SM's Got It 'Almost' All For Us

Photo Credit: mycitymysm.com

What makes an excellent toothpaste? There are a number of brands in the market that offer a lot (minsan kahit parang imposible naman). Our toothpaste supply have always come from the US (sushal?). Please don't take that as yabang or what not. Remember this post? Toothpaste is one of the usual relief goods that Mommy Martha sends us. We usually get Aim, Aquafresh, Crest or Pepsodent.

Just this afternoon, our last tube already flattened to emptiness so I had to go out and do a quick grocery shopping after settling some bills. I mostly shop at SM Supermarket. I love it that the aisles are wide, the place is clean plus I also love getting points for my SM Advantage Card. I thought the brand did not matter to me but I was wrong. There were the brands mentioned above on the shelves plus a lot more other options but there was one brand that I still tried to search...Colgate. I thought I already checked all the shelves so I gave up. I skipped the toothpaste and went to the counter to pay for the other things in my basket. I decided that I just bought Colgate from another grocery store along the way to the jeepney terminal. So I did.

Perfect!

Just a few minutes ago, out of curiosity, I googled "no Colgate in SM Supermarket" and found this and this.

Those answered my question. Two of my favorite brands, Colgate and Palmolive, cannot be found in SM Supermarket. SM's tag line should really be changed then. We've got it almost all for you! With the emphasis on almost. 

Ciao! ♥
     

Hello Guimba!

Hindi ako naka-attend sa party. Hindi ako nakapaglinis ng bahay. I was invited by the team I was supporting before to an after-party party. Hindi ako nakapunta. Hindi ko pa rin napanood ang Praybeyt Benjamin. Hindi nag-kick in ang 'gana' to do house chores. To make this long story longer, wala akong ginawa kahapon. Nood nood lang ng TV at surf surf lang. Tinamad ako! :) Ay wait, there's more. Meron naman pala. Nagtupi ng mga nilabhan kong damit the other day. Nagtahi ng mga damit ni Elmer at PJs ni Nikki na may butas. O ha! Nagtahi ako. Habang nagtatahi nga ako kahapon, naalala ko ang mga teachers ko sa THE nung high school. I was trying to recall their names. Dead! 'Di ko maalala talaga. I hate that feeling pa naman na parang nasa dulo na ng dila mo. At...naalala ko din ang mga iba't ibang stitches. Ay, tatlo lang pala. Cross stitch, running stitch, back stitch. Yun lang ang mga naalala ko. Nakalimutan ko na 'yung iba. Back stitch ang ginamit ko. :D

At...habang tinutupi ko ang mga damit nina Nikki at Calli. Naalala ko din sila. Miss ko na sila. Pero hindi ko na mami-miss si Nikki mamaya dahil Nueva Ecija, here I come! :) Si Calli, miss ko pa rin. :( Pero 'di na din ako masyado nag-aalala kay Calli kasi uuwi din naman si Elmer sa Pangasinan. Tama 'yang nabasa niyo. Magkakahiwalay kami ngayong Undas. Elmer and I think that's just okay. Nasa Pangasinan ang "mga patay" niya. Nasa Nueva Ecija naman 'yung akin. So tama lang.

Excited ako! It's been 2 months na hindi ako nakatapak sa soil ng Nueva Ecija, particularly ng Guimba. Palaging kino-compare ni Elmer ang Guimba sa San Manuel (at syempre laging angat ang San Manuel para sa kanya). Kahit nagpaka-tourism ambassador pa siya ng San Manuel, 'di pa rin niya na-convince si Nikki na dun magbakasyon. Mas gusto ni Nikki sa Guimba. Si Calli kasi hindi pa makapili kaya kung saan siya buhatin, dun siya. :)

Ito ang 10 reasons kaya excited ako umuwi.

My Own 'Me' Time

Photo credit: yesandyes.org

I learned from the articles that I've read about parenting that moms should really have their 'me' time once in a while. I'm having mine for the next 8 or 9 days. Oooh yeah! Nikki and Calli are still on their vacation separately. Well, it's not really a 'me' time like 'alone'. There's Elmer on the side.

At first I thought it was going to be like as relaxed as I wanted to be. Yesterday when I looked at things in the house, I felt like everything needed some cleaning, fixing, rubbing and organizing. Just a little something on every thing. Tinitignan ko pa lang, napagod na ako. ^_^

Mga Pangyayari

 

Ang Nakaraan.

