"us" time

i am happy that jude and i are now going out regularly as a couple ONLY; no preschooler to chase and no infant to carry. we do this two times a month as my 20-year old cousin stays with us every other sunday to get her allowance for school. i always seize this opportunity since we really don't like leaving the kids with our househelp especially at nigh, there must always be a relative around.

we're usually away for two to three hours and  must be back before midnight as experience taught us that theo wakes up around this time and cries incessantly when am not around, making me only guilty over our pleasure date, which should not be the case since jude and i really need a break from them. we don't go far anyway. our rule is our 'dating ground' should only be 15 mins. away from home and this only allows us to watch a movie in the nearest mall along pasong tamo or chill out in a bar which is actually many near our house.

the last date or gimmick we had was two sundays ago and jude brought me to a grill and bar along jupiter st. which is only 5 mins away from our house, if traffic is light and flowing. and should i say that we had a great time! too bad that am strill restricted from drinking booze or liquors (as if i was a tomadera before. hehehe) because i still nurse theo.

this only made me miss my pre-wedding days when jude and i didn't care at all for babies and breastmilk. we enjoyed pretty much our single days since the mountaineering group we belong in is very active in gimmicks and drinking sprees... 'di ba jah and mareng lui? hehehe.

 

random thoughts

i terribly miss blogging here in multiply. i realized that the last entries i made were mostly updates on theo's development. it’s not because i had nothing else to share other than his progress every month... there's a LOT actually... but because i really can’t find time to blog. with two kids now to take care of and a house to maintain, you can guess that am already wasted at the end of the day.

 

other internet sites are also stealing away some of my precious time and it’s always that multiply is one of the last sites i visit whenever i have the time to be online. tsk, tsk. oh well, i think am not the only one who takes this site for granted as i have observed that there are only a few people (except for the vendors) now who post here unlike in other network sites such as facebook... agree? ;-)

 

***

new year, new plans. we made some plans for 2010 but quite disappointingly we already dropped one of these and that’s the purchase of another house, which we’re hoping is just near jude’s office. we're only renting a flat as of now and with the lease contract expiring this march, our intention was to transfer to an abode which we can also own later on. we were dead-serious before with the house-hunting, searched high and low for a property that fits our requirement and budget. in fact, we were already talking with some brokers until we made a last-minute decision to ditch this plan as we don’t want to be overburdened with amortization payments this year. hopefully next year when jude can already avail of his company’s housing loan facility since this will help us save a substantial amount in getting another house. but for the next 12 months, we will continue renting a place within makati while we lease the one in cabuyao...

 

yes, you read it right… we are going to keep our home sweet cabuyao home! iñigo is the happiest among us. :)

 

***

since there’s no additional mortgage expense for this year, i told jude that we put whatever money we can save for our future, particularly for our retirement. we already started with the kids’ college education fund so i think it’s high time that we save up for our old age since it’s just two to three decades from now and while we are not yet spending for tuitions.  we know our kids love us and they won’t neglect us when we’re already old and wrinkled but i still wish not to become a burden to them when that time comes. 

 

…and if we still can, why not build a dream fund so a US or europe trip will also become a reality? hmm.. :)

 

***

aside from being active on blogging this year, i also want to pursue some income-generating activities, or can i just call them rakets? i already thought of something but i can't start with it yet as i still don't have a spare time. hopefully when we already transfered to a bigger place and we can already employ a full-time and stay-in househelp. but in between now and then, i just have to live with my 24/7 job as a homemaker, everything you can think of rolled into one. hahaha!

 

 

for the thomasians out there... do you know or remember this place?

almers canteen, where the sizzling steaks taste so good and the gravy is the best!

jude had heard of this canteen from me many times, and i also made sure that he will have a taste of my favorite sizzling spareribs that's why when opportunity permits, we dine out here. the last time we ate here was two weeks ago while on our way to jose abad santos in manila and i was surprised when jude asked me if i want to drop by almers... op kors!

this canteen fed me for the last four years of stay (that's college) in ust as i had no idea it exist when i was still in its high school. my college friends and i used to eat here every week or sometime, 3x a week! yes, that's how addicting their gravy is... yummy talaga! paging leah... alam ko nakakatatlong cups ka ng gravy nila... hahaha!

hope to eat in almer's more often, it not only satisfies my craving for their spareribs steak but just sitting inside this canteen brings back fond memories of my college days. =)

 

 

 

 

 

embracing SAHM-hood

i already left the work force since sunday… yes, sunday, 31^st of may, since my company still had an event that day in megamall and i was expected to be there. but starting yesterday, i am already a full-fledged stay-at-home mom and a full-time homemaker, a noble job because it’s a 24 hour job but without any pay. but still, i took the plunge.

 

i can say that this decision was backed up with a lot of courage and some of you may know that this was long overdue. i wanted to resign even early this year but i could not as we’re not yet ready then and i was not also allowed by my boss. but pregnancy came and i had more reasons to leave my work and concentrate first on my number one duty, which is to take care of my kids (iñigo and the baby inside me). aside from that is my failure until now to find a full-time helper and/or nanny though am not really interested to find one, hehe, still praning to leave over iñigo with just a stranger. and am not a superwoman, i cannot juggle parenting, house chores, and work without feeling dead-tired every night.

 

but i know it’s not a popular decision as the trend nowadays is both the husband and the wife are working. i always had to explain to my boss who happened to be working mom why i wanted to stop working for the meantime. i had to tell her that it would not make me less of a woman if i ask money for a lipstick from a husband. there were also those who raised their brows or sighed in disapproval over my decision as they were afraid that i’ll just be another dependent of jude but i didn’t mind. the husband’s role is to provide anyway and though society now dictates that the wife should also earn money an unemployed wife doesn’t mean she’s the lazy, incompetent, and good-for-nothing wife. damn… why do i have to tell all these??? hahaha.

