No Long Post for a While

See you! ;)

P.S.
Thanks to stock.xchng for the photo.

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Cheap Hotel Accomodations in London

It has been a known fact that there is a massive migration of Filipinos abroad in search of greener pastures. Filipinos are literally scattered around the globe! I have friends and acquaintances that are now in the United States, Middle East and United Kingdom. These Filipinos battle with fatigue, stress and homesickness in order to make their lives and their loved ones’ lives better and more comfortable.

Family-centeredness has been inherent to Filipinos. Most of us have a high regard for our parents. Basically, our parents work their selves to death just to feed us, clothe us and send us to school and sometimes, look after our kids when we decide to leave the country and work abroad. To pay back their goodness, many overseas Filipino workers (OFW) save up to gift their parents with a trip abroad.

My good Lola Dely, the midwife who delivered me and my two brothers, will be going to London as a tourist very soon (along with her youngest daughter), courtesy of her son who has been working there as a nurse. They will need a place to stay once there. Before their trip, I suggested that they check-out cheap hotel accommodations in London to find affordable but good and quality hotel accommodations there. If they can save up on hotel accommodations, they can definitely visit more tourist spots and buy more stuff for themselves. And since they are Filipinos, it is likely for them to scout for and purchase items to bring home (or pasalubongs) to their loved ones here in the Philippines.

To Lola Dely, we’ll miss you for a while but enjoy your trip and take a lot of photos!

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The Week that Was

The Storks Came!

And they visited Ate Caroline, Ate Jane and Shelley!

Congrats, Ate Caroline for another precious little boy, John Karl! He was born last October 5, 2007 at Davao City. Ate Line has been a good friend of mine way back in college. She is one of Therese’s pretty godmothers.

Ate Jane, my cousin in-law, now has Michael Jairus, born on October 11, 2007. Congrats, Ate!

And last but not the least, welcome to the world, baby Seanna Rose! Shelley, my brave sister in-law gave birth to her after 20 hours of labor last October 12, 2007. Way to go, Shell! We are very, very proud of you!! We are looking forward to seeing you and Sea and Dhigs very, very, very soon! Here is a photo of the proud mom and the little cutie, saying "hello!" to each other:

My Smart (and Lazy) Aleck
Upon coming home last Thursday, Therese’s caregiver informed me that her ward refused to do her seatwork which was writing short words. While giving the little girl a bath that night, this was how our conversation went:

Me: “Hindi ka raw sumulat sa class ninyo?”
Therese: *shook her head while making pa-cute*
Me: “Bakit hindi ka sumulat?”
Therese: *no answer*
Me (again): “Bakit ayaw mong sumulat?”
Therese *thinking then finally answered with all seriousness, “Kasi mapapagod ang hands ko.”

That definitely caught me off-guard! This witty and smart girl surely is, her father’s child!

Exam week is coming up, therefore, this weekend will be spend studying, reviewing and practicing on how to write. The last one is going to be tough. But I hope not! Last week of October will be their semestral break. Yeah, even prep school kids have sem breaks! We are actually looking forward to that short break since the three of us are going to spend it somewhere out there. ;)

I’ve Been Published!
Second semester for schools here in the Philippines is coming up. To encourage students to enroll in the university where I work, our Information Management Office Director and my good friend, Ate Kim, requested yours truly to conceptualize and design an advertisement which would be printed on our local newspaper that comes out weekly. (We used to have text ads plus a colored ad, which was also used as the design of our school poster).

Anyways, I used the photos taken during my recent photo op with our school’s student leaders. I came up with two designs, one was published last October 13, 2007 and the other one will be published today. =)

Reads
I just want to share some of my recent buys from the superb online bookstore, bookoto. I am extremely satisfied with my Color Index by Jim Krause and A Designer’s Eye for Scrapbooking by Ali Edwards. I am particularly grateful to fellow Bev, Joy and Jacq for helping in choosing Ali’s book. Her book is jam-packed with not only pretty layouts but also important and useful insights and ideas on scrapbooking and designing. I was amazed when I got the book and saw how thick it is with 172 pages.

On the other hand, the Color Index is a cute, little book of over 1100 color combos in CYMK and RGB formulas for print and web media. I find this very, very, very useful since I am not confident with my color combinations. This little cutie is definitely a favorite and has been useful in designing the ads which I present above.

I already asked the kind and accommodating co-owner of bookoto, Sheryl, to also order on my behalf, two other Index titles: Idea Index and Layout Index, all by Jim Krause. Paging Ms. Sheryl! Yohoo! =)

5S
Have you heard of it?