Hindi ko maalala kung nung elementary at high school ba ay meron kaming sem break? Parang wala naman. O baka naman OLSHA (Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Academy) na OLSHCO (Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College) na ngayon lang ang ganun? Naalala ko kasi, very strict sa attendance ang school namin based on my observation lang naman during the entire 11 school years na nag-aral ako dun. 'Pag may 1 araw na walang pasok dahil sa bagyo o lindol o kung ano pa man, siguradong may 1 Sabadong kapalit 'yun. Kahit patapos na ang school year at wala ng ginagawa sa classroom dahil kaliwa't kanan ang practice for the recognition or graduation, kelangan pa din pumasok ng estudyante. Parang okay lang naman sa iba, kasi may allowance pa din for the day kahit walang ginagawa sa school. Parang sa iba naman hindi okay kasi atat ng magbakasyon.

On White Walls, White Board and Birthday Greetings

It's Elmer's birthday today. 

Again...

♪ Happy birthday to you. ♫
♫ Happy birthday to you. ♪
♪ Happy birthday, happy birthday. ♫
♫ Happy birthday to you. ♪

Yay!!!

This coming Monday and Tuesday is going to be Nikki's periodical exams. With my previous experiences in reviewing with her, math is the only subject that we had to spend 1-2 hours for 2-3 days of review. For the other subjects, we only spent 1-2 hours each.

Lemme give you a li'l background. Our apartment had these clean, white walls...until we lived there and Calli used her lovely pens, pencils and crayons and started writing on them. Besides her usual writing paraphernalia, Nikki and Calli own a common humongous box of Crayola (not-so) washable and non-toxic (supposedly) outdoor colour chalk. Need I say more?

Going back.  

Being Thrifty vs Being Cheap

Photo Credit: timegenie.com

Today my horoscope says -- 

Pay attention to the difference between being cheap and being thrifty today. One is a shortsighted and mean-hearted attempt to save money; the other is a wise and fair-minded way to keep from wasting what you've worked so hard for. Your money is yours to spend however you wish, but don't skimp on the wrong things. Being a bad tipper isn't going to get you closer to your savings goal -- but it might get you some poor service the next time you go back to that restaurant. 

I am not a tipper...at all! In the first place, I don't eat in expensive restaurants, shop at high-end stores nor travel where/when tipping is a must. So there. I'm not bound to some poor service any time in the future. ^_^

Tomorrow is Elmer's 28th birthday. I am thinking of what nice and decent gift I could give him. I know he wouldn't mind if I didn't give him anything but I thought, this might be his last birthday that we are all together before it happens again in the coming years. And I will follow what my horoscope says, I will be thrifty and not be cheap on this gift. I'm afraid to get poor service from him any time soon. ^_^

Shopping mode.

Ciao! ♥

  

Optimism: Key to Survival

Photo Credit: federatedmedia.net

One of my friends in Facebook posted something like this some time last week -- We always complain about our job. But we should be thankful that we have a job to complain about.

Tomoh!!!

Recently, I have been reading news articles about more and more people everywhere becoming jobless everyday. Joblessness results to a lot of things like homelessness and hunger to name a few. Some jobless citizens in the US get by on government-provided aids like food stubs and stuff. Good for them, they're US citizens. They receive some help from their government to the least. E sa Pinas tayo 'tol! If one is jobless in the Philippines, good luck na lang. He should not depend or even expect too much from the Philippine government. Asa! Help yourself dude. Or maybe you can ask your mom to help you. Or your girlfriend. Or your wife. Or your fafa. Whatever! 'La na naman 'tong post na 'to, nararamdaman ko.

The reality that I'm trying to say - this isn't necessary really because it is true, a fact -  is that these days, it is so hard to look for a decent job, one that fits one's profile and eligibility. I am so happy that I (still) have one right now. Despite all the negativities going on at work, I realized, I still want this. This job has let my family survive for the longest time. So all the nega things around? I just brush them off. Pessimism is the last thing that I need at the moment. 

So whenever I'm feeling bored I just psyche myself out, there's something interesting coming soon...and I blog. :p Whenever I don't feel like coming to work I just think, there's something good happening with me at work. Someone has told me that if I get bored of what I do at work, before resigning, that try to look for a challenge at work, try other positions. If still bored (and unhappy), then that's the time I resign. Optimism sister!