 

oh, i’ll just rest with the fact that this decision is a mutual decision between me and jude.

 

my father was not also keen on the idea that i just stay at home as i could no longer use what i learned from school. i get his sentiments as he and my mother really made an extra effort to send me to good schools and i even had an mba degree to boot. but as i’ve said, this is only temporary and i hope when the time comes that am ready to work again the corporate world will still take me in. but if not, i would gladly accept my fate and find something worthwhile (and hopefully lucrative too) to do in other fields. my life doesn’t stop with having an 8-5 job.

three years of marital bliss and still counting

before i post the photos which would tell how we spent our third wedding anniversary (in advance), which am sure you know was spent somewhere again, i'd just like to announce that this day, 8 october 2008, marked jude and i's THIRD WEDDING ANNIVERSARY... yihee!

nothing grand was planned to celebrate the day of our union; no fancy dinner, no hotel accommodation, no concert or movie date... our activity tommorow maybe just a walk around the subdivision, or dvd movies marathon perhaps, things that take a little effort and money to do but we end up wondering why it's only done once in a blue moon, like anniversaries. we just want to have the realization that we can still enjoy each other's company without the frills and hefty sums; that we can still find romance in our own house amid the never-ending problems in our household and stress brought by an uber-active kiddo; and that we can make simple acts gestures of our love and care for one another.

why am i saying all these? because am sure that the years ahead of us will find us busier and more stressed, but i just want to make sure that the love and affection which bind us together three years ago are still there...

and i hope that everyday in our married life, it is felt.

samu't sari

my boss called me this morning to inform me that the venue of our conference early next year is no longer in shangri-la mactan. either i have it changed to shangi-la makati or tagaytay highlands, but definitely shangri-la mactan is already out of the picture because it is logistically unwise to hold the event there according to the sponsors. this is a sad news for me as i'm really looking forward to set foot on this 5-star hotel-resort in cebu for free, and i just have to pay for iñigo and jude, and probably my mom's (who will tend iñigo for me) airfare and accommodation.

but that was it. now we have a strong reason to push the other trip we're planning next year.

but i'm quite thrilled that tagaytay highlands is my boss' next option after shangri-la mactan as jude and iñigo haven't been there yet and i want them to have the chance to see it as the place is really lovely. and if i may add, it's only 30-minutes away from our house. =)

***

we have our hands full right now for next month's events. first in the list is our wedding anniversary so we're again preparing for an out-of-town trip, which we do every year. next is an (jude's younger brother) and rozunne's wedding on the 12th so we're quite busy preparing for our attire (AS IF...!), especially iñigo's as he'll be an extra bible-bearer to his ninong an's wedding. =D we wanted to throw a shower for the weds-to-be but we're not really sure when to do it as we will come back from our trip by 8th, our anniversary date, so we're in the dark with regard to this. add more to my stress is the visit of some important people from our number one company-client on the 9th and 10th.

but what's most stressful of all is when i found out that there's a big, big, big (more than 50% off?) sale of guess, mossimo, and mango items in the afternoon of 10th, it's only a one-time affair so i have to be there!!!

***

are male kids really uber-kulit? iñigo is right now and i sometimes end up in tears (no exaggeration here) as i am torn between reprimanding him or just letting him be since being naughty is in his nature as a two-year old. he's a very strong-willed kid and i am not sure if it's a positive or a negative trait for him. i'm nursing a bruise in my hips right now as while i'm sitting on a stool this morning, iñigo pulled it out as he intended to use it as a platform so he can get his toys above the cabinet, which i purposely put because once everything is in his reach... hay, CHAOS!

***

did you try googling your name? i did just this morning as i wanted to know what others will find out about me when they tried to key in my maiden name in google. it's my long-lost-but-found-now friend in college, jeanette, who told me yesterday while we're chatting that she googled my name in her effort to touchbase with me. siempre, napraning ako! hahaha.

there are only two entries for my name; one is mentioned in the website of national statistics coordination board as one of the reports i prepared for their office while i was still with department of trade and industry is posted there. but i laughed when i saw my job title as it's typed, "trade and tourism development specialist". hehehe. kelan pa nag-merge and DTI and DOT (tourism department)? my name is also mentioned in energy regulatory commission's (ERC) webpage for those who have cases with meralco back in 2001. to make it clear huh, i was the one, on behalf of my parents, who filed a case against meralco thru ERC because we received a billing statement which charged us php 30,000+ in amount. to make the story short, i won the case and i made myself popular in its kamagong branch. hahahaha.

i tried to search jude's name in google but there's zero result... hinde s'ya sikat. hehe.

***

TGIF, and we have a busy weekend ahead of us as we're going up north...

of metro manila. =)

when it rains, it pours... and traffic and flood come along

...and you can expect that only in the philippines, in metro manila to be exact. we were there this afternoon (for those who still don't know, we already live here in cabuyao, laguna) as jude had an official business with DENR in roxas blvd. we went along as i also wanted to secure copies of iñigo's birth certificate from NSO and to pay my contribution with SSS. but before we proceeded with our plans, we dropped first our little boy in jude's parents' house in vito cruz so we don't have to worry about him and his nap time.

i left jude in DENR at 2:00 p.m. and just took the cab going to NSO's branch in macapagal ave. (reclamation area) and boy, traffic was already heavy that time! i reached NSO at 3:00 p.m. and to my dismay, the office is already closed. i was told by the guards that malacañang already announced ealy that afternoon that government employees can already go home by 2:00 p.m. because of heavy rain. waaah! to think that i even paid php 130 for my taxi fare just to get there!

