by one of our unofficial photographers, “kuya” Raymund Marcelo (can’t do the link cos I think his site is already ouddated). Our coordinator, Manny, has kept it for over a year. He must really have loved doing our wedding so much—heeheehee—as much as the hubby and I loved everything he did. And I also finally followed it up with him (read: kinulit) because a friend is coming up with a wedding site business and he wants our wedding to be a sampler.

Anyway, I’m in the process of uploading everything at Ofoto.com. Next project, wedding scrap book.

Postscript:
This brings me to the realization that Manny is the first queer dear friend I ever had. And it’s such a coincidence that I’m also reading (and enjoying) a lot of blogs created by queer people =)

Barangay ERP COE

2004-09-29T16:54:00.000+08:00

The ERP COE boys (a.k.a. Team Philippines) won their basketball match against Team California. No, mind you, the players don’t come from the geographic location they represent, the teams were just named after the geographical entities that our organization services.

The score was a shameful 25 and an even more shameful 16 for Team California. The loser in the 2nd game (Team Asia-Pacific) even scored higher than our team, with 28 points. Here are a few of alibis that they could possibly come up with:

1. Age. Most of the players in our team are already past their prime in playing basketball. They run less, shoot less accurately, and as what they would admit to, like Barangay Ginebra, “mananakit na lang kami”. That’s why, three of our players came home with injuries.

2. According to the team captain, good defense means lower scoring. Yeah right! I think he forgot that the low scoring theory should only apply to the opposing team.

On their way to tonight’s game, I asked them to try to score better than last night. They’re playing against Team Asia-Pacific. Say, if basing only on last night’s scores of our team against our opponent tonight, who do you think would win?

Pigging-Out, Spanish style

2004-09-28T14:09:00.000+08:00

Today’s team lunch is one that I particularly enjoyed, out of the 3 or 4 that I already had since joining the group. One reason could be because I was the one who made the suggestion--which means I DO have good taste.=P I initially recommended Una Mas in Greenbelt 2. However, as an after thought, I recalled my hubby’s story about his eating spree in Alba Restaurante in Tomas Morato and finally suggested to the team that we eat at the Bel-Air branch of Alba instead. And it was a good decision indeed. Not only was the food better, there were also more choices (and lest I make your mouths water, I would refrain from mentioning the menu) and the buffet price was also cheaper. The ambience of the restaurant was also great—cozy and light--just perfect for a casual and friendly lunch among office colleagues.

We all came back to the office with very satisfied taste buds and tummies. However, we’re now too lazy to do the rest of the day’s work. I could doze off anytime now (I described my current state as similar to “having only 4 hours of sleep and then having a few bottles of beer the day after”).

Right now is the best time to lie in bed, under immaculately clean sheets, in a cold hotel room. Sweet dreams, mi amigos, mi amigas!

Love thought for the day

2004-09-27T09:22:00.000+08:00

Read this at Joe D' Mango's column at the Sunday Inquirer:

"the person who will love us even if there is no more reason to do so is the one meant for us"

Grabe, pareng Joe, ang bigat ha...It is so thought-provoking. I wonder what song he used for this over at the radio broadcast.

Girlfriends' day

2004-09-27T07:43:00.000+08:00

I've had this lingering and persistent feeling since the weekend...I miss my girl friends!

I miss calling Jonet anytime I need a quick and sound advice...She's too busy tending to her new-born that I deem I would be too bothersome to her now.

I miss visiting Larah in her cube, or sending her an instant message whenever something bothers me. It's too costly for us to have a conversation now, what with the IDD charges. I'm eagerly looking forward to her return a month from now.

I sometimes get a chance to have a quick chat with Marix, if time zone differences and her workload allow us. I miss having those long deep talks where we analyze everything (as in everything).

And then there's Tin, who I frequently get in touch with through the internet, but there's nothing like the warm presence of her friendship and those really comforting hugs.

Not to forget Viv--the one who'd give calm to my storms in life. She has, at oftentimes, been my shock absorber. She's the one who'd always give me hope and say "It's going to be ok".

Plus a few more others, who are either married, with kids, too busy with work, migrated to another country...We haven't lost touch, but it's just that we have different priorities now, that we can't be together as much as we did before.