We at the university recently underwent a 5S seminar. 5S is a housekeeping system developed in Japan. 5S stands for 5 terms which are: Seiri (Sort), Seiton (Systematize), Seiso (Sweep), Seiketsu (Sanitize) and Shitsuke (Self-Discipline). You can learn more about this concept here.

We were already oriented about this concept some eons ago. But I think that we are being reviewed this time since our school will be having visitors from an accrediting institution some time next year. LOL! But seriously, this is concept is worth looking in to. It is very simple, practical and useful not only in the workplace but also in our respective homes.

Photos of the Week
To end this post, here are some photos taken during this week. Lookie!

We have a cutie pie who is obviously sleeping soundly. The same girl also refused to hand her dad’s pair of socks on the morning of his departure for a business trip. She played with the socks with glee and even allowed her photos to be taken. (Oh, she despised being photographed these days!) And lastly, you can see a great husband and daddy who is not working, instead, seriously immersed into a computer war game! LOL! He’s been feeling a bit sad because of his work for some weeks now. That made him feel a bit sorry for himself and he was kind of psychosomatic for several days. I told him to find something else to do aside from sleep and watch TV. Something interesting for him, something to keep him preoccupied. Something like a computer game or something. He’s obedient so there you go. ;)

That’s all for this week. I hope you all have a great weekend! And if you come by, please leave a comment here or in my CBox.

Ta-ta for now!

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I AM BACK!

As promised, here is the promised and long overdue post. =) Like what I have mentioned, my small family and I moved into a rented place. It is a smaller house which is just right for the three of us.

Domesticated
I am proud to say that I can somehow cook decent meals now and that my husband and kid have more appetite than before. I now do more than frying and boiling, you know. =) I usually buy our fish, vegetables and fruits from the wet market, our meat and poultry supply from the mall along with our groceries. I have not done budgeting (with pen and paper and calculator) but so far, it is not a problem. We are only buying what we need though we tend to stock up on groceries and toiletries.

Turning Four
Guess who turned four last March 7. =) We had a very simple children’s party at home with around 15 kids plus some adults. We had balloons and cake and spaghetti and party bags and more food. Unfortunately, I had no time to design a backdrop. So please forgive the pathetic backdrop which I brought hours before the party. LOL! Wes was not here that day because of an official trip. Sad.

Our School Girl
Last April, worrying about not having a caregiver, we decided to enroll the little one at the elementary training department of the school where I work. Classes were conducted from 8 – 10:30 AM. Therese surely had a blast meeting new kids and spending her mornings with them, learning and playing and singing and dancing. It was great knowing that learning was fun for her though it was sad when she had an encounter with a bully. It was painful for me as her mother and I could only wish that there is a way to shield and protect my kid from bullies.

Last June 12 was her first day in class (again). Based on her teachers’ assessment, she was put in a class for advanced learners. Meaning, she had to give up her early afternoon nap time and be at school before 12:50 in the afternoon. Classes end at 4:15 PM. At 6:00 in the evening, she is usually tired and sleepy, thus we don’t fight over her sleep time anymore. Nowadays, she’s the one informing me that it’s time for her to sleep and I need to mix her milk and give her a clean hankie – two must-haves during sleep time.

Her caregiver informed me that there are some kids in her class who are sometimes rowdy and refuse to do their seatwork, thus, they are late in finishing their tasks and are usually sent home late. Unfortunately, one of them is Therese! She is a good kid, I know. But my guess is that she is influenced by the other kids. Talk about peer influence. *sigh*

August 29 was their Sports Festival. Together with her team mates, they won in a parlor game! Unfortunately, I already left the playground when they played. LOL!

August 31 was the Buwan ng Wika culminating activity. Their class was tasked to recite a 3-paragraph poem entitled, “Ang Batang Pilipino”. A very good and pretty friend of mine made Therese a very elegant and orangey Filipiñana gown that made her look like a flower girl. Thanks Ate Emmie! When they were called to perform, some kids were shy or clueless on what they had to do there but not my girl! She was one of those memorized their piece by heart and recited it with much vigor and enthusiasm. I am so proud of her!

We do not have our regular review sessions because she sleeps early in the evening but upon waking up, she usually reads her books or write or color her books. September 12, 1st Grading Honors’ Convocation. We received an invitation which means Therese was included in the honors’ list (which was not printed on the invitation). Yey! Again, Wes was not able to attend due to an official travel. (He still has to step on the grounds of his daughter’s school!) I was a proud Mommy when Therese was called as one of those who are in the Third Honors! This is quite amazing because of four reasons: first, I am her mom (LOL!!), she is sometimes rowdy in her class, she missed several days of class due to sickness and she did not go through Nursery compared to some of her classmates. She was so proud of her certificate; she refused to give it to me! To reward her (and hopefully encourage her to keep up the good work), Wes and I gave her some pretty things plus a treat at her favorite Jollibee.