so i left the NSO premises and rode a trike going to buendia, and paid php 20 btw for my fare. fortunately, (the only fortunate incident i had) buses abound along buendia so going to cash and carry, where jude and i agreed to meet, was never a problem.

the flow of traffic was heavier this time and if not for the movie of jackie chan that's being played on the dvd inside that bus i could have already died of boredom. it was already past 4:00 p.m. when the bus reached the corner of bautista st. (former dian st.) and to my horror, the entire area of bautista-filmore was flooded! i didn't see any spot along the road where the bus driver can drop me without me dipping in the floodwater. waaaah.... AYOKO!!! when was the last time i walked on a flooded street? twelve years ago during my UST days--that was a long time ago... maarte na ako ngayon... i really don't want to walk on a flooded street as i'm already aware of leptosirosis (did i even spell it right?) and its likes.

and just like a manna from heaven, i saw a pedicab coming before us. i asked the bus driver to call the pedicab driver and let him go near the bus door. woohoo-hoo! a piece of luck for me. but in just a matter of seconds, it showed me otherwise as floodwater already splashed onto my feet the moment i jumped inside the sidecar. and the more boo-boos i had when i sat down in its chair, which was actually a wrong move because the water can get high up to waist-level which made my pants wet! i was already in distress this time as i can't bear wearing wet pants all the way to our house in laguna. the pedicab driver advised me to just squat, and so i did.

i bought shorts (and panty... hihi) and a pair of flip-flops as soon as i reached the mall of cash and carry and changed into these right away. thank gawd i have alcohol with me all the time; hence, i was able to sanitize myself first.

jude already arrived after a short while and we decided to have snacks first in luk yuen for a hot beef brisket noodles before going back to his parent's house. we left the mall at 5:30 and what could be a just 5-minute drive became a nerve-wrecking almost two-hours ride as the traffic along bautista st. was really horrendous, nightmarish, and kasumpa-sumpa! there were a few school vans near us and i can't help but feel bad for its passengers, the school kids, as i'm pretty sure they were already hungry and bored to death.

we reached the house at exactly 7:15 p.m.. i really felt bad as nothing good happened to my day (jude was able to get what he needed from DENR) and worse is, i spent 200 bucks for an unworthy trip aside from spending for another pair of shorts, panty, and flip-flops, which i don't really need. =(

 

our househelp diary and why i was so busy

i'm in blogging mode once again as after more than a month of having no househelp nor yaya, i have another new one--thanks mama dear for recruiting one for me! =D hence, i have more time now to blog and surf the net... yahoo!

and i thought i'm already good as wifey-mommy-atsay-yaya and home-based employee rolled into one. honestly, i'm already getting the hang of it and if not for my once or twice a week reporting to our office, or only if there is a daycare center where i can drop iñigo when i need to leave the house, i prefer not to have another helper again. i just love the privacy of having no househelp brings. but since i can't forego my income (now pa na ang taas lahat ng bilihin!) i need to hire someone who can help me inside the house and take care of iñigo while i'm away.

so my current right now is the third since jude and i settled down. i thought my first one was a heaven-sent and as matter of fact, she was with us for two years until may of this year. she knew the drills inside the house; she knew my standards and my ka-OC-han; and she knew well how to take care of iñigo as we hired her before i gave birth. but as the song goes, " all good things never last" and my heaven-sent helper transformed into a witch. for the last two months she was with us i cannot count on how many times she lied, she slept over her unfinished chores, and she complained to everyone of her tedious job and how snotty i was to her! the last one was really a "DUH! (with wishing na puede bang manabunot???)" as i was even scheduling chores so she'll have a lot of time to rest and the more and louder "DUH! (with wishing na puede bang manampal???) as i held myself in confronting her when i caught her many times that she's using my things--from shoes to hair accessories. i was even generous of praises and gifts like brand-new celfone as i thought that those would motivate her to do better in job and hopefully to win her loyalty for us. but i should know better na tawag ng pag-ibig is more powerful and in one month after meeting the guy (give one week for their ligawan, if that ever happened) my first househelp, matet, told me that she'll go back to her province for good to study DAW.

me: eh pa'no yun may na and alam mo na makakaalis ka lang after a month, yun usapan natin.

matet: okay lang po ate... inenroll na raw nila ako.

me: ah good. at least wala ka na palang problema.

matet: oo nga po. pagdating ko na lang daw po sa bicol ako mag-eexam.

me: HA???

i decided not to continue with what i have to say. uhm... malay n'yo prelims na pagdating n'ya sa bicol 'di ba? hehe.

her bigtime lies was just one of the many things that made her a good riddance when she left us.

nuggets of her kabalastugan:

- she left the house on her last day without us knowing. if i'm just a malditang employer i could have fabricated a story that she stole something, right?

- she had her boyfriend slept inside our house when we were in malaysia.

- she taught iñigo the word, "pawo (for palo)" while holding a slipper. grrr talaga! and you know how dead-set we are of just using time-out to discipline our son.

- she's telling everyone in their barrio (my staff in bogzzi told me this) that she has an illness, which could lead to leukemia (anemic lang pala, paano nga kakapuyat!) after her stint with us.