On a kinda different and lighter note, here are the things that make me excited to come to work --

1. Rica's Best Shawarma. I was never a fan of shawarma because I thought it was just so overrated especially every Panagbenga. Rica's Best Shawarma, although it does not have the classic shawarma taste, changed all that. I always look forward to eating one everyday. But I don't eat everyday unlike Gibson. He even joked, "Pumapasok lang ako dahil sa shawarma." ^_^

2. Big Boy Toppings. I was not paying too much attention to it when its booth set up in our pantry. I got curious on how it tasted so I tried. Since then I am a fan. 

    

3. "Sharing" sessions with Golden and Gibson. About anything under the sun, mostly about everything that's going on under our office building's roof. ^_^ Chika Minute!   

Kayo, what makes you excited to come to work?

Ciao! ♥ 

   

Hormonal Imbalance: Love It Or Hate It?

Well, well, well. Look what we have here. 'La lang. Gusto ko lang intro 'yun. 'Yun ang palagi ko sinasabi ko sa mga agents ko dati 'pag availing. Gusto ko sana bumawi ngayon kasi hindi ako masyadong masaya sa post ko kahapon. Pero wala akong maisip na topic. So impromptu na lang. Impromptu talaga? Sa blog pwede 'yun? Oo naman. Dito, lahat pwede. Walang basagan ng trip. Blog niyo ba 'to?

Oo, talagang ganyan ako. Kinakausap ko ang sarili (sa isip ko lang). Hindi pwedeng magsalita akong mag-isa kasi magmumukha naman akong tanga nun. And that's the absolute, utter, total, outright purpose of this blog.

Sige eto na lang.

'Di ba nabanggit ko kahapon na it was the second day of my monthly period. So today, ibig sabihin, third day na, 'di ba? Bungga! Wala na namang sense.^_^

Seryoso na.  

I love and hate, at the same time, being a female human being. About ito sa monthly period ha. 

The love part is -- I think women's decision-making skill becomes blurry few days before, during and after the period. Plus the moodiness. So any effect of that, women can always blame to the hormonal imbalance. Pwede laging gamiting excuse 'yun. 

The hate part naman is -- 1.) Pimples sa noo ko, 2.) Headache and nausea, 3.) Body pains, 4.) Feeling lazy most of the time (during the period).
 

The love and hate part is -- the food cravings. I love it because I love food so much. Who doesn't? When the craving strikes, Elmer and I tend to eat out a lot. A LOT! 'Yun nga past time namin ni Elmer. Ang kumain ng kumain ng kumain. Ang sama niyan, siya is a fan of exercise, ako hindi. :( I hate it because it breaks our budget. And also, I hate the feeling that I feel like I want to eat something, craving really badly for something but I cannot tell what it is. So I end up eating a lot of different foods hoping that that "something" is it. Then there's the aftermath, you know. Again, I am not a huge fan of exercising and running. I only exercise like once a week and run with Elmer like once (to never) a month. 

FYI: I super looove sushi. I haven't gone to many Japanese restaurants here in Baguio or anywhere else. Just a few. And Japanese restaurants aren't a quick find here in Baguio. In addition to that, there's only a few Japanese restaurants here. Tokyo Tokyo is very accessible and their Sushi is very affordable and I just love their Spicy Beef Maki.

Tokyo Tokyo, is it even considered a restaurant?

Last Tuesday, when I had to go back to the lab (See my pervious post), I couldn't resist the urge to drop by Tokyo Tokyo. I tried to fight it but I failed. So there I was, ordered 8 pieces of Spicy Beef Maki and a glass of Coke. That was one of the very few times when I knew exactly what I was really craving for. That's 8 pieces and they were gone in a blink of an eye (Siyempre exaj 'yun). Wala pa yatang 10 minutes, they're gone. Just like that, ploop! I was like, "What did just happen? Where have all my sushi gone?" ^_^

But truth is, even if I'm not about to have my monthly period, and most of the time we eat out, I order 8 pieces of Spicy Beef Maki to go from Tokyo Tokyo and to where we're eating out.  I just looove sushi! Kailan kaya magkakaroon ng ala-Sushi Factory dito sa Pinas?

'Yun lang. 