Her favorite song (so she claimed) these days is the Philippine National anthem. She learned it from school. Most of the time, she sings it before sleeping. She has her own lyrics, of course! LOL! Once, she sung a different song and Wes sighed in relief, saying, “Mabuti at hindi national anthem ang kinakanta niya this time.” LOL!

Anyways, here are some photos of our school girl.Not so long ago, there was a conversation between an anxious mother who is sending her pre-schooler to school for the first time and a guidance counselor (her officemate and one of the kiddo’s godmothers).

Mom: Bakit kaya ang sutil ni Therese ngayon?
GC: Because of her age.
Mom: What about her age?
GC: It’s her time para mag-assert ng independence
Mom: (On the verge of hysteria.) No way! Hindi siya pwedeng maging independent! Dapat maging dependent lang siya sa akin!

:D

I admit that seeing my kid learn new stuff makes me both happy and sad. Reasons for being happy are obvious. But it also makes me sad because it only means that she is slowly becoming self-reliant. I know, I know, we were not given kids to own them but to let them become the beautiful persons that God intended them to be. But motherhood made me human.

Really. I am a self-confessed meanie. When I was younger and very immature, my world revolved around my self and my cats. Marrying the best husband in the world made me complete. But motherhood, that made me human and humane. I learned how to really care for another creation that is super totally dependent on me. And now, slowly, very gradually and unhurriedly, that little girl is becoming self-sufficient. She can “bathe” herself and even mix her milk formula. She knows how to operate the DVD player and turn on the television to watch her favorite Dora, Barney and Disney DVDs. Sooner or later, she won’t need me anymore. And her world will not revolve around us (her dad and me, though he is not affected!) anymore. And someday, she won’t think of me as her Super Mom. And that thought definitely makes me super sad.

BUT! My consolation is that I know and feel that *ehem* I am doing a great job! My kid is healthy, happy and good. She embraces life with much zest and energy. She’s a happy kid. She sings loves to sing and dance and hop.

Oh, she has her not-so-good-and-happy moments but she knows how to apologize and be a good kid again. :D She likes to draw and color. Her favorite color by the way is orange though her mom insists on pinks. :D She loves crunchy foods and she has some favorite veggies. She likes fruits and juices. She definitely loves ice tea. Like Wes and I, she loves chocolate!

But she’s not used to eating out and frequenting Jollibee and the likes. Her first ever Jolly Kiddie Meal (that comes along with a toy) was bought by her Ninang Ederlyn (Wes’ cousin) last December 2006 when we met her. She does not wail and whine when we refuse to buy what she sees at the mall. She’s a good kid. That definitely makes her dad and me happy.

Therese totally loves books! She has plenty of story books that we read to her almost daily. Sometimes, she pretends to be reading too though actually, she already memorized the story. LOL! Recently, the two of us visited a Book Sale shop. I browsed through the books and she was doing the same at the kid’s section. She had a great time looking through the books and finding familiar characters. I allowed her to choose two books that she liked and we bought them.

When our family dentist examined her teeth, I was commended by the dentist because at 4, Therese’s teeth are all pretty. I was advised not to worry about the spaces between her teeth. They are perfect for the permanent teeth once they come out. What she told us was indeed a relief since I used to think that those spaces pose as problems.

There was a time when she got sick with high fever. Super high fever and cough. She was bed-ridden for two days, was vomitting and refused to take-in anything. Her pedia told me to observe her and if on the third day, she needed to be hospitalized. I would never want to see my kid in a hospital, much more with IVs and everything. That night, I cried a river and stormed the heavens with prayers. Wes prayed with me. Finally, sleep came at around 3 AM. When I woke after 4 hours, I discovered that her temperature was greatly reduced. Later, she asked for milk and rice and sinigang. And she became better. =) God is good!

As I look to her old photos, I am very much amazed on how she has grown up. Of course we get into occasional fights (okay, frequent fights) but she’s still adorable! She occasionally experience scolding from us (which makes Wes and I feel really terrible and awful) but she’s learning. And she does not hold grudges. I am very much amazed by that and it makes me wonder how and why she does it. Maybe because she’s just a kid. Or maybe because she really has a forgiving heart. This little girl who can’t sleep without 3 pillows around her and a hankie to hold and nibble, is indeed teaching me great lessons in her own little ways.