- the postpaid line which we issued to her registered an amount in the billing of whopping php 3,000--and that's only for two weeks of use. thank gawd the smart customer representative called the attention of jude or else, it may balloon to a five-digit figure with the rate of her phone calls.

sighs... i really hope not to have another of her inside our house.

the second one was a recruit of my mother... or should i say pirated by my mother. hehe. she's already with another family in antipolo when my mother offered a better compensation package. the whole thing was actually done in bad fate since she only left her former employer's house to visit her sons who live near my parents' place and in three days, she was already with us. i know, i know, it's not right... and i also knew the moment i hired her that she won't stay long.

but i never thought naman that she'd only serve us for one month. hay naku talaga! but do i have the choice when she told me that her sons wanted her home? i don't want another bad ending with a househelp so i asked, "when kayo manang kelangang bumalik?". she told me that coming saturday. hello? it's already wednesday! "may emergency" daw. i dug deeper, "ano pong emergency?". "ano... kasi... namatay yung lola ko uuwi kame ng kapatid ko."

galing naman ng lahi ni manang... may lola pa pala s'ya at her age of 50+. good grief!

and so those are my experiences with our former two househelps. now would you blame me if i prefer now not to have a househelp at all if i just can do the housechores and tend iñigo alone? as i've said i'm already good in having all the jobs done. and it's better for me that way than to have a sakit ng ulo. just to give you an idea, this was my routine everyday except when i need to go to my office after lunch, then i have to do everything in the morning:

prepare iñigo's breakfast (nevermind mine or jude's), sweep then mop the floor while he's eating, wash and hang clothes which i prefer not to be done in the laundromat, water the plants, organize things particularly iñigo's things, cook our food if i have to, wash the dishes, spend time with iñigo thru playing and reading books though this is squeezed in in between my chores as he'd demand, "mommy, sit down here!" oh 'di ba? dictator ang anak namin! hahaha. check emails in the afternoon when the son is already asleep. lucky i was if i had an extra time to take a nap. then another round of sweeping and mopping our floor and putting the house in order (i tell you OC ako), and in the evening when jude and iñigo already dozed off then it's my time to iron the clothes which either came from the laundry house or i personally washed. this took me until past midnight as i never let any garment, even the undergarments, be kept in the cabinet without being ironed.

while jude was in charge of the "dirty jobs" like cleaning our T/B and garbage disposal.

unfair 'di ba? oh well, that was my life and somehow i'm thankful now that my shoulders and back can take more rest.

but  definitely i will demand from jude a free spa and massage. =D 

 

feeling senti... opm songs in the 80's (inspired by arpi's post)

not many of you knows that marie is a music lover. give me a radio or an ipod and a collection of my favorite songs and i can drift into my own neverland. i used to spend the whole afternoons or evenings during my high school and college days just listening to my favorite fm stations. and i used to be a walking songhits, and my wild dream then is to be a disc jockey; not because i have a soothing voice, but because of my selfish whim to play nothing but my favorite songs during my airtime.

i have favorites in all genre except for metal rock (hinde ko ma-dig, p're! haha) but one of the closest to my heart is the opm songs during the 80's and blame it on arpi's post on kyla's revival of jamie rivera's it's all over now, which is also my favorite, feeling senti ako ngayon! hehe. hey, i was still a kid then and was still learning the ropes of writing and counting but i think when it comes to music and songs... i was gifted. hahaha.

and if you're one of those who loves 80's songs, read on...

can't find no reason - louie heredia

i was never a louie heredia fan but i was surprised and pleased when i learned in "the sweet life" that he's the singer behind this very nice song.

here's the link:

http://www.imeem.com/people/WJ4-Rr/music/YrH0WXAD/louie_heredia_cant_find_no_reason/

and the lyrics, which i copied from the site:

Nighttime passed me by
Dream of holding you tonight
But emptiness surrounds me

Love, say you’ll be mine
I’ll love you till the end of time
Don’t say goodbye now

Reason can’t find no reason why I’m longing
For your touch and your embracing
Be mine tonight
Reason you are the reason for my being
You are the thought of all my dreams
You’re my love

Love, say you’ll be mine
I’ll hold you in my arms tonight
Don’t leave me dreaming

closer you and i - gino padilla

this song is made popular by a toothpaste brand commercial but i think it's the kilig factor that made this song a favorite among the young adults.

you may want to listen thru this:

http://www.tristancafe.com/music/flash/closer.html

sing along!

Hey, there's a look in your eyes  Must be love at first sight  You were just part of a dream  Nothing more so it seemed  But my love couldn't wait much longer  Just can't forget the picture of your smile  'Coz everytime I close my eyes  You come alive   The closer I get to touching you  The closer I get to loving you  Give it a time  Just a little more time  We'll be together  Every little smile  That special smile  The twinkle in your eye  In a little while  Give it a time  Just a little more time  So we can get closer  You and I   Then could I love you more  So much stronger than before  Why does it seem like a dream  So much more so it seems  I guess I found my inspiration  With just one smile, you take my breath away  So hold me close  And say you'll stay with me now   The closer I get to touching you  The closer I get to loving you  Give it a time  Just a little more time  We'll be together  Every little smile  That special smile  The twinkle in your eye  In a little while  Give it a time  Just a little more time  So we can get closer  You and I  

hang on - gary valenciano

this is one of my favorite gary valenciano songs, the other one is "the warrior is a child". up to know i still cannot comprehend why i am a sucker for sentimental songs like this.

sorry i can't find a link for the mp3 of this song. but i remember i have downloaded this before from kazaa but i failed to write it on a cd. sorry moi.

but i still have its lyrics:

Sometimes it’s hard to know that it’s all over
Sometimes it hurts so bad
To think that we did feel much for each other
Yet lost what we once had

To love you is one thing I can do
I have always been around to love you

At times when i’m alone I feel so empty
I’ve always wish you’re here
And now you’re gone and all is gone forever
Oh girl it’s so unfair

Remember the things I always say
I mean them all so please believe
The things that i’ve been telling you

Just hang on
Who knows we might get there
After all the waiting’s done
We’ll be the ones to find out

If we hang on
You know we’re on our way
So just hang on

When I look at the sky I see a memory
That was where I used to be

I love you
I always think of you
Please listen to the words I say
These words that i’ve been telling you

If we hang on

give me a chance - ric segreto

would you believe that i am a fan of the late ric segreto? but i like this song better than the more popular, "don't know what to do (don't know what to say)". ang weird ko noh? hehe.