Ciao! ♥

    

Juana Tamad

Ito ang peg ko today. Tinatamad talaga akong magtrabaho ngayon. Tignan natin ang mga dahilan sa mga sumusunod  na bullets. 

1. Katatapos ng rest day ko pero maysakit si Calli kaya wala din lang rest for me. :( Pumunta kami sa pedia nung Monday. 'Di naman lingid sa ating lahat kung gaano katagal maghintay ng turn sa pedia...pag late ka dumating. So partly (partly lang? Okay, ako na lahat) kasalanan ko din kung bakit natagalan kami sa paghihintay. Nabilib ako sa sarili  ko dahil kaya ko na palang dalhin sa labas si Calli nang mag-isa lang ako nang walang kasamang yaya o daddy niya. After pedia, grocery then Jollibee. Lahat yun kinaya ng powers ko. Applause for me. ^_^

2. Ang hirap mag-collect ng stool sample ni Calli. Haaays! Na-stress ako ng bongga sa part na ito. Monday afternoon, balik ako sa lab para dalhin ang stool sample niya for fecalysis. Pero dahil hindi ako confident sa result, cumollect ulit ako ng stool sample (at na-stress ulit ako) nung Tuesday morning at bumalik ulit ako sa lab for another fecalysis. 

3. Sunday night at Monday night ay bonggang puyat ang naranasan ko (at ni Calli) dahil tine-train ko na si Calli na hindi mag-diaper sa gabi. Naisip ko nga kung advisable ba na gawin ko ito ngayong mga malamig na buwan dito sa Baguio? O sa summer na lang kaya? Pero naisip ko, 2 years and 3 months old na siya. It's now or never. So never na lang. Hahaha. Jowk! Now na! Kaya every after a couple of hours ay bubuhatin ko siya at pauupuin sa kanyang potty para umihi. Puyat ako, puyat din siya. Quits lang kami. Hihihi.

4. Na-stress ako kasi tumatalino na si Calli. Ayaw niya uminom ng gamot. Waaah! Pero gustong gusto niya ng Ceelin. Kahit Ceelin ang hawak kong bote sa left hand at kutsarang may gamot sa right hand, alam pa rin niyang hindi Ceelin ang laman ng kutsara kasi color white ang laman.
 

5. Malapit na exams ni Nikki. Review-han na naman ito. Pero in all fairness kay Nikki, attentive siya sa classroom kaya kahit minsan, hindi ko nababasa ang laman ng assignment notebook niya na dapat pala silang magreview for a quiz, mataas pa din ang nakukuha niya. At sadya siyang matalino, tulad ko. :p Pero andaming kwento ni Nikki about sa mga classmates niya habang nagrereview kami kaya tumatagal ang review (o kwentuhan) namin.  

6. Second day ng monthly period ko ngayon. Alam ko nang magkakaroon na ako pag a.) Nagsusulputan na ang mga pimples ko sa noo b.) Madalas sumakit ang ulo ko c.) Sumasakit ang balakang ko. Sobrang tinatamad ako at parang ambigat ng katawan ko 'pag period ko. 

Pagod + Puyat + Katamaran = Walang kwentang post!

Sorry, ito lang kinaya ng powers ko. 

P.S. Ito pa pala pinagkaabalahan ko ng buong umaga. Basahin ang story ni Molly Nash. It's an interesting read. Go ahead. ^_^

Ciao! ♥

    

His One Great Dream

Each one of us had his/her own what-i-wanna-be-when-i-grow-up thing when still young. Even our kids have their own - doctor, model, engineer, lawyer, teacher. I, myself, also had one. I always wanted to be a teacher since I cannot remember when. Due to some circumstances, I did not become a teacher. I finished Bachelor of Science in Information Technology at Saint Louis University. I am now a humble (and privileged senior) call center agent. ^_^

After having spent 6 months in a call center in Manila, 6 months in a technical school in Nueva Ecija (but not as a teacher) and 7 long years (and still counting) in this call center, I realized, I still want to be a teacher. I guess that's my passion and that's the career path that I always know I am going to be happy and feel fulfilled with. Elmer has always encouraged me not to give up on my dream. I can at any time take an 18-unit education course and take LET after that. I have always excused myself with having no time at the moment, the timing is not right, or saving money for something more important - a house here in Baguio. Going back to school to pursue that dream is still an idea that's always welcome to me nonetheless. 

This is not about me. Come on, read on.