My fondest wish now is that I'd get to spend a day with each of them, just to tell them how much I miss them, to cry and laugh with them, to reminisce about the good times (and bad) and to renew the bonds of friendship and sisterhood.

Women indeed need girl (women) friends to get through life.

The Weirdness of You

2004-09-23T08:48:00.000+08:00

I'm on a roll. This is my third blog on "lists" in a row. I love lists, I love creating lists. It helps me organize my day and my life. But that is not what I want to write about today.

I'd like to share here somethings about my hubby. After a year and four months and thirteen days of being married to this man (Note: I was tempted to say "hunk of a man"-mwehehehehe), I discovered in him a number of odd and funny habits and ways.

1. He uses tissue paper to rub against his teeth in the absence of toothbrush, especially in restaurants. I find myself doing the same thing from time to time.

2. He has to remove all his clothing when doing No. 2 in the bathroom.

3. He prefers to sleep near the edge of the bed, rather than beside me. He says he gets too overwhelmed with the very large space when he stays in the middle.

4. He rubs his eyes for about 1 to 2 minutes after waking up. The Princess inherited this habit as well—it’s so funny to watch them doing it together.

5. He still applies baby powder to his face to freshen up.

6. He wears his most recently bought clothes week in and week out, as opposed to applying the FIFO method. I always warn him that his clothes would depreciate faster if he insists on choosing his attire in that way.

7. He asks me to do some mental calculations. When I give him the answer, he double checks by doing the computation in his phone calculator. He probably doesn’t trust accountants.

8. He perspires even when he’s just standing in a corner, and only on the right side of his body.

9. He combs his hair even when he’s already about to sleep. He says he might meet Diana Zubiri in his dreams and so he has to look good.

These are what I could come up with now, but I'll add more as I discover more. Isn't married life full of discoveries?

The Joys of Living Alone

2004-09-22T11:10:00.000+08:00

It’s been almost a year since I returned from Jakarta (September 28, 2003 to be exact), after a three year period of living by myself. Don’t get me wrong dear friends…I love being back home in Manila. There are just certain things that I miss about my used to be life. So here goes my list:

Reading books! This is one thing that I haven’t done in MONTHS. I have lots of new books that I haven’t even browsed thru yet. The Princess stays in our room, so when it’s her bedtime, we have no choice but to turn off the lights and leave a night light on, which is a bit dim for me to be able to read. And besides, once I take out a book to read, she’ll want to do the same with her picture books and not go to sleep.
Watch any TV show I want. I used to be up to date with the episodes of Amazing Race, Survivor, CSI and Alias, and watched Star World every single night (plus The Bold and The Beautiful 3-hour marathon every Saturday morning-hehehe). Now, I have to contend with either the Princess watching Shrek2/Finding Nemo/Barney DVDs for the nth time or with the hubby watching PBO movies (how jologs), PBA and NBA or shows at the Kapamilya channel. I would be lucky if I could catch Queer Eye for the Straight Guy on Monday evenings.
Eat anything I want at anytime I want, or not eat at all. I can just order pizza, the whole box just for myself (another hehehe). Or I can just cook some canned stuff to eat with rice. Since we have to get the Princess used to eating with us at the dining table, I have no choice but to eat breakfast and dinner, even if I’m not hungry. And, the hubby also doesn’t miss his meals at home.
If I am in no mood to talk, I can do so. I can frown whenever I want to. I’m not a moody person by nature, and I can easily be pleasing to other people. But there are moments when I just want to be a grouch.
Walk around the house in my undies. I used to stay in a high-rise condo, with an open air view, and nobody can see me, even if I’m just in my birthday suit.
Sleep anytime I want, without the hubby asking me, “Natutulog ka na naman?”
My 30-minute prayer time before going to bed. I feel guilty now that sometimes I even forget to say a small prayer before sleeping. Having a hectic work load, spending quality time with the Princess and taking care of the hubby is surely exhausting, such that once my body touches the bed, it’s like there’s an automatic button that switches me off.

However, nothing probably beats the bliss of being with my family, of going home and finding a little girl running towards you to hug you, and of a welcome kiss and hug from the man of your life. As I kept on telling my friends, my family is more than worthy of my decision to come home, for good.