I need you
Is all that I can say
But deep inside of me
You’ll know I want you more each day
But time won’t let me have the chance
So I’ve got to see you even at a glance

I know, it’s hard for you to see
Exactly how much you mean to me
Since it’s just a one way street
And I’m the only one who’s on it
No one knows the way but me

[chorus]
I love you can’t you hear me
Oh can’t you please see through me
Oh babe I need your love so badly
It’s no lie so please believe me
In my heart you’ll see the real me
You just gotta give me a chance

Well since I got that off my chest
All I need to let you know
Is I really did my best
Keep this feeling inside
But there’s just no place to hide
So please be my love

[repeat chorus]

Give me a chance
Give me a chance

friend of mine - odette quesada

who says that lea salonga's version of the song is better than odette quesada? not me! the latter's version is more melancholic and yet soothing. OMG, am i an hopeless romantic or what???

fortunately, i was able to find a link to ms. quesada's version.

http://www.imeem.com/mcbdlm/music/8OHRcHct/odette_quesada_opm_friend_of_mine/

I've known you for so long
You are a friend of mine
But babe, is this all we'd ever be
I've loved you eversince
You were a friend of mine
But babe, is this all we ever could be

chorus:
You tell me things I've never known
youshowed me love you've never shown
but then again when you cry
im always at your side
you tell me bout the love you've had
i listen very eagerly
but deep inside you'll never see
This feeling of emptiness
It makes me feel sad
But then again, I'm glad

I've known you all my life
You are a friend of mine
I know this is how it's gonna be
I've loved you then and I love you still
You're a friend of mine
I know that friends are all we ever could be

chorus except last line

but then again,
but then again
but then again
im glad....

they are just some of the good ol' songs i loved (and still love up to now) and grew up with. i actually have a cd collection of some of these songs along with the other opm songs, which became popular during that decade.

 

10 random facts about me (tagged by benson)

welcome me back to the blogging world, please? =D

gee, i realized that it's been a month since i made my last post with a bad news on my pregnancy, which might made you to think that am too depressed to blog... well, nope. =) the thing is we are too busy since march and it's always that am dead tired at the end of the day.

but thanks to benson for this tag as i began to miss blogging. i promise to blog again especially on our recent accomplishments but let me start now with the tags i've been getting such as this:

rules:

1. each blogger starts with 10 random facts/habits about themselves.

2. bloggers that are tagged need to write on their own blog 10 things and post these rules.

3. at the end of your blog, you need to choose 10 people to get tagged and list their breads.

4. don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.

****

1. i am a mild case of an obsessive-compulsive (OC) person, it's only in my opinion though but there are times i felt the need to seek the help of an expert. hehe. i feel restless whenever there are things in my to-do list that are still undone or there's a tiny speck of dust or hair strand in our floor. i want everything to be clean and organized including the stuffs inside my bag and wallet. everything should also conform to my standard even how our clothes are hanged and folded. thank GOD my helper and my husband is still with me. hahaha.

2. i hate rats and flies and i can't stand having them inside my house. i get paranoid with rats; but with flies, i really get annoyed to the max that i kill them by swatting them with my good old tsinelas! jude once said that if ever there is a contest on flies-swatting, i'll take home the grand prize.

3. i love to shop. i get excited once we hit the mall and see some red tags. hehe.

4. i can be a multi-tasker. i can talk with someone over the phone while i surf the net or check my emails and breastfeed my son.

5. i was (though i insist that i still am) into mountaineering since 1999. i already climbed more than 15 mountains here in the philippines and made my last climb (with jude of course) three months before our wedding day... huling hirit.

6. one of my biggest frustrations in life is i didn't learn how to play the guitar. i also don't know how to swim and to ride a bike, with the latter as jude's biggest frustration for me. hahaha.

7. i was addicted to basketball (pba, nba, uaap, even paliga sa bgy. namin) during my teen years and yves dignadice was my biggest crush then.

8. i modeled (ramp) once for a fashion boutique, which i wouln't name to save its reputation. hehe. it was four years ago and i was still still slim and booting a flat abs then. hey, i still have the pictures with me and i can email it to you if you don't believe! =D

9. i was a thomasian for nine years:  four years in high school, four years in college where i took up a degree in economics, and one year in its graduate school. i finished my mba in another school. 

10. i can never be a morning person. my wake up time is usually from 8 am to 9 am. my mind and body work best in the afternoon and in the evening. 

i'm just tagging anyone who will read as i'm not sure if they already did this tag. please snag this if you feel sharing 10 facts about yourself and let me know once you're finished.

 

why it's so hard to be romantic nowadays?

(jude and i don’t really patronize valentines so pardon me if i don’t feel like being mushy about it when i should be.)

 

so the question is: why is it so hard for us to experience that kilig moment now that we area already married with one kid than when we were still bf-gf?

 

here are some facts of life that we’re still trying to accept (and ignore):

 

• “thanks for the roses love but that’s a handsome one thousand bill you’re throwing away.” remember how often the boys give us bouquet of flowers before the marriage and how we appreciate this sweet gesture? i’d be happy with just a long stem of rose now.

 

• iñigo would cry “didey” for mickey as a signal that we play instead his favorite dvd while jude and i are contentedly sitting in our seats snuggled to each other while watching a good movie. talk about asungot… ahehe.

 

• (jude was about to hold my hand while we’re watching tv)” oops… may lamok! baka kagatin yung anak mo…” nyahahaha.

 

• how i wanted to cook his favorite crispy pata but it’s his cholesterol level that i’m concerned of… plus the fact that broiling it will put a toll in the electricity bill.

 

• can’t cuddle and smooch each other when our little boy is still awake or else he’d throw a fit (yes, he does… in defense of mommy. hehe.).