Fun Run To An Ultimate Goal

My horoscope said on October 14, 2011--

Gemini (5/21-6/21)

Today you may feel like a track star -- because you are very quickly approaching an important hurdle. And just like an Olympic athlete, you knew this hurdle was coming -- the good news is that you are completely prepared for it (and preparation counts for a lot). Of course, you won't be able to go around this obstacle -- so take a deep breath and make that leap right over it. You are in a good position to win this race.

Wow, big thought - me like an Olympic athlete. But really, it made me apprehend, life is sure like a race track. Once you're on it, you will come to hurdles and you can't turn back. You may knock down one hurdle but that will at least teach how to make it better on the next ones that you are coming to. And I thought, if  you're an Olympic athlete, you certainly have gone through one hell of a training before you're put on that race track, right? Training is important to be prepared and so are good trainers.

Note that. A race track, not a race. Life sure isn't like a race. Or maybe it is, but you do not compete with other racers. You survive it. It's not how soon or fast you get to the finish line. It's how good a job you did to get to it; how you enjoyed the view while on the race track; how you appreciated the faces of the people on the stand cheering for you; how much fun you had while running; how tired you may have felt as you approached the end, yet feeling fulfilled with your achievement.

Aaah. It feels good to be on this race track. So far, I'm doing so good. And my horoscope said "I am in a good position to win this race".

I am blessed. I am inspired. I am gonna win.

Bring it on, life!

Ciao! ♥

Nikki's $1M Question

"The first and simplest emotion which we discover in the human mind, is curiosity." - Edmund Burke. Who the hell is Edmund Burke? Hindi ko din alam. Who cares?! Duk lan! I think this is him. Read on.

Did I already mention in my previous entries that I come to work at 3:30AM and end my shift at 12:30PM? Sometimes, I get to sleep late like 9:00-9:30PM na. Yes, that's already late for me 'no. Heller, gigising pa ako ng 2:00AM.

Okay, going back. Sometimes, I would sneak quietly into the room in the afternoon - so Calli would not notice I was gone from the living room otherwise she would run to the bed faster than I could to force me play her favorite video clip of her birthday party or jump up and down on the bed (Okay, that's another story) - to take power naps.

Yesterday was one of those times. I woke up before dinner time, around 5:30PM I guess. Nikki is usually already home from school by that time. There was Nikki and Calli in the living room and they had obviously been watching TV. As soon as I walked out the bedroom door headed to the bathroom to pee, Nikki asked me her $1M question.

Calli's "Duk Lan"

Calli, my younger daughter, is soooo funny, well, at least for me. At her age - learning to speak words, attempting to complete her statements, making funny gestures and facial expressions - she just knows how to make Elmer and me laugh, with very little or no effort at all. We love her puppy eyes whenever pinapagalitan namin siya. We pity her so much pag sobrang iyak niya kasi napalo siya at talaga namang wagas ang pagtulo ng luha niya na parang wala ng bukas. We are so delighted by her grins. Hindi lang smile, grin talaga, as in labas lahat ng ngipin pati gilagid. We always laugh at her signature moves and bulol lyrics of songs. On my past rest days, walang yaya so ako lahat (ako na lang lagi, lahat-lahat? So unfair! Haha) ang may gawa sa bahay. First night that we didn't have yaya with us, while on bed nagpapaantok (all lights out kasi hindi matutulog si Calli pag maliwanag) -- 

Mommy: Tulog na Mahal. Andilim na. Wag na tayo maingay kasi magagalit ang kapitbahay.(Lahat na ng pang-uuto, para tumigil na siya sa paglalaro).

Calli: Raaaaawr! (Alam niyo yung mga halimaw or nakakatakot na characters sa mga horror movies? Ginagaya pala niya yun as if tinatakot ako. Haha!)

Mommy: (Not paying attention)

Calli: Duk lan Mommy. Duk lan ha.

Mommy: (Trying to decipher...decipher...decipher)

Kayo ba na-decipher niyo na ang ibig niya sabihin?

Joke lang po!