The Husband
…has been busy. Very, very busy indeed. But gradually, he has been gaining weight though he gets sick once in a while due to stress and fatigue. Those are two things which he can’t avoid due to his nature of his job as NGO worker.

Wes turned 28 last July and we had a simple celebration at home. It was just the three of us plus a cousin, Aring, who lives nearby. We had Goldilocks birthday cake, with candles of course. When we were about to eat, Therese asked where the visitors were! She still think that birthday and cake=party=guests. LOL!

He’s been a sickie this week and was not able to work. Awww. My poor little, big boy. He is not really a baby when he’s sick but there’s a need to remind him to eat and take his medications on time.

Some say he looks like the famous singer, Christian Bautista. Hmmm… I say my husband is more handsome than Christian! LOL

Finally
After 8 months, I finally realized that I just can’t create layout after layout after layout of our Christmas 2006 vacation photos. (Or maybe I am just clueless on how to do it.) I was pressed since I wanted to send copies to my parents in-love in Pampanga. To end my predicament, I decided to choose which photos to send, edit or enhance them, later had them printed and placed in an album. And that’s it! I am happy and I know the recipients are also happy! But I still have one grand layout to work on, the one which Wes have been asking me to make. The one, he says, that will be displayed on the walls of Tatang and Ima’s house. I am a slacker, yes. It’s because I am waiting for my mojo to come! To those who are wondering, mojo for us digiscrappers mean the drive and creativity and inspiration to create and come up with striking, beautiful and meaningful layouts. THIS project is significant that is why I need a big deal of mojo to accomplish it. Can anyone spare me some? LOL!

Shooting
I am having a good opportunity to practice my so-called photography skills in the past months since there were requests to document some activities and events at school. I also try to squeeze-in some photography books into my reading time though I tend to forget what I’ve learned the following day! LOL!

Yesterday, I had a photo op with our school’s student leaders at our new botanical garden. It was super fun though tiring! I wonder where the younger ones get their never-ending energy. =) Anyways, the photos will be used in a newsletter which we are going to release sometime this month. We had awesome photos which I will post once the newsletter is published. The pictures will likewise be used in the production of our new recruitment materials. As always, I had my ever reliable Canon PowerShot A540 with me. Plus I got the chance to use my Vivatar tripod, finally!

I have been wishing for a Digital SLR. I was able use a Panasonic DSLR last March during our graduation rites but my golly, that thing is quite heavy! Or maybe, I am just used with my weights of my compact point and shoot camera. ;)

Unhappy
The good news is: I have been slowly but surely backing-up the files that I have in my hard disk. Most of them are digital kits. The bad news is that two nights ago, my laptop got infected with a virus through my USB which I used in a computer unit of an internet café. Aside from other unknown things that it did, the awful virus disabled my Task Manager, CMD and Run. It was horrible! I have been spending hours almost daily to organize my kits with ACDSee and now, this terrible thing happened!

I did several distress calls, so to speak, to my techie friends. Liz told me that there’s no way to go but reformat since it disabled almost everything. One good friend, Kuya Tom, our school ICT guy, offered to do it for me even he is on paternal leave. Yesterday, I was able to talk with another good friend, the Reverend Rodel, and he offered to do it himself. Kasi kawawa naman daw si Tom. Hehehe. He offered to check first if the virus can just be deleted instead of reformatting because sayang din naman daw, but I told him that reformatting might do the trick and baka bumilis ang laptop. I am keeping my fingers crossed. =) Hopefully on Tuesday, I will have a better and faster laptop. ;)

Trying Hard
Okay, you have reached this far eh? You rightfully deserve then to know a little secret. LOL! Honestly, I have been trying hard to write again. I have read what I wrote some months ago and compared it with this one and yeah, this one sucks! LOL! Some loyalists say that I have a knack for writing. Okay, they might be blinded by I don’t know what! LOL! And I have been a frustrated writer ever since. So, to dust off my writing skills, I resumed blogging again. And reading books, my first love. There is a Book Sale store in the small mall here in the city and I find it’s a treasure chest for book lovers. There are plenty of second-hand imported books in various topics at very low, low prices. One just needs to be patient in searching for books that fit one’s interest. You got to see my collection! LOL! (I will be taking a photo of my books and post it one of these days.)

Wishes
My so-called worldly wishes in the past months are: external hard drives (to store my photos and digital kits), additional RAM for my laptop, a Digital SLR camera and an unlimited Internet access (since we don’t have a phone line here at home and Wes refuses to spend our money on broadband services.)

But this got me thinking: Will I be happy and contented once these wants are satisfied? ;)

The End…
…of this loooong post! =) I hope to update this blog once a week so please come and visit me if you can find time.
Ta-ta for now!

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