 

• and if by luck the little boy dozed off early, wish that one of us hasn’t reached dreamland yet.

 

• you know the rule when the bedsheet has just been changed and is still fresh… =D

 it’s not surprising that jude and I sneak in once in a while to go on a date without my little chaperon. we NEED to relive the days when things were still spontaneous and uncared for. albeit short-lived, the dates serve as a break from our monotonous life right now and more importantly, a time for us to rediscover our love for one another.

 

 

one of our honeymoon pix.

hay! those were the days... we were young(er) and wild and free... haha.

still part of the labor force

all of you may know that i am a stay-at-home mom since i resigned from my job last may 2007. but the truth is, amspec rehired me two weeks after and offered a part-time/consultancy job with a very flexible work schedule. i accepted the offer and was reporting to the office once to thrice a week, depending on my workload and mood (though the latter prevailed most of the time). you see, my former boss could not live without me… hahaha. she tried to scout for my replacement but no one seems to meet her qualifications. as she have said, ‘there’s only one marie in this world”. the wind is blowing me off from my seat now. =D

 

to some of you who are curious on what i do for a living, i work as an export coordinator for amspec. you should know this company very well because some of their brands are household names like crayola and mongol, “ang lapis ng magaling’… oops, free plugging. =D part of my job is to communicate with the established export clients and also to market amspec products to potential buyers. it’s actually an easy job. the only difficult part for me actually is to coordinate with the production and quality control departments who had nothing to say but it’s difficult, especially when we’re beating ship dates or trying to meet the clients’ specifications. but i refuse to accept their excuses and so verbal battles usually ensue, oh boy! but in the end, they deliver. gusto lang muna kunsumihin ang lola n’yo.

 

but generally, my job is relatively easy. it’s just that i really want to spend more time with my son and also pursue some business endeavors that’s why i decided to quit the job. and for the second time, i resigned last january 31st.

 

but on february 1^st i was rehired again.  though i have yet to see the contract, am already doing my daily tasks thru emails. the arrangement right now is more lenient as i will do my work at home and just report to the office twice or thrice a month and only for a few hours. isn’t that great as i can have the best of both worlds—spending more time with my son and earning at the same time?

 

i’m a little excited over this because it means i can still earn extra money, which I can save to furnish our new house or spend for a major trip which we are eyeing in june.

 

god is really good and i owe this blessing to him.

move over sheldon... hello dr. seuss!

one of the things that motherhood changed on me is my shopping habit. i was a self-confessed shopaholic and gastadora when i was still single. i used to buy impulsively especially on clothes and shoes and bags and accessories... almost everything that i drooled over. and this includes books and magazines which i would only read once and shelve later on. that's why when i moved in to jude's place after we got married i have three boxes just for reading materials alone, aside from my college and mba books... honest!

but that's a thing of the past now. i am already a convert and i spend our money wisely (or so i claimed... hehe).

but if i shop, it's more for our little boy that i buy than for myself. i've given up most of my small luxuries including buying sidney sheldon novels. =) i don't have time to read them anyway.

what i'm buying now is iñigo's books and we've collected 22 titles so far including these latest addition:

would you believe i bought them all at php 210 including the two dr. seuss titles? tipid tip: buy second-hand books as they really come cheaper than the brand-new. to be able to have the titles you are looking for, befriend the sales attendant of any booksale or diplomat outlet in your favorite shopping mall (bought these books in diplomat festival mall branch) and asked her to send you a text message when they already have them so you can pick up the books the next day or whenever you are available. they'll be cordial enough to let you know.

most of these books don't look second-hand or shabby at all. who knows, you might even be the first owner...

 

i'm so happy with my new loots and i'm happier over the fact that iñigo appreciates his new books... and that the daddy appreciates my money-saving effort. =D

 

 

 

 

 

35 days to go before christmas...

my goodness! i was checking my organizer this afternoon when i realized that it's only 6 weeks to go before christmas. you see, the christmas bug hasn't hit us yet probably because of the tons of concerns jude and i have. i am not even sure if there will be money left for christmas shopping as the expenses for the businesses (it's not only one!), house construction, and trips are piling up. but i already made sure that jude has my christmas wishlist as early as now so he can squeeze it in the budget. hahaha. the scarcity theory i learned in my economics degree is sinking in once again: demand increases while supply remains to be fixed--how true! we can only count on the company bonuses for the christmas expenses that keeps on growing and growing each year.

so much for my intro, i just want to know the things that we look forward to do this season. honestly, just thinking of them already makes me tired and... penniless. hahaha.

here's my list...

1. attend countless christmas parties. almost all units even how small it is has its own christmas party. there's the company and department's party, organizations and associations party, family and barkada party--we have all these parties in our list! of course we wouldn't go in these parties empty-handed. there would be foods and gifts to bring. speaking of gifts...

2. shop in crowded malls and bazaars, and make a list beforehand. did it ever occur to you that there's always two or three persons left in your list after all the shoppings you did because you can't find the best gifts for them? that's always the case for us. and since i'm a pro when it comes to cramming i would shop for a few more gifts before the noche buena begins. hahaha.

3. brave the horrendous traffic! actually, as early as now the traffic in metro manila and even in the other parts of laguna is already a horror story. and it doesn't help that south luzon expressway is under renovation. i now stuffed our pick-up with all the essentials in case we're caught in traffic again like what happened to us in edsa last saturday.

4. go to the bank have the bills broken in 20's and 50's and buy some ang paos (did i mention it right?). okay... we're kurips! kuripot, that is. as i've told you our supply is already fixed so we have to be more creative in terms of giving. aside from the inaanaks and pamangkins, we also want to give to other kids especially those of our cousins and friends. i remember my childhood days when i will be asked to fall in line together with my siblings and cousins as my uncle ben would hand us red ang paos. the older kids received four or five pcs. of twenty-peso bills while us--small kids-will be content with two or three pcs. of it.