Regret, Bittersweet Sundays And Celebrity Marriages

"I am sorry." - ala Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo nung nag-sorry siya. Remember the Hello Garci scandal? Mismo! Parang ganyan ang gusto kong sabihin sa dati kong blog site I mentioned I did not want to use any longer. Just earlier today, I was hoping that I could export my posts here to that other blog site. I decided I would start using that other blog site again at the same time as this. Unfortunately, there's no option just yet to export old posts here in Multiply to any other blog site. Only way is to copy-paste each one of them to that other blog site. And doing it that way would not keep the dates when the posts were originally created. That's sad! Sana soon meron na. *Fingers crossed*

I am at work as I write this. Yes, I have a lot of "free" time here at work. Idagdag mo pang today is Sunday. I hate the fact that I have to work on Sundays (at least until October). There's the missing the Sunday family activities, the usual Sunday masses, and the list goes on and on. But at the same time, pampalubag-loob na din na konti lang ang trabaho pag Sunday at wala pang maraming bosses. Isa lang ang manager-on-duty pag Sunday shift, at di pa masyado visible, figuratively and literally. Hihihi! That's another story. Aside from the fact na konti lang ang trabaho pag Sunday, walang masyadong ginagawa pero sulit sa bayad plus may time pa mag-blog. At mag-surf sa mga websites kahit blocked pa yan (isp tech support kami kaya dapat alam niyo na yan). At makipag-chismisan sa mga workmates na bored na bored na din kasi wala ding magawa tulad ko kundi maghintay ng end ng shift. Aarte pa ba ako?!

Isa sa mga ginagawa ko pagdating ko sa office, aside from the usuals na work-related, is check the new articles and my daily horoscope here. And Kirk Douglas, American film actor, quoted "You can tell a lot about a guy by the woman he marries." in one of the articles. But I think that does not apply only to married men. Kahit yung mga boyfriends din. It makes a huge impression on a guy the girl he is with, not necessarily the looks lang. You know what I mean. That made me think. What can other people tell about Elmer by me? "He could have done way much better than that"? Sh*t! I may not be a perfect partner but I think I am perfect for him. Ayeeee!

Ciao!

  

And The Countdown Begins. 85, 84, 83...

Today's October 1. Ambilis ng araw! 85 more days before Christmas. It's the waiting and preparing for Christmas that's really fun, and not Christmas at all, at least for me. For the past 6 Decembers, palagi na lang akong malungkot. Pag malapit na ang Pasko, I start to have this feeling again na gusto ko na talagang mag-resign. O kundi naman, winiwish ko na sana sa bangko na lang din ako nag-wo-work like my close friends Jona and Elley. O kahit anong trabaho na walang pasok pag legal at special holidays at pag sinabi ng presidente ng Filifins. Kasi every December 'di ba, there's this almost-a-week-long vacation from work dahil sa mga sunod-sunod na holidays. Kaya naman, pag December, uso ang lahat ng klase ng reunion (family, high school, atbp.), mga gatherings at of course, mga parteys! Most of the time, absent ako sa mga ganyan. Aheytchit!

Here in Baguio, I can already feel the Christmas vibe. Couple of times that I visited the mall this week that I heard Christmas songs playing. There are early Christmas promos in some stores, ads on TV and radio and Christmas decors in some places. Almost everywhere, I can see hints that Christmas is just around the corner. (Wag na magtanong kung saang corner ha?!)

And when we say Christmas, there also come the words family, togetherness, gifts, parties, and gifts, inaanaks, Aguinaldo, and gifts. Haist! I always want to be home every Christmas. My family has a home here in Baguio, that's for sho'. So I guess, I should say, I always want my family to be home every Christmas. And when I say home, I mean, Nueva Ecija or Pangasinan. Pero mas masaya sa Nueva Ecija kasi mas marami kami dun. At dun talaga ako. If I ask Elmer, for sho', Pangasinan pipiliin nun. Siya taga-dun e. Pero isa lang ng mama niya dun. Hindi masaya. But as he always says, "Yun na nga. Mag-isa lang niya dun, kaya mas dapat dun tayo mag-Pasko." Paano naman ang mga kamag-anak ko sa Nueva Ecija? Ma-mi-miss nila ako? (Siya kayang tunay?! Hmmm..)

Every year, I get to choose only one. Opo, isa lang sa dalawang mahalagang holidays ng taon. One holiday to be off work. Christmas or New Year. At di ko mapagtanto kung bakit ang mga kasama ko sa trabaho ay mga gaya-gaya! Gusto din nila ng New Year off. Parang nanalo sa lotto sa office pag natapat ka sa New Year off. Parang raffle draw kasi ang pag-decide. Hmp, kaloka!

I remember, nung 2010, Christmas off ako. As we all know, Christmas day and New Year's day always fall on the same day. Kung Thursday ang Pasko 2010, for sho', Thursday din ang New Year's Day 2011, yung ganun? So wala akong pasok ng December 24 at 25. The following week after that ginawa nilang December 31 AT January 2 ang off ko. Well, dahil tinamad ako at sa kagustuhan kong makasama ang pamilya ko, nagparamdam na ako sa boss na hindi na ako papasok ng January 1. Deadma siya at panay ang paalala na pasok sa banga ng suspension pag absent during critical work days. Pero mabait talaga si Lord at muli kong naramdaman, Ate Charo, na mahal Niya ako at ang aking pamilya. Ang pinakapuhunan ko sa industriya ng call center, ang aking malamig na boh-sehs, ang sumalba sa aking holidays. Minalat ako! Syempre secure agad ako ng aking medical certificate. Nakalimutan ko na ang tawag sa sakit. Basta may -itis sa dulo. Happy-happy ang Christmas 2010 at New Year 2011 ko.

And another good thing about Christmas ay ang kabi-kabilang mga Christmas parties. Photos below were something that I took last year in one of the Crhistmas parties that I attended. This was with Team Espinueva that I was assisting before.

Who gave me those horns?! ^_^

With my friend and choco mousse master Renj

Below are some photos naman that I took on December 25, 2009. This was the actual evening of Christmas. Elmer and I had dinner with Nikki outside. Baby pa lang si Calli dito. Five months. Elmer is not a fan of going out with a baby with us. He claims he's protecting the baby from possible sakit na makukuha niya outside. If I know, ayaw niya lang magbuhat, 'no!

Nikki was only 5 years old here

Elegant place pero sa SM lang naman 'to.

Bigla kong naisip, bakit ba itong sinulat ko? Ooh, I remember, because I was going through my photos in Facebook and saw some of the photos taken these past 2 Christmases which reminded me na malapit na nga na naman ang Pasko. Haist! Ambilis talaga ng araw. Siyang tunay!

And out.

Ciao! ♥

 

Sighs Of Relief And Frustration

Power's back up. I lewv it. All phones: batteries fully charged. Check. Laptop: battery fully charged. Check. Digicam: battery fully charged. Check. Ayus! May TV na. Tuloy-tuloy na din ang tubig. Perfect! Sun started to shine yesterday. Back to normal. *Sigh*

Weekend na, but I don't get excited with weekends. Elmer and I have to work on weekends while our daughters have to stay at home. No classes for Nikki of course. Monday is again my rest day but I don't think I will get to rest kasi uuwi si Manang Pearl, my kids' yaya, sa Pangasinan on Sunday. Once a month she gets to see her family in Pangasinan. So ako lahat ang gagawa sa bahay sa Monday at Tuesday. Just thinking of it, napapagod na ako. *Sigh*

Gusto ko ng bonding time with my family on Sunday after my shift. Lunch lang at movie/s, pero sa bahay lang. Ano kaya lulutuin nino? *Sigh*

Hunt-mode muna for recipes online.

Ciao! ♥

Typhoon Pedring: The Aftermath

I think Typhoon Pedring has already moved away from Baguio, if not the Philippines. Yesterday, there were only little drizzles, not too strong winds, clear skies. Better than Tuesday's weather. When I left the house at 3:15 AM, everything was black. Brownout kasi. Andilim! But the sky was bright. Not bright na bright talaga ha kasi wala pa naman araw. Heller, 3:15 AM? Madaling araw? Okay, I confess. I have poor vocabulary. Pero try natin ito, auroral? Thanks to dictionary.com's thesaurus.
Going back. So I think today is gonna be a fine day. Maybe not too much sun yet but there will be sun. I hope. I can't describe how much I hate rains. Not really a fan. I also don't understand Elmer's love of rains. Most of the time, tinatamad siyang lumabas ng bahay pag okay ang panahon. At excited siyang, wait for it, maglakad-lakad (?!) sa Session kapag umuulan at lalo na pag bumabagyo. His reason: Konti lang ang tao sa Session pag umuulan. Pag okay ang panahon, lahat ng tao raw ay nakakalat sa Session. Okay, may point siya. Pero ang point ko naman, bakit kasi siya pupunta sa Session umuulan man o umaaraw e wala naman siya gagawin dun. Ano, rampa lang? Basta, yun ang trip niya.