5. decorate the house with our christmas ornaments. i haven't started so it's in my to-do list next week. thank goodness that i already bought a lot of christmas decors last year so i don't have to buy any this year or else my budget for gifts would shrink more. all i need to do is to resurrect it from the boxes, which btw is still in our former house in vito cruz.

6. buy iñigo a santa outfit! i told myself last year that this year's christmas is the best time for iñigo to start wearing a santa claus outfit since he can already stand and walk. gee... i can't wait to see my little boy donning a red santa suit. =D

he only had a cutie antler for last year...

isn't he a cutie in that picture?

i'm sure he will be the cutest little santa this christmas so you better watch out... =D

proud of our unorthodox way of parenting!

if there’s one thing that irks me the most as a mother is when i get unsolicited comments and advices on how we should raise our son according to their standards as our parenting practices is unacceptable. but what the heck! i didn’t ask for their opinion anyway. am happy with how jude and i fare as parents and i see that iñigo is pretty happy as well.

 

call me proud or stubborn but i will have it my way as long as i know that it’s the best for my son and it doesn’t inflict him any harm, at the least. parenting is not an easy job, that’s why i ready myself as early as i could as i never wanted to enter motherhood unprepared. i researched, i read, i asked. i can’t take the reason “sabi ng mga matatanda” to justify why i should or should not do such a thing to my son. my brain isn’t trained to think that way.

 

and i don’t think some people would pay me the same respect that am getting from them now, including my ate, a mother of three kids. she even thought that i did better than her in some facets. she’s impressed of my achievement of having successfully breastfeed her nephew even until this day. i told her it wasn’t that easy for me at the start. i was on the verge of giving up. but i never lost hope that one day there’s a fountain of milk that will flow down from my breasts. if it wasn’t for my stubbornness it would be too soon for my son to feed milk other than the one coming from me. some people were telling me that i should stop with breastfeeding because i wasn’t producing enough. one look at the milk i expressed made me feel more guilty. hahaha. but i shut my eyes and turned deaf ears to people around me. now, they are wowed on far i’ve come.

 

and we co-sleep with our child since his fourth day, which again is being frowned upon by some people. “you are spoiling him”, as they say. it’s also the same thing you’ll hear when you carry your child in your arms always. but spoiling for me means giving something to your kid that he will make him rot. i don’t think constant showing of affection is one. i even wished that i would wear iñigo, put him in a sling and carry him all the time. but i wasn’t that keen, with the next baby perhaps.

 

there are lot more things that we do and we don’t do that’s beyond bounds of conventional parenting. we bring iñigo along in our travels as we think that that the pros outweigh the cons of bringing him along; i didn’t massage his legs as i was told as i learned that babies are bowlegged in nature; i let him out even at night as i don’t believe in hamog; i give him another bath at night as he already stinks; and i give him more nutritious food other than those in jars or boxes.

 

but more than that, we give to iñigo what he needed most from us--our time--and we make sure that we spend it more with him. we sing songs and read books for him; we play balls or any other game he enjoys doing; we take him along to any place as long as it’s permitted; we cuddle and tickle him until he gets tired of laughing; we make most of our time together because we know that’s what really matter.

 

all of those we do to our son. you may find us incapable but that’s the most that we can do as parents.

 

at this point i would like to commend jude for being a wonderful father. parenting is never easy as i shared but i never heard him complain even if it means waking up at the middle of the night to give medicines to iñigo as it’s his schedule… while mine is in the morning. madaya ba? hehehe.

 

we are really lucky to have him as not all fathers are that doting to their kids… and are agreeing to their wives’ unorthodox style of parenting.

 

but he is.

 

gabriel's christening and don bosco mountaineering boys reuniting

last saturday was a hectic day for us as we found ourselves hopping from one place to another all over metro manila. we started off the day witnessing the christening of buboy and lui's first-born, jose gabriel serapio, in our lady of fatima parish in valenzuela. we left cabuyao at 7 am to arrive in the church at 10:30 am. yes, our travel was that long as you can imagine the distance. but i have no right to back out as i am one of the ninangs.

it's a joke, lui... trust me. =)

kidding aside, we regard dearly these two as we almost have the same lovestory to tell. bukuhan na... hahaha! just for your info, all of us four belong to the same mountaineering group. we were just acquaintances before and nobody would think that we will end up as pairs. then love blossomed between me and jude. kilig! hehehe. buboy and lui were there to make tukso. shortly, another love blossomed and this time it's between the two. jude and i were wed on october 2005 and five months after, it was buboy and lui who made it to the altar.

and now we are both proud parents of beautiful baby boys. hope fate would be forever good to us. =)

after the reception in max's edsa caloocan, we bid goodbye to the serapios and sped off to sta. mesa to visit my supplier. we dropped by don bosco mandaluyong as jude wanted to and we were surprised to see this:

the child in jude was beaming with joy when he saw the magnified don bosco mascot and he was quick to remember his son and the camera... so who else was the photographer in that picture?

after the short visit of the shop in sta. mesa, we made a stop in my in-laws' house in vito cruz so we can catch a nap (especially for iñigo) as we knew that night will be another long one.

old and not-so-old members alike of don bosco mountaineering society (jude is a member way back college days) met in arnold's house in sun valley, parañaque for a reunion. even father carlo, jude's bestfriend and one of iñigo's godfathers, was there. fr. chito dimaranan, svd., who is one of our wedding sponsors officiated the mass.

jude, iñigo and fr. carlo

and here the other dbms boys:

and they're clueless on what's happening with their kids:

they're tame in this picture

while i was busing taking pictures of pretty arianna, arnold and tanya's daughter:

isn't she pretty? hope someday i'm gonna have a daughter of my own but with her face. hehe.

 

anything goes tags

tagged this time by nol. thanks, sis! let's set a meet-up one of these days, okay?

1. Name one person who made you laugh last night? it's either hubby or the little boy... can't remember


2. What were you doing at 0800? sleeping... to hubby's dismay. hahaha! i'm not a morning person.

3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? checking mails


4. What happened to you in 2006? gave birth to a beautiful baby boy

5. What was the last thing you said out loud? NOT THAT ONE, INIGO!


6. How many beverages did you have today? one glass of milk (yes, baby pa ako. hehe), one glass of coke, and 2-3 glasses of water

7. What color is your hairbrush? i use comb

8. What was the last thing you paid for? jollibee spaghetti

9. Where were you last night? home with the two boys

10. What color is your front door? white

11. Where do you keep your change? wallet together with the bills

12. What’s the weather like today? sunny

13. What’s the best ice-cream flavor? cookies and cream

14. What excites you? traveling with the two boys; any first-time event for iñigo like the trick ad treat party tomorrow that jude's company is organizing... =)

15. Do you want to cut your hair? yes. i easily get bored with my hairstyle

16. Are you over the age of 25? yes

17. Do you talk a lot? relative

18. Do you watch the O.C.? no

19. Do you know anyone named Steven? no

20. Do you make up your own words? no

21. Are you a jealous person? as jude... hehe. hinde yata...

22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘A’. angie

23. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘K'. kristine

24. Who’s the first person on your received call list? love (hubby)

25. What does the last text message you received say? long eh... but it's from my friend explaining what sore eyes is... iñigo has it. waaah!

26. Do you chew on your straw? no

27. Do you have curly hair? no

28. Where’s the next place you’re going to? asian hospital. our pedia needs to see iñigo' eyes

29. Who’s the rudest person in your life? someone in my ex-office...

30. What was the last thing you ate? oatmeal

31. Will you get married in the future? have that status na

32. What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the past 2 weeks? surf's up. the best because it's the only movie i saw. hehe. can't be a cineast anymore

33. Is there anyone you like right now? yes! dr. hayden kho. hey, jude knows that. =) i really find him cute.... yun lang.

34. When was the last time you did the dishes? can't remember. it's my help who does that. but i love doing it when i was still single.

35. Are you currently depressed? depressed that my little boy at his young age has sore eyes already =(

36. Did you cry today? no

37. Why did you answer and post this? it's fun to answer

38. Tag 5 people who would do this survey: jaja, amie, gigi, jah and meng

am i ready to take the big plunge into entrepreneurship?

yeah... i think this is it. it's just either i make it or break it. i've already told one thousand and one people that we (although it's really more of me) will open our very first food store this coming november. the mall owner called for a meeting last friday and told us that ther'e a big chance that the construction of her commercial building, where my store is located, will be finished by end of this month. she would turn over the mall spaces to us--tenants--by november 15th. horrors... that soon! we are looking forward pa naman on the hong kong trip jude's sister is sponsoring next month. but more than that, am not yet finished with my products development and materials sourcing... there's a lot more to be done!

but as i've earlier said, there's no stepping back for me. i must confess that the whole idea of leaving the comforts (and discomforts) of my 9-5 job, which i already did last may, and risking our hard-earned savings in a business is DAUNTING. i would have quiet moments lately and rethink if i can handle all this with jude as my only partner. but knowing myself and how stronghead i can be when i want to achieve something, i know there's a room for me in the business world.

getting into a business is something i really wanted to do ever since i earned my college diploma. i never saw myself employed until my old age. that would be a disgrace for me, i said. i think it was my mother who influenced me to have this mind-set as she had a lot of business ideas; unluckily, most didn't push thru. and at a young age i saw my potentials and interests to become an entrepreneur. i remember back in high school i was selling polvoron and yema to my classmates as we have a neighbor then who's into this hobby-business and i asked her if i can bring some in my school and sell it during breaks. i toted plastic bags of these goodies every morning as some of my classmates even ordered packs to bring home to their parents and siblings. i was only thirteen then but it already dawned on me that making business is more interesting than studying... hahaha!

i did the same when i was already in junior level when a classmate, whose mom was a hong kong viajera, was selling original giordano leather bags to us (remember those semi-luggage bags of giordano?). but this time my customers were my ate's colleagues in the pharmaceutical company she worked for. they were medical representatives and they found my giordano bags very useful to carry all their medicine samples. needless to say that i was able to buy the sanrio items i wanted for myself out of my earnings.

there's a lot more i sold and traded through the years, including wine and abaca bags. would you believe even our wedding rings were funded partly by my rakets? jude gave me the money for the downpayment but instead of giving it to the jeweler i used it first as seed money for a business venture. the profits i raked in were able to cover the balance for the ring. of course, jude was more than happy!

those were happy times. and i know business would not always be as simple as peddling polvorons and giordano bags. but my heart is into it right now and i believe being an entrepreneur is another calling for me. i promised my son that he would see his mother more often in the house. and i promised myself that we will enjoy life better than we used to. business permits me to have both.

all it takes for me now is a little audacity and faith in myself... and a LOT of prayers.

i just want to end this with a quote from my business icon, who else but mr. john gokongwei. in his book "john l. gokongwei jr.: the path of entrepreneurship" published by ateneo de manila university, he admitted that being an entrepreneur is a way to end poverty but is definitely not an easy path to take. but here's his response to the challenge:

“but we have to start somewhere, however small, however difficult...”

inspiring, isn't it? it's all i need to read to boost my morale.

okay, maybe what i'm feeling now is nothing but jitters and i just have to cut down my caffeine intake.