Kahabaan ng Session Road taken last summer

But still, we still went out yesterday afternoon because we had to settle our water bill. Past due na yun. Kasi ang aming lovely landlady na si Mommy Espie, nawala pala ang aming water bill statement. Hindi niya sinabi agad at sinabi lang nung tapos na ang due date. Hello 10% surcharge! Bakit daw ako nagmamadali magbayad ng bill sabi ni Elmer, na para bang hindi niya ramdam ang sense of urgency. Our faucets ran dry on Tuesday but that was maybe because of the typhoon. Don't get the connection? Ako din! Hahaha! Then I thought, what do I know, this is Baguio. Feeling ko, hindi dumating ang tubig nung Tuesday kasi hindi pa kami nakabayad ng bill. Kaya I felt the need yesterday to pay the bill. At ang galing, dumating ang tubig kagabi. O di ba?! I always get worried when we do not have water supply in the house. Brownout na nga, wala pang tubig? I will always choose water over electricity if I really need to choose between the two. Pero syempre naman 'di ba, mas okay kung parehong meron sila.

And still, brownout pa din today when I left the house. Cellphones and laptop already ran low on battery. Buti na lang nakapag-charge ako ng cellphone dito sa office kahapon. Yes, dito ko sa office sinusulat ito ngayon. I am hoping, really badly, na sana magka-kuryente na today. Please Lord, have mercy on us! Gusto ko na makapanood ng TV. I don't know how much damage Typhoon Pedring has caused the country. For sure there's damage but I hope not too much. Thank you Lord, my family here in Baguio is safe and so is my family in Nueva Ecija.

I hope all of your families are okay too.

Ciao! ♥

 

I Should Have Listened

Just a few weeks ago, our account (or is it our company? Whatever!) started to implement dress codes. I mean, dress codes are here since I don't remember when but these new dress codes require us to wear business casual attire every Monday and Tuesday shift (so that's Tuesday and Wednesday for me). Since I'm off work every Monday and Tuesday, I only need to wear business casual attire every Tuesday shift. 

The weather on Monday was still okay. Sunshine in the morning. Grey skies after noon. Not unsual here in Baguio. I was already planning to go out on Monday to buy some clothes to wear for today but I got lazy (I wrote something, explaining this, that I should have posted on that day but I didn't have the chance to post but I'll do it later).

I Promise, Don't I, Really?!

I had known about this blog site (thanks to a friend) early this year and not been able to view it again until after a couple of weeks ago. For the past few days, I had been reading recent posts and even the old ones posted way back in 2008, 2009 and 2010. It's really entertaining for me to read her posts. Just like me, she also has two daughters. Although, hers are already in their late teens and mine are only 7 and 2. I enjoy reading her posts about how they are in their house as a family, what she is like as a mother to her daughters and as a wife to her husband. I think she is a cool mom, just like me. She is a good cook, or should I say, she cooks good. Whatever! I envy her because she could afford to give her career up to be hands-on with her daughters. Her family has since been a one-income family. She was a lawyer and her husband is a civil engineer. At this point, mine cannot survive in a one-income status. Or maybe it can but we have to sacrifice a some things where some might fall under the almost-a-necessity category.
'Nuff with the comparison. The real reason why I am again starting to make new post is because I am inspired by her. Her blog became like a diary of her everyday life. I also want something like that. So, I promise (fingers crossed) to post new entry everyday (even just a short one). Kahit non-sense. 

Proud Mommy on Mommy's Day

I am writing this because I want to remember this day.

I am so proud of my Nikki. It makes me smile whenever she needs to do her thing on the toilet. She will come up to me and say, "Mommy, ta-t#e ako." You know what she actually means by that. I need to be there when she's done.

Yesterday was different. She came up to me before she went to the toilet. After a few minutes when I thought she should have already been done, she had not called me yet. I had to check on her. She was already finishing up. I asked her, "Ano ginagawa mo? Marunong ka na ba maghugas Mahal?" I was not expecting her answer when she said it while she was busy figuring out how to actually do it with the tabo. "Try ko po Mommy." I cannot explain it. It might not mean anything to anyone but how she responded means a lot to me. Where had all the seven years gone? She's grown up.

Ciao! ♥